Lesson 811

(Lesson 811)(11-14-13)For today's lesson, we go to Matthew 16:21-23;

"From that time forth began Jesus to shew unto his disciples, how that he must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day. Then Peter took him, and began to rebuke him, saying, Be it far from thee, Lord: this shall not be unto thee. But he turned, and said unto Peter, Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art an offence unto me: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men."

This lesson is a partial continuation of yesterday's lesson in that it covers Jesus' response to Peter when Peter challenged His divine mission, His death, burial, and resurrection.

Papal authority, the principal tenet of Roman Catholicism, as well as many of its spinoff sects, is based on what Jesus said to Peter in yesterday's quote, "That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church". That tenet was/is, were it not for the fact that it has caused the condemnation of millions of souls, laughable. Jesus would NEVER have given the "keys to the kingdom" to Peter, then immediately refer to him as "Satan" and tell him, "thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men."

No person that Jesus saw as representative of Satan, and who cared more for the principals of mankind than than he did the purpose and principles of God, would have EVER been appointed "The father of the Church"!~

Lesson 810

(Lesson 810)(11-13-13) Todays lesson comes from Matthew 16:13-20;

"When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am? And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets. He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven. And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Then charged he his disciples that they should tell no man that he was Jesus the Christ."

The essence of today's lesson is that Jesus was identified as the Messiah, the Son of God.

The second portion of this text designates the twelve Apostles as the charter members of the Church. Peter was specifically named as the first of these.

There are millions of people today (The whole of Roman Catholicism, and its many spin-offs.) who contend that Jesus intended that Peter be the head of His Church, the undisputed leader.

That is a horribly distorted view of what Jesus actually said, and intended.

First; Jesus said "thou are Peter and upon this rock I will build my Church". That statement simply means that the Church started with Peter as its first member. When Jesus said "upon this rock I will BUILD My Church", he meant that beginning with Peter, the membership would grow (build) in numbers.

Jesus also said, speaking of His Church, "the gates of hell shall not prevail against it." This meant that His Church would last forever, and that it would stand eternally against all challenges.

Jesus went further to say "And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.

Again, there are those millions who wrongly believe this statement was made directly to Peter, and gave him ultimate authority over the Church, even the power to forgive sin.

That contention is absolute heresy and easily confirmed as such by what Jesus said to Peter shortly after establishing him as the first member of the Church. When Peter challenged Jesus about His upcoming sacrificial ordeal, "Then Peter took him, and began to rebuke him, saying, Be it far from thee, Lord: this shall not be unto thee. But he turned, and said unto Peter, Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art an offence unto me: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men."
It is absolutely ludicrous to believe that Jesus would give Peter ultimate authority over His Church and then within minutes, and as a part of the same conversation, refer to him as Satan, "Get thee behind me, Satan:"
Further, after Jesus said, "thou art an offence unto me: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men.", to believe He would grant the power to Peter to forgive sin, is a stretch that should be impossible for anyone to comprehend.

It is clear, with just the slightest depth of thought, that the powers mentioned in this lesson, " And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.", were granted to the Church membership as a body, and NOT to any individual within it.

Through the power of the Holy Spirit, those who have accepted the sacrifice of Jesus Christ for remission of sin, hold the power to do all manner of miraculous things through prayer, including even the possibility of persuading God to convict the hearts of the lost. But to assume that a mortal man has the power to remit sins denies the very purpose for the coming and soul saving sacrifice of Christ Jesus. ~

Lesson 809

(Lesson 809)(11-12-13) Today's lesson comes from Matthew 16:5-12;

"And when his disciples were come to the other side, they had forgotten to take bread. Then Jesus said unto them, Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees. And they reasoned among themselves, saying, It is because we have taken no bread. Which when Jesus perceived, he said unto them, O ye of little faith, why reason ye among yourselves, because ye have brought no bread? Do ye not yet understand, neither remember the five loaves of the five thousand, and how many baskets ye took up? Neither the seven loaves of the four thousand, and how many baskets ye took up? How is it that ye do not understand that I spake it not to you concerning bread, that ye should beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees? Then understood they how that he bade them not beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees."

This should be a very powerful lesson to those who claim to be Christians today, yet still hang on to the "leaven" of the Pharisees and Sadducees, who believed that one must strictly adhere to the law to be saved.

There are many who refuse to preach the saving grace of God as being free, and in simple form as it was prescribed by Jesus Himself and subsequently preached by His Apostles.

They insist on adding the "leaven" of the Pharisees and Sadducees by placing all manner of unnecessary obstacles in the path to eternal salvation.

To receive the promise of eternal salvation one must ONLY do what Paul so plainly told the prison keeper when asked, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved? And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house."
Paul did NOT tell that man to go and confess all his sins to some other sinner! Paul did NOT tell that man to go immerse himself in water! Paul did NOT require the man to never sin again. Paul said "believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou SHALT be saved, period!

Jesus said, "Then said Jesus unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep. All that ever came before me are thieves and robbers: but the sheep did not hear them. I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture. The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep." (John 10:7-11)

If a lost person simply gives him/herself over to the saving grace of God through faith in the sacrifice of Jesus, the Son of God, he/she IS at that moment saved, and has become one of the sheep for which Christ died. There are NO other requirements.
"For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast." (Eph. 2:8-9)~

Lesson 808

(Lesson 808)(11-11-13) Today's lesson comes from Matthew 15:39 through Matthew 16:4;

"And he sent away the multitude, and took ship, and came into the coasts of Magdala, The Pharisees also with the Sadducees came, and tempting desired him that he would shew them a sign from heaven. He answered and said unto them, When it is evening, ye say, It will be fair weather: for the sky is red. And in the morning, It will be foul weather to day: for the sky is red and lowring. O ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky; but can ye not discern the signs of the times? A wicked and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given unto it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas. And he left them, and departed."

This is basically the same text that provided the lesson for Oct. 27. Jesus blasted the Pharisees and Sadducees (The leadership of the Jewish sects.), for their lack of faith in Him, then told them that the only sign they would receive was the example of Jonas, wherein Jonah refused to go to and warn the Ninevites, as God had commanded him, and subsequently was punished by his three day ordeal in the belly of a large fish. After the great fish vomited Jonah up on the beach, he traveled to Nineveh and warned them of God's impending wrath, causing some in the city to repent whereby the whole city was spared from total destruction.
Just as Jonas spent three days in the belly of the fish before going to Nineveh, Jesus knew that there could be no understanding of His ministry and Testament until He had fully accomplished it by completing His three day ordeal, His death, burial, and resurrection.

Jesus also called those Pharisees and Sadducees "hypocrites" because they were capable of comprehending the changes in the weather, but were incapable, or better put, unwilling, to accept the great change that would be caused by the coming of the Messiah and the new law of grace through faith.

Just as Jonah warned the Ninevites and Jesus warned the Jews, God's word is warning us today of His impending wrath. The time to act is now.

All that is required to achieve eternal salvation is to accept Jesus Christ as who He really is, The Son of God, and believe that He, through His death, burial, and resurrection, took all sin, including yours and mine, to the grave and left them there. ~

Lesson 807

(Lesson 807)(11-10-13) Today's lesson comes from Matthew 15:29-38;

"And Jesus departed from thence, and came nigh unto the sea of Galilee; and went up into a mountain, and sat down there. And great multitudes came unto him, having with them those that were lame, blind, dumb, maimed, and many others, and cast them down at Jesus' feet; and he healed them: Insomuch that the multitude wondered, when they saw the dumb to speak, the maimed to be whole, the lame to walk, and the blind to see: and they glorified the God of Israel. Then Jesus called his disciples unto him, and said, I have compassion on the multitude, because they continue with me now three days, and have nothing to eat: and I will not send them away fasting, lest they faint in the way. And his disciples say unto him, Whence should we have so much bread in the wilderness, as to fill so great a multitude? And Jesus saith unto them, How many loaves have ye? And they said, Seven, and a few little fishes. And he commanded the multitude to sit down on the ground. And he took the seven loaves and the fishes, and gave thanks, and brake them, and gave to his disciples, and the disciples to the multitude. And they did all eat, and were filled: and they took up of the broken meat that was left seven baskets full. And they that did eat were four thousand men, beside women and children."

This is yet another example of the compassion of Jesus as He tirelessly healed all manner of afflicted people. He also performed another great miracle by feeding thousands of people with only seven loaves of bread and a few small fishes.

As we continue to study the testament of Jesus, we will learn that His entire ministry was founded upon love and compassion for others.

When Jesus was asked which of the commandments was greatest, He said "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these." Mark 12:30-31
The second of these greatest commandments is to "LOVE THY NEIGHBOR AS THYSELF." If we all would obey these two commandments, what a wonderful world this would be.~

Lesson 806

(Lesson 806)(11-09-13) Today's lesson comes from Matthew 15:21-28;

"Then Jesus went thence, and departed into the coasts of Tyre and Sidon. And, behold, a woman of Canaan came out of the same coasts, and cried unto him, saying, Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou Son of David; my daughter is grievously vexed with a devil. But he answered her not a word. And his disciples came and besought him, saying, Send her away; for she crieth after us. But he answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel. Then came she and worshipped him, saying, Lord, help me. But he answered and said, It is not meet to take the children's bread, and to cast it to dogs. And she said, Truth, Lord: yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters' table. Then Jesus answered and said unto her, O woman, great is thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt. And her daughter was made whole from that very hour."

This text demonstrates how Jesus extended His saving grace to the Gentiles.

Jesus told the canaanite woman, in essence, that He was only sent to save the Jews, "I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel." He also said, "It is not meet to take the children's bread, and to cast it to dogs." (Referring to the Gentiles) However when the woman made the point that there were many among the Gentiles who also believed in Him, ("Truth, Lord: yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters' table."), Jesus said, "O woman, great is thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt."

Even though the woman was a hated Gentile and considered by the Jews to be unclean, because she openly expressed her faith in Jesus as the Son of God, He had compassion on her and granted her prayer.

Jesus is a savior to all who will call on Him. Acts 2:20-21, "The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before that great and notable day of the Lord come: And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved."

No matter who you are, or what you have been, if you call on Jesus and place your faith in Him, and not yourself, you will have a place with Him in heaven.~

Lesson 805

(Lesson 805)(11-08-13) Today's lesson is taken from Matthew 15:1-20;

"Then came to Jesus scribes and Pharisees, which were of Jerusalem, saying, Why do thy disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? for they wash not their hands when they eat bread. But he answered and said unto them, Why do ye also transgress the commandment of God by your tradition? For God commanded, saying, Honour thy father and mother: and, He that curseth father or mother, let him die the death. But ye say, Whosoever shall say to his father or his mother, It is a gift, by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me; And honour not his father or his mother, he shall be free. Thus have ye made the commandment of God of none effect by your tradition. Ye hypocrites, well did Esaias prophesy of you, saying, This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me. But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. And he called the multitude, and said unto them, Hear, and understand: Not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man; but that which cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man. Then came his disciples, and said unto him, Knowest thou that the Pharisees were offended, after they heard this saying? But he answered and said, Every plant, which my heavenly Father hath not planted, shall be rooted up. Let them alone: they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch. Then answered Peter and said unto him, Declare unto us this parable. And Jesus said, Are ye also yet without understanding? Do not ye yet understand, that whatsoever entereth in at the mouth goeth into the belly, and is cast out into the draught? But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man. For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies: These are the things which defile a man: but to eat with unwashen hands defileth not a man."

There is a profound meaning in today's lesson that the casual bible reader may, and many of today's "bible scholars" do, overlook.

Jesus explains that those things we might do that appear to be "sins", to those who would take it upon themselves to judge us, (many of those things that are listed as "don't dos" by today's society), are not sins at all.

Jesus made it clear that unless the "sin" is committed with an evil intent in the heart, there is no sin. Simply put, where there is no harm done, there is no sin.

The disciples eating without washing their hands, meant nothing because it couldn't possibly cause harm to anyone other than the person who was doing the eating.

The Pharisees who gave the appearance of being offended by those disciples, were guilty of the actual sin of hypocrisy by judging those disciples out of an impure heart.

In Matthew 7:3 Jesus said, "And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?"

Those Pharisees were guilty of just such a judgment.

Acts 13:38-39 says, "Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins: And by him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses."

Not only are we not to judge those around us, we are to forgive even those things we, ourselves, might perceive as "sin".

Jesus preached "forgiveness", NOT judgment.~