God Is Among Us

20 For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.”

Matt 18:20 (ESV)

Acts 19:11-20 The Seven Sons of Sceva

At a time when Paul was in Tyrannus, God was doing specctacular miracles by his hand. (vs.11) Even pieces of cloth that had touched Paul's skin was being trasported to the hospitals and used to heal the sick and demon possessed. He was so popular in fact that Jewish excorcists were beginning to invoke Jesus name to aid them in their practices. In particular were seven sons of the Jewish high priest Sceva. I found 2 points mentioned in this particularly interesting.

1. The sons would only invoke the name of Jesus in conjunction with Paul's proclamation. (vs.13)
   
2. The evil spirits did hear them but say, "Jesus I know, Paul I reccognize, but who are you?" (vs.15)
   

Now the way in which these men were proclaiming Jesus name I believe was flawed and therefore would not produce their desired result of driving the evil spirit out of the patient. The did not proclaim Him as their Savior and source of power and authority but rather as a lesser tool handed down and used by Paul's work. It was no wonder that they were quickly rebuked by the evil spirit, wounded, and driven away. If Jesus is not our captain and source of strength then we are no match for the enemy.

17 And these signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues;

Mark 16:17 (ESV)

Now the opposite example of this was Paul. In him Jesus had full control to the point that the evil spirits themselves recognized his name. As I write I also come to mind that all the evil spirits in the world know Jesus and do not deny that he is Lord of all. After all they dwelt in heaven with Him before they fell with Lucifer. The devil and his angels know that their time is coming to an end.

Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

James 4:7 (ESV)

12 Therefore, rejoice, O heavens and you who dwell in them! But woe to you, O earth and sea, for the devil has come down to you in great wrath, because he knows that his time is short!”

Rev 12:12 (ESV)

What a glorious day taht will be when I see my Lord and embrace Him.

All humanity is designed with a God shaped vacuum in our hearts that can only be satisfied by the love of God.

God's Way Above Our Ways

8 For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord.
9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.

Isaiah 55:8-9 (ESV)

The Parable of Lazarus the beggar & the Rich Man

Luke 16:19-31

I have figured out this parable that has for a long time confused me. This story was about a poor beggar named Lazarus who lived at the gate of a certain rich man whom the Bible does not name. I never understood why Jesus' parable seemed to portray that when we die we go directly to heaven or hell.

The Bible clearly teaches otherwise:

11 After saying these things, he said to them, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I go to awaken him.”
12 The disciples said to him, “Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will recover.”
13 Now Jesus had spoken of his death, but they thought that he meant taking rest in sleep.
14 Then Jesus told them plainly, “Lazarus has died,
15 and for your sake I am glad that I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.”

John 11:11-15 (ESV)

But Jesus told this popular fable story at the time to teach us a very important lesson about our faith and how it is gained, and sadly for some, how it is lost. Now it says that Lazarus would stay their daily and try to eat the crumbs that fell off the rich man's table. The Bible does not say that the rich man was ever cruel to Lazarus nor does it mention that he ever removed Lazarus from his property. However, it also does not mention the rich man ever helping Lazarus in any way. (See Sins of Omission)

45 Then he will answer them, saying, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’

Matt 25:45 (ESV)

The parable continues, and tells that eventually both men die, whether separately or around the same times it does not say. Now Lazarus is taken up to heaven while the rich man is sent down to hell. Now again this seems to contradict the truth about what the Bible teaches of what happens when we die. When we die, our souls are returned to God which gave it to us.

4 Behold, all souls are mine; the soul of the father as well as the soul of the son is mine: the soul who sins shall die.

Ezek 18:4 (ESV)

After death we neither go up to heaven or hell but sleep in our graves till the resurrection unto eternal life (for those saved) or unto the 2nd death, eternal death (those who are lost).

28 Do not marvel at this, for an hour is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear his voice
29 and come out, those who have done good to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil to the resurrection of judgment.

John 5:28-29 (ESV)

28 so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him.

Heb 9:28 (ESV)

Now the rich man is being tormented in Hades, and he sees far off in the distance Abraham and Lazarus is with him in heaven. And he calls out to Abraham in desperation, "Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool me tongue; for I am tormented in this flame." (Lk. 16:25) But Abraham denies his request and reminds the rich man of all the great possession he had in his lifetime yet all the evil things in Lazarus lifetime. However now Lazarus is comforted and he is tormented.

24 “But woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation.

Luke 6:24 (ESV)

Abraham's statement here rings true. For how often is it that all of us in our lives can get so busy gathering up temporal possession in this world or money yet how much of that can we take with us when we die? Nothing!

19 “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal,
20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.

Matt 6:19-20 (ESV)

21 And he said, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.”

Job 1:21 (ESV)

Also, in vs.26 Abraham tells him that their is a great gulf distance that cannot be passed by anyone on either side. Realizing the hopelessness of his situation, he remembers his 5 brothers which are still alive in the world. "Then he said, 'I beg your therefore, father, that you would send him (Lazarus) to my father's house, 'for I have five brothers, that he may testify to them, lest they also come to this place of torment." (vs.27,28) The rich man wants Abraham to send Lazarus back from the dead as a sign to his brothers expecting them to be converted by this miracle event but he is denied his request once more. Abraham tells the rich man that they have the prophets and the Word, let them hear the truth of salvation that way. Alas, miracles will not make someone a believer. It may amaze or fear them for the moment, but miracles alone do not lead to everlasting life. The only road to eternal life is faith through our Lord Jesus.

6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

John 14:6 (ESV)

12 And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”

Acts 4:12 (ESV)

Besides, even historically it shows that miracles alone will not turn a person or people to God. An example of this is the people of Israel during their Exodus from their Egyptian captors. And through the many miracles of Jesus. They were continually given miracles and signs, daily, of God's presence, His power, His love, His grace.

“How long shall this wicked congregation grumble against me? I have heard the grumblings of the people of Israel, which they grumble against me.

Num 14:27 (ESV)

37 Though He had done so many signs before them, they still did not believe in him,

John 12:37 (ESV)

False Prophets

Theudas - Acts 5:36

• He appeared, according to Luke's account, at the head of about four hundred men. He was probably one of the insurrectionary chiefs or fanatics by whom the land was overrun in the last year of Herod's reign.—Smith's Bible Dictionary

Simon Magus - Acts 8:9

• Tried to buy Peters power of the Holy Spirit w/ money & Peter rebuked him.
• The preaching and miracles of Philip having excited his observation, he became one of his disciples, and received baptism at his hands,—Smith's Bible Dictionary
• He is said to have followed the apostle to Rome. His death is associated with this meeting. According to Hippolytus, the earliest authority on the subject, Simon was buried alive at his own request, in the confident assurance that he would rise on the third day.—Smith's Bible Dictionary

Bar-Jesus - Acts 13:6

• 6 When they had gone through the whole island as far as Paphos, they came upon a certain magician, a Jewish false prophet named Bar-Jesus.

  Acts 13:6 (ESV)

49 “ ‘Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool. What kind of house will you build for me, says the Lord, or what is the place of my rest? 50 Did not my hand make all these things?’
51 “You stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always resist the Holy Spirit. As your fathers did, so do you. 52 Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? And they killed those who announced beforehand the coming of the Righteous One, whom you have now betrayed and murdered, 53 you who received the law as delivered by angels and did not keep it.”

Acts 7:49-53 (ESV)

The Stubborn Children of Israel

Today I was reading the last chapters of 2 Kings and it still amazes me how the people of Israel constantly did evil in the sight of Lord over and over again. Also, back in old times they did not have the mediums of communication that we have and primarily relied on word of mouth to carry the Word of God and the Law of Moses through the generations.

Now 2 Kings describe a rather long era where that means of communication was either blocked, forgotten, or disregarded thus provoking the Lord to anger against them. And this continued and generation after generation and king after king of Israel led their people farther away from God and deeper into the hands of idols.

¹² therefore thus says the LORD God of Israel: ‘Behold, I am bringing such calamity upon Jerusalem and Judah, that whoever hears of it, both his ears will tingle. (2 Kings 21:12)

Up until the rise of King Josiah. The Bible says that he did what was right in the sight of the Lord and did not not falter.

² And he did what was right in the sight of the LORD, and walked in all the ways of his father David; he did not turn aside to the right hand or to the left. (2 Kings 22:2)

Now during his reign a prophet by the name of Hilkiah found the Books of the Law of Moses in the temple which must have been lost for many years since the old kings reigned and were busy with their idols. So Hilkiah brings the Law to king Josiah and he reads it and realizes all the evil that has been ans id being committed against the God of Israel. Knowing this he set out on a long campaign to utterly remove all traces of idolatry from his kingdom and bring his people back to the true worship of God.

After reading these chapters, I come to the realization how important it is as Christians to not only spread the Word of God to the lost, but also we can not neglect our own households. Strengthening our children early and continuously instructing them in righteousness. Most often we are too busy with our own personal lives and salvation that we can overlook the importance of planting those seeds early as possible in our youth.

Deuteronomy 11:19 (New King James Version)

¹⁹ You shall teach them to your children, speaking of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up.

King Solomon & his dream with God

King Solomon loved the Lord and walked in the statutes of his father David. One night, the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, "Ask, what shall I give you?"

1 Kings 3:5 (New King James Version)

⁵ At Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon in a dream by night; and God said, “Ask! What shall I give you?”

Now the good king could have asked God for anything that normal people would have asked. He could have asked for riches, power, longer life, or any number of mortal things. Isn't this what we all are guilty of when we come to God? We find ourselves asking our Lord to give us these temporal things thinking that these "blessings" will solve all our problems. Truth is that the temporal things of this world that we cling to are most often the root of our problems. The Bible tells us not to dwell on the treasures of this world.

1 John 2:15 (New King James Version)

¹⁵ Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.

Luke 12:30 (New King James Version)

³⁰ For all these things the nations of the world seek after, and your Father knows that you need these things.

But good king Solomon asks the Lord to bless him with a wisdom that he seems already to possess partially through his request. He only asks the Lord to grant him an understanding heart to judge truthfully.

1 Kings 3:9 (New King James Version)

⁹ Therefore give to Your servant an understanding heart to judge Your people, that I may discern between good and evil. For who is able to judge this great people of Yours?”

And what a great, great God we indeed have! The Lord blesses him according to his request and also bestows upon him all the blessings that he did not even ask for. How wonderful it truly is to serve the Lord that truly cares for all our needs.

1 Timothy 4:16

1 Timothy 4:16 (New King James Version)

¹⁶ Take heed to yourself and to the doctrine. Continue in them, for in doing this you will save both yourself and those who hear you.

John 12:31 (New International Version)

³¹Now is the time for judgment on this world; now the prince of this world will be driven out.

Jesus is speaking to the disciples about how close is the time that he will be die on the cross. But in doing this, the prince of darkness, will be defeated and Jesus will be victorious over sin. 2 Corinthians tells how the devil has cast his veil of darkness over the earth to hide the good news of the gospel and the free gift of salvation through Jesus Christ.

2 Corinthians 4:3-4 (New International Version)

³And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. ⁴The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.

The devil is working nonstop to do his best to hide the gospel and by this leave the unbeliever with a sense of hopelessness leaving them to try to save themselves but salvation comes only through Jesus and not by the works of man.

John 14:6 (New International Version)

⁶Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

Yet another reason why the Great Commission is of such great importance for the believer. To bring the good news to every living soul, pull back the veil of darkness, and show the wonderful goodness and grace of God.

Matthew 9:37 (New International Version)

³⁷Then he said to his disciples, "The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few."

Jesus Declares Himself

Jesus was speaking to the Pharisees you were yet again accusing Him. He declares to them that He is God and has always been.

58 Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am.

John 8:58 (KJV)

In this he is quoting from the Old Testament also.

14 And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you.

Ex 3:14 (KJV)

The Devil - the Father of all Lies

44 Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.

John 8:44 (KJV)

Jesus defends the adulteress

24 I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins.

John 8:24 (KJV)

31 Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed;
32 And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.

John 8:31-32 (KJV)

Jesus is warning the Pharisees when they are testing Him becasue of their disbelief. This instance occurred after they brought him a woman caught in the act of adultery and Jesus defended her.

He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.

John 8:7 (KJV)

10 When Jesus had lifted up himself, and saw none but the woman, he said unto her, Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee?
11 She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.

John 8:10-11 (KJV)