Sunday, July 29, 2012
Saturday, July 28, 2012
A Study in Luke Week 6
Luke Chapter 6
Verse 1-5 – The disciples were hungry on that Saturday (Sabbath) and picked “heads of grain.” The Pharisees, trying to trap them, misused the Law, accusing them of doing something unlawful (working on the Sabbath). It was not unlawful to pick heads of grain (Deuteronomy 23:25).
Jesus “reminded” the Pharisees about David even ate consecrated bread when he and his men were hungry (I Samuel 21:1-6). He went on to remind the Pharisees of Leviticus 24:5 & 9, where Aaron and his sons ate bread from the altar.
Then Jesus infuriated the Pharisees once again by saying, “The Son of Man (one of the ways He referred to Himself) is Lord (Greek: κύριος kurios - God) of the Sabbath.”
This itinerant was lecturing the religious “experts” about the Law!
Verses 6-10 – Jesus healed a paralytic on the Sabbath, in the synagogue, again angering the Pharisees.
Healing was allowed on the Sabbath only to save a life, certainly not to do something as mundane as healing a paralyzed hand (although it probably did not seem mundane to the paralytic).
Verses 11-16 – Jesus chooses a “motley” group as His disciples (those who would discipline themselves to follow Him).
Verses 17-26 – These are the Beattitudes. They are found also in Matthew 5. Jesus dared to preach the same message twice! In fact, He probably preached it dozens, if not hundreds, of times.
As Christians, we only have one message: the message of salvation through repentance (changing one’s mind about who Jesus is), trusting in, and only in, His finished work at the cross of Calvary and belief in His resurrection. All of that other tripe that passes as “topical” preaching is nothing more than “theosophy” and vain imaginations as noted in Romans 1:21 (dialogismos-reasoning in speech) and 2 Corinthians 10:5 (logismos-reasoning in mind).
Verses 27-36 –Here is a description of the way God loves us (who were his enemies in sin). We are to emulate Him.
Verses 37-42 – This is the often misused section on judging others. We often confuse judging with discernment. We are instructed to exercise discernment (Philippians 1:10).
Verses 43-45 – The fruit you plant is the fruit you get. You don’t get figs from thorn bushes or grapes from briers. The fruit you produce in your life is an image of your heart.
Verses 46-49 – The point of this passage is that our lives must be built on the foundation of Jesus, Christ. If you are a Christian, you must practice the Christian mind set, quite apart from the Law. It must be a matter of your heart.
Failure to build your life with Christ as its foundation will result in its complete and utter destruction, no matter what other “good” it might produce.
1. What do you see about the character of God in this chapter?
2. What do you understand about His love for His creation in this chapter?
3. What did you learn about His plan for He creation’s salvation?
Sunday, July 22, 2012
Saturday, July 21, 2012
A Study in Luke Week 5
Luke Chapter 4B & 5
Chapter 4(b)
Verses 14-20 – Remember, Jesus was full of the Holy Spirit (4:1) and returned to Galilee in His Power.
The power of Jesus would become evident as his ministry continued.
Here the custom was for the leaders to ask a worshiper to read the Hebrew Scriptures, which Jesus did. They gave Him the Isaiah scroll. Jesus opened to the Scripture He wanted them to hear: “The Holy Spirit is upon me, because He has chosen me to bring good news to the poor (the unsaved).” [Isaiah 61:1-2]
When He finished reading, He rolled up the scroll and sat down. He must have really impressed them, for they were fixated on Him.
Verse 21-30 – He then said the words that set the tone for His ministry and for the Pharisees, who recognized immediately what He had claimed for Himself. “Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.” The people were amazed and excited.
Here we have the completion of His third wilderness test: to impress the people with a mighty act. Instead, He almost insulted them by recalling how Elijah had been treated by his own people. Jesus was saying these people would treat Him the same way.
They were furious and, encouraged by the Pharisees, tried to push Him off a cliff. But He walked through them unscathed. Those who reject the Word of the Holy Spirit do not get a second chance.
Verses 31-37 – Jesus cast out a demon not by “witch-doctoring,” but by His Word.
Verses 38-44 – He healed many people, but He did not stay in Capernaum, for He had to speak the good news of the Kingdom of God to others. He spoke in synagogues, continuing to proclaim Himself as the Anointed One. Isn’t it interesting that the demons recognized who He was, but the people doubted.
Chapter 5
Verses 1-11 – Jesus calls Simon Peter after He (a carpenter) told Peter how to do his job. After his fishing success, Simon pulled up his net, left everything (not 10%) and followed Jesus. He began the discipling process of Peter.
Verses 12-16 – Luke describes the leper as “full of leprosy,” meaning a very virulent form of the disease. Nobody would dare touch him. But Jesus touched him. Then He told the man to go to the priest to be declared healed. Jesus had violated the Sabbath traditions, but he obeyed the law of Moses (See Leviticus 14:1-32).
Verses 17-26 – When Jesus healed the paralytic, the healing of the physical was obvious. When He said, “Friend, your sins are forgiven,” the Pharisees were incensed! Jesus heard their hearts and responded by castigating them for their adherence to stupid traditions devoid of the love of God they should have been emphasizing.
Verses 27-34 – Jesus calls Levi (Matthew) to stop his usurious practice as a tax collector and to follow Him. The Pharisees were again angry, accusing Him of cavorting with sinners. Jesus’ answer was not kind to them. He was saying that they were self-proclaimed righteous (healthy) and there was no hope for them as long as they continued in their narcissism.
Verses 35-39 – Jesus responds to accusations that He did not fast. He used a marriage example to tell them that one does not fast in the presence of the bridegroom at the wedding feast.
Jesus’ message would destroy the religion of the Pharisees. Their rules limited people’s freedom and did not give them any joy. Jesus said, “I am come that your joy might be full.”
Chapter 4(b)
Verses 14-20 – Remember, Jesus was full of the Holy Spirit (4:1) and returned to Galilee in His Power.
The power of Jesus would become evident as his ministry continued.
Here the custom was for the leaders to ask a worshiper to read the Hebrew Scriptures, which Jesus did. They gave Him the Isaiah scroll. Jesus opened to the Scripture He wanted them to hear: “The Holy Spirit is upon me, because He has chosen me to bring good news to the poor (the unsaved).” [Isaiah 61:1-2]
When He finished reading, He rolled up the scroll and sat down. He must have really impressed them, for they were fixated on Him.
Verse 21-30 – He then said the words that set the tone for His ministry and for the Pharisees, who recognized immediately what He had claimed for Himself. “Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.” The people were amazed and excited.
Here we have the completion of His third wilderness test: to impress the people with a mighty act. Instead, He almost insulted them by recalling how Elijah had been treated by his own people. Jesus was saying these people would treat Him the same way.
They were furious and, encouraged by the Pharisees, tried to push Him off a cliff. But He walked through them unscathed. Those who reject the Word of the Holy Spirit do not get a second chance.
Verses 31-37 – Jesus cast out a demon not by “witch-doctoring,” but by His Word.
Verses 38-44 – He healed many people, but He did not stay in Capernaum, for He had to speak the good news of the Kingdom of God to others. He spoke in synagogues, continuing to proclaim Himself as the Anointed One. Isn’t it interesting that the demons recognized who He was, but the people doubted.
Chapter 5
Verses 1-11 – Jesus calls Simon Peter after He (a carpenter) told Peter how to do his job. After his fishing success, Simon pulled up his net, left everything (not 10%) and followed Jesus. He began the discipling process of Peter.
Verses 12-16 – Luke describes the leper as “full of leprosy,” meaning a very virulent form of the disease. Nobody would dare touch him. But Jesus touched him. Then He told the man to go to the priest to be declared healed. Jesus had violated the Sabbath traditions, but he obeyed the law of Moses (See Leviticus 14:1-32).
Verses 17-26 – When Jesus healed the paralytic, the healing of the physical was obvious. When He said, “Friend, your sins are forgiven,” the Pharisees were incensed! Jesus heard their hearts and responded by castigating them for their adherence to stupid traditions devoid of the love of God they should have been emphasizing.
Verses 27-34 – Jesus calls Levi (Matthew) to stop his usurious practice as a tax collector and to follow Him. The Pharisees were again angry, accusing Him of cavorting with sinners. Jesus’ answer was not kind to them. He was saying that they were self-proclaimed righteous (healthy) and there was no hope for them as long as they continued in their narcissism.
Verses 35-39 – Jesus responds to accusations that He did not fast. He used a marriage example to tell them that one does not fast in the presence of the bridegroom at the wedding feast.
Jesus’ message would destroy the religion of the Pharisees. Their rules limited people’s freedom and did not give them any joy. Jesus said, “I am come that your joy might be full.”
Friday, July 20, 2012
A HOLE IN THE SOUL
A demented man goes to the opening of "The Dark Knight Rises" and starts shooting, killing 12 people and wounding many others.
There is a hole in the soul of our country.
The liberal media immediately starts in on how he must have been a conservative Tea Party maniac.
There is a hole in the soul of our country.
The Tea Party and conservatism had nothing to do with this atrocity.
For the sake of argument, let's say he proclaimed himself to be a conservative and did the dastardly deed.
Just saying you're a conservative does not make you a conservative.
No more than saying you're a fighter jet makes you a plane.
And if there are conservatives who think he did this despicable act because he is some leftist liberal, they are no better than the liberal media making him out to be representative of conservatives.
This is not about liberalism and conservatism. It is about depravity.
I have never met a liberal who thinks it is appropriate to shoot a child and a baby in the back. Never.
Neither have I ever met a conservative who thinks so.
But this I can say with confidence: There is a hole in the soul of our country.
The trouble is, most of our country does not recognize the source of that hole.
Psychiatrists will be called in to analyze this guy's psyche. They'll probe his childhood, his attitudes, his loner-ship, his bad influences and all of the other psychobabble they espouse.
Gun control advocates will rush in to take away more liberties from Americans and in the process will render them even less able to defend themselves.
I wonder how many people might have been saved if one or more of that crowd had been licensed carriers of a fire arm.
Some actually think it is better that he did what he did, rather than have people who knew how to defend against such acts take action.
A few nights ago, a couple of men who were illegally in possession of guns tried to rob a place. A 71 year old licensed carrier pulled his gun, shot one of the robbers and chased them right out of the place.
How much better would it have been to have just let them have the money and maybe shoot whoever they decided to shoot?
There is a hole in the soul of our country.
We have witnessed Columbine, Fort Hood, and many, many other inexcusable actions by crazed gunmen and stood idly by with our socio-psychological pablum and just watched it happen, without even beginning to realize what the real source of these issues is.
There is a hole in the soul of our country.
We have watched in horror as radical Islamists carried out a diabolical plot and brought down the Twin Towers in New York and blew away part of the Pentagon.
And we dare not place the blame squarely on the shoulders of those horrible radicals who celebrated the deed.
There is a hole in the soul of our country.
We will continue to teach our children that absolute tolerance of every aberrant life-style is the only "moral" way to go. And they will grow up believing it, never realizing the unintended consequences of that attitude.
There is a hole in the soul of our country.
And far too many Americans cannot fathom the source of that hole. They will bristle if you even try to point it out.
We have politicians who stoop so low as to attack the wife of one running for president because she rides horses as a part of her therapy for MS. And "lock-steppers" join right in with them, with such vile attitudes that I hesitate to consider them Americans in any sense of the word.
There is a hole in the soul of our country.
We have people who believe, and indeed many who practice, injecting saline into the womb of an expectant mother because "she has the right to do what she wants with her own body," even though DNA proves beyond any shadow of a scientific doubt that a pre-born baby is not a part of the woman carrying him/her.
There is a hole in the soul of our country.
Where once people felt free to express themselves spiritually in every venue, including public and government places, now they are relegated to certain areas and excluded from others in the name of a mythical "separation of church and state."
There is a hole in the soul of our country.
There is a solution to the hole in the soul of the country.
It is neither difficult nor secret.
It IS hated, however, for it reveals the overwhelming attitude of the populace that each person should be able to say, "I want what I want, when I want it, where I want it, how I want it and I want it right now. And if you have it, so should I and I shouldn't have to work for it like you did. I should just be able to take it, by force or by government edict."
How low must we get before we realize that There is a hole in the soul of our country, and we need the Filler more than we need anything else in the Universe?
Sunday, July 15, 2012
SUNDAY SOUNDS OF PRAISE-Dan and Leilani Clark
This Sunday Sounds of Prasie needs a little explanation.
The guitar player is my friend, the late Dan Clark.
Dan was the bass player in my Youth Choir in Miami. He had no thumb on his left hand, was a bit askew bodily and one might have been tempted to call him handicapped.
But Dan knew nothing of handicaps, and was professionally proficient on bass, keyboard, piano, organ and guitar.
He and I used to fish the Biscayne Canal in Miami. We also spent time fishing in the Everglades and loved to tease alligators with our lures.
As the gators stacked themselves up on little islands vying for sun space, they would compete to get to the lures we tossed in the water near them, thinking they were food. The winner would immediately grab a lure and begin a death roll.
Eventually he would figure out that the lure was not food and would release it...most of the time. We lost more than a few.
We also fished a land-locked lake in the Thousand Islands in South Florida and regularly caught one or the others of the three tarpon that were trapped in the lake.
Dan died several years ago in a boating accident.
Imagine my surprise when I stumbled across this video on YouTube.
God really blessed me with his friendship.
His daughter was about 14 when this video was made...in 1993, I think.
Saturday, July 14, 2012
A Study in Luke Week 4
Luke Chapter 4
Verses 1-2 – Jesus and Satan are considered brothers by some apostasies. But they were not brothers, for Christ was not created, He was, is, and always will be one with God, the Second Person of the Godhead.
He was full of the Holy Spirit from before time began. Luke is about to show us how being led by the Holy Spirit results in the proper use of Scripture and a proper response to Satan.
Jesus was led by the Holy Spirit into the dessert, where He fasted for forty days, contemplated on Moses (Deuteronomy 9:9-18), and grew physically hungry.
Verses 3-4 – Satan comes to Jesus with the temptation to use His power to provide food for Himself, an act that would be self-oriented. Jesus quoted Deuteronomy 8:3: “…man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.”
This demonstrates that spiritual food is more important than physical food. Not that physical food is unnecessary for human life, but that spiritual food is on a higher plane.
Verses 5-8 – The devil tempted Jesus to accept earthly power to rule over even the Kings of the world.
Satan was offering something he could not deliver. Jesus always has been, is now and always will be King of kings and Lord of lords. In Matthew 28: 18, Jesus says all authority has already been given to Him.
Jesus answers Satan with Deuteronomy 6:13, “Fear the Lord you God, serve Him only…”
Verses 9-12 – Jesus is taken to the highest point in Jerusalem and enticed to perform a mighty act that would physically prove that He is all-powerful. Satan misquotes Psalm 91:11-12 by taking it out of context and omitting its point, found in Psalm 91:13.
Many Christian sects, theologians, denominations and preachers do this. They form complete “theologies” based on proof-texting. They preach topically, seeking Scriptures to back up what they say instead of allowing Scripture to dictate their topics and what they say.
Jesus answered Satan with Scripture: “Do not put the Lord your God to the test.” (Deuteronomy 6:16).
He says that it is always wrong to test God. And it is wrong to do something foolish. We see so many “Christians” doing foolish things, like barking like dogs in a worship service to “demonstrate the power of the Holy Spirit.” He knew that people who desire the excitement of extraordinary events soon become tired of them.
The "need" for constant "miracles, signs and wonders," is demonstrative that we are not satisfied with Jesus as He is, but want a "Jesus" who is more akin to our magic genie than to the Son of God.
Verse 13 – When Satan could not get anywhere with his temptations, he left to wait for another opportune time.
Do you understand what took place here?
Jesus was really tempted to do the things Satan had put before Him. By the power of the Holy Spirit and the Word of God, Jesus was able to overcome the temptation.
Jesus used Scripture in its proper context to drive back Satan and to properly respond to the temptations offered.
It is SO VERY important that we know the Scriptures, not as stand-alone proof-texts, but for what they really are. They are the revelation of God’s character; His love for His creation and His plan for its redemption.
Next week: the rest of chapter 4
Verses 1-2 – Jesus and Satan are considered brothers by some apostasies. But they were not brothers, for Christ was not created, He was, is, and always will be one with God, the Second Person of the Godhead.
He was full of the Holy Spirit from before time began. Luke is about to show us how being led by the Holy Spirit results in the proper use of Scripture and a proper response to Satan.
Jesus was led by the Holy Spirit into the dessert, where He fasted for forty days, contemplated on Moses (Deuteronomy 9:9-18), and grew physically hungry.
Verses 3-4 – Satan comes to Jesus with the temptation to use His power to provide food for Himself, an act that would be self-oriented. Jesus quoted Deuteronomy 8:3: “…man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.”
This demonstrates that spiritual food is more important than physical food. Not that physical food is unnecessary for human life, but that spiritual food is on a higher plane.
Verses 5-8 – The devil tempted Jesus to accept earthly power to rule over even the Kings of the world.
Satan was offering something he could not deliver. Jesus always has been, is now and always will be King of kings and Lord of lords. In Matthew 28: 18, Jesus says all authority has already been given to Him.
Jesus answers Satan with Deuteronomy 6:13, “Fear the Lord you God, serve Him only…”
Verses 9-12 – Jesus is taken to the highest point in Jerusalem and enticed to perform a mighty act that would physically prove that He is all-powerful. Satan misquotes Psalm 91:11-12 by taking it out of context and omitting its point, found in Psalm 91:13.
Many Christian sects, theologians, denominations and preachers do this. They form complete “theologies” based on proof-texting. They preach topically, seeking Scriptures to back up what they say instead of allowing Scripture to dictate their topics and what they say.
Jesus answered Satan with Scripture: “Do not put the Lord your God to the test.” (Deuteronomy 6:16).
He says that it is always wrong to test God. And it is wrong to do something foolish. We see so many “Christians” doing foolish things, like barking like dogs in a worship service to “demonstrate the power of the Holy Spirit.” He knew that people who desire the excitement of extraordinary events soon become tired of them.
The "need" for constant "miracles, signs and wonders," is demonstrative that we are not satisfied with Jesus as He is, but want a "Jesus" who is more akin to our magic genie than to the Son of God.
Verse 13 – When Satan could not get anywhere with his temptations, he left to wait for another opportune time.
Do you understand what took place here?
Jesus was really tempted to do the things Satan had put before Him. By the power of the Holy Spirit and the Word of God, Jesus was able to overcome the temptation.
Jesus used Scripture in its proper context to drive back Satan and to properly respond to the temptations offered.
It is SO VERY important that we know the Scriptures, not as stand-alone proof-texts, but for what they really are. They are the revelation of God’s character; His love for His creation and His plan for its redemption.
Next week: the rest of chapter 4
Sunday, July 08, 2012
Saturday, July 07, 2012
A Study in Luke Week 3
Luke Chapter 3
Verse 1-2 – After the death of Herod the Great, his three sons (Archelaus, Antipas and Philip) shared the country:
(1) Herod Archelaus had Judea. When Joseph and Mary returned from the country of Egypt with Jesus, they went to Galilee. They did not want to stay where Archelaus governed (Matthew 2:19-23). Archelaus governed Judea in such a cruel way that the Romans replaced him in the end. Pontius Pilate governed Judea for 10 years. (In 1962 archeologists dug up a stone with his name on it at Caesarea, where he used to live.)
(2) Herod Antipas governed Galilee, during the time when both John and Jesus were teaching.
(3) Philip had the same father as Herod Antipas, but he had a different mother.
Verse 2 Luke says that Annas and Caiaphas were chief priests. There should have been only one chief priest at a time. Caiaphas was the official chief priest. But Annas (the father of Caiaphas’ wife) still had great power. The people who arrested Jesus took him first to Annas (John 18:13).
Verses 3-14 – Luke quotes from Isaiah 40:3-5, which is God’s comfort for His people Israel that her sin had been paid for (verse2). All mankind will see God’s salvation (who is Jesus).
Old Covenant “saints” were saved the same way New Covenant “saints” are saved: by trusting in, and only in, the Messiah, Jesus, the Christ.
In verses 7-8 we find John the Baptist attacking those who call Abraham “their father,” trusting their roots for their salvation and then don’t even live up to the precepts and examples he exhibited.
Verses 15-20 – Some people thought John might be their Messiah. John responds firmly that he is lower than the low. He is not even worthy to untie Jesus’ sandals.
John’s “mistake” came when he got political and went after the morals of Herod, a vile, ugly spirited, man who exhibits the qualities of today’s far left-wing reprobates. Only it was no mistake. He spoke the truth, which is never all that popular, and paid for it with his life.
Verses 20-37 – The geneology of Mary. Her geneology goes back to Adam, the father of humanity. Jesus was truly human. Matthew’s geneology of David only goes back to Abraham, emphasizing the spiritual heritage of Jesus. Jesus was fully man and fully God.
Sunday, July 01, 2012
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