Podcasts about messiah god

A Sermon for the First Sunday after Easter 1 St. John 5:4-12 & St. John 20:19-23 by William Klock In the ancient church this was the Sunday when the men and women baptised on Easter would take off their white baptismal robes after a long week of celebrating their baptism.  Now it was time for the church to go out into the world to be the new people Jesus and the Spirit had made them.  At Rome, in those ancient days, the newly baptised would do this at the church of St. Pancras—a church named after a young Roman martyr.  Because of his faithfulness he would become a patron of oaths and vows.  Now it was time to live out their baptismal vows, like that young martyr.  They'd given their allegiance in faith to Jesus.  Now it was time to march out into the world, to proclaim him as the crucified and risen king, and to fight the world, the flesh, and the devil—not matter the cost. Brothers and Sisters, as the Easter story continues, we're reminded that Jesus didn't die and rise from death just to zap us to heaven the moment we believe.  He didn't die and rise again to create an escape hatch out of the world or even out of persecution and martyrdom.  He died and rose again so that we might live for him and carry the good news—like royal heralds of the king—out to the far reaches of God's creation.  This has been the mission of the people of God all along, going all the way back to Abraham.  He and then his family were called and set apart by the Lord to be a light in the darkness.  They were the people who lived with the living God in their midst.  Through them, God revealed himself to the nations. Or, at any rate, that's how the plan had started.  Abraham's family, Israel, largely failed in her mission.  That was part of the plan too.  It showed that it would take more than calling and creating and sending a special people to be light in the darkness.  The human race has a heart problem.  Instead of desiring God, we desire everything else.  Instead of worshipping him, we make idols.  And Israel had that same heart problem.  And so that story of calling and sending and failure leads us to Jesus.  It was meant to from the very beginning.  He came to set his people to rights—at least those who would follow him, who would trust him, who would give their allegiance to him as messiah—as God's king.  And in his death and resurrection Jesus defeated the powers of the old age and inaugurated God's new creation.  But John stresses, this time something was different.  This new people isn't just called and sent.  This time they're also transformed and equipped.  And that's really the theme of this Sunday after Easter.  Every week we're sent out with those words: “Go forth in pace to love and serve the Lord.”  Friends, that dismissal is a call to go out and swim in our baptism, to go our and to proclaim the risen Lord, to go out and do battle with the world, the flesh, and the devil.  I suspect that a lot of the time we respond, “Thanks be to God” without even thinking about any of that.  But those times when we do think about what those words mean, it's easy to feel overwhelmed—especially when the scriptures or the liturgy or the sermon has really spoken to us that day and we have a clear sense of why God has called us and saved us—it's easy to feel overwhelmed. So Brothers and Sisters, as we stand overwhelmed by the task before us, John assures us that if we are in Jesus by faith, there are two vitally important new realities for us.  The first is that we have been made part of his new creation.  We have a share in Jesus' resurrection from death.  Yes, there's more to come.  We haven't been resurrected yet.  That will come some day at the end of the age when the gospel, through the Church, has accomplished its purpose and brought the world to Jesus. But in the meantime, Jesus' resurrection has freed us from our bondage to sin and death and given us new life.  And, second, that if we are in Jesus, he has given us God's own Spirit.  He's made us his temple, the place where he dwells.  The Spirit's not something to be earned when we've become holy enough.  He's not some later experience or second blessing, as if we can be in Jesus, but not have a share in the Spirit.  Jesus' gift of the Spirit is the very thing that fulfils God's promise through the prophets and that defines us as his new covenant people.  And as Jesus forgives and frees us by his death and resurrection, the indwelling Spirit empowers and equips us to live the new life Jesus has given.  The Spirit's life in us is a foretaste and a down payment on the resurrection and the life of the age to come—and most importantly in light of today's theme, the indwelling Spirit is the one who makes the task set before us by Jesus possible.  He's the one who equips us to fulfil those impossible vows we made in our baptism. In our Gospel, again John 20 beginning at verse 19, John tells us: On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors were shut where the disciples were, for fear of the Judeans.  Jesus came and stood in the middle of them.  “Peace be with you,” he said.   We shouldn't pass over these words too quickly.  It's the first day of the week.  It's still the same day that Mary went to the tomb to anoint Jesus' body and found it empty.  It's the same day she went running to tell Peter and John.  The same day they went running to the tomb to see for themselves.  The same day when John says none of them—except, it seems, for him—understood what had happed.  John says he “believed” and I think that means he believed Jesus had risen, but that was crazy and he was still working it through so he hadn't said anything to the others yet.  This is that same day.  Now it's evening.  And the disciples have locked themselves into someone's house.  The doors are locked.  I expect the windows tightly shuttered.  There was no cooking fire.  Nothing that might make the house look occupied—nothing to give them away.  Maybe one little lamp, just so they could barely see each other in the darkness.  They were afraid.  Four days before, the Jewish authorities had arrested Jesus.  Three days before he's been crucified as a dangerous revolutionary.  Soon, they figured, the authorities would come for the rest of them.  Best to lay low until things blew over.  Maybe in a few days they could sneak out of the city.  And so they sat there in the darkness, some silently pondering what all this meant, some still weeping for their dead friend, maybe a couple of them arguing in low tones about what had happened to Jesus' body and what they'd do next.  But whatever they were doing, a palpable sense of fear filled that dark room.  John's telling of the story of new creation reverberates with echoes of the story of the first creation: Darkness was over the face of the deep. And then Jesus is suddenly there.  John wrote about the Incarnation back in his prologue saying that in Jesus the light had come into the darkness and the darkness could not overcome it.  That was an echo of Genesis.  The first day of the week God called light into being, driving away the darkness.  And now the Light Incarnate appears in that dark, fear-filled house and I have to think that somehow and in some way it was filled with light—a light that drove away every last vestige of darkness.  And to these frightened men, Jesus announces, “Peace be with you!” Imagine their surprise.  And there must have been some disbelief or some doubts.  Or maybe, like the disciples on the road to Emmaus, they simply didn't recognise him.  Something about his resurrection had brought a transformation.  Same Jesus, same body, but in some way just different enough in appearance that they didn't recognise him.  Of course, it wouldn't have helped that they simply didn't expect to see him again either.  So Jesus holds out his hands for them to see.  One at a time he lifts a foot out so that they can see.  There were the marks left by the nails.  And he lifted his tunic to show them the wound left by the spear that had been plunged into his side, the wound that had gushed forth blood and water, evidence to the soldiers that he was genuinely dead.  And here he stood alive.  They were shocked.  How could it be?  I've said before, the reason resurrection wasn't on anyone's mind was because this wasn't how it was supposed to happen.  This wasn't a story Jews would have made up, because all the Jews who believed in the resurrection of the dead knew how it would work—and it wasn't supposed to work this way.  At the end of the age the Lord would raise all the faithful at once.  There was plenty of disagreement about some of the specifics, but they all knew one thing for sure: It would be everybody all at once, not just one person, even if that one person was the Messiah.  This just wasn't on their radar.  Not at all.  But now it is and they're confused and, it seems, even though John says they were glad, they were still more than a little afraid.  And so Jesus says to them again, “Peace be with you!” And Jesus doesn't waste any time as John tells it.  “Peace be with you,” he says, calming their fears.  Jesus is alive.  And immediately he gets down to the very practical aspects, the real-world implications of his resurrection.  Jesus doesn't waste any time.  He says in verse 21: “As the Father has sent me, so I am sending you.”   Think about that.  Here they are, hunkered down for fear of being rounded up and executed.  Here they are, afraid to even show their faces in Jerusalem.  Here they are, giving it a few days before they try to sneak out of town without being noticed.  And Jesus says to them, “I'm sending you.  As the Father sent me to you, I'm now sending you: to Jerusalem, to Judea, to Samaria…to the ends of the earth.”  In other words, “You're not going to go slinking out of the city under cover of darkness.  No, you're going out into Jerusalem with boldness—the same way I went out into Galilee, through Judea, and eventually to Jerusalem at the head of a parade, hailed by the people.  You're going to go with the same boldness out into this city and you are going to declare what God has done.  Everyone is going to know who you are.  You're going to declare to Jerusalem that this Jesus whom they crucified died and has been raised from the dead, that he really is the Messiah, God's King, and that his kingdom, God's new creation has come.” Think again of John, just beginning to wrap his head around the idea that Jesus had been raised from death—but still hunkered down with the others, afraid.  John couldn't even tell his friends what he thought had happened.  The last thing on his mind was telling it to Jerusalem—and Jesus isn't talking about mere “telling”—you know, whispering it to a few people who might be safe to tell.  No, he's talking about proclaiming this news—to everybody.  Brothers and Sisters, think about that for a minute.  Most of us are hesitant to proclaim the good news about Jesus.  We have no reason to fear for our lives like Jesus' disciples did.  The worst thing that happens to us is we offend someone, make them think we're weird.  They faced martyrdom—and all but John were, indeed, martyred for their proclamation.  We have so little to fear, but we're afraid anyway.  We've even stopped speaking in terms of proclamation—the Bible's way of speaking about evangelism.  Instead we talk about “sharing” our faith—watering it down, as if it's just another option on the religious smorgasbord that someone might want to try out for themselves.  We've lost our confidence in the good news and in the God who raised Jesus from the dead who stands behind it.  No, Jesus calls us to declare the good news like royal heralds, sent out into the world to declare the mighty deeds of God, that he has raised Jesus from the dead, and made him Lord of all. But, again, consider John.  Confused, afraid, just beginning to understand.  And then consider the confidence of his words, written decades later in our Epistle: Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Messiah has been fathered by God…because everything that has been fathered by God conquers the world.  This is the victory that conquers the world: our faith.  Who is the one who conquers the world?  Surely the one who believes that Jesus is the son of God!  (1 John 5:1, 4-5) Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Messiah—God's king—has been reborn as part of the people of God.  And that belief changes everything.  That belief transforms the fearful John hesitant to even tell his friends about the dawning realization that Jesus had been raised from death, it turns him into the courageous apostle, exiled for his proclamation of that truth, and writing boldly to the churches to stand firm in that same faith even though great tribulation was about to hit them like a storm.  There is everything to be feared out in the world: rejection, mockery, persecution, even martyrdom, but by faith the people of God overcome and stand firm in our witness.  It's not because faith changes reality.  It's because this faith recognizes the new reality born that first Easter when Jesus rose from the grave, the new reality that he is victor over sin and death, the new reality that new creation has begun in him, and the new reality that he is Lord of that creation.  By faith we are united with him.  By faith we share in his inheritance.  And by faith we share in his calling and ministry—his Church, taking up the mantle of prophet, priest, and king. Like John, we are called to boldly testify about Jesus. It was he who came by means of water and blood, Jesus the Messiah, not by water only but by the water and the blood.  The Spirit is the one who bears witness, because the Spirit is truth.  There are three that bear witness—the Spirit, the water, and the blood—and these three agree together.  If we have received the witness of men, God's witness is greater.  This is the witness of God, the testimony he has borne concerning his son.  (1 John 5:6-9)   John points back to Jesus' ministry.  He came by water.  That was the start of it.  He went to John and was baptised in the Jordan and as he walked up out of the river, the heavens opened, the Spirit descended like a dove, and his Father spoke, “This is my Son in whom I am well-pleased.”  That was Jesus' initiation into his messianic ministry.  And that ministry—at least in its earthly phase—ended in blood, at the cross, where he died to conquer death and to provide forgiveness of sins.  Jesus' baptism testifies to his being the Messiah.  Jesus' blood, shed on the cross, testifies to his being the Messiah.  And, too, John writes, so does the Spirit.  And, he says, consider all the things we believe, in which we trust, based on the testimony of mere men.  How much more, Brothers and Sisters, ought we to trust this testimony about Jesus backed up by God himself?  And not so much just receiving and believing ourselves, but in light of the fact that this is the truth, this is the good news that literally changes the world, that is changing the world, oughtn't we to be proclaiming it to that world?  Through Jesus and the Spirit God has given us the light.  The light that will transform the darkness that sin and death have cast on the world.  The light that the darkness cannot and will not ever overcome.  Dear Friends, don't hide it under a basket.  Hold it high.  Proclaim it.  Show it to everyone.  Don't be afraid.  God has spoken: “Let there be light!”  And as John wrote in his Gospel: “The light shines in the darkness and the darkness has no overcome it.”  He goes on in verse 10: All those who believe in the son of God have the witness in themselves.   But that's not where John leaves us in the Gospel.  Jesus doesn't just send his disciples out into the world.  That would be an impossible task.  Jesus also equips them.  Look at verses 22-23 of John 20: With that, he breathed on them.  “Receive the Holy Spirit,” he said.  “If you forgive anyone's sins, they are forgiven.  If you retain anyone's sins, they are retained.”   As the Lord breathed life into Adam in the original creation, Jesus now breathes on his disciples.  “Receive the Holy Spirit,” he says.  Was the Spirit literally imparted by Jesus' breath?  Luke tells this part differently in his Gospel and in Acts—that whole event with the dramatic coming of the Spirit at Pentecost as they gathered at the temple to hear Peter preach and to be baptised.  But notice there, too, that the Spirit comes with a wind—in both Hebrew and Greek, wind, breath, and spirit are all the same word.  Jesus was good at acted-out prophecy and I think that's what he's doing in this case in John's Gospel.  He is—or he soon will be—imparting God's Spirit to this new people of God, to those who believe, and he illustrates just what this gift is by an act that they couldn't help but connect to God's giving life to Adam.  But this is new life.  And this is what will equip them to go out, despite the threat of death, to proclaim with boldness the good news.  Brothers and Sisters, the Spirit does a lot for us, but here Jesus makes sure we know what his primary purpose is.  It's not to give us radical experiences, although that certainly might happen.  It's not to make us holy, although he certainly does that as he turns our hearts and our affections away from self and sin and points them towards God.  But, the primary purpose of the Spirit is to equip us to do the impossible: to do for the world, what Jesus did for Israel.  To go out in the world in his name and to proclaim what God has done through him.  “As the Father has sent me, so I am sending you.” And then those words that have so often been misunderstood and abused: “If you forgive anyone's sins, they are forgiven.  If you retain anyone's sins, they are retained.”  Remember I said that by faith we have a share in Jesus' inheritance and ministry.  By faith the Father adopts us and makes us his sons and daughters, so we share in what belongs to Jesus.  And that means that as he is King and Prophet and Priest, so are we as his Church, his people.  And Jesus gets here at two of those things.  Here he reminds his friends and he reminds us that when we go out into the world to proclaim his Lordship, to proclaim the good news of his death and resurrection, to proclaim that new creation has come, we do so as both prophets and as priests. Our message is two-fold.  I think the priestly role comes most naturally to us.  This is the part of our proclamation where we announce the forgiveness of sins.  Think of the priests of the Old Testament, offering sacrifices.  That was one of their main duties: to facilitate and to mediate God's forgiveness to the people.  Think of Jesus.  He is both priest and sacrificial lamb.  He offers and presents himself to the Father as a sacrifice for our sins.  And, as priests, we proclaim to the world the forgiveness he offers through that sacrifice.  But that is not our only role.  We also share in Jesus' prophetic office—and that's the part that doesn't come as naturally to us, at least not as things currently are.  But consider what the prophets did.  Consider what Jesus did in his role as a prophet.  He called out the sins of his people, he summoned them to repentance, and he announced the judgement to come on those who remained unrepentant in their sin, unbelief, and faithlessness.  In contrast, much of the Church today is afraid to take on this prophetic role, to name sin, to even use the word.  Some parts of the Church have given up altogether and have embraced sin and called it virtue—leaving folks nothing to repent of and with nothing for which they need forgiveness.  They've gutted the gospel.  But these two things, the priestly and the prophetic go hand in hand.  Our prophetic office, announcing judgement, is without hope if we do not also fulfil our priestly role of announcing forgiveness.  But our priestly office, our message of forgiveness lacks any real meaning if it is not also accompanied by the prophetic announcement that sin is sin and that God will judge it.  Brothers and Sisters, this is the good news: that we are sinners, that our holy God judges sin and that the penalty is death, but also that Jesus has died as a perfect sacrifice for sins, and has risen, victor over death, inaugurating God's new creation and giving a sure and certain hope that what he has begun he will finish.  One day all things will be made new, every bit of sin and evil will be swept from creation, and all will be set to rights.  And by faith in Jesus we have a share in that new world. Brothers and Sisters, do we believe that?  I trust that we do.  We affirm this belief every week as we come to the Lord's Table.  We recall the story.  We confess our sins in repentance.  And we come to the Table in renewed faith to participate again in those events that set us free from sin and death, in the death and resurrection of Jesus.  But maybe we've forgotten the real power behind what we confess here at the Table.  Friends, think this morning on what the cross and the empty tomb mean.  Think on what the blood of Jesus means.  Think on what his gift of the Spirit to you means.  And then take seriously those words of dismissal: “Go forth in peace to love and serve the Lord.”  Consider that in those words Jesus is saying to us, to you and to me, “As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.” Let's pray: Almighty Father, you gave your only Son to die for our sins and to rise again for our justification: Grant that we may put away the leaven of malice and wickedness, and always serve you in purity and truth; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.  Amen.

Jesus's discourse in John 10 continues from the revelation of Him as the door, to His role as the Good Shepherd over God's people. His use of symbolism stems from an occupation and prophetic imagery used extensively in the Old Testament, and here to the religious leaders of the day, He is declaring that He is the loving Messiah God's people had been waiting for.

Jesus's discourse in John 10 continues from the revelation of Him as the door, to His role as the Good Shepherd over God's people. His use of symbolism stems from an occupation and prophetic imagery used extensively in the Old Testament, and here to the religious leaders of the day, He is declaring that He is the loving Messiah God's people had been waiting for.

A Sermon for the Second Sunday after the Epiphany Romans 12:6-16 & St. Mark 1:1-11 by William Klock The beginning of the good news about Jesus the Messiah, God's son.   With those words, Mark launches into telling the story of Jesus.  It's gospel.  It's good news.  Good news as in “Ding, dong, the witch is dead!”  Good news as in “Aslan is on the move.”  Good news as in the war is over and now we'll know peace.  Good news as in the old tyrant has been run out and a new, good king has taken his place.  That's what good news means.  Everything has changed because of it and life will never be the same.  Good news stand in contrast to good advice.  Try the new burrito place.  Go for a walk on the new trail.  Buy a Honda.  Maybe.  Probably.  But none of the burrito place, the trail, the Honda won't change your life, let alone the world.  Good advice?  You can take it or leave it.  Good news?  Good news can't be ignored. And this good news, says Mark, isn't any old good news.  It's bigger than “the war is over”.  It's bigger than Caesar has defeated his rivals.  This is the good news that in Jesus the promised and long-awaited Messiah has come.  And, Mark adds, that he's the son of God.  To Jews that meant something different than it does to most of us.  To us it sounds like a statement of Jesus divinity.  But for Jews—well—“son of God” was Israel's title—one the Lord had given them when he demanded Pharaoh let them go, one that he'd given them again at Mount Sinai.  So Mark's announcement is that Jesus has come to represent his people.  That's what king's do.  And Jesus is the Messiah—God's anointed King. So right at the outset Mark tells us that this good news is the story of the Messiah, the King, who has come defeat the enemies of his people and to set everything wrong to right.  This good news is that the King has come and so has his kingdom and because of that, everything has changed.  And because of that both Israel and the gentile nations face a choice: Will they come in faith to the king and give him their allegiance or will they stand as enemies of his kingdom? Centuries before, the prophet Isaiah declared, “How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who announces peace…happiness…salvation…who announces…“Your God reigns.”  When St. Mark thought of those beautiful feet he thought of John the Baptist.  He quotes another passage from Isaiah—one about the Lord sending a messenger to prepare his way.  And he quotes the Prophet Micah, too: “A shout goes up in the desert.  Make way for the Lord!  Prepare the way for him!” That was John.  John had been sent to prepare Israel.  The Lord had heard their cries, as he'd heard them crying out from Egypt and from Babylon.  And he was coming to visit and to deliver again—this time once and for all.  The world was going to change forever.  And so, says Mark, John led the people out into the desert, to the banks of the Jordan River, and summoned them to be baptised as an act of repentance and a sign of forgiveness.  Picture  John, out in the desert, on the banks of the Jordan with all those people.  It was a prophetic reenactment of the crossing of the Red Sea.  And as so many people do when they're sure the Lord is drawing near, the people confessed their sins.  And John baptised them.  Because they knew the God of Israel was about to do something amazing.  He was about to fulfil his promises. The new exodus had begun.  And lest the people think that it was John who would lead them in this new exodus, he also announced: After me comes one who is greater than I.  I'm not worthy to kneel down to untie his sandals.  I've plunged you into the water.  He's going to plunge you into the Holy Spirit. And there it is.  That, Brothers and Sisters, changes everything.  Picture Israel again in the desert, their tents pitched in neat formation around the tabernacle.  Picture the cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night at the centre of the camp.  Picture the cloud of his glory resting on the ark in the holy of holies.  God in the midst of his people.  But now John points to something even greater.  Instead of God living in our midst, but living over there in the tabernacle—and, more particularly, in the holy of holies where none of us can actually go because we're not holy enough, God is now coming to live not just in our midst, but inside us.  As St. Peter writes, he's building a new temple for himself and we ourselves are the blocks of stone he's carefully cut and carefully fitted together.  In the first Exodus, the Lord took his people through the water, he gave them a law written on stone tablets, and he gave them priests to tell them to do it.  And most of the time they weren't particularly good at living out that law.  But in this new exodus, Jesus leads us not only through the water, but in doing so he plunges us into his own Holy Spirit.  Instead of giving us the law on tablets of stone the Spirit writes God's law on our hearts so that it's not only internal, but so that we'll actually be in love with it and motivated by it and want to do it—that's the significance of it being written on our hearts.  And so we don't anymore need priests urging us to do it, because we'll have the Lord's Spirit himself in us, making his desires our desires as we steep ourselves in his word. This was the baptism Israel so desperately needed.  And so it was a surprise to John when Jesus came to him and asked to be baptised.  Jesus didn't need to repent.  But as the King, as the representative of his people, he did need to go before his people—to lead where they would follow.  And so John agreed and Mark then writes in verses 10-11: Immediately, as [Jesus] was getting out of the water, he saw the heavens open, and the Spirit coming down like a dove onto him.  Then there came a voice, out of the heavens, “You are my son!  You are the one I love!  I am pleased with you!”   Another epiphany!  For Jesus this was divine confirmation that he was who he'd come to believe he was.  It confirmed the words of the angel to Mary and to Joseph, it confirmed the song the angels sang to the shepherds, it confirmed the prophetic words of Simeon and Anna, and it confirmed the worship and the gifts of the magi.  It was an epiphany for John, too.  Jesus really was the Messiah he'd been sent to announce.  And it was an epiphany for the crowd, for the people of Israel.  In Jesus, the God of Israel was truly visiting his people.  As surely as John had plunged them into the water, this Jesus would plunge them into God's Spirit—and when that happened, nothing would ever be the same again. For that brief moment, Mark says, the heavens were torn open and Jesus, John, and everyone else there had a glimpse of what was to come—of the kingdom, of God's new age, of new creation.  It was like getting a glimpse into the closest where your mom had all the Christmas presents stored away—and you catch your breath and you get excited to think of what's to come when the time is right to bring it all out.  Like Christmas morning—but Christmas morning is just a dim comparison—this was a glimpse of God's coming kingdom—heaven come to earth—finally! Brothers and Sisters, consider that the church—redeemed by Jesus and plunged into the Spirit—the church is now—or it should be—we are now that vision into heaven, we're now that little pocket of God's new age, his new creation—his future right here in the present.  We're God's new age in the midst of the old.  That, I think, is why the men who selected our lessons for the Epistles and Gospels put today's Gospel from Mark with our Epistle from Romans 12.  Paul doesn't put it quite this way, but what he describes in the Epistle is what it means to be on-earth-as-in-heaven people. Today's Epistle begins at verse 6, but I want to back up a few verses.  (We would have read verses 1-5 last week if we hadn't shifted our observance of the Epiphany to Sunday.)  Paul starts out appealing to the Christians in Rome to offer their bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God.  Why?  Because that kind of worship, he writes, is what line's our minds up with God's.  It's a commitment to live as light in the midst of darkness.  It's a commitment to live as the people of God's new age in the midst of the old.  So he goes on in verse 3: “What's more, don't let yourselves be squeezed into the shape dictated by the present age.  Instead, be transformed by the renewing or your minds, so that you can work out what God's will is—what is good, acceptable, and perfect.” Brothers and Sisters, be the people of heaven who have been plunged into the Holy Spirit.  Be the people who embody God's new world in the middle of the old one—because it glorifies God and because it witnesses his goodness and his faithfulness to everyone around us.  And what does that look like?  It's going to be different in different circumstances.  This is something we have to work out for ourselves, but Paul shows us that we're to work it out in light of what Jesus has done for us.  The Romans were struggling to be united.  Jewish and Gentile believers were turning away from each other and in doing that they were living like people of the old age, not the new.  So Paul writes to them: “As in one body we have many limbs and organs, you see, and all the parts have different functions, so we, many as we are, are one body in the Messiah, and individually we belong to one another.”  We can't be the church Jesus has called us to be if we don't offer ourselves humbly to each other.  Brothers and Sisters, what Jesus has done for us, we do for each other.  So, for example, think of the gifts that the Spirit gives us.  Paul writes starting in verse 6: We have gifts that differ in accordance with the grace that has been given to us, and we must us them appropriately.  If it is prophecy, we must prophesy according to the pattern of faith.  If it is serving, we must work at our serving; if teaching, at our teaching; if exhortation, at our exhortation; if giving, with generosity; if leading, with energy; if doing acts of kindness, with cheerfulness. The list could go on and on and on, but this is enough for Paul to make his point.  The Spirit has worked in us—sometimes working with our natural gifts and abilities and sometimes giving us gifts we don't naturally have—and he's brought us together like a body.  Each of us has an essential part to play.  Arms and legs, hands and feet, eyes and ears, hearts and voice all working together towards one gospel purpose.  Think of Peter's illustration again of the temple not made with hands, a temple with each stone carefully cut by the Spirit for a unique spot, and all of them—all of us—assembled together with Jesus as our cornerstone.  If we don't all do the part we've been given and equipped to do, the body can't function, the temple falls apart. The prophet must prophesy and the teacher must teach.  The server must serve and the exhorter must exhort.  The leader must lead, the giver must give, and the doer must do—with cheerfulness and everything according to the pattern of faith.  In other words, remember that it's all gospel work rooted in Jesus and the Spirit and the amazing, loving, gracious, and merciful work he has done in us.  Sometimes we forget the gospel as we work and the work becomes a chore and a burden.  There are all sorts of things in ministry that can be discouraging and we can be tempted to give up.  And so Paul reminds us to keep our eyes on the gospel—on the good news that the king has come, that he has made us part of his kingdom, and that we have the joyful privilege of being his stewards and heralds. But there's more to life together than spiritual gifts.  Elsewhere Paul writes about the fruit that the Spirit causes to grow in us.  In other places he talks about being conformed to the mind of the Messiah.  There are lots of ways we can describe the Christian life as we live it out together, but ultimately what we need to recognise is that being in Jesus and the Spirit changes us and living as changed people is part of being kingdom people.  Think again about being a little kid and getting a glimpse into the closet where the presents are stored until Christmas morning.  When the world looks at us—as individual Christians but even more important, as the church, as a group of Christians living together—it should be like seeing that closet full of Christmas presents.  Except in our case, it's not a bunch of nicely wrapped packages; it's a glimpse of God's new creation—of his world set to rights.  Seeing the church ought to make people eager to be part of God's new age.  Seeing us should make them long for Jesus and the Spirit too.  So Paul goes on in verse 9: Love must be real.  Hate what is evil; stick fast to what is good.  Be truly affectionate in showing love for one another; compete with each other in giving mutual respect.  Don't get tired of working hard.  Be on fire with the Spirit.  Work as slaves for the Lord.  Celebrate your hope; be patient in suffering; give constant energy to prayer; contribute to the needs of God's people; make sure you are hospitable to strangers.   Bless those who persecute you; bless them, don't curse them.  Celebrate with those who are celebrating; Mourn with the mourners.  Come to the same mind with one another.  Don't give yourselves airs, but associate with the humble.  Don't be wise in your own sight.   We don't have time to cover each of these in detail, but again think of them in terms of giving the world a glimpse of Jesus and the kingdom.  We've seen real love in Jesus.  In him we've seen what it looks like to abhor evil and hold fast to good.  In him we get a sense of what it looks like to show honour to others rather than grabbing it all for ourselves.  We see in him what humility and lowliness toward others look like.  We—especially Gentile believers—have seen what Jesus' hospitality looks like as he welcomes us in to Abraham's family.  In Jesus we've seen the greatest example ever of what it looks like to bless those who persecute us.  And Paul ends this list in verse 21, writing, “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” Brothers and Sisters, this is what it looks like to be faithful stewards of the grace of God and heralds of the gospel.  This is what it looks like to live the life Jesus has given us.  This is what it looks like to be people who have been plunged into the Holy Spirit.  This is what it looks like to be the new Israel, rescued from our bondage to sin and death and given hope for a new life.  We love each other as Jesus has loved us and as he specially equipped us to love, and as we do so we show our love for him, because in loving each other we are loving the people whom Jesus loves.  But it's not just the Church we love.  Jesus was sent to redeem because “God so loved the world”.  We witness what love looks like as we love each other, but we also witness the love of God as we give ourselves for the sake of the world, as we give ourselves to be light in the darkness—even when the darkness is hostile and seeks to snuff us out.  In Jesus, God overcame evil with good and we are called to be his witnesses by doing the same.  And so let us proclaim the good news: Repent, for the kingdom of God has come.  But let's also show the world that this is good news, not just good advice.  Let's ourselves live in light of the knowledge that Jesus and the Spirit have changed everything.  Let us be heaven-on-earth people so that when the world looks at the church, it sees heaven torn open, so that it has a glimpse of God's new creation.  May the life of the church, redeemed by Jesus and filled with the Spirit, cause everyone around us to give glory to God. Let us pray: Heavenly Father, in the baptism of Jesus you revealed him to be your Son and you anointed him with the Holy Spirit.  May we who are born again of that same water and Spirit, we ask, be faithful to our calling as your children by grace, living and manifesting in our lives the love and mercy you have shown to us as we proclaim your kingdom.  We ask this through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

Episode 270 –Bible: Cornerstone and Context 2 – Infinite Salvation Welcome to Anchored by Truth brought to you by Crystal Sea Books. In John 14:6, Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” The goal of Anchored by Truth is to encourage everyone to grow in the Christian faith by anchoring themselves to the secure truth found in the inspired, inerrant, and infallible word of God. Script: For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all people. 11 Timothy, Chapter 2, verses 5 and 6, New International Version ******** VK: Hello! Welcome to Anchored by Truth brought to you by Crystal Sea Books. I’m Victoria K. We’re so happy to have you with us today on Anchored by Truth as we continue with the series that we began in our last episode. We’re calling this series “The Bible: Cornerstone and Context.” Our goal on Anchored by Truth is to help people understand that the Bible is the inspired, inerrant, and infallible word of God. And one powerful way for people to come to that awareness is for them to realize that the Bible is a pre-eminently reasonable book. Some people may come to the Bible and think that the various books and stories contained in the Bible were just sort of randomly assembled. But nothing could be further from the truth. The Bible is a unified revelation. To help us continue this invaluable discovery, today in the studio we have RD Fierro, an author and the founder of Crystal Sea Books. RD, why did you decide to do a series you call “Cornerstone and Context?” RD: Well, I’d also like to welcome everyone joining us here today as we continue our new series. We’ve talked often on Anchored by Truth that in our day and age there is widespread Biblical ignorance in our culture. And surprisingly that Biblical ignorance extends even into our churches. If you talk to the average person sitting in a pew on Sunday morning and ask them whether they believe the Bible is the word of God the vast majority will say yes. But when you ask them to explain to you why they believe that you get a lot of blank stares. It’s not that they are not sincere in their belief. It’s that all too often they have only a cursory understanding of the faith they claim and even more cursory understanding of the Bible. That’s sad but it’s also perilous – because a Christian who can’t provide a reasoned explanation of what they believe and why they believe it is just chum to the cultural sharks who swarm in school buildings, the media, academia, corporate hallways, and government. Some surveys have said that as many as three-quarters of the kids raised in Christian homes lose their faith when the leave home. VK: What you’re saying is that our culture is no longer a safe place to be a Christian. While there are a lot of platitudes hurled around that talk about freedom of thought and expression, the truth is that the consistent target for denigration today is evangelical Christianity. Now we shouldn’t be surprised by this. Jesus told us that his people would be a target for the world and the devil. In what may be Jesus’ best-known discourse on the end times he said this: “Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me. At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people.” That’s the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 24, verses 9 through 11. RD: Yes. Note that in those verses Jesus warned that “many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other.” Since Jesus said that these people would “turn away” that means that for at least some time there would be people who were seemingly His followers, seemingly Christian, but they really weren’t. And the occasion for those people abandoning their false profession of faith was because of persecution. We all need to take Jesus’ warning to heart and make sure that we aren’t among the group that turns away. We need to make sure that we – and our families and friends – are firmly grounded in their faith. VK: … that they are “anchored by truth” in other words… RD: Yes - anchored by truth. That’s why we named this show what we did. People with a shallow faith are going to be swept away when waves of persecution come. We’re already seeing that all around us. The fastest growing religious group in America today is the so-called “nones.” These are the people who possess no religious faith. VK: But that’s really a deceptive label isn’t it. People may say they don’t believe in any religion but they are just lying to themselves. It’s just that they have substituted a false idol for faith in the One True God. And while in our society they are certainly free to do that they are not free to do that without consequences. Because God has been very clear that He will one day call all people to account. The Apostle Paul wrote “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due us for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.” That’s 2 Corinthians, chapter 5, verse 10. The consequence of people rejecting Christ in this life is that Christ will not recognize them as His people when they stand before Him at judgment. RD: Yes – and that’s actually what I wanted to talk more about today - salvation. I’d guess that if you asked a lot of Christians to explain exactly how Christ provides salvation to His people we would get a lot of blank stares. VK: Well, I think a lot of people would say something like “we’re saved by Christ’s death on the cross” or “we’re saved because Jesus took our sins away.” RD: I think they would and both of those statements are accurate. But they are incomplete in terms of the basis for our salvation. Both of those statements are essentially statements about the result of Christ’s atoning death – and it is a glorious result indeed. But a complete understanding and explanation of how Christ provided salvation to His people means going beyond just the result to the origin of the need for salvation and the process used to bring about the result. VK: In other words the cornerstone and context of our salvation. RD: In so many words yes. VK: Well, I think many people might say “I don’t need to know how I was saved. I just need to know that I am saved. RD: And that would be unfortunate for a number of reasons but let’s just mention one for today. Studying scripture is not optional for God’s people. In Paul’s epistle to the Philippians he told them to “work out [their] salvation with fear and trembling.” That’s Philippians, chapter 2, verse 12. Now Paul is not telling the Philippians to be afraid of the work. He is telling them that they must be diligent about being obedient to his admonitions and the commands of scripture because expects His people to do their best. We should be afraid of not doing our best for Jesus because as Paul pointed out earlier Jesus gave up a heavenly throne to provide our salvation. In other words, God and Jesus gave us the greatest blessing possible – eternal salvation – but to do that God had to send His only begotten Son to die for us. It’s incumbent on us then to express our gratitude by at least taking the trouble to understand what God did for us. In addition to the instruction God gave to the Philippians Paul also gave his follower Timothy, and us, an express command to study scripture. VK: You’re thinking of 2 Timothy, chapter 2, verse 15. In the Amplified Bible that verse says, “Study and do your best to present yourself to God approved, a workman [tested by trial] who has no reason to be ashamed, accurately handling and skillfully teaching the word of truth.” RD: Right. God commands us to study God’s word, the Bible. And if we do that we will be able to explain not only the result of our salvation but why it was necessary in the first place. And, even more wonderfully, we will be able to explain the true elegance of the plan of redemption. VK: And one thing that can help everyone with developing a complete understanding of how and why Jesus saved us is by returning to the grand story that the Bible tells. In our last episode of Anchored by Truth we mentioned that the Bible is a single book about a single plan centered on a single man. The plan was God’s plan to redeem a people for Himself. The man who is the center of God’s plan of redemption, and all of history for that matter, is Christ Jesus. Christ Jesus is the cornerstone of the Bible and History. And the grand saga that the Bible relates is a saga of creation, fall, and redemption. RD: So, one thing that we can immediately see by returning to the big story, the grand saga, is the origin of the need for Jesus to die an atoning death on the cross – the fall of man that occurred in the Garden of Eden. If Adam and Eve had obeyed God’s command to not eat from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil man would never have fallen. So, the origin of the need for the sacrifice of God’s only Son lies in the fall of man that is reported in chapter 3 of the book of Genesis. VK: If man had not fallen, sin would not have entered the created order. And therefore man would not have to have been redeemed from the consequences of sin. But once man fell, God had to do something to save His elect because if God had done nothing everyone would have been lost. RD: Correct. So, let’s work our way through the chain of salvation step by step. In chapter 1 of Genesis we hear the overall story of creation. Then in chapter 2 we get more detailed information about how created the pinnacle of creation, man and woman. At the end of chapter 2 everything is good – in fact very good – within the created order. VK: Sadly, all that changed in the opening verses of chapter 3 of Genesis – because in the first verse of chapter 3 we start to hear about the serpent. The serpent is really the devil in disguise. We learn about that from chapter 12 of the book of Revelation. RD: So, obviously the devil already existed at that time. And the devil had already rebelled against God and most likely already led a third of the angels into following him. So, in chapter 3 of Genesis we find out that Adam and Eve are now going to be tested to see whether they will be obedient to God or whether they are going to succumb to temptation. And from the fact that Satan presents an initial temptation for Eve to doubt God that she resists we learn that she could have resisted subsequent temptations if she had simply done what she did at first – which was to repeat God’s truth back to Satan when he tempted her. VK: And we also learn from this encounter that temptation is not sin. We can be tempted and still not sin. I think this confuses a lot of people. They think that just because they are experiencing temptation that they have sinned. But just encountering temptation is not necessarily sinful. Now it may be our sin that leads us to rush into places where we will encounter temptation more readily, but we can also encounter temptation even if we haven’t done that. Temptation is all around us – unfortunately. But just because we are tempted does not mean we have sinned. One of Satan’s favorite tricks is to discourage us by convincing us we sinned when all we really experienced was temptation. RD: I agree. At any rate Eve did ultimately succumb to Satan’s temptations and Adam followed right along with her. That lapse, that first sin changed everything – not just for mankind but for all of creation. So, at that point man was lost. Man had incurred an infinite debt. VK: Man is finite creature. All creatures are finite. But God is infinite. So, the consequences of man’s rebellion were infinite because man had offended a Being of infinite proportions and attributes. Even in our society we recognize that the consequences of our action are dependent on not just the offender but the offended. Lie to your neighbor and that may or not be a crime. Lie on a loan application and it is likely a criminal offense. Betray a friend and you’re a false friend. Betray your country and its treason. The severity of an action is dependent on both sides of the transaction. RD: Yes. So, after Adam and Eve rebelled, sinned, in the Garden of Eden they and all of their children would have been eternally condemned had God not immediately began a plan of redemption. But He did. God immediately announced that Satan’s dark plan for the downfall of man would one day result in Satan’s eternal death. God said that one of Eve’s descendants, the “seed of the woman” as the King James Version puts it, would crush Satan’s head. Crushing the head of a serpent is a fatal blow. But defeating Satan wouldn’t come without cost. The serpent would strike the heel of the One who would crush his head – a painful but not fatal blow. VK: So, immediately, even before the Bible’s account of the first sin has ended we already have 3 elements that help us begin to understand how Jesus accomplished our salvation. Element number 1 is that the coming hero would be the “seed of a woman” but not of a man. Element number 2 is that whoever this hero is going to be it is going to be a man. Most versions that translate Genesis, chapter 3, verse 15 use the pronoun “he” to talk about the person who is going to crush Satan’s head. And third we can understand that for the curse of sin to be reversed it is going to take a Person of infinite value. As we have said the debt Adam and Eve incurred in the Garden was an infinite debt. And a finite man cannot pay an infinite debt no matter how hard he tries or how long he works. RD: Right. So, even just knowing the beginning of the grand story is of immense value to understanding how Jesus saved us by his sacrificial death on the cross. We leave the third chapter of the first book of the Bible with three criteria that are going to be true of the coming Messiah. And more criteria will be added as the plan of redemption proceeds. Redemptive history began in the Garden of Eden began there but it most certainly didn’t end there. From chapters 6 through 9 of Genesis we find out that the coming Messiah would be descendant of Noah – because only Noah, his 3 sons, and their wives were the only people who survived the worldwide flood. In chapter 12 of Genesis we find out that the Savior will be a descendent of the patriarch Abraham because God tells Abraham that all the peoples on earth will be blessed through him. And in chapter 14 of Genesis we first hear of the mysterious figure “Melchizedek.” We find out in Psalm 110, verse 4 that this figure Melchizedek is a figure who presages the kind of priest that the Messiah will be. VK: And we find out that Jesus fulfilled this priestly role by three separate references in the book of Hebrews. Those verses are Hebrews, chapter 5, verse 6, and chapter 7 verses17 and 21. And in scripture a three-fold repetition of something is significant, isn’t it. RD: Yes. There aren’t many three-fold repetitions of words or phrases in scripture they are always used by God as a form of emphasis. In the case of the Messiah God was telling the Jews that the Messiah would be not only be a priest but also a king. He was also telling them that the Messiah would not be from the priestly tribe of Levi. And God continued to add criteria and attributes throughout the Old Testament that would allow the Jews and the world to know Jesus was the Messiah when Jesus arrived in the world. Jesus would be born in Bethlehem, enter Jerusalem on a donkey’s colt, be crucified between two thieves, buried in a rich man’s tomb, but rise again to sit at the right hand of God. All of these signs of the Messiah, and others, were given to the Jews in their scriptures were fulfilled in Jesus’ life. VK: And the point is that because we know that God’s grand plan and the big story of the Bible is all about creation, fall, and redemption we can trace a consistent path through the Old Testament. Immediately after the fall God told Adam and Eve that a Deliverer would come and God immediately gave them distinctive criteria that would mark the Messiah. So, by getting a firm grasp on the larger context in which all the various events, stories, and prophecies of the Old Testament are set we can see the progress of redemptive history. When God gives a new criteria that will mark the life of the Messiah, like being born of a virgin, we can look and see if we have evidence that that criteria was fulfilled in the life of Jesus. Context keeps the lights on for our pathway. So, by keeping the larger context in mind we can better organize our study to ensure we get the most out of time with scripture. RD: Yep. So, now let’s start to put all these ideas together and see God’s perfect elegance in both establishing the plan of salvation and then shepherding it to completion. God warned Adam and Eve that if they ate from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil they would die. VK: In other words, the consequence of disobedience was death. Or as the Apostle Paul said in Romans, chapter 6, verse 23 “the wages of sin is death.” RD: Yep. Well, Adam and Eve did eat from the forbidden tree and they experienced death. Not only did they die but everyone who would descend from them would also die. The curse of death, the sting of death, would have been an eternal part of the created order if God had not intervened. VK: And God had to intervene – because man had incurred an infinite debt to God. And as we have said a finite man cannot pay an infinite debt. The only Infinite Being that exists is God. So, God had to figure out how to pay that infinite debt if any people were ever to be saved. Man’s sin estranged man from God. Restoration required reconciliation. But man couldn’t do what was necessary for reconciliation. Only God could. And God did. RD: And this is where our opening scripture fills in a key thought. In our opening scripture from 1 Timothy Paul tells Timothy that “there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus.” A mediator must be capable of representing both sides of a transaction. So, the mediator between God and man had to be able to represent both God and man. VK: Which is why the 2nd Person of the Trinitarian Godhead had to take on a human nature. This is the miracle of the incarnation. Biologically speaking Jesus was born of Mary but the baby in Mary’s womb had actually resulted from the Holy Spirit coming “on her” as most translations put it. Now we don’t understand exactly how the Holy Spirit did but an infinite God who created the entire universe and all life in the universe wouldn’t have any trouble creating a baby in a virgin’s womb. So, Jesus was the Son of a human mother but in a very real sense He was also the Son of a Divine Father. RD: Yep. Because God brought Jesus into the created order the way He did Jesus came equipped to be the mediator to reconcile man to God. VK: What remained was for Jesus to live a “spotless” life because a Perfect God can only accept a perfect sacrifice. And Jesus did live a sinless life, a perfect life before God. This fulfilled the Covenant Works which Adam and Eve had violated in the Garden. RD: Yep. And that sinless Jesus died unjustly on a Roman cross fulfilling the mandated consequence that death be the wage paid for sin. VK: But Jesus had no sin of His own. He did not need to pay the price for His own sin. That meant that He could pay for our sins. And since Jesus is fully God as well as fully man his sacrificial death had infinite value. And all of this had been clearly set forth in the Old Testament as the way that God would redeem His people. Most of the Jews of Jesus day, including the religious elites did not understand it. A few did but not many. So, in the New Testament the writers began to unpack the Old Testament prophecies in sufficient details to make it clear. Sounds like the religious elites could have done well to understand the cornerstone and context. RD: Quite possibly. We are fortunate in a way that the elites in 1st century Israel were not. We have the New Testament as well as the Old. We now understand exactly how Jesus fulfilled the role of being a priest forever according to Melchizedek because an inspired writer has spelled it out for us. And we understand that there will be two comings of the Messiah. The first coming was as the suffering Servant, the sacrificial Lamb. The second coming will be as the Conquering Lion. We can see clearly the meaning of ideas and themes that they could only perceive dimly. That’s a huge blessing. But it is no blessing at all if we neglect to use the scriptures that God has provided. But when we do we see that far from our Christian faith being a “leap in the dark” what we are actually doing is placing our faith in the abundant evidence that God has supplied. And if we understand the evidence we can explain it to others. That’s how we fulfill the Great Commission Jesus gave in Matthew 28 to make disciples of all nations. VK: Well, our thought-provoking journey into the cornerstone and context of the Bible continues. It should be a great encouragement to everyone to know that God never expected us to turn off our brains while we follow our hearts in response to His outreach of love. Hopefully, listeners will let others know about this series. It really can be a valuable resource to the skeptic and the believer alike. This sounds like a great time to pray. Today let’s listen to a prayer for the celebration of the day that our Lord rose out the earth by His own power. In doing so He conquered death for all who would place their trust in Him as Lord and Savior. Because of Jesus’ resurrection we can boldly ask “O grave where is your victory? O death where is your sting?” And the answer we receive is that they are gone and we will live eternally in the light of God’s blessed radiance. ---- PRAYER FOR EASTER VK: We’d like to remind our audience that a lot of our radio episodes are linked together in series of topics so if they missed any episodes or if they just want to hear one again, all of these episodes are available on your favorite podcast app. To find them just search on “Anchored by Truth by Crystal Sea Books.” If you’d like to hear more, try out crystalseabooks.com where “We’re not perfect but our Boss is!” (Bible Quotes from the New Living Translation) 1 Samuel, Chapter 17, verses 5 through 7, New Living Translation https://www.baslibrary.org/biblical-archaeology-review/8/4/1 https://patternsofevidence.com/2018/10/26/david-battles-goliath/)

What are your favorite songs? --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/marquis-walker22/support

God uses the abusive power of a heathen king to prepare the way for the restorative power of the Messiah-God uses the heathen king, even though he is self-serving-God prepares for the messianic King, who is self-giving

God uses the abusive power of a heathen king to prepare the way for the restorative power of the Messiah-God uses the heathen king, even though he is self-serving-God prepares for the messianic King, who is self-giving

Jesus, by His actions, has claimed to be the Messiah God promised. Rejected by the Jewish authorities in His day, Jesus answers their question regarding the source of His authority with first a reference question about John the Baptist and then with a parable. Both indicate clearly His claim to be the Messiah and Divine Son of God.

Jesus, by His actions, has claimed to be the Messiah God promised. Rejected by the Jewish authorities in His day, Jesus answers their question regarding the source of His authority with first a reference question about John the Baptist and then with a parable. Both indicate clearly His claim to be the Messiah and Divine Son of God.

Jesus, by His actions, has claimed to be the Messiah God promised. Rejected by the Jewish authorities in His day, Jesus answers their question regarding the source of His authority with first a reference question about John the Baptist and then with a parable. Both indicate clearly His claim to be the Messiah and Divine Son of God.

Mark 8:31-38Then [Jesus] began to teach them that the Son of Man must undergo great suffering at the hands of the elders, the chief priests and the scribes, and be killed and on the third day, be raised. He said all of this quite openly. And Peter pulled him aside and began to rebuke him. But Jesus, turning and looking at the disciples rebuked Peter, saying, “Get behind me Satan! For you are setting your mind not on divine things, but on human things.”Then he called the crowds, together with the disciples, and said to them, “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For what will it profit them if they gain the whole world and forfeit their life. Indeed, what would anyone give in return for their life. If anyone in this adulterous and sinful generation is ashamed of me and of my words, so will the Son of Man be ashamed of them when he comes again in the glory of his father with the holy angels.” I've been curious about and captivated by the death – and presumed murder – of Alexei Navalny, the Russian activist, lawyer, and political prisoner, who dropped dead in captivity just a week or so ago. If what so many believe to be true, is true, the bold, brazen way his death came to pass, is another terrifying example of who Vladimir Putin is and how his Russian regime operates. I don't know enough to comment on the politics of it all with any wisdom or detail, so I won't. But Navalny's dedication to his cause in standing up for justice and in the face of an oppressive, power-hungry, president, is admirable.And I've read some things from Navalny that indicate much of his work as an activist for justice and against corruption is rooted in his Christian faith. I've read that he was once quite a militant atheist, but that now he's a believer, and that his faith has been the source of constant ridicule from many of his friends and colleagues in the Russian Anti-Corruption Foundation. His faith was also, apparently, a comfort and an encouragement for his life and work in the world. And, in light of that kind of stubborn faith, it's meaningful to know that Navalny once said, “The world is made up not only of good and evil, but also of those who do nothing.” And he has also said, “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good people to do nothing. So don't be inactive.”And it seems like Navalny's words – and the life they inspired in him – got him killed, in the end.Which reminds me of something Martin Luther King, Jr., said once: “There are some things so eternally true, that they are worth dying for. And if a man has not discovered something that he will die for, he isn't fit to live.”It may be too much – or too soon – to suggest that Alexei Navalny and Martin Luther King, Jr., belong in the same hall of martyrs. But their passion for justice, their willingness to stand up to the powers around them, the fearlessness with which they seemed to live – and their shared faith in Jesus – can't be separated from the words we hear from Jesus this morning, when he teaches the disciples that the Son of Man must undergo great suffering, rejection, and murder, and that if you really want to follow him you should take up a cross and do the same.Well, I'm no Alexei Navalny, no Martin Luther King, Jr., and I'm no Messiah, either. But I did see the Indigo Girls, in Dayton, on Friday night. (I mean that to sound like those Holiday Inn Express commercials, where they act like staying at a Holiday Inn makes you smarter. I think that may actually be true where the Indigo Girls are concerned, but I digress.)Anyway, one of their lyrics came to mind in light of this gospel and King's words and Navalny's death. The lyric is, “There must be a thousand things you would die for. I can hardly think of two.” It's a love song. And it's about one person's awe and admiration for another, so it's not supposed to be about Jesus at all. But, it made me wonder about what he's up to today.“There must be a thousand things you would die for. I can hardly think of two.”I think today's Gospel means to make us wonder just what it is we might be willing to die for.See, Jesus has just come out to his disciples as the Messiah. And he's talking about what that means – the idea that the likely result of his faithfulness to God's call on his life will lead to his own rejection, his own suffering and, of course, his own crucifixion and death. He's not saying that you have to die to follow Jesus, necessarily. He's just saying that if you're doing it right – “if you want to become MY followers” – you better be ready for the struggle and the suffering and the death that could very well come along with it.And Jesus knew that people – especially comfortable, privileged, powerful people – would be suddenly unsettled and afraid and threatened and angry because of all he was up to. He was about to upset the apple cart of the status quo in every way.The cross about to be foisted upon Jesus comes to him because he's about to come for the rich and the powerful. And because he's about to raise his voice for the least and the last, for the outcast and the outsider.Jesus is healing people who shouldn't be healed. He's loving people who shouldn't be loved. He's welcoming people who some would just as soon keep out. He's forgiving sins believed to be unforgiveable. Jesus is about to pull no punches, give zero you-know-whats, lay it all on the line and let the chips fall where they may.And the biggest chip to fall is himself – and he wants others to know what they're in for if they really choose to follow him… if they mean it… and if they do it right. “There must be a thousand things you would die for, [Jesus]. I can hardly think of two.”And I wonder if that's what was going through Peter's mind when he tries to stop him – when he tries to quiet him down after saying the quiet part out loud. Sometimes I think Peter was just worried people would leave the fold if they knew what the risks were. Sometimes I think Peter was just trying to protect Jesus from all of that suffering. Sometimes I think Peter just can't believe that this is the kind of Messiah God would be – one that suffers, one that gets crucified, one that gets killed. What kind of God is that?But I also wonder if Peter doesn't want Jesus talking this way – promising so much struggle and sacrifice and death – because Peter wasn't up for all of that, himself.“There must be a thousand things you would die for. I can hardly think of two.”And I wonder if we – like Peter – fool ourselves into pretending that following Jesus means giving up chocolate or beer or Facebook for Lent; or that discipleship means praying more, or reading our Bibles, or showing up for worship. And those things are good and righteous and faithful and nothing to sneeze at, don't get me wrong. But they are nothing more and nothing less than tools and faith practices meant to prepare and to move us toward something much greater.All of our worshiping, learning, and serving… All of our fasting and praying and giving… are about preparing our hearts and our minds and our lives to be able to recognize and to facilitate the Kingdom of God in our midst – for our sake and for the sake of the world – even if it's hard sometimes – and expecting it to be.All we do in the safety of our homes and with our families and through our congregation is meant to reveal the way things are (unequal, unfair, unjust for too many, too much of the time) while knowing about how God would rather have things be (equitable, fair, merciful, just, loving) so that we will do something in the name of Jesus to bring the latter – the stuff of the Kingdom – to pass. And, again, that can be risky business if and when we do it right.People with money – maybe that's you and me – don't like to be told they should give it away.People with power – maybe that's you and me – don't like to be told they should share, or even relinquish, it.People on top – maybe that's you and me – don't like to make room for others or to imagine their own place at the bottom.Preaching that could get you run out of town, which happened to Jesus. Protesting in the name of that could get you hauled into court, which happened to Jesus. Teaching that could lose you some friends and get you betrayed, which happened to Jesus. Embodying that, could get you crucified, killed, and buried, all of which happened to Jesus, just like he promised it would. “There must be a thousand things you would die for. I can hardly think of two.” And Jesus did – he died – so that we might come close to giving more, to loving more, to sacrificing more, to suffering more for the sake of others, and for the good of the cause. Because even when we fall short – as Jesus knew we would, and as God knows we do – the cross never gets the last word.“The Son of Man must undergo great suffering, yes … and be killed, yes ... and on the third day be raised.” YES. And “…on the third day be raised.”And that's where we find our hope to do what God calls us to. Not many of us are as bold, or as brave, or as faithful as the likes of Alexei Navalny, or Martin Luther King, Jr., or Jesus. We don't all have the courage or the calling or the love within us to sacrifice and suffer and die for the sake of bringing God's kingdom to pass on this side of heaven, no matter how badly the world needs it.So we look to that cross, even if we'd never climb up there ourselves. And we look for the empty tomb, too, because we will find ourselves there one day. And we give thanks that even when we don't, God does… even when we won't, God will... even when we haven't, God already has.And we keep following Jesus as nearly as we're able – testing our own boundaries, pushing our own limits, risking our own comfort, safety and security, maybe – to see, as Dr. King put it, “the eternal truth” of God's grace for which Christ died – and lives – so that we, and the world around us, will too.Amen

Merry Christmas!  After today, The Up Devotional is going on pause until January 3rd, but I just wanted to send you one last message on Christmas morning.  Christ is born! Jesus is the long-awaited Messiah—God's chosen king and representative on the earth. But something his followers came to learn was that Jesus was more than … Continue reading With God all things are possible

In Romans 8: 1, Paul tells us that “there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus”. Writing to the Corinthians: “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” (2 Corinthians 5:17) In Christ Jesus. What does that mean? Paul also speaks of us being with Jesus: “And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 2:6). And we have a third point of view with the revelation that Christ is also in us: “God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory” (Colossians 1:27). Professor N.T. Wright, referring to Paul's writings says, “Jesus of Nazareth is the Messiah God promised to Israel. If that is so, (Paul) can see all those great narratives from Scripture, rushing together to one point, so that now, in and through Jesus himself, it has all come true and it will all come true.” The entire span of history, from Genesis to Revelation, the Patriarchs, the Exodus, the Promised Land, the Exile; the promises of one to come – a Messiah, God's law written on human hearts, a new and powerful work of the Holy Spirit; all are fulfilled in and though the life and death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is in Christ's life, death and resurrection that the great plan of salvation is complete.  When we believed the Gospel story and confessed our sins through a simple prayer, we became part of the new creation of God's family with Jesus as the head. We were caught up in the new assembly of God's redeemed people. Our lives became entwined into the great story of Jesus bringing everything together towards the promise of God dwelling among His people.  When Paul reminds us that we are in Christ, one of the truths he is imparting to us is that we are in His story and now part of His eternal purposes. We are no longer lost or “dead in our transgressions and sins” (Eph 2: 1). Forgiven and cleansed, we are adopted, never to become unadopted. Where He goes, we go. We have joined the Glory train en route to a new Promised Land with him.  When Paul declares that we are with Christ, he is pointing out that we now occupy the same spiritual ground and authority that our spiritual head holds. Christ is seated in the heavenly realms, raised to the right hand of the Father. He has lifted us to the same position. Our prayers therefore carry weight and authority.  When Paul speaks about Christ being in us, he is describing the presence of Jesus, through the Holy Spirit in our very souls. Every day. Every moment.  No wonder Paul needs different ways of describing the earth-shattering truths of our new relationship with Jesus. In Christ, with Christ, Christ in us – all elements of a beautiful tapestry depicting our rescue from spiritual death to becoming children of God. 

Is the Messiah God? The first chapter of Hebrews presents compelling evidence that he is. In this chapter, the author highlights the Son's role as the creator and sustainer of the universe, emphasizes the Son's divine essence, proclaims that the Son is worthy of the worship that belongs only to God, and explicitly identifies the Son as “God” and “Lord/YHWH.” In order to demonstrate each of these points, this video conducts a detailed exegesis of Hebrews 1 and answers objections from unitarians. My website --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/david-wilber/support

Israel is in danger of small vision- a small life. Understandably so because they are captives! They just want to be free! But God has other plans. And if they want salvation- they will need to care about the same things because that's the only Messiah God offers- a missionary Messiah to the world. But God has other plans. And if they want salvation- they will need to care about the same things because that's the only Messiah God offers- a missionary Messiah to the world. We also have a hard time expanding our purpose because of our suffering and selfishness. We are tempted to live a small life and we are SCARED INTO living a small life. But it is in meeting the true Messiah that we find our meaning and purpose. This Messiah expands our purpose for life beyond our own people and in doing so- the Messiah saves us from ourselves.

The thirty-fourth episode of our Community series, join us as we specifically explore a topic that was requested and voted on by the incredible members of our Discord and Patreon page: The Messiah/God Complex. Note: Familiarity with Season 1 is highly recommended. Join us on Patreon! - Join us on Discord!

Matthew 21:1-11 by Marcus Mullet | Lead Elder

The Writings of Jean Gibson. Survey in Basic Christianity. How To Get The Most Out Of SBC. The following suggestions will make this study profitable. 1. Pray to God. Ask God to help you understand His Word. Claim the promise of Psalm 119:130: “The entrance of thy Words giveth light, it giveth understanding unto the simple.” It is impossible to truly understand God's Word without God's help (2 Corinthians 2:14). 2. Prepare Before Class. a. Read the Notes. Read and reread the lesson. Underline key thoughts, and mark anything that you do not understand or that you have questions about. Make notations on the wide margin at the side of each lesson. b. Look Up Key References. If time permits, read all Scripture references from a modern translation such as New American Standard Bible. A typical reference is written with the name of the book followed by the chapter number and verse number which are separated by a colon (example: Colossians 3:23). The abbreviation “cf.” means to compare two references (example: Psalm 45:6-7, cf. Hebrews 1:8). Most Bibles have a table of contents that lists the starting page number for each book of the Bible. After finding the page, locate the appropriate chapter and verse. c. Answer Homework Questions. Complete all items of the homework as directed. If you have trouble with a question, pass it on to the next question. 3. Attend Class Regularly. There is a time for small group interaction as well as a lecture period. Your questions and comments will encourage others to share. 4. Save Your Notes and Materials. These will help you in your further study and you may wish to share them with others.

Exodus 12:1-13, John 1:29, Part 2 To support this ministry financially, visit: https://www.oneplace.com/donate/1331/29

Exodus 12:1-13, John 1:29, Part 1 To support this ministry financially, visit: https://www.oneplace.com/donate/1331/29

Series: All!Scripture: Matthew 13:24-58Title: “Is Jesus Christ Worth Everything?”Bottom line: If you understand gospel GROWTH and gospel JUDGMENT, you will understand gospel GAIN—why fully embracing Jesus and his kingdom is like finding a hidden treasure that's so great that it's worth selling all you have (or even giving your life) to get.Discussion questions for group and personal study. Reflect and Discuss1. How is persevering faith different from works-righteousness?2. What would you say to someone whose only evidence of salvation was a momentary decision?3. What encouragement might come to persecuted believers from the parables of the Mustard Seed and Yeast?4. What do the parables of the Weeds and the Net have to teach us about the final judgment? Why is it sometimes difficult to discern who is and who is not part of the kingdom?5. How could you use the parables of the Treasure and the Pearl of Great Price to respond to someone who said, "I want to follow Jesus, but I don't want to make drastic changes in my life"?6. What wrong conceptions of the kingdom has Matthew 13 corrected for you?7. If you knew that knowing Jesus Christ was worth everything, would you sell everything and follow him?Final Questions (optional or in place of above)What is God saying to you right now? What are you going to do about it?Find our sermons, podcasts, discussion questions and notes at https://www.gracetoday.net/podcastIntroTicket for speeding in a blind school zone.Weeds in your yard?Sean O'Donnell gives us 3 themes that he says connect here in chapter 13. He also says that when we understand gospel growth and gospel judgment we'll understand gospel gain and how that affects how we live in our world today.Bottom line: If you understand gospel GROWTH and gospel JUDGMENT, you will understand gospel GAIN—why fully embracing Jesus and his kingdom is like finding a hidden treasure that's so great that it's worth selling all you have (or even giving your life) to get.Q. What do I want you to know? A. Gospel Gain: That Jesus is worth any and everything in your life. Nothing is worth more than knowing and following Jesus Christ. He's the ultimate win!Q. Why? A. Because of the way his kingdom works. Tender hearts lead to rescue from kingdom of evil. Tender hearts lead to fruitful living.Tender hearts lead to growing & gain.Q. What do I want you to do? A. Sell all and exchange it for Jesus. Q. Why? A. Because he's more than worth it.Bottom line: If you understand gospel GROWTH and gospel JUDGMENT, you will understand gospel GAIN—why fully embracing Jesus and his kingdom is like finding a hidden treasure that's so great that it's worth selling all you have (or even giving your life) to get.Outline (David Platt's outline)REVIEWI. Four QuestionsA. What is a parable?1. A practical story2. Often framed as a metaphor3. Illustrates a spiritual truthB. How do we understand parables? 3 Principles1. Listen from the hearer's perspective. Put yourself in their shoes. 1st c. Jews vs. 21st c. Americans.What would they hear? How would they respond? How would they feel?2. Look for the main point. Usually 1–2 or 3 max.3. Let the truth change your perception. I.e. Let it change the way you think about something through story.C. Why do we have parables?1. Jesus was revealing truth to those who were believing the mysterious (secrets)--this was evidence of God's mercy.Why do we have parables?“Because the secrets of the kingdom of heaven have been given to you to know, but it has not been given to them.”Secrets or mysteries in the OT revealed in the NT.What's not secret: God would send the Messiah to usher in a kingdom.Secret: What kind of Messiah God would send, how that Messiah would conquerNot through political struggle (political scheming)Not through brute force (military)but through sacrificial love (cross)Therefore, for those who were trusting that Jesus was promised King/Messiah, the parables helped them understand what kind of king he was and what kind of kingdom he was ushering in. HEARING/BELIEVING WAS EVIDENCE OF GOD'S GRACE AND MERCY.2. Jesus was concealing truth from those who were denying the obvious-this was evidence of God's judgment.JESUS WAS CONCEALING THE OBVIOUSDespite the many miracles (not to mention the signs).Despite the many teachings.NOT HEARING/BELIEVING WAS EVIDENCE OF GOD'S JUDGMENT.3. 2 Purposes based on 2 kinds of audiencesFirst 4 parables told to the crowds.Last 4 parables told to the disciples.D. What is the kingdom of heaven?1. The redemptive rule or reign of God in Christ2. A present reality: The King is here, and His kingdom is advancing.3. A future realization: The King is coming back, and His kingdom will one day be complete.II. Eight ParablesA. The parable of the Sower (aka Soils) (13:1-9, 18-23)The sower is the son of man and the seed is the message of salvation (aka good news of the kingdom).The soil is the human heart.Some in Jesus' day rejected/rebelled.Others casually responded to him.The problem of rejection is not the seed nor the sower but the human heart.Jesus points to 4 different heart-responses to the message of salvation:Pathway/Packed soil = hard heart = seed sits on top and never enters the soil; birds eat. This is a lack of understanding prevents reception of the message. No fruit.Rocky/Hard-pan soil = shallow/superficial heart = seed hits the soil, takes root and sprouts but due to the layer of rock beneath, the roots can't go deep. When the sun comes out the plant withers. This is how a person falls away when the troubles of life test their faith. It withers. No fruit.George Whitefield, 18th c. Evangelist during the first great awakening when asked how many were saved at one of his sermons would say, “We'll see in a few years.”Emma - we waited years after she professed Christ as VBS (4 yrs old) to see the fruit over time.Good soil surrounded by thorn bushes = distracted/divided heart = The person falls away after hearing and responding due to the deceitfulness of wealth and worries in this life. Result is, once again, no fruit.Good soil = Fruitful heart - Hears the wordUnderstands the wordBelieves the wordObeys the word bearing fruit that will last (John 15:16). 30, 60 & 100X.LOLListen to the word.Obey the word. (Bearing fruit)Leading others to listen to and obey the word. (Bearing fruit)THIS WEEKB. The parables of the Weeds and the NetC. The parables of the Mustard Seed and YeastD. The parables of the Treasure and the PearlE. The parable of the HomeownerII. Two Primary ApplicationsA. Humbly and joyfully receive the message of the kingdom.B. Confidently and urgently spread the message of the kingdom.C. The Lord's supper is where we Look back at when we received the message.Look up to the one who gave us a message worth hearing.Look ahead to sharing this message with others until he returns.Conclusion:Bottom line: If you understand gospel GROWTH and gospel JUDGMENT, you will understand gospel GAIN—why fully embracing Jesus and his kingdom is like finding a hidden treasure that's so great that it's worth selling all you have (or even giving your life) to get.Herod illustrates a hard heart. And Jesus drives home the point that a hard heart leads to unfruitfulness, the broad road, and weeping and gnashing of teeth—where God carries out his holy wrath and justice.What is God saying to you? What are you going to do about it?PrayReferences/Bibliography:“Preaching the Word” Commentary, Douglas Sean O'Donnell, Edited by Kent Hughes“Matthew” by RC Sproul“CSB Christ Chronological,” Holman“The Bible Knowledge Commentary” by Walvoord, Zuck (BKC)“The Bible Exposition Commentary” by Warren Wiersbe (BEC)“Exalting Jesus in Matthew” by David Platt (CCE)Outline Bible, D WillmingtonNIV Study Bible (NIVSB)ESV Study Bible

Series: All!Scripture: Matthew 13:1-23 (Main); Acts 1:6-8, Matt 1-23, Acts 28:28Title: “Why Did Jesus Teach with Parables?” (Darien Gabriel)Main source of commentary: David PlattBottom line: Jesus taught in parables to reveal to some and to conceal from others the good news that the kingdom of God is near.Discussion questions for group and personal study. Reflect and Discuss1. How did Jesus' parables both reveal and conceal truth?2. Explain how the kingdom can be both present and future.3. How would you sum up the parable of the Sower in one or two sentences? How might the parable of the Sower help us avoid being manipulative in our preaching, teaching, and evangelizing?4. What are some signs that the cares and riches of the world are choking out saving faith as the Bible describes it?5. How is persevering faith different from works-righteousness?6. What would you say to someone whose only evidence of salvation was a momentary decision?7. What encouragement might come to persecuted believers from the parables of the Mustard Seed and Yeast?8. What do the parables of the Weeds and the Net have to teach us about the final judgment? Why is it sometimes difficult to discern who is and who is not part of the kingdom?9. How could you use the parables of the Treasure and the Pearl of Great Price to respond to someone who said, "I want to follow Jesus, but I don't want to make drastic changes in my life"?10. What wrong conceptions of the kingdom has Matthew 13 corrected for you?Final Questions (optional or in place of above)What is God saying to you right now? What are you going to do about it?Find our sermons, podcasts, discussion questions and notes at https://www.gracetoday.net/podcastIntrohttps://www.bible.com/reading-plans/17704/day/196?segment=0Soften Your Heart and Harden Your FeetA twenty-one-year-old music college student took the cheapest ship she could find, calling at the greatest number of countries, and prayed to know where to disembark. She arrived in Hong Kong in 1966 and came to a place called the Walled City. It was a small, densely populated, lawless area controlled neither by China nor Hong Kong. It was a high-rise slum for drug addicts, gangs and prostitutes. She wrote:I loved this dark place. I hated what was happening in it but I wanted to be nowhere else. It was almost as if I could already see another city in its place and that city was ablaze with light. It was my dream. There was no more crying, no more death or pain. The sick were healed, addicts set free, the hungry filled. There were families for orphans, homes for the homeless, and new dignity for those who had lived in shame. I had no idea of how to bring this about but with ‘visionary zeal' imagined introducing the Walled City people to the one who could change it all: Jesus.Jackie Pullinger has spent over half a century working with prostitutes, heroin addicts and gang members. I remember so well a talk she gave some years ago. She began by saying, ‘God wants us to have soft hearts and hard feet. The trouble with so many of us is that we have hard hearts and soft feet.'Jackie is a glowing example of this; going without sleep, food and comfort to serve others. God wants us to have soft hearts – hearts of love and compassion. But if we are to make any difference to the world, this will lead to hard feet as we travel along tough paths and face challenges.Context:Where he was:“We have a tendency to think that parables were merely illustrations Jesus employed to help make His points. There is a sense in which that is true, but it is a vast over-simplification of the actual function of parables. The word parable is made up of a prefix, para, and a root, the verb ballō. Para means “alongside.” A paralegal is someone who comes alongside a lawyer to provide legal help. A parachurch ministry comes alongside the church to aid it in its mission. Baleo means “to throw or hurl.” So literally, a parable is something that is thrown alongside of something else. In the case of Jesus, a parable was an illustration or a restatement of a truth that He “threw in” with His teaching.”In reference to Isaiah 6:1-8…“God was sending Isaiah as a prophet of judgment, because God had had enough of people who did not want to hear or see the truth”“…He was explaining to Isaiah that He had kept for Himself a remnant, “a tenth,” from which He would raise up His people again. But Isaiah's mission was to the rest, to clog their ears and blind their eyes.”“So, in answer to the disciples' question, Jesus explained that He used parables both to reveal and to conceal. To those who had “ears to hear,” the parables were words of life. To those whose hearts were hardened and who could not hear so as to understand, the parables were indecipherable stories, impenetrable mysteries. The first of them was the parable of the sower.”Excerpt FromMatthew - An Expositional CommentaryR.C. Sproulhttps://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewBook?id=0This material may be protected by copyright.Excerpt FromMatthew - An Expositional CommentaryR.C. Sproulhttps://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewBook?id=0This material may be protected by copyright.““Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?' Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!'”‭‭Matthew‬ ‭7‬:‭21‬-‭23‬ ‭NIV‬‬https://bible.com/bible/111/mat.7.21-23.NIVBottom line: Q. What do I want you to know? A. That the condition of your heart determines whether you receive mercy or judgment.Q. Why? A. Because it's a measure of your level of trust of the Lord.Q. What do I want you to do? A. Humble yourself and repent and believe the good news.Q. Why? A. Because your quality of life depends on it—here and now, and hereafter. Bottom line: Jesus taught in parables to reveal to some and to conceal from others the good news that the kingdom of God is near.Context: Jesus is talking to the crowd and the religious leaders intent on discrediting him. He continues to show them portraits of himself through his direct teachings. He'll move to parables in the next chapter making his truths less obvious to some and even incomprehensible to others.Outline (David Platt's outline)I. Four QuestionsA. What is a parable?1. A practical story2. Often framed as a metaphor3. Illustrates a spiritual truthB. How do we understand parables? 3 Principles1. Listen from the hearer's perspective. Put yourself in their shoes. 1st c. Jews vs. 21st c. Americans.What would they hear? How would they respond? How would they feel?2. Look for the main point. Usually 1–2 or 3 max.3. Let the truth change your perception. I.e. Let it change the way you think about something through story.C. Why do we have parables?1. Jesus was revealing truth to those who were believing the mysterious (secrets)--this was evidence of God's mercy.Why do we have parables?“Because the secrets of the kingdom of heaven have been given to you to know, but it has not been given to them.”Secrets or mysteries in the OT revealed in the NT.What's not secret: God would send the Messiah to usher in a kingdom.Secret: What kind of Messiah God would send, how that Messiah would conquerNot through political struggle (political scheming)Not through brute force (military)but through sacrificial love (cross)Therefore, for those who were trusting that Jesus was promised King/Messiah, the parables helped them understand what kind of king he was and what kind of kingdom he was ushering in. HEARING/BELIEVING WAS EVIDENCE OF GOD'S GRACE AND MERCY.2. Jesus was concealing truth from those who were denying the obvious-this was evidence of God's judgment.JESUS WAS CONCEALING THE OBVIOUSDespite the many miracles (not to mention the signs).Despite the many teachings.NOT HEARING/BELIEVING WAS EVIDENCE OF GOD'S JUDGMENT.3. 2 Purposes based on 2 kinds of audiencesFirst 4 parables told to the crowds.Last 4 parables told to the disciples.D. What is the kingdom of heaven?1. The redemptive rule or reign of God in Christ2. A present reality: The King is here, and His kingdom is advancing.3. A future realization: The King is coming back, and His kingdom will one day be complete.Acts 1:6-8 “Then they gathered around him and asked him, ‘Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?' He said to them, ‘It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.'”II. Eight ParablesA. The parable of the Sower (aka Soils) (13:1-9, 18-23)The sower is the son of man and the seed is the message of salvation (aka good news of the kingdom).The soil is the human heart.Some in Jesus' day rejected/rebelled.Others casually responded to him.The problem of rejection is not the seed nor the sower but the human heart.Jesus points to 4 different heart-responses to the message of salvation:Pathway/Packed soil = hard heart = seed sits on top and never enters the soil; birds eat. This is a lack of understanding prevents reception of the message. No fruit.Rocky/Hard-pan soil = shallow/superficial heart = seed hits the soil, takes root and sprouts but due to the layer of rock beneath, the roots can't go deep. When the sun comes out the plant withers. This is how a person falls away when the troubles of life test their faith. It withers. No fruit.George Whitefield, 18th c. Evangelist during the first great awakening when asked how many were saved at one of his sermons would say, “We'll see in a few years.”Emma - we waited years after she professed Christ as VBS (4 yrs old) to see the fruit over time.Good soil surrounded by thorn bushes = distracted/divided heart = The person falls away after hearing and responding due to the deceitfulness of wealth and worries in this life. Result is, once again, no fruit.Good soil = Fruitful heart - Hears the wordUnderstands the wordBelieves the wordObeys the word bearing fruit that will last (John 15:16). 30, 60 & 100X.LOLListen to the word.Obey the word. (Bearing fruit)Leading others to listen to and obey the word. (Bearing fruit)B. The parables of the Weeds and the NetC. The parables of the Mustard Seed and YeastD. The parables of the Treasure and the PearlE. The parable of the HomeownerII. Two Primary ApplicationsA. Humbly and joyfully receive the message of the kingdom.B. Confidently and urgently spread the message of the kingdom.C. The Lord's supper is where we Look back at when we received the message.Look up to the one who gave us a message worth hearing.Look ahead to sharing this message with others until he returns.Conclusion:Bottom line: Jesus taught in parables to reveal to some and to conceal from others the good news that the kingdom of God is near.Who is Lord of Your Life?Polycarp (AD70–156) was a bishop during a time of bitter attack against the Christians. At the age of eighty-six, he was arrested for no other crime than being a Christian. All he had to do to avoid torture and death was to proclaim, ‘Caesar is Lord.' Polycarp responded, ‘Eighty-six years I have served Christ, and he never did me any wrong. How can I blaspheme my King who saved me?' For Polycarp, the fact that ‘Jesus is Lord' meant that he could not say, ‘Caesar is Lord.' Steadfast in his stand for Christ, Polycarp refused to compromise his beliefs and was burnt alive at the stake on 22 February AD156.How is your heart? Is it tender towards God or have you allowed it to be hard towards God? Are you feet hard from kingdom work or tender from taking care of yourself?What is God saying to you? What are you going to do about it?PrayReferences/Bibliography:“Preaching the Word” Commentary, Douglas Sean O'Donnell, Edited by Kent Hughes“Matthew” by RC Sproul“CSB Christ Chronological,” Holman“The Bible Knowledge Commentary” by Walvoord, Zuck (BKC)“The Bible Exposition Commentary” by Warren Wiersbe (BEC)“Exalting Jesus in Matthew” by David Platt (CCE)Outline Bible, D WillmingtonNIV Study Bible (NIVSB)ESV Study Bible

The Jews ask Jesus again, yet stubbornly refuse to believe in Jesus as the Messiah / God...

Dr. David B. Capes taught for Mark this week providing an overview of the Gospel of Matthew as part of the Snapshots of Jesus series. Dr. Capes posed the question: If we knew the Old Testament well, how might it impact how we read Matthew? In Matthew 1:1, we see Jesus as: 1. Messiah - God with us, Son of Man, LORD. One who is anointed. God's chosen anointed agent whose task is to liberate the world from disease, death, spiritual power, sin, and oppression (including religion and political). 2. Son of David - David's kingdom will continue through the Messiah. David's son would be on the throne of David forever. 3. Son of Abraham - Jesus is true Israel. God's covenant with Abraham and His promise to be a blessing to all nations. We discover Matthew purposely mentions five women in the lineage of Jesus: Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, wife of Uriah (Bathsheba), and Mary mother of Jesus. Jesus' teachings demonstrate women have a new role in the kingdom of God. Outsiders have become insiders. Listen to Dr. Capes explain an overview of Jesus from the Gospel of Matthew. Jesus is the fulfiller of prophecy. God with us.

As we study Exodus 18:1-19:20, an image starts to form of the Messiah God would raise up for His people in the person of Moses. The first piece of the picture we're given comes from Exodus 18:1-27: that God sent His Messiah to lead us to glorify Him and to reconcile us as His image-bearers. Now, in Exodus 19:1-20, we see another part of the Messiah's work revealed in Moses: that God sent His Messiah to establish His covenant with us, consecrate us, and draw us to Himself.

Demonstrating Dr. Barnhouse's acute understanding of Romans and his heart for effective preaching, these messages skillfully and reverently expound even the most difficult passages in a clear way. Dr. Barnhouse's concern for a universal appreciation of the epistle fuels this series and invites all listeners into a deeper understanding of the life-changing message of Romans. To support this ministry financially, visit: https://www.oneplace.com/donate/791/29

The Big Question! Lk leads us with crowds through Nazareth, Capernaum, Opposition, Calling, Sermon. Centurion's faith, Widow's son: “Great prophet, God visiting his people.” Leads to John's question with revealing reflections. John is in prison for courage against Herod Antipas. He is training his own disciples. He's loves the desert, fasting. Jesus is at banquets, not fasting, etc. John told of him with fire and judgment. John knows Jesus, but he's disconcerting. Jn sends his question directly to Jesus: ‘Are you the one who is coming?' Israel's story & scripture throb in its words. An Answer in Deeds that Challenge Us to Recognize God Jes could say, ‘Yes, I am.' ‘How could you ask?' But Jes understands the question & knows the answer changes the world. He answers with actions. But even marvels must be a language to be an answer. Jes enacts words of Isaiah, Malachi. etc. Jes' deeds say God's ancient promises are here. Only the Messiah/God could do it. God's image comes to new, surprising clarity. Very disconcerting. Don't stumble! Looking for a King in the Wilderness Jes knows the crowds carry the same question/quest. They went out to John looking for a Messiah, an anointed King. Jesus pushes them to think deeply. They went into the wilderness seeking... What? A reed (Herod)? King? A prophet! John's own identity partly answered his question. He was gateway to a new era. He welcomed ordinary people, soldiers, tax collectors. Last prophet of the old, pointing to new. Pharisees rejecting John led to rejecting Jesus, refusing God's good purpose for them. John and Jesus, Different, Caricatured – Both Come from God People want God to be tidy with short clear answers. Who is coming? John came. Jesus came. Very different look, sharing the same great event, different roles. People had ready boxes for them. But what God is doing is vast, complex, real, beautiful, life-giving. You have to see it, live inside it. Wisdom & justice shine.

Joseph discovers that Mary is pregnant. What now? He decides to divorce her quietly, but God sends him a different message. Seven coordinating blogs begin here:https://lightofchristjourney.com/?p=6677 To see this story as a video with small group questions: https://youtu.be/ngLsisp_ZDw

Joseph discovers that Mary is pregnant. What now? He decides to divorce her quietly, but God sends him a different message. Seven coordinating blogs begin here:https://lightofchristjourney.com/?p=6677 To see this story as a video with small group questions: https://youtu.be/ngLsisp_ZDw

Joseph discovers that Mary is pregnant. What now? He decides to divorce her quietly, but God sends him a different message. Seven coordinating blogs begin here:https://lightofchristjourney.com/?p=6677 To see this story as a video with small group questions: https://youtu.be/ngLsisp_ZDw

Pastor David Morrison Matthew 2:1-23 As Jesus' story continues - what is the significance of the star & the Magi? -The Star identifies the Messiah -God reveals himself in unexpected places & to unexpected people -He goes to people who are willing & humble -Unexpected Revelation should lead to generous worship -Jesus joins me in Egypt -Jesus leads me to freedom, in spite of myself -Jesus is leading you out of Egypt, because he went there first & won the battles... Read Luke 4:18-19

Tony Graffanino continues our Advent series with a message on joy and how true joy is not based on our circumstances but rooted in the advent of the Messiah - God with us. Tony points out how our pursuit of happiness can actually rob us of our joy and challenges us to choose joy this Christmas.

John's gospel carefully and convincingly presents Jesus as the Messiah. And now, the Messiah God dies. Some thought it wasn't supposed to be this way, but this account shows that it always had to be this way. This week we look at the crucifixion to see what that meant for Jesus then and for us today.