Scholars are at odds as to why Jesus would tell Mary not to touch Him, only to subsequently instruct Thomas to do so. Here is a plan proof that it does not.. You have no merit on your own. It has been said by many who are experts in the Jewish law that these trials of Jesus were a sham. Father! [16] The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, [17] and if children, then heirsheirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him. They were so close to the event itself, that what they were witnessing seemed confusing amidst their fears and sorrow. This is why we study the character of God. You must either give up your sins or give up all hope of heaven. We affectionately treasure our world while spitting on the One who created it for us. Actually Francis Thompson wrote a poem entitled, "The Hound of Heaven.". And yet again, we must read as much with our hearts as with our minds, applying both to the task. Jesus Christ is there. I will feed them in justice. Let us settle at least these few things: It is a great and precious thing to be both restored and given a task. But He never allowed His humanity to prevent Him from making absolutely perfect and righteous decisions. 1088, [xiv] John Frame, Systematic Theology, Pg. We cant go very far without noting a few things in this new chapter. In every miracle that our Lord has performed there is one consistent theme what He does He does in abundance! Cant they just let this go? His sovereignty led even a pagan king to bring the Jewish people out of exile several hundred years earlier. They were to be fishers of men.. Therefore the principle problem here is not primarily an intellectual one, nor is it a communication problem on the part of the Apostle, rather it is primarily a problem within the hearts of these Hebrews, and within our own hearts as well. Thats just who He is, they probably thought. (Romans 1:24-25, ESV). Not Jesus. It is possible for a man to be taken to heaven, and to be found meet to be a partaker of the inheritance of the saints in light, though he has but just believed in Jesus. "The Hound of Heaven" however, is still relevant. [6] Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. And this is what Paul sums up in 2 Corinthians 4:4: In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. Instead of being rude, He is sometimes short and to the point. Brethren, in heaven we shall dive into the deepest depths of fellowship with Jesus . Carson summarizes, Whatever potential for future service he (Peter) had therefore depended not only on forgiveness from Jesus, but also on reinstatement amongst the disciples., I Agape your Phileo and Raise you an Agape. This series of verses has had an outsized impact on my own life and walk with the Lord. It was made into a movie. Ryken comments, Can you see what Jesus was doing? But never think that imagination can picture heaven. Spurgeon called Human Inability and that can be located by clicking here. All else, all other priorities fade for the moment, and the search consumes everything.[8]. Autobiography, Vol. What had they seen? He knew what it was to lose a loved one. As Carson notes, their question is not designed to elicit information. Ridderbos says, He is certain the to go to Judea means death for them all. Scripture supports what Dr. Piper is saying. I think there are two tricky things here. Moses is talking to God and God says, This very thing that you have spoken I will do, for you have found favor in my sight, and I know you by name (vs. 17). Amen. You were faithless, hopeless, and on a grim march toward eternal death when He snatched you off that path and plucked you like a brand from the burning (Zech. (Ephesians 2:8-10). But what John is highlighting here by leaving this part in about Peter is to say that humanly speaking we try so very hard to be in control. And having spent time on this already, I will not review all that was said, except to remind you that in that prayer Jesus explicitly prayed for His disciples, and not for the world. He makes special mention of those who He came to save, and makes intercession on their behalf. What the author of Hebrews is saying is that these men and women in the church had let that foundation rot and deteriorate over and over and over. The number of men here is likely to be around 200 or so. 11:5-7 Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. He weaves the denials of Peter in with the first part of the Jewish trial of Jesus. [10]But if anyone walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him.. In a recent biography of John Stott, Stott refers to Thompson's poem. We have a Savior, aye, this is true but more than that, we have a friend. Meanwhile we long to be with him, and daily sing-, My heart is with him on his throne, [27] For you will not abandon my soul to Hades, or let your Holy One see corruption. Because Jesus is who and he is he inevitably divides people., Specifically, it is interesting that some people ran to the PhariseesCarson says, One might charitably hope that the motive of at least some of them was to win the Pharisees to the truth, but the contrast set up between those who believe and those who go to the Pharisees suggest that their intent was more malicious., Ryle says that these people who ran to the Pharisees had been hardened in heart, Instead of being softened and convinced, they were hardened and enraged. Throughout Scripture, the revelation of the name of God and the glory of God has had a similar affect on men. So she takes in the view and see the linen strips and the shroud folded. Jesus told Peter to tend the lambs, which is to say that our leaders must be watchful for the safety of the church, keeping an eye out for wolves and for sheep who have gone astray. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, (Ephesians 6:13-18 ESV), Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. So also was the Apostle Paul. But Jesus doesnt accept this, does He? For you. Most people we talk to on a day-to-day basis would probably tell us (if they are non-believers) that they are basically good people. I bet you hear that all the time, dont you. So often we mentally ascent to Gods power to do this or that, because weve read it in the Bible, but we dont ever think to apply it appropriately to our lives, as if He is somehow neutered of His power 2000 years later. The first is that John lets us know this is the first day of the week. This is Sunday. If someone doesnt like the way we behave, we say tough, thats what makes me unique! We celebrate our sins and call them diversity, and we go endless days without doing business with God because we dont take God as seriously as we ought. Get Free Weekly Updates from Preaching Today, Secular Jewish Writer Comes to Faith in Christ, Famous Playwright and Journalist on 'The Hound of Heaven'. Theyre in our neighborhoods, theyre in the grocery stores, theyre not just in India theyre in your Bible study! Thousands of Bibles were confiscated, and multitudes of believers were sent to the gulags-prison camps-where . She unashamedly states that, in her opinion, if Christ had been with Lazarus, he never would have died. Similarly, God doesnt love the world because the world is inherently good. Then Jesus came announcing the presence of the kingdom. Here Ryle is discussing the Olivet Discourse and particularly, Christs predictions concerning the nations and the world. That this important, and sound, theologian and pastor would raise such a warning flag against the post-mil mindset while its popularity was at its zenith is (to me) a very important note. Such was the nature of His patience and longsuffering. The Hound of Heaven. Apart from Christ in the dark night of his soul, he flees into the darkness of night leaving the Prince of Light to single-handedly parry with the heaviest concentration of evil ever seen on this earth. In his love for us Jesus acts like a hound-dog, intense and focused as he pursues the hunt. I hope you find the notes enjoyable! It reminds me of when the early disciples of Christ ran to find other followers in John 1 (35-51). One can really sense the authority and majesty of Jesus in the fact that no one dared ask him, Who are you?. Listen to what Paul says in Romans 15: For I tell you that Christ became a servant to the circumcised to show Gods truthfulness, in order to confirm the promises given to the patriarchs, 9 and in order that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy. That is why he is not ashamed to call them brothers, (Hebrews 2:11), It is for discipline that you have to endure. Our King reigns now, so for us to put the kingdom of God entirely in the future is to miss one of the most significant points of the New Testament. God is the One responsible for our salvation from first to last. The Hound of Heaven. And as we see in chapter 15, it is a kingdom populated by sinners. [5] It isnt a popular thing to repent of our behavior. Knowing all of that, I think that the best way to understand the word World here is that is refers to all mankind Jews and Gentiles. Of my own mind, and in the midst of tears. It is this revealing of Gods character through created things, through His plan, and through His Son that we are to focus on here. Jesus has now achieved a great victory over Satan, sin, and deathThe Amil says that Satan no longer deceives the nations (20:3) as he did before the coming of Christ. Here we see that once again Christ is moved again, and its no wonder given the nature of the response from those in the mourning party (he is filled with a righteous indignation as the Greek clearly impliesagain, the English translations are all incorrect). [11] Romano, August 24, 2013, mens campout, personal notes on his lesson. No. What took years to save is spent in no time at all. Hendriksen notes about 7 of them just as a sampling, but even a cursory search of the internet seems to reveal a plethora of others. Now, most theologians believe that Christ is reigning now, but what is the nature of that reign? Impotency and Sufficiency: Relying on the Supernatural Power of Christ for Life and Strength. These final chapters (13-17) are called his farewell discourses, though chapter 17 is really just a prayer between Him and the Father. He knew that soon His great passion would be upon Him. Now as soon as Mary turns around she runs smack into Jesus who then asks the same question that the angels asked her. Furthermore, Gods plans were bigger than just the Jewish nation, for John tells us, not for the nation only, but also to gather into one the children of God who are scattered abroad. That is to say that it was Gods plan that through the death of Jesus the promise of Abraham might be fulfilled: Behold, my covenant is with you, and you shall be the father of a multitude of nations. The love she has for Jesus, and the painful reality of her loss are intersecting in a mass of emotion that simply cannot be held back. I think that is significant because if nothing else, it shows us once again how Christ in His sovereignty and His obedience to the Fathers plan stayed and waited for a specific reason (which we discussed above) and not to put Lazarus through some struggle unnecessarily or sadistically. That is what we need to take away from this passage. Abrahams faith was of another variety altogether. I believe John recorded this incident for a reason. Then, John records an extraordinary series of teachings from Jesus to His disciples in the final hours of His life before the early morning events we read about in chapter 18. The poem became famous and was the source of much of Thompson's posthumous reputation. Ryle says, The amazing wickedness of human nature is strikingly illustrated in this verse. Sarah Boxer, "Charles M. Schulz, 'Peanuts' Creator, Dies at 77", McNamara, Pat. Well, we know enough about Peter to know that it isnt simply because of a weak disposition within Peter. No problem, just replace those blocks! [i] Ligonier has a devotional published about the kingdom of God which cites these verses in Ephesians: http://www.ligonier.org/learn/devotionals/seated-at-gods-right-hand/, [ii] John MacArthur sermon on Revelation 20 (Part 1): http://www.gty.org/resources/print/sermons/66-73. The heart change that only comes by new birth. Now is the time to bow to the ground and kiss the Son, submit to His Lordship. How do we respond to what John has written here? The vast majority of its occurrences are therefore in Johns writings, as it is also found 24 times in Johns three epistles, and just three times in Peter. I cannot get Pauls words out of my mind, that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for usfor me. Whom are you seeking? Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away. [16] Jesus said to her, Mary. She turned and said to him in Aramaic, Rabboni! (which means Teacher).
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