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Pentecost
– Sunday A
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Posted July 6, 2008
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Isaiah 55:10-11 -- God's Word is
Always Fulfilled;
Psalm 65 -- The River of God;
Romans
8:18-25 -- "First Fruits" of Salvation;
Matthew
13:1-9 (18-23) -- Parable of the Sower;
Isaiah:
Rain and snow fall from heaven
and water the earth to bring forth seed for sowing and bread
for food, and do not return to heaven without accomplishing their
purpose. So also, God's Word goes forth from the mouth of God and
does not return without accomplishing God's purpose.
Psalm:
The Lord, who reigns
in Zion (the temple mount; the City of God), is worthy of our
praise, and our faithfulness to keep our vows to him. He is the
One who hears and answers prayers. All humans will be accountable
to him for sin (disobedience of God's Word). When sin prevails
over us God forgives them. Those whom God chooses and draws near
to dwell in his house are blessed. We will have satisfaction in
the goodness of his house and his holy temple.
The God of
our Salvation has answered our need and delivered us with
great deeds. He is the hope of all the world, to the most distant
corners and across the vastest seas. The Lord who raised up the
great mountains by his great power, who stills the roaring seas
and their mighty waves also stills the tumults of the peoples.
Those who dwell in the remotest places on earth fear his great
power. The Lord makes sunrise and sunset occasions for celebration
and joy.
The Lord visits earth; he waters it and makes the
earth fertile. "The river of God is full of water"
(Psalm 65:9 b). The Lord provides grain for food, according to his
plan and timing. He provides rain, settling the earth's
furrows and softening it, and blessing growth.
"Thou
crownest the year with thy bounty; the tracks of thy chariot drip
with fatness" (Psalm 65:11 b). The pastures in the wilderness
become lush. The meadows are full of game and the valleys are
fertile with grain. Creation shouts and sings for joy.
Romans:
Compared to the
glory that will be revealed to us, the sufferings of this temporal
lifetime are well worth it. All Creation eagerly awaits the
revealing of the children of God. Creation has been subjected to
decay and death by God in hope, because Creation will be released
from decay and death and will share the glorious liberty of God's
children. We realize that Creation has been groaning until now in
travail like childbirth, and we also, who have the "first
fruits" of the Holy Spirit groan inwardly, awaiting our
adoption as God's children, and the redemption of our bodies. This
is the hope which we received by faith when we were saved. There
is no need to hope for what we already have, but if we do not yet
see it we hope for it patiently.
Matthew:
Jesus was
sitting on the shore of the Sea of Galilee, and a large crowd
gathered around him, so he got into a boat and taught them many
things in parables as they stood on the shore.
One was the
parable of the sower. A sower went out to sow seed, and some seed
fell on the path. Birds came and ate the seed immediately. Some
seed fell on rocky ground. It sprouted quickly, but wilted and
died in the sun, because there was no soil for it to take root in.
Some seed fell among thorns, and as it sprouted and grew the
thorns choked it and it didn't mature and produce a harvest. Some
seed fell on good ground, and it rooted and grew to maturity and
produced a harvest many times the amount of the seed expended.
Jesus told the crowd that if their ears "worked"
properly they should use them to "hear" what Jesus was
telling them.
Privately Jesus explained the parables to his
disciples. The seed is the Gospel, the Word of God. The path
represents those who hear but do not understand, and Satan comes
and takes the Gospel from their hearts. Rocky soil represents
those who receive the Gospel gladly, but don't let it take root
within them and grow. When trouble or persecution arises they fall
away. The thorny ground represents those who receive the Gospel
and let it take root, but the cares and pleasures of this world
choke the growth, and the Gospel doesn't mature and produce a
harvest. The good soil represents those who hear the Gospel and
let it take root and grow to maturity and harvest, where it
produces many times more than the seed that was sown.
Commentary:
God has designed this Creation as a physical
garden, but also as a spiritual garden, and we are his plantings.
God's intention has always, from the very beginning of Creation,
to establish an eternal kingdom of his people who willingly choose
to trust and obey God. This lifetime is our opportunity to seek
and find and come to know and have fellowship with God our Creator
(Acts 17:26-27), and this is only possible through Jesus Christ,
who has been designed into Creation from the very beginning (John
1:1-5, 14).
Creation bears witness to the goodness and
power of God. Everything in Creation works to accomplish God's
purpose. The physical experiences of Creation testify to spiritual
truth. God has designed a physical Creation in which God provides
rain and snow to soften and water the earth; he provides seed for
sowing and grain for bread, and food for every creature.
God's
Word is the spiritual seed which gives us spiritual life, sustains
us and causes us to grow spiritually and produce a spiritual
harvest. God's Word is the spiritual bread which sustains us to
eternal life. God's Word is accomplishing and will ultimately
fulfill God's eternal purpose, whether we choose to cooperate with
his purpose or not.
The Bible is the Word of God, given to
us to help us know and understand God's purpose for Creation and
our life. Jesus Christ is the fulfillment, embodiment and example
of God's Word, lived in this world in human flesh (John 1:1-5,
14). Jesus is the example we are to follow and the illustration of
what Spirit-filled children of God can and are to be.
God
has supplied everything we need physically and spiritually in
Creation. Unequal distribution of those physical resources is the
result of sin (disobedience of God's Word). Spiritual resources
are available freely to all who are willing to receive them
through faith (obedient trust) in Jesus Christ.
We are all
chosen and called by God to dwell eternally in his heavenly
kingdom, and God will draw us to himself, if we will allow him,
but he gives us freedom to accept or reject his call. If we accept
we will personally experience his goodness and the joy,
blessing and true satisfaction of life in his presence eternally,
beginning right now!
God has foreseen the consequences of
giving us free will, and has provided the Savior, Jesus Christ,
through whom our sins are forgiven. He has designed Creation so
that none of us deserves salvation from eternal condemnation, so
that he can give salvation as a free gift to everyone who trusts
and obeys Jesus Christ (Ephesians 2:8-9).
The gift of
the indwelling Holy Spirit is the "first fruit" of the
harvest of eternal life. God commanded Israel to give the "first
fruit" of their harvests to God, before they took any for
themselves. In the same way, God offers us his gift to us of the
"first fruits" of eternal life by the gift of the
indwelling Holy Spirit, through whom we experience the presence
and fellowship of the Lord now.
The Holy Spirit is the
river of God, the spring welling up within his disciples to
eternal life (John 4:14); the river of living water which is to
flow out from the hearts of Jesus' disciples into the wilderness
of this world (John 7:37-39) to transform it and give life to a
sinful and dying world.
We are spiritually
"born-again" John 3:3, 5-8) by the "baptism"
("anointing;" "gift") of the indwelling Holy
Spirit. We have personal experience of and fellowship with God the
Father and Jesus Christ through the indwelling Holy Spirit (Romans
8:9; John 14:23). Only Jesus gives the gift of the indwelling Holy
Spirit (John 1:31-34) only to his disciples who trust and obey
Jesus (John 14:15-17). The Holy Spirit is the seal and guarantee
that one is in Christ and has eternal life (2 Corinthians 1:22;
Ephesians 1:13-14; Romans 8:9b, 11, 15-16).
Jesus taught in
parables, which are stories of common daily experiences used to
convey spiritual truth. Today's text in Isaiah is an example of a
"parable" comparing physical experience to spiritual
truth by God's Word through the prophet. Jesus used parables so
that people were free to choose whether to accept his message or
not. Jesus will explain his teachings and open minds to understand
scripture (Luke 24:45) for anyone who is willing to be Jesus'
disciple.
The Gospel of Jesus Christ, the Word of God, is
the spiritual seed, which if allowed to germinate and grow to
maturity, produces a harvest of eternal life, not only for
ourselves but for others through us. The Word of God, fulfilled,
embodied and exemplified in Jesus Christ, is the bread of eternal
life which sustains us and provides the seed for sowing.
The
Lord reigns supreme over all the earth, whether we acknowledge him
as Lord or not. He is the one and only Lord who hears and answers
the prayers of his people (see Conditions for Answered Prayer,
sidebar, top right). There is a Day of Judgment coming when every
one who has ever lived will be accountable to him for what they
have done in this temporal lifetime in this Creation. The Day of
Judgment is not far off; it is within everyone's own lifespan, and
no one knows how long their life will be. Those who have accepted
Jesus as their Lord and have trusted and obeyed Jesus will have
been "born-again" and will receive eternal life in God's
kingdom in heaven. Those who have rejected Jesus, and have refused
to trust and obey him will receive eternal destruction and death
in hell with all evil (Matthew 25:31-46; 2 Thessalonians
1:5-10).
The "sun" will set on this Creation and
our physical lives, and will rise on the new eternal Creation
restored to paradise.
Is Jesus your Lord? Are you Jesus’
disciple? Are you trusting and obeying Jesus? Have you received
the indwelling Holy Spirit since you first truly believed (Acts
19:2)? Are you making disciples of Jesus Christ and teaching them
to obey all that Jesus commands (Matthew 28:18-20)? Do you know
with certainty where you will spend eternity (1 John 5:11-13;
Ephesians 1:13-14)?
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8
Pentecost - Monday A
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Posted July 7, 2008
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Psalm 86:11-17 – Walking in God's
Truth;
O, Lord, teach me to know
and live according to your way and your truth. Let my heart be
united to fear (have appropriate awe and respect for the power and
authority of) your name (person and character). With my whole
heart I will give thanks to the Lord, my God, and glorify his name
for ever. For the Lord has steadfast love for me and has delivered
my soul from the power of death.
O Lord, ruthless and
godless men have risen up against me. They do not honor and
fear you.
But you, O Lord, are gracious, merciful, with
abundant steadfast love and faithfulness. Have pity on me and help
me. Give me your strength and save me for I am your servant, the
son of your handmaid. Reveal to me a sign of your favor, help and
comfort me so that my enemies will see and be put to shame.
Commentary:
Believers will seek to know and live
according to God's Word. His Word is the only way to know divine,
eternal truth and have eternal life in the presence and fellowship
of God our Creator.
Jesus is the Word of God, fulfilled,
embodied and demonstrated in human flesh in this world (John
1:1-5, 14). Jesus is the only way to know and have fellowship with
God, to know divine, eternal truth, and to have eternal life (John
14:15-17). Jesus is God's only provision for our forgiveness of
sin (disobedience of God's Word) and salvation from our eternal
condemnation (Acts 4:12). Jesus is the name of the Lord
(Colossians 2:8-9; John 20:28).
Only by faith (obedient
trust) in Jesus Christ can we be spiritually "reborn"
(John 3:3, 5-8) to eternal life. Only Jesus gives the gift of the
indwelling Holy Spirit (John 1:31-34), only to his disciples who
trust and obey Jesus (John 14:15-17).
Jesus' crucifixion
and resurrection demonstrate to the world the truth and power of
God's Word. Jesus' resurrection from physical death to eternal
life was experienced by over five hundred eyewitnesses (1
Corinthians 15:3-8) and is testified to by every truly
"born-again" (John 3:3, 5-8) disciple of Jesus Christ
since then, beginning with the Apostle Paul.
We need to
pray for "united hearts" (Psalm 86:11 c). We can desire
to know and do God's will, but our hearts may also still want to
live according to the desires of our flesh. We need to learn to
resist the desires of our flesh so that we can trust and obey
God's will with our whole hearts.
God has shown his
steadfast, unwavering love for us in giving his only Son, Jesus
Christ to die for our sins, while we were still sinners (Romans
5:8; John 3:16-17). God has delivered us from the power of death
(Hebrews 2:14-15) through our faith (obedient trust) in Jesus
Christ (Ephesians 2:8-9).
Worldly people live to please
themselves. Believers who try to live according to God's Word will
find themselves opposed by ruthless and godless people in
this world. By the Bible record and by personal experience, as we
trust and obey God's Word, we know that God is gracious and
merciful, slow to anger and having abundant, steadfast love and
faithfulness. God is fully able, faithful and willing to show us
his favor, to give us his strength and save us from the power and
intent of worldly people, so that the world can see his power and
goodness. Because of God's faithfulness, we can pray to the Lord
to give us his strength and for deliverance from our enemies in
certainty that he will hear and answer our prayer (See Conditions
for Answered Prayer, sidebar, top right).
Is Jesus your
Lord? Are you Jesus’ disciple? Are you trusting and obeying
Jesus? Have you received the indwelling Holy Spirit since you
first truly believed (Acts 19:2)? Are you making disciples of
Jesus Christ and teaching them to obey all that Jesus commands
(Matthew 28:18-20)? Do you know with certainty where you will
spend eternity (1 John 5:11-13; Ephesians 1:13-14)?
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8
Pentecost – Tuesday A
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Posted July 8, 2008
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Isaiah 44:6-8 -- God's
Uniqueness;
The Lord, the King of Israel declares, "and
his Redeemer, the Lord of Hosts: 'I am the first and I am last;
beside me there is no god" (Isaiah 44:6 b). Let him who is
like God proclaim and prove it in God's presence. Who has known
and declared from ancient times the things that are to come? Let
them foretell what is coming in the future. Don't be afraid. The
Lord has told us from the beginning, and we have witnessed it. Who
is God beside the Lord? There is no Rock, nor any other god.
Commentary:
The Lord was the
King of Israel, but Israel wanted a human king like the
neighboring nations. The earthly kings of Israel were supposed to
be the representatives of God, but they turned from obedience to
God's Word and to idolatry. The result was a divided monarchy,
the annihilation of the northern kingdom of the ten tribes,
and later the conquest and exile of the southern kingdom to
Babylon.
The prophets of God's Word warned the northern
kingdom of the consequences of idolatry and disobedience of God's
Word, but the leaders and people refused to repent until they were
conquered and swept away to oblivion at the fall of Samaria in 721
B C.* Likewise, the southern kingdom didn't learn from the example
of the northern kingdom or heed the prophets' warning, and were
exiled for seventy years from 587*-517 B C,** as God's Word
declared (Jeremiah 25:12). Both these disasters could have been
avoided if Israel had returned to obedient trust in God's Word.
Both are examples of God's declaration beforehand of things to
come and the fulfillment of God's Word.
The hallmark of
God's Word is its fulfillment (Deuteronomy 18:21-22). God's Word
is eternal and it is always fulfilled, and fulfilled over and over
as the conditions for its fulfillment are met. The Bible is the
testimony to the truth and faithfulness of God's Word.
Jesus
Christ is the Messiah, (Christ; both mean "anointed")
God's "anointed" Redeemer and eternal King. Jesus is the
fulfillment, embodiment, and example of God's Word, lived in human
flesh in this temporal world (John 1:1-5, 14). Jesus was with God
from the very beginning, and has been "designed into
Creation. Jesus is not "another god;" Jesus is God in
human flesh (Colossians 2:8-9; John 20:28). Jesus is the Son
of God and Son of man, conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit
in the virgin Mary (Matthew 1:18-23; Luke 1:31-35).
Jesus
is the Rock on which we must build our lives if they are to
withstand the storms of life (Matthew 7:24-27). Jesus is the Rock
who is the source of spiritual "living water," the
indwelling Holy Spirit (John 7:37-39; 1 Corinthians 10:4; Numbers
20:7-11), in the "wilderness" of this temporal
world.
Jesus is the Redeemer, God's only provision for our
salvation from sin, eternal condemnation and eternal death (Acts
4:12), the only way to live according to God's Word, to know
divine, eternal truth, and to have true, eternal life in
fellowship with God (John 14:6; see God's Plan of Salvation,
sidebar, top right).
Only Jesus gives the gift of the
indwelling Holy Spirit (John 1:31-34), only to his disciples who
trust and obey Jesus. The Holy Spirit is the seal and guarantee
that one is in Christ and has eternal life (2 Corinthians 1:22;
Ephesians 1:13-14; Romans 8:9b, 11, 15-16).
God has
revealed his eternal plan for Creation in the Bible, and in Jesus
Christ. This lifetime is our opportunity to seek, find and come to
personal knowledge of and fellowship with God our Creator, and
this is only possible through Jesus Christ, by the gift of the
indwelling Holy Spirit (John 14:23). Jesus declared that one must
be "born-again" by the gift of the indwelling Holy
Spirit to see (now and ultimately) the kingdom of God (John 3:3,
5-8). This lifetime is our opportunity to learn to trust and obey
God in Jesus Christ, and to be spiritually "reborn"
(John 3:3, 5-8) to eternal life.
God's Word warns that
there is a Day of Judgment coming when Christ will return to judge
the world. That day is not far off; it will come for each of us at
the end of our lifetimes, and no one knows how long they will
live. Everyone who has ever lived will be accountable to the Lord
for what he or she has done in this lifetime. The standard of
judgment is Jesus Christ. Those who have accepted Jesus as their
Lord and have trusted and obeyed Jesus will have been "reborn"
and will enter eternal life in paradise restored in God's heavenly
kingdom. Those who have refused to accept Jesus as Lord and have
refused or failed to trust and obey Jesus will be condemned to
eternal destruction in hell with all evil (Matthew 25:31-46; 2
Thessalonians 1:5-10).
Are you ready for Christ's return.
Is Jesus your Lord? Are you Jesus’ disciple? Are you trusting
and obeying Jesus? Have you received the indwelling Holy Spirit
since you first truly believed (Acts 19:2)? Are you making
disciples of Jesus Christ and teaching them to obey all that Jesus
commands (Matthew 28:18-20)? Do you know with certainty where you
will spend eternity (1 John 5:11-13; Ephesians 1:13-14)?
*The Oxford Annotated Bible, Revised
Standard Version, Ed. by Herbert G. May and Bruce M. Metzger,
Chronological Table of Rulers, p. 1533, New York, Oxford
University Press, 1962.
**Easton’s Bible Dictionary,
“Exile” digital edition, bibledatabase.org -
http://bibledatabase.org/eastons.html (see Free Bible Study Tools,
sidebar, top right).
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8
Pentecost - Wednesday A
Posted July 9, 2008
Romans 8:26-27 -- The Spirit's Intercession;
1 Corinthians
2:11-13 -- Romans:
The Holy Spirit intercedes according to
God's will, (for those who have been "born-again;" John
3:3, 5-8). God knows our innermost needs and attitudes. In our human
weakness we don't know what we need or what to ask for. We don't know
how to pray according to God's will, but the Holy Spirit knows us and
our situation perfectly and also knows perfectly God's will. And God
knows the thoughts and feelings of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians
2:11). The Holy Spirit is able to intercede for us beyond human
expression or understanding.
1 Corinthians:
Just as no person knows his innermost
thoughts except his own spirit within him, so no one knows the
thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. We (who have been
"born-again") have received not the spirit of the world but
the Spirit of God, so that we can understand the spiritual gifts God
has given us. We are taught by the Spirit, and pass on, to those who
possess the Spirit, that teaching, not by human wisdom but by the
inspiration of the Holy Spirit.
Commentary:
Jesus is our great high priest, our intercessor
to God on our behalf. He is the ideal intercessor, because he has
experienced life in human flesh in this world, just the same as us,
but without yielding to temptation and sin (disobedience of God's
Word; Hebrews 4:14-16).
Jesus came to reveal the nature and
character of God the Father (John 14:7-9), to show us how to to know
and live according to God's will, to make it possible for us to be
forgiven for sin by his sacrifice on the Cross, and to give us
spiritual, eternal life, through the gift of the indwelling Holy
Spirit. Only Jesus gives the gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit (John
1:31-34), only to his disciples who trust and obey Jesus (John
14:15-17). The Holy Spirit is the seal and guarantee that one is in
Christ and has eternal life (2 Corinthians 1:22; Ephesians 1:13-14;
Romans 8:9b, 11, 15-16).
The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of
Christ, the Spirit of God (Romans 8:9). When we receive the gift of
the indwelling Holy Spirit, the Spirit knows us better than we know
ourselves, and he knows perfectly the will of God (1 Corinthians
2:11-13). The Holy Spirit intercedes for us to God, and teaches and
empowers us to know and do God's will.
Is Jesus your Lord? Are
you Jesus’ disciple? Are you trusting and obeying Jesus? Have you
received the indwelling Holy Spirit since you first truly believed
(Acts 19:2)? Are you making disciples of Jesus Christ and teaching
them to obey all that Jesus commands (Matthew 28:18-20)? Do you know
with certainty where you will spend eternity (1 John 5:11-13;
Ephesians 1:13-14)?
8
Pentecost - Thursday A
posted July 10, 2008
Matthew 13:24-30 (36-43) -- Weeds
Among Wheat;
Jesus taught in parables, stories of common daily
experiences used to convey spiritual truth. In the parable of
weeds among wheat, a man sowed good seed in his field, but while he
slept, his enemy sowed weed seeds in it. So when the seed sprouted
and grew, his servants reported the weeds to their master, and asked
if the seed had contained weeds. The master told them that his enemy
had sown the weeds. The servants asked him if they should pull out
the weeds, but the master told them to wait until the harvest, so as
not to damage the wheat. The master said that at the harvest,
he would have the reapers gather the weeds first and burn them, and
then they would gather the wheat into the master's barn.
When
Jesus was alone with his disciples they asked him to explain the
parable. Jesus said the man who sows good seed is the "Son of
man" (Jesus). The field is the World. The good seed represents
the children of God's kingdom. The weeds are the children of Satan,
the enemy. The harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are
angels. At the end of the age (the Day of Judgment), the Lord will
send his angels to gather all the wicked to be burned in hell, where
they will suffer and mourn eternally. But the righteous will be
glorified and live eternally in God's kingdom in heaven.
Commentary:
God has always
intended from the very beginning of Creation to establish an eternal
kingdom of his people who willingly choose to trust and obey God.
This world is God's "garden" for growing God's "children."
Jesus has been "designed into" Creation from the very
beginning (John 1:1-5, 14).
This lifetime is our opportunity
to seek and come to know and have fellowship with our Creator (Acts
17:26-27), and this is only possible through faith (obedient trust)
in Jesus Christ. Jesus came to show us what God is like, to die on
the Cross as the only sacrifice acceptable to God, once for all time
and people, for the forgiveness of our sin (disobedience of God's
Word). Jesus' life demonstrates how to live in obedient trust in
God's Word, and the fact of existence beyond physical death. Jesus
made it possible for us to have spiritual, eternal life through the
gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit, which only Jesus gives (John
1:31-34), only to his disciples who trust and obey Jesus (John
14:15-17). The Holy Spirit is the seal and guarantee that one
is in Christ and has eternal life (2 Corinthians 1:22; Ephesians
1:13-14; Romans 8:9b, 11, 15-16).
We're all born physically
alive but spiritually dead. This lifetime is our only opportunity to
be spiritually "born-again" (John 3:3, 5-8) to eternal
life. We're all born in slavery to sin and death and the power of
Satan (Hebrews 2:14-15). Only Jesus can set us free (John 8:31-36;
see God's Plan of Salvation, sidebar, top right).
Jesus came
proclaiming the Gospel ("good news") of forgiveness of sin
and salvation from God's eternal condemnation and destruction. Jesus
is the only way to know divine, eternal truth, the only way to have
personal knowledge of and fellowship with God, and the only way to
have eternal life (John 14:6).
Jesus taught in parables
so that people were free to understand his message or not, as they
chose. Jesus explained the meaning of the parables to those who were
willing to be his disciples (students) and learn from him.
Jesus
warns that there is a Day of Judgment coming, within our lifetime,
when everyone who has ever lived will be accountable to God through
Jesus Christ for what they have done in this lifetime. Those who have
accepted Jesus as Lord and have trusted and obeyed Jesus will have
been "reborn" spiritually during this lifetime, and will
enter eternal life. But those who have rejected Jesus, have refused
to trust and obey Jesus, will be gathered by the angels of God and
thrown into the eternal fires of hell where they will spend eternity
in agony and regret (Matthew 25:31-46; 2 Thessalonians 1:5-10).
Is
Jesus your Lord? Are you Jesus’ disciple? Are you trusting and
obeying Jesus? Have you received the indwelling Holy Spirit since you
first truly believed (Acts 19:2)? Are you making disciples of Jesus
Christ and teaching them to obey all that Jesus commands (Matthew
28:18-20)? Do you know with certainty where you will spend eternity
(1 John 5:11-13; Ephesians 1:13-14)?
8
Pentecost - Friday A
Posted July 11, 2008
Jeremiah 15:19-21 -- God's
Promise;
Matthew 7:22-29 -- Build on the Rock;
God promises
that if his servants return to him he will restore them. If they
speak God's truth rather than what is worthless they will be God's
spokespersons. God's servants are to set an example for others,
rather than being conformed to the world's standards. God will give
his servants strength like a wall of bronze. Worldly people will
fight against them but will not prevail, because God is with his
servants to save and deliver them. God will deliver his servants from
the power of the wicked, and redeem them from the control of the
ruthless.
At the Day of Judgment, many will call Jesus Lord
and claim to have done many mighty works in Jesus' name, like
prophesying and casting out demons. But Jesus will tell them to
depart, because they are evildoers and he never knew them.
Jesus
said that those who hear Jesus' teachings and do them are like a wise
person who builds his house on a foundation of solid rock. The storms
of life will not prevail, because of the firm foundation. But those
who do not do what Jesus teaches are like one who builds a house on
sand, without any foundation. The first storm that comes along will
sweep it away, and it's collapse will be a great catastrophe.
The
crowd was amazed at Jesus' teachings because he taught with
authority, unlike the scribes.
God's Word is eternal and is
fulfilled over and over as the conditions for its fulfillment are
met. God kept his promise to Jeremiah, and he will keep that promise
to us, if we will return to him in obedient trust. God will give his
servants strength to proclaim God's Word. God's servants can expect
to be opposed by the ungodly, but God will deliver and redeem his
servants from their power.
God's servants must be careful to
be an example to the world, rather than being conformed to the
world's standards. Many people today including many "church
members," nominal "Christians," think that they will
be saved because they call Jesus Lord (see Matthew 7:21). They think
because they're "Christians" that whatever deeds they do
for the "Church" are serving the Lord. Jesus warns that it
isn't those who call Jesus Lord, but those who seek to know and do
God's will who are God's people and citizens of God's kingdom.
Jesus warns that we must be "born-again" (John 3:3,
5-8) we must have a personal relationship with him by the gift of the
indwelling Holy Spirit, which only Jesus gives (John 1:31-34), only
to his disciples who trust and obey Jesus (John 14:15-17). The Holy
Spirit is the seal and guarantee that one is in Christ and has
eternal life (2 Corinthians 1:22; Ephesians 1:13-14; Romans 8:9b, 11,
15-16).
Authentic Christians are disciples (Acts 11:26 c) of
Jesus Christ; students who learn and do what Jesus teaches (Matthew
28:19-20) and are "born-again" by the gift of the
indwelling Holy Spirit. Disciples are to be "discipled"
within the Church by "born-again" disciples until they are
"born-again," before they are to be sent out into the world
to carry on Christ's mission (Luke 24:49; Acts 1:4-5, 8). It takes
"born-again" disciples to make "born-again"
disciples.
In too many instances today the nominal "Church"
has adopted the standards of the world, rather than being an example
of God's standards in the world. The debate over homosexual clergy is
one example. Too many times the "Church" has validated the
secular status quo; has given its approval to the secular government,
instead of using its influence to shape secular government.
Jesus'
teaching has authority because Jesus' word is the Word of God. It has
the creative force of God's Word (Matthew 8:26-27). Jesus is God in
human flesh (Colossians 2:8-9; John 20:28).
Christians need
to learn and know what Jesus teaches, and apply his teachings in
their daily lives. Too often nominal "Christians" rely on
the teaching of their "pastor" and their "church"
instead of the teaching of Jesus recorded in the Bible. Only those
who seek to know and obey Jesus will have a personal relationship
with Jesus through the indwelling Holy Spirit, and will continue to
be "discipled" by the Spirit of Christ to spiritual
maturity.
Is Jesus your Lord? Are you Jesus’ disciple? Are
you trusting and obeying Jesus? Have you received the indwelling Holy
Spirit since you first truly believed (Acts 19:2)? Are you making
disciples of Jesus Christ and teaching them to obey all that Jesus
commands (Matthew 28:18-20)? Do you know with certainty where you
will spend eternity (1 John 5:11-13; Ephesians 1:13-14)?
8
Pentecost - Saturday A
First posted 07/15/05
Acts 20:17-38
Paul's Farewell
At the end of Paul's third missionary journey
he came to Miletus, on the southwestern coast of present-day Turkey,
and summoned the elders of the Church of Ephesus nearby. When they
had assembled, Paul reminded them of how he had served the Lord in
humility, with tears and trials of persecution by the Jews.
Paul had preached the full gospel in public and in individual houses,
not altering it to make it more appealing, teaching both Jews and
Greeks the message of repentence and faith in Jesus Christ.
Now
Paul was returning to Jerusalem, knowing by the indwelling Holy
Spirit that trouble and imprisonment awaited him there. But Paul
didn't regard his physical life as important; his only interest was
in finishing the ministry Jesus had given him to testify to the
gospel of the grace of God. Paul told them that the Christians in
Asia would see Paul no more. Paul had declared the full Word of
God, so he would not be responsible for the eternal death of anyone
in the Church. He instructed the elders to guard and feed the Church
diligently, remembering that Jesus had established it by his
blood.
Paul warned that fierce "wolves" would attack
the Church and false teachers would arise among the Church to lead
astray the disciples (Church members; believers; Acts 11:26c). So the
elders should remember that Paul had worked and suffered for the
Church for three years to establish it.
Now Paul commended the
Church to the Lord's care and to the "Word of his grace,"
which is able to build them up and give them a share in the eternal
inheritance of the saints. Paul had set an example for them, not
seeking monetary reward for his ministry, but instead working in a
secular trade so that the Church would not be burdened by Paul's
living expenses and those who were with him. Paul had demonstrated
that Christians must make every effort to help the weak, remembering
that giving is more blessed than receiving.
When Paul had
finished speaking, he knelt and prayed with them. They all wept,
embraced Paul and kissed him, grieving because they would not see
Paul again. Then they accompanied Paul to the ship.
Commentary:
Paul (Saul of
Tarsus) had been a persecutor of Christians until his conversion on
the road to Damascus (Acts 9:1-22). At Paul's conversion, the Lord
told the "born-again" disciple, Ananias, who "discipled"
Paul that Paul would suffer much for the gospel (Acts 9:16-17).
Paul didn't let persecution prevent or cause him to
modify his preaching of the gospel so as to be more "popular."
Paul knew trouble awaited him in Jerusalem, but that didn't prevent
him from going.
Jesus had established the gospel at the cost
of his suffering and death on the Cross, and Paul was willing to
accept his "cross" of suffering for the sake of the gospel.
Paul was fulfilling Jesus' teaching (Matthew 10:38) and Jesus' "Great
Commission" to his disciples to make disciples, teaching them to
obey all Jesus' teachings (Matthew 28:19-20), after they had been
"reborn" by the gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit (Luke
24:49; Acts 1:4-5, 8).
Paul warned the Church to be on guard
against false teachers and false prophets within and outside the
Church. Paul had made great sacrifices to teach the new Christians
sound biblical, apostolic (as taught by the apostles including Paul)
gospel of Jesus Christ. Now it was up to the individual believers and
Church leaders to hold fast to the full gospel Paul had
taught.
There are many false prophets and teachers today
within and outside of the Church. There are many congregations
where the leaders preach only part of the gospel; the part that
people enjoy hearing (2Timothy 4:3-4). Convicting people of sin and
calling for repentance and obedient trust in God's Word is not
popular, but unless leaders are willing to be "unpopular"
they will be held accountable for the eternal death of their members.
It is possible for people to choose congregations to join that tamper
with or preach only a partial gospel, but those congregations are not
doing their members any good.
It is important for all
Christians to read and know the entire Bible for themselves, and to
also read it daily. That is the only way to guard against false
teaching and false prophets. Any average reader can read the entire
Bible from cover-to-cover in one year (see Free Bible Study
Tools, sidebar, top right).
It is important to remember that
the New Testament scriptures are available to us because of the
commitment of Paul and the other Apostles, and by many others since.
Paul made great effort to accurately preserve the apostolic
gospel.
Paul was not merely a "peddler of God's Word"
(2 Corinthians 4:2). Paul was guided and empowered by the gift of the
indwelling Holy Spirit. Paul's ministry was not a "career
choice." Paul wasn't trying to glorify himself.
Is Jesus
your Lord? Are you Jesus’ disciple? Are you trusting and obeying
Jesus? Have you received the indwelling Holy Spirit since you first
truly believed (Acts 19:2)? Are you making disciples of Jesus Christ
and teaching them to obey all that Jesus commands (Matthew 28:18-20)?
Do you know with certainty where you will spend eternity (1 John
5:11-13; Ephesians 1:13-14)?