Matthew 28
Sunday morning visit to the tomb verse 1
In the end of the Sabbath – as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week came Mary Magdalene – and the other Mary to see the sepulcher
Angel rolls the stone away from tomb verse 2- 4
AND BEHOLD – there was a great earthquake
FOR the angel of the Lord descended from heaven
and came and rolled back the stone from the door
and sat upon it
His countenance was like lightning – and his raiment white as snow
AND FOR fear of him the keepers did shake
and became as dead men
Angel instructs women verse 5- 7
AND the angel answered and said unto the women – Fear not you
FOR I know that you seek Jesus – which was crucified
HE is not here – FOR HE is risen as HE said
Come see the place where the Lord lay
AND go quickly – and tell HIS disciples that HE is risen from the dead
AND BEHOLD – HE goes before you into Galilee
there shall you see HIM – LO – I have told you
Jesus meets women verse 8- 10
AND they departed quickly from the sepulcher with FEAR and GREAT JOY
and did run to bring HIS disciples word
AND AS they went to tell HIS disciples – BEHOLD – Jesus met them – saying
All hail
AND they came and held HIM by the feet – and WORSHIPPED HIM
THEN said Jesus to them
Be not afraid – go tell MY brethren that they go into Galilee
and there shall they see ME
Soldiers bribed by religious leaders verse 11- 15
NOW when they were going – BEHOLD – some of the watch came into the city and showed to the chief priests all the things that were done
WHEN they were assembled with the elders – and had taken counsel
they gave large money to the soldiers – saying
Say you – HIS disciples came by night
and stole HIM away while we slept
AND IF this come to the governor’s ear
we will persuade him – and secure you
SO they took the money – and did as they were taught
and this saying is commonly reported among the Jews
until this day
Disciples meet Jesus verse 16- 17
THEN the eleven disciples went away into Galilee
into the mountain where Jesus had appointed them
AND when they saw HIM – they WORSHIPED HIM
but some DOUBTED
Jesus commissions the disciples verse 18- 20
AND Jesus came and spoke unto them – saying
All power is given to ME in heaven and in earth
Go you therefore – and teach all nations
baptizing them in the name of the
Father – Son – Holy Ghost
Teaching them to observe all things
whatsoever I have commanded you
and LO – I am with you always
even to the end of the world
AMEN
COMMENTARY:
DAILY SPIRITUAL BREAKFAST: Young Believers
: 6 He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come see the place where the Lord lay.(1453 “risen” [egeiro] means to arouse, to awake, cause to stand up, raise to life, or rouse)
DEVOTION: This is the best statement a believer can find in the New Testament. Jesus Christ is not in the grave. HE is not dead. HE is alive.
The angel at the tomb was talking to the women who have come to anoint the body of Jesus. They thought HE was still dead. They had heard HIM say that HE was going to rise from the dead on the third day but they didn’t seem to believe HIS statement.
Well they were wrong. HE did come alive again. HE would appear to the disciples later that day. HE appeared to Mary that same day. HE made many resurrection appearances to help those who were followers understand that they were serving a Savior that was alive.
Many still are not followers of the LORD because that can’t seem to get their head around the fact that Jesus was killed and that HE was alive after three days. Some scholars are still going around our nation saying that HE didn’t really say things or do things that the Bible says HE did. They want to cast doubt in the belief of a Savior that is alive. They are wrong.
We need to understand the basics of our faith if we are to share it with others. The basic teachings of the Gospels are that Jesus was born, lived on this earth for about thirty three years, died on the cross, and rose from the grave on the third day. HE is now in heaven making intercession for those who are believers. We are to pray to the Father through the Son under the ministry of the Holy Spirit.
Jesus sent a comforter to us in the person of the Holy Spirit. HE will guide us in all truth regarding Jesus Christ and our ministry.
HE HAS RISEN!!! HE HAS RISEN INDEED.
CHALLENGE: Jesus is not in the tomb. HE is alive and we need to spread the truth of HIS resurrection first in our thinking and then to others. IF we don’t believe in a risen Savior we can’t teach others this truth.
DAILY SPIRITUAL LUNCH: Transitional Believers
: 15 So they took the money, and did as they were taught: and this saying is commonly reported among the Jews until this day. (1321 “taught” [didasko] means instruct, to be or become informed of instructions, teach, to communicate skills, instill doctrine inot one, or to explain or expound a thing.)
DEVOTION: Would you lie if someone gave you enough money? Here we see the religious leaders giving the soldiers money to lie. They didn’t want the soldiers to tell the real story. They knew that if the real story were told many people would believe in Jesus.
So what did they do to keep their power in the Roman government? They had the soldiers lie, so that, they kept their status with the political world they were living in. They were protecting themselves rather than teaching the truth. Truth wasn’t important to them.
Today we have many religious people lying to those they influence because it there is money in it. There are television and radio programs that promise blessings for donations. We have individuals going around the world saying that they will heal everyone who has enough faith to be healing when in reality they are just looking for money.
Does God heal people today? Yes. James tells us that we are to call the elders of the church together and anoint those who ask for it. It is to be a church elder activity and not a side show. God is working through the local church to reach and encourage believers.
Check out each sermon you hear with what the Word of God states. Ask the Holy Spirit for wisdom regarding your support of any ministry.
CHALLENGE: Support your local church first and foremost. Make sure it is a Biblical church. If not find one locally that is Biblical.
DAILY SPIRITUAL SUPPER: Mature Believers
: 17 And when they saw him, they worshiped him: but some doubted. (4352 “worshipped” [proskuneo] means to kiss the hand towards one, in token of respect, to prostrate by kneeling in to do homage to someone or to fall on the knees and touch the ground with the forehead as an expression of profound reverence.
DEVOTION: In this gospel of Mathew we find that eight times that people came to Jesus and worshipped HIM. This verse is taking place after HIS resurrection from the dead. The women fell down and paid HIM homage when they saw HIM on their way to tell the disciples about the resurrection.
While the women were going to the disciples the guards went to the religious leaders who paid them to lie. They reported that they were sleeping and the disciples came and stole the body of Jesus. This is what the Jews teach today. They are still waiting for their Messiah.
After the women give the report of the resurrection of Jesus to the disciples they head out to meet HIM on the mountain. Once they see HIM they fall down and showing profound reverence for HIM. Jesus give them the Great Commission to go and witness to the world of HIS resurrection.
The last part of the verse gives us an example of what is happening today. Some of the disciples who followed Jesus and saw HIM on the mountain STILL doubted.
Can we imagine seeing all that they saw and still doubting who Jesus is. It seems unreal but that happened according to Matthew. It is so sad. Some people will not follow Jesus even after seeing all HIS miracles and HIS resurrection from the dead.
No wonder we have people today who doubt the truth of the Word of God. Jesus tells Thomas in another Gospel that those who did not see HIM and yet believed were going to be blessed.
Doubt in the place of great testimony is still happening today. We can see someone follow Jesus and have dramatic changes happen in their lives and some will still doubt the truth of the resurrection.
Are we really worshipping Christ and the power of HIS resurrection in our lives in front of others? When we go to church are we acting like part of the bride of Christ waiting for the bridegroom?
We have all gone to a wedding where we have watched the eyes of the groom as the bride walks down the aisle. There is a twinkle in their eyes toward each other. Is this true when we give our love to Christ each day? Is there a twinkle in our eyes when we tell others the good news of the Gospel? Let’s not be part of the crowd that come doubting and calling themselves HIS disciples.
CHALLENGE: Show the twinkle in your eye when you tell others about Jesus. We are not to be doubting!!
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: 20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the world. Amen. (5083 “observe” [tereo] means keep, reserve, watch, preserve, hold fast, to attend to carefully, to guard, obey, pay attention to, to watch over, or to conform one’s action or practice to.)
DEVOTION: One of the major omissions in many of our Bible believing churches is the education of new believers.
We seem to be excited about individuals placing their faith in Jesus Christ by coming forward in church, making a commitment in Sunday School or at special meetings. Once they have made that commitment we instruct them in order to be baptized but then once they are baptized and in the church membership we assume that they will grow on their own by personal study and listening to the Sunday messages in Sunday School and church.
Sad to say many believers remain baby Christians for most of their life. They don’t understand their responsibility to reach others, give to the work of the LORD, or use their gifts in the local church. Many just come to church and sit in the pew for an hour and think they have fulfilled their commitment to the LORD.
Jesus told the disciples to teach new believers to obey all the commands HE had given them. That takes a lot of time. Follow up classes should go through the basics of the twelve doctrines, use of Spiritual gifts in the local church, outreach into the community, Bible memorization and a personal walk with the LORD. All these are basic to growth in the LORD.
CHALLENGE: Spiritual foundation is necessary if a Christian is going to grow.
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DISCIPLINES OF THE FAITH:
BODY
Chastity (Purity in living)
Fasting (Time alone with LORD without eating or drinking)
Sacrifice (Giving up something we want to serve the LORD)
Submission (Willing to listen to others and LORD)
Solitude (Going to a quiet place without anyone)
SOUL
Fellowship (Gathering together around the Word of God)
Frugality (wise use of resources)
Journalizing (Writing down what you have learned from the LORD)
Study and Meditation (Thinking through your study in the Word)
Secrecy (Doing your good deeds without others knowing but God)
SPIRIT
Celebration (Gathering around a special occasion to worship LORD)
Confession (Tell the LORD we are sorry for our sins on a daily basis)
Prayer (Conversation with God on a personal level)
Silence (Letting the LORD deal with some problems and needs)
Worship (Time to praise the LORD alone or in a group)
Sabbath verse 1
Women worshiped Jesus verse 9
Chief priests verse 11
Disciples worshiped Jesus verse 17
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DOCTRINES OF THE FAITH:
Scripture (66 inerrant books of the Bible)
God the Father (First person of the Godhead)
Lord – angel of verse 2
Baptize in the name of the Father verse 19
God the Son (Second person of the Godhead –God/man, Messiah)
Jesus verse 5, 9, 10, 16
Crucified verse 5
Risen verse 6, 7
Jesus met women verse 9, 10, 16
All power given to Jesus verse 18
Son – baptize in the name of verse 19
God the Holy Spirit (Third person of the Godhead – our comforter)
Baptize in the name of the Holy Ghost verse 19
Trinity (Three persons of the Godhead who are co-equal = ONE God)
Father – Son – Holy Ghost verse 19
Angels (Created before the foundation of the world – Good and Evil)
Angel of the Lord verse 2- 7
Countenance like lightning
Raiment white as snow
Fear of angel verse 4
Man (Created on the sixth twenty-four hour period of creation)
Watch= soldiers verse 11- 15
Governor’s ear verse 14
All nations verse 19
Sin (Missing the mark set by God on man and angels)
Elders bribed soldiers verse 12
Elders told soldiers to lie verse 13
Elder told soldiers they would protect them verse 14
Soldiers took money and lied verse 15
Jews believed the lies verse 15
Some disciples doubted verse 17
Salvation (Provided by Christ’s death on the cross for our sins)
Fear not verse 5
Risen Savior verse 6, 7
Disciples verse 7- 9
Fear of the LORD verse 8
Great joy verse 8
Worship verse 9, 17
Not afraid verse 10
Brethren verse 10
Power given verse 18
Teach verse 19, 20
Baptize –name of Father, Son, Holy Spirit verse 19
Presence of the LORD verse 20
Israel (Old Testament people of God)
Mary Magdalene verse 1
Other Mary verse 1
Galilee verse 7, 10, 16
Brethren verse 10
Chief priests verse 11
Elders verse 12
Counsel verse 12
Lie commonly reported among Jews verse 15
Church (New Testament people of God)
Disciples verse 7- 9, 13, 16
All power given to church verse 18
Reach all nations verse 19
Teach verse 19, 20
Baptize verse 19
Practice presence of the LORD verse 20
Jesus with church to end of world verse 20
Last Things (Future Events)
End of the world verse 20
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DONATIONS:
Remember that all donations to Small Church Ministries are greatly appreciated. The treasurer will send a receipt, at the end of the year unless otherwise requested. Please be sure to make check out to “Small Church Ministries.” The address for the treasurer is P.O. Box 604, East Amherst, New York 14051. A second way to give to the ministry is through PayPal on the website: www.smallchurchministries.org. Also, if you can support this ministry through your local church please use that method. Thank you.
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QUOTES regarding passage
20 Those who are discipled must not only be baptized but also taught. The content of this instruction (see on 3:1 for comments concerning kerygma [“preaching”] and didache [“teaching”]) is everything Jesus commanded the first disciples. Five things stand out.
1. The focus is on Jesus’ commands, not OT law. Jesus’ words, like the words of Scripture, are more enduring than heaven and earth (24:35); and the peculiar expression “everything I have commanded you” is, as Trilling (p. 37) has pointed out, reminiscent of the authority of Yahweh (Exod 29:35; Deut 1:3, 41; 7:11; 12:11, 14). This confirms our exegesis of Mt 5:17–20. The revelation of Jesus Messiah at this late stage in salvation history brings the fulfillment of everything to which the OT Scriptures pointed and constitutes their valid continuity; but this means that the focus is necessarily on Jesus.
2. Remarkably, Jesus does not foresee a time when any part of his teaching will be rightly judged needless, outmoded, superseded, or untrue: everything he has commanded must be passed on “to the very end of the age.”
3. What the disciples teach is not mere dogma steeped in abstract theorizing but content to be obeyed.
4. It then follows that by carefully passing on everything Jesus taught, the first disciples—themselves eyewitnesses—call into being new generations of “ear-witnesses” (O’Brien, pp. 264f.). These in turn pass on the truth they received. So a means is provided for successive generations to remain in contact with Jesus’ teachings (cf. 2 Tim 2:2).
5. Christianity must spread by an internal necessity or it has already decayed; for one of Jesus’ commands is to teach all he commands. Failure to disciple, baptize and teach the peoples of the world is already itself one of the failures of our own discipleship.
But the Gospel ends, not with command, but with the promise of Jesus’ comforting presence, which, if not made explicitly conditional on the disciples’ obedience to the Great Commission, is at least closely tied to it. “Surely” captures the force of idou here (see on 1:20): he who is introduced to us in the prologue as Immanuel, “God with us” (1:23; cf. also 18:20), is still God with us, “to the very end of the age.” The English adverb “always” renders an expression found in the NT only here—viz., pasas tēs hēmeras, strictly “the whole of every day” (Moule, Idiom Book, p. 34). Not just the horizon is in view, but each day as we live it. This continues to the end of the age (for this expression, see on 13:39–40, 49; 24:3; cf. Heb 9:26)—the end of history as we know it, when the kingdom will be consummated. Perhaps there is a small hint of judgment: the church dare not drift, because it, too, rushes to the consummation. The period between the commission and the consummation is of indefinite length; but whatever its duration, it is the time of the church’s mission and of preliminary enjoyment of her Lord’s presence.
Matthew’s Gospel ends with the expectation of continued mission and teaching. The five preceding sections always conclude with a block of Jesus’ teaching (3:1–26:5); but the passion and resurrection of Jesus end with a commission to his disciples to carry on that same ministry (see Introduction, section 14), in the light of the Cross, the empty tomb, and the triumphant vindication and exaltation of the risen Lord. In this sense the Gospel of Matthew is not a closed book till the consummation. The final chapter is being written in the mission and teaching of Jesus’ disciples. (Carson, D. A. (1984). Matthew. In F. E. Gaebelein (Ed.), The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Matthew, Mark, Luke (Vol. 8, pp. 598–599). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House.)
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The final words of the Lord recorded by Matthew were a promise that He would be with them always until the very end of the Age. Though the Lord did not remain physically with the Eleven, His spiritual presence was with them until their tasks on earth were finished. These final words of the Lord were carried out by the apostles as they went everywhere, proclaiming the story of their Messiah, Jesus Christ, the King of the Jews. (Barbieri, L. A., Jr. (1985). Matthew. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 2, p. 94). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)
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An ability (v. 20b). Jesus is not only “in the midst” when His people gather together (Matt. 18:20), but He is also present with them as they scatter into the world to witness. Had He remained on earth, Jesus could not have fulfilled this promise. It was when the Spirit came that Jesus could be with His people no matter where they were.
Dr. G. Campbell Morgan told about an experience in his life that involved this statement. Early in his Christian life, Morgan used to visit several ladies once a week to read the Bible to them. When he came to the end of Matthew’s Gospel, Morgan read, “Lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of this age.” He added, “Isn’t that a wonderful promise?” One of the ladies quickly replied, “Young man, that is not a promise—it is a fact!”
There are no conditions for us to meet, or even to believe; for Jesus Christ is with us. Paul discovered this to be true when he was seeking to establish a church in the difficult city of Corinth. Obeying this commission, Paul came to the city (Acts 18:1), won people to Christ and baptized them (Acts 18:8) and taught them the word (Acts 18:11). When the going was tough, Paul had a special visit from the Lord: “Be not afraid … for I am with thee” (Acts 18:9–10).
The phrase “the end of the age” indicates that our Lord has a plan; He is the Lord of history. As the churches follow His leading and obey His Word, they fulfill His purposes in the world. It will all come to a climax one day; meanwhile, we must all be faithful. (Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, p. 108). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)
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28:20 teaching them to observe all that I commanded you. The kind of evangelism called for in this commission does not end with the conversion of the unbeliever. I am with you. There’s a touching echo of the beginning of Matthew’s gospel here. Immanuel, which is translated, “God with us” (1:23), remains “with” us “even to the end of the age”—i.e., until He returns bodily to judge the world and establish His earthly kingdom. (MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (2006). The MacArthur study Bible: New American Standard Bible. (Mt 28:20). Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers.)
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20. Lo, I am with you. That is, by my Spirit, my providence, my attending counsel and guidance. I will strengthen, assist, and direct you. This also proves that Christ is divine. If he is a mere man, or a creature, though of the highest order, how could he promise to be with his disciples always, or at all? They would be scattered far and wide. His disciples would greatly increase. If he was with them always, he was God; for no finite creature could thus be present with many men scattered in different parts of the world.
Unto the end of the world. The word rendered world, here, sometimes means age or state; and by some it has been supposed to mean, I will be with you until the end of this age, or during the continuance of the Jewish state, to the destruction of Jerusalem. But as the presence of Christ was no less necessary after that than before, there seems to be no propriety in limiting the promise to his own age. It may therefore be considered as a gracious assurance that he would aid, strengthen, guide, and defend all his disciples, but more especially his ministers, to the end of time. (Barnes, A. (1884–1885). Notes on the New Testament: Matthew & Mark. (R. Frew, Ed.) (pp. 323–324). London: Blackie & Son.)
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Ver 20. Teaching them to observe all things, &c.] All ordinances, not only baptism, but the Lord’s supper; all positive institutions, and moral duties; all obligations, both to God and men; all relative duties that respect the world, or one another, those that are without, and those that are within; and these are to be taught them, and therefore to be insisted on in the ministry of the word; and not merely in order that they may know them, and have the theory of them, but that they may put them into practice: whatsoever I have commanded you; every thing that Christ has commanded, be it what it will, and nothing else; for Christ’s ministers are not to teach for doctrines the commandments of men; or enjoin that on the churches, which is of their own, or other men’s devising, and was never ordered by Christ; and for their encouragement he adds, and lo! I am with you always, even unto the end of the world: meaning, not merely to the end of their lives, which would be the end of the world to them; nor to the end of the Jewish world, or state, which was not a great way off, though this is sometimes the sense of this phrase; but to the end of the world to come, the Gospel church-state, which now took place; or to the end of the present world, the universe: not that the apostles should live to the end of it; but that whereas Christ would have a church and people to the end of the world, and the Gospel and the ordinances of it should be administered so long, and there should be Gospel ministers till that time; Christ’s sense is, that he would grant his presence to them, his immediate disciples, and to all that should succeed them in future generations, to the end of time: and which is to be understood not of his corporeal presence, which they should not have till then, but of his spiritual presence; and that he would be with them, in a spiritual sense, to assist them in their work, to comfort them under all discouragements, to supply them with his grace, and to protect them from all enemies, and preserve from all evils; which is a great encouragement both to administer the word and ordinances, and attend on them. (Gill, J. (1809). An Exposition of the New Testament (Vol. 1, pp. 376–377). London: Mathews and Leigh.)
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(2) Teaching the Nations (28:20a)
The work of teaching the nations is even farther from completion. The call is to evangelism, enlistment, enlightenment, and discipleship. We are to teach our converts to “observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you.” That takes time, patience, knowledge, and commitment, all backed by the eloquent example of a Christ-filled life.
Having taught the nations the gospel, we are to baptize them in the name of the triune God. Baptism is the outward expression of an inward experience, the bold and often dangerous confession of Christ before a Christ-rejecting world. In many countries baptism is the final break with the past and invites persecution, discrimination, and death.
b. Lo! (28:20b–c)
We are not called to go alone to city slums, arctic wastes, equatorial jungles, college campuses, or our own neighborhoods. The task would be impossible if “Go” were the only word, so the Lord added “Lo.” He promised, “Lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world.”
Many proofs of the trustworthiness of this pledge could be produced from the roll call of God’s missionaries and martyrs down through the ages, but we will only consider the testimony of one of them here. The testimony is that of Paul, the greatest of all apostles and ambassadors, or as Shakespeare would say, “the noblest Roman of them all.” We will glean his testimony from four scenes in Scripture.
In the first scene we see the apostle in Corinth in the midst of his missionary career. Already he bears in his body the slave brands of Jesus Christ, the telltale scars of many a beating and privation. In Europe he has been thrashed and tortured in the prison stocks at Philippi, assaulted at Berea and Thessalonica, and scoffed at in Athens. In Corinth itself he has faced the blasphemy and riotous unbelief of the large Jewish community. The doors of the synagogue have been firmly closed against him. The bright spots in the story of bitter and persistent persecution in Corinth are Crispus, the believing chief ruler of the synagogue, and Justus, with whom Paul has taken up temporary residence. In spite of the spiritual blessing that has attended his ministry, Paul seems to be filled with foreboding. He has barely recovered from the “many stripes” received at Philippi (Acts 16:23), so we can well imagine his doubts and depression. (After all, the lictor’s lash would have been torture to his flesh the same as anyone else’s—he was not made of iron.) Just when we wonder whether Paul can stand any more, the Lord makes good His promise. “Then [saith] the Lord to Paul in the night by a vision, Be not afraid, but speak, and hold not thy peace: For I am with thee, and no man shall set on thee to hurt thee: for I have much people in this city” (Acts 18:9–10).
In the second scene Paul is back in Jerusalem. The brethren there barely say thank you for the financial gift he has brought them from his Gentile converts in many lands. The elders are more concerned with asking him to prove his Jewishness by undertaking a considerable financial burden and joining in some rites in the temple. A riot ensues in the temple courts when Paul’s enemies recognize him, and he is rescued only in the nick of time from the mob that would have killed him then and there. The soldiers who rescue him allow him to give his testimony to the mob, but a further riot ensues. Determined to get to the bottom of the problem, the Roman captain gives orders for Paul to be “examined by scourging” (Acts 22:24). Fortunately Paul’s Roman citizenship saves him from this horror and earns him the opportunity of bearing witness before the Sanhedrin. Again there is a tumult and it is evident that the Jewish authorities are intent on killing Paul. The soldiers deliver him from the Jews and take him to the prison in the castle. “The night following the Lord [stands] by him, and [says], Be of good cheer, Paul: for as thou hast testified of me in Jerusalem, so must thou bear witness also at Rome” (Acts 23:11). The Lord has kept His promise.
In the third scene we see Paul in a ship on his way to Rome. He is still a prisoner and has appealed to caesar. A terrible storm is threatening Paul’s life and the lives of all on board. The vessel is at the mercy of wind and wave. All bearings are lost and all hope is gone for both passengers and crew. But Paul has a word of encouragement. He tells them, “There stood by me this night the angel of God, whose I am, and whom I serve, Saying Fear not, Paul; thou must be brought before Caesar: and, lo, God hath given thee all them that sail with thee” (Acts 27:23–24). The Lord has again made good His promise.
In the fourth scene Nero’s wickedness has erupted into a wholesale persecution of Christians. Having been acquitted and rearrested, Paul has been brought back to Rome for the last time. The great apostle is incarcerated in a terrible dungeon. (No one escaped from that dungeon and some prisoners were eaten alive by rats.) Paul is troubled by the news that heresy rages in many of the churches he founded. He is cold and his physical infirmities brought on by his frequent floggings and straitened circumstances are troubling him. Paul longs for something to read, for he is virtually alone. Some of his faithful aides are doing his errands far from Rome. Others, like Demas, have forsaken him. Paul has been abandoned by his remaining friends to face the hostile court alone. (His first hearing at court was difficult because Alexander the coppersmith had prejudiced the authorities against him.) Death is now a certainty, but the Lord has once more made good His promise. Paul is able to write, “At my first answer no man stood with me, but all men forsook me: I pray God that it may not be laid to their charge. Notwithstanding the Lord stood with me, and strengthened me” (2 Timothy 4:16–17). Shortly afterward Paul is taken out of the dungeon, beheaded (tradition says), and “promoted to glory.”
Jesus promised, “Lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world.” As David Livingstone was fond of saying, “It is the word of a gentleman of the most sacred and strictest honor, and there is an end on’t.”[2] And so it is. (Phillips, J. (2014). Exploring the Gospel of Matthew: An Expository Commentary (Mt 28:20a–c). Kregel Publications; WORDsearch.)
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FROM MY READING:
Why it’s hard to love JESUS by Joseph M. Stowell
What matters is what goes on inside our hearts where no one can see but God. John didn’t say, “The devil placed thoughts of betrayal in Judas’s mind, “Satan’s target was his heart. And he hit it dead center. (p. 153)
Look into His face. He has loved you the way no one has ever loved you. Look at the nail scars in His hands. They are there for your sake. Think of His grace. Look at His daily provision. And what of the mercy He extends to you every day? When we betray Christ, we have to do it in the face of His amazing love for us. (p. 153)
But didn’t the Devil make him do it? In a sense, yes. But that’s not the whole story. Judas’s heart was stubbornly trained to seek after the good of self. He was no pawn in Satan’s hand. He willingly participated out of the stubbornness of his heart. (p. 154)
The comedian Flip Wilson used to do a sketch in which his colorful character Geraldine comes home with an expensive new dress. She tries it on for her husband, who immediately asks why she bought it, knowing they had no money for such luxuries. Geraldine responds, “The Devil made me do it.” To which her husband replies, “Why didn’t you tell Satan to get behind you?” “I did” Geraldine responds, “and he said it looks good from back here, too.” (p. 155)
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TOZERSPEAKS (volume two) by A. W. Tozer
Perhaps the greatest mistake we humans make is in our insistence upon trying to measure the love of God by our own human standards of love. (p. 516)
But I do not have education enough to be a modernist and I am not a liberal. I believe that the Bible says what God wanted it to say, and it is plain in the Scriptures that the living and eternal God made man in His own image. (p. 519)
It is still true that when God looks on a sinner and loves the sinner, never while the stars burn in their silence can it be said that God loves the sin in the sinner. (p. 520)
But the devil sinned – and he sinned in some way that erased forever everything within him of which God could be proud.
It is for that reason that God can no longer love the devil. He sent no redeemer for him, for there is not anything in Satan that can remind God of Himself. The last trace of that which might have reminded God of Himself has been washed out in the filthy bilge water of iniquity as century has been added to centuries. (p. 525)
We must face the fact that when a human has sold himself out to sin and the mutilating power of iniquity has wrought to make him to be a devil and not a man, God will no longer love the lost man. (p. 525)
It takes quite a grasp of theology to make people see and understand that God does not love them because they are trying to be good. Many seem to believe that God must love them because they try to cultivate good habits; they have always pleased Mama and Papa; they have had good marks in school. Their attitude seems to be; “I can sort of understand how God can love me.”
The truth is that God does love you – but for another reason altogether. He loves you because He sees even in you some trace of that glory that once walked in the garden. Though lost and ruined by the Fall and on your way to hell, God loves you for His own sake and not for your sake! (p. 526)
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2 Corinthians 1
The Lord comforts us in our affliction so we may comfort others.
INSIGHT
There is a fellowship of suffering. Someone who has suffered the same things we have suffered is better able to minister to us. And if we have been comforted in our suffering, we are better able to comfort someone else who experiences the same difficulties. Suffering can make us compassionate toward others. As the sufferings of Christ overflow into our lives, so can the compassion of Christ overflow from our lives into the lives of others. (Quiet Walk)
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ALL THINGS
…the same anointing teacheth you of all things…1 John 2:27
John does not teach here that a Christian knows everything. “But surely,” says someone, “when it says ‘ye know all things’ (verse 20), doesn’t ‘all things’ mean just that?” But if you think that, then you must mean that every Christian knows everything—astronomy, geometry, the classics, and everything else that is in the realm of knowledge—which is patently and obviously ridiculous! No; we must take these statements within their context. John obviously does not mean secular knowledge.
Does he then mean spiritual knowledge? No, he does not mean spiritual knowledge in every sense either, for this good reason: If John is here saying that every man or woman who receives the Holy Spirit automatically knows the whole of spiritual truth, how can you apply the New Testament teaching about growing in grace and in knowledge? How can there then be any development in our knowledge and understanding? Not only that, I think we can say that if that were true, then there would be no need for the New Testament epistles. Clearly that is not the case. John’s reference to “all things” here is a reference to the particular subject with which he is dealing.It is not an all-inclusive, all-comprehensive statement.
John does not teach here that because of this knowledge every Christian is infallible. For if the unction of the Holy Spirit means that every Christian knows everything, it would follow that every Christian would have to agree with every other Christian about every aspect of Christian doctrine. But that is not the case. There are divergences and differences among Christians who manifest the Holy Spirit in their lives—about the question of baptism, about the prophetic teaching, about church order, and many other subjects. Added to that, Christians—good Christians—have from time to time fallen into error.
A Thought to Ponder: John does not teach here that because of this knowledge every Christian is infallible. (From Walking with God, p. 125, Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones)
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The Man Child
“And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne.” (Revelation 12:5)
This remarkable scene was part of a great vision given to the apostle John as the Lord was revealing to him “the things which shall be hereafter” (Revelation 1:19). He had seen an amazing “sign” in heaven—a woman “clothed with the sun . . . travailing in birth,” with “a great red dragon” awaiting the delivery and ready “to devour her child as soon as it was born” (Revelation 12:1-4).
Although the whole vision is richly symbolic, the figure of the man child clearly refers to Jesus Christ, because it is He alone who must eventually rule all nations “with a rod of iron” (Revelation 19:15). Thus, the symbolic “woman” must suggest His human mother, Mary, but also Eve, the “mother of all living” (Genesis 3:20), for in His human birth, the Son of God became also “the Son of man” (Acts 7:56; Revelation 1:13). The vision, in fact, dramatizes the long warfare between the great dragon (i.e., Satan—Revelation 12:9) and the seed of the woman (Genesis 3:15).
In the vision, the “man child” will have been “caught up” (i.e., “raptured”) to heaven, and the dragon and his angels “cast out” to earth (Revelation 12:5-9). But when Christ returns from heaven, all believers, living and dead, will also be “caught up” to meet Him in the air, and thus may well be included in the man child of the great “sign.”
There has been continuous warfare between the seed of the Serpent and the spiritual seed of the woman. The Dragon is forever “wroth with the woman” and with “the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ” (Revelation 12:17). But Christ will finally prevail and cast Satan into the eternal lake of fire (Revelation 20:10). (HMM, The institute for Creation Research)
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American denominations endeavoring through the Protestant Consultation on Church “have said without equivocation … that they no longer can lean solely on Scripture as the source of divine truth, but must take greater cognizance of the great store of Christian tradition. (p. 21)
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Frequently it is argued that Christ is Lord of all, and hence Savior of all; any single exception to universalism is viewed, therefore, as a limitation and reflection on the lordship of Christ. In conformity with this view hell itself is transformed from the ultimate state of the lost into a means of grace – a neo-Protestant purgatory of sorts. (p. 27)
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If Evangelical Christianity is to become a strong intellectual force in the closing third of the twentieth century it must aspire to theological renewal and bring itself effectively under the Word of God in the correlation of Christian conviction with all the currents of modern learning. (p. 31)
(Evangelicals At The Brink of Crisis by Carl F.H. Henry 1967)
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DAILY HOPE
Today Genesis 4-7
Yesterday we began the journey through the Bible! The first two chapters establish Who the author is and how creation all began. The Fall of man is recorded in chapter three and now we begin to encounter the nuclei of all biblical doctrine. While some will debate the importance of Genesis and the validity of its statements, there is foundational truths that resonate throughout the remainder of the Bible.
In chapter 4, notice the conflict that erupts between brothers and the cause for the first recorded fatality. Also be attentive to the excuses and attempts to minimize the severity of the act. How is that revealed in us today?
In chapter 5 do not miss important facts due to the genealogy. Why did people live so long during this time and why was the firstborn the only one mentioned?
In chapters 6 and 7, the ungodly multiply and sin abounds. What made Noah favorable to God and everyone else worthy of death? The consequences of sin was so complete that all creation outside the ark was destroyed. Do we see sin the same way that God does?
As you read this section be mindful of how God speaks and the hardness of heart and resistant ears man has toward their Creator. Is our world similar to what we are reading in this section?
Pray for your neighbors and friends who demand their rights and independence. Spend some time in prayer asking God to keep us and our society from such hardened and calloused hearts.
With an Expectant Hope, Pastor Miller
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