January - Reading 11

salt of the earth – Tasteless salt, of which exists in abundance in and around the Dead Sea, was thrown onto pathways to keep weeds from growing up on them. As God’s “salt of the earth,” believers are to be effective witnesses, applying the “salt” of God’s Word to the wounded and afflicted. This “salt” (truth) will not only heal, but it will sting and hurt like salt applied to an open wound. If our witness becomes ineffective (most often due to sin in our lives) we will be “trampled under foot” (our testimonies dismissed) by the lost.

light of the world – Also referring to a believer’s testimony. Letting our light shine among men means “always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you.” 1 Peter 3:15b (ESV) Going through our daily lives without sharing the gospel is like putting the light that is in us under a basket and hiding the very thing God has placed in us to share.

Matthew 5:17-18 (ESV)
17 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. 18 For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished.

This is an extremely important passage. Some claim that much of the OT is Eastern mysticism, allegory, not to be taken literally. Some claim that when God says that homosexuality is an “abomination to him,” that Jesus did away with that or that it does not apply today. Jesus says that His teachings do not change an iota, not a dot from the Law. Jesus did fulfill all the sacrificial practices and requirements of the OT so that they are no longer required/applicable, but the Law stands. “The Law” refers to the first five books of the Bible, known to the Jews as the Torah, and to the Greeks as the Pentateuch. Jesus often quoted from those books as factual. To claim otherwise is blasphemy.

Gen 27 - Although Jacob received Isaac’s blessing that day, the deceit caused severe consequences: 1) he never saw his mother after that; 2) Esau wanted him dead; 3) Laban, his uncle, deceived him; 4) his family life was full of conflict; and 5) he was exiled for years from his family. By the promise of God he would have received the birthright (25:23). He didn’t need to scheme this deception with his mother.

[ January 11, 2002: Message edited by: John Wells ]

 

What do you think is the meaning of this statement of what Jesus said in
Mat 5:20 For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.

Just curious...I have read Mat over and over again and each time I read it there is always something else that pops up for me to ponder.


Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come. Revelation 4:8b
Revelation

 

The Immutability of the Law.

Christ has come to fulfill the Law, its moral as well as ceremonial aspects. He did not come to "fill up" the Law. He came to live in obedience to it that it might be fulfilled and no longer broken.

The ceremonial aspects of the Law have not been done away, but the shadows have been supplanted by the substance. <BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Hebrews 9:

8 The Holy Ghost this signifying, that the way into the holiest of all was not yet made manifest, while as the first tabernacle was yet standing:
9 Which was a figure for the time then present, in which were offered both gifts and sacrifices, that could not make him that did the service perfect, as pertaining to the conscience;
10 Which stood only in meats and drinks, and divers washings, and carnal ordinances, imposed on them until the time of reformation.
11 But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building;
12 Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

 

In Gensis tonight, we again see a recurring theme of the second son receiving a blessing.This pattern will be repeated again with Jacob's sons and then still again with Joseph. I think there is a parallel with this to the statements of Christ such as Mark 9:35: <BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR> Sitting down, Jesus called the Twelve and said, "If anyone wants to be first, he must be the very last, and the servant of all <HR></BLOCKQUOTE> and Matthew 6:19-20: <BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR> Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
Bear in mind that Jacob was NOT a Godly man at this point as evidenced in Genesis 27:20 where he calls God "the Lord YOUR (Jacob's) God". We see the beginning of his conversion in our readings in chapter 28.
Again, this is such a human story. Parental favoritism, manipulating wills and inheritances, the well-deserved anger of Esau. These are problems in many MODERN families as well.
Poor Isaac is already blind and he has many years left. He will not give up the ghost until chapter 35.
What can we as modern believers gain from this account? For me it shows how God can take an evil, deceptive, or malicious act (Rebekah and Jacocb's deceit) and make something very good become of it (the later Biblical heroes and eventually the birth of Christ into this bloodline).

As for our readings in Acts:
I wish that our schedule had grouped the readings #10, 11, & 12 for Acts together. Stephen's speech to the pharisees SHOULD be making them feel guilty since in Acts 6:11 - 13 they themselves have broken the laws of Moses just to get "evidence" against him. Stephen's speech certainly shows that he had a grip on scripture but we will soon see that he is not spouting scripture to appease the pharisees but rather to justify his own actions.

As for Revelations query about righteousness:
Helen had suggested a synonym for righteousness being "cleansed" the other night. If we substitute this word it seems to work. I also found a definition of the word being "just". This also holds.
I also surfed around a bit and found this commentary on verse 20: <BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR> Those to whom Christ preached, and for whose use he gave these instructions to his disciples, were such as in their religion had an eye, 1. To the scriptures of the Old Testament as their rule, and therein Christ here shows them they were in the right: 2. To the scribes and the Pharisees as their example, and therein Christ here shows them they were in the wrong; for, I. The rule which Christ came to establish exactly agreed with the scriptures of the Old Testament, here called the law and the prophets. The prophets were commentators upon the law, and both together made up that rule of faith and practice which Christ found upon the throne in the Jewish church, and here he keeps it on the throne. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
For any of you who would like a variety of Bible commentaries, Crosswalk.com is a pretty fair resource at:http://bible.crosswalk.com/Dictionaries/

May God bless all of you

- Clint

 

At the risk of sounding pathetically simplistic following my husband's insightful posting, I had one observation that stood out in particular. I thought it ironic that Esau, upon learning of his brother's deceit and subsequent loss of his father's blessing, moved on to marry outside of his locale, finally in accordance to his parents wishes (I understand that he had already married a couple of local women, I did not overlook that!) I expected Esau to consider a move that would further contradict his parents' bidding!

 

Our Scriptures for 1/12 are:

Matthew 5:21-32

Acts 7:39-60

Psalm 12

Genesis 29-30

 

Our Scriptures for 1/12 are:

Matthew 5:21-32

Acts 7:39-60

Psalm 12

Genesis 29-30

 

Our Scriptures for 1/12 are:

Matthew 5:21-32

Acts 7:39-60

Psalm 12

Genesis 29-30

 

Our Scriptures for 1/12 are:

Matthew 5:21-32

Acts 7:39-60

Psalm 12

Genesis 29-30