https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k-LdHCuo5-Y



                                                              Introduction


(Author's note: This book is complete. It can be downloaded or used here as a daily devotional.  If you like it and find it works for you, please tell your friends.)

"If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching."  (John 14:23)

 
  
I confess to liking puzzles. 

Mysteries, number codes, crosswords, suspense.  Harlan Coben, Robert Parker, John D. MacDonald, James Patterson with Alex Cross. Dashiell Hammett and the Continental Op, Sam Spade, Nick and Nora, Agatha Christie and Jessica Fletcher. Columbo and Monk.  The CSIs and Law and Orders. Jigsaw puzzles not so much. 

 I also confess to sometimes treating Christianity like a mystery.  Oh, it does have some mystery.  How could God become Man?  How could Jesus be in The OT as the Angel of the Lord but be born in the NT? How does God exist as three apart yet together?  Why this?  How that? I put on my deerstalker hat and load up my gat and wander Cabot Cove with Lenny and Ed searching for answers.  May as well be all those since the reality is that some mysteries are to be reasoned but only so far.  No answer stands up in the witness stand and does a Perry Mason confession.

But, if you read mysteries, from the cozies to the locked room to the noir to the whodunit, you find they all lay false trails, misleading clues for those who are so intent on solving a mystery they forget to read most of the story before forming an opinion.  And there are so many who forget to read the whole story of the Bible before thinking they have solved the mystery Christianity. They hang up on Law and misread God as solely vengeful.  They stop at some point in Jesus' teaching and form a theology based on that one point.  When people get caught up in the idea of mystery, we can forget that  the story  itself is the answer in the Bible. 

The story: God created everything including humanity (Gen 1, 2.) Man failed God and sinned (Gen 3).  As a result, Humanity and all creation suffered for millennia until the arrival of Christ and now trembles at the coming rebirth even as we tremble inside awaiting our transformation into new bodies. (Romans 1-8) This is because Jesus is God made man (John 1:1-14)  (Phil.2:6-7) and came to die for the sins of the world (Matt. 20:28) and reconcile the world to God by that sacrifice ( 2 Cor. 5:19,21) and prepare us for those new bodies and our place in Heaven to be like Him (1 John 3:2) with a body like His( Phil 3:21) from fallen Adam to risen  Jesus after resurrection (1 Cor. 15:47,48).  

So all the mystery is solved in Christ. In His nature, in his mission, in his Word. 

A codex means a collection of ancient manuscripts remade into a book volume, bound and sealed on one side as opposed to being in scrolls. The Bible was really the first codex from a press. Today, Bibles abound. THE bestseller of all time, translated into every available language, reaching millions.

The "Old Testament" of law, history and prophecy composed the scrolls of Jesus time. Paul tells us those scrolls predicted Christ's coming, that everything in them was a "shadow of things to come, but the body is of Christ"(Col. 2:17). By his life, Christ took the Law, the prophecies and that history of His People and bound them into a volume of flesh. He sealed one side with love and opened the pages of the other with compassion. His every step "read" the reality of the scrolls to those around Him. His words revised, expanded and clarified everything previously recorded on dead skins, even as the atonement sacrifice had been recorded in dead animal flesh and he would revise and perfect it in his own dead body. A spiritual DNA code of holiness.  The basics of being a Christian. 

But he is so much more than the mission.  He is the physical being of God, creator himself made flesh.  Made our flesh and then made into so sort of superior transitional flesh between here and Heaven. 

And a death releasing a relationship with Him through the Holy Spirit, a teacher, a comforter in his absence. 

That last fact is vitally important to discuss before the listing of the commandments because it offers a bridge to understanding both our salvation being without works and the idea of producing works in our post salvation life.  If you are reading this, you likely know John MacArthur started a massive controversy in the last quarter of the last century with the publication of his book, The Gospel According to Jesus.  It detailed the differences in Jesus' evangelistic ministry and then modern evangelistic emphasis  on getting folks saved and once-saved-always-saved as opposed to the call to Repentance at the core of Jesus work. . The book started the Lordship movement that emphasized Jesus' kingship and our need to obey Him as his servants and friends.  MacArthur followed up with Faith Works pointing out the Apostles agreeing with that kingship stance in their Epistles.  Then, in 2010, he wrote Slave which dealt with the view of the Christian on the street in the Early Church regarding their relationship to Jesus as love slaves, ones who chose bondage to Him and the attendant shunning, torture and death it often entailed. All are richly researched and detailed.

In the modern American evangelical churches, this was sometimes viewed as heresy, as saying one could lose salvation by not obeying the commandments and that obedience was a kind of salvation insurance, that one could be sure they were saved today by a checklist of repentance.  "I  did not lust today."  "I did not steal today."  The Top Ten being viewed as the commandments in question whereas He clearly used them as a stepping off point. Evangelicals feared, then saw the Holiness movement being justified and some elements of that movement did point to that teaching to support their works doctrine.  "See these photos of my wife and daughters on Facebook showing how chaste they are in prime conservative outfits."  Adventists found further support for Saturday worship as ordered by God and never repealed.  Some evangelicals used it as part of an excuse to put up the Ten Commandments whenever possible on public lands.  Of course, lordship theology  was never a driving force, merely an excuse for some legalism or another.  The focus was never Jesus but an ideology that proponents wanted His name on. All this nothing like what MacArthur intended when he wanted Evangelicals to return to discipleship. 

In opposition, a Non Lordship movement defined itself,  their thesis being free grace, a notion that one need only believe in Christ to be saved with no corresponding need for discipleship.  While both sides of the evangelical front seem to agree on the assurance of salvation, free grace sees it as the only tenet that matters, justification, salvation through Christ, mattering and sanctification, the so-called working out of salvation, mattering not at all.   The Grace Evangelical Society seems to be the main source of this version of the gospel pushed by their journal. Repentance has become a bone of contention despite it being an ongoing element of salvation.  Reformed theology says it has to do with turning away from sin toward God,  a classic definition examined by MacArthur in Chapter 15 of The Gospel... among other places.  Reformed believers see it as an ongoing event while free grace believers see it as a single event of the mind deciding to accept salvation.  One can believe and be saved with little evidence of change.  Not far from traditional Baptist belief which MacArthur was testing with his books.  (For  a more detailed account Non-lordship salvation | Theopedia) {The Lordship Controversy}

Meanwhile, if you happen to be on Facebook, you may stumble across Only Paul believers who suggest Paul had a special Gospel that provided salvation to Gentiles without Jesus being their King.  They reject any word from Jesus in the Gospels as to his kingship, it being meant only for Jews and any word by any other apostles like James referring to a Royal Law.  They miss that it was Peter who first brought the Gospel to the Gentiles (Acts 10) and pushed it to the early Church (Acts11: Acts 15) and opened them up to sending missionaries to Antioch  (Acts 11), all while Paul was still Saul and exiled to Tarsus.  When confronted with this, it is denied as being true despite quotes and urging to read Acts.  For them, there is clearly something more than Theology involved. Freedom to keep being who they wish to be after Salvation matters more than accurate Bible facts and we arrive at the truth ignored by both sides of the controversy: your salvation is not the point of your salvation. Though it certainly concerns it.

Nor is Jesus' kingship. Though it hovers behind the discussion.

The point of your obedience, of learning the commands and becoming close to God is another person altogether.  But really the same one. And to understand that, we go to John. 

And a conversation our Lord and Savior had with his apostles as he walked to the Garden to pray and sweat blood and be captured for torture and crucifixion.  One last personal conversation with them, a discussion of relationships and loss. We arrive again at John, as Jesus talks to them that night, the night He will leave them, the last time they will be together all as human beings in the flesh. All but Jesus wondering what will happen next. 

 15 I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman.

2 Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.

3 Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.

4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.

 This conversation starts in  John 13 when Judas has left.  The communion is given, new words and ideas shared.  He is going away (13:312-35): Pete will betray him (13:36-38).  

14 starts. 

 

Tom: We don"t know where you are going. 

 

Jesus: I am the way the truth and the life.

  

Phil: Show us the Father and that will be enough for us. 

 

Jesus: If you have seen me, you have seen the Father.

And then Jesus explains HIS Works which is a snippet  often ignored but relates to our works. The Key being relationship. As you read, recall Matthew 3:16 and the Spirit coming down Him as a dove after baptism. 

Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me?  The words I speak to you I do not say on my own initiative, but the Father abiding in me does His work. Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; otherwise believe me because of the works themselves.Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me the works that I do, he will do also; and greater works than these he will do: because i go to the Father.  (John 14:10-12)

Jesus was in connection with God as we are to be.  He produced works, things God did through Him.  He bore fruit.  As we are to do. And He clearly expects us to produce works in that fashion. To bear fruit. 

And we arrive at our opening verse and a summation of why we get saved, of why we are to follow commands: 

If you Love me, you will keep my commandments.  I will ask the Father and He will give you another Helper, that he may be with you forever; that is, the Spirit of Truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him, but YOU know him because he abides with  you and will be in you. 

But then Jesus gets to the relationship directly to both He and the Father. 

21: He who loves me keeps my Commands and is loved by the Father and Me. "I will disclose myself to him." 

23 & 24: If you love me, you keep my Word and Dad will love you an We will abide with you.  This is a message from Dad.

30: So the world may know I love Dad, "I do exactly as the Father commanded me."

 Then they get up and the walk starts and we come to:

Jesus is the true vine.  In mythology there are many, but he is the True vine, the one who dies, enters the Earth and brings forth eternal life, not just the life of a harvest as the myths discuss. 

Branches that do not bear fruit are taken away.  They do not have union with the vine any longer.  It is the Father who works the vineyard and chooses what is not bearing fruit. Judas who never got the message is no longer with the group, sent off on his mission of betrayal so we can assume that hangers on  are at least a part of that taken away and burned.

 

But then we see the apostles are clean, washed like branches to keep them free and healthy and they are meant to bear fruit which they can only do by abiding in Christ.  He in them and they in him.

Do you see it now?  Repeated over and over.  They were saved, chosen by God for service, to bear fruit. This may mean the personal fruit of the Spirit since Jesus focuses on Him, but it also seems to mean fruit of converts.  My personal experience is that the first fruit leads to the second. 

5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.

6 If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.

7 If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.

5. Aside from me he can do nothing.  Herod built the Temple of Jesus' time but it did him no eternal good. Massive somethings turn to nothings without abiding in Him.

 

6. Again, do not abide cast aside.  Again Judas comes to my mind.  This could not have been lost on them later. 

7. Abide in Him and His words, His commands, His wishes abiding  in us, whatever He wants  to accomplish,  what He wishes done because we have His word telling us what He wants, that is delivered. 

8 Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.

9 As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love.

10 If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love.

Jesus set the perfect example of obedience to God and staying in His love by focusing on His mission.  Keeping the commandments and obeying the Word (John 14:21,23 also)keeps us devoted to his will, to abiding in Him as He in the Father.  And Jesus will send the comforter after his death, ( 15:26-27) 

Full circle to 14: 

15 “If ye love Me, keep My commandments.

16 And I will pray the Father, and He shall give you another Comforter, that He may abide with you for ever”

17 even the Spirit of Truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth Him not, neither knoweth Him. But ye know Him, for He dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.

The purpose of our salvation is to abide in the Holy Spirit, in Christ, in God  which we do by obeying Jesus' commands all so we can bear fruit and glorify the Father as the Son does. The notion of arguing kingship is meaningless when we realize He abides in us through our obedience, it is simply the way it was designed by  God so we could be with Him. So WE could be with HIM. 

But under all that obedience and that purpose to be with Jesus and God and the Spirit is the formation of a relationship, an eternal relationship as he says in 14. The form of that love perhaps best found in a young woman who rushed to Jesus who was invited to a fancy gala but was insulted almost from the start with no washed feet, no anointing of oil, nothing due an honored guest, Simon the Pharisee testing Him, but a woman of ill repute as we used to say, rushes to him, and anoints his feet with oil.  She is at risk, since she is not viewed as fit to be there. Much is made of the act by observers who note her bad reputation and are stunned He would let her even touch Him. Commentaries sometimes even spend words on the nature of the oil used.  Both ancient and modern watchers missing the point.  It was left to some like, Brennan Manning to note:

"You know, Mary Magdalene would have been buried in history as an unknown hooker except for this--Her reckless, passionate, uncompromising love for the Person of Jesus. 

"Is your relationship with Jesus marked by reckless love? Authentic Christianity, according to the Word. is this: It's the thrill, the excitement of falling in love with the risen, living Jesus Christ. He shows us the Way to the Father.  He pours out on us the Spirit of Pentecost- not so that we will be nicer people with better morals, but brand-new creations, human torches ignited with the flaming Spirit of the living God. "

The Nineteen Mercies: A Spiritual Retreat

in The Ragamuffin Gospel (Page 257)

Reckless love. The embodiment of all those words. 

Warren Wiersbe, in 5 Secrets For living, a very small study on John 15,  concludes  that the secret to obedience is loving.   He follows Jesus' circuitous teachings that everyone  feeds everyone else in functional relationships and the most functional of all is the God-human relationship. The secret to living is fruit-bearing, following the purpose of our creation. The secret to fruit-bearing is abiding, staying close to the source so you may produce what He desires, the way and time He desires it. The secret of abiding is obeying, doing what pleases your loved one to nurture the relationship, allowing your loved one to do what helps and nurtures you, "ask and it shall be given unto you".  The secret of obeying is loving, Just as the father has loved me, so I have loved you.

That reckless passionate love sees what is needed and understands it is needed and understands how to do it.  The reckless love from Jesus gives the means to accomplish the obedience.  In this love there is no such thing as "the extra mile".  The Sermon on the Mount tells us to GO that extra mile. For our enemy.  (Matt. 5:41)  Going it for the Lord is obvious. 

But Wiersbe has a fifth secret: The secret to loving is knowing. Jesus knows God from eternity. The Holy Spirit has known them that long as well. We are beginning to know Him from the moment of salvation. Jesus died that we may know Him and love Him and glorify Him. We love, glorify and get to know every day because we want to know Him even more. The circle again, the love feeding on knowing and abiding and abiding more as we get to know and obeying more as we grow in love.   This book is meant to merely be a part of that circle.

 The starting point though is what it has always been. Our sins separate us from God. That message powers so much of the Bible that it can't be stressed enough. Anyone who has not accepted Christ on a personal level, whether they openly reject him or sit in Church for a thousand Sundays because it's the "right thing to do" and is "good for you," needs Christ. Perfect attendance, memorized sermons and prayer meeting leadership deliver Salvation no more than dances at midnight in a Druid worship ceremony. This acceptance of Christ enables the arrival of the Holy Spirit so the relationships can begin.

The first section of our book/blog  examines the Salvation commands, with our way of joining and knowing Him.

Let me stress here that the whole reason for obedience to his commands is two fold:  first, to understand him requires obedience,  (John 7:14-18); second, and most relevant to this passage, obedience creates a home, abode, for the Holy Spirit (that we may abide in Him as he is in us) and sensitizes our "ear" to His voice in Scripture and in our daily routine.  It enables the love we feel for Christ to become an external reality.

Section 2 deals with commands that tell us how we are to begin seeing the world around us. The internal reaction to Christ.

Section 3 lists the external, the sacrifice of our self, our "old man", in surrender to Christ so the outside world sees him in us.

Section 4 gives the overview and love commands from the simple "love thy neighbor" to the great commission or co-mission of salvation.

While this order necessarily puts the overviews of love at the end of the book, these are organized under Christ's design for discipleship: "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross daily and follow me." Itself a command.  And does tend to follow the idea that we must become obedient to truly grasp the depth and power of our walk with Christ, that each act of obedience draws us nearer to Him. 

What Peter meant when he said we were to "respect Christ as the Holy Lord in your hearts" (1 Peter 3:15 NCV). The need to obey.

Our heavenly Father explains exactly what we are to do to show our gratitude, to become closer to him and to grow in our understanding of him, to "abide". First Century Jewish culture had specific marriage rites. A groom was betrothed at a young age, before even knowing his bride or meeting her briefly at the betrothal. He later claimed her, offered a dowry, a sacrifice, but had to go away right after to build a home for them apart from her family. While he was gone, a close female relative would stay with the bride and tutor her on the customs and requirements of the groom's family or tribe so there would be no faux pas. Jesus references this in calling the saved his "bride", saying he goes to prepare a place for us and will return and that he leaves behind the Holy Spirit to tutor us through both the Bible and Inspiration. (John 14:2,16,26)

But communication runs both ways. We need to study what is said, not leave it in an unread book, not abandon our prayerful communion with God.

"(Study) earnestly to present yourself approved to God, a workman that does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the Word of Truth." (2 Tim 2:15)


But that argument of obedience as legalism needs one final answer. Obedience can't be viewed as legalism because legalism assumes humanity somehow controls either its salvation or it's continued salvation. It stokes our ego to think our successes or failures establish our place in eternity. Even our guilt at failure betrays egotism: "If I'd only been more perfect, God would have wanted me." What matters is the heart of obedience, that it be done with reckless love to please the One who loved us before we came to love Him. 


So read this as a guidebook. Let the Holy Spirit direct you. Follow where it leads. Fail. Learn. Grow. Come back later and continue the process. You can do it by rote, as I once learned arithmetic. You can search the Scriptures to be sure I'm right. You may find more commands you feel I've missed. Add them on. The comments section is available. I welcome it. Guidebooks are meant to grow and expand, to gather more meaning over time. Seeing the old reference, feeling the twinge of good memory for the place it led you.

Because this is meant for YOUR growth, I've stayed out of the way as much as possible. Commentary is brief and scarce. While they are uniquely organized here, meant to speak in the categories Jesus suggests, let HIS words move you and touch you. I have only said a few things.

The caveat: lingering behind everything we do, we hear the "take up his cross" qualifier. Keep in mind the simple truth: for us to grow in our relationship with God and Christ, some part of us must die daily. It always hurts. Always. Death is like that. But, with Christ's touch, something better always rises, from a dead idol, from a surrendered lust, from a cold, white-washed tomb.

Someone better always rises, remade by God.

(Note: Most Bible quotes are from either the original King James (only a few) or from the more easily readable Modern King James Version.)


Break 1

We begin in emptiness. We walk a tattered ancient trail, led by our pride. We seek an answer and settle on one that seems to fit our yearning. We worship gods made by our own hands, cut to our desires. Gods of wealth. gods of passion. gods who look and sound like us.

Our freedom. Our choice. Our way.

But something happens. A job is lost. The grave claims someone we love. A child wanders into violence or drugs. A spouse finds someone else to answer a need we never understood. The face of our freedom suddenly becomes a death mask. Our liberty tastes like ashes. Our money buys only a second's peace. Poverty beckons.

It's not our god laughing.

It's the true God calling.

"Who then condemns you? Then neither do I."

A hand that once lifted an adulteress from the ground that was almost the site of her execution.

A voice amidst the violent storm saying, "Don't be afraid. I'm not a ghost."

Laughing with a small child.

A shout of victory from the last moment on the cross.

A call into the darkness of our dead lives, into the tombs we've built, painted in whitewash and sought refuge in: "Come forth! For the sake of your soul, come out into the light!"

Waiting for those sinking and hurting to cry: "Save me!"

The hand reaching for one who's rushed to walking on the water and been distracted by the winds of living. The voice behind the hand: "Oh, ye of little faith. Take hold and live."




I: The Salvation Commandments: "If anyone would come after me..."


HAVE FAITH

Note: Nothing is possible without faith. Here we deal only in commands related to Salvation.


John 6: 29: This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent.

Luke 7:50: And he said to the woman, "Your faith has saved you; go in peace."


ACCEPT JESUS CHRIST AS YOUR SAVIOR

John 3:16-17 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.

John 5:34-40 "But I receive not testimony from man: but these things I say, that ye might be saved. He was a burning and a shining light: and ye were willing for a season to rejoice in his light. But I have greater witness than that of John: for the works which the Father hath given me to finish, the same works that I do, bear witness of me, that the Father hath sent me. And the Father himself, which hath sent me, hath borne witness of me. Ye have neither heard his voice at any time, nor seen his shape. And ye have not his word abiding in you: for whom he hath sent, him ye believe not. Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me. And ye will not come to me, that ye might have life."

John 6:33-51 "For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world."

"Lord, evermore give us this bread."

And Jesus said unto them, "I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst. But I said unto you, That ye also have seen me, and believe not. All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out. For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me. And this is the Father's will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day. And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day."

The Jews then murmured at him, because he said, "I am the bread which came down from heaven."

And they said, "Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? how is it then that he saith, I came down from heaven?"

Jesus therefore answered and said unto them, "Murmur not among yourselves. No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day. It is written in the prophets, And they shall be all taught of God. Every man therefore that hath heard, and hath learned of the Father, cometh unto me. Not that any man hath seen the Father, save he which is of God, he hath seen the Father. Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life.

"I am that bread of life. Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness, and are dead. This is the bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die. I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world."

John 10:7-9 Then said Jesus unto them again, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep. All that ever came before me are thieves and robbers: but the sheep did not hear them. I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture."

John 11:25-26 Jesus said unto her, "I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?"

John 12:47 "And if any man hear my words, and believe not, I judge him not: for I came not to judge the world, but to save the world."


John 17:2-3 "As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him. And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent."


Luke 19:10 "For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost."


John 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me."


I place the last verse out of order because it speaks to every other religion at the time of the Crucifixion. And those that have since derived from them. "Way" speaks to the Buddhist and Taoist. "Truth" speaks to the Hindu and the anti-God religions that stem from the Greek-Roman logic systems. "The life" speaks to the Jew and others seeking a physical as well as spiritual resurrection. He came to answer all human longings.

If you've searched those other religions as well, you know they answer only the desires of self-fulfillment, not an answer for eternity. They deliver an intellectual meal, not a soul completing feast. They offer the safety of self, not the "dangerous wonder" of God. A buffer between man and God, not an open door into His presence. If you have never accepted Christ as your lord and savior, I offer you the chance to do that now. But be warned: He is not a safe harbor of laws and structures, rites and penance, but a real breathing being who you get to know over time after your introduction. If you accept Him, simply by saying the words in prayer to God, then you meet the Creator who has known you since before your birth and will care for you, despite your failings, for eternity. He's beyond the walls of religion. Let Him put his Spirit into your life that it may be Life. Listen to Him as he asks you in the next few verses. Believe Him even if you doubt me.


ACCEPT HIM AS LORD

Mt 11:27-30 "All things are delivered to Me by My Father. And no one knows the Son except the Father. Nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and the one to whom the Son will reveal Him. Come to Me all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke on you and learn of Me, for I am meek and lowly in heart, and you shall find rest to your souls. For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light."

Mt 28:18 And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, "All authority is given to Me in Heaven and in earth."

John 12:26 "If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there also My servant shall be. If anyone serves Me, the Father will honor him."


RECEIVE THE HOLY SPIRIT

Luke 24:49 "And behold, I send the promise of My father on you. But you sit in the city of Jerusalem until you are clothed with power from on high."

John 7:37 And in the last day of the great feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes on Me, as the Scripture has said, "Out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water." (But He spoke this about the Spirit, which they who believed on Him should receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.)

John 20:21-22 Then Jesus said to them again, "Peace to you. As My Father has sent Me, even so I send you." And when He had said this, He breathed on them and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit."

Acts 1:4-5 And having met with them, He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to await "the promise of the Father which you heard from Me. For John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized in the Holy Spirit not many days from now."


Acts 1:8 "But you shall receive power, the Holy Spirit coming upon you. And you shall be witnesses to Me both in Jerusalem and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and to the end of the earth."


I think about working on the trench I dug for Dad in the marsh behind our house. I "eye-balled" the measurements and lined up the channel by the shore which was itself jagged. I dug with only a vague idea of it's alignment. I had a shovel to use, but no outline on the swampy turf. I worried constantly if it was right. What should have worried me was the depth, but I didn't know that. No one coached me and instructions were incomplete and my father was off doing something else all day. I couldn't ask for directions.

Then I think of all those without a Bible or without the Holy Spirit. Lining up by the natural they can see. Using the crude tools of logic and an infant science. Or with burned sacrifices of any logic or science. Stumbling to find a way to God with rules, regulations, exercises, rites, guru or sifu and performances to entertain the masses. Some of them are even sitting next to us in the pews, believing anything said by anyone with the vaguest aspect of authority.

Sometimes, when I go rushing headlong like Peter, running out onto unstable surfaces that can't support me and then floundering for lack of faith, I end up joining them. You, too?

Remember He's there next time and then do what I failed to do: Ask Him about your directions before you go digging ditches that are meant to be deeper, wider or more enduring. He'll give you the instructions and always be there if you have questions. You'll have to pay attention when he answers, but that's just to keep you sharp.

And maybe just a little deeper as well.


REPENT

Paul defines repentance as a "turning to God from idols to serve the living and true God." We repent when we embrace the REAL God instead of our old ideas of who God is. This command could also be regarded as the beginning of salvation since the choice to repent, made at the onset of faith, leads to the choice of salvation. I wouldn't quibble over any placement and will expand on the reasoning for mine after we examine the next few verses.

Mt 9:12-13 But when Jesus heard, He said to them, "The ones who are whole do not need a physician, but the ones who are sick.

"But go and learn what this is, I will have mercy and not sacrifice. For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance."


Mark 1:15 and saying, "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God draws near. Repent, and believe the gospel."

Mark 2:17 When Jesus heard, He said to them, "They who are strong have no need of a physician, but the ones who have illness. I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance."

Luke 5:32 "I did not come to call the righteous to repentance, but sinners."

Luke 13:2-3 And answering, Jesus said to them, "Do you suppose that these Galileans were sinners above all the Galileans because they suffered such things? I tell you, No. But unless you repent, you will all likewise perish."


The reason I place repentance here: it is an on-going process. We backslide: we realize our error: we repent and return to the relationship we've weakened finding it actually grown stronger in the weak place. We usually find, like Jonah, that we are pursued by God in one way or another, that He will not let us rest until we get back to Him. Our "first love" process involves walking with Christ, turning from our sins every day, defining discipleship, redefining ourselves, then repeating the process every day, "dying" a little as we go. Repentance means as much for the saved as the lost since we never seem to complete the process of "found" in our lives.

So repentance becomes the ideal transition command to lead us into the next section.


Rev 2:5 "Therefore remember from where you have fallen, and repent, and do the first works, or else I will come to you quickly and will remove your lampstand out of its place unless you repent."

Rev 2:15 "So you also have those who hold the teaching of the Nicolaitans, which thing I hate. Repent! But if not I will come to you quickly, and will fight with them by the sword of My mouth."

Rev 2:20-22 "But I have a few things against you because you allow that woman Jezebel to teach, she saying herself to be a prophetess, and to cause My servants to go astray, and to commit fornication, and to eat idol-sacrifices. And I gave her time that she might repent of her fornication, and she did not repent. Behold, I am throwing her into a bed, and those who commit adultery with her into great affliction, unless they repent of their deeds."

Rev 3:1-3 "And to the angel of the church in Sardis write: He who has the seven Spirits of God and the seven stars says these things. 'I know your works, that you have a name that you live, and are dead.

"'Be watchful and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die. For I have not found your works being fulfilled before God.

"'Remember then how you have received and heard, and hold fast, and repent. Therefore if you will not watch, I will come upon you as a thief, and you will not know what hour I will come upon you.'"


Come to Him if you aren't saved.

Come back if you've lost your way.

The door is open. Heaven waits.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dodMQmzGZTw



BREAK 2

We accept the gift.

We are filled with the Spirit.

We begin to walk in holiness.

The oddest thing: we stand purified and complete without ever reading the Law or knowing the Text. Yet we DO know it! We read a page and it sounds familiar, something we've read before, someplace. We feel...at home in the Word. It feeds something in us. We realize we were saved by hearing the Word.

It calls to us now for something more.

We can do as others. We can say, "Thanks for the gift. See you in eternity." We can walk back to the things we used to do. Put our feet up and watch the game. Check out porn.  Keep living with our boyfriend. Keep those trysts with someone we meet only for passion. Chase the money and the cars and the houses. Go on as if nothing has happened.

But something happened. And we can't pretend we were not changed.

We watched the old shows and they were pointless.

We tried to find warmth in the affair and found only a dusty, tired lust, meaningless without love.

Even the car polish smells odd. Uninviting.

So we know we've changed. We find joy in just talking to friends about it. In meeting other Christians. In taking time to sit on a park bench.

We know we've changed.

We just don't realize yet how much.


II. The Self-Denial Commandments: "...Let him deny himself..."


By faith, we are saved.

By faith, we move on.


HAVE FAITH

Mt 21:21-22 Jesus answered and said to them, "Truly I say to you, If you have faith and do not doubt, you shall not only do this miracle of the fig tree, but also; if you shall say to this mountain, Be moved and be thrown into the sea; it shall be done.

And all things, whatever you shall ask in prayer, believing, you shall receive."

Mark 4:40 And He said to them, "Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?"

Mark 5:34 And He said to her, "Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace, and be whole from your plague."

Luke 5:20 And seeing their faith, He said to him, "Man, your sins are forgiven you."

Luke 8:48 And He said to her, "Daughter, be comforted. Your faith has saved you; go in peace."

Luke 22:31-32 And the Lord said, "Simon, Simon, behold, Satan has desired you, that he may sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, that your faith fail not. And when you are converted, strengthen your brothers."

John 14:1 "Let not your heart be troubled. You believe in God, believe also in Me."

John 15:4 "Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it remains in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me."

John 16:26-27 "At that day you will ask in My name; and I do not say to you that I will pray to the Father for you, for the Father Himself loves you, because you have loved Me and have believed that I came out from God."

Faith underpins everything in our lives, accepts challenges every day to strengthen it, builds on itself as we grow with the building.


SERVE ONLY THE TRUE GOD

Mt 4:10 Then Jesus said to him, "Go, Satan! For it is written, 'You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve.'"

Mt 6:24 "No one can serve two masters. For either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will hold to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon."

Luke 1:74 "...that He would grant to us, that we, being delivered out of the hand of our enemies, might serve Him without fear."


And Jesus answered and said to him, "Get behind me, Satan! For it is written, 'You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only shall you serve.'"


WORSHIP IN THE SPIRIT

Mark 7:7 "However, they worship Me in vain, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men."


John 4:23-24 "But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers shall worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father seeks such to worship Him.
God is a spirit, and they who worship Him must worship in spirit and in truth."


PRAY

Mt 5:44 "But I say to you, Love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who despitefully use you and persecute you,"

Mt 6:5-8 "And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, so that they may be seen by men. Truly I say to you, They have their reward.

"But you, when you pray, enter into your room. And shutting your door, pray to your Father in secret; and your Father who sees in secret shall reward you openly. But when you pray, do not babble vain words, as the nations. For they think that in their much speaking they shall be heard.

"Therefore do not be like them, for your Father knows what things you have need of, before you ask Him."

Mt 9:38 "Therefore pray to the Lord of the harvest that He will send out laborers into His harvest."

Mt 23:14 "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you devour widows' houses, and pray at length as a pretense. Therefore you shall receive the greater condemnation."

Mt 26:41 "Watch and pray that you enter not into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak."

Mt 26:53 "Do you think that I cannot now pray to My Father, and He shall presently give Me more than twelve legions of angels?"

Mark 13:33 "Take heed, watch and pray, for you do not know when the time is."

Mark 14:32 "And they came to a place named Gethsemane. And He said to His disciples, Sit here while I pray."

Luke 6:28 "Bless those who curse you, and pray for those who despitefully use you."

Luke 10:2 "Then He said to them, The harvest truly is great, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray to the Lord of the harvest that He may send forth laborers into His harvest."

Luke 11:1-4 And it happened as He was praying in a certain place, when He ceased, one of His disciples said to Him, "Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught His disciples."

And He said to them, "When you pray, say: Our Father, who is in Heaven, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come, Your will be done, as in Heaven, so also on the earth. Give us day by day our daily bread, and forgive us our sins, for we ourselves also forgive everyone who is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil."

Luke 18:1-8 And He also spoke a parable to them to teach it is always right to pray, and not to faint, saying, "A certain judge was in a certain city, not fearing God, nor respecting man. And a widow was in that city. And she came to Him, saying, 'Avenge me of my adversary.' And he would not do so for a time.

"But afterward he said within himself, 'Though I do not fear God nor regard man, yet because this widow troubles me, I will avenge her, that she not wear me down in the end.'"

And the Lord said, "Hear what the unjust judge says. And shall not God avenge His own elect who cry day and night to Him, though He has been long-suffering over them?
I say to you that He will avenge them speedily. Yet when the Son of man comes, shall He find faith on the earth?"

Luke 22:40 "And when He was at the place, He said to them, "Pray that you do not enter into temptation."

Luke 22:46 And He said to them, "Why do you sleep? Rise and pray lest you enter into temptation."


Our Lord prayed at the drop of a sandal. He's depicted as taking hours at night with his Father, as always going off away from the crowd, no matter how tired he was, to pray to the Father, to give the conversation the utmost importance and making solitude a prime concern, that He might focus on his conversation, that God was the only one: no earthly distractions.

And the subject matter becomes everything: the needs of the day, the joy of the relationship, praise of the Father. "In all things", he knelt to pray and provided our example.

We complain about the busyness of modern life. He towed a crowd around behind him. He became the target of every spear in the country. Moving constantly so the religious leaders wouldn't kill him before his appointed hour. Dealing with his disciples bickering, jostling for the spot next to the throne, one flighty, several temperamental, one a traitor. We don't even come close.

Find the time and build the relationship. Nothing mattered more to our Lord. Rank it accordingly.


FAST

Mt 6:16-18 "And when you fast, do not be like the hypocrites, of a sad face. For they disfigure their faces so that they may appear to men to fast. Truly I say to you, they have their reward.

"But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, so that you do not appear to men to fast, but to your Father in secret. And your Father who sees in secret shall reward you openly."

Mt 9:14-15 Then the disciples of John came to Him saying, "Why do we and the Pharisees fast often, but Your disciples do not fast?"

And Jesus said to them, "Can the sons of the bridechamber mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? But the days will come when the bridegroom shall be taken away from them, and then they shall fast."

Mark 2:18-19 The disciples of John and those of the Pharisees were fasting. And they came and said to Him, "Why do John's disciples and those of the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?"

And Jesus said to them, "Can the sons of the bridechamber fast while the bridegroom is with them? As long as they have the bridegroom with them they cannot fast."

Luke 5:33-35 And they said to Him, "Why do John's disciples fast often and make prayers, and also the disciples of the Pharisees, but yours eat and drink?"

But He said to them, "Can you make the sons of the bridechamber fast while the bridegroom is with them? But the days will come when the bridegroom shall be taken away from them, and then they shall fast in those days."


"Fasting" held a different meaning then. One began at dark the night before, then didn't eat breakfast or lunch and ate only after sundown of that day. The fast wasn't for diet or self-improvement, but to take time from ALL focus on the self and place and focus SOLELY on the Lord. It meant a sacrifice, a consideration of all God gave including every meal and prayer time in communion with Him. One fasted on the Sabbath so one was thinking of God, not the meal, before or after contemplation. It may have had similar healthful effects as cleansing fasts today, but the stated purpose was obedience to God.

If we consider fasting, those rules should apply.  Keep in mind it was a Jewish ritual so he referred to it as a normal thing talking to them.  The Church later eliminated much of it's food rules so, if health is at risk, consider it carefully.

Along with our Lord's order not to tell anyone about it. His taboo on hypocrisy laces it's way through many of the commands. Making it worthy of much contemplation as well.


KNOW THE SCRIPTURES

Mt 4:4 But he answered and said, "It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God."

Mt 13:19-20 "When anyone hears the Word of the kingdom and does not understand it, then the wicked one comes and catches away that which was sown in his heart. This is the seed sown by the wayside.

"But that which was sown on the stony places is this: he who hears the Word and immediately receives it with joy. But he has no root in himself, and is temporary. For when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, he immediately stumbles.

"And that sown into the thorns is this: he who hears the word; and the anxiety of this world, and the deceit of riches, choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful.
"But that sown on the good ground is this: "he who hears the Word and understands; who also bears fruit and produces" one truly a hundredfold; and one sixty; and one thirty."

Mt 19:11 But He said to them, "Not all receive this word, except those to whom it is given."

Mark 4:14-20 "The sower sows the Word.

"And these are those by the wayside, where the Word is sown. And when they hear, Satan comes immediately and takes away the Word that was sown in their hearts.

"And these are those likewise being sown on stony places; who, when they hear the Word, immediately receive it with gladness. But they have no root in themselves, but are temporary. Afterward when affliction or persecution arises for the Word's sake, they are immediately offended.

"And these are those being sown among thorns; such as hear the Word, and the cares of this world, and the deceit of riches, and the lust about other things entering in, choke the Word, and it becomes unfruitful.

"And these are those sown on good ground, who hear the Word and welcome it, and bear fruit, one thirty, one sixty, and one a hundredfold."

Mark 7:11-13 "But you say, If a man shall say to his father or mother, 'Corban! (that is, A gift to God, whatever you may profit by me' and you no longer allow him to do anything toward his father or mother, making the word of God of no effect through your tradition which you have delivered. And you do many such things."


Mark 12:10 And have you not read this scripture "The Stone which the builders rejected has become the Head of the corner:

Mark 15:28 And the Scripture was fulfilled which said, "And he was numbered with the lawless."

Luke 1:13 Since many took in hand to draw up an account concerning the matters which have been borne out among us, even as those who from the beginning delivered to us, becoming eye-witnesses and ministers of the word, it seemed good to me also, following all things accurately from the very first, to write to you in order, most excellent Theophilus,


Note: I've included these last two "non-Jesus" quotes here as well to point out two things:

a) Knowing Scripture, Mark is able to say Jesus fulfilled it. He has a more powerful witness because of it.

b) Luke makes it clear that HE wrote his scripture as an eye-witness and reporter and that the others were eyewitnesses to all. This contradicts the teachers who say that the Gospels were concocted long after Christ's death. Knowing this Scripture helps us defend the rest. These are "active" examples of the efficacy Jesus' command.


Luke 4:4 And Jesus answered him, saying, "It is written that 'man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.'"

Luke 4:21 And He began to say to them, "Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your ears."

Luke 8:11-15 "And the parable is this: The seed is the Word of God.

"Those by the roadside are the ones who hear; then the Devil comes and takes the Word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved.

"Those on the rock are the ones who, when they hear, receive the Word with joy. And these have no root, who for a while believe, and in time of temptation fall away.

"And those which fell among thorns are the ones who, when they have heard, go forth and are choked with cares and riches and pleasures of life, and do not bear to maturity.

"But those on the good ground are the ones who, in an honest and good heart, having heard the Word, keep it and bring forth fruit with patience."

Jesus' parable repeats in three Gospels while John expands on it in his own more extensive way. Keeping the word results in bearing fruit, in the eventual creation of new Christians. Life by study and example.

Luke 11:28 But He said, "No; rather, blessed are they who hear the Word of God and keep it."

John 1:1-14 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

He was in the beginning with God.

All things came into being through Him, and without Him not even one thing came into being that has come into being.

In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overtake it.

There was a man sent from God; his name was John. This one came as a witness, to bear witness concerning the Light, so that all might believe through him. He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light.

He (the Word) was the true Light; He enlightens every man coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world came into being through Him, and the world did not know Him.

He came to His own, and His own received Him not.

But as many as received Him, He gave to them authority to become the children of God, to those who believe on His name, who were born, not of bloods, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but were born of God.

And the Word became flesh, and tabernacled among us. And we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and of truth.


 John gives us the history of the world in a few sentences. Not the human history of strife and violence and rage, but the history of God's intent for humanity and the origin of the plan for healing it. More pertinent to this section, we learn the study of the Word IS the study of true history, the getting to know Christ. From Genesis to Revelation, he inhabits every page.

John 2:22 Therefore when He had risen from the dead, His disciples remembered that He had said this to them, and they believed the Scripture and the word which Jesus had said.

John 5:37-38 "And He sending Me, the Father Himself, has borne witness of Me. Neither have you heard His voice at any time nor seen His shape. And you do not have His word abiding in you, for you do not believe Him whom He has sent."

John 7:38 "He who believes on Me, as the Scripture has said, 'Out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.'"

John 8:31 Then Jesus said to the Jews who believed on Him, "If you continue in My word, you are My disciples indeed."

John 8:37 "I know that you are Abraham's seed, but you seek to kill Me because My Word has no place in you."

John 8:51 "Truly, truly, I say to you, If a man keeps My Word, he shall never see death."

John 8:55 "Yet you have not known Him, but I know Him. And if I should say I do not know Him, I would be a liar like you. But I know Him and I keep His Word."

John 10:34 Jesus answered them, "Has it not written in your law, 'I said, You are gods?'

"If He called those gods with whom the Word of God was, and the Scripture cannot be broken, do you say of Him whom the Father has sanctified and sent into the world, You blaspheme, because I said, I am the Son of God?

"If I do not do the works of My Father, do not believe Me."

John 12:48 "He who rejects Me and does not receive My words has one who judges him; the Word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day."

John 13:18 "I do not speak of you all; I know whom I have chosen; but that the Scripture might be fulfilled, 'He who eats bread with me has lifted up his heel against me.'"

John 14:23-24 Jesus answered and said to him, "If a man loves Me, he will keep My Word. And My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our abode with him. He who does not love Me does not keep My words, and the Word which you hear is not Mine, but the Father's who sent Me."

John 15:3 "Now you are clean through the Word which I have spoken to you."

John 17:12 "While I was with them in the world, I kept them in Your name. Those that You have given Me I have kept, and none of them is lost, except the son of perdition, that the Scripture might be fulfilled."

John 17:14 "I have given them Your Word, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world."

John 17:17 "Sanctify them through Your truth. Your Word is truth."


John, who lived longer than the rest of the Twelve, stressed the importance of the Word throughout his Gospel, having seen the way men of even that early time misused and wrongly taught the Word. Many of his teaching undercut the sect who worshiped John the Baptist as the Christ: the Gnostics who claimed a "greater enlightenment": pointed out Christ came to fulfill the longing of all religions, the desire to somehow reach God. As the Church lost it's original Apostles and those who actually knew the physical Jesus, John foresaw the continued rise of other teachings and took steps to say that Jesus wanted everything built on the Word, on Him. (The Failure of Myth: John's Gospel offers a much longer take on this. W.)     http://www.thefailureofmythjohnsgospel.com/


KEEP THE PERSONAL DISCIPLINES TO YOURSELF

Mt 6:1-6 "Take heed that you do not do your merciful deeds before men, to be seen by them. Otherwise you have no reward with your Father in Heaven. Therefore when you do your merciful deeds, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may have glory from men. Truly I say to you, They have their reward.

"But when you do merciful deeds, do not let your left hand know what your right hand does, so that your merciful deeds may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret Himself shall reward you openly.

"And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, so that they may be seen by men. Truly I say to you, They have their reward.

"But you, when you pray, enter into your room. And shutting your door, pray to your Father in secret; and your Father who sees in secret shall reward you openly."

Mt 6:16-18 "And when you fast, do not be like the hypocrites, of a sad face. For they disfigure their faces so that they may appear to men to fast. Truly I say to you, they have their reward.

"But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, so that you do not appear to men to fast, but to your Father in secret. And your Father who sees in secret shall reward you openly."

(One can add that to our fasting list as well.)


DON'T FEAR

Mt 10:26-31 "Therefore do not fear them, for there is nothing covered that shall not be revealed, and nothing hidden which shall not be known. What I tell you in darkness, speak in the light; and what you hear, proclaim on the housetops.

"And do not fear those who kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul. But rather fear Him who can destroy both soul and body in hell. Are not two sparrows sold for an assarion? And one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father. But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Therefore do not fear, you are of more value than many sparrows."

Mt 14:26-27 And when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, "It is a phantom!" And they cried out for fear.

But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, "Be of good cheer, I AM! Do not fear."

Luke 5:10 And so also were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, "Do not fear, from now on you will be taking men alive."

Luke 8:49 He was still speaking when someone came from the synagogue-ruler, saying to him, "Your daughter is dead, do not trouble the Teacher."

But when Jesus heard, He answered Him, saying, "Do not fear, only believe and she shall be healed."

And coming into the house, He allowed no one to go in, except Peter and James and John, and the father and the mother of the girl.

And all were weeping and bewailing her. But He said, "Do not weep; she has not died, but sleeps."

And they ridiculed, knowing that she was dead.

And He put them all out. And He took her by the hand and called, saying, "Little girl, arise!"

And her spirit came again, and she arose immediately. And He commanded that food be given her to eat. And her parents were astonished. But He charged them to tell no one the thing that happened.

Luke 12:5-7 "But I will warn you of whom you shall fear: Fear Him who, after He has killed, has authority to cast into hell. Yea, I say to you, fear Him. Are not five sparrows sold for two assaria? And not one of them is forgotten before God. But even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Therefore do not fear, you are of more value than many sparrows."

Rev 2:10 "Do not at all fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the Devil will cast some of you into prison, so that you may be tried. And you will have tribulation ten days. Be faithful to death, and I will give you the crown of life."


DON'T BE ANXIOUS

Mt 6:25 "Therefore I say to you, Do not be anxious for your life, what you shall eat, or what you shall drink; nor for your body, what you shall put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Behold the birds of the air; for they sow not, nor do they reap, nor gather into barns. Yet your heavenly Father feeds them; are you not much better than they are? Which of you by being anxious can add one cubit to his stature? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow. They do not toil, nor do they spin."

Mt 6:31 "Therefore do not be anxious, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, With what shall we be clothed?"

Mt 6:34 "Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow; for tomorrow shall be anxious for its own things. Sufficient to the day is the evil of it."

Luke 12:22 And He said to His disciples, "Therefore I say to you, Be not anxious as to your life, what you shall eat; nor for the body, what you shall put on."

Luke 12:25 "And which of you by being anxious can add one cubit to his stature?
If then you are not able to do even the least, why are you anxious about the rest?"


DON'T BE ANGRY WITH YOUR BROTHER

Mt 5:22 "But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be liable to the judgment. And whoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be liable to the sanhedrin; but whoever shall say, Fool! shall be liable to be thrown into the fire of hell.

"Therefore if you offer your gift on the altar, and there remember that your brother has anything against you,leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift."

Mt 18:15 "But if your brother shall trespass against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he hears you, you have gained your brother."

Luke 6:41 "And why do you look at the splinter that is in your brother's eye, but do not see the beam that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, 'Brother, let me pull out the splinter in your eye,' when you yourself do not see the beam that is in your own eye? Hypocrite! First cast out the beam out of your own eye, and then you shall see clearly to pull out the splinter that is in your brother's eye.

Luke 17:3 "Take heed to yourselves. If your brother trespasses against you, rebuke him. And if he repents, forgive him."

The responsibility for dealing with anger, whether its mine or yours, is mine. Both are to pursue the other until it is worked out, but if one does not pursue then the other must take it on their shoulders. Pride over being correct must yield to dealing with the issue.


DON'T JUDGE UNFAIRLY

Mt 7:1-2 "Judge not, that you may not be judged. For with whatever judgment you judge, you shall be judged; and with whatever measure you measure out, it shall be measured to you again."

Luke 6:37 "Judge not, and you shall not be judged. Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned. Forgive, and you shall be forgiven."

John 5:30 "I can do nothing of My own self. As I hear, I judge, and My judgment is just, because I do not seek My own will, but the will of the Father who has sent Me."

John 7:24 "Do not judge according to sight, but judge righteous judgment."

John 8:15-16 "You judge after the flesh, I judge no one. And yet if I do judge, My judgment is true; for I am not alone, but I and the Father who sent Me."


DON'T RETALIATE

Mt 5:9-26 Blessed are the peacemakers! For they shall be called the sons of God.
"Blessed are they who have been persecuted for righteousness sake! For theirs is the kingdom of Heaven.

"Blessed are you when men shall revile you and persecute you, and shall say all kinds of evil against you falsely, for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for your reward in Heaven is great. For so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

"You are the salt of the earth, but if the salt loses its savor, with what shall it be salted? It is no longer good for anything, but to be thrown out and to be trodden underfoot by men.

"You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do men light a lamp and put it under the grain-measure, but on a lampstand. And it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in Heaven.

"Do not think that I have come to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I have not come to destroy but to fulfill. For truly I say to you, Till the heaven and the earth pass away, not one jot or one tittle shall in any way pass from the law until all is fulfilled. Therefore whoever shall break one of these commandments, the least, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of Heaven. But whoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of Heaven.

"For I say to you that unless your righteousness shall exceed that of the scribes and Pharisees, you shall in no case enter into the kingdom of Heaven.

"You have heard that it was said to the ancients, 'You shall not kill' --and, 'Whoever shall kill shall be liable to the judgment.' But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be liable to the judgment. And whoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be liable to the sanhedrin; but whoever shall say, Fool! shall be liable to be thrown into the fire of hell.
"Therefore if you offer your gift on the altar, and there remember that your brother has anything against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.

"Agree with your adversary quickly, while you are in the way with him; that the opponent not deliver you to the judge, and the judge deliver you to the officer, and you be thrown into prison. Truly I say to you, You shall by no means come out from there until you have paid the last kodrantes."


The overlap with previous verses demonstrates the way all the law overlaps, one teaching feeding into another, flowing like living waters.


Mt 5:38-42 "You have heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.' But I say to you, Do not resist evil. But whoever shall strike you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also. And to him desiring to sue you, and to take away your tunic, let him have your coat also. And whoever shall compel you to go a mile, go with him two.

"Give to him who asks of you, and you shall not turn away from him who would borrow from you."

Luke 6:28-35 "Bless those who curse you, and pray for those who despitefully use you.
"And to him who strikes you on the one cheek, also offer the other. And to him who takes away your garment, do not forbid your tunic also. Give to everyone who asks of you, and from him who takes away your goods, do not ask them again.

"And as you desire that men should do to you, you do also to them likewise.
For if you love those who love you, what thanks do you have? For sinners also love those who love them. And if you do good to those who do good to you, what thanks do you have? For sinners also do the same. And if you lend to those of whom you hope to receive, what thanks do you have? For sinners also lend to sinners, to receive as much again.

"But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing in return. And your reward shall be great, and you shall be the sons of the Highest. For He is kind to the unthankful and to the evil."


KEEP A PROPER ATTITUDE TOWARD WEALTH

Mt 6:19-21 "Do not lay up treasures on earth for yourselves, where moth and rust corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal. But lay up treasures in Heaven for yourselves, where neither moth nor rust corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also."

Mt 6:24-33 "No one can serve two masters. For either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will hold to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.

"Therefore I say to you, Do not be anxious for your life, what you shall eat, or what you shall drink; nor for your body, what you shall put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Behold the birds of the air; for they sow not, nor do they reap, nor gather into barns. Yet your heavenly Father feeds them; are you not much better than they are? Which of you by being anxious can add one cubit to his stature? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow. They do not toil, nor do they spin, but I say to you that even Solomon in his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Therefore if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much rather clothe you, little-faiths? Therefore do not be anxious, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, With what shall we be clothed? For the nations seek after all these things. For your heavenly Father knows that you have need of all these things.

"But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added to you."


FORGIVE

Mt 6:12 "...and forgive us our debts as we also forgive our debtors."

Mt 6:14 "For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you; but if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses."

Mt 18:21-35 Then Peter came to Him and said, "Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him? Until seven times?"

Jesus said to him, "I do not say to you, Until seven times; but, until seventy times seven.

"Therefore the kingdom of Heaven has been compared to a certain king who desired to make an accounting with his servants. And when he had begun to count, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents. But as he had nothing to pay, his lord commanded that he, and his wife and children, and all that he had, be sold, and payment be made.

"Then the servant fell down and worshiped him, saying, 'Lord, have patience with me and I will pay you all.'

"Then the lord of that servant was moved with compassion and released him and forgave him the debt.

"But the same servant went out and found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii. And he laid hands on him and took him by the throat, saying, 'Pay me what you owe.' And his fellow servant fell down at his feet and begged him, saying, 'Have patience with me and I will pay you all.' And he would not, but went and cast him into prison until he should pay the debt.

"So when his fellow servants saw what was done, they were very sorry. And they came and told their lord all that was done.

"Then his lord, after he had called him, said to him, 'O wicked servant, I forgave you all that debt because you begged me. Should you not also have pitied your fellow servant, even as I had pity on you?' And his lord was angry, and delivered him to the tormentors until he should pay all that was due to him.

"So likewise shall My heavenly Father do also to you, unless each one of you from your hearts forgive his brother their trespasses."

Mark 11:25-26 "And when you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive it so that also your Father in Heaven may forgive you your trespasses. But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in Heaven forgive your trespasses."

Luke 11:4 "...and forgive us our sins, for we ourselves also forgive everyone who is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil."

Lu 17:3-4 "Take heed to yourselves. If your brother trespasses against you, rebuke him. And if he repents, forgive him. And if he trespasses against you seven times in a day, and seven times in a day turns again to you, saying, I repent, you shall forgive him."



PRACTICE HUMILITY

Mt 18:1-4 At that hour the disciples came to Jesus, saying, "Who is the greater in the kingdom of Heaven?"

And Jesus called a little child to Him and set him in their midst, and said, "Truly I say to you, Unless you are converted and become as little children, you shall not enter into the kingdom of Heaven. Therefore whoever shall humble himself like this little child, this one is the greater in the kingdom of Heaven."

Mt 23:12 "And whoever shall exalt himself shall be abased, and he who shall humble himself shall be exalted."

John 13:4-17 He rose up from supper and laid aside His garments. And He took a towel and girded Himself. After that He poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples' feet, and to wipe them with the towel with which He was girded.

Then He came to Simon Peter. And Peter said to Him, "Lord, do You wash my feet?"
Jesus answered and said to him, "You do not know what I do now, but you shall know hereafter."

Peter said to Him, "You shall never wash my feet."

Jesus answered him, "Unless I wash you, you have no part with Me."

Simon Peter said to Him, "Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and head."

Jesus said to him, "He who is bathed has no need except to wash his feet, but is clean every whit. And you are clean, but not all." For He knew who would betray Him.

Therefore He said, "You are not all clean."

So after He had washed their feet and had taken His garments and had reclined again, He said to them, "Do you know what I have done to you? You call Me the Teacher, and Lord, and you say well, for I AM. If then I, the Lord and the Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet. For I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you. Truly, truly, I say to you, A servant is not greater than his master, neither is he who is sent greater than he who sent him. If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them."


If this passage seems a strange inclusion, please recall that foot washing was the most humble job in those days. Bare feet in an era of not toilet facilities, wandering animals and unpaved roads added up to a onerous task. Symbolically, Jesus cleaned away the very worse parts of the day, wiped them temporarily out in their time with Him. Some ministers do this for their flock as a symbol for them even today. It has less meaning since we have shoes, but still sends a message of humility.

Jesus also makes two points often missed.

This particular task was only a partial cleaning, something Peter pointed out, was not complete in either man's view. His admonition to wash each other's feet was a call to service which would never be as complete as the one Jesus would bestow. We can relieve the stress and lift each other out of sin to a degree, but we can't claim to save anyone.

Second, he keeps to himself that someone there would betray Him. He gave only partial cleaning because he could not give complete cleaning, even symbolically, to one who only pretended to belong to him, one who kept his own agenda, not Christ's.

When we see or hear of apostates and wonder if they can lose their salvation, it's best to recall that Jesus knows who really is accepting him and who walks among his people as a fraud. He never gives them complete cleaning.



WATCH WHAT YOU SAY

Mt 6:7 "But when you pray, do not babble vain words, as the nations. For they think that in their much speaking they shall be heard."

Mt 12:36-37 "But I say to you that every idle word, whatever men may speak, they shall give account of it in the day of judgment. For by your words you shall be justified, and by your words you shall be condemned."



DON'T COMMIT REAL OR IMAGINED ADULTERY

Mt 5:27-28 "You have heard that it was said to the ancients, 'You shall not commit adultery.' But I say to you that whoever looks on a woman to lust after her has already committed adultery with her in his heart."

Mt 5:32 "But I say to you that whoever shall put away his wife, except for the cause of fornication, causes her to commit adultery. And whoever shall marry her who is put away commits adultery."

Mt 19:9 "And I say to you, Whoever shall put away his wife, except for fornication, and shall marry another, commits adultery; and whoever marries her who is put away commits adultery."

Mark 10:11 And He said to them, "Whoever shall put away his wife and marries another commits adultery against her."

Mark 10:19 "You know the commandments: Do not commit adultery, do not kill, do not steal, do not bear false witness, do not defraud, honor your father and your mother."

Luke 16:18 "Everyone putting away his wife and marrying another commits adultery; and everyone marrying her who is put away from her husband commits adultery."

Luke 18:20 "You know the commandments: Do not commit adultery, do not kill, do not steal, do not bear false witness, honor your father and your mother."

Rev 2:22 "Behold, I am throwing her into a bed, and those who commit adultery with her into great affliction, unless they repent of their deeds."


Break 3

We wonder at the things that have happened. We see how our thoughts have changed, the way we view old books that once pleased us, old movies that stirred us, old fiends who made us laugh.

We see our faces in the mirror and see nothing has changed. The same hair, thin or full. The same yellowed or white teeth. The same complexion, smooth or wrinkled. Whatever existed before remains, unaltered yet to the perfect body of resurrection. We remain our mortal selves.

Then something happens.

A husband says, "Something about you is different."

A buddy says, "You never come to the bar anymore."

A guy at work says, "You don't swear like you used to."

And we understand that what's going on inside flows outside.

Funny, but when we did it on the outside, it never flowed inward.

Can we become more on the outside now, too? Is it just happening? Can we accelerate it? Faster and faster to a better us? Can we learn to just let it happen?

With his voice somewhere deep inside saying, "I'm waiting for you. You'll slip and fall. You'll skate on your ego and land on your assumptions, but you'll grow. You'll be busy becoming. You'll be busy becoming someone in small steps down here. I'll be here with you. And I'll be out there. Waiting."


III. Deny The World: "...Take up his cross daily..."


HAVE FAITH

Mt 17:20 And Jesus said to them, "Because of your unbelief. For truly I say to you, If you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you shall say to this mountain, Move from here to there. And it shall move. And nothing shall be impossible to you."

Mt 21:21 Jesus answered and said to them, "Truly I say to you, If you have faith and do not doubt, you shall not only do this miracle of the fig tree, but also; if you shall say to this mountain, Be moved and be thrown into the sea; it shall be done."

Luke 17:5 And the apostles said to the Lord, "Give us more faith."

And the Lord said, "If you had faith as a grain of mustard seed, you might say to this sycamine tree, 'Be rooted up and be planted in the sea! And it would obey you.'"


The last verses remind us of the fig tree that Jesus commanded to die, then live again. He always overlapped his metaphors and actions, demonstrating what he meant as he walked with his disciples. If we pay attention, he does that in our lives.

My problem is often that I realize what he was teaching me days, weeks, even years later and lose the immediate value.

Watch the fig and sycamore trees in your life. All the exteriors are testing our faith.


ASK
Mt 6:8 "Therefore do not be like them, for your Father knows what things you have need of, before you ask Him."

Mt 7:7 "Ask and it shall be given to you; seek and you shall find; knock and it shall be opened to you."

Mt 7:11 "If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more shall your Father in Heaven give good things to those who ask Him?"

Mt 18:19 "Again I say to you that if two of you shall agree on earth as regarding anything that they shall ask, it shall be done for them by My Father in Heaven."

Mt 21:22 "And all things, whatever you shall ask in prayer, believing, you shall receive."

Mark 11:24 "Therefore I say to you, All things, whatever you ask, praying, believe that you shall receive them, and it will be to you."

Luke 11:9 "And I say to you, Ask and it shall be given you. Seek and you shall find. Knock and it shall be opened to you."

Luke 11:12-13 "Or if he shall ask for an egg, will he give him a scorpion? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him?"

John 11:22 "But I know that even now, whatever You will ask of God, God will give You."

John 14:13 "And whatever you may ask in My name, that I will do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything in My name, I will do it."

John 15:7 "If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you shall ask what you will, and it shall be done to you."

John 16:19 Then Jesus knew that they desired to ask Him, and said to them, "Do you seek answers with one another concerning this, because I said, A little while and you shall not see Me; and again a little while, and you shall see Me?"


Which sets the stage for these follow-up verse:

John 16:23-24 "And in that day you shall ask Me nothing. Truly, truly, I say to you, Whatever you shall ask the Father in My name, He will give you. Before now you have asked nothing in My name; ask and you shall receive, that your joy may be full."


Prior to His death, He emphasized the prayer to God for answers. Then, facing his death, He directs the request to the Father be in His (Jesus') name. This indicates that we ask under His protection and under His authority. He stresses we must abide in Him, be in His "friends circle" so the requests will correspond with what the Lord wishes to give us to accomplish His will.

Asking, in itself, also deepens the relationship. We have to talk to Him to ask. It diminishes our pride by the fact that we MUST ask, even though He knows our wants and needs. It reminds us who rules and who serves. It underlines our need to spend time with Him, since that adds to the likelihood of our understanding what we need. Seen sometimes as a license for demand and greed, it actually reveals God's availability to us, His generosity and His desire that we should grow by service.


SEEK THE KINGDOM OF GOD OVER EARTHLY THINGS

Mt 6:32-33 "For the nations seek after all these things. For your heavenly Father knows that you have need of all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added to you."

Mark 10:20-24 And he answered and said to Him, "Teacher, all these I have observed from my youth."

Then Jesus, beholding him, loved him and said to him, "One thing you lack. Go, sell whatever you have and give it to the poor, and you shall have treasure in Heaven. And come, take up the cross and follow Me."

And he was sad at that saying and went away grieved, for he had great possessions.

And Jesus looked around and said to His disciples, "How hardly those having riches will enter into the kingdom of God!" And the disciples were astonished at His words. But Jesus answering again said to them, "Children, how hard it is for those who trust in riches to enter into the kingdom of God!"

Luke 18:22-25 And when Jesus heard these things, He said to him, "Yet you lack one thing. Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you shall have treasure in Heaven. And come, follow Me."

And when he heard this, he was very sorrowful, for he was very rich.

And when Jesus saw that he was very sorrowful, He said, "How hardly those having riches shall enter into the kingdom of God! For it is easier for a camel to go through a needle's eye than for a rich one to enter into the kingdom of God."


PRODUCE FRUIT

Mt 3:10 "And now also, the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Therefore every tree which does not bring forth good fruit is cut down and cast into the fire."

Mt 7:17-19 "Even so every good tree brings forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree brings forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruits, nor can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that does not bring forth good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire."

Mt 12:33 "Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or else make the tree corrupt and its fruit corrupt; for the tree is known by its fruit."

Mt 13:18-23 Therefore hear the parable of the sower.

"When anyone hears the Word of the kingdom and does not understand it, then the wicked one comes and catches away that which was sown in his heart. This is the seed sown by the wayside.

"But that which was sown on the stony places is this: he who hears the Word and immediately receives it with joy.

"But he has no root in himself, and is temporary. For when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, he immediately stumbles.

"And that sown into the thorns is this: he who hears the word; and the anxiety of this world, and the deceit of riches, choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful.

"But that sown on the good ground is this: "he who hears the Word and understands; who also bears fruit and produces" one truly a hundredfold; and one sixty; and one thirty."

Mark 4:5 "And another fell on stony ground, where it did not have much earth. And it sprang up at once, due to not having deepness of earth. And when the sun rose, it was scorched. And because it had no root, it withered away. And another fell among the thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no fruit."

"And another fell on good ground and yielded fruit, going up and increasing. And one bore thirty, and one sixty, and one a hundredfold."

Luke 3:9 "And now also the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Therefore every tree which does not bring forth good fruit is cut down and cast into the fire."

Luke 6:43-44 "For a good tree does not bring forth corrupt fruit, neither does a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. For every tree is known by its own fruit. For men do not gather figs from thorns, nor do they gather grapes from a bramble bush."

Luke 8:8 "And others fell on good ground and sprang up, and bore fruit a hundredfold."

And when He had said these things, He cried, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear."

Luke 8:15 "But those on the good ground are the ones who, in an honest and good heart, having heard the Word, keep it and bring forth fruit with patience."

Luke 13:6-9 He also spoke this parable: "A certain man had a fig-tree planted in his vineyard. And he came and sought fruit on it, and found none. And he said to the dresser of his vineyard, 'Behold, these three years I come seeking fruit on this fig-tree, and find none. Cut it down, why does it encumber the ground?'"

"And answering, he said to him, 'Lord, let it alone this year also, until I dig around it and throw manure. And if it bears fruit, well; and if not, then after that you shall cut it down.'"

John 4:36 "And he who reaps receives wages and gathers fruit to life eternal, so that both he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together."

John 12:24 "Truly, truly, I say to you, Unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it abides alone; but if it dies, it brings forth much fruit."

John 15:1-8 "I am the True Vine, and My Father is the Vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away. And every one that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bring forth more fruit.

"Now you are clean through the Word which I have spoken to you. Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it remains in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me.

"I am the Vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, the same brings forth much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered. And they gather and cast them into the fire, and they are burned. If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you shall ask what you will, and it shall be done to you.

"In this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit, so you shall be My disciples."

John 15:16 "You have not chosen Me, but I have chosen you and ordained you that you should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain; that whatever you shall ask of the Father in My name, He may give it to you."


Here especially, I point out that the Bible witnesses repeat what Jesus said. I suspect the things most important to Him or to the witness are stressed. Seeing them more than once affirms their reality.


KEEP THE NON-RITUAL COMMANDMENTS

Mt 5:19 "Therefore whoever shall break one of these commandments, the least, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of Heaven. But whoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of Heaven."

Mt 19:17 And He said to him, "Why do you call Me good? There is none good but one, that is, God. But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments."

Mark 10:19 "You know the commandments: Do not commit adultery, do not kill, do not steal, do not bear false witness, do not defraud, honor your father and your mother."

Luke 18:20 "You know the commandments: Do not commit adultery, do not kill, do not steal, do not bear false witness, honor your father and your mother."

John 14:15 "If you love Me, keep My commandments."

John 14:21 "He who has My commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves Me. And he who loves Me shall be loved by My Father, and I will love him and will reveal Myself to him."

John 15:10 "If you keep My commandments, you shall abide in My love, even as I have kept My Father's commandments and abide in His love."


These last few commands aren't for this section, but follow the thought pattern. Jesus, speaking prior to his passing, tells the rich man to follow the commands, but adds, as we have seen, that he must give up the riches because following them was distorting his following of the Law, Jesus PERSONALIZED those commands, never going into the social details of the Law. Facing his execution, he adds that the disciples should keep the Ten Commandments by following HIS commands.

The Law had to remain in effect as a standard to be met by those who don't accept Christ, one common standard for all. The standard was met by Christ's life and the act created a gift of eternal living available for all. The acceptance of the gift defines where the receiver spends eternity.


BE BAPTIZED

Mt 28:19-20 "Therefore go and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things, whatever I commanded you. And, behold, I am with you all the days until the end of the world."

Mark 16:16 "He who believes and is baptized will be saved, but he who does not believe will be condemned."

John 3:1-8 And there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews.
He came to Jesus by night and said to Him, "Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God; for no man can do these miracles which you do unless God is with him."
Jesus answered and said to him, "Truly, truly, I say to you, Unless a man is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God."

Nicodemus said to Him, "How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter the second time into his mother's womb and be born?"

Jesus answered, "Truly, truly, I say to you, Unless a man is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, 'You must be born again.' The Spirit breathes where He desires, and you hear His voice, but you do not know from where He comes, and where He goes; so is everyone who is born of the Spirit."

If you want to start a fight, you can start all manner of fights over this simple procedure. How is it done? Who officiates? What words are proper to use, that is, in whose name do you perform it? I know my personal preference, but I know also that the truth is best expressed in the Mark 16 passage. We are commanded to do it, but belief, not the rite's process, lies at the core of it. All the discussions of full immersion vs. sprinkling, being sure you say the right names in the right order, having it redone if you join a new congregation, these all smack of the Pharisees "doing things for the eyes of men." We should obey and watch our hearts.



KEEP COMMUNION

Mt 26:26-28 And as they were eating, Jesus took bread and blessed it, and broke it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, "Take, eat, this is My body."

And He took the cup and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, "Drink all of it.
For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins."

Mark 14:22-25 And as they ate, Jesus took a loaf and blessed and broke it, and He gave to them and said, "Take, eat; this is My body."

And taking the cup, giving thanks, He gave to them. And they all drank out of it.
And He said to them, "This is My blood of the New Covenant, which is poured out for many. Truly I say to you, I will no more drink of the fruit of the vine until that day that I drink it new in the kingdom of God."

Luke 22:14-20 And when the hour came, He and the twelve apostles with Him reclined. And He said to them, "With desire I have desired to eat this passover with you before I suffer. For I say to you, I will not any more eat of it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God."

And He took the cup and gave thanks and said, "Take this and divide it among yourselves. For I say to you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God shall come."

And He took bread and gave thanks, and He broke it and gave it to them, saying, "This is My body which is given for you, this do in remembrance of Me."
In the same way also the cup, after having dined, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is being poured out for you."

John 6:30-59 Therefore they said to Him, "What sign do you show then, so that we may see and believe you? What do you work? Our fathers ate the manna in the desert, as it is written, 'He gave them bread from Heaven to eat.'"

Then Jesus said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, Moses did not give you that bread from Heaven, but My Father gives you the true bread from Heaven. For the bread of God is He who comes down from Heaven and gives life to the world.

Then they said to him, "Lord, evermore give us this bread."

And Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes on Me shall never thirst. But I said to you that you also have seen Me and do not believe. All that the Father gives Me shall come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will in no way cast out. For I came down from Heaven, not to do My own will but the will of Him who sent Me.

"And this is the will of the Father who sent Me, that of all which He has given Me I should lose nothing but should raise it up again at the last day.

"And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes on Him should have everlasting life. And I will raise him up at the last day."

Then the Jews murmured about Him, because He said, "I am the bread which came down from Heaven."

And they said, "Is this not Jesus the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How now does this One say, I have come down from Heaven?"

Jesus therefore answered and said to them, "Do not murmur with one another. No one can come to Me unless the Father who has sent Me draw him, and I will raise him up at the last day. It is written in the prophets, 'And they shall all be taught of God.' Therefore everyone who hears and learns from the Father comes to Me. Not that anyone has seen the Father, except He who is from God, He has seen the Father.

"Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes on Me has everlasting life. I am the Bread of life. Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and died.This is the Bread which comes down from Heaven, so that a man may eat of it and not die.

"I am the Living Bread which came down from Heaven. If anyone eats of this Bread, he shall live forever. And truly the bread that I will give is My flesh, which I will give for the life of the world."

Then the Jews argued with one another, saying, "How can this man give us his flesh to eat?"

Then Jesus said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink His blood, you do not have life in yourselves. Whoever partakes of My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. For My flesh is food indeed, and My blood is drink indeed. He who partakes of My flesh and drinks My blood dwells in Me, and I in him. As the living Father has sent Me, and I live through the Father, so he who partakes of Me, even he shall live by Me. This is the Bread which came down from Heaven, not as your fathers ate the manna, and died; he who partakes of this Bread shall live forever."

He said these things in the synagogue as He taught in Capernaum.


And if you want to start another fight...

Jesus makes it clear that we are to share a blessed meal meant to, at least, symbolize his sacrifice. Depending on your church, that can be taken to various limits or extremes. The John 16 passage expands on the teaching, meaning he suggested we eat of his flesh long before that last meal so the symbolism was less shocking to the disciples than it appears when read in the earlier Gospels. We can borrow from the old Nike ads and say, "Just do it." Something my parents were often fond of saying when they had no explanation for why we did something. But Jesus dwelt on the act, meaning it should draw our attention and devotion.

However we may do the act, with wine or juice, with a belief in actual flesh or symbol, it stands as an essential rite, as essential as baptism. This one, more visibly than baptism, stresses our unions, one with the other and with God. It is a public acknowledgment not just of our commitment, as Baptism, but also to our ongoing commitment. This may be repeated as often as wished and have the same meaning, sometimes even with added meaning as we mature and learn more of forgiveness and its meaning to us. Baptism symbolizes our singular rebirth and this symbolizes our continued growth.

PRACTICE JUSTICE AND MERCY

Mt 23:23 "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you pay tithes of mint and dill and cummin, and you have left undone the weightier matters of the Law, judgment, mercy, and faith. You ought to have done these and not to leave the other undone."


ACKNOWLEDGE CHRIST BEFORE MEN
Mt 10:32-33 "Then everyone who shall confess Me before men, I will confess him before My Father who is in Heaven. But whoever shall deny Me before men, I will also deny him before My Father in Heaven."

Luke 9:26 "For whoever shall be ashamed of Me and of My words, the Son of man shall be ashamed of him when He shall come in His own and in His Father's glory, and that of the holy angels."

Luke 12:8-12 "Also I say to you, Whoever shall confess Me before men, the Son of man also shall confess him before the angels of God. But he who denies Me before men shall be denied before the angels of God."

"And whoever shall speak a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him. But to him who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit, it shall not be forgiven.

"And when they bring you into the synagogues, and to rulers and authorities, take no thought as to how or what thing you shall answer, or what you shall say. For the Holy Spirit shall teach you in the same hour what you ought to say."

The last passage affirms the need of the Holy Spirit and its importance in witnessing. The internal always links to the exterior. The fruit shows.


LET YOUR YES BE YES AND YOUR NO BE NO

Mt 5:33 "Again, you have heard that it has been said to the ancients, 'You shall not swear falsely, but you shall perform your oaths to the Lord.'

"But I say to you, Do not swear at all! Not by Heaven, because it is God's throne; not by the earth, for it is the footstool of His feet; not by Jerusalem, because it is the city of the great King; nor shall you swear by your head, because you cannot make one hair white or black."

"But let your word be, Yes, yes; No, no. For whatever is more than these comes from evil."


DO NOT TEMPT THE LORD

Mt 4:6-7 And he said to Him, "If you are the Son of God, cast yourself down. For it is written, 'He shall give His angels charge concerning You, and in their hands they shall bear You up, lest at any time You dash Your foot against a stone.'"

Jesus said to him, "It is written again, 'You shall not tempt the Lord your God.'"

Luke 4:9-12 And he brought Him to Jerusalem and sat Him on a pinnacle of the temple and said to Him, "If you are the Son of God, cast yourself down from here. For it is written, 'He shall give His angels charge over You, to keep You; and in their hands they shall bear You up, lest at any time You dash Your foot against a stone.'"

And Jesus answering said to him, "It has been said, 'You shall not tempt the Lord your God.'"


Jesus took God at His Word. Faith makes no demand for constant testing. God's promises hold and will be delivered, sometimes in ways we don't understand. Throwing yourself off a building to prove God loves you means an act of pride, foolishness and a need to prove God when faith requires no proof. Had Satan thrown Jesus from the tower, God would have saved Him. Had Jesus followed temptation, we wouldn't be having this conversation.


KEEP PROPER DISCIPLINE IN THE CHURCH

Mt 18:15-17 "But if your brother shall trespass against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he hears you, you have gained your brother.

"But if he will not hear you, take one or two more with you, so that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.

"And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it to the church. But if he neglects to hear the church, let him be to you as a heathen and a tax-collector."

Luke 17:1 And He said to the disciples, "It is impossible but that offenses will come. But woe to him through whom they come! It were better for him that a millstone were hanged around his neck and he were cast into the sea, than that he should offend one of these little ones.

"Take heed to yourselves. If your brother trespasses against you, rebuke him. And if he repents, forgive him. And if he trespasses against you seven times in a day, and seven times in a day turns again to you, saying, 'I repent,' you shall forgive him."


BEWARE OF FALSE PROPHETS

Mt 7:15-17 "Beware of false prophets who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. You shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thorns, or figs from thistles? Even so every good tree brings forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree brings forth evil fruit."

Mt 24:10-12 "And then many will be offended, and will betray one another, and will hate one another. And many false prophets will rise and deceive many. And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many will become cold."

Mt 24:23-25 "Then if any man shall say to you, 'Lo, here is Christ!' Or, 'There!' Do not believe it. For false Christs and false prophets will arise and show great signs and wonders; so much so that, if it were possible, they would deceive even the elect.
"Behold, I have told you beforehand."

Mark 13:22 "For false Christs and false prophets will arise and will give signs and wonders in order to seduce, if possible, even the elect."


Overlap of commandments yet again. If we keep the admonition for Church discipline, disregard signs and wonders as a proof of a prophet and look instead to his teaching and if it holds love up instead of quenching it, if we see the fruit of people accepting Christ and following Him instead of the teacher, then we follow His command. It requires that we know the Scriptures ourselves and that we read them with unvarnished attention to the Spirit. Modernizing the words: "You have to do the work, People!!!"

I hope you follow these instructions concerning anything you read here. Test it against the Scriptures. By it's very nature, this enterprise "shorts" the text, can be accused of "out of context" at any juncture, so always read "around" the quoted verses in the Bible. Ask any teacher you respect and have tested.

Check EVERY teacher or source you find on the internet or on TV, on any medium. Test the word of everyone you hear quoting Scripture or you can find yourself up on that tower, foot hanging over the edge, ready to step off cause someone told you that's what it said.

We aren't Christ and we can be deceived. Satan quoted the Lord to Eve and things went very wrong, so we know the trick and, unlike her, we can look up the answers, not just that the quote is in the Bible, but the lines of thought around it, that led to it. Focus on the Lord clears up a lot of the mistakes we can make.

And, when we find the false teacher or prophet, we have the order of things to do about it.


BE A GOOD STEWARD OF HIS RICHES

Mt 25:14-30 "For it is as if a man going abroad called his own servants and gave them his goods.

"And to one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one; to each according to his ability. And he went abroad at once. And going he who had received the five talents traded with them, and made another five talents."

"And likewise he who had received two, he also gained another two.

"But he who had received the one talent went and dug in the earth and hid his lord's silver.

"After a long time the lord of those servants came and took account with them.

"And so he who had received five talents came and brought another five talents, saying, 'Lord, you delivered five talents to me. Behold, I have gained five talents above them.'

"His lord said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful over a few things; I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.'

"He also who had received two talents came and said, 'Lord, you delivered two talents to me. Behold, I have gained two other talents above them.'

"His lord said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.'

"And he who had received the one talent came and said, 'Lord, I knew that you were a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you did not scatter. And I was afraid and went and hid your talent in the earth. Lo, you have yours.'

"His lord answered and said to him, 'Evil and slothful servant! You knew that I reaped where I did not sow, and gathered where I did not scatter, then you should have put my money to the exchangers, and coming I would have received my own with interest. Therefore take the talent from him and give it to him who has ten talents.
For to everyone who has, more shall be given, and he will abound. But from him who has not, even that which he has shall be taken away from him. And throw the unprofitable servant into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.'"

We all talk about the rewards of salvation, forgetting the responsibility. Jesus reminds us again that we are to take what is given and multiply it FOR THE LORD.


TITHE

Mt 23:23 "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you pay tithes of mint and dill and cummin, and you have left undone the weightier matters of the Law, judgment, mercy, and faith. You ought to have done these and not to leave the other undone."

Luke 11:42 "But woe to you, Pharisees! For you tithe mint and rue and every herb, and pass over judgment and the love of God. You ought to have done these, and not to leave the other undone."


2 commands, 1 verse. The efficiency of our Lord often staggers me. Living the command to watch our words as well.

Paul clarifies for Gentiles that we are to give as we are able. Legally, Israel was to give much more than a mere tithe, giving of first fruits, leaving foods to be gleaned, giving on celebration days, paying "alms" and much more. Though he never commanded it, Jesus lauded the widow who gave all of the very little she had as opposed to the ruling class of that time who actually avoided Temple taxes at every turn with their "traditions."



GIVE TO THE LEAST OF HIS PEOPLE

Mt 25:35-46 "'For I was hungry, and you gave me food; I was thirsty, and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger, and you took Me in; I was naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.'

"Then the righteous shall answer Him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry, and fed You? Or thirsty, and gave You drink? When did we see You a stranger, and took You in? Or naked, and clothed You? Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and came to You?'

"And the King shall answer and say to them, 'Truly I say to you, Inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brothers, you have done it to Me.'

"Then He also shall say to those on the left hand, 'Depart from Me, you cursed, into everlasting fire prepared for the Devil and his angels. For I was hungry, and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty, and you gave Me no drink; I was a stranger and you did not take Me in; I was naked, and you did not clothe Me; I was sick, and in prison, and you did not visit me.'

"Then they will also answer Him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister to You?'

"Then He shall answer them, saying, 'Truly I say to you, Inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me. And these shall go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into everlasting life.'"

Luke 3:11 He answered and said to them, "He who has two coats, let him give to him who has none. And he who has food, let him do likewise."

Luke 14:12 And He also said to him who invited Him, "When you make a dinner or a supper, do not call your friends or your brothers, or your kinsmen, or your rich neighbors; lest they also invite you again, and a recompense be made to you. But when you make a feast, call the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind, and you shall be blessed, for they cannot repay you; for you shall be repaid at the resurrection of the just."


Give and expect delayed gratification.

Ouch.

Don't we just cringe and hear the yowling of "pie in the sky."

Yet, that's the promise.

Hold fast and expect later rewards, whatever they may be, in heaven. Rewards we can lay at the feet of the King and have him call us "good and faithful." Much more than pie. I always find tears in my eyes when I read or write those words. Just to hear that, from Him. Pie pales in comparison. Even home-made cherry pie, hot and ready, with ice cream or whipped cream. Even the very best we may imagine, paling before a few words from the Father, from the son.


DO NOT GET DIVORCED

Mt 5:31-32 "It was also said, Whoever shall put away his wife, let him give her a bill of divorce. But I say to you that whoever shall put away his wife, except for the cause of fornication, causes her to commit adultery. And whoever shall marry her who is put away commits adultery."

Mt 19:3-9 And the Pharisees came to Him, tempting Him and saying to Him, "Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife for every cause?"

And He answered and said to them, "Have you not read that He who made them at the beginning 'made them male and female',and said, 'For this cause a man shall leave father and mother and shall cling to his wife, and the two of them shall be one flesh? Therefore they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate.'

They said to Him, "Why did Moses then command to give a bill of divorce and to put her away?"

He said to them, "Because of your hard-heartedness Moses allowed you to put away your wives; but from the beginning it was not so. And I say to you, Whoever shall put away his wife, except for fornication, and shall marry another, commits adultery; and whoever marries her who is put away commits adultery."

Mark 10:2-12 And tempting Him, the Pharisees came to Him and asked Him, "Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife?"

And He answered and said to them, "What did Moses command you?"

And they said, "Moses allowed a bill of divorce to be written, and to put her away."

And Jesus answered and said to them, "He wrote you this precept because of the hardness of your hearts. But from the beginning of the creation God made them male and female. For this cause a man shall leave his father and mother and shall cleave to his wife. And the two of them shall be one flesh. So then they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man put apart."

And in the house His disciples asked Him again about the same. And He said to them, "Whoever shall put away his wife and marries another commits adultery against her. And if a woman shall put away her husband and marries to another, she commits adultery."

Luke 16:18 Everyone putting away his wife and marrying another commits adultery; and everyone marrying her who is put away from her husband commits adultery.


KEEP WATCH FOR HIS RETURN
Mt 24:36 "But of that day and hour no one knows, no, not the angels of Heaven, but only My Father."

Mt 24:42-51 "Therefore watch; for you do not know what hour your Lord comes.

"But know this, that if the steward of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched and would not have allowed his house to be dug through. Therefore you also be ready, for in that hour you think not, the Son of man comes."

"Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his Lord has made ruler over his household, to give them food in due season? Blessed is that servant whom his lord shall find him doing so when he comes. Truly I say to you that he shall make him ruler over all his goods.

"But if that evil servant shall say in his heart, 'My lord delays his coming,' and shall begin to strike his fellow servants, and to eat and drink with the drunken, the lord of that servant shall come in a day when he does not look for him, and in an hour which he does not know. And he shall cut him apart and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites. There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth."

Mt 25:1 "Then shall the kingdom of Heaven be likened to ten virgins, who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. And five of them were wise, and five were foolish. The foolish ones took their lamps, but took no oil with them. But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps."

"While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept. And at midnight there was a cry made, 'Behold, the bridegroom comes! Go out to meet him.'

"Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said to the wise, 'Give us some of your oil, for our lamps have gone out.'

But the wise answered, saying, 'No, lest there be not enough for us and you. But rather go to those who sell, and buy for yourselves.'

"And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came. And they who were ready went in with him to the marriage, and the door was shut.

"Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, 'Lord, Lord, open to us.'

"But he answered and said, 'Truly I say to you, I do not know you.'"

Mark 13:33 "Take heed, watch and pray, for you do not know when the time is. As a man going away, leaving his house, and giving authority to his servants, and each man's work to him, and commanded the doorkeeper to watch. Then you watch, for you do not know when the lord of the house is coming, at evening, or at midnight, or at cockcrowing, or early;"

Mark 13:37 "And what I say to you, I say to all. Watch."

Rev 3:3 "Remember then how you have received and heard, and hold fast, and repent. Therefore if you will not watch, I will come upon you as a thief, and you will not know what hour I will come upon you."


EXPECT PERSECUTION

Mt 5:11 "Blessed are you when men shall revile you and persecute you, and shall say all kinds of evil against you falsely, for My sake."

Mt 10:23 "But when they persecute you in this city, flee into another; for truly I say to you, In no way shall you have finished the cities of Israel until the Son of Man comes."

Mt 23:34 "Therefore, behold, I send prophets and wise men and scribes to you. And you will kill and crucify some of them. And some of them you will scourge in your synagogues and persecute from city to city;"

Luke 11:49-50 "Therefore the wisdom of God also said, I will send them prophets and apostles, and some of them they shall slay and persecute, so that the blood of all the prophets, which was shed from the foundation of the world, may be required of this generation;"

John 15:19-20 "If you were of the world, the world would love its own. But because you are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you, 'The servant is not greater than his master.' If they have persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. If they have kept My saying, they will also keep yours."


They usually forget this part at altar calls.

"Come to Christ so you can be hated by people everywhere, sometimes including in the church."

Of course, we all know it. We hated Christians in some way before that march forward or falling on the knees. It isn't like it's a secret.

But still, it's a different perspective when it's our own hands that get the nails pounded in them.



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SgQ6vWEhH5E



Break 4

And waiting.

We got waylaid when the kids reached the teen years.

Lost some time to illness.

Suffered in a car crash.

Lost a parent. Then the other.

Chased a dream job that vanished like vapor.

Had a disagreement with a pastor so we moved to another church.

Thorns. There were thorns. We were supposed to be that good ground and the thorns weren't supposed to grow and strangle out...

"YOU ARE MY CHILD!"

Strangle...

"Come back to me and I will give you rest."

Muffle...

"Remember your first love?"

Yes!

"Then remember your first love and return to it. Let me do the work again. Let the love flow."

Fill me with your Spirit. Lead me...

"Welcome home. You were very far away. Just stuck in that pig sty. Get cleaned up, feet and everything. Supper's on." Pause. "Oh, by the way, I love you. Always have. Always will."

Thanks, Dad. Love you, too.




VI: The Core Commandments: "...and follow me."


THE INTERIOR


LOVE THE LORD WITH ALL YOUR MIGHT


Mt 22:36-37 "Master, which is the great commandment in the Law?"

Jesus said to him, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind."

Mark 12:29 And Jesus answered him, "The first of all the commandments is, 'Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God is one Lord; and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.' This is the first commandment."

Luke 10:27 And answering, he said, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself."



His words echo with simplicity: "Return to your first love."

Where did you find love that first time?

Was it lying in the street?

Was it in a pool hall?

Glowing in a crystal?

On Prime Time TV?

Hidden in pop songs?

Was it in a whore's bed?

So what is love anyway?

For me, it lies in one tumultuous, yet quiet moment when I gave up resisting and gave Him my life. The filling of the Spirit began love, real love. I know because I spent so much time in my life nurturing hate. So much that it lingers, a bad habit that returns to haunt me like nicotine cravings. The only cure is to stay away from it, to return again and again to the One I love. To recall that love lies in Him, not me. A cure I take far less often than I like to admit.

But what is this thing called love?

I carry it with me, but it lifts the weight on my shoulders. It fills me and empties my heart. It owns me, but never pulls a leash. It says hello to strangers when every fiber of my common sense cries, "RUN!" It touches hands that have let go of loved ones. It raises hope on salted soil. It walks on water. It strolls into tombs and marches the dead out into life. It asks me for a glass of water as a tramp on the road, then gives me an eternal river. It restores my soul.

John said: "God is love."

And the centrality of God becomes the first commandment in love.

LOVE JESUS ALSO

John 8:42 "Jesus said to them, If God were your father, you would love Me, for I went forth and came from God; for I did not come of Myself, but He sent Me."

John 14:21 "He who has My commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves Me. And he who loves Me shall be loved by My Father, and I will love him and will reveal Myself to him."


My mother-in-law once complained about a church she attended because it seemed so focused on God that it neglected Christ. It disturbed her to hear so many sermons with Christ mentioned only peripherally. Sometimes I think that may be His wish. The Son being equal to the Father but never regarding Himself as anything but the servant. Still, He asked for our love reflected in obedience, claimed to be the Father in the flesh: "I am."

And we should love Him for His sacrifice. Consider that He knew His death from the beginning. The Carpenter handled the implements of His death every day of His life. Yet He never wavered. He never sinned, even BEFORE the Spirit came upon Him. He focused on the Father resolutely, denying Himself so much of the satisfactions of life, realizing He had been asked to cast off the perfect life in a gruesome, demeaning death. Delaying the rewards of "now" for the reward of eternity.

Every day of His life.

Then, on the night before the cross, He gave His disciples His last sermon, one that dwelt on love, on caring, on hope, talking as a father who would soon send His children into a brutal world to fend for themselves. Talking through the ages to all who would follow. Talking of the circularity of loving Him, loving the Father, being loved in return. Talking of the Comforter who holds the children in His invisible arms. Living with them, "abiding", He in them, they in Him.

"Love me, love my Dad."


LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF

Mt 22:39 "And the second is like it, You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets."

Mark 12:31 "And the second is like this: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. There is no other commandment greater than these."

Luke 10:25 And, behold, a certain lawyer stood up and tempted Him, saying, "Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?"

He said to him, "What is written in the law? How do you read it?"

And answering, he said, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself."

And He said to him, "You have answered right, do this and you shall live."

But he, willing to justify himself, said to Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?"

And answering, Jesus said, "A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho and fell among robbers, who stripped him of his clothing and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead.

"And by coincidence a certain priest came down that way and seeing him, he passed by on the opposite side.

"And in the same way a Levite, also being at the place, coming and seeing him, he passed on the opposite side.

"But a certain traveling Samaritan came upon him, and seeing him, he was filled with pity. And coming near, he bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine, and set him on his own animal and brought him to an inn, and took care of him.

"And going on the next day, he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper, and said to him, 'Take care of him. And whatever more you spend, when I come again I will repay you.'

"Then which of these three, do you think, was neighbor to him who fell among the robbers?"

And he said, "The one doing the deed of mercy to him."

And Jesus said to him, "Go and do likewise."



In the end, He tells us why so much is wrong with what we do and how we do it.

We seek the Big Job and The Prize and are taught to step on anyone in the way of our getting to them.

"Me over you."

"Get out of my way."

"Eat my dust."

"The girl, the gold watch and everything." (Apologies to the late John D. MacDonald.)

Check your back for daggers after your buddy at work gets done patting it for a job well done.

I can't trust you to do right by me if I do right by you. Because my worldly self knows you can't trust me!

The wife who says she no longer can trust the husband who has worshiped his job under the delusion that doing the job was a way of worshiping her. 

Oddly, Jesus tells me to pick you up where you've fallen, dust you off, get you a drink, feed you, apply triple antibiotic ointment, get you a fresh change of clothes, walk your dog while you're in the hospital and then give you a home when they foreclose on your ranch style bungalow.

No mention of any expectation of payback.

No payback in the revenge sense.

Nothing but the deed done because it's the right thing to do.

"Are you going to be a giver or a taker?" The movie Flawless.

And first love, TRUE first love, turns irresistibly outward.


LOVE YOUR ENEMY
Mt 5:43-46 "You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.'

"But I say to you, Love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who despitefully use you and persecute you, so that you may become sons of your Father in Heaven. For He makes His sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax-collectors do the same?"

Lu 6:27-30, 32-36 "But I say to you who hear: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, and pray for those who despitefully use you.
"And to him who strikes you on the one cheek, also offer the other. And to him who takes away your garment, do not forbid your tunic also.

"Give to everyone who asks of you, and from him who takes away your goods, do not ask them again...

"For if you love those who love you, what thanks do you have? For sinners also love those who love them.

"And if you do good to those who do good to you, what thanks do you have? For sinners also do the same.

"And if you lend to those of whom you hope to receive, what thanks do you have? For sinners also lend to sinners, to receive as much again.

"But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing in return. And your reward shall be great, and you shall be the sons of the Highest. For He is kind to the unthankful and to the evil.

"Therefore be merciful, even as your Father is merciful."


To paraphrase Art Linkletter, as it turns outward, love "does the darnedest things."

Snoopy shares Christmas with the Red Baron.

A poor man rescues a stranger's child during a New Orleans flood.

A missionary takes the Gospel to a South American tribe that kills him.

A hand is extended, then taken or slapped away. Makes no difference. The extension of the hand is all that matters from our point of view. What happens afterward speaks of God's love and the human capacity to learn and fail.

First love.

Real love.

"Greater love hath no man..."


LOVE ONE ANOTHER

John 13:34-35 "A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another." (KJV)

John 15:12-17 "This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. No one has greater love than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.

"You are My friends if you do whatever I command you. No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master does. But I have called you friends, for all things that I have heard from My Father I have made known to you.

"You have not chosen Me, but I have chosen you and ordained you that you should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain; that whatever you shall ask of the Father in My name, He may give it to you.

"These things I command you, that you love one another."


He saved this for nearly last. A NEW commandment. Part of how we know He claimed to be God was that He ADDED to the commands, restructured Scripture.

He did it for a simple reason: no one like us existed before that time. No Christian was possible before his sacrifice. Afterward, a new race spawned on the planet from Spiritual Adam and it needed a special rule, one specific to it. Jew and Gentile, man and woman, black and white and yellow and brown and red and every combination, all the BIG DIVISIONS, melted into Him. All that was once split and ruined and spoiled became officially new. Enemies became brothers. Borders vanished. Language became slippery. Deeds testified not to personal growth, but to depth of relationship with God.

Moreover, the Zealot sat down with the Taxpayer, the Samaritan with the Savior, the Greek Doctor with the Roman Jew.

He told us the way to love: give your lives for one another. Give your beliefs, your hopes, your dreams, your passions all to the focus of the Lord and to bless others. Obey everything He said: everything they saw Him live out and recorded for us. Deeds testify.

We wear the same old moth-eaten coats of fading flesh. We change into other people.


KEEP CHRIST'S COMMANDMENTS IN LOVE

John 14:15 "If you love Me, keep My commandments.

John 14:23-24 Jesus answered and said to him, "If a man loves Me, he will keep My Word. And My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our abode with him. He who does not love Me does not keep My words, and the Word which you hear is not Mine, but the Father's who sent Me."

John 14:31 "But that the world may know that I love the Father, and as the Father has given Me commandment, even so I do. Arise, let us go away from here."

John 15:9-10 "As the Father has loved Me, so I have loved you; continue in My love. If you keep My commandments, you shall abide in My love, even as I have kept My Father's commandments and abide in His love."


The true circle of love.


THE EXTERIOR

(For the last section, a somewhat different presentation.)

Mt 28:19-20 "Therefore go and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things, whatever I commanded you. And, behold, I am with you all the days until the end of the world."

Mark 16:15 And He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned."

Lu 24:46-48 Then He said to them, "Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day, and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. And you are witnesses of these things."


Go Into All the World

Making Disciples Of All Nations

Baptizing Them In the Name of The Father, The Son And The Holy Spirit
Teaching Them To Do As I Have Commanded You

One mission given to many with varied gifts to accomplish separate but equal tasks.

The mission falls not only to Billy Graham or John Wesley or Orville Moody or Father Marquette or the Christian cable networks.

Not given only to a few in the First Century.

It calls to all, regardless of their era. Along with an empowering Spirit to comfort us, gift us and lead the effort. Jesus even said the Spirit would speak for us when we testify.

Many gifts exist, from help and encouragement to ones that have been called extinct. Each of us must find the gift each is given and, once found, use it for the Lord. We will never regret using it to obey.

It's an act of love.


IN ALL THINGS DO UNTO OTHERS AS YOU WOULD HAVE THEM DO UNTO YOU

Matthew 7:12.

 All those things, then, which you would have men do to you, even so do you to them: because this is the law and the prophets.

 (BBE)

Luke 6:31.

Do to others as you would have them do to you.

 (BBE)

This blog merely details some of the bits and pieces that compose this sentence. The Old Testament became a single sentence in Christ's teaching hands. Our eternal death sentence became a single atonement in His punctured palms after He lived out the Word. The sentences of history become a single vision in those perfect hands.

A death sentence converted to a life sentence, an eternal life sentence.


LAST BREAK

Born perfect, Adam and Eve were given one law: "Don't eat the fruit."

Born imperfect, humanity was given a few laws, then books of them.

Made spiritually perfect by Christ, saved humanity was again given one law.

But it really always was only one law, expanded, explained by situation, revisited in every variation so no misunderstanding could provide an excuse for disobedience.

To Adam and Eve: "Don't be selfish."

To fallen humanity: "Stop being selfish."

To redeemed  humanity: "Walk in the Spirit and you'll stop being selfish."



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ohvhmGSfxI


AFTERTHOUGHT

I worked for ten years in an adult care facility, working with "medicals" most of the time.   Medicals were generally people in such severe physical shape they required all manner of care and little restraint or management. During that time, we lost M, P, D, R  and C, five of the original six clients. {The State of Michigan would be very angry if I used their names.} 

M died after  a colostomy reconnect, his colon reconnected to itself. Died in recovery. I spent the day before working my shift, keeping him company in recovery. Holding his hand, mine gloved, keeping connection verbally. He was a very small human being, light weight, fragile. He had birth defects that left him with undeveloped musculature, mental disability, blindness, no verbal abilities other than grunting.  M had very limited range of motion, arms locked in semi extended state, feet unable to spread toes, only one hand able to grasp a little, all from limited PT early in his life.  He ranged from extreme distress for food or a diaper change to calmness. He hated shaving and had a perpetual 5 O'clock shadow. He always responded better to the women caring for him.  All birth defects. He was of Native American heritage.  No one ever visited him save his state appointed guardian.  

P passed on from a stroke in the early evening  while she was out on her mobile bed with the rest of the group for activities. She had a normal life until a car accident when she was young. The accident left her mentally disabled, unable to talk, suffering repeated seizures, body unable to respond from  quadriplegia.  Her limbs were limp and useless but had had good therapy over the years.  Though she could not talk but had moments of what seemed to be connection, eye contact.  Her mother sometimes visited in the day when they could be alone together.  She loved having her dark hair brushed. She would sometimes move her head in uncontrolled rolls.  She took anti-seizure medications.  She seized right before the stroke took her.  I was there when it happened.  

D was smiling and bright-eyed though her eyes could see nothing.  Birth defects. Mentally disabled, she listened constantly to every noise. She had a tube connected to her abdomen and had to be fed formula through it.  She would make eating motions with her lips when she was fed.  She loved the sound of a man's voice.  A quarter dropping on the floor or someone getting in trouble, even her, made her roar with laughter.  ("You are in trouble now, young lady.") Her arms and legs  were also frozen, but less rigid than some clients  due to physical therapy (PT).   Her parents were divorced but they visited her.  She was the only one who ever had her family visit her for her birthday party. (After her death, her father would sometimes come to the home and rage at our house manager.  Love and loss will do that.)  D went in the hospital with an infection and died there from staph. While she was there, we visited her for a daily activity and I saw her worry in her eyes, but still her smiling at men's voices, even as she was sweating profusely.   I still miss her totally unfounded joy. 

R was roughly 6 feet tall, 175 pounds the last time I saw him. He was balding and he looked a lot like Lurch from The Addams Family. This was because he had Hurler's disease. This involves the body not being able to break down certain sugars, which build up and cause all manner of damage.  It generally presents at about 7 to 10 years old and the child looks and acts perfectly normal until the disease kicks in, the sugars having built up over time.  Symptoms: abnormal bones in spine, inability to open fingers well, cloudy corneas, deafness, heart valve problems, thick coarse facial features, no nose bridge, intellectual disability that grows worse with time. R wasn't deaf, though how well he heard was anyone's guess.  He WAS all the rest. The client gets further and further from reality and care involves lots of touching and playing and contact to keep him connected.  He was a rare case that survived beyond 25. R loved getting patted on his back and chest.  He had a laugh that shook his body when he was happy with patting contacts, with being the center of attention. He took just about every possible anti seizure medication.   Klonopin was the one that seemed to slow the seizures, though, when he had them, his entire body froze in place until the seizure ended.  He lived into his 40's while all the others passed away in their 30's. His sister had the same problem and was in a home connected to his facility. They spent time together often. He was moved into a nursing home after the State made the decision that anyone who could not possibly live some form of "normal" life outside the home was not allowed in the facilities since they were technically for those who could "normalize." R died in  that nursing facility four months later. 1 to 12  care is not for special people.  Nor any people really.  

C was a real special case.  Placed in a State  Home after living a wild and moderately ordinary life despite her mental disabilities, she was a small woman in her eighties who was affectionate to those she liked and troublesome to those she did not.  C was highly functional and aware, had good use of her hands and arms. She was in a wheelchair as were all out clients. She was utterly silent and spoke nothing to anyone while I was working there.  She would grab you to get your attention.   She had been mistreated and had had some abuses over the years, but the system  I worked in had decided she would face nothing like that anymore.  She attended Mass every Sunday.  She worked well with the shorter aides.  I took her out for  her 90th birthday to Battle Creek at Bill Knapps, a restaurant  that gave her a percentage equal to her age off her bill for her birthday.  She completely enjoyed her meal. A couple years later, she died of kidney failure. I cannot talk about how that was handled.  Pray you never die of kidney failure. 

These are people who have endless need.  They can express that need with tears or angry outbursts that can't be defined until whatever need is met.  M waved his arms around as best he could, and grunted loudly.  C  grabbed.  D and P cried silently. R retreated into himself. Neglect, not changing diapers, late feeding, a harsh word to a coworker can be triggers.  Sometimes triggers  are never known. They are mostly adult sized babies and their care is such, knowing also that there are elements of adulthood there. 

Behavioral clients are different.  Many are very smart.  Many suffer from degrees of autism or mental disability.  Most have been in systems for  years and are used to being manipulated and drugged and managed into workable clients instead of being given a chance at autonomy.  Modern systems are indeed geared to get the ones who can function out of homes and into their own managed environment.  Apartments or returned to their parents or a working group setting.   But clients try to manipulate and manage back.  New aides get asked to tie shoes by the clients even though most of them have been taught that simple procedure. Please do this or that is a common joke for clients. Outbursts and time outs are common for those who likely never will really get socialized, despite hopes of the system for a perfect pill or methodology to cure.

They all have detailed management programs.   One client had a program of escorting her to her room in her wheelchair.  The procedure was detailed enough that we were not to hold her hands down as part of a State program against restraint. She knew this and would take  swipes at other clients while she was being escorted.  I was wheeling her to her room, she swung at another client and I blocked her and gently folded both her hands onto her tray on the wheelchair  (no resistance) and kept my hands over them while she explained to me that this was not proper procedure and she would report me. I was written up with me registering an objection that when she was a threat to others she was no longer the one whose program should be considered.  You do not get to write your own rules for client care. 

Still the system persists in the hope of repatriation: if they can just get their autism under some sort of focus, if they can just learn not to scream or to keep their clothes on or to keep their hands to themselves or to...You get the idea.  The systems evolve to  a holding cell for some and perhaps a dwelling place for most. But they exist with the hope that families can take some in again, that they can function normally, meaning safely and discretely.  

Those clients resemble poorly parented teenagers or rowdy preteens.  

Now: what in the world does any of this have to do with God and his commands?  

I  suspect they represent the way God looks at humans in this world.  The unsaved as the ones deformed by sin, warped, their sin altering them as disease altered R, all with sin's birth defects like M and D, disabled in their relationships by the accidents and abuses of our sin ruined life, like C and P.   Really, unable to obey Him because they have not been given a cure for the disease, for the defects, for the effects of the attacks of others. Each with their own personality, their own wants and desires. Each secretly desperate for a way to recover, to be normal.  All alike yet not this mass seen as "sinners" but Bobs and Sues and Teds. 

And we saved seen by Him as behavioral.   Still carrying the effects of the sin disease, still altered in some way despite being given the cure of the Holy Spirit.  We speak in a stunted way to the Lord.  We struggle with the math of salvation and justification.  We keep subtracting sanctification. Some of us with the sin autism healed completely so we can relate, communicate, spread His Word but still limited by the effects, so that it is not our capacity to do real good, only our capacity to let the Spirit do it through us. Some still not completely out of the distancing of sin, still working out how to let Him work through us, working on letting Him work through us, on becoming Paul instead of Saul.  All saved but not a single mass, all Bobs and Sues and Teds, too.  But a part of a Body waiting to be completed at resurrection.

 Think God could have no use for you in your state.  

My medical clients were  known to move folks to question God and then see Him for his love for all even the worst off, if they can end up in a system that cared for them one on one.  He even let them testify in their way the same as some lost do in theirs. He cares for whom He will for His purposes.  

My wife and I were separated, almost divorced, made a recommitment as much because of that command to not divorce as anything else. Neither of us is worthy of the other, and surely not worthy of Christ. To Him, we must be as beaten and warped and hurting as they are to us. But we would have no marching orders if we were not capable of letting Him work through us to His mission.  

He made every one of my clients.  I let them down in some way every day, but  I cared for them always.  They were His creation.  I wonder if i mentioned them here that they might not be forgotten or if it was to His purpose.  I hope both. They were  merely left in my keeping. 

This blog is also not my creation. I didn't construct a theology or a new church or a sect. I only recorded the words of my Creator. I am the creation and I'm being renewed every day. My spirit regenerates like young cells. To fail once isn't fatal. In fact, failure reminds me who I am: mortal flesh suffering from a genetic defect called sin.  A poor specimen being kept by blessing. 

The same as us all. Power only in the Holy Spirit. 

Don't, DO NOT become discouraged when you fall down running the race.  Pray and return to his first love.

Don't look at "love one another" and walk away shaking your head.  All  of us are autistic in our ability to love, trapped in out own skins like a Hurler's client. Reaching out hopping to grab someone to notice and care or to hit them hard enough to get their attention.  While He knows it already and sends a Holy Spirit probe into the frozen heart to start the thaw that lasts a lifetime, if we but throw kindling on the blaze.  

Understand a simple truth: we're supposed to fail.  We are all wearing adult diapers in the spiritual world. We're meant to learn that we aren't perfect, but weak, small in the face of the universe, demented in the face of perfect sanity, flaming idiots in the presence of perfect intelligence.  Because once we know it for certain, we begin to love the one who loves us anyway and we begin to understand we are to reach all those others in adult diapers, to give them hope of going beyond their autism, their Hurler's, their disabilities in love and life.  To walk without man-made crutches to the dinner table  and the toilet. 

Our failure makes every success clearly His own. Shows us that His way works.

"Don't be discouraged by failure. It can be a positive experience. Failure is, in a sense, the highway to success, inasmuch as every discovery of what is false leads us to seek earnestly after what is true, and every fresh experience points out some form of error which we shall afterwards carefully avoid."

John Keats

When God wins, we do.

Fall forward.

Fail upward.

 In love.