Hi everyone...what are the most common causes for that "weary and heavy-laden" feeling in our world today? Why are Jesus' ways of dealing with these problems infinitely superior to any other so-called solution?
THE CONDITION OF THOSE CALLED
Matt. 11:28 All who are weary and heavy-laden.
Everyone whom Jesus specially invites for salvation already realizes their distress, that they are "weary and heavy-laden." The Lord mentions this effect He refers to faith ("come to Me"), but chronologically it precedes faith-it is the repentance that prompts the person to trust in Jesus for salvation.
"Weary" refers symbolically to strenuous work in trying to find the divine path to salvation. Christ invites all to come to Him who have exhausted themselves in searching for salvation by their own resources. Whereas "weary" denotes internal exhaustion, "heavy-laden" implies that past heavy burdens dumped on the person caused him or her to engage in the futility of works righteousness to please God.
Any person in the condition Jesus describes despair of his or her own ability to obtain salvation. They will realize the end of their own resources and want to turn to the Savior. The desperation implicit here is part of genuine salvation. Those not desperate will continue to rely on their own confidence, but those who are spiritually desperate will repent of the old burdensome life of sin and embrace the true redemption Christ offers. Such persons are the only ones God receives into His kingdom (Matt. 3:2, 4:17; Acts 2:38).
more to come...
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Friday, November 18, 2011
A NEW RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN JESUS AND MARY
Hi everyone....is your relationship with Jesus such that you can receive His rebuke without taking offense or crawling into a corner? Can you respond to His truth-even a hard truth-by adjusting your life to His right way of thinking and then continuing to serve Him as faithfully as before?
A NEW RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN JESUS AND MARY
John 2:3-5 When the wine ran out, the mother of Jesus said to Him, "They have no more wine." And Jesus said to her, "Woman, what does that have to do with us? My hour has not yet come." His mother said to the servants, "Whatever Hesays to you, do it."
Returning to the wedding at Cana we come across a major crisis-the wine ran out because the supply was insufficient. this potential embarrassment for the couple and their families could have stigmatized them for the rest of their lives. Mary was apparently helping to oversee the catering of the celebration and became aware of this serious problem. She anxiously said to Jesus, "They have no wine."
Jesus abruptly reply, "Woman, what does that have to do with us?" signaled a major change in their relationship. It was an idiomatic expression that asks rhetorically what the two parties in question have in common, and has the effect of distancing them. By calling Mary, "Woman" 9a polite, but not intimate, form of address instead of "Mother', Jesus politely but firmly informed her that their relationship was no longer to be what it had been while He was growing up. His public ministry has begun, and earthly relationships would not direct His actions. Mary way to relate to Him no longer as her son but as her Messiah, the Son of God, her Savior.
Undeterred by the mild rebuke, and aware that He was not saying no to the request, Mary said to the servants, "Whatever He says to you, do it." Mary shows us how we should respond to the Lord.
more to come...have a restful weekend and a good worship!
A NEW RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN JESUS AND MARY
John 2:3-5 When the wine ran out, the mother of Jesus said to Him, "They have no more wine." And Jesus said to her, "Woman, what does that have to do with us? My hour has not yet come." His mother said to the servants, "Whatever Hesays to you, do it."
Returning to the wedding at Cana we come across a major crisis-the wine ran out because the supply was insufficient. this potential embarrassment for the couple and their families could have stigmatized them for the rest of their lives. Mary was apparently helping to oversee the catering of the celebration and became aware of this serious problem. She anxiously said to Jesus, "They have no wine."
Jesus abruptly reply, "Woman, what does that have to do with us?" signaled a major change in their relationship. It was an idiomatic expression that asks rhetorically what the two parties in question have in common, and has the effect of distancing them. By calling Mary, "Woman" 9a polite, but not intimate, form of address instead of "Mother', Jesus politely but firmly informed her that their relationship was no longer to be what it had been while He was growing up. His public ministry has begun, and earthly relationships would not direct His actions. Mary way to relate to Him no longer as her son but as her Messiah, the Son of God, her Savior.
Undeterred by the mild rebuke, and aware that He was not saying no to the request, Mary said to the servants, "Whatever He says to you, do it." Mary shows us how we should respond to the Lord.
more to come...have a restful weekend and a good worship!
Friday, November 11, 2011
WHO IS THE LAMB OF GOD?
Hi everyone...we know that our sin, though dealt with ultimately and eternally, continues to be a problem for us to face and address. Are you surprised at the strength and tenacity it still wields within you? How do you go about quieting its ferocious appetite and considering yourself dead to it (see Rom. 6:11).
WHO IS THE LAMB OF GOD?
John 1:29-30 The next day he saw Jesus coming to him and said, "Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! This is He on behalf of whom I said, "After me comes a Man who has a higher rank than I, for He existed before me."
On the day after he spoke to the delegation, John "saw Jesus coming to him." In keeping with his role as a herald, John immediately called the crowd's attention to Him, exclaiming "Behold, the Lamb of God."
The concept of a sacrificial Lamb was a familiar one to the Jewish people. All through Israel's history, God had revealed clearly that sin and separation from Him could be removed only by blood sacrifices (Lev. 17:11). They were also aware that Isaiah's prophesy likened Messiah to "a lamb that is led to slaughter" (Isaiah 53:7). Though Israel sought a Messiah who would be a prophet, king, and conqueror, God had to send them a Lamb. And He did.
The title "Lamb of God" foreshadows Jesus' ultimate sacrifice of the cross for "the sin of the world." With that brief statement John made it clear that the Messiah had come to deal with sin. The Old Testament is filled with the reality that the problem is sin-a problem at the heart of every person (Jer. 17:9). All men are sinful and incapable of changing the future or the present, or of repaying God for the sins of the past.
So who is the Lamb of God? He is Jesus, the only One who has the remedy to your sin problem.
more to come...
have a restful weekend and a good worship!
WHO IS THE LAMB OF GOD?
John 1:29-30 The next day he saw Jesus coming to him and said, "Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! This is He on behalf of whom I said, "After me comes a Man who has a higher rank than I, for He existed before me."
On the day after he spoke to the delegation, John "saw Jesus coming to him." In keeping with his role as a herald, John immediately called the crowd's attention to Him, exclaiming "Behold, the Lamb of God."
The concept of a sacrificial Lamb was a familiar one to the Jewish people. All through Israel's history, God had revealed clearly that sin and separation from Him could be removed only by blood sacrifices (Lev. 17:11). They were also aware that Isaiah's prophesy likened Messiah to "a lamb that is led to slaughter" (Isaiah 53:7). Though Israel sought a Messiah who would be a prophet, king, and conqueror, God had to send them a Lamb. And He did.
The title "Lamb of God" foreshadows Jesus' ultimate sacrifice of the cross for "the sin of the world." With that brief statement John made it clear that the Messiah had come to deal with sin. The Old Testament is filled with the reality that the problem is sin-a problem at the heart of every person (Jer. 17:9). All men are sinful and incapable of changing the future or the present, or of repaying God for the sins of the past.
So who is the Lamb of God? He is Jesus, the only One who has the remedy to your sin problem.
more to come...
have a restful weekend and a good worship!
Thursday, November 3, 2011
THE APOSTLES CHOSEN TO HAVE AN IMPACT
Hi, everyone – Are your words and expressions of faith pointing others to Christ? Are they reflective of His distinct power and the presence of His Holy Spirit within you? If you sense yourself burning low in the power tank, where do you think the leak is occurring? Be sure what you do points to Christ.
THE APOSTLES CHOSEN TO HAVE AN IMPACT
Matt. 10:1: Jesus . . . gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every kind of disease and every kind of sickness.
Jesus granted the twelve disciples God’s divine authority to do exactly what He Himself had been doing. To do the kinds of works Jesus did would demonstrate they were sent by Him, just as what He did demonstrated He was sent by the Father. The book of Acts catalogs the very works Jesus gave them the authority to accomplish.
The apostles cast out many unclean spirits and healed every kind of disease and every kind of sickness. Peter and John healed a lame man at the Beautiful Gate of the temple (Acts 3:2-8). Their ministry became widespread: “At the hands of the apostles many signs and wonders were taking place among the people . . . Also the people from the cities in the vicinity of Jerusalem were coming together, bringing people who were sick or afflicted with unclean spirits, and they were all being healed” (Acts 5:12, 16). To the man in Lystra “who had no strength in his feet, lame from his mother’s womb, who had never walked,” Paul said, “’Stand upright on your feet.’ And he leaped up and began to walk” (Acts 14:8, 10).
The apostles manifested the kind of kingdom power that their Lord had manifested, and by their faithful obedience they turned Jerusalem and then the world upside down (Acts 17:6). Jesus promised they would do even “greater works” than His (in extent, not power), and His words began to be fulfilled.
More to come . . .
THE APOSTLES CHOSEN TO HAVE AN IMPACT
Matt. 10:1: Jesus . . . gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every kind of disease and every kind of sickness.
Jesus granted the twelve disciples God’s divine authority to do exactly what He Himself had been doing. To do the kinds of works Jesus did would demonstrate they were sent by Him, just as what He did demonstrated He was sent by the Father. The book of Acts catalogs the very works Jesus gave them the authority to accomplish.
The apostles cast out many unclean spirits and healed every kind of disease and every kind of sickness. Peter and John healed a lame man at the Beautiful Gate of the temple (Acts 3:2-8). Their ministry became widespread: “At the hands of the apostles many signs and wonders were taking place among the people . . . Also the people from the cities in the vicinity of Jerusalem were coming together, bringing people who were sick or afflicted with unclean spirits, and they were all being healed” (Acts 5:12, 16). To the man in Lystra “who had no strength in his feet, lame from his mother’s womb, who had never walked,” Paul said, “’Stand upright on your feet.’ And he leaped up and began to walk” (Acts 14:8, 10).
The apostles manifested the kind of kingdom power that their Lord had manifested, and by their faithful obedience they turned Jerusalem and then the world upside down (Acts 17:6). Jesus promised they would do even “greater works” than His (in extent, not power), and His words began to be fulfilled.
More to come . . .
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
THE APOSTLES SOVEREIGNLY COMMISSIONED
Hi, everyone – Have you routinely thought of God’s calling on your life as having this kind of urgency, intention and purpose? Are there other priorities that are siphoning off the importance you should be placing on the tasks God has called you to accomplish in His service?
THE APOSTLES SOVEREIGNLY COMMISSIONED
Matt. 10:1A: Jesus summoned His twelve disciples and gave them authority.
When Jesus summoned His twelve disciples, He was making more than a casual request. The word Matthew used is an intense term that means to call someone to oneself in order to confront him face-to-face. It is used of God’s calling the Gentiles to Himself through the gospel (Acts 2:39) and of His calling His chosen men and entrusting them to proclaim the gospel (Acts 13:2; 16:10). The vocabulary implies that this summoning was connected to an official commissioning to the Lord’s service.
Behind Jesus’ commissioning and training of the twelve disciples are several foundational facts. First, these men were chosen sovereignly by God. None of the twelve initiated the idea of following Jesus and becoming His disciples, much less His apostles. It was entirely God’s planning and doing. Mark tells us that Jesus “summoned those whom He Himself wanted” (Mark 3:13), and near the end of His earthly ministry Jesus reminded them, “You did not choose Me but I chose you, and appointed you” (John 15:16).
The men themselves were not consulted nor were any other men. Jesus’ only consultation was with His heavenly Father. Like Abraham, Moses, David, Isaiah and all the prophets, the twelve disciples were chosen by God’s sovereign will and for His sovereign purpose, being foreordained to His service before the foundation of the world. That has always been God’s way. He divinely chose Israel. He divinely chose His prophets and His apostles, and He divinely chooses those today who become the leaders of His own Body, the church.
THE APOSTLES SOVEREIGNLY COMMISSIONED
Matt. 10:1A: Jesus summoned His twelve disciples and gave them authority.
When Jesus summoned His twelve disciples, He was making more than a casual request. The word Matthew used is an intense term that means to call someone to oneself in order to confront him face-to-face. It is used of God’s calling the Gentiles to Himself through the gospel (Acts 2:39) and of His calling His chosen men and entrusting them to proclaim the gospel (Acts 13:2; 16:10). The vocabulary implies that this summoning was connected to an official commissioning to the Lord’s service.
Behind Jesus’ commissioning and training of the twelve disciples are several foundational facts. First, these men were chosen sovereignly by God. None of the twelve initiated the idea of following Jesus and becoming His disciples, much less His apostles. It was entirely God’s planning and doing. Mark tells us that Jesus “summoned those whom He Himself wanted” (Mark 3:13), and near the end of His earthly ministry Jesus reminded them, “You did not choose Me but I chose you, and appointed you” (John 15:16).
The men themselves were not consulted nor were any other men. Jesus’ only consultation was with His heavenly Father. Like Abraham, Moses, David, Isaiah and all the prophets, the twelve disciples were chosen by God’s sovereign will and for His sovereign purpose, being foreordained to His service before the foundation of the world. That has always been God’s way. He divinely chose Israel. He divinely chose His prophets and His apostles, and He divinely chooses those today who become the leaders of His own Body, the church.
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