And a cloud overshadowed them, and a voice came out of the cloud, “This is my beloved Son; listen to him.”

Mark 9:1-13

And a cloud overshadowed them, and a voice came out of the cloud, “This is my beloved Son; listen to him.” Mark 9:7

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 9:1-13, 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?: Jesus is patient with Peter, James, and John, even dealing with their peculiarities (v6) as they - as do all the disciples - struggle to comprehend who Jesus is.  Jesus here - via special revelation - reveals more about Himself to three of the disciples.  Each have a special place in the Bible and church history and God seeks to build them up as leaders of His church by equipping them with what they need to know about Him and giving them confidence and encouragement to perform their roles. Peter will be the foundation of the church (as well as Paul).  Click here and here for how God selected James and John (together with Peter) and for how He equipped them.  The Transfiguration highlights one of Jesus' attributes as Holy and perfect - v3.
• What do we learn from the passage about people?: Our experiences of Jesus often terrify us (v6) - by witnessing His awesome power.  We should live in reverent fear of who God is, and this should drive us into Jesus' arms.  See this post from John Piper who refers to this reverent fear as a "preservative" that keeps us close to Him and prevents us from falling away. 
• Is there anything from the passage God wants us to obey (SPEC: Sins to avoid,Promises to claim, Examples to follow, Commands to obey?): We must listen to Jesus - see v7. We must also suffer as Jesus shares He will (and does) - vv12-13.  Paul comforts us by sharing that to die is gain (Philippians 1:21). We are to become Holy because He is holy (see also text here).   

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My Prayer: Father God, thank You for revealing Yourself to me through Your Word, creation, etc.  I am not deserving of how You save and reveal Yourself to me - softening my heart to be saved. Thank You Jesus. But I am not deserving of how You save.  My sin is great and it continues...daily.  Please forgive me and help me turn from and overcome such 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 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. 

“This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the LORD of hosts. Who are you, O great mountain? Before Zerubbabel you shall become a plain. And he shall bring forward the top stone amid shouts of ‘Grace, grace to it!’”

Zechariah 4:1-7

“This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the LORD of hosts. Who are you, O great mountain? Before Zerubbabel you shall become a plain. And he shall bring forward the top stone amid shouts of ‘Grace, grace to it!’” Zechariah 4:6-7

I continue my study of the last four books of the OT (complete: Zephaniah, Haggai; to complete: Zechariah, Malachi) - using the Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary volume for this book.  For today, my focus is a commentary-assisted review of Zechariah 4:1-7, which the commentary outlines as the first of three divisions for the text 4:1-14 (4:1-7, 8-10, 11-14).  Here, I find myself grateful that I have my commentary available to me as it provides a more learned viewpoint on the text vs one that I possess without the commentary.  My reading yesterday of the text suggested a messianic prophecy, which the commentary does not directly see.  Of course the Holy Spirit - representing one person of the Trinity which contains Jesus - is a primary actor in the text.  However, per the commentary, Jesus is not seen in the text as I saw it yesterday.  The commentary shares how the lampstand "seems to be similar to the one in the tabernacle described in Exodus 25:31-40 or to the 10 lampstands that were in Solomon’s temple as described in 1 Kings 7:49."  The purpose of the bowl, working in conjunction with the olive trees, with the lampstand is to "pour [oil]... down from the... [bowl's] channels into the lamps in an abundant supply. Zechariah also sees olive trees standing on either side of the lampstand, one to the right and other to the left....Instead of requiring human effort to keep the lamps burning, the Lord has provided a perpetual supply of oil.....The golden lampstand symbolizes God’s people, Israel. The oil—produced by the olive trees, supplied by the suspended bowl, and delivered by the 49 channels—represents the work of Holy Spirit, empowering Israel to be a light to the nations, directing them to God.....The vision portrays an endless supply of God’s Spirit, an endless supply of God’s power for His people to accomplish God’s purpose, supplied by God Himself. In the vision the bowl is above the lamp.  This indicates that God’s power is not something that human beings work up. God’s power is something that He sends down. When the channels are open in our lives to receive His Spirit’s power, He is ready to send down everything we need to do His work."  The commentary then pivots to explore v7b where it describes the "mountain" of opposition God's people faced rebuilding God's temple and how contemporary believers face similar opposition in the face of the work God calls them to do.  It shares: "There may be a mountain you have faced for years, just as Zerubbabel faced the mountain of the incomplete temple. Each day of continued opposition and the increasing sense of defeat makes the mountain seem larger and more overwhelming. By now, you may think that you simply will never overcome it. And, in the deepest sense, you are right. You cannot overcome your obstacle. You cannot flatten the mountain on your own. But the Holy Spirit of God can overcome it. He lives inside of you, and He will empower you. The greatest obstacles can be conquered. As you trust in Him, God’s Spirit conquers even the greatest of obstacles." Amen!

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My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God who loves me and who encourages and strengthens me for the role in which You place me - whether that be in my family, in the workplace, or elsewhere.  Thank You for equipping, encouraging, and strengthening me.  I am not deserving of how You bless me. My sins are great and they 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.

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. Amen.

Hebrews 13

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. Amen. Hebrews 13:20-21

I maintain a pause of my study of 1 Corinthians as I continue using DesiringGod.com's Solid Joys daily devotion. The highlighted text today shares that Christ's death on the cross and His resurrection, "by the blood of the eternal covenant" not only secures believers' salvation, but also equips us by working in us.  John Piper provides not just Hebrews 13:20-21 but other text, including Jeremiah 31:33 to describe how this works: "Therefore, the blood of this covenant not only secures God’s equipping us to do his will, but also secures God working in us to make that equipping successful.  The will of God is not just written on stone or paper as a means of grace. It is worked in us. And the effect is: We feel and think and act in ways more pleasing to God."  Piper then provides Philippians 2:12-13 to describe the role believers have in using the "equipment He gives."  He concludes by stating: "If we are able to please God — if we do his good pleasure — it is because the blood-bought grace of God has moved from mere equipping to omnipotent transforming."

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My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God who loves me and who is full of grace and compassion for me.  Thank You Jesus for how You equip me - I am not deserving of such blessing, grace and compassion - my sin is great and it continues...daily.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me turn from such 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.

[Jesus Christ] gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.

Titus 2

[Jesus Christ] gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works. Titus 2:14

I maintain pause my study of 1 Corinthians and focus on a study of 2 Thessalonians and Titus as part of a men's discipleship group (d-group) at my church.  This morning I read Titus 2 unassisted by any commentary. Here, in v1 and in the remaining verses of chapter 2, Paul pivots from a discussion of qualifications for elders in chapter 1 (and who is not qualified) to how Titus must serve the church in Crete, and how he must watch over his flock, including providing instruction that is both affirmative (encourage) and negative (admonish/rebuke).

• v1 teach what accords with sound doctrine
• v2 older men are to be sober-minded, dignified, self-controlled, sound in faith, in love and in steadfastness
• vv3-5 older women are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers or slaves to much wine; they must also teach what is good and train young women to love their husbands and children; to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, that the Word of God may not be reviled
• vv6 younger men must be self-controlled
• vv7-8 Titus himself in all respects should be a model of good works, and in his teaching show integrity, dignity, and sound speech that cannot be condemned, so that an opponent may be put to shame having nothing evil to say about the church
• v9-10 bondservants (by implication all working people) are to be submissive to their own masters in everything; they are to be well-pleasing, not argumentative, not pilfering, but showing all good faith, so that in everything they may adorn the doctrine of God our Savior

Paul then concludes - in vv11-15 with how Titus and the church are equipped for this instruction - it is through the grace of God, how it trains us, and a final emphasis on how Titus must do all these things, including exhortation on what is good and rebuking what is not.  Paul ends with how Titus has authority - so use it and let no one disregard you.

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My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God who loves me and who is full of grace and compassion for me - You provide all I need and equip me to love and serve You.  Thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of my salvation and the blessed hope You provide.  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 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.

Jesus Christ[,]...gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.

Titus 2

Jesus Christ[,]...gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works. Titus 2:13-14

I continue my pause of my study of 1 Corinthians as I participate in a men's discipleship group (d-group) at my church.  Today, my focus is once again Titus 2:11-12 - the memory verse for the 1st two weeks of our study - unlike yesterday I lean on DesiringGod.com's Look at the Book (Lab) for Titus 2:11-14. First, John Piper shares how the grace of God (v11) trains (v12) us negatively to "renounce ungodliness and worldly passions," and positively to "live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives." He then unpacks how the grace of God also gives us an ability to wait for the "blessed hope" (v13) believers have as we trust in the promise that Jesus will return. He then unpacks how God not only gave us grace, but also himself (v14) - Jesus Christ - "to redeem us from all lawlessness [negative] and to purify [positive] for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works."  He wraps the lab by describing how God's grace or Christ's self-giving trains us "by producing in us a joyful, confident, hope of glory."

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My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God who loves me and who is full of grace and compassion for me - training me to become more like You and to equip me for Your will for my life - thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of such grace, compassion, training, and equipping - 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.

Now may the God of peace...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 13

Now may the God of peace...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 13:20-21

Today, I wrap my study of Hebrews, as my focus is the concluding verses 15-25 of Hebrews 13.  I am assisted in my understanding by the Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary Series for Hebrews. The commentary outlines five divisions for this text:

I. Offer Up Pleasing Sacrifices (13:15-16): The commentary emphasizes how the author of Hebrews is focused on Jewish converts to Christianity, and these readers are familiar with the Old Testament.  The OT required animal sacrifices, yet with Christ, WE are to offer ourselves as living sacrifices (Romans 12:1) by modeling Christ and doing good out of our love for Christ. This includes praise and worship - both corporate and through our own testimony and evangelization to others.

II. Submit to Your Leaders (13:17)

III. Pray for Us (13:18-19)

IV. A Remarkable Benediction (13:20-21): The commentary describes the text here as "one of the most beautiful prayers ever uttered by a Christian." It also highlights how the text shares that it is God who equips us - not in our own strength.

V. Final Words (13:22-25)

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My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are good and You allow me to come to You directly - without an intermediary, and I don't need animal sacrifices - and You forgive and save!  Thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of how You do all of this for me...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 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.

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. Amen.

Hebrews 13

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. Amen. Hebrews 13:20-21

This morning, my focus is DesiringGod.com's Solid Joys daily devotion, and John Piper discusses the eternal covenant brought about by Christ's death and resurrection, and how this equips believers "with everything good that we may do his will," and how "[Christ] works in us that which is pleasing in his sight."  Piper shares, using Jeremiah 31:33 how God writes His "law on our hearts" and how this means that "[t]he will of God is not just written on stone or paper as a means of grace. It is worked in us. And the effect is: We feel and think and act in ways more pleasing to God."  This is the sanctification process at work - read, study, etc. God's Word, etc. and watch God get to work on Your heart and life.

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My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are a good, good God who has already done so much work in my life to transform my heart and life - thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of such blessings.  My sin is great...so 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.

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 13

 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 13:20-21

This morning, until I start a new Bible study, I continue using devotionals from John Piper.  Today, the post focuses on key implications of the New (Eternal) Covenant and the redemption/resurrection of Jesus Christ. According to Piper these implications are two-fold:

1. "he equips us with everything good that we may do his will, and
2. he works in us that which is pleasing in his sight."

Piper warns us that we must still use our earthly powers to "use the equipment he gives" to work out our salvation (Philippians 2:12-13).  

Comment and discuss this post here.

My Prayer:  Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God  who loves me and who blesses me daily, and blesses me most importantly with my salvation - thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of such a God.  I sin...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.

What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?

Romans 8

What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? Romans 8:31-32

This afternoon, I continued my study of Romans.  Using my commentary - Exalting Jesus in Romans (eBook) - I continued with chapter twelve God is for Us, which covers Romans 8:31-39.  My focus today is Romans 8:31-32, which my commentary refers to under the heading Who Can Be Against Us. Building on previous posts covering Romans 8, which highlight how we are released from the law, how we are alive in Christ, and how the Holy Spirit indwells us in us and give us power...power to endure through anything we may experience in our earthly bodies. Paul then challenges us to let it sink in...the power we have in Christ.  V31-32 encourages, in fact pushes us to fully recognize how God is not only for us, but how God gives us all things - this is not of course a shopping spree.  We should recognize how God equips us for the life we live - all the ups and downs. 

In terms of what Paul intends for "these things", my commentary discusses the various perspectives on how some scholars think Paul is referring to previously discussed topics in Romans 8, but others believe Paul is writing about all of the Romans letter.  Indeed, we cannot even begin to fathom even all of Romans 8 without first understanding the previous chapters. My commentary wants us to understand that "God is for us" and that we are not only equipped for trials but also to defend ourselves against Satan, and to get us to Heaven. God has not spared His Son Jesus, doing the hard thing, "then we can rest assured that he will also do the lesser or easier thing--'grant us everything'.  That is, he will give us everything necessary to get us to glory."

Comment and discuss this post here.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God and it is awesome to know that You are for us!  Thank You Jesus!  What an incredible truth and promise!  I am not deserving of such a truth and promise.  My sin 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.