Week of 7 Epiphany A
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Podcast Download: Week of 7 Epiphany A
Sunday 7 Epiphany A
First Posted February 20, 2011;
Podcast: Sunday 7 Epiphany A
Leviticus 19:1-2, 17-18 – God's People Must be Holy;
Psalm 103:1-13 – God's Steadfast Love;
1 Corinthians 3:10-11, 16-23 – Call to Holiness;
Matthew 5:38-48 – Higher Righteousness;
Leviticus Paraphrase:
The
Lord declared through Moses, that God's people (the people of Israel;
the Church) must be holy (purified from sin: disobedience of God's Word;
consecrated to God's service), because God is holy (pure and sinless).
We
are not to hate one another but instead reason with them, or we will be
guilty of sin against them. We are not to take vengeance or bear a
grudge against others, but instead love them just as we love ourselves.
This is the Lord's command.
Psalm Paraphrase:
With my
soul, may I bless the Lord and his holy name with all that is within me.
May I not ever forget all his blessings: he has forgiven all my sins,
he heals all my diseases, he redeems my soul from death and the grave,
he has anointed me with steadfast love and mercy, he will bless me with
everything good all my life long, so that my youth is renewed like that
of the eagle's.
For all those who are oppressed, the Lord works
vindication and justice. He revealed his ways to Moses and the people of
Israel. Merciful and gracious is the Lord; slow to get angry, and
overflowing with unwavering love. He does not always criticize, nor
remain angry forever. He hasn't given us the punishment our sins
deserve, or repaid us according to our iniquities. As high as the
heavens are above earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who
fear him. He removes our sin as far from us as the east is from the
west. He pities those who fear him, like any good father pities his
children.
1 Corinthians Paraphrase:
Paul was given a
commission to lay a (spiritual) foundation (of the church; by the
preaching of the Gospel of Jesus Christ) as an experienced master
builder lays a solid foundation for a building. Now others are building
on that foundation. Each worker must be careful to build soundly upon
it; there is no other foundation upon which to build but the foundation
of the Gospel of Jesus Christ (which Paul had built).
We must
realize that we are (individually and collectively) God's temple, in
whom God's Spirit dwells. God's temple is holy (free of sin; set apart
to God's service) and so we must be. God will destroy anyone who
destroys God's temple.
Let no one be deceived; if anyone wants to
become wise, let him become a fool (according to the standards of this
age) so that he may become truly wise (see 1 Corinthians 1:17-25). “For
the wisdom of this world is folly with God” (1 Corinthians 3:19a). Paul
quotes Job 5:13: “[God] catches the wise in their craftiness,” and Psalm
94:11: “The Lord knows that the thoughts of the wise are futile” (1
Corinthians 3:19b-20). So let us not boast of mankind. We do not belong
to any human teacher, but they instead belong to us, but only because we
belong to Christ, and through Christ to God.
Matthew Paraphrase:
Background:
Jesus
taught the multitudes which thronged to him, telling them that they
needed to pursue higher righteousness than merely obeying the letter of
the Law of Moses.
Text:
Jesus said that they knew the law
concerning retaliation: An eye for an eye, tooth for tooth. But Jesus
taught them not to resist evil people. If someone strikes a person on
the right cheek, that person should offer the other cheek as well. If
someone wants to take a person's cloak, that person should offer his
coat as well. If someone forces a person to go a mile with him, that
person should go a second mile as well. One should give to someone who
begs, and loan to those who ask to borrow.
Jesus said that it not
sufficient to love one's neighbors and hate one's enemies. We are to
love our enemies and pray for our persecutors. God himself gives the
blessings of sun and rain to both good and evil people. How better are
we than anyone else, when we love those who love us? How can we expect a
reward? Even the worst of people, gentiles (pagans) and tax collectors
(Jewish collaborators with the Roman occupying government), love their
friends and hate their enemies. So we must be righteous (doing what is
good, right and true, according to God's Word) as God himself is
righteous.
Commentary:
God himself is pure and sinless and
so we must be also. God is not willing to tolerate sin and rebellion
forever, or at all in his eternal kingdom, or it wouldn't be heaven.
We
are all sinners who fall short of God's standard of righteousness
(doing what is good, right, and true, according to God's Word, in the
Bible and in Jesus Christ, the living Word. Jesus is the fulfillment,
embodiment and example of God's Word lived in human flesh in this world
(John 1:1-5, 14). Only by faith (obedient trust) in Jesus can we be
cleansed of sin.
God has been teaching his people that sin can
only be forgiven by blood sacrifice (Hebrews 9:22). Under the Old
Covenant (Old Testament) of Law, priests had to continually offer animal
sacrifices for the forgiveness of the sin of the people and themselves.
Jesus has become the only sacrifice acceptable to God for our
forgiveness and salvation from eternal condemnation (see God's Plan of
Salvation, sidebar, top right, home).
Only by the blood of Jesus'
sacrifice on the cross can we be cleansed of sin, and be able to be
individually temples of the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of God, the Spirit
of Christ (Romans 8:9; note the concept of the Trinity: God the Father,
God the Son and God the Holy Spirit: one God in three persons, or
“expressions”). Only by the “baptism” of the indwelling Holy Spirit are
we able to become “living” stones from which the Church is built, upon
the cornerstone of Jesus Christ.
Only Jesus gives the baptism of
the indwelling Holy Spirit (John 1:31-34), only to his disciples who
trust and obey Jesus (John 14:15-17). Only by the baptism of the Holy
Spirit are we spiritually “born-again” to eternal life (John 3:3, 5-8).
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).
God's original Ten
Commandments (Exodus 20:1-17) were intended to restrain God's People
from doing evil, until the coming of the Messiah, Jesus Christ. Jesus
summarized the Commandment to just two: to love God, and to love others
as we love ourselves (Matthew 22:35-40). If we truly love God we will
earnestly want to obey his commandments, and if we truly love our
neighbor (anyone we encounter), we will do them no wrong, but instead
treat them just as we ourselves want to be treated (Matthew 7:12,
22:39).
The law of retribution (Exodus 21:23-25; Leviticus
24:19-20; Deuteronomy 19:21) was intended to limit retaliation to not
exceed the original offense. This is an example of how the original Ten
Commandments were modified by statute to make it possible to keep the
“letter” (though not the “spirit”) of the Law, until the coming of the
Messiah (Christ; both words mean [God's] anointed in Hebrew and Greek,
respectively).
Jesus taught a new righteousness, not based on the
keeping of the letter of the Law, but emulating the righteousness of
God based on God's Word and the example of Jesus Christ himself. The
commandment to love our neighbor goes beyond just loving our friends and
family. We are called to love our enemies and those who don't love us;
to go beyond what the Law requires; to forgive, rather than retaliating.
The
“coming” of the Messiah, Jesus, is the fulfillment of the Messianic
prophecies of the Old Testament* (Psalm 2:1-12; Isaiah 53:1-12; 2 Samuel
7:5-13; Psalm 89:20-29). Jesus came in human flesh, but he also comes
personally and individually to those who believe (who trust and obey)
Jesus, by the baptism of the indwelling Holy Spirit (John 14:17; Romans
8:9).
No one was able to keep all the Law all the time (Galatians
2:16; James 2:10). Jesus came to initiate a New Covenant (Testament) of
Grace (undeserved favor) as a free gift, to be received by faith
(Ephesians 2:8-9; Hebrews 8:8-10, 13; Jeremiah 31:31-34; Matthew
26:26-28 KJV; RSV: see note “g”). Under the New Covenant, we are freed
from the obligation of the Law, provided that we are obedient to the
guidance and empowerment of the indwelling Holy Spirit (Romans 8:1-10).
Only by the indwelling Holy Spirit are we able to do what the Law
requires, motivated by love instead of fear.
I am convinced that
Paul was deliberately intended by God to be the prototype and example of
a “modern, post-resurrection, born-again” disciple and apostle of Jesus
Christ, as we all can and should be. I believe that Paul was intended
by God to be the replacement for Judas Iscariot, Jesus' betrayer, rather
than Matthias, whom the disciples chose by lot (rather than by the
guidance of the Holy Spirit; Acts 1:15-26, which they had not yet
received), while they were supposed to be waiting for the baptism of the
Holy Spirit (Luke 24:49; Acts 1:4-5, &8). Matthias was never heard
from again, after his appointment, whereas, after Paul's conversion,
most of the rest of the New Testament is by or about Paul.
The
members of the Church are to be “living” stones to be built into the
temple of God. We are called, individually and collectively to be
“holy.” In too many instances, the nominal Church today is tolerating
“unholiness” among its leaders and members. We should not be allowing
God's grace** to become license for immorality (such as sexual sin,***
adultery, or homosexuality****) within the Church.
All who are
led by the Spirit are children of God (Romans 8:9b, 14-16). Anyone who
hasn't been spiritually born-again does not belong to Jesus.
Is
Jesus your Lord (Matthew 7:21-23; Luke 6:46)? Are you Jesus' disciple
(John 8:31)? Are you trusting and obeying Jesus (John 14:21)? Have you
received the indwelling Holy Spirit since you first truly believed (Acts
19:2)? Are you making disciples of Jesus Christ and teaching them to
obey all that Jesus commands (Matthew 28:18-20)? Do you know with
certainty where you will spend eternity (1 John 5:11-13; Ephesians
1:13-14)?
*See also:
http://www.bibleprobe.com/over-300-prophecies.pdf
**See: “Cheap Grace:” See: Ephesians 4:17-24; 1 Corinthians 6:9-20. See also: The Cost of Discipleship, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Collier Books, Macmillan Publishing Co., NY 1963 ISBN 0-02-083850-6.
***1 Corinthians 5:1-5 (6-13).
****See 1 Timothy 1:10; 1 Corinthians 6:9; Romans 1:24-27; from two Greek words meaning “men bedding (or conceiving) with men” (Strong’s #730 & 2845; see Strong’s #733); i.e., “sodomites,” after the city of Sodom, destroyed by God for its homosexual practice (Genesis 19:4-5 (24-25); men who have unnatural sexual relations with men (and, by extension, women who have unnatural sexual relations with women). The KJV translates as: “men defiling themselves with men.”
Monday Before Last Epiphany – A
To be used after the last Variable Sunday of Epiphany until Transfiguration.
First Posted 2/28/2011;
Podcast: Monday 8 Epiphany APsalm 2:6-13 – The Lord’s Anointed King;
Paraphrase:
The Lord declares that he has enthroned his “anointed” (eternal) king on Zion (the temple mount; Jerusalem; the people of God; the Church; the heavenly city), God’s holy hill.
The Lord has declared that the Christ (Messiah; both words mean “anointed” in Greek and Hebrew, respectively) is God’s (only; John 1:14b; 3:16) “begotten” Son [begotten physically by the Holy Spirit (Matthew 1:20, 23; Luke 1:34-35) and spiritually (John 1:32-34; Matthew 3:17) by the Holy Spirit (John 1:33]. God has given all nations and all people to the inheritance of Jesus Christ. God has given the power of physical and spiritual life and death over all the earth and all people to Jesus Christ. Christ’s authority is like a rod of iron against a clay pot.
The kings and rulers of earth are warned to serve the Lord with fear and trembling (having a healthy respect for the power and authority of the Lord), to avoid perishing (eternally) by the wrath of God. Those who take refuge in the Lord will be glad that they did.
Commentary:
The Lord has always been the intended King of God’s people (1 Samuel 8:5-7). When Israel asked for a human king, God allowed them to have one, although he warned them of the consequences (1 Samuel 8:11-18). The king was chosen by the “anointing” of the Lord (1 Samuel 9:15-17; 10:1-9). God has given all power and authority, in heaven and earth, to Jesus Christ (Matthew 28:18).
Jesus came to be the only sacrifice acceptable to God for the forgiveness of our sins (disobedience of God’s Word; Acts 4:12; John 14:6; see God’s Plan of Salvation, sidebar, top right) and restoration to fellowship with God and to eternal life, both lost through sin.
Jesus is the righteous Judge, who is coming again, at the end of time (this temporal age; our lifetime), to judge the living (“quickened”) and dead in both the physical and spiritual senses (1 Peter 4:5; John 5:28-29). All who have ever lived will be accountable to the Lord for what they have done in this temporal lifetime. Those who have accepted Jesus as their Lord (eternal King) and have trusted and obeyed Jesus will receive eternal life in God’s kingdom in heaven; those who have refused to accept Jesus as Lord and have not trusted and obeyed Jesus will receive eternal destruction in hell with all evil (Matthew 25:31-46; 2 Thessalonians 1: 5-10).
Jesus is the Lord of lords and King of kings, whether we recognize him as our Lord and King or not. 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 Before Last Epiphany – A
To be used after the last Variable Sunday of Epiphany until Transfiguration
First Posted March 1, 2011;
Podcast: Tuesday Before Last Epiphany AExodus 24:12, 15-18 – Moses in God’s Presence;
Paraphrase:
The Lord told Moses to come to the top of Mt. Sinai and wait, and the Lord would give Moses the Law written on stone tablets. Moses did as God commanded and the cloud (and fire; of God’s presence) settled on the top of the mountain. Moses waited and on the seventh day the Lord called to Moses from the midst of the cloud. The Glory of the Lord appeared as a “devouring fire” on the mountaintop and was visible to the Israelites waiting below. Moses entered the cloud and was on the mountaintop forty days and nights.
Moses and the Israelites were led through the wilderness by God’s presence manifested as a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night (Exodus 13:21-22). When God descended upon Mt. Sinai, he was manifested in a cloud and fire to the Israelites waiting below, but only Moses was allowed to enter into God’s presence.
Commentary:
Jesus came to make it possible, by the blood sacrifice of his body on the Cross, for us to be forgiven and cleansed of sin so that we can enter into God’s presence. Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection made it possible for us to be filled with 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 Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God, the Spirit of Christ (Romans 8:9). The Holy Spirit is the manifestation of God’s presence within us, through whom we have personal knowledge of and fellowship with the Lord. The Holy Spirit is the “pillar of cloud and fire” (Acts 2:3; Matthew 3:11) within us to guide us safely through the “wilderness of the spiritually dark night of this world, and into the eternal Promised Land of God’s eternal kingdom of heaven. 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).
God calls us to come and enter into his presence through Jesus Christ who is the only way, the only door, to God’s presence and God’s eternal kingdom. We must act at once in faith (obedient trust) in Jesus and God’s Word, and then we must be willing to wait for God’s timing.
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 Before Last Epiphany – A
To be used after the last Variable Sunday of Epiphany until Transfiguration.
First Posted March 2, 2011;
Podcast: Wednesday 8 Epiphany A2 Peter 1:16-19 (20-21) – Apostolic Doctrine;
Paraphrase:
The Gospel is not a collection of myths devised by humans, but the eyewitness testimony of the Apostles to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and his power. Peter (and James and John) were present with Jesus on the mountain at Jesus’ transfiguration, when the voice of God from heaven declared that Jesus is God’s beloved Son, with whom God was pleased. They heard and so testified. Their testimony verifies that the Old Testament prophecies have been fulfilled in Jesus Christ.
The Old Testament prophecies and the Apostolic testimony should be studied, as a light in the darkness, until we have received the indwelling Holy Spirit. The prophecy of scripture is not man’s insight or interpretation, but humans inspired by the Holy Spirit proclaimed the Word of God.
The Apostle Peter was one of the inner circle of Jesus’ disciples who was present at the Transfiguration. He witnessed Jesus’ meeting with Moses and Elijah on the mountaintop. He saw
Jesus become supernaturally radiant (Matthew 17:1-8). Peter heard the voice from heaven declare that Jesus was God’s beloved Son (Matthew 17:5). Peter testified that Jesus had declared that the prophecy of Elijah coming before the manifestation of the Messiah had been fulfilled by John the Baptist (Matthew 17:9-13). Peter witnessed that prophecy fulfilled in both events.
This Letter of 2 Peter is part of the Apostolic (as taught by the Apostles) Gospel which the Apostles had received directly from Jesus Christ, and were passing on to new believers. New believers are to study the Old Testament and the New Testament as they await “rebirth” through the gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit. The Old Testament contains the prophecies of the Messiah (Christ) and the New Testament is the eyewitness testimony of their fulfillment in Jesus Christ.
New believers are to be trained as disciples of Jesus Christ by “born-again” disciples until the new believers have been “born-again” (John 3:3, 5-8) by the gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit (2 Peter 1:19b). The gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit ends the spiritual night of eternal death and rises as the dawn and the bright morning star (compare Revelation 22:16) to give us the light of Spiritual life and insight within our hearts.
The Apostle Paul is the prototype and example of a modern “born-again” disciple and Apostle of Jesus Christ, as we all can be. Paul (formerly known as Saul of Tarsus) was confronted by the risen Jesus on the road to Damascus (Acts 9:1-4). Paul repented, accepted Jesus as Lord (Acts 9:5), obeyed Jesus’ command to wait for further instructions (Acts 9:6-9), was “discipled” by a “born-again” disciple (Acts 9:10-16), until Paul had received the Holy Spirit (Acts 9:17-18). Then he began proclaiming the Gospel (Acts 9:19-20).
Paul’s example is unique in the speed with which he was born-again and became an Apostle. The original Twelve disciples spent two and a half years with Jesus night and day and still had to wait (Luke 24:49, Acts 1:4-5, &8) until the Day of Pentecost when they were “reborn” (Acts 2:1-13). Paul had already been formally educated in the Jewish scriptures (The Old Testament) and was zealous for God. He just needed to be pointed to the Messiah, Jesus.
Once Paul had been “reborn” he was guided and empowered by the Holy Spirit, and he testified to the risen Jesus of whom he had personal experience and knowledge. He became as much an Apostle as the others.
Jesus comes to his disciples individually and personally as they trust and obey him (John 14:15-17). Only Jesus gives the gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit (John 1:31-34). 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 the temporal age, when Jesus will return to judge everyone who has ever lived (John 5:28-29). Those who have accepted Jesus as Lord and have trusted and obeyed Jesus will receive eternal life with the Lord in the eternal kingdom of heaven, but those who have rejected Jesus and have refused to obey Jesus will receive eternal condemnation and destruction in Hell (Matthew 25:31-46; 2 Thessalonians 1:5-10). No one knows when Jesus will return, but we have only this lifetime to be spiritually “reborn” and no one can be certain that one will live to see tomorrow. Today is the day of salvation; today is the day to receive Jesus and to begin learning to trust and obey him.
Is Jesus your Lord (Matthew 7:21-23; Luke 6:46)? Are you Jesus’ disciple (John 8:31)? Are you trusting and obeying Jesus (John 14:21)? Have you received the indwelling Holy Spirit since you first truly believed (Acts 19:2)? Are you making disciples of Jesus Christ and teaching them to obey all that Jesus commands (Matthew 28:18-20)? Do you know with certainty where you will spend eternity (1 John 5:11-13; Ephesians 1:13-14)?
*I believe that Paul is the one the Lord chose to take the place of Judas Iscariot, Jesus’ betrayer, not Matthias (Acts 2:12-26).
Thursday Before Last Epiphany – A
To be used after the last Variable Sunday of Epiphany until Transfiguration.
First Posted March 3, 2011;
Podcast: Thursday 8 Epiphany AMatthew 17:1-9 – Transfiguration;
Paraphrase:
Jesus took Peter, James, and John, the brother of James, and went up to the top of a mountain. Jesus was transfigured in their presence: his face became bright as the sun, and his clothes became radiant as light. Two figures, Moses and Elijah, appeared with Jesus and were talking with him.
Peter suggested that the disciples should build three booths: one each for Jesus, Moses, and Elijah. While Peter was saying this a bright cloud overshadowed and a voice from the cloud declared that Jesus was [God’s] beloved Son, that God was well pleased with him, and that the disciples should listen (hear and obey) him. The disciples were frightened by what they had heard and seen, and prostrated themselves, but Jesus came and touched them and told them not to be afraid.
When they looked around there was no one with them but Jesus. As they came down from the mountaintop Jesus told them not to tell anyone what they had witnessed “until the Son of Man is raised from the Dead” (Matthew 17:9).
Commentary:
Peter (Cephas; Simon), James and John were the three disciples of Jesus’ inner circle. They had also accompanied Jesus into the home of Jairus, when the daughter was raised from the dead (Luke 8:41-56). The Apostle Paul later stated that they were pillars of the Church in Jerusalem (Galatians 2:9). They were chosen by Jesus to witness Jesus’ transfiguration and the presence of Moses and Elijah during that transfiguration.
The scribes (teachers of the Law; the Jewish Scripture) taught that Elijah was expected to return to prepare Israel for the coming of Messiah. The three disciples asked Jesus about this on the way down from the mountaintop, and Jesus told them that John the Baptist was the fulfillment of that prophecy (Matthew 17:10-13). The three disciples had also witnessed the fulfillment of that prophecy on the mountaintop in the appearance of Moses and Elijah.
Peter suggested building three booths. Booths were temporary shelters set up during the Feast of Tabernacles (Booths) to commemorate the Israel’s wilderness experience. Booths had become a religious symbol and shrine. Peter wanted to create a memorial to Moses, the “lawgiver,” and Elijah, the great prophet, as well as Jesus, but the voice of God made it clear that Jesus was of greater magnitude than the Jewish patriarchs; Jesus was the beloved (and only begotten) Son of God, and that we are to trust and obey Jesus, rather than being loyal to the Jewish patriarchs and Jewish tradition.
The three disciples were witness to the transfiguration of Jesus and the appearance of Moses and Elijah, but were not to testify to that experience until after Jesus had been raised from the dead.
Moses’ face had become radiant after being in the presence of God on the mountaintop (Exodus 34:29-35). Jesus’ face was as radiant as the sun and his clothes were also supernaturally radiant.
Jesus’ radiance was a greater order of magnitude.
Jesus is the new spiritual “Moses.” He is not only fully human but fully divine (Colossians 2:8-9; John 20:28). Jesus is the new mediator between God and mankind. Jesus is the new leader who brings us through the spiritual wilderness into the eternal Promised Land. Jesus doesn’t just reflect God’s presence; he radiates it.
The three disciples were allowed to witness Jesus’ heavenly glory, and to testify about it after Jesus’ death and resurrection, but Jesus did not demonstrate it publicly, so that people would have the freedom to decide for themselves who Jesus is.
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 Before Last Epiphany – A
To be used after the last Variable Sunday of Epiphany until Transfiguration.
First Posted March 4, 2011;
Podcast:Friday Before Last Epiphany AIsaiah 35:3-7 – Promise of Salvation;
1 Peter 3:18-22 – Salvation through Baptism;
Isaiah Paraphrase:
Take strength, weak hands; be firm, feeble knees; be strong, fear not, fearful heart! Look and see; your God is coming with vengeance and recompense, to save you.
“Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped” (Isaiah 35:5); then the lame will leap like a [deer] (see Acts 3:8), the mute will sing for joy. Springs of water will arise in the wilderness, and streams will flow in the desert. Dry ground will be transformed into pools of water, and dry wilderness will become a swamp; reeds and rushes will replace grass.
1 Peter Paraphrase:
Christ died for sin once for all time and all people, the righteous one for the unrighteous, in order to reconcile us to God. He died in the flesh but was made alive in the spirit. He proclaimed the Gospel to those in prison who formerly did not obey God.
In the days of Noah God waited patiently during the building of the ark, by which eight people were saved through water. The Flood corresponds to Christian Baptism which now saves us through water, not as the cleansing of physical dirt from our physical bodies, “but as an appeal to God for a clear conscience through the resurrection of Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 3:21) who has entered into heaven and sits at the place of honor at God’s right hand, with authority over angels and all powers (in heaven and on earth (Matthew 28:18).
Commentary:
Throughout the Old Testament God has promised to bring forth a Savior, the Messiah. God has designed his plan of salvation into the structure of Creation from the very beginning (John 1:1-5, 14). Isaiah was a prophet to the southern kingdom of Judah, during the period of the destruction of the northern kingdom of the ten tribes, Israel.
In this text God promises to come and save those who are trusting in him, bringing vengeance on those who do not trust and obey him and who oppress his people. The Lord will come to repay everyone who has ever lived, according to what they have done in life.
One of the signs of the coming of the Messiah will be the healing of the blind, deaf, lame and mute (Isaiah 35:6a). Spiritually dry wasteland will be transformed by the living water of the Holy Spirit (John 7:37-39)
Jesus Christ is the fulfillment of God’s promised Savior, the Messiah (Christ and Messiah each mean “anointed” in Greek and Hebrew, respectively). Jesus is God’s “anointed” eternal Savior and King.
Jesus’ first coming (advent) was distinguished by the healing of the physically blind, deaf, mute and lame (Matthew 9:2-7, 27-33, Mark 7:31-37; John 5:1-9). Jesus also healed the sick and raised the dead (Luke 17:11-19; Matthew 9:18-26). The purpose of Jesus’ miracles of physical healing and restoration were intended to show that he was the promised Messiah, and that he could also heal those who are spiritually blind, deaf, mute, lame, sick, and dead.
Jesus is God in human flesh (Colossians 2:8-9; John 20:28). Jesus’ words are the Word of God (John 14:10, 24), and have the creative force of God’s Word (Matthew 8:23-26; Genesis 1:3). Jesus manifests God to those who trust and obey Jesus (Matthew 11:27; John 14:6-11 21, 23).
Jesus has promised to return on the Day of Judgment at the end of time, to judge the living (“quickened”) and the dead, in both physical and spiritual senses (1 Peter 4:5). He is coming with the recompense of God. He will save from God’s vengeance and punishment those who are trusting and obeying Jesus (see God’s Plan of Salvation, sidebar, top right), but he will condemn and eternally destroy those who have refused to accept Jesus and have refused to trust and obey him, who have opposed God and have oppressed God’s people (Matthew 25:31-46; 2 Thessalonians 1:5-10).
Jesus is the one and only blood sacrifice acceptable to God for sin for all time and all people who will accept it by faith (obedient trust) in Jesus. Jesus is the (Passover) Lamb of God (John 1:35-36); the perfect, blemish-free Lamb sacrificed for the Passover Feast, which protected God’s people from the angel of death, when God destroyed the first-born of the Egyptians (Exodus 12:5-14).
Jesus and God the Father alone are righteous; we are all unrighteous sinners (Romans 3:23; 1 John 1:8-10). We have been alienated from God because of sin. Jesus is the only way to restore us to fellowship with God and eternal life in his heavenly kingdom (Acts 4:12, John 14:6).
Jesus died in the flesh but was raised from physical death to spiritual, eternal life. In a sense we are all imprisoned by sin and death. Jesus has come to free us from sin and death and give us eternal life (Hebrews 2:14-15; John 10:10).
God once destroyed the earth by the Flood. The people were wicked and didn’t heed God’s Word of warning, but Noah did, and saved his family through God’s provision, by believing God’s Word and following God’s instruction by building the Ark (Genesis 6:5-8:22).
God has given his Word of warning that he is going to destroy the wicked, the rebellious and disobedient; this time by fire in Hell. Jesus Christ is the “Ark” which he has provided to save those who trust and obey God’s Word.
The historical Flood is also a metaphor for the waters of Baptism, through which those who trust and obey Jesus will escape destruction and receive eternal life. We are saved through Baptism by faith (obedient trust) in Jesus Christ. In Baptism we have the “promise” of Salvation, but we have to claim and “own” it through obedient trust in Jesus Christ. To all who receive Jesus (Revelation 3:20), who believe (trust and obey) in his name (character and person; i.e. God’s only begotten Son; God’s anointed Savior and eternal King), he gives the *power* (the promise and the ability) to become spiritual children of God, by the indwelling Holy Spirit, by the power and will of God (not by flesh or the effort and will of mankind; John 1:12-13).
We must be spiritually “born-again” (John 3:3, 5-8), by the gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit, which only Jesus gives (John 1:31-34), only to his disciples who trust and obey Jesus (John 14:15-17). The Holy Spirit is the seal and guarantee that one is in Christ and has eternal life (2 Corinthians 1:22; Ephesians 1:13-14; Romans 8:9b, 11, 15-16). It is possible for one to know with certainty for oneself whether or not one has received the indwelling Holy Spirit (Acts 19:2).
Those who have been “born-again” have been forgiven all their sins, and have a clear conscience in God’s judgment (Hebrews 9:13-14). God attributes to us the righteousness of Jesus Christ and we have eternal life through Jesus’ resurrection.
We who have been “born-again” can be reassured and strengthened by the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of God, the Spirit of the risen Jesus within us (Romans 8:9), as we approach the Day of Judgment. We can be confident that we will receive a share in the reward of Jesus Christ in heaven (Romans 8:17). We need not fear God’s vengeance and condemnation.
Is Jesus your Lord (Matthew 7:21-23; Luke 6:46)? Are you Jesus’ disciple (John 8:31)? Are you trusting and obeying Jesus (John 14:21)? Have you received the indwelling Holy Spirit since you first truly believed (Acts 19:2)? Are you making disciples of Jesus Christ and teaching them to obey all that Jesus commands (Matthew 28:18-20)? Do you know with certainty where you will spend eternity (1 John 5:11-13; Ephesians 1:13-14)?
Saturday Before Last Epiphany – A
To be used after the last Variable Sunday of Epiphany until Transfiguration;
First Posted March 5, 2011;
Podcast: Saturday Before Last Epiphany AJohn 12:23-36 – The Hour of Salvation;
Paraphrase:
Jesus declared that his “hour” had come for him to be glorified. Jesus compared his death to the process of sprouting seeds. Seeds must be buried in order to sprout and bear fruit. A person who loves life in this world will lose it, but one who hates his life now will keep it for eternity. Anyone who serves the Lord must follow his example and teaching. His servant will be where Jesus is, and God the Father will honor him.
Jesus’ soul was troubled at the knowledge of what was coming, and his flesh would prefer if God would save him from his crucifixion, but he recognized that this was his purpose in coming. So Jesus instead prayed that God would glorify God’s name. A voice from heaven said “I have glorified it and I will glorify it again” (John 12:28). Some who heard, thought it had thundered; others said that an angel had spoken to Jesus. Jesus said that the voice had come for the crowd’s benefit, not Jesus’.
Jesus declared that now, in Jesus’ hour, was the judgment of the world, and the ruler of this world (Satan) would be defeated and cast out. Jesus declared that when Jesus was lifted up from earth (indicating that he would die on the Cross) he would draw all people to himself. People in the crowd said that according to scripture the Christ would remain for ever, so how could Jesus say that the Son of man must be lifted up? Who is the Son of man?
Jesus replied that the light was present with them a little longer. So they should walk in the light while they had the light, so that they would not overtaken by the darkness. A person walking in darkness does not know where he is going. While the light is present, believe in the light, that you may become children of light.
Commentary:
The timing of Jesus’ coming and sacrifice were according to God’s will, not the world’s (compare John 2:4). Jesus’ death on the Cross was absolutely essential for our salvation, and would produce eternal fruit for all who receive that salvation by faith (obedient trust) in Jesus.
People who think they have everything in life the way they want it now will lose it all, but people who realize that this life is not as it should be, because of wickedness and sin, will realize that they are just passing through the “wilderness” of this present lifetime and that the destination is the eternal Promised Land of God’s kingdom in heaven. Those who are willing to die to the things of this world will live eternally; those who live for the things of this world will die eternally.
Jesus came to teach us by word and example how to be sons and daughters of God. His followers must follow his word and example. His servants will be doing what Jesus is doing, and be working where Jesus is working. Those who do so will be honored by God the Father.
Jesus was the fullness of God in human flesh (Colossians 2:8-9; John 20:28). He knew what was coming at his crucifixion, and he would have preferred not to go through that agony, but instead of doing what his flesh wanted to do he resolved to trust and obey God’s will.
At Jesus’ death on the Cross, the world has been judged and Satan has been defeated. Jesus’ Crucifixion demonstrates that mankind is sinful. We have all sinned and have made Jesus’ sacrificial death necessary for our salvation (Romans 3:23; 1 John 1:8-10). Jesus died once, for all time and all people who are willing to trust and obey Jesus for their salvation (see God’s Plan of Salvation, sidebar, top right).
Satan is the enemy of God and of our eternal souls, and his power is sin and death. He has been defeated at the Cross of Jesus Christ, because Jesus demonstrated that those who trust and obey God are raised from physical death to eternal life (Hebrews 2:14-15).
Those who trust and obey Jesus are spiritually “born-again” (John 3:3, 5-8), by the gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit, which only Jesus gives (John 1:31-34), only to his disciples who trust and obey Jesus (John 14:15-17). We have the proof within ourselves, by faith in Jesus. The Holy Spirit is the seal and guarantee that one is in Christ and has eternal life (2 Corinthians 1:22; Ephesians 1:13-14; Romans 8:9b, 11, 15-16). It is possible for one to know with certainty for oneself whether or not one has received the indwelling Holy Spirit (Acts 19:2).
The voice from heaven is the voice of God. People who trust and obey God can hear that voice, but those who don’t explain it away as some other phenomenon, or as for someone else.
People in the crowd continued to doubt Jesus’ testimony. From scripture, they believed that the Christ was to remain forever. They didn’t understand what Jesus meant about being lifted up, and they didn’t understand what Jesus meant by the “Son of man.” They needed to accept and believe what Jesus was saying, but instead they wanted proof.
Jesus referred to himself as the Son of man, which is true, but which allows his hearers to decide for themselves who Jesus is, with a hint from scripture (Daniel 7:13-14). Jesus is the “light” of righteousness (John 3:19-21), spiritual enlightenment (John 1:9), and eternal life (John 1:4-5, 8:12). Jesus told the people that they should believe and act on that light while they had the opportunity, so that they could become children of light (children of God).
Now is the hour of Salvation! Now is the time to follow Jesus’ word and example in obedient trust. Now is the time to learn to walk in the light of his righteousness, enlightenment and eternal life. Jesus is the only way to be reconciled to and know God; Jesus is divine, eternal truth; Jesus’ word and example is our only opportunity to have real, eternal life (John 14:6). Only through faith (obedient trust) in Jesus can we be saved (from our eternal condemnation and destruction by God’s judgment; Acts 4:12; Ephesians 2:8-9).
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)?
