Mat 4:8 Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them;
Mat 4:9 And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me.
Luk 4:5 And the devil, taking him up into an high mountain, shewed unto him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time.
Luk 4:6 And the devil said unto him, All this power will I give thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it.
Luk 4:7 If thou therefore wilt worship me, all shall be thine.
*******
A third great temptation- and I say great temptation because while WE might not personally find these particular temptations enticing, these temptations WERE extremely enticing to our Savior. To think that they weren't enticing at all and merely nuisances that Jesus could wave off without a second glance is to discredit the humanity that Jesus shares with us. We have to look at these revealed temptations from the point of view of ONE truly tempted. REAL temptations.
The devil once again transports Jesus supernaturally taking Him to a VERY high mountain. Once on top of that VERY high mountain the devil shows Jesus ALL the kingdoms of the world. Think about this for a moment. If we went up to the highest mountain on earth would we be able to see ALL the kingdoms of the world? Absolutely NOT. Again, the devil is using supernatural means to tempt Jesus. People don't believe the devil has supernatural power but he does and he's not afraid to use it whenever he can, whenever he's allowed. Using that supernatural power the devil flashed before Jesus' eyes in a moment of time ALL the kingdoms of the world…the entire WORLD.
Now imagine for a moment that's you again, you're on that mountain and the devil shows you all the kingdom's of the world- all the rulers, all the land that is being ruled throughout the world, the tremendous power involved in ruling all the land, all the people, all this is revealed to you and then you are told YOU can have it all. Now you know YOU do not possess the power, the rulership, the kingdoms they belong to another.
The devil OWNS them. That's right. The rulership of this world belongs to the devil. Shocked? Jesus wasn't shocked. The devil told Jesus that he would give Him ALL the power, all the glory of all the kingdoms of the world- that it was delivered to him and he could give it to whoever he wanted to give it to. This wasn't a lie, even from the father of lies, it was the truth. When Adam and Eve sinned they gave up the right to the world God created for them to rule, for them to have dominion over. The devil took over the dominion of the world and until our Savior returns and until the earth is made new it remains the devil's.
The devil told Jesus the world and all its power would be His if only Jesus acknowledged that the devil was worthy of being worshipped, worthy of being given the honor due to God. There was NO way Jesus was going to do that, no way. Jesus would suffer living in the world corrupted by sin, he'd lived in it since His birth and He would continue to do so rather than take a SHORT CUT, rather than take the path that would mean NO suffering. Jesus felt pain, intense pain. To think that Jesus didn't or couldn't suffer is foolish. The pain in store for Jesus was akin to the worst pain we can ever imagine, even more so.
This temptation that the devil offered to Jesus was a REAL temptation that Jesus resisted, that He endured. He replied to the offered temptation with this--
Mat 4:10 Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.
Luk 4:8 And Jesus answered and said unto him, Get thee behind me, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.
Jesus said- GET THEE BEHIND ME… Jesus was putting the devil where he belonged… BEHIND HIM. Jesus was telling the devil that not only would He not worship Him or bow before Him but the devil's place was BEHIND HIM, he wasn't even worthy of being in front of Him let alone being worshipped. Here the devil was tempting Jesus offering Him all the power of the world- here the devil was believing Himself to be important, powerful, godlike and Jesus put Him in His place with those words.
Just imagine a millionaire coming to you and offering you all their millions and you telling them no, that their offer wasn't worth a thing to you, that they were beneath you. This is just a tiny imaginary scenario here - Jesus faced the REAL thing, Jesus was offered a way out of all suffering and He refused. Jesus put the devil in his place- behind Him - completely unworthy of being in front of Him or beside Him.
And once more Jesus used these words - FOR IT IS WRITTEN. We cannot forget these words!!! We have to USE these words. FOR IT IS WRITTEN.
Jesus told the devil- For it is written Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve
Psa 96:9 O worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness: fear before him, all the earth.
Deu 6:13 Thou shalt fear the LORD thy God, and serve him, and shalt swear by his name.
Exo 20:3 Thou shalt have no other gods before me.
Worship the LORD!
SERVE the Lord they God!
NO OTHER GODS BEFORE GOD!
Jesus God the Father first always!
No other would get His worship, no other!
Putting the devil in His place, Jesus resisted the temptations, Jesus endured the temptations. Victorious over the temptations enough was enough and the devil was no longer allowed to tempt Jesus- at least for a season.
More on this tomorrow by the grace of our Lord and Savior.
Amen.
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Saturday, February 19, 2011
Tempting God- Lack of Faith
Forty days Moses spent in the mount, after forty days he found the children of Israel had broken the new covenant they'd just formed with God.
Back to the mount, Moses spent another forty days there and this time when he returned he found the children of Israel contrite, still holding to the renewed covenant, unlike the first time.
However things didn't go as hoped, did they? God was WILLING to bring His children to the land promised to them many years ago. God WANTED to bring His children to the land promised to them. But after 400 years of captivity the PURE desire to be God's children and follow the ways of God, to honor God, to love God, to worship God- had been corrupted. The adult generation brought out from Egypt were stained with sin and filled with doubt, filled with defiance. God worked MIRACLES to free them from slavery- every single adult witnessed firsthand the miracles. Time and again the Egyptians were plagued while the children of Israel went untouched! Some like to logic away the miracles of God by believing each plague had its root in mundane fact. Some will even say the plagues attacked the Egyptians but not the children of Israel because they lived in a different section of Egypt. How does that explain the Hebrews living as slaves among those living in close proximity to the main city not being affected? It doesn't! How does it explain some of the animals being affected and others not? God smote the Egyptians quite pointedly and not just with one plague but several. Pharaoh could no longer take it because HE KNEW that God was attacking him and his people and not attacking the children of Israel. With such stark differences between those plagued and those not, Pharaoh could not deny the hand of God at work and so he let all his Hebrew slaves go… hundreds of thousands of them! If there were a logical explanation, Pharaoh would have seen it and never let all those slaves go! Never! Miracles beyond any question, beyond any doubt and yet the children of Israel were QUICK to forget the hand of God at work in their behalf. So caught up in their selfishness, so hardened to God's love they felt it was better to be enslaved than to suffer for freedom to worship God. They were an EVIL generation. They were corrupted and hope only remained in their children being brought up under the newly established covenant with God.
Now suppose they HADN'T been an evil generation… would they have gone to the promised land a lot sooner than 40 years later? Without a doubt.
After that first 40 days and 40 nights in the mount, Moses would have given to them the tables of stone with the commandments, as well as the instructions for the sanctuary and the people would have gone on to build the sanctuary and journey to the promised land.
It was only because of their evil ways that they had to wander for 40 years. They were blessed though, that they weren't completely wiped out that they were given a chance to be redeemed as a people.
Read these verses about the evil generation of Israel wandering for 40 years--
Deu 1:35 Surely there shall not one of these men of this evil generation see that good land, which I sware to give unto your fathers
Num 14:30 Doubtless ye shall not come into the land, concerning which I sware to make you dwell therein, save Caleb the son of Jephunneh, and Joshua the son of Nun.
Num 14:31 But your little ones, which ye said should be a prey, them will I bring in, and they shall know the land which ye have despised.
Num 14:32 But as for you, your carcases, they shall fall in this wilderness.
Num 14:33 And your children shall wander in the wilderness forty years, and bear your whoredoms, until your carcases be wasted in the wilderness.
Num 14:34 After the number of the days in which ye searched the land, even forty days, each day for a year, shall ye bear your iniquities, even forty years, and ye shall know my breach of promise.
Num 14:35 I the LORD have said, I will surely do it unto all this evil congregation, that are gathered together against me: in this wilderness they shall be consumed, and there they shall die.
Deu 2:7 For the LORD thy God hath blessed thee in all the works of thy hand: he knoweth thy walking through this great wilderness: these forty years the LORD thy God hath been with thee; thou hast lacked nothing
Deu 8:2 And thou shalt remember all the way which the LORD thy God led thee these forty years in the wilderness, to humble thee, and to prove thee, to know what was in thine heart, whether thou wouldest keep his commandments, or no.
Deu 8:3 And he humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the LORD doth man live.
Deu 8:4 Thy raiment waxed not old upon thee, neither did thy foot swell, these forty years.
Deu 8:5 Thou shalt also consider in thine heart, that, as a man chasteneth his son, so the LORD thy God chasteneth thee.
Deu 8:6 Therefore thou shalt keep the commandments of the LORD thy God, to walk in his ways, and to fear him.
Deu 29:2 And Moses called unto all Israel, and said unto them, Ye have seen all that the LORD did before your eyes in the land of Egypt unto Pharaoh, and unto all his servants, and unto all his land;
Deu 29:3 The great temptations which thine eyes have seen, the signs, and those great miracles:
Deu 29:4 Yet the LORD hath not given you an heart to perceive, and eyes to see, and ears to hear, unto this day.
Deu 29:5 And I have led you forty years in the wilderness: your clothes are not waxen old upon you, and thy shoe is not waxen old upon thy foot.
Deu 29:6 Ye have not eaten bread, neither have ye drunk wine or strong drink: that ye might know that I am the LORD your God.
Jos 5:6 For the children of Israel walked forty years in the wilderness, till all the people that were men of war, which came out of Egypt, were consumed, because they obeyed not the voice of the LORD: unto whom the LORD sware that he would not shew them the land, which the LORD sware unto their fathers that he would give us, a land that floweth with milk and honey.
Neh 9:20 Thou gavest also thy good spirit to instruct them, and withheldest not thy manna from their mouth, and gavest them water for their thirst.
Neh 9:21 Yea, forty years didst thou sustain them in the wilderness, so that they lacked nothing; their clothes waxed not old, and their feet swelled not.
Psa 95:1 O come, let us sing unto the LORD: let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation.
Psa 95:2 Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise unto him with psalms.
Psa 95:3 For the LORD is a great God, and a great King above all gods.
Psa 95:4 In his hand are the deep places of the earth: the strength of the hills is his also.
Psa 95:5 The sea is his, and he made it: and his hands formed the dry land.
Psa 95:6 O come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the LORD our maker.
Psa 95:7 For he is our God; and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand. To day if ye will hear his voice,
Psa 95:8 Harden not your heart, as in the provocation, and as in the day of temptation in the wilderness:
Psa 95:9 When your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my work.
Psa 95:10 Forty years long was I grieved with this generation, and said, It is a people that do err in their heart, and they have not known my ways:
Psa 95:11 Unto whom I sware in my wrath that they should not enter into my rest.
Heb 3:7 Wherefore (as the Holy Ghost saith, To day if ye will hear his voice,
Heb 3:8 Harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, in the day of temptation in the wilderness:
Heb 3:9 When your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my works forty years.
Heb 3:10 Wherefore I was grieved with that generation, and said, They do alway err in their heart; and they have not known my ways.
Heb 3:11 So I sware in my wrath, They shall not enter into my rest.)
Heb 3:15 While it is said, To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts, as in the provocation.
Heb 3:16 For some, when they had heard, did provoke: howbeit not all that came out of Egypt by Moses.
Heb 3:17 But with whom was he grieved forty years? was it not with them that had sinned, whose carcases fell in the wilderness?
Heb 3:18 And to whom sware he that they should not enter into his rest, but to them that believed not?
Heb 3:19 So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief.
When Jesus went into the wilderness for 40 days and nights to be tempted- it was a trying time like we can't fully comprehend. It was there that Jesus' loyalty to God was to be tested. There would have been NO redemption for the children of God had Jesus failed the testing. There would have been NO wandering for 40 years weeding out the evil because it wasn't a people being tested, but the Savior Himself. Jesus relying solely upon God for absolutely EVERYTHING, Jesus believing, Jesus having faith.
Also, Jesus wasn't coming out of 400 years of bondage. Jesus was coming out of people steeped in the old covenant ways, over a 1000 years obeying the old covenant ways, a lot longer if you take it all the way back to the beginning of sin's entrance into the world when Eve sinned. Animal sacrifice as an example of the ultimate sacrifice needed to wipe out sins dates back to Adam and Eve, back to Cain and Abel. Jesus was the central figure in the turning point from a covenant that pointed to a Savior - towards a covenant existing after the Savior's arrival. The turning point was going to be fought tooth and nail (so to speak) by Satan. He'd existed for thousands of years trying to prevent the Savior from coming into existence - thousands of years! Now here He was, the Savior born and grown, ready to usher in the new covenant way and Satan wanted Him destroyed.
The first temptation written about was Satan wanting Jesus to change a stone into bread so Jesus would eat it and no longer suffer being hungry. Jesus told Satan that it was written that it was better to obey God than to eat.
Another temptation…
Mat 4:5 Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple,
Mat 4:6 And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.
Luk 4:9 And he brought him to Jerusalem, and set him on a pinnacle of the temple, and said unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down from hence:
Luk 4:10 For it is written, He shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee:
Luk 4:11 And in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.
The devil was allowed to TAKE Jesus, to BRING Jesus to a pinnacle on the temple in Jerusalem.
Imagine it for a moment. Supernatural power being exert by Satan to transport Jesus from the wilderness to the holy city, and not just to the holy city but to a PINNACLE on the temple! We really can imagine it can't we? We can because we've seen enough movies on television that use special effects to do all sorts of fictional supernatural occurrences. The movie Superman from way back has Him flying about taking people here and there with him. Many other shows and movies use the same special effects to get the one watching to understand there is something spectacular taking place, something out of the ordinary. So yes, we CAN imagine it happening only with Jesus there was no special effects, no blue screen, no film manipulation, no special props it was the REAL deal. Satan took Jesus bodily from the wilderness and placed Him on a temple turret, a high place upon the temple. And once there Satan USED the written word of God to entice Jesus to sin. Did you catch that point… Satan USED THE WRITTEN WORD OF GOD! People like to imagine that Satan recoils at the mere thought of God but it's not true, Satan uses God's words- manipulating them as He did right from the beginning with Eve. Did the words Satan recite ring true? Yes, they were true!
Psa 91:11 For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways.
Psa 91:12 They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone.
Luk 4:9 And he brought him to Jerusalem, and set him on a pinnacle of the temple, and said unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down from hence:
Luk 4:10 For it is written, He shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee:
Luk 4:11 And in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.
For it is WRITTEN- Satan used God's own words to tempt Jesus. Surely if God had said this it had to be true so Satan wanted Jesus to PROVE that what God said was true. You can just imagine Satan feeling superior and cunning ready to trip Jesus up with his wily ways. But it wasn't to be, Jesus knew God's word from the beginning to the end, every sentence written in what we call the Old Testament, Jesus knew.
Mat 4:7 Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.
Luk 4:12 And Jesus answering said unto him, It is said, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.
Deu 6:16 Ye shall not tempt the LORD your God, as ye tempted him in Massah.
Exo 17:7 And he called the name of the place Massah, and Meribah, because of the chiding of the children of Israel, and because they tempted the LORD, saying, Is the LORD among us, or not?
Jesus knew better than to do ANYTHING other than what His Father wanted Him to do. When Satan told Him to cast Himself down because God said He'd bear Him up with angels, how easy it would have been for Jesus to do just that- just as easy as it would have been for Him to change a stone into bread- very, very easy. But doing ANYTHING at all to try God is asking for trouble. It's not because it can't be done, it's because there has to be BELIEF without seeing, a belief without a proving. The importance of faith goes way beyond what the devil would have us understand. Jesus already believed, Jesus had the faith already and didn't need God to prove a single thing. Jesus believed wholeheartedly. We need to have this kind of faith when we are tempted, a faith that realizes that God is allowing all that happens to us for a reason and we don't have to know why, just know that God IS, and God's will must be done and we are not to tempt God- because our tempting of God reveals our lack of faith in Him.
By the grace of our Lord, our Savior may we come to full knowledge of His will in all things. May we understand the temptation of Jesus in the wilderness as He would have us understand. Help us Lord to learn of this amazing transitioning period in time- the ending of one way of life and the beginning of the new way of life that would exist until everlasting life becomes the next transition of us, Your people.
By Your will, by Your grace!
Amen.
Back to the mount, Moses spent another forty days there and this time when he returned he found the children of Israel contrite, still holding to the renewed covenant, unlike the first time.
However things didn't go as hoped, did they? God was WILLING to bring His children to the land promised to them many years ago. God WANTED to bring His children to the land promised to them. But after 400 years of captivity the PURE desire to be God's children and follow the ways of God, to honor God, to love God, to worship God- had been corrupted. The adult generation brought out from Egypt were stained with sin and filled with doubt, filled with defiance. God worked MIRACLES to free them from slavery- every single adult witnessed firsthand the miracles. Time and again the Egyptians were plagued while the children of Israel went untouched! Some like to logic away the miracles of God by believing each plague had its root in mundane fact. Some will even say the plagues attacked the Egyptians but not the children of Israel because they lived in a different section of Egypt. How does that explain the Hebrews living as slaves among those living in close proximity to the main city not being affected? It doesn't! How does it explain some of the animals being affected and others not? God smote the Egyptians quite pointedly and not just with one plague but several. Pharaoh could no longer take it because HE KNEW that God was attacking him and his people and not attacking the children of Israel. With such stark differences between those plagued and those not, Pharaoh could not deny the hand of God at work and so he let all his Hebrew slaves go… hundreds of thousands of them! If there were a logical explanation, Pharaoh would have seen it and never let all those slaves go! Never! Miracles beyond any question, beyond any doubt and yet the children of Israel were QUICK to forget the hand of God at work in their behalf. So caught up in their selfishness, so hardened to God's love they felt it was better to be enslaved than to suffer for freedom to worship God. They were an EVIL generation. They were corrupted and hope only remained in their children being brought up under the newly established covenant with God.
Now suppose they HADN'T been an evil generation… would they have gone to the promised land a lot sooner than 40 years later? Without a doubt.
After that first 40 days and 40 nights in the mount, Moses would have given to them the tables of stone with the commandments, as well as the instructions for the sanctuary and the people would have gone on to build the sanctuary and journey to the promised land.
It was only because of their evil ways that they had to wander for 40 years. They were blessed though, that they weren't completely wiped out that they were given a chance to be redeemed as a people.
Read these verses about the evil generation of Israel wandering for 40 years--
Deu 1:35 Surely there shall not one of these men of this evil generation see that good land, which I sware to give unto your fathers
Num 14:30 Doubtless ye shall not come into the land, concerning which I sware to make you dwell therein, save Caleb the son of Jephunneh, and Joshua the son of Nun.
Num 14:31 But your little ones, which ye said should be a prey, them will I bring in, and they shall know the land which ye have despised.
Num 14:32 But as for you, your carcases, they shall fall in this wilderness.
Num 14:33 And your children shall wander in the wilderness forty years, and bear your whoredoms, until your carcases be wasted in the wilderness.
Num 14:34 After the number of the days in which ye searched the land, even forty days, each day for a year, shall ye bear your iniquities, even forty years, and ye shall know my breach of promise.
Num 14:35 I the LORD have said, I will surely do it unto all this evil congregation, that are gathered together against me: in this wilderness they shall be consumed, and there they shall die.
Deu 2:7 For the LORD thy God hath blessed thee in all the works of thy hand: he knoweth thy walking through this great wilderness: these forty years the LORD thy God hath been with thee; thou hast lacked nothing
Deu 8:2 And thou shalt remember all the way which the LORD thy God led thee these forty years in the wilderness, to humble thee, and to prove thee, to know what was in thine heart, whether thou wouldest keep his commandments, or no.
Deu 8:3 And he humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the LORD doth man live.
Deu 8:4 Thy raiment waxed not old upon thee, neither did thy foot swell, these forty years.
Deu 8:5 Thou shalt also consider in thine heart, that, as a man chasteneth his son, so the LORD thy God chasteneth thee.
Deu 8:6 Therefore thou shalt keep the commandments of the LORD thy God, to walk in his ways, and to fear him.
Deu 29:2 And Moses called unto all Israel, and said unto them, Ye have seen all that the LORD did before your eyes in the land of Egypt unto Pharaoh, and unto all his servants, and unto all his land;
Deu 29:3 The great temptations which thine eyes have seen, the signs, and those great miracles:
Deu 29:4 Yet the LORD hath not given you an heart to perceive, and eyes to see, and ears to hear, unto this day.
Deu 29:5 And I have led you forty years in the wilderness: your clothes are not waxen old upon you, and thy shoe is not waxen old upon thy foot.
Deu 29:6 Ye have not eaten bread, neither have ye drunk wine or strong drink: that ye might know that I am the LORD your God.
Jos 5:6 For the children of Israel walked forty years in the wilderness, till all the people that were men of war, which came out of Egypt, were consumed, because they obeyed not the voice of the LORD: unto whom the LORD sware that he would not shew them the land, which the LORD sware unto their fathers that he would give us, a land that floweth with milk and honey.
Neh 9:20 Thou gavest also thy good spirit to instruct them, and withheldest not thy manna from their mouth, and gavest them water for their thirst.
Neh 9:21 Yea, forty years didst thou sustain them in the wilderness, so that they lacked nothing; their clothes waxed not old, and their feet swelled not.
Psa 95:1 O come, let us sing unto the LORD: let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation.
Psa 95:2 Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise unto him with psalms.
Psa 95:3 For the LORD is a great God, and a great King above all gods.
Psa 95:4 In his hand are the deep places of the earth: the strength of the hills is his also.
Psa 95:5 The sea is his, and he made it: and his hands formed the dry land.
Psa 95:6 O come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the LORD our maker.
Psa 95:7 For he is our God; and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand. To day if ye will hear his voice,
Psa 95:8 Harden not your heart, as in the provocation, and as in the day of temptation in the wilderness:
Psa 95:9 When your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my work.
Psa 95:10 Forty years long was I grieved with this generation, and said, It is a people that do err in their heart, and they have not known my ways:
Psa 95:11 Unto whom I sware in my wrath that they should not enter into my rest.
Heb 3:7 Wherefore (as the Holy Ghost saith, To day if ye will hear his voice,
Heb 3:8 Harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, in the day of temptation in the wilderness:
Heb 3:9 When your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my works forty years.
Heb 3:10 Wherefore I was grieved with that generation, and said, They do alway err in their heart; and they have not known my ways.
Heb 3:11 So I sware in my wrath, They shall not enter into my rest.)
Heb 3:15 While it is said, To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts, as in the provocation.
Heb 3:16 For some, when they had heard, did provoke: howbeit not all that came out of Egypt by Moses.
Heb 3:17 But with whom was he grieved forty years? was it not with them that had sinned, whose carcases fell in the wilderness?
Heb 3:18 And to whom sware he that they should not enter into his rest, but to them that believed not?
Heb 3:19 So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief.
When Jesus went into the wilderness for 40 days and nights to be tempted- it was a trying time like we can't fully comprehend. It was there that Jesus' loyalty to God was to be tested. There would have been NO redemption for the children of God had Jesus failed the testing. There would have been NO wandering for 40 years weeding out the evil because it wasn't a people being tested, but the Savior Himself. Jesus relying solely upon God for absolutely EVERYTHING, Jesus believing, Jesus having faith.
Also, Jesus wasn't coming out of 400 years of bondage. Jesus was coming out of people steeped in the old covenant ways, over a 1000 years obeying the old covenant ways, a lot longer if you take it all the way back to the beginning of sin's entrance into the world when Eve sinned. Animal sacrifice as an example of the ultimate sacrifice needed to wipe out sins dates back to Adam and Eve, back to Cain and Abel. Jesus was the central figure in the turning point from a covenant that pointed to a Savior - towards a covenant existing after the Savior's arrival. The turning point was going to be fought tooth and nail (so to speak) by Satan. He'd existed for thousands of years trying to prevent the Savior from coming into existence - thousands of years! Now here He was, the Savior born and grown, ready to usher in the new covenant way and Satan wanted Him destroyed.
The first temptation written about was Satan wanting Jesus to change a stone into bread so Jesus would eat it and no longer suffer being hungry. Jesus told Satan that it was written that it was better to obey God than to eat.
Another temptation…
Mat 4:5 Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple,
Mat 4:6 And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.
Luk 4:9 And he brought him to Jerusalem, and set him on a pinnacle of the temple, and said unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down from hence:
Luk 4:10 For it is written, He shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee:
Luk 4:11 And in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.
The devil was allowed to TAKE Jesus, to BRING Jesus to a pinnacle on the temple in Jerusalem.
Imagine it for a moment. Supernatural power being exert by Satan to transport Jesus from the wilderness to the holy city, and not just to the holy city but to a PINNACLE on the temple! We really can imagine it can't we? We can because we've seen enough movies on television that use special effects to do all sorts of fictional supernatural occurrences. The movie Superman from way back has Him flying about taking people here and there with him. Many other shows and movies use the same special effects to get the one watching to understand there is something spectacular taking place, something out of the ordinary. So yes, we CAN imagine it happening only with Jesus there was no special effects, no blue screen, no film manipulation, no special props it was the REAL deal. Satan took Jesus bodily from the wilderness and placed Him on a temple turret, a high place upon the temple. And once there Satan USED the written word of God to entice Jesus to sin. Did you catch that point… Satan USED THE WRITTEN WORD OF GOD! People like to imagine that Satan recoils at the mere thought of God but it's not true, Satan uses God's words- manipulating them as He did right from the beginning with Eve. Did the words Satan recite ring true? Yes, they were true!
Psa 91:11 For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways.
Psa 91:12 They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone.
Luk 4:9 And he brought him to Jerusalem, and set him on a pinnacle of the temple, and said unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down from hence:
Luk 4:10 For it is written, He shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee:
Luk 4:11 And in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.
For it is WRITTEN- Satan used God's own words to tempt Jesus. Surely if God had said this it had to be true so Satan wanted Jesus to PROVE that what God said was true. You can just imagine Satan feeling superior and cunning ready to trip Jesus up with his wily ways. But it wasn't to be, Jesus knew God's word from the beginning to the end, every sentence written in what we call the Old Testament, Jesus knew.
Mat 4:7 Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.
Luk 4:12 And Jesus answering said unto him, It is said, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.
Deu 6:16 Ye shall not tempt the LORD your God, as ye tempted him in Massah.
Exo 17:7 And he called the name of the place Massah, and Meribah, because of the chiding of the children of Israel, and because they tempted the LORD, saying, Is the LORD among us, or not?
Jesus knew better than to do ANYTHING other than what His Father wanted Him to do. When Satan told Him to cast Himself down because God said He'd bear Him up with angels, how easy it would have been for Jesus to do just that- just as easy as it would have been for Him to change a stone into bread- very, very easy. But doing ANYTHING at all to try God is asking for trouble. It's not because it can't be done, it's because there has to be BELIEF without seeing, a belief without a proving. The importance of faith goes way beyond what the devil would have us understand. Jesus already believed, Jesus had the faith already and didn't need God to prove a single thing. Jesus believed wholeheartedly. We need to have this kind of faith when we are tempted, a faith that realizes that God is allowing all that happens to us for a reason and we don't have to know why, just know that God IS, and God's will must be done and we are not to tempt God- because our tempting of God reveals our lack of faith in Him.
By the grace of our Lord, our Savior may we come to full knowledge of His will in all things. May we understand the temptation of Jesus in the wilderness as He would have us understand. Help us Lord to learn of this amazing transitioning period in time- the ending of one way of life and the beginning of the new way of life that would exist until everlasting life becomes the next transition of us, Your people.
By Your will, by Your grace!
Amen.
Friday, February 18, 2011
This is temptation- the choice offered
Heb 2:18 For in that he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to succour them that are tempted.
Jesus suffered.
He didn't only suffer pain from being physically abused, Jesus suffered being tempted.
Suffered.
What does the word suffer mean to you? Have you suffered being tempted? In today's world we are forever invoking the right to pursue happiness equating that with the right to NOT suffer, but rather indulge in our temptations because those temptations once realized bring us pleasure, they bring us the happiness we believe we have a right to possess. We do not like to suffer in any way, shape, or form, it's abhorrent to us. Alleviating our suffering of whatever sort is one of our main goals in life. Being told to suffer temptation- to ENDURE temptation isn't something we want to hear.
Jas 1:12 Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.
Jesus suffered being tempted in ALL points. There is NO temptation Jesus doesn't understand, not a single one. You say impossible, Jesus didn't live with the temptation of internet depravity, Jesus didn't live with the temptation of designer drugs, Jesus didn't live with the temptation of our modern existence so there is NO way Jesus suffered being tempted like we are today.
What we need to understand is the nature of temptation, not the nitpicking of every sin in the world. The nature of temptation is being given a choice to sin or not sin.
Read that again…
The nature of temptation is having the choice to sin or not to sin.
The nature of the sin isn't important- all sin warrants death- the greatest sin and the least sin.
Rom 6:23 For the wages of sin is death...
It doesn't say for the wages of the horrible sins is death.
Sin or not to sin - this is temptation - the choice offered.
The choice.
We are daily faced with choices between doing good and bad, and sometimes all day long, other days not so much but the choices we make every day to sin or not sin - make up the sum of our lives.
Being tempted is how Eve sinned from the beginning. The choice Eve made to sin is repeated by us all the time. The Devil tempts and will not stop tempting us, if we live to 100 he'll keep on tempting us. It doesn't matter if the temptation to sin is in getting drunk on wine back in Jesus' day, or the temptation indulge in narcotics today - it is still the offering of sin and a choice to either indulge or resist, endure. There are many forms of sinning, many, but in the end sin is sin and it's a disobeying of God's laws- we are to have NO other God before God; the god of alcohol, the god of drugs, cannot be our gods- they cannot be worshipped above God. We cannot be our own gods and yet many, very many are worshipping themselves.
Temptation- the opportunity to sin.
Jas 1:14 But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.
Jas 1:15 Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.
Every man is tempted.
Every man is drawn away of his own lust.
Every man is enticed.
Jesus was tempted.
Jesus was drawn away of his own lust.
Jesus was enticed.
The LUST in our Savior was NEVER conceived! Therein lies His perfection!
We are tempted when we are presented with something we lust for- something we desire. Not giving in to that lust, not letting that lust bear fruit keeps us from sinning.
Jesus was tempted by Satan to sin, tempted one on one, tempted face to face. The powerful, supernatural fallen angel who had succeeded in tempting Eve into sin had to try all he could to tempt God's HUMAN Son into sinning. His tempting worked with Eve and subsequently all of mankind. Surely the Spirit who became Jesus, God's Son, who took on that WEAKENED flesh nature with it's full propensity towards sinning would mean an easy victory for the Evil One. None could resist Satan, none, all humans had succumbed to temptation, Jesus would be the same- and yet He wasn't! Jesus SUFFERED, Jesus understood the LUST pull to sin, Jesus felt the enticement to sin yet He NEVER for a single moment separated Himself from the love of God the Father. NO conceived lust could ever replace the love of His Father and He knew this. God the Father was EVERYTHING to Jesus, everything and He would never risk separation, never! Life without God the Father leading Him would be nothing- it would be living death.
JESUS SUFFERED TEMPTATION!
Do not believe for one moment He did not suffer. The victory of our Savior is all but beyond our comprehension.
The very real Satan, the very real hatred, the very real evil force wanted to destroy Jesus and unable to prevent His birth, His childhood, His early adulthood- Satan was now allowed to confront Jesus with the severest of temptations possible just as Jesus was at His most vulnerable.
Mat 4:3 And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread.
Luk 4:3 And the devil said unto him, If thou be the Son of God, command this stone that it be made bread.
Remember temptation is being enticed, it's being drawn away by something we desired. Sustained for 40 days and 40 nights, enduring endless tempting from Satan, FINALLY the evil one sensed what He perceived to be a weakness in our Savior. Jesus suffering hunger, noticeably suffering. Jesus desired to eat. Now there's nothing wrong with eating when we are hungry, right? Being hungry isn't a sin, it isn't a lust as we like to think of lusts. Why would it be wrong for Jesus to eat? It wouldn't be wrong right? If ever anyone had a right to eat it would be someone who hasn't eaten for 40 days and nights. Eating wouldn't be wrong at all, eating wouldn't be a sin in any way- it was the fact that there was NOTHING available to eat, nothing. Satan didn't tempt Jesus with food- he tempted Him with stones- he tempted him to use His POWER to change those stones- he tempted Him to use SUPERNATURAL power- he tempted Jesus to forsake His humanity- he tempted Jesus to DISOBEY God the Father! It was God the Father's will that Jesus NEVER use His supernatural powers for any SELFISH act. The pain of hunger was real to Jesus, the desire to eat- to satisfy that hunger was real- yet Jesus knew that it was more important to follow the will of His Father than to eat.
Mat 4:4 But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.
Luk 4:4 And Jesus answered him, saying, It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God
When Satan tempted Jesus to change stones into bread he did so by saying this first- IF THOU BE THE SON OF GOD.
Jesus knew who He was, He knew He was God's Son, He had nothing to prove to Satan. That Satan was there tempting Him was proof enough.
Satan was using Jesus' hunger but he didn't do so by holding up a loaf of bread in front of Jesus. No, Satan was trying to use Jesus' desire to eat to get Him to throw off His humanity. If Jesus used His supernatural power selfishly, if Jesus used His supernatural power at a time not directed to do so by God the Father- it would be sin.
Jesus answered Satan by quoting from the book of Deuteronomy-
Deu 8:3 And he humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the LORD doth man live.
God provided MANNA- food from heaven. God would give Jesus manna as well if He wanted Him to eat. God knew Jesus was hungry, just as God knew His people journeying to the promised land were hungry and needed food. Would His people trust Him? Did His people believe that He held their lives in His hands? God humbled His people. God allowed His people to hunger so they would realize God would provide for them. If they had all the food they wanted but lacked God they would die eternal death. They had food in Egypt but they were in bondage. They'd been freed to worship God and the God who freed them would also provide for them. It would be better to die from hunger than to disobey God. Obeying God is life.
Jesus obeyed God the Father. Jesus chose to endure temptation.
Jas 1:12 Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.
Jesus received the crown of life- God the Father raised Him from death to life everlasting. All praise, all glory, all honor to our King! By His love!
Amen
Jesus suffered.
He didn't only suffer pain from being physically abused, Jesus suffered being tempted.
Suffered.
What does the word suffer mean to you? Have you suffered being tempted? In today's world we are forever invoking the right to pursue happiness equating that with the right to NOT suffer, but rather indulge in our temptations because those temptations once realized bring us pleasure, they bring us the happiness we believe we have a right to possess. We do not like to suffer in any way, shape, or form, it's abhorrent to us. Alleviating our suffering of whatever sort is one of our main goals in life. Being told to suffer temptation- to ENDURE temptation isn't something we want to hear.
Jas 1:12 Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.
Jesus suffered being tempted in ALL points. There is NO temptation Jesus doesn't understand, not a single one. You say impossible, Jesus didn't live with the temptation of internet depravity, Jesus didn't live with the temptation of designer drugs, Jesus didn't live with the temptation of our modern existence so there is NO way Jesus suffered being tempted like we are today.
What we need to understand is the nature of temptation, not the nitpicking of every sin in the world. The nature of temptation is being given a choice to sin or not sin.
Read that again…
The nature of temptation is having the choice to sin or not to sin.
The nature of the sin isn't important- all sin warrants death- the greatest sin and the least sin.
Rom 6:23 For the wages of sin is death...
It doesn't say for the wages of the horrible sins is death.
Sin or not to sin - this is temptation - the choice offered.
The choice.
We are daily faced with choices between doing good and bad, and sometimes all day long, other days not so much but the choices we make every day to sin or not sin - make up the sum of our lives.
Being tempted is how Eve sinned from the beginning. The choice Eve made to sin is repeated by us all the time. The Devil tempts and will not stop tempting us, if we live to 100 he'll keep on tempting us. It doesn't matter if the temptation to sin is in getting drunk on wine back in Jesus' day, or the temptation indulge in narcotics today - it is still the offering of sin and a choice to either indulge or resist, endure. There are many forms of sinning, many, but in the end sin is sin and it's a disobeying of God's laws- we are to have NO other God before God; the god of alcohol, the god of drugs, cannot be our gods- they cannot be worshipped above God. We cannot be our own gods and yet many, very many are worshipping themselves.
Temptation- the opportunity to sin.
Jas 1:14 But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.
Jas 1:15 Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.
Every man is tempted.
Every man is drawn away of his own lust.
Every man is enticed.
Jesus was tempted.
Jesus was drawn away of his own lust.
Jesus was enticed.
The LUST in our Savior was NEVER conceived! Therein lies His perfection!
We are tempted when we are presented with something we lust for- something we desire. Not giving in to that lust, not letting that lust bear fruit keeps us from sinning.
Jesus was tempted by Satan to sin, tempted one on one, tempted face to face. The powerful, supernatural fallen angel who had succeeded in tempting Eve into sin had to try all he could to tempt God's HUMAN Son into sinning. His tempting worked with Eve and subsequently all of mankind. Surely the Spirit who became Jesus, God's Son, who took on that WEAKENED flesh nature with it's full propensity towards sinning would mean an easy victory for the Evil One. None could resist Satan, none, all humans had succumbed to temptation, Jesus would be the same- and yet He wasn't! Jesus SUFFERED, Jesus understood the LUST pull to sin, Jesus felt the enticement to sin yet He NEVER for a single moment separated Himself from the love of God the Father. NO conceived lust could ever replace the love of His Father and He knew this. God the Father was EVERYTHING to Jesus, everything and He would never risk separation, never! Life without God the Father leading Him would be nothing- it would be living death.
JESUS SUFFERED TEMPTATION!
Do not believe for one moment He did not suffer. The victory of our Savior is all but beyond our comprehension.
The very real Satan, the very real hatred, the very real evil force wanted to destroy Jesus and unable to prevent His birth, His childhood, His early adulthood- Satan was now allowed to confront Jesus with the severest of temptations possible just as Jesus was at His most vulnerable.
Mat 4:3 And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread.
Luk 4:3 And the devil said unto him, If thou be the Son of God, command this stone that it be made bread.
Remember temptation is being enticed, it's being drawn away by something we desired. Sustained for 40 days and 40 nights, enduring endless tempting from Satan, FINALLY the evil one sensed what He perceived to be a weakness in our Savior. Jesus suffering hunger, noticeably suffering. Jesus desired to eat. Now there's nothing wrong with eating when we are hungry, right? Being hungry isn't a sin, it isn't a lust as we like to think of lusts. Why would it be wrong for Jesus to eat? It wouldn't be wrong right? If ever anyone had a right to eat it would be someone who hasn't eaten for 40 days and nights. Eating wouldn't be wrong at all, eating wouldn't be a sin in any way- it was the fact that there was NOTHING available to eat, nothing. Satan didn't tempt Jesus with food- he tempted Him with stones- he tempted him to use His POWER to change those stones- he tempted Him to use SUPERNATURAL power- he tempted Jesus to forsake His humanity- he tempted Jesus to DISOBEY God the Father! It was God the Father's will that Jesus NEVER use His supernatural powers for any SELFISH act. The pain of hunger was real to Jesus, the desire to eat- to satisfy that hunger was real- yet Jesus knew that it was more important to follow the will of His Father than to eat.
Mat 4:4 But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.
Luk 4:4 And Jesus answered him, saying, It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God
When Satan tempted Jesus to change stones into bread he did so by saying this first- IF THOU BE THE SON OF GOD.
Jesus knew who He was, He knew He was God's Son, He had nothing to prove to Satan. That Satan was there tempting Him was proof enough.
Satan was using Jesus' hunger but he didn't do so by holding up a loaf of bread in front of Jesus. No, Satan was trying to use Jesus' desire to eat to get Him to throw off His humanity. If Jesus used His supernatural power selfishly, if Jesus used His supernatural power at a time not directed to do so by God the Father- it would be sin.
Jesus answered Satan by quoting from the book of Deuteronomy-
Deu 8:3 And he humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the LORD doth man live.
God provided MANNA- food from heaven. God would give Jesus manna as well if He wanted Him to eat. God knew Jesus was hungry, just as God knew His people journeying to the promised land were hungry and needed food. Would His people trust Him? Did His people believe that He held their lives in His hands? God humbled His people. God allowed His people to hunger so they would realize God would provide for them. If they had all the food they wanted but lacked God they would die eternal death. They had food in Egypt but they were in bondage. They'd been freed to worship God and the God who freed them would also provide for them. It would be better to die from hunger than to disobey God. Obeying God is life.
Jesus obeyed God the Father. Jesus chose to endure temptation.
Jas 1:12 Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.
Jesus received the crown of life- God the Father raised Him from death to life everlasting. All praise, all glory, all honor to our King! By His love!
Amen
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Jesus Assaulted
Satan knew Jesus was vulnerable to temptation- or else he never would have tried tempting Him.
We don't like to imagine this at all. Instead we have this image of Jesus as a religious super man- able to defeat temptation automatically without batting an eye. Jesus UNDERSTOOD our suffering of being tempted. After Jesus fasted 40 days and nights, being tempted of Satan in so many ways, we read this…
Mat 4:2 And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred.
He was hungry!
So here we have it, the fasting wasn't so supernaturally controlled that Jesus wasn't allowed to feel the pains of hunger. Jesus was kept from dying- as was Moses as they endured their 40 days and nights of fasting without water or food. These basics of human necessity were denied them and they were completely cleansed of all inward sustenance relying completely on God the Father to supply them their needs. The Holy Spirit ministered to them through angels.
Mar 1:13 And he was there in the wilderness forty days, tempted of Satan; and was with the wild beasts; and the angels ministered unto him.
How exactly did the angels minister to our Savior we don't know, but we do know He was kept alive without suffering dehydration and starvation. Did He hunger? YES. And I imagine He was thirsty as well. Our Savior went through this trial for a reason- it was a purifying time, it was a testing time, it was the beginning of a new covenant between God and man. As Moses was up in the mount communing with God, receiving the law- Jesus was in the wilderness facing the breaker of the law.
Some say Jesus was only tempted AFTER the 40 days and nights were up, others say He was tempted throughout the entire 40 days and nights and then after as well. Personally I believe He was tempted from the get go all through the 40 days and nights and afterwards as well. I believe that Moses was with God the entire 40 days and nights in the mountain and I believe Jesus had to face the temptations of Satan for the entire time as well. We KNOW that we are only told some of ALL the things that took place during our Savior's ministry here on earth. I believe the 3 temptations we are told about are significant ones, but not the ONLY ones. Jesus was tempted in ALL points. To begin this life changing new covenant way Jesus came face to face with Satan and Satan tried EVERYTHING absolutely EVERYTHING within His power to TEMPT Jesus to sin. Jesus prevailed over every single temptation refusing each and every temptation. You want to believe it was EASY for Him, but it wasn't, it truly wasn't.
Heb 4:15 For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.
Luk 4:2 Being forty days tempted of the devil. And in those days he did eat nothing: and when they were ended, he afterward hungered.
When Jesus had suffered 40 days and night He was finishing up His time of fasting- just as Moses began His descent from the mountain after his 40 days and nights. Moses returned not to people obedient to God, but to the horrific knowledge that the people God had just freed from bondage were already sinning against Him, already breaking the covenant, already defying God. Jesus finished His time of fasting and did not enter immediately into a life surrounded by support of disciples and loved ones. As the time ended Satan wasn't through and with Jesus feeling the pain of the hunger he assaulted Him once again. Yes, assaulted Him. Just as we are ASSAULTED by Satan. It's REAL, Satanic assaults happen all the time and not the horror movie, supernatural thriller assaults that we've been trained to associate with exorcism and the like. Because we are bombarded with the sensationalized Satan we tend to minimize the EVERY DAY Satan in our lives. We tend to believe that He doesn't even exist around us. He's not AFTER us, he's just after… well … other people, bad people, right? Or special people, that's it, Satan is after special people He wouldn't waste his time on every day average people. What a lie! What a deception and we fall for it hook, line, and sinker.
Jesus was assaulted by Satan with such an intensity we can't begin to imagine it really. Yes, we are assaulted as well, but Satan wanted to kill the promised Seed that would destroy Him. If He couldn't kill the promised Seed then he would tempt the promised Seed into sinning and there by destroy any hope for anyone ever being forgiven of sin. He had to corrupt the Seed in any way he possibly could. This time- this 40 days and night, and directly after as Jesus was put through the torture of temptation- was Satan's initial grand assault and he was allowed to come out with both barrels blazing. Afterwards… Jesus was given a respite. He'd endured and passed through the front lines and came through unscathed, unblemished, unmarked by Satan.
Did Satan keep tempting our Savior even after the initial assault? Yes, but not in the same manner. Our Savior prevailed and the new covenant He was ushering in by His successful endurance of temptation had begun.
By His amazing grace! By His amazing love and mercy! May we continue to study and understand the miracle of salvation in our Savior, our God.
Amen.
We don't like to imagine this at all. Instead we have this image of Jesus as a religious super man- able to defeat temptation automatically without batting an eye. Jesus UNDERSTOOD our suffering of being tempted. After Jesus fasted 40 days and nights, being tempted of Satan in so many ways, we read this…
Mat 4:2 And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred.
He was hungry!
So here we have it, the fasting wasn't so supernaturally controlled that Jesus wasn't allowed to feel the pains of hunger. Jesus was kept from dying- as was Moses as they endured their 40 days and nights of fasting without water or food. These basics of human necessity were denied them and they were completely cleansed of all inward sustenance relying completely on God the Father to supply them their needs. The Holy Spirit ministered to them through angels.
Mar 1:13 And he was there in the wilderness forty days, tempted of Satan; and was with the wild beasts; and the angels ministered unto him.
How exactly did the angels minister to our Savior we don't know, but we do know He was kept alive without suffering dehydration and starvation. Did He hunger? YES. And I imagine He was thirsty as well. Our Savior went through this trial for a reason- it was a purifying time, it was a testing time, it was the beginning of a new covenant between God and man. As Moses was up in the mount communing with God, receiving the law- Jesus was in the wilderness facing the breaker of the law.
Some say Jesus was only tempted AFTER the 40 days and nights were up, others say He was tempted throughout the entire 40 days and nights and then after as well. Personally I believe He was tempted from the get go all through the 40 days and nights and afterwards as well. I believe that Moses was with God the entire 40 days and nights in the mountain and I believe Jesus had to face the temptations of Satan for the entire time as well. We KNOW that we are only told some of ALL the things that took place during our Savior's ministry here on earth. I believe the 3 temptations we are told about are significant ones, but not the ONLY ones. Jesus was tempted in ALL points. To begin this life changing new covenant way Jesus came face to face with Satan and Satan tried EVERYTHING absolutely EVERYTHING within His power to TEMPT Jesus to sin. Jesus prevailed over every single temptation refusing each and every temptation. You want to believe it was EASY for Him, but it wasn't, it truly wasn't.
Heb 4:15 For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.
Luk 4:2 Being forty days tempted of the devil. And in those days he did eat nothing: and when they were ended, he afterward hungered.
When Jesus had suffered 40 days and night He was finishing up His time of fasting- just as Moses began His descent from the mountain after his 40 days and nights. Moses returned not to people obedient to God, but to the horrific knowledge that the people God had just freed from bondage were already sinning against Him, already breaking the covenant, already defying God. Jesus finished His time of fasting and did not enter immediately into a life surrounded by support of disciples and loved ones. As the time ended Satan wasn't through and with Jesus feeling the pain of the hunger he assaulted Him once again. Yes, assaulted Him. Just as we are ASSAULTED by Satan. It's REAL, Satanic assaults happen all the time and not the horror movie, supernatural thriller assaults that we've been trained to associate with exorcism and the like. Because we are bombarded with the sensationalized Satan we tend to minimize the EVERY DAY Satan in our lives. We tend to believe that He doesn't even exist around us. He's not AFTER us, he's just after… well … other people, bad people, right? Or special people, that's it, Satan is after special people He wouldn't waste his time on every day average people. What a lie! What a deception and we fall for it hook, line, and sinker.
Jesus was assaulted by Satan with such an intensity we can't begin to imagine it really. Yes, we are assaulted as well, but Satan wanted to kill the promised Seed that would destroy Him. If He couldn't kill the promised Seed then he would tempt the promised Seed into sinning and there by destroy any hope for anyone ever being forgiven of sin. He had to corrupt the Seed in any way he possibly could. This time- this 40 days and night, and directly after as Jesus was put through the torture of temptation- was Satan's initial grand assault and he was allowed to come out with both barrels blazing. Afterwards… Jesus was given a respite. He'd endured and passed through the front lines and came through unscathed, unblemished, unmarked by Satan.
Did Satan keep tempting our Savior even after the initial assault? Yes, but not in the same manner. Our Savior prevailed and the new covenant He was ushering in by His successful endurance of temptation had begun.
By His amazing grace! By His amazing love and mercy! May we continue to study and understand the miracle of salvation in our Savior, our God.
Amen.
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Spiritual Journeys Physical Beings
Mat 4:1 Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil.
Mat 4:2 And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred.
Jesus was anointed to His new life upon baptism and after God accepted His Son as One worthy to begin to minister His new covenant, Jesus was immediately led by God the Holy Spirit into the wilderness. Jesus was taken away from people, Jesus was taken away from any ready comforts of every day life. If you were led into the wilderness without any preparation you wouldn't be bringing any comforts would you? You wouldn't even be bringing what we call necessities. You'd be stranded and the chances of your survival would depend upon your knowledge of living off the land and even then it would depend upon the sort of wilderness you were led to. Just catch the picture of this in your mind- the reality of being led into the wilderness. Jesus wasn't encased in some special, invisible pod and protected from all the elements, He wasn't whisked away to a five star resort and pampered. Jesus was led to the wilderness and over the course of 40 days and 40 night- he fasted.
Now, I'm not going to detail the facts we've all heard about a person only surviving 5-10 days without food and 3 days without water. There are exceptions to every rule on this. Hearing tales of buried earthquake survivors living up to 2 weeks under the rubble, hearing all sorts of exceptions just goes to prove that it is possible to defy the norm.
We don't know the details of Jesus' time in the wilderness those 40 days and night.
We know this…
Mar 1:12 And immediately the Spirit driveth him into the wilderness.
Mar 1:13 And he was there in the wilderness forty days, tempted of Satan; and was with the wild beasts; and the angels ministered unto him.
And this…
Luk 4:2 Being forty days tempted of the devil. And in those days he did eat nothing: and when they were ended, he afterward hungered.
Forty days tempted of the devil.
Forty days fasting.
Forty days.
There is a significance in this forty days- drawing our minds back to Moses.
Exo 34:27 And the LORD said unto Moses, Write thou these words: for after the tenor of these words I have made a covenant with thee and with Israel.
Exo 34:28 And he was there with the LORD forty days and forty nights; he did neither eat bread, nor drink water. And he wrote upon the tables the words of the covenant, the ten commandments.
Moses when receiving the law was there with the Lord forty days and nights- FASTING.
Deu 9:9 When I was gone up into the mount to receive the tables of stone, even the tables of the covenant which the LORD made with you, then I abode in the mount forty days and forty nights, I neither did eat bread nor drink water:
Deu 9:10 And the LORD delivered unto me two tables of stone written with the finger of God; and on them was written according to all the words, which the LORD spake with you in the mount out of the midst of the fire in the day of the assembly.
Deu 9:11 And it came to pass at the end of forty days and forty nights, that the LORD gave me the two tables of stone, even the tables of the covenant.
Forty days and forty nights- fasting.
Moses wasn't sent up into the mount to be tempted- but to receive the law.
Jesus wasn't sent into the wilderness to receive the law- but to be tempted.
We KNOW the law reveals sin. Without the law there is NO sin. Before the law was carved in stone it existed. The law of God existed from the beginning. When Satan tempted man to fall, man fell because they broke the law of God- they disobeyed God. Since that fall they continued to break God's law. God took great steps to keep mankind alive- to keep sin from corrupting every single person. Those who did sin could find forgiveness in God if they sought it with a contrite and sincere heart. Those who found forgiveness remained God's people. After their 400 year captivity in Egypt God took this great number of people and decided that a formal ceremonial system was needed for people to follow. The laws that always existed unwritten but known -were written down and a system for cleansing from the breaking of this law was created- a system that pointed to the ULTIMATE sacrifice- a sacrifice that Abraham in type had been called to make, and whose faith spared him. Every sin will be accounted for. Every instance of disobedience to God and the laws He created will be accounted for. With this ceremonial system in place God's people were to live under this covenant until the Messiah would fulfill the sacrificial role enacted under the old covenant ceremonial system, and before that it was enacted even by Cain and Abel and all the patriarchs, prophets, and kings.
Jesus lived under the same system until He was called to begin the new system.
Moses was sent to the mount to receive the law.
Jesus was sent to the wilderness to be tempted to break that same law.
IF that law was to be done away with, Jesus would have been breaking nothing, without the law there is NO sin. But that law WASN'T to be done away with. That law was to be REAFFIRMED by Jesus right there, the FIRST thing after He was confirmed by the Father as being His Son, a Son that was accepted, pleasing. Reaffirmed the law was firmly in place at the very start of our Savior's work ushering in the new covenant.
Jesus was tempted to sin, to break the law, a law that Satan KNEW would forever and always be in place. The law was reestablished as being at the heart of the new covenant- we cannot dismiss this fact very important fact!
To be tempted to sin, you have to be tempted to break God's law.
1Jn 3:4 Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.
~
Forty days, forty nights, fasting.
Forty days and nights sustained solely by obedience to God the Father.
Fasting was used for spiritual-physical cleansing. Fasting was purposeful, not senseless or random. Both Moses and Jesus lived many years prior to their call to begin their respective ministries. Both Moses and Jesus were purposefully called into a forty day and night fast at a CRUICIAL memorable time in their lives, in their ministries.
We can't ignore this, we shouldn't ignore this connection.
Receiving the law.
Tempted to break the law.
God's law is at the heart of both these very spiritual journeys of physical beings.
More tomorrow by the grace of our Lord and Savior.
Amen.
Mat 4:2 And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred.
Jesus was anointed to His new life upon baptism and after God accepted His Son as One worthy to begin to minister His new covenant, Jesus was immediately led by God the Holy Spirit into the wilderness. Jesus was taken away from people, Jesus was taken away from any ready comforts of every day life. If you were led into the wilderness without any preparation you wouldn't be bringing any comforts would you? You wouldn't even be bringing what we call necessities. You'd be stranded and the chances of your survival would depend upon your knowledge of living off the land and even then it would depend upon the sort of wilderness you were led to. Just catch the picture of this in your mind- the reality of being led into the wilderness. Jesus wasn't encased in some special, invisible pod and protected from all the elements, He wasn't whisked away to a five star resort and pampered. Jesus was led to the wilderness and over the course of 40 days and 40 night- he fasted.
Now, I'm not going to detail the facts we've all heard about a person only surviving 5-10 days without food and 3 days without water. There are exceptions to every rule on this. Hearing tales of buried earthquake survivors living up to 2 weeks under the rubble, hearing all sorts of exceptions just goes to prove that it is possible to defy the norm.
We don't know the details of Jesus' time in the wilderness those 40 days and night.
We know this…
Mar 1:12 And immediately the Spirit driveth him into the wilderness.
Mar 1:13 And he was there in the wilderness forty days, tempted of Satan; and was with the wild beasts; and the angels ministered unto him.
And this…
Luk 4:2 Being forty days tempted of the devil. And in those days he did eat nothing: and when they were ended, he afterward hungered.
Forty days tempted of the devil.
Forty days fasting.
Forty days.
There is a significance in this forty days- drawing our minds back to Moses.
Exo 34:27 And the LORD said unto Moses, Write thou these words: for after the tenor of these words I have made a covenant with thee and with Israel.
Exo 34:28 And he was there with the LORD forty days and forty nights; he did neither eat bread, nor drink water. And he wrote upon the tables the words of the covenant, the ten commandments.
Moses when receiving the law was there with the Lord forty days and nights- FASTING.
Deu 9:9 When I was gone up into the mount to receive the tables of stone, even the tables of the covenant which the LORD made with you, then I abode in the mount forty days and forty nights, I neither did eat bread nor drink water:
Deu 9:10 And the LORD delivered unto me two tables of stone written with the finger of God; and on them was written according to all the words, which the LORD spake with you in the mount out of the midst of the fire in the day of the assembly.
Deu 9:11 And it came to pass at the end of forty days and forty nights, that the LORD gave me the two tables of stone, even the tables of the covenant.
Forty days and forty nights- fasting.
Moses wasn't sent up into the mount to be tempted- but to receive the law.
Jesus wasn't sent into the wilderness to receive the law- but to be tempted.
We KNOW the law reveals sin. Without the law there is NO sin. Before the law was carved in stone it existed. The law of God existed from the beginning. When Satan tempted man to fall, man fell because they broke the law of God- they disobeyed God. Since that fall they continued to break God's law. God took great steps to keep mankind alive- to keep sin from corrupting every single person. Those who did sin could find forgiveness in God if they sought it with a contrite and sincere heart. Those who found forgiveness remained God's people. After their 400 year captivity in Egypt God took this great number of people and decided that a formal ceremonial system was needed for people to follow. The laws that always existed unwritten but known -were written down and a system for cleansing from the breaking of this law was created- a system that pointed to the ULTIMATE sacrifice- a sacrifice that Abraham in type had been called to make, and whose faith spared him. Every sin will be accounted for. Every instance of disobedience to God and the laws He created will be accounted for. With this ceremonial system in place God's people were to live under this covenant until the Messiah would fulfill the sacrificial role enacted under the old covenant ceremonial system, and before that it was enacted even by Cain and Abel and all the patriarchs, prophets, and kings.
Jesus lived under the same system until He was called to begin the new system.
Moses was sent to the mount to receive the law.
Jesus was sent to the wilderness to be tempted to break that same law.
IF that law was to be done away with, Jesus would have been breaking nothing, without the law there is NO sin. But that law WASN'T to be done away with. That law was to be REAFFIRMED by Jesus right there, the FIRST thing after He was confirmed by the Father as being His Son, a Son that was accepted, pleasing. Reaffirmed the law was firmly in place at the very start of our Savior's work ushering in the new covenant.
Jesus was tempted to sin, to break the law, a law that Satan KNEW would forever and always be in place. The law was reestablished as being at the heart of the new covenant- we cannot dismiss this fact very important fact!
To be tempted to sin, you have to be tempted to break God's law.
1Jn 3:4 Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.
~
Forty days, forty nights, fasting.
Forty days and nights sustained solely by obedience to God the Father.
Fasting was used for spiritual-physical cleansing. Fasting was purposeful, not senseless or random. Both Moses and Jesus lived many years prior to their call to begin their respective ministries. Both Moses and Jesus were purposefully called into a forty day and night fast at a CRUICIAL memorable time in their lives, in their ministries.
We can't ignore this, we shouldn't ignore this connection.
Receiving the law.
Tempted to break the law.
God's law is at the heart of both these very spiritual journeys of physical beings.
More tomorrow by the grace of our Lord and Savior.
Amen.
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Jesus was led
Mat 4:1 Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil.
Jesus began His ministry of truth after being baptized- signifying this momentous change from the typical Jewish life towards a new covenant life. The transition from one to another wasn't instantaneous. They existed together- Jesus' Jewish heritage which was a heritage given by birth and His new covenant heritage which was given to Him by His Father, through the Spirit. This blending wasn't obvious for 30 years, but called to reveal the TRUTH Jesus began the unveiling, Jesus began the revelation of the evolution that was taking place. For hundreds and hundreds of years the prophecies of the One who would bring this change, this new covenant, was known. For hundreds of years the Jewish people lived with the history of their patriarchs, their prophets, and their kings. For hundreds of years the Jewish people built a legacy of Godly men leading them through a multitude of God wrought miracles. Before Moses came as deliverer to free God's people from Egyptian bondage the people held an 'idea' of what their deliverer would be like. The idea did not meet with their expectations- they were ready to abandon Moses at the first sign of opposition, as if they expected their deliverer to swoop in and instantly free them from bondage and all hardship.
Exo 5:20 And they met Moses and Aaron, who stood in the way, as they came forth from Pharaoh:
Exo 5:21 And they said unto them, The LORD look upon you, and judge; because ye have made our savour to be abhorred in the eyes of Pharaoh, and in the eyes of his servants, to put a sword in their hand to slay us.
This is NOT a ready embrace of God's deliverer. The people accused Moses of causing the Egyptians such upset they were now in a worse situation than ever before. Moses spoke with God and relayed this to God's people and this was their reaction--
Exo 6:9 And Moses spake so unto the children of Israel: but they hearkened not unto Moses for anguish of spirit, and for cruel bondage.
Those to be delivered HEARKENED NOT to their deliverer.
Why the idea that the coming Messiah would be instantly accepted existed and still exists by the Jewish people, is a complete mystery given history's lessons.
Not only was Moses NOT readily accepted, even after He brought them out of Egypt and began to lead them to freedom they did NOT believe He was God sent, but rather sent to lead them to their slow, lingering deaths. So horrific was their attitude towards this man sent by God, their deliverer, that God did not bring them readily into their promised land and life, but rather punished them for their disbelief for 40 years! This is the Jewish legacy! This is truth! In the days of Jesus, Moses was revered but during the early days of Moses as deliverer he was rejected, he was disbelieved, he was scoffed at, scorned at, he wasn't held in high esteem at all! Years later Moses was herald as a great leader of God's people but during His lifetime He faced much opposition. Yet these same people who KNOW their ancestors suffered for the disbelief of their earthly deliverer couldn't fathom they'd ever reject their heavenly deliverer. They imagined Him as coming in such a way His heralding the NEW covenant would be completely acceptable to them, after all He was to be their MESSIAH, God sent, God's Son!
Truly they did not understand that CHANGES were to be made when the Messiah arrived, changes from old to new, changes from bondage to freedom, changes from death to life. Jesus grew up following the old covenant ways and in the fulfillment of time He began to introduce the new covenant ways and it wasn't a - wake up one morning and everything is changed- Jesus began a 3 YEAR ministry revealing the new covenant. 3 YEARS of instruction, 3 YEARS of revelation.
After His baptism- signifying the OLD LIFE being buried and a RISING to NEW LIFE- Jesus' ministry was begun. No longer would Jesus be a typical Jewish 30 year old male.
Mat 4:1 Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil.
After accepting the revelation of the Holy Spirit and His Father's words of acknowledgment - Jesus was LED UP of the Spirit into the wilderness.
Jesus was not baptized and then left to return to His old way of life before baptism. Jesus was set on a course different than any other. Up until His baptism Jesus lived immersed in the protection of His Heavenly Father. Upon baptism the acceptance of ministry was embraced and the VERY first encounter after His baptism was to be with the Devil. He was accepted of God, embraced as God's Son- pleasing to God and then led to face His greatest adversary- one on one.
Was it POSSIBLE for Jesus to sin?
Yes.
The possibility existed. This temptation Jesus would face head on with an adversary we only know as an invisible evil spirit force, was a REAL temptation and we cannot for ONE second believe otherwise.
Led of the Holy Spirit. Jesus did ALL things through His Father's will and it was His Father's will that He be tested. The Holy Spirit did not imbue Jesus with a special protection, with a special power. The Holy Spirit LED Jesus to face the Devil's tempting. Jesus' humanity, Jesus' flesh, Jesus had the power of choice just as YOU and I possess. Jesus was tempted in ALL ways, just as we are. Jesus used His power of choice to defeat the temptations- He chose to follow God the Father, He chose to OBEY God the Father in all things. The humanity He possessed fought the temptation and won over the temptation by choosing to OBEY God. If Jesus didn't possess the ability to give in to temptation then His being tempted was in vain, meaningless.
More on this tomorrow… by the grace of our Lord and Savior.
Amen
Jesus began His ministry of truth after being baptized- signifying this momentous change from the typical Jewish life towards a new covenant life. The transition from one to another wasn't instantaneous. They existed together- Jesus' Jewish heritage which was a heritage given by birth and His new covenant heritage which was given to Him by His Father, through the Spirit. This blending wasn't obvious for 30 years, but called to reveal the TRUTH Jesus began the unveiling, Jesus began the revelation of the evolution that was taking place. For hundreds and hundreds of years the prophecies of the One who would bring this change, this new covenant, was known. For hundreds of years the Jewish people lived with the history of their patriarchs, their prophets, and their kings. For hundreds of years the Jewish people built a legacy of Godly men leading them through a multitude of God wrought miracles. Before Moses came as deliverer to free God's people from Egyptian bondage the people held an 'idea' of what their deliverer would be like. The idea did not meet with their expectations- they were ready to abandon Moses at the first sign of opposition, as if they expected their deliverer to swoop in and instantly free them from bondage and all hardship.
Exo 5:20 And they met Moses and Aaron, who stood in the way, as they came forth from Pharaoh:
Exo 5:21 And they said unto them, The LORD look upon you, and judge; because ye have made our savour to be abhorred in the eyes of Pharaoh, and in the eyes of his servants, to put a sword in their hand to slay us.
This is NOT a ready embrace of God's deliverer. The people accused Moses of causing the Egyptians such upset they were now in a worse situation than ever before. Moses spoke with God and relayed this to God's people and this was their reaction--
Exo 6:9 And Moses spake so unto the children of Israel: but they hearkened not unto Moses for anguish of spirit, and for cruel bondage.
Those to be delivered HEARKENED NOT to their deliverer.
Why the idea that the coming Messiah would be instantly accepted existed and still exists by the Jewish people, is a complete mystery given history's lessons.
Not only was Moses NOT readily accepted, even after He brought them out of Egypt and began to lead them to freedom they did NOT believe He was God sent, but rather sent to lead them to their slow, lingering deaths. So horrific was their attitude towards this man sent by God, their deliverer, that God did not bring them readily into their promised land and life, but rather punished them for their disbelief for 40 years! This is the Jewish legacy! This is truth! In the days of Jesus, Moses was revered but during the early days of Moses as deliverer he was rejected, he was disbelieved, he was scoffed at, scorned at, he wasn't held in high esteem at all! Years later Moses was herald as a great leader of God's people but during His lifetime He faced much opposition. Yet these same people who KNOW their ancestors suffered for the disbelief of their earthly deliverer couldn't fathom they'd ever reject their heavenly deliverer. They imagined Him as coming in such a way His heralding the NEW covenant would be completely acceptable to them, after all He was to be their MESSIAH, God sent, God's Son!
Truly they did not understand that CHANGES were to be made when the Messiah arrived, changes from old to new, changes from bondage to freedom, changes from death to life. Jesus grew up following the old covenant ways and in the fulfillment of time He began to introduce the new covenant ways and it wasn't a - wake up one morning and everything is changed- Jesus began a 3 YEAR ministry revealing the new covenant. 3 YEARS of instruction, 3 YEARS of revelation.
After His baptism- signifying the OLD LIFE being buried and a RISING to NEW LIFE- Jesus' ministry was begun. No longer would Jesus be a typical Jewish 30 year old male.
Mat 4:1 Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil.
After accepting the revelation of the Holy Spirit and His Father's words of acknowledgment - Jesus was LED UP of the Spirit into the wilderness.
Jesus was not baptized and then left to return to His old way of life before baptism. Jesus was set on a course different than any other. Up until His baptism Jesus lived immersed in the protection of His Heavenly Father. Upon baptism the acceptance of ministry was embraced and the VERY first encounter after His baptism was to be with the Devil. He was accepted of God, embraced as God's Son- pleasing to God and then led to face His greatest adversary- one on one.
Was it POSSIBLE for Jesus to sin?
Yes.
The possibility existed. This temptation Jesus would face head on with an adversary we only know as an invisible evil spirit force, was a REAL temptation and we cannot for ONE second believe otherwise.
Led of the Holy Spirit. Jesus did ALL things through His Father's will and it was His Father's will that He be tested. The Holy Spirit did not imbue Jesus with a special protection, with a special power. The Holy Spirit LED Jesus to face the Devil's tempting. Jesus' humanity, Jesus' flesh, Jesus had the power of choice just as YOU and I possess. Jesus was tempted in ALL ways, just as we are. Jesus used His power of choice to defeat the temptations- He chose to follow God the Father, He chose to OBEY God the Father in all things. The humanity He possessed fought the temptation and won over the temptation by choosing to OBEY God. If Jesus didn't possess the ability to give in to temptation then His being tempted was in vain, meaningless.
More on this tomorrow… by the grace of our Lord and Savior.
Amen
Monday, February 14, 2011
Fulfill all righteousness
Mat 3:13 Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John, to be baptized of him.
Mat 3:14 But John forbad him, saying, I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me?
Mat 3:15 And Jesus answering said unto him, Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness. Then he suffered him.
Mat 3:16 And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him:
Mat 3:17 And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.
Was it NORMAL for people- for thirty year old Jewish men to be baptized?
No.
What John the Baptist was doing wasn't something typical to the Jewish man's way of life. Jesus had lived the typical Jewish life. He was circumcised as a baby. He was taught the customs- going to Jerusalem every year for the feast of the passover. He lived the typical Jewish man's life up until He was 30 years old. At that time there was John the Baptist- preaching and baptizing- John was preaching a call to repentance.
Being called to repentance wasn't something completely new to the Jewish people. The history of God's people showed numerous calls to repentance by God's holy prophets. John taking up that call as a prophet and preaching repentance was yet another instance- some would perceive him to be from God and WERE baptized by Him and others mocked him, as they did all prophets.
Luk 3:1 Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judaea, and Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip tetrarch of Ituraea and of the region of Trachonitis, and Lysanias the tetrarch of Abilene,
Luk 3:2 Annas and Caiaphas being the high priests, the word of God came unto John the son of Zacharias in the wilderness.
Luk 3:3 And he came into all the country about Jordan, preaching the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins;
He was PREACHING the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins.
Repent and be baptized.
This wasn't all he was doing.
Luk 3:4 As it is written in the book of the words of Esaias the prophet, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.
Luk 3:5 Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be brought low; and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough ways shall be made smooth;
Luk 3:6 And all flesh shall see the salvation of God.
Luk 3:7 Then said he to the multitude that came forth to be baptized of him, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come?
Luk 3:8 Bring forth therefore fruits worthy of repentance, and begin not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, That God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham.
Luk 3:9 And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: every tree therefore which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.
Luk 3:10 And the people asked him, saying, What shall we do then?
Luk 3:11 He answereth and saith unto them, He that hath two coats, let him impart to him that hath none; and he that hath meat, let him do likewise.
He preached LOVE for our fellow man!
Luk 3:12 Then came also publicans to be baptized, and said unto him, Master, what shall we do?
Luk 3:13 And he said unto them, Exact no more than that which is appointed you.
He preached fairness- love to all!
Luk 3:14 And the soldiers likewise demanded of him, saying, And what shall we do? And he said unto them, Do violence to no man, neither accuse any falsely; and be content with your wages.
Preaching love- because isn't treating each other as he tells those newly baptized Jews- publicans, soldiers and the like- love? It is. And obviously these people were living in a world full of corrupt Jews, a corrupt way of life had become acceptable to the masses and God was not with them. John was a prophet calling out to God's people- exposing their sins- offering a chance for them to have a new life- a righteous life not called to selfishness and evil but to selfLESSness and love.
Luk 3:15 And as the people were in expectation, and all men mused in their hearts of John, whether he were the Christ, or not;
Luk 3:16 John answered, saying unto them all, I indeed baptize you with water; but one mightier than I cometh, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to unloose: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire:
Luk 3:17 Whose fan is in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and will gather the wheat into his garner; but the chaff he will burn with fire unquenchable.
Luk 3:18 And many other things in his exhortation preached he unto the people.
John preached the coming of the MESSIAH.
The preaching of the coming of the Messiah- ONE who would save God's people from their sins was preached for hundreds and hundreds of years.
Read this passage -
Isa 53:2 For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him.
Isa 53:3 He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
Isa 53:4 Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.
Isa 53:5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.
Isa 53:6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.
Isa 53:7 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth.
Isa 53:8 He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken.
Isa 53:9 And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth.
Isa 53:10 Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand.
Isa 53:11 He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.
Isa 53:12 Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.
The Jews were LOOKING for the coming of their predicted Messiah. Many were ready for the prophecy to be fulfilled, but more weren't. Their expectation of the Messiah wasn't grounded- they looked for an earthly king to rule, to lead, to guide them and to destroy their enemies. They were not looking for someone to come preach - love your enemies.
Jesus lived knowing who He was, at 12 years old He knew yet it wasn't time for Him to reveal anything at all. Jesus was to live a normal life, as an average Jewish man and then when it was time He began His Father's work.
Mat 3:13 Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John, to be baptized of him.
Mat 3:14 But John forbad him, saying, I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me?
Mat 3:15 And Jesus answering said unto him, Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness. Then he suffered him.
Mat 3:16 And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him:
Mat 3:17 And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.
John knew who Jesus was, the promised Messiah. Life as they knew it to be as a typical Jewish men would NEVER be the same. The Messiah came and with Him came change, with Him came a fulfillment of righteousness. With the Messiah's arrival a WHOLE new covenant was ushered in, a NEW covenant that we need to know intimately because WE, you and I, live under this new covenant and will continue to live under this new covenant until our Savior, our Messiah returns for us.
By His grace may we come to understand fully His most amazing love as we wait for Him under the new covenant He brought to us all.
In His love.
Amen
Mat 3:14 But John forbad him, saying, I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me?
Mat 3:15 And Jesus answering said unto him, Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness. Then he suffered him.
Mat 3:16 And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him:
Mat 3:17 And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.
Was it NORMAL for people- for thirty year old Jewish men to be baptized?
No.
What John the Baptist was doing wasn't something typical to the Jewish man's way of life. Jesus had lived the typical Jewish life. He was circumcised as a baby. He was taught the customs- going to Jerusalem every year for the feast of the passover. He lived the typical Jewish man's life up until He was 30 years old. At that time there was John the Baptist- preaching and baptizing- John was preaching a call to repentance.
Being called to repentance wasn't something completely new to the Jewish people. The history of God's people showed numerous calls to repentance by God's holy prophets. John taking up that call as a prophet and preaching repentance was yet another instance- some would perceive him to be from God and WERE baptized by Him and others mocked him, as they did all prophets.
Luk 3:1 Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judaea, and Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip tetrarch of Ituraea and of the region of Trachonitis, and Lysanias the tetrarch of Abilene,
Luk 3:2 Annas and Caiaphas being the high priests, the word of God came unto John the son of Zacharias in the wilderness.
Luk 3:3 And he came into all the country about Jordan, preaching the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins;
He was PREACHING the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins.
Repent and be baptized.
This wasn't all he was doing.
Luk 3:4 As it is written in the book of the words of Esaias the prophet, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.
Luk 3:5 Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be brought low; and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough ways shall be made smooth;
Luk 3:6 And all flesh shall see the salvation of God.
Luk 3:7 Then said he to the multitude that came forth to be baptized of him, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come?
Luk 3:8 Bring forth therefore fruits worthy of repentance, and begin not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, That God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham.
Luk 3:9 And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: every tree therefore which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.
Luk 3:10 And the people asked him, saying, What shall we do then?
Luk 3:11 He answereth and saith unto them, He that hath two coats, let him impart to him that hath none; and he that hath meat, let him do likewise.
He preached LOVE for our fellow man!
Luk 3:12 Then came also publicans to be baptized, and said unto him, Master, what shall we do?
Luk 3:13 And he said unto them, Exact no more than that which is appointed you.
He preached fairness- love to all!
Luk 3:14 And the soldiers likewise demanded of him, saying, And what shall we do? And he said unto them, Do violence to no man, neither accuse any falsely; and be content with your wages.
Preaching love- because isn't treating each other as he tells those newly baptized Jews- publicans, soldiers and the like- love? It is. And obviously these people were living in a world full of corrupt Jews, a corrupt way of life had become acceptable to the masses and God was not with them. John was a prophet calling out to God's people- exposing their sins- offering a chance for them to have a new life- a righteous life not called to selfishness and evil but to selfLESSness and love.
Luk 3:15 And as the people were in expectation, and all men mused in their hearts of John, whether he were the Christ, or not;
Luk 3:16 John answered, saying unto them all, I indeed baptize you with water; but one mightier than I cometh, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to unloose: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire:
Luk 3:17 Whose fan is in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and will gather the wheat into his garner; but the chaff he will burn with fire unquenchable.
Luk 3:18 And many other things in his exhortation preached he unto the people.
John preached the coming of the MESSIAH.
The preaching of the coming of the Messiah- ONE who would save God's people from their sins was preached for hundreds and hundreds of years.
Read this passage -
Isa 53:2 For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him.
Isa 53:3 He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
Isa 53:4 Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.
Isa 53:5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.
Isa 53:6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.
Isa 53:7 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth.
Isa 53:8 He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken.
Isa 53:9 And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth.
Isa 53:10 Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand.
Isa 53:11 He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.
Isa 53:12 Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.
The Jews were LOOKING for the coming of their predicted Messiah. Many were ready for the prophecy to be fulfilled, but more weren't. Their expectation of the Messiah wasn't grounded- they looked for an earthly king to rule, to lead, to guide them and to destroy their enemies. They were not looking for someone to come preach - love your enemies.
Jesus lived knowing who He was, at 12 years old He knew yet it wasn't time for Him to reveal anything at all. Jesus was to live a normal life, as an average Jewish man and then when it was time He began His Father's work.
Mat 3:13 Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John, to be baptized of him.
Mat 3:14 But John forbad him, saying, I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me?
Mat 3:15 And Jesus answering said unto him, Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness. Then he suffered him.
Mat 3:16 And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him:
Mat 3:17 And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.
John knew who Jesus was, the promised Messiah. Life as they knew it to be as a typical Jewish men would NEVER be the same. The Messiah came and with Him came change, with Him came a fulfillment of righteousness. With the Messiah's arrival a WHOLE new covenant was ushered in, a NEW covenant that we need to know intimately because WE, you and I, live under this new covenant and will continue to live under this new covenant until our Savior, our Messiah returns for us.
By His grace may we come to understand fully His most amazing love as we wait for Him under the new covenant He brought to us all.
In His love.
Amen
Sunday, February 13, 2011
Lay down our lives
1Jn 3:16 Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.
Allowing the Savior to live in us means living as He lived.
How many would lay down their lives for their brethren? We barely lay down our attitudes towards our brothers. We find so much that is offensive in the people around us, the strangers in our lives. Those who are agreeable to us are only those who *agree* with us. Finding compassion for those we don't agree with is truly a test. When we are reviled we want to revile right back. We feel a personal injury, a personal insult and as we embrace that insult we feel the rise of justification in us for our own actions, our own thoughts that are filled with upset. We take so much to a personal level and when we are told to give up self and live for Christ we forget to apply that to the fact when we are being reviled it is NOT us being reviled at all, not really, but Christ in us. As the enemy strives to capture us, yes, us- you and I- he stops at nothing. You can scoff all you want and tell yourself you're not important to the devil, that he has much bigger fish to fry than you, but it's not true. YOU in a simple faith, in a true faith, in love with the Savior are so abhorrent to Satan that he can't help but want to crush you! He wants to crush everything about you and will use EVERY single trick in his evil book to do so. He hates you like no other can hate you and his hate is a very real force in your life trying to snuff out your binding love to Jesus. So when we are reviled the FIRST thing we have to do is understand this… it is CHRIST in us being reviled. If we held no love of our Savior and from that love a desire to do His will, then we wouldn't be reviled. As we do His will- whatever that is for us individually and collectively- we know that Satan will attack. We cannot be surprised at the attacks, we cannot grow weary as we are attacked, we can only in the deepest of humility pray that the love of our Savior is revealed even in our sadness, even through any reaction we might have to our enemies.
We ought to lay down our lives for the brethren and this isn't just in the ultimate act of death, but in all ways of our life too. Jesus laid down His life in all ways serving only the Father's will to reveal the Father's love to us. Jesus LIVED His life for US, never for Himself. Even as He went off to pray alone it wasn't to serve His own selfish desire to be alone, but rather He knew that He needed to connect to His Father without distraction in order to keep serving- it was a selfless act - even His need to sleep. You've heard this, or said it to someone yourself, 'You've got to take care of yourself so you can help others.' And it's so true. Those who are filled with a sense of martyrdom as they exhaustedly work themselves sick for others are doing NO favors for the others. They are desiring a selfish acknowledgment for their ceaseless serving but that in itself is not serving. Jesus taught us by example in all things and we need to constantly get to know Him, because if we lived to a 1000 years old we still would never know all there is to know of His amazing love.
We HAVE to lay down our lives.
We HAVE to give up self.
We HAVE to surrender to Jesus everything we are, living in Him, living for Him now and always!
Amen.
Allowing the Savior to live in us means living as He lived.
How many would lay down their lives for their brethren? We barely lay down our attitudes towards our brothers. We find so much that is offensive in the people around us, the strangers in our lives. Those who are agreeable to us are only those who *agree* with us. Finding compassion for those we don't agree with is truly a test. When we are reviled we want to revile right back. We feel a personal injury, a personal insult and as we embrace that insult we feel the rise of justification in us for our own actions, our own thoughts that are filled with upset. We take so much to a personal level and when we are told to give up self and live for Christ we forget to apply that to the fact when we are being reviled it is NOT us being reviled at all, not really, but Christ in us. As the enemy strives to capture us, yes, us- you and I- he stops at nothing. You can scoff all you want and tell yourself you're not important to the devil, that he has much bigger fish to fry than you, but it's not true. YOU in a simple faith, in a true faith, in love with the Savior are so abhorrent to Satan that he can't help but want to crush you! He wants to crush everything about you and will use EVERY single trick in his evil book to do so. He hates you like no other can hate you and his hate is a very real force in your life trying to snuff out your binding love to Jesus. So when we are reviled the FIRST thing we have to do is understand this… it is CHRIST in us being reviled. If we held no love of our Savior and from that love a desire to do His will, then we wouldn't be reviled. As we do His will- whatever that is for us individually and collectively- we know that Satan will attack. We cannot be surprised at the attacks, we cannot grow weary as we are attacked, we can only in the deepest of humility pray that the love of our Savior is revealed even in our sadness, even through any reaction we might have to our enemies.
We ought to lay down our lives for the brethren and this isn't just in the ultimate act of death, but in all ways of our life too. Jesus laid down His life in all ways serving only the Father's will to reveal the Father's love to us. Jesus LIVED His life for US, never for Himself. Even as He went off to pray alone it wasn't to serve His own selfish desire to be alone, but rather He knew that He needed to connect to His Father without distraction in order to keep serving- it was a selfless act - even His need to sleep. You've heard this, or said it to someone yourself, 'You've got to take care of yourself so you can help others.' And it's so true. Those who are filled with a sense of martyrdom as they exhaustedly work themselves sick for others are doing NO favors for the others. They are desiring a selfish acknowledgment for their ceaseless serving but that in itself is not serving. Jesus taught us by example in all things and we need to constantly get to know Him, because if we lived to a 1000 years old we still would never know all there is to know of His amazing love.
We HAVE to lay down our lives.
We HAVE to give up self.
We HAVE to surrender to Jesus everything we are, living in Him, living for Him now and always!
Amen.
Saturday, February 12, 2011
Call the sabbath a delight
Isa 58:13 If thou turn away thy foot from the sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day; and call the sabbath a delight, the holy of the LORD, honourable; and shalt honour him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words:
Isa 58:14 Then shalt thou delight thyself in the LORD; and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it.
Turn THY foot away from the sabbath, from doing THY pleasure on my holy day.
Now we know that God made the sabbath FOR US. We know God made the sabbath day HOLY, that He BLESSED the sabbath day. The Sabbath is God's holy, blessed day of rest and it's a rest for us- physically and spiritually.
The thing is- God made this day of rest as a sign. God did NOT make this day of rest as a day of recreation. God made this day as a covenant sign between Him and mankind. God made this day as a day our thoughts are to turn away from self completely and turn to Him and to others. God made this day to be a blessing for man. When we turn from our own pleasures (our own pursuits) and find delight in the Lord we are blessed.
Too many look upon the sabbath day as just any other day. Too many look upon the sabbath day in disregard. Too many look upon the sabbath day as a day to selfishly do nothing but what they desire not caring about what God may desire of them.
When we are told this--
'Turn THY foot away from the sabbath, from doing THY pleasure on my holy day. '
We are being told to PUT God first in all we do on the Sabbath day and ourselves second. This day should be God-centered, not self-centered. It's not that we are not to have any DELIGHT (pleasure) but rather our delight, our pleasure should be God's pleasure, pleasing to God.
God knew that we couldn't devote ALL our time to Him. God knew that because we had minds of our own and free will with those minds, that our thoughts would not be solely upon Him. When one man became two people right then God knew that the thoughts of mankind would turn to each other as well as to self. God knew that as man tended the garden and the animals that it would be easy for man to watch a seedling grow and take pride in having been part of bring that new life into being. To keep man from FORGETTING his origins, God arranged man's life so that they would be constantly reminded of the source of ALL life, the source of THEIR life. To keep man from thinking they themselves were creators, were gods, there was a reminder put in place that was put in place PERMANENTLY. This reminder wasn't to be grievous and painful, this reminder was a call to put aside everything and have everything ready so that there would be no distractions and the entire day could be devoted to worshipping the One who created them and all they see. A willingness to set aside EVERYTHING and give glory to the Creator. We give glory to God when we do the will of God. When Jesus healed on the sabbath day He was doing the will of God. When Jesus taught that picking tiny bits of corn to appease hunger on the sabbath was okay, He was teaching that we CAN'T allow what we believe are restrictions to pull our thoughts from God and place them on self. A belly going hungry is distracting for sure! The disciples didn't set about making a gruel from the corn, they merely plucked what was there already and while they were walking snacked on the food- keeping their minds off their hunger and on what Jesus was teaching them.
In the beginning, God created the sabbath for mankind to celebrate in the Garden of Eden, from week to week. After sin entered and they were no longer in the Garden of Eden man was to still keep the sabbath every week. As the children were led from Egypt they were taught by the miracle of manna that God still expected them to keep the sabbath day. Placing the covenant command in His ten commandments, written by His own finger etched upon stone, God revealed the importance of keeping the seventh day holy and set aside for Him. Jesus kept the sabbath- teaching in synagogues as was His custom, pointing us ever to God. There was never any contention over whether or not the sabbath should be kept, never. The only contention came when the Pharisees question HOW Jesus was keeping the sabbath. The Pharisees knew Jesus was keeping the sabbath as were all his disciples- they never accused them of NOT keeping the sabbath but only that the things they were doing were profaning the sabbath they were keeping. Jesus rested in the grave on the sabbath.
From the very beginning the sabbath was instituted and mankind has been told to keep the sabbath. From our first parents to us we are to keep the sabbath. Do you imagine it to be something impossible to do as God would have you do it? Would God create the sabbath and make it impossible to keep? No. Satan would like us to believe it is impossible to keep the sabbath and he will stop at nothing to make it very hard for us to keep the sabbath.
Isa 58:13 If thou turn away thy foot from the sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day; and call the sabbath a delight, the holy of the LORD, honourable; and shalt honour him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words:
Isa 58:14 Then shalt thou delight thyself in the LORD; and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it.
Call the sabbath a delight.
Call the sabbath the holy of the LORD.
Call the sabbath honorable.
Honor God on the sabbath.
Spending one whole day with God first in all thing- not doing our own ways, not seeking our own pleasure, not speaking so that our conversations are without thought of God, but only on self.
Delighting ourselves in the LORD.
I read this in the Webster Bible Dictionary-
'Delight is a more permanent pleasure than joy, and not dependent on sudden excitement.'
When we love God we are loving perfectly. We can delight ourselves in the LORD- having that deep sense of pleasure, of love in a God whose promises are sure and everlasting. We can find this deep sense of pleasure in keeping the sabbath day holy, keeping the sabbath day special, keeping the sabbath day and honoring God our Creator, our Redeemer.
By His amazing grace may we find our delight to be in the LORD, honoring the sabbath as He would have us do so, now and forever.
Amen.
Isa 58:14 Then shalt thou delight thyself in the LORD; and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it.
Turn THY foot away from the sabbath, from doing THY pleasure on my holy day.
Now we know that God made the sabbath FOR US. We know God made the sabbath day HOLY, that He BLESSED the sabbath day. The Sabbath is God's holy, blessed day of rest and it's a rest for us- physically and spiritually.
The thing is- God made this day of rest as a sign. God did NOT make this day of rest as a day of recreation. God made this day as a covenant sign between Him and mankind. God made this day as a day our thoughts are to turn away from self completely and turn to Him and to others. God made this day to be a blessing for man. When we turn from our own pleasures (our own pursuits) and find delight in the Lord we are blessed.
Too many look upon the sabbath day as just any other day. Too many look upon the sabbath day in disregard. Too many look upon the sabbath day as a day to selfishly do nothing but what they desire not caring about what God may desire of them.
When we are told this--
'Turn THY foot away from the sabbath, from doing THY pleasure on my holy day. '
We are being told to PUT God first in all we do on the Sabbath day and ourselves second. This day should be God-centered, not self-centered. It's not that we are not to have any DELIGHT (pleasure) but rather our delight, our pleasure should be God's pleasure, pleasing to God.
God knew that we couldn't devote ALL our time to Him. God knew that because we had minds of our own and free will with those minds, that our thoughts would not be solely upon Him. When one man became two people right then God knew that the thoughts of mankind would turn to each other as well as to self. God knew that as man tended the garden and the animals that it would be easy for man to watch a seedling grow and take pride in having been part of bring that new life into being. To keep man from FORGETTING his origins, God arranged man's life so that they would be constantly reminded of the source of ALL life, the source of THEIR life. To keep man from thinking they themselves were creators, were gods, there was a reminder put in place that was put in place PERMANENTLY. This reminder wasn't to be grievous and painful, this reminder was a call to put aside everything and have everything ready so that there would be no distractions and the entire day could be devoted to worshipping the One who created them and all they see. A willingness to set aside EVERYTHING and give glory to the Creator. We give glory to God when we do the will of God. When Jesus healed on the sabbath day He was doing the will of God. When Jesus taught that picking tiny bits of corn to appease hunger on the sabbath was okay, He was teaching that we CAN'T allow what we believe are restrictions to pull our thoughts from God and place them on self. A belly going hungry is distracting for sure! The disciples didn't set about making a gruel from the corn, they merely plucked what was there already and while they were walking snacked on the food- keeping their minds off their hunger and on what Jesus was teaching them.
In the beginning, God created the sabbath for mankind to celebrate in the Garden of Eden, from week to week. After sin entered and they were no longer in the Garden of Eden man was to still keep the sabbath every week. As the children were led from Egypt they were taught by the miracle of manna that God still expected them to keep the sabbath day. Placing the covenant command in His ten commandments, written by His own finger etched upon stone, God revealed the importance of keeping the seventh day holy and set aside for Him. Jesus kept the sabbath- teaching in synagogues as was His custom, pointing us ever to God. There was never any contention over whether or not the sabbath should be kept, never. The only contention came when the Pharisees question HOW Jesus was keeping the sabbath. The Pharisees knew Jesus was keeping the sabbath as were all his disciples- they never accused them of NOT keeping the sabbath but only that the things they were doing were profaning the sabbath they were keeping. Jesus rested in the grave on the sabbath.
From the very beginning the sabbath was instituted and mankind has been told to keep the sabbath. From our first parents to us we are to keep the sabbath. Do you imagine it to be something impossible to do as God would have you do it? Would God create the sabbath and make it impossible to keep? No. Satan would like us to believe it is impossible to keep the sabbath and he will stop at nothing to make it very hard for us to keep the sabbath.
Isa 58:13 If thou turn away thy foot from the sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day; and call the sabbath a delight, the holy of the LORD, honourable; and shalt honour him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words:
Isa 58:14 Then shalt thou delight thyself in the LORD; and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it.
Call the sabbath a delight.
Call the sabbath the holy of the LORD.
Call the sabbath honorable.
Honor God on the sabbath.
Spending one whole day with God first in all thing- not doing our own ways, not seeking our own pleasure, not speaking so that our conversations are without thought of God, but only on self.
Delighting ourselves in the LORD.
I read this in the Webster Bible Dictionary-
'Delight is a more permanent pleasure than joy, and not dependent on sudden excitement.'
When we love God we are loving perfectly. We can delight ourselves in the LORD- having that deep sense of pleasure, of love in a God whose promises are sure and everlasting. We can find this deep sense of pleasure in keeping the sabbath day holy, keeping the sabbath day special, keeping the sabbath day and honoring God our Creator, our Redeemer.
By His amazing grace may we find our delight to be in the LORD, honoring the sabbath as He would have us do so, now and forever.
Amen.
Friday, February 11, 2011
Hate wisdom and you love death
Pro 8:33 Hear instruction, and be wise, and refuse it not.
Pro 8:34 Blessed is the man that heareth me, watching daily at my gates, waiting at the posts of my doors.
Pro 8:35 For whoso findeth me findeth life, and shall obtain favour of the LORD.
Pro 8:36 But he that sinneth against me wrongeth his own soul: all they that hate me love death.
We must WATCH daily at the gates of INSTRUCTION.
We must WAIT at the posts of INSTRUCTION'S doors.
When we find INSTRUCTION we find life, and favor of the LORD.
When we sin against INSTRUCTION we wrong ourselves.
If we hate INSTRUCTION we love death.
It is WISE to hear instruction.
It is WISE not to refuse instruction.
It is WISE to watch and wait for instruction.
WISDOM tells us through instruction we find life and favor of the LORD.
WISDOM tells us that if we sin against instruction we are wronging ourselves.
WISDOM says all that hate instruction - love death.
We are to-
Watch daily at the gates of WISDOM.
Wait at the posts of WISDOM'S doors.
Find WISDOM- finding life, and favor of the LORD.
We are told-
He that sins against WISDOM wrongs himself.
All that hate WISDOM love death.
Definition of Wisdom-- the right use or exercise of knowledge. The ability to discern or judge what is true, right, or lasting; insight.
Definition of Instruction-- a. Imparted knowledge. b. An imparted or acquired item of knowledge; a lesson.
If we do not want knowledge we want death.
It's true.
The Lord is forever teaching us through His word, through life around us, through the Holy Spirit.
When Jesus was going about His 3 year ministry He spent the majority of that time imparting knowledge. He even told us that after He was gone He would send another to continue to teach us.
Joh 14:26 But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.
Teach you all things.
What happens when we stop hearing instruction? We stop allowing ourselves to be taught. It is only through INSTRUCTION that we learn. Whether that instruction comes from another person, a book, a video, a movie, whatever the source of instruction- we are being given knowledge - we are being taught. When we STOP wanting to be taught we are choosing to refuse instruction, and if we refuse instruction we wrong ourselves, we are choosing death eternal over life eternal.
DAILY we must learn.
DAILY we must wait and watch for wisdom, for the instruction, for the teaching the LORD will give to us. Throughout life we learn and it's a shame that through a lot of formalized education the children are taught NOT to enjoy learning, to NOT want to be instructed. The Devil has insinuated himself well into the world and when he destroys the desire for instruction, for learning, for obtaining knowledge- he destroys a source of life because when we hate wisdom- when we hate knowledge - we love death. Without the knowledge, the wisdom, the instruction in the Salvation of our Savior we cannot be saved. Having destroyed the love of learning, the Devil destroys knowledge of salvation.
In all we do, we must never cease to learn, never cease to love and desire instruction, never stop desiring wisdom as God would have us possess. As we go about our lives even those who teach must constantly learn, never believing their knowledge is complete. In all we do we are to point to salvation. If we are called to any one profession in life- our love of Jesus and the salvation He offers must be paramount. By the grace of God we will be able to do as He bids us do, and may we never take glory to ourselves, never presuming to know it all. What we learn we are to share, knowing that it's not in our power to give people a love of instruction, that love they must obtain on their own- by God's merciful grace. As Jesus made His teachings available to all that would and will listen, we who want to reveal that amazing love of God's Son must make the knowledge available. Jesus never forced understanding on someone, never. His condemnation fell upon the wicked, the unrepentant as only HE has the discernment to know. Jesus lamented over the hard hearted refusing unbelievers-
Mat 23:37 O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!
By the grace of our Savior may we forever seek knowledge of Him, loving the wisdom He longs to give to us, hearing instruction- refusing it not.
Amen
Pro 8:34 Blessed is the man that heareth me, watching daily at my gates, waiting at the posts of my doors.
Pro 8:35 For whoso findeth me findeth life, and shall obtain favour of the LORD.
Pro 8:36 But he that sinneth against me wrongeth his own soul: all they that hate me love death.
We must WATCH daily at the gates of INSTRUCTION.
We must WAIT at the posts of INSTRUCTION'S doors.
When we find INSTRUCTION we find life, and favor of the LORD.
When we sin against INSTRUCTION we wrong ourselves.
If we hate INSTRUCTION we love death.
It is WISE to hear instruction.
It is WISE not to refuse instruction.
It is WISE to watch and wait for instruction.
WISDOM tells us through instruction we find life and favor of the LORD.
WISDOM tells us that if we sin against instruction we are wronging ourselves.
WISDOM says all that hate instruction - love death.
We are to-
Watch daily at the gates of WISDOM.
Wait at the posts of WISDOM'S doors.
Find WISDOM- finding life, and favor of the LORD.
We are told-
He that sins against WISDOM wrongs himself.
All that hate WISDOM love death.
Definition of Wisdom-- the right use or exercise of knowledge. The ability to discern or judge what is true, right, or lasting; insight.
Definition of Instruction-- a. Imparted knowledge. b. An imparted or acquired item of knowledge; a lesson.
If we do not want knowledge we want death.
It's true.
The Lord is forever teaching us through His word, through life around us, through the Holy Spirit.
When Jesus was going about His 3 year ministry He spent the majority of that time imparting knowledge. He even told us that after He was gone He would send another to continue to teach us.
Joh 14:26 But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.
Teach you all things.
What happens when we stop hearing instruction? We stop allowing ourselves to be taught. It is only through INSTRUCTION that we learn. Whether that instruction comes from another person, a book, a video, a movie, whatever the source of instruction- we are being given knowledge - we are being taught. When we STOP wanting to be taught we are choosing to refuse instruction, and if we refuse instruction we wrong ourselves, we are choosing death eternal over life eternal.
DAILY we must learn.
DAILY we must wait and watch for wisdom, for the instruction, for the teaching the LORD will give to us. Throughout life we learn and it's a shame that through a lot of formalized education the children are taught NOT to enjoy learning, to NOT want to be instructed. The Devil has insinuated himself well into the world and when he destroys the desire for instruction, for learning, for obtaining knowledge- he destroys a source of life because when we hate wisdom- when we hate knowledge - we love death. Without the knowledge, the wisdom, the instruction in the Salvation of our Savior we cannot be saved. Having destroyed the love of learning, the Devil destroys knowledge of salvation.
In all we do, we must never cease to learn, never cease to love and desire instruction, never stop desiring wisdom as God would have us possess. As we go about our lives even those who teach must constantly learn, never believing their knowledge is complete. In all we do we are to point to salvation. If we are called to any one profession in life- our love of Jesus and the salvation He offers must be paramount. By the grace of God we will be able to do as He bids us do, and may we never take glory to ourselves, never presuming to know it all. What we learn we are to share, knowing that it's not in our power to give people a love of instruction, that love they must obtain on their own- by God's merciful grace. As Jesus made His teachings available to all that would and will listen, we who want to reveal that amazing love of God's Son must make the knowledge available. Jesus never forced understanding on someone, never. His condemnation fell upon the wicked, the unrepentant as only HE has the discernment to know. Jesus lamented over the hard hearted refusing unbelievers-
Mat 23:37 O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!
By the grace of our Savior may we forever seek knowledge of Him, loving the wisdom He longs to give to us, hearing instruction- refusing it not.
Amen
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Hear Instruction
Pro 8:33 Hear instruction, and be wise, and refuse it not.
Pro 8:34 Blessed is the man that heareth me, watching daily at my gates, waiting at the posts of my doors.
Pro 8:35 For whoso findeth me findeth life, and shall obtain favour of the LORD.
Pro 8:36 But he that sinneth against me wrongeth his own soul: all they that hate me love death.
All glory to God.
All through my recent respiratory infection (of which I'm still recovering from - praise God) I lamented the fact I couldn't do this study. I barely feel up to it now, my arms are weak and shaking, my neck hurts and I just want to go back into bed and lie down. Truth be told this won't be a long study for those reasons. I know I'm healing, praise God, but it's gonna take a little more time until I'm back to *normal*.
These are the verses that have been being impressed upon me during my illness.
Pro 8:33 Hear instruction, and be wise, and refuse it not.
Pro 8:34 Blessed is the man that heareth me, watching daily at my gates, waiting at the posts of my doors.
Pro 8:35 For whoso findeth me findeth life, and shall obtain favour of the LORD.
Pro 8:36 But he that sinneth against me wrongeth his own soul: all they that hate me love death.
If we hate instruction- we love death.
We can't refuse instruction and expect life.
Until the day we die, or until our Lord and Savior returns for us, we must HEAR instruction. We must be willing to be instructed constantly, learning without ceasing. And in learning we must apply the truths we learn.
Instruction isn't always easy- some instruction we receive we want to refute, we want to ignore, we don't like it because it's contrary to our flesh nature which desires predominance.
We must not refuse to be instructed by God on how we are to live our lives.
By His grace may we constantly be instructed, willing to receive the instruction, willing to embrace it.
In His love.
Amen.
Pro 8:34 Blessed is the man that heareth me, watching daily at my gates, waiting at the posts of my doors.
Pro 8:35 For whoso findeth me findeth life, and shall obtain favour of the LORD.
Pro 8:36 But he that sinneth against me wrongeth his own soul: all they that hate me love death.
All glory to God.
All through my recent respiratory infection (of which I'm still recovering from - praise God) I lamented the fact I couldn't do this study. I barely feel up to it now, my arms are weak and shaking, my neck hurts and I just want to go back into bed and lie down. Truth be told this won't be a long study for those reasons. I know I'm healing, praise God, but it's gonna take a little more time until I'm back to *normal*.
These are the verses that have been being impressed upon me during my illness.
Pro 8:33 Hear instruction, and be wise, and refuse it not.
Pro 8:34 Blessed is the man that heareth me, watching daily at my gates, waiting at the posts of my doors.
Pro 8:35 For whoso findeth me findeth life, and shall obtain favour of the LORD.
Pro 8:36 But he that sinneth against me wrongeth his own soul: all they that hate me love death.
If we hate instruction- we love death.
We can't refuse instruction and expect life.
Until the day we die, or until our Lord and Savior returns for us, we must HEAR instruction. We must be willing to be instructed constantly, learning without ceasing. And in learning we must apply the truths we learn.
Instruction isn't always easy- some instruction we receive we want to refute, we want to ignore, we don't like it because it's contrary to our flesh nature which desires predominance.
We must not refuse to be instructed by God on how we are to live our lives.
By His grace may we constantly be instructed, willing to receive the instruction, willing to embrace it.
In His love.
Amen.
Monday, February 7, 2011
Proverbs 8:34-36
Pro 8:34 Blessed is the man that heareth me, watching daily at my gates, waiting at the posts of my doors.
Pro 8:35 For whoso findeth me findeth life, and shall obtain favour of the LORD.
Pro 8:36 But he that sinneth against me wrongeth his own soul: all they that hate me love death.
God willing I'll be more recovered from this flu to actually study better.
By His grace and mercy.
In His love!
.
Pro 8:35 For whoso findeth me findeth life, and shall obtain favour of the LORD.
Pro 8:36 But he that sinneth against me wrongeth his own soul: all they that hate me love death.
God willing I'll be more recovered from this flu to actually study better.
By His grace and mercy.
In His love!
.
Friday, February 4, 2011
They profess they know God, but...
Tit 1:15 Unto the pure all things are pure: but unto them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure; but even their mind and conscience is defiled.
Tit 1:16 They profess that they know God; but in works they deny him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate.
They profess they KNOW God- but in works they deny Him.
Just this past week the President of the United States addressed a prayer breakfast- at this prayer breakfast he gave a speech and oh, how he professed to know God. Now I cannot judge this man's eternal life, I can judge no man's eternal life, but I can judge right from wrong, I can judge actions of people and His actions- his works- deny God. This man advocates abortion staunchly. There is NOTHING godly about murdering the unborn, nothing godly about promoting death of the innocent, the helpless. Talking a 'good game' does so very little in the grand scheme of things. There are MANY people we come to find out- TALK about knowing God- but their works end up revealing the truth, they really deny God. When actions deny God all the talk in the world means little.
Isa 29:13 Wherefore the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men
Draw near with their mouth and their lips honor God, but they've removed their heart far from Him. Does God want lip service? No. God wants heart service.
Eze 33:31 And they come unto thee as the people cometh, and they sit before thee as my people, and they hear thy words, but they will not do them: for with their mouth they shew much love, but their heart goeth after their covetousness.
They hear, but will not do. Their mouths show MUCH love, but their hearts go after covetousness. Oh how our mouths can profess to love God, but is our heart professing that same love of God? Or do our hearts profess SELF - LOVE above all? What does your heart profess?!
Rom 2:18 And knowest his will, and approvest the things that are more excellent, being instructed out of the law;
Rom 2:19 And art confident that thou thyself art a guide of the blind, a light of them which are in darkness,
Rom 2:20 An instructor of the foolish, a teacher of babes, which hast the form of knowledge and of the truth in the law.
Rom 2:21 Thou therefore which teachest another, teachest thou not thyself? thou that preachest a man should not steal, dost thou steal?
Rom 2:22 Thou that sayest a man should not commit adultery, dost thou commit adultery? thou that abhorrest idols, dost thou commit sacrilege?
Rom 2:23 Thou that makest thy boast of the law, through breaking the law dishonourest thou God?
Teaching others- do you not teach yourself?
Preaching do not steal- do you steal?
Saying not to commit adultery- do you commit adultery?
Abhorring idols- do you worship them?
Boasting of the law even while you break it- DISHONORING GOD!
Our tongues are wicked members- so very wicked.
Jas 3:5 Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth!
Jas 3:6 And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell.
Jas 3:7 For every kind of beasts, and of birds, and of serpents, and of things in the sea, is tamed, and hath been tamed of mankind:
Jas 3:8 But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.
Tit 1:15 Unto the pure all things are pure: but unto them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure; but even their mind and conscience is defiled.
Tit 1:16 They profess that they know God; but in works they deny him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate.
The tongue professes God; that evil, wicked, poisonous little member boasts, it defiles, it speaks wonderful soothing words all the while the heart is pure evil. By the words spoken there isn't a clue as to the wickedness inside. Not many boast of their evil ways- many go to great lengths to hide their evil. The deception people practice is unbelievable. We live in a world with many great boasters, with many loud people professing their knowledge of God, with a multitude of silver-tongued people speaking of God and yet inside they are heartless, inside they are hollow, inside they are pure lovers of self without any love of God.
Joh 3:19 And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.
Joh 3:20 For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.
Joh 3:21 But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.
Jas 1:22 But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.
May God help us not to deceive ourselves!
May our profession of the knowledge of God be filled with the works of God in us.
By Your grace my Savior, by Your grace.
Amen.
Tit 1:16 They profess that they know God; but in works they deny him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate.
They profess they KNOW God- but in works they deny Him.
Just this past week the President of the United States addressed a prayer breakfast- at this prayer breakfast he gave a speech and oh, how he professed to know God. Now I cannot judge this man's eternal life, I can judge no man's eternal life, but I can judge right from wrong, I can judge actions of people and His actions- his works- deny God. This man advocates abortion staunchly. There is NOTHING godly about murdering the unborn, nothing godly about promoting death of the innocent, the helpless. Talking a 'good game' does so very little in the grand scheme of things. There are MANY people we come to find out- TALK about knowing God- but their works end up revealing the truth, they really deny God. When actions deny God all the talk in the world means little.
Isa 29:13 Wherefore the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men
Draw near with their mouth and their lips honor God, but they've removed their heart far from Him. Does God want lip service? No. God wants heart service.
Eze 33:31 And they come unto thee as the people cometh, and they sit before thee as my people, and they hear thy words, but they will not do them: for with their mouth they shew much love, but their heart goeth after their covetousness.
They hear, but will not do. Their mouths show MUCH love, but their hearts go after covetousness. Oh how our mouths can profess to love God, but is our heart professing that same love of God? Or do our hearts profess SELF - LOVE above all? What does your heart profess?!
Rom 2:18 And knowest his will, and approvest the things that are more excellent, being instructed out of the law;
Rom 2:19 And art confident that thou thyself art a guide of the blind, a light of them which are in darkness,
Rom 2:20 An instructor of the foolish, a teacher of babes, which hast the form of knowledge and of the truth in the law.
Rom 2:21 Thou therefore which teachest another, teachest thou not thyself? thou that preachest a man should not steal, dost thou steal?
Rom 2:22 Thou that sayest a man should not commit adultery, dost thou commit adultery? thou that abhorrest idols, dost thou commit sacrilege?
Rom 2:23 Thou that makest thy boast of the law, through breaking the law dishonourest thou God?
Teaching others- do you not teach yourself?
Preaching do not steal- do you steal?
Saying not to commit adultery- do you commit adultery?
Abhorring idols- do you worship them?
Boasting of the law even while you break it- DISHONORING GOD!
Our tongues are wicked members- so very wicked.
Jas 3:5 Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth!
Jas 3:6 And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell.
Jas 3:7 For every kind of beasts, and of birds, and of serpents, and of things in the sea, is tamed, and hath been tamed of mankind:
Jas 3:8 But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.
Tit 1:15 Unto the pure all things are pure: but unto them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure; but even their mind and conscience is defiled.
Tit 1:16 They profess that they know God; but in works they deny him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate.
The tongue professes God; that evil, wicked, poisonous little member boasts, it defiles, it speaks wonderful soothing words all the while the heart is pure evil. By the words spoken there isn't a clue as to the wickedness inside. Not many boast of their evil ways- many go to great lengths to hide their evil. The deception people practice is unbelievable. We live in a world with many great boasters, with many loud people professing their knowledge of God, with a multitude of silver-tongued people speaking of God and yet inside they are heartless, inside they are hollow, inside they are pure lovers of self without any love of God.
Joh 3:19 And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.
Joh 3:20 For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.
Joh 3:21 But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.
Jas 1:22 But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.
May God help us not to deceive ourselves!
May our profession of the knowledge of God be filled with the works of God in us.
By Your grace my Savior, by Your grace.
Amen.
Thursday, February 3, 2011
Sound Doctrine
Titus 1:9 Holding fast the faithful word as he hath been taught, that he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and to convince the gainsayers.
Holding fast of the faithful word.
The faithful word is the word spoken to us by God.
The faithful word is every word that came from Jesus.
Sound doctrine is the doctrines of our God, our Savior.
Pro 4:2 For I give you good doctrine, forsake ye not my law.
Mat 7:28 And it came to pass, when Jesus had ended these sayings, the people were astonished at his doctrine-
The doctrine of Jesus (Matthew 5:3-7:27) People were astonished at the doctrine of Jesus. People were being TAUGHT by Jesus. The disciples were being taught by Jesus- the message they would carry with them always. Do we study it enough? Do we study the doctrine of our Savior enough? Do we know the doctrine of our Savior so that we can exhort and convince the gainsayers- those that would contradict the word of God, those that would deny the word of God?
The message of salvation is paramount in all the teachings of our Savior- yet our Lord had so much more to say and at the end of His long discourse He said this…
Mat 7:24 Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock:
Mat 7:25 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.
Mat 7:26 And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand:
Mat 7:27 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.
If we hear and do we will be wise.
If we hear and do not do we will be foolish.
People complain all the time that they don't know how God would have them live and yet we are given this counsel from the Lord Himself. The sound doctrine of Jesus is the sound doctrine we are to have. It's not OUR word, it is not OUR doctrines that can do anything at all- it is the doctrine of our Lord and Savior.
Act 2:42 And they continued stedfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.
The apostle' doctrine was the doctrine Jesus gave to them.
2Ti 4:3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;
2Ti 4:4 And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.
How true is this. People don't want to endure sound doctrine- people want to go after their own lusts.
Sound doctrine.
Jesus alone gives us sound doctrine. We don't have apostles today going about preaching the Lord's sound doctrine. We do have the words of our Savior that we can study for ourselves. The apostles wrote down the words they were given. The sound doctrine of Christ was written for our learning. We can't expect to understand or to accept sound doctrine if we don't learn it. Not just read, but learn it. Not just those that HEAR but those that HEAR AND DO the words of Christ will be wise.
We need to study the sound doctrines and make them a part of our lives.
We need Christ in our lives, we need to live as Christ would have us live in Him.
There is no guess work involved here- there is TRUTH.
People don't want to endure TRUTH, it doesn't satisfy their own desires.
We can follow all the unsound doctrine we like and it will allow us to satisfy our lusts, but following the sound doctrine of our Savior will war against our natural desires. One will give us life eternal the other death eternal-- we choose.
May God help us to follow only SOUND doctrine, Christ's doctrine, by His grace.
Holding fast of the faithful word.
The faithful word is the word spoken to us by God.
The faithful word is every word that came from Jesus.
Sound doctrine is the doctrines of our God, our Savior.
Pro 4:2 For I give you good doctrine, forsake ye not my law.
Mat 7:28 And it came to pass, when Jesus had ended these sayings, the people were astonished at his doctrine-
The doctrine of Jesus (Matthew 5:3-7:27) People were astonished at the doctrine of Jesus. People were being TAUGHT by Jesus. The disciples were being taught by Jesus- the message they would carry with them always. Do we study it enough? Do we study the doctrine of our Savior enough? Do we know the doctrine of our Savior so that we can exhort and convince the gainsayers- those that would contradict the word of God, those that would deny the word of God?
The message of salvation is paramount in all the teachings of our Savior- yet our Lord had so much more to say and at the end of His long discourse He said this…
Mat 7:24 Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock:
Mat 7:25 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.
Mat 7:26 And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand:
Mat 7:27 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.
If we hear and do we will be wise.
If we hear and do not do we will be foolish.
People complain all the time that they don't know how God would have them live and yet we are given this counsel from the Lord Himself. The sound doctrine of Jesus is the sound doctrine we are to have. It's not OUR word, it is not OUR doctrines that can do anything at all- it is the doctrine of our Lord and Savior.
Act 2:42 And they continued stedfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.
The apostle' doctrine was the doctrine Jesus gave to them.
2Ti 4:3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;
2Ti 4:4 And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.
How true is this. People don't want to endure sound doctrine- people want to go after their own lusts.
Sound doctrine.
Jesus alone gives us sound doctrine. We don't have apostles today going about preaching the Lord's sound doctrine. We do have the words of our Savior that we can study for ourselves. The apostles wrote down the words they were given. The sound doctrine of Christ was written for our learning. We can't expect to understand or to accept sound doctrine if we don't learn it. Not just read, but learn it. Not just those that HEAR but those that HEAR AND DO the words of Christ will be wise.
We need to study the sound doctrines and make them a part of our lives.
We need Christ in our lives, we need to live as Christ would have us live in Him.
There is no guess work involved here- there is TRUTH.
People don't want to endure TRUTH, it doesn't satisfy their own desires.
We can follow all the unsound doctrine we like and it will allow us to satisfy our lusts, but following the sound doctrine of our Savior will war against our natural desires. One will give us life eternal the other death eternal-- we choose.
May God help us to follow only SOUND doctrine, Christ's doctrine, by His grace.
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
That I May ProveThem
Exo 16:4 Then said the LORD unto Moses, Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather a certain rate every day, that I may prove them, whether they will walk in my law, or no.
Exo 16:5 And it shall come to pass, that on the sixth day they shall prepare that which they bring in; and it shall be twice as much as they gather daily.
The Lord wanted to PROVE the children of Israel that He'd just delivered from slavery in Egypt. Would they walk in his law or no? Would they listen to God or not? What was the test?
Manna.
The people needed food, God would provide food but there was a catch. God would place conditions on this food. The people were NOT to store the food from heaven over night, there were to be NO leftovers allowed. Not all people listened though, some did try to keep leftovers and this happened when they did…
Exo 16:20 Notwithstanding they hearkened not unto Moses; but some of them left of it until the morning, and it bred worms, and stank: and Moses was wroth with them.
The leftovers were covered in worms and stank.
Praise God it was only SOME of them and not all, because if all of them hadn't listened, well who knows what might have happened.
God would feed His people but they had to obey Him if they wanted food from Him - it was that simple. This food would not keep overnight. You were to take ONLY that which you could eat that day and no more.
But that wasn't all--
God had laws and He wanted His people to have these laws, these commandments, and God wanted to know whether or not the people were going to obey Him.
God told the people through Moses to gather TWICE as much on the sixth day.
Why?
Because God had a law, God had a commandment that was first instituted in the Garden of Eden with Adam and Eve, a commandment the people had not been at liberty to keep as slaves. That law, that commandment was to REST on the SEVENTH DAY.
GOD who needs no rest created a REST DAY for man. God created a day for man to remember HIM- their Creator. This day was so important that God conditioned the food He would give people upon it. Is there any better reminder than to condition food- life's sustenance upon- upon this command of God's?
We eat daily. We were created to eat daily. God provided food for every single day- but not ON every single day.
On ONE special day God would double the allotment of food, why? So people would have food on a day God only wanted them to rest upon and NOT go out to gather the food.
God wanted to PROVE the people to know whether or not they would obey Him. If they would obey him in this then there was a chance they'd obey Him completely- He who only had their best interest at heart, He who loved them, created them and would redeem them.
Why do we believe that God no longer proves His people?
Why do we believe it was a one time thing?
Why do we believe that God no longer cares what we do?
Why do we believe God's laws no longer matter?
Why do we believe that God Son decided that God's law were no longer any good?
We want to believe that we can do ANYTHING, that we can live ANY way we choose, that we don't have to follow ANY laws, ANY commandments. We are in essence believing God created His holy laws for no reason, it was a meaningless act He could do away with on a whim.
Every one of His commandments is still in effect today and that's the truth.
We are still being proved.
Exo 16:4 Then said the LORD unto Moses, Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather a certain rate every day, that I may prove them, whether they will walk in my law, or no.
Could it be possible that God offers us salvation through Christ daily- the Bread of Life- and He does so to prove us? On the Sabbath Day we have that which we have gathered double on the preparation day. EVERY DAY the food is available the distinction being made that on one of those days the BREAD from HEAVEN will already have been gathered for that day, the time spent gathering the food would now be spent solely upon God. As we go from day to day studying and praying, seeking to know more of our Savior and to live for Him as He would have us live- on that seventh day we are to set aside ALL the ordinary distractions that we can so we can devote that day to a deeper study, a deeper prayer.
We are proved by God whether we will walk in His law or not.
By the grace of God we will, because it is only by the grace of God that we can.
God hasn't changed.
God's desire for a people that love Him as He loves them remains the same.
By His grace.
Amen.
Exo 16:5 And it shall come to pass, that on the sixth day they shall prepare that which they bring in; and it shall be twice as much as they gather daily.
The Lord wanted to PROVE the children of Israel that He'd just delivered from slavery in Egypt. Would they walk in his law or no? Would they listen to God or not? What was the test?
Manna.
The people needed food, God would provide food but there was a catch. God would place conditions on this food. The people were NOT to store the food from heaven over night, there were to be NO leftovers allowed. Not all people listened though, some did try to keep leftovers and this happened when they did…
Exo 16:20 Notwithstanding they hearkened not unto Moses; but some of them left of it until the morning, and it bred worms, and stank: and Moses was wroth with them.
The leftovers were covered in worms and stank.
Praise God it was only SOME of them and not all, because if all of them hadn't listened, well who knows what might have happened.
God would feed His people but they had to obey Him if they wanted food from Him - it was that simple. This food would not keep overnight. You were to take ONLY that which you could eat that day and no more.
But that wasn't all--
God had laws and He wanted His people to have these laws, these commandments, and God wanted to know whether or not the people were going to obey Him.
God told the people through Moses to gather TWICE as much on the sixth day.
Why?
Because God had a law, God had a commandment that was first instituted in the Garden of Eden with Adam and Eve, a commandment the people had not been at liberty to keep as slaves. That law, that commandment was to REST on the SEVENTH DAY.
GOD who needs no rest created a REST DAY for man. God created a day for man to remember HIM- their Creator. This day was so important that God conditioned the food He would give people upon it. Is there any better reminder than to condition food- life's sustenance upon- upon this command of God's?
We eat daily. We were created to eat daily. God provided food for every single day- but not ON every single day.
On ONE special day God would double the allotment of food, why? So people would have food on a day God only wanted them to rest upon and NOT go out to gather the food.
God wanted to PROVE the people to know whether or not they would obey Him. If they would obey him in this then there was a chance they'd obey Him completely- He who only had their best interest at heart, He who loved them, created them and would redeem them.
Why do we believe that God no longer proves His people?
Why do we believe it was a one time thing?
Why do we believe that God no longer cares what we do?
Why do we believe God's laws no longer matter?
Why do we believe that God Son decided that God's law were no longer any good?
We want to believe that we can do ANYTHING, that we can live ANY way we choose, that we don't have to follow ANY laws, ANY commandments. We are in essence believing God created His holy laws for no reason, it was a meaningless act He could do away with on a whim.
Every one of His commandments is still in effect today and that's the truth.
We are still being proved.
Exo 16:4 Then said the LORD unto Moses, Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather a certain rate every day, that I may prove them, whether they will walk in my law, or no.
Could it be possible that God offers us salvation through Christ daily- the Bread of Life- and He does so to prove us? On the Sabbath Day we have that which we have gathered double on the preparation day. EVERY DAY the food is available the distinction being made that on one of those days the BREAD from HEAVEN will already have been gathered for that day, the time spent gathering the food would now be spent solely upon God. As we go from day to day studying and praying, seeking to know more of our Savior and to live for Him as He would have us live- on that seventh day we are to set aside ALL the ordinary distractions that we can so we can devote that day to a deeper study, a deeper prayer.
We are proved by God whether we will walk in His law or not.
By the grace of God we will, because it is only by the grace of God that we can.
God hasn't changed.
God's desire for a people that love Him as He loves them remains the same.
By His grace.
Amen.
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Christ's Goodness
Phm 1:6 That the communication of thy faith may become effectual by the acknowledging of every good thing which is in you in Christ Jesus.
When we communicate our faith it's not always effective is it? We hope for it to be effective in bringing knowledge of the Lord's love, His message of salvation to others, but we can't always know that it is.
Here Paul is exhorting believers- fellow soldiers in Christ- telling them that he hopes the sharing of their faith is effective BY acknowledging all that is good in them through Christ Jesus. Our 'goodness' is not OUR goodness, but Christ's. Any good that comes from us comes from Christ.
When we share our faith with others it's not about US doing good, but about Christ doing good through us. We are not faith sharers because of our own volition to be faith sharers. All glory must go to Christ who awakes in us the desire to communicate His love with others and gives us the means to do so.
Too many today are asleep to the workings of the Holy Spirit, not understanding that we are given the Holy Spirit's guidance when we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. The Holy Spirit gives us all we need and it is from the Holy Spirit that we are able to communicate to others effectively.
IF we have any goodness in us, it is from our Savior. We have not manufactured the goodness, we have not created the good things in us. Of ourselves we are NOT innately good. Sure, you might know a person who is a Pagan, openly worshipping nature and not God; you might know a Moslem person who openly believes that Jesus Christ was NOT God's Son and Salvation is NOT found in Him- these people might be the friendliest, the nicest people you could ever meet and yet you know from what the Bible tells you that these people are not saved because they refuse to accept Jesus Christ as their Savior- and adamantly so. The same goes for atheist and even professed witches- of the religion Wiccan, they too might be the sweetest, kindest people you know- above many professed Christians. Where does their goodness come from? We know that even Satan can appear to people as an angel of light.
2Co 11:14 And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.
The Bible also tells us this-- speaking of Satan--
2Co 11:15 Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.
Satan's ministers- transformed as the minister of righteousness.
There is deception all around us even in GOOD things. Our goodness must be Christ's goodness- no goodness of our own, no goodness we falsely believe comes from within ourselves. All goodness we can communicate to others must be Christ's, we can take no glory to ourselves, to do so is to believe falsely that somehow we have the power to make ourselves good and if we have that power we have no need of Christ's power to work in us, transforming us by His grace and mercy into the beings He would have us become.
Phm 1:6 That the communication of thy faith may become effectual by the acknowledging of every good thing which is in you in Christ Jesus.
Acknowledging every good this in us- IN CHRIST JESUS.
We don't want to boast to ourselves, to anything good we might think we have, let's give all glory and honor to our Savior that anything that is a good thing in us IS in us from our Savior, through HIS love!
All glory to God!!!
Amen.
When we communicate our faith it's not always effective is it? We hope for it to be effective in bringing knowledge of the Lord's love, His message of salvation to others, but we can't always know that it is.
Here Paul is exhorting believers- fellow soldiers in Christ- telling them that he hopes the sharing of their faith is effective BY acknowledging all that is good in them through Christ Jesus. Our 'goodness' is not OUR goodness, but Christ's. Any good that comes from us comes from Christ.
When we share our faith with others it's not about US doing good, but about Christ doing good through us. We are not faith sharers because of our own volition to be faith sharers. All glory must go to Christ who awakes in us the desire to communicate His love with others and gives us the means to do so.
Too many today are asleep to the workings of the Holy Spirit, not understanding that we are given the Holy Spirit's guidance when we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. The Holy Spirit gives us all we need and it is from the Holy Spirit that we are able to communicate to others effectively.
IF we have any goodness in us, it is from our Savior. We have not manufactured the goodness, we have not created the good things in us. Of ourselves we are NOT innately good. Sure, you might know a person who is a Pagan, openly worshipping nature and not God; you might know a Moslem person who openly believes that Jesus Christ was NOT God's Son and Salvation is NOT found in Him- these people might be the friendliest, the nicest people you could ever meet and yet you know from what the Bible tells you that these people are not saved because they refuse to accept Jesus Christ as their Savior- and adamantly so. The same goes for atheist and even professed witches- of the religion Wiccan, they too might be the sweetest, kindest people you know- above many professed Christians. Where does their goodness come from? We know that even Satan can appear to people as an angel of light.
2Co 11:14 And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.
The Bible also tells us this-- speaking of Satan--
2Co 11:15 Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.
Satan's ministers- transformed as the minister of righteousness.
There is deception all around us even in GOOD things. Our goodness must be Christ's goodness- no goodness of our own, no goodness we falsely believe comes from within ourselves. All goodness we can communicate to others must be Christ's, we can take no glory to ourselves, to do so is to believe falsely that somehow we have the power to make ourselves good and if we have that power we have no need of Christ's power to work in us, transforming us by His grace and mercy into the beings He would have us become.
Phm 1:6 That the communication of thy faith may become effectual by the acknowledging of every good thing which is in you in Christ Jesus.
Acknowledging every good this in us- IN CHRIST JESUS.
We don't want to boast to ourselves, to anything good we might think we have, let's give all glory and honor to our Savior that anything that is a good thing in us IS in us from our Savior, through HIS love!
All glory to God!!!
Amen.
Monday, January 31, 2011
Fellow Soldiers
Phm 1:1 Paul, a prisoner of Jesus Christ, and Timothy our brother, unto Philemon our dearly beloved, and fellowlabourer,
Phm 1:2 And to our beloved Apphia, and Archippus our fellowsoldier, and to the church in thy house
Fellowsoldier.
Soldiers- a soldier is a person engaged in military service. Military service is belonging to a group of people whose job it is to defend territory-or beliefs, a system.
Soldiers for Christ.
Fellowsoldier.
Paul, Timothy, Philemon, Apphia, Archippus- they were in a war, they KNEW they were in a war, and they knew WHO their war was against.
It's easy for US to call each other brother and sister in Christ, it sounds so nice. I'm not suggesting it's wrong to call each other brother and sister, it's fine, but we are soldiers all of us. We might not all become prisoners for Christ, but we are ALL soldiers - fellowsoldiers. We have an army we belong to, we have a leader we follow and take orders from. We aren't tossed the armor and told we are on our own. We are constantly told we are in Christ, that the Holy Spirit is sent to us. We are told we can stay in continuous communication with our leader through prayer and we are given a handbook with all the information we need to survive. As soldiers we are NOT protecting our flesh lives we are protecting our eternal spiritual lives AND we are to protect others- that's what a soldier does, right? A soldier fights for their leader, a soldier follows orders, a soldier protects the lives of others.
We are soldiers fighting for Christ.
We are soldiers following the orders of Christ.
We are soldiers loving our fellow man, fighting for them.
The commandments of our God give us the code of conduct we need.
First we must choose to have NO other leaders before God.
Second we must have NO idols in our lives to worship before God.
Third we must NOT speak of our Lord in a bad way.
Fourth we MUST devote the seventh day of the week towards complete worship of our God.
Fifth we MUST Honor our father and mother.
Sixth we MUST NOT murder.
Seventh we MUST NOT sexually be with one that is not our husband or wife.
Eighth we MUST NOT take ANYTHING that is not ours.
Ninth we MUST NOT tell untruths.
Tenth we MUST NOT desire to possess the things others have.
We are soldiers and we have our orders- LOVE GOD and LOVE OUR FELLOWMAN. We are given armor. We are promised life everlasting at the end of the war. We are told we will suffer. We are told we will engage the enemy and that enemy wants to devour us- stopping at nothing to capture us and turn us from our leader. Brainwashing and all manner of spiritual torture is at the enemy's disposal. The war we are in is real, we are soldiers of Jesus Christ.
2Ti 2:3 Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.
2Ti 2:4 No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier.
Such amazing words.
No man who is a soldier of Jesus Christ- warring- will get mixed up with the affairs of this life-- choosing this life, letting the cares of this life overwhelm them .
We have to UNDERSTAND the distinction between living in this world as a soldier of Jesus Christ- as a pilgrim- and being part of this world. We are called to consider heaven our home, laying our treasures in heaven not here on earth.
We are fellowsoldiers- you and I, we are real soldiers in a real war- yet so many of us live as if we are free from oppression already. We will not be free from oppression until our Savior comes to free us. If we really believe the life we are living right now is the live we are intended to live then we are sorely deceived.
May God help us to fully realize that we are soldiers of Jesus Christ, fellow soldiers one with another.
By the grace and mercy of our Savior may we not get entangled in the affairs of this life- forgetting life eternal.
Amen.
Phm 1:2 And to our beloved Apphia, and Archippus our fellowsoldier, and to the church in thy house
Fellowsoldier.
Soldiers- a soldier is a person engaged in military service. Military service is belonging to a group of people whose job it is to defend territory-or beliefs, a system.
Soldiers for Christ.
Fellowsoldier.
Paul, Timothy, Philemon, Apphia, Archippus- they were in a war, they KNEW they were in a war, and they knew WHO their war was against.
It's easy for US to call each other brother and sister in Christ, it sounds so nice. I'm not suggesting it's wrong to call each other brother and sister, it's fine, but we are soldiers all of us. We might not all become prisoners for Christ, but we are ALL soldiers - fellowsoldiers. We have an army we belong to, we have a leader we follow and take orders from. We aren't tossed the armor and told we are on our own. We are constantly told we are in Christ, that the Holy Spirit is sent to us. We are told we can stay in continuous communication with our leader through prayer and we are given a handbook with all the information we need to survive. As soldiers we are NOT protecting our flesh lives we are protecting our eternal spiritual lives AND we are to protect others- that's what a soldier does, right? A soldier fights for their leader, a soldier follows orders, a soldier protects the lives of others.
We are soldiers fighting for Christ.
We are soldiers following the orders of Christ.
We are soldiers loving our fellow man, fighting for them.
The commandments of our God give us the code of conduct we need.
First we must choose to have NO other leaders before God.
Second we must have NO idols in our lives to worship before God.
Third we must NOT speak of our Lord in a bad way.
Fourth we MUST devote the seventh day of the week towards complete worship of our God.
Fifth we MUST Honor our father and mother.
Sixth we MUST NOT murder.
Seventh we MUST NOT sexually be with one that is not our husband or wife.
Eighth we MUST NOT take ANYTHING that is not ours.
Ninth we MUST NOT tell untruths.
Tenth we MUST NOT desire to possess the things others have.
We are soldiers and we have our orders- LOVE GOD and LOVE OUR FELLOWMAN. We are given armor. We are promised life everlasting at the end of the war. We are told we will suffer. We are told we will engage the enemy and that enemy wants to devour us- stopping at nothing to capture us and turn us from our leader. Brainwashing and all manner of spiritual torture is at the enemy's disposal. The war we are in is real, we are soldiers of Jesus Christ.
2Ti 2:3 Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.
2Ti 2:4 No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier.
Such amazing words.
No man who is a soldier of Jesus Christ- warring- will get mixed up with the affairs of this life-- choosing this life, letting the cares of this life overwhelm them .
We have to UNDERSTAND the distinction between living in this world as a soldier of Jesus Christ- as a pilgrim- and being part of this world. We are called to consider heaven our home, laying our treasures in heaven not here on earth.
We are fellowsoldiers- you and I, we are real soldiers in a real war- yet so many of us live as if we are free from oppression already. We will not be free from oppression until our Savior comes to free us. If we really believe the life we are living right now is the live we are intended to live then we are sorely deceived.
May God help us to fully realize that we are soldiers of Jesus Christ, fellow soldiers one with another.
By the grace and mercy of our Savior may we not get entangled in the affairs of this life- forgetting life eternal.
Amen.
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Prisoner of Christ
Phm 1:1 Paul, a prisoner of Jesus Christ, and Timothy our brother, unto Philemon our dearly beloved, and fellowlabourer
A prisoner of Jesus Christ.
We know that Paul was jailed several times over his life because of his belief in Jesus Christ, a belief that was contrary to many. Today there sits in MANY prisons around the world people who are jailed for their belief in Jesus Christ.
To say Paul was a PRISONER OF JESUS CHRIST- seems to imply that He is held captive by Jesus Himself. Can we be captive willingly? We hear love songs about it all the time, our hearts being held captive by another. If we are to be a prisoner, held captive by our Savior it would be a willing captivity. The truth is our Savior doesn't use force for anything and He certainly does not hold us to Him against our will. Being held captive because we love our Savior and believe in Him is something that happens ALL the time and has since the time of Christ.
Phm 1:9 Yet for love's sake I rather beseech thee, being such an one as Paul the aged, and now also a prisoner of Jesus Christ.
Eph 3:1 For this cause I Paul, the prisoner of Jesus Christ for you Gentiles
Eph 4:1 I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called
Eph 6:20 For which I am an ambassador in bonds: that therein I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.
2Ti 1:8 Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner: but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God
Read this again- 'Be not ashamed of the testimony of our Lord…nor of me his prisoner…' We can't be ashamed to be held captive for our beliefs. The rest of that verse- '…be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God.'
Be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel.
Afflictions of the gospel.
2Ti 2:9 Wherein I suffer trouble, as an evil doer, even unto bonds; but the word of God is not bound.
Suffering trouble as an evil doer- jailed- all because of a love for Jesus Christ, a belief in Jesus Christ.
Jailed for beliefs.
Living here in the United States we aren't jailed for our beliefs. Our prisons aren't filled with people who hold a belief contrary to the government's- at least that's the way it's supposed to be. As long as the beliefs we hold are harmless- not terrorist related- we aren't imprisoned. This is the society I live in. If I lived in say- Pakistan, China, or any number of the many countries that don't allow people to have beliefs contrary to theirs- I could be jailed for my belief in my Savior. It seems surreal to me because I've never lived under such circumstances. I have the knowledge of the factual information given to me, but no real sense of what it must be like to be imprisoned for my beliefs, no idea what it's like to persecuted for my faith.
2Ti 1:8 Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner: but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God
We can't be ashamed of our belief in our Savior.
We have to be active in living for our Savior.
We must understand that NO matter what- we have to be partakers of the afflictions of the gospel as the power of God would have us.
Is it easy for me to say when I don't live where I suffer for my beliefs.
Being a prisoner of Christ, suffering for our beliefs. We might not be called to suffer in the way Paul was called- the way many are called to suffer, put into prisons, beaten, abused, but we are accountable for the freedom we possess to witness for our Savior.
By the grace of God may we live as Christians boldly, bravely, free to believe openly, unafraid to be believers in our life giving Savior and unhesitant to share that belief- a belief many have died for, a belief many are suffering in prisons for.
By the mercy of our LORD! By His will! Through His power!
Guide us, help us, please Lord, we long to be all you would have us be for YOU.
Please.
A prisoner of Jesus Christ.
We know that Paul was jailed several times over his life because of his belief in Jesus Christ, a belief that was contrary to many. Today there sits in MANY prisons around the world people who are jailed for their belief in Jesus Christ.
To say Paul was a PRISONER OF JESUS CHRIST- seems to imply that He is held captive by Jesus Himself. Can we be captive willingly? We hear love songs about it all the time, our hearts being held captive by another. If we are to be a prisoner, held captive by our Savior it would be a willing captivity. The truth is our Savior doesn't use force for anything and He certainly does not hold us to Him against our will. Being held captive because we love our Savior and believe in Him is something that happens ALL the time and has since the time of Christ.
Phm 1:9 Yet for love's sake I rather beseech thee, being such an one as Paul the aged, and now also a prisoner of Jesus Christ.
Eph 3:1 For this cause I Paul, the prisoner of Jesus Christ for you Gentiles
Eph 4:1 I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called
Eph 6:20 For which I am an ambassador in bonds: that therein I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.
2Ti 1:8 Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner: but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God
Read this again- 'Be not ashamed of the testimony of our Lord…nor of me his prisoner…' We can't be ashamed to be held captive for our beliefs. The rest of that verse- '…be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God.'
Be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel.
Afflictions of the gospel.
2Ti 2:9 Wherein I suffer trouble, as an evil doer, even unto bonds; but the word of God is not bound.
Suffering trouble as an evil doer- jailed- all because of a love for Jesus Christ, a belief in Jesus Christ.
Jailed for beliefs.
Living here in the United States we aren't jailed for our beliefs. Our prisons aren't filled with people who hold a belief contrary to the government's- at least that's the way it's supposed to be. As long as the beliefs we hold are harmless- not terrorist related- we aren't imprisoned. This is the society I live in. If I lived in say- Pakistan, China, or any number of the many countries that don't allow people to have beliefs contrary to theirs- I could be jailed for my belief in my Savior. It seems surreal to me because I've never lived under such circumstances. I have the knowledge of the factual information given to me, but no real sense of what it must be like to be imprisoned for my beliefs, no idea what it's like to persecuted for my faith.
2Ti 1:8 Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner: but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God
We can't be ashamed of our belief in our Savior.
We have to be active in living for our Savior.
We must understand that NO matter what- we have to be partakers of the afflictions of the gospel as the power of God would have us.
Is it easy for me to say when I don't live where I suffer for my beliefs.
Being a prisoner of Christ, suffering for our beliefs. We might not be called to suffer in the way Paul was called- the way many are called to suffer, put into prisons, beaten, abused, but we are accountable for the freedom we possess to witness for our Savior.
By the grace of God may we live as Christians boldly, bravely, free to believe openly, unafraid to be believers in our life giving Savior and unhesitant to share that belief- a belief many have died for, a belief many are suffering in prisons for.
By the mercy of our LORD! By His will! Through His power!
Guide us, help us, please Lord, we long to be all you would have us be for YOU.
Please.
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