Jesus answered him, “If what I said is wrong, bear witness about the wrong; but if what I said is right, why do you strike me?”

 John 18:19-24

Jesus answered him, “If what I said is wrong, bear witness about the wrong; but if what I said is right, why do you strike me?” John 18:23

I continue my study of John and today I focus on John 18:19-24, where Jesus - now arrested and in custody - is questioned by Annas, the father in law of Caiaphas.  Here are my observations using the Sword Bible Study Method. 

• What do we learn from the text about God?: Jesus does not hide anything about the Truth and seeks to expose those who mean him harm for no other reason than He threatens their power.  He is asked about His disciples and teaching - v19 - and Jesus rightly asks his accuser(s) why they ask about these things when He has been very open about His teaching and about what He is doing with His disciples.  This is a valid question as they could have just as easily done their own homework and "investigation" to more fully understand Jesus' teaching and His work with the disciples. Jesus asks the right questions to expose people's heart condition.  This scene echoes scripture where Paul writes in Romans 7:7-13 how "if it had not been for the law, I would not have known sin." Jesus is then struck in v22 for being "confrontational" yet Jesus is really challenging each of us to understand (and confess and repent from) our own sin. 
• What do we learn from the text about people?: Those who arrested and question Jesus do not seek truth - instead they seek their own selfish gain (and self-preservation).     
• Is there anything from the text God wants us to obey (SPEC: Sins to avoid, Promises to claim, Examples to follow, Commands to obey?): Avoid glory of self - love God then love others.  Claim the promise that Jesus is the way, truth, and the life.  No Word from God will ever fail - Luke 1:37 (NIV).  Follow the example of Jesus to speak the Word of God boldly.  Put on the whole armor of God.   

Comment and discuss this post

My Prayer: Father God, You are an awesome God who loves and saves.  You are the way, the truth and the life and no Word from You will ever fail - God's Word is faithful and inerrant.  Thank You for my salvation and Your Word so that I can know, love and be transformed by You into more of Your image.  I am not deserving of such blessings.  My sin is great and it continues...daily.  Please forgive me and help me turn from and overcome such sin.  Help me turn towards You.  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.

But it is not as though the word of God has failed.

Romans 9

But it is not as though the word of God has failed. Romans 9:6

This afternoon, I continued my study of Romans.  Using my commentary - Exalting Jesus in Romans (eBook) - I started chapter thirteen God's Word Has Not Failed, which covers Romans 9:1-29.  My focus today is Romans 9:6-13, which my commentary refers to under the heading Truth 1: God is Working Out His Sovereign Purposes in History. As I posted yesterday, Paul expressed anguish over the unbelief of his fellow Jews, particularly in light of how Jesus is the Messiah so promised to the Jews in the Old Testament. Paul now pivots to write how it is not God's word has failed (v6) - in fact, "no word from God will ever fail" (see Luke 1:37 NIV). Paul goes on to write how "not all who are descended from Israel belong to Israel" (v6), how children of the flesh are not children of God (v8), and how Esau "I hated" (v13) despite his birth to Issac and Rebekah. Many will seek to find contradictions in scripture but they won't find them. See also Psalm 18:30 where David writes how God's way is perfect and "the word of the Lord proves true"; these same words are echoed in 2 Samuel 22:31 where David's word in song are captured as well. 

My commentary emphasizes how "God never promised that every Israelite would be saved....God has always chosen some within the nation of Israel to be his true people (a remnant)."  God both hardens and softens hearts by His design and will and He even chose to "include Gentiles in this believing company."  The commentary points out Paul's use of Genesis 12, 15, 17, and 21, and how Paul loosely quotes Genesis 18:10, 14 to show that "[t]here is an Israel within Israel" and how Sarah's miraculous birth of Isaac demonstrates to us that "[s]alvation is not by birth or works but by grace." If salvation is extended by birth than Esau would have been grafted in but he was not - again it is by grace that we are saved.  Similarly for Jacob, a deceiver, one could expect that Jacob not be part of God's family given his actions; but again God saves and Jacob is part of God's family through grace.  The commentary goes on to say that neither Esau nor Jacob deserved salvation (none of us do!) but grace saved Jacob as one of the elect. It should be noted that the commentary references how Esau's rejection is also discussed in Malachi 1:2-3.  Bottom line, yes, Paul is full of anguish due to unbelief among the Jews, but this is not due to failure of God's word. My commentary ends by stating that God's word "was and is being fulfilled in an Israel within Israel.  In sovereign freedom, God has always chosen a people for himself.  And he continues to work out his sovereign purposes in history."

Comment and discuss this post here.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God who loves me and whose Word is true and perfect!  Thank You Jesus for the gift of scripture - it is You and I cannot live without You.  Yet I am undeserving of how You provide Your Word, the Holy Spirit, and my salvation.  My sin continues...daily; 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.  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 no word from God will ever fail.

Matthew 1-2 and Luke 1-2

 For no word from God will ever fail. Luke 1:37

I continue with my study of - Ten Men of the Bible: How God Used Imperfect People to Change the World - eBook by Max Lucado (for purchase). This morning, I continue with the story of "Joseph: Shaky Limbs and Unanswered Questions*".

*Title of lesson six from the Max Lucado study.

The commentary* of day five starts with Max Lucado describing the story of Simeon to whom the Holy Spirit revealed that "he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah" (Luke 2:26). Prompted to go to the temple, Simeon found the baby Jesus and he rejoiced.  Lucado describes how scripture does not indicate how long Simeon waited for this day and he "reminds us to 'wait forwardly'. Patiently vigilant. But not so patient that we lose our vigilance.  Nor so vigilant that we lose our patience." We are encouraged to both be patient and vigilant in our prayer.

Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. Isaiah 40:30-31

Lucado then moves to discuss what details scripture provides us about Jesus' upbringing.  He tells of Jesus' separation from his parents in Luke 2:41-52 and how Jesus was sinless so his teaching where His parents found Him in the temple was perfect as people were amazed at His words. Jesus sought the temple and we are urged to pursue God and the Word in the same way.  

Lucado wants us to understand how God can transform and renew our minds (Romans 12:2) and, just as He did with Joseph, use even common and regular people for supernatural purposes (for God's glory!).  Joseph had many questions but his faith enabled him to "lean not on [his] own understanding" but on God.  We all have doubts and questions but what IS known about God and how He loves us is clear and that His Word is flawless.

Discuss and comment on this post here.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, believers can count on You - when You make a promise like You did to Simeon and to Joseph, we may still have questions but we can count on You.  You tell us that You will never leave or forsake us...and You have so many other great promises!  Thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of the many promises You make to me and how You bless me.  I worry and I have other sins.  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. 

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.

Matthew 5-7, Luke 6

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. Matthew 5:6

Day 297 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 - focusing this morning on the Sermon on the Mount. My commentary indicates that this sermon "[c]over[s] a broad spectrum of spiritual topics, [and] Jesus speaks of the nature of the kingdom, of repentance, of faith, and of worship—and particularly of prayer and humility. Always demonstrating a concern for human welfare, Jesus deals specifically with family and social relationships and discusses at length the effect of possessions on one’s faith and peace of mind. The discourse begins beautifully with the blessings in store for the righteous, and harshly with the woes which will befall those whose lives are spiritually rebellious."

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

While this sermon is rich with teachings, each of which are important and worthy of their own reflection and study unto itself, the promise of Matthew 5:6 has always been one of favorite of the entire Bible. Matthew 22:34-40 and Exodus 20 (The Ten Commandments) both refer to the greatest commandment, which is to love God. Matthew 5:6 expresses this commandment in words that drive us to God with urgency and also with a promise of satisfaction - a promise that I can personally say is true as are all of God's promises.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an amazing and faithful God and all of Your promises come true as "no word from God ever fails".  I know this in my life.  Thank You Jesus for Your faithfulness.  I am not deseving of such faithfulness and love. My sin continues...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.

I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.

Malachi 1-4

I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord. Psalm 27:13-14

Day 278 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 to the book of Malachi where this prophet arrives on the scene to offer encouragement during a period when Israel is struggling to rekindle its spiritual life even after rebuilding the temple upon return from exile. My commentary describes the period where Israel is growing impatient, waiting for the prophesied Messiah: "[a]s discouragement and cynicism set in, the people’s spiritual commitment suffers: The temple service is being neglected for lack of tithes and offerings; the priests are offering blemished sacrifices and failing to give instruction in the law; the men are marrying wives who worship foreign gods; and divorce is rampant....Without a doubt his prophecies speak to the very issues of this period. Malachi’s message is powerful in its simplicity: Yes, God does still love his people; and, yes, all the grandeur of the ultimate restoration is still coming—in God’s own time. In the meantime, it is each person’s responsibility to lead the kind of life that will be fit for God’s holy kingdom."

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

Waiting for the Lord is a common theme in the Bible - many find it difficult to see God at work in their lives.  Yet God is always at work. He wants us to patiently endure.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, I know You are always at work and You are faithful - all of Your promises come true - no word from God will ever fail.  I have seen this in my own life and I am grateful for the many blessings You pour out for me.  I am not deserving of such blessings.  My sin continues - 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.  Please provide wisdom and strength for Lisa and myself.  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.