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, 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

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  SEPTEMBER 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 eternally after death…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}}” of how you “Choose” to live it and what you believe about it!!! It is your “Choice” but God has already determined the “Consequence”!!!