TABLETALK - January 2018

I continue in my daily studies to be guided by Tabletalk magazine. 2018 was a study on the Gospel of John and its straightforward presentation of the person and work of Christ, the work of the Holy Spirit, and other doctrines. 

• January 2018 (July 4, 2023 - ) John 1:1-2:22 - The preexistence of Christ, the ministry of John the Baptist and the person of Christ. 

Chapter 1

The Fourth Gospel - This gospel, like the others has similarities, but is also a more private discourse and understanding of Jesus the Christ so that we will believe and have Life in His Name. The Uncreated Word - Jesus, the Word, is at creation, with God and was God and was therefore uncreated. The Word of Life and Light - Jesus, the Word, is beginning, is eternal and complete life, is light to our way, which darkness cannot fully comprehend. The Witness to the Light - It was necessary and needed for John to first appear and prepare the way for Jesus to come. The Right to be Children of God - God calls many of His own to be born of God, as his Children - those that receive Him.  The Incarnation of the Word of God - The Word - Jesus - became flesh to dwell among us and through Him we see God's glory.  The Full and Final Revelation of God - All that we know of God we have in Christ. His grace is everlasting and greater than repeated annually through sacrificial system. John the Baptist Identifies Himself - John the Baptist states who he is not (Christ, Elijah, Prophet) and who he is - a voice crying out to make straight the way of the Lord/Jehovah/Jesus.- The Baptism of John - John’s baptism demonstrated the humble willingness to repent, be cleansed, and prepare for the coming Messiah. John the Baptist Bears Witness to Christ -  John, upon seeing Jesus, perhaps for the first time, testifies that He is the Son of God. Becoming Disciples of Jesus - John showed two disciples Jesus, proclaiming Him as the Lamb of God, and they followed Jesus. Jesus Meets Simon - Andrew introduces his brother Simon to Jesus who gives him a new name of Cephas/Peter. Good from Nazareth - Come and see Jesus and follow, something good to come from Nazareth. Seeing the Way of Salvation - Jesus proclaims that is present between heaven and earth, going back and forth, taking His people to heaven from earth, back and forth. We see him. We believe. 

Chapter 2

The Wedding at Cana - Jesus, His mother Mary, and the disciples attend a wedding at Cana and more wine is needed and Jesus responds that is not His hour yet. The First of Jesus' Signs - Jesus does a miracle, turning water into wine, and shows that He is better than the past; new is better than old. Jesus Cleanses the Temple - Here, Jesus alerts people and provides his authority about ensuring the Father's business is carried out, true worship occurs in the temple and nothing else. The Temple of Jesus' Body - The final temple is Jesus, His body, that will bear our atonement for sin, once for all and then He will rise in 3 days.

Jesus the Christ - The Hidden Messiah - Jesus the Lord - Jesus the Son of Man - Jesus the Savior

The Fear of the Lord - Buck Parsons (Editor of Tabletalk magazine) - We need to return to talking about the fear of God. Often sin, hell, condemnation, holiness, wrath or sovereignty is not mentioned from the pulpit. Instead we focus only on God being about love and peace. Fear is not to be slave-like but humble and reverential. We are told to fear God, but fear not, so we are not to be afraid of God. We need to have reverence and awe. 

God's Good Pleasure in Election - R C Sproul (founder of Ligonier Ministries, founding pastor of Saint Andrew’s Chapel in Sanford, Fla., and first president of Reformation Bible College) Predestination was not invented by Calvin or Luther or Augustine for Ephesians 1:4-6 states God "predestined us for adoption..." Why does God elect some and not others to be His people? Some will say then that God is arbitrary (based on random or whim rather than reason). While I am not adopted because of anything I have done, scripture gives the pictures that there is a reason He chooses some for salvation. Ephesians 1:11 states, "according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will." Counsel suggests reason rather than arbitrary which alludes to no purpose. Purpose actually is mentioned in Eph. 1:4-6 as it mentions His will. We are meant to be a praise to Him. 

What are We Afraid Of - Matt Smethurst (Elder at Third Avenue Baptist Church in Louisville, Kentucky) - We live in fear, despite security systems, advanced medicine, organic food, and endless information, and material blessings. We are shocked when things are hard rather than easy. And then we think if we control it, we won't be afraid. Rather than follow science, we are now told to follow our heart and focus on self. We try to play God, steering the ship while figuring out the dials. What's the answer? Inerrancy of the Bible. We can believe that the One in charge of our lives is good and great. What sets apart our faith is God can and God cares. Our fear is being found out. The sin of idolatry has taken over. We need to fear God because He is holy; He's not mean. Luke 12:32, "Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom." God pursues us. The Lord/Lamb is my shepherd. The most repeated command in the bible is "Fear not." He has never failed one of His own. 

The God Whom We Are To Fear - K. Scott Oliphint (Professor of apologetics and systematic theology at Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia) - [Note: this is outstanding] - In a solar eclipse, the suns brightness is covered, but not the UV rays. Though it is eclipsed the full power is still there and can still hurt us. This is a good example of God's glory and how we as humans have been able to view it over time. Moses saw some of God's glory, but not all of it and God let him know if he saw all of it he couldn't live. In Christ, we have God's glory passed onto us through Christ. Again, it is an eclipse of it. Though I believe Jesus is God, what we see in him on this earth is part of that Glory. That Glory is a reason we fear God because it reveals God's power. There are many ways God provides for us, eternal life. He is eternal but gives us eternity after we die with him in heaven. But he is different. We are made in His image, yet still different. Oliphint mentions, "Christians fear God, in the first place, because we recognize that the radiance of His infinite, eternal and majestic character would, simply by its majesty, stamp us out of existence. We fear God because we know that if we were to see Him in all His glory, we would be no more." I like this article because it provides a very high view of God. God is separate from man. And we will never be God. We may be like him, but will never be God. That to me is fearing God. 

The Blessings of Fearing God - Kim Riddlebarger (Senior pastor of Christ Reformed Church in Anaheim, California) - What does it mean to fear the Lord? How is it related to God's love? How does it secure God's blessings for His people? Fear is Hebrew word yireh and means to be afraid, terrified or in awe. It is not respect. Wisdom is knowing who God is, His power, His righteous ways. Fools ignore God. Wisdom arises from fearing the Lord. We do not weaken fear to preserve the fact that God loves us. We fear God because He is holy, we are sinners and all sinners must be punished. And yet God promises to save us from our sin, thus alleviating our fear. 

Putting the Fear of God into Practice - Eric B. Watkins (Senior pastor of Covenant Presbyterian Church in St. Augustine, Florida) - The Fear of God - a challenge to think about, especially in our world in which our pride and temptation to conform to the world challenges us to abandon God's principles. One purpose of the Law of God is to restrain evil, cultivating a fear of God and consequences to our actions. Instead, each person does what is right in their own eyes. 

Worship and the Fear of God - John P. Sartelle Sr. (Senior minister of Christ Presbyterian Church in Oakland, Tennessee) - Author remembers his father, as a reserved and quiet man, and yet a person that hugged and kissed him. There was reverential awe of his father, who set boundaries for him, gave direction and yet loved him unconditionally. The seraphim were sinless, and yet in awe of God. John was closest to Jesus, and yet still drop dead at his feet. Though we have been adopted into the family of God, and we can call God father He is still transcendent (supreme power). In our worship of him, we need to show the world our love for him, but also our fear and awe of him.

Profitable for the Kingdom - Aaron L. Garriott (Production manager of Tabletalk Magazine) - Parents teaching their children about stewardship. Luke 19 parable about ten minas is a great guide with the 3rd servant receiving the greatest thrashing for storing his gift. We must be servants that are wise about our use of gifts that the Father has given us. We will be accountable to the King when He returns for how we have used the gifts He has given us. Be like the two servants that put their minas to good use and procured a profit. 

 

Your Word Reveal Your Heart - Stephen Mueller (church planting pastor of Gospel Church Minchen in Munich, Germany) - 

Sanctified Culture

The Idolatry of Sports

Sanctified Culture

False Humility

Eating Together

Good Works as a Light to the World

The Apocryphal and Deuterocanonical Books

John 1:1-3 - The Uncreated Word

John 1:1-3

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being.

Message: The Uncreated Word

Time: Jesus' disciple John, the brother of James, the son of Zebedee was one of the inner circle of Jesus' most trusted companions. It's most likely that John wrote his gospel while he was in Ephesus, and that he wrote it for an audience that lived outside Palestine, perhaps in Asia Minor. John appears to have had in mind members of a Jewish community who had come to believe that Jesus was the Messiah, but who had continued to worship in the synagogue. John most likely wrote between A.D. 85 and 90. John's purpose in writing was, "that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name (John 20:31)."

What the Lord is Saying: Matthew's gospel begins with, "The record of the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah... (1:1)." Mark begins with, "The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ... (1:1)" and Luke begins in a similar way to Mark, though is more definitive of his time investigating the details of Jesus' life. John begins in a similar manner introducing John in verse 6, however in his introduction He does something the other writers did not do in that he speaks of The Word, states the Word was the pronoun He and then speaks of this special connection He had with God, the Light.  John goes beyond the message of the Gospel to link the Word, mentioned as the pronoun He to flesh that came with the same glory of God, "glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth."

And so as we follow what is being stated about this one that came, the Word, we see a connection with the Word, with Glory of God and only begotten from the Father.  

The Word was "in the beginning." Genesis 1:1 records, "In the beginning God..." and now John records the same sort of phrase to connect beginning with Word/Him/Jesus and God "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." 

Yet, why the Word? If John is speaking of Jesus and it seems clear in following the rest of the text, then why did He start this discourse with the Word and Him and not state Jesus till verse 17? The name God is mentioned several times. And yet there is clearly a clever word choice that John uses to introduce Jesus. 

When I think of Jesus, I think of someone that came onto the scene but as I walked this earth, he was begin discovered by men for who He was, His purpose and His reason for being here. There was therefore some sort of mystery in Him or discovery ("the world did not know Him (1:10)"). And yet this Gospel writer wants to remove that mystery. And yet in removing it He uses language of discovery. 

God enters our world through words and connects us to Him through the words, "Let there be light (Genesis 1:3)." And these words are creation. And so John bridges Jesus to God with words of creation, with the Word of creation. 

Word is the Greek word Logos. It is the Greek translation of the Hebrew word dabar. Dabar refers to God's creative as when He utters words He is creating. And there is a thought or principle with dabar that holds all things together and explains reality. And John states that this principle is Him, the Word, the Light. 

Thus, it may appear to be shrouded in mystery, but after reading there is no mystery and all is clear. 

There is a reason this text is rejected by Islam as scripture and a reason it gets changed by Jehovah's Witnesses - because it clearly states Jesus is God and created. For other paradigms, these words must be changed because it is clear what is being stated. He's the creator. 

Summary: Jesus, the Word, is at creation, with God and was God and was therefore uncreated. 

Promise: Jesus is not merely a good teacher or moral example. He is the very God of the universe who is owed all of our worship and praise.  

Prayer: O Father, thank you for revealing the truth of Jesus in these words and thank for John and the way He expresses Jesus to us. You are not mystery, but clear. Bring people to a recognition of this. Help people to see You as You are, creator, the Light, with God and God. Keep giving me understanding of You. 

Hebrews 12:18-28 - Heavenly Worship

Hebrews 12:18-28 - 18 For you have not come to a mountain that can be touched and to a blazing fire, and to darkness and gloom and whirlwind, 19 and to the blast of a trumpet and the sound of words which sound was such that those who heard begged that no further word be spoken to them. 20 For they could not bear the command, “If even a beast touches the mountain, it will be stoned.” 21 And so terrible was the sight, that Moses said, “I am full of fear and trembling.” 22 But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to myriads of angels, 23 to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the Judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, 24 and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood, which speaks better than the blood of Abel.

25 See to it that you do not refuse Him who is speaking. For if those did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, much less will we escape who turn away from Him who warns from heaven. 26 And His voice shook the earth then, but now He has promised, saying, “Yet once more I will shake not only the earth, but also the heaven.” 27 This expression, “Yet once more,” denotes the removing of those things which can be shaken, as of created things, so that those things which cannot be shaken may remain. 28 Therefore, since we receive a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us show gratitude, by which we may offer to God an acceptable service with reverence and awe;

Message: Heavenly Worship

Time: Hebrews was written to a group of Christians who had suffered in the past and were now threatened with even more suffering. They'd done well years ago, but the author of Hebrews feared that they might now turn away from Christ to avoid further persecution. The opinions on the author of Hebrews has varied.

What the Lord is Saying: Last month I made some progress in studying scripture and completing these studies in Tabletalk. But, I had a little shift occur on July 31st at church, realizing that I had not been praying like I should and need to pray. So my morning time in the Word has been interrupted of late by spending more time praying. I do this by walking about 15-20 minutes in the morning. I suppose I get a little distracted by morning activities and often pulling weeds in the yard, a practice that continues year after year. But that prayer time has been good, though now I look at this passage of scripture to study and wonder how long it will take me to get through it. 

At first glace, I read this passage and scratch my head, wondering what it is saying. It is from that book of Hebrews which to me has often been a book that bridged or brought themes from the Old Testament more than any other book of the New Testament though they all do it. It is probably the book of the New Testament that has been preached the least. I took a moment and found my favorite preacher/teacher, Tommy Nelson having done a study through Hebrews during quarantine time in 2020: https://dentonbible.org/media/media-library/view-series/qbs-hebrews/ - I listened to a lesson from him on the way into work, but that lesson was more focused on the latter part of this text where it seems the first is what is speaking more of heaven. 

The idea from Tabletalk is when we worship on earth, we are also worshipping in heaven. That true worship, by the Spirit moves us into a realm that is not carnal, not earthly. While we are here on earth singing and being in worship, we are practicing something that will be foundational in heaven. Revelation is often viewed as the end times book or the book of heaven and in this book "worship" is mentioned 24 times. Revelation 7:9 leads us up to the throne of God and it is here where worship seems central. 

Hebrews 12 begins with the idea that the Christian will "run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus." Thus, our life is lived in such a way that we are worshipping Him as we live - our eyes fixed on Jesus. Is this not what praise should be about as we gather - giving praise to Jesus. Now the text goes on to mention discipline and its importance. And then it tells us to pursue peace with men which to me speaks of evangelism and bringing us all under the unity of Christ. But then verse 18 begins to speak more fully of coming into the presence of God. In verse 22, we come to Mount Zion, to to the city of the living God. Isaiah 8:18 says The Lord of Hosts who dwells on Mount Zion. Psalm 74:2 which says, Mount Zion, where Thou hast dwelt. 

And thus in verse 18 we read "For you have not come to a mountain that may be touched." The substance of man and God are different. We have this respect when we enter into the presence of God. And here we enter Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem...and to the spirit of righteous men made perfect. And then in verse 18, embracing Jesus, since Jesus is present (v. 24) we show gratitude, offering to God and acceptable service with reverence and awe.  

And thus our worship enters this heavenly realm, Mount Zion, where God, where Jesus resides. 

Summary: The city of the living God is mount Zion, in heaven and so when we worship God we enter into this heavenly city while we are also here on earth. 

Promise: Our worship should be worthy of heaven itself because we are actually worshipping in heaven every Lord's day. 

Prayer: O Lord, I appreciate this lesson so that I can remember that worship is heavenly, that as I enter into worship, I enter into the presence of God. It makes sense to me that worship is in a beautiful place like a stately church or the creation of God in the outdoors. These places beg us to worship because we enter them with a reverence for you as we enter where you reside, where you live. Help me Lord to realize that I can sing out to you in these places. Thank you that worship can be done anywhere. I marvel at how songs can sort of transport me to a heavenly place. I thank you for voices and instruments that played to you clearly glorify You. Thank you for prayer and the joy of praying and being with others in prayer and how this is worship. 

Romans 1:18-32 - The Sins of the Gentiles

Romans 1:18-32

For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of people who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse. For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man, and of birds, and four-footed animals, and crawling creatures.

Therefore God gave them over in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, so that their bodies would be dishonored among them. For they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.

For this reason God gave them over to degrading passions; for their women exchanged the natural function for that which is unnatural, and in the same way also the men abandoned the natural function of the woman and burned in their desire toward one another, men with men committing indecent acts and receiving in their own persons the due penalty of their error.

And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God any longer, God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do those things which are not proper, being filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, evil; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice; they are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, arrogant, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, without understanding, untrustworthy, unloving, unmerciful; and although they know the ordinance of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of death, they not only do the same, but also give hearty approval to those who practice them.

Message: The Sins of the Gentiles

Time: This book was probably written between 56 and 57 B.C. Paul was in Greece, probably Corinth when he wrote. It was sent to Gentile believers, but also believers with a strong Jewish element.

What the Lord is Saying:

Back in 2014 and 2015, I did a study in the book of Romans, following Tabletalk and these verses comprised 7 lessons. This section of scripture has always been one of my favorites after taking time to memorize this in the 90s. 

Now I move to a study on Justification - sola fide - and justification by faith alone and it begins with this passage. The first 8 chapters of Romans is about revelation or doctrine and then the remaining chapter is application 

Before diving into the message from the writers of this devotion, I first look at this text for review myself. I love it. Verse 19 says that God is evident within. God made it this way. He made man to know Him and yet man left to his own devices does not honor Him as God or give thanks (v 21). It is clear that this must be awakened in mankind. But I so love Paul's description of what happens to man if He is not awakened. It reminds me that we live in a world that does not honor Him. We should not be surprised, in a way, and yet we should be moved therefore to be part of this awakening of man. But, the gist of this passage is describing the Sins of the Gentiles. And after man does not honor God he/she looks within for the answer as they became futile in their speculations, but then something really sobering occurs as Paul says three times in verse 24, 26, and 28 how God gave them over which I believe is the same idea as God hardening. These verses speak of hardening of our bodies, our passions, and our mind. In other words, everything is changed.

I turn to the devotional now - the reason we need to be declared righteous is because without that declaration we are unrighteous. This is a fact. This is certain. Mankind is lost. 

Let's remember, we are accustomed to think the wrath of God is poured out right now against sin. But rather God's wrath is coming in a final Day of The Lord as mentioned in Isaiah 13:9-16. I read this and it horrific mentioning the day of the Lord is coming, cruel, with fury, and burning anger...He will exterminate its sinners...the sun will be dark...the moon will not shed its light...I will punish the world for its evil...will make man scarcer...make the heavens tremble and the earth will be shaken. 

So the wrath that is spoken of here is a revealing or showing of God's wrath, today, as God hands sinners over to their sin. As mankind is given over to their sin, God's wrath is seen. People want sin. They want to ignore God and do things their own way and so God is letting them and so they give the people what they want. In the process of all of this, sin is celebrated. 

O how we are seeing this today. We have celebrations and parades and tolerance is becoming mandated in our schools. Dependence on God is traded for dependence on our government and whatever they say we follow as true. All of this is storing up wrath (Romans 2:5) for people in the day of the Lord that is coming. In my words, we are manufacturing and dispensing God's wrath today for when God will pour it all out One Day.   

Promise: No matter what people's transgressions are, God still rescues people who He has handed over to their sin. 

Prayer: Lord, I love seeing You show me the truth of our lives. It is sobering and sad. Thank you for placing the knowledge of You in everyone, but it is sad to see people not honor You or give You thanks for the life that you have given in creating them. People think they are so clever in their speculations. Thank you once again God for saving me. People need to be awakened to You God. And you call me to be involved in this awakening by declaring it to people. Thank you for the reminders you give continually for me to be involved in this. Help me to remain faithful to Your calling on my life. Your Word continues to illuminate me and speak to me but I want to be have more than head knowledge and act. Show people, like my son, the nasty result of seeking out his own way for happiness and joy. Not even the scent smells good. The warning signs are there. Awaken your truth to him, to all those in my care. I honor and thank you God. 

Note: I follow the readings from the Tabletalk Magazine devotional, though I am a little behind and working through 2017 devotionals. 2017 is a study of key biblical doctrines celebrating the 500th year of the Reformation. The month of June is about justification; May was about solus Christus - Christ Alone; April, salvation by grace alone; March, the sovereign providence of God; February, the doctrine of revelation and the various aspects of the doctrine of Scripture that sola Scriptura seeks to preserve; January, the doctrine of God.

Mark 5:21-43 - The Divine Nature of Christ

Mark 5:21-43
When Jesus had crossed over again in the boat to the other side, a large crowd gathered around Him; and so He stayed by the seashore. One of the synagogue officials named Jairus *came up, and on seeing Him, *fell at His feet and *implored Him earnestly, saying, “My little daughter is at the point of death; please come and lay Your hands on her, so that she will get well and live.” 24 And He went off with him; and a large crowd was following Him and pressing in on Him.

A woman who had had a hemorrhage for twelve years, and had endured much at the hands of many physicians, and had spent all that she had and was not helped at all, but rather had grown worse— after hearing about Jesus, she came up in the crowd behind Him and touched His cloak. For she thought, “If I just touch His garments, I will get well.” Immediately the flow of her blood was dried up; and she felt in her body that she was healed of her affliction. Immediately Jesus, perceiving in Himself that the power proceeding from Him had gone forth, turned around in the crowd and said, “Who touched My garments?” And His disciples said to Him, “You see the crowd pressing in on You, and You say, ‘Who touched Me?’” And He looked around to see the woman who had done this. But the woman fearing and trembling, aware of what had happened to her, came and fell down before Him and told Him the whole truth. And He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace and be healed of your affliction.”

While He was still speaking, they *came from the house of the synagogue official, saying, “Your daughter has died; why trouble the Teacher anymore?” But Jesus, overhearing what was being spoken, *said to the synagogue official, “Do not be afraid any longer, only believe.” And He allowed no one to accompany Him, except Peter and James and John the brother of James. They *came to the house of the synagogue official; and He *saw a commotion, and people loudly weeping and wailing. And entering in, He *said to them, “Why make a commotion and weep? The child has not died, but is asleep.” They began laughing at Him. But putting them all out, He *took along the child’s father and mother and His own companions, and *entered the room where the child was. Taking the child by the hand, He *said to her, “Talitha kum!” (which translated means, “Little girl, I say to you, get up!”). Immediately the girl got up and began to walk, for she was twelve years old. And immediately they were completely astounded. And He gave them strict orders that no one should know about this, and He said that something should be given her to eat.

Message: The Divine Nature of Christ

Time: Mark's personal connection with Peter gave him the source material for this book. This book was composed probably between AD 57 and AD 59. It's a book that is on the move, leading to the cross. 39 times is the word immediately used. Mark reveals Jesus as God's servant, reaching into the lives of people and effecting physical and circumstantial change.

What the Lord is Saying:

Overview of this Series

Tabletalk for this day states - Christianity is all about Christ, who He is and what He has done. Christ alone is head of the church; Christ alone is worthy of adoration; Christ alone saves.

In this study celebrating the 500th year of the Reformation (which was actually back in 2017), the Reformers sought to return people to Christian orthodoxy, echoing statements like the Definition of Chalcedon.

The Chalcedonian definition is a declaration of Christ's nature, adopted in AD 451 at the Council of Chalcedon. This was a church council held from 8 October to 1 November, 451, at Chalcedon, a town of Bithynia in Asia Minor, modern day Turkey (on the north-western shore) and now Chalcedon is a district within Istanbul. The purpose of the Council was to come against the heresy of Eutyches. What Eutyches was saying at the time is hard to define, though it seems that he was stating that Jesus was not fully human. The Council was led to convene because of the talk that erupted and the off-shoots of this heresy. Heresy is making a statement that has been revealed by God and confirmed by the Church in which the person refuses to be corrected.

This definition stated that Jesus is one person who possesses two natures, a divine nature and a human nature, truly God and truly man. A nature is that which makes something what it is, those attributes that define it. The divine nature is marked by divine attributes of omniscience, omnipotence, omnipresence, self-existence, eternity, and so on, thus to have all the attributes that make God who He is. Thus, we are saying Jesus possesses every attribute that God possesses and is therefore truly God. The following study will talk of the Human nature of Christ.

Today's Lesson

For example, today's passage states in verse 23 that a daughter of a man is at the point of death. In Matthew 9:18 records that "My daughter has just died." In Mark, the man stated that she was taking her last breath and by the time of Matthew's record she had died. What Jesus does then is give life to this girl as stated in Mark 5:41, "Little girl, I say to you, arise!" Genesis 1 records God creating life and now here Jesus is creating life.

Thus, in this situation is the first example of how it was recorded that Jesus, the man, also had a divine nature - giving life to this girl. 

Promise: Many respect Jesus, but only few see him as Lord and King and truly God and worthy of our worship. Jesus is the God incarnate creator.

Prayer: Lord, thank you for the truth of Your word and that Your ways have been confirmed throughout history. Thank you for men that saw a need to convene regularly to declare who You are and re-confirm who You are through clear definition. Help me Lord to continue to better understand You through Your word. Help me Holy Spirit to see Christ for who He really is and help others to know the same.

Note: I follow the readings from the Tabletalk Magazine devotional, though I am a little behind and working through 2017 devotionals. 2017 is a study of key biblical doctrines celebrating the 500th year of the Reformation. The month of April is about solus Christus - Christ Alone; April was about salvation by grace alone; March about the sovereign providence of God; February was about the doctrine of revelation and the various aspects of the doctrine of Scripture that sola Scriptura seeks to preserve; January was about the doctrine of God.

John 8:31-38 - The Truth Shall Make You Free

John 8:31-38
31 So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, “If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; 32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.” 33 They answered Him, “We are Abraham’s descendants and have never yet been enslaved to anyone; how is it that You say, ‘You will become free’?”

34 Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is the slave of sin. 35 The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son does remain forever. 36 So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed. 37 I know that you are Abraham’s descendants; yet you seek to kill Me, because My word has no place in you. 38 I speak the things which I have seen with My Father; therefore you also do the things which you heard from your father.”

Message: The Truth Shall Make You Free

Time: Throughout church history, Christians have consistently attributed this gospel to Jesus' disciple John, the brother of James, the son of Zebedee. John was one of the inner circle of Jesus' most trusted companions. It's most likely that John wrote his gospel while he was in Ephesus, and that he wrote it for an audience that lived outside Palestine, perhaps in Asia Minor. John appears to have had in mind members of a Jewish community who had come to believe that Jesus was the Messiah, but who had continued to worship in the synagogue. John most likely wrote between A.D. 85 and 90. John's purpose in writing he was to confirm the belief that Jesus was both the Christ and the Son of God

What the Lord is Saying:

In this study of grace, I have been looking at a lot of passages from Paul, though Paul reiterates much of what is said in the Bible. This entry today is based upon a teaching series that RC Sproul did called Willing to Believe. As I studied the book of Mark, it seems apparent that much of what Jesus was doing as he ministered was responding to critics from the Jewish community. As he did this he was teaching and preaching to his disciples as well as others on the gospel, the good news of God and his love for people and our need to trust God and only God. We are not to trust in our own good deeds, but trust in God. God is calling all of us, Jew and Gentile alike.

Thus, in this passage Jesus is speaking now to those Jews who believed Him, "If you continue in My Word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you will know the truth and the truth will make you free." On the surface this sounds like an innocuous statement. It sounds like a message of good news. We are free as we continue to listen to the Words of Jesus. Yet, the response of the Jews was one of alarm as Jesus was insinuating that they had a need to be set free, that they had a need to be rescued. And this can be an offensive statement to people. People instead like to think that their life and the way that it is being lived is good. These individuals Jesus was speaking to were not presently in captivity and yet there seems to be a captivity that Jesus is referencing.  Thus, their response to him was therefore -  We are Abraham’s descendants and have never yet been enslaved to anyone; how is it that You say, ‘You will become free’?”

Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is the slave of sin. The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son does remain forever. So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed. I know that you are Abraham’s descendants; yet you seek to kill Me, because My word has no place in you. I speak the things which I have seen with My Father; therefore you also do the things which you heard from your father.” 

The response of these Jews is that they are Abraham's descendants and as his descendants are recipients of blessings through covenants that God has made. As recipients of blessings they are therefore not captive and as such, do not need to be set free. This is their contention. Our non-Jewish world may not say they have a blessing from being Jewish today, but they might say that their good works have paid off over the  years and through their good deeds and hard work and learning from mistakes and living a fairly pain-free life that they also are not captive. We do live in this free land of America.

Yet, Jesus remarks something that is still offensive to this day - everyone who commits sin is the slave to sin. I listened to this episode on Youtube from Living Waters and the atheist made that claim. The claim was that one person does one action and they are labeled a sinner. And yet I think Ray Comfort showed him later that he had actually done a lot of offensive actions. But, this is a statement by Jesus that people just don't like hearing. This is one reason why Jesus is a curse word. People don't want to be found out. And we are a culture that says, "I'm okay" not "I'm a sinner." We are about doing things that prove ourselves as worthy we believe, and then looking pass those things that are offensive. But, it is the offense that we still must deal with it each day.

Thus, people's beliefs are often humanistic which believes in an exalted view of the goodness of human nature. Thus, inconceivable to these people that they were held captive or in their own souls enslaved to sin. Thus, the basic view of humanism is however many times we may stumble or fall into evils of unrighteousness, at the core our default is goodness and these evils are external to us. Even in the church, among evangelicals we are grafted into this thinking. Thus, when defining free will one must look at where the definition is coming from. Meanings of words are different and they are different because of the context of those meanings. Thus, there is free will as it relates to the sovereignty of God and the operation of original sin which tells us what we have inherited from Adam and Eve as our first parents.

There is an external force that makes us free and that force's name is Jesus. John speaks of Jesus as being the Truth (John 14:6) and here in these verses he says the truth shall make you free and he says the Son makes you free. We need Jesus. We need to submit and surrender to Him to be free. We have this faith in Him. He makes us free and He draws us into this relationship with Him.

Promise: Let us cast aside our sin and look for life only in Jesus. He alone can satisfy us.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank you for your Word. Thank you for gifting speakers like Ray Comfort and RC Sproul who examine your Word and the ideas of this world to show us that You God are the only true God. We need you and we thank you God for making us free. I thank you for making me free. I am free indeed because of Jesus. I have been made right with you God because of Jesus. Holy Spirit, continue to confirm this in my life each and every day. Continue to speak to me and help me to better understand it. Yet, help me to not sit in silence. Give me the voice to carry this message to the masses. Thank you for the online forums you have given me and the ability I have to use those forums, like GMO, to speak to others and help them with the understanding you have given me. O God you are a good God and this generation needs you more than ever. Remove the blinders that are on the eyes of many. Help people to see you as you really are and to recognize the evil that is present in this world.

Note: I follow the readings from the Tabletalk Magazine devotional, though I am a little behind and working through 2017 devotionals. 2017 is a study of key biblical doctrines celebrating the 500th year of the Reformation. The month of April is about salvation by grace alone. March was about the sovereign providence of God; February was about the doctrine of revelation and the various aspects of the doctrine of Scripture that sola Scriptura seeks to preserve; January is about the doctrine of God.

Nehemiah 9:6 - Providential Preservation

Nehemiah 9:6
You alone are the Lord.
You have made the heavens,
The heaven of heavens with all their host,
The earth and all that is on it,
The seas and all that is in them.
You give life to all of them
And the heavenly host bows down before You.

Message: Providential Preservation

Time: Nehemiah is the author and written from a first-person perspective. We meet him as an adult serving in the Persian royal court as the personal cupbearer to King Artaxerxes. It opens in the Persian city of Susa in the year 444 BC and concludes around 430 BC. Most of the book centers on events in Jerusalem. He was a layman not a priest and his life is a study on leadership. He gave God the credit for his successes.

What the Lord is Saying:

Sovereignty is the doctrine that God controls all that occurs in His creation. God works all things according to the counsel of His will. All things take place as He has planned, decreed, or ordained them. The way that God works all things is in the works of creation and providence (Westminster Shorter Catechism 8). He created the heavens and the earth. He created all things out of nothing. We are His creation.

In addition to His creation God provides. Nothing happens by chance. Often in life, we use the word providing to denote things that we like that we receive. We have no problem receiving good things in life, but the notion that God provides the uncomfortable situations, the difficulties, the trials of life seems absent from our thinking for why would suffering be at the hand of God? Yet, we can see multiple times how trials teach us about ourselves and also about our need to trust God.

Again going back to WSC 11 we see that God’s works of providence are, his most holy, wise, and powerful preserving and governing all his creatures, and all their actions. Thus, the divine work of providence can be divided into divine preservation and divine governance.

To say that there is divine preservation is to record the idea that He sustains the existence of all created things. In essence, we need each other. Everything we see is His creation - nature, animals, land, sea. They all testify of who He is and yet they are all here to support one another. We need creation to live and sustain life. We need the food from creation to support one another and the animals. The sun lights our days. All of creation is dependent on one another and so God preserves it all for us, for His purposes.

Creation also cannot exist apart from God. Nehemiah 9:6 states - You have made the heavens, The heaven of heavens with all their host, The earth and all that is on it, The seas and all that is in them. You give life to all of them. God gives life to all of them. Evolution and atheism try so hard to show that their is no life-giver, no one that sustains life, but rather life evolves and remains on its own. Yet, to me, it seems that his creation order gives this impression. The continual regeneration of one form to another is seen, but the mystery remains often why one form ends and when it does. We praise God for new life, for beginnings, but we often don't for ends.

Psalm 145:15-16 records - The eyes of all look to You, and You give them their food in due time.
You open Your hand and satisfy the desire of every living thing. We sit at the table and thank God for the food He has given, for the shelter he has provided, for the job he has given, for the clothes we have on our backs - we want to remain thankful to him. There is danger in thinking this providence comes about because of our hard work alone.

Promise: As Martin Luther states, whatever "is in heaven and upon the earth, is daily given preserved, and kept for us by God"; thus, "it is our duty to love, praise, and thank Him for it without ceasing."

Prayer: Lord, as I take the time to examine creation, it reminds me Lord that You are creator. Lord, I see again that You provide everything that I see. Forgive me for thinking often that I am in control of outcomes. What a danger I have in my life to see what I produce and want to give myself the glory. Keep my eyes looking to You. Thank you for the earth and all that is in it. You give life to all that we see. You are giver and taker, but always for your purpose. We need you to carry on life. I need to keep returning to You in all things because I get so easily distracted.


Note: I follow the readings from the Tabletalk Magazine devotional, though I am a little behind and working through 2017 devotionals. 2017 is a study of key biblical doctrines with March being about the sovereign providence of God and looking at how the Bible reveals His control over all things.

Genesis 1:1 - God's Decree and Creation

Genesis 1:1
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

Message: God's Decree and Creation

Time: Genesis is the first book and Moses is credited as authoring. The book spans 2400 years of time. It was originally written in Hebrew.

What the Lord is Saying:

God is sovereign which is defined as God actively controlling all things in His creation. He is active today, right now, in working out all things and to work them out according to His will. God has a perfect plan and purpose for all things. He is working from what we know was the beginning of the heavens and earth, up to now and then after now, throughout the history of time. He created time.

The eternal decree of God means that God has planned or decreed all things and this means that things take place as He has planned, decreed, or ordained them.

In the beginning God created all things out of nothing. Only God is eternal - everything else has a beginning. He began creation. He did not combine elements, but he spoke creation into existence. Hebrews 11:3 - By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things which are visible. 

Everyone agrees that all of life has a beginning. Granted there are some which believe the material world has always existed (dualism), but for the most part even those that are not religious or atheistic believe that the world at one point began. Thus, we know that all that we know begins. Life begins at conception. Trees and gardens begin from a seed. Every man made object of life had a beginning. The created order is everywhere present in our lives. We simply differ on what caused this creation to occur.

It is not complicated. It is not difficult. We often make it complicated and difficult because we struggle defining it as simple.

Promise: God created and His creation is to be enjoyed.

Prayer: Lord, thank you for creating everything I see and creating it the way that You have. My body amazes me the way You have formed it. Lord, your plan is perfect and there is order by what You have done. Thank you for being eternal and set apart. Lord, I want to continue to testify of You and what You have done.


Note: I follow the readings from the Tabletalk Magazine devotional, though I am a little behind and working through 2017 devotionals. 2017 is a study of key biblical doctrines with March being about the sovereign providence of God and looking at how the Bible reveals His control over all things.

Hebrews 9:13-14 - The Trinity and Atonement

Hebrews 9:13-14
13 For if the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling those who have been defiled sanctify for the cleansing of the flesh,14 how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?

Message: The Trinity and Atonement

Time: Hebrews was written to a group of Christians who had suffered in the past and were now threatened with even more suffering. They'd done well years ago, but the author of Hebrews feared that they might now turn away from Christ to avoid further persecution.The opinions on the author of Hebrews has varied.

What the Lord is Saying:

As I have been learning, the co-working of the three persons of the Godhead (Father, Son, and Spirit) is known as the doctrine of inseparable operations. All are identical in their attributes, yet each has distinguishable manifestations. As we study scripture, we must agree it is all God-breathed so it reveals to us things of God.

Romans 8:32 - He (God) who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things?
Hebrews 9:14 - the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God

Both of these texts share parallel ideas. God and God the Son offer up the Son for redemption and they do so in the Spirit (Acts 10:38 - Jesus of Nazareth, God anointed Him with the Holy Spirit). Atonement is from the Father through the Son offering in the Spirit for our salvation. But, only the Son suffered. The Father and the Spirit did not suffer on the cross. Christ suffered as a man but not according to His deity. Christ was able to offer himself because of the spirit in Him while the animals did it according to flesh. The Spirit here is not conclusively the Holy Spirit but could also mention a divine presence as some manuscripts translate this as eternal spirit.

Hebrews 9 is about the regulations imposed by the tabernacle. 9:7 says - the high priest once a year, not without blood, which he offers for himself and for the sins of the people committed in ignorance. The writer talks about this practice but then offers that Christ appeared as a high priest...through the greater and more perfect tabernacle... through His own blood...once for all, having obtained eternal redemption. If the act of the animals was great, how much greater is this act of Jesus (v. 13-14). Jesus obtained for us eternal redemption.

It is not simply that this act by Jesus has a longer reaching permanency, but the sins offered include the conscience as verse 14 says - you conscience cleansed from dead works. The blood of Christ purifies not only outwardly, but inwardly. His sacrifice was without blemish to God. There was no spot or blemish, but it was a perfect offering.

We can only truly serve the Lord if all of our dead works have been paid for by the blood of Christ. Under the law there was no service possible until cleansing was performed, but in Christ the cleansing is eternal and complete.

Promise: Christ suffered as man, but because of the work of the Spirit, cleansed us perfectly and completely from all of our past, present, and future sins. He completely satisfied the wrath of God.

Prayer: Thank you for dying for me Jesus and providing the way for me to have eternal union with God. My eternal home is now secure for all time. I thank you God for your great love for me in delivering Jesus up for me. Thank  you for the work of your spirit in raising Jesus from the dead. Help me to pass this onto others in my life and not be silent.

Note: I follow the readings from the Tabletalk Magazine devotional, though I am a little behind and working through 2017 devotionals. 2017 is a study of key biblical doctrines with January being about the doctrine of God.

Genesis 1:1-2 - The Trinity and Creation

Genesis 1:1-2
1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2 The earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters.

Message: The Trinity and Creation

Time: Genesis is the first book and Moses is credited as authoring. The book spans 2400 years of time. It was originally written in Hebrew.

What the Lord is Saying:

The story of the Gospel is one of being redeemed. I have just finished reading a book called, What is the Gospel? and it was a nice summary statement of the meaning of the Gospel and at its core it is a story of God redeeming people. But people also understand that they need to be redeemed and therefore, they desire to Glorify God following that redemption. Thus the gospel is lost, found, believe, change. It is unfortunate that a book like this needs to be written, but people and the church have somewhat muddied the waters as to what is salvation and so we need to be reminded again what it is that sits at the foundation of our faith.

The Gospel has a beginning - In the beginning God. For one, it is clear that God is beginning. God begins all. Thus, God is already on the scene at the beginning. It is not that God was created, but He already existed and for man the first act we know is God created. The Gospel and the World matter because God created, otherwise we might as well subscribe to the idea that the world just came on the scene for an unknown reason, by itself. God created the heavens and the earth. 

The Gospel writer John also shows that Jesus was with God in the beginning and as such was God eternal: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The Word or the Son or Jesus was on the scene at the same time of creation, thus Jesus pre-existed creation.

At the time of the creation the Spirit of God was also present. Verse 2 says the earth was formless and void and darkness was over the surface of the deep and the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters. The Spirit of God was over the waters, waiting and ready to minister to the creation. Yesterday in the reading of John 14:26 was the description of the Spirit of God's work He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you. The Spirit of God is ready to be in our lives. God is active and present and ready for His creation.

Any act of God involves all three persons of the Godhead. That doesn't mean that we always read them being on the scene and at times, one may be emphasized over the other(s). Thus, there is a co-working of the three persons of the Godhead and this doctrine is known as inseparable operations. Thus, the three are not cooperating. The eternal operations of God proceed from Father, through the Son, in the Spirit.

There is a unity here in the description of even the work of God. These states of America have been often on a roller coaster of unity. I don't think one could say that right now we are a people united. Instead there is fear, anxiety, distrust, and division. And as such our nation is less and less about God.

Purpose: All three persons of the Trinity work in tandem for one common purpose. Thus, the people of God are to strive for unity.

Prayer: O Lord God, I come to you and thank you for being creator of all. You are perfect and over all. Thank you for showing us the true meaning of unity. How we are a people in need of unity. We are stubborn and divided. We all want peace but we are striving on our own rather than submitting to You first God. Return us to the joy of our salvation. Help me to be defined by unity and embrace the understanding of you God and how you proceeded from the Father, through the Son, in the Spirit. Help me to voice clarity of who you are. I do not want to be ashamed, but instead want to make you known at all times. Forgive me for fear in sharing, my own selfishness. Forgive me God for these things. I want to start anew, afresh with You as Lord and God.


Note: I follow the readings from the Tabletalk Magazine devotional, though I am a little behind and working through 2017 devotionals. 2017 is a study of key biblical doctrines with January being about the doctrine of God.

Acts 5:1-11 - God the Holy Spirit

Acts 5:1-11
But a man named Ananias, with his wife Sapphira, sold a piece of property, 2 and kept back some of the price for himself, with his wife’s full knowledge, and bringing a portion of it, he laid it at the apostles’ feet. 3 But Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back some of the price of the land? 4 While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, was it not under your control? Why is it that you have conceived this deed in your heart? You have not lied to men but to God.” 5 And as he heard these words, Ananias fell down and breathed his last; and great fear came over all who heard of it. 6 The young men got up and covered him up, and after carrying him out, they buried him.

7 Now there elapsed an interval of about three hours, and his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. 8 And Peter responded to her, “Tell me whether you sold the land for such and such a price?” And she said, “Yes, that was the price.” 9 Then Peter said to her, “Why is it that you have agreed together to put the Spirit of the Lord to the test? Behold, the feet of those who have buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out as well.” 10 And immediately she fell at his feet and breathed her last, and the young men came in and found her dead, and they carried her out and buried her beside her husband.11 And great fear came over the whole church, and over all who heard of these things.

Message: God the Holy Spirit

Time: Clearly written by Luke, this book follows the lives of Peter and then Paul after Jesus' ascension into heaven. The book was completed about 62 AD as Paul sat in prison. It provides an account of the growth of the Church and spread from Jerusalem, from a small group of frightened believers in Jerusalem transformed into an empire-wide movement of people who had committed their lives to Jesus Christ, and it should help us to be bold and have zeal in our walks with God.

What the Lord is Saying:

As I think and study about the doctrine of God, there remains this view of God as exhibited in three persons of the Godhead who share the essence of God. Three persons, not in the same way we think of persons with separate bodies, but three entities that have distinctive roles and yet share the same essence or substance - God the Father, the Son, the Holy Spirit.

In this account in Acts Ananias and Sapphira (members of the Jerusalem church) sell a piece of property and keep back a portion of the proceeds for themselves rather than surrendering the full proceeds to the church. What stands out in this story today is Peter's remark that Ananias has spoken a lie to the Holy Spirit and later also spoken You have not lied to men but to God. Thus, there seems to be a reference here equating the Holy Spirit with God. This is a tragic story as this lie ends up killing Ananias and Sapphira.

There are a couple of other scriptures mentioned in this devotion. 2 Peter 1:21 speaks of how the words of scripture came to be: for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God. Yet, the Old Testament also says that the word of the Lord came from Lord Yahweh. But the Holy Spirit was involved. John 14:16 refers to the Holy Spirit as another helper, a title also given of Jesus. Clearly there are connections here and the Spirit will be studied further.

In my reading of the book, the Forgotten God by Francis Chan I believe the work of the Holy Spirit is more clearly reflected and defined.

Promise: Jesus gave us another Advocate or Helper like Himself to be with us after he ascended to Heaven.

Prayer: Thank you for your revealing yourself God in the works of the Father, Son, and Spirit. Help me to better understand these persons of You and how all of you make up the 1 God. Thank you for these devotions and giving them to me to help me better understand you.

Note: I follow the readings from the Tabletalk Magazine devotional. 2017 is a study of key biblical doctrines with January being about the doctrine of God.

John 1:2 - Not the Father

John 1:2
He was in the beginning with God.

Message: Not the Father

Time: While John does not admit to have written this gospel, there is ample evidence from others that he did. It was most likely written in Ephesus around 85-95 AD and is the fourth gospel. John provides a Jesus more clearly as the Son of God. John cites Jesus' seven "I Am" statements, mentions many miracles of Jesus, signifying Him as God's Son. He is the Son of Man and atoned for our sins and the Son of God with eternal implications in rising from the dead.

What the Lord is Saying:

Tabletalk generally takes a year to do a particular study. In 2014 it was a study of the book of Romans; 2015 was a study of the wisdom literature of Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Lamentations, and 2016 was a study of the Gospel of Mark. Now the focus is on the biblical doctrines emphasized anew or recovered by the Reformers in 2017. The Reformation period or the Protestant Reformation took place in the 16th century (thus about 5 centuries from today), chiefly in the year 1517 was when Luther posted his Ninety-Five Thesis; thus, 500 years ago. Leaders such as Martin Luther and John Calvin, though there were many others, saw a problem with the church of the day which was the Roman Catholic Church. The concern they raised was that the church had become too intertwined with the affairs of the government and political life in Europe. However, the Catholic Church continued to provide a lot of comfort to people, but there had been some things that were of concern. There was concern among many of the imitation of Christ and it not being followed and the doctrines of grace and redemption not being a central focus.

The doctrine of the Trinity continues to be a difficult doctrine for many to wrap their heads around and it seems to remain that way today. Granted, society here in America seems to me to becoming more and more secularized or more focused on appealing to the World and its ways. This doctrine of the Trinity is one that needs to be more clearly understood and taught.

One of the key ideas is there is separation between the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit. They are three separate persons of the Godhead. John here in these early passages of John 1 speaks of a distinction between God the Father and God the Son. Both are equally God and yet the Father is not the Son.

To me that one of the struggling things about faith is there remains in it a shroud of mystery. While there are attempts to explain it the explanations don't always look exactly at what it is. We can know about God, but we cannot know everything about Him and I think this is something that people don't like. In my mind, this is why groups such as Jehovah's Witnesses and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day-Saints are more popular because there doctrines are tight and have answers to every question that is asked. But in traditional Christianity there is still mystery. We believe God and we are confident in Him but we are still getting to know Him. There is still mystery in Him.

So even as we talk about the person of the Godhead there are difficulties in making this translation because our view of a person is not the same as the persons of God. We are all tangible creatures we can touch and feel, but we have only so far seen Jesus and the rest are Spirits. Jesus was given a human body for earth and this helps us put a face to God, but this idea of a Spirit is harder for us to understand at times. I think sometimes by having Jesus in human form we struggle with understanding all three.

But the key in this passage is to show that three are not the same in form, thus they are hypostasis and yet all three are homoousios or of the same essence. Those are Greek words that the Reformers used to describe the differences. As I studied through the Book of Mark I picked up on this mystery. I was attempting to more clearly define Jesus but as I attempted to do this I was still left with mystery. He isn't completely able to be understood. Yet each seems to have a relation to one another. I saw this in the Gospel as Jesus spoke to the Father and then spoke of the Spirit as well (though Mark doesn't mention the Spirit like John does).

Promise: As we talk about God, at times we reach a point where we can say no more. God transcends the limits of our creaturely minds and we cannot fully comprehend Him.

Prayer: Lord, help me to know that I can be in witness of You but I don't need to answer every question. I can be faithful to speak of you and yet I will never have every answer to every question. Help me to be content in this and to trust You and not me nor the world in which I live. Than you for being distinct and yet the same. You are a whole lot different, but a whole lot the same.

Note: I follow the readings from the Tabletalk Magazine devotional. 2017 is a study of key biblical doctrines with January being about the doctrine of God.

Mark 14:32-36 - Jesus in Gethsemane

Mark 14:32-36
32 They *came to a place named Gethsemane; and He *said to His disciples, “Sit here until I have prayed.” 33 And He *took with Him Peter and James and John, and began to be very distressed and troubled.34 And He *said to them, “My soul is deeply grieved to the point of death; remain here and keep watch.” 35 And He went a little beyond them, and fell to the ground and began to pray that if it were possible, the hour might pass Him by. 36 And He was saying, “Abba! Father! All things are possible for You; remove this cup from Me; yet not what I will, but what You will.”

Message: Jesus in Gethsemane

Time: Mark's personal connection with Peter gave him the source material for this book. This book was composed probably between AD 57 and AD 59. It's a book that is on the move, leading to the cross. 39 times is the word 'immediately' used. Mark reveals Jesus as God's servant, reaching into the lives of people and effecting physical and circumstantial change.

What the Lord is Saying:

Preface - Jesus was anointed with oil by Mary 2 days before the passover and Judas questioned this. Judas would go to betray him and Jesus prepared for our gathering of the disciples for the Passover meal with the Lord's supper where he gave his body to take through bread a cup for His blood, given to many (not all). He mentioned that one would betray him though the disciples didn't think it was anyone of them. He stated that he would die by the plan of God and the disciples and followers would scatter. The disciples didn't think that any one of them would ever deny Him before men, but Jesus knew better. But they would return to Him.

They *came to a place named Gethsemane - Gethsemane was a garden at the foot of the Mount of Olives. They are down now from the Mount of Olives which is where Jesus gave his discourse in the previous set of verses. He *said to His disciples, “Sit here until I have prayed.” Jesus needs to take a moment to pray and talk to God. He is distressed. It seems somewhat normal to be distressed in this moment. I can think of times when I knew something difficult was ahead - it may be a meeting that I am preparing for or it may be a medical procedure or going to the dentist or doing anything difficult - I know in those times I was distressed. When I was younger, I remember preparing to go on the air at the radio station and I would often have diarrhea prior to going live on the air. My stomach was twisted and in knots. Jesus I think here is anticipating his death. He knows it is coming. While he has predicted it and spoke of it and even stated over and over it would happen, the closer it gets the more real it gets. And He *took with Him Peter and James and John, and began to be very distressed and troubled. He is a man of no sin that is preparing to take on all sin and bear the full wrath of God for that sin. It is definitely a distressing time.

And He *said to them, “My soul is deeply grieved to the point of death; remain here and keep watch.” To take on the sin of the world is an enormous weight, of all. I'm often reminded of the Passion of the Christ movie that was done several years ago and the detail at which it showed the death of Jesus. It is a very real picture of this death. And He went a little beyond them, and fell to the ground and began to pray that if it were possible, the hour might pass Him by. His prayer was wondering if it was possible for this hour to pass. Even through all the preparation and prediction He reveals His human nature and does not want this to occur. He manifests His true human nature here. Even though the cross was the only way, he still asks for another way. And He was saying, “Abba! Father! All things are possible for You; remove this cup from Me; yet not what I will, but what You will.” How often do we pray something like this, going to God recognizing that He has all power and can take care of this situation in a word - whether it is a foxhole confession during war, a student asking God for a good grade on a test, securing a job -- the present situation appears to have no clear outcome that we are looking to and so we ask God with the idea that all things are possible for You, do this. Step in. Jesus does the same thing here. He has just prayed and said that the cup of His blood, the sealing of justification, of the wrath of God for all people is given for all, to take, but now He asks God to remove this cup from Me. 

Yet, in the end, the message is yet not that I will, but what You will. Though Jesus pleas to God, he still wants His will to be done.

Summary - Jesus comes down from the Mount of Olives, to Gethsemane, to pray to God. He is distressed and asks God to take this cup from Him and asks for another way to fulfill the wrath of God. While this time has been predicted He still asks for another way.

Promise: Though Jesus asked for another way out of this situation, He still wanted the will of God. May this be the same way that I come before God with my requests.

Prayer: Lord, your will be done in my life. You be praised and glorified. But I admit, like Jesus that sometimes I don't want to experience the pain and weight of sin. Yet, you so often carry me through. Help me in those moments to keep my faith secured on You. No matter what it takes I trust in Your will and ways.

Mark 12:25-27 - The God of the Living

Mark 12:25-27
25 For when they rise from the dead, they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven. 26 But regarding the fact that the dead rise again, have you not read in the book of Moses, in the passage about the burning bush, how God spoke to him, saying, ‘I AM THE GOD OF ABRAHAM, AND THE GOD OF ISAAC, AND THE GOD OF JACOB’? 27 He is not the God of the dead, but of the living; you are greatly mistaken.”

Message: The God of the Living

Time: Mark's personal connection with Peter gave him the source material for this book. This book was composed probably between AD 57 and AD 59. It's a book that is on the move, leading to the cross. 39 times is the word 'immediately' used. Mark reveals Jesus as God's servant, reaching into the lives of people and effecting physical and circumstantial change.

What the Lord is Saying:

Preface - Jesus is in Jerusalem. He has been questioned by the Sadducees on marriage after the resurrection. Though the people do not believe in the resurrection they are eager to see him apply one of the Mosaic laws about a brother's responsibility to marry a deceased brother who was not able to sire an heir. It is probably about the 3rd or 4th day of Jesus being in Jerusalem. Thus far, he has mostly answered questions from those of different belief systems. In the process, he has cursed the chief priests and scribes that uphold the Scriptures and yet did not uphold their intended purpose. Jesus will be the chief cornerstone, but his rejection by them is also necessary at this time. For others it was about our responsibility to God and government when it comes to taxes. These leaders wanted to catch Jesus probably in hypocrisy. But each time he brought them back to the Scripture and God's message. The central message is have faith in God and love your neighbor. Be focused on God and others.

Here is the continued response by Jesus to the Sadducees question. Jesus will answer the question as well as the belief of no resurrection from the Sadducees. For when they rise from the dead, they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven. The first response is marriage is not an institution in heaven. This can be hard to fathom especially if you are someone like me and marriage on earth has been the greatest of human relationships and even has been greater than I could ever imaging. I love my wife and the closeness I have with her and the love I have for her is something so great and also something that I can't see ending. We have been married 27 years next week and each day seems still like a new experience with her. She gains in beauty and she gains in remaining captivating. I thank God for this picture of Him. For in Christ, he is new every morning. I read and enjoy the scriptures more and more each day and knowing Him is greater and greater each day. So in the way I experience my wife I see the same thing in my relationship with Him. But I also see the promise of being with him forever in paradise and if my relationship with Him is anything like my relationship with my wife then Yes, I can understand there being no marriage in heaven because I will have everything that I need in Him. Today, I need these human relationships.

Jesus says that I will be like angels. Angels simply surround God and bring praise to Him.

One of the reasons that the Sadducees did not believe in a resurrection is the assumption that life now here on earth will be the same in heaven. And if it is the same, then a woman cannot have multiple husbands. One would be true followed by the others being an example of adultery. And since adultery would not be right, then resurrection would not be right.

In addition, God shows that He keeps His promises. And His promises are not just for a specific time. His covenant ways continue. Here he quotes from Exodus 3 where God said to Moses, I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. It is not that Jesus was the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, but he is. He states, "I am." It is a current tense not a past tense. Thus, it implies that they live on to worship Him. For he is their God all at the same time. Thus, they live together with Him in paradise. He is not the God of the dead, but of the living. 

Summary - Jesus answers the Sadducees question. Perhaps it is not what they want to hear, so perhaps because of this they will not believe what he has said and accept it. There is no marriage in heaven and God is the God of the living not the dead. This is the way God has spoken to His people. He says, "I am" and that phrase has most often been talking about his authority but it also speaks of his current and present state. It is not "I was" but "I am." He is the God of the Now.  

Purpose: God is the God of the living. God's relationship with His people does not end at their death, for they live on to worship Him in heaven. Because of this, we know that all His promises to us will be kept either now or in the world to come.

Prayer: O Jesus you are so clear on Your ways. Help our unbelief and our short-sighted thinking. We get too caught up in what we want instead of submitting to You for what you are. Help us to always trust in You even when it does not necessarily agree with what we want or desire on this earth. We get too wrapped up in today and we forget your promises for tomorrow. Keep our eyes focused on You always.

Mark 10:17-18 - The Goodness of God

Mark 10:17-18
¹⁷ As He was setting out on a journey, a man ran up to Him and knelt before Him, and asked Him, “Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” ¹⁸ And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good except God alone.


Message: The Goodness of God

Time: Mark's personal connection with Peter gave him the source material for this book. This book was composed probably between AD 57 and AD 59. It's a book that is on the move, leading to the cross. 39 times is the word 'immediately' used. Mark reveals Jesus as God's servant, reaching into the lives of people and effecting physical and circumstantial change.

What the Lord is Saying: 

Preface - Jesus has been teaching us many lessons. The lessons have not simply been me-focused, but also focused on others. And he is speaking in ways that are contrary to the culture - being dependent on Him and being sensitive to people and understanding to the lesser ones. Here he remarks that to enter the kingdom of God we must be like a child - innocent, dependent, in need of someone greater than us. 

This can be a puzzling passage, at first glance. It is the story of the rich young ruler. This man comes to Jesus and asks probably the most profound question anyone can ask of Jesus in all the world - 
Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? Jesus' first response to this question is not what one would immediately suspect though. Jesus hones in on the phrase Good Teacher  and replies to the man - Why do you call Me good? No one is good except God alone.  

This is a passage that I think can be picked a part by many skeptics as to why Jesus seemingly refutes the man's claim that Jesus is good. But, as is the custom in reading the Bible I think I need to look at the language that is using and make sure that the words and usage of words in those times is the same today. Definitions come about not by a dictionary, but by the common meaning of words in society at the time. This phrase "Good teacher" is an interesting one. 

"Good Teacher" was a name that rabbis in those times refuted when someone would call them a good teacher. The thought was that goodness was only associated with God and so calling a man good was sort of blasphemous. Jesus concurs this idea in his response by saying "No one is good except God alone." 

The discourse that Jesus will have with this man is a little different. The man will make assertions and Jesus will continually question those assertions. His response in a moment will be that he has kept all of the commandments and Jesus will show him how this isn't true. 

The thought here is that this man wasn't running to Jesus with the view that he was God, but rather that he was simply a rabbi. Jesus' response therefore is similar to a response given by a rabbi, explaining that only God is good. Jesus' doesn't say "I am not God" or that by calling me good I am not good, but rather he is asking the man to defend his words to Jesus. Why is that you call me good? Do you understand who you are calling good or do you think I am simply a rabbi? 

Therefore, the rich young ruler is someone that is approaching Jesus but does not really know yet who Jesus is. He does not have faith in him. He does not understand his Godhead. He knows he is someone, but what he has heard so far is probably all word of mouth. And the point of this passage is simple: only God is good. Jesus was acknowledging and agreeing with the words that had been spoken and defended by rabbi's throughout the ages: only God is good. 

Summary - As Jesus is setting out on a journey, a man runs up to him and begins to question him on how he can inherit eternal life. He doesn't know. He offers the question, but he also doesn't even know who he is asking for he calls Jesus a good Teacher and Jesus wonders if he knows he is talking to when only God is good. Does this man realize he is talking to God and not a mere rabbi?

Promise: As we hear others who are not believers refer to Jesus as a good teacher, let us encourage them to consider why they see him as good-because He is actually God himself.

Prayer: Lord, I want to help others understand who You are, who You truly are. There are many I come in contact with each day. I want them all to see You as You really are, but in doing this walls need to be torn down and misconceptions often times need to be assaulted. Help me with this. You are God and I want people to see you as that.

Mark 3:28-30 - Blasphemy Against the Holy Spirit

Mark 3:28-30
28 “Truly I say to you, all sins shall be forgiven the sons of men, and whatever blasphemies they utter; 29 but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin”—30 because they were saying, “He has an unclean spirit.”


Message: Blasphemy Against the Holy Spirit

Time: Mark's personal connection with Peter gave him the source material for this book. This book was composed probably between AD 57 and AD 59. It's a book that is on the move, leading to the cross. 39 times is the word 'immediately' used. Mark reveals Jesus as God's servant, reaching into the lives of people and effecting physical and circumstantial change.

What the Lord is Saying:

Verses 28 and 29 of this passage are words from Jesus. So far, one of the central messages that Mark is putting forth about Jesus is he has come with an authority of speech different from anyone else. In chapter 1:21, Jesus goes to the synagogue and the scribes immediately notice this. In verse 27 it states, What is this? A new teaching with authority! He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey Him. And this authority from Jesus continues as he preaches and teaches repentance and believing in the gospel, and has the authority to cast out demons from people's lives and heal them.

Jesus has most recently spoken to the scribes after they accused him of being of the devil and he quickly dispels this and shows that Satan cannot and will not cast out Satan. Satan must be bound first. An outside source is needed to deliver people from the power of Satan and Jesus is the one with that authority.

In these verses today, Jesus refers to the Holy Spirit for the first time in the book of Mark. Thus, the Holy Spirit is real and present. Mark did mention the Holy Spirit at Jesus' baptism as they Spirit descended upon him (1:10). But here Jesus speaks directly of a sin against the Holy Spirit and it being the sin that is not pardoned or forgiven. Jesus is in the sin forgiveness business. I have already seen this in chapter 2 when he speaks to the paralytic brought by friends in stating to him My son, your sins are forgiven. Now here he presents a contrast of sons of men who sin and even blaspheme, but the blaspheme of the Holy Spirit is a greater, unforgivable sin.

First of all, what I see is this is the context of the scribes coming to Jesus stating that He is possessed by Beelzebul (3:22) and Jesus clearly refuting this. But he does this in an explanation using parables, but now also mentions the Blasphemy of the Holy Spirit. Thus, the scribes are sinning with their words toward Jesus so uttering blasphemy against the Holy Spirit also appears to be words toward Jesus. And yet in verse 28 the sin of blasphemy is mentioned as a sin that is forgiven. Thus, blasphemy, which is speaking about God or his acts in a profane way (unfortunately a very common occurrence in today's world). Thus, how is this blasphemy against the Holy Spirit different? How is profaning the name against the Holy Spirit different from profaning the name of God?

Jesus is speaking directly to the scribes and their condemnation of Jesus is beginning to be repetitive. The Holy Spirit, also sent by God, like Jesus, is to believers and reveals God. So, this blasphemy isn't very clear.

The common explanation I have seen is that blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is not a one-time sin, but a recurring sin of willfully disregarding the work of God in people's lives, thus the belief that God does not work in people's lives and therefore is not real. I John 5:16 speaks of a sin that leads to death and the sin appears to be the complete disregard of the power of God in people's lives.

I have a friend who is a Christian and I believe he spent so much of his life using God's name as a curse word that when it comes out of his mouth, he doesn't even notice it. Yes, it is sin, but I still believe is a saved man. Whereas, the blasphemy of the Spirit is stating that God does not work in people's lives, thus separate from profaning the name of God.

Purpose: RC Sproul - Worrying about [whether one has committed the unforgivable sin] is one of the clearest evidences that [the troubled person has] not committed this sin, for those who commit it are so hardened in their hearts that they do not care that they commit it.

Prayer: Lord, I am ashamed at the times in my life that I have blasphemed your name and I thank you for forgiving that sin as well as all of my sins. Lord, I hate to hear your name blasphemed and disregarded in our world today. I look forward to the day when both this blasphemy and the total disregard of the work of You in people's lives will be seen and heard no more.

Psalm 116:1-9 - An Answered Prayer

Psalm 116:1-9
¹ I love the Lord, because He hears
My voice, my supplications.
² Because He has inclined His ear to me,
Therefore I shall call as long as I live.
³ The cords of death encompassed me
And the terrors of Sheol came upon me;
I found distress and sorrow.
⁴ Then I called upon the name of the Lord:
“O Lord, I beseech You, save my life!”

⁵ Gracious is the Lord, and righteous;
Yes, our God is compassionate.
⁶ The Lord preserves the simple;
I was brought low, and He saved me.
⁷ Return to your rest, O my soul,
For the Lord has dealt bountifully with you.
⁸ For You have rescued my soul from death,
My eyes from tears,
My feet from stumbling.
⁹ I shall walk before the Lord
In the land of the living.

Message:  An Answered Prayer

Time: Based upon authorship and subject matter, Psalms cover a range of centuries. David is mentioned 73 times, Solomon 2, Moses 1, and 50 designate no specific person. It is believed they were compiled around 537 BC. The psalms deal with such subjects as God and His creation, war, worship, wisdom, sin and evil, judgment, justice, and the coming of the Messiah.

What the Lord is Saying: 

First Glance
I love the Lord because He hears me; he hears my requests. He turns his ear toward me and I can then call on him as long as I live. Death surrounds me and the terror of hell comes upon me to the point that I find distress and sorrow. Then I called on the name of the Lord saying, "Lord, save me, please save me." You are gracious; you give me what I do not deserve. You are righteous; your ways are pure and right. You are compassionate; you are there for me no matter my situation or my condition. You preserve me; I fall and am low and you save me. Therefore, I can rest again. I can rest because the Lord deals with me in a generous manner, lavishing gifts of grace and compassion on me. You have rescued me from death. You have rescued my eyes from tears and my feet from stumbling. I can now walk before the Lord in the land of the living. 

That last line reminds me of the Bash-n-the-Code song sung by Rebecca Sparks called Land of the Living, their first release, back in 1986. "We walk before the Lord in the land of the living. Jesus is king in the land of the living." My guess is that refrain came from this text. 

The idea is I can now walk in life, with people, freely, completely, because I have been delivered. I have been impacted by God's grace. I have been rescued from death, tears, and stumbling. I love the Lord. 

Promise: Regular prayer is what is needed in my life as I need this reminder that I am delivered and forgiven and rescued.

Prayer: Lord, thank you for the words from this Psalmist. Thank you for the reminder that You are near. You have rescued my soul from death, my ears from tears, my feet from stumbling. You have shown me grace and compassion. Thank you for listening to me and hearing my prayer.