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Social injustice offends God. When we value money and possessions above people we are placing things above God. He will not always tolerate mans’ idolatry and it will be exposed for what it is......sin. Should we be allocating monies to those who need it to survive OR to wealthy corporations and the top 4 percent of our country?.....in a Christian nation that should not even be a question!
Jerusalem’s princes had shed the blood of innocent people. These evil leaders had been: (1) taking advantage of parents and the weak; (2) rejecting God and His covenant, leading to ungodliness and inhumanity; (3) murdering the innocent by slandering them; (4) preferring idolatrous religion and its immoral rituals. (5) engaging in sexual immorality with neighbors, family, and relatives; and (6) loving money and using it to get ahead of fellow citizens.
Ezekiel 22:6-12
6 “Look, the princes of Israel: each one has used his power to shed blood in you. 7 In you they have made light of father and mother; in your midst they have oppressed the stranger; in you they have mistreated the fatherless and the widow. 8 You have despised My holy things and profaned My Sabbaths. 9 In you are men who slander to cause bloodshed; in you are those who eat on the mountains; in your midst they commit lewdness. 10 In you men uncover their fathers’ nakedness; in you they violate women who are set apart during their impurity. 11 One commits abomination with his neighbor’s wife; another lewdly defiles his daughter-in-law; and another in you violates his sister, his father’s daughter. 12 In you they take bribes to shed blood; you take usury and increase; you have made profit from your neighbors by extortion, and have forgotten Me,” says the Lord God.
Violence begets violence just as energy begets energy. Beware of the mob mentality it is not of God. We need to speak our disagreements in prayer and petition before the Trinity not in discord with others so that all things will work out in peace. This is God’s way not mans’. In our nations’ peace we have peace!
Job’s warning to his friends to be afraid of the sword for yourselves may have been his rebuttal of Eliphaz’s remarks about the wicked person watching in dread for the sword.
Job 19:28-29
28 If you should say, ‘How shall we persecute him?’—
Since the root of the matter is found in me,
29 Be afraid of the sword for yourselves;
For wrath brings the punishment of the sword,
That you may know there is a judgment.”
From the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and all things were created through Him.....Jesus, the Word of God made flesh! King of kings and Lord of lords eternally.
Son of Man is Semitic for “human being.” Daniel saw One like the “Son of Man,” indicating that He is not a man in the strict sense, but rather the perfect representation of humanity. Jewish and Christian expositors have identified this individual as the Messiah. Jesus Himself used this name to emphasize His humanity as the incarnate Son of God, who will reign over all things as the regent of Almighty God.
Daniel 7:13-14
13 “I was watching in the night visions,
And behold, One like the Son of Man,
Coming with the clouds of heaven!
He came to the Ancient of Days,
And they brought Him near before Him.
14 Then to Him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom,
That all peoples, nations, and languages should serve Him.
His dominion is an everlasting dominion,
Which shall not pass away,
And His kingdom the one
Which shall not be destroyed.
It is sometimes unclear what the purpose of the Church is in our times. Matthew makes it clear that the main objective of the Church, the Body of Christ, should be evangelism. The time of the Gentiles to get the message of God’s salvation to all who will listen is limited and it will usher in the King of kings to a restored Israel.
Matthew is the only Gospel writer who speaks directly of the church . He points to the Gentile composition of this church by including several stories of the Gentiles’ faith in Jesus: the wise men, the centurion, and the Canaanite woman. He records Jesus’ prediction that the gospel will be preached to all nations, and the commission to the disciples to “make disciples of all the nations”. Jesus’ teaching pointed to the blessings of the kingdom being extended to Gentiles. But one day, Israel will be restored to its place of blessing.
16:18
18 And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.
18:17
17 And if he refuses to hear them, tell it to the church. But if he refuses even to hear the church, let him be to you like a heathen and a tax collector.
24:14
14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.
28:19
19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
My prayer is that the light of Jesus permeates every little inch of me so that His light, His love is reflected outward to those around me so that my actions show His unfailing love for all of His creation. In my own power I cannot do this.....but with Christ in me all things are possible!
A person who concentrates on what is good (God’s teaching) is healthy. But a person who focuses on what is bad (the false teaching of the world) is full of darkness. A person can become like light, a living picture of what God’s Word teaches, by concentrating on the light of the truth.
Luke 11:33-36
33 “No one, when he has lit a lamp, puts it in a secret place or under a basket, but on a lampstand, that those who come in may see the light. 34 The lamp of the body is the eye. Therefore, when your eye is good, your whole body also is full of light. But when your eye is bad, your body also is full of darkness. 35 Therefore take heed that the light which is in you is not darkness. 36 If then your whole body is full of light, having no part dark, the whole body will be full of light, as when the bright shining of a lamp gives you light.”
Christ in the Father, the Father in Christ, Christ within us......the hope of glory! We are safe in the arms of Him who loves us and no one can take us away.
Jesus reminded the Jewish leaders of His words and works. Jesus was the Messiah and said so. He told the woman at the well that He was the Messiah, as well as the man born blind. His works include all the miracles He performed as signs pointing to His messiahship. At the Feast of Tabernacles, Jesus had told the leaders that they were not among His sheep. Jesus described three characteristics of His sheep: (1) They hear His voice. He knows them. (2) They follow Him. (3) They shall never perish; their eternal life can never be taken away. The Father’s hand is more powerful than that of any enemy.
John 10:22-30
22 Now it was the Feast of Dedication in Jerusalem, and it was winter. 23 And Jesus walked in the temple, in Solomon’s porch. 24 Then the Jews surrounded Him and said to Him, “How long do You keep us in doubt? If You are the Christ, tell us plainly.”
25 Jesus answered them, “I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in My Father’s name, they bear witness of Me. 26 But you do not believe, because you are not of My sheep, as I said to you. 27 My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. 28 And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father’s hand. 30 I and My Father are one.”
We become enemies of the Cross when we speak of God’s love and hate His creation. Our actions speak volumes of our true selves.....may we show others that the way to God is through loving Him above all and loving others as much as we do our loved ones and ourselves. Love and hate cannot coexist in relationships!
Leaven here represents the presence of corruption. Unleavened bread is what the Jews ate at Passover. The corruption in view here is hypocrisy. Practicing hypocrisy is senseless because eventually all deeds—both good and evil—will be exposed. All secrets will be revealed by God.
Luke 12:1-3
12 In the meantime, when an innumerable multitude of people had gathered together, so that they trampled one another, He began to say to His disciples first of all, “Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. 2 For there is nothing covered that will not be revealed, nor hidden that will not be known. 3 Therefore whatever you have spoken in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have spoken in the ear in inner rooms will be proclaimed on the housetops.
The Lord gave me this many, many years ago....I pray that He continues to give me the strength to live by the wisdom of His words. Play fair, forgive easily and remember the plank in my own eye.....that will keep me humble!
The idea here is that God seeks certain characteristics of true worship from His people. These phrases summarize biblical piety in true worship. The majority of the people of Israel had violated each of these standards repeatedly. The rulers did not know justice (3:1), had no interest in mercy (3:2, 3), and demonstrated no humility (3:11). It is the Lord who ultimately gives a person strength, courage, and ability to exercise the virtues of godly living.
Micah 6:8
8 He has shown you, O man, what is good;
And what does the Lord require of you
But to do justly,
To love mercy,
And to walk humbly with your God?
Oh how glorious the day will be when the Lamb of God shall walk in our midst and the world will know the truth that set men free!!
Many nations refer to Gentiles who will enter into a relationship with God and become His people. The words My people are used elsewhere in the context of the renewal of God’s covenant with His believing people. God had aroused Himself from His heavenly sanctuary and was about to intervene on behalf of His people.
Zechariah 2:10-13
10 “Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion! For behold, I am coming and I will dwell in your midst,” says the Lord. 11 “Many nations shall be joined to the Lord in that day, and they shall become My people. And I will dwell in your midst. Then you will know that the Lord of hosts has sent Me to you. 12 And the Lord will take possession of Judah as His inheritance in the Holy Land, and will again choose Jerusalem. 13 Be silent, all flesh, before the Lord, for He is aroused from His holy habitation!”
When Jesus is in the house...miracles happen! His house, His Church, should be a House of Blessings where healing... mentally, physically and spiritually are the norm!
This miracle highlights not only the authority of Jesus, but also the response of faith that God honors.
Luke 8:49-56
49 While He was still speaking, someone came from the ruler of the synagogue’s house, saying to him, “Your daughter is dead. Do not trouble the Teacher.”
50 But when Jesus heard it, He answered him, saying, “Do not be afraid; only believe, and she will be made well.” 51 When He came into the house, He permitted no one to go in except Peter, James, and John, and the father and mother of the girl. 52 Now all wept and mourned for her; but He said, “Do not weep; she is not dead, but sleeping.” 53 And they ridiculed Him, knowing that she was dead.
54 But He put them all outside, took her by the hand and called, saying, “Little girl, arise.” 55 Then her spirit returned, and she arose immediately. And He commanded that she be given something to eat. 56 And her parents were astonished, but He charged them to tell no one what had happened.
There is power in repenting and accepting God’s forgiveness....there is power in the blood of the Lamb. In the name of Jesus Christ we can conquer anything!
Repentance was necessary to cultivate the new life Christ offered. Casting out demons and healing the sick would add authority to the apostles’ message.
Mark 6:7-8; 12-13
7 And He called the twelve to Himself, and began to send them out two by two, and gave them power over unclean spirits.
12 So they went out and preached that people should repent. 13 And they cast out many demons, and anointed with oil many who were sick, and healed them.
How do we honor Jesus and fulfill His commands to us? We do this by loving God with all our heart, mind and spirit and loving others as much as we do ourselves. Sounds simple but it is hard to carry out in the real world. To love all people even those with opinions and ideas different from yours, to love your enemies and not only family and friends.... is not easy but it is a command if we are to obey the Spirit of Truth who resides in those who believe. Help me Father, Son and Holy Spirit to do Your will. Only love (God’s kind) last forever!
All three members of the Trinity are mentioned here. Jesus prayed to the Father who would give the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is called the Spirit of truth because He is truth and guides us into all truth. The Spirit of God is active in the world, but His acts go unnoticed by the world.
believe (Gk. pisteuō) (1:7, 12; 2:23, 24; 3:15, 16, 36; 4:39, 41, 42; 6:47; 11:25; 14:1; 20:31) Strong’s #4100: The Greek word for believe literally means “to place one’s trust in another”; it occurs over 90 times in the Gospel of John alone. To believe in Jesus is to believe in His person and to trust in Him completely for salvation (3:15, 16). Many of Jesus’ contemporaries believed in Jesus’ miraculous powers, but they would not believe in Jesus Himself (6:23–26). Others wanted to believe in a political Messiah, but would not believe in the One who suffered for their sins (Mark 15:32). But we must be careful to believe and trust in the Jesus presented in the Scriptures, in the Son of God who sacrificed His life for our sins (Gal. 1:3, 4; Phil. 2:5–8).
John 14:15-18
15 “If you love Me, keep My commandments. 16 And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever— 17 the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. 18 I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.
Great is our God! He will forgive us our sins, and turn our lives around if we ask for forgiveness and seek Him with our whole heart, mind and soul. His truth made flesh in Jesus Chris has the power to change everything. Nothing is impossible with Him.
This is a prayer of repentance for Israel’s past sinfulness, but it is also a prayer of confidence because God was about to overthrow the Babylonians and allow the Jews to return to their homeland to rebuild it. The 70 years of captivity were almost up, and glorious things lay ahead. Daniel confessed that Israel had departed from the Word of God, had disregarded the prophets of God, and had despised the Lord Himself.
James 5:16 said that “the effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much”. Daniel’s prayer seems to be a case in point. Not long after Daniel prayed, Cyrus issued a decree allowing the Jews to return to Jerusalem and begin rebuilding the temple
Daniel 9:13-14
13 “As it is written in the Law of Moses, all this disaster has come upon us; yet we have not made our prayer before the Lord our God, that we might turn from our iniquities and understand Your truth. 14 Therefore the Lord has kept the disaster in mind, and brought it upon us; for the Lord our God is righteous in all the works which He does, though we have not obeyed His voice.
The reason that God does not bring quick judgement for all the evil of this world is LOVE. He doesn’t want any human being to perish and He wants all of His creation to spend eternal life with Him. That it is not His will to do harm means that there will be harm done to those who willfully turn away from Him. How do we do our part in His plan of redemption? By sharing the Good News of His agape love for the prodigal and the ever present hope of turning life around by returning to Him.
Zephaniah’s message had both halves of the bad-news-good-news equation. His first words were bad news indeed: The day of the Lord was coming and that meant terrible judgment. The Israelites had acted like their pagan neighbors—they had scorned God’s law, worshiped false gods, and sinned without remorse long enough. Now it was time to repent: They had to turn back to their God or face the consequences.
It was the “turn back to God” part of Zephaniah’s message that offered a ray of hope. And to those who listened and responded to his call, the good news wiped out every line of bad. God would restore those who sought Him.
The message of Zephaniah begins with a pronouncement of universal judgment. These words not only introduce the particular judgment that would be pronounced upon Judah, but they also speak of the final judgment that will usher in the kingdom of God on earth.
Stumbling blocks here refers to idolatry, or substitutes for God in the life and affections of a person. Because there is nothing in the universe that really may be compared to the Creator, God abhors all forms of idolatry.
Zephaniah 1:2-3
2 “I will utterly consume everything
From the face of the land,”
Says the Lord;
3 “I will consume man and beast;
I will consume the birds of the heavens,
The fish of the sea,
And the stumbling blocks along with the wicked.
I will cut off man from the face of the land,”
Says the Lord.
Give me Jesus...King of kings and Lord of lords!!
Daniel saw One like the “Son of Man,” indicating that He is not a man in the strict sense, but rather the perfect representation of humanity. Jewish and Christian expositors have identified this individual as the Messiah. Jesus Himself used this name to emphasize His humanity as the incarnate Son of God.
Jesus will reign over all things as the regent of Almighty God!
Daniel 7:13-14
13 “I was watching in the night visions,
And behold, One like the Son of Man,
Coming with the clouds of heaven!
He came to the Ancient of Days,
And they brought Him near before Him.
14 Then to Him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom,
That all peoples, nations, and languages should serve Him.
His dominion is an everlasting dominion,
Which shall not pass away,
And His kingdom the one
Which shall not be destroyed.
If God appoints it....God anoints it! If we become doers of His word to us and not just hearers......the gift He gave us will be blessed by Him.
These instructions accompanied the Twelve on their assigned journey. These rules made for easier travel and encouraged the disciples to trust God for their food and shelter, which faithful Jewish hearers who heeded their teaching would provide.
Mark 6:7-9
7 And He called the twelve to Himself, and began to send them out two by two, and gave them power over unclean spirits. 8 He commanded them to take nothing for the journey except a staff—no bag, no bread, no copper in their money belts— 9 but to wear sandals, and not to put on two tunics.
If the Lord is against you....it doesn’t matter who is for you!
If the Lord is for you....it doesn’t matter who is against you!
We need to get our priorities straight :)
I am against you: This repetition of this phrase from 2:13 is more chilling each time it is heard. Who could survive the Lord’s opposition?
Nahum 3:5-6
5 “Behold, I am against you,” says the Lord of hosts;
“I will lift your skirts over your face,
I will show the nations your nakedness,
And the kingdoms your shame.
6 I will cast abominable filth upon you,
Make you vile,
And make you a spectacle.
The parameters of the New Testament with the Holy Spirit within believers did not fit the box of the Old Testament with its man made rules and the Holy Spirit guiding him from the outside. In order to experience the whole of God believers must be transformed precept upon precept into the image of Jesus Christ. This is hard to explain and even harder to absorb but for those who continue pursuing Him to the end nothing will be impossible.
Mark records only four of Jesus’ parables—two of which he includes here. The comparison implies that the newness of His message, and of the new covenant to follow, cannot fit into the old molds of Judaism. The OT was preparation for the NT.
Mark 2:19-22
19 And Jesus said to them, “Can the friends of the bridegroom fast while the bridegroom is with them? As long as they have the bridegroom with them they cannot fast. 20 But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast in those days. 21 No one sews a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment; or else the new piece pulls away from the old, and the tear is made worse. 22 And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; or else the new wine bursts the wineskins, the wine is spilled, and the wineskins are ruined. But new wine must be put into new wineskins.”
