JESUS! In Word and Song

WEEK 4

ADVENT WEEK 4 – LOVE

Love is the greatest of all the virtues on the Advent wreath and encompasses Jesus’ entire purpose for being on earth. Christ connects all the Advent candles. Through him, we can have hope, peace, joy, and love.¹

“It was a holy night. God’s glory came to earth and wrote a love letter to the world in the form of a newborn baby.”² “God made His love visible.”³

And certainly the greatest truth about Christmas is that God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son. Christmas is really the effect of which God’s love is the cause. God’s love for mankind then is evident in the offer of the gospel to all people. And the path to the gospel has been given to everybody.⁴

This was the most loving act ever performed in history, for there has never been and can never be a gift greater than the life of the Son of God given for the “sins of the whole world.” Without God’s Spirit indwelling them, people cannot look to the love they have for others or even the “love” they have for God as an example to be emulated for we are born self-centered and remain so unless the Holy Spirit changes our hearts.⁵

“In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son” (1 John 4:10 ESV).

Christian love comes from God Himself. This love is not natural to fallen humanity. It originates in God and is a divine gift to His people. When we are transformed by the power of the Holy Spirit, we are given a capacity for this supernatural love that has God as its source and foundation. [N]ot every human being who loves another is born of God. The kind of love of which he speaks comes only from regeneration. Without the Holy Spirit’s transformation of the human heart, no one has this capacity for love. No unregenerate person has this kind of love, and no regenerate person lacks such love. Therefore, a person who does not have the ability to love in the way John describes has not been born again. “Anyone who does not love [in this manner] does not know God.”⁶

The Father sent his Son to make his worst enemies into beloved children, and yet he’s crowded out by other, more earthly details — the kind of details that can be finely painted on ornaments. [W]e have an almighty Father of infinite wisdom and relentless love, a Father who authored that first Christmas and every one since. Nothing compares to the Creator of the universe sending the radiance of his own glory, the exact imprint of his nature, into his creation. Let Christmas remind you that the Son was sent, in love, from heaven, and that you are sent, in love, on earth.⁷

ENDNOTES

(4) GOD Came to Us

1. Hope Bolinger, “What is the Candle of Love and the Christ Candle for Advent. Week 4,” 21 October 2020, Christianity, 26 March 2021 https://www.christianity.com/wiki/holidays/what-is-the-candle-of-love-and-the-christ-candle-for-advent-week-4.html.

2. Matt Tullos, “Advent Devotional (Week 5): Christ,” 25 November 2015, Lifeway, 26 March 2021 https://www.lifeway.com/en/articles/devotions-christmas-advent-week-five-christ.

3. Mary Brack, “Advent Week 4: Love,” 18 December 2016, Grace Church, 26 March 2021 http://gracetoledo.org/2016/12/advent-week-4-love/.

4. John MacArthur, “The Love of God, Part 1” 4 Dec 1994, Grace to You, 22 October 2021 https://www.gty.org/library/sermons-library/90-77/the-love-of-god-part-1.

5. “The True Love of God” 2 June 2010, Grace to You, 22 October 2021 https://www.ligonier.org/learn/devotionals/true-love-god.

6. R.C. Sproul, “The Holy Love of God” 25 June 2014, Ligonier, 22 October 2021 https://www.ligonier.org/learn/articles/holy-love-god.

7. Marshall Segal, “The Forgotten Giver of Christmas” 5 December 2020, Desiring God, 22 October 2021 https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/the-forgotten-giver-of-christmas.

8. Quina Aragon, “Advent Week 4: A Savior is Born,” 16 December 2020, Christianity Today, 31 March 2021 https://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2020/november-web-only/advent-week-4-savior-is-born.html.

9. Frederick M. Lehman, “The Love of God,” 1917, Hymnary, 31 March 2021 https://hymnary.org/text/the_love_of_god_is_greater_far.

JESUS! In Word and Song

Posted by bonniefaurote

WEEK 53

CHRIST THE KING DAY

“On the last Sunday of the liturgical year, Catholics celebrate the Solemnity of Christ the King. [T]his feast is designed to give special recognition to the dominion Christ our Lord has over all aspects of our lives.”¹“Even though it was created by a pope less than a hundred years ago, some Anglicans, Lutherans, Methodists, and Presbyterians celebrate the feast.”²

“[T]his feast reminds us that whatever earth powers may do or ask of us, Christ is the true king that should reign in our hearts.”³

This feast is a fitting way to send us into Advent, the season of preparing our hearts to better recognize and receive God who comes to us in the person of Jesus. Jesus will come to us at the end of time to usher in the fullness of God’s kingdom, and it reminds us to recall that Jesus comes to us every day as well.⁴

“[T]he kingship of Christ overturns the systems of power, wealth, and force which rule over the world.”⁵ “[He] will return to take back the earth from the usurper and establish His kingdom.”⁶

“[W]hen the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might,” (2 Thes 1:7-9 ESV).

“Christ, as Savior, is also the universal Judge, who will one day pass judgment on all people according to their deeds.”⁷ “God’s righteous judgment will be fully manifest when Jesus returns. At that time unbelievers will be condemned and believers will be saved.”⁸

“For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil” (2 Cor 5:10 ESV).

“Blow the trumpet in Zion; sound an alarm on my holy mountain! Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble, for the day of the LORD is coming; it is near,” (Joel 2:1 ESV).“[T]he ‘day’ refers to a final judgment upon the nations.”⁹ “God judges and ends this world system in its present form.”¹⁰

“CHRIST the King Day” is also called, “The Judgment Day” is some churches. It is a perfect occasion to seriously evaluate where we will be in the next life.

The only thing that will deliver you from the eternal wrath of God is the eternal Gospel of God. God’s eternal and undiluted wrath was poured out on Christ at the cross. He drank the whole cup of the full fury of God’s justice against sin. If you trust in Jesus, he drank that cup for you. You will either trust in Christ or you will drink that cup for yourself.¹¹

ENDNOTES

(53) CHRIST the King

1. D. D. Emmons, “The Solemnity of Christ the King,” Simply Catholic, 12 August 2021 https://simplycatholic.com/the-solemnity-of-christ-the-king/.

2. ChurchPOP editor, “8 things You Didn’t Know About the Feast of Christ the King,” 23 November 2014, ChurchPOP, 12 August 2021 https://www.churchpop.com/2014/11/23/8-things-didnt-know-feast-christ-king/.

3. ChurchPOP.

4. “Feast of Christ the King,” FaithND, 12 August 2021 http://faith.nd.edu/s/1210/faith/interior.aspx?sid=1210&gid=609&pgid=38228.

5. “Feast of Christ the King.”

6. John MacArthur, One Perfect Life (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 2012) 506.

7. ESV Study Bible, English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2001, ESV Text Edition: 2011) 2221.

8. ESV Study Bible, 2315.

9. ESV Study Bible, 1643.

10. John MacArthur, One Perfect Life (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 2012) 506.

11. James Hamilton, Revelation, (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2012) 288.

12. Charles Spurgeon, The Fullness of Joy (New Kensington, PA: Whitaker House, 1997) 78.

JESUS! In Word and Song

Posted by bonniefaurote

WEEK 44

OBEDIENCE IS BETTER THAN SACRIFICE

King Saul’s first and last mistake was to listen to his army’s suggestion to leave the choicest spoil to be sacrificed to GOD when he had clear word from GOD to devote EVERYTHING to destruction (1 Sam 15:21). GOD does not delight in sacrifice but desires His followers obey His voice. To obey is better than sacrifice (1 Sam 15:22).

“Do you think all God wants are sacrifices— empty rituals just for show? He wants you to listen to him! Plain listening is the thing” (1 Sam 15:22-23 MSG). You can’t pick and choose in these things, specializing in keeping one or two things in God’s law and ignoring others” (James 2:8-11 MSG).

Our default reaction is to fall back into sacrificing when GOD’s Word has leaked out of

us. When time moves on and we have not disciplined ourselves to open GOD’s Word, the communication between GOD and us no longer exists. If joy is missing and obedience hard it is because we’re ignorant or avoiding what God has designed for us and what that is is to fellowship with Him.

“I’m after love that lasts, not more religion. I want you to know God, not go to more prayer meetings” (Hos 6:6-7 MSG).

“The word abide means to remain or stay around. The abiding believer is the only legitimate believer. Abiding and believing actually are addressing the same issue of genuine salvation.”¹

When we are too far away to hear the LORD, we are forced to depend on insights of others or our own thinking. Without dwelling in the LORD’s presence we have absolutely no inkling how to live spiritually. And, like Saul, we will always fall into attempting to impress Him by doing something we think He would like.

“[G]ifts and sacrifices can’t really get to the heart of the matter, can’t assuage the conscience of the people, but are limited to matters of ritual and behavior” (Heb 9:6-10 MSG).

“Go and learn what this means, ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.’ For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.’” (Matt 9:13 ESV).

True saving faith is supernatural, a gracious gift of God that He produces in the heart and is the only means by which a person can appropriate true righteousness. Saving faith consists of three elements: (1) mental: the mind understands the gospel and the truth about Christ; (2) emotional: one embraces the truthfulness of those facts with sorrow over sin and joy over God’s mercy and grace; and (3) volitional: the sinner submits his will to Christ and trusts in Him alone as the only hope of salvation. Genuine faith will always produce authentic obedience.²

ENDNOTES

(44) Obedience is Better Than Sacrifice

1. John MacArthur, One Perfect Life (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 2012) 417.

2. MacArthur, 508.

3. “I will walk among you and will be your God, and you shall be my people” (Leviticus 26:12 ESV).

4. “[T]hey provoked the LORD to anger. [H]e gave them over to plunderers, who plundered them” (Judges 2:12,14 ESV).

5. “Then the LORD raised up judges, who saved them out of the hand of those who plundered them” (Judges 2:16 ESV).

6. “[W]hen the people of Israel cried out to the LORD, the LORD raised up a deliverer for the people to Israel, who saved them” (Judges 3:9 ESV).

7. “[I]f you will not listen to me and will not do all these commandments I will visit you with panic, with wasting disease and fever that consume the eyes and make the heart ache” (Leviticus 26:14,16 ESV).

8. “I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me” (John 6:38 ESV).

9. “We were buried 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” (Romans 6:4 ESV).

10. “And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever” (John 14:16 ESV),

11. “[W]hoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become accountable for all of it” (James 2:10 ESV).

12. “Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light” (Matthew 11:29-30 ESV).

JESUS! In Word and Song

Posted by bonniefaurote

WEEK 41

THIS JESUS—

What He Did_1

JESUS was faithful to GOD who appointed Him (Heb 3:2). He became the Mediator who enacted a better covenant (Heb 8:6). Therefore, He was able to save forever all those who draw near to GOD through Him, interceding for them (Heb 7:25).

He became the “firstfruits” (first to rise from the dead) (1 Cor 15:23). He is now seated at GOD’s right hand (Eph 1:20) and head over all things to the Church (Eph 1:22).

JESUS entrusted Himself to GOD (1 Pet 2:23), offering Himself without blemish (Heb 9:14), committing no sin (1 Pet 2:22). He lived for the will of God (1 Pet 4:2).

He learned obedience from the things He suffered (Heb 5:8). “We know that Jesus was always obedient to His Father. What this verse means though is that His obedience was displayed in a new way, when he was faced with suffering.”¹ JESUS was made perfect (Heb 5:9). “This verse does not mean that Jesus was ever at some point not perfect, but that through temptation and suffering his perfection was revealed.”² JESUS displayed perfect obedience and became perfect by temptation and suffering.

He died and rose again (1 Thes 4:14), triumphing over all rulers and authorities (Col 2:15), destroying the one who had the power of death (Heb 2:14). He now is able to give redemption (Rom 3:24).

He put an end to the agony of death for us (Acts 2:24) and healed all oppressed by the devil for GOD was with Him (Acts 10:38).

This JESUS came to earth to reveal the hidden treasures of wisdom and knowledge (Col 2:3). He came to destroy the works of the devil (1 John 3:8)—disarming rulers and authorities putting them to open shame by triumphing over them (Col 2:15).

He came to reconcile all things to Himself making peace by the blood of His cross (Col 1:20).

God the Father, using the principle of imputation, treated Christ as if He were a sinner though He was not and had Him die as a substitute to pay the penalty for the sins of those who believe in Him (Gal 3:13). The wrath of God was exhausted on Him and the just requirement of God’s law met for those for whom He died.³

He bears the sins of many and will come a second time to bring salvation to everyone waiting for Him (Heb 9:28). “This will be our salvation from the presence of sin.”⁴

“[He] is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him” (Rev 1:7 ESV).

ENDNOTES

(41) This JESUS, Committed No Sin

1. Jared Dymond, “Hebrews 5:1-10,” New Hope Church sermon notes, 06 March 2022: 8.

2. Dymond.

3. John MacArthur, One Perfect Life (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 2012) 513.

4. MacArthur, 504.

5. “He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth” (1 Peter 2:22 ESV).

6. “For he whom God has sent utters the words of God, for he gives the Spirit without measure” (John 3:34 ESV).

7.” . . . Christ did not please himself” (Romans 15:3 ESV).

8. “ . . . Christ suffered . . . in the flesh no longer for human passions but for the will of God” (1 Peter 4:1-2 ESV).

9. “He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame . . .” (Colossians 2:15 ESV).

10. “ . . . The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil” (1 John 3:8 ESV).

11. “ . . . Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father . . .” (Romans 6:4 ESV).

12. “ . . . Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God” (Ephesians 5:2 ESV).

13. “For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,” (1 Timothy 2:5 ESV).

14. “We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him” (Romans 6:9 ESV).

15. “ . . . he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places,” (Ephesians 1:20 ESV).

16. “ . . . Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” (Colossians 2:2-3 ESV).

17. “so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him” (Hebrews 9:28 ESV).

JESUS! In Word and Song

Posted by bonniefaurote

WEEK 40

THE WORD INFALLIBLE

“Holy Scripture should be thought of as God preaching.”¹ “He holds everything together by what he says—powerful words”(Heb 1:1-3 MSG)!

The sufficiency of Scripture means that Scripture contains all the words of God which he intends his people to have at each stage of redemptive history, and that it contains everything we need God to tell us for salvation, for trusting him perfectly, and obeying him perfectly.²

“At each stage in redemptive history, the things that God had revealed were for his people for that time, and they were to study, believe, and obey those things.”³

[A]t the time of the death of Moses, the first five books of our Old Testament were sufficient for God’s people at that time. But God directed later authors to add more, so that Scripture would be sufficient for believers in those subsequent times. For Christians today, the words from God which we have in the Old and New Testaments together are sufficient for us during the church age.⁴

Scripture leads to a Person, not just truths. All Scripture points to Jesus’ death and resurrection, to forgiveness, and to personal knowledge of God through him. [We] should come to Scripture humbly, expecting to learn and be corrected, willing to observe Scripture closely and accept whatever [we] find.⁵

“We find Christ in all the Scriptures. In the Old Testament He is predicted, in the Gospels He is revealed, in Acts He is preached, in the epistles He is explained, and in Revelation He is expected.”⁶

“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them”(Matt 5:17 ESV). Here Christ was emphasizing both the inspiration and the enduring authority of all Scripture. He was specifically affirming the utter inerrancy and absolute authority of the OT as the Word of God. [N]othing has passed from the law, but rather every aspect of the law has been fulfilled in him.⁷

“[T]rue knowledge of God includes understanding everything from his perspective. It is to learn what God loves and hates, and to see, hear, think, and act the way he does.”⁸

“To understand God’s Word, we must totally disregard our own wisdom and rest in utter dependence on the Spirit of God to interpret it for us.”⁹

“[Through the mire and through the slough, through the flood and through the flame, follow Jesus and the Word infallible.”¹⁰

ENDNOTES

(40) We’ll Stand on GOD’s Word

1. J. I. Packer, God Has Spoken (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1979) 97.

2. Wayne Grudem, The Gift of Prophecy (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books, 1988, 2000) 250.

3. Grudem, 261.

4. Grudem.

5. ESV Study Bible, English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2001, ESV Text Edition: 2011) 2561.

6. Alistair Begg

7. John MacArthur, One Perfect Life (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 2012) 139.

8. ESV Study Bible, English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2001, ESV Text Edition: 2011) 2505.

9. R. A. Torrey, God’s Power in Your Life (New Kensington, PA: Whitaker House, 1982) 72-73.

10. Charles Spurgeon, Spiritual warfare in a Believer’s Life (Lynnwood, WA: Emerald Books, 1993) 80.

11. R. Kelso Carter, “Standing on the Promises,” 1886, Hymnary, 2 August 2021 https://hymnary.org/text/standing_on_the_promises_of_christ_my_ki.

12. Charles Spurgeon, Spiritual warfare in a Believer’s Life (Lynnwood, WA: Emerald Books, 1993) 80.

JESUS! In Word and Song

Posted by bonniefaurote

WEEK 37

THIS JESUS—

Who He Is_2

“His life, from the manger to the tomb, was via a path of shame and sorrow. It was not until His resurrection, that the glory which was to follow His sufferings began to shine forth in unmistakable splendor.”¹

JESUS, the Eternal One: (Heb 1:10-12).

“[T]he son of God, in his eternal divine nature, was active in the world from the beginning of creation, long before his incarnation.”²

JESUS, the First and the Last: (Rev 1:17-18).

“Jesus is the beginning of all history (the Creator) and also the goal for whom all things are made (all history is moving toward glorifying him).”³

JESUS, Himself God: (Heb 1:2-3).

Jesus makes five claims to equality with God: (1) He is equal with God in His person (John 5:17-18); (2) He is equal with God in His works (John 5:19-20); (3) He is equal with God in His power and sovereignty (John 5:21); (4) He is equal with God in His judgment (John 5:22); (5) He is equal with God in His honor (John 5:23).⁴

JESUS, the fullness of GOD: (Col 1:19).

“Jesus not only bears God’s glory, but all that God is also dwells in him. He possesses the wisdom, power, Spirit, and glory of God. To say that all this divine fullness dwells in Jesus is to say that he is fully God (see also Col. 2:9).”⁵

JESUS, the Justifier: (Rom 4:24-25).

Justification is by a righteousness [outside of] us. [It] is based entirely upon the work of Christ wrought for us, a deliverance from punishment, a right to the reward.⁶

The wisdom of God’s plan allowed Him to punish Jesus in the place of sinners and thereby justify those who are guilty without compromising His justice.⁷

JESUS, the Sanctifier: (Heb 10:14).

Sanctification is that inward spiritual work that the Lord Jesus Christ works in a man by the Holy Spirit when He calls him to be a true believer. He not only washes him from his sins in His own blood, but He also separates him from his natural love of sin and the world, puts a new principle in him heart, and makes him practically godly in life.⁸

JESUS, the King: (1 Cor 15:22-25).

“As God-man Mediator, Christ has been made Governor of the universe. ‘All power in heaven and in earth’ has been given to Him (Matt 28:18).”⁹

ENDNOTES

(37) JESUS is the Son of GOD

1. Arthur W. Pink, “The Exaltation of Christ,” Studies in the Scriptures XI (August 1932) : 1.

2. ESV Study Bible, English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2001, ESV Text Edition: 2011) 2450.

3. ESV Study Bible, 2463.

4. John MacArthur, One Perfect Life (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 2012) 123.

5. ESV Study Bible, 2294-2295.

6. A.W. Pink, “Justification and Sanctification,” Free Grace Broadcaster 215 (2011) : 36.

7. John MacArthur, One Perfect Life (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 2012) 509.

8. J.C. Ryle, “The Nature of Sanctification,” Free Grace Broadcaster 215 (2011) : 8.

9. A.W. Pink, “The Kingdom of Christ,” Free Grace Broadcaster 215 (2011) : 2.

10. “He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature . . .” (Hebrews 1:3 ESV).

11. “For Christ has entered, not into holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true things, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf” (Hebrews 9:24 ESV).

12. A. W. Pink, The Holy Spirit (Pensacola, FL: Mt. Zion Publications) http://www.mountzion.org.

128.

13. “ . . . we have such a high priest, one who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven, a minister in the holy places, in the true tent that the Lord set up, not man” (Hebrews 8:1-2 ESV).

14. “And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption,” (1 Corinthians 1:30 ESV).

15. A.W. Pink, “Justification and Sanctification,” Free Grace Broadcaster 215 (2011) : 36.

16. “And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption,” (1 Corinthians 1:30 ESV).

17. “ . . . Your throne, O God, is forever and ever . . .” (Hebrews 1:8 ESV).

18. “ . . . the Lamb will conquer them, for he is Lord of lords and King of kings . . .” (Revelation 17:14 ESV).

19. “ . . . Christ, who is God over all, blessed forever. Amen” (Romans 9:5 ESV).

20. “. . . . To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen” (2 Peter 3:18 ESV).

JESUS! In Word and Song

Posted by bonniefaurote

WEEK 33

APOSTLES DAY

“Then [Jesus] opened [the Apostles] minds to understand the Scriptures, and said to them, ‘Thus it is written, repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in [my] name. You are witnesses of these things” (Luke 24:45-48 ESV).

The Holy Spirit energized the hearts and minds of the apostles in their ministry, helping them to produce the NT Scripture. The disciples had failed to understand many things about Jesus and what He taught, but because of his supernatural work, they came to an inerrant and accurate understanding of the Lord and His work and recorded it in the gospels and the rest of the NT Scriptures.¹

“The Holy Spirit was to be given them in its fullness, sealing them for their work.”² “So long as they obeyed His word, and worked in connection with Him, they could not fail.”³

The Sent One (Jesus) has now become the Sender, commissioning his followers to serve as his messengers and representatives. All three persons of the Godhead are involved in this commissioning: as the Father sent Jesus, so Jesus sends his disciples equipping them with the Holy Spirit.⁴

“The whole position of the Apostles is that they have something to declare, something to say. They have seen something, they are reporting it. [I]t is a proclamation; there is an urge and an authority behind it.”⁵

“The disciples were to carry their work forward in Christ’s name. Their every word and act was to fasten attention on His name, as possessing that vital power by which sinners may be saved.”⁶

They told that ancient world of certain things which had happened; they talked about a person, and they reported what had happened to Him. And with a very special emphasis, they told people of the amazing fact of the Resurrection; how this person, Jesus of Nazareth—who had been completely misunderstood, not only by the common people, but by the rulers and elders of the people—how He had been put to death. But, they said, God had raised Him from the dead, and He had manifested Himself to them, His chosen witnesses.⁷

“[The Apostles] had the amazing privilege of seeing Him, of hearing Him, of examining Him and touching Him and listening to Him.”⁸

“The authority of the Apostles in the Church was unquestionable from the very beginning. Their powers were derived from Christ Himself. They preached boldly and acted as His representatives, teaching and speaking ‘in the Holy Spirit.’”⁹

ENDNOTES

(33) Stay Close on His Heels

1. John MacArthur, One Perfect Life (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 2012) 415.

2. Ellen G. White, The Acts of the Apostles (Mountain View, CA: Pacific Press Publishing Association, 1911) 30.

3. White, 29.

4. ESV Study Bible, English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2001, ESV Text Edition: 2011) 2070.

5. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Life in Christ, Studies in 1 John (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books, 2002) 45.

6. Ellen G. White, The Acts of the Apostles (Mountain View, CA: Pacific Press Publishing Association, 1911) 28.

7. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Life in Christ, Studies in 1 John (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books, 2002) 316.

8. Lloyd-Jones, 51.

9. Rev. Fr. Andrew G. George, “Feast of the Twelve Apostles,” Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, 1 September 2021 https://www.goarch.org/-/feast-of-the-twelve-apostles?inheritRedirect=true.

10. Horatius Bonar, Words Old and New (Carlisle, PA: THE BANNER OF TRUTH TRUST, 1866, 1994) 57.

11. “In Him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will,” (Ephesians 1:11 ESV).

12. “To the sound of musicians . . . they repeat the righteous triumphs of the LORD . . .” (Judges 5:11 ESV).

13. “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses . . .” (Acts 1:8 ESV).

14. “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you” (John 14:26 ESV).

15. “But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed” (Isaiah 53:5 ESV).

16. “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses . . .” (Acts 1:8 ESV).

17. “In Him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will,” (Ephesians 1:11 ESV).

18. “’This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my laws on their hearts, and write them on their minds,’” (Hebrews 10:16 ESV).

JESUS! In Word and Song

Posted by bonniefaurote

WEEK 26

THE ASCENSION

“Ascension Day commemorates the bodily Ascension of Jesus into heaven. Ascension Day is traditionally celebrated on a Thursday, the fortieth day of Easter although some denominations move it to the following Sunday.¹

“The ascension has been included in every important creed of the church because it teaches the enduring complete humanity of Jesus as the only mediator between God and man.”² “[E]verything that stands between us and God has been dealt with and has been removed.”³

“The ascension is Christ’s return to heaven from earth. Jesus lives, now and forever, as true man and true God to mediate between God and man. He will come again as he left, fully God and fully man.”⁴

“[T]he God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, according to the working of his great might, raised [Jesus] from the dead and seated him at his right hand” (Eph 1:17,19-20 ESV).

“Jesus ‘sits’ to portray the sufficiency of his saving work on earth; he continues a vital, active ministry as he reigns over all creation.”⁵

Christ’s new status as the God-Man meant God gave Him privileges He did not have prior to the incarnation. If He had not lived among men, He could not have identified with them as the interceding High Priest. Had He not died on the cross, He could not have been elevated from that lowest degree back to heaven as the substitute for sin.⁶

Though the full penalty for our sins was paid at the cross, Christ’s priestly work didn’t end there. It continues to this day in heaven, where Christ ‘appears in the presence of God on our behalf’ (Heb 9:24). Our eternal redemption was secured—not simply by Jesus dying on the cross—but through Jesus entering heaven by means of his own blood. In short: no ascension, no salvation.⁷

“[T]he ascension wasn’t simply Jesus going home; it was Jesus being enthroned.”⁸

Christ is a teacher that He may be a king; Christ is an example that He may be a king; Christ is a Savior that He may be a king; this is the great end and object that He has in His life, His death, His resurrection, and His second coming—that He may set up a kingdom among the sons of men to the glory of God.⁹

“Jesus Christ, [is] the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth” (Rev 1:5 ESV). “O King, live forever, and we shall find our life in Your life, and glory in promoting Your glory.”¹⁰

ENDNOTES

(26) The Savior Lives No More to Die

1. Joe Carter, “9 Things You Should Know About the Christian Calendar,” 1 December 2019, The Gospel Coalition, 3 July 2021 https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/9-things-know-christian-calendar/.

2. ESV Study Bible, English Standard Version, (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2001, ESV Text Edition: 2011) 2517.

3. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Great Doctrines of the Bible (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books, 2003) I:348.

4. ESV Study Bible, English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2001, ESV Text Edition: 2011) 2526.

5. ESV Study Bible.

6. John MacArthur, One Perfect Life (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 2012) 501.

7. Justin Dillehay, “What Jesus’s Ascension Does for Us,” May 30, 2019, The Gospel Coalition 15 February 2021 https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/4-reasons-ascension-matters/.

8. Dillehay.

9. Charles Spurgeon, Spurgeon’s Sermons on New Testament Men (Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Publications 1994) 115.

10. Spurgeon.

11. Isaac Watts, “Christ’s Victory, Death, and Dominion,” 1838 Gadsby’s Hymn Book, 15 February 2021 https://bethlehemswell.com/hymns/168/.

12. Watts.

13. Matthew Bridges and Godfrey Thring, “Crown Him with Many Crowns,” 1851, Hymnary, 15 February 2021 https://hymnary.org/text/crown_him_with_many_crowns.

14. Isaac Watts, “Christ’s Victory, Death, and Dominion,” 1838 Gadsby’s Hymn Book, 15 February 2021 https://bethlehemswell.com/hymns/168/.

15. Watts.

16. Samuel Medley, “Because I Live, Ye Shall Live Also,” 1838 Gadsby’s Hymn Book, 15 February 2021 https://bethlehemswell.com/hymns/751/.

JESUS! In Word and Song

Posted by bonniefaurote

WEEK 23

PREPARING DISCIPLES FOR HIS DEATH

JESUS prepares His disciples at the Passover meal and on the way to the Garden of Gethsemane: “He wants to prepare them for what is about to happen. The New English Bible characterizes the five chapters of John, chapters thirteen through seventeen, as ‘farewell discourses.’”¹

In the first ‘farewell discourse,’ JESUS gives an example of how to treat each other by washing His disciples’ feet. (John 13).

“The whole matter of Christ’s death and resurrection was not grasped by the twelve. The reason may have been that they were enamored with other ideas about the Messiah and how His earthly rule would operate.”²

“Ignoring the Lord’s repeated instruction that He was going to Jerusalem to die, the disciples still thought the physical manifestation of the kingdom was about to appear and were busy maneuvering for the places of prominence in it.”³

[T]hey were thinking about who was the greatest of them, so that none was willing to stoop to wash feet. When Jesus moved to wash feet, they were shocked. Through this action Jesus taught the lesson of selfless service.⁴

“As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you” (John 20:21 ESV). “The Sent One (Jesus) has now become the Sender, commissioning his followers to serve as his messengers and representatives.”⁵

[T]hey shall know that Christ continues in them, communicates his power to them, and has not forsaken them by his resurrection, by his abiding and conversing with them for forty days after, by his going to heaven to prepare a place for them, by his sending his Spirit to them, and by his indwelling presence, to administer every degree of comfort, light and power, which would be requisite to render their afflictions supportable, their own souls holy and happy, and their ministry successful.⁶

“We must learn from the four Gospels and for a doctrinal exposition of it we must turn to the Epistles. ‘Abide in Me,’ ‘learn of Me,’ ‘follow Me,’ are the contents and summing-up of the Christian statute-book.”⁷

Only those willing to carefully assess the cost and invest all they had in His kingdom were worthy to enter. This speaks of something far more than mere abandonment of one’s material possessions; it is an absolute, unconditional surrender.⁸

ENDNOTES

(23) I Go Prepare a Place

1. Thomas Lane Butts, “Jesus Prepares the Disciples,” 18 February 2012, Ministry Matters, 12 February 2021 https://www.ministrymatters.com/all/entry/2477/jesus-prepares-the-disciples.

2. John MacArthur, One Perfect Life (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 2012) 339.

3. MacArthur, 340.

4. MacArthur, 403.

5. ESV Study Bible, English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2001, ESV Text Edition: 2011) 2070.

6. Thomas Coke, “Commentary on John 14:20,” 1801-1803, Thomas Coke Commentary on the Holy Bible, 12 February 2021 https://www.studylight.org/commentary/john/14-20.html#verse-tcc.

7. Horatius Bonar, God’s Way of Holiness (Pensacola, FL: Mt Zion Publications) 86.

8. John MacArthur, One Perfect Life (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 2012) 305.

9. “ . . . 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” (John 14:3 ESV).

10. “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do . . .” (John 14:12 ESV).

11. “When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth . . .” (John 16:13 ESV).

12. “He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you” (John 16:14 ESV).

13. “A dispute also arose among them, as to which of them was to be regarded as the greatest” (Luke 22:24 ESV).

14. “Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet . . .” (John 13:5 ESV).

15. “Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13 ESV).

16. “I am the vine; you are the branches . . .” (John 15:5 ESV).

17. “ . . . take heart; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33 ESV).

JESUS! In Word and Song

Posted by bonniefaurote

WEEK 22

DOUBTING THOMAS

According to Strong’s Greek lexicon doubt means, ‘to waver, hesitate, be uncertain.’ Doubt is not rejection of belief, but holding a belief with hesitation and uncertainty. Thomas was not a doubter. He didn’t doubt the resurrection of Jesus—he fully rejected it until he could have physical proof.¹

Thomas was the kind of guy who wanted to know for himself. He would not let others do his thinking for him. What did Jesus do with such a man? He made a special resurrection appearance for him. He condescended to Thomas and his desire to know for himself. Jesus came to Thomas on his level. He didn’t rebuke him. He didn’t humiliate him. He could see that deep down in Thomas’s heart, he really wanted to know God.²

“Scripture describes at least ten distinct appearances of Christ between the resurrection and ascension. He appeared: . . . (5) to ten of the eleven disciples, Thomas being absent; (6) to the eleven disciples (with Thomas present).”³

Eight days elapsed between the two appearances with Thomas absent and Thomas present; and during that period he found his way back to the group. He had once affirmed that he would die with the Lord (John 11:16); but, like the others, he had failed. However, he came back, and that is what counts.⁴

“Although the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, ‘Peace be with you.’ Then he said to Thomas, ‘Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe.’ Thomas answered him, ‘My Lord and my God!’” (John 20:26-28 ESV).

“With these words, Thomas declared his firm belief in the resurrection and, therefore the deity of Jesus the Messiah and Son of God. This is the greatest confession a person can make.”⁵

“He came back, and Jesus came back to meet him. [A]nd therein is a promise of hope for all who will return to the Master.”⁶

“His invitation to all doubters is the same as to Thomas; investigate for yourself! Test the evidence, and like Thomas, be not faithless but believing.”⁷

“Let him who walks in darkness and has no light trust in the name of the LORD and rely on his God” (Isa 50:10 ESV).

ENDNOTES

(22) Thomas Was Gone

1. Sean McDowell, “The Apostle Thomas Was Not a Doubter,” 28 July 2016, Sean McDowell, 12 February 2021 https://seanmcdowell.org/blog/the-apostle-thomas-was-not-a-doubter.

2. Greg Laurie, “New Knowledge of the Skeptic,” 2 April 2007, Harvest, 12 February 2021 https://harvest.org/resources/devotion/new-knowledge-for-the-skeptic/.

3. John MacArthur, One Perfect Life (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 2012) 480.

4. James Burton Coffman, “Commentary of John 20:25,” 1999, Coffman Commentaries on the Bible, 12 February 2021 https://www.studylight.org/commentary/john/20-25.html#verse-bcc.

5. John MacArthur, One Perfect Life (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 2012) 482.

6. James Burton Coffman, “Commentary of John 20:25,” 1999, Coffman Commentaries on the Bible, 12 February 2021 https://www.studylight.org/commentary/john/20-25.html#verse-bcc.

7. “Jesus and Thomas,” Trusting in Jesus, 12 February 2021 https://www.trusting-in-jesus.com/jesusandthomas.html.

8. “So the other disciples told him, ‘We have seen the Lord.’ But he said to them, ‘Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe” (John 20:25 ESV).

9. “Eight days later, his disciples were inside again, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them . . .” (John 20:26 ESV).

10. “Thomas answered him, ‘My Lord and my God!’” (John 20:28 ESV).

11. Charles Spurgeon, Commentary on John 20:28,” 1905-09, The Biblical Illustrator, 12 February 2021 https://www.studylight.org/commentary/john/20-28.html#verse-tbi.

12. Robert Jamieson, A.R. Fausset and David Brown, “Commentary on John 20:28,” 1871-8, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible, 12 February 2021 https://www.studylight.org/commentary/john/20-28.html#verse-jfb.

13. “Thomas answered him, ‘My Lord and my God!’” (John 20:28 ESV).

14. Sean McDowell, “The Apostle Thomas Was Not a Doubter,” 28 July 2016, Sean McDowell, 12 February 2021 https://seanmcdowell.org/blog/the-apostle-thomas-was-not-a-doubter.

15. J. Hart, “A Form of Words, Though E’re so Sound,” Gadsby’s Hymnal #31, 12 February 2021 https://gracegems.org/C/gadsby1.htm.

16. “Thomas answered him, ‘My Lord and my God!’” (John 20:28 ESV).

17. . . .that disciple, leaning back against Jesus . . .” (John 13:25 ESV).

18. “When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead . . .” (Revelation 1:17 ESV).

Bonnie's Prayer Affair

Keeping myself in CHRIST

John MacArthur

JESUS! In Word and Song

JESUS! In Word and Song

JESUS! In Word and Song

JESUS! In Word and Song

JESUS! In Word and Song

JESUS! In Word and Song

JESUS! In Word and Song

JESUS! In Word and Song

JESUS! In Word and Song

JESUS! In Word and Song