But what Caiaphas didnt realize (in his unconscious prophecy as Morris aptly puts it) is that it was indeed expedient for one man to die for the nation a scapegoat covered not with the political excuses of sinful men, but with the weight of their sins upon Him. This, to my own shame, was not the example of Christ. [xii]. But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth."Matthew 8:11-12. His sovereignty is manifested in ordaining, and indeed bringing about, the salvation of those who seemed (by all worldly standards) to have wandered beyond the reach of salvation. [30] But when this son of yours came, who has devoured your property with prostitutes, you killed the fattened calf for him! [31] And he said to him, Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours. George Ladd once said that, the Kingdom of God is the redemptive reign of God dynamically active to establish his rule among men, and that this Kingdom, which will appear as an apocalyptic act at the end of the age, has already come into human history in the person and mission of Jesus to overcome evil, to deliver men from its power, and to bring them into the blessings of Gods reign The Kingdom of God involves two great moments: fulfillment within history, and consummation at the end of history., Section 4 Heart of Darkness: The Power of Unbelief, 11:45-48Many of the Jews therefore, who had come with Mary and had seen what he did, believed in him, [46]but some of them went to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done. I think the answer is emphatically no. For our Lord had many times predicted not only His own death, but also His resurrection. [2] Now Judas, who betrayed him, also knew the place, for Jesus often met there with his disciples. Piper closes his thoughts on the matter this way: When Jesus died, he glorified the Fathers name and saved his Fathers people. 3:19-21 And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. [2]It was Mary who anointed the Lord with ointment and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was ill. It is a testament to the grace and power of God that we are protected from the wiles of the Devil and that is why your prayers of intercession for each other are so crucial, for God works through your prayers to thwart the enemy. There will be no universal peace before the second advent of the Prince of peace. You must trust yourself, your heart and your soul and your entire life to His command. It showed off his blinding power that these people would have no hope in the reality of glorious nature of the world to come. The purpose is so that his prayer and plan might come to pass for us. This is what we do, he says. Furthermore, he knows that what he has done has been an offense first and foremost against heaven. He has won them an everlasting inheritance, and is going to the Father, as will all who believe upon His name for everlasting life. John sees clear fulfillment of OT scripture and its just as clear that the apostle Peter did as well. The veracity of His teaching is at stake, but of course much more than that, His saving grace is non-existent if He didnt accomplish a victory over death. Jesus, in effect, was showing them that they didnt understand Him because they didnt understand the nature of the person of the messiah and his mission. The Hound of Heaven. Rise up, and come away.'. NOTE: Some of the dispensationalists might argue that God rules spiritually in the hearts of men, but not physically here on earth, and does not rule them in any way other than in their hearts. 2:13). Therefore, as D.A. [17]For if, because of one mans trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ. He weaves the denials of Peter in with the first part of the Jewish trial of Jesus. In these parallel accounts we see first the power of Christ, and also the weakness and failure of Peter. I have been to this very spot where Jesus is said to have called these men to shore for breakfast. John clearly infers that Jesus came to save those people who would believe upon His name. [i]. The heart change that only comes by new birth. Such is the love the father had for his son. Thats when you start looking through your bank statements, scrolling furiously through the online line items. An epic poem of magnificent prose that tells of the Hound of Heaven seeking to save the lost hares of this world. Our doing is our beholding. [12] And the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the share of property that is coming to me. And he divided his property between them. And it was also a sign that Jesus was who He claimed to be. The Author is expounding on some deep Christological truths mostly pertaining to the Priesthood of Jesus that required a foundational understanding already in place. Well, we know enough about Peter to know that it isnt simply because of a weak disposition within Peter. So Jesus withdrew for a time in order to prepare for the final chapter in His ministry, where He would once again enter Jerusalem, this time for the last time before His grand passion that would serve as the atoning sacrifice for millions and millions of His followers for generations to come, effectively changing the world forever. While Peter is denying, Jesus is embracing who He is and why He came. Heaven and earth were concerned in this event; it was the turning point of the ages. (1 John 4:9-10). You no doubt have difficulties youre battling today. Specifically, of course, on the revealing of the glory of the Son, which MacArthur says, blazes in this passage against a dark backdrop of rejection and hatred on the part of the Jewish leaders.. This includes those whose personalities clash with ours, those who hurt us and treat us badly, and even those who are hostile toward our faith (Luke 6:28; Matthew 5:44). God doesnt not discriminate based on sex, age, race, and ethnicity. I hope that anyone reading this now understands that Christianity is all about Christ. Whence arise these things? The sadness we endure now is like that of Mary and Martha. But Jesus readily identifies Himself as who they are looking for. Often it is very easy to get caught up in viewpoints about the millennium, and I do not want to detract from the importance of the millennium. But he is correct that from what I have read at least, letters (a), (b) and (c) are universal in their appearance in the minds of many commentators, and definitely appeared in my mind as I studied the passage. The issue here is that we see the offer of salvation, but in our natural state we dont see it as glorious. When push comes to shove, he cannot and will not embrace or associate himself with Jesus at this point. 18:38b 19:16). He knew the Fathers will; He sought the Fathers mind on all things through prayer. [13] He flees because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. Christ permeates Pauls writing to such an extent that it would be impossible to read around it. No one comes to the Father except through me. Genesis xxxii. Thousands of Bibles were confiscated, and multitudes of believers were sent to the gulags-prison camps-where . 13:15). The answer is that this: we need a supernatural change of heart. but thats for future Sunday mornings! . It is therefore comforting and of no small importance that upon His victory the Lord refers to His disciples as those who will participate in the rewards of His triumph. [xvii] J.C. Ryle, Expository Thoughts on the Gospels, Luke 21:10-19. Without the eyes of Christ you are driving 80 mph through dense fog all the while hoping for the best and yet still surprised when you hit a pole. Jesus has now achieved a great victory over Satan, sin, and deathThe Amil says that Satan no longer deceives the nations (20:3) as he did before the coming of Christ. Theyre in our neighborhoods, theyre in the grocery stores, theyre not just in India theyre in your Bible study! John here says that, God so loved the world. In the gospel of John, the apostle uses the word world in at least 10 different ways: The word world (Greek: Kosmos) appears 185 times in the New Testament: 78 times in John, 8 in Matthew, 3 in Mark, and 3 also in Luke. The third observation is what she saw, or rather what she didnt see. Now Peter needed to have that same love for the sheep. This is a beautiful place! So that will make the victory all that much more sweeter when we enter into His presence and He banishes death and sickness once and for all! Verse 16 comes on the heels of an Old Testament account of salvation being reapplied by Jesus as he turned the timetables forward to show how the bronze serpent that Moses lifted up in the wilderness foreshadowed His being lifted up on the cross. And so I admonish you to stir up one another toward good works, toward meditation on the word, toward times of prayer together, and apart. That is what we need to take away from this passage. He is the sum total of bliss; the fountain from which heaven flows, the element of which heaven is composed. The weakness of man contrasted so clearly againstthe backdrop of Christs majestic power is hard to miss. Below are my notes, I hope you profit from them! The response of Jesus comes to us packaged in the shortest sentence in Scripture. Ryken says, The word sinners was the catch all for people who had a notorious reputation for bad behavior thieves, drunkards, prostitutes, and anyone else who refused to conform to the holy habits of the religious community.[1]. We must therefore look to the power of the Man in the garden, and realize that we can trust that He is who He says He is. (Psalm 23:1-3), Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, you who lead Joseph like a flock. [47] For it is no empty word for you, but your very life, and by this word you shall live long in the land that you are going over the Jordan to possess. (Deuteronomy 32:45-47 ESV)[i], For I know their works and their thoughts, and the time is coming to gather all nations and tongues. And while we may not fully understand why God chooses to work this way, I praise God that He is who He is, and that He has intervened in my life. Interesting how Christ had to explain to the disciples, at this sensitive moment, what He meant by His words. The power is invisible to you but for a flash of light and then the power surges through all your electronic gear until your stuff is completely fried by the magnitude of that power. Yetin his flesh Peter cannot own Jesus. Note what they say to her, Woman, why are you weeping? It isnt as though they dont know the reason shes weeping. I promise its worth your time and a good reflection on the goodness & mercy of God. (2 Corinthians 3:16-18 ESV). We see that Jesus is saying that the reason why Lazarus has been sick (at this point he has not died) is so that the Son of God may be glorified.. Our King has come and has inaugurated the kingdom of God. [v] They have become dull of hearing. (nthros no-thross slow, sluggish[vi], indolent, dull, languid). The church feeds off of the Word of God. All nations will call Him blessed. I thought I saw an Abrahamic type of faith a gigantic faith. The future aspect of the kingdom is its final consummation.[iii]. Now, let this be a stimulus to your fruitbearing, that Jesus is the gardener. They had no idea how David could have called his descendent his Lord. They had not understood to this point the heavenly nature of the coming messiah. He cares more about comforting them and keeping them from harm than saving His own skin. It does not attract, rather the reverse. [16] For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised. [32] It was fitting to celebrate and be glad, for this your brother was dead, and is alive; he was lost, and is found.. As long as ever I could, I rebelled, and revolted, and struggled against God. They functioned as mercenaries who cared more about riches than holiness. By nature the hearts of all people are dull and insensitive to the things of God, nor are people genuinely interesting in hearing and seeing what God has to say to them (Matt. A session of the Sanhedrin (Mt. In the midst of this whole confusing scene, Jesus is obviously still in complete control, to the point where He issues and a command that the mob let His disciples go. And as we see in chapter 15, it is a kingdom populated by sinners. 53:10). And its a goal that positions us well to commune with God. 11:30-32Now Jesus had not yet come into the village, but was still in the place where Martha had met him. Presently, Kate and I would really like to sell our house. Wed love to move closer to church and to my work. This is the real central point of all of these parables, namely the great lengths to which Jesus has gone to rescue us from ourselves. Notice two things. Its a major clue into how Jesus behaved around others. "The Hound of Heaven" is a 182-line poem written by English poet Francis Thompson (1859-1907). There are two primary ways to view this: I believe that both views are correct. At the heart of the Spirits work within us is His desire for us to know Christ more. He will then deceive the nations again, presumably achieving some measure of his old power. You wish to bring others to Christ, because you yourselves have been brought to life and liberty in him. You immediately start combing your purse, your wallet, your statements, you stop and think you must be missing something somewhere. But this is not that spiritual Kingdom of which we read here, but rather that earthly literal Kingdom which comes at the culmination of human history.[ii]. John simply says, Jesus wept. But we also read that when Jesus hears what Mary has to say, his spirit is greatly troubled. His troubled soul is noted at two different points in this passage. The man Jesus was a threat to the socio-political stability of the Jewish state, and he needed to be dealt with. The Hound of Heaven. Furthermore, you werent the one who ordained salvation, and neither will you have to maintain it. And in doing so, His words cut to Peters heart and remind him that though he claims to be the most loyal and dutiful disciples, he has a recent failure of such magnitude that with each passing word from the lips of Jesus, Peter must have been smarting all the more. (Romans 8:15-17), For he who sanctifies and those who are sanctified all have one source. Ill say more about that in a moment. We do not do this in our flesh, but in cooperation with His Holy Spirit who applies the Word we read to our hearts (which I will mention more in just a minute). There is a website: thehoundofheaven.com. So you can see how these perspectives function to shape our viewpoint of the book itself and the millennium. Therefore we must be continually putting ourselves in a position to learn more, to hear the Word more, to pray more. Here we learn how this discernment is achieved: by constant practice. So she takes in the view and see the linen strips and the shroud folded. 1094. Sproul describes this unique part of Post-millennialism: What distinguishes postmillennialists from amillennialists and premillennialists is the belief that Scripture teaches the success of the Great Commission in the age of the church. From this tremendous Lover. So we are faced with a dilemma, arent wewe read the glorious offer of salvation (For God so love the world), and all we need to do is believe in Him and well be saved. He was able to grasp the fact that since God controlled both life and death, that God could just as easily raise his son from the dead as he could bring him to life in the womb of a 100-year-old woman. It is no secret that my life, especially as of late, has been the subject of many an attack of the Devil and his lackeys. When John saw all these things his mind must have been quickly sifting through all the potential scenarios: grave robbers, Jewish leadership, Romans, revolutionariesor He rose up from death. No, he is finally desperate enough to realize how much he needs saved. The poem became famous and was the source of much of Thompson's posthumous reputation. The number one hundred fifty-three represents 100 for the Gentiles, 50 for the Jews, and 3 for the Trinity. And that same arm of restoration has been extended to us, as Paul says in Romans 5, For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly., Theologian R.C. Perhaps the most famous example of this is found in Exodus when God is said repeatedly to have hardened Pharaohs heart (Ex. Not Jesus. This was followed by the acme of His redemptive work in the ascension, when He left earth to go to His coronation, where God declared Him King. There is no work to be done thats already been done by Jesus. For those of you who are believers, we must cling to the promises of God, and abide in His truth, knowing that He is faithful. Up vistaed hopes I sped; This is about Christ setting the record straight. For the longest time I didnt understand exactly how this worked. The covenant of grace is not a charter of exemption from consumption, or rheumatism, or asthma. Perhaps this is obvious, but Christ never boasted in Himself but allowed His truthful teaching, His actions and the testimony of others to glorify Him. One cannot understand or appreciate the need for Christs imputed righteousness, the importance of His being fully man, the significance of Christs non-Levitical (and eternal) priesthood, or the typological significance of this enigmatic character Melchizedek if one is still learning the basic truths upon which these are built. For the first time, it seems, Mary peaks into the tomb to take a little closer look. He has compassion for his sheep, for His children. Although it is evident here that both sons were really lost, and many believe that the Pharisees are represented in the older son in this final parable. [ix] Again we see the call to Spiritual maturity, which is more than simply intellectual sophistication (Sproul). More likely still, they would not have removed them at all, since it would have been easier to transport the body it if were still wrapped. (John 17:12 ESV). Although he was a son, he learned obedience through what he suffered. These angels had a perspective that was grounded in reality thats why they can rightfully and astoundedly ask, Why are you weeping???. Earlier in Johns Gospel we read the following: For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again. (John 10:17). But when one reads the poem this strangeness disappears. Spurgeon called Human Inability and that can be located by clicking here. The poem is an ode, and its subject is the pursuit of the human soul by God's love - a theme also found in the devotional poetry of George Herbert and Henry Vaughan. The theme itself is a venerable one. [4] Both of them were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. The basics of the gospel are the foundation for understanding greater mysteries appertaining to the gospel, and to what the author is getting at here, namely the person and work of our Lord Jesus Christ, and in this context, His priesthood. In verse 11 we read that He was going to drink of the cup that the Father had for Him. It is the good life it prioritizes the self ahead of others, and the temporal before the eternal. So often we mentally ascent to Gods power to do this or that, because weve read it in the Bible, but we dont ever think to apply it appropriately to our lives, as if He is somehow neutered of His power 2000 years later. This truth is revealed further in the next few verses, 11:21-22Martha said to Jesus, Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.
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