Jesus Foretells Destruction of the Temple

 

 

 

 

Mark 13:1 – 2

 

June 24, 2020

 

 

Jesus Foretells Destruction of the Temple

And as he came out of the temple, one of his disciples said to him, “Look, Teacher, what wonderful stones and what wonderful buildings!”   And Jesus said to him, “Do you see these great buildings? There will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down.”

 

Why are we shocked when an all-knowing God gives us insight into a matter that is about to happen?  As a very small child, I still recall my mother being given insight into a matter of what was about to happen.  We had no car, and often, Dad was working on Sundays at the plant.  We walked almost three miles to church. I was very young and would stay with my mom, but my brother and sister, who were older, would often be a good way behind us.  Mother stopped and said Children, come to me quickly, and as they ran to her side, an 18-wheeler came by, and something happened, and the trailer it was pulling came off and went out into a field at the spot my brother and sister were at.  I will always remember Mother's words; God told me that was going to happen just when I needed to know.

 

Jan and I had only one car and lived in a small town outside of Corpus Christi, and had no phone at that time.  Jan had gone to a lady's Bible Study when my cousin and her husband knocked on the door and told me to take their car to the hospital, and they would stay with our daughter till Jan got home.

 

My dad had not been sick to my knowledge, and I was driving and praying when I noticed I was only going 50 miles an hour, on a 70-mile-an-hour highway.  I asked the Lord why I was going so slow, and He made it clear to me that my dad had died, and I just needed to pray for my mother.  When I got to the hospital, my Uncle Travis came to me and said Son, I’m so sorry your dad is gone.  He was giving me old news. God had prepared me before I got there.

 

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

Whose Son Is the Christ?

 

Mark 12: 35-40

 

June 23, 2020

 

 

Whose Son Is the Christ?

And as Jesus taught in the temple, he said, “How can the scribes say that the Christ is the son of David?  David himself, in the Holy Spirit, declared,

 "The Lord said to my Lord, 'Sit at my right hand, until I put your enemies under your feet.”’

David himself calls him Lord. So, how is he his son?” And the great throng heard him gladly.

The Scribes taught that the Messiah was to be the Son of David.  But David identified the Messiah as his Lord.  The Messiah was not just a descendant of David.  He was David’s Lord.

Beware of the Scribes

 And in his teaching, he said, “Beware of the scribes, who like to walk around in long robes and like greetings in the marketplaces and have the best seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at feasts, who devour widows' houses and for a pretense make long prayers. They will receive the greater condemnation.”

Dr. Luke gives more in-depth teaching of the sins of the Scribes in Luke’s gospel 11:37-54.  As you read the account, take notice, for it is easy to be a Pharisee or scribe to want to be seen as a person of God, yet your inner life or hidden life from a man but not from God, does not stack up.  Jesus said, they wash the outer part, but their inner life is consumed with evil thoughts.  Their teaching puts heavy burdens on the one who listens, yet they do not do the things they teach.  They like the seat of honor, and I share it is a wise person who knows what their flesh is like; mine wants to be noticed, it wants you to think better of me than both God and I know to be true, and also it likes to be first.  I have to be on guard against these things or I will not be the man God desires, and to my shame, often I am that man, a Pharisee.

 

The Widow's Offering

 And he sat down opposite the treasury and watched the people putting money into the offering box. Many rich people put in large sums.   And a poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which make a penny.  And he called his disciples to him and said to them, “Truly, I say to you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the offering box.   For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she, out of her poverty, has put in everything she had, all she had to live on.”

Few of us have any understanding of sacrificial giving when it comes to money, but I’ve noticed sacrificial giving from many, both men and women, when it comes to a mate or a child who no longer has the ability to care for themselves.  As my dear friend Karen shared with Jan and me, I have to take it day by day, and God gives me the strength I need each day.

 

Each of us has been entrusted as managers of what God has blessed us with.  Do not be a foolish manager, but a wise one, and seek the Holy Spirit’s leadership in the matter of your giving of money.

 

From the Back Porch,

 

Bob Rice

 

Can Satan tell the Truth?

 

 

Can Satan tell the Truth?

 

Can Satan, the evil one, the devil, tell the truth?  Now that is a very interesting thought, in that we live in a world that does not talk much about this created being.  If he knows the truth, and I believe that can be proven, then does he ever tell the truth?  How did he become Satan? Was he always evil? Does he have a plan that includes you and me?

 

In the book of Genesis 3:14, we see a serpent talking and tempting Eve.  What was it about? It was about “Truth”, God had commanded Adam and Eve not to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, all others were ok.  But of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, God said, “For in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”  So, the serpent shows up, and he is not called Lucifer, the devil, or Satan.  But he has the character of the devil.  What does he say to Eve, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?  Eve tells the serpent what God has said, and this is his reply, “You will not surely die.  For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”  Did they die? 1 Corinthians 15:22 “For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive.”  Also, look at Romans 5:12, “Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned.”  That is the first account in Scripture of something evil tempting man.  As I stated earlier, the serpent had the attributes of Satan, and we will see more of this.  To make any other claim would be to add to Scripture, and God has made clear the danger of doing so.

 

Satan does show up in the book of Job. We do not know the author, but we can know God breathed it and put it on paper through a man.  Many scholars regard it as the oldest book in the Bible.  Job 1:6 states the following: “Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came among them.”  What happens when Satan shows up in heaven, God asks him what he has been up to.  The conversation goes like this: “The Lord said to Satan, ‘From where have you come?’  Satan answered the Lord and said, “From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking up and down on it.”  And the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job, there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil.”  And you know the rest of the story, Satan asks God, “Does Job fear God for no reason?”  So, God gave Satan the ok to mess with all of Job’s stuff, but not to touch Job.  I hope you got that part; Satan had to get permission to mess with Job.

 

I desire to make clear that Satan or the devil comes at us with many schemes. Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians 11:3, “But I am afraid that as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your thoughts will be led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ.”  Paul is warning you and me to be on guard of men who would add to God’s written word, men who take liberties with the Scriptures; in verses 13-14, “For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ.  And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.”  Do you like to read the end of the book to see how it is all going to come out; God has given us that, but he has also told us more about this enemy of ours in Revelation 20:2, “And he sized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years, …” Then what, what did he call Satan, that ancient serpent, the one that was in the Garden with Eve.  He was not Lucifer; he was that ancient serpent, and God called him the devil and Satan.  Does God have a plan for Satan, you better believe it, and it is stated in Revelation 20:10, “and the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur where the beast and the false prophet were, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.”  

 

In the book of John 12:31, Jesus said, “Now is the judgment of this world; now will the ruler of this world be cast out.”  Who is Jesus referring to as the ruler of this world?  In John 14:30, Jesus also refers to the ruler of this world.  Satan either has or will be given the power to control the “Man of Lawlessness”, I believe that is referring to the Anti-Christ.  This will only happen after the Holy Spirit, the “Spirit of Truth,” is removed from the earth, or the body of Christ is removed.  Look at 2 Thessalonians 2:7, “For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work.  Only he who now restrains it will do so until he is out of the way.”  Look at verse 9, “The coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan with all power and false signs and wonders, and with all wicked deception for those who are perishing because they refused to love the truth and so be saved.”

 

Many want to tell us that Satan is a paper tiger, but in Hebrews 2:14, it is written, “Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil.”  Jesus came to destroy the one who has the power of death, and he tells us that the being is the devil.  The good news is that Satan no longer has that power; it was removed at the cross.  In John 18:37, Jesus tells us why he came into the world, and that was to bear witness to the truth.  We have all read that truth will set us free, and that’s what Jesus did. Look at 1 John: 3:8-9, “Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning.  The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil.  No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God’s seed (Jesus) abides in him, and he cannot keep on sinning.”  How long has he been sinning, from the beginning?

 

What about man’s authority!  In the book of beginning, Genesis 1:28, “And God blessed them, and God said to them, 'Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.  This authority was given to Adam in the beginning.  No one knows how long it was before Adam and Eve sinned, but after they sinned, their role changed.  You can read what God said to Adam and Eve in Genesis 3:16-19.  I know that man was no longer in fellowship with God; his desire became for self, and God said he chose a new father, the devil.

 

Does Satan have authority over this world?  He has made this claim;, he made it to the Lord Jesus Christ in Luke 4:5-6, “And the devil took him up and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time, and said to him, “To you, I will give all this authority and their glory, for it has been delivered to me, and I give it to whom I will.”  What did Jesus do? Remember, Jesus is the truth; He does not just know the truth. Jesus is the truth.  This was Jesus' reply: “It is written, ‘you shall worship the Lord your God, and him only shall you serve.’”  Jesus did not tell Satan he was a liar, that the earth was under man’s authority; in fact, the real temptation may have been the return of this authority, which was delivered to Satan, without a cross.  We do know that it is not written that God gave Satan authority over the earth, but it is implied that Adam delivered this authority to Satan.

 

I would be negligent if I did not state the following: the Scripture states; there are only two types of people on this earth, those who have God as their Father and those who have the devil as their Father.  John 8:42-44, Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and I am here.  I came not of my own accord, but he sent me.  Why do you not understand what I say?  It is because you cannot bear to hear my word.  You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires.  He was a murderer from the beginning and has nothing to do with the truth because there is no truth in him.  When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.”  I am sure you just got the answer to the title question.  Satan is a liar; he has nothing to do with truth.  Who is “Truth”, the God-man, Jesus?

 

You and I and all who have lived since Adam have needed to be set free from the control of Satan.  Paul is on trial before King Agrippa, and he is telling the king what happened to him on his journey to Damascus.  He is explaining how he was going with the authority and commission of the chief priests to persecute Christians.  He is telling how he met Jesus on that road and how he was converted from a killer of Christians to a follower of Christ.  In the book of Acts 26:15-16 and 18, ​ 

And I said, ‘Who are you, Lord?’  And the Lord said, ‘I am Jesus whom you are persecuting.  But rise and stand upon your feet, for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to appoint you as a servant and witness to the things in which I will appear to you, verse 18, “to open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.”   

 

Satan may be a paper tiger to some, but he has done a great job of blinding the minds of unbelievers.  Look with me at 2 Corinthians 4:3-4, “And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled only to those who are perishing.  In their case, the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.”  So he is the reason many are blinded to the gospel, and he is also an adversary of everyone who claims the name of Jesus Christ.  Look how he challenges the ones who are in Christ.  You and I are told to put on the whole armor of God so that we will be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.  Ephesians 6:12, “For we do not wrestle against 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.”  And once more, we are told to take up the whole armor of God so that we will be able to stand.  I do not know about you, but that does not sound like I’m in a fair fight.  The Scriptures are very clear that this battle is against rulers. Question: Who are they, and who do they rule?  Against the authorities, once more, what authorities and who do they have authority over?  If Satan is just a paper tiger with a big bark and no bite, what and who are these cosmic powers over this present darkness, and the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places?  We'd better get dressed in the armor that God has given us for this battle.  It is armor for the unseen world, and it is armor for the seen also.  You cannot see the armor, but the demons and Satan can. You cannot see the armor, but the angels and the Lord Jesus Christ can.  Get dressed each morning for this cosmic battle; it is real, and if you are in Christ, you have the right to this armor.

 

The authority that was lost or given to Satan at the fall has been returned to Christ.  But it is His authority, not yours.  The Scriptures state the following in John 14:6: Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through me.”  It requires all men to come to this truth; without it, the only father they have is the devil.  But to those who have believed and received the gift of forgiveness of sins by faith in God’s only Son, and by the blood he shed for their sins, they only have authority as they abide in Christ.  The New Testament, from beginning to end, tells us we must abide in Christ. He has given us all we need to live life, for He is life, and He is our life.  But we must abide, look at John 15:4, “Abide in me, and I in you.  As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in me.”  When we enter into Christ, we get all He has to give; we cannot get more, and He has given us Himself.

 

The Christian life is not about your authority but about your choices!  I am reading “The Rest of the Gospel by Dan Stone and David Gregory, and it is an excellent book on letting Jesus live the Christian life in you.  He is the only one who can live it.  The following quote from page 161, “But God purposely created us with the possibility of choice, and we reap the results of our choice.  We never escape that, then or now.   In God’s love, He lets us choose.  He says, “If you want to go the way of the world, go.  If that’s where your love and affection are, you go.  But you’ll reap what you have chosen.”

Does that mean all is not of grace? No.  God does do it all.  Only He can live the life.  And only he can work in us, enabling us to be willing cooperators with Him.  But He has left us a role.  Our role is availability.  We are available to the Lord to live His life through us.  What Mary said to the angel Gabriel applies to every believer: “Behold, the bond slave of the Lord; may it be done to me according to your word” (Luke 1:38).  That’s availability.  Mary was willing.  God was the one who did it.

Our availability releases God’s ability.  So, we trust the Lord to do it through us.”

 

My prayer is that this is a clear account of who Satan is.  What authority and power has he been given?  And only we who have bowed our knees to the Lord Jesus Christ recognize that all authority is in Christ.  Never forget that the choices you make determine what you reap.

 

From the Back Porch,

 

Bob Rice

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Great Commandment

 

 

 

Mark 12: 28-34

 

June 22, 2020

 

 

The Great Commandment

And one of the scribes came up and heard them disputing with one another, and seeing that he answered them well, asked him, “Which commandment is the most important of all?”   Jesus answered, “The most important is, ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.   And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’   The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”   And the scribe said to him, “You are right, Teacher. You have truly said that he is one, and there is no other besides him.  And to love him with all the heart and with all the understanding and with all the strength, and to love one's neighbor as oneself, is much more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.”  And when Jesus saw that, he answered wisely, he said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” And after that, no one dared to ask him any more questions.

The scribes heard the Sadducees debating with Jesus over the woman that marries all seven brothers and who would she be married to in heaven.  The scribes ask his own question: “Which commandment is the most important of all?”  

As a follower of Christ, each day I need to be reminded of number one and number two, for if my focus is not on obeying, my life will be of little or no value to the Kingdom of Heaven.  Jesus answered, “The most important is, ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.   And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’   The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”  

But how, that is the question each of us wrestles with, how can I do it, and the answer is you can’t, but God desires to do it all for us; we have to be willing to allow Him to do so.  God does not force His will on His children, but when I want Him more than the desires of the world, then I find He gives me the ability to love Him and my neighbor.

 From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

The Sadducees Ask About the Resurrection

 

Mark 12:18-27

 

June 21, 2020

 

 

The Sadducees Ask About the Resurrection

And Sadducees came to him, who say that there is no resurrection. And they asked him a question, saying,  “Teacher, Moses wrote for us that if a man's brother dies and leaves a wife, but leaves no child, the man^[e] must take the widow and raise up offspring for his brother.  There were seven brothers; the first took a wife, and when he died, left no offspring.   And the second took her and died, leaving no offspring. And the third likewise.  And the seven left no offspring. Last of all, the woman also died.   In the resurrection, when they rise again, whose wife will she be? For the seven had her as wife.”

 Jesus said to them, “Is this not the reason you are wrong, because you know neither the Scriptures nor the power of God?   For when they rise from the dead, they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven.   And as for the dead being raised, have you not read in the book of Moses, in the passage about the bush, how God spoke to him, saying, ‘I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’?  He is not the God of the dead, but of the living. You are quite wrong.”

In the Holman Study Bible on page 1788, they state the following about the Sadducees: they came about in the second century B.C. during the Maccabean revolt.  They were closely associated with the aristocratic and priestly classes, accepted only the book of Moses (the Pentateuch) as Scripture, denied bodily resurrection, future judgment, the existence of angels, demons, and spirits, and affirmed human free will. (verses Acts 23:6-8)

 

The Sadducees came about during a revolt, and today the United States of America is also in a time of the revolt, but it has been happening longer than most of us realize according to  Dr. Jack Devere Minzey, born 6^th of October 1928, died April 8, 2018, was the Department Head of Education at Eastern Michigan University as well as a prolific author of numerous books, most of which were on the topic of Education and the Government role therein. (Editor's note) This was the last of his works: (Civil War: How do civil wars happen?)  

Our revolt has been taking place for a long time; listen to what Dr. Minzey has to say. 
“Two or more sides disagree on who runs the country.  They can't settle the question through elections because they don't even agree that elections are how you decide who's in charge.  That's the basic issue here: who decides who runs the country?  When you hate each other but accept the election results, you have a country.  When you stop accepting election results, you have a countdown to a civil war.”

Could it be that we have many in the church and in our government who have the mindset of Sadducees?  I always look for the bottom line, and when Jesus speaks, that should be the end of the matter.  Jesus said when addressing the Sadducees, “He is not God of the dead, but of the living. You are quite wrong.”  I can only hope you heard the reason they were quite wrong; “Is this not the reason you are wrong, because you know neither the Scriptures nor the power of God?   

 

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

 

 

Paying Taxes to Caesar

 

Mark 12: 13-17

 

June 20, 2020

 

 

Paying Taxes to Caesar

And they sent to him some of the Pharisees and some of the Herodians, to trap him in his talk.   And they came and said to him, “Teacher, we know that you are true and do not care about anyone's opinion. For you are not swayed by appearances, but truly teach the way of God. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not? Should we pay them, or should we not?”   But, knowing their hypocrisy, he said to them, “Why put me to the test? Bring me a denarius and let me look at it.”   And they brought one. And he said to them, “Whose likeness and inscription is this?” They said to him, “Caesar's.”   Jesus said to them, “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's.” And they marveled at him.

 

I’m sure most of my readers know what Herodians and Pharisees were, but in this crazy world we are living in, with people everywhere trying to rewrite history or do away with it, history is important to define who they were.  The dictionary defines Herodians in the Easton’s Bible Dictionary as a Jewish political party who sympathized with ( Mark 3:6;  12:13; Matt, 22:16;  Luke 20:20 ) the Herodian rulers in their general policy of the government, and in the social customs which they introduced from Rome. They were at one with the Sadducees in holding the duty of submission to Rome, and of supporting the Herods on the throne. (Compare  Mark 8:15; Matthew 16:6 .)

 

The Pharisees defined it in this way: “From whom did the Pharisees separate? From those, especially priests or clerics, who interpreted the Law differently than they did? From the common people of the land? From Gentiles or Jews who embraced the Hellenistic culture? From certain political groups? All these groups of people, the Pharisees would have been determined to avoid in their resolution to separate themselves from any type of impurity proscribed by the Levitical law — or, more specifically, their strict interpretation of it.” (Christianity.com)

 

This is very interesting in that Sadducees and the Pharisees were a lot like the Republicans and the Democrats of today in not agreeing on much.  They also had this in common: they desired power and authority over the people, with little or no regard for them.  In today's political parties, it is clear that the Democratic party as a whole has a hatred for the things of God, but then all the Herodians and Pharisees were doing was following after religion and its customs and rules, but had no desire for the things of God.  Could it be that many today who go by the title of Christian also find themselves in that same boat?

 

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

 

The Parable of the Tenants

                                                                       Mark 12: 1-12

 

June 19, 2020

 

 

The Parable of the Tenants

And he began to speak to them in parables. “A man planted a vineyard and put a fence around it and dug a pit for the winepress and built a tower, and leased it to tenants and went into another country.   When the season came, he sent a servant to the tenants to get from them some of the fruit of the vineyard.  And they took him and beat him and sent him away empty-handed.   Again, he sent to them another servant, and they struck him on the head and treated him shamefully.  And he sent another, and him they killed. And so, with many others: some they beat, and some they killed.   He had still one other, a beloved son. Finally, he sent him to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’   But those tenants said to one another, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.’   And they took him and killed him and threw him out of the vineyard.   What will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and destroy the tenants and give the vineyard to others.   Have you not read this Scripture:“‘The stone that the builders rejected

 has become the cornerstone;  this was the Lord's doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes?”

 And they were seeking to arrest him but feared the people, for they perceived that he had told the parable against them. So, they left him and went away.”

I often ask myself, what’s happened to common sense? How did we get to a place of not being willing to listen to other opinions?  When did we allow greed and power to destroy a family, a church, a nation?  The answer is from the fall of man, it is not a new thing if only we would read and learn from history.  The enemy of all mankind, the enemy of God, said, If I remove all the history, all the statues, then I will get them to hate and even kill all authority, and replace it with a godless man they will worship.  Folks, that is where we are going, and the Church is silent.  It is not a new thing when you say so, you only show your ignorance of history, have you read 2 Chronicles 24:19-22, “Although the Lord sent prophets to the people to bring them back to him, and though they testified against them, they would not listen. Then the Spirit of God came on Zechariah, son of Jehoiada the priest. He stood before the people and said, “This is what God says: ‘Why do you disobey the Lord’s commands? You will not prosper. Because you have forsaken the Lord, he has forsaken you.’”

But they plotted against him, and by order of the king, they stoned him to death in the courtyard of the Lord’s temple.  King Joash did not remember the kindness Zechariah’s father Jehoiada had shown him but killed his son, who said as he lay dying, “May the Lord see this and call you to account.”

 If you are a follower of Christ, have you not read Matthew 24, and for the sake of keeping this a paper and not a book, let me share what Jesus has stated about the signs of the close of this age in verses 9-14.  “Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations for my name's sake.   And then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another.   And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray.   And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold.   But the one who endures to the end will be saved.   And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.”

It is close to homecoming, and it is time to let those in your circle of influence know that Jesus loves them and has the answers they are looking for.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

 

                                                                     Mark 11: 27-33

June 17, 2020

 

 

The Authority of Jesus Challenged

And they came again to Jerusalem. And as he was walking in the temple, the chief priests and the scribes and the elders came to him,  and they said to him, “By what authority are you doing these things, or who gave you this authority to do them?”   Jesus said to them, “I will ask you one question; answer me, and I will tell you by what authority I do these things.   Was the baptism of John from heaven or from man? Answer me.”  And they discussed it with one another, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say, ‘Why then did you not believe him?’   But shall we say, ‘From man’?”—they were afraid of the people, for they all held that John really was a prophet.    So, they answered Jesus, “We do not know.” And Jesus said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.”

Have you ever wondered where authority came from? Romans  13:1, “Let every person be subject to the governing authorities?  For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God.”  We have the earthly authorities coming to Jesus; they are not happy with the actions He took cleaning the temple of money changers, and they want answers to whose authority He did this under.  Now they were part of the ruling body of the Sanhedrin, and we know they were getting the authority to rule from the Romans, who ruled over them.  Unlike Jesus, who was the only Son of the Father, they were not looking to God; they were trying to please Rome to keep the people in line.  They were hired hands of the Romans; they did not do what God said but what Rome said, and they were not under the authority of God but of Rome.  

Be very careful not to sit under a pastor that is a man-pleaser and not a God pleaser, Jesus talks about such men in John’s gospel chapter 10:12, “He who is a hired hand and not a shepherd, who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them.”  If you are in that church, leave because that pastor is also referred to as a hireling.  He has no authority or power from God’s Holy Spirit, and will always say whatever is pleasing to the ears of those who have employed Him.

They ask a question and Jesus says, I will tell you, but first answer me, 'Was the baptism of John from heaven or from man? Answer me.”  Now they were fearful but not of God but of man, so they would not answer, and this was Jesus' reply: “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.”

Is there a time when God has given us the authority to tell the government we will not do as you require?  The answer is yes, read the account of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in Daniel 3, or what about Peter and John before the Sanhedrin in Acts 4?

You will recall they healed a man in the name of Jesus and were arrested, put in jail, and the next day, we're told to no longer speak or preach about Jesus; this was their reply.  “Then they called them in again and commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus.   But Peter and John replied, “Which is right in God’s eyes: to listen to you, or to him? You be the judges!   As for us, we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard.”

Will I have the faith to go to my death as happened in Daniel's account, or in the case of Peter and John, to be beaten and find the joy that you were worthy to be punished for speaking of Jesus?  We are not at that point yet, I do believe it is not far off, so what is our problem, is our faith that small?

 

From the Back Porch,

 

Bob Rice

 

How can I Love My Enemy?

 

 

 

How can I Love My Enemy?

 

         Shall we begin with Webster’s definition of love: 1.) a strong affection for or attachment or devotion to a person or persons.  We should also look at the definition for the enemy: 1.) a person who hates another, and wishes or tries to injure him; a person hostile to an idea, cause, etc.; adversary; foe.  Now that we have an understanding of the subject matter, let’s go deeper.

 

         The Scripture goes into great detail that God is love.  In the book of 1 John, chapter 4:7-8, “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God.  Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.”  Skip to verses 11-13, and we begin to understand that God wants us to abide in Him.  “Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.  No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us.  By this, we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit.”  We could fill this page with verses on how God loves us, but verse 16 of 1 John 4 is a great place to stop.  “So, we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us.  God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.”

 

         Two things that I should point out from above are: first, the word “beloved” is what God is calling you, if you are in Christ.  How can you be “in Christ”? Verse 15 of the chapter above spells that out for us: “Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God.”  The second word is “abide,” and therein lies our problem.  How do we abide in God?

 

         I have been reading a book by Dan Patrick titled “The Second Most Important Book You’ll Ever Read,” and I quote from page 67.  “Before any person can feel truly good about his outward actions, he must feel good about his inward relationships with God and others.  And before he can feel good about his inward relationships, he must know that he is loved by God, forgiven by God, and fully accepted and counted as worthy by God.  Once a person knows that he is loved, forgiven, and valued by God, it is easy to live by God’s commandments.  All of the “have to” attitudes associated with the commandments are replaced by “want to” attitudes!  That is Dan Patrick, who is the Texas Lieutenant Governor 

         Jesus taught this: “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him.  He who does not love Me does not keep My words.” (John 14:23-24)

 

Dan goes on to remind us that the Bible also commands us to love our neighbor, and Jesus made it clear that he’s talking about the guy next door, the guy we work with, and the ones He has placed over us in authority.  How do we love our neighbor?  The same way we love our enemy.  We have to abide in God.  How do we abide in God?

 

         First, let me state that Dan hit it on the head: “he must feel good about his inward relationship with God and others.  And before he can feel good about his inward relationships, he must know that he is loved by God, forgiven by God, and fully accepted and counted as worthy by God.”  I also believe you have got to deal with this statement: “He is God and you are not.”  

 

         The sovereignty of God must be dealt with in your heart and mind.  Have you agreed with these truths: 1) The term sovereignty means “independent from external control.” 2.) The concept includes the idea of supreme authority and power or the rule of a monarch. 3) Sovereignty means God is in control of it all.  4) God is way beyond our figuring out. 5) God is sovereign in business and world events – yesterday and today! 6) God can use anyone and anything to accomplish His purposes.  (The above was taken from the book titled “Gripped by the Greatness of God.”

 

If you agree that God is sovereign, then you must come to this conclusion: I can thank God for trusting me with this experience even if He never tells me why.  I will be obedient when told.  That means I will obey the authority God has placed over me in my business and government.  I will live a righteous life when tempted and will be submissive when tried.  I will not try to play god, but I will abide in Him.

 

         I will close with a prayer I read from “Gripped by the Greatness of God”.  Sovereign Lord, according to Your promise, You work all things together for my good when I love You and respond to Your call and purpose for my life.  Help me learn to love and obey You so I can experience Your best in all things.  And help me trust You when I don’t understand all You allow to come my way.  Open my mind this week to understand your sovereignty. Amen.

 

From the Back Porch,

 

Bob Rice

The Triumphal Entry

  

 

 

Mark 11: 1-11

 

June 15, 2020

 

The Triumphal Entry

Now when they drew near to Jerusalem, to Bethphage and Bethany, at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two of his disciples and said to them, “Go into the village in front of you, and immediately as you enter it you will find a colt tied, on which no one has ever sat. Untie it and bring it.   If anyone says to you, ‘Why are you doing this?’ say, ‘The Lord has need of it and will send it back here immediately.’”   And they went away and found a colt tied at a door outside in the street, and they untied it.   And some of those standing there said to them, “What are you doing, untying the colt?”   And they told them what Jesus had said, and they let them go.   And they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their cloaks on it, and he sat on it.   And many spread their cloaks on the road, and others spread leafy branches that they had cut from the fields.   And those who went before and those who followed were shouting, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!    Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David! Hosanna in the highest!”

 And he entered Jerusalem and went into the temple. And when he had looked around at everything, as it was already late, he went out to Bethany with the twelve.

 

Mark’s account of this day shows the King of Kings entering Jerusalem on a borrowed colt, which has not been broken to allow a man to sit on it. Mark goes into great detail about what is taking place with the colt, and it is amazing for man, but a small thing for God.  

 

Think for a moment about the ones that went to get the colt, were they amazed when it was Jesus who told them, maybe, but they went, and when asked why they were taking the colt, they did as Jesus told them and were allowed to take it?  Do you believe their faith was strong in Jesus after this mission?  How often we miss the message that the Holy Spirit is teaching by not considering what effect it has on the men and women in the story.

 

As Jesus entered the city, it was about two miles from Bethany. He went to the Temple, where he was most alarmed. Was it the Romans who ruled, or the Religious leaders who feared losing power?  We will look at that a little later, but we know a lot from all the gospels about the Triumphal entry into Jerusalem.  In Matthew 21:1-11, Mark 11:1-11, Luke 19:28–44, and John 12:12–19, Jesus descends from the Mount of Olives towards Jerusalem, and the crowds lay their clothes on the ground to welcome him as he triumphantly enters Jerusalem.

 

From the Back Porch, 

Bob Rice