Lesson 827

(Lesson 827)(12-01-13) Today's lesson comes from Matthew 20:17-19;

"And Jesus going up to Jerusalem took the twelve disciples apart in the way, and said unto them, Behold, we go up to Jerusalem; and the Son of man shall be betrayed unto the chief priests and unto the scribes, and they shall condemn him to death, And shall deliver him to the Gentiles to mock, and to scourge, and to crucify him: and the third day he shall rise again."

In this very short lesson, Jesus explains His, soon to come, soul redeeming ordeal. This short text starts to ball rolling toward the most blessed and important event the world has ever known. By the fulfilling of this statement, Jesus secured everlasting life for all who will simply place their faith in Him and accept His loving grace.

"As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life." (John 3:14-15)~

Lesson 826

(Lesson 826)(11-30-13) Today's lesson is taken from Matthew 20:1-16;

"For the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an householder, which went out early in the morning to hire labourers into his vineyard. And when he had agreed with the labourers for a penny a day, he sent them into his vineyard. And he went out about the third hour, and saw others standing idle in the marketplace, And said unto them; Go ye also into the vineyard, and whatsoever is right I will give you. And they went their way. Again he went out about the sixth and ninth hour, and did likewise. And about the eleventh hour he went out, and found others standing idle, and saith unto them, Why stand ye here all the day idle? They say unto him, Because no man hath hired us. He saith unto them, Go ye also into the vineyard; and whatsoever is right, that shall ye receive. So when even was come, the lord of the vineyard saith unto his steward, Call the labourers, and give them their hire, beginning from the last unto the first. And when they came that were hired about the eleventh hour, they received every man a penny. But when the first came, they supposed that they should have received more; and they likewise received every man a penny. And when they had received it, they murmured against the goodman of the house, Saying, These last have wrought but one hour, and thou hast made them equal unto us, which have borne the burden and heat of the day. But he answered one of them, and said, Friend, I do thee no wrong: didst not thou agree with me for a penny? Take that thine is, and go thy way: I will give unto this last, even as unto thee. Is it not lawful for me to do what I will with mine own? Is thine eye evil, because I am good? So the last shall be first, and the first last: for many be called, but few chosen."

Today's lesson demonstrates that the fairness of Jesus Christ is totally different from what mankind considers fair. We are in no position to challenge what might or might not be fair in the sight of God.

Using the parable, Jesus demonstrated that no matter what amount of effort a child of God makes or does not make, or how long he/she has been in that effort, if the reward is the same for both, then we should accept it.

As Christians, we should always be thankful for the blessings received by those around us, no matter what our own condition might be.

The overriding lesson we should take form the example of Jesus is to, first place our faith in Him, and do all we can lift up the weak, and accept the chips as they fall.~

Lesson 825

(Lesson 825)(11-29-13) Today's lesson is a continuation of yesterday's and come from Matthew 19:16-30;

It is the common mistake of many bible students to confuse the rules that applied to the Jews under the law, with those rules that today apply to Christian people whom have been saved by grace through faith.

We must know that when Jesus came, was crucified, buried and rose again to ascend to the Father, the requirements to attain eternal life completely changed. No longer was a lost soul, who placed his/her faith in Jesus, separated from God because of the sin that is inherent in the flesh. Jesus fulfilled every aspect of the Law of Moses for those of us whom have believed in Him.

We, the saved, through our faith in the soul saving sacrifice of Jesus Christ, have taken on His perfect righteousness and are only seen through that righteousness by God, no matter what sin we might commit in the flesh. In simple terms, we are made perfect by the perfection of Jesus Christ.

Paul explains this far better than I can in Romans 4:4-8, "Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt. But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness. Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works, Saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin."

This all applies to today's lesson in that the instructions Jesus gave to the "rich young ruler", were given according to the rules of the law. If that same question were to be asked of Jesus today, the answer would be, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life." (John 5:24)

The plan of salvation cannot be explained in any simpler terms.~

Lesson 824

(Lesson 824)(11-28-13) Today's lesson is taken from Matthew 19:16-30;

"And, behold, one came and said unto him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life? And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments. He saith unto him, Which? Jesus said, Thou shalt do no murder, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Honour thy father and thy mother: and, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. The young man saith unto him, All these things have I kept from my youth up: what lack I yet? Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me. But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions. Then said Jesus unto his disciples, Verily I say unto you, That a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven. And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God. When his disciples heard it, they were exceedingly amazed, saying, Who then can be saved? But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible. Then answered Peter and said unto him, Behold, we have forsaken all, and followed thee; what shall we have therefore? And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That ye which have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. And every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name's sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life. But many that are first shall be last; and the last shall be first."

In the above quote, the young man asked Jesus, straight out, "what good THING shall I do, that I may have eternal life?" Remember, the Jews, including the "rich young ruler", were still bound by the Law of Moses, and salvation by grace through faith could not be understood, much the less taught, until Jesus had fulfilled His divine purpose (His death, burial, resurrection and ascension.)

Jesus told the young man that he must obey all the articles of the Law and went on to tell the man that in order to be perfect, he must go and sell everything he owned and distribute the money amongst the poor. Jesus, knowing, that to perfectly fulfill the law as a mortal man, was impossible. He obviously knew the young man would never do all that was required of him under the Law and therefore presented the young man with an impossible situation.

Jesus went even further to say that (under the law) it would be impossible for a rich man to receive eternal salvation.

There are many today who propose that in order to attain and/or keep eternal salvation, we are still bound to obey the letter of the Law by living a perfect life, without sin. That contention is totally unfounded and causes millions of lost souls to remain lost because they don't understand that, unless a lost soul takes on the perfection of Jesus Christ crucified, through absolute faith in Him, there is not now, nor will there EVER be, such thing as perfection in the flesh of mankind.

This lesson will be expanded tomorrow.~

Lesson 823

(Lesson 823)(11-27-13) Today's lesson comes from Matthew 19:13-15;

"Then were there brought unto him little children, that he should put his hands on them, and pray: and the disciples rebuked them. But Jesus said, Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven."

Today's lesson, although it appears to be a short and simple one, is very important in that it paints a picture of what Christianity should reflect.

Jesus said, "Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me". Then he made this, very defining statement, "for OF such is the kingdom of heaven." Jesus was saying, in essence, that His Church would be made up of those who could be as receptive and trusting as a child.This simple statement explains that the conduct of those who claim Christianity should reflect the non-judgmental innocence of children.

The Church should not reflect the biases and self-conceived attitudes that are seen among those who are outside God's amazing grace. Rather, the Church members should be as open minded and quick to forgive as a child.

As followers of Jesus Christ, we are to always be innocent, forgiving and above all, charitable toward others.~

Lesson 822

(Lesson 822)(11-26-13) Our lesson for today comes from Matthew 19:9-12;

"And I say unto you, Whosoever shall put away his wife, except it be for fornication, and shall marry another, committeth adultery: and whoso marrieth her which is put away doth commit adultery. His disciples say unto him, If the case of the man be so with his wife, it is not good to marry. But he said unto them, All men cannot receive this saying, save they to whom it is given. For there are some eunuchs, which were so born from their mother's womb: and there are some eunuchs, which were made eunuchs of men: and there be eunuchs, which have made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven's sake. He that is able to receive it, let him receive it."

This lesson defines the ONLY reason given for divorce between those whom have been united in Christian marriage.

In today's quote, Jesus makes it very clear, that unless one or the other participant in a Christian marriage commits adultery, that marriage CANNOT be scripturally terminated.

There might be some who would say that because this quote specifically speaks of men divorcing women, that this rule applies only to adulterous women, and that a woman is not, under any circumstance, scripturally authorized to divorce a man. That contention is proven to be invalid by what Paul said concerning that possible distinction among Christians. "There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is NEITHER MALE NOR FEMALE: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus."(Galatians 3:28)

Therefore, as it concerns Church sanctioned marriages, if either partner commits adultery, the other is authorized to terminate that marriage under the circumstances provided in today's quote.

In the latter portion of today's lesson, Jesus provides that there may be some who are incapable of marriage in the literal sense, seeing that, "there are some eunuchs, which were so born from their mother's womb: and there are some eunuchs, which were made eunuchs of men: and there be eunuchs, which have made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven's sake."

In essence, Jesus said that some would choose not to marry simply because they might choose not to, and that some, for whatever reason, might not be able to consummate a Christian marriage.

There will be more to learn about the rules of Christian marriage as these lessons continue.~

Lesson 821

(Lesson 821)(11-25-13) Today's lesson begins the nineteenth chapter of Matthew, verses 1-8;

"And it came to pass, that when Jesus had finished these sayings, he departed from Galilee, and came into the coasts of Judaea beyond Jordan; And great multitudes followed him; and he healed them there. The Pharisees also came unto him, tempting him, and saying unto him, Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife for every cause? And he answered and said unto them, Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female, And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh? Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder. They say unto him, Why did Moses then command to give a writing of divorcement, and to put her away? He saith unto them, Moses because of the hardness of your hearts suffered you to put away your wives: but from the beginning it was not so."

This lesson explains several issues that confront Christian married couples today. In the beginning of today's quote, Jesus defines marriage and what it actually means to the man and woman who commit to it. The two are no longer separate people, they, through marriage, actually become one entity, in essence, they become one person. Therefore, the actions of the husband are charged also to the wife, and equally, the actions of the wife directly apply to the husband also. For example, if the man commits adultery, he has caused his wife to be an adulteress. Married couples are identified as one person before God.

The term "marriage" defines a sacred union between one man and one woman and cannot scripturally be applied to a union involving two people of the same sex.

That fact is very easily verifiable by what Jesus said in the above quote.

Herein, Jesus makes it clear that marriage is not something to be taken lightly, it is to be honored, respected and cherished among Christian people.

There is much more written about Christian marriage, and we will learn more about it as these lessons progress.~