Mark 2
Jesus grants forgiveness of sin verse 1- 5
And again HE entered into Capernaum after some days
and it was noised that HE was in the house
AND straightway many were gathered together
INSOMUCH that there was no room to receive them
NO – NOT so much as about the door
AND HE PREACHED the word to them
AND they come to HIM – bringing one sick of the palsy
which was borne of four
AND when they could not come nigh unto HIM for the press
they uncovered the roof where HE was
AND when they had broken it up
they let down the bed wherein the sick of the palsy lay
When Jesus saw their faith
HE said to the sick of the palsy
Son – your sins be FORGIVEN you
Scribes accused Jesus of blasphemy verse 6- 7
BUT there were certain of the scribes sitting there
and reasoning in their hearts
Why does this man thus speak blasphemies?
Who can FORGIVE sins but God only?
Jesus questions the scribes verse 8- 11
AND immediately when Jesus perceived in HIS spirit
that they so reasoned within themselves
HE said unto them
Why reason you these things in your hearts?
Whether is it easier to say to the sick of the palsy
Your sins be FORGIVEN you – or to say
Arise – and take up thy bed and walk?
BUT that you may know that the Son of man has power on earth
to FORGIVE sins (HE says to the sick of the palsy)
I say to you – Arise – and take up your bed
and go your way into your house
Man healed of palsy glorified God verse 12
AND immediately he arose – took up the bed
and went forth before them all
INSOMUCH that they were all amazed
and GLORIFIED God – saying
We never saw it on this fashion
Jesus calls Levi (Matthew) to be disciple verse 13- 14
And HE went forth again by the seaside
and all the multitude resorted unto HIM
and HE taught them
And as HE passed by – HE saw Levi the son of Alpheus
sitting at the receipt of custom – and said to him
Follow ME
AND he arose and followed HIM
Jesus eats with publicans and sinners verse 15- 16
And it came to pass – that – as Jesus sat at meat in his house
many publicans and sinners sat also together
with Jesus and HIS disciples
FOR there were many – and they followed HIM
AND when the scribes and Pharisees saw HIM
eat with publicans and sinners
They said to HIS disciples
How is it that HE eats and drinks with publicans and sinners?
Jesus defends HIS eating with publicans and sinners verse 17
WHEN Jesus heard it – HE said to them
They that are whole have no need of the physician
BUT they that are sick
I came not to call the righteous – BUT sinners to repentance
Jesus questions about fasting verse 18
AND the disciples of John and of the Pharisees used to FAST
and they come and say unto HIM
Why do the disciples of John and of the Pharisees FAST
BUT YOUR disciples FAST not?
Jesus answers question verse 19- 20
AND Jesus said unto them
Can the children of the bride chamber FAST
while the bridegroom is with them?
as long as they have the bridegroom with them
they cannot FAST
BUT the days will come – when the bridegroom
shall be taken away from them
and then shall thy FAST in those days
Jesus illustrates point verse 21- 22
No man also sews a piece of new cloth on an old garment
else the new piece that filled it up takes away from the old
and rent is made worse
No man puts new wine into old bottles
else the new wine does burst the bottles
and the wine is spilled
and the bottles will be marred
BUT new wine must be put into new bottles
Pharisees confront Jesus verse 23- 24
And it came to pass that HE went through the corn fields on the Sabbath
day and HIS disciples began – as they went – to pluck the ears of corn
And the Pharisees said unto HIM BEHOLD
Why do they on the Sabbath day that which is not lawful?
Jesus answers their question verse 25- 28
AND HE said to them
Have you never read what David did – when he had need
and was an hungered – he – and they that were with him?
HOW he went into the house of God in the
days of Abiathar the high priest – and did eat the showbread
which is not lawful to eat but for the priests
and gave also to them which were with him?
AND HE said unto them
The Sabbath was made for man – and not man for the Sabbath
THEREFORE the Son of man is Lord also of the Sabbath
COMMENTARY:
DAILY SPIRITUAL BREAKFAST: Young Believers
: 5 When Jesus saw their faith, HE said to the sick of the palsy, So your sins be forgiven you. (4102 “faith” [pistis] means strong confidence in, reliance on, what can be believed, trust, conviction, honesty, oath, assurance, fidelity)
DEVOTION: In Jesus day it was thought that those who were sick or handicapped were the worst of sinners. Sometimes they thought that it was the sin of the parents that caused the people to be sickly or handicapped. They even thought that because they were not sick then they were good with God.
Jesus came to set the record straight. HE was confronted with a man who had palsy. His friends cut a hole in the roof of the house to let him come down to be healed by Jesus. The house was crowded with people. There was no other room left for this man and his four friends to see Jesus.
Jesus saw the faith of these five men and made a statement that confused the people in the room. The Pharisees called it blaspheme because they thought only God could forgive sins. They didn’t want to admit that Jesus was the Messiah who was God.
Jesus knew what people thought in HIS day on this earth. HE knew the thoughts of the people in the room and the thoughts of the religious leaders. HE wanted to correct their thinking.
Were they corrected? Not really but because this is recorded in the Bible our thinking can be corrected. Not everyone who is a worse sinner than anyone else. All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.
So healing of physical sickness is not as important as healing of spiritual sickness. Jesus came to heal spiritual sickness in those who realized that they were not right with God. HE also healed physical sickness in some but not all.
CHALLENGE: Physical sickness will not send anyone to hell but spiritual sickness will.
DAILY SPIRITUAL LUNCH: Transitional Believers
: 10 But that you may know that the Son of man has power on earth to forgive sins, (he says to the sick of the palsy) (863 “forgive” [aphiemi] means to send away, to expire, to let go, to leave, to go to another place, or give up a debt)
DEVOTION: Jesus wanted the religious leaders to see that he had power to send away sin from an individual. HE wanted them to know that HE could heal the sick in both a physical way and a spiritual way. Some people think that all people should have physical healing if they believe in the LORD. That is not always true. They can always have spiritual healing from sin but not necessarily physical healing. Some people are called to have a physical problem and still bring glory to the LORD.
The religious leaders didn’t like the fact that HE said HE could take away sin. They thought only God could send away sin – and they were right!!! HE was making a statement that HE was God.
Many thought that the only reason people were sick or had something wrong with them was because of sin in their lives. Jesus used this reasoning to correct their wrong concepts of sickness. Some sickness is for the glory of God. Some sickness is caused by sin and only when the individual asks for healing from sin will the sickness go away.
That is why we have the warning at the LORD’S SUPPER to examine ourselves, so that, we are not given weakness or sickness or premature death. God can send away all our sins through Christ. HE does that for those who trust HIM. Remember when we become a follower of the LORD we are JUSTIFIED. That means that from the LORD’S perspective all of our sins are gone. They are buried in the deepest sea. They are as far as the east is from the west. A genuine believer is covered by the blood of Christ for all of his sins. That means his sins of the past, present and future. Our standing before the Father is clear. Jesus is our advocate. Praise HIS name.
However, our daily fellowship with HIM is conditional to our confession of sin not our salvation once we have put our trust in HIM for real. Many people think that they are Christians and live as they please and don’t seem to have the weakness or sickness or premature death talked about in I Corinthians but the problem is that they might never have trusted Jesus in the first place. For whom the LORD loves HE chastens. Let’s remember to keep short accounts with God for our daily fellowship with HIM. Also, we need to remember that HE will not forgive us IF we don’t forgive others!!
CHALLENGE: Examine your life to see if there is anyone you have not forgiven. If so, ask the LORD to help you forgive that individual or those individuals that have hurt you. All of us have been hurt!
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: 12 And immediately he arose, took up the bed, and went forth before them all; insomuch that they were all amazed, and glorified God, saying We never saw it on this fashion. (1839 “amazed” [existemi] means astonished, to throw out of position, throw into wonderment, besides one’s self, surprised, or to drive out of one’s senses.)
DEVOTION: Watching the people react to what the LORD was doing is amazing. HE healed the man of the palsy. The man that hour walked away with his bed that four men carried him in.
The Pharisees were there to criticize everything that Jesus did and said. They accused him of blaspheme. They thought HE was wrong for saying anything about sins being forgiven.
What was the people’s reaction? They were amazed at how the LORD had worked the miracle of healing and answering the questions of the Pharisees. They wanted HIM to not have the power to forgive sins. They didn’t want to admit that HE was God in the flesh. They just wanted to see HIM put down but the people were amazed AND glorified God.
Our reaction to the LORD doing a miracle in someone’s life should be the same. Not the same as the Pharisees but the same as the general public. We should give glory to God for all that HE does in our life daily.
Praise should be a normal activity of a believer. Are you regularly praising the LORD for all the blessings HE is giving you? Have we seen HIM work in others life and praised HIM for it?
CHALLENGE: How long does our praise last?
DAILY SPIRITUAL SUPPER: Mature Believers
: 16 And when the scribes and Pharisees saw him eat with publicans and sinners, they said unto his disciples, How is it that he eats and drinks with publicans and sinners? (2068 “eat” [esthio] means devour, to take food, eat a meal, consume, or live)
DEVOTION: Here we find Jesus going into a person’s home and taking some food together. HE is sharing a meal with a new disciple. HE had just called Levi or Matthew to be HIS disciple. Matthew/Levi invited HIM to his house to enjoy a time of fellowship together.
Matthew/Levi invited some of his friends to join them for a meal. Remember that tax collectors were outcasts in Jewish circles. So his friends were outcasts as well. He had other tax collectors there as well as those who would accept him into their world which were called sinners by the Pharisees.
So Jesus is having a meal with the outcasts of society. HE is confronted by the Pharisees who thought it was very improper for HIM to be in their company.
What was Jesus’ response to them? HE stated that those who are not sick don’t need a physician but only the sick. The Pharisees thought they were whole or not sick or not sinners and therefore didn’t need the message that Jesus was preaching.
So Jesus was going to those who thought they were sick and needed healing from sin. HE even stated that this was HIS mission. HE was not going to deal with those who thought they didn’t need HIS message. HE was only going to deal with those who were willing to listen to HIS message and repent. HE was on this earth to call sinners to repentance.
We need to help people understand that they need the message we are bring to them. The only way we can do that is to help them realize that they are not meeting the standard God set for their life. This is not easy because most people are like the Pharisees who compare themselves with other people and think they are better than them.
Confronting people with the Word of God and what it has to say about their sin is our responsibility.
CHALLENGE: Know what you believe and make sure it meshes with the Word of God. Tell them to compare themselves to Christ alone.
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DISCIPLINES OF THE FAITH:
BODY
Chastity (Purity in living)
Fasting (Time alone with LORD without eating or drinking)
Fasting of disciples of John verse 18
Fasting of Pharisees verse 18
Fasting of disciples when bridegroom gone verse 19, 20
Sacrifice (Giving up something we want to serve the LORD)
Submission (Willing to listen to others and LORD)
Solitude (Going to a quiet place without anyone)
SOUL
Fellowship (Gathering together around the Word of God)
Frugality (wise use of resources)
Journalizing (Writing down what you have learned from the LORD)
Study and Meditation (Thinking through your study in the Word)
Secrecy (Doing your good deeds without others knowing but God)
SPIRIT
Celebration (Gathering around a special occasion to worship LORD)
Confession (Tell the LORD we are sorry for our sins on a daily basis)
Prayer (Conversation with God on a personal level)
Silence (Letting the LORD deal with some problems and needs)
Worship (Time to praise the LORD alone or in a group)
Sabbath day verse 23, 24, 27, 28
House of God verse 25
High priest verse 26
Shewbread verse 26
Priests verse 26
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DOCTRINES OF THE FAITH:
Scripture (66 inerrant books of the Bible)
Word verse 2
David eating showbread verse 25, 26
God the Father (First person of the Godhead)
God the Son (Second person of the Godhead –God/man, Messiah)
Preached the Word verse 2
Jesus verse 5, 8, 15, 17, 19
Healing sick of palsy verse 3- 12
Son of man verse 10, 28
Power on earth verse 10
Teaches verse 13
Fasting taught verse 18- 20
Bridegroom verse 19, 20
Teaching regarding Sabbath verse 23- 29
Lord verse 28
God the Holy Spirit (Third person of the Godhead – our comforter)
Trinity (Three persons of the Godhead who are co-equal = ONE God)
God only can forgive sins verse 7
God glorified verse 12
House of God verse 26
Angels (Created before the foundation of the world – Good and Evil)
Man (Created on the sixth twenty-four hour period of creation)
Publicans verse 15, 16
Physician verse 17
Sin (Missing the mark set by God on man and angels)
Sin verse 5, 9, 10
Blaspheme verse 7
Sinners verse 15- 17
Not lawful to eat showbread verse 25
Salvation (Provided by Christ’s death on the cross for our sins)
Preach verse 2
Faith verse 5
Forgiven verse 5, 7, 9, 10
Reasoning in their hearts verse 6
Amazed verse 12
Glorify God verse 12
Taught verse 13
Follow Christ verse 14
Righteous verse 17
Call sinners to repentance verse 17
Fast verse 18- 20
Israel (Old Testament people of God)
Capernaum verse 1
Man sick of palsy verse 3
Scribes verse 6
Reasoned within themselves verse 6, 8
Disciples of John verse 18
Pharisees verse 18, 24
David verse 25, 26
Abiathar the high priest verse 26
Church (New Testament people of God)
Levi – son of Alphaeus verse 14- 17
Sitting at receipt of customs
Home
Disciples verse 16, 18, 23
Eating corn on Sabbath verse 23- 28
Last Things (Future Events)
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QUOTES regarding passage
4102 πίστις [pistis /pis·tis/] n f. From 3982; TDNT 6:174; TDNTA 849; GK 4411; 244 occurrences; AV translates as “faith” 239 times, “assurance” once, “believe + 1537” once, “belief” once, “them that believe” once, and “fidelity” once. 1 conviction of the truth of anything, belief; in the NT of a conviction or belief respecting man’s relationship to God and divine things, generally with the included idea of trust and holy fervour born of faith and joined with it. 1a relating to God. 1a1 the conviction that God exists and is the creator and ruler of all things, the provider and bestower of eternal salvation through Christ. 1b relating to Christ. 1b1 a strong and welcome conviction or belief that Jesus is the Messiah, through whom we obtain eternal salvation in the kingdom of God. 1c the religious beliefs of Christians. 1d belief with the predominate idea of trust (or confidence) whether in God or in Christ, springing from faith in the same. 2 fidelity, faithfulness. 2a the character of one who can be relied on (Strong, J. (1995). Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon. Woodside Bible Fellowship.)
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5 Jesus recognized this ingenuity and persistence as faith. Mark says Jesus “saw their faith.” It was evident in the actions of both the paralytic and his bearers. But instead of healing the man of his lameness, Jesus forgave his sins. This hardly seemed to be what the man needed—at least on the surface
It is not as if this sick man were unusually sinful, but his case makes the universal separation of man from God more conspicuous and illustrates the truth which is proclaimed over and over in the Old Testament, that all suffering is rooted in man’s separation from God. For this reason, Jesus must call attention here to man’s deepest need; otherwise the testimony of this healing would remain nothing more than the story of a remarkable miracle. (Schweizer, p. 61) (Wessel, W. W. (1984). Mark. In F. E. Gaebelein (Ed.), The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Matthew, Mark, Luke (Vol. 8, p. 632). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House.)
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Mark 2:5
Their faith (την πιστιν αὐτων [tēn pistin autōn]). The faith of the four men and of the man himself. There is no reason for excluding his faith. They all had confidence in the power and willingness of Jesus to heal this desperate case. Are forgiven (ἀφιενται [aphientai], aoristic present passive, cf. punctiliar action, Robertson’s Grammar, pp. 864ff.). So Matt. 9:3, but Luke 5:20 has the Doric perfect passive ἀφεωνται [apheōntai]. The astonishing thing both to the paralytic and to the four friends is that Jesus forgave his sins instead of healing him. The sins had probably caused the paralysis. (Robertson, A. T. (1933). Word Pictures in the New Testament (Mk 2:5). Nashville, TN: Broadman Press.)
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2:5. Jesus viewed the determined effort of the four as visible evidence of their faith in His power to heal this man. He did not rebuke this interruption to His teaching but unexpectedly told the paralytic, Son (an affectionate term), your sins are forgiven.
In the Old Testament disease and death were viewed as the consequences of man’s sinful condition, and healing was predicated on God’s forgiveness (e.g., 2 Chron. 7:14; Pss. 41:4; 103:3; 147:3; Isa. 19:22; 38:16–17; Jer. 3:22; Hosea 14:4). This does not mean there is a corresponding sin for each occurrence of sickness (cf. Luke 13:1–5; John 9:1–3). Jesus simply showed that this man’s physical condition had a basic spiritual cause. (Grassmick, J. D. (1985). Mark. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 2, p. 112). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)
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We must admire several characteristics of these men, qualities that ought to mark us as “fishers of men.” For one thing, they were deeply concerned about their friend and wanted to see him helped. They had the faith to believe that Jesus could and would meet his need. They did not simply “pray about it,” but they put some feet to their prayers; and they did not permit the difficult circumstances to discourage them. They worked together and dared to do something different, and Jesus rewarded their efforts. How easy it would have been for them to say, “Well, there is no sense trying to get to Jesus today! Maybe we can come back tomorrow.”
When our Lord looked down, He saw the palsied man lying on his mat; and immediately Jesus went to the heart of the man’s problem—sin. Not all sickness is caused by sin (see John 9:1–3), but evidently this man’s condition was the result of his disobedience to God. Even before He healed the man’s body, Jesus spoke peace to the man’s heart and announced that his sins were forgiven! Forgiveness is the greatest miracle that Jesus ever performs. It meets the greatest need; it costs the greatest price; and it brings the greatest blessing and the most lasting results.
Then Jesus looked around and saw the critics who had come to spy on Him (see Luke 5:17). These religious leaders certainly had every right to investigate the ministry of this new teacher, since the religious life of the nation was under their supervision (Deut. 13). But they should have come with open minds and hearts, seeking truth, instead of with critical minds, seeking heresy. Some of the negative attitude that had been present in Judea (John 4:1–4) had now invaded Galilee, and this was the beginning of the official opposition that ultimately led to our Lord’s arrest and death. He was now so popular that the Jewish leaders dared not ignore Him. In fact, they must have arrived early for the meeting, because they were right at the scene of action! Or perhaps Jesus graciously gave them front row seats.
When the Lord looked within, He saw the critical spirit in their hearts and knew that they were accusing Him of blasphemy. After all, only God can forgive sins; and Jesus had just told the paralytic that his sins were forgiven. Jesus was claiming to be God!
But the next instant, He proved Himself to be God by reading their hearts and telling them what they were thinking (see John 2:25; Heb. 3:13). Since they wanted to “reason” about things, He gave them something to ponder: Which is easier, to heal the man or to tell him he is forgiven? Obviously, it is easier to say, “Your sins are forgiven!” because nobody can prove whether or not the forgiveness really took place. So, to back up His words, Jesus immediately healed the man and sent him home. The healing of the man’s body was but an illustration and demonstration of the healing of his soul (Ps. 103:3). The scribes and Pharisees, of course, could neither heal the man nor forgive his sins; so they were caught in their own trap and condemned by their own thoughts.
Jesus affirmed His deity not only by forgiving the man’s sins and healing his body, but also by applying to Himself the title “Son of man.” This title is used fourteen times in Mark’s Gospel, and twelve of these references are found after Mark 8:29 when Peter confessed Jesus as the Christ of God (Mark 2:10, 28; 8:31, 38; 9:9, 12, 31; 10:33, 45; 13:26, 34; 14:21, 41, 62). It was definitely a messianic title (Dan. 7:13–14) and the Jews would have interpreted it that way. Jesus used this title about eighty times in the Gospels. (Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, pp. 115–116). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)
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2:5 Jesus seeing their faith. The aggressive, persistent effort of the paralytic’s friends was visible evidence of their faith in Christ to heal. Son, your sins are forgiven. Many Jews in that day believed that all disease and affliction was a direct result of one’s sins. This paralytic may have believed that as well; thus he would have welcomed forgiveness of his sins before healing. The Gr. verb for “are forgiven” refers to sending or driving away (cf. Ps 103:12; Jer 31:34; Mic 7:19). Thus Jesus dismissed the man’s sin and freed him from the guilt of it (see note on Mt 9:2). (MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (2006). The MacArthur study Bible: New American Standard Bible. (Mk 2:5). Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers.)
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The conflict presented in Mark 2 and the judgment that circulated around this first controversy would remain the same when Jesus was examined by the Sanhedrin (Mark 14). He claimed authority as the Son of Man, and they claimed that this was blasphemy (Bock 1998:188). However, the problem for the leaders was that Jesus gave signs that backed up his claims; his healings validated those claims that were otherwise unobservable. This is a passage in which word and deed work together to make a theological point. The form of the account is a mixture of a pronouncement (2:10) and a miracle story, another illustration of word and deed explaining each other. (Turner, D., & Bock, D. L. (2005). Cornerstone biblical commentary, Vol 11: Matthew and Mark (p. 420). Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers.)
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“When Jesus saw their faith.” Faith is evidenced by works. The persistence and energy of these men demonstrated the reality of their faith in His readiness to meet the need. This He recognized, and seeing that the paralytic needed something far greater than healing of the body—namely, the forgiveness of his sins, “He said unto the sick of the palsy, Son, thy sins be forgiven thee.” It was a dramatic moment, and His words must have amazed the listeners, for never had they known man to speak like this.
The palsied man was literally “without strength” (Rom. 5:6). In this he pictures all men in their sins. The word of Christ spoke strength into his paralyzed limbs, just as that same word gives new life to him who receives it in faith.
The four friends of the helpless man showed their faith by their works. Assured that their sick friend needed Jesus, they were determined that nothing should prevent his coming into the Saviour’s presence. Are we as much concerned about bringing our unconverted friends to Jesus as they were? It was a joy to Christ when He saw the faith of these men, for faith always glorifies God. He recognizes its presence in every honest, seeking soul, and is ever quick to respond to the desire of the believing heart. (Ironside, H. A. (1948). Expository notes on the Gospel of Mark. (p. 40). Neptune, NJ: Loizeaux Brothers.)
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FROM MY READING:
Old Testament WORDS for Today by Warren W. Wiersbe
God dwells in eternity and has put eternity and has put eternity in our hearts (3:11), which explains our deep dissatisfaction with “things” and “events” and our craving for something more. That “something more” is what Jesus called abundant life (John 10:10), and it is found only when we trust him as Savior and serve him as Lord. (p. 130)
In this life, Christians live on promises, not explanations. The explanations will come when this life ends and we enter eternity. What Jesus said to Peter can be applied to us today; “What I am doing you do not understand now, but you will know after this” (John 13: 7). When we pray, “Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven,” we are asking for fulfillment and not explanations or reasons. (p. 131)
Our problem is that we are in a hurry to get our will done right now instead of being willing to wait on the Lord. (p. 131)
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The Radical Pursuit of REST by John Koessler
As a social institution, Israel’s Sabbath observance provided rest for the land and economic protection for the community as a whole. The prophets mixed divine reproof for failing to keep the Sabbath law with social rebuke for ignoring the plight of the poor. Abuse of one led to exploitation of the other. (p. 56)
We look back to a promise that has been fulfilled. According to Colossians 2: 17, Christ is the “reality” of all that the biblical Sabbath represented. (p. 57)
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TOZERSPEAKS by A. W. TOZER
While the Holy Spirit continues in His ministries, we know that this lost world is not yet a forsaken world. (p.528)
If faith must depend upon a man knowing enough of the historical evidences to arrive at a scholarly belief in the deity of Jesus, then there could only be a relatively few people saved. But I do not have to be a scholar, a logician, and a lawyer to arrive at belief in the deity of the Lord Jesus Christ, for the Holy Spirit has taken the deity of Christ out of the hands of the scholars and put it in the consciences of men. The Spirit of God cam to lift it out of the history books and write it on the fleshy tablets of the human heart. (p. 533)
This is the age of the superannuated Holy Ghost. (p. 537)
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Corinthians 5
We should live for the eternal rather than the temporal, and we will be rewarded accordingly.
INSIGHT
One of the marks of maturity is the ability to put off immediate reward for the sake of a future goal. Likewise, the willingness to put off temporal reward for the sake of eternal reward is a good mark of Christian maturity. The Scriptures teach that someday we must all appear before the bema seat of Christ. In ancient Greece, the bema was the grandstand where judges gave out honors to the winners of athletic competitions. Thus, it is before the divine “bema” that we will all appear. If we compete according to the eternal rules, we will gain the honor of reward from the eternal Judge. As Paul wrote, we must set our minds “on things above, not on things on the earth” (Colossians 3:2). (Quiet Walk)
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UNDERSTANDING TRUTH
But we have the mind of Christ. 1 Corinthians 2:16
In 1 John 2:21-22 John is dealing with the particular truth of the birth of our Lord: “I have not written unto you because ye know not the truth, but because ye know it, and that no lie is of the truth. Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son.” These people, because they had the Holy Spirit and His enlightenment, understood the doctrine concerning the person of the Lord Jesus Christ and the work that He had come to perform. If they had not received the Spirit, they could not have done that; but they did understand these things. They understood the doctrine of the two natures in one person. They had an unction that enabled them to explain these things—“we have the mind of Christ” (1 Corinthians 2:16).
This is the wonderful thing that is true of Christians. They may not have much natural ability, but if they have the Holy Spirit they can understand this truth, and that is why the Christian faith is not only a faith for philosophers—it is a faith for anybody. It is not something that depends upon the natural man’s ability; it is an enlightenment, an unction. The Holy Spirit enables men and women to see and to understand something of the glorious nature of salvation. Though they may be simple, though they may be ignorant, though the world may dub them as being unintelligent, if they have this enlightenment they understand things that the greatest natural philosopher cannot understand.
That is what John says: “You understand these things; the other man does not.” Or we can put it like this: Because they have this anointing, Christians understand error and are able to save themselves from deviations from the truth. Simple people have heard and recognized the centralities of the faith when the more learned have become confused and have tended to go astray.
A Thought to Ponder: The Holy Spirit enables men and women to understand something of the glorious nature of salvation.
(From Walking with God, pp. 126-127, by Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones)
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The Wisdom of God
“And all Israel heard of the judgment which the king had judged; and they feared the king: for they saw that the wisdom of God was in him, to do judgment.” (1 Kings 3:28)
Although God’s wisdom is expounded in depth in the Scriptures, there are only seven times that the specific phrase “the wisdom of God” is used as such. The above text is indicating that God’s wisdom can actually be manifested in men through divine inspiration. The Persian king recognized this also in Ezra. “And thou, Ezra, after the wisdom of thy God, that is in thine hand, set magistrates and judges . . . all such as know the laws of thy God; and teach ye them that know them not” (Ezra 7:25). The wisdom of God thus is always consistent with the laws of God—that is, with the Scriptures.
The first New Testament reference is from Christ. “Therefore also said the wisdom of God, I will send them prophets and apostles” (Luke 11:49). Here the Lord is applying a scriptural principle from 2 Chronicles 36:15-16, in effect calling the Scriptures themselves “the wisdom of God.”
Then Paul three times uses the same phrase: “In the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God.” Human wisdom can never, by itself, discover God, but this very fact is bound up in the divine wisdom, revealed only through the Word of God. “We preach . . . Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God.” That is, through both the written word and the living Word, we can proclaim true wisdom. “We speak the wisdom of God in a mystery . . . which God ordained before the world unto our glory” (1 Corinthians 1:21, 23-24; 2:7).
Finally, with God’s wisdom manifested through chosen men of God, we also can preach true wisdom in Christ, “to the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God”
(Ephesians 3:10). (HMM, The Institute for Creation Research)
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After all, New Testament evangelism was accompanied by an unparalleled love for humanity; moreover, the evangelical message of the Cross stands as the indisputable source of humanitarian compassion in Western culture. (p.34)
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From this New Testament point of view, it would be a supreme act of lovelessness on the part of the Christian community to withhold from the body of humanity, lost in sin, the evangel that Christ died for sinners and that the new birth – without which no man can see the kingdom of God – is available on the condition of personal repentance and faith. This fact is of basic importance. (p. 36)
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It is instructive to place this definition alongside an earlier, and highly serviceable one, formulated in England in 1918 by the Archbishop’s Committee on Evangelism:
To evangelize is so to present Christ Jesus in the power of the Holy Spirit, that men shall come to put their trust in God through Him, to accept Him as their Savior and serve Him as their King in the fellowship of His Church. (p. 37)
(Evangelicals At The Brink of Crisis by Carl H. Henry)
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DAILY HOPE
Today’s Scripture
Job 29-31
In difficult times when it is challenging to keep a proper perspective and trust in the Lord’s sustaining power, we tend to revert to talking about the “good old days”. The tendency is to begin to reminisce and speak about better times when God’s ways appeared clear to us.
When the reality of pain and suffering is intense, we can often reflect upon and wish for the past. Instead of stating further grievances, Job began to describe how life used to be with his family and his relationship with God. He also contemplated how blessed his life had been and the ways the Lord had allowed him to bless those around him.
In chapter 30, Job quickly moves back to the massive changes that had occurred and joy was replaced with sourness and bitterness of soul. Whereas he earlier remembered the good times, he now recounts the calamities of his life. At the conclusion of the chapter, Job is ready to resign and admit defeat. It is here the character and integrity of Job breaks into the narrative. He remembered the vows he made (31:1) and once again reaffirmed the covenants with God.
A review of chapter 31 will unveil the fact that Job remained a man of integrity despite all that had been hurled at him! Job takes his stand and challenges all to examine and see that he is a man whose life demonstrated his beliefs.
Perhaps your present situations are having you to reevaluate your beliefs. Like Job, be reminded of your commitment to the LORD and the impact God has had on your life. Job states in Job 13:15, Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him. Even so, I will defend my own ways before Him.” May we trust Him even in the most difficult times.
With an Expectant Hope, Pastor Miller
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