And the disciples set out and went to the city and found it just as he had told them, and they prepared the Passover.

Mark 14:12-25

And the disciples set out and went to the city and found it just as he had told them, and they prepared the Passover. Mark 14:16

I continue my study of Mark, leaning on the Christ-Centered Exposition commentary series volume for Mark.  Today, my focus is per the commentary, the first division of the text from Mark 14:12-25 - vv12-16.  

• Using the Sword Bible Study Method focusing just on the text for today - vv12-16: (1) God in the text: we see Jesus moving forward willingly with the Father's plan to become the sacrifice needed to atone for all of the sin for all of humanity throughout redemptive history.  Annual animal sacrifices were not ultimately what God desired as He seeks our heart and our obedience - see Hebrews 10:1-18 and Psalm 40:6–8, Isaiah 1:11–15, and Jeremiah 7:21–23. This was a plan Jesus both knew about in advance and orchestrated as He is in control - of course He could have stopped His own death but He did not; (2) people in the text: We see the disciples being obedient in following Jesus' instructions for preparation for the Passover.  We also see the disciples claiming not to betray Jesus.  While it is true that only Judas betrayed Jesus to the extent that got Jesus arrested, the disciples all scattered and sought anonymity and protection upon Jesus' arrest.  (3) Sins to avoid, promises to claim, examples to follow, and commands to obey: we should stand our ground allowing Jesus to steel and strengthen us during times of persecution - we should not hide our faith.  If we understand God's will for our lives we should follow it - regardless of the cost.  

 Excerpts from the commentary's introduction and the first (of three) division (vv12-16): 

• The title of this chapter of the commentary covering this text is "The King Prepares for His Passion," and the main idea for the entirety of the text (vv1-11) is "Jesus is both the Suffering Servant of the Lord and the Sacrificial Lamb of God, who would die for the sins of the world according to the will of God."
• The title of the first division per the commentary is "Jesus Was in Control of the Events Leading to His Death." 
• "Little did [the disciples] know that an even greater Passover was unfolding as Jesus prepared Himself to be sacrificed as our Passover Lamb (1 Corinthians 5:7)."
• "The cross did not catch Him off guard. No, it was a divine appointment scheduled, as Peter would write, “before the foundation of the world” (1 Peter 1:20)."

Comment and discuss this post.

My Prayer: Father God, You are an awesome God who loves and who saves - You willingly laid down Your life such that I could life now to the full and life for eternity in Heaven where You are saving a place for me. 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 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 truly, I say to you, wherever the gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will be told in of her.

Mark 14:1-11

And truly, I say to you, wherever the gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will be told in memory of her. Mark 14:9

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 14:1-11.  Excerpts from the commentary's third (of four) division (vv6-9):

• The title of the third division per the commentary is "Extravagant Acts of Love Will Be Remembered." 
• Jesus reprimands those who are indignant (vv4-5) in v6. 
• "Here in Mark 14:6-9 we see our Lord in effect standing up for another faithful servant, a woman who has showered Him with a sacrifice of extravagant love only to be ridiculed by those who should have known better."  
• "Some readers misread verse 7, supposing Jesus to be insensitive toward the poor. We should do good for the poor. Jesus believed and taught that. The issue here is between “always” and “not always.” The poor are always there, but Jesus would not be. The opportunity to show Him this kind of personal love and affection would soon be gone. Further, Jesus is God, and the first of the great commands always trumps the second[.]"   
• "Jesus indeed asserts His preeminence above all others (cf. Colossians 1:18). This might help: Put these words in the mouth of any other human person, and they sound scandalous, self-centered, even narcissistic. Put them in the mouth of the Son of God who “for your sake . . . became poor, so that by His poverty you might become rich” (2 Corinthians 8:9), and they make all the sense in the world. Care for the poor, but worship the Savior!" 
• "Jesus makes three striking observations about Mary. (1) “She has done what she could.” She held nothing back! (2) Her act of extravagant love had prophetic and symbolic significance: “She has anointed My body in advance for burial.” Did she fully understand what was about to happen? Probably not. Did she have greater insight into our Lord’s coming passion than the 12 apostles? Of this I have little doubt. (3) Jesus makes a promise that her sacrifice of extravagant love will never be forgotten as the gospel advances throughout 'the whole world.'"

The commentary starts by referring us to Stephen, the first martyr who died for Christ - the ultimate expression of love (see also John 15:13). Mary makes a different yet still significant expression of love - this is what Jesus emphasizes here from the text - that we love God above all others and our lives should express love and worship of Him (see Romans 12:1).

Comment and discuss this post.

My Prayer: Father God, You are an awesome God who loves and who is full of incredible grace - You save!  Thank You Jesus.  I am not deserving of such love and grace.  My sin is great and it is 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 answered, “The most important is, ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”

Mark 12:28-34

Jesus answered, “The most important is, ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” Mark 12:29-31

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 12:28-34:, 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?: We see Jesus understanding scripture - and following both keys aspects of the greatest commandments to love God with all of your mind (v30) and understanding (v30) God gives You, and to love others (vv31, 33).  Jesus understands that all of the ten commands (Exodus 20) "depend on" on these two greatest commandments (Matthew 22:40).  Jesus is also obedient - perfectly.  He not only ultimately follows God's will to die on the cross, but He also fulfilled all prophecy to build a church (through His ministry described here in Mark and elsewhere) to share the gospel to all corners of the earth throughout all redemptive history.     
• What do we learn from the passage about people?: We see at least one of the scribes understanding God's will - given this understanding from God - that God does not want "whole burnt offerings and sacrifices" as empty rituals.  The ceremonial law (vs moral law) goes away with Jesus.  Jesus seeks for us to offer our bodies as a living sacrifice (Romans 12:1).  Building on this command, Jesus seeks for us - as an overflowing expression of His love for us and ours for Him - to bring glory to God in all that we do (1 Corinthians 10:31).  In v34, the one scribe questioning Jesus "not far from the kingdom of God" - meaning perhaps moving closer to being an ally of Jesus or believing in Him.  Yet going forward Jesus' crucifixion is not far off because they cannot trap Jesus into blasphemy (no more questions to be asked), but the Jewish leaders still want to destroy Jesus so they proceed with condemnation and murder of an innocent man.  Broken sinful people (the scribes, Jewish elders, etc.) are used by God to be part of His plan.  This includes us and others both unwillingly and unwittingly.  
• Is there anything from the passage God wants us to obey (SPEC: Sins to avoid,Promises to claim, Examples to follow, Commands to obey?): Love God - with all of your heart, soul, mind and strength - and love others.   

Comment and discuss this post.

My Prayer: Father God, You are good, true, and perfect. Thank You for the blessing of Your Word and for my salvation.  I am not deserving of either.  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 Your 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.

Therefore love truth and peace. "Thus says the LORD of hosts: Peoples shall yet come, even the inhabitants of many cities. The inhabitants of one city shall go to another, saying, 'Let us go at once to entreat the favor of the LORD and to seek the LORD of hosts; I myself am going.' Many peoples and strong nations shall come to seek the LORD of hosts in Jerusalem and to entreat the favor of the LORD. Thus says the LORD of hosts: In those days ten men from the nations of every tongue shall take hold of the robe of a Jew, saying, 'Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you.'"

Zechariah 7:1-3 and 8:18-23

Therefore love truth and peace. "Thus says the LORD of hosts: Peoples shall yet come, even the inhabitants of many cities. The inhabitants of one city shall go to another, saying, 'Let us go at once to entreat the favor of the LORD and to seek the LORD of hosts; I myself am going.' Many peoples and strong nations shall come to seek the LORD of hosts in Jerusalem and to entreat the favor of the LORD. Thus says the LORD of hosts: In those days ten men from the nations of every tongue shall take hold of the robe of a Jew, saying, 'Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you.'" Zechariah 8:19b-23

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 an unassisted review of Zechariah 7:1-3 and 8:18-23, which the commentary outlines as the first of five divisions for the text 7:1-8:23 (7:1-3/8:18-23, 7:4-7, 7:8-10, 7:11-14, 8:1-17).  In an effort to better understand the first division, I reviewed the entirety of 7:1-8:23 and here one can see in chapter 7 God's people seeking answers on how to approach ceremonial law (specifically fasting), and how God, while He does care about external behavior, He is most concerned about our heart condition and that we focus on the most important commandments that we love Him first then love others - see also Psalm 50:8; Hosea 6:6; Psalm 51:16; Psalm 40:6–8; Isaiah 1:11–31; Jeremiah 7:21–23; Hebrews 10:4–10.  When you turn to chapter 8, you see a prophecy of a peaceful and prosperous Israel.  Of note in 8:18-23 is v23 where God's people draw others to Him because others see God in them.  For believers, we should be a light and draw others to Him. 

Comment and discuss this post.

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!  I am not deserving of how You save and loved me first, while I was still hostile and an enemy of You.  Thank You Jesus!  Help me turn from and overcome my sin and turn towards You.  Help me love You and others as You love me.  Help me be a light to others.  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 appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.

Romans 12:1

I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Romans 12:1

This morning, I pause my study of Haggai to prepare for leading Sunday school tomorrow where our focus will be on Old Testament prophecies of Jesus - The Life of Jesus (Part 1 of 2). One of the OT prophecies comes from Psalm 40:6-8 and discussed in Hebrews 10:14 where Jesus is the perfect sacrifice.  I am then drawn to Romans 12:1 where Paul exhorts believers to offer their bodies as a living sacrifice.  John Piper, in this post on DesiringGod.com, draws on this to share that while mercy to others is important, worship of God is first and foremost and that "Before Paul describes our new life in Christ as merciful, he describes it as worshipful. Before you think that the Christian life has everything to do with being merciful to people, realize that it has everything to do with being worshipful toward God....Before we give ourselves away in mercy to man, we give ourselves away in worship to God. This is crucial to see. We must never let the Christian life drift into a mere social agenda. I use the word “mere” carefully, because if God is left out, our mercy will be mere social agenda. We do no one good in the end if we are not worshiping and leading them to worship in the acts of mercy that we do. If our good deeds are not expressing the worth of God, then our deeds are not worship, and in the end, will not be merciful. Making people comfortable or helping them feel good on the way to everlasting punishment, without the hope and the design that they see Christ in your good deeds, is not mercy. Mercy must aim to make much of Christ. No one is saved who doesn’t meet and make much of Christ. And not to care about saving is not merciful.  Therefore, it is absolutely essential that Paul put worship before mercy and that he define the Christian life as worshipful before he defines it as merciful." 

Amen!  We exist to worship and bring glory to God!

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My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God worthy of my worship and I know I exist to worship You and bring You glory.  You are SO good...and SO good to me. Thank You Jesus for my salvation and for the mercies that are new every morning and never cease.  I am undeserving.  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 Dsutin.  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 when dreams increase and words grow many, there is vanity; but God is the one you must fear.

Ecclesiastes 5

For when dreams increase and words grow many, there is vanity; but God is the one you must fear. Ecclesiastes 5:7

I continue my study of Ecclesiastes using the Christ-Centered Exposition commentary series volume for this book.  Today, my focus is a commentary-review of Ecclesiastes 5:7, which covers the second division of the commentary chapter titled Religion Is Meaningless without Jesus - this second division specifically is referred to in the commentary as Through Christ, We Can Approach God with Confident Reverence.  The commentary shares how in American culture "[w]e have a hard time understanding the concept of the fear of the Lord because we live in a culture that has no reverence for authority. We no longer approach parents, teachers, or coaches with respect. Lack of respect and honor has bled over into a new casual Christianity where Jesus is our...copilot and not so much our absolute, formidable King and awe-inspiring, sovereign Master.  We should humbly submit to and stand in awe of God who knows all of our sins and empty promises. People may try to object to this idea and say, “Well, that is just the Old Testament,” but Jesus warns us to fear Him who can destroy soul and body in hell (Matthew 10:28). We are called to reverent awe of God."  We are encouraged by the commentary to approach God through Jesus as the only way - John 14:6.  The Old Testament is described as temporary as it only foreshadowed how the incarnate Jesus would serve as the perfect and final sacrifice for all of humanity's sin forevermore, tearing the curtain in the temple that separated worshipers from access to God.  The commentary refers us to Hebrews 10 where Jesus is described as a better mediator and we can approach Christ in confidence.  Specifically in reference to Ecclesiastes 5:7, the commentary shares: "[d]espite our careless words and empty religion, Jesus brings us back to God. He fully cleanses us and allows us to come boldly before God’s throne. We do this individually in prayer and private worship. Jesus makes this clear in John 4 with the woman at the well. You no longer have to go to a specific physical location to worship God. You can pray and worship Him anywhere. But while we can approach God in private worship, we approach Him in a special way in corporate worship. Now, according to Ephesians 2, we are the new temple where God dwells. Hebrews 12 says that when we gather for corporate worship, we gather at Mount Zion in the presence of God Almighty, innumerable angels, and the saints who have passed on. But we are still called to listen and fear!" We are also referred to Romans 12:1 where Paul shares how believers are to "present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God; this is your spiritual worship."

Comment and discuss this post.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God who loves me and who is full of grace and compassion - going to the cross so that I can have not only salvation but also access to God whenever and where ever I am.  Thank You Jesus that I can approach You in confidence.  I am not deserving of such a loving and caring God.  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.