Matthew 17
Transfiguration of Jesus seen by three disciples’ verse 1- 3
And after six days Jesus takes Peter- James- John his brother
and brings them up into a high mountain apart
and was transfigured before them
and HIS face did shine as the sun
and HIS raiment was white as the light
And – BEHOLD – there appeared to them
Moses and Elijah talking with HIM
Peter’s reaction to transfiguration verse 4
THEN answered Peter – and said unto Jesus
Lord – it is good for us to be here – IF YOU will
let us make here three tabernacles
one for YOU – and one for Moses
and one for Elijah
God the Father spoke verse 5- 6
WHILE he yet spoke – BEHOLD – a bright cloud overshadowed them
and BEHOLD a voice out of the cloud – which said
This is MY beloved Son
in WHOM I am well-pleased
hear you HIM
And WHEN the disciples heard it – they fell on their faces
and were sore afraid
Disciples get off the ground verse 7- 8
AND Jesus came and touched them – and said
Arise – and be not afraid
AND when they had lifted up their eyes – they saw no man
save Jesus only
Jesus commands disciples not to share this event verse 9
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
Disciples ask a question verse 10
And HIS disciples asked HIM – saying
Why then say the scribes that Elijah must first come?
Jesus answers question verse 11- 13
And Jesus answered and said to them
Elijah truly shall first come – and restore all things
BUT I say unto you
That Elijah is come already – and they knew him not
BUT have done to him whatsoever they listed
Likewise shall also the Son of man suffer of them
THEN the disciples understood that
HE spoke unto them of John the Baptist
Disciple unable to heal verse 14- 16
And when they were come to the multitude
there came to HIM a certain man
kneeling down to HIM
and saying
Lord – have mercy on my son
for he is lunatic and sore vexed
FOR oft times he falls into the fire
and oft into the water
And I brought him to YOUR disciples
and they could not cure him
Jesus reprimands HIS disciples verse 17- 18
THEN Jesus answered and said
O faithless and perverse generation
How long shall I be with you?
How long shall I suffer you?
bring him hither to ME
AND Jesus rebuked the devil
and he departed out of him
and the child was cured from that very hour
Disciples ask a question verse 19
THEN came the disciples to Jesus apart and said
Why could not we cast him out?
Jesus answers question verse 20- 21
AND Jesus said unto them – BECAUSE of your UNBELIEF
FOR verily I say to you
IF you have faith as a grain of mustard seed
you shall say unto this mountain
Remove hence to yonder place
AND it shall remove
AND NOTHING shall be impossible unto you
Howbeit this kind goes not out
BUT by PRAYER and FASTING
Jesus gives second revelation of HIS death verse 22- 23
And while they abode in Galilee – Jesus said to them
The Son of man shall be BETRAYED into the hands of men
and they shall KILL HIM
and the third day HE shall be RAISED again
AND they were exceeding sorry
Jesus pays tribute tax in a unique way verse 24- 27
And when they were come to Capernaum
they that received tribute money came to Peter – and said
Does not your master pay tribute?
He said – Yes
and when he was come into the house – Jesus prevented him
saying
What think you – Simon?
Of whom do the kings of the earth take custom or tribute?
Of their own children or of strangers?
Peter said unto HIM
Of strangers
Jesus said unto him
Then are the children free
NOTWITHSTANDING – lest we should offend them
go you to the sea – and cast a hook
and take up the fish that first come up
and WHEN you have opened his mouth
you shall find a piece of money
that take and give unto them
for ME and you
COMMENTARY:
DAILY SPIRITUAL BREAKFAST: Young Believers
: 8 And when they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no man, save Jesus only. (1869 “lifted up” [epairo] means exalt self, take up, hoisted up, raise up, to direct one’s attention to something by looking closely at, or to lift from the ground.)
DEVOTION: Peter is guilty of opening his mouth every often while he followed Jesus. He would say things that Jesus didn’t appreciate. He had some good things to say but it seemed like he didn’t think before he spoke. On this occasion he wanted to build a place for the three men to rest. He wanted to set up a shrine to Jesus, Moses and Elijah. It was wrong but he had to say something.
Many of us are guilty of have foot in mouth disease as well. We open our mouth to say things that are not right in the eyes of the LORD. HE wants us to concentrate on HIM alone.
Too often we are looking for others to worship or set up shrines too. Sometimes it can be our pastor. Sometimes it can be that special author we like to read. Sometimes it can be our favorite speaker that comes to the area once in a while. These might be good individuals but if we take our eyes off the LORD we are worshiping men rather than God.
CHALLENGE: Keep your eyes on Jesus at all times. HE reveals HIMSELF in the Bible. Study to find out how you can worship HIM better.
DAILY SPIRITUAL LUNCH: Transitional Believers
: 17 Then Jesus answered and said, O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I suffer you? Bring him hither to me. (430 “suffer” [anechomai] means bear with, forbear, endure, to sustain, or be patient with.)
DEVOTION: Jesus was not happy with HIS disciples. HE understood what they were going through with this young man. Someone had brought his son to them and they were unable to heal him.
Jesus returned from the mount of Transfiguration with the three key disciples and found a crowd gathered around this young man and his father.
The father told Jesus what had happened and this verse is HIS reactions. HE had been training the disciples. HE had sent them out on a mission’s trip to show them how much power they had available to them and yet they had failed to understand that they still had the power available.
Why were they not able to heal the son of this man? It was because they were availing themselves of the power God had given them. How were they to keep the power available? It was through prayer and fasting.
We have to learn that we have the same power available to us if we are willing to sacrifice time. It takes time to pray and fast until the LORD gives us power to do great things for HIM. We are a busy people who are too busy to take the time to get alone with the LORD until HE gives us direction to leave our closet to serve HIM with power.
God wants the church and those who are genuine believers to have power to do great things for HIM. It takes sacrifice and that is why we see many weak Christians who have no power. Each of us has to take the time to get alone with God to ask for this power.
CHALLENGE: Those who are genuinely filled with the Holy Spirit have the power.
DAILY SPIRITUAL SUPPER: Mature Believers
: 20 And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto his mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove: and nothing shall be impossible unto you. (570 “unbelief” [apistia] means unfaithfulness, faithless, want of faith, or weakness of faith.
DEVOTION: Jesus is telling HIS disciples that they couldn’t remove the demon or evil spirit or evil angel from this young man because they lacked the faith to do it. HE tells them in the next verse that they can receive this faith to do the impossible only through prayer and fasting. Many today are not ones to fast for something they need from the LORD.
We need power each day. The Methodist pastors of Wesley’s day had to fast twice a week before they could be ordained to the ministry. The early Christians fasted twice a week but on days other than those that the Pharisees fasted. We today are soft and still want the power that comes from the LORD to live victorious lives. If we are disobeying the LORD and expect power- who are we fooling?
Now the second thought is – does God want everyone to be healed? Can a person have the prayer and fasting faith and still not heal someone? YES. I had someone close to me say that if I had faith I could raise my young son from the dead. The same person had cancer and died and the pastor at her funeral said that if she had enough faith she would be alive today.
Are these things true? There are times when, even with the right faith, death happens. But does that mean that we shouldn’t try to have prayer and fasting faith to have a powerful ministry for God today? NO!! How many of us want to do the impossible? Many people who call themselves Christians have never tried prayer and fasting. It is a command.
CHALLENGE: Is the LORD helping you move any mountains in your life lately? The promise is still true today. Strengthen your faith.
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: 27 Notwithstanding, lest we should offend them, go you to the sea, and cast an hook, and take up the fish that first comes up; and when you have opened his mouth, you shall find a piece of money: that take, and give unto them for me and you. (4624 “offend” [skandalizo] means put a stumbling block, may cause someone to trip or fall, to entice to sin, to cause to fall away, to cause someone displeasure, cause to no longer believe, to cause another anger, or to give up the faith.)
DEVOTION: Jesus didn’t preach against the government at the time. HE was confronted with the fact that they were not paying a tribute tax. HE used this occasion to train the disciples in their civil duty. Everyone was taxed except those in the king’s household. They were tax-exempt.
As a teaching tool HE told Peter to go fishing for the tax. HE told him to cast his hook and the first fish he caught to open his mouth and find their tax money.
There could have been enough in the hands of Judas the treasurer to pay the tax but HE used the occasion to show how the LORD can provide all their needs in unique ways.
HE can do this not only to pay taxes but also to give us our daily bread. HE has used many means in our life to provide for our daily need. There are times when we wonder where the money is going to come from next and then HE surprises us with HIS unique ways of doing things to help HIS people meet their daily needs.
Trust is the key. Peter trusted HIM to be right about fishing for his tax money. It was there and he paid the tax. We sometimes get caught up in the fact that our government gives us a privilege of religious organizations being tax exempt. They can give it or they can take it away.
In our present administrations mind is to take tax deductions away from people who give to a religious group. They are probably thinking that all churches will go out of existence if this happens. They are wrong.
Those who are genuine believers will continue to support the local church because they are doing it to say thank you to the LORD for HIS provision of salvation for eternity. They were going to continue to be obedient to the LORD by giving of their time, talent and treasure.
Yes there are going to be some churches that struggle because the people will stop giving but the LORD can still provide by other means. The local church has struggled in recent years because money is tight. Some baby Christians will struggle over whether to honor the LORD with their tithe or not. Mature Christians will not face this struggle. At least, they shouldn’t. They know the LORD is the one who promised to supply our every NEED.
CHALLENGE: Remember God always keeps HIS promises. Money is an area where new believers struggle. End the struggle!!! Give and watch HIM bless.
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DISCIPLINES OF THE FAITH:
BODY
Chastity (Purity in living)
Fasting (Time alone with LORD without eating or drinking)
Powerful faith comes by fasting and prayer verse 21
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)
Powerful faith comes by prayer and fasting verse 21
Silence (Letting the LORD deal with some problems and needs)
Worship (Time to praise the LORD alone or in a group)
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DOCTRINES OF THE FAITH:
Scripture (66 inerrant books of the Bible)
Moses verse 3, 4
Elijah verse 3, 4, 10- 12
God the Father (First person of the Godhead)
Father speaks from heaven verse 5
God the Son (Second person of the Godhead –God/man,
Messiah)
Jesus verse 1, 4, 7- 9, 11, 17- 20, 22, 25, 26
Transfigured verse 2
Lord verse 4, 15
Beloved Son verse 5
Son of man verse 9, 12, 22
Suffer verse 12
Cured lunatic child verse 18
Jesus predicts future verse 22, 23
Betrayed
Killed
Raised on third day
Master verse 24
God the Holy Spirit (Third person of the Godhead – our comforter)
Trinity (Three persons of the Godhead who are co-equal = ONE God)
Angels (Created before the foundation of the world – Good and Evil)
Evil angel – devil (demon) verse 18
Man (Created on the sixth twenty-four hour period of creation)
Lunatick verse 15
Tribute money (Taxes) verse 24- 27
Kings of the earth verse 25
Strangers verse 25, 26
Sin (Missing the mark set by God on man and angels)
Not cure verse 16
Faithless verse 17
Perverse verse 17
Unbelief verse 20
Betrayed verse 22
Kill verse 23
Offend verse 27
Salvation (Provided by Christ’s death on the cross for our sins)
Hear verse 5
Touched verse 7
Not afraid verse 7
Restore verse 11
Mercy verse 15
Faith verse 20
Nothing impossible verse 20
Prayer and fasting verse 21
Not offend verse 27
Israel (Old Testament people of God)
Peter (Simon) verse 1, 4, 24- 27
James verse 1
John verse 1
Moses verse 3, 4
Elijah verse 3, 4
Disciples verse 6, 10, 13, 16, 19
Scribes verse 10
John the Baptist = Elias verse 10- 13
Galilee verse 22
Capernaum verse 24
Church (New Testament people of God)
Last Things (Future Events)
Restore verse 11
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QUOTES regarding passage
11–12 Jesus’ answer confirms this interpretation. He approves the teaching of the scribes but insists that another fact must be taken into account. NIV’s “To be sure, … But” structure accurately reflects this duality (Gr. men, … de). On the one hand, Elijah comes “first” (prōton, in some MSS) and “will restore all things” (v. 11; the combination of present and future tenses is less consistent than Mark 9:12 but reflects the OT prophecy: see Zerwick, par. 281). John’s mission was a success (Mt 3:5–6; 14:5); but, on the other hand, “restore all things” must not be taken absolutely. The Baptist stood in succession of the OT prophets who were persecuted and even killed. The unrecognized fact is that although the scribes’ interpretation is right—Elijah must precede the Messiah—their grasp of recent history is wrong, for Elijah has already come (17:12; cf. 11:14; Luke 1:17); but the people in general and the scribes and leaders in particular did not recognize him and did to him “everything they wished”—a vague expression hinting at John’s rejection by most Jewish leaders (cf. Mt 21:24–27) and his death, for which the Jewish leaders were not directly responsible.
Jesus’ point is general: the Baptist (Elijah) did fulfill his mission, but he was killed doing it. In the same way the Son of Man is going to suffer [cf. BDF, par. 315] “at their hands” (v. 12b). If the Baptist’s restoration of “all things” did not prevent his own death, why should Messiah be any better received?
13 Matthew’s conclusion, not found in Mark, has provoked much speculation. G. Barth (Bornkamm, Tradition, p. 106) takes it as further evidence for his idea that in Matthew “understanding” is essential to discipleship. Others think it a turning point in Matthew’s narrative—the disciples now arrive at true understanding (Klostermann; Trilling, p. 92). Still others hold that this introduces a split between what the disciples understand and the teachers of the law don’t (McNeile; Schweizer; Frankmolle, p. 151; Meier, Vision, p. 123). Though this has some validity, there are two other factors: (1) Matthew again rounds off a pericope by returning to the question first raised (see on 15:20); and (2) what the disciples understand is that John the Baptist is Elijah. It is not at all clear, however, that they have understood much more about the death and resurrection of the Son of Man, and it becomes very obvious during the passion narrative that they have not understood (cf. esp. 26:50–56). In short, this pericope marks another small step in the understanding of Jesus’ disciples. (Carson, D. A. (1984). Matthew. In F. E. Gaebelein (Ed.), The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Matthew, Mark, Luke (Vol. 8, p. 389). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House.)
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17:10–13. Jesus’ command for silence grew out of his realization that the multitudes of Israel had a wrong concept of the Messiah. They wanted a conquering king. They did not anticipate a suffering Messiah. Jesus did not want this magnificent display to encourage the masses to interfere with his suffering. He must go to Jerusalem, and he must die. And he did not want to encourage anyone to follow him for the wrong reason.
As the vision of Moses and Elijah lingered in the three disciples’ minds, their heads must have been filled with questions. Then indicates that their question was a reaction to something they had witnessed or to Jesus’ warning. They had just seen Elijah on the mountain. They knew the scribes anticipated Elijah’s presence in association with Messiah’s arrival. They did not understand why the Lord forbade them to tell anyone that Elijah had come.
Jesus assured them (17:11) that they had understood the Old Testament promise correctly. Jesus’ promise that Elijah will restore all things was Jesus’ paraphrase of Malachi 4:6: “He will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers; or else I will come and strike the land with a curse.” He was using the future tense as though quoting the words of Malachi, for whom John’s coming was future.
Then, with his I tell you, Jesus went on to explain that the prophecy had already been fulfilled in John the Baptizer—a fact he had already made known in 11:14. They (v. 12) means Israel, particularly as represented by the hypocritical leaders, who did not recognize John as God’s coming Elijah because of their stubborn blindness and hardness of heart. Out of their hatred and ignorance the enemies of the kingdom—Herod in particular—did to John everything they wished, rather than responding in the way God wished (see the Jewish leaders’ rejection of John in 21:24–27). Just as they had mistreated the Messiah’s forerunner, so they would also mistreat the Messiah. The same group of rebels would reject and persecute both John and Jesus (11:18–19).
With this, the three disciples’ understanding was complete. They had come to realize that the prophecy of Elijah was fulfilled in John, and that it was John whom Jesus referred to in 17:11–12. In spite of Jesus’ announcement in 11:14, it had taken them this long to realize more fully John’s place in God’s plan. Now they knew that God’s plan was further along in its fulfillment. (Weber, S. K. (2000). Matthew (Vol. 1, p. 271). Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers.)
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17:9–13. As this small group returned from the mountain, Jesus told the three not to tell anyone what they had witnessed until after He had risen from the dead (cf. 16:20). Some people had already tried to make Jesus King by force, and if news of this event had become commonly known, perhaps others would have attempted to make Jesus King.
This event was a taste of the kingdom, but the disciples were puzzled. Many were teaching that before Messiah could come, Elijah must return. Jesus explained that Elijah must in fact come and restore all things (cf. Mal. 4:5), but Elijah had already come in the person of John the Baptist and his ministry was not recognized. Instead of receiving John the Baptist, the religious leaders had rejected him. As they refused to acknowledge John’s ministry and instead rejected him, Jesus too would be rejected. At the first announcement concerning the birth of John, Zechariah his father had been told that he would go before the Lord “in the spirit and power of Elijah” (Luke 1:17). The Lord’s earlier words concerning John (Matt. 11:14) affirmed that he would have been the predicted Elijah if the nation had responded in saving faith. Everything necessary to bring in Messiah’s kingdom had been performed. The only contingency was the acceptance by the nation of her rightful King. (Barbieri, L. A., Jr. (1985). Matthew. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 2, p. 60). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)
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Jesus gave a twofold answer to their question. Yes, Elijah would come as Malachi 4:5–6 promised. But spiritually speaking, Elijah already came in the person of John the Baptist (see Matt. 11:10–15; Luke 1:17). The nation permitted John to be killed, and would ask for Jesus to be slain. Yet God’s program would be fulfilled in spite of the deeds of sinful leaders.
When will Elijah come to restore all things? Some people believe that Elijah will be one of the “two witnesses” whose ministry is described in Revelation 11. Others believe that the prophecy was fulfilled in the ministry of John the Baptist so that there will be no future coming of Elijah. (Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, p. 62). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)
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The second lesson has to do with the disciples’ understanding of the mysteries of biblical prophecy. In the plan of God, the ministries of Elijah, John, and Jesus are intricately interwoven. In his own right, John was not Elijah but came to minister in the spirit of Elijah (Luke 1:17; John 1:21). John’s ministry as the forerunner of Jesus was in line with that spoken of by Isaiah concerning the one who would prepare the Lord’s way (3:3; Isa 40:3).
According to Matthew 17:13, it seems that the disciples did understand that John’s ministry was a fulfillment of Malachi’s prophecy (Mal 4:4–5) and that John’s suffering and death anticipated what was about to happen to Jesus. Matthew 17:11 remains perplexing, however, since it seems to leave the future coming of Elijah as an open question. Perhaps Revelation 11:3–6, another perplexing text, has something to do with this. (Turner, D., & Bock, D. L. (2005). Cornerstone biblical commentary, Vol 11: Matthew and Mark (pp. 229–230). Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers.)
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“Tell the vision to no man.” Foreseeing His rejection Jesus commanded the chosen three to say nothing to anyone of what they had seen on that never-to-be-forgotten time, until after He should rise from the dead. The cross must come before the kingdom.
The perplexed disciples asked their Master, “Why then say the scribes that Elias must first come?” For this these teachers of the law had good authority, for in Malachi 4:5, 6 it was plainly declared, “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord: and he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse.” The kingdom follows the great and dreadful day of the Lord. It is in fact a continuation of that day, after its preliminary judgments shall have ended. What then of Elijah? Was he to be looked for first?
Jesus replied, “Elias truly shall first come, and restore all things.” But He explained that he had come already and his testimony had been rejected and he, himself, put out of the way: They “have done unto him whatsoever they listed.” And even as they had treated the forerunner, so would they treat the Son of Man.
“Then,” we are told, “the disciples understood that He spake unto them of John the Baptist.” He had come in the spirit and power of Elijah (Luke 1:17) to prepare Messiah’s way.
It seems clear from the prophetic scriptures that a similar Elijah-testimony will be given in the dark days of the great tribulation before the manifestation of the Lord in judgment. The vision of the two witnesses in Revelation 11 would appear to confirm this.
As they talked together they came upon a great multitude of troubled people, as depicted in the next few verses. (Ironside, H. A. (1948). Expository notes on the Gospel of Matthew. (pp. 214–216). Neptune, NJ: Loizeaux Brothers.)
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Ver. 11. And Jesus answered and said unto them, &c.] By way of concession, Elias truly shall first come: this is indeed a tenet of the Scribes, and it is also certain, that there is a prophecy in Mal. 4:5 of the coming of Elias; of one that goes under that name, not of Elias the Tishbite, in person, but of one that was to come in his power and spirit, and restore all things. The Syriac and Persic versions render it, shall perfect, or complete all things, that are prophesied of him; and shall put a period to the law and the prophets, and close the Mosaic economy, and direct persons to Christ; in whom are the perfection of the law, and the fulfilling of the prophets. The Arabic version reads it, he shall teach you all things; the whole of the Gospel being to be reduced to these two heads, repentance towards God, and faith in Christ; both which were taught by the true Elias: but the truest sense of the phrase is to be learned out of Mal. 4:6. He shall restore, השיב, he shall turn all things, the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers; and as this is explained in Luke 1:17 he shall turn the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, and make ready a people prepared for the Lord: which is other, and better sort of work, than what the Jews assign to their Elias, whom they expect, and whom they make to be a restorer of all things, in their way: they often speak of his purifying of things, or pronouncing things pure, that were defiled; and among others, that he will purify bastards, and ישיבﬦ, restore them to the congregation of the Lord. Though Maimonidess denies, that when he comes he will pronounce defiled that which is pure, or pronounce pure, that which is defiled. They pretend, that he is now employed, and very busy, in writing every thing that is done in every age; so that when he comes, he’ll be able to give an account of every thing: and nothing is more common with them, than to say concerning any matter, that there is any doubt or difficulty about itu, יהא מונח עד שיבא אליהו, let it be left till Elias comes. (Gill, J. (1809). An Exposition of the New Testament (Vol. 1, p. 194). London: Mathews and Leigh.)
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FROM MY READING:
The greatest miracle that God can do today is to take an unholy man out of an unholy world and make him holy, then put him back into that unholy world and keep him holy in it. (Leonard Ravenhill)
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Romans 14
Christians should not exercise personal liberty if it destroys another Christian.
INSIGHT: We are a part of others; what we say and what we do affects others. This is especially true of Christians. We are a part of the body of Christ; we are a part of one another. Not only does God not want us to live isolated lives but He has made it so that we cannot make it alone. Therefore, we must always be alert to how our actions affect others. If something we do harms another person, we must take that into account. If our freedom causes hurt to a brother or sister in Christ, then love dictates that we limit our freedom. (Quiet Walk)
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JUSTIFICATION AND SANCTIFICATION
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 1 Jphn 1:9
John does not use the terms justification and sanctification; they are Paul’s great words. But, of course, John teaches exactly the same doctrine. Furthermore, I think that much of the trouble with regard to these matters has arisen because people will not see that fact. John, in his own pictorial way, is teaching precisely the same truth as the apostle Paul teaches in his more logical and legal manner by means of his terms: justification and i>sanctification, righteousness and redemption, and so on.
What is meant by justification? Justification is the New Testament term that represents our standing in the presence of God. Justification means not only the forgiveness of our sins, but also that our sins have been dealt with and have been removed from us. Justification states that God regards us as righteous, as if we had not sinned. In other words, it is a stronger term than forgiveness; we may be forgiven, and yet our sins remain upon us. But what God does for us in justification is to remove the guilt altogether, to remove the sin. He does not punish us for it; He looks upon us as righteous, as if we had not sinned; our sin has been removed.
Sanctification, on the other hand, is that condition in which the sin principle is dealt with. Justification does not deal with the sin principle within us; it deals with the sins that we have committed. But after our sins have been forgiven, and sin and guilt have been removed from us, the sin principle will remain within us, and what the New Testament means by this doctrine of sanctification is the process whereby the very principle and the activity of sin within us is being taken out of us and removed.
A Thought to Ponder: Justification means not only the forgiveness of our sins, but also that our sins have been removed from us. (From Fellowship with God, pp. 137-138, by Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones)
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In Everything Give Thanks
“Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herds in the stalls: Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation.” (Habakkuk 3:17-18)
It is easy to be happy and cheerful in times of prosperity, when one has all the comforts of an affluent lifestyle and everything seems to be going well. The testing times come, however, when these material comforts are somehow taken away, and one feels defeated and all alone.
Except for God! Whatever else may fail, God “will never leave thee, nor forsake thee” (Hebrews 13:5). Since we still have the Lord (assuming we have trusted Him for forgiveness and salvation through Christ), we can always “rejoice in the LORD, . . . in the God of my salvation.”
Job, for example, lost all his possessions, then his children, finally his health, and even his wife turned against him. Yet he could say: “The LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD” (Job 1:21).
God has commanded the Christian: “In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you” (1 Thessalonians 5:18). Not for everything, but in everything!
This has always been one of the greatest testimonies a Christian can give to an unbeliever—the testimony of a life rejoicing in God’s salvation even in the midst of trouble. This was the example of Christ Himself, “who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God” (Hebrews 12:2). “For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory” (2 Corinthians 4:17).
(HMM, The Institute for Creation Research)
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We do not gather as Christ’s church to put forward our own theories and ideas or to propound some new morality or whatever. We gather to say that God has spoken, and spoken finally, in his Son. Here him, say God himself, “from the excellent glory (2 Pet. 1: 17) Peter and James and John heard these words when they were with HIM on that holy mount. (p. 159)
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The idea today is that anybody who is nice and good and friendly is a Christian. People are saying from Christian pulpits and in best-selling books that whether you believe any of the doctrines of the Christian faith or not does not matter – you can deny them all. If you are good and kind and loving, they claim, you are a Christian, you have the love of God in you; wherever you find kindness and goodness and love, there you find God. (p. 160)
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He goes on to point out that the Law is not a matter of observing certain externals – it is the heart that matters. God wants the heart – the whole heart. (p. 161)
(A Merciful and Faithful High Priest by Martyn Lloyd-Jones)
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David Turner writes (MI): In a recent sermon my pastor Joel Wayne said “Social media provides the illusion of companionship without the demands of a relationship.” He was making the point that many who are active in social media acknowledge deep loneliness. Joel contrasted this with encountering Jesus as he is presented in the New Testament in a community of faith. I came away wondering whether Pastor Joel’s comment about social media could be applied to what passes for community in many churches. Paul’s teaching in Ephesians about participation with Christ in authentic community speaks truth to this problem.
(One of my teachers in Seminary that I enjoyed.)
Lately I’ve been thinking about grace greater than our circumstances, the kind of “sufficient grace” Paul spoke about in 2 Cor 12:9. I don’t want to diminish the amazing grace that saves from sin when someone first believes the gospel, but saving grace is just the beginning. There is also sustaining grace for all the obstacles and afflictions that come our way. The grace that first saves from sin continues to save from pain, fear, weaknesses, and insecurities. We shouldn’t be surprised that Paul speaks about grace greater than our circumstances as well as grace greater than sin. Saving grace doesn’t stop saving once we’re saved.
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Daily Hope
Today’s Scripture Ecclesiastes 9:11-18
As a young parent, “Life’s not fair, you need to get used to it!” was a common phrase I would often say to my children when they complained or thought life was unjust. I was not trying to be mean or cynical but attempted to teach the fact that events happen beyond our control and we must accept unexpected outcomes.
Solomon is stating a similar position as he looks at the reality of life after reflecting on the certainty of death. He does not negate the previous truth that all activity is in God’s control, but he does indicate two factors that will limit our accomplishments. Those two factors are time and chance (v. 11). Solomon states that there are five areas of dominance that normally lead to success: being swift, strong, brilliant, gifted, and talented. The perplexity remains, we cannot know the potential deciding factors between victory and defeat or life and death.
The unpredicted issues turn the odds and makes the field level for all people to compete. Two factors (time and chance) give opportunity for success and victory to those less qualified. These unforeseen elements bring uncertainty to otherwise certain results. Solomon’s point was that the wise person perceived and calculated these components into their preparations.
He illustrates with the story of the poor wise man that is not considered when his city is attacked and he delivers them from superior forces. His wisdom saved the day but the foolishness of a ruler led to the city’s demise (v. 18).
Warren Wiersbe concludes this section of chapter nine by stating, “Since death is unavoidable and life is unpredictable, the only course we can safely take is to yield ourselves into the hands of God and walk by faith in His Word. We don’t live by explanations; we live by promises. We don’t depend on luck but on the providential working of our loving Father as we trust His promises and obey His will.” Rest in the promise that Hebrews 13:6 states, “… ‘The Lord is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?’”
With an Expectant hope, Pastor Miller
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