Friday, May 13, 2022

Mark 1:21-24

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21 Jesus and his followers went to Capernaum. On the Sabbath day He went to the synagogue and began to teach. 22 The people were amazed at his teaching, because he taught like a person who had authority, not like their teachers of the law. 23 Just then, a man was there in the synagogue who had an evil spirit in him. He shouted, 24 “Jesus of Nazareth! What do you want with us? Did you come to destroy us? I know who you are—God’s Holy One!” ~ Mark 1:21-24

Capernaum was the hometown of brothers, Andrew and Simon Peter. It was a city of about 10,000 people. Ten miles from Capernaum was Tiberius which was famous for its mineral hot springs. These hot springs had medicinal properties, and, the people came from all over the area to bathe hoping to be healed from their ailments. As we shall see, the Lord Jesus performed many miracles in this seemingly insignificant area up north.

According to v.21 of today's passage, there came a day when the Lord Jesus went into the synagogue and taught the people. Teaching is the primary means by which the Lord Jesus liberates us. It is in the changing of our minds to think as He, that we are truly set free from the false. And, the most preferred way of the Lord to change our minds is through the verse by verse teaching of His word.

According to v.22 the people were amazed at the teaching of the Lord Jesus because He did not teach like their religious teachers. The people were familiar with truth but they had moved so far from it that they were amazed when they were confronted by it. As we have, they discovered the words of the Lord Jesus were full of life. This is why you and I are drawn to His words when we hear Him. They understood that the Lord Jesus knew the secrets of life. This means that we must measure everything by the truth, what the Lord Jesus has said about any subject. 

For 2000 years we have possessed the complete answer to the restless and fruitless yearning of the human soul. In His Word, God has given us the tools we need for a satisfying life. This is why the people in the synagogue at Capernaum that day were amazed at His teaching. His words are always pregnant with truth that resonates within the human soul.

According to v.23-24, the Lord Jesus taught with such insight that a demon who had possessed a man was tortured by the truth that He spoke. This is what caused the demon to lash out at the Lord Jesus in a fit of rage. As we will see, when this demon was forced to leave the person he was inhabiting, he left reluctantly. But he had to go, as we shall see because he was confronted by a superior power. This is the first of seven times in the Gospels that the Lord Jesus cast a demon out of someone. 

Throughout all of time, the only name demons have ever feared is the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. This is the first of at least 3 times when demons identified the Lord Jesus as the Son of God. In the demonic world, unlike the world of sinful men, there are no atheists! These demons knew exactly with whom they were dealing and that gives credence to the identity of the Lord Jesus as God.

So, in v.24 of today's passage, a pattern is established that will continue throughout Mark’s gospel: the demonic world never failed to identify the Lord Jesus for who He is: the Son of God. The forces of evil have always known His identity and they are often not quiet about it. Today's passage reveals it was the goal of Mark to tell and to show us the identity of the Lord Jesus. This only reinforces the fact that the Lord Jesus is the sovereign God and we can trust Him with our very lives. And, like the very first disciples, when we see Him for who He really is, we will be known as His disciples.

Discipleship is different for all of us. God taylors the truth for us for where we are in our development. He doesn't change the truth, but He trains us all differently by it. This is what I mean when I say He taylors the truth for each of us. God formed each one of us lovingly and intentionally. We are not just "accidents-of-nature." In fact, God caused, involved and utilized unique purposes, plans, and designs that led to our existence. 

According to Psalm 139, God was and is personal involvement in making each of us. In Psalm 139 certain phrases are used to capture the idea of God's nurture and creativity when He fashioned us in our mothers womb. He used phrases like "knit together" and "fearfully and wonderfully made" and "woven together" to communicate this idea. God created us with certain purposes and destinies in mind. He even determined the number of days we would live on this earth. And, God's ultimate purpose for our lives is that we would bring glory to Him by enjoying a personal and eternal relationship with Him, now.

Unfortunately, there are many who are convinced that their life is not important or are useless. Some even consider themselves a burden to society, thinking it would have been better if they had never been born. Nothing could be further from the truth! God has created each of us in a way that is unique and special. Each of us is designed in a way that no one else is, and, God desires to accomplish His good works in each of us and through each of us for the good of others.


Thursday, May 12, 2022

Mark 1:19-20

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"19 When he had gone a little farther, he saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John in a boat, preparing their nets. 20 Without delay he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men and followed him." ~ Mark 1:19-20

Today, we come to the call of the sons of Zebedee. The call of the Lord upon James & John to be His disciples was much like the call of brothers, Simon Peter & Andrew. In both cases, the Lord Jesus walks along the sea of Galilee and invites them to follow Him. The difference for James and John is that they left their father and the family’s hired servants. For James and John, the call of the Lord Jesus took precedence over both family and wealth.
 

Following the Lord Jesus Christ not only means submitting to His vision for our lives, it also means allowing Him to correct our understanding of life as we learn to walk with Him. The Lord Jesus will overturn our preconceptions of what He is all about and open our eyes to see life as He defines it. The Lord Jesus tells us to follow Him in order to give us His vision for our lives. He took fishermen and turned them into fishermen of a different kind. Like them, this call from the Lord Jesus connects with our experiences, our natural makeup, and resonates with our natural passions.

In order for this to happen, we must first present ourselves to Him, daily. This means we must make it our habit to listen to Him while reading His Word and as we live our every day lives. If we spend time with Him, He will share His passion with us. After a while of this, we will begin to recognize His impact on our lives and we will care about what He cares about.
 

In addition, we must be diligent to watch for opportunities with people whom He brings into our daily lives. Learning to be sensitive and attentive to "coincidences" that have His fingerprints all over them is a must for the disciple in the making. As a result of sticking close to the Lord Jesus, He’ll put the right things on our hearts and get us moving in the right direction at the right time. He will shape us for His call on our lives. He is our Shepherd who will lead us in the way of our every day lives with Him. 

In Mark 1:14-15 the Lord Jesus came preaching the kingdom of God. If we didn't have the other gospels, we would think that the Lord Jesus was just walking by the Sea of Galilee and happens to come across some men fishing. He calls out to these men to follow Him & they walk away from their livelihood in order to follow Him. But, when we compare the other gospels to Mark's, we learn that this wasn't Peter's first encounter with the Lord Jesus. 

In John 1:35-42 we discover that Peter & Andrew had already met the Lord Jesus. They had profited from the ministry of John the Baptist and they had accompanied the Lord Jesus at a wedding in Cana. In John 1 the calling of the disciples was a call to believe in Christ for salvation, the initial forgiveness of sins. A year later, here in Mark 1, we see that this is a different call. This is the call of the Lord Jesus to these men to follow Him as His disciples.  

Discipleship happens in our lives after we have been forgiven of our sins and we have entered into a relationship with the Lord Jesus. Discipleship is another word for sanctification. Discipleship happens after justification and within sanctification. Lacking the understanding that a year goes by from John 1 to Mark 1 has caused many to not understand the difference between justification (forgiveness of sin) and sanctification (the process whereby we learn that His way in this life is better than ours). This lack of understanding has caused most of the heresy that has been born in the church since the time of Christ.

Discipleship or sanctification is a process whereby we are getting to know the Lord for ourselves and He is changing our souls which is made up of our minds, our wills, and our emotions. And, our souls and our spirits are not the same. After we came into a relationship with God by believing that the Lord Jesus is our savior and our sins were forgiven on the basis of Christ's finished work on the cross, we enter into this process whereby God begins altering our identity through the changing of our souls.

So, the Bible presents the theology of sanctifying grace, that although the power of sin has been broken, the presence of sin still remains and is being progressively dealt with by the Lord. This happens because even though God loves us just as we are, He is not willing to remain as we are. God is not satisfied for you and me to live in the actual condition of our sin, even though our legal standing before Him has changed through our relationship with His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.

One thing God uses in addition to His Word to change us is conviction which is not the same as judgment. Conviction is God wrapping His arms around us and drawing us nearer to Himself. He uses His Word to move us along, to set goals of grace for us, to remind us of what we should love and what we should hate, and what we should desire and how we should live and how we should speak. Sanctification is the influence on our lives, so that our souls are changed. The ultimate goal of our sanctification is the influence of our lives on the lives of others. This is what it means to be the disciple of the Lord Jesus.

Wednesday, May 11, 2022

Mark 1:16-18


16 As Jesus was walking along the shore of Lake Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew. They were fishermen and were casting their nets into the lake. 17 Jesus said to them, “Follow me! I will teach you how to bring in people instead of fish.” 18 Right then the two brothers dropped their nets and went with him. ~ Mark 1:16-18

In Mark 1:4-8 we hear the voice of John the Baptist in the wilderness. In Mark 1:11 we hear the voice of God from the heavens. In Mark 1:16-20 we hear the voice of the Lord Jesus by the sea. The emphasis is obviously on the voice. And, as will become obvious later, the voice we choose to listen to on a day by day basis. In our passage today, we are introduced to two fishermen, Simon Peter and Andrew, who had each missed out on becoming a disciple to some Rabbi. In that day there were four steps involved in becoming a disciple: Beth Sefer, Beth Maddish, Beth Talmid, and the Yoke. These were the four steps to becoming a disciple which is synonymous with sanctification.

In step one, the children began their study at age 4 or 5, memorizing the Torah, the first five books of the Bible. In step two, the best students continued their studies being taught by a Rabbi of the community. During this time, they memorized the whole Old Testament until they were fifteen years old. In step three, the students received permission to study with a famous Rabbi leaving home to travel with him for a lengthy period of time. In step four, if the student learned well, the Rabbi would place his Yoke or his teachings on the student.

Now, according to Mark 1:14-15, the Lord Jesus came preaching the kingdom of God. The Lord Jesus calls out to these men to follow Him & they walk away from their livelihood. According to John 1, Simon Peter and Andrew had already met the Lord Jesus. They had profited by the ministry of John the Baptist.
In addition, they had accompanied Jesus at a marriage in Cana, and they accompanied Him at the Passover in Jerusalem. In John 1 the calling of the disciples was a call to believe in Christ unto salvation.

A year later, here in Mark 1, we see the call of the Lord Jesus to these men to follow Him as His disciples. Here, in Mark 1, the emphasis is on discipleship. Many use the term "disciple" as synonymous with that of a Christian.

As Mark 1:16-18 illustrates, there is a difference between a Christian and a disciple, just as there is a difference between our justification and our sanctification. When we follow the Lord Jesus, He defines and shapes us. He defines and shapes us for purposes that perfectly suit his plan for our lives. Following the Lord Jesus means submitting to His definitions of all things and vision for our lives. The mission isn’t dependent on us, it’s dependent on the Lord Jesus, who takes upon Himself the task of transforming the disciple into a fisher of men. He does not ask us to transform ourselves; He asks us to follow Him. And, if we follow Him, He will transform us. This is a process that doesn't happen over night.

Now, if we embrace the Lord Jesus’ acceptance of us, the world’s acceptance of us will shrink in importance to us. We will be increasingly liberated to offer our authentic selves to the world. And, like the disciples, we will eventually bless the world with our authentic selves the Lord Jesus is liberating.


Now, not just anyone embraces the liberation the Lord Jesus offers. Only those who have been set free by our law-giving, law-keeping, and law-liberating Savior. We learn to love the ways of God as we get to know Him and His heart for us and for the world. Being liberated results in us being free to delight in God and His definitions of all things. The Lord Jesus came not to abolished the Law of Moses, but to fulfilled it perfectly on our behalf. His death is our death and His life is our life. His fulfillment is our freedom. His duty is our delight.

Our abundant life of freedom in Christ is not simply a freedom to do anything we want to do but to have the uninterrupted, Spirit-sustaining power to do what we know we ought to do as God slowly defines us and daily transforms us. Daily He cries out to us to follow His voice and to ignore all those in opposition to Him.

Tuesday, May 10, 2022

Mark 1:9-15


"9 At that time Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. 10 Just as Jesus was coming up out of the water, he saw heaven being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. 11 And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased." 12 At once the Spirit sent him out into the wilderness, 13 and he was in the wilderness forty days, being tempted by Satan. He was with the wild animals, and angels attended him. 14 After John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God. 15 “The time has come,” he said. “The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!" ~ Mark 1:9-15

The phrase "Jesus came" occurs twice in this passage. This phrase forms the structure of our study today. All four gospel writers record the baptism of Jesus. As we have seen, a spiritual awakening was taking place in Israel. It had been four hundred years since God had spoken to Israel through the prophets. And now, there was a new prophet on the scene. He was preaching out in the wilderness beyond the Jordan River. Many were walking long distances out into the desert to listen to John the Baptist. 

John's baptism was a baptism of repentance. And, as is noted in v.9, Jesus was baptized by John. Since John's baptism was a baptism of repentance, there comes an obvious observation as to why the Lord Jesus was baptized. In being baptized, the Lord Jesus associated Himself with sinful mankind. 

According to v.12-13 of today's passage, the Lord Jesus was tempted in the wilderness by Satan for forty days. This was the final event, before the Lord Jesus actually begins His public ministry. This conflict with the Devil took place for almost six weeks. In many ways, it is the final exam of the Lord Jesus in the process of being prepared to be the Lamb of God who would take away the sin of man. As Messiah, the Lord Jesus came to render sin and death null and void. In order to do this, He had to defeat Satan head to head. If the Lord Jesus is our Savior, He has to conquer Satan. Today, we are just considering the first four verses.

It is important to know that Jesus was a man. Yes, He is God, but He voluntarily set aside His privileges as God. He didn't cease to be God, He is fully God and fully man. He did what the Father wanted Him to do and He did it by the power of the Holy Spirit. So, He set aside the use of His divine powers and submitted Himself to true humanness and allowed the Spirit of God to work His work in and through Him.

The Lord Jesus was fully submitted to the Holy Spirit who led Him into the wilderness. Mormons and Jehovah's Witnesses deny the deity of Christ. But, the demonic world doesn't. Repeatedly, in that wilderness that day, the Devil said to Him, "Since you are the Son of God." He employed the first class conditional sentence which means when you use an "if" followed by a positively structured sentence, it means "since you are the Son of God." Satan knew exactly who he was dealing with, this is why he tried to pressure the Lord Jesus to sin.

Every temptation that came to the Lord Jesus was a temptation from the outside of Him. It could not have come from within Him because He was sinless. However, this doesn't mean the temptations weren't real. His temptation came at Him to its maximum capacity because He endured the fullest pressure and never gave in to it. 

We read in 1 Corinthians 5:21, "For He made Him who had never committed a sin to be sin so that we may be made right with God." He didn't need to repent, but He needed to be baptized in order that all righteousness might be fulfilled. This was the first step leading Him to be made sin for us.

Matthew 3:15 reads, "Jesus answered and said to him, 'Permit it to be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.'" 

In order to meet the righteous demands of God for fallen mankind, the Lord Jesus had to be baptized by John the Baptist. The baptism of Jesus is our baptism. When He heard the Father's voice say, “You are my beloved son; in you I am well-pleased", it was meant also for us.

Water baptism is but a symbol of Spirit Baptism which unites and identifies us with the One who is our Savior. The scriptures are clear that we were born dead in our sin to God, and we were made alive as a result of believing in and receiving the free gift of salvation through the Lord Jesus Christ. The baptism of the Lord Jesus in the Jordan River, followed by the temptation in the wilderness, made it possible for us to be the recipients of the words we find in Mark 1:11, "You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased."  

I end with a great quote from the late Mike Yaconelli, "There have been so many mentors, Christians whom I admired greatly, who stumbled and fell, never again to recover their faith; so many “truths” about the Gospel that turned out to be false; so many casualties, so many losses, so many assumptions. One such assumption has haunted me throughout all my Christian experience: the assumption of the Changed Life. I was taught that if I was a Christian, then people would see a marked difference in my life!!! And further, I was taught that the closer I was to God—the more spiritual I was—the greater and more visible that difference would be. I have always believed that Christianity changed you outside...not just inside. But, my definition of “change” has changed. The change is not so much outward as it is inward. This difference that God makes is often visible only to God...and no one else. It is a new way of looking at God, a new way of understanding God, an inner new-birth that liberates us not only from sin, but from our old way of viewing God. It is intimacy rather than ecstasy; it is seeing rather than speaking; it is loving rather than living; it is dancing rather than believing; it is silence rather than sentences; it is worship rather than wordship; it is yearning rather than conviction; it is faith characterized more by passion than belief."

Monday, May 09, 2022

Mark 1:6-8


"6 John wore clothing made of camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. 7 And this was his message: “After me comes the one more powerful than I, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie. 8 I baptize you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.” ~ Mark 1:6-8

Today, we return to our study of the gospel according to Mark who
 leaves out quite a bit of the Old Testament prophecies that would prove the Lord Jesus to be the promised Messiah and  the fulfillment of all of those prophecies. Unlike Matthew who wrote to reveal the Lord Jesus Christ as the King of the Jews, Mark portrays the Lord Jesus as the Servant of the Lord. Mark wrote this gospel in such a way that his Roman audience would be introduced to the Lord Jesus.

In v.6 of today's text we read, "John wore clothing made of camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey."

This text begins with John the Baptist who was the last of the Old Testament prophets. John was no fashion statement, with his camel's hair clothes, leather sandals, and leather belt around his waist. His diet consisted of locusts and wild honey. John's clothing and diet were symbolic of his ministry, one of simple beginnings with a straight forward message of repentance. 

Repentance involves recognizing that we have thought wrongly in the past and we are now determined to give safe haven in our souls to God's trust. The repentant person has second thoughts about the mindset he formerly embraced. There is a change of disposition and a new way of thinking about God, sin, holiness, life, and salvation. True repentance is prompted by godly sorrow, and it leads to salvation.

Repentance and faith can be understood as two sides of the same coin. It is impossible to place our faith in Jesus Christ as our Savior without first changing our minds about our sin and about who the Lord Jesus is and what He has done on the cross for our salvation. 

Repentance is when we give up on our attempts to measure up before God. It also is when we turn away from our way of doing life and we turn to the way of the Lord. John's message describes the place where we begin our personal relationship with God. 

In v.7-8 John says, “Don't look to me for answers beyond what I have already told you about repentance. Anything beyond that must come from this One who is coming right after me. He is so much greater than I that I am not even worthy to untie his shoes." 

John could only take us to the place of outward cleansing, water baptism, but only the Lord God can do surgery on our hearts. John could bring people to God, but he could not take us beyond that. It is only God who can do the work necessary for us to come to know Him as our Father. When the Lord Jesus came, He baptized with the Holy Spirit so that people could live on the basis of the eternal in a personal relationship with Him.

In the remainder of v.7 John said, "
Anything beyond that must come from this One who is coming right after me. He is so much greater than I that I am not even worthy to untie his shoes." 

John the Baptist was the older cousin of the Lord Jesus. He said, "I am not even worthy to untie his shoes."  No wonder John was used of God to be the Herald of the Messiah. This enabled John to preach a hard message that people would find soothing. John could do this because he had learned humility. 

Now, humility is not a trait that many want today. Yet, if we are to know God for ourselves and if we desire to be useful to Him, we must be humble. The problem with humility is that it often arrives in our lives on the heels of humiliating experiences. It takes humility to be taught humility. And, "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble." And, humility will always bring us to the end of self. Humility will always usher us back to the Lord broken of self.

John brought people to Christ by the only way man can come, through the acknowledgment of guilt. When people come this way, God meets them, cleanses them, and forgives them. John demonstrated these truths by the baptism he performed. And, the moment we admit we need help and we stop defending ourselves, it is at that place that God meets us. And, it is from that place that God uses us best in this world for His glory.

Augustine once wrote, "Do you wish to rise? Begin by descending. You plan a tower that will pierce the skies? Lay first the foundation of humility." We do well to learn from John the Baptist, the older cousin of the Lord Jesus, when it comes to growing in humility. John was rugged, tough and strong. He was a man's man. He had to be. Yet, John knew what it meant to bow his will before the Almighty. This is the disposition that enables us to be useful to God in this world. Like John the Baptist, it is our ultimate calling to point others to the Lord Jesus 
Christ.

Friday, May 06, 2022

Mark 1:3-5


Today, we continue our study of the gospel according to Mark. In Mark 1:3-5, we read,  "3 a voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.’” 4 And so John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. 5 The whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem went out to him. Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River."

Notice that in v.3, John the Baptist was in the wilderness? Why the wilderness? The wilderness is a dreary, desolate, lonely place. The people of Judea willingly left their cities, traveled through the wilderness twenty or so miles just to listen to John the Baptist preach.

The wilderness creates thirst. Thirst for God is good! In fact, we are at our best when we are most thirsty for God. Psalm 42:1-2 reads, "As the deer pants for the water brooks, So my soul pants for You, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God; When shall I come and appear before God." We do not find ourselves seeking God without a measure of thirst.

The late Mike Yaconelli once wrote, "Jesus cares more about desire than about competence." The Lord Jesus knows us better than we do ourselves. We constantly are driven to think that we are the secret to our success, when in reality, we are not. He knows that we are not all that competent. Oh, He knows that we have skills and talents which He gave us. But He knows that we are without strength when it comes to addressing the real issues in our lives. And, as a result, thirst must be created in us for Him, for He is the answer.

In Mark 1:2-3, Mark quotes two Old Testament prophets, though he names only one. In v.2 Mark quotes Malachi. Then in v.3, he quotes Isaiah. Mark is stressing what Isaiah said by quoting Malachi. God knew that a step of preparation had to be made in the hearts of unregenerate people before they could come to Him. Even now, God has to create thirst in us before we come to Him, even though we have been "born again".  So, John the Baptist was sent before the Lord to prepare the way for Him.

The wilderness is no place to start a ministry to reach a lot of people. But God seldom listens to Public Relations firms. So, John began his ministry in the wilderness, the worst possible place. But it worked! God chose the wilderness because it is a symbol. The wilderness is a picture of our parched, empty, and barren souls. The wilderness is a picture of mankind's desperation. It has been well said by many down through the years, "Desperate people do desperate things."

Think of the day you turned to the Lord. Were you not desperate? I know I was! I was three days away from my dad's death. And since my mother died when I was five years old, I realized, as a seventeen year old, I needed help. My desperation equipped me to find Him. My wilderness is now my friend, even though I am know, at times, I resist His compulsions.

The greatest blessing a person can experience is to have his sins forgiven. Forgiveness is what these people who went out to hear John the Baptist in the wilderness were looking for, and this is what they found as they streamed out of Jerusalem to listen. They found forgiveness of sins, and it came by way of turning away from their barren and empty lives to God's life. It came as they chose to listen to their own wilderness within that led them to a personal relationship with God. 

The Hebrew word translated "wilderness" in the Old Testament, comes from a root word that means "to speak." One common understanding of this connection is that the wilderness is where we go to hear the voice of God. When we are not quite so confident, when our lives are not turning out the way we thought, when sudden change brings us into turmoil, there, God is to be found. In tough times, we are made desperate for God with an intensity that’s missing in good times. The wilderness inspires, the wilderness inspires quiet, alert attention. And, God has been known to speak in and through the wilderness. We must make it a habit to listen intently. And, when we do so, we will find God.

Thursday, May 05, 2022

Mark 1:1-2

Click here for the Mark 1:1-2 PODCAST

"1 The beginning of the good news about Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God, 2 as it is written in Isaiah the prophet: “I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way." ~ Mark 1:1-2

Today, we begin a study of the Gospel according to Mark. There are two overall themes of the Gospel according to Mark: From 1:1-8:26 we see the Servant who Rules and from Mark 8:27-16:16 we see the Ruler who Serves.

The beginning of Mark's gospel is quite different than the other three gospel accounts. Mark leaves out the genealogies that are included in the gospels according to Matthew and Luke. He doesn't begin way back in eternity past like John begins his gospel when he said, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." Mark just says, "The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ."

Now, the word gospel means great news. Unfortunately, many people do not see Christianity as good news; they see it as bad news. And, this is largely due to the fact that most people are not aware of the bad news that we have been separated from God by our sinfulness which we were born with. And, since we have been separated from God by our sinful condition, we are destined for Hell. 

In John 3:17-18 we read, "17 God did not send his Son into the world to judge the world guilty, but to save the world through him. 18 People who believe in God’s Son are not judged guilty. Those who do not believe have already been judged guilty, because they have not believed in God’s one and only Son."

In v.2 of today's passage we read, "... as it is written in Isaiah the prophet: 'I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way.'"

In this verse, Mark quotes Isaiah 40:3 which predicted that John the Baptist would come baptizing in the wilderness and preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. Isaiah predicted this some 700 years before John burst on the scene. And, think of it, John's mother and father were at least 60 years old when John was conceived.

Mark, in v.1, tells us that John the Baptist's message was the beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ

Many people struggled with John the Baptist because his message was so harsh. In fact, his message consisted of three parts: sin, guilt, and fear. But, the people of John's day, as we will see, flocked to hear his message. This was due to the fact that the insincerity of Judaism had prepared them for that which was really real.

The first part of John's message was about sin which is primarily self-centeredness. We were made by God to be defined by Him. When He defines us, we are given to being others-centered. But sin has twisted God's plan, so that now, instead of reaching out, we reach in, and we love ourselves. And sin always produces guilt. the second part of John's message. Guilt is dislike of ourselves. We do not like the fact that we hurt others, & we feel guilty about it. And, as a result we grow to hate ourselves.

Guilt is always accompanied by fear, because fear is self-distrust. Fear produces the inability to handle life. As soon as Adam & Eve sinned they felt guilt and they hid in fear. This lack that we all know to be within is what drove all these people out of Jerusalem. And as they heard John, they found relief. This is why they traveled so many miles to hear John's message.

So, John the Baptist was used of God to prepare the way for the arrival of the Messiah, and, as we will see, once his mission was over, God took him home. John's good news was that God had  broken into history to provide salvation, and blessing, through the sacrifice of His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. 

Wednesday, May 04, 2022

Hebrews 13:22-25

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22 My friends, I have written only a short letter to encourage you, and I beg you to pay close attention to what I have said. 23 By now you surely must know that our friend Timothy is out of jail. If he gets here in time, I will bring him with me when I come to visit you. 24 Please give my greetings to your leaders and to the rest of the Lord's people. His followers from Italy send you their greetings. 25 I pray that God will be kind to all of you! ~ Hebrews 13:22-25

Today, we come to the final words of the great epistle written to the Hebrews. With deep affection, the writer of this letter has throughout urged his readers to not drift away from the Lord Jesus Christ nor to be fearful of the persecution that came with being defined by Him. 

In v.22 of today's passage we read, "My friends, I have written only a short letter to encourage you, and I beg you to pay close attention to what I have said."

In this verse the unknown writer of this book gives one final exhortation to his readers to be faithful to the truth. He wrote, "pay close attention" which is a present middle imperative meaning to be patient with the truth for oneself. This insists on deep personal involvement with the truth for oneself. And, the truth has been personified in the Lord Jesus Christ. So, knowing Him for ourselves must be our paramount goal.

I have discovered that when I get impatient with God's work in my life, I am in great danger of missing His blessings and falling for less than His best for me. Patience is critical for God's truth to be born out in our lives. And, it is imperative for us in that situation to pray for His panoramic perspective, instead of our limited one. I am learning that as the intensity of the moment arises in any given moment in my life, my self-will rises with it. His patience, when I wait for it, has been known to be the needed sentry that is useful at helping me to arrive upon God's will for my life.

We must be careful to be wise when conflicts arise in our lives. If we are not careful, we will handle these moments in the energy of our flesh. And then, we will be sorry because when we jump too quickly to conclusions, we are in the greatest danger of missing what the Lord has for us in any given  situation. Sometimes, the most spiritual thing we do in a day is to wait upon the Lord.

In v.23 of today's passage we read, "By now you surely must know that our friend Timothy is out of jail. If he gets here in time, I will bring him with me when I come to visit you."

It is clear according to Ezekiel 36 that God has put His Spirit within us, and has caused us to walk in His truth. This means the inward working of the Holy Spirit in our lives enables us to hear the promptings of God with our hearts. And, since He has promised to lead us via the Holy Spirit, we do well to expect Him to speak. We also do well to listen to and obey His leading. And, the best way to modulate our heart's ability to hear the voice of God is by being in His word daily.

The Bible is God’s message through which He speaks to us in tandem with the Holy Spirit. In v.23 of today's passage Timothy is mentioned. Yes, this is the same Timothy who was discipled by the Apostle Paul, and he, as a result of obeying God, had been locked up for preaching the gospel. Timothy was an example to these young Hebrew Christians of the truths the writer of Hebrews was giving in this book. The dying world wants to shut down the proclamation of the living God. This is why they seek to suppress the truth, hoping to distract man from the truth.

In v.24 of today's passage we read, "Please give my greetings to your leaders and to the rest of the Lord's people. His followers from Italy send you their greetings."

The Lord Jesus had established His church in Italy through converts who has heard Peter's message in Acts 2. Interestingly, the word used here which we translate “leaders” refers to those who taught and who lived out the Word of God. Notice the leadership was plural. God has prescribed it to be this way because there must be accountability among the leaders. In His word, God provides a structure to strengthen the church’s confidence that when the Word is faithfully read and heard, God’s voice will be heard and God's will will be known.

In v.25 of today's passage we read, "I pray that God will be kind to all of you!"

The word "kind" is the word "grace." Only by God’s undeserved favor can we pursue, understand and know the truth. The writer of Hebrews knew these folks would need God’s grace to be defined by the God of the Bible. And, once we are being defined by God through our obedience to His Word, God's grace is still needed because there should never be anyone who is puffed up with pride due to our success. It’s by God’s grace that we are who we are. 

The resounding message of the book of Hebrews is we must cling closely to the Lord Jesus Christ. In addition, we must be realistic with the fallen nature that is still within us and recognize that we will not always be faithful to do what the Father tells us to do. This is why the Lord Jesus came, to do all that the Father told Him to do. And, our hope is not in what we can do, our hope is in who the Lord Jesus is and what He has done on our behalf. The Lord Jesus is God's final spoken word on all matters of life. And, in order to know the blessing of His truth lived out in and through our lives, we must walk with Him in personal relationship every day.

Tuesday, May 03, 2022

Hebrews 13:21

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I pray God will make you ready to obey him and that you will always be eager to do right. May Jesus help you do what pleases God. To Jesus Christ be glory forever and ever! Amen. ~ Hebrews 13:21

Today, we continue our study of the practical portion of this book that is so full of theology. Theology is the study of God. We all have a theology. It is either bad or good. That which has influenced our view of God determines how good our theology is, therefore, the most important thing in all of our lives is our theology which is our understanding of God. If our theology is biblical, then we have good theology, if it is not, then, we will have bad theology. This is why our study of the Bible is so important for the Bible is the autobiography of God.

Our theology is most crucial because our view of God shapes everything we are and everything we do in this life, and in the life to come. Most believe freedom is the ability to do what we want, when we want, and, how we want. This is not so, because when we rebelled against God, allowing Satan to defines things for us, we lost our ability to see all things from God's perspective which is holy and true. Due to the devastating impact of sin we lost the ability to recognize that freedom is the ability to be and to do what God has created us to be and to do. 

It is God's creation of this world, His formation of man as male and female in His image, their fall into sin, His plan of salvation and restoration for a fallen world involving His call of Abraham through whom the Messiah would come, His providential workings to bring about salvation through the incarnation, the sinless life, the substitutionary death, and the victorious resurrection of his Son, and His plans to bring all creation to its divinely decreed end. All of this shapes our theology. It is only as we understand these aspects of life and theology from God’s perspective can we rightly understand who God is, who we are, and how best we should live. 

In today's verse, the writer of Hebrews himself turns to God and prays for his readers. He writes, "I pray God will make you ready to obey him.

The Apostle Paul wrote in Philippians 2:13, "It is God who is working in you to make you willing and able to obey Him."

We can not work something out of us which God has not first worked in us. So this idea of work out what God has worked in is a very important concept. We might say, "Work hard and obey and serve God, because He is energizing our ability to do so. Be willing to realize His energy, and God will energize our energy to know Him and to do good."

The word translated "working" in Phillipians 2:13 is a very instructive word. The Apostle uses the Greek word from which we get our English word energy. God energizes us to be willing of heart toward Him. He doesn't do this automatically. We must be willing of heart, we must respond positively to His desire to enable us. It is His divine energy at work in us, that gives us the desire and the ability to do His will.

God's power begins in the will, and then it ends in the action. But, it always begins in our will first. God gives the desire to do His will. Our desire to have a deeper walk with the Lord comes from God. He puts those desires within us, but we can not blame Him for our lack of desire in the first place because we must first give a positive response to these desires that causes Him to give us more and more of the desire and the ability to do it. 

In Psalm 37 we read, "Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart." 

That means when we seek first the Kingdom of God, He will actually plant in our hearts the right desires. God addresses our will before He works on our actions. The reason He gives us the will first is so that we will enjoy it when we do His will. He does it this way so that we are not left saying, "I must serve God," or, "I have to serve God." That is like showing up at home with roses for your wife and after she says, "For me," you say, "I had to." And then you walk right past her into the house. Where is the love and the joy in that?

The next part of today's verse is, "May Jesus help you do what pleases God."

As believers in the Lord Jesus Christ we are engaged in a calling that is already accomplished. Our calling in this world from God is a guaranteed success because the Lord Jesus accomplished all that is needed while He walked this earth and while He died on the cross. But if we try to perform in self-effort, we will fail. And, the only thing that any human can do to please God is to trust in the Lord Jesus' person and performance on our behalf. Learning to live out of the success the Lord Jesus garnered for us is what the Bible calls, "Walking in the Spirit."

As a result, the last sentence of today's verse is accomplished. "To Jesus Christ be glory forever and ever! Amen.

The words of this verse state the actual appeal to the “God of peace” mentioned in the previous verses. The appeal is to “make us complete in every good work.” The word translated as “make us complete” carries the idea of bringing something to its proper and intended function. It is to bring to a state of fully functioning or full maturity. The obvious meaning, then, is that we are on a path which will take us from one level to the next, always maturing in order “to do His will.

The implication is that we cannot do His will perfectly if we are not maturing in Christ. It does mean that if we are walking with Him, we will do His will. And, this can only happen if we are willing to strive for it. In this, He "works in us to do His will." God will work through those who are willing to be worked through. And, when God works in us, it is only because of the Person of Christ and the gospel which He brought forth in the New Covenant. And, as we read in 1 Timothy 2:4, "God wants everyone to be saved and to know the whole truth."

And thus the book of Hebrews closes in the same manner as it began with the focus on the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ. As God was once unknowable to us, He sent His Son in fulfillment of His Word to allow us to know Him more fully and to make Him known to others. And, because of this, the Lord Jesus receives the glory which was reserved for Him alone from eternity past. 

Monday, May 02, 2022

Hebrews 13:20

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Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant. ~ Hebrews 13:20

Today, as we near the end of our study of the book of Hebrews, and our attention is directed to the One who is behind any success that you and I may experience in our walk with Him. It is the all-wise and all-powerful God who makes us who we were meant to be. After all, we are His idea, we are His creation. We have all lived long enough to realize we can not function on our own. We must be connected to our Creator if we are to realize the life we truly desire.

God desires to give us what it takes to do what He has called us to, and, my experience has been that He has done just that. In fact, God does this by making us more and more dependent upon Him. And, as we grow in this way, we mature in our ability to trust Him. This is the abundant life the Lord Jesus died to give us: less of me and more of Him.

Today's verse reads, "Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant..."

This prayer in today's verse is a summary of the whole book of Hebrews, and, it outlines all that we need to accomplish that which the Lord calls us to in this world. This prayer begins with "the God of peace." Notice the emphasis is on the source of the peace, the God of the Bible. And, there are two types of peace that we need: peace with God and the peace of God. The God of the Bible is the source of this peace, He is the maker of this peace, and knowing His peace enables us to know Him. And, it is one thing to know His peace and it is so much more to know Him. 

The primary result of the evil first introduced to man in the Garden of Eden was our loss of peace with God. Of course, we lost our relationship with God, but, we lost that because we lost His peace. The initial peace that comes from having our consciences wiped clean grows as we get to know God better. And, when we grow in our understanding of the enormity of His love for us, our souls begin to rest in His sovereignty and wisdom. We begin to understand that He really does make all things work together for our good. This is why the writer of Hebrews exhorts us to fix our eyes on the God of peace, for only He is able to meet us at the level of our deepest needs. 

According to today's verse, the peace we experience with God is the product of the fact that He "brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus." We know the God of peace because of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. Someone once said, "Because of the empty tomb, we have peace. Because of His resurrection, we can have peace during even the most troubling of times because we know He is in control of all that happens in this world." There is no greater act in all of creation than the resurrection of Jesus Christ. His resurrection is the capstone of the Christian faith! The resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead is God’s proof to all who wonder if Christianity is the only true way to God and heaven. It has never been matched anywhere else in the universe at any other time.

The next phrase in Hebrews 13:20 provides us with that which keeps us from straying away from God: "...the great shepherd of the sheep." It is the Lord Jesus Christ who is the great shepherd promised in Ezekiel 34:23-24 which reads, "23  After that, I will give you a shepherd from the family of my servant King David. All of you, both strong and weak, will have the same shepherd, and he will take good care of you. 24  He will be your leader, and I will be your God. I, the Lord, have spoken."

As our Shepherd, the Lord Jesus laid down His life for us, His sheep. Thus, He is the Shepherd- Priest who offers Himself as a sacrifice. The whole book of Hebrews affirms His greatness because of that last phrase in today's verse: "the blood of the eternal covenant."

The original plan of God from eternity past has never been upset or detoured despite all the twists and turns throughout the ages of man. The New Covenant as predicted in Jeremiah 31 has been ratified by the blood of the Lamb of God, the Lord Jesus Christ. It was His blood that satisfied the perfect demands of the holy God. It was His blood spilt on His cross that guaranteed our salvation. And, this covenant is eternal. 

Therefore, we must not be distracted from the Lord Jesus as our Shepherd-friend. Of all God’s animals, sheep are the least able to take care of himself. David said, "The Lord is my shepherd." He didn't choose something other than Shepherd, like an ambassador, who, when he speaks, everyone stops to listens. No, David chose the metaphor of the Shepherd and His sheep to describe us because only the Shepherd notices when His sheep are in danger. We have His attention and all His resources to fulfill His call on our lives. Simply trust Him and watch what He will do in and through your life, today!

Friday, April 29, 2022

Hebrews 13:19

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I especially beg you to pray so that God will send me back to you soon. ~ Hebrews 13:19

Today, we continue our study of Hebrews 13 wherein the writer of Hebrews is showing us what God's culture looks like in our everyday lives. In our last blog, the writer of Hebrews introduced us to the topic of prayer which is the most important thing we can do in our relationship with God.

Prayer is a conversation with God and is essential to the development of our relationship with Him. Prayer is mostly about the deepening of our relationship with God. On the other hand, much of prayer is that we ask of God certain things for ourselves and others. Prayer connects us not only to God but also to His resources. 

As we pointed out in our last blog and podcast, prayer is a battle. I say this because we all struggle at understanding and knowing the will of God in a given moment. Having said this, prayer must always begin with God! True prayer is not bringing our plans to God, and, asking Him to bless our plans. God is always the One who proposes. Prayer enters in when God enlists our partnership in carrying out His will in this world. 

The best prayers are those which are founded upon God's words and His promises. This is why it is so imperative for us to be in His Word, so that we know we are living in concert with His culture. Biblical prayer begins with a proposal which God makes, or a conviction He gives, or a warning He has given.

We have been given through Christ's finished work on the cross favored position before God. We have been called into the family of God and made sons of the living God by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Furthermore, we are being taught by grace how to walk with God, and, as we learn to do this, we will become the people to whom God tells His secrets.

We often find ourselves believing that because we have received the Lord Jesus Christ, all God has is now open to us. And, to an extent that is true. But, in order to access certain secrets of God, we must daily appropriate the revelation that He has afore given us. When we do this, we can expect God to share His secrets with us. This is when we will get a lot more out of the Bible when we study it. God loves to tell secrets to His people who seek His face. This leads us to knowing God's will and how to pray for it. 

In Romans 12:1-2 we read, "1 So brothers and sisters, since God has shown us great mercy, I beg you to offer your lives as a living sacrifice to him. Your offering must be only for God and pleasing to him, which is the spiritual way for you to worship. 2 Do not be shaped by this world; instead be changed within by a new way of thinking. Then you will be able to decide what God wants for you; you will know what is good and pleasing to him and what is perfect."

Knowing and doing the will of God involves presenting ourselves to Him and renewing our minds to the point that we are thinking and being defined by His thoughts. This, we must remember, is a process which does not happen over night. It is a process and it is synonymous with our sanctification. 

In Romans 12:1, we are urged to offer our lives to God, not just our bodies, as some translations suggest. When we offer our bodies to God, we have come to the place where we have decided that all of us belongs to Him. And, our sacrifices are not only living, they are "perfect" and "acceptable" to God. The word "perfect" brings with it the idea that we are now being defined by God and we are no longer being defined by the  lesser motivations, namely the thoughts of this world which play on our insecurities. You see, it is the presence of God in our lives that makes us more complete and less insecure.

Now, the command to "be changed" is written in the passive voice, indicating this change is God’s work, through the Holy Spirit. Only He can change us into people who are increasingly defined by Him. We cannot change ourselves, but we can submit our minds to His Word and His will, and when we do this, God will change us from the inside out. The role that we play is to diligently be in the Word of God, as often as we can. More important than this is that the Word of God is getting into us and defining us. And, when we experience the change in our souls through the instruction of His Word, the Holy Spirit will sensitize us to His leading into the will of God.

The word "thinking" can also be translated worldview: God's way of thinking and believing and living. The mind at the mercy of the influence of this world's way of thinking will be defined by the wrong things, things that slowly destroy us. But, the mind at the mercy of God's Word will be led to God's will and to wholeness.

At the end of v.2, we see that the will of God is "pleasing" and "perfect." The word translated "perfect" gets us to the fulfillment of God's purpose in our lives. We fulfill God’s purpose for us when we respond to His will. This is deeply satisfying to the mind that is yielded to Him and it is at this point that our lives will resonate in such a way with God that He will be glorified through us. God’s goal in Romans 12:1-2 is for us to do His will. When motivated by His mercy, we present ourselves to Him, totally, and our mind's are enabled to think as He, and, we are positioned to do His will. 

Thursday, April 28, 2022

Hebrews 13:18

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Pray for us. We are sure that we have a clear conscience, because we always want to do the right thing. ~ Hebrews 13:18

Today, we come back to our study of Hebrews 13 where the writer of Hebrews closes out the book with a list of basic truths that are meant to define our lives in such a way that we will know the abundant life the Lord Jesus died to give us.

In today's verse we read, "Pray for us. We are sure that we have a clear conscience, because we always want to do the right thing."

In this verse the Lord grabs our attention with the most important product of our faith in the God of the Bible: prayer. We tend to think prayer is a duty rather than a privilege. We think prayer is something we have to do rather than something we want to do. But, prayer is the privilege of talking to God. 

Max Lucado once said, "Prayer is the window that God has placed in the walls of our world. Leave it shut and the world is a cold, dark house. But throw back the curtains and see His light. Open the window and hear His voice. Open the window of prayer and invoke the presence of God in your world.

Prayers that are fashioned by a biblical theology are as honest as the day is long. As is proven throughout the Scriptures, prayer makes intimacy with God a greater possibility, as long as we are honest with Him. Our problem is we struggle believing God hears us. But, as is illustrated throughout the Bible, our prayers move the heart of God. Prayer enables us to be involved in that which God is doing in this world. 

The writer of Hebrews begged, "Pray for us." The most practical expression and the greatest evidence of our faith in the God of the Bible is our prayers

In Ephesians 6:18-19 we read, "18 Pray in the Spirit at all times with all kinds of prayers, asking for everything you need. To do this you must always be ready and never give up. Always pray for all God’s people. 19 Also pray for me that when I speak, God will give me words so that I can tell the secret of the Good News without fear.

The protocol for the reality that we all desire is prayer. Spiritual battle is to put on the armor of God first, and, then we are commanded pray. In context here in Ephesians 6, the Apostle Paul urges us to make it our habit to put on the armor that God has given us through the Lord Jesus Christ. This means that our thought life must be framed up by the Word of God, and therefore made strong and ready to engage in the battle through prayer. Putting on this God-provided armor is the adjustment of our attitude of heart to reality, to life as God defines it. Putting on the various pieces of weaponry enables us to think through the implications of God's definitions of all things.

Prayer should he an outgrowth of the thoughtfulness that comes out of working through the implications of the belt of truth being tied around our waist, of putting on the shoes of the Good News of peace to help us stand strong. And, also, using the shield of faith and the helmet of our salvation, and taking up the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

After we have put on the armor of God, after we have thought through the implications of the faith, then we are to talk to God about it. In developing these conversations with God, we address the many different aspects of our lives and others with Him.

Although prayer is for us and others, it must not start with us, it must always start with God. God has given promises and they form the only proper basis for our prayer life. This is what Paul means by his reminder that we are to pray at all times in the Spirit. The Holy Spirit always works in tandem with the Word of God.

The phrase, "in the Spirit," means to pray according to the character of God whom the Spirit has made known to us. God has never promised to answer just any prayer, but He does promise to answer the prayer that is in alignment to His Word. When we learn to pray like this, we will be made aware of the exciting and unexpected things that God is doing all around us. We learn of a quiet power at work upon whom we can rely. And as we learn to pray in this way we find there is put at our disposal a tremendous weapon, a mighty power to influence our own lives and the lives of others.

In his book, Mere Christianity, C. S. Lewis wrote that this world is enemy-occupied territory and that Christianity is the story of how the rightful king has landed, and is calling us, His followers, to take part in a campaign of sabotage. And it is primarily through prayer that this sabotage takes place. "Prayer is fundamentally a warfare activity." We factor in on that which will last for eternity through our prayers. When we pray, we partner with God, we enter in on what He is doing in the lives of everyone around us.

Most often we are prompted to pray because of our needs, our difficulties, and, our pain. And, when these "unwanteds" come into our lives, we are motivated to do the most important thing we can ever do. In this case, our pains have become our blessings. And, when this happens, we will not be defined by our needs but by the One to whom we take these needs.

All of the weapons of our warfare which God has supplied to us through His Son provide for us the internal substance that we need to live this life. Prayer aligns our will to God's will, rendering for us a settledness, a sense of His presence that serves us in our service to Him. So, in the end, prayer changes us, it provides focus to our hearts by God. And, it is this focus that brings His kingdom to rest in our souls.

In Hebrews 13:18, we are commanded to pray in such a way that we have a clear conscience that renders the right choices. God uses the conscience that is being framed up by His Word to enable us to perceive what is right and wrong. It’s a built-in system just waiting to be bolstered and used. We can tell what’s right and wrong by the response of our God-influenced conscience. And, once it is influenced by the culture of God found in His Word, the sky is the limit to how we factor in on what God is doing in this world.

Wednesday, April 27, 2022

Hebrews 13:17

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Obey your leaders and do what they say. They are watching over you, and they must answer to God. So don't make them sad as they do their work. Make them happy. Otherwise, they won't be able to help you at all. ~ Hebrews 13:17

Today, we return to our study of Hebrews 13 wherein the writer of Hebrews is giving to us practical application of the many doctrines we have learned throughout this book. Today's main subject is that of sacrificial submission to the God of the Bible. According to today's verse the believer's submission to God is seen in our submission to the teaching of godly leaders the Lord has placed in our lives. 

In today's text we read, "Obey your leaders and do what they say. They are watching over you, and they must answer to God. So don't make them sad as they do their work. Make them happy. Otherwise, they won't be able to help you at all."

History makes it very clear that God mediates much of His rule in this world through men whom He has placed in authority. In Romans 13:1 we read, "Obey the rulers who have authority over you. Only God can give authority to anyone, and he puts these rulers in their places of power." Whereas, that verse in Romans 13 was written regarding all authority both saved and unsaved in this world, among believers, God has placed leaders. And, today's verse speaks into the context of a group of believers in Christ.

The word translated "obey" has the definite connection to the teaching provided, whereas the words "do what they say," has the definite connection to their God-given authority to lead. So, there is to be obedience to the teaching and submission to the authority. And, our obedience and submission is not our responsibility to these men, it’s our responsibility to God. And, God clearly holds these leaders responsible to lead us who are in their care on the behalf of Christ.

The phrase, "They are watching over you" is one word in the Greek. It simply means "leading" or "influencing." God has given to any group of believers in Christ certain men through whom He mediates His involvement in our lives. It is the God-given responsibility of these men to provide direction to the group, to teach the Word of God, to reprove, to rebuke, to exhort, and to do it with all patience and humility.

Perseverance in the truth about the Lord Jesus is one of the great themes of the entire letter of Hebrews. The Lord Jesus  cares deeply about the well being of each believer's soul. This kind of spiritual care and concern is the very thing that characterizes the leadership that God puts in place. And, their primary motivation is that "they are watching over" our souls.

The next phrase in Hebrews 13:17 is "... they must answer to God."

In God's framework of the church, He has provided leaders who have the reputation of being led by the Spirit of God to rule in that group of believers, and every group has its God-given leaders. This does not mean that the leaders have carte blanche to do whatever they want to, they are not to be the dictators of the group. God placed them in the position they are in according to their responsiveness and sensitivity to the needs of the people in their care. The Bible is very clear that the leaders are the under-shepherds of Christ, and they each are responsible to the Lord for their decisions and treatment of the group of believers under their care. They have the responsibility to teach God's word, to warn of impending danger, and, to nurture each who may be injured and wounded in some way.

The next phrase in today's verse reads, "So don't make them sad as they do their work."

The word "sad" literally means "to grieve" or "to groan." The Apostle Paul expressed overwhelming joy in his letter written to the Philippians because they were responsive to the truth of God. In Philippians 1:3-4, he wrote, "3 Every time I think of you, I thank my God. 4 And whenever I mention you in my prayers, it makes me happy." 

Since the Apostle had the heart of God to motivate him to lead the people to the Lord Jesus, they saw his heart and were submissive to the Lord. This is the way God intended this to work. And, the acquiring of God's heart on the behalf of the leader is of utmost necessity. This is primarily done as the leader follows God for himself, and in doing so, he gains God's heart for the people. The leader does this through the study of God's word and prayer for each member in the group.

The next phrase in today's verse reads, "Make them happy." 

In 1 Thessalonians 2:19-20 we read, "19 After all, when the Lord Jesus appears, who else but you will give us hope and joy and be like a glorious crown for us? 20 You alone are our glory and joy!" Biblical leaders are made happy when those who follow their teaching follow the Lord with a whole heart and who learn to yield our lives to the Lord Jesus.

The last phrase in Hebrews 13:17 reads, "Otherwise, they won't be able to help you at all."  

When we do not obey the truth and we do not submit to the God-placed authority over us, we lose because we fail to experience intimacy with God by responding to His Word. God has been known to use a donkey to get His word across to us. So, when we do not obey and submit to Him, we find ourselves out of sync with what He is doing in this world. Responding to the Word of God is like inviting a sonar into our souls which is always connected to the satellite of God.

The Lord Jesus told His disciples, "I’m telling you that my joy might be in you and your joy might be full." Our submission to God yields His fruit in and to and through our lives. And, one of the many fruits is His joy expressed in, to, and through us. Rebellion to God not only prevents us from receiving God's instruction into our hearts which results in spiritual barrenness, it also robs us of our intimacy with Him and His truth. This is why we should go outside the camp to the Lord Jesus with regularity.

Tuesday, April 26, 2022

Hebrews 13:14-16

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14 On this earth we don't have a city that lasts forever, but we are waiting for such a city. 15 Our sacrifice is to keep offering praise to God in the name of Jesus. 16 But don't forget to help others and to share your possessions with them. This too is like offering a sacrifice that pleases God. ~ Hebrews 13:14-16

Today, we return to our study of the book of Hebrews. We return to the practical part of the book, the last chapter wherein the question, "What difference does knowing all of this doctrine make in my everyday life?" is answered. Someone once said, "We should not be so heavenly minded that we are of no earthly good."

In v.14 of today's passage we read, "On this earth we don't have a city that lasts forever, but we are waiting for such a city."

The Lord Jesus Christ died to bring us into a personal relationship with God. He died so that we would stop trying to make this earth that we currently live on, our paradise. When man sinned, we were introduced to time, and with time, we were introduced to the temporal and the uncertain. Sin is not original, it has not always existed. And, when God created this world, out of nothing, He demonstrated that He alone is independent, absolute, and eternal. But, the sin of man wrecked what God made that was all good. As a result, nothing in this world, apart from the spirits and souls of all men and the word of God, will endure beyond the temporary. This world and all that is in it has an expiration date, and time as we know it, will one day come to an end.

The Lord Jesus' death on the cross was an utter necessity for hopeless and sinful man. With Him at the helm of our lives, our whole approach to life is being changed. In fact, the longer I walk with Him, I discover myself moving toward need, not comfort. With Him at the helm of our lives, we find ourselves looking for a city that has a totally different orientation, a city that is yet to come. But, when it comes, we will know all that which we have long longed for while on this earth. Radical confidence in a glorious future with God is what Christ died to produce in our everlasting existence. 

In v.15 of today's passage we read, "Our sacrifice is to keep offering praise to God in the name of Jesus."

When we were introduced to the Lord Jesus, we were introduced to eternity and eternity's language is a sacrifice of praise. Through His work on the cross, the Lord Jesus has saved us completely, made us perfect forever in God’s eyes, set us free from our fear of death, and now, He lives to grant us an intimate and personal relationship with Himself for eternity. Nothing can separate us from the love of God that is found in the Lord Jesus. This is the fuel for our praise that expresses itself in our choices to sacrifice our possessions and our very existence.

According to Ecclesiastes 3:11, eternity is placed in the heart of all humans at the point of conception. We are born with the desire to reach beyond. This explains our dreams for a better life. Our problem is our view of a better life has been stunted by the debilitating effects of sin in our lives. And, with the introduction of sin into our existence, covetousness was born. But, God's remedy to our covetousness is His grace. 

The grace of God is not a leaky faucet, it is a massive breach in the main water line. Grace is not an autumn mist, it is a torrential downpour. The kind that brings flash flooding. And it floods our souls with the overwhelming love of God, only if we let it. Many believers do not enjoy all of the benefits of the New Covenant because deep down we still believe that our sin is greater than God’s grace in our lives.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  All of our sins were removed through the precious blood of the Lord Jesus on the cross. Hebrews 10 makes it clear that the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus has perfected believers forever. 

As a result, our sin and its destruction upon our psyche does not stop God’s grace from flowing in our lives. We, with our poor theology, are the only ones who can stop the incredible work of grace within. Grace is unearned and unmerited by you and me. Oh, it cost the Lord Jesus more than we can imagine. It is His grace that is the antidote to our covetous sin. Many believers in Christ desperately try to be better Christians through their adherence to the Law of Moses. They lack the understanding that the Law was given to expose our sin. In fact, the Law of Moses has no power to stop sin in our lives. Spirituality is not morality, it is a life rendered in the life of the yielded believer in Christ by the abiding Spirit of God who lives in each of us.

In v.16 of today's passage we read, "But don't forget to help others and to share your possessions with them. This too is like offering a sacrifice that pleases God."

We learned back in Hebrews 11, the only thing we humans can do that brings pleasure to God is our faith. And, when we lose sight of His grace, we lose sight of His faithfulness which is what creates faith in us in the first place. But, when we discover how to wallow in His grace, we will be mindful of others, mindful enough to help them and to share our possessions with them. When we make generous and sacrificial use of our earthly possessions, we declare that our treasure is in heaven, not on this earth. When our hearts are set on seeking the city that is to come, we will be set free from bondage of this world's wealth and we will gladly give generously as yet another act of praise to the God who gave us His only begotten Son.

Monday, April 25, 2022

Hebrews 13:11-13

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11 After the high priest offers the blood of animals as a sin offering, the bodies of those animals are burned outside the camp. 12 Jesus himself suffered outside the city gate, so his blood would make people holy. 13 This is why we should go outside the camp to Jesus and share in his disgrace. ~ Hebrews 13:11-13

Today, we return to our study of Hebrews 13 wherein the writer of Hebrews gives us practical application of the many doctrinal truths given throughout this great book. This teaching comes on the heels of his comparison of the the Old Covenant given to Israel at Mt. Sinai and the New Covenant procured by the Lord Jesus at the cross of Calvary.

In v.11 of today's passage we read, "After the high priest offers the blood of animals as a sin offering, the bodies of those animals are burned outside the camp."

Having warned these young Hebrew Christians about false teachings which emphasize food restrictions and external religious demands, and, having highlighted that it is only the grace of God that truly strengthens us in our pursuit of Him, the writer of Hebrews turns our attention to the tabernacle. Back in the days when the sin offerings were brought into the tabernacle the priests were forbidden to eat them, so they were taken outside the camp of the people and burned. The priest could eat the meat of all of the other offerings, but not the sin offering. 

Of course, this was yet again another picture of the coming Lamb of God who took away the sin of the world. As was pictured by the sin offering, the Lord Jesus was taken outside the city of Jerusalem and put to death on a cross.

In v.12 of today's passage we read, "Jesus himself suffered outside the city gate, so his blood would make people holy."

As the sin offerings were taken outside the camp of the people, the Lord Jesus was separated from God while He hung on the cross. He suffered outside the gate. And, by His perfect blood that was shed for the complete forgiveness of our past, present and future sin, He made all who would believe on Him holy, sanctified, perfect in God's eyes, and set apart for our intended purpose. No believer should be weighed down by doubt that He is right with God through the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus. We have been set free from the penalty of all of our sin, past, present and future. And the freedom of knowing this should free us to be totally invested in God's call upon our lives.

In v.13 of today's passage we read, "This is why we should go outside the camp to Jesus and share in his disgrace."

When we decided to place our faith in the finished work of the Lord Jesus on the cross for the forgiveness of our sin, we separated ourselves from all other beliefs. The Lord Jesus is the fulfillment of the Old Covenant sin offering who was rejected by the religious system of this world. He willingly went outside the camp to take the load of every sin ever committed upon Himself. And, through His death, God judged that sin as He hung there on that cross from nine o'clock in the morning until three o'clock in the afternoon. He did this so that the willing of heart might be sanctified with His own blood. He was despised, rejected, hated, betrayed, arrested, mocked, beaten, killed like a common criminal, and, He accepted every bit of it to shed His blood on our behalf. How can we help but to love Him in return?

According to Hebrews 9:22, "Without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins." 

The Lord Jesus knew this verse, so He shed His blood for the forgiveness of our sins. The Old Testament sacrifice was a shame to the people and they put it out. So, the Lord Jesus had to be shamed by being put outside and rejected by man and God, in order to do what no one could do. He did this to provide a sacrifice good enough to procure the forgiveness of our sin. And, in order for you and me to benefit from His sacrifice, we had to be willing to go out from the religious system and to identify with His reproach and shame as He bore our sin on that tree.

We share in the Lord's disgrace not only when we receive from Him as our Savior and receive the forgiveness of our sin, we share in His disgrace when we walk with Him on a daily basis. The root word translated "disgrace" was used by Elizabeth, the mother of John the Baptist, in Luke 1:25. Elizabeth was barren and she could not have children. And, her barrenness was a disgrace in their Jewish society. According to Luke 1:7, in those days being advanced in age began at 60 years old. After Elizabeth became pregnant at around 60 years of age or older, she said, "What the Lord has done for me will keep people from looking down on me.

This disgrace includes being looked down upon by those not in a personal relationship with God. We must recognize it is an honor to suffer for the name of Christ because in our suffering we are granted a deeper fellowship and intimacy with Christ. We all want a trouble free life, but the trouble free life is a shallow life. You see, when we have walked through the valley of the shadow of death, those around us will welcome our involvement in their lives when their trouble comes. Pain, of any sort, is one of life's greatest fellowship enhancers. It enhances our fellowship with God and with others who share in the pain.