From the East To The West

Rom 7

2009-02-20T07:54:00.004-06:00

Date: 20 February 2009

Events:

19 Feb: Finally finished Romans 6 yesterday! Afterwards Marla and I took Sadie up to the Texas Ski Ranch, (Cable Park) and I did some mid-February wakeboarding before I leave, it was pretty cold. My goal of enjoying San Antonio is going great but it’s almost over. Today I will pack up my gear and drive it up to Fort Hood for the final PCI (pre-combat inspection, sounds pretty cool uh?) and drop it off at the airfield. The round trip will take 6hrs of driving, and is not exactly what I want to do on my last full day in America. I will come back to San Antonio tonight and take Marla and her Mom out to a Brazilian Steakhouse for my final meal. Marla’s mom is coming in town to bring her back down to San Antonio tomorrow after I leave and stay a couple days because I don’t want her to be alone. Next blog will be from Kuwait.

Romans 7 Thoughts:

1. In Romans 7 we see the most personal autobiographical picture painted by any apostle in any letter. This personal touch, however, is not in the distracting form the sin-glorifying mushy personal “testimony” that we 20th century Christians love , but in the utter transparency of the inner warring of Paul’s flesh against his spirit that defines the sanctification. As I used a personal example of my sanctification to better convey the contrast between justification (salvation) and sanctification (maturity), Paul uses his own experience to shed light on this difficult concept. This discourse demonstrates the stark contrast between the truly repentant believer and the judgmental, externally pious hypocrite spoken of in Romans Chapter 2…“Therefore you have no excuse, O man, every one of you who judges. For in passing judgment on another you condemn yourself, because you, the judge, practice the very same things. 2 We know that the judgment of God rightly falls on those who do such things. 3 Do you suppose, O man—you who judge those who do such things and yet do them yourself—that you will escape the judgment of God?” Rom 2:1-4. Luther depicts this contrast well in saying, “But the proof of a foolish, carnal man (unbeliever) is this, that he regards himself as spiritual and is pleased with himself.” As you will soon see, Paul is anything but pleased with himself. As we discussed yesterday, true sanctification dose not ever yield increased self-esteem or a heightened self-worth, quite the contrary, as the war continues in the believer, we are forced to acknowledge how great the gap between my blackness and God’s whiteness. As we realize this gap, we come to love the cross of Christ all the more as it bridges the ever widening chasm between God’s increasing (from my perspective) goodness and my increasing depravity. At times, we Christians are afraid to be quite this transparent, we like to put up fronts as if in some way it’s “un-Christian” to struggle with sin and sorrow. This chapter however serves as an example to me of how encouraging spiritual honesty can be. If all Paul wrote about was correcting doctrine and fleeing from sin, it would be easy for us to post him up as a ‘super-apostle’ and either ignore him completely or worse yet come to resent him as “holier than thou.” Paul however uses this transparency to relate to hurting believers not in a sin-glorifying way but as a humble messenger conveying an rejuvenating biblical truth, Simul Justus est et peccat (simultaneously righteous and sinner). Whereby, though we are sinners in our flesh, we are simultaneously imputed (given) the foreign righteousness of Christ’s perfect life and considered children of God. The battle with a particular sin may be lost in sanctification but the war with sin’s penalty (death) has been won in our justification in Christ through faith.

2. 1 Or do you not know, brothers —for I am speaking to those who know the law—that the law is binding on a person only as long as he lives? 2 Thus a married woman is bound by law to her husband while he lives, but if her husband dies she is released from the law of marriage. 3 Accordingly, she will be called an adulteress if she lives with another man while her husband is alive. But if her husband dies, she is free from that law, and if she marries another man she is not an adulteress.4 Likewise, my brothers, you also have died to the law through the body of Christ, so that you may belong to another, to him who has been raised from the dead, in order that we may bear fruit for God. 5 For while we were living in the flesh, our sinful passions, aroused by the law, were at work in our members to bear fruit for death. 6 But now we are released from the law, having died to that which held us captive, so that we serve not under the old written code but in the new life of the Spirit. When we believed in Christ’s sufficient sacrifice to cover our sins, our compulsion to sin (original sin/total depravity) was removed. Like in The Matrix, when Neo took the red pill and his eyes were open to the actual reality and he was then able to re-enter the world and do some really cool stuff, at our justification (faith in Christ) the blinders come off our eyes and we are able for the first time to do true (God Glorifying) good. As the wife is released from her husband at his death, so we have been released from the condemnation of the law and the law’s result- sin. We are now able to do true good; but, let’s define true good. Christ said, "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me” Mark 8:34. Following Christ is honoring his law and life. We are no longer “under” the law, let’s instead say we’re “on top of it” (I don’t know…go with me). “Under” the law, to me implies behind, or in debited to the law as we all were before we were given Christ’s righteousness. Because of this we hated the law, if possible to break the law with impunity, we happily would have. However, with the imputation of Christ’s righteous and the Holy Spirit, the requirements of the law have been met, the punishment dealt and we are instead “on top of” (:)) the law. We are able to see the goodness in the law, we are able to love the law as the offspring comes to respect and appreciate childhood chores and rules (no candy, no TV after 9 etc…) in the wisdom of adulthood and love the parent all the more. In this way we love the Law and truly fulfill the “spiritual” Law (later).

3. 7 What then shall we say? That the law is sin? By no means! Yet if it had not been for the law, I would not have known sin. I would not have known what it is to covet if the law had not said, "You shall not covet." 8 But sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment, produced in me all kinds of covetousness. Apart from the law, sin lies dead. 9 I was once alive apart from the law, but when the commandment came, sin came alive and I died. To be sure, sin exists apart from the law, (“Death reigned from Adam to Moses” Romans 5). Paul is beginning to get personal. This is as “21th century testimony” as we get from him. If anyone could have magnified the sin they lived in before they became a Christian, Paul could have. Worse than wondering around high on crack, one bullet in the gun miraculously stumbling into a church; before he was a believer Paul used to wander around torturing and killing Christians. Instead of glorifying his own conversion, Paul makes a simple statement, “sin came alive and I died.” At his conversion, as any/all conversions, Paul realized the vileness of his own heart. Far from the Pharisee he thought he was with all of his externally pious prayers, fasting, tithing and teaching, Paul, in a flash (literally) realized the depravity of his soul and destitude of his sinful condition. Paul at that moment understood the condemnation of the Law like never before, he understood that all of his external purity had not been a particle of sand on the beach of righteousness the law demanded and he fell on his knees a broken man (Acts 7-10). Paul’s battle with sin however, did not begin and end at his conversion. Instead, at conversion when we first truly understand the law, sin and righteousness, the first and definitive shot is fired by Christ securing ultimate victory but the war has only just begun.

4. 10 The very commandment that promised life proved to be death to me. 11 For sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment, deceived me and through it killed me. 12 So the law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good. 13 Did that which is good, then, bring death to me? By no means! It was sin, producing death in me through what is good, in order that sin might be shown to be sin, and through the commandment might become sinful beyond measure. 14 For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am of the flesh, sold under sin. It was not the Law that brought death to him, it was his sin. As given by God for our sanctification and health, the law is good. The law is to be fulfilled and can only be fulfilled after our conversion. Some had described justification as “not freedom from sin but freedom to sin.” I always hesitate to use this expression because by “freedom to sin” I do not mean antinomianism (no law) as if now we can sin without effect, instead I mean to say that, for the first time in our lives we actually have to make the decision to sin our not sin. Before we are gracefully given that red pill, our will is held captive to the dominion of sin that we spoke of in chapters 5 and 6 we cannot and will not do true good. However, after we take the red pill (faith), reality is unveiled and we are now able as never before to willingly choose right from wrong (or vice-versa). This is the battle Paul will now describe…

5. 15 I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. 16 Now if I do what I do not want, I agree with the law, that it is good. 17 So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. 18 For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. 19 For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. 20 Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me.21 So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand. 22 For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, 23 but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. Daily, no minutely I find myself in this same struggle. Here is a blerb from my blog on Romans 6, “Though my eternal salvation is secured in Christ and I have great confidence in my heavenly welcome-home party, out of love for God and hate for the sin that lives inside me, every day it seems I battle from the opening of my eyes in the morning to their closing at night to remove the plank. ( “Why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? 4 Or how can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' when there is the log in your own eye? 5 You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye.” Matt 7:3-5) It seems there are a million points in my day when I can decide to follow God’s will of follow my own. As the “Force” in Skywalker was strong, sin within me is strong. Each day I battle for patience with my wife, caution with my eyes and mouth, correct motive in good, correct attribution of thanks for blessings (God not luck) and to live joyfully and thankful in every moment. Every moment is a war to control my flesh. Far from worrying about the good that I may do tomorrow as some of my more sanctified brothers are able to do, I have enough sin to overcome in a day to keep me busy all week. I have far too much sin to overcome to ever be in a position to judge my neighbor”. The Holy Spirit within Paul (and all believers) convicts his mind and heart to flee from sin and turn to God. The “flesh” is the “old man” (spoken of earlier), the unconverted man whose remnant looms in the desire (no longer compulsion) to sin. If we are believers, the promise is that we will struggle with sin. Far from a discouragement of salvation, the struggle within us should be an encouragement as it is evidence that we have been given the Holy Spirit who is battleing to slay the “old man” who is dying and will eventually perish in our physical death so that we may be raised as a “new creation” without the taint of sin, without the painful battle.

6. 24 Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? 25 Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin. But, just when there seems no hope for the Apostle Paul (and how much less hope for us), Paul remembers Simul Justus est et peccat. Paul realizes that while it may seem the battle lost, the war has been won. I’ve always said that if I ever get a tattoo, right below the snakes it will include the inscription, “Simul Justus est et peccat” :). Though in our flesh we will continue to fight sin, through faith in Christ our justification is sure.

Sun Tzu:

“Change their (enemy’s) colors, use them mixed in with your own. Treat the soldiers well, take care of them.”

Sun Tzu Thought:

The importance of treating enemy captured and surrendered well cannot be understated. When the enemy is assured of better treatment on our side than he receives from his officers, the battle will be won without bullets as they will surrender.

The Intellectual Devotion (Kidder, D. & Oppenheim N. The Intellectual Devotion, Rodale. NY, NY 2006):

Supernova: 99% of stars die quietly using up all of their fuel for fusion and fading into white dwarves. 1% of stars (usually stars 5-8X the size of our sun) explode in a supernova. The supernova takes less than 15 seconds to complete but even the fading light can outshine a galaxy for months. Before a star explodes, it fuses elements, producing energy, the massive gravity leads to all of the heavy elements until it reaches Iron, a cosmic dead end. Fusing iron into heavier elements takes more energy than it produces so at this point the star either burns out or begins to collapse upon its self, this collapse produces the heavier elements through the great density. The collapse can then theoretically result in a white dwarf, the “singularity” of a black hole, or a supernova explosion.

Rom 6

2009-02-19T12:37:00.006-06:00

Date: 19 February 2009 D – 2 days

I know it’s been a while and I can’t even blame it on being excessively busy :). The content of Chapter 6 has kept me deep in thought for a couple days. As always, when I first looked through the chapter, I did not have much to say but then, as I digested it day after day, it came more to life and I kept writing, revising, writing, revising etc… Without a doubt Romans 6 has been the most difficult chapter for me yet. Paul discusses sanctification in fairly simple terms and I have been forced to ponder my own sanctification and attempt to convey in it both personal and biblically accurate language.

I also have a deployment update, I will be flying out of Fort Hood on Saturday. I am driving up tomorrow to drop off my bags, returning to San Antonio tomorrow night to eat at the Brazilian Steakhouse, then driving back up to meet my parents at Cracker Barrel for breakfast at 0930 Saturday morning. We are going to eat breakfast until 1115 then head to base, draw my weapon and say our final goodbyes before I get on a bus to go to the final ceremony at 1 PM. Everyone has said how difficult the ceremony is and recommended against family coming so I decided to say my goodbyes before the ceremony and go with only my friend Matt. Matt is going to stay with me until I board the final bus for the airfield later that afternoon.

Events:

15 Feb: Marla and I went to church with my parents on Sunday. Church was great, the pastor spoken on 2nd Corinthians 4:3-6, “3 and even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled only to those who are perishing. 4 In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. 5 For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus' sake. 6 For God, who said, "Let light shine out of darkness," has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. The Pastor’s emphasis was on letting our Christian light shine in the darkness of our current world. He posed a legitimate question as to why the Jehovah Witnesses’ are so passionate about evangelism while we Christians are not. The answer is that they are working for their salvation whereas through faith Christians have the assurance of salvation apart from works of evangelism, sacraments or piety. With this assurance, however, has come an apathy that is more indicative of the “dead faith” that James spoke so strongly against than the true, biblical Christ exalting faith that we are to display. The assurance of salvation should never be an excuse to ignore the Law or avoid Christ’s example. Instead, the assurance of our salvation based on faith (apart from works) should give us the confidence to participate in all sorts of evangelism and good works as the threat of failure has been removed. True love and faith will inevitably produce good works. Those of us who struggle with evangelism do not need a simplified, practical guide to sharing the gospel like the “Romans Road” (see below), but a greater reverence for God’s Holiness, a deeper appreciation of the desperation of the human condition and an all consuming love for the sufficiency of Christ’s sacrifice. From this perspective true and heartfelt evangelism will inevitably spring that serves not to convince our neighbor but to magnify God. True love is unable to keep silent about the amazing grace given in Christ’s death. Acts 4:20, "for we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard." After Church we went out to lunch with my parents and then spent the rest of the day with Marla’s Parents, sister and clay…so much fun!

16 Feb: Marla went back over to her parent’s house to spend time with Clay while I hung out with my parents for the morning. We went to Lupe Tortilla’s (my all-time favorite restaurant) for lunch and then headed back to San Antonio. Got home at 7 unloaded and went to bed early.

17 Feb: We got up early and drove up to Fort Hood so that I could check in and make sure I was available if needed. We took Sadie so we stopped a couple times to play, it was great. While I was up at Hood, I went through all the labs that had been ordered in my name to make sure I’m not missing something before I leave and I got quite a shock. Many weeks ago, I wrote about a complicated patient that I was asked to help out with. She had been admitted to the hospital in November for a kidney infection, discharged but had continued to feel extremely weak and had many seemingly unrelated symptoms the worst of which was a severe chest pain that seemed to be neuropathic (created by dysfunctional nerve) as it was burning, topical and painful to the touch almost like shingles without any blisters. I ordered a bunch of labs and Imaging studies and threw in a test for Lyme disease for Marla’s sake because she watches Mystery Diagnosis and says Lyme disease is always the answer. Lyme disease is rare and very difficult to diagnose. Lyme, like syphilis, is known as “the great imitator” because it can present with almost any and every symptom imaginable. So, when I’m completely stumped, before I label someone as crazy (as the ER had this lady) I start testing for the odd-ball stuff that physicians don’t typically think of…Lyme, Syphilis, Lupus, heavy metal poisoning etc. Lo-and-behold, the tests revealed the patient has been suffering from acute Lyme disease. I will hopefully be able to treat her with 10 days of a special antibiotic. It’s pretty rewarding to make a catch like this especially after everyone has missed it. Thanks mystery diagnosisJ!

18 Feb: We had a relaxing day around the house. I had a great weight workout then went to a killer Pilate’s class, then proceeded to another couples massage that was awesome. I have resolved to enjoy these last couple days around San Antonio so last night we went out to one of my favorite restaurants Sushi Zushi then watched American Idol and my favorite show Heroes (I know, I sound like Oprah).

Bible:

Rom 6

Dead to Sin, Alive to God

6 What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? 2 By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? 3 Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.

5 For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. 6 We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. 7 For one who has died has been set free from sin. 8 Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. 9 We know that Christ being raised from the dead will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. 10 For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God. 11 So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.

12 Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal bodies, to make you obey their passions. 13 Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness. 14 For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace.

Slaves to Righteousness

15 What then? Are we to sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means! 16 Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness? 17 But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed, 18 and, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness. 19 I am speaking in human terms, because of your natural limitations. For just as you once presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness leading to sanctification.

20 When you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. 21 But what fruit were you getting at that time from the things of which you are now ashamed? The end of those things is death. 22 But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life. 23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Bible Thoughts:

1. In Romans 6, Paul continues to move systematically through soteriology (doctrine of salvation). As a great example of evangelism, Paul first established our need-- In Romans 1-2 Paul demonstrated that first we “gentiles” (Rom 1), then Jew (Rom 2) are alike victims of sin. Then in Rom 3 Paul explains that the Law given to Moses (Ten Commandments and 603 other rules) is in-fact impossible to keep and never meant to justify (make right before God) but meant only to enumerate how far from God’s standard both Jew and Gentile had fallen. In the later half of Romans 3 the Gospel is presented… we are sinners, in need of a foreign (not our own, i.e. Christ’s) goodness that is granted not secondary to our good works but by a God given saving faith that recognizes first our debt (sin) and secondly the sufficiency of Christ’s sacrifice to pay that debt. Romans 4 is then posed as a defense that salvation has always been through Faith (with Abraham as the example, “Abraham believed God and it was counted to him as Righteousness) and not through work or ritual. We see a shift in Romans 5 that continues for the rest of the Letter. In the first 4 Chapters of the letter, Paul has focused on our Justification, that is, the Gospel. However in Chapter 5 we see a shift towards the teaching of sanctification and doctrine. Sanctification is a big word for spiritual maturity. In Romans 5, Paul demonstrates one of suffering’s many purposes…our sanctification as exemplified in turning from false hope/ assurance in the worlds flawed relationships, comforts and material goods to a correctly placed hope in the one relationship that will not fail (Christ), the reward and hope that can never be taken away, our eternal life in the Glory of God. In the latter half of chapter 5, Paul introduces the doctrine of Original Sin and sin’s systemic effect on natural man’s will from birth to death. Paul then moves into Chapter 6 where he again announces good (but this time challenging) news that through our Faith in Christ, we are no longer victims of the original/systemic sin, we are no longer under the dominion of this original sins compulsion to value ourselves above God. Having been freed from our compulsion to sin, our sanctification plays out in our lives as we repent and flee from all of the sins that we were “entangled in” when we first believed and cling stronger and stronger to the Gospel. This is the fruit that Jesus speaks of when he says, “By their fruit, you will judge them for it is impossible for a good tree to bear bad fruit or a bad tree to bear good fruit.” And why James says,”faith without works is dead.” We are saved by “faith alone but not faith that is alone.” Meaning, at justification (when we first believed) we inherit salvation that can never be earned or lost by works but this salvation will invariably produce evidence in a God fearing, Christ loving conformity to the way of life that the bible ordains. With Christ’s imputed (given) righteousness at salvation we are also given the Holy Spirit who works inside us to convict us of our sinful disobedience, leading us out of the life we lived to ourselves and into the life that we will more and more live for Christ—by loving his law. Chapter 6 emphatically pushes the new believer to leave the sin in their lives and instead exemplify the truth that they have been set free from this bondage to sin.
The reason that I have gone through this lengthy summary is the importance of discriminating justification (found in chapter 1-4) from sanctification and doctrine (Chapters 5-16). Paul flows seamlessly between the two and the distinction while dramatically apparent as you read through the letter in one sitting is not as apparent when we spend a day per chapter. It is vitally important not to confuse the two or else we will never feel the assurance and peace of Christ that Paul promises in justification. The explosion that occurred in the protestant reformation was a direct result of Luther’s rediscovery of the distinction between these two doctrines and righting confusion between justification and sanctification that had defined the 16th Century church. Luther, trained as a lawyer, understood the Law. As I have discussed before, it is only through knowledge of the bad news (law and condemnation) that the gospel is valued as Good news. Luther felt the daily condemnation of the law and, as was taught by the church, would spend hours in confession every day in order to ensure that he had repented from all sin that would have condemned him to hell. When he had finished confessing all of his sins, he would feel good for a couple minutes until he walked out of the confessional and saw the rest of the Monks then pride would well up inside, landing him straight back in the confessional. Luther was every priests nightmare as he would occupy the majority of their day. Because the church had confused justification with sanctification, Luther came to hate God. Luther despised a God that had set the standard so high that he could not go one minute assured of his salvation, instead having a great understanding of Romans 1,2 and 3, the only thing that he felt assured of was the vileness of this own soul. The problem with the catholic church of the 16th century is the problem with the catholic church of today…they have confused justification with sanctification. Justification is the moment we are declared once and for all righteous and inherit eternal life. This occurs at the moment that we truly believe the Gospel and it is a gift of God not based on our works. This gift, imparted at one moment in time (for me August of 1999) assures us that no matter what we do, as long as our true faith endures (again a gift of God) we are saved. We refer to justification as both “forensic” and “monergistic.” The term forensic refers to the courtroom-like nature of justification where the sinner is declared righteous one-time for all-time. There is no process of falling out of salvation then repenting (working) our way back in, instead we are declared righteous by faith in Christ’s work and as we did nothing to earn this salvation, we can do nothing to lose this salvation. The Monergistic nature of justification refers to the fact that there is one party working—God. We do not work with God to earn our salvation; it is God who gives both the righteousness of the gospel and the faith to believe the gospel. Of vital importance though is to distinguish this forensic, monergistic justification from the synergistic sanctification. The synergism of sanctification is what Paul will spend Romans 6 and 7 discussing. The term synergism refers to the two parties (God and Man) working synergistically towards the believers spiritual maturity. God gives us the grace and conviction to know the right from wrong but what we actually do is up to our newly freed will. This is a bumpy road; some describe it as a roller coaster, as the flesh (old sin) wars with the newly imputed Holy Spirit. Since, in justification, we have been set free from our compulsion to sin, we are now free like never before to follow the Holy spirits conviction away from sin leading to maturity or follow the flesh’s desire (no longer a compulsion) towards sin and immaturity. The importance of discriminating justification from sanctification though is fundamental to the assurance and strength that we find in the gospel. As we are being sanctified, no matter what we do, we never lose our justification. As Luther rediscovered this truth in the 16th century through his study of the scripture and earlier Catholic tradition, his spirit was refreshed, he realized that he no longer needed to spend hours a day repenting of his thousands of sins and then his pride when he was done, instead he realized that his salvation was secured in the justification that rested in Christ’s work. He was then free to truly love God and keep the law as never before realizing that the law had been given out of love and meant for his good (maturity) not his condemnation.

2. Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? 2 By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? The fleshly argument goes, if my blackness magnifies God’s grace i.e. the more I sin, the more God’s grace abounds, then why not go on sinning. Anyone able to pose this argument is in a very dangerous place as Paul says in Romans 3, “Their condemnation is deserved”. As we discussed in Romans 5, the evidence that we have a true and saving faith is that we develop a love for God’s law. The person that poses this argument comes from a perspective of a greater love for his sin than for God. This is an irrational argument that clings to sin and ignores the vast amount of biblical regulation to love God in action by following the law. And following the law is a matter of loving the law. Treating God’s law as sacred not with resentment. As I have said before, through the punishment and condemnation of the law has been removed for those who possess a saving faith, the offense (i.e. the pain) our sin causes the Father is likely magnified as through faith, we have become not strangers but children of God. It is, of course, far more painful when your very own child disobeys and rebels against you than a stranger who knows no better. If we value the love and forgiveness that our Father has granted us through the gruesome crucifixion of his son then the above argument would be incomprehensible.

3. 10 For the death he died he (Christ) died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God. The “all” here (Greek: ephapax) refers to all time not all people. Christ’s death destroyed sin’s curse on the faithful that temporally preceded him and sin’s reign over the faithful that would temporally followed him. Now that Christ has died and in doing so ended our compulsion to sin, we are able, like him, to live a life of joy devoted to the one eternally satisfying occupation of glorifying God in our daily relationships and vocation.

4. 13 Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness. 14 For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace. As we discussed in Roman’s 5, we are no longer under the dominion of the total/radical depravity of Adam’s Original sin and corruption of our will, instead we have been monergistically (God alone) redeemed to synergistically (God and I) work out our sanctification using our bodies the instruments of righteousness they have been freed to become or instruments of unrighteousness that our bodies were formally slaves to. As Jesus said, “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other” Matt 6:24. It should be impossible after we have tasted the sweetness forgiveness and lived for a moment without guilt to willingly sin again, so why does it seem so hard?

5. For just as you once presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness leading to sanctification. Notice that Paul here does not say, “present your members as slaves to righteousness leading to justification,” but “leading to sanctification.” This is further evidence (as if you needed more) supporting the truth of the graph on the left depicting a once and for all justification (salvation), followed by a stepwise effort-based sanctification, versus the graph on the right. Truly, works have a place in the Christian faith but not in our salvation, only in our maturity, some would say our varying degrees of heavenly reward. As an example, I would like to share how sanctification has played out in my life. Though my eternal salvation is secured in Christ and I have great confidence in my heavenly welcome-home party, out of love for God and hate for the sin that lives inside me, every day it seems I battle from the opening of my eyes in the morning to their closing at night to remove the plank. ( “Why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? 4 Or how can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' when there is the log in your own eye? 5 You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye.” Matt 7:3-5) It seems there are a million points in my day when I can decide to follow God’s will of follow my own. As the “Force” in Skywalker was strong, so the sin within me is strong. Each day I battle for patience with my wife, caution with my eyes and mouth, correct motive in good, correct attribution of thanks for blessings (God not luck) and to live joyfully and thankful in every moment. Every moment is a war to control my flesh. Far from worrying about the good that I may do tomorrow as some of my more sanctified brothers are able to do, I have enough sin to overcome in a day to keep me busy all week. I have far too much sin to overcome to ever be in a position to judge my neighbor. Therein is the heart of sanctification, as the Holy Spirit continues to demonstrate to me how sinful my heart and worthless my life, my love of Christ, my thankfulness for Calvary explode. So it is with sanctification, as sin is more and more revealed in my life, I am driven to the depths of humility (first element), at the same time my view of God is growing through biblical learning and experience (second element) leaving an ever widening chasm that is filled by the third element of sanctification, an ever increasing appreciation of Christ’s sacrifice that bridges the gap between my humility and God’s infinite worth. The biblical view of sanctification echo’s John the Baptist’s instructions to his disciples, “He must increase, but I must decrease" John 3:30. If ever in our walk with Christ we begin to feel our self esteem or worth increasing apart from the death of Christ, we deceive ourselves and are actually backsliding. Far from self-glorifying, sanctification and all Christian growth for that matter, is Christ-glorifying. It is a devaluation of the self and magnification of God’s holiness and Christ’s work in our lives. From this we can find our esteem in the great love of Christ for our sinful hearts.

6. 21 But what fruit were you getting at that time from the things of which you are now ashamed? Many have said, “Live your life before an audience of One.” No matter if we are completely alone or surrounded by a hundred people, there is only One significant, important audience always watching. If the world disapproves (as promised) of what we do but God approves we are to have no shame, but what the world condones and God condemns, with the conviction of the Holy Spirit, we become greatly ashamed. Throughout the New Testament there is promise that nothing is kept secret from God. “36 I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak” Matt 12:36…”for nothing is covered that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known. Matt 10:26”…”13 and no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account” Heb 4:13. Much to my dismay, when my good friend and Pastor Dave Phillips died, I felt a new sense of shame over my sins. It was as if I was unashamed of my secret sins committed against and before God’s holiness, but now that Dave may be checking in on me, I needed to get my act together. The moment that I felt this new conviction, I realized the utter irrationality of it and was ashamed that after 6 yrs of walking with Christ of how far short of a mustard seed my faith had “grown” to be. What did it say of my faith in the majesty and holiness of God that I would fear Dave’s opinion and judgment of my secret sins over God’s? While I realized I wasn’t moving any mountains with my faith, this saga was incredibly humbling and forced me to acknowledge how little faith in God’s omnipresence and coming judgment I actually had and how great I valued man’s judgment over God’s. Therein is the heart of sanctification, a series of disappointments with the self leading to an ever increasing view of God’s holiness and continuous filling of the created void with the sufficiency of the cross.

7. 23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. This is the third step to the famous “Roman’s Road” (sort of an Idiot’s Guide to sharing the Gospel). If you are ever brain fart when someone wants biblical proof of the true gospel just pull out these 5 verses.

a. Step 1: Romans 3:23 “For all have sinned, and fall short of the glory of God.” We must all realize that we are sinners and that we need forgiveness. We are not worthy of God’s grace.
b. Step 2: Romans 5:8 “But God demonstrates His love toward us, in that, while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Through Jesus, God gave us a way to be saved from our sins. God showed us His love by giving us the potential for life through the death of His Son, Jesus Christ.
c. Step 3: Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” If we remain sinners, we will die. However, if we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior, and repent of our sins, we will have eternal life.
d. Step 4: Romans 10:9-10 “That if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation." Confess that Jesus Christ is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead and you will be saved.
e. Step 5: Romans 10:13 “For whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved.” There are no necessary religious formulas or rituals -- Call upon the name of the Lord and you will be saved.

Sun Tzu:

“Therefore, in a chariot battle, reward the first to capture at least ten chariots…if you reward everyone, there will not be enough to go around, so you offer a reward to one in order to encourage everyone.”

The Intellectual Devotion (Kidder, D. & Oppenheim N. The Intellectual Devotion, Rodale. NY, NY 2006):

Byzantine Art: The Byzantine Empire takes it’s name from the city of Byzantium, renamed Constantinople in the 4th century by the Emperor Constantine, who moved his court there from Rome. Today the city is known as Istanbul. The subject of most Byzantine art is religious, Biblical narratives and idealized representations or icons, of holy figures predominate. The goal was less to represent the actual likeness of Christ, the Virgin Mary, or saint than to capture his or her spiritual essence. Shunned were the nude figures and life size sculptures of the Greco-Roman culture. Byzantine architecture is typified by the use of domes resting on pendentives giving the illusion of weightlessness. In Byzantium, religious images were worshiped with such passion that in 726 the emperor placed a ban on icons, claiming they led to idolatry. For nearly a century all images of Christ and Mary were prohibited. The so-called iconoclasts (image-destroyers) obliterated such images wherever they could find them. Later, the opposition party, the iconophiles with the assistance of the pope had the ban repealed in 843.

Rom 5

2009-02-15T21:06:00.007-06:00

Date: 15 February 2009 D - 6

Events:

I’ve been in Colorado for the last few days skiing with my brother Tyler so I’ve got a lot to catch up on!

11 Feb: I flew up to Denver in the afternoon and spent the evening with my brother Tyler and his wife Lindsay. I flew out of Austin because the tickets were half the price as San Antonio and at the airport they had live music so I sat down and had a beer. Only in Austin! Great flight, Tyler picked me up at the Airport then we drove to his house. Tyler and Lindsay have done a ton of work to their house and it looks great. Sooooo proud of my little brother. Tyler and I took his dog Buck out for a good long walk. They have a great trail that comes right up to their neighborhood and winds’ through Denver, Sadie would have loved it :(. We went to bed early to get ready for our big ski trip. I had trouble sleeping, as I always do when I’m away from Marla so I was up reading from 1-3am but slept great before and after.

12 Feb: Tyler got up early (0430) and went in to work before we left for the Mountains at 0700. We had a great trip up the mountain and talked about how difficult it is to keep our joy despite the daily grind of work deadlines and relationships. We both decided that the key is to keep our priorities in order and not allow the job that we spend the majority of our day doing take emotional precedence over our faith, family or friends. Incredible day skiing. It was sunny and warm and the snow was perfect. The tempo was intense; on the fast runs we would go top to bottom nonstop, ski onto the lift (no lines all week) then do it again. On the bump runs we took an occasional break to fall over dead then kept on skiing. I’ve never skied so hard. We went to Keystone so that we could ski from 9 am till 9 pm but by 5 we were smoked. We went back to the Hotel and stared blankly at the TV for a while then worked up the strength to get up and go to a great local restaurant. Had great wings and burgers at the bar while we watched amazing skiing on TV. I slept terribly again away from Marla, got up at 11 and read in the hotel lobby until 0200 then slept good until I got up at 0700.

13 Feb: We were slow to get back out to the slopes that morning but had a great day despite all our pain. By 3:00 I was more ready than been my last run. Made a great fast last run of the season, packed up and drove down the mountain to catch my 7 PM flight back to Austin. I was very happy (and ready) to get home to Marla and Sadie and finally had a good night sleep.

14 Feb: Marla and I slept in a bit then drove to Houston to spend my final weekend with my parents and in-laws. We made some steaks for Valentine ’s Day and watched The Cleaner. It was a great and relaxing day.

Bible:

Rom 5

Peace with God through Faith

5 Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. 3 More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4 and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 5 and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.

6 For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— 8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. 10 For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. 11 More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.

Death in Adam, Life in Christ

12 Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned— 13 for sin indeed was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not counted where there is no law. 14 Yet death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those whose sinning was not like the transgression of Adam, who was a type of the one who was to come.

15 But the free gift is not like the trespass. For if many died through one man's trespass, much more have the grace of God and the free gift by the grace of that one man Jesus Christ abounded for many. 16 And the free gift is not like the result of that one man's sin. For the judgment following one trespass brought condemnation, but the free gift following many trespasses brought justification. 17 If, because of one man's trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ.

18 Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men. 19 For as by the one man's disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man's obedience the many will be made righteous. 20 Now the law came in to increase the trespass, but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, 21 so that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Bible Thoughts:

1. …since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God… The content that follows reveals that the apostle speaks not of a worldly peace (as he immediately guarantees tribulation/suffering) but a spiritual peace. This is the “peace that surpasses all understanding” (Phil 4:7). What advantage has a man who has all worldly comfort and position but is tormented day and night by inner guilt, self-doubt and fear? Why is the suicide rate directly related to socioeconomic status (highest in most successful)? No, the peace that we have through faith in Christ is a full reconciliation so that we may now cry out “abba” (daddy) God (Romans 8:15). Through faith in Christ we are no longer alienated from God and “children of wrath” (Ephesians 2:3) but heirs to an eternal kingdom where “neither moth nor rust destroy.” (Matthew 6:19) The payment that our guilt-ridden consciences have demanded must not be ignored or denied through endless self-help rituals that may never cancel the debt but paid in full by Christ on the cross. With adequate payment for our sins made our “consciences cleansed,” (1 Pet 3:21) we enjoy an inner peace that the world will never understand. A peace that rests in God’s pardon, worth and strength. When your conscience cries out “guilty,” then remember the lashes of Christ and shout back “paid.” When we feel that our strength will not suffice, remember you no longer live by your strength but by God’s; “stronger is he that is in you than he that is in the world.” (1 John 4:4) When we lack self-esteem, remember the sovereign creator of the universe esteemed us enough (not for our deeds but for our person) to crucify his son in order to enjoy us for eternity. When we cower with fear, remember the worst the world can do is “kill the body” and usher us into our eternal mansion. This is true peace.

2. …Through him we have also obtained access by faith… Remember it is no abstract faith that saves us. It is a Christ honoring faith in his victory over sin in His life and his victory over death in his resurrection. “faith alone” that is without an object never saved anyone.

3. …we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. This phrase gives us the punch line of the following discourse on suffering. Though our world falls apart around us (see Job 1-2), when we hope in the glory of God we too may say, “the Lord has given and the Lord has taken away, blessed be the name of the lord” (Job 1:21). As we realize our hope is not in this world but in the promise that after the trials of this life cease, then we Christians will behold the full glory of God. The most beautiful regions of the world pale in comparison to God’s glory as this world is a victim of the fall of Adam in Gen 3:17-18 “ cursed is the ground because of you; in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life;18 thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you” My parents just came back from the Patagonia, Argentina and I have seen pictures of the amazing waterfalls, lakes (great for wakeboarding) and wildlife, as stunning as this scenery is, it is actually still but a glimpse of the glory of God as it is cursed by Adam’s disobedience. This is why, when I looked over the majesty of the Rocky Mountains I said to Tyler, “if this is our punishment, our cursed world, how much greater our reward, how much greater will be the full untainted glory of God!” If those mountains are beautiful now when we fear Adam’s curse on nature that leads to avalanches, the curse on animals that makes Mountain Lions aggressive, and the curse that makes us rightfully fearful of our fellow man, how much greater the Glory of God reflected in Heaven’s Rocky Mountains without the taint of Adam’s curse on nature, animal, and man.

4. …we rejoice in our sufferings… While this will seem masochistic to the world, the Christian is to “rejoice in suffering" because suffering magnifies Christ in at least two important ways:

1) It reveals our inner sinfulness thus illuminating our need for Christ’s forgiveness. As I sit here writing, my dog at my feet, bible at my right hand, hot tea at my left without distraction and without pain, it is fairly easy to deceive myself into thinking that I’m pretty darn good. The problem is that my assumed goodness is inversely proportional to my felt need for Christ. As Christ said, “I did not come to heal the righteous but the sinner.” Though none is righteous, and all need Christ’s righteousness it is hard for me to remember my own depravity as I sit here in comfort. However, take me away from my nice home, pretty wife and great puppy and put me in traffic rushing to work, getting cut off once, twice, three times, S@1% is that construction! And my sin becomes blaringly apparent. Fore, “out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks” (Matthew 12:34). I am both ashamed and frightened as I hear all forms of vulgarity and hatred spewing from this “sanctified” heart of mine. It is then that my felt need for Christ increases exponentially as I no longer deceive myself into thinking I am the pinnacle of goodness and am force to admit that, in my flesh, I am little more sanctified than the jerk that just cut me off . The same sin present in traffic is present in my heart even the monastery of my home; I am just better able to pridefully ignore and deny its existence.

2) It refocuses our “hierarchy of need.” With Job as our example, after all of the false assurance of worldly relationships and possession is stripped from us and we are forced to rely on the only One worthy of true assurance, the only One able to provide true safety, and the only One who loves us inside and out (not the glorified front we put forward to the world) then and only then to we remember “our first love,” and derive our assurance, strength and Love from the “unchanging,” “rock of our salvation.” When we, as Christians, undergo suffering we are forcibly reminded that this world is not our home that we are to live as aliens sojourning across this land anxiously anticipating the return of our master and our glorious life to come.

5. ...suffering produces endurance…endurance produces character…character produces hope…and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. As above, suffering both reveals our hidden sins and redirects us to the only One worthy of hope. This process as we see here, however, does not happen overnight, but through a series of sanctifying (maturing) steps that ultimately result in the correct placement for our hope in our savior Christ. This is a good lesson for me to remember, as often it is easy to stand outside a suffering person’s life, make an assessment as to why they are suffering (which in my case is invariably accurateJ) and propose a simple solution. Problem and life’s mysteries solved, let’s watch the football game. Real life, however, is not that easy. As a Christian friend, it is my responsibility not to minimize my loved ones problems or expect a rapid recovery as soon as my friend see’s the light. At times though the reason for the suffering seems simple and the solution straightforward, as a friend I must “bear with” my Christian brothers as they “wrestle with God” there not only for a quick solution but a bit of empathy. To a head dominant Christian like me this patience is sometimes forgotten. Likewise, our own spiritual maturity takes time, it is not healthy or realistic to read the bible and then immediately expect of yourself the faithfulness of Paul or the spirit of Elijah. Do not be disappointed or doubt your salvation the first time you ask, “one mountain to pick itself up and throw itself into the ocean” if it doesn’t actually happed as this feat of faith takes at least one or two years of spiritual maturity to accomplish J. Point is, our very faith is a gift and as Paul will soon say in Rom 12:3-4 “I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned.” Not to say you should not desire a deeper relationship and faith, but your faith is your gift, we are not to judge our measure of faith against our fellow Christians and somehow feel prideful , ashamed or envious but instead feel thankful that we have even the maturity the we have been gracefully given. We all have our contribution to the body of Christ, what would the body be if it was all heads without a heart or hands? This is not an excuse for spiritual stagnation but a recurrence for those who are frustrated to the point that they doubt the sincerity of their Christian conversion, we must rest always in the Gospel, that our conversion does not rest in our works or will but in God’s decision and Christ’s love. Your frustration is evidence of your re-born heart that now desires a deeper faith. I am weary of those “Christians “content in their worldliness not striving for an intimate relationship, not convicted of their sin and not warring with their flesh daily.

6. — 8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. As Christ was whipped, spit on, insulted, and hung on the Cross he uttered the words, “Forgive them for they know not what they do.” The scene is powerful, I can’t do it justice so here it is, Luke 23:34-38
“4 And Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do." And they cast lots to divide his garments. 35 And the people stood by, watching, but the rulers scoffed at him, saying, "He saved others; let him save himself, if he is the Christ of God, his Chosen One!" 36 The soldiers also mocked him, coming up and offering him sour wine 37 and saying, "If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself!" 38 There was also an inscription over him, "This is the King of the Jews." Truly, Christ has seen us at our worst. The holiness of God has seen every hidden sin in all its heinousness, sin’s we would not admit to our best of friends for fear they would leave us. But, far from leave us, Christ endured the most horrendous, undeserved ridicule and death, paying the debt our sinfulness demanded in order to enjoy us as his beloved friends forever in his kingdom.

7. 10 For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. If God loved us enough to sacrifice his son in our wrath-deserving hatred and rebellion from him, how much more is His love now that our debt has been paid, our relationship restored, the prodigal son returned. This is where our hope rests, and this is a hope that is not dependent upon our ability to hide our inner ugliness as are human relationships. But God, having seen our worst, stands with open arms ready to accept us as soon as his grace enables us to admit our true ugliness and need.

8. 12 Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned... The doctrine of Original Sin, like the doctrine of the trinity, while explicitly stated nowhere in the bible, is supported throughout the bible. Here we see an example supporting original sin. Adam as our figurehead was created by God with free-will and free-choice but he chose to disobey God and ate the apple from the forbidden tree. When Adam sinned, a curse was placed on man, animal and land (Gen 3). As a result of Adam’s sin, mankind’s desires became in bondage to sin with the ultimate penalty given-- death. Adam’s sin was transmitted to the human race and our will (no longer free) became a slave to sin. Now we truly have free choice we just don’t have free will. Our will, because of Adam’s sin, is forever tainted with the sin of selfishness of worldliness, short of God’s gracious renewal of our heart; we will never choose to serve Him over our own selfish desires. As this verse supports, the evidence that we have all sinned (whether in action or inheritance) is that we all suffer sin’s penalty, physical death. The evidence that babies, as being conceived by Adam’s seed are sinful in their flesh is that they suffer the penalty physical death. I have great hope that infants who die are not sent to hell but it would be contrary to the gospel and work of Christ to attribute their salvation to their innocence. No, if they are saved, they are saved by the very same God given, Christ honoring, sin atoning spiritual rebirth granted to them that has been granted to me. Their rebirth just occurs far earlier than mine did.

9. 13 for sin indeed was in the world before the law was given… death reigned from Adam to Moses, As evidence that sin exists prior to the law, Paul says that sins result (death) reigned prior to the giving of the Law to Moses.

10. even over those whose sinning was not like the transgression of Adam, In my opinion, this verse speaks of either the compulsion of the world to sin (without free will) or the discrepancy between Adam’s active sin and the worlds inherent sin. I lean towards the latter because of verse 18 (below). Whereas Adam’s sin was a sin of action, man’s sin now while not always an active sin (infant) is always a sin of inheritance (seed of Adam). For me, the most convincing argument for inherited sin is the virgin birth. If Christ had been born naturally, he too would have inherited the sin of Adam. However, by necessity, in order that Christ was able to be sinless throughout his life, Christ had to be born without the taint of original sin.

11. …18 Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men… As Adam’s sin systemically affected the human race, Christ’s sacrifice is sufficient to rescue the human race.

12. …20 Now the law came in to increase the trespass…Here, Paul says the law not only defined the trespass (as earlier) but increased the trespass. It is clear from the new testament (Matthew 5-6) , that the trespass is not in action but in motive. The law is to be joyously kept with the motive of honoring God, not reluctantly kept for fear of condemnation. Even if the law were completely kept in action but not loved, the law would be violated. Without the Holy Spirit, it is impossible to value God’s law and keep it joyously, instead we look at the law as condemning and, as we see our flesh violate it, we come to despise the law more and more. As it is impossible to keep the whole law, even in action, we end up judging our action against the perfection the law demands, we come to resent the law more and more and in so doing our trespass increases.

13. …as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord… Well put. As Adam sinned and his offspring (humanity) inherited his sin evidenced in the death of our flesh, through Christ’s death, we have been given righteousness that will ultimately lead to our bodily resurrection and ultimate triumph over the grave.

Sun Tzu:

“So what kills the enemy is anger, what gets the enemy’s goods is reward.”

“If you stir up your officers and troops so that hey are all enraged, then they will kill the enemy. If you reward your men with spoils, that will make them fight on their own initiative, so the enemy’s goods can be taken. That is why is said that where there are big rewards there are valiant men.”

The Intellectual Devotion (Kidder, D. & Oppenheim N. The Intellectual Devotion, Rodale. NY, NY 2006):

The Heart of Darkness: written by Joseph Conrad in 1899 it is a concise 80 pages depicting a flashback by a man named Marlow, who has taken a job with a Belgian colonial trading business called only, “the Company.” He is sent to the Belgian Congo to captain a steamboat up the Congo River which is run by an ivory trader named Kurtz. Upon arrival in Africa, Marlow is struck by the decaying Company facilities and racist Europeans’ unabashed exploitation on the native Africans. As Marlow makes his way up the river into increasingly remote territory, his journey becomes as much psychological as physical. As the trappings of civilization fall further away, Marlow begins to see himself as traveling into the primal, unknown reaches of the human mind. Heart of Darkness is particularly familiar today because of its unorthodox but spectacular film adaptation, Apocalypse Now (1979).

Rom 4

2009-02-11T08:04:00.002-06:00

Date: 11 February 2009 D - 10

Events:

Yesterday was a great and restful day. It hailed last night (golf ball sized), check out the pictures. I Made plans to go snow skiing with my brother Tyler…I leave this evening, spend the night with Tyler in Denver then dirve up to Keystone tomorrow morning where I will ski Thusday and Friday then fly home Friday night. Very quick trip but I didn't want to spend too much time away before I deploy.

Bible:

Rom 4

Abraham Justified by Faith

4 What then shall we say was gained by Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh? 2 For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. 3 For what does the Scripture say? "Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness." 4 Now to the one who works, his wages are not counted as a gift but as his due. 5 And to the one who does not work but trusts him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness, 6 just as David also speaks of the blessing of the one to whom God counts righteousness apart from works:

7 "Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven,and whose sins are covered;8 blessed is the man against whom the Lord will not count his sin."

9 Is this blessing then only for the circumcised, or also for the uncircumcised? We say that faith was counted to Abraham as righteousness. 10 How then was it counted to him? Was it before or after he had been circumcised? It was not after, but before he was circumcised. 11 He received the sign of circumcision as a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised. The purpose was to make him the father of all who believe without being circumcised, so that righteousness would be counted to them as well, 12 and to make him the father of the circumcised who are not merely circumcised but who also walk in the footsteps of the faith that our father Abraham had before he was circumcised.

The Promise Realized Through Faith

13 For the promise to Abraham and his offspring that he would be heir of the world did not come through the law but through the righteousness of faith. 14 For if it is the adherents of the law who are to be the heirs, faith is null and the promise is void. 15 For the law brings wrath, but where there is no law there is no transgression.
16 That is why it depends on faith, in order that the promise may rest on grace and be guaranteed to all his offspring—not only to the adherent of the law but also to the one who shares the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all, 17 as it is written, "I have made you the father of many nations"—in the presence of the God in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist. 18 In hope he believed against hope, that he should become the father of many nations, as he had been told, "So shall your offspring be." 19 He did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body, which was as good as dead ( since he was about a hundred years old), or when he considered the barrenness of Sarah's womb. 20 No distrust made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, 21 fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised. 22 That is why his faith was "counted to him as righteousness." 23 But the words "it was counted to him" were not written for his sake alone, 24 but for ours also. It will be counted to us who believe in him who raised from the dead Jesus our Lord, 25 who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification.

Bible Thoughts:

1. This entire chapter is a beautiful commentary on how we are saved by faith apart from works. It is a concept that Paul has already introduced well and his argument in this chapter are streight forward and need little elaboration.

2. Abraham, our forefather Paul has chosen Abraham as an example because the Jews consider him the patriarch of their religion. Abraham’s Faith credited him with righteousness in Genesis 15, two chapters and 10-20 years before the sign of circumcision (Gen 17) and 600 years before the law was given to Moses. As I said in discussing Rom 2 and 3, the Jew’s of Paul’s day (and in-fact today) had misunderstood the very foundation of their religion. Assuming themselves to be saved by the lineage of Abraham and Old Testament Law and ceremonies, they had forsaken the true foundation of their righteousness, Faith.

3. 2 For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about. As I have said before, salvation is Sole Deo Gloria (For the Glory of God alone). In thinking that we can somehow earn our salvation by our good works or decisions, we pridefully steal the Glory due our savior and keep it for ourselves. Paul later says in Gal 2:21 “21 I do not nullify the grace of God, for if justification were through the law, then Christ died for no purpose.” The sin of a works based religion is not only in who gets the Glory (me vs God) but in the insult it is to Christ’s finished work on the Cross. When I try to take a personal role in earning my salvation or paying my debt (as if in purgatory), I insult the work and suffering of Christ. I fear God will not take lightly those “Christians” who trample the work and suffering of his Son. The very purpose faith has been instated as the mechanism by which Christ’s righteousness is accounted to us is that it is not a work, faith is not something we can invent. As opposed to works that magnify the worker, faith magnifies not those who have the faith but the object of that faith (Christ). It is for Christ’s honor that Faith is the channel through which salvation flows. Honor for Christ is all we can bring to the equation, and even that is thanks only to God’s gracious enabling.

4. "Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness." I reviewed the story of Abraham in Genesis 13-17, and neither man nor his faith were that impressive. In fact, I will go so far to say that Abraham and his faith was no more impressive than any true Christian walking the earth today. A Lying adulterer who just before and after he “believed God” he demonstrated his lack of belief in demanding signs to support his faithfulness. But somewhere within Abraham was given a saving faith, be it smaller than a mustard seed that imputed the Righteousness of God (Christ). My point is not to slander Abraham, but to encourage believers that far from the pillars we hold these Old Testament characters to be, they are just like us, fallen, broken, sinful, doubting and sadly in need of a savior. I do not like the “Dare to be David” type of bible lessons as they seem only falsely elevate a group of saints who themselves would likely shun such glory. These lessons ignore the humanity that is clearly demonstrated in the Old Testament in order to compel us to be better, more faithful, believe stronger etc… But the reality is that these passages were not meant to show us the greatness of Abraham’s faith, David’s obedience, or Samson’s strength but, quite the contrary to show us God’s faith, obedience and strength. When we taken these characters out of the specific context of their demonstrated humanity we put up standards that no human can achieve (not my neighbor and not Abraham himself) and run the risk of appearing holier than thou in our pious admonitions. Shout out to the hard core Baptists, love you guys :)

5. 4 Now to the one who works, his wages are not counted as a gift but as his due. 5 And to the one who does not work but trusts him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness, Beautiful.

6. 9 Is this blessing then only for the circumcised, or also for the uncircumcised? We say that faith was counted to Abraham as righteousness. 10 How then was it counted to him? Was it before or after he had been circumcised? It was not after, but before he was circumcised… The purpose was to make him the father of all who believe without being circumcised, so that righteousness would be counted to them as well... It is true, circumcision was the sign of the covenant, but it was only the sign. The external circumcision was always meant to Identify the Jew’s as a people to whom the covenant was given and to be an external reminder of what Paul called in Romans 2 the “circumcision of the heart.” This “circumcision of the heart” was Faith in the promised righteousness that would come from God. The sign of circumcision has been replaced by the sign of baptism in the New Testament; both serving as a tangible, visible reminder of an inner reliance on the Giver of the signs (God), not the administrator of the signs (minister) or the receiver of such signs (Me). Thus, inner righteousness has never and will never be imparted by an external sign, not baptism and not circumcision. These sacraments only signify a communities reliance upon God’s promise to impart this righteousness (through faith). Though we may not have the Old Testament ceremonial circumcision as a sign of our inclusion in the covenant, we as Christians, do have the faith of Abraham and as the promise relies on faith and not the circumcision, we Gentiles are truly grafted into God’s covenant and imputed God’s righteousness.

7. 16 That is why it depends on faith, in order that the promise may rest on grace and be guaranteed to all his offspring—not only to the adherent of the law but also to the one who shares the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all, 17 as it is written, "I have made you the father of many nations" As we Gentiles are brought into the people of God through the faith of Abraham, we too may claim his lineage and promise. In a time when nations were divided by lineage this promise may not have made much sense but today as we sing of “Father Abraham” his promise has been fulfilled.

8. who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist. Through the grace of faith and imputation of Christ’s righteousness, God has given life to the spiritually dead (unbelievers). Just as God spoke the world that did not exist into existence, God has now called a people (the gentiles) out of this world that he had not yet called. He has called the Gentiles to exist, to live, in the same faith as Abraham.

9. 20 No distrust made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, 21 fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised. A good definition of faith, though not the saving faith required today as we now have the full revelation of the Gospel see the next quote.

10. "counted to him as righteousness."... It will be counted to us who believe in him who raised from the dead Jesus our Lord, 25 who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification. The gospel. Before the full revelation of the gospel a saving faith relied on God's ability to save his people. Now that the gospel, as God's mechanism for the salvation of those both before and after Christ has been fully revealed, a saving faith looks relies at the historic work and death of Jesus Christ.

Sun Tzu:

“If people know they will be richly rewarded if they overcome the opponent, then they will gladly go into battle”
“This just means establishing rich rewards – if you let the troops plunder at will, they may get out of hand.”

The Intellectual Devotion (Kidder, D. & Oppenheim N. The Intellectual Devotion, Rodale. NY, NY 2006):

The Rosetta Stone: In 1799 French soldiers in Napoleon’s army discovered this black rock buried in the sands near Alexandria Egypt. The Stone was dated to 196BC and described the good deeds of the 13 year-old Greek Ptolemy V. In an effort to convince his Egyptian subjects of his divinity, the story was written in both Greek and Egyptian Hieroglyphics that had thus far been indecipherable. By lining up the Greek text with the hieroglyphics, a French scholar named Jean-Francois Champollion was able to decode the complex Egyptian language. Historians and archeologists in the nineteenth century were able to develop a much fuller understanding of ancient Egypt.

Rom 3

2009-02-10T15:02:00.005-06:00

Date: 10 February 2009, D – 11 days

Events:

No, I didn’t go wakeboarding (that was back in october) but thought a lot about it. Kinda, "California Dreaming on such a winter day." I’m in fact not doing much these days, just studying medicine (to stay sharp), writing and working out. That’s about it for yesterday. Deployment did get changed again to 20 Feb.

Bible:

Rom 3

God's Righteousness Upheld
3 Then what advantage has the Jew? Or what is the value of circumcision? 2 Much in every way. To begin with, the Jews were entrusted with the oracles of God. 3 What if some were unfaithful? Does their faithlessness nullify the faithfulness of God? 4 By no means! Let God be true though every one were a liar, as it is written,
"That you may be justified in your words, and prevail when you are judged."
5 But if our unrighteousness serves to show the righteousness of God, what shall we say? That God is unrighteous to inflict wrath on us? ( I speak in a human way.) 6 By no means! For then how could God judge the world? 7 But if through my lie God's truth abounds to his glory, why am I still being condemned as a sinner? 8 And why not do evil that good may come?—as some people slanderously charge us with saying. Their condemnation is just.
No One Is Righteous
9 What then? Are we Jews any better off? No, not at all. For we have already charged that all, both Jews and Greeks, are under sin, 10 as it is written:
"None is righteous, no, not one;11 no one understands;no one seeks for God.12 All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good,not even one."13 "Their throat is an open grave;they use their tongues to deceive." "The venom of asps is under their lips."14 "Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness."15 "Their feet are swift to shed blood;16 in their paths are ruin and misery,17 and the way of peace they have not known."18 "There is no fear of God before their eyes."
19 Now we know that whatever the law says it speaks to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be stopped, and the whole world may be held accountable to God. 20 For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin.
The Righteousness of God Through Faith
21 But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it— 22 the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25 whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God's righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. 26 It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.
27 Then what becomes of our boasting? It is excluded. By what kind of law? By a law of works? No, but by the law of faith. 28 For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law. 29 Or is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles also? Yes, of Gentiles also, 30 since God is one. He will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith. 31 Do we then overthrow the law by this faith? By no means! On the contrary, we uphold the law.

Bible Thoughts:

1. “3 Then what advantage has the Jew?... Much in every way…” As we discussed yesterday, the Jews who were given the full Old Testament law, tradition and Prophets had a great advantage over the Gentile who had not such privilege. The advantage was limited though to what should have been an easier recognition and belief in the coming Messiah. The Old Testament Law, tradition and Prophets conferred no benefit without Christ, as faith in God’s “Right Hand” for redemption is the heart of the Old Testament and Jewish faith.

2. 3 What if some were unfaithful? Does their faithlessness nullify the faithfulness of God? 4 By no means! Paul pre-empts the Jews argument that God is not faithful to his covenant if the entire people is not saved. Again, the Jews misunderstood then and misunderstand now their salvation to be secondary to their inheritance (DNA). The Jews were a proud people who thought that they were saved by the DNA and Law of their Father Abraham apart from the Faith from their Father Abraham. Paul will later make the point that all “True Israel” will be, not may be, but will be saved (Romans 11). Thus, God has been faithful to his covenant as savior of “True Israel.” The difficulty then was much the same as the difficulty today, as a majority of church-goers are not true Christians. God who looks upon the “circumcision of the heart” (see yesterday) knows those who were and are relying on him (not themselves) for their salvation. These few represent the true Israel/Christians.

3. 5 But if our unrighteousness serves to show the righteousness of God, what shall we say? That God is unrighteous to inflict wrath on us? Just as the police and courts are praised today for bringing criminals to justice, so too is God magnified when those who sin against him and trash his name are punished. Though our blackness makes his purity shine all the more, this in no justification or excuse for lawlessness. The vary argument shows the futility of human reason as we attempt to justify our sins apart from the blood of Christ.

4. And why not do evil that good may come?—as some people slanderously charge us with saying. Their condemnation is just. A wise man once said, “if you are not occasionally charged with antinomianism, you are not sharing the gospel enough.” Paul faced the same slander in his day. Antinomianism is a heresy that the Christian is no longer obligated to follow the law. It is true that the Christian is no longer under the punishment of the law but this in no way excused the Christian from doing the right thing. Finally understanding the full wrath and eternal consequence that our sin’s brought in the punishment of our Loving King Jesus Christ how can we go on sinning? I have said it before but it bears reiteration, though the punishment of our sins has been dealt and we are no longer under the condemnation our sins deserve, the offense of our sins to our heavenly Father is no less. Further, when we, God’s adopted children sin against our Father, how much greater is God’s pain than when a stranger commits the same sin?

5. 9 What then? Are we Jews any better off? No, not at all. While the Jews who knew the whole law, tradition and prophets had a distinct advantage, without faith in Christ (the direct object of the law, tradition and prophets), they were indeed no better off. Mere knowledge of the law does not save; mere knowledge of the prophets confers no blessing without their direct object that is Christ.

6. … all, both Jews and Greeks, are under sin… Though the law, as a gift of God was good, what the law demonstrated… the sin of man was not. Here, Paul brings the charge of Sinner against all mankind, by Jew Paul means those with the law, by Greek he means those without the law. Regardless both, indeed “all,” are sinners. The Apostle John later says…"8 If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.” 1 John 1:8-10. Fundamental to our acceptance of the Gospel is our understanding of our own sinfulness. Without owning our sin, we will never realize our need for the gospel. The world can attempt to deny man’s innate sinfulness all they want, saying…”you’re good enough, you deserve this.” But there is something inside every man that screams the contrary. If not, why the amazing market for worldly self-help books that continue to propagate the lies? No, truth and peace are not found in the denial of our sin but in the acceptance of our sin and the acceptance of an adequate atonement for that sin. Marla can testify that I freak out every time I see a depressed/anxious person reading a secular self-help book. Reason being, the majority of these books are written from a false perspective (human goodness) that does not recognize the reality of the human state (sinful), what can they possibly teach us? If anything, they drive us further into a denial of the reality that exists inside of us and cause a greater and greater inner tension between our “ID”, “ego” and “superego,” resulting in the full spectrum of physiatric pathology from depression to anxiety.

7. "None is righteous, no, not one… Romans 3 is one of the best commentaries on man’s “radical/total depravity.” The doctrine of “Total Depravity” states that Man, as inheriting the original sin passed on from Adam is born unable to follow or choose God, instead every inclination is towards the self and world. As Paul later says in 1 Cor 2:14-15, “14 The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.” Christ himself declares in John 6:44, “44 No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day.” Sin’s systemic effect has rendered natural humans dead to the gospel, “Eph 2:1-5. 2 And you were dead in the trespasses and sins 2 in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— 3 among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. 4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ— by grace you have been saved— too often, our salvation is made analogous to a man drowning in the ocean who has but to swim to God’s “life preserver” in order to be saved. This analogy is far from biblical and steals the credit God deserves in order to preserve man’s autonomy. The bible does not refer to unsaved man as drowning but as dead. How is a dead man to save himself? A more biblical analogy is a child who falls into a frozen lake; EMS pulls the child, now dead and stiff, out of the water after a 2 hour submersion. The child is then transported to my ER where I (not the child) take the pulseless, apnic, blue, dead child in my arms place him on a bypass machine to warm him then shock the cold dead heart back to life. You see in this example, the responsibility and thus the glory goes to the rescuer and not the rescued. Though all men are “free” to follow their will, their will is never “free.” Thus, men may “freely” choose to follow God but only after God acts first to shock their cold, dead heart back to life. Like it or not, this is a biblical view of salvation. If you do not like it, I challenge you to get to the root of why you don’t like it. Could it be that you want for Man’s glory, autonomy and freedom over God’s glory, autonomy and freedom? The question, I guess is irrelevant, as we are still forced to make a choice between knowing and following the Biblical God that exists or creating for ourselves an Idol God that we wish existed.

8. 20 For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin. What may have been unclear in Romans 2 becomes crystal clear in Romans 3. The Old Testament Law and regulations were never meant to Justify anyone. Righteousness was never meant to be earned through the law; rather, the law was meant to point to it’s direct object…Jesus Christ. The Law is to be used much as I use a CT Scan, to diagnose an illness that needs treatment. The CT never cured anyone but through diagnosis, I am now able to target a disease and prescribe a treatment. God’s CT machine (the law) reveals a disease within all of us that we are unable to treat by our own strength. Instead, we need Christ’s external, given treatment.

9. Intro to vs. 21-31: In his first 3 chapters or Romans, Paul has declared the entire world both responsible and accountable for denying the creator and breaking the law. This condemnation culminates in Chapter 3 which may be better titled, “surrender hope all, ye who enter” whereby the reader is so battered as to surrender nearly all hope of atoning for so great a fall, what follows thought is one of the most comprehensive and precise presentations of the Gospel in the entire bible. If you ever need a quick reference, a “Gospel for dummies,” flip to Romans 3 and read and own it.

10. …righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law... “righteousness of God” i.e. Christ’s righteousness, not my self-righteousness as earned my obedience to the law but a foreign righteousness earned by Christ by his perfect obedience to the law.

11. the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. This is an Imputed, infused, external, and foreign righteousness, not inherent, earned, self righteousness. This was perhaps the greatest debate of the reformation, and a debate worth separating over as it is fundamental to our view of salvation. The question posed was…are we saved by our own righteousness as achieved with Christ’s assistance enabling us to pay our own debt through pious activity? OR, Are we graciously given Christ’s righteousness once and for all through faith? This verse (and the rest of the bible for that matter) supports the reformers and first 1000 years of Church history that maintain we are forensically (as if in court) declared righteous through Christ’s infused work the moment we truly believe.

12. all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, As above, the use of “all” demonstrates the universality of need. Not Paul, not Peter, not John, not Mary, and not Mother Teresa in all their greatness, in all their good works were able to cosmically right all their sins. They were unable canceled their own debt or earn their own salvation apart from Christ. I feel they would be rightly infuriated if they heard of such lies. Thus, there is no “treasury of merit,” as when Paul and John (arguably the best Christians to ever live) evaluated their own lives, they realized they too were likewise condemned by the law with nothing to offer for their own salvation, nor the salvation of others, but a bunch of “dirty rags”.

13. Justified Christians (like the military and doctors) have many terms we throw around and expect people to understand. So that we are all on the same page, the definition of justification is made righteousness…declared innocent. Justification is used in a “forensic” sense, meaning-- as if in a court of law. To be justified means to be once and for all declared Righteous before God. It is true the Justified may still sin but this never takes us out of a saving relationship as salvation is not granted or withdrawn based on my daily works/sins but is granted by my faith (which itself is a gift) in Christ’s completed work on the Cross.

14. Justified by his grace as a gift…(ESV) other translations “Justified, freely” (NKJV, NIV). I included the most common English translation “freely” as it more clearly demonstrates the point. We were not given salvation because we swam to God’s “life preserver.” We were not given salvation because we were wise enough to chose God or because we were righteousness enough in our works to deserve God. But we were justified “freely.” Our “no free lunch” culture makes it difficult for us to understand such a gift. We are accustomed to earning our way, never asking for help, “you get yours and I’m gonna get mine.” In this culture, it has become difficult to humble ourselves to admit that salvation is not something that we can achieve on our own “will or effort” (Romans 9:16); but humble ourselves we must, or there is no salvation.

15. through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. Note what is not included, charity, trips, going to church, taking communion, having children etc. Christ alone give redemption from sin. Don’t get me wrong, all of the above activities are good but they effect sanctification (spiritual maturity) not salvation. Salvation is based on Solo Christos (Christ’s work alone).

16. whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, Note, propitiation not the softer expiation. Propitiation depicts not only the expiation-payment, but also a turning or satisfaction of God’s wrath.

17. propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. Again, note what is not included, charity, trips, going to church, taking communion, having children, not drinking/dancing and all the other thousand things Christians imply are necessary for salvation. Again, if we’re talking maturity fine but please never confuse sanctification with justification or you will quickly lose both your joy and thankfulness. Justification is base on Solo Fide (faith alone). Everything we choose to “do” past justification is merely as a grateful response to our ransom being paid.

18. This was to show God's righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. And why was humanity saved and God’s wrath satisfied in such a draumatic mannor as the crusifiction of Christ and ensuing eclipse, earthquakes and miraculous resurrections? Sole Deo Gloria (For the glory of God alone). Just as the Karate Kid was glorified when he finally crane kicked that bully in the head, so too is God to be glorified for conquering death and rescuing his children from their sin. It is for God’s glory that we have been saved and not our own. It is that we may praise God all the louder that he dragged our will kicking and screaming from sin to righteousness.

19. that he might be just and the justifier God is entirely responsible for our salvation from first to last. Let me illustrate this with an Old Testament passage that I hope to do justice. 7 And he (God) said to him (Abraham), "I am the Lord who brought you out from Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land to possess." 8 But Abraham said, "O Lord God, how am I to know that I shall possess it?" 9 He said to him, "Bring me a heifer three years old, a female goat three years old, a ram three years old, a turtledove, and a young pigeon." 10 And he brought him all these, cut them in half, and laid each half over against the other..17 When the sun had gone down and it was dark, behold, a smoking fire pot and a flaming torch passed between these pieces. Gen 15:7-10,17,18 What is depicted here is an Old Testament Covenant making ceremony. There are two parties, Abraham and God. Animals are cut up into bloody messes separated one half from the other leaving narrow, bloody pathway between them. Abraham would have recognized ceremony in which both parties would be expected to make promises to each other and then walk in between the animals signifying that if they did not fulfill their commitment, then like the animals they too would be cut into pieces. But, instead of each party committing some good or service, we see an entirely one sided covenant (hardly could be called a covenant) as God promises to bless Abraham and his descendents with the promise land but all Abraham bring to the equation is faithlessness and adultery then in an amazing twist, God walks between the animals. God says to Abraham, If I do not fulfill my promise to you and your offspring then like these animals I will be cut to pieces. In true dramatic irony, God did indeed fulfill his promise but the fulfillment itself required God’s own blood, In Christ’s bloody death. God is in the habit of one-sided covenants (as what could we bring that God needs?). Our covenant with Christ too is entirely one sided, he has been crucified for our transgression; all we bring to the equation is faithlessness and adultery (forsaking our first love and following Idols). In this way God get’s all the glory for the rescue of his Children. He is truly both the just and justifier. God instituted a covenant of works and then fulfilled its requirements with his own blood.

20. 27 Then what becomes of our boasting? It is excluded. By what kind of law? By a law of works? No, but by the law of faith. If we did swim to the Life Vest or were smart enough to choose God on our own accord then we would deserve the lion’s share of the credit for our own salvation as we would then be the responsible party, the effective element driving the equation. If our salvation were dependent on our “free choice” then Christ did not actually accomplish anything on the Cross. Christ’s blood would have only opened the door for our salvation but we were the ones who walked through it. I prefer to believe (and the bible supports) that God cares more for me eternal salvation than for my autonomy. Please look very, very closely at Eph 2:8-10: “8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. In this verse we see the interplay of faith, grace and works. Notice we are saved by Grace- the gift not only of Christ’s life and blood but also of our faith. Notice how Paul qualifies “faith. And this is not of your own doing.” Our faith is not something we can drum up or create on our own (remember the discussion of Total Depravity) No, the very faith that secures our Justification is also the gift of God. And why? That no one may boast. God is entirely responsible for our salvation and far from robots, we praise God as those helpless dead, frozen children made alive only by the very breath of God.

21. He will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith. 31 Do we then overthrow the law by this faith? By no means! On the contrary, we uphold the law. This is occasionally referred to as the “new covenant,” I prefer to instead call it the “full revelation of the Old Covenant,” as even Old Testament Jews were ultimately saved by Christ’s blood through a primitive faith that God in his mercy would somehow atone for their law breaking. Thus, in Christ’s sacrifice, the law is upheld like never before because the Justice of God has finally (after 2000 yrs of prophesy) been finally (once and for all) satisfied.

Sun Tzu:

“Therefore a wise general strives to feed off the enemy. Each Pound of food taken from the enemy is equivalent to twenty pounds you provide by yourself.”

“Transportation of provision itself consumes twenty times the amount transported.”

The Intellectual Devotion (Kidder, D. & Oppenheim N. The Intellectual Devotion, Rodale. NY, NY 2006):

Sarah. Sarah was the wife of Abraham and matriarch of the Jewish people. Sarah was so beautiful that when she and Abraham fled to Egypt during a famine, her beauty caused Abraham to fear for their safety. Concerned that Pharaoh would take Sarah and kill him, Abraham pretended that Sarah was his sister. Pharaoh did take Sarah, but God punished Pharaoh, allowing Sarah and Abraham to escape to Egypt together. Sarah was infertile for the majority of her life. Thus, as was the custom, she gave her handmaiden, Hagar to Abraham so that he could continue his lineage. Hagar gave birth to Ishmael (Muslim’s claim him as their patriarch). After Ishmael’s birth, Sarah became jealous and Abraham banished Hagar and Ishmael. When Sarah was 99 years old, through divine intervention, she bore Isaac the father of Jacob (Israel). Sarah died at 127 and was buried in the Hebron Valley where, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob are also buried.

Rom 2

2009-02-09T12:40:00.004-06:00

Date: 9 February 2009 D – 13 Days

Events:

7 Feb: Easy day, Marla and I laid around the house most of the day, recovering from our huge meal Friday night. We watched Run Fat Boy, Run catchy title, right? Good movie. Otherwise we just spent quality time together.

8 Feb: Got up and went to Church. We got to be greeters and help collect the offering both of which went fine. Our Church was full because 3 kids got baptized and our pastor gave a great sermon, the sermon was based on the text of Numbers 11 and focused on our responsibility to heed the Bible as the written will of God, the Church as God’s most immediate earthly institution responsible for teaching, encouraging and disciplining the Christian and our brothers/sisters as God’s chosen vessel to give us an outsiders perspective on how the Bibles text may be applied to our specific circumstance. While I am pretty good at Listening to God’s written word, I have not capitalized on the opportunity to seek instruction from the Church or my fellow Christians as I should have while in San Antonio. Most of the reason that I remember Ft Worth so fondly is that I was deeply involved at Christ Chapel and surround by a great group of believers. I deeply regret not getting more involved with our church or friends and look forward to a new start this summer when we move to a new city. We went to yoga last night and came home and watched the Grammy’s.

Bible:

Rom 2

God's Righteous Judgment

2 Therefore you have no excuse, O man, every one of you who judges. For in passing judgment on another you condemn yourself, because you, the judge, practice the very same things. 2 We know that the judgment of God rightly falls on those who do such things. 3 Do you suppose, O man—you who judge those who do such things and yet do them yourself—that you will escape the judgment of God? 4 Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God's kindness is meant to lead you to repentance? 5 But because of your hard and impenitent heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God's righteous judgment will be revealed.

6 He will render to each one according to his works: 7 to those who by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life; 8 but for those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, there will be wrath and fury. 9 There will be tribulation and distress for every human being who does evil, the Jew first and also the Greek, 10 but glory and honor and peace for everyone who does good, the Jew first and also the Greek. 11 For God shows no partiality.

God's Judgment and the Law

12 For all who have sinned without the law will also perish without the law, and all who have sinned under the law will be judged by the law. 13 For it is not the hearers of the law who are righteous before God, but the doers of the law who will be justified. 14 For when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do what the law requires, they are a law to themselves, even though they do not have the law. 15 They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness, and their conflicting thoughts accuse or even excuse them 16 on that day when, according to my gospel, God judges the secrets of men by Christ Jesus.

17 But if you call yourself a Jew and rely on the law and boast in God 18 and know his will and approve what is excellent, because you are instructed from the law; 19 and if you are sure that you yourself are a guide to the blind, a light to those who are in darkness, 20 an instructor of the foolish, a teacher of children, having in the law the embodiment of knowledge and truth— 21 you then who teach others, do you not teach yourself? While you preach against stealing, do you steal? 22 You who say that one must not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples? 23 You who boast in the law dishonor God by breaking the law. 24 For, as it is written, "The name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you."

25 For circumcision indeed is of value if you obey the law, but if you break the law, your circumcision becomes uncircumcision. 26 So, if a man who is uncircumcised keeps the precepts of the law, will not his uncircumcision be regarded as circumcision? 27 Then he who is physically uncircumcised but keeps the law will condemn you who have the written code and circumcision but break the law. 28 For no one is a Jew who is merely one outwardly, nor is circumcision outward and physical. 29 But a Jew is one inwardly, and circumcision is a matter of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter. His praise is not from man but from God.

Bible Thoughts:

1. When I picked up my bible for the first time that pivotal August day (see yesterdays post) and was supernaturally guided to and through Romans, there were two things that brought the letter to life for me, the first was my newly regenerated soul that was now able to understand the bible as interpreted through the viewing box of the gospel, and the second was that I read through the letter in its entirety in one setting as opposed to the choppy way we typically read the bible. Remember, all verse and chapter delineations were placed in the bible not by the original authors, but years later to enable easier location and discussion of the text. The punch of the letter is lost as we pick it up one day, read a few sentences, then put it down not to be thought about again for at least another 24 hrs when we try to pick up right where we left off. We complain that the bible is difficult to understand and granted it can be, but it is not made any easier by reading one piece at a time then flipping mid-thought to another section and reading a letter from a different author, addressed to a different audience, written for a different purpose. We would not attempt to read a piece of literature this way so why do we read the bible this way? I am victim in my daily life to the same trap as it is difficult to find time to read each book in the bible as it is written, but my point is that if we get frustrated by a particularly difficult verse, the answer to it’s interpretation likely lies either just before or after it. So, before throwing your bible and having a fit (as I have before) take a second and consider the context. As we move on to “Chapter 2” of Romans, we must therefore consider it in light of what we have just read in chapter 1 and what we are about to read in chapter 3. Romans like no other book in the bible moves systematically through the doctrine of salvation (soteriology). Paul is writing to Romans “Christians” that he has never met and does not know where they stand in doctrinal knowledge or maturity. Thus each book builds upon the last and is incredibly difficult (even dangerous) to interpret alone. In light of this, I will attempt to place each verse in the context of the chapter and each chapter in the context of the letter and each letter in the context of the gospel in order to more fully illuminate Paul’s points. . Paul, in “Chapter 1” begins by describing what we learned about yesterday, the “General Revelation” whereby, because of the majesty of creation, man is without excuse if he/she denies an intelligent creator. Paul will, in “chapter 2”, take it one step further demonstrating the despite the Jews having both the law (Old Testament) and their precious traditions (demonstrated by the ritual of circumcision), they were under no special protection for the coming judgment. God’s righteous judgment was promised and would come and, the Jews would be unable to fall back on their ancestry, their law or their rituals to save them from the wrath of God due their sin. In Chapter 2 Paul will, many times hold the law up as good (which it is) and, taken out of context, people may use this as a support of law based righteousness. However, when taken in the context of Chapter 3 (perhaps the greatest discourse on the depravity of man in the bible) we see that Paul is not saying that anyone (except Christ) is declared righteous by the law, only that the law, as God’s gift, is good.

2. …For in passing judgment on another you condemn yourself, because you, the judge, practice the very same things… Do you suppose, O man—you who judge those who do such things and yet do them yourself—that you will escape the judgment of God? As Jesus criticized hypocrites, so will Paul. In the context of the beginning of Romans chapter 2, as Paul moves from his discussion of the “General Revelation” of creation to the “specific revelation” of the old testament and newly revealed gospel, he moves on from criticizing the unbelieving world for ignoring the testimony of the creation to criticizing the Jews for their judgment and condemnation of the world. Paul may not know the Romans he is writing to but he surely knows the soul of man. Paul knows that as soon as comparison starts, pride swells. Paul pre-empts this spiritual pride with a hammer. As Paul will soon make clear, “all have sinned” (Romans 3:23). It was made clear by Jesus that sins external action is merely the tip of the iceberg. “21 You have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not murder’…. 22 But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, 'You fool!' will be liable to the hell of fire...27 “You have heard that it was said, 'You shall not commit adultery.' 28 But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” Matt 5:21-23,27-29. Far from sitting in a “special” position to judge the world, the Jews and church privileged with the full revelation of grace, mercy and salvation are now without excuse when we heap judgment and insult upon the unbelieving world. The Parable of the unmerciful servant comes to mind,

“23 "Therefore the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his servants. 24 When he began to settle, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents. 25 And since he could not pay, his master ordered him to be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and payment to be made. 26 So the servant fell on his knees, imploring him, 'Have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.' 27 And out of pity for him, the master of that servant released him and forgave him the debt. 28 But when that same servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii, and seizing him, he began to choke him, saying, 'Pay what you owe.' 29 So his fellow servant fell down and pleaded with him, 'Have patience with me, and I will pay you.' 30 He refused and went and put him in prison until he should pay the debt. 31 When his fellow servants saw what had taken place, they were greatly distressed, and they went and reported to their master all that had taken place. 32 Then his master summoned him and said to him, 'You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. 33 And should not you have had mercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on you?' 34 And in anger his master delivered him to the jailers, until he should pay all his debt. 35 So also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart." Matt 18:23-35

Before any spiritual pride wells up in my heart, I must remember the quote, “But for the grace of God, there go I.” I was not smart enough to choose Christ, nore good enough to deserve salvation. Without God’s intervention I would never have willingly chosen Christ and without Christ’s imputed righteousness there is no true good in me. In remembering this, far from pridefully condemning the world, I can identify with the world; understanding that without the grace of God, I would be committing the exact same worldly sins (if I’m not already). if I am in anyway better than the world, all I can do is humbly thank God for his grace and if I fall short of the world, I must rely still greater on the cross because, as one who now understands the full revelation of scripture, one given the holy spirit to lead me from sin, when I fall into sin, how much greater should my condemnation be?

3. 4 Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God's kindness is meant to lead you to repentance? Thanks be to God that he did not pull the plug when Adam disobeyed; thanks be to God that he did not toss me to the wolves at my first sin or the thousands that followed each insulting glory and dishonoring his name. May I never “presume” upon God’s love like a child that has gotten away with breaking curfew so frequently that I think of my Father as a softy. God deserves, no…demands respect and promises that every word will be accounted for at Judgment and all that I will be able to do is cry out for Christ’s help.

4. …God's kindness is meant to lead you to repentance… I discuss a lot of wrath and as I first mulled over this verse felt a bit convicted, I thought maybe all that lovey-dovey stuff preached in the liberal church was worthwhile. Praise the Lord for bringing me back to my senses…how are people to know the love of God without first realizing the wrath of God? How are people to be thankful for their rescue when they have no idea what they have been rescued from? A verse that has recently come alive to me like never before is Matt 11:16-17 "But to what shall I compare this generation? It is like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling to their playmates, 17 "'We played the flute for you, and you did not dance;we sang a dirge, and you did not mourn.' A generation that has lost consequence has no need for a savior; a generation that has lost their need has no love of a savior. Truly, “he who is forgiven much, loves much” (Luke 7) and how are we to rejoice in our great forgiveness without first realizing what we have been forgiven for. I preach a wrathful God firstly because He is the biblical God and secondly because the never-ending preaching of God’s love has so diluted God’s justice in our culture that we are no longer able to dance for our great salvation.

5. 6 He will render to each one according to his works: 7 to those who by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life; This is one of those tough verses that I spoke of earlier, one that requires looking forward to the next chapter to determine exactly what Paul means. The question is, how do we marry this verse with what Paul’s later point in Roman’s 3, “all have sinned,” Romans 6, “the wages of sin are death,” and later in Galatians 3:11, “11 But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith.” The key is to realize where our righteousness comes from. The law as impartial and just truly does offer salvation (eternal life) to any/all who can keep it. The problem as Paul is about to explain in Roman’s 3 is that no naturally born human can actually keep it. There was only one, born not with the taint of original sin, born not with the inclination away from God towards sin who was actually able to keep the whole law and earn for himself and the human race salvation (Romans 5, coming up) that one was Jesus Christ. Truly we do have a merit/works based religion, the works that merit our salvation are just not our own but Christ’s accounted to us through faith. Christ’s sinless life (2 Cor 5:22, and Hebrews 4:15) is called his “active obedience” by which he earned not only his own salvation but also the salvation of all who would honor him by trusting in his person and work.

6. 11 For God shows no partiality. This statement has been unnaturally separated from the paragraphs that follow it. Far from completing the prior paragraph, actually seems to serve as a topic sentence for the next few paragraphs. As we look at the next two paragraphs Paul demonstrates that the Jews and Christians are in no way preferred to the gentile simply in title, law or tradition.

7. 14 For when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do what the law requires, they are a law to themselves, even though they do not have the law. 15 They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts... There is little doubt that even unbelievers can do good. This good is called “civic good” or “common good” because it is not true good (motivated for God’s glory), but it is still good as defined by the law. The gift of the conscience screams against “natural selection” and for a work of art, made in the image of a compassionate, loving creator. What evolutionary advantage does is confer to help others at the risk of self? No, the conscience is God’s law written on the world’s heart. Though all societies do not poses the Old Testament 613 laws, all societies do poses a conscience, an internal “moral law.” This ‘Moral law’ both testifies to a creator and against the righteousness of the self. It is the gift of the conscience that will ultimately condemn those far off nations when they deny their creator and having knowingly violated their conscience make no adequate atonement (blood) for such violation. It is horrifying to me when the Oprah’s of society falsely reassure felons that their trespass is forgiven simply because they are “sorry”, or that by some act of kindness that they may somehow atone for their evil, equaled the cosmic right/wrong scale, thus no longer need to feel guilt. Ask the guilty if this false reassurance has ever truly cleansed their consciousness? Nearly all suicidal patients that I have talked to (and I’ve talked to hundreds) have at their root excessive guilt felt over transgressions that has thus far been entirely resistant to treatment by all worldly counseling and psychiatry. We are setting people up for failure when take their justly felt guilt and tell them is has been cosmically righted because they are “sorry”, we both know that it hasn’t; our collective conscience testifies against it. You will find that the most joyful persons in the Church are those who remember the guilt they lived in (like myself) before claiming Christ’s adequate sacrifice as an atonement. As the author of Hebrews puts it, “19 Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, 20 by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, 21 and since we have a great priest over the house of God, 22 let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. 23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.” Heb 10:19-24

8. 21 you then who teach others, do you not teach yourself? A scary admonition that reminds me of James 3:1 “ Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness.”

9. 23 You who boast in the law dishonor God by breaking the law. 24 For, as it is written, "The name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you." An even scarier statement when I consider how often my life may be use by the unbelieving world to blaspheme God. When I am branded with the title of Christian, people watch my life more closely. Perhaps it’s that inner evil within all of us that enjoys seeing people trip as they walk up stairs, crashes their stock cars and enjoys the fights at hockey games more than the goals, but the fact is that the world loves to see professing Christian’s fall. It is likely that most of this attitude stems from the Holier-than-Thou position Christians justly or unjustly are charged with. It is true, many Christians (I’m sure myself at times) may appear Holier-than-thou but this is the very attitude that this chapter argues so strongly against. That as Christians, far from being smarter or more righteous than our unbelieving neighbors, we must remember that without the external, undeserved righteousness of Christ we are no better than our neighbors and in many instances much worse than our neighbors, not only before we became Christians but even as professing Christians. Though I know the law and its consequence, and understand the full revelation of the Gospel in scripture, I am constantly contending with the “plank in my own eye,” far from being concerned with my neighbors actions or my plans for tomorrow, I should be fully occupied with sanctifying the next thought through my head, the next glance of my eyes, and the next action of my hand. Not because these actions justify me but because I realize the extreme pain to God, Christ, my earthly relationships and myself that my sins cause. The thought that I am branded with the name of Christ and the world considers my actions a reflection upon Him while humbling and terrifying is something I must never forget.

10. 25 For circumcision indeed is of value if you obey the law, but if you break the law, your circumcision becomes uncircumcision…28 For no one is a Jew who is merely one outwardly, nor is circumcision outward and physical. 29 But a Jew is one inwardly, and circumcision is a matter of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter… Beautiful reiteration of 1 Sam 16:7-8, “For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart." Misunderstanding their own salvation, many Jews relied upon their lineage depicted in the sign of circumcision for their salvation. Circumcision was given as a sign of the Faith of Abraham, not the line of Abraham. The bible often speaks of the “Remnant” or the “True Israel”, the fraction of Israel that was truly saved by faith in God’s promise, not by external action or ritual. Even today, the majority of the Jewish faithful rely on external obedience to the law and ritual for their salvation, while there is a “remnant” that are truly saved by continued reliance on the promised Gospel of God, these are the so called Messianic Jews. The Jewish people received a special grace from God when they were given the Law, as they now had a much better understanding of God’s standards than their fellow gentiles but, as they found themselves breaking this law (as all inevitably did) they were not to rely on their ritual circumcision for their salvation but the actual covenant that their circumcision represented. The covenant that God would somehow rescue his faithful people. A salvation that ultimately was found in Christ not circumcision. As Paul later says in Gal 5:2-5 “…if you accept circumcision, Christ will be of no advantage to you. 3 I testify again to every man who accepts circumcision that he is obligated to keep the whole law. 4 You are severed from Christ, you who would be justified by the law; you have fallen away from grace." Paul is, of course, not saying that the Circumcised are unable to be saved, what he means is that those reliant on circumcision and law (instead of Christ) are unable to be saved. While the Jews were privileged with the Law and the sign of circumcision, neither were given to grant salvation, but to point to the one from whom salvation would ultimately come, The Christ.

Sun Tzu:

“The common people provide goods, food, and labor for the use of the military, thus losing most of their own sustenance, while the government provides equipment for the use of the military, thus losing more than half of its budget. Therefore taxes are used up, the army is worn out, and the populace is exhausted. When levies are oppressive and the people are impoverished, the country is drained.”

The Intellectual Devotion (Kidder, D. & Oppenheim N. The Intellectual Devotion, Rodale. NY, NY 2006):

“Plato’s Cave Allegory,” In Plato’s Republic he describes a scenario in which men, trapped in a cave, can see only the shadows of objects projected on the wall. They are forced to face forward while a fire burns behind them. Objects are held up in front of the fire, projecting images the men identify. For instance, the men in the cave may think they see a book, but what they see is only the book’s shadow as it is held up behind them. When a man escapes the cave to witness the true nature of things, he is at first pained by the brilliance of the sun and confused by the physical objects. But when he eventually understands the true nature of the world, he pities the masses who know only shadows. Of course, the men in the cave resist learning the truth and think their escaped friend is crazy when he tries to describe it. In the allegory, the men trapped in the cave represent the world’s ignorant masses. They see only representations of objects, the sights and sounds that can be discerned by our physical senses. To Plato the man who escapes the cave to witness the true nature of things is the philosopher.

Rom 1

2009-02-07T11:18:00.004-06:00

Date: 7 February 2009

Events:

Slept in (still on leave), read, wrote, played with Sadie and by the time I had finished, Marla was home and we watched a great show on the History Channel called Bible Battles. In Bible Battles, the commentators are all military historians and they follow Israel from the Joshua through the Judges and into Saul’s reign discussing the tactic’s Israel used in each significant battle. The show had great graphic depictions of the battles, knowledgeable commentary and a good bit of theatrics during the battles. It gave a good impression of how bloody war was back then. The Military historians, of course, interpret all campaigns strictly from a tactical standpoint, often butchering the theology but it was a very good show overall and I would highly recommend it. Marla and I went out to a Brazilian Steakhouse last night with some great friends and it was amazing!

Bible:

ROMANS

Greeting

1 Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, 2 which

he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy Scriptures, 3 concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh 4 and was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord, 5 through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of his name among all the nations, 6 including you who are called to belong to Jesus Christ,

7 To all those in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints:
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Longing to Go to Rome

8 First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is proclaimed in all the world. 9 For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of his Son, that without ceasing I mention you 10 always in my prayers, asking that somehow by God's will I may now at last succeed in coming to you. 11 For I long to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to strengthen you— 12 that is, that we may be mutually encouraged by each other's faith, both yours and mine. 13 I want you to know, brothers, that I have often intended to come to you (but thus far have been prevented), in order that I may reap some harvest among you as well as among the rest of the Gentiles. 14 I am under obligation both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to the wise and to the foolish. 15 So I am eager to preach the gospel to you also who are in Rome.

The Righteous Shall Live by Faith

16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. 17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, "The righteous shall live by faith."

God's Wrath on Unrighteousness

18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. 19 For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. 20 For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. 21 For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Claiming to be wise, they became fools, 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles.
24 Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, 25 because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.
26 For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; 27 and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error.
28 And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done. 29 They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips, 30 slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, 31 foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless. 32 Though they know God's decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them.

Bible Thoughts:

1. By way of an introduction to Romans, let me first say this is my favorite book in the bible. Romans was written to Christians in Rome that Paul had never met. Therefore, instead of dealing with specific issues as we will see in most of his other epistles, Paul moves systematically through the doctrines of the faith. My love for this book, however is far deeper than simply as a great doctrinal work as this book was instrumental in my final conversion to Christianity. Though for years, I had gone to Church and considered myself a Christian, in the summer of 1999 I went off to ROTC Advanced Camp in Fort Lewis Washington. My battle buddy for the 8 weeks was a solid Christian guy and though we never discussed theology he would often sing or hum as we trekked through the woods. It was at Advanced Camp that I felt an inner change occur that I was unable to describe until years later. Barely aware of the change at the time, I never mentioned it and probably wrote it off as sleep deprivation. When I returned to Fort Worth, however, the change was more evident. I no longer wanted to hang out with my girlfriend of 3 years and had a great urge to read a bible. I finally stopped one day, randomly opened the bible to a book and started reading. And what book did I randomly open to but Romans. I had likely seen or at least heard some verses from Romans prior to this experience but for the first time, I understood what I was reading. Through sort of a Never Ending Story experience, as I moved through Paul’s exposition of the universality of sin, the fall of man, the origin of my faith and my necessary response, I found myself and my faith in the text. In my opinion, my heart was regenerated, “reborn” (not by my own will/desire) that summer at Advanced Camp and I repented and believed that August back in Fort Worth. God may correct me when I get to heaven but that’s my testimony. The Lord must hold Romans in high esteem as He used it to awaken not only my soul, but Luther’s as well (comment 11).

2. “Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle” If asked, I feel that Paul would echo my own experience of contributing nothing to salvation. Instead of an actor’s/effectors our conversions we were, instead, acted upon. Far from weighing the cost/benefit of the gospel and deciding to internally muster a belief, quite the contrary, one day a belief was given to us by external, irresistible force. Paul’s conversion experience in which was called to apostleship and became a servant of Christ was, however, a bit more dramatic than my own. As a Jewish Pharisee from birth, Paul (Saul at that point) had spent his life zealously studying the scriptures. Paul was passionate for his Jewish faith as demonstrated by how aggressively he persecuted the Christians even condoning the killing of our first martyr Stephen (Acts 7). This, however, changed in an instant (and quite contrary to his will I might add) when Christ appeared to Paul and irresistibly drew him to apostleship. The story is awesome and classic please enjoy it again:

Acts 9:1-19

9 But Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest 2 and asked him for letters to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any belonging to the Way, men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. 3 Now as he went on his way, he approached Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. 4 And falling to the ground he heard a voice saying to him, "Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?" 5 And he said, "Who are you, Lord?" And he said, "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. 6 But rise and enter the city, and you will be told what you are to do." 7 The men who were traveling with him stood speechless, hearing the voice but seeing no one. 8 Saul rose from the ground, and although his eyes were opened, he saw nothing. So they led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus. 9 And for three days he was without sight, and neither ate nor drank.

10 Now there was a disciple at Damascus named Ananias. The Lord said to him in a vision, "Ananias." And he said, "Here I am, Lord." 11 And the Lord said to him, "Rise and go to the street called Straight, and at the house of Judas look for a man of Tarsus named Saul, for behold, he is praying, 12 and he has seen in a vision a man named Ananias come in and lay his hands on him so that he might regain his sight." 13 But Ananias answered, "Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much evil he has done to your saints at Jerusalem. 14 And here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call on your name." 15 But the Lord said to him, "Go, for he is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel. 16 For I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name." 17 So Ananias departed and entered the house. And laying his hands on him he said, "Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus who appeared to you on the road by which you came has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit." 18 And immediately something like scales fell from his eyes, and he regained his sight. Then he rose and was baptized; 19 and taking food, he was strengthened.
From this point onward Saul’s (Paul) life was irresistibly altered. There would be no more sleeping in a comfortable bed, no more life with his immediate family, no more standing in a place of honor as a Pharisee. Instead Paul was conscripted to become, in my opinion, the most influential of all the apostles. Paul left his life of comfort and accolade to become a missionary to the gentiles, despised by his own people. The life Paul found in Christ, however, was more full of love, grace, peace and contentment than any he could of dreamt of as a Pharisee (see the last chapter of any of his epistles or Philippians). His eternal reward was secured, Paul embarked on his exciting and eternally fulfilling journey.

3. …gospel of God… And, why was Paul willing to forsake all becoming a slave to Christ and apostle to the Gentiles? The Gospel, the “good news” to the world that whereas the Law that Paul knew so well promised only condemnation and death, Christ, living a perfect life earned for us all of the reward of heaven and in his death paid the final sentence due the law. Now through belief (honoring) Christ’s historic person and work we can be imputed (given) his merit unto heaven and his death can be our paid debt.

4. …promised beforehand through his prophets… who was descended from David… Why had Paul and the other Pharisee’s not recognized Jesus as the promised messiah? They had misinterpreted the Old Testament prophesies. The Jews were looking for a king in the worldly sense who would save them from their worldly oppressors forever. The Jews expected the messiah to be a militant king like David who would lead them in conquering the world. Thus, when Christ died there hope was lost. As grand as their expectations for the prophesied messiah were, they were none-the-less far too small. Far greater than rescuing the Jews to a worldly comfort and security, in Christ’s death, He has rescued them to an eternal comfort and security; and, far greater than a militant conquer of the gentiles, he has conquered without weapons but with an offered assimilation into the promises of the Jews. The Prophesy concerning the messiah is extensive and all points accurately to the life and work of Jesus Christ.

5. …declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead… As discussed yesterday in Matthew 28, our best evidence that Christ truly was the son of God, lived without sin, and paid our debt was death’s inability to hold him. Likewise, our hope rests solidly in the fact that as Christ conquered death, through his completed work, so shall we.

6. 6 including you who are called to belong to Jesus Christ, Paul could mean one of two things here, if Paul speaks to the “general call” (as this is prior to addressing the saints) then it is true, the whole world is called to belong to Christ, some of course will not heed this call. On the other hand Paul may be speaking of the "effectual call" meaning that if people are reading his letter and professing to be believers we can make the safe’ish assumption that they have been effectively called (given faith). The point worth making is that Human’s are free to follow their will, their will however is never neutral. Without Gods supernatural intervention (effectual call) people will invariably follow their own selfish desires not submitting to Christ’s lordship. It is only through God’s regeneration of the person that they are then able to respond affirmatively to the gospel and submit to Christ’s lordship.

7. 7 To all those in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints: Always important to recognize who the letter is addressing many a theological argument can be resolved by simply determining who the author is talking to. For instance, I would discuss different issues in different ways with my wife, vs. my Christian friends, vs. my non-Christian friends. I might write a love letter to my wife, addressed to my wife, that taken out of context and applied to my friend Joel would look quite inappropriate

8. 8 First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is proclaimed in all the world. My question to the Arminean (free-willer’s) is… if faith is entirely something that you internally drum up and you are not influenced by God in any external way, so as to impede your freedom, then why does Paul thank God for the disciple’s faith at the beginning of every one of his letters??? Paul does not thank God for simply opening the way to salvation but for their faith. If God has nothing to do in influencing or giving with your “freely” self-created faith then why thank God? Further, why would we pray for an unbeliever’s faith if we did not believe God to work in regeneration prior to the unbeliever’s repentance. It is horribly inconsistent to fight so hard for Free-will and then all of a sudden turn around and pray that God would give your mother faith. In the end which is more important that the almighty free-will is not encroached upon or that your mother is saved? What God would you rather serve, a deity that stays at a distance so as not to disrupt free-will, throwing the flotation devise but waiting for you to swim to it or a God that performs CPR on your dead soul, who is responsible for your salvation from beginning to end? Which God deserves more Glory? Which God is more powerful? Forget all those questions and ask yourself the only important one, which God is described in the bible?

9. 16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. As I said earlier, Jesus is techniquley the Jewish Messiah. Romans 11 is a beautiful commentary as to how we gentiles, out of love, have been incorporated into God’s plan for the Redemption of True Israel.

10. "The righteous shall live by faith." It was Luther’s intense study of Romans, Galatians and in particular this verse that sparked the reformation. Luther, a monk in the Catholic Church in the 16th century was deeply troubled by this verse as he witnessed righteousness being promised not by faith but by pious acts, rituals and at its worst being sold. Luther’s intent was never to split the Church but to reform the church, to take the Church back to what it had been just a few years earlier. Luther, having studied church history and as a student of Saint Augustus came to realize that the bible (and Catholic Church up until the 15th century) promises righteousness as based on internal faith not on external action. A righteousness based on the finished work of Christ, not the continued “righteous” activity of the individual. The bible promises an imputed (external) righteousness (Christ’s) that through faith is gifted to the believer completely separate from good works. The bible further says that attempts to achieve salvation based on this self-righteousness is insulting to Christ and makes void his sacrifice (Galatians 2). Luther noticed the gross deviation of his Church from this concept that had occurred during his life; righteousness was not earned by Christ’s work on the Cross but sold at a cost. Righteousness in the catholic church of the 16th century was granted by endless rituals, long journeys to the holy land and at its worst actually sold. If the individual 16th century catholic was deemed righteous by these pious activities and did not need any further “indulgence” then they could always make a financial or action-based donation toward their dead relatives righteousness. Understand that there were many in the Church that also attempted to stop these abuses, these debates culminated in the Council of Trent where the opposition (not just from Luther) from within the Catholic Church was quenched and the doctrines that defined the 16th Century Church were institutionalized. There were then and continue to be amazing believers in the catholic church but this new 16th Century Catholic Church’s refusal to rely on the tenets of the Reformation (what had been the tenets of their own church) led to the split. Do not be deceived, it is the Church that changed not the reformers. As their name implies, the reformers tried to bring the Church back to the doctrine it was founded upon, Righteous based on Faith alone in Christ alone given by Grace alone for the Glory of God alone as described in the only authoritative text, the Bible.

11. 19 For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. 20 For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. Here we see the concept of “General Revelation.” The world around us testifies to a creator. People have recognized the presence of a creator based on the world around them since the beginning. Modern man’s denial of a creator is in no way a more sophisticated or intellectual opinion than the caveman’s acceptance of a creator; in-fact, quite the contrary, it cry’s of the ignorance of modern man as to the true purpose of science. Science merely describes the world around us it has never created anything. The fact that we can now explain how things work through science in no way voids the need for a creator as we have never and will never, threw science uncover history. We may see how things mechanically work but we cannot understand what put them together, nor can we understand why they were put together. Far from contradicting each other, science and religion complement each other as each seeks to answer a completely different question. As we let the bible answer questions it address, let’s confine science to the questions it address, the mechanisms not the creation or the why’s.

12. 21 For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, It seems to me that people have lost their amazement for the general revelation as described above, instead they seem content to believe that somewhere there is some scientist standing in a long white coat that can explain the existence of a universe without the need for a God. As one who wears a long white coat and studies the human body let me be the first to say that we cannot explain even the most basic functions of the human body; a body that we can touch and experiment on let alone the mysteries of a vast universe that we have only scraped the surface of. There are molecules (not cells, molecules…strings of carbon) in your body that do more complex tasks than any human could dream of accomplishing. Tirelessly these molecules check each of the 3 billion different proteins created in the nucleus of a cell to ensure each of its thousand constituent amino acids is in exactly the right place so that the protein will function as intended, one mistake could cost not just the cell but your life. There is no human with a brain, hands, feet and a library of knowledge that could accomplish this task and are we so silly as to believe that science can apart from a God created the universe and bank our eternal life on it? Talk about futile.

13. 24 Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, 25 because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator You may be tempted to think only of the Golden Calf, but I feel that many people are worshiping a “God” and “Christ” that I submit are actually creatures and not the ultimate Creators. I went out to lunch recently with an interesting man that new a great deal of church history and on the surface said all the right things but under the surface denied the need for nearly all creeds. Therein is a huge problem, without creeds (definitions) my Christ and the true biblical Christ may be entirely different entities. I may worship with name “Christ” but if I mean Raingod, then I am worshiping an idol. Granted the difference is not generally this great, just an example. Many of us however, worship God as our teddy bear in the sky, a god that is all love and devoid of any of his other characteristics such as Justice, Holiness etc… I would again submit that far from worshiping the Biblical God they are worshiping an Idol god as their God does not approximate the God of the Bible. 22 On that day many will say to me (Christ), 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?' 23 And then will I declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.' Matt 7:22-23. This is why Creeds and Doctrine are essential, without them we have nothing to define the God that Rules, we have no common language or understanding and are at constant risk of worshiping an Idol.

14. ...men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error. This begs, can a homosexual be a Christian...to which I would answer, Yes. With the reservation that a person that is actively participating in homosexuality (like any sin) without any remorse, without any felt need for repentance is not demonstrating the “fruit” that would say they are a Christian. Homosexual guys are some of the coolest and nicest that I know. Like me, they have sin in their life. By definition however, a Christian is no longer slave to such sin but desires righteousness. Thus, I would say that the sin in their life is no worse than the sin in my life and as long as we both desire true, godly repentance (not living in and loving sin) then there is hope for both of our souls. If, however, I am talking with a homosexual who feels no remorse and no need for repentance but gladly touts his life as ok and the bibles teachings as outdated, then I would have to assume him not to be a Christian. The beauty of the Gospel is that while we are all sinners, Christ’s blood is able to cover that sin, whatever it is. And, the Holy Spirit is promised to pull us out of our sin.

15. 32 Though they know God's decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them. This speaks past “General Revelation” displayed to all by the creation, to a “Special Revelation” given through the Bible. Paul implies a deeper knowledge of the consequence of sin but a willing desire to continue unrepentantly in this sin. As above, the one who feels no remorse/repentance for whatever the sin is likely not a Christian.

Sun Tzu:

“Those who are near the army sell at high prices. Because of high prices, the wealth of the common people is exhausted.”

“Also because there are extraordinary levies, those with something to sell demand the highest prices they can get.”

Sun Tzu Thoughts:

Economics from the military stratigest! Sun Tzu describes something lost on the American people today, that businesses don’t pay taxes. Businesses simply pass the tax on to the consumer as increased price or go out of business these days with such a low profit margin. Thus, a tax cut for business is a tax cut for the people.

The Intellectual Devotion (Kidder, D. & Oppenheim N. The Intellectual Devotion, Rodale. NY, NY 2006):

Instruments and Ensembles: Not including the human voice, there are five categories of musical instrument: 1) Strings (plucked or played with a bow), 2) Winds (played by blowing air), 3) Percussion (played with stick), 4) Keyboards, and 5) Electronic instruments

In 1750, the Baroque orchestra was established with a wind section, percussion, continuo (keyboard) and a string section. The Violin was the dominant voice of the baroque period.
With the advent of the Classical Period, the winds were increasingly used. Franz Joseph Haydn and Mozart are good examples.

In the 19th and 20th centuries composers such as Richard Wagner, Gustav Mahler and Arnold Schoenberg have written pieces for very large orchestras and incorporated instruments from popular culture such as saxophones, synthesizers and other electronic devices.

Matt 28

2009-02-06T12:33:00.004-06:00

Date: 6 February 2009 D – 15 days

Events:

Yesterday I read, wrote and worked on securing the house for Marla. I put more secure locks on all entry doors and made a block for our bedroom door, the bad guys will have to literally tear the doors down to get into our bedroom! Plenty of time for Marla to put some Buck Shot into um :). Thanks for all the concern about Sadie, she is doing much better, check out the pictures back to her old playful self.

Bible (NT/OT):

Matt 28

The Resurrection

28 Now after the Sabbath, toward the dawn of the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. 2 And behold, there was a great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled back the stone and sat on it. 3 His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow. 4 And for fear of him the guards trembled and became like dead men. 5 But the angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. 6 He is not here, for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay. 7 Then go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead, and behold, he is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him. See, I have told you." 8 So they departed quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples. 9 And behold, Jesus met them and said, "Greetings!" And they came up and took hold of his feet and worshiped him. 10 Then Jesus said to them, "Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee, and there they will see me."

The Report of the Guard

11 While they were going, behold, some of the guard went into the city and told the chief priests all that had taken place. 12 And when they had assembled with the elders and taken counsel, they gave a sufficient sum of money to the soldiers 13 and said, "Tell people, 'His disciples came by night and stole him away while we were asleep.' 14 And if this comes to the governor's ears, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble." 15 So they took the money and did as they were directed. And this story has been spread among the Jews to this day.

The Great Commission

16 Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. 17 And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted. 18 And Jesus came and said to them, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age."

Bible Thoughts:

1. Finally a shorter chapter!

2. “angel of the Lord descended… His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow.” The New Testament mentions angels and demons more frequently than it does God/Christ’s love. The secularization of the Church has led to a people who do not believe in a spiritual realm. A people shocked and fearful of movies such as Max Payne, The Exorcist, Emily Rose, that depict spiritual warfare likely representing a far more realistic view of “The Real” (Matrix quote) than the world that we choose to see every day. Even as Christians, our default is to fall onto Science to explain the unexplainable. If I am unable to explain something, there must be someone in a long white coat that can. We daily write off miraculous occurrences to luck, chance, good fortune or karma. We are a people unable to believe in spiritual beings that we cannot touch or see, that have no mass but are who are great in effect. I challenge all who profess to hold the bible as the infallible word of God, to attribute less to secular ‘luck’ and more to a spiritual reality that while beyond our senses is no less reality. Oh, the insult the heavenly beings must feel when we attribute their work to luck, and these guys are not ones to mock. Oh, the cursing we must heap upon people by bidding them “good luck.” Praise God for his mercy to such ungrateful, miss guided creatures.

3. 6 “He is not here, for he has risen…” As Christ was raised from the dead so will we. Christ’s body though mutilated, cut and bleeding was raised beautiful and healed. In the death of our “imperfect” bodies we are “baptized” into Christ’s death that we will be raised as Christ in our “perfect” bodies. Christ’s resurrection reassures us that at death we will not become eternal spiritual beings (like the angles) without mass, we will not die and enter into an impersonal nirvana, nor will our death be our utter annihilation. Instead, at the end of the age we will again inherit physical bodies, walk physical streets and have fellowship with tangible brothers and sisters. This time though, as opposed to bodies born in sin and imperfect we will be born as Christ and Adam without sin and without sins systemic effect on our health, our relationships, or our new world. The following passages are the best biblical descriptions of our new body and our eternal heaven. Please take a moment to examine each passage as it constitutes the majority of what we know of our eternal resting place.

1 Cor 15:42-55

42 So is it with the resurrection of the dead. What is sown is perishable; what is raised is imperishable. 43 It is sown in dishonor; it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness; it is raised in power. 44 It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body….50 I tell you this, brothers: flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. 51 Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, 52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. 53 For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality. 54 When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written: "Death is swallowed up in victory." 55 "O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?"

Rev 21:1-22:5

21 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. 2 And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. 4 He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning nor crying nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away." 5 And he who was seated on the throne said, "Behold, I am making all things new." Also he said, "Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true." 6 And he said to me, "It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment. 7 The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God and he will be my son… 16 The city lies foursquare; its length the same as its width. And he measured the city with his rod, 12,000 stadia. Its length and width and height are equal. 17 He also measured its wall, 144 cubits by human measurement, which is also an angel's measurement. 18 The wall was built of jasper, while the city was pure gold, clear as glass. 19 The foundations of the wall of the city were adorned with every kind of jewel…each of the gates made of a single pearl, and the street of the city was pure gold, transparent as glass. 22 And I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb. 23 And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb. 24 By its light will the nations walk, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it, 25 and its gates will never be shut by day—and there will be no night there. 26 They will bring into it the glory and the honor of the nations…22 Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb 2 through the middle of the street of the city; also, on either side of the river, the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit each month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. 3 No longer will there be anything accursed, but the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him. 4 They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. 5 And night will be no more. They will need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever.

Notice that the bible does not speak of our life in the clouds or earning our wings but of perfect, eternal physical bodies and a perfect, eternal physical city. This is a biblical view of heaven.

4. “…he is going before you to Galilee…” Jesus got his people out of Jerusalem prior to its utter destruction in 70 AD.

5. "Greetings!" ESV other translations… “Rejoice!” NKJ. Though I typically use the ESV translation in my writing, I included New King James translation “Rejoice” because..well, I like it more. I’m no scholar and I don’t know which English word better depicts the Greek word, “chaírete,” Jesus first words to his disciples but I like to think it was something a bit better than “greetings.” As defined by The New Exhaustive Strong's Numbers and Concordance with Expanded Greek-Hebrew Dictionary. Copyright © 1994, 2003, 2006, “Chaírete” is a primary verb; to be "cheerful", i.e. calmly happy or well-off; impersonally, especially as salutation (on meeting or parting), be well… so “Rejoice” seems to fit right? Christ has just risen from the dead and in doing so ransomed billions of souls from the grips of eternal punishment ending death’s grip on humanity, thus I like “Rejoice.” Although The Matrix was an exciting movie with amazing special effects and a great twist, although Top Gun has inspired millions of young men to be fighter pilots, although Shakespeare’s timeless plays still bring tears to the eye, by far the greatest story ever told is the true story of Christ’s perfect life, tragic death and triumphant resurrection. Christ’s defeat of death, his defeat of sin, his defeat of Satan, and his victory over the souls that hung him on the cross, indeed his victory over my soul. This is the most exciting, redeeming, and triumphant story ever told with the greatest surprise ending that anyone could ever imagine. As my parents can attest, I have no use for a minister who when handed the most exciting story ever told decides on Easter to instead preach about Christ’s resurrection as merely a symbolic representation of the positive changes that we could decide to make in our life on Monday. Please forget life application for 1 day and tell history’s greatest story. If people leave the church because they want less Christ and more life application, show them the door, in fact, pick them up and throw them out. They do not belong. “Open hearts and open minds,” right? Phooey, I vote for tough love any day.

6. "Tell people, 'His disciples came by night and stole him away while we were asleep.” It is sad that the unbelieving world no longer even has to bring up this lie, as most “believers” in the American Church today don’t believe in the resurrection. The bible, as just a story book with helpful life lessons, can’t mean that Jesus literally raised from the dead, can it? Come on, there are lots of other controversial topics in the bible that we don’t bring up (all the un-PC stuff “against” women) why can’t we just ignore the resurrection too? Besides, we all know it’s scientifically impossible and makes Christians look dumb for believing in such a unlikely miracle, does it not? Well, I guess, if this is how you treat the gospel, then you better hope Christ’s body was stolen. I guess you had better hope, with the culture, that there is no bodily resurrection and that at the end of your life, you move with the rest of modern culture into a land of eternal Ice Cream and clouds or perhaps just join the atheists in annihilation. I guess we can all continue to sing with lukewarm voices during the Easter service, treating Easter as a time of symbolic “new beginnings” as opposed our Lords triumph over death and salvation of the world. No, if Christ is not raised from the dead, there are far better things we should do on Easter morning (in fact, every Sunday morning). What can we really learn from this liar, Christ? Why would we worship a lunatic who preached his own resurrection on so many occasions? With Paul, I affirm, “17 And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. 18 Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. 19 If in this life only we have hoped in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied. 1 Cor 15:17-19. Christ’s only credibility is in the fact that his body has never been found. His miraculous stories can be written off as just that, stories; we have no lasting proof. His “great teachings…” not so great if he claimed to be God and was not. This Easter, let’s not continue to sing as lukewarm “believers” who have bought the cultures lie of the impossibility of the resurrection, let’s instead sing of the most amazing story ever told, sing so loud and hard the unbelieving world has no choice but to rehash its lies about what actually happened to Jesus’ body.

7. "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me” After Christ’s humiliation (life and death) came his exaltation. Christ now sits at the right hand of God and rules both heaven and earth. Failure to submit to his Lordship in no way voids it’s truth. I saw a bumper sticker the other day that said, “At the House of Prayer, Jesus is Lord.” I later approached the member and explained (nicely) how stupid the bumper sticker was as Christ is Lord of all heaven and earth not just his church and not just because they ‘choose’ to submit; how egocentric are we to feel that we somehow ‘allow’ Christ’s lordship. We can no more ‘allow’ Christ’s lordship than we can allow the dawn to break. Christ, the redeemer of earth has been given His rightful reign over the earth. The good news is that Christ rules the earth in love, grace and mercy. The mercies may not always be obvious as such mercies sometimes take the form of loss, inconvenience, changed plans, illness, close calls even physical death but when we are kingdom minded and remember that Christ at all times desires our “good” (growth in love and trust), then we can then see Christ’s goodness and praise God that He governs my life and I do not.

8. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, In interpreting the bible, when we come across the word “therefore” we must ask the question, what’s the ‘therefore’ there for? (John Dansby taught me that). In this instance, it clearly modifies Jesus prior statement…"All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.” This begs the question, if all authority (other translations use sovereignty) belongs to Christ, does he need our help? Further, if he doesn’t need our help (the last question should have been easy) why does he enlist our help? And, how should we evangelize in light of Christ’s sovereign authority? While we indeed evangelize for our neighbor’s salvation, our neighbor’s spiritual conversion cannot be our ultimate goal. If it were, we would have forgotten our first love and greatest commandment, “love the Lord, your God with all of your heart, mind, body and strength” and superimposed our neighbor as an idol confusing the second greatest commandment, “love your neighbor as yourself” with the first. No, we evangelize not for the glory of our neighbor, but for the glory of God. We evangelize that there be one more voice beside us singing praise to our God in heaven. So, if the Glory of God is the reason for evangelism (not the glory of man), then how is God glorified in his ultimate, sovereign authority over those who believe or deny the Gospel. Simple, if it was my convincing argument, my persuasive speech, my incredible relationship with my neighbor that ultimately lead to his conversion (or lack of conversion) then I would steal the glory for my neighbors salvation from God, as my neighbor would not be in heaven praising God were it not for my intervention, my skill, my work. Likewise, if my neighbor were not converted perhaps due to my lack of biblical knowledge or lack of effort then I would stand rightly condemned as allowing my neighbors eternal punishment in hell. This is not a thought I could easily bear. The brilliant news is that Christ has “all authority” that, while I am responsible for sharing the Gospel, I am not accountable for my neighbor’s response. I will not be praised for the effect only the effort, likewise, I will not be judged by the effect only the lack of effort. The question frequently asked the Calvinist’s then is, why evangelize? The answer, again, is simple, because Christ commands it; how can we help but to tell history’s greatest story? “18 So they (the Jews) called them and charged them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. 19 But Peter and John answered them, "Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge, 20 for we cannot help but speak of what we have seen and heard." Acts 4:18-21. Make no mistake, the victory has been won, the General does not need my help; but, oh, to be a private in such a great army! It is as if Patton himself approached, clad you in mighty armor assuring your safety and asked you to march with his Armies in their final victorious blow to Hitler and resultant liberation of those suffering in concentration camps. Would the mission be accomplished without me, yes…but who would ever say “no”??? Far greater than our victory in WWII is Christ’s victory on Calvary over the sting of death, how could we ever say no? How can we not lead the charge for the souls of man? The victory is certain and battle won! Evangelism flows from our love of Christ not our love of man. Thus, my goal is not man’s salvation but telling of Christ’s victorious story to “all nations,” that they may know it, whether they believe it or not. In this the Calvinist has even greater reason to evangelize because far greater is Christ’s victory on Calvary as he has saved (from beginning to end) not only my neighbor but also myself. If victory was not won on the Cross but won every day in evangelism what did Christ accomplish? Effectively nothing, the accomplishment was then only theoretical until enacted by human will/effort in evangelism and free choice. This is not a Biblical view of God, Christ or Calvary. The God of the Bible is victorious, Christ’s is sovereign and Calvary effective (beginning to end).

9. I guess the short chapter thing just let me devote more time to a fewer verses.

Sun Tzu:

“When a country is impoverished by military operations, it is because of transporting supplies to a distant place. Transport supplies to a distant place, and the populace will be impoverished.”

“When seven hundred thousand families have to support an army of one hundred thousand on a distant expedition, the common peoples cannot avoid impoverishment.”

The Intellectual Devotion (Kidder, D. & Oppenheim N. The Intellectual Devotion, Rodale. NY, NY 2006):

Black holes result when a massive star dies out. The dying star collapses into itself, becoming smaller and smaller, denser and denser, until it compresses into a single point with no radius and infinite density. The point, called a singularity, is so dense that nearby light cannot escape its gravitational pull. Escape speed is the speed that an object must reach to escape the gravitational pull of an object. The Escape speed of Earth is 11.2 Km/sec (25,950 mph or 7 miles/sec) and Jupiter’s is 59Km/sec, while by definition the Escape speed of a Black Hole is the Speed of light (thus the blackness) 300,000,000 m/sec (670,000,000 miles/hour or 186,000 miles/sec). So for a space shuttle to make it into space from earth it must exceed 25,000 mph, otherwise it will fall back to earth. The Event Horizon is the boundary surrounding the singularity (black hole) where the escape speed equals the speed of light. Anything that falls into the Event Horizon gets sucked into the center. Interesting as the object moves toward the Event horizon it would appear to the outside observer to be moving slower and slower as the immense gravity slows the light exiting the Black Hole. Once the object crosses the Event horizon however, it will disappear as all light is directed towards the singularity. Of course, this is all theoretical. We can’t actually see a black hole because they don’t allow anything (even light) to escape. We know of their existence only because other objects in space interact with their mass. A large number of stars orbiting a black center indicates the likelihood of a black hole. Also, as light (that has not crossed the event horizon) is bent, the black hole theory has also accounted for the fact that when we look upon the night sky many of the stars (as seen through a telescope) are duplicates.

Matt 27

2009-02-05T10:03:00.002-06:00

Date: 5 February 2009 D - 16

Events:

3 Feb: I woke up, read, wrote then worked out at Lifetime. Marla came home early and we took Sadie to the Vet. After Sadie’s episode this weekend when she could not stand up on her own for a night we have been very worried about her hips. She has gradually gotten better and was even able to play yesterday before our appointment. At the appointment, we choose to sedate her to get the best films (very sad…Marla cried). I called Sadie over for the shot and could tell it took every ounce of obedience in her to come as she hopped over, one jump closer, one jump away crying as she came. I’ll never again call her to me to receive a painful exam/procedure, learned my lesson; it was heartbreaking. The sedation went well; while she was out we got a blood sample, trimmed her nails and shot the X-rays. The X-rays showed the beginnings of hip dysplasia/arthritis. Her hips do not look too bad yet so I think we may be dealing with a more acute muscle or joint injury this week but the diagnosis is none the less troubling. Sadie and I have had a great 2 years running together and playing Frisbee a couple times a day, it breaks my heart that we’re going to have to take it easier and she may not be able to come on runs/plays like she used to. Last night Sadie looked very sad. It took her a long time to fully wake up from the anesthesia and in her sleepy eyes, Marla and I feared that we saw a new distrust after we subjected her to such a difficult day. This morning, after a good night sleep, the dejected look is gone and my girl looks happy again. Marla and I watched The Happening last with Mark Walburg; I’ll give it a pretty good. The acting and characters were great but the concept was a bit green-peace, take it back, a lot green-peace.

4 Feb: I woke up read, wrote then received an interesting phone call. At 0930 I got a call from the Command that our flight had been bumped up to 8 Feb (this Sunday). Scared to tell Marla over the phone, I decided to wait, but started packing up, somewhat frantically, as there is still a lot that needs done before I leave. At 1030 I got a second phone call and was informed that our plane had again been changed to 21 Feb. Although I will now be home for Valentine’s Day, I have to admit a bit of disappointment. After the initial shock of flying out on Sunday had passed, I was excited to finally get going. It feels like I’ve been in perpetual holding pattern for 6 months now. I’m not too busy at work, not too busy at home, unable to make any long term plans, and unable to practice emergency medicine. I am excited to finally do my wartime mission and get home. I’ve moved out of my office, my dog is injured (unable to exercise) and it seems like all I do is write, study and watch movies around here; not really why I got into medicine or the military. There is no longer any challenge or excitement to my life as I am now unable to work and unable to make any extended plans; I’m ready for a change. Don’t get me wrong, I am grateful for my time here with Marla & Sadie but this process of preparing to leave then not leaving has become so painful that we will all breathe a sigh of relief once I’m on that plane. After the drama, I got the car worked on so that it will be safe for Marla, bought Sadie a ramp so she can get in and out of the truck and worked on a door stop so Marla can feel safer at night while I’m gone. We watched Hancock last night and I would highly recommend it, funny and redeeming.

Bible (NT/OT):

Matt 27

Jesus Delivered to Pilate

27 When morning came, all the chief priests and the elders of the people took counsel against Jesus to put him to death. 2 And they bound him and led him away and delivered him over to Pilate the governor.

Judas Hangs Himself

3 Then when Judas, his betrayer, saw that Jesus was condemned, he changed his mind and brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and the elders, 4 saying, "I have sinned by betraying innocent blood." They said, "What is that to us? See to it yourself." 5 And throwing down the pieces of silver into the temple, he departed, and he went and hanged himself. 6 But the chief priests, taking the pieces of silver, said, "It is not lawful to put them into the treasury, since it is blood money." 7 So they took counsel and bought with them the potter's field as a burial place for strangers. 8 Therefore that field has been called the Field of Blood to this day. 9 Then was fulfilled what had been spoken by the prophet Jeremiah, saying, "And they took the thirty pieces of silver, the price of him on whom a price had been set by some of the sons of Israel, 10 and they gave them for the potter's field, as the Lord directed me."

Jesus Before Pilate

11 Now Jesus stood before the governor, and the governor asked him, "Are you the King of the Jews?" Jesus said, "You have said so." 12 But when he was accused by the chief priests and elders, he gave no answer. 13 Then Pilate said to him, "Do you not hear how many things they testify against you?" 14 But he gave him no answer, not even to a single charge, so that the governor was greatly amazed.

The Crowd Chooses Barabbas

15 Now at the feast the governor was accustomed to release for the crowd any one prisoner whom they wanted. 16 And they had then a notorious prisoner called Barabbas. 17 So when they had gathered, Pilate said to them, "Whom do you want me to release for you: Barabbas, or Jesus who is called Christ?" 18 For he knew that it was out of envy that they had delivered him up. 19 Besides, while he was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent word to him, "Have nothing to do with that righteous man, for I have suffered much because of him today in a dream." 20 Now the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowd to ask for Barabbas and destroy Jesus. 21 The governor again said to them, "Which of the two do you want me to release for you?" And they said, "Barabbas." 22 Pilate said to them, "Then what shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ?" They all said, "Let him be crucified!" 23 And he said, "Why, what evil has he done?" But they shouted all the more, "Let him be crucified!"

Pilate Delivers Jesus to Be Crucified

24 So when Pilate saw that he was gaining nothing, but rather that a riot was beginning, he took water and washed his hands before the crowd, saying, "I am innocent of this man's blood; see to it yourselves." 25 And all the people answered, "His blood be on us and on our children!" 26 Then he released for them Barabbas, and having scourged Jesus, delivered him to be crucified.

Jesus Is Mocked

27 Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the governor's headquarters, and they gathered the whole battalion before him. 28 And they stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him, 29 and twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on his head and put a reed in his right hand. And kneeling before him, they mocked him, saying, "Hail, King of the Jews!" 30 And they spit on him and took the reed and struck him on the head. 31 And when they had mocked him, they stripped him of the robe and put his own clothes on him and led him away to crucify him.

The Crucifixion

32 As they went out, they found a man of Cyrene, Simon by name. They compelled this man to carry his cross. 33 And when they came to a place called Golgotha (which means Place of a Skull), 34 they offered him wine to drink, mixed with gall, but when he tasted it, he would not drink it. 35 And when they had crucified him, they divided his garments among them by casting lots. 36 Then they sat down and kept watch over him there. 37 And over his head they put the charge against him, which read, "This is Jesus, the King of the Jews." 38 Then two robbers were crucified with him, one on the right and one on the left. 39 And those who passed by derided him, wagging their heads 40 and saying, "You who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save yourself! If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross." 41 So also the chief priests, with the scribes and elders, mocked him, saying, 42 "He saved others; he cannot save himself. He is the King of Israel; let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him. 43 He trusts in God; let God deliver him now, if he desires him. For he said, 'I am the Son of God.'" 44 And the robbers who were crucified with him also reviled him in the same way.

The Death of Jesus

45 Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour. 46 And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, "Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?" that is, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" 47 And some of the bystanders, hearing it, said, "This man is calling Elijah." 48 And one of them at once ran and took a sponge, filled it with sour wine, and put it on a reed and gave it to him to drink. 49 But the others said, "Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to save him." 50 And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and yielded up his spirit.
51 And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. And the earth shook, and the rocks were split. 52 The tombs also were opened. And many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised, 53 and coming out of the tombs after his resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many. 54 When the centurion and those who were with him, keeping watch over Jesus, saw the earthquake and what took place, they were filled with awe and said, "Truly this was the Son of God!"
55 There were also many women there, looking on from a distance, who had followed Jesus from Galilee, ministering to him, 56 among whom were Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of James and Joseph and the mother of the sons of Zebedee.

Jesus Is Buried

57 When it was evening, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who also was a disciple of Jesus. 58 He went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then Pilate ordered it to be given to him. 59 And Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a clean linen shroud 60 and laid it in his own new tomb, which he had cut in the rock. And he rolled a great stone to the entrance of the tomb and went away. 61 Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were there, sitting opposite the tomb.

The Guard at the Tomb

62 Next day, that is, after the day of Preparation, the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered before Pilate 63 and said, "Sir, we remember how that impostor said, while he was still alive, 'After three days I will rise.' 64 Therefore order the tomb to be made secure until the third day, lest his disciples go and steal him away and tell the people, 'He has risen from the dead,' and the last fraud will be worse than the first." 65 Pilate said to them, "You have a guard of soldiers. Go, make it as secure as you can." 66 So they went and made the tomb secure by sealing the stone and setting a guard.

Bible Thoughts:

1. Pilate Only Pilate, as a Roman Ruler, had the jurisdiction to institute capital punishment as Israel was under Roman control.

2. 14 But he gave him no answer, not even to a single charge, so that the governor was greatly amazed. Christ willingly chose the cross. In a worldly sense, he did not defend himself against the false accusations of the Priests and People. In a heavenly sense, Christ, if he chose to, could have walked untouched through the crowd as he had done in the past when it “was not his time”, he could have called down 12 Legions of Angles to his defense, as mentioned last chapter, or simply stepped off the cross thereby forever condemning the world that crucified him to live and die in their sins. Christ, however, chose the cross. He chose to rescue those who spit on and scourged him. He chose to rescue those who falsely accused him and denied his deity. He chose to open the gates of heaven to miserable sinning failures like myself.

3. "Which of the two do you want me to release for you?" And they said, "Barabbas." Barabbas was a mass murderer.

4. 24 So when Pilate saw that he was gaining nothing, but rather that a riot was beginning, he took water and washed his hands before the crowd, saying, "I am innocent of this man's blood; see to it yourselves." 25 And all the people answered, "His blood be on us and on our children!" This is the part in all Passion shows (plays depicting the crucifixion of Christ) when the writers are charged with anti-Semitism. Two points, 1) The accurate depiction of a historic reality (this quote) says nothing of a writers political/social/religious views. 2) Most importantly, if we approached the accusation of anti-Semitism appropriately, it is a wonderful gospel presentation. Although the Jewish people were responsible for Christ’s crucifixion in effect, they were merely acting according to the will of God and the will of Christ. Far be it for a human to be accused of overpowering Christ, far be it for a people to be accused of overpowering the plans of God. No, the responsibility for the crucifixion was not of the Jews but of the Father. Luke speaks of the crucifixion in Acts, “27 for truly in this city there were gathered together against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, 28 to do whatever your hand and your plan had predestined to take place”. Acts 4:27-29. It was the plan of God and the will of Christ to be punished for our sin. The very lashes given by man, rescued man. The Jews are no more responsible for the lashes than I, no more responsible for the suffering than I, no more responsible for the ridicule than I. It was not the sin of the Jews false testimony, not their lies and not their release of Barabbas that hung Jesus on the cross but the collective sin’s of all humanity. Far from sitting in condemnation over the Jewish people for the crucifixion, we should sit in humble awe at the mighty hand of the Lord in action. The Jewish sin in Christ’s crucifixion was real and they are responsible for such sin, but no more real is the sin that I daily commit and no less responsible for the cross am I. In fact, as one for whom Christ died (a believer), I am more responsible. As I sin in my daily life, I mock Christ’s sacrifice and lent that much greater punishment paid on the cross.

5. 30 And they spit on him and took the reed and struck him on the head. 31 And when they had mocked him, they stripped him of the robe …32 As they went out, they found a man of Cyrene, Simon by name. They compelled this man to carry his cross. As an immature believer, I identified with Simon saying to myself, ‘if I were there, I would have carried Christ’s cross, stopped the lashes, offered him water as he suffered on the cross…’ As I have matured, as Paul says, ‘I see a different power at work in my body.’ And later, “I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate.” Rom 7:15-16. When I look at my daily life, far from helping Christ carry his cross, I stand as the one delivering the lashes. In the final analysis of my daily life, I have done far more injustice to Christ than Justice. Sadly, I am far more a Roman Soldier than a Simon of Cyrene. And, this is how it should be. As we mature, we begin to understand the enormity of the chasm between our sin and Christ’s goodness. As we grow in appreciation of that separation, our love for the sacrifice of Christ on the Cross explodes. When we realize our depravity, when we acknowledge that far from carrying Christ’s cross we daily crown him with thorns, our love flourishes but when we deceive ourselves into proudly believing that we are a Simon, our love and appreciation of the cross of stifled, “he who is forgiven little, loves little" Luke 7:47.

6. "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" Despite Christ’s intense physical suffering, the payment due our sins was not complete until God laid all sin on his Child’s shoulders and was forced to turn his back. Jesus, born without the sin of Adam (Immaculate Conception), and living his entire life without sin, had enjoyed a perfect relationship with his Father. However, at the Cross, Christ became the most sinful being ever created, more sinful than the worst serial killer, more sinful than Satan himself as upon him were laid every sin ever committed. Christ no longer addresses his Father informally as Father, but formally as God as he occupies the seat of the condemned receives the punishment required by the law from the ultimate Judge. The suffering of the Trinity (to be sure, it was not only Christ who suffered) was great this day, without my own child, I cannot imagine condemning and punishing my child by my own hand for trespass committed by others. But the Trinities love for me prevailed, Christ stayed his course, the Father stayed his course and in the end amidst the blood and cry’s was my redeemed soul. To deny the Trinity’s suffering, to deny the Trinity’s finished work is to slap father God in the face. Those who do will not be pardoned. Far from shedding tears for their souls, we should shed tears for the mockery they have made of the cross.

7. 51 And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. Top to bottom, so it was clear that it was not torn by man. The Temple curtain separated the Holy of Holies from the rest of the Temple. It was in the Holy of Holies that God’s presence rested. Only once a year, and only covered in blood was 1 man (the high priest) able to enter the Holy of Holies to make an animal sacrifice and atone for his peoples sins of the past year. By tearing the curtain Christ’s death declared annual animal sacrifice(Yom Kippur) no longer necessary as He shed His perfect blood once and for all (Hebrews 9-11). In addition, the separation of a holy God from a sinful laity was forever discarded as we can now personally pray to the Father (but only in Christ’s name, Jn 14:13, 15:16, 16:23,26), and ultimately approach the Judgment throne with confidence as the sentence due our sins has been paid (Heb 4).

8. ' 64 Therefore order the tomb to be made secure until the third day, lest his disciples go and steal him away and tell the people, 'He has risen from the dead,' and the last fraud will be worse than the first." 65 Pilate said to them, "You have a guard of soldiers. Go, make it as secure as you can." If there is anything Roman Soldiers (any soldiers for that matter) are good at, it is killing and guarding. Let there be no doubt, Jesus was killed and the tomb that he escaped was secure. If this seems too amazing for our modern minds, consider the 100’s of eyewitnesses, many of whom were executed for their testimony of the risen Christ. Few, if any, are willing to die for a lie. Our promise as Christians hinges on Christ’s bodily resurrection. As Christ triumphed over death, so will we. This is why thousands throughout the ages have been willing to die for their faith; in Christ’s resurrection is our own.

Sun Tzu:

“Those who use the military skillfully do not raise troops twice and do not provide food three times.”
“This mean you draft people into service once and then immediately seize victory—you do not go back to your country a second time to raise more troops. At first you provide food, after that you feed off your enemy; and then when your soldiers return to your country, you do not greet them with yet more free food.

The Intellectual Devotion (Kidder, D. & Oppenheim N. The Intellectual Devotion, Rodale. NY, NY 2006):

Hagia Sophia “church of the Holy Wisdom “was built as a Christian cathedral in Constantinople (present day Istanbul) between 532-537 AD by Emperor Jusinian as his personal church. This Byzantine ruler claimed that he has surpassed Solomon, the Old Testament King. Mathematicians rather than architects designed the masterpiece which rises 180 feet and is supported by four triangular sections that distribute the weight evenly giving the illusion of weightlessness, as if floating above the worshippers below. In 1453 Hagia Sophia was captured by the Ottoman Turks and turned into a mosque, the mosaics were plastered over and decorations were taken out. In 1936 the building was secularized and converted into the Ayasofia Museum.

Matt 26

2009-02-03T11:08:00.005-06:00

Date: 3 February 2009 D - 9 days

Events:

This two for 1’s becoming a habit :(.

1 February: Matt left this morning to go to church at Austin Stone, we said what may be our final goodbye’s and went to our Church. Our service at Redeemer was outstanding from the music to the sermon about the hope that is found in the classic benediction, “ 24 The Lord bless thee, and keep thee:25 The Lord make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee:26 The Lord lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace. After Church, I read and wrote while Marla took a nap, then we went to a Yoga class (see pic’s) and a super bowl party at our neighbors. We have some great neighbors here and I have very happy that Marla will be here throughout my deployment. I was rooting for the stealers and they pulled out a very exciting victory in the last few minutes.

2 February: We woke up early and Marla and I drove up to Fort Hood to take care of some final pre-deployment business. Marla got a new Military ID, I completed some paperwork, got my deployment orders and perscirbed myself some meds for my Aid Bag. We moved out of my office (included some pics) and went to a going away lunch for the 4 captains that are leaving next week. At the lunch we all got an award for the time we served in the Rear Detachment and I received an update on our deployment. The flight for 11 Feb has been canceled (no real surprise) so it looks like we will be taking a civilian flight out of DFW around the same date. This is actually a very good thing because I was dreading the formal military ceremony that accompanies the military flight. Instead of going out with a big group, the plan now is for us four captains to take a van up to DFW and fly out on our own around 11 Feb, more to follow about specific times/dates. After accomplishing our tasks at Fort Hood drove home by way of Georgetown and looked at some new areas that we may move to over the summer/fall. Got home late to a puppy that is still sore but at least able to get up and around on her own. I am taking her to the vet today to get evaluated, I’m praying the films are normal and it’s just a pulled muscle. She has been so sad these last few days as I have not taken her out for any walks/plays.

Bible (NT/OT):

Matt 26

The Plot to Kill Jesus

26 When Jesus had finished all these sayings, he said to his disciples, 2 "You know that after two days the Passover is coming, and the Son of Man will be delivered up to be crucified."
3 Then the chief priests and the elders of the people gathered in the palace of the high priest, whose name was Caiaphas, 4 and plotted together in order to arrest Jesus by stealth and kill him. 5 But they said, "Not during the feast, lest there be an uproar among the people."

Jesus Anointed at Bethany

6 Now when Jesus was at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, 7 a woman came up to him with an alabaster flask of very expensive ointment, and she poured it on his head as he reclined at table. 8 And when the disciples saw it, they were indignant, saying, "Why this waste? 9 For this could have been sold for a large sum and given to the poor." 10 But Jesus, aware of this, said to them, "Why do you trouble the woman? For she has done a beautiful thing to me. 11 For you always have the poor with you, but you will not always have me. 12 In pouring this ointment on my body, she has done it to prepare me for burial. 13 Truly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will also be told in memory of her."

Judas to Betray Jesus

14 Then one of the twelve, whose name was Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests 15 and said, "What will you give me if I deliver him over to you?" And they paid him thirty pieces of silver. 16 And from that moment he sought an opportunity to betray him.

The Passover with the Disciples

17 Now on the first day of Unleavened Bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying, "Where will you have us prepare for you to eat the Passover?" 18 He said, "Go into the city to a certain man and say to him, 'The Teacher says, My time is at hand. I will keep the Passover at your house with my disciples.'" 19 And the disciples did as Jesus had directed them, and they prepared the Passover.
20 When it was evening, he reclined at table with the twelve. 21 And as they were eating, he said, "Truly, I say to you, one of you will betray me." 22 And they were very sorrowful and began to say to him one after another, "Is it I, Lord?" 23 He answered, "He who has dipped his hand in the dish with me will betray me. 24 The Son of Man goes as it is written of him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been better for that man if he had not been born." 25 Judas, who would betray him, answered, "Is it I, Rabbi?" He said to him, "You have said so."

Institution of the Lord's Supper

26 Now as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, "Take, eat; this is my body." 27 And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, "Drink of it, all of you, 28 for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. 29 I tell you I will not drink again of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father's kingdom."

Jesus Foretells Peter's Denial

30 And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives. 31 Then Jesus said to them, "You will all fall away because of me this night. For it is written, 'I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.' 32 But after I am raised up, I will go before you to Galilee." 33 Peter answered him, "Though they all fall away because of you, I will never fall away." 34 Jesus said to him, "Truly, I tell you, this very night, before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times." 35 Peter said to him, "Even if I must die with you, I will not deny you!" And all the disciples said the same.

Jesus Prays in Gethsemane

36 Then Jesus went with them to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to his disciples, "Sit here, while I go over there and pray." 37 And taking with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, he began to be sorrowful and troubled. 38 Then he said to them, "My soul is very sorrowful, even to death; remain here, and watch with me." 39 And going a little farther he fell on his face and prayed, saying, "My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will." 40 And he came to the disciples and found them sleeping. And he said to Peter, "So, could you not watch with me one hour? 41 Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak." 42 Again, for the second time, he went away and prayed, "My Father, if this cannot pass unless I drink it, your will be done." 43 And again he came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were heavy. 44 So, leaving them again, he went away and prayed for the third time, saying the same words again. 45 Then he came to the disciples and said to them, "Sleep and take your rest later on. See, the hour is at hand, and the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. 46 Rise, let us be going; see, my betrayer is at hand."

Betrayal and Arrest of Jesus

47 While he was still speaking, Judas came, one of the twelve, and with him a great crowd with swords and clubs, from the chief priests and the elders of the people. 48 Now the betrayer had given them a sign, saying, "The one I will kiss is the man; seize him." 49 And he came up to Jesus at once and said, "Greetings, Rabbi!" And he kissed him. 50 Jesus said to him, "Friend, do what you came to do." Then they came up and laid hands on Jesus and seized him. 51 And behold, one of those who were with Jesus stretched out his hand and drew his sword and struck the servant of the high priest and cut off his ear. 52 Then Jesus said to him, "Put your sword back into its place. For all who take the sword will perish by the sword. 53 Do you think that I cannot appeal to my Father, and he will at once send me more than twelve legions of angels? 54 But how then should the Scriptures be fulfilled, that it must be so?" 55 At that hour Jesus said to the crowds, "Have you come out as against a robber, with swords and clubs to capture me? Day after day I sat in the temple teaching, and you did not seize me. 56 But all this has taken place that the Scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled." Then all the disciples left him and fled.

Jesus Before Caiaphas

57 Then those who had seized Jesus led him to Caiaphas the high priest, where the scribes and the elders had gathered. 58 And Peter was following him at a distance, as far as the courtyard of the high priest, and going inside he sat with the guards to see the end. 59 Now the chief priests and the whole Council were seeking false testimony against Jesus that they might put him to death, 60 but they found none, though many false witnesses came forward. At last two came forward 61 and said, "This man said, 'I am able to destroy the temple of God, and to rebuild it in three days.'" 62 And the high priest stood up and said, "Have you no answer to make? What is it that these men testify against you?" 63 But Jesus remained silent. And the high priest said to him, "I adjure you by the living God, tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God." 64 Jesus said to him, "You have said so. But I tell you, from now on you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power and coming on the clouds of heaven." 65 Then the high priest tore his robes and said, "He has uttered blasphemy. What further witnesses do we need? You have now heard his blasphemy. 66 What is your judgment?" They answered, "He deserves death." 67 Then they spit in his face and struck him. And some slapped him, 68 saying, "Prophesy to us, you Christ! Who is it that struck you?"

Peter Denies Jesus

69 Now Peter was sitting outside in the courtyard. And a servant girl came up to him and said, "You also were with Jesus the Galilean." 70 But he denied it before them all, saying, "I do not know what you mean." 71 And when he went out to the entrance, another servant girl saw him, and she said to the bystanders, "This man was with Jesus of Nazareth." 72 And again he denied it with an oath: "I do not know the man." 73 After a little while the bystanders came up and said to Peter, "Certainly you too are one of them, for your accent betrays you." 74 Then he began to invoke a curse on himself and to swear, "I do not know the man." And immediately the rooster crowed. 75 And Peter remembered the saying of Jesus, "Before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times." And he went out and wept bitterly.

Ps 26:3

For thy lovingkindness is before mine eyes: and I have walked in thy truth.

Bible Thoughts:

1. My first thought is…that was a really long chapter!

2. 2 "You know that after two days the Passover is coming, and the Son of Man will be delivered up to be crucified." Passover is the chosen time for the institution of the sacrament of Communion and Christ’s Crucifixion. At the celebration of Passover, the Jewish people remember the final blow dealt to Egypt as Israel tried to escape Pharaoh’s slavery. A lamb was slaughtered by every Jewish family and the blood placed over the door. The Lord passed through Egypt and killed the first born man and animal in every household without the blood. The blood sign is not evidence of a deist God ignorant his chosen people, but a foreshadowing of Christ’s (the Lamb of God) blood that will ultimately quench the wrath of God for his people. “Without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness” (Hebrews 9:22). The ability of the “flawed” lamb to turn God’s wrath at Passover was a prophesy to our “unflawed” Lamb’s (Christ) ability to save us from the wrath of God.

3. 10 But Jesus, aware of this, said to them, "Why do you trouble the woman? For she has done a beautiful thing to me. 11 For you always have the poor with you, but you will not always have me. Jesus is, of course, not denying the virtue of charity. There are too many other verses that support charity (“let scripture interpret scripture”). This is not a question of charity but priority. “And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands, for my name's sake, will receive a hundredfold and will inherit eternal life” Matt 19:29-30. Truly, there is virtue in loving our family and serving the poor, if not what of the preceding statement, “Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me” Matt 25:40? What Christ desires is correct priority. That we serve the poor not for our own gain, or even the gain of the poor, but the gain of the kingdom. That we serve the poor not for his/her eternal pleasure but that there be one more voice in heaven praising our Christ for eternity. This in no way diminishes the love that we are to have for our neighbor, on the contrary when we cloth them in the eternal salvation that comes from Christ’s accomplished mission, we exhibit far greater love than simply clothing them in whatever garment this perfume may have purchased. As in the military where the mission takes precedence over the individual, if we wish to be truly kingdom minded, we must place Christ’s eternal mission over the worldly comfort/likes/dislikes of the individual. Easy to say, hard to live.

4. "Truly, I say to you, one of you will betray me." That no one may claim Christ’s inability to sustain his chosen people to the end (preservation of the saints), the gospels make it abundantly clear that the betrayal of Judas was not only foreseen but actually predestined. As the gospel of John recounts, during the Passover meal just before Jesus identifies Judas as the betrayer and sends him out to bring the authorities, Christ says, “18 I am not speaking of all of you; I know whom I have chosen. But the Scripture will be fulfilled, 'He who ate my bread has lifted his heel against me.' 19 I am telling you this now, before it takes place, that when it does take place you may believe that I am he.” John 13:18-19. Whether we look at this verse in the typical election way and say that Christ choose the 11 and left Judas without true faith and thus he followed his own evil desires for money over Christ, or the “double election” way so to say that Judas was predestined not to a saving faith but to betray Christ and to ultimate condemnation, the effect is the same, Judas became the Betrayer within the will of God, in order that scripture may be fulfilled. These are purely intellectual arguments, I just wanted to introduce the terms single election/double election, to me they are distinctions without a difference. The single election folks just try not to charge God with choosing those who will be condemned by only choosing and imparting faith to his chosen and (only by default) leaving the rest of the world to their own fallen will that will never seek/choose Christ. While the double election folks say that God chooses both to impart saving faith and to withhold saving faith. That’s all beside the point though; the point is that the Betrayal of Jesus was the will of God, that scripture may be fulfilled, that the Christ may experience the entire gamut of human emotion and suffering. That Christ’s ultimate victory over death may be the most exciting and greatest story ever told.

5. "Take, eat; this is my body." 27 And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, "Drink of it, all of you, 28 for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins” Oh the mysteries of the sacraments! I will stick to what we know and touch on the controversies. We can see clearly that the Lords supper both in timing and in effect is replacing the Passover meal. As above, we have seen that the blood of the lamb at Passover as temporarily appeasing God’s wrath foreshadowed Christ’s blood as the permanent appeasement of God’s wrath. Thus, we no longer remember the lamb’s blood in Egypt (pretty cool) but Christ’s blood on Calvary (infinitely more cool). As the Passover meal served as a physical reminder of the Jews salvation from bondage to Egypt, the communion now serves as a physical reminder of the world’s bondage to death. Some (myself include) would leave is as a physical reminder. This physical reminder imparts grace as it is a tangible gospel that we can touch and taste as opposed to simply preached word, but ultimately it is the gospel that it rests upon and reminds us of that is given for the forgiveness of sins. It is obvious (to me anyway) from this passage that though Jesus says explicitly, “this is my body” that the elements (bread and wine) are still bread and wine. Fore, if the disciples freaked out over even the prospect of Christ’s death (Mt 16), how much more would they respond to actually putting His flesh and blood into their mouths. No, they seem to understand the sacrament as I understand it, as Christ has spoken in symbols and throughout his ministry, this is yet one more symbol but to this symbol is attached a ritual. The weekly bodily return to earth of Christ seems to contradict Acts, "Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven." Acts 1:11. No, Jesus second coming will truly be his 2nd coming not his gigalionth (each communion has been celebrated). While this point does not deserve much discussion, the following point does. There are people that think that the forgiveness of sin is achieved through the physical consumption of the communion/mass. Live as a heathen all week long but go to church , eat the bread, drink the wine and you will be saved. This is a heresy; the bible in no instance refers to such works as meriting forgiveness. Again, it is the promise the sacrament rests upon that grants forgiveness. It is Christ’s true bodily suffering and death that appeases the wrath of God not any chewing or drinking that we may do. No, just as there is no physical act bad enough that is beyond the forgiveness of Christ’s blood, there is no physical act good enough that can earn forgiveness equivalent to Christ’s blood

6. "My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will." The cup is referring to the wrath of God. Christ is not afraid of his bodily suffering, instead, as the only one who lived without sin throughout his life and enjoyed a perfect relationship with God the father from eternity past, Christ was about to have the sin of the human race laid upon his shoulders, experiencing more sinfulness than any human or demon since the creation of the world and feel not only divine separation but the full fury of divine wrath as not even Satan will deserve to suffer. Christ does not shutter from the physical death the gospel required, but the spiritual death he would suffer as the Lord turned his back on his beloved son and punished every sin ever committed in his slow, utterly lonely death. Jesus would not be the Christ if he did not willingly go to the Cross, nor would he be the Christ if he happily took on sin and separation from the father. We see in this passage equal submission to the divine will and resistance to the imputed sin that enabled Jesus to be the Christ, the savior of the world.

7. "For all who take the sword will perish by the sword. ”Live by the sword, die by the sword…” I have strong emotions toward this verse as I prepare to enter a war zone. I have been forced to realize that by putting on my uniform, I am marking myself externally with the sign of the US Army. When I dawn the Army uniform, I take on everything the US Army represents, everything the US Army has done or failed to do. There will be those justly desire my blood as I am externally identified with soldiers who have killed their fathers, sons and brothers innocent or guilty. I am externally identified with a nation that has invaded, occupied and changed the homeland of a people who did not ask for such change. I understand the people’s resistance and can only imagine what I would do in a similar situation. If, for instance, China invaded and occupied America and set up a communist regime simply because they thought it was better for the occupied people. I would certainly rise up like many Iraqis and resist this foreign powers imposed government. I am not saying that I oppose the war, quite the contrary; I feel that the security of my family and the chance for a free Iraq is worth fighting for. I am, however, saying that I understand the Iraqis position, resistance and desire for retribution. I willingly put my life on the line in putting dawning my uniform and hold no Iraqi personally responsible for my death as I can never know or understand the life circumstance that has led him/her to such a hatred of the US Army. Perhaps one of our “smart bombs” killed his wife or child, perhaps he has been forced, against his will, to carry and shoot a gun for a religion that does not value human life or perhaps he has been so indoctrinated into terrorism that it is not even him pulling the trigger but the establishment that reared him. Whatever the reason, I do not hold the man personally responsible for my death. As I would hope he does not hold me. I will be caring for enemy wounded and families in the same way that I will care for American wounded but if forced to draw my weapon, I will shoot for the same reason that he will shoot. I will kill for the prospect of a world without terror, a free Iraq and for my fellow soldiers who have fought and fallen before me for such a hope. I hope that no soldier puts on their US Army Uniform flippantly but always with the recognition that we are called to kill and to die for a higher purpose. If we choose to live by the sword we must be prepared to die by it otherwise the mission will be lost.

8. " Then all the disciples left him and fled. Jesus came not only to live a perfect life (active obedience) meriting all of the blessing of heaven for us and die a perfect death (passive obedience), paying the penalty of the law due us but also to experience the full range of human emotion. From his sweet love for his mother and friends to his friends bitter betrayal and ultimately his separation from God. In his life, Christ gives us the reassurance that there is no path we will walk that he has not taken first. No pain that we may suffer that he has not suffered first. Thereby, “…we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. 16 Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need”. Heb 4:15-16. We can never accuse Christ as a teenager saying, “you just don’t understand.” He does understand, he understands more physical and emotional pain than we can ever imaging. Far from “a do as I do not as I say God”, we serve a God who has walked the walk.

9. "I adjure you by the living God, tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God." 64 Jesus said to him, "You have said so. But I tell you, from now on you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power and coming on the clouds of heaven." 65 Then the high priest tore his robes. The priest understood Christ’s claim to be God clearly. Truly, our Christ is a Liar, Lunatic or actually Lord. A prophet would not claim to be God, a teacher would not be so stupid as to confuse himself with God, and if either did, why would we listened to them? We would stone the prophet and shun the teacher. No, Christ is either to be followed a Lord or discounted as a lunatic, to be placed in the same category as David Koresh, but not honored as a “great man, prophet, teacher etc…”

10. " 35 Peter said to him, "Even if I must die with you, I will not deny you!" And all the disciples said the same”. ..”Then he began to invoke a curse on himself and to swear, "I do not know the man." And immediately the rooster crowed. In his flesh, Peter, “the stone upon which I (Christ) built my church,” denies Christ. Why then does he not suffer the same condemnation as Judas? It is Christ who sustained Peter and chose to bring him back into the faith, look at the dialogue in Luke just before Simon Peter’s betrayal, “31 "Simon, Simon, behold, Satan demanded to have you, that he might sift you like wheat, 32 but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned again, strengthen your brothers." 33 Peter said to him, "Lord, I am ready to go with you both to prison and to death." 34 Jesus said, "I tell you, Peter, the rooster will not crow this day, until you deny three times that you know me." Luke 22:31-34. We see that, as Satan demanded Judas and was given him, he also demanded Peter and it was only the prayer of Christ that kept Peter and turned him “again.” The good that we do, even our faith, is not on our own accord, but the intervention and divine gift of God.

11. Psalms: I just get a kick out of the word “lovingkindness.” It is true, remember Romans 8, “31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? 33 Who shall bring any charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. 34 Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised— who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? Rom 8:31-36 In light of God’s lovingkindness what are we to fear? We are children of the king and he has promised to care for us in his lovingkindness, thus we walk confidently forward in this truth. (just trying to use lovingkindness as much as possible)

Sun Tzu:

“Therefore, those who are not thoroughly aware of the disadvantages in the use of arms cannot be thoroughly aware of the advantages in the use of arms”
“If you do not first think about the calamities of danger and destruction, you will not be able to reap any advantage.”

The Intellectual Devotion (Kidder, D. & Oppenheim N. The Intellectual Devotion, Rodale. NY, NY 2006):

Homer is credited with authorship of two famous Greek epic poems, the Iliad and the Odyssey. Homer’s actual role in their creation is uncertain. They are thought to have been created around 800 BC in Ionia (present day turkey) and memorized in their entirety by story tellers and retold for centuries before being transcribed. The Iliad tells of the exploits of Achilles, Agamemnon, Hector and other hero’s during the Trojan War between Achaea (Greece) and Troy. According to myth, the war began when the Trojan prince Paris kidnapped Helen of Sparta, the most beautiful woman in the world. The Iliad’s sequel, the Odyssey, recounts the trails of the Greek Hero Odysseus as the attempts to sail home from the Trojan War to rejoin his wife, Penelope. The journey take ten years because he angers the sea god, Poseidon.

Matt 25

2009-02-01T14:17:00.004-06:00

Date: 1 February 2009, D - 11 days

Events:

Another 2 for 1 day as yesterday was a busy day.

29 January: I was at home and slept in because I am not feeling too good. I feel achy and beat up; I don’t know if it’s because of the PT test or the vaccinations. As live viruses, 2 of the 4 immunizations that I got have the potential to cause a viral syndrome. After reading and writing, I worked out at Lifetime then met Marla, her manager, Austin, and Meredith for lunch at Kona Grill. Lunch went great, Austin’s a great manager but Marla is always a bit stressed when he’s with her because she gets evaluated for each call and her evaluations figure into her annual raise. I went shopping at one of my favorite stores ‘The Buckle’ after lunch and found a cool new shirt and jeans. Marla and I stuck around the house the rest of the day and my friend Matt came in from west Texas Friday night. Matt is one of my closest friends in the world, he was my first friend in medical school. As my brother puts it, he was my “starter friend” because he introduced me to his group of friends that subsequently became my best friends in the world (John, Samuel, Josh, Clayton, etc…). Matt just returned from a 6 week trip to Africa where he served as a medical missionary over the holidays (he is single and holidays are always hard on him so he took initiative and served in Africa). During his time in Africa, Matt (family practice physician) was able to further his knowledge by practicing as an Obstruction, General Surgeon, Orthopedic Surgeon, Infectious Disease Doctor and good old FP. As he puts it, he was the “big medical center” and took referrals from all over Kenya. Thankfully, my friend (now more of a brother since I’ve stayed at his house with his parents for 6months now) made it back safely in time to spend a weekend with Marla and I before I leave.

30 January: Slept in again, woke up round 0800 and made breakfast for Marla and Matt. Marla laughed at me for putting hot dog’s in the eggs but I maintain that these were special hot dogs that taste more like breakfast sausage. After breakfast, Matt and I cut down branches that were touching the house so that the would not scare Marla on windy nights. In the process of my good deed, I was on the top rung (the one that says “not a step”) of our 8 foot ladder sawing with a hand saw when a large branch kicked back and hit me in the head. It is a huge blessing that I was not knocked out and did not fall from the ladder because it hit me hard and removed a large chunk of skin from my forehead. Not 30 seconds prior had Matt said, “I think you better come down and we’ll pull it down from hear.” I should have listened. I always laugh at peoples dumb stunts when I see them in the ED; well put one down for me! After taking care of my wounds, Matt and I went for a long off-road run through McCalster Park with Sadie. Apparently it was too long because Sadie has been too sore to stand up since. I was up most of the night helping her around as she cried all night and was unable to get up from sitting. She brought me to tears on more than one occasion and when I wasn’t helping her around, I was praying that God would at least take away the pain. I’m worried that she is suffering from Hip Dysplasia and I will take her to the Vet this week for films. This has happened before, always after long runs, but it has never been this bad. She’s on bed rest today and we are praying she’s just sore.

Bible (NT/OT):

Matt 25

The Parable of the Ten Virgins

25 "Then the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. 2 Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. 3 For when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them, 4 but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps. 5 As the bridegroom was delayed, they all became drowsy and slept. 6 But at midnight there was a cry, 'Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.' 7 Then all those virgins rose and trimmed their lamps. 8 And the foolish said to the wise, 'Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.' 9 But the wise answered, saying, 'Since there will not be enough for us and for you, go rather to the dealers and buy for yourselves.' 10 And while they were going to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast, and the door was shut. 11 Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, 'Lord, lord, open to us.' 12 But he answered, 'Truly, I say to you, I do not know you.' 13 Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.

The Parable of the Talents

14 "For it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted to them his property. 15 To one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away. 16 He who had received the five talents went at once and traded with them, and he made five talents more. 17 So also he who had the two talents made two talents more. 18 But he who had received the one talent went and dug in the ground and hid his master's money. 19 Now after a long time the master of those servants came and settled accounts with them. 20 And he who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five talents more, saying, 'Master, you delivered to me five talents; here I have made five talents more.' 21 His master said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.' 22 And he also who had the two talents came forward, saying, 'Master, you delivered to me two talents; here I have made two talents more.' 23 His master said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.' 24 He also who had received the one talent came forward, saying, 'Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you scattered no seed, 25 so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here you have what is yours.' 26 But his master answered him, 'You wicked and slothful servant! You knew that I reap where I have not sowed and gather where I scattered no seed? 27 Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and at my coming I should have received what was my own with interest. 28 So take the talent from him and give it to him who has the ten talents. 29 For to everyone who has will more be given, and he will have an abundance. But from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. 30 And cast the worthless servant into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.'

The Final Judgment

31 "When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. 32 Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left. 34 Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 36 I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.' 37 Then the righteous will answer him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? 38 And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? 39 And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?' 40 And the King will answer them, 'Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.'

41 "Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42 For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.' 44 Then they also will answer, saying, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?' 45 Then he will answer them, saying, 'Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.' 46 And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life."

Bible Thoughts:

1. “Bridegroom” Christ is symbolized as a ‘Bridegroom’ in many instances by authors throughout the New Testament. The use of ‘Groom’ in reference to Christ depicts his irrevocable vow (covenant) to be our provider, sustainer and protector. This is not a marriage covenant as we may understand it in the 21st Century (with a 50% divorce rate) but in the biblical sense, a covenant that is not reliant on the whims of man but on the unchanging character of Christ as True and Just. Today, many argue for a changing God (one more loving, forgiving, and tolerant than the Old Testament deity) I maintain, that a changing god is no god at all and in fact not good news at all. How are we to rely on the promises of this changing god? How are we to know this changing god? No, Christ declares himself to be unchanging, 8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” Heb 13:7-9.

2. 8 And the foolish said to the wise, 'Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.' 9 But the wise answered, saying, 'Since there will not be enough for us and for you, go rather to the dealers and buy for yourselves.' 10 And while they were going to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast, and the door was shut. This parable follows Jesus’ discourse on the timing of His return. Perhaps because of my looming deployment or perhaps because of my job in the ER, the fact that tomorrow is not a given is very clear to me. Whether it is Satan or our own flesh that falsely reassures us of the certainty of tomorrow, have no doubt, it is not God. On the contrary, the bible speaks of the uncertainty of tomorrow and, as in this parable, the necessity of our constant readiness to face our Lord either in his return or in our death. It is the folly of the young to put off Christ today for the lie of tomorrow. To live for the flesh today with the false certainty of a lifetime to repent and believe. No, tomorrow is never a guarantee; bodily death is life’s one and only certainty. What’s more depressing than a world that focuses on death is a world that denies its inevitable, inescapable approach. A world that is more concerned with Lindsay Lohan’s sexual orientation, or Brad and Angelina’s 6th, no 7th, no 8th child, than the eternal salvation of the soul. A people that will devote decades of their life to slow down the hypothetical global warming but not a day to the study or consideration of their eternal dwelling. That is until their last day on earth, the day of their death, at which point (as I have seen often in the ER), when, in a frantic, pitiful plea they will demand any chaplain, priest, yeoman, witch doctor (no, not a DO), or other “holy man” no matter his/her religious affiliation to somehow do something to ensure their eternal soul goes to “heaven;” someone to explain the now emergent mysteries of the afterlife; someone to give them a trinket…password…anything to ensure their last breath on this earth will not be their utter annihilation. People become mighty religious and aware just before their death. But, this is not how it is to be for a Christian. No, we are to know in what and in whom we believe. We are to live ever-ready to face our death in the confidence that our last breath on earth leads to our first breath before our King.

3. 'Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.' A talent has come to mean more than a coin, but a special skill gifted to man from his creator that his fellow men may not have. Whether believer or unbeliever, we were each supernaturally gifted with “talents”. At the final judgment, God will separate the sheep (his chosen) from the goats (unbelievers) based on their saving faith in Christ. As believers when we, in faith, use our talents for the kingdom they serve to confirm our belief and confer to us individual reward in heaven. The unfaithful, unbeliever who does not use his talents for the Kingdom instead stands rightly condemned as denying his creator and giver of his talents. Indeed, every person in the world, as created in the image of God, has His handy work written on our hearts and exhibited in our talents. When we deny such a gift and insult the giver we stand rightly condemned as an unfaithful servant. I long to hear God say to me, “Well done, good and faithful servant” and, though at judgment I will surly lament many unused talents and missed opportunities, I know that my faith (be it smaller than a mustard seed and solely a gift of God), will apply Christ’s goodness and faithfulness as a loving wing over my depravity and enable my joyous welcome into the kingdom as an adopted son of the King.

4. 41 "Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42 For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.' The bible affirms a final judgment in which an internal love and service for Christ will be judged by the external expression of love for our neighbor. While many “Christian’s” may claim a love for Christ in words, a true love is not in words alone but in action as Jesus later says, “34 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. 35 By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another." John 13:34-35. And later, “15 If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” John 14:15. Thus, our Love for Christ saves us (independent of our love for our neighbor) but, our love for our neighbor exemplifies this love of Christ.

Sun Tzu:

“Therefore I have heard of military operations that were clumsy but swift, but I have never seen one that was skillful and lasted a long time. It is never beneficial to a nation to have a military operation continue for a long time”
“Some win through speed even if they are clumsy.”

Sun Tzu Thoughts:

One of my favorite military quotes is, “a good plan now is better than the perfect plan too late.”

The Intellectual Devotion (Kidder, D. & Oppenheim N. The Intellectual Devotion, Rodale. NY, NY 2006):

Julius Caesar (100-44 BC) was a Roman general who rose to prominence in the first century BC conquering what is now France, Belgium and western Germany. After his successful campaign, Caesar famously declared, “Veni, vidi, vici” (I came, I saw, I conquered). The Roman Senate, led by Pompey, was threatened by Caesar’s growing popularity and ordered him to disband his army. Caesar refused. He Marched his legions on the Capitol and started a Civil War. He chased his enemies across Europe and ultimately to Egypt where Pompey was killed. Before leaving Egypt, Caesar fell in love with Cleopatra and installed her as queen. When Caesar returned to Rome, he ruled. Despite a senate, Caesar declared a state of Emergency and ruled as a Dictator until his death. In the final years of his life Caesar allowed his Asian subjects to worship him as a god and printed coins with his image and the inscription, “Perpetual Dictator.” These actions fueled the resentment that culminated in his overthrow and murder by his best friend, Brutus.

Matt 24

2009-01-30T09:02:00.005-06:00

Date: 29-30 January 2009 D - 12 days

Events:

28 January: Woke up early cause I couldn’t sleep so I read, wrote and had breakfast with John and Gracie. We had a hard freeze, it’s 22 degrees with a quarter inch of ice on the ground (see car picture). I drove to Ft Hood to do the much dreaded medical clearance required for deployment. I say much dreaded because I have been peripherally involved in all of the other soldiers clearing (at least from the medical side) and seen it take days to weeks. The Fort Hood clearance center sees more soldiers than any other in the country. While the 10-15 other centers see one to two thousand a year, Fort Hood clears 10-20K/year. They work on all of the major holidays and weekends to accomplish the mission. People from all over the south west come to Hood to clear. Yesterday, I met a unit out of Puerto Rico that was leaving for Iraq next week. The process was as painful but not quite as long as I expected. The day began with power points. The instructors gave us a risk assessment of the climate and dangers of Iraq and briefings on the live vaccines that we were about to receive (Small Pox and Anthrax). As the day progressed we moved through stations for creating a will, power of attorney, changing our pay (tax free now), hearing, vision, dental and medical screening. Over all the process was completed far more quickly than I expected lasting from 0900 to 1500. I rushed out as soon as I was done and back to the Brigade for a Command and Staff Meeting. After a long day of lines and exams, I went back to Temple to a great dinner (as always) prepared by John.

29 January: I had a PT test yesterday morning (hence the 2 days for 1 deal). The PT test went great, I did better in each event than I have since college, too much time on my hands I guess. I had the push-ups and sit-ups max’ed with 30 seconds to spare and ran a 12.25min 2 miles (max 13.18). All that yoga paid off J. After my PT test, I showered at the brigade and saw patients all morning until my Non-deployable scrub at 1300. I had 1 interesting patient, a 35 year old male that has on two occasions gone into extreme muscle breakdown (called rhabdomyolysis) after mild exercise. The muscle enzymes are poisonous to the kidneys and on one occasion he nearly died and was hospitalized in the ICU on dialysis for a week. When he first came to me he wanted to deploy and thought that if I could give him lighter restrictions, we could get him to Iraq. I complied but have closely followed his progress. I drew labs on Wednesday 4 days after he had completed a Land Navigation course. Much to my disappointment, his muscle enzymes were again extremely high despite him being (at least in his words) asymptomatic. As it is an extremely dangerous situation both for him and the deployed unit for this to happen down range, I gave him a Profile (Orders in a Memo form) that he was never to deploy (or exercise strenuously again). Tough conversation because this will end the career of a good soldier who really wants to accomplish his mission. At the 1300 Non-deployable scrub, I broke the news to the commander who was likewise disappointed, fun job! Meeting lasted till 1500 at which point I went back to the clinic to finish up a couple notes then headed home. I went out to Marla’s speaker program at Silo’s last night (one of my favorite restaurants). The speaker was very impressive, he flew himself down in his own airplane and gave an amazing talk on hypertension. While I find hypertension and all primary care stuff pretty boring, it is important for me to stay up to date as primary care is what I do these days.

Bible (NT/OT):

Matt 24

Jesus Foretells Destruction of the Temple

24 Jesus left the temple and was going away, when his disciples came to point out to him the buildings of the temple. 2 But he answered them, "You see all these, do you not? Truly, I say to you, there will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down."

Signs of the Close of the Age

3 As he sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately, saying, "Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the close of the age?" 4 And Jesus answered them, "See that no one leads you astray. 5 For many will come in my name, saying, 'I am the Christ,' and they will lead many astray. 6 And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not yet. 7 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places. 8 All these are but the beginning of the birth pains.
9 "Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations for my name's sake. 10 And then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another. 11 And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. 12 And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold. 13 But the one who endures to the end will be saved. 14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.

The Abomination of Desolation

15 "So when you see the abomination of desolation spoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing in the holy place ( let the reader understand), 16 then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. 17 Let the one who is on the housetop not go down to take what is in his house, 18 and let the one who is in the field not turn back to take his cloak. 19 And alas for women who are pregnant and for those who are nursing infants in those days! 20 Pray that your flight may not be in winter or on a Sabbath. 21 For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, and never will be. 22 And if those days had not been cut short, no human being would be saved. But for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short. 23 Then if anyone says to you, 'Look, here is the Christ!' or 'There he is!' do not believe it. 24 For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect. 25 See, I have told you beforehand. 26 So, if they say to you, 'Look, he is in the wilderness,' do not go out. If they say, 'Look, he is in the inner rooms,' do not believe it. 27 For as the lightning comes from the east and shines as far as the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. 28 Wherever the corpse is, there the vultures will gather.

The Coming of the Son of Man

29 "Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 30 Then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. 31 And he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

The Lesson of the Fig Tree

32 "From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts out its leaves, you know that summer is near. 33 So also, when you see all these things, you know that he is near, at the very gates. 34 Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place. 35 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.

No One Knows That Day and Hour

36 "But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only. 37 As were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. 38 For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, 39 and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. 40 Then two men will be in the field; one will be taken and one left. 41 Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken and one left. 42 Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. 43 But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. 44 Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.
45 "Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom his master has set over his household, to give them their food at the proper time? 46 Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes. 47 Truly, I say to you, he will set him over all his possessions. 48 But if that wicked servant says to himself, 'My master is delayed,' 49 and begins to beat his fellow servants and eats and drinks with drunkards, 50 the master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know 51 and will cut him in pieces and put him with the hypocrites. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Ps 25:11

11 For your name's sake, O Lord,
pardon my guilt, for it is great.

Bible Thoughts:

1. Truly, I say to you, there will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down." In 70 AD, the Romans laid siege to Jerusalem to end a Jewish rebellion. I wrote a paper in college of the relationship of 70 AD to this passage. Truly, the suffering was great,people were forced to eat their dead as the siege lasted months. In the end the Romans invaded the emaciated city, slaughtered its people and burned it to the ground. The families who remembered this passage fled to the hills and avoided the foretold annihilation. While the following passage seems prophesy this event, there are many specific events that did not occur. Thus we see the destruction of 70 AD as both a fulfillment of this passage and a prophesy (itself as an example) of what we will see at Christ’s return.

2. "Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the close of the age?" The disciples ask Jesus to answer two questions, 1) when will this occur? 2) What will the signs of the end be? Jesus answers in reverse order.

3. 6 And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not yet. 7 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places. 8 All these are but the beginning of the birth pains. Many Christians subscribe to a doctrine called, “Postmillennialism.” Postmillennialist’s feels that the 70 AD destruction was the fulfillment of both Matthew 24 (this chapter) and Revelation’s prophesy of Judgment. Thus leaving present day Christians in a gradual expansion and ultimate worldly triumph over Satan. I disagree with this interpretation of scripture. First of all I cannot accept that all prophesy was fulfilled in 70 AD, as many prophesies in both Matthew and Revelation were not. Secondly, I cannot look around the world today and say that we are winning. Disappointment does not come from events but from expectations. When we have the correct worldview, that Satan has temporary dominion over this world (thus suffering) but that Christ (not man) will ultimately triumph over Satan and at once bring forth a Kingdom that puts all earthly kingdoms to shame, then and only then can we obey this chapter and be “ not alarmed” when we hear of the intense worldly suffering that goes on today because it does not mean that Christ and Christians are somehow at risk of losing the battle. Instead with the correct worldview, far from becoming alarmed at the intense suffering in the world, we can thrive in the hope that Christ’s return grows imminently closer. We can hope that far from losing the battle to the earthly warlords and terrorists, instead God’s wrath against the oppressors continues to grow until the foretold judgment when every knee will bow to his glory.

4. 14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come. That no tribe in Africa may claim ignorance.

5. 15 "So when you see the abomination of desolation spoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing in the holy place ( let the reader understand), 16 then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains These instructions saved many lives in 70 AD but also in this instruction, we see an example of how past event are used by God to foreshadow future events. One of the most amazing prophesies in the bible occurs in Daniel 11 & 12 when Daniel (hundred’s of out) prophesizes the invasion and destruction of Jerusalem and exact day that Antiochus Epiphanes would sacrifice a Pig (unclean animal) on the alter of the Temple (Dec 15, 167 BC). Christ brings the term back foretelling a future abomination of desolation both in 70 AD and at the true end of days. History is doomed to repeat itself. It is because of this prophesy that many believe the temple must be rebuilt for a 3rd time before Christ’s ultimate return.

6. 22 And if those days had not been cut short, no human being would be saved. But for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short. Out of love for God’s “elect”(his chosen) he will stop the suffering. This is likely not a indication of a rapture as much an indication of the temporary suffering/tribulation the world will go through prior to Christ’s emanate return.

7. 24 For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect. The false Christ’s will test God’s people and those who are not elect will deny the true Christ and God and worship the Idols. Truly the only ones who make it through this deception will be those enabled not by their own wisdom or power but with the graceful gift of God’s wisdom and power. God will sift the wheat from the chaff with these antichrists (2 Thessalonians 2). I submit that many a “Christian” today already worships a “false Christ” as the Idol Christ of many churchs does not reflect the true biblical Christ but a Christ stripped of justice, a Christ stripped of majesty, a Christ stripped of Glory and substituted is a Christ that serves man’s purpose, a more manageable, tolerant, politically correct Christ. This is why the study of theology is imperative. We must worship the true Christ and in order to do so, we must know the true Christ.

8. 27 For as the lightning comes from the east and shines as far as the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. The Second coming of Christ will be evident to the entire world. There will be no doubt even to the unbeliever of who is coming in the clouds with his armies following. Here is one of my favorite passages in the bible to demonstrate how evident Christs return will be, it brings me to tears every time I read it,
“11 Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war. 12 His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on his head are many diadems, and he has a name written that no one knows but himself. 13 He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and the name by which he is called is The Word of God. 14 And the armies of heaven, arrayed in fine linen, white and pure, were following him on white horses. 15 From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron. He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty. 16 On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords.”
Rev 19:11-16

We serve a great and worthy King.

9. 31 And he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other. This is the third time in as many paragraphs that Christ has used the term “elect” to describe his chosen people. My question to the semi-palagean (free choice type) is, do our elected officials have the power to elect themselves or is it an external event that does not reside in the ultimate power of the elected.

10. 32 "From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts out its leaves, you know that summer is near. 33 So also, when you see all these things, you know that he is near, at the very gates. 34 Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place. Christ now moves on to the disciples second question, when? His answer is to be watchful for these events, as when they begin, they will progress quickly (3.5-7 yrs) to Christ’s return. The quote, “this generation” has been used to support the interpretation that this chapter only applied to 70 AD but, as Christ did not return, we must take this in context to be speaking of the speed at which the signs and tribulation occur and progress. Once the signs start to occur, the second coming will occur within one generation.

11. 40 Then two men will be in the field; one will be taken and one left. 41 Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken and one left. 42 Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. This verse is the best (and only biblical) support of rapture in the Left Behind sense. While it may in fact describe a rapture, that seems a bit speculative. In context, all that I can say that this verse directly supports is the speed of Christ’s return. In a moment Christ will overpower Satan and bring judgment to the earth, separating the lambs from goats, wheat from chaff, and good from evil.

12. Psalms: 11 For your name's sake, O Lord, pardon my guilt, for it is great. It is for the name and glory of God that we are saved, not for our own. Our salvation echo’s his strength and goodness no ours.

Sun Tzu:

“When your forces are dulled, your edge is blunted, your strength is exhausted, and your supplies are gone, then others will take advantage of your debility and rise up. Then even if you have wise advisers you cannot make things turn out well in the end.”
“A wise government does not keep its army in the field”

The Intellectual Devotion (Kidder, D. & Oppenheim N. The Intellectual Devotion, Rodale. NY, NY 2006):

Abraham is considered the patriarch of monotheistic religion (Judaism, Christianity and Islam). Abraham, married to Sarai, was promised to be the father of a great nation. In a bout of faithlessness, he decided that he needed to sleep with a maidservant named Hagar in order to fulfill the promise, as his wife was in her 90’s and infertile. Hagar had a child who was named Ishmael. Muslims claim Ishmael as the father of their faith. Out of anger and jealousy, Sarai and Abraham banished Hagar and Ishmael. God’s promise was subsequently fulfilled to Abraham as Sarai got pregnant and Abraham changed her name to Sarah. Sarah had a son named Isaac who married Rebecca who bore Jacob (renamed Israel after struggling with the angel) who became the father of the 12 Jewish nations.

Matt 23

2009-01-28T07:19:00.003-06:00

Date: 28 January 2009 D – 14 Days

Events:

Yesterday morning, I woke up early to read, write and play with Sadie before heading to Fort Hood. I listened to the most recent White Horse Inn and a couple really good episodes of Renewing Your Mind on my way. I stopped on my way into base at Clothing Sales and bought the Items from the packing list that I was missing, got some dog tags made and had my rank sowed onto my soft cap and boney cap. Arrived at the clinic to a couple patients waiting, nothing very interesting mostly administrative stuff. I had a great weight work out and run yesterday evening before heading to temple for the night. John and Gracie (the couple I stay with in temple) just returned from Israel so we spent the evening talking about their trip. It sounded amazing. I would love to go.

Bible (NT/OT):

Matt 23

Seven Woes to the Scribes and Pharisees

23 Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples, 2 "The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses' seat, 3 so practice and observe whatever they tell you— but not what they do. For they preach, but do not practice. 4 They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on people's shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to move them with their finger. 5 They do all their deeds to be seen by others. For they make their phylacteries broad and their fringes long, 6 and they love the place of honor at feasts and the best seats in the synagogues 7 and greetings in the marketplaces and being called rabbi by others. 8 But you are not to be called rabbi, for you have one teacher, and you are all brothers. 9 And call no man your father on earth, for you have one Father, who is in heaven. 10 Neither be called instructors, for you have one instructor, the Christ. 11 The greatest among you shall be your servant. 12 Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.
13 "But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut the kingdom of heaven in people's faces. For you neither enter yourselves nor allow those who would enter to go in. 15 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel across sea and land to make a single proselyte, and when he becomes a proselyte, you make him twice as much a child of hell as yourselves.
16 "Woe to you, blind guides, who say, 'If anyone swears by the temple, it is nothing, but if anyone swears by the gold of the temple, he is bound by his oath.' 17 You blind fools! For which is greater, the gold or the temple that has made the gold sacred? 18 And you say, 'If anyone swears by the altar, it is nothing, but if anyone swears by the gift that is on the altar, he is bound by his oath.' 19 You blind men! For which is greater, the gift or the altar that makes the gift sacred? 20 So whoever swears by the altar swears by it and by everything on it. 21 And whoever swears by the temple swears by it and by him who dwells in it. 22 And whoever swears by heaven swears by the throne of God and by him who sits upon it.
23 "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness. These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others. 24 You blind guides, straining out a gnat and swallowing a camel!
25 "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and the plate, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. 26 You blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and the plate, that the outside also may be clean.
27 "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people's bones and all uncleanness. 28 So you also outwardly appear righteous to others, but within you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.
29 "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you build the tombs of the prophets and decorate the monuments of the righteous, 30 saying, 'If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.' 31 Thus you witness against yourselves that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets. 32 Fill up, then, the measure of your fathers. 33 You serpents, you brood of vipers, how are you to escape being sentenced to hell? 34 Therefore I send you prophets and wise men and scribes, some of whom you will kill and crucify, and some you will flog in your synagogues and persecute from town to town, 35 so that on you may come all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of innocent Abel to the blood of Zechariah the son of Barachiah, whom you murdered between the sanctuary and the altar. 36 Truly, I say to you, all these things will come upon this generation.
Lament over Jerusalem
37 "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you would not! 38 See, your house is left to you desolate. 39 For I tell you, you will not see me again, until you say, 'Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.'"
ESV

Ps 24:3-5
Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord? And who shall stand in his holy place? 4 He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to what is false and does not swear deceitfully. 5 He will receive blessing from the Lord and righteousness from the God of his salvation.

Bible Thoughts:

1. 2 "The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses' seat, 3 so practice and observe whatever they tell you— but not what they do. For they preach, but do not practice. At face value, it is true that the scribes and Pharisees were the most externally devout Jews. We often forget that these Pharisees that Jesus criticize most aggressively are the most well educated and “spiritual” Jews of the day. When the laity had a question about religious practice, they asked the Pharisees and as long as the Pharisees responded from their knowledge of the scriptures, they were to be followed. The same applies to our pastors and priests to this day. When a pastor or priest (even the Pope) speaks in accordance with scripture, they are to be heeded. Jesus does not criticize their knowledge, teaching or observance of the scripture; what Jesus questions is their motive and tradition. As we have seen above, Jesus is about to launch into an assault on both their external piety and their legalism. In order to be highly esteemed the Pharisees had inter-mixed many rules of man with the Laws of God. Apparently many of the rules are still in place today; John, just back from Israel, told me that on the Sabbath devout Jews are not allowed to push a button in the elevator. They are forced to wait for a Christian or Muslim to help them. What an unnecessary “heavy burden.” This is not the heart or the letter of the Old Testament Law.

2. 5 They do all their deeds to be seen by others. For they make their phylacteries broad and their fringes long, I rotated with a Family Practitioner during medical school who was a devout Jew. Every morning we would go to his temple and he would strap a Phylacteries (little box) tightly around his head and a strap around his left arm. The “fringes” around his arm were to be as tight as possible both to remind him of how tightly bound to the Jewish law and tradition he was and to leave a visible mark for the world to see the rest of the day.

3. 12 Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted. The problem was not with the words teacher, rabbi or father but the adoration they were seeking in the title. The motive behind accepting my title, Dr. Smith and demanding that everyone address me as Dr. Smith is entirely different.

4. 13 "But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites” In the next 23 verses it will become very clear that Jesus despises hypocrisy. When religion is based on an individual’s works, hypocrisy will necessarily follow. This was true of Judiasm in Jesus day and it is true of Liberal Christianity today. By far the most common charge leveled against the church today is that it is full of hypocrites, is it not? No one likes a hypocrite, not Christ and not the unbelieving world. I can understand how the outside world can feel this way as I too have stood on the outside and looked in; however, with correct theology this should never be. Contrary to true Christianity, Pelagianism (works based religion) fundamentally relies on a list of ‘to do’s’ that will inevitably breed spiritual pride which invariably deteriorates into hypocrisy. A Pelagian (ex. liberal Christian--all good people go to heaven type) or even a Semi-pelagian (Methodist—in my free will I made a good decision type), believes his salvation to be based on something that he has done. What separates the Pelagian from his neighbor is that he is not as dirty and sinful; he is better, above his neighbor. Further, his dirty neighbor should not be participating in such utterly despicable acts and he’s going to walk over and tell him. What’s worse is the semi-pelagian who feels that he is not simply better than his neighbor in action but smarter/more righteous than his neighbor because he was wise or righteous enough to freely make the right decision and “accept Christ.” These two “Christians” are rightly charged with hypocrisy as, in pride, they hold themselves above their neighbor whether by action or intellect. The neighbor watches with an eagle eye for any inconsistency, any flaw because such pride is so intolerable. And when the flaw comes, the neighbor is redeemed and happily (rightly) accuses the “Christian” of hypocrisy. But the neighbor is not all this “Christian” has to worry about because Matthew 23 echo’s from heaven. Compared to Christ’s righteousness what righteousness do we have? Compared to Christ’s wisdom, what wisdom do we have? Compared to Christ’s majesty, what majesty to we have? How can we as creatures stand on earth in our fallen, despicable sinfulness and in pride stand ourselves up above our neighbor? No, with even the simplest theology, the Christian should realize that he is in no way superior to his neighbor. “But for the Grace of God go I.” A Christian should…must realize that it was nothing good within him that led to his salvation; in fact it was the utter depravity in his soul that led to his salvation. That he could not “do” his way to heaven, nor could he “will” his way to heaven but that all he brought and brings to the equation is the wretched mess of a desperately fallen life. And once the believer is a true Christian the prognosis is no better; although we have now been enlightened to the truth of sinfulness and depravity, our flesh almost irresistibly craves the sin. Prior to being a Christian, all we could do was sin but after our rebirth we now have the free choice to follow the path of righteousness or the path of destruction and, having been given the gift of the holy spirit how much more contemptible is it to follow the path of destruction. But this is the inner war that rages inside the Christian at all times, this is the war that when we are honest and transparent with our neighbor can never breed the charge of hypocrisy. Christians must realize that any and all good that lives inside is the imputed (given) righteousness of Christ not any earned or inherited good of our own. When I get a tattoo, it will include the inscription, “Simul Justus et Peccator” meaning simultaneously righteous and sinner. Any and all good that lives within me is solely Christ, I am nothing but a dirty wretch and my works are nothing but rags. Thereby, I realize that I am no better than my neighbor in fact I am much worse because given the ability to follow Christ, instead again and again I sin. When I have no platform to judge my neighbor from, no pride in my own action how then can I go to my neighbor as anything more than a humble, struggling servant? I cannot. When we have correct theology and the confidence (in God’s love) to be transparent with neighbor in our struggles, doubts and sins, far from our neighbor’s charge of hypocrisy we may find needed help and support. We Christians are a broken and sinful people.

Sun Tzu:

“When you do battle, even if you are winning, if you continue for a long time it will dull your forces and blunt your edge; if you besiege a citadel, your strength will be exhausted. If you keep your armies in the field for a long time, your supplies will be insufficient.”
“War is like fire—if you don’t put it out, it will burn itself out”
“Arms are tools of ill omen—to employ them for extended periods of time will bring about calamity. As it is said, “Those who like to fight and so exhaust their military inevitably perish”

Sun Tzu Thoughts:

I like the quote, “Arms are tools of ill omen…” While at first we were seen as liberators, I fear we will soon be seen (if not already) as occupiers. It is a very difficult thing to wage a war in someone’s hometown and still try to appear as the “good guys.” But it is of vital importance.

The Intellectual Devotion (Kidder, D. & Oppenheim N. The Intellectual Devotion, Rodale. NY, NY 2006):

In Plato’s (427-347BC) work Phaedo, he presented his Theory of Forms. In considering all of the beautiful thing in the world Plato theorized that there is a “Form” of perfect, eternal beauty that all beautiful physical objects reflected in direct proportion to how externally beautiful the physical object appeared. Individual beautiful things are beautiful by virtue of participating in beauty. Plato thought of participation as imperfect imitation. Thus, individual beautiful things imitate beauty, but only to a point. Plato extended “forms” to include our observation of all physical objects. For example, an object was red only in so much as it approached the “form” redness. In Plato’s theory, before our bodies existed, our souls existed in heaven where we learned these perfect “forms” that we subsequently remember in order to observe the world. Our knowledge on earth is merely a recollection of our initial acquaintance with the “forms” in heaven.

Intel Devo Thoughts: Interesting concept, not sure I buy it. While the bible does support that Christ inhabited heaven before his bodily existence, it does not seem to support that I did. The Mormons would disagree.

Matt 22

2009-01-27T08:27:00.005-06:00

Date: 27 January 2009 D – 15 days

Events:

Yesterday, Marla worked in the morning while I read and wrote. We met for lunch at Papa Sito’s and her partner Meredith joined us. It took me all afternoon to pack up all of my gear. Today is the last trip to Fort Hood that I will make before leaving so I have all of my junk packed up and gear put together for a PCI (pre-combat inspection) tomorrow. I thought packing would be much more depressing than it turned out to be (probably because we still have 2 weeks); I listened to a mix of Stained and Bruce Springsteen and sorted through a lot of cool gear. The Gear that we get issued is amazing, from the infra-red beacon (avoid friendly fire), to the seat belt cutters, to the camel back, it is all brand new top notch stuff. So, far from being depressing I think playing while I packed emotionally prepared me for deployment. After I finished packing, I took Sadie for a long run in the Park. We made salmon last night and watched the Bachelor. Yesterday was a great day.

Bible (NT/OT):

Matt 22

The Parable of the Wedding Feast

22 And again Jesus spoke to them in parables, saying, 2 "The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son, 3 and sent his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding feast, but they would not come. 4 Again he sent other servants, saying, 'Tell those who are invited, See, I have prepared my dinner, my oxen and my fat calves have been slaughtered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding feast.' 5 But they paid no attention and went off, one to his farm, another to his business, 6 while the rest seized his servants, treated them shamefully, and killed them. 7 The king was angry, and he sent his troops and destroyed those murderers and burned their city. 8 Then he said to his servants, 'The wedding feast is ready, but those invited were not worthy. 9 Go therefore to the main roads and invite to the wedding feast as many as you find.' 10 And those servants went out into the roads and gathered all whom they found, both bad and good. So the wedding hall was filled with guests.
11 "But when the king came in to look at the guests, he saw there a man who had no wedding garment. 12 And he said to him, 'Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding garment?' And he was speechless. 13 Then the king said to the attendants, 'Bind him hand and foot and cast him into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.' 14 For many are called, but few are chosen."

Paying Taxes to Caesar

15 Then the Pharisees went and plotted how to entangle him in his talk. 16 And they sent their disciples to him, along with the Herodians, saying, "Teacher, we know that you are true and teach the way of God truthfully, and you do not care about anyone's opinion, for you are not swayed by appearances. 17 Tell us, then, what you think. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?" 18 But Jesus, aware of their malice, said, "Why put me to the test, you hypocrites? 19 Show me the coin for the tax." And they brought him a denarius. 20 And Jesus said to them, "Whose likeness and inscription is this?" 21 They said, "Caesar's." Then he said to them, "Therefore render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's." 22 When they heard it, they marveled. And they left him and went away.

Sadducees Ask About the Resurrection

23 The same day Sadducees came to him, who say that there is no resurrection, and they asked

him a question, 24 saying, "Teacher, Moses said, 'If a man dies having no children, his brother must marry the widow and raise up children for his brother.' 25 Now there were seven brothers among us. The first married and died, and having no children left his wife to his brother. 26 So too the second and third, down to the seventh. 27 After them all, the woman died. 28 In the resurrection, therefore, of the seven, whose wife will she be? For they all had her."
29 But Jesus answered them, "You are wrong, because you know neither the Scriptures nor the power of God. 30 For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven. 31 And as for the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was said to you by God:
32 'I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob'? He is not God of the dead, but of the living." 33 And when the crowd heard it, they were astonished at his teaching.

The Great Commandment

34 But when the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together. 35 And one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. 36 "Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?" 37 And he said to him, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. 38 This is the great and first commandment. 39 And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. 40 On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets."

Whose Son Is the Christ?

41 Now while the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them a question, 42 saying,

"What do you think about the Christ? Whose son is he?" They said to him, "The son of David." 43 He said to them, "How is it then that David, in the Spirit, calls him Lord, saying,
44 "'The Lord said to my Lord,Sit at my right hand,until I put your enemies under your feet'?
45 If then David calls him Lord, how is he his son?" 46 And no one was able to answer him a word, nor from that day did anyone dare to ask him any more questions.

Ps 23:4

4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

Ps 23:6-24:1
6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

Bible Thoughts:

1. 7 The king was angry, and he sent his troops and destroyed those murderers and burned their city. 8 Then he said to his servants, 'The wedding feast is ready, but those invited were not worthy. 9 Go therefore to the main roads and invite to the wedding feast as many as you find.' The Old Testament hard-hearted Jews (not true Israel, a Jewish remnant that believed Gods promise and subsequently believed in Christ) the Pharisees and Sadducees are symbolized by the first guests who did not show up and ultimately murdered the King’s servants (Old Testament Prophets). God, the King, justly punishes their disloyalty. In this parable, the king then opens his doors to strangers…10 And those servants went out into the roads and gathered all whom they found, both bad and good. So the wedding hall was filled with guests. These symbolize the Gentiles (you and I) who have been welcomed into the promise that had thus far been given only to Israel. As Paul says in Rom 11:11-12 “Rather through their trespass salvation has come to the Gentiles, so as to make Israel jealous. 12 Now if their trespass means riches for the world, and if their failure means riches for the Gentiles, how much more will their full inclusion mean!”
2. And he said to him, 'Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding garment?' And he was speechless. 13 Then the king said to the attendants, 'Bind him hand and foot and cast him into the outer darkness. The Guests had all just seconds before been brought in off the street, so how could the King discipline this poor beggar for not being dressed for the wedding? If all of the other guests have wedding garments then we must assume that the King has given the garments. This would be consistent in a broader sense with our understanding of the Gospel and our ability to sit at the Feast of the Lamb (after death) as clothed in Christ’s righteousness not in our own filth. This understanding is also consistant with the refaine that follows, “many are called but few are chosen.”
3. 14 For many are called, but few are chosen." This is the second time we have encountered this verse. The first usage was in Matthew 20:16 after Christ’s parable of the Laborers. As this phrase is one of the few that Christ repeats, it must be important. In the Parable of the Laborers God is depicted as a generous landowner who pays the workers hired at the last hour the same wage as those hired in the first. In the Parable at hand, God is depicted as a King who tortures his unfaithful subjects and brings in, dresses, and feasts with strangers. The commonality between the two parables is God’s ability to do what he wishes despite man’s effort or will. The “call” Christ refers to is a “general call” referring to all who hear the gospel (all who were invited to work/wedding). There is also an “effectual call,” an internal call that is irresistible (those workers/attendants that were brought in by the landowner/King). Thus the general call goes out to the world but only those who are effectually called truly respond and believe. As Luke says in Acts, “48 And when the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord, and as many as were appointed to eternal life believed.” Acts 13:48-49. The appointment and effectual call occur then we respond with belief. Many argue the Doctrine of Election/Predestination by saying that all are chosen but with free will, some of these chosen deny the gospel, I argue with this verse, “few are chosen.” Unless we deny the truth of this verse all are not chosen, all are not invited. People all have the freedom to follow their will, their will, however, is unable to follow Christ without God’s supernatural effectual call.
4. The following two questions are posed by the Pharisees and Sadducees to trip Jesus up. The first ends, “ 17 Tell us, then, what you think. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?" The Jews were under the rule of Rome. Most resented Rome as an occupying force and resented the Tax that they had to pay to Rome because they were funding the occupier. Thus, if Jesus answers that we are obligated to pay the tax he would have been seen as a traitor to the Jews and if he would have denied the tax he would have been broken the law. His response, “give to Cesar what is Cesar’s” is simple but effective because he plays on a feeling amongst the Jews that the picture of a glorified Cesar the Golden coin had become an Idol. In this way he kept the law and, far from being seen as a traitor to the Jews, was seen as a hero for casting out Cesar’s idolatrous image. The following question from the Sadducees, “28 In the resurrection, therefore, of the seven, whose wife will she be? For they all had her." Christ likewise answers. The Sadducees were a sect that altogether denied the resurrection. Jesus however not only affirms the resurrection but support’s it with the very words of God in Genesis that no Jew could deny. Christ demonstrates a profound knowledge of scripture that would not have been available to any mere carpenter
6. "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. 38 This is the great and first commandment. 39 And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. Truly, the entire law can be summed up into these two simple commandments. Many a spiritual Californian will quote this verse as support free, abundant love is all that it takes to get to heaven. We must however remember the true purpose of the law. The law was never meant to Justify, the law was meant to demonstrate our need. Much as I use an MRI do diagnose physical illness, the law diagnoses spiritual illness. How many of us can say that we have always loved god and our neighbor first? How many of us can say that we have ever loved God and our neighbor first? Thus, the law is not the good news. The Good News (Gospel) is that God knows the state of our hearts and in love has made righteousness available to us through the righteousness of his Son and has paid the penalty of our sins through the brutal punishment of his Son. That the promise of the psalms, “6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever,” is now as true for us as it was for Jesus.

Sun Tzu:

The one who figures on victory at headquarters before even doing battle is the one who has the most strategic factors on his side. The one who figures on inability to prevail at headquarters is the one who has the least strategic factors on his side. The one with many strategic factors in his favor wins. Observing the matter in this way, you can see who will win and who will lose.

Sun Tzu Thoughts: Simple concept, but in today’s world I would use it to support the power of positive thinking. There is a recent book that has become quite popular entitled, The Secrete. I have not read it but I listened to an interview with the author and his faithful followers. In The Secrete and existential view that reality is somehow altered by our positive or negative thoughts is put forth. For example, if I think hard enough, I can bring a star into existence or (for Oprah’s audience) my future spouse to my doorstep. This of course is utter nonsense. While advertised as “new and revolutionary” the fallacy is as old as humanity, as Solomon said, “there is nothing new under the sun.” While I entirely disagree with the philosophy that underlies the book, I do feel that the confidence that comes from positive thinking give a strategic advantage in business or in conflict.

The Intellectual Devotion (Kidder, D. & Oppenheim N. The Intellectual Devotion, Rodale. NY, NY 2006):

Medieval/Early Church Music (400-1400AD), Gragorian Chant was the first written music. Also known as “plainchant” it was sung during the Catholic Mass. The Mass was devided into two sets of Chant, the Ordinarry and the Proper. The ordinary consisted of 6t latin prayers (Kyrie Eleison, Gloria in Excelsis, Credo, Sanctus, Agnus Dei and Ite Missa est) which always contained the same text; whereas the Proper which included the Introit, Gradual, Offertory, and Communion, consisted of texts that varied according to liturgical season. Medieval music began as monophonic (no harmony), but around 900AD, musicians began to write in a polymorphic style called organum (2 parallel melodies) and in 1100AD composers Leonin and Perotin (music directors at Notre Dame in Paris), composed organa with up to 4 independent, nonparallel music lines. Eventually in the thirteenth century “Motet” emerged, which is complex polymorphic with a fixed melodic line and several complementary parts. In the 1990’s the Benedictine Monks of Santo Domingo de Silos released a CD called Chant that made plainchant popular for the first time since the Middle Ages.

Intellectual Devo Thoughts: Good stuff very relaxing, it was always a bit creepy to me but now that I know the origin, I’m going to download Chant when I finish.

Matt 21

2009-01-26T11:00:00.003-06:00

Date: 26 January 2009; D – 16 days

Bible (NT/OT):

Matt 21:1-16

The Triumphal Entry

21 Now when they drew near to Jerusalem and came to Bethphage, to the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, 2 saying to them, "Go into the village in front of you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her. Untie them and bring them to me. 3 If anyone says anything to you, you shall say, 'The Lord needs them,' and he will send them at once." 4 This took place to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet, saying,

5 "Say to the daughter of Zion,
'Behold, your king is coming to you,
humble, and mounted on a donkey,
and on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden.'"

6 The disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them. 7 They brought the donkey and the colt and put on them their cloaks, and he sat on them. 8 Most of the crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. 9 And the crowds that went before him and that followed him were shouting, "Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!" 10 And when he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred up, saying, "Who is this?" 11 And the crowds said, "This is the prophet Jesus, from Nazareth of Galilee."

Jesus Cleanses the Temple

12 And Jesus entered the temple and drove out all who sold and bought in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money-changers and the seats of those who sold pigeons. 13 He said to them, "It is written, 'My house shall be called a house of prayer,' but you make it a den of robbers."

And the blind and the lame came to him in the temple, and he healed them. 15 But when the chief priests and the scribes saw the wonderful things that he did, and the children crying out in the temple, "Hosanna to the Son of David!" they were indignant, 16 and they said to him, "Do you hear what these are saying?" And Jesus said to them, "Yes; have you never read,
"'Out of the mouth of infants and nursing babies you have prepared praise'?"
17 And leaving them, he went out of the city to Bethany and lodged there.
Jesus Curses the Fig Tree
18 In the morning, as he was returning to the city, he became hungry. 19 And seeing a fig tree by the wayside, he went to it and found nothing on it but only leaves. And he said to it, "May no fruit ever come from you again!" And the fig tree withered at once.
20 When the disciples saw it, they marveled, saying, "How did the fig tree wither at once?" 21 And Jesus answered them, "Truly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what has been done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, 'Be taken up and thrown into the sea,' it will happen. 22 And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith."
The Authority of Jesus Challenged
23 And when he entered the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came up to him as he was teaching, and said, "By what authority are you doing these things, and who gave you this authority?" 24 Jesus answered them, "I also will ask you one question, and if you tell me the answer, then I also will tell you by what authority I do these things. 25 The baptism of John, from where did it come? From heaven or from man?" And they discussed it among themselves, saying, "If we say, 'From heaven,' he will say to us, 'Why then did you not believe him?' 26 But if we say, 'From man,' we are afraid of the crowd, for they all hold that John was a prophet." 27 So they answered Jesus, "We do not know." And he said to them, "Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.
The Parable of the Two Sons
28 "What do you think? A man had two sons. And he went to the first and said, 'Son, go and work in the vineyard today.' 29 And he answered, 'I will not,' but afterward he changed his mind and went. 30 And he went to the other son and said the same. And he answered, 'I go, sir,' but did not go. 31 Which of the two did the will of his father?" They said, "The first." Jesus said to them, "Truly, I say to you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes go into the kingdom of God before you. 32 For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes believed him. And even when you saw it, you did not afterward change your minds and believe him.
The Parable of the Tenants
33 "Hear another parable. There was a master of a house who planted a vineyard and put a fence around it and dug a winepress in it and built a tower and leased it to tenants, and went into another country. 34 When the season for fruit drew near, he sent his servants to the tenants to get his fruit. 35 And the tenants took his servants and beat one, killed another, and stoned another. 36 Again he sent other servants, more than the first. And they did the same to them. 37 Finally he sent his son to them, saying, 'They will respect my son.' 38 But when the tenants saw the son, they said to themselves, 'This is the heir. Come, let us kill him and have his inheritance.' 39 And they took him and threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. 40 When therefore the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?" 41 They said to him, "He will put those wretches to a miserable death and let out the vineyard to other tenants who will give him the fruits in their seasons."
42 Jesus said to them, "Have you never read in the Scriptures:
"'The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; this was the Lord's doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes'?
43 Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people producing its fruits. 44 And the one who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; and when it falls on anyone, it will crush him."
45 When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard his parables, they perceived that he was speaking about them. 46 And although they were seeking to arrest him, they feared the crowds, because they held him to be a prophet.

Ps 22:1-2
u My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, from the words of my groaning? 2 O my God, I cry by day, but you do not answer.
Ps 22:7-8
All who see me mock me; they make mouths at me; they wag their heads; 8 "He trusts in the Lord; let him deliver him; let him rescue him, for he delights in him!"
Ps 22:16-18
6 For dogs encompass me; a company of evildoers encircles me; they have pierced my hands and feet—17 I can count all my bones—they stare and gloat over me; 18 they divide my garments among them, and for my clothing they cast lots.

Sun Tzu:

“The formation and procedure used by the military should not be divulged beforehand.”
“Attack when they are unprepared and not expecting it, and you will surely win.”
“Securing military victory can certainly not be made uniform—first, see the enemy’s formation, and only then apply the strategy. You cannot say exactly what you will do before the event”

The Intellectual Devotion (Kidder, D. & Oppenheim N. The Intellectual Devotion, Rodale. NY, NY 2006):

The Greenhouse Effect: discovered in 1824 by Joseph Fourier the greenhouse effect describes the mechanism by which water vapor (primarily), carbon dioxide, methane and other gasses trap the sun’s energy that is reflected from earth’s surface. The Greenhouse effect is why earth is a hospitable planet. Venous has a thick atmosphere saturated with Carbon Dioxide making it the hottest planet in the solar system with an average temp of 456 Degrees, while Mars without an atmosphere (no ability to store heat) cools to a frigid -220F at night. It has been hypothesized that humans have caused a runaway greenhouse effect by our pollution as the average temp has raised 1 degree in the last 100 years with the peak average temp’s occurring in 1998.

Events:

Got up yesterday and read, wrote and went to church. After church, Marla and I went out with 6 or 7 other couples to lunch. Lots of fun! The pictures are attached. We have a great church and have made amazing friends. Our pastor is solid; he gave a great sermon out of Exodus yesterday. We picked the church for it’s fellowship potential as there must be >100 couples our age and in a similar lifestage (married with either no kids or young kids). It will be very difficult to find such a great church when we move. Marla has been very involved with the church; but one of my few regrets is that I did not get more involved. Granted, it was hard through residency and difficult this last 6 months of commuting to Fort Hood but there were defiantly opportunities that I did not take to get connected. I will leave with a few great friends, but given the potential to be great friends with nearly any and all of the people at our church, this seems a loss. I also missed out on a great opportunity to seek out a mentor. There are countless Men that I respect within the church that I could have learned a lot from but never took the time. I look forward to finding mentorship both in Iraq and when we move. It has been hard to ask for that sort of help here as by all external opinion, I must seem quite the carnal (immature) Christian; I have rarely been able to get to church/bible study and I’ve got a touch of social anxiety that makes me get to church late to avoid conversation and run out as soon as it’s over again to avoid the big group. Lacey (Marla’s Cousin) came over for dinner last night. Good times.

Thoughts:

1. 12 And Jesus entered the temple and drove out all who sold and bought in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money-changers and the seats of those who sold pigeons. 13 He said to them, "It is written, 'My house shall be called a house of prayer,' but you make it a den of robbers." In the Old Testament, there are many commanded animal sacrifices. Sacrifice was commanded for everything from having a child, to being cured of an illness to being cleansed from sin (Yom Kippur). The Temple in Jerusalem was the recommended place to make this sacrifice thus people traveled from distant cities to Jerusalem. Due to the difficulty of the journey, people would not bring a lamb or dove to sacrifice; instead they would buy the cow/lamb/dove in Jerusalem. The sale of animals at the temple became a lucrative business as the customers were a subject to whatever outrageous charges the seller demanded. As the sacrifice (before Christ ultimate once and for all blood offering) was fundamental to all cleansing and purification ritual in the Old Testament Temple, these sellers were in effect holding the pilgrims purification for ransom. John Piper gives a great sermon over this verse in which he poses the question, “should we then take the book store out of our church?” His answer is of course no on many levels.
a. First of all, a new testament church is by no means the Old Testament Temple. The New Testament physical Church is merely a building to house God’s people, where as the Old Testament Temple was built as God’s house where God’s presence was to reside. The Old Testament Temple was a Holy place where yearly sacrifice was necessary for the remission of the sin’s of the people. The New Testament Chruch has no such prurpose as we now have a clear understanding from Hebrews 9-11 that the Old Testament Temple and Sacrifice was only a glimpse, a foreshowdoding to Christ’s ultimate sacrifice on the Cross and now that this “once and for all” sacrifice has been made we are no longer dependent upon the “blood of bulls” for our justification. Heb 10:1-5 “For since the law has but a shadow of the good things to come instead of the true form of these realities, it can never, by the same sacrifices that are continually offered every year, make perfect those who draw near. 2 Otherwise, would they not have ceased to be offered, since the worshipers, having once been cleansed, would no longer have any consciousness of sin? 3 But in these sacrifices there is a reminder of sin every year. 4 For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins. 5 Consequently, when Christ came into the world, (and) said…”"Behold, I have come to do your will." He abolishes the first in order to establish the second. 10 And by that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. 11 And every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. 12 But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, 13 waiting from that time until his enemies should be made a footstool for his feet. 14 For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.
b. Secondly, the purpose of a bookstore is very different than the purpose of a sacrificial animal. While a book (especially one of Piper’s books) can be very sanctifying (maturing) the purpose of the animal was for justification (salvation). An important point because there are those even today who attempt to sell salvation. While the condemnation of this verse does not fall on a book store in a church, it does fall on those such as Tetzel (rightly condemned) who,in order to build Saint Peters Basilica “sold salvation” to the peasants, with his classic quote, “As soon as a coin in the coffer sings, a soul from purgatory sings.” I feel that this condemnation also falls on present day televangelists and revivalists who promise remission from sin’s and favor with god for a small monetary donation.
2. "Do you hear what these are saying?" And Jesus said to them, "Yes; have you never read, "'Out of the mouth of infants and nursing babies you have prepared praise'?" As Jesus claims this verse, he is again claiming his deity. We are left with 3 options as C.S Lewis articulates, Jesus was either a Liar, a lunatic or truly Lord. But let’s stop with this “Great teacher”, “Great Prophet” nonsense.
3. ...found nothing on it but only leaves. And he said to it, "May no fruit ever come from you again!" And the fig tree withered at once. Jesus does not lose his temper here and abuse his power for evil as the Green-peace types have charged. No Jesus uses the Fig Tree much for the same purpose that we take communion each week, as a tangible reminder or Christ’s promise…this just happens to be the promise that most Christians would like to gloss over. We love to quote John 3:16 but forget about 3:17-18... "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.” Jesus, in this instance, uses the fig tree to illustrate his earlier point that, a tree (person) is judged as either Good or Bad by it’s fruit. The Fig Tree is also a classic symbol of Israel. Christ demonstrates the condemnation that would soon fall on the Jews for their faithlessness.
4. 'Son, go and work in the vineyard today.' 29 And he answered, 'I will not,' but afterward he changed his mind and went. 30 And he went to the other son and said the same. And he answered, 'I go, sir,' but did not go…, "Truly, I say to you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes go into the kingdom of God before you. 32 For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes believed him. This parable attacks the Pharisees yet again for their hypocracy they are those who, “4…tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on people's shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to move them with their finger”. Matt 23:4. The tax collectors and prostitutes who had not lived under their Heavenly Father’s authority now found the rest and forgiveness they had sought in Jesus, whereas those “whitewashed tombs” the Pharisee’s who claimed to be holy and pious were too proud to realize their own need and cry out for Christ’s salvation.
5. 43 Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people producing its fruits. 44 And the one who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; and when it falls on anyone, it will crush him." When we truly fall on Christ and realize his incredible love demonstrated in his intolerable suffering we are broken by the immeasurably high ransom that the Father paid for us, sacrificing his only son. But those who deny Christ will be crushed by the wrath of God, justly administered for their sins.
6. Psalms: Great verses that prophesize the death of Christ centuries before his birth.
7. Intellectual Devo: Throw back to an old blog that I wrote about Global warming on 13 Jan 09:
a. I have a couple thoughts on global warming:
i. The pollutants of cars and factories pales in comparison to the natural pollutants of a forest fire or volcano. The world has been adapting fine to the above for billions of years so what is another drop in the bucket if, let’s be honest it’s not hurting anything (best guess maybe a degree warmer over the last 100 yrs and who knows what actually caused this).
ii. My biggest peeve against global climate change is that we are throwing billions of both public and private money towards fixing a theoretic problem when we have real problems that truly need and deserve that money. The fact that the Global warming people could organize a worldwide campaign and raise millions of dollars is great but where did that money go? What could those millions of dollars have done for the troops fighting our nation’s two wars? What could that money have done for the starving and sick around the world? Places where 10 dollars could save a life, not where we throw millions upon millions of dollars at a fictional problem. I don’t fault the good people who are truly concerned about our future on this planet, I fault the media and Al Gore’s of the world that have sensationalized a theoretical problem that even the scientific community cannot agree upon. The theoretical “global warming” needs to be last page news until we have some causal relationship between manmade pollutants and actual warming. It may, in fact, be real but until we have a verifiable diagnosis how can we justify throwing millions of dollars and crazy solutions at it? You would not think me a very good physician if I saw a patient and without any tests or verification, just my hunch not only told the patient that they had Cancer but started them on expensive and extremely dangerous chemotherapy. The treatment that we have attempted for Global Warming is just that, treating a disease without a diagnosis with expensive therapies that are unproven and potentially more dangerous than the original theoretical disease.

Matt 20

2009-01-25T15:57:00.004-06:00

Date: 25 January 2009; Deployment – 17 days
Bible (NT/OT):

Matt 20

Laborers in the Vineyard

20 "For the kingdom of heaven is like a master of a house who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. 2 After agreeing with the laborers for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard. 3 And going out about the third hour he saw others standing idle in the marketplace, 4 and to them he said, 'You go into the vineyard too, and whatever is right I will give you.' 5 So they went. Going out again about the sixth hour and the ninth hour, he did the same. 6 And about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing. And he said to them, 'Why do you stand here idle all day?' 7 They said to him, 'Because no one has hired us.' He said to them, 'You go into the vineyard too.' 8 And when evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, 'Call the laborers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last, up to the first.' 9 And when those hired about the eleventh hour came, each of them received a denarius. 10 Now when those hired first came, they thought they would receive more, but each of them also received a denarius. 11 And on receiving it they grumbled at the master of the house, 12 saying, 'These last worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat.' 13 But he replied to one of them, 'Friend, I am doing you no wrong. Did you not agree with me for a denarius? 14 Take what belongs to you and go. I choose to give to this last worker as I give to you. 15 Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or do you begrudge my generosity?' 16 So the last will be first, and the first last."

Jesus Foretells His Death a Third Time

17 And as Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, he took the twelve disciples aside, and on the way he said to them, 18 "See, we are going up to Jerusalem. And the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and scribes, and they will condemn him to death 19 and deliver him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified, and he will be raised on the third day."

A Mother's Request

20 Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee came up to him with her sons, and kneeling before him she asked him for something. 21 And he said to her, "What do you want?" She said to him, "Say that these two sons of mine are to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your kingdom." 22 Jesus answered, "You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I am to drink?" They said to him, "We are able." 23 He said to them, "You will drink my cup, but to sit at my right hand and at my left is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared by my Father." 24 And when the ten heard it, they were indignant at the two brothers. 25 But Jesus called them to him and said, "You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. 26 It shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, 27 and whoever would be first among you must be your slave, 28 even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."

Jesus Heals Two Blind Men

29 And as they went out of Jericho, a great crowd followed him. 30 And behold, there were two blind men sitting by the roadside, and when they heard that Jesus was passing by, they cried out, "Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David!" 31 The crowd rebuked them, telling them to be silent, but they cried out all the more, "Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David!" 32 And stopping, Jesus called them and said, "What do you want me to do for you?" 33 They said to him, "Lord, let our eyes be opened." 34 And Jesus in pity touched their eyes, and immediately they recovered their sight and followed him.

Ps 21:13-22:1

3 Be exalted, O Lord, in your strength! We will sing and praise your power.

Sun Tzu:

“Attack when they are unprepared, make your move when they do not expect it.”
“Strike at their gaps, attack when they are lax, don’t let the enemy figure out how to prepare. This is why it is said that in military operations fromlessness is the most effective.”
“The most efficient of movements is the one that is unexpected; the best of plans is the one that is unknown.”

The Intellectual Devotion (Kidder, D. & Oppenheim N. The Intellectual Devotion, Rodale. NY, NY 2006):

The Venus de Milo (above) is a famous pure marble sculpture of the Greek God of love, Aphrodite (Roman God Venus). The sculpture stands over six feet tall and depicts the God standing, waist pivoting a bit to the right and eyes looking just over the horizon. Venus stands with only a sheet over her lower body. The Sculpture was discovered in 1820 on the Greek Island of Melos but has been dated to 400BC-300AD. The artist is of course unknown but a base found near by Identified a previously unknown Alexandros of Antioch of Menander (Greek). One of the arms was found nearby holding an apple. According to myth, Paris of Troy had given Venus a golden apple to identify her as the most beautiful woman in the world.

Events:

I’m home for the weekend and enjoyed yesterday around the house. Marla and I got up, read, wrote and went to Yoga (awesome as usual). We went to see Slumdog Millionaire yesterday afternoon which was one of the best movies that I have ever seen. Pizza last night and another movie…the waitress. Slow and relaxing day. This section reminds me of how comfortable (and sort of boring) my life is here, guess that’s about to change. Sure gonna miss these days.

Thoughts:

1. 12 saying, 'These last worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat.' 13 But he replied to one of them, 'Friend, I am doing you no wrong…15 Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or do you begrudge my generosity?' 16 So the last will be first, and the first last." A good approach to difficult sayings in the bible is to first look at the verses and topics immediately before and after the verse (it was put there for a reason), then consider the immediate and broader audience/culture that the verse addresses, then consider the verse as it relates to the purpose of the Book (Matthew’s purpose was to prove Jesus to be the Prophesied Messiah to the Jews then Gentiles), then in the context of the Gospel. In this way we can avoid “farming” the bible for quotes. Everything must be taken in context if we wish accurately understand the Bible.
In it’s immediate context, this Parable is set between Matthew 19:27- “7 Then Peter said in reply, ‘See, we have left everything and followed you. What then will we have?’” and the following plea from James and John’s mother that they sit at Jesus right and left in heaven. In its immediate context, it seems to be a warning to the disciples not to become too secure or proud of their position. Taken in the broader context of Matthew, the New Testament and the Bible, I do not feel that this one parable can teach that there are not varying positions in heaven against so many other verses in the bible that seem to. Thus, it must be meant to illustrate another truth. This parable seems to illustrate the meaning of the verses immediately before, “Matt 19:30 But many who are first will be last, and the last first,” and immediately following it, Matt 20:26-27, “ But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, 27 and whoever would be first among you must be your slave." Reminding the disciples that an attitude of humility and submission to God’s authority is what is truly valued in heaven. In the context of the Book of Matthew, this verse may be pointing to the fact that the Gentiles (you and I) were soon to be grafted into the salvation of Israel (Jew’s). Just yesterday, Marla and I were discussing the meaning of Matthew 15:22-28, the story of the Cannonite (Gentile) woman who pleads with Jesus to heal her daughter, the dialogue goes: Jesus: “I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel. 25 Then came she and worshipped him, saying, Lord, help me. 26 But he answered and said, It is not meet to take the children's bread, and to cast it to dogs. 27 And she said, Truth, Lord: yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters' table. 28 Then Jesus answered and said unto her, O woman, great is thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt. And her daughter was made whole from that very hour. We must remember that we do not reward/bless God with our salvation but he blesses us with salvation. Too many today forget our place and think that God helplessly awaits our return as the father did prodigal son. God becomes much more an object of pity in such a relationship than a King. To be sure, God does rejoice when his Prodigals come home but it is not a joy born of helplessness. No, as the lost sheep, our shepherd carries us home…that no sheep could boast that we found salvation on our own. Remember, we are Gentiles serving the Unchanging Old Testament God of Israel. The fact that God has adopted us as sons and daughters and “grafted” us into his plan of salvation is not something to brag about but something to humbly rejoice in. This Cannonite woman rightly understands her position; first as a Gentile next as a servant thus Christ praises her highly. Though after the dialogue, we gentile’s are left to wonder, “Am I somehow less as a Gentile ‘dog’ than the true children of Israel?” Today’s parable of the Laborers in the Vineyard is greatly reassuring to us gentiles, it seems to say that even as those “hired in the last hour”, our reward (salvation) is no less than that of the messianic Jews whose lineage is of Abraham, salvation is of Christ and faith has been strong for centuries.
2. 18 "See, we are going up to Jerusalem. And the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and scribes, and they will condemn him to death 19 and deliver him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified, and he will be raised on the third day." This is the third time that Matthew documents Jesus fortelling his death. It is amazing that the disciples (like us) forget the gospel message and doubt it’s power so quickly when adversity comes (Chapter 26).
3. She said to him, "Say that these two sons of mine are to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your kingdom." Like any good mom, James and John’s mother pleads for her son’s to sit on thrones with Jesus in heaven. Jesus response is interesting, he does not deny that there are positions for a saint to his right and his left, instead he asks, “Are you able to drink the cup that I am to drink?” This is a clear reference to the cup of God’s wrath that Jesus refers to again in Matt 26:39-43 as he prays about his imminent crucifixion,
"My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will." …Again, for the second time, he went away and prayed, "My Father, if this cannot pass unless I drink it, your will be done."
Indeed, Jesus affirms that they will “drink of this cup” as James was martyred and John was exiled for their faith. However, Jesus then says, “but to sit at my right hand and at my left is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared by my Father.” In his divinity Christ knew who would sit at his right and left but that sure would take away from the excitement if he revealed the identity here. Maybe he was just letting them down softly. As a young believer, I used to hope that maybe one of those thrones was reserved for me (just being honest). As I have matured though, I have come to a different understanding of what it takes to occupy a seat of honor in Christ’s Kingdom. The facts that we know about these seats from this context are, 1) the last will be first and 2) the servant of all will be first. So the Christian janitor who receives nothing in this world but serves quietly his entire life, that’s the secret right? What poetic justice this would be, a come from behind victory, real Cinderella story. Still probably a bit off the mark. I discussed this yesterday but let's rehash it today. In my opinion, what Christ values most in his people is faith, wholehearted reliance on himself, wholehearted satisfaction in his glory, and wholehearted obedience to his law. I do not feel that there will be any sort of surprise honor. I feel that the proximity that we enjoy to Christ in heaven will be a direct extension to the proximity with which we lived with Christ on earth. As I said yesterday, people end up getting what they want. For those who have lived their lives in opposition to Christ, they will no longer have to tolerate Christ or his people in the afterlife, all common grace will be removed from their life and they will suffer in it’s absence. For those who, while believers, never lived for Christ or found their satisfaction in his glory, the will likewise occupy a more distant seat in heaven. But, for those in this life who picked up their cross and followed Christ everyday of their lives, found their self-worth in his love for them, found their satisfaction in his glory and forsook all others for their first love (Christ), to them belong the thrones at Jesus side.

4. 28 even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." Here is the gospel at it’s simplest. Jesus lived a life without sin, was punished as a sinner thus paying the ransom that we owe as sinners to save many. Notice the usage of the term many. Sadly, Jesus did not come to save all (universalism) but many (his chosen).

5. We will sing and praise your power. People seem to diminish God’s power as science advances. There is a feeling among the laity that science can now explain God out of the universe. As one inclined to science let me say that far from driving God out, science proves God’s power. Science gives us a glimpse of how God has intricately, ingeniously, weaved this universe together through billions of miraculous physical laws that keep it 70 degrees outside my house today as opposed to -100 degrees just a few miles above earth’s surface and 500 degrees on Venus. Far from arguing for random, meaningless, existence, the intricacies of the universe argue for an intelligent designer. With every question science answers it provokes hundreds more. It is easy for the uneducated person to look at the human eye and say “we see because we have eyes.” But when you begin to study the eye and quickly come to the end of all human explanation for sight, you realize that you now have millions more questions about how we see then when you simply said, “we see because we have eyes.” This is when you see God in science. Far from diminishing God’s power, science magnifies it. Don’t trust in the power of science, it merely explains and magnifies the power that set the universe in motion and gives sight to our eyes, the power of God.

Matt 19

2009-01-24T09:13:00.006-06:00

Date: 24 January 2009, Deployment – 17 Days

Bible (NT/OT):

Matt 19

Teaching About Divorce

19 Now when Jesus had finished these sayings, he went away from Galilee and entered the region of Judea beyond the Jordan. 2 And large crowds followed him, and he healed them there.
3 And Pharisees came up to him and tested him by asking, "Is it lawful to divorce one's wife for any cause?" 4 He answered, "Have you not read that he who created them from the beginning made them male and female, 5 and said, 'Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh'? 6 So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together let not man separate." 7 They said to him, "Why then did Moses command one to give a certificate of divorce and to send her away?" 8 He said to them, "Because of your hardness of heart Moses allowed you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so. 9 And I say to you: whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery."
10 The disciples said to him, "If such is the case of a man with his wife, it is better not to marry." 11 But he said to them, "Not everyone can receive this saying, but only those to whom it is given. 12 For there are eunuchs who have been so from birth, and there are eunuchs who have been made eunuchs by men, and there are eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. Let the one who is able to receive this receive it."

Let the Children Come to Me

13 Then children were brought to him that he might lay his hands on them and pray. The disciples rebuked the people, 14 but Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven." 15 And he laid his hands on them and went away.

The Rich Young Man

16 And behold, a man came up to him, saying, "Teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life?" 17 And he said to him, "Why do you ask me about what is good? There is only one who is good. If you would enter life, keep the commandments." 18 He said to him, "Which ones?" And Jesus said, "You shall not murder, You shall not commit adultery, You shall not steal, You shall not bear false witness, 19 Honor your father and mother, and, You shall love your neighbor as yourself." 20 The young man said to him, "All these I have kept. What do I still lack?" 21 Jesus said to him, "If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me." 22 When the young man heard this he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.
23 And Jesus said to his disciples, "Truly, I say to you, only with difficulty will a rich person enter the kingdom of heaven. 24 Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God." 25 When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished, saying, "Who then can be saved?" 26 But Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible." 27 Then Peter said in reply, "See, we have left everything and followed you. What then will we have?" 28 Jesus said to them, "Truly, I say to you, in the new world, when the Son of Man will sit on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. 29 And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands, for my name's sake, will receive a hundredfold and will inherit eternal life. 30 But many who are first will be last, and the last first.

Ps 20:7-8

7 Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God. 8 They collapse and fall, but we rise and stand upright.

Sun Tzu:

“Cause division among them”
“If they are stingy, you be generous; if they are harsh, you be lenient. That way their leadership and followers will be suspicious of each other, and you can cause division between them.”

The Intellectual Devotion (Kidder, D. & Oppenheim N. The Intellectual Devotion, Rodale. NY, NY 2006):

Paradise Lost, an epic poem, was written by John Milton in 1667. Milton uses a poetic effect known as “Blank Verse”—unrhymed iambic pentameter. Paradise Lost was an instrumental work to the Protestant Reformation as it tells the story of the devils exile from heaven and deception of Adam and Eve in the garden. The characters are beautifully developed especially in the case of Satan who is cast not as blindly evil but self-aware, tormented by the knowledge that God has banished him. Satan ultimately comes across as a tragic figure which lead to the charge that Milton had too much sympathy for the devil. Milton later wrote Paradise Regained (1671) which tells the New Testament story of Christ’s temptation and victory over Satan.

Events:

I’m on a four day weekend in preparation for deployment so yesterday I was at home. I woke up, read, wrote then took Sadie out for a long run through McAllister Park. After that I went for a weight workout and came home and relaxed with Marla. I talked to John yesterday who as a bit bummed because he found out that despite working hard on an application for a Cardiothoracic Anesthesia fellowship at Emery (very well known medical school and center), his application had been revoked because he had not taken all 3 steps of the USMLE (MD Test), this seems a quiet way of denying DO’s into the program as we take 3 steps of the COMLEX (DO Test) which is much more difficult than the USMLE. I took the USMLE and made a great score but if you asked an MD to take the COMLEX he would fail miserably because the scope of the test is far broader (Manipulation, homeopathic meds etc…)We watched “Forgetting Sara Marshall” last night, very crude but very funny.

Thoughts:

1. "Because of your hardness of heart Moses allowed you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so. 9 And I say to you: whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery." Something far beyond this worldly dimension occurs when we have sex. God takes sex and marriage very, very seriously.

2. "If such is the case of a man with his wife, it is better not to marry." 11 But he said to them, "Not everyone can receive this saying, but only those to whom it is given. … Let the one who is able to receive this receive it." I am most defiantly not strong enough to accept this saying but I can see the wisdom in it. Later Paul says in 1 Cor 7:28-29 “if you do marry, you have not sinned, and if a betrothed woman marries, she has not sinned. Yet those who marry will have worldly troubles, and I would spare you that.” As a married man, I can say to all of my single friends that this is solid advise. As a single man I, for instance, would be free to spend as much time reading and writing as I wanted, I would be meserible but I would be free. Where-as a married man, I have become all to familiar with Marla’s look that says, “its time to get your head out of the book and come talk to me.” As I said, I most defiantly am not strong enough to live without my beautiful wife but I can see the spiritual advantage. For those of my friends, Conner, who are afraid that they are under some kind of curse from this verse, I would encourage you that if you feel that you cannot “receive” this verse (as I can testify, you can’t J) then it seemingly doesn’t apply to you.

3. "Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven." I would hope that this verse is saying, “to such” meaning the children, implying that babies and children who die are given a supernatural revelation and some amount of faith in order to be saved. While this may be true, in context, I feel that “to such” refers to the way the children are coming. They come in humility; they come to bow at his feet. In context this verse is juxtaposed to the story that immediately follows the example of The Rich Young Ruler who comes in Pride and looking for his own glory. Remember, in the original language, there were not divisions by verse or chapter, the story of the humble children would have immediately flowed into the Rich Young Ruler.

4. “what good deed must I do” Boy does he start off on the wrong foot. It is no surprise that Christ immediately shoots him down with, “There is only one who is good.” Christ emphisizes two key doctrines, “original sin”- not even the little babies are “good,” and “Radical Depravity”- we cannot in our sinful state (before faith) do true “good”(that is, a work devoted for the Glory of God). Since the Rich Ruler wants to go down the path of good deed’s, Christ tells him of the good he must do, keep the commandments." The appropriate response, especially after the Sermon on the Mount (Mat 7) would have been a humble, “I have not... I cannot,” to which Jesus would have likely responded with a gospel message. His response, "All these I have kept. What do I still lack?" Swells from an unclear understanding of what the Law truly demands and in fact, the true purpose of the law. The law was never meant to save (as we will see in a second), the law was only meant to condemn (diagnose an Illness) and, in that to make us turn to Christ (the treatment) as the, “only one who is good,” the only one who can meet the justice required by the law, and as such, pay the penalty the law demands. Just for fun, let’s assume that this Young Ruler really had kept the whole Law (hypothetically of course), what does he still lack? Follow me for a second. Above, I used the term “Radical depravity,” this is not the true term used historically. The true term that came out of the Reformation is, “Total depravity.” In substituting the term Radical for Total, I have chosen to make a distinction that I feel is warented. “Total Depravity” in English implies (though did not originally mean) that unbelievers are totally unable to do anything that resembles good. Radical Depravity seems a more appropriate modifier in English because I feel that it conveys the point better. The Unbeliever is not totally unable to do any good; he is unable to do any good for the right motives. While an unbeliever may tithe (give to the church) every week (a good deed), it is not done with the Glory of God as the motive. The unbeliever’s tithe may be out of reluctant obligation, the feeling that he is paying his way into salvation or even looking for some form of recognition from the church of how generous he/she is. Though all of these motives produce the same external effect, none of them is considered “good” because none of them wants’ for God’s glory, all want for the Glory of man. So, even if the Rich Young Ruler has kept the whole law as he says has, what does he lack? Right motive. He’s “radical depravity” has tainted even his best works and law-keeping with the motivation of selfish glory and pleasure. This is demonstrated when Christ tells the ruler, "If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” This is an imperative for the ruler and him alone. This is not saying that in order for us to be saved we must sell all of our worldly possessions, in fact it is saying the opposite. This story is not about salvation by works (keeping the law or selling our possessions) it is about following Christ. This is a story about correct motives, keeping the law for the glory of Christ, paying our tithe for the glory of Christ, selling our possessions (if so inclined) for the glory of Christ. The Rulers response demonstrates what he truly values in life, his true motive, “22 When the young man heard this he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.” The Rich Young Ruler valued his money more than he valued Christ. Whatever Law’s he kept were not kept for God’s glory but for his own glory and his own hopes for eternal paradise. Even our best deeds done for selfish motives serve only to condemn us before God. However, even our least deeds, in fact every breath we take, when done for the Glory of God as our motives produces great reward, “29 And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands, for my name's sake, will receive a hundredfold.”

5. 24 Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God." How much more do the poor and meek Christians on earth live for God and hope for his kingdom? When have I ever had to pray for ‘my daily bread?’ The comfort we enjoy in this life is a “splendid vice.” Our worldly possession and security seems only mask our need for Christ as our sustenance, decrease our reliance on God and increase our love for the world. This is where the health and wealth gospel falls on its face. If God desires a deeper relationship with us why would he continue to give us worldly comfort and possession that will increase our love for this world and deny our need for true salvation?

6. "Who then can be saved?" 26 But Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible." Amen and Amen! I started to write all of the amazing Calvinist verses in one of my bibles but by the time I was through the gospels, I had no more room.

Matt 18

2009-01-23T08:57:00.004-06:00

Date: 23 January 2009, Deployment-18 days.

Bible (NT/OT):

Matt 18

Who Is the Greatest?

18 At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, "Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?" 2 And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them 3 and said, "Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. 4 Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
5 "Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, 6 but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened around his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea.

Temptations to Sin

7 "Woe to the world for temptations to sin! For it is necessary that temptations come, but woe to the one by whom the temptation comes! 8 And if your hand or your foot causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life crippled or lame than with two hands or two feet to be thrown into the eternal fire. 9 And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into the hell of fire.

The Parable of the Lost Sheep

10 "See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that in heaven their angels always see the face of my Father who is in heaven. 12 What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go in search of the one that went astray? 13 And if he finds it, truly, I say to you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine that never went astray. 14 So it is not the will of my Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish.

If Your Brother Sins Against You

15 "If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. 16 But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses. 17 If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector. 18 Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. 19 Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. 20 For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them."

The Parable of the Unforgiving Servant

21 Then Peter came up and said to him, "Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?" 22 Jesus said to him, "I do not say to you seven times, but seventy times seven.
23 "Therefore the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his servants. 24 When he began to settle, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents. 25 And since he could not pay, his master ordered him to be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and payment to be made. 26 So the servant fell on his knees, imploring him, 'Have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.' 27 And out of pity for him, the master of that servant released him and forgave him the debt. 28 But when that same servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii, and seizing him, he began to choke him, saying, 'Pay what you owe.' 29 So his fellow servant fell down and pleaded with him, 'Have patience with me, and I will pay you.' 30 He refused and went and put him in prison until he should pay the debt. 31 When his fellow servants saw what had taken place, they were greatly distressed, and they went and reported to their master all that had taken place. 32 Then his master summoned him and said to him, 'You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. 33 And should not you have had mercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on you?' 34 And in anger his master delivered him to the jailers, until he should pay all his debt. 35 So also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart."

Ps 19:1-2

The Heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork. 2 Day to day pours out speech, and night to night reveals knowledge.

Sun Tzu:

“Tire them by fight.”
“This means making a lot of surprise attacks. When they come our, you go home; when they go home you come out. When they got to the aid of their left flank, you head to the right. This was you can tire them out.”
“This way, your strength will remain intact, while they will be worn out.”

The Intellectual Devotion (Kidder, D. & Oppenheim N. The Intellectual Devotion, Rodale. NY, NY 2006):

Alexander the Great (356-323 BC), born to King Philip II king of Macedonia and educated by Aristotle (pupil of Plato, pupil of Socrates) he became king of Macedonia at 20 after his father was assassinated in a theater. Alexander the Great died at age 33 but in his 13 yrs as king he extended Macedonia’s boarders from present day Greece to India. This was an empire like history had never seen. Through his brilliant teacher Aristotle, Alexander the Great was motivated to unite his kingdom under one common language and a hybrid combination of his conquered nations (rather than destroy the cultures of his conquests). This process came to be known as Hellenism. Through Hellenism much of Europe and Asia spoke the same language and had common cultural beliefs. When Alexander’s died, his kingdom was divided among his generals. The Greek’s were eventually defeated by the Romans centuries later.

Events:

Got up early yesterday and went to the range, had some fun, shot pretty good and was done by 0900. Went back to the office, read, wrote and did some work until a meeting (non-deployable scrub) at 1130. At this weekly meeting, we go through all of the 300 soldiers who are unable to deploy and discuss the medical and legal issues that prevent their deployment. This meeting is typically where I get the majority of my work for the following week, calling consultants, reevaluating soldiers etc… But this week, I decided that I am done taking on the responsibility primarily and handed it over to the PA. This enabled me to take a 4 day weekend, deal with deployment issues (health check, immunizations etc…) next week and then take 1 week off 29 Jan-9Feb before I fly out on the 11th. I drove home yesterday evening while listening to RC Sproul’s new series, “God Alone.” I highly recommend it; he is discussing the 5 tenets of the reformation. We took Marla’s cousin out for dinner at Perico’s last night. Check the Pic’s.

Thoughts:

1. 18 At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, "Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?" It is always important to keep whatever bible verse that we are discussing in the context of what is immediately surrounds it. The bible is not to be farmed for quotes because taken out of context, the bible can be made to say almost anything, and often has. The context of the forthcoming discussion on children is this selfishly motivated question by the disciples. The disciples on multiple occasions probe Jesus for how they can be great in the Kingdom of heaven. After realizing that there are a variety of blessings in heaven, this is a question that we all must wonder from time to time. I realize my own sinfulness in asking this question, a sinfulness that seeks my own glory, my own pleasure as opposed to God’s glory (the purpose of heaven and earth).
2. Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. 4 Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Realizing why my own heart asks this question, It is not surprising that Christ answers with a commentary on humility. It is interesting that instead of discussing blessings in heaven in verse 3 he is actually discussing salvation to heaven, maybe as a warning to his disciples. Without the humility to realize that even our best works are “dirty rags,” or in this context, Childs play, compared to God’s goodness we will never bend our knee and cry out for Christ’s salvation. In verse 4 Christ moves to answer their question about reward in heaven. This verse seems to say that when we humble ourselves and realize that as a child we are entirely dependent on God for our substance, protection, salvation and even sanctification (spiritual growth), that we have absolutely nothing God needs and absolutely nothing to brag about before the father but instead give him eternal Glory for his Amazing Grace then we both understand the concept of heaven and will be called great in heaven. As a heavenly extension of our life on earth the purpose of heaven will continue to be God’s Glory and not our eternal bliss. When instead we rely on our own ability to produce externally pious works in hope for our own eternal pleasure and glory, that we might be called greatest in heaven we forget our first love (God), substitute ourselves as an Idol and miss the point of both our life on earth and our blessing in heaven.
3. It is better for you to enter life crippled or lame than with two hands or two feet to be thrown into the eternal fire. 9 And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into the hell of fire. Talk about a warning shot! Christ is not commanding us to cut off our hands or gouge out our eyes but he is giving a glimpse at how serious we should consider sin and it’s punishment. If I truly believed that one sin with my hand was worth my arm and one sin with my mouth was worth my head, I would be far more cautious. Although Christ has now paid for our sin on the cross and we can have true forgiveness, the sins that we daily commit are not suddenly made less offensive to God. We may be redeemed and counted as sinless and counted as God’s adopted children, but God is no less hurt (in fact likely more hurt) when his children choose to live in worldly sin and satisfaction over God’s fatherly love and instruction. The offense is no less, it is just paid for. As a Christians, when I claim to finally understand the magnitude, the offense of even my most innocent sins, how can I not do all in my power to avoid it. As Hebrews says, “4 In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood (Heb 12:4-5)”
4. If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go in search of the one that went astray? This is not a verse that says that God has chosen all of the sheep in the world. This verse in no way contradicts the doctrine of, “Limited Atonement” which states that Christ only died for his chosen people. Notice the lost sheep in this example is the shepherd’s sheep, it is not his neighbor’s sheep that he is stealing, it is not some pour African sheep. The sheep that is lost is the shepherd’s sheep and the shepherd (not the lost sheep) brings it back into to flock. As Jesus prayed, “9 I am praying for them. I am not praying for the world but for those whom you have given me, for they are yours. 10 All mine are yours, and yours are mine, and I am glorified in them. 11 And I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, keep them in your name, which you have given me, that they may be one, even as we are one. 12 While I was with them, I kept them in your name, which you have given me. I have guarded them, and not one of them has been lost except the son of destruction, that the Scripture might be fulfilled”. John 17:9-13
5. "Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?" 22 Jesus said to him, "I do not say to you seven times, but seventy times seven. So 490 times, but that 491’st time my brother sins, that’s it! How offensive our unforgiving hearts must be to God. The Story that Jesus subsequently tells makes me angry. How could a servant that has been forgiven a huge debt then go out and demand mere pennies from a fellow servant? I want to break that servants nose. As God has forgiven our constant lawbreaking and faithlessness and given us the keys to the kingdom of heaven, a mansion with a room already prepaired for us, “2 In my Father's house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. 4 And you know the way to where I am going." John 14:2-4. How then can we not forgive our brother for an occasional sin against us?

Matt 17

2009-01-22T20:03:00.003-06:00

Date: 22 January 2009 Deployment-19

Bible (NT/OT):

Matt 17:1-24

The Transfiguration

17 And after six days Jesus took with him Peter and James, and John his brother, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. 2 And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became white as light. 3 And behold, there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with him. 4 And Peter said to Jesus, "Lord, it is good that we are here. If you wish, I will make three tents here, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah." 5 He was still speaking when, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him." 6 When the disciples heard this, they fell on their faces and were terrified. 7 But Jesus came and touched them, saying, "Rise, and have no fear." 8 And when they lifted up their eyes, they saw no one but Jesus only.

9 And as they were coming down the mountain, Jesus commanded them, "Tell no one the vision, until the Son of Man is raised from the dead." 10 And the disciples asked him, "Then why do the scribes say that first Elijah must come?" 11 He answered, "Elijah does come, and he will restore all things. 12 But I tell you that Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him, but did to him whatever they pleased. So also the Son of Man will certainly suffer at their hands." 13 Then the disciples understood that he was speaking to them of John the Baptist.

Jesus Heals a Demon-Possessed Boy

14 And when they came to the crowd, a man came up to him and, kneeling before him, 15 said,"Lord, have mercy on my son, for he is an epileptic and he suffers terribly. For often he falls into the fire, and often into the water. 16 And I brought him to your disciples, and they could not heal him." 17 And Jesus answered, "O faithless and twisted generation, how long am I to be with you? How long am I to bear with you? Bring him here to me." 18 And Jesus rebuked him, and the demon came out of him, and the boy was healed instantly. 19 Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, "Why could we not cast it out?" 20 He said to them, "Because of your little faith. For truly, I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you."

Jesus Again Foretells Death, Resurrection

22 As they were gathering in Galilee, Jesus said to them, "The Son of Man is about to be delivered into the hands of men, 23 and they will kill him, and he will be raised on the third day." And they were greatly distressed.

The Temple Tax

24 When they came to Capernaum, the collectors of the half-shekel tax went up to Peter and said, "Does your teacher not pay the tax?" 25 He said, "Yes." And when he came into the house, Jesus spoke to him first, saying, "What do you think, Simon? From whom do kings of the earth take toll or tax? From their sons or from others?" 26 And when he said, "From others," Jesus said to him, "Then the sons are free. 27 However, not to give offense to them, go to the sea and cast a hook and take the first fish that comes up, and when you open its mouth you will find a shekel. Take that and give it to them for me and for yourself."

Ps 18:6-12

“To my God I cried for help. From his temple he heard my voice, and my cry to him reached his ears. 7 Then the earth reeled and rocked; the foundations also of the mountains trembled and quaked, because he was angry.8 Smoke went up from his nostrils, and devouring fire from his mouth; glowing coals flamed forth from him.9 He bowed the heavens and came down; thick darkness was under his feet. 10 He rode on a cherub and flew; he came swiftly on the wings of the wind. 11 He made darkness his covering, his canopy around him, thick clouds dark with water. 12 Out of the brightness before him hailstones and coals of fire broke through his clouds.

Sun Tzu:

“Use humility to make them haughty.”
“Appear to be lowly and weak, so as to make them arrogant-then they will not worry about you, and you can attack them as they relax”

The Intellectual Devotion (Kidder, D. & Oppenheim N. The Intellectual Devotion, Rodale. NY, NY 2006):

Cain and Abel were the first two son’s of Adam and Eve. Cain (the elder) was the first human to be born naturally as Adam and Eve were both created. God asked both to make sacrifice to him and for reasons far deeper than the intellectual devotion imply, Abel’s sacrifice was better accepted. Cain then killed Abel out of jealousy and was condemned by God to wander the earth for the rest of his life. Adam and Eve later had Seth to fulfill the promise that one of Adam’s “seed” (Christ) would crush the head of the serpent.

Events:

Woke up early yesterday morning and did my reading and writing before leaving for Fort Hood. It’s always a great drive and it was an especially beautiful morning yesterday. I made my scheduled stops at Starbucks in San Antonio and Super Taco (sooooo awesome) in Marble Fall and listened to the most recent John Piper and White Horse Inn podcasts which I highly recommend. Arrived at Ft. Hood and spent the remainder of the day seeing patients and trying to schedule appointments. I stole one of my fellow provider’s patients yesterday because I thought her case was very interesting. Last week, the provider asked me for a second opinion on a 40’ish year old female who was recently hospitalized (December) for a kidney infection that returned for persistent fever, chills and severe thoracic (trunk) pain that was exquisitely sensitive to the touch from her mid-back around to her mid chest leading to shortness of breath. Very odd case sounds like a developing shingles though the pain had been present for >1 month at her first visit (by that time should have had a rash). The woman also had some weakness in her right hand and at that point my best guess was a spinal epidural abscess but we knew that we first needed to rule out a blood clot in her lungs. In the end (last week) we decided to send her to the ER as we both felt that she needed advanced imaging. I followed up on the case yesterday but I guess the ED deemed her “crazy” and discharged her without a work up. I am very thankful to have the experience of a referring provider that has spent a long time with a patient and is legitimately concerned about a patient just to have the ED write her off as “crazy”. When I work in the ED there are two things that I never diagnose (I call them the 2 C’s) , 1) “Crazy” (to include anxiety, panic attack, acute psychotic break etc…) and 2) Constipation. I feel that these diagnoses end up pissing people off and when they do truly have an emergent condition (as a percentage will), now you’re the jerk doctor who told them they were “crazy” or “constipated.” So, yesterday, when I found out that no workup was done on the patient I called her back and sent her for a CT Chest to leg to rule out a blood clot in her chest or leg in addition to giving me a good evaluation of her anatomy ( which was effectively normal) and I scheduled an MRI of her spine to rule out an abscess. I’m very interested to see what comes up. Great learning case for multiple reasons! Last night drank a few beers while putting together my Body Armor (in preparation for the shooting range this morning). Amazingly the armor seems to have come together correctly. See the attached pic’s.

Thoughts:

1) 1 And after six days Jesus took with him Peter and James, and John his brother, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. This verse reminds me of a conversation that Marla and I had 2 days ago. We were discussing Matt 11:11 “Truly, I say to you, among those born of women there has arisen no one greater than John the Baptist. Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he,” in addition to countless other verses in the Bible that describe different levels/rewards in heaven. It is clear in the bible that these exist but my point was that there are no come from behind victories, there are no “carnal (baby)” Christians that get an amazing surprise that the seat at Jesus left or right has been prepared for them. No, our relationship in heaven will simply be a natural extension of our relationship on earth. A wise man (cause I don’t remember who) once said, “We all get what we want.” Unbelievers who denied Christ and did their best to avoid him will not have to suffer him in eternity; they will be separated from God’s grace and Christ’s love forever. Likewise if we were believers but never really took the time to live and walk with Christ, then we will inherit a more separated position in heaven, If however, in our time on earth we enjoyed a rich, full, true relationship as Moses, Elijah, Peter, James and John did then we will be rewarded with the closest presence of the Lord for eternity. There are thrones in heaven designated for the saints and where yours sits depends on inner relationship on earth…no surprises, no come from behind victories.
2) 3 And behold, there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with him… when, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him." Jesus enjoyed fellowship with Moses, Elijah and Father God in heaven before he chose to come to earth, John 8:58, “Jesus said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am." As opposed to created beings whose existence begins at conception, Christ the creator has been from the beginning. John 1:1-4 says, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made.”
3) 22 As they were gathering in Galilee, Jesus said to them, "The Son of Man is about to be delivered into the hands of men, 23 and they will kill him, and he will be raised on the third day." And they were greatly distressed. The disciples were distressed just as Peter was in Matthew 16 after hearing his Master Prophesize his own death. If you recall, in yesterdays reading Peter said, “May it never be,” and Christ harshly responded, “get behind me Satan.” As demonstrated above by the disciples inability to cast out the demon, they still were victim a weak faith. Their faith was rooted in only partial knowledge of the ultimate plan for redemption. They had come to love Jesus as their master, friend and even miracle worker but not as a messiah in the Isaiah 53 (sacrificial) sense of the word. When confronted with the reality of Jesus purpose on earth they exhibit their lack of faith in Christ as Chist by repeatedly doubting his ability to overcome death and accomplish the mission that he has now told them multiple times…to redeem his people. We, of course, can’t look down on the disciples though as we have all been the vitium of such doubt and the beauty of the story is that even with a faith smaller than a mustard seed his disciples were in Christ’s death still rescued.
4) "Does your teacher not pay the tax?" I’ve been giving Christian interaction with Secular (worldly) authority a lot of thought lately. Christians throughout the ages have held radically different opinions on how the Church and State should interact. The historic radical Anabaptists (examples from the present day are the Amish and Mennonites) feel that Christians must be separated from society as society (the secular) is inherently evil. On the other side of the argument are those who fight for a “Christendom,” a Christian theocracy won not by heaven’s armies (as in Revelation) but by humans political and military struggles. Some have even gone so far as to say that only Christians have the correct worldview and values to hold political office. As far as I can discern from the bible, the answer is not at either extreme but somewhere in the middle. I am not one who believes everything “spiritual” is good (especially the way the world currently defines “spiritual”) and everything “secular” is evil. Terrible things have been done in the name of the “spiritual,” wars, genocide, witch hunts just to name a few and, to the contrary, wonderful things have been done by the secular for example, think of democracy and the marine who jumped onto a grenades to save his buddies lives. While there is no such thing as a truly good deed (that is, motivated by God’s Glory) by secular man, there is such a thing as Calvin would call “civic righteousness”, wherein there is good in all people (that is, in action not motive) as people help their neighbor and love their family. The secular world with this “civic righteousness” is perfectly capable of governing justly. I can think of multiple reasons that we as Christians should not separate from the culture, here are a few:
a. First, separating from the world would directly contradict Jesus’ example and teaching throughout the gospels
b. Secondly, how then could we witness to our unbelieving neighbor?
c. Third, in removing the “common grace” that is present as God indirectly blesses the world through blessing his children the remaining “secular” world would quickly spiral out of control.
Likewise, a Christendom won by human force is equally as dangerous. As the old saying goes, “power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” As long as we are human, we will be subject to sin and evil. As we discussed above, all fallen humans will inevitably rule from their depravity and when they are governing “In the name of Christ” the only possible outcome is Christ’s name being blasphemed.
No, it is clear from the bible that we are to be, “in the world, not of the world.” We are to live as Daniel, Shadrack, Meshack and Abednego did in Babylon (Daniel 3). By following the examples of these giants of the faith we learn how we can maintain our spiritual practice all the while staying in the good graces of the secular government. Follow me on this:
a. When the law of God and the Law of the Culture agree, we must follow both,
b. When the Law of the Culture demands what the bible is silent about, we must comply,
c. It is only when the Law of the Culture demands what the bible specifically prohibits that we must civilly, respectfully disobey.
The good news is that in America; rarely does any such explicit conflict occur.

Matt 16

2009-01-21T07:12:00.005-06:00

Date: 21 January 2009 Deployment-20 days

Bible (NT/OT):

Matt 16

The Pharisees and Sadducees Demand Signs

16 And the Pharisees and Sadducees came, and to test him they asked him to show them a sign from heaven. 2 He answered them, "When it is evening, you say, 'It will be fair weather, for the sky is red.' 3 And in the morning, 'It will be stormy today, for the sky is red and threatening.' You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times. 4 An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah." So he left them and departed.

The Leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees

5 When the disciples reached the other side, they had forgotten to bring any bread. 6 Jesus said to them, "Watch and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees." 7 And they began discussing it among themselves, saying, "We brought no bread." 8 But Jesus, aware of this, said, "O you of little faith, why are you discussing among yourselves the fact that you have no bread? 9 Do you not yet perceive? Do you not remember the five loaves for the five thousand, and how many baskets you gathered? 10 Or the seven loaves for the four thousand, and how many baskets you gathered? 11 How is it that you fail to understand that I did not speak about bread? Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees." 12 Then they understood that he did not tell them to beware of the leaven of bread, but of the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees.

Peter Confesses Jesus As the Christ

13 Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, "Who do people say that the Son of Man is?" 14 And they said, "Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets." 15 He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" 16 Simon Peter replied, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." 17 And Jesus answered him, "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. 18 And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven." 20 Then he strictly charged the disciples to tell no one that he was the Christ.

Jesus Foretells His Death and Resurrection

21 From that time Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised. 22 And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, "Far be it from you, Lord! This shall never happen to you." 23 But he turned and said to Peter, "Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me. For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man."

Take Up Your Cross and Follow Jesus

24 Then Jesus told his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 25 For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. 26 For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his life? Or what shall a man give in return for his life? 27 For the Son of Man is going to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay each person according to what he has done. 28 Truly, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom."

Ps 17:13-14
Arise, O Lord! Confront him, subdue him! Deliver my soul from the wicked by your sword, 14 from men by your hand, O Lord, from men of the world whose portion is in this life.

Sun Tzu:

“Use anger to throw them into disarray.”
“Wait for them to become decadent and Lazy.”
“When the military leadership is often angered, its strategy is easily thrown into confusion, for its nature is unstable.”
“If they are quick-tempered, then stir them up to excite them so that they go into battle carelessly.”

The Intellectual Devotion (Kidder, D. & Oppenheim N. The Intellectual Devotion, Rodale. NY, NY 2006):

Plato (427-347 BC): Born to a wealthy family in Athens, Plato became a philosopher like his mentor Socrates (470-399 BC). Plato’s writings are dialogues in which two or more characters discuss a philosophical issue. The main Character in Plato’s writings is Socrates. Since Socrates never actually wrote down his work this is the only way that we know of him. This brings to question how much of Plato’s philosophy was his own and how much was just a report of Socrates? Scholars believe Plato’s earlier dialogues are historical accounts of Socrate’s teachings while in his later works Socrates is merely a literary character. Plato later became the teacher of Aristotle (384-322 BC)

Plato is best known for
1. “Theory of Forms.” Abstract, immaterial things imitated the physical objects of this world
2. “Knowledge is recollection.” Plato believed the soul was eternal. Before embodied, the soul knew all things without being distracted by sensory perception. When humans learn something, it is because our soul recollects what it knew before.
3. “The soul has three parts.” “Appetitive”-which desires sensual pleasures, “Spirited”-desires glory and honor and “rational”-desires to understand. In Plato’s philosophy all three parts must interact harmoniously but the rational should dominate.

Events:

Marla’s birthday was yesterday, so after reading, writing and a workout I met Marla and her team mates at Kona Grill. We had a good lunch. Marla has made great friends here in San Antonio, one of her best friends is Meredith (also her work partner) who gave her a great bracelet over lunch. After lunch we shopped for birthday “prizes” at La Contera Mall. Marla and I then went for a couples massage, awesome. After that we came home Marla worked for a while then went out with another great group of girls from church. The girls took her to a great restaurant named, the “Roaring Fork” and then to Coco’s chocolate lounge for desert. Marla has made great friends in San Antonio (guess that’s what happens when your husband’s in residency) and I am very thankful that we decided to leave her in SA while I’m deployed. Her friends have promised to keep her busy while I’m gone and I’m sure they will. By far the most stressful part of deployment is leaving Marla. If I was not married, I would have volunteered to leave far earlier and would likely try to stay deployed indefinably. However, being married to such a great wife makes any separation soooo painful. It breaks my heart to think of Marla here alone but it is comforting to be able to leave her here with such trustworthy and loving friends. Thanks especially to Jennifer for realizing that I may have been deployed on Marla’s birthday and organizing this party months ago.

Thoughts:

Bible:

1. "Watch and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees." As a little leaven quickly grows and spreads through the whole loaf, Jesus warns of the Pharisee’s malignant doctrine. The Pharisees teach a doctrine of hipocracy, they teach of a religion based on inherited right and external appearance. The Pharisees doctrine was based on self-rightiousness (no problem if you were righteous in yourself like Christ, but big problem in you are “white washed tombs”). Why does this “leaven” have such metastatic potential? The religion of self gained, self earned righteousness is dangerously contagious because it is instinctive to all creatures. The instincts of “self preservation” and “fight or flight” are both healthy when fleeing a lion but when we come to salvation with this “save our self” attitude ultimately is condemning. David says, (Ps 49:7-8) “Truly no man can ransom another, or give to God the price of his life, for the ransom of their life is costly and can never suffice.” When we rely on our own outward works for salvation, we can only expect judgement because God looks at our heart, (1 Sam 16:7) “or the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart." We can argue all day long about the theoretical “righteousness” of good men (without Christ) and their ability to stand before God’s Judgment and wrath and perhaps meet God’s standard and merit salvation based on their own righteousness. However, when I examine my own heart, apart from Christ’s righteousness, I see little that is truly good. If you do not consider yourself a Christian but feel this conviction...you may want to reexamine the gospel. Likewise, if you consider yourself a Christian but do not feel this conviciton, you too may want to reexamine the gospel.
2. 16 Simon Peter replied, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." 17 And Jesus answered him, "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. Another solid verse that echo’s Mark’s discorce, (Mark 10:26-27) 26 And they were astonished out of measure, saying among themselves, Who then can be saved? 27 And Jesus looking upon them saith, With men it is impossible, but not with God: for with God all things are possible.” When we are brought to repentance and belief, it is not through a process of learning or memorizing but a gift of God.
3. 18 And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. 19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven." What chaos this one verse has caused. Peter is seen as the first Pope and every subsequent Catholic Pope (although the next was not for >300 yrs) claims the linage of Peter. Yes, Peter did start the church and, strictly as an apostle, did write books that are considered the word of God (1st and 2nd Peter). It is further true that the Church, when (and only when) it acts in accord with biblical direction, has the power to echo what has occurred in heaven in both accepting new believers and excommunicating unbelievers. However, it is not true that man’s Popes somehow retained this “apostolic authority.” There is no biblical promise that apostolic authority would continued past the age of the apostles. Further, I propose that simply based on the contradictions of the Catholic Churches “tradition” to the true word of God, the Bible, that this apostolic authority given to Peter here and subsequently other apostles died in the age of the apostles. I will post a more thorough essay on this topic soon. A little controversial but as always, I am more than happy (actually, let’s be honest, quite excited) to discuss it.

4. "Far be it from you, Lord! This shall never happen to you." 23 But he turned and said to Peter, "Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me. For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man." Peter was still thinking of Jesus as a worldly king, one that would conquer and rule through his might not his death. In Christ's death he placed the final nail in Satan's coffin. Had Christ not been punished and killed for our sin, Satan would have succeed in condemning all men, however Christ choose to redeem his chosen people out of the world, as Paul says in Colossians 2:13-15 "God made (us) alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, 14 by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. 15 He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him. In his death, Christ paid the penalty due our sins and triumphed over not only Satan but also death.
5. "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 25 For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. …27 For the Son of Man is going to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay each person according to what he has done." Pretty self-explanatory (unlike the parables). If we live for our own desires and satisfaction we will never find them and in the end we will die alone, condemned. If, however, we live for Christ, for his desires and find our satisfaction in him we live more fully and die glorified. John Piper loves to say, “God is most glorified in me, when I am most satisfied in Him.” When we find our self-worth, our Joy, our hope and our salvation in Him who is unchanging and eternally worthy, we are both fully satisfied and God is fully glorified.
6. 28 Truly, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom." Tough verse. Had to look this one up. I remember that, as a young believer, I realized that the apostle John was the only one present there who had not been martyred and I dreamed that maybe he was still out their hidden in a cave somewhere (what an Indiana Jones movie!). Sadly, I was probably wrong and this verse seems to refer to the transfiguration that follows it in each of the 3 gospels that it is included in, though the exact meaning does seem to be up for debate, any thoughts?

Matt 15

2009-01-20T09:19:00.003-06:00

Date: 20 January 2009, Deployment-21 days
Bible (NT/OT):

Matt 15

Traditions and Commandments

15 Then Pharisees and scribes came to Jesus from Jerusalem and said, 2 "Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat." 3 He answered them, "And why do you break the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition? 4 For God commanded, 'Honor your father and your mother,' and, 'Whoever reviles father or mother must surely die.' 5 But you say, 'If anyone tells his father or his mother, What you would have gained from me is given to God, 6 he need not honor his father.' So for the sake of your tradition you have made void the word of God. 7 You hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy of you, when he said:
8 "'This people honors me with their lips,but their heart is far from me;9 in vain do they worship me,teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.'"

What Defiles a Person

10 And he called the people to him and said to them, "Hear and understand: 11 it is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but what comes out of the mouth; this defiles a person." 12 Then the disciples came and said to him, "Do you know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this saying?" 13 He answered, "Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be rooted up. 14 Let them alone; they are blind guides. And if the blind lead the blind, both will fall into a pit." 15 But Peter said to him, "Explain the parable to us." 16 And he said, "Are you also still without understanding? 17 Do you not see that whatever goes into the mouth passes into the stomach and is expelled? 18 But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person. 19 For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander. 20 These are what defile a person. But to eat with unwashed hands does not defile anyone."

The Faith of a Canaanite Woman

21 And Jesus went away from there and withdrew to the district of Tyre and Sidon. 22 And behold, a Canaanite woman from that region came out and was crying, "Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David; my daughter is severely oppressed by a demon." 23 But he did not answer her a word. And his disciples came and begged him, saying, "Send her away, for she is crying out after us." 24 He answered, "I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel." 25 But she came and knelt before him, saying, "Lord, help me." 26 And he answered, "It is not right to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs." 27 She said, "Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters' table." 28 Then Jesus answered her, "O woman, great is your faith! Be it done for you as you desire." And her daughter was healed instantly.

Jesus Heals Many

29 Jesus went on from there and walked beside the Sea of Galilee. And he went up on the mountain and sat down there. 30 And great crowds came to him, bringing with them the lame, the blind, the crippled, the mute, and many others, and they put them at his feet, and he healed them, 31 so that the crowd wondered, when they saw the mute speaking, the crippled healthy, the lame walking, and the blind seeing. And they glorified the God of Israel.

Jesus Feeds the Four Thousand

32 Then Jesus called his disciples to him and said, "I have compassion on the crowd because they have been with me now three days and have nothing to eat. And I am unwilling to send them away hungry, lest they faint on the way." 33 And the disciples said to him, "Where are we to get enough bread in such a desolate place to feed so great a crowd?" 34 And Jesus said to them, "How many loaves do you have?" They said, "Seven, and a few small fish." 35 And directing the crowd to sit down on the ground, 36 he took the seven loaves and the fish, and having given thanks he broke them and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. 37 And they all ate and were satisfied. And they took up seven baskets full of the broken pieces left over. 38 Those who ate were four thousand men, besides women and children. 39 And after sending away the crowds, he got into the boat and went to the region of Magadan.

Ps 16:9-17:1

9 Therefore my heart is glad, and my whole being rejoices; my flesh also dwells secure. 10 For you will not abandon my soul to Sheol, or let your holy one see corruption. 11 You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

Sun Tzu:

“When they are fulfilled, be prepared against them; when they are strong, avoid them.”
“A classic says, ‘struggling with them, you find out where they have plenty and where they are lacking.’ Having plenty is what is meant by being fulfilled, lacking is what is meant by having gaps. Once the military power of the adversary is full, you should treat them as if they were unbeatable, and not attack lightly. As a military guide says, ‘When you see a gap, then advance; when you see fullness, then stop‘.”

The Intellectual Devotion (Kidder, D. & Oppenheim N. The Intellectual Devotion, Rodale. NY, NY 2006):

Harmony is the sounding of two or more different notes in unison. The distance between the two notes in called an interval. We can express intervals numerically, on the typical musical scale (A,B,C,D,E,F,G). The earliest polyphonic music written in the middle ages was based on intervals of the forth (two notes separating the played notes, ex. Playing A and D simultaneously). By the Reaissance, however, the triad became the main unit of harmony. Triads are 3 notes played in simultaneously each separated by a third (ex. Playing A, C and E together). Harmony adds depth, echo, “clothing” to a piece of music. Harmony that is pleasing to the ear is called consonance while Harmony that sounds Harsh, unfamiliar, or unstable is called dissonance.

Events:

We went out to Magnolia Pancake House with my parents for breakfast, totally awesome. Mom and dad loved it. Came back to the house and said what could be my final goodbye to them. Saying goodbye was not so bad; I think it was mostly because they are 90% sure that they will make the Deployment Ceremony. I read, wrote and posted all of the writing that I have done to date on the Blog. Guess I’m up and running. Last night we watched the Bachelor. It’s very informative to watch how the Girls feel about “Jason” behind the scenes. A saying that I recently heard that would have helped me a great deal throughout school is, “Girls are just as afraid of you as you are of them.” It works the other way too. Behind the scenes in the bachelor I can see how pitifully insecure girls can be. The show was a bit redeeming last night as he took one of the most externally pretty girls out but when she proved to be rude, superficial and materialistic he dumped her without even bringing her back to the house. Not the typical male response but an encouraging one. Today is inauguration day and Marla’s birthday, she’s 28. Birthdays are always hard for me because I feel the need to spend lots of money and buy her great gifts but she always seems to take them back because she is so responsible with money and I am so not. It’s stressful.

Thoughts:

Bible:

1. V3 He answered them, "And why do you break the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition? It’s not just the Pharisees here. I will frequently choose my pious actions like reading my bible over loving my wife, helping my neighbor etc… Just this morning, on Marla’s birthday, it was nearly impossible for me to pull myself away from my reading to fix her a special birthday breakfast of instant oatmeal that I subsequently ruined anyway by adding water instead of milk (messed up the only step L).

2. 8 "'This people honors me with their lips,but their heart is far from me;9 in vain do they worship me,teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.'" The Pharisees offense is much worse than butchering oatmeal. Today, we would have called them Legalists. We see legalism (adding man’s commandments to the bible) at work daily. I tried to buy wine after church on Sunday and was reminded that thanks to those Baptist prohibitionists I was not legally able to buy alcohol before noon on Sunday. This law doesn’t even make sense, how many people get hammered drunk and plow into families on Sunday morning? Why not outlaw alcohol after midnight Thursday and Friday nights? I doubt these prohibitions against alcohol, dancing (Baylor) and our new pious “courting” instead of dating has ever lead an unbeliever to Christ or further sanctified (spiritual maturity) a believer. In fact, I bet these “commandments of men,” have prevented many unbelievers from seeking out Christ in the first place. Let me be the first to say that I drink and enjoy alcohol. When done is a responsible manner (not hammered drunk) there is absolutely nothing biblically wrong with drinking. I have many good Baptist friends who would not dare be seen drinking. I ask you, which is better, to engage the world (a drinking world) over a drink and explain the freedom that we have through Christ or, to continue to segregate ourselves, appearing “holier than thou” for our legalistic “commandments of men”. Drinking is a far more appealing (and biblically true) gospel message then trying to abide by a bunch of made up rules in order to provide an “example of holiness” to your neighbor. If drinking “hurts your witness” because you can’t drink just one, then granted you probably should not drink. But, if you feel that drinking “hurts your witness” because you don’t want to appear like your heathen neighbor I’d encourage you to read Matthew 23. I don’t know about these Christians but I still live in the world and understand peoples offense to our unlawful condemnation of their lives (whether we truly judge or just appear to judge with our pious, unbiblical “commandments of men”).

3. 16 And he said, "Are you also still without understanding? 17 Do you not see that whatever goes into the mouth passes into the stomach and is expelled? 18 But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person. 19 For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander. 20 These are what defile a person. But to eat with unwashed hands does not defile anyone." Again we see that Jesus is not concerned with ceremonial, symbolic expression but with the people’s hard and evil hearts. Jesus earlier says in Matt 12:36-37, “36 But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. 37 For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.” I am not nearly cautious enough with my words, these verses are terribly convicting. Jewish tradition at this point in history was focused on external expression (much like Christians today with our WWJD bracelets) but true Christianity is concerned with our internal motives. This is why the author of Hebrews says, “And without faith it is impossible to please him (God)" Heb 11:6. Without faith, even our most charitable expressions are selfishly motivated. I was watching the Bachelor last night and there was a girl who was talking to Jason, the conversation went sort of like, Jason-“Tell me something special about yourself,” Girl in response-“well I always give my time to help people and over the last 3 weeks while I’ve been on this show, I’ve felt empty not doing any charity, not being thanked, not having people grateful for me.” When we ask unbelievers why they are charitable, what is their most common response? “Because it feels good.” Their Charity is not motivated by a love for their neighbor, not motivated by a love for God but a love for their own adoration and thanks.

4. so that the crowd wondered, when they saw the mute speaking, the crippled healthy, the lame walking, and the blind seeing. And they glorified the God of Israel. The purpose of Jesus miracles is not for the Glory of the people or even the glory of himself but the glory of God. Jesus is less concerned with the people’s physical handicaps than their spiritual deadness. The ultimate goal of Jesus miracles and the gospel today is not our health, wealth and especially not our glory but that we may ultimately stand in heaven and sing to the Lord of his goodness and glory. A necessary shift in our worldview and even our own salvation must occur from egocentric to Theo-centric.

5. 11 You make known to me the path of life The lord makes known his great salvation in our hearts. We have nothing to do with our salvation, first to last it is all the Lord, that when we arrive in heaven the Lord gets all of the glory not us. We have no response but to fall on our face and glorify God.

Matt 14

2009-01-19T18:49:00.003-06:00

Date: 19 January 2009

Bible (NT/OT):

Matt 13:58-14:34

The Death of John the Baptist

14 At that time Herod the tetrarch heard about the fame of Jesus, 2 and he said to his servants, "This is John the Baptist. He has been raised from the dead; that is why these miraculous powers are at work in him." 3 For Herod had seized John and bound him and put him in prison for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip's wife, 4 because John had been saying to him, "It is not lawful for you to have her." 5 And though he wanted to put him to death, he feared the people, because they held him to be a prophet. 6 But when Herod's birthday came, the daughter of Herodias danced before the company and pleased Herod, 7 so that he promised with an oath to give her whatever she might ask. 8 Prompted by her mother, she said, "Give me the head of John the Baptist here on a platter." 9 And the king was sorry, but because of his oaths and his guests he commanded it to be given. 10 He sent and had John beheaded in the prison, 11 and his head was brought on a platter and given to the girl, and she brought it to her mother. 12 And his disciples came and took the body and buried it, and they went and told Jesus.

Jesus Feeds the Five Thousand

13 Now when Jesus heard this, he withdrew from there in a boat to a desolate place by himself. But when the crowds heard it, they followed him on foot from the towns. 14 When he went ashore he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them and healed their sick. 15 Now when it was evening, the disciples came to him and said, "This is a desolate place, and the day is now over; send the crowds away to go into the villages and buy food for themselves." 16 But Jesus said, "They need not go away; you give them something to eat." 17 They said to him, "We have only five loaves here and two fish." 18 And he said, "Bring them here to me." 19 Then he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass, and taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven and said a blessing. Then he broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. 20 And they all ate and were satisfied. And they took up twelve baskets full of the broken pieces left over. 21 And those who ate were about five thousand men, besides women and children.

Jesus Walks on the Water

22 Immediately he made the disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds. 23 And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone, 24 but the boat by this time was a long way from the land, beaten by the waves, for the wind was against them. 25 And in the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea. 26 But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, and said, "It is a ghost!" and they cried out in fear. 27 But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, "Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid."

28 And Peter answered him, "Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water." 29 He said, "Come." So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus. 30 But when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, "Lord, save me." 31 Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of him, saying to him, "O you of little faith, why did you doubt?" 32 And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased. 33 And those in the boat worshiped him, saying, "Truly you are the Son of God."

Jesus Heals the Sick in Gennesaret

34 And when they had crossed over, they came to land at Gennesaret. 35 And when the men of that place recognized him, they sent around to all that region and brought to him all who were sick 36 and implored him that they might only touch the fringe of his garment. And as many as touched it were made well.

Ps 15:1-2
O Lord, who shall sojourn in your tent? Who shall dwell on your holy hill? He who walks blamelessly and does that is right and speaks truth in his heart;

Sun Tzu:

Draw them in with the prospect of gain, take them by confusion.

The Intellectual Devotion (Kidder, D. & Oppenheim N. The Intellectual Devotion, Rodale. NY, NY 2006)

The Solar System is composed of 4 terrestrial planets- Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars- and four gaseous giants- Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune. Outside of Neptune lies the Kuiper Belt of comets of which Pluto is now a member. The Kuiper Belt also contains newly discovered UB313 (Xena), Quaoar and Sedna which are as big or bigger that Pluto but orbit a bit further out. There are 153’ish moons in our solar system.

Events:

Marla, mom and I went to Church yesterday. Great service and gospel presentation and a couple really good points (see below). Dad drove up from hunting in south Texas and we went to Perico’s Mexican Restaurant together. Relaxing afternoon watching football together then ate salmon for dinner and celebrated Marla’s birthday with a brownie cake (as she doesn’t really like normal cake).

Thoughts:

Bible:

1. because John had been saying to him, "It is not lawful for you to have her." Herod may have felt that he was above the Law because he was a worldly King, but the King of Kings has instated a moral law, a transcendental law that all humans are subject to. Our pastor did a great Job yesterday emphising that God’s hatred of sin, though the world may criticize it of being intolerant, is a good thing. Too often, when I am feeling the condemnation of my own sin or my brother’s sin, I wish that God did not take sin so seriously. It seems bad news that God will condemn those without Christ because of their sin. Maybe, because we live such sheltered lives in America, we forget just how terrible the world is. Perhaps if we witnessed the genocide taking place in Darfur or the warlords in Somalia steeling the food of the relief effort that has been meant for the starving children, perhaps then we would cry out for and rejoice in a God who doesn’t take sin lightly. A God who will not just give a “free pass” to these evil men. Thankfully, our God is a Just God, and we can be assured that these criminals will receive their due punishment; a far worse punishment than any human court could sentence…an eternal punishment.
2. 21 And those who ate were about five thousand men, besides women and children Pretty amazing, not much to say about that.
3. 23 And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone Though I spent a great deal of time alone this fall, it gives me great Joy to realize that I never actually was alone. The intimacy we have with Christ our king is not a worldly type of conversational intimacy. Though we can occasionally feel the spirit leading us (some more than others…me not so much), and we can unidirectional pray to God, it is a rare instance when God communicates back with the clarity of human conversation. In my opinion, part of the meaning of “living by faith” (apart from salvation by faith) is that we are not typically 100% convinced that we are doing the exact right thing at the exact right time. Is this the right job? Did I say the right thing? What should I do this summer? These questions have the ability to produce crippling anxiety. I knew people in college who were paralyzed by the decision of what Christian Camp be a counselor at, afraid they would make the wrong decision and somehow corrupt God’s plan for their lives. “Living by faith” is not being overly concerned with these questions that at the moment may seem life or death. Living by faith and the intimacy that we enjoy with Christ is based on the promise that no matter where we are or what we do, as Christians, God is working in our lives to bring about his glory and our sanctification. The Intimacy we have with God is the knowledge that he truly understands us better than anyone on earth. God has seen us through all of the hard times and all of the great times, nothing that we have done, seen or thought has been lost to antiquity. We have lived our lives before an audience of one from the beginning and when we realize this and move forward in this promise it inspires in us a confidence that the world can never understand or compete with.
4. 28 And Peter answered him, "Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water." 29 He said, "Come." So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus. 30 But when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, "Lord, save me." 31 Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of him, saying to him, "O you of little faith, why did you doubt?" This is one of the best examples of faith (even if it was weak faith) in the bible. The Reformers delineated the parts of a true, saving faith:
a. Knowledge: Saving faith has a direct object and content. We must first know what is to be believed. We don’t need to know everything there is to know, but we must know:
i. Who the true God is.
ii. Who the historic Christ is.
iii. Man’s predicament:
(1) Adam sinned as our federal head.
(2) We were born in trespass and sin.
(3) We have done nothing but sin against God’s standard.
(4) Wages of sin is death, eternal death in hell.
iv. What Christ did:
Christ obeyed the law perfectly. Died vicarious death on cross. Rose again, ascended, seated at right hand of God. And will come again to judge the living and dead.
b. Belief: Secondly, that content must be believed. We must believe that the facts are true, not fiction.
c. Trust: We must also place our trust in this Gospel. This is where works enter, as a demonstration of our belief not a foundation of our salvation. We live as law abiders out of thanksgiving not out of obligation.

In this chapter, we see Peter not only know and believe but also Trust…he steps out of the boat.

Sun Tzu:

1. Victories are often won by allowing the enemy to move forward easily and quickly thereby stressing their supply lines then hitting them when they are unable to get reinforcements or even food. This is very similar to what happened to the Banking industry in America. The greed for money lead the banks to move further and further into debt, issuing one bad loan after another, until they were dependent upon the very bad loans that they were making for their own survival. Justice if you ask me.