posted by www.bibletruthonline.com at
1:59 PM
|
0 comments
links to this post
Gospel
John 20:19-31
On the evening of that first day of the week,
when the doors were locked, where the disciples were,
for fear of the Jews,
Jesus came and stood in their midst
and said to them, “Peace be with you.”
When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side.
The disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord.
Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you.
As the Father has sent me, so I send you.”
And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them,
“Receive the Holy Spirit.
Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them,
and whose sins you retain are retained.”
Thomas, called Didymus, one of the Twelve,
was not with them when Jesus came.
So the other disciples said to him, “We have seen the Lord.”
But he said to them,
“Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands
and put my finger into the nail marks
and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.”
Now a week later his disciples were again inside
and Thomas was with them.
Jesus came, although the doors were locked,
and stood in their midst and said, “Peace be with you.”
Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and see my hands,
and bring your hand and put it into my side,
and do not be unbelieving, but believe.”
Thomas answered and said to him, “My Lord and my God!”
Jesus said to him, “Have you come to believe because you have seen me?
Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed.”
Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples
that are not written in this book.
But these are written that you may come to believe
that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God,
and that through this belief you may have life in his name.
SERMON:
John records the appearance of Jesus after the resurrection. The first appearance is on Easter evening and the second appearance being after eight days or "a week later". Jesus speaks to the disciples three times after His resurrection. The Gospel of John tells us that the disciples are gathered but does not tell us which disciples are gathered. In Luke, this testimony speaks of "the Eleven and their companions" but we know that Thomas is absent, so in Luke's gospel, it is really the "Ten and their companions".
What strikes me about this weeks reading is the loss of faith and then the strengthening of faith within Thomas. Thomas is referred to as "the doubter" because he would not believe the testimony of the disciples when they indeed just spoke with the Lord and Thomas would not believe until he actually placed his own hands into the wounds of Jesus. This reading also tells us a little about how we become believers in Christ; the beloved disciple believes that Jesus has resurrected upon seeing the empty tomb (v8), Mary believes when the Lord calls her name (v16), some disciples must see the risen Jesus (v20), and then there are those like Thomas, who must touch Jesus...they must feel for themselves. This reading tells us that the Believers in Christ find faith through various channels according to what they need in order to believe. Different routes to faith through different needs. Thomas is the most unique and informative; here is an individual who believed, lost faith, and then returned to greater faith.
Let's break the verses down and discuss them:
"When it was evening on that day" (v 19a)
This is the same day that the disciples saw the empty tomb. This is Easter evening.
"the first day of the week"
Notice that this happens on the first day of the week and this is for a reason. The first day of the week is Day 8. The resurrection of Jesus, the fulfillment and beginning of the New Covenant, actually begins on the EIGHTH day. Not the seventh day, and not the sixth day. The verse that I relate this to is:
Psalm 90:4
4. For a thousand in Your sight are like yesterday when it is past,
and like a watch in the night.
In the sight of the Lord God, 1,000 years is equivalent to:
A) A DAY
B) A WATCH
6 days of work = 6,000 years with Satan’s rule
1 day of rest = 1,000 years without Satan and Jesus returns
The history of this world will be 7 days- or 1 week...
and the 8Th day will bring a New Beginning (a New Heaven and a New earth)
or a new week.
Adam to Abraham = 2,000 years (Approximate)
Abraham to Jesus = 2,000 years (Approximate)
Jesus to Today = 2,000 years (Approximate)
2,000 + 2,000 + 2,000 = 6,000
Behold, Jesus’ Return is close!
Labels: Gospel of John, Sermons
posted by www.bibletruthonline.com at
8:27 AM
|
1 comments
links to this post
Gospel
Jn 20:1-9
On the first day of the week,
Mary of Magdala came to the tomb early in the morning,
while it was still dark,
and saw the stone removed from the tomb.
So she ran and went to Simon Peter
and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and told them,
“They have taken the Lord from the tomb,
and we don’t know where they put him.”
So Peter and the other disciple went out and came to the tomb.
They both ran, but the other disciple ran faster than Peter
and arrived at the tomb first;
he bent down and saw the burial cloths there, but did not go in.
When Simon Peter arrived after him,
he went into the tomb and saw the burial cloths there,
and the cloth that had covered his head,
not with the burial cloths but rolled up in a separate place.
Then the other disciple also went in,
the one who had arrived at the tomb first,
and he saw and believed.
For they did not yet understand the Scripture
that he had to rise from the dead.
SERMON:
Good and wise teacher? Not the Messiah? Then...How could He rise?
His Life poured out for us...the ransom was paid. (2 Corinthians 5:21)
On the third day He said He would rise from the grave...AND HE DID RISE FROM THE GRAVE! (Mark 9:31, Mark 16:16)
What? Wait!
Some say that Jesus is just a good and wise teacher or just a prophet!
Good & WISE?
Wise in the context that He said He would rise from the grave?
No, you should say that Jesus is Good & CRAZY...instead of calling Him good & wise!
A prophet?
No, a Lunatic!
What prophet said that they could rise from the dead?
No mortal man can say that they can conquer the grave...
Good and wise...How could He rise? Either Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, the I AM, the Creator...OR NOT
BUT NO MAN HAS EVER, COULD EVER, OR WILL EVER RISE FROM THE GRAVE ON HIS OWN!
Luke 24:34
and saying, "It is true! The Lord has risen and has appeared to Simon."
IF JESUS DID NOT RISE...THEN OUR FAITH IS IN VAIN!!!
Thankfully, Christianity IS BASED ON FACT!
Some of these facts are:
1) BROKEN ROMAN SEAL (Matt 27:66)
The consequences of breaking the seal were extremely severe. If they were apprehended, it meant automatic execution by crucifixion upside down. People feared the breaking of the seal.
2) EMPTY TOMB (John 20:1)
The disciples of Christ did not go off to Athens or Rome to preach that Christ was raised from the dead. Rather, they went right back to the city of Jerusalem, where, if what they were teaching was false, the falsity would be evident. The empty tomb was "too notorious to be denied." Both Jewish and Roman sources admit an empty tomb.
3) LARGE STONE MOVED (Matt 28:2)
On that Sunday morning the first thing that impressed the people who approached the tomb was the unusual position of the one and a half to two ton stone that had been lodged in front of the doorway. All the Gospel writers mention it.
4)ROMAN GUARD GOES AWOL (Matt 28:12-15)
The Roman guards fled. They left their place of responsibility. How can their attrition he explained, when Roman military discipline was so exceptional?
5)GRAVE CLOTHES TELL A TALE (John 20:4-8)
In a literal sense, against all statements to the contrary, the tomb was not totally empty--because of an amazing phenomenon. John, a disciple of Jesus, looked over to the place where the body of Jesus had lain, and there were the grave clothes, in the form of the body, slightly caved in and empty--like the empty chrysalis of a caterpillar's cocoon. That's enough to make a believer out of anybody. John never did get over it.
6)JESUS' APPEARANCES CONFIRMED (John 20:1-31)
Christ appeared alive on several occasions after the cataclysmic events of that first Easter and there where MORE THAN enough witnesses who saw him after HE ROSE TO CONFIRM IT AS A FACT!
7) In Paul's day, there were 500 or so people who personally saw Jesus after He rose on the third day!
These eyewitnesses TESTIFIED to this FACT. 500 people in Paul's day alone! (Acts 2:32)
There are more facts...but a question to the doubter...What more proof do you want?
What more does Jesus have to do in order for you to have faith?
If He did do what you ask, Would it really change your mind or would you doubt what you saw also?
THERE IS ONLY ONE JESUS!
Either He is a FRAUD, a NUT, OR Jesus is the Messiah!
EVERYONE LIVING TODAY MUST TAKE A HONEST LOOK AT THE FACTS FOR THEMSELVES...THE FACTS OF HIS RESURRECTION
DID JESUS RISE FROM THE GRAVE ...OR NOT??
JUST DON'T CALL HIM A GOOD AND WISE TEACHER OR A PROPHET!
This Easter, let us realize the truth found in John 1:10-14:
10 He was in the world, and though the world was made through Him, the world did not recognize Him.
11He came to that which was His own, but His own did not receive Him.
12 Yet to all who received Him, to those who believed (faith"eth") in His name, He gave the right to become children of God—
13 children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God.
14 The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the One and Only,who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
Labels: Gospel of John, Sermons
posted by www.bibletruthonline.com at
10:03 PM
|
3 comments
links to this post
Gospel
Jn 18:1—19:42
Jesus went out with his disciples across the Kidron valleyto where there was a garden, into which he and his disciples entered.
Judas his betrayer also knew the place, because Jesus had often met there with his disciples.
So Judas got a band of soldiers and guards from the chief priests and the Pharisees and went there with lanterns, torches, and weapons. Jesus, knowing everything that was going to happen to him, went out and said to them, “Whom are you looking for?”
They answered him, “Jesus the Nazorean.”
He said to them, “I AM.”
Judas his betrayer was also with them.
When he said to them, “I AM, “
they turned away and fell to the ground.
So he again asked them, “Whom are you looking for?” They said, “Jesus the Nazorean.”
Jesus answered, “I told you that I AM.
So if you are looking for me, let these men go.” This was to fulfill what he had said, “I have not lost any of those you gave me.” Then Simon Peter, who had a sword, drew it, struck the high priest’s slave, and cut off his right ear. The slave’s name was Malchus. Jesus said to Peter,
“Put your sword into its scabbard. Shall I not drink the cup that the Father gave me?”
So the band of soldiers, the tribune, and the Jewish guards seized Jesus, bound him, and brought him to Annas first. He was the father-in-law of Caiaphas,who was high priest that year.
It was Caiaphas who had counseled the Jews that it was better that one man should die rather than the people.
Simon Peter and another disciple followed Jesus. Now the other disciple was known to the high priest,and he entered the courtyard of the high priest with Jesus.
But Peter stood at the gate outside.
So the other disciple, the acquaintance of the high priest, went out and spoke to the gatekeeper and brought Peter in. Then the maid who was the gatekeeper said to Peter, “You are not one of this man’s disciples, are you?” He said, “I am not.”
Now the slaves and the guards were standing around a charcoal fire that they had made, because it was cold, and were warming themselves. Peter was also standing there keeping warm.
The high priest questioned Jesus about his disciples and about his doctrine. Jesus answered him, “I have spoken publicly to the world. I have always taught in a synagogue or in the temple area where all the Jews gather, and in secret I have said nothing. Why ask me?
Ask those who heard me what I said to them. They know what I said.” When he had said this,
one of the temple guards standing there struck Jesus and said, “Is this the way you answer the high priest?”
Jesus answered him, “If I have spoken wrongly, testify to the wrong; but if I have spoken rightly, why do you strike me?” Then Annas sent him bound to Caiaphas the high priest.
Now Simon Peter was standing there keeping warm. And they said to him, “You are not one of his disciples, are you?” He denied it and said, “I am not.”
One of the slaves of the high priest, a relative of the one whose ear Peter had cut off, said,
“Didn’t I see you in the garden with him?” Again Peter denied it. And immediately the cock crowed.
Then they brought Jesus from Caiaphas to the praetorium. It was morning. And they themselves did not enter the praetorium, in order not to be defiled so that they could eat the Passover. So Pilate came out to them and said, “What charge do you bring against this man?”
They answered and said to him, “If he were not a criminal, we would not have handed him over to you.” At this, Pilate said to them, “Take him yourselves, and judge him according to your law.” The Jews answered him, “We do not have the right to execute anyone, “
in order that the word of Jesus might be fulfilled that he said indicating the kind of death he would die. So Pilate went back into the praetorium and summoned Jesus and said to him,
“Are you the King of the Jews?” Jesus answered, “Do you say this on your own or have others told you about me?” Pilate answered, “I am not a Jew, am I? Your own nation and the chief priests handed you over to me. What have you done?”
Jesus answered, “My kingdom does not belong to this world. If my kingdom did belong to this world, my attendants would be fighting to keep me from being handed over to the Jews.
But as it is, my kingdom is not here.”
So Pilate said to him,“Then you are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say I am a king. For this I was born and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice.” Pilate said to him, “What is truth?”
When he had said this, he again went out to the Jews and said to them, “I find no guilt in him.
But you have a custom that I release one prisoner to you at Passover. Do you want me to release to you the King of the Jews? They cried out again, “Not this one but Barabbas!”
Now Barabbas was a revolutionary.
Then Pilate took Jesus and had him scourged. And the soldiers wove a crown out of thorns and placed it on his head, and clothed him in a purple cloak, and they came to him and said,
“Hail, King of the Jews!”And they struck him repeatedly. Once more Pilate went out and said to them, “Look, I am bringing him out to you, so that you may know that I find no guilt in him.”
So Jesus came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple cloak. And he said to them, “Behold, the man!” When the chief priests and the guards saw him they cried out,
“Crucify him, crucify him!”
Pilate said to them, “Take him yourselves and crucify him. I find no guilt in him.”
The Jews answered, “We have a law, and according to that law he ought to die, because he made himself the Son of God.” Now when Pilate heard this statement, he became even more afraid,
and went back into the praetorium and said to Jesus,
“Where are you from?”
Jesus did not answer him. So Pilate said to him, “Do you not speak to me? Do you not know that I have power to release you and I have power to crucify you?”
Jesus answered him,
“You would have no power over me if it had not been given to you from above. For this reason the one who handed me over to you has the greater sin.”
Consequently, Pilate tried to release him; but the Jews cried out,
“If you release him, you are not a Friend of Caesar.
Everyone who makes himself a king opposes Caesar.”
When Pilate heard these words he brought Jesus out and seated him on the judge’s bench
in the place called Stone Pavement, in Hebrew, Gabbatha. It was preparation day for Passover, and it was about noon. And he said to the Jews,
“Behold, your king!” They cried out, “Take him away, take him away! Crucify him!”
Pilate said to them, “Shall I crucify your king?”
The chief priests answered, “We have no king but Caesar.” Then he handed him over to them to be crucified.
So they took Jesus, and, carrying the cross himself, he went out to what is called the Place of the Skull, in Hebrew, Golgotha. There they crucified him, and with him two others, one on either side, with Jesus in the middle. Pilate also had an inscription written and put on the cross.
It read, “Jesus the Nazorean, the King of the Jews.”
Now many of the Jews read this inscription, because the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city; and it was written in Hebrew, Latin, and Greek. So the chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate,
“Do not write ‘The King of the Jews,’ but that he said, ‘I am the King of the Jews’.”
Pilate answered,
“What I have written, I have written.”
When the soldiers had crucified Jesus, they took his clothes and divided them into four shares,
a share for each soldier. They also took his tunic, but the tunic was seamless, woven in one piece from the top down.
So they said to one another,
“Let’s not tear it, but cast lots for it to see whose it will be, “
in order that the passage of Scripture might be fulfilled that says:
They divided my garments among them, and for my vesture they cast lots. This is what the soldiers did.
Standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas,
and Mary of Magdala.
When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple there whom he loved
he said to his mother, “Woman, behold, your son.”
Then he said to the disciple,
“Behold, your mother.”
And from that hour the disciple took her into his home.
After this, aware that everything was now finished, in order that the Scripture might be fulfilled,
Jesus said, “I thirst.” There was a vessel filled with common wine. So they put a sponge soaked in wine on a sprig of hyssop and put it up to his mouth.
When Jesus had taken the wine, he said,
“It is finished.”
And bowing his head, he handed over the spirit.
Now since it was preparation day, in order that the bodies might not remain on the cross on the sabbath, for the sabbath day of that week was a solemn one, the Jews asked Pilate that their legs be broken and that they be taken down. So the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first
and then of the other one who was crucified with Jesus. But when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead, they did not break his legs, but one soldier thrust his lance into his side, and immediately blood and water flowed out.
An eyewitness has testified, and his testimony is true; he knows that he is speaking the truth,
so that you also may come to believe. For this happened so that the Scripture passage might be fulfilled: Not a bone of it will be broken.
And again another passage says:
They will look upon him whom they have pierced.
After this, Joseph of Arimathea, secretly a disciple of Jesus for fear of the Jews,
asked Pilate if he could remove the body of Jesus.And Pilate permitted it.
So he came and took his body. Nicodemus, the one who had first come to him at night,
also came bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes weighing about one hundred pounds.
They took the body of Jesus and bound it with burial cloths along with the spices,
according to the Jewish burial custom. Now in the place where he had been crucified there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb, in which no one had yet been buried. So they laid Jesus there because of the Jewish preparation day; for the tomb was close by.
SERMON:
Our Lord God is all forgiving and all powerful.
Our Lord God is also JUST and RIGHTEOUS.
Our Lord God's righteousness and justice demand that sin be punished (Romans 3:23; 6:23).
Since all sin is ultimately committed against God (Psalm 51:4), the only just punishment for sin is death (Roman 6:23).
We know this fact well...BECAUSE WE ALL DIE.
Question:
How will you ever be righteous in the eyes of God?
Do you think that your works, forgiveness of sins by a man, long and repetitive prayers, or even the saints will help you become righteous in God's eyes?
Really? If you do not know who Jesus is and why He died for your sin, then these acts do nothing! Faith is your actions based on the belief of Jesus as the Messiah and sustained in your life every 24 hour period. It is not a blindness to the Truth or a slight understanding of who Jesus is or who you think He is. The Truth is found in the Holy Bible and only by studying it will you learn the Truth. Your works, confessions, prayers, and holy saints do not take your sin away. There is only one way that can be done. Its time for some action...YOUR ACTION.
Thank the Lord that He has provided salvation beyond the ways of man!!
HOW?
1. Jesus Christ was God in the flesh (John 1:1, 14)
2. When Jesus died on the cross, He died WITHOUT SIN...and the world (with Satan), OWES THE LORD GOD HIS LIFE BACK. (Hebrews 9:15-17 15).
3. The world (with Satan) CANNOT give the Lord God His life back...for no one but the Lord God is the Creator of Life. (John 1:1-5, 14, 17 and 18)
4. Because Jesus was PERFECT and He was CRUCIFIED for being SINLESS... the world owes Him HIS Life...HE GIVES YOU LIFE BY YOUR FAITH"ing" IN HIM...
ASK HIM...KNOW HIM...READ HIS WORD...LIVE BY HIM! TOTAL FAITH"ing"!!!
5.
John 11:25
Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life:
he that believeth (faith"eth") in Me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:
6.
Jesus’ death was sufficient to pay for all the sins that have ever been committed (2 Corinthians 5:21).
7.
John 3: 16-21
"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
"For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.
"He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
"And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.
"For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed.
"But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God."
A GIFT OF GIFTS...FROM THE LORD OF LORDS AND KING OF KINGS!
This gift is available only by your action of accepting it and living through it.
That's the beginning of faith! Walk with Him and know Him.
For another uplifting lesson on this Good Friday...
Read the sermon: GO AND SIN NO MORE!
Technorati:Christianity,preaching,bible,bible reading,bible-reading,sermon,sermons
GOOD FRIDAY
Labels: bible study, Gospel of John, Sermons
posted by www.bibletruthonline.com at
7:42 AM
|
0 comments
links to this post
Gospel
Lk 9:28b-36
Jesus took Peter, John, and James
and went up the mountain to pray.
While he was praying his face changed in appearance
and his clothing became dazzling white.
And behold, two men were conversing with him, Moses and Elijah,
who appeared in glory and spoke of his exodus
that he was going to accomplish in Jerusalem.
Peter and his companions had been overcome by sleep,
but becoming fully awake,
they saw his glory and the two men standing with him.
As they were about to part from him, Peter said to Jesus,
“Master, it is good that we are here;
let us make three tents,
one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.”
But he did not know what he was saying.
While he was still speaking,
a cloud came and cast a shadow over them,
and they became frightened when they entered the cloud.
Then from the cloud came a voice that said,
“This is my chosen Son; listen to him.”
After the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone.
They fell silent and did not at that time
tell anyone what they had seen.
SERMON:
This week we read about the Transfiguration of Jesus. It is an event that mankind has not seen since Moses. We will talk about that in a bit. One must come to answer the question if this event happened or not. If it didn't happen then the Gospels and/or Jesus is a fraud. If it did happen, then indeed Jesus is the Son of God just as the "Voice" said. This event was supernatural. Notice that there are two other people present. Moses and Elijah. Why are these two individuals present? Moses was told that he would enter the Promised Land. However, he never did enter the Promised Land...he was allowed only to see it.
Let's read
Deuteronomy 34:4-5:
4 Then the LORD said to him, "This is the land I promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob when I said, 'I will give it to your descendants.' I have let you see it with your eyes, but you will not cross over into it." 5 And Moses the servant of the LORD died there in Moab, as the LORD had said.
But earlier God PROMISES Moses:
Exodus 6:7-8
7 I will take you as my own people, and I will be your God. Then you will know that I am the LORD your God, who brought you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians. 8 And I will bring you to the land I swore with uplifted hand to give to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob. I will give it to you as a possession. I am the LORD.' "
So, what's the deal here? God promises something and then doesn't follow through. Well, the answer is no. God is not a liar and He does what He says! His ways are not always clear to us, but God still does what He promises. Where is the Mt. of Transfiguration? IT IS in the Promised Land! God has indeed led Moses into the Promised Land to stand besides the One who talked to Moses. Jesus is the One who promised Moses, and Jesus follows through!
Now why is Elijah present here? Remember the prophecy:
Malachi 4:4-5
4 "Remember the law of my servant Moses, the decrees and laws I gave him at Horeb for all Israel.5 "See, I will send you the prophet Elijah before that great and dreadful day of the LORD comes.
The dreadful day of the Lord is Jesus' crucifixion. (In the future Elijah will also reappear again at the Second Coming.) And the Transfiguration is BEFORE the crucifixion. Indeed the prophecy comes true...Elijah has reappeared! Prophecy has several layers of truth. Elijah has reappeared here, Elijah has not died here, so that means Elijah will appear again. This prophecy has two meanings...
One more statement about Moses and Elijah...Israel are the people of the Law and of the Prophets, and Moses was the great law giver and Elijah was the great prophet.
Why the Transfiguration? The Jews have their own personal and very human expectations of what the Messiah will do. They interpret prophecy in order to justify what they think the Messiah will do FOR THEM. Jesus did not come to save the Jews...they had their chance...many times. Jesus came to be the Messiah for the whole world and not a small population of Jews who frankly have trampled on the Laws of God. The Law did not work for them and it does not work for us. Jesus, the Creator, came here as a once and for all solution for the ongoing dilemma of mankind. This solution was the result of His sacrifice. The Universe cannot give the Creator His life back, and this world owes Jesus His life back. The Apostles realized that they were standing before the Creator and could not understand why Jesus had to die. The Transfiguration gave the "inner circle"; Peter, James, and John a very small glimpse of the glory of God. There were no doubts after this events as to the awesome power of God. Moses received a similar glimpse of God. Let's look at the parallel between The Creator speaking to Moses and Moses with Jesus on the Mt. of Transfiguration:
In verse 29 of this weeks reading it says: "And while he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became dazzling white".
Moses encountered God on Mt. Sinai as a "devouring fire on the top of a mountain" (Exodus 24:17) and Moses' face shone brightly "because he had been talking with God". Moses' face shone so brightly that he had to wear a veil to shield people from the glare his face emitted (Exodus 34:25-29). Exodus 24 and Jesus at the Transfiguration have a few parallels: they both occur on a mountain, involve Moses, have God speaking from a cloud, speak of the glory of the Lord, and inspire fear. Also in Exodus 24:13 Joshua is singled out and taken up the mountain with Moses. The name Joshua in Greek is "Jesus"... and we see Jesus and Moses again together at the Transfiguration. Notice that the "glory of God" seen by Moses is different. Moses looked at the backside of God's face and glowed. Moses' face mirrored the glory and the Transfiguration has this glory coming from Jesus Himself. The word "glory" is used in the Bible to speak of various supernatural events--but it is used especially to speak of God's glory--an aura associated with God's appearance that reveals God's majesty to humans. When Moses asked to see God's glory, God replied, "You cannot see my face; for no one can see me and live" (Exodus 33:20). God continued and said "See there is a place by me where you shall stand on the rock; and while my glory passes by I will put you in a cleft in the rock, and I will cover you with my hand until I have passed by, then I will take away my hand and you shall see my back; but my face shall not be seen" (Exodus 33:21-23). The point is that God's glory is so overwhelming that we cannot deal with it. It would be like touching a high voltage power line...we die. Peter, James, and John were privileged to see Christ's glory on the Mount of Transfiguration...there will be hard events to watch the Lord go through shortly.
Notice that Peter asks if he should build three booths for Jesus, Moses, and Elijah. There is a prophetic meaning to this that I think Peter didn't even know. We cover this in another paper we wrote on our website. The booths are connected with Moses. As Moses led the Israelites in the wilderness, God told him to build booths in which people would dwell for seven days (Leviticus 23:33-43). They were to do this "so that your generations may know that I made the people of Israel live in booths when I brought them out of the land of Egypt; I AM the Lord your God" (Leviticus 23:43). This observance is known as the Feast of the Tabernacles and started as a harvest festival but became to be a remembrance of their wanderings in the wilderness and their escape from slavery in Egypt.
In the reading we also read "and they were terrified as they entered the cloud" (verse 34). The disciples are terrified because they understand the cloud as the presence of God. Only the High Priest is allowed to come into God's presence and he does so only on the Day of Atonement (Hebrews 9:7). To look at God is to die. These disciples do not know if they shall die...whatever the outcome they are unprepared to meet their Maker. They are vulnerable and have been suddenly presented without warning with the presence of God. Who wouldn't be terrified?
The last part of the reading is: "This is my Son, my Chosen: listen to Him" (v.35). Indeed! We must study and come to truly understand all of the Words of Jesus! They have been recorded for us through immense effort by God and are the actual lessons taught by the Creator, our Messiah. If there is any reason to read any work...it is the Bible. We need to reinvest our time into intently studying the Gospels and work hard even if it takes a lifetime to fully understand everything Jesus has presented us through the writings of His disciples. Jesus speaks on several levels and we may often not understand what it means. But faith comes by the word of God, and our faith in strengthened through understanding the Word of God. We do not want to "err for you do not know the Scriptures". Jesus came, Jesus said, and Jesus died...we must know why and what it means to us individually.
God bless!
Technorati:Christianity,preaching,bible,bible reading,bible-reading,Luke,sermon,sermons
Labels: bible study, Gospel of Luke, Sermons
posted by www.bibletruthonline.com at
7:44 PM
|
0 comments
links to this post
The Pharisees and scribes created additions of the Law based on the 10 Commandments. These MEN added to God's Commandments. These "additions" comprise the Mitzvah. Mitzvah (Hebrew: מצווה, IPA: [ˈmɪtsvə], "commandment"; plural, mitzvot; from צוה, tzavah, "command") is a word used in Judaism to refer to (a) the commandments, of which there are 613, given in the Torah (the first five books of the Hebrew Bible).
THAT'S RIGHT! The "LAW" contains 613 Commandments!
613!
You can read these commandments HERE.
What is the single most important verse in the New Testament?
ANSWER: JOHN 3:16
16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
Notice that the way of the Law has 613 commandments and the verse containing the Truth of the Way of Christ is 3:16---a reversal of the numbers!
What does Paul say about the Law?
Galatians 2:11-21
No Return to the Law
11 Now when Peter had come to Antioch, I withstood him to his face, because he was to be blamed; 12 for before certain men came from James, he would eat with the Gentiles; but when they came, he withdrew and separated himself, fearing those who were of the circumcision. 13 And the rest of the Jews also played the hypocrite with him, so that even Barnabas was carried away with their hypocrisy. 14 But when I saw that they were not straightforward about the truth of the gospel, I said to Peter before them all, “If you, being a Jew, live in the manner of Gentiles and not as the Jews, why do you compel Gentiles to live as Jews? 15 We who are Jews by nature, and not sinners of the Gentiles, 16 knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law; for by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified. 17 “But if, while we seek to be justified by Christ, we ourselves also are found sinners, is Christ therefore a minister of sin? Certainly not! 18 For if I build again those things which I destroyed, I make myself a transgressor. 19 For I through the law died to the law that I might live to God. 20 I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me. 21 I do not set aside the grace of God; for if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died in vain.”
Technorati:Christianity,preaching,bible,bible reading,bible-reading,Luke,sermon,sermons
Labels: bible study, Sermons
posted by www.bibletruthonline.com at
11:27 AM
|
0 comments
links to this post
Gospel
Lk 4:1-13
Filled with the Holy Spirit, Jesus returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the desert for forty days, to be tempted by the devil.He ate nothing during those days, and when they were over he was hungry.
The devil said to him,“If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.”Jesus answered him, “It is written, One does not live on bread alone.”Then he took him up and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a single instant.
The devil said to him,“I shall give to you all this power and glory; for it has been handed over to me, and I may give it to whomever I wish.All this will be yours, if you worship me.”
Jesus said to him in reply,“It is written:You shall worship the Lord, your God,and him alone shall you serve.”Then he led him to Jerusalem, made him stand on the parapet of the temple, and said to him,“If you are the Son of God,throw yourself down from here, for it is written:He will command his angels concerning you, to guard you,and:With their hands they will support you,lest you dash your foot against a stone.”
Jesus said to him in reply,“It also says,You shall not put the Lord, your God, to the test.”When the devil had finished every temptation, he departed from him for a time.
SERMON:
I think this week's reading is a great opportunity to talk about a few pieces of knowledge which ties directly into the Bible verses this week. It will not be a sermon that will relate the temptation of Jesus to your life, but it will help us understand what really went on this week. I need to touch base on a few Truth's. What is the "Trinity" that Church Leaders speak of? What is the Holy Spirit? The "Trinity" idea had confused me for a time in my life and I want to talk about it before we delve deeper into the reading.
The "Trinity" is: The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
The "Father" is called "God". Who is God? I like that the Jews call it YHVH, which means the unknowable and undefinable. Why? Because God the "Father" is everything. God the Father is infinite..."the nothing and the something". Since we are finite, it is impossible to define or name God. So, the Jews leave it UNDEFINED! If God is everything...then what was the first manifestation of the Father?
JOHN 14:7-11
"If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; and from now on you know Him and have seen Him." 8 Philip said to Him, "Lord, show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us." 9 Jesus said to him, "Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, `Show us the Father'? 10 "Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works. 11 "Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me, or else believe Me for the sake of the works themselves."
The Son is the first manifestation of the "Father". This first manifestation who is The Son, came before Angels and came before mankind. This first manifestation is the "Creator"of all other things. The Creator created the angels, Adam and Eve, and this physical Universe. The person talking to Moses IS the Creator. The Creator called Himself
" I AM " I AM is not defined...it just is! Now, the Creator was aware that mankind was in a horrible condition because of sin. This Creator, the Son of "God" or the Son of YHVH, came down here to live in a tent of flesh and allowed Himself to be crucified in order to conquer the catch 22 mankind found itself in due to sin. Jesus is the name of the Son of YHVH, the Son of God, who came here 2,000 some years ago in order to conquer sin for us. This was an act of Love...by the Creator. Jesus called Himself the I AM and the Jews didn't believe it. Thus, the Son of God is the first manifestation or first appearance of the "Father" and the Son is the Creator of ALL. The Son of God was Jesus!
JOHN 1:10
He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him.
JOHN 8:58
Jesus said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was,
I AM."
JOHN 18:5-6
Jesus said to them, "I am He." And Judas, who betrayed Him, also stood with them. 6 Then -- when He said to them, "I am He," -- they drew back and fell to the ground.
MATTHEW 28:18
Then Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth."
The Holy Spirit is the medium that the Creator "creates" through. If you want to experience the Holy Spirit...hold your finger out in front of you and blow on it. The air that you feel on your finger IS THE HOLY SPIRIT. The Father and the Son work through the medium of the Holy Spirit!
There is an order of priority, if you will, to all of this. The Son does NOT come before the Father. The order is: the FATHER, then SON, then Holy Spirit. The Will of the Father and the Son are in perfect harmony with each other. The Son IS the first form of the Father and the Father IS EVERYTHING.
Hey, I told you this would be a sermon on another level...
So here are two questions.
1)Did Satan ever know who The Creator was?
2)Does Satan know who Jesus is?
Answer: NO to both questions.
So who is Satan? Satan was the name given to an angel named Lucifer. Lucifer was a Cherub. Cherubs are those cute baby angels you reckon to Cupid. They look LIKE BABIES, who are a group of angels that also have the power to carry out whatever command is given. These Cherubs are extremely fierce if they have to be. Lucifer was one of the most adored Cherubs.
The Hierarchy of "Heaven" works like this:
First is the Creator...who is called the I AM...who is the Son of God.
Second are the Angels of the Four Directions, Michael, Gabriel, Ariel, and Raphael.These Four are under the "Throne" of the Creator and carry out the Will of the Son.
Next come the groups of angels called the Seraphim's and the Cherubim.
Next comes mankind.
So, Lucifer was a Cherubim and never met Jesus/the Creator. The "Highest" he ever met were the Angels of the Four Directions, namely Michael! Lucifer fell to this Earth before Adam and Eve and was called "SATAN" by the other angels. Satan/Lucifer was here FIRST. This is HIS WORLD...HIS CURSE. He is a Liar and a deceiver and will prove that mankind is NOT WORTHY for forgiveness! That is his mission...if Satan can't be forgiven then why are these men and women who were created after Satan forgiven??
Now with this info, we can look at the reading. Does Jesus know who Satan is? YES! Jesus is the One who cast Satan down here! Does Satan know who Jesus is? NO! But this "Son of God" and Messiah talk has Satan nervous enough to materialize and meet Jesus for a "talk of temptation". Jesus knows why He is here. He is here to conquer Satan and SIN for those who believe and love the Creator. Jesus answers Satan with Scripture PERFECTLY to throw Satan off. After all, JESUS is the "I AM" that has revealed ALL OF THE SCRIPTURES to mankind.
Jesus knows Scripture better than any manifested being. Why didn't Jesus just throw Satan off the cliff or destroy Satan? Satan fulfills a purpose. It might seem cruel to us...but our will and the Creators will are two different things. If we follow Temptation, we are NOT following the Creator,and thus DO NOT love God. Satan, separates the believers from the non-believers. To those who are on the path of faith, Satan comes to tempt you and allows your own decisions to throw you off the path of faith. He is there to prove that you ARE NOT worthy of Salvation!
Satan can't figure out who this "Jesus" is.
In the reading we read that first, Jesus fasts. Fasting is one way to rely on the Father/Son in faith. Imagine fasting for 40 days. (40 days of fasting has been accomplished many times by people even recently). But, imagine how "tempting" food may be after a 40 day fast. As the scripture says...for 40 days Satan tempted Jesus.
Satan asks Jesus that if He really is the Son of God, the Creator, surely Jesus can turn a stone into bread. Jesus answers Satan with Scripture which could mean to Satan that Jesus could still be the Son of God, or just a human.
Satan then tells Jesus a Truth which we must acknowledge. Satan tells Jesus that HE, SATAN, RULES ALL THE KINGDOMS ON EARTH! And Satan can give these kingdoms to Jesus if he wishes. Remember, this Earth...this piece of rock floating in the Galaxy... happens to be ruled by SATAN and we are temporary"uninvited guests" here. We are the nuisance of Satan who he focuses on in order to prove to the Son of God that Satan is more worthy as a fallen Cherub than these constantly sinning humans. If you want paradise on Earth, riches beyond belief, to become famous...then Satan must grant you this. If you follow the Creator, then the Creator will make sure you have EVERYTHING you need...not more and not less!
Now think about the verse Jesus says: "You are not of this world...""
John 15:19
If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.
Now how does Jesus reply to this second temptation of Satan?
With Scripture.
This means that Jesus still could be the Son of God or just a human.
Now the third temptation is to tempt The Creator's Power. If He really is the Creator....Satan said "If you are the Son of God throw yourself off the cliff!" Surely, the Son of God, the Creator, can do this!
How does Jesus answer?
With Scripture.
Which still means that Jesus could be the Son of God or just a human.
How does Satan leave Jesus? CONFUSED! Surely Satan will come again and figure this "Jesus" out. Satan will watch for a while and then make his move (through the temptation of Judas).
I leave you with this thought. If Satan would have ever figured out that he was standing before the Son of God for sure...would he have influence the crucifixion? Satan still wins over man...but did Satan really expect this possible Messiah called "Jesus" to walk through the GATES OF HELL when He was crucified? Did Satan ever realize that through the death of Jesus the following verse would become true and for those who believe...Satan's game would be over?
The verse is:
John 3:16
"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life"?
My answer is that Satan had no idea that this was the plan of the Creator, the Son, to save mankind. Satan had no idea what Jesus was doing...but Satan was worried and confused about it!
One warning: For those who try to go up against Satan head to head...you are defeated! Only the Son of God and His angels can defend you against Satan. Don't fall for this "Be like Christ" nonsense! YOU are NOT the Son of God! But as a believer, He shall help you if you ask Him. You are dealing with Lucifer, a fallen angel, but an angel, and through Scripture we can know how to act when faced with temptation but when it comes to power, you have none against Satan.
Only the Lord can protect you...call upon Him immediately.
May the Lord be with us all!
Technorati:Christianity,preaching,bible,bible reading,bible-reading,Luke,sermon,sermons
Labels: Gospel of Luke, Sermons
posted by www.bibletruthonline.com at
11:36 AM
|
0 comments
links to this post
Luke 6:27-38 (New King James Version)
Labels: Gospel of Luke, Sermons
posted by www.bibletruthonline.com at
6:56 PM
|
1 comments
links to this post
Labels: Gospel of Luke, Sermons
posted by www.bibletruthonline.com at
9:21 AM
|
0 comments
links to this post
Labels: Gospel of Luke, Sermons
posted by www.bibletruthonline.com at
8:47 PM
|
0 comments
links to this post
21 And He began to say to them, “Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.” 22 So all bore witness to Him, and marveled at the gracious words which proceeded out of His mouth. And they said, “Is this not Joseph’s son?”
23 He said to them, “You will surely say this proverb to Me, ‘Physician, heal yourself! Whatever we have heard done in Capernaum,[a] do also here in Your country.’” 24 Then He said, “Assuredly, I say to you, no prophet is accepted in his own country. 25 But I tell you truly, many widows were in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, and there was a great famine throughout all the land; 26 but to none of them was Elijah sent except to Zarephath,[b]in the region of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow. 27 And many lepers were in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet, and none of them was cleansed except Naaman the Syrian.”
28 So all those in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath, 29 and rose up and thrust Him out of the city; and they led Him to the brow of the hill on which their city was built, that they might throw Him down over the cliff. 30 Then passing through the midst of them, He went His way.
SERMON:
Luke starts the story of Jesus' ministry with the events of Jesus' sermon in the synagogue in order to emphasize the paradigm and irony of His ministry and to emphasize the fact that salvation is available to everyone...not just Jews. Luke does not follow a chronological order, and chooses to arrange the events of Jesus' life in an order that supports one of many themes in Jesus' ministry. First, there are the ironies that take place. For example, Jesus will resurrect in order to conquer death and to prove Himself as the Messiah, and in this weeks reading Jesus escapes death on a smaller scale by miraculously "passing through" the midst of an enraged crowd bent on tossing Him off a cliff. Luke also emphasizes the importance of salvation to Gentiles. On that note let's look at the reading.
"21 And He began to say to them, “Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.” 22 So all bore witness to Him, and marveled at the gracious words which proceeded out of His mouth."
Notice that once again, Jesus says: "TODAY". Today is not yesterday and today is not 2,000 years later. Today is NOW. NOW the scripture is fulfilled! Jesus is the One who fulfills the Scripture! It would seem ludicrous that you or I would stand before a crowd and exclaim that we have come to fulfill scripture! What would the crowd think if we did this? They would probably think that we had a screw loose! Jesus states this boldly and with authority and how does the congregation react? They marvel at His words! The scripture has and was fulfilled, and the fulfillment of this "scripture" was completed by Jesus. The waiting is over. The time has come. The Jews have waited and still wait for the Messiah. They have seen God work miracles throughout their history from the parting of the Red Sea to the destruction of the false prophets of Baal. We would expect the Jews to be ready and be able to recognize and accept the Messiah...but we are wrong, they are not ready TODAY. The Jews at the time of Jesus' birth have not seen or heard from any prophet in 400 years...they have grown weary of waiting like a guard who falls asleep at their post. Jesus says, "Today the scripture has been fulfilled" but today the Jews are not ready! The Jews start off by speaking well of Jesus, but soon turn against Him because Jesus does not do or fulfill what they want...they want freedom from THEIR captivity...forget everyone else...they are the chosen ones, not the Gentiles. The reading this week also asks us for a decision...no fence sitting. Did Jesus fulfill the scriptures or not? You have to make a choice, and hopefully this choice is based on actual investigation on your part.
"And they said, “Is this not Joseph’s son?”"
Mankind looks for power and wealth as attributes of royalty and high social status. The Jews expect their king to be born into terms that they have determined as worthy. They expect a king to be born into wealth and power as kings ususally are born into. Jesus as Creator knows this and purposefully "predestines" or creates the circumstances so that He is to be born into poverty and humility. Jesus does not come to fulfill the expectations of men, but to grant all people of this world with Salvation if they choose to accept Him. This verse is sarcastic. Joseph was a humble man from an insignificant town. Joseph was not born into wealth, but Joseph is a descendant of King David! We know that Jesus is the Son of God and not the son of Joseph...Jesus comes to fulfill the will of the Heavenly Father, GOD, not the will of men!
"23 He said to them, “You will surely say this proverb to Me, ‘Physician, heal yourself! Whatever we have heard done in Capernaum,[a] do also here in Your country.’”"
Luke has not reported yet on what Jesus has done in Capernaum, and Mark has Jesus teaching in Capernaum at the beginning of His ministry. It is obvious that Jesus is living in Capernaum at the time of this event in Nazareth. Jesus' hometown crowd expects Him to do wonderful things in His hometown of Nazareth. Their attitude stems from the belief that Jesus healed the undeserving people of Capernaum...He should heal the deserving people of Nazareth. It is a call for loyalty to the people of Nazareth, the people of Jesus' hometown.
"24 Then He said, “Assuredly, I say to you, no prophet is accepted in his own country."
A prophet is not going to please the people of his hometown, for a prophet is not bound by loyalty. A prophet has to move away from his hometown in order to be heard. The Jews have a long history of rejecting prophets because true prophets speak the truth that ears do not want to hear. Prophets tell of judgement and a call for change among the people and people seldom want to make these changes. What is acceptable to the Lord is oftentimes unacceptable to men. The rejection of Jesus in Nazareth is a foreshadowing of the rejection of Jesus in Jerusalem. Jewish rejection does not discredit who Jesus was in any way. One question: They were not ready for the Messiah then, and are they ready for the Messiah today? Are Christians ready for the Messiah today?
"25 But I tell you truly, many widows were in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, and there was a great famine throughout all the land; 26 but to none of them was Elijah sent except to Zarephath,[b]in the region of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow. 27 And many lepers were in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet, and none of them was cleansed except Naaman the Syrian.”
This story is from 1 Kings 17 and would be familiar to this crowd. In the midst of a destructive drought, God sent Elijah to Zarephath to ask a poor widow for some water. The widow objected, but Elijah told her that God would replenish any food or water Elijah used. The widow was rewarded exactly as Elijah said she would, but later her son died. Elijah prayed that the son's life would be restored. There is one theme in this story from 1 Kings that would strike this crowd in an almost insulting way...the widow was a Gentile!
The same theme applies for Jesus' reference to Naaman the Syrian. Naaman was a Gentile. The point of these two themes is that the Jewish people cannot consider their relationship with God as an exclusive relationship. Jesus reinforces this point by beginning His ministry in Capernaum...a place heavily populated by Gentiles. The Nazareth crowd soon rejects Jesus because Jesus shoots down their expectations on what a Messiah, {if Jesus is the Messiah and Jews question this}, will do for them. Jesus shoots these expectations down with works and speeches like in this weeks reading because the Jews cannot expect exclusive "rights" to the Messiah just because they are Jewish.
"28 So all those in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath, 29 and rose up and thrust Him out of the city; and they led Him to the brow of the hill on which their city was built, that they might throw Him down over the cliff. 30 Then passing through the midst of them, He went His way."
The scripture the Jews think of pertaining to Jesus' speech is Isaiah 61:1...the Messiah will bring good news to the oppressed Jews. Isaiah 61:2 speaks of "the day of vengeance of our God" which Jesus purposefully omits from the reading. The Jews expect the Messiah to deliver them from oppression and to punish their oppressors. Instead, Jesus reminds them of a time when God cursed the Jews and instead God showed mercy to a Gentile, Naaman the Syrian. Jesus' message is not want the Jews want to hear and become angry. Isn't this true today? If a person where to speak the Truth, would we like it? Or would we get angry? These people got so angry that they wanted to kill Jesus by throwing Him off a cliff! Why? Because they expect the Messiah to fulfill THEIR expectations and THEIR will...thinking like selfish, sinful, prideful humans. Leviticus 24:14 required the stoning of a FALSE prophet...usually they would take a person and throw them off a cliff into a lower place and then people would stand above them and stone them to death. This is what they wanted to do to Jesus.
Question: What was Jesus' charge? Speaking the Truth! Speaking words that they didn't want to hear because the Jews believed that they were Chosen and were deserving of redemption...they alone. Jesus came to grant salvation, He came to deliver the oppressed, and HE DOES! He grants this to the whole world and not a select group. What the Scriptures speak of are God's Words...not open to our selfish interpretation and the expectations of men. Our job is to find the Truth in God's words...not place our will on God. The Jews disobeyed God's orders many, many, times and were fully aware of their actions and the consequences. This time the rest of the world has a chance at salvation. Notice that Jesus slips through the crowd and is not thrown off the cliff. How did He do that? A miracle! Could you escape a riot by "slipping through the crowd" when that crowd is rioting because of you? How about a crowd that is bent on stoning you or throwing you off a cliff? How could you "slip" through them unseen and unnoticed? I know I couldn't except by the Power of the Lord! The wait is over and Salvation is here for us TODAY! Our salvation was granted when the Messiah was here in a tent of flesh with the name Jesus, 2000 some years ago and that is something we can feel rojoice in NOW.
God Bless you and your families this week!
Technorati:Christianity,preaching,bible,bible reading,bible-reading,Luke,sermon,sermons
Labels: Gospel of Luke, Sermons
posted by www.bibletruthonline.com at
8:00 AM
|
0 comments
links to this post
(Saint Luke)
Labels: Gospel of Luke, Sermons
posted by www.bibletruthonline.com at
1:35 PM
|
0 comments
links to this post
Gospel
Mt 2:1-12
When Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea,
in the days of King Herod,
behold, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying,
“Where is the newborn king of the Jews?
We saw his star at its rising
and have come to do him homage.”
When King Herod heard this,
he was greatly troubled,
and all Jerusalem with him.
Assembling all the chief priests and the scribes of the people,
he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born.
They said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea,
for thus it has been written through the prophet:
And you, Bethlehem, land of Judah,
are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
since from you shall come a ruler,
who is to shepherd my people Israel.”
Then Herod called the magi secretly
and ascertained from them the time of the star’s appearance.
He sent them to Bethlehem and said,
“Go and search diligently for the child.
When you have found him, bring me word,
that I too may go and do him homage.”
After their audience with the king they set out.
And behold, the star that they had seen at its rising preceded them,
until it came and stopped over the place where the child was.
They were overjoyed at seeing the star,
and on entering the house
they saw the child with Mary his mother.
They prostrated themselves and did him homage.
Then they opened their treasures
and offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod,
they departed for their country by another way.
SERMON:
This week we reflect and celebrate Epiphany. The word epiphany means appearance or manifestation. The appearance or manifestation described by Matthew in this weeks reading has a supernatural quality to it. Allow me to explain the difference between how man sees manifestation and how God can at any time manifest something. For example, you may manifest a cup of coffee by brewing coffee, grabbing a cup, and then pour coffee into the cup. Or a cup of coffee could be manifested by God; you could be sitting in front of the TV and all of the sudden a cup of coffee manifests itself right before you...hot coffee and all, even with cream and sugar if that's how you like it. I am starting this week's sermon off with this analogy because this weeks reading is full of Divine supernatural activity that is not the workings of witches or magicians. It is full of the work of God himself that would leave any scientist baffled. Epiphany is a time to reflect that God sent His Son to the world and allowed the appearance of His Son and surrounded the birth of His Son with miraculous signs. ALL people, be it Jew, Gentile, or Heathen are to be saved through Him. The early church celebrated 4 holy days...Easter, Pentecost, Epiphany, and later Christmas. This is a week of awe, reflection, and celebration.
Let's begin with the reading:
"When Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea,
in the days of King Herod,
behold, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying,
“Where is the newborn king of the Jews?"
We saw his star at its rising
and have come to do him homage.”
We may relate the story of Jesus birth with visits from shepherds and wise men together. The shepherds came from the nearby places surrounding Bethlehem and the wise men or "magi" came from far away. These visits happened at two different times. The wise men's visit probably took place a while after the shepherds had departed. We know that Mary and Joseph remained in the vicinity of Bethlehem and Jerusalem until Jesus had been circumcised and presented in the temple (Luke 2:22-38). Mary also needed to recover from just giving birth. It is presumed that the wise men or "magi" visited them during the time that Mary and Joseph visited Bethlehem and Jerusalem.
There are three interesting portions to discuss in this very first part of the reading.
First, who is this King Herod?
The Herod spoken of in this verse is Herod the Great whom had sons named Herod Archelaus, Herod Phillip, and Herod Antipas. These sons will succeed their father when Herod the Great dies according to Josephus, in 4 BC. Herod was known as a great king in both good and mostly bad ways. He kept the peace, built the Temple, and was sometimes generous. He also murdered his wife, Mariamme, murdered his mother, Alexandria, murdered his oldest son, Antipater, and murdered his sons Alexander and Aristobulous. Augustus, the Roman emperor once said that it was safer to be Herod's pig than Herod's son. When Herod was approaching death, he had a group of elite citizens from Jerusalem arrested and gave orders that the when he died, the citizens were to be killed so that some tears would be shed when he died.
Second, who are the magi?
We know some information but not a lot about the magi. What we do know is interesting.
We are told that the magi are from the East. These magi were Arabs from the land of Babylon or ancient Persia which is modern day Iran / Iraq. They were probably followers of Zoroaster. We have been accustomed to calling these magi, kings, but Matthew calls them magoi or Magi. Calling them kings probably came from Psalm 72:10, which speaks of the kings of Tarshish rendering tribute and Sheba bringing gifts. Isaiah 60:6 speaks of the people of Sheba bringing gold and frankincense which are two of the three gifts the magi bring when they visit Jesus. The word magi or magus has three possible definitions. First, magi are plural and magus is singular. One of the definitions of a magus is: "a member of the Zoroastrian priestly caste of the Medes and Persians". The second definition is: a sorcerer or magician. The third definition comes from the Jews where the "magoi" looked to the stars for answers that LEGITIMATELY COME ONLY FROM GOD. The one definition that does not pertain to this reading is the definition that the magi are sorcerers or magicians. Sorcerers and magicians use astrology, horoscopes, and a religious system that is incompatible with the Christian faith. They work magic using demonic powers. The definition that works best for the "magi" in this verse is a combination of 1 and 2, these magi where probably from Persia and followed Zoroaster, and followed the stars just as the Jewish Magoi did, looking to the stars for revelations that come only from God. God is in control of the stars and can at any time show a star to guide those to Christ. We do not know for sure what the names of the magi were or how many their where. We think that there are three because they give three gifts, and the number three surrounds Christ throughout His life. The names of the magi are not certain, however, a 6 th century mosaic in a church in Ravenna, Italy name them as Melchior, Caspar (or Gaspar), and Balthasar. The most important thing to reflect on is the fact that these magi are GENTILES. The Jewish chief priests who lived less than 5 miles away from Jesus know that a Messiah is to be born, Jesus fits all the prophecies and the time line, as well as receives a star in the sky to point to exactly where He was, and the chief priests refuse to come and acknowledge Him. The Gentile Magi travel from far away and joyfully receive the Messiah and acknowledge Him. The Gentile Magi have a better grasp of Scripture and faith than the chief priests in Jerusalem! Remember the verse: "First to the Jews then to the Gentiles".
Third, How did the magi know that a king was born?
The magi tells us that they observed HIS STAR at it's rising. People have tried to identify the star that led them to Jesus. There has been little agreement to what this star was or is. We do know that this "star" does not behave as stars do, because it "stops" over the place where Jesus is. This is one example of an "epiphany" the supernatural manifestation that occurred here. The star of Bethlehem was a sign of God and God has the power to stop stars in their tracks! The Gentile magi were not the only ones who were aware that a star would rise to show that the King of Kings had been born...but these Gentile Magi not only knew what they were witnessing but also travelled from far away to pay homage.
This is where this portion of the verse ends...with the Gentile Magi giving homage to Jesus.
Next we read:
When King Herod heard this,
he was greatly troubled,
and all Jerusalem with him.
Why would Herod be greatly troubled over a baby? Herod murdered anyone threatening his throne; remember that he murdered members of his own family. Herod is also of Arab descent and rules under Rome's authority. The Jews resent Herod and would rather have a king of their own. Everyone is aware that if the Jews have a chance to overthrow him, they will. Hence, Herod was worried when he hears that a God-ordained king has been born within his jurisdiction. One interesting part of this verse is where it states: "and all Jerusalem". Why would all of Jerusalem be greatly troubled too? It seems to me that Matthew is implicating the Jewish elite, priests, and the Jewish people as opposing Jesus right from the beginning. They will share the guilt of the crucifixion, but Matthew is linking them with Herod even at the early stages of Jesus' life.
Next we read:
Assembling all the chief priests and the scribes of the people,
he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born.
They said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea,
for thus it has been written through the prophet:
And you, Bethlehem, land of Judah,
are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
since from you shall come a ruler,
who is to shepherd my people Israel.”
Matthew again seems to be singling out those who deny and oppose Jesus. The chief priests were Annas and Caiaphas which would have been (one or both of them) gathered together and we will see these two again at Jesus' crucifixion. The scribes are "scholars" of the Law. Scribes are in constant conflict with Jesus during his lifetime.
The part of the verse that states, "Bethlehem of Judea" is important to reflect on. It is called "Bethlehem of Judah" (belonging to the tribe of Judah) to distinguish it from the other Bethlehem which was in the North, in the territory of Zebulon (today Beth-Lehem 12km from Nazareth). It was also the birthplace of King David. When God rejected King Saul, Samuel went to Bethlehem where he anointed David as king of Israel. Bethlehem is a small town that is not high on the social ladder. It is ironic and appropriate that the Messiah would be born here, humbly. King David's beginnings were also humble. He served as a shepherd. The Jews were waiting for another "great" King David, and Jesus is the King they are waiting for. It isn't what they expect, but there is no reason to ignore Him.
The part that states, "And you Bethlehem, in the land of Judah" comes from Micah 5:2 and 2Samuel 5:2 , and Matthew seems to drive the point that the prophets foretold Jesus' birth in Bethlehem and the Jews, chief priests, scribes, and Pharisees, have the means and the scripture to know without a doubt that the Messiah is coming and yet they do nothing about it.
In the part of the verse that states, "are by no means least among the rulers of Judah" is a purposeful word play that Matthew has done to poke at the Jewish religious establishment. Micah in 5:6 says, "one of the little clans of Judah" and Matthew changes it to "are by no means least among the rulers of Judah". He shows that Bethlehem has and will become the most honored city instead of a "little clan of Judah". Matthew got that right! The point Matthew drives home with these verses is that the chief priest and scribes know the Talmud, but they miss the fact that the Messiah has been born.
Next is:
"Then Herod called the magi secretly
and ascertained from them the time of the star’s appearance.
He sent them to Bethlehem and said,
“Go and search diligently for the child.
When you have found him, bring me word,
that I too may go and do him homage.”
Herod wants the Magi's help in determining the time that the star appeared because this will help him determine how old the baby Jesus is so that he can murder him. As we know from history, Herod decides to kill all children in Bethlehem 2 years old and younger! What an evil man! And to think, if Jesus is just a good and wise teacher and not the Messiah...how this deranged king killed babies because of it! There was reason and the knowledge that the Messiah was born...and these children died because of it at the hands of a man, an unholy man, possessed with power and the material wealth of this world. This type of men murder for vanity...and it is sick. This passage does give us a clue that at this time, Jesus is 2 years or younger. God is always powerful and above all evil...remember that God warned both the wise men and Joseph who later flee to Egypt to protect his family from the wrath of men.
The treachery of this world of man begins in Jesus' infancy...this world owes Him and owes Him big for what mankind did to Him...this world owes Him His life back, and no human can give back someones life.
Next:
After their audience with the king they set out.
And behold, the star that they had seen at its rising preceded them,
until it came and stopped over the place where the child was.
They were overjoyed at seeing the star,
Stars do not stop in their orbits, and this is not natural, it is a manifestation from God.
Notice that these Magi, who are Gentiles, are overjoyed. The "chosen people" aren't, Herod isn't, and the chief priest's are "greatly troubled". The Jews who should be ready to receive Christ with great joy are afraid! The Gentile Magi, who are regarded as unworthy to associate with among the Jews, receive Jesus joyfully. The scribes expect to have a handle on things and must provide answers, and Jesus started to twist their human logic around in His infancy.
Finally:
and on entering the house
they saw the child with Mary his mother.
They prostrated themselves and did him homage.
Then they opened their treasures
and offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod,
they departed for their country by another way.
Notice that the Magi prostrate themselves and pay homage. This is still the practice among Arabs and especially Muslims who adopted practices of ancient Persia. Prostrating is the act of kneeling and then laying ones whole body flat on the floor in complete submission and respect. This practice is still seen today when Muslims pray. The gifts that the Magi bring are expensive and easy to travel with. Some think of the Magi as Kings because of the gifts they bring to Jesus and the verse in Psalm 72:10-11 which states that kings will give "the king" tribute. There is a difference between magi and kings...and this reference to kings visiting Jesus comes from this Old Testament parallel. These gifts would seem inappropriate for a human child...we would expect clothes and toys. These gifts are for a King. Gold is one of the few acceptable gifts for a king. Frankincense is a gift for a priest, and myrrh is used as an anointing oil, and is also used for anointing bodies for burial. Joseph could have used these three gifts later to help pay for the journey to Egypt because they would be easy to trade with or sell.
Look again that the Magi were warned in a dream! Herod cannot even try to stand in the way of God's plan for the salvation of the world. He obviously didn't know what he was dealing with. The Herod's of this world are no match for God and God's people. God sent a dream to these men to expose Herod's treachery and they knew to steer clear of anything having to do with Herod.
Behold! The manifestation of the King of Kings who shall be the path to salvation and eternal life has come! The joy is ours as we each reflect and joyfully accept Jesus into our hearts!
Behold! The Son of God has come, has died, has resurrected, so that we may be broken from the chains of sin and have eternal LIFE! No demon, devil, or Herod could ever or will ever touch us and prevent us from faith"ing" in Our Lord! Now that is the source of true Joy...the Joy of the Kingdom to come.
God Bless you and your families this week of Epiphany.
Technorati:bible reading, bible, preaching, christianity, sermon, sermons
Labels: Gospel of Matthew, Sermons
posted by www.bibletruthonline.com at
11:34 PM
|
0 comments
links to this post
Labels: Gospel of Luke, Sermons
posted by www.bibletruthonline.com at
5:06 PM
|
0 comments
links to this post
Gospel
Mt 1:1-25
The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ,
the son of David, the son of Abraham.
Abraham became the father of Isaac, Isaac the father of Jacob, Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers. Judah became the father of Perez and Zerah, whose mother was Tamar. Perez became the father of Hezron, Hezron the father of Ram, Ram the father of Amminadab. Amminadab became the father of Nahshon, Nahshon the father of Salmon, Salmon the father of Boaz, whose mother was Rahab. Boaz became the father of Obed, whose mother was Ruth. Obed became the father of Jesse, Jesse the father of David the king. David became the father of Solomon, whose mother had been the wife of Uriah. Solomon became the father of Rehoboam, Rehoboam the father of Abijah, Abijah the father of Asaph. Asaph became the father of Jehoshaphat, Jehoshaphat the father of Joram, Joram the father of Uzziah. Uzziah became the father of Jotham, Jotham the father of Ahaz, Ahaz the father of Hezekiah. Hezekiah became the father of Manasseh, Manasseh the father of Amos, Amos the father of Josiah. Josiah became the father of Jechoniah and his brother sat the time of the Babylonian exile. After the Babylonian exile, Jechoniah became the father of Shealtiel, Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel, Zerubbabel the father of Abiud. Abiud became the father of Eliakim, Eliakim the father of Azor, Azor the father of Zadok. Zadok became the father of Achim, Achim the father of Eliud, Eliud the father of Eleazar. Eleazar became the father of Matthan, Matthan the father of Jacob, Jacob the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary.
Of her was born Jesus who is called the Christ. Thus the total number of generations from Abraham to David is fourteen generations; from David to the Babylonian exile, fourteen generations; from the Babylonian exile to the Christ, fourteen generations.
Now this is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about. When his mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found with child through the Holy Spirit. Joseph her husband, since he was a righteous man, yet unwilling to expose her to shame, decided to divorce her quietly. Such was his intention when, behold,the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home. For it is through the Holy Spirit that this child has been conceived in her. She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”
All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,and they shall name him Emmanuel,which means “God is with us.” When Joseph awoke, he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took his wife into his home. He had no relations with her until she bore a son, and he named him Jesus.
SERMON:
Merry Christmas everyone! This is the time that we celebrate the birth of the Son of God who came down to us in a tent of flesh as 100% God and 100% human in order to conquer death, conquer Hell, and conquer Sin. Death is our price that we are to pay for the sin that we perpetually committ. By being born of the Holy Spirit, the True God-Man was crucified for no just cause by this world, and lived a perfect life being the Son of God in a human tent of flesh. The world owes Jesus His life back, and since Jesus is the "I AM" who is the Creator, who is the One that talked to Moses through the burning bush (and why we have Christmas tress in our home) the world cannot give His life back. Their is no court or no King or Emperor powerful enough to reverse His carried out death sentence. Satan and hell have some abilities but not the ability to give Life. By conquering His own Law by His own death in the hands of this world, Jesus is able to save those souls who do one thing..."FAITH"eth" in Jesus. Faith"eth" is a verb...an action that we do by placing our will and our lives in His care and direction.
Our reward? Eternal life and salvation from Death. Jesus is able to give us Life by His death and resurrection which is the NEW Covenant. His New Covenant is faith"ing" in Him and His ability to grant us Eternal life comes from the fact that the world and Satan killed The Son of God for no reason, and He allowed Himself to be the sacrificed for all those who believe in order to "catch 22" the Law of the world...the same "Law" He has been giving this world a chance to complete...but has failed following.
Over and over, the Chosen People failed..."First to the Jews and then to the Gentiles"...Christmas is our time to reflect on the Gift of Gifts that Our Lord Jesus the Christ has given those who faith"eth", those who choose Him and allow Him to lead their lives. Rejoice for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand and YOUR grave has been conquered!
Now let's look at this weeks reading...What are all of these names at he beginning of the reading and why are they there? Well, thankfully Matthew paid attention to the FACT that Jesus by the lineage of Joseph is A DIRECT DESCENDANT of KING DAVID. Remember King David and the prophecy surrounding him? Many prophetic passages speak of a descendant of King David who will rule Israel during the age of perfection. (Isaiah 11:1-9; Jeremiah 23:5-6, 30:7-10, 33:14-16; Ezekiel 34:11-31, 37:21-28; Hosea 3:4-5). According to Jewish sources, the Messiah will be born of human parents and possess normal physical attributes like other people. The Messiah must be descended on his father's side from King David (see Genesis 49:10, Isaiah 11:1, Jeremiah 23:5, 33:17; Ezekiel 34:23-24). Matthew presents the facts as they are...Jesus is a direct descendant of King David on His father's side, through the lineage of Joseph. Jews believe that Jesus is not the Messiah because He was born through a virgin and did not have a bloodline father. Well, the Jews "err for not knowing their own scriptures". Some Jews may think that the Messiah is a human with "god like" qualities...then they do not know the definition of the Messiah. If they believe that the Second Coming (to the Jews the First coming) Messiah will be the Son of God...then how...by the knowledge contained in the Scriptures...would the Son of God / Son of Man be the Messiah AND be born into sin? We all have two parents...and we all are born into sin since we are descendants of Adam and Eve.
Let's look at why Jesus could not have a human bloodline father...
"Now this is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about. When his mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph,but before they lived together, she was found with child through the Holy Spirit. "
Sin passes through the lineage of the father, and thus in order for Jesus to be born sinless, and to live free from sin, He could not have been conceived by a human father. The Holy Spirit, who is without sin had to conceive Jesus in the womb in order for Jesus to forfeit or cancel out His own commandment from the very beginning of Adam and Eve's fall out of the Garden of Eden as spoken of in:
Romans 5:12
Death Through Adam, Life Through Christ
"12 Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned— "
Jesus as 100% God and 100% man could not be born into sin--the sin that is inherited from all descendants of Adam. So the blessed Mother of Jesus, Mary, was impregnated with Jesus by the only pure source...the Holy Spirit. Jesus was ADOPTED by Joseph later on as commanded by the Angel. Is an adopted parent still a parent? YES!
Are the Jews looking for a way...THEIR way to discredit Jesus as the Messiah? I understand what Old Testament scripture says about the coming Messiah...and I understand why Jesus was born the way He was.
At the time of Mary's pregnancy, she was engaged to Joseph...and not married to Joseph. Jesus was born into this world and not in the way we are born into to it for a very good reason...HIS (Jesus') REASON AND HIS REASON ALONE. For starters, the Son of God had to be born sinless! But allow me to interject something here: How does man justify questioning the Creator about the way He works? Surely the student isn't the teacher too?! Since Joseph was engaged to Mary, the pregnancy was a troublesome dilemma and probably frightening to Joseph.
Let's look at why...
"Joseph her husband, since he was a righteous man, yet unwilling to expose her to shame, decided to divorce her quietly. Such was his intention when, behold,the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said,“Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home. "
The Jews follow the Law (imperfectly) but zealously when it comes to adultery. Throughout Jewish history, a woman would be stoned to death for becoming pregnant with someone else's child while engaged. Her sudden and unexplainable pregnancy would make it seem to the Jews to be a case of adultery. In the time of Joseph, the Jews could have stoned her to death as instructed in Deut. 22:23-24, but the verse in Matthew tells us that she would have lived a life in shame. Mary would have been a black sheep...lower in societal worth than a thief and looked upon as prostitutes were looked down upon. It would be a life of constant shame and ridicule...probably physical assault would befall her at some point by a few outraged Jews. It would have destroy her life and would have affected her families lives. Joseph knew what the Law said, and in all of his confusion...decided to divorce her quietly. It makes me think that his plan was to marry Mary quickly and then divorce her quietly, or Joseph planned to contact her father and break off the engagement. The word divorce imply's marriage first...
However, in this messy situation which is all the Lords plan anyway's, it takes a messenger of the Lord called an "Angel" to straighten things out. Joseph receives this angelic message in a dream where he is instructed to take Mary and wed her. This dream must have been a powerful and lucid in order to change the mind of a man who has no idea how his loving wife to be just got pregnant! What would you do? Would you take Mary as your wife? Would an angelic message via your dreams change your mind? I've seen enough in my own life to say..."Yes!"
But it would take an angelic message to diffuse me.
"For it is through the Holy Spirit that this child has been conceived in her. She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus,because he will save his people from their sins.”
Joseph is told how Mary was impregnated...but this must have seemed "Out of this world" because IT IS! It took an angel to get the message through to Joseph, and it worked. Joseph is also told the name of his son which would be "Jesus" because He will save HIS PEOPLE from their sins. A side note: this is a good time to reflect on this verse...Jesus did not come to save everyone (even though everyone has the opportunity) from their sins...only HIS PEOPLE will be saved from their sins. That is important.
Let's look at the name of the Lord and what it means...Mary's role is to bear a son, and Joseph's role is to adopt Him by naming Him. By naming Him, Joseph makes Jesus his son and brings Him into the House of David. The name Jesus, "is the Greek form of the Hebrew YEHOSUA, which means: "YHVH is Salvation". If you study certain areas of "advanced" Jewish study...YHVH is the unknowable and unnameable "name" (yes it doesn't make sense for a reason) of God. YHVH "Limitless and The Creator". If the Creator is All Knowing then He has the ability to come to us in whatever way He wants. There are reasons for everything and reasons for what He did from the time of the Creation of the world, to Adam and Eve, to Moses, to His coming to walk among us as Savior, to His witness of us now and His coming to be. THERE ARE REASONS, HIS REASONS, FOR EVERYTHING. The name Jesus means, the best I can say it in English is..."I AM SALVATION" or YEHOSUA is salvation.
POWERFUL! Before Jesus was born Joseph and Mary knew this Son would be the Messiah...the Lord Jesus planned it from the foundations of the world!
"All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,and they shall name him Emmanuel,which means “God is with us.” "
Yes, the Creator who is The Messiah, who lived among us in a tent of flesh with the name Jesus is the One who speaks through the prophets. The Lord spoke through Isaiah in Chapter 7 verse 14 when Isaiah spoke these same words to King Ahaz. Isaiah's prophecy was that a child would be born and that by the time he reached maturity, the threat from the enemy would have passed. Isaiah referred to a young woman and Matthew states that Mary was a virgin. In Hebrew, EL is a short form of Elohim, a name for God. Immanu-EL means,"God with us" a meaning which Matthew spells out for non-Hebrew readers. Emmanuel is not another name Jesus would be called...Jesus is His name and Emmanuel describes His role.
"When Joseph awoke, he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded himand took his wife into his home. He had no relations with her until she bore a son, and he named him Jesus."
An angel appears to Joseph three times. Each time, Joseph obey's the angel's commands without question and with faith"ing". He does as commanded. To be righteous is to obey the Word of God and Joseph's faith"ing" allows Jesus to be ADOPTED as a true Son of David while Mary's role allows Jesus to be born the Son of God. As stated in Holy Scripture, Joseph had no relations with Mary until she gave birth to Jesus. Christians are divided on this issue...some say that there was no need or desire for Mary to have any type of "romantic" relations after giving birth to The Messiah...one would think that this experience and role would be too Holy for Joseph and Mary to even think of such a thing. The other side sees marriage and marital relations as a God given gift because marriage is of God, created by God. The marital relations between a husband and wife is a true gift and is righteous. What's the big deal? I believe that it is natural, and righteous if Mary and Joseph did indeed engage in marital relations AFTER the birth of Jesus because they loved each other and love is the reason why they came together in engagement in the first place. Who in this world would say that having healthy marital relations with one who is your husband or wife is not a gift given and protected by God? There is nothing wrong with that! Romantic relations with one's husband or wife is not dirty or evil...it is a worldly act that was instituted and created by God, and for that reason, it is absolutely fine that Mary and Joseph had marital relations after the birth of Jesus. Holy Scripture says it, and I doubt that the marital "relations" spoken of in Matthew implies that this meant dealings with the finances of the household or who would baby sit Jesus! The Law is clear...have romantic relations with your wife and enjoy...have romantic relations with someone else's wife or a woman who will be someone's wife and you commit adultery. You could be stoned to death for adultery.
In conclusion, Joseph and Mary are blessed people for being the two people who bring the kingship lineage together for the Messiah to be born. The Jews expected and still await a king who will unify and exalt them and the Jewish people...the Messiah chose to come into this world the WAY HE WANTED not the way the Jews wanted Him too. Why rescue the Jews from their oppressors when oppression is of THIS WORLD anyway's? The Kingdom of Heaven is NOT in this present world as we see it, thus the world and it's problems are the dealings of mankind. We need to learn that this life is our time to focus on what is truly important, living our lives in order to build a relationship with the Lord and become tool's of His Good Works. The works of mankind stay with mankind and we must lift up our hearts, mind, and soul to what really counts...and that is eternal life through the salvation of Jesus Christ and acting in Faith in His Word and His Works.
Christ was born, Christ was killed, and Christ has risen! Rejoice for Our Salvation has been sealed in a New Covenant by our faith"ing"!
Hallelujah!
God Bless you and your families this week.
Technorati:bible-reading, bible reading, bible, preaching, christianity, sermon, sermons
Labels: Gospel of Matthew, Sermons
posted by www.bibletruthonline.com at
8:09 AM
|
0 comments
links to this post
Gospel
Lk 3:10-18
The crowds asked John the Baptist,
“What should we do?”
He said to them in reply,
“Whoever has two cloaks
should share with the person who has none.
And whoever has food should do likewise.”
Even tax collectors came to be baptized and they said to him,
“Teacher, what should we do?”
He answered them,
“Stop collecting more than what is prescribed.”
Soldiers also asked him,
“And what is it that we should do?”
He told them,
“Do not practice extortion,
do not falsely accuse anyone,
and be satisfied with your wages.”
Now the people were filled with expectation,
and all were asking in their hearts
whether John might be the Christ.
John answered them all, saying,
“I am baptizing you with water,
but one mightier than I is coming.
I am not worthy to loosen the thongs of his sandals.
He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.
His winnowing fan is in his hand to clear his threshing floor
and to gather the wheat into his barn,
but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.”
Exhorting them in many other ways,
he preached good news to the people.
SERMON:
John the Baptist was the one sent to prepare the way of the Lord. Born to parents who were unable to bear a child until the Lord manifested John's birth, the Lord sent John into this world SIX MONTHS prior to the Lord Jesus coming through the womb of His mother Mary after conception by the Holy Spirit. John the Baptist was to be the one to prepare this world by Baptism by water after Repentance. Repentance is the changing of one's current way or path and giving up control and direction to the Lord. The passage this week are John's spoken words BEFORE the Lord Jesus Christ was ministering. There is a six month difference in age between John the Baptist and Jesus Christ...at this time the preparation began through John BEFORE the Lord found the Apostles and before the Lord was crucified. So, let's look at the beginning verses more in-depth:
The crowds asked John the Baptist,
“What should we do?”
He said to them in reply,
“Whoever has two cloaks
should share with the person who has none.
And whoever has food should do likewise.”
Even tax collectors came to be baptized and they said to him,
“Teacher, what should we do?”
He answered them,
“Stop collecting more than what is prescribed.”
Soldiers also asked him,
“And what is it that we should do?”
He told them,
“Do not practice extortion,
do not falsely accuse anyone,
and be satisfied with your wages.”
The people of this time KNEW that the Messiah was coming via the prophets and the time period that John is Baptising coincides with the expectations that John may be a candidate for the Messiah. Now is a good time to take a look back at some of the prophecies that Jesus fulfills. Do you know that Jesus fulfills over 300 Old Testament prophecies? NO ONE can claim to even come close to 10% fulfillment of these prophecies! NO ONE!
Let's read an excerpt from the writings of Mr. Pete Benson found at
http://www.unityinchrist.com:
"The scribes and Jewish religious leaders knew the time that the Messiah’s ministry would come on the scene, right to the year, just as they knew the town he would be born in. Daniel 9:24-26, “Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy. Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore [margin: build again Jerusalem] and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times. And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince [reference to the Romans] that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary [this happened in 70A.D.]; and the end thereof shall be with a flood [prophetic term in the Bible for an army], and unto the end of the war, desolations are determined.” From this prophecy the Jewish leaders and teachers of the Law knew the Messiah was coming-down to the exact year of the start of his ministry. In prophecy one prophetic year is equal to 360 prophetic days. One prophetic day is equal to one normal year. In verse 25 where it says “from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build [rebuild] Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks:…” This commandment to restore Jerusalem and the temple is the very same commandment spoken of in Ezra 1:1-11 and II Chronicles 36:22-23. This commandment is dated as having gone out in 457BC, the first year of Cyrus the Persian and is recorded in Ezra 1:1-3, which states “Now in the first year of Cyrus the king of Persia, that the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus the king of Persia, that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and put it also in writing, saying, ‘Thus saith Cyrus the king of Persia, The Lord God of heaven hath given me all the kingdoms of the earth; and he hath charged me to build him an house in Jerusalem, which is in Judah…”
Now lets figure this out. It is really simple. 7 weeks + 62 weeks = 69 weeks. 69 weeks times 7 [converting weeks to days] = 483 days. 483 prophetic days = 483 years. Going 483 years forward in time from 457 B.C. is done by subtracting 457 from 483 which = 26. But since there is no year zero, you add 1 to the 26 giving you 27 A.D., the year Jesus started his ministry. By this calculation his death was in the spring of 31 A.D. Some disagree, making their calculation dating from another decree from another later Persian king to go and rebuild the wall, received by Nehemiah. But dating from the later decree doesn’t really fit the instructions found in Daniel 9:25. So in the year 27 A.D. Jesus was walking up to John the Baptist to get baptized. If the scribes had been on the ball, they would have known to be on the lookout for him. Isn’t this amazing? The Creator God inspired these prophecies to be penned many hundreds of years in advance of their being carried out, from the year of the start of Jesus ministry, to the eventual destruction of the Romans in 70 A.D., it all happened. In verse 26, the word “prince” is referring to the Roman prince, and not the Prince of Peace. Verse 27 takes us up to the beginning of the tribulation when a world superpower will step onto the scene in Jerusalem after the Jews have built a temple or tabernacle and restarted the “morning and evening” sacrifices. Verse 27 states that this “he”, referring to the leader of this restored Roman system, will cause “the sacrifice of oblation to cease…” stopping the evening and morning sacrifices being carried out by the Levitical priesthood yet to be set up by the Jews sometime in the near future [they’re working on setting this all up right now]."
This is the same knowledge the Jews had as they anticipated the coming of the the Messiah...AND the Messiah did come...Jesus began his ministry in 27 AD...and He was sacraficed for Our sins...what more do the unbelievers want?
So, the people ask John the Baptist: "What do we do in the meantime?"
And John the Baptist singles out groups of people by their profession and tells them this; "DO WHAT IS RIGHT! DO WHAT YOU SHOULD HAVE DONE!" For their works can only be the works of man and not God until the One who is the Messiah comes and is sacraficed amd redeems those who have Faith in Him!
The "works" John the Baptist speaks of are:
Soldiers also asked him,
“And what is it that we should do?”
He told them,
“Do not practice extortion,
do not falsely accuse anyone,
and be satisfied with your wages.”
...these "works" are not guidelines for living in which we "try" our best not to break. These are works of mankind living in this world for a short duration that should be done at all times. The Good Works of God are done by God and those who live in God are tools of God. If you were a soldier in these times of John the Baptist, you were paid a very small wage. What would a soldier do if this world began to bother him and he lived outside of a life devoted to God? He would abuse his power in order to "get more". Get more of what? GET MORE MONEY TO FURTHER HIMSELF IN THIS WORLD. Note that money is not used in God's Kingdom...it is used HERE...in this world only. A soldier could create a lot of problems for you if you upset him. All a soldier would have to do is demand the money...the person would quickly hand it over! Not taking money from people that you are suppossed to be protecting has nothing to do with God. Not abusing your power in order to get money is what you should always do on this planet. It is basic, it is acting like a person willing to live their life in ANTICIPATION for GREATER WORKS! These "Greater Good Works" come from God only when you are with God. You are with God when you accept and turn over your will and your life to Jesus and thus the Son brings you to God and you are able to fulfill the Good Wirks of God planned for you to do! There are works of man and Works of God...mankind can do the works of man but can only do the Works of God when you have handed your will over to God. This is the act of faith in the Son, Jesus Christ! Without Jesus, you can't do ANY GOOD WORKS of God...unless you are somehow able TO BE PERFECT in this life and found "worthy in GOD'S EYES" , not worthy mankind's eyes, and become a worthy being apart from the redemption given by the Son Jesus Christ!
Now we have better insight into the reason behind John the Baptist's answer:
Now the people were filled with expectation,
and all were asking in their hearts
whether John might be the Christ.
John answered them all, saying,
“I am baptizing you with water,
but one mightier than I is coming.
I am not worthy to loosen the thongs of his sandals.
John knows why he is here and why he is baptising. He know the Messiah is alive in flesh. He knows that he is paving the way. The people don't know...
John indeed is baptising by water...and He is not worthy to loosen the sandals of the Messiah. NEITHER ARE WE! Don't confuse this cliche out there that we need to be more "Christ like" and fall into the worldly thought that we can act ANYWAY like, or ever come close to being ANYTHING AT ALL "Christ like"! Humility is the word needed to be reflected on. You can act as good as you want...there is no good acts unless they are acts of God. As Jesus tells us, "Only God is Good!" (Mark 10:18) This "Act like Christ" motto floating around is foolishness unless one is clear on the difference between mankind's good works and the Good Works of God! How many people believe that they can do Good Works without having any faith in Jesus? MANY! Too many!
Now for the warning to those living apart from Jesus:
His winnowing fan is in his hand to clear his threshing floor
and to gather the wheat into his barn,
but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.”
Exhorting them in many other ways,
he preached good news to the people.
Jesus did and is seperating those who are His, and those who are NOT His. The winnowing fan is used to seperate the wheat from the chaff.
Those who are Jesus' people are the wheat and those who are not are the chaff. (See Matthew 13:24-30 the Parable of the Weeds)
What happens to the chaff?
"THE CHAFF HE WILL BURN WITH UNQUENCHABLE FIRE"
That can't be good!
Alas! Are you with Jesus or without Jesus?
For you have two options:
1) Live perfectly and do it all on your own.
If you slip ONCE, GOODBYE!
2) Repent that you are not perfect, seek the salvation of Jesus for that is why He suffered and died...it was FOR THOSE WHO REPENT AND REALIZE THEY ARE NOT PERFECT AND NEED SALVATION, and turn your will over to Him! Test it and watch what happens to your life!
The second choice is another way of looking at the last line of this week's Gospel lesson...for indeed this is the meaning behind:
"he (John the Baptist) preached good news to the people."
The Good News is choice #2, and the Bad News is choice #1.
What's your choice?
God Bless you and your families this week!
Technorati:
bible-reading, bible reading, bible, preaching, christianity, sermon, sermons
Labels: Gospel of Luke, Sermons
posted by www.bibletruthonline.com at
1:01 PM
|
0 comments
links to this post
This is the BLOG SECTION of our main website where the writers at Bible Truth Online can discuss, debate, and post on anything that is related to our lives as we grow in faith and learn TRUTH while living on this planet that our Lord created. CHECK OUT OUR WEBSITE: http://www.bibletruthonline.com
