Talk Jesus | Christian Forums http://www.talkjesus.com/ Christian chat rooms and messageboard. en Tue, 09 Feb 2010 10:20:29 GMT vBulletin 60 http://www.talkjesus.com/images/element/misc/rss.jpg Talk Jesus | Christian Forums http://www.talkjesus.com/ Erasing Ezekiels Jewish Identity http://www.talkjesus.com/lounge/31342-erasing-ezekiels-jewish-identity.html Tue, 09 Feb 2010 08:07:05 GMT For centuries Jews, Christians and Muslims came to Al-Kifl, a small town south of Baghdad, to visit the tomb of the Prophet Ezekiel and pray. The distinctive Jewish character of the Al-Kifl shrine, namely the Hebrew inscriptions and the Torah Ark, never bothered the gentile worshipers. In the 14th century a minaret was built next to the... For centuries Jews, Christians and Muslims came to Al-Kifl, a small town south of Baghdad, to visit the tomb of the Prophet Ezekiel and pray.

The distinctive Jewish character of the Al-Kifl shrine, namely the Hebrew inscriptions and the Torah Ark, never bothered the gentile worshipers. In the 14th century a minaret was built next to the shrine, but the interior design remained Jewish. The vast majority of Iraq's Jewish community left some 60 years ago, but Shi'ites took good care of the holy site. Until now.

Recently "Ur," a local Iraqi news agency, reported that a huge mosque will be built on top of the grave by Iraq's Antiquities and Heritage Authority, while Hebrew inscriptions and ornaments are being removed from the site, all as part of renovations.
Prof. Shmuel Moreh of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, winner of the 1999 Israel Prize in Middle Eastern studies and chairman of the Association of Jewish Academics from Iraq, speaking to The Jerusalem Post on Wednesday, confirmed the report.
"I first heard the news of tomb desecration from a friend of mine who is a German scholar. After visiting the site he called me and said that some Hebrew inscriptions on the grave were covered by plaster and that a mosque is planned to be built on top of the tomb. He told me that he found the changes at the tomb disturbing and warned me that I'd better act quickly, before any irreversible damage will be inflicted," Moreh said.
He asked friends to check out the developments at the site. The most recent to visit the shrine said that some of the inscriptions are now hidden by a layer of plaster.
According to the Baghdad-born Moreh, many of the Muslims who visit the tomb today are unaware Ezekiel was a Jew.

Iraq, the biblical Aram Naharaim, is rich in Jewish religious sites. Not only Ezekiel is buried there, but also Ezra, Daniel, Nehemiah, Nahum and Jonah. (Another tomb attributed to Ezekiel is located in Dezful, in southwestern Iran.)

(The Jerusalem Post, week of January 10-16, 2009). ]]> Lounge stephen http://www.talkjesus.com/lounge/31342-erasing-ezekiels-jewish-identity.html Quotes http://www.talkjesus.com/poetry/31341-quotes.html Tue, 09 Feb 2010 02:04:28 GMT Just some random quotes I found that I thought you all might like.
Enjoy :smile:


#1 "God has promised forgiveness to your repentance, but He has not promised tomorrow to your procrastination."
Augustine

#2 "This book (the Bible) will keep you from sin or sin will keep you from this book."
D.L. Moody

#3 "God is not against us because of our sin. He is with us against our sin."

#4 "Either sin is with you, lying on your shoulders, or it is lying on Christ, the Lamb of God. Now if it is lying on your back, you are lost; but if it is resting on Christ, you are free, and you will be saved. Now choose what you want."
Martin Luther

#5 "Sin wouldn't be so attractive if the wages were paid immediately."

#6 "A fault, once denied, is twice committed."
Gordon Olson

#7 "The pleasure of sin is soon gone, but the sting remains."
Thomas Watson

#8 "We have a strange illusion that mere time cancels sin."
C.S. Lewis

#9 "The national anthem of hell is, "I Did It My Way."
Peter Kreeft

#10 "Hell is truth seen too late."

#11 "By the time the average Christian gets his temperature up to normal, everybody thinks he has a fever!"
Watchmen Nee

#12 "God sends no one away empty except those who are full of themselves."
D.L. Moody

#13 "To one who has faith, no explanation is necessary. To one without faith, no explanation is possible."
Thomas Aquinas

#14 "I am so weak that I can hardly write, I cannot read my Bible, I cannot even pray, I can only lie still in God's arms like a little child, and trust."
Hudson Taylor

#15 "The issue is now clear. It is between light and darkness and everyone must choose his side."
G.K. Chesterton


#13 is personally my favorite. ]]> Poetry Tyler http://www.talkjesus.com/poetry/31341-quotes.html Isaiah 4 http://www.talkjesus.com/bible-study-hall/31340-isaiah-4-a.html Tue, 09 Feb 2010 01:44:05 GMT I believe from what I am reading in Isaiah 4 that the branch spoken of in Isaiah 4:2 is Jesus. Notice, in verse 1 it seems to indicate that Israel will be going through a period of shame. This idea was also in chapter 3. But, then in verse 2 it changes pretty dramatically. there is mention of the people being proud of the fruit of the land... I believe from what I am reading in Isaiah 4 that the branch spoken of in Isaiah 4:2 is Jesus. Notice, in verse 1 it seems to indicate that Israel will be going through a period of shame. This idea was also in chapter 3. But, then in verse 2 it changes pretty dramatically.
there is mention of the people being proud of the fruit of the land verse 2
those who are left in the land are called "holy" verse 3
there is a cleansing that takes place by judgment and through a spirit of fire verse 4 (the tribulation period?)
A canopy is created by the Lord over Mount Zion much like there was when the people were in the wilderness to protect them. verse 5-6.

Some questions come to mind is
1. Why is Jesus referred to as a branch? What is the significance of that?
2. Is this a reference to the millenial reign of Christ?
3. Would the reference to judgment and fire be the second coming or the tribulation period?
4. Is this idea of a canopy to be taken literally? Or is it symbolic of the presence of God?

I'm going to do some study on my own on these questions, but any input from some learned believers would be helpful. (At least I hope it will be helpful).:smile: ]]> Bible Study Hall jeffsi435 http://www.talkjesus.com/bible-study-hall/31340-isaiah-4-a.html The Distinctive Qualities of the True Christian Prt2b http://www.talkjesus.com/bible-study-hall/31339-distinctive-qualities-true-christian-prt2b.html Tue, 09 Feb 2010 01:00:37 GMT Troy a servant of God and the Lord Jesus Christ.

The Distinctive Qualities of the True Christian Part 2B
Philippians 3 1-3

*May I remind you that the Jews believed that circumcision was the sign of God's favor, right? That if they had that physical operation that was the external identification that they were the seed of Abraham and thus they were to be blessed. They somehow missed the point that the outward circumcision was only to be a symbol of the circumcision on the inside. But the Jews had long departed from the reality of circumcision's symbolism and left themselves committed only to the symbol.

*Now let me tell you what happened. You have a Jewish community who believe in circumcision as the mark that is necessary for God's people. They also believe in the Old Testament economy, they believe in the Mosaic ceremonies, they believe in the Mosaic rituals and laws and they feel that they are bound to keep them. So here comes the Apostle Paul, right? He comes in to the Gentile world and he preaches salvation by grace plus or minus nothing. No works at all. There's nothing you can do, nothing you must do, you're saved by grace period. God's marvelous grace. In an act of faith you simply receive the gift of grace, the work has all been done. So Paul goes through the Gentile world, people come to the knowledge of the grace of the gospel, they are saved, churches begin. There are even Jews who believe the gospel. They believe Jesus is the Messiah. They believe that Jesus died on the cross. They may believe that He was raised from the dead. But they also believe that in order to be pleasing to God and to have God accept you, you have to be circumcised and keep all the ceremonies of Moses. So when Paul goes along and says the old covenant has been set aside, circumcision is unnecessary, Mosaic ceremony is unnecessary, you cannot do any externals to please God or gain your salvation, they are very upset, these Jews. And so no sooner does Paul leave town after establishing a church then they rise up and say to that church...You must be circumcised and we'll show you why...and they point to the Old Testament. You must keep the ceremonies of Moses, I'll show you why...they point to the Old Testament. And because some of the younger Christians are undiscerning about the old economy and the new, they are confused by these commands that are in the Bible, they do not understand that they have been set aside in the new covenant. And so these Jewish people are then leading Christians to believe that in order to be saved they must be circumcised, in order to be saved they must do certain ceremonial things and perform certain good works. And this is being propagated not only to the church but to those who are around the church showing interest in it. And it is a gospel that convolutes the true gospel because it says Christ yes, circumcision yes and works yes. And these became know as...what?...these teachers were called what? Judaizers because they were Judaizing. In other words, they were saying you can't come in to Christianity unless you go through the foyer of Judaism. You can't be a Gentile and just come to Christ, you've got to be circumcised and you've got to follow Mosaic economy and subscribe to that.

*This was a big issue in the early church. To show you the proportions of it, turn for a moment to the fifteenth chapter of Acts...Acts chapter 15 verse 1, this sums it up, "Some men came down from Judea and began teaching the brethren," here's what they taught, "Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved." That's right, that's it. "And when Paul and Barnabas had great dissension and debate with them because they denied that." You didn't need to be circumcised to be saved. So the debate. "Well the brethren determined that Paul and Barnabas and certain others of them should go up to Jerusalem to the apostles and elders concerning the issue," and thus the first church council was held, the council at Jerusalem. And the whole issue was about circumcision and Mosaic ceremony. And verse 5 says, "A certain one of the sect of the Pharisees who had believed," so here's a guy who had believed. I mean he believed in the facts of the gospel. He stands up in the middle of the council says, "It is necessary to circumcise them and direct them to observe the law of Moses." And that's what they were trying to say. So everybody got together...Apostles, elders, to look into it.

*After much debate, Peter brings resolution. Verse 7, "Brethren, you know that in the early days God made a choice among you that by my mouth the Gentiles should hear the word of the gospel and believe...listen to this...and God who knows the heart." He knows whether their faith was real, He knows whether it was true, "Bore witness to them...what?..to what?...to the validity of their faith by giving them...what does it say?...the Holy Spirit." Now if God gave them the Holy Spirit, then they were...what?...saved. And they weren't circumcised. And verse 9, "He made no distinction between us and them, He cleansed their hearts by faith without circumcision." Verse 10, "Now therefore, why do you put God to the test by placing upon the neck of the disciples a yoke which neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear?" Why are you going to try to bind them to a law that we couldn't even keep? "To earn something which God gives freely."

*This was a major issue. And they resolved it at the Jerusalem Council. In Galatians we find it is also an issue. Paul even calls it "another gospel," and he says anybody preaching it should be accursed in Galatians 1:9. In Galatians 5 he says in verse 2, "If you receive circumcision, Christ will be of no benefit to you." What a statement. Listen to what he's saying. If you think in order to be saved you've got to be circumcised, then Christ won't do you any good because you are believing in salvation by...what?...by works. Forget that. If you are going to receive circumcision, verse 3, then you're under obligation to keep the whole law and you've been severed from Christ and you are seeking to be justified by law and you have fallen away from the principle of salvation by grace. That's exactly what was happening.

*Into Philippi came these Judaizers just like they had come to Jerusalem, just like they had come to Galatia and when they came to Galatia there were a lot of cities they went to. Galatia is a region, not a city. Philippi is a city. So they were pretty widespread in their effect. Paul says at the end of Galatians that they really were interested in making a big show in the flesh, compelling you to be circumcised so they could sort of put notches on their belt like they...they converted you to circumcision. And here they were a threat to the Philippian church. So Paul says to them, "Beware...beware of these false teachers."

*Now he calls them by three names, most fascinating. Briefly listen carefully to what I say. "Beware of the dogs." Boy, you just didn't call people dogs in that world. Two words in the New Testament for dogs, both from the same root. One is kunarion, that means a little dog, a little pet dog. It's a diminutive term, it's used in Matthew 15:26 and 27, and Mark chapter 7 around verse 27. It means a little diminutive pet dog. The word here is kuon, that word does not mean a pet dog. That word is used of dogs that were not pets and most of the dogs in that culture were not pets. They were scavengers. And there are many many histories that you can read about that day and you can look it up in a biblical encyclopedia and find it. Dogs roamed the streets. Dogs were scrounges, they were scavengers. They roamed in packs. They hunted the garbage of the city. They were often rabid. They snarled. They were wild. Would literally prowl the ancient streets without an owner and without home, they would feed on the garbage, on the filth. They would fight one another. They would attack people. In some cases people would lose their lives because the dogs were diseased.

*To show you something of the character of these kinds of dogs, do you remember the parable of the rich man and Lazarus? And you remember in that story that part of the torture of Lazarus was that he was sick and in his poverty he was lying in the street and it says the dogs were...what?...licking his sores, the filthy vile scroungy scavenger dogs of the street, unimaginably licking the sores of this poor beggar.

*In the book of Revelation when it wants to identify the people who are not allowed into the gate of the holy city, in Revelation 22:15 it says, "Outside are the dogs." They are not the warm and fuzzy little diminutives that we have as pets. These dogs were very very different. They were the lowest of the low, the scavengers, the scoundrels, the useless filthy curs that moved in the streets and were a threat to people and children

*And because they were so base and such filthy animals, the Jews had come to use the term "dog" as a title for Gentiles. In fact, the Talmud says the nations of the world are like dogs. The Gentiles were dogs, Gentile dogs, unclean, filthy, scrounging scavengers who savagedly attacked the truth and were dangerous.

*And so, the Jews would see the Gentiles as dogs. The Judaizers trying to protect the Jewishness that was so precious to them would see even the Gentile Christians as dogs until they went through a circumcision. Jews called Gentiles dogs.

*What is startling here is that Paul, a Jew, calls Jews dogs. That's turning the table. That is a serious statement. You wonder sometimes why Paul was not popular. That statement would not make him popular. He is saying, in effect, beware of those people who self-righteously call other dogs but they're the dogs. They accuse others of shamelessly attacking the truth and they are shamelessly attacking the truth. Are dogs unclean and filthy? So are they. Are dogs snarling and howling and vicious? So are they. Are dogs dangerous and able to wound and even kill? So are they. Stay away from them. Stay away from those dangerous filthy snarling howling wild attacking false teachers who parade themselves as if they are the virtuous ones, but they are deadly, they are dangerous, they are dirty. And he's talking about people who are religious. He's talking about people who say we must obey the law of God.

*Listen, anybody who comes along in this time and day and says you have to baptized in water to be saved is a dangerous dog. Anybody who comes along in this day and says in order to be saved you've got to go through some certain kind of ceremony, you've got to say some certain kinds of prayers, you've got to go through some kind of a ritual is a dog, an unclean thing, a dangerous beast. Anyone who comes along to you and says it's fine if you believe in Jesus but if you don't acquiesce to a certain code of ethics and do your best to live by that code of ethics and perform those deeds which will please God you will never be saved is a dog. Beware.

*Beloved, salvation is by grace and grace alone. And anything else that comes down the pike is nothing but a filthy unclean beast. Secondly, he says they are evil workers. They are evil workers. You see, the thing is they pride themselves on being workers of righteousness. That's how he turns the table on them this time. Typically those who are involved in those kinds of external religions of works see themselves as the workers of what is good, that they please God, they're earning His favor, they're earning salvation. They're the noble upholders of the ceremonies and the rituals of their religion. They deserve God's please, they have lit their candles and bowed their knee and genuflected to the east. And they've gone through the water and they've gone through the ritual and they've run down the beads and they've done the good deeds and they've filled up all their agenda with those required things. And they've done all that good. And the fact of the matter is they are not good workers, they are...what?...they're evil workers.

*Because it is the wickedness of all wickedness to think that you can earn anything with God. Why is that wicked? Because it is pride at its apex and pride is a...what?...sin. Unregenerate people, even religious people can't do really what is good.

*Let me put it to you simply. Wicked people can do bad bad. You say, "What's that?" They do bad things for bad reasons. You say, "What's a bad thing?" Any kind of sin. They can do wicked things. And they do them with bad reasons, bad motives. They're motivated by their wicked selfish self-centered nature. Now listen to this, unregenerate people can also do bad good. You say, "What do you mean by that?" Well it's good in the sense that they can help the poor, they can relieve the widows, they can visit the prisoners, they can adopt orphans, they can do good. But it's bad good because it's motivated by pride rather than the glory of God. The best that the unregenerate can do is bad good. They can do bad bad or bad good. But only the redeemed can do good good...a good deed motivated to the glory of God.

* You say, "What's that?" They do bad things for bad reasons. You say, "What's a bad thing?" Any kind of sin. They can do wicked things. And they do them with bad reasons, bad motives. They're motivated by their wicked selfish self-centered nature. Now listen to this, unregenerate people can also do bad good. You say, "What do you mean by that?" Well it's good in the sense that they can help the poor, they can relieve the widows, they can visit the prisoners, they can adopt orphans, they can do good. But it's bad good because it's motivated by pride rather than the glory of God. The best that the unregenerate can do is bad good. They can do bad bad or bad good. But only the redeemed can do good good...a good deed motivated to the glory of God.

*So what is it when these religionists do all of their ceremonies and all of their activities and by their own works try to attain the favor of God? It is bad good. It may appear good on the outside, it is bad on the inside because it is nothing but the expulsion of pride which believes that you can please God on your own. They are merit-mongers.

*The Judaizers were among them. Evil workers trying to earn God's favor. It doesn't mean that they were doing evil deeds, they were working to please God but they were evil because it was all motivated by the false belief that they could be pleasing to God. What a deception of pride.

*So Paul flips the table and says you're evil workers, everything you do is wicked, everything you do is bad. Why? Because they did it out of the allusion of pride and pride is the driving sin of unregenerate man.

*Then finally he literally scorches them with the blowtorch of terms. He says, "Beware of the mutilation." This is unbelievable. You talk about offensive, that is offensive. You see, they prided themselves on circumcision. The word for circumcision in the Greek is peritome, it means to cut around. Paul says you're not the circumcision, you're the katatome, you're the mutilation, you're the castration, that's what you are. Boy! You think you're circumcised? You think you fit God's design in the symbolism of circumcision? Forget it, there's nothing spiritual about it. All it was was physical mutilation. In Galatians 5:12 he says, "You say you're circumcised? I would that you were castrated," Galatians 5:12. Very strong. You see, we can't just say to these people who add works to salvation, "Well, they're close. Boy, they're certainly lovely people. They certainly are nice. And they're religious. And, you know, they're trying their best to get to God." They are dogs. Beware of them. They're filthy. They're unclean. They're vicious. They are not workers of good. They are doing at best bad good, motivated by their own pride. And they go through their religious ceremonies and they are useless, they have nothing to do with their heart and their life and their relation to God. They're simply external. It is merely a process of mutilation with no spiritual value, no inner cleansing, no spiritual change. Why? Because that's all of grace and nothing more, right? Nothing more. And as soon as you stick anything else in there, all is lost.

*In fact, these people called the mutilation who thought they could come to God through circumcision had to be told that their circumcision was of no more value than the gashings of the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel. You remember them? Up there with Elijah, cutting themselves, gashing and mutilating themselves, trying to please their deity...absolutely useless. So is circumcision. So is any external thing that does not reflect a transformed heart. He is not a Jew who is one outwardly. He is a Jew who is one...what?...inwardly. Romans 2:28, "For circumcision is of the heart."

*What's Paul's message here? He's saying...Look, we're the true circumcision. How are we characterized? All internally. We worship in the Spirit of God, we glory in Christ Jesus. Who gets all the glory for our salvation? Christ. Our worship isn't external, it's...what?...it's in the Spirit. He gets all the glory and how much confidence do we have in our flesh? None. That's the difference. You see, they worship on the outside, they glory in their human achievement, their religious activity and they have a lot of confidence in the flesh. They think it can perform.

*So Paul leads us then to verse 3, and an understanding of the explicit qualities of the true Christian.

Amen

Troy ]]> Bible Study Hall yort http://www.talkjesus.com/bible-study-hall/31339-distinctive-qualities-true-christian-prt2b.html The Distinctive Qualities of the True ChristianPrt2b http://www.talkjesus.com/bible-study-hall/31338-distinctive-qualities-true-christianprt2b.html Tue, 09 Feb 2010 00:12:19 GMT Troy a servant of God and the Lord Jesus Christ.

The Distinctive Qualities of the True Christian Part 2B
Philippians 3 1-3

*May I remind you that the Jews believed that circumcision was the sign of God's favor, right? That if they had that physical operation that was the external identification that they were the seed of Abraham and thus they were to be blessed. They somehow missed the point that the outward circumcision was only to be a symbol of the circumcision on the inside. But the Jews had long departed from the reality of circumcision's symbolism and left themselves committed only to the symbol.

*Now let me tell you what happened. You have a Jewish community who believe in circumcision as the mark that is necessary for God's people. They also believe in the Old Testament economy, they believe in the Mosaic ceremonies, they believe in the Mosaic rituals and laws and they feel that they are bound to keep them. So here comes the Apostle Paul, right? He comes in to the Gentile world and he preaches salvation by grace plus or minus nothing. No works at all. There's nothing you can do, nothing you must do, you're saved by grace period. God's marvelous grace. In an act of faith you simply receive the gift of grace, the work has all been done. So Paul goes through the Gentile world, people come to the knowledge of the grace of the gospel, they are saved, churches begin. There are even Jews who believe the gospel. They believe Jesus is the Messiah. They believe that Jesus died on the cross. They may believe that He was raised from the dead. But they also believe that in order to be pleasing to God and to have God accept you, you have to be circumcised and keep all the ceremonies of Moses. So when Paul goes along and says the old covenant has been set aside, circumcision is unnecessary, Mosaic ceremony is unnecessary, you cannot do any externals to please God or gain your salvation, they are very upset, these Jews. And so no sooner does Paul leave town after establishing a church then they rise up and say to that church...You must be circumcised and we'll show you why...and they point to the Old Testament. You must keep the ceremonies of Moses, I'll show you why...they point to the Old Testament. And because some of the younger Christians are undiscerning about the old economy and the new, they are confused by these commands that are in the Bible, they do not understand that they have been set aside in the new covenant. And so these Jewish people are then leading Christians to believe that in order to be saved they must be circumcised, in order to be saved they must do certain ceremonial things and perform certain good works. And this is being propagated not only to the church but to those who are around the church showing interest in it. And it is a gospel that convolutes the true gospel because it says Christ yes, circumcision yes and works yes. And these became know as...what?...these teachers were called what? Judaizers because they were Judaizing. In other words, they were saying you can't come in to Christianity unless you go through the foyer of Judaism. You can't be a Gentile and just come to Christ, you've got to be circumcised and you've got to follow Mosaic economy and subscribe to that.

*This was a big issue in the early church. To show you the proportions of it, turn for a moment to the fifteenth chapter of Acts...Acts chapter 15 verse 1, this sums it up, "Some men came down from Judea and began teaching the brethren," here's what they taught, "Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved." That's right, that's it. "And when Paul and Barnabas had great dissension and debate with them because they denied that." You didn't need to be circumcised to be saved. So the debate. "Well the brethren determined that Paul and Barnabas and certain others of them should go up to Jerusalem to the apostles and elders concerning the issue," and thus the first church council was held, the council at Jerusalem. And the whole issue was about circumcision and Mosaic ceremony. And verse 5 says, "A certain one of the sect of the Pharisees who had believed," so here's a guy who had believed. I mean he believed in the facts of the gospel. He stands up in the middle of the council says, "It is necessary to circumcise them and direct them to observe the law of Moses." And that's what they were trying to say. So everybody got together...Apostles, elders, to look into it.

*After much debate, Peter brings resolution. Verse 7, "Brethren, you know that in the early days God made a choice among you that by my mouth the Gentiles should hear the word of the gospel and believe...listen to this...and God who knows the heart." He knows whether their faith was real, He knows whether it was true, "Bore witness to them...what?..to what?...to the validity of their faith by giving them...what does it say?...the Holy Spirit." Now if God gave them the Holy Spirit, then they were...what?...saved. And they weren't circumcised. And verse 9, "He made no distinction between us and them, He cleansed their hearts by faith without circumcision." Verse 10, "Now therefore, why do you put God to the test by placing upon the neck of the disciples a yoke which neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear?" Why are you going to try to bind them to a law that we couldn't even keep? "To earn something which God gives freely."

*This was a major issue. And they resolved it at the Jerusalem Council. In Galatians we find it is also an issue. Paul even calls it "another gospel," and he says anybody preaching it should be accursed in Galatians 1:9. In Galatians 5 he says in verse 2, "If you receive circumcision, Christ will be of no benefit to you." What a statement. Listen to what he's saying. If you think in order to be saved you've got to be circumcised, then Christ won't do you any good because you are believing in salvation by...what?...by works. Forget that. If you are going to receive circumcision, verse 3, then you're under obligation to keep the whole law and you've been severed from Christ and you are seeking to be justified by law and you have fallen away from the principle of salvation by grace. That's exactly what was happening.

*Into Philippi came these Judaizers just like they had come to Jerusalem, just like they had come to Galatia and when they came to Galatia there were a lot of cities they went to. Galatia is a region, not a city. Philippi is a city. So they were pretty widespread in their effect. Paul says at the end of Galatians that they really were interested in making a big show in the flesh, compelling you to be circumcised so they could sort of put notches on their belt like they...they converted you to circumcision. And here they were a threat to the Philippian church. So Paul says to them, "Beware...beware of these false teachers."

*Now he calls them by three names, most fascinating. Briefly listen carefully to what I say. "Beware of the dogs." Boy, you just didn't call people dogs in that world. Two words in the New Testament for dogs, both from the same root. One is kunarion, that means a little dog, a little pet dog. It's a diminutive term, it's used in Matthew 15:26 and 27, and Mark chapter 7 around verse 27. It means a little diminutive pet dog. The word here is kuon, that word does not mean a pet dog. That word is used of dogs that were not pets and most of the dogs in that culture were not pets. They were scavengers. And there are many many histories that you can read about that day and you can look it up in a biblical encyclopedia and find it. Dogs roamed the streets. Dogs were scrounges, they were scavengers. They roamed in packs. They hunted the garbage of the city. They were often rabid. They snarled. They were wild. Would literally prowl the ancient streets without an owner and without home, they would feed on the garbage, on the filth. They would fight one another. They would attack people. In some cases people would lose their lives because the dogs were diseased.

*To show you something of the character of these kinds of dogs, do you remember the parable of the rich man and Lazarus? And you remember in that story that part of the torture of Lazarus was that he was sick and in his poverty he was lying in the street and it says the dogs were...what?...licking his sores, the filthy vile scroungy scavenger dogs of the street, unimaginably licking the sores of this poor beggar.

*In the book of Revelation when it wants to identify the people who are not allowed into the gate of the holy city, in Revelation 22:15 it says, "Outside are the dogs." They are not the warm and fuzzy little diminutives that we have as pets. These dogs were very very different. They were the lowest of the low, the scavengers, the scoundrels, the useless filthy curs that moved in the streets and were a threat to people and children

*And because they were so base and such filthy animals, the Jews had come to use the term "dog" as a title for Gentiles. In fact, the Talmud says the nations of the world are like dogs. The Gentiles were dogs, Gentile dogs, unclean, filthy, scrounging scavengers who savagedly attacked the truth and were dangerous.

*And so, the Jews would see the Gentiles as dogs. The Judaizers trying to protect the Jewishness that was so precious to them would see even the Gentile Christians as dogs until they went through a circumcision. Jews called Gentiles dogs.

*What is startling here is that Paul, a Jew, calls Jews dogs. That's turning the table. That is a serious statement. You wonder sometimes why Paul was not popular. That statement would not make him popular. He is saying, in effect, beware of those people who self-righteously call other dogs but they're the dogs. They accuse others of shamelessly attacking the truth and they are shamelessly attacking the truth. Are dogs unclean and filthy? So are they. Are dogs snarling and howling and vicious? So are they. Are dogs dangerous and able to wound and even kill? So are they. Stay away from them. Stay away from those dangerous filthy snarling howling wild attacking false teachers who parade themselves as if they are the virtuous ones, but they are deadly, they are dangerous, they are dirty. And he's talking about people who are religious. He's talking about people who say we must obey the law of God.

*Listen, anybody who comes along in this time and day and says you have to baptized in water to be saved is a dangerous dog. Anybody who comes along in this day and says in order to be saved you've got to go through some certain kind of ceremony, you've got to say some certain kinds of prayers, you've got to go through some kind of a ritual is a dog, an unclean thing, a dangerous beast. Anyone who comes along to you and says it's fine if you believe in Jesus but if you don't acquiesce to a certain code of ethics and do your best to live by that code of ethics and perform those deeds which will please God you will never be saved is a dog. Beware.

*Beloved, salvation is by grace and grace alone. And anything else that comes down the pike is nothing but a filthy unclean beast. Secondly, he says they are evil workers. They are evil workers. You see, the thing is they pride themselves on being workers of righteousness. That's how he turns the table on them this time. Typically those who are involved in those kinds of external religions of works see themselves as the workers of what is good, that they please God, they're earning His favor, they're earning salvation. They're the noble upholders of the ceremonies and the rituals of their religion. They deserve God's please, they have lit their candles and bowed their knee and genuflected to the east. And they've gone through the water and they've gone through the ritual and they've run down the beads and they've done the good deeds and they've filled up all their agenda with those required things. And they've done all that good. And the fact of the matter is they are not good workers, they are...what?...they're evil workers.

*Because it is the wickedness of all wickedness to think that you can earn anything with God. Why is that wicked? Because it is pride at its apex and pride is a...what?...sin. Unregenerate people, even religious people can't do really what is good.

*Let me put it to you simply. Wicked people can do bad bad. You say, "What's that?" They do bad things for bad reasons. You say, "What's a bad thing?" Any kind of sin. They can do wicked things. And they do them with bad reasons, bad motives. They're motivated by their wicked selfish self-centered nature. Now listen to this, unregenerate people can also do bad good. You say, "What do you mean by that?" Well it's good in the sense that they can help the poor, they can relieve the widows, they can visit the prisoners, they can adopt orphans, they can do good. But it's bad good because it's motivated by pride rather than the glory of God. The best that the unregenerate can do is bad good. They can do bad bad or bad good. But only the redeemed can do good good...a good deed motivated to the glory of God.

* You say, "What's that?" They do bad things for bad reasons. You say, "What's a bad thing?" Any kind of sin. They can do wicked things. And they do them with bad reasons, bad motives. They're motivated by their wicked selfish self-centered nature. Now listen to this, unregenerate people can also do bad good. You say, "What do you mean by that?" Well it's good in the sense that they can help the poor, they can relieve the widows, they can visit the prisoners, they can adopt orphans, they can do good. But it's bad good because it's motivated by pride rather than the glory of God. The best that the unregenerate can do is bad good. They can do bad bad or bad good. But only the redeemed can do good good...a good deed motivated to the glory of God.

*So what is it when these religionists do all of their ceremonies and all of their activities and by their own works try to attain the favor of God? It is bad good. It may appear good on the outside, it is bad on the inside because it is nothing but the expulsion of pride which believes that you can please God on your own. They are merit-mongers.

*The Judaizers were among them. Evil workers trying to earn God's favor. It doesn't mean that they were doing evil deeds, they were working to please God but they were evil because it was all motivated by the false belief that they could be pleasing to God. What a deception of pride.

*So Paul flips the table and says you're evil workers, everything you do is wicked, everything you do is bad. Why? Because they did it out of the allusion of pride and pride is the driving sin of unregenerate man.

*Then finally he literally scorches them with the blowtorch of terms. He says, "Beware of the mutilation." This is unbelievable. You talk about offensive, that is offensive. You see, they prided themselves on circumcision. The word for circumcision in the Greek is peritome, it means to cut around. Paul says you're not the circumcision, you're the katatome, you're the mutilation, you're the castration, that's what you are. Boy! You think you're circumcised? You think you fit God's design in the symbolism of circumcision? Forget it, there's nothing spiritual about it. All it was was physical mutilation. In Galatians 5:12 he says, "You say you're circumcised? I would that you were castrated," Galatians 5:12. Very strong. You see, we can't just say to these people who add works to salvation, "Well, they're close. Boy, they're certainly lovely people. They certainly are nice. And they're religious. And, you know, they're trying their best to get to God." They are dogs. Beware of them. They're filthy. They're unclean. They're vicious. They are not workers of good. They are doing at best bad good, motivated by their own pride. And they go through their religious ceremonies and they are useless, they have nothing to do with their heart and their life and their relation to God. They're simply external. It is merely a process of mutilation with no spiritual value, no inner cleansing, no spiritual change. Why? Because that's all of grace and nothing more, right? Nothing more. And as soon as you stick anything else in there, all is lost.

*In fact, these people called the mutilation who thought they could come to God through circumcision had to be told that their circumcision was of no more value than the gashings of the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel. You remember them? Up there with Elijah, cutting themselves, gashing and mutilating themselves, trying to please their deity...absolutely useless. So is circumcision. So is any external thing that does not reflect a transformed heart. He is not a Jew who is one outwardly. He is a Jew who is one...what?...inwardly. Romans 2:28, "For circumcision is of the heart."

*What's Paul's message here? He's saying...Look, we're the true circumcision. How are we characterized? All internally. We worship in the Spirit of God, we glory in Christ Jesus. Who gets all the glory for our salvation? Christ. Our worship isn't external, it's...what?...it's in the Spirit. He gets all the glory and how much confidence do we have in our flesh? None. That's the difference. You see, they worship on the outside, they glory in their human achievement, their religious activity and they have a lot of confidence in the flesh. They think it can perform.

*So Paul leads us then to verse 3, and an understanding of the explicit qualities of the true Christian.

Amen

Troy ]]> Bible Study Hall yort http://www.talkjesus.com/bible-study-hall/31338-distinctive-qualities-true-christianprt2b.html The Distinctive Qualities of the True Christian Part 2 http://www.talkjesus.com/bible-study-hall/31337-distinctive-qualities-true-christian-part-2-a.html Tue, 09 Feb 2010 00:03:44 GMT Troy a servant of God and the Lord Jesus Christ.

The Distinctive Qualities of the True Christian Part 2
Philippians 3 1-3

*...Philippians chapter 3 verse 1, "Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things again is no trouble to me and it is a safeguard for you. Beware of the dogs, beware of the evil workers, beware of the mutilation for we are the true circumcision who worship in the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh."

*The Distinctive Qualities of the True Christian." They are found really in verse 3. He gives us these three qualities of a true Christian, "Who worship in the Spirit of God, who glory in Christ Jesus and who put no confidence in the flesh."

*What is a Christian? We could say he's a believer. What is a Christian? We could say he's a child of God. What is a Christian? We could say he's a disciple. We could say he's a follower. He is one who loves God. But how could we say it better than to say a Christian is one who worships in the Spirit of God, glories in Christ Jesus and puts no confidence in the flesh? What a surpassing definition of the true Christian.

*And the distinctive qualities of the true Christian are indeed found in that third verse. But before we get to the third verse, Paul has a contrast in mind in the first two verses after his brief introduction. And by virtue of that contrast we see in more bold relief the reality of the distinctive qualities of the true Christian. For the true Christian, as defined in verse 3, is compared to the false religionists of verse 2 who are called dogs, evil workers and are even called rather than the false circumcision, the actual word is the mutilation. This characterizes those who are not true Christians.

*Now as you well know this matter of comparing those with false association with God alongside with the true is a repeated theme in Scripture and thus a repeated theme in our study here through the years. It has always been the ploy of Satan to infiltrate the true church with the false, to sow the tares among the wheat. It has always been the ploy of Satan to allow perverse men to rise up within the congregation to lead it astray. It has always been the ploy of Satan to allow and energize grievous wolves to attack the flock and tear it to shreds with false doctrine. It has always been the call of God on the life of the minister to be nourished up in the words of the faith, that is the Scripture, and sound doctrine in order to refute the heretics, in order to warn the congregation of intrusion of error. So this matter of true and false simply draws the battle lines where they have been drawn through the ages as the people of God endeavor to stand against the people of Satan who usually are disguised as angels of light, wanting to infiltrate the church.

*So, what we see with the Apostle Paul here is really a warning, a warning for the purpose as he uses the term in verse 1 of safeguard, a warning about false religionists who will endeavor to confuse, who will endeavor to debilitate to destroy the work of the gospel. The counterfeit, always around, always on Satan's agenda, always a threat. Sometimes a profound spiritual truth can be illustrated by a simple analogy. And when thinking about this matter of the counterfeit and the true.

*But we need the trained eye and we need some kind of criteria to evaluate what is real and what is not real. It is important to know what you get, not to be fooled by the counterfeit. So many people in our world claim to know God, don't they? So many people claim religion. They claim to be the followers of God, if not the representatives of God. How do we know?

*Well this is of great concern not only to us but to God and that is why it is so oft repeated in Scripture. The Word of God lays out for us many many times this matter of objective evidence regarding God's regenerating work in the life of an individual. The Bible has not left us without a standard by which we can measure the true believer. And here, in fact, in verse 3 are three great qualitative characteristics of a true believer. They worship by the Spirit of God, they glory in Christ Jesus and they put no confidence in the flesh. What a marvelous set of objective criteria to designate a true believer. But then on the other hand, there are those dogs and those evil workers and those called the mutilation who really do attack the church with their false premise of salvation and their false criteria of salvation. And we must be warned against them. And so, before we can look at these distinctive qualities of a true Christian, we must come face to face with the fact that we need to be able to discern the false.

*This passage is very important for we must be continually laying the life of an individual alongside the objective standard in order that we may affirm their spiritual condition. There was a book written by Gardner Spring many centuries ago. He titled it, Distinguishing Traits of Christian Character. It's a very helpful book. It has been reprinted in recent years and in the reprinting the foreword says this, "It is our prayer that God may use this book in the following ways: one, to confirm the faith of such as are the true children of God but who lack assurance based upon biblical principles; two, to strip away the false hopes of such as are diluted and whose delusion has been confirmed by the erroneous teaching on the subject of assurance which is so prevalent in our day; three, to clarify these issues to those who stand in that awesome place of being expositors and teachers of God's holy Word so that they may find fuel for the fires of their own hearts and for their public ministry of the Scriptures," end quote.

*Wonderfully said. To understand biblical objective criteria for evaluating true salvation will help the true children of God be assured, secondly, it will help explode and strip away the delusion of the false children of God and thirdly, it will equip the teachers and preachers to do both. And thus this kind of passage is vital for us as it has been for all the church. It is vital.

*Now let's pick up where we left off last time. Paul says, "Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord." We noted that that finally would better be translated "furthermore," or "so then," or "now then." It is a transition, not a note that distinguishes the end, as 44 remaining verses might indicate to you. And he throws in this which is the basic theme of the epistle that comes through in every chapter, "Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord." He is simply punctuating here this theme of joy. He lays down this very simple principle that our rejoicing is connected to a relationship. Rejoice in the Lord. And as I said, that is a familiar theme. It's in chapter 1 verse 4, chapter 2 verse 2, chapter 2 verses 17 and 18, verses 28 and 29, you'll find it here in chapter 3 and again in chapter 4, you'll find it in verses 4 and 10. So he is reminding them about joy. But here he adds for the first time the little phrase "in the Lord...in the Lord." It is the sphere in which our joy exists. Only in Him is true joy found...nowhere else.

*Paul is not talking about happiness when he talks about joy and rejoicing. Happiness is from hap...hap is a circumstance, happenstance, happenings, happiness, all the same word group. That is to say happiness is an emotion or an exhilaration associated with certain events. It is not an emotion or an exhilaration associated with a relationship. It has to do with an event, a thing, a happening. So the kind of joy that Paul is talking about and calling for, and this by the way is a command, and the command implies the capability of obedience on the part of a believer which in itself is no doubt a test of true salvation. But he says...rejoice in the Lord...commanding us to joy. But it is not the kind of emotional outburst, good feeling, exhilaration that is associated with an event. It is the kind that is associated with a relationship. It doesn't even say, "Rejoice because of what the Lord has given you...rejoice because of what the Lord will give you...rejoice because of what the Lord is giving you." It doesn't say, "Rejoice because of what the Lord has done for the people that you care about." It says, "Rejoice in the Lord."

*It is the exhilaration in the relationship, perhaps the simplest human analogy to it would be the joy of a parent in a newborn baby. It is the same kind of emotion only in much greater and deeper proportion as that of falling in love. And extrapolating out of those irrepressible human joys that come out of relationship, we can magnify that concept in to what we ought to feel and ever rejoice in that we enjoy with the Lord Himself.

*This kind of joy is not an emotion from a human level, it is produced by the Holy Spirit therefore it is a supernatural emotion. It is a supernatural emotion. It is a supernatural emotion that also could be described as the absence of any ultimate fear because what is there to fear when all is bound up in the relationship and the relationship is eternal. It is the kind of emotion that puts a melody in the heart that no matter how bad it is in the world, it's almost as if we ride across the top of the bumps. It's the kind of emotion that produces easy thanks for little things...small pleasures.

*It's very different from happiness. It's different from the happiness, for example, of good health because true joy persists in weakness, pain, illness and death. It is the joy in the relationship and the relationship with Jesus Christ that we enjoy never changes...never changes. He is always present. He is ever close.
* And so I submit to you that before we look at the explicit qualities of a true Christian, one of the implicit ones is that there is a surpassing joy in the relationship that is unrelated to the circumstances of life.

*So, Paul says keep on rejoicing in the Lord, that's a command and a characteristic of a true believer. And having punctuated his major theme he then moves in to what's on his heart in this new subject. And he begins with an introduction in verse 1, he says, "To write the same things again is no trouble to me and it is a safeguard for you." That's an interesting statement. He is assuming that they're going to be a bit surprised that he's going to bring up a subject he's already brought up. So he says to write the same things again doesn't really bother me because I understand that it's going to protect you.

*What does he mean to write the same things again? Well, he's either referring back to what he just said or forward to what he's about to say. It is my conviction that he's speaking now forward of what he's about to say for the simple reason that saying "rejoice in the Lord" doesn't seem to be a safeguard but what he does say in verse 2 is definitely a safeguard, "Beware...beware...beware." So the context would lead us to the conclusion that he is about to say something he's already at least made reference to but he doesn't mind saying it again because it's a protection. So he says to write the same things again...well, when had he written them before? Well maybe many times in the past epistles, but I think he probably has in mind chapter 1 verse 27 because he does say "to write the same things is no trouble to me and a safeguard for you" in a sort of generic way. It could mean that he's written this in other epistles. But I think we could safely say that he must also have in mind chapter 1 verse 27. Here he says in verse 27, "Conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel," he's calling them to godly life and behavior as a church. Then in verse 28 he introduces this factor, "In no way alarmed by your opponents which is a sign of destruction for them but of salvation for you." Now what he is saying to them is you can expect some opposition, you can expect some opponents, you can expect some conflict, you can expect some attacks, some persecutions. Verse 29 says why, "Because it's been granted for Christ's sake not only to believe in Him but to suffer for His sake and you will further experience the very same conflict which you saw in me and now hear to be in me." And where was Paul when he wrote? Prisoner and he was having conflict as he always did from both the Jewish people who hated his message and the Gentiles who rejected him.

*So, Paul says to them...Look, stay true, walk worthy, stay together in one mind striving for the faith of the gospel, don't cave in to the opposition because Christ has called you to suffer for His sake and experience the same kind of conflict you see me going through...that's part of it. The implication then of that first chapter text is that they were already going to be under attack, maybe they had already begun to experience it. And he had warned them there about it and how to react to it. So now when you come to verse 1 of chapter 3 he says, "To write the same things again is no trouble to me," he may well have in mind an allusion to that first chapter section. "I want to warn you again only this time I'm going to be more specific." There he said don't be alarmed by your opponents, here he says here's how to recognize them.

*He says in that little phrase "to write the same things again is no trouble to me," he uses an interesting word, okneros(?), it means to cause fear or reluctance. He's saying I'm not reluctant and I'm not afraid to do this, it's no bother to me at all, I am excited to do this, I am anxious to do this. Why? Because it is a safeguard for you. I want to protect you. I want to protect the church from false religionists, from false teachers. And that's what he has in mind here when he uses the word safeguard, a very interesting word. The Greek verb means to trip, to cause to fall, to overthrow. You add to what the Greek language...in the Greek language we call the alpha privative, it negates it. So he is saying I want to provide this for you so you won't trip, you won't fall, you won't be overthrown. This will be your protection, your dependable safeguard.

*This is part of Paul's duty, isn't it? Paul is no dumb dog, as it mentions in Isaiah 56:10, he's no irresponsible watchman as we would see in Ezekiel. Paul is a faithful man to warn his people. In fact, in Acts 20 he says, "I have not ceased to warn you at Ephesus night and day with tears for the space of three years, I've warned you about perverse men rising up from within, I've warned you about grievous wolves from without," a warning ministry was a part of his life. He says I have no trouble in warning you again because it will protect you.

*Now who is he warning about? Who is he talking about? Well let's find out in verse 2. He uses the word blepoin the Greek, beware, three times. All three times in the imperative...beware..beware..beware. You could translate it "be on the constant lookout for...be on the constant lookout for dogs, evil workers," and here's the key..."the mutilation." Who is he talking about? Well if you take that mutilation at the end of verse 2 which is translated in the NAS the false circumcision, and then you compare it with verse 3, the true circumcision, we know who he's talking about.

I`ve put the second half of this tread on another tread so that it wouldn`t be so long.

Thanks for your time.

Amen

Troy ]]> Bible Study Hall yort http://www.talkjesus.com/bible-study-hall/31337-distinctive-qualities-true-christian-part-2-a.html The Distinctive Qualities of the True Christian Part 1 http://www.talkjesus.com/bible-study-hall/31336-distinctive-qualities-true-christian-part-1-a.html Mon, 08 Feb 2010 17:38:22 GMT Troy a servant of God and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Philippians 3 1-3

*Who is a true Christian? There are those who claim to be the children of God and those who are. There are those who are religious and there are those who are righteous. That is the issue.

*The Distinctive Qualities of the True Christian." Paul writes, "Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things again is no trouble to me and it is a safeguard for you. Beware of the dogs, beware of the evil workers, beware of the mutilation for we are the true circumcision who worship in the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh.

*The heart of what the Apostle Paul is saying here can be understood in this way, he is helping us to see who is the true child of God. In just these three verses there is a very distinct contrast made between two groups of people. Group number one in verse 2, dogs, evil workers, mutilation, or as it's translated in the NAS, false circumcision. Group number two, verse 3, who worship in the Spirit of God, glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh. Three characteristics of group one in verse 2, three characteristics of group two in verse 3. This then is a contrast which is introduced to us by verse 1. It is a clear and penetrating distinction between the false circumcision and the true circumcision, between those who profess to be the people of God and those who are the people of God. It is a distinction between those who are religious and those who are righteous. It is a distinction between those who have an outward mark that identifies them with God and those who have had an inward change.

*And so, again we come back to this very familiar biblical theme. It is all through the New Testament, the theme of true Christianity. Who is the true child of God? In fact, I would venture to say that there are two dominant themes in the New Testament apart from the exaltation of Christ Himself who is the theme of all of the Word of God. The first theme in the New Testament is a presentation and elucidation of the gospel. The record of the gospel work of Christ is recorded in the gospel, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. The record of the spread of that message is recorded in the book of Acts. And the character of the gospel is delineated, expanded, amplified in the epistles. And the goal of the gospel is consummated in the book of Revelation. So the dominant theme is the gospel of which Christ is the main character.

*But there is a secondary theme that runs right behind that first one and it is the matter of who is a true Christian. Having delineated the gospel in great clarity, it is then of great importance that one ascertain whether or not in fact he or she is a true Christian. That theme is also abundant in Scripture. In 2 Corinthians, Paul says, "Examine yourselves whether you be in the faith." Once the faith has been delineated the key is to know whether you're in it. Jesus said in Matthew 7 that in the last time many will come and say, "Lord, Lord, but He will confess to them, I have never known you, depart from Me you workers of iniquity." So there are some who will think they are Christians and children of God, who think they belong inside the covenant and the Kingdom but who are sadly mistaken. That too is a theme.

*Every system of religion without relationship, every system of religion without righteousness whether it's Jehovah's Witnesses, Mormons, Christian Scientists, Roman Catholic Church, or liberal Protestantism or whatever it is, whatever human achievement religion where you assume that if you do fewer bad works and more good works, or certain good works, you'll earn favor with God is a false religious system. And the people in it are deceived about their true relationship to God. In the case of the Philippian church, they were obviously being besieged by people demanding that they be circumcised. This is not new. These kinds of people had dogged the steps of the Apostle Paul since he began to preach the gospel of grace, and so Paul is warning about these people, he calls them dogs, evil workers, and false circumcision. He sets them apart from the people of God who worship in the Spirit of God, glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh. And so again, as we come to this text, we look at the comparison between the truly righteous and the religious, the false and the true.

*Now, let me give you some background. Particularly in the context of Paul's writing, he is dealing with Jews. They were the dominant religion of his environment. And it is to them that he basically makes reference in verse 2. Now let me give you a little bit of an understanding. There were many religious Jews in that world, many. They believed that they were the people of God and that they maintained a covenant relationship with God which secured their salvation and their eternal life. And that the proof of their identity and belonging was a mark, a mark. They bore a mark as the children of Abraham naturally that affirmed their right to be called the children of God supernaturally. For centuries, even millennia, Jews have continued to hold on to that mark. And by that mark they assume that they are secure with God. They belong to God and ultimately will receive their kingdom and their glory because they have that mark. That mark is called circumcision. To the Jews of the time of Jesus and the time of Paul and even before and even now, circumcision is a very important mark. It is the badge of their Jewishness. In fact, it has always been important to the degree that the Jewish Talmud says this, and I quote, "The commandment of circumcision is more important than all the other injunctions of Scripture," end quote

*Interesting. In other words, the most important thing a Jew can do to secure a relationship with God is have circumcision. Obviously it's only for men. But that is the sign of God's favor on them, they believe. They have attached their spiritual hope to this sign of Jewishness and that is what they hope in for the future.

*Now let me give you a little bit of a background as to what circumcision is. The English term "circumcision" comes from a Latin word which means to "cut around...to cut around." That terms describes the original biblical reference to a surgery that was performed on little boys. It was also performed initially on adults and often on adults as the record of Scripture indicates when they had not been circumcised as children. The simple surgery removes the foreskin from the male organ. Very simple surgery. In fact, I was reading in a Hebrew medical book the practices of medical science in Old Testament times this week and there is tremendous detail in ancient Hebrew literature about the very instruments that were used for doing this very surgery. God Himself established it and I'd like to show you that. Go back in your Bible to Genesis chapter 17. We cannot understand the false circumcision or the true circumcision unless we understand circumcision.

*God is speaking to Abraham and Abraham is the father of the Jewish people, the father of Israel. And so, Abraham is given this covenant, verse 10, Genesis 17, "This is My covenant which you shall keep between Me and you, and your descendants after you, every male among you shall be circumcised and you shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskin and it shall be the sign of the covenant between Me and you. And every male among you who is eight days old shall be circumcised throughout your generations, a servant who is born in the house or who is bought with money from any foreigner who is not of your descendants, a servant who is born in your house or who is bought with your money shall surely be circumcised, thus shall My covenant be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant, but an uncircumcised male who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin, that person shall be cut off from the people, he has broken My covenant."

*God says...I want everybody living in this land, I want everybody who is in your association to be circumcised. That is the plan, and, of course, Abraham by now is a full-grown man, he had to have his circumcision as an adult. God's design was that from then on at eight days of age, a child would be circumcised, the male child.

*It is interesting to note that in reading ancient Egyptian literature, this custom of circumcision began to show up in Egyptian culture. For them it had not the significance that it had for Israel, but for them it was hygienic. And God knew of its hygienic benefits as well. And medical science today tells us that it lowers significantly the risk of cancer in that area as well as fimosis(??) and certain kinds of inflammation that can be very very serious, particularly among those who have diabetes. So it has a medical hygienic purpose. God knowing that authored it in the life of His people, but that was not the major purpose for it, although it is hygienic, that was not God's primary design. God ordained it as a symbol, as a sign, a very important one. Not just for physical benefit but as a spiritual reminder. And the reminder is simply this, and I'll see if I can give you a full understanding of it. Nowhere or at no point is a man's depravity more manifest than in the procreative act. You say, "Why do you say that?" Well, we know man is a sinner by what he says, we know man is a sinner by what he does. We know man is a sinner by the attitude, the bearing that he carries. We can see on the outside sinful deeds. But how do we know man is a sinner at the base of his character? How do we know man is a sinner at the root of his existence? The answer, by what he creates. Whatever comes from the loins of man is wicked because man is wicked. So I say to you, nowhere then in the anatomy of a man or in the activity of a man is depravity more manifest than in the procreative act because it is at precisely that point which he demonstrates the depth of his sinfulness because he produces a sinner. And I would remind you that Jesus Christ had no human father because there was no human father who could produce a perfect person. The Spirit of God had to plant a perfect seed in Mary and bypass a human father.

*The male organ then is the point at which human depravity is most demonstrated. You see not the deeds of sin but the nature of sin passed on to the next generation.

*You say, "Well then..still what is the connection with that and circumcision?" When God demanded that they circumcise the male, He was giving them a symbol that the...the outward part of man's procreative organ was cleansed to remind them that man needed to be cleansed of sin at the deepest root of his being. That was the idea. Man needed to be cleansed of his sin through a spiritual surgery, at the very root of his nature. And that very graphic symbol was chosen because that is the procreative point at which man produces sinful man. So man in his natural condition is a sinner and he produces sinners, sinners, sinners, sinners and nothing but sinners. At the very point of his nature then he needs cleansing. And every time they circumcised a person and every time they circumcised a little eight-day-old male child, they were reminding themselves of the fact that man at his very base nature was a wicked sinner and desperately in need of a cleansing. It was an illustration of the sinfulness of man. And even the bloodshed that occurred in circumcision could symbolize the need for sacrifice to accomplish that cleansing. So there was even a picture of the pain and the sacrifice in the circumcision as well.

*Now, did God intend that it just be physical? No, God intended that it be a symbol which would have far more meaning than just that. Very early it became important, in fact there aren't too many commands at all in the Bible about circumcision because the people did it. And so there wasn't any prevailing reason to command them to do it, they very carefully, very judiciously observed it. I might just note that they were always very good at doing the outward things and they did this. In Joshua chapter 5 you remember what happened in Joshua chapter 5? All of the children in the wilderness had been marching for 40 years in the wilderness. The old generation had died off and now there was a new generation. We don't know exactly how many of them but they could have numbered in the several millions of people. They've all grown up in the wilderness. In Joshua 5 the Lord says to Joshua in verse 2, "Make for yourself flint knives and circumcise again the sons of Israel the second time." The prior generation had been circumcised, this generation born in the wilderness and now growing up had not been circumcised, so "They made flint knives and they circumcised the sons of Israel at Gibeath-harraloth." Now they may well have circumcised a million people which is an unimaginable scene. That is what God required. He wanted His people circumcised, He says in verse 4, "All of the ones who came out of Egypt were already circumcised, they've died, you must circumcise this generation as well."

*In other words, let's intermarry. This is a Hivite, this would pollute the line of Israel, of Abraham. "And you'll live with us and the land will be open before you, live and trade and acquire property." Here is a Satanic rape. Here is a Satanic merger. Here is a way to twist and pervert the Messianic line by infiltrating it with Hivites who are not of Abraham. "Then we'll all live together. Shechem also said to her father and to her brothers, If I find favor in your sight then I will give you whatever you say to me. Ask me whatever bridal payment, whatever gift and I'll give you according as you say to me but give me the girl in marriage for my son."

*So you know what they said? "We can't do this thing, to give our sister to one who is uncircumcised, for that would be a disgrace to us." Already by Genesis 34 they know it's a disgrace to have anybody in their society who is not circumcised. That's how important that sign was. "So on this condition we'll consent, if you will become like us, every male among you be circumcised, the whole of the Hivite males all circumcised." So you know what they did? They all came over and they circumcised all of them. They circumcised all of them.

*And it says, "After they had been circumcised," verse 25, "the third day when they were still in pain, two of Jacob's sons, Simeon and Levi, Dinah's brothers, each took his sword, came on the city unawares and killed every male." Interesting. They circumcised them and three days later they massacred them.

*Now what is interesting...keep this in mind...is that already in Genesis 34 and certainly by David's time the sign of circumcision has lost its spiritual significance. Okay? It has come to be some kind of a weapon, some kind of a way to inflict pain. You say, "Well, didn't God just give it as an outward sign, was there more to it than that?" Oh yes, much more...much more.

*Leviticus 26:41 talks about the circumcised heart. Deuteronomy 10:16, the circumcised heart. Deuteronomy 30 verse 6, the circumcised heart. Jeremiah 4:4, the circumcised heart. Ezekiel 44:7, the circumcised heart. That starts all the way back in Exodus 6...Leviticus, Deuteronomy, the Pentateuch already when God said, "I want an outward sign," He was saying, "I also want an inward reality." A circumcised foreskin can only be a sign of the need for a circumcised heart, a cleansed heart. But it wasn't long after God instituted it that they had already begun to deteriorate and that's why you have those passages where God says circumcise your hearts. That's why those are there because already the thing began to deteriorate and all they were living by was the physical sign and disregarding the spiritual counterpart.

*You see, the point is this, these people were religious to the T in terms of external ceremony, but they were not righteous. Their hearts were wicked. Their mouths were wicked. Their ears were wicked. Oh sure, they very dutifully circumcised their little boys on the eighth day, they very dutifully circumcised anybody that came in to their land to live with them, but they had skewed the whole thing so that all they had left was the duty of the external and there was no reality of the internal. In other words, they were religious on the outside and they were not spiritual on the inside. They could do the natural fleshly thing, they could not do the supernatural spiritual thing. They were cleaned physically, they were never cleansed spiritually.

*Notice Romans 2, Paul sums up their whole problem. Verse 25, "For indeed circumcision is of value if you practice the law." Did you get that? You say, "What good is circumcision?" It's of value if you practice the law. Why? It's a symbol. It's a symbol of the need for cleansing if you're obedient. And then he says, "If you are a transgressor of the law, your circumcision has become uncircumcision." In other words, the symbol isolated from the reality is meaningless. What would it matter if you went to church on the Lord's day and took communion if you denied the crucifixion and the resurrection? What would it matter if you went to church and were baptized in water if you didn't believe in Jesus Christ? Absolutely pointless. The symbol means nothing without the reality. And so if you are a transgressor of the law and you've never been cleansed on the inside by the grace of God and made righteous to become obedient to the law, circumcision is useless. If you have come to righteousness and if you have been cleansed on the inside and you're a new creation on the inside, then the outward sign means something to you, it demonstrates outwardly what has happened inwardly.

*Verse 26, "If therefore the uncircumcised man keeps the requirements of the law...which he can only do because he's had a changed nature, he's been saved...will not his uncircumcision be regarded as circumcision?" Of course. The Jews were very concerned to circumcise all the Gentiles, he's saying...Look, an uncircumcised Gentile who has been transformed and cleansed to obey My law doesn't need circumcision, and a disobedient lawless unsaved Jew with circumcision will find it useless.

*Verse 27 says, "And will not he who is physically uncircumcised if he keeps the law, will he not judge you who through having the letter of the law and circumcision are a transgressor of the law?" Boy, what a statement. He is saying the uncircumcised but saved and obedient Gentile will judge the circumcised lost and disobedient Jew.

*Then he sums it up in verse 28 and 29. "For he is not a Jew who is one...what?...outwardly because circumcision is not that which is outward in the flesh. He is a true Jew...implied...who is one inwardly and circumcision is that which is of the heart. By the spirit, not by the letter of the law...implied...and his praise is not from men but from God."

*There you have the sum of it all. The Jews were circumcised on the outside, not the inside and God was more pleased with Gentiles who were not circumcised on the outside but circumcised on the inside. And again remember, circumcision is the symbol of cutting away sin, it's the symbol of salvation

*So, circumcision is the external symbol depicting the need for a deep total cleansing from sin. But Israel had reduced it to a tribal tattoo, that's all, with nothing of spiritual significance. Now what do you have in the era of the early church? You have Christians and Jews. The Jews still claiming to be the people of God, right? We're the people of God...we're the people of God. They claimed it, that's why they killed Jesus because they didn't want to accept what He said about the fact that they weren't the people of God. So the Jews are claiming to be the people of God, the church is claiming to be the people of God. And Paul wants the Philippians to be sure they know the difference. So go back to Philippians chapter 3 and note again the contrast.

*He says, "Beware," verse 2, and then he describes the Jews that are still holding on to circumcision and ceremony, religion on the outside. They are dogs, evil workers, they are the false circumcision...or better...mutilation. Then on the other hand, he says, "We...verse 3...are the true circumcision." And how are we identified? We're not dogs, evil workers and mutilation, we are identified as those who worship in the Spirit of God, glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh. That's the distinction.

*Paul then is again describing the difference between the true and the false. And that is the age-old issue in New Testament concern, who is real, who is not. And, beloved, I submit to you that this goes on and on through all the ages of life on this earth until Jesus comes, the false religionists up against the true. They have their mark, we have our mark. We must know the difference.

*Now what made this exceedingly relevant to the Philippian church is this, when the time Paul started his ministry really began it wasn't long before his steps began to be dogged by the Judaizers. And they were coming behind Paul who was preaching the gospel of grace, the gospel of grace, salvation by grace through faith plus or minus nothing, all of grace, all of grace, and all we have to do is believe. You can't be saved by circumcision, you can't be saved by keeping ceremonial law, you can't stay saved by circumcision, you can't stay saved by obeying tradition, ceremonial law, or in your own flesh keeping the law of God. That was grace. But along came the Judaizers and behind Paul they would come into the church and they would say...No, you must be circumcised. And they would show them Old Testament passages. You must keep the law of Moses...and they would show them Old Testament passages. Not understanding that the old covenant had been set aside in favor of the new covenant, and being somewhat confused many of the Christians would buy into the lies of these false circumcision. And it was confusing the church. In fact, it was so confusing to the church that the letter of Paul to the Galatians is basically all about this one subject. It's all about these people who preach a false gospel. Verse 7 of Galatians 1, "They are disturbing you and they want to distort the gospel of Christ." And what was their distortion? "You must be circumcised physically and you must keep all the law of Moses...the ceremonies of Moses." You've got to have this outward sign and then you've got to do all the ceremonies, all the sacrifices, all the offerings, all the holy days, all the sabbaths, all the feasts and you have to do good, do good, earn your way. And these Judaizers were a burden of immense proportions to the Apostle Paul.

*You say, "Well, how is it relevant to us? We don't have any Judaizers running around." Listen, what we have running around is the same thing. People who are saying all the time if you want to be right with God you've got to do this, do that, do this, light this candle, bow down, go through this ceremony, say this prayer, do this ritual, buy this absolving, or you've got to join this organization, be a part of this, have this special kind of baptism, you've got to work your way into the Kingdom. I've said this many times, there are only two religions in the world...the religion of divine accomplishment, salvation by grace, and the religion of human achievement and that is every other religion on the face of the earth. You can see it in India,in the the Hindus trying to earn their way in, buying offerings, buying sacrifices, buying flowers, lighting incense, bowing down, doing whatever they had to do to appease the gods, trying to do more good than they did bad, weigh the balance of the scale in their favor. You can see it in the Buddhists trying to do the same thing, sitting on the floor in a trance, genuflecting while incense rises up, hopefully by their religious activities and their duties and by their good works and their good deeds, God will be pleased with them and accept them in...that's all the same kind of stuff.

*And there are people who want to come along to those of us who believe in grace and believe we're saved by grace and impose on us some kind of legalistic code by which we earn our way to heaven. Some say you have to be water baptized or you can't get into heaven. That's a necessary work. Some would say you have to pray a certain amount of time or you have to have certain prayers that you say. Some would say you have to engage in certain absolution or certain types of confessions where you release your sin and when you do that God will accept you. So there are always going to be the people around who will say that, who will want to impose works, symbols, systems on grace. And whether they come as Judaizers or Hindus or Buddhists or Shintoists or whatever they are, Anomists(?), whatever cult or occult, whatever system of religion that puts anything in there that you do convolutes the pure grace of God.

*So the battle is still there. And this question still comes all the time. People ask me this very very often...frequently about Seventh Day Adventists, for example, they say, "Are Seventh Day Adventists Christians?" And my answer is a person is a Christian who trusts completely and only in Jesus Christ for his salvation. If they believe that they earn any merit with God that is a part of their salvation by going to church on Saturday, they're lost because that's a work and where there are works grace is no more grace. But you see, you still have that same thing. People ask, "Are Catholics Christians?" A leading Jesuit priests in New Orleans. He was writing to say that he had been listening to Grace to You for a long time and in listening to Grace to You had committed himself to Jesus Christ and become a true Christian and was in the process, I believe, he had been just in the process of being a retreat with a large number of Jesuits and he was the teacher and had taught them through The Gospel According to Jesusbook. And his hope is clearly in Christ. But I'll tell you what, he's a part of an organization literally filled to the brim with people who by self-abnegation and religious ritual are believing they can earn their way into heaven. That's the same lie. Paul says anybody who comes along and tells you that stuff label as dogs, evil workers, the false circumcision. The true circumcision, hey they're not marked by the external, they worship God in the spirit, that's internal. They glory in Christ Jesus, not in their own works. And they put no confidence in the flesh. See the difference?

*So, Paul is calling us again to the same basic recognition that we have had all through the New Testament...who is a true believer and who is not. And I guess the question that we have to ask ourselves is where do I fit? Ephesians 2:8 and 9 says, "For by grace you are saved, that not of...what?...yourselves, not of works, lest any man should boast." For by grace are you saved through faith, that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God. That's the heart of that verse. It is the gift of God. If you receive salvation in Jesus Christ by His death and resurrection as a gift from God, you received it confessing your sin and turning to Christ, you're the true circumcision. If you're doing anything to earn favor with God, you're the false. The Philippians needed to know the difference, they needed to be careful. In fact he says in verse 2, "beware" three times because these will confuse people. They'll confuse people. And certainly the Judaizers would have used Bible verses from the Old Testament without understanding their significance.

*Here are the distinctive qualities of a true Christian. Their life is a relationship not a ritual. They possess righteousness not religion.

Amen

Troy ]]> Bible Study Hall yort http://www.talkjesus.com/bible-study-hall/31336-distinctive-qualities-true-christian-part-1-a.html You Can Open That Door http://www.talkjesus.com/daily-devotionals/31335-you-can-open-door.html Mon, 08 Feb 2010 16:29:30 GMT You Can Open That Door


"Ask, and it shall be given to you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you."

-- (Matthew 7:7)

How long has it been since you were backed into a corner, hemmed in by a seemingly insurmountable problem? Some spend years trying to work their way out of financial binds only to end up more bound by debt than ever. Others work doggedly on marriages that, despite their best efforts, deteriorate from year to year. Still others fight battles against fear or depression, drug addiction or disease.

Deep within our hearts, each of us knows there must be an answer to the problems we face. But often it seems to be out of reach, hidden behind a door that's locked tightly against us.

What I want you to know today, however, is this: WE CAN OPEN THAT DOOR! Jesus Himself has given us the keys.

Right now you may be facing a situation that looks utterly hopeless, but God has a key ring full of keys that will unlock any situation. He has the keys that open the doors for you spiritually and physically, financially and emotionally. No matter how hard the devil tries to trap you, if you'll get hold of the right key, you can find your way out.

God's Word is full of keys of kingdom principles--keys to bind the devil's operations and keys to loose yourself from his snares. God has a key that will unravel any knot that the devil can tie. He also has a key that will lock up the devil's operation so tightly that he won't be able to move.

Remember this: There's no situation so dark and so cleverly designed by the forces of darkness that there is not a kingdom key that will unlock it with kingdom power.

There is an answer to your situation. So keep digging for it. If you've been digging in the Word of God in one spot and haven't found your answer, then look at another chapter, a different verse. Keep digging until you find the key. Keep knocking at every door until you find the one that opens.

SCRIPTURE READING: Psalm 63

Author Unknown
Submitted by Richard ]]> Daily Devotionals Story-Teller http://www.talkjesus.com/daily-devotionals/31335-you-can-open-door.html <![CDATA[You Can't Please Everyone]]> http://www.talkjesus.com/daily-devotionals/31334-you-cant-please-everyone.html Mon, 08 Feb 2010 16:27:07 GMT You Can't Please Everyone


An old fable that has been passed down for generations tells about an elderly man who was traveling with a boy and a donkey. As they walked through a village, the man was leading the donkey and the boy was walking behind. The townspeople said the old man was a fool for not riding, so to please them he climbed up on the animal's back. When they came to the next village, the people said the old man was cruel to let the child walk while he enjoyed the ride. So, to please them, he got off and set the boy on the animal's back and continued on his way. In the third village, people accused the child of being lazy for making the old man walk, and the suggestion was made that they both ride. So the man climbed on and they set off again. In the fourth village, the townspeople were indignant at the cruelty to the donkey because he was made to carry two people. The frustrated man was last seen carrying the donkey down the road.

We smile, but this story makes a good point: We can't please everybody, and if we try we end up carrying a heavy burden. Well-meaning Christians may offer us advice, and much of it is valuable. But when we try to do everything other believers want us to do, we can easily become frustrated and confused. That's why we need to remember that the One we must please above all others is Christ. And we do that by obeying God's Word. Carried any donkeys lately? You don't have to if you're trying to please Jesus.

~Author Unknown~
Submitted by Richard ]]> Daily Devotionals Story-Teller http://www.talkjesus.com/daily-devotionals/31334-you-cant-please-everyone.html <![CDATA[Word 4U 2day/'After you']]> http://www.talkjesus.com/daily-devotionals/31333-word-4u-2day-after-you.html Mon, 08 Feb 2010 16:25:20 GMT 'After you'

'... Be good friends who love deeply; practice playing second fiddle' Romans 12:10

'You are the Weakest Link - goodbye!' Even if you haven't seen the show you know the catchphrase right? Anne Robinson doing her thing on the quiz show The Weakest Link, where all the contestants try and out-do each other in order to win the cash and avoid the 'walk of shame'. No one wants it; they all want to win and are quite prepared to vote other people off, whether they deserve it or not, to get that cash prize.

God tells us to do the opposite: 'Be good friends who love deeply; practice playing second fiddle.' But who wants to play second fiddle? It can make us feel like we have to lie down and let people walk all over us! Hmph! Not good! Well just before you fly off the handle in protest, or refuse to listen, know this: God is not asking you to be a doormat.

He loves you too much to allow you to go through any unnecessary pain. He wants you to know you are extremely valuable; highly precious. So what does he mean when He asks us to, '... practice playing second fiddle'? A few things:don't use people to get what you want; don't compete to try and make yourself look good; stop judging them, believing you're better than everyone else; accept people just as they are and put their needs first; and love as God loves: unconditionally.


written by Bob Gass ]]> Daily Devotionals ladylovesJesus http://www.talkjesus.com/daily-devotionals/31333-word-4u-2day-after-you.html You Got Another One, Joey! http://www.talkjesus.com/daily-devotionals/31332-you-got-another-one-joey.html Mon, 08 Feb 2010 16:23:53 GMT You Got Another One, Joey!


by Bob Perks
from "Chicken Soup for the Volunteer's Soul"

I couldn't believe it. Of all the times for this to happen . . . a flat tire. But when is a good time? Not when you are wearing a suit and you have been traveling for nearly five hours and, added to this bleak picture, nightfall is approaching. Wait! Did I mention I was on a country road?

There was only one thing to do. Call the local automobile association.
Yeah, right. The cell phone I bought, for security and protection from moments like these, isn't in range to call anyone. "No Service," it says. No kidding! I thought.

I sat for a few minutes moaning and complaining. Then I began emptying my trunk so I could get at the tire and tools needed to get the job done. I carry a large plastic container filled with what I call "just-in-case-stuff." When I am training or speaking I love to have props with me. I hate leaving anything home so I bring everything . . . "just in case."

Cars buzzed by me. A few beeped sarcastically. It was as if the horns were saying, "Ha, ha."

Darkness began to settle in, and it became more difficult to see. Thank goodness it was the tire on the passenger’s side, away from the traffic—but that only made it more impossible to benefit from the headlights of passing cars.

Suddenly a car pulled off the road behind me. In the blinding light, I saw a male figure approaching me.

"Hey, do you need any help?"

"Well, it certainly isn't easy doing this with a white dress shirt and suit on," I said sarcastically.

Then he stepped into the light. I was literally frightened. This young guy was dressed in black. Nearly everything imaginable was pierced and tattooed. His hair was cropped and poorly cut and he wore leather bracelets with spikes on each wrist.

"How about I give you a hand?" he said.

"Well, I don't know . . . I think I can . . ."

"Come on, it will only take me a few minutes."

He took right over. While I watched him, I happened to look back at his car and noticed, for the first time, someone sitting in the passenger seat. That concerned me. I suddenly felt outnumbered. Thoughts of car-jackings and robberies flashed through my mind. I really just wanted to get this over and survive the ordeal.

Then, without warning, it began to pour. The night sky had hidden the approaching clouds. It hit like a waterfall and made it impossible to finish changing the tire.

"Look my friend, just stop what you're doing. I appreciate all your help. You’d better get going. I'll finish after the rain stops," I said.

"Let me help you put your stuff back in the trunk. It will get ruined," he insisted. "Then get in my car. We'll wait with you."

"No, really. I'll take care of everything," I said.

"You can't get in your car with the jack up like that. It will fall. Come on. Get in!" He grabbed my arm and pulled me toward the car. Crack! Boom! Lightening and thunder roared like a freight train. I jumped into his car. Oh, God protect me, I prayed to myself.

Wet and tired, I settled into the back seat. Suddenly a kindly, frail voice came from the front seat. "Are you all right?" A petite old woman asked as she turned around to face me.

"Yes, I am," I replied, greatly relieved at seeing the old woman there. I suspected she was his mom.

"My name is Beatrice, and this is my neighbor, Joey," she said. "He insisted on stopping when he saw you struggling with the tire."

"I am grateful for his help," I responded.

"Me, too." Beatrice laughed. "Joey takes me to visit my husband. We had to place him in a nursing home, and it's about thirty minutes away from my residence. So, every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, Joey and I have a date." With a childish grin she looked at Joey.

Joey’s whimsical remark, "We're the remake of the Odd Couple," gave us all a good laugh.

"Joey, that's incredible what you do for her. I would never have guessed, well, you know I . . ." I stumbled with the words.

"I know. People who look like me don't do nice things," he said.

I was silent. I really felt uncomfortable. I never judge people by the way they dress, and I was angry with myself for being so foolish.

"Joey is a great kid. I'm not the only one he helps—he's also a volunteer at our church. He also works with the kids in the learning center at the low income housing unit in our town," Beatrice added.

"I'm a tutor," Joey said modestly as he stared at my car.

I reflected for a few moments on what Joey said. He was right. What he wore on the outside was a reflection of the world as he saw it. What he wore on the inside was the spirit of giving, caring and loving the world from his point of view.


When the rain stopped, Joey and I changed the tire. I tried to offer him money, and he refused.

As we shook hands, I began to apologize for my stupidity. He said, "I experience that same reaction all the time. I actually thought about changing the way I look, but then I saw this as an opportunity to make a point. So I'll leave you with the same question that I ask everyone who takes time to know me. ‘If Jesus returned tomorrow and walked among us again, would you recognize him by what he wore or by what he did?’"

Joey walked back to his car. As they drove off, Beatrice was smiling and waving as she began to laugh again. I could almost hear her saying, "You got another one Joey. You got another one."

Bob Perks
from "Chicken Soup for the Volunteer's Soul"

Robert C. Perks is president of Creative Motivation and author of the book "The Flight of a Lifetime." He is a Member of the National Writer's Association and a training consultant with the state of Pennsylvania. He is a contributing author in Chicken Soup for the Prisoner's Soul, Touched by Angels of Mercy, and Chicken Soup for the Volunteer's Soul. He may be reached at P.O. Box 1702, Shavertown, PA 18708-1024; e-mail: Bob@BobPerks.com; Web site: ::: My Homepage :::.

You Got Another One, Joey! Reprinted by permission of Robert C. Perks. © 2000 Robert C. Perks from "Chicken Soup for the Volunteer's Soul" by Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen, Arline McGraw Oberst, John T. Boal, Tom Lagana and Laura Lagana. In order to protect the rights of the copyright holder, no portion of this publication may be reproduced without prior written consent. All rights reserved. For more information on "Chicken Soup for the Volunteer's Soul" contact co-author, Tom Lagana at e-mail: Success@TomLagana.com or Web site: professional speaker, trainer, keynotes, seminars, Chicken Soup, Volunteer?s Soul, Prisoners Soul
~~

To receive a volunteer-related story each week, send a blank e-mail message to: volunteersoul-subscribe@topica.com
~~
~~

Co-Author "Chicken Soup for the Volunteer's Soul"
Co-Author "Chicken Soup for the Prisoner's Soul"
Tom Lagana ~~ Success@TomLagana.com ~~ professional speaker, trainer, keynotes, seminars, Chicken Soup, Volunteer?s Soul, Prisoners Soul
Success Solutions ~~ PO Box 7816, Wilmington DE, 19803
"Tom is a professional speaker and author, helping people become their best."

Submitted by Richard ]]> Daily Devotionals Story-Teller http://www.talkjesus.com/daily-devotionals/31332-you-got-another-one-joey.html Daily In Your Presence/Humility http://www.talkjesus.com/lounge/31330-daily-your-presence-humility.html Mon, 08 Feb 2010 16:15:51 GMT HUMILITY

And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself and became obedient to death—
even death on a cross!
Philippians 2:8

FROM THE FATHER'S HEART
My child, do you long for greater service or more appreciation? Remember that joy comes from My applause. Those who serve Me humbly and patiently will receive their due reward. When you humble yourself before Me, I will lift you up and set you in places you never dreamed were possible. I gave My all for you with no regrets. And one day, you will hear My “Well done” in person.

A GRATEFUL RESPONSE
Heaven was at Your disposal, Lord, yet You humbled Your-self and came to earth. You exchanged a crown of glory for a wreath of thorns. You traded a royal robe for my own filthy rags. You gave up kingship for Sonship. You gave up life for death. I owe everything to You, Lord.

SIMPLE TRUTH

The applause of God is all that matters.

For more from Rebecca, please visit Rebecca Barlow Jordan ]]> Lounge ladylovesJesus http://www.talkjesus.com/lounge/31330-daily-your-presence-humility.html Used By God http://www.talkjesus.com/daily-devotionals/31329-used-god.html Mon, 08 Feb 2010 13:53:31 GMT Used By God

Serve Him with all your heart and with all your soul.
— Joshua 22:5



The greatest moment in my life clearly was the day that I accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior. It's a day I just won't forget—it changed the course of my life.

I wanted to try to make up for the years I had wasted up to that point. I wanted to learn more about God; I wanted to have a relationship with Him. I couldn't get enough.

What was happening in my life was that God was changing me. I wanted to reach out to other people with the message of the gospel. I wanted God to use me.

When the Israelites had entered the Promised Land, Joshua exhorted them "to love the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways, to keep His commandments, to hold fast to Him, and to serve Him with all your heart and with all your soul" (Joshua 22:5). That was what I have wanted to do.

As I have often said, next to being a Christian, the greatest joy I know of in this life is serving the Lord, and having God direct your steps.

It amazes me that the Creator of the universe, the Almighty God would condescend to work in my life. It is totally amazing. It is the highest privilege conceivable that God wants to use us.


From Harvest ]]> Daily Devotionals Ncdataman http://www.talkjesus.com/daily-devotionals/31329-used-god.html Study Note: Gospel of Matthew http://www.talkjesus.com/bible-study-hall/31328-study-note-gospel-matthew.html Mon, 08 Feb 2010 13:51:58 GMT Matthew:

The male lineage of Jesus Christ is given, from Abraham to King David to Joseph. Jesus means "savior," and Christ means "Messiah." The name, Immanuel, means "God with us," is also given to Jesus Christ. Jesus' birth to Mary was after her conception from the Holy Spirit (Matthew 1:20) -- VIRGIN BIRTH. The story is told (Matthew 1) of Jesus being born in Bethlehem and being visited by wise men (Magi) from the east that brought presents of gold, incense, and myrrh. Mary, Joseph, and the Baby Jesus went to Egypt to escape from King Herod's plot to kill the baby. After Herod's death, the family moved to Galilee and lived in Nazareth.

The story is told of John the Baptist describing of how he baptized people in the Jordon River while Another will "...baptise you with the Holy Spirit and with fire." (Matthew 3:11) Jesus was baptised by John the Baptist and was tempted in the wilderness by Satan -- asked to turn stones into loaves, jump off the Temple roof, or to accept the world rule from Satan, all of which Jesus did not do. The gruesome death of John the Baptist, where his head was delivered on a tray for Herodias' daughter, was described. (Matthew 14:1-12)

Jesus selected his twelve disciples, who were:
  • Simon (also called Peter) -- commercial fishermen
  • Andrew (Peter's brother) -- commercial fisherman
  • James (son of Zebedee) -- commercial fisherman
  • John (son of Zebedee) -- commercial fisherman
  • Philip
  • Bartholomew
  • Thomas
  • Matthew -- tax collector
  • James (son of Alphaeus)
  • Thaddaeus
  • Simon -- of the Zealot political party, wanting to overthrow the Romans
  • Judus Iscariot -- who betrayed Jesus
Jesus preached at Capernaum. He often spoke of the Kingdom of Heaven, with stories about it:
  1. From the Sermon on th Mount, given by Jesus to His disciples -- The BeatItudes (list of rewards of the Kingdom of Heaven)-- main Christian ethic)
    • "Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
    • Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.
    • Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.
    • Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.
    • Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.
    • Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.
    • Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.
    • Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
    • Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for My sake.
    • Rejoice, and be exceedingly glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you." (Matthew 5:3-12, from King James' Version-- Sermon on the Mount)
  2. "Anyone who breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 5:19 -- Sermon on the Mount)
  3. "I say to you that many will come from the east and the west (i.e. Gentiles), and will take their places at the feast with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. But the subjects of the kingdom (i.e. Hebrews) will be thrown outside, into the darkness ..." (Matthew 8:11-12)
  4. "Whoever acknowledges Me before men, I will also acknowledge him before My Father in heaven. But whoever disowns Me before men, I will disown him before My father in heaven." (Matthew 10:32-33)
  5. "But I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken." (Matthew 12:36).
  6. "...The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. Though it is the smallest of all your seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and perch in its branches." (Matthew 13:31,32)
  7. "...the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was let down into the lake and caught all kinds of fish. When it was full, the fishermen pulled it up on the shore. Then they sat down and collected the good fish in baskets, but threw the bad away. This is how it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come and separate the wicked from the righteous and throw them into the fiery furnace, where their will be weeping and gnashing of teeth." (Matthew 13:47-51).
  8. "...unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven." (Matthew 18:3-4)
  9. "Let the little children come to Me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these." (Matthew 19:14)
  10. "...it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven...it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God...but with God all things are possible." (Matthew 19:23-26)
Jesus had many statements regarding how to live; some important ones were:
  1. "But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart." (Matthew 5:28 -- Sermon on the Mount)
  2. "But I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for marital unfaithfulness, causes her to become an adulteress, and anyone who marries the divorced woman commits adultery." (Matthew 5:32 -- Sermon on the Mount; also in Matthew 19:9)
  3. "But I tell you: Do not swear at all..." (Matthew 5:34 -- Sermon on the Mount)
  4. "But I tell you: Do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also." (Matthew 5:39 -- Sermon on the Mount)
  5. "But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you ..." (Matthew 5:44 -- Sermon on the Mount)
  6. "Be careful not to do your 'acts of righteousness' before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven." (Matthew 6:1)
  7. "And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men...But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you." (Matthew 6:5-6)
  8. The Lord's Prayer(from King James' Version)
    • "After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen." (Matthew 6:9-13)
  9. "No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money. Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink..." (Matthew 6:24-25)
  10. "Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." (Matthew 6:34).
  11. "Do not judge, or you too will be judged...Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?" (Matthew 7:1,3)
  12. "Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened." (Matthew 7:7-8, from King James' Version)
  13. "So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets." (Matthew 7:12)
  14. To Peter, who asked, "Lord, how many times shall I forgive ...seven times?" Jesus said, "...not seven times, but seventy times seven." (Matthew 18:21-22).
  15. "And do not call anyone on earth 'father,' for you have one Father, and He is in heaven." (Matthew 23:9)
  16. "For whoever exalts himself (i.e., thinks of himself as great) will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted (i.e., made great)." (Matthew 23:12)
  17. "...the more important matters of the law -- justice, mercy, and faithfulness..." (Matthew 23:23)
Jesus had many story-illustrations for people of his time. Summaries include:

"Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock...it did not fall...But everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand...it fell..." (Matthew 7:24-26)

Farmer Sowing Grains: The farmer sows grains, some eaten by birds, some on rocky soil with little roots, some choked out by thorns, some falling on good soil to produce a great crop. This was explained (Matthew 13:18-23), whereby the good ground represents a man who understands His message and brings others into the Kingdom.

King with Debtor: King forgave a man a large debt. Then, the man refused to forgive a small debt owed to him. So the king was angry and punished the man. Likewise God would do the same to such a man. (Matthew 18:23-34)

Last First, First Last: A man paid a flat rate for all employees, some working a full day, some for only the last hours. Thus, all got the same reward because of the man's kindness. Likewise God would allow the last to be first and the first to be last -- or, everyone gets the same reward if accepted into the Kingdom of Heaven. (Matthew 20:1-16)

King's Wedding Dinner: The King's invited guests did not come, so the King then invited everyone into the dinner. Many came but one did not wear the robe given to him, so that one was thrown out. Here (Matthew 22:1-14), Jesus says that all are invited to the Kingdom of Heaven, but "For many are invited, but few are chosen."

Cup Cleaning: To the Pharisees, Jesus said, "...First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean." Here (Matthew 23:25-26) Jesus is speaking against hypocrisy.

Ten Bridesmaids: Five bridesmaids were prepared and had oil-filled lamps; five bridesmaids were not prepared -- with empty lamps. Those that were not prepared were not allowed to enter with the bridegroom. This (Matthew 25:1-12), regarding the Kingdom of Heaven, says, "Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour." (Matthew 25:13)

Investment: Three servants were given different amounts of money to invest for their master; two doubled the money and one only buried the money for safekeeping. The story says, "For everyone who has will be given more, and he will have an abundance..." (Matthew 25:14-30) The one who buried the money gained nothing and was thrown out.

Jesus performed many healings and miracles. Summaries include:
  1. Leper -- healed (Matthew 8:2-4)
  2. Servant boy of Roman army captain, paralyzed -- Gentile healed (Matthew 8:5-13)
  3. Peter's mother-in-law, high fever -- healed (Matthew 8:14-15)
  4. Demon-possessed people -- demons fled; sick healed (Matthew 8:16)
  5. Demon-possessed men -- demons sent into pigs that were drowned (Matthew 8:28-32)
  6. Paralyzed boy -- jumped up, cured (Matthew 9:2-7)
  7. Rabbi's dead daughter -- became all right (Matthew 9:18-26)
  8. Two blind men -- sight returned (Matthew 9:27-31)
  9. Demon-possessed man couldn't speak -- speech returned, demon left (Matthew 9:32-33)
  10. Feeding the 5000: A large crowd had gathered in the wilderness with no food, so Jesus multiplied five loaves of bread and two fish, so that all ate well and had 12 basketfuls left over. (Matthew 14:14-21)
  11. Walking on Water: Disciples were in trouble on the lake with rough seas, so Jesus walked on the water out to them. Peter walked on the water but began to sink, so Jesus rescued him. The wind/seas calmed. (Matthew 14:23-33)
  12. Canaanite woman (Gentile) -- requested daughter be helped from demons; Jesus granted her request because of her humility. (Matthew 15:22-28)
  13. Feeding the 4000: At the Sea of Galilee, many people had gathered with no food, so Jesus multiplied seven loaves of bread and a few small fish, such that all ate well with 7 basketfuls left over. (Matthew 15:32-38)
  14. Two blind men -- sight returned (Matthew 20:30-34)
Jesus had many other main points, some including:
  1. "All things have been committed to Me by My Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal Him" (Matthew 11:27)
  2. "For whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is My brother and sister and mother." (Matthew 12:50).
  3. To Simon PETER, whose name Peter meant "rock," Jesus said, "...you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church; and the gates of hell will not overcome it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven..." (Matthew 16:18)
  4. To His disciples, Jesus said, "If anyone would come after Me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for Me will find it." (Matthew 16:24-25)
  5. "... if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you." (Matthew 17:20-21)
  6. "...the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many." (Matthew 20:28)
  7. "For I was hungry and you gave Me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave Me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited Me in, I needed clothes and you clothed Me, I was sick and you looked after Me...whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of Mine, you did for Me...whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for Me..." (Matthew 25:35-45)
  8. A woman poured very expensive perfume onto Jesus' head and was criticized by Jesus' disciples. Jesus said she would always be remembered for her deed, for Jesus had only a short time left -- so the woman recognized Jesus' great value. (Matthew 26:6-13)
When asked why He dealt with sinners and tax collectors (people that were generally considered to be shunned), Jesus said, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick." (Matthew 9:12). Jesus said that all sins can be forgiven except one -- blasphemy (dishonoring; cursing) against the Holy Spirit (Matthew 12:31,32). Jesus had disagreements with the Pharisees (religious party with strict Jewish beliefs based on Moses' laws -- exclusive and self-righteous people) and Sadducees (a party who followed the Roman rule, had political power and the priesthood, and did not believe in resurrection of the dead):
  • Pharisees question to Jesus: Is it legal to work by healing on the Sabbath day? Jesus answer: It is right to do good on the Sabbath day. (Matthew 12:12)
  • Pharisees -- He casts out demons because he is Satan. (accusing Jesus of being Satan) Jesus -- A divided kingdom will fall...If Satan is casting out himself, he is destroying his own kingdom. (Matthew 12:25,26)
  • Pharisees -- question Jesus for not using the ritual handwashing custom. Jesus -- From the heart (or mind) come evil thoughts: what is unclean is not what goes into your mouth but what comes out of it -- what you think or say. (Matthew 15:1-20)
  • Pharisees -- question to Jesus: Is it right to pay Roman taxes? Jesus -- "...Render therefore under Caesar the things which are Caesar's; and unto God the things that are God's." (Matthew 22:21, from King James' Version)
  • Sadducees -- question about a woman who successively married seven brothers and then died -- in the resurrection, whose wife would she be? Jesus -- There is no marriage, only angels in heaven. (Matthew 22:23-30)
  • Sadducees -- question about resurrection. Jesus -- God said, "I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob," and this says that these are living people -- thus showing that they are resurrected. (Matthew 22:31-32)
  • Pharisees -- question Jesus as what is the most important commandment. Jesus -- "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'" (Matthew 22:37-39)
Jesus in Jerusalem:

Jesus went to Jerusalem "gentle and riding on a donkey" (Matthew 21:5) Jesus went into the Temple and drove out the merchants and money-changers, angering Jewish leaders. Judas Iscariot agreed to direct the chief priests to Jesus for payment of 30 silver coins. Jesus ate a Last Supper with the twelve disciples, where Jesus pointed out Judas (Matthew 26:25) as the person who would betray Him. Jesus took bread, and said, "Take and eat; this is My body." And, a cup of wine, saying, "...This is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for forgiveness of sins." (Matthew 26:26-28). Jesus prayed, "...My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from Me. Yet not as I will, but as You will." (Matthew 26:39) Jesus told Simon Peter that Peter would deny Jesus three times "before the rooster crows," and, when Jesus was pointed out by Judas and taken away, Peter denied that he knew Jesus three times before the morning rooster crowing. To the high priest, Jesus said that He was the Messiah (Matthew 26:64). Judas regretted turning Jesus over to the chief priests, and he hanged himself.

The Crucifixion of Jesus (Matthew 27): Jesus was given to Pilate, the Roman governor, for sentencing. Pilate offered to release either Jesus or a criminal named Barabbas. The crowd, persuaded by the priests, said to release Barabbas and to crucify Jesus. Pilate washed his hands, claiming to be innocent of Jesus' blood, and then ordered Jesus to be crucified. The Roman soldiers put a crown of thorns on His head, mocked Him, took Him to Golgotha (meaning "The Place of the Skull") to be put on a cross with a sign over His head, reading "THIS IS JESUS,THE KING OF THE JEWS." For three hours, darkness occurred: then Jesus said the words "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?," meaning "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?" Jesus gave up His Spirit and died. Jesus was wrapped in a clean linen cloth and placed in a new tomb that had been cut out of the rock (given by a rich man named Joseph). A big stone was rolled in front of the entrance. The tomb was sealed and guarded.

The Resurrection of Jesus (Matthew 28): On Sunday morning, Mary Magdalene and another Mary went to the tomb and saw an angel of the Lord, who told them that Jesus was not there, that He had risen from the dead, and would meet His disciples in Galilee. Jesus told His disciples to "...go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and ... I am with you always, to the very end of the age." (Matthew 28:19-20).

With implications for the future yet to come, Jesus answered his disciples concerning the events that would signal the "end of the age" (or the world):
  1. "And the gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world, as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come." (Matthew 24:14)
  2. "For then there will be great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now -- and never to be equaled again." (Matthew 24:21)
  3. "Immediately after the distress of those days 'the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.'" (Matthew 24:29)
  4. "And He will send His angels...and they will gather His elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other." (Matthew 24:31)
  5. "Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will never pass away." (Matthew 24:35)
  6. "Therefore, keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come." (Matthew 24:42)
article source: biblenotes.net ]]> Bible Study Hall Chad http://www.talkjesus.com/bible-study-hall/31328-study-note-gospel-matthew.html The Growing Seed http://www.talkjesus.com/parables-jesus/31327-growing-seed.html Mon, 08 Feb 2010 13:46:31 GMT The Growing Seed
(Mk 4:26-29)

INTRODUCTION

1. Up to this point our study has focused on parables found in Matthew's gospel...
a. Many were found only in Matthew, though some are also found in the other gospels
b. We skipped a couple of parables found in Matthew that we will examine later in one of the other gospels
2. In this lesson, however, we shall examine a parable that is found only in the gospel of Mark
a. It is called "The Growing Seed"
b. And it is recorded in Mk 4:26-29
3. The setting of this parable appears to be the same occasion in which Jesus told...
a. The parable of "The Sower" - cf. Mk 4:1-20
b. The parable of "The Mustard Seed" - cf. Mk 4:30-32...therefore it was at the point in Jesus' ministry when He begin to teach publicly in parables
[Let's begin by taking a closer look the parable itself...]

I. THE PARABLE ANALYZED

A. WHAT THIS PARABLE REVEALS ABOUT THE KINGDOM OF GOD...
1. It describes how the Word of God produces fruit (i.e., how the kingdom grows)
a. While the "seed" is not identified in this parable as the Word of God...
b. ...it was defined as such in the parable of "The Sower" - cf. Mk 4:14; Lk 8:11
2. The growth produced by the Word...
a. Is a mystery - Mk 4:26-28a
1) The sower can sow the seed and see it sprout and grow
2) But the growth is beyond his comprehension, and even
grows by itself
b. Is gradual - Mk 4:28b
1) It doesn't all occur at once
2) But step by step: first the blade, then the head, then the full grain
3. But through such growth the harvest eventually comes - Mk 4:29 -- So the kingdom of God, growing by virtue of the Word of God being planted, is similar to the amazing growth observed in the sowing of grain
B. COMPARING THIS PARABLE WITH THE ONE OF "THE SOWER"...
1. The parable of "The Sower" emphasizes human responsibility
a. The seed did not produce the desired fruit unless it fell on good soil
b. It takes "a good and noble heart" for the seed to produce fruit! - cf. Lk 8:15
2. But the parable of "The Growing Seed" stresses the divine power within the Word
a. A "good and noble heart" cannot bear fruit by itself!
b. It takes a seed that has within itself the power to germinate and grow in good soil
3. And this parable emphasizes the need for those who sow to trust and hope in the power of the seed, i.e., the Word of God
[Yes, the Word is the "seed" which contains the power for spiritual life and growth when planted in the soil of a good and noble heart!

We may not be able to understand the true working of that power, but this parable illustrates how we can still use it!

That we might utilize this powerful seed more often and more successfully, consider a few more thoughts as we talk about...]

II. THE PARABLE APPLIED

A. THE WORD OF GOD IS A POWERFUL "SEED"...
1. It can cause us to be "born again" - 1Pe 1:22-25; Jm 1:18
2. It can help us to "grow" - 1Pe 2:1-2
3. It can indeed "save your souls" - Jm 1:21 -- All of this is possible because the Word of God is living and powerful, filled with Spirit-giving life - He 4:12; Jn 6:63
B. THERE ARE TWO WAYS TO UTILIZE THIS POWERFUL "SEED"...
1. By receiving it into our own hearts
a. Here we are talking about the growth of the kingdom of God in our lives
b. Of course, we must receive it properly
1) With a good and noble heart - Lk 8:15; cf. Ac 17:11
2) With meekness - Jm 1:21
3) As babies longing for their mothers' milk - 1Pe 2:2 -- All the while "laying aside" those things that would "choke" out the Word in our lives- cf. Jm 1:21; 1Pe 2:1
c. When so received, growth will occur
1) But remember the parable, for the growth is gradual
2) "first the blade, then the head, after that the full grain in the head..." - Mk 4:28 -- Therefore the need to continue to feed upon the Word of God, "that you may grow thereby" - 1Pe 2:2
2. By sowing it as far and wide as we possibly can
a. Here we are talking about the growth of the kingdom of God in the world
b. Like the sower in the parable of "The Sower", we must sow the seed everywhere
c. But like the sower in the parable of "The Growing Seed", we must remember...
1) Growth comes only through the divine power of the seed
a) It is God who gives the increase
b) We are simply "seed-throwers" and "water-boys" - cf. 1Co 3:5-7
2) Growth comes in stages, not all at once
a) There will be days when all we seem to be doing is "sowing"
b) There will be days when all we seem to be doing is "waiting" -- Like the farmer, then, we must be patient - cf. Jm 5:7
CONCLUSION

1. The general lesson in the parable of "The Growing Seed" is this:
a. In the kingdom of God, as in the kingdom of nature, we are laborers together with God
b. The results of our work depend on Him, and for the perfection of these results He takes His own time
2. This being the case...
a. It is our duty to sow the seed (the Word of God), it is up to God to give the increase - cf. 1Co 3:6-9
b. Having sown the seed, we must wait for time and God to perfect the growth - cf. Php 1:6
c. The growth that comes will do so in gradual stages
d. Not until there has been time for development are we to expect to reap
3. Therefore this parable teaches us to trust and hope in power of the Word of God
a. Do we trust in its power to save the lost?
1) Or do we look to gimmicks designed by men?
2) The gospel is God's power to save! - cf. Ro 1:16-17
b. Do we trust in its power to save your own soul?
1) Or do we look to self-help methods that promise but really can't deliver?
2) The Word of God is what is capable of saving our souls! - cf. Jm 1:21
Are you sowing the seed of the kingdom, brother? Both in the world, and in your own life as well...? ]]> Parables of Jesus Chad http://www.talkjesus.com/parables-jesus/31327-growing-seed.html