Week of 12
Pentecost - B
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).
This 'blog is mirrored at:
http://shepboy.multiply.com/
http://shepherdboysmydailywalk.wordpress.com/
http://shepherdboy-mydailywalk.blogspot.com/
.mp3 Podcasts via Linux Festival text-to-speech and Panopreter
Basic text-to-speech are available at:
http://shepherdboy.byethost12.com/dw_bible2/a_year/Wklx_a.html
http://shepherdboy.byethost12.com/dw_bible2/b_year/wklx_b.html
http://shepherdboy.byethost12.com/dw_bible2/c_year/wklx_c.html
Please Note:
This ‘blog is now available in mobile-optimized format:
http://winksite.mobi/shepherdboy/MyDailyWalk
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 12 Pentecost - B
Sunday 12
Pentecost - B
First Posted August 23, 2009;
Podcast:
Sunday 12 Pentecost - B
1 Kings 19:4-8 -- Bread for the Journey;
Psalm 34:1-8 -- The Lord Our Deliverer;
Ephesians 4:30-5:2 -- Following Christ;
John 6:41-51 -- The Bread of Life;
1 Kings Background:
Elijah was a prophet of the Lord called to proclaim God’s Word to the
disobedient and idolatrous Northern Kingdom of the ten tribes of Israel. Ahab
was its King, and he had made Jezebel, the notorious pagan Canaanite his Queen.
Elijah had demonstrated that the God of Israel was the only true God, by a
contest with the priests of Baal whom Jezebel had installed.
1 Kings Summary:
Jezebel had sworn to kill Elijah and Elijah fled for his life to the
wilderness in southern Israel. Elijah laid down under a tree to sleep, and was
so discouraged that he asked the Lord to take Elijah’s life, but the angel of
the Lord came to him and gave him a cake of bread and a jar of water and told
Elijah to eat and drink. Elijah did so and then lay back down. The angel came
again and gave him another cake of bread and water, and told Elijah to eat and
drink, or the journey to the mountain of God (Mt. Sinai; Mt. Horeb) would be
too much for Elijah to accomplish. Elijah ate and drank what the angel had provided
and then went in the strength of that food and water forty days through the
wilderness to the mountain of God.
Psalm Paraphrase:
The psalmist, David, who became the great human shepherd-king of Israel and
forerunner of Christ, had fled for his life from then-King Saul. David took
refuge with King Achish of Gath, but the advisors of King Achish told the King
that David was a greater military threat than Saul. David became afraid that
King Achish might turn against him, so David feigned insanity and Achish was
glad to allow David to leave (1 Samuel 21:10-22:1).
The psalm is David’s testimony that the Lord is faithful and powerful to
deliver his people from trouble and their enemies, and that when we turn to the
Lord for help he hears and answers us with deliverance. David testifies that if
we will turn to the Lord in obedient trust we will experience his goodness and
faithfulness, and we will be glad that we took refuge in the Lord.
Ephesians Paraphrase:
Paul (Saul of Tarsus) is the prototype and example of a “modern,”
“post-resurrection” “born-again” (John 3:3, 5-8) disciple and apostle
(messenger; of the Gospel) of Jesus Christ, which we can also be. Paul was
fulfilling the command given by Jesus to his disciples to go and make disciples
and teach them to obey all that Jesus taught (Matthew 28:18-20), after
receiving the gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit as Jesus had commanded (Luke
24:49; Acts 1:4-5, 8; Acts 2:1-13, Acts 9:1-22).
Paul was teaching the Ephesians to be disciples of Jesus Christ; to follow
the teaching and example of Jesus Christ, and to receive 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). It takes a born-again
disciple to make born-again disciples, and disciples are to stay “in Jerusalem”
(i.e. the Church), until they receive the gift of the Holy Spirit before going
into the world to proclaim the Gospel.
John Paraphrase:
Jesus had miraculously fed five thousand in the “wilderness,” a desolate
area outside of Bethsaida, on the northeast shore of the Sea of Galilee (Luke
9:10b). The Jews had followed Jesus seeking more “free bread.” Jesus warned
them not to pursue worldly bread, which passes away, but instead to seek
spiritual bread from heaven which only Jesus can provide.
The crowd “murmured” against Jesus for declaring that God was his father and
that Jesus had come down from heaven, since they thought they knew, by “worldly
knowledge,” that Joseph was Jesus’ father. They didn’t know that Jesus had been
born by a virgin, by the will and power of the Holy Spirit (Matthew 1:1-25).
Jesus told them that people can’t come to faith (obedient trust) in Jesus
unless God the Father draws them. Jesus was going to be crucified, and his
Crucifixion was going to draw people to him (John 8:28; 12:32-33). Those who
have learned from God through God’s Word, the scripture, would recognize Jesus
as the Son of God, the fulfillment, embodiment and example of God’s Word in
human flesh (John 1: 1-5, 14).
Jesus declared that those who believe (trust and obey) Jesus have eternal
life. Jesus declared that he is the true spiritual bread of eternal life which
comes down from heaven to give spiritual life to those who receive him in
faith. God had provided manna, “bread from heaven” for Israel in the
wilderness, but it was merely physical sustenance; it didn’t give eternal life
to those who ate it; they still died in the wilderness.
Jesus declared that he was going to give “living bread” for the world and
that “bread” was his flesh, sacrificed on the Cross so that we could have
eternal life in God’s heavenly kingdom. Jesus created a New Covenant, of
forgiveness and salvation from eternal condemnation, out of the Passover feast
which he shared with his disciples on the night of his betrayal (Matthew
26:17-29), according to God’s eternal plan.
Commentary:
The Passover feast originally commemorated the deliverance of Israel from
the final plague of the death of the firstborn of the Egyptians, which gained
the Israelites their freedom from slavery and death in Egypt. A lamb was
sacrificed, the flesh was eaten, and the blood marked the doors of the
Israelites to cause the angel of death to “pass over” them (Exodus 12:1-20).
Jesus is the only sacrifice acceptable to God for the forgiveness of our
sins (disobedience of God’s Word), which allows us to be spiritually reborn to
eternal life through the gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit by faith (obedient
trust) in Jesus. The Holy Spirit is the “angel” of God’s presence (“angel” can
be understood as “spirit;” compare Acts 12:14-15), God’s Spirit, the Spirit of
the risen eternal Jesus Christ, that provides the spiritual bread and drink
which we must have to strengthen us for the journey through the wilderness of
this lifetime and come to the refuge of the “mountain of God” in heaven.
David trusted and obeyed the Lord and came to experience the goodness, power
and faithfulness of God. David invites us to “taste and see that the Lord is
good!”
Paul was confronted by the Spirit of the risen and ascended Jesus on the
road to Damascus. Paul trusted and obeyed Jesus as his Lord, and he received
the gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Christ, the Spirit of God
(Romans 8:9b). It was only by the power of the Holy Spirit working in Paul that
Paul was strengthened, guided and empowered to accomplish God’s will. 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 invites us to believe him and receive forgiveness and salvation from
eternal condemnation and destruction. If we will trust and obey Jesus we will
experience his goodness, faithfulness and power to deliver us from our fears
and troubles, and we will come to know that he is the Lord, the giver of
(physical and eternal) life (John 6:68-69; John 1:2-3; the third person of the
Trinity; the third article of the Nicene Creed).
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 12
Pentecost - B
First Posted August 24, 2009;
Podcast: Monday 12 Pentecost - B
Psalm 34:9-14 -- Fear the Lord;
Paraphrase
The psalmist, David, the great human shepherd-king of Israel, had come to
experience and know the Lord’s goodness, power and faithfulness to deliver him
from fear and danger. David had testified what the Lord had done for him, and
now urged others to fear the Lord, (not like we rightly fear those who wish us
harm, but that we have the proper respect and awe for God’s power and
authority). Those who reverence God, who trust and obey God, have no want. “The
‘young lions’ (ambitious worldly people) suffer want and hunger, but those who
seek the Lord lack no good thing” (Psalm 34:10).
The Psalmist invites us to listen to him and learn to fear the Lord. Doesn’t
everyone want a long life filled with good things and experiences? Then avoid
speaking evil and lies; stop doing what is evil, and begin to do what is right
in God’s judgment.
Commentary:
This is God’s Creation and God has always, from the very beginning, planned
to create an eternal kingdom of his people who willingly trust and obey God.
This life in this world is our opportunity to seek and come to know and
experience God (Acts 17:26-27). This is our opportunity to learn by
trial-and-error that God’s will is “good, acceptable and perfect” (Romans
12:2).
This Creation is temporal; God intends to limit it by time, because God
won’t tolerate disobedience forever. If we can learn to trust and obey God then
we will be able to live eternally with him in his new heavenly Creation which
is not subject to time and decay.
People who deny and defy God’s Word are like willful children, who do what
they want and think they can get away with it, because they aren’t immediately
struck down. We need not fear other people, because the worst they can do to us
is kill us physically. Who we do need to respect is God who has the power of
eternal life or eternal death over us (Luke 12:5).
Jesus Christ is God’s one and only provision for our salvation from eternal
condemnation (Acts 4:12). We have all sinned (disobeyed God’s Word; Romans
3:23; 1 John 1: 8-10), and God declares that the penalty for sin is (eternal)
death (Romans 6:23). Jesus is the only way to have forgiveness, restoration to
fellowship with God and eternal life (John 14:6; see God’s Plan of Salvation,
sidebar, top right, home).
Worldly people who choose to pursue their own will and desires will wind up
unsatisfied. The only way to find true happiness and satisfaction in this world
and eternally is to trust and obey God’s Word, and God’s Word is fulfilled,
embodied and exemplified in (and only in) Jesus Christ, because that is the way
God made this Creation from the very beginning (John 1:1-5, 14).
Only Jesus gives the “anointing” (baptism; 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). Those who have been “born-again” by the gift of the indwelling Holy
Spirit experience and testify to the personal fellowship with the Lord and his
guidance and power working through them.
If anyone wants to have a long life filled with blessings and satisfaction
one is invited to trust and obey 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)?
Tuesday 12
Pentecost - B
First Posted August 25, 2009;
Summary:
Wisdom is portrayed as the hostess of a great house, who has prepared a great feast. She has sent her servants out to summon all who realize that they lack wisdom, to come and dine. All are invited to leave foolishness and ignorance and live by wisdom and insight.
Commentary:
Wisdom referred to here is divine wisdom, not what the world falsely calls “wisdom” (1 Corinthians 1:17-25; 2:1-8). “The fear (awe and respect for the power and authority) of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding” (Proverbs 9:10). No matter how much one knows, that knowledge is incomplete without a personal knowledge of and fellowship with the Lord.
I believe that the meaning and purpose of life is to seek God, groping in spiritual darkness until we feel him (Acts 17:26-27). God has always intended to create an eternal kingdom of his people who willingly trust and obey him. This temporal world is our opportunity to learn by trial-and-error to trust and obey God’s Word.
In order to provide the freedom for us to choose whether to trust and obey God, he designed this creation with the possibility of sin (disobedience of God’s Word). God’s Word declares that we have all sinned (Romans 3:23; 1 John 1:8-10), and that the penalty for sin is (eternal) death. God created this world “very good” (Genesis 1:31); the reason there is sin and evil in this creation is because of mankind’s disobedience of God’s Word.
But God is not willing to tolerate disobedience forever, so he’s put a time limit on this Creation and our lifetime in it. This is our opportunity to come to experience and get to know the Lord, to discover his love, righteousness, faithfulness and power, and to learn to trust and obey his Word. God has planned from the beginning of Creation to provide forgiveness and salvation from sin and eternal death by grace (as a free gift) to all who will receive it through faith (obedient trust) in Jesus Christ (John 1:1-5, 14; Ephesians 2:8-9; see God’s Plan of Salvation, sidebar, top right, home).
There are not “many paths” to God; there’s only one! Faith is not wishing on a star; not getting what you believe, if you believe “hard enough.” Jesus is God’s only provision for our forgiveness and salvation (Acts 4:12; John 14:6). Jesus Christ is the truth, the power, and the wisdom of God (1 Corinthians 1:24).
Jesus portrayed the kingdom of God in a similar allegory, in which the Lord is the host of a great banquet. At the appointed time he sent his servants to summon the guests, but each was preoccupied with worldly matters and did not exercise their invitation. The Master sent his servants into the highways and byways and brought in the poor, the disabled, the humble and lowly who appreciated and responded to the invitation (Luke 14:16-24).
Are we too busy and satisfied with worldly things to exercise the invitation which the Lord has given in Jesus Christ? Do we think we can put off Christ’s invitation until a more convenient time?
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 12 Pentecost - B
First Posted August 26, 2009;
Podcast: Wednesday 12 Pentecost - B
Ephesians 5:15-20 -- True Wisdom;
Summary:
Christians are to learn the true wisdom which is only in Christ (1 Corinthians 1:17-25; 2:1-8) and to live according to that wisdom, rather than by what the world falsely calls wisdom. Instead of worldly wisdom let us seek to know God and do God’s will. Instead of getting drunk and partying in worldly celebration, let us be filled with the Holy Spirit and rejoice in the Lord and in our salvation, with psalms and hymns, praise and worship, always giving thanks with all our hearts to the God our Father in the name of Jesus.
Commentary:
Since the purpose of life in this Creation is to seek and find God and come to know and experience his truth and his will (Acts 17:26-27), we should make it our priority to know and live according to God’s Word, the Bible, and Jesus Christ, who speaks God’s Word (John 12:48-49; 14:14), for Jesus is the living Word, the fulfillment, embodiment and example of God’s Word in human flesh (John 1:1-5, 14). The Lord wants us to know his will, and as we seek it with the commitment of doing it, he will reveal his will to us, personally and individually.
The Lord wants us to be filled with his Holy Spirit. It is the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of God, the Spirit of Christ (Romans 8:9) within us who gives us new, eternal life (John 3:3, 5-8), and the guidance and power to know and do God’s will as we trust and obey him, instead of conforming to the standards of our worldly culture. When we experience the joy of the Lord’s presence and salvation, we have found the true success and joy which are eternal.
While we’re living according to worldly wisdom and worldly standards, we’re missing out on the great fellowship and satisfaction we can have when we’re doing what God intends for us to do. If we put off seeking the Lord and his will until we have worldly success and security, we will never find and know the true joy and security we can have in the Lord (Matthew 6:31-34).
Salvation is not by membership in a Church or by participating in religious ritual. Salvation is only by grace (free gift; unmerited favor) from God to be received by faith (obedient trust) in Jesus. We must be “born again,” 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 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).
This present lifetime is our only opportunity to learn to know, trust and obey God’s Word. No one can be certain about tomorrow. Today is the day of Salvation; today is the day to receive Jesus as our Lord and Savior and to begin living according to his word and example (2 Corinthians 6:2).
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)?
John 6:51-58 -- Living Bread of Heaven;
Paraphrase:
Jesus declared, “I am the living bread which came down from heaven; if any one eats of this bread he will live for ever” (John 6:51). Jesus gave his flesh (on the Cross, as a sacrificial offering) for the lives of everyone in the world who is willing to receive it in faith (obedient trust). The crowd discussed among themselves how Jesus could give them his flesh to eat. Jesus told them that, most assuredly, unless they partook of the flesh and blood of Jesus, they would remain spiritually dead. Those who receive and assimilate Jesus’ body and blood have eternal life, and Jesus will resurrect them to eternal life on the last day (the Day of Judgment).
Jesus declared that his flesh and blood were truly food and drink, and those who consume them abide in Jesus and Jesus abides in them. Because the (eternally) living Father has sent Jesus, and Jesus has eternal life in the Father, so those who participate in Jesus’ body and blood abide in Jesus and Jesus abides in them. Jesus is the true bread from heaven, of which manna was a preview. But manna just sustained God’s people physically in the wilderness; the bread Jesus provides gives and sustains eternal life.
Commentary:
When Jesus declares “I am” he is speaking with the creative force of God, the Creator of the Universe (Exodus 3:13-14; John 1:1-5, 14; Colossians 2:8-9). Jesus’ has been God’s one and only plan for eternal salvation from the beginning of Creation. God has always intended, from the beginning of Creation to establish an eternal kingdom of his people who willingly trust and obey him. All God’s dealings with the Israelites, and recorded in the Old Testament, were deliberately intended to be a picture revealing God’s plan for Creation. Then at the right time, Jesus came in human flesh to fulfill God’s Word.
Jesus came to become the New (sacrificial) Lamb of Passover for us. His flesh provides the sacrificial meal which sustains us so that we can come out of bondage to sin and death in “Egypt,” pass through the “wilderness” of this lifetime, pass through the “Jordan River” of death and into the Promised Land of God’s eternal kingdom. Jesus’ blood marks his disciples to be spared from the angel of (eternal) Death, as the Israelites were “passed over” in Egypt during the final plague of the deaths of all the firstborn of Egypt.
Jesus’ flesh and blood were sacrificed on the Cross as the only sacrifice acceptable to God for the forgiveness of our sin (disobedience of God’s Word (Romans 3:23; 1 John 1:8-10), and restoration to fellowship with God and eternal life in his heavenly kingdom (See God’s Plan of Salvation, sidebar, top right, home).
On the night of Jesus’ betrayal he initiated the New Covenant of Grace (unmerited favor; free gift) through faith (obedient trust) in Jesus. In Judaism a covenant between God and his people was consummated by a sacrifice, by the sprinkling of blood as a rite of purification, and a feast upon the flesh of the animal of the sacrifice. Jews were forbidden to drink blood or consume it with the flesh, because the spirit, the life force of the animal was attributed to its blood, and by consuming, one could receive the spirit of the animal. God doesn’t want us to be filled with the spirits of animals, but by his Holy Spirit.
In Jesus, the Passover was transformed into the New Feast of Holy Communion; the Eucharist; the Lord’s Supper. Jesus declared that the new feast is spiritual, and that those who participate in it in faith in Jesus receive Jesus’ body and blood.
Those who accept Jesus’ sacrifice and receive his body and blood receive the gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit. In order to accept forgiveness and salvation from eternal destruction, we must receive Jesus; we must invite him to come in and become our Lord (Revelation 3:20). Only Jesus gives the gift of the 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).
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 12 Pentecost - B
First Posted August 28, 2009;
Podcast: Friday 12 Pentecost - B
Isaiah 29:17-21
Mark 7:31-37
Isaiah Paraphrase:
Isaiah foretold a day when the farthest reaches of Israel would be transformed into a lush garden. In that day the deaf “shall hear the words of a book” (read aloud; Isaiah 29:18), and the blind will see and be delivered from gloom and darkness. The meek will receive new joy in the Lord, and the poor shall praise God and rejoice in him.
The poor, the meek and the disabled will rejoice because their oppressors, the ruthless, the scoffers and evildoers will be brought to an end, with those who give false testimony convicting the innocent, and those who rebuke those who are doing what is right.
Mark Paraphrase:
Jesus is the fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy. During Jesus’ earthly ministry he healed the physically deaf and mute, opened the eyes of the blind, he healed the sick and lame, and raised the dead. Jesus came to proclaim good news to the poor and meek and victims of oppression and injustice.
Commentary:
The truly blind and deaf are those who are blind and deaf spiritually; who cannot hear the Word of God in the Bible and in Jesus Christ, and cannot see their spiritual lostness (John 9:39).
In the week before his crucifixion, Jesus entered Jerusalem humbly on a donkey, and he went directly to the temple. Jesus found that the temple had been corrupted by merchants and bankers profiting from the people who came to the temple, and Jesus drove them out, declaring that they had made the temple a den of thieves (Mark 11:1-17).
The day is coming when the Lord will punish injustice and oppression, and will heal and bless the victims. Jesus has promised to return on the Day of Judgment to judge the earth. Those who have trusted and obeyed Jesus will receive eternal life in the heavenly paradise of God’s kingdom, but those who have rejected Jesus and have refused to trust and obey him will receive eternal destruction and death in Hell, separated eternally from all love and goodness (Matthew 25:31-46).
At the time of Jesus' first advent (coming) Israel was unprepared to receive their promised Messiah (Christ). The religion and nation was being run for the benefit of the leaders and the rich and powerful. The poor and humble were receptive and responsive, but the rich and powerful were unreceptive and rejected Jesus’ message of justice and restoration, and their rejection led to the destruction of their nation and their temple by the Romans in 70 A. D. Israel ceased to exist as a nation, Judaism effectively ended, and the people were scattered throughout the world, returning only after World War II. The temple has never been rebuilt.
America is the New Promised Land, and the Church is the New Jerusalem, the New People of God. America and the Church are in the same condition as Israel and Judaism at the time of Jesus’ first coming. God expects his people to deal justly and care for the poor, the disabled and the meek, not to pervert democracy for the benefit of the rich and powerful.
At Jesus’ second coming he will be riding on the clouds, not on a donkey. He will come in great power and glory, and he will give justice and vindication to the oppressed, and punish the oppressors and evildoers. It is not those who call themselves “Christians” who will be saved, but those who have trusted and obeyed Jesus’ teachings (Matthew 7:21-27).
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 12 Pentecost - B
First Posted August 29, 2009;
Podcast: Saturday 12 Pentecost - B
2 Corinthians 3:4-9 -- Ministers of the New Covenant;
Paraphrase:
Paul and all “born-again” (John 3:3, 5-8) Christian disciples can be confident before God through Christ, though not by our own ability or worthiness. Our qualification and empowerment to be ministers of the New Covenant are the gift of God, and the New Covenant is by life in the Holy Spirit, unlike the Old Covenant of written Law which condemns us to eternal death.
The Old Covenant of Law (the Ten Commandments) carved in stone, condemning us to eternal death, were accompanied by splendor. Moses’ face glowed so brightly from being in the presence of God that the people couldn’t look at Moses’ face until the glow faded. Therefore the New Covenant which gives (eternal) life in the Spirit will be accompanied with even greater splendor, since life in righteousness by the Spirit is so much better than life under condemnation by the Law. The splendor of life under the New Covenant is so much greater that life under the Old Covenant, which once had splendor, now has faded in comparison. If what was temporary had splendor, what is eternal will have greater splendor.
Commentary:
The Old Covenant of Law was given by God as a temporary “guardian” until the coming of the Messiah, Jesus, and his establishment of the New Covenant. The Law was intended to teach us what God requires, and to demonstrate that we are unable to fulfill all the Law by our own ability.
Jesus’ death on the Cross has become the only sacrifice acceptable to God, once for all time and all people, for the forgiveness of our sin (disobedience of God’s Word) and salvation from eternal condemnation and destruction in Hell. Jesus’ death made it possible for us to be cleansed by his blood, and to receive the gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit. It is the presence of the Holy Spirit within us which gives us spiritual, eternal life and makes it possible for us to serve and please God.
The ultimate comparison of life under the Law and life in the Spirit is revealed in the Feast of Passover. Passover was the commemoration of God’s deliverance of Israel from bondage to sin and death in Egypt, and the anticipation of the coming of the Messiah. (A seat at the table was left empty for “Elijah,” the prophet who was to return heralding the coming of the Messiah.) A perfect lamb without defect was sacrificed and eaten, and his blood marked the doorway, so that the angel of Death would “pass over” them when the final plague of the death of the first-born of the Egyptians was carried out.
Jesus and his disciples celebrated the Passover feast on the night of Jesus’ betrayal and arrest. The Messiah has taken his place at the table. (John the Baptist was the fulfillment of the expectation of the return of “Elijah;” Matthew 17:10-13). During that meal, Jesus instituted the Feast of the New Covenant (Matthew 26:26-29), “The Lord’s Supper; Holy Communion; The Eucharist. Jesus has become the spotless Lamb, sacrificed for the forgiveness of our sin (disobedience of God’s word) and salvation from eternal condemnation.
Those who trust and obey Jesus enter into the New Covenant of grace (unmerited favor; a free gift) by faith (obedient trust; Ephesians 2:8-9) in Jesus. Jesus is the only one who 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).
Everyone else is under the Old Covenant of the Law of sin and death, still in the “Egypt” of this fallen world. God’s Word says that all have sinned (Romans 3:23; 1 John 1:8-10), and that the penalty for sin is eternal death (Romans 6:23). Jesus is God’s only provision for our forgiveness and salvation (Acts 4:12; John 14:6; see God’s Plan of Salvation, sidebar, top right).
At Jesus’ crucifixion, the veil of the temple, separating the people from God’s presence in the Holy of Holies, was torn in two, from top to bottom (Matthew 27:51), symbolizing that Jesus has become the new (and only) way into God’s presence. The temple, the means of the sacrificial system on which the Old Covenant depends, was destroyed in 70 A.D. by the Romans and has never been rebuilt.
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)?
