Follow Me

 

Reading: Matt 4: 18,19

"One day as Jesus was walking along the shore of the Sea of Galilee, He saw two brothers, Simon, also called Peter, and Andrew his brother, throwing a net into the water; for they fished for a living. Jesus called out to them,  

"'Come, follow me, and 
I will show you how to fish for people!' 

And they left their nets at once 
and followed Him." 

Matt. 4:18,19  NLT

These men who followed Jesus were His disciples,  His student followers or His apprentices. They went where He went, watched what He did and listened to what He said. John, one of His closest followers said,

'We saw Him with our own eyes 
and touched Him with our own hands." 

I John 1:1 NLT 

Wouldn't it be great to see Him with your own eyes and touch Him with your own hands? Well, we can "see" Him by following along with the journals His disciples wrote. They followed Him all over Israel, from tiny villages, to quiet lonely places, and even to the heights of the great city of Jerusalem and God's holy temple. They walked over hills, down to valley's, through deserts and into vineyards. They spent time with Him at night among the olive groves, discussing the day. They even got into boats and sailed across the 'Sea" of Galilee.

But it wasn't so much about the places they went, but the people He touched. He spoke to wealthy powerful people and touched the poorest of the poor and the lowest of the low. He healed people who were blind, deaf, paralyzed and He even touched people who had leprosy.  Because He healed people, crowds and crowds of people followed Him, hoping for His healing touch. Jesus had a heart of great love and compassion for the sufferings of the people.

Moved with Compassion 

"When He saw the crowds, 

He had compassion on them 

because they were confused and helpless,

like sheep without a shepherd." 

Matthew 9: 36 NLT

How do we follow Jesus today... you and I? Like in the verse above, He has compassion on us and see's us as sheep with out a shepherd, confused and helpless as we try to understand how to live in our complicated world. Jesus gave us a picture of Himself as a shepherd to help us "sheep" understand how to "follow Him".

"... the sheep recognize his voice and come to him. 

He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 

After he has gathered his own flock, 

he walks ahead of them, 

and they follow him because they know his voice. 

They won't follow a stranger; 

they will run from him because they don't know his voice." 

John 10:3-5 NLT

Do you recognize His voice and come to Him? If His words touch your heart, you are at least beginning to hear His voice. Come to Him by going in to your quiet place where you can be alone. Then open the door of your heart to let Him in. Jesus says,

" Look, I stand at the door and knock. 

If you hear my voice and open the door, 

I will come in, and we will share a meal together as friends." 

Revelation 3:20 NLT

Look to Him and believe He is with you as you read His word. Enjoy Him as a dear friend. Share a meal together with Him, feasting on the Word of God. Then wait for Him to move, to "walk" ahead of you, so you can follow Him. One thing for sure, following Jesus is always an adventure. He will take you to the places where He wants to move... the places of greatest need. Look for Him moving among the people that He wants to touch. Move with Him. To do this, to live as a follower of Jesus there is sacrifice. It is laying down your personal wants to follow Him. Jesus said:

"If any of you wants to be my follower, 
you must turn from your selfish ways, 

take up your cross daily, and follow Me. 

If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. 

But if you give up your life for My sake you will save it." 

Matthew 16:24-26 Luke 9:23-25 NLT

Do I follow Jesus or ask Him to follow me and bless what I do? In all honesty, all too often I caught up in living my own life, in my own way and hope He will bless what I do. Lord, I pray for us, for me and this dear reader, that You will reveal Yourself to us, and show each of us the very thing you have called us to do. And even more importantly who You have called us to be. May the verse below be our hearts desire:

"My old self has been crucified with Christ. 

It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in Me. 

So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, 

who loved me and gave Himself for me. 

Gal 2:20 NLT

Jesus Taught the Gospel of Repentance

Reading: Matthew 4:17

Not only did John begin his ministry teaching the gospel of repentance; but Jesus did as well. Repentance is a change of mind, a change of direction, most importantly a change of heart. Change is why He came. He came to give us a new sense of hope and to show us how to be born into a whole new life and into the kingdom of God. When we repent and believe in Jesus, God gives us the grace to be set free from the sin that causes so much pain and suffering. Don't we want to be set free from doing mean things that we feel sorry for later? Here is what Jesus said about repentance:

"Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand."

Matt. 4:17 NKJ,

For the people He spoke this to, the kingdom was at hand, because the King was there, so close that they could physically touch Him! We can not physically touch Him right now... but He didn't want to leave us alone as orphans. So He prayed for the Father to send the Spirit, the Comforter. In Luke 17:21 He says "The Kingdom of God is within you." It is within this inward place in our heart, our spirit that we find Him.

After Jesus resurrected and ascended to heaven He spoke the following letter for John to deliver to the church of the Laodicea. They were a wealthy church, much like the church in the US today. They were physically comfortable in their wealth and didn't have pressing needs that would humbly bring them before God for deliverance. They were a complacent and indifferent church. But Jesus did not give up on them.

"As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. 
Therefore be zealous and repent. 
Behold, I stand at the door and knock. 
If anyone hears My voice and opens the door,  
I will come in to him and sup with him, and he with Me." 
Rev.3:19, 20 KJV

Our Lord Jesus disciplines and corrects  those He loves, but He won't beat down the door of our indifference to come in and share a meal with us as friends. It is in an open, trusting heart that He abides. We may still open the door and enjoy intimate fellowship with the Lord. Considering that He waits for the door to be opened shows us that not only is He gracious to save, but also gracious to not demand that we let Him in. We do have a personal responsibility to open our hearts to experience His presence. We'll conclude with what Peter said:

"Now Repent of your sins and turn to God, 
so that your sins may be wiped away,
Then times of refreshing will come  from the presence of the Lord."
Acts 3:19 NLT

It is truly refreshing to realize that when we repent, we can have our sins wiped away and be refreshed from the Presence of the Lord. Thank You, God!

Believe in the Gospel

Sermon on the Mount by Carl Bloch

Reading: Mark 1:14

"Now after John was put in prison, Jesus came to Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, and saying:

'The kingdom of God is at hand. 

Repent, and  believe in the gospel.'" 

Mark 1:14 NKJ 

Like John, Jesus preached repentance and the gospel of the kingdom. Here in Mark we see one more aspect of the message of the Kingdom of God. "Believe in the gospel." What is the gospel? It is the "good news" of the kingdom of God. The King is here! Jesus Christ is our Messiah. He is our savior King! He paid the price for the sin of every human being, for you and me. He provided forgiveness and eternal life for all who believe in Him. Here we see that great love of God toward us:

"For God loved the world so much that He gave 

His one and only son,

so that everyone who believes in Him 

will not perish but have eternal life." 

John 3:16 NLT

The word believe can be spoken lightly, much like the word agree. "I agree with..., I believe that is true." For many it is not much more than an opinion. In the verse above we see there is great depth contained in the word believe. In the Bible it means much more than to just agree. Believe is the action word for faith. The hero's of faith in Hebrews 11 were willing to stake their life on their belief in God. It is not easy to risk your life or give up something precious to you; for something that you can't even see. Faith in God is beyond the realm of our material world that seems so real to us. Jesus said there is a special blessing for us who did not see Him in person,

"Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed." 

John 20:29 NKJ   

To believe as the Biblical teaches is to trust in, to rely upon, depend on, cling to. As believers, God allows situations to come into our lives that will continually grow and deepen our faith. Peter speaks the refining of our faith:  

"... now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory, at the revelation of Jesus Christ, whom having not seen you love. Though now you do not see Him,  yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, receiving the end of your faith...the salvation of your souls. 

1 Peter 1:6-9 NKJ 

Wow, consider what Peter is saying. Their faith that was proved genuine through trials is now bringing them great joy!!!  Joy inexpressible and full of glory, they are receiving the end of their faith...the salvation of their souls. Do we take our faith for granted or prize it like they did?

James said something similar:

"My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials knowing that  
the testing of your faith produces patience. 
But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing." 

James 1:2-4 NKJ 

Do you at times, like me, find yourself lacking in faith, maybe having "little" underdeveloped faith , as Jesus' disciples did in Matthew 8? They were confronted with a fierce storm and were afraid they would all drown. All the while, Jesus slept. He slept in the confidence that God would not allow Him to die, until He had fulfilled the purpose of why He came. Do you at times lack confidence and sometimes find it difficult to trust God in the storm you are in? Sometimes I feel like the man in Mark 9:24 where he says to Jesus; 

"I do believe, but help me overcome my unbelief!"

If you lack confidence and trust in God you can even ask Him to help you overcome your unbelief! Toward the end of the gospel of John, he said:

"And truly Jesus did many other signs...not written in this book; but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name". John 20:30, 31 NKJ

Trust Jesus today. Rely on Him, depend on Him, cling to Him. 

In believing like this, we will have life in His name, and joy inexpressible, full of glory!!!

Temptation of Jesus for Adults

Temptation of Jesus

Not by Bread Alone- Michael Dudash

Reading: Luke 4:1-13, or Matt. 4:1-11.  

"Then Jesus, being filled with the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, being tempted for forty days by the devil." Luke 4:1, 2 NKJ

Why did the Spirit lead Jesus into the wilderness to be tempted? We'll answer that question later. For now, lets look at 1 John 2:15, 16 again, this time in the New King James: "Do not love the world...for all that is in the world- the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life- is not of the Father but is of the world." 

Both Adam and Jesus faced three aspects of temptation; (just as we do even to this day as descendants of Adam and Eve). Adam yielded, bringing upon humankind sin and death. Christ resisted, resulting in justification and life.

The lust of the flesh: "the tree was good for food" "command this stone to become bread".

The lust of the eyes: "it was pleasant to the eyes" "the devil...showed Him all the kingdoms".  

The pride of life: "a tree desirable to make one wise" "throw yourself down from here" also the devil tempted His pride by saying "If you are the Son of God..."

If you read the account of "Jesus' Temptation" in your own Bible, notice the parallels above. You'll find the account in Matt 4 or Luke 4. How do these same temptations play out in modern people and personally for each of us? Paul made a comparison between with Jesus and Adam in Romans:

"When Adam sinned, sin entered the world. Adam's sin brought death, so death spread to everyone, for everyone sinned... But there is a great difference between Adam's sin and God gracious gift. For the sin of this one man, Adam, brought death to many... But, even greater is God's wonderful grace and His gift of righteousness, for all who receive it will live in triumph over sin and death through this one man, Jesus Christ. Yes, Adams one sin brings condemnation for everyone, but Christ's one act of righteousness brings a right relationship with God and new life for everyone." Romans 5:12, 15-18 NLT

Not by Bread Alone- Michael Dudash

In answer to the question, "why did the Holy Spirit lead Jesus into the wilderness to be tempted? The author of Hebrews answers this question in such a beautiful way. The verses below are full of God's love and grace for us, His funny little human beings:

"Because God's children are human beings- made of flesh and blood- the Son also became flesh and blood. For only as a human being could he die, and only by dying could He break the power of the devil, who had the power of death. Only in this way could he set free all who have lived their lives as slaves to the fear of dying... Therefore, it was necessary for Him to be made in every respect like us, His brothers and sisters, so that He could be our merciful and faithful High Priest before God. Then He could offer a sacrifice that would take away the sins of the people. Since He Himself has gone through suffering and testing (temptation) He is able to help us when we are being tested (tempted)." Hebrews 2:14-18 NLT "So then, since we have a high priest who has entered heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to what we believe. This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for He face all of the same testings we do, yet He did not sin. So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive His mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most." Hebrews 4:14-16 NLT

Why did the Spirit lead Jesus into the wilderness to be tempted? It is because He Himself needed to go through suffering and testing (temptation) as we do; so that He would be able to help us when we are being tested (tempted). What a comfort to have a High Priest who understands our weaknesses! We can come boldly to the throne of our gracious God and receive His mercy and help just when we need it the most!

"Blessed is the man who endures temptation;
for when he has been approved,
he will receive a crown of life
which the Lord has promised to those who love Him."
James 1:12 NKJ

Temptation of Jesus for Kids

Image copy right- Michael Dudash

Reading: Luke 4:1-13, or Matt. 4:1-11.  

After Jesus was baptized, He was:

"... full of the Holy Spirit... He was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, where He was tempted by the devil for forty days. Jesus ate nothing all that time and became very hungry" Luke 4:1, 2 NLT

Imagine how hungry you would feel if you did not eat for forty days. It is hard to even skip a meal, let alone not eat for a whole day... but 40 days is REALLY a long time to not eat! Well, right when Jesus was the most hungry he ever felt in His whole life, the devil came along and said:  

"If You are the Son of God, 

change this stone into a loaf of bread." 

Luke 4:3 NLT 

The question is would Jesus use the power of the Holy Spirit of God to just make Himself some food? This is about more than just eating. Did Jesus really believe that He was the Son of God? Did Jesus trust that God loved Him as a Son and would lead Him to eat at the right time? Did Jesus really believe that God sent Him for a purpose and would not let Him die before He did what He came to do?

We can ask ourselves similar questions. If you believe in Jesus, do you really believe you are a child of God? Do you trust God's love for you no matter what happens? Do you want to follow the leading of the Spirit of God in your life, or do the things of this world seem more satisfying?

Remember when we read about Jesus being baptized?  

"After His baptism, as Jesus came up out of the water; 

the heavens were opened and  

He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and settling upon Him. 

And a voice from heaven, said,  

"This is my dearly loved Son, who brings me great joy." 

Matt. 3:13-17 NLT

When Jesus was baptized, the power of the Spirit of God came upon Him and right after that, when He was full of the Holy Spirit, the Spirit led Him into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. Why did the Spirit lead Jesus into the wilderness to be tempted? Would Jesus listen to the Spirit leading Him or would He listen to the enticing words of the devil to satisfy His natural desires as a human being?  Everything He came to do for people rested on Him never sinning. As Emmanuel "God with Us", He had to be that perfect lamb of God, who never sinned in order to take away the sins of all people who would ever live. And as our Great High priest He had to be made like us, a human, who would experience temptation, just as we do and yet not sin. This way He could understand and help us when we needed it most.

So, "why did the Holy Spirit lead Jesus into the wilderness to be tempted? These verses below give us the answer and are full of God's love and grace for us, His funny little human beings:

"Because God's children are human beings- made of flesh and blood- the Son also became flesh and blood. For only as a human being could he die, and only by dying could He break the power of the devil, who had the power of death. Only in this way could he set free all who have lived their lives as slaves to the fear of dying... Therefore, it was necessary for Him to be made in every respect like us, His brothers and sisters, so that He could be our merciful and faithful High Priest before God. Then He could offer a sacrifice that would take away the sins of the people. Since He Himself has gone through suffering and testing (temptation) He is able to help us when we are being tested (tempted)." Hebrews 2:14-18 NLT  

"So then, since we have a high priest who has entered heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to what we believe. This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for He faced all of the same testings we do, yet He did not sin. So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive His mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most." Hebrews 4:14-16 NLT

Wow, don't you just love this? Aren't you amazed at what Jesus has done for us? He is the dearly loved Son of God. He lived to please His Father and bring Him great joy. Will we as dearly loved children of God live to please Him and bring Him joy? We will be blessed if we choose to follow Him and not listen to the temptation of the evil one.

"God blesses those who patiently endure testing and temptation.

Afterward they will receive the crown of life 

that God has promised to those who love Him."

James 1:12 NLT

Not By Bread Alone by Michael Dudash ... See side bar to order Print

Temptation of Adam and Eve

Reading: Matt 4:1, Genesis 3
After John baptized Jesus, the Spirit led Him into the wilderness to be tempted. Why was it necessary for Jesus to be tempted by the devil?  I'll answer that toward the end of this post. First, lets go back to the very first man and woman to look at the temptation of  Adam and Eve. This will give us a better understanding of how temptation can persuade us and lead us away from what we know to be right and true.  You can also see the effect  their sin had on their own sons Cain and Abel. Our own sin does affect our children as well.

"The serpent was the shrewdest of all the wild animals... he asked the woman, 'Did God really say you must not eat the fruit from any of the trees in the garden?' 'Of course we may eat fruit from the tree's in the garden' the woman replied. 'Its only the fruit in the middle of the garden that we are not allowed to eat it or even touch it; if you do, you will die.'  
'You won't die!' the serpent replied... '
God knows that your eyes will be opened... and you will be like God, knowing both good and evil.'" 
 Gen 3:1-5 NLT

Here we see how the enemy cast doubt on the trustworthiness of God's word.  He also planted a seed of suspicion of the goodness of God toward His people. Could they trust His word to be true? Wouldn't He let them eat from that tree also if the knowledge of good and evil was best for them? What does this mean to us today? Is God trustworthy? Can we trust Him? Can we trust His word to be true? Can we trust that He loves us and wants what is best for us as human beings? Think of times, when you needed to trust God and His word... Continuing the story:

"The woman was convinced. She saw that the tree was beautiful and its fruit looked delicious, and she wanted the wisdom it would give her. So she took some of the fruit and ate it. Then she gave some to her husband and he ate it, too. Gen 3:6 NLT

The apostle John gives us a pattern of what temptation looks like. Compare the verse below to Eve's experience above. Compare it with your own experience of life:

"Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you. For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure,  a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions." 1 John 2:15, 16 NLT

You can see the pattern of the different aspects of lust above. "She saw... this is the lust, desire or craving for the things we see and must have. This is why advertising works so well with people. "It's fruit looked delicious"... this is a desire for physical pleasure, whether it is food, sex, alcohol, drugs, etc. God  wants us to enjoy pleasure, but only in a way that is healthy for us. And we should not be ruled or enslaved by these desires. "She wanted the wisdom it would give her"... This is pride in ourselves and interferes with our connection to God. It is through humility and the fear of God that we find Him. "God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble". (James and I Peter) Back to the garden; this part of the story is heart breaking:  

"At that moment their eyes were opened, and they suddenly felt shame at their nakedness... they sewed fig leaves together to cover themselves... the man and his wife heard the Lord God walking about in the garden. So they hid themselves from the Lord God among the trees. Then the Lord God called to the man, "Where are you?" He replied, 'I heard you walking in the garden, so I hid. I was afraid because I was naked.''Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree whose fruit I commanded you not to to eat?" Gen 3:7,8 NLT

Interesting isn't it, that when we do something wrong, we feel shame and want to hide it from God and other people. This is most obvious in little children. Adults get more clever in hiding their sin. Jesus speaks of people loving the darkness more than the light because their deeds are evil and refuse to go near the light for fear their sins will be exposed. God loves us and wants us to have the blessing of living as children of the light, having a life free from shame and the destruction of sin.

Continue reading to the end of chapter 3 and you will see that Adam blames both Eve and God for his disobedience. Eve in turn blamed the serpent. (The devil made me do it.) In the end they were expelled from the garden and had to work very hard the rest of their lives.

Adam and Eve remind me of little kids, and us as adults as well. All too often we think that if we blame others we will feel good about ourselves and save face. But the danger in not seeing the role that our own sin played; is we then live with something far more painful... unforgiveness, broken relationships, bitterness and anger. This is far worse suffering than to simply recognize our weakness as a human being and take responsibility for our own sin. We are all capable of making mistakes, all of us have sinned and we fall so short of the glory of God. When we sin we grieve the Holy Spirit, (Eph.4:30-32) who is our only hope in truly being healed and being transformed to a new life. We distance ourselves from God and others. We live in incredible pain and broken relationships. Yes it is painful to admit wrong doing; but not as bad as the alternative. John says in his epistle:

"If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins 
and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."  
1 John 1:9

The story of Cain and Abel is also helpful and heartbreaking. When Adam and Eve fell into temptation and disobeyed God, the deception and power of sin was released. Read this in Genesis 4:1-16 and you will see the power of sin and the effect of jealousy and anger. Thank God, through Christ, we now have access to the power of the Holy Spirit to overcome sin.

"'Why are you so angry?' 
the Lord asked Cain. '
Why do you look so dejected?
You will be accepted 
if you do what is right. 
But if you refuse to do what is right, then watch out! 
Sin is crouching at the door, eager to control you. 
But you must be its master.'" 
Gen 4:6, 7 NLT. 

Yes, as we live life every day sin is crouching at the door, like a hungry lion trying to control us. We must through the power of the Spirit, resist the devil and he will flee. After Satan tempted Jesus three times He left. Why did God put that tree in the garden? Does He tempt us? I don't know about the tree, but He does not tempt us:  

"And remember 
when you are being tempted, 
do not say, 'God is tempting me.
' God is never tempted 
to do wrong, 
and He never tempts anyone else. 
Temptation 
comes from our own desires, 
which entice us and drag us away. 
These desires 
give birth to sinful actions. 
And when sin is allowed to grow, 
it gives birth to death." 
James 1:13-15 NLT

This verse above is key. God does not tempt us. Temptation comes from our own desires. We are enticed and dragged away into sinful actions. While the devil does tempt, he only uses our own desires. We can't say, the devil made me do it. It takes yielding to our desire instead of yielding to God for us to fall into sin and death, separation from God. Be encouraged. God gave us Jesus to provide the forgiveness of our sins.  

Why was it necessary for Jesus to be tempted by the devil? In every way He had to be made like us, His brothers and sisters, even in suffering temptation. See Hebrew 2:17, 18 and 4:14-16, or The Genealogy of Jesus.

Though this was long today, it will help us understand the significance of Jesus' temptation and how He has provided for us to live an abundant life through His sacrifice and the gift of His Holy Spirit.

Behold the Lamb of God

Today's Reading: John 1:19-34, Genesis 22:1-18

The next day, John saw Jesus coming toward Him and said,

"Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!" vs 29

What did John mean when He said this about Jesus? The lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world? How could this be? If you have not heard about this before, it may be a bit confusing for someone living in our modern world and not knowing about an ancient story that sets the stage for one of the great mysteries of all the ages. You see, God our Creator is completely holy, beautiful, radiant with piercing holy light. We as human beings are dark and sinful, unable to even exist in His Presence. In the ancient times, God reached out to people. These stories are contained in the Old Testament of the Bible. There was a time that God allowed people to make animal sacrifices, often times it was a lamb, as a way for them to atone for their sins. Why is that? Because sin causes pain and needed a sacrifice, a vivid reminder of the misery and death that sin brings into our lives. God, in His mercy has done something wonderful for us. In Genesis 22:1-8 we see a gift and a promise made by God to Abraham. God called Abraham saying:

"take now your son, your only son, whom you love, and go to Moriah, 

and offer him there as a burnt offering..." Genesis 22:2

Abraham's only son was Isaac, the son of God's promise, the son of he and Sarah's old age. He was precious to Abraham and very much loved. Yet, Abraham's trust in God was greater than anything else in his life. So Abraham made preparations and set out on the journey... along the way Isaac asked his father:

"My Father... look, the fire and the wood, 

but where is the lamb for a burnt offering? 

And Abraham said, 

'My son, God will provide for Himself 

the lamb for a burnt offering'.

vs 7,

 They continued until they came to the place God had shown Abraham. He built an altar, placed his son on it and was ready to slay him, when the Angel of the Lord called to him

 "Do not lay your hand on the lad, 

or do anything to him; 

for now I know that you fear God, since 

you have not withheld your son, 

your only son, from Me". 

 Then Abraham lifted his eyes and looked, and there behind him was a ram caught in a thicket... So Abraham... took the ram, and offered it up for a burnt offering instead of his son. And Abraham called the place, The Lord will Provide, as it is said to this day, "In the Mount of the Lord it shall be provided." vs 11-14 This is the prophesied the lamb, that God would one day provide on these very mountains of Moriah. Later the mountain was named mount Zion, the very place where the temple was located and where Jesus was crucified. The Crucifixion of Jesus was prophesied many times in the Old Testament of the Bible.  Zechariah speaks of this in Zech 12:10 and Isaiah in Isa 53. God did provided a sacrifice for sin for all people once and for all when Jesus was crucified. He took His Son, His only begotten Son, whom He loved and offered Him for the sins of all who believe. Yes:

"Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!" John 1:29

"I have seen and testified that this is the Son of God." vs 32-34

Praise God! He did not withhold His Son, His only Son, 

but offered Him for the sins of humanity.
I am in awe of His love and mercy for us.

Baptism of Jesus

Reading: Matt 3:11-17

"Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan to be baptized by him... 'It is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness'. When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened... and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him. And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying,


"This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased."
Matt. 3:13-17 NKJ

John spoke about the baptism of repentance. He prophesied about a new baptism yet to come:

"I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, 

but He who is coming after me is mightier than I...

He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire."

Matt. 3:11NKJ

What is this baptism of the Holy Spirit? What did Jesus say about the Spirit that was to come? He tells us about the Holy Spirit in the gospel of John:

"And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another helper, that He may abide with you forever... the Spirit of Truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you will know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you...
John 14:16, 17,

"He will testify of Me" 15:26,

"when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, 
and of righteousness and of judgment... 
However, when He the Spirit of truth, has come,  
He will guide you into all truth; 
for He will not speak on His own authority, 
but whatever He hears He will speak, 
and tell you of things to come.  He will glorify Me, 
for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you". 
16:5-15,

These are Jesus' last words before He was taken up into the clouds. "He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father, 'which, you have heard from Me; for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now...But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and Samaria and to the end of the earth." Acts 1:1-8, "When the day of Pentecost had fully come, thy were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. And they were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance... Peter, standing up with the eleven, raised his voice and said to them, Men of Judea... let this be known to you... this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel: 'And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, That I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh; your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men shall see visions and your old men shall dream dreams. And on my menservants and maidservants I will pour out My Spirit in those days; And they shall prophesy. Acts 2:1-18

"Every good and every perfect gift is from above, 
and comes down from the Father of lights, 
 with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning. 
Of His own will He brought us forth by the word of truth, 
that we might be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures."
James 1:17,18

In Galations 5:16-26 points out the contrast of walking in the flesh and walking in the Spirit. This contrast is also seen in Ephesians 4 and Colossians 3. In I Cor 12, 13 and 14 you will see what Paul says about the gifts and operation of the Holy Spirit both privately and in the church.

My personal comment on these verses is that I want everything, every good and perfect gift that my Father has purposed for me to have. I really need His Holy Spirit and I don't want to miss out on a the fruits of Spirit-led life nor the opportunity to be a witness for Jesus. I want to be guided into all truth to be completely immersed in the baptism of Jesus, the baptism of His Holy Spirit and fire. Bless you in your search for truth and the blessing of God in your life.

Fruit Worthy of Repentance

Reading: Matt. 3:7-10

"But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, 'Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance... and even now the ax is laid to the root of the trees. Therefore every tree which does not bear fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.'" Matt 3:7-10

These men were the religious leaders of the day, the most knowledgeable about the scriptures among the people. Why did John use such strong words against them? What was their sin? What did Jesus have to say about them?

"... a tree is known by its fruit. Brood of vipers! 

How can you, being evil, speak good things? 

For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. 

A good man out of the good treasure of his heart 
brings forth good things, 

and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things."
Matt. 12:33-37 NKJ

"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! 
For you pay tithe of mint and anise and cumin, 
and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: 
justice and mercy and faith."
Matt. 23:23 NKJ

Being students of the scriptures, they would have known the following two OT verses:

"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?"
Micah 6:8

"For I desire mercy and not sacrifice,
and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings."
Hosea 6:6

They looked impressive in their fine clothes, but the question is what was in their hearts? Jesus had a way of cutting through the external and going directly to the central issue of what was in their hearts. Did they even know God, His Nature and heart as a Father? (Ex 34:6) Some how they arrogantly sought to produce the appearance of righteousness by following every little part of the law and in so doing forgot the most important part... to humbly love God and love people. Jesus calls us to a simple life of faith, not following an infinite number of laws. One of them asked Him,

"'Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the law?' 

Jesus said to him, 

'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, 

with all your soul, and with all your mind. 

This is the first and the great commandment. 

And the second is like it: 
You shall love your neighbor as yourself. 

On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.'" 

Matt. 22:34-40 NKJ

What would fruit worthy of repentance look like?

Paul said to the Ephesian Church:

"Therefore I,, a prisoner for serving the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of your calling, 

for you have been called by God. Always be humble and gentle. 

Be patient with each other, making allowances for each other's faults because of your love. 

Make every effort to keep yourselves united together in the Spirit, 

binding yourselves together with peace." 

Ephesians 4:1-3 NLT

Also see "A Beautiful, Honest Heart:"  "Fruit of a Beautiful, Honest Heart" How do we bear worthy fruit? See John 15:1-8

What fruit is the church in our country bearing? Are we salt and light? Why has our nation devolved into such spiritual darkness? What is our place in reaching our nation? (2 Chron 7:14, Dan 9) And how do we find the balance of love and mercy, yet at the same time speak of the repentance that is the first entry point into the kingdom of heaven and is the transformation out of bondage of sin that creates so much human misery?

The Message: The Kingdom of Heaven

Reading: Matt. 3:2

John the Baptist preached:

"Repent, 

for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!"
Matt. 3:2, NKJ

In the last post we looked at what it means to repent. Here we will look at the Kingdom of Heaven. What is this Kingdom of Heaven that John and and Jesus speaks of? Where is it and why can't I see it? Here is a quote from one of the helps in my favorite Bible:

Defining the Hope "The NT records 137 references to "the kingdom" and over 100 of these are during Jesus' ministry. His entire approach as Messiah, the Savior-King centers on this theme. What does "the kingdom" refer to?... God's sovereign rule in the universe. He is King of the heavens. But more specifically, here it refers to the entry of God's long anticipated Messiah, the promised Son of David who would not only be the Savior, Deliverer, and King of Israel, but KING of all mankind!!!

In declaring the kingdom is "at hand", that is "drawing near", John was announcing that the rule of God's King was about to overthrow the power and rule of all evil, both human and hellish. The kingdom was near because the King was here. And His presence, introducing the power of the Kingdom of God, meant a new world of potential hope to mankind. Man would no more need to be held hostage to either the rule of death over mankind, resultant from human sin... Further, the kingdom of darkness would be confronted and the death, deprivation, disease, and destruction levied by satanic power would begin to be overthrown. As God's King, Jesus offers the blessing of God's rule, now available to every human experience, as well as deliverance from the dominance of either flesh or the devil." Kingdom Dynamics 1293 New Spirit Filled Bible, Jack W Hayford. For more information on the New Spirit Filled Life Bible.  produced by Thomas Nelson Bibles. Click on the link or more info.

The New Living Translation says our key verse this way:

"Repent of your sins and turn to God, 

for the Kingdom of Heaven is near." 

Matthew 3: 2 NLT

The Kingdom was near, because the King was here and walking among His own people. For millenniums past the Jewish people longed for the coming of Messiah to deliver them from oppression. Their King came and they did not recognize Him. The apostle John says it this way:

“He came unto His own, and His own did not receive Him. 

But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, 

to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor the will of the flesh, 

nor of the will of man, but of God.”

 John 1: 11-13 NKJ

Received: (not) #3880 Paralambano to receive from another from beside, near, take unto, associate with oneself.

Received: #2983 Lambano to take, to receive, act, to get a hold of, catch, hold, obtain, be amazed.
Jesus came to His own Jewish people, yet most of them did not receive Him. Though He walked among them, near them; they did not come beside Him, take His teachings and His Spirit into their hearts and lives. Many would not even associate with Him. But for those who grasped, caught hold of what He was saying and took it into their hearts were amazed and became the children of God.

In the two millenniums since the King was near and walked the earth, it was rare for His own Jewish people to receive Him. But that is changing. Jewish people from all over the world are beginning to come to Jesus, their Messiah... Machiach in Hebrew. I will write more about this hopefully in the near future and do a review of a new book that I am reading.

When Jesus walked the earth He had much to say about The Kingdom of Heaven. It is the theme for most of His parables. He typically starts them with "The kingdom of heaven is like..." He uses the parables to give us an earthly example we can identify with in order to teach us a spiritual kingdom reality. The kingdom is the message, the good news, for mankind. We were once to have dominion over our world, but we lost that to the devil, when we fell into temptation and sinned. He has wreaked havoc on mankind ever since. Through Christ, that stronghold can be broken even now to a smaller degree and later when Christ returns evil will be completely destroyed! For now, we enter the kingdom through repentance and conversion with a childlike, humble faith... the kind of faith that trusts completely in the King of the kingdom and make Him the ruler, the Lord of our life.

"Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted
and become as little children
you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven."
Matt. 18:3 NKJ

Jesus Son of God

Reading: Zech 9:9, Matt 21:1-11 Revelation 4 and 5, 19:11-16

"... who was, who is and who is to come, the Almighty."
Rev. 1:8

With these recent posts we are looking at Jesus as the Son of the Promise:

Jesus, the Son of Adam, the promise of one who would bruise the head of the serpent, the evil one.
Jesus the Second Adam who brought justification from the judgment of man that came through Adam.  
Jesus, the Son of Abraham, the Lamb God who would provide atonement for our sins through faith in Him.  
Jesus, the promised Son of David, The Lord God will give Him the throne of His Father David...

and of His Kingdom there will be no end."

Before Jesus came to live among us on earth, prophets spoke of His Coming. Zechariah prophecies the Coming of Israel's King:

"Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout O daughter of Jerusalem! 

Tissot - Brooklyn Museum

Behold, your King is coming to you; 

He is just and having salvation, 

Lowly and riding on a donkey, 

A colt, the foal of a donkey."
Zech 9:9 

Jesus fulfilled this prophecy the day He rode into Jerusalem at His first coming in meekness.  Jesus was lowly, with "a humility that is considerate, unassuming, gentle, mild, meek. Jesus showed greater power than armed might, the power of humble wisdom and penetrating love. Meekness is not weakness, but power under perfect control". (From word wealth in the New Spirit Filled Bible)

Jesus, Son of David

Reading: Matt. 1:1, Luke 1: 31-33 2Samuel 7:11-14
Also if you have time see God's Answer to David,

"The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, 

the Son of David, the Son of Abraham."
Matt 1:1

In Luke 1:31-33, Gabriel told Mary,

"... you will conceive... and bring forth a Son and shall call His name Jesus. 

He will be... called Son of the Most High; 

and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His Father David...

and of His Kingdom there will be no end."

This fulfills a promise made to King David in 2Samuel 7:11-14. David was dwelling in his beautiful house of cedar and decided to build a house for the Arc of God. He told this to Nathan the prophet who then said to do all that was in his heart for the Lord. But that night the word of the Lord came to Nathan saying,

Jesus, Son of Abraham

Reading: Matt. 1:1, Genesis 15: 1-6, 22:1-8,

"Behold the Lamb of God"

"The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ,
the Son of David, the Son of Abraham."
Matt. 1:1

"... the word of the Lord came to Abraham in a vision, saying 'Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward'. But Abram said, 'Lord God, what will you give me seeing that I go childless...? Look, You have given me no offspring; indeed one born in my house is my heir'! And behold the word of the Lord came to him, saying, 'This one shall not be your heir, but one who will come form your own body shall be your heir'. Then He brought him outside and said, 'Look now toward heaven, and count the stars if you are able to number them... So shall your descendants be.' And he believed in the Lord, and He accounted it to him for righteousness." Genesis 15:1-6

Accounted: To think, put together, calculate, make account

Abraham is the father of righteousness through faith. Even though, he was 100 years old and Sarah was 90, he believed God could keep His promise. For nothing is impossible with God. More is said about Abraham's faith in Romans 4 and Hebrews 11:8-12.

Jesus, the Son of the Most High

Reading: Luke 1:31,32, Romans 5:12-21 , 1-11

"You will be with child and give birth to a son,
and you are to give Him the name of Jesus.
He will be great and
will be called the Son of the Most High."
Luke 1:31,32

God's only begotten Son, Jesus was not created, He has always been with God, even before creation, as we can see in John 1: 1,2. He humbled Himself to leave the realm of glory with the Father to become human. He was begotten by the Holy Spirit in Mary, a human being. He lived a perfect sinless life, and died a terrible death to once and for all pay for the penalty of man's sin; so humanity could once again be reconciled to God. Lets read Romans 5:12-21 to see the contrast of the two son's of God.

Adam, the son of God

Today's Reading: Luke 3:38, Genesis 2-3,

"... Adam, the son of God."
Luke 3:38

God has two sons and one daughter that are unique among humanity. He has a son and a daughter that were not born, they were created by God Himself! (See Genesis 1 and 2). We are all sons of Adam and daughters of Eve, as the children in the Chronicles of Narnia were referred to; because we all descend from them. We have an inheritance of being made in God's image, after His likeness, with incredible potential and opportunity. Yet, all of this was marred with sin. Our ancestors fell into the temptation of wanting to be wise like God through their own effort. They wanted to know good and evil. Instead of trusting God and obeying His word to them they ate the forbidden fruit. With just one bite the power of the evil one and a whole world of temptation and sin was unleashed upon humanity. Just one bite and their fate was sealed; separation from God, pain, hard work and death. In our innermost being we know we were not made for this, but rather we were made to live forever in the image of God, exercising dominion over the earth and reigning forever in relationship with Him. Read their story and consider the inheritance we have in Adam and Eve that still impacts the world thousands of years later, today. Yet God did not leave humanity without hope. He said to the serpent:

"I will put enmity between you and the woman,
and between your seed and her Seed;
He shall bruise your head,
and you shall bruise His heel."
Gen. 3:15

In this verse lies the promise of a Son to come through a woman. He will one day crush the serpents head (Satan) and in so doing, would undo the effects of the fall... evil, sin and alienation from God. Jesus trampled Satan at the cross. He assumed the curse surrounding Adam and Eve and their generations to follow. He purchased forgiveness and reconciliation to God on the cross for all who believe in Him. Ultimately through Christ, believers will triumph over the evil meant to destroy us!!!

"You were dead because of your sins... 

Then God made you alive with Christ, for he forgave all of our sins. 

He canceled the record of the charges against us and took it away by nailing it to the cross. 

In this way, he disarmed the spiritual rulers and authorities. 

He shamed them publicly by his victory over them on the cross." 

Colossians 2:13-15 NLT

The apostle Paul speaks of a mystery, the wisdom of God through the ages. It is what CS Lewis refers to a the deep magic:

"...I speak with words of wisdom, but not the kind of wisdom that belongs to this world 

or the rulers of this world, who are soon forgotten. 

No, the wisdom we speak of is the mystery of God - 

His plan that was previously hidden, 

even though He made if for our ultimate glory before the world began. 

But the rulers of this world have not understood it; 

if they had, they would not have crucified our glorious Lord... the Lord of Glory". 

I Corinthians 2:6-8 NLT, NKJ

Tomorrow we will look at Jesus the Son of God.