Week of 5 Epiphany - Odd and Following
This Bible Study was originally published at
http://shepherdboy.journalspace.com/, (now defunct)
based on the Lutheran Book of Worship two-year Daily Lectionary for
personal devotions* The daily readings are according to a Calendar
based on the Church Year, which begins on the first Sunday of Advent,
usually sometime at the end of November in the year preceding the
secular calendar year.
I will continue to publish My Daily Walk online as long as possible.
*Lutheran Book of Worship, Daily Lectionary, p. 179-192, Augsburg Publishing House, Minneapolis, 1978.
A 3-Year study based on the Revised Common Lectionary is also available at:
http://shepherdboy.byethost12.com/ (Please bookmark this link).
This 'blog is mirrored at:
http://shepherdboy-mydailywalk.blogspot.com/
Shepherdboysmydailywalk’s Blog
.mp3 Podcasts via Linux Festival text-to-speech and Panopreter Basic text-to-speech are available at:
http://shepherdboy.byethost12.com/dw_bible/evenyear/wklx_even.html
http://shepherdboy.byethost12.com/dw_bible/oddyear/Wklx_odd.htmlPlease Note:
This ‘blog is now available in mobile-optimized format:
http://winksite.mobi/shepherdboy/MyDailyWalk
Free to distribute; for personal use, Bible Study Groups, and Adult Christian Education. Disk Image and/or .zip file to burn the complete Bible Study to CD are available at:
http://shepherdboy.byethost12.com/#Burn_Site_to_CD
To get the most from these studies, it is suggested that you first read the scripture texts for the entry, and then the paraphrase and commentary. It is also recommended that you look up the scripture references, unless you recognize and recall them from memory.
I will post weekly by Saturday, noon, (God willing), Pacific time (UTC-8:00) for the week of the Church Season which begins on Sunday. Please scroll down for the desired day, or save the week to your desktop/hard drive.
Podcast Download: Week of 5 Epiphany - Odd
Sunday 5 Epiphany - Odd
First Posted 02/11/15
Podcast: Sunday 5 Epiphany - Odd
Isaiah 57:1-13 - Against idolatry;
Hebrews 12:1-6 - Christian discipline;
John 7:37-46 - Who do you say Jesus is?
Isaiah Paraphrase:
The righteous die, but worldly people, including apostates among the congregation of Israel, don’t learn from their example. They do not understand that the physical death of those who are devout is not a calamity but a deliverance from calamity. The righteous enter into eternal peace and rest; it is the upright who lie down in peace and rest.
Those who are not the people of God through obedient trust in God’s Word are illegitimate children, the offspring of spiritual adultery and prostitution. Who do they mock by their unbelief? They are the children of sin and lies. They continue to practice idolatry (loving anything as much as or more than their love for God). Impotent, inanimate idols will be the reward and inheritance of those who worship and trust in idols. Do they imagine that God will be appeased by their idolatry? In abandoning the Lord for idols they have made their “bed” and will have to lie in it; they have made a contract and will have to keep it. They have loved wickedness and pursued it.
Who do idolaters fear more than the Lord? Has God’s forbearance caused them not to fear his power and authority? God knows their thoughts and deeds, and all their “good deeds” will not help them. When calamity strikes, let their idols deliver them. Their idols are so impotent they can’t withstand a puff of breeze. But those who trust and obey God will find safe refuge in him and will inherit the land and God’s holy mountain.
Hebrews Paraphrase:
Our Christian lives are like an athletic competition and the great multitude of saints who have gone before us are like spectators. So we are urged to be like athletes, putting aside anything which will hinder our performance and to run the race with perseverance, following the example of Jesus Christ, who is the “pioneer” (who blazed the trail for us to follow) and perfecter, our “trainer,” who coaches us in faith to victory and spiritual maturity.
Jesus endured the cross and its shame for the joy of eternal life and fellowship with God the Father and all his disciples, which was promised to the winner, and he has now been enthroned at the right hand of God. Think about the tremendous hostility Jesus endured from sinners, so that we may be encouraged to persevere and not lose hope. Most of us have never had to shed our own blood in our resistance against sin. Remember also that the Lord disciplines us like a good father disciplines his children for their own good out of his love for us.
John Paraphrase:
Jesus had gone to Jerusalem for the celebration of the Feast of Tabernacles (an eight-day harvest festival also commemorating Israel’s wilderness wandering). On the last day of the feast, the most important day, Jesus publicly proclaimed, “If any one thirst, let him come to me and drink. He who believes in me, as the scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart shall flow rivers of living water.’ Now this he said about the Spirit, which those who believed in him were to receive; for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified” (John 7:37-39).
When the people heard this, some were convinced that Jesus was the prophet (who was expected to appear before the comming of Messiah) and some thought Jesus was the Messiah (Christ), but others did not, because they expected the Messiah to be a descendant of David and come from Bethlehem, David’s hometown). The people were divided over Jesus’ identity, and some wanted to arrest Jesus, but no one did. Temple officers returned to the Jewish high council without having arrested Jesus and when they were asked why not, they said that no one had ever spoken like Jesus did.
Commentary:
This life is like an athletic competition between the forces of evil and the forces of good. The wicked seemingly prosper while the good often seem to die young. It isn’t the person with the most clothes (or material possessions) when he dies who wins, as a bumper sticker suggests. Physical death comes to both the rich and the poor, but worldly people don’t realize that physical death is not the end of life. There is eternal existence beyond physical death (John 5:28-29). The question is: Where will we spend eternity?
There is a Day of Judgment coming when everyone who has ever lived on earth will be accountable to the Lord for what we have done in this lifetime. Jesus is the standard by which all will be judged (Matthew 25:31-46). Those who have trusted and obeyed the Lord will spend eternity in paradise, in the eternal kingdom of God, in fellowship with the Lord. They will have eternal peace with God and their brethren, and eternal rest from the struggles of this temporal life. They will inherit the eternal Promised Land and the Mountain of God.
Those who have rejected the Lord and have refused to trust and obey him will spend eternity in the torment of eternal death in Hell. Those who have worshiped the idols of wealth, power, success, pleasure, home, family, and career, or any of the other “gods” of this world will find that their gods are impotent to deliver them from eternal condemnation. Their worthless gods will be their inheritance and eternal destruction will be their eternal reward.
All of us have sinned (disobeyed God’s Word; Romans 3:23; 1 John 1:8-10). The penalty for sin is eternal death (Romans 6:23). Jesus Christ is God’s only provision for forgiveness of our sin, salvation from eternal death, and restoration of fellowship with God (eternal peace and rest; see God’s Plan of Salvation, sidebar, top right, home). Jesus Christ frees us from bondage to sin and the fear of death (Hebrews 2:14-15).
Christians are called to be “athletes” in the competition between good and evil in this lifetime. Training for the “competition” requires self-discipline and sacrifice. We must put aside those things which would hinder us, and place ourselves in the guidance and training of our coach, Jesus Christ, who is our example, and trainer who will give us the ability and power to be victorious.
Jesus persevered in obedient trust in God through the suffering of this present life and received the prize of the eternal throne of his Father in heaven. He has won the victory, and as we follow his example, we will share his reward.
Christian “athletes” are disciples of Jesus Christ. Jesus promised that anyone who is spiritually thirsty, who recognizes the need for the “water” of spiritual, eternal life, should come to Jesus, who alone is able to supply that “water” of eternal life. Jesus is the rock in the wilderness of this world (1 Corinthians 10:4; Exodus 17:6), through whom God supplies the “living water” of the gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit. Only Jesus gives the gift of the Holy Spirit (John 1:31-34), only to his disciples who trust and obey him (John 14:15-17). The Holy Spirit within us is the spring of spiritual life which sustains us into eternity. 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)?
Podcast Download: Week of 8 Epiphany - Odd
Monday 8 Epiphany - Odd
First Posted
Podcast: Monday 8 Epiphany - Odd
Deuteronomy 4:9-14 -
Remember to reverence the Lord;
2 Corinthians 10:1-18 -
Paul’s defense of his
ministry;
Matthew 6:7-15 -
The Lord’s Prayer;
Deuteronomy Summary:
Take heed and guard
your soul with diligence, so that you do not forget what the
Lord has done for his people; pass them on to your children and
their children. Remember how at Mt.
Horeb
(Mt. Sinai) the Lord told Moses to gather
the people to hear God’s Word, so that they would learn to fear
(honor and respect) the Lord all the days of their earthly lives,
and would teach their children to do so also.
In the day of God’s manifestation at Horeb in fire, darkness, cloud and gloom, Israel heard God’s Word but saw no form, hearing only his voice. (God is spirit; Israel is warned not to worship idols which have forms created by the imagination of humans.) God established a covenant with his people, a covenant based on the obligation to obey the Ten Commandments (the Covenant of Law, written on two tablets of stone). At that time God commanded Moses to teach Israel, the people of God, to obey God’s statutes and ordinances, so that they could possess the land which God had promised them.
2 Corinthians Summary:
Paul had apparently
been accused of having boldness in his letters which he did not
possess in person. Paul was replying that he was humbly
imploring the Corinthians by letter so that he would not have to
demonstrate his boldness in person to the Corinthians, as he was
confident that he would demonstrate to those who had accused him
of living according to worldly ways.
Paul taught that although we are living in the world, we are not fighting a worldly war but a spiritual war, and our weapons are spiritual weapons with divine power to destroy spiritual opposition. The Christian "soldier" destroys every obstacle of human pride and every argument and resistance to the knowledge of God; we “take every thought captive to obey Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:5b).
The Church will
punish the disobedient when the Church is spiritually mature and
obedient to Christ. Let those who can recognize spiritual truth
see; anyone who thinks he is in Christ should remember that the
Apostles are in Christ and have been given authority so that the
Church would be strengthened and built up, rather than wasting
away and coming to destruction. The Apostles will be not be put to shame (on the Day of Judgment).
Paul doesn’t want
to intimidate the Corinthians by letters, which he cannot
accomplish with his personal presence, as his critics have
accused. Paul’s conduct in person is no different than what he
proclaims by letter. Paul does not want to be categorized by
those who commend themselves; the fact that they compare
themselves against human rather than divine standards reveals
that they have no true (spiritual) understanding.
Paul was committed to accept God’s judgment of his ministry. Paul was confident that he was not exaggerating his ministry as the first to reach the Corinthians with the gospel of Jesus Christ, and he did not take unfair credit for the ministry of others (as Paul’s critics apparently did). Paul’s hope was that the spiritual growth of the Corinthian congregation might enlarge Paul’s opportunity for evangelism among other Corinthians and Gentiles beyond them, without interfering with the work of other, and without conflict over who deserved the credit. It is not what humans think of themselves that counts, but what is approved by God.
Paul was committed to accept God’s judgment of his ministry. Paul was confident that he was not exaggerating his ministry as the first to reach the Corinthians with the gospel of Jesus Christ, and he did not take unfair credit for the ministry of others (as Paul’s critics apparently did). Paul’s hope was that the spiritual growth of the Corinthian congregation might enlarge Paul’s opportunity for evangelism among other Corinthians and Gentiles beyond them, without interfering with the work of other, and without conflict over who deserved the credit. It is not what humans think of themselves that counts, but what is approved by God.
Matthew Summary:
Jesus taught his
disciples how they ought to pray. God knows our hearts and our
needs. We can’t fool or impress God with our words. Sincerity is
vastly more important than eloquence.
When we pray we should acknowledge and reverence God’s glory and pray for his glory to be acknowledged throughout this world. Believers are to be committed to work and pray for the coming of God’s kingdom (even unto ourselves), and to pray that God’s will would be done on earth (even by ourselves) as it is in heaven, completely and gladly. We acknowledge that all that we need for daily life comes from him, and ask him, with gratefulness, to provide for our needs today.
We acknowledge that we are sinful and in need of forgiveness that he alone can provide, and we recognize our obligation to forgive others as we have been forgiven. We ask God to help us avoid temptation and, through Jesus, to be victorious over temptation. We ask God to save us from every evil and bring us to his eternal kingdom. Jesus warns us that unless we are willing to forgive others who sin against us, God will not forgive us our sins.
Commentary:
God’s people are to
remember what God has done for us, and to pass on that
remembrance to our children. When we first hear the Gospel and
believe, we believe what God has done for us through Jesus’
death and resurrection on the Cross. From that point we are to
grow to spiritual maturity.
As we read the
Bible, we see what God has done for us through his dealings with
Israel to bring us the Savior, the Messiah, Jesus Christ, we
learn to discern right from wrong according to God’s judgment,
and we learn that God rewards obedient trust in his Word, and
punishes disobedience and evil (sin).
As Christian
disciples grow in obedience to Jesus’ teachings they are
“born-again” (John 3:3, 5-8) by the gift of the indwelling Holy
Spirit, which only Jesus gives (John 1:31-34), only to his
disciples who trust and obey Jesus (John 14:15-17). As disciples
grow in personal fellowship and guidance by the Holy Spirit
within us, we will learn personally the power and faithfulness
of the Lord, and will experience what the Lord has done for us
individually and personally, which we can remember and teach to
our children.
As Moses taught the
Israelites that they must keep God’s Laws in order to possess
the Promised Land, Christians must learn to trust and obey
Jesus’ word, his teachings, in order to enter the eternal
Promised Land.
Paul had learned
not to seek worldly approval, but God’s approval. Paul is the
example of a modern, “post-resurrection” “born-again” Christian
disciple, like all of us can be. Paul faithfully preserved and
passed on the Gospel, and made “born-again” disciples (like
Timothy), teaching them to obey all that Jesus teaches. Paul had
opposition inside and outside the church. He didn’t alter his
message to win worldly approval.
The Church is
called by the Lord to grow to spiritual maturity, to be led by
spiritually mature, “born-again” disciples who have personally
experienced the risen Jesus within them by the Holy Spirit, have
experienced personally the power and faithfulness of the Lord,
and who share that testimony with others and lead them to
“rebirth” by the Holy Spirit. When the Church is spiritually
mature, it will discipline the disobedient, and reject false
teachers and false doctrines.
Unfortunately,
many Churches and congregations today are failing to make
disciples, fail to lead them to spiritual rebirth by the gift of
the indwelling Holy Spirit, and thus have no pool of
“born-again” disciples from which to choose leaders and
preachers. Many Churches and congregations build “buildings” and
make “members” instead of making disciples and building the kingdom of God.
We cannot teach discipleship and spiritual growth to our children, unless we are willing to become “born-again” disciples ourselves. Unregenerate (un-reborn) “Christians,” have no personal experience and knowledge of Jesus to testify to or pass on.
Paul’s hope for the
Corinthian Church was that they would grow
spiritually to maturity and that their example and testimony in
their area would enlarge the opportunity for evangelism, so that
others would come to experience the truth of the Gospel in their
lives also.
Christian
discipleship started with Jesus; he taught us how, by word and
example. The Church is to continue his ministry of offering
forgiveness of sin, salvation from eternal condemnation and
eternal death, and restoration to eternal life and fellowship
with God through the gift of his indwelling Holy Spirit.
Jesus taught his
disciples to pray. He taught his disciples that sincerity in
prayer is what God desires and rewards. Praying to impress other
hearers, for worldly approval, is worthless. Effective prayer
must acknowledge God’s sovereign power and providence. The
petitioner must ask for what is according to God’s will. When we
ask God for something we must be willing to do what he asks us
to do: to trust and obey him.
God is God, whether
we acknowledge him or not, but God has no obligation to be our
God, with all that a righteous, loving and powerful God implies,
unless we are willing to be his people, and serve his will. We
must recognize our need for God’s forgiveness, his free gift of
forgiveness to us in Jesus Christ, and be willing to forgive
others as we have been forgiven (see also Conditions for
Answered Prayer, sidebar, top right, home).
Is Jesus your Lord (Matthew 7:21-23; Luke
6:46)? Are you Jesus' disciple (John 8:31)? Are you trusting and
obeying Jesus (John 14:21)? Have you received the indwelling Holy
Spirit since you first truly believed (Acts 19:2)? Are you making
disciples of Jesus Christ and teaching them to obey all that Jesus
commands (Matthew 28:18-20)? Do you know with certainty where you
will spend eternity (1 John 5:11-13; Ephesians 1:13-14)?
Tuesday 8 Epiphany - Odd
First Posted
Podcast: Tuesday 8 Epiphany - Odd
Deuteronomy 4:15-24 - Against image worship;
2 Corinthians 11:1-21a - Paul’s response to critics;
Matthew 6:16-23 - Jesus’ teaching on piety;
Deuteronomy Summary:
When God revealed himself to Israel at Mt. Horeb (Mt. Sinai), the people heard his voice but saw no form (God is Spirit; John 4:24). Israel is not to make any form or figure to worship as god; not human, animal, or celestial. God has allowed the people of earth to worship images but has brought Israel out of Egypt to be his own people.
The Lord was angry with Moses (because when he brought water out of the rock in the wilderness Moses took personal credit, instead of glorifying God; Numbers 20:10-12) and forbade Moses to enter the Promised Land, so Moses was to die in the wilderness before Israel (under the leadership of Joshua) could cross the Jordan and enter Canaan. Moses warned the people not to forget the covenant of the Lord or worship any one or thing other than the Lord, because the Lord has the power to punish and destroy, and will not tolerate idolatry among his people.
2 Corinthians Summary:
Paul regards the Church as the bride of Christ, and himself as the friend of the groom who has arranged the betrothal, so he is naturally concerned for the bride’s purity and faithfulness. Paul is concerned that the Church not be led astray, like Eve was deceived by the serpent (Genesis 3:1-6), from sincere and faithful devotion to Christ.
The Church must be careful not to be led astray by those preaching “another Jesus,” or a “different spirit,” or “another gospel” (compare Galatians 1:6-9) than the scriptural (recorded in the Bible) Apostolic (as taught by the Apostles, including Paul) Gospel of Jesus Christ (which the Apostles, including Paul, learned by personal discipleship to Jesus and were commissioned by Christ to proclaim). Paul had been criticized by others as unskilled in speaking, but Paul had demonstrated that his knowledge was not deficient.
Paul’s ministry was belittled by some because Paul had made his ministry free of cost to the Corinthians (Paul had supported himself as a tent-maker; Acts18:1-4; Thessalonians 3:7-12; Only the Philippian congregation had voluntarily contributed to his financial support: Philippians 4:14-17). Paul felt like a robber (an exaggeration to make a point) in taking money from the Philippian Christians in order to minister to the Corinthians.
Paul had been accompanied to Corinth by some Macedonian Christians (from Philippi, which was the capital of the province of Macedonia), who provided for Paul’s support in Corinth, so that the Corinthians would not be burdened, and Paul was pleased to let it be known throughout Achaia (a territory of Greece, of which Corinth was a city) that he had preached the gospel free of cost because Paul knew the truth of the Gospel of Christ and loved and cared for the spiritual welfare of the Corinthians.
Paul was determined to continue to preach the gospel without charge, so that it could be clearly seen that he was not doing it for money, in contrast to false apostles, who disguise themselves as apostles of Christ. Satan attempts to deceive people by appearing to be an angel of light, so it isn’t surprising that the servants of Satan would disguise their real motives by adopting the outward appearance of righteousness. They will receive God’s judgment according to their deeds.
Paul was not really boastful and did not seek his own glory, but he wanted to make a point. He was willing to appear foolish to Corinthians who thought they were wise. Those “wise” Corinthians were being deceived by false apostles acting as though they possessed great wisdom in order to enslave and take advantage of the deceived. Paul was glad to acknowledge that he was too “weak” to indulge in that kind of “strength.”
Matthew Summary:
Jesus taught his disciples that piety (religious devotion) is not to be practiced to be seen by men, but rather in unity with God’s will. If we fast, our fasting should not be an outward display for the approval of people, but an inward act of devotion to the Lord.
Jesus warns us not to desire or expend our efforts on accumulating material wealth, which offers no eternal security, but instead to pursue the spiritual goals, which do have eternal value. What we value will determine where our devotion lies.
The eye is like a window which lets light into our bodies. Spiritual blindness is similar to physical blindness. If there is something wrong with the eye that causes it not to see the light, then the whole body is full of darkness, which represents sin). If we misperceive darkness (perhaps false religion) as light our spiritual vision is profoundly defective. If we deliberately indulge in darkness once we have been enlightened, our sinfulness is profound and without cure.
Commentary:
Satan is a liar and the father of lies (John 8:44). He lied to Eve in the Garden of Eden, telling her she would not die by disobeying God’s commandment Genesis 3:4), and she yielded to temptation and brought (eternal) death into Creation (Genesis 3:19, 22-23).
Moses was forbidden to enter the Promised Land, because he took the glory which belongs only to God for himself (Numbers 20:10-12). As Israel was about to enter the Promised Land, Moses, in his farewell address, warned them not to forget their covenant with the Lord, or worship any one or thing other than the Lord, because God has the power to punish and destroy those who disobey his Word.
Paul considered Christ as the “bridegroom” of his “bride,” the Church, and Paul as Christ’s “best man.” Paul was thus concerned with the purity and faithfulness of the “bride,” the Church. Paul warned the Church not to be led astray by “false christs,” “false apostles,” “false gospels” or lying spirits. The Church, which had just been founded by Jesus’ death and resurrection, was already under attack, and those forces are still at work within and outside the Church today.
There are those, today, who want to teach “another gospel of Jesus Christ,” who claim to teach Jesus, but they really teach a “false christ.” Any spirit which denies that Jesus is God’s eternal Savior and King, the Son of God, is a lying spirit and ultimately Satan himself. Anyone who denies the deity of Jesus is a false apostle (Colossians 2:8-9; John 20:28).
This world is a spiritual battlefield. Satan has already been defeated at the Cross of Jesus Christ, but he has not yet been captured, and he wants to take as many eternal souls as possible with him to eternal punishment in Hell.
Satan will use whatever method will accomplish his purpose. He tempted Eve by suggesting the forbidden fruit would make her wise (Genesis 3:6), and that she would become “like God” (Genesis 3:5), and Eve yielded to temptation. That’s the problem humans have always had; we want to be God, instead of knowing, trusting, obeying and serving God. The Corinthians were being tempted to think they were wise in listening to false apostles and false doctrines, and that strategy is just as effective today.
God is true, and that truth is manifested in Jesus Christ, who is the fulfillment of God’s truth (John 1:1-5, 14; 14:6). Jesus taught his disciples that those who worship God must worship in spirit and truth (John 4:24). Worship is not outward appearance or religious ritual, but inner truth and sincerity. What other people think of us doesn’t matter; God’s approval is the only eternally important issue.
Paul (formerly known as Saul of Tarsus) was a modern, “post-resurrection,” “born-again” (John 3:3, 5-8) Christian disciple and apostle (messenger of the Gospel), like all of us can be (Acts 9:1-20). He hadn’t known Jesus during Jesus’ earthly ministry. Paul was discipled by Ananias, a born-again disciple (he had a personal relationship with the Lord; Acts 9:10) who led Paul to be born-again (Acts 9:17).
Thereafter Paul was led by the indwelling Holy Spirit within him (Acts 9:19-20). He received the same Apostolic Gospel from the Spirit of Christ (Romans 8:9b) that the other Apostles had received during Jesus’ earthly ministry in his physical lifetime. Paul was fulfilling the Great Commission which Jesus gave to his born-again disciples (Matthew 28:19-20; Luke 24:45-49; Acts 1:4-5, 8), to make born-again disciples, and to teach them to obey all Jesus’ words.
Jesus came to show us how to become children of God and to give us the power to do so (John 1:12-13 RSV), through his indwelling Holy Spirit within us. We have to claim that promise in order to receive it. Only Jesus gives the gift (“anointing,” “baptism”) of the indwelling Holy Spirit (John 1:31-34), only to his disciples who trust and obey Jesus (John 14:15-17). The Holy Spirit is the seal and guarantee that one is in Christ and has eternal life (2 Corinthians 1:22; Ephesians 1:13-14; Romans 8:9b, 11, 15-16).
Moses warned God’s people not to forget to obey their covenant with the Lord. As Christians, our covenant with God is to trust and obey Jesus and be guided by his Holy Spirit (Romans 8:1-11). Moses also warned God’s people not to allow any one or any thing to become as, or more important than their obedient trust in the Lord. Any such behavior is idolatrous. Jesus gives us the same warning.
Many people today, even within the “Church,” expend most or all their effort “worshiping” the modern idols, such as wealth, success, career, family, youth, beauty, health, and pleasure. To many, material substance seems “real,” and spiritual things seem “imaginary,” or based on “feelings,” “emotions,” or a manner of thinking. Many give no thought or effort to their spiritual wellbeing. Many people would rather pay for some worldly “self-help” book or guru, than receive the Gospel for free; many think that if it is free it can’t be worth much.
We are all eternal (John 5:28-29). This physical lifetime is a brief moment, in comparison to eternity, but many people go through their entire physical lifetime with no thought or effort to prepare for their eternal future. Everything in this physical world will pass away; only what we do spiritually in this lifetime is eternal. What we value will be evident in what we do, and will determine where we will spend eternity.
We cannot secure eternal life by Church “membership,” or by religious ritual, or “good deeds.” Obedient trust in Jesus is the only way to receive forgiveness for sin (disobedience of God’s Word), salvation from eternal condemnation and eternal death (Acts 4:12; John 14:6) and restoration to fellowship with God, through his indwelling Holy Spirit (see God’s Plan of Salvation, sidebar, top right, home).
Is Jesus your Lord (Matthew 7:21-23; Luke 6:46)? Are you Jesus' disciple (John 8:31)? Are you trusting and obeying Jesus (John 14:21)? Have you received the indwelling Holy Spirit since you first truly believed (Acts 19:2)? Are you making disciples of Jesus Christ and teaching them to obey all that Jesus commands (Matthew 28:18-20)? Do you know with certainty where you will spend eternity (1 John 5:11-13; Ephesians 1:13-14)?
Wednesday 8 Epiphany - Odd
First Posted
Podcast: Wednesday 8 Epiphany - Odd
Deuteronomy 4:25-31 - Faithful and merciful God;
2 Corinthians 11:21b-33 - Paul’s suffering;
Matthew 6:24-34 - Seek first the Kingdom of God;
Deuteronomy Summary:
Moses warned the people of Israel that after they entered the Promised Land and had dwelt there for several generations they would be tempted to turn to other “gods” and disobey God’s Word. If they pursued idolatry and disobedience, Moses warned them that they would not remain in the land but would be destroyed and driven from it, and scattered among the nations of the world. There they would be forced to serve idols created by the imagination of humans. But from there, when they sought God with all their heart and soul, they would find God. “When you are in tribulation, and all these things come upon you in the latter days, you will return to the Lord your God and obey his voice, for the Lord your God is a merciful God; he will not fail or destroy you or forget the covenant with your fathers which he swore to them” (Deuteronomy 4:30-31).
2 Corinthians Summary:
Paul (formerly called Saul of Tarsus) was not boastful or advocating boasting, but making the point that if he were inclined to boast he would have more reason for boasting than his critics, who had been boasting of themselves in comparison to Paul. Paul was as much a Jew by birth and by training as his adversaries, and had worked harder and suffered more to proclaim the Gospel than they had.
Paul had been imprisoned, beaten, whipped, and stoned. In his missionary travels, he had been in danger on rivers and had been shipwrecked on the sea. He had been in danger in the wilderness and also in cities. He had been persecuted by Jews, Gentiles, and false Christians. He had endured sleeplessness, hunger, thirst, cold and exposure. Added to this was the stress and worry for the churches under his supervision. When any believer under Paul’s responsibility stumbled (spiritually) Paul suffered because of his concern for them.
Paul had empathy for those who are weak, because Paul knew and acknowledged his own weakness. If Paul boasted of anything he would boast of his weakness (so that the Lord’s power might be evident in him). The fact that Paul escaped all these perils illustrates the Lord’s power to deliver him, like the time he escaped from the power of the government at Damascus by being lowered in a basket from and window in the city wall (2 Corinthians 11:32-33; compare Acts 9:23-25).
Matthew Summary:
Jesus taught that we should not be preoccupied with our need for food and clothing. God our Father cares for us more than any anything else in Creation, and is able to provide for us as illustrated by his Creation. God’s Creation contains everything necessary for life. Worrying is unproductive; we cannot solve our problems by worrying about them.
A better way to live is to trust in God who loves us and who will provide for our needs. If we will seek first God’s kingdom in our lives, he will provide for all our daily needs, but if we do not trust God to provide for our needs and feel that we must first provide for our needs ourselves, we will never get around to seeking God’s kingdom, and it will be impossible for us to find, because it requires trust in God and obedience to his Word. Therefore Jesus counsels us not to worry about tomorrow; we should just live one day at a time (compare Matthew 6:11) in obedient trust in the Lord.
Commentary:
God’s dealing with Israel is not just history, but is deliberately intended by God to be a parable (a common life experience used to illustrate spiritual truth), and a metaphor for the meaning of life in this world. In one sense the Church is the “New Israel,” the “New people of God,” and in another sense America (and other “Christian” nations) is the “New (nation of) Israel,” and the “New Promised Land.”
Moses’ warning to Israel is also a particularly relevant warning to the nominal “Church” and to nominal “Christian” nations, particularly America, today. We’ve been so blessed with prosperity and success that we’ve forgotten God, who is the source of those blessings; we’ve come to believe that we’ve created those blessings ourselves.
Israel did turn, repeatedly, from obedience to God’s Word and to idolatry, refusing to hear the many warnings by God’s prophets, and eventually God lifted his providence and protection, from his people and his nation, and allowed them to be deported and scattered among the Gentile nations.
The northern kingdom of the divided monarchy, Israel, the kingdom of the ten tribes, was conquered by the Assyrians in 720 B.C., and ceased to exist. Yet the southern kingdom, Judah, the remnant of Israel, refused to learn from the example of the northern kingdom and repeated warnings by God’s prophets. The result was that God lifted his providence and protection from Judah, and they were carried off into Babylonian exile in 587 B.C. for seventy years, as God had declared by his prophet (Jeremiah 25:12). The remnant of Israel in Babylonian exile fulfilled Moses’ prophecy that they would be restored to the Promised Land when they learned in tribulation to seek God with all their heart and soul, and return from idolatry and disobedience to obedient trust in God’s Word.
A remnant of Israel did return from Babylonian exile, and dedicated the rebuilt temple in 517 B.C., (as the seventy years is accounted) but it was a renewed people who returned; for the people who were adults at the time of the deportation, seventy years was a virtual life sentence.
The Babylonian Exile is a metaphor for life in this temporal world, in which we are to learn to trust and obey God above any other person or thing (“idolatry”), so that the Lord will lead us into the eternal Promised Land of his heavenly kingdom. The Exile is also a metaphor for eternal exile in the “Babylon” of Hell, for those who refuse to trust and obey God’s Word, fulfilled, embodied and exemplified in Jesus Christ (John 1:1-5, 14), God’s only provision for our forgiveness and salvation (Acts 4:12; John 14:6; see God’s Plan of Salvation, sidebar, top right, home).
Paul is the prototype and example of a modern, “post-resurrection,” “born-again” (John 3:3, 5-8), disciple and apostle of Jesus Christ, as all of us can be. Paul had not known Jesus, during Jesus’ physical lifetime. Paul thought he was serving God while persecuting Christians. On the road to Damascus, intending to do that very thing, Jesus confronted Paul and struck him physically blind so that Paul could realize his spiritual blindness. Then the Lord sent a “born-again” (Acts 9:10) disciple, Ananias, living in Damascus, to come to Paul to disciple Paul and lead him to receive the gift (“anointing,” “baptism”) of the Holy Spirit.
From that point, Paul was a different person. He immediately began to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ (Acts 9:20). He spent many days in Damascus preaching Jesus Christ, and began to be persecuted for the Gospel, leading to his escape through the window of the city wall in a basket (Acts 9:23-25). Throughout the rest of his ministry he was constantly in danger and suffering hardship, but he learned that the Lord could and faithfully would provide for Paul and protect him in every circumstance (Philippians 4:11-13), even from physical death.
Paul learned from personal experience in discipleship and fellowship with the risen Jesus, that the meaning of this temporal lifetime is our only chance to seek the Lord, and that if we truly seek the Lord, the Lord will allow us to find and come to know him personally. This was Paul’s testimony to the Greeks at Athens (Acts 17:26-27), and the fulfillment of Moses’ prophecy (Deuteronomy 4:29).
Jesus wants us to trust and obey him so that we, too, can have a personal fellowship with Jesus, and can learn that he is able and faithful to provide for and preserve us in any circumstance, even physical death (see Hebrews 2:14-15). Think how much time, energy, and resources people in this world spend trying to protect themselves from every difficulty. Those who seek worldly security before considering their spiritual security will never find either. We can’t learn that the Lord is faithful and abundantly able to protect and provide for us unless we’re willing to be confronted by God’s Word when we’re wrong (Acts 9:4) and willing to submit to the Lord’s correction (Acts 9:5), like Paul was, and begin to trust and obey the Lord’s commands (Acts 9:6, 17).
Is Jesus your Lord (Matthew 7:21-23; Luke 6:46)? Are you Jesus' disciple (John 8:31)? Are you trusting and obeying Jesus (John 14:21)? Have you received the indwelling Holy Spirit since you first truly believed (Acts 19:2)? Are you making disciples of Jesus Christ and teaching them to obey all that Jesus commands (Matthew 28:18-20)? Do you know with certainty where you will spend eternity (1 John 5:11-13; Ephesians 1:13-14)?
Thursday 8 Epiphany - Odd
First Posted
Podcast: Thursday 8 Epiphany - Odd
Deuteronomy 4:32-40 -
The Lord is the only true God;
2 Corinthians 12:1-10 -
Strength in weakness;
Matthew 7:1-12 - Practical application of Jesus’ message;
Deuteronomy Summary:
Consider the entire
history of the world from the day of creation. Never before has
any nation and people heard God’s voice or experienced God’s
intervention except Israel. Never
before has any nation been delivered from the power of another
by miraculous powers and signs as the Lord delivered Israel from Egypt.
The Lord revealed his powerful intervention so that we might
know that the Lord alone is God. The Lord let his voice be heard
so that he might discipline us.
The Lord loved the
patriarchs of Israel and chose
to bless their descendants in fulfilling his promise to their
ancestors. He brought them out of Egypt
with his own presence and power and gave them the Promised Land
as an inheritance, driving out larger nations and more powerful
people before Israel. Realize
and remember that the Lord alone is God of heaven and earth;
there is no other god. Know, remember and obey God’s Word and
his commandments so that all will be well with you and with your
descendants and that you may live long in the land God promised
to give you forever.
2 Corinthians Summary:
Paul was not
boastful nor was he advocating boasting, but was responding to
critics who had been building themselves up by criticizing Paul.
Paul described a vision of highest heaven which he had fourteen
years prior (although he shared it “anonymously”). In that
vision Paul heard (secret) things he either could not or was
forbidden to share. Paul chose to boast of nothing of himself
except his weaknesses, although he had plenty of reasons to
boast if he chose. He was content to let people form their own
opinion of him from what he said and did.
Paul mentioned a
“thorn in the flesh” (a physical or emotional irritant) given
him to keep him from becoming too proud of the revelations he
had been given. Paul had prayed three times for its removal, but
the Lord had told him that the Lord’s grace would help Paul
endure it and that the Lord’s power is revealed through human
weakness. So Paul would gladly admit his weaknesses so that he
could experience and reveal Christ’s power in himself. For the
sake of Christ, Paul was able to be “content with weakness,
insults, hardships, persecutions and calamities” (2 Corinthians
12:10). When Paul was weak he experienced and learned to rely on
Christ’s strength.
Matthew Summary:
Here is the
practical application of Jesus’ message. We’re not to be
condemning of others, but let us be honest with ourselves. Let
us not use the shortcomings of others to overlook or excuse our
own shortcomings. Let’s change ourselves, over whom we do have
control, instead of trying to change others. Don’t expect
unbelievers to value spiritual truth; understand that they
cannot appreciate spiritual truth any more than a pig can value
fine jewelry. Forcing spiritual truth on unbelievers can prompt
a vicious response.
If we earnestly
seek the things of God we will find them. If we ask God in faith
for what we truly need we will receive it. God loves us as a
good father loves his children. God wants to give us good
things; he doesn’t give evil when we ask for what is good. So we
should treat others the way we would like to be treated. If we
do that we will have satisfied all God’s commandments.
Commentary:
God is the one and
only God. He is God, whether we acknowledge him or not. God has
always intended from the beginning of Creation, to establish an
eternal kingdom of his people who willingly trust and obey him.
God made this
Creation so that we would have free choice whether to trust and
obey God or not, knowing that we would have to learn to do so by
“trial and error.” Disobedience of God’s Word is sin, and we
have all sinned (Romans 3:23; 1 John 1:8-10). The penalty for
sin is eternal death (Romans 6:23). Jesus is God’s only
provision for our forgiveness and salvation (Acts 4:12; John
14:6; see God’s Plan of Salvation, sidebar, top right, home).
Jesus Christ is not an afterthought; he has been “built in” to
the structure of Creation (John 1:1-5, 14).
This lifetime is
our only opportunity to seek and come to a personal knowledge
and fellowship with our Creator (Acts 17:26-27), to learn to
trust and obey God, and to receive eternal life through faith
(obedient trust) in Jesus Christ, by 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). Only Jesus gives the gift
(“anointing;” “baptism”) of the Holy Spirit (John 1:31-34), only
to his disciples who trust and obey Jesus (John 14:15-17).
God has revealed
himself to the world through his dealings with Israel.
God revealed himself to Abraham (Abram), who was willing to
trust and obey God’s Word, and God founded the nation of Israel
through Abraham. He promised to make a great nation of Abraham’s
descendants, and to give them the Promised Land.
Moses’ leading the
people of God out of bondage to sin and death in Egypt, through
the Sea, through the wilderness and into the Promised Land
prefigures and illustrates the saving work of Christ, who frees
us from sin and death, leads us through the waters of baptism,
through the wilderness of this lifetime, through the river of
physical death, and into the eternal Promised Land, by the gift
of his indwelling Holy Spirit, prefigured in the pillar of fire
leading Israel in the night (spiritual darkness; Exodus
13:21) in the wilderness.
God wants to reveal
himself to us individually and personally. God manifested
himself to the world in human flesh in the physical lifetime of
Jesus Christ (Colossians 2:8-9). God has given us his Word, in
the Bible, and in Jesus Christ, who is the fulfillment,
embodiment and example of God’s Word in human flesh (John 1:1-5,
14). God’s ultimate revelation of himself to us individually and
personally is through the gift of his indwelling Holy Spirit. If
we seek God, he will allow us to find him.
To receive the promises in God’s Word, we must trust and obey God’s Word revealed in Jesus Christ. God gives us his Word, his example, and his Holy Spirit to discipline us like a good father disciplines his children, so that we will grow up to spiritual maturity and fulfill the life he wants us to have.
Paul was living by
the guidance of the Holy Spirit within him, and he is the
prototype and example of a modern, “post-resurrection,”
“born-again” (John 3:3, 5-8) disciple and apostle (messenger of
the Gospel) as we all can be. Paul knew that it was only by the
grace (unmerited favor) of God through Jesus Christ by his
indwelling Holy Spirit that Paul could accomplish anything for
God’s eternal kingdom. Paul didn’t try to use his ministry to
build up his personal worldly status and reputation. Paul wanted
to give all the glory to the Lord, in love and appreciation for
what the Lord had done for Paul.
Paul experienced
the peace and assurance only the Lord can give by his indwelling
presence, and was willing to endure persecution and hardship for
the Gospel as a result. Paul was fulfilling Jesus’ Great
Commission (Matthew 28:19-20) to make born-again disciples of
Jesus Christ, and teaching them, by word and example, to trust
and obey Jesus’ commandments
But some of the Corinthian “Christians” were unwilling to submit to spiritual discipline, and were not growing in spiritual maturity, preferring to gain worldly approval and status for themselves by criticizing Christian disciples like Paul. These critics of Paul were overlooking their own shortcomings by disparaging Paul to make themselves look better. This condition still exists in the Church today.
Jesus taught his
disciples to encourage and strengthen our brethren, but to be
honest in self-evaluation. The Lord wants us to grow to
spiritual maturity, and he will help us do so, if we are willing
to be guided and disciplined by the Lord. The Lord wants to give
us good things, and he will, if we ask for them, but we have to
learn to distinguish what is good in God’s judgment.
God reveals through
his Holy Spirit the good things he has planned for those who
love him (1 Corinthians 2:9-10, but unspiritual people do not
receive the gifts of Holy Spirit and are unable to understand
spiritual things, because those things are spiritually discerned
(1 Corinthians 2:14) by those who possess the gift of the
indwelling Holy Spirit. We can share the Gospel with others, and
we can live according to Jesus’ teachings, so that others may
see the truth of the Gospel in us, but we cannot expect others
to respond to the Gospel in faith. Their response is their free
choice. If we treat others as we would like to be treated, we
will have fulfilled God’s commandments.
Friday 8 Epiphany - Odd
First Posted
Podcast: Friday 8 Epiphany - Odd
Deuteronomy 5:1-22 -
The giving of the
law;
2 Corinthians 12:11-21 -
Paul’s approaching
visit;
Matthew 7:13-21 - The
Narrow Gate;
Deuteronomy Summary:
Moses proclaimed to
Israel the
Ten Commandments given to him by God at Mt. Horeb (Mt. Sinai).
The covenant between God and his people was based on these
commandments and the people were commanded to learn them and be
careful to do them. Each generation was to renew the covenant.
Moses was the mediator between God and the people; the people
couldn’t approach God directly.
The Lord who
brought Israel
out of Egypt
is God; we are to have no other god. We must not make any image
or “likeness” to worship and serve. The Lord will not share his
glory with any other thing or person. He will bless those who
love and obey him and punish those who hate and disobey him. We
must not use God’s name any other way than reverently, to give
him worship and praise. We are to keep the sabbath
as a day of rest for ourselves and those who serve us,
remembering what the Lord has done to free us from bondage to
sin and death (John 3:16-17). We must honor our fathers and
mothers so that we may receive God’s blessings and live long in
the Promised Land. We must not kill, commit adultery, steal,
lie, or covet what belongs to others. These are the commandments
of God which he wrote on tablets of stone and delivered to Moses
on Mt. Horeb.
2 Corinthians Summary:
In all his words
and actions Paul was worthy of commendation by the Corinthian
church, but instead had been forced to defend his conduct. He had been criticized by
(false) apostles within the congregation who were seeking their
own glory. The fact that Paul wasn’t seeking personal
recognition or using his ministry for financial gain didn’t make
his ministry and divine commission inferior to his critics. In
the congregation, Paul had demonstrated his authentic
apostleship and his “anointing” by the Holy Spirit. Paul had
dealt no less fairly with the Corinthians than any other church.
In fact he had been more generous with them because he had not
required their financial support of his ministry.
Paul was prepared to visit the congregation again, and he was seeking their spiritual wellbeing rather than any material benefit for himself. Paul regarded them as his spiritual children and, like a good parent, wants to provide for them rather than expecting them to provide for him. Paul was happy to give himself and his resources for their spiritual nurture.
Paul was prepared to visit the congregation again, and he was seeking their spiritual wellbeing rather than any material benefit for himself. Paul regarded them as his spiritual children and, like a good parent, wants to provide for them rather than expecting them to provide for him. Paul was happy to give himself and his resources for their spiritual nurture.
Would the congregation love Paul less as Paul’s love for them increased? Was Paul’s generosity a crafty scheme to take advantage of them? When Paul sent Titus and his fellow missionary to them they had behaved exactly like Paul and no one was claiming that Titus and his co-worker had taken advantage of the Corinthians (as they apparently had done to Paul).
The purpose of Paul’s letter was not to defend himself to the Corinthians, but to help them grow spiritually. God’s judgment of Paul’s ministry is the only judgment that matters. Paul worried that when he came to Corinth he might find problems in the congregation and the congregation might be unhappy with Paul. Paul wanted to avoid quarreling, jealousy, anger, selfishness, slander, gossip, conceit and disorder within the congregation. Paul didn’t want to be embarrassed in the presence of the congregation and be grieved “by many of those who sinned before and have not repented of the impurity, immorality and licentiousness which they have practiced” (2 Corinthians 12:21).
Matthew Summary:
Jesus taught that the path to righteousness and eternal life requires self-discipline and discernment. Outward appearances can be deceiving. There will be a Day of Judgment when all people who have ever lived on earth will be held accountable for what they have done.
Discipline is required of believers. Jesus warned that the easy, undisciplined way leads to destruction. Jesus’ way requires effort and self-denial. Not everyone will be willing to make the effort, but the reward is true life now and eternally. Jesus warned his followers to beware of false prophets, who appear outwardly to be of God, but who are inwardly working against the best interests of God’s people. The test of a prophet is an examination of his works. Not everyone who claims Jesus as Lord will be saved. Those for whom Jesus is truly Lord will do what Jesus commanded and taught.
Commentary:
Moses prefigures and illustrates what the Christ will be like. Moses led the people through the wilderness and into the Promised Land. Moses was the mediator of the Old Covenant of Law. The Law was given to restrain evil until the coming of Christ who is the mediator of the New Covenant of Grace (unmerited favor) through faith (obedient trust) in Jesus the Christ.
Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection made it possible for his disciples to be filled with and guided by Christ’s indwelling Holy Spirit. It is the indwelling Holy Spirit which leads Christian disciples through the spiritual wilderness of this world and into the eternal Promised Land of God’s kingdom in Heaven. Only Jesus gives the Holy Spirit (John 1:1-5, 14) only to his disciples who trust and obey Jesus (John 14:15-17).
God is God, whether we acknowledge, trust and obey him or not. God warns us not to worship and serve any other god, which is idolatry. Idolatry is the love of anyone or thing other than God. Examples of modern idols are power, wealth, success, career, family, home, and pleasure,
God has given us his commandments for our best interest. He gives us free will to choose whether to obey him or not, but God warns that those who obey his commands will be blessed now and eternally and those who disobey his commands will perish eternally. Under the Old Covenant of Law humans could never fulfill all God’s commands (Romans 3:23, 1 John 1:8-10), and God’s penalty for sin (disobedience of God’s Word) is eternal death. So blood sacrifices were constantly necessary for the forgiveness of sin.
Since Jesus’ death on the Cross, he has become, once for all time and all people who will receive it, the only sacrifice acceptable to God for our forgiveness and salvation. His death made it possible for us to be filled with, guided and empowered by the Holy Spirit, who makes it possible for us to resist sin, and to live according to God’s will, which God’s Law was unable to do. Those who live according to the indwelling Holy Spirit are not under the condemnation of the Law (Romans 8:1-9).
Paul is the prototype and example of a modern, “post-resurrection” “born-again” (John 3:3, 5-8) disciple and apostle (messenger of the Gospel) of Jesus Christ, as all of us can be. Paul was filled with, led and empowered by the Holy Spirit of Christ within him (Romans 8:9). Paul was fulfilling the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19-20) the risen Jesus gave to his disciples to carry out after they had been “born-again” (Luke 24:45-49; Acts 1:4-5, 8; Acts 2:1-13), to make “born-again” disciples and teach them to obey all that Jesus commands.
Paul was teaching by word and example. His conduct demonstrated his discipleship and apostleship. But already in the first-century Church there were false apostles, “wolves” among the “sheep.” There were also unrepentant members of the Corinthian Church living in disobedience of God’s Word. Paul was forced to discipline them. The same struggle goes on today in the “Church” between genuine, “born-again” disciples and apostles, and “false apostles,” and over Church discipline of sin among its members.
Jesus is the fulfillment, embodiment, and example of God’s Word lived out in human flesh. Jesus was perfectly obedient to God’s will, even to dying on the Cross. Jesus taught his disciples to trust and obey God’s will and to be filled with and guided by the Holy Spirit. Christian discipleship requires self-discipline and discernment.
A genuine Christian is a disciple by definition (Acts 11:26c); discipleship is not an optional category of “super-Christian.” It is necessary for a disciple to give up his personal self-interest in order to do God’s will, but his reward will be eternal life instead of eternal death, which those who reject Jesus and disobey God’s Word, fulfilled in Jesus Christ, will receive. A disciple must also be discerning; one must know God’s Word in order to do it. A disciple needs to read the Bible completely, and to read it daily, seeking God’s guidance daily, one day at a time.
Jesus warned his disciples that there will be a Day of Judgment when all who have ever lived will be accountable to the Lord for what they have done in this lifetime. We have all been created with an immortal soul. What we have done in this lifetime will determine where we will spend eternity.
The Lord knows everything about us individually and personally, and he is not deceived by outward appearances. Life with the self-discipline of discipleship leads to eternal life, but those unwilling to be disciples will spend eternity in Hell with all evil.
Jesus warns us to watch out for false prophets and false apostles, who appear to be of God, but who are agents of Satan to lead God’s people astray. There are many false prophets and false prophets in the world and also within the “Church.” One example of false doctrine within the Church today is “Cheap Grace,”* which is the teaching that salvation is a free gift (true), to be received without the requirement of discipleship and obedience of God’s Word (false). Another is “works-righteousness,” “legalism,” the “circumcision party (faction)” the doctrine that one can (and must) “earn” salvation by doing certain “good deeds.” Both existed in the first-century Church and both are refuted in the New Testament.
Jesus warns that not everyone who claims to be a “Christian” will be saved (Matthew 7:21-27; Luke 6:46). Those for whom Jesus is truly their Lord will do what Jesus commands and teaches (John 14:15-17). The Holy Spirit is the seal and guarantee that one is in Christ and has eternal life (2 Corinthians 1:22; Ephesians 1:13-14; Romans 8:9b, 11, 15-16).
Is Jesus your Lord (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)?
*See: The Cost of Discipleship, Dietrich
Bonhoeffer, Collier Books, Macmillan Publishing Co., NY 1963 ISBN
0-02-083850-6
Saturday 8 Epiphany - Odd
First Posted
Podcast: Saturday 8 Epiphany - Odd
Deuteronomy 5:22-33 - Moses the mediator;
2 Corinthians 13:1-14 -
Paul’s impending visit;
Matthew 7:22-29 -
Build on the Rock;
Deuteronomy Summary:
God manifested himself in thick cloud and fire
when he came down from heaven to the top of Mt. Horeb (Mt. Sinai)
to give the Ten Commandments to Moses, written on stone tablets
(Exodus 19:9-20:19). The people of Israel witnessed the
manifestation from a distance, and heard the voice of the Lord,
and were afraid of God’s greatness and power. The people delegated
leaders from each of the twelve tribes to ask Moses to be their
mediator between God and themselves so that God would not speak
directly to the people for fear that they would be destroyed by
his great power. They promised to hear and do what the Lord said
to Moses.
The Lord heard what the people said to Moses and he declared that it was reasonable and commendable for them to fear the Lord and obey his commandments so that they and their children would be blessed and prospered by the Lord forever. The Lord told Moses to release the people to return to their tents while the Lord gave the rest of his statutes and ordinances to Moses. Moses was to teach God’s law to the people so that they would live in obedience to all of God’s laws in the Promised Land. God’s blessings and long life in the Promised Land are conditional upon obedience to God’s Word.
2 Corinthians Summary:
Paul was planning a third visit to the
Corinthian church. Paul’s previous visit had been “painful”
because he had to discipline members for sinful and unacceptable
behavior (such as mentioned in 2 Corinthians 12:20-21), and had
warned them that he would deal harshly with members if he found
them continuing such behavior. But accusations would have to meet
the standards of God’s Word (Deuteronomy 19:15), requiring two or
three witnesses to substantiate the charges.
Apparently some of the congregation had challenged Paul’s “anointing” (with the Holy Spirit) and authority that Christ was speaking through Paul. Christ died in weakness but rose in power, and Paul shared similar human weakness, but Christ worked with divine power through Paul.
Paul urged the Corinthian Christians to examine
and test themselves to be certain that they are holding to the
true faith (the Apostolic Gospel which Paul had taught them and is
recorded in the New Testament). They should know with certainty if
they have been “born-again” (John 3:3, 5-8) by the gift of the
indwelling Holy Spirit, which Jesus promised to his disciples who
trust and obey Jesus (John 14:15-17). If they have been
“born-again” they should be able to recognize Paul’s
“anointing.”
Paul prayed that the Corinthian Christians would not do wrong, not so that Paul’s authority and reputation would be enhanced, but for their own spiritual welfare. Paul would be willing to sacrifice his own status if it would help the Corinthians grow to spiritual maturity. But Paul couldn’t sacrifice truth to make the Corinthians look good or feel good. God is truth and Christians can’t work against truth. Paul would be glad to be weak so that the Corinthians could become strong through Christ’s Spirit (the Holy Spirit; Romans 8:9) within them. Paul prayed for their spiritual growth.
Paul hoped that, by writing in advance of his visit, he could avoid using his apostolic authority to severely discipline the congregation in person, hoping to use that authority to spiritually build up the congregation, as the Lord intended, rather than for tearing down. In closing Paul urged the congregation to do what Paul urged, to amend their ways and to live in peace with one another “and the God of love and peace will be with you” (2 Corinthians 13:11b). “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all” (2 Corinthians 13:14).
Matthew Summary:
Jesus teaches that there will be a Day of
Judgment, when everyone will be accountable before the Lord for
what they have done. The judgment will not be based on superficial
appearances, because the Lord knows everything we have done, and
he sees the innermost motives and attitudes. It won’t matter that
one has professed Jesus as Lord, if he has not done what Jesus
taught, and Jesus taught obedience to the will of God.
Those who hear Jesus’ teaching and apply them in their own lives are like a builder who builds upon a solid rock foundation. Those who do not take Jesus’ teaching to heart and apply it in their lives are like those who build on sand. The house may look great, but the first storm that comes along will destroy it, because it was not founded on a solid foundation.
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)?
