Week of 7 Epiphany A
This is a Three-Year Lectionary based on the Lutheran Book of Worship 3-year Lectionary (for public worship), "Prayers of the Day..." (Propers), p. 13-41, Augsburg Publishing House, Minneapolis, 1978. It is based, with only minor variations, on the Revised Common Lectionary, used by many denominations, including the Episcopal, Lutheran, Presbyterian, and Methodist churches:
http://www.commontexts.org/
and:
http://www.commontexts.org/rcl/usage.html
The daily readings are the Propers (Lections) for the following Sunday, so that the daily devotions can prepare us for worship. Additional Lections are from Common Service Book of the Lutheran Church, "Scripture lessons for Matins and Vespers," United Lutheran Church of America, General Rubrics VIII. Scripture lessons for Matins and Vespers, p. 299 - 304, Philadelphia, 1918.
The previous 2- year Bible Study based on the Lutheran Book of Worship, Daily Lectionary for personal devotions p.179-192, Augsburg Publishing House, Minneapolis, 1978, is available at:
http://shepherdboy.byethost12.com/ (Please bookmark this link).
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Please Note:
To get the most from these studies, it is suggested that you first read the scripture texts for the entry, and then the paraphrase and commentary. It is also recommended that you look up the scripture references, unless you recognize and recall them from memory.
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Podcast Download: Week of 7 Epiphany A
Sunday 7 Epiphany A
First Posted February 20, 2011;
Podcast: Sunday 7 Epiphany A
Leviticus 19:1-2, 17-18 – God's People Must be Holy;
Psalm 103:1-13 – God's Steadfast Love;
1 Corinthians 3:10-11, 16-23 – Call to Holiness;
Matthew 5:38-48 – Higher Righteousness;
Leviticus Paraphrase:
The Lord declared through Moses, that God's people (the people of Israel; the Church) must be holy (purified from sin: disobedience of God's Word; consecrated to God's service), because God is holy (pure and sinless).
We are not to hate one another but instead reason with them, or we will be guilty of sin against them. We are not to take vengeance or bear a grudge against others, but instead love them just as we love ourselves. This is the Lord's command.
Psalm Paraphrase:
With my soul, may I bless the Lord and his holy name with all that is within me. May I not ever forget all his blessings: he has forgiven all my sins, he heals all my diseases, he redeems my soul from death and the grave, he has anointed me with steadfast love and mercy, he will bless me with everything good all my life long, so that my youth is renewed like that of the eagle's.
For all those who are oppressed, the Lord works vindication and justice. He revealed his ways to Moses and the people of Israel. Merciful and gracious is the Lord; slow to get angry, and overflowing with unwavering love. He does not always criticize, nor remain angry forever. He hasn't given us the punishment our sins deserve, or repaid us according to our iniquities. As high as the heavens are above earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him. He removes our sin as far from us as the east is from the west. He pities those who fear him, like any good father pities his children.
1 Corinthians Paraphrase:
Paul was given a commission to lay a (spiritual) foundation (of the church; by the preaching of the Gospel of Jesus Christ) as an experienced master builder lays a solid foundation for a building. Now others are building on that foundation. Each worker must be careful to build soundly upon it; there is no other foundation upon which to build but the foundation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ (which Paul had built).
We must realize that we are (individually and collectively) God's temple, in whom God's Spirit dwells. God's temple is holy (free of sin; set apart to God's service) and so we must be. God will destroy anyone who destroys God's temple.
Let no one be deceived; if anyone wants to become wise, let him become a fool (according to the standards of this age) so that he may become truly wise (see 1 Corinthians 1:17-25). “For the wisdom of this world is folly with God” (1 Corinthians 3:19a). Paul quotes Job 5:13: “[God] catches the wise in their craftiness,” and Psalm 94:11: “The Lord knows that the thoughts of the wise are futile” (1 Corinthians 3:19b-20). So let us not boast of mankind. We do not belong to any human teacher, but they instead belong to us, but only because we belong to Christ, and through Christ to God.
Matthew Paraphrase:
Background:
Jesus taught the multitudes which thronged to him, telling them that they needed to pursue higher righteousness than merely obeying the letter of the Law of Moses.
Text:
Jesus said that they knew the law concerning retaliation: An eye for an eye, tooth for tooth. But Jesus taught them not to resist evil people. If someone strikes a person on the right cheek, that person should offer the other cheek as well. If someone wants to take a person's cloak, that person should offer his coat as well. If someone forces a person to go a mile with him, that person should go a second mile as well. One should give to someone who begs, and loan to those who ask to borrow.
Jesus said that it not sufficient to love one's neighbors and hate one's enemies. We are to love our enemies and pray for our persecutors. God himself gives the blessings of sun and rain to both good and evil people. How better are we than anyone else, when we love those who love us? How can we expect a reward? Even the worst of people, gentiles (pagans) and tax collectors (Jewish collaborators with the Roman occupying government), love their friends and hate their enemies. So we must be righteous (doing what is good, right and true, according to God's Word) as God himself is righteous.
Commentary:
God himself is pure and sinless and so we must be also. God is not willing to tolerate sin and rebellion forever, or at all in his eternal kingdom, or it wouldn't be heaven.
We are all sinners who fall short of God's standard of righteousness (doing what is good, right, and true, according to God's Word, in the Bible and in Jesus Christ, the living Word. Jesus is the fulfillment, embodiment and example of God's Word lived in human flesh in this world (John 1:1-5, 14). Only by faith (obedient trust) in Jesus can we be cleansed of sin.
God has been teaching his people that sin can only be forgiven by blood sacrifice (Hebrews 9:22). Under the Old Covenant (Old Testament) of Law, priests had to continually offer animal sacrifices for the forgiveness of the sin of the people and themselves. Jesus has become the only sacrifice acceptable to God for our forgiveness and salvation from eternal condemnation (see God's Plan of Salvation, sidebar, top right, home).
Only by the blood of Jesus' sacrifice on the cross can we be cleansed of sin, and be able to be individually temples of the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of God, the Spirit of Christ (Romans 8:9; note the concept of the Trinity: God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit: one God in three persons, or “expressions”). Only by the “baptism” of the indwelling Holy Spirit are we able to become “living” stones from which the Church is built, upon the cornerstone of Jesus Christ.
Only Jesus gives the baptism of the indwelling Holy Spirit (John 1:31-34), only to his disciples who trust and obey Jesus (John 14:15-17). Only by the baptism of the Holy Spirit are we spiritually “born-again” to eternal life (John 3:3, 5-8). The baptism of the Holy Spirit is a personally discernible, ongoing, daily experience (Acts 19:2). The Holy Spirit is the seal and guarantee that one is in Christ and has eternal life (2 Corinthians 1:22; Ephesians 1:13-14; Romans 8:9b, 11, 15-16).
God's original Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:1-17) were intended to restrain God's People from doing evil, until the coming of the Messiah, Jesus Christ. Jesus summarized the Commandment to just two: to love God, and to love others as we love ourselves (Matthew 22:35-40). If we truly love God we will earnestly want to obey his commandments, and if we truly love our neighbor (anyone we encounter), we will do them no wrong, but instead treat them just as we ourselves want to be treated (Matthew 7:12, 22:39).
The law of retribution (Exodus 21:23-25; Leviticus 24:19-20; Deuteronomy 19:21) was intended to limit retaliation to not exceed the original offense. This is an example of how the original Ten Commandments were modified by statute to make it possible to keep the “letter” (though not the “spirit”) of the Law, until the coming of the Messiah (Christ; both words mean [God's] anointed in Hebrew and Greek, respectively).
Jesus taught a new righteousness, not based on the keeping of the letter of the Law, but emulating the righteousness of God based on God's Word and the example of Jesus Christ himself. The commandment to love our neighbor goes beyond just loving our friends and family. We are called to love our enemies and those who don't love us; to go beyond what the Law requires; to forgive, rather than retaliating.
The “coming” of the Messiah, Jesus, is the fulfillment of the Messianic prophecies of the Old Testament* (Psalm 2:1-12; Isaiah 53:1-12; 2 Samuel 7:5-13; Psalm 89:20-29). Jesus came in human flesh, but he also comes personally and individually to those who believe (who trust and obey) Jesus, by the baptism of the indwelling Holy Spirit (John 14:17; Romans 8:9).
No one was able to keep all the Law all the time (Galatians 2:16; James 2:10). Jesus came to initiate a New Covenant (Testament) of Grace (undeserved favor) as a free gift, to be received by faith (Ephesians 2:8-9; Hebrews 8:8-10, 13; Jeremiah 31:31-34; Matthew 26:26-28 KJV; RSV: see note “g”). Under the New Covenant, we are freed from the obligation of the Law, provided that we are obedient to the guidance and empowerment of the indwelling Holy Spirit (Romans 8:1-10). Only by the indwelling Holy Spirit are we able to do what the Law requires, motivated by love instead of fear.
I am convinced that Paul was deliberately intended by God to be the prototype and example of a “modern, post-resurrection, born-again” disciple and apostle of Jesus Christ, as we all can and should be. I believe that Paul was intended by God to be the replacement for Judas Iscariot, Jesus' betrayer, rather than Matthias, whom the disciples chose by lot (rather than by the guidance of the Holy Spirit; Acts 1:15-26, which they had not yet received), while they were supposed to be waiting for the baptism of the Holy Spirit (Luke 24:49; Acts 1:4-5, &8). Matthias was never heard from again, after his appointment, whereas, after Paul's conversion, most of the rest of the New Testament is by or about Paul.
The members of the Church are to be “living” stones to be built into the temple of God. We are called, individually and collectively to be “holy.” In too many instances, the nominal Church today is tolerating “unholiness” among its leaders and members. We should not be allowing God's grace** to become license for immorality (such as sexual sin,*** adultery, or homosexuality****) within the Church.
All who are led by the Spirit are children of God (Romans 8:9b, 14-16). Anyone who hasn't been spiritually born-again does not belong to Jesus.
Is Jesus your Lord (Matthew 7:21-23; Luke 6:46)? Are you Jesus' disciple (John 8:31)? Are you trusting and obeying Jesus (John 14:21)? Have you received the indwelling Holy Spirit since you first truly believed (Acts 19:2)? Are you making disciples of Jesus Christ and teaching them to obey all that Jesus commands (Matthew 28:18-20)? Do you know with certainty where you will spend eternity (1 John 5:11-13; Ephesians 1:13-14)?
*See also:
http://www.bibleprobe.com/over-300-prophecies.pdf
**See: “Cheap Grace:” See: Ephesians 4:17-24; 1 Corinthians 6:9-20. See also: The Cost of Discipleship, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Collier Books, Macmillan Publishing Co., NY 1963 ISBN 0-02-083850-6.
***1 Corinthians 5:1-5 (6-13).
****See 1 Timothy 1:10; 1 Corinthians 6:9; Romans 1:24-27; from two Greek words meaning “men bedding (or conceiving) with men” (Strong’s #730 & 2845; see Strong’s #733); i.e., “sodomites,” after the city of Sodom, destroyed by God for its homosexual practice (Genesis 19:4-5 (24-25); men who have unnatural sexual relations with men (and, by extension, women who have unnatural sexual relations with women). The KJV translates as: “men defiling themselves with men.”
Monday 7 Epiphany A
To Be used only if there is a 8 Epiphany Sunday - Otherwise skip to 8 Epiphany.
First Posted February 21, 2011;
Podcast: Monday 7 Epiphany A
Psalm 62 – Confidence in God's Protection;
Paraphrase:
My salvation comes only from God; for God alone my soul does wait quietly. God alone is my rock and fortress. He is my only source of salvation, and in him I will never be greatly shaken.
How long will others beset a person, like a leaning wall or a wobbly fence? Their only intent is to drag him down from his eminence. They delight in lies. Their lips speak praises, but they curse inwardly.
“For God alone my soul waits in silence, for my hope is from him. He only is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be shaken. On God rests my deliverance and my honor; my mighty rock, my refuge is God” (Psalm 62:5-7).
Let us trust in God at all times, and pour out our innermost thoughts to him, for he is our refuge.
All people, rich or poor, are insignificant. The rich are a delusion; together rich and poor are lighter than a breath.
Don't rely on or put your hope in extortion, robbery or riches. God has spoken; once was sufficient; we hear it over and over: To God alone belongs all power and all steadfast love. God will repay each person according to what each has done.
Commentary:
This lifetime is deliberately designed by God to allow us to seek, find and have fellowship with God, our Creator (Acts 17:26-27), to learn by trial-and-error that God alone is the source of power and salvation, and that his love and faithfulness are steadfast and unwavering.
God has designed this Creation allow the possibility for sin (disobedience of God's Word, in the Bible, and in Jesus Christ, the “living Word;” John 1:1-5, 14), so that we have the freedom to choose for ourselves whether or not to trust and obey God. But God is not willing to tolerate rebellion and disobedience forever, or at all in his eternal kingdom. So this Creation and we ourselves are limited by time.
This lifetime is our only opportunity to be spiritually reborn to eternal life (John 3:3, 5-8). This is only possible by faith (obedient trust) in Jesus Christ. Jesus is God's only provision for forgiveness of sin and salvation from eternal death (John 14:6; Acts 4:12), which is the penalty for sin (Romans 6:23; see God's Plan of Salvation, sidebar, top right, home).
Only Jesus “baptizes” with the gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit (John 1:31-34), only his disciples who trust and obey Jesus (John 14:15-17). The baptism of the indwelling Holy Spirit is a personally discernible, ongoing, daily experience (Acts 19:2). Only by the baptism of the Holy Spirit are we reborn to eternal life. The Holy Spirit is the seal and guarantee that one is in Christ and has eternal life (2 Corinthians 1:22; Ephesians 1:13-14; Romans 8:9b, 11, 15-16).
This lifetime is our opportunity to learn to wait quietly and patiently for God's help and salvation. It is so tempting to put our trust in our own abilities, or resources, or in other humans. No matter how much money or ability we have, we will find that help and security requires just a little bit more than we possess. God alone has unlimited power and resources to save and provide for us. Trust in anyone or anything other than God will ultimately fail.
In an attempt to provide sufficient resources for themselves, others seek to possess what we have. God has supplied sufficient resources for everyone. The reason some have great wealth, while others lack sufficient resources, is because of human injustice in the distribution of God-given resources. Lack of faith in God's providence causes worldly people to grab and hoard material resources.
There is a Day of Judgment coming, for all who have ever lived in this world (John 5:28-29). Jesus is the righteous judge (2 Timothy 4:8), and the standard by which all will be judged (Romans 2:16). Those who have accepted Jesus as Lord (one who has power and authority; a master; a ruler; a governor; a prince; a proprietor), and have trusted and obeyed Jesus will have been spiritually reborn in this lifetime, and will enter eternal life in God's kingdom in Heaven. Those who have refused or failed to accept Jesus as Lord and trust and obey him, will be condemned to eternal death and destruction in Hell with all evil (Matthew 25:31-46; 2 Thessalonians 1:5-10).
Is Jesus your Lord (Matthew 7:21-23; Luke 6:46)? Are you Jesus' disciple (John 8:31)? Are you trusting and obeying Jesus (John 14:21)? Have you received the indwelling Holy Spirit since you first truly believed (Acts 19:2)? Are you making disciples of Jesus Christ and teaching them to obey all that Jesus commands (Matthew 28:18-20)? Do you know with certainty where you will spend eternity (1 John 5:11-13; Ephesians 1:13-14)?
Tuesday 7 Epiphany A
To Be used only if there is a 8 Epiphany Sunday - Otherwise skip to 8 Epiphany.
First Posted February 22, 2011;
Podcast: Tuesday 7 Epiphany A
Isaiah 49:13-18 – Return and Restoration;
Isaiah Paraphrase:
Let the heavens and the earth sing for joy and exalt the Lord, because he will have compassion on his afflicted, and will comfort his people.
Zion (Jerusalem; God's People; the Church), thinks that God has forgotten her. But God is less likely to forget her than a nursing mother forgets her child. He will have compassion on Zion greater than a mother has for her own offspring. The Lord has Zion tattooed on his palms so he will remember her constantly. The Lord constantly remembers that Zion needs his protection.
[By the Lord's help] the builders of Zion will prosper and those who want to destroy her will be thwarted; those who want to lay waste to Zion will be driven from her. Look and see! Jerusalem will be rebuilt and repopulated. She will once again be adorned, as a bride is adorned with jewels.
Commentary:
This portion of Isaiah (chapters 40-66) is thought to have been produced during the time of Cyrus of Persia. Judah (the remnant of Israel, after the destruction of the Northern Kingdom, Israel, by the Assyrians in 721 B.C.) was in exile in Babylon, and Cyrus had conquered Babylon. This text prophesies that Judah will return to their Promised Land, and rebuild Jerusalem.
Judah did return after seventy years of exile, as God's Word had prophesied (587 to 517 B.C., Jeremiah 25:11-12). Amazingly, Cyrus even returned the sacred vessels of gold, silver and bronze which had been looted from the temple, gave money, and help from provincial governors, so that Judah could rebuild the temple and the walls of Jerusalem.
The test of God's Word is its fulfillment: God's Word is always fulfilled, and is fulfilled over and over as the conditions for its fulfillment are met (Deuteronomy 18:21-22). We have the historical record, recorded in the Bible, and supported by historical and archaeological evidence, of God's original fulfillment. But it remains a promise for the Church (the New Jerusalem on earth) and the people of God (the New Israel) today.
There are enemies around and even within the Church today who are seeking to destroy her. We can be confident that the Lord will protect her and her people as the Lord did for Judah. Judah was preserved by the Lord so that his promise to bring the Messiah (Christ; the “anointed” eternal Savior and King) forth from her could be fulfilled (Isaiah 40:9-11; 65:9; Jeremiah 23:4-6; 33:15-17; Micah 5:2).
As we individually learn to trust and obey God's Word, we will experience God's fulfillment of his Word personally in our individual lives, and will grow in faith to spiritual maturity (John 6:68-69). We can claim promises in God's Word, like this one, for ourselves personally. God wants to restore us and bring us to his eternal Zion in Heaven.
Is Jesus your Lord (Matthew 7:21-23; Luke 6:46)? Are you Jesus' disciple (John 8:31)? Are you trusting and obeying Jesus (John 14:21)? Have you received the indwelling Holy Spirit since you first truly believed (Acts 19:2)? Are you making disciples of Jesus Christ and teaching them to obey all that Jesus commands (Matthew 28:18-20)? Do you know with certainty where you will spend eternity (1 John 5:11-13; Ephesians 1:13-14)?
Wednesday 7 Epiphany A
To Be used only if there is a 8 Epiphany Sunday - Otherwise skip to 8 Epiphany.
First Posted February 23, 2011;
Podcast: Wednesday 7 Epiphany A
I Corinthians 4:1-13 – Servant of Christ;
Background:
Paul (Saul of Tarsus) had founded the Church at Corinth on his second missionary journey (Acts 15:36-41). Silas and Timothy accompanied Paul as fellow missionaries on that journey (Acts 16:1-3).
Apollos was a preacher of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, although he had not yet been “born-again,” (“discipled” unto spiritual “rebirth;” John 3:3, 5-8). Priscilla and Aquila, friends of Paul, whom Paul had discipled and with whom Paul had stayed in Corinth (Acts 18:1-4), had discipled Aquila until Aquila had been “born-again” (Acts 18:24-26). Apollos “watered the seed (of the Gospel) which Paul had planted” (i.e., continued the ministry Paul had begun; 1 Corinthians 3:6) in Corinth.
The Corinthian congregation had been disturbed by division between the teaching of Paul and Apollos (1 Corinthians 1:10-13), which Paul was writing to correct.
Paraphrase:
Paul told the Corinthian Christians to regard himself and his fellow missionaries as “servants (ministers) of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God” (1 Corinthians 4:1b). Stewards need to be trustworthy. Paul wasn't concerned about the judgment of Paul by humans or the worldly, or even Paul's own judgment of himself. It didn't matter if Paul considered himself blameless in regard to his stewardship. Only the Lord's judgment mattered. So Paul warned the congregation not to declare judgment upon Paul before the Day of Judgment at Christ's return, because hidden things and inner motivations will be disclosed on that day, and each person will be accountable to God.
Paul had applied his comments to himself and Apollos for the Corinthian Christians' benefit. Paul wanted the Corinthians to learn to live according to the Word of God (in the Bible and in the teaching and example of Jesus Christ, the “living Word;” John 1:1-5, 14), so that they would not be divided against each other over the personality and method of one teacher versus another. After all, no believer's convictions are by his own effort or ability; all have received the Gospel as a gift (through faith: obedient trust; Ephesians 2:8-9). So why should anyone have any reason to boast in himself (or his teacher) as though the Gospel and his teaching were his own insight and ability?
The Corinthians thought they were already spiritually mature with all wisdom and understanding, as though it were their own accomplishment. Paul could wish that they were spiritually completely wise and understanding so that Paul could share in their glory. But Paul realized that, by God's will, apostles (messengers of the Gospel; teachers) were destined to be regarded with the same ignominy (disgrace) as a prisoner condemned to death; they have become a spectacle to the world. The Corinthian Christians regarded themselves as spiritually wise, while apostles are regarded as fools by the world, for the sake of the Gospel (1 Corinthians 1:17-25). The congregation regarded themselves as strong, while apostles have been regarded as, and become, weak. The believers regarded themselves worthy of honor, while apostles are regarded as disreputable by the world. Apostles are presently hungry, thirsty, ill-clad and homeless, and required to labor hard for necessities. But apostles respond with blessing when reviled, endurance when persecuted, conciliation when slandered, becoming regarded and treated as garbage by the worldly, after all this.
Commentary:
I'm convinced that Paul (Saul of Tarsus) was deliberately intended by God to be the replacement for Judas Iscariot, the one of the original Twelve disciples, and the one who had betrayed Jesus. The Eleven remaining disciples had chosen Matthias by chance (like rolling dice), as they were supposed to be awaiting the “baptism” of the Holy Spirit, and were not yet guided and empowered to make a Spirit-led decision (Acts 1:15:26). Matthias is never mentioned again in the New Testament, but after Paul's conversion on the road to Damascus (Acts 9:1-20) most of the rest of the New Testament was written by or about Paul.
Paul was following the method of making disciples which Jesus taught and modeled. Paul had been discipled by a “born-again” Christian, Ananias, unto Paul's “baptism” by the Holy Spirit (Acts 9:10-18) after Paul's conversion. After Paul's spiritual “rebirth,” he made “born-again” disciples, not of himself, but of Jesus Christ, teaching them to repeat the process (2 Timothy 1:6-7; 2:2), as Timothy, Apollos, Aquila and Priscilla are examples.
Jesus said that one must be “born-again” by the “baptism” of the indwelling Holy Spirit in order to see the kingdom of God which is all around us now, and to see and enter it ultimately in eternal life (John 3:3, 5-8). Only Jesus baptizes with the Holy Spirit (John 1:31-34), only his disciples who trust and obey Jesus (John 14:15-17). The baptism of the Holy Spirit is a personally discernible ongoing, daily experience (Acts 19:2). The Holy Spirit is the seal and guarantee that one is in Christ and has eternal life (2 Corinthians 1:22; Ephesians 1:13-14; Romans 8:9b, 11, 15-16).
Jesus told his disciples to wait in Jerusalem (the Church is the modern equivalent) until they had received the baptism of the Holy Spirit (Luke 24:49, Acts 1:4-5, 8). Then (and not before) they were to go into all the world and make (born-again) disciples of Jesus Christ, teaching them to obey all that Jesus taught (by word and example; Matthew 28:19-20).
Spiritual rebirth is not the end of discipleship, but just the beginning of spiritual growth. Thereafter the born-again disciple will be discipled by the Holy Spirit of the risen Jesus. Acceptance into Church membership, water baptism, and/or “confirmation” or “affirmation” of faith do not automatically confer spiritual maturity. Years of walking in obedient trust in Jesus through the guidance and empowerment of the Holy Spirit are the only way to come to spiritual maturity at the Day of Christ's Return.
Sadly, today in many instances the nominal Church is failing to make born-again disciples and teaching them to obey Jesus' teachings. One example is the False Teaching of “Cheap Grace; ”* teaching salvation by grace (a free gift; unmerited favor) which is true, but without the requirement of obedience and discipleship, which is false (see False Teachings; Cheap Grace; sidebar, top right, home). Teaching “Cheap Grace” actually does members spiritual harm, by discouraging them from seeking spiritual rebirth.
Instead these nominal Churches are settling for making “members,” nominal Christians, whom are then encouraged to evangelize, without the guidance and empowerment of the baptism of the Holy Spirit. It takes a born-again disciple to make born-again disciples. If one knew what was lacking and how to get it, one would not be “unregenerate” (un-reborn).
This is also true of Church leaders. If the Church fails to make born-again disciples there will be no born-again disciples from whom to choose leaders.
The same sort of errors which were disturbing the Corinthian congregation are disrupting the Church today. Some nominal Christians and congregations claim loyalty to certain preachers or theologians while others claim others, so that the Church is divided.
If members read and knew the Bible Scriptures themselves they would not be so susceptible to false teaching. Any average reader can easily read the entire Bible in one year or less, and there are many one-year Bible reading plans available (see Free Bible Study Tools, sidebar, top right, home).
Apostles (Church leaders, preachers and teachers) are to be good stewards of the Gospel mysteries (truth) with which they have been entrusted. These eternal truths are mysteries in the sense that they have been unknown to us until now, which God has been progressively revealing to us through the Bible, through Jesus, and ultimately through the indwelling Holy Spirit within born-again believers. Churches are to be stewards (custodians; caretakers; guardians) of the scriptural (as recorded in the Bible), apostolic (as received directly from Jesus during his physical ministry on earth, or by the baptism of the Holy Spirit -the Spirit of God, the Spirit of Christ; Romans 8:9- as was Paul) doctrine (principles of the faith, held and put forth as true).
Any nominal Church doctrine which is contrary to the Bible is false teaching, of which there are many examples today. It is not true that one must be formally educated in theology in a denominational seminary in order to correctly understand and interpret the Bible. God wants each of us to know and understand the Bible. If, without trying to prove our own preconceived biases, we sincerely seek to know and understand the Bible, anyone with average intelligence will be able to do so.
Jesus has promised to return to judge “the living ('quickened') and the dead," in both physical and spiritual senses (John 5:28-29; 1 Peter 4:5; the spiritually living are those who have been spiritually “born-again” to eternal life by the baptism of the Holy Spirit). Jesus Christ will return on the Day of Judgment, and he will be the righteous judge (2 Timothy 4:8), and the standard of judgment by which all will be judged. Those who have accepted Jesus as their Lord (one who has power and authority; a master; a ruler; a governor; a prince; a proprietor) and have trusted and obeyed Jesus, will have been spiritually reborn during this lifetime and will enter eternity in life in God's Kingdom in Heaven. Those who have rejected Jesus as their Lord and have refused or failed to trust and obey Jesus will be condemned to eternal death and destruction in Hell with all evil (Matthew 25:31-46; 2 Thessalonians 1:5-10).
Is Jesus your Lord (Matthew 7:21-23; Luke 6:46)? Are you Jesus' disciple (John 8:31)? Are you trusting and obeying Jesus (John 14:21)? Have you received the indwelling Holy Spirit since you first truly believed (Acts 19:2)? Are you making disciples of Jesus Christ and teaching them to obey all that Jesus commands (Matthew 28:18-20)? Do you know with certainty where you will spend eternity (1 John 5:11-13; Ephesians 1:13-14)?
*See: The Cost of Discipleship, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Collier Books, Macmillan Publishing Co., NY 1963 ISBN 0-02-083850-6
Thursday 7 Epiphany A
To Be used only if there is a 8 Epiphany Sunday - Otherwise skip to 8 Epiphany.
First Posted February 24, 2011;
Podcast: Thursday 7 Epiphany A
Matthew 6:24-34 – The Cure for Anxiety;
Text Paraphrase:
A person can't serve two masters equally. He will love and serve one at the disadvantage of the other. We cannot serve both God and wealth (Mammon: the “god” of riches).
So Jesus tells us not to be anxious about the physical necessities of life: food, drink, or clothing. Isn't life more important than these things? Consider the birds of the air; they cannot provide their own food by planting, harvesting and storing the harvest in barns like we can. But our “heavenly Father feeds them” (Matthew 6:26b). Aren't we more valuable to God than they?
Who can add an hour to his lifespan by his own thought? Why worry about having clothing to wear; doesn't the Lord provide clothing even finer than King Solomon's for the lilies of the field, although they cannot sew or weave? Won't God, who provides raiment for the grass of the field, which is alive today and gathered and burned tomorrow, provide clothing for us, with only a little faith? So let us not worry about what we will eat, drink or wear. Gentiles (“unbelievers”) seek these things, and God is aware of our physical needs. “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness (doing what is good, right and true according to God's Word), and all these things shall be ours as well” (Matthew 6:33).
“Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Let the day's own troubles be sufficient for the day” (Matthew 6:34).
Commentary:
Our first priority in life needs to be seeking, finding, and having fellowship with God our Creator (the meaning and purpose of life: Acts 17:26-27), and this is only possible through faith (obedient trust) in Jesus Christ (Acts 4:12; John 14:6; see God's Plan of Salvation, sidebar, top right, home). God's Word (in the Bible, and in Jesus Christ, the “living Word:” John 1:1-5, 14) promises that if we earnestly seek God he will allow himself to be found by us (Deuteronomy 4:29; 1 Chronicles 28:9b).
Jesus Christ is the fullness of God in human form (Colossians 2:8-9). Jesus is the only way to know divine eternal truth, and the only way to have forgiveness of sin (disobedience of God's Word), fellowship with God which was broken by sin, and the only way to have real, true, eternal life (John 14:6). Jesus is the only way to know God (Matthew 11:27; compare John 14:7).
We are all born into this world physically alive, but spiritually “unborn.” This lifetime is our only opportunity to be spiritually “born-again” (John 3:3, 5-8) to eternal life in God's presence. The alternative is eternal death in a place where God isn't. If we realize that God is our provider of every necessity, can we imagine what it will be like to spend eternity in a physical, decaying body without a spiritual body to live in and without God's providence?
We can't add a single hour or even a minute to our physical lives by our own effort, although many people try. We can eat right, exercise, get the best medical care, and do everything possible to extend our physical lives, but ultimately nothing we do can extend our physical lives beyond God's will. It is not God's will for us to take and possess eternal life for ourselves (Genesis 3:22-24). So let us not put our hope in science (or pseudo-science), such as cryogenics, or gene therapy, to become immortal.
Jesus is the only way to receive eternal life, and this is only possible by spiritual “rebirth” through the “baptism” of the indwelling Holy Spirit, which only Jesus gives (John 1:31-34), only to his disciples who trust and obey Jesus (John 14:15-17). The baptism of the Holy Spirit is a personally discernible, ongoing daily experience (Acts 19:2). The Holy Spirit is the seal and guarantee that one is in Christ and has eternal life (2 Corinthians 1:22; Ephesians 1:13-14; Romans 8:9b, 11, 15-16).
If we love Jesus, we will trust and obey his teachings (in word and example). We must seek God's eternal kingdom and righteousness first, above our concern for food and water, clothing and shelter. No matter how many physical resources we accumulate, they will never be enough to provide security and eternal life. Sooner or later, we will come to the end of our own resources. If we don't seek God's kingdom first, we'll never get around to seeking it, because security and long life will always take a little more than we have.
The Lord wants us to trust him one day at a time. In the Lord's prayer, which he gave to his disciples, he teaches us to ask God to give us our daily bread for today (Matthew 6:11). We can plan ahead for the future, but we have no way of knowing or assuring our future. But if we pursue eternal life today, through faith in Jesus Christ, we won't have to worry about tomorrow, because whether we live or die physically, we will be assured of eternal life in Heaven, where God will provide everything we need in abundance, beyond what we can think or imagine (Ephesians 3:20).
Is Jesus your Lord (Matthew 7:21-23; Luke 6:46)? Are you Jesus' disciple (John 8:31)? Are you trusting and obeying Jesus (John 14:21)? Have you received the indwelling Holy Spirit since you first truly believed (Acts 19:2)? Are you making disciples of Jesus Christ and teaching them to obey all that Jesus commands (Matthew 28:18-20)? Do you know with certainty where you will spend eternity (1 John 5:11-13; Ephesians 1:13-14)?
Friday 7 Epiphany A
To Be used only if there is a 8 Epiphany Sunday - Otherwise skip to 8 Epiphany.
First Posted February 25, 2011;
Podcast: Friday 7 Epiphany A
Isaiah 55:10-13 – The New Promised Land;
Background:
This portion of Isaiah is believed to have been written immediately before the fall, in 539 B.C.,* of Babylon, where Judah (the southern kingdom of two tribes, the remnant of Israel after the fall of the Northern Kingdom to Assyria) was in exile, to Cyrus of Persia, and in the following generation. This portion is dated at around 530 – 510 B.C.* , when the exiles were allowed to return to their Promised Land. The exile of Judah in Babylon is dated from the destruction of the temple and Jerusalem in 587 B.C.** to the re-dedication of the temple in 517 B.C..***
Paraphrase:
Like rain or snow which falls from heaven and waters the earth; not returning without accomplishing that purpose, thus allowing the earth to sprout and bring forth bread to eat and seed to be sown, so God's Word, which he has spoken, goes forth and will not fail, but will accomplish and prosper God's purpose.
God's People, Israel, “will go forth (from exile) in joy and be led forth in peace” (Isaiah 55:12a). It will seem as though the whole earth, its hills and trees, are rejoicing with God's people. Cypress and myrtle trees will replace thorns and briers. This will be an everlasting sign as a memorial to the Lord.
Commentary:
God had warned Judah to repent and return to obedient trust in God, or they would be exiled in Babylon for seventy years (Jeremiah 25:11-12 . Judah didn't heed the warning until it was too late. God's prophecy was fulfilled.
God prophesied, through Isaiah, that Judah's exile was ending and that they would be allowed to return to the Promised Land. Who could have imagined that Cyrus would conquer Babylon and release the exiles? Cyrus even returned the sacred vessels of silver, gold and bronze which had been looted from the temple in Jerusalem, and gave money and political assistance to the exiles to help them rebuild Jerusalem and the temple.
The defining characteristic of God's Word is its fulfillment (Deuteronomy 18:21-22). God's Word is always fulfilled, and it is fulfilled over and over, as the conditions for its fulfillment are met.
The Bible is God's Word and Jesus is the “living Word;” God's Word fulfilled, embodied and exemplified in human flesh in this world (John 1:1-5, 14). Jesus' word is the Word of God, with the creative force of God's Word (Mark 4:39-41; compare Genesis 1: 9).
The Bible is the historical record of God's dealing with Israel, but it is also deliberately intended by God to be a series of “parables,” metaphors for life in this world. One of the great metaphors is the Exodus of Israel from Egypt. We are in bondage to slavery and death in the “Egypt” of this present world order. Satan is “Pharaoh.” Jesus is our “Moses” who leads us out of Egypt, through the “Sea” of water baptism into Jesus Christ, through the “Wilderness” of this lifetime, guided by the “baptism” of the Holy Spirit, the “Pillar of Cloud and Fire” (Exodus 13:21-22). Jesus is our “Joshua” (“Jeshua;” the post-exilic version of “Joshua;” “Jesus” is the Greek equivalent) through the “River” of physical death (without getting “wet feet;” i.e., without being affected by death) and into the eternal “Promised Land” of God's eternal kingdom in Heaven.
Another great metaphor is the “Exile” (a “second Exodus”). We are all in exile in the “Babylon” of this world. God promises to lead us out of exile after “70 years” (an average human lifespan). Jesus will lead us back to the “Promised Land” of God's eternal kingdom in Heaven.
In America (in one sense, the “New Israel,” the “New Promised Land”), between and 1730 and 1900, there were a series of “revivals” called Great Awakenings. During the Second Great Awakening (1790–1840),**** Peter Cartwright (September 1, 1785 – September 25, 1872),**** a Methodist “circuit rider” (traveling minister), had been converted at a revival camp meeting. He described his conversion experience (in Cartwright, Autobiography, p.39): [Peter Cartwright] went forward to an altar call and received a mental impression that his sins were forgiven. He experienced being surrounded by divine light and filled with indescribable joy. As he arose from kneeling, it seemed as if he were in heaven, and “-the trees, the leaves of them, and everything seemed to be, and I really though they were, praising God.”*****
I have personally had this experience several times, of plants and trees seemingly lifting branches and leaves, along with earth (fields and hills) in joyful praise to God. This is a personal experience of the fulfillment of Isaiah 55:12b, first, notably, when I was “born-again” (John 3:3, 5-8).
The Land of Judah was in ruins and fallow for seventy years during the Exile. Of course thorns and briers had overtaken the land, but God fulfilled his promise to restore the Promised Land, and his people to it.
The fulfillment of this prophecy (and the others, recorded in the Bible) are a memorial to the Lord; an eternal sign which will not be and has not been blotted out by time or circumstance, despite the enemies of God's Word.
The meaning and purpose of life in this world is to seek and find God our Creator (Acts 17:26-27) and to be spiritually reborn to eternal life. This is only possible through faith (obedient trust) in Jesus Christ, by the “baptism” of the indwelling Holy Spirit, which only Jesus gives (John 1:31-34), only to his disciples who trust and obey Jesus (John 14:15-17). The baptism of the indwelling Holy Spirit is a personally discernible, ongoing, daily experience (Acts 19:2). The Holy Spirit is the seal and guarantee that one is in Christ and has eternal life (2 Corinthians 1:22; Ephesians 1:13-14; Romans 8:9b, 11, 15-16).
There is a Day of Judgment coming when Jesus Christ has promised to return to judge the living (“quickened”) and dead in both physical and spiritual senses (1 Peter 4:5; John 5:28-29). Those who have accepted Jesus as their Lord (one who has power and authority; a master; a ruler; a governor; a prince; a proprietor), and have trusted and obeyed Jesus will have been spiritually born-again by the baptism of the indwelling Holy Spirit in this lifetime, and will enter eternity in Heaven with the Lord. Those who have rejected Jesus and have refused or failed to trust and obey Jesus will be condemned to eternal death and destruction in Hell with all evil (Matthew 25:31-46; 2 Thessalonians 1:5-10).
Is Jesus your Lord (Matthew 7:21-23; Luke 6:46)? Are you Jesus' disciple (John 8:31)? Are you trusting and obeying Jesus (John 14:21)? Have you received the indwelling Holy Spirit since you first truly believed (Acts 19:2)? Are you making disciples of Jesus Christ and teaching them to obey all that Jesus commands (Matthew 28:18-20)? Do you know with certainty where you will spend eternity (1 John 5:11-13; Ephesians 1:13-14)?
*) The Oxford Annotated Bible, Revised Standard Version, Ed. by Herbert G. May and Bruce M. Metzger, Introduction to Isaiah, p. 822, New York, Oxford University Press, 1962.
**) ibid, Chronological Tables of Rulers, p 1533.
***) Easton’s Bible Dictionary, “Exile,” digital edition, bibledatabase.org - http://bibledatabase.org/eastons.html
see Free Digital Bible Study Tools, sidebar top right.
****) See (links above):
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Great_Awakening http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Cartwright_(exhorter)*****) Marshall, Peter, J., Jr. and Manuel, David, "From Sea to Shining Sea," p. 87, Fleming H. Revell, Baker Books, P.O. Box 6287, Grand Rapids, Mich. 41956-6287. ISBN 0-8007-5308-9 (paper).
Saturday 7 Epiphany A
To Be used only if there is a 8 Epiphany Sunday - Otherwise skip to 8 Epiphany.
First Posted First Posted February 26, 2011;
Podcast: Saturday 7 Epiphany A
2 Timothy 3:10-4:5 – Paul's Instruction;
Mark 4:26-32 – The Kingdom of God;
2 Timothy Paraphrase:
Paul told Timothy that Timothy had seen Paul's teaching and conduct, his focus in life, his faith, patience and steadfastness. Timothy had also witnessed Paul's endurance of suffering and persecutions at Antioch, Iconium, and Lystra, but also how the Lord brought Paul through all of them. Paul warned Timothy that everyone who desires to live according to the teachings of Jesus Christ is going to be persecuted by those who are worldly, while evildoers get worse and worse: those who are deceivers and those who are deceived.
Paul urged Timothy to continue to hold on to what Timothy had learned, remembering from whom Timothy had learned it. Timothy was to remember the (Old Testament) Bible scriptures which he had learned from his youth: They are able to teach us unto salvation by faith (obedient trust) in Jesus Christ. “All scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof (rebuke; refutation), for correction, and for training in righteousness” (2 Timothy 3:16), so that godly people can accomplish all good works.
Paul commanded, by the presence of God the Father, and Jesus Christ, the judge of the living (“quickened”) and the dead, and by Jesus' manifestation (his birth and physical ministry; his personal manifestation through the “baptism” of the Holy Spirit: John 14:21; his ultimate manifestation at the Second Coming) of the Holy Spirit and kingly authority (Matthew 28:18), that Timothy “preach the Word (God's Word in the Bible and in Jesus Christ, the “living Word,” fulfilled, embodied and exemplified; John 1:1-3, 14), be urgent in season and out of season, convince, rebuke, and exhort, be unfailing in patience and in teaching” (2 Timothy 4:2). “For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own likings, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander into myths” (2 Timothy 4:3-4). But Timothy should be steady, bear suffering, do the work of evangelism, and fulfill his ministry.
Mark Paraphrase:
Jesus described the kingdom of God in several parables (stories of common earthly experience to teach spiritual truth). In one, Jesus said that the kingdom of God can be compared to the sowing of seed, which the sower spreads upon the ground, and then goes about his daily routine. The seed sprouts and grows without his personal knowledge or supervision; the earth itself produces the result: the sprout, the plant, the ear of grain, and then the ripe grain. When the grain is ripe, the time of harvest has come, and he gathers it.
Jesus also described the kingdom of God as a grain of mustard seed. Seed of the mustard family are among the smallest in the world, but which when grown, becomes large plants with branches big enough to provide nesting and shade for birds that fly.
Commentary:
I believe that Paul (Saul of Tarsus) was deliberately intended by God to be the prototype and example of a “modern, post-resurrection, born-again (John 3:3, 5-8) disciple and apostle of Jesus Christ,” as we can and should be. Paul was converted on the road to Damascus (Acts 9:1-9), “discipled” by a born-again disciple, Ananias, until Paul was born-again (Acts 9:10-18), and then Paul began to repeat the process (Acts 9:19-22). fulfilling the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19-20), which Jesus gave to his disciples to be carried out after they had been born-again (Luke 24:49; Acts 1:4-5, 8).
Timothy was an example of Paul's “discipling” ministry. Timothy had already been taught the Old Testament Scriptures (2 Timothy 1:5), which point to the Messiah (Christ; both words mean “anointed" in Hebrew and Greek, respectively). Paul led Timothy to spiritual rebirth (2 Timothy 1:6-7) by pointing Timothy to Jesus, the Christ, and taught Timothy to repeat the process of discipleship with others (2 Timothy 2:2).
Paul's remarks to Timothy and his words and examples throughout the New Testament apply to all disciples. Disciples are commanded by Jesus in the Great Commission, to proclaim the Gospel, making the most of the time we have to do so. We're to proclaim the Gospel, whether it is “popular” with our hearers or not. God's Word is to be used to convince unbelievers, to rebuke those who are living contrary to the Word of God, to correct and restore them to faith (obedient trust) in God's Word, and to teach them to live in righteousness (doing what is good, right and true according to God's Word), so that godly people can accomplish God's purpose.
Paul had taught Timothy by Paul's word and example. He had taken Timothy along on Paul's second missionary journey (Acts 15:36-16:1). On the first missionary journey, with Barnabas, Paul had been persecuted by Jews in Antioch of Pisidia (Asia Minor: present-day Turkey; Acts 13:14, 45, 50), and had gone on to Iconium (Acts 13:51).
At Iconium Paul and Barnabas preached the Gospel boldly, and were again persecuted by Jews who stirred up Gentiles and officials against them. These opponents intended to stone Paul and Barnabas, but the missionaries fled to Lystra (Acts 14:2-6).
At Lystra, on his first missionary journey, Paul again met with opposition to the Gospel from the Jews from Antioch of Pisidia and Iconium who had pursued the missionaries. They stoned Paul and left him for dead (Acts 14:19). Paul probably visited the city again on his third missionary trip (Acts 18:23).
Timothy had at least heard of Paul's persecutions, and probably witnessed some. Timothy probably was imprisoned during Paul's first imprisonment in Rome (Hebrews 13:23), and was free during Paul's second imprisonment, when Paul asked Timothy to visit him (2 Timothy 4:9, 13).
Paul warned of a time when people would no longer tolerate sound teaching but would find teachers who were willing to teach what the people want to hear. That day has long since come. There are many examples today of people who have turned from the truth of God's Word and have come to believe in myths.
We must continue to proclaim the Gospel in spite of ridicule, rejection and persecution. In some areas of the world today, Christians' lives are in jeopardy for proclaiming the Gospel. Our job is to proclaim the Gospel at every opportunity, and until Jesus' Second Coming.
Paul and Timothy were examples of Jesus' Parable of the Seed. They were sowers of the “seed” of the Gospel. They were just being faithful to scatter the seed, and were entrusting the growth to God (1 Corinthians 3:6-9).
The “mustard seed” is the seed of faith, with which we start to grow spiritually to Christian maturity at the Day of Christ's Second Coming. It is our simple “yes” to the Gospel, to faith (obedient trust) in Jesus Christ. It isn't a matter of how much faith is required; any at all is sufficient. From the tiniest seed, the Lord will cause growth and will produce supernaturally large results.
Jesus has promised to return on the Day of Judgment, when he will judge the living (“quickened”) and the dead, in both physical and spiritual senses (2 Timothy 4:1; John 5:28-29; 1 Peter 4:5). Jesus is the (only) righteous judge (2 Timothy 4:8), and the standard of judgment by which all will be judged.
Those who have accepted Jesus as Lord (one who has power and authority; a master; a ruler; a governor; a prince; a proprietor) and have trusted and obeyed Jesus will have been spiritually “born-again” (John 3:3, 5-8), in this lifetime, and will enter eternal life in heaven with the Lord. Those who have rejected Jesus as Lord, who have refused or failed to trust and obey Jesus, will be condemned to eternal death and destruction in Hell with all evil (Matthew 25:31-46; 2 Thessalonians 1:5-10).
Spiritual “rebirth” is only by the “baptism” of the indwelling Holy Spirit which only Jesus gives (John 1:31-34), only to his disciples who trust and obey Jesus (John 14:15-17). The baptism of the Holy Spirit is a personally discernible, ongoing, daily experience (Acts 19:2). The baptism of the Holy Spirit is the seal and guarantee that one is in Christ and has eternal life (2 Corinthians 1:22; Ephesians 1:13-14; Romans 8:9b, 11, 15-16).
Is Jesus your Lord (Matthew 7:21-23; Luke 6:46)? Are you Jesus' disciple (John 8:31)? Are you trusting and obeying Jesus (John 14:21)? Have you received the indwelling Holy Spirit since you first truly believed (Acts 19:2)? Are you making disciples of Jesus Christ and teaching them to obey all that Jesus commands (Matthew 28:18-20)? Do you know with certainty where you will spend eternity (1 John 5:11-13; Ephesians 1:13-14)?
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