Week of Holy Trinity - Odd
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Podcast Download: Week of Holy Trinity - Odd
Sunday Holy Trinity - Odd
First Posted 05/21/05;
Podcast: Sunday Holy Trinity - Odd
Deuteronomy 6:1-9 (10-15) - One Lord;
Ephesians 4:1-16 - The Unity of the Spirit;
John 1:1-18 - The Word of God;
Deuteronomy Paraphrase:
The Ten Commandments, along with God’s statutes and ordinances, the basis of the [Old] Covenant of Law, were given to Moses to teach the people to obey God in the Promised Land so that they would fear (have proper awe and respect for the power and authority of) God. They were to be careful to obey all God’s commandments, statutes and ordinances in order to prosper, multiply, and live long in the Promised Land, in fulfillment of God’s promise to Abraham.
The first and great commandment is that the Lord God is one Lord (not multiple gods; the one and only true, sovereign God). God’s people are to love God with their mind and will, their innermost self, to the fullest extent possible. God’s commandments are to be remembered and applied constantly and daily, and God’s people are to teach them to their children.
The Lord warned Israel of the consequences of forgetting his commandments when they began to prosper in the Promised Land. God was bringing Israel into a land which would seem lush after the barren harshness of the wilderness. Furthermore the Lord was displacing the native people of the Promised Land, so Israel would be able to take over houses, cities, fields and wells they had not labored for and built.
God’s people were warned not to forget that it was the Lord who had given them all these blessings, having brought them out of slavery in Egypt, through the wilderness and into the Promised Land, as he had promised their ancestors. God’s people were to love, fear, honor, respect and serve only God. They were warned not to adopt the idols of the native people of the land, because God will not tolerate idolatry among his people and the consequence of his anger is total eternal destruction.
Ephesians Paraphrase:
Paul was a prisoner in Rome because of his preaching of the Gospel, and was writing to the Church at Ephesus. He exhorted the Ephesian Christians to live according to Jesus’ teachings, in humility, meekness, patience and forbearance of one another, loving one another, bound together in peace and the unity of the (Holy) Spirit (a seven-fold description of unity of Christian character; seven is symbolic of completeness).
“There is one body (the Church, the body of Christ) and one (Holy) Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope (eternal salvation and life) that belongs to your call, one Lord, one faith (obedient trust in Jesus Christ), one baptism, one God and Father of us all (seven-fold unity of faith), who is above all, and through all and in all” (a “trinity” of God’s omnipresence; Ephesians 4:4-6). Paul quotes Psalm 68:18 to illustrate that God is Lord of the physically living and dead, and Lord of eternity, filling all things (as in Ephesians 4:6).
God’s unmerited favor is received in each Christian by the gift of the (one) indwelling Holy Spirit expressed in a variety of spiritual gifts (abilities). “And his gifts were that some should be apostles (missionaries), some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers;” Ephesians 4:11) These spiritual gifts were given to equip and empower all believers for ministry, to build up (in spiritual strength, ability, and number) the body of Christ (the Church) until all believers attain “the unity of the faith and the knowledge of God” (Ephesians 4:13); until each believer grows up to spiritual maturity, to attain the full spiritual likeness and character of Christ.
Christians are to grow to spiritual maturity so that we are no longer spiritual infants, vulnerable to any false teaching and teacher that comes along, being deceived by cunning, unscrupulous and dishonest people. Instead Christians are to be disciples of Jesus Christ, lovingly speaking and doing what is true, and growing in maturity to resemble, in every way, Christ, who is the head of the Church and of every believer, so that each believer is united in Christ, and each uses his individual spiritual gifts to work together to accomplish Christ’s mission, building and strengthening Christ’s body in love.
John Paraphrase:
The Apostle John says that the Word (God’s Word has creative power, unlike humans’ words) existed at the beginning of Creation; the Word was with God and was God. Everything was made through the Word (Genesis 1:3; Psalm 33:6). In the Word was (true, spiritual, eternal) life, and that life was the light of men. The Word is the true spiritual light in the spiritual darkness and evil of this world, and that darkness cannot overcome that light.
John the Baptizer was sent by God (Luke 1:13-17) as the prophet to announce the fulfillment of God’s promised Messiah, Jesus Christ, the “Light of the World” (John 8:12), the true light of righteousness and spiritual enlightenment. The Word was physically present in the world which had been created through him, but the world didn’t know and recognize him. He came to his own home and his own people refused to receive him. “But to all who received him, who believed in his name (his character and authority) he gave the power (but that promise must be claimed and appropriated by obedient trust) to become children of God; who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God” (John 1:12-13).
“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth; we have beheld his glory, glory as of the only Son from the father (John 1:14). John the Baptizer testified that Jesus, who came to manifestation chronologically after John, was greater in every way than John. From Jesus we receive inexhaustible loving forgiveness, and complete faithfulness of his promises.
The Law (which condemns sin to eternal death) was given through Moses, but Jesus has brought us unmerited redemption and faithfulness. No human has ever seen God; God’s only (begotten) Son, who is in complete fellowship and union with God the Father, reveals and makes God known.
Commentary:
The first and greatest of God’s commandments is that that the Lord God is one Lord, the only true and sovereign God. God’s people are to know, trust and obey God’s Word. The Lord blesses his people who fear, respect, honor, love and obey God, but he will not tolerate idolatry or disobedience. Those who worship and serve any one or thing other than God or refuse to trust and obey the Lord will be condemned to eternal destruction.
Israel learned to trust and obey God during their wilderness wandering, but God warned them to remember the lessons of their wilderness experience when they came into the Promised Land and became prosperous and successful. Despite the repeated warnings from God’s Word and God’s prophets, Israel kept turning to other gods and to disobedience of God’s Word, and they suffered the consequences.
America today, the “New Israel,” the “New Promised Land,” is in a similar situation, founded mainly by Christian people who realized their dependence upon the Lord when they settled the wilderness and drove out the native people. But today America has forgotten the lessons our ancestors learned in the “wilderness.” We’ve become prosperous and successful and have turned from serving the Lord to serving ourselves. We haven’t taught the fear and obedient trust of the Lord to our children.
Paul is the prototype of the modern “post-resurrection” (having come to personal knowledge of Jesus Christ only after Jesus’ resurrection) “born-again” (John 3:3, 5-8) disciple and apostle (messenger of the Gospel; missionary) of Jesus Christ. He was telling the Ephesian Church to hold on to the scriptural (recorded in the Bible) apostolic (taught by the Apostles, including Paul) doctrines of the Gospel, and he was describing the doctrine of the Trinity; one God in three persons, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. God the Father is Spirit (John 4:24), the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:9).
Jesus was God who became human (John 1:14; not a human who became God). In Jesus, the whole fulness of deity dwells bodily (Colossians 2:8-9). Jesus was more than just filled with the gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of the risen Christ (Romans 8:9-11). Jesus is God’s only Son begotten by the creative act of God. We can become (adopted) children of God through Jesus by the gift of his Holy Spirit, but that does not make us gods or equal to God.
Jesus came in human flesh to reveal God’s nature and character to us, to make it possible for us to know and have personal fellowship with God the Father through the gift of his Holy Spirit within us, made possible by the forgiveness of our sins by obedient trust in Jesus (John 14:21, 23) and Jesus’ sacrifice for us on the Cross.
We can only come to know God through Jesus Christ (John 14:6). When we see Jesus and realize that he is God in human flesh (John 20:28; John 1:14), then as we begin to trust and obey Jesus we receive the gift of the Holy Spirit, through whom we have personal knowledge and fellowship with God the Father and God the Son through God the Holy Spirit: three persons; one God.
Each “born-again” disciple of Jesus Christ is united in Christ with other “born-again” disciples, individually empowered and led by the one Spirit to fulfill the ministry of Christ as his body the Church. That ministry is to make disciples of Jesus Christ, teaching them to obey all that Jesus commands (Matthew 28:19-20). We are to grow to spiritual maturity within the Church, seeking the fulfillment of the promise of the Holy Spirit, and then, guided and empowered by the Holy Spirit, repeat that discipling ministry with others.
The meaning and purpose of life in this world is to provide us the opportunity to seek and come to personally know God (Acts 17:26-17). God’s purpose from the beginning of creation has been to create an eternal kingdom of his people who trust and obey him. This life is our opportunity to learn to trust and obey the Lord so that we can live with him in the “Promised Land” of his eternal kingdom.
God gave us free will, knowing that we would disobey him, and he built a Plan of Salvation in Jesus Christ (see God’s Plan of Salvation, sidebar, top right, home) into creation. Jesus is God’s only provision for our forgiveness and salvation from eternal death (John 14:6). Through obedient trust in Jesus Christ, we receive the gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit who cleanses us, frees us from bondage to sin, and gives us the power to serve and please 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)?
Monday Holy Trinity - Odd
First Posted 05/22/05;
Podcast: Monday Holy Trinity - Odd
Ruth 1:1-18 - Ruth’s Commitment to Naomi;
1 Timothy 1:1-17 - Commitment to Apostolic Doctrine;
Luke 13:1-9 - On Repentance and Commitment; .
Ruth Paraphrase:
During the time Israel was governed by judges (after Joshua’s death, until the monarchy was established with Saul), a Jew from Bethlehem named Elimelech took his wife, Naomi, and his two sons, to live in the territory of Moab (east of the Jordan river at the southern part of the Dead Sea, whose people were considered enemies of Israel). Elimelech died in Moab. Naomi stayed in Moab with her two sons, who took Moabite wives named Orpah and Ruth, and then after ten years her two sons died also.
Naomi decided to return to Judah, because she had heard in Moab “that the Lord had visited his people (in Israel) and given them food” (Ruth 1:6). Her daughters-in-law prepared to go with her, but she offered to let them stay in the land of their people in Moab. Naomi wanted them to be able to remarry and have families, rather than staying widows with Naomi in Judah, so she released them and gave them her blessing although she was sad to be separated from them. Orpah returned to her people, but Ruth decided to stay with Naomi.
Naomi tried to convince Ruth to change her mind for Ruth’s happiness and benefit, but Ruth had made up her mind. Ruth said, “Entreat me not to leave you or to return from following you; for where you go I will go, and where you lodge I will lodge; your people shall be my people, and your God my God; where you die I will die and there will I be buried” (Ruth 1:16-17). Ruth promised with an oath to keep her word. Naomi saw that Ruth had made her decision so they returned to Judah together.
1 Timothy Paraphrase:
Paul was an apostle by the command of God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, writing to his disciple, Timothy, praying for Timothy to be blessed with the grace (unmerited favor), mercy, and peace which are only possible through faith (obedient trust) in Jesus. When Paul had gone to Macedonia, Paul had left Timothy in charge of the Church in Ephesus, with the commission to restrain the teaching of false doctrine by certain individuals within the congregation, and to prevent preoccupation with “myths and endless genealogies which promote speculation rather than the divine training that is in faith” (1 Timothy 1:4).
What disciples should focus on is genuine “love which issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and sincere faith” (1Timothy 1:5). Some people have strayed from true faith by getting into vain discussion, and who desire to be teachers without having learned or experienced the things they are saying and claiming. God’s law is good if one applies it lawfully, but realize that the Law was given not for the righteous but “for lawless sinners, for the unholy and profane, murderers…, the immoral, sodomites, kidnappers, liars, perjurers and whatever else is contrary to sound doctrine in accordance with the glorious gospel” (of Jesus Christ; 1 Timothy 1:9-11).
Paul was thankful that the Lord Jesus Christ had judged Paul faithful to serve him and had empowered Paul for that service. Paul realized that he was unworthy (as are we all), because he had formerly blasphemed, persecuted (and opposed) Jesus, but the Lord was merciful to him because Paul had acted in ignorance and unbelief. Paul had received an overflowing abundance of the Lord’s free gift of love and faith which is received by faith in Jesus.
It is absolutely true and reliable that Jesus came into the world to save sinners. Paul felt as though he was the foremost of sinners, but took joy in the idea that the Lord’s patience (and the transforming power of the Gospel) would be displayed in Paul’s example, for the world to see, so that they might receive eternal life through faith. The only true God and King of eternity is worthy of eternal honor and glory.
Luke Paraphrase:
Some in the crowd that had gathered around Jesus reported that Pilate, the Roman governor of Judea, had killed Galilean Jews as they were offering sacrifices. Jesus asked them if they thought the Galileans thus martyred were more sinful than any other Galileans. Jesus said those martyred Galileans were not worse or more deserving of death than anyone else, but unless we repent we will all suffer a similar spiritual fate.
Worldly catastrophes are not the manifestation of God’s judgment, although they may cause physical death. The real spiritual catastrophe is dying without having repented and without having received forgiveness and salvation from spiritual, eternal death. Life is uncertain; no one can be sure that they won’t die suddenly and unexpectedly.
Jesus told a parable about a fig tree. For three years the owner came expecting to gather its fruit, but it had produced none. The owner told his gardener to cut it down and use the ground for something more productive, but the gardener convinced the owner to give the fig tree one more year. The gardener promised to cultivate the ground around the tree and fertilize it well. Then if the tree produced fruit the owner would be pleased and satisfied, but if it still was unproductive the fig tree would be cut down.
Commentary:
Naomi loved both her daughters-in-law enough to put their interest and happiness ahead of her own. Both daughters-in-law loved their mother-in-law, but Orpah accepted the freedom to pursue her own interest. Both Orpah and Naomi were willing to be separated from each other if that is what Orpah wanted and though would make her happy. Ruth loved Naomi and believed both would be happier together than apart; Ruth’s interest was in being with Naomi and making Naomi happy. Ruth was willing to leave her own land, her own people, her own family, and her own idols, and even to die with Naomi to be with Naomi, and Ruth was faithful to her commitment.
Our Lord is like Naomi. He loves us so much that he gives us the freedom to pursue our own interests; to seek our own happiness and fulfillment, even if that means permanent separation from him. He is also faithful like Ruth. He loves us so much that he was willing to leave his glory and Father in heaven, to come to our land, to die for us to make it possible for us to be with him and spend eternity with him in the paradise of the heavenly “Promised Land.”
We have been given the choice to be like Orpah or Ruth. We’re free to pursue what we think and hope will make us happy on this earth, willing to be separated from our Lord’s love forever, or we can choose to commit our lives to love and trust our Lord, and follow him in obedience to the eternal Promised Land, renouncing our worldly idols to serve the Lord and physically die in and with him.
Paul is the example of a faithful disciple and apostle of Jesus Christ. He is the prototype of the modern, “post-resurrection” (like us, having come to faith in the risen Jesus after Jesus’ earthly ministry, crucifixion, resurrection and ascension into heaven), “born-again” (John 3:3, 5-8) Christian disciple. He made a commitment to love, serve and follow Jesus to foreign lands, to serve the one true God of Israel and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Paul was committed to preserve the scriptural, apostolic Gospel of Jesus Christ faithfully and accurately as he had received it from personal fellowship with the Lord Jesus through Christ's indwelling Holy Spirit. He was committed to making disciples of Jesus Christ and teaching them to obey all that Jesus’ teaches and commands, in accordance with Christ’s Great Commission to his disciples (Matthew 28:19-20), and to faithfully and accurately preserve and pass it on to them the scriptural apostolic gospel as he had received it. Timothy is an example of that discipling process. Christians are called to grow to spiritual maturity, to know the scriptural apostolic doctrine so that they can avoid, restrain and refute false teachers and false doctrine.
Christians are warned to grow in the solid scriptural, apostolic doctrines and personal knowledge of the Lord and not to get side-tracked by unproductive speculations. It’s easy to get caught up in such things as speculations about the “End Times” and the “Second Coming.” No one but God the Father knows when the end of time will come, not even Jesus (Matthew 24:36 RSV). Instead of unproductive speculation it is far better and far more productive to develop a personal relationship with the Lord, so that we will learn to distinguish his voice and know and obey his will.
It won’t matter when the End comes, and it won’t be necessary for us to find the Lord, because he will know where we are (Matthew 24:26-28), and we will be secure in him. Another temptation is for people to become teachers before they have been discipled, grown to spiritual maturity and filled with the gift of the Holy Spirit. Just because one has read the entire Bible or even formally studied the Bible does not qualify one to lead others to discipleship, if one has not been truly “born-again” through the indwelling Holy Spirit. One does not appoint oneself to be an apostle, but is appointed by the command and call of God and by the empowerment of his Holy Spirit (1 Timothy 1:1, 12).
People in the crowds who gathered to hear Jesus believed that disasters were a sign of God’s judgment, and that anyone who suffered a disaster had deserved punishment by God. Jesus replied that the people who fall into disaster aren’t any greater sinners or more deserving of God’s punishment than anyone else. We are all sinners and fall short of God’s righteousness (Romans 3:23; 1 John 1:8-10), and God’s punishment for sin is eternal death (Romans 6:23; see God’s Plan of Salvation, sidebar, top right, home).
Life is uncertain; no one knows when disaster may strike. The real disaster is not physical death, but spiritual, eternal death. The real disaster is dying without having used the opportunity of this physical life to seek and come to fellowship with, and personal knowledge of God (Acts 17:26-27) through Jesus Christ, and spiritual birth by the gift of his indwelling Holy Spirit, 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 through Jesus Christ do we receive the gift of the Holy Spirit (John 1:332-34), which Jesus gives only to his disciples who trust and obey him (John 14:15-17; John 14:21).
Christians are to bear spiritual fruit for the kingdom of God. The only way to be fruitful is to abide in Jesus Christ and he within us through his indwelling Holy Spirit (John 15:1-11). It is the gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit which guides, enables and empowers us to be fruitful in accordance with God’s will and purpose. God is gracious, loving and merciful, which is intended to give us time, nurture and motivation to become fruitful, but if we continue to be unproductive his grace and mercy will come to an end and we will suffer his anger and judgment.
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 Trinity - Odd
First Posted 05/23/05;
Podcast: Tuesday Holy Trinity - Odd
Ruth 1:19-2:13 - Ruth Gleans in the Field of Boaz;
1 Timothy 1:18-2:8 (9-15) - Instructions for Worship;
Luke 13:10-17 - Healing on the Sabbath;
Ruth Paraphrase:
Naomi, a Jewish widow, returned to Bethlehem with her daughter-in-law, Ruth, a Moabite. The barley harvest was beginning when they arrived, and a wealthy relative of Naomi’s husband, named Boaz, had a barley field. Ruth asked her mother-in-law’s permission to glean the barley left by the reapers, hoping to find favor among those overseeing the harvest, and Naomi allowed Ruth to do so.
Ruth happened to glean the fields of Boaz. Boaz came out from Bethlehem to the field, and noticing Ruth, he asked his servants who she was. They told him that she was the Moabite maiden who returned with Naomi from Moab. They said she had asked permission to glean, and that she had been a hard worker.
Boaz spoke to Ruth, telling her to stay close to his servants and glean only from his fields, telling her that she would be safe from molestation with them, because he had ordered them not to molest her. He also told her to help herself, when she was thirsty, to the water drawn by his servants. Ruth bowed to Boaz, thanking him for his favor toward her, a foreigner. But Boaz replied that he had heard all that Ruth had done for Naomi since Naomi’s husband had died, and that she had left her country and her family and had come to a strange land and to people she didn’t know. Boaz prayed that the Lord would bless and reward Ruth for her goodness and faithfulness, since she had sought refuge in the God of Israel. Ruth thanked Boaz for his kind and comforting words to a maidservant who was not in his responsibility.
1 Timothy Paraphrase:
Paul had entrusted the responsibility for the Church at Ephesus to Timothy and had given him instructions for Church administration. Paul exhorted Timothy first to faithfully and accurately preserve the apostolic Gospel and to guard against false teachers and false doctrines. Timothy was exhorted to “wage the good warfare” of holding to the apostolic faith and good conscience.
Paul warned Timothy to beware of people who were not guided by a good conscience, and used as examples Hymenaeus, who had falsely taught that the resurrection of the dead was already past, and Alexander, a Jewish coppersmith who had opposed Paul’s ministry in Ephesus (Acts 19:33). Paul had excommunicated such people in the hope that under Satan’s power they might be induced to repent.
Paul instructed Timothy that the Church was to pray with supplication, intersession and thanksgiving for all people, and for all secular rulers, so that Christians might lead quiet, peaceable, godly and respectable lives. It is good and in God’s will, because the Lord desires that all might be saved and come to knowledge of the (gospel) truth. God is the one and only true God, and Jesus Christ is the one and only mediator between God and mankind. Jesus gave his life on the cross to pay the ransom of all people (see God's Plan of Salvation, sidebar, top right, home), and this is the message Paul was appointed a preacher and apostle to proclaim and to instruct the Gentiles in faith and truth.
Paul urged that members in every congregation would pray with holy hands (with a clean conscience, unstained by disobedience) uplifted (the customary posture), without anger or quarreling. People should clothe themselves with modesty, and avoid ostentation. Instead of outward adornment, we should seek to adorn ourselves spiritually through good deeds befitting people who profess Jesus as their Lord. Our behavior should be governed by faith, love, holiness and modesty.
Luke Paraphrase:
Jesus was teaching in a synagogue one Sabbath, and there was a woman who for eighteen years had a “spirit” of disability of her back, making her walk “hunched-over” and unable to stand up straight. Jesus saw her and called to her, declaring that she was freed from her disability. Jesus laid his hands on the woman and immediately her back was straightened, and she praised God. But the ruler of the synagogue was indignant, and told the crowd that they should not come to Jesus for healing on the Sabbath.
Jesus replied, calling those who agree with the ruler of the synagogue hypocrites, because they feed and water their livestock on the Sabbath. Jesus pointed out that the woman was a descendant of Abraham (and one of God’s chosen children) whom Satan had oppressed for eighteen years, and that it was appropriate to free her from bondage to Satan on the Sabbath. Jesus’ adversaries were put to shame and the people rejoiced in the glorious things Jesus was doing.
Commentary:
Ruth had joined her mother-in-law’s community and religion. She wanted to participate in the support of the household, and she asked her mother-in-law for permission and guidance to glean in the fields. She wanted to find favor with the master of the harvest. Her behavior in the field impressed the servants and the master, and the news of her love and faithfulness, and the fact that she had sought refuge in the God of Israel also impressed the master. The master told Ruth to work only in his fields and to stay close to his servants so that she wouldn’t come to harm.
This is a “picture” of discipleship. Naomi brought Ruth to “church.” The Master of the harvest is Jesus Christ. Christians are not just to hang around the “house” and visit with fellow members of the household. But they have to be discipled first by sticking close to “born-again” (John 3:3, 5-8) Christian servants, who can teach them how to harvest correctly while preserving the scriptural apostolic gospel.
Not just anyone who wants to join in should be allowed to do so, unless they’re willing to bear the discipline of discipleship and are willing to obey the Master’s rules and guidance. They need to have a personal knowledge of and relationship with the Master, and to get his permission and guidance. They need to drink freely of the spiritual water the Master supplies (John 4:10-14; 7:37-39) through daily fellowship with the Lord and his Word. (I personally testify to this truth. This is how I came to this internet ministry.)
Timothy had been trained in discipleship by Paul. Paul made sure Timothy received the sound biblical apostolic gospel (the Gospel taught by the original apostles, including Paul, and recorded in the New Testament), and he urged Timothy, first of all to preserve and pass on that Gospel faithfully and accurately to his congregation, and to guard his congregation from false teachers and false doctrines. Paul warned Timothy to beware of people who were not guided by conscience to live according to the Gospel they professed.
Paul warned Timothy to teach his congregation obedience to Jesus’ teachings, so that their lives would be good testimony to the Lord, instead of allowing people to adopt the exterior appearance of “good Christians” while their deeds denied the Lordship of Jesus Christ. Paul advocated that false teachers and those who did not live according to the scriptural apostolic gospel should not be allowed to take refuge within the church; instead they should be excommunicated (or denied membership), in the hope that they might come to realize their spiritual condition and need and thus be induced to repent and be saved. How are we doing today, Church?
The ruler of the synagogue “looked good” on the outside, but he didn’t love and obey the Lord on the inside. He used his religion to make himself look righteous, but he didn’t love God or his “neighbor,” the basis and summation of all of God's Commandments (Matthew 22:36-40). He cared more for his livestock that the physical and spiritual needs of others, even his own people.
Jesus healed the woman physically, but there was a deeper underlying spiritual condition that only Jesus can heal. We can adopt a “Christian” posture and wear the garments of God’s people and God’s spiritual leaders, but it is only by the personal touch and guidance by the indwelling Holy Spirit through obedient trust in Jesus that our spiritual disability can be healed.
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)?
First Posted 05/24/05;
Podcast: Wednesday Holy Trinity - Odd
Ruth 2:14-23 - The Kindness of Boaz to Ruth;
1 Timothy 3:1-16 - Qualifications of Church Leaders;
Luke 13:18-30 - Parables of the Kingdom;
Ruth Paraphrase:
At lunchtime, Boaz invited Ruth to share in the bread and wine and gave her parched grain to eat. She had enough to satisfy her hunger and some left over. When she returned to gleaning, Boaz told his servants to leave a little extra of the harvest for Ruth to glean, and not rebuke her. Ruth continued her gleaning until evening, and then threshed what she gathered. She had harvested more than one-half bushel of threshed barley.
Ruth returned to the city and showed her mother-in-law, Naomi, what she had gleaned, and also gave her the food left over from Ruth’s lunch. Naomi was impressed and asked Ruth whose field she had gleaned. When she learned it was Boaz’ field, Naomi invoked the Lord’s blessing on Boaz who had not forsaken the living or the dead. She told Ruth that Boaz was a close relative of hers.
Ruth told Naomi that Boaz had also protected Ruth from molestation by telling her to stay close to his servants, and Naomi was glad to hear of Boaz’ concern for Ruth’s safety. Ruth continued to glean in Boaz’ fields through the end of the barley and wheat harvests.
1 Timothy Paraphrase:
Paul gave Timothy instructions for selecting church leaders. Bishops (overseers) hold a noble position, but they also have a responsibility to be above reproach. A bishop should be faithful in marriage, moderate, sensible, dignified, hospitable, and a good teacher, not a drunkard, violent, quarrelsome or greedy. He should demonstrate his ability to manage God’s church by his ability to manage his own household well, with obedient and respectful children. He must not be a recent convert or he may be conceited and fail to resist temptation. If he doesn’t have a good reputation in the secular community, his lack of good character will lead to reproach and sin.
Deacons were appointed to serve the administrative, social and charitable activities of the church. Both men and women may serve as deacons and are to be committed to their duties, honest and truthful, moderate and faithful, not drunkards or greedy. “They must hold the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience” [i.e. they must be “born-again” (John 3:3, 5-8) believers who practice what they profess; 1 Timothy 3:9].
“Let them be tested first; then if they prove themselves blameless let them serve as deacons” (1 Timothy 3:10; i.e. they must be mature Christians, who have demonstrated their faith). They must demonstrate their ability to manage the church by good management of their families. Deacons are respected in their secular communities and their behavior influences the acceptance of the Gospel by the world.
The Church is and must be the pillar and bulwark of the truth in this world. Christ is the mystery of God “which has been manifested in the flesh, vindicated in the Spirit, seen by angels, preached among the nations, believed on in the world, taken up in glory” (1 Timothy 3:16).
Luke Paraphrase:
Jesus used several parables to illustrate the kingdom of God. The kingdom of God is like a tiny mustard seed which grows into a supernaturally large tree, becomming a nesting place for birds. The kingdom of God is also like a small amount of yeast placed in dough and allowed time to permeate and affect the whole loaf.
Jesus was heading for Jerusalem, and on the way someone asked him if only a few people would be saved (i.e. enter God’s eternal kingdom). Jesus replied that one should earnestly endeavor to enter because the door to God’s kingdom is narrow, and many will try to enter and will not be able. Once the owner of the house has risen and closed the door, people will knock and ask to enter, but the owner will deny knowing them.
They will say, “we ate and drank in you presence and you taught in our streets” (Luke 13:26), but the owner will deny knowing them, condemn them as evildoers and command them to depart from him. Those who are denied entry will have great anguish and grief when they see the patriarchs and prophets in God’s kingdom while they, among the lost, are rejected. People from the farthest places on earth will come to the heavenly banquet. But Jesus warned that “some are last who will be first, and some are first who will be last” (Luke 13:30).
Commentary:
The Church needs leaders like Boaz, who will train and supervise the servants who are responsible for reaping the harvest of God’s field. Ruth is like a new believer in the church who is not yet ready to handle the main work of the harvest, but is fed and given water and is warned to stay close to the reapers for her wellbeing. Mature, “born-again” Christian disciples are to be reapers.
Reaping is not the sole or even the main job of the ordained clergy. The main job of the clergy is to supervise the harvest, to see that both reapers and gleaners are spiritually nurtured and that gleaners are discipled and receive the gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit before they become reapers. Both reapers and gleaners can bring home and share with others the “bread” they have received from the “overseer.”
Paul was the discipler of Timothy who had become the overseer of the Church at Ephesus. All pastors are to be “overseers” and managers of their congregation and the qualifications for “bishops” apply also to pastors. Paul himself was fulfilling the role of “bishop,” the pastor, overseer and manager of pastors.
Mature Christians are to fulfill the responsibilities of deacons, to help with the discipling of new members and to help with the reaping of the harvest. There may be specifically appointed and commissioned deacons who oversee the harvesting and discipling. Christians, like deacons, must keep their reputations in the secular community from reproach, and like deacons, remember that what they do in the secular community affects the reception of the Gospel by the world.
The Gospel is a tiny seed which grows into a large kingdom, provided that it is sown, fed and watered. Faith also begins as a tiny seed, with our “yes” to the seed of the Gospel, which when fed and watered grows to spiritual maturity. Christians are to be the “yeast” in our communities, which ultimately influences and changes the world. The Holy Spirit is the “yeast” within Christians that changes us so that we can be “yeast” in the world.
The Lord warns that we should diligently strive to enter the narrow door to eternal life in God’s kingdom. Jesus is that narrow door; Jesus is God’s only provision for salvation from eternal death (Acts 4:12; John 14:6; see God’ Plan of Salvation, sidebar, top right, home). It is by obedient trust in Jesus Christ that we receive the gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit (John 14:15-17). It is by the indwelling Holy Spirit that we are “reborn,” and qualified, guided, and empowered to be servants in God’s “field.”
Jesus warns that it is not people who call themselves Christians, who call Jesus “Lord,” or who are active church members, or who receive “Communion” (the Eucharist, the Lord’s Supper), or who do good deeds, who will be saved from eternal death (Matthew 7:21-24; Luke 6:46). It is those who have trusted and obeyed Jesus, and who have received the promised rebirth and gift of the Holy Spirit, who know with certainty for themselves that they are in Christ and have eternal life with him in God’s kingdom (2 Corinthians 1:22; Ephesians 1:13-14; Romans 8:9b, 11, 15-16). Worldly judgment will be overturned and reversed. It won’t be what we think of ourselves, or what the world thinks of us that will matter; it will be what the “Master of the house,” Jesus Christ, thinks of us that will matter for all eternity.
Is Jesus your Lord (Matthew 7:21-23; Luke 6:46)? Are you Jesus' disciple (John 8:31)? Are you trusting and obeying Jesus (John 14:21)? Have you received the indwelling Holy Spirit since you first truly believed (Acts 19:2)? Are you making disciples of Jesus Christ and teaching them to obey all that Jesus commands (Matthew 28:18-20)? Do you know with certainty where you will spend eternity (1 John 5:11-13; Ephesians 1:13-14)?
Thursday Holy Trinity - Odd
First Posted 05/25/05;
Podcast: Thursday Holy Trinity - Odd
Ruth 3:1-18 - Ruth and Boaz;
1 Timothy 4:1-16 - False Teachers;
Luke 13:31-35 - Herod’s Threat;
Ruth Paraphrase:
Naomi and her husband, both Jews, and their two sons, had traveled to Moab to live, and where her husband died. Her two sons had taken Moabite women as wives, and the two sons had also died. Naomi had released the two widows of her sons to marry again, and one had chosen to stay in Moab, but the other, Ruth, had chosen to return with Naomi to Bethlehem in Judah (see entry for yesterday, Wednesday, Trinity, odd year).
Naomi loved Ruth and wanted Ruth to remarry so that Ruth would be happy and cared for, so she suggested that Ruth go to Boaz, a near relative of Naomi’s whom Ruth had met while gleaning leftover barley from harvested fields. In that culture, kinsmen had the right and obligation to take, as wife, the widow of their kinsman, so that the kinsman’s genealogy and family inheritance would be preserved. Naomi told Ruth to show her love for Boaz, by going to the threshing floor and lying down at his feet after he had gone to sleep. Ruth agreed to do all that Naomi had instructed.
At midnight Boaz was startled to find a woman sleeping at his feet, and asked who she was. She told him her name and that she was his next of kin. Boaz appreciated that Naomi had honored him regardless of wealth, rather than seeking a young and physically attractive mate, and complimented her as a woman of worth. Boaz was willing to have her as wife, but realized that the right belonged to someone who was of closer kinship, and allowed that person to have the first choice.
In consideration of Ruth, Boaz allowed Ruth to stay the night, and to leave in the morning before her presence was known. In the morning, before daylight, Boaz gave Ruth six measures of barley to take to provide for herself and Naomi. Ruth gave the barley to Naomi, and Naomi told Ruth to be patient and wait for the resolution, assuring her that Boaz would resolve the decision that very day.
1 Timothy Paraphrase:
Paul told Timothy that in the latter days (the period before the Lord’s return on the Day of Judgment) some will abandon the (true, scriptural, apostolic) gospel by giving heed to lying spirits and the doctrines of demons, through false teachers whose consciences have been seared (desensitized; rendered ineffective), who advocate abstinence from marriage and from certain foods (like meat), contrary to God’s will and intention for his people who believe and know the truth and who receive everything with thanksgiving, having consecrated it by God’s Word and by prayer.
A good minister of Jesus Christ is nourished on the Word of faith (the Bible) and good doctrine (the scriptural, apostolic Gospel), and teaches it to others. We are not to have any involvement in godless and foolish myths (false doctrines created by humans). Instead we are to train ourselves in godliness (obedience to God’s Word).
Physical training benefits our physical bodies, but spiritual training is of greater benefit, because it improves our present lives, and also provides and prepares us for eternal life. God’s Word is absolutely true and worthy of full acceptance, and we hold fast to it and persevere, having our hope fixed upon the living God, the savior of all people who put their obedient trust in him. So let us command and teach these things. Let us not discount any on the basis of their youth, but let us set an example in speech, conduct, love and purity.
Let us proclaim the scripture, preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ and teach discipleship until Jesus returns. Let us not neglect the gift of the Holy Spirit which we have been promised in our baptism. Let us practice our Christian duties enthusiastically so that others will see our progress. Let us take heed to ourselves and to our teachings to apply them diligently in our own lives, so that all will see our progress in spiritual growth to maturity, so that we ourselves and our hearers will be saved.
Luke Paraphrase:
Some Pharisees tried to warn Jesus to leave because Herod was seeking to kill Jesus. Jesus called Herod a fox, and told the Pharisees to tell Herod that Jesus would continue to follow God’s will and fulfill his mission today and tomorrow, and would finish his mission on the third day (Jesus' mission was fulfilled and confirmed by his resurrection on the third day after his crucifixion). Jesus declared that he must continue his ministry in Jerusalem (regardless of Herod). Jesus declared that the Jews would not be saved until they recognized and acknowledged that Jesus was the Messiah, who comes in the Lord's name (his power and authority).
Commentary:
This text in the book of Ruth is a “picture” of the people of God, going about their daily lives, living honorable lives according to God’s Word. Naomi loved Ruth and wanted what was best for Ruth. She had offered to let Ruth stay in Moab and seek a husband from Ruth's own people, but Ruth loved Naomi and had chosen to stay with Naomi and return to Naomi’s land and people. Ruth had taken the initiative to provide food for Naomi and herself by gleaning barley fields. She had gleaned barley in the field of Boaz, a relative of Naomi’s and he had demonstrated his good character, by providing protection from molestation, food and water, and had told his servants to deliberately leave extra barley for Ruth to glean.
When Ruth told Naomi about her encounter with Boaz, Naomi told Ruth that Boaz was kin, and counseled Ruth how to show her love for Boaz according to the customs of God’s people, and Ruth did as Naomi had instructed. Boaz again proved himself honorable by giving a closer relative the opportunity to choose first, and by his consideration for Ruth, providing her with food, preserving her reputation by not taking advantage of the situation, and allowing her to leave unnoticed. Each person in this text demonstrated love for God and love of others ahead of themselves
In contrast, Paul warned Timothy that in “latter days” some “professors” of faith in Jesus will abandon the true, scriptural, apostolic Gospel and give heed to false teachers and false doctrines, who teach abstinence from marriage and from certain foods. Unlike Naomi, Ruth and Boaz, who put the best interest of others ahead of their own, false teachers restrict and enslave their followers contrary to God’s will. These restrictions appear “pious” but they are of no benefit for our salvation (Colossians 2:20-23). Celibacy and vegetarianism won’t save us; only a personal relationship with Jesus Christ through obedient trust and the gift of the Holy Spirit will save us from eternal condemnation and eternal death.
A good disciple of Jesus Christ is nourished by God’s Word, the Bible, and good doctrine: the scriptural (recorded in the Bible), apostolic (as taught by the Apostles, including Paul) Gospel of Jesus Christ. A good disciple of Jesus trusts and obeys all that Jesus commands (Matthew 28:19-20), is “reborn” (John 3:3, 5-8) by the gift of the Holy Spirit, and then (Luke 24:49; Acts 1:4-5), guided and empowered by the Holy Spirit, teaches God’s Word and scriptural apostolic doctrine to others. This is the discipling process. This is what Paul did with Timothy, and Timothy was to do to other faithful people, who would then repeat the process (2 Timothy 2:2).
God’s people are not to have anything to do with false doctrine. Instead we are to train ourselves and one another in God’s Word and in obedient trust in Jesus Christ. Many people in our society are obsessed with physical exercise to perfect their physical bodies which are going to get old and die soon, regardless of what we do to preserve them. But they neglect to feed and exercise their eternal souls. We are all eternal beings in physical bodies. The question is where we will spend eternity (John 5:28-29).
This life is an opportunity for us to seek and come to personal fellowship with the Lord God through Jesus Christ (Acts 17:26-27). Jesus is God’s only provision for our salvation from eternal death and the only way to have forgiveness and fellowship with God (Acts 4:12; John 14:6; see God’s Plan of Salvation, sidebar, top right, home).
This life is a selection process and an opportunity to prepare for eternity. We are to learn to know, trust and obey Jesus through discipleship. Spiritual training has immediate benefits for this life, as well as the eternal life to come. We can experience the Lord’s power, love and faithfulness now in our physical lives, and we can know with certainty that we have eternal life with Jesus.
Paul exhorts Christians to proclaim God’s Word, to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ and to teach discipleship until Jesus returns. He warns us not to neglect the gift of the Holy Spirit which we are promised in our (water) baptism into Jesus Christ (Matthew 3:11). We receive the promise, the authorization, at our baptism, but we must claim and receive the fulfillment of that promise by fulfilling our baptismal covenant by being disciples of Jesus Christ who trust and obey Jesus (John 1:12-13; 33; John 14:15-17).
We need to take responsibility to know God’s Word, to apply it diligently in our daily lives so that we grow to spiritual maturity. Then we are to teach the Gospel faithfully and accurately to others and demonstrate it in our own lives, so that we and our hearers may be saved from eternal death and destruction in Hell.
Most of the Pharisees were plotting to have Jesus’ killed, but some warned Jesus to leave to avoid being killed by Herod. The opponents of God’s Word want to suppress the proclamation of the Gospel by any means. If Satan can intimidate us by the threat of physical death he wins and we become his slaves.
Jesus wasn’t intimidated by the Pharisees or by Herod’s death threat. He just kept focused on God’s will and obedience to God’s mission. Jesus trusted God’s Word to raise Jesus from death on the third day and God’s Word was fulfilled. One of the reasons Jesus came was to free us from the fear of physical death and the power of Satan (Hebrews 2:14-15). What is keeping us from following Jesus’ example?
Is Jesus your Lord (Matthew 7:21-23; Luke 6:46)? Are you Jesus' disciple (John 8:31)? Are you trusting and obeying Jesus (John 14:21)? Have you received the indwelling Holy Spirit since you first truly believed (Acts 19:2)? Are you making disciples of Jesus Christ and teaching them to obey all that Jesus commands (Matthew 28:18-20)? Do you know with certainty where you will spend eternity (1 John 5:11-13; Ephesians 1:13-14)?
Friday Holy Trinity - Odd
First Posted 05/26/05;
Podcast: Friday Holy Trinity - Odd
Ruth 4:1-22 - Boaz Marries Ruth;
1 Timothy 5:17-22 (23-25) - Qualifications of Church Leaders;
Luke 14:1-11 - Healing on the Sabbath; Humility;
Ruth Paraphrase:
Ruth had shown her love for Boaz, and Boaz was willing to marry her, but he was honorable and acknowledged that a closer relative had the right to choose first (Ruth 3:1-18). That day Boaz went to the city gate and waited for the kin who had first right to marry Ruth to pass by. When the man came past, Boaz asked him to turn aside and sit and talk, (as was the custom). Boaz also asked ten other men to observe as witnesses.
Boaz told the next of kin that a parcel of land belonging to Ruth’s deceased father-in-law was for sale, and the next of kin had first right to purchase it. The next of kin was interested in purchasing it, but Boaz told him that the next of kin couldn’t legally purchase it without taking Ruth, a widow, as wife. Under those terms the man was unwilling to buy the land because his family inheritance would be impaired (assuming that Ruth bore children). So the next of kin gave Boaz the right to the land and Ruth.
It was the custom to take off a sandal and hand it to the other party in a transaction to attest to the agreement, and the kin did so, and the ten witnesses were present to attest to the agreement. Boaz purchased the family property of Elimelech and his two sons, Mahlon and Chilion, who were all deceased, and took Ruth, the widow of Mahlon as his wife, with the purpose of perpetuating the lineage and inheritance of Elimelech and his sons.
The witnesses blessed Ruth and Boaz, praying that the Lord would use their marriage to build up the house of Israel as had Rachael and Leah (the wives of "Jacob" -also known as "Israel," and the mothers of the heads of the twelve tribes). They also prayed that the family of Ruth and Boaz would be like the family of Perez, the son of Tamar and Judah. (Four hundred and sixty-eight “sons” of Perez came back from Babylon with the exiles, led by Zerubbabel, a descendant of Perez, and under whose leadership the rebuilding of the temple was begun.)
Boaz married Ruth and she bore a son and named him Obed. The people declared that Obed would be a restorer of life and a nourisher of Naomi, the mother of Mahlon, Ruth’s deceased first husband, in her old age. Obed was the father of Jesse, and the grandfather of David, the great shepherd-king of Israel, and the ancestor of Jesus Christ. (Matthew 1:5-6, 16).
1 Timothy Paraphrase:
Paul had discipled Timothy and was giving him advice on church administration. Church leaders, especially preachers and teachers who govern the church well, are worthy of special honor. Paul quoted Deuteronomy 25:4 and Matthew 10:10 to make the point that the congregation should support their pastors and teachers. Any charges brought against church leaders should be attested to by at least two or three witnesses. Anyone in the congregation who persists in sin should be publicly rebuked in the presence of the congregation.
Church leaders are to be impartial in their enforcement of these rules. Leaders should not be hasty in ordaining leaders or in restoring sinful members. All Christians are reminded not to “participate in another [person’s] sins” (1 Timothy 5:23) but instead keep oneself pure. Drinking alcohol in itself is not sinful (but there is great potential for addiction and drunkenness, which are not to be allowed). The sins of some people are obvious, but other sins may not be recognized until later. The same thing applies to good deeds.
Luke Paraphrase:
Jesus had been invited to dinner one Sabbath at the home of a Pharisee where Pharisees and scribes were guests, and Jesus was aware that the Pharisees were watching him critically (looking for something they could use against him). One of the guests had dropsy (a condition causing swelling of the body with fluids). Jesus asked the Pharisees and lawyers present whether it was lawful to heal on the Sabbath, but they kept silent, so Jesus healed the person. Then Jesus asked those present, who among them would not immediately rescue his livestock from falling into a well on the Sabbath? Those present again declined to answer.
Jesus told a parable about social status at banquets. When one is invited to a banquet he should not take the seat of honor, since a greater person might have been invited, and he and the host would be embarrassed to ask the person to give up the seat of honor to another. Instead it would be better to take the lowest seat. Then the host and this guest would be pleased to ask him to take a seat of greater honor. Jesus’ point is that the humble will be exalted, but the proud will be humbled.
Commentary:
Ruth, Boaz, and Naomi are examples of how God’s people should live (see entry for yesterday, Thursday, Trinity, odd year). Boaz wanted to marry Ruth, but he knew the right of first choice belonged to another, so he acted honorably and followed the rules of his community. The result was that God’s will was done, and everyone was satisfied with the outcome.
Ruth and Boaz became the parents of Obed, and were even more influential through their descendants in building the nation of God’s people than Rachel and Leah (and Jacob) or Tamar and Judah. Through the progeny of Rachel, Leah, and Jacob (Israel) came the patriarchs of the twelve tribes of Israel. Through the progeny of Tamar and Judah came Zerubbable, and then Boaz. Through Boaz and Ruth came David, and ultimately Jesus Christ. Jesus is the ultimate fulfillment of the prophecy that Obed would be a restorer of life and nourisher of his people.
The Church is the New Israel, the new people of God. The leaders of the Church must govern the Church well. They should be worthy and accorded honor. They should be supported financially and by the cooperation and labor of the congregation. They should be above reproach in their conduct, but they should be protected from unsupported charges.
They are to enforce Biblical standards of conduct impartially in the congregation. They should uphold Biblical standards for ordination, and for church membership. Paul warned Christians not to participate (or go along with) the sins of others. Not all deeds, good or bad, are immediately obvious, but will ultimately be revealed and made known.
How is the Church doing today? It is apparently no longer obvious, even within the nominal Church, that such things as homosexuality and fornication are unrighteous, sinful and abominations in God’s judgment (1 Corinthians 6:9-10;* Also see 1 Timothy 1:8-10). Sodom, from which we get the word sodomy, was the city so notoriously and blatantly homosexual that it was destroyed by God (Genesis 18:20-19:28). Also, many Churches are failing to make disciples and failing to teach them to obey all that Jesus commands.
People desire to be teachers of the “Word” without understanding the things about which they make assertions (1 Timothy 1:7). In many churches today administrators are ordaining ministers who have been “educated” in “theological speculation” in Seminaries but haven’t been discipled, and have not been filled with the indwelling Holy Spirit. People are attracted to the ministry as a career and are becoming mere “peddlers of the Word” (2 Corinthians 2:17).
Jesus was in the midst of a group of Pharisees and scribes (teachers of the Law of Moses), but Jesus did not restrain himself from proclaiming the full Gospel truth to them, although he knew it wasn’t going to make himself popular and liked. The Pharisees and scribes were religious leaders who agreed on their own set of rules, instead of following God’s rules. They confirmed their own righteousness among themselves, while being totally in opposition to God’s will and to God’s own Son and promised Savior. The Pharisees gave themselves status according to their standards, instead of doing what was right and worthy of approval in God’s judgment.
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)?
* Because of the current controversy over same-sex marriage and the appointment of openly “gay” bishops (and clergy), I think it’s important to note that the word which is translated “homosexual” in the text (1 Corinthians 6:9-10; RSV, footnote “j”) is translated from two Greek words (Strong’s numbers 730 & 2845) which mean “effeminate sodomite.” I think it’s pretty hard to deny that “homosexual” is an accurate translation.
Saturday Holy Trinity - Odd
First Posted 05/27/05;
Podcast: Saturday Holy Trinity - Odd
Deuteronomy 1:1-8 - Historical Insight;
1 Timothy 6:6-21 - Godliness with Contentment;
Luke 14:12-24 - Parable of the Great Banquet;
Deuteronomy Paraphrase:
It is only eleven days’ journey from Mt. Horeb (Mt. Sinai; from the giving of the Covenant of Law) to Kadesh-Barnea (from which the scouts, including Joshua and Caleb, scouted the Promised Land, and from which they could have entered and possessed the Promised Land if they had trusted and obeyed God’s command). Because they had not trusted and obeyed the Lord, they wandered for forty years (counting from the Exodus from Egypt) in the wilderness (until the disobedient generation had died in the wilderness; Numbers chapter 13-14), before they were again able to enter the Promised Land.
Now Israel was in Moab, poised, again, to enter the Promised Land. The Israelites had defeated Sihon, the king of the Amorites and Og, king of Bashan (who stood in the way of Israel’s entry into the Promised Land). Now the Lord commanded Israel to enter and possess the Promised Land. All of the land from Syria, Lebanon and the Euphrates in the north to the Arabah below the Dead Sea in the south, from the Mediterranean Sea on the west and the land of Edom and Moab on the east was promised to Israel. (Israel never possessed the entire land that God intended.)
1 Timothy Paraphrase:
Paul told his disciple, Timothy, that there is great benefit in satisfaction with godliness. We are born into the world with nothing, and we can’t take anything with us when we leave this world. As long as we have food, clothing and shelter we should be satisfied. Those who desire to be rich beyond the basic necessities of life fall into a trap and many desires which lead to destruction. It is the love of wealth and possessions which leads to destruction. By the craving for wealth some believers have been led astray and have suffered disappointment and loss.
As a godly person, avoid these things and instead aim for righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness and gentleness. Struggle for the victory of faith, take hold and claim the promise of eternal life, which was given when we publicly declared Jesus our Lord. In the presence of God the Father, the creator of all things, and our Lord Jesus Christ, who bore witness to God before Pontius Pilate, we are exhorted to conduct ourselves so that Jesus’ teachings will be beyond reproach, and this will be revealed in God’s perfect timing on the Day of Judgment.
God is the sovereign King of kings and Lord of lords who alone is immortal and “dwells in unapproachable light” (1 Timothy 6:16). No mortal has ever seen or is able to see God. He is worthy of and possesses eternal honor and dominion.
The rich are warned not to be haughty or to trust in material wealth, but instead to depend upon God the creator and giver of all things for our enjoyment. The rich are “to be rich in good deeds, liberal and generous” (1 Timothy 6:18) thus building an eternal unshakable foundation, so that they may possess eternal life which is true life. Disciples are admonished to guard the Gospel they have been given, and to avoid false doctrines and what the world falsely considers knowledge, which has caused some believers to fail to receive what has been promised.
Luke Paraphrase:
One Sabbath Jesus had been invited to a dinner at the house of a Pharisee. He told his host that when the host invited friends, neighbors and relatives to dinner they would repay him by inviting him to their dinners. If the man truly wanted to do something nice he should invite the poor, the crippled and the blind. They would not be able to repay their host, but he would be rewarded at the resurrection of the righteous.
One of the guests exclaimed that those who eat bread in God’s kingdom will be blessed. Jesus responded with the parable of the great banquet. A man gave a great banquet and invited many. When all was prepared he sent his servant to call them to dinner, but they began to make excuses. One was buying a field, another had purchased a team of oxen, and another had just been married. Each asked to be excused.
When the servant reported this, his master was angry with his invited guests, and told the servant to go into the streets and invite the poor, lame and blind to the dinner instead. The servant did as instructed, but there was still room for more, so the master sent his servant to the highways to compel people to come, because the master refused to allow any of the originally invited guests to have even a taste of his banquet.
Commentary:
After the great signs and wonders God had done in bringing his people out of slavery in Egypt and saving them from their Egyptian enemy by bringing them through the Red Sea, they were still unwilling to trust and obey the Lord and enter and possess the Promised Land. Only eleven days after they had received the Covenant of Law through Moses they could have entered the Promised Land, but they let the imagined threat of the native people of the land keep them from trusting and obeying the Lord.
Consequently they were required to wander in the wilderness for forty years, until those who had been disobedient had died in the wilderness, and during that time the new generation learned to follow the Lord in obedient trust. Now God’s people were again allowed and commanded to enter and possess the Promised Land. This time they did enter and possess the land, but because they still didn’t completely trust and obey, they never received the full extent of God’s promise.
Paul warned his disciple not to be distracted by material wealth, possessions or pleasures of this world, because they will never satisfy and will not last. We should be satisfied that our basic needs of food, clothing and shelter are met, and our efforts should be directed toward what is eternal: faith, hope and love, which are only possible through obedient trust in Jesus Christ.
We should earnestly pursue the victory over the things of this world through faith (obedient trust) in Jesus. We have been given great and precious promises, but we must take hold of them and claim them if we are to receive their benefits. Christians are to conduct ourselves in ways that glorify and demonstrate the truth of Jesus and his teachings.
Those who have been blessed with material wealth and possessions are warned to put their trust only in the Lord, and to use their wealth in ways that glorify Jesus and accomplish Jesus’ purpose. Obedient trust in Jesus is the only sound foundation on which to build one’s life.
Disciples are warned to guard the scriptural apostolic Gospel, and to pass it on faithfully and accurately to others. We must not be misled by false doctrines and false teachers, nor should we be misled by what the world falsely calls “knowledge” (1 Corinthians 1:18-25; 2:6-7). False doctrine and false “knowledge” may cause “believers” (or those who profess belief) to fail to receive what the Lord has promised.
The Lord is the host of a great banquet in his eternal kingdom in heaven, and we have all been invited. All who will accept his invitation and act upon it will receive what he has promised in his invitation. Some of God’s own people, his “friends,” will fail to join him at that banquet because they have let worldly cares, pleasures, wealth and possessions interfere with their acceptance and participation. The Lord doesn’t limit his invitation to those who call themselves “Christians.” Anyone who hears the Lord’s invitation and acts upon it in faith to claim it will be accepted, and there is abundant provision for all.
All of us are spiritually poor, crippled and blind. None of us is worthy or can repay his invitation. Jesus paid, at the cross, for our admission; all we have do is to accept his invitation and act upon it in trust and obedience to his command (See God’s Plan of Salvation, sidebar, top right, home). Will you receive what the Lord has promised, or will you die eternally in the wilderness?
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)?
