9/21/13

From Gary... NOT...

Right!  What doctor in their right mind would say such a thing?  It would literally be an open invitation for litigation!!!  More likely, this is just sarcasm; meant to wake the patient us to the seriousness of his physical condition!!!  Sometimes, to get a point across, it is necessary to shock people a bit!!!  This is how I understand the Romans passage below...

Romans, Chapter 6

 1 What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?  2 May it never be! We who died to sin, how could we live in it any longer?  3 Or don’t you know that all we who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?  4 We were buried therefore with him through baptism to death, that just like Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we also might walk in newness of life.  5 For if we have become united with him in the likeness of his death, we will also be part of his resurrection;  6 knowing this, that our old man was crucified with him, that the body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be in bondage to sin.  7 For he who has died has been freed from sin.  8 But if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him;  9 knowing that Christ, being raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no more has dominion over him!  10 For the death that he died, he died to sin one time; but the life that he lives, he lives to God.  11 Thus consider yourselves also to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Paul had been accused of licentiousness; supposedly, his "gospel" would allow you to sin all you wanted and the grace of God would cover up anything you would want to do.  The apostle makes it clear that if you are alive to God, then you are DEAD TO SIN!!!  Face it, we all sin- but not willingly!!!  God's grace gives us forgiveness, but we need to constantly try to follow The Almighty's will in everything.  What has all this to do with pizza and cheeseburgers?  Nothing, except we need to think about how we live and continue to hate sin as much as the day we were baptized.

PS. Over the past 16 months or so, I HAVE had some pizza, but not one cheeseburger!!!  "Some pizza" means a slice or two- NOT a whole pie. How things have changed!!!!!

From Jim McGuiggan... Matthew 24: Was Jesus wrong? (1)

Matthew 24: Was Jesus wrong? (1)


In Matthew 24 Christ said his coming would occur before his generation would pass away. Was he wrong?
Matthew 24, Mark 13 and Luke 21 all deal with the same discourse by Jesus Christ though obviously they all have their own agenda while they report it. What event or events does Matthew 24 speak to? A glance at some of the literature shows there is more than one answer possible. Some hold that Matthew speaks of the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD and the final coming of Jesus Christ which is still yet future.
I’d like to suggest Matthew 24 has the destruction of Jerusalem in mind. There is only one massive event in view in Matthew 24 and not two events.
1. The comment of the disciples:
"Some of his disciples were remarking how the temple was adorned with beautiful stones and with gifts dedicated to God." (Luke 21:5) "As he was leaving the temple, one of his disciples said to him, ‘Look, Teacher! What massive stones! What magnificent buildings’." (Mark 13:1)  
"Jesus left the temple and was walking away when his disciples came up to him to call his attention to its buildings." (Matthew 24:1)
2. The initial statement by Christ:"As for what you see here, the time will come when not one stone will be left on another; every one of them will be thrown down." Luke 21:6 " ‘ Do you see all these great buildings?’ replied Jesus, ‘Not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down.’ " (Mark 13:2)  
" ‘Do you see all these things?’ he asked, ‘I tell you the truth, not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down.’ " (Matthew 24:2)
 3. The questions asked by the disciples:
Luke 21:7 "When will these things happen? And what will be the sign that they are about to take place?"
Mark 13:4 "Tell us when will these things happen? And what will be the sign that they are all about to be fulfilled?
Matthew 24:3" ‘Tell us,’ they said, when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and the end of the age?’
4. Some things to note:
The disciples asked about when and about signs that indicate when.
"When" is a time question and "signs" is a what question relating to the time.
In all three Gospels the when question concerns the "these things" relating to Christ’s temple remarks.
Matthew does not ask, "When is your coming and the end of the age."
So if we’re asked, "Which writer asks when the Lord is coming?" the correct answer is, "Not one of them."
Luke asks: When will these things happen? 
Mark asks: When will these things happen?            
Matthew asks: When will this happen?
To paraphrase them, the three writers ask, "When will the things you say about the temple happen?"
This seems crystal clear from a simple reading of the text.
"Jesus left the temple and was walking away when his disciples came up to him to call his attention to its buildings. ‘Do you see all these things?’ he asked, ‘I tell you the truth, not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down.’ " ‘Tell us,’ they said, when will this happen...?’ " (Matthew 24:1-3)
This should mean that if Jesus responds to a time question it will concern the destruction of the temple because that’s what they asked him about.
In Mark and Luke (read the texts again) both the when and the signs questions relate to the same thing— "these things" relative to the temple’s destruction. They are responding to Christ’s remarks about the temple and its buildings and they are asking when the temple would be destroyed and what signs would warn them when it was going to happen.
We would expect a time question to be answered with an hour or a day or a week or some time indicator.
Let me repeat, Matthew does not ask about the time of "the coming"! He asks about the time of the temple’s destruction. So if we find Jesus saying "but no one knows about that day or hour..." we need to remember that no one, not even Matthew, asked when the coming was to take place. When Christ answers a day and hour question he is answering their question about the destruction of the temple.
It won’t do then to go to Matthew 24:36 (or Mark 13:32) and say, "But of that day and hour no one knows..." and apply it to the coming of the Lord as if any of them had asked, "when will you be coming?" As the texts word it, not one of them asks when he is coming. All three asked, "when will the temple be destroyed?"
When we read the three chapters we discover (allowing for some differences in phrasing) that the signs are the same in all three.
Mark and Luke say the signs relate to the same thing as the when question. Read the texts above. This being true, both the when and the signs concern the fall of the temple.
Mark and Luke ask for signs related to the fall of the temple in 70 AD and Christ addresses that with signs.
Matthew asks for signs related to "your coming and the end of the age" and Christ gave him the same signs that he gave to Mark and Luke for the 70 AD judgment.
This means that "your coming and the end of the age" is another way of speaking of the destruction of Jerusalem and its temple.
But why would Matthew introduce such a concept as the coming of Christ and the end of the age? Why doesn’t he phrase it just as Luke and Mark have phrased it? Perhaps that’s because he has a habit of linking Christ’s discourses and this one is linked with the one in chapter 23 which speaks of the desolation of Jerusalem and the coming of Christ.
Throughout his book Matthew stresses the kingdom authority of Jesus Christ. In chapter 23 the Christ speaks to his enemies who deny his divine commission and refuse to accept that he is the One that comes in the name of the Lord. At the close of chapter 23 he assures them that they will indeed be forced to confess it (see also Matthew 26:63-64). So in light of the judgment that is coming on that generation with the destruction of their house I think Matthew is giving the theological meaning of the destruction of the temple in 24:3. It is the coming of the Lord in judgment and it is the sign that God has ended the Jewish age (compare Acts 2:17-20, Hebrews 1:2 and 1 Corinthians 10:11).
It’s important to note that after he has spoken of trembling heavens, signs in the skies, the shaking of the powers, the massing of nations, wars and rumours of wars, false Christs, the appearance of the abomination of desolation and widespread fear and panic then he gives a general time clue. He says his generation will not pass away before all those signs are accomplished.
Note Matthew 24:34, Mark 13:30 and Luke 21:32.

©2004 Jim McGuiggan. All materials are free to be copied and used as long as money is not being made.

Many thanks to brother Ed Healy, for allowing me to post from his website, the abiding word.com.

From Mark Copeland... Bearing Burdens (Galatians 6:1-5)


"THE EPISTLE TO THE GALATIANS"

Bearing Burdens (6:1-5)
INTRODUCTION

1. Justification by faith in Christ provides wonderful blessings...
   a. We enjoy true liberty, freedom from the yoke of bondage - Ga 5:1
   b. We live in the Spirit, producing the fruit of the Spirit as we
      walk in the Spirit - Ga 5:16-26

2. But such blessings do not come without responsibilities...
   a. There are burdens to bear
   b. There is good to be done

[In Galatians 6, Paul expounds on our responsibilities, beginning with
"Bearing Burdens"...]

I. WE ARE TO BEAR ONE ANOTHER'S BURDENS (1-2)

   A. THE DUTY OF THOSE WHO ARE SPIRITUAL...
      1. Who are producing the fruit of the Spirit
         a. That fruit delineated in the previous chapter - Ga 5:22-23
         b. Which fruit (e.g., love, longsuffering, kindness) prepares
            one to be of service
      2. Fulfilling the law of Christ
         a. Perhaps alluding to that 'new commandment' to love one
            another - cf. Jn 13:34
         b. What Jesus described as 'My commandment - Jn 15:12
      3. Bearing with the infirmities of the weak
         a. The duty of those who are strong - Ro 15:1-2
         b. Following the example of Jesus - Ro 15:3; cf. 1Th 5:14
      -- The spiritually strong are to bear with the burdens of the weak

   B. TO RESTORE THOSE OVERTAKEN...
      1. Those overtaken by their sins
         a. Referring to cases of surprise, or of sudden temptation
            - Barnes
         b. Not gone into sin as a result of sinful premeditation, but
            surprised by it - B.W. Johnson
      2. Restoring them in a spirit of gentleness
         a. In the exercise of that grace which is a gift and fruit of
            the Spirit of God - Gill
         b. As Paul charged Timothy - 2Ti 2:24-26
      3. Considering one's own potential for temptation
         a. Aware that we all stumble in many things - Jm 3:2
         b. Remembering that we too can easily fall - 1Co 10:12
      -- The spiritually strong are to graciously restore their weak
         brethren - cf. Jm 5:19-20

   C. ARE WE WILLING TO BEAR ONE ANOTHER'S BURDENS...?
      1. It begins with getting to know one another
         a. Enough to know when one is overtaken in a fault
         b. Enough to care when one is overtaken in a fault
      2. This is one reason we should attend every assembly of the
         church when possible
         a. It provides a way to become better acquainted with one
            another
         b. It provides a way to know when something may be wrong with a
            brother
      -- Are we willing to care enough to share one another's burdens?
         - cf. He 10:24-25

["Bearing Burdens" is not limited to the spiritually strong.  Enjoined
upon all Christians is this duty...]

II. WE ARE TO BEAR OUR OWN BURDENS (3-5)

   A. THE DUTY OF ALL WHO FOLLOW CHRIST...
      1. Otherwise we are nothing, no matter what we think
         a. There is the temptation to think higher of ourselves than we
            ought  - Ro 12:3
         b. Yet we can easily deceive ourselves - e.g., Jm 1:22
      2. Only then can we rejoice in ourselves, and not in another
         a. Some trust in being part of a group, without really
            contributing to the work
         b. But we will be judged as individuals, not as a group- Ro14:12; 2Co 5:10
      -- Are we willing to bear our own load, or do we expect others to
         carry us?

   B. TO BEAR ONE'S OWN LOAD...
      1. By first examining ourselves
         a. Starting with the fundamentals:  are we even in Christ?
            - cf. 2Co 13:5
         b. Then examining our lives weekly, as we observe the Supper
            - cf. 1Co 11:28
      2. And then carrying our own load
         a. Doing our part as members; in kindness, with faithfulness
            - Ep 4:16; Ga 5:22-23
         b. Understanding that we are needed just as much as anyone else
            - 1Co 12:15-20
      -- Do we handicap the body of Christ by failing to do our part?

   C. ARE WE WILLING TO BEAR OUR OWN LOAD...?
      1. It begins with accepting personal responsibility for our own
         spiritual growth
         a. Willing to learn what the Lord would have me know
         b. Willing to do what the Lord would have me do
      2. This is another reason we should attend every assembly of the
         church when possible
         a. It provides many opportunities to learn the Lord's will
         b. It provides many opportunities to do what the Lord desires
      -- Are we willing to do our fair share in bearing our own load?
         - cf. Ep 4:16

CONCLUSION

1. The Lord saved us that we might be zealous for good works... - Ti
   2:14
   a. Redeeming us from every lawless deed
   b. Purifying for Himself His special people

2. Are we not willing to accept the work of the Lord with zeal...?
   a. To bear one another's burden, out of love for one another?
   b. To bear our own burden, out of love for the Lord?

Executable Outlines, Copyright © Mark A. Copeland, 2011