Wed, May 30th - 7:26PM
WHO IS THIS JESUS?
"He answered and said to them, He that sows the good seed is the Son of man (Matthew 13:37);"
This verse begins the demanded explanation by the disciples of the parable of the tares in the field. This parable is often considered as the "second mystery" proposed by Christ. Jesus revealed to the disciples that the Son of man was the One who sowed good seed out in the world. Jesus is the Son of man. Then, in verse 41, "The Son of man shall send out His angels, and they shall gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity." "Anomia" has been translated literally to be lawlessness since it's root word is nomos meaning law and by adding "a" as the prefix we end up with the lawlessness. In the New Testament it is usually rendered as "iniquity" which means unrighteousness. It must be duly noted here that everything which offends God is to be removed from creation. He shall send out His holy angels to gather all that offends Him, to have it removed from His presence forever. This is something that unbelievers simply can't accept as happening to them, if God is a loving God. They conveniently forget that God is also just, righteous, pure, and holy. Liberal Christians also believe that God can't possibly condemn "innocent" people to eternal punishment simply for being homosexual or for being sexually promiscuous. They too forget all of the attributes of God beyond that of Him being "Love."
"When Jesus came to the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am(Matthew 16:13)?"
Here Jesus Christ flatly stated that He was the Son of man. He wanted to hear from His disciples what the talk on the streets about Him was.
"And as they came down from the mountain, Jesus charged them, saying, Tell the vision to no man, until the Son of man be risen again from the dead (Matthew 17:9)."
We find this verse at the end of the transfiguration of Jesus upon the mount. Christ forbade the three of them from telling anyone about this incident until He had risen from the grave. Again, Christ refers to Himself as the "Son of man." In verse 22 of this same chapter of Matthew we find again Jesus refering to Himself as the Son of man. He is mentioning the fact that He must be betrayed into the hands of men. "For as the lightning comes out of the east, and shines even to the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be (Matthew 24:27)." Here we learn that when Christ returns the second time that it will be as brilliant as when lightning bolts span the night time sky and light the landscape up like it is daylight. The Son of man will not slink back into our physical universe from heaven. Everyone on this planet will know that He has returned. "And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory (Matthew 24:30)." Here we learn of Christ's Second Advent. People who have refused to accept that Christ is real, that God is real, and that they ought to repent of their sinful ways, shall mourn at the sight of the returning Christ. Jesus comes this next time as the King of kings and the Lord of lords. There will be no attempts made upon His life, no taunting and heckling, no arrogance, no spitting in the face of the God of the universe. Christ comes in full glory, omnipotent, omniscient, just, righteous, and holy. Every knee shall bow, every tongue confess, that Christ IS God Almighty. "Therefore you be ready also: for in such an hour as you do not think so, the Son of man comes (Matthew 24:44)." We learn here that since no one can determine when exactly Christ will return, that we are all to become prepared for Him to appear at any point in time. "When the Son of man shall come in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then shall He sit on the throne of His glory; And before Him shall be gathered all nations: and He shall separate them one from another, as a sheperd divides his sheep from the goats (Matthew 25:31-32):" Jesus Christ will not return to earth all alone. He comes with all of the holy angels from heaven surrounding Him. We find that the Son of man is to sit in judgment of mankind. Everyone who remains alive on earth shall be brought before Christ's throne in Jerusalem and be separated one from another. The continuing verses reveal to us that those who are separated to His right hand side are to enter into heaven for they have accepted Him as their Savior; those separated to His left hand side are to be cast into everlasting fire alongside Satan and his demons. At the very end of this passage we have revealed to us the fact that there shall be everlasting punishment for those who reject Christ while those who accept Him receive eternal life with God. "You know that in two days is the feast of the passover, and the Son of man is betrayed to be crucified." "The Son of man goes as it is written of Him: but woe to that man by whom the Son of man is betrayed! it had been good for that man if he had not been born." "Then came He to His disciples, and said to them, Sleep on now, and take your rest; behold, the hour is at hand, and the Son of man is betrayed into the hands of sinners" (Matthew 26:2, 24, 45)." Christ continues to refer to Himself as the Son of man, even as the appointed time of His betrayal by Judas Iscariot rapidly approaches. Christ provided the disciples with enough information that they ought to have been on the lookout for a betrayer to show his face. The irony in this is that Christ, who is without any sin, is betrayed into the hands of sinners. He who had come with the express purpose to redeem those sinners is betrayed and seized by those very sinners. Angry men, bent on revenge, intent upon taking from the Son of God that which did not belong to them: authority to rule over men. That is all for today beloved. Next time I shall pick up this thread of study in the Book of Mark. I hope that you continue to follow along for we have miles and miles to go. God bless you all, and keep you safe from harm and injury. ~Eric
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Tue, May 15th - 6:09PM
WHO IS THIS JESUS?
As I continue looking at Jesus, I must consider Him as the Son of man. This aspect arises in Matthew 12:1-8 where the account of when Jesus and the disciples went through a corn field on the sabbath day and picked corn and ate it. The Pharisees saw this and upbraided Jesus concerning the unlawful behavior of His disciples out in the cornfield.
"At that time Jesus went on the sabbath day through the corn; and His disciples were hungry, and began to pluck the ears of corn, and to eat them. But when the Pharisees saw this, they said to Him, Behold, Your disciples do that which is not lawful to do upon the sabbath day. But Jesus said to them, Have you not read what David did, when he was hungry, and they that were with him; How he entered into the house of God, and did eat the showbread, which was not lawful for him to eat, neither for them which were with him, but only for the priests? Or have you not read in the law, how that on the sabbath days the priests in the temple profane the sabbath, and are blameless? But I say to you, That in this place is One greater than the temple. But if you had known what this meant, "I will have mercy, and not sacrifice", you would not have condemned the guiltless. For the Son of man is Lord even of the sabbath day."
The sabbath ("cessation") appears in Scripture as the day of God's rest in the finished work of creation (Genesis 2:2-3). For 2500 years of human life absolutely no mention is made of it. Then the sabbath was revealed (Exodus 16:23; Nehemiah 9:13-14); made a part of the law (Exodus 20:8-11); and invested with the character of a "sign" between Jehovah and Israel, and a perpetual reminder to Israel of their separation to God (Exodus 31:13-17). It was observed by complete rest (Exodus 35:2-3), and by Jehovah's express order a man was put to death for gathering sticks on the sabbath day (Numbers 15:32-36). Apart from maintaining the continued burnt-offering (Numbers 28:9), and its connection with the annual feasts (Exodus 12:16; Leviticus 23:3,8; Numbers 28:25), the seventh-day sabbath was never made a day of sacrifice, worship, or any manner of religious service. It was simply and only a day of complete rest for man and beast, a humane provision for man's needs.
In Christ's words, "The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath (Mark 2:27)." Christ Jesus found the observance of the day cluttered with rabbinical evasions (Matthew 12:2) and restrictions, completely unknown to the law, so that He Himself was held to be a sabbath-breaker by the religious rulers of that day. We must recognize that the sabbath will again be observed during the kingdom-age (Isaiah 66:23).
The Christian "first day" perpetuates in the dispensation of grace the principle that one-seventh of the time is especially sacred, and is to be the "first fruits" offered up to Jehovah. In all other respects this first day is in contrast with the sabbath day. One is the seventh day, the other the first. The sabbath commemorates God's creation rest, the first day Christ's resurrection. On the seventh day God rested, on the first day Christ was ceaselessly active. The sabbath commemorates a finished creation, the first day a finished redemption. The sabbath was a day of legal obligation, the first day one of voluntary worship and service. The sabbath is mentioned in the Acts only in connection with the Jews, and in the rest of the New Testament but twice (Colossians 2:16; Hebrews 4:4). In these passages the seventh day sabbath is explained to be to the Christian not a day to be observed, but a type of the present rest into which he/she enters when "he also ceases from his own works" and trusts Christ completely.
Jesus Christ's action in this passage in Matthew is highly significant. "What David did" refers to the time of his rejection and persecution by King Saul (I Samuel 21:6). Jesus here is not so much the rejected Savior as the rejected King; therefore the reference to David. It is also seen that the Levite priests serving within the Tabernacle, and later in the Temple, were not taken out and stoned to death because they failed to rest on the sabbath day. To the Pharisees the Temple was greater than all. No one could defy its laws, its ordinances, its traditions. That was their interpretation, not God's. Christ meant to set them straight on this issue. Later in this chapter Jesus pushed the issue further. In verses 10-12 Jesus was presented with a man whose hand was withered. He was asked if it was lawful to heal such a thing on the sabbath day. It was well known that if anyone's domesticated animals needed to be saved, healed, or recovered on the sabbath day then it could be done. Jesus asked them if a man was not significantly better than a sheep? Of course a man is more valuable than a sheep. God expects everyone to do good deeds on the sabbath day while resting from their normal activities.
That is all for today beloved. I hope that this helps put the sabbath day in its proper place in your mind. It is not to be confused with the first day of the week worship/service that Christians engage in. Christians can very well decide in their hearts to observe the sabbath day each week, but they can still do good deeds that please God. If someone requires our help, then we are expected by God to provide them with it no matter which day of the week it may fall on. Grace and peace be with all mothers around the entire globe. May their children give them respect and honor each and every day.
~Eric
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Wed, May 9th - 6:09PM
WHO IS THIS JESUS?
In studying out who Jesus is it occurs to me that I must consider Him in terms of being the Son of Man. I must then go back into the Old Testament to the Book of Ezekiel for Jehovah used this phrase 91 times when addressing the prophet.
"And He said to me, Son of man, stand upon your feet, and I will speak to you. And the Spirit entered into me when He spoke to me, and set me upon my feet, that I heard Him that spoke to me.(Ezekiel 2:1-2)."
Several implications are presented here. In the case of Jesus Christ the meaning is crystal clear: it is His racial name as the representative Man in the sense of I Corinthians 15:45-47, "And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit. Howbeit, that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual. The first man is of the earth, earthy: the second man is the Lord from heaven." The same thought, implying the transcendence of Judaism, is involved in the phrase when applied to Ezekiel. Israel had forgotten her mission (Genesis 11:10, Ezekiel 5:5-8). Now, in captivity, Jehovah will not forsake His people, but He will remind them that they are but a small part of the race for whom He also cares. Thus the emphasis upon the term "man." The cherubim "had the likeness of a man (Ezekiel 1:5);" and when the prophet beheld the throne of God, he saw "the likeness as the appearance of a man above upon it (Ezekiel 1:26)." We should also not forget Matthew 8:20 where Christ refers to Himself as the Son of man. We must not forget that "Son of God" is His divine name, "Son of David" is His distinctively Jewish name, and "Son of man" is His all inclusive name for humanity. Christ constantly uses this term as implying that His mission (Matthew 11:19; Luke 19:10), His death and resurrection (Matthew 12:40; 20:18; 26:2), and His second coming (Matthew 24:37-44; Luke 12:40), transcended mere Jewish limitations. When Nathaniel confesses Him as King of Israel, Jesus responds by pointing out to him that he shall see greater things such as the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man. His thought leaps forward to the time when He comes, not only to Israel but to the entire race of man (Matthew 10:5-6, 23). It will be seen that it is also in this name that universal judgment is committed to Him (John 5:22, 27). This is also a name indicating that in Christ is fulfilled the O.T. foreview of blessing through a coming man (Genesis 1:26; 3:15; 12:3; Psalm 8:4; 80:17; Isaiah 7:14; 9:6-7; 32:2; Zechariah 13:7).
"But that you may know that the Son of man has power on earth to forgive sins, (then He said to those sick with palsy,) Arise, take up your bed, and go to to your home (Matthew 9:6)."
The Son of man declares publicly that He has the power to forgive people of their sins. Then He heals those there who are suffering from palsy and couldn't walk.
"But when they persecute you in this city, flee into another; for truly I say to you, You shall not have gone over the cities of Israel till the Son of man comes (Matthew 10:23)."
I could include verses 16-22 here for they all reach beyond the personal ministry of the twelve apostles, covering in a general sense the scope of service during this present age in which we live. Verse 23 relates to the preaching done by the remnant in the tribulation period, and immediately preceding the return of Christ in glory.
"The Son of man came eating and drinking, and they say, Behold a man gluttonous, and a wine drinker, a friend of publicans and sinners. But wisdom is justified of her children (Matthew 11:19)."
Christ pointed out that there was no winning for losing when it came to gaining the approval of the religious rulers of the Sanhedrin. They had criticized John the Baptist because he neither came to eat nor drink with anyone, and now they criticized Jesus Christ because He did come and ate and drank with publicans and sinners. They obviously felt that He ought to only come eat and drink with them. Such was not the case in the eyes of God. To properly understand that very last sentence one ought to go back and restudy those Proverbs that speak about wisdom. But that is a different study than this one.
Next time I shall hit upon the sabbath and as it relates to Christ Jesus. Until then, grace and peace be yours!
~Eric
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Sun, May 6th - 3:48PM
WHO IS THIS JESUS?
"Beloved, don't believe every spirit, but prove whether the spirits are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world. By this know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God: And every spirit that doesn't confess that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, of whom you have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world. Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loves is born of God, and knows God (I John 4:1-3, 7)."
Since Jesus Christ is a spiritual Being, people tend to believe that any spirit that speaks to them must be God. Wrong. People tend to believe that most other people tend to have "good" spirits. Wrong. These sorts of assumptions can become quite fatal. Satan is a spirit being created by God, both he and his fellow fallen angels are all wicked spirits. When they "speak" to people they tend to deceive the hearer into false belief that they are in the presence of Mary, or dead saints, or holy angels sent expressly to them from God Himself. Perhaps Joseph Smith encountered one of these evil spirits and it deceived him into believing those "new" revelations. All that I can take away from these verses, and the entire passage, is that there are good and bad spirits out there, I need to prove which they are before accepting what they tell me.
Then I have to deal with all of those people around me who offer advice and their personal interpretations of scripture. Is their spirit good, of God? Or is it deceitful and of Satan? I must not assume anything, I must be able to test their spirit to find out if I can believe what they are telling me. One criteria to utilize is provided to me in verse two. If any spirit does not accept Jesus Christ has come in the flesh then it is not of God. It is of the antichrist’s spirit. Another criteria is found in verse seven. The spirit that loves is born of God and knows God. So I can test any spirit by first determining if it accepts that Jesus Christ came in the flesh and then seeing if it loves as God loves. Reading on in chapter four of I John I can then discover that my love-life is shown by my life of love. The bottom line is then found down in verse fifteen, “Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in him, and he in God.” Denial that Jesus is God come in the flesh to redeem fallen mankind from its sin means that God can’t be found within you. It does not matter what you try to argue, or how sincere you try to sound, denying the Second Person of the Godhead means that you do not accept God on His terms. You think that you can reinvent Him to fit your preferences. It can’t work. It won’t work.
“And this is His commandment, That we should believe on the name of His Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as He gave us commandment (I John 3:23).”
I am moving backwards here. Believers must love one another for God has commanded it of us. It is one of the ways unbelievers can properly identify who is a Christian and who isn’t. It allows me to properly identify who is a Christian and who isn’t.
In chapter five of I John I can then find evidence of the Godhead, and what it is composed of. “For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit: and these three are one. And there are three that bear witness in earth, the Spirit, and the water, and the blood: and these three agree in one. If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater: for this is the witness of God which He has testified of His Son (5:7-9).” God has already given us the record of His Godhead and of His Son of whom He has testified. No more is required of Him, no matter how mankind may howl or how loudly. The three that agree in one here on earth must refer to Jesus Christ as expressed through the salvation of individuals. The Godhead/Trinity are identified clearly and denoted as being One and not Three. I am also informed that if I choose to accept the witness of men, then the witness of God is even greater. To reject the witness of God is pure foolishness.
This concludes studying Jesus as the Son of God. We have seen that He is LORD and also Son of God. Now we must consider Jesus Christ as “Son of Man.” But that is nor next time! May mercy, grace, and peace be yours this weekend before Mother’s Day. May you remember all that your mother has done for your welfare, and thank her for all that she has done for you.
~Eric
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Wed, May 2nd - 12:28PM
As I Have Loved
"A new commandment I give to you, That you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another (John 13:34)." No believer ought to ever question the urgent importance of love. We are told in I John 4:8, 16 that "God is love", and that the greatest of the Christian virtues is love (I Corinthians 13:13). The first and second commandments of the Mosaic Law are love for God and love for one's neighbor (Matthew 22:37-40). But this new commandment gives us a definition of love. We are to love one another just as Christ loves us. Therefore it is paramount for us to observe how Christ demonstrated His love. First of all, Christ's love was not ephemeral, or only lasting a very short time. John 13:1 tells us that Christ's love of us last's until the very end. It is a love that will not disappear tomorrow morning when we wake up. Jesus Himself defined love this way: "Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends (John 15:13)." But Christ not only died for His friends, He died for all sinners which included His bitter enemies. "But God commended His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:8)." Then we find in I John 4:9-11, "In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him...Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another." God's demonstrated love for us must generate within us not only return love for God but also love towards one another for His Holy Spirit lives within each and every believer in Christ Jesus. The measure of love is the undeserved, yet gladly offered, substitutionary death of Christ for our sins. If/when we think that the love commandment is demanding too much of us, we ought to compare our love to God's. The love of Christ constrains/limits us to not living to ourselves but to Him who died for us and rose again. Accepting Christ into our hearts transforms us into not being motivated by our selfish lusts and desires. "We love Him, because He first loved us (I John 4:19)." Beloved, I pray that you and I will remain constrained by God's love for us, that we shall not surrender to the demands of our carnal nature. I pray that you and I shall continue to renew our minds daily through the washing of the Word of God. May you and I remain trusting completely in Christ, obedient even unto death, confident in knowing that our God is with us always and will not allow temptation to overcome us if we will simply ask Him to prevent it from happening. He wishes us to acknowledge that He is able to do what He has promised to do. May we remain obedient and do as He asks of us each and every day. ~Eric
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Tue, May 1st - 5:15PM
WHO IS THIS JESUS?
"If they shall fall away, to renew them again to repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put Him to an open shame (Hebrews 6:6)."
As I have explored and studied this question about who is this Jesus, we have discovered that He claimed to be the Son of God. Our jumping off point in this installment of the study is in Hebrews. To understand what the writer was getting at in verse six one must read and grasp what is said in the five verses prior to it. The writer presents the fact to the reader that he/she ought to be moving on towards perfection rather than continuously returning and relaying the foundation of repentance from dead works. In fact, he pointedly states that it is impossible to have accepted Christ Jesus, then fall away, and then return to accepting Him. It would seem that there will be those people who in essence tip-toe right up to the cliff-edge and spy out what Christianity is all about, but they never truly take it upon faith as theirs. The picture given to us resembles that of the spies sent out to gather information about the Promised Land. They saw the fruitfulness of the land, had the physical fruit right in their hands, but because of the "giants" inhabiting the land they turned away from it and did not wish to take it as their own. Perhaps they felt that the cost would be too great for them to obtain it. Little did those people realize that God would fight for them. Little do people today realize that God will fight for them as well.
The bottom line here is that a person can't repeatedly accept and reject Christ Jesus for this would be crucifying Him multiple times, and therein lies this issue of putting Christ to open shame.
"Without father, without mother, without descent, having neither beginning of days, nor end of life; but made like to the Son of God; remains a priest continually (Hebrews 7:3)."
Here in chapter seven is found the account of Melchisedec the king of Salem being reviewed and applied to Jesus Christ. By extension we learn that Jesus Christ remains continually as our priest, He is without father or mother, and is eternal. He is said to be without "descent." We understand this term to mean being derived from an ancestor; birth; the fact or process of originating from an ancestral stock. In other words, Jesus did not originate from God the Father or God the Holy Spirit. Jesus is God and always has been God.
Next time I shall turn to I John and continue looking at Jesus Christ and who He is. Until then, God willing, let us all serve God in love, in truth, and with joy.
~Eric
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Name: E J Rajaniemi
