SEPTEMBER 21 THE JESUS QUESTIONS JQ#29 “What do you think about the Christ? Whose Son is He?” (Matthew 22:42)

SEPTEMBER 21  THE JESUS QUESTIONS  JQ#29  “What do you think about the Christ? Whose Son is He?”  (Matthew 22:42)

LIVING FOR JESUS  Daily Prayer    

JESUS, the Holy Spirit brought to my mind this morning during my devotional prayer that  I was to stop in mid-prayer and consider very seriously this question that the Holy Spirit directed to me personally this morning — “What do YOU (personally) think about the Christ? Whose Son is He?” My spirit within me was stilled as I was consciously aware that I personally and confidently KNEW that the Word of God is TRUTH and that Jesus is the Son of God, that the Messiah is the Chosen One sent by the FATHER GOD to bring Salvation to this lost and dying world — so my personal answer to the Holy Spirit is that I believe with all that is in me that “God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son {{JESUS}}, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life” —and only the True, Living, Loving God would devise and execute such a Divine Plan!!! LORD, I am confident that EVERY WORD that You have spoken and has been written in the Holy Scriptures is TRUTH — Thank You LORD for Your Salvation and my prayer is that I will be a good steward of all the spiritual and physical blessings that You shower down upon us daily!   AMEN

SEPTEMBER 21  THE JESUS QUESTIONS

Jesus in His final week on earth is finalizing His Final Passover Lesson on Power and Authority and He initiated the Lesson with this Question posed to those that had been questioning Him ——— “What do you think about the Christ?” and then Jesus tacks on a clue to the answer riding on His closing Question, “Whose Son is He?” (Matthew 22:42) Jesus, being both Christ and the Son of God therefore is the Master Teacher and we should look not only at “what” Jesus has asked in this Question but we should seriously consider “who” Jesus directed the Question to and also “how” Jesus phrased this two part Question. The “what” that Jesus is asking is the pivotal Question in each individual’s search for Truth and that pivotal Question is “What do you [personally] think about the Christ?” — the Question is not what have you heard others say that their opinion of Christ is but Jesus makes this very personal — for once again Jesus takes a very serious Question and looks you straight in the eye and asks “What do YOU think?” and when you look around you see that it is only you and Jesus in the room and that Jesus is waiting on your personal reply, then the pressure to be honest with Jesus becomes very real and intimate!?!? The “what” of His Question then is “What is [YOUR PERSONAL] belief about the Christ?”  Next we must look at “who” Jesus addressed this Question to — this Question was addressed to all those that were trying to seek personal power and were actively denying that Jesus IS the Christ!!! Therefore the Question is double directed at YOU if you don’t accept Jesus as the Messiah! But then it is important to look at “how” Jesus asked the Question: First He introduced the “subject” of the Question to get our attention focused on the “Christ” and then Jesus asked the Question in such a way that each individual is compelled to answer the Question personally. Then when Jesus gets us to “think about” the “Christ”, Jesus Masterfully gives us a Divine Clue to the RIGHT ANSWER when He “hints” that the correct answer must contain a Father/Son relationship — How does one get from God/Christ to Father/Son without considering all these admonitions and actions that Jesus uses to Teach the Truth of God and continually tells us to pray to “our Father in heaven”? — surely it is way off base to consider any answer that does not include the “Fatherhood of Almighty God” and the “Sonship of Jesus Christ” !?!? As we look at what Jesus is Teaching with this Question, we can better understand the object Lesson if we actually stop at this point and honestly answer this very personal Question — “What do YOU think about the Christ?” and equally important — “Whose SON is He?” (Matthew 22:42)

SEPTEMBER 20 THE JESUS QUESTIONS JQ#29 “What do you think about the Christ? Whose Son is He?” (Matthew 22:42)

SEPTEMBER 20  THE JESUS QUESTIONS  JQ#29  “What do you think about the Christ? Whose Son is He?”  (Matthew 22:42)

LIVING FOR JESUS  Daily Prayer    

JESUS, O the Joy of waking up and feeling the Presence of the Holy Spirit and knowing that the “Good Shepherd” is leading you “beside the still waters…in green pastures”! The Really Good News is that all this comes from “Who” Jesus IS and the fact that He “Chose” to die ON THE CROSS AT CALVARY for us, not because of who we are, but because of “Who” the “Father” IS!      O Glorious thought that all sin and iniquity have already been addressed for the Plan of Salvation has been Executed with Perfection and as Jesus proclaimed as He completed His Redemptive Work on the Cross — “IT IS FINISHED!” Thank you Lord Jesus that You would chose to do the Will of the Father and extend to sinners the Gift of Grace PURCHASED WITH GREAT SACRIFICE instead of the punishment that our sins deserved! Lord Jesus, forgive me of my daily transgressions and teach me to “Love others” as You have “Loved” me.       AMEN

SEPTEMBER 20  THE JESUS QUESTIONS

Jesus is Teaching the multitudes and His disciples “why” He has exposed the Pharisees, the Sadducees, the Herodians, and all those that had defiled the offices that were established by Moses at the command of God — Jesus first says that we are to “observe and do” the commands of God that comes down from God through His Holy Word but “…do not do according to [the] work [of those that defile their Holy Offices]; for they say, and do not do.”(Matthew 23:3) Jesus then makes a {Do-not-Do-List} of what [those that sit in Moses’ seat] do that defiles their “office” and that we should avoid these things in our lives! We should be obedient to “do” what God’s Word teaches us and “do not do” these following actions that defile God’s Holy Word. {1} Do not place heavy burdens on others shoulders that we are not willing to bear ourselves or at least share the burden with them. (Matthew 23:4) {2} Do not do your works “to be seen by men”. (Matthew 23:5) {3} Be cautious in your dress that you do not seek the attention of others. We should seek to glorify God and not ourselves.  {4} Do not seek to be seated at “center field” nor at the “head of the table” for others to “envy” your position. {5} Do not seek “titles” for yourself. (Matthew 23:6-7) {6} “But you, do not be called ‘Rabbi’; for One is your Teacher, the Christ, and you are all brethren. Do not call anyone on earth your father; for One is your Father, He who is in heaven.” (Matthew 23:8-9) {7} Remember, “he who is greatest among you shall be your servant” … Do not “exalt" yourself but “humble yourself” and let God exalt you for your obedience to His Word. (Matthew 23:11-12) Jesus Teaches us about the Truth of God with every Lesson and with every circumstance that we encounter in our daily lives we can find one of these lessons that will apply to how we are to live our lives to be pleasing to God. Jesus said remember that “…the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve…” (Matthew 20:28) so we should post the {Do-Not-Do-List} in a conspicuous place and strive to humble ourselves and take instructions from the “One Teacher” sent by our “Father in heaven” who has a “Plan” for each of us and has promised “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope…call upon Me … go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you…you will seek Me and [you will] find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.” (Jeremiah 29:11-14) So there you have it, a seven (7)  item {Do-Not-Do-List} from the “Son of God” and a Faithful Promise from the “Father” Himself clearly shining a Bright Light on the Path of Righteousness, but as always, God will not “force” Himself on you but He gently calls you to “Chose God” — “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” (Matthew 6:33) 

SEPTEMBER 19 THE JESUS QUESTIONS JQ#29 “What do you think about the Christ? Whose Son is He?” (Matthew 22:42)

SEPTEMBER 19  THE JESUS QUESTIONS  JQ#29  “What do you think about the Christ? Whose Son is He?”  (Matthew 22:42)

LIVING FOR JESUS  Daily Prayer    

JESUS, Lord and Savior, my Light, my Salvation — You alone are Worthy to be praised by every nation, every tongue. Every knee shall bow for You Lord Jesus are the One True King of kings and Lord of lords! Your Life was short but You lived the Perfect Life in obedience to the Will of the Father, You became by virtue of Your Perfect Life the Perfect Sacrifice acceptable by God for the Atonement of sin. You died the Perfect Death and by Your death You won victory over the grave so that no man that believes in Your Life need fear the bodily death that awaits us all. Your Gift of Mercy and Grace and Your Victory over death and the grave is extended to all who believe on You LORD Jesus, the Only Begotten of the Father, who fulfilled God’s Great Plan of Redemption through the Blood of Your Perfect Sacrifice — we need not fear death for You have promised that through belief in You, we “shall not perish but have life everlasting”        AMEN

SEPTEMBER 19  THE JESUS QUESTIONS

Jesus has shut down His detractors and has returned to explaining to His disciples and the multitudes “why” Jesus has spent so much of His time dealing with the religious rulers. Now Jesus makes a list of the “rulers of Israel’s” actions that is the self-convicting evidence that will be the basis for their judgement which Jesus pronounced about their iniquities and “hypocrisy” that their punishment will “be executed speedily on [them]” for their abuse of their “God-given wisdom” that they were supposed to apply to teaching and judging the nation of Israel as Ezra described 500 years earlier. (Ezra 7:1-6, 25-26) This “list” should be used by everyone as a “Spiritual-Do-Not-Do-List” for Jesus is laying out very clearly and in simple terms what God has judged as “sin”. Jesus started the list by qualifying by which “authority” He was pronouncing “judgement” when Jesus referenced the “scribes and Pharisees [sitting] in Moses’ seat. Therefore [since they were given their offices and responsibilities by God that] whatever they tell you to observe, that observe and do…” (Matthew 23:2-3a) then Jesus gave a summation of the problem as He continued, “but do not do according to their works; for they say and do not do.”  (Matthew 23:3b)  Jesus had also just Taught 3 Parables on “True Power and Authority”, the first was about two sons being given instructions by the “father” but only one son actually did as the father had asked and Jesus asked this question, “Which of the two did the will of the father?” (Matthew 21:28-31) So this is not the first time Jesus has Taught this Lesson of actually being “obedient” in doing what the “Father commands” and not just paying Him “lip service” — and now Jesus is again saying to “do” what the Father commands with the phrase “whatever [those given authority by God] tell you to observe, that observe and do…” (Matthew 23:3a) Therefore Jesus starts His “Do-Not-Do-List” when He states that the scribes and Pharisees are defiling their God-given offices because “they say, and do not do.” (Matthew 23:3b) When we study these passages where God is passing judgement for a particular action, we should not fall for the “Great Lie” that God’s Law only applied to the Old Testament followers, remember that God’s Law will NEVER be void or irrelevant as Jesus proclaimed, “For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled.” (Matthew 5:18)  It is only logical that if God is the “God of the living” and that since we fall into the category of "the living” that God is the God of our “life” — and  God, being the Supreme Power and Authority is not going to “change His mind” but being the “Fair and Just” God that HE IS, all of God’s Commands apply to EVERYONE and God will JUDGE EVERYONE ACCORDING TO OUR ACTIONS and REWARD OBEDIENCE and PUNISH DISOBEDIENCE — its your choice!?!?!?!?

SEPTEMBER 18 THE JESUS QUESTIONS JQ#29 “What do you think about the Christ? Whose Son is He?” (Matthew 22:42)

SEPTEMBER 18  THE JESUS QUESTIONS  JQ#29  “What do you think about the Christ? Whose Son is He?”  (Matthew 22:42)

LIVING FOR JESUS  Daily Prayer    

JESUS, You are the Master Teacher, You use every circumstance in our lives to reveal the Father in Heaven to us and You demonstrate the Love of God because of Your concern for our daily lives. Lord, I pray that I will be open to the guiding of Your Holy Spirit that has been given the specific task to “teach us all things of God” through the divine appointments that You arrange daily for us. So Lord Jesus, my prayer is that I “listen” with all my heart, mind, and soul — for every lesson that I fail to learn is another glimpse of the kingdom that  I missed because I let the darkness of this world blind me to seeing Your Glory. Lord Jesus, Holy Spirit, Loving Father, Praise to the Holy Trinity and Your Mercy and Grace renewed daily that we may grow in Spirit and in Truth. Forgive me of those moments of blindness when my spirit is clouded with self-pity for my present circumstance and I am looking at the world in fear instead of letting Your Light of TRUTH open my blinded eyes and soften my hardened heart and reveal the circumstance as an opportunity to see Your Silver Lining and learn Your Intended Lesson — give me this day, my Daily Bread (of LIFE)!!!   AMEN

SEPTEMBER 18  THE JESUS QUESTIONS

Jesus addressed the Pharisees “…while [they] were gathered together…” and when He had finished addressing them “…from that day on [no one] dared question Him anymore…” Jesus was able to return to Teaching the multitudes and His disciples in these last days before His crucifixion, now that Jesus was giving His final Lessons on “True Power and Authority” to the “hypocrites” that had been contending with Him. This “usurping of God’s True Power and Authority” was a very serious issue for Jesus now turns to the multitudes and expresses in direct terms “why” this is a major problem — mainly that if this problem of “True Authority” is not corrected that many will be deceived and will miss the “True Path” to the kingdom of God! (See Matthew 22:41-46) Jesus begins outlining the problem to “…the multitudes and to His disciples, saying, ‘The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. Therefore what ever they tell you to observe, that observe and do, but do not do according to their works; for they say and do not do.’” (Matthew 23:1-3)  Jesus always uses the Holy Scriptures to Teach His Master Lessons and one of the Truths of God Jesus Teaches us by using Holy Scripture to make His Point is that God has already addressed that problem before, God has demonstrated that He is the Unchanging Living God and that His Word WILL STAND! When Jesus states that “the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat” He is making reference to a passage from the prophet Ezra which is very significant to this Lesson for all Israel was familiar with the fact that God had called Moses and that the Law of Moses was in reality the Law of God given through Moses. Another relevant fact is that through Moses, God also had established the office of priests and had placed great responsibility on them to use their “God-given wisdom” to teach and to judge God’s chosen people according to God’s commands! The passage from Ezra has special relevance in this instance for Ezra could trace his lineage all the way back to Aaron for the Holy Scriptures record that Ezra’s lineage was through “…the son of Abishua, the son of Phineas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the chief priest —this Ezra came up from Babylon; and he was a skilled scribe in the Law of Moses, which the LORD God of Israel had given.” (Ezra 7:1-6) So this reference to the “seat of Moses” used by Jesus connected His Lesson all the way back to the Exodus, God giving the Law to Moses, and also the Israelites release from the Babylonians. Jesus also makes reference to what the problem is when He refers to Ezra through this reference as the scriptures record, “And you Ezra, according to your God-given wisdom, set magistrates and judges who may judge all the people … who know the ‘Laws of God’ and teach those that do not know them…Whoever will not observe the [Law of God] … let judgement be executed speedily on him…” (Ezra 7:25-26) This is exactly what Jesus is saying to the scribes and Pharisees with the reference to “Moses’ seat” — “Your office and duties are to be used to teach and judge the people according to God’s Law  that was given to you by God Himself and because you have not faithfully executed the responsibility of your office according to the command of God, your judgement will be executed speedily”. Ezra was a contemporary with Nehemiah and Esther 500 years before this Lesson Jesus is Teaching in Jerusalem on Passover week which still 500 years later still sends the clear message that God is the Supreme Source of  All Power and Authority and because the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob is the Eternal Almighty God, His Commands will NEVER be void! God is serious about us following His Commands because of His Great Love for us — all His Commands are the Path to Eternal Life and God’s Heart is for the GOOD of His people as He continually directs us to “Repentance” for that Path leads to “Remission of Sin, Salvation, and Life Everlasting!” All those are very good reasons for following God instead of our selfish desires that lead to destruction, don’t you think?!?!?!?

SEPTEMBER 17 THE JESUS QUESTIONS JQ#29 “What do you think about the Christ? Whose Son is He?” (Matthew 22:42)

SEPTEMBER 17  THE JESUS QUESTIONS  JQ#29  “What do you think about the Christ? Whose Son is He?”  (Matthew 22:42)

LIVING FOR JESUS  Daily Prayer    

JESUS, O the joy of calling on the Name of all names, for You are the Living, Loving, Redeemer and Lover of my soul. You are the Way, yeah the only Way to Live, for we spend our days in death when we do not turn to Thee for our Daily Bread. Lord, I praise You, the Father, and the Holy Spirit for the Grace and Mercy in the Plan of Salvation!!!  We, Lord, are deserving of death, yet even though we reject you time and again, You always extend Your Love and Forgiveness to us if we but Repent and turn to Thee. Lord, I am a chief sinner for I will lay my sins at the foot of Your cross but I do not let go of them and end up picking them up again with my selfish desires?!? O Lord Jesus, You are Loving and Forgiving and each time I return to Your Grace You receive me with open arms — so Lord I return yet again, forgive this sinner daily!   AMEN

SEPTEMBER 17  THE JESUS QUESTIONS

Jesus is now addressing a group of Pharisees and scribes that “were gathered together” and after they had responded that Christ was “The Son of David” to the Question Jesus had asked them about “Whose Son is [the Christ]?” (Matthew 22:42), Jesus asked them a final Question from a Psalm of David (Psalm 118) but the Pharisees and scribes were unable to answer His Question from the Holy Scriptures which they were supposed to be “the authority” on! Their inability to answer the Question Jesus asked them proved that Jesus knew more about the Scriptures than they did so the Pharisees from that day on “did [not] dare question [Jesus] anymore.” (Matthew 22:43-46) But Jesus had more to say about the problem Israel had because they were following the “doctrines of [the] men” that had defiled their “offices” for the sake of self-promotion. These “leaders” had “usurped the power of God” for themselves by imposing their false doctrines on God’s chosen people. Jesus had previously Taught His own disciples this Lesson about seeking positions of high office for Jesus had responded to a similar situation when He was asked to give special consideration to a couple of His disciples, Jesus stated about “True Power and Authority” : “…but to sit on My right hand and on My left is not Mine to give, but it is for those for whom it is prepared by My Father.” (Matthew 20:23) and then Jesus elaborated further about the problem with our assuming “power” without it being given by God when Jesus said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those who are great exercise authority over them. Yet it shall not be so among you…Whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave — just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.” (Matthew 20:25-28). It is interesting to note that this Lesson on “True Power and Authority” and submitting to the will of God and being obedient to the Father’s Plan for our lives came just after Jesus had told His disciples, “Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and to the scribes; and they will condemn Him to death, and deliver Him to the Gentiles to mock and to scourge and to crucify. And the third day He will rise again.” (Matthew 20:18-19) So it should have been no surprise that in this last week of His life on earth that His disciples would see that the events were unfolding just as Jesus had prophesied and that Jesus would expend so much of His energy Teaching about the abuse of power. What we as children of God should be aware of in our lives is mainly that God has a Plan for Salvation and that the Plan of Salvation includes “repentance and the remission of sin” and that our eternity is determined by how obedient we are to the Purity and Holiness of the Commands of God and His Plan of Salvation and not on the “defiled doctrines of men”!!! Jesus had taught “…no one is good but One, that is, God. But if you want to enter into life, keep [God’s] commandments.” (Matthew 19:17) The fact that Jesus continues teaching the multitudes about the abuse of power and seeking high office for self promotion can be understood as an extension of Jesus Teaching an earlier Lesson on humility “Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. [but] …whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were drowned in the depth of the sea.” (Matthew 18:3-6) So now Jesus is going to conclude His Lessons on “True Power and Authority” as we read “Then Jesus spoke to the multitudes and to His disciples, saying…” (Matthew 23:1) and Jesus calls out the “scribes and the Pharisees” by name and pronounces 7 “Woes” on them and on those who seek to “lord” their God-given “authority” over those under their rule!!! Surely it is obvious that this Lesson is not a “knee-jerk” reaction by Jesus, He has been addressing this problem all along and now He concludes by announcing 7 "Woes" on those that are guilty. Let each of us stop and consider this simple logical question, “If this subject is so important to Jesus that He would be this thorough in His Teaching this Lesson throughout His entire ministry, then shouldn’t we give it a proportional amount of our attention as well?!?!?!?!”

SEPTEMBER 16 THE JESUS QUESTIONS JQ#29 “What do you think about the Christ? Whose Son is He?” (Matthew 22:42)

SEPTEMBER 16  THE JESUS QUESTIONS  JQ#29  “What do you think about the Christ? Whose Son is He?”  (Matthew 22:42)

LIVING FOR JESUS Daily Prayer    

JESUS, Lord I thank You for those times that You make Your Presence “Known” when we least expect it, which in retrospect I see that it is those times that I need you most for I have drifted off the path and had You not given me a “course correction” I would have wandered off into the world and all its dangers. Lord, I better understand the necessity of “chastisement” and why David wrote of the Good Shepherd, “…Thy rod and Thy staff, they comfort me…” for You Lord know when to use Your “rod” and when to use Your “staff” and You always use them in “TRUTH” and in “LOVE” — Lord, I pray that my spirit yields itself completely to Yours and that my heart is always receptive to Your Love for I know that Your Plan for my life is to give me a “Hope” and a “Future” — Forgive me of my daily shortcomings and keep me forever on Your Path.   AMEN

SEPTEMBER 16  THE JESUS QUESTIONS

Jesus has been “questioned” by the “legalists” as they have sought to prove that their “doctrines of men” and their “authority” was the ruling power in Zion and Jerusalem but they were blinded to the Truth of God that Jesus IS the Messiah and that God has sent Him to bring “repentance and salvation” to those that follow the “doctrines of men” instead of the “Commands of God”. The Pharisees and the scribes had been the loudest in their contentions with Jesus and had “questioned” Him on more occasions than any of the other ruling groups! Jesus had put the Pharisees in their place on more than one occasion, but now in His final week before the Passover in Jerusalem (where Jesus will complete the Father’s Work and fulfill all the Law and the Prophets), Jesus answers all the “questions” posed by each group and then Jesus, as the Master Teacher, Teaches the Final Lesson to the “legalists and power mongers” with a couple of Final JESUS Questions — “While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them, saying,” (1) “What do you think about the Christ? Whose Son is He?” and when the Pharisees answered, “The Son of David” Jesus quoted the Holy Scripture from a Psalm (Psalm 110) that King David had written about the Messiah and then Jesus asked the Pharisees this followup question: (2) “If David then calls Him ‘LORD,’ how is He his Son?”  (Matthew 22:41-45)  The Pharisees were the ultimate authority in Israel on the Law of Moses and the Holy Scriptures and yet with all their combined knowledge they were unable to answer Jesus and Matthew records: “And no one was able to answer [Jesus] a word, nor from that day on did anyone dare question Him anymore.” (Matthew 22:45) Now that there would be no more questions taking up the precious last hours of His earthly ministry, it would be reasonable to assume that Jesus would move on from Teaching Lessons on “True Power and Authority” and leave the Pharisees to face the “judgement” that had already been assigned to them and to all that follow the “doctrines of men” as consequences to their disobedience to the Commands of God and the defiling of their Holy Offices: “Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a nation bearing the fruits of it. And whoever falls on this stone will be broken; but on whom it falls, it will grind him to powder.” (Matthew 22:43-44)   However, once Jesus had finally silenced all the contention and confrontation from the “legalists/power mongers” He did not move on to another Lesson but Jesus gives one final summation to the problem and pronounces “Seven Woes” on the “scribes and Pharisees” as He once again calls them, “hypocrites”! Our common sense should tell us that if Jesus continues to Teach on this subject of the “hypocrisy” of “following the doctrines of men " and “defiling Holy Offices” and “usurping the Power of God” for themselves that this must be a Very Important Topic that Jesus wants to make very clear to all that “have an ear” to hear what the Spirit has to say about being “obedient to God” as the Number One Priority in our daily lives!  Before looking at this “Final Summation on True Power and Authority” that Jesus is about to deliver on the subject, it is prudent for us to stop and consider the “gravity of the situation” in our own lives as we let the “doctrines of men” creep into our daily lifestyles ——— we must realize that those in power, regardless of their gender, generation or nationality, succumb to their own selfish desires as they gather unto themselves more and more power and these power mongers defile their respective offices and the fruit of their labor is “defiled doctrines" which Jesus is telling us as God told Adam and Eve in the garden, “…for in the day you eat of it you shall surely die.” (Genesis 2:17) Remember also that Jesus had just Taught us “Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the Sadducees.” (Matthew 16:6) Perhaps since Jesus commands us to “take heed” that we should at least try to understand what the consequences of not listening to Jesus might be — or you can turn a blind eye and a deaf ear to the Truth of God and consume the “leaven” and the “forbidden fruit” but then you must accept the consequences of your choice to ignore God’s Son Jesus whom God the Father has sent to bring “repentance and salvation” to us and Who has personally given us so many warnings by His Holy WORD!?!?!?  

LIVING FOR JESUS Daily Prayer    

JESUS, Lord I thank You for those times that You make Your Presence “Known” when we least expect it, which in retrospect I see that it is those times that I need you most for I have drifted off the path and had You not given me a “course correction” I would have wandered off into the world and all its dangers. Lord, I better understand the necessity of “chastisement” and why David wrote of the Good Shepherd, “…Thy rod and Thy staff, they comfort me…” for You Lord know when to use Your “rod” and when to use Your “staff” and You always use them in “TRUTH” and in “LOVE” — Lord, I pray that my spirit yields itself completely to Yours and that my heart is always receptive to Your Love for I know that Your Plan for my life is to give me a “Hope” and a “Future” — Forgive me of my daily shortcomings and keep me forever on Your Path.   AMEN

SEPTEMBER 16  THE JESUS QUESTIONS

Jesus has been “questioned” by the “legalists” as they have sought to prove that their “doctrines of men” and their “authority” was the ruling power in Zion and Jerusalem but they were blinded to the Truth of God that Jesus IS the Messiah and that God has sent Him to bring “repentance and salvation” to those that follow the “doctrines of men” instead of the “Commands of God”. The Pharisees and the scribes had been the loudest in their contentions with Jesus and had “questioned” Him on more occasions than any of the other ruling groups! Jesus had put the Pharisees in their place on more than one occasion, but now in His final week before the Passover in Jerusalem (where Jesus will complete the Father’s Work and fulfill all the Law and the Prophets), Jesus answers all the “questions” posed by each group and then Jesus, as the Master Teacher, Teaches the Final Lesson to the “legalists and power mongers” with a couple of Final JESUS Questions — “While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them, saying,” (1) “What do you think about the Christ? Whose Son is He?” and when the Pharisees answered, “The Son of David” Jesus quoted the Holy Scripture from a Psalm (Psalm 110) that King David had written about the Messiah and then Jesus asked the Pharisees this followup question: (2) “If David then calls Him ‘LORD,’ how is He his Son?”  (Matthew 22:41-45)  The Pharisees were the ultimate authority in Israel on the Law of Moses and the Holy Scriptures and yet with all their combined knowledge they were unable to answer Jesus and Matthew records: “And no one was able to answer [Jesus] a word, nor from that day on did anyone dare question Him anymore.” (Matthew 22:45) Now that there would be no more questions taking up the precious last hours of His earthly ministry, it would be reasonable to assume that Jesus would move on from Teaching Lessons on “True Power and Authority” and leave the Pharisees to face the “judgement” that had already been assigned to them and to all that follow the “doctrines of men” as consequences to their disobedience to the Commands of God and the defiling of their Holy Offices: “Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a nation bearing the fruits of it. And whoever falls on this stone will be broken; but on whom it falls, it will grind him to powder.” (Matthew 22:43-44)   However, once Jesus had finally silenced all the contention and confrontation from the “legalists/power mongers” He did not move on to another Lesson but Jesus gives one final summation to the problem and pronounces “Seven Woes” on the “scribes and Pharisees” as He once again calls them, “hypocrites”! Our common sense should tell us that if Jesus continues to Teach on this subject of the “hypocrisy” of “following the doctrines of men " and “defiling Holy Offices” and “usurping the Power of God” for themselves that this must be a Very Important Topic that Jesus wants to make very clear to all that “have an ear” to hear what the Spirit has to say about being “obedient to God” as the Number One Priority in our daily lives!  Before looking at this “Final Summation on True Power and Authority” that Jesus is about to deliver on the subject, it is prudent for us to stop and consider the “gravity of the situation” in our own lives as we let the “doctrines of men” creep into our daily lifestyles ——— we must realize that those in power, regardless of their gender, generation or nationality, succumb to their own selfish desires as they gather unto themselves more and more power and these power mongers defile their respective offices and the fruit of their labor is “defiled doctrines" which Jesus is telling us as God told Adam and Eve in the garden, “…for in the day you eat of it you shall surely die.” (Genesis 2:17) Remember also that Jesus had just Taught us “Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the Sadducees.” (Matthew 16:6) Perhaps since Jesus commands us to “take heed” that we should at least try to understand what the consequences of not listening to Jesus might be — or you can turn a blind eye and a deaf ear to the Truth of God and consume the “leaven” and the “forbidden fruit” but then you must accept the consequences of your choice to ignore God’s Son Jesus whom God the Father has sent to bring “repentance and salvation” to us and Who has personally given us so many warnings by His Holy WORD!?!?!?  

SEPTEMBER 15 THE JESUS QUESTIONS JQ#29 “What do you think about the Christ? Whose Son is He?” (Matthew 22:42)

SEPTEMBER 15  THE JESUS QUESTIONS  JQ#29  “What do you think about the Christ? Whose Son is He?”  (Matthew 22:42)

LIVING FOR JESUS  Daily Prayer    

JESUS, Lord we awake each morning to a new circumstance in our earthly life and are aware that our lives are constantly changing as we get one day older, then another year older as our bodies grow older each day, even with our best efforts to stay in the best of physical health. It is when we realize our “mortality” that we can see how God has revealed Himself to us through life itself, for we experience physical birth, are nurtured by our parents, become independent and yet we are always moving one day closer to death which will overcome even the strongest of physical bodies! Yet as we see the physical world decay, we see God not as a physical corruptible God but as a Spiritual Incorruptible Creator God that is Eternal and Unchanging! This Eternal God has demonstrated His Power over both life and death so we can see the physical world and our physical bodies decaying into death and dust but through that mortal lens we can gaze into God’s Immortality — we have HOPE in our “spirit” when we hear this Eternal, Incorruptible, Unchanging, All-Powerful God tells us to call Him “Abba Father” and then His Son tells us how to “Be Born Again” and become “Spiritual” Heirs to the Kingdom of this Awesome, Gracious, Merciful God, knowing that our Spirit is Eternal for it has joined with the Eternal Unchanging Spirit of God! Thank You LORD, for NEVER CHANGING and for ETERNALLY EXTENDING YOUR GRACE!!!   AMEN

SEPTEMBER 15  THE JESUS QUESTIONS

Jesus is now in His Final Week, He has made His Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday with the multitudes crying “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!” (Matthew 21:9/ Psalms 118:26). Jesus made His entry into Jerusalem on a donkey fulfilling the Prophecy of the Messiah that the prophet Zechariah had written 600 years earlier about the entry of the Messiah into the city of Jerusalem: “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold your King is coming to you; He is just and having salvation, lowly and riding on a donkey, a colt, the foal of a donkey.” (Zechariah 9:9) Once Jesus entered Jerusalem His first order of business as the Messiah was to clean out the temple and return it to a “house of prayer” and immediately Jesus was questioned “By what authority are You doing these things?” (Matthew 22:23) which started Jesus Teaching 3 Parables on “The Supreme Authority of GOD” revealing 3 Spiritual Laws that demonstrated that “True Power and Authority come from God, and God alone!” Jesus concluded the Lessons on True Power and Authority with the declaration that it is the Commandments of God on which “…hang all the Law and the Prophets.” (Matthew 22:40) Jesus has been spending His Last Days Teaching the Truths of God that the legalists (the Pharisees, the Sadducees, and the Herodians, the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders of Zion) had become blinded to because of their selfish desire to “be like God” {power mongering} and to have “authority” over the people. Jesus continued addressing the “legalists/power mongers” and one can only assume that Jesus knows that “legalism/power mongering” and following the “doctrines of men” were the most detrimental things to those “…seeking the kingdom of God and His righteousness…” (Matthew 6:33) therefore Jesus continues His Last Week of Lessons on resolving this “legalism/power mongering” issue for “While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them, saying, “What do you think about the Christ? Whose Son is He?” (Matthew 22:41-42). This is a good question for everyone who might be questioning the “True Authority of God” keeping in mind that Jesus is the Son of God sent to take away the sin of the world and bring repentance and salvation! “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16)