"So they came to Jerusalem. Then Jesus went into the temple and began to drive out those who bought and sold in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves. And He would not allow anyone to carry wares through the temple. Then He taught, saying to them, 'Is it not written, '''My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations'''? But you have made it a '''den of thieves.''' ' And the scribes and the chief priests HEARD it and SOUGHT how they might destroy Him, for they FEARED Him, because all the people were astonished at His teaching."
(Mark 11:15-18)
When your confidence is shaken, and it will be as that is a component of His cross for our salvation, how will you respond?
"See that you do not refuse Him who speaks. For if they did not escape who refused Him who spoke on earth, much more shall we not escape if we turn away from Him who speaks from heaven, whose voice then shook the earth; but now He has promised, saying, 'Yet once more I shake not only the earth, but also heaven.' Now this, 'Yet once more,' indicates the removal of those things that are being shaken, as of things that are made, that the things that cannot be shaken may remain. Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have grace, by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear. For our God is a consuming fire." (Hebrews 12:25-29)
An important statement in that verse, "are receiving", makes the point that there must be exchanges of what we think for what God knows, through His Son, Jesus Christ. Jesus taught His disciples that they should ''say unto this mountain", their confidence in the flesh, for whatever is not Spirit, is flesh; "be removed and be cast into the sea", proactively removing that which is hindering their vision: "the plank in their eye".
Sunday, January 26, 2020
Sunday, January 19, 2020
Then They will Fast
"Then they said to Him, 'Why do the disciples of John fast often and make prayers, and likewise those of the Pharisees, but Yours eat and drink?' And He said to them, 'Can you make the friends of the bridegroom fast while the bridegroom is with them? But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them; THEN THEY WILL FAST in those days.'"
"Then He spoke a parable to them: 'No one puts a piece from a new garment on an old one; otherwise the new makes a tear, and also the piece that was taken out of the new does not match the old. And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; or else the new wine will burst the wineskins and be spilled, and the wineskins will be ruined. But new wine must be put into new wineskins, and both are preserved. And no one, having drunk old wine, immediately desires new; for he says, '''The old is better.''' ' " (Luke 5:33-39)
Fasting may be described as learning to do without those things which are incompatible with Christ's testimonyo so that which is may come to fruition. This process teaches us how to follow our Teacher. Remember Jesus chose twelve apostles from His disciples; of which Judas Iscariot "became a traitor" (Luke 6:12-16) rather than the righteousness of God IN Christ.
"And He spoke a parable to them: 'Can the blind lead the blind? Will they not both fall into the ditch? A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone who is perfectly trained will be like his teacher. And why do look at the speck in your brother's eye, but do not perceive the plank in your own eye?' Or how can you say to your brother, 'Brother, let me remove the speck that is in your eye,' when you yourself do not see the plank in your own eye? Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck that is in your brother's eye."
(Luke 6:39-42)
Fasting shows us how to recognize, immediately, the new wine as it comes. It is our lifestyle until Jesus comes to His temple.
"But why do you call Me 'Lord, Lord,' and not do the things which I say? Whoever comes to Me, and hears My sayings and does them, I will show you whom he is like: He is like a man building a house, who DUG DEEP and laid the foundation on the rock. And when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently against the house, and could not shake it, for it was founded on the rock. But he who heard and DID NOTHING is like a man who built a house ON THE EARTH without a foundation, against which the stream beat vehemently; and immediately it fell. And the ruin of that house was great." (Luke 6:46-49)
"Then He spoke a parable to them: 'No one puts a piece from a new garment on an old one; otherwise the new makes a tear, and also the piece that was taken out of the new does not match the old. And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; or else the new wine will burst the wineskins and be spilled, and the wineskins will be ruined. But new wine must be put into new wineskins, and both are preserved. And no one, having drunk old wine, immediately desires new; for he says, '''The old is better.''' ' " (Luke 5:33-39)
Fasting may be described as learning to do without those things which are incompatible with Christ's testimonyo so that which is may come to fruition. This process teaches us how to follow our Teacher. Remember Jesus chose twelve apostles from His disciples; of which Judas Iscariot "became a traitor" (Luke 6:12-16) rather than the righteousness of God IN Christ.
"And He spoke a parable to them: 'Can the blind lead the blind? Will they not both fall into the ditch? A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone who is perfectly trained will be like his teacher. And why do look at the speck in your brother's eye, but do not perceive the plank in your own eye?' Or how can you say to your brother, 'Brother, let me remove the speck that is in your eye,' when you yourself do not see the plank in your own eye? Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck that is in your brother's eye."
(Luke 6:39-42)
Fasting shows us how to recognize, immediately, the new wine as it comes. It is our lifestyle until Jesus comes to His temple.
"But why do you call Me 'Lord, Lord,' and not do the things which I say? Whoever comes to Me, and hears My sayings and does them, I will show you whom he is like: He is like a man building a house, who DUG DEEP and laid the foundation on the rock. And when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently against the house, and could not shake it, for it was founded on the rock. But he who heard and DID NOTHING is like a man who built a house ON THE EARTH without a foundation, against which the stream beat vehemently; and immediately it fell. And the ruin of that house was great." (Luke 6:46-49)
Saturday, January 11, 2020
The Song of Mary
"Blessed is she who believed, for there will be a fulfillment of those things which were told her from the Lord."
"And Mary said: 'My soul MAGNIFIES the Lord, and my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior. For He has regarded THE LOWLY STATE of His maidservant; for behold, henceforth all generations will call me blessed. For He who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is His name. And His mercy is on THOSE WHO FEAR Him from generation to generation. He has shown strength with His arm; He has SCATTERED THE PROUD IN THE IMAGINATION OF THEIR HEARTS. He has PUT DOWN THE MIGHTY FROM THEIR THRONES, and EXALTED THE LOWLY. He has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich He has sent away empty. He has helped His SERVANT Israel, in remembrance of His mercy, as He spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his seed forever.' "
(Luke 1:45-55)
"Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready.' And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints." (Revelation 19:7,8)
It is not difficult to consider that Mary was a righteous Jewish woman, according herself blamelessly to the law of God and commandments. Her soul "magnified the Lord", not darkening His counsel. God exalted Mary in her lowliness. The Lord's wife, the church, is making itself ready, according to His commandment. There will be a fulfillment of all things, in Him!
"And Mary said: 'My soul MAGNIFIES the Lord, and my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior. For He has regarded THE LOWLY STATE of His maidservant; for behold, henceforth all generations will call me blessed. For He who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is His name. And His mercy is on THOSE WHO FEAR Him from generation to generation. He has shown strength with His arm; He has SCATTERED THE PROUD IN THE IMAGINATION OF THEIR HEARTS. He has PUT DOWN THE MIGHTY FROM THEIR THRONES, and EXALTED THE LOWLY. He has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich He has sent away empty. He has helped His SERVANT Israel, in remembrance of His mercy, as He spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his seed forever.' "
(Luke 1:45-55)
"Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready.' And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints." (Revelation 19:7,8)
It is not difficult to consider that Mary was a righteous Jewish woman, according herself blamelessly to the law of God and commandments. Her soul "magnified the Lord", not darkening His counsel. God exalted Mary in her lowliness. The Lord's wife, the church, is making itself ready, according to His commandment. There will be a fulfillment of all things, in Him!
Saturday, January 4, 2020
So Stand Fast in the Lord
"Brethren, join in following my example, and note those who so walk, as you have us for a pattern. For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ: whose end is destruction, whose god is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame---who set their mind on earthly things. For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself." (Philippians 3:17-21)
"Therefore, my beloved and longed-for brethren, my joy and crown, so stand fast in the Lord, beloved." (Philippians 4:1)
Let’s say that righteousness is the cross of Christ Jesus and sin is the dismissal or departure from it.
"Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness. And you know that He was manifested to take away our sins, and in Him there is no sin. Whoever abides in Him does not sin. Whoever sins has neither seen Him nor known Him."
(1 John 3:4-6)
Whoever abides in Him does not remove himself from the cross of Christ Jesus. There we are "conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren." (Romans 8:29)
"Therefore, my beloved and longed-for brethren, my joy and crown, so stand fast in the Lord, beloved." (Philippians 4:1)
Let’s say that righteousness is the cross of Christ Jesus and sin is the dismissal or departure from it.
"Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness. And you know that He was manifested to take away our sins, and in Him there is no sin. Whoever abides in Him does not sin. Whoever sins has neither seen Him nor known Him."
(1 John 3:4-6)
Whoever abides in Him does not remove himself from the cross of Christ Jesus. There we are "conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren." (Romans 8:29)
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