Week of 5 Epiphany A
This is a Three-Year Lectionary based on the Lutheran Book of Worship 3-year Lectionary (for public worship), “Prayers of the Day…” (Propers), p. 13-41, Augsburg Publishing House, Minneapolis, 1978. It is based, with only minor variations, on the Revised Common Lectionary, used by many denominations, including the Episcopal, Lutheran, Presbyterian, and Methodist churches:http://www.commontexts.org/
and:
http://www.commontexts.org/rcl/ (usage)
The daily readings are the Propers (Lections) for the following Sunday, so that the daily devotions can prepare us for worship. Additional Lections are from Common Service Book of the Lutheran Church, “Scripture lessons for Matins and Vespers,” United Lutheran Church of America, General Rubrics VIII. Scripture lessons for Matins and Vespers, p. 299 – 304, Philadelphia, 1918.
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Podcast Download: Week of 5 Epiphany - A
Sunday 5 Epiphany A
First Posted February 6, 2011;
Podcast: Sunday 5 Epiphany A
Isaiah 58:5-9a - What the Lord Requires;
Psalm 112 - Fate of Righteous and Wicked;
1 Corinthians 2:1-5 - Divine Wisdom;
Matthew 5:13-20 - Law and Gospel;
Isaiah Paraphrase:
The Lord does not desire ritual fasting, the outward show of humility, bowing down before the Lord in sackcloth and ashes. That kind of fasting does not please the Lord. What the Lord desires is the freeing of those who are in bondage to wickedness and oppression. The kind of self-denial the Lord desires is for us to share our food with the hungry, our homes with the homeless, our clothing with the naked; for us not to ignore the needs of our fellow humans around us.
When we practice those kinds of self-sacrifice, the light of our righteousness will break forth like dawn in the spiritual darkness of this world. We will quickly be spiritually healed, our righteousness will be seen and acknowledged, and God will be glorified. Then, when we call upon the Lord he will hear and answer us.
Psalm Paraphrase:
Let us praise the Lord! Happy is the person who fears (has appropriate respect for the power and authority of) God, and who greatly delights in God’s Word. His descendants will be great in the land and his generation will be blessed. His family will prosper and his righteousness will endure for ever.
“Light rises in the darkness for the upright; the Lord is gracious, merciful and righteous” (Psalm 112:4). All will be well with those who conduct their affairs with justice and generosity and lend to others. Those who do what is right will prevail and be remembered for their righteousness. They need not be afraid of bad news; they will trust in the Lord and not be afraid. They will wait patiently and will see the just punishment of their enemies.
Those who have been generous and have given to the poor will be honored and their righteousness will endure for ever. The wicked will see and be angry, and hate the righteous, but they will disappear, and their desires will accomplish nothing.
1 Corinthians Paraphrase:
God wisely chose not to make himself known through what the world falsely calls wisdom (1 Corinthians 1:21), so that eternal life cannot be earned, bought, or taken by force or deception. Paul refused to make the Gospel more attractive to his hearers by lofty rhetoric or display of worldly wisdom. He just presented the truth that Jesus is the Messiah, who was crucified as the one and only sacrifice acceptable to God for our sin (disobedience of God’s Word). Although the messenger was humanly weak, the power of the message was by God’s Spirit working through Paul and within the Corinthians, so that their faith was not in human wisdom but in God’s power.
Matthew Paraphrase:
Jesus taught his disciples that they were to be the “salt” (having seasoning, purifying and preserving properties) of the earth. If salt were to lose its “salty” properties, it would be worthless.
Disciples are also to be the “light” of righteousness, spiritual insight, and true eternal life, in a spiritually dark and dying world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. One does not light a lamp and hide it under a basket or under a bed. So disciples are to shine as lights in the darkness so that others will see their good works, and praise and glorify God.
Jesus came to fulfill, not do away with the Law of Moses and the writings of the prophets (the Old Testament of the Bible; God’s Word). This world will pass away but God’s Word will endure for ever. Those who relax the least commandment and teach others to do so will be called least in God’s eternal kingdom; but those who do God’s commandments and teach others to do so will be called great in God’s kingdom. Jesus warns that our righteousness must be greater than that of the scribes (teachers of the Law) and the Pharisees (predominant legalistic faction of Judaism), or we will never enter God’s eternal kingdom.
Commentary:
God wants his people to trust and obey God’s Word. God wants obedient trust instead of religious ritual. God wants us to be kind and just in our relations with one another; to work to oppose wickedness and oppression, hunger, poverty and homelessness. That is the kind of sacrifice God desires.
God promises that when we do what he wants we will receive spiritual enlightenment and healing, so that we can bring light to others and glorify God. God promises to hear and answer our prayers and our needs when we trust and obey his will (see Conditions for Answered Prayer, sidebar, top right).
“The fear (appropriate respect for the power and authority) of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom” (Psalm 111:10). One cannot begin to know anything useful until one realizes his true relationship to God our Creator. God is the Lord of all Creation, whether we acknowledge him or not, and he has the power of eternal life or death over us.
God’s Word promises that those who trust and obey God’s Word will be blessed. They will prosper, and prevail over their enemies; they will have no fear, because they have learned that the Lord is able and faithful to protect and deliver them from any trouble or adversary. They will have light in the spiritual darkness, and grace, mercy, true eternal life, and the blessing of the Lord. They will learn that God’s commandments become a delight and a blessing to them.
All that God requires is that we love, honor and trust him enough to obey his commands, and that we love one another enough to treat them as we would want to be treated: with kindness and justice (Micah 6:8b).
Salvation from eternal condemnation and destruction is a gift from God to all who are willing to receive it by faith (obedient trust) in Jesus (Ephesians, 2:8-9), God’s only provision for our salvation (Acts 4:12; John 14:6; see God’s Plan of Salvation, sidebar, top right). Saving faith is obedient trust in Jesus Christ (Matthew 7:21-24; Luke 6:46). Just calling ourselves Christians doesn’t save us; church membership won’t save us; religious rituals won’t save us; knowing the Bible won’t save us.
The Corinthians weren’t saved by Paul’s oratorical eloquence, or by human wisdom, but by the power of God’s Spirit, as they as they accepted Jesus as the Messiah, God’s anointed eternal Savior and King, and began to trust and obey Jesus.
Jesus wants his disciples to be “salt” in the world. If his disciples don’t have distinctive properties which differentiate them from worldly people, then they are worthless, and in danger of being thrown out. The characteristic which distinguishes them from worldly people is obedient trust in God’s Word, fulfilled, embodied and exemplified in Jesus Christ, the “living Word” (John 1:1-3, 14).
Jesus’ disciples are to be “light” in the world. They become “light” as they receive the indwelling Holy Spirit, the Spirit of God, the Spirit of Christ (Romans 8:9), the “light of the World” (John 8:12), the light of spiritual enlightenment (John 1:9; 14:15-17, 26; 16:13-14), the light of God’s righteousness (John 3:19-21; Philippians 3:9), the light of eternal life (John 1:4-5; 8:12). Christians must be “re-born” by obedient trust in Jesus, through the gift of the Holy Spirit, and then by the guidance and empowerment of the Holy Spirit they are to go out into the world to be “salt” and “light.”
Jesus is not the end of the Law of Moses, the Word of God, but its fulfillment. Jesus is the fulfillment, embodiment and example of God’s Word lived out in this world in human flesh (John 1:1-3, 14). The Old Covenant of Law (the Old Testament; the Law of Moses) teaches us the righteousness which God requires, and restrains us until we have been “born-again” to spiritual, eternal life through the gift of the Holy Spirit which only Jesus gives (John 1:31-34) only to his disciples who trust and obey Jesus (John 14:15-17).
No one can fulfill the requirements of the Law, God’s Word (Romans 3:23; 1 John 1:8-10), except through faith (obedient trust) in Jesus, by his indwelling Holy Spirit (Galatians 2:16). Those who trust and obey Jesus receive the Holy Spirit and are freed from condemnation under the Law, provided that they live according to the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:1-9; see God’s Plan of Salvation, sidebar, top right).
Jesus warns that those who don’t obey God’s Word, and teach others not to obey, will be disgraced in the kingdom of God, but those who obey and teach others to do so will be glorified and rewarded in God’s eternal kingdom. There are those in the nominal “Church” today who teach salvation (from eternal condemnation) by grace (unmerited favor; a free gift) without the requirement of discipleship and obedient trust (“Cheap Grace;” see False Teachings, sidebar, top right).
Jesus also warned that those who depend upon their own keeping of the Law of Moses for their salvation, like the scribes and Pharisees, will never enter eternal life in God’s heavenly kingdom, because salvation is only by faith (obedient trust) in Jesus and “rebirth” by the gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit (see “Legalism,” False Teachings, sidebar, top right).
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 5 Epiphany A
To Be used only if there is a 6 Epiphany Sunday - Otherwise skip to 8 Epiphany.
First Posted February 7, 2011;
Podcast: Monday 5 Epiphany A
Psalm 119:1-16 -- Living According to God's Word;
Paraphrase:
Happy are those who live according to God’s Word and are blameless in his judgment. Happy are those who keep God’s commandments and earnestly seek him; who avoid wrongdoing, and follow God’s ways. God has commanded us to keep his commands with diligence and steadfastness. Then we will have no reason to be ashamed, because we have committed ourselves to keep all of God’s commandments. When we have learned his righteous ordinances we will be able to praise the Lord with an upright heart. Let us be committed to keeping God’s laws, so that the Lord will not completely forsake us.
“How can a young man [person] keep his way pure? By guarding it according to thy Word” (Psalm 119:9). Let us seek the Lord with all our hearts, and not stray from obedience to his teachings. “I have laid up thy Word in my heart, that I might not sin against thee” (Psalm 119:11). May the Lord be blessed and may he teach me his ways. I will proclaim thy Word. I will delight in God’s Word as much as all riches. I will meditate on God’s Word and live according to his teachings. Let me not forget his Word.
Commentary:
God has designed this Creation for a purpose. From the very beginning God has always intended to create an eternal kingdom of his people who willingly choose to trust and obey God. In order to give us the freedom to choose whether or not to obey God, he designed this Creation with the possibility of sin (disobedience of God’s Word), but God is not going to tolerate disobedience and rebellion in his eternal kingdom. God has set a time-limit on this Creation and our lifetimes. This lifetime is our opportunity to learn to know, trust and obey God.
God knew that by giving us the choice, we would all sin and come short of his righteousness (Romans 3:23; 1 John 1:8-10), and the penalty for sin is eternal death (Romans 6:23). But God loves us and doesn’t want anyone to perish eternally (John 3:16-17; Romans 5:8), so he provided forgiveness of sin and salvation from eternal condemnation as a free gift to all who are willing to accept it through faith (obedient trust) in Jesus Christ (Ephesians 2:8-9). Jesus is God’s only provision for our forgiveness and salvation (Acts 4:12; see God’s Plan of Salvation, sidebar top right).
This lifetime is our opportunity to seek God our Creator and come to personal knowledge of and fellowship with God (Acts 17:26-27), and this is only possible through faith in Jesus Christ (John 14:6). God wants to be found by us (Matthew 7:7). He wants us to know his purpose for Creation, so he has revealed it in the Bible, and in Jesus Christ, the Messiah (Christ and Messiah each mean “anointed” in Greek and Hebrew respectively; i.e. God’s chosen and designated eternal Savior and King).
Jesus is the fulfillment, embodiment and example of God’s Word, lived out in this world in human flesh (John 1:1-3, 14). Jesus’ word is the Word of God (John 14:10, 24). Jesus has promised to reveal himself and God the Father to his disciples who trust and obey Jesus (John 14:21, 23).
This lifetime is our only opportunity to be spiritually “reborn” to eternal life (John 3:3, 5-8), and this is only possible through obedient trust in Jesus Christ. Only Jesus gives the gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit (John 1:31-34), only to his disciples who trust and obey Jesus (John 14:15-17). The Holy Spirit is the seal and guarantee that one is in Christ and has eternal life (2 Corinthians 1:22; Ephesians 1:13-14; Romans 8:9b, 11, 15-16).
There is a Day of Judgment coming at the end of this temporal age (and our lifetimes). Everyone who has ever lived will be accountable to God for what they have done in this lifetime. Those who have trusted and obeyed Jesus will receive eternal life in the kingdom of heaven in a new, perfect Creation freed of sin and death. Those who have refused to accept Jesus and have not trusted and obey him will be condemned to eternal destruction in hell with all evil.
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 5 Epiphany A
To Be used only if there is a 6 Epiphany Sunday - Otherwise skip to 8 Epiphany.
First Posted February 8, 2011;
Podcast: Tuesday 5 Epiphany A
Deuteronomy 30:15-20 – Our Choice;
Paraphrase:
God has set before us a choice of either life and good, or death and evil. God will bless with life and prosperity in the land he promised to give us, if we obey God's Word (his commandments, in the Bible, and in the word and example of Jesus Christ, the “living Word,” fulfilled embodied, and exemplified in Jesus Christ (John 1:1-5, 14). Those who refuse to hear and obey God's Word, and are drawn to worship and serve idols (some modern examples are success, wealth, possessions, pleasure, or self; anything we love as much as or more than God) will perish eternally; instead of living forever in the Promised Land (of heaven) which God has promised to give us, “over the Jordan River” (the “river” of physical death).
Heaven and earth bear witness: God's prophets (those who declare God's Word fully and accurately) have made our choice of life or death, blessing or curse, known to us. So let us choose life for ourselves, and our choice will influence our descendants lives, that we may live in obedience and adhere closely to the Lord, because that will mean true and long (eternal) life for us in the land God has promised to our spiritual forefathers.
Commentary:
The history of God's dealings with Israel were intended to be metaphors for life in this world. The history of Israel's exodus from Egypt is an illustration. Jesus is the “New Moses, who leads his people out of bondage to sin and death under “Pharaoh” Satan) in the “Egypt” of this present world order, separating us from our spiritual enemies through the “sea” of baptism into Jesus Christ, through the “wilderness” of this lifetime, by the pillar of fire and cloud (the “baptism” of the indwelling Holy Spirit), through the “river” of physical death, and into the eternal “Promised Land” of God's kingdom in Heaven.
God has always intended to produce a kingdom of his people who willingly choose to obey God. This lifetime is our opportunity to choose whether to trust and obey God, and the opportunity to learn from trial and error that God's way is our best interest. This Creation has been designed to allow for the possibility for sin, so that we would have free choice. But God will not tolerate rebellion forever, or at all in his eternal kingdom, so this Creation and we ourselves have been limited by time.
God has made his Word known to us in the Bible, and in the “living Word,” Jesus Christ, the fulfillment, embodiment and example of God's Word lived in human flesh, in this world. We have been given a choice, whether to live according to God's Word, and be “born-again” (John 3:3, 5-8) in this lifetime by the “baptism” of the indwelling Holy Spirit, which only Jesus gives (John 1:31-34), only to his disciples who trust and obey Jesus (John 14:15-17). The baptism of the Holy Spirit is a personally discernible, ongoing, daily experience (Acts 19:2). 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), or to live according to our own will, and receive eternal condemnation and death in Hell with all evil, separated eternally from the Lord, who is the source of life and every good thing.
Faith (obedient trust) in Jesus is the only way to be saved from eternal damnation, the only way to know divine eternal truth, which is unlike what the world falsely considers truth (1 Corinthians 1:18-25; 2:1-8), and the only way to obtain true eternal life (John 14:6; Acts 4:12). This lifetime is our only opportunity to learn to trust and obey Jesus and to be spiritually “reborn” to eternal life. At the moment of our physical death, or at the advent of some mental impairment such as stroke or dementia, our eternal destinies will be fixed and unalterable.
“Jesus” is the Greek equivalent of the Hebrew name “Joshua.” Jesus is the “New Joshua,” who can lead us through the “river” of physical death and into the eternal “Promised Land” without getting our feet “wet” (Joshua 3:7-8, 13-17); without being affected by physical death. People who try to pass over without Jesus, won't make it, any more than the Egyptian army was able to pass through the Red Sea on dry ground (Exodus 14:36-41; 15:19).
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 5 Epiphany A
To Be used only if there is a 6 Epiphany Sunday - Otherwise skip to 8 Epiphany.
First Posted February 9, 2011;
Podcast: Wednesday 5 Epiphany A
1 Corinthians 2:6-13 – Spiritual Wisdom;
Paraphrase:
Spiritually mature (“born-again;” John 3:3, 5-8) Christians proclaim spiritual wisdom, which cannot be understood by worldly, “unregenerate” (“un-born-again”) people, but only those who have been spiritually “reborn” by the “baptism” of the indwelling Holy Spirit. What the world falsely calls wisdom (1 Corinthians 1:18-25), is doomed to pass away (die eternally), along with worldly leaders, and worldly people. The divine, spiritual wisdom that mature, born-again Christians proclaim is the secret, hidden wisdom of God (the redemption which is only in Jesus), which God designed into Creation from the very beginning, so that we can be glorified. Worldly leaders and people (those under the influence of Satan and demonic powers) didn't know this or they would not have crucified Jesus, who is Lord (one who has power and authority; a master; a ruler; a governor; a prince; a proprietor) of glory (the place and the attribute). So they were defeated by Jesus' crucifixion (Colossians 2:14-15).
This is the fulfillment of Isaiah's prophecy (Isaiah 64:4), of what God has prepared for those who love (believe in -trust and obey- the promises of God's Word, and wait for them) the Lord, although no human has seen, heard, nor imagined what that fulfillment will be like. These things are revealed to us through (the baptism of) the indwelling Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit knows everything, even the deepest things of God. The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God (the Spirit of Christ: Romans 8:9); and who knows God's thoughts more fully than God's own Spirit? Believers receive the baptism of the indwelling Holy Spirit, which is from God, not a worldly spirit (of Satan; demonic), so that we can understand the gifts of God given through the Spirit. So born-again teachers teach not their own human wisdom but the spiritual wisdom which has been given to them through the indwelling Holy Spirit, interpreting spiritual truth to those who possess the Spirit.
Commentary:
God has designed Creation so that it is impossible to come to know and have fellowship with God through human wisdom (1 Corinthians 1:21), but only by faith (obedient trust) in God's Word, in the Bible and in Jesus Christ, the “living Word” (John 1:1-5, 14). To unbelievers, the Word of God seems foolish; it makes no earthly sense to them because they are spiritually blind and are perishing eternally (1 Corinthians 1:18-21).
Humans cannot know divine, eternal, spiritual truth except as it is revealed to them by and through the indwelling Holy Spirit. God has designed this temporal Creation as a “garden” in which to “grow” obedient, trusting people for his eternal kingdom.
We are all born physically into this world, but are spiritually “un-born.” This temporal lifetime is our only opportunity to be spiritually “born-again” (John 3:3, 5-8) to true, eternal life, and this is only possible through faith in Jesus Christ.
Jesus is God's only provision for forgiveness of our sin (disobedience of God's Word), restoration to fellowship with God which was broken by sin, and for eternal life (John 14:6; Acts 4:12). Jesus has been designed into Creation from the very beginning (John 1:1-5, 14).
Only Jesus baptizes with the indwelling Holy Spirit (John 1:31-34), only his disciples who trust and obey Jesus (John 14:15-17). The baptism of the indwelling Holy Spirit is a personally discernible, ongoing, daily experience (Acts 19:2). 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).
Those who were of the world tried to destroy Jesus by crucifying him, but if they had known the secret, hidden wisdom of God they would not have crucified Jesus. By crucifying Jesus they actually helped fulfill God's plan, so crucifying Jesus was against their own self-interest.
No one can see, know or imagine what God has prepared for his obedient, trusting people. This Creation was created to be very good (Genesis 1:31a). But God wanted us to have the freedom to choose whether to trust and obey him or not, so he allowed for the possibility for sin (disobedience of God's Word).
The bad things that exist in this world are caused by human sin. Creation will be restored to perfect paradise in God's eternal kingdom in Heaven. People who don't trust and obey God won't be allowed in. Heaven will be the perfect paradise that this world could have been if all had chosen to trust and obey God. We believe that, without being able to see, hear, or imagine it.
The baptism of the indwelling Holy Spirit is the “first-fruit,” the “down-payment,” the “security-deposit' from God to us, guaranteeing spiritual, eternal life. We experience, now, a small taste of the love and fellowship we will have with the Lord in eternity.
People who have not received the baptism of the Holy Spirit and have not experienced the love and fellowship with the Lord, now, in this world, can't understand spiritual things, because they are only understood by the help of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit opens the minds of believers to understand the scripture (the Bible; Luke 24:45), teaches us all things (all spiritual truth) and recalls to our minds all that Jesus teaches (John 14:26) He will declare all the things to come (John 16:13; the test of God's Word is its fulfillment; Deuteronomy 18:21-22; God's Word is always fulfilled, and is fulfilled over and over as the conditions for its fulfillment are met).
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 5 Epiphany A
To Be used only if there is a 6 Epiphany Sunday - Otherwise skip to 8 Epiphany.
First Posted February 10, 2011;
Podcast: Thursday 5 Epiphany A
Matthew 5:20-37 – Higher Righteousness;
Paraphrase:
Jesus
declared that our righteousness (doing what is right, good, and true,
according to God's Word, the Bible, and in the teaching and example of
Jesus Christ, the “living Word,” fulfilled, embodied and exemplified:
John 1:1-3, 14) must exceed that of the religious leaders of Judaism at
the time of Jesus' physical coming, in order to enter God's eternal
kingdom in heaven.
As examples of
higher righteousness, Jesus said that one should not merely avoid actual
physical murder; one should not even be angry, insult or curse a
“brother” (“neighbor;” any other person) or will be held guilty in the
Day of Judgment. So if one wants to give an offering to the Lord, but is
estranged from his brother, one should first seek reconciliation with
his brother before making an offering to God. If someone is accused and
summoned to refute the accusation before a judge, one should try to
settle the matter with his accuser before they get to court. Otherwise
the accused may be found guilty and will be sent to prison, where he
will never get out until he has made full restitution.
Commentary:
Jesus
criticized the leaders of Judaism at the time, for keeping the letter
of the Law of Moses (the Old Testament books of Moses), but violating
the spirit of the Law. The Commandment to not kill another person is
fulfilled by not harming the person in any way.
The
Law was given to Moses by God, to restrain evil among God's people
until the coming of the Messiah (Christ), and to teach them the standard
of righteousness that God requires. The Jews expanded the Ten
Commandments into books full of laws to more narrowly define the
meanings of the Commandments, so they could appear to fulfill them and
excuse exceptions.
One of the
purposes of the Law of Moses was to show that, even with man-made
exceptions, it was
impossible for humans to keep all the Law all of the
time. Failure to keep the Law at any point made one guilty of sin
(disobedience of God's Word; see James 2:10). Sacrifices had to be made
continually, because God's people couldn't keep the Law by their own
ability.
Jesus is the Christ, the
Messiah, the Savior designed into Creation from the very beginning (John
1:1-5, 14). We are all sinners, and have fallen short of God's standard
of righteousness (Romans 3:23; 1 John 1:8-10). Jesus is God's only
provision for the forgiveness of our sin, salvation from eternal death
(which is the penalty for sin; Romans 6:23), and restoration of
fellowship with God our Creator, which was broken by sin (Acts 4:12;
John 14:6; see God's Plan of Salvation, sidebar, top right, home).
With
the giving of the Law, God provided a system of blood sacrifice to
teach his people that there is no forgiveness of sin without the
shedding of blood (Hebrews 9:22). When Jesus was crucified, his blood
sacrifice on the cross became the one and only sacrifice acceptable to
God for the forgiveness of sin.
Jesus'
death on the cross makes it possible to be spiritually cleansed by
faith (obedient trust) in Jesus, so that we can become temples of the
indwelling Holy Spirit. Only Jesus “baptizes” with the indwelling Holy
Spirit (John 1:31-34), only his disciples who trust and obey Jesus (John
14:15-17). The baptism of the indwelling Holy Spirit is a personally
discernible, ongoing, daily experience (Acts 19:2). 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). Jesus came
and died to make it possible for us to be spiritually “born-again”
(John 3:3, 5-8) to eternal life now, in this lifetime (John 16:7), so
that we can enter God's eternal kingdom in heaven.
We
can fulfill the Law only by the baptism of the indwelling Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit makes it possible for us to know and fulfill God's Word.
The Lord gives his indwelling Holy Spirit only to those who are
committed to living according to the guidance and empowerment of the
Holy Spirit (Romans 8:1-9). We are judged “righteous” by faith in Jesus,
not by any righteousness of our own (Romans 3:22; Philippians 3:9;
Galatians 2:16).
This temporal
lifetime is intended by God to allow us the time and opportunity to
seek, find and have fellowship with God our Creator (Acts 17:26-27).
This is only possible through faith in Jesus Christ (John 14:6). This
lifetime is intended to provide us with time and opportunity to learn by
trial and error that God's will is good, possible, and our best
interest (Romans 12:2).
Unfortunately,
Christianity today is in the same condition as Judaism at the time of
Jesus' first advent (coming). Religious leaders are defining and
teaching, by word and example, God's Word, in the narrowest possible
way. There are two major heresies in the nominal Church today which were
present in the Church in the first century, and are refuted in the New
Testament. One is “legalism,” which is teaching that one must keep the
Law of Moses and do “good deeds” according to the Law, in order to be
saved from eternal condemnation. The other is “Cheap Grace,” which is
teaching that salvation is by grace (a free gift; unmerited favor; which
is true), but without the requirement of obedient trust in Jesus
(false; see False Teachings, sidebar, top right, home). One can see from
this text today that these teachings are contrary to the Gospel of
Jesus Christ.
There is a Day of
Judgment coming, when Christ has promised to return to judge the living
(“quickened”) and dead in both physical and spiritual senses (1 Peter
4:5; John 5:28-29). Jesus is the righteous judge and the standard of
judgment by whom all will be judged. Those who have accepted Jesus as
Lord (one who has power and authority; a master; a ruler; a governor; a
prince; a proprietor), and have trusted and obeyed Jesus will have been
born-again in this lifetime and will enter eternal life in God's kingdom
in Heaven. Those who have rejected Jesus' Lordship, and have refused or
failed to trust and obey him, will be “un-born-again” (“unregenerate”),
and will be condemned to eternal destruction in Hell with all evil
(Matthew 25:31-46; 2 Thessalonians 1:5-10).
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 5 Epiphany A
To Be used only if there is a 6 Epiphany Sunday - Otherwise skip to 8 Epiphany.
First Posted February 11, 2011;
Podcast:Friday 5 Epiphany A
Isaiah 61:10-11 – Mission to Zion;
Background:
This portion of Isaiah was probably written right before the fall of Babylon to Cyrus of Persia (October 29, 539 B. C.) and during the following generation. Chapters 56-66 were probably written between 530-510, around the time of the return of Judah from exile in Babylon (about 517 B.C.)*.
Paraphrase:
Because the Lord has clothed us with the garments of salvation and righteousness, like a bride adorns herself with jewelry and the groom wears a garland, let us rejoice greatly in the Lord and exalt our God.
In the sight of all the nations, the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise to spring forth, like the earth brings forth new shoots, and as a garden causes seeds to sprout and grow.
Commentary:
The “baptism” of the indwelling Holy Spirit is the “garment” of salvation and righteousness which all must have to attend the wedding feast of the bride (the Church) and the “Lamb,” (the bridegroom; Jesus) in heaven. That feast is the fulfillment of the Lord's Supper (Holy Communion; Eucharist), the “New Passover,” which Jesus instituted on the night of his betrayal and arrest (Matthew 26:26-29), the eve of his crucifixion.
Jesus' sacrificial death on the cross provides us with the garment of salvation and righteousness, which we receive by faith (obedient trust) in Jesus. We are all sinners and fall short of God's standard of righteousness (Romans 3:23; 1 John 1:8-10), and the penalty for sin (disobedience of God's Word) is (eternal) death (Romans 6:23). Jesus is God's one and only provision for the forgiveness of our sin, our salvation from eternal death, and restoration to fellowship with God which was broken by sin (Acts 4:12; John 14:6; see God's Plan of Salvation, sidebar, top right, home).
We can't earn, buy or take salvation and righteousness by force or deception (Ephesians 2:8-9). Our righteousness is attributed to us by God by the baptism of the indwelling Holy Spirit, which only Jesus gives (John 1:31-34), only to his disciples who trust and obey Jesus (John 14:15-17). The baptism of the indwelling Holy Spirit is a personally discernible, ongoing, daily experience (Acts 19:2). The Holy Spirit is the seal and guarantee that one is in Christ and has eternal life (2 Corinthians 1:22; Ephesians 1:13-14; Romans 8:9b, 11, 15-16).
The baptism of the indwelling Holy Spirit is the anointing with the “oil of gladness” (Psalm 45:7). It is only possible to truly praise and rejoice in the Lord by the indwelling Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:3; Romans 8:15-17).
This temporal Creation has always been intended by God to be a garden for the “sprouting and growing” of his spiritual children. This lifetime is our opportunity to seek and come to fellowship with God (Acts 17:26-27), and this is only possible through faith in Jesus. Christians are by definition disciples of Jesus Christ, who have been “born-again” to spiritual, eternal life, by the baptism of the indwelling Holy Spirit, the way that a seed is similarly born again to new life as a seedling, and grows to spiritual maturity at the Day of Judgment at Christ's Second Coming.
Christ's promised Second Coming will be the spiritual harvest of God's “garden” (Matthew 13:24-30, 37-43). Jesus will judge the “living” (“quickened”) and “dead” in both physical and spiritual senses (1 Peter 4:5; John 5:28-29). Every one who has ever lived in this Creation will be accountable to the Lord for what we have done individually in this lifetime; those who have accepted Jesus as Savior and Lord (one who has power and authority; a master; a ruler; a governor; a prince; a proprietor), and have trusted and obeyed Jesus will have been spiritually born again to eternal life, now, in this lifetime, and will enter God's eternal kingdom, paradise restored, in Heaven. Those who have rejected Jesus as Savior and Lord, who have refused or failed to trust and obey Jesus will be condemned to eternal death and destruction in Hell with all evil (Matthew 25:31-46; 2 Thessalonians 1:5-10).
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)?
*The Oxford Annotated Bible, Revised Standard Version, Ed. by Herbert G. May and Bruce M. Metzger, Introduction to Isaiah, p. 822, New York, Oxford University Press, 1962.
Saturday 5 Epiphany A
To Be used only if there is a 6 Epiphany Sunday - Otherwise skip to 8 Epiphany.
First Posted February 12, 2011;
Podcast: Saturday 5 Epiphany A
2 Corinthians 4:5-6 – Face of Christ;
Matthew 11:25-27 – Revealing God
2 Corinthians Paraphrase:
Paul (and all “born-again” apostles -messengers of the Gospel) are preaching the Lordship of Jesus Christ, rather than themselves, as servants of Jesus Christ on behalf of their hearers. God, the Creator of heaven and earth, by his Word, commanded light to shine forth in darkness (Genesis 1:3), and has caused the light of the knowledge of the Glory of God in the face of Christ, to shine in our hearts.
Matthew Paraphrase:
Jesus upbraided the cities where he had done most of his miracles, because they had seen but had not repented. Then Jesus thanked God the Father that God had, by his gracious will, hidden divine eternal truth for those who consider themselves sophisticated and wise by worldly standards, and had revealed them to those whom the world regarded as intellectually immature. Jesus declared that God had given Jesus all power and wisdom. Nobody knows God the Father except Jesus, and those to whom Jesus chooses to reveal him.
Commentary:
God's first act of Creation was to call forth light by the creative power of his Word (Genesis 1:3). God created light to enlighten darkness in physical, intellectual and spiritual senses. Light is deliberately intended by God to symbolize righteousness (doing what is right, good, and true according to God's Word; John 3:19-21), enlightenment, in the intellectual and spiritual senses (John 1:9), and true, eternal life (John 1:1:4; notice how John 1:1-5 follows the structure of Genesis 1:1-5).
Light also seems to be the built-in speed limit of this temporal Universe. According to my 1960's high school education in physics, time slows down as one approaches the speed of light. Mankind does not seem to be able to go faster than the speed of light; and at the speed of light time apparently stops: the definition of eternity.
Jesus is the image of the invisible God made visible in human flesh. Jesus was fully human, and also fully God (Colossians 2:8-9; John 14:7-10). No one has seen or can see God; Jesus has revealed him (John 1:18). Jesus is the fullest revelation of God to the world.
The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God, the Spirit of Christ (Romans 8:9; note the Holy Trinity: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit). Jesus promises to manifest himself to his obedient, trusting disciples (John 14:21). Only Jesus baptizes (“anoints”) with the indwelling Holy Spirit (John 1:31-34, only his disciples who trust and obey Jesus (John 14:15-17). By the indwelling Holy Spirit we have a personal, daily relationship with God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ. The anointing of the indwelling Holy Spirit is a personally discernible, ongoing, daily experience (Acts 19:2). The Holy Spirit is the seal and guarantee that one is in Christ and has eternal life (2 Corinthians 1:22; Ephesians 1:13-14; Romans 8:9b, 11, 15-16).
We can see the see and know the supernatural glory of God in Jesus' face, as when the three disciples of Jesus' inner circle experienced it when Jesus was transformed on the mountaintop (Matthew 17:1-8).
Is Jesus your Lord (Matthew 7:21-23; Luke 6:46)? Are you Jesus' disciple (John 8:31)? Are you trusting and obeying Jesus (John 14:21)? Have you received the indwelling Holy Spirit since you first truly believed (Acts 19:2)? Are you making disciples of Jesus Christ and teaching them to obey all that Jesus commands (Matthew 28:18-20)? Do you know with certainty where you will spend eternity (1 John 5:11-13; Ephesians 1:13-14)?
