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Tag: Jesus

  • SHAKEN 4 – His voice shook the earth

    SHAKEN 4 – His voice shook the earth

    Hebrews 12:

    Looking only at Jesus, the Leader and perfecter of the faith..

    The writer of the letter to the Hebrews encourages the saints of the church to look to Jesus Christ, the originator of all things and only Shepherd perfecting the faith of sons chosen by the Lord God.

    In SHAKEN 3 a great cloud of witnesses over our head we shared this call to perseverance: Let us run with endurance the race that lies before us, keeping our eyes on Jesus.

    FAITH: Swear it upon your biggest BIBLE, mention GOD four times only and Christ Jesus not at all — faith in US?

    Does this ‘ONE NATION UNDER GOD’ claim faith without fear of the LORD?

    (But I digress..) Returning to the Bible:
    Exhortation from Hebrews 12:1-2 - SHAKEN! from a troubled 2020 election to troubled times: Joe Biden Presidential Oath of Office sworn on Douay-Rheims Bible (1899) of his Roman Catholic faith

    Do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord

    Nor faint when you are punished by Him – Hebrews 12:5b

    Speaking of those who would follow Jesus Christ as Lord:

    8 But if you are without discipline, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate children and not sons.

    IN GOD WE Trusted

    In the days of Moses, David and some some other leaders, a chosen and blessed Hebrew nation had trusted God. Yet at times they became divided to trust each in his own ways.

    Some like Zerubbabel responded to the voice of God through Prophets like Haggai and repented (as we pointed out previously). Faithful saints suffered once more in a fading Empire of Rome, which persecuted both Jews and Christians.

    The writer to first century Hebrews asks the church to remain faithful to God in Christ Jesus.

    $20 bill

    Is the U.S. ‘one nation under God?’

    Or are claims of both divisions of this troubled PEOPLE no different from failing faith of a divided Israel and Judah?

    Hear more from the letter to the Hebrews.

    Warnings against Rejecting God’s Grace

    12 Therefore, strengthen your tired hands and weakened knees, and make straight paths for your feet…

    14 Strive for peace with all… that no “root of bitterness” spring up and cause trouble, and by it the many become defiled; 16 that no one be immoral or irreligious like Esau…

    How are WE doing with this: our leadership United ‘under GOD?’

    Contrast of Sinai and Zion

    18 For you have not come to what may be touched, a blazing fire, and darkness, and gloom, and a tempest..

    For they heard an awesome trumpet blast and a voice so terrible that they begged God to stop speaking.

    Hebrews 12:19 NLT

    21 (.. And so terrifying was the sight that Moses said, “I am exceedingly afraid and trembling.”)

    The Unshaken Nation

    25 See that you do not refuse Him who speaks.

    For if they did not escape who refused Him who spoke on earth, much more shall we not escape if we turn away from Him who speaks from heaven, 26 whose voice then shook the earth;

    but now He has promised, saying, “Yet once more I shake not only the earth, but also heaven.”

    .. the removal of what can be shaken—that is, created things—

    Is your soul shaken by this?

    Do you hear the Voice of the LORD?

    28 Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken,

    Christian fish drawing gif
    and His voice shook the earth.. Hebrews verse and picture of earth from space

    let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear:
    For our God is a consuming fire.

    Hebrews 12:28b-29 KJV

    Pray that this ‘one nation’ under God may repent and unite with He Who Was and Is and Will be forever unshaken.

    Roger @ talk of Jesus .com

    Amen.

  • SHAKEN 3 a great cloud of witnesses over our head

    SHAKEN 3 a great cloud of witnesses over our head

    TODAY we move forward in time from about 520 B.C. to around A.D. 100 and ‘a great cloud of witnesses’ from the New Testament book of Hebrews. This cloud of witnesses, however, goes back to the Old Covenant and continues until this day.

    Previously in SHAKEN 2 “Think carefully about your ways we found political and religious leadership along with all the people once again turning back to the Lord their God who now proclaims HE IS with them.

    “Speak to Zerubbabel governor of Judah, saying, ‘I am going to shake the heavens and the earth.

    Haggai 2:21 NASB

    Epistle of St Paul [*] to the Hebrews

    * NOTE: Some commentators question if this epistle or letter to the Hebrews, who’s author is unidentified in its text, was written by Paul or possibly by other A.D. 1st century apostles.

    Some excerpts from D-R Bible {pictured with Joseph Biden, a professing Roman Catholic, being sworn in as 46th President of the United States}

Most translations from NASB translation or versions as noted.

    God spoke of old by the prophets, but now by his Son, who is incomparably greater than the angels.

    The Prophets provided not only a cloud of witnesses to Israel but spoke the very admonitions of the LORD God to a disobedient and unfaithful people.

    [1] God, who, at sundry times and in divers manners, spoke in times past to the fathers by the prophets, last of all,

    [2] In these days hath spoken to us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the world.

    A List of Fathers of our founding

    • He again sets a certain day, “Today,” saying through David after so long a time just as has been said before,

    “Today if you hear His voice,
    Do not harden your hearts.”

    Hebrews 4:7b CSB
    • 8 For if Joshua had given them rest, He would not have spoken of another day after that.
    • Melchizedek and Abraham – Heb. 7
    • Aaron & Moses – Heb. 7:11,14
    • And the Holy Spirit also testifies to us.. Heb. 10:15

    Now where there is forgiveness of these things, an offering for sin is no longer required.

    Hebrews 10:18

    Jesus Christ OR Judgment?

    Application to a 21st century world.

    So you want justice, do you?

    Is this justice you demand finally for ones you judge (opponents to your own world view)?

    Or do you seek judgment on your own sins, transgressions and trespasses (for which you ask forgiveness)?

    The Apostles wrote to a 1st century church persecuted for their faith in Jesus Christ.

    It was not faith in their failing leaders of government

    OR was it faith in a zealous vision of their pastor.

    Nor was it faith that their country would come under the LAW of God, their state under a mandate of morality and their community forced into the fellowship of love.

    The CHURCH believed GOD in Christ Jesus and it was counted to them as righteousness.

    These faithful saints suffered for their hope in the Lord and persevered by grace suffering for a higher community in a heavenly kingdom.

    Roger@TalkofJesus.com – on the 1st century saints of the Church

    Hebrews 10:

    Christ’s Sacrifice Once for All

    11 And every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins.

    26 For if we sin deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, 27 but a fearful prospect of judgment, and a fury of fire which will consume the adversaries.

    For we know Him who said,

    “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay.” And again, “The Lord will judge His people.”

    It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

    Hebrews 10:30-31 CSB

    the cloud of Witnesses [Hebrews 11]

    "so great a cloud of witnesses -Exhortation from Hebrews 12:1-2 - SHAKEN! from a troubled 2020 election to troubled times: Joe Biden Presidential Oath of Office sworn on Douay-Rheims Bible (1899) of his Roman Catholic faith
    From the Douay-Rheims Bible [background of Biden Presidential oath pictured above]
    What faith is. Its wonderful fruits and efficacy demonstrated in the fathers.

    [1] Now faith is the substance of things to be hoped for, the evidence of things that appear not. [2] For by this the ancients obtained a testimony. [3] By faith we understand that the world was framed by the word of God…

    Hebrews 11 continues, mentioning these witnesses of faith in the Lord God:

    • Abel
    • Enoch
    • Noah
    • Abraham
    • Sarah 
    • Isaac
    • Jacob [Israel]
    • Joseph
    • Moses
    • Rahab
    • Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets..

    Hebrews 12 – surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses

    Exhortation to constancy under their crosses. The danger of abusing the graces of the New Testament.

    Hebrews 12 summary from the Douay-Rheims Bible

    Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith..

    Hebrews 12:1-2a RSVCE
    To be continued...
NEXT: SHAKEN 4 ! His voice shook the earth

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    Comment on Scripture – Share the Gospel

  • Loneliness in the Solitary Confinement || Distanced from Friends

    Loneliness in the Solitary Confinement || Distanced from Friends

    Security

    Story of a man awakened

    I’d like to continue from what I told you last time. You need to know what happened after a rude awakening from my dream of when my wife and I were in Eden walking with God as if HE Who Created All was my friend!

    You know of course that I awoke to this day and not a time before Abraham and you may have heard or read my story, but I wanted to tell you how I felt at the time.

    A Knock at the Door

    We lay intertwined embraced in warmth flowing from fingertips to toe. Our paradise shattered as I awoke to a loud knock on the door…

    “David! . . . Lend me three loaves!”

    Who is this at this late hour, I thought? Then as I recognized my neighbor’s outcry at our door,

    “Shaul, is that you?” I inquired.

    “Of course it’s me. Who else would it be at this hour?” my neighbor responded as he continued,

    “A friend of mine has come to me from a journey, and I have nothing to set before him.”

    We had just fallen asleep and I retorted,

    “Do not bother me. As you can plainly see the door has already been shut and we are all in bed.”

    “Come on, David, I have nothing to eat for my friends who have just arrived,” he replied.

    “I cannot get up and give you anything,” I again said even though my wife and I were awake by now.

    Shaul again began shamelessly knocking at our door as my wife looked toward me with that look.

    “Alright, my friend,” I shouted over his knocks as I headed to the door.

    “I will give you your bread.”

    A Parable of Separation

    You know this story.

    Perhaps the characters are purely fictional as in most parables; but like many of Jesus’ parables, He probably retold it in many places to different crowds in various ways.

    • Can you identify with the family behind locked doors in the darkness, separated from friends and seeking peace?
    • Or perhaps you can imagine that you are the friend of Shaul, who has traveled a day’s journey and arrived unexpectedly late.

    Your good friend didn’t even know that you were coming to him in person. And all of you were overjoyed for this personal reunion!

    Friends — no longer separated by distance.

    AND your friend is even willing to go to his friend and neighbor for something to eat while rejoined in communion with each other.

    Picture Paradise when Heaven’s Door | of Separation | is Opened

    I have just illustrated Jesus’ parable with names of appropriate symbolism as the Lord occasionally does. [i.e. Lazarus in the bosom of Abraham]

    שאול
    Shaul

    Shaul means, “borrowed.” http://blb.sc/000vVY

    “Lend me three loaves,” he begs his beloved friend.

    stone wall "city of David" in Hebrew and English

    דָּוִד

    David

    David means, “friend” or “beloved.” http://blb.sc/001ccS

    “This is my beloved and this is my friend,
    O daughters of Jerusalem.” – Song 5:26b NASB

    and behold, a voice out of the heavens said,

    “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased.”

    says the LORD, the God of Israel – Gospel of Matthew 3:17

    The Gospel of Luke 11:

    It happened that while Jesus was praying in a certain place, when He had finished, one of His disciples said to Him, “Lord, teach us to pray…

    We know it as:

    The Lord’s Prayer

    Jesus’ Disciples were already isolated ‘in a certain place.’

    No show here for church friends

    or ritualized rote of memorized obligation.

    Father, hallowed be Your name.

    Your kingdom come.

    Give us each day our daily bread.

    And forgive us our sins…

    Gospel of Luke 11:2b-4a NASB

    Christ’s application in an isolated place

    Jesus, of course, is talking about prayer – petitions of a sinful man to a Father God | separated from man | by holiness.

    Here is a man alone secure in his home praying – spirit to Spirit.

    Perhaps he does dream of Paradise | personal relationship with the Lord God | as it was in the beginning.

    Jesus invites His followers to a place | separated and distanced from others in this world.

    The call to prayer is to the Father of His beloved children.

    a friend at the door | to a Friend inside

    I’ve told you this parable from a perspective of the FRIEND INSIDE.

    The Lord Jesus speaks to each SINNER as a friend knocking | adam knocking repeatedly on the DOOR | of Heaven through prayer.

    Jesus says of the FRIEND inside who I have just described in this parable:

    8 I tell you, even if he will not get up and give him anything just because he is his friend, yet because of his shamelessness he will get up and give him as much as he needs.

    • You and I are Shaul, the borrower of bread.
    • Our Heavenly Father is David | our beloved friend with the bread of Heaven, which He now has given to us after having answered a knock at His door.

    It is His story I have just told!

    Our beloved Heavenly Father and Friend invites you to share the Bread that came down from Heaven – the Bread of Life, Christ Jesus Who IS the Son and | Door to eternal life.

    Jesus answers disciples asking about prayer with a parable of the Father | who once again desires the Personal Face-to-face fellowship of Eden.

    “So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you;

    seek, and you will find;

    knock, and it will be opened to you.

    For everyone who asks receives,

    and the one who seeks finds,

    and to the one who knocks, it will be opened.

    The Good News of Luke 11:9-10 NASB | Jesus on prayer to the Father

    NEXT: A look at Social Distancing of the Church in a 1st century world of violent upheaval.

    To be continued...