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

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, the Father has a reason for “why?” the DIVINE PLAN of SALVATION required Your BLOOD, Your Innocent Guilt-Free BLOOD to be shed for our sins — In the beginning, God 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

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, 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 when 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”!!!

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

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 are 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 placing on us individually 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

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 on earth 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 ALL 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

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

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?!?!?!?