SEPTEMBER 28 THE JESUS QUESTIONS JQ#29 “What do you think about the Christ? Whose Son is He?” (Matthew 22:42)

SEPTEMBER 28  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 You and the Holy Spirit are to be Praised for Your Holy work in our lives. Lord I prayed several days ago for You to “help” me with a “flesh” problem and You directed me immediately after my prayer to two verses that specifically told me to “walk in the Spirit” and the second said that God gave us the Holy Spirit as a “Helper” that would dwell within us “forever” — I read Your Words and I welcomed the Holy Spirit and I have been “walking” with Him since I received Your answered prayer and all I can say again is “Prayer Works” and GOD IS GOOD!! I had my first “missionary” dream last night and in the dream there was this “hard case” young man that came to know Jesus through a program offered at the church and to see the “change” that Jesus made in his life was amazing and even though it was a dream, I still could feel the “JOY” of sharing Jesus with others and as soon as I awoke I remembered the dream and KNEW that I was serving Jesus and that “serving” Him is now so deep in my soul that I am having dreams of “Serving the Lord” instead of fulfilling the “lust of the flesh” — only God can answer prayer like that and that comes from “walking daily with Him” —and I give Him ALL THE PRAISE, GLORY, and HONOR!!!   AMEN

SEPTEMBER 28  THE JESUS QUESTIONS

Jesus is pronouncing “Seven Woes” on the scribes and Pharisees because of their “hypocrisy” and He has just pronounced “Woe #3” where Jesus announces to the scribes and Pharisees that their “hypocrisy” makes those that follow the scribe’s and Pharisee’s defiled doctrines “twice as much a son of hell as yourselves” (Matthew 23:15)  and therefore all that follow the “doctrines of men” instead of the “Commands of God” condemn themselves to “hell”. “Woe #3” is a repeat of a previous lesson where the Pharisees had “plotted against [Jesus], [and] how they might destroy Him…”(Matthew 12:14) and Jesus answered the Pharisees accusations that He was “casting out demons…by Beelzebub” (Matthew 12:24) but  Jesus corrected them and stated that He was casting “out demons by the Spirit of God” and reminded them that because they could see the Spirit of God working that “surely the kingdom of God has come upon you.” (Matthew 12:28) But Jesus wasn’t through with the Pharisees as He said, “if I cast out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your sons cast them out” which basically meant that Jesus called the Pharisees sons of Beelzebub! (Matthew 12:27) Jesus ended that Lesson with “He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters abroad.” (Matthew 12:30) Jesus was still not through with the Pharisees for after Jesus pronounced “Woe # 3” He then tagged an additional “Woe” to “the sons of hell” as Jesus continued, “Woe to you blind guides, who say, ‘Whoever swears by the temple, it is nothing; but whoever swears by the gold of the temple, he is obliged to perform it.’” (Matthew 23:16) and Jesus immediately corrects their “defiled doctrines” as He continues “Fools and blind! For which is greater, the gold or the temple that sanctifies the gold?” (Matthew 23:17) This Lesson is much like the Lesson God had taught the Israelites as they were taking possession of the “Promised Land of Canaan” and had drifted from following God and the Israelites had started taking “pride” in their “victories” instead of giving credit to God. The Israelites went out in their own strength and misplaced pride to face the Philistines and God did not go with them ——— once the battle was joined the Israelites suffered great losses at the hand of the Philistines. Then one of the Israelites said that the problem was that they had not brought the Ark of God with them so they went back and got the Ark and returned to battle; however, God allowed the Philistines to not only defeat the nation Israel but God allowed the Philistines to capture the ark, Teaching the Israelites the most valuable Lesson that True Power is not in the Ark of God, but True Power is in the God of the Ark!!! (see 1 Samuel 4:1-11) So Jesus is again Teaching that same  Lesson to the scribes and Pharisees by showing them that they are blinded by their stolen power for True Power is not in their “doctrines or gold” even if they swear by the “temple” — the temple of God is not the True Power, True Power is the God of the temple!!! We must continually remind ourselves that it is God HIMSELF that is the TRUE Source of all Power and without Him we can do nothing ——— but with Him, we can do anything!!!   

SEPTEMBER 27 THE JESUS QUESTIONS JQ#29 “What do you think about the Christ? Whose Son is He?” (Matthew 22:42)

SEPTEMBER 27  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, Precious Jesus, Lord it is so wonderful a Privilege to be able to call on Your Holy Name. Our God is so Gracious that He says to call Him “ABBA Father” (Romans 8:15)  and then He sent His Only Begotten Son so that we might call the Son “friend” and “Brother”! Our Lord gives us the Rights and Privileges of Heirs therefore we are also called “children of God”! (Romans 8:14) Oh Precious Jesus, how great a Love that God, very God, can do these marvelous things for a lost and dying world of sinners living in rebellion against this Holy God! Praise be to God Most High and His Only Begotten Son that was Obedient unto a cruel death on the cross in order that sinners through “Repentance” shall inherit the Kingdom of God!!! Lord, we exalt Thee above all names for You ARE the ONE TRUE LIVING GOD — The HOLY TRINITY: The FATHER, the SON, and the HOLY SPIRIT!!!   AMEN

SEPTEMBER 27  THE JESUS QUESTIONS

Jesus is sending more than just one message when He pronounces these “Seven Woes” on the “scribes and Pharisees” addressing the major problem of their “hypocrisy”. Besides the obvious message that defiling a “Holy office” is not acceptable behavior for one called by God to represent Him and His Commands to the nation of Israel the scribes and Pharisees were also familiar with the prophesy of Ezekiel 34 where God states clearly “And the word of the LORD came to me, saying, “Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel, prophesy and say to them”, ‘Thus says the LORD God to the shepherds: “Woe to the shepherds of Israel who feed themselves! Should not the shepherds feed the flocks?”’…and “For thus says the LORD God: ‘Indeed I Myself will search for My sheep and seek them out…I will establish on shepherd over them…’” (Ezekiel 34:1-2,11,23). Jesus also makes it clear that God is still active and paying attention to His world and that in His Sovereignty and Immutability that God will “reward obedience” and “punish disobedience”! A.W. Tozer in his book “Knowledge of the Holy” devoted a whole chapter on “The Immutability of God” to help us understand that God never changes nor does God after fourteen hundred years or so (the time between Moses and Jesus) decide that His Commandments are no longer viable. Tozer writes: “To say that God is immutable is to say that He never differs from Himself.” (Page 49, Knowledge of the Holy paperback Copyright 1961) and then Tozer elaborates as he quotes Anselm ({ref…}): “‘All that God is, He has always been, and all that He has been and is He will ever be.’ Nothing that God has ever said about Himself will be modified; nothing the inspired prophets and apostles have said about Him will be rescinded. His immutability guarantees this.” (Page 50, Knowledge of the Holy paperback Copyright 1961) So Jesus is Teaching the nation Israel that God meant what He said 1400 years ago when He gave Moses the Commandments and Jesus is Teaching us that God is Eternal and He is Unchanging and that His commands will be applicable for ALL of time so everyone, regardless of the “time” or “generation” in which they are born, all souls are born into God’s creation and are subject to His Will, which as Tozer explains, God’s Will is “Immutable”! God was Sovereign BEFORE the creation existed and God will remain Sovereign AFTER the creation and time come to an end (From Genesis to Revelation) — however; there is NO END to the ETERNAL GOD and HIS SUPREME AUTHORITY!!! Jesus makes a point of the “Consequence” of “hypocrisy” and “disobedience” as He pronounces “Woe #3”: “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel land and sea to win one proselyte, and when he is won, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves.” (Matthew 23:15) Jesus reminds us that “He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters abroad.” (Matthew 12:30)  The scribes and Pharisees (the “shepherds of Israel”) were using their “Holy office” to make converts to “doctrines and traditions” that did not bring Israel to the Holy God that gave Moses the Commandments but instead of leading the converts to God, they placed the “burden” of the “Law” on Israel’s backs and enslaved them to following the “doctrines of men” which was exactly what Ezekiel had said about the “shepherds feeding themselves”! Jesus is clear that this kind of “hypocrisy” makes those participating in keeping others away from God are “sons of hell” — and it doesn’t take much explanation to understand that “sons of hell” are NOT “sons of God” — my advice is to consider how serious God is about “hypocrisy” and to pay attention to these “Seven Woes” and use them to evaluate  your answer to: “What do you think about the Christ? Whose Son is He?” (Matthew 22:42)

SEPTEMBER 26 THE JESUS QUESTIONS JQ#29 “What do you think about the Christ? Whose Son is He?” (Matthew 22:42)

SEPTEMBER 26  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, Blessed be the Name of the Lord, the Holy and Righteous Son of our God Most High, Praise and Honor are Yours and Yours alone. Lord, through all the ages You alone have been the Way for all to come to the Father, You are the Lamb of God , Perfect and without spot, Sacrificed for ALL sin to be Forgiven through belief in the Father’s Plan of Salvation. Yes! God, very God sent His Only Begotten Son to become Man very man, to live without sin so that He might give that Perfect Life as the Atonement for ALL sin, and through His Death and Resurrection, ALL men can be FREE from sin!  For ALL sin and come short of the Glory of God, but whosoever BELIEVES on the Son and His Perfect Sacrifice, shall not perish but have everlasting life!!!   AMEN

SEPTEMBER 26  THE JESUS QUESTIONS

Jesus is completing His final Lesson on True Power and Authority which addresses the problem of “hypocrisy” in those that have defiled their “God-given wisdom” and “authority” and have led the nation Israel away from the commands of God and used their “usurped authority” to develop “doctrines of men” that give those in “great authority” over Israel “power” over the nation using the Law of Moses — their “power” was supposed to be reserved for the Supreme Power — God Almighty —that gave Moses the Law to give to the nation but now the scribes and Pharisees were using the “Law” to enslave the nation Israel! Jesus concludes by announcing “Seven Woes” which clearly expose the “Guilt” and “Justify” the “Woes” that they have brought upon themselves! “Woe #1” addressed the problem of “hypocrisy” because the rulers were keeping themselves and others out of the kingdom with their “doctrines of men” and then Jesus presents “Woe #2” : “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you devour widows’ houses, and for a pretense make long prayers. Therefore you will receive greater condemnation.” (Matthew 23:14) This second “Woe” is a reminder that just a few days earlier as Jesus had made His Triumphal Entry into  Jerusalem that He went immediately to the temple and “…drove out all those who bought and sold in the temple…” and then Jesus pronounced: “It is written, ‘My house shall be a house of prayer, but you have made it a den of thieves.” (Matthew 21:1-13) So when Jesus says “you devour widows’ houses” He is referring to the “abuse of office” that would let the scribes and Pharisees steal widows’ houses and then to make matters worse, after “stealing” the widows’ property, the scribes and Pharisees would then go into the temple they had defiled and would pretend to “make long prayers” — and the “Consequence” of breaking the Command of God not to “steal” or “covet” and to do this while defiling their “office”, was not just condemnation by God — but the scribes and Pharisees because of their “hypocrisy” [they] “will receive greater condemnation”. This condemnation is similar to “Woe #1” where Jesus says that we will have to accept responsibility for those you have caused to turn from the kingdom because of your unbelief, with "Woe #2" Jesus is saying that because you defile your “God-given wisdom” and use it to cheat others, you will suffer “greater condemnation”! So a theme is surfacing from these “Woes” and it re-enforces previous Lessons that Jesus has Taught that everyone is subject to the “True Power and Authority” of the “Supreme and Sovereign God” who established His Commands for ALL to live by, and all that do not live by God’s Law will still be “judged” by God’s Law!!! Jesus pronounces the “Seven Woes” to clearly define the problem and to make it clear that if you “do the crime” you WILL “do the time” — Believe it or Not!?!?!?!?

SEPTEMBER 25 THE JESUS QUESTIONS JQ#29 “What do you think about the Christ? Whose Son is He?” (Matthew 22:42)

SEPTEMBER 25  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 THANK YOU for answered prayer and for knowing when an immediate answer is an extra blessing. Jesus my first waking thought today was “of the flesh” and I immediately turned to You in prayer asking for You to guide me in dealing with the “flesh” and then when I got up out of bed the first thing I noticed was two stacks of Bible Verses that we change daily and there on the top of the first stack was Galatians 5:16 “…Walk in the Spirit, and you will not fulfill the lust of the flesh.” Wow!!! — what a quick and direct answer to my prayer as just moments before as I had prayed specifically for Jesus to help me address the “flesh” issue! Then I looked at the second stack and it was John 14:16-17 and Jesus is talking to His disciples at the Last Supper and He says, “And I will pray the Father and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever—the  Spirit of truth …”     So not only did Jesus answer my prayer immediately by telling me through His Word to “walk in the Spirit”, He then tells me that the “Father will give [me]” the “Spirit” to abide with me “forever”!!!!    All I can say is “PRAYER WORKS” and today it worked at the speed of “LIGHT”!!!   AMEN

SEPTEMBER 25  THE JESUS QUESTIONS

Jesus has set the scene as He is Teaching His disciples and the multitudes and now He is pronouncing “Seven Woes” on the scribes and Pharisees because of their “hypocrisy!” God has sent Jesus to bring “SALVATION” and the biggest roadblock for the nation of Israel was the “hypocrisy” that was so prevalent among the leaders. Jesus started the Lesson by advising “do not do according to [the scribes’ and the Pharisees’] works; for the say and do not do.” (Matthew 23:3) This is where Jesus introduced the problem of “hypocrisy” — saying one thing and doing another! Then Jesus is specific in addressing the main problem of “hypocrisy!” when He pronounces the first of the “Seven Woes”: “But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut up the kingdom of heaven against men; for you neither go in yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in.” (Matthew 23:13) So it becomes obvious that if God has sent Jesus to bring “SALVATION” and enlarge the kingdom of God and that Jesus, as the Christ, is only doing His Divine Job by exposing the main problem/roadblock that is preventing Jesus from accomplishing His “Divine Task of Salvation”. The “Divine Consequence” God has declared for “…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 18:6) For Jesus had just previously said very plainly, “Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 18:3) So the “First Woe” then is that all those who prevent others from entering the kingdom will not only NOT enter the kingdom but they will also “be cast into hell fire.” (Matthew 18:9) The Lesson for us to learn from this “First Woe” then would be that if you let your unbelief affect others and prevent them from entering into the kingdom that there will be extra “punishment” not only for your own “unbelief” but you will also receive punishment for  “preventing others” from believing! So if you decide that whatever you believe is just affecting you, then you probably need to stop and see how many innocent souls your unbelief is preventing from believing? If you do not let Jesus pay the debt of sin for all those your unbelief is preventing from “entering the kingdom of God”, then you and your unbelief will be held responsible for paying for their sins as well as your sin — do not fall for the “Great Lie” that Satan tells to “unbelievers” that all you have to do to make God go away is to “not believe in God” — just like all of Satan’s lies there is enough Truth in his lies to make him really dangerous and in this case, “not believing in God” doesn’t make God “not exist” [the Lie] but your unbelief will make God honor your request and He will “go away” from the unbeliever [the Truth] — but you must ask yourself, “If I can’t make God go away completely then what do I do when I have to face eternity by myself knowing the ‘Consequence’ of ‘unbelief in God’ is living eternally in hell separated from God just like you asked for”!?!?!?!?!?

SEPTEMBER 24 THE JESUS QUESTIONS JQ#29 “What do you think about the Christ? Whose Son is He?” (Matthew 22:42)

SEPTEMBER 24  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 Lamb of God sent to a sinful world to become the Atonement for the iniquities and transgressions of a lost and dying world — a world that is lost in sin and dying in darkness without the LIGHT of God —  a world in great need of the Perfect and Acceptable Sacrifice OF GOD’S ONLY BEGOTTEN SON, sufficient to cover ALL SIN with ONE SACRIFICE, once for all! “Alas! and did my Savior bleed, and did my Sovereign die! Would He devote that sacred head for sinners such as I?”  (Isaac Watts - 1707) Lord Jesus, the Miracle of Your Love for sinners is the most overlooked Miracle You performed but Lord, may I never lose sight of Your Great Love that led You to the Cross and even though You could have called “ten thousand angels” to save You, Your Great Love made You choose to save us! O Blessed Redeemer, forgive me of my daily shortcomings as I walk in the flesh in a world that is not my home - renew my spirit daily with a fresh anointing of Your Holy Spirit that others will not see the sinful flesh of my body but they will see You LORD Jesus in my spirit!   AMEN

SEPTEMBER 24  THE JESUS QUESTIONS

Jesus is Teaching a Universal Lesson with this Question that literally affects the eternity of every soul ever created — for the soul exists because GOD IS and in HIM BEING GOD, He has declared HIS PLAN OF SALVATION and that PLAN is built around the SACRIFICE of HIS ONLY BEGOTTEN SON JESUS!!! God has established with His Declarations and Commandments “The Divine Law of Choice and Consequences” and gave us the Holy Scriptures to guide us in using our “God-Given FREEWILL” to make “Choices” — Tozer stated it beautifully in his book “Knowledge of the Holy” when he wrote: “Our choice is our own, but the consequences of the choice have already been determined by the sovereign will of God…” (page 113) The Holy Scriptures is the complete history of man’s  “Choices” and God’s “Consequences” associated with that “Choice”, starting with Adam and Eve and the forbidden fruit and will end with the Lord’s Return and Final Victory over the evil and rebellion in this world that makes us “Choose” to follow our “flesh” instead of our “Faith”. So when Jesus asks, “What do you think about the Christ?” (Matthew 22:42) we should take it very serious because the Holy Scriptures teach us that it is the Messiah that will bring “Salvation” to the world — logically we can only come to one conclusion: If Jesus is not the Christ, then the world is still lost in sin therefore the world is still waiting on “The Deliverer”!!!   So if you “think” that Jesus is not the Christ then you do not have a path to the kingdom, for Jesus Taught, “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life” (John 14:6) and God declared through the Prophets, and each book of the Old Testament points to the coming of the Messiah through the Messianic Prophecies that were fulfilled by the life of Jesus of Nazareth — and according to Holy Scriptures, the only way to enter the kingdom of God is through the Messiah! This Question that links your belief about “Jesus” and “Christ” is the Question that you will base your eternity on ——— for if you decide the Holy Bible is irrelevant or that God is not real then you are choosing to declare that the Holy Scriptures are “irrelevant” and therefore you have chosen to live “without God”, but the problem with that line of “thinking” is that you have boxed yourself into a “hopeless" life that will end in death for the flesh but your eternal soul will have to stand before the very God you chose not to believe in and you will join the others that “convict themselves” with their unbelief and will be given exactly what they asked for, eternity without God!  Once again, Jesus and the Holy Scriptures and a “cloud” of witnesses proclaim that Jesus is the Messiah, the Christ!!! Imagine standing in front of God and you must answer God Himself “What do you think about the Christ?” This is a very, very important Question for the answer will determine your eternity ——— so I would advise you to give your answer some very, very serious thought, keeping in mind you have the right of “Choice” but God has ALREADY determined the “Consequence” !?!?!?!

SEPTEMBER 23 THE JESUS QUESTIONS JQ#29 “What do you think about the Christ? Whose Son is He?” (Matthew 22:42)

SEPTEMBER 23  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 — Praise, Glory, and Honor to the Only Begotten Son of God that was Obedient to the Father’s Will and Sacrificed Himself for our sins! Lord, there is truly none good among us and yet You became one of us to show us the Way to the Righteousness of God. Jesus, there is no explanation for “why?” the DIVINE PLAN of SALVATION required Your BLOOD, Your Innocent Guilt-Free BLOOD to be shed for our sins — God has decreed that the PENALTY FOR SIN IS DEATH and You shed Your Precious BLOOD as the Propitiation for our iniquities in OBEDIENCE to the Father’s Will — forever will all men receive the Father’s GIFT OF GRACE because HIS SON was OBEDIENT — Praise, Glory, and Honor to the SON!   AMEN

SEPTEMBER 23  THE JESUS QUESTIONS

Jesus answered all the scribes and Pharisees questions and then Jesus in turn asked them a Question from the Holy Scripture that the scribes and Pharisees could not answer. This inability to give Jesus an answer from the Holy Scriptures which they were supposed to be the “authority” on was such a great embarrassment to them that “…from that day on did anyone dare question Him anymore…” (Matthew 22:46)  Jesus, being the Master Teacher, then “spoke to the multitudes and to His disciples” (Matthew 23:1) and explained to them “why” that He had spent the majority of His Last Week on earth dealing with the scribes and Pharisees who had been continually attacking Jesus and questioning His Authority. Jesus does this because the main problem with the scribes and Pharisees was the fact that they were supposed to be representatives of God and God’s Commands but because of their desire for personal power they had usurped God’s rightful Authority and imposed a defiled doctrine on the nation Israel and the people had no one to turn to except the priests and elders who were now getting their instructions from the “doctrines of men” instead of the “commands of God”. Jesus was sent by God like Moses was sent by God to free God’s chosen people from the oppression of the ruling class — Moses had to deal with Pharaoh and the Egyptian army and Jesus came to deal with the chief priests, scribes, Pharisees, Sadducees, Herodians, and all those that had “great authority” over God’s people; however, the “rulers” had forgotten that it was God that gave the Law to Moses and also it was God that commanded the prophet Ezra (who was a “skilled scribe”): “And you Ezra, according to your God-given wisdom, set magistrates and judges who may judge all the people…” so now Jesus has come to remind all those in “authority” that they are only “in power” because God had earlier commanded it so and that they were supposed to use their “God-given wisdom” to judge and rule according to the “Laws of God”. (Ezra 7:1-6) Jesus had come because those in “power and authority” were no longer “teaching God’s Ways” using God’s commands but had defiled their “authority” and were teaching instead the “doctrines of men”! Jesus was now making His Judgement against men of “great authority” that had succumbed to their “selfish desires” for “personal power”!  Jesus knew that this was a major problem because the doctrine of the Pharisees and Sadducees was like leaven and like leaven in bread affects the whole loaf, the leaven of the doctrine of the Pharisees and Sadducees was affecting the whole nation. It is also fitting that Jesus Teaching “the removal of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees” from the nation Israel came during the Passover Week. Moses had been instructed by God Himself on the Passover night “Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread. On the first day you shall remove leaven from your houses. For whoever eats leavened bread from the first day until the seventh day, that person shall be cut off from Israel.” (Exodus 12:15) And again God stated, “You shall eat nothing leavened; in all your dwellings you shall eat unleavened bread.” (Exodus 12:20) So it is very easy in this Passover Week to draw a parallel between the Exodus led by Moses at the direction of God and Jesus coming at the direction of His Father and Teaching: “Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. For there is nothing covered that will not be revealed, nor hidden that will not be known.” (Luke 12:1-2) and “Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the Sadducees.” (Matthew 16:6) So Jesus is doing the will of the Father and He is Teaching those that do not know “The Law of God” that He has come to reveal the hidden agenda of those in “great authority” that are “lording” it over the nation of Israel, God’s Chosen People!  Jesus is going to pronounce “Seven Woes” on the “hypocrites!”  thereby Jesus is addressing the problem of “leaven” in the “doctrines of men” and demonstrating that even the most “powerful people” on earth are subject to the Supreme Power and Authority of the Father God in heaven and are ruled by “The Divine Law of Choice and Consequence” established by God at the dawn of creation itself — God is Eternal therefore what God established is also Eternal and everyone in the creation must abide by the Commands of the Creator. It’s really quite simple, God has revealed the TRUTH, so now the burden is on you to “Choose” to believe God’s TRUTH or decide for “yourself” what you “think” is true — but beware, you may have consumed “leaven” that was hidden in the “doctrines of men” and will come under the judgement that is the “Consequence” of those that remain in rebellion against God!

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

SEPTEMBER 22  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 Way, the Truth, and the Life, and it is only through our belief in You that we have forgiveness of sins and can be made righteous before God the Father  for You have said, “…for the Father Himself loves you, because you have loved [the Son], and have believed that [the Son] came forth from God [the Father]…” (John 16:27)  Lord Jesus, Your Magnificence has NOTHING to do with our belief, for if we believe or do not believe that You are the Only Begotten of the Father God in heaven that NOTHING can change the TRUTH that JESUS IS the SON of the GREAT I AM  — and NOTHING can change the TRUTH that Your Glory and Kingdom will be established — our belief does not CHANGE You, our belief is what causes You to CHANGE US!  Our sinful hearts must ever be Repentant, for Your Mercy and Grace are Everlasting and Sufficient to cover all our transgressions. So each day Lord Jesus, I start anew, asking Your Forgiveness for yesterday, Your Strength for today, and Your Hope for tomorrow.          AMEN

SEPTEMBER 22  THE JESUS QUESTIONS

Jesus completes His Lesson on True Power and Authority by pronouncing “Seven Woes” in which Jesus uses the following phrase seven times — “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!” — (Matthew 23: 13,14,15,23,25,27, and 29)  There is great “spiritual” significance to the number “Seven (7)” in the Holy Scripture and all Biblical scholars agree that it represents “divine perfection, totality or completion” {Ref: Christian Crier Blog} so it is safe to assume that since Jesus is pronouncing “Seven Woes” on the scribes, Pharisees, and “hypocrites!” that His Judgement is divine, total, and complete — and final! As significant as the number “7” is with these “Woes”, the word “hypocrites!” is equally significant — especially considering Jesus used the term “hypocrites” “7” times in pronouncing His “Seven Woes” and He had just told His disciples and the multitudes that the scribes and Pharisees were “hypocrites!” because of their own actions “…[the scribes and Pharisees] do not do according to their works; for they say and do not do.” (Matthew 23:3) Jesus then added a list of “hypocritical actions” which comprise a {Do-Not-Do-List} which “coincidentally?” contains “7” items!?!? (See Matthew 23:1-12 and JQ#29-6  OCTOBER 20) These “Seven Woes” were directed at the scribes and Pharisees but we must not miss the “divine” Lesson that Jesus pronounces these “woes” on the scribes and Pharisees because their actions made them “hypocrites!” and they were “witnesses against [themselves]” which introduces another Divine Concept: {{The Divine Law of Choice and Consequence!}} The concept is first stated by God Himself with the first covenant God made with the newly created Adam, “Then the Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to tend and to keep it. And the LORD God commanded the man saying, ‘Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat {{The LAW}}, for in the day that you eat of it {{The CHOICE}} you shall surely die.’” {{The CONSEQUENCE}}  (Genesis 2:15-17) Jesus never passes “Judgement” without first establishing that God the Father is the “Just & Fair” Supreme Judge and that everyone is “rewarded” or “punished” according to their actions (the things we “choose” to do”) — A.W. Tozer in his book “Knowledge of the Holy” writes in Chapter 22 “The Sovereignty of God”: “Certain things have been decreed by the free determination of God, and one of these is the law of choice and consequences. God has decreed that all who willingly commit themselves to His Son Jesus Christ in the obedience of faith shall receive eternal life and become sons of God. He has also decreed that all who love darkness and continue in rebellion against the high authority of heaven shall remain in a state of spiritual alienation and suffer eternal death at last…Our choice is our own, but the consequences of the choice have already been determined by the sovereign will of God, and from this there is no appeal.” Jesus did not Teach “Repentance” just to hear Himself Talk — nor did Jesus Reveal the Truth of God just to have something to do while waiting for His public execution — we should not take the Word of God lightly for in Truth, “In [Jesus IS] the life, and the life [IS] the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness…[Jesus IS] the true LIGHT which gives light to every man coming into the world…as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name…” (John 1:4-12) So “{{LIFE}}” is your “{{CHOICE}}” but remember that God has already determined the “{{CONSEQUENCE}}” !!!