Week
of 1 Advent C
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
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Podcast Download: Week of 1 Advent C
1 Advent - Sunday C
First Posted November 29,
2009;
Podcast: Sunday 1 Advent C
Jeremiah 33:14-16 – The Righteous Branch;
Psalm 25:1-9 – Teach Us Your Paths;
1 Thessalonians 3:9-13 – Christ's Coming;
Luke 19:28-40 – Jesus' Entry into Jerusalem;
Luke 21:25-36 – Signs of the Kingdom coming;
Jeremiah Background:
Jeremiah was the prophet to Judah, the remnant of Israel,
from about 627 to 580 B.C., after the Northern Kingdom of
the ten tribes, Israel, had been destroyed by the Assyrians
in about 721 B.C.*
Jeremiah Paraphrase:
The Lord declared that the day was coming when he would
fulfill the promise he made to Israel and Judah. In the
coming day, the Lord would cause a righteous Branch to come
forth from David, who would give justice and righteousness
in the land. In that day Judah would be saved and Jerusalem
will be secure. It will be known as “The Lord is our
righteousness” (Jeremiah 33:16).
Psalm Paraphrase:
I lift up my soul to the Lord, my God. I trust in him
always. He will not allow me to be put to shame. He will not
allow my enemies to exalt over me. He will not let anyone
who trusts in him be put to shame; it is the wantonly
treacherous who will be put to shame.
May the Lord help me to know his ways, and teach me his
paths. He will guide me in his truth and teach me, because
the Lord is the God of my salvation. I wait for the Lord all
day long.
May the Lord remember his mercy and steadfast love for me.
These are his nature, eternally and unchanging. I ask the
Lord not to remember the sins of my youth or my
transgressions. May he remember me according to his
steadfast love, for his goodness' sake.
The Lord is good and upright; so he teaches sinners his way.
He leads and teaches the humble in what is right and
according to his way.
Luke 19 Paraphrase:
Jesus was on his way with his disciples to Jerusalem, where
he knew he would be arrested, tried and crucified (Luke
9:22, 44-45; 18:32-34). When he came to Bethphage and
Bethany, on the Mount of Olives, he sent two disciples into
the village, telling them that they would find a young colt
tied up, that had never been ridden. They were to untie it
and bring it to Jesus. If anyone questioned them they were
to say that the Lord had need of it. The two disciples did
as Jesus had told them and found that it exactly as Jesus
had said. They untied the colt and brought it to Jesus. They
put their outer clothes on the colt for Jesus to sit on, and
set Jesus upon it. As Jesus rode toward Jerusalem, the crowd
accompanying Jesus put clothing on the road for a royal
carpet for him to ride on.
At the descent from the Mount of Olives, since they were
getting near to Jerusalem, the crowd of people coming with
him began to rejoice and shout praises to God for the many
mighty works they had seen. They cried out, “Blessed is the
King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and
glory in the highest!” Some Pharisees (strict religious
leaders) among the group told Jesus to tell his disciples to
be quiet, but Jesus said that if the people were silent the
very stones surrounding them would cry out.
Luke 21 Paraphrase:
Jesus was teaching about the end of the age, and his
disciples asked him what signs would accompany and foretell
that end (Luke 21:7). Jesus said that there would be
astronomical changes in the sky, and changes in natural
events, such as sounds of crashing waves of the seas,
causing distress among nations. People would be fainting
with fear at what was about to come upon them, because the
phenomena of heaven would be disrupted. So when these things
came about, Jesus' disciples are to rejoice and celebrate,
because the time of their redemption (buying back) is
getting near.
Jesus told them a parable, a story of a common earthly
experience to teach spiritual truth. Consider the fig tree
and all trees. When they begin to produce leaves, one can
tell that summer is near. So the things Jesus described
accompanying the end of the age would indicate the end.
Jesus said that the generation would not pass away until all
had taken place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but Jesus'
words are eternal and unchanging.
Jesus warns us to watch out for ourselves, not to be
preoccupied with dissipation, drunkenness and the cares of
this world, so that we may not be caught unprepared. The end
of the age will come upon all who dwell on the face of the
earth. Be constantly alert, praying that we might have the
ability to escape these things that are going to take place,
so that we may stand (justified; found not guilty) before
the Son of man (Jesus).
Commentary:
God had promised David, the shepherd-king of Israel, that he
would establish an eternal king from David's descendants,
who would inherit the throne of David (2 Samuel 7:5-13;
Psalm 89:20-29). Jesus Christ is the righteous “Branch,”
sprouting forth from David (Matthew 1:1; 21:9), the
fulfillment of the promise of an eternal king who brings
forth righteousness and justice. Judah was the remnant of
Israel, the people of God. The Church is the New Israel, the
New Jerusalem, the New City of God on earth. Jesus is the
fulfillment of the promise that Jesus, our Lord attributes
to us his righteousness, to those who trust and obey Jesus
(Romans 3:22; Philippians 3:9).
Those who trust in the Lord will never be put to shame. He
will never allow our enemies to exalt over us. Those who are
evil may appear to triumph for a time, but by the gift of
the indwelling Holy Spirit in “born-again” Christians, we
know we will be vindicated on the Day of Judgment. 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 is our example. Jesus is the fulfillment, embodiment
and example of God's Word, lived in human flesh in this
world (John 1:1-5, 14). The world hated Jesus and tried to
destroy him by execution, but Jesus rose victoriously from
physical death to eternal life. Physical death had no power
over Jesus. Every truly “born-again” disciple of Jesus
Christ testifies to a personal relationship with the risen
Jesus, through the indwelling Holy Spirit.
Jesus' resurrection demonstrates that there is existence
after physical death. Jesus promises to raise us also from
physical death to eternal life (Hebrews 2:14-15).
God's Word assures us that everyone will die physically
once, and then comes Judgment; not reincarnation, and not
“nothingness” (Hebrews 9:27). Those who have accepted Jesus
as their Lord and Savior and have trusted and obeyed his
teaching will be spiritually “born-again” (John 3:3, 5-8) in
this lifetime and will enter God's eternal kingdom in
Heaven. Those who have rejected Jesus, and have refused or
failed to learn and do his teachings will be condemned to
eternal destruction in Hell with all evil (Matthew 25:31-46;
2 Thessalonians 1:5-10).
The Lord calls us to be his disciples. God has given us his
Word in the Bible, and in Jesus Christ, so that we can learn
his ways and follow his paths. The Lord can only teach us if
we put our trust in him. He can only forgive and restore
those who and humble and acknowledge that they are sinners
(disobedient of God's Word), confessing that Jesus is Lord.
Jesus warns that it is not those who call themselves
Christians or call Jesus their Lord who are going to be
saved from eternal death, but those who trust and obey Jesus
(Matthew 7:21-27; Luke 6:46). Jesus is God's only provision
for forgiveness of our sins and salvation from eternal
condemnation (Acts 4:12; John 14:6; see God's Plan of
Salvation, sidebar, top right, home).
Jesus came to demonstrate the discipleship process his
Church was to follow. The Church's mission, inherited from
John, the Baptizer, is to baptize with water for repentance,
to prepare its members to receive the baptism of the Holy
Spirit. The Church is to make “born-again” disciples of
Jesus Christ, teaching them to trust and obey all that Jesus
teaches Matthew 28:19-20). Only after the disciples have
received the Holy Spirit can they be sent into the world to
proclaim the Gospel and make disciples of Jesus Christ (Luke
24:49; Acts 1:4-5, 8).
Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem is celebrated by the
Church as Palm Sunday. Two of his original Twelve disciples
trusted and obeyed Jesus' instructions for obtaining a young
donkey, and they found it exactly as he has said. When we
become Jesus' disciples and begin to trust and obey Jesus,
we will find that what he teaches is absolutely reliable and
trustworthy. As we trust and obey him, our faith will grow
through personal experience.
Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem is deliberately
intended by God to be a parable, a metaphor. Jesus' entry
was the opposite of a worldly victorious earthly king. Jesus
came humbly, not in a chariot drawn by powerful horses, but
on the foal of a donkey. The donkey was not fully grown, so
Jesus must have seemed to be on an animal that was too small
for him.
Jesus ascended into heaven unnoticed except by his closest
disciples (Acts 1:10) Jesus has promised to return again,
like he ascended (Acts 1:11), except that he will come in
great glory and supernatural power, and every eye will see
(Revelation 1:7). “Born-again” disciples will rejoice
because our salvation is at hand, but the unsaved will be
fainting with fear Luke 21: 26-28); but their destiny will
be fixed and unchangeable.
Is Jesus your Lord (Matthew 7:21-23; Luke 6:46)? Are you
Jesus' disciple (John 8:31)? Are you trusting and obeying
Jesus (John 14:21)? Have you received the indwelling Holy
Spirit since you first truly believed (Acts 19:2)? Are you
making disciples of Jesus Christ and teaching them to obey
all that Jesus commands (Matthew 28:18-20)? Do you know with
certainty where you will spend eternity (1 John 5:11-13;
Ephesians 1:13-14)?
*The Oxford Annotated Bible, Revised Standard Version, Ed. by Herbert G. May and Bruce M. Metzger, Jeremiah Introduction, p. 908, New York, Oxford University Press, 1962.
1 Advent - Monday C
First Posted November 30, 2009;
Podcast: Monday 1 Advent C
Psalm 126 – The Lord Has Done Great Things!
Paraphrase:
When the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion (Jerusalem; Israel; the Church is the New Jerusalem and the New Israel, God's People), they felt like they were dreaming. Their mouths were filled with laughter and rejoicing. The surrounding nations realized that the Lord had done great things for them. We rejoice in the good things the Lord has done for us.
Restore our fortunes, like streams in the desert. “May those who sow in tears reap with shouts of joy! He that goes forth weeping, bearing the seed for sowing, shall come home with shouts of joy, bringing his sheaves with him” (Psalm 126:5-6).
Commentary:
The first phrase of verse one could also be translated: “When the Lord brought back those who returned to Zion...” Psalm 126:1a, RSV, note “l”). The Northern Kingdom of the ten tribes had been destroyed by the Assyrians in 721 B.C., because they, the Northern Kingdom, didn't heed the warnings of God's prophets to return from idolatry and disobedience of God's Word.
The Southern Kingdom of Judah was all that remained of Israel. Judah didn't learn from the example of the Northern Kingdom. They also disobeyed God's Word and turned to idolatry and did not heed the warnings of the prophets.
God warned them that if they didn't repent they were going to go into exile in Babylon for seventy years (Jeremiah 25:11-12). They didn't listen and repent, so God lifted his favor from them and they were conquered by Nebuchadnezzar and exiled in Babylon in 587 B.C. God's promise to bring a chastened people back from exile was fulfilled in 517 B.C. when Cyrus of Persia, having conquered Babylon, allowed the Jewish exiles to return to their Promised Land. Amazingly, Cyrus even gave them back the plundered temple vessels of gold and silver, and gave assistance and money to rebuild the temple which had been destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar's armies.
When we are facing trouble, we are encouraged by recalling past blessings and help the Lord has given us. New believers can first learn and recall the great things God has done for Israel that are recorded in the Bible. As we begin to trust and obey the Lord we will begin to experience the great things he will do for us personally. The Lord wants us to trust and obey him so that he can show us his love and faithfulness, and as we do so he will cause our faith to grow to maturity. As our friends and neighbors see what the Lord is doing in us, they may be drawn to trust and obey the Lord also.
Throughout the history of God's dealing with Israel recorded in the Bible, Israel has gone through a cycle of falling away from obedience and into idolatry when they are prospering, and ignoring the warnings of God's Word declared by his prophets. So God lifts his favor and protection from them and allows them to experience trouble. When they do, they realize their sin, repent and return to the Lord in obedient trust, and the Lord again restores their fortunes. I have personally gone through that cycle myself. Hopefully we will learn from our mistakes and not repeat them over and over.
The harvest analogy applies to our own spiritual harvest of spiritual blessings through God's discipline. Discipline is not pleasant at the time, but it yields great rewards (2 Corinthians 4:16-17).
The harvest analogy also applies to evangelism by spiritually mature, “born-again” Christians. There is a spiritual battle for eternal souls between the forces of good and the forces of evil; the forces of God and of Satan. We will experience opposition to the Gospel, but by the indwelling Holy Spirit within us, we will prevail. We cannot be spiritual Christian “soldiers” until we have been “equipped” with the gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit (Luke 24:49; Acts 1:4-5, 8; Zechariah 4:6), 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 stream of “living water” in the spiritual “desert” of our lives and through us to our world (John 4:10-14; 7:38-39).
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)?
1 Advent - Tuesday C
First Posted December 1, 2009;
Podcast: Tuesday 1 Advent C
| Malachi 3:1-4 – The Day of Judgment; Paraphrase: The Lord declares that he is sending his messenger to prepare the way ahead of the Lord whom Israel seeks (the Messiah; Christ), the messenger of the (New) Covenant, in whom they delight. Watch and see! He is coming, declares the Lord of hosts (his angelic heavenly armies). “But who can endure the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appears” (Malachi 3:2)? The Lord is like a refiner's furnace that purifies metal, and like a fuller's soap (fullers process cloth to make it white). The Lord will purify the descendants of Levi (the priesthood) as a refiner purifies gold and silver, until they present righteous offerings to the Lord. Then Judah (the remnant of Israel) and Jerusalem (the City of God) will present offerings pleasing to the Lord as they used to do. Commentary: Malachi (meaning “My Messenger”) is thought to have been active in 500-450 B.C. God's Word is eternal and is fulfilled over and over as the conditions for its fulfillment are met. As a prophet he was the Lord's messenger. John the Baptizer is the ultimate fulfillment of this prophecy of a messenger to prepare the way of the Lord's first coming (“Advent;” Isaiah 40:3-5; Mark 1:2-4). Jesus said this of John the Baptizer to the multitude Jesus was teaching (Matthew 11:10). Jesus is the mediator of the New Covenant of grace to be received by faith (obedient trust) in Jesus (Ephesians 2:8-9; Hebrews 8:8-10; 12:24), instituted on the night of Jesus' betrayal and arrest (Matthew 26:26-28). Moses was the mediator of the Old Covenant of Law, and was a forerunner and example of the Messiah. Jesus is the “New Moses” who leads us out of slavery to sin and death in the “Egypt” of this world, through the “wilderness” of life, through the “river” of physical death, and into the Promised Land of God's Kingdom in Heaven. At Jesus' first coming (Advent), he came as a tiny infant. At the end of his physical adult ministry he came to Jerusalem and the temple humbly, arriving on a young donkey, rather than in the pomp of a worldly king in a chariot, with his army on horses. Jesus also comes to his disciples, (the definition of the word, “Christian; ” Acts 11:26c) the “New Israel” and his Church, the “New Jerusalem,” individually, in 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). The Church is to be the heir to the ministry of John the Baptizer. The Church is to call people to be baptized with water for repentance and to prepare them for the coming (“baptism”) of the Holy Spirit, now, so that we will be prepared for Jesus' ultimate, “Second Coming” in great supernatural power and glory on the Day of Judgment. In too many instances the nominal Church today is not making “born-again” disciples, and not preparing their members for the Second Coming. Mainline “Churches,” are not teaching discipleship (see False Teachings, sidebar top right), and are actually doing eternal spiritual harm to their members by teaching that they have already been “born-again” through some ritual such as water baptism. Those who believe in Jesus have received the authority (power) to be reborn, but they must seek and appropriate it for themselves (John 1:12-13). Malachi prophesied that judgment must begin with the sons of Levi (the priesthood). The Jewish priesthood was corrupt in Malachi's time, and it was corrupt at the time of Jesus' first coming. When Jesus came to Jerusalem on the donkey the last week of his physical ministry (“Palm Sunday”), his first act was to enter the temple where he physically threw out the merchants who were corrupting the temple by turning it into a business. Jesus' entry into Jerusalem is intended to prefigure his Second Coming. Jesus fulfilled Malachi's prophecy of purifying the priesthood. The nominal Church today is as much in need of purifying as Judaism was in Jesus' day (1 Peter 4:17). On Christ's return on the Day of Judgment he will judge the living (“quickened”) and the dead, both the physical and spiritual senses (1 Peter 4:5). Everyone who has ever lived will be accountable to Jesus for what we have done in this lifetime. Jesus is the Righteous Judge, and the standard of judgment by which all will be judged (2 Timothy 4:8). Those who have accepted Jesus as Lord, and have trusted and obeyed Jesus' teaching (Matthew 28:19-20), will have been spiritually “reborn” (John 3:3, 5-8) to eternal life in this lifetime, and will enter God's eternal Kingdom in Heaven. Those who have rejected Jesus and have refused or failed to trust and obey Jesus will be condemned to eternal destruction (eternal death; the “second death;” Revelation 20:6, 14) 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)? |
1 Advent - Wednesday C
First Posted December 2, 2009;
Podcast: Wednesday 1 Advent C
Philippians 1:3-11 – Thankfulness;
Paraphrase:
The Apostle Paul gave thanks for the Philippian Congregation in all his prayers, giving thanks with joy for their partnership in the Gospel from the first day (of Paul's preaching the Gospel to them) until the time of Paul's letter to them. Paul assures them by his confidence in the Lord that the Lord will bring to completion the good work the Lord had begun in the Philippians at the day of Jesus Christ (Christ's Second “Advent;” Second Coming; at the end of time).
Paul is right to be thankful and proud of the Philippians because they are dear to Paul. They have shared with Paul the grace (unmerited favor) of God, in Paul's imprisonment and in his defense and confirmation of the gospel. God knows how much Paul yearned for them with the love of Jesus Christ. It is Paul's prayer that the Philippian Christians' love would grow and overflow, as they grow in knowledge and discernment. Then they can approve what is excellent, and thus be pure and blameless for the Day of Christ, overflowing with the fruits of righteousness, which come only through Jesus Christ, to praise and glorify God.
Commentary:
On his second missionary journey, accompanied by Silas and Timothy (Acts 15:40; 16:3), Paul had founded the Philippian Congregation in Philippi, Macedonia by preaching the Gospel (Acts 16:11-15. It was the first Christian Congregation established in Europe.
The occasion of this letter was the return to Philippi of Epaphroditus, who had been sent by the Philippian congregation to deliver a gift for Paul, who was in prison for preaching the Gospel. Paul appreciated the gift and the sense of their support for him in his imprisonment. Paul had experienced their partnership with him from his first sermon in Philippi, when one of those present, Lydia, accepted the Gospel, was baptized in the river nearby (Acts 16:13), and invited the missionaries to stay as guests in her home (Acts 16:14-15).
Paul (Saul of Tarsus) is the prototype of a “modern,” “post-resurrection,” “born-again” (John 3:3, 5-8), disciple (student) and apostle (messenger; of the Gospel) of Jesus Christ, as all of us can and should be. I believe that Paul, rather than Matthias (Acts 1:15-26), was God's intended replacement for Judas Iscariot, who betrayed Jesus and committed suicide. (The Eleven chose Matthias by “chance” before they had received the “baptism” of the Holy Spirit, instead of waiting, as Jesus had commanded; Luke 24:49; Acts 1:4-5, 8). Matthias was never mentioned again in the New Testament, but from Paul's conversion, most of the rest of the New Testament is by or about Paul.
Paul was confronted on the road to Damascus by the risen and ascended Jesus (Acts 1:9-11). Paul accepted Jesus as his Lord (Acts 9:5) became obedient to Jesus' commands (Acts 9:6) repented (Acts 9:8-9), and was discipled by a “born-again” disciple, Ananias (Acts 9:10-17), until Paul was “reborn” (Acts 9:18). Paul immediately began proclaiming Jesus in the synagogues in Damascus Acts 9:20-22). Immediately Paul began to be persecuted by the Jews for the Gospel (Acts 9:23-25).
The only thing about his conversion that was unique was its speed. But remember that Paul was already formally educated in Judaism and he loved God. He just needed to be pointed to Jesus as the Messiah (Christ; both words mean God's “anointed,” in Hebrew and Greek, respectively). Remember also that the original Twelve, minus Judas, the betrayer, were with Jesus around the clock every day for three years, and still weren't ready to be evangelists until the were “baptized” with the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2:1-13).
Paul immediately began making “born-again” disciples of Jesus Christ, in fulfillment of the Great Commission which Jesus gave to his disciples (Matthew 28:19-20), and teaching them to repeat the process (2 Timothy 1:6; 2:2). Paul had “discipled” the Philippian congregation, and was continuing to do so by letter (Philippians 1:9-11). Christian discipleship is a matter of growing in obedient trust in Jesus unto spiritual maturity at the Day of the Lord; the day of Christ's Second Coming.
The goal of discipling new believers is to point them to Jesus, and to teach them to know and do what Jesus teaches. As they do so they are to seek and expect the “baptism” of the Holy Spirit. Only after they have been truly “born-again” are they able to go into the world to proclaim the Gospel and make disciples of Jesus Christ.
It is by the “baptism” of the Holy Spirit that we personally experience the goodness and love of the Lord. It is only by the “mustard seed” of faith, our “yes” to Jesus, that we are able to grow to spiritual maturity at the day of Christ. It is only by God's Word and the indwelling Holy Spirit that we are able to know and discern divine wisdom and truth (1 Corinthians 1:17-25; John 14:6, 17; Luke 24:45; 1 John 4:6).
Only when we can know and discern what is spiritually excellent, can we choose that, so that we can be holy and blameless on the Day of Judgment. Only when we are filled with, guided and empowered by the Holy Spirit, which we receive through faith (obedient trust) in Jesus Christ, can we produce spiritual of righteousness, and praise 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)?
1 Advent – Thursday C
First Posted December 3, 2009;
Podcast: Thursday 1 Advent C
Luke 3:1-6 – John the Baptizer Begins Ministry;
Paraphrase:
Tiberius Caesar had reigned for fifteen years, and Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea. Herod Antipas and Philip, the sons of Herod the Great were rulers of the rest of his kingdom, Galilee, Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Abilene was governed by Lysanias (Roman provinces generally north of Galilee). Annas and Caiaphas controlled the priesthood and the temple in Jerusalem.
God's Word came to John, the Son of Zechariah, in the wilderness (in A.D. 26-27), and he began to preach a water baptism for repentance and forgiveness of sin throughout the region around the Jordan River. This was the fulfillment of the prophecy of Isaiah: “The voice of one crying in the wilderness: Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be brought low, and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough ways shall be made smooth; and all flesh shall see the salvation of God” (Luke 3:4-6; quoting Isaiah 40:3-5).
Commentary:
Luke's recital names the principle authorities, and fixes the date of the beginning of the ministry of John the Baptizer, the son of Zechariah (John's birth: Luke 1:57-66). John's mother, Elizabeth, was the kinswoman of Mary, the mother of Jesus (Luke 1:36).
God called John, who had been dwelling in the wilderness preparing for and awaiting God's call, to begin his ministry. John began preaching and baptizing, calling the people of Israel to repent of their sin (disobedience of God's Word), and baptizing them with water for forgiveness and spiritual cleansing, preparing them to receive the Messiah, Jesus Christ.
John was the fulfillment of prophecy of a prophet like Elijah (Malachi 4:5; Matthew 11:14; 17:10-13; Luke 1:17), who would appear and identify the Messiah (John 1:31-37). John was the last of the Old Testament prophets (Matthew 11:11-14). John's ministry ended shortly after Jesus' ministry began (John 3:26-31), with John's imprisonment and beheading (Matthew 14:1-12).
Prophecy is not like foretelling the future. Prophecy is the proclamation of God's Word, inspired and guided by the Holy Spirit. God's Word is eternal and it is always fulfilled, over and over, as the conditions for fulfillment are met. The test of prophecy is its fulfillment (Deuteronomy 18:21-22).
I assert that the Church is the heir to the ministry of John the Baptizer. The Church is called to preach God's Word, to call people to repent and be baptized with water for the forgiveness of their sin, pointing them to Jesus, and preparing them to received Jesus by the “baptism” of the indwelling Holy Spirit.
In too many instances the nominal Church today is in similar condition as the priesthood of Judaism (Annas and Caiaphas controlled the temple and priesthood) at the time of Christ's first coming (advent). In many instances nominal churches are being run by and for their unregenerate (not “born-again”) leaders as personal empires, without true concern for their members true spiritual condition (Matthew 27:3-5). The reason is that they have put their confidence in formal theological training. They know a lot about God but don't know God personally (Job 42:5-6), because they aren't “baptized” with the indwelling Holy Spirit. Only people who have been truly “born-again” can make “born-again” disciples, because the unregenerate wouldn't be, if they knew what was lacking and how to get it.
Mainline denominations today are teaching that the gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit is given automatically by some church ritual, such as water baptism. They are also teaching that salvation is by grace (a free gift; unmerited favor, which is true), but without the requirement of discipleship and obedient trust in Jesus (not true; see False Teachings, sidebar, top right). They are doing their members great spiritual harm.
Jesus made it possible for all God's people to be prophets by the spiritual “rebirth” (John 3:3, 5-8) by the gift (“baptism”) of the indwelling Holy Spirit. Christians are by definition “born-again” disciples of Jesus Christ (Numbers 11:24-30; Acts 11:26c). Only Jesus “baptizes with 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).
Is Jesus your Lord? Are you Jesus’ disciple? Are you trusting and obeying Jesus? 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)?
1 Advent – Friday C
First Posted December 4, 2009'
Podcast: Friday 1 Advent C
Romans 15:4-13
Paraphrase:
The writings in the past (of the Old Testament) were written for our instruction so that we might have hope by steadfastness and the encouragement of scripture. Our Lord is the God of steadfastness and hope; may he grant us to live in harmony with one another, so that together with one voice we can glorify God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Let us welcome one another as we have been welcomed by Jesus. Jesus became the servant of the circumcised (Jews) to show God's truthfulness, fulfilling the promises he gave to the patriarchs of Israel, and that, by his mercy, the Gentiles might also glorify God. Paul quotes four Old Testament texts showing that salvation is also for the Gentiles: “Therefore I will praise thee among the Gentiles and sing to thy name” (Psalm 18:49). “Rejoice, O Gentiles, with his people” (Deuteronomy 32:43). “Praise the Lord all Gentiles, and let all the people praise him” (Psalm 117:1). “The root of Jesse (the father of David) shall come, he who rises to rule the Gentiles; in him shall the Gentiles hope” (Isaiah 11:10).
“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope” (Romans 15:13).
Commentary:
God's dealings with Israel were recorded in the Old Testament for our instruction, and as a warning to us not to make the same mistakes Israel made (1 Corinthians 10:11).
Paul was teaching by example to show how the Old Testament texts are useful for our instruction, to show that salvation includes all people. Jesus came from the Jews, according to God's plan. God promised to bring forth a descendant of David who would reign on the throne of David forever (2 Samuel 7:12-13; Psalm 89:20-29). Jesus is the one who comes forth from the root of Jesse, father of David, the Shepherd-king of Israel (Matthew 1:1, 20; 21:9). He will reign over the Gentiles (Isaiah 49:6) and in him they will have hope, of forgiveness of sin (disobedience of God's Word), reconciliation with God which was broken by sin (Romans 6:23), salvation from eternal condemnation (John 6:3; see God's Plan of Salvation, sidebar, top right).
Knowing the Bible scriptures gives us steadfastness and hope in the promises of God. Only by the one Holy Spirit in each “born-again” Christian can we live in harmony and glorify God in one voice.
In the nominal Church today there is disharmony, because not all members or leaders are “born-again.” There are many false doctrines and false teachers in the nominal Church. The Bible is the standard by which to measure Church doctrine. We need to read and know the Bible for ourselves in order to discern between truth and false teachings (see False Teachings, sidebar, top right).
Each individual truly “born-again” Christian follows the guidance of the indwelling Holy Spirit, who also directs every other truly “born-again” believer, causing each believer's efforts to fit into the overall purpose of God. The Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Christ (Romans 8:9) is the head of the his “body” the Church (Colossians 1:18). I have personally experienced that kind of unity. I'm following the Holy Spirit and my pastor is following the Holy Spirit. We don't need to check on one another; we're both being fruitful and each is reinforcing the other. Of course it is also right and proper to plan and work overtly with one another, as long as we're both working by the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
The presence of the Holy Spirit within believers is a personally discernible ongoing event. One cannot be “born-again” and not know it (Acts 19:2). One does not have to ask for and take the word of a theologian or church leader. 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). It is by the indwelling Holy Spirit that the God of hope fills us with all joy and peace as we believe (trust and obey) Jesus. The Holy Spirit within believers gives us hope and helps us be steadfast, persevering in faith (obedient trust) in Jesus.
Is Jesus your Lord? Are you Jesus’ disciple? Are you trusting and obeying Jesus? 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)?
1 Advent – Saturday C
First Posted December 5, 2009;
Podcast: Saturday 1 Advent C
Luke 21:25-36 –Signs of the End;
Paraphrase:
The people asked Jesus for signs of the end of the age, and Jesus said that at coming of Christ's return on the Day of Judgment, there will be disturbances in the heavens and in nature. The waves and roaring of the sea will cause perplexity among us, and people will be “fainting with fear and with foreboding of what is coming on the world” (Luke 21:26). “And then they will see the Son of man (Jesus) coming in a cloud with power and great glory (compare with Acts 1:9-11). Those who are in Christ can rejoice (while the unsaved are terrified) because our redemption is coming near.
Jesus used a parable (a common worldly experience used to teach a spiritual reality). When we see the fig tree in leaf we know that the summer is near. Similarly, when we see the signs Jesus described we can know that the kingdom of God is at hand. “Truly, I (Jesus) say to you, this generation will not pass away 'till all has taken place (Luke 21:32). This Creation will pass away, but Jesus' words are eternal and eternally true.
Watch out, so that your hearts are not distracted by the indulgences of worldly life, and so that the Day of Judgment doesn't come unexpectedly upon you. “For it will come upon all who dwell upon the face of the whole earth” (Luke 21:35; John 5:28-29). Be vigilant at all times, praying for your escape of all these things which are going to take place, so that you may stand (vindicated; justified) before the Son of man (Jesus).
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. God has designed this Creation with the possibility of sin, to allow us the freedom to choose whether to trust and obey God's Word, and the opportunity to learn by trial and error that God's will is good, “do-able,” and our very best interest: “And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God” (Romans 12:2).
This lifetime is our opportunity to seek and find God our Creator (Acts 17:26-27) and this is only possible through faith (obedient trust) in Jesus Christ, who is the only one who “baptizes” with (“anoints;” 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 is the age of grace (the free gift of salvation from eternal destruction; the unmerited favor of God) to be received by faith (obedient trust) in Jesus. Now is the Day of Salvation (2 Corinthians 6:2). Jesus is the one and only Savior, designed by God into this Creation from the very beginning, by whom we can be forgiven our sins (Acts 4:12).
We are all born into this Creation physically alive but spiritually “unborn.” This lifetime is our only opportunity to be spiritually “born-again” (John 3:3, 5-8). The gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit gives us spiritual “rebirth.”
There is a Day of Judgment coming, at the end of time, for everyone who has ever lived in this Creation. The Day of Judgment is not far off. At the moment of physical death, time will end for each of us and we will immediately be at the throne of Judgment. Jesus' Second coming may occur at any moment, while we are physically alive, or at the moment of our physical death.
At the moment of our physical death our eternal destiny will be eternally fixed and unalterable. If we haven't been spiritually “reborn” in this lifetime we will spend eternity in eternal destruction in Hell with all evil (2 Thessalonians 1:5-10). Those who have accepted Jesus as their Lord, who have trusted and obeyed Jesus in this lifetime will have been “reborn” in this lifetime, and will enter eternal life in God's eternal kingdom restored to paradise in Heaven (Matthew 25:31-46).
No one can be certain to live to see tomorrow. Today is the only day we can be certain of.
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)?
