He had a word for everyone because He was rescuing men and women from every tribe, tongue and nation. Supposing him to be the gardener, and God to come and walk among the trees of the garden, then I expect he will remove the whole of the garden upward with himself to fairer skies; for he rose, and his people must rise with him. The fish were not counted until the shore had been reached, in order to teach us that the exact number of the elect remains unknown until they have reached the shore of heaven. Supposing him to be the gardener, thenlet us bring forth fruit to him. You can find most of the answers you need in ourFAQ. Prominent Christian leaders and authors refer to the Hound of . [6]it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. He calls this critical realism, and its a via media between rationalism and fideism. [3] I appreciate the teaching of Tony Romano who brought this question to my attention two years ago during a campout when he spoke on this passage. They failed to grasp the significance of Jesus teaching, and their failure cannot be attributed merely to intellectual incapacity. Thomas Schreiner[vii]. Often it is very easy to get caught up in viewpoints about the millennium, and I do not want to detract from the importance of the millennium. Your witnessing will be sharper and much more effective. Behold, the church is Christs Eden, watered by the river of life, and so fertilized that all manner of fruits are brought forth unto God; and he, our second Adam, walks in this spiritual Eden to dress it and to keep it; and so by a type we see that we are right in supposing him to be the gardener.. He initiates a love for us that softens our hearts, and draws us to Himself. Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? They come to church every week and never apply their minds past the elementary truths. [xvi] Sproul, Everyones a Theologian, Pg. Can you imagine if we looked around the world today and every other nation except one the size of Rhode Island worshiped wooden blocks and golden statues? It was included in the Oxford Book of English Mystical Verse (1917). They were on the water of the sea. Paul says God gave them up or turned them over to their own desire multiple times in this passage. The notes seem extensive, but thats only because Ive included footnotes here for your edification. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit. o Read Good Christian Authors: Many of us spend our time reading all fiction, or all one field or another. [25] For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. Charles Spurgeon. But He goes on: [20] I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, [21] that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. What an amazing display of forbearance. We must therefore look to the power of the Man in the garden, and realize that we can trust that He is who He says He is. They remind us that when Jesus changes someones head and heart, those changes lead to changes in our actions which affect the society in which we live. You really get the feeling from chapter 17 that there is a plan that is unfolding hour by hour here, that the Father and the Son who is filled with the Spirit are working in complete coordination on the unfolding of their glory in a way that will seem terrible and confusing to any bystander unacquainted with Jesus teaching. The hallmark of this text is a warning to believers not to live their lives as introverted and covetous people. The solid food they need is a development of the themes of repentance and faith, resurrection from the dead and eternal judgment, in the light of the authors exposition of the high priesthood of Christ.. 314. Secondly, if one examines the verse closely, it is plain that John isnt saying that God loves the entire world unto salvation. Vain to us were the mere ordinancesvain as bottles scorched by the simoom and drained of their waters. One day He will return to consummate His kingdom (the not yet) and upon that return will usher in the visible reality of his reign (the already). For those of us who are children of God, saved from the wrath of the Father because of the work of Christ on the cross, we must not miss the importance of this text. [14] This was now the third time that Jesus was revealed to the disciples after he was raised from the dead. (Romans 9:17-18, ESV), Note: When Scripture talks of Gods hardening our hearts it cannot mean God is creating evil that isnt already there. So certainly the gospel has transformed our world. This is where we find Peter, and this is where we find ourselves apart from the grace of Christ. (John 3:36 ESV). God loves the world despite the fact that the world is evil. [5] Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, (Philippians 2:4-5 ESV), Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. [40] For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. (1 John 4:19, ESV), You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you. Its hard to read 1 John and really put your finger on how that will happen but we can look to how it happens in inches during our lifetimes here on earth and thats exactly the purpose of what Paul was writing in 2 Corinthians, and why Christ came to raise Lazarus from the grave in John 11. Into those years was crowded a world of experience which enabled him in his subsequent ministry to probe the secrets of many hearts. I hope you find the notes enjoyable! Thomas is called Didymus in the Greek, which means twin Thomas is Hebrew for twin as wellthough no one really knows who his twin was. (quoting Ladd)[vi], He goes on to say, The Kingdom of God involves two great moments: fulfillment within history, and consummation at the end of history.[vii]. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life. He says, In Pliny the Elders Historia Naturalis he lists all the known fish species at the time. So John gets to the tomb but theres no Jesus, and he doesnt enter into the gravesite but observes the scene from outside the door. Richard Burton reads the haunting poem . 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. In the second parable, the woman who has lost a valuable coin searches everywhere in order to find that which was so valuable. 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. Now Jesus, the great Shepherd of His flock, begins his interactions with Peter by asking him if he loves him more than these. In this context Jesus likely means these as the disciples. Praise God for his love and grace and the gospel which reminds us everyday that He has saved us for Himself, by Himself, and from Himself. Indeed, the author reminds them of some of the essential elements of the foundation by immediately listing them. As we continue on, remember the power He displayed here, and marvel at His obedience. O'Conor remarks of the Christian themes of the poem that, "The name is strange. [9] And being made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him, [10] being designated by God a high priest after the order of Melchizedek. Jesus was all to him. From the law, wisdom literature, the prophets, our Lord Himself, as well as the Apostle Paul, there has been a call to deepen our knowledge of the Almighty, His ways and His Son, and to lean on His Spirits power in order to shine that light[ii] of knowledge to all nations[iii] as well as with our own families and friends. Is that not fantastic?! That is why we say: Come Lord Jesus! Realize that God is calling you not to a life of intellectual boredom, but to a renewed mind and transformed heart a mind which sees terrors as joys and trials as blessings. The Father has a sovereign plan, and the Son knows that all things are in the hand of the Father this is illustrated all the more in verse 9. And admonishing two of His disciples after the fact, Jesus even said: And he said to them, O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! The history of Israel was one of disobedience, exile, and salvation. Therefore, let me give you four things to take away from this passage: No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. Not following Jesus obviously did not occur to him as an option. The shepherd of Israel was always seen as the Lord. Where you have brought forth a single cluster, bring, forth a hundred! Shall we not much more be subject to the Father of spirits and live? They were so close to the event itself, that what they were witnessing seemed confusing amidst their fears and sorrow. He truly is Lord of all and he exercises that Lordship full now, though it is unseen (as Sproul mentions above). In fact, they just left and went back to their homes leaving Mary at the tomb with her sorrow. Of my own mind, and in the midst of tears. And the coin that is lost well you guessed it, thats the lost sinner God is searching after.[7]. The millennium is not a literal period of only one thousand years that will occur much later; rather it is that period of victorious outreach of the Gospel to the nations: a time that last from Jesus first coming to his last.[iv]. [22] For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. Such is the love the father had for his son. We must teach others the Word of God this is the feeding of the lambs. Christ was ushering in His spiritual kingdom in a way that no man could deny. 1:1-3). Certainly they do deserve consideration! They dont want to hear that their lives are headed for eternal hell. If they walked in his statutes, the kingdom was to endure from generation to generation, without end, "as the days of heaven on earth." 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). Certainly the most glaring example of suffering and death being used for Gods pleasure is the example of Jesus Christs own passion and death. I have felt the sting of public reproach, the rejection of so-called friends, and the despair that can set in when ones life is taken stock of and the future may seem bleak. Sproul says, It was a blessing that Jesus died, because His death was necessary for the salvation, not only of Jews, but of the elect of the whole world.. When He would have me pray, I would not pray, and when He would have me listen to the sound of the ministry, I would not. Everything must play the servant to Christ. Finally, in the parable of the prodigal son, we see the longsuffering father, effusive with joy and love upon the return and restoration of his long lost son. As I was thinking on this passage this week, one of the great passages about love reminded me of Christs character here. Praise God He has not passed us over, but has shed His grace and mercy upon us, the underserving, the helpless, the hopeless in order that we may be given a hope that will never fail. His charge is a moral charge you treasure not them up in your hearts, consciences, and memories, but let them slip out, and forget them says Owen. It is to provide further revelation of His character and being as the true Son of God. However, not all theologians and pastors had to wait until the bloody events of the 20th century to object to Postmillennialisms optimistic theology. Collection administered by Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. John perhaps encapsulates this best early in chapter 13 when he states: Now before the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart out of this world to the Father, having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end. So you are now alive to the things of Christ and you rejoice in the kingdom into which He has brought you., Pastor Warren Wiersbe puts it this way, It is not intellectual problems that keep people from trusting Christ; it is the moral and spiritual blindness that keeps them loving the darkness and hating the light., C.H. The poem became famous and was the source of much of Thompson's posthumous reputation. It isnt that Marthas faith is wrong, it is simply not matured, it simply hasnt grown into a full-orbed understanding of the character and nature and power of who God in Christ is, and what He is capable of doing. 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. He abides their foolishness and lack of understanding. The meaning is understood. 177. [6] And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost. [7] Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance. [2]It was Mary who anointed the Lord with ointment and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was ill. He isnt trying to just get himself out of a spot with the intention of going right back to the life he led before. [30] Being therefore a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that he would set one of his descendants on his throne, [31] he foresaw and spoke about the resurrection of the Christ, that he was not abandoned to Hades, nor did his flesh see corruption. It would have taken an amazing effort to have accomplished this this was a coordinated effort. Jesus tells us explicitly that in order to be born again, one must be born of Water and the Spirit not of any human work (lest any man should boast). 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. There are several key points that we see here. The power is invisible to you but for a flash of light and then the power surges through all your electronic gear until your stuff is completely fried by the magnitude of that power. Or do we hesitate? Autobiography, Vol. [xvii] J.C. Ryle, Expository Thoughts on the Gospels, Luke 21:10-19. In our own lives this means that we need to emulate Christ. Listen to what God says to Isaiah about the hearts of men: Our deeds are evil, and we love our sinful ways. Take note of 1 Cor. You were dead. But as Caiaphas gets their attention, he continues on with an idea that is devious and characteristic of his political acumen (he lasted 18 years as high priest which was quite a feet during that time was deposed at the same time as Pontius Pilate in AD 36). Don't forget to subscribe to our newsletter to receive the latest product updates and exclusive discounts! These comments foreshadow a truth that is so brilliant and so wonderful that we could linger all day upon their glories. This is what transforms us by constant practice., Matthew Henry rightly states, The word of God is food and nourishment to the life of grace: As new born babes desire the sincere milk of the word that you may grow thereby.. After looking into this a bit more I found that Spurgeon wasnt the first person to come up with this analogy! Sproul describes this unique part of Post-millennialism: What distinguishes postmillennialists from amillennialists and premillennialists is the belief that Scripture teaches the success of the Great Commission in the age of the church. 2:15-16a), [xi] I like what Tony Reinke says on reading through the Bible in a year, Reading the Bible from cover to cover in 2013 is a noble goal. All He did was serve He came to serve Mark 10:45)! Remember who Peter is nowthis is the man who became the boldest proclaimer of the gospel of Jesus Christ in the early church. I year or so ago I had the opportunity to teach through John 11 in my sunday school, and recently this past Monday I was able to revisit this chapter and spend two hours going through each verse with a ladys Bible study group at my parents home church. It is at this moment that the story begins to turn from confusion and bewilderment to joy and restoration. And He does this by stating I am he. This phrase is ego eimiand it is undoubtedly the open declaration of Jesus as Jehovah. They were never intended to do it. The response of Jesus comes to us packaged in the shortest sentence in Scripture. What the text teaches is that everyone who believes in Christ will be saved.. The Jews, however, still regarded him as high priest. I stand in the presence of God, and I was sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news. 28). Certainly Vos is certainly correct: This is a moment upon which earths history hinged, and it is a vital moment for those of faith as well. [41] 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. We must fill our minds with His word. These realities are expressed in Peter and in the lives of millions of lost people around the world. In addition to the notes, there was a sermon that proved very helpful by C.H.
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