Where is all the extra biblical evidence for Jesus?
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Una pelea con Jesús Juan 8: 48-59 de mayo de 22 de, el año 2016 Primera Saint Johns
[for the audio of this click on the above icon]
Hacemos nuestro comienzo en el Nombre de Dios el Padre y en el nombre de Dios el Hijo y en el nombre de Dios el Espíritu Santo y todos los que conocen y son creaciones de, salvado por, sostenido por e inspirado por el todopoderoso eterno Dios-cabeza dijo, … AMEN !!
“¿No estamos razón al decir que eres un samaritano y que tienes un demonio?” Al menos para los chicos, hubo cosas que se podría decir en el patio, o donde sea, para el caso, que si estás buscando para comenzar una pelea que diría esto. Directo al grano, estos son palabras de lucha en Israel del primer siglo. Mismo tipo de principio en el patio, o en un vestuario o en un bar. Un poco en la misma línea con alguien que dice algo acerca de su novia / esposa, madre. Las personas que se enfrentaban a Jesús en este punto estaban buscando una pelea. Tenían a gente en su tiempo, como ahora, que no tenía nada mejor que hacer a continuación, salir y buscar peleas, y muchas de las personas que se enfrentaron a Jesús eran simplemente ese tipo de personas. Sólo estaban buscando una pelea y que vieron a Jesús entonces, de la misma manera que muchas personas lo ven hoy en día, una especie de bollo de crema, un rabino lo tanto, debe ser un Poindexter / intelectual, porque los agresores como objetivos blandos agradables y eso es lo que estas personas eran, matones y eso es lo que Jesús encontró tantas veces en su encarnación.
Ahora abusadores esperan que sus objetivos para prácticamente sólo la vuelta y correr, este tipo de mentalidad realmente no puede hacer frente a la realidad, no están a punto de entrar en una discusión profunda. Ellos son los que hoy en día que se sientan alrededor y fumar marihuana, beber demasiado alcohol, y sólo quiere diversión barata. Esa es una gran parte del mundo. No tenían idea de lo que estaban hablando, probablemente ni siquiera sabía que era realmente un samaritano, o un demonio para el caso. Pero samaritanos en ese momento eran, en opinión popular, la más despreciable, sucio, inferior, cualquier tipo de peyorativa que podría etiquetarlos con, que era el samaritano de la Judio.
Samaritanos son parte de la Escritura en algunos casos y siempre marcados con una connotación negativa, o se sienten de alguna manera son de bajo grado. Recordemos la mujer en el pozo. Samaritanos realmente no tienen el tipo de animosidad hacia los Judios que los Judios tenían hacia ellos. Por lo que la mujer en el pozo, Juan 4, se sorprendió de que Jesús sería incluso reconocer su existencia, y mucho menos hablar con ella o, horror !!, tocar Su agua con sus manos. Jesús, obviamente, no se sentía ese tipo de animosidad hacia ella, y ella se convirtió en uno de los primeros evangelistas de Jesús.
Estos chicos una pelea con Jesús y sentirse justificado porque, obviamente, Jesús no es uno de ellos, otro signo seguro de los agresores, y que no pueden tolerar a nadie que fuera tan obviamente diferente. Ya, al igual que el mundo de hoy. Habla un buen juego, no saben lo que están hablando, tratando de buscar pelea con el fin de quedar bien con su pequeña banda, pero no tiene la intención de quedar atrapados en cualquier tipo de discusión profunda / intelectual. No pueden funcionar en esa base y simplemente no van a.
Esta es la Trinidad, el día en que, si no está claro todavía, hacemos muy claro quién es Jesús. Jesús es Dios, Dios el Hijo. Él es uno de los tres del infinito, trascendente, inmutable, omnisciente, omnipresente, omnipotente, eterno cabeza de Dios, Padre, Hijo y Espíritu Santo. Todos ellos Dios, todos iguales e individual y todos en la unidad en la Trinidad, un solo Dios. No hay nada más poderoso del universo, entonces nuestro Dios Todopoderoso! Por eso, cuando Jesús está de pie delante de los bufones de la ciudad o cuando estamos leyendo sus palabras 2.000 años más tarde, el Creador de toda la creación nos dice lo que necesitamos saber. Si tratamos a él con condescendencia y sólo un poco de jugar alrededor de sus palabras, estamos jugando con fuego y movemos nosotros lejos de aquel que es todo poderoso, alejándose de relación con él y se mueve hacia el dar al mundo el mismo poder que él, el gran yO SOY, realmente tiene. Cuando confiamos en el poder del mundo ya sea en los negocios, educación, gobierno, entretenimiento, estamos confiando en algo que no sólo nos fallar, pero nos llevará a la destrucción. Usted puede hacer eso, pero es simplemente la vía rápida al infierno. Cuando, si no, el mundo se produce un error, se le dejará amargo, enojado, y perdido, por la conexión con el Dios verdadero.
Tendrá conversaciones con la gente en el sentido de que Jesús nunca dijo que era Dios. Eso no tiene sentido, es una negación completamente falso de lo que Jesús dijo. Para ese tipo de discusiones, este es uno de los pasajes que se puede hacer referencia a.
Los hombres que estaban a la mesa para negociar el Credo de Atanasio tuvieron que lidiar con la misma falsedad que nos ocupamos hoy. La diferencia es que ellos escribieron esto en el año 325 dC, la iglesia cristiana se había hecho más que ser la iglesia oficial del imperio, pero aún había un montón de gente alrededor de los que habían creído en todas las clases de diversos dioses / ídolos y había incluso todo tipo de personas que se llamaban a sí mismos “cristianos” que estaban por todo el mapa como para que Jesús era / es.
Había un montón de ideas excéntricos, incluso para los cristianos. Por ejemplo, no debería haber un gráfico en su boletín, que se encuentra en América, pero todo lo que dice es que Pater / Padre, Filius / Hijo y Spiritus Sanctus Espíritu / Santo, son / est, en el medio, Dios. Son no est, no la otra persona de la cabeza de Dios. Hay algunas personas por ahí hoy en día que tratan de hacer el caso que cada persona de la Trinidad es su propia trinidad individuo, por lo que es en un twelvinty, supongo.
En este punto, el 325 dC, algo que hablaba de en el desayuno Red de Hombres ayer, Constantino había reunificado el Imperio Romano y se hizo del cristianismo la religión oficial del imperio, esto era sobre todos los otros sistemas de creencias de la época y había una mucho. Constantino era un agradable, todo a bordo hombre cristiano? Ehh probablemente no, fue, finalmente bautizado, su estilo de vida no era la de la cristiana ejemplar. Muchos dirían que era una, incluso movimiento cínico pragmático de su parte para hacer que el imperio unificado en el cristianismo. Su madre, Helen, era una mujer devota cristiana y muchos afirmaría que lo mantiene en línea. El punto es, que, tal vez, pensando que podría hacer que el imperio más unificado, se encuentra con que hay todo tipo de sabores de los cristianos que son tan polémico entre sí como con otras creencias. Desde Constantino es, efectivamente, la cabeza de la iglesia del imperio, él decide que no quiere que el conflicto y obliga a los verdaderos cristianos de sentarse juntos y negociar los tenents de sus creencias con el fin de unificar los cristianos. Esa clase / sorta trabajaron para sus propósitos, pero lo más importante es que motivaba a los cristianos de ese tiempo para trabajar realmente a cabo lo que significa ser un cristiano era y, más concretamente, sobre la base de la Escritura, articular quién es Jesús, que Él es verdadero Dios junto con el padre y el Espíritu Santo. Se encuentra otro inserto que le da todo el Credo de Atanasio. Usted verá lo mucho que trataron de definir, lo finito tratar de definir el infinito, el único Dios, Padre, Hijo y Espíritu Santo.
La razón por la que tenemos este pasaje para el Domingo de la Trinidad es, de nuevo, que apunta a uno de los muchos pasajes en los que Jesús sí declara ser Dios. Mientras Él no directamente decir “bueno yo soy Dios y ustedes necesitan conseguir con ella”, él no hace mención de que al primer siglo Judios dicen, sin lugar a dudas, “escucho, soy Dios.”
Cualquier buen Judio parte del tiempo sería, sin más precisión, decir que él era un hijo de Abraham. Ok, está bien cristianos dicen que están en la línea espiritual de Abraham también. Jesús, sin embargo, dice seguro de Abraham es grande, pero Abraham fue sólo un hombre. De hecho, “Abraham vuestro padre se gozó de que había de ver mi día. Y lo vio y se alegró. “Ay, espera un minuto Abraham vivió cerca de dos mil años antes de Jesús, ¿cómo podría saber acerca de Abraham Jesús y ¿por qué Jesús se atreven a presumir a afirmar que Abraham se regocijó sobre los tiempos de Jesús? Sólo hay una manera que podría suceder y es que si Jesús hubiera estado allí con Abraham, le dijo a Abraham lo que iba a pasar y sabía que su reacción. El único ser que era capaz de hacer eso era …? ¡Dios! Pero para hacer más especial asegurarse de que los Judios que estaba hablando, sabía exactamente lo que estaba hablando Jesús dijo: “”. En verdad, en verdad os digo: Antes que Abraham fuese, yo soy “el Dr. Paul Arand da una buena explicación : “Pero, ¿qué significa que Dios diga” yO SOY “? A menudo esto se traduce como Señor. Y con razón. Él es el que gobierna, que es el que gobierna sobre todas las cosas. No hay nadie que sea como él. Pero ¿por qué hay otro como él? ¿Y por qué gobernar sobre todas las cosas? … Es porque él es un dios más poderoso que todos los demás? ”
“Aquí es donde tenemos que conectar los puntos de la narrativa. Por qué Dios es Señor? ¿Por qué es el “yo soy”? Porque él es el Creador! Aquí haríamos bien en recordar que en la Escritura, el título “Dios” no es una referencia a una deidad abstracta o un concepto filosófico de ser último ni nada de eso. Siempre tiene sus raíces en una narrativa. … Para decirlo sin rodeos si ha creado todo … eres Dios. “… Así que confesar que Jesús es Dios es confesar que él es el creador de todas las cosas. Y por eso Él gobierna todas las cosas “.
Usted tiene que entender lo que se dice entre Jesús y sus antagonistas en términos de siglo, Israel judío. No en el contexto del siglo 21 Inglés hablando estadounidenses. Las personas que Jesús estaba hablando sabía exactamente lo que estaba diciendo, la pena por blasfemia se lapidación y que es lo que empezaron a hacer, piedra Jesús. Jesús dejó perfectamente claro para ellos que Él estaba diciendo que Él es Dios, sin ninguna duda. Yo vivía antes de Abraham, Abraham sabe quién soy, y yo estoy llamando a mí mismo por el nombre que Dios le dijo a Moisés. ¡Yo soy Dios! Jesús es Dios, la Trinidad es la Trinidad, Padre, Hijo y Espíritu Santo. Creador, sustentador y salvador de toda la creación. En este Domingo de Trinidad volver a esos diarios, mirar a través del Evangelio de Juan, Jesús hace otras referencias como esta. Recuerda esas referencias, porque alguien va a venir a usted y le dirá que Jesús no es realmente Dios, ¿cómo va a responder a esa persona?
La paz de Dios que sobrepasa todo entendimiento, guardará vuestros corazones y vuestros pensamientos en Cristo Jesús. Amin y Shalom
Picking a Fight with Jesus John 8: 48-59 First St Johns
[for the audio version click the above link]
We make our beginning in the Name of God the Father and in the Name of God the Son and in the Name of God the Holy Spirit and all those who know and are creations of, saved by, sustained by and inspired by the all-powerful eternal God-head said, … AMEN!!
“Are we not right in saying that you are a Samaritan and have a demon?” At least for the guys, there were things that you could say on the playground, or wherever for that matter, that if you were looking to pick a fight you would say this. Straight to the point, these are fighting words in first century Israel. Same kind of principle on the playground, or in a locker room or in a bar. Kind of in the same vein with someone saying something about your girlfriend/wife, mother. The people who were confronting Jesus at this point were looking for a fight. They had people in His time, as now, who had nothing better to do then go out and look for fights, and many of the people who confronted Jesus were just those kind of people. They were just looking for a fight and they saw Jesus then, the same way many people see Him today, sort of a cream puff, a Rabbi therefore He must be a Poindexter/intellectual, because bullies like nice soft targets and that’s what these people were, bullies and that is what Jesus encountered so many times in His incarnation.
Now bullies expect their targets to pretty much just turn and run, this kind of mentality really can’t cope with reality, they’re not about to get into a deep discussion. They are the ones who today who sit around and smoke marijuana, drink too much alcohol, and just want cheap amusement. That is a lot of the world. They had no idea what they were talking about, probably didn’t even know who a Samaritan really was, or a demon for that matter. But Samaritans at that time were, in popular opinion, the most contemptible, dirty, inferior, any kind of pejorative you could label them with, that was the Samaritan to the Jew.
Samaritans are part of Scripture in a few instances and always labeled with a negative connotation, or they feel themselves are somehow low-grade. Recall the woman at the well. Samaritans really did not have the kind of animosity towards the Jews that the Jews had toward them. So the woman at the well, John 4, was surprised that Jesus would even acknowledge her existence, let alone talk to her or, horrors!!, touch His water with her hands. Jesus, obviously, didn’t feel that kind of animosity toward her, and she became one of the earliest evangelists for Jesus.
These guys picking a fight with Jesus and they feel justified because obviously Jesus is not one of them, another sure sign of bullies, and they can’t tolerate anyone who would be so obviously different. Ya, much like the world today. Talks a good game, doesn’t know what they’re talking about, just trying to pick fights in order to look good with their little gang, but has no intention of getting caught up in any kind of deep/intellectual discussion. They can’t function at that basis and they’re just not going to.
This is Trinity Sunday, the day when, if it’s not clear yet, we make exceedingly clear just who Jesus is. Jesus is God, God the Son. He is one of three of the infinite, transcendent, immutable, omniscient, omnipresent, omnipotent, eternal God head, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. All of them God, all equal and individual and all in unity in the Godhead, one God. There is nothing more powerful in the universe, then our almighty God! So when Jesus is standing in front of the town buffoons or when we are reading His words 2,000 years later, the Creator of all creation is telling us what we need to know. If we treat Him patronizingly and just kind of play around His words, we are playing with fire and moving ourselves away from Him who is all powerful, moving away from relationship with Him and moving toward giving the world the same power that He, the Great I AM, really has. When we trust the world’s power be it in business, education, government, entertainment, we are trusting in something that will not only fail us, but will lead us to destruction. You can do that, but it’s simply the fast track to Hell. When, not if, the world fails you, it will leave you bitter, angry, and lost, out of connection with the real God.
You will have discussions with people to the effect that Jesus never said that He was God. That is nonsense, it is a completely disingenuous denial of what Jesus said. For those kinds of discussions, this is one of the passages that you can refer to.
The men who sat down to hammer out the Athanasian Creed had to contend with the same disingenuousness that we deal with today. The difference is that they wrote this in 325 AD, the Christian church had only just become the official church of the empire, but there were still plenty of people around who believed in all sorts of different gods/idols and there were even all sorts of people who called themselves “Christians” who were all over the map as to who Jesus was/is.
There were a lot of oddball ideas even for Christians. For example there should be a chart in your bulletin, it’s in Latin, but all it says is that Pater/Father, Filius/Son and Spiritus Sanctus/Holy Spirit, are/est, in the middle, God. They are non-est, not the other person of the God head. There are some people out there today who try to make the case that each person of the Godhead is their own individual trinity, making it into a twelvinty, I guess.
At this point, 325 AD, something we talked about at the Men’s Network breakfast yesterday, Constantine had reunified the Roman Empire and had made Christianity the official religion of the empire, this was over all the other belief systems of the time and there were a lot. Was Constantine a nice, all-on board Christian man? Ehh probably not, he was, eventually baptized, his lifestyle was not that of the exemplar Christian. Many would say that it was a pragmatic, even cynical move on his part to make the empire unified in Christianity. His mother, Helen, was a devout Christian woman and many would claim that she kept him in line. Point is, that, perhaps, thinking he could make the empire more unified, he finds that there are all sorts of flavors of Christians who are just as contentious with each other as with other beliefs. Since Constantine is, effectively, the head of the empire’s church, he decides he doesn’t want the conflict and forces the real Christians to sit down together and hammer out the tenents of their beliefs in order to unify Christians. That kinda/sorta worked to his purposes, but more importantly it did motivate the Christians of that time to really work out what being a Christian was and more specifically, based on Scripture, articulate who Jesus is, that He is true God along with the Father and Holy Spirit. You will find another insert that gives you the entire Athanasian Creed. You will see how much they tried to define, the finite trying to define the infinite, the one God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
The reason we have this passage for Trinity Sunday is to, again, point you to one of many passages where Jesus does declare Himself to be God. While He doesn’t straight out say “hey I’m God and you guys need to get with it”, He does make references that to first-century Jews say, without question, “listen, I’m God.”
Any good Jew of the time would, without qualification, say that he was a child of Abraham. Ok, that’s fine Christians would say that they are in the spiritual line of Abraham too. Jesus, however, says sure Abraham is great, but Abraham was only a man. In fact, “Your father Abraham rejoiced that he would see my day. He saw it and was glad.” Woe, wait a minute Abraham lived about two thousand years before Jesus, how could Abraham know about Jesus and why would Jesus dare to presume to claim that Abraham rejoiced about Jesus’ day? There’s only one way that could happen and that is if Jesus had been there with Abraham, told Abraham what was going to happen and knew his reaction. The only being that was capable of doing that was …? God! But to make extra special sure that the Jews He was talking to, knew exactly what He was talking about Jesus said: “”Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.” Dr Paul Arand gives a good explanation: “But what does it mean for God to say ‘I AM’? Often this is translated as Lord. And rightly so. He is the one who rules, He is the one who rules over all things. There is none who is like him. But why is there none like him? And why does he rule over all things?… It is because he is a more powerful god than all the others?”
“Here is where we need to connect the dots of the narrative. Why is God Lord? Why is he the ‘I Am’? Because he is the Creator! Here we would do well to remember that in Scripture, the title ‘God’ is not a reference to an abstract deity or a philosophical concept of ultimate being or anything like that. It is always rooted in a narrative. … To put it bluntly if you created everything … you are God.’ … So to confess that Jesus is God is to confess that he is the Creator of all things. And for that reason He rules all things.”[1]
You have to understand what is being said between Jesus and His antagonists in terms of first century, Jewish Israel. Not in the context of 21st century English speaking Americans. The people Jesus was talking to knew exactly what He was saying, the penalty for blasphemy was stoning and that is what they started to do, stone Jesus. Jesus made it perfectly clear to them that He was saying He is God, without any doubt. I lived before Abraham, Abraham knows who I AM, and I am calling myself by the name that God told Moses. I AM God! Jesus is God, the Trinity is the Godhead, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Creator, sustainer and savior of all creation. On this Trinity Sunday go back to those journals, look through John’s Gospel, Jesus makes other references like this. Remember those references, because someone will come to you and tell you that Jesus isn’t really God, how will you answer that person?
The peace of God that surpasses all understanding keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Amin and Shalom
[1] Dr Charles Arand “Concordia Journal Spring 2016 p 139
I’m going to do it God’s way, by His Word in Scripture
A lot of feedback I get is to the extent, “sound really strict”, “not very loving”, “why are you always quoting the Bible?”. There is a lot of pretty superficial Christianity out there. As a Lutheran pastor I’ve always been taught, to be faithful to what the Bible says, it’s God’s Word that matters. It’s your job to help people understand it, grow in it, live their life in accordance with the Bible, not to make things up. Imagine if we all lived according to the Bible and not just the way we think things should be, the world would be a much better place. Fact is, we are all sinners, even in our best intentions we do things that are messed up and hurt people and hurt our relationship with God. We can turn back to Him for His forgiveness and blessing, or we can keep messing things up, even unintentionally and keep driving each other away. We live so isolated from each other today, we have our superficial relationships, heck we really think we’re friends with someone because they accepted us on FaceBook. No it’s really time to build relationships the right way and not the way the world tells us that we all know inevitably hurts us and other people.
For example, “it’s all about love”. It’s not about “love” in terms of doing what’s right, of being a blessing to others by helping them to really focusing on God, His Word and your neighbor. (I do find it interesting that people will always quote “Love they neighbor”. They seem to forget that Jesus said first, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and all your strength.”) You can’t really love your neighbor until your relationship of love with God is firm and established. Until you know how to “love” as God wants you to “love”, then you’re really just kind of playing with people.
To many people “love” means, “you make me happy, you do things for me”. (Often those things are give me sex, booze, drugs or just cash, make it easier on us.) Love means what’s doing the best for that person, helping that person be the best they can be and not just an enabler for whatever sin that they’ve become chained to, that’s supposed to make them “happy”. Come on, let’s face it, let’s take a, somewhat, benign sin like ice cream. It costs money, good ice cream gets a little pricey after awhile. It puts on weight, with very little nutritional benefit. It causes much more serious health issues. I know plenty of people with diabetes, yet we’re so consumed with smoking. Smoking is sin too, but get a grip. Too much junk and diabetes will kill you. There’s people all around getting constant medication for diabetes, going blind, losing limbs, dying. Don’t know anyone with lung cancer.
Let’s really love and start holding people accountable to what they should be doing. Being “happy” today, is just a fast track to poor health and early death. Throw in drugs, booze, lack of exercise. Poor health in general is everywhere, do we really love when we see someone tooting another joint, or doing another in a long line of “16 ounce curls”?
There is so much “me” today and so little in terms of God’s will. We make God to be an agent of our “happiness” and we really aren’t interested in what God has for us. People would look at my life and think that it might be pretty goofy. Picking up and moving from a place I had grown up in, raised children in, then moved to an unfamiliar place (actually two), far away from family and friends. But I do have peace that this is where God wants me and I am doing what He wants me to do. Way too many people today do what they think makes them happy, but have very little peace, hmmm, how do you think that happens? Telling God to go take a hike in order for me to do what makes me “happy”, then finding out what makes you “happy”, just messes you up. What God wanted for you would make you “happy”, but you just decided “don’t confuse me with the facts” if God wants it, then it’s probably boring or lame, I don’t want to do that.
But yes, in God’s will I do have peace. Doesn’t mean things are easy, we see with the disciples, many people down through history. Things weren’t easy, read what Paul wrote about 2 Corinthians 11: 16-33, he went through more in a few years, then most of us will in a lifetime. He knew God was guiding him and strengthening him, making him a better man and certainly a more godly man, and certainly not a messed up man.
So I do what God guides me to, yea sometimes it’s not very pleasant, there are plenty of times I take shots for what I preach, teach or write. Doesn’t mean what I’m doing is wrong, just means someone thinks it’s ok to take shots at me, even if they don’t have a good reason to, don’t know what they’re talking about. Being faithful in God is not settling for just a “feel good” Gospel, something that makes everyone happy for the moment. Sorry just doesn’t work. The trials and tragedies of life pop up all to quick and then we don’t feel good anymore and it’s all God’s fault. My job is to equip those who are in Jesus in order for them to deal with all the good times, tough times, and mundane, maybe even boring times in order for them to grow closer to God and to glorify Him who provides so much for us. That includes eternal, perfect life in the resurrection, it’s only through Jesus. This also includes being strong and being a Christian example for others. The next time you need to be encouraged and strengthened, you think your local drug pusher is going to help you? No! In the end he’s only going to make it worse. What really works is a strong /mature Christian man or woman (and yes that excludes the “feel good” Christians out there too). Too often we want to be made “happy”, placated like a child. We know that leaves us worse off then we were.
God sacrificed greatly for me in His Son Jesus. I have to step up and live a true life in Jesus, not a life of go-along to get-along. I have to be that example of a mature faithful Christian man. That is what God expects from me, to be faithful in continuing to grow, in following where He leads and not in what I think is “happy”, or what I “like”. Lots of other people look to me for that too, imagine what a great place the world would be if everyone were living that way. But that’s not going to happen because in this day and age it’s all about me and what makes me, what I think, happy. We can’t just continue to “hang” where we are and to be pacified, You aren’t going to find any example of that in the Bible. The Bible is what God wanted us to know about Him. He inspired men to write the Bible and show what is the truth. You don’t see people just coasting along in life, sitting around getting snookered and honoring God. Only those who are strong and faithful honor Him. What you find over and over again is men and women who are pushed to step out of their comfort zone in order to live up to God’s will and not their own. Why on earth do we think we should be different today? Is it because we know we can’t handle it and need to be babied?
You will think what you will, but Jesus made it very clear that many will be deluded, fooled, by wrong messages. That His true disciples will have to deal with the trials and antagonisms of the world. We are seeing Christians being martyred right now, all around the world. Not for “feel good”, but because they know who Jesus is and that they need to serve Him and others even in extremely difficult circumstances. There were more Christians martyred in the 20th century, then in all of history, combined! There’s no “feel good” Christianity there, yet it is only through Jesus that we are saved, some of us do have to suffer to the extreme in order to be saved. It dishonors them and Jesus when we make being a a Christian about “what makes us happy”.
What does honor Jesus, the millions who have lived in Jesus through the centuries, the millions who live around the world? It is being true, faithful disciples of His. Doing what He teaches us in His Word the Bible, and not what other people try to make Him out to be. To follow where He leads us and to what He leads us to do through His Holy Spirit. Jesus said He will tell many to be gone because “I never knew you”. Many who thought that what someone told them to “tickle their ear”, was actually genuinely in Jesus. Someone who tried to make Jesus into what they wanted instead of what Scripture truly says about Him. I know my responsibility as a teacher will be greater and I will be held much more responsible for what I teach. I intend to do all that I can to truly teach God’s Word in the Bible. I seriously fear for those who have to answer to God who ignored God’s Word and made up what they thought would make people feel good, it will be very scary for them.
Nuestro Poder como discípulos de Jesús en el Espíritu Santo Hechos 2: 1-21 Primera Saint Johns 15 de de mayo de, el año 2016
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Hacemos nuestro comienzo en el Nombre de Dios el Padre y en el nombre de Dios el Hijo y en el nombre de Dios el Espíritu Santo y los que rezan Espíritu Santo Ven, ven, dijeron … AMEN !!!
La gracia es lo más importante que separa al cristianismo de las otras religiones del mundo. Todas las otras “religiones” imponen requisitos que deben alcanzar sus creyentes a tener, no la seguridad de la salvación, pero la oportunidad de ser salvados. Gracia para un cristiano es que Dios ha hecho todo lo necesario para que seamos salvados. Mientras que siguen fielmente a Cristo, al ser bautizado, asistir a la adoración, teniendo su cuerpo y sangre, escuchar su Palabra predicada de la Escritura, usted es salvo, únicamente en Jesús, y por lo que Él ha hecho por nosotros. No hay nada de lo que podemos hacer con el fin de “ganar” la gracia, recibir el regalo de la salvación en Jesús.
Otra cosa que distingue al cristianismo de otras religiones del mundo es que Dios, el único y verdadero Dios, ha estado realmente en el mundo. Dios Padre y el Hijo son ahora en el cielo. Jesús está sentado a la diestra del Padre en la gloria como nuestro gran sumo sacerdote que oren por nosotros e intervenir para nosotros. Pero Jesús era muy notoria en el mundo, todos Sus principales actos, sus milagros y enseñanzas, su crucifixión, su resurrección, su ascensión, todos los eventos que se realizaron en público para que todos lo vean. De nuevo a diferencia de las otras grandes religiones del mundo.
Dios el Espíritu Santo permanece en el mundo, con los que han recibido la salvación en Jesús: ESV 1 Corintios 6:19 ¿O no saben que su cuerpo es templo del Espíritu Santo dentro de vosotros, el cual tenéis de Dios? Usted no es su propia, ESV 1 Corintios 6:20 Porque habéis sido comprados por un precio. Así que a Dios en vuestro cuerpo.
El Espíritu Santo es parte de nosotros para que nos guíe, con el fin de señalarnos a Cristo continuamente. En este día que recordamos como el Día de Pentecostés, a menudo nos referimos a él como el nacimiento de la iglesia de Jesucristo, el lugar donde los discípulos crecen y llegan al mundo. La palabra Pentecostés es del griego, “hemera pentokoste”, que significa el quincuagésimo día, que es el quincuagésimo día después de la Pascua. Fue una fiesta judía antigua conocida como la fiesta de las semanas. Sin duda, sería razonable interpretar que la Trinidad (Padre, Hijo y Espíritu Santo), escogió de forma conjunta este día para, una vez más, llamar la atención del público, un importante movimiento de Dios. En este día de fiesta no habría Judios de todo el mundo conocido en Jerusalén para observar el día de fiesta. Como se ha leído esta mañana; Medos, elamitas, Mesopotamia, Judea, Capadocia, el Ponto, Asia, Frigia, Panfilia, Egipto, Libia, Roma, cretenses, árabes. Como lo es hoy, todas estas personas continúan hablando mucho diferentes idiomas. Vemos en nuestra primera lectura de la razón por la que hablaban diferentes idiomas. Entonces, como ahora, había un montón de gente tipo inteligente que decidieron que deberían ponerse al mismo nivel que Dios. Sólo hace relativamente poco tiempo el mundo había sido destruido debido a la presunción de hombre. Ahora el hombre sería separado el uno del otro por idiomas con el fin de evitar que se conspirar juntos para tratar de hacer lo que Satanás trató, de usurpar o ponerse en pie de igualdad con Dios. Sí, lo sé, que no podría haber logrado este fin. Pero el punto es que ni Led Zeppelin en nuestro tiempo, o esta gente antigua podían construir una torre o una escalera al cielo, pero la arrogancia del hombre a menudo iniciar una acción rápida y directa de Dios. En algún momento Dios decide dejar que el hombre simplemente se revuelcan en su pecado y se deja arrastrar hacia abajo el hombre a la muerte. Ciertamente, Dios podría haber dejado a construir la torre y entonces se derrumbará inevitablemente, debido a su ignorancia, y matar a muchas personas. Misericordiosamente Dios escogió salvar muchas vidas, pero también para separar aquellas personas presuntuosas llenos de pecado y es de esperar guardarlos de colaborar en los actos más presuntuosos y arrogantes que también terminan en la muerte física o, peor aún, espiritual, de cualquier manera la creación de la separación entre Dios y el hombre. La gente continuó al pecado y actuar con arrogancia. Ciertamente vemos sus actos cuando Dios mismo viene al mundo para darles la oportunidad de dirigirlos de su mal camino, autodestructivas. Dios el Hijo vino al mundo para anunciar tan visiblemente como sea posible quién es Él y que Él es el único camino a la vida y la salvación eterna en Él. Como sabemos, la gente eligió a rechazar este motivo.
Eso no quiere decir que la Divinidad se retiró al cielo y dejó al hombre para tratar de averiguar por sí mismos. Sí, vemos un montón de actitud por parte de la gente, pero Dios sigue haciendo lo que sea necesario para llevarnos a Él. Y siempre lo hace todas esas cosas de una manera muy pública, muy evidente.
Jesús da a sus discípulos, entonces y ahora, tales palabras conmovedoras y convincentes de aliento en nuestra lectura del Evangelio. Los está dejando, Él sabe que, no lo hacen. “ESV Juan 14:25” Estas cosas os he hablado para que mientras todavía estoy con ustedes. Pero el Consolador, el Espíritu Santo, que el Padre enviará en mi nombre, os lo enseñará todo y os recordará todo lo que yo he dicho ESV Juan 14:27 la paz os dejo,.. mi paz os doy: no como el mundo la da, yo os la doy no deje que sus corazones se preocupen, ni tenga miedo. “.
La palabra griega que se usa aquí para “Espíritu Santo” está en posición para, klhtoj (en traducciones antiguas de la Biblia verá que el Espíritu Santo se hace referencia como el Paráclito, el griego significa “ayudante, intercesor”. Juan es el único que se refiere al Espíritu Santo de esta manera, no se utiliza en el libro de Actas. en la misma oración que Jesús se refiere al Espíritu Santo directamente, pneu / ma a. un [región (mientras que le damos lo que parece significar bastante benigna ” espíritu “, la palabra griega que significa soplado / respiración, y también el viento. Esto puede sonar bastante encantador, que es mucho la intención de ser muy potente, en términos de la respiración de la vida, sí, dando vida. Dime lo que la palabra” pneuma ” dice en Inglés, aquí va una pista, tiene que ver con las herramientas, … herramientas neumáticas. Si alguna vez has usado herramientas neumáticas, sabes bombas dura un compresor para construir una gran presión para que la herramienta, que está conectado al compresor , se pueden realizar diversas tareas, han sido alguna vez cerca de un martillo neumático de trabajo? Estamos conectados al Espíritu Santo.
Los discípulos no tienen una gran cantidad de contexto para lo que Jesús les está diciendo. Probablemente están pensando, “no son aquellos agradable, palabras reconfortantes”, pero en el mejor tienen una vaga idea de quién / Lo que el Espíritu Santo es, pero en el día de Pentecostés, que tendrían una manifestación muy poderosa / dador de vida de quién el Espíritu Santo es ya sólo una ligera idea de la clase de poder del Espíritu Santo es capaz de hacer.
Raniero Cantalamessa escribe: “Orígenes nos informa de que los paganos de su época utilizarse para impugnar los cristianos diciendo: ¿cómo puede un hombre, que por si acaso vivía en una localidad oscura en Judea, llenar el mundo con el perfume del conocimiento de Dios, a medida que los cristianos dice, refiriéndose a 2 Corintios 2:14? La respuesta de Orígenes fue que Jesús puede hacer esto porque él ha consagrado un gran número de discípulos con el Espíritu Santo y los envió a través del mundo, y éstas se dedican a salvar a la raza humana por vivir en la pureza y la rectitud y mediante la enseñanza de la misma doctrina que Jesús. Gracias a ellos, ‘el preciado aceite salpicado en la cabeza’ de la verdadera Aaron, que es Cristo, corre hacia abajo “en el cuello de la bata ‘, en referencia al Salmo 133: 2, es decir, que se extiende por todo el cuerpo de la Iglesia y, a través de él, a todo el mundo “.
“Somos los discípulos enviados en todo el mundo para difundir el” olor dulce ‘de Cristo! Para tener éxito, nosotros también debemos ‘romper’ el vaso de alabastro de nuestra naturaleza humana: hay que morir las obras de la carne, el viejo Adán que actúa como una barrera interior de los rayos del Espíritu … ”
Tenemos mini-Pentecosteses hoy! Ok, no disponemos de 3.000 personas que están siendo bautizados a la vez. Pero en cada bautismo que se hace aquí, vemos el poder del Espíritu Santo que se demostró, que alguien es nacer de nuevo en Cristo. Cuando aceptamos a alguien como miembro de la iglesia como lo hacemos hoy, añadimos una nueva persona para el Cuerpo de Cristo, su iglesia. Es el poder del Espíritu Santo descendiendo sobre esa persona, esa persona, después de haber sido habitado por el Espíritu Santo en el bautismo, ahora es un ejemplo vivo del Espíritu Santo. Son un recipiente del inmenso poder del Espíritu, somos todos como miembros confirmados de la iglesia de Cristo. Como poseedores de tal poder, la pregunta es ¿qué hacemos con eso? ¿Cómo discipulamos aquellos que son nuevos en el que el poder, por lo que tanto usted como van a vivir esa vida de poder en el mundo. Tenemos también muchos hoy en día frío y tímido “cristianos”, tenemos que ser renovados en el pneumous, el inmenso poder del Espíritu Santo que se destacan como discípulos fuertes y equipados que señalan al mundo a Jesucristo.
La paz de Dios que sobrepasa todo entendimiento, guardará vuestros corazones y vuestros pensamientos en Cristo Jesús. Amin y Shalom
Our Power as Jesus’ disciples in the Holy Spirit Acts 2: 1-21 May 15, 2016 First St Johns
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We make our beginning in the Name of God the Father and in the Name of God the Son and in the Name of God the Holy Spirit and those who pray come Holy Spirit, come, they said … AMEN!!!
Grace is the most important thing that separates Christianity from the other world religions. All other “religions” impose requirements that their believers must achieve to have, not the assurance of salvation, but the chance to be saved. Grace for a Christian is that God has done everything necessary for us to be saved. As long as we faithfully follow Christ, by being baptized, attending worship, taking His Body and Blood, hearing His preached Word from Scripture, you are saved, solely in Jesus and by what He has done for us. There is nothing we can ever do in order to “earn” grace, receive the free gift of salvation in Jesus.
Another thing that distinguishes Christianity from other world religions is that God, the one and true God, has actually been in the world. God Father and Son are now in heaven. Jesus sits at the right hand of the Father in glory as our great high priest to pray for us and intervene for us. But Jesus was very publicly in the world, all His major acts, His miracles and teachings, His crucifixion, His resurrection, His ascension, all events that were done in public for all to see. Again unlike the other major religions of the world.
God the Holy Spirit remains in the world, with those who have received salvation in Jesus: ESV 1 Corinthians 6:19 Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, ESV 1 Corinthians 6:20 for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.
The Holy Spirit is part of us in order to guide us, in order to continually point us to Christ. On this day that we remember as the Day of Pentecost, we often refer to it as the birthday of the church of Jesus Christ, the place where His disciples grow and reach into the world. The word Pentecost is from Greek, “pentokoste hemera” meaning the fiftieth day, which is the fiftieth day after Passover. It was an ancient Jewish holiday known as the festival of weeks. It would certainly be reasonable to construe that the Godhead (Father, Son and Holy Spirit), jointly chose this day to, again, bring to public attention, a major move of God. On this holiday there would be Jews from all over the known world in Jerusalem to observe the holiday. As was read this morning; Medes, Elamites, Mesopotamia, Judea, Cappadocia, Pontus, Asia, Phrygia, Pamphylia, Egypt, Libya, Rome, Cretans, Arabians. As it is today, all these people continue to speak much different languages. We see in our first reading the reason why they spoke different languages. Then, as now, there were a bunch of smart guy people who decided they should put themselves at the same level as God. Just relatively recently the world had been destroyed because of the presumption of man. Now man would be separated from each other by language in order to keep them from conspiring together to try to do what Satan tried, to usurp or put themselves on an equal footing with God. Yes, I know, they could not possibly have achieved this end. But the point is that neither Led Zepplin in our time, or these ancient people could build a tower, or a stairway to heaven, but the arrogance of man will often bring quick and direct action from God. At some point God decides to let man just wallow in his sin and let it drag man down to death. Certainly God could have let them build the tower and then it would inevitably collapse, due to their ignorance, and kill many people. Mercifully God chose to save a lot of lives, but to also separate those sin-filled presumptuous people and hopefully keep them from collaborating on more presumptuous, arrogant acts that would also end up in physical or, worse, spiritual death, either way creating separation between God and man. The people continued to sin and act arrogantly. Certainly we see their acts when God Himself comes into the world to give them an opportunity to direct them from their evil, self-destructive ways. God the Son came into the world in order to proclaim as visibly as possible who He is and that He is the only way to life and eternal salvation in Him. As we know, people chose to reject that plea.
That does not mean that the Godhead retreated into heaven and left man to try to figure it out for themselves. Yea, we see a lot of attitude from people, but God continues to do whatever it takes to bring us to Him. And He always does all those things in a very public, very obvious way.
Jesus gives His disciples, then and now, such touching and compelling words of encouragement in our Gospel reading. He’s leaving them, He knows that, they don’t. “ESV John 14:25 “These things I have spoken to you while I am still with you. But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you. ESV John 14:27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.”
The Greek word that is used here for “Holy Spirit” is para,klhtoj( in older translations of the Bible you will see the Holy Spirit referred to as paraclete, the Greek means “helper, intercessor”. John is the only one who refers to the Holy Spirit in this way, it’s not used in the Book of Acts. In the same sentence Jesus refers to the Holy Spirit directly, pneu/ma to. a[gion( while we give it what seems a rather benign meaning, “spirit” the Greek word meaning blowing/breathing, and also wind. This may sound rather charming, it’s very much intended to be very powerful, in terms of the breath of life, yes, life giving. Tell me what the word “pneuma” says in English, here’s a hint, has to do with tools, … pneumatic tools. If you’ve ever used pneumatic tools, you know a compressor pumps hard to build up a lot of pressure so that the tool, that’s connected to the compressor, can perform various tasks, ever been near a jack-hammer working? We’re connected to the Holy Spirit.
The disciples don’t have a lot of context for what Jesus is telling them. They are probably thinking, “aren’t those nice, comforting words”, but at best have a vague idea of Who/What the Holy Spirit is, but on the Day of Pentecost, they would have a very powerful/lifegiving demonstration of Who the Holy Spirit is and just a slight idea of the kind of power the Holy Spirit is capable of.
Raniero Cantalamessa writes: “Origen informs us that the pagans of his day used to challenge Christians by saying: how can one man, who for good measure lived in an obscure township in Judea, fill the world with the perfume of the knowledge of God, as you Christians say, referring to 2 Corinthians 2:14? Origen’s answer was that Jesus can do this because he has consecrated a large number of disciples with the Holy Spirit and sent them through the world, and these devote themselves to saving the human race by living in purity and righteousness and by teaching the same doctrine as Jesus. Thanks to them, ‘the precious oil sprinkled on the head’ of the true Aaron, who is Christ, runs down ‘onto the collar of his robe’, referring to Psalm 133:2, that is, it spreads throughout the body of the Church and, through it, to the whole world.”
“We are those disciples sent throughout the world to spread the ‘sweet smell’ of Christ! To succeed, we too must ‘shatter’ the alabaster vessel of our human nature: we must mortify the works of the flesh, the old Adam which acts as an inner barrier to the rays of the Spirit…”[1]
We have mini-Pentecosts today! Ok, we don’t have 3,000 people being baptized at once. But in each baptism that is done here, we see the power of the Holy Spirit being demonstrated, that someone is being born again in Christ. When we accept someone into membership of the church as we do today, we add a new person to the Body of Christ, His church. It is the power of the Holy Spirit descending on that person, that person, having been indwelt by the Holy Spirit at baptism, is now a living example of the Holy Spirit. They are a container of the immense power of the Spirit, we all are as confirmed members of Christ’s church. As possessors of such power, the question becomes what do we do with that? How do we disciple those who are new in that power, so that both you and they will live that life of power in the world. We have too many cold and timid “Christians” today, we need to be renewed in the pneumous, the immense power of the Holy Spirit to stand as strong and equipped disciples who point the world to Jesus Christ.
The peace of God that surpasses all understanding keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Amin and Shalom
[1] Raniero Cantalamessa The Holy Spirit in the life of Jesus p 18
Jesus the Bread of life, His flesh saves and sustains us.
John 6:5 we have all these people and Jesus has told us we have to find food to feed them. 5,000 men, plus women, children! Where do we come up with all that?
Everyone gets fed, we pick up what’s left, hey food’s too precious, we can’t leave anything behind. Interestingly there are twelve baskets left, one for each of us disciples. That night we’re rowing across the Sea of Galilee and there’s food under our seats, giving us enough energy to keep going. He provides, even when we have no idea what we’re going to be dealing with. Who can do that? Yes, Jesus and He is God the Son.
Jesus is the Bread of Life. He told the Jews who were hounding Him that He was the Living Bread that came down from heaven, the manna that kept their ancestors alive in the desert. But now the Bread of Life is His flesh. The flesh that He sacrificed on the Cross, His true flesh for our spiritual and physical sustenance. His disciples knew exactly what He was saying, and He didn’t try to convince them otherwise. Most of them picked up and left, probably a little freaked out.
“Do you take offense at this?” Why would they be offended by what’s supposed to be a figure of speech? Sure a metaphor might bother you, but what would really bother you is hearing someone say that you have to eat His flesh in order to have eternal life.
It will be a little longer, but Jesus solemnizes, makes a new covenant, based on the eating of His flesh and drinking His Blood. No metaphor intended, hey read the Greek. He is the Bread of Life, He gave His Body, shed His Blood on the Cross for the atonement of our sins. He continues to give His Body and His Blood for our sustenance to eternity, to nourish our eternal life. For those who have been born again and are the eternal sons and daughters of God, we need divine sustenance for our born again body. That can only be through the miraculous sustenance provided by His Body and Blood we receive from His undershepherds, your pastors to sustain us to eternal life.
Sólo la voluntad de Dios en el Nuevo Mundo de la Revelación resurrección 22: 1-6, 12-20 First St Johns 8 de mayo de, el año 2016
Hacemos nuestro comienzo en el Nombre de Dios el Padre y en el nombre de Dios el Hijo y en el nombre de Dios el Espíritu Santo y todos los que miran hacia adelante a la vida eterna, perfecta en la resurrección y el nuevo mundo dijo … AMEN !
No soy tan grande en la escatología, tiempos del final, nunca he comprendido realmente el punto. Cuando Dios decide dejar que el reloj se queda sin, que va a pasar, si estoy listo o no. Lo que hace fascinarme, y lo que se trata todo esto, como cristianos, es el mundo eterno, los nuevos cielos y la nueva tierra. Uno de mis profesores en el seminario Rev. Dr. Luis Brighton, es un conocido estudioso y experto en el Libro de la Revelación. Dr. Brighton es profesor emérito de la Concordia en San Luis, pero lo hizo con regularidad leccionarios sobre la Revelación y me tomó ventaja de tomar en su experiencia, en especial respecto a la resurrección. Entre el Dr. Randy Alcorn Brighton y, he llegado a una verdadera comprensión y apreciación de la resurrección que nunca tuve como laico. La resurrección es la realidad última.
Vivimos nuestra vida como pueblo de Cristo, bautizados en el nombre del Padre, Hijo y Espíritu Santo. Tomamos el Cuerpo y la Sangre de Jesús y salvos, sostiene y fortalece para vivir nuestras vidas nutrirse de su verdadero cuerpo y sangre. Estamos confirmado en su iglesia, el Cuerpo de Jesús. Estas son las cosas que el Espíritu Santo nos lleva a hacer en nuestra muy corta difícil, la vida, lleno de pecado en la tierra. Si morimos antes del regreso de Jesús nosotros, que somos en Jesús, irá al cielo, será la iglesia en espera de la resurrección prometida. Sé que hoy en día la palabra promesa se utiliza un poco demasiado flojo, promesas hechas pero fácilmente olvidado o una excusa rápida porque nuestra promesa es demasiado a menudo poco sincero y rápidamente hecho. Así que con Jesús debemos leer la palabra promesa como hierro revestidos / garantía de tubería de plomo.
Había Judios que creían en la resurrección como parte de la doctrina judía. Era una fuente básica de desacuerdo entre las dos escuelas principales de la época de Jesús, los fariseos, que creían en la resurrección y los saduceos que no lo hicieron. Los saduceos trataron de atrapar a Jesús haciendo un argumento falaz de una mujer que tuvo siete maridos “que estarían a su marido en la resurrección?” ¿En serio ?! Rechaza la resurrección, porque el estado civil de una persona en esta tierra? Si usted se presenta regularmente a Jesús que la gente va a escuchar un montón de argumentos tontos y no tengo ninguna duda de que este era uno de los muchos que Jesús oyó. Su respuesta dejó en claro que Dios tenía la intención nuestra resurrección desde el principio de los tiempos. Dios sabía que lo iban a rechazar y que tendríamos que ser retirado de la primera paraíso terrenal, de Eden. Sabemos que hay una vida perfecta para nosotros porque de la primera creación perfecta en el Edén. La respuesta de Jesús a los saduceos hace hincapié en lo que nuestra verdadera vida será: “ESV Mateo 22:31 Y en cuanto a la resurrección de los muertos, ¿no habéis leído lo que fue dicho por Dios: Mateo 22:32 NVI” Yo soy el Dios de Abraham, y el Dios de Isaac y el Dios de Jacob? Él no es Dios de muertos, sino de vivos “ESV Mateo 22:33 Y cuando la multitud lo oyó, se admiraban de su enseñanza.” Jesús les responde a un poco más de aspereza en la versión de Marcos de esta perícopa: “.” no es esta la razón por la que está equivocado, porque no saben ni las Escrituras ni el poder de Dios? … ESV Marcos 12:27 Él no es Dios de muertos, sino de vivos. Usted está muy equivocado. “” No es exactamente el oh tan delicada Jesús el mundo le gusta hacer él. Básicamente, “usted no sabe lo que está hablando, porque es obvio que no sabe Escritura.” Lucas tiene los escribas que encomiaba él: “. ESV Lucas 20:39 Entonces algunos de los escribas respondió:” Maestro, has hablado bien “” Dios no nos creó para hacer estallar simplemente fuera de la vida, él nos creó para que pudiéramos tener vida y vida más abundante . Para los que están en su voluntad, ha creado un mundo eterno, completamente de acuerdo con su ser el Dios de los vivos.
Jesús tomó esta referencia de Éxodo 3: 6, camino de vuelta al segundo libro de la Biblia. Esto es importante porque los saduceos creían que sólo el Pentateuco, los primeros cinco libros de la Biblia fueron los únicos válidos los libros de la Escritura. Jesús está haciendo más énfasis claro en una manera que no podía descartar que es todo acerca de la resurrección. Dios no nos crean para que nosotros simplemente pestañeamos de distancia. Él nos crea con el fin de vivir nuestra vida en Cristo que nos hace verdaderamente preparados para la vida eterna en un mundo nuevo que sólo se adaptará a las de Jesús, porque Él estará muy presente, fuente de la vida eterna. Como el Dr. Brighton escribe: “… cualquier tipo de vida física a su pueblo a vivir y experiencia en sus cuerpos resucitados, Dios ricamente entregar dicha terrena necesita como lo hizo con Adán y Eva en el primer paraíso antes de la caída.”
No interprete mal, el mundo no va a ser un gran jardín con nosotros sentados alrededor de comer fruta. Dios proveyó a Adán y Eva todo lo que pueda desear en su propio contexto. Eso es lo que hará por nosotros en nuestro propio contexto. Ha habido 5.000 años de historia de la humanidad y de la resurrección será la culminación e integrador de toda esa historia.
Entre Mateo y Apocalipsis hay 41 referencias a la resurrección.
Para aquellos que les gusta nos dicen lo injusto que estamos en decir que sólo aquellos en Jesús serán resucitados, se refieren a las palabras de Jesús a Juan: “No habrá más maldición; y el trono de Dios y del Cordero estará en ella, y sus siervos le adoraron “(Ap 22: 3). lo que se maldito? … ¡Todo! Sin hizo todo en la creación, la tuya, la mía, todos, desde Adán y Eva para ti y para mí. No somos “buena”, todo lo que son malditos, pero en Jesús somos salvos, somos justificados y justos. Dr. Brighton escribe: “La teología de la Encarnación misma sugiere que, como resultado de la actividad redentora de Cristo y de su propia resurrección corporal, los de Cristo en su resurrección se restaurará en el diseño original de Dios para el estado corporal de la humanidad y por lo tanto también la tierra actual ser restaurado a su estado original, divinamente concebido como el hogar para personas resucitadas de Dios. “lo siento, pero no puede haber una diversidad de opinión y de” estilo de vida “en el nuevo mundo. Sólo había la voluntad de Dios en Jesús a través del cual toda la creación llegó a existir en el mundo original. Sólo puede ser la voluntad de Dios en el mundo nuevo y resucitado. Seguro que hay un montón de otras “opiniones” y estilos de vida y la diversidad en este mundo. Pero no es así como la intención de Dios en su creación original y que sólo será lo que Dios quería en el mundo nuevo, resucitado restaurado.
Jesús promete John que escribe esa promesa a nosotros: “. He aquí, yo vengo pronto, y mi galardón conmigo conmigo, para recompensar a todos por lo que ha hecho” “Próximamente” en el contexto de la eternidad, incluso dos mil años después de la promesa hecha medios más o menos inmediato. En la eternidad, vamos a entender claramente cómo eran rápidas y tenues nuestras vidas cortas y cómo incluso dos mil años en la eternidad es “pronto”. Dios es un Dios justo, completamente santa, esperamos que a partir de él. El problema es que esperamos que él sea sólo de acuerdo a nuestro punto de vista, que es inevitablemente mal. Nosotros sólo somos sólo en Jesús. Si en el juicio final vamos a tener que responder por las cosas que falló en, pecamos. La diferencia entre aquellos de nosotros en Jesús y el resto de la humanidad es que nuestro Sumo Sacerdote, Jesús, interviene para aquellos que lo conocen como Señor y Salvador. Jesús le dice a Juan: “los perros estarán fuera, y los hechiceros y los inmorales, los asesinos, los idólatras, y todo aquel que ama y hace mentira.” (Ap 22, 15) que hace eso incluye? Sí, todos nosotros. Pero en Cristo somos limpiados en su Sangre, su sacrificio por todos los que lo conocen como Salvador. Para aquellos, que él describe como perros, que lo rechazaron, que negaban lo que Él es, que están en el exterior del nuevo mundo resucitado. “Bienaventurados los que lavan sus ropas, para que puedan tener derecho al árbol de la vida y que puedan entrar en la ciudad por las puertas.” (Ap 22:14) En Jesús nuestras ropas han sido lavados, en su sangre .
La resurrección está totalmente en la voluntad de Dios, será la restauración de su creación conforme a su voluntad. Su voluntad sólo puede ser en términos de su justicia, su santidad, su justicia. Sólo aquellos que están en Cristo serán capaces de compartir en aquel mundo eterno que es sólo en la voluntad creadora de Dios. Debemos hacer todo lo que podamos hacer hincapié en que a todos los que nos encontramos y el punto que la única manera posible de ese nuevo mundo resucitado que es sólo en Jesús. Para aquellos que rechazan e ignoran nosotros, debemos llorar por los que están condenados y la decisión de mantenerlos en oración para que Dios tenga piedad de ellos y conducirlos a la única esperanza y la promesa de que está en Jesús. Volver a leer el relato de la resurrección en la Revelación, es entre los capítulos 21 y 22. Diario cómo va a ser todo sobre Jesús y no sobre cómo el mundo piensa que debería ser.
La paz de Dios que sobrepasa todo entendimiento, guardará vuestros corazones y vuestros pensamientos en Cristo Jesús. Amin y Shalom
Only God’s will in the New World of the resurrection Revelation 22: 1-6, 12-20 First St Johns May 8, 2016
We make our beginning in the Name of God the Father and in the Name of God the Son and in the Name of God the Holy Spirit and all those who look forward to the eternal, perfect life in the resurrection and the new world said … AMEN!
I’m not that big into eschatology, end times, I’ve never really understood the point. When God decides to let the clock run out, it’s going to happen, whether I’m ready or not. What does fascinate me, and what it’s all about as Christians, is the eternal world, the new heavens and the new earth. One of my professors in seminary Rev Dr Louis Brighton, is a well known scholar and expert on the Book of Revelation. Dr Brighton is a professor emeritus at Concordia in St Louis, but he regularly did lectionaries on Revelation and I took advantage of taking in his expertise, especially concerning the resurrection. Between Dr Brighton and Randy Alcorn, I have come to a real understanding and appreciation of the resurrection that I never really had as a lay person. The resurrection is the ultimate reality.
We live our lives as Christ’s people, baptized in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. We take the Body and Blood of Jesus and are saved, sustained and strengthened to live our lives being nourished by His true Body and Blood. We are confirmed in His church, the Body of Jesus. These are the things the Holy Spirit leads us to do in our very short, difficult, sin-filled life on earth. If we die before the return of Jesus we, who are in Jesus, will go to heaven, will be the church in waiting for the promised resurrection. I know today the word promise is used a little too loosely, promises made but easily forgotten or a quick excuse because our promise is too often insincere and hastily made. So with Jesus we should read the word promise as iron clad/lead pipe guarantee.
There were Jews who believed in the resurrection as part of Jewish doctrine. It was a basic source of disagreement between the two main schools of Jesus’ time, the Pharisees who believed in the resurrection and the Sadducees who did not. The Sadducees tried to trap Jesus making a fallacious argument about a woman who had seven husbands “who would be her husband in the resurrection?” Really?! You reject the resurrection because of someone’s marital status in this earth? If you regularly present Jesus to people you will hear a lot of silly arguments and I have no doubt that this was one of many that Jesus heard. His answer made it clear that God had intended our resurrection from the very beginning of time. God knew that we would reject Him and we would have to be removed from the first earthly paradise, Eden. We know that there is a perfect life for us because of the first perfect creation in Eden. Jesus’ answer to the Sadducees emphasizes what our true life will be: “ESV Matthew 22:31 And as for the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was said to you by God: ESV Matthew 22:32 ‘I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? He is not God of the dead, but of the living.” ESV Matthew 22:33 And when the crowd heard it, they were astonished at his teaching.” Jesus answers them a little more tartly in Mark’s version of this pericope: “”Is this not the reason you are wrong, because you know neither the Scriptures nor the power of God? … ESV Mark 12:27 He is not God of the dead, but of the living. You are quite wrong.”” Not exactly the oh so delicate Jesus the world likes to make Him. Basically, “you don’t know what you’re talking about because you obviously don’t know Scripture.” Luke has the scribes commending Him: “ESV Luke 20:39 Then some of the scribes answered, “Teacher, you have spoken well.”” God did not create us to simply pop out of life, He created us so that we would have life and life more abundant. For those who are in His will He did create an eternal world, completely in accord with His being the God of the living.
Jesus took this reference from Exodus 3:6, way back to the second book of the Bible. This is important because the Sadducees believed that only the Pentateuch, the first five books of the Bible were the only valid books of Scripture. Jesus is making it emphatically clear in a way they could not dismiss that it is all about the resurrection. God does not create us in order for us to simply blink away. He creates us in order to live our life in Christ that makes us truly prepared for eternal life in a new world that will only be suited to those in Jesus, because He will be the very present source of that eternal life. As Dr Brighton writes: “…whatever kind of physical life his people will live and experience in their resurrected bodies, God will richly supply their earthly needs as he did with Adam and Eve in the first paradise before the fall.”[1]
Don’t misconstrue, the world is not going to be one big garden with us sitting around eating fruit. God provided Adam and Eve all they could want in their own context. That is what He will do for us in our own context. There has been 5,000 years of recorded human history and the resurrection will be the culmination and inclusive of all that history.
Between Matthew and Revelation there are 41 references to the resurrection.
For those who like to tell us how unfair we are in saying that only those in Jesus will be resurrected, refer to Jesus’ words to John: “No longer will there be anything accursed, but the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it and his servants will worship him.” (Rev 22:3) What is accursed? … Everything! Sin made everything in creation, yours, mine, everyone from Adam and Eve to you and me. We are not “good”, we are all accursed, but in Jesus we are saved, we are justified and righteous. Dr Brighton writes: “The theology of the incarnation itself suggests that, as a result of Christ’s redemptive activity and his own bodily resurrection, those in Christ in his resurrection will be restored to God’s original design for humanity’s bodily state and so also the present earth be restored to its original, divinely intended state as the home for God’s resurrected people.”[2] Sorry, but there can’t be a diversity of opinion and “lifestyle” in the new world. There was only God’s will in Jesus through whom all creation came into existence in the original world. There can only be God’s will in the new, resurrected world. Sure there’s a lot of other “opinions” and lifestyles and diversity in this world. But that’s not how God intended in His original creation and it will only be what God intended in the new restored, resurrected world.
Jesus promises John who writes that promise to us: “Behold, I am coming soon, bringing my recompense with me, to repay everyone for what he has done.” “Coming soon” in the context of eternity, even two thousand years after the promise made means pretty much right away. In eternity we will clearly understand how quick and tenuous our short lives were and how even two thousand years in eternity is “soon”. God is a just, completely holy God, we expect that from Him. The problem is we expect Him to be just according to our perspective which is inevitably wrong. We are only just in Jesus. Yes in the final judgment we will have to answer for the things we failed in, we sinned in. The difference between those of us in Jesus and the rest of humanity is that our Great High Priest, Jesus, intervenes for those who know Him as Lord and Savior. Jesus tells John: “Outside are the dogs and sorcerers and the sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters and everyone who loves and practices falsehood.” (Rev 22: 15) Who does that include? Yes, all of us. But in Christ we are cleansed in His Blood, His sacrifice for all who know Him as Savior. For those, who He describes as dogs, who rejected Him, who denied who He is, they are on the outside of the new, resurrected world. “Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life and that they may enter the city by the gates.” (Rev 22:14) In Jesus our robes have been washed, in His blood.
The resurrection is entirely in God’s will, it will be the restoration of His creation according to His will. His will can only be in terms of His justice, His holiness, His righteousness. Only those who are in Christ will be able to share in that eternal world that is only in God’s creative will. We should do everything we can to emphasize that to all who we meet and point them to the only possible way to that new resurrected world that is only in Jesus. For those who reject and ignore us, we should mourn for those who are doomed and continue to hold them up in prayer that God will have mercy on them and lead them to the only hope and promise that is in Jesus. Go back and read the account of the resurrection in Revelation, it is between chapters 21 and 22. Journal how it will be all about Jesus and not about how the world thinks it should be.
The peace of God that surpasses all understanding keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Amin and Shalom
[1] Dr Louis Brighton “Revelation” p 631
[2] Ibid p 632
Pastor Jim Driskell 