Week
of 1 Christmas 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
Publishing House, Minneapolis, 1978, is available at:
http://shepherdboy.byethost12.com/
(Please bookmark this link).
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Podcast Download: Week
of 1 Christmas C
1st
Sunday after Christmas - C
First
Posted December 27, 2009;
Podcast:
Sunday
1 Christmas C
First Posted December 27, 2009;
Jeremiah 31:10-13 – Return and Restoration;
Psalm 111 – God's Redemption;
Hebrews 2:10-18 Freed from Sin and Death;
Luke 2:41-52 – Jesus' Youth;
Jeremiah Background:
Jeremiah was a prophet to Judah and Jerusalem from 627 to 580
B.C., the period leading up to and during the beginning of the Exile
of Judah to Babylon, generally calculated from the destruction of the
temple in Jerusalem in 587 to its restoration and dedication in 517
B.C..
Jeremiah Paraphrase:
Hear God's Word, all nations and distant shores. Israel, whom the
Lord scattered, will be gathered again by the Lord. As a shepherd
keeps his flocks the Lord will keep Israel.
The Lord has ransomed Jacob and and redeemed him from powers
greater than he. Israel shall sing aloud to the Lord on Zion, (the
temple mount in Jerusalem) and rejoice in the goodness of the Lord.
They will celebrate over the harvest of grain, wine, olive oil, and
the young of their flocks and herds. They will languish no longer;
their life will be restored like a watered garden.
Their young girls will dance in joy, the men, both young and old
will be merry. The Lord promises to comfort them and transform their
mourning to joy, and exchange their sorrow for gladness.
Psalm 111 Paraphrase:
Hallelujah! Praise the Lord! With my whole heart I will praise the
Lord in the congregation of his people.
The works of the Lord are awesome! Those who delight in them will
study them. His works are full of honor and majesty. He has caused
his works to be remembered, for the Lord is gracious and merciful.
For those who fear him, he provides food. He constantly remembers his
covenant. He has revealed his power to his people, giving them the
inheritance of the nations. He is faithful and just in all his
doings; all his teachings are trustworthy and eternally true.
Hebrews Paraphrase:
In accord with the gracious nature of God, who has created all
things for his purpose, it was appropriate that in his plan to bring
many sons (and daughters) to glory (to spiritual maturity and eternal
life; to the joy of heaven), to make the pioneer (author;
“trail-blazer;”) of salvation (i.e., Jesus) perfect through
suffering. The sanctifier (Jesus Christ) and the sanctified
(“born-again” disciples) both originate from God, so Jesus is not
ashamed to call them brethren, as God's Word says in Psalm 22:22: “I
will declare thy name to my brethren, in the midst of the
congregation I will praise thee.” Jesus fulfilled the prophecy of
Isaiah 8:17-18 of trusting in God's Word, and receiving the children
of God (as his brethren).
“Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he
(Jesus) himself likewise partook of the same nature, that through
death he might destroy him who has the power of death, that is, the
devil (Satan), and deliver all those who through fear of death were
subject to lifelong bondage” (Hebrews 2:14-15). Jesus' mission was
not to angels, but to the descendants of Abraham. Jesus had to become
like them in every aspect, so that he could become a merciful and
faithful high priest serving God, to make amends for our sins.
Because Jesus has experienced suffering and temptation just as we do,
he is able to understand and help us when we are tempted.
Luke Paraphrase:
Jesus' parents went from Nazareth to Jerusalem every year to
celebrate Passover. When Jesus was twelve, they went, according to
their custom. At the end of the celebration, they began their trip
home, but Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem. Jesus' parents were not
aware that he had stayed behind; they thought he was with friends or
relatives in their caravan. At the end of the day's journey, they
looked for Jesus, and discovered that he was missing, so Jesus'
parents hurried back to Jerusalem.
After three days of anxious searching, they found Jesus in the
temple sitting among teachers and listening and asking questions.
Everyone who heard Jesus was amazed at his understanding and his
replies. When Jesus' parents saw him they were amazed, and his mother
asked Jesus why he had worried them so. Jesus asked his parents why
they hadn't looked for him in his Father's house, the temple, first.
His parents didn't understand what Jesus was saying to them.
Jesus returned with them to Nazareth, and was obedient to them.
His mother remembered things like this about Jesus. “And Jesus
increased in wisdom and in stature, and in favor with God and man”
(Luke 2:52)
Commentary:
Judah, the Southern Kingdom of the two tribes, was the remnant of
Israel after the destruction of the Northern Kingdom of the ten
tribes by the Assyrians in 721 B.C.. The Northern Kingdom had
disobeyed God's warning by his prophets to repent and turn from
disobedience and idolatry. Judah had not learned from the example of
the Northern Kingdom, and did not heed the warnings of the prophets
to repent and return to obedient trust in God's Word.
Jeremiah prophesied that Judah would be exiled in Babylon for
seventy years (Jeremiah 25:11-12), and God's Word was fulfilled.
Israel had been scattered, but the Lord promised to gather them again
and be their shepherd (Jeremiah 31:10c). God's promise was amazingly
fulfilled when Cyrus of Persia conquered Babylon and allowed the Jews
to return to their Promised Land. Cyrus gave them the sacred vessels
of silver, gold and bronze which Nebuchadnezzar had looted from the
temple. Cyrus also gave permission, money and help in the rebuilding
of the temple.
God's Word is eternal and is fulfilled over and over as the
conditions for its fulfillment are met. The prophecy of a Shepherd to
gather God's people is ultimately fulfilled in Jesus Christ, the Good
Shepherd (John 10:11-15), the Lord.
Israel had forgotten the lessons of the Exile and was unprepared
for the coming of the long-awaited Messiah. At the crucifixion of
Jesus, the people of God were effectively scattered. Even the Twelve
disciples were scattered (Matthew 26:31; John 16:32). Jesus was the
one last faithful remnant of Israel. From then on the Church became
the New Israel, the New People of God.
The disciples who had scattered began to be drawn back by the news
of Jesus' resurrection. Jesus appeared to them and told them to
remain in Jerusalem until they had received the “baptism” (gift)
of the indwelling Holy Spirit (Luke 24:49; Acts 1:4-5, 8), and then
they were to go into the world and make disciples of Jesus Christ,
teaching them to obey all Jesus' teachings (Matthew 28:19-20). The
“baptism” of the Holy Spirit began to be poured out on the Day of
Pentecost, the “birthday” of the Church (Acts 2:1-13).
Those who look into the record of God's great works in the Bible
will delight in them. Jesus is the fulfillment, embodiment and
example of God's Word (John 1:1-5, 14). Jesus is the ultimate
revelation of God's power and faithfulness to the world. The
“baptism” of indwelling Holy Spirit, which only Jesus gives (John
1:31-34), only to his disciples who trust and obey Jesus (John
14:15-17), is God's ultimate revelation of himself personally and
individually to the disciples of Jesus Christ. 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' word is the Word of God (John 14:10, 24), with the creative
force of God's Word (Mark 4:39-41; Genesis 1:3, 9). Those who trust
and obey Jesus come to know and testify that his teachings are
trustworthy and eternally true.
God has created this world according to his purpose. God has
always intended to establish an eternal kingdom of his people who
willingly choose to trust and obey God. This present world is God's
spiritual garden, where he is “growing” sons and daughters for
his eternal kingdom. Jesus has been designed into this Creation from
the very beginning (John 1:1-5, 14).
God designed this Creation to allow for the possibility of sin
(disobedience of God's Word), so that we could have freedom to choose
whether or not to obey God. He knew that we would all choose to do
our own will rather than his and would need to learn by
trial-and-error to trust and obey God's Word. We are all sinners who
have fallen short of God's righteousness (Romans 3:23; 1 John
1:8-10), and the penalty for sin is eternal death (Romans 6:23).
Jesus is God's one and only provision for our forgiveness and
salvation from eternal condemnation (Romans 5:8; John 3:16-17; Acts
4:12; see God's Plan of Salvation, sidebar, top right, home).
We are all born physically alive but spiritually “unborn.”
This lifetime is our only opportunity to be spiritually “born-again”
to eternal life.
Jesus' resurrection from the dead demonstrates that there is
existence beyond physical death. Every truly “born-again”
Christian personally experiences and testifies that Jesus is risen
and eternally alive. Because we know that Jesus lives, we can know
with certainty that we will rise from physical death to eternal life
too (Romans 8:11). The joy of the Lord's presence now by the
indwelling Holy Spirit is just a foretaste of the joy we will have
with him in eternity.
Jesus was fully human and also fully God (Colossians 2:8-9; John
20:28). He is the only “begotten” (Matthew 1:20; Luke 1:34-35)
Son, the first-born, with the birthright that goes with it. We become
“adopted” sons and daughters, through the indwelling Holy Spirit
(Romans 8:14-16). Because he shared in every aspect our human nature,
he understands our temptations and is able to help us resist and
overcome them.
Jesus teaches by both word and example. Jesus taught his disciples
to seek God's kingdom and righteousness first, ahead of physical
necessities. Those who seek physical needs first will never get
around to seeking God's kingdom, because we can never get enough
physical resources to feel satisfied. Jesus respected his physical
parents, but he put God, his heavenly Father, first. His parents
should have realized that the only reason Jesus would stay behind in
Jerusalem would be to study God's Word and seek God's kingdom.
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)?
December
31 C
First
Posted December 31, 2009;
Podcast: Tuesday
December 31 C
Isaiah 61:10-62:3 – Vindication of Zion;
Paraphrase:
Rejoice in the Lord, O my soul. I will exult in him. In garments
of salvation he has clothed me, and with the robe of righteousness he
has covered me, as a bridegroom adorns himself with a garland, and as
a bride enhances herself with her jewels. God is going to cause
righteousness and praise to sprout and grow before all nations, like
the earth causes seeds to bring forth shoots, and like a garden
causes what is sown in it to grow and flourish.
The prophet will not keep silent or rest for the sake of Zion
(Israel; the Church), until her vindication appears as brightness,
like a burning torch in the darkness. The Lord himself will give you
a new name. Then Zion will be a beautiful crown, a royal diadem (a
headband indicating royalty) in the hand of the Lord.
Commentary:
Isaiah was a prophet to Judah and Jerusalem from 742 to 687B.C..
The Northern Kingdom of the ten tribes of Israel was conquered by the
Assyrian armies of Sargon, the successor to Shalmaneser, with the
fall of Samaria (capital of the Northern Kingdom) in 721B.C.. The
Northern Kingdom and the ten tribes virtually ceased to exist.
Isaiah was prophet during the reign of King Ahaz, who led his
kingdom into wickedness and idolatry, and made a ruinous alliance
with Assyria against the alliance of Rezin, King of Damascus (Syria)
and Pekah, king of the Northern Kingdom against Isaiah's warnings. He
was prophet during the time of spiritual reform which King Hezekiah
initiated beginning in 715 B.C. (2 Kings 18:4; 2 Chronicles 29:3-36).
This text originated before the fall of Babylon (October 29, 539 B.C.
to Cyrus of Persia. The Southern Kingdom of the two tribes had been
exiled in Babylon from 587 to 517, seventy years as prophesied by
Jeremiah (Jeremiah 25:11-12), dated from the destruction of the
temple to its restoration and rededication.
The result was that the exiles of Judah
were allowed to return to the “Promised Land.”
The prophet foresaw the vindication of God's people which would be
witnessed by all the nations of the earth. That prophecy was
fulfilled with the return of the remnant of Israel to their “Promised
Land.” The conditions of the exiles' release by Cyrus is absolutely
amazing: He returned the gold, silver and bronze vessels which
Nebuchadnezzar looted from the temple, and Cyrus gave them money,
help from the provincial governors, and authorization to rebuild
their temple.
God's Word is eternally true and is fulfilled over and over as the
conditions for its fulfillment are met. Isaiah's prophecy applied to
the return of the exiles, but also applies to God's Plan of
Salvation, through the Messiah (Christ) Jesus.
The history of Israel's exile was intended by God to also be a
“parable” (a common earthly experience used to teach spiritual
truth), a metaphor for life in this world. We are all in exile in the
“Babylon” of this present world. The seventy years is about an
average lifetime.
During this lifetime we are to seek God (Acts 17:26-27) through
faith (obedient trust) in Jesus Christ (John 14:6), to learn to know
trust and obey God's Word, the Bible, and Jesus Christ, the “living
Word” (John 1:14), and to be spiritually “born-again” (John
3:3, 5-8) to eternal life.
This is only possible through faith (obedient trust) in Jesus
Christ, by the gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit (Acts 4:12; John
14:6). Only Jesus “baptizes” (gives the gift of; “anoints”)
with the 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 vindication of God's people has appeared, in Jesus Christ.
Jesus is the light of spiritual enlightenment (John 1:9), light of
righteousness, and light of eternal life, in a world of spiritual
darkness (spiritual ignorance; wickedness, and spiritual death).
Jesus has promised that he will return, as he departed at his
ascension (Acts 1:9-12), on the Day of Judgment, to judge the living
(“quickened”) and dead in both physical and spiritual senses. In
that day “born-again” Christian disciples will be vindicated over
the enemies of God. Those who have accepted Jesus as their Lord, who
have believed (trusted and obeyed) Jesus, will enter eternal life in
God's kingdom in heaven, but those who have rejected Jesus as their
Lord, who have refused or failed to trust and obey Jesus will be
condemned to eternal death and destruction in Hell with all evil
(Matthew 25:31-46; 2 Thessalonians 1:5-10).
The gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit is the garment of salvation
with which we are clothed when we believe (trust and obey) Jesus.
Jesus' own righteousness is the robe which covers all of our sins
(disobedience of God's Word).
Jesus taught that the kingdom of heaven is like a marriage feast
(Matthew 22:1-14). Jesus is the bridegroom, and the Church is the
bride. Jesus within believers who trust and obey Jesus, by the gift
of the indwelling Holy Spirit, is the “wedding garment” that his
disciples must have to enter the wedding feast of the bridegroom,
Jesus Christ, and his bride, the Church. The Church is the “New
Israel;” the “New Jerusalem” on earth.
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)?
January
1 C
First
Posted January 1, 2010;
Podcast:
Wednesday
January 1 C
Ephesians 1:3-6,
15-18 – Inheritance in Christ;
Paraphrase:
May God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ be blessed for all the
spiritual blessings in the spiritual realm (around and above our
physical world) that are ours through Jesus. God chose us in Christ
before the beginning of Creation, so that we could be holy and
blameless in his presence. He chose us to be his sons (and daughters)
through Jesus Christ, according to God's purpose of uniting
everything on earth and in heaven to him, so that the splendor of his
grace (unmerited favor; a free gift), bestowed upon us in the Beloved
(Jesus), would result in praise to God.
Having heard of the congregation's faith in Jesus Christ and the
love for all the saints (“born-again” Christians), Paul gave
thanks to God for them. He prayed continually with thanksgiving to
God for the church, praying that the God of Jesus Christ our Lord,
God the Heavenly Father, would give the believers spiritual wisdom
and revelation in the knowledge of God. Having their spiritual eyes
enlightened, Paul prayed that the congregation would know the hope to
which they are called and the richness of the glorious inheritance to
be theirs.
Commentary:
The kingdom of God is all around us now, but we must be
spiritually “born-again” (John 3:3, 5-8) in order to see it now,
and ultimately to see and enter it in eternity. Jesus is the light of
spiritual enlightenment (John 1:9) Only Jesus gives the gift
(“baptism”) 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).
Through the indwelling Holy Spirit believers have all the
spiritual blessings of heaven. Through the indwelling Holy Spirit
their minds are opened to understand the scripture (Luke 24:45). The
Holy Spirit teaches disciples of Jesus all things, recalls to our
minds Jesus' teachings (John 14:26) and gives us what to say in
opportunities to testify (Mark 13:11; Luke 12:11-12).
God designed this Creation with his purpose of establishing an
eternal kingdom of his people who willingly trust and obey God. He
designed this world to allow the possibility of sin (disobedience of
God's Word), so that we have the freedom to choose whether to trust
and obey him or not, and the possibility to learn by trial and error
that God's will is good, possible, and our best interest. God knew
that given free choice we would all choose to do our own will rather
than God's will. God designed a Savior, Jesus Christ into Creation
from the very beginning (John 1:1-5, 14).
God limited Creation and we ourselves by time, because God is not
willing to tolerate rebellion and disobedience forever, or at all in
his eternal kingdom. This Creation is God's “garden” in which to
grow his obedient trusting children. The meaning and purpose of this
lifetime is to seek and come to know God, our Creator (Acts
17:26-27), and to learn to trust and obey God. This is only possible
by faith in Jesus, through the indwelling Holy Spirit (John 14:6).
We are all sinners and fall short of God's righteousness (Romans
3:23; 1 John 1:8-10). The penalty for sin is eternal death (Romans
6:23). Jesus is God's one and only provision for the forgiveness of
our sins and our salvation from eternal death (Romans 5:8; John
3:16-17; Acts 4:12; John 14:6; see God's Plan of Salvation, sidebar,
top right, home).
Paul (Saul of Tarsus) was deliberately intended by God to be the
prototype and example of a “modern,” post-resurrection,”
“born-again” disciple (student) and apostle (messenger; of the
Gospel) of Jesus Christ. Paul had been “discipled” by a
“born-again” disciple, Ananias (Acts 9:10-18), and was repeating
the process of making “born-again” disciples, teaching them to
trust and obey Jesus, and to repeat the disciple-making process (2
Timothy 2:2), in fulfillment of Jesus' Great Commission (Matthew
28:19-20).
Paul was teaching congregations like the one in Ephesus to grow in
spiritual maturity. As Christians live in obedient trust in Jesus
through the indwelling Holy Spirit, the Lord cause our faith to grow
as he shows us that his teaching and guidance is faithful and true.
As we seek God's will for us daily, he will give us spiritual wisdom
and knowledge of God and we will experience a foretaste of the love
and joy of our heavenly inheritance through our personal fellowship
with the Lord through the indwelling Holy Spirit.
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)?
January
2 C
First
Posted January 2, 2010;
Podcast:
Thursday
January 2 C
John
1:1-18 – The Living Word;
Paraphrase:
The Word (of
God) was present at the beginning of Creation and was in very nature
God. Everything in Creation was created through and by him. “In him
was life, and the life was the light of men” (John 1:4). The light
(of spiritual enlightenment: John 1:9, righteousness: John 3:19-21;
and eternal life: John 1:4; 8:12) shines in the darkness (of
spiritual ignorance, evil, and spiritual death).
John the
Baptizer was sent by God to testify to the light so that everyone
might believe through John. John himself was not the light but the
witness to the light. “The true light that enlightens every man was
coming into the World” (John 1:9). The light had come into the
world and everything in the world was created through him, but the
world did not know him. He was in his own home but his own people did
not know and welcome him. “But all who received him, who believed
in his name (his whole person and character), he gave power to become
children of God; who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the
flesh nor of the will of man, but of God” (John 1:12-13).
“And
the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth; we
have beheld his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father”
(John 1:14). John the Baptizer testified that this One was the One
who was coming after John, but who was before John in rank and in
existence. This One is overflowing with inexhaustible grace (God's
undeserved favor). The Law (of the Old Covenant) came through Moses;
grace and truth come through Jesus Christ. “No one has ever seen
God; the only Son, who is in the bosom of the Father (in complete
unity), he has made him known.
Commentary:
The Word of
God has creative power. God spoke Creation into existence (Genesis
1:3, 9). What God speaks, happens. Fulfillment is the defining
characteristic of God's Word (Deuteronomy 18:21-22). The Bible is the
Word of God.
God's Word is eternally true, and is always
fulfilled, over and over, as the conditions for its fulfillment are
met. The Bible contains great promises and ominous warnings. We will
either trust and obey God's Word and receive the promises, or we will
fail to trust and obey, and will receive the consequences the ominous
warnings were intended to help us avoid.
Jesus is the “living
Word,” the fulfillment, embodiment, and example of God's Word lived
in this world in human flesh (John 1:1-5; 14). God created this world
with Jesus Christ (Messiah; both mean God's “anointed” in Greek
and Hebrew), the Savior, designed into it from the very beginning.
Jesus' word is the Word of God (John 14:10, 24), with the creative
force of God's Word (Mark 4:39-41; compare Genesis 1:3, 9).
God
has always intended to establish an eternal kingdom of his people who
willingly choose to trust and obey God. Our lifetime in this Creation
is our opportunity to seek and find God (Acts 17:26-27), to learn to
trust and obey his Word, and to be spiritually “born-again” (John
3:3, 5-8) to eternal life. Jesus is the only way to know and have
fellowship with God, to know divine, eternal truth, and to have
eternal life (John 14:6).
We are all born physically alive but
spiritually “unborn.” Spiritual “rebirth” is only by the
“baptism” (gift; anointing; infilling) 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
infilling of the Holy Spirit is a personally discernible ongoing
event; anyone who isn't sure, hasn't been (Acts 19:2)!
John
the Baptizer was the fulfillment of God's Word of a prophet like
Elijah, coming to herald the appearing of the Savior (Isaiah 40:3;
Malachi 4:5; Matthew 17:10-13). John the Baptizer called people to be
baptized with water for repentance of sin (disobedience of God's
Word), by ritual cleansing, to prepare them to receive Jesus. God
revealed Jesus as the Christ to John at Jesus' baptism by John (John
1:31-34), and then John pointed people to Jesus (John
1:35-37).
Jesus was the fulfillment of God's Word of a
Messiah, God's “anointed” eternal Savior and King. The Jews had
received God's Word in the Bible through Moses. Their religious
leaders were experts in the Bible, but were unable and unwilling to
recognize Jesus as the fulfillment of God's Word, even to this very
day, although there are many Jews who have received Jesus.
In
Jesus' hometown of Nazareth, his own family, friends and neighbors
didn't recognize and acknowledge him as the Messiah. In fact they
threw Jesus out of their synagogue and town, attempting to kill him
by throwing him off a cliff (Luke 4:16-30). Members of his own family
did not believe in him, (John 7:3-5).
But to everyone who
receives (welcomes; invites) Jesus, who believes in his name (that he
is God's anointed Christ, Savior and Lord), he gives the power
(authority; opportunity) to become children of God. Notice that we
receive the “power,” but we must claim and lay hold of the
promise for ourselves, by receiving Jesus as our Lord and Savior, and
trusting and obeying him (Revelation 3:20). Adoption as children of
God is not automatically conferred by some church ritual such as
water baptism, confirmation (affirmation), or by acceptance into
church membership. Adoption as God's children occurs by the “baptism”
of the indwelling Holy Spirit (Romans 8:15-16, 23).
Moses was
the mediator of the Old Covenant (Testament) of Law between God and
God's People. The Law teaches us God's requirement of righteousness,
and convicts us of sin (disobedience of God's Word). We've all sinned
and fall short of God's righteousness (Romans 3:23; 1 John 1:8-10).
The penalty for sin is eternal death (Romans 6:23). Jesus came to
mediate a New Covenant (Matthew 26:26-28; Hebrews 12:24) of Grace
(undeserved favor), to be received by faith (obedient trust) in Jesus
(Ephesians 2:8-9; see God's Plan of Salvation, sidebar, top right,
home).
Everyone who knows God, through the Word of God, will
know and acknowledge Jesus as God's only (begotten) Son (John 1:18).
Jesus is the first-born Son. First-born sons in Israel received extra
status and inheritance. Jesus is “begotten” because he was
conceived by the Holy Spirit (Matthew 1:20; Luke 1:34-35). Adoption
through the indwelling Holy Spirit is salvation and eternal life. We
are “adopted” by God's will; our adoption is not by our own
effort. We cannot buy, earn by good deeds, or take our adoption,
salvation and eternal life by force or deception.
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)?
January
3 C
First
Posted January 3, 2010;
Podcast:
Friday
January 3 C
Psalm 72
Paraphrase:
Give to the king your justice and righteousness, O Lord, that he
may judge thy people with righteousness and give justice for the
poor. May the mountains and hills produce prosperity. May the king
defend the poor, deliver the needy and crush oppressors.
May they fear and reverence the Lord as long as sun and moon
endure, throughout all generations. May he be like gentle rain to
water the earth and mown grass. May righteousness flourish and peace
abound until the moon ceases to exist.
May his dominion be from sea to sea, and from the river
(Euphrates; the cradle of civilization; the Garden of Eden; Genesis
2:10, 14) to the ends of the earth. May his enemies be humbled before
him, and lick the dust. May kings of Tarshish and the isles (in
western Mediterranean give him presents. May kings of Sheba and Seba
bring gifts and all the kings of earth bow before him and serve him.
He is worthy of honor because when they call upon him he delivers
the poor and needy, who have no other source of help. He has pity on
the weak and needy and saves their lives. He redeems them from
oppression and violence; their blood is precious in his sight.
May the king live long, may gold of Sheba be given to him. May
prayers be offered and blessings invoked for him constantly. May
grain be abundant in the land. May it wave from the mountaintops; and
its fruit be as great as Lebanon. May the people of the cities
increase like the grass of the fields. May the name and fame of the
king endure forever, as long as the sun. May men bless themselves by
him, all nations call him blessed” (Psalm 72:17b).
“Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, who alone does wondrous
things. Blessed be his glorious name for ever; may his glory fill the
whole earth! Amen and Amen” (Psalm 72:18)!
Commentary:
God is the ideal intended king of Israel, but Israel wanted a
human king like the neighboring countries. God warned them that a
human king would make many demands upon them, but he allowed them to
do as they had asked (1 Samuel 8:4-22).
During the period of the Monarchy many of the kings were wicked
and led to the eventual destruction of the Northern Kingdom of ten
tribes, and to the seventy year exile in Babylon of the Southern
Kingdom of two tribes, Judah, the remnant of Israel.
Solomon, the son of David started well but finished badly. He
asked God for wisdom to govern God's people wisely, instead of wealth
for himself, and God gave him wisdom, and wealth, as well. The Queen
of Sheba heard of his wisdom and came to visit, bringing him gold,
jewels and spices (1 Kings 10:1-13).
David, the shepherd-king was the best example of a good king, and
he was intended by God to foreshadow the Messiah (Christ; God's
“anointed”) Savior and eternal King.
Jesus is the ultimate fulfillment of the ideal King of God's
people. He is the Good Shepherd (John 10:11-16). The Church is the
“New Israel.”
At Jesus' birth, wise men (“The Three Kings”) from the east
came bringing gold and spices (Matthew 2:1-12), beginning the
fulfillment of this scripture.
Ultimately Jesus is going to return with great power and glory. In
that day, his enemies will be humbled and bow before him and every
one will acknowledge that Jesus is Lord (Philippians 2:10-11). In
that day his dominion will be to the ends of the earth.
But in that day it will be too late to change one's eternal
destiny. Those who have accepted Jesus as Lord and have trusted and
obeyed Jesus in this lifetime will have been spiritually reborn by
the gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit. Only Jesus gives the gift of
the indwelling Holy Spirit (John 1:31-34), only to his disciples who
trust and obey Jesus (John 14:15-17). Those who have been
“born-again” (John 3:3, 5-8) will enter God's eternal kingdom in
Heaven. Those who have rejected Jesus as Lord, who have refused or
failed to trust and obey Jesus will be condemned to eternal
destruction and death in Hell with all evil.
Jesus is the fulfillment of the prophecy of the eternal
shepherd-king of God's People. His name and fame will endure forever,
and by his name all nations and peoples will be blessed.
A just and righteous leader must use his power to protect and
defend the poor and weak. The worldly way is for the rich and
powerful to exploit the poor and powerless.
In America today it seems that the rich and powerful are using the
government to exploit the poor and powerless. Government is no longer
of the people by the people, for the people. It's government of the
people by the rich, for the rich.
God blesses those who are righteous and just, and he punishes
those who are their oppressors. God blesses and prospers righteous
and just nations, and withholds favor and prosperity from unrighteous
and unjust nations. We know this because of the record of God's
dealing with Israel in the Bible, which was written down for our
instruction (1 Corinthians 10:6, 11).
I believe that many problems America is experiencing right now are
evidence that God is lifting his favor and protection from us and
allowing us to experience trouble, in hope that we will return to
faith (obedient trust) in Jesus Christ, as America has done in the
past.* God's Word promises that “If my people, which are called by
my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and
turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will
forgive their sin, and will heal their land” (II Chronicles 7:14).
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)?
January 4 C
First Posted January 4, 2010;
Podcast: Saturday January 4 C
Isaiah 60:1-6 -- Restoration of Jerusalem;
*The Oxford Annotated Bible, Revised Standard Version, Ed. by Herbert G. May and Bruce M. Metzger, Introduction to Isaiah, p. 822, New York, Oxford University Press, 1962.
January 5 C
First Posted January 5, 2010;
Podcast: Saturday January 5 C
Ephesians 3:2-12 – Inclusion of Gentiles;
Paraphrase:
Paul assumed that the Galatian congregation had heard that Paul had received God's grace (unmerited favor) as a steward on behalf of the Gentiles (non-Jews). The mystery of Christ, which had not been known in former generations, had been made known to Paul by revelation by the Holy Spirit, as it had also been revealed to the holy apostles (messengers; of the Gospel) and prophets. The revealed mystery was that through the Gospel the Gentiles share in the inheritance as members of the same body (the Church) and through the Gospel, they partake of the same promise in Jesus Christ.
Paul had been given the ministry of that Gospel as a gift by God's grace through God's power working in and through Paul. Paul felt unworthy, the least of the saints (those consecrated to God's service), to preach the incalculable riches of Christ to the Gentiles. Paul and the other apostles had been given the opportunity and privilege to make known to all the people of the world the mystery of God's plan which had been hidden for ages in God the creator of all things. Now through the Church, all people and angelic beings in the universe can know the great wisdom of God of the eternal purpose God has accomplished in our Lord, Jesus Christ. Through our faith (obedient trust) in Jesus we have boldness and confidence of access to God.
Commentary:
Paul (Saul of Tarsus) felt less worthy than the original apostles, the remnant of the Twelve (minus Judas Iscariot, Jesus' betrayer) because Paul had persecuted Christians, before his confrontation by the Holy Spirit, the risen Jesus, on the road to Damascus (Acts 9:1-20).
Paul was as much an apostle as the original eleven. He was filled with, guided, and empowered by the same Holy Spirit, and proclaimed the Gospel to the Gentiles, as Peter had done to the household of Cornelius (Acts 10:9-48; 15:4-29).
I believe that Paul was intended by God to be the prototype and example of a “modern,” “post-resurrection,” “born-again” disciple (student) and apostle (messenger; of the Gospel) of Jesus Christ, as we can and should be. I believe that Paul was the one God intended to take the place of Judas Iscariot.
The Eleven had been told to wait in Jerusalem until they had received the gift (“baptism;” “anointing”) of the indwelling Holy Spirit (Luke 24:49; Acts 1:4-5, 8). While they were waiting, they decided to choose a replacement for Judas. Since they didn't yet have the guidance of the Holy Spirit, they chose Matthias by lot (by chance; like throwing dice; Acts 1:15-26). Matthias is never heard of in the New Testament thereafter, but after Paul's conversion most of the rest of the New Testament is by or about Paul.
Paul loved his fellow Jews and wanted to share the Gospel with them, but they refused to hear it and had imprisoned Paul at the time of Paul's writing this letter (Ephesians 3:1). The Jews knew the Bible scriptures had promised the Messiah (Christ; both mean God's “anointed), the eternal Savior and King of God's kingdom. But they didn't realize that the Savior had been given for the Gentiles also (note Isaiah 49:6). They considered themselves righteous by keeping the Law of Moses, and couldn't accept that Gentiles (unrighteous pagans) could receive the same forgiveness and salvation through the Gospel of Jesus Christ by faith (obedient trust).
God has always intended to establish an eternal kingdom of his people who willingly choose to trust and obey God. From the very beginning he has designed this Creation for that purpose, to allow us the freedom to choose whether or not to trust and obey God, and the opportunity to learn by trial-and-error that God's will is our very best interest.
God knew that given freedom, we would all choose to do our will rather than God's will. Disobedience of God's Word is the definition of sin. God has limited this Creation and we ourselves by time, because he doesn't intend to tolerate rebellion and disobedience forever, or at all in his eternal kingdom. God has designed the Savior, Jesus Christ into the structure of this Creation from the very beginning (John 1:1-5, 14).
We are all sinners who fall short of God's righteousness (Romans 3:23; 1 John 1:8-10) and the penalty for sin is eternal death (Romans 6:23). Jesus Christ is God's one and only provision for the forgiveness of our sins and our salvation from eternal destruction (Acts 4:12; see God's Plan of Salvation, sidebar, top right, home).
God's wisdom has been progressively revealed to the world, first in the goodness and complexity of Creation, then through God's Word, the Bible, then through Jesus Christ, the fulfillment, embodiment and example of God's Word lived out in this world in human flesh (John 1:1-5, 14).
God's wisdom is unlike what mankind falsely calls “wisdom.” Worldly wisdom is incomplete and constantly changing; God's wisdom is complete, eternal and unchanging (1 Corinthians 1:17-29; 2:1-8). Jesus is the only way to know divine eternal truth, the only way to be restored to fellowship with God which was broken by sin, and the only way to have real, eternal life (John 14:6).
The Church has received the stewardship of God's wisdom to proclaim it to the world. The Church is composed of “born-again” disciples of Jesus Christ. Believers are commanded to stay within the Church (the New Jerusalem; Luke 24:49, Acts 1:4-5, 8) until we have received the promised gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit before going into the world to proclaim the Gospel and to make “born-again” disciples of Jesus Christ (Matthew 28:19-20).
Through our faith (obedient trust) in Jesus Christ, we are spiritually “reborn” by the gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit, which only Jesus gives (John 1:31-34), only to his disciples who trust and obey Jesus (John 14:15-17). The Holy Spirit is the seal and guarantee that one is in Christ and has eternal life (2 Corinthians 1:22; Ephesians 1:13-14; Romans 8:9b, 11, 15-16).
The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God, the Spirit of Christ (Romans 8:9). The Spirit of the Lord is the spirit of wisdom, understanding, counsel (guidance), might (empowerment), knowledge of and fear (appropriate awe and respect for the power and authority) of the Lord (Isaiah 11:2). By the Holy Spirit we have personal knowledge of and fellowship with God the Father, and our Lord Jesus Christ.
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)?
