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ONLY Scripture – Sola Scriptura

The HOLY BIBLE IS: The written word of God from scripture.

The Authority of Jesus, His Power over all flesh
He said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify Your Son, that the Son may glorify You, even as You gave Him authority over all flesh…
John 17:1b-2a NASB

Let us pray:
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LORD, help us to understand the Person of Your Son Jesus Christ through His prayer to the Father.
Amen.
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We have begun our look at Jesus’ High Priestly Prayer made corporately before the Eleven just prior to the Lord’s departure for Gethsemane where He will be betrayed. The Hour Is Come – Glory to the Son AND the Father

Jesus stands before the Apostles, looks up (probably with His arms extended as later they would be on the Cross) and His open hands of flesh turned heavenward and prays,

“Father the hour has come … glorify your Son, so that your Son may glorify you—

Jesus, the faithful only Son of God always prayed to the Father; but listen once more to a most familiar prayer and hear along with this High Priestly Prayer a connection you may have missed.

For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever.
Amen.
Jesus’ closing from ‘The Lord’s Prayer’ – Matthew 6:13b KJV

Did you catch that Jesus connects ‘the power‘ to ‘the glory’ of the LORD God – a glory we examined at some length previously in our study of John 17:1?

Our prayer to Heaven’s King

Now beloved believer, you will not have had much cause to consider so far anything less than glorifying this humble Servant Son of God made flesh; for Jesus epitomizes everything peaceful in mankind. Our Lamb of God is submissive in His love of God and approachable by His fellow man.

But this temporal nature of Emmanu-El, born humbly in Bethlehem, though His humble nature will continue to the Altar of the Cross, Jesus will not continue as servant until the judgment of the world, but ultimately as its ruler and Lord!

We pray to GOD because HE IS THE LORD GOD, and the humble must confess that we are NOT.
- Does your daily life witness your own humility to bow down to GOD in prayer as did Jesus the Son?
- Will the created acknowledge the authority of Jesus, WHO WITH THE FATHER IS the creator of all things and Judge of all flesh?
This is why we pray.

Jesus now prays for us as the Perfect High Priest. The Messiah Jesus therefore intercedes before the Father for those who willingly seek eternal life with Him in glory — disciples in spirit seeking grace for a dying flesh from dust rather than the judgment we deserve of sinners refusing the authority and mercy of the LORD God.

Christians of these last days speak lightly of grace given as if any claim of Jesus is fruit of a sinful spirit saved. Yet does our witness of Christ glow in the glory of His High Authority?
Roger Harned – talkofJesus.com

Authority

Jesus is not praying about anything new here, for authority in relationships both earthly and between the created and Creator appear throughout Scripture.

When the godly are in authority, the people rejoice.
But when the wicked are in power, they groan.
When the wicked are in authority, sin flourishes,
but the godly will live to see their downfall.
Proverbs 29:2 & 29:16 NLT

The authority between those on earth ought to be immediately evident since Jesus provided much guidance and many examples to the Disciples and crowds of Jews so well schooled in the discipline of Scripture.

In this prayer, however, Jesus speaks directly to God the Father not only as their Authority but about His and the Apostles authority.

John 17:

Jesus spoke these things, looked up to heaven, and said,

“Father, the hour has come. Glorify your Son so that the Son may glorify you, since you gave him authority over all people, so that he may give eternal life to everyone you have given him.

What does our Lord and High Priest pray?

Glorify your Son; that is, Jesus prays in essence, ‘Father glorify Me!’ Yet what reason does Jesus offer?

Jesus prays that HIS glory will be necessary “so that [He, Jesus] the Son may glorify you [the Father]. The Lord restates His own authority recalling an action of the Father which had already taken place.

Jesus then offers through this granted authority a higher reason for His intercessory request:

“… So that he [Jesus] may give eternal life…”

Note that Jesus does not promise eternal life to all, but to only to those the Father has already given to the Son our Savior. He becomes our perfect Priest and Sacrifice.

As for those who refuse Christ? Justice will find the dust and ashes of unrepentant souls who will stand before Jesus’ authority at the judgment.

Authority of The Word

John opens his Gospel with Jesus’ preeminent authority.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
John 1:1 KJV

14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.

John 5 excerpt:

[We shall stick with the King James Version for the moment to remind our long-lost 21st century perception of the authority and appropriate approach of a king.] – RH

For as the Father raiseth up the dead, and quickeneth them; even so the Son quickeneth whom he will.

For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son:

Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live.

You with ears to hear, LISTEN to this previous proclamation of Jesus our King! Jesus clearly proclaims:
- God the Father raises the dead to life (quickeneth).
- Jesus the Son gives life (quickeneth) to whom He will.
- The dead will hear the voice of Jesus, Son of God.
- Those dead souls who Jesus chooses shall live again.
Did we overlook one point of power of the Lord Jesus’ authority?

In our too-near familiarity with the humble Lamb of God made man we often lose His authority to come in the wrath of God:

and He [the Father] gave Him [Jesus] authority to execute judgment, because He [Jesus] is the Son of Man.
John 5:27 NASB
- The Father gave Jesus authority to execute judgment!
WHY? Because He IS the “Son of Man,” as well as the “Son of God.”

Returning to the Upper Room

Do you recall what Jesus had said after Judas left the room to go to Jerusalem’s religious leaders to betray his Lord?

Therefore when he had gone out, Jesus said,

“Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in Him; if God is glorified in Him, God will also glorify Him in Himself, and will glorify Him immediately. – John 13:31 NASB

Now in His High Priestly Prayer Jesus prays, “you gave him authority over all people.

“I have revealed your name to the people you gave me from the world. They were yours, you gave them to me, and they have kept your word.

(or from the more formal King James Version🙂

I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world: thine they were, and thou gavest them me; and they have kept thy word. – John 17:6 KJV

Power over all flesh

Once again returning to the kingly language of the King James Version as introduction once more to Jesus’ High Priestly Prayer:

As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him.
And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.
Prayer of Jesus Christ from the Gospel of John 17:2-3 KJV

Jesus prays of His Power over all flesh, over creation, over you and me, even power over all authority of this world.

Is Jesus your Lord, a High Priest interceding for your sinful flesh before the HOLY LORD GOD ALMIGHTY?
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To be continued... 
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June 11, 2020
Ashes to Ashes

Genesis 18:27 KJV And Abraham answered and said, Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the Lord, which am but dust and ashes:

Do you know the context of this? (Answer in a moment; but first another quote and some additional background.)

Forasmuch as it hath pleased Almighty God of his great mercy to take unto himself the soul of our dear brother here departed, we therefore commit his body to the ground; earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust; in sure and certain hope of the Resurrection to eternal life, through our Lord Jesus Christ; who shall change our vile body, that it may be like unto his glorious body, according to the mighty working, whereby he is able to subdue all things to himself.

Remember: you are dust and to dust you will return.

Genesis 3:4 But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. 5 For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

17 And to Adam he said,

“Because you have listened to the voice of your wife
and have eaten of the tree
of which I commanded you,
‘You shall not eat of it,’
cursed is the ground because of you…
19 By the sweat of your face
you shall eat bread,
till you return to the ground,
for out of it you were taken;
for you are dust,
and to dust you shall return.”

Numbers 19

9 And a man who is clean shall gather up the ashes of the heifer and deposit them outside the camp in a clean place. And they shall be kept for the water for impurity for the congregation of the people of Israel; it is a sin offering. 10 And the one who gathers the ashes of the heifer shall wash his clothes and be unclean until evening. And this shall be a perpetual statute for the people of Israel, and for the stranger who sojourns among them.

The ashes are a sin offering to the Lord for the altar of worship.

Returning to Abraham in Genesis 18:

Abraham is standing before God pleading for mercy for the people of his nephew Lot’s city. It is a city and a place full of sin on which God will rain down His Almighty wrath and judgment – the city of Sodom.

26 And the Lord said, “If I find at Sodom fifty righteous in the city, I will spare the whole place for their sake.”

27 Abraham answered and said, “Behold, I have undertaken to speak to the Lord, I who am but dust and ashes. 28 Suppose five of the fifty righteous are lacking. Will you destroy the whole city for lack of five?” And he said, “I will not destroy it if I find forty-five there.” 29 Again he spoke to him and said, “Suppose forty are found there.” He answered, “For the sake of forty I will not do it.” 30 Then he said, “Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak. Suppose thirty are found there.” He answered, “I will not do it, if I find thirty there.” 31 He said, “Behold, I have undertaken to speak to the Lord. Suppose twenty are found there.” He answered, “For the sake of twenty I will not destroy it.” 32 Then he said, “Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak again but this once. Suppose ten are found there.” He answered, “For the sake of ten I will not destroy it.” 33 And the Lord went his way, when he had finished speaking to Abraham, and Abraham returned to his place.

It is the office of the Priest to intercede for the sins of the people. Abraham, in this instance, is a Priest before Almighty God.

Christians have a greater Priest and Perfect Sin Offering, Christ Jesus the Very Son of God.

Abraham failed in saving Sodom, because not even ten righteous men could be found; only Lot. Even Lot’s wife (who did not obey the Lord) was lost for her sin. The wrath of God brought quick and unexpected justice against the entire town and valley.

Ashes rained down and purified the sinful.

God had formerly judged the whole earth and purified it by water, saving only Noah and his family. Yet God kept His covenant to never destroy the whole earth again by water. Part of it? Yes. Cities by fire? Yes. By war? Certainly. God confirms in scripture His support of enemies to purify the unfaithful Chosen who by obedience to God’s Law are supposed to live with God’s righteousness.

Time after time and Prophet after Prophet, up until John the Baptist and even the teaching of our Lord, Christ Jesus; the message of God does not change.

Repent. Return to God. Turn from your sin. Return to righteousness.

Repent to dust and ashes and bow down in worship to the Lord, your God.

We have been following Jesus’ early ministry and many miracles in Galilee. (This is not even to mention His Sacrifice of the Cross for your sins and for mine.)

Do you recall what Jesus said of repentance to these towns where He has just preached to the multitudes, yet most would not follow Him by faith?

Here is Jesus’ warning to those who refuse to hear the Gospel from us:

Luke 10

10 But whenever you enter a town and they do not receive you, go into its streets and say, 11 ‘Even the dust of your town that clings to our feet we wipe off against you. Nevertheless know this, that the kingdom of God has come near.’

12 I tell you, it will be more bearable on that day for Sodom than for that town.

Woe to Unrepentant Cities

13 “Woe to you, Chorazin!

Woe to you, Bethsaida!

For if the mighty works done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. 14 But it will be more bearable in the judgment for Tyre and Sidon than for you.

15 And you, Capernaum, will you be exalted to heaven?

You shall be brought down to Hades.

16 “The one who hears you hears me, and the one who rejects you rejects me, and the one who rejects me rejects him who sent me.”

Therefore, dear brother or sister in Christ Jesus, know that as you call on the world around you to repent to dust and ashes and they will not listen; neither did they hear our Lord. For they hung Him in disgrace on a Cross, for all to see His Sacrifice for the sins of the world.

The Blood of Christ, sacrificed in Jerusalem, cries out from the Altar of all Righteousness for the wrath of God to rain down, even as His mercy has been sacrificed for us.

It is Ash Wednesday – a time for repentance, in these last days.

It is a time of urgency for us to proclaim the love of our Lord and Savior Christ Jesus, who gave Himself that we might have eternal life.

February 26, 2020
Because the days are evil – 4 – The Devil made me do it.
and do not give the devil an opportunity.
Ephesians 4:27

The Lie of the Devil

There’s an iconic TV character who we know for a common excuse for sin, “the devil made me do it.” We laughed because we have heard it (or something like it) from our friends and loved ones so many times. Inside some of us cringed because we have said it ourselves knowing the truth of our own desires.

Two lies of the devil are that God doesn’t exist and neither does Satan.

This, of course, is why he is called the great deceiver of mankind and most who deny God believe the devil to be a myth.

What deceit?

διάβολος – diabolos

Diabolos, in fact, actually refers to any man or spirit of deceit prone to slander or accusing falsely. Metaphorically, applied to a man who, by opposing the cause of God, may be said to act the part of the devil or to side with him.

“The devil made me do it,” your conscience rationalizes, full-well knowing good and evil yourself and willingly justifying this sin falsely.

Yet in our hearts you and I always know our deceivability toward this easy lie. We wanted to do this sin, to commit this trespass, even convincing our selfish rebellious will that God has forgiven every one of our sins already (for some reason).

Not so; just another lie. For the Lord calls believers to permanent change.

Who will side with sin?

The devil will tempt you before this small opportunity for revelry against God claiming ‘all sins are not equal.’

Did God really say this, the devil will ask, slandering the Lord God?

You can get away with this because you have accepted Christ, slanders the very enemy of Christ.

We don’t have to read the Bible, the deceiver whispers to your heart. Did God really say that, anyway?

THE PARABLE OF THE SOWER EXPLAINED

Jesus tells this parable to a large crowd then explains it to the Apostles and also to those who study scripture.

“A sower went out to sow his seed. As he sowed, some seed fell along the path; it was trampled on, and the birds of the sky devoured it…
Luke 8:5 CSB

The Tempter clouds justice and the dark reality of God’s punishment of sin.

“The seed along the path are those who have heard and then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved. – Luke 8:12

You do not believe scripture and you fail to take God’s word to heart.

Although Jesus points to the devil here in the parable, further examination of our tendency toward loving sin prompts other evil actions of ours. Here is a SAVED ‘christian’ (‘once saved, always saved’).

“And the seed on the rock are those who, when they hear, receive the word with joy. Having no root, these believe for a while and fall away in a time of testing. Luke 8:13

You showed great enthusiasm for Jesus. Though you claim to worship at a house built on a rock, your faith is that of seed on a rock. You cannot take root as the heat of the world withers your faith. And little have you realized it was the devil who tempted you to believe, ‘now I am safe to sin.’

Other subtle slandering by the devil

“As for the seed that fell among thorns, these are the ones who, when they have heard, go on their way and are choked with worries, riches, and pleasures of life, and produce no mature fruit. – Luke 8:14

I went to church, check. Listened to the uplifting praise band, check. Texted a friend about something important (or maybe it wasn’t). Okay, probably shouldn’t have done that. Got in my listening to scripture in church this week, check. Gotta go! Rushed out to do some Sunday shopping and see the game. Busy week at work ahead, must work on a few things to get ready.

Pleasures of life: have you seen their ads? Sexxy, enticing, everybody wants to be part of this. (No worries there.) Lies of the devil, the one who you can claim later ‘made you do it?’

No wonder pastors struggle to shepherd church-goers lacking in mature fruit of the Gospel. They don’t read scripture and easily deceived. Yet Jesus encourages those who resist the devil and our own urges, those truly saved who yield the mature fruit of faith in the Cross, resurrection and eternal life with God. (Yes, it’s another lie of the devil that ALL get to heaven.)

“But the seed in the good ground — these are the ones who, having heard the word with an honest and good heart, hold on to it and by enduring, produce fruit.
Luke 8:15 CSB

The days are evil, but the devil didn’t MAKE you do it.

October — Halloween — New Year’s, Mardi Gras, summer solstice, Oktoberfest — when does it all end?

At judgement, where will you stand? What is your fruit in witness against the great deceiver and slanderer who continually fights against Almighty God, our Lord Christ Jesus and the Holy Spirit?

The First Letter of John

The Apostle John writes a letter to believers encouraging them:

Beloved, now we are children of God…

Little children, make sure no one deceives you; the one who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous; the one who practices sin is of the devil; for the devil has sinned from the beginning.

The Son of God appeared for this purpose, to destroy the works of the devil. No one who is born of God practices sin, because His seed abides in him; and he cannot sin, because he is born of God. – excerpt from 1 John 3, NASB

By this the children of God and the children of the devil are obvious: anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor the one who does not love his brother.
1 John 3:10

He didn’t ‘make‘ you do it, but is the devil deceiving you, dear friend?

What is your fruit of righteousness?
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Because the Days are Evil
To be continued...
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October 15, 2019