Sound Teaching

One interesting aspect of our text is Jesus’ description of Nathanael’s character. “Behold, an Israelite indeed in whom is no deceit” (47).

We can see such genuineness in Nathanael’s acceptance of Jesus’ ability to know the unknowable. Philip had brought Nathanael to see Jesus, and Nathanael was initially skeptical.  His words in verse 46 should not be considered derision, but an honest observation of troubles in the city of Nazareth at that time.

However, when Jesus was able to identify Nathanael without having met him personally, Nathanael proclaimed, “Rabbi, You are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!” (49).

Note that Jesus was a bit dismissive of the Divine power He had demonstrated. Not that it was invalid, or that Nathanael was too credulous, but rather as he told the man, “You will see greater things than these” (50). Every sign that Jesus needed to supply proof of His divine nature has been supplied! Praise God!

The text of Mark 10:32-34 states the beginning of the final stage of Jesus’s life as he began his journey to Jerusalem where he would be crucified.

“Now they were on the road, going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was going before them; and they were amazed. And as they followed they were afraid. Then He took the twelve aside again and began to tell them the things that would happen to Him:  ‘Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and to the scribes; and they will condemn Him to death and deliver Him to the Gentiles;  and they will mock Him, and scourge Him, and spit on Him, and kill Him. And the third day He will rise again’”

As Jesus had already spoken to them twice about His eventual death, no doubt his determination to go directly to the source of his opposition (Jerusalem) was both amazing (“they were amazed”) and troubling (“they were afraid”) to His disciples. For a third time Jesus declares His impending death, this time to the twelve as He took them aside. Continue reading “Jesus Predicts His Death” →

It seems that Paul’s second letter to Timothy was written very near the end of the apostle’s life. He had been imprisoned a second time, and did not hold out hope that he would be set free.

There are two statements Paul made that are interesting here. We will take them in reverse order. In verses 9-16, Paul asked Timothy to come to him quickly. He asked this because he was almost entirely alone. He wrote in verse 11, “Only Luke is with me.” Paul was feeling the isolation after a long life of service to the Lord. He longed to see his old friend. Demas had gone back into the world, Alexander the coppersmith had hurt him deeply, and other fellow companions were doing their own ministerial works in other places. Paul needed Timothy.

The other statement precedes his call to come, stated in verses 6-8. Though Paul was lonely and in the midst of trials, his eye remained on the prize! He was ready to die, and knew his time among them was coming to a close. Because he was a faithful steward of the work Jesus had given him to do, he could write with confidence, “Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day” (8).

We should have the same outlook. No matter how tiresome and disappointing this life may become, we have hope in God!

The Bible’s call to sanctification requires for the elect to advocate and help the poor, helpless and vulnerable.  The Bible also reveals that God considers the unborn to be a human child.

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In scripture there is a versatile metaphor used by the Holy Spirit. The idea of a door. Let’s see what we can learn from it.

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John the Baptist was born to the priest Zacharias and his wife Elisabeth about 6 months before the birth of Jesus. His parents were faithful to God as Luke noted, “And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless” (Luke 1:6). As with Jesus, great things were prophesied about John (cf. Luke 1:14-16), but we know only what Luke records about his early life. “So the child grew and became strong in spirit, and was in the deserts till the day of his manifestation to Israel” (Luke 1:80).

John first appeared publicly as a prophet of God in Luke 3, in the 15th year of Tiberius Caesar’s reign. We are told that “he went into all the region around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the remission of sins, as it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet, saying: ‘The voice of one crying in the wilderness: “Prepare the way of the Lord; make His paths straight. Every valley shall be filled and every mountain and hill brought low; the crooked places shall be made straight and the rough ways smooth; and all flesh shall see the salvation of God”’” (Luke 3:3-6). His call for Israel to repent showed the purpose of his ministry to prepare Israel for the coming of the Messiah. Continue reading “John the Baptist” →

Can you imagine the moment when Zacharias’ began to prophecy? He had been mute since expressing doubt of God’s promise to bless him and Elizabeth with a child (20). Now, with the child named, God loosed his tongue giving him the ability to praise God for His blessings! (cf. 64).

The prophecy itself came after hundreds of years of silence, as Zacharias was “filled with the Holy Spirit” (67). It contained praise to God, a reminder of God’s blessings upon Israel, and an identification of John’s coming work. “And you child, will be called the prophet of the Highest; for you will go before the face of the Lord to prepare His ways” (76). These words indicated that in John the Baptist God had fulfilled His promise given to Israel in Malachi 4:5, “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord.” This indeed came true, as John “grew and became strong in spirit” (80) and fulfilled his purpose as the herald of the coming Christ.

The wise man of Ecclesiastes emphasized that God wishes us to enjoy our lives here on earth. “I know that nothing is better for them than to rejoice, and to do good in their lives, and also that every man should eat and drink and enjoy the good of all his labor—it is the gift of God” (Ecclesiastes 3:12-13).

But, consider the verse that proceeds these two, “He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also He has put eternity in their hearts, except that no one can find out the work that God does from beginning to end” (11).

Men know about God. It is interesting that despite the continued assault from atheism, modern “rationalism” and those who have made a God out of science, most people still believe in God. It is in our hearts. It is not merely tradition, culture or superstition. It is how God has made us! Consider the wise man’s conclusion: Continue reading ““Eternity in their hearts”” →

Consider the following from James’ pen, “Now the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace” (James 3:18).

James’ words complete a section of scripture (13-18) contrasting true wisdom with what men often consider to be wise. These are described as “wisdom [that] does not descend from above, but is earthly, sensual, demonic” (15). And, “the wisdom that is from above [that] is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy” (17).

These words must be put into the proper context of scripture as a whole. They do not preclude a contending for truth, and an insistence that peace comes through the unity characterized by the Father and the Son. Jesus prayed, “I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me” (John 17:20-21).

What James clearly indicates is our proper inclination. It is love and peace. We are to rejoice in unity, not in division. Heavenly wisdom requires for us to be righteous. We must sow peace! Do not be bitter, do not be envious, do not seek your own. Make peace!

Barnabas serves as a most diligent example of one who edifies others.  What can we learn from him?

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A Discussion of the last verses of Luke 24, and the first 2 chapters of Acts. Texts written by Luke.

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It is interesting how often Paul would name his fellow workers in the gospel, heaping praise upon them and enjoining his readers to care for them and accept their help on Paul’s behalf. An example of this is found in Colossians 4:7-14, and giving short biographies of these men can be quite interesting and enlightening to us.

Tychicus: A frequent companion of the Apostle, Tychicus is mentioned 5 times in the New Testament. He was a Christian from Asia, and described by Paul as “a beloved brother and faithful minister in the Lord” (Ephesians 6:21). Paul sent him to Colosse with Onesimus (Colossians 4:7-9). And also Ephesus on two occasions, once during his first imprisonment, and then a second time near the end of his life, freeing Timothy to go to Rome (cf. 2 Timothy 4:9,12). We can see from these mentions just how faithful and helpful this Christian brother was to the great apostle. Continue reading “Accolades from Paul” →

Here Jesus showed his compassion to a man stricken with leprosy. Touching the unclean man, and healing him of the disease. Leprosy was and is a horrific disease, and was without a cure in Bible times. While it was often not fatal, it was contagious, progressive, and caused deformation and degeneration of the tissues of the body.

In our time, it can be treated, as it is caused by bacteria. Doctors can administer a concoction of drugs to kill the bacteria.

The contagious nature of the disease as well as the horrific symptoms is why lepers were shunned from society. And why leprosy was determined to be an uncleanness in the law of Moses (cf. Leviticus  14).

This leper could not contain his joy despite being instructed by Jesus to tell no one of the healing. It is intimated that the reason for Jesus’ desire for secrecy was that knowledge of the miracle would impede His work. This is, in fact, exactly what happened.

1 Kings 16 relates the reign of perhaps the most evil ruler in the history of Israel, Ahab. He was the son of Omri, and reigned in Samaria for 22 years. Verse 30 states, “Now Ahab the son of Omri did evil in the sight of the Lord, more than all who were before him.” Among the other sins he committed, married the evil woman Jezebel, the daughter of the king of Sidon (Phoenicia), and began serving and worshipping Baal. Following her influence, Ahab built a temple and altar to Baal in Samaria, and fashioned a wooden image to worship him. The historian relates, “Ahab did more to provoke the Lord God of Israel to anger than all the kings of Israel who were before him” (33).

This was also the time of Elijah, a man who was willing to stand up for God during Ahab’s reign. With God’s authority, Elijah said in Chapter 17, “As the Lord God of Israel lives, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, except at my word” (1). At God’s direction he hid from the bloodthirsty king as the drought commenced. Continue reading “Who Troubled Israel?” →

From time to time we need to be reminded of the importance of God’s plan for congregations. An aspect of that plan we currently do not have is an eldership. The reason for this is irrelevant to the need. We need elders because:

The word bishop (episkopos) means overseer (cf. 1 Timothy 3:1). In God’s plan those who are engaged in this work have the large responsibility of overseeing the flock among them. Without an elder, such oversight is lacking.

The word elder (presbuteros) indicates an older man (cf. 1 Peter 5:1). This accords with the qualifications. Age enables a man with sufficient wisdom and experience to  guide the flock. Young men may not make wise decisions, and are not given this position in the Lord’s house.

The word pastor (poimen) means a shepherd (cf. Acts 20:28). It is the work of feeding and protecting the sheep. These two things make up much of the elder’s work. The feeding is done through the word, and the protection is against false influences and evil efforts to damage the congregation. Paul warned the elders of the Ephesian church, “savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock…” (Acts 20:29).  Without elders, God’s flock is vulnerable.

Any congregation that is bereft of elders is vulnerable, and should have as a primary intent the appointment of qualified men.