30 April 2010
Psalm 40, 54; Exod. 34:18-35; 1 Thess. 3:1-13; Matt. 5:27-37
Moses is given some of the particulars of the law including some of the festivals that must be kept when they get to the Promised Land and how to keep them. At the same time, the Ten Commandments are again given to replace the tablets Moses had broken when he came down to find the people reveling over the golden calves. As he descends Moses is unaware of his face shining from being in the presence of the Lord. The reflected glory of the Lord was shining. As he spent time away from the Lord, leading the people, the glory would fade, only to be renewed by time with the Lord again. We should bear the mark of having spent time in the presence of God in prayer and study, it should change us in appearance and attitude. Moses’ change of appearance was obvious to those who saw him, is yours?
Jesus takes on adultery and bearing false witness and again defines them in such ways that surely no one among them could plead innocence. Lust in the heart, even though not acted upon, is defined as adultery and swearing at all is deemed unnecessary if we are simply people of our word. What enhances our truth telling about swearing on something else? Our history of truth telling should be testimony enough but often isn’t. These teachings in the Sermon on the Mount were not designed to have the listeners walk away feeling good about themselves, believing they were good enough to get into heaven based on their righteousness. We need a savior would be the take-away from this teaching,
While Paul was prepared for persecution and even prison, he could not bear the thought that his missionary work would be either in vain because of a failure of the faith of those he evangelized or that it would be discredited by his situation. Imagine his joy when Timothy returned with a good report from Thessalonica where he had experienced great opposition when he had preached there. (see Acts 17.1-9) Paul surely felt the vulnerability of the churches he established as he knew that there would come those after him whose intentions were to destroy and discredit the work and the message. His prayer was for the church to love one another and also to grow in holiness, something we tend to think little about outside of legalism. We need to earnestly pray for true holiness in our lives that we might show forth His glory in our lives.
I will tell the glad news of deliverance
in the great congregation;
behold, I will not restrain my lips,
as you know, O LORD.
I will not hide your deliverance within my heart;
I will speak of your faithfulness and your salvation;
I will not conceal your steadfast love and your faithfulness
from the great congregation.
Friday, April 30, 2010
Thursday, April 29, 2010
29 April 2010
Psalm 50; Exod. 34:1-17; 1 Thess. 2:13-20; Matt. 5:21-26
It was important not that Moses see God but that he know God. It is important to know that He is “merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness,
keeping steadfast love for the thousandth generation, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin.” It is also important to know that sin matters, He doesn’t clear the guilty. Christians have tended to focus on one of these aspects of God and more or less forget the other. Either we are legalists who forget the mercy, grace and love of God or we are so enamored of that we become convinced that He approves anything we do. Moses understood that both aspects were a part of the whole, quickly bowing to worship but asking for forgiveness for the egregious sin that had just happened with the golden calves. We must always keep these things in the proper tension in our thoughts, teaching and lives. Sin is still that which separates us from a holy God and deserves judgment, He is also willing to forgive those who confess their sins and intend to lead a new life no longer characterized by sin.
Jesus raises the bar on the definition of sin with respect to murder. We must be careful what we say of one another lest we put them to death in our hearts. The commandment comes to mean something like if you fail to love one another you are in danger of judgment. We are not to approach the altar if we know we have wronged our brother or sister without reconciling with them first. Loving one another is an important commandment, not an addendum to loving God. Reconciliation is important and we need to consider what is meant by the term and how we are to work through that process and what is the desired result. Does it mean tolerating one another and no longer speaking ill of one another or does it mean restoration of a former relationship? I believe it depends on the situation which of these is desired or possible.
Paul says that the word working within them to change them is proof that the Word is God’s Word. Unfortunately, the Christians in Thessalonica were opposed by the people of that place in the same way that the Christians in Judea were opposed by the Jews in that place. The Gospel always has opposition from those who reject it. Truth hurts and rejection of the truth must also call for the rejection of the one who proclaims it. Paul, however, sees the Thessalonians as his glory and his joy. Do we feel that way about other Christians? We need the fellowship of other believers to encourage us and give us hope and joy.
I praise you this day for you are The LORD, the LORD, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, you keep steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children’s children, to the third and the fourth generation.
Psalm 50; Exod. 34:1-17; 1 Thess. 2:13-20; Matt. 5:21-26
It was important not that Moses see God but that he know God. It is important to know that He is “merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness,
keeping steadfast love for the thousandth generation, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin.” It is also important to know that sin matters, He doesn’t clear the guilty. Christians have tended to focus on one of these aspects of God and more or less forget the other. Either we are legalists who forget the mercy, grace and love of God or we are so enamored of that we become convinced that He approves anything we do. Moses understood that both aspects were a part of the whole, quickly bowing to worship but asking for forgiveness for the egregious sin that had just happened with the golden calves. We must always keep these things in the proper tension in our thoughts, teaching and lives. Sin is still that which separates us from a holy God and deserves judgment, He is also willing to forgive those who confess their sins and intend to lead a new life no longer characterized by sin.
Jesus raises the bar on the definition of sin with respect to murder. We must be careful what we say of one another lest we put them to death in our hearts. The commandment comes to mean something like if you fail to love one another you are in danger of judgment. We are not to approach the altar if we know we have wronged our brother or sister without reconciling with them first. Loving one another is an important commandment, not an addendum to loving God. Reconciliation is important and we need to consider what is meant by the term and how we are to work through that process and what is the desired result. Does it mean tolerating one another and no longer speaking ill of one another or does it mean restoration of a former relationship? I believe it depends on the situation which of these is desired or possible.
Paul says that the word working within them to change them is proof that the Word is God’s Word. Unfortunately, the Christians in Thessalonica were opposed by the people of that place in the same way that the Christians in Judea were opposed by the Jews in that place. The Gospel always has opposition from those who reject it. Truth hurts and rejection of the truth must also call for the rejection of the one who proclaims it. Paul, however, sees the Thessalonians as his glory and his joy. Do we feel that way about other Christians? We need the fellowship of other believers to encourage us and give us hope and joy.
I praise you this day for you are The LORD, the LORD, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, you keep steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children’s children, to the third and the fourth generation.
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
28 April 2010
Psalm 119:49-72; Exod. 33:1-23; 1 Thess. 2:1-12; Matt. 5:17-20
The Lord shows favor to Moses, clearly marking him out as the leader of the people. The time he spent with the Lord in the tent of meeting was necessary for the leader. It is important that we spend time alone with the Lord in order to wisely lead, drawing on the wisdom gained from this time. The people saw clearly that the presence of the Lord was in the tent and that Moses had gained favor with the Lord. Moses knows too that the presence of the Lord was necessary for the people if they were to go up to the land, what made them special in all the world wasn’t the promise of the land or the events in Egypt but this presence of God in their midst. Moses had intimacy with the Lord but he sought more in a glimpse of His face. That request was denied but the Lord granted him a special moment. Are we seeking more intimacy with the Lord or are we satisfied with our relationship?
This teaching of Jesus on righteousness had to be somewhat depressing to hear. The scribes and Pharisees defined righteousness under the law, their lives were built on the law and what they considered to be scrupulous observance of the law. To indicate that the real demands of the law were greater than these groups imagined or kept would have left no hope for most people. Jesus validates the law by saying that all of it will be fulfilled, by Him. That is indeed a bold claim and invites those who hear it to watch and inspect His manner of life to see if indeed He is righteous as He claims. Little did they know that He was fulfilling all righteousness on their behalf so that He could be the once and for all sacrifice acceptable to God for sin.
Paul reminds the Thessalonians of several things here. First, his motives are pure, there was no trickery or deceit in his message, he is not motivated by people-pleasing but only to please God, he received no monetary benefits from his message, he make his own living among them. Second, his manner of life among them was pure, upright and blameless. Third, Paul describes his loving concern for them by comparing it with that of a nurse caring for her own children in gentleness and as a father with his children, urging, encouraging and pleading with them to grow up to be all they can be. Relationship matters in the leading of God’s people, we don’t lead from outside, we lead from within from love for the Lord as our motivation and love for His people as we catch the vision of mission.
You have dealt well with your servant,
O LORD, according to your word.
Teach me good judgment and knowledge,
for I believe in your commandments.
Psalm 119:49-72; Exod. 33:1-23; 1 Thess. 2:1-12; Matt. 5:17-20
The Lord shows favor to Moses, clearly marking him out as the leader of the people. The time he spent with the Lord in the tent of meeting was necessary for the leader. It is important that we spend time alone with the Lord in order to wisely lead, drawing on the wisdom gained from this time. The people saw clearly that the presence of the Lord was in the tent and that Moses had gained favor with the Lord. Moses knows too that the presence of the Lord was necessary for the people if they were to go up to the land, what made them special in all the world wasn’t the promise of the land or the events in Egypt but this presence of God in their midst. Moses had intimacy with the Lord but he sought more in a glimpse of His face. That request was denied but the Lord granted him a special moment. Are we seeking more intimacy with the Lord or are we satisfied with our relationship?
This teaching of Jesus on righteousness had to be somewhat depressing to hear. The scribes and Pharisees defined righteousness under the law, their lives were built on the law and what they considered to be scrupulous observance of the law. To indicate that the real demands of the law were greater than these groups imagined or kept would have left no hope for most people. Jesus validates the law by saying that all of it will be fulfilled, by Him. That is indeed a bold claim and invites those who hear it to watch and inspect His manner of life to see if indeed He is righteous as He claims. Little did they know that He was fulfilling all righteousness on their behalf so that He could be the once and for all sacrifice acceptable to God for sin.
Paul reminds the Thessalonians of several things here. First, his motives are pure, there was no trickery or deceit in his message, he is not motivated by people-pleasing but only to please God, he received no monetary benefits from his message, he make his own living among them. Second, his manner of life among them was pure, upright and blameless. Third, Paul describes his loving concern for them by comparing it with that of a nurse caring for her own children in gentleness and as a father with his children, urging, encouraging and pleading with them to grow up to be all they can be. Relationship matters in the leading of God’s people, we don’t lead from outside, we lead from within from love for the Lord as our motivation and love for His people as we catch the vision of mission.
You have dealt well with your servant,
O LORD, according to your word.
Teach me good judgment and knowledge,
for I believe in your commandments.
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
27 April 2010
Psalm 45; Exod. 32:21-34; 1 Thess. 1:1-10; Matt. 5:11-16
Aaron disappoints as a high priestly representative of the people, blaming them for his own sin and failure of leadership and then ultimately denying his complicity in the creation of the idols, “So I said to them, ‘Whoever has gold, take it off ‘; so they gave it to me, and I threw it into the fire, and out came this calf!” Really, is that what happened? What actually happened was he took an engraving tool and fashioned these calves before throwing the gold into the fire, his guilt was as great as their own, his sins needed to be atoned for as well as theirs, he could not claim righteousness. Here, the Levites rise to the occasion, defending the honor of the Lord. It seems, based on the parenthetic in verse 25, that the Israelites conduct was seen by “their enemies.” They are to represent Him to the world and Moses knows that this is a serious transgression and the Levites rise to the defense of the Lord, even to the extent that they are willing to kill friends and brothers for the sake of the Name of the Lord. Moses makes intercession for the people but the judgment is sealed on those who have sinned and the Lord can no longer be among them.
Being reviled and persecuted on account of Jesus is not something that we experience day to day in America. There are regularly letters to the editor of our local newspaper bashing Christians but I don’t have to read them. No one has reviled me personally for my faith nor have I been persecuted. This, however, does happen all over the world, Christians are rejected and ostracized by their families and in some cases put to death for their faith. We need to pray daily for those whose faith puts them at risk of persecution, prison and death. We need also to recall that we are to be salt and light in our communities wherever we go, to the grocery store, the gym, restaurants, libraries, athletic competitions, etc. There is a distinctively Christian way of being, the way of love, and wherever Jesus went, people, often the worst sinners, were drawn to Him.
Here Paul tells the Thessalonians that this distinctive lifestyle was part of the Gospel he preached among them, they saw what sort of people he and his team were as they ministered among them. Paul encourages them in their imitation of him and his team and tells them that they then proved to be examples for others in the region. We are to stand up and stand out for Christ. Rodney Stark, a sociologist studying the growth of Christianity in the first centuries after the death of Jesus, has found that by their example of caring for others Christians showed a different way of being that was attractive to those around them and accounted for a major portion of the church’s growth. How could we do the same in our time and in our place? Who needs us to care for them in our communities and how can we as a community reach out to them?
My heart overflows with a pleasing theme;
I address my verses to the king;
my tongue is like the pen of a ready scribe.
Your throne, O God, is forever and ever.
Psalm 45; Exod. 32:21-34; 1 Thess. 1:1-10; Matt. 5:11-16
Aaron disappoints as a high priestly representative of the people, blaming them for his own sin and failure of leadership and then ultimately denying his complicity in the creation of the idols, “So I said to them, ‘Whoever has gold, take it off ‘; so they gave it to me, and I threw it into the fire, and out came this calf!” Really, is that what happened? What actually happened was he took an engraving tool and fashioned these calves before throwing the gold into the fire, his guilt was as great as their own, his sins needed to be atoned for as well as theirs, he could not claim righteousness. Here, the Levites rise to the occasion, defending the honor of the Lord. It seems, based on the parenthetic in verse 25, that the Israelites conduct was seen by “their enemies.” They are to represent Him to the world and Moses knows that this is a serious transgression and the Levites rise to the defense of the Lord, even to the extent that they are willing to kill friends and brothers for the sake of the Name of the Lord. Moses makes intercession for the people but the judgment is sealed on those who have sinned and the Lord can no longer be among them.
Being reviled and persecuted on account of Jesus is not something that we experience day to day in America. There are regularly letters to the editor of our local newspaper bashing Christians but I don’t have to read them. No one has reviled me personally for my faith nor have I been persecuted. This, however, does happen all over the world, Christians are rejected and ostracized by their families and in some cases put to death for their faith. We need to pray daily for those whose faith puts them at risk of persecution, prison and death. We need also to recall that we are to be salt and light in our communities wherever we go, to the grocery store, the gym, restaurants, libraries, athletic competitions, etc. There is a distinctively Christian way of being, the way of love, and wherever Jesus went, people, often the worst sinners, were drawn to Him.
Here Paul tells the Thessalonians that this distinctive lifestyle was part of the Gospel he preached among them, they saw what sort of people he and his team were as they ministered among them. Paul encourages them in their imitation of him and his team and tells them that they then proved to be examples for others in the region. We are to stand up and stand out for Christ. Rodney Stark, a sociologist studying the growth of Christianity in the first centuries after the death of Jesus, has found that by their example of caring for others Christians showed a different way of being that was attractive to those around them and accounted for a major portion of the church’s growth. How could we do the same in our time and in our place? Who needs us to care for them in our communities and how can we as a community reach out to them?
My heart overflows with a pleasing theme;
I address my verses to the king;
my tongue is like the pen of a ready scribe.
Your throne, O God, is forever and ever.
Monday, April 26, 2010
26 April 2010
Psalm 41,52; Exod. 32:1-20; Col 3:18-4:18; Matt. 5:1-10
As Moses delays coming down the mountain, the people get anxious. Has he died? Is he ever coming back? Has he forgotten them? Their confidence is gone and they set about the purpose of creating other gods to replace what seems to be lost. We need something in which to set our store and hopes for the future and so we are willing to create gods in spite of the reality that it is ridiculous to worship things we create or things created. They have also decided that it was Moses who delivered them and brought them up out of Egypt, not the Lord so it is fine to create these gods since Moses is really just a man after all. Moses’ time with the Lord on the mountain is interrupted by this scene and the Lord’s anger breaks out against His people. The survival of the nation is at stake as they have broken covenant with Him. It is a test of Moses’ leadership. Will he carry this people and intercede for them in spite of their sin? We must realize that we, like the Israelites, are awaiting a return and how we wait matters.
Jesus, here in the Sermon on the Mount, tells us how to live in the time of awaiting His coming again. The Beatitudes are a countercultural and almost counter-human way of life. They cut across our sinful desires and tell us of another way of living, not the way of the world, the way of revelry, but the way of mourning the way things are and hoping for what will be. The way of poverty of Spirit is the key to the riches of the kingdom now and in eternity. The way of mourning is the way of receiving comfort from the Lord, His presence. The way of meekness, not self-seeking, is the way to receiving from God. To recognize the deeper hunger and thirst of the soul is the key to satisfaction of the desires. Those who show mercy rather than seeking revenge will receive mercy from the Lord. The ones whose hearts are set on the Lord, and nothing else, will see Him. Those who seek peace are those who are truly God’s children, He seeks after peace as well. Those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake are the ones who truly possess the kingdom of heaven which is based in righteousness, acting in accord with one’s beliefs or words.
Paul gives counsel on how to conduct ourselves rightly in primary relationships, spouses, children, and slaves to their employers and vice versa. Even in prison, Paul asks that they pray for him to have opportunities to share the Gospel. Our relationships with one another are a testimony to the Lord, and Paul reminds us that in all things we should remember that truth and conduct ourselves in all situations in ways that glorify Him. It is important that we wait well and bear fruit for Him. Yes, the waiting is the hardest part, but if we set our goal as bringing glory to Him, we make the best use of the time given to us.
I am like a green olive tree
in the house of God.
I trust in the steadfast love of God
forever and ever.
I will thank you forever,
because you have done it.
I will wait for your name, for it is good,
in the presence of the godly.
Psalm 41,52; Exod. 32:1-20; Col 3:18-4:18; Matt. 5:1-10
As Moses delays coming down the mountain, the people get anxious. Has he died? Is he ever coming back? Has he forgotten them? Their confidence is gone and they set about the purpose of creating other gods to replace what seems to be lost. We need something in which to set our store and hopes for the future and so we are willing to create gods in spite of the reality that it is ridiculous to worship things we create or things created. They have also decided that it was Moses who delivered them and brought them up out of Egypt, not the Lord so it is fine to create these gods since Moses is really just a man after all. Moses’ time with the Lord on the mountain is interrupted by this scene and the Lord’s anger breaks out against His people. The survival of the nation is at stake as they have broken covenant with Him. It is a test of Moses’ leadership. Will he carry this people and intercede for them in spite of their sin? We must realize that we, like the Israelites, are awaiting a return and how we wait matters.
Jesus, here in the Sermon on the Mount, tells us how to live in the time of awaiting His coming again. The Beatitudes are a countercultural and almost counter-human way of life. They cut across our sinful desires and tell us of another way of living, not the way of the world, the way of revelry, but the way of mourning the way things are and hoping for what will be. The way of poverty of Spirit is the key to the riches of the kingdom now and in eternity. The way of mourning is the way of receiving comfort from the Lord, His presence. The way of meekness, not self-seeking, is the way to receiving from God. To recognize the deeper hunger and thirst of the soul is the key to satisfaction of the desires. Those who show mercy rather than seeking revenge will receive mercy from the Lord. The ones whose hearts are set on the Lord, and nothing else, will see Him. Those who seek peace are those who are truly God’s children, He seeks after peace as well. Those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake are the ones who truly possess the kingdom of heaven which is based in righteousness, acting in accord with one’s beliefs or words.
Paul gives counsel on how to conduct ourselves rightly in primary relationships, spouses, children, and slaves to their employers and vice versa. Even in prison, Paul asks that they pray for him to have opportunities to share the Gospel. Our relationships with one another are a testimony to the Lord, and Paul reminds us that in all things we should remember that truth and conduct ourselves in all situations in ways that glorify Him. It is important that we wait well and bear fruit for Him. Yes, the waiting is the hardest part, but if we set our goal as bringing glory to Him, we make the best use of the time given to us.
I am like a green olive tree
in the house of God.
I trust in the steadfast love of God
forever and ever.
I will thank you forever,
because you have done it.
I will wait for your name, for it is good,
in the presence of the godly.
Sunday, April 25, 2010
25 April 2010
Psalm 63,98; Exod. 28:1-4,30-38; 1 John 2:18-29; Mark 6:30-44
Moses is instructed in the garments Aaron and those who follow in the office of high priest will wear in the service of God. Here we see the “breastpiece of judgment” which was a pouch of sorts that had on its face twelve stones representing the twelve tribes, the twelve sons of Jacob/Israel. The pouch contained the Urim and Thummim and the truth is no one really knows what they looked like or how they were used in order to determine the will of God in crisis situations. The priest and the Lord were reminded that he represented all the nation when he performed his duties. The bells on the robe were so that all on the outside of the tent would know that he was still in the midst of his duties and had not died in the presence of the Lord, it was an assuring sign for the priest to live, not only for the priest but also for the people as he represented them in this service, not himself. The final piece on the headdress, the rosette, was a declaration to the Lord of the intentions of the people in this work, lest any of the preparations for ministry fail to please the Lord, this was the intention, holy to the Lord.
Jesus’ intention was to get away with the disciples yet the people wanted more and followed them to this “deserted place.” They have just been sent out on a mission of healing and proclamation and they are anxious to tell Jesus how it went and yet the mission was so successful that the people came with them. Jesus’ compassion for the people is great and so, even though it disrupted His plans, He teaches them until late in the day. Although the disciples have done great things on their mission, when Jesus suggests that they feed this multitude it never crosses anyone’s mind that they might be able to do so, suggesting they don’t have enough money and even if they did, where would they buy anything here. We tend to think the same way, even though God has done great things, in crisis we often doubt Him or never think He might have a plan as we consider our own alternatives.
It seems that Gnosticism has crept into the church here in this epistle. Gnosticism was/is a belief that salvation is from knowledge, a special revelation given to some that makes them the enlightened few. John assures his readers that they have knowledge and not just any knowledge, knowledge of truth. The content of that truth is plain and simple, Jesus is the Christ, the anointed one of God, and assures them that in this knowledge they, too, are anointed ones. We need not spend our time worrying about “the” antichrist, John says that what he means by that is those who deny the truth. Just as the high priest was to judge between the people in the Old Testament, so has John judged between people in the New Testament church, and judgment requires nothing more than the testimony of Jesus.
Oh sing to the LORD a new song,
for he has done marvelous things!
His right hand and his holy arm
have worked salvation for him.
The LORD has made known his salvation;
he has revealed his righteousness in the sight of the nations.
Psalm 63,98; Exod. 28:1-4,30-38; 1 John 2:18-29; Mark 6:30-44
Moses is instructed in the garments Aaron and those who follow in the office of high priest will wear in the service of God. Here we see the “breastpiece of judgment” which was a pouch of sorts that had on its face twelve stones representing the twelve tribes, the twelve sons of Jacob/Israel. The pouch contained the Urim and Thummim and the truth is no one really knows what they looked like or how they were used in order to determine the will of God in crisis situations. The priest and the Lord were reminded that he represented all the nation when he performed his duties. The bells on the robe were so that all on the outside of the tent would know that he was still in the midst of his duties and had not died in the presence of the Lord, it was an assuring sign for the priest to live, not only for the priest but also for the people as he represented them in this service, not himself. The final piece on the headdress, the rosette, was a declaration to the Lord of the intentions of the people in this work, lest any of the preparations for ministry fail to please the Lord, this was the intention, holy to the Lord.
Jesus’ intention was to get away with the disciples yet the people wanted more and followed them to this “deserted place.” They have just been sent out on a mission of healing and proclamation and they are anxious to tell Jesus how it went and yet the mission was so successful that the people came with them. Jesus’ compassion for the people is great and so, even though it disrupted His plans, He teaches them until late in the day. Although the disciples have done great things on their mission, when Jesus suggests that they feed this multitude it never crosses anyone’s mind that they might be able to do so, suggesting they don’t have enough money and even if they did, where would they buy anything here. We tend to think the same way, even though God has done great things, in crisis we often doubt Him or never think He might have a plan as we consider our own alternatives.
It seems that Gnosticism has crept into the church here in this epistle. Gnosticism was/is a belief that salvation is from knowledge, a special revelation given to some that makes them the enlightened few. John assures his readers that they have knowledge and not just any knowledge, knowledge of truth. The content of that truth is plain and simple, Jesus is the Christ, the anointed one of God, and assures them that in this knowledge they, too, are anointed ones. We need not spend our time worrying about “the” antichrist, John says that what he means by that is those who deny the truth. Just as the high priest was to judge between the people in the Old Testament, so has John judged between people in the New Testament church, and judgment requires nothing more than the testimony of Jesus.
Oh sing to the LORD a new song,
for he has done marvelous things!
His right hand and his holy arm
have worked salvation for him.
The LORD has made known his salvation;
he has revealed his righteousness in the sight of the nations.
Saturday, April 24, 2010
24 April 2010
Psalm 30, 32; Exod. 25:1-22; Col. 3:1-17; Matt. 4:18-25
The purpose of the sanctuary is that God may dwell among His people and they are to make it according to his exact specifications. He provides the materials list and the precise instructions for how things are to be made, no detail is overlooked in these directions. The mercy seat, overshadowed by the cherubim, is the place where God will meet the representative of the people to give the commandments. In the mercy seat are to be placed initially the commandments, and the commands are sealed by the lid. The judgments of God are covered by the mercy of God, a requirement of dealing with sinful humanity if there is to be a covenant.
Things begin moving quickly as Jesus calls disciples to follow and they respond in obedience to His call and then the healings and miraculous signs begin. It didn’t take long for Jesus to attract a crowd based on His works among them. John’s work of preparing the people to receive Messiah had not been in vain, his message had been heard, received and believed. The people were prepared for the coming of the one of whom John spoke. Jesus’ works convinced them that He was the One and they were willing to follow. (At least for the time being.)
As John prepared the people for the coming of God in the Messiah, so is Paul preparing people for the coming of God by imploring them to look towards the heavenly things. The call is to live as those whose lives are no longer set on earthly passions and desires but to be set upon the things above. Ultimately what Paul is saying is love God, love your neighbor and then gives us the sense of those commands, how to live them out practically by putting to death the desires of the flesh by setting our minds on Christ, loving God with all that is within us, and by clothing ourselves with “compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience” and bearing with one another and forgiving one another. We are to show what it means for a people to live as much as we are able according to God’s command and reveal what His kingdom looks like. That injunction should make us a people of prayer and be thankful for the Holy Spirit who makes it possible for such a life to even be a possibility.
I will extol you, O LORD, for you have drawn me up
and have not let my foes rejoice over me.
O LORD my God, I cried to you for help,
and you have healed me.
O LORD, you have brought up my soul from Sheol;
you restored me to life from among those who go down to the pit.
Psalm 30, 32; Exod. 25:1-22; Col. 3:1-17; Matt. 4:18-25
The purpose of the sanctuary is that God may dwell among His people and they are to make it according to his exact specifications. He provides the materials list and the precise instructions for how things are to be made, no detail is overlooked in these directions. The mercy seat, overshadowed by the cherubim, is the place where God will meet the representative of the people to give the commandments. In the mercy seat are to be placed initially the commandments, and the commands are sealed by the lid. The judgments of God are covered by the mercy of God, a requirement of dealing with sinful humanity if there is to be a covenant.
Things begin moving quickly as Jesus calls disciples to follow and they respond in obedience to His call and then the healings and miraculous signs begin. It didn’t take long for Jesus to attract a crowd based on His works among them. John’s work of preparing the people to receive Messiah had not been in vain, his message had been heard, received and believed. The people were prepared for the coming of the one of whom John spoke. Jesus’ works convinced them that He was the One and they were willing to follow. (At least for the time being.)
As John prepared the people for the coming of God in the Messiah, so is Paul preparing people for the coming of God by imploring them to look towards the heavenly things. The call is to live as those whose lives are no longer set on earthly passions and desires but to be set upon the things above. Ultimately what Paul is saying is love God, love your neighbor and then gives us the sense of those commands, how to live them out practically by putting to death the desires of the flesh by setting our minds on Christ, loving God with all that is within us, and by clothing ourselves with “compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience” and bearing with one another and forgiving one another. We are to show what it means for a people to live as much as we are able according to God’s command and reveal what His kingdom looks like. That injunction should make us a people of prayer and be thankful for the Holy Spirit who makes it possible for such a life to even be a possibility.
I will extol you, O LORD, for you have drawn me up
and have not let my foes rejoice over me.
O LORD my God, I cried to you for help,
and you have healed me.
O LORD, you have brought up my soul from Sheol;
you restored me to life from among those who go down to the pit.
Friday, April 23, 2010
23 April 2010
Psalm 105:1-22; Exod. 24:1-18; Col 2:8-23; Matt. 4:12-17
Again the people affirm that all that the Lord has spoken they will do. We make promises all the time with our mouths that we cannot keep. We have good intentions yet we find the truth of original sin and the fall of humankind to be at work within us. Jesus told the apostles in the Great Commission that they were to teach their disciples to obey all that he had commanded. We make it difficult but it does come down to the summary of love God with everything within you and love your neighbor as you love yourself. As the liturgy is completed to establish the covenant with the nation, blood of the sacrifice is thrown on the people and the altar to seal the covenant and then Moses and the elders are in the presence of God and share a meal in His presence, just like communion, we make confession, receive pardon, proclaim the peace and then have a meal to celebrate the peace that has been established. Notice the language concerning the pavement under God’s feet and then go to Revelation 4.
Immediately after his stint in the wilderness Jesus learns John has been arrested and imprisoned. Matthew, who is thought to be primarily writing a Gospel for Jewish believers and non-believers, typically gives us information on how events in Jesus’ life fulfill prophecy concerning Messiah. Jesus’ reaction to John’s arrest is to continue John’s ministry by preaching the message of repentance for the kingdom of God is at hand. Jesus’ coming doesn’t change the rules of the game, repentance is still required, grace is not freely distributed. He validates John’s message and mission by taking up that mantle in order to prepare the people.
Paul metaphorically throws the blood of Jesus on the people and says you have been forgiven, you are in covenant with God if you believe in Jesus and His sacrifice on your behalf. He tells them not to go back to the former things, don’t accept all the laws and requirements of keeping festivals and new moons no matter who teaches you these things, they are simply shadows of the better things we have in Jesus, preparing us for the day of His coming to fulfill all righteousness on our behalf and to take the punishment for our sins forever. That He died covered in shame and our sin and was risen from the dead tells us that God is able to forgive sin forever in Him. Paul calls the Colossians, and us, to that radical monotheistic faith of the first commandment from Exodus, we are called to absolute trust in and obedience to Jesus as our savior, nothing else. We have died with Christ in baptism and risen to new life in Him in faith, we no longer need any of those other things.
I will give thanks to the LORD; call upon his name;
make known his deeds among the peoples!
Sing to him, sing praises to him;
tell of all his wondrous works!
Glory in his holy name;
let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice!
Seek the LORD and his strength;
seek his presence continually!
Psalm 105:1-22; Exod. 24:1-18; Col 2:8-23; Matt. 4:12-17
Again the people affirm that all that the Lord has spoken they will do. We make promises all the time with our mouths that we cannot keep. We have good intentions yet we find the truth of original sin and the fall of humankind to be at work within us. Jesus told the apostles in the Great Commission that they were to teach their disciples to obey all that he had commanded. We make it difficult but it does come down to the summary of love God with everything within you and love your neighbor as you love yourself. As the liturgy is completed to establish the covenant with the nation, blood of the sacrifice is thrown on the people and the altar to seal the covenant and then Moses and the elders are in the presence of God and share a meal in His presence, just like communion, we make confession, receive pardon, proclaim the peace and then have a meal to celebrate the peace that has been established. Notice the language concerning the pavement under God’s feet and then go to Revelation 4.
Immediately after his stint in the wilderness Jesus learns John has been arrested and imprisoned. Matthew, who is thought to be primarily writing a Gospel for Jewish believers and non-believers, typically gives us information on how events in Jesus’ life fulfill prophecy concerning Messiah. Jesus’ reaction to John’s arrest is to continue John’s ministry by preaching the message of repentance for the kingdom of God is at hand. Jesus’ coming doesn’t change the rules of the game, repentance is still required, grace is not freely distributed. He validates John’s message and mission by taking up that mantle in order to prepare the people.
Paul metaphorically throws the blood of Jesus on the people and says you have been forgiven, you are in covenant with God if you believe in Jesus and His sacrifice on your behalf. He tells them not to go back to the former things, don’t accept all the laws and requirements of keeping festivals and new moons no matter who teaches you these things, they are simply shadows of the better things we have in Jesus, preparing us for the day of His coming to fulfill all righteousness on our behalf and to take the punishment for our sins forever. That He died covered in shame and our sin and was risen from the dead tells us that God is able to forgive sin forever in Him. Paul calls the Colossians, and us, to that radical monotheistic faith of the first commandment from Exodus, we are called to absolute trust in and obedience to Jesus as our savior, nothing else. We have died with Christ in baptism and risen to new life in Him in faith, we no longer need any of those other things.
I will give thanks to the LORD; call upon his name;
make known his deeds among the peoples!
Sing to him, sing praises to him;
tell of all his wondrous works!
Glory in his holy name;
let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice!
Seek the LORD and his strength;
seek his presence continually!
Thursday, April 22, 2010
22 April 2010
Psalm 37:1-18; Exod. 20:1-21; Col. 1:24-2:7; Matt. 4:1-11
All that the Lord commands we will do. That was what the people said in the previous chapter. Now they find out what the covenant requirements are, beginning with absolute loyalty to one God, the one who delivered them from the gods of Egypt. Surrounded by polytheism (belief in many gods), these people were to be submitted to one God in radical obedience and trust, however tempting it might be to hedge their bets when things weren’t going well in one realm of life. The forbidding of making of idols points back to Genesis 1 as it prohibits an idol made in the image of created things. Anything created is less than its creator and we, human beings, are the image of God, nothing else in creation, we are not to worship other humans but are to be reminded as CS Lewis said that there is no such thing as a mere mortal, we are image bearers. The Sabbath is to remind us of Genesis 1 and that on the 7th day God rested and we with Him on our first full day of being. The rest of the commandments are intended to re-enforce the idea of loving the neighbor who was created in the image of God, thus Jesus’ summary of the law to love God and love your neighbor.
After His baptism Jesus is driven by the Spirit into the wilderness to fast and in that weakened (or strengthened) state, to face temptation by satan. How did He meet each temptation? “It is written” begins every response Jesus gives, even when satan quotes Scripture in the second temptation. There is an important principle here, in order to understand and withstand temptation we need to know the Word of God. We need to know the difference between temptation to sin and following boldly. It sounds right to say that Jesus could throw Himself off the pinnacle and God had promised to protect Him from harm, but Jesus understands the full counsel of Scripture to know how to respond. The other thing to remember here is what Adam and Eve forgot, to whose voice are we responding, the call of the Father or someone else’s. The first couple forgot that the most important word was God’s prior word.
Paul has just said he is a servant of the Gospel and now he says he is the servant of the church but only for one purpose, “to make the word of God fully known.” He is revealing the mystery of the Word as it has been revealed in Jesus. The work of the pastor/priest is the same as Paul’s, to make the word of God fully known. From the start, the apostles knew this and knew that there would be a temptation to many other things and therefore resolved to devote themselves to the Word and raised up others to take care of other things. We have to insist that our pastors and teachers be devoted to the preaching and teaching of the Word so that all can grow into maturity. I never want to have to say to the Lord I am sorry that I didn’t teach my people well enough that they were led astray.
I will trust in the LORD, and do good;
dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness.
I will delight yourself in the LORD,
and he will give me the desires of my heart.
I will commit my way to the LORD;
trust in him, and he will act.
He will bring forth my righteousness as the light,
and my justice as the noonday.
Psalm 37:1-18; Exod. 20:1-21; Col. 1:24-2:7; Matt. 4:1-11
All that the Lord commands we will do. That was what the people said in the previous chapter. Now they find out what the covenant requirements are, beginning with absolute loyalty to one God, the one who delivered them from the gods of Egypt. Surrounded by polytheism (belief in many gods), these people were to be submitted to one God in radical obedience and trust, however tempting it might be to hedge their bets when things weren’t going well in one realm of life. The forbidding of making of idols points back to Genesis 1 as it prohibits an idol made in the image of created things. Anything created is less than its creator and we, human beings, are the image of God, nothing else in creation, we are not to worship other humans but are to be reminded as CS Lewis said that there is no such thing as a mere mortal, we are image bearers. The Sabbath is to remind us of Genesis 1 and that on the 7th day God rested and we with Him on our first full day of being. The rest of the commandments are intended to re-enforce the idea of loving the neighbor who was created in the image of God, thus Jesus’ summary of the law to love God and love your neighbor.
After His baptism Jesus is driven by the Spirit into the wilderness to fast and in that weakened (or strengthened) state, to face temptation by satan. How did He meet each temptation? “It is written” begins every response Jesus gives, even when satan quotes Scripture in the second temptation. There is an important principle here, in order to understand and withstand temptation we need to know the Word of God. We need to know the difference between temptation to sin and following boldly. It sounds right to say that Jesus could throw Himself off the pinnacle and God had promised to protect Him from harm, but Jesus understands the full counsel of Scripture to know how to respond. The other thing to remember here is what Adam and Eve forgot, to whose voice are we responding, the call of the Father or someone else’s. The first couple forgot that the most important word was God’s prior word.
Paul has just said he is a servant of the Gospel and now he says he is the servant of the church but only for one purpose, “to make the word of God fully known.” He is revealing the mystery of the Word as it has been revealed in Jesus. The work of the pastor/priest is the same as Paul’s, to make the word of God fully known. From the start, the apostles knew this and knew that there would be a temptation to many other things and therefore resolved to devote themselves to the Word and raised up others to take care of other things. We have to insist that our pastors and teachers be devoted to the preaching and teaching of the Word so that all can grow into maturity. I never want to have to say to the Lord I am sorry that I didn’t teach my people well enough that they were led astray.
I will trust in the LORD, and do good;
dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness.
I will delight yourself in the LORD,
and he will give me the desires of my heart.
I will commit my way to the LORD;
trust in him, and he will act.
He will bring forth my righteousness as the light,
and my justice as the noonday.
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
21 April 2010
Psalm 38; Exod. 19:16-25; Col. 1:15-23; Matt. 3:13-17
Why does God prohibit the people from breaking through and seeing Him? They have consecrated themselves and yet even then they are kept at a distance. He later tells Moses that even he cannot “see” His face and live. The holiness of God cannot be fully comprehended and is, in fact, dangerous. We know little about true holiness and the nature of that holiness. The writer of Hebrews says our God is a consuming fire and in the Old Testament great care is always necessary to come near to God. In the tabernacle and temple it is forbidden to enter the holy place by anyone but the priests whose lives are consecrated to His service and to any but the high priest to enter the holy of holies and then once a year after careful preparation. The incarnation of Jesus, God come into the world, is an amazing thing for this very reason.
Jesus, the only man who ever lived on this earth without sin, condescends to accepting the baptism of John for the repentance of sins. Here He begins to identify with fallen humanity, Jews and Gentiles alike in obedience to the Father. How do we know it was an act of obedience? The response from heaven tells us, “This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.” The work of identifying with us in our sinfulness has begun, the work that ends with the complete identification at the cross.
This passage from Colossians is a wonderful start to the day, reminding us who Jesus is, was, and always will be. Paul here is caught up into the rapturous contemplation of Jesus, the Jesus whom he formerly rejected and persecuted, the Jesus who spoke to him on the road to Damascus and rescued him from his sinful intentions and gave him a place in His service. Paul understood the grace he had received, the grace that had been required for him to see God in the face of Jesus. He hadn’t recognized the God whom he believed he was serving. He hadn’t recognized holiness and righteousness when he saw it. The hope Paul speaks of is only in the Gospel, the revelation of Jesus revealing the Father, and it is this Gospel Paul says that he serves as a slave. He has seen not only holiness and righteousness in Jesus, he has seen also the love, mercy and grace of God and lives to tell of Him. Do we?
O LORD, rebuke me not in your anger,
nor discipline me in your wrath!
There is no soundness in my flesh
because of your indignation;
there is no health in my bones
because of my sin.
For my iniquities have gone over my head;
like a heavy burden, they are too heavy for me.
Make haste to help me,
O Lord, my salvation!
Psalm 38; Exod. 19:16-25; Col. 1:15-23; Matt. 3:13-17
Why does God prohibit the people from breaking through and seeing Him? They have consecrated themselves and yet even then they are kept at a distance. He later tells Moses that even he cannot “see” His face and live. The holiness of God cannot be fully comprehended and is, in fact, dangerous. We know little about true holiness and the nature of that holiness. The writer of Hebrews says our God is a consuming fire and in the Old Testament great care is always necessary to come near to God. In the tabernacle and temple it is forbidden to enter the holy place by anyone but the priests whose lives are consecrated to His service and to any but the high priest to enter the holy of holies and then once a year after careful preparation. The incarnation of Jesus, God come into the world, is an amazing thing for this very reason.
Jesus, the only man who ever lived on this earth without sin, condescends to accepting the baptism of John for the repentance of sins. Here He begins to identify with fallen humanity, Jews and Gentiles alike in obedience to the Father. How do we know it was an act of obedience? The response from heaven tells us, “This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.” The work of identifying with us in our sinfulness has begun, the work that ends with the complete identification at the cross.
This passage from Colossians is a wonderful start to the day, reminding us who Jesus is, was, and always will be. Paul here is caught up into the rapturous contemplation of Jesus, the Jesus whom he formerly rejected and persecuted, the Jesus who spoke to him on the road to Damascus and rescued him from his sinful intentions and gave him a place in His service. Paul understood the grace he had received, the grace that had been required for him to see God in the face of Jesus. He hadn’t recognized the God whom he believed he was serving. He hadn’t recognized holiness and righteousness when he saw it. The hope Paul speaks of is only in the Gospel, the revelation of Jesus revealing the Father, and it is this Gospel Paul says that he serves as a slave. He has seen not only holiness and righteousness in Jesus, he has seen also the love, mercy and grace of God and lives to tell of Him. Do we?
O LORD, rebuke me not in your anger,
nor discipline me in your wrath!
There is no soundness in my flesh
because of your indignation;
there is no health in my bones
because of my sin.
For my iniquities have gone over my head;
like a heavy burden, they are too heavy for me.
Make haste to help me,
O Lord, my salvation!
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
20 April 2010
Psalm 26, 28; Exod. 19:1-16; Col. 1:1-14; Matt. 3:7-12
The promise to Moses is fulfilled! When he agreed to go, the Lord promised that when the work was done in Egypt they would worship here on this mountain and here they are. The covenant relationship is beginning to be established with the contingency that if they obey the voice of the Lord and keep His commandments they will be His treasured possession. Remember that the complaint God made against Adam was that he had obeyed the voice of the woman (rather than the voice of God). Here at the mountain the Lord will do two things, get their attention and also affirm Moses as the leader of the people. The “hope” is that they will be holy, having been in the presence of the Lord, and that they will accept Moses’ leadership going forward. The hope isn’t fulfilled.
John gets on a rant. When he sees the Pharisees and Sadducees coming out he is rightfully suspicious of their motives. He cuts to the heart of the matter by saying that Abraham’s faith and the circumcision won’t save them. These are the leaders of the people, in the Pharisees case, the righteous ones, the ones who venerate the law. John speaks of bearing fruit as the measure God will use to evaluate the people. Righteousness actually is to be an attractive thing but too often those who are righteous are the most unattractive people to be around and hence bear little fruit. John’s ministry shows that righteousness, done right, can indeed bear great fruit for the kingdom. We must begin with rooting out self-righteousness, the desire to be self-justified before God.
Paul here speaks of the two themes of the day, hope and fruit bearing. Both these, he says must have a proper foundation. Our hope is in laid up for us in heaven and it comes in the Word of truth. Our hope must not be in men and women but rather in Jesus, the one who never disappoints, who perfectly lived His life on earth and now is seated at the right hand of the Father in heaven. We will fail one another, disappoint one another, and ultimately will die, we must have our hope in that which is eternal and that which is true. Paul says that the truth is the ground from which fruit is possible, the Good News has never failed to produce fruit wherever it is sown. The prayer in verses 9-14 is one we should pray over our loved ones every day.
Blessed be the LORD!
For he has heard the voice of my pleas for mercy.
The LORD is my strength and my shield;
in him my heart trusts, and I am helped;
my heart exults,
and with my song I give thanks to him.
The LORD is the strength of his people;
he is the saving refuge of his anointed.
Oh, save your people and bless your heritage!
Be their shepherd and carry them forever.
Psalm 26, 28; Exod. 19:1-16; Col. 1:1-14; Matt. 3:7-12
The promise to Moses is fulfilled! When he agreed to go, the Lord promised that when the work was done in Egypt they would worship here on this mountain and here they are. The covenant relationship is beginning to be established with the contingency that if they obey the voice of the Lord and keep His commandments they will be His treasured possession. Remember that the complaint God made against Adam was that he had obeyed the voice of the woman (rather than the voice of God). Here at the mountain the Lord will do two things, get their attention and also affirm Moses as the leader of the people. The “hope” is that they will be holy, having been in the presence of the Lord, and that they will accept Moses’ leadership going forward. The hope isn’t fulfilled.
John gets on a rant. When he sees the Pharisees and Sadducees coming out he is rightfully suspicious of their motives. He cuts to the heart of the matter by saying that Abraham’s faith and the circumcision won’t save them. These are the leaders of the people, in the Pharisees case, the righteous ones, the ones who venerate the law. John speaks of bearing fruit as the measure God will use to evaluate the people. Righteousness actually is to be an attractive thing but too often those who are righteous are the most unattractive people to be around and hence bear little fruit. John’s ministry shows that righteousness, done right, can indeed bear great fruit for the kingdom. We must begin with rooting out self-righteousness, the desire to be self-justified before God.
Paul here speaks of the two themes of the day, hope and fruit bearing. Both these, he says must have a proper foundation. Our hope is in laid up for us in heaven and it comes in the Word of truth. Our hope must not be in men and women but rather in Jesus, the one who never disappoints, who perfectly lived His life on earth and now is seated at the right hand of the Father in heaven. We will fail one another, disappoint one another, and ultimately will die, we must have our hope in that which is eternal and that which is true. Paul says that the truth is the ground from which fruit is possible, the Good News has never failed to produce fruit wherever it is sown. The prayer in verses 9-14 is one we should pray over our loved ones every day.
Blessed be the LORD!
For he has heard the voice of my pleas for mercy.
The LORD is my strength and my shield;
in him my heart trusts, and I am helped;
my heart exults,
and with my song I give thanks to him.
The LORD is the strength of his people;
he is the saving refuge of his anointed.
Oh, save your people and bless your heritage!
Be their shepherd and carry them forever.
Monday, April 19, 2010
19 April 2010
Psalm 25; Exod. 18:13-27; 1 Pet. 5:1-14; Matt. 1:1-17,3:1-6
This passage from Exodus is generally cited as wisdom from Jethro that helped Moses to lead the people without burning out and by allowing others to step into leadership roles. It is mainly interpreted approvingly as an Old Testament way of organizing the church to allow for people to use their gifts in the service of God and the people. There is, however, a dissenting voice on this interpretation. That dissent is based in verse 24 where Moses listened to his father-in-law and did all he said. The question arises as to whether God said to do this. It is true that God blessed it, but nowhere else in the book is Moses encouraged to listen to the voice of another with respect to his leadership of the people. We have a great benefit in that we have the Word and the Holy Spirit to guide us. We have to be careful in how we use wisdom from others that requires us to see if it comports with the Word and we also have to spend the time in prayer to discern if God is using the person to speak to us on His behalf.
Matthew uses the Word to discern John’s mission and message. John himself pointed to this passage to define his work. What he was calling for was the preparation of a people for the coming of the Lord in accordance with the prophetic word. Preparation was in repentance, the people of God preparing themselves by ridding their lives of sin to receive the holiness of God. John’s message was plain and simple and later, after his death, when Jesus was asked the source of His authority, His response was to ask, “The baptism of John, from where did it come? From heaven or from man?" The answer was plainly that it was of God as it fit the Word, but the Pharisees couldn’t say it because they had not believed it. The test of a message is relatively simple, is it Biblical?
Peter exhorts the elders on how to lead God’s people that have been placed under their care. He speaks of the Great Shepherd and the accounting leaders will give to Him when He returns. He then turns to those younger ones to submit to the authority of the elders. All of this, Peter says is to be done in humility. In all things we are to remember that we have an enemy who would love to devour us if given the opportunity. In all these things Peter refers to Scripture to make his arguments. If we are in the Word, and it abides in us, we are able to resist the enemy as Jesus did when faced with temptation.
Make me to know your ways, O LORD;
teach me your paths.
Lead me in your truth and teach me,
for you are the God of my salvation;
for you I wait all the day long.
Remember your mercy, O LORD, and your steadfast love,
for they have been from of old.
Psalm 25; Exod. 18:13-27; 1 Pet. 5:1-14; Matt. 1:1-17,3:1-6
This passage from Exodus is generally cited as wisdom from Jethro that helped Moses to lead the people without burning out and by allowing others to step into leadership roles. It is mainly interpreted approvingly as an Old Testament way of organizing the church to allow for people to use their gifts in the service of God and the people. There is, however, a dissenting voice on this interpretation. That dissent is based in verse 24 where Moses listened to his father-in-law and did all he said. The question arises as to whether God said to do this. It is true that God blessed it, but nowhere else in the book is Moses encouraged to listen to the voice of another with respect to his leadership of the people. We have a great benefit in that we have the Word and the Holy Spirit to guide us. We have to be careful in how we use wisdom from others that requires us to see if it comports with the Word and we also have to spend the time in prayer to discern if God is using the person to speak to us on His behalf.
Matthew uses the Word to discern John’s mission and message. John himself pointed to this passage to define his work. What he was calling for was the preparation of a people for the coming of the Lord in accordance with the prophetic word. Preparation was in repentance, the people of God preparing themselves by ridding their lives of sin to receive the holiness of God. John’s message was plain and simple and later, after his death, when Jesus was asked the source of His authority, His response was to ask, “The baptism of John, from where did it come? From heaven or from man?" The answer was plainly that it was of God as it fit the Word, but the Pharisees couldn’t say it because they had not believed it. The test of a message is relatively simple, is it Biblical?
Peter exhorts the elders on how to lead God’s people that have been placed under their care. He speaks of the Great Shepherd and the accounting leaders will give to Him when He returns. He then turns to those younger ones to submit to the authority of the elders. All of this, Peter says is to be done in humility. In all things we are to remember that we have an enemy who would love to devour us if given the opportunity. In all these things Peter refers to Scripture to make his arguments. If we are in the Word, and it abides in us, we are able to resist the enemy as Jesus did when faced with temptation.
Make me to know your ways, O LORD;
teach me your paths.
Lead me in your truth and teach me,
for you are the God of my salvation;
for you I wait all the day long.
Remember your mercy, O LORD, and your steadfast love,
for they have been from of old.
Sunday, April 18, 2010
18 April 2010
Psalm 148, 149, 150; Exod. 18:1-12; 1 John 2:7-17; Mark 16:9-20
What a great father-in-law! We know very little about this man, other than that he was a priest at Midian, had several daughters and that he kept sheep. He did, however, rejoice with Moses and the people here and offer advice and counsel later. He knows the Lord is greater than all gods due to the great deliverance He has worked on behalf of the Israelites.
The proclamation of the good news is the important thing. Jethro knew that there was a core proclamation concerning the events that had happened in Egypt and the disciples knew that there was also a core proclamation of Jesus. The core is rooted in actual events and in the meaning of those events. In most cases the meaning of an event is personal and individualistic but in these two cases the meaning is corporate and precise. The events are that Jesus died and rose again from the dead and has ascended to heaven. The meaning is that His death on the cross was for the forgiveness of our sins, they were laid on this innocent man, that his resurrection from the dead shows the power of God over sin and death, that we, too, shall be risen to life if we believe in Him, and that He now lives and reigns at the right hand of the Father to intercede for those who believe. The creeds set down both events and interpretation that determine the Christian core proclamation, the outline for our witness to Him.
The proclamation of the meaning of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus is made in both word and deed. John here reminds his readers that loving one another is a sign that they are walking in the light, just as Jesus told them on the night of the last supper. He reminds them that they have been forgiven, that Jesus was from beginning, and that they have overcome the evil one, three important points of doctrine. John writes to remind them who they are and whose they are and that they represent Him. Finally, he reminds them that knowing and doing are inextricably tied to one another, the Christian life is meant to express the beliefs we claim to have.
Praise the LORD!Praise God in his sanctuary;
praise him in his mighty heavens!
Praise him for his mighty deeds;
praise him according to his excellent greatness!
Let everything that has breath praise the LORD! Praise the LORD!
Psalm 148, 149, 150; Exod. 18:1-12; 1 John 2:7-17; Mark 16:9-20
What a great father-in-law! We know very little about this man, other than that he was a priest at Midian, had several daughters and that he kept sheep. He did, however, rejoice with Moses and the people here and offer advice and counsel later. He knows the Lord is greater than all gods due to the great deliverance He has worked on behalf of the Israelites.
The proclamation of the good news is the important thing. Jethro knew that there was a core proclamation concerning the events that had happened in Egypt and the disciples knew that there was also a core proclamation of Jesus. The core is rooted in actual events and in the meaning of those events. In most cases the meaning of an event is personal and individualistic but in these two cases the meaning is corporate and precise. The events are that Jesus died and rose again from the dead and has ascended to heaven. The meaning is that His death on the cross was for the forgiveness of our sins, they were laid on this innocent man, that his resurrection from the dead shows the power of God over sin and death, that we, too, shall be risen to life if we believe in Him, and that He now lives and reigns at the right hand of the Father to intercede for those who believe. The creeds set down both events and interpretation that determine the Christian core proclamation, the outline for our witness to Him.
The proclamation of the meaning of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus is made in both word and deed. John here reminds his readers that loving one another is a sign that they are walking in the light, just as Jesus told them on the night of the last supper. He reminds them that they have been forgiven, that Jesus was from beginning, and that they have overcome the evil one, three important points of doctrine. John writes to remind them who they are and whose they are and that they represent Him. Finally, he reminds them that knowing and doing are inextricably tied to one another, the Christian life is meant to express the beliefs we claim to have.
Praise the LORD!Praise God in his sanctuary;
praise him in his mighty heavens!
Praise him for his mighty deeds;
praise him according to his excellent greatness!
Let everything that has breath praise the LORD! Praise the LORD!
Saturday, April 17, 2010
17 April 2010
Psalm 20, 21; Exod. 17:1-16; 1 Pet. 4:7-19; John 16:16-33
It is human nature to seek to assign blame when things don’t go as planned and more often than not it is God’s leader who gets the blame. At the end of the story of the water, Moses gets it right, the real question was whether God was still with them or not. They had come to Moses and demanded he give them water and one can only imagine what he wanted to say in response. The Lord, however, provided for the need, just in time for the nation’s first battle in war against their enemies. The Amalekites would continue to be a thorn in the flesh of the nation for a long time, it was the failure of Saul to completely wipe them out that led to his rejection as king. The lifting up of the arms of Moses here prefigures the need for others to come in and help lead the people, he cannot do it alone.
The words Jesus speaks here are plain to us but it is almost unimaginable that the disciples understood him at any level. That He was going away but they would see him again would have been incomprehensible to them. They had no idea of death and resurrection and ascension, it had never been done. How could they know joy after the crucifixion of Jesus? He promises, however, not just joy but a joy that is complete. Little did they know that the joy would be based in the hope of eternal life. So much lay ahead of them that they could not understand at the time that Jesus could not explain to them. How do you explain Pentecost in advance? How do you explain the persecution and death they would face? How do you explain that the work they would do would still be bearing fruit 2000 years later and change the lives of billions of people?
Peter sees the end as being near. The early church seems to have lived with the belief that Jesus would swiftly return and all would be taken up into Him and therefore the apostles urged their people to live according to that belief and hold things lightly. They were to live as though Jesus were coming now and be prepared to welcome Him. Whether He is coming today or not for another 2000 years should be immaterial to the way in which we live in the present. We should always live as though He were coming now, living according to the ethical injunction to love one another, which, as Peter says, covers a multitude of sins in that if love is our ethical grid we will keep ourselves from many sins we would otherwise commit. Peter also urges his flock to suffer well. There was an expectation of persecution and hatred of the world that we almost never think about in the west where we have lived in a society long shaped by Christianity but we are moving into a new age where we no longer can expect society to think well of us. We would be well advised to take these words to heart.
Be exalted, O LORD, in your strength!
We will sing and praise your power.
Psalm 20, 21; Exod. 17:1-16; 1 Pet. 4:7-19; John 16:16-33
It is human nature to seek to assign blame when things don’t go as planned and more often than not it is God’s leader who gets the blame. At the end of the story of the water, Moses gets it right, the real question was whether God was still with them or not. They had come to Moses and demanded he give them water and one can only imagine what he wanted to say in response. The Lord, however, provided for the need, just in time for the nation’s first battle in war against their enemies. The Amalekites would continue to be a thorn in the flesh of the nation for a long time, it was the failure of Saul to completely wipe them out that led to his rejection as king. The lifting up of the arms of Moses here prefigures the need for others to come in and help lead the people, he cannot do it alone.
The words Jesus speaks here are plain to us but it is almost unimaginable that the disciples understood him at any level. That He was going away but they would see him again would have been incomprehensible to them. They had no idea of death and resurrection and ascension, it had never been done. How could they know joy after the crucifixion of Jesus? He promises, however, not just joy but a joy that is complete. Little did they know that the joy would be based in the hope of eternal life. So much lay ahead of them that they could not understand at the time that Jesus could not explain to them. How do you explain Pentecost in advance? How do you explain the persecution and death they would face? How do you explain that the work they would do would still be bearing fruit 2000 years later and change the lives of billions of people?
Peter sees the end as being near. The early church seems to have lived with the belief that Jesus would swiftly return and all would be taken up into Him and therefore the apostles urged their people to live according to that belief and hold things lightly. They were to live as though Jesus were coming now and be prepared to welcome Him. Whether He is coming today or not for another 2000 years should be immaterial to the way in which we live in the present. We should always live as though He were coming now, living according to the ethical injunction to love one another, which, as Peter says, covers a multitude of sins in that if love is our ethical grid we will keep ourselves from many sins we would otherwise commit. Peter also urges his flock to suffer well. There was an expectation of persecution and hatred of the world that we almost never think about in the west where we have lived in a society long shaped by Christianity but we are moving into a new age where we no longer can expect society to think well of us. We would be well advised to take these words to heart.
Be exalted, O LORD, in your strength!
We will sing and praise your power.
Friday, April 16, 2010
16 April 2010
Psalm 16, 17; Exod. 16:23-36; 1 Pet. 3:13-4:6; John 16:1-15
The manna has a special property that allows it to be kept overnight one day per week in order that the Sabbath be kept. The Sabbath regulation hasn’t been established yet but the commandment here presages the commandment not to work on the Sabbath. What does it mean for Christians to take a Sabbath? When I was a kid there was a family in my neighborhood who spent Sunday as a real Sabbath, they didn’t do anything but go to church that day and most stores weren’t open on Sunday either. We don’t question whether the other nine commandments need to be observed. It is a question Jesus faced often, why do you do these things on the Sabbath. It is an important question for us to consider what is an appropriate response to the commandment and requires much prayer.
Early Christians had to decide what to do about worship as they were indeed thrown out of synagogues and needed to sort out what it meant to worship in truth, proclaiming that Messiah had come in the form of Jesus of Nazareth who died on a cross but rose again on the third day. Jesus here is preparing His followers for life after all these things. There would be certainly the temptation to finally decide that after all this must have been either an illusion or a delusion of theirs, how could it be true. The Holy Spirit would come to convict them and teach them and at the same time, convict the world of the truth of their story. They would need the Spirit to comfort and guide them but also to allow them to stand in their testimony before men when the prudent thing would be to say it never happened. I wonder, without the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, if any of these men would have continued in their testimony.
The flesh and the spirit are at war within us unless we have the Holy Spirit. Peter doesn’t use the term “born again” here but that is what he is talking about. You were formerly a certain way and now that you are in Christ Jesus you should be a different way. We must learn to live by the Spirit in order to show the world that our lives have been transformed and that there is indeed a new way of being human, a Godly way. Peter presupposes that we will be asked to give an accounting of the hope that is in us because that hope will, in part, set us apart from others. In many ways, every day for us is to be a Sabbath in that we live to Him each day, not just one in seven. How do we keep each day holy to the Lord by our lives?
The LORD is my chosen portion and my cup;
you hold my lot.
The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places;
indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance.
You make known to me the path of life;
in your presence there is fullness of joy;
at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.
Psalm 16, 17; Exod. 16:23-36; 1 Pet. 3:13-4:6; John 16:1-15
The manna has a special property that allows it to be kept overnight one day per week in order that the Sabbath be kept. The Sabbath regulation hasn’t been established yet but the commandment here presages the commandment not to work on the Sabbath. What does it mean for Christians to take a Sabbath? When I was a kid there was a family in my neighborhood who spent Sunday as a real Sabbath, they didn’t do anything but go to church that day and most stores weren’t open on Sunday either. We don’t question whether the other nine commandments need to be observed. It is a question Jesus faced often, why do you do these things on the Sabbath. It is an important question for us to consider what is an appropriate response to the commandment and requires much prayer.
Early Christians had to decide what to do about worship as they were indeed thrown out of synagogues and needed to sort out what it meant to worship in truth, proclaiming that Messiah had come in the form of Jesus of Nazareth who died on a cross but rose again on the third day. Jesus here is preparing His followers for life after all these things. There would be certainly the temptation to finally decide that after all this must have been either an illusion or a delusion of theirs, how could it be true. The Holy Spirit would come to convict them and teach them and at the same time, convict the world of the truth of their story. They would need the Spirit to comfort and guide them but also to allow them to stand in their testimony before men when the prudent thing would be to say it never happened. I wonder, without the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, if any of these men would have continued in their testimony.
The flesh and the spirit are at war within us unless we have the Holy Spirit. Peter doesn’t use the term “born again” here but that is what he is talking about. You were formerly a certain way and now that you are in Christ Jesus you should be a different way. We must learn to live by the Spirit in order to show the world that our lives have been transformed and that there is indeed a new way of being human, a Godly way. Peter presupposes that we will be asked to give an accounting of the hope that is in us because that hope will, in part, set us apart from others. In many ways, every day for us is to be a Sabbath in that we live to Him each day, not just one in seven. How do we keep each day holy to the Lord by our lives?
The LORD is my chosen portion and my cup;
you hold my lot.
The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places;
indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance.
You make known to me the path of life;
in your presence there is fullness of joy;
at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.
Thursday, April 15, 2010
15 April 2010
Psalm 18:1-20; Exod. 16:10-22; 1 Pet. 2:11-25; John 15:12-27
The provision of manna that first day must have been incredibly confusing and strange. White flakes lying on the ground become food for the entire nation, no matter how much you gather it is the same amount and if you leave it overnight it turns rancid. Strange stuff to say the least, but it was provided by God out of nothing. It certainly seemed to whet their appetite for more, but not enough to trust God for the land as we will see later. It was never meant for forty years of sustenance, that was a choice the people made.
God has offered His Son for the people yet they have rejected Him. Jesus has spoken of Himself as bread from heaven and they didn’t want God’s offer, they wanted material bread not spiritual bread. The work of the disciples and now us is to offer that bread to the world. Jesus warns the disciples that they will suffer the same fate as He will, rejection by some, they should not expect to be welcomed by all. We are offering the bread of life and yet it seems unpalatable to some who want more, not understanding that there is nothing more, nor could there be. The offer of Jesus is His life and for some that is not enough, it is as incomprehensible that a man who died on a cross could be the Son of God, a full, perfect and sufficient sacrifice for our sins, as was the manna in the wilderness. There is still a choice to make regarding this bread.
We need to recall that we are aliens and exiles. It is that identity that will allow us to abstain from the desires of the flesh that lead to sin. Manna was food for exiles prior to coming to their own land, but the people wanted the foods from Egypt, frequently recalling the bounty of that place and longing for what they once had rather than what is to come. Jesus has given us the example of how to live in this world while pointing towards the next and He has given us His Spirit to enable us to follow that example. He has taken away our burden, the burden of sin, so that we might travel with strength. Our desire is to be for Him and His kingdom.
I love you, O LORD, my strength.
The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer,
my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge,
my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
I call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised,
and I am saved from my enemies.
Psalm 18:1-20; Exod. 16:10-22; 1 Pet. 2:11-25; John 15:12-27
The provision of manna that first day must have been incredibly confusing and strange. White flakes lying on the ground become food for the entire nation, no matter how much you gather it is the same amount and if you leave it overnight it turns rancid. Strange stuff to say the least, but it was provided by God out of nothing. It certainly seemed to whet their appetite for more, but not enough to trust God for the land as we will see later. It was never meant for forty years of sustenance, that was a choice the people made.
God has offered His Son for the people yet they have rejected Him. Jesus has spoken of Himself as bread from heaven and they didn’t want God’s offer, they wanted material bread not spiritual bread. The work of the disciples and now us is to offer that bread to the world. Jesus warns the disciples that they will suffer the same fate as He will, rejection by some, they should not expect to be welcomed by all. We are offering the bread of life and yet it seems unpalatable to some who want more, not understanding that there is nothing more, nor could there be. The offer of Jesus is His life and for some that is not enough, it is as incomprehensible that a man who died on a cross could be the Son of God, a full, perfect and sufficient sacrifice for our sins, as was the manna in the wilderness. There is still a choice to make regarding this bread.
We need to recall that we are aliens and exiles. It is that identity that will allow us to abstain from the desires of the flesh that lead to sin. Manna was food for exiles prior to coming to their own land, but the people wanted the foods from Egypt, frequently recalling the bounty of that place and longing for what they once had rather than what is to come. Jesus has given us the example of how to live in this world while pointing towards the next and He has given us His Spirit to enable us to follow that example. He has taken away our burden, the burden of sin, so that we might travel with strength. Our desire is to be for Him and His kingdom.
I love you, O LORD, my strength.
The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer,
my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge,
my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
I call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised,
and I am saved from my enemies.
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
14 April 2010
Psalm 119:1-24; Exod. 15:22-16:10; 1 Pet. 2:1-10; John 15:1-11
The people begin grumbling three days after singing praises to the Lord. It isn’t unfair to grumble about the lack of water and food, those are real and serious problems. They will indeed perish if they don’t have these two things and trust in the Lord has to begin at the level of providing daily bread. In this passage we see God providing miraculously for their daily needs but only as they need it, not abundance. The journey to understanding and thankfulness in daily living begins with the understanding that anything I have comes from Him and thanking Him for those mercies. Gratitude opens up new vistas for praise. When I thank Him for daily bread then I am also aware of my other bodily needs that are met each moment that allow my life here to continue. I become aware of health not disease and pain and I am thankful. I am aware of His wonderful creation of color and contrast and beauty and I am thankful. We have to choose, grumbling or gratitude.
Jesus calls the disciples to abide in Him. The image He uses is that of a vine and its branches and in that we see the symbiotic relationship we are intended to have, the relationship He has shown with the Father. In that relationship of abiding, our needs are met, all our nourishment is provided for fruitfulness. Outside of that relationship we wither and die. The keys to abiding are study of the Word and prayer. We maintain any relationship by spending time with one another and talking to one another, knowing and appreciating everything about one another, it is no different with God. Jesus’ promise of abiding is threefold, fruitfulness, love and joy. Why we would hesitate to obey?
Peter encourages his readers to be like newborn infants. We all must come to the Lord in this way, just as the Israelites had to learn that all things come from Him, we must begin at the same place as every other person in the world, at the beginning. The journey of faith indeed is about movement and growth. It begins with Jesus and from there the foundation is solid on which the rest is built. Peter uses metaphors to describe the church of Christ that are drawn from Israel itself, applying God’s word to the church as a new Israel. Those who are God’s chosen are those who have Jesus and it is appropriate then to encourage them to think of themselves as the people of God.
Deal bountifully with your servant,
that I may live and keep your word.
Open my eyes, that I may behold
wondrous things out of your law.
I am a sojourner on the earth;
hide not your commandments from me!
Psalm 119:1-24; Exod. 15:22-16:10; 1 Pet. 2:1-10; John 15:1-11
The people begin grumbling three days after singing praises to the Lord. It isn’t unfair to grumble about the lack of water and food, those are real and serious problems. They will indeed perish if they don’t have these two things and trust in the Lord has to begin at the level of providing daily bread. In this passage we see God providing miraculously for their daily needs but only as they need it, not abundance. The journey to understanding and thankfulness in daily living begins with the understanding that anything I have comes from Him and thanking Him for those mercies. Gratitude opens up new vistas for praise. When I thank Him for daily bread then I am also aware of my other bodily needs that are met each moment that allow my life here to continue. I become aware of health not disease and pain and I am thankful. I am aware of His wonderful creation of color and contrast and beauty and I am thankful. We have to choose, grumbling or gratitude.
Jesus calls the disciples to abide in Him. The image He uses is that of a vine and its branches and in that we see the symbiotic relationship we are intended to have, the relationship He has shown with the Father. In that relationship of abiding, our needs are met, all our nourishment is provided for fruitfulness. Outside of that relationship we wither and die. The keys to abiding are study of the Word and prayer. We maintain any relationship by spending time with one another and talking to one another, knowing and appreciating everything about one another, it is no different with God. Jesus’ promise of abiding is threefold, fruitfulness, love and joy. Why we would hesitate to obey?
Peter encourages his readers to be like newborn infants. We all must come to the Lord in this way, just as the Israelites had to learn that all things come from Him, we must begin at the same place as every other person in the world, at the beginning. The journey of faith indeed is about movement and growth. It begins with Jesus and from there the foundation is solid on which the rest is built. Peter uses metaphors to describe the church of Christ that are drawn from Israel itself, applying God’s word to the church as a new Israel. Those who are God’s chosen are those who have Jesus and it is appropriate then to encourage them to think of themselves as the people of God.
Deal bountifully with your servant,
that I may live and keep your word.
Open my eyes, that I may behold
wondrous things out of your law.
I am a sojourner on the earth;
hide not your commandments from me!
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
13 April 2010
Psalm 5, 6; Exod. 15:1-21; 1 Pet. 1:13-25; John 14:18-31
The first worship song ever recorded! As they get through the Red Sea and see Pharaoh’s army defeated the reaction is to praise the Lord for what He has done. After 430 years of life in Egypt including the last years of slavery and oppression, the deliverance is complete. What joy they must have experienced as they saw the remaining army cut off by the waters of the Sea. Praise for what has happened isn’t enough, however, they also praise Him for the effect this will have on the nations that stand between them and the Promised Land, speaking of Moab, Philistia, Edom and Canaan trembling in fear from hearing of this event. They surely know that the love, faithfulness and power of the Lord on this day.
There is an inextricable link between hearing the words of Jesus, believing them, and acting on them. Jesus here speaks of those who will know His presence, who will see Him, as those who keep His words. It is in faithfulness to our beliefs that we know Him, as His Spirit joins with us in the work and we see evidence of fruitfulness in our efforts that is clearly beyond our capability. Sometimes that fruitfulness is immediately evident, as in the events of the Red Sea and on the day of Pentecost. More often, however, that fruitfulness is the result of a long obedience. Here, Jesus promises the disciples that as they do the work He has given them to do, they will know Him to be among them.
Paul uses many words that connote action, beginning with “Prepare your minds for action…” He speaks of obedience to the truth, amendment of their ways, being holy in conduct, that God judges according to our deeds. Paul understood the connection between what we believe and what we do. That faithfulness to our beliefs is righteousness, when what we believe is evidenced by how we live and how we think about life. When those are in perfect alignment we have righteousness. The evidence of faith is our life lived in accordance with what we believe. I flip the switch in the kitchen each morning in the unshakeable belief that the light will come on when I do, I don’t waver in my commitment to that truth and take a flashlight with me just in case. If we believe that eternity is secure because of the finished work of Christ, we have freedom to live this life for Him just as He did for us.
Let all who take refuge in you rejoice;
let them ever sing for joy,
and spread your protection over them,
that those who love your name may exult in you.
Psalm 5, 6; Exod. 15:1-21; 1 Pet. 1:13-25; John 14:18-31
The first worship song ever recorded! As they get through the Red Sea and see Pharaoh’s army defeated the reaction is to praise the Lord for what He has done. After 430 years of life in Egypt including the last years of slavery and oppression, the deliverance is complete. What joy they must have experienced as they saw the remaining army cut off by the waters of the Sea. Praise for what has happened isn’t enough, however, they also praise Him for the effect this will have on the nations that stand between them and the Promised Land, speaking of Moab, Philistia, Edom and Canaan trembling in fear from hearing of this event. They surely know that the love, faithfulness and power of the Lord on this day.
There is an inextricable link between hearing the words of Jesus, believing them, and acting on them. Jesus here speaks of those who will know His presence, who will see Him, as those who keep His words. It is in faithfulness to our beliefs that we know Him, as His Spirit joins with us in the work and we see evidence of fruitfulness in our efforts that is clearly beyond our capability. Sometimes that fruitfulness is immediately evident, as in the events of the Red Sea and on the day of Pentecost. More often, however, that fruitfulness is the result of a long obedience. Here, Jesus promises the disciples that as they do the work He has given them to do, they will know Him to be among them.
Paul uses many words that connote action, beginning with “Prepare your minds for action…” He speaks of obedience to the truth, amendment of their ways, being holy in conduct, that God judges according to our deeds. Paul understood the connection between what we believe and what we do. That faithfulness to our beliefs is righteousness, when what we believe is evidenced by how we live and how we think about life. When those are in perfect alignment we have righteousness. The evidence of faith is our life lived in accordance with what we believe. I flip the switch in the kitchen each morning in the unshakeable belief that the light will come on when I do, I don’t waver in my commitment to that truth and take a flashlight with me just in case. If we believe that eternity is secure because of the finished work of Christ, we have freedom to live this life for Him just as He did for us.
Let all who take refuge in you rejoice;
let them ever sing for joy,
and spread your protection over them,
that those who love your name may exult in you.
Monday, April 12, 2010
12 April 2010
Psalm 1, 2, 3; Exod. 14:21-31; 1 Pet. 1:1-12; John 14:(1-7)8-17
God saves His people and so closes a chapter of their history that has lasted over 400 years. The people now know that their God is not a regional god with power in a particular area like the gods of the nations surrounding them. He has divided the waters over the face of the earth in order to form the dry land, is it too difficult for Him to part the waters of one small sea? The ruination of the armies of Egypt is accomplished without the Israelites defending themselves at all. In the end, they feared God and believed in Him and also in Moses who was the agent through whom the miracle was accomplished. Alas, none of that will last.
Can you imagine how crushing it would have been to have Philip ask to see the Father? Jesus’ response betrays His exasperation with them and their failure to understand. We have to remember, however, that the Holy Spirit had not been given to them at that time and they could hardly have imagined what all these things truly meant, they were too good to be true. In this time, however, Jesus simply asks them to believe and in believing they will see. He does, however, promise the Advocate who will be with us forever. This would certainly have been a great comfort to them as they anticipate His going away.
As yesterday John assured his readers that the blood of Jesus cleanses from sin, now Peter assures his readers that the resurrection of Jesus is their hope of resurrection to eternal life where an inheritance awaits. What joy it must have been to Peter and the others to see those who could not see what they had seen, Jesus in the flesh, with a faith and love for Him equal to their own. Truth remained even after Jesus had gone, thanks be to God for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit! We have seen with eyes of faith that which angels have longed to look upon from the beginning. When was the last time you rejoiced over Jesus with indescribable and glorious joy?
Salvation belongs to the LORD;
your blessing be on your people!
Psalm 1, 2, 3; Exod. 14:21-31; 1 Pet. 1:1-12; John 14:(1-7)8-17
God saves His people and so closes a chapter of their history that has lasted over 400 years. The people now know that their God is not a regional god with power in a particular area like the gods of the nations surrounding them. He has divided the waters over the face of the earth in order to form the dry land, is it too difficult for Him to part the waters of one small sea? The ruination of the armies of Egypt is accomplished without the Israelites defending themselves at all. In the end, they feared God and believed in Him and also in Moses who was the agent through whom the miracle was accomplished. Alas, none of that will last.
Can you imagine how crushing it would have been to have Philip ask to see the Father? Jesus’ response betrays His exasperation with them and their failure to understand. We have to remember, however, that the Holy Spirit had not been given to them at that time and they could hardly have imagined what all these things truly meant, they were too good to be true. In this time, however, Jesus simply asks them to believe and in believing they will see. He does, however, promise the Advocate who will be with us forever. This would certainly have been a great comfort to them as they anticipate His going away.
As yesterday John assured his readers that the blood of Jesus cleanses from sin, now Peter assures his readers that the resurrection of Jesus is their hope of resurrection to eternal life where an inheritance awaits. What joy it must have been to Peter and the others to see those who could not see what they had seen, Jesus in the flesh, with a faith and love for Him equal to their own. Truth remained even after Jesus had gone, thanks be to God for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit! We have seen with eyes of faith that which angels have longed to look upon from the beginning. When was the last time you rejoiced over Jesus with indescribable and glorious joy?
Salvation belongs to the LORD;
your blessing be on your people!
Sunday, April 11, 2010
11 April 2010
Psalm 146, 147; Exod. 14:5-22; 1 Joh 1:1-7; John 14:1-7
They said to Moses, ‘Was it because there were no graves in Egypt that you have taken us away to die in the wilderness? What have you done to us, bringing us out of Egypt? Is this not the very thing we told you in Egypt, “Let us alone and let us serve the Egyptians”? Really, is that what they said? That sounds very much like some of my thoughts when God answers my prayers. Sometimes He answers in ways that don’t look like what I either wanted or expected and the current situation looks worse than the situation out of which I cried for deliverance. The Israelites have plenty to fear but Moses is right, they have only to stand firm. The Lord’s response to Moses is interesting, simply telling him to lead forward, then telling him how they will overcome the immovable object in front of them, then sending the cloud around to the rear to go between them and the irresistible object behind them. The time has come for even greater glory to the Lord.
Jesus makes it simple. I am the way, the truth and the life and no one comes to the Father but by me is as clear as it gets that there are not many roads leading to salvation. There is but one way and that is Jesus, that is known as the scandal of particularity. Why would anyone want another way? It is a clear rejection of the sacrifice of Jesus to even ask for some other way to the Father. When Jesus speaks of preparing a place for us, he is speaking the language of a groom. The groom prepared a place for his bride as an addition onto his father’s house and it was not until that work had been completed to the satisfaction of the father that the wedding was actually scheduled. Jesus’ love for us is such as that between a groom and his intended, do any of the other proposed ways to the Father have such love?
John keeps it simple, if you have fellowship with Jesus, you have fellowship with the Father. Jesus is the truth, the truth that was from beginning. The word of life is Jesus, if we have Him then we walk in light and His blood cleanses us from sin. John is writing to a congregation who is trying to make it difficult. It seems this congregation has been infiltrated by those who would say that Jesus wasn’t really a man, He just seemed to be and the basis for salvation is superior knowledge. To this, John says no, I saw and touched Jesus, He was real and it isn’t superior knowledge that saves, it is simply knowing Jesus and believing in Him. We prefer complicated but rarely is God’s answer complicated.
The LORD sets the prisoners free;
the LORD opens the eyes of the blind.
The LORD lifts up those who are bowed down;
the LORD loves the righteous.
The LORD watches over the sojourners;
he upholds the widow and the fatherless,
but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin.
The LORD will reign forever,
Praise the LORD!
Psalm 146, 147; Exod. 14:5-22; 1 Joh 1:1-7; John 14:1-7
They said to Moses, ‘Was it because there were no graves in Egypt that you have taken us away to die in the wilderness? What have you done to us, bringing us out of Egypt? Is this not the very thing we told you in Egypt, “Let us alone and let us serve the Egyptians”? Really, is that what they said? That sounds very much like some of my thoughts when God answers my prayers. Sometimes He answers in ways that don’t look like what I either wanted or expected and the current situation looks worse than the situation out of which I cried for deliverance. The Israelites have plenty to fear but Moses is right, they have only to stand firm. The Lord’s response to Moses is interesting, simply telling him to lead forward, then telling him how they will overcome the immovable object in front of them, then sending the cloud around to the rear to go between them and the irresistible object behind them. The time has come for even greater glory to the Lord.
Jesus makes it simple. I am the way, the truth and the life and no one comes to the Father but by me is as clear as it gets that there are not many roads leading to salvation. There is but one way and that is Jesus, that is known as the scandal of particularity. Why would anyone want another way? It is a clear rejection of the sacrifice of Jesus to even ask for some other way to the Father. When Jesus speaks of preparing a place for us, he is speaking the language of a groom. The groom prepared a place for his bride as an addition onto his father’s house and it was not until that work had been completed to the satisfaction of the father that the wedding was actually scheduled. Jesus’ love for us is such as that between a groom and his intended, do any of the other proposed ways to the Father have such love?
John keeps it simple, if you have fellowship with Jesus, you have fellowship with the Father. Jesus is the truth, the truth that was from beginning. The word of life is Jesus, if we have Him then we walk in light and His blood cleanses us from sin. John is writing to a congregation who is trying to make it difficult. It seems this congregation has been infiltrated by those who would say that Jesus wasn’t really a man, He just seemed to be and the basis for salvation is superior knowledge. To this, John says no, I saw and touched Jesus, He was real and it isn’t superior knowledge that saves, it is simply knowing Jesus and believing in Him. We prefer complicated but rarely is God’s answer complicated.
The LORD sets the prisoners free;
the LORD opens the eyes of the blind.
The LORD lifts up those who are bowed down;
the LORD loves the righteous.
The LORD watches over the sojourners;
he upholds the widow and the fatherless,
but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin.
The LORD will reign forever,
Praise the LORD!
Saturday, April 10, 2010
10 April 2010
Psalm 145; Exod. 13:17-14:4; 2 Cor. 4:16-5:10; Mark 12:18-27
The Lord chooses the route. He doesn’t send them the direct way, towards the Philistines because they will turn away from war and go back to Egypt. He knew how fragile their faith was at this point. Instead, He chooses to do one last sign for Pharaoh. They double back so that Pharaoh can see them and presume they are lost. The point is to get Pharaoh to follow after them to destroy what he can and bring back what he can. At the same time, He is setting up the Israelites to test their faith and prove Himself as capable even here in the wilderness.
The question the Sadducees pose is obnoxious and it actually sounds like questions non-Christians, primarily atheists, pose today thinking they are clever. Jesus, however, doesn’t simply roll His eyes, but gives them a scriptural answer to their question. The answer concerning our resurrection life is interesting without giving us a great deal of information. Are we like angels in the sense that we don’t marry or are we like angels in other ways? His answer here is simply authoritative. His answer from scripture is one that requires them to think about something they have read and known all their lives but apparently haven’t thought through from a linguistic point of view. Here Jesus affirms the inspiration of Scripture as it is written, not a paraphrase.
Paul again affirms the life of earth as meaningful and important. The body matters. He recognizes that this life is difficult and that our spirit longs to be with the Lord but he also knows that the work of life has meaning and value eternally. When he speaks of judgment of our works, he is not denying salvation by faith. What we often miss is that our lives are lives of faith, the faith we have should be evidenced by the way we live, what is important to us, how we love God and one another plays itself out in the flesh and life. Faith that saves is faith that transforms life.
I will extol you, my God and King,
and bless your name forever and ever.
Every day I will bless you
and praise your name forever and ever.
Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised,
and his greatness is unsearchable.
Psalm 145; Exod. 13:17-14:4; 2 Cor. 4:16-5:10; Mark 12:18-27
The Lord chooses the route. He doesn’t send them the direct way, towards the Philistines because they will turn away from war and go back to Egypt. He knew how fragile their faith was at this point. Instead, He chooses to do one last sign for Pharaoh. They double back so that Pharaoh can see them and presume they are lost. The point is to get Pharaoh to follow after them to destroy what he can and bring back what he can. At the same time, He is setting up the Israelites to test their faith and prove Himself as capable even here in the wilderness.
The question the Sadducees pose is obnoxious and it actually sounds like questions non-Christians, primarily atheists, pose today thinking they are clever. Jesus, however, doesn’t simply roll His eyes, but gives them a scriptural answer to their question. The answer concerning our resurrection life is interesting without giving us a great deal of information. Are we like angels in the sense that we don’t marry or are we like angels in other ways? His answer here is simply authoritative. His answer from scripture is one that requires them to think about something they have read and known all their lives but apparently haven’t thought through from a linguistic point of view. Here Jesus affirms the inspiration of Scripture as it is written, not a paraphrase.
Paul again affirms the life of earth as meaningful and important. The body matters. He recognizes that this life is difficult and that our spirit longs to be with the Lord but he also knows that the work of life has meaning and value eternally. When he speaks of judgment of our works, he is not denying salvation by faith. What we often miss is that our lives are lives of faith, the faith we have should be evidenced by the way we live, what is important to us, how we love God and one another plays itself out in the flesh and life. Faith that saves is faith that transforms life.
I will extol you, my God and King,
and bless your name forever and ever.
Every day I will bless you
and praise your name forever and ever.
Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised,
and his greatness is unsearchable.
Friday, April 9, 2010
9 April 2010
Psalm 136; Exod. 13:1-2,11-16; 1 Cor. 15:51-58; Luke 24:1-12
The redemption of the first born is likewise to be a reminder of the Passover. Passover itself is celebrated once a year but the reminder of the work of God this night is to be a part of all of life, the birth of the first male child, the birth of the first of every litter in the animal world, the first fruits of the harvest, all are meant to recall the night of Passover and all that God has done for His people. Life itself is a celebration of the goodness of the work of God in creation and all the blessings of life are meant to recall His goodness and lovingkindness to His people. All that we have and all that we are is made possible because of His goodness. We see this in our pattern of worship. We only fully celebrate Easter once a year but each week we have a little Easter celebration on the first day of the week in remembrance of that first Easter, and we share in the feast in order to remember.
No one believed Jesus was resurrected from the dead when they first heard it. The women thought it an idle tale and the disciples had to see for themselves. Luke gives us the wonderful question posed to the women. “Why do you look for the living among the dead?” Prior to this day the question was insensible, there were no living here among the dead. Now, however, everything has changed and no one yet knows it. The joy of Easter is a joy all its own, a new truth is proclaimed in the world, what could not be, is. He is indeed the great I AM and the grave cannot hold Him.
There awaits our own personal celebration of Easter. Paul speaks of the day when we shall also participate in the resurrection to eternal life. At present we have this by faith and hope, the certainty that this day will come, but when we see it complete the joy will be indescribable and eternal. We celebrate that truth now, we proclaim it to the world, and we do all this with joy and anticipation. Paul takes one last chance to remind us, however, that in the meantime all that we do matters, the labor in the body is not in vain.
Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good,
for his steadfast love endures forever.
Give thanks to the God of gods,
for his steadfast love endures forever.
Give thanks to the Lord of lords,
for his steadfast love endures forever
Psalm 136; Exod. 13:1-2,11-16; 1 Cor. 15:51-58; Luke 24:1-12
The redemption of the first born is likewise to be a reminder of the Passover. Passover itself is celebrated once a year but the reminder of the work of God this night is to be a part of all of life, the birth of the first male child, the birth of the first of every litter in the animal world, the first fruits of the harvest, all are meant to recall the night of Passover and all that God has done for His people. Life itself is a celebration of the goodness of the work of God in creation and all the blessings of life are meant to recall His goodness and lovingkindness to His people. All that we have and all that we are is made possible because of His goodness. We see this in our pattern of worship. We only fully celebrate Easter once a year but each week we have a little Easter celebration on the first day of the week in remembrance of that first Easter, and we share in the feast in order to remember.
No one believed Jesus was resurrected from the dead when they first heard it. The women thought it an idle tale and the disciples had to see for themselves. Luke gives us the wonderful question posed to the women. “Why do you look for the living among the dead?” Prior to this day the question was insensible, there were no living here among the dead. Now, however, everything has changed and no one yet knows it. The joy of Easter is a joy all its own, a new truth is proclaimed in the world, what could not be, is. He is indeed the great I AM and the grave cannot hold Him.
There awaits our own personal celebration of Easter. Paul speaks of the day when we shall also participate in the resurrection to eternal life. At present we have this by faith and hope, the certainty that this day will come, but when we see it complete the joy will be indescribable and eternal. We celebrate that truth now, we proclaim it to the world, and we do all this with joy and anticipation. Paul takes one last chance to remind us, however, that in the meantime all that we do matters, the labor in the body is not in vain.
Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good,
for his steadfast love endures forever.
Give thanks to the God of gods,
for his steadfast love endures forever.
Give thanks to the Lord of lords,
for his steadfast love endures forever
Thursday, April 8, 2010
8 April 2010
Psalm 146, 147; Exod. 13:3-10; 1 Cor. 15:41-50; Matt. 28:16-20
The feast of unleavened bread commemorates that the people were unable to allow the bread to rise as they fled in haste from Egypt. Leaven signifies sin and corruption in the Bible and they were unable to allow the leaven from Egypt to corrupt even their food as they left. Leaven causes fermentation, the breaking down of the sugars in the grain, in order to allow the bread to rise and God wanted them to remain pure from sin and corruption as they prepare to celebrate the Passover feast again in the land. They are to purge their houses of any old yeast to make way and make room for the new harvest that is coming. The process is called nullification and has its own rituals to ensure that all yeast and any products containing yeast are removed from the house prior to Passover. We use the season of Lent in much the same way if we keep it properly.
The disciples obediently gather in Galilee, just as they had been told to do. Jesus gives them here what we know as the Great Commission, their marching orders for the rest of their lives. They are to go into all the world and make disciples, baptizing in the name of the Trinity and teach those disciples to obey all that He has commanded. How often we are satisfied with the state of our own discipleship if we obey some of what He has commanded! The true disciple, however, sets herself to become like her master or rabbi in every respect. Discipleship sees the teacher as the example for living and undertakes to emulate him in every way, becoming almost indistinguishable in action from the teacher. We are to see in Jesus our example par excellence and set our lives, by the power of the Spirit working in us, to becoming like Him in every respect.
Paul sees again a progression from earth to heaven. What we have here is almost a dress rehearsal for what is to come. We must live well here, in keeping with the commandments of God, in order to inherit the new spiritual and eternal body. That isn’t to say we are saved by works but rather our works are evidence of our faith. To the degree that we believe Jesus is the perfect man, the fulfillment of God’s intention for His supreme creation, then our lives will show forth that belief. Life is never divorced from faith, we are a unity of body and spirit, what we do in the body affects the spirit of a person and vice versa, the old principle of garbage in, garbage out. It all comes back to purging the old leaven and obeying all Jesus has commanded. All this prepares us for eternity.
The LORD sets the prisoners free;
the LORD opens the eyes of the blind.
The LORD lifts up those who are bowed down;
the LORD loves the righteous.
The LORD watches over the sojourners;
he upholds the widow and the fatherless,
but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin.
The LORD will reign forever,
your God, O Zion, to all generations.
Praise the LORD!
Psalm 146, 147; Exod. 13:3-10; 1 Cor. 15:41-50; Matt. 28:16-20
The feast of unleavened bread commemorates that the people were unable to allow the bread to rise as they fled in haste from Egypt. Leaven signifies sin and corruption in the Bible and they were unable to allow the leaven from Egypt to corrupt even their food as they left. Leaven causes fermentation, the breaking down of the sugars in the grain, in order to allow the bread to rise and God wanted them to remain pure from sin and corruption as they prepare to celebrate the Passover feast again in the land. They are to purge their houses of any old yeast to make way and make room for the new harvest that is coming. The process is called nullification and has its own rituals to ensure that all yeast and any products containing yeast are removed from the house prior to Passover. We use the season of Lent in much the same way if we keep it properly.
The disciples obediently gather in Galilee, just as they had been told to do. Jesus gives them here what we know as the Great Commission, their marching orders for the rest of their lives. They are to go into all the world and make disciples, baptizing in the name of the Trinity and teach those disciples to obey all that He has commanded. How often we are satisfied with the state of our own discipleship if we obey some of what He has commanded! The true disciple, however, sets herself to become like her master or rabbi in every respect. Discipleship sees the teacher as the example for living and undertakes to emulate him in every way, becoming almost indistinguishable in action from the teacher. We are to see in Jesus our example par excellence and set our lives, by the power of the Spirit working in us, to becoming like Him in every respect.
Paul sees again a progression from earth to heaven. What we have here is almost a dress rehearsal for what is to come. We must live well here, in keeping with the commandments of God, in order to inherit the new spiritual and eternal body. That isn’t to say we are saved by works but rather our works are evidence of our faith. To the degree that we believe Jesus is the perfect man, the fulfillment of God’s intention for His supreme creation, then our lives will show forth that belief. Life is never divorced from faith, we are a unity of body and spirit, what we do in the body affects the spirit of a person and vice versa, the old principle of garbage in, garbage out. It all comes back to purging the old leaven and obeying all Jesus has commanded. All this prepares us for eternity.
The LORD sets the prisoners free;
the LORD opens the eyes of the blind.
The LORD lifts up those who are bowed down;
the LORD loves the righteous.
The LORD watches over the sojourners;
he upholds the widow and the fatherless,
but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin.
The LORD will reign forever,
your God, O Zion, to all generations.
Praise the LORD!
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
7 April 2010
Psalm 97, 99; Exod. 12:40-51; 1 Cor. 15:29-41; Matt. 28:1-16
The Passover is a believers sacrament, only for those who have accepted the covenant as evidenced by the circumcision of the flesh. It is to be celebrated by the people every year in remembrance of the great work God did for their ancestors in Egypt. It is important for God’s people to have long memories and celebrate His goodness and His lovingkindness towards us. Our worship is built around remembering the work of God in the past, bringing it into the present and proclaiming the future promises. The Passover itself was redemption from slavery in Egypt, but the work of Passover wasn’t complete in that night, it began their journey towards the fulfillment of the promise of the Land. We too are pressing on towards the fulfillment of the promise of a new creation and eternal life in an even better land.
Matthew’s account of the morning of the resurrection is the most detailed of all and accounts for the soldiers’ story that the disciples had stolen the body. That they could possibly have rolled away the stone, retrieved the body and then stolen away with it while not awakening the guards is a ludicrous story yet better ones don’t really present themselves. Today we have people who suggest that Jesus wasn’t resurrected bodily at all, that it was a “spiritual” resurrection that helped the disciples make it through the day. This makes less sense in that the body is what matters. The other option is simply that this life doesn’t really matter other than the spiritual life and there is no room in the Gospel for this sort of dualism of body and spirit. That Jesus took on bodily form tells us that idea won’t work, God could simply have poured out His Spirit without the necessity of taking on flesh. The body has to be accounted for and the people of that time knew that better, it seems, than some people today.
Paul notes that some were baptized for the dead without giving context for the practice and without approving it. We never see Paul teaching this anywhere in his writings so we can only assume it was a superstitious practice rather than a practice of the church proper. Paul speaks to basic objections about the resurrection, our bodies decay therefore what is raised? Paul says that there are two different kinds of bodies, the earthly and the heavenly, this one is clearly destined to wear down and wear out so it is not fit for eternal life, we need a new body, an imperishable one. He does not tell us what particular form this is, only that it has a different “glory” than the one in which we live now. In saying this, Paul affirms again that Christians aren’t dualists as we saw yesterday, this body has a glory of its own, and in it we are to glorify our Father, our creator, just as Jesus glorified Him in this mortal flesh.
The LORD reigns; let the peoples tremble!
He sits enthroned upon the cherubim; let the earth quake!
Let them praise your great and awesome name!
Holy is he!
Psalm 97, 99; Exod. 12:40-51; 1 Cor. 15:29-41; Matt. 28:1-16
The Passover is a believers sacrament, only for those who have accepted the covenant as evidenced by the circumcision of the flesh. It is to be celebrated by the people every year in remembrance of the great work God did for their ancestors in Egypt. It is important for God’s people to have long memories and celebrate His goodness and His lovingkindness towards us. Our worship is built around remembering the work of God in the past, bringing it into the present and proclaiming the future promises. The Passover itself was redemption from slavery in Egypt, but the work of Passover wasn’t complete in that night, it began their journey towards the fulfillment of the promise of the Land. We too are pressing on towards the fulfillment of the promise of a new creation and eternal life in an even better land.
Matthew’s account of the morning of the resurrection is the most detailed of all and accounts for the soldiers’ story that the disciples had stolen the body. That they could possibly have rolled away the stone, retrieved the body and then stolen away with it while not awakening the guards is a ludicrous story yet better ones don’t really present themselves. Today we have people who suggest that Jesus wasn’t resurrected bodily at all, that it was a “spiritual” resurrection that helped the disciples make it through the day. This makes less sense in that the body is what matters. The other option is simply that this life doesn’t really matter other than the spiritual life and there is no room in the Gospel for this sort of dualism of body and spirit. That Jesus took on bodily form tells us that idea won’t work, God could simply have poured out His Spirit without the necessity of taking on flesh. The body has to be accounted for and the people of that time knew that better, it seems, than some people today.
Paul notes that some were baptized for the dead without giving context for the practice and without approving it. We never see Paul teaching this anywhere in his writings so we can only assume it was a superstitious practice rather than a practice of the church proper. Paul speaks to basic objections about the resurrection, our bodies decay therefore what is raised? Paul says that there are two different kinds of bodies, the earthly and the heavenly, this one is clearly destined to wear down and wear out so it is not fit for eternal life, we need a new body, an imperishable one. He does not tell us what particular form this is, only that it has a different “glory” than the one in which we live now. In saying this, Paul affirms again that Christians aren’t dualists as we saw yesterday, this body has a glory of its own, and in it we are to glorify our Father, our creator, just as Jesus glorified Him in this mortal flesh.
The LORD reigns; let the peoples tremble!
He sits enthroned upon the cherubim; let the earth quake!
Let them praise your great and awesome name!
Holy is he!
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
6 April 2010
Psalm 103; Exod. 12:28-39; 1 Cor. 15:12-28; Mark 16:9-20
The fulfillment of a long-ago promise. In Genesis 15 we read of the Lord’s promise to Abraham concerning the people being enslaved in Egypt for 400 years and now the Lord is fulfilling the promise to deliver them. It seems a horrible thing to destroy the first-born males in Egypt yet there were so many signs before that, if they had been heeded by the Egyptians, could have averted this disaster. Pharaoh had been exposed as insignificant to the God of the Hebrews so they have no excuses for not leaving Pharaoh and he has no excuses for not letting the people go. It would be hard to imagine this incredible procession of people and animals out of Egypt and into the wilderness, bound for the Promised Land.
Having lived in the south my entire life I have always been aware of people handling snakes and drinking poison as part of their religion in the name of Jesus. It continues to baffle me how this does not also fall under the category of not tempting God. The ending of the book of Mark that contains this particular verse is much in dispute as to whether it actually belongs in the canon of Scripture as it isn’t in the oldest and best manuscripts. Even if we include it, it doesn’t seem to encourage the “practice” of picking up snakes. We see Paul once bitten by a snake in Acts 28.3-6 but the event looks nothing like the worship practices of these folks. The larger picture of the Gospel simply tells us to believe and to be on mission trusting Him in all circumstances, resting in the promise of presence.
Paul rightly argues that if there is no resurrection then we believe in vain. The very hope of the Christian is the resurrection to eternal life, if this is not true then there is no Gospel at all. Paul’s proclamation begins at the cross but even the cross finds its significance in the empty tomb. From the empty tomb we know that death is not the final answer, that God has power over death itself. Our hope is that as Jesus ascended to be with the Father in heaven, so too will we one day share with Him that same blessed fellowship. Paul then gives the progression from Jesus ascending to reigning to defeating death forever and the fullness of His kingdom established. We live in faith believing as Abraham did, that one day the kingdom will be established and in the meantime it is our joy to proclaim this wonderful message of redemption.
Bless the LORD, O my soul,
and all that is within me,
bless his holy name!
Bless the LORD, O my soul,
and forget not all his benefits,
who forgives all your iniquity,
who heals all your diseases,
who redeems your life from the pit,
who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy,
who satisfies you with good
so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.
Psalm 103; Exod. 12:28-39; 1 Cor. 15:12-28; Mark 16:9-20
The fulfillment of a long-ago promise. In Genesis 15 we read of the Lord’s promise to Abraham concerning the people being enslaved in Egypt for 400 years and now the Lord is fulfilling the promise to deliver them. It seems a horrible thing to destroy the first-born males in Egypt yet there were so many signs before that, if they had been heeded by the Egyptians, could have averted this disaster. Pharaoh had been exposed as insignificant to the God of the Hebrews so they have no excuses for not leaving Pharaoh and he has no excuses for not letting the people go. It would be hard to imagine this incredible procession of people and animals out of Egypt and into the wilderness, bound for the Promised Land.
Having lived in the south my entire life I have always been aware of people handling snakes and drinking poison as part of their religion in the name of Jesus. It continues to baffle me how this does not also fall under the category of not tempting God. The ending of the book of Mark that contains this particular verse is much in dispute as to whether it actually belongs in the canon of Scripture as it isn’t in the oldest and best manuscripts. Even if we include it, it doesn’t seem to encourage the “practice” of picking up snakes. We see Paul once bitten by a snake in Acts 28.3-6 but the event looks nothing like the worship practices of these folks. The larger picture of the Gospel simply tells us to believe and to be on mission trusting Him in all circumstances, resting in the promise of presence.
Paul rightly argues that if there is no resurrection then we believe in vain. The very hope of the Christian is the resurrection to eternal life, if this is not true then there is no Gospel at all. Paul’s proclamation begins at the cross but even the cross finds its significance in the empty tomb. From the empty tomb we know that death is not the final answer, that God has power over death itself. Our hope is that as Jesus ascended to be with the Father in heaven, so too will we one day share with Him that same blessed fellowship. Paul then gives the progression from Jesus ascending to reigning to defeating death forever and the fullness of His kingdom established. We live in faith believing as Abraham did, that one day the kingdom will be established and in the meantime it is our joy to proclaim this wonderful message of redemption.
Bless the LORD, O my soul,
and all that is within me,
bless his holy name!
Bless the LORD, O my soul,
and forget not all his benefits,
who forgives all your iniquity,
who heals all your diseases,
who redeems your life from the pit,
who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy,
who satisfies you with good
so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.
Monday, April 5, 2010
5 April 2010 – Easter Monday
Psalm 93, 98; Exod. 12:14-27; 1 Cor. 15:1-11; Mark 16:1-8
The commandment contains the promise. Embedded in the instructions for how to keep the festival is the presumption that they will be in the land to keep the feast. It is implicit in the passage that they are now coming out of Egypt, that this night will change everything for the people. When Jesus re-visioned the Passover, re-interpreting the symbolism, the presumption was that everything would be different very soon. Here Moses gives the commands for keeping this Passover but not only this one but those that will follow when they have come to the Promised Land.
Though the “young man” instructed them to go and tell, they went and told no one for fear. It is hard to imagine what they would have experienced in this encounter. They had busily prepared for the anointing of Jesus as it couldn’t be done prior to placing His body into the tomb as it was the Sabbath since Jesus died about sundown on Friday. They had waited all day Saturday and now went out as soon as they could to perform the task of love. They were surely surprised and most likely either frightened or puzzled when they saw the stone rolled away from the mouth of the cave. Had someone gotten there ahead of them and was already at work anointing the body or was there foul play? The words they heard from the young man must have been incomprehensible to them as it was not possible for anyone to come back from the dead and even so, who could have rolled away the stone, not the man they had seen on the cross, beaten and bloody, unable to carry the cross? Terror and amazement almost seem like inadequate words for what they must have felt.
Paul gives us what the women did not know that morning, that all that they witnessed was for them. The implications of the crucifixion and the resurrection were greater than they could have imagined. What they saw was a game-changer for the entire world. The death of God’s only-begotten Son was the Passover for all who would believe in Him and it meant that all who believe in Him would also be resurrected from the dead to eternal life. Paul didn’t believe it until Jesus was made manifest to him on the road to Damascus but He appeared to Paul no less than to the disciples. Paul is making his claim to apostolicity in including himself in those to whom Jesus appeared and his claim is backed up by a group of people who were there to see and hear what happened that day and also those at the house in Damascus where he was and Ananais who prayed for him and prophesied over him. His reaction to the news was no less amazement than the women. We should expect that people will be amazed when they come to realize that this incredible story is true, we should constantly be amazed at it ourselves.
The LORD reigns; he is robed in majesty;
the LORD is robed; he has put on strength as his belt.
Yes, the world is established; it shall never be moved.
Your throne is established from of old;
you are from everlasting.
Psalm 93, 98; Exod. 12:14-27; 1 Cor. 15:1-11; Mark 16:1-8
The commandment contains the promise. Embedded in the instructions for how to keep the festival is the presumption that they will be in the land to keep the feast. It is implicit in the passage that they are now coming out of Egypt, that this night will change everything for the people. When Jesus re-visioned the Passover, re-interpreting the symbolism, the presumption was that everything would be different very soon. Here Moses gives the commands for keeping this Passover but not only this one but those that will follow when they have come to the Promised Land.
Though the “young man” instructed them to go and tell, they went and told no one for fear. It is hard to imagine what they would have experienced in this encounter. They had busily prepared for the anointing of Jesus as it couldn’t be done prior to placing His body into the tomb as it was the Sabbath since Jesus died about sundown on Friday. They had waited all day Saturday and now went out as soon as they could to perform the task of love. They were surely surprised and most likely either frightened or puzzled when they saw the stone rolled away from the mouth of the cave. Had someone gotten there ahead of them and was already at work anointing the body or was there foul play? The words they heard from the young man must have been incomprehensible to them as it was not possible for anyone to come back from the dead and even so, who could have rolled away the stone, not the man they had seen on the cross, beaten and bloody, unable to carry the cross? Terror and amazement almost seem like inadequate words for what they must have felt.
Paul gives us what the women did not know that morning, that all that they witnessed was for them. The implications of the crucifixion and the resurrection were greater than they could have imagined. What they saw was a game-changer for the entire world. The death of God’s only-begotten Son was the Passover for all who would believe in Him and it meant that all who believe in Him would also be resurrected from the dead to eternal life. Paul didn’t believe it until Jesus was made manifest to him on the road to Damascus but He appeared to Paul no less than to the disciples. Paul is making his claim to apostolicity in including himself in those to whom Jesus appeared and his claim is backed up by a group of people who were there to see and hear what happened that day and also those at the house in Damascus where he was and Ananais who prayed for him and prophesied over him. His reaction to the news was no less amazement than the women. We should expect that people will be amazed when they come to realize that this incredible story is true, we should constantly be amazed at it ourselves.
The LORD reigns; he is robed in majesty;
the LORD is robed; he has put on strength as his belt.
Yes, the world is established; it shall never be moved.
Your throne is established from of old;
you are from everlasting.
Sunday, April 4, 2010
4 April 2010 – Easter
Psalm 148, 149, 150; Exod. 12:1-14; John 1:1-18
Jesus is the fulfillment of the Passover from Egypt. The calendar of the people of God was always out of sync with the calendar of the rest of the world, from this day of Passover forward. Their new life began on the day that the Lord announced that He would deliver them from Egypt, and the Passover festival was ten days later. The lamb who was slain and eaten by the people of Israel, having done as God commanded with the blood on the doorpost, became the symbol of the day. The lamb had to be kept with the family several days prior to its sacrifice, ensuring that it was personally difficult to slaughter it, a true sacrifice. This sacrifice, however, was only the beginning of the sacrifices required to maintain covenant relationship with God, but it was the one that initiated and defined the relationship. It was to be a celebration in remembrance of what the Lord did this night but also the promise of what was to come for those who keep Passover.
John’s prologue is unmatched in the Biblical literature for its beauty and its powerful statement of who was Jesus. On this day of days, which has become for us the demarcation line between two eras, before Christ and after his death, it is an incredible statement of truth that “the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.” The glory of Jesus and the glorification of Jesus are complete in the resurrection from the dead. What was once corruptible flesh is now being glorified and becoming incorruptible, and the completion of the process allows us to take on His Spirit, the firstfruits of the kingdom in us now.
What joy the disciples must have experienced but not before passing through disbelief at the testimony of the women that surely could not be true. Peter and John had to see for themselves and yet even then, how could they believe that the explanation was resurrection as opposed to someone removing the body? Easter morning surely had their emotions running riot, a vast emptiness on awakening replaced by this news and then, what, how do you come to believe that this is true? We tend to give Thomas a hard time as he would only believe when he saw, but could anyone?
Welcome Happy Morning age to age shall say:
hell today is vanquished,
heaven is won today!
Lo! the dead is living, God for evermore!
Him their true Creator, all his works adore!
Psalm 148, 149, 150; Exod. 12:1-14; John 1:1-18
Jesus is the fulfillment of the Passover from Egypt. The calendar of the people of God was always out of sync with the calendar of the rest of the world, from this day of Passover forward. Their new life began on the day that the Lord announced that He would deliver them from Egypt, and the Passover festival was ten days later. The lamb who was slain and eaten by the people of Israel, having done as God commanded with the blood on the doorpost, became the symbol of the day. The lamb had to be kept with the family several days prior to its sacrifice, ensuring that it was personally difficult to slaughter it, a true sacrifice. This sacrifice, however, was only the beginning of the sacrifices required to maintain covenant relationship with God, but it was the one that initiated and defined the relationship. It was to be a celebration in remembrance of what the Lord did this night but also the promise of what was to come for those who keep Passover.
John’s prologue is unmatched in the Biblical literature for its beauty and its powerful statement of who was Jesus. On this day of days, which has become for us the demarcation line between two eras, before Christ and after his death, it is an incredible statement of truth that “the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.” The glory of Jesus and the glorification of Jesus are complete in the resurrection from the dead. What was once corruptible flesh is now being glorified and becoming incorruptible, and the completion of the process allows us to take on His Spirit, the firstfruits of the kingdom in us now.
What joy the disciples must have experienced but not before passing through disbelief at the testimony of the women that surely could not be true. Peter and John had to see for themselves and yet even then, how could they believe that the explanation was resurrection as opposed to someone removing the body? Easter morning surely had their emotions running riot, a vast emptiness on awakening replaced by this news and then, what, how do you come to believe that this is true? We tend to give Thomas a hard time as he would only believe when he saw, but could anyone?
Welcome Happy Morning age to age shall say:
hell today is vanquished,
heaven is won today!
Lo! the dead is living, God for evermore!
Him their true Creator, all his works adore!
Saturday, April 3, 2010
3 April 2010
Psalm 88; Lam. 3:37-58; Heb. 4:1-16
The prophet determines that the Lord is just. He sees that this devastation if punishment for sin, sin that has not been repented of. The best advice anyone ever gave is in this passage, “Let us lift up our hearts as well as our hands to God in heaven.” It is in the turning to God with not only raised hands in worship but raised hearts that makes the change. In our worship we call this the Sursum Corda, “Lift up your hearts. We lift them up unto the Lord.” It is in that action that we begin to worship Him for all He has done for us and we look to Him like little birds for sustenance, and then we receive the sacrament of His body and blood, the holy food and drink of new and unending life in Him. It all begins with the realization that sin is the problem and Jesus is the solution. At the end of the passage we have almost a recap of Jonah crying out to the Lord from the belly of the fish and the exclamation that God has acted on his behalf.
This day, Holy Saturday, the Jewish Sabbath, God again rested from His work. The body of Jesus lay in the tomb while His disciples fretted and lived in a world without hope. It would be difficult to say which day was the most difficult for them, while Jesus was alive on Friday there was surely at least some glimmer of hope that said, this won’t end this way, but on the Sabbath there was no hope at all and what could they have done and where could they have gone this day? They would be afraid to be in Jerusalem so it seems likely that they made no move out of their location for fear of the Jews, so they were left alone with their shared grief, doubts and fears.
The writer of Hebrews tells of this rest that we now have the possibility of entering, the rest of God. The doorway to rest is Jesus. It does not mean that we will have no pain or fear or doubt in this life. What it does promise is that we are never alone and we can cease striving to enter the rest and can have faith in the fulfillment of the promise of God. Our striving is in vain and our only work is to approach the throne with lifted hearts seeking mercy and love.
O LORD, God of my salvation;
I cry out day and night before you.
Let my prayer come before you;
incline your ear to my cry!
Psalm 88; Lam. 3:37-58; Heb. 4:1-16
The prophet determines that the Lord is just. He sees that this devastation if punishment for sin, sin that has not been repented of. The best advice anyone ever gave is in this passage, “Let us lift up our hearts as well as our hands to God in heaven.” It is in the turning to God with not only raised hands in worship but raised hearts that makes the change. In our worship we call this the Sursum Corda, “Lift up your hearts. We lift them up unto the Lord.” It is in that action that we begin to worship Him for all He has done for us and we look to Him like little birds for sustenance, and then we receive the sacrament of His body and blood, the holy food and drink of new and unending life in Him. It all begins with the realization that sin is the problem and Jesus is the solution. At the end of the passage we have almost a recap of Jonah crying out to the Lord from the belly of the fish and the exclamation that God has acted on his behalf.
This day, Holy Saturday, the Jewish Sabbath, God again rested from His work. The body of Jesus lay in the tomb while His disciples fretted and lived in a world without hope. It would be difficult to say which day was the most difficult for them, while Jesus was alive on Friday there was surely at least some glimmer of hope that said, this won’t end this way, but on the Sabbath there was no hope at all and what could they have done and where could they have gone this day? They would be afraid to be in Jerusalem so it seems likely that they made no move out of their location for fear of the Jews, so they were left alone with their shared grief, doubts and fears.
The writer of Hebrews tells of this rest that we now have the possibility of entering, the rest of God. The doorway to rest is Jesus. It does not mean that we will have no pain or fear or doubt in this life. What it does promise is that we are never alone and we can cease striving to enter the rest and can have faith in the fulfillment of the promise of God. Our striving is in vain and our only work is to approach the throne with lifted hearts seeking mercy and love.
O LORD, God of my salvation;
I cry out day and night before you.
Let my prayer come before you;
incline your ear to my cry!
Friday, April 2, 2010
2 April 2010
Psalm 22; Lam. 3:1-9, 19-33; 1 Pet. 1:10-20; John 13:36-38
The lament begins to turn to hope. The final sentences of the lament are filled with bitterness, they describe a person like Job whose very existence becomes a torment and then, suddenly, the lament turns to remembering who the Lord is. The truth of the steadfast lovingkindness of God becomes hope breaking in. “The Lord is my portion, therefore I will hope in him” is an important realization and affirmation. It is not simply a nice aphorism, it must be a reality for us, He must be our portion if we are to have hope and persevere in difficult times. So long as we look for solace and support in other places we will continually be disappointed. It isn’t natural to us to wait on the Lord or to seek Him, we are accustomed to making things happen and yet if we do not wait upon the Lord we will not know His consolations and mercies.
How painful it must have been for Peter when he realized that his denials fulfilled Jesus’ prophetic words. It would have been of little consolation to him that Jesus was a great prophet to have told him these things. Peter wanted to be bold, believed he would be bold, but when the heat got turned up he melted. Once restored, after the resurrection, however, Peter became much bolder. Where in the hour of need Peter denied Jesus to even slave girls, he later boldly proclaimed Jesus before the Sanhedrin “there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved." The Holy Spirit can give someone the courage they want to have for the Gospel.
“Like obedient children, do not be conformed to the desires that you formerly had in ignorance.” Peter had his own desires when he was in ignorance, before Christ was fully revealed. He had a desire for a Messiah without a cross and he had a desire to be important in the kingdom of the Messiah in the way of earthly importance rather than the way Jesus offered, the way of servanthood. Have we contemplated the truth of the cross, the way of the cross in our own lives lately? Today is the day to consider what the cross looks like in your life right now, what is the action God is calling you to take to bear the cross of the suffering servant in order to reach others? Taking up the cross is a good corrective to the desires of the flesh.
From you comes my praise in the great congregation;
my vows I will perform before those who fear him.
The afflicted shall eat and be satisfied;
those who seek him shall praise the LORD!
May your hearts live forever!
Psalm 22; Lam. 3:1-9, 19-33; 1 Pet. 1:10-20; John 13:36-38
The lament begins to turn to hope. The final sentences of the lament are filled with bitterness, they describe a person like Job whose very existence becomes a torment and then, suddenly, the lament turns to remembering who the Lord is. The truth of the steadfast lovingkindness of God becomes hope breaking in. “The Lord is my portion, therefore I will hope in him” is an important realization and affirmation. It is not simply a nice aphorism, it must be a reality for us, He must be our portion if we are to have hope and persevere in difficult times. So long as we look for solace and support in other places we will continually be disappointed. It isn’t natural to us to wait on the Lord or to seek Him, we are accustomed to making things happen and yet if we do not wait upon the Lord we will not know His consolations and mercies.
How painful it must have been for Peter when he realized that his denials fulfilled Jesus’ prophetic words. It would have been of little consolation to him that Jesus was a great prophet to have told him these things. Peter wanted to be bold, believed he would be bold, but when the heat got turned up he melted. Once restored, after the resurrection, however, Peter became much bolder. Where in the hour of need Peter denied Jesus to even slave girls, he later boldly proclaimed Jesus before the Sanhedrin “there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved." The Holy Spirit can give someone the courage they want to have for the Gospel.
“Like obedient children, do not be conformed to the desires that you formerly had in ignorance.” Peter had his own desires when he was in ignorance, before Christ was fully revealed. He had a desire for a Messiah without a cross and he had a desire to be important in the kingdom of the Messiah in the way of earthly importance rather than the way Jesus offered, the way of servanthood. Have we contemplated the truth of the cross, the way of the cross in our own lives lately? Today is the day to consider what the cross looks like in your life right now, what is the action God is calling you to take to bear the cross of the suffering servant in order to reach others? Taking up the cross is a good corrective to the desires of the flesh.
From you comes my praise in the great congregation;
my vows I will perform before those who fear him.
The afflicted shall eat and be satisfied;
those who seek him shall praise the LORD!
May your hearts live forever!
Thursday, April 1, 2010
1 April 2010
Psalm 102; Lam. 2:10-18; 1 Cor. 10:14-17, 11:27-32; Mark 14:12-25
The mourning over Jerusalem continues but moves toward the understanding that they are to blame for all that has happened. The prophets have prophesied falsely and because they have done so the people have had no warning, no chance to repent of their sin. This is the Lord’s doing because of their sin, but who would ever have thought He would have carried it out and destroyed the place where His Name is made known. The prophet makes no pretense of innocence or justice, they have gotten what they deserve. To hear this prophetic word would be difficult to say the least. We never like to look within when things go badly in our lives and take the responsibility, much less in this situation. His advice is to allow the grief and guilt to roll down over them in order that they resolve to change.
Jesus re-interprets the symbolism of the feast and in the process gives us a new sacrament. When He does this is important, at the Passover feast, the memorial of the people’s deliverance from Egypt. They are remembering the plague of the death of the firstborn in Egypt, with the exception of those whose doorposts were covered in the blood of the Passover lamb. The festival called the people to a remembrance of that night when God’s people were clearly identified and they truly became the people of God through His mercy towards them. We are those who have received mercy we did not merit through the body and blood of Jesus. Obedience to the command (mandatum thus Maundy Thursday) is in line with that Passover feast. The sacrifice of Jesus was once offered, we simply keep it as remembrance of what He has done for us and the continuing benefit of the sacrifice.
Paul gives instruction as to the taking of communion. He has been talking about them not sharing in feasts to idols, even for the sake of evangelism, and now turns to how we are to share in the feast of the body and blood of Jesus. We are to “discern the body.” What he clearly means is that we are to confess our sins and prepare ourselves for eating the bread and drinking the cup, not because he believes in some magical properties of bread and wine, but also not because the feast is a memorial, but that something real happens in that feast. If something real were not present there would be no physical consequences such as those Paul mentions. We share in this communion as those who have confessed our sins and committed our lives to the One who gave His life for us. Obedience to the command requires us to be obedient to have prepared ourselves to receive the cup of grace and mercy as forgiven sinners.
Let this be recorded for a generation to come,
so that a people yet to be created may praise the LORD:
that he looked down from his holy height;
from heaven the LORD looked at the earth,
to hear the groans of the prisoners,
to set free those who were doomed to die,
Psalm 102; Lam. 2:10-18; 1 Cor. 10:14-17, 11:27-32; Mark 14:12-25
The mourning over Jerusalem continues but moves toward the understanding that they are to blame for all that has happened. The prophets have prophesied falsely and because they have done so the people have had no warning, no chance to repent of their sin. This is the Lord’s doing because of their sin, but who would ever have thought He would have carried it out and destroyed the place where His Name is made known. The prophet makes no pretense of innocence or justice, they have gotten what they deserve. To hear this prophetic word would be difficult to say the least. We never like to look within when things go badly in our lives and take the responsibility, much less in this situation. His advice is to allow the grief and guilt to roll down over them in order that they resolve to change.
Jesus re-interprets the symbolism of the feast and in the process gives us a new sacrament. When He does this is important, at the Passover feast, the memorial of the people’s deliverance from Egypt. They are remembering the plague of the death of the firstborn in Egypt, with the exception of those whose doorposts were covered in the blood of the Passover lamb. The festival called the people to a remembrance of that night when God’s people were clearly identified and they truly became the people of God through His mercy towards them. We are those who have received mercy we did not merit through the body and blood of Jesus. Obedience to the command (mandatum thus Maundy Thursday) is in line with that Passover feast. The sacrifice of Jesus was once offered, we simply keep it as remembrance of what He has done for us and the continuing benefit of the sacrifice.
Paul gives instruction as to the taking of communion. He has been talking about them not sharing in feasts to idols, even for the sake of evangelism, and now turns to how we are to share in the feast of the body and blood of Jesus. We are to “discern the body.” What he clearly means is that we are to confess our sins and prepare ourselves for eating the bread and drinking the cup, not because he believes in some magical properties of bread and wine, but also not because the feast is a memorial, but that something real happens in that feast. If something real were not present there would be no physical consequences such as those Paul mentions. We share in this communion as those who have confessed our sins and committed our lives to the One who gave His life for us. Obedience to the command requires us to be obedient to have prepared ourselves to receive the cup of grace and mercy as forgiven sinners.
Let this be recorded for a generation to come,
so that a people yet to be created may praise the LORD:
that he looked down from his holy height;
from heaven the LORD looked at the earth,
to hear the groans of the prisoners,
to set free those who were doomed to die,
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