We Must Trust God & Patiently Endure (Psalm 120:2-7)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 9/30/2012 7:54:52 AM

 

My Worship Time                                                                     Focus:  Psalm 120 PT

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                      Reference:  Psalm 120:2-7

 

            Message of the verses:  In today’s SD we will continue our look at the 120^th Psalm, remembering the words that Warren Wiersbe wrote at the end of his introductory commentary, “When we find ourselves experiencing distress and disappointment, we have three responsibilities to fulfill if our burdens are to become blessings.”  We look at the first responsibility in yesterday’s SD which is to pray and this covered the first two verses.

 

            We Must Trust God (vv. 3-4):  “3  What shall be given to you, and what more shall be done to you, You deceitful tongue? 4  Sharp arrows of the warrior, With the burning coals of the broom tree.”

“3  O deceptive tongue, what will God do to you?  How will he increase your punishment? 4  You will be pierced with sharp arrows  and burned with glowing coals.”  (NLT)

It is the belief of Warren Wiersbe that these two verses are the answer to the prayer that the psalmist had prayed to the Lord.  The Lord is telling the psalmist that He would care for those who are lying about him and that is very good advice for us today if this same thing is happening to us.  We tend to want to take care of these types of problems in our own way, but the Lord wants us to allow Him to work these things out in His own way and in His own time.  Paul was hard on the Corinthians when he scolded them for going to court when matters should have been handled inside the church, for he told them that one day they would be judging angels.

The imagery that is used in this section is also used in other places in the Scriptures such as Psalm 55:21; 57:4; 59:7; 64:3-4; Prov. 16:27; 25:18; 26:18-19; Jer. 9:3, 8; and in James 3:6:  “And the tongue is a fire, the very world of iniquity; the tongue is set among our members as that which defiles the entire body, and sets on fire the course of our life, and is set on fire by hell.”

Dr. Wiersbe writes “The broom tree is a desert shrub that affords shade (1Kings 19:4), and its roots can be made into excellent charcoal.”  He goes on to write “There is so much godless speech in our world today that believers must be careful what they hear and how it affects them.  We must not only turn away our eyes from beholding vanity (119:37) but also turn away our ears from hearing foolishness.”  When we are slandered and lied about, we must leave the matter with the Lord and trust Him to work.”

 

We Must Patiently Endure (vv. 5-7):  “5 ¶ Woe is me, for I sojourn in Meshech, For I dwell among the tents of Kedar! 6 Too long has my soul had its dwelling With those who hate peace. 7 I am for peace, but when I speak, They are for war.”

“5 ¶  How I suffer in far-off Meshech.  It pains me to live in distant Kedar. 6  I am tired of living  among people who hate peace. 7  I search for peace;  but when I speak of peace, they want war!”  (NLT)

The places that the psalmist speaks of in this sections were thousands of miles apart and what he is talking about here is that the Jewish people that he was living with were acting like the Gentiles who lived in Meshech and Kedar for they were the ones who were slandering him and this was even more upsetting to him because the Jewish people were to follow the covenant that was given to them in the Word of God.  Meshech was located in Asia Minor which is Northwest of Israel, and Kedar was from the descendants of Ishmael who was Abraham’s son by Hagar.

In today’s world believers must not only live with unbelievers, but they also live with those who profess to be believers but act like unbelievers.  The Bible teaches us not to be married to unbelievers, but if a person is married when they are an unbeliever and then becomes a believer then they will be living with an unbeliever and they are not to just leave their unbelieving spouse, but gently begin to witness to them showing the great changes that have happened to them. 

In Paul’s writings he at times shamed the believers he was writing to by telling them that they were acting like “Gentiles” meaning unbelievers.  We can see this in 1Cor. 5:1, 12-23; Eph. 4:17; Col. 4:5; 1Thess. 4:12; 1Tim 3:7). 

We can see from this section that the psalmist was a peacemaker and he was trying to encourage his godless Jewish neighbors to be peaceable, however they were not really interested in doing this, but want to wage war.  Dr. Wiersbe writes “After over fifty years of ministry, I am convinced that most of the problems in families and churches are caused by professed Christians who do not have a real and vital relationship to Jesus Christ.  They are not humble peacemakers but arrogant troublemakers.  Until God changes them or they decide to go elsewhere, the dedicated believers must be patient and prayerful.  This is the way Joseph dealt with his brothers in Canaan and his false accusers in Egypt.  It is also the way David dealt with King Saul and Jesus dealt with His enemies (1Peter 2:18-25).  “18  Servants, be submissive to your masters with all respect, not only to those who are good and gentle, but also to those who are unreasonable. 19  For this finds favor, if for the sake of conscience toward God a person bears up under sorrows when suffering unjustly. 20  For what credit is there if, when you sin and are harshly treated, you endure it with patience? But if when you do what is right and suffer for it you patiently endure it, this finds favor with God. 21  For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps, 22  WHO COMMITTED NO SIN, NOR WAS ANY DECEIT FOUND IN HIS MOUTH; 23  and while being reviled, He did not revile in return; while suffering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously; 24  and He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed. 25  For you were continually straying like sheep, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Guardian of your souls.”  

 

Spiritual meaning for my life:  One can never go wrong when one’s spiritual meaning for life is to be more like Jesus and is seen in verses 21-23 of 1Peter 2.  What is seen there is humility, and that is power under control for Jesus could have instantly gotten rid of His enemies, but then He would not have been qualified to die for my sins and yours and that was the very reason He came to earth.

 

My Steps of Faith for Today:  Contentment and humility are seen in the verses in 1Peter 2 and these are good examples to follow by the power of God’s Holy Spirit.

 

Memory verses for the week:  1Cor. 13:1-8

 

            1 If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.  2 If I have the gift of prophecy and know all mysteries, and all knowledge, and if I have all faith so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.  3 And if I give all my possessions to feed the poor and surrender my body to be burned, but do not have love, it profits me nothing.

            4 Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, 5 does not act unbecomingly, does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, 6 does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth, 7 bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

            8 Love never fails, but if there are gifts of prophecy they will be done away; if there are tongues, they will cease; if there is knowledge it will be done away.

 

9/30/2012 8:47:12 AM

Introductions to the Ascent Psalms & "We Must Pray (Psalm 120:1-2)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 9/29/2012 9:01:13 AM

 

My Worship Time                                                                     Focus:  Psalm 120

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                      Reference:  Psalm 120:1-2

 

            Message of the verses:  Before we look at Psalm 120 I want to look at some of the points that Warren Wiersbe brings up about this section of psalms that he calls “The Pilgrim Psalms (120-134).

 

            I mentioned in an earlier SD that these psalms (120-134) are called Psalms of Ascent, and were sung by families as they made their way up to Jerusalem, (for if you are going to get to Jerusalem you always have to go up), on their way to one of the three feasts that they were required to attend, (I believe that the men were required to attend these three feasts).  Passover was in the spring, and Pentecost was in the early summer and Tabernacles was in the autumn.

            Dr. Wiersbe points out that these 15 psalms were most likely in a hymnal and that the pilgrims would sing them on their way up to Jerusalem.  He states that ten of the psalms were anonymous, and that David wrote four of the psalms, 122, 124, 131, & 133, Solomon wrote Psalm 127. 

            Dr. Wiersbe states “Three special themes are repeated: (1) the afflictions that Israel experienced at the hands of the other nations, (2) the gracious way God cared for and protected His chosen people, and (3) the blessing of being in Jerusalem.”  As one looks at the history of the nation of Israel as written in the OT we find that Israel had suffered contempt and scorn and they were near extinction, that there were traps set against them and they suffered bondage and affliction.  These things are all spoken of in this set of psalms to remind the people of who they were and how the Lord has truly cared for them in spite of all of their sin that they have committed against the Lord.

            I think that it is important for us to look at a long paragraph that Dr. Wiersbe wrote as he concludes his introductory commentary on this section of psalms and although we will probably not get through all of the 120^th Psalm today it is important to understand what he writes here.  “Under the leadership of Moses, the Israelites were a nomadic people for forty years.  But after they settled in Canaan, the Lord required them to go to Jerusalem three times a year.  This reminded them that, spiritually speaking, they were still a pilgrim people and needed to depend on the Lord.  ‘For we are aliens and pilgrims before you,’ said David (1Chron. 29:15; and see Pss. 84:5-7 and 119:19 and 54.)  Too many believers today want to be ‘settlers,’ not pilgrims and strangers (Heb. 11:8-10, 13-16; 1Peter 1:1; 2:11).  We are happy to settle down in our comfort zones and live as though Jesus never died, Jesus is not coming again, and our lives will never end.  We are guilty of what Eugene Peterson calls ‘the tourist mindset,’ content to make occasional brief visits with the Lord that are leisurely and entertaining, all the while conforming to this world and enjoying it.  (See A Long Obedience in the Same Direction, IVP, p. 12.)  Our citizenship is in heaven (Luke 10:20; Phil. 3:20; Heb. 12:22-24), and that should make a difference in our lives on earth.  We need to ‘feel temporary’ as we make this pilgrim journey called life.” 

 

            Psalm 120:  “1 ¶  «A Song of Ascents.» In my trouble I cried to the LORD, And He answered me. 2  Deliver my soul, O LORD, from lying lips, From a deceitful tongue. 3  What shall be given to you, and what more shall be done to you, You deceitful tongue? 4  Sharp arrows of the warrior, With the burning coals of the broom tree.

    “5 ¶  Woe is me, for I sojourn in Meshech, For I dwell among the tents of Kedar! 6  Too long has my soul had its dwelling With those who hate peace. 7  I am for peace, but when I speak, They are for war.”

 

            In his introduction to this Psalm Warren Wiersbe points out that the author of this psalm must have been in the same boat as the author of Psalm 42, and that is neither of them would be able to come to the feast and go to the sanctuary of the Lord in Jerusalem and because of this they were both saddened.  There were people who were making life difficult for both the authors of Psalms 42 and 120 preventing them from attending the feast. 

            He states “The psalm reminds believers today that worship is a privilege and the blessings we receive must be shared.  When we find ourselves experiencing distress and disappointment, we have three responsibilities to fulfill if our burdens are to become blessings.”  

 

            We Must Pray (vv. 1-2):  “In my trouble I cried to the LORD, And He answered me. 2  Deliver my soul, O LORD, from lying lips, From a deceitful tongue.”

 

            We will just look at this first section of Psalm 120 in Today’s SD because of all the time that I had to spend on the introduction to this section of psalms and also the introduction to this psalm.

            I like the NASB and have used it ever since I became a believer in 1974.  I like it because it is easier to read than the KJV, but the biggest reason that I like it is because I believe that it is the most accurate translation that is available.  I know that the ESV, which is relatively new is accurate, but old habits are hard to break.  In this first verse we see that the NASB says that the psalmist has cried out to the Lord, and Dr. Wiersbe points out that this verb tense can be combined so that the psalmist could actually be saying “I have in the past cried out to you and now I cry out to you again.”  The psalmist could be stating that because he had cried out to the Lord in the past and the Lord had answered his prayer that now he is crying out to the Lord again, for he is in trouble again and needs the help of the Lord.  Now I think at this time we must remember that when we pray to the Lord we can get one of three answers, yes, no, or wait. 

            The psalmist was not complaining of this trouble he is in, but he is praying about the trouble that he is in and shares his troubles with those who will read this psalm.  Being a believer we are not to hide our troubles, but to share them with people of like faith that we can trust to pray about them for us and not to tell everyone they know about our troubles.  I have heard that we are to go to the throne with our troubles and not to the phone, but I think that it is good to tell those we can trust and that they will not go to the phone with our troubles.  Solomon speaks of a rope that has three sections to it making it stronger, and this is helpful to know when we are telling others about our troubles that are in need of prayer.  In the prayer meeting that we have at our church we have a bulletin with people’s prayer request on it and then at the end of the first part of the service there can be things added to this bulletin and they we break up into three groups where we can share things with a smaller group and then we pray about those things.  I think that it can be taken a step further if the request is something that one does not want a large group to know about. 

            Back to the psalmist who states that the Lord has answered his prayer in verse two and now asks the Lord to deliver him from those who were lying about him, for those who had a deceitful tongue.  This was the problem that probably kept him from going up to the temple for one of the feasts and he was saddened that he could not go.

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  I suppose that one of the things that I like least is to have someone lie about me or to me and so I can understand why the psalmist was upset.  In my memory verses from 1Corinthians thirteen,  I read in verse five these words “(Love) does not take into account a wrong suffered.”  I suppose that I am going to have to have a better understanding of this part of verse five to make a conclusion as to exactly what this means, but I do think of our Lord and how he prayed to His Father to forgive those who had crucified Him for they did not know what they were doing.  Steven did the same thing.  This takes a lot of love to do something like this.

 

My Steps of Faith for Today:  Contentment is something that I desire to learn more of and to be more content.

 

Memory verses for the week:  1Cor. 13:1-7

 

            1 If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.  2 If I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.  3 And if I give all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I surrender my body to be burned, but do not have love, it profits me nothing.

            4 Love is patient, love is kind, and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, 5 does not act unbecomingly, does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, 6 does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth, 7 bears all things believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

 

9/29/2012 10:31:56 AM

The Poor Become Rich (Mark 10:46-52)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 9/28/2012 9:13:31 AM

 

My Worship Time                                                                     Focus:  The Poor Become Rich

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                      Reference:  Mark 10:46-52

 

            Message of the verses:  “46 ¶  Then they *came to Jericho. And as He was leaving Jericho with His disciples and a large crowd, a blind beggar named Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, was sitting by the road. 47  When he heard that it was Jesus the Nazarene, he began to cry out and say, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!" 48  Many were sternly telling him to be quiet, but he kept crying out all the more, "Son of David, have mercy on me!" 49  And Jesus stopped and said, "Call him here." So they *called the blind man, saying to him, "Take courage, stand up! He is calling for you." 50  Throwing aside his cloak, he jumped up and came to Jesus. 51  And answering him, Jesus said, "What do you want Me to do for you?" And the blind man said to Him, "Rabboni, I want to regain my sight!" 52  And Jesus said to him, "Go; your faith has made you well." Immediately he regained his sight and began following Him on the road.”

 

            Sometimes when we read through the Gospels we see things in the different Gospels that seem to be contradictive, and this section seems to fit into that category.  Luke 18:35 says, “As Jesus was approaching Jericho, a blind man was sitting by the road begging.”  Our text from today in Mark 10:46 states, “Then they *came to Jericho. And as He was leaving Jericho with His disciples and a large crowd, a blind beggar named Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, was sitting by the road.”  Dr. Wiersbe points out “There were actually two cities named Jericho:  the old city in ruins, and the new city a mile away where Herod the Great and his successors built a lavish winter palace.”  When we read this story from Matthew’s gospel account we read that there were two blind beggars that Jesus healed.  “29 ¶  As they were leaving Jericho, a large crowd followed Him. 30  And two blind men sitting by the road, hearing that Jesus was passing by, cried out, "Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David!" 31  The crowd sternly told them to be quiet, but they cried out all the more, "Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!" 32  And Jesus stopped and called them, and said, "What do you want Me to do for you?" 33  They *said to Him, "Lord, we want our eyes to be opened." 34  Moved with compassion, Jesus touched their eyes; and immediately they regained their sight and followed Him (Matthew 20:29-34).”  Perhaps John MacArthur’s idea about why Mark and Luke only talk about Bartimaeus was because he became the more prominent one of the two and was greatly involved in the early Church.  He may have been one of the 120 people who meet in the upper room waiting for the Holy Spirit to be given to them, and that is why his name is given and the other’s name is withheld. 

            Let’s talk a bit about Jericho from where it is mentioned in the Scriptures.  As I searched for this word in my Online Bible program I find that Jericho is mentioned 59 times in the Bible.  It is mentioned in ten different verses in the book of Numbers, in three verses in Deuteronomy, in 26 verses in the book of Joshua, one verse in 2Samuel and 1Kings, in six verses in 2Kings, in two verses in 1Chronicles and one 2Chronicles, in Ezra once and Nehemiah two times, in Jeremiah two times, and then we move to the NT where it is in Matthew and Mark once, and Luke three times and the last mention is in Hebrews where it is mentioned once speaking of the walls falling down. 

            When God destroyed Jericho after the children of Israel marched around it we read in “Jos 6:26  Then Joshua made them take an oath at that time, saying, "Cursed before the LORD is the man who rises up and builds this city Jericho; with the loss of his firstborn he shall lay its foundation, and with the loss of his youngest son he shall set up its gates.’”  Then we read in “1Ki 16:34  In his days Hiel the Bethelite built Jericho; he laid its foundations with the loss of Abiram his firstborn, and set up its gates with the loss of his youngest son Segub, according to the word of the LORD, which He spoke by Joshua the son of Nun.”

            In searching the internet about Jericho I found this brief, but interesting article on Jericho and it is found at http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/vie/Jericho.html. 

            Jericho is below Jerusalem and the Jews coming to the Passover and other feasts would go through Jericho because they walked around Samaria because they thought they would be deviled if they went through Samaria.  In our next section from the book of Psalms that will begin tomorrow (God willing) we will begin to study the psalms of ascent and these psalms were spoken by the children of Israel as they made their way up to Jerusalem.  Perhaps Jesus and His disciples and the others who traveled with Him began to recite Psalms 120-134. 

            As we look at the text in Mark we see that Bartimaeus called Jesus by two different names.  He called Jesus “Son of David” which is a messianic title and so he must have known who Jesus was from a study of the Scriptures.  He also calls him Rabboni which means Master and is only use one other time by Mary in John 20:16 in all the Scriptures.  It seems to me that this man was not only looking to have his physical eyes opened, but he also had probably had his spiritual eyes opened earlier, and if not earlier for sure when Jesus healed his physical eyes for we see that he began to follow Jesus.

            We see the same question that Jesus asked to James, John, and Salome in Mark 10:36, and that question was “What do you want Me to do for you.”  This question seems a bit strange to ask a blind man but Dr. Wiersbe states that “Jesus wanted to give the man opportunity to express himself and give evidence of his own faith.  What did he really believe Jesus could do for him?”

            Jesus knew what awaited Him as he traveled up to Jerusalem, and we talked a bit about that in yesterday’s SD, but Jesus who was doing the Father’s will stopped overnight in Jericho at the house of Zaccheus, a dreaded tax collector and called him to a saving faith and then on the way out of Jericho he stopped to heal two blind beggars of both their physical needs along with their spiritual needs.  The Jews of that day probably thought less of the tax collectors than they did the blind, but not much for they felt that people who were blind were cursed by God.  We see this in the disciples question of Jesus in the ninth chapter of John, “’Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he would be born blind?’”  This would be the last miracle that Jesus would do before rising from the dead, although He had two more appointments in order to call a thief and a Roman Soldier to salvation while on the cross.

            In the remaining chapters of Mark we will see Jesus during the last week of His life on earth as we will see the suffering Servant crucified for those He came to save and then be raised from the dead as proof of His payment for their sins.

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  I see great compassion in this section as it is even stated in one of the gospel accounts.  Compassion is a part of love and Jesus is love.  As I begin to memorize the 13^th chapter of 1Corinthians, the “Love Chapter,” I am trying to see how this chapter fits into the life of Jesus as I read through the Gospels and then have a desire to have the Holy Spirit work these qualities into my life. 

 

My Steps of Faith for Today:  Trust that God will make a more compassionate person of me.

 

Memory verses for the week:  1Cor. 13:1-7

 

            1 If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.  2 If I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.  3 And if I give all my possessions to feed the poor, and surrender my body to be burned, but do not have love, it profits me nothing.

            4 Love is patient, love is kind, and is not jealous; love does not brag, and is not arrogant, 5 does not act unbecomingly, it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, 6 does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth, 7 bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

 

9/28/2012 10:52:04 AM

Servants Shall be Rulers (Mark 10:35-45)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 9/27/2012 9:49:44 AM

 

My Worship Time                                                                     Focus:  Servants Shall Be Rulers

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                      Reference:  Mark 10:35-45

 

            Message of the verses:  35  James and John, the two sons of Zebedee, *came up to Jesus, saying, "Teacher, we want You to do for us whatever we ask of You." 36  And He said to them, "What do you want Me to do for you?" 37  They said to Him, "Grant that we may sit, one on Your right and one on Your left, in Your glory." 38  But Jesus said to them, "You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or to be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?" 39  They said to Him, "We are able." And Jesus said to them, "The cup that I drink you shall drink; and you shall be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized. 40  "But to sit on My right or on My left, this is not Mine to give; but it is for those for whom it has been prepared." 41  Hearing this, the ten began to feel indignant with James and John. 42  Calling them to Himself, Jesus *said to them, "You know that those who are recognized as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them; and their great men exercise authority over them. 43  "But it is not this way among you, but whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant; 44  and whoever wishes to be first among you shall be slave of all. 45  ‘For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.’

 

            In the last SD we spoke a bit about the coming death, burial, and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ, and in the SD before that we were talking about the rich young ruler.  I did omit one thing that I want to make clear concerning the rich young ruler, and that is that what Jesus told him to do with his riches is not for all rich people to do in order to gain eternal life.  The riches were an idol to the rich young ruler and Jesus was telling him that he must forsake his idol and worship the Lord if he wanted to be saved from his sins, but he did not do this.

 

            As I listen to the 10^th chapter of Mark this month I was truly amazed at the timing of James and John in asking Jesus a request right after His statement of going to Jerusalem to die.  Dr. Wiersbe points out that in the other Gospels that their mother was involved in this, and the reason that Mark does not write about that is because his gospel was going to Gentiles, to Romans.  Jesus had told His disciples that in the Kingdom of God that the disciples would sit on twelve thrones judging Israel, and so James and John desired to get the best places.  I guess when you look at it that way it is not as bad as I thought it was.

            Jesus never misses a chance to teach His disciples and He takes this opportunity to teach them about humility and being servants, and as mentioned in a earlier SD Mark 10:45 is the key verse in the Gospel of Mark and when you look at that verse along with Philippians 2:5-11 you can see the humility of Our Lord:  “5  Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, 6  who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7  but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. 8  Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 9  For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, 10  so that at the name of Jesus EVERY KNEE WILL BOW, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11  and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”  Verse five tells us that we are to have this same attitude of humility and so does Mark 10:45.

            Jesus talks to His disciples for the third time in Mark’s Gospel about His upcoming “passion,” and the first time He mentions this in Mark 8:31 and also in Mark 9:31 He did not mention the place or who would be causing His death as He does in this section.  We see a fourth time in this section that Jesus promised that He would be raised from the dead, something that His disciples did not understand until after it happened.

            We also see in this section that Jesus speaks to James and John about the drinking of the cup and the baptism that He would have to go through and asked them if they were willing to go through these too.  They answered they were, but did not really understand what He was talking about, but are informed that they would drink the cup and be baptized as Jesus would be.  James would be the first Christian martyr as seen in Acts 12, and John, according to tradition would be boiled in oil, and then taken to the island of Patmos where He would eventually die of natural causes, but while on that island would write the last book of the Bible, the book of Revelations.

 

            I wish to conclude this section with the words of Warren Wiersbe:  “God’s pattern in Scripture is that a person must first be a servant before God promotes him or her to be a ruler.  This was true of Joseph, Moses, Joshua, David, Timothy and even our Lord Himself (Phil. 2:1-11).  Unless we know how to obey orders, we do not have the right to give orders.  Before a person exercises authority, he or she must know what it means to be under authority.  If Jesus Christ followed this patter in accomplishing the great work of redemption, then surely there is no other pattern for us to follow.”

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  Reading a book on Spiritual Leadership that was about D. L. Moody, (one of my heroes of the faith), I came to the conclusion that Moody was a great servant which made him a great leader, and the results of his life are still felt around the world.  Learning to be a servant is a great goal to have.

 

My Steps of Faith for Today:  Psalm 119:133 “Establish my footsteps in Your Word, And do not let any iniquity have domino over me.”

 

Memory verses for the week: 1Cor. 13:1-7

 

            1 If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.  2 If I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries, and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.  3 And if I give all my possessions to feed the poor, and surrender my body to be burned, but do not have love, it profits me nothing.

            4 Love is patient, love is kind, and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, 5 does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, 6 does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth, 7 bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

 

9/27/2012 10:43:42 AM

Jesus Tells of His Death (Mark 10:32-34)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 9/25/2012 9:10:15 AM

 

My Worship Time                                                                      Focus: Jesus Tells of His Death

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                      Reference:  Mark 10:32-34

 

            Message of the verses:  32 ¶  They were on the road going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was walking on ahead of them; and they were amazed, and those who followed were fearful. And again He took the twelve aside and began to tell them what was going to happen to Him, 33  saying, "Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be delivered to the chief priests and the scribes; and they will condemn Him to death and will hand Him over to the Gentiles. 34  ‘They will mock Him and spit on Him, and scourge Him and kill Him, and three days later He will rise again.’”

 

            We see in this section the determination of Jesus keeping His appointment with death that would happen in Jerusalem, and also telling His disciples what was about to happen to Him there in Jerusalem, for they were clueless of all of this even though Jesus had been telling them about it.

            I find it interesting that in the book of Luke we see that the first thing that Jesus says was in the temple after His parents were searching for Him.  I believe that I mentioned this in an earlier SD, but it bears repeating, and that is that Jesus tells His parents that they should not be surprised to find Him in the temple for He had to be about His Father’s business.  When we read through the book of John especially, though we can see it in all the Gospels, that Jesus plan to come to earth was to redeem those who were going to accept Him as their Lord and Savior.  This was prophesied in many of the OT Scriptures.  We see in the 3^rd chapter of the book of Genesis that God required a sacrifice for sin and it is my belief that the animal that the Lord killed to make clothes was a lamb.  Adam and Eve tried to do it on their own by sewing leaves together to cover themselves and man has been trying to cover their sins ever since, but God requires a sacrifice and as we go through the OT we see that, for in the book of Exodus we see the tabernacle made and the OT  sacrificial system began.

            One of my favorite parts of the Bible is found in the 24^th chapter of Luke where the risen Lord talks to two of His followers and opens up the OT in order to explain to them that He had to die and all the things that happened to Him were planned by His Father to accomplish. One of the OT prophecies is found in the 53^rd chapter of the book of Isaiah, a prophecy so complete that the Jews even today say that this speaks of the nation of Israel for they know that if they see the truth in it that they would be condemned.  Psalm 22 speaks of the crucifixion of Jesus so vividly that it is as if the psalmist (David) was standing at the foot of the cross.  The psalm was written many years before crucifixion was ever practiced.  There are prophecies about Judas eating bread with Jesus and getting 30 pieces of silver to betray Him.  There is a prophecy of where Jesus was to be buried, and that He would rise from the dead, and many other prophecies about His life and death.

            His disciples were not able to understand this at this time but after Jesus was raised from the dead and the Spirit was given to them at Pentecost they understood what had happened and what they were to do about it, and that was tell others so that they too could believe and the story has continued to be told ever since.

            Daniel’s prophecy in the 9^th chapter of Daniel is one of the greatest if not the greatest prophecy in all the OT for it tells many things that have already happened and many things that will happen in the future.  One of the things we see is that Messiah would come and be killed, yet not for Him, but for others.  The prophecy also tells of the exact day that Jesus would offer Himself to be King and that was on what we call Psalm Sunday.

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  What does all of this mean to me?  Well for one thing it shows that I do not need to be afraid of worshiping the Lord because He knows all things and has planned all things to work out for His honor and glory.  Another thing that I can see in this is that since all of the things that were prophesied about Jesus came true at His first coming then I can be sure that the things concerning His second coming will happen just as they are predicted to happen.  It was through prophecy that God got my attention and then saved me in January of 1974 and so prophecy is very important to me, but even though I do believe that we are very close to the return of the Lord Jesus Christ to take His bride home with Him at what is called the Rapture, I am not and never will be a date setter, but the Rapture is my hope and the hope of all believers.

 

My Steps of Faith for Today:  Understand the times that we live in as we are told to do from the Scriptures.

 

Memory verses for the week:  1Cor. 13:1-7

 

            1 If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.  2 If I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.  3 And if I give all of my possessions to feed the poor, and if I surrender my body to be burned, and do not have love, it profits me nothing.    

            4 Love is patient, love is kind, and is not jealous; love does not brag, and is not arrogant, 5 it does not act unbecomingly, does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, 6 does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth, 7 bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, believes all things.

 

9/25/2012 9:52:02 AM

The First Shall Be Last PT-2 (Mark 10:23-31)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 9/24/2012 8:46:00 AM

 

My Worship Time                                                               Focus:  The First Shall Be Last PT-2

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                      Reference:  Mark 10:23-31

 

            Message of the verses:  In Today’s SD we will attempt to finish the SD that we began yesterday.  The first part was about the rich young ruler, and now in this SD we will look at the reactions of Jesus’ disciples and His teachings about the rich and also about salvation. 

            I mentioned in the last SD that I actually heard a sermon at our church yesterday on this story, but from the Gospel of Matthew and so at the beginning of this SD I want to put the outline from yesterday’s sermon in order to shed more light on this story.

 

“Working Your Way To Heaven”

By Pastor P. Odle of

First Baptist Church

Elyria, Ohio

 

            “God wants you to realize that you cannot work your way to heaven.”

 

I.                     Desire—Verses:  Matthew 19:16-19

·        The Request—Verse 16

·        It was a sincere request.

·        It was a flawed request

§  The Response—Verse—17

·        Jesus pointed out the man’s sinfulness.

·        Jesus pointed out the standard.

§  The Requirement—Verses 18-19

II.                   The Delusion—Verses 20-22

§  The Resume—Verse 20

Self Righteousness

 

“Salvation is for those who see themselves as living violations of His holiness and who confess and turn from sin and throw themselves on God’s mercy.”  (John MacArthur)

           

§  The Requirement—Verse 21 (Perfection)

§  The Refusal—Verse 22

III.                  The Difficulty—Verses 23-26

§  Salvation is Impossible through good works—verses 23-25!

§  Salvation is possible through God’s grace—Verse 26.

 

We will now look at the remaining verses in this story from Mark 10:23-31, “23  And Jesus, looking around, *said to His disciples, "How hard it will be for those who are wealthy to enter the kingdom of God!" 24  The disciples were amazed at His words. But Jesus *answered again and *said to them, "Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! 25  "It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God." 26  They were even more astonished and said to Him, "Then who can be saved?" 27  Looking at them, Jesus *said, "With people it is impossible, but not with God; for all things are possible with God." 28  Peter began to say to Him, "Behold, we have left everything and followed You." 29  Jesus said, "Truly I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or farms, for My sake and for the gospel’s sake, 30  but that he will receive a hundred times as much now in the present age, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and farms, along with persecutions; and in the age to come, eternal life. 31  "But many who are first will be last, and the last, first.’”

 

            As we look at verses 23-24 we see a statement that Jesus makes that actually shocked His disciples, and the reason it shocked them is because in the false religious system that they were brought up in they were taught that people who were rich were blessed by the Lord and those who were poor were cursed by the Lord.  The book of Job speaks of this view, but however Job did not believe this and of course this is not true.  Job’s friends believed that because he lost all of his possessions was because of sin that he had committed.  Job rightly did not believe this, but this is what was taught by the Pharisees.  Jesus states that it is hard for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God, and then broadens the statement saying “Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God!”  It is harder for the rich simply because they depend on their riches, and in that day the rich could afford more sacrifices to offer to the Lord to take away their sins.  We must contrast with the offering that the Joseph and Mary offered after the birth of Jesus, for they could not afford a lamb so the offered turtledoves.  “Lu 2:24  and to offer a sacrifice according to what was said in the Law of the Lord, "A PAIR OF TURTLEDOVES OR TWO YOUNG PIGEONS.’”  We can see by this that it is a heart issue and not how rich a person is.

            In verse twenty-five we see a statement that has been misinterpreted in many ways, for some say that if a camel was ground up into very small pieces that it could fit through the eye of a needle.  Some say that there was a gate in Jerusalem that was called a needle gate and it was very difficult to get a camel through it.  As John MacArthur said “why would a person try to get though this so-called needle gate when fifty yards on either direction was a large gate for them to go through?”  Good question!  What Jesus is stating hear is that salvation is impossible, and His disciples understood this and so they asked who could be saved.  Can you imagine what His disciples were thinking about for they had all agreed that Jesus was the long awaited Messiah, and they had given up everything to follow Him, and now He says that it is impossible to be saved?  This went against everything they had been taught and they were shocked at this statement.  Dr. Wiersbe states this about money, which is one of the issues of the disciples, “Money is a marvelous servant but a terrible master.”  He goes on to say “If you possess money, be grateful and use it for God’s glory; but if money possesses you, beware!  It is good to have the things that money can buy, provided you don’t love the things that money cannot buy.”

            Jesus goes on to say to His disciples and also to us that a person cannot work his way into heaven, but they can trust God to provide the way for them to enter into heaven.  Salvation is impossible through man’s efforts, but possible through God. 

            We have seen in the past in Mark’s Gospel and will see in again that the disciples would argue with each other as to who would be the greatest in the kingdom of God, and Jesus makes a statement at the end of this section that shows them who will be first and who will be last, and in verse 45 we will see more about this subject.  Verse 45 is the key verse in the entire book of Mark.  In verse 31 we see these words, “31  "But many who are first will be last, and the last, first.’”  This, of course is where the title of this section came from in Dr. Wiersbe’s commentary.

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  I can’t help but go back to the statement that Jim Elliot made before he was killed by the Aqua Indians that helps me put into perspective about riches.  “He is no fool to give up what he cannot keep, to keep what he cannot lose.”  This world offers many idols to take away from the worship of our Lord, and I do not want to fall into that trap, but only worship the Lord, and not the things that the Lord has provided for me.  I am to worship the Giver of the gifts and not the gifts that the Giver gives me.  The rich young ruler did not get this.

 

My Steps of Faith for Today:  Worship the Giver of the gifts, not the gifts the Giver gives me.

 

Memory verses for the week:  1Cor. 13:1-7

 

            1 If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.  2 If I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries, and all knowledge; and if I have all faith so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.  3 And if I give all my possessions to feed the poor, and surrender my body to be burned, but do not have love, it profits me nothing.

            4 Love is patient, love is kind, and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, 5 love does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth, 7 bears all thins, believes all thing, hopes all things, endures all things.

 

9/24/2012 10:08:55 AM