Afterward Jesus found him in the temple and said to him, “See, you are well! Sin no more, that nothing worse may happen to you.”

 John 5:10-18

Afterward Jesus found him in the temple and said to him, “See, you are well! Sin no more, that nothing worse may happen to you.” John  5:14

I continue my study of John, and today, I unpack John 5:10-18 using the Sword Bible Study Method. 

• What do we learn from the passage about God?: After healing the man who had been unable to walk for 38 years, Jesus finds the man in the temple, greets him and warns him to "sin no more, that nothing worse may happen to you" (v14).  We should understand that all believers sin and will continue to do so until we die - we are human!  So Jesus is not expecting us to not sin at all, its that we must refrain from willful patterns of sin that demonstrate a lack of faith and a lack of abiding in Him and His Word - doubts in Jesus will inevitably creep in and lead us into further sin.  See this post and another on repentance from RC Sproul.  V17 shares that God the Father is working until now, and that Jesus is working, and here we see two identities of the Triune God at work as the Father sent the Son.         
• What do we learn from the passage about people?: Building on the text from yesterday where we saw a man healed who had been unable to walk for 38 years, we see the response from the Jews (implied it is Jewish leadership who felt threatened by Jesus) who believe that it was unlawful for the man to "take up his bed" (v10) on the Sabbath.  The man indicates he only followed the commands/instructions from the man who healed him, and he did not know it was Jesus because the text shares that "Jesus had withdrawn as there was a crowd in the place" (v13).  Jewish leadership wants to know who this person is who is healing and getting others to "work" on the Sabbath.  In scripture, Jewish leadership often (read about ceremonial vs moral law) add to/subtract from the law and use tradition to bend the law in their direction for their favor and benefit, particularly in how they use the law to crucify Jesus. Yes God wants us to use the Sabbath to rest and for worship of Him, but it is not sinful to work on the Sabbath (see this post from DesiringGod.com).  The Jews learn that it is Jesus that healed the man and seek to persecute Him for "working" on the Sabbath, and for considering Himself equal with God (vv16,18).      
• Is there anything from the passage God wants us to obey (SPEC: Sins to avoid, Promises to claim, Examples to follow, Commands to obey?):  Avoid willful sin and bending the law in our direction in our favor.  See Jesus as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit - and as Lord and Savior.  Repent, follow Jesus, and abide/remain in Him.    

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My Prayer: Father God, You are an awesome God who provides Your Word that is perfect (2 Timothy 3:16) - You also save and continue to work in my heart and life.  Thank You Jesus for saving me and for working in my life.  I am not deserving of such love and blessing.  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.

You shall not make idols for yourselves or erect an image or pillar, and you shall not set up a figured stone in your land to bow down to it, for I am the Lord your God. You shall keep my Sabbaths and reverence my sanctuary: I am the Lord.

Leviticus 26-27

You shall not make idols for yourselves or erect an image or pillar, and you shall not set up a figured stone in your land to bow down to it, for I am the Lord your God. You shall keep my Sabbaths and reverence my sanctuary: I am the Lord. Leviticus 26:1-2

 

This morning, I continued my study of Leviticus using the Christ-Centered Exposition series commentary for this book - starting chapter twenty-three (the final chapter) - Either-Or - covering Leviticus 26-27, looking specifically at the introduction and first theme for the chapter - God Calls Us to Right Worship. Here, the commentary's introduction for the chapter describes a black and white set of commands God gives us to live in obedience or disobedience to Him.  The commentary theme for today then starts with Leviticus 26:1-2 where it commands us to not worship idols or other gods above the one true God (see also Exodus 20) and to observe the Sabbath as a day of rest and to experience corporate worship with other believers at church. 

Comment and discuss this post here.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an amazing God who loves me and who blesses me...daily.  Your mercies are new every morning - thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of how You bless me Jesus!  I sin every day, including worry, harsh words, etc.  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 for me today and every day.

"Six days shall work be done, but on the seventh day is a Sabbath of solemn rest, a holy convocation. You shall do no work. It is a Sabbath to the Lord in all your dwelling places."

 Leviticus 23

"Six days shall work be done, but on the seventh day is a Sabbath of solemn rest, a holy convocation. You shall do no work. It is a Sabbath to the Lord in all your dwelling places." Leviticus 23:3

This morning, I continued my study of Leviticus using the Christ-Centered Exposition series commentary for this book - wrapping up chapter twenty - Celebrating Our Relationship with the Sovereign Lord of Time  - covering Leviticus 23:1-44, looking specifically at the third and final theme for the chapter - Live by the Covenant Celebrations God Established.  Here, the commentary summarizes how, in Leviticus 23, "God communicated powerful truths in the old covenant sacred calendar and in its fulfillment in Jesus.  The way we live should be altered by those truths."  The commentary encourages believers to "live differently in light of God's revealed truth in Leviticus 23" by: 

• seeking God's presence - festivals in the Old Testament spread throughout the year serve as reminders that everything in our lives should revolve around worship and love of God; the commentary states that "God's arrangement of the year in that way constitutes an exhortation to us--seek God's presence
• celebrating God and His salvation - the commentary states that "He should be our greatest joy, and He is the source of every other joy"
• sharing gifts with God and others - we are to be generous with what God gives us (2 Corinthians 9:7)
• submitting to God's sovereignty over time - we are to dedicate ourselves to corporate worship, fellowship with our brothers and sisters in Christ, and to serve God and others; we must give up our schedule to God and not allow the world to grab hold of our time

The commentary wraps the chapter by reinforcing how the old covenant sacred calendar and its festivals celebrated 1400 years prior to the day and hour of Jesus' death and resurrection demonstrates how God "is capable of helping us with the challenges of our schedules."  If God can order and arrange time as He has with the Old Covenant sacred festivals and how they foreshadow Jesus 1400 years later, God can certainly order and arrange our time - and we should allow Him! 

We also reminded of how the Sabbath is STILL a day of rest when God calls us to corporate worship!

Comment and discuss this post here.

My Prayer: Heavenly Father, You are an awesome God who loves me and who is full of love and mercy for me - You are ALWAYS there for me and You ARE the source of ALL joy in my life, and You are worthy of both celebration and worship!  Thank You Jesus for the joy only You can provide and for the blessings You pour out for me.  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 to me today and every day.

Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.

Portions of Exodus-Leviticus-Numbers-Deuteronomy

  Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.  Exodus 20: 8-11

Day 48 of my chronological study of the Bible with The Daily Bible® - In Chronological Order (NIV®) (available by purchase through Amazon - author F. LaGard Smith) focuses on God speaking through Moses to remind the Israelites of the laws before they enter the Promised Land.  Of particular importance in today's scripture is to rest on Sabbath - the 4th commandment.

The importance of Sabbath rest is reinforced by it's mention more than 15 times in the Bible.

My commentary refers to the Sabbath "as symbolic of the day upon which God rested after creation, and a reminder that no day of rest was permitted when the Israelites were in Egyptian bondage. It is the one day each week when all attention can be focused upon God and his blessings. And, although the Sabbath falls on the last day of each week, it foreshadows a time when the first day of each week will be observed in memory of the greatest event which will have happened since creation".

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

As I have posted on arrogance this past week, it is important that we focus on God and His blessings - keeping in mind that these blessings are not because we are righteous or deserving, or due to our own efforts but because of God's grace and rich mercy.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God who loves me and who is rich in blessings and mercy for me - thank You Jesus!  Please help me constantly remember these blessings - not just on Sunday but all the time - You are a great God!  I am not deserving of such blessings and mercy.  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.

Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will perish by following their example of disobedience.

Hebrews 4

Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will perish by following their example of disobedience. v11

God wants us to focus on His greatness, His holiness, on how special he is.  The Sabbath exists for this purpose (and other purposes).  We are to worship Him and focus on His greatness, etc.  

My Prayer: Lord, You are great and Your works are great.  You are deserving of rest and created the Sabbath for this purpose.  You also gave us the Sabbath so that we can rest and so that we can glorify You - because You are worthy of our worship.  We need to worship You because of who You are for us.  You died on the cross for us...for me specifically.  Thank You Jesus!  I am not worth such an act.  I am still very much quick to anger and slow to listen.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from such sin towards You.  Help me grow in my faith.  Help me keep the Sabbath holy.  Give me strength.  Give Lisa strength, comfort, and freedom from pain.  Help me lead and serve Lisa, Zach and Dustin. Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.