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Tag: repentance

JOHN 2020 Good News for A.D. 2020
Intro to the Gospel of John

IN THE BEGINNING: λόγος logos

Intro to talk of Jesus .com

in A. D. 2020

talk of Jesus .com shared the Gospel of John
in the context of A.D. 90, with application to A.D. 2020,
rather than chronologically, culturally or by chapter & verse..
..while during recent months:
- some sought to stream the stage of worship
- some sent seeker-friendly scripture into our homes
- some church communities disintegrated while others diminished & distanced (like our 2020 remote office meetings complete with slides).
To review the Gospel of John, simply click on any link in the outline below & it will open in a new window.
Roger – author of A.D. 2020 series on the Gospel of John

I hope you were blessed by the secure links to reliable sites for further study of Scripture, as well as insight into the 1st century church of John’s Gospel (written ~A.D.- 90).

Scripture encourages us to a more mature faith.

John’s Prologue – Good News!

IN THE BEGINNING was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God.

ALL THINGS came into being through Him, and apart from Him not even one thing came into being that has come into being. In Him was life, and the life was the Light of

MANKIND.

And the Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not grasp it.

14 And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us; and we saw His glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

No one has seen God at any time; the only begotten God [Son] who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him.
John 1:18 NASB

The Book of the Prologue

John’s Prologue [1:1-18], from which the Apostle next proceeds to the testimony of John the Baptist and the Messiah’s calling of the Twelve, states many important theological themes & along with his Epilogue [21:1-25 {linked below}] provides additional depth of purpose of John’s Gospel.

John’s Prologue & Epilogue

“Follow Me

In A.D. 2020, this is where we began our deep dive into the Good News of John.

Signs – Jesus IS the Messiah

Unless the Father draws you – Signs

Do you believe in the Son of Man?

Life in the Holy Spirit

John 3: “Rabbi, we know that You have come from God as a teacher; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him.” …

Teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ
- ‘My Father’s House – John 2
- “You must be born again.
- I am the Messiah – John 4
- Before Abraham was, I AM
- John 11
- “..and he who hates his life in this world will keep it to life eternal.
- also love one another-John 13
- Jesus prays – John 17
- Jesus answered him – John 19:11
Jesus said:
Gospel of John

“Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! – John 1:29b

As Jesus passed by, He saw a man who had been blind from birth. – John 9:1

Are you greater than our father Abraham who died? And the prophets died. Who do you claim to be?” – John 8:53

“But you do not believe because you are not of My sheep. My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand. – John 10:26-28

Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise from the dead.” .. “I am the resurrection and the life; the one who believes in Me will live, even if he dies, and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?” – John 11:23,25

talk of Jesus .com

About the Author John -2- Sons of Zebedee

The Gatekeeper & the Shepherds – the Door

Before Abraham was, I AM

If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly

Even in the unexpected crisis of these last days what does man fear most?
from Lazarus – HELP from the grave

Death!

It is finished.. + Death’s witnesses

Witnesses to Jesus Risen! – the Eleven, a Passing Witness
The Hour Is Come

“Indeed, an hour is coming, and has come, when each of you will be scattered to his own home..

.. You will have suffering in this world. Be courageous! I have conquered the world.”

John 16:32-34 excerpt CSB
“Take heart,” the Lord Jesus encourages disciples, I have overcome the world.”
And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book:
John 20:20 KJV

Unrelenting Bad NEWS of A.D. 2020

What must I do with the GOOD NEWS

of Jesus Christ?

Good News for A.D. 2020 – A.D. ∞

Hear all the unrelenting bad news of yesterday or today.

For followers of Jesus, His death diminished life’s hope in eternal life; that is until the Gospel of the Lord’s resurrection reached the eyes and ears and touch of His dearly beloved friends.

John and the Disciples witnessed the Lord Jesus in His Risen Flesh many times after His resurrection.

“Peace be with you.”

And when He had said this, He showed them both His hands and His side. The disciples then rejoiced when they saw the Lord.
John 20:20

Their sorrow had turned into joy and so must ours; for in Christ Jesus his disciples of every generation have eternal life through His sacrifice for our sins. This is our Gospel, His Good News to those who would believe.

NEWS of A.D. 2021

SEE what follows JOHN 2020 in JOHN 2021.

“Peace to you,” yet also a command of the risen Christ Jesus.

& without Him:

EXPECT MORE BAD NEWS

John’s Epilogue
John 20:30 Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples that are not written in this book.

But these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.
John 20:21 CSB

I pray that the Lord has blessed you through the Gospel of John in A.D. 2020
Roger – Roger@talkofJesus.com

May our Lord Jesus Christ draw you into His grace, giving you new hope of Eternal Life in the YEAR OF OUR LORD 2021, in the Name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, AMEN.
December 30, 2020
WE do not presume
God’s Righteous Judgment

Romans 2:

.. do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance? 5 But because of your hard and impenitent heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed.

So I ask you: are you repentant? Are you sorry for your sins? Shouldn’t we confess our sins against God? Yet repentance demands both confession and turning back to the way of righteousness.

The LORD is God and we are not! Bow down, o man of dust, to the One Who IS and was and will be forever, the LORD!

WE seem to have forgotten

Listen to the lyrics of our music. Much ado about ‘us,’ or ‘me,’ some about ‘you’ and even a little about God. Not so surprising in our worldly wireless abyss of media, but subtly self-centered in an emotional entertainment of worship music. Paul cautions the church at Rome in the preceding verse:,

3 Do you suppose, O man—you who judge those who practice such things and yet do them yourself—that you will escape the judgment of God?

Who are we to claim Christ with words rarely mentioning Jesus by Name?

While we rail against the outside world, ‘christians’ claim WE are a people favored by God. Was fallen Israel so different after Solomon? A fallen nation abandons God’s favor for freedoms of over-expression. We accuse each other of forgetting our roots, never once claiming that we have forgotten the Lord.

Prayer of Humble Access

We do not presume to come to this thy Table, O merciful Lord, trusting in our own righteousness, but in thy manifold and great mercies. …

What presumption that the Lord God should accept our everyday sin without just punishment or consequence. Most certainly this age-old problem of sin confronts every created being of every generation.

13 For it is not the hearers of the law who are righteous before God, but the doers of the law who will be justified.

Regardless of your church traditions of worship and the law, the Lord must judge rightly. Listen to law or ordinance with indifference or never consider it, yet the Lord must judge sinners.

Lord have mercy upon us, and incline our hearts to keep this Law.

God judges the secrets of men by Christ Jesus. – Romans 2:16b ESV

Presumption

Look to today’s news (or news of any era); presumptuous leaders rise to prominence, replacing our presumptions of yesterday. I speak not only of a president, leader or another country or political party, but of all ambitious men and women.

Can any stand before the Throne of the Almighty with a claim of innocence? The time of their judgment will soon enough be at hand, as it has been in every generation.

Ecclesiastes 1(ESV)

All Is Vanity
1 The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem.

We hear accusations and counter-claims from the rich and powerful. Yet even Solomon recognized the inevitable fall of a mighty kingdom given to his leadership. Solomon advised:

Let not your mouth lead you into sin, and do not say before the messenger that it was a mistake…
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[to the messenger of the media, if you prefer]
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For when dreams increase and words grow many, there is vanity; but God is the one you must fear. – Ecclesiastes 5:6a,7

WE presume much in the contention of carefully-crafted words and excesses of mistaken condemnations. Agendas of man will fail without the purpose of the Lord.

The antonyms of presumption are knowledge, truth and humility.

God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance.

psalm 5:

Lead me, O LORD, in your righteousness
because of my enemies;
make your way straight before me.

For there is no truth in their mouth;
their inmost self is destruction;
their throat is an open grave;
they flatter with their tongue.

Make them bear their guilt, O God;
let them fall by their own counsels;
because of the abundance of their transgressions cast them out,
for they have rebelled against you.

Truth

Who can we believe?

Only God; only the humble. (May the Lord make us humble before Him.)

John 1:

14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

17 For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. – John 14:6

And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted. Matthew 23:12 KJV

Confession of the humble before God

Prior to communion with our Lord and Savior, Christ Jesus; prior to our confession: “We do not presume…” Our hearts ought to have come to a more complete acknowledgement of our sin.

Almighty God, Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, maker of all things, judge of all men; We acknowledge and bewail our manifold sins and wickedness..

Have mercy upon us, have mercy upon us, most merciful Father; for thy Son our Lord Jesus Christ’s sake…

The simplicity of Christ’s Sacrifice for us: humility on a cross does not presume forgiveness, but the love of God for repentant sinners.

Father, forgive us, for we do not know the Sacrifice of Your love.
January 21, 2018
Beyond Nineveh

Taking the long view – Beyond Nineveh and Nazareth

“Do you think that I like to see wicked people die? says the Sovereign LORD. Of course not! I want them to turn from their wicked ways and live. Ezekiel 18:23 NLT

You may remember the story of the Prophet Jonah, a ‘follower’ of God who turned a different direction when the LORD sent him to save foreigners. A later Prophet from Nazareth would refer to Jonah, by comparison:

“The men of Nineveh will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and behold, something greater than Jonah is here. – Matthew 12:41 & Luke 11:32

What do we know beyond this reference of Jesus of Nazareth about Jonah?

Jonah of Gath-hepher, a town of Lower Galilee, about 5 miles from Nazareth

We do know this: religious leaders remain unrepentant because of their own sins, just like Jonah booking a ship away from the city where the LORD wanted him to preach.

Wickedness and unrepentance remain as issues today. Jonah spoke it of the Ninevites and Jesus spoke to it in all of us. We, too are not sent to the righteous, but to sinners. Like Jonah and like Jesus we do not preach or prophesy only to the chosen, but to the nations.

Assyria at the time of Jonah

Nineveh

Jonah 3:

Now Nineveh was an exceedingly great city, three days’ journey in breadth. 4 Jonah began to go into the city, going a day’s journey. And he called out, “Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!” 5 And the people of Nineveh believed God.

760-750 B.C. Hosea & Jonah Prophets in Israel

These were tumultuous times in the 8th c. B.C. A mere 200 years after Israel had separated from Judah, by the end of Jonah’s century Israel would disappear from the map. Assyria was expanding from east of the Tigris and Euphrates beyond the borders of Judah, even further than the Nile. Prior to it’s own fall in about 625 B.C., Nineveh, Assyria’s capital was known as ‘the mistress of the East; but for her great luxury and wickedness, the prophet Jonah was sent, more than eight hundred years before Christ, to warn the Ninevites of her speedy destruction.’ source

It was the largest city in the world for some fifty years [thus, the 3-day journey to travel through Nineveh] until the year 612 BC when, after a bitter period of civil war in Assyria, it was sacked by a coalition of its former subject peoples, the Babylonians, Medes, Chaldeans, Persians, Scythians and Cimmerians. Its ruins are across the river from the modern-day major city of Mosul, in the Ninawa Governorate of Iraq. source

Jonah and Israel certainly believed that the Lord had no desire to save sinners in a far away city in a land of unbelievers.

The compassion of the Lord reaches well beyond borders, His power beyond the horizon and beneath the depths of the sea.

Yet time would tell a story of Israel destroyed, Jerusalem destroyed. The centuries from the falls of nations reveals the unseen power of the Lord to turn sinners to repentance and save the helpless from the powers of evils and the perils of sin and death.

To be continued…

March 30, 2017