MORNING
Psalm
132
B1 What does this mean?
C1 David’s care of the Ark
D1 Hardships Compare 1 Samuel 17-30.
E1 Promises in hardship See 2 Samuel 7.
E2 Desire for proper worship
F1 In the days prior to Messiah coming, proper worship was in
Jerusalem.
F2 When Messiah came even now, worship is not at a physical place but
with the heart.
F3 John 4:20-24 NRSV Our ancestors worshiped on this
mountain, but you say that the place where people must worship is in
Jerusalem." 21 Jesus said to her, "Woman, believe me,
the hour is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this
mountain nor in Jerusalem. 22 You worship what you do not know;
we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. 23 But
the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will
worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father seeks such as
these to worship him. 24 God is spirit, and those who worship
him must worship in spirit and truth."
D2 Dedication
E1 Proverbs 16:3 NRSV Commit your work to the LORD, and your
plans will be established.
E2 Psalms 119:38 NRSV Confirm to your servant your promise, which
is for those who fear you.
D3 A desire for doing God’s will is nice, but our actions express
our true beliefs. God’s promises are not just words but will be
fulfilled.
C2 God’s promises
D1 At the present day, it seems if these promises have been
unfulfilled. The time is coming when all will be fulfilled. Jesus
will reign in Jerusalem, Jerusalem will be safe, and worshipers will
worship in peace.
D2 2 Peter 1:3-4 EMTV As His divine power has granted to us all
things pertaining to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him
who called us by glory and virtue, 4 through which have been given to
us precious and exceedingly great promises, so that through these we
may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the
corruption that is in the world through lust.
B2 How do I apply this to my life? Realize hardship will come but
hope in God. Dedicate ourselves to God and His ways.
EVENING
John
20
B1 What does this mean?
C1 Witnesses Come to Jesus’s Empty Tomb
D1 A number of witnesses testify that the tomb was empty even though
it was guarded by the Roman soldiers.
D2 Verse 2, they might refer to the Jewish authorities or the
Romans. John and Peter were suspicious of the women’s testimony or
so it appears.
D3 One thing we can learn is that the tomb was empty. For a more
detailed offering of proof, see Gary
Habermas site.
C2 Mary Magdalene Is Witness to Jesus Alive
D1 Jesus didn’t reveal Himself at first as a teaching point. He
knew what Mary believed but wanted her to know and to reinforce the
information of everything to her.
D2 Some see an error in verse 12 because Matthew and Mark state only
one angel. It is suggested that only one is mentioned because he was
the one who spoke.
D3 Some see an error in verse 14, too. If she knew what Jesus looked
like, why didn’t she recognize Him now? Most likely she was in
grief and thought He was dead. She simply was not expecting a live
Jesus there talking to her.
D4 Verse 17 is another puzzling event. Why couldn’t she touch Him?
The Greek
word for touch is ἅπτομαι háptomai and doesn’t mean to
just lightly touch but to firmly touch as grasp, hold, cling, etc.
John 20:17 GW Jesus told her, "Don't hold on to me. I have
not yet gone to the Father. But go to my brothers and sisters and
tell them, 'I am going to my Father and your Father, to my God and
your God.
C3 The Disciples Are Witness to Jesus Alive
D1 Note Jesus says, “Peace to you,” two times. Jesus is not
coming to frighten them, judge them, scold them, but brings peace to
them. Peace with God.
E1 John 16:33 GW I've told you this so that my peace will be with
you. In the world you'll have trouble. But cheer up! I have overcome
the world."
E2 It is available for all if one repents and believes: Matthew
11:28-29 EMTV Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy-laden,
and I will give you rest. 29 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.
D2 Jesus remains the God/man (God the Son and the Son of Man)
eternally.
D3 Verse 23 also causes false ideas that people can forgive sins in
God’s name or authority. Steven
J. Cole says: “If you forgive the sins of any, their sins
have been forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they have
been retained.” The gospel that we proclaim is not so much about
Jesus helping people with their personal problems but rather about
God forgiving their sin through Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross. G.
Campbell Morgan (The Gospel According to John Revell], p. 321) wrote,
“The ultimate reason of the mission of the Church in the world, is
to deal with sin.” Romans 3:23 declares, “For all have sinned and
fall short of the glory of God.” Jesus didn’t die to save us from
personal failure or shortcomings, but from the just wrath of God
against our rebellion and sin. [It is worth reading the whole
comment].
C4 Thomas Is Witness to Jesus Alive
D1 Thomas did not believe all the witnesses had seen and heard about
the Lord Jesus (verse 25). He declares the conditions for his belief
(verse 26). He is shocked but now believes (verse 27). All of which
leads the Lord Jesus to declare: 29 Jesus said to him, “Thomas,
you have believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who
have not seen yet believe.”
D2 We have a reasonable faith, not a blind faith. The Scriptures
wrote about the resurrection, the faithful men and women who had seen
and heard declared the resurrection, and Jesus had prophesied His
resurrection. It would be most reasonable to believe that Jesus was
alive.
C5 The Goal of John’s Gospel
D1 Regarding verses 30-31: J. C. Ryle in his expository thoughts
mentions 2 possible interpretation. The first would be that John
refers to all that Jesus did in His ministry, while the second would
be all the miracles after His resurrection proving that He was alive.
D2 Regarding the importance of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ one
can begin by reading 1 Corinthians 15.
B2 How do I apply this to my life? Christian belief is most
reasonable.
I
hope
to have a devotional every day on John’s
Gospel starting with the last chapter of Luke’s Gospel.
This
is
the way I do my devotions. You may notice grammatical and spelling
errors. It is my hope you will also start or continue in your daily
reading and thinking about
the Scriptures. I do this Monday through Friday. It is a 3 year plan
of reading and thinking on 1 chapter in the Old Testament, which
takes 3 years, and reading and thinking on 1 chapter in the New
Testament once a year for a total of 3 times. So, I read through the
Old Testament 1 time and the New Testament 3 times over a period of 3
years. I
do this Monday through Friday and use Saturday and Sunday for other
devotions.
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