Week
of 15 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.
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Podcast Download: Week of 15 Pentecost - B
Sunday
15 Pentecost - B
First Posted September 13, 2009;
Podcast: Sunday 15 Pentecost - B
Deuteronomy 4:1-2, 6-8 -- Citizenship in God’s Kingdom;
Psalm 15 -- Who will Dwell in God’s Kingdom?
Ephesians 6:10-20 -- Requirements for God’s
Servants;
Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23 -- Scripture versus
Tradition;
Deuteronomy Paraphrase:
Moses gave Israel his farewell speech as Israel
was poised to enter the Promised Land after forty years of
wilderness wandering. Moses urged them to hear and obey the Laws
which God had given Moses (the Scripture of the Covenant of Law;
the Word of God; the Old Testament Bible). Moses warned Israel
that obedience to God’s Word was the condition for long life and
their inheritance and possession of the Promised Land. Moses
warned them not to add to or take anything from God’s Word.
Moses told Israel that their obedience to God’s
Word would be Israel’s testimony, to the nations surrounding them
and displaced by them, of the wisdom and understanding given them
by God through his Word. Israel’s obedience to God’s Word would be
a testimony to Gentiles (non-Jews) of the wisdom, righteousness,
power, and presence of God to answer when Israel prayed, and help
when they called upon God.
Psalm Paraphrase:
David was the man
that God testified shared God’s heart (concern) and would do all
God’s will (Acts 13:22; Psalm 89:20). David, the shepherd boy who
became the great earthly king of Israel, had a personal knowledge
of, and relationship with God. David testified that those who
trust and obey God’s Word and do what is right in God’s judgment,
will dwell in God’s presence, now and eternally.
Ephesians Paraphrase:
Paul (Saul of Tarsus)
had been confronted by the risen Jesus on the road to Damascus and
had been radically converted from a persecutor of Christians to
become the prototype and example of a modern, “post-resurrection,”
“born-again” (John 3:3, 5-8) disciple (student) and apostle
(messenger; of the Gospel) of Jesus Christ (Acts 9:1-21). Paul had
been discipled by a born-again disciple, Ananias (Acts 9:10-20),
and was now, after being filled with the gift of the indwelling
Holy Spirit (Luke 24:49; Acts 1:4-5, 8), fulfilling Jesus’ Great
Commission to go into the world and make disciples of all nations
(Matthew 28:18-20), teaching them to (trust and) obey all that
Jesus commands.
Paul was teaching the
Ephesian disciples to be equipped for the Lord’s service. The
first requirement is to be born-again; we cannot carry on Christ’s
mission in our own fleshly strength and ability. Life in this
world is a spiritual battle against supernatural forces of evil.
We can only know and accomplish God’s will by the power and
guidance of his Holy Spirit within us.
Only Jesus gives the
gift of his indwelling Holy Spirit (John 1:31-34), only to his
disciples who trust and obey Jesus (John 14:15-17). So disciples
must first learn (divine) truth, which is God’s Word, in the Bible
and in the fulfillment, embodiment and example of God’s Word in
human flesh, Jesus Christ (John 1:1-5, 14; John 14:6). Divine
truth and divine wisdom are not what the world falsely calls
“truth” and “wisdom” (1 Corinthians 1:17-25, 2:1-8). God’s truth
(and wisdom) revealed in Jesus Christ is the basic garment over
which the "armor" of God is applied.
We must be shod with
the Gospel of Jesus Christ; we won’t go very far in bare feet. We
must know and experience the truth of the Gospel in our own lives.
Through faith (obedient trust) in Jesus we receive the breastplate
of Christ’s righteousness, by which we are saved from God’s
judgment (see God’s Plan of Salvation, sidebar, top right, home).
We must take the shield of faith, which will protect us from the
flaming arrows the forces of evil will shoot at us. Salvation is
the helmet which preserves us for eternal life.
The Word of God is
the weapon the Holy Spirit gives us to prevail against evil. Going
into spiritual battle without being equipped with the Word of God
will not accomplish Christ’s mission and will be spiritually
disastrous for ourselves. If we will read the Bible entirely, and
portions daily, the Word of God will be available to us to
accomplish God’s will through the guidance and empowerment of the
Holy Spirit (see Free Bible Study Tools, sidebar, top right,
home). The Lord opens the minds of his disciples to understand his
Word (Luke 24:45), and recalls it to our memory at the time we
need it (Mark 13:11), to accomplish God’s will (which he reveals
day by day in his Word by the indwelling Holy Spirit) and to
defend ourselves from spiritual attack (Mathew 4:1-11).
Christians are to
pray constantly, guided by the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:26-27). We’re
to be constantly alert, like worldly armies post sentries, so that
the enemy cannot sneak up on them and catch them by surprise. We
are to pray for ourselves and other Christians to be able to
proclaim the Gospel boldly, and not to bring criticism of the
Gospel in the world by unscriptural behavior.
Mark Paraphrase:
The Pharisees were a
leading, legalistic faction of Judaism, and scribes were teachers
of Jewish (Old Testament) Scriptures (the Bible). Judaism had
become a “ritualistic religion” rather than a relationship with
God. The religious leaders were using “religion” to pursue their
own worldly interests, instead of seeking to know and serve God’s
will. They were more concerned with following the tradition of
their ancestors than in trusting and obeying God’s Word.
They criticized
Jesus’ disciples for not observing the tradition and ritual of
washing their hands before eating. Their criticism revealed their
lack of concern for the needs of others and their interest in
making themselves look righteous to others by their adherence to
ritual and tradition, rather than their responsibility to seek and
obey God’s will.
Jesus taught his
hearers that it is not superficial things like ritual and
tradition which determine whether we are righteous in God’s
judgment or not, but whether we seek to know, trust and obey God’s
Word. Eating certain foods or abstaining from them won’t save or
condemn us in God’s judgment, but whether or not we have sought to
know, trust and obey God’s Word will.
Commentary:
There are many
examples all around us today of nominal “Christian” churches which
have strayed into tradition and ritual and have become “religions”
which attempt to manipulate God to do their will, instead of a
relationship with God in which we seek to know and do God’s will.
People who claim to
be God’s people should trust and obey God’s Word. Calling
ourselves Christians doesn’t make it so, but instead it is those
who hear and do what Jesus commands. Jesus said, “Why do you call
me Lord, Lord, and not do what I tell you” (Luke 6:46). “Not
everyone who calls me Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of
Heaven, but he who does the will of my Father who is in Heaven”
(Matthew 7:21, and see: 22-27).
If we don’t trust and
obey Jesus in this lifetime we aren’t going to spend eternity with
him in the Kingdom of God in Heaven. There are a lot of people who
think that, if they’re “good people,” they will go to heaven when
they die, who are going to be terribly, eternally, disappointed
and miserable.
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 15 Pentecost - B
First Posted September 14, 2009;
Podcast: Monday 15 Pentecost - B
Psalm 146 -- Praise the Lord!
Paraphrase:
I will praise the Lord with my eternal soul as
long as I have existence.
“Put not your trust in princes, in a son of man
in whom there is no help” (Psalm 146:3). When a person dies his
body returns to soil (from which he was created) and his plans die
with him.
Happy is the person whose help and hope are in
the Lord his God, the creator of heaven and earth and sea and
every thing in them. The Lord’s faithfulness is eternal. He gives
justice to the oppressed and food to the hungry.
“The Lord sets the prisoners free; the Lord
opens the eyes of the blind; the Lord lifts up those who are bowed
down; the Lord loves the righteous” (Psalm 146:7c-8). The Lord
protects travelers and aliens; he provides support for widows and
orphans, but he will destroy the wicked.
The Lord reigns eternally over all generations,
the God of Zion (the city and people of God) through all
generations. Praise the Lord!
Commentary:
The Psalmist testifies to the faithfulness and
power of the Lord to help those who recognize their need and call
upon the Lord in faith. In our human nature, we try to be
“self-sufficient” and “self-reliant.” When that fails we may turn
to others who are no more able to help us than we are, even though
they may have great worldly status and authority.
Worldly security is an illusion! No matter how
much we accumulate it’s never quite enough. Trouble is a part of
life which comes to all of us sooner or later. Sometimes we need
to experience trouble in order to realize our limitations, and to
recognize our need for the Lord. When we’re in the midst of
trouble it’s hard to trust God to help if we haven’t learned to
trust him when things are going well.
Jesus Christ is the Lord who sets prisoners
free and opens the eyes of the blind (Luke 4:16-21; Matthew
11:2-6). Jesus physically healed the blind and deaf, and set
prisoners free (Acts 12:6-11), but the miracles of physical
healing and release were intended to demonstrate Jesus’ power and
mission to heal and free us spiritually. Jesus is the fulfillment
of the Psalmist’s prophecy, and is the embodiment of the Lord
(God) in human flesh (Colossians 2:8-9; John 20:28), who lifts up
the humble, protects sojourners, and provides care for widows and
orphans.
Jesus is also the righteous judge, who has been
given all authority in heaven and earth (Matthew 28:18) to judge
the living and the dead (in both the physical and spiritual
senses; John 5:28-29; Matthew 25:31-46; 2 Thessalonians 1:5-10).
Jesus has the authority to give eternal life (“re-birth; by the
gift of his indwelling Holy Spirit (John 1:31-34; 3:3, 5-8) to his
disciples who trust and obey him (John 14:15-17). Jesus also has
the ultimate authority to condemn the wicked (those who do not
trust and obey God’s Word), who are spiritually “dead,” to eternal
death and destruction in Hell (see God’s Plan of Salvation,
sidebar, top right, home).
Jesus demonstrated his mission to make
“born-again” (John 3:3, 5-8) disciples, and trained and commanded
his disciples to continue that mission, after they had received
the gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit (Luke 24:49; Acts 1:4-5, 8;
Matthew 28:19-20). 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’ born-again
disciples are to continue making born-again disciples by teaching
them to trust and obey Jesus, until Jesus returns.
Jesus has promised to return again, at the end
of history, in the Day of Judgment. That will be the day of ruin
for the wicked, but the day of rejoicing and celebration for
Jesus’ disciples.
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 15 Pentecost - B
First Posted September 15, 2009;
Podcast: Tuesday 15 Pentecost - B
Isaiah 35:4-7a -- The Coming Savior;
Paraphrase:
Those who are afraid are urged to take courage
and not fear. Our God will come with vengeance and will repay each
one according to his deeds. He will come and save us.
“Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened and
the ears of the deaf unstopped; then shall the lame man leap like
a hart (a deer) and the tongue of the dumb (mute) shall sing for
joy” (Isaiah 35:5-6b).
At his coming the wilderness will be
transformed; streams of water will break forth. What was once
burning sand will become a pool of water and springs of water will
rise up to irrigate the thirsty ground.
Those who fear God (who have proper awe and
respect for his power and authority) have no need to fear his
coming, because he will save his people. The Lord is coming with
vengeance to punish the wicked oppressors and to restore his
people.
The Lord is coming to restore sight to the
blind, hearing to the deaf, and voice to the mute. His coming will
transform the spiritual wilderness of this world into a lush
garden. Creation will be restored to its original goodness
(Genesis 1:31).
Commentary:
Jesus is the fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy
(Luke 4:16-21; Matthew 11:2-6). Jesus healed the physically blind,
deaf and lame, but his real mission is to heal spiritual
blindness, deafness and disability. The miracles Jesus did were to
demonstrate that Jesus can also heal spiritually, and to reveal
that Jesus is the promised Messiah to those who know and believe
God’s Word.
Jesus is the only one who can transform this
“wilderness” with spiritual springs and rivers of water, and that
life-giving and life-transforming water is the “anointing” of the
indwelling Holy Spirit (John 4:13-14; 7:37-39). Jesus is the rock
in the wilderness from whom comes the water of eternal life (1
Corinthians 10:4). Only Jesus “baptizes” (‘anoints”) with the gift
of the indwelling Holy Spirit (John 1:31-34), only his disciples
who trust and obey Jesus (John 14:15-17). The 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
‘anointing” with the Holy Spirit is a discernible event; one can
know for oneself with certainty whether one has received the gift
of the indwelling Holy Spirit (Acts 2:1-13; 19:2).
Isaiah’s prophecy refers to Jesus’ first coming
(“advent”) but it also applies to Jesus’ Second Coming, when he
will come to judge the living and the dead, in both the physical
and spiritual senses (John 5:28-29; 1 Peter 4:5). Those who have
trusted and obeyed Jesus will receive eternal life in the kingdom
of God in a new Creation restored to paradise (Revelation 21:1-4).
Those who have rejected Jesus and have refused to trust and obey
him will be condemned to eternal destruction in Hell (Matthew
25:31-46; 2 Thessalonians 1:5-10).
Those who reverence and obey the Lord will have
no need to fear Jesus’ return; it will be a time of great joy and
rejoicing for them. Those who have spiritually blind, deaf, and
disabled and have refused to let Jesus heal them will see and hear
spiritual truth in that day (Luke 21:27; Matthew 24:30); they will
learn and know the fear of God in that day (Luke 21:25-26), but it
will be too late to change their eternal destiny.
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 15 Pentecost - B
First Posted September 16, 2009;
Podcast: Wednesday 15 Pentecost - B
James 1:17-22 (23-25) 26-27 -- True Worship;
Paraphrase:
Christians are warned to not be deceived. God
is the giver of everything good. God is the “Father of lights”
(the Creator of the sun, moon and stars; but also light as a
symbol of righteousness). God is unchanging in goodness. He has
created us according to his will and purpose and Christians have
become the “first fruits” (offered and dedicated to God) of
Creation, brought forth by the “word of truth” (the Gospel; the
Word of God).
Christians are to be quick to listen (to learn and obey
the Lord’s Word), and slow to speak and slow to be angry. Anger
does not accomplish the righteousness of God in us or in the
world. Disciples are to remove sinful and wicked thoughts and
behaviors from themselves, like weeds from a garden, and receive
the implanted Word with meekness, so that it can grow to spiritual
maturity in us, resulting in our eternal salvation.
Christians are cautioned to apply the Word of
God in their daily lives. Hearing God’s Word is of no benefit if
we do not apply it diligently; those who hear, but do not apply,
are deceiving themselves. Unless we apply God’s Word, it is as
fleeting in our memory as one’s appearance in a mirror. Those who
look into God’s Word, “the perfect law,” the law of liberty, with
the commitment to apply it will be blessed as he does so.
A person who thinks he is “religious” but
doesn’t apply its teachings is wasting his time and only deceiving
himself. Religion that is pure and acceptable to God is to apply
its teachings in daily life; for example giving aid to widows and
orphans, and avoiding participation in sinful worldly behavior.
Commentary:
God has always intended from the very beginning
of Creation to establish an eternal kingdom of his people who
willingly trust and obey God. This lifetime is our opportunity to
seek and come to know God (Acts 17:26-27) and learn to trust and
obey him. Jesus has always been God’s plan from the very beginning
of Creation (John 1:1-5, 14). God isn’t going to force anyone to
trust and obey him, and he will allow us to choose for ourselves
whether we want to live eternally with him in Paradise according
to his rules.
There are lots of false teachings in the world
today. Satan is a counterfeiter. There are not “many” paths to
salvation; there’s only one and that way is Jesus Christ (John
14:6; Acts 4:12). One can go “church shopping” and find a “church”
which offers a “better, easier” deal than the requirements of
discipleship and daily obedient trust in Jesus Christ. The way to
avoid deception is to read the “word of truth,” the Bible, God’s
Word.
A Christian is a “born-again” (John 3:3, 5-8)
disciple of Jesus Christ (Acts 11:26c) who trusts and obeys Jesus.
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). Anyone who does not have the
Holy Spirit within him does not belong to Christ (Romans 8:9). It
is impossible to receive the indwelling Holy Spirit and not know
it with absolute certainty (Acts 19:2).
Christian discipleship is a growth process. As
we accept Jesus as our Lord with the commitment to hear and obey
his teaching, he will cause us to grow in faith as he shows his
power and faithfulness to us. What we trust in faith in Jesus
becomes certain knowledge (John 6:68-69). This lifetime is God’s
garden. He intends for us to receive his Word, the Bible, and
Jesus Christ, the living Word of God, God’s Word fulfilled,
embodied and illustrated in Jesus Christ, and to allow it to grow
to spiritual maturity and eternal life within us individually. We
are to remove the “weeds” from our lives so that the implanted
Word can grow to maturity and perfection.
Jesus is the righteous judge and eternal king.
He has promised to return on the Day of Judgment, and judge those
who are physically living and dead (John 5:28-29) and those who
are spiritually living and dead (1 Peter 4-5). Those who have
trusted and obeyed Jesus will receive eternal life in God’s
heavenly kingdom; those who have rejected Jesus and have refused
to trust and obey him will spend eternity in Hell in eternal
destruction (Matthew 25:31-46; 2 Thessalonians 1:5-10).
“Religion” won’t save us from God’s eternal
condemnation; ritual won’t save us; church membership won’t save
us. Only obedient trust in Jesus Christ will save us, through a
personal fellowship with Jesus Christ by the gift of his
indwelling Holy Spirit.
“Faith” is not getting whatever we believe if
we believe “hard enough;” faith is believing with enough
conviction to rely on what we believe and act upon it (i.e.
obedient trust). Faith in anyone or anything other than the Lord
Jesus Christ will ultimately betray and disappoint us. It isn’t
those who call Jesus Lord who are saved, but only those who do
what he teaches and commands (Matthew 7:21-27; Luke 6:46).
You have heard the “word of truth;” what are
you doing with it? 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 15 Pentecost - B
First Posted September 17, 2009;
Podcast: Thursday 15 Pentecost - B
Mark 7:31-37 -- Healing the Deaf and Mute;
Paraphrase:
Jesus and his disciples were returning from
Tyre and Sidon, ancient Phoenician cities on the Mediterranean
coast in what is now Lebanon, north and west of Galilee, to the
region of the Decapolis, the Roman Province of the “ten cities”
south and east of the Sea of Galilee. A deaf man with a speech
impediment was brought by his acquaintances to Jesus, begging
Jesus to heal the man.
Jesus took the man aside from the crowd,
privately. Jesus put his fingers in the man’s ears, and he spat
and touched the man’s tongue. Jesus looked toward heaven and said
“Ephphatha” (the exact word in the language of Jesus; Aramaic,
meaning “be opened”). The man’s ears were opened and he spoke
plainly.
Jesus told the people who had brought the man
to Jesus not to tell anyone. But the more Jesus told them the more
they proclaimed it. The people were amazed and said “He has done
all things well; he even makes the deaf hear and the dumb speak”
(Mark 7:37b).
Commentary:
Healing the deaf and mute was one of the signs
prophesied in God’s Word which would accompany the coming of the
Messiah (Isaiah 35:5-6b). Jesus is the fulfillment of prophecy and
God’s Word (John 1:1-5, 14). The test of prophecy is its
fulfillment (Deuteronomy 18:21-22); God’s Word is always
fulfilled.
Jesus was concerned with the physical well-being
of people but his main mission was to bring spiritual healing.
Jesus’ miracles of physical healing were intended to show that
Jesus can also heal spiritual illness, and spiritual healing is
eternally more important. We are all spiritually “terminally ill,”
unless we receive the spiritual healing only Jesus can provide
(see God’s Plan of Salvation, sidebar, top right, home).
Jesus took the man aside and healed him
privately, and asked him and his acquaintances not to publicize
the healing. Jesus was already attracting large crowds seeking
physical healing and physical feeding, hindering Jesus’ ministry
of spiritual healing and feeding. The man received physical
hearing and the ability to speak clearly; what he chose to do with
that healing was his decision to make.
The man and his friends thought they were
helping Jesus’ ministry by publicizing his physical healing. They
were using worldly methods to promote Jesus’ ministry, instead of
using their hearing to become Jesus’ disciples and learning his
teachings, learning to trust and obey Jesus, and then, after
receiving the gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit (Luke 24:49, Acts
1:4-5, 8), which only Jesus gives (John 1:31-34), only to his
disciples who trust and obey Jesus (John 14:15-17), using their
voices to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ as Jesus’ Apostles
(messengers; of the Gospel).
The healed man received physical healing, but
he missed the opportunity for spiritual healing and rebirth
because he didn’t listen to and obey Jesus; he was still
spiritually deaf and spiritually dead. He and his acquaintances
thought they were glorifying God by their “witness” but they
didn’t have the spiritual relationship with Jesus which would
qualify them to be witnesses; they weren’t filled with, guided and
empowered by the Holy Spirit, and were hindering rather than
helping Jesus’ ministry. Their testimony suffered from a spiritual
“speech impediment.”
There’s a lot of detail in what Jesus
physically said and did which led to the healing. One might think
one could learn to do what Jesus was doing by watching what he
said and did physically. But Jesus’ power came from the Holy
Spirit, the Spirit of God within Jesus. Jesus was filled with the
Holy Spirit at his baptism (John 1 31-34; Colossians 2:8-9). There
is no “magic” word or “ritual” that we can use to gain God’s favor
and power.
Instead of watching the physical details of
Jesus’ ministry we should watch and learn the spiritual lessons he
teaches about totally obedient trust in God’s Word. People would
like to have the power Jesus had, without obedience and
discipleship (Acts 8:9-24). His disciples are to learn to be
spiritual healers.
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 15 Pentecost - B
First Posted September 18, 2009;
Podcast: Friday 15 Pentecost - B
1 Kings 17:8-16 -- The Widow of Zarephath
Matthew 6:24-34 -- Serving Two Masters
1 Kings Paraphrase:
Elijah, a prophet of the Lord, was sent to
declare a drought and famine to Ahab, the wicked king of the
Northern Kingdom of Israel. Then the Lord told Elijah to go and
live with a widow in Zarephath, a town on the Phoenician coast
(now in Lebanon), outside of the control of King Ahab.
Elijah went and found the widow collecting
sticks for a cooking fire. Elijah asked her to bring him some
water, and as she turned to get it, he asked her to also bring a
little bread. She told him that she only had a handful of meal in
a jar and a little oil, and that she had been gathering the sticks
to make one last meal for her son and herself, before they starved
to death.
Elijah told her to go and make a small cake of
bread for Elijah first, and then make the meal for her son and
herself as she had intended. Elijah declared that the Lord God of
Israel promised that the widow’s jar of meal and bottle of oil
would not run out before the end of the drought. The widow went
and did as Elijah had instructed, and she and her son and Elijah
ate for many days, and the meal and oil were not used up, as the
Lord’s Word had been declared through Elijah.
Matthew Paraphrase:
The Gospel text is part of the Sermon on the
Mount, which is a representative collection of Jesus’ teachings;
his typical sermon. Jesus warns his hearers that one cannot serve
two masters and satisfy them both. One cannot serve God and
“mammon” (Aramaic; meaning “wealth”).
Jesus tells his hearers not to worry about our
physical life. This lifetime is about more than food and clothing.
God is able to provide for his creatures from his creation. Birds
don’t need to sow and reap, nor do they need to store up food; God
provides their food. Flowers don’t need to work to produce or buy
clothing. If God can provide food and clothing for his other
creatures, can’t he also feed and clothe us who are much more
precious than sparrows or flowers. Grass and flowers are
ephemeral; here today and gone tomorrow.
Jesus teaches us not to worry about physical
necessities like food, drink, and clothing. We aren’t to follow
the example of the Gentiles (pagans; heathens; unbelievers). God
knows that we need these things. “But seek first his kingdom and
his righteousness and all these things shall be yours as well”
(Matthew 6:33). So let us not be worried about tomorrow; let us
live one day at a time.
Commentary:
Elijah was a faithful man of God in the
Northern Kingdom of Israel under a wicked King. King Ahab had made
a pagan Phoenician (“Sidonian”) woman his Queen, and she had
established temples and priests of Baal in Northern Israel (1
Kings 16:29-34). Prophets of the Lord had repeatedly warned the
Northern Kingdom to turn from idolatry and disobedience of God’s
Word, but their warnings were ignored.
Elijah faithfully proclaimed God’s Word to
Ahab. Elijah trusted and obeyed God’s Word, and God protected and
provided for Elijah, and those who believed the Word of God which
Elijah proclaimed (1 Kings 17:15). Elijah and the widow are
examples of people who trusted and obeyed God’s Word above seeking
their own physical necessities, and as they trusted and obeyed,
God provided the physical necessities as well. Jesus pointed out
that there were many widows in Israel at that time, and yet the
only widow who benefited from God’s Word was the “foreign” widow
of Zarephath, because only she trusted and obeyed it (Luke 4:26).
The Sermon on the Mount is a typical example of
Jesus’ teaching and his call to be his disciples. Jesus warns that
we must commit to make the Lord our master and trust and obey him.
In our human nature, we want to be “Lord;” we want to be
“self-sufficient;” “self-reliant.” If we put worldly food,
clothing and security ahead of serving the Lord, we will never get
around to it, because we will never achieve worldly security and
self-sufficiency.
This lifetime has been deliberately created by
the Lord God to be our opportunity to seek and come to knowledge
of and fellowship with God, our Creator (Acts 17:26-27). We can
only do this through obedient trust in Jesus Christ, because God
has intentionally “built” Jesus Christ into the “fabric” of
creation (John 1:1-5, 14). No one comes to God except through
Jesus Christ (John 14:6; Acts 4:12; see God’s Plan of Salvation,
sidebar, top right, home).
If we put serving the Lord ahead of ourselves,
and seek God’s kingdom first, we will have security and
sufficiency which we cannot have in this world, and the Lord will
provide the physical necessities that we need as well. I
personally testify to this truth. The Lord has provided abundantly
for myself and my family, beyond my expectations, for the years,
since 1979, that I’ve been serving him.
This temporal life is “ephemeral;” we’re no
different than grass or flowers, compared to eternity. If we trust
and obey God’s Word we can come to know with certainty within
ourselves that we are in Christ and have eternal life (John
6:68-69). 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)?
Saturday 15 Pentecost - B
First Posted September 19, 2009;
Podcast: Saturday 15 Pentecost - B
Galatians 5:25-6:10 -- Life in the Spirit;
Paraphrase:
We are “reborn” (John 3:3, 5-8) by the Holy
Spirit, provided that we learn to walk according to his guidance.
So Christians must not be conceited or provoke or envy others. If
a brother (or sister) succumbs to temptation we should restore him
with gentleness, remembering that we too are vulnerable to
temptation. We are to help one another, thus fulfilling Jesus’
command to love one another.
We must not deceive ourselves, thinking we’re
superior to anyone else. Instead of building ourselves up by
comparison with someone else, we should examine ourselves honestly
and then our evaluation will be on ourselves alone, for each of us
will be judged on our own deeds. Those who teach God’s Word
should be repaid by those who receive his teaching.
Don’t deceive yourselves; God cannot be fooled.
What we do in this lifetime will determine what we receive in
eternity. Those who live according to the flesh will die eternally
in their flesh; those who live according to the Holy Spirit will
live eternally in the Spirit. Let us keep on doing what is right
(according to God’s Word) with perseverance, because we will
ultimately be rewarded, if we do not succumb to discouragement. So
then let us do good to everyone, but especially to our brothers
and sisters in Christ.
Commentary:
Jesus came to show us the way to eternal life
in fellowship with God in God’s heavenly kingdom. When we allow
him to be our Lord, our Master, and begin to trust and obey his
teaching in our daily lives he will give us the gift of his
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 makes it possible for us to
know and do God’s will with the expectation that we will follow
his guidance and use the empowerment he provides. 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).
Christians are “born-again” (John 3:3, 5-8) disciples of Jesus
Christ (Acts 11:26c) who trust and obey Jesus (Matthew 28:19-20). Christian discipleship is a
spiritual growth process. When we commit to being a disciple we
need to start learning God’s Word, which Jesus teaches. We need to
begin reading the Bible, thoroughly and daily, and we need to
start applying Jesus’ teachings in our life on a day-by-day basis.
As we begin to follow Jesus, we will be “born-again.” But it
doesn’t happen overnight; remember that the Twelve original
disciples of Jesus Christ were physically with Jesus day and night
for three years, and still they had to “stay in Jerusalem (the
Church is the New Jerusalem on earth) until they had been filled
with the Holy Spirit (Luke 24:49; Acts 1:4-5, 8, 2:1-13).
As we trust and obey Jesus, we receive the gift
of the indwelling Holy Spirit with the purpose of helping us
continue to grow in trust and obedience to Jesus unto spiritual
maturity. As we have a personal relationship with Jesus by his
indwelling Holy Spirit and as we seek his will, he will lead and
empower us to be his witnesses according to his individual will
for us.
We cannot carry on Christ’s mission in our own
physical strength and ideas. We’re not to use Christian ministry
to exalt ourselves or create our own “empire,” as the Jewish
religious leaders were doing at the time of Jesus’ earthly
ministry. We can’t testify to spiritual “rebirth” and a personal
relationship with Jesus which we have not experienced.
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)?
