E ~ Is For Enter The King

A ~ Is For AFFLICTION

S ~ Is For SUFFICIENT SACRIFICE

T ~ Is For The TOMB Is Empty!

E ~ Is For EMBRACE Your Calling, Your Belief, And Truly Love The Lord

R ~ Is Definitely, For Believe In The RESSURECTION

John 11:25-26

“Jesus said, I am the RESSURECTION, and the life.  He who BELIEVES in Me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and BELIEVES in Me will never die.  Do you BELIEVE this?”

The Purpose of The Book of John

“…that  you may BELIEVE that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by BELIEVING you may have life in His name.”  AMEN!

E ~ Is For ENTER The King

A ~ Is For AFFLICTION

S ~ Is For SUFFICIENT SACRIFICE

T ~ Is For The TOMB Is Empty!

E ~ Is For EMBRACE Your Calling, Your Belief, And Truly Love The Lord

Read: John 21:1-25

Matthew Henry’s commentary says this about John 21:1-14:  “Christ’s time of making himself known to his people, is when they are most at a loss.  He knows the temporal wants of his people, and has promised them not only grace sufficient, but food convenient…..There is nothing lost by observing Christ’s order; it is casting the net on the right side of the ship.  Jesus manifests himself to his people by doing that for them which none else can do, and things they looked not for…..The Lord Jesus had provisions ready for the Disciples.  We need not be curious in inquiring whence this came; but we may be comforted at Christ’s care for His Disciples.  There were so many fishes, yet they lost none, nor damaged their net.  The net of the Gospel has enclosed multitudes, yet it is as strong as ever to bring souls to God.”

I think that much of what Jesus tried to teach the Disciples (and He tries to teach us), through His wonderful illustrations (word pictures), His Word and our relationship with Him,  is this:  He desperately wants us to look at what He can do, instead of what we cannot do.  He is calling us to EMBRACE our calling to BELIEVE and FOLLOW Him.  Our calling does not just concern us…it concerns all who we come into contact with.

For me, this call to EMBRACE is what Jesus was trying to get across to Peter in the verses 15-19.  Peter (or insert your name here), if you love the Lord, than you will EMBRACE all that He is and all that He has been teaching you.  What the Lord is looking for in you (in all of us) is your love, above all else.  The Lord is examining your heart…He is asking…Do You Love Me?….Do You Love Me?…..Do You Love Me?  It’s not enough just to say it.  Back up your words with your actions.  The best way to show Him (Jesus) your love, is to take care of His people…humble service in Jesus name.

E ~ Is For EMBRACE…

..Your Calling To BELIEVE, FOLLOW and LOVE  Jesus…

…This Is What Your Relationship With Him, Is All About

Why Is The Friday Before Easter Sunday Referred To As Good?

My answer to this question is a “bitter ~ sweet” one.  I remember when my ‘birth’ Mother died.  She was 42 years old, and I was 22.  She had struggled with cancer for three years.  I remember the day before she died, I looked at her and said, ”if I could take your place, I would”.  She in turn said to me, “I would not let you do that”.  And she told me that she was ready to die.  I knew that she was very tired and in much pain.  It was really difficult to hear her say this, but I had no wish to watch her suffer physically any longer.  The bitter taste was that I would have my mother no longer, and she would never see her 3 year old Grand-daughter (Kim-my daughter) grow up.  I remember the first thing she said, just after she was told she had cancer, was “I won’t get to see Kim grow up”.  My goodness, it’s been 33 years since she died and I can’t hardly type this through the tears.  There is still that bitter taste, I guess.  But the sweet taste is that the moment she died, there was no more suffering and I had that hope of Paradise and to be reunited with her.  The funny thing was, that I had not given my life to Jesus yet, but I remember still having that hope…that this life was not the end.  And, the Lord saw fit to give me second Mother, whom I love very much.   

I also lost my Father 3 1/2 years ago to cancer.  I have to tell you, there was a much bitter taste to this moment in my life.  Not because I loved my ‘Daddy’ more than my Mother, but I had many more years with him to build a relationship.  And, I was young when my Mother died.  Not only did my Father suffer physically, but he anguished over certain areas of his life.  It was extremely difficult for me to watch him suffer physically and emotionally.  I had never seen my ‘Daddy’ so frail and weak, literally.  It was a very bitter taste.  I remember saying to him, the same thing I said to my Mother…”I would take your place if I could”.  I knew the day my sister and I left to travel back to our homes (230 miles away), after spending his birthday with him, I would not see him alive again.  But, as with my Mother, I had no wish to watch him suffer any longer.  Again, the sweet taste was that hope of Paradise and no more suffering.

Today, this day we call ‘Good Friday’, is a “bitter ~ sweet” day.  The bitter taste is the horrible, tremendous torture that My Lord suffered…He bore my sins in agony on the cross.  His blood was spilled for me.  It had to be that way.  He did, in fact, take my place!  I (nor anyone else) could not graphically explain how horrible the torture of my sins were for Jesus…I can’t even imagine it.  Bitter taste?  You bet?  Do I weep when I think about it?   Yes!  Should today be called ‘Black Friday’ (not the shopping day after Thanksgiving)?  Maybe!  Would Mary and the Disciples have called that day a ‘Good Friday’?  Absolutely not!  Remember, the Scripture says that they did not yet fully understand……But, We Do Understand!

Today is ‘Good Friday’ because of the sweet reason that “God sent His Son”, to pay the price for me and for you. I know that Jesus is Alive ~ And I have the hope of Paradise!  Without His death, there would not be that hope. The results of that Friday so long ago, is the reason we call it ‘Good Friday’.  So Bitter ~ Yet So Sweet!

As ’Christians, we should always be looking forward.  The only reason we should look to the past, is to praise God for what He has done for us….to say thanks for pulling us out of those pits we were in.   Today, I choose to look forward to Easter Sunday…that sweet day that we focus on the results, of what happened on this day, we call ‘Good Friday’!

Tomorrow….Easter ~ E is for……

E ~ Is For ENTER The King

A ~ Is For AFFLICTION

S ~ Is For SUFFICIENT SACRIFICE

T ~ Is For The TOMB Is Empty!

John 20:1-30

‘Now You Don’t See Him (Jesus), Now You Do’

 Have you ever placed something (of value or maybe useful to your life) somewhere for safe keeping, come back to find it later, and it is not there anymore?  (like your keys, or your Bible, or that special card you bought for someone, or you just know someone stole your car because you parked it right there, or your child, etc…been there, done ‘em all)  It ’kinda’ throws you off balance…flusters ya….or ticks ya off (he he), doesn’t it.  Can you imagine Mary’s panic (emotion), finding that the stone had been rolled away from ‘The TOMB’, and Jesus was missing?  Peter and John were thrown off balance too…I love this part…the Scripture says that John out-ran Peter and came in first (place..I added that).  Must have been quite the foot race.  Oh, and here’s that word ‘BELIEVED’ again.  Verses 8 & 9 say, “Then went in also that other Disciple, which came first to the TOMB, and he saw, and believed (I think it means that he just believed Jesus was not there).  For as yet they knew not the Scripture, that he must rise again from the dead.”

After that, Peter and John went away.  But Mary stayed at the TOMB, and wept.  The Scripture says that she saw two angels sitting in the place where Jesus had lay.  She told them she was crying because her Lord had been taken away and she didn’t know where He was.  Then she saw Jesus, but thought He was the gardener (He spoke to her, but she didn’t recognize Him).  But when Jesus called her by name, Mary, she knew who He was.  Her panic turned to excitement when she found what (who)  she thought was lost.  Mary went and told the Disciples.

Next, Jesus reveals Himself to the Disciples bringing words of peace, instruction, and the comfort and power of the presence of the Holy Spirit.  Now enters ‘doubting’ Thomas.  I feel so bad every time I call Thomas ‘doubting’.  Poor Thomas, he spent the next eight days (after Jesus appeared to the Disciples) saying and thinking…”unless I see and touch the nail prints, and thrust my hand into Jesus side, I will not BELIEVE”.  But you know, Jesus again appeared to the Disciples and stood in the midst of them.  And Jesus said to Thomas (I’ll bet Jesus called Thomas by name, just like He did Mary), “be not faithless and BELIEVE…touch me“.  Thomas said to Jesus, “my Lord and my God“.

I know that Jesus next words were, “Thomas because you have seen, you have BELIEVED: blessed are those who have not seen and BELIEVE“.  But, I think that Jesus loved Thomas so much that He would not leave him in his un-BELIEF.

I think that the sight of the empty TOMB must have been very frightening for Mary and the Disciples,  But the sight of Jesus was joy to their hearts.  As it should be for us.  The more we see of Jesus, the more joyful our hearts.

As we continue into the latter part of the “Passion Week”, think about the excitement Mary felt when Jesus spoke her name.  Think about that moment in Thomas’ life when Jesus said to him, “touch me and BELIEVE”.  If tomorrow, you are one who marks the day as “Good Friday”, remember that the TOMB IS EMPTY.  I for one, will participate in a very special “Good Friday” service.  Because, the more I see Jesus, the more joyful my heart.

Question to Ponder:  Why is the Friday before Easter Sunday referred to as ’Good’?

Scripture to Ponder:  John 20:31 

E ~ Is For ENTER The King

A ~ Is For AFFLICTION

S ~ Is For SUFFICIENT SACRIFICE

John 19: 17-37

The Scripture says, “the He (Jesus) bearing His cross went forth into a place called the place of a skull, which is called in the Hebrew Golgotha.  Where they crucified Him, and two others with Him, on either side one, and Jesus in the midst.” 

Why Did Jesus Have To Die?

I looked up the ‘Greek word for ‘cross’ in my ’Hebrew-Greek’ study Bible.  I found some very interesting thoughts to ponder.  The word in the ‘Greek for ‘cross’ is “Stauros’ (stao-to stand).  A stake for execution, an instrument of torture for punishment, most dreadful and agonizing.  The ‘cross refers to the whole passion of Christ and the merit of His sufferings and death (Galatians 6:14); and also to the doctrine concerning these (1 Corinthians 1:17).  The expressions of taking up or carrying the cross allude to the Roman custom of making the criminal carry the cross on which he was to suffer (John 19:17)…..In the cross it is not the idea of sacrifice as such which is emphasized, but the blood of Christ (Colossians 1:20) and what Christ experienced from the world as the full measure of His rejection which, however, has become the means of redemption.  The cross shows this peculiarity of His death which also was a sacrifice.  It makes the manner of His death prominent. Therefore, the blood refers to the sacrifice but the cross refers also to the shame.”

Okay, so that was a mouthful!  I think (I think, after thinking about it) the way to put it is this:  The cross is the means by which Christ’s blood was shed.  The shameful cross was the way in which Christ died.  The blood of Christ is our redemption.  Up until the ‘cross and Christ’, men would sacrifice innocent lambs as a substitute for their punishment.  This sacrifice was the acknowledgement that sin required death and the shedding of blood.  If you will remember, God promised a sinless SUFFICIENT SACRIFICE way back in Genesis 3:15.  And God reaffirmed this promise throughout Scripture.

(see Colossians 1:12-23)  Colossians 1:14 tells us that “in Jesus we have redemption through His blood, even the forgiveness of sins.”  And, Colossians  1:20 tells us that “peace was made through the blood of the cross by Him to reconcile all things unto Himself.”

I Think, A More Appropriate Question For Me To Ask Would Have Been……

Why Did Jesus Have To Shed His Blood For Us By Dying On The Cross?

Jesus had to shed His blood and die on the cross, to provide our ONLY way to be with Him in Paradise!

Thought to Ponder:  The depth of Jesus’ love for us is “The Cross” and His “SUFFICIENT SACRIFICE”!  Wow!  The Love of The Savior!!!!!!

Scripture to Ponder:  John 19:30 “…….he (Jesus) said, It is finished; and He bowed His head, and gave up the ghost.” 

E ~ Is For ENTER The King

A ~ Is For AFFLICTION

John 19: 1-16

 The Scripture says that “Pilate took Jesus and had him ’scourged’“.  It means to AFFLICT great pain or punishment upon.  To AFFLICT is to distress so severely as to cause persistent suffering or anguish…to inflict something that is hard to bear.  It suggests imposing something that strains the powers of endurance…persecution or the repeated inflicting of suffering.  I know that we cannot imagine the AFFLICTION of Jesus.  It would have been beyond our wildest imaginations and comprehension.

Isaiah 52:14 says, “Just as there were many who were appaled at Him ~ his appearance was so disfigured beyond that of any man and His form marred beyond human likeness ~” (see Matthew 27; Mark 15; Luke 23 and John 19)

Why Did Jesus Have To Suffer?

The only way I know to answer this question is with ‘The Word’…..I will use the NIV translation..

Isaiah 53:5 “..He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon Him, and by His wounds we are healed.”

2 Corinthians 5:21 “God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.”

1 John 2:2 “He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.”

Why Do We Need To Hear This, Let Alone Think About It?

The answer is so that we might know the depth of His love and what He did for us.  The weight of the sins of the entire world were heaped upon Jesus.  The AFFLICTION (the weight of Our Sins) upon Jesus was hideous (beyond recognition). 

Thought to Ponder:  The extent of the AFFLICTION Jesus took upon Himself for us, is also the extent of His LOVE for us!

Scripture to Ponder:  John 19:14b-16

“And Pilate handed Him over to them to be crucified“

E ~ Is For ENTER The King

Many years ago, probably some 450-500 years before the Gospels were written, a prophet (and priest) named Zechariah foretold of the 1st and 2nd coming of the Messiah (Jesus).  Zechariah 9:9 says (of the 1st coming of the Messiah), “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee; he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon a donkey…”.  Matthew 21:1-17, Mark 11:1-11, Luke 19:29-40 and John12:12-19 record the fulfillment of this prophecy.  The ‘Triumphal ENTRY’, is one of the few incidents in Jesus’ life that appears in all four of the Gospels.

That day, as Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey,  the people praised and hailed Him as the “King who comes in the name of the Lord”.  The purpose in riding into Jerusalem that day was this…Jesus was publicly announcing His claim to be the Messiah and King of Israel.  That was the fulfillment of the prophecy.  Jesus was OPENLY DECLARING that HE was the Messiah and King, that the people had been waiting for.

What a contrast to worldly thinking this is.  After all, a King is royalty…a king wears a crown of gold and jewels….a king rides a sturdy steed (or today..rides in a bullet proof motorized vehicle)…..a king wears a royal robe…etc. etc.  Not so, with our King and Messiah.  He rides a lowly donkey and wears clothing of the poor and humble.  He came not to conquer by methods of war, but to win the victory through humility, and by love, mercy and grace.

E ~ Is For ENTER The King

See also Day 18 of “The Teacher” http://butterflybiblestudies.com/the-teacher-day-18/

Jesus said, “you are right in saying I am a king.  I came into this world, for this reason, and to testify to the truth…understand that my kingdom is not of this world.”  John 18:33-37

After prayer and pondering, I have decided to address John chapters 19, 20 and 21 in a special way.  From today through Easter Sunday, these chapters will be incorporated into the week known to us as Passion Week or Holy Week.  Most of this week will come in the form of an Acrostic ~ E~A~S~T~E~R.

It is my desire to set apart this week, to be passionate for Jesus (as He has been passionate for me), and in my proclamation of His Message.  So far, through the Gospel of John, my BELIEF and my FAITH have been strengthened and set firm.  These and my renewed heart to FOLLOW, I set before the Lord.  I have been mesmerized by His teaching…this is a good thing.  Everything the Master says, or does, has purpose and gives purpose.  His methods are both illustrations and examples for us to desire to be (like Him).  It has been affirmed to me that this is our ’Calling’ ~ to BE like HIM and FOLLOW HIS example.  The Word truly does engage (attracts and holds by influence) us.

The following my desired schedule for the week…..who knows where the Holy Spirit will lead!

Sunday ~ E is for ……..

Monday ~ A is for ………. John 19:1-16

Tuesday ~ S is for ……….. John 19:17-27

Wednesday ~ Wisdom Wednesday……….John 19:38-42

Thursday ~ T is for ……… John 20:1-30

Friday ~ Good Friday

Saturday ~ E is for ……… John 21:1-25

Sunday ~ R is for ………….

Okay, it wouldn’t be much fun if I went ahead and told you what the ‘letters’ stand for…now would it????

Today, I will leave you with this Thought to Ponder:  ‘Behold, your King is coming’

Tomorrow:  E is for……….

 http://www.butterflybiblestudies.blogspot.com/

Day 24 of “The Teacher” ~ John Chapter 19, Will Be Posted Tomorrow

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John Chapters 20 and 21 ~ “That’s A Wrap” ~ This Weekend

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E~A~S~T~E~R  ~  Next Week

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Next Bible Study Begins April 5th  ~  BE ~ Attitudes vs Emotions

I am thinking of Jesus foretelling of Peter’s denial.  I have looked for something ‘beautiful’ to say about Simon Peter, because I feel to call him a coward and a liar would be unjust.  Certainly, I am not going to be his judge.  I have gone back to the conversation of the Last Supper (doing a little cross referencing).  I will ask you to read Luke’s account of the The Last Supper in Luke chapter 22:7-38. 

In particular, I want to call your attention to verses 31 and 32.  Jesus said, “Simon, Simon, ‘Satan has asked to sift you as wheat.  But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail.  And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers (this was before Jesus told Simon Peter that he would deny Him three times)”.  (see also John 17:9,15; Romans 8:34).  The King James says that “Satan’ desired to have you, to sift you like wheat“.  One thing to understand here is that the ‘you‘ is plural, so I believe the Word is talking about all of the Disciples.  And I found this great illustration by ‘John Piper’ on “sifting like wheat“.

“We can imagine a picture like this:  ‘Satan has a big sieve with jagged-edged wires forming a mesh with holes shaped like faithless men and women.  What he aims to do is throw people into his sieve and shake them around over these jagged edges until they are so torn and weak and desperate that they let go of their faith and fall through the sieve as faithless people, right into ‘Satan’s company.  Faith cannot fall through the mesh.  It’s the wrong shape.  And so as long as the Disciples hold to their faith, trusting the power and goodness of God for their hope, then they will not fall through the mesh into ‘Satan’s hands.”  by John Piper

That’s why Jesus said, “I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail”.  I think that all of the Gospels tell us that the Disciples do not understand everything, yet.  Peter, along with the other Disciples would experience a deepening of their faith.  We will see, at the end of this Gospel, Peter’s deepening faith.  I also see and know that “God’s set purpose and foreknowledge” were in place for Peter also.  I won’t attempt to make excuses for him or give reasons why Peter denied Jesus.  I just know that Jesus prayed for him and the others, and that God is the author of all that happened.

Thought to Ponder:  “Hold to your faith, so that you will not fall into the wrong hands“

Scripture to Ponder:  John 18:37