But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.

John 1:11-13

But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God,  who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. John 1:12-13

I continue my study of John and this morning, I focus on on vv11-13. 

Observations of the vv1-13 based on the Sword Bible Study Method: 

• What do we learn from the passage about God?: The OT prophesied about the coming Messiah as Jewish prophets gave hope to the Jews who over its history had experienced both captivity/exile and the destruction/plundering of their temple.  Jesus came first to the Jews during His ministry - He wanted to save the Jewish people (so did Paul - see also Romans 9:1-5) - v11.  To those who believed in Jesus, He gave new birth, regeneration and adoption into His family - vv12-13.     
• What do we learn from the passage about people?: Although He is the Messiah promised in OT, Jesus was not seen by the Jewish leaders as fulfillment of prophecy but instead as blasphemous - v11. However, there were many Jews, including Jewish leaders such as Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea who at the very least showed interest in learning more about Jesus.  Those who do believe in Jesus became a new creation (with Jesus and the Holy Spirit living/working in their hearts) and received a new identity (child of God) - v13.  As children of God, believers experience new birth through God - this is the doctrine of regeneration - see also John 3:1-7.   
• Is there anything from the passage God wants us to obey (SPEC: Sins to avoid,Promises to claim, Examples to follow, Commands to obey?): Believers should fully comprehend and appreciate our new identity as members of God's family - set apart and saved.  We should tell others about this new identity and family, the inheritance that comes with this identity and family, and that anyone can join this family and also have this rich inheritance - see also Romans 8:16-17. 

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My Prayer: Father God, You are an awesome God that gave me new birth, saved me and gave me faith, and through this I became a member of Your family and a fellow heir with You of the riches of Christ. Truly astounding!  Thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of such blessings and riches.  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. 

For whoever does the will of God, he is my brother and sister and mother.

Mark 3:31-35

For whoever does the will of God, he is my brother and sister and mother. Mark 3:35

I continue my study of Mark, leaning on the Christ-Centered Exposition commentary series volume for Mark.  Today, I focus on a commentary-assisted review of Mark 3:35, which is the text for the third division for 3:31-35. Excerpts from the commentary for the third division: 

• Pointing to Kent Hughes' commentary on Mark and referencing Christ's emphasis on being part of the family of God vs earthly bloodlines, the commentary shares 'this new family relationship is far superior, far stronger, far more satisfying, far more demanding, and far more dear than any human family relationship (ibid.). It is an eternal relationship that is marked by unshakeable grace, and those who receive such grace are marked by humble obedience.'
• The commentary then points us to Tim Keller's commentary where Keller compares v35 to the Prodigal Son: 'Jesus . . . is the true elder brother. He willingly brings us into the Father’s family at his expense. He died for us, he was plundered for us. We sit at the Father’s table dressed in Jesus’ clothes, with his ring on our finger. All through him. We must celebrate and live out the fact that we are members of a kingdom family, and it is all at the expense of our big brother, Jesus Christ. Do you live every day as if you are a member of God’s family, accepted and loved? Remember, a child in a family obeys not in order to be loved and accepted, but because he already is loved and accepted.'
• The commentary then points to scripture that highlights text on the topic of the "will of God:" Acts 13:22, Romans 12:2, 2 Corinthians 1:1, Ephesians 6:6, 1 Thessalonians 4:3, 5:18, 1 Peter 4:2, and 1 John 2:17.  

The commentary then offers the following observations about the family of God and His will:

1. "We became children of God by spiritual birth, not by physical birth (John 3:1-8). 
2. No one is born a Christian. You become a Christian and a member of God’s family only by adoption (Romans 8:12-16; Galatians 4:4-7). 
3. Becoming part of the family of God begins when we receive and believe in Jesus, which is a sovereign work of His will, not ours (John 1:12-13).
4.  Doing the will of God gives evidence that we are part of God’s family (Mark 3:35). 
5. Those incapable of knowing and understanding the will of God are objects of God’s saving grace and mercy in Christ. People spend eternity in hell as a result of their conscious and willful acts of rebellion and disobedience against the revelation of God they have received, and those who are incapable of understanding God’s will cannot rebel in this way (see Deuteronomy 1:39; 2 Corinthians 5:10; Revelation 20:11-12). (For more on this, see commentary on Mark 10:13-16 and Akin and Mohler, “Why We Believe.”) 
6. Revelation brings responsibility. The more you know of God’s revealed will, the greater is your accountability. Punishment is not all the same in hell, and rewards are not all the same in heaven. 
7. In spite of sophisticated and even well-intended arguments, there is no biblical warrant or evidence that people will have an opportunity after death to believe in Jesus or that eventually all persons (and perhaps even demons) will be saved. Just as eternal life is forever, so is eternal death. 
8. If it were true that all will eventually be saved, evangelism would be unnecessary, and missions would be a waste of time, lives, and money.
9. Because the Bible promises that people from every tribe, tongue, people, and nation will be in heaven at the throne to worship the Lamb (Revelation 5; 7), we rejoice in knowing that the family of God will consist of the 16,600-plus people groups scattered around the world, 7,000-plus of which are still unreached. It is the will of God that they hear and believe and that we go and get them for His glory."  

Confess your sins, surrender your heart and life to Jesus as Your Savior, and be adopted into His family! 

Comment and discuss this post.

My Prayer: Father God, You are an awesome God who loves me and who saved me - while still an enemy and hostile to You.  Thank You God for saving me and for adopting me into Your family.  I am not deserving of such blessings.  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. 

And looking about at those who sat around him, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers!

Mark 3:31-35

And looking about at those who sat around him, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! Mark 3:34

I continue my study of Mark, leaning on the Christ-Centered Exposition commentary series volume for Mark.  Today, I focus on a commentary-assisted review of Mark 3:34, which is the text for the second division for 3:31-35. Excerpts from the commentary for the second division: 

• "The room is overflowing with those who were attracted to Jesus. They loved His miracles and exorcisms. They loved the show and what He could do for them. Remember, the crowds are never viewed in a favorable light in Mark. Crowds do not follow and stay for the long haul. Individuals do, of their own volition and decision. Hence Jesus looked around at those who were seated around Him."
• "People follow Jesus for different reasons and with different agendas. Some reasons are good and others are bad. Some want Him; others want what He can give them and do for them. Some follow for who He is; others follow for what they make Him out to be. They want someone they can fit into their world, wants, plans, priorities, and preconceived notions."
• The commentary then points us to John 2:23-25 where the text is pointed in this respect - we should not follow Jesus because of we want to follow someone who "can fit into [our] world, wants, plans, priorities, and preconceived notions."  No, we should follow Jesus because He alone saves, and provides life to the full now - unshackled from the slavery of sin.  It's not that we stop sinning, it's that Jesus makes us a new creation and we become more like Him every day until we meet Him in Heaven face to face and the sanctification process becomes complete.    

Jesus is not just a good role model - I made this mistake early in my journey with Christ - I thought I should follow Jesus because He was Holy and I could become more like Him.  While this may be true, it is insufficient - we must acknowledge our sin and that Jesus alone saves us from sin.  We must confess with our hearts our sin, seek Jesus to forgive us and for Him to enter our heart and lives, and we must follow His call for our lives (as each of us play a role in the church and Great Commission). Romans 10:10.

Comment and discuss this post.

My Prayer: Father God, You are an awesome God who loves us and who died for us so that we can have forgiveness of sins, eternal life, and abundance of life now - free from the slavery of sin.  Thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of how You save...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. 

And his mother and his brothers came, and standing outside they sent to him and called him. And a crowd was sitting around him, and they said to him, “Your mother and your brothers are outside, seeking you.” And he answered them, “Who are my mother and my brothers?”

Mark 3:31-35

And his mother and his brothers came, and standing outside they sent to him and called him. And a crowd was sitting around him, and they said to him, “Your mother and your brothers are outside, seeking you.” And he answered them, “Who are my mother and my brothers?” Mark 3:31-33

I continue my study of Mark, leaning on the Christ-Centered Exposition commentary series volume for Mark.  Today, I focus on a commentary-assisted review of Mark 3:31-33, which is the text for the first division for 3:31-35. Excerpts from the commentary's introduction to 3:31-35 and the first division: 

• "Jesus makes clear in verse 35, that (1) no physical family connection is ultimately necessary to be in God’s family; (2) no particular racial or cultural background is ultimately essential; (3) when you are a member of the family of God, you are part of the only family that really matters; (4) the family of God is a spiritual reality and not a physical one, joining together Zealots, tax collectors, thieves, murderers, liars, cheats, legalists, self-righteous religionists, and all kinds of others sinners just like you and me."  

The commentary also highlights how the text, even though this is not Jesus' intent, flatly rejects "universalism" which "is the belief that everyone will be saved."  This is of course not true as many people who some might refer to as "good" are condemned for eternity because they did not place their faith in Jesus Christ.  It is a mystery why God softens some hearts but not others.  Regardless, God calls all believers to share the Good News with the intent that He is the Savior - we are simply messengers of the Good News.  God wants us to show "mercy on those who doubt" as we seek to "snatch others from the fire" (Jude 22-23).

Comment and discuss this post.

My Prayer: Father God, You are an awesome God - as You loved me first, while still sinning and an enemy of You.  You never leave or forsake me, and Your mercies are new every morning and never cease - thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of how You save nor any of the blessings or mercies You pour out for me.  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 answered them, “Who are my mother and my brothers?” And looking about at those who sat around him, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! For whoever does the will of God, he is my brother and sister and mother.”

Mark 3:31-35

He answered them, “Who are my mother and my brothers?” And looking about at those who sat around him, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! For whoever does the will of God, he is my brother and sister and mother.” Mark 3:33-35

I continue my study of Mark, leaning on the Christ-Centered Exposition commentary series volume for Mark.  Today, I focus on an unassisted review of Mark 3:31-35, which is the text for the next chapter of the commentary. Observations of the text based on the Sword Bible Study Method: 

• What do we learn from the passage about God?: God seeks to create a family of believers whose bond is stronger than that of bloodlines.  Our love of God is more important than our love of others, including family.  Describing to the apostles the coming persecution they will face, Jesus shares how we can count on Him but be aware that even family will let you down and may indeed also be part of this coming persecution (Matthew 10:21). Bonds between those who share a love of Jesus and seek to do the will of God are stronger than than any other including with family.  God seeks for us to surround ourselves with other believers that can encourage, pray, and support one another in their journey with Christ, particularly during times of hardship and persecution.  
• What do we learn from the passage about people?: People will let us down.  It's not that we can't love them and form relationships with them, it's just that we should be aware that all sin, even in the church. First and foremost we should trust in Him.  We should be aware and remain humble that even in the church we are all broken and sinful and this should drive us into the arms of Jesus seeking to know and love Him more.    
• Is there anything from the passage God wants us to obey (SPEC: Sins to avoid, Promises to claim, Examples to follow, Commands to obey)?: Family is important, but we should place Christ first, above all, including in marriages. We can also claim the promise that Jesus unlike any other, including family, Jesus will always be faithful and never let us down or disappoint us in any way and He will never leave or forsake us.  We should be mindful of the corollary which is that we should avoid placing our trust in family or others  above Christ.   

Comment and discuss this post.

My Prayer: Father God You are an awesome God who loves me and who is full of incredible grace and compassion, pouring out mercies ceaselessly and every morning. I know You will never leave or forsake me and You have saved me.  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 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 accept 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. 

Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.

Mark 1:1, John 1:1-18, and Luke 1:1-4 

Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God. John 1:12-13

Day 289 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 into the New Testament and notes, with the Gospels as a starting point, "[a]ll is now ready for the most important event in human history. It is an event planned even before the creation of the world. It is the keeping of a promise made to Abraham over 2000 years earlier....Until now God’s blessings have been reserved mostly for a chosen people, but now they are to become available to all people in every generation....But because his teaching challenges traditional practices of the Jewish religion of his day, and because he claims divine authority, Jesus meets strong opposition from religious leaders." 

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

Although I've posted this previously, I am reminded of it this morning - John Piper's post on how though we may all be created by God, only those who are believers are children of God, adopted into His family. 

Similarly, and naturally, this rebirth into God's family, means we are citizens of Heaven and our allegiance lies there first and foremost. This is particularly relevant for those in the U.S. today as many may be uneasy about an election. Belief in the lamb (Jesus Christ), and not in any party or public official, is what provides us the peace we so desperately seek.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God who loves me and who humbled Himself as a man and then died on the cross for me - so that I would have life...incredible.  The greatest gift of all time.  I am not deserving of such love.  My sin is great and it continues - gossip, 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.