AUGUST 22 THE JESUS QUESTIONS JQ#24 “Is the power and authority of baptism from heaven or from men?”” (Matthew 21:25)

AUGUST 22  THE JESUS QUESTIONS   JQ#24  “Is the power and authority of baptism from heaven or from men?””  (Matthew 21:25)

LIVING FOR JESUS  Daily Prayer   

JESUS, O the joy of starting each day knowing that You are always there, my Lord and my Redeemer, my Shepherd that leads me beside still waters! Thank You Jesus for  the Mercy that is renewed daily and Your Grace that You bestow so faithfully on all that call upon the Name of the Only Begotten of the Father and believe that God came in the flesh, was tempted in all ways that we are tempted, yet You were without sin — what a glorious thought that You suffered the trials of this world yet You remained perfect so that You could introduce Redemption through Your Perfect sinless Life — Godly Redemption bought by the Precious Blood of the Lamb of God exchanged for the lives of sinners unable to save ourselves — I cannot fathom “why an ALL POWERFUL GOD” would die for a sinner such as I, but I believe and therefore I rest in the Assurance that Your Grace is Sufficient for ALL my daily needs and for my Eternal Security and Future. Praise God from whom ALL blessings flow, Praise to the Son who gave Himself for the atonement of sin, and Praise to the Holy Spirit that lives within believers and guides us in paths of Righteousness and teaches us the “Way”.           AMEN

AUGUST 22  THE JESUS QUESTIONS

Jesus proved Himself to be the Messiah sent from God each time He confronted the problem of mankind moving away from the “command of God”, for Jesus always exposed the lie spawned by the “doctrines of men” in their selfish desires “to be like God” for the “lie” is always exposed by the True Light that always illuminates the Truth of God. Jesus was in the temple doing the work of the Messiah in the sight of all Israel and yet the rulers, the chief priests and the elders dared to question His “authority” —they did not deny the “works” that Jesus was doing, their blindness to the Truth of God however made them revert to the only thing they knew, for until Jesus took over control of the temple the chief priests and elders had been in “control” of the multitudes because the people had been led to believe that the chief priests and elders were the only “authority” in Israel. Spiritual blindness prevented the chief priests and elders from seeing the Truth of God that the kingdom of heaven was at hand and they failed to repent but continued in their sin against God by questioning the authority by which Jesus was doing God’s Holy Work! Jesus asked the “Baptism-of-John” Question  because the ONLY ANSWER that could be given was “all authority comes from God”. Matthew records the chief priests and elders response to the Question Jesus posed to them: “And they [the chief priests and elders] reasoned among themselves, saying, ‘If we say, from heaven, He will say to us, Why then did you not believe [John]? But if we say, From men, we fear the multitude, for all count John as a prophet.’” (Matthew 21:25-26) It was at this point that the chief priests and elders made the universal mistake of all generations that face the Universal Question of “God” when they reasoned the “TRUTH of GOD” but mistakenly thought that they would get out of the problem by not giving an answer (sound familiar?) — “So [the chief priests and elders] answered Jesus and said, ‘We do not know.’” (Matthew 21:27) It was at that point that all authority was clearly and undeniably with Jesus as He then used the “power and authority of God” to Teach this Truth of God as Jesus Taught the parable of the two sons ——— He started the Lesson in the classic way, ——— Jesus now has the undivided attention of the chief priests and the elders and so Jesus begins the Lesson by making us put on our thinking caps: “But what do you think? A man had two sons…” (Matthew 21:28) describing that the man went to his two sons and asked them to go work in his vineyard, one son said “yes” but then did not go work in the vineyard and the other son replied “no” but then later “repented” and decided to go work in the vineyard as the father had requested. Jesus ended the Lesson with another Question, “Which of the two sons did the will of his father?” (Matthew 21:28-31) Of course, when put in such simple terms, the chief priests and elders gave Jesus the right answer: “They said to [Jesus], [the son that did as the father had asked]” and Jesus then pronounced judgement on them for not answering His previous “Baptism-of-John” Question which had just as obvious an answer — “Jesus said to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you that tax collectors and harlots enter the kingdom of God before you. For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him; but tax collectors and harlots believed him; and when you saw it you did not afterward relent and believe him.” (Matthew 21:32)  The Lesson everyone should take away from this “refusal to answer God” mistake is most important: (1) Baptism is real because sin against God is real. (2) Denying the reality of “baptism” or “God” has no bearing on the Truth of God that God EXISTS! (3) God will present us the opportunity to “believe” but we must use our God-given Freewill to choose to “Trust God” instead of “trusting the doctrines of men”. (4) ALL POWER AND AUTHORITY IS FROM GOD (5) Ignorance or refusal to answer in not an acceptable response before God, the Supreme Authority, because refusal to answer God is the same as “denying God”!  God will Judge each individual according to Truth of God that God has already firmly established and will be fairly administered to all — we will get our “Just Rewards” as already determined by God Himself for whatever actions we choose to take in our lives. Jesus asks this Question of all generations and we must give Him an honest answer, remember that God knows your thoughts and nothing is hidden from God — so how will you answer this Question God has placed before you — “Is the power and authority of baptism from heaven or from men?” (JQ#24 — Matthew 21:25)