Upcoming Debates; Daily Bible Reading: May 5th - 11th
Date Added: 5/5/2008 9:05:05 AM Upcoming Debates sponsored by CARM
On May 12 and 13, 2008, Matt Slick (Founder and President of Christian Apologetics and Research Ministry) will be debating Roger Perkins, a Oneness believer on The Trinity and whether or not water baptism is necessary for salvation. Rev. Slick has spoken at the BWLC's Rocky Mountain Biblical Worldview Conference and we encourage you to attend these stimulating debates.
Date: Monday, May 12, 2008 from 7-9:30 PM
Tuesday, May 13, 2008 from 7-9:30 PM
Location: Cloverdale United Reformed Church
3580 N. Cloverdale Road, Boise, Idaho 83713 208-375-4219
Corner of Ustick and Cloverdale, 1 block North of Ustick on Cloverdale
Topic: Monday Night:
Is the Trinity doctrine biblical?
Tuesday Night:
Is Water and Spirit Baptism necessary for salvation?
Cost: No Charge to attend
For more information: http://www.carm.org/index/debate_oneness.htm
Daily Bible Reading: May 5th-11th
May 5th
Reading: Matthew 23:1-39
What could Jesus mean when he tells the people and his disciples to do what the Pharisees say, but not to do what they do? From what we have read about the Pharisees up to this point, it seems like the people should not follow what the do or what they say. Well, the key to understanding what Jesus is saying is found in verse 2. Here He says, “The scribes and Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat.” With these words, Jesus limited the attentiveness of the people to the scribes and Pharisees to when they read and explained the law of God as written in the Books of Moses.
The scribes and Pharisees were the readers and expounders of the law and, as long as they limited themselves to that function, they were to be listened to. However, as Jesus warned, as soon as they step out of that function and begin adding their traditions and personal practices to the carrying out of their actions, it is time for the people to turn a deaf ear and a blind eye toward these religious leaders. Because their hearts were not right and they were puffed up with pride, the Pharisees added all kinds of traditions and practices that were unnecessary. In fact, we read just a few chapters before (see Matthew 15) how the scribes and Pharisees had violated God’s law by their traditions.
Jesus tells his listeners that the scribes and Pharisees do things to be noticed and to always receive the best. They put large borders on their garments so they will be noticed. They try to always sit in the best seat at gatherings. They require people to call them “Teacher.” “Father”, and “Master.” But Jesus reminds the people of two things that we need to remember as well. First, Jesus is our Teacher and Master, and God the Father is our Father. Second, a humble heart and spirit, in other words a humble attitude, is what those who follow Christ should have.
As you grow in your Christian walk, compare every teaching against the Word of God. To be able to do this, you will need to continue reading God’s Word on a regular basis. Also, avoid those who make a big show of their faith and seem to have a great need to be noticed in what they do. Finally, look at your own life and ask God to show you areas where pride has entered in and you have acted like the Pharisees. We all struggle with the sin of pride and only with God’s grace can we overcome that temptation and live a life that demonstrates the character of Christ.
May 6th
Reading: Matthew 24:1-28
Matthew 24 is one of the most fascinating and troubling chapters in the New Testament. Many people have interpreted it in different ways and I would encourage you to study it further when you get older and become more familiar with the whole Bible. I will attempt to point out some key points here and will add to them and expand on them each time we read through this passage together in future years.
The first thing I want you to keep in mind is that the different writings of the Bible are true historical events. A real person was writing to other real people about real things that they had to deal with. Real events were being spoken about by real people and were recorded by a real person who witnessed those conversations. That is what we have happening here in Matthew 24. Matthew was present and recorded the conversation that Jesus had with His disciples after they left the temple and went out side the city to the Mount of Olives. The basic principle of interpretation that I am emphasizing here is this: “Remember, the Bible was written “for you” but was not written “to you.” With this in mind, I want you to notice how many times the words “you” and “ye” are used by Jesus in these verses. I counted that Jesus used these pronouns at least 10 times in these first 28 verses. Jesus had a very important message He wanted His disciples to understand.
What was the message Jesus was so pointedly telling His disciples? Well, the very first verses of this chapter tell us what the topic was. In verse 1 we are told that Jesus and His disciples had just left the temple and the disciples began pointing out all the buildings that made up the temple area of Jerusalem. No doubt, they were quite proud of how grand these building were. In verse 2, Jesus very directly tells them that every single one of those buildings would be torn down. The destruction will be so complete that “there shall not be left here one stone upon another.” It is that stunning statement by Jesus that provokes the questioning in verse 3.
The questions in verse 3 are tied directly into the declaration of Jesus that the temple would be destroyed. The disciples naturally want to know when this is going to happen and what signs they should look for. Those questions, Jesus then proceeds to answer in the rest of the discourse. The event Jesus identifies in this chapter was clearly an event His disciples and the others that would have heard Him or read Matthew’s original writing would have had reason to be concerned about. This is because the temple was destroyed in 70 AD just as Jesus said it would be here. That destruction came only about 40 years after Jesus predicted it in this chapter.
There is so much more I can and need to say about what you read, but time and space will not permit we to do it now. Those comments will have to wait until we read this section again the next time through the Bible. Be that as it may, let me tell you that we too need to heed many of the warnings that Jesus gives to His disciples here. In our day and age there have been and will be false Messiahs, people who say they are the savior of the world. We need to be so grounded in God’s Word and in such a close relationship with Jesus Christ that we, too, are not deceived [lead astray] by others. And, we also will face tribulation and trials, including persecution for our faith in Jesus Christ.
Pray that God will keep you in His loving protection at all times, just as He kept His disciples in those tumultuous days of the 1st century.
May 7th
Reading: Matthew 24:29-51
Today we continue in the reading of what is known as the “Olivet Discourse.” These teachings of Jesus have that title because of what it says in verse 3, “And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? And what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world (age)?” Then, Jesus, sitting with His disciples on the Mount of Olives, told them all that we read yesterday and today. The “Olivet Discourse” also includes what we will read in chapter 25 as well.
Yesterday, I emphasized the fact that Jesus was telling His disciples some very important things that they would need to know and watch for. We can understand that this is the case because of the constant use of the personal pronoun “you.” Jesus, very much, wanted his disciples to be aware and alert to what was going to befall them. That same perspective continues in the remainder of this chapter.
Take note of these verses in today’s reading:
“So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors.” (vs. 33)
“Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.” (vs. 42)
“Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.” (vs. 44)
Now, it is often difficult for people to believe that what Jesus is talking about here is the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD by the Roman army. Certainly, some of these events He shares here seem too fantastic to have happened then. Well, I will ask you to be patient about these things. There is much to learn about understanding prophetic messages and there is much still to be read in the Bible. The Bible itself needs to be our primary resource for understanding it. In other words, another principle of proper interpretation of Scripture is to “let Scripture interpret Scripture.” After you have read completely through the Bible in this first 3-year program, you will see that the way Jesus describes these events when speaking about the destruction of Jerusalem is very similar to the way the Old Testament prophets spoke of similar acts of God’s judgment that destroyed cities and even nations back then.
Next to the continual use of the pronoun “you” by Jesus in this discourse, the most powerful argument for the 1st century application of what Jesus has been saying, is the statement in verse 34. Here Jesus says, “Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.” Here Jesus is saying that before the generation of people living right then all die, then all that He has spoken of up to that point in this discourse will take place.
Now, some have tried to twist Jesus words into meaning a generation far into the future. Well, that sort of interpretation of this verse just can’t be done. These are the same words Jesus used in verse 36 of the previous chapter. There He said, “Verily I say unto you, All these things shall come upon this generation.” Jesus had just been scolding the Pharisees for their hypocritical teachings and in verse 35 of that chapter He said, “That upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth…” Notice the pronoun “you” which meant the Pharisees He was talking to. So, “this generation” in Matthew 23:36 means the generation living when Jesus was speaking. And, “this generation” in Matthew 24:34 also means the generation living when Jesus was speaking.
There is much more I can write on this, but I will save it for another time. What I want you to get from this at this time are these few but very important points:
(1) We need to let the Bible say what it actually says and not what we want it to say.
(2) We need to let the Bible interpret the Bible
(3) We need to let the immediate context of a saying guide our interpretation
(4) Prophecy fulfilled is just as important and prophecy in the Bible that is yet to be fulfilled. Fulfilled prophecy testifies to the faithfulness and power of God.
In addition to what I have shared above, let me just add this one point of personal application. At the time of the coming of Jesus in judgment upon Jerusalem, Jesus said people were living as they did in the days of Noah. You remember reading about the Flood in the Book of Genesis. People were living sinfully and not even thinking about a coming judgment upon their lives. That’s the way they were living in the time of Noah and that’s the way they were living just before Jerusalem was destroyed by the Roman army in 70 AD. And, guess what, that’s the way many people are living today.
Even though this is a prophecy of an event that occurred many years ago, it has principles and teachings that are very relevant to us today. We should never get so caught up in day-to-day living that we do not think of God’s judgment upon our lives. We should live today as if we would meet Jesus tomorrow. We could meet Jesus at any moment because something could happen to us today that would end our life here on earth. The Bible teaches us in the Book of Hebrews that once we die, we face judgment. Or, we could meet Jesus today or tomorrow because God has determined the time of this earth has come to an end. There will be a literally Second Coming of Jesus at the end of history to gather the righteous unto Himself and to send the wicked into eternal punishment. We will read of these things in the next chapter of Matthew.
So, with those things in mind, reflect on your life today and every day. Are you living with the presence and potential meeting of Jesus in mind? Would you be pleased to have Jesus with you in all you do and say? Pray for God to keep you ever aware of His presence in your life and ask Him to give you a burning desire to live every moment with an awareness of His presence and an alertness to His will.
May 8th
Reading: Matthew 25:1-30
The tenor or tone of Jesus’ discussion changes in this chapter. Instead of speaking in prophecy and relating actual events, He now begins speaking in parables. A parable is a story drawing upon something in real life and use primarily to teach a moral lesson. We need to be careful not to draw conclusive doctrinal positions based upon parables.
Here we have two parables taught. One is called the “Parable of the Ten Virgins” and the other is the “Parable of the Talents.” Both are giving us a picture of the “Kingdom of Heaven.” That is, they are showing us a picture of what it is to live under the rule of Jesus Christ. We will focus on the first parable in this lesson.
The “Parable of the Ten Virgins” was drawing upon a wedding scene where the brides wedding party is waiting for the groom to come so the wedding feast can begin. The groom, or bridegroom, is Jesus and the wedding feast is when all those that place their faith in Christ are brought into the eternal kingdom to live with Jesus forever.
In this story, the ten virgins are spoken of in two groups. There are the wise virgins and the foolish virgins. The wise virgins have filled their lamps and taken extra oil because they do not know how long it will be until the bridegroom comes and they are prepared to wait a long time. The foolish virgins do not prepare for a long wait and bring no extra oil. Then, when the wait extends beyond midnight, the foolish virgins have run out of oil for their lamps. The wise virgins, not wanting to miss meeting the bridegroom and entering the marriage feast, refuse to share some of their oil with the foolish virgins. Thus, the foolish virgins have to return to the market and buy more oil.
In the meantime, the bridegroom comes and he welcomes the wise virgins into the wedding feast and shuts the door. When the foolish virgins arrive they are not allowed to go into the feast. Just as Jesus warned in the latter part of chapter 24 (see verse 44), He again warns here, “Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh” (25:13).
This parable is teaching us to be diligent in the watchfulness of our lives and our Christian walk. We should be filling ourselves constantly with the Spirit of God (depicted by the oil in the vessels and lamps) by reading and meditating upon God’s Word. And, being in regular communication with God through prayer. That is why daily Bible reading, meditation, and prayer is so very important in the life of a believer.
Thank God for His Word and ask Him to fill you with His Spirit that you can go through this and every day with an awareness of His presence and a watchfulness over your very life and actions.
May 9th
Reading: Matthew 25:31-43
This teaching by Jesus in the last part of Matthew chapter 25 is clearly about the final judgment in history. The indicators of this are the following:
1) Jesus comes in His glory, with the holy angels and “then shall sit upon the throne of his glory.”
2) All nations are gathered before Him.
3) He brings the righteous into His eternal kingdom and He sends the wicked into eternal punishment, “prepared for the devil and his angels.”
This is a picture of the final judgment which we will read about elsewhere in the New Testament, especially in the Book of Revelation.
There will be a final judgment of all people, when Jesus will sit on His throne in glory and judge all people. Do not be confused by the fact that Jesus commends the righteous for acts of kindness that they did for others. These acts of kindness are not the things that made these people righteous. No. These acts of kindness are the “good works” they did out of a changed heart and life, because they were made righteous. If these people were relying upon these works to make them acceptable before God in the day of judgment, then they would have been like the person who entered the wedding feast wearing his own garment and not the proper garment provided for the feast (see Matthew 22:11-13). That man was bound and thrown out of the feast.
The righteous are made righteous because God has, by His sovereign act of grace, imputed the righteousness of Jesus Christ to their account. That word “imputed” means, that God has recorded or simply bestowed the righteousness of Jesus upon them. It has been attributed to them and now God sees them as righteous simply because of Christ. However, having been declared righteous by God, He also has given them His Holy Spirit which, in accordance with His Word, has been working a change in the person’s life. This change started with a change of heart and desire from doing things which displeased God to now wanting to do those things which are pleasing to God. Here, in the final judgment, God is recognizing them as righteous by identifying the fruit of righteousness that has been seen in their lives.
Thank God for His saving grace and ask Him to continue to work a new desire to know His will and to obey His Word.
May 10th
Reading: Matthew 26:1-25
As Jesus ends the “Olivet Discourse,” He reminds the disciples that the “Feast of the Passover” is coming in just two days. His disciples would certainly already know this because it was an annual feast that many people would travel to Jerusalem to celebrate. And, Jesus, I am sure, has celebrated this feast with His disciples over the past two years. In fact, on the first day of the feast, the disciples asked Jesus where He wanted to keep the Passover. Jesus, somehow, knew of a man who had a room in His house they could use for the Passover meal.
Jesus does not bring up this Passover time with the disciples simply because it has come around to that time of year again like it does each year. Rather, Jesus has something that is weighing heavily on His mind and He mentions it in verse 2 immediately after bringing up the feast. Jesus immediately says that after the next two days, “the Son of man is betrayed to be crucified.” His crucifixion and death is weighing heavy on His mind.
The next day, as Jesus shared a meal in the house of Simon the leper, a woman came and poured expensive perfume on Jesus’ head. His disciples thought it was a waste of money and, if the woman did not want the perfume, she should have sold it and given the money to the poor. Jesus informs the disciples that this act was a preparation for His burial. He knew that, with the way crucifixions were done, nobody would be able to anoint His body before He was buried. God, in His providence, moving upon this woman’s love for Jesus, had her do the special act of anointing Jesus while He still lived.
At this time, the life of Jesus enters a very dark and sad time. Just a week before, the throngs of people were shouting “Hosanna” as He entered into the city. Now, one of His own disciples, Judas Iscariot, is going to betray Jesus to the local religious to put Him to death. Though this is a tremendously dark and sad time, it is also the beginning of what will be the most glorious time and event that has ever occurred on earth.
Thank God for Jesus’ commitment to face the death of crucifixion for our salvation.
May 11th
Reading: Matthew 26:26-50
You read about the “Feast of Unleavened Bread” when you read through the Book of Exodus. By carefully reading the parts that speak of that feast, you would have noticed that this seven day feast actually started with the Passover meal on the day prior to the feast beginning. Thus, including the Passover, it was eight days long.
The Passover meal, you will remember was established the last night the Israelites were in captivity in Egypt. On that night, each family in Israel killed a lamb and sprinkled its blood on the side posts and over head post of their door. Because of this blood covering, the Lord “passed over” their houses and did not kill any first born children in their families. All the Egyptian families, however, lost their fistborn child in death that night because they were not covered by the blood of the Passover lamb.
What you read today, is the celebration of that same Passover meal by Jesus and His disciples. However, this time the meal is about to take on new meaning. You see, I told you when you read the Book of Exodus that the lamb that was killed at the very first Passover was foreshadow of Christ. Jesus Christ is about to be captured and crucified. The crucifying of Christ is what the killing of each and every Passover lamb symbolized. The blood of those lambs on the doorposts of those houses so many years ago, was a picture of the blood of Jesus that covers the sins committed by you and me. And, so, at this special Passover meal, which some have called “The Last Supper,” Jesus is gave the meal a new purpose and symbolism.
You read that, during the meal, Jesus took bread and broke it saying “this is my body.” He also took a cup of wine and said, “Drink ye all of it; for this is my blood of the new testament which is shed for many for the remission of sins.” From this point on, we no longer are to sacrifice a lamb and eat a Passover Meal as if we are hoping Jesus will come and die for our sins. Rather, we are to break bread and eat it, and drink wine or juice, and remember that Jesus did already come and die for our sins. This activity that you may have seen or even participated in is called “The Lord’s Supper” or “Communion.” You will learn more about this wonderful practice, called a sacrament, as you continue to read in the New Testament.
God’s story from beginning to end points to Jesus. It points to His coming, to His perfect life, to His death on the cross, to His resurrection from the dead, to His reign in heaven, and to His coming again in judgment. We see this clear connection in this passover meal that Jesus celebrated with His disciples.
Praise God this day for teaching you of your need for Jesus Christ.
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