living word november 2014
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The Bible study magazine for those wishing to go deeper into God's Word.TRANSCRIPT
The river of the water of life—as clear as crystal— pouring out from the throne of God. (Rev. 22:1)
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I will be like the dew to Israel; he will blossom like a lily And send down his roots like a cedar of Lebanon. Hosea 14:5
In this month’s issue:
4. For the Asking Edwin & Lillian Harvey (USA)
5. Sealed Until that Day Kenn Legg (Australia)
6. Revelation 20: Events at the End of the World Mathew Bartlett (UK)
9. The Living Church (Sermon Outline) Mathew Bartlett (UK)
11. Hearing His Voice Begins With “Turning Aside” Daniel Kolenda (CfaN)
13. Faith-builders Bible Study Mark 13 Derek Williams (UK)
17. In Depth Study – Zechariah 3 Mathew Bartlett (UK)
19. Gaius the Prosperous Soul Haydn O. Williams (UK)
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Living Word is published in the UK by Sharon Full Gospel Church, 7 Park View, Freeholdland Road, Pontnewynydd, Pontypool, NP4 8LP Editor: Mathew Bartlett
©Photos - above: Sergey Khakimullin Cover: © Alexey Bannykh. Left from top: Jacob Gregory, Maryna Kriuchenko, Dvest. Facing Amandee Back Cover: © Alex Silvano
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Faithbuilders Bible Study Guide – Mark
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The Prophet of Messiah: Zechariah
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An extract from ”Kneeling We Triumph” by Edwin & Lillian Harvey BUY ON KINDLE! £3.86 Reproduced by kind
permission of Harvey Publishers. Image© Winterberg
It was impossible for God to lie
(Heb. 6:18).
Yea, let God be true, but every
man a liar (Rom. 3: 4).
But without faith it is impossible to
please him: for he that cometh to
God must believe that he is, and
that he is a rewarder of them that
diligently seek him (Heb. 11:6).
Human sin began with loss of faith
in God. When our mother Eve
listened to Satan’s sly innuendoes
against the character of God she
began to entertain a doubt of His
integrity, and right there the doors
were opened to the incoming of
every possible evil, and darkness
settled upon the world.
The Bible talks about man’s being
alienated from and an enemy to
God. Should this sound harsh or
extreme you have only to imagine
your closest personal friend coming
to you and stating in cold
seriousness that he no longer has
any confidence in you. “I do not
trust you. I have lost confidence in
your character. I am forced to
suspect every move you make.”
Such a declaration would instantly
alienate friends by destroying the
foundation upon which every
friendship is built. Until your
former friend’s opinion of you had
been reversed there could be no
further communion. Only a
restored faith could bring about a
restored friendship. Now, it is well
known that people do not go boldly
to God and profess that they have
no confidence in Him, and no one
except the rare professional
unbeliever is willing to witness
publicly to his low view of God. The
frightful thing, however, is that
people everywhere act out their
unbelief with a consistency that is
more convincing than words.
Idolatry is the supreme sin and
unbelief is the child of idolatry. Both
are libels on the character of the
Most High and the Most Holy. “He
that believeth not God hath made
him a liar,” wrote the apostle John.
A God who lies is a God without
character, and where there is no
character there can be no
confidence. The joyous message of
Christianity is that there is a way
back from this place of unbelief and
alienation. “He that cometh to God
must believe that he is, and that he
is a rewarder of them that diligently
seek him.”
The Gospel message declares that
the wronged God took the wrong
upon Himself in order that the one
who committed the wrong might
be saved. Repentance is, among
other things, a sincere apology to
God for distrusting Him so long, and
faith is throwing oneself upon Christ
in complete confidence. Thus by
faith reconciliation is achieved
between God and man.—A. W.
Tozer.
Our limitless trust in God seems to
satisfy Him as nothing else can do,
because it corresponds with His
eternal faithfulness, it honors His
veracity, and is a constant silent
worship of all His perfections. God
forever honors those who believe
Him. He has organized us on a
pattern of trust, and not to trust
ourselves in God is to derange the
very plan of our creation. Faith in
God is at once the sweetest
necessity, the sublimest duty, and
the greatest privilege of a creature
toward his Creator.—G. D. Watson.
The first requirement of
prayer is to believe.
Believe that God is and that
“he is a rewarder of them
that diligently seek him.”
Believe that God is alive and
therefore has power—not
only for Peter’s deliverance,
but for ours.
Believe that God is love and
that He cares for His own.
Believe that God is power
and therefore no power can
stand against Him.
Believe that God is truth and
therefore cannot lie.
Believe that God is king and
that He will never abdicate
His throne or fail in His
promise.—Leonard Ravenhill.
Hold God’s Character True
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The Blessings of the Righteous –Ken Legg After creation, the first act of God
towards man was to bless him. This
is God’s heart towards us. The
Hebrew word for ‘bless’ is barak or
baruch meaning to empower to
prosper in all areas of life. After God
made Adam He placed him in a
garden to tend it, dress and work it
so that it would yield its fruit.
The Foundation Of Blessing Is A
Right Relationship With God
The foundation of blessing is to be
rightly related to God. So when
Adam disobeyed God and became
disconnected from Him he
experienced the curse. Tending was
replaced with toiling. The curse of
the law means we have to toil to
get what God originally gave us. But
immediately after the fall God gave
the promise of a Saviour. The Seed
of the woman would come and
bruise the head of the serpent and
overturn the curse, restoring the
blessing once again. The foundation
of blessing, as before, would be a
right relationship with God. But
there’s a difference. We would not
be innocent, like Adam, but
righteous. Innocence means there is
no guilt before God…yet! But we
live with the knowledge that we can
and will sin, resulting in judgment.
In contrast to this, righteousness
means that the perfect
righteousness of Christ has been
imputed to us and we are therefore
permanently ‘in the right’ with God
and always qualified for His
blessing. We are blessed because
we are righteous. Christ has
delivered us from the curse of the
law having become a curse for us,
so that we might experience the
blessing of Abraham (see Gal.3:9-
14). If we don’t understand this,
every time something goes wrong in
our lives we will think that God is
catching up with us for some
personal sin or even a generational
sin. Many Christians live like this.
The Blessing of Abraham
Let’s look at an example of the
blessings of righteousness in the life
of Abraham. When he went down
to Egypt he was afraid of the
Egyptians. His wife was beautiful
and he feared the Egyptians would
kill him so that they could have
Sarah. So he said to her, “Say you
are my sister.” They went along
with this plan to the extent that
Pharaoh took her into his house. He
was about to sleep with her until
God plagued him and his house
with ‘great plagues’. When the
reason for this was revealed,
Pharaoh blamed Abraham for
behaving this way. He then restored
Sarah to him, and gave him many
sheep, oxen, servants, silver & gold.
At this point I can almost hear the
cry, “Unfair!” Maybe you even think
I’ve read the Bible wrong. No, I
haven’t. In fact an almost identical
situation occurred sometime later
when Abraham went to the land of
Gerar. The King of Gerar,
Abimelech, was also led to believe
that Sarah was Abraham’s sister. So
he took her with the intention of
having her as his wife. But God
came to him in a dream and said,
“You are a dead man if you touch
this woman! She’s married. Now
restore her to her husband
otherwise you are dead!”
Abimelech rose early the next
morning (as you would!) and
restored Sarah to Abraham and
gave him many sheep, oxen,
servants and silver as well.
It would seem from the passage
that Abraham didn’t do this just
once or twice; it was his practice
wherever he went (see Gen.20:13).
So how could God, who cursed
mankind on account of sin, not
punish Abraham for his sin? In fact,
He blessed him while he was
sinning! The reason is that though
Abraham was not innocent, yet he
was permanently righteous.
God does not impute sin to the
righteous. In Romans chapter 4,
where Paul discusses our
righteousness in Christ, he quotes
David who said: “Blessed are those
whose lawless deeds are forgiven,
and whose sins are covered; blessed
is the man to whom the LORD shall
not impute sin” (Rom.4:7&8). Under
the New Covenant God promises: “I
will be merciful to their
unrighteousness, and their sins and
their lawless deeds I will remember
no more” (Heb.8:12). There are
consequences for wrong doing. If
we sow to the flesh, from the flesh
we will reap corruption – not from
God (see Gal.6:8). God does not
impute our sins to us because they
have been imputed to Christ.
Instead Christ’s righteousness is
always imputed to us. That’s why
there is no condemnation for those
who are in Christ – not now, not
ever. We are blessed because of
Jesus!
That’s the good news of the gospel
of grace: “…God was in Christ
reconciling the world to Himself,
not imputing their trespasses to
them…” (2 Cor.5:19 – emphasis
mine). And if you are in Christ, God
will never impute your sins to you.
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!
Many Christian statements of faith
include a line such as this: we
believe in the everlasting conscious
bliss of all who truly believe in our
Lord Jesus Christ. In this chapter
John has a glimpse into the eternity
of joy which we shall call ‘the
eternal day’. He sees a new heaven
and earth, which Peter says, is “the
home of righteousness.” He views
the New Jerusalem, the church of
Jesus Christ, as the grand
masterpiece of God’s new creation.
John uses the best words human
language will allow to describe the
unspeakable beauty of the scene
before him. His vision discloses:
The Future of the Church
An Exalted Setting
In Verse 10 John is carried away in
the Spirit to a vast and high
mountain, which speaks of the
exaltation of the bride of Christ. The
city comes down out of heaven
from God. Already believers have
been “raised up together and are
seated together in heavenly places
in Christ Jesus.” (Eph. 2.6) And our
greatest hope is to be “forever with
the Lord.” (1 Thess. 4.17)
From the eternal viewpoint of the
sacred vision, John sees this already
fulfilled. The city HAS God’s glory.
Romans 5:1 tells us that having
been justified by faith in the Lord
Jesus Christ, we rejoice in hope of
the glory of God, which one day will
be ours. In verse 11 John describes
the beauty of the saints; and in
verse 2 the church is compared to a
bride beautifully adorned for her
husband. At that time God’s people
shall be beautified with God’s glory.
For the Lord takes pleasure in His
people; He will beautify the humble
with salvation. Psalms 149:4
The glory of God’s people is to reign
throughout eternity with him. You
may recall from our earlier studies
at the beginning of the book of
Revelation that Jesus said “He who
overcomes I will grant to sit with me
on my throne.” (Rev3.21) The
church will occupy an exalted
setting in eternity.
An Endless Stay
In verse 3 we read: “And I heard a
loud voice from heaven saying,
"Behold, the tabernacle of God is
with men, and He will dwell with
them”. The key to eternal bliss is
God’s dwelling among people. As
the bride of Christ descends out of
heaven from God, her eternal
communion with God has already
begun and will never be
interrupted. There will be no need
for a temple in heaven, for God’s
presence will be immediate and full.
God’s purpose to dwell among
people forever will be fulfilled,
hence the cry goes up - it is
completed. God made humanity for
fellowship with Himself, and sent
Christ into the world to redeem
sinful humankind, that he might
dwell with them forever. The
church will enjoy an endless stay in
eternity - God with us and we with
God.
An Everlasting Supply
Our every need and wish will be
supplied in heaven. In verse 6 Jesus
promises to give the water of life
freely to all who thirst. What is this
fountain of the water of life? These
are the deep supplies which, if I
might use such a phrase, fuel the
Godhead himself. God is all
sufficient in himself and he chooses
to share that all sufficiency with us.
That is the water of life, flowing
from the throne of God. God is
Revelation 21
The Eternal Day
Truth for Today
A brief extract from our forthcoming book.
By Mathew Bartlett
Image © Pidiyath100
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never in want, and we shall not be
in want. In his presence there is
fullness of joy (Ps 16.11); but there
is also fullness of all things. All
things are freely given to us in
Christ. As verse 7 highlights: The
one who conquers will inherit these
things, and I will be his God and he
will be my son.
Similarly, Paul writes: He who did
not spare His own Son, but
delivered Him up for us all, how
shall He not with Him also freely
give us all things? Romans 8:32
Throughout eternity, the Alpha and
Omega, the beginning and end will
be our all in all. When we read
these words, we should not think of
the Lord Jesus Christ as akin to
bookends – Alpha at the one end
and Omega at the other. Instead, he
is the A to Z, the sum total of all
things, and all sufficient for us.
The fatherhood of God brings to us
an all satisfying relationship. If only
we could fully understand the
words “I will be his God and he will
be my son” we would know that all
we need is found in Him. We are
born of God’s Spirit and share his
divine nature, so it is our place to be
with him. The child of God will need
no other amusement in heaven, for
we will never be dissatisfied.
The future God has planned for his
church is an exalted setting,
endless stay and everlasting
supply.
The Features of the Church in
Eternity
John is using familiar words to
describe heavenly realities. Having
described the church as a bride, he
also describes it as a city, indicating:
The Structure of the Church in
Eternity.
It is laid out as a square, with three
gates on each of its four sides,
twelve gates in all.
These gates are inscribed with the
names of the twelve tribes of Israel,
whilst the foundations of the city
are inscribed with the names of the
twelve apostles of the Lamb. God’s
everlasting purpose in his dealing
with men in both the Old and New
Testaments is now fulfilled; its
foundations show that the church in
heaven is made up of Jews and
Gentiles from every nation.
Each gate is a single pearl. That is a
message in itself. The tropical sea
pearl oyster secretes layer upon
layer of a shiny substance called
nacre onto any foreign object, such
as sand or a parasite that enters
into its shell. Eventually, over a
period of seven years, a beautiful
and valuable pearl is formed. The
pearl is all that remains to tell of the
oyster’s victorious battle with its
sufferings. We will, of course, be in
heaven because of the shed blood
of Christ, a sacrifice that will never
be repeated. Nevertheless the gates
of the city, speak of:
The Shelter of the Church,
The heavenly pearls are all that
remain of the sufferings his church
passed through on its way to
heaven. No more suffering will
reach us in that heavenly shelter;
our suffering will be over forever,
but what it produced in us, the
perfect beauty of the likeness of
Christ, will remain.
The Size of the Church
We are not to think of the
redeemed of the Lord as being
some minor community. The people
inhabiting New Jerusalem will be
more numerous than the sand by
the seashore. John has already
described the church in heaven as
being “innumerable” (Rev. 7.9).
Although I’m honestly not sure if we
should take these measurements
literally, I’ve done some calculations
with them all the same. According
to the earthly measurement used
by the angel, the city covers a land
area of 2 ¼ million sq. miles, 10
times the size of the British Isles.
However, the height of the city is
remarkable. If it were on earth
today, it would reach further into
space than some satellites. If we
were to flatten it out to the height
of the highest skyscrapers on earth
the New Jerusalem would occupy
more than 30 times the surface
area of our planet (including all the
seas). To sum up, the point is very
simply made: it is a vast place.
Symbolism aside, the message is
clear - there is plenty of room in
heaven for everyone.
Our attention is next drawn to the
thickness of the walls - 144 cubits or
(over 200 feet). In ancient times,
the thickness of a city wall was a
measure of its security. No enemy
could enter through walls so thick.
This implies:
The Saint’s Security
Sin (v8)(v27), death (v4), pain (v4)
and sadness (v4) will never enter
heaven. There will be no separation
from God or each other. Notice: WE
shall be forever with the Lord, not I.
We will be with him but we will also
be with each other, and with our
Christian loved ones who have
passed on before us, eternally.
What a blessed thought. The
fellowship God enjoys with his
people we shall also enjoy with
each other in perfect and unending
love and unity. Maybe that is why
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there is only one street in heaven, a
symbol of our unity and community.
The Saint’s Perfection
The precious stones the city is built
with speak of the saint’s perfection.
Each believer is a living stone, and
precious to God. These precious
gems represent the perfections of
Christ which have now been
revealed in and through the
redeemed, who share his image.
For whom God foreknew, He also
predestined to be conformed to the
image of His Son, that He might be
the firstborn among many
brethren. (Rom. 8:29)
As Ephesians 5.27 says, Christ will
‘present to Himself a glorious
church, not having spot or wrinkle
or any such thing, but that she
should be holy and without
blemish.’ When we see Christ we
shall be like him, for as 1 John 3:2
says, “we shall see him as he is.”
The perfection of the saints is also
shown by the perfection of the city,
since the numbers, all derivatives of
12, are taken by many scholars to
be a reference to the perfections of
divine character and government.
Next we turn our attention to the
doors, which are eternally open.
This tells of:
The Saint’s Freedom
The twelve gateways do not reveal
the way to heaven, for there is only
one way to heaven - the Lord Jesus
Christ said ‘I am the Way’, and ‘I am
the door’. But the gateways reveal
the freedom of the saints. Open
doors mean the freedom to come
and go as we please. There will be
no one to harass or stop us
worshipping God in heaven. There
will be perfect liberty. No church
meetings will need to be held in
secret behind locked doors. The
doors will never be closed, there
will never be the need to lock up at
night, for there will be no night; and
though attended by angels, these
must be seen as attendant servants
rather than guardians of the city,
since the city has no need of a
guard – there are no more enemies
to harass. “Open Doors” is a good
name for an organisation seeking to
help persecuted believers meeting
behind closed doors for fear of their
enemies. There will be no closed
doors in heaven, but eternal
freedom to worship God.
We have dealt with the future of
the church and its features in
eternity, but finally, what will be the
function of the Church in heaven?
The Function of the Church
To Bring Glory to God.
The church shall function in heaven
to bring glory to God. Paul repeats
this theme again and again in
Ephesians. He tells us that the
church will be to the glory of God
for his grace:
‘our adoption as sons by Jesus
Christ.. Is to the praise of the glory
of His grace.. (Eph. 1:5-6) that we
who first trusted in Christ should be
to the praise of His glory. (Eph. 1:12)
..the redemption of the purchased
possession, will be to the praise of
His glory’. (Eph. 1:14)
It will be to the glory of God’s
wisdom. Paul says that even now,
“the manifold wisdom of God is
made known by the church to the
principalities and powers in the
heavenly places, (Eph. 3:10) And so
for eternity the church shall display
his wisdom.
For I consider that the sufferings of
this present time are not worthy to
be compared with the glory which
shall be revealed in us. (Rom. 8:18)
Notice that the scripture says, ‘They
shall bring the glory and honour of
the nations into it.’ (v26) Here is
something that the saints will take
with them into heaven - their own
glory, that is, their characters or
own selves which have been
purified and perfected in Christ.
What we are will not be abrogated
in heaven. ‘I will know even as I am
known.’ We will know each other in
heaven. The saints themselves are
to be to God’s glory - as Paul tells
the Thessalonians ‘you are our glory
and joy’. (1 Thess. 2:20).
To bring Worship to God.
Looking briefly at chapter 22:3 we
read: ‘His servants shall serve him.’
What will our heavenly service be?
It will consist chiefly of worship.
Worship has been described as the
highest form of service. One of the
final commands in the book of
revelation is ‘Worship God!’ (Rev.
22:9). It is a command the child of
God should delight to keep;
worshipping God through eternity.
Conclusion
The eternal day will be an eternity
of joy for all the redeemed. The
bride coming down out of heaven
introduces us to what could rightly
be called “The Marriage Supper of
the Lamb.” the eternal union of God
with his people. No wonder the
angel has earlier announced
‘Blessed are they who are called to
the marriage supper of the Lamb.’
(Rev 19.9) I’m getting ready for the
marriage feast, are you?
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It came even to pass, as the
trumpeters and singers were as
one, to make one sound to be
heard in praising and thanking
the LORD; and when they lifted
up their voice with the trumpets
and cymbals and instruments of
musick, and praised the LORD,
saying, For he is good; for his
mercy endureth for ever: that
then the house was filled with a
cloud, even the house of the
LORD; So that the priests could
not stand to minister by reason
of the cloud: for the glory of the
LORD had filled the house of
God. (2Ch 5:13-14)
INTRODUCTION
There is a longing in us all to sense
the presence of God. Whilst there is
no gimmick or formula by which we
might demand God’s presence,
praise frees the human spirit to
appreciate the presence of God.
The above reading relates to the
inauguration of the Temple by
Solomon and the installation of the
Ark of the covenant; the event was
accompanied by praise and
worship. Similarly, when the Holy
Spirit came to his temple (the
Church) at Pentecost, he inspired
praise and worship.
1. THE REDISCOVERY OF
WORSHIP
The people of Solomon’s time were
praising and thanking the Lord.
There will always be the outpouring
of the Spirit when there is worship.
The people had been serving, but
now they were praising. In the early
church it was as they ministered
unto the Lord, the Ho/v Ghost
said....”
(a) “For He is good...”
This is praising God for who He is.
Those who have never come to
Christ see no loveliness in God. But
we who know Christ can praise God
for His pure, lovely holiness - “holy,
holy, holy....”
We praise God for his infinite
wisdom - “In Him are hid all the
treasures of wisdom and
knowledge...”
We praise God for his power -
everything is in His hand, and so
answers can be received to our
prayers.
(b) “For His mercy endureth for
ever....”
This is praising God for what He has
done for us: His salvation; care and
forgiveness –
We note that the Ark was now in
the Temple. In a similar sense, God
is with us as an abiding presence.
Even when we fail God, God does
not fail us.
There’s nothing between me and
weeping and wailing....But Christ.
Thank God for his glorious
intervention in Christ!
SENSING THE PRESENCE OF GOD
2 CHRONICLES 5:13-14
A Sermon Outline by Rev. Ramon Hunston (Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada)
Image © Maryna Kriuchenko
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(c) Thanksgiving is God’s Will
In everything give thanks: for this is
the will of God in Christ Jesus
concerning you. (1Th 5:18)
Thanksgiving expresses faith. It is
the experience of commitment.
2. THE REDISCOVERY OF
FELLOWSHIP
“They were as one.”
(a) Their hearts were one.
There was nothing between them;
this is the Biblical essential of
relationships.
‘Behold, how good and how
pleasant it is for brethren to dwell
together in unity! It is like the
precious ointment upon the head,
that ran down upon the beard, even
Aaron's beard: that went down to
the skirts of his garments; As the
dew of Hermon, and as the dew
that descended upon the
mountains of Zion: for there the
LORD commanded the blessing,
even life for evermore.
(Psa 133:1-3)
Note also Jesus’ prayer: "That they
may he one...and the glory that
Thou gayest Me, I have given to
them." (John 17:21-22)
(b) Their prayers were as one, just
as on the day of Pentecost the
disciples were all of one accord in
one place.
They made “one sound.” When we
are united together by the same
Holy Spirit, we enjoy corporate
worship which is the secret of
corporate blessing.
(c) Their spirits were as one.
We must be united in one purpose -
to praise the Lord.
That ye may with one mind and one
mouth glorify God, even the Father
of our Lord Jesus Christ. (Rom 15:6)
Our praises are only acceptable to
God through Christ.
3. THE REALISATION OF GOD’S
PRESENCE
(a) The cloud filled the house
(Temple)It was the same cloud as in
the wilderness... but now a
different generation.
God led the children of Israel by a
pillar of fire in the wilderness. For
the Church today he has sent the
Holy Spirit, the fire of Pentecost.
(b) The priests could not stand to
minister.
It was the same experience as when
the Tabernacle was set up but once
again it was now a different
situation. On this occasion as then,
God kindled the fire on the altar.
We must never restrict God to
acting in the past. Pentecost was a
once for all event in the plan of
God, but God wants the same
power of the Holy Spirit to be
experienced by a new generation in
our day.
(c) The glory of the Lord filled the
house (Temple).
Fire came down from God following
Solomon’s prayer. (7:1-2)
There was the same power and
presence. The God of the Old
Testament is the God of the New.
He has lit the holy fire of Pentecost,
but consequently he would have us
keep it burning in our hearts in a
spirit of worship.
Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity… for there the LORD commanded the blessing, even life for evermore.
Psalm 133:1-3 Image © Zoom-zoom
11
The other day I went with my
father to the shooting range. He
was heading out on a hunting
trip, and before he left I wanted
to help him “sight in” the rifle
I had bought him as a gift. We
looked through the scope, which
we had just attached, aimed at
the target, and fired, knowing
that we would most likely miss
the bull’s-eye. But by firing at
the target, we could see where
we needed to make an
adjustment to the scope. We
were only able to make
corrections when we saw how
we were missing the mark.
I think this is typical of life. We
usually learn more from our
mistakes than our successes. But
unless you fire, you will never
miss, and unless you miss, you
will never be able to make the
adjustments necessary to hit the
bull’s-eye.
Whenever I begin a new project
or initiative, I never view my
initial plan as the final draft. I
dive into it knowing that I will
learn as I go. This means that
I’m not paralyzed by a fear of
failure; rather I am looking
forward to learning what not to
do.
I see my initial plan as an
uncalibrated machine with many
dials. The dials are all the
different variables represented
in that particular project. Once
the machine is running, I can see
what is working and what is not
working. I am diligent to gather
sufficient feedback, and then I
will begin to tweak the “dials”
based on that feedback.
Even when I feel like everything
is running smoothly, I will
continue to step back often to
analyse the process. If
something is working well, I will
try to capitalize on it. If
something is not working well, I
will adjust it or prune it off
altogether. It is an ongoing
dynamic development that
never ends.
This process is where real
progress is made, but until you
take action, all of your planning
Ready, Fire, Aim Bible Study by Daniel Kolenda (CfaN) Photo: © Ellah By kind permission of CfaN, an extract from Daniel’s new book-
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12
and strategizing is simply
untested theory.
Having said all these things, let
me be clear: taking action is not
just a matter of trial and error.
At its core, it is a matter of
faithfulness.
Even if there are a thousand
things you cannot do for one
reason or another, there is
always something you can do. It
may seem small or insignificant,
but the eyes of God are on you.
He is watching to see what you
will do with the opportunities He
has given you, and your
response will determine
whether He entrusts you with
more.
I was preaching in a church some
time ago when a young man
came up to me with tears in his
eyes and said, “I have a calling
like yours. The Lord has called
me to preach the gospel. I
believe I am going to win
millions of people to the Lord,
but I don’t know where to start.”
I put my arm around him and
said, “I think I can help you.” He
said, “You can?” I said, “Yes, I
can tell you where to start.
Start by telling your unsaved
family members about Jesus.
Then go and tell your unsaved
friends about Jesus. Then go out
to the street corners and preach
the gospel to lost people
wherever you can find them. As
God sees your faithfulness, He
will give you more.”
Another young man shared his
vision with me one day. He said,
“I am going to start a house of
prayer. I am going to have
prayer, intercession, and
worship going on twenty-four
hours per day, seven days per
week, three hundred sixty-five
days per year.”
“That’s a wonderful vision,” I
said. “When will it begin?” He
said, “Well, first I need to gather
several dozen worship bands
together and several hundred
intercessors who share my
vision.” I could see a problem in
his plan right away.
“Can I give you some advice?” I
asked. He was very eager to hear
it. I said, “Why don’t you start
with one evening per week or
one day per month? Start by
doing whatever you can do, and
as you are faithful, God will give
you more.”
Unfortunately my advice was
too unexciting for that young
man. He decided to do it the
more dramatic way and wait
until all the bands and
intercessors had been
assembled. I’m sad to report
that several years later, he still
has not started the house of
prayer.
I did not start by preaching to
millions of people. I started
preaching as a teenager to lost
people on the streets. I went
door to door in my
neighbourhood and witnessed
to my neighbours. I went to the
parks and stood on park
benches and preached. I stood
up in restaurants, outside
movie theatres, on street
corners. I have been escorted
away by police on more than
one occasion for preaching the
gospel.
When I first launched into full-
time evangelistic ministry, I had
only one preaching invitation.
But that invitation led to another
and another and another. Today
I have more invitations than I
could ever accept, but it all
happened one door at a time.
There’s an
ancient
Chinese
proverb that
says, “The
journey of a
thousand
miles begins
with the first
step.”
Perhaps you don’t know how to
get from A to Z, but you don’t
need to know that. All you need
to know is how to get from A to
B. Once you get to B, then you
will go to C, and one step at a
time you will find that the
waters will begin to part as your
feet get wet.
13
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Each chapter has thought provoking questions to aid study and sample answers are provided.
Below is an extract from the study notes for Mark chapter 9.
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The ‘Faith-builders Bible study series’ has been developed a useful resource for today’s students of
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The Plot Against Jesus
14:1 Two days before the Passover
and the Feast of Unleavened Bread,
the chief priests and the experts in
the law were trying to find a way to
arrest Jesus by stealth and kill him.
Although the religious leaders in
Jerusalem had been talking for
some time about ridding
themselves of Jesus it was not until
two days before the Passover that
they met together to plan on how
they could bring about his death by
deceptive means. That they sought
to do this by stealth reveals that
they knew they had no justification
for their actions.
14:2 For they said, ‘Not during the
feast, so there won't be a riot
among the people.’
They originally hoped to put the
plan on hold until after the
Passover, in case it caused uproar
among the people, with whom
Jesus was popular. So they planned
to take Jesus after the feast, until
circumstances caused them to
change their plans. In fact, it was
God’s own plan that was about to
be fulfilled in Jerusalem (Prov.
19:21; Job 5:12; Psalm 33:11).
Jesus Anointed
14:3 Now while Jesus was in
Bethany at the house of Simon the
leper, reclining at the table, a
woman came with an alabaster jar
of costly aromatic oil from pure
nard. After breaking open the jar,
she poured it on his head.
This event took place in Bethany
where Jesus often resorted when
going to Jerusalem. This time the
supper is held in Simon the leper's
house; since Simon was present he
had obviously been healed by the
Lord. The differences in Matthew's
(Matt. 26 6-13) and Mark's account
of this anointing with that of John's
(John 12:1-8) might readily be
explained if we assume that Martha
and Mary had prepared supper in
Simon’s house.
Matthew and Mark place this event
two days before the Passover;
whereas John mentions Jesus
arriving in Bethany six days before
the Passover. But we have already
seen in Mark that Jesus spent
several days in Bethany before his
execution, and so although he
arrived six days before, the
anointing may well have taken place
The Faith-builders Bible study series
Mark Chapter 14 By Derek Williams & Mathew Bartlett (UK) Image © Rorem
Mark Chapter 2 (abstract) By Derek Williams & Mathew Bartlett (UK) Image © Rorem
14
(as Mark relates) two days before
the Passover.
Although Mark does not name her,
John affirms that is was Mary the
sister of Lazarus who poured a
liquid perfume made out of pure
nard on Jesus’ feet (nard was
extracted from the spikenard plant).
It was very costly and highly prized,
being imported from Arabia, India
and the Far East. Since Mary was
someone who listened attentively
to Jesus’ words (John 10:39), had
she saved the perfume purposely,
realising that she was anointing
Christ for his burial; or did she act in
ignorant devotion? She did not keep
anything for herself but gave it all to
Jesus.
Mark says that Mary anointed
Jesus’ head whilst John mentions
his feet. It is quite likely that Mary
(who had come to anoint his body
for burial) would have anointed
both.
14:4-5 But some who were present
indignantly said to one another,
‘Why this waste of expensive
ointment? It could have been sold
for more than three hundred silver
coins and the money given to the
poor!’ So they spoke angrily to her.
The act of worship which expressed
Mary’s love for the Lord brought an
angry response from the onlookers,
including the twelve disciples. They
all sharply criticised Mary. To them
it was a complete waste of an
expensive item which could have
been used for better things. Their
minds were still fixed on material
benefits and so they were blinded
to the spiritual significance of what
Mary had done. In any case after all
that Jesus had done for them
should they begrudge him this
honour? In John's gospel we are
told that it was Judas Iscariot that
made the most objections, since he
been stealing from the purse he had
been entrusted with (John 12:6).
14:6 But Jesus said, ‘Leave her
alone. Why are you bothering her?
She has done a good service for me.
Jesus knew what was in Mary’s
heart and comes to her defence,
rebuking the disciples for accusing
her. He commends Mary for her act
of faith, declaring it to be good and
beautiful as an expression of love.
14:7 For you will always have the
poor with you, and you can do good
for them whenever you want. But
you will not always have me!
Mary seemed to understand
something that the disciples had
not, although Jesus had repeatedly
told them about it: he was leaving
them. In fact his hour had almost
come; now was the time to do
something for him. There would
always be poor people in the world
for whom they could give help at
any time.
14:8 She did what she could. She
anointed my body beforehand for
burial.
Jesus informs them quite clearly
that she had anointed him for his
burial.
14:9 I tell you the truth, wherever
the gospel is proclaimed in the
whole world, what she has done will
also be told in memory of her.’
Mary's act of devotion would be
remembered as a testimony to her
wherever the gospel was preached;
her actions are worthy of being
commended as an example for all
believers to follow – symbolising
complete surrender to the Lord.
Judas Agrees to Betray Jesus
14:10-11 Then Judas Iscariot, one of
the twelve, went to the chief priests
to betray Jesus into their hands.
When they heard this, they were
delighted and promised to give him
money. So Judas began looking for
an opportunity to betray him.
After this Judas Iscariot wasted no
time. He had made up his mind to
betray Jesus into the hands of his
enemies and so conspired with the
chief priests how he might betray
him into their hands without the
people knowing. They rejoiced to
hear this, since this is what they had
been waiting for. Who better to
help them than one who was his
disciple and professed friend (Psalm
41:9; Psalm 55:12-14)? The price
that they would pay Judas for the
life of the Lord was thirty pieces of
silver, the price of a slave.
The Preparation and the
Passover
14:12 Now on the first day of the
feast of Unleavened Bread, when
the Passover lamb is sacrificed,
Jesus' disciples said to him, ‘Where
do you want us to prepare for you
to eat the Passover?’
When the disciples asked Jesus
where he wanted them to prepare
for the Passover, they found that
God had already made preparations
of his own.
14:13 He sent two of his disciples
and told them, ‘Go into the city, and
a man carrying a jar of water will
meet you. Follow him.
As they entered Jerusalem they
would meet a man carrying a
pitcher of water, an uncommon
sight enough, as it was usually the
15
women or children who did this. He
would lead them to the place which
God had ordained for this last
supper. Mark seems eager to affirm
that God was not leaving any of the
events surrounding his Son’s last
days to chance.
14:14-15 Wherever he enters, tell
the owner of the house, 'The
Teacher says, ‘Where is my guest
room where I may eat the Passover
with my disciples?’ He will show you
a large room upstairs, furnished and
ready. Make preparations for us
there.
God had also prepared the owner of
the house to receive the disciples,
and when they arrived he guided
them to an upper room which was
already prepared for the Passover
celebration.
14:16-18 So the disciples left, went
into the city, and found things just
as he had told them, and they
prepared the Passover. Then, when
it was evening, he came to the
house with the twelve. While they
were at the table eating, Jesus said,
‘I tell you the truth, one of you
eating with me will betray me.’
The disciples obeyed Jesus without
question and it found things to be
exactly as he had told them. So they
prepared the Passover ready for his
arrival. When we do exactly as Jesus
commands us we will find that all
things will work out right.
At evening time, Jesus arrived with
the rest of the twelve, and as they
sat down to eat, he dropped the
first bomb shell of the evening. One
of the twelve, one of those closest
to him, was going to betray him. We
cannot imagine what a shock this
must have been to the disciples; all
except for one.
14:19 They were distressed, and one
by one said to him, ‘Surely not I?’
The disciples began to show their
sadness at hearing this news; yet it
is significant to notice that they did
not ask “who is it?” or insist that “it
isn't me”. Their hearts had been so
pierced by Jesus’ words that even
the innocent among them began to
examine themselves, and asked him
one by one “is it I?”
14:20 He said to them, ‘It is one of
the twelve, one who dips his hand
with me into the bowl.
In reply, Jesus did not openly name
the betrayer, but gives an almost
“cryptic clue” so that the person
himself would know that Jesus was
not ignorant of his plans. According
to John 13:26, it appears that only
John saw who dipped his hand in
the dish at the same time as Jesus,
and so understood the betrayer to
be Judas Iscariot.
14:21 For the Son of Man will go as
it is written about him, but woe to
that man by whom the Son of Man
is betrayed! It would be better for
him if he had never been born.’
The fact that every minute detail of
the plan of salvation was
foreordained by God did not
absolve Judas Iscariot from blame
for the part which he played in it.
Like any other person, Judas had a
free will; he did not have to betray
Jesus. Jesus gave him plenty of
opportunities to repent but he
continually hardened his heart.
Therefore he would pay the
dreadful penalty for his actions and
there would never be a rest for his
soul. That is why Jesus said “It
would be better for him if he had
never been born”.
14:22-26 While they were eating, he
took bread, and after giving thanks
he broke it, gave it to them, and
said, ‘Take it. This is my body.’ And
after taking the cup and giving
thanks, he gave it to them, and they
all drank from it. He said to them,
‘This is my blood, the blood of the
covenant that is poured out for
many. I tell you the truth; I will no
longer drink of the fruit of the vine
until that day when I drink it new in
the kingdom of God.’ After singing a
hymn, they went out to the Mount
of Olives.
Judas having left, Jesus proceeded
to institute a new memorial - the
communion - to replace that of the
Passover. Just as the Passover
involved the death and blood of a
lamb, so the memorial Christ
instituted would point to his own
broken body and to his blood shed
on the cross.
As Passover commemorated the
Jews’ deliverance from slavery to
Egypt, so the communion pictures
the deliverance which Christ
provided (through his death) from
the slavery of sin. Christ gave
himself for us that we might be
redeemed, purchased for God by
his blood. This blessing of
redemption is closely related to the
forgiveness of sins (Eph. 1:7).
The Passover provided a number of
types and pictures of the reality
which was soon to be fulfilled by
Christ’s death, and which thereafter
would no longer be needed. Christ
would never take Passover again,
but he would share the blessings of
the redemption which it symbolised
with all the believers in his
kingdom. Barnes says, “The
observance of the Passover, and of
the rites shadowing forth future
things, here end… Hereafter, when
my Father’s kingdom is established
in heaven, we will partake together
of the thing represented by these
16
types… the blessings and triumphs
of redemption.”
Before facing his last and fiercest
battle at the cross, Jesus paused to
sing hymns of praise to God with his
disciples. It is commonly accepted
that the hymns sung by Jews on
such an occasion Psalms 113-118. In
Christ’s singing there was a note of
praise for the victory which he was
about to accomplish. Following the
hymn, they set out for the Mount of
Olives, where in a garden called
Gethsemane, they often met to
pray.
14:26-31 Then Jesus said to them,
‘You will all fall away, for it is
written, 'I will strike the shepherd,
and the sheep will be scattered.' But
after I am raised, I will go ahead of
you into Galilee.’ Peter said to him,
‘Even if they all fall away, I will not!’
Jesus said to him, ‘I tell you the
truth, today -- this very night --
before a rooster crows twice, you
will deny me three times.’ But Peter
insisted emphatically, ‘Even if I must
die with you, I will never deny you.’
And all of them said the same thing.
The Old Testament had predicted
the scattering of Christ’s disciples at
the time of his arrest and
crucifixion. But Jesus introduced a
new reality – he would gather them
to himself again after he was raised
from the dead. All the disciples,
including Peter, were indignant at
the suggestion that they would
forsake their Lord. They
overestimated their own ability and
loyalty; though Jesus ability to keep
his word was never in doubt.
14:32-41 Then they went to a place
called Gethsemane, and Jesus said
to his disciples, ‘Sit here while I
pray.’ He took Peter, James, and
John with him, and became very
troubled and distressed. He said to
them, ‘My soul is deeply grieved,
even to the point of death. Remain
here and stay alert.’ Going a little
farther, he threw himself to the
ground and prayed that if it were
possible the hour would pass from
him. He said, ‘Abba, Father, all
things are possible for you. Take this
cup away from me. Yet not what I
will, but what you will.’
Then he came and found them
sleeping, and said to Peter, ‘Simon,
are you sleeping? Couldn't you stay
awake for one hour? Stay awake
and pray that you will not fall into
temptation. The spirit is willing, but
the flesh is weak.’ He went away
again and prayed the same thing.
When he came again he found them
sleeping; they could not keep their
eyes open. And they did not know
what to tell him. He came a third
time and said to them, ‘Are you still
sleeping and resting? Enough of
that! The hour has come. Look, the
Son of Man is betrayed into the
hands of sinners.
As Christ approached the garden of
Gethsemane, he began to enter his
agony, an agony which only he
could face. The sorrow of it was
itself sufficient to kill him (14:34).
Asking all his disciples, some further
off and some nearby, to pray with
him, he fell on his face to intercede
with God for the last time as a man;
asking that if it were possible, the
hour might pass from him. It was
certainly possible, for Christ would
not be forced to suffer and die for
the sin of the world. Yet it was the
only way for lost sinners to be
redeemed for God; their
redemption by any other means
was impossible.
The salvation of sinners was the
purpose for which Christ had come
into the world (1 Tim. 1:15; John
3:16). Realising this, despite the
agony of the moment, Christ
purposed to go through with the
plan - not for his own sake, but for
ours. He prayed, “yet not what I
will, but what you will’ (v36). An
angel appeared to strengthen him,
lest the sorrow be too much for his
human frame to bear (Luke 22:43).
The Betrayal and Arrest
14:42 Get up, let us go. Look! My
betrayer is approaching!’
After his agonizing triumph in
Gethsemane Jesus woke his
disciples as his betrayer came near.
14:43 Right away, while Jesus was
still speaking, Judas, one of the
twelve, arrived. With him came a
crowd armed with swords and clubs,
sent by the chief priests and experts
in the law and elders.
Even as he spoke, Judas arrived with
a detachment of temple police,
heavily armed. Judas may have had
some idea of what the disciples’
reaction to Jesus’ arrest might be,
particularly Peter's and so he may
have advised them to bring
weapons.
14:44-46 (Now the betrayer had
given them a sign, saying, ‘The one I
kiss is the man. Arrest him and lead
him away under guard.’) When
Judas arrived, he went up to Jesus
immediately and said, ‘Rabbi!’ and
kissed him. Then they took hold of
him and arrested him.
Judas had also agreed the means by
which he would identify Jesus. The
kiss was the usual form of greeting
in New Testament times (Rom.
16:16); and among Christians this
affectionate greeting demonstrated
love and brotherhood (1 Pet. 5:14).
The callous way in which Judas used
17
the kiss and hypocritically
addressed Jesus as “Rabbi”
demonstrated that he had gone
beyond all hope of repentance
(Prov. 27:6). In this way Judas
handed the Saviour of the world
into the hands of cruel men.
14:47 One of the bystanders drew
his sword and struck the high
priest's slave, cutting off his ear.
John 18:10 reveals that it was Peter
who made this useless attack upon
Malchus, one of the high priest's
servants, cutting off his ear. Luke
informs us (Luke 22:51) that Jesus
touched the ear of this servant and
healed it immediately. Even to
those who had come out to destroy
him, Jesus showed love and
compassion. The one who
commands “love your enemies”
(Matt. 5:44) never asks us to do
anything which he did not do first.
14:48-49 Jesus said to them, ‘Have
you come with swords and clubs to
arrest me like you would an outlaw?
Day after day I was with you,
teaching in the temple courts, yet
you did not arrest me. But this has
happened so that the scriptures
would be fulfilled.’
Although it appeared that Judas
was handing Jesus over to his
enemies, and that they now had
Christ in their power, Jesus
remained in complete control of the
situation. He even dictated the
terms of his own arrest,
confounding his enemies by
challenging them (John 18:7-8).
Pointing to their weapons he
reminds them that he was daily in
the temple but they did not seize
him. The fact that they had come
armed under cover of darkness
proved them to be wrong. Yet all
things were happening in
accordance with the scriptures: God
was in control (Isa. 53:7).
14:50 Then all the disciples left him
and fled.
Here we see the fulfilment of Jesus’
prediction in verse 27; all the
disciples left him and fled.
14:51-52 A young man was
following him, wearing only a linen
cloth. They tried to arrest him, but
he ran off naked, leaving his linen
cloth behind.
It is thought that this young man
(who would have been in his teens)
might have been Mark the writer of
the gospel. The temple guards were
unable to arrest him, but he only
narrowly managed to escape by
leaving his clothing behind.
The Religious Trial of Christ
After Jesus’ arrest they took him to
Annas, who had retired as high
priest fifteen years previously and
was the father-in-law of the present
high priest, Caiaphas (John 18:13). It
was Caiaphas who had prophesied
that it was needful that one man
should die so that the whole nation
should not perish (John 11:50-51).
From there they led Jesus to
Caiaphas, and the 71 members of
the Sanhedrin (the religious
authority of the Jews) assembled to
put Jesus on trial, laying false
charges against him.
14:54 And Peter had followed him
from a distance, up to the high
priest's courtyard. He was sitting
with the guards and warming
himself by the fire.
Peter, who originally fled with the
rest of the disciples in the garden,
returned to follow Jesus at a safe
distance and gained entry into the
high priest's courtyard through
John's influence (John 18:16). He sat
among the enemies of Christ,
warming himself by the fire.
14:55-56 The chief priests and the
whole Sanhedrin were looking for
evidence against Jesus so that they
could put him to death, but they did
not find anything. Many gave false
testimony against him, but their
testimony did not agree.
The fact that they had difficulty
finding people to act as false
witnesses against Jesus proves that
they could not justify his arrest. The
text suggests that they were forced
to bribe people to make false
accusations; but even then these
could not agree, God throwing their
false testimony into confusion.
14:57-59 Some stood up and gave
this false testimony against him: We
heard him say, 'I will destroy this
temple made with hands and in
three days build another not made
with hands.' Yet even on this point
their testimony did not agree.
At last there were some who came
forward to say that they had heard
Jesus threaten to destroy the
temple and then rebuild it. This was
of course true, but in context, Jesus
had been speaking of his death and
resurrection. “Yet his death did
destroy the need of the temple and
established the church as a new
place made without hands in which
God would dwell” (Wesley Bible).
14:60-61 Then the high priest stood
up before them and asked Jesus,
‘Have you no answer? What is this
that they are testifying against But
he was silent and did not answer.
Again the high priest questioned
him, ‘Are you the Christ, the Son of
the Blessed One?’
18
Caiaphas then took matters into his
own hands, being amazed at Jesus'
silent response to all the
accusations being made against him
(1 Pet. 2:23).
If he had chosen to believe the
scriptures, Caiaphas would have
recognised Christ as the Son of God
by his demeanour without having to
question him (Isa. 53:7).
14:62 I am, said Jesus, and you will
see the Son of Man sitting at the
right hand of the Power and coming
with the clouds of heaven.
Up until this point Jesus had not
even let his own disciples openly
confess him as Christ (Mark 8:30;
Mark 9:9). But now there was no
longer any need for concealment
for his time had come.
So Jesus answered with an
emphatic “I am!” This claim to be
the “I am”, the deity, the messiah-
King who was destined to sit at the
right hand of God, from where he
would come again in glory and
judgement, was too much for the
high priest.
14:63-64 Then the high priest tore
his clothes and said, ‘Why do we still
need witnesses? You have heard the
blasphemy! What is your verdict?’
They all condemned him as
deserving death.
Caiaphas could not have asked for
any better. As far as he was
concerned this was blasphemy,
justification enough to condemn
Jesus to death. And so it was by the
religious leaders of his time that the
Lord Jesus Christ is condemned to
death.
14:65 Then some began to spit on
him, and to blindfold him, and to
strike him with their fists, saying,
‘Prophesy!’ The guards also took
him and beat him.
The Sanhedrin had no power to
carry out their sentence of death,
for this could only be done by the
Romans.
Nevertheless, all restraint and
respect for Jesus was abandoned as
they abused him shamefully,
spitting in his face (Isa. 50:6). They
blindfolded him, asking him to
prophecy who hit him. In this way
he was despised, rejected and set at
nought (Isa. 53:3).
Peter's Denial
14:66-67 Now while Peter was
below in the courtyard, one of the
high priest's slave girls came by.
When she saw Peter warming
himself, she looked directly at him
and said, ‘You also were with that
Nazarene, Jesus.’
Whilst all this was going on, Peter
was still warming himself by the
fire, keeping company with those
who were Christ’s enemies. Nor did
he go unnoticed, for a servant girl
recognised him and accused him of
being a follower of Jesus.
14:68 But he denied it: ‘I don't even
understand what you're talking
about!’ Then he went out to the
gateway, and a rooster crowed.
Peter pretends that he doesn't
understand what she means – this
is the first denial - and the cock
crew - Peter had begun to fall, just
as Jesus had predicted.
14:69 When the slave girl saw him,
she began again to say to the
bystanders, ‘This man is one of
them.’
The girl was not going to let Peter
get away with such a denial, and on
seeing him again she made her
accusation to others standing by
that he was one of Jesus’ followers.
14:70 But he denied it again. A short
time later the bystanders again said
to Peter, ‘You must be one of them,
because you are also a Galilean.’
This time, Peter denied that he was
a disciple of Jesus – this was the
second denial. The third time Peter
was approached by those who
stood with him, for his Galilean
accent betrayed him. Surely, if he
was a Galilean, he must be one of
Christ's followers.
14:71-72 Then he began to curse,
and he swore with an oath, ‘I do not
know this man you are talking
about!’ Immediately a rooster
crowed a second time. Then Peter
remembered what Jesus had said to
him: ‘Before a rooster crows twice,
you will deny me three times.’ And
he broke down and wept.
On this third occasion Peter denied
with oaths and curses that he ever
knew Jesus at all - and the cock
crowed again. Peter completely
falls. At this point Luke reveals that
Jesus looked at Peter - not with a
look of condemnation but a look of
love.
It was enough; Peter remembered
Jesus' prediction and was
completely broken in spirit and
wept. Like Jeremiah before him,
Peter had learned to admit “my
heart within me is broken” (Jer.
23:9). This was not to be the end of
Peter; for his broken and contrite
spirit and the fact that Jesus had
prayed for him remained as his all-
sufficient protection (Psalm 34:18).
19
Vision Four: The Cleansing of the
High Priest vv. 1-7
3:1 Next I saw Joshua the high
priest standing before the angel of
the LORD, with Satan standing at
his right hand to accuse him.
Joshua the high priest was among
those who had returned from exile
in Babylon to Jerusalem. Zechariah
sees him in vision form standing
before the angel of the Lord with
Satan making accusations against
him. The devil had done the same
to God’s servant Job (Job 1:6-12),
and presumably does so to all
God’s servants, since he is known
as ‘the accuser of the brothers’
(Rev. 12:10).
3:2 The LORD said to Satan, "May
the LORD rebuke you, Satan! May
the LORD, who has chosen
Jerusalem, rebuke you! Isn't this
man like a burning stick snatched
from the fire?"
Joshua stands in front of the Lord
as one who is justified in his sight,
and so the Lord rebukes Satan for
daring to bring an accusation
against God’s servant (Rom. 8:33);
for if God be for us, who can be
against us (Rom 8:29-31)?
3:3 Now Joshua was dressed in
filthy clothes as he stood there
before the angel.
The dirty clothes which Joshua
wore were symbolic of his own sin
and possibly (since the high priest
represented the nation) that of all
Israel. The scripture had already
declared all people to be sinners,
and all human righteousness is as
filthy rags (Isa. 64:6).
3:4-5 The angel spoke up to those
standing all around, "Remove his
filthy clothes." Then he said to
Joshua, "I have freely forgiven your
iniquity and will dress you in fine
clothing." Then I spoke up, "Let a
clean turban be put on his head."
So they put a clean turban on his
head and clothed him, while the
angel of the LORD stood nearby.
But in a picture of cleansing,
forgiveness and justification, the
angel ordered Joshua’s soiled
clothes to be removed and that he
be clothed instead with clean
robes. Joshua also received a clean
turban, the sign of high priestly
office, which bore a gold plate
engraved with the words HOLINESS
TO THE LORD (Exodus 29:6; 39:30).
For the Jews, this would have been
an indication that God would
honour his covenant. The sin of the
people was to be removed, and
they would once again be seen as
the nation belonging to God, with a
renewed and cleansed priesthood
and rebuilt temple. Their enemies,
represented in the vision by Satan,
would be unable to overcome
them or thwart God’s purposes.
The early church realised that this
vision provided an illustration of
what Christ has done for Christian
believers. Christ has carried our sin
away in his own body on the cross
(1 Peter 2:24) so that our filthy
garments might be taken away and
our sins are forgiven (1 John 2:12).
Subsequently, Christ clothed us
with the garments of his
righteousness and salvation (Isaiah
61:10). By faith in Christ we are
justified in God’s sight (Gal. 2:16);
that is, we are accepted as part of
God’s covenant people, in a right
relationship with God. Christ has
cleansed us in order to make us
holy; we are a kingdom of priests
(1 Peter 2:9; Rev. 1:6) that we
might serve God acceptably with
reverence and godly fear (Heb.
12:28) offering spiritual sacrifices
to the Lord (1 Peter 2:5).
3:6-7 Then the angel of the LORD
exhorted Joshua solemnly: "The
LORD who rules over all says, 'If
you live and work according to my
Our In Depth Study
Zechariah Chapter 4
By Mathew Bartlett
Photo © Jacob Gegory Scripture taken from the NET Bible®.
This article is an extract from The Prophet of Messiah – a Zechariah Bible Commentary Buy Paperback £2.54
20
requirements, you will be able to
preside over my temple and attend
to my courtyards, and I will allow
you to come and go among these
others who are standing by you.
Having cleansed and justified
Joshua, the Lord next gave him a
solemn commission. The Lord’s
charge to Joshua was for him to
perform the duties of high priest,
the vision thereby ordained Joshua
as high priest in the eyes of the
people.
But more than that; for the return
of the nation of Israel to the
Promised Land was a re-
establishing of their God-given call
to be witnesses to the nations; and
this was to be inaugurated by the
consecration of their high priest as
much as by the rebuilding of the
temple.
Having been made holy, Joshua
was to serve God in holiness of life’
keeping his commandments
blamelessly. This is always to be
the result of consecration to God’s
service. Like Joshua, it is only once
we have been cleansed that we can
be consecrated to serve the Lord;
just as in Exodus 29:20 Aaron and
his sons had to have the blood of
the sacrifice applied to them
before they could minister. The
result of our cleansing and
consecration is to be obedience
(Rom. 6:1-2); for the deeper our
appreciation of our forgiveness,
the deeper will be our devotion to
God (Luke 7:47).
The Greater High Priest to Come
vv. 8-10
3:8 Listen now, Joshua the high
priest, both you and your
colleagues who are sitting before
you, all of you are a symbol that I
am about to introduce my servant,
the Branch.
God sends a message to Joshua
and his contemporaries about the
servant of God who was one day to
appear, whom Isaiah and Jeremiah
had already identified as ‘the
Branch’ (Isa. 11:1 and Jer. 23:5). It
was important to note that this
branch was to be of the line of
David; yet Joshua the high priest is
set forth as a picture of him in
order to indicate that he would
also be a priest, bearing the sin of
many (Isa. 53:10-11). Of course,
Israel knew that this could never
be – priests only came from the
tribe of Levi; yet as the writer to
the Hebrews explains, the priest
God spoke of was appointed after
the order of Melchisedec, not the
order of Aaron,; that is, according
to the power of an endless life.
Jesus Christ is the branch born of
the seed of David, who because of
his endless life remains a priest of
God forever (Rev. 1:18; Heb. 6:20).
3:9 As for the stone I have set
before Joshua -- on the one stone
there are seven eyes. I am about to
engrave an inscription on it,' says
the LORD who rules over all, 'to the
effect that I will remove the
iniquity of this land in a single day.
It is uncertain whether an actual
engraved precious stone was
placed before Joshua during his
consecration; at least in this vision
of his consecration. If so, it would
have served as a perpetual
reminder before the people of
God’s promise in this verse – to
remove the sin of the people
through the ministry of ‘the
branch’.
The Lord Jesus Christ is again and
again referred to as a ‘stone’ in the
scriptures. He is a chosen and
precious stone (1 Peter 2:4), yet he
is the stone which the builders
rejected (Psalm 118:22; Acts 4:11)
and the one who became a trap
and snare to those who did not
believe (Isaiah 8:14; 1 Peter 2:7).
On this stone, the Lord says, are
seven eyes (originally, possibly
seven facets), a symbol speaking of
the all-knowledge of God. The
servant who is anointed with the
sevenfold Holy Spirit (Rev 4:5; Isa.
11:2) will also possess such all-
knowledge. Engraved on the stone,
which is Christ, is the sign that God
would remove the iniquity of the
people in a single day - the
dreadful day when Christ hung on a
cross at a place called Calvary and
God laid on him the iniquity of us
all (Isa. 53:6).
3:10 In that day,' says the LORD
who rules over all, 'everyone will
invite his friend to fellowship under
his vine and under his fig tree.' "
The result of Christ’s removing the
iniquity of the people is described
vividly in terms of fellowship,
abundance and peace; a message
which would have been welcomed
by the fearful exiles. Moreover, the
fact that everyone would have his
own supply and could sit in peace,
suggests that they would be no
more slaves or servants (as they
had been in Babylon). Through
Christ we enjoy fellowship with
God (1 Cor. 1:9) and one another (1
John 1:7). Through Christ we have
peace with God (Rom. 5:1) and
with each other (Eph. 2:14).
Through Christ we have abundance
(Rom. 8:32). Through Christ we are
no longer slaves or servants but
sons and friends (Gal .3:26; John
15:15).
21
From ‘Meet These
Men: Character Studies
in the Bible’
A forthcoming book based on
studies by the late Haydn O.
Williams. Image © Dvest
James The Lord’s Brother
AS far as we know, there were three
people named James who followed
the Lord Jesus Christ.
1. James the son of Zebedee and
brother of John was one of the
twelve apostles (Matt. 10:2), and
was executed at the order of King
Herod (Acts 12:1-2).
2. James son of Alphaeus was also
one of the twelve apostles and was
known as James the less, to
distinguish him from the other
James (Matt. 10:3). He was
probably just not as big!
3. The third James is called “the
Lord’s brother” (Galatians 1:19) and
is believed to have been the eldest
brother of Jesus, the son of Mary
and Joseph. (Mark 6:3; Matthew
13:55-56). To be a natural brother
of Jesus must have been a great
privilege, when you think of who
Jesus was - the great creator who
became our Saviour. James would
have played, schooled, studied and
went to the synagogue with Jesus
as the custom was, and perhaps
they even worked together in
Joseph’s carpentry shop. James may
have been able to tell us more
about the obscure years of Jesus. As
Christians we too
count it a privilege to know Jesus
Christ, for to know him is eternal
life.
It is this third James that I wish to
focus on in this study.
New Creation of James
Although James was Jesus’ brother,
he had not always been a believer
or follower of the Lord Jesus Christ.
The Bible says that at one time His
own brothers did not believe.
So Jesus' brothers advised him,
"Leave here and go to Judea so your
disciples may see your miracles that
you are performing. For no one who
seeks to make a reputation for
himself does anything in secret. If
you are doing these things, show
yourself to the world." (For not even
his own brothers believed in him.)
(Joh 7:3-5)
This reminds me of Joseph’s
brothers who did not believe his
dreams, but who later came to
understand when Joseph revealed
himself as ruler of all Egypt. Many
Christian parents have wept
because their children do not
believe.
Conversion
The life of Jesus must have
profoundly influenced his family,
because a day came when they
believed and followed him.
All these continued together in
prayer with one mind, together with
the women, along with Mary the
mother of Jesus, and his brothers.
(Act 1:14)
In a similar way, how a Christian
lives can greatly influence their
families for Christ. (1 Peter 3:14).
We don’t know when or how James
came to believe, but some accept
that it may have been after Christ’s
death and resurrection, because the
Lord Jesus Christ personally
appeared to him after he rose from
the dead.
Then he appeared to James, then to
all the apostles. (1Co 15:7)
Salvation is brought about by divine
revelation, as it did to Paul on the
Damascus road. The Holy Spirit
convinces of sin and makes known
the risen Christ. We must believe in
the miracle of the resurrection in
order to be saved (see Romans
10:9).
22
Devotion
James was a son of Israel but by
faith in Christ he became a son of
God (John 1:12). He became a
devoted follower of Jesus. We
notice that James was a humble
man, referring to himself as the
“bond servant” (a servant of love)
of Jesus Christ. He also confessed
Christ to be his Lord. In this James is
an example to all believers who are
also bondservants, confessing Christ
as Lord.
The High Calling of James
His Obedience
Having trusted in Christ James
proved his devotion by his
obedience. He was among the 120
disciples who obeyed the command
of Jesus to wait in Jerusalem for the
promise of the father. As a result he
was gathered with the others in the
upper room. (Acts 1:14).
Consequently he received the gift of
the Holy Spirit on the day of
Pentecost. If we claim that Jesus is
our Lord then we too will obey him.
He is Lord, but we must prove he is
our Lord by obedience. We too
must receive the Holy Spirit.
And we are witnesses of these
events, and so is the Holy Spirit
whom God has given to those who
obey him." (Act 5:32)
His Office
James the Lord’s brother was not
one of the twelve apostles but he
was certainly a man of importance
and considered a leader or Pastor of
the Church in Jerusalem.
When Peter was released from
prison by an angel he said ‘Tell
James and the brothers these
things," (Act 12:17)
When the church at Jerusalem met
to discuss the matter of
circumcising Gentile converts,
James was not only present, he had
the final word to say on the issue
(Acts 15:13).
Later, when Paul came to Jerusalem
for the last time, he reported news
of his mission to James (Acts 21:18).
James was truly blessed with a
great ministry.
The Excellent Character of
James
If we accept that James the Lord’s
brother wrote the epistle of James
then we can see from its contents
that he must have been a holy and
good man of God.
He was a Practical Man
James was a wise counsellor and his
writings reveal him to be a practical
man. He insists that pure religion is
practical, that faith without works is
dead, and that we must not just
hear but be doers of the Word.
Pure and undefiled religion before
God the Father is this: to care for
orphans and widows in their
misfortune and to keep oneself
unstained by the world. (Jas 1:27)
So also faith, if it does not have
works, is dead being by itself. (Jas
2:17)
But be ye doers of the word, and not
hearers only, deceiving your own
selves. (Jas 1:22)
He was a Praying Man
James knew from his own long
experience that “the effectual
fervent prayer of a righteous man
avails much” (James 5:16). James
was a man of prayer. Church legend
has it that so used was this man of
God to bow his knees in prayer that
he had “camels knees”, worn by
constant use in this habit.
He was a Patient Man
James wrote about patience.
So be patient, brothers and sisters,
until the Lord's return. Think of how
the farmer waits for the precious
fruit of the ground and is patient for
it until it receives the early and late
rains. You also be patient and
strengthen your hearts, for the
Lord's return is near. (Jas 5:7-8)
This kind of patience means
persevering in our faith despite
trials until Jesus comes again.
Indeed, perseverance in the face of
suffering was the theme of Job,
whom James urges us to emulate.
Think of how we regard as blessed
those who have endured. You have
heard of Job's endurance and you
have seen the Lord's purpose, that
the Lord is full of compassion and
mercy. (Jas 5:11)
James also wrote of having patience
with others:
Understand this, my dear brothers
and sisters! Let every person be
quick to listen, slow to speak, slow
to anger. (Jas 1:19)
He was a Perfect Man
It might seem strange to end on this
note, for James certainly did not
consider himself a perfect man in
these sense of sinless perfection
(James 3:2). But he did speak of
perfection as a measure of spiritual
maturity (James 1:4).
James was an elder to whom other
elders looked up; and he was rightly
called to be the leader of the church
at Jerusalem.
23
Many people see Christmas as the
most wonderful time of the year!
But even now, as the Christmas
lights are switched on, darkness is
all around us in our world. On TV
we see reports of terrorism, war
and murder. Terrible crimes are
committed against the innocent.
Some terrorists even say they have
committed their crimes “in the
name of God.”
Doesn’t God care about what is
happening in our world, supposedly
in his name? Hate, envy, murder
and greed are all deeds of darkness.
But the Bible says:
“God is Light and in Him is no
darkness at all.”
This Christmas - a time for
celebrating Christ’s birth - millions
will be drinking too much, partying,
taking drugs and behaving
immorally. This sinful darkness has
nothing whatever to do with the
birth of the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus
said:
“I am the Light of the World.
Whoever follows me will not walk
in darkness but will have the light
of life.”
Jesus Christ, the true light, has
come into the world to bring us out
of the darkness of sin and into a
relationship with God. His Light
shows up our actions and thoughts
for what they really are - sinful. The
reason God sent His Son Jesus to die
on a cross, bearing our sin and its
punishment, was that He might
“rescue us from the power of
darkness and bring us into the
kingdom of His Beloved Son”. Jesus
rose from the dead and is alive
today to bring men and women
“out of darkness and into His
marvellous Light.”
To believe on the Lord Jesus Christ
is to be saved from the darkness of
sin now and forever; to be
guaranteed a place in the eternal
light of God’s glorious heaven.
To refuse to believe the Lord Jesus
Christ is to condemn yourself to
what the Bible calls “the blackness
of darkness forever”. Jesus clearly
taught that anyone who died not
believing in Him would spend
forever in a place called hell. Jesus
said “in hell, the worm does not die
and the fire is not quenched.” He
called it “outer darkness, where
there is weeping and gnashing of
teeth.”
This Christmas, as we celebrate that
Jesus Christ, the Light of the World,
has been born, let us not forget the
reason why He came. His birth
means we all have a choice to
make.
Are you in darkness or Light?
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Contact Us Editor: Mathew Bartlett
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