John 10:22-42 extra points

I and the Father are one, is the subject of this text as the first 21 verses, were Jesus as the good Shepherd.

The Jews wanted to hear plainly if He is the Messiah or not. They clearly understood Jesus' claim as we read in verse 30, I and the Father are one. We know this because the response was not to fall to their knees and worship, it was to stoop, pick up rocks, and intending on stoning Him.

Several things to address.

First, this word "one" is what seems to confuse people even today.  Some claim that the trinity is polytheistic, or worshiping multiple gods. Others claim that the trinity is a manifestation of God in three ways at different times and they exist apart from one another not simultaneously. Both are heretical views and should be ignored. The term "one" is complicated but put with other scriptures such as Jesus baptism where all three persons of the God head are present and believing that scripture supports scripture it will come into focus. 

Its similar to when we read that we were created in God's image. Does that mean that God is multicolored, male and female, short and tall, etc? OF course, not, so we look to other scriptures and see that we were created with intellect, emotions, etc. So when it comes to the trinity or in this case two of the members of the trinity being one, it becomes clear they are unified, all wise, loving, patient and on and on we go. The primary purpose of the Lords statement was to clarify, that not only did the Father send Him, He came from the Father and they are one in purpose and essence, yet distinct in person hood. 

We covered the reality that some are not of the sheep pen, others (gentiles or us) are of a "different" pen but will be brought along with the sheep that are in Israel. This is great news for the gentile believer that we also are included in the plans of redemption and eternity in heaven.

How do we know if we are of His sheep? Glad you asked, Jesus answers. The sheep of His fold, recognize His voice and they follow Him. They know the character of the shepherd and respond the only way they know how. To be present with, to follow after. We feel safe and taken care of in His presence, we desire to be with Him in the word, and prayer, we strive to live a life that reflects the shepherds values and that includes loving Him and loving others. Where He goes, where He sends us we obediently go and we are confident He has a plan and it is to prosper and not to harm us.

He gives us eternal life. No other source, no other way, it comes from Him and it is a gift to those who respond. You are sealed for the day of redemption.

But let's take a quick look at the disbelief of those who reject the Lord.

Their reactionary response show us the passion in which they hated Jesus. They were willing to take His life. Do you know why? Ultimately, it stems from pride and self righteousness, both of those qualities are absent from the Lord but very present in the devil. They are responding in the flesh to a spiritual conviction. Why do you suppose people even today are critical towards the church? They point out your flaws and persecute the church, (the true church) as a sign of proof that we are hypocritical yet miss their own hypocrisy.  Yet Jesus' response was one of truth, consistency and love. 

Those who rejected Him also considered themselves "religious". Sound familiar? The way Jesus addresses it is similar to what He did in the wilderness when tempted by Satan, He responded each time with scripture. What is the weapon of choice in Ephesians 6? It is the sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God. That is what matters, that is what makes the difference and that is what divides.

Heb 4:12  For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. 

Jesus takes the Jews to the word of God to show them the fallacy of their arguments. Jesus quotes out of psalms using a statement that they had taken out of context regarding those who were judging and proclaiming to be a spokesman for God, yet were really only projecting themselves. The phrase, called you gods, isn't recognition that there are other gods, but simply a form of rebuke to the self righteous living as though it is all about them. The Jewish leaders would be rebuked in this statement and so Jesus follows it up with the truth. If I do the things of my Father then believe, if I do not do the things of my Father don't. In fact He goes so far as to say, don't believe me then, believe the works that are evidence of who He is. 

I suppose that is a good place to stop, My only hope is this clarifies your own experience and gives you hope as you share the good news with others. The rejection is not towards you, but because of your affiliation with Jesus and the conviction that comes with the flesh. Keep sharing the gospel and be encouraged. 

Till next time.

P.M.

Living by Faith

This week we will be discussing chapter 6 of Joshua which is well known for the battle of Jericho, the walls coming down, Joshua's victory and most everything but what the main point is about. Truth is it is a completion to chapter two. Yes Joshua has victory and yes Rahab is safely brought out, but what about God and what about Rahab and Joshua's faith? Seems like we overlook it pretty quickly with the focus on the physical. Remember the preincarnate Christ with sword drawn in chapter 5, encouraging Joshua that He would win the battle for Israel not any tricky military strategy. And have you ever "wondered" why the red cord isn't mentioned when Joshua sends the spies to get Rahab out? (o.k., I'll give you this one early this one time. It was the only part of the wall that did not collapse. makes it pretty easy to figure out which house was hers huh?) Chapter 6 is full of faith, but did you realize that the word faith is only found four times in the O.T. and each time is a different Hebrew word, and none are found in Joshua, let alone chapter 6? This seems to defy the rules of Bible study. Normally you look for repeated words to get an idea of what is important and I would still encourage you to do just that, but in this case if that were all we did, we may miss the point altogether. This week read through Joshua 6 and come back again for the extra points for deeper study.
Till then keep in the Word!!
PM

How strong is your faith?

It's been a while since I have posted and have many changes coming. As we get settled in we are teaching through the book of Joshua. We will begin to put extra info for deeper study on this blog from our morning worship services.
We will also have a forum for questions that you would like to see answered and common questions I get. Should be fun, so submit your questions and maybe we'll see yours here!

We are in the second chapter of Joshua and just want to make a couple of points. Rahab is mentioned three times in the N.T. and one of those times is found in the genealogy in Matthew chapter one. She meets the spies sent secretly by Joshua, although they were found out, and negotiates here safety with them when they return. She acknowledges the God of Israel and in Hebrews her faith is accounted as righteousness. Here are a few of the questions that would be well worth your additional study.

1. Is it ok to lie if it is for a good reason, like saving two spies lives?
2. We know that Rahab faced the same consequences as all Jericho, so why did God choose her?
3. When Rahab was questioned by the guards, she responded, "yes, the men came to me," which indited her to knowing these men and confirmed that the kings report was accurate and precise. Why is this significant?
4. When the spies tell Rahab to hang a scarlet cord, thread, in her window what similarities do we see from the death angel in Egypt during passover? Also the parting of the sea and the parting of the Jordan coming up in the next couple chapters. 

That should be enough for now, and I will help you out with the first one. Deceit and lying is an abomination to the Lord. there are no "qualifiers" or "exceptions" we see in scripture. (proverbs is full of supporting scripture.) We are also in the process of becoming more Christ like and in order to do that we are to take on His characteristics. According to Titus 1:2 God cannot lie and therefore we shouldn't either. Do you believe God is sovern and can control the outcome regardless of our actions? I do to and for that reason Rahabs deceit and lies are sinful. The focus and reason she is mentioned in Hebrews 11 is for her faith. Part of that reason is because there was a law code of Hammurabi that specifically addressed a harlot hiding people without reporting them to the palace. They were to be put to death. Also look at all the examples of those in scripture who have lied or deceived. We may be able to understand why someone would lie to save these two lives, but that does not make it acceptable before a Holy God who is already in control. Keep digging and you'll find out even more. In the mean time lets trust God to move us through each day and rely on Him not on our own devices.
Catch ya soon.
PM

Unity is sweet fellowship

When we come together there is always the potential for hazardous results, especially if we have strong personalities in the same place. This past weeks sermon on "me Church" was a comical look at a very serious subject. How do two Christians get by our differences in a way that not only glorifies God but brings the two closer to each other and God? I mentioned three elements in Philippians 2:1-4. The right motives and the right markers were discussed but the third point was left off or church would have gone another hour. Although some are fine with that, others get fidgety and begin to lose interest. I wanted to quickly list out some of the main points to the third element, the right means.
The right means has 5 sub points and I will briefly touch on them.
First is "rejecting selfishness", and is listed first because it is a root of all other sins. Look at the example described in Isaiah 14:12-17. Seeking his own will above Gods, Satan fell. Selfishness comes with the idea of building oneself up by tearing others down. 1st Corinthians 3 Paul expresses his disappointment in the church in Corinth, still on milk when they should have been on solid food. Because of their jealousy and strife they were restricting their growth and unity. Jerry Bridges in his book "Respectable Sins" suggests four categories of selfishness. They are selfishness with our interests, selfishness with our time, selfishness with our finances, and selfish through our inconsiderateness. Pretty accurate from my point of view. Which of these do you find yourself challenged with? What are you willing to do to take care of it. Paul gives the solution in our featured text, PH 2:1-4. Check it out and let me know what you see and what your doing about it. I would love to hear from you. We will take a look at the second of these characteristics of the "right means", tomorrow. Until then humble yourself before the Lord.
Mark