Photo by drproehl
But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.”
“How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?”
The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God.
…no word from God will ever fail.”
Luke 1:30-35, 37
There he sat in the lounge chair, snacking on munchies with his friends while watching one of his favorite movies. They were more than friends really. After working twenty-four hour shifts with these men, after saving lives with these men, after fighting fire with these men, they were his family. It always felt good to be around them. He was completely relaxed, completely at peace, and completely content when the bell went off.
“Beep, beep, beep,” the pre-alert sounded. “Structure fire, flames and smoke seen from an upper floor of a highrise. Address is…” As was often the case, the tone of the female dispatcher’s voice said as much or more about the call than her actual words. This wasn’t a false alarm or burned toast. This was a serious call.
He moved quickly and easily from the lounge chair and made for the apparatus bay where his fire engine waited. Like a mother duck with ducklings, the Captain unconsciously listened for the noises of his crew making their way to the engine. First running, then the sounds of his men donning their protective gear, then the sounds of doors slamming – one door, the driver’s, then another, then another. As he entered the cab himself he heard the engine start, he heard the bay door open as he looked down to zip up his turnout coat, then he heard the siren.
“8102 responding,” he said into the radio as he simultaneously pushed the responding button on his mobile computer.
“Do you know where we’re going?” he asked the engineer. As usual he did.
The headsets came on and one of his firefighters asked, “What do you think Cap?”
“Sounds like the real deal to me,” the Captain replied. “We could be first in. Be prepared.”
“First in.” First in had special implications. Incidents that start well usually go well. Incidents that don’t start well…
“What are we taking up?” one of the firefighters asked. The crew reviewed the list of equipment that they’d need to take with them: two inch and three quarter hose packs, thermal imaging camera, irons for forcible entry…
It was barely more than five minutes when they heard the dispatcher say, “Units responding to the highrise fire, we have a report of multiple trapped victims on the fire floor and on the floors above.”
“Copy,” the Captain said into the radio. His adrenaline was already pumping but this last bit of information felt like an electric shock.
They turned a corner and there it was: perhaps fifteen or twenty floors up, multiple floors well involved with fire. People hanging out of windows. He took the briefest moment to steel himself for what was to come, then he gave his report, “8102 is on scene at a thirty story apartment building with at least three floors well involved, possibly floors fifteen, sixteen, seventeen. We have victims hanging out of windows. 8102 is going to the lowest fire floor. 8153, it looks like we’ll need at least ten alarms.”
“Central copies, multiple floors well involved. 8102 we just received a report of a floor collapse on the seventeenth floor.”
“Copy, floor collapse on the seventeenth,” the Captain said. Then to his crew he said, “Let’s do it.”
They bailed off the engine, entered the building, and began making their way up the stairwell to the fifteenth floor. On their way up, they shouted and directed people to the way of safety.
“8102,” the dispatcher called.
“8102, go ahead,” the Captain answered.
“8102, we have reports of two more floors collapsing. It appears to be the fifteenth and sixteenth floors. We also have a report of fire showing on the roof.”
“Copy,” the Captain said trying to catch his breath enough to speak as he climbed the staircase.
“Cap?” It was his youngest firefighter, “Cap, are we going to make it?”
“We’ll save as many as we can.”
“OK but will we make it?”
The Captain knew they had to climb as far up into the highrise as possible. He knew he couldn’t save them all. He knew they’d have to save as many as they could.
And he knew they probably weren’t coming back.
“We’ll save as many as we can.” he said. The young firefighter could hear the determination in his voice…
Before Jesus was born into this world to save us, He enjoyed a wonderful and amazing life in heaven with the Father. He enjoyed a life that was filled with glory but He chose to forfeit all of that to come down to earth. (John 17:5) He chose to come in order to save as many as He could. He chose to come even though He knew it meant His own death.
Like the fire Captain in our story, what a devastating choice that was for Jesus.
But what a glorious choice that is for you and for me.
The fire Captain left the comfort of his fire station to go up into the highrise to save as many as he could, knowing that death awaited him. Jesus left His life in heaven with the Father to come down into the earth to save as many as He could.
Praise God in the highest for in spite of the terrible death that awaited Him, Jesus chose to come for you and for me, to save us, for God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. (John 3:17)
Paul, speaking of Jesus, said,
Who, being in very nature God,
did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;
rather, he made himself nothing
by taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
by becoming obedient to death—
even death on a cross!
Philippians 2:6-8
Thank you Lord for choosing to come down to save us.
Glory to God in the highest!
Merry Christmas!
References:
Bible Gateway
Jon Courson
Photo by drproehl
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Genesis 7:1-5 — Go into the ark, you and your whole family. Noah did all that the LORD commanded him.
Madeline
The King James Version of verse one says that …the LORD said unto Noah, Come thou and all thy house into the ark; for thee have I seen righteous before me in this generation. Indeed the Hebrew word for “come” is used here in the original text. What does this mean? If God is directing Noah to “come” into the ark, it can only mean that God is in the ark already! He’s beckoning Noah and his family to come. This is how it always is with God. His heart is for you and for me to come unto Him. Jesus beckons you and I to come unto Him for He said, Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. (Matthew 11:28) This is the answer because Jesus Christ is the ark of our salvation! Coming unto Jesus is the solution to the problem of separation from God. If you haven’t already, listen to God’s heart, come unto Him. (see So Your Life Is Falling Apart)
Here’s more good news from verse one of our text. We know the Lord loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son,that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16) We know that He loves the world and we know He loves individuals. But pause for a moment and think with me about this first verse in Genesis chapter 7. In verse one we see that God has obviously taken notice of Noah’s righteousness, yet He tells Noah to Come thou and all thy house into the ark… (v.1) God could have started over with just two. He’d already done it once with Adam and Eve. But He chose to save Noah’s whole family instead.
Isn’t it terrific that God desires to save not only you, but your whole family as well!
Take with you seven pairs of every kind of clean animal, a male and its mate, and one pair of every kind of unclean animal… (v.2) Seven pairs of clean animals would have been necessary to account for the animals sacrificed to the Lord. Only one pair would be required for the unclean.
And Noah did all that the LORD commanded him. (v.5)
A few days ago my wife Kathy asked me to install a new thermostat.
“I did some research on the internet and it should only take about an hour,” she said.
So I dove in, removed the old thermostat from the wall, pulled out seven wires, and found that only four were used by the old model. As I read the instructions I learned that the new model used five wires.
“No big deal,” I thought. “How hard can this fifth wire thing be?”
After some research online I had the panel off of our heating unit and I was looking for a place to hook up the fifth wire – no good, can’t find the “C terminal” inside my heating unit.
“C terminal?! What the heck is that anyway?”
After a few phone conversations with Al, our local heating guy, I learn that I need to go under the house to check a junction box.
“I hate crawling under the house! A raccoon used to reside there, what if he’s back? My back always hurts when I crawl under the house.” I said to my wife with enthusiasm.
Under the house I go, belly crawling my way around in the dirt I find the junction box. It turns out that the blue wire is connected to a gray wire at the junction box.
“Dirty trick!” I said out loud.
So I figure out I need some extra wire and it’s off to Home Depot. At the checkout counter I see one of those large flat carts next to my wife, it has a large box on it.
“What’s that?” I ask, trepidation in my voice.
“It’s a grill,” Kathy answers.
“A grill?” I ask increduously.
“We need a new grill,” she says flatly.
I look at the box and read the words out loud, “some assembly required.” Great, just what I needed.
“Why me,” I say. “It’s Christmas time, New Years time. It’s the holidays. I’m supposed to be watching football! For goodness sake the Chick-fil-a Bowl is on!”
When we return it’s back on the internet again, back to the heating unit again, under the house again…
“This was supposed to take only one hour! What about me time? For cryin’ out loud the Meineke Car Care Bowl is on!”
Are you getting the picture?
Nearly two days and one hundred or so complaints later the thermostat is still not installed. So I call a friend of mine who is an electrician, Rick Chown, to seek some advice. While we’re on the phone Rick and his wife Linda begin to share about their granddaughter Madeline. (just a few minutes ago I also spoke with Madeline’s mother, Rachel)
How she had her first surgery when she was one day old.
How she’s had over fifty surgeries during her nine years on earth.
How she’s had pieces of metal implanted in her back to support her spine.
How these had to be removed recently.
How she continues to suffer from infections.
And how she lights up a room with her smile and great attitude, in spite of her many painful challenges.
Rick shared this video of Madeline with me. She was recently fitted with a halo device which is attached to a rack designed to take pressure off her spine. She wheels around the Dallas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children in this thing, encouraging the other patients with her good cheer. (see Rogers Family Blog)
Wow! You can imagine how I feel.
…Noah did all that the LORD commanded him. (v.5) Noah knew what the Lord wanted him to do. Like you I often wonder what God’s will is for me. Sometimes I say to myself, “If only I knew what God wanted me to do, I’d do it.” I have good news. God tells me and God tells you what His will is for us.
“What does God’s will, giving thanks in all circumstances, look like?” you might ask.
Sometimes it looks like a little girl with a halo,
spinning and smiling,
spinning and smiling.
References:
Bible Gateway
Jon Courson
Rogers Family Blog
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Posted on January 1, 2011 by Kurt Bennett
Bible Commentary, Bible Study, Genesis
1 Thessalonians 5:18, Christian, Christian living, Christianity, Genesis, Genesis 7, Genesis 7:1-5, give thanks in all circumstances for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus, Jesus
Genesis 6:16 — A window shalt thou make to the ark… (KJV)
God directed Noah to build a window near the top of the ark. He provided light for Noah and his family, if…
If Noah chose to open the window.
God provides light for you and for me, as long as we choose to open up the window of His word.
It’s up to you and it’s up to me how much of God’s light we enjoy. His word is there, waiting for us. It might feel easier to watch Sports Center or that cooking show. You might feel like gravitating toward Facebook or Call of Duty: Black Ops.
But the degree to which we choose to spend time in God’s word is the degree to which our lives will be changed for His kindgom.
Let God’s light in.
Read His word.
[Image via Traveling Mermaid – Creative Commons]
References:
Bible Gateway
Jon Courson
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Posted on December 30, 2010 by Kurt Bennett
Bible Commentary, Bible Study, Genesis
1 John 1:5, A window shalt thou make to the ark, Christian, Christian living, Genesis 6, read bible
Churches unite to help thousands of stranded passengers in Moscow’s airports
Apparently the U.S. isn’t the only country dealing with flight delays. Due to a recent ice storm that hit a large area of Central Russia hundreds of flights have been delayed. The airport in Moscow is designed to hold around 3,000 people but the crowds have swollen to 10,000 due to the flight delays. Interestingly, in this nation that not so long ago claimed atheism as their national religion, Churches and Synagogues have stepped up to assist with food, bottles of water, and perhaps most appreciated of all, bunches of those moist towlette thingies. If you’re interested you can read more at Churches unite to help thousands of stranded passengers in Moscow’s airports | Russia | RIA Novosti.
How great is it to see God’s people in action.
This is how it should be because the Bible tells us that…
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Posted on December 28, 2010 by Kurt Bennett
Bible Commentary
bennett's blog, Christian, Christian Leadership, Christian Leadership books, Christian living, Christianity, Galatians 5:22, Jesus, Jesus Christ, kurt bennett, kurtbennettbooks, Leadership, life, love, Moscow airport delays, Russia ice storm, Russian churches help stranded passengers, Traveler and the Chaplain
Bennett Christmas 2010
Bennett Family Christmas 2010
I’ve been away for a few weeks this month. One week was spent at a conference on Emergency Cardiac Care and another with my family celebrating Christmas.
As is often the case with the lives of the Bennetts, our Christmas celebration turned into an adventure. We attempted to drive to Crater Lake National Park but ten miles or so North of Fort Klamath we encountered a white out. I’ve never experienced anything like it, even while growing up in Illinois. Everything was just, well, white. After some debate we turned around — OK so I was the only one who wanted to continue, but we did debate, even if it was five against one. We wound up at a snow park where we enjoyed some great sledding and took this photo. The dogs loved the snow.
The Emergency Cardiac Care conference was interesting because they had fifty survivors in attendance. These were people who were revived by CPR, and/or defibrillation, and/or cath lab intervention. Hearing their stories reminded me of Christ’s intervention that saved me.
My thanks to David Smith and Nathaniel Bennett for their guest posts during my absence.
This week you’ll see a short post on Genesis 6:16, then beginning Sunday I’ll continue blogging through the Bible taking up where we left off at Genesis chapter 7.
May God richly bless you this Christmas season!
In Him,
kurt
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Posted on December 28, 2010 by Kurt Bennett
Bible Commentary
bennett's blog, Christian, Christianity, Jesus, Jesus Christ, kurt bennett
Luke 1 — You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus
Photo by drproehl
There he sat in the lounge chair, snacking on munchies with his friends while watching one of his favorite movies. They were more than friends really. After working twenty-four hour shifts with these men, after saving lives with these men, after fighting fire with these men, they were his family. It always felt good to be around them. He was completely relaxed, completely at peace, and completely content when the bell went off.
“Beep, beep, beep,” the pre-alert sounded. “Structure fire, flames and smoke seen from an upper floor of a highrise. Address is…” As was often the case, the tone of the female dispatcher’s voice said as much or more about the call than her actual words. This wasn’t a false alarm or burned toast. This was a serious call.
He moved quickly and easily from the lounge chair and made for the apparatus bay where his fire engine waited. Like a mother duck with ducklings, the Captain unconsciously listened for the noises of his crew making their way to the engine. First running, then the sounds of his men donning their protective gear, then the sounds of doors slamming – one door, the driver’s, then another, then another. As he entered the cab himself he heard the engine start, he heard the bay door open as he looked down to zip up his turnout coat, then he heard the siren.
“8102 responding,” he said into the radio as he simultaneously pushed the responding button on his mobile computer.
“Do you know where we’re going?” he asked the engineer. As usual he did.
The headsets came on and one of his firefighters asked, “What do you think Cap?”
“Sounds like the real deal to me,” the Captain replied. “We could be first in. Be prepared.”
“First in.” First in had special implications. Incidents that start well usually go well. Incidents that don’t start well…
“What are we taking up?” one of the firefighters asked. The crew reviewed the list of equipment that they’d need to take with them: two inch and three quarter hose packs, thermal imaging camera, irons for forcible entry…
It was barely more than five minutes when they heard the dispatcher say, “Units responding to the highrise fire, we have a report of multiple trapped victims on the fire floor and on the floors above.”
“Copy,” the Captain said into the radio. His adrenaline was already pumping but this last bit of information felt like an electric shock.
They turned a corner and there it was: perhaps fifteen or twenty floors up, multiple floors well involved with fire. People hanging out of windows. He took the briefest moment to steel himself for what was to come, then he gave his report, “8102 is on scene at a thirty story apartment building with at least three floors well involved, possibly floors fifteen, sixteen, seventeen. We have victims hanging out of windows. 8102 is going to the lowest fire floor. 8153, it looks like we’ll need at least ten alarms.”
“Central copies, multiple floors well involved. 8102 we just received a report of a floor collapse on the seventeenth floor.”
“Copy, floor collapse on the seventeenth,” the Captain said. Then to his crew he said, “Let’s do it.”
They bailed off the engine, entered the building, and began making their way up the stairwell to the fifteenth floor. On their way up, they shouted and directed people to the way of safety.
“8102,” the dispatcher called.
“8102, go ahead,” the Captain answered.
“8102, we have reports of two more floors collapsing. It appears to be the fifteenth and sixteenth floors. We also have a report of fire showing on the roof.”
“Copy,” the Captain said trying to catch his breath enough to speak as he climbed the staircase.
“Cap?” It was his youngest firefighter, “Cap, are we going to make it?”
“We’ll save as many as we can.”
“OK but will we make it?”
The Captain knew they had to climb as far up into the highrise as possible. He knew he couldn’t save them all. He knew they’d have to save as many as they could.
And he knew they probably weren’t coming back.
“We’ll save as many as we can.” he said. The young firefighter could hear the determination in his voice…
Before Jesus was born into this world to save us, He enjoyed a wonderful and amazing life in heaven with the Father. He enjoyed a life that was filled with glory but He chose to forfeit all of that to come down to earth. (John 17:5) He chose to come in order to save as many as He could. He chose to come even though He knew it meant His own death.
Like the fire Captain in our story, what a devastating choice that was for Jesus.
But what a glorious choice that is for you and for me.
The fire Captain left the comfort of his fire station to go up into the highrise to save as many as he could, knowing that death awaited him. Jesus left His life in heaven with the Father to come down into the earth to save as many as He could.
Praise God in the highest for in spite of the terrible death that awaited Him, Jesus chose to come for you and for me, to save us, for God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. (John 3:17)
Paul, speaking of Jesus, said,
Thank you Lord for choosing to come down to save us.
Glory to God in the highest!
Merry Christmas!
References:
Bible Gateway
Jon Courson
Photo by drproehl
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Posted on December 25, 2010 by Kurt Bennett
Bible Commentary
...no word from God will ever fail, And being found in appearance as a man he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death even death on a cross, “How will this be” Mary asked the angel “since I am a virgin?”, bennett's blog, birth of Jesus, But the angel said to her “Do not be afraid Mary you have found favor with God, Christ's coming, Christian, Christianity, Christmas, First Christmas, God, He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High, his kingdom will never end.”, Humility, Jesus, Jesus Christ, kurt bennett, love, Luke 1, Luke 1:30-35, Luke 1:37, Luke 2, Nativity, Philippians 2:6-8, So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God, The angel answered “The Holy Spirit will come on you and the power of the Most High will overshadow you, The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever, Who being in very nature God did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage rather he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant being made in human like, You will conceive and give birth to a son and you are to call him Jesus
Genesis 1:14-19 — The Fourth Day of Creation
Given this mornings lunar eclipse I thought it appropriate to repost from Genesis 1:14-19. The total eclipse began at 2:40 AM and lasted 72 minutes. You can read about it in the Washington Post article Lunar eclipse coincides with winter solstice.
On the fourth day God created the sun and the moon. The sun speaks of the great light of the world, Jesus Christ, for He said, “I am the light of the world…” (John 8:12) And the moon speaks of the lesser light, you and I, for Jesus also said, of His people, “You are the light of the world…” (Matthew 5:14) The only reason the moon shines is because it reflects the light of the sun and in like manner the only reason we shine, as a light of the world, is because we reflect Jesus Christ.
Perhaps you saw these two lights interact early this morning during the eclipse. An important insight can be found here. When the world comes between the sun and the moon we experience an eclipse and the light of the sun is blocked from people’s view. That is exactly what happens to me when I get caught up in the things of this world. When I become consumed by my performance at work, by a desire to prosper financially, by a proclivity for entertainment, or other things of the world. When I allow the world to come between me and my Lord, my own light is eclipsed, and I fail to reflect the great light of Jesus Christ. The same is true for any Christian. The same is true for you.
You and I are the church. And as the church goes, so goes the world.
Let nothing come between you and Jesus.
For more go to Ray Stedman’s teaching on Genesis 1:14 – 19 or Jon Courson’s teaching on Genesis 1.
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Posted on December 21, 2010 by Kurt Bennett
Bible Commentary
bennett's blog, Christian, Christian living, Christianity, commentary, Courson, creation, day, eclipse, fourth, fourth day of creation, genesis 1, Jesus, Jesus Christ, Jon Courson, kurt bennett, Leadership, lights, lunar eclipse, moon, Ray Stedman, Stedman, sun, Traveler and the Chaplain, world, worldly
The Digital Story of Nativity
Too good not to share. Thank you Anastasia for sending this in!
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Posted on December 20, 2010 by Kurt Bennett
Bible Commentary
bennett's blog, birth of Christ, Christian, Christian living, Christianity, Christmas, First Christmas, Jesus, Jesus Christ, kurt bennett, Nativity, The Digital Story of Nativity, video
Negativity and the Media–Think On These Things: Philippians 4:8-9
Researchers in the U.K. recently conducted a study that showed people are most attracted to negative content on the internet. You can read about it in the article, Want to be popular on the Internet? Be a Jerk! Using a system called “sentiment analysis” they were able to categorize posts in online forums by the type of emotion they convey. Perhaps not surprisingly, negative posts were overwhelmingly more popular.
It’s long been known that human beings are addicted to conflict. Let’s face it, conflict is entertaining. There has never been a successful movie produced that wasn’t focused on some sort of struggle. Reality shows, novels, TV dramas, Shakespeare, political radio, and even the evening news, are all popular because they appeal to our natural desire for conflict. Negativity breeds conflict and conflict sells.
It’s tempting as Christians to let negativity dominate our faith. It would be easier and certainly more entertaining to indulge in the controversy and drama that surrounds religion these days. There’s a never ending supply of things to get angry about and a vast sea of people who can’t wait to profit off it. Despite the natural attraction however, negativity is simply not where God wants our focus.
Philippians 4:8-9
It’s interesting just how diametrically opposed that verse is to todays’ culture. We spend far too much time being angry about things that aren’t important. For instance, deep down I know that I will never, ever, under any circumstances “win” an argument on the internet, but somehow that doesn’t stop me from trying. A theological argument with a cynical stranger is probably not the best use of my time and almost certainly not helping God’s kingdom. Eventually negativity and strife will steal the limelight and push aside what’s really important.
If I’m not focusing on what’s pure, good, virtuous, and praise worthy, then I’m certainly not focusing on Jesus.
References:
[Image via: European Parliament – Creative Commons]
Biblegateway
Technotica on MSNBC.com
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Posted on December 18, 2010 by Kurt Bennett
Bible Commentary, Bible Study, I Wish Someone Had Told Me This When I Was Young
Conflict, controversy, Helen A.S. Popkin, negative content, Negativity, Philippians 4:8-9, sentiment analysis, Think on these things, Want to be popular on the Internet? Be a Jerk!, Whatever is true
1 Corinthians 6:9–12, 19-20 “I have the right to do anything,” you say—but not everything is beneficial
Submission to Christ (Courtesy of Revelife.com)
The following is a guest post from my friend and brother in Christ, David Smith.
In Chapter 6 of 1 Corinthians, Paul is dealing with a church where some very poor choices are being made. There are people in the church that are living like the world. They claim a faith in Jesus Christ, yet they still openly walk in the sin of the world. Paul then gives a very stern warning that speaks to eternity. I don’t know about you, but when inheriting the Kingdom of God is mentioned, I really pay close attention.
As a side note, look at the part where he says “do not be deceived.” This implies that there are people in the world that will try and deceive you concerning these things. Do not be fooled. The lists of sins in these verses are non-negotiable. We know the world will try and deceive us into thinking they are ok, but we must head his warning and not play the fool.
In reading this list, we all find conviction. Although as Christians we do not walk in these sins, to say that since I have been saved I have never had a sexually immoral thought or made a decision that greed played a factor or spoke a slander about someone out of anger or frustration would be a lie. We all sin and fall short of the glory of God, right? Is Paul sentencing all who have committed these sins to hell?
No, what Paul is saying is that salvation in Christ is submission to Christ. That is, are you submitted to what Christ deems is right or wrong, or are you simply claiming Christ as your Lord, but not submitted to Him? Look at the next verse.
“I have the right to do anything,” you say—but not everything is beneficial. “I have the right to do anything”—but I will not be mastered by anything. (1 Corinthians 6:12)
So they are coming to the table saying “Hey, you said that in Christ, I am free from sin. Sin has no hold over me anymore and because sin has no hold, I can do whatever I want.” And in one sense they are right. In Christ you are free from sin. It no longer needs to reign over your life and eternally you are saved from the ultimate consequence, eternal separation from God. But let’s jump up to verses 19 and 20 to see how Paul closes out this argument.
Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies. (1 Corinthians 6:19-20)
This is where the submission to Christ comes in. See, Paul is not saying you must be perfect. What he is saying is that you need to check yourself and see if you are living for you or living for God. Look to the list of sins mentioned above. Do you believe they are wrong? You are free from them, yes. But do you believe they are wrong? By giving your life to Christ by being born again in the spirit and claiming Him as your Lord and savior, you agree that you should not walk in sin. That is, salvation in Christ is submission to Christ. You cannot separate the two.
Paul is calling out those that are living as luke warm Christians. Do you have something in your life that you are holding on to? Do you have something that you are hiding behind the freedom in Christ, yet in hiding behind the freedom in Christ, ignoring what Christ has commanded? If you are, let it go. The game you play is one that could have eternal consequence. Remember, salvation in Christ is submission to Christ.
In walking with Christ we need to constantly be reckoning the old sinful nature of our flesh dead. Do not be deceived, as some were at the church of Corinth. You are free in Christ, but to be in Christ is to be dead to yourself. Carrying your cross is the calling of a Christian. The world has many “prizes” that it offers to those who give in to its lusts. Those prizes will always fail you. As you’re carrying your cross in this life, do not forget to keep your eye on the only prize that never fades, eternity with a loving, awesome, gracious, and beautiful Father God.
Photo Courtesy of revelife.com
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Posted on December 12, 2010 by Kurt Bennett
Bible Commentary, Bible Study
“I have the right to do anything” you say but not everything is beneficial, Christian, Christian living, Jesus, love
Genesis 6:13-22 — I am going to bring floodwaters on the earth to destroy all life under the heavens. But I will establish my covenant with you
Noah’s Ark by Edward Hicks
There’s much debate concerning how all of the animals fit on the ark, were fed and cared for on the ark, etc. The ark was as long as one and one half football fields and taller than a four story building. The available storage space on the ark was equivalent to that of 520 modern boxcars and it’s been calculated that this would be more than enough space to accommodate the 16,000 species necessary to ensure the continuation of all of the animal kingdom. There’s a good article on the topic by John Woodmorappe that can be found on the Institute for Creation Research website.
The discussion on the feasibility of the animals on the ark is interesting but think this through with me. Isn’t this one of those questions that comes down to whether or not you believe in God and all that He is? If God did indeed create the universe in all of its vastness and majesty, if God did indeed create all of the animals on earth to begin with, then isn’t it an easy thing for God to preserve all of the animals on the ark? He could have brought only immature animals to ensure adequate size, once on board He could have put all of the creatures into a state of hibernation to ensure adequate care. The same God who created the universe, the same God who created Adam from dust, could have easily preserved the animals on the ark. Is anything too hard for the LORD? (Genesis 18:14)
Some interesting observations:
Noah was a carpenter — Jesus was a carpenter.
Noah was righteous, blameless, walking faithfully with God — Jesus is righteous, blameless, walking faithfully with God (and He is God).
The ark had only one door in its side. There was only one way into the ark. — Jesus said, “I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved…” (John 10:9 KJV) And Jesus also said, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6)
The ark had many rooms — Jesus said, “In my Father’s house are many rooms…” (John 14:2) As the ark had many rooms for the many different types of animals, we see that our Father has designed heaven with many rooms for the many different types of Christians who will dwell there (yes, even Charismatics).
Noah did everything just as God commanded him. (v.22) — Speaking of God, Jesus said, “…I always do what pleases him.” (John 8:29)
The way of escape:
Yes the world was filled with violence but God provided a way of escape! The way of escape for mankind in Noah’s day was through the door in the side of the ark. There was no other way. You either went through that door, as Noah and his family did, or you perished.
The Hebrew word kapher is the word used in verse 14 that we see translated pitch. In every other instance in the Bible kapher is translated atonement. For you and for me, the way to escape hell is through Jesus Christ. That’s the only way. This isn’t my idea. As a firefighter that’s not the way I would have designed salvation. When a builder submits plans for a room that will hold a large number of people, we like to require multiple ways to escape. The greater the number of people, the greater the number of exits. That’s how I would have designed salvation. But God says: “…my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways. As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” When God designed the ark, He designed it with one door. When God designed salvation, at great personal sacrifice, He designed it with one Door, Jesus Christ, His Son.
Jesus said,
Join Christ’s Family
References:
Blue Letter Bible
Bible Gateway
Institute for Creation Research
Ray Stedman
Jon Courson
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Posted on December 4, 2010 by Kurt Bennett
Bible Commentary
Christian, Christian living, Christianity, Genesis, Jesus
Genesis 6:1-12 — Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked faithfully with God
Noah’s Ark Under Construction (artist unknown)
When human beings began to increase in number on the earth… (v.1) Imagine with me how rapidly the population would multiply in a time when the average lifespan ranged from 777 to 969 years. (Genesis 5) People had that much more time to have children. And of course the parents, grandparents, great grandparents, great great grandparents, etc. would be included in the population count for a time period, in some cases, approaching 1,000 years. We know that the current worldwide average human lifespan is 69 years. (Data Source World Bank, World Development Indicators) We also know that the average woman worldwide has 4 children. (median average: World Bank, Fertility Rate Data) If we take a conservative approach and multiply the current human lifespan by 10 to 690 years and we say that every 69 years an antediluvian woman (woman before the great flood) had 3 children, that’s 30 children per mother during each lifetime. If that were true, in just nine generations the earth would be populated with more than 5 billion people. (see table below) Now I’m not saying that there were more than 5 billion people on earth before the flood. I’m just pointing out that the population of the world just before the flood was most likely quite substantial, possibly even comparable to our population today.
…the sons of God saw that the daughters of humans were beautiful, and they married any of them they chose. (v.2) Some scholars say that the sons of God mentioned here refer to the line of Seth and the daughters of humans refer to the line of Cain. A couple of thoughts. In verse 2 we see the term “sons of God” which is benai elohim in the original Hebrew. And we see it again in verse 4: The Nephilim were on the earth in those days—and also afterward—when the sons of God went to the daughters of humans and had children by them. They were the heroes of old, men of renown. Every time the term benai elohim is found in the Old Testament it refers to angels. So it could be that these are …the angels who did not keep their positions of authority but abandoned their own home. (Jude 1:6) It could be that these are those who God subsequently …has kept in darkness, bound with everlasting chains for judgment on the great Day. (Jude:1:6) It fits because the term Nephilim used in verse 4 means giants. If the sons of God and the daughters of humans were from the lines of Seth and Cain then why were the offspring giants? And verse 4 also refers to the heroes of old, men of renown. It would appear that the offspring of the sons of God and the daughters of humans were some type of giant super beings. Notice too that in verse 4 the phrase and also afterward is used. This explains the giants such as Goliath of Gath who are found after the flood. I’m inclined to agree with the scholars who adhere to this second school of thought. It’s interesting that these sons of God are mentioned twice here in Genesis 6. Could it be that this was the basis for the myths of ancient Greece? Of course we don’t know for certain. I’m looking forward to hearing the full explanation in heaven.
The LORD saw how great the wickedness of the human race had become on the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time. (v.5) According to the FBI, in the U.S., every 34 1/2 minutes someone commits murder, every 6 minutes someone forcibly rapes, every 1 1/3 minutes someone commits a violent robbery, and every 39.1 seconds someone commits an aggravated assault. It’s no wonder that …the LORD said, “My Spirit will not contend with humans forever, for they are mortal; their days will be a hundred and twenty years.” (v. 3) God’s adjustment to the human lifespan from the 777 to 969 year range to a maximum lifespan of around 120 years was an act of mercy.
The LORD regretted that he had made human beings on the earth, and his heart was deeply troubled. (v.6) The Lord’s heart was deeply troubled at the sin and wickedness of man. So He determined that He would wipe mankind from the face of the earth. Unless… unless they would listen to the one who had found favor in God’s sight. Unless they would listen to Noah, the descendant of Enoch, the man who walked with God; then he was no more, because God took him away. (Genesis 5:24) In that culture of evil and wickedness God found a man who desired to walk in His ways. Today there’s so much emphasis on going with the flow of society. If you believe in what God teaches in His word you’re often ridiculed. I just learned about a friend’s experience having lunch at a restaurant in a metropolitan area with another Christian brother: their Bibles were open, they were quietly discussing God’s word, when they noticed that the people at the table next to them were requesting to be moved because they were offended. Just envision what it was like for Noah in his day. It must have been far worse than what we experience today. Yet Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked faithfully with God. (v.9) Noah resisted the flow of his culture and lived his life according to God’s word. What if he hadn’t? What if he had crumbled under the pressure of those around him and went with the flow. It may have meant the end of mankind.
Jesus said,
The people in Noah’s day gave no regard to Noah’s testimony of the building of the ark. Jesus says that in the days before His coming it will be as it was in the days of Noah, people will continue to live their lives as they always have, without regard to Jesus’ testimony. Did you know that one of the most dangerous activities you do, by far, is to drive or ride in a car? Every thirteen minutes someone dies in a car accident in the U.S. That’s just one of the ways that Jesus might come to you or I in the next day, or week, or month. Talk with any family member of someone who’s died recently in a car accident and they’ll tell you, they knew nothing about what would happen until… (Matthew 24:39) How are you living your life? Are you and your friends and family eating, drinking, or marrying without any thought given to when Jesus might return? Follow the example of Noah. Resist the flow of our culture, of what’s on TV, of the news on the internet.
May he turn our hearts to him, to walk in all his ways… (1 Kings 8:58)
Live for Him.
Antediluvian Population Growth Table:
1st generation: 2
2nd generation: 32
3rd generation: 482
4th generation: 7,232
5th generation: 108,482
6th generation: 1,627,232
7th generation: 24,408,482
8th generation: 366,127,232
9th generation: 5,491,908,482
References:
Blue Letter Bible
Bible Gateway
Biblos
The World Bank
Oxford Journals
FBI Crime Clock
Chuck Smith
Ray Stedman
Jon Courson
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Posted on November 27, 2010 by Kurt Bennett
Bible Commentary, Bible Study, Genesis
Christian, Christian living, Genesis 6, Genesis 6-12, God saw how corrupt the earth had become for all the people on earth had corrupted their ways, Jesus, Mathew 24:37-39
Cain and Abel–The Blood Cries Out: Genesis 4:10-16
Cain said to the LORD, “My punishment is more than I can bear. Today you are driving me from the land, and I will be hidden from your presence; I will be a restless wanderer on the earth, and whoever finds me will kill me.”
But the LORD said to him, “Not so; anyone who kills Cain will suffer vengeance seven times over.” Then the LORD put a mark on Cain so that no one who found him would kill him. So Cain went out from the LORD’s presence and lived in the land of Nod,east of Eden.
Genesis 4:10-16
We have to keep in mind that before Cain murdered Abel, no human had ever died. Cain and everyone else alive at that time, had never been exposed to a friend or relative dying in the hospital, to a violent movie with a high body count, to a first person shooter game with gory graphics where the goal is to kill as many of the enemy as possible, or to a real life war where the same goal presides.
So when Cain stood over Abel, lying there with dark warm blood blood flowing from him into the ground, Cain couldn’t be sure what to expect. He may not even have realized that his anger would have such a dramatic result. The reality of physical death was a new concept. He must have feared God in that moment but at the same time, he may have taken hope in that Abel’s blood didn’t pool on the surface of the earth but rather it disappeared into the ground which opened its mouth to receive it. (v. 12) At that time there were no police officers, no judges, no man made justice system to investigate Abel’s death. Perhaps Cain thought that he could move on with his life, now without the person who distressed him the most.
Perhaps the religious leaders who killed Jesus thought the same. What a thorn in their side He was, this upstart Rabbi who was so open and honest about everything, including their shortcomings. This One who was stealing away the hearts of the people with His love, His mercy, and His miracles. He was a threat to their authority but now, they may have thought, now that he’s been crucified, we’ve removed this one who has distressed us so. The religious leaders surely thought, “We’ve eliminated him.” The political leader, Pilate, surely thought, “I’ve washed my hands of him.”
Of course in both the case of Abel and the case of Jesus, this was not to be. As a result of Abel’s death, Cain’s life was changed forever. Abel’s blood cried out to God and demanded justice. Cain learned, as we all learn, that we can be sure our sin will find us out.
Jesus’ blood also cried out, but Jesus’ blood speaks a better word than the blood of Abel. (Hebrews 12:24) Abel’s blood cried out for justice but Jesus’ blood cried out “Father forgive them.” (Luke 23:24) As a result of Jesus’ death, the world changed forever. A way to reconcile with the Father was provided. A way that’s available to you and to me right now. (see Your New Life)
Cain said to the LORD, “My punishment is more than I can bear. (v. 13) Now that the truth of Cain’s deed has come to light we see that Cain is afraid for his life. Think about it, Cain lived in a time so early in the development of the human race that wherever Cain went he would encounter his relatives. And his relatives, either out of fear of Cain or out of a desire for vengeance, might attempt to kill him. But God puts a mark on Cain to deal with this issue.
Abel’s relatives learned from Cain’s mark that it wasn’t theirs to take revenge. It’s the Lord’s to avenge. You and I must realize the same. Though we may possess a deep desire to, it’s not for us to take action. Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord. (Romans 12:19)
A second reason for Cain’s mark is because of God’s love for Cain. Yes Cain murdered his brother, yes Cain has been weighed in the balance and found guilty, and yes Cain will experience consequences for his sin. Never the less God loves Cain. God’s mark, whatever it may have been, served as protection for Cain and helped Cain to endure his years in the land of Nod, which is literally Wandering.
Is there a person in your life who distresses you? Do you ever wish that he or she were gone? Beware of the way of Cain. (Jude v.11) Sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must rule over it. (Genesis 4:7) Cain’s anger resulted in a life in Nod or Wandering. Your anger can alter your life path in ways that you never thought possible. Jesus tells us the way we’re to respond to those who distress us:
References:
Blue Letter Bible
Bible Gateway
Ray Stedman
C.H. Spurgeon
John Courson
[Image via gabork – Creative Commons]
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Posted on November 6, 2010 by Kurt Bennett
Bible Commentary, Bible Study, Genesis
Christian, Christian living, Christianity, forgive, Forgiveness, Genesis, Genesis 4, Genesis 4:10-16, how to forgive
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