July - Reading 5

Good afternoon -

Our Scriptures for today's schedule are:

Luke 8:16-25

Colossians 2:16-23

Psalm 128

1 Chronicles 10-11

May God continue to bless you as you read from His Word.

 

I appreciate you two contributing. I have gotten ahead in my writings since Margie will be having the baby on July 23rd so I am sorry if I sound disjointed from your conversation.

Good evening –

Tonight in Chronicles we break out of the long genealogical list and enter the Chronicler’s narration beginning with the story of Saul’s suicide. We find the parallel of this story at the very end of 1Samuel in chapter 31 and 2Samuel 1:4-12. The Chronicler makes it a point to add in 10:13 that Saul was dethroned by God for disobedience. Remember that the Chronicler’s audience is the nation of Israel returning from the exile, which was their punishment for disobedience. In chapter 11 we read the account of David ascending to the throne. The author makes it a point to denote “all Israel” in support of David rather than just the fighting men who banded with him. We are getting a synopsis of 2Samuel in these Writings. The Chronicler lists the mighty men of David at the beginning of his reign as opposed to the end showing further the support that David had as he began his dynasty.

In our reading in Luke we read of Christ’s definition of who His mother and brothers are now that He is full into His ministry. In Mark 3:21 we learn a bit more of their motive for coming to see Him. They had come to take charge of Him thinking that He may be insane. Before we are too harsh in our judgement of the family, step back and look at the human side of this story. If your own brother were acting in this way, saying these things that the religious leaders considered heresies and associating with less than desirable people, would we question their state of mind?

In Colossians Paul continues his argument against the Gnostics and their belief in variations of Old Testament Law and heretical practices. We see here that they worshipped angels and associated salvation with works. Paul tells the true believers that they have become disconnected from their Head, which is , of course, Jesus Christ.

May God bless you

- Clint

 

Saul was quick to commit acts without consulting God: the forced fast of his troops, carrying the ark into battle, saving livestock for his own use when he had been commanded to slay them. He was a very vain man and was necessary for the punishment of Israel for demanding a king instead of remembering that God was their King.

The moral of the story? Be careful what you pray for...

 

Sunday School lecture 11/16/03 continued

Colossians 2:8-23

Recall to Realities

2:16-19 In religion, we must never mistake the shadows for the substance. Religious faith must consist not of theories, questionable visions and manmade disciplines but of real events and substantiated facts. Paul therefore moves from an examination of religious experiences to the expression of those experiences in realistic, religious practices.

“Let no one pass judgment on you” show Paul’s awareness that the errorists were likely using guilt on the members of the church in order to sway them. The elements of sabbaths, food and drink, festivals and new moons may reflect the Judaistic element of the Colossian heresy. The Mosaic Laws were but a shadow of the things to come. Christ is the substance. Paul does not say not to observe these things if you feel convicted. His thrust is that we not judge each other, nor allow ourselves to be judged, according to these things as the standard. The essence of Paul’s intent here may be phrased, “Let no one rob you of your prize.”

We now see four characteristics of the errorist judges:
1. They insisted on self-abasement (asceticism) and the worship of angels. If we concede that the Colossian heresy was an embryo of full blown Gnosticism, the asceticism was due to their view of the evilness of matter, including flesh. Angel worship naturally flowed in the false belief of the aeons that emanated from God.
2. They took firm doctrinal stands on their visions. Paul does not deny that the errorists had visions but the reliance upon these private emotional experiences was born in conceit and in the flesh.
3. That they were puffed up in their minds. They were arrogant, and proud of their intellect. Instead of the humility inherent in the Christian’s character, they were self-absorbed and governed by the very flesh they claimed to detest.
4. They are described as not holding fast to the Head, which is Christ.Through the use of their divisiveness they themselves were severed from the Body, the corporate Christ.

Recall to Consistency

2:20-23 Paul sums up this part of his argument with a final appeal to hold fast to the Christ they first experienced. How could the Colossians let someone dictate to them a self-serving religion when they had died with Christ? This death was to sin, law, self, flesh, world, and all elemental powers. Christ’s death and Resurrection had abolished all regulations. It was this Resurrection that had set the Colossians to liberty from the Law and from sin. To follow the errorist’s regulations, which were inconsistent with the New Covenant, was to allow themselves to be led once again into bondage.

By submitting to such regulations they were showing themselves to be concerned with trivialities. Rather than obeying Christ as their Master, they were being led into the far more inferior and non-salvific works of men. This Passage closely resembles Mark 7:5-8 and some scholars feel that Paul must have had this Passage in mind while writing.

Paul states plainly that the heresy fails what it claims it will accomplish - it will not liberate the spirit from the flesh. The positive attributes of the Christian experience, reality and consistency contrast plainly with the dismal hypocrisy and lack of logic of the heresy.

 

Sunday School lesson 10/24/04 - continued

Luke 8:16-18 A Secret to Be Made Known

Following closely to the explanation of the Parable of the Soils, Jesus goes on to make an analogy of the newly acquired knowledge of the Kingdom of God by those who receive the Gospel to an illuminating lamp. It is contrary to logic that someone would light a lamp, a vessel designed for illumination, and then hide it under a basket or a bed. To the contrary, One would set the lamp high in the room so that the light could benefit as many as possible. Our duty, the fruit we produce as "good soil," is to make the Good News of the Kingdom of Heaven as public as possible.

Luke 8:19-21 Jesus' True Family

This Passage has significance for the modern reader in several regards. First, it certainly contributes to dispelling the Catholic myth of Mary's perpetual virginity as espoused by the Catholics. We are also left with another area in which interpretation may vary. The scene is set so that the crowd stands between Jesus and His biological family. They are prevented from "seeing Him," a phrase interpreted by some as their desire to see Him perform miracles. The rejection at Nazareth had cut those residents from the opportunity they had had. Now Jesus had joined to a new family and community: those who receive His message and are commited to the fulfillment of His Sovereign purposes. They not only "hear" but also "do."

Luke 8:22-25 The Stilling of the Storm

With very little transitional phrasing, Luke now moves into a new section of the Gospel in which he describes four mighty works performed by Christ. The first of these is the quieting of the storm. In mark's parallel of this event we are told that it occurred in the evening which explains why Jesus would have been sleeping. Though fully God, the fully human part of Him would become exhausted and require rest.

The Message of the story is quite clear. Jesus Christ has dominion over the entire universe including the forces of nature. The ancient Jews viewed things such as sudden storms or earthquakes as evidence that the original harmony of nature had been disrupted (Psalm 65:7; Psalm 89:9). This demonstration of power was yet one more sign of the Kingdom of God breaking in upon the earth.

The Passage ends with the Disciples asking "Who is this Man?" Though they had seen so many signs and demonstrations of the Messiahship of Jesus, they still faltered between belief and unbelief. This question, however, sets the stage for time in the next chapter when Christ will ask the same question of the Disciples.

 

Our Scriptural readings for 7/6 are:

Luke 8:26-39

Colossians 3:1-14

Psalm 129

1 Chronicles 12-14

 

Our Scriptural readings for 7/6 are:

Luke 8:26-39

Colossians 3:1-14

Psalm 129

1 Chronicles 12-14

 

Our Scriptural readings for 7/6 are:

Luke 8:26-39

Colossians 3:1-14

Psalm 129

1 Chronicles 12-14

 

Our Scriptural readings for 7/6 are:

Luke 8:26-39

Colossians 3:1-14

Psalm 129

1 Chronicles 12-14

 

Our Scriptural readings for 7/6 are:

Luke 8:26-39

Colossians 3:1-14

Psalm 129

1 Chronicles 12-14