From Gary... Freedom

This morning as I took Buddy out for his walk, I looked up at the sky and thought- How nice it is to be free from that oppressive humidity we have been experiencing lately (it was 97 on the Lanai yesterday afternoon).  Then I remembered that this was Memorial day weekend.  Although, to many it is just a cook-out time, as citizens of the United States Of America, we need to remember those who sacrificed their lives in defense of freedom.  So, let us REMEMBER, AND NEVER, EVER FORGET!!!  For those of us who follow the Christ of God, we also remember our greatest warrior, who laid down his life for our spiritual freedom.  This memorial we celebrate each Sunday, but honestly, it is worth thinking about every day of the week, because there is not a single day that we do not reap the benefits of HIS SACRIFICE.  With that in mind, please read the following passage and be thankful...

Matthew, Chapter 26

  17  Now on the first day of unleavened bread, the disciples came to Jesus, saying to him, “Where do you want us to prepare for you to eat the Passover?” 

  18  He said, “Go into the city to a certain person, and tell him, ‘The Teacher says, “My time is at hand. I will keep the Passover at your house with my disciples.”’” 

  19  The disciples did as Jesus commanded them, and they prepared the Passover.  20 Now when evening had come, he was reclining at the table with the twelve disciples.  21 As they were eating, he said, “Most certainly I tell you that one of you will betray me.” 

  22  They were exceedingly sorrowful, and each began to ask him, “It isn’t me, is it, Lord?” 

  23  He answered, “He who dipped his hand with me in the dish, the same will betray me.   24  The Son of Man goes, even as it is written of him, but woe to that man through whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would be better for that man if he had not been born.” 

  25  Judas, who betrayed him, answered, “It isn’t me, is it, Rabbi?” 

He said to him, “You said it.” 

  26  As they were eating, Jesus took bread, gave thanks for it, and broke it. He gave to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is my body.”   27 He took the cup, gave thanks, and gave to them, saying, “All of you drink it,   28  for this is my blood of the new covenant, which is poured out for many for the remission of sins.   29  But I tell you that I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on, until that day when I drink it anew with you in my Father’s Kingdom.” 

Now, the veteran's I have known during my life would only number in the thousands or perhaps possibly tens-of-thousands, but every one of them was NOT PERFECT!!!  In comparison, Jesus was and still is absolute perfection.  This weekend, let us give a double meaning to Memorial Day and remember that one special warrior who died that we might be free from sin and all its eternal consequences!!!!

PS.  The picture at the top is from one of the most wonderfully landscaped homes in our Southfork community.  To me, what really makes it great is the way our nation's flag is displayed- with GREAT RESPECT!!!!

From Jim McGuiggan... Indwelt Temples

Indwelt Temples

Paul says to Corinthian Christians that each of their bodies is a “temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you.” (1Corinthians 6:19) Should we conclude that the physical body of each Corinthian was a temple—literally rather than metaphorically? I’m pretty sure that the vast majority would say “temple” is a metaphor. The truth Paul speaks—whatever else it is—is clearly a spiritual truth but that has nothing to do with “literal versus spiritual”. Literal stands over against metaphorical and not over against spiritual.

Earlier he has said that each Corinthian was a part of/member of “Christ himself” (6:15). Most of us would go in either of two directions. We would say “member of” is metaphorical because Jesus himself is not made up of a vast number of people—he is himself and no-one else. Or we would take “Christ” (as most students do) to mean the “corporate” Christ and not the historical person, Jesus Christ. We would say it was the “corporate” Christ because Christ in this passage is said to consist of many people and this would lead us on to the phrase “the body of Christ.” Here Paul doesn’t say “the body of Christ” because he wants to drive home not only their oneness with Christ but the horror of amalgamating Jesus Christ with temple prostitutes. (He has dealt with “run-of-the-mill” fornication in the previous chapter and here deals with prostitutes who serve the temple of the hill.)

In one way or another, the spiritual union of the Corinthians with Christ is expressed in a metaphor. The spiritual union is real and actual but it isn’t described in literal terms; it’s described in metaphor. If we make “Christ” stand for a corporate reality rather than the historical Jesus we employ metaphor. If we make Christ the literal and historical Jesus Christ then “members of” becomes a metaphor.

When we come to the Holy Spirit who indwells a Corinthian temple or temples we rightly take temple to be metaphorical. We don’t want the one temple to be made up of many little temples. I think it’s a mistake to break the phrase into two independent notions. To say, “You are temples in which the Holy Spirit lives or dwells” and then to say “temple” is figurative and “dwell” is literal is surely a mistake. At least, it needs justification rather than simple assertion. To hold that “in you” or “dwell in you” must mean that the Spirit takes up bodily residence in each Corinthian is to reach into a section filled with metaphor and insist on one literal understanding, even in a single phrase.

Body, parts (members), bought, “one spirit” (6:17), temple all figuratively tell a non-spatial spiritual truth but “dwell” is literal and tells a spatial truth? We need more than an assertion that that is true.

"Christ himself, that not literal."

"Body, that's figurative."

"Members, that's figurative."

"Temple, that's figurative."

"Bought, that's figurative."

"One spirit, that's not literal."

"Dwell in, that's literal."

Hmmm.

I believe that these are metaphors and speak of actual spiritual truths in non-literal speech. The phrase “temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you” is not telling us where the Spirit can be located but how the Corinthians relate to the Holy Spirit (and to the Christ) and the Spirit to them.

©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... The Cost And Reward Of Discipleship

                          "THE GOSPEL OF MARK"

             The Cost And Reward Of Discipleship (10:28-31)

INTRODUCTION

1. Jesus had just completed His encounter with the rich young ruler...
   a. Who sadly left when he chose his possessions over following Christ
      - Mk 10:17-22
   b. When Jesus then warned His disciples about the difficulty of
      riches - Mk 10:23-27

2. At which Peter began to say, "See, we have left all and followed
   You..." - Mk 10:28
   a. Matthew adds in his gospel "Therefore what shall we have?" - Mt 19:27
   b. Matthew also mentions the promise of the apostles sitting on
      thrones of judgment in the regeneration - Mt 19:28

[For everyone else who follows Jesus as His disciples, there is the
promise of both cost and reward.  With Mark's account (Mk 10:28-31)
before us, let's first examine...]

I. THE COST OF DISCIPLESHIP

   A. EARTHLY RELATIONS...
      1. Jesus spoke of leaving family - Mk 10:29
      2. He mentioned wife; not found in some mss of Mark, but is in 

         Lk 18:29
      3. Not to suggest such is always necessary - cf. 1Co 9:5
      4. But sometimes even one's family turns against a disciple - 

         Mt 10:21,34-36
      5. Thus Jesus and His gospel must come before family - Mt 10:37;
         Lk 14:26
      -- Sometimes the greatest cost of discipleship is imposed by our
         own families

   B. EARTHLY POSSESSIONS...
      1. Jesus spoke of leaving house and lands - Mk 10:29
      2. Not to suggest that it is always necessary - cf. 

         1Co 16:19; Ro 16:5; Col 4:15; Phm 1:2
      3. But disciples often sold lands, opened their homes to others
         - Ac 4:36-37; Phm 1:22
      4. Paul certainly gave up much to serve Christ - Php 3:7-8
      5. Thus Jesus and His kingdom must come before possessions - 

         Lk 14:33; Mt 6:33
      -- We must be willing to forsake all that is necessary to be a
         disciple of Jesus

[The cost of discipleship can certainly be great.  For some, it is more
than others.  But for all who are willing to bear the cost of being His
disciple, Jesus promises...]

II. THE REWARD OF DISCIPLESHIP

   A. ETERNAL RELATIONS...
      1. Jesus spoke of hundredfold blessings "in this time" - Mk 10:30
      2. Of brothers, sisters, mother, children
         a. He likely refers to fellow disciples as family - cf. Mk 3:31-35
         b. Jesus does not mention "fathers"; could it be because God is
            our Father? - Mt 23:9
         c. The fulfillment of this can be seen in the church, the
            family of God - 1Ti 3:15; 5:1-2
         d. Our spiritual family (the church) is the only one that will
            survive death
      3. Of houses and lands
         a. Perhaps through fellow ties with other disciples - Ac 4:32
         b. Who opened their hearts and homes to one another (Mi casa es
            su casa)
         c. Like Aquila and Priscilla - Ac 18:1-3; 1Co 16:19; Ro 16:5
      -- Even now, through His church, there are great rewards for
         following Christ

   B. ETERNAL POSSESSIONS...
      1. Jesus spoke of eternal life "in the age to come" - Mk 10:30
      2. As Paul described, the gift of God to be received at "the end"
         - Ro 6:22-23; cf. Mt 25:46
      3. This eternal life includes the "people of God" - cf. Re 21:3
      4. This eternal life includes spiritual houses and lands
         a. The Father's house, in which there are many rooms - Jn 14:1-3
         a. A new heaven and a new earth - 2Pe 3:13; Re 21:1
         b. The holy city, New Jerusalem - Re 21:2,23-27
      -- What glorious rewards await those who follow Jesus to eternal
         life!

CONCLUSION

1. In Mark's account, Jesus also mentioned persecutions...
   a. Together with the rewards of following Jesus - Mk 10:30
   b. Leading some to view them as a reward rather than a cost of
      discipleship
   c. Those who suffer persecution are certainly blessed - Mt 5:10-12;
      Re 20:4-6

2. Jesus concludes:  "But many who are first will be last, and the last
   first"... - Mk 10:31
   a. Which is followed in Matthew's gospel with the parable of laborers
      in the vineyard - Mt 20:1-15
   b. And is repeated again after the parable - Mt 20:16
   c. Thus a cautionary warning not to serve the Lord with a mercenary
      spirit

Whatever the cost of discipleship, whether our service proves to be long
and hard or short and easy, the reward of discipleship more than makes
up for it.  As Paul (who suffered greatly for Christ) wrote:

   "For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working
   for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we
   do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which
   are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the
   things which are not seen are eternal." - 2Co 4:17-18

May the words of Jesus in our text always remind us of the things that
are eternal, some to be enjoyed even in this age, others to be realized
in the age to come...

Executable Outlines, Copyright © Mark A. Copeland, 2011