The difference between predictions and prophesy?

Jude verses 14-16

What is the difference between predictions and prophesy?  A prediction can be a statement about future events; for example, I believe the USA’s printing of money and the current disregard for cutting government growth will bring about inflation.  Now that is not prophecy, it came from my mind and not from the Spirit of God.  If it happens and I believe it will, it’s based on facts from history of other nations who did the same foolishness.  But prophecy is a divine prediction, the apostle Peter stated this very clearly in 2 Peter 1:19-21, “And we have the prophetic word more fully confirmed, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts, knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone's own interpretation. For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.”

Jesus gave many divine predictions about his death, in Mark 8:31, “And he began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes and be killed, and after three days rise again.”  Jesus foretells his departure in John 7:33&34, “Jesus then said, “I will be with you a little longer, and then I am going to him who sent me.  You will seek me and you will not find me.  Where I am you cannot come.”  But hundreds of years before Jesus took on flesh and stepped out of being worshipped in heaven, we find the Holy Spirit talking to the prophet Isaiah, about the sign of Immanuel, “Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign.  Behold the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.”  (Isaiah 7:14)  And what about the prophet Micah, a native of Moresheth, in Judah, who gave this insight to his call and authority; “But as for me, I am filled with power, with the Spirit of the Lord, and with justice and might, to declare to Jacob his transgression and to Israel his sin.” (Micah 3:8)  This prophet had this to say hundreds of years before it came about; “But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, who origin is from of old, from ancient days.” (Micah 5:2)

 My desire was to give insight into the difference between divine prediction and the thoughts of men.  When it comes to Jude verses 14-16, we are talking of a very special man, Enoch the seventh from Adam, who prophesied, saying,  “Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of his holy ones, to execute judgment on all and to convict all the ungodly of all their deeds of ungodliness that they have committed in such an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things that ungodly sinners have spoken against him.” These are grumblers, malcontents, following their own sinful desires; they are loud-mouthed boasters, showing favoritism to gain advantage.” Jude is saying that it was these false teachers Enoch was talking about.  You may not be aware that Enoch walked with God and God took him, and he and Elijah were the only two men who never experienced physical death.  So you and I would be very wise to pay attention to the words of Enoch, and all others who God’s Spirit breathed on with knowledge that guides us to “Truth,” and Jesus Christ is “Truth.”

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

The warning False Teachers

Jude verses 8-13

Jude wanted to share the good news of our common salvation, that God so loves us that He gave, the most precious gift to buy us out of sin’s control, but he, like the apostle Peter, had to address the false teachers who Jude tells us have crept in the church unnoticed.  So if they came in unnoticed, how can we expose these false teachers?  Jude tells us they will lead us away from the Scriptures and begin to share their dreams, and who arrogantly committed sexual immorality and rebelled against authority.   Jude also states that they blaspheme glorious ones, referring to the angels.  At this point Jude reminds us of Michael the archangel and his disputing with the devil in a debate about Moses body.   It matters not what the devil said, Michael’s reply was “The Lord rebukes you!”  But Jude tells us these false teachers blaspheme anything they do not understand, they are under the control of their feelings, and are quick to judge and condemn, and Jude compares them to unreasoning animals – they destroy themselves. 

Verse eleven states, “Woe to them! For they walked in the way of Cain and abandoned themselves for the sake of gain to Balaam's error and perished in Korah's rebellion.”  We must look into these three men, what is the common thread that ties them to false teachers?  We will find Cain’s account in Genesis 4:4-5, 8,9, and you remember Cain and his brother Abel, and how they both brought an offering to the Lord and Abel’s was pleasing to the Lord, and Cain’s was not.  You can read in verse eight how Cain conned his brother in the field and killed him, and then the Lord came and ask where is your brother, and Cain’s reply, “I don’t know,” he replied.  “Am I my brother’s keeper?”  Now Balaam is not a name we talk about, so who is he?  We have this account from the book of Numbers 31:16, “Yet they are the ones who, at Balaam’s advice, incited the Israelites to unfaithfulness against the Lord in Peor incident, so that the plague came against the Lord’s community.”   And what was Korah’s rebellion, and who was Korah, a Levite from the Kohathite clan who wanted a higher position?  Korah and 250 prominent Israelite men who were leaders of the community and representative in the assembly, and they rebelled against Moses and Aaron.  And they accused Moses and Aaron of exalting themselves over the assembly.  We know that Moses told the community what God was going to do to these unfaithful people and it happened just as Moses stated.  You may read this account in Numbers 16:1-35.  So what did these men have in common with the false teachers, they were known for their hatred, greed, and rebellion?

Jude gives us this picture of these false teachers in verses 12-13, “These are hidden reefs at your love feasts, as they feast with you without fear, shepherds feeding themselves; waterless clouds, swept along by winds; fruitless trees in late autumn, twice dead, uprooted; wild waves of the sea, casting up the foam of their own shame; wandering stars, for whom the gloom of utter darkness has been reserved forever.”

James Moss who was one of our pastors in Spring, Texas, would often say, “do not trust any man” but make sure you put your trust in God alone.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

Wake-up America before it is too late

Jude verses 5-7

“Now I want to remind you, although you once fully knew it, that Jesus, who saved a people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed those who did not believe. And the angels who did not stay within their own position of authority, but left their proper dwelling, he has kept in eternal chains under gloomy darkness until the judgment of the great day—just as Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding cities, which likewise indulged in sexual immorality and pursued unnatural desire, serve as an example by undergoing a punishment of eternal fire.”

Now I want to remind you, it is impossible to remind a person of something they had not known, and that is why Jude put in  “although you once fully knew it, that Jesus, who saved a people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed those who did not believe.”  From the first grade through middle school, mother would ask, Bobby, have you finished your homework?  It was a reminder of the fact that homework was assigned, but if it was still daylight, trees needed to be climbed and balls needed to be thrown or hit, so I often would ignore the reminder.  I have found that with age it requires a memory check, and my bride is a great one to remind me about things, and if she did not, many events and appointments would be missed. 

But this is not what Jude is making reference to, these people came out of Egypt knowing and seeing the hand of God do amazing things through this man Moses.  Most were smart enough to give God the glory, and he was one of those who always told the people to look to God.  God alone is our source, for the hand of God was clear in the parting of the Red sea, the water coming from a rock, the quail that came by the thousands, and most of all when the death angel killed all the first born, where the blood was not on the door post.

They totally knew that God who spoke to Moses from a burning bush and told Moses to go back to Egypt and bring His people out; it was Yahweh and when Moses ask God who should I tell the people has sent me, God said, tell them I Am has sent you.  So how do you forget something of that magnitude?  The very same question could be ask of you and I, of our culture, how can a people so blessed as the people of the United States, forget the One who has given them so much?  The answer is not shocking, it’s quite simple, they began to believe in other gods, little gods, in leaders, in armies, in wealth, in self, and those gods took God’s place in their mind and heart.

And what has God told us over and over?  He is jealous and when we run to false gods, He will do whatever is needed to bring us back.  The sad news is that we as a people do not listen, do you recall 9/11 and the churches were full for a few weeks, but then back to whatever takes the place of God in our lives.  So Jude is reminding us with an example of what happened to many who came out of Egypt because they would not be reminded of who was their source.  Then he tells us about the people who would not stay within their own position of authority, and how God has put them in chains under gloomy darkness awaiting the day of judgment.  And last of all, Jude reminds us of God’s judgment on Sodom and Gomorrah who indulged in sexual immorality and pursued unnatural desires, a man seeking a man, and a woman seeking a woman.  Wake-up America before it is too late, for God judged them with what Jude calls an eternal fire.  My hearts desire is that you will not be like the people coming out of Egypt, but will return to or come and bow down before our great God and receive His grace and put your faith in the one who has the power of life and death.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

Common Salvation

Jude verses 3-4

“Beloved, although I was very eager to write to you about our common salvation, I found it necessary to write appealing to you to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints. For certain people have crept in unnoticed who long ago were designated for this condemnation, ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into sensuality and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.”

It may be helpful to define the word common, by stating what it is not, it is not private, it is ordinary, it is widely found, it is shared, and it is public.  And if we join it to the word salvation, it implies being rescued, delivered or redeemed by someone’s act or action.  It seems to me that Jude is saying it was widely understood that Jesus Christ took on flesh to show us how to live, but if we stop there we still have a sin problem that will keep us isolated from a loving Father who desires our fellowship as we live on planet earth.  This truth is common knowledge; “For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.”  These words were spoken by Jesus, who is God’s love gift to a people He wanted to have a relationship with.  Sin was introduced by one man, Adam, and it has been passed to all mankind since that day.  Sin is a noun and we understand nouns, typically denoting a person, place, thing, animal or idea.  So like this common Salvation, we also have a common sin that will not allow the Father to have any relationship with us until it is paid for.  We are told by the apostle Paul, in Romans 3:23, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”  But if only we would have kept reading, we would have seen this common Salvation found in Jesus Christ in verses 24, and 25a.  “And are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith.”  This is the common salvation Jude is referring to.

Jude is telling us that that old serpent is up to his trickery that he used in the garden against Adam and Eve, but this time he is using people to carry his message of a better way to heaven than grace and faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross.  You may have them in your family, your neighborhood, and surely in your church.  They are the grace plus group; it may require baptizing, joining a church, doing acts of goodness, or performance, or it may require being a certain religion or denomination.  But it all bypasses the blood of Jesus, and Jude would be in total agreement, that without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sin.

I’m going to share one such person in our modern society who I believe the old serpent is using in this way, her name is Oprah Winfrey, and she said on her show; “Well, I am a Christian who believes that there are certainly many more paths to God other than Christianity.”  But that flies in the face of what the gospel states, for Jesus the Messiah said; “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”  Two very different views, one made by Oprah a very gifted and talented T.V. person who was created by God.  The other is Jesus, who the Scriptures tell us is God, who cannot lie, the Creator who formed Oprah; for me it is a no brainer, but what about you, is it Jesus or Oprah, one is lying? 

I can tell you how Jude is going to vote, it’s found in these words; “For certain people have crept in unnoticed who long ago were designated for this condemnation, ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into sensuality and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.”

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

Immoral teachers and Heresies

Jude verses 1-2

This letter was written as a warning to the church against immoral teachers and heresies, which if believed will endanger the faith of believers.  How different Jude sees himself than many who attend church today.  These are his words: “Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ and brother of James, To those who are called, beloved in God the Father and kept for Jesus Christ: May mercy, peace, and love be multiplied to you.” Some have wondered why Jude did not come out and say, I am the half brother of Jesus, but instead he stated, and a brother of James.  It could have been his earlier unbelief in Jesus found in John 7:5, “For not even his brothers believed in him.”  It was after the Resurrection that Jude and his brothers put their faith in Jesus Christ, you can find the account in Acts 1:14, “All of these with one accord were devoting themselves to prayer together with the woman and Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers.

This letter was written to the Church, and the Church was never a building or a denomination: it has one head and that is the God/Man Jesus Christ.  The apostle Paul gives this insight; “And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.”  (Ephesians 1:22-23, ESV)  We are also told in Ephesians 5:23, “For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is, Savior.”

We do not enter into a denomination, but into Christ by His grace and the faith He has given us, and by doing so we become members of the body of Christ, and the Church is His bride.  In 2 Corinthians 11:2, the apostle Paul has this to say to the church, “For I feel a divine jealousy for you, since I betrothed you to one husband, to present you as a pure virgin to Christ.”

So this thing we often refer to as the Church, when looking at some grand building made by the hands of man, is far from the Church.  The Church has one head, His name is Jesus Christ, we who come by faith do not have anything to brag about, for it was God who gave it to us and we have entered into a personal relationship by that faith with the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.  We are one body, and the apostle Paul explains how it all works together in Romans 12:4-8,“For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness.”

The Holy Spirit made clear to Jude that He wanted you and I to know these truths; we are loved by the Father and kept for Jesus Christ.  And the Holy Spirit wants us to experience in this present darkness, mercy, peace, and that it would be multiplied to us that are in a personal relationship with Christ.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

We should come to Him with Expectation

Matthew 28:16-20

It is important to understand the many things that happened between the resurrection of our Lord and the Great Commission.  If we look at Dr. Luke’s gospel, he shares about Jesus appearing to two disciples on the road to Emmaus in Luke 24:15 and to Peter in Luke 24:34.  John tells us Jesus met with ten of the disciples the very evening of His resurrection in John 20:19, and then eight days later He appeared to all eleven of these men in John 20:26.  Many believe the account of Paul in 1 Corinthians 15:6 where Jesus not only spoke to the eleven but to over 500 brothers at one time, this was when He gave the Great Commission.  It seemed Jesus spoke directly to the eleven, but we were all included. (Much of my thoughts were taken from footnote #59 on page 1338 of Life Essentials Study Bible.)

As you look at these four verses of Scripture we call the Great Commission, do not look past the obedience of these eleven men, they went to where Jesus had directed them.  Now this writer has no problem believing that 500 plus were at this gathering, for I have no doubt that Mary and the others who had seen Jesus shared the event with everyone they saw!  I would have and believe you would have done the same.  I also believe that some doubted at this point in time, not the eleven but some who were in the crowd of 500 plus.  Why should that surprise us, many each Sunday come to church and do not come with an expectation of Jesus meeting their needs?  For some, it may be like the Lion’s Club, something you have joined and pay dues to, to others, it’s just traditions, but to the many it’s a place to sing praises to and worship the living Christ.

My prayer for all of the above is that the Spirit of the Lord would open your eyes and mind to this very clear command from our Lord; “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”  Jesus has authority both in heaven and earth, that’s a starting point, or just return to Genesis 1:1a, “In the Beginning God” or look to the Gospel of John 1:1-5, “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 were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”

So as we go make disciples in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, we want to be diligent to train them to observe all that Jesus has commanded us.  Could it be that many of us never go under the authority of Christ, and could it be that our lives are not in keeping with our words and actions?  Jesus keeps His promises, and He has many promises; and behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”  Maybe we need to once more grasp the truth of Galatians 2:20, “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

The Propaganda Minister

Matthew 28:11-15

If a lie is told often enough soon many will believe it, or maybe we should look back in history to a man who brought on World War II, his name is Adolf Hitler, and these are his words; “If you tell a big enough lie and tell it frequently enough, it will be believed.”  But we can go back to the beginning, and find that old serpent, the devil himself telling a big one to Eve in the Garden, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?”  Yes, lying has been around from the beginning, but I am glad to report we have dropped such a harsh term from our vocabulary.  Thanks to another famous person, who was a President of the United States, for changing such a harsh term as lying to the word “Spin” and the media show their approval, by proclaiming Bill Clinton the king of spin.  So what is “spin”?  It implies disingenuous, deceptive, and highly manipulative tactics, or in plain English, a liar.

Joseph Goebbels was Adolf Hitler’s propaganda minister and these quotes, this writer believes, have become the game plan of our present administration.

“What does Christianity mean today? National Socialism is a religion. All we lack is a religious genius capable of uprooting outmoded religious practices and putting new ones in their place. We lack traditions and ritual. One day soon National Socialism will be the religion of all Germans. My Party is my church, and I believe I serve the Lord best if I do his will, and liberate my oppressed people from the fetters of slavery. That is my gospel.  (Diary entry for October 16, 1928)  I find no pleasure in saying that many who attend church today, have placed their political party as their religion, and I mean both Democrats and Republicans.

Now back to Matthew 28:11-15, does it surprise you that the religious leaders of the Jewish people would direct the guards to tell a lie?  It helps to give the one who you are counting on to lie for you, a good reason and so they gave a sufficient sum of money to the soldiers.  And what did they get paid to say, “Tell people, ‘His disciples came by night and stole him away while we were asleep.’  Now it must have been a lot of money, because to sleep on guard duty was a death sentence, but the leaders assured them if the governor hears, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble.  “So they took the money and did as they were directed.  And this story has been spread among the Jews to this day.”

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

 

“The best thing that every happen to Women”

November 26, 2013

Matthew 28:1-10

As non-Jews, we need to read and observe the non-Western world to see how Jesus Christ made a difference in the lives of women.  It only requires one visit to any Islamic country to see what rights are denied to women.  In most of those countries, like Saudi Arabia, women are barred from driving an automobile, must be veiled in public, and the husband has the right to beat, sexually abuse, and desert his wife, all with the support of the Koran.  What a contrast to the teaching of Scripture, where the apostle Paul tells men to love their wives just as Christ loved the church and gave Himself for her.

In ancient Greece, the poets equated women with evil, and girls were not allowed to attend school.   The wives in that time were on the same level socially as a slave.  A Jewish woman was barred from public speaking and the Synagogue worship was segregated.  The Roman wife was absolutely under the control of her husband; he had the power of life and death over her.  (Thoughts taken from “The best thing that every happen to Women” by Sue Bohlin)

The paragraph above is of importance because when introducing these first ten verses of chapter 28, the answer lies in the value of women in that culture.  “Since the ancients did not view women as trustworthy, a writer who made up an account designed to convince readers of Jesus resurrection would not have made women the first witnesses of the resurrection.  That Matthew included the women confirms that he was faithful to record actual events, even if they would be seen as discreditable by society.”  (HCSB page 1671 footnote 28:1)

“Now after the Sabbath, toward the dawn of the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. And behold, there was a great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow. And for fear of him the guards trembled and became like dead men. But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here, for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead, and behold, he is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him. See, I have told you.” So they departed quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples. And behold, Jesus met them and said, “Greetings!” And they came up and took hold of his feet and worshiped him. Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee, and there they will see me.”  (Matthew 28:1-10)

Did you get what the angel said; He is not here, for he has risen, as he said.  Are you wondering where Jesus said these things?  Matthew 12:40, “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.”   This account is given in Matthew 16:21, “From that time Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised.”  Matthew 17:22-23, “As they were gathering in Galilee, Jesus said to them, “The Son of Man is about to be delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill him, and he will be raised on the third day.” And they were greatly distressed.”  This is from Matthew 20:18-19, “See, we are going up to Jerusalem. And the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and scribes, and they will condemn him to death and deliver him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified, and he will be raised on the third day.”

My prayer is for those who have not believed, that you will look at the evidence and ask the Spirit of Truth to open your heart and mind to the cross and the price that was paid for your redemption.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

Do you live in fear of what others might Say?

Matthew 27:62-66

“The next day, that is, after the day of Preparation, the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered before Pilate and said, “Sir, we remember how that impostor said, while he was still alive, ‘After three days I will rise.’ Therefore order the tomb to be made secure until the third day, lest his disciples go and steal him away and tell the people, ‘He has risen from the dead,’ and the last fraud will be worse than the first.” Pilate said to them, “You have a guard of soldiers. Go, make it as secure as you can.” So they went and made the tomb secure by sealing the stone and setting a guard.”

Sir we remember what that impostor said; impostor: “a person who pretends to be someone else in order to deceive others, esp. for fraudulent gain.” (The New Oxford American dictionary)  These religious leaders made a request under a false pretense, for Jesus was never the deceiver He was very upfront that He was the Christ, the Messiah sent from God.  And His gain was not fraudulent, for that to be true it would have been a sham, but that also does not hold water, for over 2000 years His Church, that’s you and I and everyone who has entered into a relationship by faith, through the grace of God.  I read this morning that Mercy is not getting what you deserve, but Grace is getting what you do not have coming to you.  Have you experienced Grace?

A detachment of soldiers was sent to guard the tomb and the seal that consisted of wax bearing the imprint of an official Roman seal.  Now it was not a smart thing to break the seal, if caught it could mean death.  Do you see any of the eleven disciples risking death to break that seal, these are the same men who ran at the first sign of trouble? 

There are some parts of the Scripture in which we do not want to be part of the story, but for grins put yourself into the story; what part are you going to play, not the religious leaders, not Pilate, how about the guards who just do as they are told, for to do anything else would mean death.  I bet you see yourself in the role of a disciple, and if so, you have had time to think, what are your thoughts; in three days Jesus is going to smash that rock into a million pieces.  But it may be that I’m next, for they all have seen me with Jesus, and I’m sure they are coming for me. 

If you believe other wise what is it based on, your ego, or maybe you are not like most Christians and are under the authority of the Spirit and when people encounter you they see Jesus.  But most of us would find ourselves on that first day of the week doing what the eleven did.  Turn in your Bible to John 20:19, and this is after the resurrection; “On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being locked where the disciples were for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.”

If you are one that is still locked up in fear of what others might say or do, it’s time to accept the power of this life in Christ, an allow His peace to fill your heart.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

What God has Ordained is not luck or Unplanned

November 23, 2014

Matthew 27:57-61

We have all attended a burial service where someone we love was put into the ground, but none of us have ever attended one where the information about the burial was foretold 100 years before.  The prophet Isaiah gives this account of Jesus’ burial in Isaiah 53:9, “And they made his grave with the wicked and with a rich man in his death, although he had done no violence, and there was no deceit in his mouth.”

There would have been no burial if Pilate had held to Roman rule, for the bodies of crucified victims were normally allowed to rot on the cross.  But God had already told Isaiah about the rich man whose grave Jesus would use, so God put into Pilate’s heart a respect for Jewish principles and allowed the dead to be buried.

Matthew tells us about a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who also was a disciple of Jesus and how he went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus.  Mark, in his gospel, gives more information on Joseph, this is his account: “And when evening had come, since it was the day of Preparation, that is, the day before the Sabbath, Joseph of Arimathea, a respected member of the council, who was also himself looking for the kingdom of God, took courage and went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus.”  (Mark 15:42-43)  As you look at the gospel, the apostle John sheds light on an accomplice of Joseph; his name was Nicodemus who had come to Jesus by night.  John reports that Nicodemus came bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds in weight.  So they took the body of Jesus and bound it in linen cloths with the spices, as was the burial custom of the Jews.

Jan and I were blessed to visit what is believed by many as the site were Jesus was buried, and we are here to report it was empty.   This site closely conforms to the details of John’s gospel.  The following is John’s report:  “Now in the place where he was crucified there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb in which no one had yet been laid. So because of the Jewish day of Preparation, since the tomb was close at hand, they laid Jesus there.” (John 19:41-42)

We need to go back to Matthew’s account, but first more information on Joseph, Dr. Luke tells us; “He was a member of the council, “a good and righteous man, who had not consented to their decision and action; and he was looking for the kingdom of God.” (Luke 23:50b-51)  Back to Matthew 27:59-61, “And Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a clean linen shroud and laid it in his own new tomb, which he had cut in the rock. And he rolled a great stone to the entrance of the tomb and went away. Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were there, sitting opposite the tomb.”

If after reading this you are foolish enough to believe in luck, in change, then please go back an ask the Spirit of God to open your eyes to see that what God has ordained is not luck or unplanned.  Long before the Messiah came to earth, God had already been to the front and the end of what we time critters call time.  His plan from the beginning was a cross, the Christ, a tomb, and the resurrection of His Son, His only Son.  I’ve often found comfort in Jeremiah 29:11, “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for wholeness and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.”

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

Your answer is of Eternal Importance

Matthew 27:45-55

Have you stopped and reflected on the day God’s Son, His only Son, gave up His life so that anyone; did you get that, everyone, everybody, who confesses with their mouth that Jesus is Lord and believes in their heart that God raised Him from the dead, will be saved.  You and I do not have a vote, if we did it would not be grace but our opinion of goodness, but God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, and it all happened on this day!

It began like any other day with a few exceptions, it was the time of the feast of the Passover and Jerusalem is busting at the seams from the number of people who have come for this most holy of feasts.  It is the sixth hour and darkness comes over the land till the ninth hour.  Matthew gave this account, “And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” that is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”  Many have stated it was just an eclipse, but each Bible scholar that addressed this darkness said something like this: “That this general darkness was wholly preternatural is evident from this, that it happened at the Passover, which was celebrated only at the full moon, a time in which it was impossible for the sun to be eclipsed, natural eclipses happening only at the time of the new moon.”

It seems that the bystanders interpreted the darkness, as God’s judgment, but it seems they believed the judgment was against Jesus.  It is only after the resurrection that they saw the darkness in a total different light, it was judgment against the sin that Jesus became on our account.  (Thoughts taken from page 1669 of HCSB)  The apostle Paul is addressing this in his second letter to the church at Corinth, “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” (2 Corinthians 5:21)

Matthew tells us that some of the bystanders heard Jesus’ cry and said he must be calling for Elijah, and one of them “took a sponge, filled it with sour wine and put it on a reed and gave it to him.  And others said, “Wait, let us see where Elijah will come to save him.”  And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and yielded up his spirit.” A few things stand out that need to be addressed, Jesus at the time of taking on your sin and mine did not call God Father, but God, it was the first time Jesus was alienated from the Father.  The Jewish people put to memory the Psalms and yet on this day they they did not recall Psalm 22 by David, when he prophesied these words of Jesus, words that were coming true on that day.  In the first one David states; “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”  In verse seven, “All who see me mock me; they make mouths at me; they wag their heads; “He trusted in the Lord; let him deliver him; let him rescue him, for he delights in him!’ If you have any doubt it was Jesus that David was referring to, keep reading in Psalms 22 verses 14-18.  Jesus death at 3:00 p.m. coincided with the afternoon sacrifice.  Thus the priests were present in the temple to observe the rending of the curtain.  The curtain of the sanctuary separated the holy of holies from the rest of the temple.  According to the Mishnah, it was 60 feet long, 30 feet wide, and as thick as a man’s palm.  It was so heavy that it took 300 men to lift it when it was wet.  That the curtain was torn into from top to bottom shows that it was an act of God and signified Jesus’ death granted sinners new access to God. (Taken from page 1670 of HCSB) 

This also happened on that day; “The tombs also were opened. And many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised, and coming out of the tombs after his resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many.  When the centurion and those who were with him, keeping watch over Jesus, saw the earthquake and what took place, they were filled with awe and said, “Truly this was the Son of God!” (Matthew 27:52-54)  Jesus is still asking this question: “But who do you say that I am?” 

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

One Obscure Man

Matthew 27:32-44

As long as the story is told, we will remember the name of one obscure man in a crowd who was minding his own business, was compelled to carry the cross of Jesus.  His name was Simon, a Cyrenian; the area of Cyrene was near the Mediterranean coast in northern Africa.  It is believed that Simon was an ethnic Jew visiting Jerusalem for the Passover.  Simon carried it from the city gates to a place called Golgotha, meaning the place of a Skull.  Jan and I visited the place and it does look like a Shull and it is not on a hill far away, as the song goes, but on a well traveled road into the city, and as you look up on the hillside you will see the image of a skull.  We were told by our guide that the Romans would always crucify the enemy of Rome by the roads leading into town, and sometimes there would be many crosses lining the road before a Roman leader came to town.  Josephus described crucifixion as “the most wretched of all ways of dying.”  Crucifixion was a horrifying and torturous means of execution.  Naked victims were tied or nailed (John 20:25) to a cross.  The victim might remain alive for days, and after death they were often consumed by dogs, carrion birds or insects.  (Taken from page 1669 notes 27:35 of the HCSB)

I’m sure you read the account of how they tried to give Jesus wine mixed with gall, but when He tasted it he would not drink it.  I am sure you recall the soldiers casting lots for His garments, and you will recall the sign placed above His head, it states His crime, and “This is Jesus, the King of the Jews.”  And I’m sure you remember the two robbers who were crucified with Him, and how they reviled Jesus along with all who passed and the chief priests, the scribes and elders.  Maybe it would be wise to review Matthew’s account: “And those who passed by derided him, wagging their heads and saying, “You who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save yourself! If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross.” So also the chief priests, with the scribes and elders, mocked him, saying, “He saved others; he cannot save himself. He is the King of Israel; let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him. He trusts in God; let God deliver him now, if he desires him. For he said, ‘I am the Son of God.’” And the robbers who were crucified with him also reviled him in the same way.”

We all have practices or habits; one of mine is to begin the morning with Oswald Chamber’s book “My Utmost for His Highest,” and to read a Psalms and one chapter in the Proverbs before I begin to write.  This morning added much to my thoughts on Matthew 27; from Chambers on page 241 dated November 20^th, he is taking his thoughts from Ephesians 1:7, “In whom we have . . . the forgiveness of sin.”

“Beware of the pleasant view of the Fatherhood of God – God is so kind and loving that of course He will forgive us.  That sentiment has no place whatever in the New Testament.  The only ground on which God can forgive us is the tremendous tragedy of the Cross of Christ; to put forgiveness on any other ground is unconscious blasphemy.  The only ground on which God can forgive sin and reinstate us in His favor is through the Cross of Christ, and in no other way.  Forgiveness, which is so easy for us to accept, cost the agony of Calvary.  It is possible to take the forgiveness of sin, the gift of the Holy Spirit, and our sanctification with the simplicity of faith, and to forget at what enormous cost to God it was all made ours.

Forgiveness is the divine miracle of grace; it cost God the Cross of Jesus Christ before He could forgive sin and remain a holy God.  Never accept a view of the Fatherhood of God if it blots our the Atonement.”

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

The subject of Mockery

Matthew 27:27-31

Have you experienced the humiliation of being the subject of mockery?  To me it is one of the most dehumanizing things that can happen to a person.  I’ve never been one of those gifted people that always has a come back, but I’ve known many, both in business and out, that seem to say the right things.  As stated I’m a little slow, and often trying to reply without a lot of time to think about my response, will say the dumbest things.  It seems like I do it around people that I want to impress and guess what, especially in my family there is that person whose sarcasm cuts to the bone.  Ridicule or sarcasm is a dart that targets the very being of a person and leaves wounds that only God can heal. 

This is what Matthew’s gospel records of the Scripture listed above; “Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the governor's headquarters, and they gathered the whole battalion before him. And they stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him, and twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on his head and put a reed in his right hand. And kneeling before him, they mocked him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” And they spit on him and took the reed and struck him on the head. And when they had mocked him, they stripped him of the robe and put his own clothes on him and led him away to crucify him.”  I hope you do not miss the disdain that was shown to our Lord on this day, it was not a battle with flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. 

Often, we look at who was present, about 600 men, a Greek cohort; a tenth of a Roman legion, and overlook who was running the show, but they were just the tools being used by the forces of evil.  What if I had the ability to know before I spoke it would bring sarcasm, more than likely I would reframe from speaking?   But Jesus being totally God and totally man was totally aware of what happened next.  Look with me at Matthew 20:17-19, “And as Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, he took the twelve disciples aside, and on the way he said to them, “See, we are going up to Jerusalem. And the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and scribes, and they will condemn him to death and deliver him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified, and he will be raised on the third day.”

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

The Crowd often makes Bad Choices

Matthew 27:15-23

If we were to have read the Jerusalem newspaper of that day the headlines would have been titled “The Crowd Chooses Barabbas over Jesus.”  Matthew’s account of that day tells us that it was the yearly feast of the governor and it was the custom to release for the crowd any one prisoner they wanted.  Not having any understanding of the feast, I look to men who have spent their lives looking into such things, one such person was John Gill, (23 November 1697 – 14 October 1771) an English Baptist pastor, biblical scholar, and theologian who held to a firm Calvinistic soteriology.  Gill shed some light on the feast of the governor in this statement, “I have not met with the least trace of any such custom of theirs at the time of the pass over in any of their writings; but it seems to be a Roman one: and from all the accounts of the evangelist, it appears to be peculiar to the Roman governor, who, either by the order of Caesar, or of himself, introduced such a custom to get the favor of the people; for it was to them the release was made, and the person, whom they pleased; and this being repeated annually for some time, was expected by them, and at last became necessary.

It seems that on that day in history, Barabbas the one Matthew refers to as a notorious prisoner, was famous for doing something bad, and in Mark’s gospel chapter 15:7, “There was one named Barabbas, who was in prison with rebels who had committed murder during the rebellion.”  Some have speculated that the rebels who were in prison with Barabbas probably included the two criminals who were crucified with Jesus. 

Pilate is between a rock and a hard place, he understands the reason for Jesus’ arrest, it was envy, and his wife had a dream and sent this word to Pilate; “Have nothing to do with that righteous man, for I have suffered much because of him today in a dream.”  (Matthew 27:19b)  The other factor involved is the religious guys, chief priests and the elders who have persuaded the crowd to ask for Barabbas and to have Jesus crucified.  What will a politician do when confronted on one side with truth and on the other side try to please the crowd?  The same thing they are doing today, truth will always lose its place with one who desires power.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice