But you, beloved, building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life. And have mercy on those who doubt; save others by snatching them out of the fire[.]

 Jude 1:17-23

But you, beloved, building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life. And have mercy on those who doubt; save others by snatching them out of the fire[.] Jude 1:20-23

I continue my quick study of Jude (given it's only one chapter), and my focus today is Jude 1:17-23, where Jude pivots from judgement on false teachers to encouragement and exhortations for believers. Here are my observations using the Sword Bible Study Method.  

• What do we learn from the text about God?: Vv17,20: God loves us - believers are beloved.  We are also loved by brothers and sisters in Christ through the local church, that loves, prays for, and supports us. God binds all things together in love (Colossians 3:14).  God gives us the two most important commandments (Matthew 22:37-40) - to love Him and to love others.  These two most important commandments are expressed in Jude's encouragements and exhortations (vv20-23) to "keep [our]selves in the love of God" and to love others. Vv17-19: Jesus is returning and when He does, Jude reminds us that we will be able to discern the final days as he reminds us of Peter's warning from 2 Peter 3:3 (and surrounding text) where "scoffers will come in the last days with scoffing, following their own sinful desires."  
• What do we learn from the text about people?: The false teachers called out by Jude in his letter are those who are identified by following their own sinful desires and for causing division sowed through their errant teaching. Believers protect themselves through the whole armor of God (Ephesians 6:10-20), (vv20-21) building themselves up (growing in God), remaining in the love of God (John 15:1-17), praying, and by pressing on patiently waiting for Jesus's return.  The expectation - consistent with the Great Commission and the 2nd greatest commandment - is that believers also advance the Gospel even during the final days to (vv22-23) "have mercy on those who doubt, [and] to save others by snatching them out of the fire."     
• 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 false teaching and false teachers.  Claim the promise that Jesus is returning and that as a believer you will be spared and saved - this is your blessed assurance.  Follow the example of those who are building themselves up in the faith, praying, remaining in Him, and by saving others - even during the last days. 

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My Prayer: Father God, thank You for giving me discernment about how to identify false teachers and false teaching, for giving me the whole armor of God, and for giving me Your Word, the church, and the Holy Spirit in me so that I can build myself up in the faith.  Thank You also for my salvation.  I am not deserving of my salvation nor any of the blessings You pour out for me daily.  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 Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness for forty days, being tempted by the devil.

Luke 4:1-13

And Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness  for forty days, being tempted by the devil. Luke 4:1-2a

As I have finished my study of Mark, pending a decision for what to study next, as a stop gap I am doing teacher training homework assigned from my church, which is to - without the use of a commentary - form a main idea and outline from a text.  The homework's text is Luke 4:1-13

Main point: Believers can defend against sin and temptation, just as Jesus did through faith, prayer, and the Holy Spirit.   

1. Jesus, is full of and led by the Holy Spirit to encounter Satan - v1
2. Jesus is tempted by Satan - vv2-3, 5-7, 9-11
3. Jesus defends Himself against Satan - vv4, 8, 12, 13

Observations of the text based on the Sword Bible Study Method: 

• What do we learn from the passage about God?: Jesus is full of the Holy Spirit and led by the Spirit - we are reminded of the role the Holy Spirit plays in not just Jesus' life but also believers lives to be fed (spiritually and physically), led, and protected from temptation - vv1, 4, 8, 12.  In the text we see Jesus led by the Holy Spirit to encounter Satan in the wilderness for forty days and be tempted - vv1-2 - using hunger (v2), earthly power (v7), refuge from physical harm (vv9-11), and ultimately "every temptation" (v13).  Jesus has a perfect understanding of scripture and leans on this understanding (see also Proverbs 3:5-6) to defend against temptation- we understand from John 1:1 that in the beginning Jesus was the Word (still is as God does not change) and the Word was with God.  We understand from the beginning of the text that Jesus is full of the Holy Spirit.  Given He is led by the Holy Spirit in the wilderness, we can infer that Jesus ordained an appointment with Satan to prepare Himself for ministry and ultimately for His crucifixion, as He knew the Father's will for His life.    
• What do we learn from the passage about people?: Satan is very powerful - and Jesus is unable to protect Himself from the temptations (every temptation - v13) of Satan without power from the Holy Spirit - v1. Satan was unable to draw Jesus into sin - using "every temptation" - and departed Him - v13.     
• Is there anything from the passage God wants us to obey (SPEC: Sins to avoid,Promises to claim, Examples to follow, Commands to obey?): Just as it was for Jesus, temptation is real and all around us (see also 1 Peter 5:8) - we must avoid becoming a friend of the world to avoid sinful influences. We must not live on bread alone but also feed ourselves daily/spiritually with scripture.  We must not put God to the test. We should love God and worship God above self or others/idols. We must follow Jesus' example and put on the whole armor of God (Ephesians 6:1-18), which includes scripture (which we must study and put it in our hearts), prayer, and the Holy Spirit.     

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My Prayer: Father God, You are an awesome God who loves, saves, and equips us with the whole armor of God so that we can also have victory over sin and death.  Thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of how You save and bless.  My sin is great and it continues...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.

Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.

Mark 14:26-52

Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak. Mark 14:38

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 14:26-52, 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 knows how we all sin yet He still loves us and upon confession forgives us.  He knows about how the disciples will fall away (v27) - not in the same way that Judas fell away because Judas had apparently yet to fully surrender to Jesus - yet still loves them.  Jesus feels anguish about what is about to happen to Him and He prays the same prayer at least twice that He follow God's will...knowing that the Father's will is for Him to die on the cross.  Jesus prays alone (vv34-36, 39). He instructs Peter, James and John to "watch" (v34, 38) so that they not enter into temptation.  He willingly submits to His arrest....all to follow His Father's will and to fulfill scriptures (v49).  
• What do we learn from the passage about people?: We all sin and betray God with our sin...both sins of commission and omission. We all have periods where we let our guard down and allow temptation to enter our hearts.     
• 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 should pray as Jesus did to follow the Father's will for our lives - both to understand God's will and to follow it.  We should watch and be alert as Peter shares (1 Peter 5:8) lest Satan capture more of our heart and attention.  "[T]o stand against the schemes of the devil," we should put on the whole armor of God (Ephesians 6:10-20). We should see Jesus in all scripture and how Jesus fulfills all of the law (Matthew 5:17). 

Comment and discuss this post.

My Prayer: Jesus, thank You for Your Word and how You reveal Yourself to me and how You started and continue a work in me to make me more like You.  You most importantly save me and pour out mercies every day that never cease.  Thank You.  I am not deserving as I continue to have sins both of commission and omission.  Please reveal my sin to me so that I can confess and turn from my sin 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.  

And they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their cloaks on it, and he sat on it. And many spread their cloaks on the road, and others spread leafy branches that they had cut from the fields.

Mark 11:1-11

And they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their cloaks on it, and he sat on it. And many spread their cloaks on the road, and others spread leafy branches that they had cut from the fields. Mark 11:7-8

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 11:1-11.  Excerpts from the commentary's third (of five) division (vv7-8):

• The title of the third division per the commentary is "Worship the One Who Embodies Humility."   
• "Coming in this way our Lord now proclaims openly what He has forbidden until this moment: I am your King! Jesus with purpose and intentionality presents Himself as the Messiah, knowing that it will provoke the Jewish leaders resulting in His crucifixion. Nevertheless, His declaration also is bathed in gracious humility.  The paradoxical kingship of Jesus shines so bright at this moment! He is royalty and deity wrapped in a single person, yet He moves forward in His declaration to be King in lowliness, weakness, and service. He does not come in pomp, but in meekness and lowliness; He comes in humility and simplicity."  
• The commentary refers us to Sinclair Ferguson's commentary on Mark which contrasts what those familiar with Rome typically see among its leaders and their grandeur, pomp and circumstance, with that of Jesus.  Jesus came as King of Kings but not as the Jews expected - in humility and not as a conquering king.

John Piper offers powerful thoughts on the subject of humility, including how knowledge puffs us up (1 Corinthians 8:1), and how we can manage and defeat pride.  Piper warns us about pride: "[p]ride is an enemy of the soul that is so insidious it will stalk you down no matter how many outward strategies you devise to avoid it."  He then offers five "weapons of humility" that he has used to fight pride.  Of course chief among any battle plan is to daily abide in Him (John 15:1-11) and to put on the whole armor of God (Ephesians 6:10-20).

Comment and discuss this post.

My Prayer:  Father God, You are an awesome God that has already defeated sin and death and You are with me always.  Thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving that You saved me and that You never leave or forsake 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 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. 

[T]he scribes who came down from Jerusalem were saying, “He is possessed by Beelzebul,” and “by the prince of demons he casts out the demons.”

Mark 3:22-30

[T]he scribes who came down from Jerusalem were saying, “He is possessed by Beelzebul,” and “by the prince of demons he casts out the demons.” Mark 3:22

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 3:22, which is the text for the first (of three) division of 3:22-30 per the commentary. Excerpts from the commentary's introduction to 3:22-30 and for the first division:

• Main idea of 3:22-30 per the commentary: "Some are so hardened in their rejection of Jesus as God’s true Messiah that they attribute to Satan the works of the Holy Spirit done through Jesus, and they will never be forgiven."
• The concept of an eternal sin - where forgiveness is never available - is discussed.  "Whatever this sin is, we must approach it with the greatest possible gravity and seriousness. When God effectively says, “Commit this sin and I will never forgive you,” there is then no longer any hope for heaven and eternal life."
• Demonstration of this eternal sin - blasphemy against God - "reveals a hardened heart that calls good evil."
• This sin is defined as "a persistent rejection of and declaration against what the Spirit of God is doing in and through Jesus."
• "Those who move in the direction of the unpardonable sin are aware of the miraculous works of Jesus that cannot be denied. The scribes at no point deny He has cast out demons! In addition, this unpardonable sin is characterized by consistently rejecting the obvious and logical conclusion that these spiritual works are done by the Spirit of God."     

There are many who mock God.  It is not my place to identify who these people are but only to believe in the Bible that shares that since the Fall, sin and brokenness exists and God is allowing Satan and sin to persist until He finally defeats Satan as described in Revelation 20:10.  My response to sin and brokenness is to stand on Truth and to put on the whole armor of God as described in Ephesians 6:10-20.  I know what Jesus has done for me with 100% certainty and what He continues to do - His mercies never cease and are new every morning and He continues to intercede on my behalf with the Father daily.  He gives me the Holy Spirit and will never leave or forsake me. He goes before me and leads me.  Without Him I am nothing.  The rich blessings go on and on...

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My Prayer: Heavenly Father, You are an awesome God and You are SO good to me - You save, and You forgive as Your mercies never cease and and are new every morning - for those who believe.  Thank You Jesus for my salvation and for the blessings that You pour out in inexhaustible supply.  I am not deserving of my salvation, nor any of the blessings You pour out for me.  My sin is great and it continues...daily.  Please forgive 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. 

The Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness. And he was in the wilderness forty days, being tempted by Satan. And he was with the wild animals, and the angels were ministering to him.

 Mark 1:12-13

The Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness. And he was in the wilderness forty days, being tempted by Satan. And he was with the wild animals, and the angels were ministering to him. Mark 1:12-13

I continue my study of Mark, leaning on the Christ-Centered Exposition commentary series volume for Mark.  This morning, I focus on a commentary-assisted review of Mark 1:12-13 - the second division of Mark 1:9-13 per my commentary. The commentary shares how this text describes Satan's temptation of Christ (see also Matthew 4:1-11, Luke 4:1-13) was a "declaration of war."  Excerpts from the commentary:

•  "Jesus’ temptation was no accidental encounter, no chance meeting. It was a divine appointment scheduled by the Father and implemented by the Spirit."
• "Thankfully, Jesus yields to the Spirit and embraces this test. The Servant King has a job to do, and the Spirit immediately compels Him. Rather than shrinking back, as Israel was so prone to do, our King, our Commander in Chief, the true Israel goes out to fight in the trenches with us and for us. In so doing He turns back the enemy and provides hope and a pattern for us to do the same."
• "This was the deep wilderness. This was no vacation spot. The conditions were grueling, and Jesus was undoubtedly tired and weak. To grumble, complain, or give in would have been easy."
• Jesus' response in the wilderness contrasts with that of Israel who constantly grumbled and complained.  This wilderness is also similar to that of Moses' 40 days on Mt Sinai and Elijah's 40 days on Mt Horeb - see Exodus 34:28, 1 Kings 19:8. 
• Believers should be encouraged as Christ knows the battles we are fighting and we can take comfort in knowing that Satan does not win this battle nor the war which ends in Revelation.   

Just as the angels were ministering to Jesus in the wilderness, so too does Jesus aid us in our time of temptation and need - when we may feel tempted to grumble, complain (about God no less!), and lose faith.  See Ephesians 6:10-18 for how we are provided with the whole armor of God.  Know and love God by reading and studying scripture - all of it - and experience how the whole armor of God protects us against Satan's schemes.  

Comment and discuss this post. 

My Prayer: Father God, You are an awesome God that provides us with the whole armor of God to protect us from Satan's schemes.  Thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of how You save and how You protect.  My sin is still 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. 

The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still.

Exodus 14:14

The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still. Exodus 14:14

I continue my study of The Character of Jesus.  For this morning, I focus on chapter 15: The Firmness of Jesus where I highlighted in my Kindle version the following excerpts:

• "The majority of mortals are not strong enough to be themselves: they become echoes of their neighbors and walk in paths marked out by others. There is a spirit of the age which leaves its impress on every mind. Even the mightiest men cannot free themselves entirely from it."
• "But when we come to Jesus of Nazareth we are in the presence of a man whom nobody swerved or dominated, who is so free from the bias of his race and so clean of the spirit of his age that he seems to belong to all races and all ages. He is not the Son of David but the Son of Man, just genuinely, supremely human. He is not a citizen of the first century only, but the contemporary of each succeeding generation. Immersed in an ocean of mighty forces which beat upon him furiously through every hour of his career, he resisted them all successfully by the indomitable energy of a victorious will, living a life unique in its beauty and achieving a work unmarred by the limitations either of time or place. That he was not insensible to the dominant forces of his time, he himself has told us in the story of the temptation." See Matthew 4:1-11.
• "Who is a man that he should set himself against the expressed wish of a nation? Is it not through the people that God makes his wishes known, and what is it but egotism or insanity which would lead an individual to set his judgment against the judgment of the people ? This is the argument whose sharp edge many a leader has felt, and Jesus of Nazareth felt it too. Wherever he went he heard the people clamoring for a king, a king who should rise to supremacy over the wrecked empire of Caesar.  The nation was ripe for revolution. A word from him would, like a spark, have kindled a mighty conflagration. Expectations had been built up by men anointed by Jehovah, and these expectations were glowing hot, and how could Jesus hope to win the attention of his people or control the current of their life unless he fell in with their ideals and attempted to carry out the program on which their hearts were set? It was a great temptation, so terrific that he told his apostles all about it.  He assured them that in this temptation he had been wrestling with the very prince of infernal powers, but that notwithstanding repeated assaults he had come out of the conflict victorious. In choosing the road which led to supremacy by way of Gethsemane and Golgotha, he renounced the ideals of his countrymen and disappointed their dearest expectations, but so firm was he that the hosts of hell speaking through God's chosen people could not move him from his place. The nation hurled itself with frantic force against him, but he did not budge. He was the Rock of Ages. When we study his life with attentive eyes we see it was one long resistance to the forces of his age."
• "There were many reasons why Jesus should have conformed to the ideas and customs of the church, but he firmly resisted all the voices which urged him toward conformity, standing out alone in defiance of what the best men were doing and saying, notwithstanding his nonconformity seemed to the majority impiety and to many blasphemy. For a godly man to be classed among blasphemers is one of the bitterest experiences which the heart can know. But Jesus paid the price and continued firm."
• "Jesus could not be manipulated. He refused to be used. One party after another tried to work him into its scheme, but he was incorrigibly intractable and went on his way independent, unshackled, free. All the seductions offered by the men who sat on thrones could not swerve him from his course, and although his steadfastness made him enemies and finally nailed him to the cross, he was everywhere and always a man who could not be moved." 
• "Jesus could not be manipulated even by his friends. He had many friends in Nazareth, but he never gave up his principles to please them. They had their prejudices and superstitions, but he never surrendered to them."
• "The most tender and gracious and obliging of men is compelled to resist not only the prayers of his countrymen but the wishes of his family and friends. He stands like a rock in the midst of a troubled sea, and all its billows dash themselves against his feet in vain. There was something inflexible in his will, something granitic in his soul. When he found a man whom he thought worthy to be the first member of his church he called him "rock.  Are we to infer from this that it is the rock-like quality which is indispensable in the building of an institution which shall endure? It is certain that Jesus loved stability in others, and what he loved in others he had super-abundantly in himself. Firm himself, he loved men who could not be moved."
• "Salvation could not be offered to any one who did not endure to the end. It is in this tenacity of will that we find an indispensable element of Christian character. Men are to resist exterior forces and form their life from within. They are not to be swayed by current opinion, but by the spirit of the Eternal in their heart. They are not to listen to the voices of time, but to live and work for eternity. We like this steadfastness in human character, and we also crave it in God. Men have always loved to think of Him as the unchanging and the unchangeable, the one "with whom can be no variation, neither shadow that is cast by turning." And what we desire in God we find in Jesus of Nazareth."
• "From age to age he is about his Father's business, and in the midst of all nations and kindreds and tongues he goes about doing good." 

While the commentary provides ample evidence of Jesus’ firmness in scripture, the Holy Spirit guides me to additional examples in scripture of how we as believers must also be firm.  An unwavering faith – resisting temptations to either lack trust in God to provide and protect, or to act outside of God’s commands in the face of worldly temptations and persecution –  demonstrates firmness consistent with Jesus’ own character and what He commands and expects from us.  Two examples where firmness was not displayed - even among biblical heroes - was when Peter denied knowing Jesus upon Jesus' arrest (see Mark 14:66-72), and Abraham lying that Sarah was his sister (see Genesis 20:1-2).  Believers know that temptations will arise and that the only way to battle these temptations is with the whole armor of God (Ephesians 6:10-20).  Exodus 14:14 tells us to be "still" or "silent" and to trust in God vs falling prey to temptations where we seek to take things into our own hands (acting outside God's counsel). Philippians 1:27 and Romans 12:2 urge us to stand firm in our faith and not to conform to the patterns of this world - instead we are to be transformed by the renewal of our mind so that we know God's will for us. 

Comment and discuss this post.

My Prayer: Father God, You are an awesome God who loves and is always there with Your Word, the Holy Spirit, brothers and sisters in Christ and more to help us to be firm and from falling prey to the patterns of this world.  Thank You Jesus for the full armor of God.  I am not deserving of how richly You save and bless!  My sin is great and it continues...daily.  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 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.