I nearly flipped my car on the way home. I blame my wife. I was, after all, returning from buying her a Blizzard sundae at Dairy Queen. Granted, I took care of my own business earlier in the trip, but, when it became a disaster, I developed amnesia about that fact.
It was the last day of a coupon. I went to get a specific Blizzard that they carry only at that time of year. Dairy Queen ran out of the items used on the sundae. (This sort of thing happens much too often for it to be a coincidence. I'm convinced she calls ahead to find out what's out, then orders it to make my day more difficult.) I forgot my phone so I hoped for the best, bought her other favorite, hurried a little to get back, pushing it slightly (like ten miles over the limit) going out of town, got stuck following an SUV, one of those really big cousins of a Hummer, saw a light frosting of pre-Christmas snow and we went up a slight hill on Garfield Road that I've driven probably a zillion times since my youth and the SUV was slowing even more ahead of me and suddenly a TIRE APPEARED ON THE ROAD! A TIRE!! I swerved, trying to miss it too late, drove over it.
My front tire exploded and shot the front of the car up in the air. It slammed to the ground and the momentum dragged the rear tire over the SUV tire. It rupture and also dropped to the pavement with a thud. Not wanting to stop and try to get going again on rims, I drove the car, shaking, rattling, to the side of the road, parked it, got out, tried to get a breath. Shocked, surprised, too numb to realize I could have been flipped or sent sideways into the middle of both lanes.
My initial reaction broke a commandment or two, had nothing to do with love for the person WHO LEFT A TIRE ON THE ROAD AND DROVE OFF, leaving me to wonder how I'd get home without my phone to call for help.
I surveyed the damage. Both passenger side tires were shredded. I'd seen tire scraps left on the highway but never on the rims of my car. I busied myself trying to get the rear tire off and the "doughnut" spare put on so the car could be towed. Then I saw a truck stop down at the bottom of the hill where the SUV tire had bounced when I hit it. The Driver got out, PICKED UP THE BLOCKADE TIRE AND DROVE OFF. Too far to get the plate numbers. Free as a car with good tires on it.
I ran through a few more non-Christlike thoughts. Worse, I dwelled on them.
Thoroughly discouraged, I gathered my tire tools, tossed them in the trunk, slammed it and leaned on it, ready to scream, smash a few things and then walk a couple miles home in the cold air.
"Can I help?" someone asked.
He also drove a truck. He pulled up while I was leaning there in despair and I hadn't even noticed. He wore Carharts and camouflage gloves, a stocking cap pushed over his ears. Doe season was winding down and he cameby Garfield to join his friends in the woods. I told him what had happened and he offered me a ride home.
Riding to my home, we talked about the accident, hunting season and his church. I thanked him when he dropped me at the door.
Writing class sasys this is the time to make my cogent point. You can make a list: God always provides rescue; God wakes, even shocks us from our daily routine; God watches over us in the midst of disaster; never get stuff for your wife (Okay, not Biblical but it SHOULD be.).
But failure sticks in my mind. One sudden BANG! and I was off-kilter, sounding fallen and foolish, temper risen, fists formed. If the guy who lost the tire stopped to help, I might have beaten him ti death with the jack handle. I most certainly would have given him an earful of un-Christianity. My witness floundered. The fellow writing this book about love and human frailty and the power of God to change us stubbed his toe on his own work, hearing Paul say something about being careful what you teach.
If those were MY words or notions of Christian living or even just my ideas about life, I couldn't, in good conscience, publish a syllable or even a letter.
But it's not my creation. I didn't construct a theology or a new church or a sect. I only recorded the words of my Creator. I am the creation and I'm being renewed every day. My spirit regenerates like young cells. To fail once isn't fatal. In fact, failure reminds me who I am: mortal flesh suffering from a genetic defect called sin.
The same as you.
Don't, DO NOT become discouraged when you fall down running the race.
Don't look at "love on another" and walk away shaking your head.
Understand a simple truth: we're supposed to fail. We're meant to learn that we aren't perfect, but weak, small in the face of the universe, demented in the face of perfect sanity, flaming idiots in the presence of perfect intelligence.
We are imperfect.
We are not God.
Our failure makes every success clearly His own. Shows us that His way works.
"Don't be discouraged by failure. It can be a positive experience. Failure is, in a sense, the highway to success, inasmuch as every discovery of what is false leads us to seek earnestly after what is true, and every fresh experience points out some form of error which we shall afterwards carefully avoid."
John Keats
When God wins, we do, busted tires and all.
Fall forward.
Fail upward.
Survive every crash. In love.
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Break 5
Born perfect, Adam and Eve were given one law: "Don't eat the fruit."
Born imperfect, humanity was given a few laws, then books of them.
Made spiritually perfect by Christ, saved humanity was again given one law.
But it really always was only one law, expanded, explained by situation, revisited in every variation so no misunderstanding could provide an excuse for disobedience.
To Adam and Eve: "Don't be selfish."
To fallen humanity: "Stop being selfish."
To fallen humanity: "Walk in the Spirit and you'll stop being selfish."
Born imperfect, humanity was given a few laws, then books of them.
Made spiritually perfect by Christ, saved humanity was again given one law.
But it really always was only one law, expanded, explained by situation, revisited in every variation so no misunderstanding could provide an excuse for disobedience.
To Adam and Eve: "Don't be selfish."
To fallen humanity: "Stop being selfish."
To fallen humanity: "Walk in the Spirit and you'll stop being selfish."
IV. The Core Commandments: "...follow me." (7)
THE EXTERIOR
(For the last section, a somewhat different presentation.)
Mt 28:19-20 "Therefore go and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things, whatever I commanded you. And, behold, I am with you all the days until the end of the world."
Mark 16:15 And He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned." (NKJV)
Lu 24:46-48 Then He said to them, "Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day, and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. And you are witnesses of these things." (NKJV)
Go Into All the World
Making Disciples Of All Nations
Baptizing Them In the Name of The Father The Son And The Holy Spirit
Teaching Them To Do as I Have Commanded You
One mission given to many with varied gifts to accomplish separate but equal tasks. The mission falls not only to Billy Graham or John Wesley or Orville Moody or Father Marquette or the Christian cable networks. It wasn't given only to a few in the First Century. It calls to all, past and present. Along with an empowering Spirit to comfort us and lead the effort. Jesus even said the Spirit would speak for us when we testify. Many gifts exist, from help and encouragement to ones that have been called extinct. Each of us must find the gift each is given and, once found, use it for the Lord. We will never regret using it to obey.
It's an act of love.
In all things, do unto others as you would have them do unto you.
Matthew 7:12.
Luke 6:31.
No Question Mark merely details some of the bits and pieces that compose this sentence. The old Testament became a single sentence in Christ's teaching hands. Our eternal death sentence became a single atonement in his punctured palms as he lived out the words. The sentences of history become a single vision in those perfect hands.
A death sentence converted to a life sentence, an eternal life sentence.
(For the last section, a somewhat different presentation.)
Mt 28:19-20 "Therefore go and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things, whatever I commanded you. And, behold, I am with you all the days until the end of the world."
Mark 16:15 And He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned." (NKJV)
Lu 24:46-48 Then He said to them, "Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day, and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. And you are witnesses of these things." (NKJV)
Go Into All the World
Making Disciples Of All Nations
Baptizing Them In the Name of The Father The Son And The Holy Spirit
Teaching Them To Do as I Have Commanded You
One mission given to many with varied gifts to accomplish separate but equal tasks. The mission falls not only to Billy Graham or John Wesley or Orville Moody or Father Marquette or the Christian cable networks. It wasn't given only to a few in the First Century. It calls to all, past and present. Along with an empowering Spirit to comfort us and lead the effort. Jesus even said the Spirit would speak for us when we testify. Many gifts exist, from help and encouragement to ones that have been called extinct. Each of us must find the gift each is given and, once found, use it for the Lord. We will never regret using it to obey.
It's an act of love.
In all things, do unto others as you would have them do unto you.
Matthew 7:12.
Luke 6:31.
No Question Mark merely details some of the bits and pieces that compose this sentence. The old Testament became a single sentence in Christ's teaching hands. Our eternal death sentence became a single atonement in his punctured palms as he lived out the words. The sentences of history become a single vision in those perfect hands.
A death sentence converted to a life sentence, an eternal life sentence.
IV. The Core Commandments: "...follow me." (6)
Keep Christ's Commandments In Love
John 14:15 "If you love Me, keep My commandments.
John 14:23-24 Jesus answered and said to him, "If a man loves Me, he will keep My Word. And My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our abode with him. He who does not love Me does not keep My words, and the Word which you hear is not Mine, but the Father's who sent Me."
John 14:31 "But that the world may know that I love the Father, and as the Father has given Me commandment, even so I do. Arise, let us go away from here."
John 15:9-10 "As the Father has loved Me, so I have loved you; continue in My love. If you keep My commandments, you shall abide in My love, even as I have kept My Father's commandments and abide in His love."
The circle of love.
John 14:15 "If you love Me, keep My commandments.
John 14:23-24 Jesus answered and said to him, "If a man loves Me, he will keep My Word. And My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our abode with him. He who does not love Me does not keep My words, and the Word which you hear is not Mine, but the Father's who sent Me."
John 14:31 "But that the world may know that I love the Father, and as the Father has given Me commandment, even so I do. Arise, let us go away from here."
John 15:9-10 "As the Father has loved Me, so I have loved you; continue in My love. If you keep My commandments, you shall abide in My love, even as I have kept My Father's commandments and abide in His love."
The circle of love.
Saturday, February 20, 2010
IV. The Core Commandments: "...follow me." (5)
Love One Another
John 13:34-35 "A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another." (KJV)
John 15:12-17 "This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. No one has greater love than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.
"You are My friends if you do whatever I command you. No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master does. But I have called you friends, for all things that I have heard from My Father I have made known to you.
"You have not chosen Me, but I have chosen you and ordained you that you should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain; that whatever you shall ask of the Father in My name, He may give it to you.
"These things I command you, that you love one another."
He saved this for nearly last. A NEW commandment. Part of how we know He claimed to be God was that He ADDED to the commands, restructured Scripture.
He did it for a simple reason: we had never existed before that time. No Christian was possible before his sacrifice. Afterward, a new race dawned on the planet and it needed a special rule, one specific to it. Jew and Gentile, man and woman, black and white and yellow and brown and red and every combination, all the BIG DIVISIONS, melted into Him. All that was once split and ruined and spoiled became officially new. Enemies became brothers. Borders vanished. Language became slippery. Deeds testified not to personal growth, but to depth of relationship with God. Moreover, the Zealot sat down with the Taxpayer, the Samaritan with the Savior, the Greek Doctor with the Roman Jew.
He told us the way to love: give your lives for one another. Give your beliefs, your hopes, your dreams, your passions all to the focus of the others. Obey everything he said, everything they saw him live out and recorded for us. Deeds testify.
We wear the same old moth-eaten coats of fading flesh. We change into other people.
John 13:34-35 "A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another." (KJV)
John 15:12-17 "This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. No one has greater love than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.
"You are My friends if you do whatever I command you. No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master does. But I have called you friends, for all things that I have heard from My Father I have made known to you.
"You have not chosen Me, but I have chosen you and ordained you that you should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain; that whatever you shall ask of the Father in My name, He may give it to you.
"These things I command you, that you love one another."
He saved this for nearly last. A NEW commandment. Part of how we know He claimed to be God was that He ADDED to the commands, restructured Scripture.
He did it for a simple reason: we had never existed before that time. No Christian was possible before his sacrifice. Afterward, a new race dawned on the planet and it needed a special rule, one specific to it. Jew and Gentile, man and woman, black and white and yellow and brown and red and every combination, all the BIG DIVISIONS, melted into Him. All that was once split and ruined and spoiled became officially new. Enemies became brothers. Borders vanished. Language became slippery. Deeds testified not to personal growth, but to depth of relationship with God. Moreover, the Zealot sat down with the Taxpayer, the Samaritan with the Savior, the Greek Doctor with the Roman Jew.
He told us the way to love: give your lives for one another. Give your beliefs, your hopes, your dreams, your passions all to the focus of the others. Obey everything he said, everything they saw him live out and recorded for us. Deeds testify.
We wear the same old moth-eaten coats of fading flesh. We change into other people.
Friday, February 19, 2010
IV. The Core Commandments: "...follow me." (4)
Love Your Enemy
Mt 5:43-46 "You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.'
"But I say to you, Love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who despitefully use you and persecute you, so that you may become sons of your Father in Heaven. For He makes His sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax-collectors do the same?"
Lu 6:27-30, 32-36 "But I say to you who hear: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, and pray for those who despitefully use you.
"And to him who strikes you on the one cheek, also offer the other. And to him who takes away your garment, do not forbid your tunic also.
"Give to everyone who asks of you, and from him who takes away your goods, do not ask them again...
"For if you love those who love you, what thanks do you have? For sinners also love those who love them.
"And if you do good to those who do good to you, what thanks do you have? For sinners also do the same.
"And if you lend to those of whom you hope to receive, what thanks do you have? For sinners also lend to sinners, to receive as much again.
"But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing in return. And your reward shall be great, and you shall be the sons of the Highest. For He is kind to the unthankful and to the evil.
"Therefore be merciful, even as your Father is merciful."
To paraphrase Art Linkletter, as it turns outward love "does the darnest things."
Snoopy shares Christmas with the Red Baron. A stranger rescues someone else's child during a New Orleans flood. A missionary takes the Gospel to a South American tribe that kills him.
A hand is extended, then taken or slapped away. Makes no difference. The extension of the hand is all that matters form our point of view. What happens afterward speaks of God's love and the human capacity to learn and fail.
First love.
Real love.
"Greater love hath no man..."
Mt 5:43-46 "You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.'
"But I say to you, Love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who despitefully use you and persecute you, so that you may become sons of your Father in Heaven. For He makes His sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax-collectors do the same?"
Lu 6:27-30, 32-36 "But I say to you who hear: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, and pray for those who despitefully use you.
"And to him who strikes you on the one cheek, also offer the other. And to him who takes away your garment, do not forbid your tunic also.
"Give to everyone who asks of you, and from him who takes away your goods, do not ask them again...
"For if you love those who love you, what thanks do you have? For sinners also love those who love them.
"And if you do good to those who do good to you, what thanks do you have? For sinners also do the same.
"And if you lend to those of whom you hope to receive, what thanks do you have? For sinners also lend to sinners, to receive as much again.
"But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing in return. And your reward shall be great, and you shall be the sons of the Highest. For He is kind to the unthankful and to the evil.
"Therefore be merciful, even as your Father is merciful."
To paraphrase Art Linkletter, as it turns outward love "does the darnest things."
Snoopy shares Christmas with the Red Baron. A stranger rescues someone else's child during a New Orleans flood. A missionary takes the Gospel to a South American tribe that kills him.
A hand is extended, then taken or slapped away. Makes no difference. The extension of the hand is all that matters form our point of view. What happens afterward speaks of God's love and the human capacity to learn and fail.
First love.
Real love.
"Greater love hath no man..."
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
IV. The Core Commandments: "...follow me." (3)
Love Your Neighbor As Yourself
Mt 22:39 "And the second is like it, You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets."
Mark 12:31 "And the second is like this: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. There is no other commandment greater than these."
Lu 10:25 And, behold, a certain lawyer stood up and tempted Him, saying, "Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?"
He said to him, "What is written in the law? How do you read it?"
And answering, he said, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself."
And He said to him, "You have answered right, do this and you shall live."
But he, willing to justify himself, said to Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?"
And answering, Jesus said, "A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho and fell among robbers, who stripped him of his clothing and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead.
"And by coincidence a certain priest came down that way and seeing him, he passed by on the opposite side.
"And in the same way a Levite, also being at the place, coming and seeing him, he passed on the opposite side.
"But a certain traveling Samaritan came upon him, and seeing him, he was filled with pity. And coming near, he bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine, and set him on his own animal and brought him to an inn, and took care of him.
"And going on the next day, he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper, and said to him, 'Take care of him. And whatever more you spend, when I come again I will repay you.'
"Then which of these three, do you think, was neighbor to him who fell among the robbers?"
And he said, "The one doing the deed of mercy to him."
And Jesus said to him, "Go and do likewise."
In the end, He tells us why so much is wrong with what we do and how we do it.
We seek the Big Job and T?he Prize and are taught to step on anyone in the way of our getting to them.
"Me over you."
"Get out of my way."
"Eat my dust."
"The girl, the gold watch and everything." (Apologies to John D. MacDonald.)
Check your back for daggers after your buddy at work gets done patting you on it for a job well done.
I can't trust you to do right by me if I do right by you. Because my worldly self knows you and trust me!
Oddly, Jesus tells me to pick you up where you've fallen, dust you off, get you a drink, feed you, apply triple antibiotic ointment, get you a fresh change of clothes, walk your dog while you're in the hospital and then give you a home when they foreclose on your ranch style bungalow. No mention of any expectation of payback. No payback in the revenge sense. Nothing but the deed done because it's the right thing to do.
"Are you going to be a giver or a taker?" The movie Flawless.
And first love, TRUE first love, turns irresistibly outward.
Mt 22:39 "And the second is like it, You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets."
Mark 12:31 "And the second is like this: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. There is no other commandment greater than these."
Lu 10:25 And, behold, a certain lawyer stood up and tempted Him, saying, "Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?"
He said to him, "What is written in the law? How do you read it?"
And answering, he said, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself."
And He said to him, "You have answered right, do this and you shall live."
But he, willing to justify himself, said to Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?"
And answering, Jesus said, "A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho and fell among robbers, who stripped him of his clothing and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead.
"And by coincidence a certain priest came down that way and seeing him, he passed by on the opposite side.
"And in the same way a Levite, also being at the place, coming and seeing him, he passed on the opposite side.
"But a certain traveling Samaritan came upon him, and seeing him, he was filled with pity. And coming near, he bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine, and set him on his own animal and brought him to an inn, and took care of him.
"And going on the next day, he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper, and said to him, 'Take care of him. And whatever more you spend, when I come again I will repay you.'
"Then which of these three, do you think, was neighbor to him who fell among the robbers?"
And he said, "The one doing the deed of mercy to him."
And Jesus said to him, "Go and do likewise."
In the end, He tells us why so much is wrong with what we do and how we do it.
We seek the Big Job and T?he Prize and are taught to step on anyone in the way of our getting to them.
"Me over you."
"Get out of my way."
"Eat my dust."
"The girl, the gold watch and everything." (Apologies to John D. MacDonald.)
Check your back for daggers after your buddy at work gets done patting you on it for a job well done.
I can't trust you to do right by me if I do right by you. Because my worldly self knows you and trust me!
Oddly, Jesus tells me to pick you up where you've fallen, dust you off, get you a drink, feed you, apply triple antibiotic ointment, get you a fresh change of clothes, walk your dog while you're in the hospital and then give you a home when they foreclose on your ranch style bungalow. No mention of any expectation of payback. No payback in the revenge sense. Nothing but the deed done because it's the right thing to do.
"Are you going to be a giver or a taker?" The movie Flawless.
And first love, TRUE first love, turns irresistibly outward.
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
IV. The Core Commandments: "...follow me." (2)
Love Jesus Also
John 8:42 "Jesus said to them, If God were your father, you would love Me, for I went forth and came from God; for I did not come of Myself, but He sent Me."
John 14:21 "He who has My commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves Me. And he who loves Me shall be loved by My Father, and I will love him and will reveal Myself to him."
My mother-in-law once complained about a church she attended because it seemed so focused on God that it neglected Christ. It disturbed her to hear so many sermons with Christ mentioned only peripherally. Sometimes I think that may be His wish. The Son being equal to the Father but never regarding himself as anything but the servant. Still, he asked for our love reflected in obedience, claimed to be the Father in the flesh, "I am."
And we should love Him for his sacrifice. Consider that he knew his death from the beginning. The carpenter handled the implements of his death every day of his life. Yet he never wavered. He never sinned, even BEFORE the Spirit came upon Him. He focused on the Father resolutely, denying Himself so much of the satisfactions of life, realizing He had been asked to cast off the perfect life in a gruesome, demeaning death. Delaying the rewards of "now" for the reward of eternity.
Every day of His life.
Then, on the night before the cross, He gave His disciples His last sermon, one that dwelt on love, on caring, on hope, talking as a father who would soon send his children into a brutal world to fend for themselves. Talking through the ages to all who would follow. Talking of the circularity of loving him, loving the Father, being loved in return. Talking of the Comforter who holds the children in His invisible arms. Living with them, "abiding", He in them, they in Him.
"Love me, love my Dad,"
John 8:42 "Jesus said to them, If God were your father, you would love Me, for I went forth and came from God; for I did not come of Myself, but He sent Me."
John 14:21 "He who has My commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves Me. And he who loves Me shall be loved by My Father, and I will love him and will reveal Myself to him."
My mother-in-law once complained about a church she attended because it seemed so focused on God that it neglected Christ. It disturbed her to hear so many sermons with Christ mentioned only peripherally. Sometimes I think that may be His wish. The Son being equal to the Father but never regarding himself as anything but the servant. Still, he asked for our love reflected in obedience, claimed to be the Father in the flesh, "I am."
And we should love Him for his sacrifice. Consider that he knew his death from the beginning. The carpenter handled the implements of his death every day of his life. Yet he never wavered. He never sinned, even BEFORE the Spirit came upon Him. He focused on the Father resolutely, denying Himself so much of the satisfactions of life, realizing He had been asked to cast off the perfect life in a gruesome, demeaning death. Delaying the rewards of "now" for the reward of eternity.
Every day of His life.
Then, on the night before the cross, He gave His disciples His last sermon, one that dwelt on love, on caring, on hope, talking as a father who would soon send his children into a brutal world to fend for themselves. Talking through the ages to all who would follow. Talking of the circularity of loving him, loving the Father, being loved in return. Talking of the Comforter who holds the children in His invisible arms. Living with them, "abiding", He in them, they in Him.
"Love me, love my Dad,"
Monday, February 15, 2010
VI: The Core Commandments: "...and follow me."
THE INTERIOR
Love The Lord With All Your Might
Mt 22:36-37 "Master, which is the great commandment in the Law?"
Jesus said to him, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind."
Mark 12:29 And Jesus answered him, "The first of all the commandments is, 'Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God is one Lord; and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.' This is the first commandment."
Luke 10:27 And answering, he said, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself."
His words echo with simplicity: "Return to your first love."
Where did you find love that first time?
Was it lying in the street?
Was it in a pool hall?
Glowing in a crystal?
On Prime Time?
Hidden in pop song?
Was it in a whore's bed?
So what is love anyway?
For me, it lies in one tumultuous, yet quiet moment when I said, "Yes", to His asking that I give Him my life. The filling of the Spirit began love, real love. I know because I spent so much time in my life nurturing hate. So much that it lingers, a bad habit that returns to haunt me like nicotine cravings. The only cure is to stay away from it, to return again and again to the one I love. To recall that love lies in Him, not me. A cure I take far more seldom than I like to admit.
But what is thing thing called love?
I carry it with me, but it lifts the weight on my shoulders. It fills me and empties my heart. It owns me, but never pulls a leash. It says hello to strangers when every fiber of my common sense cries, "RUN!" It touches hands that have let go of loved ones. It raises hope on salted soil. It walks on water. It strolls into tombs and marches the dead out into life. It asks me for a glass of water as a tramp on the road, then gives me an eternal river. It restores my soul.
John said: "God is love."
And the centrality of God becomes the first commandment in love.
Love The Lord With All Your Might
Mt 22:36-37 "Master, which is the great commandment in the Law?"
Jesus said to him, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind."
Mark 12:29 And Jesus answered him, "The first of all the commandments is, 'Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God is one Lord; and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.' This is the first commandment."
Luke 10:27 And answering, he said, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself."
His words echo with simplicity: "Return to your first love."
Where did you find love that first time?
Was it lying in the street?
Was it in a pool hall?
Glowing in a crystal?
On Prime Time?
Hidden in pop song?
Was it in a whore's bed?
So what is love anyway?
For me, it lies in one tumultuous, yet quiet moment when I said, "Yes", to His asking that I give Him my life. The filling of the Spirit began love, real love. I know because I spent so much time in my life nurturing hate. So much that it lingers, a bad habit that returns to haunt me like nicotine cravings. The only cure is to stay away from it, to return again and again to the one I love. To recall that love lies in Him, not me. A cure I take far more seldom than I like to admit.
But what is thing thing called love?
I carry it with me, but it lifts the weight on my shoulders. It fills me and empties my heart. It owns me, but never pulls a leash. It says hello to strangers when every fiber of my common sense cries, "RUN!" It touches hands that have let go of loved ones. It raises hope on salted soil. It walks on water. It strolls into tombs and marches the dead out into life. It asks me for a glass of water as a tramp on the road, then gives me an eternal river. It restores my soul.
John said: "God is love."
And the centrality of God becomes the first commandment in love.
Sunday, February 14, 2010
Break 4
And waiting.
We got waylaid when the kids reached the teen years.
Lost some time to illness.
Suffered in a car crash.
Lot a parent. Then the other.
Chased a dream job that vanished like vapor.
Had a disagreement with a pastor so went moved to another church.
Thorns. There were thorns. We were supposed to be that good ground and the thorns weren't supposed to grown and strangle out...
"YOU ARE MY CHILD!"
Strangle...
"Come back to me and I will give you rest."
Muffle...
"Remember your first love?"
Yes!
"Then remember your first love and return to it. Let me do the work again. Let the love flow."
Fill me with your Spirit. Lead me...
"Welcome home. You were very far away. Just stuck in that pig sty. Get cleaned up, feet and everything. Supper's on." Pause. "Oh, by the way, I love you. Always have. Always will."
Thanks, Dad. Love you, too.
We got waylaid when the kids reached the teen years.
Lost some time to illness.
Suffered in a car crash.
Lot a parent. Then the other.
Chased a dream job that vanished like vapor.
Had a disagreement with a pastor so went moved to another church.
Thorns. There were thorns. We were supposed to be that good ground and the thorns weren't supposed to grown and strangle out...
"YOU ARE MY CHILD!"
Strangle...
"Come back to me and I will give you rest."
Muffle...
"Remember your first love?"
Yes!
"Then remember your first love and return to it. Let me do the work again. Let the love flow."
Fill me with your Spirit. Lead me...
"Welcome home. You were very far away. Just stuck in that pig sty. Get cleaned up, feet and everything. Supper's on." Pause. "Oh, by the way, I love you. Always have. Always will."
Thanks, Dad. Love you, too.
Saturday, February 13, 2010
III. Deny The World: "...Take up his cross daily..." (10)
Keep Watch For His Return
Mt 24:36 "But of that day and hour no one knows, no, not the angels of Heaven, but only My Father."
Mt 24:42-51 "Therefore watch; for you do not know what hour your Lord comes.
"But know this, that if the steward of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched and would not have allowed his house to be dug through. Therefore you also be ready, for in that hour you think not, the Son of man comes."
"Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his Lord has made ruler over his household, to give them food in due season? Blessed is that servant whom his lord shall find him doing so when he comes. Truly I say to you that he shall make him ruler over all his goods.
"But if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord delays his coming, and shall begin to strike his fellow servants, and to eat and drink with the drunken, the lord of that servant shall come in a day when he does not look for him, and in an hour which he does not know. And he shall cut him apart and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites. There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth."
Mt 25:1 "Then shall the kingdom of Heaven be likened to ten virgins, who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. And five of them were wise, and five were foolish. The foolish ones took their lamps, but took no oil with them. But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps."
"While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept. And at midnight there was a cry made, 'Behold, the bridegroom comes! Go out to meet him.'
"Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said to the wise, 'Give us some of your oil, for our lamps have gone out.'
But the wise answered, saying, 'No, lest there be not enough for us and you. But rather go to those who sell, and buy for yourselves.'
"And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came. And they who were ready went in with him to the marriage, and the door was shut.
"Afterwards the other virgins came also, saying, 'Lord, Lord, open to us.'
"But he answered and said, 'Truly I say to you, I do not know you.'"
Mark 13:33 "Take heed, watch and pray, for you do not know when the time is. As a man going away, leaving his house, and giving authority to his servants, and each man's work to him, and commanded the doorkeeper to watch. Then you watch, for you do not know when the lord of the house is coming, at evening, or at midnight, or at cockcrowing, or early;
Mark 13:37 "And what I say to you, I say to all. Watch."
Rev 3:3 "Remember then how you have received and heard, and hold fast, and repent. Therefore if you will not watch, I will come upon you as a thief, and you will not know what hour I will come upon you."
Expect Persecution
Mt 5:11 "Blessed are you when men shall revile you and persecute you, and shall say all kinds of evil against you falsely, for My sake."
Mt 10:23 "But when they persecute you in this city, flee into another; for truly I say to you, In no way shall you have finished the cities of Israel until the Son of Man comes."
Mt 23:34 "Therefore, behold, I send prophets and wise men and scribes to you. And you will kill and crucify some of them. And some of them you will scourge in your synagogues and persecute from city to city;"
Luke 11:49-50 "Therefore the wisdom of God also said, I will send them prophets and apostles, and some of them they shall slay and persecute, so that the blood of all the prophets, which was shed from the foundation of the world, may be required of this generation;"
John 15:19-20 "If you were of the world, the world would love its own. But because you are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you, 'The servant is not greater than his master.' If they have persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. If they have kept My saying, they will also keep yours."
They usually forget this part at altar calls.
"Come to Christ so you can be hated by people everywhere, sometimes including inthe church."
Of course, we all know it. We hated Christians in some way before that march forward or falling on the knees. It isn't like it's a secret.
But still, it's a different perspective when it's our own hands that get the nails pounded in them.
Mt 24:36 "But of that day and hour no one knows, no, not the angels of Heaven, but only My Father."
Mt 24:42-51 "Therefore watch; for you do not know what hour your Lord comes.
"But know this, that if the steward of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched and would not have allowed his house to be dug through. Therefore you also be ready, for in that hour you think not, the Son of man comes."
"Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his Lord has made ruler over his household, to give them food in due season? Blessed is that servant whom his lord shall find him doing so when he comes. Truly I say to you that he shall make him ruler over all his goods.
"But if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord delays his coming, and shall begin to strike his fellow servants, and to eat and drink with the drunken, the lord of that servant shall come in a day when he does not look for him, and in an hour which he does not know. And he shall cut him apart and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites. There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth."
Mt 25:1 "Then shall the kingdom of Heaven be likened to ten virgins, who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. And five of them were wise, and five were foolish. The foolish ones took their lamps, but took no oil with them. But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps."
"While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept. And at midnight there was a cry made, 'Behold, the bridegroom comes! Go out to meet him.'
"Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said to the wise, 'Give us some of your oil, for our lamps have gone out.'
But the wise answered, saying, 'No, lest there be not enough for us and you. But rather go to those who sell, and buy for yourselves.'
"And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came. And they who were ready went in with him to the marriage, and the door was shut.
"Afterwards the other virgins came also, saying, 'Lord, Lord, open to us.'
"But he answered and said, 'Truly I say to you, I do not know you.'"
Mark 13:33 "Take heed, watch and pray, for you do not know when the time is. As a man going away, leaving his house, and giving authority to his servants, and each man's work to him, and commanded the doorkeeper to watch. Then you watch, for you do not know when the lord of the house is coming, at evening, or at midnight, or at cockcrowing, or early;
Mark 13:37 "And what I say to you, I say to all. Watch."
Rev 3:3 "Remember then how you have received and heard, and hold fast, and repent. Therefore if you will not watch, I will come upon you as a thief, and you will not know what hour I will come upon you."
Expect Persecution
Mt 5:11 "Blessed are you when men shall revile you and persecute you, and shall say all kinds of evil against you falsely, for My sake."
Mt 10:23 "But when they persecute you in this city, flee into another; for truly I say to you, In no way shall you have finished the cities of Israel until the Son of Man comes."
Mt 23:34 "Therefore, behold, I send prophets and wise men and scribes to you. And you will kill and crucify some of them. And some of them you will scourge in your synagogues and persecute from city to city;"
Luke 11:49-50 "Therefore the wisdom of God also said, I will send them prophets and apostles, and some of them they shall slay and persecute, so that the blood of all the prophets, which was shed from the foundation of the world, may be required of this generation;"
John 15:19-20 "If you were of the world, the world would love its own. But because you are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you, 'The servant is not greater than his master.' If they have persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. If they have kept My saying, they will also keep yours."
They usually forget this part at altar calls.
"Come to Christ so you can be hated by people everywhere, sometimes including inthe church."
Of course, we all know it. We hated Christians in some way before that march forward or falling on the knees. It isn't like it's a secret.
But still, it's a different perspective when it's our own hands that get the nails pounded in them.
Friday, February 12, 2010
III. Deny The World: "...Take up his cross daily..." (9)
Do Not Get Divorced
Mt 5:31-32 "It was also said, Whoever shall put away his wife, let him give her a bill of divorce. But I say to you that whoever shall put away his wife, except for the cause of fornication, causes her to commit adultery. And whoever shall marry her who is put away commits adultery."
Mt 19:3-9 And the Pharisees came to Him, tempting Him and saying to Him, "Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife for every cause?"
And He answered and said to them, "Have you not read that He who made them at the beginning 'made them male and female',and said, 'For this cause a man shall leave father and mother and shall cling to his wife, and the two of them shall be one flesh? Therefore they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate.'
They said to Him, "Why did Moses then command to give a bill of divorce and to put her away?"
He said to them, "Because of your hard-heartedness Moses allowed you to put away your wives; but from the beginning it was not so. And I say to you, Whoever shall put away his wife, except for fornication, and shall marry another, commits adultery; and whoever marries her who is put away commits adultery."
Mark 10:2-12 And tempting Him, the Pharisees came to Him and asked Him, "Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife?"
And He answered and said to them, "What did Moses command you?"
And they said, "Moses allowed a bill of divorce to be written, and to put her away."
And Jesus answered and said to them, "He wrote you this precept because of the hardness of your hearts. But from the beginning of the creation God made them male and female. For this cause a man shall leave his father and mother and shall cleave to his wife. And the two of them shall be one flesh. So then they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man put apart."
And in the house His disciples asked Him again about the same. And He said to them, "Whoever shall put away his wife and marries another commits adultery against her. And if a woman shall put away her husband and marries to another, she commits adultery."
Luke 16:18 Everyone putting away his wife and marrying another commits adultery; and everyone marrying her who is put away from her husband commits adultery.
Mt 5:31-32 "It was also said, Whoever shall put away his wife, let him give her a bill of divorce. But I say to you that whoever shall put away his wife, except for the cause of fornication, causes her to commit adultery. And whoever shall marry her who is put away commits adultery."
Mt 19:3-9 And the Pharisees came to Him, tempting Him and saying to Him, "Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife for every cause?"
And He answered and said to them, "Have you not read that He who made them at the beginning 'made them male and female',and said, 'For this cause a man shall leave father and mother and shall cling to his wife, and the two of them shall be one flesh? Therefore they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate.'
They said to Him, "Why did Moses then command to give a bill of divorce and to put her away?"
He said to them, "Because of your hard-heartedness Moses allowed you to put away your wives; but from the beginning it was not so. And I say to you, Whoever shall put away his wife, except for fornication, and shall marry another, commits adultery; and whoever marries her who is put away commits adultery."
Mark 10:2-12 And tempting Him, the Pharisees came to Him and asked Him, "Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife?"
And He answered and said to them, "What did Moses command you?"
And they said, "Moses allowed a bill of divorce to be written, and to put her away."
And Jesus answered and said to them, "He wrote you this precept because of the hardness of your hearts. But from the beginning of the creation God made them male and female. For this cause a man shall leave his father and mother and shall cleave to his wife. And the two of them shall be one flesh. So then they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man put apart."
And in the house His disciples asked Him again about the same. And He said to them, "Whoever shall put away his wife and marries another commits adultery against her. And if a woman shall put away her husband and marries to another, she commits adultery."
Luke 16:18 Everyone putting away his wife and marrying another commits adultery; and everyone marrying her who is put away from her husband commits adultery.
Thursday, February 11, 2010
III. Deny The World: "...Take up his cross daily..." (8)
Be A Good Steward of God's Gifts and Riches
Mt 25:14-30 "For it is as if a man going abroad called his own servants and gave them his goods.
"And to one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one; to each according to his ability. And he went abroad at once. And going he who had received the five talents traded with them, and made another five talents."
"And likewise he who had received two, he also gained another two.
"But he who had received the one talent went and dug in the earth and hid his lord's silver.
"After a long time the lord of those servants came and took account with them.
"And so he who had received five talents came and brought another five talents, saying, 'Lord, you delivered five talents to me. Behold, I have gained five talents above them.'
"His lord said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful over a few things; I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.'
"He also who had received two talents came and said, 'Lord, you delivered two talents to me. Behold, I have gained two other talents above them.'
"His lord said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.'
"And he who had received the one talent came and said, 'Lord, I knew that you were a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you did not scatter. And I was afraid and went and hid your talent in the earth. Lo, you have yours.'
'His lord answered and said to him, 'Evil and slothful servant! You knew that I reaped where I did not sow, and gathered where I did not scatter, then you should have put my money to the exchangers, and coming I would have received my own with interest. Therefore take the talent from him and give it to him who has ten talents.
For to everyone who has, more shall be given, and he will abound. But from him who has not, even that which he has shall be taken away from him. And throw the unprofitable servant into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.'"
We all talk about the rewards of salvation, forgetting the responsibility. Jesus reminds us again that we are to take what is given and multiply it FOR THE LORD.
Tithe
Mt 23:23 "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you pay tithes of mint and dill and cummin, and you have left undone the weightier matters of the Law, judgment, mercy, and faith. You ought to have done these and not to leave the other undone."
Luke 11:42 "But woe to you, Pharisees! For you tithe mint and rue and every herb, and pass over judgment and the love of God. You ought to have done these, and not to leave the other undone."
2 commands, 1 verse. The efficiency of our Lord often staggers me. Living the command to watch our words as well. :)
Paul clarifies for Gentiles that we are give as we are able. Legally, Israel was to give much more than a mere tithe, giving of first fruits, leaving foods to be gleaned, giving on celebration days, paying "alms" and much more. Though he never commanded it, Jesus lauded the widow who gave all of the very little she had as opposed to the ruling class of that time who actually avoided temple taxes at every turn with their "traditions."
Give To The Least Of His People
Mt 25:35-46 "'For I was hungry, and you gave me food; I was thirsty, and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger, and you took Me in; I was naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.'
"Then the righteous shall answer Him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry, and fed You? Or thirsty, and gave You drink? When did we see You a stranger, and took You in? Or naked, and clothed You? Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and came to You?'
"And the King shall answer and say to them, 'Truly I say to you, Inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brothers, you have done it to Me.'
"Then He also shall say to those on the left hand, 'Depart from Me, you cursed, into everlasting fire prepared for the Devil and his angels. For I was hungry, and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty, and you gave Me no drink; I was a stranger and you did not take Me in; I was naked, and you did not clothe Me; I was sick, and in prison, and you did not visit me.'
"Then they will also answer Him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister to You?'
"Then He shall answer them, saying, 'Truly I say to you, Inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me. And these shall go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into everlasting life.'"
Luke 3:11 He answered and said to them, "He who has two coats, let him give to him who has none. And he who has food, let him do likewise."
Luke 14:12 And He also said to him who invited Him, "When you make a dinner or a supper, do not call your friends or your brothers, or your kinsmen, or your rich neighbors; lest they also invite you again, and a recompense be made to you. But when you make a feast, call the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind, and you shall be blessed, for they cannot repay you; for you shall be repaid at the resurrection of the just."
Give and expect delayed gratification. Ouch. Don't we just cringe and hear the yowling of "pie in the sky." Yet, that's the promise. hold fast and expect later rewards, whatever they may be, in heaven. One we can lay at the feet of the King and have him call us "good and faithful." Much more than pie. I always find tears in my eyes when I read or write those words. Just to hear that, from Him. Pie pales in comparison. Even home made cherry pie, hot and ready, with ice cream or whipped cream. Even the very best we may imagine, paling before a few words from the Father.
Mt 25:14-30 "For it is as if a man going abroad called his own servants and gave them his goods.
"And to one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one; to each according to his ability. And he went abroad at once. And going he who had received the five talents traded with them, and made another five talents."
"And likewise he who had received two, he also gained another two.
"But he who had received the one talent went and dug in the earth and hid his lord's silver.
"After a long time the lord of those servants came and took account with them.
"And so he who had received five talents came and brought another five talents, saying, 'Lord, you delivered five talents to me. Behold, I have gained five talents above them.'
"His lord said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful over a few things; I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.'
"He also who had received two talents came and said, 'Lord, you delivered two talents to me. Behold, I have gained two other talents above them.'
"His lord said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.'
"And he who had received the one talent came and said, 'Lord, I knew that you were a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you did not scatter. And I was afraid and went and hid your talent in the earth. Lo, you have yours.'
'His lord answered and said to him, 'Evil and slothful servant! You knew that I reaped where I did not sow, and gathered where I did not scatter, then you should have put my money to the exchangers, and coming I would have received my own with interest. Therefore take the talent from him and give it to him who has ten talents.
For to everyone who has, more shall be given, and he will abound. But from him who has not, even that which he has shall be taken away from him. And throw the unprofitable servant into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.'"
We all talk about the rewards of salvation, forgetting the responsibility. Jesus reminds us again that we are to take what is given and multiply it FOR THE LORD.
Tithe
Mt 23:23 "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you pay tithes of mint and dill and cummin, and you have left undone the weightier matters of the Law, judgment, mercy, and faith. You ought to have done these and not to leave the other undone."
Luke 11:42 "But woe to you, Pharisees! For you tithe mint and rue and every herb, and pass over judgment and the love of God. You ought to have done these, and not to leave the other undone."
2 commands, 1 verse. The efficiency of our Lord often staggers me. Living the command to watch our words as well. :)
Paul clarifies for Gentiles that we are give as we are able. Legally, Israel was to give much more than a mere tithe, giving of first fruits, leaving foods to be gleaned, giving on celebration days, paying "alms" and much more. Though he never commanded it, Jesus lauded the widow who gave all of the very little she had as opposed to the ruling class of that time who actually avoided temple taxes at every turn with their "traditions."
Give To The Least Of His People
Mt 25:35-46 "'For I was hungry, and you gave me food; I was thirsty, and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger, and you took Me in; I was naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.'
"Then the righteous shall answer Him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry, and fed You? Or thirsty, and gave You drink? When did we see You a stranger, and took You in? Or naked, and clothed You? Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and came to You?'
"And the King shall answer and say to them, 'Truly I say to you, Inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brothers, you have done it to Me.'
"Then He also shall say to those on the left hand, 'Depart from Me, you cursed, into everlasting fire prepared for the Devil and his angels. For I was hungry, and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty, and you gave Me no drink; I was a stranger and you did not take Me in; I was naked, and you did not clothe Me; I was sick, and in prison, and you did not visit me.'
"Then they will also answer Him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister to You?'
"Then He shall answer them, saying, 'Truly I say to you, Inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me. And these shall go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into everlasting life.'"
Luke 3:11 He answered and said to them, "He who has two coats, let him give to him who has none. And he who has food, let him do likewise."
Luke 14:12 And He also said to him who invited Him, "When you make a dinner or a supper, do not call your friends or your brothers, or your kinsmen, or your rich neighbors; lest they also invite you again, and a recompense be made to you. But when you make a feast, call the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind, and you shall be blessed, for they cannot repay you; for you shall be repaid at the resurrection of the just."
Give and expect delayed gratification. Ouch. Don't we just cringe and hear the yowling of "pie in the sky." Yet, that's the promise. hold fast and expect later rewards, whatever they may be, in heaven. One we can lay at the feet of the King and have him call us "good and faithful." Much more than pie. I always find tears in my eyes when I read or write those words. Just to hear that, from Him. Pie pales in comparison. Even home made cherry pie, hot and ready, with ice cream or whipped cream. Even the very best we may imagine, paling before a few words from the Father.
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
III. Deny The World: "...Take up his cross daily..." (7)
Do Not Tempt The Lord
Mt 4:6-7 And he said to Him, "If you are the Son of God, cast yourself down. For it is written, 'He shall give His angels charge concerning You, and in their hands they shall bear You up, lest at any time You dash Your foot against a stone.'"
Jesus said to him, "It is written again, 'You shall not tempt the Lord your God.'"
Luke 4:9-12 And he brought Him to Jerusalem and sat Him on a pinnacle of the temple and said to Him, "If you are the Son of God, cast yourself down from here. For it is written, 'He shall give His angels charge over You, to keep You; and in their hands they shall bear You up, lest at any time You dash Your foot against a stone.'"
And Jesus answering said to him, "It has been said, 'You shall not tempt the Lord your God.'"
Jesus took God at His Word. Faith makes no demand for constant testing. God's promises hold and will be delivered, sometimes in ways we don't understand. Throwing yourself off a building to prove God loves you means an act of pride, foolishness and a need to prove God when faith requires no proof. Had Satan thrown Jesus from the tower, God would have saved Him. Had Jesus followed temptation, we wouldn't be having this conversation.
Keep Proper Discipline In The Church
Mt 18:15-17 But if your brother shall trespass against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he hears you, you have gained your brother.
"But if he will not hear you, take one or two more with you, so that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.
"And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it to the church. But if he neglects to hear the church, let him be to you as a heathen and a tax-collector."
Luke 17:1 And He said to the disciples, "It is impossible but that offenses will come. But woe to him through whom they come! It were better for him that a millstone were hanged around his neck and he were cast into the sea, than that he should offend one of these little ones.
"Take heed to yourselves. If your brother trespasses against you, rebuke him. And if he repents, forgive him. And if he trespasses against you seven times in a day, and seven times in a day turns again to you, saying, 'I repent,' you shall forgive him."
Beware of False Prophets
Mt 7:15-17 "Beware of false prophets who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. You shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thorns, or figs from thistles? Even so every good tree brings forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree brings forth evil fruit."
Mt 24:10-12 "And then many will be offended, and will betray one another, and will hate one another. And many false prophets will rise and deceive many. And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many will become cold."
Mt 24:23-25 "Then if any man shall say to you, 'Lo, here is Christ!' Or, 'There!' Do not believe it. For false Christs and false prophets will arise and show great signs and wonders; so much so that, if it were possible, they would deceive even the elect.
"Behold, I have told you beforehand."
Mark 13:22 "For false Christs and false prophets will arise and will give signs and wonders in order to seduce, if possible, even the elect."
Overlap of commandments yet again. If we keep the admonition for Church discipline, disregard signs and wonders as a proof of a prophet and look instead to his teaching and if it holds love up instead of quenching it, if we see the fruit of people accepting Christ and following Him instead of the teacher, then we follow His command. It requires that we know the Scriptures ourselves and that we read them with unvarnished attention to the Spirit. Modernizing the words: "You have to do the work, People!!!" :)
I hope you follow these instructions concerning anything you read here. Test it against the Scriptures. By it's very nature, this enterprise "shorts" the text, can be accused of "out of context" at any juncture, so always read "around" the quoted verses in the Bible. Ask any teacher you respect and have tested. Check EVERY teacher or source you find on the internet or on TV, on any medium. Test the word of everyone you hear quoting Scripture or you can find yourself up on that tower, foot hanging over the edge, ready to step off cause someone told you that's what it said.
We aren't Christ and we can be deceived. Satan quoted the Lord to Eve and things went very wrong, so we know the trick and, unlike her, we can look up the answers, not just that the quote is in the Bible, but the lines of thought around it, that led to it. Focus on the Lord clears up a lot of the mistakes we can make.
And, when we find the false teacher, we have the order of things to do about it.
Mt 4:6-7 And he said to Him, "If you are the Son of God, cast yourself down. For it is written, 'He shall give His angels charge concerning You, and in their hands they shall bear You up, lest at any time You dash Your foot against a stone.'"
Jesus said to him, "It is written again, 'You shall not tempt the Lord your God.'"
Luke 4:9-12 And he brought Him to Jerusalem and sat Him on a pinnacle of the temple and said to Him, "If you are the Son of God, cast yourself down from here. For it is written, 'He shall give His angels charge over You, to keep You; and in their hands they shall bear You up, lest at any time You dash Your foot against a stone.'"
And Jesus answering said to him, "It has been said, 'You shall not tempt the Lord your God.'"
Jesus took God at His Word. Faith makes no demand for constant testing. God's promises hold and will be delivered, sometimes in ways we don't understand. Throwing yourself off a building to prove God loves you means an act of pride, foolishness and a need to prove God when faith requires no proof. Had Satan thrown Jesus from the tower, God would have saved Him. Had Jesus followed temptation, we wouldn't be having this conversation.
Keep Proper Discipline In The Church
Mt 18:15-17 But if your brother shall trespass against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he hears you, you have gained your brother.
"But if he will not hear you, take one or two more with you, so that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.
"And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it to the church. But if he neglects to hear the church, let him be to you as a heathen and a tax-collector."
Luke 17:1 And He said to the disciples, "It is impossible but that offenses will come. But woe to him through whom they come! It were better for him that a millstone were hanged around his neck and he were cast into the sea, than that he should offend one of these little ones.
"Take heed to yourselves. If your brother trespasses against you, rebuke him. And if he repents, forgive him. And if he trespasses against you seven times in a day, and seven times in a day turns again to you, saying, 'I repent,' you shall forgive him."
Beware of False Prophets
Mt 7:15-17 "Beware of false prophets who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. You shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thorns, or figs from thistles? Even so every good tree brings forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree brings forth evil fruit."
Mt 24:10-12 "And then many will be offended, and will betray one another, and will hate one another. And many false prophets will rise and deceive many. And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many will become cold."
Mt 24:23-25 "Then if any man shall say to you, 'Lo, here is Christ!' Or, 'There!' Do not believe it. For false Christs and false prophets will arise and show great signs and wonders; so much so that, if it were possible, they would deceive even the elect.
"Behold, I have told you beforehand."
Mark 13:22 "For false Christs and false prophets will arise and will give signs and wonders in order to seduce, if possible, even the elect."
Overlap of commandments yet again. If we keep the admonition for Church discipline, disregard signs and wonders as a proof of a prophet and look instead to his teaching and if it holds love up instead of quenching it, if we see the fruit of people accepting Christ and following Him instead of the teacher, then we follow His command. It requires that we know the Scriptures ourselves and that we read them with unvarnished attention to the Spirit. Modernizing the words: "You have to do the work, People!!!" :)
I hope you follow these instructions concerning anything you read here. Test it against the Scriptures. By it's very nature, this enterprise "shorts" the text, can be accused of "out of context" at any juncture, so always read "around" the quoted verses in the Bible. Ask any teacher you respect and have tested. Check EVERY teacher or source you find on the internet or on TV, on any medium. Test the word of everyone you hear quoting Scripture or you can find yourself up on that tower, foot hanging over the edge, ready to step off cause someone told you that's what it said.
We aren't Christ and we can be deceived. Satan quoted the Lord to Eve and things went very wrong, so we know the trick and, unlike her, we can look up the answers, not just that the quote is in the Bible, but the lines of thought around it, that led to it. Focus on the Lord clears up a lot of the mistakes we can make.
And, when we find the false teacher, we have the order of things to do about it.
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
III. Deny The World: "...Take up his cross daily..." (6)
Practice Justice and Mercy
Mt 23:23 "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you pay tithes of mint and dill and cummin, and you have left undone the weightier matters of the Law, judgment, mercy, and faith. You ought to have done these and not to leave the other undone."
Acknowledge Christ Before Men
Mt 10:32-33 "Then everyone who shall confess Me before men, I will confess him before My Father who is in Heaven. But whoever shall deny Me before men, I will also deny him before My Father in Heaven."
Luke 9:26 "For whoever shall be ashamed of Me and of My words, the Son of man shall be ashamed of him when He shall come in His own and in His Father's glory, and that of the holy angels."
Lu 12:8-12 "Also I say to you, Whoever shall confess Me before men, the Son of man also shall confess him before the angels of God. But he who denies Me before men shall be denied before the angels of God."
"And whoever shall speak a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him. But to him who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit, it shall not be forgiven.
"And when they bring you into the synagogues, and to rulers and authorities, take no thought as to how or what thing you shall answer, or what you shall say. For the Holy Spirit shall teach you in the same hour what you ought to say."
The last passage affirms the need of the Holy Spirit and its importance in witnessing. The internal always links to the exterior. The fruit shows.
Let Your Yes Be Yes and Your No Be No.
Mt 5:33 "Again, you have heard that it has been said to the ancients, 'You shall not swear falsely, but you shall perform your oaths to the Lord.'
"But I say to you, Do not swear at all! Not by Heaven, because it is God's throne; not by the earth, for it is the footstool of His feet; not by Jerusalem, because it is the city of the great King; nor shall you swear by your head, because you cannot make one hair white or black."
"But let your word be, Yes, yes; No, no. For whatever is more than these comes from evil."
Mt 23:23 "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you pay tithes of mint and dill and cummin, and you have left undone the weightier matters of the Law, judgment, mercy, and faith. You ought to have done these and not to leave the other undone."
Acknowledge Christ Before Men
Mt 10:32-33 "Then everyone who shall confess Me before men, I will confess him before My Father who is in Heaven. But whoever shall deny Me before men, I will also deny him before My Father in Heaven."
Luke 9:26 "For whoever shall be ashamed of Me and of My words, the Son of man shall be ashamed of him when He shall come in His own and in His Father's glory, and that of the holy angels."
Lu 12:8-12 "Also I say to you, Whoever shall confess Me before men, the Son of man also shall confess him before the angels of God. But he who denies Me before men shall be denied before the angels of God."
"And whoever shall speak a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him. But to him who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit, it shall not be forgiven.
"And when they bring you into the synagogues, and to rulers and authorities, take no thought as to how or what thing you shall answer, or what you shall say. For the Holy Spirit shall teach you in the same hour what you ought to say."
The last passage affirms the need of the Holy Spirit and its importance in witnessing. The internal always links to the exterior. The fruit shows.
Let Your Yes Be Yes and Your No Be No.
Mt 5:33 "Again, you have heard that it has been said to the ancients, 'You shall not swear falsely, but you shall perform your oaths to the Lord.'
"But I say to you, Do not swear at all! Not by Heaven, because it is God's throne; not by the earth, for it is the footstool of His feet; not by Jerusalem, because it is the city of the great King; nor shall you swear by your head, because you cannot make one hair white or black."
"But let your word be, Yes, yes; No, no. For whatever is more than these comes from evil."
Monday, February 8, 2010
III. Deny The World: "...Take up his cross daily..." (5)
Be Baptized
Mt 28:19-20 "Therefore go and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things, whatever I commanded you. And, behold, I am with you all the days until the end of the world."
Mark 16:16 "He who believes and is baptized will be saved, but he who does not believe will be condemned."
John 3:1-8 And there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews.
He came to Jesus by night and said to Him, "Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God; for no man can do these miracles which you do unless God is with him."
Jesus answered and said to him, "Truly, truly, I say to you, Unless a man is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God."
Nicodemus said to Him, "How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter the second time into his mother's womb and be born?"
Jesus answered, "Truly, truly, I say to you, Unless a man is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, 'You must be born again.' The Spirit breathes where He desires, and you hear His voice, but you do not know from where He comes, and where He goes; so is everyone who is born of the Spirit."
If you want to start a fight, you can start all manner of fights over this simple procedure. How is it done? Who officiates? What words are proper to use, that is, in whose name do you perform it? I know my personal preference, but I know also that the truth is best expressed in the Mark 16 passage. We are commanded to do it, but belief, not the rite's process, lies at the core of it. All the discussions of full immersion vs. sprinkling, being sure you say the right names in the right order, having it redone if you join a new congregation, these all smack of the Pharisees "doing things for the eyes of men." We should obey and watch our hearts.
Keep Communion
Mt 26:26-28 And as they were eating, Jesus took bread and blessed it, and broke it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, "Take, eat, this is My body."
And He took the cup and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, "Drink all of it.
For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins."
Mark 14:22-25 And as they ate, Jesus took a loaf and blessed and broke it, and He gave to them and said, "Take, eat; this is My body."
And taking the cup, giving thanks, He gave to them. And they all drank out of it.
And He said to them, "This is My blood of the New Covenant, which is poured out for many. Truly I say to you, I will no more drink of the fruit of the vine until that day that I drink it new in the kingdom of God."
Luke 22:14-20 And when the hour came, He and the twelve apostles with Him reclined. And He said to them, "With desire I have desired to eat this passover with you before I suffer. For I say to you, I will not any more eat of it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God."
And He took the cup and gave thanks and said, "Take this and divide it among yourselves. For I say to you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God shall come."
And He took bread and gave thanks, and He broke it and gave it to them, saying, "This is My body which is given for you, this do in remembrance of Me."
In the same way also the cup, after having dined, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is being poured out for you."
John 6:30-59 Therefore they said to Him, "What sign do you show then, so that we may see and believe you? What do you work? Our fathers ate the manna in the desert, as it is written, 'He gave them bread from Heaven to eat.'"
Then Jesus said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, Moses did not give you that bread from Heaven, but My Father gives you the true bread from Heaven. For the bread of God is He who comes down from Heaven and gives life to the world.
Then they said to him, "Lord, evermore give us this bread."
And Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes on Me shall never thirst. But I said to you that you also have seen Me and do not believe. All that the Father gives Me shall come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will in no way cast out. For I came down from Heaven, not to do My own will but the will of Him who sent Me.
"And this is the will of the Father who sent Me, that of all which He has given Me I should lose nothing but should raise it up again at the last day.
"And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes on Him should have everlasting life. And I will raise him up at the last day."
Then the Jews murmured about Him, because He said, "I am the bread which came down from Heaven." And they said, "Is this not Jesus the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How now does this One say, I have come down from Heaven?"
43 Jesus therefore answered and said to them, "Do not murmur with one another. No one can come to Me unless the Father who has sent Me draw him, and I will raise him up at the last day. It is written in the prophets, 'And they shall all be taught of God.' Therefore everyone who hears and learns from the Father comes to Me. Not that anyone has seen the Father, except He who is from God, He has seen the Father.
"Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes on Me has everlasting life. I am the Bread of life. Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and died.This is the Bread which comes down from Heaven, so that a man may eat of it and not die.
"I am the Living Bread which came down from Heaven. If anyone eats of this Bread, he shall live forever. And truly the bread that I will give is My flesh, which I will give for the life of the world."
Then the Jews argued with one another, saying, "How can this man give us his flesh to eat?"
Then Jesus said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink His blood, you do not have life in yourselves. Whoever partakes of My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. For My flesh is food indeed, and My blood is drink indeed. He who partakes of My flesh and drinks My blood dwells in Me, and I in him. As the living Father has sent Me, and I live through the Father, so he who partakes of Me, even he shall live by Me. This is the Bread which came down from Heaven, not as your fathers ate the manna, and died; he who partakes of this Bread shall live forever."
59 He said these things in the synagogue as He taught in Capernaum.
And if you want to start another fight...
Jesus makes it clear that we are to share a blessed mealmeatn to , at least, symbolize his sacrifice. Depending on your church, that can be taken to vatrious limits or extremes. The john 16 passage expands on the teaching, meaning he suggested we eat of his flesh long before that last meal so the symbolism was less shocking to the disciples than it appears when read in the earlier Gospels. We can borrow from the Nike ads and say, "Just do it." something my parents were often fond of saying when they had no explanation for why we did something. But Jesus dwelt on the act, meaning it should draw our attention and devotion.
However we may do the act, with wine or juice, with a belief in actual flesh or symbol, it stands as an essential rite, as essential as Baptism. This one, more visibly than baptism, stresses our unions, one with the other and with God. It is a public acknowledgment not just of our commitment, as Baptism, but also to our ongoing commitment. This maybe repeated as often as wished and have the same meaning, sometimes even with added meaning as we mature and learn more of forgiveness and its meaning to us. Baptism symbolizes our singular rebirth and this symbolizes our continued growth.
Mt 28:19-20 "Therefore go and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things, whatever I commanded you. And, behold, I am with you all the days until the end of the world."
Mark 16:16 "He who believes and is baptized will be saved, but he who does not believe will be condemned."
John 3:1-8 And there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews.
He came to Jesus by night and said to Him, "Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God; for no man can do these miracles which you do unless God is with him."
Jesus answered and said to him, "Truly, truly, I say to you, Unless a man is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God."
Nicodemus said to Him, "How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter the second time into his mother's womb and be born?"
Jesus answered, "Truly, truly, I say to you, Unless a man is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, 'You must be born again.' The Spirit breathes where He desires, and you hear His voice, but you do not know from where He comes, and where He goes; so is everyone who is born of the Spirit."
If you want to start a fight, you can start all manner of fights over this simple procedure. How is it done? Who officiates? What words are proper to use, that is, in whose name do you perform it? I know my personal preference, but I know also that the truth is best expressed in the Mark 16 passage. We are commanded to do it, but belief, not the rite's process, lies at the core of it. All the discussions of full immersion vs. sprinkling, being sure you say the right names in the right order, having it redone if you join a new congregation, these all smack of the Pharisees "doing things for the eyes of men." We should obey and watch our hearts.
Keep Communion
Mt 26:26-28 And as they were eating, Jesus took bread and blessed it, and broke it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, "Take, eat, this is My body."
And He took the cup and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, "Drink all of it.
For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins."
Mark 14:22-25 And as they ate, Jesus took a loaf and blessed and broke it, and He gave to them and said, "Take, eat; this is My body."
And taking the cup, giving thanks, He gave to them. And they all drank out of it.
And He said to them, "This is My blood of the New Covenant, which is poured out for many. Truly I say to you, I will no more drink of the fruit of the vine until that day that I drink it new in the kingdom of God."
Luke 22:14-20 And when the hour came, He and the twelve apostles with Him reclined. And He said to them, "With desire I have desired to eat this passover with you before I suffer. For I say to you, I will not any more eat of it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God."
And He took the cup and gave thanks and said, "Take this and divide it among yourselves. For I say to you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God shall come."
And He took bread and gave thanks, and He broke it and gave it to them, saying, "This is My body which is given for you, this do in remembrance of Me."
In the same way also the cup, after having dined, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is being poured out for you."
John 6:30-59 Therefore they said to Him, "What sign do you show then, so that we may see and believe you? What do you work? Our fathers ate the manna in the desert, as it is written, 'He gave them bread from Heaven to eat.'"
Then Jesus said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, Moses did not give you that bread from Heaven, but My Father gives you the true bread from Heaven. For the bread of God is He who comes down from Heaven and gives life to the world.
Then they said to him, "Lord, evermore give us this bread."
And Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes on Me shall never thirst. But I said to you that you also have seen Me and do not believe. All that the Father gives Me shall come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will in no way cast out. For I came down from Heaven, not to do My own will but the will of Him who sent Me.
"And this is the will of the Father who sent Me, that of all which He has given Me I should lose nothing but should raise it up again at the last day.
"And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes on Him should have everlasting life. And I will raise him up at the last day."
Then the Jews murmured about Him, because He said, "I am the bread which came down from Heaven." And they said, "Is this not Jesus the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How now does this One say, I have come down from Heaven?"
43 Jesus therefore answered and said to them, "Do not murmur with one another. No one can come to Me unless the Father who has sent Me draw him, and I will raise him up at the last day. It is written in the prophets, 'And they shall all be taught of God.' Therefore everyone who hears and learns from the Father comes to Me. Not that anyone has seen the Father, except He who is from God, He has seen the Father.
"Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes on Me has everlasting life. I am the Bread of life. Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and died.This is the Bread which comes down from Heaven, so that a man may eat of it and not die.
"I am the Living Bread which came down from Heaven. If anyone eats of this Bread, he shall live forever. And truly the bread that I will give is My flesh, which I will give for the life of the world."
Then the Jews argued with one another, saying, "How can this man give us his flesh to eat?"
Then Jesus said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink His blood, you do not have life in yourselves. Whoever partakes of My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. For My flesh is food indeed, and My blood is drink indeed. He who partakes of My flesh and drinks My blood dwells in Me, and I in him. As the living Father has sent Me, and I live through the Father, so he who partakes of Me, even he shall live by Me. This is the Bread which came down from Heaven, not as your fathers ate the manna, and died; he who partakes of this Bread shall live forever."
59 He said these things in the synagogue as He taught in Capernaum.
And if you want to start another fight...
Jesus makes it clear that we are to share a blessed mealmeatn to , at least, symbolize his sacrifice. Depending on your church, that can be taken to vatrious limits or extremes. The john 16 passage expands on the teaching, meaning he suggested we eat of his flesh long before that last meal so the symbolism was less shocking to the disciples than it appears when read in the earlier Gospels. We can borrow from the Nike ads and say, "Just do it." something my parents were often fond of saying when they had no explanation for why we did something. But Jesus dwelt on the act, meaning it should draw our attention and devotion.
However we may do the act, with wine or juice, with a belief in actual flesh or symbol, it stands as an essential rite, as essential as Baptism. This one, more visibly than baptism, stresses our unions, one with the other and with God. It is a public acknowledgment not just of our commitment, as Baptism, but also to our ongoing commitment. This maybe repeated as often as wished and have the same meaning, sometimes even with added meaning as we mature and learn more of forgiveness and its meaning to us. Baptism symbolizes our singular rebirth and this symbolizes our continued growth.
Friday, February 5, 2010
III. Deny The World: "...Take up his cross daily..." (4)
Keep The Non-ritual Commandments
Mt 5:19 "Therefore whoever shall break one of these commandments, the least, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of Heaven. But whoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of Heaven."
Mt 19:17 And He said to him, "Why do you call Me good? There is none good but one, that is, God. But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments."
Mark 10:19 "You know the commandments: Do not commit adultery, do not kill, do not steal, do not bear false witness, do not defraud, honor your father and your mother."
Luke 18:20 "You know the commandments: Do not commit adultery, do not kill, do not steal, do not bear false witness, honor your father and your mother."
John 14:15 "If you love Me, keep My commandments."
John 14:21 "He who has My commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves Me. And he who loves Me shall be loved by My Father, and I will love him and will reveal Myself to him."
John 15:10 "If you keep My commandments, you shall abide in My love, even as I have kept My Father's commandments and abide in His love."
These last few commands aren't for this section ,but i wish you to follow the thought patter. Jesus, speaking prior to his passing, tells the rich man to follow the commands, but adds, as we have seen, that he must give up the riches that following them has endued his family. He PERSONALIZED those commands, never going into the social details of the Law. Facing his execution, he adds that the disciples should keep the Ten Commandments by following HIS commands.
The Law had to remain outside of Jesus so there is a standard to be met if you don't accept Christ, one common before his coming.
Mt 5:19 "Therefore whoever shall break one of these commandments, the least, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of Heaven. But whoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of Heaven."
Mt 19:17 And He said to him, "Why do you call Me good? There is none good but one, that is, God. But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments."
Mark 10:19 "You know the commandments: Do not commit adultery, do not kill, do not steal, do not bear false witness, do not defraud, honor your father and your mother."
Luke 18:20 "You know the commandments: Do not commit adultery, do not kill, do not steal, do not bear false witness, honor your father and your mother."
John 14:15 "If you love Me, keep My commandments."
John 14:21 "He who has My commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves Me. And he who loves Me shall be loved by My Father, and I will love him and will reveal Myself to him."
John 15:10 "If you keep My commandments, you shall abide in My love, even as I have kept My Father's commandments and abide in His love."
These last few commands aren't for this section ,but i wish you to follow the thought patter. Jesus, speaking prior to his passing, tells the rich man to follow the commands, but adds, as we have seen, that he must give up the riches that following them has endued his family. He PERSONALIZED those commands, never going into the social details of the Law. Facing his execution, he adds that the disciples should keep the Ten Commandments by following HIS commands.
The Law had to remain outside of Jesus so there is a standard to be met if you don't accept Christ, one common before his coming.
Thursday, February 4, 2010
III. Deny The World: "...Take up his cross daily..." (3)
Seek The Kingdom of God Over Earthly Things
Mt 6:32-33 "For the nations seek after all these things. For your heavenly Father knows that you have need of all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added to you."
Mark 10:20-24 And he answered and said to Him, "Teacher, all these I have observed from my youth."
Then Jesus, beholding him, loved him and said to him, "One thing you lack. Go, sell whatever you have and give it to the poor, and you shall have treasure in Heaven. And come, take up the cross and follow Me."
And he was sad at that saying and went away grieved, for he had great possessions.
And Jesus looked around and said to His disciples, "How hardly those having riches will enter into the kingdom of God!" And the disciples were astonished at His words. But Jesus answering again said to them, "Children, how hard it is for those who trust in riches to enter into the kingdom of God!"
Luke 18:22-25 And when Jesus heard these things, He said to him, "Yet you lack one thing. Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you shall have treasure in Heaven. And come, follow Me."
And when he heard this, he was very sorrowful, for he was very rich.
And when Jesus saw that he was very sorrowful, He said, "How hardly those having riches shall enter into the kingdom of God! For it is easier for a camel to go through a needle's eye than for a rich one to enter into the kingdom of God."
Produce Fruit
Mt 3:10 "And now also, the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Therefore every tree which does not bring forth good fruit is cut down and cast into the fire."
Mt 7:17-19 "Even so every good tree brings forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree brings forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruits, nor can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that does not bring forth good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire."
Mt 12:33 "Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or else make the tree corrupt and its fruit corrupt; for the tree is known by its fruit."
Mt 13:18-23 Therefore hear the parable of the sower.
"When anyone hears the Word of the kingdom and does not understand it, then the wicked one comes and catches away that which was sown in his heart. This is the seed sown by the wayside.
"But that which was sown on the stony places is this: he who hears the Word and immediately receives it with joy.
"But he has no root in himself, and is temporary. For when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, he immediately stumbles.
"And that sown into the thorns is this: he who hears the word; and the anxiety of this world, and the deceit of riches, choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful.
"But that sown on the good ground is this: "he who hears the Word and understands; who also bears fruit and produces" one truly a hundredfold; and one sixty; and one thirty."
Mark 4:5 "And another fell on stony ground, where it did not have much earth. And it sprang up at once, due to not having deepness of earth. And when the sun rose, it was scorched. And because it had no root, it withered away. And another fell among the thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no fruit."
"And another fell on good ground and yielded fruit, going up and increasing. And one bore thirty, and one sixty, and one a hundredfold."
Luke 3:9 "And now also the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Therefore every tree which does not bring forth good fruit is cut down and cast into the fire."
Luke 6:43-44 "For a good tree does not bring forth corrupt fruit, neither does a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. For every tree is known by its own fruit. For men do not gather figs from thorns, nor do they gather grapes from a bramble bush."
Luke 8:8 "And others fell on good ground and sprang up, and bore fruit a hundredfold."
And when He had said these things, He cried, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear."
Luke 8:15 "But those on the good ground are the ones who, in an honest and good heart, having heard the Word, keep it and bring forth fruit with patience."
Luke 13:6-9 He also spoke this parable: "A certain man had a fig-tree planted in his vineyard. And he came and sought fruit on it, and found none. And he said to the dresser of his vineyard, 'Behold, these three years I come seeking fruit on this fig-tree, and find none. Cut it down, why does it encumber the ground?'"
"And answering, he said to him, 'Lord, let it alone this year also, until I dig around it and throw manure. And if it bears fruit, well; and if not, then after that you shall cut it down.'"
John 4:36 "And he who reaps receives wages and gathers fruit to life eternal, so that both he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together."
John 12:24 "Truly, truly, I say to you, Unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it abides alone; but if it dies, it brings forth much fruit."
John 15:1-8 "I am the True Vine, and My Father is the Vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away. And every one that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bring forth more fruit.
"Now you are clean through the Word which I have spoken to you. Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it remains in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me.
"I am the Vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, the same brings forth much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered. And they gather and cast them into the fire, and they are burned. If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you shall ask what you will, and it shall be done to you.
"In this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit, so you shall be My disciples."
John 15:16 "You have not chosen Me, but I have chosen you and ordained you that you should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain; that whatever you shall ask of the Father in My name, He may give it to you."
Here especially, I point out that the Bible witnesses repeat what Jesus did. I suspect the things most important to Him or to the witness are stressed. Seeing them more than once affirms their reality.
Mt 6:32-33 "For the nations seek after all these things. For your heavenly Father knows that you have need of all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added to you."
Mark 10:20-24 And he answered and said to Him, "Teacher, all these I have observed from my youth."
Then Jesus, beholding him, loved him and said to him, "One thing you lack. Go, sell whatever you have and give it to the poor, and you shall have treasure in Heaven. And come, take up the cross and follow Me."
And he was sad at that saying and went away grieved, for he had great possessions.
And Jesus looked around and said to His disciples, "How hardly those having riches will enter into the kingdom of God!" And the disciples were astonished at His words. But Jesus answering again said to them, "Children, how hard it is for those who trust in riches to enter into the kingdom of God!"
Luke 18:22-25 And when Jesus heard these things, He said to him, "Yet you lack one thing. Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you shall have treasure in Heaven. And come, follow Me."
And when he heard this, he was very sorrowful, for he was very rich.
And when Jesus saw that he was very sorrowful, He said, "How hardly those having riches shall enter into the kingdom of God! For it is easier for a camel to go through a needle's eye than for a rich one to enter into the kingdom of God."
Produce Fruit
Mt 3:10 "And now also, the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Therefore every tree which does not bring forth good fruit is cut down and cast into the fire."
Mt 7:17-19 "Even so every good tree brings forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree brings forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruits, nor can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that does not bring forth good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire."
Mt 12:33 "Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or else make the tree corrupt and its fruit corrupt; for the tree is known by its fruit."
Mt 13:18-23 Therefore hear the parable of the sower.
"When anyone hears the Word of the kingdom and does not understand it, then the wicked one comes and catches away that which was sown in his heart. This is the seed sown by the wayside.
"But that which was sown on the stony places is this: he who hears the Word and immediately receives it with joy.
"But he has no root in himself, and is temporary. For when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, he immediately stumbles.
"And that sown into the thorns is this: he who hears the word; and the anxiety of this world, and the deceit of riches, choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful.
"But that sown on the good ground is this: "he who hears the Word and understands; who also bears fruit and produces" one truly a hundredfold; and one sixty; and one thirty."
Mark 4:5 "And another fell on stony ground, where it did not have much earth. And it sprang up at once, due to not having deepness of earth. And when the sun rose, it was scorched. And because it had no root, it withered away. And another fell among the thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no fruit."
"And another fell on good ground and yielded fruit, going up and increasing. And one bore thirty, and one sixty, and one a hundredfold."
Luke 3:9 "And now also the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Therefore every tree which does not bring forth good fruit is cut down and cast into the fire."
Luke 6:43-44 "For a good tree does not bring forth corrupt fruit, neither does a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. For every tree is known by its own fruit. For men do not gather figs from thorns, nor do they gather grapes from a bramble bush."
Luke 8:8 "And others fell on good ground and sprang up, and bore fruit a hundredfold."
And when He had said these things, He cried, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear."
Luke 8:15 "But those on the good ground are the ones who, in an honest and good heart, having heard the Word, keep it and bring forth fruit with patience."
Luke 13:6-9 He also spoke this parable: "A certain man had a fig-tree planted in his vineyard. And he came and sought fruit on it, and found none. And he said to the dresser of his vineyard, 'Behold, these three years I come seeking fruit on this fig-tree, and find none. Cut it down, why does it encumber the ground?'"
"And answering, he said to him, 'Lord, let it alone this year also, until I dig around it and throw manure. And if it bears fruit, well; and if not, then after that you shall cut it down.'"
John 4:36 "And he who reaps receives wages and gathers fruit to life eternal, so that both he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together."
John 12:24 "Truly, truly, I say to you, Unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it abides alone; but if it dies, it brings forth much fruit."
John 15:1-8 "I am the True Vine, and My Father is the Vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away. And every one that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bring forth more fruit.
"Now you are clean through the Word which I have spoken to you. Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it remains in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me.
"I am the Vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, the same brings forth much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered. And they gather and cast them into the fire, and they are burned. If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you shall ask what you will, and it shall be done to you.
"In this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit, so you shall be My disciples."
John 15:16 "You have not chosen Me, but I have chosen you and ordained you that you should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain; that whatever you shall ask of the Father in My name, He may give it to you."
Here especially, I point out that the Bible witnesses repeat what Jesus did. I suspect the things most important to Him or to the witness are stressed. Seeing them more than once affirms their reality.
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
III. Deny The World: "...Take up his cross daily..." (2)
Ask
Mt 6:8 "Therefore do not be like them, for your Father knows what things you have need of, before you ask Him."
Mt 7:7 "Ask and it shall be given to you; seek and you shall find; knock and it shall be opened to you."
Mt 7:11 "If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more shall your Father in Heaven give good things to those who ask Him?"
Mt 18:19 "Again I say to you that if two of you shall agree on earth as regarding anything that they shall ask, it shall be done for them by My Father in Heaven."
Mt 21:22 "And all things, whatever you shall ask in prayer, believing, you shall receive."
Mark 11:24 "Therefore I say to you, All things, whatever you ask, praying, believe that you shall receive them, and it will be to you."
Luke 11:9 "And I say to you, Ask and it shall be given you. Seek and you shall find. Knock and it shall be opened to you."
Luke 11:12-13 "Or if he shall ask for an egg, will he give him a scorpion? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him?"
John 11:22 "But I know that even now, whatever You will ask of God, God will give You."
John 14:13 "And whatever you may ask in My name, that I will do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything in My name, I will do it."
John 15:7 "If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you shall ask what you will, and it shall be done to you."
John 16:19 Then Jesus knew that they desired to ask Him, and said to them, "Do you seek answers with one another concerning this, because I said, A little while and you shall not see Me; and again a little while, and you shall see Me?"
Which sets the stage for these follow-up verses:
John 16:23-24 "And in that day you shall ask Me nothing. Truly, truly, I say to you, Whatever you shall ask the Father in My name, He will give you. Before now you have asked nothing in My name; ask and you shall receive, that your joy may be full."
Prior to His death, He emphasized the prayer to God for answers. Then, facing his death, He directs the request to the Father be in His (Jesus') name. This indicates that we ask under His protection and under His authority. He stresses we must abide in Him, be in His "friends circle" so the requests will correspond with what the Lord wishes to give us to accomplish His will.
Asking, in itself, also deepens the relationship. We have to talk to Him to ask. It diminishes our pride by the fact that we MUST ask, even though He knows our wants and needs. It reminds us who rules and who serves. It underlines our need to spend time with Him, since that adds to the likelihood of our understanding what we need. Seen sometimes as a license for demand and greed, it actually reveals God's availability to us, His generosity and His desire that we should grow by service.
Mt 6:8 "Therefore do not be like them, for your Father knows what things you have need of, before you ask Him."
Mt 7:7 "Ask and it shall be given to you; seek and you shall find; knock and it shall be opened to you."
Mt 7:11 "If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more shall your Father in Heaven give good things to those who ask Him?"
Mt 18:19 "Again I say to you that if two of you shall agree on earth as regarding anything that they shall ask, it shall be done for them by My Father in Heaven."
Mt 21:22 "And all things, whatever you shall ask in prayer, believing, you shall receive."
Mark 11:24 "Therefore I say to you, All things, whatever you ask, praying, believe that you shall receive them, and it will be to you."
Luke 11:9 "And I say to you, Ask and it shall be given you. Seek and you shall find. Knock and it shall be opened to you."
Luke 11:12-13 "Or if he shall ask for an egg, will he give him a scorpion? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him?"
John 11:22 "But I know that even now, whatever You will ask of God, God will give You."
John 14:13 "And whatever you may ask in My name, that I will do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything in My name, I will do it."
John 15:7 "If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you shall ask what you will, and it shall be done to you."
John 16:19 Then Jesus knew that they desired to ask Him, and said to them, "Do you seek answers with one another concerning this, because I said, A little while and you shall not see Me; and again a little while, and you shall see Me?"
Which sets the stage for these follow-up verses:
John 16:23-24 "And in that day you shall ask Me nothing. Truly, truly, I say to you, Whatever you shall ask the Father in My name, He will give you. Before now you have asked nothing in My name; ask and you shall receive, that your joy may be full."
Prior to His death, He emphasized the prayer to God for answers. Then, facing his death, He directs the request to the Father be in His (Jesus') name. This indicates that we ask under His protection and under His authority. He stresses we must abide in Him, be in His "friends circle" so the requests will correspond with what the Lord wishes to give us to accomplish His will.
Asking, in itself, also deepens the relationship. We have to talk to Him to ask. It diminishes our pride by the fact that we MUST ask, even though He knows our wants and needs. It reminds us who rules and who serves. It underlines our need to spend time with Him, since that adds to the likelihood of our understanding what we need. Seen sometimes as a license for demand and greed, it actually reveals God's availability to us, His generosity and His desire that we should grow by service.
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
III. Deny The World: "...Take up his cross daily..."
Have Faith
Mt 17:20 And Jesus said to them, "Because of your unbelief. For truly I say to you, If you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you shall say to this mountain, Move from here to there. And it shall move. And nothing shall be impossible to you."
Mt 21:21 Jesus answered and said to them, "Truly I say to you, If you have faith and do not doubt, you shall not only do this miracle of the fig tree, but also; if you shall say to this mountain, Be moved and be thrown into the sea; it shall be done."
Luke 17:5 And the apostles said to the Lord, "Give us more faith."
And the Lord said, "If you had faith as a grain of mustard seed, you might say to this sycamine tree, 'Be rooted up and be planted in the sea! And it would obey you.'"
The last verses remind us of the fig tree that Jesus commanded to die then live again. He always overlapped his metaphors and actions, demonstrating what he meant as he walked with his disciples. If we pay attention, he does that in our lives.
My problem is often that I realize what he was teaching me days, weeks, even years later and lose the immediate value to be garnered.
Watch the fig and sycamine trees in your life. All the exteriors are testing our faith.
Mt 17:20 And Jesus said to them, "Because of your unbelief. For truly I say to you, If you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you shall say to this mountain, Move from here to there. And it shall move. And nothing shall be impossible to you."
Mt 21:21 Jesus answered and said to them, "Truly I say to you, If you have faith and do not doubt, you shall not only do this miracle of the fig tree, but also; if you shall say to this mountain, Be moved and be thrown into the sea; it shall be done."
Luke 17:5 And the apostles said to the Lord, "Give us more faith."
And the Lord said, "If you had faith as a grain of mustard seed, you might say to this sycamine tree, 'Be rooted up and be planted in the sea! And it would obey you.'"
The last verses remind us of the fig tree that Jesus commanded to die then live again. He always overlapped his metaphors and actions, demonstrating what he meant as he walked with his disciples. If we pay attention, he does that in our lives.
My problem is often that I realize what he was teaching me days, weeks, even years later and lose the immediate value to be garnered.
Watch the fig and sycamine trees in your life. All the exteriors are testing our faith.
Monday, February 1, 2010
Break 3
We wonder at the things that have happened. We see how our thoughts have changed, the way we view old books that once pleased us, old movies that stirred us, old fiends who made us laugh.
We see our faces in the mirror and see nothing has changed. The same hair, thin or full. The same yellowed or white teeth. The same complexion, smooth or wrinkled. Whatever existed before remains, unaltered yet to the perfect body of resurrection. We remain our mortal selves.
Then something happens.
A husband says, "Something about you is different."
A buddy says, "You never come to the bar anymore."
A guy at work says, "You don't swear like you used to."
And we understand that what's going on inside flows outside.
Funny, but when we did it on the outside, it never flowed inward.
Can we become more on the outside now, too? Is it just happening? Can we accelerate it? Faster and faster to a better us? Can we learn to just let it happen?
With his voice somewhere deep inside saying, "I'm waiting for you. You'll slip and fall. You'll skate on your ego and land on your assumptions, but you'll grow. You'll be busy becoming. You'll be busy becoming someone in small steps down here. I'll be here with you. And I'll be out there. Waiting."
We see our faces in the mirror and see nothing has changed. The same hair, thin or full. The same yellowed or white teeth. The same complexion, smooth or wrinkled. Whatever existed before remains, unaltered yet to the perfect body of resurrection. We remain our mortal selves.
Then something happens.
A husband says, "Something about you is different."
A buddy says, "You never come to the bar anymore."
A guy at work says, "You don't swear like you used to."
And we understand that what's going on inside flows outside.
Funny, but when we did it on the outside, it never flowed inward.
Can we become more on the outside now, too? Is it just happening? Can we accelerate it? Faster and faster to a better us? Can we learn to just let it happen?
With his voice somewhere deep inside saying, "I'm waiting for you. You'll slip and fall. You'll skate on your ego and land on your assumptions, but you'll grow. You'll be busy becoming. You'll be busy becoming someone in small steps down here. I'll be here with you. And I'll be out there. Waiting."
II. The Self-Denial Commandments: "...Let him deny himself..." (7)
Practice Humility
Mt 18:1-4 "At that hour the disciples came to Jesus, saying, "Who is the greater in the kingdom of Heaven?"
And Jesus called a little child to Him and set him in their midst, and said, 'Truly I say to you, Unless you are converted and become as little children, you shall not enter into the kingdom of Heaven. Therefore whoever shall humble himself like this little child, this one is the greater in the kingdom of Heaven.'"
Mt 23:12 "And whoever shall exalt himself shall be abased, and he who shall humble himself shall be exalted."
Joh 13:4-17 "He rose up from supper and laid aside His garments. And He took a towel and girded Himself. After that He poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples' feet, and to wipe them with the towel with which He was girded.
"Then He came to Simon Peter. And Peter said to Him, 'Lord, do You wash my feet?'
"Jesus answered and said to him, 'You do not know what I do now, but you shall know hereafter.'
"Peter said to Him, 'You shall never wash my feet.'
Jesus answered him, "Unless I wash you, you have no part with Me."
Simon Peter said to Him,'Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and head.'
Jesus said to him, 'He who is bathed has no need except to wash his feet, but is clean every whit. And you are clean, but not all.' For He knew who would betray Him. Therefore He said, 'You are not all clean.'
So after He had washed their feet and had taken His garments and had reclined again, He said to them, 'Do you know what I have done to you? You call Me the Teacher, and Lord, and you say well, for I AM. If then I, the Lord and the Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet. For I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you. Truly, truly, I say to you, A servant is not greater than his master, neither is he who is sent greater than he who sent him. If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them.'
If this passage seems a strange inclusion, please recall that foot washing was the most humble job in those days. Bare feet in an era of not toilet facilities, wandering animals and unpaved roads added up to a onerous task. Symbolically, Jesus cleaned away the very worse parts of the day, wiped them temporarily out in their time with Him. Some ministers do this for their flock as a symbol for them even today. It has less meaning d=since we have shoes, but still sends a message of humility.
Jesus also makes two points often missed.
This particular task was only a partial cleaning, something Peter pointed out, was not complete in either man's view. His admonition to wash each other's feet was a call to service which would never be as complete as the one Jesus would bestow. We can relieve the stress and lift each other out of sin to a degree, but we can't claim to save anyone.
Second, he keeps to himself that someone there would betray Him. he gave only partial cleaning because he could not give complete cleaning, even symbolically, to one who only pretended to belong to him, one who kept his own agenda not Christ's.
When we see or hear of apostates and wonder if they can lose their salvation, it's best to recall that Jesus knows who really is accepting him and who walks among his people as a fraud. He never gives them complete cleaning.
Watch What You Say
Mt 6:7 "But when you pray, do not babble vain words, as the nations. For they think that in their much speaking they shall be heard."
Mt 12:36-37 "But I say to you that every idle word, whatever men may speak, they shall give account of it in the day of judgment. For by your words you shall be justified, and by your words you shall be condemned."
Don't Commit Real or Mental Adultery
Mt 5:27-28 "You have heard that it was said to the ancients, 'You shall not commit adultery.' But I say to you that whoever looks on a woman to lust after her has already committed adultery with her in his heart."
Mt 5:32 "But I say to you that whoever shall put away his wife, except for the cause of fornication, causes her to commit adultery. And whoever shall marry her who is put away commits adultery."
Mt 19:9 "And I say to you, Whoever shall put away his wife, except for fornication, and shall marry another, commits adultery; and whoever marries her who is put away commits adultery."
Mark 10:11 And He said to them, "Whoever shall put away his wife and marries another commits adultery against her."
Mark 10:19 "You know the commandments: Do not commit adultery, do not kill, do not steal, do not bear false witness, do not defraud, honor your father and your mother."
Luke 16:18 "Everyone putting away his wife and marrying another commits adultery; and everyone marrying her who is put away from her husband commits adultery."
Luke 18:20 "You know the commandments: Do not commit adultery, do not kill, do not steal, do not bear false witness, honor your father and your mother."
Rev 2:22 "Behold, I am throwing her into a bed, and those who commit adultery with her into great affliction, unless they repent of their deeds."
Mt 18:1-4 "At that hour the disciples came to Jesus, saying, "Who is the greater in the kingdom of Heaven?"
And Jesus called a little child to Him and set him in their midst, and said, 'Truly I say to you, Unless you are converted and become as little children, you shall not enter into the kingdom of Heaven. Therefore whoever shall humble himself like this little child, this one is the greater in the kingdom of Heaven.'"
Mt 23:12 "And whoever shall exalt himself shall be abased, and he who shall humble himself shall be exalted."
Joh 13:4-17 "He rose up from supper and laid aside His garments. And He took a towel and girded Himself. After that He poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples' feet, and to wipe them with the towel with which He was girded.
"Then He came to Simon Peter. And Peter said to Him, 'Lord, do You wash my feet?'
"Jesus answered and said to him, 'You do not know what I do now, but you shall know hereafter.'
"Peter said to Him, 'You shall never wash my feet.'
Jesus answered him, "Unless I wash you, you have no part with Me."
Simon Peter said to Him,'Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and head.'
Jesus said to him, 'He who is bathed has no need except to wash his feet, but is clean every whit. And you are clean, but not all.' For He knew who would betray Him. Therefore He said, 'You are not all clean.'
So after He had washed their feet and had taken His garments and had reclined again, He said to them, 'Do you know what I have done to you? You call Me the Teacher, and Lord, and you say well, for I AM. If then I, the Lord and the Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet. For I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you. Truly, truly, I say to you, A servant is not greater than his master, neither is he who is sent greater than he who sent him. If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them.'
If this passage seems a strange inclusion, please recall that foot washing was the most humble job in those days. Bare feet in an era of not toilet facilities, wandering animals and unpaved roads added up to a onerous task. Symbolically, Jesus cleaned away the very worse parts of the day, wiped them temporarily out in their time with Him. Some ministers do this for their flock as a symbol for them even today. It has less meaning d=since we have shoes, but still sends a message of humility.
Jesus also makes two points often missed.
This particular task was only a partial cleaning, something Peter pointed out, was not complete in either man's view. His admonition to wash each other's feet was a call to service which would never be as complete as the one Jesus would bestow. We can relieve the stress and lift each other out of sin to a degree, but we can't claim to save anyone.
Second, he keeps to himself that someone there would betray Him. he gave only partial cleaning because he could not give complete cleaning, even symbolically, to one who only pretended to belong to him, one who kept his own agenda not Christ's.
When we see or hear of apostates and wonder if they can lose their salvation, it's best to recall that Jesus knows who really is accepting him and who walks among his people as a fraud. He never gives them complete cleaning.
Watch What You Say
Mt 6:7 "But when you pray, do not babble vain words, as the nations. For they think that in their much speaking they shall be heard."
Mt 12:36-37 "But I say to you that every idle word, whatever men may speak, they shall give account of it in the day of judgment. For by your words you shall be justified, and by your words you shall be condemned."
Don't Commit Real or Mental Adultery
Mt 5:27-28 "You have heard that it was said to the ancients, 'You shall not commit adultery.' But I say to you that whoever looks on a woman to lust after her has already committed adultery with her in his heart."
Mt 5:32 "But I say to you that whoever shall put away his wife, except for the cause of fornication, causes her to commit adultery. And whoever shall marry her who is put away commits adultery."
Mt 19:9 "And I say to you, Whoever shall put away his wife, except for fornication, and shall marry another, commits adultery; and whoever marries her who is put away commits adultery."
Mark 10:11 And He said to them, "Whoever shall put away his wife and marries another commits adultery against her."
Mark 10:19 "You know the commandments: Do not commit adultery, do not kill, do not steal, do not bear false witness, do not defraud, honor your father and your mother."
Luke 16:18 "Everyone putting away his wife and marrying another commits adultery; and everyone marrying her who is put away from her husband commits adultery."
Luke 18:20 "You know the commandments: Do not commit adultery, do not kill, do not steal, do not bear false witness, honor your father and your mother."
Rev 2:22 "Behold, I am throwing her into a bed, and those who commit adultery with her into great affliction, unless they repent of their deeds."
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