But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.

John 3:1-21

But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God. John 3:21

I continue my study of John, reviewing John 3:1-21 using the Sword Bible Study Method, where I started yesterday at vv1-15, and today my focus is vv16-21.   

• What do we learn from the passage about God?: Nicodemus continues his evening discussion with Jesus, with Jesus building on v15 where He shares that "whoever believes in him may have eternal life."  Next we have the very oft-quoted v16 (and v17 which really should be read and spoken together with v16) that is the core gospel message: (1) God loved us SO MUCH that He gave His only Son Jesus to save the world for a full life now reborn through Christ, and for eternity with Jesus in Heaven with all the saints (other believers); (2) we should be be clear that the gospel is a HOPEFUL message, not one of judgment - yes, all will be judged, but this is NOT WHY Jesus came to earth as the Incarnate Son of God.  The gospel is a SAVING message, not one of CONDEMNATION.  Yes, there will be condemnation but that is because they are rejecting the free gift of salvation through Jesus Christ.  God knows why people reject Him....it is because people don't want to come to terms that everyone is a sinner and that accepting Jesus means you have to confess sin and turn to Him as Your Lord and Savior.      
• What do we learn from the passage about people?: Fear and shame grip people into holding onto their sin as a secret - vv19-20.  In contrast, believers are no longer slaves to their sin, and as we bear fruit from our faith, believers become a light onto others where we reflect the light of Jesus as we become image-bearers and ambassadors of God - v21.    
• Is there anything from the passage God wants us to obey (SPEC: Sins to avoid,Promises to claim, Examples to follow, Commands to obey?): Scripture is clear that believers should not judge those who don't believe - it is NOT our role to judge.  Jude 22-23 is instructive here - we are to show mercy not judge. Claim your free gift of salvation - confess sin, repent and believe!             

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My Prayer: Father God, You are an awesome God who loves and saves!  Thank You Jesus for giving me the greatest gift of all time....I am not deserving of such a gift.  My sin is great and it continues...daily.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please continue to heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and. Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others. Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

He will come and destroy the tenants and give the vineyard to others.

Mark 12:1-12

He will come and destroy the tenants and give the vineyard to others. Mark 12:9b

I continue my study of Mark, leaning on the Christ-Centered Exposition commentary series volume for Mark.  Today, my focus is a commentary-assisted review of Mark 12:1-12.  Excerpts from the commentary's third (of three) division (vv9-12):

• The title of the third division per the commentary is "God’s Judgment Will Certainly Come."
• "Jesus provides the answer to His parable, one the religious leaders would be forced to concede. In the process they condemned themselves, and they condemn us as well. The owner will destroy those who refuse his son! Historically, God judged Israel for their rejection of His Son. In AD 70 Jerusalem was destroyed, and the nation was brought to ruins." 
• "Today that same judgment falls on all who have “trampled on the Son of God, regarded as profane the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and insulted the Spirit of grace” (Hebrews 10:29). It is indeed “a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God” (Hebrews 10:31)." 
• In vv10-11, "Jesus quotes from Psalm 118:22-23, changing the metaphor to a building. It is the same psalm shouted by the people at His triumphal entry. It is clearly messianic. He knows who He is and why He has come!" 
• "The stone rejected would become a symbol for the Messiah and an explanation for how the Jewish people rejected Jesus (Luke 20:17; Acts 4:11; Romans 9:33; 1 Peter 2:6-8). 
• "Mark 12:12 is a disappointing summation of their response: “Because they knew He had said this parable against them, they were looking for a way to arrest Him, but they were afraid of the crowd. So they left Him and went away.” As Paul would later explain, all of this is foolishness and a stumbling block to them; for us, however, it is the power of God unto salvation (1 Corinthians 1:18-25)."

Many non-believers can't see how a loving God can judge and condemn people to Hell.  Yet within this judgement lies amazing grace of which not a single person in all of redemptive history is deserving.  We all sin and the wages of sin is death (Romans 3:23, 6:23; 1 John 1:8).  All of humanity is deserving of death on the cross yet Jesus took our place and He will return a 2nd time to judge.  He offers a free gift to all - believe and be saved!  Indeed the greatest gift of all time!  

Comment and discuss this post.

My Prayer: Father God You are an awesome God who loves and who is full of amazing grace for those who believe - thank You Jesus for the greatest gift of all time.  I am not deserving of such a gift.  My sin is great and it continue...daily.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please continue to heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day. 

Jesus said to them, “The cup that I drink you will drink, and with the baptism with which I am baptized, you will be baptized, but to sit at my right hand or at my left is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared.”

Mark 10:32-45

Jesus said to them, “The cup that I drink you will drink, and with the baptism with which I am baptized, you will be baptized, but to sit at my right hand or at my left is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared.” Mark 10:39b-40

I continue my study of Mark, leaning on the Christ-Centered Exposition commentary series volume for Mark.  Today, my focus is a commentary-assisted review of Mark 10:32-45.  Excerpts from the commentary's second (of four) division (vv35-40):

• The title of the second division per the commentary is "Consider the Challenge to Being a Servant." 
• "Being a servant doesn’t come easily, especially for those who have been trained to lead and especially for those who dream of being served. Of course there is also the battle we must engage with the flesh. There is a voice in our head from our fallen sinful nature that can whisper persuasively, “The Lord takes care of those who take care of themselves.” Just enough truth to deceive us, and just enough heresy to derail us."  
• "James and John get one thing right but everything else wrong. They are correct that Jesus is headed for glory. But as for how the glory would come, they don’t have a clue. They still don’t get it. They need a discipleship lesson on a cup and a baptism."  
• "Jesus had promised the 12 apostles that they would sit on 12 thrones with Him in the kingdom (Matthew 19:28). That however, was not enough. They wanted the two most honored thrones!"   
• "Their request is for the best seats in the house, in the kingdom. Their request reveals: (1) their superficial understanding of what it means to follow Jesus, to be His disciple; (2) their inflated opinion of their own importance, something those who are called to lead are especially susceptible to; and (3) their wrongheadedness on how God measures greatness (cf. Mark 9:34-36). Being a servant goes against our human inclinations. It often is counter to our opinion of ourselves. We know who we are, what we have done, and what we deserve. Being a servant after the pattern of Jesus is a divine enablement, not a human inclination."  
• "Jesus is gentle but firm, gracious but direct in His response. He compares His approaching suffering and death to drinking a cup and experiencing a baptism. These are interesting and powerful metaphors. Drinking a cup with someone speaks of sharing in that person’s fate, experiencing his destiny. The cup was also a common picture of the wrath of God in judgment (Psalms 75:8; Isaiah 51:17-23; Jeremiah 25:15-17; Ezekiel 23:28-34). Similarly, Jesus’ passion and death were a baptism—His being overwhelmed, flooded, and immersed in the destiny planned for Him by His Father (cf. Genesis 6; Psalms 69:2,15). His cross was a divine appointment!"   
• "James would be the first of the apostles to be martyred (Acts 12:1-2). John would experience, alone, the great persecution of Domitian and be exiled to Patmos (Revelation 1). But to choose who sits on His right or left is a decision reserved for His Father."  
• "Sadly, James and John fail to see that the pathway to glory is always the pathway of suffering. Before the crown there is a cup of suffering. Before the blessings that flow there is a baptism that overwhelms and drowns."

There is a cost to following Jesus but we should share Paul's view on this from Philippians 3:8, where Paul says "[f]or his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ."  Believers have received the greatest gift of all time - salvation.  We received what we do not deserve and we do not receive what we deserve as the wages of sin are death (Romans 6:23).  God also pours out mercies that never cease - daily (Lamentations 3:22-23).  Of course there is more....  

Comment and discuss this post.

My Prayer: Father God, You are an awesome God who loves and saves.  Thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of such a gift - the greatest gift of all time.  My sin is great and it continues...daily.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please continue to heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day. 

"Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah[..."]

Jeremiah 31

"Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah[..."] Jeremiah 31:31

I maintain a pause of my study of 1 Corinthians as I continue using DesiringGod.com's Advent devotions where I pick up on Day 17.  Here, John Piper describes what he refers to in the devotion title The Greatest Salvation Imaginable.  Believers have this salvation through Jesus, who gave His life for us, and was promised, as Piper shares, 500 years prior to His birth through the prophet Jeremiah.  This prophecy from Jeremiah also describes how - as Piper puts it - "[Jesus] would powerfully move into our lives and write his will on our hearts so that we are not constrained from outside, but are willing from inside, to love him and trust him and follow him.  That would be the greatest salvation imaginable — if God should offer us the greatest Reality in the universe to enjoy and then move in us to know that Reality in such a way that we could enjoy it with the greatest freedom and the greatest pleasure possible. That would be a Christmas gift worth singing about." Christ is able to do this by cleansing us of our sin so that we could be holy in the eyes of God.  Piper refers us to Hebrews 9:28, 1 Peter 2:24, Romans 8:3, Romans 8:1, Acts 10:43, and Jeremiah 31:34 to remind us of what Christ's "once for all" sacrifice did for us.  Piper concludes the devotion by stating that with this salvation for believers, "God is now free, in his justice, to lavish us with all the unspeakably great new covenant promises. He gives us Christ, the greatest Reality in the universe, for our enjoyment. And he writes his own will — his own heart — on our hearts so that we can love Christ and trust Christ and follow Christ from the inside out, with freedom and joy."  Amen - praise for the greatest salvation - and gift - of all time!

Comment and discuss this post.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God who loves me and who is full of grace for me, and who gives me salvation - the greatest gift of all time.  Thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of such love and grace.  My sin is great and it continues...daily.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me. Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

...God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God's righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.

Romans 3

...God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God's righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. Romans 3:25-26

This morning I pause in my study of 1 Corinthians to use DesiringGod.com's Solid Joys daily devotional.  Here, John Piper refers to the text for today as possibly "the most important verses in the Bible. God is wholly just! And he justifies the ungodly! Really? A just judge acquitting the guilty! Not either/or! Both! He acquits the guilty, but is not guilty in doing so. This is the greatest news in the world!"  Piper then refers us to other text to amplify his point and to support the text:

• 2 Corinthians 5:21
  
• Romans 8:3
• 1 Peter 2:24
• 1 Peter 3:18
• Romans 6:5
  

Piper weaves this text together into a powerful summary of the gospel: "He takes our sin. We take his righteousness.  Whose flesh? Christ’s. Whose sin condemned in that flesh? Ours. For us then? No condemnation!...If the most terrifying news in the world is that we have fallen under the condemnation of our Creator and that he is bound by his own righteous character to preserve the worth of his glory by pouring out his wrath on our sin...Then the best news in all the world (the gospel!) is that God has decreed and enacted a way of salvation that also upholds the worth of his glory, the honor of his Son, and the eternal salvation of his elect. Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners." 

 

The gospel and what is ultimately offers is not only the greatest news but also the greatest gift.  

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My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are good and You offer the Good News - which is the greatest news and the greatest gift of all time!  Thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of my election and salvation.  My sin is great and it continues...daily.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God[.]

1 Peter 3

For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God[.] 1 Peter 3:18

For my daily study, I continue to lean on DesiringGod.com's Solid Joys daily devotional, which today looks at what John Piper describes as "the greatest good of the good news - the gospel - [and how it] is the enjoyment of fellowship with God himself." Piper shares how this is explicit in the verse highlighted in the devotion today - 1 Peter 3:18.  He continues: "[a]ll the other gifts of the gospel exist to make this one possible[, including:]

• "We are forgiven so that our guilt does not keep us away from God."
• "We are justified so that our condemnation does not keep us away from God."
• "God is propitiated so that his wrath doesn’t stand between us and God as our Father."
• "We are given eternal life now, with new bodies in the resurrection, so that we have the capacities for being with God forever and enjoying God to the fullest."

Piper concludes the devotion today by writing that the love of God is ultimately expressed in Jesus Christ.  Sin separates us from God but Christ restored us to Himself - not just once but for eternity.  And the result is that we have life to the full now and for eternity (see also John 10:10). Piper's final words for today are to refer us to Psalm 16:11. Amen and praise God!

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My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are SO good that You came so that I could continue fellowship with God!  Thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of how You restored me to Yourself.  My sin is great and it continues...daily.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.

 Romans 5

Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation. Romans 5:9-11

For my daily study, I continue to lean on DesiringGod.com's Solid Joys daily devotional, which today looks at the ultimate end (or prize) of the gospel that we receive as believers.  John Piper summarizes this end or prize by sharing:  "[t]he end of the gospel is “we rejoice in God.” The highest, fullest, deepest, sweetest good of the gospel is God himself, enjoyed by his redeemed people. God in Christ became the price (Romans 5:6–8), and God in Christ became the prize (Romans 5:11)."  Piper unpacks how this comes about: he starts by pointing to verse 9 where we are saved from the wrath of God.  He continues by describing how this is not the "highest, best, fullest, most satisfying prize of the gospel."  It gets better because we are "saved by his life" in verse 10. It then gets even better - all the way to the best in verse 11 as Piper shares that "[m]ore than that, we also rejoice in God[.]"  Justified = saved from His wrath > reconciled = saved by His life > reconciliation = rejoice in God.  Believers must stand in awe of God Himself in what we have received - God Himself!  The most amazing wonderful gift in the world!  My thoughts turn immediately to David from Psalm 16 where he writes that God is His portion (Bayleaf Baptist Church sermon - verse ) - referencing the Levites who did not get land of their own in the promised land but instead received land in the tribes of others but more importantly were able to get closer to God than anyone through their service and priestly duties. In the same vain, believers are able to get close to God - we should rejoice at this!

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My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are worthy of rejoicing over as You saved me Your wrath, I am now reconciled to You, and through this reconciliation I have You!  Thank You Jesus!  The greatest gift of all time.  I am not deserving of this.  My sin is great and it continues....daily.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

 

[A]ll who dwell on earth will worship it, everyone whose name has not been written before the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who was slain.

Revelation 13

[A]ll who dwell on earth will worship it, everyone whose name has not been written before the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who was slain. Revelation 13:8

This morning, I pause in my study of Daniel, to listen to DesiringGod.com's Solid Joys daily devotion, which helps clarify for believers the role of the books (multiple) described in Revelation.  Salvation is of course sealed if you are in the Book of Life as defined in Revelation 20:12,15 (see also this video).  While a more complete understanding of the plural or reference to multiple books used on Judgement Day, at this point, I can surmise there is a (1) a Book of Life, and (2) a Book of Deeds.  John Piper describes the latter (referred to as "the books" as follows: "The answer is that the books, which record our deeds, contain enough evidence of our belonging to Christ that they function as a public confirmation of our faith and our union with Christ." There is also an inference here in this last statement that the Book of Deeds also confirms the lack of faith and union for those NOT in the book of life.  Of course our salvation is a gift from God, not of our own doing or works and we MUST remember this and worship God for His unbelievable and amazing grace.  See also Ephesians 1:4-6 and 2:8-9. 

Comment and discuss this post.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God who loves me and who is full of grace, mercy and compassion for me - providing for my salvation....and I know I am not deserving.  My sin is great and it continues...daily.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

Little children, let no one deceive you. Whoever practices righteousness is righteous, as he is righteous. Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning...My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.

1 John 3 and John 2

 Little children, let no one deceive you. Whoever practices righteousness is righteous, as he is righteous.  Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning...My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world. 1 John 3:7-8, John 2:1-2

This morning, my focus is DesiringGod.com's Solid Joys daily devotion, where John Piper seeks for believers to prepare our hearts for Christmas.  Today's Solid Joys daily devotion marks day 25 of Advent, and today John Piper marks Christmas day by describing three gifts all believers have in Jesus Christ:

1. A clear purpose for living.  Using 1 John 3:23 where it says (Piper highlights how John does so as a single commandment) "believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us."  Piper shares how this commandment - expressed by Jesus as two (and the greatest) commandments in Matthew 22:34-40 - as the "sum of the Christian life". 
2. Hope that our failures will be forgiven.  Piper describes how our hope that our failures will be forgiven is HOW we overcome sin - we continue to fight because we know and have faith that our battle is not for naught.
3. Christ will help us.  Piper uses 1 John 4:4 where it says "He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world." Jesus has already defeated sin and death and He gives us the Holy Spirit, His Word, etc. as the full armor of God to defeat sin. He will also never leave or forsake us.

Merry Christmas indeed!  Embrace these truths!

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My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are great indeed and the presents You provide are incredible as You alone are worthy of worship like no other!  Thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of such gifts.  My sin is great and it continues.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

“Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah[...]"

Philippians 2

 “Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah[...]" Jeremiah 31:31

This morning, my focus is DesiringGod.com's Solid Joys daily devotion, where John Piper seeks for believers to prepare our hearts for Christmas.  Today's Solid Joys daily devotion marks day 17 of Advent, and today John Piper shares how during Christmas we should appreciate how Jesus provides "the greatest salvation imaginable."  Piper uses Jeremiah's prophecy (500 years before Christ) where God promises a "new covenant."  The Old Testament covenant relied on works and one's own strength and will for obedience.  The new covenant promised by God through Jeremiah "replace[s] shadows with the Reality of the Messiah."  As Piper puts it, "[God] would powerfully move into our lives and write his will on our hearts so that we are not constrained from outside, but are willing from inside, to love him and trust him and follow him. That would be the greatest salvation imaginable — if God should offer us the greatest Reality in the universe to enjoy and then move in us to know that Reality in such a way that we could enjoy it with the greatest freedom and the greatest pleasure possible. That would be a Christmas gift worth singing about."  Piper highlights that salvation however, while available to all, is not given to all as sin separates all of humanity from God and the salvation available to us through Jesus is only given in response to acknowledgement of sin, belief and faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.  Once a believer does this, Piper describes this "greatest salvation imaginable:"God is now free, in his justice, to lavish us with all the unspeakably great new covenant promises. He gives us Christ, the greatest Reality in the universe, for our enjoyment. And he writes his own will — his own heart — on our hearts so that we can love Christ and trust Christ and follow Christ from the inside out, with freedom and joy."  Without a doubt the greatest gift of all time - believers rejoice!

Comment and discuss this post.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are a great God who offers the greatest gift of all time - salvation!  Thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of such a gift - not by a long shot.  My sin is great and it continues...daily.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me turn from and overcome my sin and turn towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.  

But as it is, Christ has obtained a ministry that is as much more excellent than the old as the covenant he mediates is better, since it is enacted on better promises....Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, equip you with everything good that you may do his will, working in us that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever.

Hebrews 8, 13

But as it is, Christ has obtained a ministry that is as much more excellent than the old as the covenant he mediates is better, since it is enacted on better promises....Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, equip you with everything good that you may do his will, working in us that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Hebrews 8:6, 13:2-21

This morning, my focus is DesiringGod.com's Solid Joys daily devotion, where John Piper seeks for believers to prepare our hearts for Christmas.  Today's Solid Joys daily devotion marks day 14 of Advent, and today John Piper describes how Jesus is not just the Great High Priest whose death and sacrifice on the cross supersedes and replaces the role of the Old Testament priests and sacrifices made by these priests (see post couple of days here and here), but He is also the Great High Priests who "makes [this final reality] real for His people."  Piper states that by Christ serving as a better mediator of a better covenant (secured by His blood), "[i]t means that God, according to the new covenant promises, brings about our inner transformation by the Spirit of Christ. And it means that God works this transformation in us through faith — faith in all that God is for us in Christ. The new covenant is purchased by the blood of Christ, effected by the Spirit of Christ, and appropriated by faith in Christ.  It means that God, according to the new covenant promises, brings about our inner transformation by the Spirit of Christ.  And it means that God works this transformation in us through faith — faith in all that God is for us in Christ."  God makes it real for us by working in us.  Piper wraps up the devotion sharing how we connect this to Christmas: "...the meaning of Christmas is not only that God replaces shadows with Reality, but also that he takes the Reality and makes it real to his people. He writes it on our hearts. He does not lay his Christmas gift of salvation and transformation under the tree, so to speak, for you to pick up in your own strength. He picks it up and puts it in your heart and in your mind and gives you the seal of assurance that you are a child of God."  Jesus is the greatest gift of all time!

Comment and discuss this post.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are a great God indeed - thank You for coming to save me and for providing the greatest gift of all time.  I am not deserving of such a gift as my sin is great and it continues...daily.  Please forgive me Jesus.  Help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others. Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message today and every day.

Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery.

Hebrews 2

 Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery. Hebrews 2:14-15

This morning, my focus is DesiringGod.com's Solid Joys daily devotion, where John Piper seeks for believers to prepare our hearts for Christmas.  Today's Solid Joys daily devotion marks day 11  of Advent, and today Piper explores what he refers to as "[his] favorite Advent text." He explains why it is his favorite by sharing that "[he doesn’t] know any other that expresses so clearly the connection between the beginning and the end of Jesus’s earthly life — between the incarnation and crucifixion. These two verses make clear why Jesus came; namely, to die." Piper devotes some time demonstrating how believers can use this text to "walk them step-by-step through their Christian view of Christmas."  These steps include:

1. God sent His Son Jesus to save and effect the salvation of His children - those who are adopted by Christ by receiving Him as their Lord and Savior. See also Isaiah 8:18, 53:10.  God loved the world but elected only those He deemed His children.  See also John 3:16, 1:12, 11:15, 1 Timothy 4:10
2. The heart of our faith is belief what is a mystery - that God "became fully man [yet] remained fully God."  See also John 1:1, Colossians 2:9
3. Jesus became a man so that He could die - He had to be born human
4. In dying, Jesus "de-fanged the devil...This means that Satan has no legitimate grounds to accuse us before God....Satan’s ultimate weapon against us is our own sin. If the death of Jesus takes it away, the chief weapon of the devil — the one mortal weapon that he has — is taken out of his hand. He cannot make a case for our death penalty, because the Judge has acquitted us by the death of his Son!"
5. Believers are freed from death.  "God has justified us. Satan cannot overturn that decree. And God means for our ultimate safety to have an immediate effect on our lives. He means for the happy ending to take away the slavery and fear of the Now.  If we do not need to fear our last and greatest enemy, death, then we do not need to fear anything. We can be free. Free for joy. Free for others."   

In view of this text, and in particular how God frees us (#5), Piper wants us to see how great a Christmas present we have in Jesus!

Comment and discuss this post.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God who loves us and who gives us victory over sin and death.  Thank You Jesus.  I am not deserving of such a gift.  My sin is great and it continues.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me. Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin. Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.

Isaiah 42-44

Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert. Isaiah 43:19

I continue with my deep dive of Isaiah, based on the Precept Upon Precept study series. Today, I continue with Lesson 16, moving to Day 4(a), where the focus includes Isaiah 42:18-25 and 43:1:21. Building on my post yesterday, Isaiah 43:19 gives us a glimpse of a salvation that my commentary indicates is far better than what Israel experienced with their escape from Egypt and entry into the promised land. This of course is Jesus Christ.  Before believers rejoice in our Savior, we must acknowledge that we are no less sinful than Israel - see Isaiah 42:18-25 for the depth of Israel's sin.  God made us one of His elect while we were still enemies of Him (Romans 5:10) and hostile to Him (Colossians 1:21-22).  This should make all of us as believers all the grateful of our salvation.

Comment and discuss this post.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank You for my salvation - I know I am not deserving but You provided it anyway - the greatest gift of all time.  My sin is great and it continues...Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus[.]

Ephesians 2

But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus[.] Ephesians 2:4-6

This morning, until I start a new Bible study, I continue using devotionals from John Piper.  Today, the post focuses on the "freeness of grace" - meaning that the manner in which God brings about our conversion to faith is through a "one-sidedly free and non-negotiated" conversion from spiritual deadness to life with Christ.  Piper remarks at the abruptness of Paul's insertion of how "by grace you have been saved" between v5 and 6 to underscore the depth of God's grace.  This grace is emphasized once again - this time more explicitly and less abruptly - in v8 where in one of the more well referenced verses in the New Testament Paul writes: 

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God[.] Ephesians 2:8

Comment and discuss this post.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank You for Your amazing grace - that I was dead in my sin, hostile to You - yet You brought me to life and made me one of Your elect and gave me faith - thank You!  I am not deserving of such a blessing - the greatest gift of all time.  Yet I am not deserving - I sin...daily, including worry.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

“I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion".... Therefore God has mercy on whom he wants to have mercy, and he hardens whom he wants to harden....“God gave them a spirit of stupor, eyes that could not see and ears that could not hear, to this very day.

Romans 9-11

“I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion"....  Therefore God has mercy on whom he wants to have mercy, and he hardens whom he wants to harden....“God gave them a spirit of stupor, eyes that could not see and ears that could not hear, to this very day. Romans 9:15, 18, 11:7

Day 341 of my chronological study of the Bible with The Daily Bible® - In Chronological Order (NIV®) (available by purchase through Amazon - author F. LaGard Smith) continues as I move further into the New Testament - this evening the focus is chapters 9-11 of Paul's letter to the believers in Rome. Paul expresses anguish over the Jewish nation and their general hardening towards Christ. Paul makes it clear, just as he does in Ephesians 2:8-9 that faith is a gift by indicating that God can have mercy on anyone, not just Jews but also the gentiles (quoting Exodus 33:19).

I don't know why God gave me faith but I am grateful that God gave me faith.  For those who don't believe pray to God that He will give You faith.

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. Romans 10:9

My Prayer: Jesus, You are an awesome God who gave me faith and a growing desire for You.  Thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of such a gift.  My sin continues, including worry, etc.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

Then one of them, named Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, spoke up, “You know nothing at all! You do not realize that it is better for you that one man die for the people than that the whole nation perish.” He did not say this on his own, but as high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the Jewish nation, and not only for that nation but also for the scattered children of God, to bring them together and make them one. So from that day on they plotted to take his life.

John 11

Then one of them, named Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, spoke up, “You know nothing at all! You do not realize that it is better for you that one man die for the people than that the whole nation perish.” He did not say this on his own, but as high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the Jewish nation, and not only for that nation but also for the scattered children of God, to bring them together and make them one. So from that day on they plotted to take his life. John 11:49:-53

Day 310 of my chronological study of the Bible with The Daily Bible® - In Chronological Order (NIV®) (available by purchase through Amazon - author F. LaGard Smith) continues as I move further into the New Testament - this morning focusing on how Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead and the opposition this act raises from the Jewish leaders. My commentary notes: "[t]his, of course, is such a dramatic and conclusive demonstration of Jesus’ power that his opponents call a hasty conference and immediately plot to kill him."

*Smith, F. LaGard. The Daily Bible® - In Chronological Order (NIV®). Harvest House Publishers. Kindle Edition. 

What is remarkable about the scripture this morning is how God spoke through Caiaphas to deliver substitution of Jesus (His death on the cross as atonement for all sins for all humanity) - which John Piper refers to as "the heart of the Christian faith". God works and is sovereign over all, including death and those who oppose Him. As we experience Advent and then Christmas, we must also reflect on what God has done for us as the greatest gift of all time.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God who loves me and You sent Your Son to die for me...personally....knowing everything about me, including my sin.  Thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of this gift.  My sin is great and it continues, including worry, gossip, etc.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

“Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

Luke 1-2 and Matthew 1

“Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.” Luke 2:14

Day 291 of my chronological study of the Bible with The Daily Bible® - In Chronological Order (NIV®) (available by purchase through Amazon - author F. LaGard Smith) continues as my commentary* moves further into the New Testament - focusing this morning on the birth of Jesus and John the Baptist.

*Smith, F. LaGard. The Daily Bible® - In Chronological Order (NIV®). Harvest House Publishers. Kindle Edition

The story of the birth of both Jesus and John the Baptist is filled with angels and miracles and is anticipated greatly by those who believe in the prophecies from the Old Testament. John Piper attempts an answer to the age old question "who is Jesus to you?" and he refers to Hebrews 1 where the author writes:

The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven. So he became as much superior to the angels as the name he has inherited is superior to theirs. Hebrews 1:3-4

For me, Jesus is the greatest gift of all time - He came for me, died for me, rose again and He gives me life - both to the full and eternally.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus - You are the greatest gift of all time and I am completely undeserving.  My sin continues...daily...including worry, etc.  Please forgive me and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me. Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

Well do I know how treacherous you are; you were called a rebel from birth. For my own name’s sake I delay my wrath; for the sake of my praise I hold it back from you, so as not to destroy you completely. See, I have refined you, though not as silver; I have tested you in the furnace of affliction. For my own sake, for my own sake, I do this. How can I let myself be defamed? I will not yield my glory to another.

 Isaiah 45-48

Well do I know how treacherous you are; you were called a rebel from birth. For my own name’s sake I delay my wrath; for the sake of my praise I hold it back from you, so as not to destroy you completely. See, I have refined you, though not as silver; I have tested you in the furnace of affliction. For my own sake, for my own sake, I do this. How can I let myself be defamed? I will not yield my glory to another. Isaiah 48:8-11

 

Day 195 of my chronological study of the Bible with The Daily Bible® - In Chronological Order (NIV®) (available by purchase through Amazon - author F. LaGard Smith) continues with my study of Isaiah.  Today the focus of Isaiah's message from God includes how the Egyptians, idolaters, and Babylon will  know God and the futility of idols compared to the omnipotence and omniscience of God.  God also prophecies through Isaiah how Babylon will fall through God's chosen ally (King Cyrus of Persia). 

 

In today's scripture, we also have this nugget of God's love and grace for us - Isaiah 48:8-11. While Isaiah's message is intended for Israel, God preserves it in the Bible for all believers to understand God and His love for us.  John Piper breaks it down for us that (1) God is SO committed and full of zeal for His name and glory, that (2) He cannot deny Himself praise and glory, and that (3) He remains committed to those who trust in Him as He vindicates Himself and His Name by sending His Son Jesus Christ to the cross so that we could be forgiven and saved from sin and death through salvation - Piper urges to look ahead to Isaiah's message on the coming Messiah in chapters 53-54 - God's anger is held back for a time and poured out on Jesus FOR US!

 

Piper also points us to Romans 3:

 

God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood—to be received by faith. He did this to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished—he did it to demonstrate his righteousness at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus. Romans 3:25-26

 

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God who loves me and who sent His own Son Jesus Christ to die...for me!  The greatest gift of all time!  Thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of such love.  I worry, am harsh with my words, etc.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

For great is your love, reaching to the heavens; your faithfulness reaches to the skies.

Psalm 57

For great is your love, reaching to the heavens; your faithfulness reaches to the skies. v10

God's love is deep and wide - and human understanding cannot fathom and fully appreciate the magnitude of God's love.

And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Ephesians 3:17-19

 

God loves me so much that He drank from the same cup of God's fury that God reserves for Babylon and her inhabitants in Revelation 16:19.

 

God willingly laid down His life for me...broken and sinful.  The greatest gift of all time.

 

My Prayer: Lord, You ARE the greatest gift of all time.  I am not worth such a gift.  I am broken and sinful.  I continue to be impatient and harsh with others and I worry.  Please forgive me.  Help me overcome such sin and turn towards You.  Help me love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give me strength.  Give Lisa strength.  Please heal and cure her of her cancer and the side effects from chemo.  Help me lead and serve Lisa, Zach and Dustin...and serve You.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message today and every day.