my daily walk

Saturday, April 4, 2015

Week of Easter - Odd - 04/05 - 11/2015

Week of Easter - Odd

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.

Exodus 12:1-14 - The Institution of Passover;
Isaiah 51:9-11 - The Ransomed of the Lord;
Luke 2413-35 - The Road to Emmaus;
John 20:19-23 - Mission in Christ’s Name;

Exodus Paraphrase:

In Egypt, the Lord told Moses and Aaron to prepare to observe a feast of Passover. On the tenth day of Nisan (March-April) each family was to select a perfect lamb, without blemish, one year old, according to what they could eat. Small families were to share a lamb with their neighbors. They were to keep the lamb until the fourteenth day, when they were to kill the lamb. The Lamb’s blood was to be put on the doorpost and lintel of the houses where they eat the meal. The flesh of the lamb was to be roasted and eaten that night, with bitter herbs and unleavened bread.

None of the lamb could be boiled or eaten raw, and it had to be consumed that night; any leftover lamb was to be burned. They were to eat in haste, dressed and prepared for travel. The Lord was going to pass through the land and kill all the first-born of the people and animals of the land of Egypt, but he would pass over the houses of the Israelites marked with the blood of the lamb, sparing them from the plague of the death of the first-born.

Isaiah Paraphrase:

The prophet calls the Lord to awaken and come to deliver his people, as he has done in the past. The Lord had won the primeval combat with the chaos-monsters (Rahab; the dragon); he had dried up the sea so that the Israelites could pass over, redeemed from slavery in Egypt (and headed for the Promised Land). “And the ransomed of the Lord shall return, and come to Zion (Jerusalem; the city of God; the eternal kingdom) with singing; everlasting joy shall be upon their heads; they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away” (Isaiah 51:11).

Luke Paraphrase:

The day of Jesus’ resurrection, two of his disciples were going to Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem, discussing the events of the resurrection. Jesus himself approached and joined them, but they didn’t recognize him. Jesus asked them what they were discussing, and one of the disciples, Cleopas, expressed surprise that he seemed to be the only person from Jerusalem who had not heard the news.

Jesus asked him what he was referring to and he and the other disciple began to tell him about Jesus of Nazareth, a great prophet who they had hoped would redeem Israel, who had been condemned to death and crucified by the priests and leaders of the people. This was the third day since his crucifixion, and some of the women among his followers had gone to the tomb early in the morning and had found it empty, and had reported that they had seen angels who told them that Jesus was alive.

Some of the men had gone to the tomb to see for themselves and they had found it as the women had said. Then Jesus, saying they were foolish and slow to believe the scriptures, began to show them from the scriptures the prophecies regarding the Messiah.

Approaching the village, Jesus seemed to be continuing on, but the disciples invited him to stay with them, since evening was approaching. So Jesus came in and stayed with them, and at dinner he took bread and broke it and gave it to them, and their eyes were opened and they recognized him, but he disappeared from their sight. “They said to each other, ‘Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked with us on the road, while he opened to us the scriptures’” (Luke 24:32)?

That same hour they returned to Jerusalem to the Eleven (of Jesus’ original disciples, minus Judas, his betrayer) and the rest of Jesus’ followers, who told Cleopas and his companion that Jesus had appeared to Simon (Peter). Then the two told them what had happened on the road to Emmaus and how Jesus had made himself known to them in the breaking of the bread.

John Paraphrase:

On the evening of Jesus’ resurrection, his followers were gathered together, and the door was latched, because they were afraid of the Jewish priests and leaders. Jesus appeared among them and said “Peace be with you” (John 20:19). Then Jesus showed them his hands and his side (where he had been wounded by his crucifixion). He repeated his blessing of peace, and told them that as God had sent Jesus, so also Jesus was sending them. Then Jesus breathed on them and commanded them to receive the Holy Spirit. Jesus told them that they had the power to forgive or to withhold forgiveness of sins.

Commentary:

God’s plan of salvation (which see, sidebar, top right, home) existed before the creation of the world (John 1:1-5, 14). The Exodus experience of Israel is not only a historical record of God’s deliverance of Israel, but also a metaphor, a “visual aid” illustrating God’s plan of eternal salvation.

Jesus is the fulfillment of the Passover feast God commanded Moses to institute in Egypt. Jesus is our “Moses” who leads us out of slavery to sin and death through the “Sea” of Baptism, through the wilderness of this world, through the “Jordan River” of death and into the eternal Promised Land of God’s kingdom in Heaven. Jesus is our “Passover Lamb” whose blood marks us to be “passed over” by the angel of (eternal) Death. Jesus celebrated the Passover feast with his disciples on the night of his betrayal and subsequent crucifixion, and fulfilled its meaning; it became the “Lord’s Supper (Communion, Eucharist). The unleavened bread became his body, and the wine became his blood.

The Lord fulfilled his promise in the prophecy of Isaiah to deliver his people as he had delivered Israel. The Lord has won the primeval battle against evil; against the ancient dragon, Satan, at the Cross of Jesus Christ. The Lord has dried up the waters of slavery of sin and death, so that we can pass over, redeemed from slavery, ransomed from sin and death and come to Zion, the eternal city of God with singing and everlasting joy, where sorrow and sighing will be no more.

Christians are disciples on the way to Emmaus. We’ve heard the Good News of Jesus’ resurrection. Jesus joins us on the road, but our spiritual eyes are kept from recognizing him. If we will allow him, he will open our minds to understand the scriptures. Those who are slow to believe or don’t believe the scriptures in the light of Jesus Christ are foolish. If we believe the scriptures, the Good News, we will invite Jesus to come into our hearts and he will come in and dine with us (Revelation 3:20).

Jesus promises that he will reveal himself to his disciples who trust and obey him (John 14:21). Jesus will make himself known to his disciples in the breaking of bread; in Communion with him at the Lord’s Table; in the intimate fellowship with him through his indwelling Holy Spirit.

Jesus is present and will manifest himself wherever his disciples are gathered together in his name. Jesus reveals to his disciples the marks of his suffering which bring us forgiveness and peace with God, and then commands us to carry on his ministry of forgiveness and reconciliation according to his example. He commanded them to receive his Holy Spirit so that they could carry out that ministry.

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 Easter - Odd
First posted 03/27/05;
Podcast: Monday Easter - Odd

Jonah 2:1-10   -   Jonah’s Prayer;
Acts 2:14, 22-32   - Peter’s Sermon at Pentecost;
John 14:1-14   - The Way, the Truth, the Life;

Jonah Summary:

Jonah had been swallowed by a large fish. In his distress, Jonah prayed to the Lord. His prayer is an expression of faith in the Lord, echoing the expressions of the psalmists which fit his circumstances (compare Psalms 18:6; 42:7; 69:2; 88:3-12; 120:1; 143:4). He called to the Lord, trusting that the Lord would hear him and answer him.

Jonah felt swallowed up by death, cast into the depths of the ocean, cast from the Lord’s presence and despairing of being able to return. He feared that he would be imprisoned by death, but trusted that the Lord would bring his life back from the grave. When his soul despaired, he called on the Lord, and the Lord heard his prayer.

Those who worship idols are giving to that which is worthless what we are rightfully obligated to give to our Creator. Jonah recognized that there is deliverance in none but the Lord, and Jonah will acknowledge that deliverance with thanksgiving. Then the Lord caused the fish to vomit Jonah up upon the land.

Acts Summary:

When the gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit had been given to the disciples on the Day of Pentecost, a great controversy arose among the people of Jerusalem and Judea, the remnant of Israel, who had gathered to see what the commotion was about (Acts 2:1-13), and Peter spoke to explain the significance of what had happened. Peter said that God had attested to Jesus as the Messiah through the miracles Jesus had done; that Jesus had been crucified by them at the hands of lawless people according to the definite foreknowledge and plan of God. But God had raised Jesus from the dead to eternal life having freed him from bondage to death.

Peter quoted Psalm 16:8-11, showing that Jesus’ resurrection was the fulfillment of David’s prophetic psalm, which also applies to all who trust and obey Jesus. Those who focus on honoring the Lord will not be shaken; they will have joy and hope, confident that the Lord will not abandon them to death and Hell any more than God abandoned Jesus.

God makes his ways, which lead to eternal life, known through his Word, the Bible, and through his Son, Jesus Christ, the “Living Word” (John 1:14). He fills us with the gladness of his presence through his indwelling Holy Spirit. David did die, and his earthly body did decay, so it wasn’t David who fulfilled this prophecy, but Jesus Christ, the Son of David (his descendant; the Messiah; Matthew 1:1-17), and the eternal heir to David’s throne, as God had promised. God raised Jesus from the dead and all those who were eyewitnesses to Jesus’ resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:3-8), and those who have come to a personal fellowship with the risen Jesus through his indwelling Holy Spirit since the Day of Pentecost, including Paul (a.k.a. “Saul;” Acts Chapter 9), attest that Jesus has risen from death to eternal life.

John Summary:

Jesus told his disciples not to be grieved or afraid but to believe in God and in Jesus. Jesus told them that the reason he was leaving them physically was to prepare a place for them to be with Jesus eternally, where there is room for all who trust and obey Jesus. Jesus promised that he will return to bring all his disciples to himself. Jesus told his disciples that they knew the way to where Jesus was going, because they knew Jesus and his teaching. Jesus is the (only) way to the Father and to eternal life. Jesus is the (eternal) truth. Jesus is (eternal) life (John 14:6).

No one can know and come to reconciliation and fellowship with God except through obedient trust in Jesus Christ. Only those who have a personal fellowship with the risen Jesus Christ through his indwelling Holy Spirit know God. No one can see God, except as revealed by Jesus. Philip asked Jesus to show him God the Father, and Jesus told him that Philip had seen the Father in Jesus. Jesus is God in human flesh (Matthew 1:23; Colossians 2:8-9; John 20:28).

The words that Jesus speaks and the miracles Jesus does are done by God’s Spirit within Jesus, and Jesus is completely in God in word and deed. Jesus asked his disciples to trust and obey his word because of their faith and personal experience of Jesus, or else to believe Jesus because of the miracles Jesus does. Jesus declared that those who truly believe in Jesus will do the works that Jesus does, and greater works, because Jesus is going to return to God the Father. Whatever Jesus’ disciples ask in Jesus’ name (in faith, and the power and authority of Jesus), Jesus will do for them so that God may be glorified.

Commentary:

Jonah felt swallowed up by death. Jonah’s disobedience of God’s Word had led to his predicament (Jonah 1:1-3). He feared his imprisonment and separation by death from the presence of the Lord, but he called out to the Lord in his distress, trusting that the Lord would hear and answer him, and that the Lord would bring his life back from the grave.

Jonah acknowledged that only the Lord, our Creator, is worthy of our worship, that there is deliverance in no one and nothing else, and Jonah will acknowledge that deliverance with thanksgiving. I can personally testify that, in my own personal distress, I cried to the Lord and he heard me, answered, and delivered me!

We have all sinned (disobeyed God’s Word) and fall short of God’s righteousness (Romans 3:23; 1 John 1: 8-10). Jesus is the fulfillment of Jonah’s hope for forgiveness and deliverance from eternal death and separation from God. Jesus is the fulfillment of God’s promise of an eternal king to inherit David’s throne. Jesus is the fulfillment of “the sign of Jonah;” Jesus was in the grave for three days as Jonah had been in the belly of the whale (Matthew 12: 39-41).

God attested to Jesus as the Messiah by the miracles Jesus did and ultimately by Jesus’ resurrection, which was attested to in the New Testament scriptures by many eyewitnesses, but also by all those “born-again” Christians who have come to a personal relationship with the risen Lord through the gift of his indwelling Holy Spirit since the Day of Pentecost. Those who trust and obey Jesus can be assured by his indwelling Holy Spirit within them that we will also be raised from physical death to eternal life in God’s presence, just as Jesus has been.

Jesus has promised his disciples that he is preparing a place for us to be eternally with him in Heaven, and he has promised to return to take us there. Jesus is God’s only plan for our forgiveness, salvation and restoration to eternal life in God’s presence (Acts 4:12). Jesus is the only way to know and have fellowship with God, and the only way to enter God’s eternal kingdom; Jesus is eternal truth, and eternal life (John 14:6). Jesus promised to give the gift of his indwelling Holy Spirit to his disciples who trust and obey Jesus (John 14:15-17).

One cannot have a personal relationship with Jesus or know God apart from the indwelling Holy Spirit. It is through the indwelling Holy Spirit that we experience the joy and gladness of his presence within us. The Holy Spirit is the seal and guarantee that we are in Christ and have 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 for oneself whether one has received the gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit (Acts 19:2). The miracles Jesus did and the words he spoke, recorded in the New Testament scriptures attest that he is the Messiah (Christ) the Son of God.

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 Easter - Odd
First posted 03/28/05
Podcast: Tuesday Easter - Odd

Isaiah 30:18-26 - Hope for the afflicted;
Acts 2:36-41 (42-47) - Call to repentance;
John 14:15-31 - Call to obedience;

Isaiah Summary:

The Lord is waiting to be gracious and to show mercy to us, but he is the God of Justice, and those who wait for him will be blessed. The people of Zion (the Church; the eternal city of God) will weep no more. When we cry to him he will hear and be gracious to us. “Though the Lord give you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, yet your Teacher will not hide himself any more” (Isaiah 30:20). We will hear his voice guiding us on our way in life. Then we will realize how worthless idols are, and will rid ourselves of them.

The Lord will bless and cause his people to prosper “on the day of the great slaughter, when the towers fall” (Isaiah 30:25; the Day of Judgment). The light of the moon will be as bright as the sun, and the sun will be seven times as bright, when the Lord heals the wounds of his people which he inflicted.

Acts Summary:

Peter had preached the Gospel to the Judeans who had gathered to see what was causing excitement among the disciples at the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost. He told them that Jesus, whom they had crucified, had been delivered to death at their hands by the will and foreknowledge of God. Peter concluded, saying “Let all the house of Israel therefore know assuredly that God has made him both Lord and Christ (Messiah), this Jesus whom you crucified” (Acts 2:36; see Matthew 28:18).

When the people heard this, they were conscience-stricken, and asked the disciples what they could do to make amends. They were told to repent (confess their sins and change their ways) and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ, and their sins would be forgiven and they would receive the gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit. The promise [of Salvation by grace through faith (obedient trust) in Jesus; Ephesians 2:8-9] is for them and for all who are far from God, who the Lord our God calls to him (Revelation 3:20).

Peter continued to exhort them, saying “Be saved from this perverse generation” (Acts 2:40 MKJV). Those who took Peter’s words to heart, who believed and acted upon them, were baptized, about three thousand souls. And they devoted themselves to the Apostles’ teaching (they were discipled; see Matthew 28:19-20), fellowship, breaking of bread (Communion; the “Lord’s Supper;” Eucharist; at that time celebrated in the context of a communal meal), and prayers.

Every soul had great awe and respect for the power and authority of God, and many miracles were done through the Apostles. The Jerusalem Christians regarded one another as family and shared everything with each another, as anyone had need. They had great fellowship with one another in worship and in daily life. They were characterized by joy, generosity and praise to God, and the number of believers was growing day by day.

John Summary:

Jesus told his disciples, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will pray the Father, and he will give you another Counselor (advocate; comforter) to be with you forever, even the Spirit of Truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him or knows him; you know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you” (John 14:15-17). Jesus (speaking of his physical death) told his disciples that he would not leave them “desolate” (deserted; barren).

Although the world would no longer see Jesus, his disciples would “see” him; and because they would know by his indwelling Holy Spirit within them that Jesus lives (eternally) they would know that they have eternal life with him also. When the disciples had been filled with the promised Holy Spirit they would know that they are in Christ and Christ in them, as Jesus and God are one in each other. “He who has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me; and he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest (reveal) myself to him” (John 14:21).

Judas (perhaps Thaddeus; not Iscariot, the betrayer) asked how Jesus could manifest himself to his disciples and not to the world, so Jesus said that if someone loves Jesus he will keep (obey; apply) Jesus’ teachings, and God the Father will love him and Jesus and God, who are one in each other (John 14:20), will come to him and dwell within him (compare Revelation 3:20). Anyone who doesn’t live according to Jesus' teachings doesn’t really love Jesus, and Jesus’ teachings are the Word and authority of God. (Jesus is the only way to forgiveness and reconciliation with God; Acts 4:12; John 14:6)

Commentary:

The Lord is waiting to be gracious and show mercy to us. That is the purpose of this lifetime; that is why he doesn’t instantly punish sinners. But he is the God of Justice, and there is a Day of Judgment coming, the day of the “great slaughter and the falling of towers” (the accomplishments of mankind to exalt themselves). We will either wait in faith and hope for our Lord and Savior and live eternally with him in Heaven, or we will die eternally in Hell with all evil, where the Lord isn’t (Matthew 25:31-46; 2 Thessalonians 1:5-10).

Isaiah’s prophecy of the revealing of the Teacher was fulfilled in Jesus and in the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on his disciples beginning on the Day of Pentecost (Acts Chapter 2). It is through the gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit that we come to a personal fellowship with the Lord and understanding of his teachings (Luke 24:45). It is the voice of the Lord through his indwelling Holy Spirit who reveals God’s will for us personally and individually, and guides our spiritual growth to maturity. When we have experienced the Lord’s love and power through his indwelling Holy Spirit we will realize how worthless the things and idols of this present world really are.

Are our Churches so filled with the authentic Holy Spirit that people are coming to see what the excitement is all about? The message is still the same; We are all guilty of Jesus’ death, because we are all sinners (we have all disobeyed God’s Word) and we have all fallen short of God’s righteousness (Romans 3:23; 1 John 1:8-10). The penalty for sin is (eternal) death (Romans 6:23; See God’s Plan of Salvation, sidebar, top right, home).

We have all individually made Christ’s death necessary so that we might be forgiven and restored to eternal life and fellowship with God. The remedy is still the same: we must repent and turn to obedient trust in Jesus Christ. We must confess our sin and change our ways by beginning to live according to Jesus’ teachings. As we begin to obey Jesus, we will receive the gift of his indwelling Holy Spirit.

The Jerusalem Church is our example. The Judeans heard Peter’s sermon and took it seriously, they believed and began to apply it personally by repenting and being baptized. They began to worship regularly, and they were discipled by disciples who had been discipled by Jesus, and who had been filled with his Holy Spirit.

As they began to live according to Jesus’ teachings they were filled with his Holy Spirit. There was a noticeable change in their lives, not just a superficial outward “façade” but complete, authentic, spiritual change. The Church was growing daily, not because it was “seeker friendly,” not by some “Church Growth” strategy to make worship more “entertaining,” but because the authentic power of the Holy Spirit was obvious among and within them.

Jesus promised that his disciples who obey his teachings will be filled with the gift of his indwelling Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Truth. Jesus is the Truth (John 14:6). No one can come to Jesus unless they’re willing to hear the truth. It wasn’t “fun” for the Judeans to hear that they were personally guilty of killing their long-awaited Savior and Messiah. It wasn’t pleasant to hear that they were sinners. But the ones who were willing to hear the truth, confess their sin and repent by changing the way they lived received forgiveness and eternal salvation.

The Holy Spirit is the seal and guarantee that we are in Christ and have eternal life (see John 14:19-20; compare 2 Corinthians 1:22; Ephesians 1:13-14; Romans 8:9b, 11, 15-16). When we are baptized we receive “power” to become children of God, reborn by the will of God (John 1:12-13 RSV), but that power is applied and the fulfillment actualized as we are discipled and walk in obedient trust in Jesus.

Jesus told his disciples to stay in Jerusalem (the Church is our equivalent) until they have received the Holy Spirit, before going out into the world in ministry. Neither Baptism nor Church membership automatically confers the gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit. Jesus only gives his Holy Spirit to his disciples who trust and obey him (John 14:15-17). The anointing of the Holy Spirit is a discernable and ongoing event (Acts 19:2). If we believe Jesus’ promises and act in obedient trust in those promises we will receive what Jesus has promised.

Wednesday Easter - Odd
First posted 03/29/05;
Podcast: Wednesday Easter - Odd

Micah 7:7-15   - Restoration of Israel;
Acts 3:1-10,    - Healing in Jesus’ Name;
John 15:1-11 -   Jesus, the True Vine;

Micah Paraphrase:

The servant of the Lord will look to the Lord for restoration and vindication. He will wait for God’s promised salvation, and the Lord will hear him. The enemies of Israel (of God’s people; the Church) are warned not to rejoice at her tribulation. When Israel falls, she will rise again, by the help of the Lord, her helper in times of (spiritual) darkness. Israel will bear the discipline of the Lord, but he will also be her advocate who will vindicate her. The Lord will bring her into the light (of God’s righteousness); he will deliver her from evil.

The enemy will see the restoration and vindication of God’s people and will be ashamed for ridiculing her God. Then it will be Israel’s turn to rejoice at the downfall of her enemies. In that Day the walls of Jerusalem (the Church; the eternal city of God) and her boundaries will be greatly extended. In that Day the people will come to Jerusalem from the farthest corners of the earth, but the earth will be desolate because of the wickedness of the worldly inhabitants.

The Lord will shepherd his people and provide for their nurture comparable to the lush pastures, forests and beautiful plains of Bashan and Gilead. The Lord will protect and give them victory over those who oppose them as he gave Israel victory over Og, king of Bashan, when the Lord first brought them to the Promised Land from the barren wilderness. The Lord will show them marvelous things (like the plagues brought upon Egypt, and Israel’s deliverance through the Sea while their pursuers perished) as he did at the time of Israel’s deliverance from Egypt.

Acts Paraphrase:

Peter and John went to the temple at three P.M. for a daily prayer service. A man who had been born lame was being carried to the “Beautiful Gate” (probably the east side, separating the court of the Gentiles and the court of the women), where he regularly begged money from the people entering the temple. The lame man called out to Peter and John, and they turned and looked at the man. The man thought they would give him a donation.

Peter told him that they didn’t have money, but would give him what they did have, and Peter commanded him in Jesus’ name to walk. Peter took his hand and helped him stand, and the man’s disability was healed instantly. The man entered the temple with them, walking and leaping and praising God. The people saw him walking and praising God; they recognized that this was the man who had begged at the gate and they were amazed at his healing.

John Paraphrase:

Jesus declared that he is the true vine (the true faith; the true Israel). God the Father is the vinedresser, who prunes away the unfruitful branches and prunes the fruitful branches so that they will bear more fruit. Believers have been cleansed (forgiven) by believing Jesus’ words. But we must stay connected to Jesus so that we will bear fruit. We cannot be fruitful apart from Jesus. Those who do not abide in Jesus (stay connected daily, obeying his indwelling Holy Spirit), will be cut off, discarded and burned in the fire (of Hell).

“If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you will, and it shall be done for you” (John 15:7). Fruitful disciples demonstrate that they are Jesus’ disciples and glorify God by their fruitfulness (not necessarily success as the world defines it). Jesus has loved us just like God the Father has loved Jesus, but we must remain in his love by obeying Jesus’ commands just as Jesus’ has obeyed God’s commands and remains in God’s love. Jesus has told his followers this so that they might have the joy of Jesus within them (through his Holy Spirit) and their joy might be complete (in him).

Commentary:

Those who trust and obey the Lord will be restored and vindicated. Those who wait for the Lord’s salvation will be delivered from all evil. The world will ridicule and persecute the Lord’s people now, in this world, but there is a Day of Judgment coming when the enemy of the Lord and his people will be condemned and punished eternally. People from all corners of the world will enter into the eternal Jerusalem in Heaven (through obedient trust in Jesus), but the earth will be desolate because those who refused to trust and obey Jesus will have been condemned to eternal death in Hell with all evil (Mathew 25:31-46; 2 Thessalonians 1:5-10)

Peter and John are examples of disciples who produced “fruit” for the kingdom of God through trust and obedience to Jesus Christ. Peter and John had spent time with the Lord daily, had been discipled by the Lord, and had been filled with the indwelling Holy Spirit. Real healing and salvation come only through Jesus Christ, not through wealth and material things of this world.

Our real needs of healing and salvation are spiritual rather than physical. The man was healed as he trusted and obeyed through faith in Jesus. As the man trusted and obeyed the Gospel of Jesus Christ, his faith became apparent to those who had known him; he showed himself to be a disciple of Jesus Christ, and he bore fruit for the kingdom of God through his praise.

Christians are disciples of Jesus Christ who trust and obey his teachings, are filled with, led and empowered by the gift of his indwelling Holy Spirit, and who abide in his word and presence daily. Apart from that personal relationship with Jesus through his Holy Spirit, we cannot bear fruit for his eternal kingdom. The discipleship of authentic “born-again” Christian disciples will be apparent to those around them, and they will glorify the Lord in their words and deeds.

It is through the indwelling Holy Spirit that we personally experience God’s love and the joy of his touch and his presence. We cannot have real, lasting joy apart from personal fellowship with Jesus. If we want our prayers to be heard and answered, we must abide in Jesus (John 15:7; see Conditions for Answered Prayer, sidebar, top right, home).

Ezekiel 37:1-14 - Dry Bones;
Acts 3:11-26 - Peter’s Second Sermon
John 15:12-27 - The Love Commandment;

Ezekiel Paraphrase:

Ezekiel was a priest and prophet to the Israelites in exile in Babylon. He was transported by the Holy Spirit to a plain covered with many very dry bones. The Lord asked Ezekiel whether these bones could live again, and Ezekiel replied that the Lord (alone) would know that.

The Lord told Ezekiel to prophesy to the bones that the Lord declared that he would cause breath (the same word means also “spirit” or “wind”) to enter them, he would cause sinews, flesh and skin to come upon them and cover them. The Lord would put breath (spirit) within them and they will live, and they will know that God is Lord. Ezekiel prophesied to the bones as the Lord had commanded, saying “thus says the Lord God,” and as he prophesied, the bones began to come together with a sound of rattling.

Ezekiel watched as sinews, flesh and skin came upon the bones, but there was no breath in them. Then the Lord told Ezekiel to prophesy to the breath (spirit; wind) in the name of the Lord God, commanding the breath to come from the four winds and breathe upon the dead bodies, so that they might live. The bodies came to life and stood upon their feet, a very great multitude.

The Lord told Ezekiel that this multitude was the entire nation of Israel. In exile in Babylon, Israel felt that their bones were dried up, their hope had been lost, and they had been severed (from their Lord and their homeland). The Lord commanded Ezekiel to prophesy to them that the Lord had declared that he will open their graves and raise them from their graves and bring them home to the Promised Land. When the Lord raises them from their graves they will know that the Lord had declared it and had fulfilled his Word.

Acts Paraphrase:

On their way to the temple, Peter and John had healed a lame man, and the miracle had attracted a crowd (Acts 3:1-10; see entry for yesterday, Wednesday, Easter Week, odd year). Peter spoke to the crowd explaining the significance of what had happened. Peter told them not to think that Peter or John had healed the man themselves by their own power or piety (devoutness to God).

The God of Israel and of the patriarchs of Israel glorified his servant (or “child”), Jesus. They had delivered Jesus into the hands of Pilate to be crucified, and then had rejected Pilate’s offer to pardon and release Jesus, “the Holy and Righteous One,” (Acts 3:14) asking Pilate to pardon and release a murderer instead (Barabbas; Luke 23:13-25). They killed the “Author (“pioneer;” “founder”) of life,” but God raised him from the dead. Peter and John attested to Jesus’ resurrection. It was by faith in the name (person, character and authority) of Jesus that the lame man had been restored to perfect health.

Peter acknowledged that the Jews and their leaders had acted in ignorance, but they had fulfilled what God had foretold by his prophets and scripture of the suffering of Christ. Peter urged them to repent so that their sins could be forgiven and that they could be renewed and restored by the presence of the Lord, and that Christ Jesus will return for them at God’s appointed time for the fulfillment of his eternal purpose.

Moses had prophesied that God would raise up a prophet (the Messiah) like Moses, and commanded God’s people to listen to and obey all that the Messiah tells them (Deuteronomy 18:15). Moses warned that every soul that does not listen to (pay attention to, and obey) the Messiah will be destroyed from the people (Deuteronomy 18:19).

As the scripture records, all of the other prophets who God raised up also prophesied the coming of the Messiah, and the people Peter was addressing were the sons of those prophets and the heirs of the Covenant and promises of God given to their forefathers. God had promised that through Israel all the families of the earth would be blessed, and God sent the Messiah first to Israel to bless them in turning them from their wickedness.

John Paraphrase:

Jesus commanded his disciples to love one another as Jesus had loved them. Being willing to give up one’s life for one’s friends is the greatest act of love. If we are Jesus’ friends we will do what Jesus commands (compare John 14:15, 21, 23). Jesus does not regard us as his slaves, but as his friends. A slave is not privy to his master’s plans and intentions, but Jesus’ followers are his friends, with whom he shares all that he has heard from God the Father. Jesus isn’t our servant; Jesus has chosen and appointed us to work for him, following his commands so that we can accomplish results which are eternal, so whatever we ask in Jesus’ name God will give us. Jesus’ commandment is that we should love one another.

Commentary:

The original context of Ezekiel’s prophecy was Israel’s Babylonian exile. Israel felt dead and in a tomb, cut off from their hope, their Promised Land and the presence of God. God promised that he would bring them back to Israel, and his Word was fulfilled in 517 B.C., when the exiles were allowed to return after seventy years and the temple was rebuilt.

God’s Word is eternal, and this prophecy is also a metaphor for God’s eternal purpose for us. God promises to bring us back from exile in the "Babylon" of this life, and into his presence in the "Promised Land" of heaven, through faith (obedient trust) in Jesus Christ.

We are all spiritually dead because we have all sinned and fall short of God’s righteousness (Romans 3:23) and the penalty for sin (disobedience of God’s Word) is eternal death (Romans 6:23; see God’s Plan of Salvation, sidebar, top right, home). Through faith (obedient trust) in Jesus, God fills us with the gift of his Holy Spirit, giving eternal life to our spiritually dead bodies. The Holy Spirit is the seal and guarantee that we are in Christ and have eternal life (2 Corinthians 1:22; Ephesians 1:13-14; Romans 8:9b, 11, 15-16).

Jesus only gives his Holy Spirit to his disciples who trust and obey Jesus (Isaiah 42:5e; John 14:15-17). There is a Day of Judgment coming when Jesus will return to judge the (physically and spiritually) living and dead; all those who are in the grave will come forth at his command (John 5:28-29). Those who have trusted and obeyed Jesus will receive eternal life in the Lord’s presence in the "Promised Land" of his eternal kingdom in heaven. Those who have rejected Jesus and have refused to trust and obey him will be sent to eternal exile, eternal death, in the eternal “Babylon” of Hell (Matthew 25:31-46; 2 Thessalonians 1:5-10).

In one sense we are all guilty of crucifying Jesus, because we are all sinners, making his death necessary for our forgiveness and salvation. God has planned for our salvation through Jesus Christ from before Creation (John 1:1-5, 14). Jesus is God’s only provision for our forgiveness, salvation and fellowship with God (Acts 4:12; John 14:6).

Jesus died and was raised to eternal life from death, so that by obedient trust in him we could be forgiven and restored to fellowship with God and to spiritual, eternal life through the gift of his indwelling Holy Spirit. Jesus’ resurrection was witnessed by over five people hundred (1 Corinthians 15:3-9), and is attested to by every authentic “born-again” (John 3:3, 5-8) Christian disciple since then.

Jesus' resurrection demonstrates that there is life beyond the grave, not “nothingness” and not reincarnation (Hebrews 9:27). Jesus has promised to return to judge the world and to take his disciples to live with him eternally in his heavenly kingdom. We are urged to repent (confess our sinfulness and change our ways) so that our sins can be forgiven, so that we can be renewed and restored by the presence of the Lord within us through his Holy Spirit, and so that we will be ready, whether we are living or physically dead, to be with him eternally when he returns to fulfill his eternal purpose.

Jesus gave up his physical life on the Cross so that we could live eternally with him. Jesus lived the example he proclaimed. Those who are Jesus’ disciples (who choose to be Jesus’ friends) will do what Jesus says, and those who do what he says will receive what Jesus’ promises. Jesus is not our servant but God’s, and we are to serve Jesus, not as slaves but as friends. Jesus has chosen us to be his friends; we must choose whether to be Jesus’ friend and do what he says, being willing to surrender our lives and our plans to accomplish his purpose. Only by trusting and obeying Jesus can we accomplish what is truly fulfilling and eternally worthwhile.

Daniel 12:1-4, 13 - The End of the Age;
Acts 4:1-12 - Peter and John Arrested;
John 16:1-15 - Jesus Warns of Persecutions;

Daniel Paraphrase:

An angel revealed to Daniel a vision of the last days (before the end of time and the coming of the Day of Judgment. Michael is the patron angel of the Jews). Daniel was told that there would arise a time of great tribulation, but that the Jews whose names are recorded in the (Lamb’s; i.e. Jesus’) book (of life; Revelation 21:27) will be saved. Graves will be opened and the dead will rise, some to eternal life and some to shame and eternal contempt (compare John 5:28-29). Those who are wise and those who turn others to righteousness will receive eternal glory. Knowledge of the end times is to be sealed until that time. “Many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase” (Daniel 12:4). “But go your way till the end; and you shall rest, and shall stand in your allotted place at the end of the days” (Daniel 12:13).

Acts Paraphrase:

Peter and John had healed a lame man at the temple, and Peter had proclaimed the Gospel to the crowd that had gathered (Acts 3:1-26; see entry for yesterday, Thursday, Easter Week, odd year). The religious authorities, including Sadducees, who reject belief in the resurrection of the dead, discovered Peter preaching Jesus’ resurrection to the crowd and had Peter and John arrested and jailed until the next day, since it was already evening.

The next day, they brought Peter and John before the Sanhedrin (the official Jewish court) presided by Annas, the high priest (from 6-14 A.D. Caiaphas was Annas’ son-in-law, and John -of Acts 4:6; not the apostle- might be Jonathan, a relative of Annas, who succeeded Caiaphas*). The disciples were asked what power or name they had used to heal the lame man. Peter, “filled with the Holy Spirit” (Acts 4:8; compare Luke 21:12-15), declared that the man had been healed by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom the Jewish authorities had crucified, but who had been raised from the dead by God.

Jesus is the fulfillment of prophecy of the stone rejected by the builders (Jewish leaders), which God made the cornerstone (of his Church; Psalm 118:22). “And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).

John Paraphrase:

Jesus warned his disciples that they would experience persecution, but by the gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit they would endure and prevail. Jesus told them they would be expelled from synagogues, and even be killed by those who think they’re serving God but who have not known either God the Father or Jesus. Jesus wanted to prepare his disciples for what would come after Jesus’ crucifixion, when he would no longer be with them physically.

The disciples were sad to think that Jesus was leaving them, physically, but Jesus assured them that his death and resurrection was for their benefit, because it would make it possible for them to receive the gift of his Holy Spirit, the Counselor; the Comforter. The Holy Spirit will convince the world that unbelief in Jesus is sin (John 16:9), of God’s righteousness revealed by Jesus’ death and resurrection (John 16:10), and of God’s judgment because evil has been defeated at the Cross (John 16:11).

Jesus told his disciples that when they had received the Spirit of Truth (the Holy Spirit) he would guide his disciples into all the truth. Jesus is the truth (John 14:6) and the Holy Spirit is truth. The Holy Spirit will speak God’s Word by God’s authority, just as Jesus had, during Jesus’ earthly ministry (compare John 14:10). The Holy Spirit will reveal to disciples what is going to take place, because he knows the will and works of God. The Holy Spirit will glorify Jesus because he will reveal Jesus and Jesus’ teachings to us, just as Jesus revealed God and the Word and works of God during his earthly ministry.

Commentary:

There is a Day of Judgment coming, when Jesus will return to judge the (spiritually and physically) living and the dead. The Day of Judgment will be preceded by a period called the Great Tribulation. Many believe that “born-again” (John 3:3; 5-8; “Spirit-filled”) Christians will not go through the Great Tribulation because they will have been caught up to be with Jesus in what is called the Rapture; 1 Thessalonians 4:14-17). Jews (and nominal Christians) may be saved during the Great Tribulation through faith (obedient trust) in Jesus.

Those who are wise are those who have been enlightened by God’s truth and God’s wisdom, not what the world calls wisdom (1 Corinthians 1:18-25). Those who have been Jesus’ disciples, who have been filled with his Holy Spirit and have carried on his ministry of salvation, will receive eternal glory. Those who have rejected God’s truth, Jesus Christ, and have refused to obey Jesus will receive eternal condemnation and destruction in Hell (Matthew 25:31-46; 2 Thessalonians 1:5-10).

People are hurrying about, pursuing worldly things, and pursuing worldly knowledge. At the Second Coming people will be rushing here and there seeking Jesus (Matthew 24:23-28). Born-again Christians should not get caught up in all that; we have no need to worry about the Last Days. Christians are to just keep going on with the ministry of the Gospel in the fellowship of Lord through his Holy Spirit and trust in him.

Jesus is God’s only provision for our forgiveness and salvation (Acts 4:12; see God’s Plan of Salvation, sidebar, top right, home). Jesus is the only way to know and have personal fellowship with God (John 14:6). Religion won’t save us; there are lots of religions, but there is only one Savior, Jesus Christ. Church membership won’t save us. Only a personal relationship with Jesus Christ through his indwelling Holy Spirit will save us.

The Holy Spirit is the seal and guarantee that we are in Christ and have eternal life (2 Corinthians 1:22; Ephesians 1:13-14; Romans 8:9b, 11, 15-16). Only Jesus gives the gift of his indwelling Holy Spirit (John 1:31-34), only to disciples who trust and obey Jesus (Isaiah 42:5e; John 14:15-17). It is possible for one to know with certainty whether one has received the gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit (Acts 19:2).

Peter is an example of the enabling and empowerment of the Holy Spirit. Peter had denied his Lord three times, once to a maid and once to a slave (menial servant) on the night of Jesus’ betrayal (John 18:17; 26). Now, after receiving the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost (Acts Chapter 2), he was boldly preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ to large crowds, and testifying to it, in fulfillment of Jesus’ prophecy (Luke 21:12-15), before the religious and political leaders of Israel, in the Jewish court which had condemned and crucified Jesus.

Jesus told his disciples to await the gift of the Holy Spirit, who would guide them into God’s truth, empower them to withstand persecution and enable them to testify to the Gospel (Luke 24:49; Acts 1:4, 8). The disciples trusted Jesus’ word and did as Jesus commanded, and they received the gift of the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost (Acts Chapter 2) as Jesus promised.

*The Oxford Annotated Bible, Revised Standard Version, Ed. by Herbert G. May and Bruce M. Metzger, Acts, 4:5-6n, p. 1321, New York, Oxford University Press, 1962.

Saturday Easter - Odd
First posted 04/01/05;
Podcast: Saturday Easter - Odd

Isaiah 25:1-9 - Psalm of Thanksgiving;
Acts 4:13-21 (22-31) - Boldness in Declaring the Gospel;
John 16:16-33 - Jesus Comforts his Disciples;

Isaiah Summary:

The prophet declares that the Lord is his God and the prophet will exalt and praise God for the wonderful things he has done and will do in fulfillment of age-old plans. Mankind’s attempts to provide his own security come to nothing. Therefore mighty people will glorify the Lord and ruthless nations will fear him. The Lord is the stronghold of the poor and the needy in their distress. The Lord is a shelter from the storm, a shade from the heat, and deliverance from the ruthless.

On Zion (the mountain of the Lord; the holy city; the Church) the Lord will prepare a sumptuous feast of rich food and aged vintage wine. “And he will destroy on this mountain the covering that is cast over all peoples, the veil that is spread over all nations” (Isaiah 25:7). “He will swallow up death forever, and the Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces, and the reproach of his people he will take away from all the earth; for the Lord has spoken” (Isaiah 25:8). “It will be said on that day, ‘Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, that he might save us. This is the Lord; we have waited for him; let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation’” (Isaiah 25:9).

Acts Summary:

Peter, who had denied the Lord three times on the night of Jesus’ betrayal, had now boldly preached to the people in the temple after healing a lame man. He and John had been arrested and tried before the Sanhedrin and Peter had boldly proclaimed the Gospel to them (see entry for yesterday, Friday, Easter Week, odd year). The priests and elders of the Sanhedrin, realized that Peter and John were uneducated common men; they were amazed at their boldness, “and… recognized that they had been with Jesus” (Acts 4:13). But since the healed man was present beside them they couldn’t refute Peter’s testimony.

They sent the disciples out, so that they could discuss the matter privately among themselves, and they decided to order the disciples to speak no more to anyone in Jesus' name. But Peter and John, when told of the decision, replied that the Sanhedrin must decide for itself whether it was right for the disciples to obey them rather than God, but the disciples declared that they could do nothing other than speak of what they had seen and heard. The Sanhedrin made further threats against them and then released them, finding no way to punish them, because all the people of Jerusalem praised God for the miracle done by the disciples. The man who had been healed had been lame for forty years.

When Peter and John were released they went to their friends (the Church) and told what had happened, and the Church acknowledged that opposition to the Gospel was foretold in scripture. God’s plan anticipated the opposition and was fulfilled by it. The Church prayed for boldness in declaring the Gospel. When they had prayed, the place they were in was shaken and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and proclaimed God’s Word with boldness.

John Summary:

Jesus told his disciples that he would be separated from his disciples for a short time. He told them that he was going to God the Father, and then they would see him again. The disciples discussed among themselves what Jesus had meant. Jesus knew what they were thinking, and asked them if they were wondering what he had meant.

Jesus said that the time was coming when the disciples would weep and mourn, but the world would rejoice. Jesus told them their sorrow would turn to joy, as when a woman in labor gives birth, her joy at the birth overcomes the anguish of labor. Jesus declared that when they see Jesus again the disciples’ sorrow will be replaced by immutable, unquenchable joy. Jesus told his disciples that if they asked God the Father for anything in Jesus’ name (according to Jesus’ nature and teaching) God would give it to them, so that their joy might be complete.

Jesus told his disciples that he had been speaking in figures, but the time was coming when Jesus would make his teachings clear. Jesus had come into the world from God, and was leaving the world to return to God. His disciples thought they now understood what Jesus was saying and they were now convinced that Jesus knew everything and had truly come from God.

Jesus told them that what they felt so certain about at that moment would be soon become doubtful. The disciples would be scattered and fearful, abandoning Jesus. But Jesus would not be abandoned by God the Father. Jesus was telling his disciples these things so that they would have peace in the midst of worldly tribulation. Jesus told them not to worry, because Jesus has overcome (the ways and rulers of) the world.

Commentary:

Those who make the Lord their God will rejoice in the wonderful things he has done and will do. God’s plan of salvation in Jesus Christ existed before the creation of the world (John 1:1-5, 14). Jesus is God’s only plan for our forgiveness and salvation (Acts 4:12; John 14:6; see God’s Plan of Salvation, sidebar, top right, home).

Mankind’s attempts to protect and save themselves will fail. The most powerful and ruthless of mankind cannot prevail against the Lord and his people. Through his Church, through faith (obedient trust) in Jesus Christ, God removes the veil which lies over the minds of mankind keeping them from understanding God’s Word (2 Corinthians 3:12-16; Exodus 34:29-35).

The veil separating mankind from God is symbolized by the veil of the temple separating the Holy of Holies from the people. That veil was torn in two, from top to bottom at Jesus’ crucifixion, symbolizing direct access to God through Jesus Christ (Matthew 27:51).

The Lord has prepared a sumptuous feast for his disciples in the Marriage Feast of the Lamb, in Heaven, when Jesus will be united with his Church for eternity (Matthew 26:26-29). We have a foretaste of that feast now in Communion with him in the “Lord’s Supper” (Holy Communion, the Eucharist). Those who wait for the Lord will rejoice in their salvation.

The Sanhedrin, the Jewish court made up of seventy priests, scribes (lawyers) and elders, presided by the chief priest, had violated Jewish Law in condemning Jesus. Now they ordered Peter and John to disobey God and obey the Sanhedrin’s command not to preach in Jesus’ name. Peter told the Sanhedrin that they must decide for themselves whether to obey God or men, but the disciples had chosen to obey the Lord and were compelled to testify to the Gospel of Jesus Christ which they had seen and experienced. Peter, who had denied his Lord on the night of Jesus’ betrayal, was now boldly proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the highest Jewish court and legislative body which had condemned Jesus to be crucified.

Peter’s boldness was his visible transformation by the empowering of the gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit. When the Jerusalem Church prayed for boldness in declaring the Gospel in the face of persecution, the Lord heard and answered their prayer immediately. The congregation was filled with the Holy Spirit, and began proclaiming the Gospel boldly. Praying for boldness in carrying on the ministry of the Gospel in the name of Jesus by the Holy Spirit is the kind of prayer which is according to Jesus’ nature and teaching, which the Lord will answer, if we pray in faith (obedient trust) in Jesus.

Jesus comforted his disciples in preparation for his crucifixion. He promised them that although separated by Jesus’ physical death, he would be raised to eternal life and would be restored to fellowship with them, first, before his ascension, to assure them of the resurrection, but then also within them, in a new way, by the gift of his Holy Spirit. Through his Holy Spirit, Christ is with each individual disciple, no longer separated by physical time and distance.

It is the indwelling Holy Spirit, the risen Jesus (Romans 8:9b), who removes the “veil” and opens the minds of his disciples to understand the scriptures (Luke 24:45). It is through the gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit that his disciples experience the true joy of Jesus’ resurrection and eternal life. That joy is immutable, unquenchable, and eternal. It is the indwelling Holy Spirit which gives us peace in the midst of worldly tribulation and assures us that Jesus has overcome the world, that we are in Jesus and have eternal life (2 Corinthians 1:22; Ephesians 1:13-14; Romans 8:9b, 11, 15-16).

The Lord has swallowed up death through the sacrificial death and resurrection of Jesus (Hebrews 2:14-15). Jesus comforts his people through his indwelling Holy Spirit, the “Comforter” (John 16:7 KJV). Can anyone tell if you have been with Jesus?

Sunday, March 29, 2015

Week of Holy Week - Odd - 03/29 - O4/04/2015

Week of Holy Week - Odd

*Lutheran Book of Worship, Daily Lectionary, p. 179-192, Augsburg Publishing House, Minneapolis, 1978.

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Podcast Download: Holy Week - Odd
Palm Sunday - Odd
First posted 03/19/05;
Podcast: Palm Sunday - Odd

Zechariah 9:9-12 - Prince of Peace;
Zechariah12:9-11; 13:1, 7-9 - God’s Shepherd;
1 Timothy 6:12-16 - Fight the Good Fight;
Matthew 21:12-17 - Cleansing the Temple;

Zechariah 9 Paraphrase:

Rejoice, children of Zion (the city of God; the Church), “Lo, your king comes to you; triumphant and victorious is he, humble and riding on an ass, on a colt the foal of an ass” (Zechariah 9:9b; compare John 12:14-15). The chariot (of war), the war horse and the battle bow will be eliminated from God’s people and he will command peace to the nations. He will reign from sea to sea, and from the River (the cradle of civilization; Euphrates) to the ends of the earth. By the blood (of Jesus; Mark 14:24) of God’s (new) covenant with us God will set free the captives (of sin and death) from the “waterless pit” (Hell). “Return to your stronghold, O prisoners of hope; today I declare to you that I will restore to you double” (Zechariah 9:12).

Zechariah 12 Paraphrase:

On the coming Day of the Lord, the Lord will destroy all who come against Jerusalem (the city of God; the Church). The house of David (from whom the Messiah came) and the inhabitants of Jerusalem will mourn, as for an only child, for the Messiah that they have martyred. Jerusalem will mourn for the Messiah as greatly as the pagans mourn the (annual) death of the fertility god on the plains of Megiddo (the battlefield of Israel; scene of the Battle of Armageddon).

Zechariah 13 Paraphrase:

On the Day of the Lord a fountain will be opened for the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, to cleanse them from sin and uncleanness. On that Day the Shepherd will be stricken, and the sheep scattered. Two thirds of the inhabitants of the land will be destroyed, but one third will remain. This remnant will be refined by fire like gold and silver. They will call upon God and he will answer; God will call them his people and they will acknowledge that the Lord is their God.

Timothy Paraphrase:

“Fight the good fight of the faith; take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made the good confession" (of faith in Jesus Christ; 1 Timothy 6:12). Paul exhorts Christians to keep the commandment (Jesus’ teachings) unblemished and unreproached until the Lord’s return, remembering that Jesus made the good confession before Pontius Pilate, and that God sees everything.

Christ’s return will be revealed at the right time by God, “the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings, and Lord of lords, who alone has immortality, and dwells in unapproachable light, whom no [mortal] has ever seen or can see. To him be honor and eternal dominion. Amen” (1 Timothy 6:15-16).

Matthew Paraphrase:

After entering Jerusalem on a young donkey over a carpet of palm branches, to shouts of Hosanna (meaning, “O, save!”), Jesus entered the temple and drove out all the merchants who bought and sold, and he overturned the moneychangers’ tables. Jesus told them that the Lord’s house was a house of prayer but they had made it a den of robbers.

Jesus healed the blind and lame who came to him, but when the religious authorities saw the miracles he did and the children praising him, saying ‘Hosanna to the Son of David!” (Matthew 21:15) they were indignant, and rebuked Jesus for allowing them to say such things. But Jesus quoted Psalm 8:2 suggesting that perfect praise comes from the young and innocent.

Commentary:

Zechariah’s prophecy was fulfilled, and continues to be fulfilled; Jesus, the King of Peace and King of kings, entered Jerusalem, humbly riding on a young donkey. Jesus will cause warfare to cease and will command peace to the nations. He will reign over all the earth.

He has already begun to reign in the hearts of his followers. By the Blood of Jesus, his disciples who trust and obey him have been set free from sin, death and eternity in Hell. His disciples are prisoners of hope in Jesus; he is our stronghold. The Lord will abundantly reward us.

The Lord is going to return in triumph and victory, to destroy the enemies of The Lord and his people. In one sense, each one of us is guilty of crucifying Jesus because we have all sinned (Romans 3:23; 1 John 1:8-10) and made his sacrificial death necessary for our forgiveness and salvation.

Jesus Christ is the cleansing fountain (see John 7:38-39; Revelation 21:6). We will either mourn now for our sins in repentance and be forgiven and saved or we will mourn on the Day of Judgment, when it will be too late to be saved from eternal condemnation.

Jesus is the Good Shepherd who was slain for his sheep (John 10:11). Jesus is the Son of David (Matthew 1:1-16; 21:9, 15; Luke 2:4-7). God’s people are those who acknowledge by deed as well as word that Jesus is their Lord.

The good fight of faith is to make the good confession, that Jesus is our Lord, and to keep his commandment (teachings) unblemished and unreproached until the Lord’s return. We are to be Jesus’ disciples, trusting and obeying him until his return. We are to live with Jesus as our King, reigning in our hearts and in our lives.

When Jesus entered Jerusalem he was greeted enthusiastically at first, but when he came into the temple, he criticized worldly practices which had corrupted worship. He started making changes, and offended the church leaders and those who had been profiting from their religious affiliations. He attracted and ministered to the poor and marginalized of society. He encouraged “emotionalism” and displays of praise and worship that the leaders and “mature” members found “unseemly.” By the end of the week many were ready to kill him.

Jesus has promised to return to judge the world on the Day of the Lord. Those who have trusted and obeyed Jesus will receive eternal life in Heaven with the Lord; those who have refused to trust and obey Jesus will receive eternal condemnation to death and destruction in Hell with all the wicked (Matthew 25:31-46). Jesus will return in the same way that his disciples saw him ascend into Heaven after his resurrection (Acts 1:9-11; Matthew 24:30-31). When Jesus returns, will you be shouting Hosanna, or will you be trying to hide?

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 Holy Week - Odd
First posted 03/20/05;
Podcast: Monday Holy Week - Odd

Jeremiah 11:18-20; 12:1-16 (17) - Jeremiah’s lament;
Philippians 3:1-14 - A warning;
John 12:9-19 - Palm Sunday;

Jeremiah Paraphrase:

The Lord revealed to his servant (Jeremiah; but also the Christ) a plot to destroy him. The servant was like a gentle lamb led to slaughter. The enemy hoped to destroy the fruit tree with its fruit, and destroy the memory of his name. But the Lord who judges righteously will avenge his servant, because the servant has entrusted his cause to the Lord.

Why do the wicked flourish? They prosper and bring forth fruit. God is on their lips, but not in their hearts. The servant entrusts himself to the Lord, who judges fairly and who knows our innermost thoughts. There will be a Day of Judgment when the Lord will destroy the wicked. Until then Nature is in mourning for the wickedness of those who dwell in wickedness.

People think that they can escape God’s notice and judgment. But the Lord warns that if they have striven with mankind and become tired, how can they hope to succeed against the Lord? The Lord mourns the necessity of removing his protection from his “beloved,” but his beloved has raised up her voice against the Lord, and become like a wild beast, pursuing her own appetite. So the Lord is assembling wild beasts against her to devour her.

Many unfaithful shepherds have destroyed the Lord’s vineyard and have made the Lord’s garden into a wilderness. Although the desolation of the land by the wicked can plainly be seen, no one is alarmed and makes serious effort to change.

The Lord’s punishment will destroy all the wicked from one end of the land to the other. “No flesh has peace” (Jeremiah 12:12c). They have reaped evil from what was good; they have worn themselves out pursuing what is worthless. “They will be ashamed of their harvests because of the fierce anger of the Lord” (Jeremiah 12:13c).

The Lord is going to send his people into exile (as corrective discipline) and he will also chastise the neighbors and enemies of his people. The Lord will bring his chastened people back to their heritage in the Promised Land, and he will also restore Israel’s neighbors and enemies (the Gentiles), provided that they learn the ways of God’s people and trust and obey the Lord. But those who won’t learn to trust and obey the Lord will be destroyed in his Day of Judgment.

Philippians Paraphrase:

Paul urged the Philippians to rejoice in the Lord. He warned them to be on guard for false teachers demanding circumcision of (and keeping the Jewish law by) Gentile Christians. Real circumcision is spiritual circumcision which is reliance on the grace (free gift) of God in Jesus Christ rather than reliance on the flesh (our ability to keep the law).

Paul points out that if anyone could rely on his ability to fulfill the requirements of the law in his flesh, Paul could. Paul had been circumcised as a newborn according to Jewish law, he was a Jew of the tribe of Benjamin, a member of the Pharisees (the most legalistic sect of Judaism), so zealous for Judaism that he had persecuted Christians, and who was blameless of any transgression of the Law. But he gladly gave up whatever advantage he may have had under the law, for the sake of Christ.

The reward of a personal relationship with Christ made everything else worthless by comparison. Paul gladly surrendered everything else for the reward of being in fellowship with Christ, and being accounted righteous, not on any merit of his own through keeping the law, but by faith in Christ, the righteousness which only comes from God through faith in Jesus (Ephesians 2:8-9).

Paul valued above all else his personal experience of fellowship with the Lord, and the power of Christ’s resurrection. Paul was willing to share Christ’s suffering and even his death in order to attain eternal life. Paul did not consider that he had attained spiritual perfection and eternal life, but he was willing and able to strive toward that goal by keeping his heart focused on that goal, without looking back or longing for “the good old days.”

John Paraphrase:

Jesus had come to Bethany, just a couple miles outside of Jerusalem, to keep the Passover, knowing that he would be crucified. He stayed with Mary, Martha, and Lazarus (whom Jesus had raised from the dead). When the people of Jerusalem learned he was in Bethany a great crowd came, not only to see Jesus but Lazarus as well. The religious leaders planned to execute Lazarus also (as they were plotting to execute Jesus), since many of the people were believing in Jesus because of Lazarus’ resurrection.

The next day a great crowd gathered again to see Jesus enter Jerusalem. They cut palm branches and went out to meet Jesus, shouting “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name (authority) of the Lord, even the king of Israel (the Messiah)” (John 12:13b). Jesus was riding on a young donkey, in fulfillment of the prophecy of Zechariah 9:9.

The disciples didn’t understand the significance at that time, but after Jesus’ resurrection they remembered and realized the connection between the prophecy and the fulfillment. The people who had witnessed Jesus’ resurrection of Lazarus had told others, who came to see Jesus’ arrival because of their testimony. The Pharisees were frustrated because it seemed that the whole world was turning to Jesus.

Commentary:

The original context of this prophecy was a plot to assassinate Jeremiah, but because God’s Word is eternal it also applies to the Christ (Messiah), and it applies to the disciples of Christ in every age, as they follow Christ’s example. Jesus is the perfect fulfillment of this prophecy. Jesus is Lord’s servant, the gentle lamb led to slaughter who entrusted his cause to the Lord.

Judah, the remnant of Israel, the people of God, were the original intended recipients of this message. It was they who were exiled to Babylon for seventy years as the Lord’s corrective discipline, because they had rebelled against the Lord and followed the appetites of their own flesh; their own selfish desires. It was they who had been misled by unfaithful shepherds.

After the exile, the Lord led them back to their earthly promised land as God’s chastened people, fulfilling this prophecy. But the prophecy also applies to the Church, which is in exile in the “Babylon” of this world, subject to the Lord’s corrective discipline, whom he will ultimately lead into the Promised Land of his eternal kingdom.

The Lord promised that he would also restore the neighbors and enemies of Israel (God’s People), provided that they learn God’s ways and trust and obey the Lord, which he began to fulfill with the ministries of Peter and Paul to the Gentiles. There is a Day of Judgment coming when those who have refused to trust and obey Jesus, God’s only provision for forgiveness and salvation (Acts 4:12; John 14:6; See God’s Plan of Salvation, Sidebar, top right, home), will be condemned to eternal death and destruction (Matthew 25:31-46).

Paul is the prototype of the modern “born-again” Christian disciple, who came to personal fellowship with Jesus, through the indwelling Holy Spirit, after Jesus’ earthly life, death, resurrection and ascension into Heaven (Acts Chapter 9). He was a Jewish Christian who preached the Gospel to the Gentiles, because his fellow Jews refused to receive it. He exemplified the Lord’s servant who entrusted his cause to the Lord, and was willing to surrender all other things to follow and serve Jesus.

Paul warned his flock to rely on the grace (unmerited favor) of God through faith (obedient trust) in Jesus, rather than relying on the flesh and their (imagined) human ability to keep the law; and he warned them to be on guard against false, unfaithful shepherds whose teachings are contrary to the scriptural (as recorded in the Bible), apostolic (as taught by the Apostles) Gospel of Jesus Christ. Paul recognized and taught Christian discipleship and spiritual growth.

The occasion was the Feast of Passover, when each Jewish family sacrificed a perfect, unblemished Lamb, to be eaten at the Passover meal. The Lamb’s blood was used to mark the door of the houses of the Israelites in Egypt to spare them from the Lord who passed through Egypt and killed all the firstborn, on the eve of Israel’s Exodus (Exodus 12:12-13). Jesus is the fulfillment of the Lamb of God (John 1:29). Jesus’ flesh is the Bread of Life (John 6:51), and his blood saves his people from eternal death.

His disciples didn’t understand the connections between Old Testament prophecy and New Testament events until after Jesus’ resurrection and ascension, and their anointing with the indwelling of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost (Luke 24:48-49; Acts 1:4-5; Acts Chapter 2). Jesus is the resurrection and the life (eternal; John 11:25-26). Those who have experienced personal fellowship with Jesus and the power of his resurrection, through his indwelling Holy Spirit, like Paul (and like the witnesses to Jesus’ resurrection of Lazarus), are to tell others, so that the whole world will turn to Jesus.

Are we concerned by the spiritual desolation of our land? Have we wasted our strength pursuing what is worthless? Are we learning the ways of the Lord? Is God in your heart?

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 Holy Week - Odd
First posted 03/21/05;
Podcast: Tuesday Holy Week - Odd

Jeremiah 15:10-21 - Jeremiah’s second lament;
Philippians 3:15-21 - Confession and exhortation;
John 12:20-26 - Jesus concludes his public ministry;

Jeremiah Paraphrase:

Jeremiah mourned his birth. Although he had neither borrowed nor lent (or done anything else likely to stir up and justify their behavior), he had incurred strife and contention with every one of his countrymen. It is unjust, because he had interceded to the Lord for their good, and had prayed for his enemies. The threat from the north is overwhelming. The Lord will give the riches of Judah as spoil, without cost, to the enemy as the penalty for all Judah’s sins. The Lord will give Judah into slavery in a foreign land, because the Lord’s anger kindles a fire which will burn forever.

Jeremiah prayed, acknowledging that the Lord knows everything, and asking him to remember and avenge Jeremiah upon his persecutors, and not allow Jeremiah’s persecutors to prevail. Jeremiah had come to know God’s Word, had incorporated God’s Word into himself, and delighted in God’s Word in his innermost being; Jeremiah was known by the name of the Lord. Jeremiah had not joined those who seek their own gratification, nor had he rejoiced in worldly celebration. Instead he was alone in mourning because his obligation to God’s Word made him indignant (against ungodliness).

Jeremiah’s pain was unceasing and his wound seemed incurable. Would the Lord fail him, like a deceitful brook that ceases to flow? The Lord promises that he will restore and uphold those who turn to the Lord. If the Lord’s servant speaks what is precious rather than what is worthless, God will speak through him. The Lord will make his servant invincible; his enemies will fight against him but will not prevail, because the Lord will be with him to deliver him from the wicked and ruthless.

Philippians Paraphrase:

Paul urges Christians to press on to spiritual maturity, allowing the Lord to guide and help us, revealing areas where we need to grow. Let us hold fast to what we have attained. Paul urges us to follow the example of Paul and all those who follow Jesus’ teachings.

Many live as enemies of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. They live with minds focused on worldly things, pursuing the gratifications of their flesh shamelessly; their end is (eternal) destruction. But Christians are citizens of the heavenly kingdom, and we await our Savior, Jesus Christ, who will change our earthly bodies into glorified bodies like his by his sovereign power over all things.

John Paraphrase:

Some Greeks (Gentile converts to Judaism) had come to Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover. They came to Philip asking to see Jesus. Philip went and told Andrew and they went together and told Jesus. Jesus told them that God’s appointed time for Jesus to be glorified had come.

Jesus described what that glorification entailed with an analogy to a seed. A seed must be buried in the ground in order to produce a harvest, but when it is buried it sprouts and produces much fruit. So those who are unwilling to give up their lives in this world lose the opportunity to harvest what is truly life, abundantly and eternally. But those who are willing to surrender this earthly life will gain eternal life. Jesus said that those who want to be his servants, his disciples, must follow Jesus’ example. Where Jesus is there his servant will be also, and anyone who is Jesus’ servant will be honored by God the Father.

Commentary:

Jeremiah is an example of a servant of the Lord. Those who proclaim God’s Word are not going to be popular with the people of this world. Jeremiah was so unhappy with his life that he mourned his birth. But Jeremiah had come to know God’s Word, had applied it in his daily life, delighting in it in his innermost self. He had come to be known by the name of the Lord and his words and deeds were glorifying the Lord.

Jeremiah prayed for his enemies, and he entrusted his cause to the Lord, leaving vengeance to the Lord. The Lord is absolutely able and faithful to uphold those who turn to him. Jeremiah had chosen what is precious instead of what is worthless. He chose what is truly life rather than what leads to destruction.

The prophecy against Judah was fulfilled. Judah was taken into Exile in Babylon (the enemy in the North) for seventy years, in fulfillment of this prophecy. But it is also a metaphor and a warning of eternal Judgment. Because Judah had refused to obey God’s Word and rejected the warnings of his prophets, God gave them into slavery and death. (Seventy years is a virtual life sentence for those who were adults.) God’s anger kindles a fire which will burn forever (Jeremiah 15:14 RSV). The worldly treasures that the people of Judah had spent their lives pursuing were taken from them by their enemy.

Judah is the example of those who are called God’s people, but who pursue the things of this world and the gratifications of their flesh, instead of pursuing what is precious and eternal. Paul told the Christians at Philippi in Macedonia that we are to be guided by the Holy Spirit to grow to spiritual maturity.

We are to live in this world as temporary visitors who are citizens of God’s eternal kingdom. We are not to serve the desires of our fleshly bodies. We are to follow the example of Jesus and of Paul and all those who follow the example of Jesus. We’re to follow the example of Jeremiah, God’s servant.

Jesus' glorification was accomplished by his obedience to God’s will and his surrender of his earthly life in order to accomplish God’s purpose. Jesus is the perfect fulfillment of Jeremiah’s prophecy of the Lord’s Servant. He had done nothing deserving hatred, but had incurred strife and contention among his own people. He knew and delighted in God’s Word; he was God’s Word in human flesh (John 1:1-5, 14).

Jesus is the name of the Lord (Colossians 2:8-9; John 20:28). Jesus did not pursue his own desires; he was obedient to God’s will even unto death on the Cross. His commitment to God’s Word made him indignant against ungodliness (Matthew 21:12-17). He didn’t seek his own vengeance but entrusted his cause to God the Father, and God restored and upheld him; his enemies did not prevail. God delivered him from the wicked and the ruthless.

Jesus warns us that those who want to be Jesus’ servants must follow his example. We must choose to give up what we want, in order to accomplish God’s purpose. Where Jesus is (by example) there we must be; if we are where we should be as servants of Jesus, Jesus will be with us.

If we choose to proclaim God’s Word instead of the teachings of this world, God will speak through us. God will make his servants invincible. We cannot expect to avoid strife and contention, but we can be certain that we will prevail. Ultimately the enemies of the Cross and the Gospel of Christ will be punished and we will be vindicated and glorified.

Are we serving the Lord or are we serving ourselves? Are we bringing glory and honor to the Lord’s name? Do we know and apply God’s Word in our daily lives? Are we holding on to our faith and allowing the Lord to lead us in spiritual growth to maturity?

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 Holy Week - Odd
First posted 03/2205;
Podcast: Wednesday Holy Week - Odd

Jeremiah 17:5-10, 14-17, (18);
Philippians 4:1-13;
John 12:20-26;

Jeremiah Paraphrase:

The person who trusts in humans, and relies on the strength of his flesh, and turns away from relying on the Lord, will be accursed. Like a shrub in the desert, he will experience only hardship. He will dwell in drought in the wilderness in an uninhabited salt wasteland.

Blessed is the person who trusts and hopes in the Lord. He will be like a tree planted near water. His roots grow near, and he doesn't worry when heat comes. His leaves stay green and he continues to bear fruit in years of drought.

The human heart is totally deceitful and corrupt beyond all things. Only God can understand mankind. The Lord searches the mind and tests the heart of each person, to repay each for his path in life and the fruit of his deeds.

Only you, Lord, can heal me; only you can save me, and I will give you praise! Scoffers ask, “Where is the [fulfillment of the] Word of the Lord? Let it come!” But I have not desired the hastening of the Day of Judgment and disaster. The Lord is my refuge, not a terror, in evil times. (Let those who persecute me be put to shame and dismayed, intead of me. Let the evil day come upon them and destroy them completely.

Philippians Paraphrase:

Paul urged his beloved brethren in Christ, who Paul regarded as his joy and reward, to stand firmly in the Lord. He asked two women, Euodia and Syntyche, in the Philippian Congregation who had been arguing with each other, to find agreement in the Lord. Paul also asked one, whom he considered a partner in ministry, to help these women, whom Paul also regarded as fellow workers in the Gospel together with Clement (and others whom are known to the Lord) for their partnership in the Gospel.

Paul exhorted believers to always rejoice, and to be forebearing of all people. The Lord is at hand (through his indwelling Holy Spirit; and also his imminent return). Therefore we should not worry about anything, but let the Lord know all our needs, in prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving. Thus the peace we have with God, beyond what we can understand, will keep our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

Believers should focus their minds on whatever is true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, gracious, excellent, and praiseworthy. We will have the peace of God as we practice the examples we have heard, been taught, and learned from Paul.

Paul thanked the congregation for the gift which had been sent from them to Paul by Epaphroditus (see Philippians 2:25-30). The gift had been an opportunity to express their concern for Paul (who was in prison in Rome, awaiting trial). Paul would not complain of his circumstances, because he had learned to be content in any situation. Paul knew how to be content in abundance and in want. Paul was assured that he could do whatever was required of him, through Christ who gives him strength (through the indwelling Holy Spirit).

John Background:

With his disciples, Jesus had gone to Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover Feast, knowing that he would be crucified. His triumphal entry into the city is what the Church celebrates at Palm Sunday. Many people had also gone to Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover Feast.

John Paraphrase:

Among those who had gone to Jerusalem for the Passover Celebration were some Greeks (Gentiles), who approached Philip (one of Jesus' Twelve disciples, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee), and asked to see Jesus. Philip went to Andrew (another disciple of the Twelve, who was also from Bethsaida), and together they went to tell Jesus.

Jesus told them that his "hour" to be "glorified" had come. Jesus said that a wheat seed must be buried (as in physical death) in order to produce any "fruit." Jesus said that those who love their lives in this world will lose them; but those who hate their lives in this world will find true, eternal life. Those who want to serve Jesus must follow his example. His servant will be where Jesus is, doing what Jesus is doing, and God the Father will glorify the servant for serving Jesus.

Commentary:

It is hard to learn to rely solely on the Lord. Sometimes we must do what seems contrary to common worldly, human, wisdom.

This lifetime is our only opportunity to learn to trust and obey the Lord. As we begin to trust and obey the Lord we will encounter tests, and as we act in faith and obedience to the Lord, we will learn that the Word of God is absolutely reliable, and our faith will grow to spiritual maturity at the Day of the Lord's Return. This is the process of Christian Discipleship.

We must overcome our worldly experience and human instinct to seek immediate, human help, in order to learn to seek and rely on the Lord's guidance. For example, a new disciple is tempted to call his Pastor on the phone for immediate answer to a personal problem, instead of the "uncertainty" of praying to the Lord for guidance and waiting for an answer.

In order to be able to receive guidance from the Lord, one must be committed to being his disciple, learning to seek his will, and to trusting and obeying it. The Lord doen't reveal his will to "window-shoppers;" those who want to know God's will before they decide whether to do it.

One must get into the condition to receive the Lord's guidance. Have you read God's Book? The Holy Bible is God's manual for life in this world. Are you seeking the Lord's guidance day-by-day, one day at a time (Matthew 6:11, 34)? Often we wait until a crisis comes, and then seek the Lord's guidance, without having prepared. But crises are sure to come along in life.

Often the Lord doesn't get our attention until the crisis happens. When we make a committment to seek guidance from the Lord he will begin to reveal his will and guidance to us, even though we haven't read the Bible or established daily personal devotions. But we must start acting on the committment. We must not be praying that if the Lord helps us this time, we'll never bother him again!

Philip was a disciple, learning to be guided by the Lord, but he had not yet received the "baptism" (anointing; infilling; gift) of the Holy Spirit. He wasn't sure what was the right thing to do. He had some of Jesus' teaching, and may have remembered that Jesus had said that he had come only for the Jews (Matthew 15:24). Philip wasn't sure what to do, so he sought out another disciple, Andrew, who was a friend, who knew the Lord, for assurance, and together they went to the Lord.

This is an example of Christian Discipleship. A young disciple turned to another disciple, to consider Jesus' teaching, and then together they went to the Lord. Andrew was one of the first of the Twelve to recogninze Jesus as the Messiah (Christ), and he had led others to Christ, including his brother, Simon Peter. The friend could be one's pastor, or just a believer in Jesus who has more experience in discipleship. Going to the friend is not just to seek his worldly opinion and advice, but to consider and be guided by God's Word, and then to go together to the Lord in prayer.

One must be careful, when learning to seek and be guided by the Lord. We all know of instances where terrible things were done proportedly at the Lord's guidance. The Lord will never lead us to harm ourselves or others, and will never guide us to do anything contrary the God's Word (in the Bible, and in the example and teaching of Jesus Christ, the "living Word," fulfilled, embodied and exemplified in human flesh (John 1:1-5, 14). We should seek confirmation from mature Christian disciples, and we should learn to "pray back" what we think the Lord is guiding us to do, for confirmation.

The Church is intended to be a partnership in the ministry of the Gospel. New believers are to be "discipled" by mature, "born-again" (John 3:3, 5-8) Christian disciples until they are "born-again," and then they are to repeat the process (2 Timothy 2:2). Paul's discipling of Timothy is one example; Paul was discipling the Philippian Congregation, which was the first church founded by Paul on European soil (Acts 16:11-15).

The Apostle Paul (Saul of Tarsus) is the prototype and example of a modern, post-resurrection, born-again disciple and apostle of Jesus Christ as we all can and should be. He was confronted by the risen Jesus on the road to Damascus, where he was intending to persecute Christians (Acts 9:1-5). Paul acknowledged Jesus as Lord and became obedient to Jesus (Acts 9:6-10). He was discipled by a born-again Christian disciple, Ananias, until Paul was born-again, by the baptism of the indwelling Holy Spirit (Acts 9:10-18). Then Paul began his ministry of evangelism and disciple-making (Acts 9:20-22).

After Paul's "re-birth" most of the rest of the New Testament is by or about Paul. Paul's ministry was accomplished only by the power, guidance and enablement of the indwelling Holy Spirit within Paul. Paul didn't depend upon Church sanction of his ministry (Galatians 1:11-17).

Paul was fulfilling the "Great Commission" which Jesus had given his disciples after Jesus' Resurrection, to go and make disciples of Jesus Christ, teaching them to trust and obey all that Jesus taught (Matthew 28:18-20), only after they had received the baptism of the indwelling Holy Spirit (Luke 24:49; Acts 1:4-5, 8). Jesus taught that one must be born-again by the infilling of the Holy Spirit in order to be a "teacher" of God's People (John 3:3-5-8).

Only Jesus baptizes with the Holy Spirit (John 1:31-34), only his disciples who trust and obey Jesus (John 14:15-17). The Holy Spirit is the seal and guarantee that one is in Christ and has eternal life (2 Corinthians 1:22; Ephesians 1:13-14; Romans 8:9b, 11, 15-16). It is possible for one to know with certainty for oneself when one has been born-again (Acts 19:2).

Sadly, many parts of the nominal Church today are failing to make born-again disciples and are settling for making "members," fair-weather "Christians" who participate in Church if it offers entertaining and interesting programs, and members don't have something more important or interesting to do. If Churches don't make born-again disciples of Jesus Christ, there won't be born-again disciples from whom to choose born-again preachers, evangelists, missionaries and disciple-makers, and in too many instances that is what has happened.

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)?

Maundy Thursday - Odd
First posted 03/23/05;
Podcast: Maundy Thursday - Odd

Maundy Thursday is the Thursday before Easter, commemorating the Lord’s Last Supper and the institution of the Eucharist.

Jeremiah 20:7-11 (12-13) 14-18 -    Personal lament;
1 Corinthians 10:14-17; 11:27-32   -   On Communion;
John 17:1-11 (12-26) -   Jesus’ high priestly prayer;

Jeremiah felt tricked by God, overwhelmed and driven by God’s power into a position of ridicule; Jeremiah had become a laughingstock to everyone in the land. He was unable to resist preaching (God’s) wrath and destruction, causing him reproach and derision from his hearers.

Jeremiah’s adversaries were plotting against him to denounce him and take revenge against him. But the Lord was with him as his bodyguard, so Jeremiah’s enemies would not prevail, and would be put to shame. Jeremiah entrusted his cause to the Lord, the righteous judge, who knows the hearts and minds of humans and who will avenge evil and uphold the rights of the weak and poor. Jeremiah cursed the day of his birth because his life had become nothing but toil, sorrow and shame.

Paul warns Christians not to participate in the worship of idols. In worship the participant becomes one with the object of worship. Instead of being joined with demons, which are behind idols; (1 Corinthians 10:20-21), we are to become one with Christ through participation in the Lord’s Supper (Holy Communion; The Eucharist). The Cup (the fruit of the vine) is participation in the blood* of Christ, and the Bread is participation in the body of Christ. Christians are united with one another in Christ through their participation in the blood and body of Christ in faith.

Whoever partakes of the elements of Communion in an unworthy manner is “guilty of profaning the body and blood of the Lord” (1 Corinthians 11:27). So Christians are exhorted to examine themselves, and thus be prepared to participate in Communion worthily. Anyone who participates in the Lord’s Supper without faith (obedient trust) and without discerning the spiritual significance of Communion brings judgment (punishment) upon himself.

Paul says this is the reason many are weak, ill and dying. If we really examine ourselves objectively, we will have no reason to receive judgment (punishment). The Lord’s judgment on believers is corrective discipline so that we may avoid condemnation which is coming upon the world.

The setting of Jesus’ high priestly prayer was the Last Supper (John 13:1). Jesus acknowledged that the hour determined by God for Jesus to accomplish his purpose had come. Jesus asked God the Father to glorify his Son (to help Jesus accomplish God’s purpose to the glory of God) so that the Son would glorify God. God’s purpose was that those who trust and obey Jesus will receive eternal life through personal knowledge and fellowship with God the Father and the Son, by his indwelling Holy Spirit.

Jesus had glorified God through his ministry on earth, and Jesus asked God to restore him to the glory in God’s presence which Jesus had from before creation. Jesus had revealed God’s name (his person, power and authority) to Jesus’ disciples, who God had given him.

The disciples knew that Jesus was from God, sent by God, and they had received God’s Word through Jesus. Jesus prayed for unity among his disciples as Jesus and God are one in unity. Jesus prayed that God would keep Jesus’ disciples in unity in God’s name (person, power and authority; the name of Jesus).

While Jesus was in his earthly ministry, Jesus had kept them in his name (in true faith). Only Judas had been lost; he had chosen to be the son of perdition (eternal damnation), thus fulfilling God’s Word and purpose. Now Jesus knew he was leaving the world to return to God’s presence, and he prayed that his disciples would have Jesus’ joy fulfilled in themselves.

Jesus had given them God’s Word, and his disciples are hated by the worldly because the disciples do not conform to the world’s standards. They must remain in the world to continue Jesus’ ministry, but Jesus prays for their protection by God from evil. Jesus prayed that his disciples would be sanctified (purified and consecrated to God’s service) by God’s Word which is eternal truth.

Jesus prayed also for all who would come to believe in Jesus by the testimony of his disciples, that the Church would be united by the indwelling Father and Son through the Holy Spirit, so that the world will come to know the love of God in Jesus Christ through his disciples.

Jesus asked that his disciples would be with Jesus in heaven to behold his glory. The world has not known God, but Jesus has revealed God’s name, power and authority, so that God’s love would be within them through Jesus.

Jeremiah was a faithful servant of the Lord. He faithfully proclaimed God’s Word and was hated by the world for it. But he entrusted his cause to the Lord and the Lord was with him to protect and preserve him.

The Lord knows the thoughts and desires of mankind, and he is the righteous judge who will avenge evil and uphold the rights of the weak and poor. Jeremiah’s suffering for God’s Word prefigures the perfect fulfillment of the faithful servant in Jesus Christ.

Paul taught the early Church that Communion is the spiritual participation in the blood and body of Christ. Through faith (obedient trust) in Jesus, believers are united with Christ in one body through participation in the elements of Communion, by his indwelling Holy Spirit.

The Lord knows the innermost thoughts of our minds and the desires of our hearts. We cannot automatically be filled with the Holy Spirit just because we receive the elements of Communion. We should examine ourselves so that we will not participate in Communion in an unworthy manner and bring judgment upon ourselves

In his prayer at the close of the Last Supper, Jesus prayed for the mission of his Church and for his disciples (his followers; the members of his Church; Christians), that they would receive eternal life through personal knowledge of and fellowship with God the Father and the Son, through the gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit. Jesus promised his disciples that those who trust and obey Jesus will receive the indwelling Holy Spirit; the Spirit of truth; the Counselor (John 14:15-17); the Spirit of Christ (Romans 8:9b).

Jesus promised that he and God the Father would dwell within his disciples (John 14: 23-26). The Holy Spirit is the seal and guarantee that we are in Christ and have eternal life (2 Corinthians 1:22; Ephesians 1:13-14; Romans 8:9b, 11, 15-16).

The gift of the Holy Spirit sanctifies us and consecrates us to God’s service and protects and empowers us to carry on Christ’s ministry. It is the Holy Spirit who unites Jesus’ disciples into Christ’s Body, the Church. It is through the Holy Spirit that disciples personally experience the love of God in Christ and the joy of the Lord’s presence within us.

Christ’s mission to the world cannot be carried out without the personal gift of the Holy Spirit. Believers should be discipled within the Church until they have received the indwelling Holy Spirit, before they are sent out into the world to carry on Christ’s mission (Luke 24:46-49: Acts 1:4-5, 8).

The world hates God’s Word. The world hated Jeremiah, hated Jesus, and hates Jesus’ disciples. It is the gift of the Holy Spirit within us that keeps us in true faith, who guides and comforts, protects and enables us to carry on Christ’s ministry.

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)?

*According to Jewish Law, Jews were forbidden to drink blood or eat meat with its blood (Genesis 9:4), because it was believed that the blood of an animal contained its spirit. Jesus declared that the wine of Communion was his blood. God wants us to be filled with his Holy Spirit; not with the spirits of animals. The wine of Communion contains a promise to be received by faith (trust and obedience) in Jesus Christ.

Good Friday - Odd
First posted 03/24/05;
Podcast: Good Friday - Odd

Genesis 22:1-14 -    Testing of Abraham;
1 Peter 1:10-20   -    Exhortation to Godliness;
John 13:36-38   -    Peter’s denial foretold;
John 19:38-42 - Jesus’ entombment;

Genesis Paraphrase:

To test Abraham, God told him to take his only son, Isaac, the heir to the promises of God, and sacrifice him on a mountain to which God would direct him. So Abraham did as God had told him. He arose early, cut wood for the burnt offering, and took Isaac and two servants to follow God’s direction. On the third day Abraham saw the mountain in the distance, and he left the servants and the donkey there, while he and Isaac traveled the remaining distance.

Abraham carried the fire and the knife, and Isaac carried the firewood. Isaac noted that they had the fire, the wood and the knife, but didn’t have the lamb for the sacrifice. His father told Isaac “God will provide himself the lamb for a burnt offering” (Genesis 22:8).

When they came to the place God had led them, Abraham built an altar, laid the firewood on it and bound Isaac and laid him on the altar. When Abraham took the knife to kill his son, the angel of the Lord stopped him, telling Abraham not to harm the child. Abraham had demonstrated his fear of God (respect of God’s power and authority), since Abraham had been obedient even to sacrifice his only son.

Abraham looked and saw a ram caught by his horns in a thicket, so he killed the ram and offered it as a burnt offering instead of his son. Abraham named the place “The Lord will provide” because on the mountain of the Lord it shall be provided.

1 Peter Paraphrase:

The prophets who foretold the grace of our salvation sought to know by the Spirit of Christ within them the identity and time of the coming of Christ when they predicted Christ’s suffering and subsequent glory. They learned that the prediction was not for their own age but for ours, and the fulfillment of their prophecy, which even angels have longed to see, has been announced to us by those who preached the Gospel by the Holy Spirit. So collect your senses, be sober, and hope completely in the grace which is coming to us at the revealing of Jesus Christ.

We are to be obedient children, not following our former ways when we were ignorant of the Gospel; instead we are to be holy (pure and consecrated to God) in all conduct, since God is holy (perfectly good and righteous; divine; 1 Peter 1:16; compare Leviticus 11:44-45). If we claim God as our Father, we should conduct ourselves with fear (respect of God’s power and authority) at all times, remembering that we are in exile during this life, and that God judges all people impartially, according to their deeds.

We have been ransomed from futile worldly ways we inherited from our earthly fathers, not by perishable material wealth, but by the precious blood of Jesus Christ, “who was like a lamb without spot or blemish” (1 Peter 1:19). Christ was destined for our salvation before creation, but has been revealed at the end of time for our sake.

John 13 Paraphrase:

Jesus had told his disciples that he would be leaving them. Peter asked where he was going, and Jesus replied, “Where I am going you cannot follow me now; but you shall follow afterward” (John 13:36). Peter asked why he could not follow Jesus yet, declaring that he was willing to die for Jesus. Jesus questioned Peter’s declaration, and told him that Peter would deny Jesus three times that very night.

John 19 Paraphrase:

After Jesus’ death on the cross, Joseph of Arimathea, a disciple who had not confessed Jesus publicly because he feared the religious authorities, asked Pilate for permission to take Jesus’ body for burial. Nicodemus, who had at first come to Jesus by night, brought the spices used in the Jewish burial custom, and they wrapped Jesus’ body in linen cloths with the spices. Jesus had been crucified near a garden where there was a new tomb which had never been used. Because it was the day of preparation (for the Jewish Sabbath), they laid Jesus' body in the garden tomb, since it was nearby.

Commentary:

God tested Abraham’s faith by asking Abraham to sacrifice his first-born son, the heir through whom God’s promise would be fulfilled. (The promise was that Abraham would be the father of a great nation, and through him all the people of the world would be blessed; Genesis 12:1-3. Isaac was the fulfillment of God’s promise of an heir of Abraham and Sarah, who had been childless: Genesis 15:1-6; 18:9-14).

Abraham not only respected God’s power and authority but trusted in God’s providence and faithfulness. Because Abraham trusted and obeyed God’s Word, God provided “himself” the Lamb to die in place of Isaac, the son of the promise.

God provided the ram in the thicket to die instead of Isaac, and God provided “himself,” in his only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to die on the cross as a sacrifice for sin, so that the sons (and daughters) of the promise, who trust and obey the Lord as Abraham did might live eternally.

God’s plan of salvation (which see, sidebar, top right, home) in Jesus Christ, existed before the creation of the world. God created this universe with his purpose of salvation built in. The Old Testament Prophets prophesied by the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Christ within them. We have received the Gospel of Jesus Christ from those who have proclaimed it by the Holy Spirit, and we must be filled with the Holy Spirit to carry on the mission of Christ and the proclamation of the Gospel to the world.

I am convinced that the meaning and purpose of life is to provide the opportunity to seek and find the Lord and come to personal fellowship with him (Acts 17:26-27). This life is a selection process for eternal life, and we get to make the selection for ourselves.

We have all sinned (disobeyed God’s Word) and fall short of God’s righteousness (Romans 3:23; 1 John 1:8-10). The penalty for sin is eternal death (Romans 6:23). We are ransomed from bondage to sin and death by the blood of Jesus’ sacrificial death on the Cross by God’s grace (unmerited favor; free gift) to be received by faith (obedient trust) in Jesus Christ. (Ephesians 2:8-9).

Jesus is the Lamb of God, perfect, without spot or blemish, who was slain for us. We come to personal fellowship with and knowledge of the Lord through his indwelling Holy Spirit, which he only gives to his disciples who trust and obey Jesus (Isaiah 42:5e; John 14:15-17).

If we claim God as our Father through Jesus Christ (no one comes to God except through Jesus Christ; John 14:6) we are to be his obedient children. We are to no longer live according to worldly ways, but instead live in obedience to God's Word and be filled with, guided and empowered by his Holy Spirit.

Peter claimed to be willing to die for Jesus, but when he encountered a little opposition from the world, he denied Jesus three times. Joseph of Arimathea considered himself a disciple, but did not want it known publicly, because he cared about what his friends and neighbors would think.

Nicodemus had first come to Jesus by night, so that wouldn’t be criticized in his society. Jesus was willing to die on the Cross for us. Are we willing to live for him? Are we willing to confess him and follow him openly in the world or is it something we want to keep secret? Can the world tell, from what we do as well as what we say, that we are disciples of Jesus Christ?

Is Jesus your Lord (Matthew 7:21-23; Luke 6:46)? Are you Jesus' disciple (John 8:31)? Are you trusting and obeying Jesus (John 14:21)? Have you received the indwelling Holy Spirit since you first truly believed (Acts 19:2)? Are you making disciples of Jesus Christ and teaching them to obey all that Jesus commands (Matthew 28:18-20)? Do you know with certainty where you will spend eternity (1 John 5:11-13; Ephesians 1:13-14)?

Good Friday is the day commemorating Jesus’ death on the Cross.

Saturday Holy Week - Odd
First posted 03/25/05;
Podcast: Saturday Holy Week - Odd

Job 19:21-27a   - My Redeemer lives!
Hebrews 4:1-16   - God's promised rest;
Romans 8:1-11   - Life in the Spirit;

Job Paraphrase:

Job longed for a friend to comfort him in his affliction. He didn’t understand why trouble continued to pursue him, apparently not satisfied with anything less than Job’s death. Job longed for his cause to be recorded in some eternal manner. Job believed his Redeemer (vindicator) lives, and at last will stand upon the earth. Job believed that beyond physical death he will see God.

Hebrews Paraphrase:

God has promised that those who trust and obey him will enter his rest (Hebrews 3:18-19 RSV), but this promise must be appropriated through faith (obedient trust). The Israelites in the wilderness failed to receive it because they didn’t respond to God’s Word with faith.

We should learn from their example and be careful, so that we might not come into judgment for failing to reach God’s promised rest. God rested on the seventh day from the work of creation. Although God finished his work of creation on the seventh day, creation does not automatically enter God’s rest. Because disobedience prevented the Israelites from entering God’s rest, we must be careful now, today, not to harden our hearts against God’s Word.

The Israelites did not automatically enter God’s rest when Joshua led them into the Promised Land, because David, centuries later, spoke of a Sabbath rest remaining to be received by faith. So a Sabbath rest remains for God’s people to appropriate by faith. So let us strive to enter that rest so that we don’t fail to receive it because of disobedience of God’s Word.

“God’s word is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and spirit, of joints and marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12). No creature is hidden or can hide his actions or his innermost thoughts and desires from God.

Romans Paraphrase:

Those who are in Christ Jesus are free, now, from condemnation and eternal punishment. Those who are living in obedient trust in Jesus Christ through his indwelling Holy Spirit have been freed from the Law of sin and death. God’s plan of salvation (see sidebar, top right, home) through faith in Jesus Christ, God’s (only begotten) Son, accomplished what the Law could not do, because of our human weakness.

Jesus came in human flesh to condemn sin in the flesh and to destroy the power of sin, so that those who walk in obedience to the Holy Spirit, rather than in obedience to our selfish human nature, can fulfill the just requirements of the Law. Those who live in their physical nature pursue material things and physical desires, but those who live according to the Spirit pursue spiritual and eternal things.

Pursuing physical and material gratification leads to eternal spiritual death, but pursuing the things of the Spirit leads to eternal life and peace (with God). Those who live according to their physical human nature are hostile to God; they do not and cannot submit to or please God. “But you are not in the flesh, you are in the Spirit, if the Spirit of God (the Holy Spirit) really dwells in you.

Commentary:

Any one who does not have the Spirit of Christ (the Holy Spirit) does not belong to him (Christ; God)” (Romans 8:9). If Christ is truly in us, by the gift of his indwelling Holy Spirit, then although our physical bodies are dead because of sin, our Spirits are alive because of (Christ’s) righteousness. If God’s Spirit dwells in us God’s Spirit will give us eternal life just as he raised Jesus from the dead.

Job felt alone and unjustly afflicted. He was afraid that he would continue to suffer through the rest of his physical life. Job’s hope was that there would be some eternal record of his unjust suffering and that a Redeemer would judge the earth and vindicate Job at last. Job acknowledged that the body of flesh passes away, but also hoped that beyond physical death he would be in God’s presence and have personal fellowship with God.

For Christians, Jesus is our Redeemer and vindicator. He has promised to return to judge the earth, to vindicate his disciples who trust and obey him, and to condemn the wicked to eternal punishment. (Matthew 25:31-46). Our Redeemer lives! Jesus is our friend and Comforter (John 14:16 KJV) through his Holy Spirit within us. On the Last Day, he will stand upon the earth. Those who have trusted and obeyed him will spend eternity in the presence of our Lord in Paradise.

God has promised that those who trust and obey him will enter his rest. God’s rest has existed from the completion of Creation. We have a foretaste of that rest now, if we choose to honor the Lord’s Day. Christian disciples await eternal rest from the labor and tribulation of this life in eternal life in the Lord’s presence in Heaven. That promise of eternal rest must be appropriated by obedient trust in Jesus Christ, now. God knows our inner thoughts and desires and cannot be fooled.

We can and must begin to live, now, in the presence and fellowship of our Lord through the gift of his indwelling Holy Spirit, to be able to live with him in eternity. The Holy Spirit is the seal and guarantee that we are in Christ and have eternal life (2 Corinthians 1:22; Ephesians 1:13-14; Romans 8:9b, 11, 15-16). The Lord gives his Holy Spirit to his disciples who trust and obey him (Isaiah 42:5e; John 14:15-17). It is possible for us to know for ourselves with certainty whether we have been filled with the Holy Spirit (Acts 19:2).

We are free, now, from bondage to the Law of sin and (eternal) death, from condemnation and eternal punishment, provided that we walk in obedience to the Holy Spirit. We can choose whether to live according to the Holy Spirit or according to our human nature and desires. Those who live to please and gratify themselves condemn themselves to eternal destruction.

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, April 4, 2015

Week of Easter - Odd - 04/05 - 11/2015

Week of Easter - Odd

Sunday, March 29, 2015

Week of Holy Week - Odd - 03/29 - O4/04/2015

Week of Holy Week - Odd

Shepherdboy David

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