Week
of 7 Epiphany - Even
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Podcast Download: Week of 7 Epiphany - Even
Sunday
7 Epiphany - Even
First Posted 02/23/14;
Podcast: Sunday 7 Epiphany - Even
Proverbs 1:20-33 - Wisdom’s
warning;
2 Corinthians 5:11-21 - Ministry
of reconciliation;
Mark 10:35-45 - Disciples
seeking honor;
Proverbs Summary:
Wisdom is described as a prophetess of the Lord. She prophesies in
the streets and market places, the ramparts and gates of the city.
She asks how long the spiritually ignorant will enjoy their lack of
spiritual knowledge; how long will the scoffer delight in scoffing?
Heed (listen and apply) wisdom’s reproof (criticism; reprimand), and
you will learn her teachings. Wisdom has called to the spiritually
ignorant and the scoffers, but they have not heeded; they have
refused to listen; they have ignored her counsel and refused her
criticism. Therefore, wisdom will laugh when calamity befalls them,
and will mock them when panic comes upon them.
The panic and calamity will be like a whirlwind and a great storm.
The scoffers and spiritually foolish who didn’t seek wisdom while
she could be found will be in distress and anguish. Then they will
seek wisdom, but will not be able to find her; they will call but
she will not answer, because they hated knowledge and the fear (awe
and respect for the power and authority) of the Lord.
Those who would not accept wisdom’s counsel or correction “will eat
the fruit of their way” (Proverbs 1:31). Those who are spiritually
ignorant are killed by their rejection of wisdom, and fools are
destroyed by their complacence, but those who take heed and apply
wisdom’s teachings will dwell in security, and need not fear evil.
2 Corinthians Summary:
Paul and all “born-again” (John 3:3, 5-8) Christian disciples know
the fear (awe and respect for the power and authority) of the Lord,
and try to persuade others. They are confident of God’s approval,
regardless of what others think of them, but they hope their
character can be recognized by their hearers. Paul is not trying to
build himself up in the opinion of his hearers, but to give them a
response to those who judge Christians by worldly standards of
status and position.
Christians are not, as some had accused Paul (and Jesus Christ; Mark
3:21) of being “beside themselves” (“crazy;” emotionally
“unhinged"). Paul said that if he was “hysterical” it was for
God’s glory, but if he were in his right mind, it was for discipling
believers. Christians are to be controlled by the love of Christ.
Since Jesus died for his followers, his followers are to live, no
longer for themselves, but for Jesus who died and was raised again
for their sake.
From now on Christians no longer consider Christ from a worldly
perspective although we once did. “Therefore, if any one is in
Christ (see Romans 8:9), he is a new creation; the old has passed
away, behold, the new has come” (2 Corinthians 5:17). Our spiritual
rebirth and new (eternal) life is (a gift) from God through Jesus
Christ. God reconciled us to himself and gave us a ministry of
reconciliation. In Christ, God offers reconciliation to the world.
God promises, in Christ, not to hold us accountable for our sins,
and entrusts us to extend the message of reconciliation to others.
Thus we become ambassadors of Christ; God offers his reconciliation
in Christ through us, his “born-again” disciples. For our sake, God
made his Son, Jesus Christ, to take and bear our sin, although he,
Jesus himself, was pure and sinless, so that we could bear the
righteousness of God through faith (obedient trust) in Jesus Christ.
Mark Summary:
On the way to Jerusalem, (where Jesus knew he would be crucified;
Mark 10:33), disciples James and John asked Jesus to do them a
favor. Jesus asked what they wanted, and they asked him to make them
sit on each side of Jesus in his glory (in his kingdom in heaven).
Jesus said that they didn’t understand what they were asking.
Jesus asked them if they were able to accept the same earthly
destiny, and if they were as willing and obedient to accept God’s
will as Jesus was. They replied that they were. Jesus declared that
they would share the same earthly destiny and be required to have
the same acceptance and obedience, but that Jesus had not been given
the authority to give James and John the special position and honor
they desired. Those things had already been prepared.
The other ten disciples were resentful when they heard James’ and
John’s request, and Jesus called them to him and told them that
worldly leaders seek power and recognition over others, but the
kingdom of God has different standards. In God’s kingdom those who
are great are those who are the most humble and servants of others,
just as the Son of man (Jesus) didn’t come with worldly pomp as a
king, but humbly as the suffering servant of all, “and to give his
life as the ransom for many (Mark 10:45).
Commentary:
Wisdom, described here, is divine wisdom, not what the world falsely
calls “wisdom” (see 1 Corinthians 1 18-25; 2:6-8). “The fear of the
Lord is the beginning of wisdom; a good understanding have all those
who practice it” (Psalm 111:10a, b). God’s Word is divine wisdom.
Those who do not know, trust and obey God’s Word are spiritually
“illiterate” (uneducated; “ignorant”). Today is the Day of Salvation
(2 Corinthians 6:2); now is the time to give heed to God’s wisdom.
Those who take heed and apply the divine wisdom of God’s Word have
no reason to fear evil or God’s judgment and condemnation.
Paul learned the fear and the wisdom of God, and his ministry was to
persuade others. Paul’s fear of God (his awe and respect of God’s
power and authority) led to the wisdom of God, and Paul’s personal
knowledge of God. As a result, Paul was reassured of God’s love and
forgiveness through the indwelling Holy Spirit which Paul received
by faith (obedient trust) in Jesus Christ. So Paul could be
confident that he had God’s approval. He had no reason to fear God’s
judgment and condemnation of him, nor the world’s! Paul wasn’t
trying to build up his own status in the world; but he wanted
credibility for the sake of the salvation of others.
Paul was no longer living for himself, but instead for the Lord. Our
forgiveness and salvation is a gift from God through faith (obedient
trust) in Jesus Christ (Ephesians 2:8-9). The gift of 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). We have been forgiven and reconciled to God so that we
can pass his forgiveness and reconciliation on to others.
James and John were still thinking of Jesus’ Lordship in worldly
terms. Jesus was teaching them a new way of thinking and living.
They were transformed by the Resurrection of Jesus, and by the gift
of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost (Acts 2:1-13). Both James and John
later suffered for the Gospel of Jesus Christ. James was the first
apostle martyred, executed by sword by Herod (probably beheaded;
Acts 12:1-2). John was later exiled to the tiny island of Patmos in
the Aegean Sea (Revelation 1:9).
Are you willing to hear God’s Word of warning? Are you willing to
accept correction from God’s Word? Are you willing to serve the
Lord? Are you willing to serve others? Are you willing to suffer for
the sake of the Gospel?
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
7 Epiphany - Even
First
Posted: 02/24/14;
Podcast: Monday 7 Epiphany - Even
Proverbs 3:11-20 - Divine
wisdom;
1 John 3:18-4:6 - Christian
discernment;
John 11:17-29 - Jesus is the resurrection
and the life;
Proverbs Summary:
We are exhorted not to resent the discipline of the Lord or to
reject his correction, because the Lord disciplines those he loves,
like a good parent disciplines a beloved child. Real happiness in
life is experienced by those who find (divine) wisdom and
understanding. The benefits are greater and more precious than gold
and silver or jewels. Nothing else compares with (divine) wisdom.
Wisdom (portrayed as a prophetess of the Lord) offers long life,
riches and honor, and her ways are pleasantness and peace. “She is a
tree of life to those who lay hold of her” (Proverbs 3:18). Those
who grasp her will be truly happy. The Lord created the earth and
the heavens by his wisdom and understanding. God’s knowledge guides
the processes of nature.
1 John Summary:
Christians are to show true love for others by their deeds; not
merely in unsubstantiated words and claims. By sincere love for
others we can be reassured that we are in truth, and can stand
before him without condemnation. God knows everything about us and
discerns our innermost thoughts and attitudes. If we keep his
commandments and do what pleases him we can have confidence before
God and be assured that he will give us whatever we ask (according
to his will). It is God’s command that we believe in the whole
person and character of Jesus Christ, and that we should love one
another, as Jesus has commanded. “And by this we know that he abides
in us, by the (Holy) Spirit which he has given us
We are counseled to “not believe every spirit, but to test the
spirits to see whether they are of God” (1 John 4:1). There are many
false prophets. “Every spirit which confesses that Jesus Christ has
come in the flesh is of God, and every spirit which does not confess
Jesus is not of God” (1 John 4:2b-3). The spirit which denies Jesus
Christ is the spirit of antichrist. “Born-Again” (John 3:3, 5-8)
Christian disciples have overcome Satan, the antichrist, evil
spirits, and false prophets, through Jesus Christ within us (by the
gift of his Holy Spirit), because the Spirit of God, the Spirit of
Christ within us, is greater than the forces of evil.
False prophets, false “christs,” and the forces and spirits of evil
are of this world; those who are “worldly” listen to (and are
deceived by) them. Christians are of God (“re-born” and “sealed” by
his Holy Spirit). “Whoever knows God listens to us (“born-again
Christian disciples and apostles); and he who is not of God does not
listen to us” (1 John 4:6). Christians are thus able to discern
spiritual truth from error.
John Summary:
Lazarus, of Bethany, the brother of Mary and Martha, had gotten
sick. They were close friends of Jesus, and the sisters had sent for
Jesus. Jesus had delayed coming, and Lazarus had died. (John
11:1-16). When Jesus arrived, Lazarus had been the tomb four days.
Bethany was close to Jerusalem and many Jews from Jerusalem had come
to console Mary and Martha. “When Martha heard that Jesus was
coming, she got up to meet him, while Mary sat in the house” (John
11:20).
Mary told Jesus (calling him "Lord") that if he had been there her
brother would not have died, but that even now she knew that
whatever Jesus asked of God, God would give him. Jesus told her that
her brother would rise again. Martha said that she knew that Lazarus
would rise in the resurrection at the end of time. Jesus declared,
“I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in me, though
he die, yet shall he live, and whoever lives and believes in me
shall never die. Do you believe this” (John 11:26)? Martha said,
“Yes, Lord, I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, he
who is coming into the world (John 11:27).
Commentary:
In contrast to what the world falsely considers wisdom, true wisdom
is divine wisdom, the wisdom of God (1 Corinthians 1:17-25, 2:4-8),
and this Creation, this present world, has been created according to
the wisdom of God. The wisdom of God by which this world was created
includes Jesus Christ, his one and only plan of salvation (Acts
4:12; John 14:6; see God’s Plan of Salvation, sidebar, top right)
from sin (disobedience of God’s Word) and eternal death.
God’s Word declares that the fear (awe and respect for the power and
authority) of God is the beginning of wisdom (Psalm 111:10). Those
who seek God’s wisdom will find the tree of (eternal) life which we
lost through sin (Genesis 3:24; Romans 3:23; 1 John 1:8-10). Seeking
God’s wisdom begins with reading and heeding God’s Word.
Jesus Christ is the ultimate manifestation and embodiment of God’s
Word to this world (John 1:1-5, 14), and the gift of his Holy
Spirit, which only Jesus gives, (John 1:32-34), only to his
disciples who trust and obey him (John 14:15-17), is the ultimate
personal manifestation to us individually in our physical life in
this world (John 14:21). 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 Apostle John was “discipling” Christians. He was teaching
believers to trust and obey Jesus’ commands and God’s Word (Jesus'
word is the Word of God; John 14:24). He was teaching them to apply
Jesus’ teachings in their daily lives. Through obedient trust in
Jesus we will receive the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Christ, who
will continue the discipling process in us to spiritual maturity.
New believers are warned not to believe every spirit but to test the
spirits. The Spirit of the Lord will authenticate himself to us
personally. The Holy Spirit will never lead us to do anything
contrary to God’s Word, or anything to hurt others or ourselves.
Believers need to read the Bible to come to a personal knowledge of
Jesus Christ and to be able to discern false prophets and false
teachings. Any average reader can read the entire Bible in one year
(See Links to free Bible study tools; sidebar, top right). Christian
discipleship is a spiritual growth process through daily fellowship
with the Lord in God’s Word.
Jesus is the resurrection and eternal life. Jesus raised Lazarus
(and others) from physical death to demonstrate that he had
authority over life and death in both the physical and spiritual
senses. Jesus’ own resurrection demonstrates the reality of life
beyond physical death. Jesus promises that those who believe (have
obedient trust) in him will never die eternally, and that those who
are reborn to eternal life through faith in Jesus will live for
eternity. Eternity begins now, in this world; this is our only
opportunity to receive forgiveness of sin and salvation from eternal
death, to seek and come to a personal relationship with God (Acts
17:26-27), broken by our sin, but restored through faith in Jesus
Christ by the gift of his 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)?
Tuesday
7 Epiphany - Even
First
Posted: 02/25/14;
Podcast: Tuesday 7 Epiphany -
Even
Proverbs 4:1-27
- Good parenting;
1 John 4:7-21 - God is love;
John 11:30-44 - Lazarus raised from the dead;
Proverbs Summary:
A good parent teaches his child to remember his parent’s
instructions and obey his commandments. He instructs his child
to seek wisdom (not worldly wisdom but the wisdom of God, by
which the world was created; Proverbs 3:19-20; see Proverbs
9:10; 1 Corinthians 1:18-24). The way of wisdom is uprightness.
The good parent teaches his child to turn away from wickedness
and evil. The good parent wants his child to remember his words
and to do them, so that the child may have a good life. The
child is counseled to guard his heart from impurity, because
from his heart “flows the springs of life” (Proverbs 4:23); to
avoid lying and deceitfulness, and to walk the straight path of
righteousness, not turning from it to yield to temptation to
evil.
1 John Summary:
John urged Christians to love one another because love is God’s
nature, and those who are born of God (“born-again” by God’s
indwelling Holy Spirit; John 3:3, 5-8) share God’s love for us
with each other. Those who are unloving or hateful do not know
God. God revealed his love for us by sending his Son, Jesus
Christ, into the world to die as a sacrifice for our sins, so
that we might live eternally through Jesus. God did this, not in
return for our love for him, but while we were sinners in
rebellion against God (Romans 5:8).
Jesus gave his life for us so that our sins might be forgiven.
If we realize God’s love for us we should love one another. No
human has ever seen God, but if we love one another, God (who is
revealed to us through Jesus) will abide in us (through the gift
of his Holy Spirit) and his love will be matured and completed
in us.
The gift of God’s Holy Spirit within us is our assurance that we
abide in God and he in us. Those who have been “born-again” have
experienced and testify that Jesus is God’s son and the Savior
of the world. Those who confess that Jesus is God’s Son abide in
God and God in them. We know and believe God’s love for us
(through personal fellowship with him through his indwelling
Holy Spirit).
Love for one another is evidence that we abide in God and God in
us. When God’s love has grown to maturity in us we will have no
reason to fear God’s judgment. Perfect love overcomes fear,
because mature love does nothing deserving punishment. We love
because we have experienced God’s love for us.
One cannot love God if one hates one’s brother. How can we love
God whom we cannot see, if we cannot love our brother who is
right here. Failure to love our brother is a violation of God’s
commandment.
John Summary:
Lazarus had been dead four days before Jesus arrived in Bethany.
When Martha had heard that Jesus had arrived she went out to
meet him while Mary had stayed in the home with the mourners.
After Martha had talked to the Lord (John 11:17-27), she went
and told Mary that Jesus had arrived and was calling Mary. Mary
went to Jesus, who had not yet entered the village. When the
mourners saw Mary leave abruptly they followed, thinking that
she was going to the tomb to mourn.
When Mary came to Jesus she fell at his feet saying, “Lord, if
you had been here, my brother would not have died.” When Jesus
saw her weeping, and also the mourners who had followed her, he
was deeply moved and wept also. The mourners realized how much
Jesus loved Lazarus, but some said “could not he who opened the
eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying” (John
11:37)?
Jesus asked where Lazarus had been laid, and Mary took him to
see the tomb. It was a cave, sealed with a stone. Jesus asked
for the stone to be removed, and Martha told Jesus that there
would be a stench, because the body had been in the tomb four
days. Jesus told her that if she would believe she would see the
glory of God.
The stone was removed and Jesus prayed, thanking God the Father
for hearing (and granting) what Jesus asked. Jesus wanted the
witnesses to know that this miracle was by God’s power, and not
sorcery. Then Jesus called Lazarus by name, and commanded him to
come out. The dead man came out, covered with burial wrappings,
including his face. Jesus told the people to unbind Lazarus “and
let him go” (John 11:44).
Commentary:
As our Creator, God is the Father of every one of us, whether we
acknowledge him or not. He created us and wants to give us good,
abundant life. He is the epitome of a good parent who loves each
one of us, and he has given us his Word (the Bible) so that we
can find and learn divine wisdom and live the good, abundant
life God intended for us. God created the entire universe
through his divine wisdom, and knows that we cannot have a good
life apart from obedient trust in God’s Word.
God reveals himself progressively to us. His Creation reveals
his goodness, wisdom and power. He has given us his Word, the
Bible, which reveals his love, character and faithfulness more
fully. He gave us his Son, Jesus Christ, who is the invisible
God revealed in human form (Colossians 1:15). Jesus’ words and
deeds reveal God more fully, but the ultimate revelation of God
to us individually and personally is the gift of his indwelling
Holy Spirit within us. Every successive revelation of himself
testifies to his goodness and love for us. When we are
“born-again” (John 3:3, 5-8) we experience that love and
goodness directly and personally.
God’s purpose for Creation has always been to create an eternal
kingdom of his people who willingly choose to trust and obey
him. God has given us the freedom to choose whether to obey him
or not. God knew that we would have to learn to trust and obey
him, and that we would need forgiveness for sin (disobedience of
God’s Word), so God designed a plan of salvation into the
structure of Creation (John 1:1-3, 14).
Jesus Christ is God’s only plan for our forgiveness and
salvation from eternal death (Acts 4:12; John 14:6; see God’s
Plan of Salvation, sidebar, top right). This lifetime is our
only opportunity to seek and come to a personal relationship
with God (Acts 17:26-27) through faith (obedient trust) in Jesus
Christ by the gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit.
Jesus Christ reveals God’s love for us and is the example for us
of an obedient trusting Son of God. God’s plan of Salvation in
Jesus Christ is a wonderful manifestation of God’s love for us,
motivating us to trust and obey the Lord, from love rather than
by fear of punishment.
The mourners with Lazarus’ sister, Mary, realized, from what
Jesus said and did, that Jesus loved Lazarus very much. Jesus
could have kept Lazarus from dying, but he wanted people to know
that he had the power and authority to raise the dead to life,
to the glory of God.
Jesus’ word has the creative force of God. God created the
universe by his Word (Genesis 1:3). Jesus was careful to not to
command faith in his hearers. He referred to himself as the Son
of man, so that his hearers would be free to decide for
themselves who they believed him to be. When he spoke a command,
to the forces of nature (wind and sea; Matthew 8:26-27), to
forces of evil (demons; Matthew 8:31-32), and even to the
physically dead, they all obeyed immediately.
Jesus has promised to return on the Day of Judgment to judge the
living ("quickened") and the dead, in both the physical and
spiritual sense. On that day Jesus will command, and all the
dead will come forth from the tombs, some to eternal life, and
some to eternal condemnation and destruction (John 5:28-29).
We are all like Lazarus, spiritually dead, and spiritually bound
because of sin. Jesus is the only one who is able to command our
release and to give us new, eternal life, beginning now, in this
world, through the gift of his indwelling Holy Spirit. 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)?
Wednesday 7
Epiphany - Even
First
Posted: 02/26/14;
Podcast: Wednesday 7 Epiphany -
Even
Proverbs 6:1-19 - Character
traits to avoid;
1 John 5:1-12 - Victorious faith;
John 11:45-54 - The Sanhedrin plots to kill
Jesus;
Proverbs Summary:
We are warned against several personal faults. We should not enter
into a legal obligation to a neighbor, particularly someone we do
not know well. If we have become so obligated, we are warned not to
let pride induce us to continue in it. Rather we should seek release
from such an obligation, even if it means humbling ourselves and
irritating our neighbor. Idleness should be avoided. Evil-mindedness
will lead to disaster. Seven bad character traits are pride, deceit,
meanness, wicked intentions, evil actions, false witness, and
troublemaking.
1 John Summary:
Those who believe that Jesus is the Christ are children of God.
Anyone who loves the Father loves his children. Loving God produces
obedience to God’s commandments; following God’s commandments is the
way to demonstrate love for his children. God’s commands are not
unreasonable. Whoever is born of God overcomes the world and our
faith results in that victory. Believing that Jesus is the Son of
God results in victory over the world.
We receive Jesus by the water of our baptism and by the cleansing of
his blood shed on the Cross for our (sins which we receive in the
Sacrament of the Eucharist; Holy Communion). The Holy Spirit, the
Spirit of Truth, bears witness. God’s promise is secured by our
baptism, our believing participation in the Sacrament of Holy
Communion, and the testimony of the indwelling Holy Spirit.
If we believe the testimony of men, God’s testimony is much more
reliable. Those who have believed in the Son of God have the
testimony in themselves; they have come to know Jesus personally
through the Holy Spirit. Those who do not believe God have called
God a liar, because they have rejected God’s testimony concerning
his Son. “And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life,
and this life is in his son. He who has the Son has life; he who has
not the Son of God has not life” (1 John 5:11-12).
John Summary:
Because of Jesus’ resurrection of Lazarus from the dead (John
11:38-44), many Jews (Judeans) believed in Jesus; but some reported
Jesus’ miracle to the Pharisees. The Jewish religious council of
chief priests and Pharisees gathered to rule on this matter. They
were afraid that if they allowed Jesus to continue preaching and
working miracles, that everyone would believe in Jesus, and the
Romans would come and destroy the holy place (the Temple) and the
nation. But Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, told them they
knew nothing; that they did not understand that it was in their best
interest that one person should die for the people, so that the
whole nation would not perish.
Caiaphas said this, not of his own authority, but he prophesied,
because of his office as high priest, that Jesus should die not only
for the Jews but for all who would become children of God (through
faith in Jesus). From that day, the Jewish authorities plotted to
execute Jesus. So Jesus no longer went about openly, but stayed with
his disciples in a town near the wilderness called Ephraim (in the
Judean hills about 14 miles north of Jerusalem).
Commentary:
Christians are (adopted) children of God through faith (obedient
trust) in Jesus Christ. As our good Father, God has given us his
Word, the Bible, to guide and shape us into the kind of people his
children are to become, and to help us avoid things which will harm
us and prevent us from having true life. Jesus is the fulfillment
and embodiment of God’s Word in human flesh (John 1:1-3, 14). Jesus
is the illustration and example of what God’s children are to be.
In these proverbs God warns us not to come under the power and
authority of anyone other than God. We must be careful not to become
entrapped in worldly commitments that interfere with our obedience
to the Lord. God also warns us to make the most of the time
we’ve been given in this life, not wasting time in idleness, nor
wasting time in misdirected activity pursuing worldly goals or
wickedness.
We come to faith in Jesus through hearing or reading the Gospel of
Jesus Christ. Jesus is the illustration of God’s love for us (John
3:16; Romans 5:8). If we recognize God’s goodness and love for us,
we will love him, and the way to express that love is in obedient
trust in Jesus and God’s Word.
As we trust and obey Jesus he will come to us personally and
individually through the gift of his indwelling Holy Spirit (John
14:15-17). We will be “re-born” (John 3:3, 5-8) through his Holy
Spirit within us It is by living in obedience to the Holy
Spirit that we have true, eternal life, personal fellowship with the
Lord, and the gifts, guidance and power to trust, obey, and serve
the Lord. That is the saving faith which overcomes the world. 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).
We are baptized into Jesus Christ by water for repentance as a
covenant with the Lord to trust and obey him. As we live out that
covenant promise, Jesus will baptize us with his Holy Spirit. Holy
Communion (“the Lord’s Supper;” the Eucharist) is the fulfillment of
the Passover feast, in which Jesus became the sacrificial “Lamb” and
shed his blood on the cross for the forgiveness of our sins
(disobedience of God’s Word). Jesus’ blood saves us, marking us as
his people, so that we can be “passed-over” by the destroying angel.
Jesus nourishes us spiritually and maintains our fellowship with him
in his indwelling Holy Spirit through the elements of the Communion.
God’s promise of forgiveness, salvation, and eternal life in
fellowship with him are secured by our baptism, our faithful
participation in Holy Communion, and by the “anointing” of the Holy
Spirit within us. “Born-again” Christians have the testimony of
God’s promise within us.
The Jewish religious leaders were jealous of Jesus’ popularity.
Their religion had become their personal “empire” rather than God’s
temple. They saw Jesus as a threat to their “religion.” They were
afraid that if Jesus was allowed to continue teaching and doing
miracles everyone would believe in Jesus. They were afraid that the
Romans would react by destroying their temple and their nation.
Caiaphas, the High Priest, prophesied that one person, Jesus, would
die so that the whole nation would not perish, and that he would not
die only for the Jews, but for all who would become children of God
through faith in Jesus.
The temple and Jerusalem were destroyed in 70 A.D. and the people
were scattered throughout the world. The nation ceased to exist,
until the Jews began returning following World War II. The Jewish
leaders’ plot to crucify Jesus didn’t save them from the destruction
they feared. They had God’s Word and prophecy, but they failed to
recognize and receive Jesus as the Messiah and Son of God. They had
allowed commitment to worldly pursuits to become more important than
God and his Word.
In many ways the Church and “Christian” nations, particularly
America, are in a very similar situation to Israel at the time of
Jesus’ First Advent (coming). The Church is the “New Jerusalem;” the
“New People of God,” and America is the “New Promised Land.” We are
warned to be careful that we don’t put our worldly plans and worldly
pursuits ahead of God’s will and his Word. Church leaders and
members are warned not to allow their congregations to become
“personal empires,” their “religion,” instead of a personal
fellowship with the Lord through his Holy Spirit. God had left his
temple in Jerusalem long before it was physically destroyed by the
Romans, and the Jews didn’t notice his absence.
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
7 Epiphany - Even
First
Posted: 02/27/14;
Podcast: Thursday 7 Epiphany -
Even
Proverbs 7:1-27 -
Warning against adultery;
1 John 5:13-21 - Christian
assurance;
John 11:55-12:8 - The anointing at Bethany;
Proverbs Summary:
We are advised to keep the Lord’s commandments, because they are
the way to real, eternal life. Wisdom is portrayed as a woman,
and insight as her sister. We are urged to make them our sisters
and friends, instead of consorting with adultery which is wicked
and deadly. Adultery is illustrated as an enticing woman.
Temptation overrules common sense; the victim fails to realize
the danger. The way to adultery is the way to death. Spiritual
adultery is also described and condemned. Spiritual adultery is
the performance of religious ritual without inner commitment to
apply faith to life by obedience to God’s Word (Proverbs
7:14-15).
1 John Summary:
John wrote his message to those who believe in (trust and obey;
see also 1 John 5:10-12) the name (the character, power and
authority) of the Son of God (Jesus Christ). Those who trust and
obey Jesus and pray according to his will can be assured that
God hears our prayers, and if we know that he has heard us we
can be confident that we have received what we request (see
Conditions for Answered Prayer, sidebar, top right, home).
Christians are to pray for fellow believers who sin
unintentionally. Continuous, deliberate sin is not to be
tolerated (1 John 3:16; and blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is
the one unforgivable sin; Mark 3:28-29). Those who are
“born-again” (John 3:3, 5-8) by the indwelling Holy Spirit do
not sin, because they are guided by the Holy Spirit and
empowered to resist Satan. “Born-again” Christians are of God
(and protected from Satan’s power), but the whole world is in
the power of Satan. “We know that the Son of God has come (in
flesh, and also by his indwelling Holy Spirit) and has given us
understanding, to know him who is true (God) and we are in him
who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and
eternal life. Christians are to avoid any form of idolatry
(including pride of self).
John Summary:
The season of Passover, (the commemoration of God’s deliverance
from bondage and death in Egypt, celebrated in March-April) was
at hand. Many Jews went to Jerusalem to (ritually) purify
themselves before the feast. There was a lot of speculation and
anticipation regarding whether Jesus would also come to
Jerusalem for the festival. The religious leaders had given
orders that if anyone knew Jesus’ whereabouts they should inform
the authorities so that they could arrest Jesus.
Six days before the Feast, Jesus came to Bethany to the home of
Lazarus, whom Jesus had raised from the dead, and his sisters,
Mary and Martha. They prepared supper for Jesus. Martha served,
and Lazarus was at the table with Jesus. Mary took a pound of
expensive ointment and anointed Jesus’ feet with the ointment
and wiped his feet with her hair, filling the air in the house
with the fragrance of the ointment.
Judas, one of the twelve disciples, who later betrayed Jesus,
criticized this extravagance, suggesting that the ointment
should have been sold and the money given to the poor. Judas
didn’t really care for the poor, but he used to steal from the
moneybox. Jesus told Judas to leave Mary alone; there would
always be opportunities to help the poor but there would not
always be an opportunity to do something nice for Jesus.
Commentary:
God has given us his Word, the Bible, to guide us into true,
eternal life, and to warn us about the dangers and consequences
of sin (disobedience of God’s Word). He has sent his Son, Jesus
Christ, as the example and demonstration of the way we are to
live in order to find true, eternal life. Those who trust and
obey Jesus receive the gift of his indwelling Holy Spirit within
them to help them understand and remember God’s Word, to guide
them in the way to live according to God’s Word, and to empower
them to overcome temptation and fulfill God’s will for them.
Physical adultery is sin because it injures everyone connected
to it, and leads to spiritual, eternal death. Spiritual adultery
is also spiritually deadly. Any person or thing which we love as
much as or more than the Lord is idolatry, which is spiritual
adultery. Spiritual adultery is also the performance of any
religious ritual, without the inner commitment to live in
obedience to God’s Word, like marriage without the intent to be
faithful to the marriage vows.
God’s Word contains wonderful promises but also ominous warnings
(a carrot and a stick). Those who trust and obey Jesus and pray
according to God’s will can be certain that the Lord hears and
answers their prayers. We can pray for and receive forgiveness
for unintentional sin, but continual deliberate sin must not be
tolerated within the Church. Blasphemy of the Holy Spirit is the
one unforgivable sin, because characterizing the love and
goodness of God’s Spirit as evil indicates the spiritual
lostness of the individual, and cuts him off from the means of
forgiveness, salvation and restoration (see God’s Plan of
Salvation, sidebar, top right).
Those who are “born-again” by the gift of the indwelling Holy
Spirit are freed from the fear of physical death and the power
of Satan (Hebrews 2:14-15). The Holy Spirit is the seal and
guarantee that one is in Christ and has eternal life (2
Corinthians 1:22; Ephesians 1:13-14; Romans 8:9b, 11, 15-16). It
is possible for one to know with certainty whether one has
received the indwelling Holy Spirit or not (Acts 19:2). It is
through the indwelling Holy Spirit that we have fellowship with
Jesus and God the Father (John 14:21).
Christians are warned to avoid any form of idolatry or spiritual
adultery. Some modern examples of idols are career, home,
family, wealth, power, pleasure, and pride of self.
Mary and Martha are examples of followers of Jesus who loved him
and did what was pleasing to him, not withholding any effort or
expense. They trusted and obeyed Jesus and from their experience
in his presence knew that they had eternal life beyond physical
death, as Jesus’ resurrection of Lazarus showed, and as they
would soon witness in Jesus’ own resurrection.
Judas was a “nominal” disciple and follower of Jesus. He let
selfish pride and love of money interfere with his calling in
Jesus. He didn’t love Jesus and he didn’t care about Mary and
Martha or the poor. Judas betrayed Jesus for a few silver coins,
and he wound up physically and eternally dead. The Jewish
religious authorities are warnings to Church leaders and members
who think their “religion,” their rituals, will save them,
without a personal fellowship with Jesus through his indwelling
Holy Spirit. They clung to their religious tradition and
rejected a personal relationship with the promised Messiah and
Savior, Jesus Christ.
We can be like Mary and Martha and personally witness the risen
Jesus and have close personal fellowship with him through the
gift of his Holy Spirit within us. If we love Jesus we will seek
to know and do what is pleasing to him. As we become his
obedient, trusting disciples and followers of his words and
examples, he will give us his personal presence within us by the
gift of his Holy Spirit (John 14:15-17; Revelation 3:20). What
kind of disciples are we? Do we love Jesus and want to know and
do what pleases him, or do we covet for ourselves the love,
praise and offerings that belong to him?
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 7 Epiphany - Even
First Posted: 02/28/14;
Podcast: Friday 7 Epiphany -
Even
Proverbs 8:1-21 - Divine wisdom;
Philemon 1-25 -
Reconciliation;
John 12:9-19 - Jesus’ entry into
Jerusalem;
Proverbs Summary:
Wisdom is portrayed as a prophetess. Her wisdom is the divine wisdom
of God, by which the world was created, in contrast to worldly
wisdom (see Proverbs 9:10; 1 Corinthians 1:17-24; 2:4-8). True
wisdom produces and demonstrates righteousness, truth, prudence, and
discretion; there is no wickedness, deceit or perversion; no pride,
arrogance or evil works. Divine wisdom is required if leaders are to
rule justly. Divine wisdom can be found by those who seek it
diligently. The rewards of divine wisdom are true wealth and eternal
prosperity.
Philemon Summary:
Paul was writing to Philemon, a resident of Colossae, in Phrygia
(western Turkey). On an earlier missionary trip by Paul to that
area, Philemon had been converted to Christianity. The church at
Colossae met in Philemon’s home. Onesimus, a slave of Philemon’s had
robbed his master and run off. He came under Paul’s influence while
Paul was under house arrest in Rome and had been converted to
Christianity.
Paul was writing to effect reconciliation. Under Roman law, Philemon
had absolute authority over the life and person of the slave.
Although as Philemon’s Pastor Paul had the right to command him, he
preferred to ask him to forgive Onesimus (whose name means useful)
so that Philemon’s goodness might be voluntary rather than
compulsory. Paul suggests that it is by God’s will that Onesimus
should be reunited, not as a slave but as a brother and partner.
Paul requests that Philemon attribute to Paul’s account any debt
that Philemon felt was due him, and reminded him that Philemon owed
Paul his own inestimable debt for his salvation.
John Summary:
Six days before the Passover, Jesus and his disciples came to
Bethany, which is only a couple miles from Jerusalem, and where
Jesus’ close friends, Mary, Martha, and Lazarus lived. News
that Jesus was in Bethany attracted a large crowd to Bethany. The
people came not only to see Jesus, but to see Lazarus, who Jesus had
raised from the dead. The Jewish leaders planned to kill Lazarus in
addition to Jesus, since Lazarus’ resurrection was causing many
people to believe in Jesus.
The next day the crowd learned that Jesus was on his way from
Bethany to Jerusalem, so they took palm branches and went to meet
him, crying "Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name (power and
authority) of the Lord, even the King of Israel" (John 12:13b)!
Jesus had obtained a young donkey and rode on it, manifesting
himself as the Messiah and fulfilling the prophecy of Zechariah 9:9.
At the time, his disciples did not understand the significance, but
after Jesus’ resurrection, they realized the connection between what
had been written about him in scripture and what had happened.
The people who had witnessed Jesus’ resurrection of Lazarus had
testified to this miracle, which is what had attracted the crowd to
watch Jesus enter Jerusalem. The Pharisees' reaction was that it
seemed that the whole world was turning to faith in Jesus, and they
were powerless to prevent it.
Commentary:
Divine wisdom is the wisdom of God. The entire Creation is built and
functions according to divine wisdom. What the world falsely calls
wisdom is not true, divine wisdom. Divine wisdom is required if
rulers are to govern justly. We can find and possess divine wisdom
if we seek it diligently. God wants us to have divine wisdom. The
Word of God is divine wisdom, and Jesus is the fulfillment and
embodiment of God’s Word (John 1:1-5, 14) and of divine wisdom.
Jesus is the ultimate King of kings and Lord of lords, the ideal
ruler of his people. Those who are subjects to his reign will be
most blessed.
Philemon had come into the kingdom of God through faith (obedient
trust) in Jesus Christ by the preaching of Paul. (The Church is the
Kingdom of God on earth.) Philemon was being discipled by Paul.
Although Philemon had the right to own slaves and the power of life
and death over them by his earthly citizenship, Paul was teaching
Philemon to live as a citizen of the Kingdom of God. The worldly
kingdom gave Philemon what it called justice, but denied justice to
Onesimus. Paul as a disciple and apostle was teaching by word and
example the higher righteousness (blamelessness), justice and wisdom
of God’s kingdom; he was working for reconciliation and peace. In
Jesus, both Philemon and Onesimus were brothers.
The Jewish religious rulers are an illustration of worldly leaders
who lack divine wisdom, although they were “religious” and
considered themselves authorities of God’s Word. They thought they
were righteous and just, even though they were plotting to kill
Jesus the Messiah, God’s anointed eternal Savior and King, God’s
Son. They also planned to kill Lazarus. Their only “justification”
for murder was jealousy and religious rivalry; Jesus and Lazarus
were threatening the Jewish leaders’ power and status over the
people of Israel.
Jesus entered Jerusalem, knowing that at the end of the week he
would be crucified. He is God’s anointed Savior and eternal King,
but he entered Jerusalem as the King of Peace, humbly riding on a
donkey (in fulfillment of scripture; Zechariah 9:9), instead of
entering as a victorious king of war, in a chariot, with his army.
The crowds went to meet him and hailed him as God’s anointed King of
Israel.
We are engaged in a spiritual battle between the forces of good and
evil in this world. Jesus is the only just and righteous eternal
king who can save us from the forces of evil. Satan is the ultimate
ruler of this world, behind the human worldly rulers. Each of us
must choose whether to be subject to Jesus Christ the eternal King
of Kings, or to the worldly kingdom. We are slaves to the earthly
kingdom, and only Jesus can set us free from bondage to sin and
eternal death (see God’s Plan of Salvation, sidebar, top right,
home). We can escape from that slavery and be reconciled to God only
through Jesus Christ. Jesus is the power and wisdom (and
righteousness) of God (1 Corinthians 1:24).
As Jesus entered Jerusalem, the people, including the disciples, did
not realize that the scriptures were being fulfilled. It was only
later, after Jesus had been glorified (raised to eternal life), that
they realized the connection between the scripture and the events
they had witnessed.
Jesus has promised to return on the Day of Judgment to judge the
living ("quickened") and the dead (1 Peter 4:5; John 5:28-29) in
both the physical and spiritual sense. At his Second Coming he will
come in great power and glory as the victorious King. If we hope to
be ready for Jesus’ return we must be his disciples now.
Are you ready for Jesus’ return? 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 7 Epiphany - Even
First Posted:
03/01/14;
Podcast: Saturday
7 Epiphany - Even
Proverbs 8:22-36
- Wisdom at creation;
2 Timothy 1:1-14 - Testify with
boldness;
John 12:20-26 - The cost of
discipleship;
Proverbs Summary:
Wisdom was the first-born of creation. All creation was
established according to divine wisdom. (Divine wisdom is
distinct from the wisdom of the world; divine wisdom is
the true wisdom of God, by which the world was created;
Proverbs 3:19-20; see Proverbs 9:10; 1 Corinthians
1:18-24; 2:4-8). Wisdom is pictured as a master craftsman
who attended creation. Therefore we are well advised to
live according to God’s wisdom; to listen to God’s
instruction and not neglect his teachings. “Happy is the
man (or woman) who listens to me, watching daily at my
gates, waiting beside my doors. For he who finds me finds
life and obtains favor from the Lord; but he who misses me
injures himself; all who hate me love death” (Proverbs
8:34-36).
2 Timothy Summary:
Paul was an apostle (messenger; one who is sent with a
message; a missionary) of the Gospel of eternal life
through Jesus Christ in accordance with God’s will,
writing to Timothy, his protégé and spiritual child,
offering a blessing of grace, mercy and peace (grace and
peace were traditional forms of Greek and Hebrew
salutations; real grace and peace, and in addition, mercy,
are revealed and received only from God through Jesus
Christ).
Paul was thankful that Timothy was following the faith of
his mother and grandmother (who were Jews; Timothy’s
father was Greek, a Gentile), serving the Lord God through
faith in Jesus Christ, as was Paul. Paul urged Timothy to
“rekindle” the gift (of the Holy Spirit) within him
received by the laying on of Paul’s hands (Acts 19:2, 6).
Paul wanted Timothy not to be shy or ashamed about
expressing his testimony by the power, love and
self-discipline of the Holy Spirit. Paul asked Timothy not
to be ashamed, either, of Paul’s imprisonment, and to be
willing to suffer also for the gospel in the strength God
supplies (through the gift of his Spirit), who saves and
calls us with a divine commission, not because we are
worthy, but by his will and his merciful generosity which
he gave us long ago in Christ and has now been revealed in
Jesus’ incarnation (manifestation in human flesh; John
1:1-5, 14).
Jesus has abolished eternal death and revealed eternal
life through the gospel of Jesus Christ, to which Paul had
been appointed to be a preacher, apostle and teacher, for
which he was suffering imprisonment and persecution. But
Paul was not ashamed to be a prisoner, because he knew and
had personally experienced the risen eternal Jesus and the
truth of what he believed, and was certain that the Lord
is able to guard and preserve what had been entrusted to
Paul until the Day of Judgment. So Paul exhorted Timothy
to follow, in faith and love, the sound apostolic doctrine
of the Gospel of Jesus Christ which Timothy had received
from Paul, and to guard the truth which had been entrusted
to Timothy by the gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit.
John Summary:
It was the Passover season, and Jesus had come to
Jerusalem. There were also some Greeks (Gentiles) among
those who had come to Jerusalem for the feast. These came
to Philip, and asked to see Jesus. Philip, a native of
Bethsaida in Galilee, went to his fellow disciple Andrew,
who was also from Bethsaida, and Andrew and Philip went
and told Jesus.
Jesus told them that the hour had come for the Son of man
(Jesus) to be glorified. Then Jesus told them that a seed
must “die” and be buried in order to bring forth fruit;
otherwise it remains unproductive. So also one who loves
his life loses it, and one who hates his life in this
world will have eternal life. Jesus told them that if
anyone chooses to serve Jesus he must follow Jesus and do
as Jesus does. God will honor anyone who serves Jesus.
Commentary:
God built and established this Creation according to his
divine wisdom, but divine wisdom is not what this world
falsely calls “wisdom.” God has intended from the
beginning of Creation to create an eternal kingdom of his
people who willingly choose to trust and obey him. The
meaning and purpose for this lifetime is to seek and come
to a personal fellowship with God (Acts 17:26-27), which
is only possible through obedient trust in Jesus Christ
(John 14:6, 15-17, 21).
Divine wisdom is portrayed by the teacher in these
proverbs as the “first-born” of Creation. Divine wisdom is
the Word of God, who was attendant and active in Creation,
and who is fulfilled in God’s Word and embodied God’s Word
in the coming of Jesus Christ (John 1:1-3, 14). Jesus is
(the incarnation of) the power and wisdom of God in human
flesh (1 Corinthians 1:24).
Jesus is not an afterthought; God knew from the beginning
of Creation that in order to give us free will to choose
whether to trust and obey God, he would have to provide a
way of forgiveness and salvation from God’s eternal
condemnation, so that we could learn by trial and error to
trust and obey God. God’s Pan of Salvation (see sidebar,
top right, home) is wonderfully gracious and just.
God’s forgiveness and salvation are available to every one
as a free gift, to be received by faith (obedient trust;
Ephesians 2:8-9); no one can buy it, earn it (by doing
“good deeds”), or take it by deception or force. Since all
have sinned (Romans 3:23; 1 John 1:8-10) and the penalty
of sin (disobedience of God’s Word) is eternal death, all
need and can receive God’s entire forgiveness and
salvation. Instead of being forced by God to obey God’s
Word by fear of eternal destruction, we are free to choose
to do God’s will by love, when we discover that his will
is loving, reliable and in our best interest.
Timothy had been “born-again” (John 3:3, 5-8) by the gift
of the Holy Spirit through Paul’s preaching of the Gospel
and Paul’s “laying on of hands.” [In my own experience,
the “laying on of hands” occurred at my Baptism as an
infant, and at Confirmation (Affirmation of Baptism) at
age 13, but I did not receive the “anointing” with the
indwelling Holy Spirit until I began to fulfill my
Baptismal vows in my 30’s by beginning to trust and obey
Jesus Christ. I understand Baptism as a covenant, a
“contract,” between God and the baptized. When the
candidate keeps his promise, God, who is entirely
faithful, keeps his.]
Paul urged Timothy to “rekindle” the gift of the Holy
Spirit which he received through Paul. Perhaps Timothy
needed to fulfill his vows of obedient trust and begin to
apply Jesus’ teachings in his own life (like I), or
perhaps he had received the indwelling Holy Spirit, but
had drifted from obedient trust. (I have experienced
others who described a sense of the Holy Spirit “coming
and going” which I suggest may have been due to some
reluctance on the person’s part to do some specific thing
that the Lord was asking, perhaps like Jonah, the
reluctant prophet; Jonah 1:1-3:3.)
Paul was discipling Timothy. Paul was urging Timothy to
fulfill the calling God had prepared for him. Paul taught
that Jesus Christ is the fulfillment of God’s mercy and
grace prepared long ago (at Creation) and that Jesus is
the fulfillment and “incarnation” of that mercy and grace.
Jesus has revealed God’s eternal plan and has demonstrated
the truth of the resurrection and of existence beyond
physical death, by his own resurrection from the dead.
Paul (formerly known as Saul of Tarsus) had personally
experienced the risen Jesus (in his encounter, on the road
to Damascus, and in his “re-birth” through the gift of the
Holy Spirit; Acts 9:1-9, 17-20). Paul learned to trust the
power and faithfulness of the Lord within him by the Holy
Spirit and had become convinced by experience that the
Lord was able to guard and preserve Paul unto eternal life
in God’s kingdom. Paul urged Timothy to follow, in faith
and love, the sound apostolic Gospel of Jesus Christ
(taught by the Apostles including Paul, and recorded in
the New Testament scriptures) which Timothy had received
from Paul, and to guard the truth which Timothy had
received through the indwelling Holy Spirit. The risen
Jesus opens the minds of his disciples to understand the
scriptures (Luke 24:45).
Jesus warned his disciples that they would have to endure
suffering in this world in order to follow him. The Gospel
is contrary to the “wisdom” of this world. Jesus gave us
the example of how to live according to God’s Word and
God’s Spirit in this world, and he was hated and killed
for it. But he demonstrated by his resurrection that his
way is the way to eternal life (John 14:6). A disciple of
Jesus must follow Jesus' example and teachings. This world
and worldly people will not honor the disciples of Jesus
Christ, but God will. If we want worldly honor and success
we will lose eternal honor and eternal life.
Jesus is the “first born” of Creation” (Colossians
1:13-15); the “first-born” to eternal life from physical
death (Romans 8:29; Colossians 1:18). Paul is the
“first-born” of all modern, “post-resurrection” (since
Jesus), “born-again” Christian disciples and apostles.
Paul was following Jesus’ teaching and example, guided by
Jesus’ Holy Spirit (Romans 8:9). He was proclaiming the
Gospel and making disciples, teaching them to obey all
that Jesus commanded. He was enduring suffering for the
Gospel. He was fulfilling the “Great Commission” which the
risen Jesus gave to his disciples (Matthew 28:19-20), to
be fulfilled after they had waited and received the Holy
Spirit (Luke 24:49; Acts 1:4-5, 8).
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, February 22, 2014
Week of 7 Epiphany - Even - 02/23 - 03/01/14
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