Author Archives: RB3

All Glory to God the Father and to our Savior Jesus Christ

From Westminster Shorter Catechism, questions 51 to 54:

Q51: What is forbidden in the Second Commandment?
A51: The Second Commandment forbiddeth the worshipping of God by images, or any other way not appointed in His Word. 

Q52: What are the reasons annexed to the Second Commandment?
A52: The reasons annexed to the Second Commandment are, God’s sovereignty over us, and the zeal He hath to His own worship. 

Q53: Which is the Third Commandment?
A53: The Third Commandment is, “thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain: for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh His name in vain.” 

Q54: What is required in the Third Commandment?
A54: The Third Commandment requireth the holy and reverent use of God’s names, titles, attributes, ordinances, Word, and works.

Today we will look at starting a new chapter in John’s epistle and John 2 is where we will begin. An interesting chapter in that it is one we all know so well and therein lies the problem. The old saying “familiarity breeds contempt” describes the issue, but with our knowing this scripture as well as we do, we become blase about it. Incurious, even lazy in our understanding of it. Which I believe is as bad in God’s eyes as contempt. 

I grew up in the Lutheran church and found early on that Lutherans are very good at bringing things to every service in which the average pew sitter just repeats whatever is asked of them, without attaching any understanding or meaning to it. I am talking about the Liturgy, Creeds, The Divine Service, which I found in my Mother’s well used Lutheran Hymn book, and the Lord’s Prayer. All of these things are good but when repeated without thought, you’ve got a problem. And problems are a specialty of people. You cut them some slack, serve them some milk, meaning your Pastor only preaches of Love, Joy and Inclusiveness, basically Arminianism with a healthy dollop of Universalism, and they begin to like and expect that kind of thing. In fact, the congregation will get surly and unaccepting when presented with the full weight of God’s word in their Sunday sermon. The Apostle Paul knew of this so well. Here he is talking to the Corinthians: “But a natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned.” (1 Corinthians 2:14)

A lot of “natural people” go to church I am thinking. 

So let’s look at the second chapter in John: 

“On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there; and both Jesus and His disciples were invited to the wedding.” (John 2:1-2)

In researching this, the first thing that stood out in my mind was nobody is quite sure where Cana of Galilee is. They know it was approximately 8-9 miles north of Nazareth, but in 2000 years, things change. The important thing to remember is that God does not change. “The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever.” (Isaiah 40:8) 

That passage of scripture is in answer to a statement made to me by various people throughout my life. That being “The world has changed, so it is understandable that the church would change too.” If you believe that, you’ve been served milk too often at church. Read your bible! (2 Timothy 3:16-17)

Moving on…

Jesus’s Mother was there. Weddings in those days were big deals. Long  drawn out affairs. A Jewish wedding; sometimes they lasted seven to fourteen days. It was a very festive occasion. The simple statement that Jesus’s Mother was there may indicate that she was helping out, possibly friends of the family. No corroboration in the scripture and it doesn’t really matter to the story, but a possibility. Then it states that Jesus and His disciples were also there. More thought that this might be friends of the family. And friends bring friends. 

Verse 1 speaks of the third day in Jesus’ gathering of His disciples. Those disciples were Andrew, Simon Peter, Philip, Nathanael and John who is the author of this scripture. (John 1) It was a prominent wedding, the guests as well would be people who were upper-middle class to upper class as far as financial standing in the community went. Carpenters would fall into that category in those days and so would fishermen who owned their own boats. Both occupations were honorable. 

We continue…

When the wine ran out, the mother of Jesus said to Him, “They have no wine.” (John 2:3) This is where your casual understanding of the story will cause you to miss the importance of this statement. Mary comes to Jesus, her first born son and says “They have no more wine.” Now in a Jewish wedding, something like that would have caused the guests to have an unfavorable view of the couple, which could change their whole life together. It could even lead to a divorce, it was that serious. Also in the normal course of life back in that day, what good would it do to tell your son that the wine ran out? Wine takes time to make and it would also take time and money to get more of by buying it. 1st century carpenters were not known to have lots of walking around money or influence in finagling deals for liquor. 

And here we come to a division. Between a Mother and a Son. You remember that Jesus had been recently baptised, “As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, ‘This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.’” (Matthew 3:13-17) So whose son is He now? And I do believe that Mary was aware of this. She was His Mother after all. And in the back of her mind, it is most likely that she was recalling the time an Angel came to her with incredible news, “The angel answered and said to her, ‘The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; and for that reason the holy Child shall be called the Son of God.’” (Luke 1:35) 

But what else did she know? The scripture has no mention of other miracles by Jesus before this. But where did her idea come from that her son could be of help in this particular time? This, my friends, is the very definition of faith, “things hoped for, a proof of things not seen.” (Hebrews 11:1) Since the scripture does not tell us, we will have to go with faith.

Next up, Jesus informs her of something I again think she already knew, a change in relationship and a change in status. “What business do you have with Me, woman? My hour has not yet come.” (John 2:4)

In Christ’s reply to his mother there was no disrespect. He used the same word when speaking to her with affection from the cross; “So when Jesus saw His mother, and the disciple whom He loved standing nearby, He said to His mother ‘Woman, behold, your son!’ Then He said to the disciple, ‘Behold, your mother!’ And from that hour the disciple took her into his own household.” (John 19:26-27) And also to Mary Magdalene after his resurrection. (John 20:15)

It was an act of distancing Himself from His Mother. Whether she knew from previous experience or simply through Faith, she had made this request to Him. We can learn from this. When the world beats us down, when we have no hope, Christ said to us, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28) We trust in Him when Christ tells us, “Everyone whom the Father gives me will come to me, and the one who comes to me I will never send away.” (John 6:37) Faith moves mountains. (Mark 11:23) Faith in the Lord will give you a place in Heaven (John 14:2-3), where there are no tears or pain.(Revelation 21:4) I recommend that you read 1 Peter 1 for more information on Hope, Faith and Salvation. It will do your heart good.

Onward…

Christ tells her that My time is not now, and yet He did not deny her. Perhaps the wine was not yet entirely exhausted. The wine had begun to fail, but he would not work a miracle until it was entirely gone, that the miracle might be free from all possibility of suspicion. It does not mean that the proper time for his working a miracle, or entering on his public work had not come, but that the proper time for his interposing there had not arrived. Why else had Jesus come to this wedding? The Holy Spirit had drawn Him to the desert, to be tempted by satan. Did the same thing happen here?

Her faith in this man who had been her son was such that she told the servants “Whatever He tells you, do it.”(John 2:5) And so they did.

The Messiah makes water into wine…

“Now there were six stone waterpots standing there for the Jewish custom of purification, containing two or three measures each. Jesus said to them, ‘Fill the waterpots with water.’ So they filled them up to the brim. And He said to them, ‘Draw some out now and take it to the head waiter.’ And they took it to him. Now when the headwaiter tasted the water which had become wine, and did not know where it came from (but the servants who had drawn the water knew), the head waiter called the groom, and said to him, ‘Every man serves the good wine first, and when the guests are drunk, then he serves the poorer wine; but you have kept the good wine until now.’” (John 2:6-10)

A firkin is nine gallons. These water pots held from eighteen to twenty-seven gallons each. There were somewhere between 108 gallons and 162 gallons of water here. This had to be for a large group of people. The pots were made of stone because stone was more impervious than earthenware and did not contract uncleanness. The washings or ablutions had extended to such an incredulous extent that they were continuously washing for one reason or the other, and these six firkins of water were standing by for them to carry on these ceremonial washings. This was from the Pharisees adding many more of their ideas of righteousness to God’s law which ultimately just burdened everybody but themselves. (Matt 23:1-12)

The head waiter had no idea God was in the house and complimented the groom on being smarter than the average Jew. The servants knew and that is how Christ works. The privileged ones quite often had a hard time believing, think of a camel passing through the eye of a needle in Matthew 19:24, but the serving class were very willing to trust and believe in the Lord. They were down trodden and looking for a High Priest (Hebrews 4:14-16) and Mediator (1 Timothy 2:5) to get themselves out from under the thumb of the Pharisees.

And we finish out verses 11 and 12.
“This beginning of His signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee, and revealed His glory; and His disciples believed in Him. After this He went down to Capernaum, He and His mother, and His brothers and His disciples; and they stayed there a few days.” (John 2:11-12)

This is a story of Faith and the Glory of Christ which should be in our lives every day.
Those things hoped for, but not seen. How our Daily Bread shows up, money for food and rent, that car payment, and everything else we need in this life. You are the beneficiaries of these gifts from our Loving God. Give Glory unto Him in all that you do.

All Glory to God the Father and to our Savior Jesus Christ

From Westminster Shorter Catechism, questions 47 to 50:

Q47: What is forbidden in the First Commandment?
A47: The First Commandment forbiddeth the denying, or not worshipping and glorifying the true God, as God, [and our God,] and the giving of that worship and glory to any other which is due to Him alone.

Q48: What are we specially taught by these words, “before me” in the First Commandment?
A48: These words “before me” in the First Commandment, teach us, That God who seeth all things, taketh notice of, and is much displeased with, the sin of having any other God.

Q49: Which is the Second Commandment?
A49: The Second Commandment is, “thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth, thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate Me; and showing mercy unto thousands of them that love Me, and keep my commandments.”

Q50: What is required in the Second Commandment?
A50: The Second Commandment requireth the receiving, observing, and keeping pure and entire, all such religious worship and ordinances as God hath appointed in His Word.

Today we will come back to John 1 and continue where we left off. Christ has been gathering His disciples. In verse 37 of John’s epistle, Andrew and another had encountered Christ, by John the Baptist proclaiming “Behold, the Lamb of God!” as Jesus walked by. They were immediately drawn to the One True Light: “Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, “I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life.” (John 8:12)

And they were drawn to him as a moth would be to a flame, an irresistible force to be reckoned with. When God places His focus on you, all you can do is submit, for we are his creation: “For we are his creation, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, so that we may walk in them.” (Ephesians 2:10)

I bring this up because of confusion in many people’s minds as to how to deal with this year of 2020. I remind you that He who created you, also created the heavens and the earth (Genesis 1:1). So when your anxious mind dwells upon whatever trouble you have chosen to worry about, ask yourself, who created all you see?

If you have read the whole bible, not just easy parts or a passage here or there, you will know that David, a man after God’s own heart, had many a day of anxious thoughts: “How long will I store up anxious concerns within me, agony in my mind every day? How long will my enemy dominate me?” (Psalm 13:2)

David knew that anxious thoughts are the result of sin: “So I confess my guilt; I am anxious because of my sin.” (Psalm 38:18)
But David also knew this: “When my anxious inner thoughts become overwhelming, your comfort encourages me.” (Psalm 94:19)

God’s comfort encourages him. So to keep that comfort coming, and remember, Obey God and you’re blessed, disobey God and you are cursed (Duet 28), David asked God to keep an eye on him: “Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me and know my anxious thoughts;” (Psalm 139:23)

And just because those around you act like they have no faith in any other but man, (Psalm 146:3–4) David’s son Solomon gave this advice: “Don’t be anxious about those who practice evil, and don’t be envious of the wicked.” (Proverbs 24:19)

Remember, Solomon was blessed to be the smartest man in the world (1 Kings 4-29), so good advice to listen to. Proverbs as a whole are very interesting, so give it a read and ponder upon it.

You may be puzzled as to why I am going through this little stroll through the old testament. The bible, the Living Word of God (Hebrews 4:12): “All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.” (2 Timothy 3:16-17)

This book gives us the tools we need to handle troubled times. We learn from those that came before us, standing on the shoulders of righteous men. Learn to handle your troubles by going to God and reading what he wanted us to read. Isn’t that better than wringing your hands and not sleeping at night? Why would you choose misery over comfort, that comes from Faith, that was provided by Grace, by He who has created all? You are not too old to learn, you may be too stubborn, but that’s a topic of another bible study.

So David and Solomon knew, from instruction from their God, our God, and they put down those thoughts, at the behest of the Holy Spirit, and these boys who had been following John the Baptist around and studied those words, probably scrolls that resided in a temple, and Jews were very good at teaching these things to young minds. Funny that while teachers taught what they did, most of them didn’t see the forest for the trees, because they missed the most important point, that the Messiah was coming to serve, not conquer (Isaiah 53) and He was now in their midst. John the Baptist was sent to proclaim His coming, (Acts 13:24) and now He is walking around and gathering in His disciples: “You did not choose Me but I chose you, and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit, and that your fruit would remain, so that whatever you ask of the Father in My name He may give to you.” (John 15:16)

Know that as these men were chosen, so are we:
“Just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. In love” (Ephesians 1:4)

“For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.” (Ephesians 2:10)

All of these texts demonstrate God’s love for us and His expectation that we will be obedient to His word. How are you going to know that if you don’t study the scripture? Obey God (Romans 6:16) and gather His blessing.

Now onto the scripture for this bible study:

John 1:43-51
43 The next day He purposed to go into Galilee, and He *found Philip. And Jesus *said to him, “Follow Me.” 44 Now Philip was from Bethsaida, of the city of Andrew and Peter.

45 Philip *found Nathanael and *said to him, “We have found Him of whom Moses in the Law and also the Prophets wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”

46 Nathanael said to him, “Can any good thing come out of Nazareth?” Philip *said to him, “Come and see.”

47 Jesus saw Nathanael coming to Him, and *said of him, “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit!”

48 Nathanael *said to Him, “How do You know me?” Jesus answered and said to him, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.”

49 Nathanael answered Him, “Rabbi, You are the Son of God; You are the King of Israel.”

50 Jesus answered and said to him, “Because I said to you that I saw you under the fig tree, do you believe? You will see greater things than these.”

51 And He *said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see the heavens opened and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.”

Here we see men who knew the words that had been taught to them, but until they met the Messiah, it was just head knowledge. It was brought to their hearts when Christ spoke to them. Learn from this. Take that head knowledge, learned in Sunday School, or by a preacher or wherever, and bring it to your heart. Then thank God for the blessings and daily bread (1 Thessalonians 5:18) that is yours though His Grace and Mercy: “He said, ‘I am the bread of life. The one who comes to me will never go hungry, and the one who believes in me will never be thirsty.’” (John 6:35)

And know also in these trying days, there is one who listens to you, stands by you, loves you and will not abandon you. And as a loving Father, He will discipline those that He loves (Hebrews 12:4-11). Accept it, learn from it and know that it is part of the process of sanctification, which will bring you closer to righteousness. Love God, fear God and love thy neighbor as thyself. Do these things and accept the Joy of Salvation that is yours. The year 2020 is not frightening when you put it into perspective. He who created all, our Father, has you within His loving grasp that none can tear you from. (John 10:28)

Go forth and act like children of El Shaddai, which is translated from Hebrew as God Almighty.

All Glory to God the Father and to our Savior Jesus Christ

From Westminster Shorter Catechism, questions 43 to 46:

Q43. What is the preface to the Ten Commandments?
A43. The preface to the Ten Commandments is in these words, “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house OF SLAVERY.” 

Q44. What doth the preface to the Ten Commandments teach us?
A44. The preface to the Ten Commandments teacheth us, That because God is The Lord, and our God, and Redeemer, therefore we are bound to keep all His commandments. 

Q45: Which is the First Commandment?
A45: The First Commandment is, “thou shalt have no other gods before Me.” 

Q46: What is required in the First Commandment?
A46: The First Commandment requireth us to know and acknowledge God to be only true God, and our God; and to worship and glorify Him accordingly. 

Today we will diverge from our study of John 1 and spend a bit of time in Luke 10. Our Lord Christ is being tested by a lawyer, who had sat there with Christ and listened to the report of the 70 that had been sent out.

Luke 10:1
Now after this the Lord appointed seventy others, and sent them in pairs ahead of Him to every city and place where He Himself was going to come.

And if you apply any of the curiosity that the Good Lord has blessed you with you would naturally wonder what “after this” means. Luke has been a favorite of mine and chapter 9 of his epistle is jammed packed with the works of our Lord. A few of the highlights were His sending the 12 out and them coming back amazed that even the demons obey them through Christ’s name. Meaning that they knew it was not their power but Christ’s. 

And then there was the feeding of 5000 and the Transfiguration and on and on. I will let you read chapter 9 in detail on your own. 

So the Lord had sent these 70 out to proclaim the good news and do what the 12 did. 

Luke 10:2-12
And He was saying to them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest. 3 Go; behold, I send you out as lambs in the midst of wolves. 4 Carry no money belt, no bag, no shoes; and greet no one on the way. 5 Whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace be to this house.’ 6 If a man of peace is there, your peace will rest on him; but if not, it will return to you. 7 Stay in that house, eating and drinking what they give you; for the laborer is worthy of his wages. Do not keep moving from house to house. 8 Whatever city you enter and they receive you, eat what is set before you; 9 and heal those in it who are sick, and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’ 10 But whatever city you enter and they do not receive you, go out into its streets and say, 11 ‘Even the dust of your city which clings to our feet we wipe off in protest against you; yet be sure of this, that the kingdom of God has come near.’ 12 I say to you, it will be more tolerable in that day for Sodom than for that city.

We’ve all heard this story, head knowledge, but we need to apply it to our heart. The harvest is plenty but the laborers are few. Do you consider yourself to be a laborer for the Lord? That’s a valid question for you to ask yourself. And if you don’t consider yourself to be laborer for the Lord, why not? I mean what are you doing with your time? You might think “Oh, I’m too old or I’m disabled or I don’t know what to say,” the list of excuses are endless really. If you are not serving the Lord, if you are content to let Pastors do all the heavy lifting while you sit comfortably in your pew, then you are serving the prince of this world, satan. That’s how Jesus views things. You either obey God, serve him with your obedience and doing His will and by that be blessed, or you serve man, by being passive, sitting there in your pew and letting others do the work of the spirit. Not changing how you go about your day to day life, even when you know what God wants from you. And by serving man, by not participating, you are serving satan. The bible was written by God so that we might know Him and His will, how to live. 

These 70 were commissioned by Christ to do his will and they did. They went out as lambs, in the midst of wolves, going to houses of men who were obeying God and let these boys stay and fed them. And Peace was blessed upon that house. There were instructions also on how to deal with those not obeying God. As Christians, we are told to not consort with unsavory types:

1 Corinthians 15:33
Do not be deceived: “Bad company ruins good morals.”

Proverbs 13:20
Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm.

1 Corinthians 5:11
But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of brother if he is guilty of sexual immorality or greed, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or swindler—not even to eat with such a one.

He told them to shake the dust off their feet when encountering such a place or people, in disobedience to God. It comes down to this passage:

Luke 10:16 “The one who listens to you listens to Me, and the one who rejects you rejects Me; and he who rejects Me rejects the One who sent Me.”

The 70 came back with good news:

Luke 10:17-20
The seventy returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name.” 18 And He said to them, “I was watching Satan fall from heaven like lightning. 19 Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing will injure you. 20 Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are recorded in heaven.”

When God sends you out, He sends you out with the tools to get the job done. This is why your excuse that you can’t, for whatever reason, is not true. Jesus sent a helper to the apostles and that helper is indwelling you, if you are truly a believer. The Holy Spirit will give you the courage and the words to say.(Deuteronomy 31:6 Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the LORD your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you.) I am not saying you will have the courage of a lion, just enough courage to do the job. Doubting this, is troubling. 

At hearing the report from the 70, Christ praised the Father:

Luke 10:21-22
21 At that very time He rejoiced greatly in the Holy Spirit, and said, “I praise You, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and intelligent and have revealed them to infants. Yes, Father, for this way was well-pleasing in Your sight. 22 All things have been handed over to Me by My Father, and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, and who the Father is except the Son, and anyone to whom the Son wills to reveal Him.”

I hope you noticed that Christ rejoiced greatly in the Holy Spirit. That very same Holy Spirit that you doubt when you say you can’t.

Luke 10:23
Turning to the disciples, He said privately, “Blessed are the eyes which see the things you see, 24 for I say to you, that many prophets and kings wished to see the things which you see, and did not see them, and to hear the things which you hear, and did not hear them.”

Now we are at the point where a lawyer steps up and wants to test Christ. Who do you think he was serving?

Luke 10:25-29
And a lawyer stood up and put Him to the test, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” 26 And He said to him, “What is written in the Law? How does it read to you?” 27 And he answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself.” 28 And He said to him, “You have answered correctly; do this and you will live.” 29 But wishing to justify himself, he said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”

Who really is my neighbor? It is interesting to me and should be to you as to how God works things out for us. This is called Providence. I see Providence happening all the time. I had it happen last Sunday, or really last Tuesday when I created the graphic to the bulletin for the church. You see, I am the secretary in charge of making the bulletin and I research the bible and come up with some image that will fit with it. I chose John 15:16-17
16 You did not choose Me but I chose you, and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit, and that your fruit would remain, so that whatever you ask of the Father in My name He may give to you. 17 This I command you, that you love one another.

I stuck that on the front page of the bulletin and thought no more about it. Sunday comes around and as we go to church, about a block from the church, we passed what I initially thought was a mannequin and pointed out to my wife, but as we drove, I reviewed it in my mind and found it probably was real because I also saw a sign that read “Anything will help.” It was 26 degrees at the time and my mind was burdened by this. I get in the building and my normal routine is to set up my iPad to start a Zoom session and get the video camera rolling. However, I made a beeline to my Brother in Law, Leighton, and asked him if he had seen the homeless guy on the road. Now I know Leighton well, he and God are why I am doing all this. This is called discipleship. And I know that Leighton would be concerned if I said there was a homeless guy a block from the church. Except he wasn’t. “Nope” he said “didn’t see him” and that was that. I am now really bothered, because of the homeless guy and Leighton’s response. I get everything set up and sit down by my wife. We discuss the homeless guy and then look up and around and notice that Pastor Aaron is not around. He should be very evident at this time. I asked my wife if she had seen him. No, she had not. I asked her what the bible verse for the sermon today is. Luke 10:25-37. I opened my bible and started to read and stopped. 

God has blessed me with an active and curious mind. One that can see patterns and sometimes put 2 and 2 together. I looked up and told my wife the homeless guy is Aaron. Then I got up and found Leighton and asked him if Aaron was the homeless guy. My Brother in Law got a brief moment of surprised panic in his eyes and nodded yes. My stomach dropped and what came out of my mouth was “I am convicted!” This was worse than a random homeless guy. I had just about been ready to get back in the car and convince the homeless guy to come back to the warm church. Just about, but not quite. Good intentions don’t count when doing the Lord’s work. I found out something else about myself. ALS will give you the shakes now and then, but it breaks the knob off at the 11 mark when under stress. I confess to being a tad stressed while wobbling back to my seat. I picked up the bulletin and looked at the bible verse on the front page, the one I put there. “This I command you, that you love one another.” This is where Providence left its mark. I was convicted, I did not do what my Lord had commanded me. And it hurt, bad. I spent the rest of the service shaking and repenting. It made for a good combination of contrition.

Pastor Aaron had been calling for testimonies from the congregation for the last month. So of course the homeless man had made it to the church and of course the homeless man slowly walked up and gave his testimony. And it was a killer one too. And then said homeless man took off his long wig and became our strong Shepard again and told of the Good Samaritan story.

Luke 10:30-37
30 Jesus replied and said, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among robbers, and they stripped him and beat him, and went away leaving him half dead. 31 And by chance a priest was going down on that road, and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. 32 Likewise a Levite also, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33 But a Samaritan, who was on a journey, came upon him; and when he saw him, he felt compassion, 34 and came to him and bandaged up his wounds, pouring oil and wine on them; and he put him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn and took care of him. 35 On the next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper and said, ‘Take care of him; and whatever more you spend, when I return I will repay you.’ 36 Which of these three do you think proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell into the robbers’ hands?” 37 And he said, “The one who showed mercy toward him.” Then Jesus said to him, “Go and do the same.”

Go and do the same, and I did not. My wife reminded me that we are forgiven, and I said yes, I know, but that does not make it any easier that I have failed my Lord, for I knew what I should have done.

While we are forgiven, we are still sinners and as such, our Father expects us to repent our sins and learn from them. 

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

Matthew 6:14
For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you,

Disappointing our Lord should be painful and was. Accept the conviction, repent and forsake the sin, and learn the lesson so that you may not sin like that again. We have a merciful and forgiving Lord. That is the best part of this lesson.

My Mother in Law who was also at church, asked me on her way out the door “Was it you that gave him (homeless guy) your coat?”. No I said, but it should have been.

All Glory to God the Father and to our Savior Jesus Christ

From Westminster Shorter Catechism, questions 39 to 42:

Q39. What is the duty which God requireth of man?
A39. The duty which God requireth of man is obedience to His revealed will.

Q40. What did God at first reveal to man for the rule of his obedience?
A40. The rule which God at first revealed to man for his obedience, was the Moral Law.

Q41. Where is the Moral Law summarily comprehended?
A41. The Moral Law is summarily comprehended in the Ten Commandments.

Q42. What is the sum of the Ten Commandments?
A42. The sum of the Ten Commandments is, “to love the Lord our God” with all our heart, all our soul, with all our strength, and with all our mind; and our neighbor as ourselves.

Today we will go through John 1 verses 35 to 42. John the Baptist is just about to complete his task as defined by God and spoken by the prophets so long ago (Isaiah 40:3). This chapter is also where Jesus begins his ministry and starts to gather his disciples.

35 Again the next day John was standing with two of his disciples,

36 and he looked at Jesus as He walked, and *said, “Behold, the Lamb of God!”
Charles Spurgeon, known as The Prince of Pastors and also known to be able to speak, without microphones (this was the late 1800’s) to large auditoriums and everybody could hear him. Here is a charming story that relates to verse 36. “Spurgeon once tested an auditorium in which he was to speak that evening. Stepping into the pulpit, Spurgeon loudly proclaimed, “Behold the lamb of God, Who takes away the sin of the world.” Satisfied with the acoustics, he left and went his way. Unknown to him, there were two men working in the rafters of that large auditorium, neither one a Christian. One of the men was pricked in his conscience by the verse Spurgeon quoted and became a believer later that day!”

It is very interesting how God uses us in our everyday lives. Our job is not to deliver salvation, but to bring the True Word (John 17:17) to an unbelieving world. As believers, it should show, by our actions and our words. We have the ability, through the Grace of the Lord, to say or do something that will cause an unbeliever to wonder at where this example of faith or good works is coming from. You really need to think about this and how it relates to your life. John the Baptist understood his role as herald to the Lamb of God. His example, his life, was used by God to show people their sin and repent, for that is the first act of a believer. Repent and forsake your sin, and then pursue Christ like your life depends on it.

37 The two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus.
The implication may be that they went after Jesus to examine Him more closely because of John’s testimony. These guys knew the scriptures and when they heard “Lamb of God”, that was good enough for them to follow this Jesus to see for themselves. They eventually dedicated their lives to Him as true disciples and apostles when Jesus called them to permanent service after these events. At this point in the narrative, John the Baptist fades from the scene and the attention focuses upon the ministry of Christ.

38 And Jesus turned and saw them following, and *said to them, “What do you seek?” They said to Him, “Rabbi (which translated means Teacher), where are You staying?”

The strongest and most prevailing argument with an awakened soul to follow Christ, is, that it is he only who takes away sin. Whatever communion there is between our souls and Christ, it is he who begins the discourse. He asked, What do you seek? The question Jesus put to them, we should all put to ourselves when we begin to follow Him, What do we design and desire?

39 He *said to them, “Come, and you will see.” So they came and saw where He was staying; and they stayed with Him that day, for it was about the tenth hour.

Come and see. They think of a visit later, it may be, on the following day. He bids them come at once. Then, as now, he was willing that they should come at once and enjoy the full opportunity which they desired of his conversation. Jesus is ever ready to admit those who seek him to his presence and favor.

40 One of the two who heard John speak and followed Him, was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother.

From MacLaren’s Expositions:
There are many ways by which souls are brought to their Saviour. Sometimes, like the merchantman seeking goodly pearls, men seek Him earnestly and find Him. Sometimes, by the intervention of another, the knowledge of Him is kindled in dark hearts. Sometimes He Himself takes the initiative, and finds those that seek Him not. We have illustrations of all these various ways in these simple records of the gathering in of the first disciples. Andrew and his friend, with whom we were occupied in our last sermon, looked for Christ and found Him. Peter, with whom we have to do now, was brought to Christ by his brother; and the third of the group, consisting of Philip, was sought by Christ while he was not thinking of Him, and found an unsought treasure; and then Philip again, like Andrew, finds a friend, and brings him to Christ.

41 He *found first his own brother Simon and *said to him, “We have found the Messiah” (which translated means Christ).

From Gill’s Exposition
He first findeth his own brother Simon,…. Either before the other disciple, or before he found any other person: after he and the other disciple departed from Christ, being affected with the grace bestowed upon him, and his heart warm with the conversation he had had with him, and transported with joy at finding the Messiah, goes in all haste in search of his relations, friends, and acquaintance, to communicate what he had seen and heard, in order to bring them to the knowledge of the same; for such is the nature of grace.

42 He brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon the son of John; you shall be called Cephas” (which is translated Peter).

Cephas – This is a Syriac word, meaning the same as the Greek word Peter, a stone. The stone, or rock, is a symbol of firmness and steadiness of character – a trait in Peter’s character after the ascension of Jesus that was very remarkable. Before the death of Jesus he was rash, headlong, variable. Yet when Christ had ascended, Peter became what Christ had wanted in him:
Matthew 16:18
And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

Let the Grace of the Lord flow through you and take pleasure in the fruit of the spirit that has been your allotment. Your life truly does depend upon it.

All Glory to God the Father and to our Savior Jesus Christ

From Westminster Shorter Catechism, questions 35 to 38:

Q35: What is sanctification?
A35: Sanctification is the work of God’s free grace, whereby we are renewed in the whole man after the image of God, and are enabled more and more to die unto sin, and live unto righteousness.

Q36: What are the benefits which in this life do accompany or flow from justification, adoption, and sanctification?
A36: The benefits which in this life do accompany or flow from justification, adoption, and sanctification, are, assurance of God’s love, peace of conscience, joy in the Holy Ghost, increase of grace, and perseverance therein to the end. 

Q37: What benefits do believers receive from Christ at death?
A37: The souls of believers are at their death made perfect in holiness, and do immediately pass into glory; and their bodies, being still united to Christ, do rest in their graves till the resurrection. 

Q38: What benefits do believers receive from Christ at the resurrection?
A38: At the resurrection, believers being raised up in glory, shall be openly acknowledged and acquitted in the day of judgement, and made perfectly blessed in the full enjoying of God to all eternity. 

Last week’s bible study concerned John the Baptist’s declaration of he being unworthy to untie the sandal of the One who is coming. I also introduced you to the Bereans who were known to hear what was said and go search the scriptures to see if the word that was spoken was true. True in as much as scripture is concerned. Not the truth as we know it today; we are seeing displayed before our very eyes on whichever media you choose. People, sometimes church people declaring statements of this or that, obviously not true, but since they say it is “their truth”, we must accept it as such. The very thing the Judaizers did to those who Paul was teaching the True Word to. 

A Judaizer taught that, in order for a Christian to truly be right with God, he must conform to the Mosaic Law. Circumcision, especially, was promoted as necessary for salvation. Gentiles had to become Jewish proselytes first, and then they could come to Christ. The doctrine of the Judaizers was a mixture of grace (through Christ) and works (through the keeping of the Law). This false doctrine was dealt with in Acts 15 and strongly condemned in the book of Galatians.

We find this in our day as such. They say abortion is Women’s Healthcare and so vital that Planned Parenthood was allowed to remain open, but churches were closed due to COVID.

They say that Black Lives Matter, but when you add “all” to that statement, they become incensed that you have changed “their” truth and will condemn you and call you a racist.

Truly nothing is new under the sun and that is very true in this supposed postmodern world. Which really means a post truth world. So it is very important to be like the Bereans and search through the scriptures to find out what is really true. An interesting side note; Monday morning, when going through my usual reading of Grace Community Church’s devotionals, the first thing I encountered was mention of the Bereans. And I have had this happen many times. I will have something that I am compelled to research and then up it pops in these devotionals from John MacArthur’s church. Now, you may nod your head internally and say to yourself, “sure that happens to you, but that never happens to me.” And if this is the case, I would ask yourself why that is? Maybe you just consider it a coincidence. This would happen when you have drunk in the world to such an extent that you believe in this thing that was brought to us by satan. It is a cousin to luck. Also an invention of satan. Proverbs 16:33 The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the Lord. Or maybe you have eyes to see but cannot see the beauty of Providence. You need to pursue the scriptures to remove the scales from your eyes and notice the beauty of God working in your life. Obey God and you are blessed, disobey God and you are cursed. It’s a binary choice and a free one too.

So we will pursue John 1 verses 29 to 34. 

29 The next day he *saw Jesus coming to him and *said, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! 

Let’s look at what John said. Where did his reference of “the Lamb of God” come from?: We know of the sacrificial lamb that was killed, and the blood sprinkled over the door in the time of Moses to save the firstborn of all the Hebrews when God destroyed the first born of Egypt.

We know that the lamb is the Passover animal sacrificed once a year in memory of that night when death passed over the Hebrew homes because of the blood of the lamb. This is saying then “This is your Passover sacrifice” speaking of Jesus. The blood of the animal could do nothing but cover the sin. 

The precious blood of the Lamb, Jesus Christ, does away with sin. In fact, not for just that occasion, but for all of eternity. “Taketh”, means to continually take away. It is so interesting how every little word is so important in Scripture.

John the Baptist used the expression “the Lamb of God” as a reference to the ultimate sacrifice of Jesus on the cross to atone for the sin of the world.  This “sin” spoken of is in the singular form. The use of the singular “sin” in conjunction with “of the world” indicates that Jesus’ sacrifice for sin potentially reaches all human beings without distinction. John makes clear however, that its efficacious effect is only for those who receive Christ.

Jesus took on sin on the cross, and sin (for the believer), died on the cross. Not just covered, but done away with. Animal’s or man’s blood could never do away with sin.

Hebrews 9:12 “Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.” The blood had to be pure from God, Himself.

30 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.’ 

“John is saying this is the one I was talking about. That is the Messiah, He is greater than I am”.

31 I did not recognize Him, but so that He might be manifested to Israel, I came baptizing in water.”

John knew that Jesus was a relative of his in the flesh, because John’s mother and Jesus’ mother were cousins. Although John was Jesus’ cousin, he did not know Jesus as the “Coming One” or “Messiah” (verse 33).

In the Spirit, John knew that Jesus was the promised Christ (the Messiah). Manifest means, in this instance, to render apparent (to be made visible). John’s job is to make the coming of Messiah apparent to His people, Israel.

To prepare them for meeting their Messiah, John is baptizing them, cleansing them from their sins. You cannot walk in the Light without confessing your sins. And where is that truth found?

I mostly use the NASB for bible reading and research, but this version of the text in New King James I think says it best: 

John 1: 7-10
7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.
8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

32 John testified saying, “I have seen the Spirit descending as a dove out of heaven, and He remained upon Him. 

At the baptism that John is speaking of, a voice from heaven saying “This is my beloved Son” (Matthew 3:16-17). The thing John would have us see here is the Spirit remaining.

We can see here the Father (voice from heaven), Son of God (Word), and Holy Spirit (dove), present at the baptism of Jesus. They are all in agreement.

God had previously communicated to John that this sign was to indicate the promised Messiah, (verse 33), so when John witnessed this act, he was able to identify the Messiah as Jesus.

33 I did not recognize Him, but He who sent me to baptize in water said to me, ‘He upon whom you see the Spirit descending and remaining upon Him, this is the One who baptizes in the Holy Spirit.’ 

Note that Matthew chapter 3 tells a little more about this baptism of the Holy Spirit.

“But Jesus answering said to him “Permit it now; for in this way it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” The “He” permitted Him.

Christ was here identifying Himself with sinners. He will ultimately bear their sins; His perfect righteousness will be imputed to them (2 Cor. 5:21). This act of baptism was a necessary part of the righteousness He secured for sinners. This first public event of His ministry is also rich in meaning.

1. It pictured His death and resurrection, Luke 12:50;
2. It therefore prefigured the significance of Christian baptism;
3. It marked His first public identification with those whose sins He would bear, Isaiah 53:1-12;
4. It was a public affirmation of His Messiahship by testimony directly from heaven.

The baptism of Jesus is the baptism of the Holy Spirit.

34 I myself have seen, and have testified that this is the Son of God.”

Not just because of the Holy Spirit descending, or the voice from heaven, but on all knowledge of Jesus and on what God had told him, John the Baptist proclaimed Jesus to be the Son of God.

Although, in a limited sense, believers can be called “sons of God ( Matt. 5:9; Rom. 8:14). John uses this phrase with the full force as a title that points to the unique oneness and intimacy that Jesus sustains to the Father as “Son.” The term carries the idea of the deity of Jesus as Messiah. 

That is our primary lesson of today. The last thing I will share with you is a carry over from my conversation with Delroy from last week. I said that I believe that God is at work with all believers’ lives. Those that God has given up to their sins I don’t know. And that is a mystery that none can know with certainty. We become two lumps of clay yammering of supposed inside knowledge of the Master Potter’s thinking. Anyway, this story, found by my wife on FaceBook is delightful and confirming:

My grandfather was Harry T. Shepard.  He was a trick rope and horse back rider in the Will Bill Cody “Wild West and Congress of Rough Riders of the World Show” and known as “Handsome Harry.”  He was a horse riding, trick rope entertainer.  He had an accident and fell off of his horse one day and broke his leg.  He was recuperating in Lyndon, Kansas where he saw a picture of my grandmother in the window of the photo shop.  He said in his heart, “I am going to marry that girl.”  The town was having a box supper, where eligible girls secretly prepared a supper and put it in a box to be auctioned off to the highest bidder, the buyer not knowing who prepared each box.  Then each buyer got to have dinner with whoever prepared the box.  Grandpa bought my grandmother’s box, and the rest is history.  They married in April, 1917 and were happily married until my grandfather passed away in July, 1975, 58 years.  They were a wonderful Christian example for our family to follow.  Every single person in their lineage are Christians down to their great, great grandchildren.  There are no “accidents that just happen” and my grandfather didn’t  just fall off of that horse for “no reason”.  God had a plan and He made it happen just like He planned.  Praise God!

Isaiah 55:11

So will My word be which goes forth from My mouth; It will not return to Me empty, Without accomplishing what I desire, And without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it.

Go forth and do the Will of the Lord and love one another as He commanded us. Amen.

All Glory to God the Father and to our Savior Jesus Christ

From Westminster Shorter Catechism, questions 31 to 34

Q31: What is effectual calling?
A31: Effectual calling is the work of God’s Spirit, whereby convincing us of our sin and misery, enlightening our minds in the knowledge of Christ, and renewing our wills, he doth persuade and enable us to embrace Jesus Christ, freely offered to us in the gospel. 

Q32: What benefits do they that are effectually called partake of in this life?
A32: They that are effectually called do in this life partake of justification, adoption, and sanctification, and the several benefits which, in this life, do either accompany or flow from them. 

Q33: What is justification?
A33: Justification is an act of God’s free grace, wherein He pardoneth all our sins, and accepteth us as righteous in His sight, only for the righteousness of Christ imputed to us, and received by faith alone. 

Q34: What is adoption?
A34: Adoption is an act of God’s free grace, whereby we are received into the number, and have a right to all the privileges of the Sons of God. 

Today we will be going through verse 27. We are still dealing with John the Baptist and him stating for the record who he is and who he is not.

John 1:27
It is He who comes after me, the thong of whose sandal I am not worthy to untie.” 

John’s baptism was a baptism of repentance. The Pharisees were convinced of their righteousness and I think a bit puzzled as to why they would need to repent. Our present day, it is the same. I meet people all the time who are convinced they are a good person and repentance is not something they need to worry about. After all, they say that their sins have been forgiven. If you are true of heart and believe that Christ has risen from the dead and is Lord of all, that is true. However, it is incumbent upon us to repent of our daily sins. Yes, they are forgiven, but we must acknowledge the sin and forsake it, lest our blessings be withheld.

Acts 17: 11
Now these were more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica, for they received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so.

Now let’s play the part of the Bereans and look at what was said. 

We’ve talked about who is good several times during various bible studies and I’ve gotten the impression of “there he goes again” from this group. Do any of us here really think of ourselves as good people? And why would you think that? We are told all through our lives that we’re a good boy or girl. Or you’ve done a good job and this reinforces the “I must be a good person” idea. And if you’ve not read the bible, you would persist in thinking this. This is the work of satan. Does that shock you? It should. Luke 18:19 has Jesus saying there are none good but God alone. The great deceiver would like you to think differently. God is Holy and does not take any sin lightly. If He alone is good, when we think we are good, we are sinning against God. I want to make this as simple as possible to let you understand something so small but so important.

So let’s figure out what I said. I used “you are true of heart” as a qualifier to the rest of what I said. To review: “If you are true of heart and believe that Christ has risen from the dead and is Lord of all, that is true. However, it is incumbent upon us to repent of our daily sins. Yes, they are forgiven, but we must acknowledge the sin and forsake it, lest our blessings be withheld.” 

 So what am I talking about? There is head knowledge of scripture and God and there is heart knowledge. You may know certain things about the bible, but if you have not taken them into your heart, it will do you no good. Your blessings will be of those that all get as general Grace. God’s grace abounds to all the earth. Psalm 145:9 The Lord is good to all, and his mercy is over all that he has made.

So examine yourselves to know if your heart is true. 

2 Corinthians 13:5
Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you– unless indeed you fail the test?

We’ve got that covered, now on to Christ has risen from the dead. You’ve heard this countless times I’m sure. But how do you know this? This is an important idea. Where did you get this knowledge? Did you read it or just hear it in Sunday School? This can be for many people, head knowledge. If you have not taken it into your heart and truly believe, it is of little value. Just another one of those things you know, that you can say to one another, but that’s about it. We find proof of it in the scripture.

Mark 16:14
Afterward He appeared to the eleven themselves as they were reclining at the table; and He reproached them for their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they had not believed those who had seen Him after He had risen.

So the scripture tells us so and we know the bible is good from 2 Timothy 3:16 and here we have Jesus coming to the disciples, those that were told He would be raised from the dead, but that apparently was just head knowledge. 

Now why is Easter and Him who was crucified and now raised important? Laughably simple questions to those whose hearts have been examined and found true, but not all know this.

The Good News is if you are still breathing, you can still repent and accept the Lord as your savior. Now onto proof. 

John 3:16-18
16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.

Romans 1:9
“If you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” 

What I am doing here is breaking down everything I had said, and proving up on it with the scriptures. Yes there is context involved, but I don’t want to muddy the water up with that just yet. 

Let us finish out parsing my statement. The last part was to repent your sins daily or you’ll not be blessed by our Father as He would like to bless you. The simple of it is, obey God and you’ll be blessed, disobey God and you’ll be cursed. Deuteronomy 28 where Moses spells this out to those stiff necked Jews quite clearly. 

1 John 1:8
If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.

1 JOHN 1:9
“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” 

Hebrews 10:26-27
For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a fearful expectation of judgment, and a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries.

Revelation 3:3
Remember, then, what you received and heard. Keep it, and repent. If you will not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come against you.

Proverbs 28:13
Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy.

That covers everything I said. Now what I want you to do is think about what you know, really think about it and think about how you came to know that. Were you just told it or did you read it somewhere? Is this head knowledge or do you hold it in your heart? And now follow up on that. The internet is very good for this task but your very own bible is all you need. Sit down in a quiet place with the bible in your lap and ask God to help you find what you are looking for. None of you here can tell me you don’t have time for that. How will you know God and what he wants from you if you don’t read what he wrote? Take an interest in your salvation, for none of us knows the span of our days.

Just like John the Baptist when he said that he was not worthy of untying the sandal of Him who was crucified so that we might have eternal life. We are not worthy of God’s love, but God loves us anyway. Glorify Him in all that you do.