Week of 4 Epiphany C and Following
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Podcast Download: Week of 4 Epiphany and Following C
Sunday 4 Epiphany C
First Posted 02/03/2013
Podcast: Sunday 4 Epiphany C
Jeremiah 1:4-10 – Jeremiah's Call;
Psalm 71:1-6, 15-17 – Rock of Refuge;
1 Corinthians 12:27-13:13 – The Way of Love;
Luke 4:21-32 – Rejected in Nazareth;
Jeremiah Paraphrase:
The Word of the Lord came to Jeremiah; the Lord God knew Jeremiah before
God formed him in his mother's womb, consecrated Jeremiah before
Jeremiah was born, and appointed him to be a prophet to the nations
(Gentiles). Jeremiah replied that he was too young and not an orator.
The Lord told Jeremiah that his youth didn't matter; God would show
Jeremiah where to go and give him the message God wanted him to
proclaim. Jeremiah was not to be afraid, because God promised to be with
him and deliver him.
Then the Lord touched Jeremiah's mouth and told him, “Behold, I have put
my words in your mouth. See I have set you this day over nations, and
over kingdoms, to pluck up and to break down, to destroy and to
overthrow, to build and to plant” (Jeremiah 1:9b-10).
Psalm Paraphrase:
I take refuge in you O Lord; I will never be put to shame. You, in your
righteousness, will rescue and save me. You, O Lord, are a rock of
refuge for me, a strong fortress to save me; you are my rock and my
fortress. O Lord my God, rescue me from the power of the wicked; from
those who are unjust and cruel.
O Lord, you have been my hope in whom I have trusted from my youth. I
have depended on you from my birth. It is you who delivered me from my
mother's womb. So I will always praise you!
I will declare your righteous acts, O Lord, your deeds of salvation all
day long. They are numerous beyond counting. In your strength I will go
and proclaim your righteousness, yours alone!
You have taught me from my youth, and I still proclaim your wonderful works.
1 Corinthians Paraphrase:
Paul used an analogy of the members of a human body to describe the
relationship of members to the Church. Christians are individually
members of Christ's body. God has appointed first apostles (messengers;
of the Gospel), then prophets, teachers, miracle-workers, healers,
helpers (deacons) and administrators (bishops), speakers of tongues. Not
all are apostles, not all are prophets, or teachers, or
miracle-workers, or healers. Not all speak in tongues, nor are all able
to interpret tongues. But we should earnestly seek the higher gifts.
Paul was teaching them the more excellent way (of love). Without love, a
speaker of tongues of human or spiritual language is no more useful
than a gong or cymbal making noise. If one possesses all prophetic
power, full insight into all mysteries, all knowledge and all faith that
can move mountains, but lacks love, one gains nothing.
“Love is patient and kind; love is not jealous or boastful; it is not
arrogant or rude. Love does not insist on its own way; it is not
irritable or resentful; it doesn't rejoice at wrong, but rejoices in the
right. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things,
endures all things” (1 Corinthians 13:4-7).
Love will never pass away. Prophecies will pass away, as will tongues
and knowledge, because our knowledge and prophecies are imperfect.
Perfect prophecy and knowledge will replace the imperfect. When we are
children, we speak, think, and reason like children But when we grow up
we outgrow childish ways. Now we see imperfectly as in a mirror of
polished metal, but in eternity we will see as face-to-face. Now our
understanding is partial; in the age to come we will have perfect
understanding, like the understanding God has of us now. Faith, hope and
love are the only things which will remain in eternity, and love is the
most important.
Luke Paraphrase:
Jesus had gone to the synagogue in Nazareth as was his custom, and was
asked to read from the Book (scroll) of Isaiah. He read the passage in
Isaiah 61:1-2 describing the Messiah, the Lord's anointed (Messiah and
Christ each mean anointed in Hebrew and Greek respectively; Luke
4:18-19).
Jesus gave the scroll back to the attendant and sat back down, and every
eye was focused on Jesus. Jesus declared that they had just witnessed
the fulfillment of that passage. At first the people thought Jesus was a
good speaker, whose words were gracious, and they wondered how the son
of Joseph, whom they knew, had acquired his ability. Jesus said that
they would recall the old proverb that the physician should heal
himself. They expected him to do the miracles in his own hometown that
he had done in Capernaum. Jesus said that prophets are not accepted in
their own country. Jesus pointed out that when there was a three and a
half year drought and famine in Israel, there were many hungry widows in
Israel, but God sent Elisha only to Zarepath in Sidon (in Phoenicia;
north of Galilee; 1 Kings 17:1, 8-16; 1 Kings 18:1). There were many
lepers in Israel, when Elisha was a prophet, but only Naaman, a Syrian
(Gentile; non-Jew), was healed (2 Kings 5:1-14). At this statement, the
everyone in the synagogue was enraged. They took Jesus out of the
synagogue and to the cliff of the hill on which Nazareth was built,
intending to through him off the cliff, but Jesus passed through the
crowd and went away.
Commentary:
The Lord knows all about each one of us from conception, and there is a
call upon us to be disciples of Jesus. Jesus came to make it possible
for us to be spiritually cleansed, so that we could each be temples of
the indwelling Holy Spirit within us (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). This
lifetime is our opportunity to seek God and come to know and have
fellowship with him (Acts 17:26-27) through the indwelling Holy Spirit.
This lifetime is our only opportunity to be “born-again” (John 3:3, 5-8)
spiritually by the indwelling Holy Spirit so we can have eternal life
in God's kingdom in Heaven. Only Jesus gives the “baptism” (“anointing;”
“gift;” “infilling;” 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 “baptism” of the
indwelling Holy Spirit a personally discernible ongoing event. It is
impossible to be “born-again” without being aware of the presence of the
Holy Spirit (Acts 19:2).
The Lord wants us to be filled with his Holy Spirit so that we can know
by the indwelling Holy Spirit the Word he wants us to teach, where he
wants us to teach it, and the resources and supernatural empowerment to
accomplish his call. The Holy Spirit gives his disciples what to say at
the moment it is needed (Mark 13:11; Luke 12:11-12). He teaches his
disciples all things and recalls to our memory all Jesus' teachings
(John 14:26).
The Gospel message is not going to be any more welcome by worldly people
than it was to the people of Nazareth who knew Jesus from boyhood. It
wasn't the way that he said it; Jesus spoke it gently and graciously in
love. The Bible contains both wonderful promises and ominous warnings.
The warnings are intended in love to help us avoid the consequences of
failing to heed the warnings. It isn't loving to preach only the parts
of the Bible that make us feel good.
Jesus gave his disciples the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19-20) to go
into the world and make disciples of Jesus Christ, teaching them to obey
all Jesus' teachings. But note that they were to carry out this command
only after they had been filled with the indwelling Holy Spirit (Luke
24:49; Acts 1:4-5, 8), and Jesus promised to be with them, by the
indwelling Holy Spirit, until the end of this age; the end of time. We
can't accomplish the mission of Christ in our own human strength. Not by
(human) power, or by might, but by my Spirit, says the Lord (Zechariah
4:6).
Through the indwelling Holy Spirit we experience the love of God, and we
receive the gift of God's love to be spread through us to others
(Romans 5:5). When we truly want to know God's will for us with the
commitment of doing it, he will reveal it to us. Instead of trying to
discern our spiritual gifts, we should seek his will and pray it back to
make sure we've understood. Then the Lord will supply the gift,
resources and empowerment we need to carry out his call. (Remember that
God will never tell us to do anything contrary to God's Word, the Bible,
or to do any harm to ourselves or others.) Discipleship is a spiritual
growth process. As we begin to trust and obey the Lord on a daily basis,
with Scripture, meditation and prayer, we will grow in faith over time
as we learn that his Word is completely true and trustworthy.
Paul was discipling the Roman believers. There are two forms of speaking
in tongues. The kind which was manifested on the Day of Pentecost is
the reversal of the confusion of the language at the Tower of Babel. It
was the useful ability to declare the Gospel in the languages of the
people who witnessed the event. The other kind is an ecstatic utterance.
Paul didn't want to forbid the ecstatic utterance if it were prompted by
the Holy Spirit (1 Thessalonians 5:19), but Paul didn't want it
disrupting orderly worship. He regarded the ecstatic gift of tongues at
the bottom of the list of spiritual gifts, and wanted it accompanied by
an interpreter. Paul also argued that the gift of ecstatic tongues was a
sign not for believers but for unbelievers, while prophecy is not for
unbelievers but for believers (1 Corinthians 14:1-33; note vv. 21-22).
Jesus is the ultimate fulfillment of the prophecy of Isaiah 61:1-2.
Lord's “anointed” prophet, priest and king. Prophecy is proclaiming
God's Word by the indwelling Holy Spirit. It is not like foretelling the
future. But God's Word is always fulfilled, and in fact is the test of
prophecy (Deuteronomy 18:21-22). Jesus is the fulfillment, embodiment,
and example of God's Word, lived in human flesh in this world (John
1:1-5, 14). Jesus' word is the Word of God, (John 14:10, 24) with the
creative force of God's Word (Mark 4:39-41; Genesis 1:9).
Jesus was speaking the truth in love to his fellow Nazarenes, when he
characterized their problem as the same as that of a prophet in his own
town. The Nazarene's couldn't accept Jesus as Messiah because they
thought they knew that Jesus was the son of Joseph. The Nazarenes wanted
Jesus to do miracles for his home town, but without faith (obedient
trust) in Jesus (Matthew 13:54-58).
Jesus is the descendant of David the shepherd-king. The Jews were heirs
of the promise of God but they didn't inherit them because of lack of
faith. God had planned from the very beginning of Creation that
salvation was not just for the Jews, but through them to come to all
people who would receive Jesus by faith.
The widow of Zarepath was a Gentile (non-Jew), but she survived the
drought and famine because she believed the Word of God spoken by Elisha
(1 Kings 17:11-12). Naaman was a Gentile; but he believed the testimony
of a Jewish slave-girl (2 Kings 5:2-3), and went to Elisha the prophet
of the Northern Kingdom of the ten tribes of the divided monarchy at
Samaria, the Capital.
The little Jewish slave-girl had known there was a prophet in Israel (2
Kings 5:3), although the king apparently didn't (2 Kings 5:6-9). Naaman
almost missed his healing because he was told to wash in the Jordan
seven times. Naaman had expected to speak to the prophet but Elisha sent
his servant Gehazi with the message. Naaman thought he could have
bathed in rivers in Syria with a lot less trouble, but his servants
talked him into doing as the prophet had said. Not only had Naaman found
a prophet in Israel but the God who alone is God. As a result Naaman
was healed, and converted to the God of Israel. (2 Kings 5:9-19).
The Nazarenes wanted to kill Jesus, but had no power over him because it
was not God's will. Jesus was only crucified in God's perfect timing
according to his eternal purpose.
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)?
Download: Week of 8 Epiphany C
Monday 8 Epiphany C
Before Transfiguration
First Posted February 8, 2010;
Podcast: Monday 8 Epiphany C
Psalm 99:1-5 – The Lord Reigns!
Paraphrase:
“The Lord reigns; let the peoples tremble. He sits enthroned upon the
Cherubim; let the earth quake! The Lord is great in Zion (God's people;
the Church); he is exalted over all the peoples” (Psalm 99:1-2)! Let
everyone praise his great and terrible name, for he is Holy (perfect in
goodness and righteousness; worthy of worship). He is the mighty king
and lover of justice. He has established equity, justice and
righteousness in Jacob (the patriarch whose name God changed to Israel;
from whom God's people were named). “Extol the Lord our God; Worship at
his footstool! Holy is he” (Psalm 99:5)!
Commentary:
The Ark of the Covenant was a chest containing the stone tablets of the
Ten Commandments on which the Old Covenant of Law was based. The design
of the Ark was given to Moses by God (Exodus 25:10-22). The ark itself
was considered the footstool of God's throne. On the top of the ark were
two Cherubim (winged half human, half animal creatures) facing each
other, their wings forming the “mercy seat” upon which God was invisibly
enthroned.
The ark was kept in the holy-of-holies within the tabernacle (portable
temple) and later within Solomon's temple (1 Kings 8:1-9). The
holy-of-holies was where the presence of the Lord dwelt. Only the High
Priest could enter, only once a year, offering a blood sacrifice for
himself and the people (Hebrews 9:1-10).
Jesus became the eternal high priest of the New Covenant (Hebrews
9:11-28), which he initiated during the celebration of Passover, on the
night of his betrayal and arrest (Matthew 26:26-28 RSV note “g”). At the
moment of Jesus' death on the cross, the veil of the temple, separating
the people from the holy-of-holies, was torn in two from top to bottom
(Matthew 27:51), symbolizing that Jesus has opened a new and better way
into the presence of God.
Jesus' blood sacrifice on the cross cleanses all those who are willing
to receive it by faith (obedient trust) in Jesus, so that we can become
the temple of the Holy Spirit individually and collectively, by the
“baptism” (gift; anointing) of the indwelling Holy Spirit. 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). The
baptism of the indwelling Holy Spirit is an individually discernible
ongoing experience (Acts 19:2).
Christians are by definition disciples of Jesus Christ who have been
spiritually “born-again” (John 3:3, 5-8) by the baptism of the
indwelling Holy Spirit. It is by the indwelling Holy Spirit that we have
personal daily fellowship with God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ
(John 14:21, 23). By the indwelling Holy Spirit we personally
experience the love and goodness of the Lord.
Jesus is Lord whether we accept him as our Lord or not. There is a day
coming when everyone who has ever lived will be accountable to him for
what we have done in this lifetime (John 5:28-29). In that day everyone
will acknowledge him as Lord (Philippians 2:10-11). In that day it will
be too late to change our eternal destiny.
That day is not far off; it will happen in our lifetime. At the moment
of our death, time will cease and we will immediately be at the throne
of judgment. Jesus is the righteous judge, and the standard by which we
will all be judged. Those who have accepted Jesus as Lord, who have
trusted and obeyed Jesus, will have been spiritually “born-again” in
this lifetime and will enter God's eternal kingdom in heaven. Those who
have rejected Jesus, who have refused or failed to trust and obey Jesus,
will be condemned to eternal destruction in Hell with all evil (Matthew
25:31-46; 2 Thessalonians 1:5-10).
Is Jesus your Lord (Matthew 7:21-23; Luke 6:46)? Are you Jesus' disciple
(John 8:31)? Are you trusting and obeying Jesus (John 14:21)? Have you
received the indwelling Holy Spirit since you first truly believed (Acts
19:2)? Are you making disciples of Jesus Christ and teaching them to
obey all that Jesus commands (Matthew 28:18-20)? Do you know with
certainty where you will spend eternity (1 John 5:11-13; Ephesians
1:13-14)?
Tuesday 8 Epiphany C
Before Transfiguration
First Posted February 9, 2010;
Podcast: Tuesday 8 Epiphany C
Deuteronomy 34:1-12 – Death of Moses;
Paraphrase:
Israel was poised on the plain of Moab opposite Jericho to enter the
Promised Land, and Moses went up to the top of Pisgah peak on Mt Nebo,
where he could see the the Promised Land north to the area of Dan and
Naphtali (the sea of Galilee), Ephraim and Manasseh (central Palestine),
Judah to the Mediterranean coast, and south as far as the Negeb (the
wilderness south of Judah), and Zoar (the south end of the Dead Sea).
The Lord told Moses that this was the land he had promised to give to
Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and their descendants. The Lord had allowed
Moses to see the land, but Moses was not permitted to enter it.
Moses died in the land of Moab as the Lord had said, and was buried in
the valley in Moab opposite Beth-peor, but no one knows where his grave
is. Moses was a hundred and twenty years old, but he didn't have the
infirmities of old age, such as poor vision or physical weakness. For
thirty days the people mourned for Moses in the plain of Moab.
Moses had laid his hands on Joshua, the son of Nun, and Joshua had been
filled with the Spirit of wisdom (the Holy Spirit; Numbers 27:18-23).
The people of Israel obeyed Joshua and did as the Lord had commanded
Moses. No prophet as great as Moses has arisen in Israel since,
considering the face-to-face relationship Moses had with the Lord, and
all the great signs and wonders Moses did to Pharaoh in Egypt, and in
the wilderness in the sight of all Israel.
Commentary:
Moses was allowed to see the Promised Land from the mountaintop, but was
not allowed to enter it, because Moses had brought forth water from the
rock in the wilderness but failed to give the glory to God. Moses had
taken credit for it himself (Numbers 20:6-12).
Joshua was one of the two scouts who scouted the Promised Land forty
years earlier and returned a favorable report, urging Israel to enter
and take possession of the Land. The other ten scouts had given
unfavorable reports. Because Israel had not obeyed God's command to
enter and possess the land, they were forced to wander in the
wilderness, until every adult who had rebelled, died in the wilderness.
Moses prefigures the Messiah (Christ; both words mean “anointed” in
Hebrew and Greek, respectively). Jesus is the “New Moses,” who leads us
out of bondage to sin and evil in the “Egypt” of this present world
order, through the wilderness of life and to the Promised Land.
Joshua prefigures Christ who leads us through the “river” of physical
death (without getting our “feet wet;” without being affected) and gives
us possession of the eternal “Promised Land” of God's kingdom in
heaven.
In Old Testament times, God only had personal relationships with a few
individual prophets he raised up. By God's command Moses gave the Spirit
of wisdom to Joshua to complete the mission to possess the Promised
Land.
When Jesus began his physical ministry he was filled with the Holy
Spirit at his water baptism by John, as a sign that he would “baptize”
with the Holy Spirit (John 1:33). Jesus taught by example the mission of
the Church, which is to proclaim the Gospel of forgiveness of sin and
salvation from eternal condemnation. The Church is to call people to
repent and be baptized with water for cleansing in preparation to
receive Jesus Christ, by the “baptism” of the Holy Spirit. Only Jesus
gives the “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).
Jesus demonstrated the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19-20) which he gave
to his disciples: to make disciples, teaching them to trust and obey
all that Jesus taught. This commission was to be carried out only after
they had been “born-again” by the gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit
(Luke 24:49; Acts 1:4-5, 8).
Paul (Saul of Tarsus) is 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. Paul did not know
Jesus during Jesus' physical lifetime. He was confronted by the Holy
Spirit, the Spirit of Jesus (Romans 8:9) on the road to Damascus (Acts
9:1-5). Paul repented and became obedient to Jesus (Acts 9:6-9), was
discipled by a “born-again” disciple, Ananias, until Paul was
spiritually “reborn” (Acts 9:10-18). Then guided and empowered by the
indwelling Holy Spirit, he began to proclaim the Gospel (Acts 9:20-22).
When the Gospel began to spread outside of Judea to Samaria, Peter and
John, two of the original Apostles went to Samaria and prayed for them
to receive the “baptism” of the Holy Spirit. Then they laid hands on
them and the new believers received the Holy Spirit (Acts 8:14-17).
Notice that “born-again” church leaders were involved in making
“born-again” disciples. Otherwise they wouldn't know what the new
believers were lacking.
Simon (not Peter), a magician, had been presenting himself as Great, and
having the power of God (Acts 8:9-13). When he saw Peter and John
confer the gift of the Holy Spirit upon new believers by laying their
hands on them Simon wanted to buy that power for himself (Acts 8:18-19).
Too much is made of the laying on of hands. The Holy Spirit is not
conferred by some religious ritual. But much of the nominal Church today
is like Simon the magician. They are like Moses striking the rock to
bring forth water and taking credit for it for themselves. They regard
themselves as possessing a religious “franchise.” They choose who to
make Apostles, and their version of the Gospel to proclaim. But they
have failed to become “born-again” disciples and therefore cannot make
“born-again” disciples.
By teaching salvation by grace (a free gift, which is true) without the
requirement of obedience and discipleship (wrong), and by claiming to
make disciples by ritual, they do spiritual damage to their members by
discouraging them from seeking spiritual rebirth by the “baptism” of the
indwelling Holy Spirit (see False Teachings, “Cheap Grace” and
“Spiritual Rebirth,” sidebar, top right, home.
Is Jesus your Lord (Matthew 7:21-23; Luke 6:46)? Are you Jesus' disciple
(John 8:31)? Are you trusting and obeying Jesus (John 14:21)? Have you
received the indwelling Holy Spirit since you first truly believed (Acts
19:2)? Are you making disciples of Jesus Christ and teaching them to
obey all that Jesus commands (Matthew 28:18-20)? Do you know with
certainty where you will spend eternity (1 John 5:11-13; Ephesians
1:13-14)?
Wednesday 8 Epiphany C
Before Transfiguration
First Posted February 10, 2010;
Podcast: Wednesday 8 Epiphany C
2 Corinthians 4:3-4 – Unveiled Gospel;
Paraphrase:
“And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled only to those who are
perishing. In their case, the god of this world (Satan) has blinded the
minds of unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel
of the glory of Christ who is the likeness of God” (2 Corinthians
4:3-4).
Commentary:
Some apparently accused Paul of preaching a message that was “veiled;”
not understandable. His message did not seem to make sense to them. Paul
replied that in their case Satan had blinded their minds to keep them
seeing the truth of the Gospel.
The people had asked Moses to be the mediator between God and the
people, because the voice of God frightened them. Moses' face glowed
supernaturally after he had been in God's presence, which was also
frightening to the people. Moses proclaimed God's Word with his face
uncovered so that the people would know that he had been in God's
presence. Then Moses covered his face with a veil (“vail”), after he had
given the people God's Word, until the next time he went into God's
presence (Exodus 34:32-35).
Paul used the incident of Moses' veil as an analogy for the spiritual
condition of Israel: that a veil lays over the minds of unbelievers when
the Old Testament scriptures are read, to keep them from seeing the
glory of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Only by faith in Jesus is the veil
taken away (2 Corinthians 3:13-16). The risen and ascended Jesus, by the
indwelling Holy Spirit, opens the minds of believers to understand the
scriptures (Luke 24:45; John 14:26).
Jesus taught in parables, stories of common earthly experiences to teach
spiritual truth, in order to make it understandable to us (John
3:10-13), but also to allow us to accept or reject his message (Matthew
13:13-15). 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). Jesus also
explained his parables to his disciples, but commanded them not to tell
the people that he was Christ. Jesus wants each of us to be free to
accept or reject him and his message for ourselves, because that is
God's will and purpose for this Creation.
Jesus could command, and we would have no choice but to obey. There is a
day coming, when he returns on the Day of Judgment, when he will
command and we will have no choice but to obey. In that day every knee
shall bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth (the dead) and
every tongue will confess that Jesus is Lord, to the glory of God the
Father (Philippians 2:9-11). In that day it will be too late to change
our eternal destiny.
It isn't true that all “good” people go to heaven. Not everyone who
calls themselves “Christian,” and calls Jesus “Lord” will go to Heaven;
only those who have trusted and obeyed God's Word, fulfilled, embodied
and exemplified in Jesus Christ (Matthew 7:21-27; John 1:1-5, 14). Not
everyone who dies is going to a “better place” (John 5:28-29; 2
Thessalonians 1:5-10). Saving “faith” is not getting whatever you
believe, if you believe “hard enough.” Saving faith is trusting and
obeying Jesus.
It is not true that one cannot know for sure whether there is existence
after death. The only people who don't know where they will spend
eternity are those who are spiritually “lost” (unborn), and perishing
eternally. Those who accept Jesus as Lord, who willingly choose to trust
and obey Jesus, will be spiritually “born-again” (John 3:3, 5-8), in
this lifetime, by the “baptism” (“gift;” 'anointing”) 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 “baptism” of the Holy Spirit is a personally discernible ongoing
daily event; anyone who isn't certain, hasn't received the baptism of
the Holy Spirit (Acts 19:2). By the indwelling Holy Spirit “born-again”
disciples have personal daily fellowship with the risen and ascended
Jesus. We testify that Jesus is eternally alive. We know that because he
is eternally alive we will live eternally with him (Romans 8:11). 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' miracles of resurrection and his own resurrection demonstrate
that there is life after physical death. Jesus raised the dead, like
Lazarus, the son of the widow of Nain, and Jairus' daughter. Those
miracles were intended to show that Jesus is the Lord of life (John
11:25-26), who can give life to the dead in both the physical and
spiritual senses (1 Peter 4:5). Jesus promised to return to judge the
living and the dead (John 5:28-29). Lazarus' resurrection is a preview
of the Day of Judgment, when Jesus will summon the dead from the grave
(John 5:28-29).
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 8 Epiphany C
Before Transfiguration
First Posted
February 11, 2010;
Podcast: Thursday 8 Epiphany C
Luke 9:28-36 – Transfiguration;
Background:
Jesus had asked his disciples who they would say that Jesus was, and
Peter had replied that Jesus was the Christ (Messiah; both mean
“anointed,” in Greek and Hebrew, respectively) of God. Then Jesus told
them that he would suffer and be rejected by the Jewish leaders and be
killed, and raised again on the third day (Luke 9:18-22).
Luke Paraphrase:
About a week later, Jesus took Peter, James, and John up to a
mountaintop to pray. Jesus' appearance was altered as he prayed and his
face was altered and his clothing became radiantly white. His disciples
saw two men, Moses and Elijah, “who appeared in glory” (here meaning
“brightness”) talking with Jesus, discussing Jesus' departure (physical
death) from Jerusalem. Peter and the two other disciples were sleepy,
but they didn't just dream this; they were awake to see Jesus' glory and
Moses and Elijah with him.
As the two prophets were leaving, Peter told Jesus that he was glad they
had been there (to witness this event) and suggested that the disciples
should build tabernacles for Jesus, Moses, and Elijah (to memorialize
the experience), not really understanding what he was saying. As Peter
said this a cloud overshadowed and enfolded them, causing them fear.
They heard a voice from the cloud saying that Jesus was the Son and
Chosen (Beloved) of the Lord (whose voice they were hearing). The voice
told them to listen to Jesus. When the voice finished, they saw Jesus
alone. The three disciples kept silent and told no one what they had
witnessed until later (after Jesus' resurrection).
Commentary:
Once Jesus determined that his disciples understood who he was, he began
to reveal to them his coming crucifixion and resurrection.
Peter, James and John, the three disciples of Jesus' inner circle, were
chosen to witness the glory of Jesus, which Jesus had before his
incarnation (physical coming) and would have after his resurrection.
Intense brilliance is associated with spiritual experiences. Moses' face
glowed supernaturally after he had been in God's presence (Exodus
34:29-35), and Paul (Saul of Tarsus) was struck down by the bright light
of the risen and ascended Jesus, on the road to Damascus (Acts 9:3).
Jesus is the light of the world; the light of righteousness (John 1:5;
3:19-21), divine enlightenment (John 1:9), and eternal life (John 1:4;
8:12).
Moses and Elijah were the two greatest prophets of the Old Testament
era. Moses was considered the greatest prophet, because of the great
signs he performed before Pharaoh to gain the release of the Israelites,
and the great signs he performed before the Israelites during their
forty years of wandering in the wilderness (Deuteronomy 34:10-12; see
entry for 8 Epiphany – Tuesday C, above). Moses was secretly buried by
the Lord (Deuteronomy 34:6*).
Elijah was considered the greatest of Old Testament prophets because he
was taken into heaven without physically dying (2 Kings 2:1-11). Elijah
was expected to return to herald the coming of the Messiah (Malachi
4:5). Jesus said that John the Baptizer was the fulfillment of that
passage (Matthew 17:12-13).
Moses wasn't allowed to enter the earthly Promised Land, but he entered
the eternal Promised Land of God's eternal kingdom in heaven, as the
testimony of Peter, James, and John on the mountain of transfiguration
attests.
Moses and Elijah were great prophets of Israel, but Jesus' disciples
were told to listen to Jesus. The Old Testament Covenant produced Moses
and Elijah, but Jesus is the mediator of the new and better Covenant of
Grace through faith (obedient trust) in Jesus Christ. The erection of
tabernacles was Old Covenant; Obedient trust in Jesus is New Covenant.
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)?
*Oxford Annotated Bible, Revised Standard Version, Ed. by Herbert G. May and Bruce M. Metzger, Deuteronomy 34:1-12, 6 n, p. 262, New York, Oxford University Press, 1962.
Friday 8 Epiphany C
Before Transfiguration
First Posted February 12, 2010;
Podcast: Friday 8 Epiphany C
Psalm 51:1-12 – Penitential Psalm;
Background:
This psalm is ascribed to David when he had been confronted by Nathan for adultery with Bathsheba (2 Samuel 11:1-12:14).
Psalm Paraphrase:
According to your steadfast love, have mercy upon me O Lord. Blot out my transgressions according to your abundant mercy. Wash me thoroughly and cleanse me of my sin!
I acknowledge my sin and am constantly reminded of my transgression. This sin is really against you; I have done what is evil in your sight, so your judgment is justified and beyond reproach. But remember that I was conceived in sin and born in iniquity.
You desire truth in our innermost selves, so teach me wisdom. Cleanse me with hyssop and wash me, so that I can be whiter than snow. Let joy and gladness fill me; restore to rejoicing, the bones which you have broken. “Hide your face from my sin and blot out all my iniquities” (Psalm 51:9).
Create a clean heart within me, O Lord, and give me a new and upright spirit. Don't remove me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore the joy of your salvation to me, and uphold me by your willing spirit.
Commentary:
We must be aware of our sin in order to repent and be forgiven. David was denying his sin to himself, until God sent Nathan to confront him. Nathan was a prophet; David was king. It was risky for Nathan to confront the king and call him a sinner.
We are all born in sin, because we all share in the sinful nature of Adam (Romans 5:12, 18). Sin is defined as disobedience of God's Word. God designed this creation to allow the possibility for sin, so that we would be free to choose whether to trust and obey God's Word or not. God knew that given freedom to choose, we would do our own will, rather than God's will. God is not willing to tolerate rebellion and disobedience forever, or at all in his heavenly kingdom, so he has limited this creation and we ourselves by time.
God has always intended to create an eternal kingdom of his people who willingly choose to trust and obey God's Word. This lifetime is our opportunity to learn to know, trust and obey God's Word, in the Bible, and in Jesus Christ, who is the fulfillment, embodiment and example of God's Word lived in human flesh in this world.
We are all born into this world in sin (John 3:3, 5-8; 1 John 1:8-10), and the penalty for sin is eternal death (Romans 6:23). Jesus is God's only provision for forgiveness of sin, and salvation from eternal destruction (Acts 4:12; John 14:6; see God's Plan of Salvation, sidebar, top right, home). Jesus has been designed into creation from the very beginning (John 1:1-5, 14).
We are all born physically into this world, but we are spiritually “unborn.” This lifetime is our opportunity to be spiritually “born-again” (John 3:3, 5-8) to eternal life. Spiritual “rebirth” is by the “baptism” (gift; anointing) 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).
Jesus is the only way to have fellowship with God (which was broken by sin), to know divine, eternal truth (compare 1 Corinthians 1:17-25); the only way to true, eternal life (John 14:6). 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 8 Epiphany C
Before Transfiguration
First Posted February 13, 2010;
Podcast: Saturday 8 Epiphany C
Joel 2:12-19 – Call to Repentance;
Paraphrase:
Now, while there is still time, let us return to the Lord with all our hearts, with fasting, tears and sorrow. Let us truly mourn in our hearts; not just in outward appearance. The Lord our God is gracious and merciful; he is not easily angered, and his love is steadfast and abundant. He does not enjoy punishing us (John 3:17). Perhaps he will accept our offerings, and turn from his anger, giving us a blessing instead of punishing us.
Sound the trumpet in Zion (Jerusalem; God's People; the Church). Prepare a holy fast unto the Lord; call God's people to a solemn assembly. Purify and gather the congregation; not only the elders, but even newlyweds and children, including nursing infants.
In the inner court of the priests in the temple, may the priests intercede for the people. Let God's people be spared; let them not become a reproach, a byword among the Gentiles. Why should the nations of earth doubt that the Lord is with his people ?
(When the people of God repented), the Lord became zealous for his land and had mercy on his people. The Lord promised to satisfy them with the finest grain, wine, and oil, and to remove from them their reproach among the nations.
Commentary:
The Bible is the historical record of God's dealing with his people, which has been written so that we can learn from their mistakes and avoid the consequences those mistakes produce (1 Corinthians 10:6, 11). Over and over, Israel went through a cycle of prosperity, then falling away from obedient trust in the Lord when times were good. So the Lord would withhold his blessings and Israel would experience troubles. Then Israel would repent and would be restored again to the fellowship and blessings of the Lord.
The Northern Kingdom of the divided monarchy fell away from obedience to the Lord and into idolatry. They refused to hear the call of the prophets to return to obedient trust in the Lord until it was too late. The consequence was that the Northern Kingdom was conquered by the Assyrians in 721 B.C.. The northern ten tribes ceased to exist because of the Assyrians' policy of transferring conquered people to other conquered lands as a policy of subduing them.
The Southern Kingdom witnessed the fall of the Northern Kingdom, but ignored the call of the prophets to repentance until it was too late again. Thus the Southern Kingdom was conquered by Nebuchadnezzar in 587 B.C., and the people were exiled to Babylon for seventy years, as prophesied in God's Word (Jeremiah 25:11-12).
Seventy years was a virtual life sentence for adults at the time of the exile. The people who returned from exile were a renewed people, but they forgot the lessons learned in the exile and were unprepared for the coming of Messiah, Jesus Christ.
God's Word is eternal and is fulfilled over and over as the conditions for its fulfillment are met. The Church is the new “Israel,” the new “people of God,” the new “Jerusalem” on earth. The nominal Church today, particularly in America, is in the same situation as Israel at the time of Jesus' first coming. We have the Word of God in the Bible and in Jesus Christ (John 1:1-5, 14), but we haven't remembered the lessons the history of Israel teaches. We haven't learned to heed the warnings of the prophets.
The first colonists to America recognized their vulernability and need for the Lord's help. Once settled and prosperous, we fell away from dependence upon the Lord and began to follow our own will and turn to other “gods.” When this nation began to expand to the west, the pioneers again recognized their vulnerability and need for divine providence, but when they were established they again fell away and ignored the call of the prophets to repentance.
America and the nominal Church have never been more in need of repentance and revival than now. The return of Jesus Christ and the Day of Judgment is imminent. Will we continue to ignore Biblical prophecy until it is too late?
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)?
