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Pentecost - Sunday B |
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First Posted August 30, 2009 |
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Proverbs
9:1-6 -- Invitation
of wisdom Psalm
34:9-14 -- Fear the
Lord Ephesians
5:15-20 -- Living in
True Wisdom John
6:51-58 -- Living
Bread of Heaven Wisdom is
portrayed as the hostess of a great feast. She has made the
preparations, and
has sent the invitation to the surrounding people. She invites those
who
recognized that they lack wisdom and sense, and desire to leave
simpleness and
live and walk in insight, to come and receive the bread and wine of
Wisdom’s
feast. The
psalmist, David, the great shepherd-king of
Paul (Saul
of Tarsus), the first “modern,” “post-resurrection” “born-again” (John
3:3,
5-8) disciple and apostle of Jesus Christ, was “discipling” the
Christians at
Ephesus, in fulfillment of Jesus’ Great Commission” given to his
disciples
(Matthew 28:18-20). Paul was teaching the Christian disciples to live
according
to “wisdom” (which is only in Jesus Christ; see Paul’s letter to the
Corinthian
Christians, 1 Corinthians 1:17-29; 2:1-8), rather than according to the
“folly”
of worldly people. Paul urged them to understand God’s will, and to
make the
most of their time in this world for good, because the times are evil. Paul
taught Christians to be filled with the Holy Spirit and to share
fellowship
with other Christians in praise and worship with the Lord, glorifying
the Lord,
rather than indulging in the debauchery which worldly people consider
“celebration.” Jesus
declared that he is the true, “living bread” which comes down from
Heaven, and
that those who partake of that bread will live forever. Jesus’ flesh,
sacrificed on the Cross, has become that “living bread from Heaven.”
The Jews
took exception to Jesus’ words, questioning how Jesus could give his
flesh to
eat. Jesus replied that unless one receives Jesus’ flesh and blood, one
has no
(true, spiritual) life within them. Jesus
declared that his flesh and blood were more truly food and drink than
physical
bread and wine. Those who partake of Jesus’ flesh and blood abide in
Jesus and
he in them, in the same way that God the Father abides in Jesus and
Jesus in God
his Father. As the (eternally) living God the Father sent Jesus and
Jesus has
eternal life in God the Father, so those who partake of Jesus’ flesh
and blood
have eternal life in Jesus. True
wisdom is divine wisdom, by which the world was created and is
sustained, not
what the world falsely considers “wisdom.” Divine wisdom is available
to all
who recognize and acknowledge their need for true wisdom. It is
accessible in
God’s Word, the Bible, and fulfilled, embodied and illustrated in Jesus
Christ
(John 1:1-5, 14). “The fear
(respect and awe for the power and authority) of the Lord is the
beginning of
wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight” (Proverbs 9:10).
Unless
one knows enough to fear the Lord and seek to know him and his will
personally,
any other knowledge is worthless. One can even know a lot “about” God,
and
still not know God personally; and that personal knowledge and
fellowship with
God is only possible through Jesus Christ (John 14:6). David
testified that those who fear and seek the Lord will lack no good,
necessary
thing. David took refuge in the Lord and he experienced the Lord’s
goodness,
faithfulness and power to deliver David from all danger and harm. I add
my
personal experience and testimony to this truth. If you’d like to live
a long,
good life, how does eternity in heavenly paradise sound? Paul was
teaching the Ephesian Christians to live according to the wisdom of
God.
Christians are well-advised to make the most of their time in this
temporal
Creation reading and learning God Word, learning to trust and obey him,
and
seeking God’s will in order to please him. This lifetime is our only
opportunity to seek and come to know and have fellowship with God (Acts
17:26-27), and Jesus Christ is the only way (Acts 4:12; John 14:6).
God has
always intended to create an eternal kingdom of his people who
willingly trust
and obey him. We have all been created as eternal beings (John 5:28-29)
in a
temporal Creation. In order for us to have the freedom to choose
whether to
trust and obey God or not, he designed Creation to allow the
possibility of sin
(disobedience of God’s Word). We have been given the freedom to learn,
by trial
and error, that God’s will is good, acceptable and perfect (Romans
12:2). Jesus has
been “built into” the very structure of this Creation (John 1:1-5, 14).
God’s Word declares that we have all sinned (disobeyed God’s Word; Romans
3:23; 1
John 1:8-10), and that the penalty for sin is (eternal) death (Romans
6:23).
Jesus is God’s only provision for our forgiveness and eternal salvation
(Acts
4:12; John 14:6; see God’s Plan of Salvation, sidebar, top right). Jesus came
into this world in human flesh to become the only sacrifice acceptable
to God
for the forgiveness of our sins. In the Old Testament the patriarchs
sacrificed
animals for the forgiveness of sin, and the blood of the sacrifice
cleansed
God’s people from sin. The covenant with God was established and
maintained by
the sacrificial feast. The ultimate example was the Passover, in which
the
people of Jesus is
the New Lamb of Passover, sacrificed for us so that the angel of death
will
“pass over” our sins, and so we will be freed from bondage to sin and
death in
the “ In the Old
Testament times, drinking the blood of the sacrifice was forbidden by
God’s
Word, because it was believed that drinking it conferred the spirit,
the
life-force, of the animal. On the night of Jesus’ betrayal and arrest,
Jesus
celebrated Passover with his disciples, and instituted a new,
spiritual, feast,
the Lord’s Supper; Holy Communion; the Eucharist. Jesus himself became
the Lamb
of Passover, and his flesh and blood became the bread and wine of the
feast.
The Lord wants us to partake of and be filled with the Holy Spirit, the
Spirit
of God; the Spirit of Jesus (Romans 8:9). Jesus has become the host of
the
feast of divine wisdom! 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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13
Pentecost - Monday B |
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First Posted August 31, 2009 |
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Psalm
34:15-22 -- The Redeemer The Lord
looks with favor upon those who do what is right in his judgment
according to
his word. When they cry to the Lord he hears (and answers them; 1 John 5:15; see Conditions for Answered Prayer,
sidebar top right).
The Lord opposes evildoers and removes them even from remembrance.
“When the
righteous cry for help, the Lord delivers them out of all their
troubles”
(Psalm 34:17). The Lord is with those who are heartbroken and
crushed in
spirit, to save and restore them. The
righteous will have many troubles (in this world) but the Lord will
deliver
them from all. “He keeps all his bones; not one of them is broken”
(Psalm
34:20). “Evil shall slay the wicked, and those who hate the righteous
will be
condemned” (Psalm 34:21). “The Lord will redeem the life of his
servants; none
of those who take refuge in him will be condemned” (Psalm 34:22) The
righteous are those who trust and obey God’s Word, in the Bible, and in
Jesus
Christ, the “living Word,” fulfilled, embodied and demonstrated in
Jesus Christ
(John 1:1-3, 14). Jesus is the ultimate, perfect example of
righteousness, who
trusted and obeyed God’s Word to the point of death on the Cross. God’s Word
prophesied by the Psalmist (David, the shepherd-king of David was
the man after God’s own heart, who would do all God’s will (Acts 13:22;
Psalm
89:20), but David wasn’t perfectly obedient; he committed a terrible
sin with
Bathsheba (2 Samuel 11:1-12:23). David repented and confessed his sin,
trusting
in the Lord’s mercy. David
learned to live in trust and obedience to God’s Word, and he
experienced God’s
power and faithfulness to deliver David from trouble, and to forgive
him when
David failed, as David sincerely repented and confessed his sin.
David’s
relationship with the Lord foreshadowed the relationship Jesus came to
bring us
through the gift of his indwelling Holy Spirit. No human
is able to keep all God’s Word all the time. Sin is disobedience of
God’s Word,
and all of us have sinned and fall short of God’s righteousness (Romans
3:23; 1
John 1:8-10). If we trust and obey Jesus he will give us his indwelling
Holy
Spirit (John 1:31-34; John 14:15-17), who makes it possible for us to
know,
desire and do God’s Word, and gives forgiveness and salvation from
eternal
condemnation, not because we are worthy, but for the sake of Jesus’
righteousness (see God’s Plan of Salvation, sidebar, top right). 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 Lord
blesses those who trust and obey him, and opposes those who defy and
oppose the
Lord and his servants. Those who oppose God’s word and God’s people are
condemning themselves to eternal destruction “Matthew 25:31-46; 2
Thessalonians
1:5-10). This lifetime is our opportunity to learn that God’s will is
good and
our very best interest. All who trust and obey the Lord will come to
experience
and know the Lord’s power and faithfulness to deliver us from trouble,
and to
redeem our life even from physical death. I and all truly “born-again”
(John
3:3, 5-8) Christian disciples testify to that truth. 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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Pentecost - Tuesday B |
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First Posted September 1, 2009 |
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Joshua
24:1-2a, 14-18 -- Renewing
the Covenant Joshua
told the people of We need to
hear that call to recommitment today. We need to review the great
things the
Lord has done to bring us into this “Promised Land” as a Church and as
a
Nation. We need to decide whether to serve the Lord or to serve
ourselves and
the “idols” of wealth, power, status, career, home, family, and
material
possessions. Have we been serving the Lord with sincerity, faithfulness
and single-mindedness
of purpose, or have we been trying to serve God and Mammon (Matthew
6:24)? The Lord
gave This text
should be a warning to us, particularly in 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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Pentecost - Wednesday B |
| First Posted September 2, 2009 |
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Ephesians
5:21-31 -- Christian
Households Christians
are to be submissive to one another in reverence for Jesus. Husbands
are the
spiritual head of their household as Christ is the Savior and head of
the
Church. Wives should submit to their husbands just as the members of
the Church
are to submit themselves to Christ. Husbands are to love their wives as
Christ
loved the Church and sacrificed his life for her, cleansing and
sanctifying her
by Christian baptism, the spiritual washing of water with God’s Word.
The Lord
intends for the Church to be holy, without any blemish (at the Day of
Judgment). Husbands
are to love their wives as they love themselves. As Christ nourishes
and cares
for the Church as members of his body, we nourish and protect our own
flesh,
and our wives are members of our own flesh, in accordance with God’s Word
(Genesis 2:24).
In the
World, people rise to power and success by dominating others. Jesus set
a
different example. He is the rightful eternal king, but he submitted
himself to
God’s will and worldly authority even to human injustice and death on
the
Cross. When people join the Church they bring with them worldly
attitudes and
behavior. Is the Church making disciples of Jesus Christ, teaching them
to
submit to God’s Word in Scripture and in the teaching and example of
Jesus
Christ? Are Church members willing to be disciples of Jesus Christ? As we
submit in obedient trust to Jesus Christ, Jesus gives us the gift of
the
indwelling Holy Spirit (John 14:15-17), who gives us spiritual eternal
life and
guides and empowers us to do Christ’s mission Christ’s way. The Lord
does not
give his Holy Spirit to those who don’t submit to him. We cannot
accomplish his
mission in our own human ability and strength. When the Church is
working the
way the Lord intends, each member is cooperating with each other
through the
bond of the Holy Spirit, so that we are working as one body guided and
empowered by Christ, not as groups of individual empires we’ve laid
claim to
for ourselves. 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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Pentecost - Thursday B |
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First Posted September 3, 2009 |
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John
6:60-69 -- Words of Eternal
Life Jesus had
just told the crowd that Jesus’ flesh and blood was the true bread from
heaven,
and that those who partook of that flesh and blood would live forever.
Many of
his disciples found this teaching hard to accept. Jesus knew their
unwillingness to accept his word, and said that if they found this
concept hard
to accept, how would they accept his ascension into heaven? Jesus told
them
that it is the Spirit who gives (eternal) life; the flesh is not
eternal. Jesus
had told them spiritual truth needed for spiritual, eternal life. Jesus
knew
that some of his disciples would not accept his teaching in faith.
Jesus had
known from the beginning those who would not believe and those who
would betray
him. Jesus declared that no one can come to faith in Jesus unless God
the
Father makes it possible. Many of
his followers stopped following Jesus because of this. Jesus asked his
disciples if they would also fall away. Peter answered, “Lord, to whom
shall we
go? You have the words of eternal life; and we have believed and have
come to
know that you are the Holy One (Messiah) of God.”
Jesus’
teachings are sometimes hard to listen to, usually because they show us
our own
shortcomings. But Jesus tells us the hard truths so that we can make
the
changes we need in order to find true eternal life. We either respond
by not
following and listening any more, or we accept Jesus’ correction and
make the
changes we need to make in order to receive and experience real life. Jesus’
flesh and blood offered to the world as the bread of heaven and eternal
life
suggested the context of a sacrificial meal, which would have been very
familiar to his hearers. Jesus’ disciples didn’t want to think about
Jesus
being sacrificed (Mark 8:31-33). It wasn’t pleasant for them to hear,
but it
was God’s plan, from the very beginning of Creation (John 1:1-5, 14).
It was
necessary to accomplish God’s eternal purpose. Paul, the
first “modern,” “post-resurrection,” “born-again” (John 3:3, 5-8)
disciple and
apostle (messenger; of the Gospel) of Jesus Christ told Timothy, whom
Paul
“discipled,” in fulfillment of the Great Commission which Jesus gave to
his
disciples (Matthew 28:18-20), to preach Jesus’ words, “in season and
out of
season” (i.e. whether popular or not; 2 Timothy 4:2). Paul warned that
the time
was coming when people would not tolerate sound teaching, but would get
teachers who would teach them what was pleasant to hear (2 Timothy
4:3-4). That
time has come! The Lord
wants us to trust and obey him so that he can show us that he is
teaching truth
and so that we can grow in obedient faith. Those who follow Jesus in
obedient
trust come to know with certainty that Jesus is the Christ, God’s
anointed
Savior and eternal king. It’s not true that we can’t know the truth
about
eternity until we die. Only those who are perishing eternally don’t
know where
they will spend eternity, because they haven’t believed Jesus’ words. Those who
are being saved from eternal destruction have the assurance of eternal
life and
fellowship with the Lord within themselves, 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). 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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Pentecost - Friday B |
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First Posted September 4, 2009 |
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Galatians
3:16-22 -- The Purpose of
the Law Paul was
asserting that salvation (from God’s eternal condemnation and our
destruction)
is by faith (obedient trust) rather than by works (keeping) of the Law.
He
pointed out that the promises God gave to Abraham (“Abram;” Genesis
12:1-8;
17:1-21) came four hundred and thirty years before the giving of the
Law (to
Moses at Why then
did God give Moses the Law? The Law was given because of human
sinfulness, to
restrain sin until the one should come to whom the promise had been
made. God’s
promise was to be fulfilled through a particular descendant (Jesus
Christ). The
promise was to Abraham through his descendant (singular; literally
“seed;” not
“seeds). The Law is
not contrary to the promises of God. But the Law cannot give
(spiritual) life,
and righteousness cannot be achieved by keeping the Law. “But the
Scripture
consigned all things to sin, that what was promised to faith (obedient
trust)
in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe” (trust and obey;
Galatians
3:22). God has
intentionally designed this Creation from the very beginning with the
purpose of
creating an eternal kingdom of his people who willingly trust and obey
him.
This Creation has designed to allow us the freedom to choose whether to
trust
and obey God or not, and to allow us to learn by trial and error. God’s Word
declares that sin is disobedience of God’s Word (Romans 3:23; 1 John
1:8-10;
Ephesians 5:6), and the penalty for sin is eternal death (Romans 6:23).
God’s Word has intentionally consigned all to sin “so that what was promised
to faith
in Jesus Christ might be given (as a free gift) to those who believe”
(who trust
and obey Jesus; Galatians 3:22; Ephesians 2:8-9). Jesus
Christ has always been God’s one and only eternal plan for our
forgiveness and
salvation (Acts 4:12; John 14:6; see God’s Plan of Salvation, sidebar,
top
right) from the beginning of Creation (John 1:1-5, 14). The Law
does not give spiritual life; it condemns us to spiritual death,
because we are
unable to keep the Law perfectly. Sacrifices were constantly required
for the
forgiveness of sins. Jesus is the fulfillment of the Law; the
fulfillment of
God’s promises in his Word. Jesus is
the exemplification of human life lived in perfect obedience to God’s
Word.
Jesus is the only sacrifice acceptable to God, once for all time and
all
people, for the forgiveness of our sins, and Jesus is the only one who
gives
the gift of the Holy Spirit (John 1:31-34), only to his disciples who
trust and
obey Jesus (John 14:15-17). It is the
indwelling Holy Spirit which frees us from the Law, provided that we
live in
obedient trust in the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:1-11). It is by the
indwelling Holy
Spirit that we have the righteousness of Christ through faith (obedient
trust)
in 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). This
lifetime is our only opportunity to seek and come to know God (Acts
17:26-27),
which is only possible through Jesus Christ (John 14:6), and to learn
to live
in obedient trust in Jesus Christ through the gift of his indwelling
Holy
Spirit. 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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Pentecost - Saturday B |
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First Posted September 5, 2009 |
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Zechariah
7:4-10 -- What God Requires At the end
of the seventy-year exile of The Lord
declared through Zechariah that the Lord is not interested in religious
ritual;
the Lord desires his people to uphold justice and to practice kindness
and
mercy. We are not to oppress the widow, the fatherless, aliens or the
poor, and
are not to plan evil against others. Fasting
and other religious rituals have the appearance of piety, but that is
not what
the Lord desires. Fasting has the appearance of self-sacrifice, but the
self-sacrifice God desires from us is obedient trust in his Word. Those
who
truly want to serve the Lord should learn and apply God’s Word in their
daily
lives. The reason
that We need to
examine ourselves honestly and consider whether we are truly serving
the Lord,
or substituting religious ritual for obedient trust in God’s Word. Are
we
seeking the truth of God’s Word, or are we trying to manipulate God’s
favor for
our benefit? Do we think our present prosperity is our own
accomplishment and
not God’s providence and blessing? Do we acknowledge that God is our
provider
and protector or do we believe and rely on our government for that? Do
we think
we can continue to disobey God’s Word and ignore his prophets, and not
experience the withdrawal of God’s favor and protection? 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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