Week of 18 Pentecost – A - 10/16 - 22/2011

Week of 18 Pentecost – 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:

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Podcast Download: Week of 18 Pentecost Sunday A
Sunday 18 Pentecost A
First Posted September 14, 2008

Podcast: Sunday 18 Pentecost A

Isaiah 55:6-9 -- Seek the Lord;
Psalm 27:1-13 -- Light and Salvation;
Philippians 1:1-5 (6-11), 19-27 -- A Life Worthy of the Gospel;
Matthew 20:1-16 -- Laborers in the Vineyard;

Isaiah Paraphrase:

"Seek the Lord while he may be found, call upon him while he is near" (Isaiah 55:6). Let us forsake wickedness and unrighteousness; let us return to the Lord our God so that he will have mercy on us and pardon us abundantly. Mankind's ways and thoughts are different than God's. God's ways and thoughts are as much higher than mankind's as the heavens are high above earth.

Psalm Paraphrase:

I fear no one or thing because the Lord is my light and salvation. He is my refuge, so I know I am safe.

Evildoers who oppose and attack me will not triumph over me. No matter how many gather against me nor how well armed, I am confident and unworried.

The one thing I have asked of the Lord and which I long for and seek is to dwell in the Lord's house as long as I live, so that I can behold his beauty and be taught by him.

In times of trouble he will hide and shelter me. "He will set me high upon a rock" (Psalm 27:5c) above the enemies which surround me. I will give him offerings and sacrifices with joyful shouts and songs of praise.

"Hear O Lord, when I cry aloud, be gracious to me and answer me! Thou hast said, 'Seek ye my face.' My heart says to thee, 'Thy face, Lord, do I seek.' Hide not thy face from me" (Psalm 27:7-9).

Lord, you have been my help; don't turn me away in anger; don't throw me aside and forsake me now. You are my God whom I rely upon for my salvation. My own father and mother may forsake me but you will not.

Teach me the way you want me to go and lead me on a level path so my enemies can't trip me up. Don't let my adversaries accomplish their plans against me. False witnesses assail me and plan violence against me. "I believe that I shall see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living" (Psalm 27:13).

Philippians, Background:

The congregation at Philippi in Macedonia (north of Greece) was founded by Paul and his protege, Timothy (Acts 16:1-13), on Paul's second missionary journey (Acts 15:36-41). It was the first Christian congregation in Europe. Paul was in prison, probably in Rome around 61~63 A.D. at the time.*

Philippians Paraphrase:

Paul told the Philippian Christians that he was praying with joy and thanksgiving to God for their partnership with Paul in the Gospel of Jesus Christ from the time he first presented it to them. Paul assured them that the Lord would bring the work he had begun to completion and spiritual maturity at the Second Coming of Christ on the Day of Judgment (Matthew 25:31-46). Paul's joy and confidence in the Philippians was justified because they were dear to him and they shared in the grace of God in Paul's imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the Gospel.

Paul longed for the Philippian Christians with the love of Christ, and it was Paul's prayer that they would grow in Christian love, (divine) knowledge (1 Corinthians 1:17-27; 2:1-8) and (spiritual) discernment (1 John 4:1-3), so that they would approve what is worthy and be blameless in God's judgment at the Day of Christ's return, full of the fruits of righteousness which come only through faith (obedient trust) in Jesus Christ and glorify God.

Paul was confident that through the prayers of the Philippians on Paul's behalf, and by the help of the indwelling "Spirit of Christ," Paul's circumstances would result in his salvation (from eternal condemnation and destruction). Paul was certain that his faith in Christ would not be put to shame and that Christ would be honored by Paul's words and deeds, whether he lived or died physically.

Paul realized that in living he served Christ and participated in Christ's suffering for the redemption of the world, and that physical death was even better, because he would be no longer separated from Christ's presence. Paul found it hard to choose which he would prefer, because he desired to accomplish useful labor for the kingdom of God, but he also desired to be in the immediate presence of Jesus in his heavenly kingdom. Paul was willing to sacrifice his personal desire for the joy of Christ's presence, so that others might grow in spiritual maturity and share in the joy of Christ's presence eternally also. Thus Paul hoped to visit the Philippians again so they would have occasion to glorify Jesus.

Paul's only admonition was that they should live lives worthy of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, so that whether Paul was able to visit them again or not, he would hear that the Philippians were firmly established in the unity of the one Spirit, working together side-by-side with one mind for the faith of the Gospel.

Matthew Paraphrase:

Jesus said that the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went to hire day laborers in the marketplace at 6:00 a.m. He agreed to pay them a denarius a day, the typical daily wage, and sent them to work in his vineyard.

At about 9:00 a.m. he went into the marketplace again and saw others still idle. He told them to go into his vineyard and he would pay them whatever was fair. At noon and at 3:00 p.m. the landowner did the same. At 5:00 p.m. he saw others still idle and asked them why they standing idle all day. They said that no one had hired them, so the landowner told them to go into his vineyard also.

At 6:00 p.m. the landowner told his steward (foreman) to pay the laborers, beginning with the last hired, and then on to those who were first. Those last hired received a denarius, so those who had been hired first thought they would receive more, but when they also received a denarius, they grumbled at the landowner. They complained that the last hired had worked only an hour for the same wage as the first hired, who had worked through the heat and burden of the day.

The landowner replied that he had done the first hired no wrong. They had agreed to work for a denarius a day. If the landowner chose to give to the last the same pay, shouldn't he have the right to do so, or did the first hired begrudge his generosity? Jesus declared that in God's kingdom the first will be last and the last first.

Commentary:

This lifetime is intended by God to be our opportunity to seek and come to know and have fellowship with God our Creator (Acts 17:26-27), and to choose whether or not to trust and obey him. Jesus is God's only provision for the forgiveness of our sin (disobedience of God's Word; Romans 3:23; 1 John 1:8-10) and salvation from our eternal condemnation and destruction at God's judgment. (Acts 4:12; see God's Plan of Salvation, sidebar, top right).

Jesus is the only way to know divine, eternal truth, to be restored to fellowship with God which was broken by sin, and to be spiritually reborn to eternal life (John 3:3, 5-8; 14:6). Only Jesus gives the gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit (John 1:31-34), only to his disciples who trust and obey him (John 14:15-17). The Holy Spirit is the seal and guarantee that one is in Christ and has eternal life (2 Corinthians 1:22; Ephesians 1:13-14; Romans 8:9b, 11, 15-16).

The Lord promises that if we truly seek him he will allow himself to be found by us (1 Chronicles 28:9c). If we trust and obey Jesus he will come to us and reveal himself to us (John 14:21). Now is the time to seek him, while he can be found. Now is the time to call upon him while he is near.

The Lord wants to reveal himself to us and to show us that his words are completely true and trustworthy. As we trust and obey him we will experience the joy of his presence and the security of his protection. We can be certain that our enemies will not prevail.

Psalm 27 is ascribed to David, the great shepherd-king of Israel. David trusted in the Lord to be his light of spiritual enlightenment, his guide in righteousness, and his salvation from his enemies and from sin. When David was pursued by his enemies, the Lord protected and delivered David from them. When David gave in to temptation and did what was sinful the Lord did not forsake him; the Lord forgave him his sin when he truly repented and returned to obedience in the Lord. David believed that he would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.

Through obedient trust in Jesus Christ we can "see" the goodness of the Lord now, in this lifetime, through the gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit, and we can be certain that we will see his goodness in the land of eternal life in his presence in God's kingdom of heaven.

Paul's life after his conversion is an example of God's mercy and pardon for those who seek him through faith (obedient trust) in Jesus Christ, by the gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit. Paul was guided to spiritual "rebirth" by a "born-again" disciple, Ananias (Acts 9:10-18). Thereafter, guided and empowered by the Holy Spirit, Paul proclaimed the Gospel of Jesus Christ (Acts 9:19b-20) and made disciples of Jesus Christ in fulfillment of Jesus' Great Commission (Matthew 28:19-20) which Jesus gave to his disciples to be carried out after they had been filled with the Holy Spirit (Luke 24:49; Acts 1:4-5, 8).

Paul made "born-again" disciples of Jesus Christ, Timothy, for example (2 Timothy 1:6), and taught them to repeat the process (2 Timothy 2:2). Paul was continuing to "disciple" the Philippian Christians, encouraging them to grow in Christian love, divine knowledge and spiritual discernment, to spiritual maturity, by the guidance and power of the Holy Spirit. Paul admonishes all Christians to live lives worthy of the Gospel, in unity, by obedience to the Holy Spirit, so that we work together to carry on and complete the ministry of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Paul trusted in the Lord to shelter and protect him from his spiritual enemies. Paul had the assurance of the Holy Spirit within him so that he was confident that whether he lived or died physically he had eternal life in Jesus Christ.

Jesus came into the world to save us from spiritual, eternal death, and to save us from the fear of physical death (Hebrews 2:14-15). Jesus' resurrection demonstrates the truth of existence after physical death, and by his Holy Spirit within us we experience with certainty that Jesus is eternally alive.

As long as we remain physically alive we have useful labor to do for the kingdom of God, as we are guided and empowered by the Holy Spirit. We will experience persecution for the Gospel as Jesus did and as Paul did, but we have the comfort and assurance of the Holy Spirit within us. When we die physically we can be sure that we will be in the presence of the Lord in the new Creation restored to paradise in God's eternal kingdom, where there will be no more death, sorrow, crying or pain (Revelation 21:4).

This world and this lifetime are the Lord's vineyard. He calls us to enter into the New Covenant of grace through faith in Jesus Christ. Our reward is eternal life in paradise. We are living in the Day of Grace (God's unmerited favor; his free gift), of salvation through faith (obedient trust) in Jesus Christ. He calls us throughout the day to work in his vineyard. The "harvest" is abundant but the "laborers" are few (Matthew 9:37-38).

The only work of lasting value is what we do for the kingdom of God. If we are not working in the Lord's vineyard, we are wasting our time, opportunities and resources. How long will we stand idly by without accepting the Lord's invitation and joining the harvest?

In one sense the Church is the "marketplace" where the Lord seeks laborers for the harvest. Christians are to be trained and equipped by the indwelling Holy Spirit to participate in the harvest, and are then to respond to the call of the Holy Spirit to go into the "vineyard." Are we hanging around in the "marketplace" and not answering the Lord's call to enter the vineyard and help with the harvest?

There is a Day of Judgment coming, when it will be too late to join in the harvest. It will be too late to change our eternal destiny, and no one knows when that Day will come, but we can be certain that it will come at the end of our individual lifetimes. Those who have accepted Jesus' invitation to join in the harvest, who have trusted and obeyed Jesus, will have been spiritually "reborn" and will enter eternal life, but those who have refused Jesus' call, and have refused or failed to trust and obey Jesus will receive eternal condemnation 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)?

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*The Oxford Annotated Bible, Revised Standard Version, Ed. by Herbert G. May and Bruce M. Metzger, Introduction to ...Philippians, p. 1421. New York, Oxford University Press, 1962.

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Monday 18 Pentecost A
First Posted September 15, 2008

Podcast: Monday 18 Pentecost A

Psalm 25:1-9

I lift up my soul to the Lord. I trust in you, O God. May I never be put to shame; let my enemies not triumph over me. Yes, let none be ashamed who wait for you; let those who are willingly treacherous be put to shame.

O Lord, show me your ways and teach me your paths. You are the God of my salvation; teach me and lead me in your truths. I wait for you all day long.

Remember your mercy and steadfast love which is your nature throughout the ages. Do not recall my sins and the transgressions of my youth; for your goodness' sake, remember me according to your steadfast love.

Because the Lord is good and upright, he instructs sinners in his ways. He leads and teaches the humble in his ways.

Commentary:

We are all eternal beings in physical bodies (John 5:29-29). The soul is the part of us which is our essential being and which continues beyond physical death. We are born physically alive with eternal souls, but we are spiritually unborn, unless we are "reborn" (John 3:3, 5-8) by the indwelling Holy Spirit within our souls.

Only Jesus "baptizes" with (gives the gift of) the indwelling Holy Spirit (John 1:31-34), only his disciples who trust and obey Jesus (John 14:15-17). The Holy Spirit is the seal and guarantee that one is in Christ and has eternal life (2 Corinthians 1:22; Ephesians 1:13-14; Romans 8:9b, 11, 15-16).

This lifetime is our opportunity to seek and come to personal knowledge of and fellowship with God our Creator (Acts 17:26-27), and this is only possible through Jesus Christ, by the gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit. This lifetime is our opportunity to learn to trust and obey God's Word.

Those who trust in God's Word will never be put to shame. The world may ridicule and persecute them, but they are comforted and assured by the indwelling Holy Spirit, and can be certain that they will be vindicated in the Day of Judgment. Their enemies will not triumph over them. It will be the wicked and treacherous, the enemies of our souls and of God's Word, who will be put to eternal shame and condemnation in the Day of Judgment.

The Lord will teach us and lead us through his Word, the Bible, and through the teaching and example of the "living Word," Jesus Christ, who is the fulfillment, embodiment, and example of God's Word, lived out in this world in human flesh. As we begin to trust and obey God's Word in the Bible, Jesus will manifest himself to us by the gift of his indwelling Holy Spirit (John 14:21, 23). The Holy Spirit will open our minds to understand the scriptures (Luke 24:45), bring to our remembrance all that Jesus commands, and teach us all things (John 14:26). The indwelling Holy Spirit will reveal God's will for us personally and individually, and equip, empower and lead us in God's will for our lives.

As we trust and obey God's Word we will learn from experience that God's Word is absolutely true and reliable. As we learn to live in obedience to the indwelling Holy Spirit we will learn to wait for the Lord.

Learning to wait can be one of the most difficult things for us to do, particularly in the society we live in today. We're so used to instant answers, and acting in the moment. We have instant access to information on the Internet, and we have cellphones which allow us to connect to others instantly no matter where we are. But those types of connection and communication can only provide worldly knowledge and guidance, which will ultimately fail and lead us to spiritual disaster.

The Lord wants us to learn to wait for him and his knowledge and guidance. We must acknowledge that it is his wisdom and guidance we need. When we have learned to seek his Word and ways, we will find that we have instant connection and communication to true divine, eternal knowledge and guidance far superior to worldly knowledge and guidance, and it is more surely and instantly available than the Internet or cellphones. The Lord is never out of range or unavailable.

The Lord is pleased to teach and guide those who realize and acknowledge that God's ways are higher than worldly ways and that God's power and authority are greater than ours. God is willing to allow proud and arrogant people who think they are wise and self-sufficient to try to live apart from God's wisdom and guidance, in the hope that they will come to realize their need for the Lord.

The Lord is the Savior of the world. God has designed the Savior, Jesus Christ, into the structure of Creation (John 1:1-5, 14). God has designed Creation with the possibility of sin (disobedience of God's Word) to allow us the freedom to choose whether or not to trust and obey God, and to learn by trial and error that his way is good, reasonable, and our very best interest.

We have all sinned and fall short of God's righteousness (Romans 3:23, 1 John 1:8-10), and the penalty for sin is eternal death (Romans 6:23). God loves us and doesn't want anyone to perish but to have eternal life in his heavenly kingdom (Romans 5:8; John 3:16-17). Jesus is God's only provision for our forgiveness and salvation from eternal condemnation and destruction (Acts 4:12; John 14:6). God gives us mercy and forgiveness of all our sins as a free gift to be received through faith (obedient trust) in Jesus Christ (Ephesians 2:8-9; see God's Plan of Salvation, sidebar, top right, home).

There is a Day of Judgment coming for every person who has ever lived on earth. It will come at the end of our individual lives or sooner, and no one knows when that will be. The standard of judgment will be Jesus Christ. Those who have accepted Jesus as their Lord and Savior, and have trusted and obeyed Jesus will have been "reborn" during this lifetime, and will enter eternal life in the presence of the Lord in God's heavenly kingdom, but those who have rejected Jesus and have refused or failed to trust and obey him will receive eternal condemnation 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 18 Pentecost A
First Posted September 16, 2008

Podcast: Tuesday 18 Pentecost A

Ezekiel 18:1-4, 25-32 -- Individual Responsibility;

Paraphrase:

The Lord told Ezekiel that Israel was no longer to use the proverb that the fathers had eaten sour grapes and that their children's teeth were on edge. God declared that all souls belong to God, both the fathers and their children. Every soul that sins will die (eternally).

People claim that God's way is not just, but it is actually mankind's ways that are not just. A righteous person who turns from righteousness and commits sin will die (eternally) for his sin, and the wicked who turn from wickedness and do what is right will live (eternally); they will not die. Yet Israel claims that God's ways are not just. Instead, it is their ways which are not just.

The Lord declares that he will judge his people individually according to what they have done individually. The Lord commands everyone to repent and turn from sin, or sin will be their eternal ruin. God's people are to cast away all their sinful ways and individually get new hearts and new spirits. Why would they choose what leads to eternal death? God doesn't delight in anyone's death, so we should turn to him that we may live.

Commentary:

We are all eternal beings in physical, temporal bodies. There is a Day of Judgment when we will be accountable to the Lord for what we have done individually in this lifetime (John 5:28-29; Matthew 25:31-46).

God's standard of judgment is more merciful and just than the world's standard. God is willing to forgive all of the past sins of people who earnestly change their ways and begin to live according to God's ways. Similarly, a righteous person who turns from righteousness to do what is evil will not be saved because of his past righteousness.

All of us are sinners according to God's Word (Romans 3:23; 1 John 1:8-10), and the penalty for sin (disobedience of God's Word) is (eternal) death (Romans 6:23). God doesn't want anyone to perish eternally, but for all to have eternal life in the heavenly paradise of his eternal kingdom (Romans 5:8; John 3:16-17).

God has designed a Savior, Jesus Christ, into his plan for Creation from the very beginning (John 1:1-5, 14). Jesus Christ is God's only provision for our forgiveness and salvation (Acts 4:12; John 14:6; see God's Plan of Salvation, sidebar, top right, home).

God calls everyone to turn from sin and get a new heart and a new spirit within them. Only Jesus can give us a new heart to desire to do God's will and a new spirit, the indwelling Holy Spirit, who makes it possible for us to know God's will and empowers us to do it. Only Jesus gives the gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit (John 1:31-34), only to his disciples who trust and obey Jesus (John 14:15-17).

By the gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit, Jesus' disciples are spiritually "born-again" (John 3:3, 5-8) to eternal life beginning now in this lifetime. 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).

Why would we want to refuse eternal life in heavenly paradise in the presence of the Lord in exchange for a few years of sinful pleasure now in this lifetime (Hebrews 11:25)? Jesus is the only one who can free us from slavery to sin and eternal death (John 8:34-36).

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 18 Pentecost A
First Posted September 17, 2008
Podcast: Wednesday 18 Pentecost A

18 Pentecost – Wednesday - A
First Posted September 17, 2008;

Philippians 2:1-5 (6-11) - Love and Unity Among Believers;

Paraphrase:

If the Philippians (and all Christians) have experienced encouragement in Christ, incentive to love, participation in the Spirit, and have any affection and sympathy, then we should share the same love for one another and be in unity and agreement with our fellow Christians. Then Paul's joy in the Philippians would be complete.

Let us not be motivated by selfishness or conceit, but instead, in humility, consider others as better than ourselves. Let us not just pursue our own interests but consider the interests of others. Let us adopt the attitude of Christ by his example. He was in his nature God (Colossians 2:8-9), but did not try to claim and hang on to equality with God. Instead he emptied himself of all his own self-interests, and became a servant. Having been born in human flesh, "he humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even death on a cross" (Philippians 2:8). So God has exalted him and given him a name above all others, "that at the name of Jesus, every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth, and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father" (Philippians 2:10).

Commentary:

God exalts the humble but humbles the exalted (Matthew 23:12; 1 Peter 5:5b-6). Jesus is the perfect example of humble obedience to God's Word. Jesus emptied himself of all self-interest, including the human urge for self-preservation, in order to accomplish God's will. Jesus came to be a servant of all; to serve God, and to serve his fellow humans, rather than expecting to be served (Matthew 20:28).

"Born-again" (John 3:3, 5-8) Christians share in the experience of the indwelling Holy Spirit. We experience a personal relationship with Jesus through his Holy Spirit within us. We feel the love the Lord has for us through his indwelling Holy Spirit. Only Jesus gives the gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit (John 1:31-34), only to his disciples who trust and obey Jesus (John 14:15-17).

The Holy Spirit is our encouragement. He is our comforter in times of trial. 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).

Paul was fulfilling the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19-20) that Jesus gave to his disciples, to be carried out after they had been filled with the indwelling Holy Spirit (Luke 24:49; Acts 1:4-5, 8). Paul (Saul of Tarsus) had been "born-again" by the "discipling" of a born-again disciple, Ananias (Acts 9:10-18). Paul was now "discipling" the Philippian Christians, teaching them to know and apply all Jesus' teachings in their daily lives, and teaching them to carry on the process with others (2 Timothy 2:2).

Jesus is Lord, whether we accept and acknowledge him or not (Matthew 28:18). There is no other name on earth or in heaven by which we can be saved (Acts 4:12; see God's Plan of Salvation, sidebar, top right, home). It isn't sufficient just to call Jesus our Lord and not do what he teaches (Matthew 7:21-27; Luke 6:46).

Now is the time to accept Jesus as our Lord, to learn to trust and obey him, and to be spiritually "reborn" to eternal life. There is a Day of Judgment coming when everyone who has ever lived on earth will be accountable to the Lord for what each has done individually in this lifetime. Those who have accepted Jesus as Lord and have trusted and obeyed him will have been "reborn" and will enter God's eternal kingdom in heaven. But those who have rejected Jesus, who have refused or failed to trust and obey Jesus, will receive eternal condemnation and destruction in hell with all evil. In that day everyone will bow before him and acknowledge that he is Lord, but it will be too late to change our eternal destinies.

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)?

Thursday 18 Pentecost A
First Posted September 18, 2008;
Podcast: Thursday 18 Pentecost A

Matthew 21:28-32 -- Doing God's Will;

Paraphrase:

Jesus told a parable of two sons. Their father told them to go and work in his vineyard. One son told his father he would not, but he later repented and worked in the vineyard. The other politely said that he would, but did not go. Jesus asked his hearers which of the sons had done his father's will, and they picked the first.

Then Jesus said that tax collectors and harlots enter the kingdom before the Jews, because John the Baptizer came declaring the way of righteousness, and tax collectors and harlots heeded him but the Jews had not. And when the Jews saw the tax collectors and harlots respond, the Jews did not repent and believe John's message.

Commentary:

Saving faith is not just intellectual assent. Faith is not getting whatever we believe if we believe "hard enough." Saving faith is acting on belief in Jesus' Gospel. Jesus warned his hearers that it is not enough to claim Jesus as Lord if we don't do what he teaches (Matthew 7:21-27, Luke 6:46).

Tax collectors and harlots were the outcasts of Jewish society. Jews would have nothing to do with them. But they recognized their sinfulness and heeded John's message of repentance and reconciliation with God. Even when the Jews saw "sinners" repenting and being restored to righteousness, they refused to repent and believe.

Someone has said that there are two kinds of people in this world: the righteous who know they're sinners, and sinners who think they're righteous. Unless we're willing to realize and acknowledge our sin, we can't receive the forgiveness and restoration which only Jesus can give.

We have all sinned (disobeyed God's Word) and have fallen short of God's righteousness (Romans 3:23; 1 John 1:8-10), and the penalty for sin is (eternal) death (Romans 6:23). Jesus is God's only provision for our forgiveness and salvation from eternal destruction (Acts 4:12; see God's Plan of Salvation, sidebar, top right, home). Would we rather die eternally than admit that we're sinners in need of a Savior?

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 18 Pentecost A
First Posted September 19, 2008;

Podcast: Friday 18 Pentecost A

Deuteronomy 10:12-21 -- What God Requires;
1 John 3:1-8 -- Our Response to God's Love;

Deuteronomy Paraphrase:

"And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God require of you, but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and to keep the commandments and statutes of the Lord, which I command you this day for your good" (Deuteronomy 10:12-13)? The entire universe, the highest heavens and the earth and all that is within them belong to God. But, in love, the Lord chose our forefathers and their descendants to be his special people above all others. So let us circumcise the "foreskins" of our hearts.

Our God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great, mighty, and terrible God who is completely impartial and cannot be bribed. The Lord gives justice to the widow and fatherless, and he loves the sojourner and provides his food and clothing. Let us likewise love the sojourner, not forgetting that we were sojourners in the land of Egypt. We are to fear and serve the Lord, cling to him, and swear by his name. The Lord is our praise, our God who has done great and terrible things to which we are witnesses.

1 John Paraphrase:

God loves us so much that he is making us his children. The reason worldly people don't recognize us as God's children is because they don't know God. We love God's children and we are God's children now; what we will become has not been revealed, but we know that when Jesus appears we will be like him and we will see him as he is.

Sin is lawlessness and whoever sins is guilty of lawlessness. Jesus came to take sin away, and he is completely sinless. No one who abides in Jesus continues to sin, and anyone who continues to sin has not seen or known Jesus. Don't be deceived; those who are righteous do what is right, as Jesus himself is righteous. Those who commit sin are of the devil; the devil has sinned from the very beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil.

Commentary:

God has given us his Word, in the Bible, and in the teaching and example of Jesus Christ, the "living Word;" the fulfillment, embodiment and example of God's Word lived in this world in human flesh (John 1:1-5, 14). He has given us his Word for our benefit, so that we can live life as God intended it.

God loved and chose us, while we were sinners, and made it possible for us to become his spiritual children. The entire universe belongs to God, but he has chosen us to be special, his own children, above all others. All we have to do is accept his love.

Circumcision was the physical mark of the Old Covenant of Law. In the New Covenant which Jesus established, the sign of the covenant is spiritual, not just a superficial outward appearance but a truly changed heart, which only Jesus can accomplish in us.

The Lord is the righteous judge who is completely impartial and cannot be bribed. Some "church members" hope to manipulate God to do their will, by participation in church ritual, rather than learning to know and do God's will.

The Lord has special concern for the humble, weak and helpless, like widows, orphans, and sojourners, who have no one to advocate on their behalf. Sojourners are people without legal standing or civil rights. God's people should share his concern and work for justice and equal rights for them. God's children are all sojourners in this world, and our citizenship is in God's kingdom in heaven.

This lifetime is our opportunity to become children of God. That is only possible through faith (obedient trust) in Jesus Christ. Jesus makes it possible for us to be spiritually "reborn" (John 3:3, 5-8) to eternal life, now, in this lifetime. Only Jesus gives the gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit (John 1:31-34), only to his disciples who trust and obey Jesus (John 14:15-17). The Holy Spirit is the seal and guarantee that one is in Christ and has eternal life (2 Corinthians 1:22; Ephesians 1:13-14; Romans 8:9b, 11, 15-16).

Through the indwelling Holy Spirit we have personal knowledge of and fellowship with God the Father and Jesus Christ. As we learn to live in obedient trust in the guidance and empowerment of the indwelling Holy Spirit we are growing spiritually to spiritual maturity at the Day of Christ's return. We are being transformed into the likeness of Jesus Christ (Romans 8:29; 2 Corinthians 3:18).

Sin is disobedience of God's Word; it is rebellion against the Lord's commandments. Saving faith is obedient trust in Jesus Christ. One cannot abide in Jesus and continue to habitually sin. Jesus came to free us from slavery to sin and the devil (Hebrews 2:14-15). Jesus did not come to do away with God's Word but to make it possible for us to fulfill it by the gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit (Matthew 5:17-20).

When we commit to obedient trust in Jesus' example and teaching, he will give us the power to resist and overcome temptation to sin by his indwelling Holy Spirit. We can know who are children of God by what they do. People who are truly Christians will be living according to Jesus' teaching and example. The doctrine of salvation without the requirement of discipleship and obedient trust is false teaching (see False Teachings, sidebar, top right, home).

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)?

Saturday 18 Pentecost A
First Posted September 20, 2008;
Podcast: Saturday 18 Pentecost A

John 15:1-17 -- Abiding in Jesus;

Paraphrase:

Jesus used a metaphor of a grapevine to describe his relationship with his disciples. Jesus is the true vine and God the Father is the vinedresser. God removes all branches that bear no fruit, and prunes branches that bear fruit so that they will bear more fruit. His disciples are purified by the Word, the Gospel that Jesus has spoken, but we must abide (remain) in him and he in us.

Jesus’ disciples cannot bear fruit unless they remain connected to Jesus, but those who do remain connected will produce much fruit. Apart from Jesus we can accomplish nothing (of eternal worth; for God’s kingdom). Disciples who don’t abide in Jesus are cast away where they wither and die, and are gathered up and burned. “If you abide in me and my words abide in you, ask whatever you will, and it will be done for you” (see Conditions for Answered Prayer, sidebar, top right, home).

God is glorified when we bear much fruit, so proving to be Jesus’ disciples. Jesus loves us as much as God the Father loves Jesus. Jesus tells us to remain in that love by obeying Jesus’ teachings, the same way that Jesus remained in God’s love by obeying God’s commandments. Jesus taught his disciples thus, so that he would be able to have complete joy in his disciples and his disciples would have complete joy in Jesus.

Jesus commands us to love one another as he loves us. There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. Those who obey Jesus’ teachings are Jesus’ friends. We are not just servants of Jesus; we are his friends. The master doesn’t share personal things with his servants, but Jesus shares everything with his disciples that God the Father has revealed to Jesus. It wasn’t we who chose Jesus, but he who chose us and appointed us to bear fruit which will endure for eternity. So God will give us everything we ask of God in Jesus’ name. So Jesus commands us to love one another.

Commentary:

We can do nothing in this lifetime which will endure for eternity except what we do by the guidance and empowerment of the indwelling Holy Spirit (Zechariah 4:6) to complete Christ’s mission to bring the message of forgiveness of sin (disobedience of God’s Word) and salvation from eternal condemnation to the world. Jesus calls us to follow him and be his disciples, but we must respond in obedient trust. As we begin to trust and obey Jesus he will give us the gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit, which only Jesus gives (John 1:31-34), only to his disciples who trust and obey Jesus (John 14:15-17). By the indwelling Holy Spirit we have a personal fellowship with God the Father and Jesus Christ. God reveals his will for us personally, and equips us to carry out his plan for us.

Christian discipleship is a spiritual growth process. We have to learn to trust and obey Jesus, and recognize the “still, small voice” of the Holy Spirit. New believers must be “discipled” by mature, “born-again” disciples until the new believers are “born-again” (Luke 24:49; Acts 1:4-5, 8), before they attempt to go into the world with the Gospel. Then the indwelling Holy Spirit will continue the “discipling” process.

We need to seek the Lord’s guidance one day at a time with daily Bible-reading, meditation, and prayer. We need to attend weekly worship regularly. These are the ways we stay in Jesus and Jesus’ words stay in us. We can’t expect the Lord to reveal his personal plan for our lives if we haven’t read his “book,” the Bible, completely. We can’t expect the Lord to guide us if we are unwilling to seek that guidance through his Word and his Holy Spirit on a daily basis.

In too many instances in the nominal “Church” today the Church is failing to make disciples, and failing to teach them to know, trust and obey Jesus’ teachings. In some parts of the nominal Church, the Church is teaching “Cheap Grace;”* the gift of eternal salvation, without the requirement of discipleship and obedient trust (see False Teachings, sidebar, top right, home). It is failing to teach disciples to seek the “baptism” and infilling of the Holy Spirit.

Unless the Church makes “born-again” disciples all it can accomplish is to build buildings and make “members.” This is too often what passes for evangelism in the nominal Church. If it fails to make “born-again” disciples, there won’t be any “born-again” disciples from whom to select leaders.

Jesus taught his disciples by word and example. Jesus said that there is no greater love than to give one’s life for one’s friends, and he demonstrated that love for us on the cross. Jesus gave up his physical life for us, but received eternal life. Every truly “born-again” disciple personally testifies that Jesus is risen and eternally alive.

We are to follow his example, surrendering our earthly lives in obedient trust, and experiencing now, in this lifetime, spiritual rebirth and the assurance that we have eternal life. The gift of the indwelling 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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*See: The Cost of Discipleship, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Collier Books, Macmillan Publishing Co., NY 1963 ISBN 0-02-083850-6

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Week of 17 Pentecost - A - 10/09 - 15/2011

Week of 17 Pentecost - 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:

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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.

I will post weekly by Saturday, noon, (God willing), Pacific time (UTC-8:00) for the week of the Church Season which begins on Sunday. Please scroll down for the desired day, or save the week to your desktop/hard drive.

Podcast Download: Week of 17 Pentecost - A
Sunday 17 Pentecost A
First Posted September 7, 2008;
Podcast: Sunday 17 Pentecost A

Genesis 50:15-21 -- Forgiveness and Salvation;
Psalm 103:1-13 -- Redemption;
Romans 14:5-9 -- We are the Lord's;
Matthew 18:21-35 -- Duty of Forgiveness;

Genesis:

Jacob (Israel) was the father of the heads of the twelve tribes of Israel, including Joseph, whose brothers sold him into slavery in Egypt. In Egypt, Joseph was wrongly accused by his Egyptian master's wife and had been imprisoned. The Lord prospered Joseph by giving him the ability to interpret dreams, and raised Joseph from imprisoned slave to Pharaoh's assistant administrator. Joseph foretold a world-wide famine, and was appointed by Pharaoh to supervise storing provisions to alleviate the famine. Joseph's father and brothers came to Egypt seeking food and found Joseph in charge of food distribution.

Jacob died in Egypt, and Joseph's brothers were afraid that Joseph would take revenge upon them, so they sent a message to Joseph and came to him to beg forgiveness. They told Joseph that before his death their father had commanded them to ask forgiveness from Joseph. They declared themselves servants of the God of their father, and vowed to serve Joseph.

Joseph wept when they spoke to him, and then told them, "Fear not, for am I in the place of God? As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today" (Genesis 50:19-20). So Joseph reassured and comforted them.

Psalm:

I will praise the Lord and bless his name, in my soul, with all my abilities. I will recall all his blessings and praise and thank him. He forgives all our iniquities, heals all our diseases, and redeems our lives from death. He gives us steadfast love and mercy, satisfies our needs with everything good as long as we live, and renews our youth like the vigor of the eagle.

The Lord provides vindication and justice for the oppressed. The Lord revealed his ways to Moses, and the people of Israel have witnessed his works. "The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love" (Psalm 103:8).

The Lord will not always criticize us or be angry with us forever. His punishment is less than our sins deserve. For those who fear (have the appropriate respect for the power and authority of) him, his steadfast love is higher than the heavens above the earth, and he removes our sin from us farther than the east is from the west. As a human father has pity for his children, so the Lord has pity for those who fear the Lord.

Romans:

Some Christians observe religious holidays and others do not. Each should do so according to his individual convictions. Those who honor such holidays do so in honor of the Lord. Likewise those who keep religious feasts feast in honor of the Lord and those who fast do so in honor of the Lord. All give thanks to God, whether they feast or fast.

None of us live or die entirely unto ourselves. If we live, we give our lives to the Lord; if we die, we die glorifying the Lord. So we belong to the Lord and serve him, whether we live or die. This is the reason Christ died and lived again, so he can be Lord of both the dead and the living.

Matthew:

Peter, one of the Twelve original disciples of Jesus Christ asked Jesus how many times we are obliged to forgive our brothers. Should we forgive someone as many as seven times (representing a perfect number)? Jesus replied that one must forgive not just seven times, but seventy times seven (as many times as necessary, beyond counting).

Then Jesus told a parable to illustrate forgiveness. A king wanted to settle accounts with his servants. One of his servants owed him ten thousand talents (each talent worth a thousand dollars). When the servant could not pay, the king ordered the servant, his family and all his possessions sold to repay the debt, but the servant pleaded for mercy, and promised to repay the debt himself. The king had mercy and forgave the servant's debt.

As the servant left, he encountered a fellow servant who owed the forgiven servant a hundred denarii (each worth about twenty cents). The forgiven servant grabbed his fellow servant by the throat and demanded that the debt be repaid. The fellow servant asked for mercy, but the forgiven servant had his fellow servant imprisoned until the debt was repaid.

The king's other servants were upset by what they had witnessed and reported the event to the king. The king summoned the forgiven debtor and rebuked his wickedness. The forgiven servant should have had mercy upon his fellow servant as the king had had mercy upon him. Then the angry king had the forgiven servant imprisoned until he was able to repay his debt. Jesus warned his disciples that God the Father will do likewise to his people who don't truly forgive their brothers.

Commentary:

Joseph's circumstances of slavery and imprisonment were hard, but Joseph entrusted himself to the Lord, and the Lord was able to use those circumstances to bring about good, and to lift Joseph from imprisoned slave to Pharaoh's assistant administrator. When we trust our circumstances to the Lord we will learn from experience that the Lord is faithful and able to bring good from any circumstance (Romans 8:28).

In a sense we're all like Joseph; we're all slaves and prisoners of sin in the "Egypt" of this present world. When we give our lives to Jesus' Lordship, he can lift us out of "slavery and imprisonment" and use us to bring about good. He will exalt those who are humble, and humble the proud and arrogant.

Joseph's brothers realized the great injustice they had done to their brother, and begged for his forgiveness. Joseph acknowledged their sin, but also the Lord's salvation and redemption of Joseph. Rather than seeking vengeance, Joseph left judgment to the Lord and Joseph gave his brothers the same redemption and salvation they needed from Joseph that Joseph had received from the Lord.

Those who recognize their sin (disobedience of God's Word) and their need for forgiveness and humbly confess and ask for forgiveness will learn from experience that the Lord is willing and able to forgive all our sins. Only the Lord can heal our spiritual diseases. The Lord has redeemed our lives from spiritual, eternal death, and gives us steadfast love and mercy through Jesus Christ, God's promised and anointed eternal Savior and King. The Lord gives us every good thing that we need, gives us long, unending, eternal life, and renews us so that we can soar spiritually on wings like eagles, by the gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit through Jesus Christ.

Moses had a personal relationship with the Lord, which was uncommon before Jesus' coming. Jesus became the one and only sacrifice acceptable to God for our forgiveness and salvation. Jesus is God's promised and anointed eternal Savior and King. Jesus is the only one who "baptizes" with the Holy Spirit (John 1:31-34), only his disciples who trust and obey Jesus (John 14:15-17). Jesus makes it possible for all who trust and obey him to be spiritually "reborn" to eternal life, and to have a personal fellowship with the Lord now and eternally. The Holy Spirit is the seal and guarantee that one is in Christ and has eternal life (2 Corinthians 1:22; Ephesians 1:13-14; Romans 8:9b, 11, 15-16).

The Bible is the record of God's ways and the testimony of God's saving acts on behalf of his people. God chose Moses to be the mediator of the Old Covenant of Law and to lead God's people out of bondage to sin and death in Egypt. Jesus is the "New Moses" who leads us out of bondage to sin and death in the "Egypt" of this present world, through the "wilderness" of this lifetime and into the "Promised Land" of God's eternal heavenly kingdom. Jesus is the mediator of the New Covenant of Grace (unmerited favor; a free gift), to be received by faith (obedient trust) in Jesus (Ephesians 2:8-9).

God doesn't want anyone to perish eternally. He sent Jesus into the world, not to condemn the world but so that we could be forgiven and saved from eternal destruction (John 3:16-17). The Lord disciplines us for our good so that we can know what is good, right and true, and have what is truly and eternally life.

In Jesus Christ, God has forgiven us all our sin. All we have to do to receive his forgiveness is to accept it in faith (obedient trust). If we realize how much God has forgiven us, we will be willing to forgive others when they wrong us. We will want to live lives that honor and glorify God.

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)?

Monday 17 Pentecost A
First Posted September 8, 2008;
Podcast: Monday 17 Pentecost A

Psalm 27:1-13 -- Prayer for Deliverance;

Those who have accepted the Lord as their light (spiritual insight and standard of righteousness) and salvation (from evil and from their eternal condemnation by God's judgment) have no need to fear any one or thing. If the Lord is their refuge (their fortress against evil), they need not be afraid.

When the wicked attack us, and speak evil against us our adversaries and enemies will not prevail. No matter how many enemies are against us we will not be afraid. Though they make war against us, we will not lose courage.

Only one thing have we asked of the Lord and will earnestly seek, to dwell in the Lord's house for the rest of our lives; to behold the beauty of the Lord and to seek wisdom in his temple.

In the day of trouble he will conceal us and shelter us. "He will set me high upon a rock" (Psalm 27:5c). He will lift us high above our enemies who surround us, and we will offer sacrifices and shouts of joy in his sanctuary, singing songs of joy and praise.

The Lord will hear when we cry out to him; he will be gracious and answer us. The Lord has told us to seek his presence, and we earnestly seek him. We pray that he will not hide his face from us.

The Lord has been our source of help. We pray that the Lord will not turn away from us in anger. Lord, do not forsake us and cast us from you. Even if our earthly parents forsake us the Lord will be faithful to help us.

Lord teach us your ways and lead us safely through our enemies, in the path that is secure.

False witness have arisen against us and plot violence against us. Keep us from falling victim to the will of our adversaries. "I believe that I shall see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living (Psalm 27:13).

Commentary:

Jesus is the "light of the world" (John 8:12a; 9:5). Jesus is the light of spiritual enlightenment (John 1:9). Jesus is the light of righteousness (John 1:4-5; 3:19-21). Jesus is the light of eternal life (John 1:4; 8:12b). Those who accept Jesus as their light will not walk in darkness, and won't stumble spiritually.

Jesus is the rock which is higher than we are, that can shelter us and lift us above the reach our enemies (Psalm 27:5c). Jesus is the rock of solid foundation on which we must build our lives if we are to endure for eternity (Matthew 7:24-27). Jesus is the rock from which we receive living water in the "wilderness" of this life (1 Corinthians 10:4-5; Numbers 20:7-11).

Jesus is God's only provision for our salvation from God's eternal judgment and condemnation to eternal destruction (Acts 4:12). We have all sinned (disobeyed God's Word) and fall short of God's righteousness (Romans 3:23; 1 John 1:8-10). The penalty for sin is eternal death (Romans 6:23). God loves us and doesn't want anyone to perish eternally (Romans 5:8, John 3:16-17; see God's Plan of Salvation, sidebar, top right).

God has always intended, from the very beginning of Creation, to establish an eternal kingdom of his people who willingly choose to trust and obey him. This lifetime is our opportunity to seek and find God (Acts 17:26-27) and to be spiritually "reborn" (John 3:3, 5-8) to eternal life. This is only possible through faith (obedient trust) in Jesus Christ.

Jesus is the only way to find and know God, to know divine, eternal truth, and to have eternal life (John 14:6). Only Jesus gives the gift ("baptism;" "anointing") of the indwelling Holy Spirit (John 1:31-34), only to his disciples who trust and obey Jesus (John 14:15-17). The Holy Spirit is the seal and guarantee that one is in Christ and has eternal life (2 Corinthians 1:22; Ephesians 1:13-14; Romans 8:9b, 11, 15-16).

The Lord wants us to earnestly seek him, his divine eternal wisdom, and his ways. When we seek him he will allow himself to be found by us (Isaiah 55:6; Jeremiah 29:13; I Chronicles 28:9c). He will manifest (reveal) himself to us (John 14:21, 23).

When we have been "reborn" by the gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit we will be comforted and reassured by the Holy Spirit within us. We will personally experience God's power and faithfulness to protect and preserve us from our enemies and from evil. We will have the certainty that even if we die physically we will be raised from physical death to eternal life as was Jesus.

The Lord will hear and answer us when we call to him (see Conditions for Answered Prayer, sidebar, top right). We will have a personal daily fellowship with the Lord. We will experience his presence. We will experience the goodness of the Lord now, in the land of the physically living, and eternally in the land of the eternal living.

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 17 Pentecost A
First Posted September 9, 2008;
Podcast: Tuesday 17 Pentecost A

Isaiah 55:6-9 -- Seek and Find the Lord;

"Seek the Lord while he may be found, call upon him while he is near" (Isaiah 55:6). Let the wicked and unrighteous turn away from their ways and their thoughts and turn to the Lord our God. Then he will pardon them abundantly, because God's thoughts and his ways are higher than human thoughts and ways. God's ways and thoughts and ways are as much higher than human thoughts and ways as the heavens are high above the earth.

Commentary:

All of us have sinned (disobeyed God's Word) and have fallen short of God's righteousness (doing what is right, good, and true according to God's Word; Romans 3:23; 1 John 1:8-10). God has created this world "good" (Genesis 1:4, 31). The wickedness and evil in this world is the result of human sin, when humans choose to do what is contrary to God's will.

God calls us to turn from our sins, from evil and wickedness, and learn to trust and obey God's Word. God doesn't want anyone to perish but for all to have eternal life in God's kingdom restored to paradise unblemished by sin.

God is abundantly willing and able to forgive all our sins. God has designed a savior, Jesus Christ, into the very structure of Creation (John 1:1-5, 14). God's Word declares that the penalty for sin is eternal death. Jesus is God's one and only provision for our forgiveness and salvation from eternal condemnation and destruction (Acts 4:12). Jesus has become the only sacrifice acceptable to God for the forgiveness of our sins. Jesus has already paid for our redemption and salvation. All we have to do to receive eternal redemption and salvation is to accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior, and trust and obey him (see God's Plan of Salvation, sidebar, top right).

This lifetime is intended to be our opportunity to seek and come to personal knowledge of and fellowship with God, our Creator (Acts 17:26-27), and this is only possible through faith (obedient trust) in Jesus Christ (John 14:6). This lifetime is our only opportunity to be spiritually "reborn" to eternal life by the gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit (John 3:3, 5-8), which only Jesus gives (John 1:31-34), only to his disciples who trust and obey Jesus (John 14:15-17). The Holy Spirit is the seal and guarantee that one is in Christ and has eternal life (2 Corinthians 1:22; Ephesians 1:13-14; Romans 8:9b, 11, 15-16).

Today is the time to seek the Lord, while he can be found. Today is the time to call upon him, while he is near. God's Word promises that if we earnestly seek him he will allow himself to be found by us (Deuteronomy 4:29; 1 Chronicles 28:9; Jeremiah 29:13; Matthew 7:7; John 14:21, 23). Now is the day of salvation (2 Corinthians 6:2).

There is a Day of Judgment coming when it will be too late to change our eternal destinies. Everyone who has ever lived will be accountable to the Lord for what we have done in this life. Those who have trusted and obeyed Jesus will have been spiritually reborn and will receive eternal life in the presence of the Lord in God's heavenly kingdom; those who have refused to accept Jesus as Lord and have failed to trust and obey him will receive eternal destruction in hell with all evil (Matthew 25:31-46; 2 Thessalonians 1:5-10). The Day of Judgment is not far off; each of us will face it at the end of our lives, and no one knows when that will be.

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 17 Pentecost A
First Posted September 10, 2008;
Podcast: Wednesday 17 Pentecost A

Philippians 1:1-5 (6-11), 19-27;

Paul was writing to the Church founded by Paul at Philippi in Macedonia, the first European congregation. Paul greeted the congregation on behalf of himself and his fellow missionary, Timothy whom Paul had "discipled," and who had accompanied him on the first mission to Philippi (Acts 16:1-11).

Paul thanked God continually for the Philippian Christians and their partnership with Paul in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. He assured them with his confidence that the Lord had begun a good work in the Philippians and could be relied upon to bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ (Jesus' Second Coming; at the Day of Judgment). Paul felt that his confidence was justified because of the love of Jesus that Paul had for the Philippians, and because the Philippians shared in the grace (unmerited favor) of God (in Jesus Christ) as partners with Paul in his imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the Gospel. Paul prayed for the Philippians that they would grow in Christian love, divine spiritual knowledge and discernment, so that they would confirm what is worthy and would be pure and blameless, and full of the fruits of righteousness at the Day of Christ, to God's praise and glory.

Paul wanted the Philippians to know that his imprisonment for the sake of the Gospel of Jesus Christ had helped to advance the spread of the Gospel among the Roman guards. Other Christians have been encouraged by Paul's example and are more boldly proclaiming the Word of God without fear.

Some of those proclaiming the Gospel were rivals envious of Paul, but others approved of Paul's ministry. Whether other Christians approved of Paul or not didn't concern him, as long as the Gospel of Christ was being (faithfully and accurately; Galatians 1:6-8) proclaimed.

Paul was confident that by the prayers of the Philippians on his behalf and the help of the "Spirit of Christ" (Philippians 1:19) Paul's circumstances (imprisonment) would lead to his deliverance, because he fully hoped and and expected that he would not be put to shame but would glorify Jesus Christ in Paul's body, whether by physical life or death. Physical life means that Paul would continue to proclaim the Gospel and to serve and glorify Christ, but physical death would be even better because he would be in Christ's presence.

It would be difficult for Paul to choose which alternative he would prefer. Yet for the sake of the Church, Paul would be willing to continue in physical life and suffering for the Gospel, so that the Philippian Christians could continue to grow and experience joy in faith and glorify Christ. So Paul urged them to live lives worthy of the Gospel of Christ, so that whether Paul was imprisoned or free to visit them again, that he would know that they were standing firmly in faith, unified in one Spirit and one mind, working together for the faith of the Gospel.

Commentary:

Christians are, by definition, "born-again" (John 3:3, 5-8) disciples (students) of Jesus Christ (Acts 11:26c) who have been taught by "born-again," spiritually mature disciples to know, trust and obey all Jesus' teachings (the "Great Commission;" Matthew 28:19-20). It takes "born-again" disciples to make "born-again" disciples, and Jesus commanded his disciples to wait in Jerusalem (the Church is the "New Jerusalem" on earth) until they had been filled with the indwelling Holy Spirit before carrying out the "Great Commission" (Luke 24:49; Acts 1:4-5, 8).

Christian faith is a spiritual growth process. As new believers begin to trust and obey Jesus, they will be spiritually "reborn" by the gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit, which only Jesus gives (John 1:31-34), only to his disciples who trust and obey Jesus (John 14:15-17). The Holy Spirit is the seal and guarantee that one is in Christ and has eternal life (2 Corinthians 1:22; Ephesians 1:13-14; Romans 8:9b, 11, 15-16).

As we hear the Gospel, accept Jesus as our Lord (our leader who gives us instruction and guidance), and begin to trust and obey Jesus, he begins the process of spiritual growth within us by his indwelling Holy Spirit. We begin to learn by experience that his teachings are good and absolutely reliable. We can be sure that as we follow the instruction and guidance of the Holy Spirit he will bring us to spiritual maturity at the Day of Judgment at Jesus' return (Matthew 25:31-46).

"Born-again" Christians are to grow in Christian love, divine, spiritual knowledge (not what the world falsely calls wisdom; 1 Corinthians 1:17-27), and spiritual discernment (1 John 4:1-3) which are only possible through faith in Jesus by his indwelling Holy Spirit. The Spirit of Christ opens the minds of his disciples to understand the Scriptures (the Bible; Luke 24:45) and leads us into all divine, eternal truth (John 14:6; 14:26). Only by the indwelling Holy Spirit can we know and do the good works that the Lord has prepared for us to do (Ephesians 2:10) which are the fruits of righteousness.

It is by the indwelling Holy Spirit that our faith is strengthened and made firm. It is by obedience and trust in the indwelling Holy Spirit that we are unified and can work together with other Christians to accomplish the mission of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

If we are guided and empowered by the Holy Spirit, no earthly circumstance, even imprisonment or physical death, can keep us from serving and glorifying Jesus and fulfilling God's purpose for our lives. But we must be committed to living lives worthy of the Gospel and which glorify our Lord.

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)?

Thursday 17 Pentecost A
First Posted September 11, 2008;
Podcast: Thursday 17 Pentecost A

Matthew 20:1-16 - Laborers in the Vineyard;

Paraphrase:

Jesus taught in parables, stories of common experiences of daily life to illustrate spiritual truths.

Jesus said that the kingdom of heaven is like the situation where a landowner went out about 6:00 am to hire day laborers for his vineyard. The laborers agreed to work for a denarius a day (a typical day's wage), and went to work in the vineyard.

At 9:00 am the landowner noticed others standing idle in the marketplace and hired them also to work in his vineyard, promising to give them a fair wage. The landowner did likewise at noon and at 3:00 pm. At about 5:00 he saw others still standing idle in the marketplace, and asked them why they stood idle all day. They said that no one had hired them, so the landowner sent them also into his vineyard.

At the end of the day, the landowner told his steward to pay the laborers beginning from the last hired to the first hired. Those hired at 5:00 pm were each given a denarius, so the ones who were hired at 6:00 am thought they would receive more, but they were also given a denarius each. They grumbled because the ones who worked only one hour received the same pay as those who had worked all day in the heat. But the landowner told them that the first hired had agreed to a denarius a day which was a fair wage. So they should take their pay and go. The landowner told them he had chosen to give the same to the last hired, and he was entitled to do as he pleased with his money. Should the others begrudge his generosity? Jesus concluded, saying that the last will be first and the first last.

Commentary:

The kingdom of God has different standards than the standards of this world. In this world those who work longer and harder expect to be paid accordingly, but in the kingdom of heaven all receive the same reward.

Worldly compensation only has the appearance of fairness. In America, CEO's movie stars and professional athletes are paid vastly more than others for their work. The gap between CEO's and average workers is the largest in the world, 364 times in 2006,* down from a all-time high of 525 times in 2000.*

America has become a two-class society ruled by the wealthy. It is no longer a government of the people by the people for the people; it's government of the people by the rich for the rich. The people who benefit the most from the American economy don't feel any obligation to pay a proportionate share of the cost of government through taxes, or any obligation to provide Americans with decent jobs and fair wages. Instead, millions of jobs are "outsourced" overseas, where poor people are exploited by low pay, poor working conditions and lack of benefits.

Jesus told a parable about a rich man and Lazarus, a poor beggar. The rich man dressed in fine clothing and ate sumptuously every day, but the beggar was clothed in rags and lay at the rich man's gate, covered with sores. Lazarus would have been glad to eat the scraps that fell from the rich man's table. The rich man's dogs got the scraps from the rich man's table, and the rich man wasn't even considerate enough to keep his dogs from licking the beggar's sores. The beggar and the rich man both died, and the beggar entered eternal life in heaven, but the rich man entered eternal torment in hell. Even in eternity the rich man expected Lazarus to serve the rich man and to provide relief from the rich man's torment. But the rich man was told that he had received good things in his earthly lifetime while Lazarus suffered, and now it was Lazarus' turn to be comforted while the rich man suffered. Further, in eternity the destiny of each had been fixed and was unalterable. (Luke 16:19-26).

The parable of the vineyard is also a warning to all that salvation and eternal reward are not based on doing "good works" or on church "membership." Being "born into" a church won't save us. Singing in the choir or teaching Sunday School won't save us. Participating in some church ritual won't save us. Jesus warns us that it isn't those who call Jesus their Lord who are saved, but those who do what Jesus teaches (Matthew 7:21-27; Luke 6:46).

Salvation is only by faith (obedient trust) in Jesus Christ (Ephesians 2:8-9; Act 4:12; John 14:6), by spiritual "rebirth" (John 3:3, 5-8) by the gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit which only Jesus gives (John 1:31-34), only to his disciples who trust and obey Jesus (John 14:15-17; see God's Plan of Salvation, sidebar, top right).

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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*http://money.cnn.com/2007/08/28/news/economy/ceo_pay_workers/index.htm

**http://www.faireconomy.org/files/executive_excess_2008.pdf

(See pg 6: Worker Pay versus Executive Pay)

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Friday 7 Pentecost A
First Posted September 12, 2008;
Podcast: Friday 17 Pentecost A

1 Samuel 2:1-10 -- Hannah's Song;
Jude 1:20-25 -- Exhortation;

1 Samuel Paraphrase:

Hannah was a barren wife who prayed for a son, promising to "lend" him to the Lord. This psalm expresses thanksgiving for the Lord's fulfillment of Hannah's prayer.

Hannah said that with all her strength her heart exulted in the Lord. She ridiculed her enemies because she rejoiced in the Lord's salvation.

There is no one to compare to the Lord; he alone is holy, he alone is the solid rock of refuge and strength. Let not people boast in their arrogance. The Lord is the God of knowledge, who judges the deeds of all people. The weapons of the mighty are broken, but those who are weak grow strong. Those who ate sumptuously now hire themselves out to obtain bread, but those who were hungry have been satisfied. Those who were barren have born many children; but those who had many children are forlorn.

It is the Lord who gives life and takes it away; He brings down to the grave, and he raises up. The Lord makes poor and makes rich; he humbles, and he exalts. He lifts the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from ashes, makes them equal with princes and gives them the seat of honor. The foundations of earth belong to the Lord and on them he has built this world.

"He will guard the feet of his faithful ones; but the wicked shall be cut off in darkness; for not by might shall a man prevail" (1 Samuel 2:9). Those who oppose the Lord will be smashed to pieces; against them he will thunder from heaven. "The Lord will judge the ends of the earth; he will give strength to his king, and exalt the power of his anointed" (1 Samuel 2:10b).

Jude Paraphrase:

[The letter of Jude was probably written about 80 A.D., by the brother of the Lord and of James.*] He encouraged the faithful to grow spiritually in faith, to pray always in the Holy Spirit, to abide in the love of God, and await the mercy of God unto eternal life which is only through Jesus Christ (note the Trinity; Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; God in three persons or expressions). As we wait we are to try to convince doubters, help those who are struggling with temptation to escape, having mercy on sinners while hating sin.

"Now to him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you with out blemish before the presence of his glory with rejoicing, to the only God, our Savior through Jesus Christ our Lord. be glory, majesty, dominion and authority, before all time, and now, and for ever. Amen" (Jude 1:24-25).

Commentary:

Hannah prayed in faith to the Lord for a son, even though after many years of marriage she had never conceived. Nothing is impossible for the Lord. Sarah (Sarai), the wife of Abraham had been barren, although the promise God had given them depended upon a son and heir. Late in her life she did conceive and give birth to the son of the promise (Genesis 21:1-3).

Elizabeth, the kinswoman of Mary, gave birth to a son who became John the Baptizer, although Elizabeth was beyond childbearing age and had never conceived. Mary, the mother of Jesus, was betrothed, but was a virgin, who conceived by the Holy Spirit (Luke 1:26-35).

The Lord hears the prayers of those who pray in faith (obedient trust) and according to God's will, but God is under no obligation to answer the prayers of those who do not trust and obey his Word. If we are willing to do what God says, he will be willing to do what we ask (see Conditions for Answered Prayer, sidebar top right, home).

The Bible is the written Word of God, containing great promises, but also ominous warnings. Those who trust and obey God's Word will receive the promises, and will avoid the consequences which the warnings are intended to help us avoid.

As we begin to trust and obey God's Word, we will begin to experience God's power and faithfulness as he begins to fulfill his promises. Jesus promised to give the gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit, which only Jesus gives (John 1:31-34), only to his disciples who trust and obey Jesus (John 14:15-17). The Holy Spirit is the seal and guarantee that one is in Christ and has eternal life (2 Corinthians 1:22; Ephesians 1:13-14; Romans 8:9b, 11, 15-16).

Through the indwelling Holy Spirit we have a personal relationship with God the Father, and Jesus Christ, the Son of God, by the indwelling Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Christ the Spirit of God (Romans 8:9b). Through the indwelling Holy Spirit we experience the joy of God's salvation (of us; from eternal condemnation and destruction in hell, the consequence of sin, which is disobedience of God's Word; Romans 6:23; see God's Plan of Salvation, sidebar, top right, home).

Jesus is God's only provision for our forgiveness and salvation (Acts 4:12). Jesus is the Word of God, fulfilled, embodied, and exemplified in human flesh in this world (John 1:1-5, 14). Jesus' word is the Word of God (John 14:10, 24), with the creative power of God's Word (Genesis 1:3, 9). Jesus is the foundation on which God has built this world. Jesus is the solid rock, the unshakable foundation on which to build our lives Matthew 7:24); the rock of refuge, and the source of spiritual eternal-life-giving water in the spiritual wilderness of this lifetime (1 Corinthians 10:4; Numbers 20:7-11). Jesus is God's "anointed" (Christ and Messiah each mean "anointed," in Greek and Hebrew respectively), eternal king and righteous judge (2 Timothy 4:8).

The meaning and purpose of life in this world is to seek and find God (Acts 17:26-27). Jesus is the only way to know divine, eternal truth, the only way to find and know God, and the only way to true, eternal life (John 14:6). Trusting in any other person or thing will lead to disappointment and spiritual disaster.

It is the Lord who gives physical life and spiritual, eternal life. The Lord has promised to return at the end of time at the Day of Judgment, to judge everyone who has ever lived on earth (John 5:28-29); to judge the living and the dead (in both physical and spiritual senses; 1 Peter 4:5). Those who have accepted Jesus as Lord and have trusted and obeyed Jesus will have been "reborn" (John 3:3, 5-8) and will receive eternal life in paradise in God's eternal kingdom. Those who have rejected Jesus as Lord; who have refused to trust and obey Jesus will receive eternal condemnation 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)?

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*The Oxford Annotated Bible, Revised Standard Version, Ed. by Herbert G. May and Bruce M. Metzger, Introduction to Jude, p. 1489, New York, Oxford University Press, 1962.

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17 Pentecost A
First Posted September 13, 2008;
Podcast: Saturday 17 Pentecost A

Mark 2:18-28 -- Fasting and Sabbath Observance;

Paraphrase:

It was a time of ritual fasting for the Jews, and the disciples of John the Baptizer and the disciples of the Pharisees (a legalistic Jewish faction) were fasting. People asked Jesus why his disciples didn’t fast also, and Jesus said that wedding guests can’t fast while the bridegroom is present. When the bridegroom is taken away they will fast in that day. One doesn’t repair an old garment by sewing a patch of new unshrunken cloth on it, or else the patch will shrink and a worse tear be made. Similarly, no one puts new wine in old wineskins, or else the wineskins will burst and both wine and wineskin will be lost. New wine requires new wineskins.

One Sabbath Jesus was going through a grainfield and his disciples were snacking on the heads of grain. The Pharisees rebuked Jesus for allowing his disciples to reap and thresh grain on the Sabbath, which was unlawful. In reply, Jesus asked them if they had never read in the Bible how, when he and his men were being hunted by Saul, David and his men had entered the house of God when Abiathar was high priest and had eaten the bread of the Presence, which only the priest is allowed to eat. Jesus also told them that the Sabbath was made for the benefit of the people; the people weren’t created for the benefit of the Sabbath, “so the Son of man is Lord even of the Sabbath. (Mark 2:28).

The Pharisees were strict, legalistic Jewish leaders. They considered themselves authorities on God’s Word. They fussed over the smallest details of God’s law, but they missed the most important point of God’s Word: Jesus is the promised Messiah (Christ; both words mean anointed in Hebrew and Greek, respectively) God’s “anointed eternal Savior and King. Jesus is the fulfillment embodiment and example of God’s Word lived in human flesh in this world (John 1:1-5, 14).

The coming of Jesus should have been an occasion of great celebration by the people of God. Jesus is the “bridegroom” and his people are the “bride.” Through faith in Jesus, the Church has become the “new people of God” by their acceptance of Jesus Christ in faith (obedient trust).

Judaism, based on the Old Covenant of Law, is the old garment which has worn out. Christianity is based on the New Covenant of Grace (God’s unmerited favor; a free gift) to be received by faith (obedient trust) in Jesus Christ. The “old garment” cannot simply be patched with the new “material” of Jesus Christ.

The New Covenant is the “new wine” of the Holy Spirit through faith in Jesus Christ, and cannot be put into the “old wineskins” of Judaism; it requires “new wineskins.” Christians are the “new wineskins” filled with the Holy Spirit, which is “new” in the sense that only now through Jesus it is possible for us to be spiritually cleansed and filled with the Holy Spirit.

The Jewish leaders had come to think of Judaism as “their” religion. They were more concerned with their status and authority in their society than with serving God. They cared more about the people’s approval than God’s approval. They cared more for their own wellbeing than for the wellbeing of the people who were their responsibility. By criticizing others for not keeping the smallest details of ritual law, they made themselves look and feel pious.

The issue of Jesus’ disciples snacking on heads of grain illustrates the Pharisees’ obsession with small details, and their spiritual blindness to the most important issues. Jesus’ disciples weren’t out in the grainfield doing the labor of actually harvesting and threshing grain. They were just eating a few heads of grain as a snack. The Pharisees, who were obligated to be God’s stewards, and shepherds of God’s people, didn’t care that the people were hungry and didn’t really care about their spiritual condition; they were only concerned with their own appearance of righteousness.

The Pharisees were experts in Bible scriptures, but they were only interested in the parts that made them look good. Jesus used the scripture to rebuke them. They failed to recognize that Jesus is God (Colossians 2:8-9; John 20:28), the Son of man (Daniel 7:13-14; Revelation 1:13-18; 14:14-16), and Lord of all Creation, including the Sabbath.

Nominal Christianity and the nominal Church today, particularly in America, are in much the same situation as Judaism at the time of Jesus first advent (coming). In too many instances Church leaders regard their job as a career choice. They regard the Church as their personal empire and run it for their personal benefit, instead of being shepherds and stewards of God’s people.

Christians are disciples of Jesus Christ (Acts 11:26d), who trust and obey Jesus and have been spiritually “born-again” (John 3:3, 5-8) by the gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit, which only Jesus gives (John 1:31-34), only to his disciples who trust and obey Jesus (John 14:15-17). The Holy Spirit is the seal and guarantee that one is in Christ and has eternal life (2 Corinthians 1:22; Ephesians 1:13-14; Romans 8:9b, 11, 15-16).

In too many instances people think that church membership and attendance make them “Christians.” Too may people think that teaching Sunday School or singing in the choir, or participating in some Church ritual will save them. Only a personal relationship with Jesus through the indwelling Holy Spirit by obedient trust in Jesus will save us. We must be “born-again” to see the kingdom of God all around us now in this world, and ultimately to see (and enter it) in eternity.

Jesus has promised to return at the end of our lifetime on the Day of Judgment to judge everyone who has ever lived on earth. Those who have accepted him as Lord and have trusted and obeyed Jesus will have been “born-again,” will be acknowledged by Jesus and will receive eternal life in God’s heavenly kingdom. But those who have refused to accept Jesus as Lord, or trust and obey Jesus, will receive eternal condemnation 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)?