Week of 6 Pentecost - C
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Podcast Download: Week of 6 Pentecost - C
Sunday 6 Pentecost - C
First
posted July 4, 2010
Podcast: Sunday 6 Pentecost - C
1 Kings 19:14-21 – Elisha's
Call;
Psalm 16 – Refuge in the Lord;
Galatians 5:1, 13-25 – Christian Freedom;
Luke 9:51-62 – Costs of Discipleship;
Theme: The Call to Discipleship;
1 Kings Background:
Elijah had fled to Mt. Horeb (Mt. Sinai), because Jezebel,
the pagan queen of the Northern Kingdom of Israel sought
to kill him (1 Kings 19:1-3). God asked Elijah what he was
doing there (1 Kings 19:13b).
Text Paraphrase:
Elijah said that he was very [zealous] for the Lord; and
the people of Israel had broken down the altars to the
Lord and killed the prophets of the Lord. Elijah thought
he was the only one left still faithful to the Lord, and
they were trying to kill him.
The Lord told Elijah to return to the Syrian desert
(“wilderness of Damascus;” in the far north of Israel, and
there he was to anoint Hazael to be king of Syria, and
Jehu to be king of Israel. Elijah was to anoint Elisha to
be Elijah's replacement as prophet of the Lord. Those
apostates (unfaithful) who escape death by Hazael will be
killed by Jehu, and Elisha shall slay the rest. But seven
thousand people in the Northern Kingdom who have not
turned from faith in the Lord will remain.
So Elijah left Mt. Horeb and found Elisha plowing a field
with a yoke of twelve oxen, and as Elijah passed by he
placed his mantle on Elisha. Elisha left the plowing and
ran after Elijah, and asked for time to say goodbye to his
parents and then he would follow Elijah. Elijah told him
to go and then come back, because he had done something
very significant to Elisha.
Elisha went and killed the oxen and used the wooden yokes
to cook their flesh for a feast of the people. Then he got
up and returned and served Elijah.
Psalm Paraphrase:
The psalmist (attribution to David, the great human
shepherd-king of Israel) says that he takes refuge in the
Lord and asks God to preserve him. The psalmist realizes
that there is no good apart from the Lord and has accepted
him as his personal Lord. He delights in the saints (those
consecrated to the Lord's service) in the land; they are
noble. Those who choose another “god” are just multiplying
their griefs. The psalmist refuses to offer blood
sacrifices to them or even speak their names.
The psalmist acknowledges that he has chosen to trust in
the Lord and that his destiny is in the hand of the Lord.
He testifies that, as a result, he has experienced good
and that he is confident that he will continue to
experience good in the future.
The psalmist is grateful that the Lord has given him
guidance. He has been taught during his sleep. The Lord is
always his first priority, so he won't come to disaster.
Therefore he can rejoice and feel secure. The Lord won't
abandon him to Sheol (death and the grave), “nor let thy
godly one see the pit” (death; grave; Psalm 16:10b).
The Lord reveals the path to true, eternal, life. The
psalmist has experienced the joy of the Lord's presence,
and is sure that in his right hand (Jesus) are eternal
pleasures.
Galatians Paraphrase:
Christ has set us free from slavery to sin and death, so
that we can be free to serve the Lord. So we should firmly
resist any attempt to re-enslave us.
We have been invited to receive freedom, but not to use
that freedom for physical indulgence. Instead we are to
use it to serve one another in love. The entire law (of
Moses; the Old Testament) can be summed up in the command
to love our neighbor just the same as we love ourselves
(Matthew 22:36-40). Beware that if we “bite and devour”
one another we will also be “consumed” by them.
Our obligation is to live according to the guidance of the
Holy Spirit, and not yield to the temptations of our
physical nature. The Holy Spirit is given to resist the
temptations of our flesh, to prevent us from indulging
ourselves physically.
Those who are led by the Spirit are not accountable to the
law. The deeds motivated by flesh are: immorality,
impurity, licentiousness, idolatry, sorcery, enmity,
strife, jealousy, anger, selfishness, dissension,
factionalism, envy, drunkenness, carousing, and so forth.
Be aware that those who persist in doing such things are
not going to inherit eternal life in God's kingdom.
But the fruit of the Holy Spirit yields love, joy, peace,
patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness,
and self-control. No law is necessary to restrain such
conduct.
Those who have committed to Jesus Christ, have crucified
their physical nature of passion and desire. If we have
been born to eternal life by the “baptism” of the
indwelling Holy Spirit, we must live according to the
guidance of the Holy Spirit. Let us not have self-conceit,
and no taunting or envy of one another.
Luke Paraphrase:
Jesus knew that he was going to go to Jerusalem where he
would be crucified and then would be raised from the dead
to eternal life on the third day, and he told this to his
disciples at least three times (Matthew 16:21; 17:22-23;
20:17-19).
When the time had come, Jesus headed for Jerusalem with
his disciples, and he sent messengers ahead to prepare
food and lodgings in a village of Samaria, but the
Samaritans refused to receive him, because he was heading
for Jerusalem. When James and John, two of Jesus' closest
disciples heard this, they asked Jesus if they should call
down fire from heaven to destroy the village (as Sodom and
Gomorrah had been: Genesis 19:24). But Jesus told them
that they had been called to save, not destroy, the
(spiritually, eternally) “Lost.” And they went on to
another village.
On their way to Jerusalem a man declared that he was
willing to follow Jesus, but Jesus told the man that the
“Son of man” (Jesus; the Son of God) had no place on earth
to call home. Jesus invited another person to follow him,
but that person wanted to return and bury his father
first. Jesus told him to let the (spiritually) “dead” to
bury their dead; instead this person should go and
proclaim the kingdom of God.
Another declared that he would follow Jesus, but wanted to
return home and say goodbye to his family first. Jesus
replied that anyone who sets his hand to the plow and then
looks back is unworthy of the kingdom of God.
Commentary:
Elijah thought he was the only faithful servant of the
Lord left in the land, but the Lord knew who were his
faithful servants, and there were more than Elijah
thought. In times like the present, it can sometimes seem
that there are no other faithful Christian disciples left
and we are all alone. But God knows who his faithful
servants are.
Elijah was understandably fearful for his life, but when
God said to return to the territory ruled by Jezebel, the
wicked Queen, he trusted and obeyed God's Word. He
fulfilled the third injunction to “anoint” Elisha to
succeed him as prophet of God. It was Elisha who fulfilled
the first two.
From the beginning of God's dealing with Israel, he was
teaching them that God's prophets, priests and kings were
to be designated by “anointing” (with olive oil). When his
servants anointed God's designated, in obedience to God's
Word, with olive oil, God anointed the chosen with the Holy Spirit. David is a prime example (1
Samuel 16:13).
In this instance, Elijah's mantle (cloak) is the symbol of
his office. With his cloak, Elijah parted the waters of
the Jordan River. When the mantle passed to Elisha, Elisha
was able to part the Jordan also (2 Kings 2:8).
God also taught the Israelites that no cleansing can occur
without blood sacrifice, and that the sacrifice took place
in the context of a feast. Elisha sacrificed twelve yoke
of oxen and prepared a feast for the people.
Jesus is the ultimate sacrifice, once for all time and all
people willing to receive it by faith (obedient trust),
and the Lord's Supper (Holy Communion; Eucharist), the New
Passover, which Jesus established on the night of his
betrayal and arrest, is the feast. The Lord's Supper is a
spiritual feast. Jesus is the perfect unblemished Lamb of
Passover, sacrificed for the forgiveness of our sin on the
cross. His blood, received by faith, marks us as God's
people to be “passed over” by the destroying angel
(Spirit; Exodus 12:1-13). His flesh provides the feast; he
is the “bread of [eternal] life” (John 6:35, 48). The wine
of Communion is the blood of Jesus, which marks us as
God's children). The anointing of the Holy Spirit is the
“living” water of eternal life (John 7:37-39).
As long as we think we can take care of ourselves the Lord
will let us try; but ultimately we will fail, perhaps when
it is too late to be saved. Blessed are those who realize
their need for a Savior and Lord. When we commit ourselves
to trust and obey the Lord we become his “Saints.” Those
who chose other “gods,” like money, power, career,
success, family, or pleasure will discover, perhaps too
late that they have multiplied grief.
Pagans offer blood sacrifices to idols, but idols are not
gods; they are the creation of mankind's imagination. They
can do nothing. They are counterfeits; the true God is the
only sovereign God. He alone hears and and answers prayer,
only for his trusting and obedient people (see Conditions
for Answered Prayer, sidebar, top right, home).
When we commit to trust and obey the Lord we will
experience his faithful love and his power to answer
prayer. Because we have experienced his faithfulness and
power in the past we can be confident that we will
continue to experience it in the future. This is the
example of discipleship. The Lord wants us to trust and
obey his Word so that we can experience his faithfulness
and power to fulfill his Word.
Studying discipleship isn't hard work. We can learn by the
Holy Spirit even while we are sleeping!
Jesus is the Holy one of God whom God did not abandon to
the grave after his crucifixion. God raised Jesus from
physical death to eternal life. Jesus' resurrection is the
demonstration of existence after physical death, and is
attested to by over five hundred eye-witnesses, and every
truly “born-again” (John 3:3, 5-8) Christian disciple
since Paul (Saul of Tarsus). God didn't abandon Jesus to
the grave, and he won't abandon us either, if we trust and
obey him.
God has revealed the path to eternal life in Jesus Christ.
When we trust and obey Jesus we will experience the joy of
the Lord's presence, now in this lifetime, and can be
certain that we will experience it eternally in God's
heavenly kingdom after physical death.
We are all sinners (disobedient of God's Word) and have
fallen short of God's Word, recorded in the Bible and
exemplified in Jesus Christ. Those who sin are enslaved by
sin (John 8:34). Jesus sets us free from sin and eternal
death, so that we can be free to serve the Lord.
We must not use that freedom to indulge ourselves, but use
it to love and serve others in Jesus' name for the sake of
the Gospel of forgiveness and salvation from eternal
destruction. We are freed from the restrictions of the Law
of Moses, provided that we live according to the guidance
and empowerment of the indwelling Holy Spirit (Romans
8:1-13).
The Lord tests us to see if we are committed to trusting
and obeying Jesus before baptizing us with the indwelling
Holy Spirit (John 14:15-17). The Holy Spirit is the Spirit
of God, the Spirit of Christ within us (Romans 8:9)
Premature spiritual rebirth would be a spiritual disaster
for us (Hebrews 6:4-6).
Jesus was heading to Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover,
where he knew he would be crucified. The Samaritans were
unwilling to receive him because they believed that Mt.
Gerizim was the proper place to worship God (John
4:20-21). Sanballat had built a temple for the Samaritans
on Mt. Gerizim and had established a priesthood rivaling
Jerusalem.
Samaritans were of mixed race and religion. A remnant of
the Northern Kingdom, Israel, of the Divided Monarchy,
were not deported by the Assyrians when the Assyrians
destroyed the Northern Kingdom in 721 B.C., at the fall of
Samaria. The Assyrian policy of subduing conquered lands
by deporting the people to other conquered lands resulted
in mixed marriage among the remnant and aliens.
But some Samaritans were more receptive to Jesus than the
Jews. Where Samaritans were willing to receive him, their
faith was rewarded with salvation (John 4:39-42). Jesus
came not to destroy but to seek and save the spiritually
“Lost” (compare John 3:16-17).
Jesus taught his disciples to shake off the dust of their
feet as testimony against those who would not receive
them, and to go on to the next village (Matthew 10:14-15).
The disciples won't have to call down fire to destroy them
like Sodom and Gomorrah. God will do that in the day of
judgment, but will meanwhile give them plenty of time to
repent and come to salvation.
Jesus' disciples can expect the Gospel message to be
rejected by some. We're not to waste our time trying to
convince the unreceptive, but to go on to people who are
receptive.
We're all born physically alive but spiritually dead
(unreborn). This lifetime is our opportunity to be
“born-again” (John 3:3, 5-8) to eternal life and this is
only possible through faith (obedient trust) in Jesus by
the “baptism” 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). There are plenty of
spiritually dead people to bury the dead. Spiritually
alive disciples of Jesus should spend their time
proclaiming the Gospel so that some of the spiritual dead
can be “reborn.”
In order to be disciples of Jesus Christ we must be
willing to leave our former lives, homes, and
families in order to follow Jesus. We must not let
longing for the old way of living draw us away from
following Jesus. The “Old Days” really weren't that good.
We may have had the fleeting pleasures of sin, but the
rewards of sin is eternal death; the loss of eternal life
in paradise with the Lord.
Elisha hadn't set his hand to the plow of the ministry of
God's Word yet. His sacrifice of the twelve yoke of oxen
was an act of worship and consecration to God. He
essentially gave away his material possessions, the yoke
of oxen, to feed the poor, and cut off his old life. There
would be no oxen to return to. Then, he followed Elijah
with persistence until the very moment Elijah ascended in
the whirlwind (2 Kings 2:1-2, 4, 6. 11-12).
Jesus' disciples are called to leave their old lives
behind and follow Jesus persistently until the day of his
return at the Second Coming.
Is Jesus your Lord (Matthew 7:21-23; Luke 6:46)? Are you
Jesus' disciple (John 8:31)? Are you trusting and obeying
Jesus (John 14:21)? Have you received the indwelling Holy
Spirit since you first truly believed (Acts 19:2)? Are you
making disciples of Jesus Christ and teaching them to obey
all that Jesus commands (Matthew 28:18-20)? Do you know
with certainty where you will spend eternity (1 John
5:11-13; Ephesians 1:13-14)?
Monday 6 Pentecost - C
First posted July 5,
2010;
Podcast: Monday 6 Pentecost - C
Psalm 66:1-11, 14-18 – Hymn of
Praise;
Paraphrase:
Sing aloud with joy to God, everyone. Glorify his name in
song; make his praise glorious. Tell the Lord that his
deeds are awesome! His enemies cringe before his great
power. All the earth shall worship the Lord and sing
praises to his name.
Look and see what the Lord has done. He has done awesome
deeds among us. He made a way to pass through the sea on
dry ground; through the river without getting wet feet. We
rejoiced there in him who rules for ever by his great
might and keeps watch on the nations; may the rebellious
not exalt themselves!
May all people bless our God, may his praise be heard, for
he has sustained our lives and has not let us stumble. The
Lord has tested us as silver is refined. He allowed us to
be snared in a net; he allowed us to experience
affliction.
I will fulfill what I promised when I was in trouble. I
will offer the sacrifices of finest rams, bulls and goats.
Come and listen to what the Lord has done for me, all who
fear (have proper awe and respect for the power and
authority of) God. I cried aloud and extolled him with my
voice. If I had loved sin in my innermost self the Lord
would not have listened.
Commentary:
God wants to reveal himself to us so that we can know his
great goodness, power, faithfulness and love. God first
reveals himself to us in the goodness of Creation. The
evil that exists in the world was not created by God; it
is caused by human sinfulness.
God began to reveal himself personally to us in the call
of Abraham (Abram) and the history of his dealing with
Israel recorded in the Bible. The great central act of
salvation in the Exodus from Egypt, wilderness wandering,
and entry into the Promised Land, is deliberately intended
to be a parable, a metaphor for life in this world. We're
all in bondage to sin and death in the “Egypt” of this
present world order.
The Exodus was initiated with the institution of Passover
(Exodus 12:1-13). The Passover points to the New Passover,
the Lord's Supper, instituted by Jesus on the night of his
betrayal and arrest (Matthew 26:26; Psalm 66:1-11,
14-18-28), and to the ultimate feast in the Kingdom of God
in Heaven (Matthew 26:29). Jesus is the perfect Lamb of
the New Passover, and his blood, shed on the cross, marks
his people to be “passed over” by the destroying angel.
His body and blood are received by faith (obedient trust).
God delivered Israel from the pursuing Egyptians by
parting the Red Sea and allowing them to pass through on
dry ground. The parting of the Sea corresponds to water
baptism into Jesus Christ.
After wandering in the wilderness for forty years, they
were led through the Jordan River on dry ground and into
the Promised Land. Jesus is the “Moses” and the “Joshua”
(Jesus is the Greek equivalent of “Jeshua,” the
post-exilic form of “Joshua”) who leads us out of “Egypt,”
through the wilderness of this present lifetime, through
the “River” of physical death (on dry ground; i.e, without
being tainted by death) and into the eternal “Promised
Land” of God's eternal kingdom.
We first experience God's great deeds through the Biblical
record, but as we trust and obey Jesus, we will come to
experience God's great deeds personally in our lives (see
Personal Testimonies, sidebar, right, home).
God taught the Israelites that sacrifice was necessary for
the forgiveness of sin, preparing them to receive the
sacrifice of Christ on the cross, once for all time and
all people willing to receive it by faith (obedient
trust). The sacrifice that God desires from us is the
sacrifice of our own self-interest in order to do his
will.
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 6 Pentecost - C
First
posted July 6, 2010;
Podcast: Tuesday 6 Pentecost - C
Isaiah 66:10-14 – Rejoice with
Jerusalem;
Paraphrase:
Let all who love Jerusalem rejoice and be glad with her;
let all who mourn for her rejoice and be glad. You will be
suckled and satisfied with the abundance of her glory.
The Lord declares that he will extend a river of
prosperity to her; the wealth of nations will overflow to
her. She will suckle you, carry you on her hip, and dandle
(fondle) you on her knee. The Lord will comfort you in
Jerusalem as a mother comforts her child. Your heart will
see and rejoice; your bones will flourish like grass. All
will know that the hand of the Lord is with his servants,
and against his enemies.
Commentary:
The Church is the New Jerusalem, the City of God on earth,
which points to the eternal city in heaven. But the
nominal Church on earth is imperfect. Parts of the nominal
Church are not nurturing or providing good parenting. We
need to mourn for those parts of the nominal Church, but
we can be assured that God will cleanse and restore her,
removing what is imperfect.
As believers we need to be discerning. We need to read and
know the Bible so that we can use the Bible as the
standard against which to compare Church doctrine, in
order to avoid false teaching and false teachers within
the nominal Church.
There are several false teachings in the nominal Church
today that were present in the first-century Church and
are refuted in the New Testament. One very disturbing
false teaching, present in mainline denominations today,
is that the “baptism” of the indwelling Holy Spirit is
automatically conferred by some Church rite such as water
baptism. This has the effect of discouraging and
preventing believers from seeking and being spiritually
“born-again” (John 3:3, 5-8) by the “baptism” of the Holy
Spirit which only Jesus gives (John 1:31-34), only to his
disciples who trust and obey Jesus (John 14:15-17; see
False Teachings, sidebar, right, home).
The Church is supposed to suckle and nurture new believers
until they have been “born-again.” That is the process of
discipleship and spiritual growth, which Jesus
commissioned his disciples to carry out (Matthew
28:19-20), and which Paul (Saul of Tarsus), the prototype
and example of a modern, post-resurrection, born-again
disciple (student) and apostle (messenger; of the Gospel)
practiced and demonstrated (Acts 9:1-22; 2 Timothy 1:6-7;
2:2).
The indwelling Holy Spirit is the river of spiritual
prosperity enriching us, and through us, the world. We
will inherit the wealth of the nations. We will thrive and
flourish like lush grass. We will demonstrate that the
hand of the Lord is with us, for all who care to see.
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 6 Pentecost - C
First
posted July 7, 2010;
Podcast: Wednesday 6 Pentecost - C
Galatians 6:1-10, 14-16 –
Exhortations;
Paraphrase:
If anyone is overtaken in sin (disobedience of God's
Word) those who are “born-again” (John 3:3, 5-8) should
gently restore him. Be careful, that you are not also
tempted. In fulfillment of Christ's command we should
share one another's burdens. We should not deceive
ourselves by thinking we are something when we are not.
We should examine ourselves honestly, instead of
comparing ourselves to others; then our evaluation will
be on our own merit and not dependent on others, because
we will each be accountable for our own behavior.
Let those who are taught be generous to their teachers.
Let us not deceive ourselves: what we sow is what we
will reap. Those who sow to their flesh will from their
flesh reap corruption; but those who sow to the Spirit
will reap eternal life. Let us not grow tired of doing
what is good, for in due time we will reap a reward, if
we do not become discouraged. So let us do good to all
people, especially to our fellow believers.
Let us not take glory in anything but the cross of Jesus
Christ, by which we have died to the world, and the
world to us. It is not a matter of circumcision or
uncircumcised, but of new birth. Let peace and mercy be
upon all who live by this rule; they are the [New]
Israel of God.
Commentary:
Instead of condemning sinners we are called to restore
them. We must remember that we are also vulnerable to
sin. If we truly love one another we will care about
their problems and try to alleviate them. If we think we
are better than they are, we are only deceiving
ourselves. We will be accountable for our own actions,
not in comparison to others.
We must recognize that we are in need of spiritual
teaching – of being led in discipleship by mature
disciples. It is impossible for the unregenerate
(un-born-again) to make born-again disciples. If they
knew how, they wouldn't be unregenerate. Unfortunately,
there are many unregenerate teachers in the nominal
Church today.
Paul (Saul of Tarsus) is 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
was convicted by the Spirit of the risen and ascended
Jesus (Acts 9:5b) on the road to Damascus where he
intended to persecute Christians. He repented (Acts 9:9)
and accepted Jesus as his Lord (Acts 9:5a). He was
“discipled” by a born-again disciple (Acts 9:10),
Ananias, until he was “born-again” (Acts 9:17-18), and
then Paul began to fulfill the Great Commission (Matthew
28:19-20) which Jesus gave to his born-again disciples
(Luke 24:49; Acts 1:4-5, 8; Acts 9:20-22; 2 Timothy
1:6-7) and teaching them to repeat the process (2
Timothy 2:2).
It is not a matter of keeping the Law of Moses (the Old
Testament Law), but of spiritual rebirth (Romans 8:1-13)
by the “baptism” of the 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).
Christians are the New Israel, the new people of God,
and the true Church is 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)?
Thursday 6 Pentecost - C
First
posted July 8, 2010;
Podcast: Thursday 6 Pentecost - C
Luke 10:1-12 (17-20) – Mission
of the Seventy;
Jesus was heading for Jerusalem with his disciples, where
he knew he would be crucified (Matthew 16:21; 17:22-23;
20:17-19). He sent out seventy of his followers in pairs
to every place where Jesus was about to come. Jesus
declared that the [spiritual] harvest was plentiful but
there were few laborers, so his disciples should pray to
the Lord of the harvest to provide laborers.
Jesus sent the seventy as lambs among wolves. They were to
take no purse, extra clothing or sandals, and they were
not to stop and visit with travelers along the way. They
were instructed to bid peace upon any house they entered.
Their peace would rest on the household if they were
peaceable people; but if not their peace would return to
the messengers.
They were instructed to remain in one house, not going
from door-to-door. When they entered a town that welcomed
them they were to eat whatever was provided. They were to
heal the sick and to declare that the kingdom of God had
come near to them. But if a town would not welcome them
they were to declare from the street that they were
shaking off the dust of that place from their feet as
testimony against that place; nevertheless they were to
declare that the Kingdom of God had come near. On that day
it will be more tolerable in Sodom than in that town.
When the seventy returned they rejoiced that even demons
had been subject to them in Jesus' name. Jesus told them
that he had witnessed the fall of Satan from heaven to
earth like a lightening bolt. Jesus declared that he had
given them power over serpents, scorpions, and all the
powers of evil; nothing would harm them. But instead of
rejoicing over their power over demons, they should
rejoice that their names are recorded in heaven.
Commentary:
There is a great spiritual hunger in the world today, but
people are looking for satisfaction of that hunger in all
the wrong places! People are interested in spiritual and
supernatural things, but reading the Bible is the farthest
thing from their minds.
Jesus is about to come again, on the Day of Judgment, when
everyone who has ever lived will be accountable to him for
what they have done in this lifetime in this world. Jesus
has sent his disciples ahead, to announce his imminent
coming. They are offering spiritual healing in his name,
and the peace that is only possible in Jesus' name.
We need not fear that we will give his peace to the wrong
people. His peace does not remain upon people who do not
welcome Jesus.
We need not go door-to-door. In any community, any
household which welcomes us is sufficient. From there we
can declare the Gospel message of forgiveness of sin, and
restoration to fellowship with God and eternal life in
God's Kingdom.
We offer spiritual healing in Jesus' name. We testify that
we have personally experienced spiritual healing. God's
eternal kingdom restored to perfect paradise in heaven is
all around us now, but we cannot see it now, or enter it
ultimately in eternity, unless we welcome Jesus into our
lives now in this lifetime.
God does not call down fire from heaven immediately on
those who refuse to welcome Jesus. He gives us a lifetime
to learn and to repent. But ultimately, if we have failed
to accept God's grace (free gift; unmerited favor) in
Jesus Christ we will suffer the same fate as Sodom (and
Gomorrah) which were destroyed by fire from heaven because
of their wickedness and unrepentance (Genesis 19:24).
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), 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 indwelling Holy
Spirit gives us power over evil, and gives us the
assurance that our names are recorded in the Book of Life
in heaven.
Is Jesus your Lord (Matthew 7:21-23; Luke 6:46)? Are you
Jesus' disciple (John 8:31)? Are you trusting and obeying
Jesus (John 14:21)? Have you received the indwelling Holy
Spirit since you first truly believed (Acts 19:2)? Are you
making disciples of Jesus Christ and teaching them to obey
all that Jesus commands (Matthew 28:18-20)? Do you know
with certainty where you will spend eternity (1 John
5:11-13; Ephesians 1:13-14)?
Friday 6 Pentecost - C
First
posted July 9, 2010;
Podcast: Friday 6 Pentecost - C
Romans 6:3-11 – Dying and
Rising with Christ;
Romans Paraphrase:
When we are baptized into Christ, we are baptized into his
death. We have been buried with him in death, so that we
can share in his resurrection to new life by the glory of
God the Father.
If we have been united with him in death, we will also be
united with him in his resurrection. Our old nature, our
sinful flesh, has been crucified, so that we might no
longer be slaves of sin. Those who have died are freed
from sin. If we believe that we have died with Christ we
believe that we will also live eternally with him. Christ,
having been raised from physical death, will never die
again; death no longer has power over him. He died once
for all to sin, so that he can now live to serve and
glorify God. So we must also consider ourselves dead to
sin and alive to serve and please God, through Jesus
Christ.
Commentary:
Water baptism by immersion is an apt symbol, a visual
metaphor, of physical death and resurrection. But water
baptism is a covenant between God and the candidate.
Because it is a spiritual rite, the amount of water is not
conditional, as the Eucharistic Feast (the Feast of Holy
Communion; the New Passover; the Lord's Supper) is not
conditional upon the amount of the elements of bread and
wine.
Because it is a covenant, it can be entered into by the
candidate himself, or a representative, such as his
parents in the case of infant baptism. In the case of
infant baptism, the candidate must affirm the covenant
when he becomes of age. God is faithful! When we keep our
part of the covenant, he will keep his part! I personally
testify that I was baptized as an infant, and affirmed the
covenant at middle-age. I have no need to be
“re-baptized,” or immersed. The “baptism” of the Holy
Spirit attests to the covenant between God and myself.
We must endeavor to die daily to the flesh so that we can
live to serve and please God. We can resist temptation to
sin (disobey God's Word) by the indwelling Holy Spirit.
When we yield to temptation, we become further enslaved;
when we resist, we become further freed.
“Born-again” (John 3:3, 5-8) Christians personally
experience the risen Jesus. Because we know with certainty
that Jesus lives eternally, we can believe that we will
also live eternally with him!
The indwelling Holy Spirit gives us the power to resist
temptation, so that we can be free to serve and please the
Lord. We must not use that freedom to indulge our own
human desires.
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)?
Saturday 6 Pentecost - C
First
posted July 10, 2010;
Podcast: Saturday 6 Pentecost - C
Matthew 5:20-26 – True
Understanding of the Law;
Matthew Paraphrase:
Jesus declared that our righteousness must exceed that
of the scribes (teachers of the Law) and Pharisees
(strict legalistic sect of Judaism), or we will not be
able to enter the kingdom of heaven.
In [Old Testament] times, people were forbidden to kill,
and those who killed were accountable to judgment
[eternal condemnation], but Jesus taught that those who
are angry with their brother are liable to condemnation.
Those who insult their brother are liable to the council
(the Jewish religious court) and those who call their
brother a fool are
liable to Hell's fire.
Jesus taught that when making an offering at the altar,
we should first be reconciled to our brother if there is
any ill will between us, and then we can make our
offering to the Lord. We should seek reconciliation with
our accuser early, while going to the court, before
being delivered to judge, guard and prison. Once that
happens one cannot be released until the last
requirement of the law has been satisfied.
Commentary:
The scribes and Pharisees emphasized the letter but not
the spirit of the Law. Jesus' point is that it is not
enough to avoid actual murder of our brothers. When we
allow ourselves to remain angry with them, to insult
them and call them fools we have violated the spirit of
the Law. Those things are not harmless; they lead to
actual murder.
When we want to present an offering to the Lord we
should first make sure that we are not at enmity with
our brothers. The offering that the Lord desires is our
obedience to his Word.
It is much better to take the initiative to resolve
disagreements with our brethren before they become
lawsuits. Once we get to court we will be fully
accountable to the least detail of the law.
So also, it is well for us to initiate reconciliation
with our brethren now, according to God's Word, rather
than hold grudges and maintain enmity and strife until
the Day of Judgment, when we will be accountable to the
Lord for everything we have done in this lifetime.
Anger against our brethren does not accomplish the work
of God or glorify him (James 1:20). Our mission is to
proclaim the Gospel of forgiveness, reconciliation with
God, and salvation from eternal condemnation. How can we
accomplish that without being willing to forgive, be
reconciled, and offer salvation to our brethren?
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, June 29, 2013
Week of 6 Pentecost - C - 06/30 - 07/06/2013
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