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
Friday, February 18, 2011
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.
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