Friday, December 30, 2005

 

Testimony

testimony 1a. (1): the tablets inscribed with the Mosaic law (2): the ark containing the tablets b: a divine decree attested in the Scriptures 2a: firsthand authentication of a fact b: an outward sign c: a solemn declaration usu. made orally by a witness under oath in response to interrogation by a lawyer or authorized public official 3a: an open acknowledgment b: a public profession of religious experience

The other day I realized that I have never publically expressed my testimony of salvation. The only 'testimonies' I could think of were my lifestylies, baptism, etc. However, I have never put into clear words the first experience I had as a Christian. But if you are still reading, you will not find the testimony in this post. It will come at a later time (hopefully tomorrow). So until then ...

Wednesday, December 28, 2005

 

The Chronicles of Moses

"When a prophet of the LORD is among you, I reveal myself to him in visions, I speak to him in dreams.
But this is not true of my servant Moses; he is faithful in all my house.
With him I speak face to face, clearly and not in riddles; he sees the form of the LORD.
Why then were you not afraid to speak against my servant Moses?"
(Numbers 12:6-8 NIV)

The first five books of the Bible are the foundation of the Christian faith. Moses' The Pentateuch (meaning "five-volumed book") goes together like C.S. Lewis' The Chronicles of Narnia or J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings. But did you know that the Hebrew titles of the individual books are not the same as the English titles? The Hebrew titles are actually the first few words of each book.

Genesis is Greek in origin and comes from the word geneseos, which means 'birth' or 'genealogy'. The Hebrew title is bereshith, which means 'in beginning'.

Exodus is a Latin word derived from Greek Exodos, which means 'exit'. The Hebrew title is we'elleh shemoth, which means 'these are the names of'.

Leviticus comes also from Greek and means 'relating to the Levites'. The Hebrew title is wayyiqra', which means 'and he called'.

Numbers is oddly named. It is named for the census lists of chapters 1 and 26. The Hebrew title might do better justice to the content. Bemidbar, the Hebrew title, means 'in the desert'.

Deuteronomy is said to have come from a mistranslation of a phrase in Dt 17:18. Deuteronomy means 'repetition of the law'. The Hebrew title is 'elleh haddebarim, which means 'these are the words'.

How wonderful it is to still have this collection!

 

I Will Arise

"I will arise and go to Jesus
He will embrace me in His arms
In the arms of my dear Savior
O, there are ten thousand charms
Come ye weary, heavy laden
Lost and ruined by the fall
If you tarry 'till you're better
You will never come at all
Come ye sinners, poor and needy
Weak and wounded, sick and sore
Jesus ready stands to save you
Full of pity, love, and power"
WRITTEN BY: Joseph Hart
Traditional American Melody

Sunday, December 25, 2005

 

Holiday Travels

"Three times a year all your men must appear before the LORD your God at the place he will choose: at the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the Feast of Weeks, and the Feast of Tabernacles. No man should appear before the LORD empty-handed. Each of you must bring a gift in proportion to the way the LORD your God has blessed you." (Deuteronomy 16:16, 17 NIV)

Three times a year a pilgrimage was required. Today, Christmas Day, reminds us of a trip taken by a man and his wife:

"In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. ... And everyone went to his own town to register. So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child." (Luke 2:1-5)

Saturday, December 24, 2005

 

Feast of Tabernacles

"The LORD said to Moses, 'Say to the Israelites: 'On the fifteenth day of the seventh month the LORD's Feast of Tabernacles begins, and it lasts for seven days. ... So beginning with the fifteenth day of the seventh month, after you have gathered the crops of the land, celebrate the festival to the LORD for seven days; the first day is a day of rest, and the eighth day also is a day of rest.'" (Leviticus 23:33, 34, 39 NIV)

The feasts of the year are coming to a close. The harvest is completed. The Israelites end their sacred days with a week long celebration.

"Celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles for seven days after you have gathered the produce of your threshing floor and your winepress. Be joyful at your Feast--you, your sons and daughters, your menservants and maidservants, and the Levites, the aliens, the fatherless and the widows who live in your towns." (Deuteronomy 16:13-14)

"On the fifteenth day of the seventh month, ... present an offering made by fire as an aroma pleasing to the LORD, a burnt offering of 13 young bulls, 2 rams and 14 male lambs a year old ... on the second day prepare 12 young bulls, 2 rams and 14 male lambs a year old ... on the third day prepare 11 young bulls, 2 rams and 14 male lambs a year old ... on the fourth day prepare 10 young bulls, 2 rams and 14 male lambs a year old ... on the fifth day prepare 9 young bulls, 2 rams and 14 male lambs a year old ... on the sixth day prepare 8 young bulls, 2 rams and 14 male lambs a year old ... on the seventh day prepare 7 young bulls, 2 rams and 14 male lambs a year old ... on the eighth day hold an assembly and do no regular work. Present an offering made by fire as an aroma pleasing to the LORD, a burnt offering of one bull, one ram and seven male lambs a year old, all without defect." (Numbers 29:12, ..., 36)

What a way to end the harvest season! But where does the name of the feast come from?

"Live in booths for seven days: All native-born Israelites are to live in booths so your descendants will know that I had the Israelites live in booths when I brought them out of Egypt. I am the LORD your God." (Leviticus 23:42-43)

Thanksgiving Day, celebrated by the Pilgrims in America, is somewhat similar to this Jewish holiday. However, many cultures have a day following the harvest.

For an interesting story in Jesus' day, read John 7:1-52.

 

Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement)

October 12, 2005 was Yom Kippur. On that day I wrote the following post:

*******************

"The LORD [YHWH] said to Moses, 'The tenth day of this seventh month [Ethanim or Tishri] is the Day of Atonement [Yom Hakkippurim]. Hold a sacred assembly and deny yourselves, and present an offering made to the LORD by fire.'" (Leviticus 23:26-27 NIV)

"But only the High Priest entered the inner room, and that only once a year [on Yom Hakkippurim], and never without blood, which he offered for himself and for the sins the people had committed in ignorance." (Hebrews 9:7)

"When Christ came as High Priest of the good things that are already here, he went through the greater and more perfect tabernacle that is not man-made, that is to say, not a part of this creation. He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, having obtained eternal redemption." (Hebrews 9:11-12)

"For Christ did not enter a man-made sanctuary that was only a copy of the true one; he entered heaven itself, now to appear for us in God's presence." (Hebrews 9:24)

"The High Priest carries the blood of animals into the Most Holy Place as a sin offering, but the bodies are burned outside the camp. And so Jesus also suffered outside the city gate to make the people holy through his own blood." (Hebrews 13:11-12)

Friday, December 23, 2005

 

Rosh Hashanah

"The LORD said to Moses, 'Say to the Israelites: "On the first day of the seventh month [Ethanim or Tishri] you are to have a day of rest, a sacred assembly commemorated with trumpet blasts. Do no regular work, but present an offering made to the LORD by fire."'" (Leviticus 23:23-25 NIV)

This holiday is called the Feast of Trumpets. Today it is called Rosh Hashanah (New Year). Ethanim is the seventh month in the sacred calendar but the first in the civil or agricultural calendar. Oddly, not much is in the Bible concerning this feast. But modern Jews put a lot of emphasis on this day--their new year's day.

"... your times of rejoicing--your appointed feasts and New Moon festivals--you are to sound the trumpet over you burnt offerings and fellowship offerings ..." (Numbers 10:10)

The Jewish calendar is based on the cycles of the moon. Every New Moon was the beginning of the new month, and a trumpet--ram's horn more specifically--was sounded. Ethanim begins sometime in September-October. The month ends the harvest period which began around Passover. Where the Passover begins the Feast of Unleavened Bread and Day of Firstfruits, the Feast of Trumpets leads the Day of Atonement and Feast of Tabernacles (see later posts).

Thinking of trumpets and the end of the harvest, I cannot help but think of the End of the Age.

"At that time the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and all the nations of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and great glory. And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other." (Matthew 24:30-31)

"I looked, and there before me was a white cloud, and seated on the cloud was one 'like a son of man' with a crown of gold on his head and a sharp sickle in his hand. Then another angel came out of the temple and called in a loud voice to him who was sitting on the cloud, 'Take your sickle and reap, because the time to reap has come, for the harvest of the earth is ripe.' So he who was seated on the cloud swung his sickle over the earth, and the earth was harvested." (Revelation 14:14-16)

Wednesday, December 21, 2005

 

Feast of Weeks

"From the day after the Sabbath, the day you brought the sheaf of the wave offering [Firstfruits, see two posts earlier], count off seven full weeks. Count off fifty days up to the day after the seventh Sabbath, and then present an offering of new grain to the LORD. From wherever you live, bring two loaves, ... seven male lambs, ... one young bull and two rams. ... On that same day you are to proclaim a sacred assembly and do no regular work. This is to be a lasting ordinance for the generations to come, wherever you live." (Leviticus 23:15-17, ..., 21 NIV)

Counting fifty days from after the Feast of Unleavened bread--that is, the Firstfruits--places you in the 3rd month of Sivan. This day was referred to the Feast of Weeks in Leviticus and Numbers and the Feast of Harvest in Exodus. Due to the number fifty, this feast is referred to as Pentacost in the New Testament.

"After his [Jesus'] suffering, he showed himself to these men and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom. ... he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight." (Acts 1:3, 9)

(The comment about forty days might be more evidence that Jesus arose on the day of Firstfruits. Maybe?!)

"When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them." (Acts 2:1-4)

Later Jewish tradition held that the Law was given to Moses on the same day Pentecost was celebrated (see Exodus 19:1 for possible proof). However, the giving of the Law does not seem to correspond to why God told them to celebrate the Feast of Weeks. Nevertheless, if the tradition is true, the contrast of Law-driven Jews in the Old Testament and Spirit-driven Christians in the New Testament is accented.

 

Moving On

Because of the importance of Passover, the Bible is just rich with information about this holiday. However, I am going to move on. But before I do, I am going to list a few of the things I discovered about Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread that you might be interested in and can go discover on your own:

1. Psalm 113-118

2. Ziv

3. Busy temple


Tuesday, December 20, 2005

 

Firstfruits

"The LORD said to Moses, 'Speak to the Israelites and say to them: "When you enter the land I am going to give you and you reap its harvest, bring to the priest a sheaf of the first grain you harvest. He is to wave the sheaf before the LORD so it will be accepted on your behalf; the priest is to wave it on the day after the Sabbath."'" (Leviticus 23:9-11 NIV)

It is not very explicit when this should take place. However, the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread take place in March-April. This is also the time of the first harvest of barley. Therefore, these three holidays--Passover, the Feast of Unleavened Bread, and the Firstfruits--are celebrated together. If that is the case, some light is shed on the week leading up to the Crucifixion.

"On the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the disciples came to Jesus and asked, 'Where do you want us to make preparations for you to eat the Passover?'" (Matthew 26:17)

"When the hour came [evening, when the Passover Lamb was eaten], Jesus and his apostles reclined at the table." (Luke 22:14)

"When they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives." (Mark 14:26)

"Just as he [Jesus] was speaking, Judas one of the Twelve, appeared." (Mark 14:43)

"Now it was the day of Preparation, and the next day was to be a special Sabbath. Because the Jews did not want the bodies left on the crosses during the Sabbath, they asked Pilate to have the legs broken and the bodies taken down. ... But when they came to Jesus and found that he was already dead, they did not break his legs." (John 19:31, 33)

"Early on the first day of the week [the 'day after the Sabbath' ?Lev 23:11?], while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance." (John 20:1)

I cannot find anyone to confirm this, but did Jesus arise on the Day of Firstfruits? This is a real question that I cannot find the answer.

"But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep." (1 Corinthians 15:20)

Monday, December 19, 2005

 

Feast of Unleavened Bread

"Celebrate the Feast of Unleavened Bread, because it was on this very day that I brought your divisions out of Egypt. Celebrate this day as a lasting ordinance for the generations to come. In the first month you are to eat bread made without yeast, from the evening of the fourteenth day [Passover] until the evening of the twenty-first day. For seven days no yeast is to be found in your houses. And whoever eats anything with yeast in it must be cut off from the community of Israel, whether he is an alien or native-born. Eat nothing made with yeast. Wherever you live, you must eat unleavened bread." (Exodus 12:17-20 NIV)

"Don't you know that a little yeast works through the whole batch of dough? Get rid of the old yeast that you may be a new batch without yeast--as you really are. For Christ, our Passover Lamb, has been sacrificed. Therefore let us keep the Festival, not with the old yeast, the yeast of malice and wickedness, but with bread without yeast, the bread of sincerity and truth." (1 Corinthians 5:6-8)

Sunday, December 18, 2005

 

Personal Aside

"In the desert the whole community grumbled against Moses and Aaron. The Israelites said to them, 'If only …'" (Exodus 16:2, 3)

I will return to the series on Israel's holidays tomorrow. Tonight, I want to share God's quick answer to a personal prayer. Every Sunday afternoon, my whole immediate family meets at my parent's house to have lunch. The climax of the day is the conversation at the table. The conversation can range from deep and theological to biological body functions. Today the topic was about the current state of the church my dad is the pastor—and that I attend. In recent days the church body has been discouraged. I compare the current situation to a two-legged dog. The church still functions; however, you cannot help but wonder how long it can last. Different family members had different views. Some were optimistic, some pessimistic. I fell in the latter. Before we dispersed after the meal, I made the comment that I would like God to confirm to me that this church is apart of God's plan.

Tonight, the church was meeting to go caroling at nursing homes where various members live. I planned on the few regular evening church members to attend (approx. 8-10). However, what to my surprise when I stepped into the fellowship hall! TWENTY—that is, 5 senior citizens, 8 youth (that is including myself), 2 children, and 5 adults. After singing, we all met at B.H.'s house and had great fellowship. This turnout was an answered prayer. As a church, we still have a ways to go; however, this evening is something we [I] can build on.

When I got home, I was planning on putting up a post about the festivities after Passover (see last post). But I thought I would share these thoughts instead. Attached to this post are pictures from this year's Vacation Bible School. These pictures are mainly for my enjoyment, but I hope you can enjoy them as well. GOD IS SO GOOD!



Friday, December 16, 2005

 

The New Year

After Christmas, the excitement of New Year's Day builds. After Purim, the same excitement probably builds for the Jew. For the Jew, entering the new year should bring back God's great deliverance for his people from Egypt. However, today many Jews cannot see the rich significance of this wonderful holiday. If Moses and Aaron would have only known what was going to happen 1400+ years later!

"The LORD [YHWH] said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, 'This month shall be for you the beginning of months. It shall be the first month of the year for you. Tell all the congregation of Israel that on the tenth day of this month [Abib or Nisan] every man shall take a lamb according to their fathers' houses, a lamb for a household. ... Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male a year old. You may take it from the sheep or from the goats, and you shall keep it until the fourteenth of this month, when the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill their lambs at twilight. Then they shall take the blood and put it on the two doorposts and the lintel of the houses in which they eat it. They shall eat the flesh that night, roasted on the fire; with unleavened bread and bitter herbs they shall eat it. Do not eat any of it raw or boiled in water, but roasted, its head with its legs and its inner parts. And you shall let none of it remain until the morning; anything that remains until the morning you shall burn. In this manner you shall eat it: with your belt fastened, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand. And you shall eat it in haste. It is the LORD's Passover. For I will pass through the land of Egypt that night, and I will strike all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and on all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am the LORD. The blood shall be a sign for you, on the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and no plague will befall you to destroy you, when I strike the land of Egypt.
This day shall be for you a memorial day, and you shall keep it as a feast to the LORD; throughout your generations, as a statue forever, you shall keep it as a feast.'" (Exodus 12:1-3, 5-14 ESV)

"... Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect ..." (1 Peter 1:19)
"... not one of his bones will be broken ..." (initially, Exodus 12:46 repeated John 19:36)

What a glorious way to begin the New Year!

Thursday, December 15, 2005

 

The Celebration of Purim

"When Haman saw that Mordecai would not kneel down or pay him honor, he was enraged. Yet having learned who Mordecai's people were, he scorned the idea of killing only Mordecai. Instead Haman looked for a way to destroy all Mordecai's people, the Jews, throughout the whole kingdom of Xerxes. In the twelfth year of King Xerxes, in the first month, the month of Nisan [keep this month in your head until a later post], they cast the pur (that is, the lot) in the presence of Haman to select a day and month. And the lot fell on the twelfth month, the month of Adar." (Esther 3:5-7 NIV)

Adar begins between February and March. It is the last month before the new sacred year. Haman had determined that he was going to kill all Jews in the Persian Empire. However, Esther pleaded for her people, and in the month of Sivan, King Xerxes created a new decree that the Jews have the right to "protect themselves; to destroy, kill and annihilate any armed force of any nationality or province that might attack them." (Esther 8:11) The Jews were allowed to carry out this decree on the 13th of Adar.

"This happened on the thirteenth day of the month of Adar, and on the fourteenth they rested and made it a day of feasting and joy. The Jews in Susa, however, had assembled on the thirteenth and fourteenth, and then on the fifteenth they rested and made it a day of feasting and joy. That is why rural Jews--those living in villages--observe the fourteenth of the month of Adar as a day of joy and feasting, a day for giving presents to each other. Mordecai recorded these events, and he sent letters to all the Jews throughout the provinces of King Xerxes, near and far, to have them celebrate annually the fourteenth and fifteenth days of the month of Adar as the time when the Jews got relief from their enemies, and as the month when their sorrow was turned into joy and their mourning into a day of celebration. He wrote them to observe the days as days of feasting and joy and giving presents of food to one another and gifts to the poor. ... The days were called Purim, from the word pur." (Esther 9:17-22, 26a)

Today, Purim is celebrated on the 14th except in Jerusalem, where it is observed on the 15th.

Wednesday, December 14, 2005

 

Happy 'Holy' Days

With Christmas and New Years approaching, I was curious about the holidays (holy days) that Israel celebrated in the Bible. But before jumping into each holiday, we have to be familiar with the Hebrew calendar. Jews have two sequences that travel throughout the year: sacred and civil (agricultural). The first month of the civil calendar is Ethanim. This day corresponds to the beginning of Fall (September-October). However, Ethanim is the seventh month of the sacred sequence. The first month of the sacred sequence, Abib, corresponds to the Passover.

"The LORD said to Moses and Aaron in Egypt, 'This month is to be for you the first month, the first month of your year."' (Exodus 12:1, 2 NIV)

Abib, the Canaanite name, or Nisan, the name later given to the month while Israel was in Babylon, starts in March-April.

The rest of the year goes as follows (based on the sacred calendar):

1st month: Abib (or Nisan)
2nd month: Ziv (or Iyyar*)
3rd month: Sivan
4th month: Tammuz*
5th month: Ab*
6th month: Elul
7th month: Ethanim (or Tishri*)
8th month: Bul (or Marcheshvan*)
9th month: Kislev
10th month: Tebeth
11th month: Shebat
12th month: Adar

[EXTRA MONTH: Adar Sheni*-this intercalary month was added about every three years so the lunar calendar would correspond to the solar year.]

*Names not in the Bible

REFERENCE: NIV STUDY BIBLE: Zondervan, 1995.

Tuesday, December 13, 2005

 

Submission to Love

"Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. ... Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. ... Repay no evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, 'Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.' ... Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good." (Romans 12:9, 10, 14, 15, 17, 18, 19 ESV)

 

Submission to the Authorities

"Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves. For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and he will commend you. For he is God's servant to do you good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword for nothing. He is God's servant, an agent of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer. Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also because of conscience." (Romans 13:1-5 NIV)

Monday, December 12, 2005

 

Week of Finals

"Of making many books there is no end, and much study is a weariness of the flesh." (Ecclesiastes 12:12 ESV)

That is the truth!

Saturday, December 10, 2005

 

Nicodemus' Stance

"Finally the temple guards went back to the chief priests and Pharisees, who asked them, 'Why didn't you bring him in?' 'No one ever spoke the way this man does,' the guards declared. 'You mean he has deceived you also?' the Pharisees retorted. 'Has any of the rulers or of the Pharisees believed in him? No! But this mob that knows nothing of the law--there is a curse on them.' Nicodemus, who had gone to Jesus earlier and who was one of their number, asked, 'Does our law condemn anyone without first hearing him to find out what he is doing?' They replied, 'Are you from Galilee, too? Look into it, and you will find that a prophet does not come out of Galilee.'" (John 7:45-52 NIV)

The Pharisees are wrong twice in this passage. One, they say that no Pharisee has ever believed in Jesus. What about Nicodemus and, later, Joseph of Arimathea (Luke 23:51)? Second, they say that no prophet had come out of Galilee. This is my question to you, reader: can you name the prophet who came from the region of Galilee? Try to find the answer by using only the Bible.

 

In the Middle of the Night ...

"Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. This man came to Jesus by night ..." (John 3:1, 2a ESV)

Oh what a night ...

 

Woe (7)

"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you build the tombs of the prophets and decorate the monuments of the righteous, saying 'If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.' Thus you witness against yourselves that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets. Fill up, then, the measure of your fathers. You serpents, you brood of vipers, how are you to escape being sentenced to hell? Therefore I send you prophets and wise men and scribes, some of whom you will kill and crucify, and some you will flog in your synagogues and persecute from town to town, so that on you may come all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of innocent Abel to the blood of Zechariah the son of Barachiah, whom you murdered between the sanctuary and the altar. Truly, I say to you, all these things will come upon this generation." (Matthew 23:29-36 ESV)

Friday, December 09, 2005

 

Woe (6)


"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people's bones and all uncleanness. So you also outwardly appear righteous to others, but within you are full of hypocricy and lawlessness." (Matthew 23:27, 28 ESV)

*The photo is from http://www.falstadpropertymanagement.com/israel.htm. The picture is taken from the Mount of Olives looking down into Jerusalem. In the foreground are Jewish tombs.

 

Woe (5)

"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and the plate, but inside they are full of greed and sulf-indulgence. You blind Pharisees! First clean the inside of the cup and the plate, that the outside also may be clean." (Matthew 23:25,26 ESV)

Thursday, December 08, 2005

 

Woe (4)

"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness. These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others. You blind guides, straining out a gnat and swallowing a camel!" (Matthew 23:23, 24 ESV)

Wednesday, December 07, 2005

 

Woe (3)

"Woe to you, blind guides, who say, 'If anyone swears by the temple, it is nothing, but if anyone swears by the gold of the temple, he is bound by his oath.' ... So whoever swears by the altar swears by it and by everything on it. And whoever swears by the temple swears by it and by him who dwells in it. And whoever swears by heaven swears by the throne of God and by him who sits upon it." (Matthew 23:16, 20-22 ESV)

 

Woe (2)

"Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You travel over land and sea to win a single convert, and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of hell as you are." (Matthew 23:15 NIV)

(Did Jesus really say that? Yikes!)

Tuesday, December 06, 2005

 

Woe (1)

"But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut the kingdom of heaven in people's faces. For you neither enter yourselves nor allow those who would enter to go in." (Matthew 23:13 ESV)

 

The Seven Woes

1. Attends church regularly
2. Dresses nicely when attending church
3. Knowledgeable about what is in the Bible
4. Teaches what is in the Bible
5. Gives Biblical advice to friends and co-workers

I can say that the above list can apply to myself. However, when I think about it, the above list could also apply to a Pharisee during the time of Jesus on Earth. Many times I get the impression that Pharisees were mean and cruel people. But maybe that was not the case! Nevertheless, Jesus had some very harsh--and not very love sounding--statements. Could you be a Pharisee in a modern era? Could I be a Pharisee? The next seven posts are the Seven Woes to the teachers of the law and the Pharisees sitting in Moses' seat.

Monday, December 05, 2005

 

THEN and NOW

THEN
"He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him." (Isaiah 53:2b)

NOW
"... thrones were set in place, and the Ancient of Days took his seat." "... and among the lampstands was someone 'like a son of man' dressed in a robe reaching down to his feet and with a golden sash around his chest. His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were like blazing fire. His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of rushing waters. ... His face was like the sun shining in all its brilliance." "His throne was flaming with fire, and its wheels were all ablaze. A river of fire was flowing, coming out from before him. Thousands upon thousands attended him; ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him." (Daniel 7:9a; Revelation 1:13-16; Daniel 7:9c-10 NIV)

Sunday, December 04, 2005

 

WWJL? (2)

"He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquanted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. ... He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth." (Isaiah 53:3-5, 7 KJV)

"Jesus wept." (John 11:35 NIV)

"And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground." (Luke 22:44)

Saturday, December 03, 2005

 

WWJL? (What Was Jesus Like?)



"Jesus left there and went to his hometown, accompanied by his disciples. When the Sabbath came, he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were amazed. 'Where did this man get these things?' they asked. 'What's this wisdom that has been given him, that he even does miracles! Isn't this the carpenter? Isn't this Mary's son and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas and Simon? Aren't his sisters here with us?' And they took offense at him." (Mark 6:1-3 NIV)

Friday, December 02, 2005

 

The Anointed One (Part IV)

"'... I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever--the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. ... But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.'" (John 14:15-17, 26 NIV)

"But you [believers] have an anointing from the Holy One, and all of you know the truth. ... the anointing you received from him remains in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about all things and as that anointing is real, not counterfeit--just as it has taught you, remain in him." (1 John 2:20, 27)

"... how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power ..." (Acts 10:38a)
"... from that day on the Spirit of the LORD came upon David in power ..." (1 Samuel 16:13b)

Just like Jesus Christ--or Jesus Messiah if you like--and King David, we as believers (Christians) are anointed and have power!!!

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