Have compassion for one another by Roy Davison

http://www.oldpaths.com/Archive/Davison/Roy/Allen/1940/015-compassion.html

Have compassion for one another
“Finally, all of you be of one mind, having compassion for one another; love as brothers, be tenderhearted, be courteous” (1 Peter 3:8).

Compassion is a deep awareness of, and sympathy for, another’s suffering, accompanied by a desire to do something about it.

Jesus is our example.

“For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin” (Hebrews 4:15).

When Jesus was on earth, He showed compassion.

“But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd” (Matthew 9:36).

Jesus came to be the good Shepherd (John 10:11, 14). He is the “great Shepherd of the sheep” (Hebrews 13:20). He is “the Shepherd and Overseer” of our souls (1 Peter 2:25). We humans need leadership and He is the perfect leader.

Following His example, we should have compassion for those who are lost like sheep without a shepherd.

What should our compassion cause us to do about it? First, Jesus tells us to pray: “The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest” (Matthew 9:37, 38).

After praying, we ought to translate our compassion into action. Paul asked: “And how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach unless they are sent?” (Romans 10:14, 15).

When we have compassion for the lost, we will pray, send and go.

Compassion means that we sometimes help when we really need to rest. “And He said to them, ‘Come aside by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while.’ For there were many coming and going, and they did not even have time to eat. So they departed to a deserted place in the boat by themselves. But the multitudes saw them departing, and many knew Him and ran there on foot from all the cities. They arrived before them and came together to Him. And Jesus, when He came out, saw a great multitude and was moved with compassion for them, because they were like sheep not having a shepherd. So He began to teach them many things” (Mark 6:31-34).

Jesus had compassion on people who were hungry. “Now Jesus called His disciples to Himself and said, ‘I have compassion on the multitude, because they have now continued with Me three days and have nothing to eat. And I do not want to send them away hungry, lest they faint on the way’” (Matthew 15:32).

On another occasion, when the disciples wanted to send the crowd away because they had no food, Jesus said: “They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat” (Matthew 14:16).

Jesus had compassion on the sick. “And when Jesus went out He saw a great multitude; and He was moved with compassion for them, and healed their sick” (Matthew 14:14).

Jesus had compassion on mourners. “And when He came near the gate of the city, behold, a dead man was being carried out, the only son of his mother; and she was a widow. And a large crowd from the city was with her. When the Lord saw her, He had compassion on her and said to her, ‘Do not weep.’ Then He came and touched the open coffin, and those who carried him stood still. And He said, ‘Young man, I say to you, arise.’ So he who was dead sat up and began to speak. And He presented him to his mother” (Luke 7:12-15).

We have compassion on others because God has compassion on us. Jesus told about a slave who owed his master a large sum. “Then the master of that servant was moved with compassion, released him, and forgave him the debt” (Matthew 18:27). But when the slave showed no compassion for a fellow slave who only owed him a small amount, his master was angry. “Should you not also have had compassion on your fellow servant, just as I had pity on you?” (Matthew 18:33).

We ought to follow the example of the good Samaritan: “But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was. And when he saw him, he had compassion” (Luke 10:33).

Although we hate sin, we ought to have compassion on sinners and strive to rescue them, being careful not to become entangled ourselves. “And on some have compassion, making a distinction; but others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire, hating even the garment defiled by the flesh” (Jude 22, 23).

Without compassion, religious observance is worthless.

When the ruler of the synagogue criticized Jesus for healing on the Sabbath, He replied: “Hypocrite! Does not each one of you on the Sabbath loose his ox or donkey from the stall, and lead it away to water it? So ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has bound - think of it - for eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath?” (Luke 13:15, 16). They had more compassion for a donkey than for this woman.

Another time He told the religious leaders: “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith. These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone” (Mathew 23:23).

On the other hand, there are some who mistakenly think that compassion is sufficient for salvation. They are confident that God requires nothing more than being kind to others.

This is proven wrong by the salvation of Cornelius. Although he is described as “a devout man and one who feared God with all his household, who gave alms generously to the people, and prayed to God always” (Acts 10:2) he was not saved because the angel told him: “'Send men to Joppa, and call for Simon whose surname is Peter, who will tell you words by which you and all your household will be saved” (Acts 11:13, 14).

Even though he believed in God, prayed regularly, and gave alms to the poor, Cornelius was not saved. To be saved he had to hear the gospel, believe in Jesus, and be baptized.

God appreciates the good that people do and has promised that those who seek will find. The angel told Cornelius: “Your prayers and your alms have come up for a memorial before God” (Acts 10:4). But people cannot be saved just by praying and doing good deeds because along with the good, there is also sin in the life of every person. Only through the blood of Christ can sin be washed away.

So let us follow Jesus’ example and be compassionate. Let us bring the lost sheep to the Shepherd. Let us feed the hungry and help the sick. Let us be compassionate as God has been compassionate to us.

“Finally, all of you be of one mind, having compassion for one another; love as brothers, be tenderhearted, be courteous” (1 Peter 3:8). Amen.
Roy Davison

The Scripture quotations in this article are from The New King James Version. ©1979,1980,1982, Thomas Nelson Inc., Publishers.

Published in The Old Paths Archive
(http://www.oldpaths.com)

Are You A Christian? GEORGE L. FAULL

http://steve-finnell.blogspot.com/search?updated-max=2017-03-27T12:03:00-07:00&max-results=10&start=5&by-date=false

Are You A Christian?

 

GEORGE L. FAULL

Jane and Bill had been talking awhile about the sports, the weather, taxes and other things about which no one can do anything.

Finally, Bill says to Jane:

Bill:     Are you a Christian?

Jane:   Oh yes, I’ve been a Christian for years.

Bill:     What kind of a Christian?

Jane:   Oh, just simply a Christian.

Bill:    Well, there are all sorts of Christians.  I mean, what brand of a Christian?

Jane:   No brand.  We’re just simply Christians.  We’re not hyphenated Christians, we’re Christians only.

Bill:    Well, I’m content for you to be a Christian or a Disciple of Christ or Believer but you have to profess some name 

           brand.  There are many kinds of milk; there’s Sealtest, Kroger’s or Dean’s.  You’ve got to be some kind of a   

           Christian - Baptist, Catholic, Methodist, Episcopalian, or Pentecostal.

Jane:   No, we just follow the Bible; “No book but the Bible, no name but the Divine, no creed but Christ.”

Bill:     Well that’s just arrogance on your part.

Jane:   Why is it arrogance?  We just think the Bible only makes Christians only.  Creeds do not unite, they separate.  

            Paul says denominating yourself into names is carnal.  (See both I Corinthians 1 and 3.)  I see no arrogance in 

            that.  Milk is milk when it comes out of the cow.  Sealtest or Dean’s don’t make it milk, they process it to be 

            their kind of milk.  We don’t want to be hyphenated Christians.  We see no need to be pasteurized, 

            homogenized and vitamin D enriched.  We’re just milk.  It takes creeds, synods, conventions, and rules of 

            discipline and ecclesiastical authorities to make one a certain brand of Christian.  No, we delight in our freedom 

            in Christ to believe what Jesus and His Apostles have taught us in God’s Word.  When the Bible is believed and 

            obeyed, you have a simple Christian.

Bill:     You’re thinking is warped, prejudice, and conceited. You have to belong to a church of some sort.

Jane:   I do.  I am in Christ’s Church.

Bill:     That infers the rest of us are not!

Jane:   Only in your mind.  The believers who repented and were baptized on Pentecost were saved and added to the 

           Church.  

            What brand of Church was it?  Surely none of the churches you mentioned, for we know the beginnings of 

             each of those churches and they were started centuries later than Pentecost.

Bill:     You’re naïve.  You have to have a name to identify yourself.

Jane:   I’m content just to suffer as a Christian.  It is in that name that we glorify Christ and not a name after a mere man 

           or a doctrine or a form of church government.  I’m sorry you want to glory in some other name.

Bill:     You’ve not even asked me what sect I belong to.

Jane:   It doesn’t matter.  I’d rather not know.  I’d like for you simply to see that sectarianism takes away from the unity 

          of all believers and that in all things Christ should receive the pre-eminence.  To call His Church that He bought 

          with His own precious blood or His Bride by another name seems to me to be, what was the word you used of 

          me, arrogant?

Bill:     I’m out of here!

I Won’t! Because I Can’t Believe It! by Jim McGuiggan

http://theabidingword.com/logos/index.html

I Won’t! Because I Can’t Believe It!

When Jesus says the OT is all about Him He doesn’t have in mind a verse here and a verse there, a prediction here or an event there. He sees the entire corpus (Moses, the Psalms and Prophets–Luke 24:25-27, 44-49) as a single narrative with Himself as the unending climax BUT with Himself as one human of faith along with all humans and particularly with humans of faith & of faith in God.
We can see the way He and Paul and others will quote from the Psalms and apply the experience of the psalmist to Himself. “They hated me without a cause.”   “My familiar friend betrayed me.” “The reproach of them that reproached You fell on Me.” And note Hebrews 11:24-26 that makes Moses’ suffering “the reproach of Christ.” Jesus saw Himself as one with the entire nation of Israel and refuses to distance Himself from His sinful family so we find Him being baptized along with them, By this He confesses He is part of a family that has sinned against God.

When He becomes incarnate, lives and is counted by His contemporaries as a sinner and dies sharing what they all experienced He was teaching them and us all manner of things. But He didn’t HAVE TO DO any of that. He didn’t HAVE TO teach us, suffer WITH us and FROM us and FOR us. He did it simply and solely because He WANTED to.

What brought Him to Incarnation, earthly life and ministry, saving death (and resurrection & glory) was no LAW by which God was bound; it was no internal conflict in the Godself between love and “punitive or retributive justice” which left Him helpless to freely, graciously simply forgive Sin. He came in and as the human called Jesus, the fellow-human of a race that chose and chooses ALIENATION—He came to offer restored life and friendship. His coming in pure free and sovereign grace to “plead” with the beloved rebel, the human family to be friends with Him again ( see 2 Corinthians 5:20 and context). I know it’s astonishing but He did it!

In choosing ALIENATION from God we chose the consequences which include inner self-ruin, pain and loss and anguish and temptation; and we choose all that for those around us! God in coming IN and AS the human, Jesus of Nazareth, was choosing the pain and loss and anguish and death that comes with humanity’s alienation.

Like innocent little babies (with profound differences, of course!) the sinless and holy Jesus in an alienated world freely embraced all that comes with being a human in such a world. It was unadulterated and limitless love of the human family, that God expressed in His coming personally to show it and tell it.

He wasn’t expressing any sick notion that He cannot FORGIVE sin unless He punishes it to the nth degree. And that He must punish the Innocent One,  While we continue in this world, the innocent and/or righteous will suffer along with the impenitent guilty. God does not punish the innocent! Sinners do that! Penal substitution is meant to glorify God but it distorts and cheapens Him. Punishment is NOT the same as suffering!

God joined us here. He joined us here to make it clear that our Sin and sins didn’t destroy His love and longing for us and life with us. That sustained act in Jesus of Nazareth is the fountain of all Christian response and it is still going on in the life of those who have been drawn into union and participation with the life and purpose of God’s Son, the Lord Jesus.

The meaning of the life, death of our Lord & Savior who would not distance Himself from His human family and so shared our suffering is being rehearsed and made visible in His body, the Church. He’s till suffering for the world. “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?” His body in which by His Holy Spirit He now dwells and makes Himself present in the world, is by its very existence bearing witness to all He meant to be and do in His earth-bound presence here and He does it until He returns to completely fulfill God’s eternal purpose.

Egyptian Magicians, Snakes, and Rods by Kyle Butt, M.Div.

http://apologeticspress.org/APContent.aspx?category=11&article=1704

Egyptian Magicians, Snakes, and Rods

by	Kyle Butt, M.Div.

Most everyone who has ever read the biblical account of the ten plagues in Egypt cannot help but remember the scene in which Moses and Aaron threw down their rod that became a snake, and Pharoah’s magicians imitated the feat. The biblical account states:

And Aaron cast down his rod before Pharaoh and before his servants, and it became a serpent. But Pharaoh also called the wise men and the sorcerers; so the magicians of Egypt, they also did in like manner with their enchantments (Exodus 7:10-11).

In regard to this account, many have wondered how the magicians of Egyptian could have possessed the miraculous power to imitate the sign that God had given to Moses and Aaron. Did the magicians truly possess supernatural powers by which they could convince Pharaoh, or could there be some other explanations for the events that transpired with the rods? In regard to these questions, the biblical text does not definitively offer any conclusive answers. There are, however, other clues that seem to indicate that the Egyptian magicians used sleight-of-hand trickery devoid of supernatural ability.
Egyptians have long used the snake in their religious and ceremonial rituals. Many murals, ancient Egyptian paintings and carvings, and written texts portray this animal in connection with ancient Egyptian snake charmers, magicians, and even Pharaohs. In fact, many of the golden burial casts used to intern the ancient Egyptian kings have a sculpture of a snake coming from the forehead of the regal personality. Furthermore, the snake is commonly associated with certain gods of ancient Egypt. In regard to this affinity for the serpentine, the ancient Egyptians often used snakes in charming ceremonies and other practices. Due to this close association with the creature, they would certainly have become quite skilled at capturing, handling, and displaying snakes.
In their celebrated commentary series on the Old Testament, Jamieson, Fausset and Brown comment on the incident between Moses and Aaron and the Egyptian magicians:

The magicians of Egypt in modern times have long been celebrated adepts in charming serpents; and particularly by pressing the nape of the neck they throw them into a kind of catalepsy, which renders them stiff and immoveable, thus seeming to change them into a rod. They conceal the serpent about their person, and by acts of legerdemain produce it from their dress, stiff and straight as a rod. Just the same trick was played off by their ancient predecessors.... [A]nd so it appears they succeeded by their “enchantments” in practicing an illusion on the senses (2002, 1:295, Exodus 7:11-14).

The idea that a skilled magician could use a snake in such a way is no novel concept in the world of magic tricks. Walter Gibson, in his book Secrets of Magic, states that there is a certain type of snake that can be made motionless by applying pressure just below its head. Gibson also notes that the particular species of snake suitable for this stunt happens to be the naja haje (or haja), otherwise known as the Egyptian Cobra (as cited in “Case Studies,” n.d.). Along similar lines, Rod Robison, a comedy magician from Tucson, wrote: “Turning a rod into a snake, for instance, is easily accomplished by the same method modern day magicians turn a cane into a flower or handkerchief. I’ve seen the ‘cane to snake’ performed by magician Allan Rassco. Believe me, it’s impressive” (1999).
In truth, there is nothing inherent in the biblical text that would suggest that these magicians possessed any supernatural powers. Sleight-of-hand trickery can easily account for the “powers” possessed by the Egyptian magicians. While the magicians could at least make it look like they possessed amazing abilities, they could not withstand the power of the Almighty God. Their feeble attempts to mimic the miracle performed by Moses and Aaron was thwarted when God manifested His power by causing the rod of Moses and Aaron to consume all the other rods of the magicians (Exodus 7:12).

REFERENCES

“Case Studies” (no date), [On-line], URL: http://www.autobahn.mb.ca/~ggilbey/para7.html.
Jamieson, Robert, A.R. Fausset, and David Brown (2002 reprint), A Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson).
Robison, Rod (1999), “But I Saw Him Levitate!”, [On-line], URL: http://www.dtl.org/article/robison/levitate.htm.

Elders, Deacons, Timothy, and Wine by Dave Miller, Ph.D.

http://apologeticspress.org/APContent.aspx?category=11&article=1208

Elders, Deacons, Timothy, and Wine

by	Dave Miller, Ph.D.

Paul’s instructions pertaining to the qualifications of elders and deacons have created misunderstanding regarding the use of alcoholic beverages. Elders are not to be “given to wine” (1 Timothy 3:3), while deacons are not to be “given to much wine” (1 Timothy 3:8). Translations further obscure the matter by their variety of terminology. The ASV has “no brawler” (vs. 3) and “not given to much wine” (vs. 8). The NIV has “not given to much wine” (vs. 3) and “not indulging in much wine” (vs. 8). The NASB has “not addicted to wine” (vs. 3) and “not addicted to much wine” (vs. 8). So the question is: does 1 Timothy 3:8 sanction moderate alcohol use?
The phrase in verse three consists of two Greek words (me paroinos) and, literally translated, means “not beside, by, or at wine” (Vine, 1966, p. 146; Robertson, 1934, p. 613). The phrase is enjoining abstinence, and perhaps even the act of situating oneself in the presence of people and places where the consumption of alcoholic beverages is occurring. The ASV translated the expression “brawler” to emphasize the violent behavior that proceeds from the use of alcohol. Calling for elders to be abstinent is consistent with other terms used in the same listing: nephalion (1 Timothy 3:2)—“free from intoxicants” and “abstinent in respect to wine” (Perschbacher, 1990, p. 284), and sophrona (Titus 1:8)—“of a sound mind, temperate” (Perschbacher, p. 400), “soberminded” (Moulton and Milligan, 1930, p. 622), “self-controlled” (Arndt and Gingrich, 1957, p. 810). Elders must refrain from the use of intoxicants, and they must not associate with places and people who do use them.
In verse eight, the four words used to qualify deacons on this point (me oino pollo prosechontas) are literally translated “not wine much occupied with” (cf. Perschbacher, p. 352; Spain, 1970, p. 64). Does the use of the word “much” mean that deacons may imbibe a moderate amount of wine? At least three alternative interpretations are possible.
First, when Solomon said, “Do not be overly wicked” (Ecclesiastes 7:17—NKJV [“overwicked”—NIV; “overmuch wicked”—ASV]), did he mean to imply that a person can, with God’s approval, be moderately wicked? When Peter noted that pagans do not understand why Christians do not engage in the “same excess of riot” (1 Peter 4:4), did he mean moderate rioting was appropriate? In other words, language can forthrightly condemn an excessive indulgence or great amount of an action without implying that the action is permissible in a lesser amount or to a lesser degree. One cannot assume that what is unlawful in excess is lawful in smaller amounts. We can refer to a person’s frequent involvement in a certain activity (e.g., adultery) without intending to leave the impression that a more moderate participation in the action would be proper. Albert Barnes addressed this point succinctly:

It is not affirmed that it would be proper for the deacon, any more than the bishop, to indulge in the use of wine in small quantities, but it is affirmed that a man who is much given to the use of wine ought not, on any consideration, to be a deacon (1977, p. 148).

The word in verse eight translated “given to” (KJV, NKJV, ASV), or “indulging in” (NIV), or “addicted to” (RSV), is prosecho. It is used elsewhere in 1 Timothy (1:4) and in Titus (1:14) to refer to those who “give heed to” (KJV), or “occupy themselves with” (RSV), or “pay attention to” (NASB) Jewish myths. Who would draw the conclusion that Paul intended to encourage Christians to give some attention to Jewish myths, just not too much attention?
Consequently, Paul was spotlighting an individual who is known for drinking freely of alcoholic beverages. He was saying that no such person should be put into the eldership. A parallel would be to make an observation about a person who carouses and parties every night—“do not put such a man into the eldership!” But the speaker hardly would mean that one who parties less frequently, say on weekends only, would be acceptable. Paul no more intended to suggest that leaders in the church who use small amounts of alcohol are suited to their role than Mosaic law would have permitted priests to do so (Leviticus 10:9). Barnes commented: “The way in which the apostle mentions the subject here would lead us fairly to suppose that he did not mean to commend its use in any sense” (1977, p. 144).
A second possibility is that the terminology that Paul used was a loose form of speech (Bacchiocchi, 1989, p. 250). Both Greek and Hebrew manifest such tendencies. For example, “three days and three nights” was a loose form of speech used in antiquity to refer to two days and a portion of a third (Bullinger, 1898, pp. 845-847; Robertson, 1922, pp. 289-291). Later in the same letter, Paul instructed Timothy to “use a little wine” for his stomach and infirmities (5:23). It is not a foregone conclusion that the “wine” Paul commended to Timothy was inebriating, since evidence from antiquity exists to suggest that he was referring to the addition of grape juice to Timothy’s drinking water for medicinal purposes (see Lees, 1870, p. 374). Even if, however, Paul meant for Timothy to add fermented (i.e., intoxicating) juice to his diet, he nevertheless implied: (1) that Timothy had been abstinent up to that point; (2) that the quantity he was now to add to his diet was to be “a little”; (3) that the juice was to be diluted with water; (4) that its use was strictly medicinal in nature—not social, casual, or recreational; and (5) that it took the directive of an apostle for Timothy to introduce its use into his life and body. [Incidentally, one must not automatically assume that it was the wine that possessed medicinal properties. The wine may have simply been the antiseptic means to purify the polluted water that Timothy had been drinking by killing germs and bacterial organisms, thereby reducing their ill effect on Timothy’s fragile stomach—in which case, Paul was not commending wine; he was commending a method for cleansing contaminated water]. If Paul sanctioned the use of alcohol only on the qualifications that it was in small quantities, and that it was for medicinal purposes, why would he then turn right around and sanction deacons drinking alcohol in larger amounts—avoiding only excess?
The inconsistency of this viewpoint becomes exceedingly apparent when one compares Paul’s instructions to different Christians:

Elders (1 Timothy 3:2-3)—abstain (nephalios); don’t even be near it (me paroinon)
Deacons (1 Timothy 3:8)—drink moderately (me oino pollo)
Wives (1 Timothy 3:11)—abstain (nephalious)
Aged men (Titus 2:2)—abstain (nephalious)
Aged women (Titus 2:3)—drink moderately (me oino pollo)

In view of these inconsistencies, “much wine” must be a loose form of speech intended to express complete restraint in the use of wine.
A third possible interpretation of this verse concerns the meaning of the term “wine.” Unlike the English word (which always connotes an alcoholic beverage), the Greek word oinos is a generic term that includes all forms of the grape (cf. Lees, 1870, pp. 431ff.). The term oinos was used by the Greeks to refer to unfermented grape juice every bit as much as fermented juice. Consequently, the interpreter must examine the biblical context in order to determine whether fermented or unfermented liquid is intended. In light of this realization, some have suggested that Paul instructed the elders to refrain completely from alcoholic beverages, while deacons, on the other hand, were being instructed to engage in a moderate use of nonalcoholic grape juice. At least three lines of argumentation are evident for this interpretation.
First, in the Old Testament, the generic Hebrew term that is equivalent to oinos is yayin. Some passages praise the ingestion of yayin (Song of Solomon 5:1; Psalm 104:15; Ecclesiastes 9:7), while others condemn it (Proverbs 20:1; 31:4). The only plausible explanation is that the former is a reference to grape juice, while the latter is a reference to grape juice that has been transformed into an alcoholic beverage.
Second, only in Timothy and Titus is the word “much” used—as if the secret to pleasing God lies in the quantity of liquid ingested. If fermented juice were intended, the same distinction surely would have been made in the Old Testament. No such distinction is made. But if nonalcoholic grape juice is intended in Timothy and Titus, the intent of the qualification shifts from the level of intoxication to the matter of liquid gluttony. In that case, Paul intended to require moderation in the intake of nonalcoholic liquids.
Third, biblical warnings against the excessive intake of food and liquid are legion (e.g., Deuteronomy 21:20; Proverbs 23:20; 1 Corinthians 11:21-22; Titus 1:12). Solomon even applied the principle to honey (Proverbs 25:27). To understand Paul to be enjoining moderate use of a good gift from God (i.e., grape juice) is consistent with the context that is riddled with references to self-control, temperance, and moderation (e.g., 1 Timothy 3:2,11). It also fits the social conditions extant in Greco-Roman culture in which intemperance was rampant.
In addition to the above considerations, one must keep in mind that even if it could be proved that God sanctioned moderate drinking of alcoholic beverages in the Bible, it does not follow that God sanctions drinking modern “wine,” since the wine referred to in the Bible was unlike the wine of our day. Wine in antiquity was far less potent. One would have had to ingest large quantities in order to receive even minimal alcoholic content. The ancients typically had to add drugs to their drinks to increase their intoxicating potency. In light of all these considerations, the view that maintains that deacons may drink moderate amounts of alcoholic beverages is precarious, dangerous, and biblically unsubstantiated.

REFERENCES

Arndt, William and F.W. Gingrich (1957), A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature (Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press).
Bacchiocchi, Samuele (1989), Wine in the Bible (Berrien Springs, MI: Biblical Perspectives).
Barnes, Albert (1977 reprint), Notes on the New Testament: Thessalonians, Timothy, Titus and Philemon (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker).
Bullinger, E.W. (1898), Figures of Speech Used in the Bible (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker, 1968 reprint).
Lees, Frederic R. (1870), The Temperance Bible-Commentary (New York: Weed, Parsons, and Co.).
Moulton, James and George Milligan (1930), Vocabulary of the Greek New Testament Illustrated from the Papyri and Other Non-literary Sources (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1982 reprint).
Perschbacher, Wesley J., ed. (1990), The New Analytical Greek Lexicon (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson).
Robertson, A.T. (1922), A Harmony of the Gospels (New York: Harper and Row).
Robertson, A.T. (1934), A Grammar of the Greek New Testament in the Light of Historical Research (Nashville, TN: Broadman).
Spain, Carl (1970), The Letters of Paul to Timothy and Titus (Austin, TX: Sweet).
Vine, W.E. (1966 reprint), An Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words (Old Tappan, NJ: Revell).

Even Jesus Had A Temper by Kyle Butt, M.Div.

http://apologeticspress.org/APContent.aspx?category=11&article=839

Even Jesus Had A Temper

by	Kyle Butt, M.Div.

In most circumstances, Jesus chose to use gentle words and peaceful measures to take care of the Father’s business. But on at least one occasion, aggressive action ruled the day.
From the time of Moses, whenever Jewish men presented themselves to the Lord at the Temple, they were instructed to offer a half-shekel of silver. Exodus 30:13 records: “This is what everyone among those who are numbered shall give: half a shekel according to the shekel of the sanctuary.” When Moses issued this decree, the Israelites were a single, cohesive unit that traded with the same form of money. However, that changed as the years passed and the Jews found themselves dispersed into other countries (such as Babylon, Assyria, and Phrygia). Naturally, those Jews who lived in foreign nations began to use as legal tender the money of the country in which they dwelt.
This posed a problem for them when they wanted to present themselves to the Lord at the Temple, because the Law said that they were to present a half-shekel of silver. The priest of the Temple would accept no foreign currency into the sacred treasury. Therefore, greedy moneychangers posted themselves in the court of the temple in order to offer their services. They would exchange foreign currency for a Jewish half-shekel, but in doing so they routinely exacted an exorbitant “commission” on the deal. What was a foreign Jew to do? Where else could he obtain a Jewish half-shekel except in Jerusalem? The moneychangers had a virtual monopoly. Basically, nobody could come to God unless he first went through the moneychangers.
As if that were not bad enough, the moneychangers and Temple brokers also had a monopoly on the sale of livestock suitable for offering to the Lord. Since many of the worshipers who visited the Temple lived so far away, they would purchase livestock at or near the Temple, rather than trying to bring animals on the trip with them. When they arrived in Jerusalem, they were in for a rude awakening because the acceptable livestock was priced outrageously high. They had no choice but to pay the prices, however, since returning home without sacrificing to God was not an option. Once again, the moneychangers and traders came between God and His worshipers.
Upon this scene of fraud and abuse, the Lion of Judah came roaring. In John 2:14-17, the story is told of Jesus experiencing righteous indignation. He formed a whip of cords and reeked havoc on the moneychangers, overturning their tables, pouring out their money, and driving them and their livestock out of the Temple.
Anger and wrath enter the lives of every one of us. But let us learn from Jesus to be “swift to hear, slow to speak, and slow to wrath” (James 1:19). Let us also learn that there is a time for righteous indignation. When there are those who stand between God and the true worship that is due Him—whether it be through false doctrine, hypocrisy, or any other vice—let us remember the example of the Lord and “be angry, yet sin not” (Ephesians 4:26).

"THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW" The Visit Of The Wise Men (2:1-12) by Mark Copeland

                        "THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW"

                   The Visit Of The Wise Men (2:1-12)

INTRODUCTION

1. Common to many nativity scenes commemorating the birth of Jesus is
   the presence of "three wise men"...
   a. Implied is that these men, three in number, visited Jesus while still in the manger
   b. Is this what the Bible really teaches?

2. Matthew is the gospel writer who records this visit...
   a. Which is found in Mt 2:1-12
   b. Which serves as the text for our study today

[This story of "The Visit Of The Wise Men" is both interesting and of
practical value.  Having read the text, let's first note some...]

I. INTERESTING FEATURES OF THIS STORY

   A. FOR WHAT MATTHEW DOESN'T TELL US...
      1. Who exactly were these "wise men from the East"?
         a. Some think they were a group of priests from Persia
         b. Others believe they were astrologers from Babylon
      2. How many were there?
         a. No actual number is given
         b. Three types of gift are mentioned (Mt 2:11), but quality of
            gifts does not necessarily imply the quantity of givers!
      3. What was the nature of the "star"?
         a. Was it an actual "star"?
         b. Was it the planet Jupiter, often associated with the birth of kings
         c. Was it a conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn in the Sign of the Fish?
         d. Was it a comet acting erratically?
      4. How did these wise men connect the star with the birth of the king of the Jews?
         a. Had they been taught by Jews of the Dispersion to expect the Messiah?
         b. Had they been given special revelation from God not recorded in the Scriptures?

   B. FOR WHAT LEGENDS HAVE RISEN...
      1. That these wise men were "three kings from the Orient"
      2. That their names were Melchior, Balthasar, and Caspar
      3. That they visited Baby Jesus together with the shepherds the night of 

          His birth
         a. But it was some time later (up to two years!) - Mt 2:1,16
         b. They visited Mary and the child in a house, not a stable! - Mt 2:11
      4. That they were later baptized by Thomas

[The facts are the Biblical record says little about WHO these men 
were.  Perhaps because the emphasis is upon WHAT they did:  "We have
come to WORSHIP Him." (Mt 2:2,11) What is important is that Jesus is
worthy of worship, which can only mean that He is truly DEITY (cf. 
"Immanuel", or "God with us")!

But there are other lessons that can be gleaned from "The Visit Of The Wise Men"...]

II. LESSONS TO BE LEARNED

   A. IT IS EASY FOR FICTION TO BE TAKEN AS FACT...
      1. We have seen what people have done with the story of Jesus' birth
         a. Making the number of the wise men to be three
         b. Having them visit Jesus in the stable
      2. There are other examples
         a. Making the "forbidden fruit" in the Garden to be an "apple"
         b. Depicting baptism in the Bible as pouring or sprinkling
      -- We need to be like the Bereans (Ac 17:11), and make sure we get the facts straight!

   B. THERE MAY BE TRUE SERVANTS OF GOD IN PLACES WHERE WE MIGHT NOT
      EXPECT TO FIND THEM...
      1. The Lord may have many "hidden ones" (i.e., hidden to our knowledge) like the wise men
      2. Their history on earth may be as little known as that of Melchizedek, Job, Jethro
      3. We must not assume that God's people consists only of those we know about, listed 

           in "our" directories
         a. There can be many faithful Christians in other countries
         b. We may not know about them, but God does! - 2 Tim 2:19
         -- Though unknown to us, we can still pray for them!

   C. IT IS NOT ALWAYS THOSE WHO HAVE THE MOST RELIGIOUS PRIVILEGES,
      WHO GIVE CHRIST THE MOST HONOR...
      1. One would think the chief priests and scribes would have been
         the first to go to Bethlehem, hearing rumors that the Savior was born
         a. But no, it was a few unknown strangers from a distant land
         b. As John wrote in his gospel, "He came to His own, and His own did 

             not receive Him" - Jn 1:11
      2. Sadly, the same is often true today
         a. Those in the Lord's church often show less love and adoration than those in 

             the denominations of men
         b. Children of Christian parents often show less interest than many children of non-Christians

   D. THERE MAY BE KNOWLEDGE IN THE HEAD, WHILE THERE IS NO GRACE IN
      THE HEART...
      1. The chief priests and scribes were quick to provide Herod the answer to his question
         a. But as far as we know, they did not act on such knowledge
         b. They did not go to Bethlehem, and some never did come to believe in Him
      2. What about us today?
         a. We may knowledge in the head (we know the truth), but do we
            have grace in our hearts (do we act on it)?
         b. We need to always grow in grace and knowledge - 2Pe 3:18

   E. THE WISE MEN ARE A SPLENDID EXAMPLE OF SPIRITUAL DILIGENCE...
      1. Consider what it must have cost them to travel
         a. In money
         b. In time
         c. In dangers
      2. What about our diligence?  Are we willing to pay the price...
         a. To find Christ?
         b. To serve Him?
         c. To worship Him?
      -- They traveled at great costs and risk to worship Jesus; many
         Christians won't even take the time to attend a gospel meeting or a second service on Sunday!

   F. THE WISE MEN ARE A STRIKING EXAMPLE OF FAITH...
      1. They believed in Christ...
         a. When they had never seen Him prior to their journey
         b. When the scribes and chief priests were unbelieving
         c. When all they saw was a little child on a mother's knee!
            1) Without miracles to convince them (except the star)
            2) Without much teaching to persuade them
         -- Yet they "fell down and worshiped Him"
      2. This is the kind of faith God delights to honor!
         a. For God saw fit to record their example of faith for us
         b. And every time this passage is read, their example of faith is honored!
         -- As Jesus said later, "Thomas, because you have seen Me, you
            have believed.  Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed." - Jn 20:29

CONCLUSION

1. May the faith and diligence of the wise men serve to inspire us to
   greater service to our Lord!

2. Though the world around us may remain careless and unbelieving, 
   let's not be ashamed to believe in Jesus and confess Him

3. We have much more reason to believe Him and worship Him...
   a. His miracles, His resurrection from the dead
   b. His teachings, His death on the cross for our sins

Are we willing to make the effort to find, worship, and serve this 
great King?  As stated on a popular bumber-sticker:

                        "Wise men still seek Him"

NOTE:  Some of the main points for this lesson were taken from
"Expository Thoughts On The Gospels" by J. C. Ryle.

 

Executable Outlines, Copyright © Mark A. Copeland, 2016

To see the light by Gary Rose

 

  
















I’m beginning to see the Light

by Bobby Darin

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=torpmzwgn5Y&feature=youtube

(click the link to listen, or paste the address into your browser)

Wednesday evening I was bored; 1.5 hours of virus updates was just too much to handle, I just had to get away from the television. So, I sat down at my computer to listen to some music. Well, an hour or so later I realized that I had had enough of my “oldies” collection and returned to watching TV.

Thursday evening, I once again listened to the Corona virus update and I heard something that piqued my attention. I think it was Dr. Fauci who said something like: “I think we are beginning to see the light.” And then I remembered that the previous night I had listened to Bobby Darin sing “I’m beginning to see the light”. Funny the way things seem to just link together, for while reviewing the news online Thursday, I picked up an interesting tidbit of news – During the past month Bible sales were up – in some cases as much as 40%! People are tired of being scared, alone and not knowing the truth- they are looking for light! Whether they know it or not; they are looking for Jesus.

John 9 ( World English Bible )

  ^[1] As he passed by, he saw a man blind from birth.  ^[2] His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”
  ^[3] Jesus answered, “This man didn’t sin, nor did his parents, but that the works of God might be revealed in him.   ^[4]  I must work the works of him who sent me while it is day. The night is coming, when no one can work.   ^[5]  While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”  ^[6] When he had said this, he spat on the ground, made mud with the saliva, anointed the blind man’s eyes with the mud,  ^[7] and said to him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam” (which means “Sent”). So he went away, washed, and came back seeing. 

God works in mysterious ways; people try to understand all that HE does but cannot. The disciples were looking for a reason why that man had been born blind, but Jesus set them straight. Things happen sometimes so that God may intervene and show his will our lives. As of tonight, 16,000 people have died in America, with many more to follow. I can’t help but wonder: What if God is allowing all this misery to happen in order that those who just might listen to HIM through HIS WORD will actually begin to do so? Well, so much for the Bible sales! As far as Bobby Darin goes… those song lyrics describe someone who doubted love and just may be coming around to the reality that LOVE is meant for him as well. Have you ever thought like this about God. Think about it NOW! There are still Bibles available for sale – seek and you will find the LIGHT, Jesus that is!