Matthew 7:1-12
Jesus Teaches About Criticizing Others
1-2 Jesus describes how we should not judge others because then we too will be judges. We should also not judge by a measurement, because that same measurement will be used on us.
3-6 Do not look to point to someone's mistake when you make mistakes yourself. Do not give these sinners anything pure that they will simply trample on.
Jesus Teaches About Asking, Seeking, Knocking
7-8 Jesus explains how God will always provide for us. He says, "Ask and it will be given to you, seek and you will find, knock and the door will be opened to you."
9-12 As even the evil would give their children the good gifts, God will provide even greater for all of us as we are His children.
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
Matthew 6:16-34
Jesus Teaches About Fasting
16-18 Do not make it obvious that you are fasting. You are not trying to show this off to anyone. God will award those who do these things in secret.
Jesus Teaches About Money
19-21 Jesus tells us not to store treasures on earth for tehy will moth and rust will destroy. Where we store are treasure is where our hearts are. We must store our treasure in heaven.
22-23 Jesus describes the concept of how our eyes are like the lamp of the body. What your eyes are, your body will be.
24 Jesus describes how we cannot serve two masters. It's either God or money.
Jesus Teaches About Worry
25-27 Jesus tells us not to worry about our lives, what we will wear, and what we will eat. He shows an example about the birds and how they do not harvest yet they are still eating. God provides for them, so why should we worry about not being provided for?
28-34 We should also not give too much attention to what we wear. We should not worry about what we wear. We should not be wondering how we're going to survive because these are things the pagans are seeking. God already knows we need it. If we seek Him, all this will be provided for. We should not "worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself."
Jesus Teaches About Fasting
16-18 Do not make it obvious that you are fasting. You are not trying to show this off to anyone. God will award those who do these things in secret.
Jesus Teaches About Money
19-21 Jesus tells us not to store treasures on earth for tehy will moth and rust will destroy. Where we store are treasure is where our hearts are. We must store our treasure in heaven.
22-23 Jesus describes the concept of how our eyes are like the lamp of the body. What your eyes are, your body will be.
24 Jesus describes how we cannot serve two masters. It's either God or money.
Jesus Teaches About Worry
25-27 Jesus tells us not to worry about our lives, what we will wear, and what we will eat. He shows an example about the birds and how they do not harvest yet they are still eating. God provides for them, so why should we worry about not being provided for?
28-34 We should also not give too much attention to what we wear. We should not worry about what we wear. We should not be wondering how we're going to survive because these are things the pagans are seeking. God already knows we need it. If we seek Him, all this will be provided for. We should not "worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself."
Monday, December 8, 2008
Matthew 6:1-15
Jesus Teaches About Giving To The Needy
1-4 Do not do good to be noticed. This does not reward you from God. When you give to the needy, don't make it so obvious. Giving should be something that is almost secret. The right hand should not know what the left hand is doing.
Jesus Teaches About Prayer
5-15 Jesus talks about the manner that we pray. It's not about praying in front of public and making it look grand. Rather Jesus tells us to go into our rooms and pray sincerely. And do not be too verbose and fancy with words. Then Jesus shows us the type of prayer we need to pray. This becomes the Lord's Prayer.
Jesus Teaches About Giving To The Needy
1-4 Do not do good to be noticed. This does not reward you from God. When you give to the needy, don't make it so obvious. Giving should be something that is almost secret. The right hand should not know what the left hand is doing.
Jesus Teaches About Prayer
5-15 Jesus talks about the manner that we pray. It's not about praying in front of public and making it look grand. Rather Jesus tells us to go into our rooms and pray sincerely. And do not be too verbose and fancy with words. Then Jesus shows us the type of prayer we need to pray. This becomes the Lord's Prayer.
Sunday, December 7, 2008
Matthew 5:33-48
Jesus Teaches About Vows
33-37 Jesus teaches us not to swear, for any reason. We have to be very moderate. Jesus tells us if it's an affirmative, just say so. If it's not, then say so. We have no reason to make anything more out of it.
Jesus Teaches About Retaliation
38-42 Jesus teaches about revenge and how "an eye for an eye" is not the right approach. He says, "If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also." We have to be giving. If someone is asking you of something, then be there for that person. If someone needs something, then give to that person.
Jesus Teaches About Loving Enemies
43-48 Jesus teaches about loving everyone, including your enemies. We have to be able to pray for them. Loving those who love you doesn't reward you anything. Everyone does this.
Jesus Teaches About Vows
33-37 Jesus teaches us not to swear, for any reason. We have to be very moderate. Jesus tells us if it's an affirmative, just say so. If it's not, then say so. We have no reason to make anything more out of it.
Jesus Teaches About Retaliation
38-42 Jesus teaches about revenge and how "an eye for an eye" is not the right approach. He says, "If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also." We have to be giving. If someone is asking you of something, then be there for that person. If someone needs something, then give to that person.
Jesus Teaches About Loving Enemies
43-48 Jesus teaches about loving everyone, including your enemies. We have to be able to pray for them. Loving those who love you doesn't reward you anything. Everyone does this.
Saturday, December 6, 2008
Anger, Lust, Divorce
Matthew 5:21-32
(NOTE: I will blog about this in a bit)
Jesus Teaches about Anger
21-22 Jesus explains how being angry will be subject to judgment just as murdering someone.
23-24 Jesus explains how we must be reconciled by our brothers before we come before God.
25-26 Jesus explains to settle matters quickly before we get into big trouble.
Jesus Teaches about Lust
27-30 Jesus explains how lust is related with adultery. We must do away with lust completely for it can consume us in sin and lead us to hell.
Jesus Teaches about Divorce
31-32 Jesus explains how when we divorce, we lead the woman into being an adulteress, who will cause anyone who marries her to become an adulterer.
(NOTE: I will blog about this in a bit)
Jesus Teaches about Anger
21-22 Jesus explains how being angry will be subject to judgment just as murdering someone.
23-24 Jesus explains how we must be reconciled by our brothers before we come before God.
25-26 Jesus explains to settle matters quickly before we get into big trouble.
Jesus Teaches about Lust
27-30 Jesus explains how lust is related with adultery. We must do away with lust completely for it can consume us in sin and lead us to hell.
Jesus Teaches about Divorce
31-32 Jesus explains how when we divorce, we lead the woman into being an adulteress, who will cause anyone who marries her to become an adulterer.
Friday, December 5, 2008
Being The Light
Matthew 5:1-20
(Note: I will be blogging about this in a bit, want to come back)
Jesus Gives the Beatitudes
1-10 Jesus went to a mountainside and explained to the disciples that the poor in spirit, the ones who mourn, the meek, the hungry for righteousness, the merciful, the pure, the peacemakers, and the persecuted will be blessed.
11-12 Jesus explained that we will receive reward in heaven for being persecuted because of Jesus.
Jesus Teaches about Salt and Light
13-16 Jesus explains how if we are like salt and we lose saltiness, we will become useless. However, if we are the light of the world, people will see it. We need to spread the news like the light so others can see it.
Jesus Teaches about the Law
17-20 Jesus explains how we need to obey the laws. Jesus did not come to abolish the Law, but to fulfill them. We must do the same in order to be great in heaven. We will not enter the kingdom of heaven unless we are righteous.
(Note: I will be blogging about this in a bit, want to come back)
Jesus Gives the Beatitudes
1-10 Jesus went to a mountainside and explained to the disciples that the poor in spirit, the ones who mourn, the meek, the hungry for righteousness, the merciful, the pure, the peacemakers, and the persecuted will be blessed.
11-12 Jesus explained that we will receive reward in heaven for being persecuted because of Jesus.
Jesus Teaches about Salt and Light
13-16 Jesus explains how if we are like salt and we lose saltiness, we will become useless. However, if we are the light of the world, people will see it. We need to spread the news like the light so others can see it.
Jesus Teaches about the Law
17-20 Jesus explains how we need to obey the laws. Jesus did not come to abolish the Law, but to fulfill them. We must do the same in order to be great in heaven. We will not enter the kingdom of heaven unless we are righteous.
Thursday, December 4, 2008
Becoming a Fisherman
Matthew 4:12-25
Today's been a little tiring. I've been studying for an exam all day and am finally finished with it. I can't say that I did very well because I did struggle with a lot of it. I'm just hoping for the best and that the rest of the class felt the same way. I love Electrical Engineering. It does not fail to make you feel completely stupid. My entry is also kind of late because of this. I went through an anxious state for like an hour. My remedy? Food. Food is seriously so good. But then again, I'm trying to lose weight. :(
I won't go into too much again with blogging because there isn't anything interesting to talk about. I mean I guess I can talk to you about my test and the actual concepts that I've crammed in the last couple days.... Yea I thought not. So let's get on with it.
Today's reading will cover the rest of chapter four. Remember John the Baptist? The guy that baptized Jesus. Well he was put in jail and after having heard that Jesus moved to Capernaum, in Galilee. Now I don't know if He moved because of John's imprisonment (it sounds like that from the way I read it), but that does bring up some question. I'm sure it's unimportant, but I can't help why Jesus just, for lack of a better word, ran away. Maybe that was the best thing to do in that situation? Maybe He was showing His human side? I don't know.
This is also the part where Jesus picks up the four fishermen to follow. Yes, that part where He says those famous words: "Come, follow me and I will make you fishers of men." Now I know you've heard a sermon or two definitely on this, but really how seriously have you considered those words. I've been contemplating on these words for a while. It's so hard for us to take such words and do it, yet these fishermen do it without hesitation. There's a lot of faith going into it. As much as I want to accept these words and go with it, it's really hard to take seriously.
After this scene Jesus goes around Galilee teaching the word and spreading the good news. He went all over Syria. This is basically His prime time when people are starting to follow Him. They're seeking Him and wanting to hear the word. These were definitely great times to be in.
Summary:
Jesus Preaches in Galilee
12-17 John was in prison, so Jesus returned to Galilee. He left Nazareth and went to Capernaum. This was all in the prophecy told by Isaiah. It was said that people have been living in darkness and that a light has dawned in the area. Jesus went and preached telling people to repent.
Four Fishermen Follow Jesus
18-19 Jesus walked along the Sea of Galilee and saw Peter and his brother Andrew. He told them to follow Jesus for He would make them fishers of men. They followed Him.
20-22 James and his brother John were also called upon while they were fishing. They immediately decided to follow Jesus.
Jesus Preaches throughout Galilee
23-25 Jesus went throughout Galilee and preached. News spread all over Syria and everyone who was ill came to be healed. There were large crowds from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea and region across Jordan that followed Him.
Today's been a little tiring. I've been studying for an exam all day and am finally finished with it. I can't say that I did very well because I did struggle with a lot of it. I'm just hoping for the best and that the rest of the class felt the same way. I love Electrical Engineering. It does not fail to make you feel completely stupid. My entry is also kind of late because of this. I went through an anxious state for like an hour. My remedy? Food. Food is seriously so good. But then again, I'm trying to lose weight. :(
I won't go into too much again with blogging because there isn't anything interesting to talk about. I mean I guess I can talk to you about my test and the actual concepts that I've crammed in the last couple days.... Yea I thought not. So let's get on with it.
Today's reading will cover the rest of chapter four. Remember John the Baptist? The guy that baptized Jesus. Well he was put in jail and after having heard that Jesus moved to Capernaum, in Galilee. Now I don't know if He moved because of John's imprisonment (it sounds like that from the way I read it), but that does bring up some question. I'm sure it's unimportant, but I can't help why Jesus just, for lack of a better word, ran away. Maybe that was the best thing to do in that situation? Maybe He was showing His human side? I don't know.
This is also the part where Jesus picks up the four fishermen to follow. Yes, that part where He says those famous words: "Come, follow me and I will make you fishers of men." Now I know you've heard a sermon or two definitely on this, but really how seriously have you considered those words. I've been contemplating on these words for a while. It's so hard for us to take such words and do it, yet these fishermen do it without hesitation. There's a lot of faith going into it. As much as I want to accept these words and go with it, it's really hard to take seriously.
After this scene Jesus goes around Galilee teaching the word and spreading the good news. He went all over Syria. This is basically His prime time when people are starting to follow Him. They're seeking Him and wanting to hear the word. These were definitely great times to be in.
Summary:
Jesus Preaches in Galilee
12-17 John was in prison, so Jesus returned to Galilee. He left Nazareth and went to Capernaum. This was all in the prophecy told by Isaiah. It was said that people have been living in darkness and that a light has dawned in the area. Jesus went and preached telling people to repent.
Four Fishermen Follow Jesus
18-19 Jesus walked along the Sea of Galilee and saw Peter and his brother Andrew. He told them to follow Jesus for He would make them fishers of men. They followed Him.
20-22 James and his brother John were also called upon while they were fishing. They immediately decided to follow Jesus.
Jesus Preaches throughout Galilee
23-25 Jesus went throughout Galilee and preached. News spread all over Syria and everyone who was ill came to be healed. There were large crowds from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea and region across Jordan that followed Him.
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
Jesus Is Baller
Matthew 4:1-11
It was hard to find a time for this today because of how busy my day was today, but I'm glad I'm taking a break from the craziness and writing this, and importantly devoting time to God. I've got a very big exam tomorrow that I'll be studying for the rest of today and possibly all of tomorrow till the exam. Don't you just love exams? The pressure. The unknowns. The expectations. The doubts. It's like a movie.
I just love what education has become. The original intent was to educate students so they can become more useful to society with whatever knowledge they gain. It was more of something people gained because they wanted it. Now it's a necessity and I think society is to blame. When I learn about people like Isaac Newton, Ben Franklin, and other brilliant minds of our history, they all seemed to be crazy about what they did (and yes some were literally crazy). It seems like that same kind of passion is just not there. It's more for other reasons we go to school. We want money, we want stability, we want a good life, etc. I guess I'm just making excuses to not study right now, but I can't help think this way when I'm studying for this exam for a good grade and not to actually learn the material. :(
Enough of that.
Anyways my daily bread for today comes from Matthew 4, which covers a lot of material. I decided to break up this chapter because I think it covers a lot of important topics. So today I covered Matthew 4:1-17, which talks about Satan trying to crumble Jesus.
Now the story is quite simple. Jesus is out in the desert fasting for forty days and forty nights. He starts to get hungry, yes Jesus getting hungry, imagine that. Then Satan comes to Him and starts harassing him with temptations. He first tells Jesus to turn the stones into bread, because after all, if He's really the Son of God, should He not be able to? Jesus replies, "Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God."
The story changes scenes and Jesus is atop of the holy city. Satan again comes along and tells Him to jump down because if He is God, then He should not die from the fall. Jesus then replies, "Do not put the Lord your God to the test."
Then Satan took Jesus to the top of a very tall mountain and showed Him the kingdoms of the world. He tells Jesus that all this will be given to Him if He worships him, Satan. Jesus replies, "Away from me, Satan! For it is written, 'Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.'" Then Satan leaves.
This is a simple story and is used for many sermons so bear with me if all this sounds repetitive. The first thing I liked about this story was the fashion Jesus replied to Satan's "dares." He could have said anything He wanted and in any fashion, but He chose to answer the scriptures that Satan used with scriptures! How baller is that. I joked about this one time with someone, but how awesome would it be if we were able to talk by using scripture only. Talk about knowing the word of God. That's something we should try to strive for.
It is interesting to note that Satan also knew the scripture very well. I guess he has to in order to fight his enemy, God. But that's telling us something. If Satan knows the word that well and starts attacking us the way he attacked Jesus, how are we going to battle that out? I can see myself standing there saying things like, "Did it? One sec let me look it up, that sounds correct." The only way to prepare ourselves for such challenges is equipping ourselves with the word. That's the only way. And this is something I always want to emphasize. Being a Christian is tough. Not just because of the life style, but because everyone is out there to attack you. How are you going to respond? I don't know? Christianity has been attacked for many many years, but it still stands and nobody has yet to disclaim anything the Bible says. Science, rumors, nothing. But what good is that when we, Christians, don't know the word? I think that's the one reason Christians are still victims. If we all knew the word and stood up like Jesus, what can the others say? Nothing. That's right, become a baller like Jesus.
There are probably other lessons you can draw from this text, but that's the one thing that I wanted to point out and really struck me. That and I confirmed the fact that Jesus is baller.
As always, my summary:
Satan Tempts Jesus in the Desert
1-4 Jesus was in the desert being tested by the Satan. Satan told Jesus to turn stone into food because Jesus was hungry from fasting. Jesus told Satan, “Man does not live on bread along, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.”
5-7 Satan uses Scripture to try to tempt Jesus to fall off from the highest point because God will save Him. However, Jesus told Satan to not test the Lord.
8-11 Satan took Jesus to a high mountain and showed Him the world saying that he will give all of it to Jesus if He served him. However, Jesus said to only serve the Lord, and so the devil left, having lost.
It was hard to find a time for this today because of how busy my day was today, but I'm glad I'm taking a break from the craziness and writing this, and importantly devoting time to God. I've got a very big exam tomorrow that I'll be studying for the rest of today and possibly all of tomorrow till the exam. Don't you just love exams? The pressure. The unknowns. The expectations. The doubts. It's like a movie.
I just love what education has become. The original intent was to educate students so they can become more useful to society with whatever knowledge they gain. It was more of something people gained because they wanted it. Now it's a necessity and I think society is to blame. When I learn about people like Isaac Newton, Ben Franklin, and other brilliant minds of our history, they all seemed to be crazy about what they did (and yes some were literally crazy). It seems like that same kind of passion is just not there. It's more for other reasons we go to school. We want money, we want stability, we want a good life, etc. I guess I'm just making excuses to not study right now, but I can't help think this way when I'm studying for this exam for a good grade and not to actually learn the material. :(
Enough of that.
Anyways my daily bread for today comes from Matthew 4, which covers a lot of material. I decided to break up this chapter because I think it covers a lot of important topics. So today I covered Matthew 4:1-17, which talks about Satan trying to crumble Jesus.
Now the story is quite simple. Jesus is out in the desert fasting for forty days and forty nights. He starts to get hungry, yes Jesus getting hungry, imagine that. Then Satan comes to Him and starts harassing him with temptations. He first tells Jesus to turn the stones into bread, because after all, if He's really the Son of God, should He not be able to? Jesus replies, "Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God."
The story changes scenes and Jesus is atop of the holy city. Satan again comes along and tells Him to jump down because if He is God, then He should not die from the fall. Jesus then replies, "Do not put the Lord your God to the test."
Then Satan took Jesus to the top of a very tall mountain and showed Him the kingdoms of the world. He tells Jesus that all this will be given to Him if He worships him, Satan. Jesus replies, "Away from me, Satan! For it is written, 'Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.'" Then Satan leaves.
This is a simple story and is used for many sermons so bear with me if all this sounds repetitive. The first thing I liked about this story was the fashion Jesus replied to Satan's "dares." He could have said anything He wanted and in any fashion, but He chose to answer the scriptures that Satan used with scriptures! How baller is that. I joked about this one time with someone, but how awesome would it be if we were able to talk by using scripture only. Talk about knowing the word of God. That's something we should try to strive for.
It is interesting to note that Satan also knew the scripture very well. I guess he has to in order to fight his enemy, God. But that's telling us something. If Satan knows the word that well and starts attacking us the way he attacked Jesus, how are we going to battle that out? I can see myself standing there saying things like, "Did it? One sec let me look it up, that sounds correct." The only way to prepare ourselves for such challenges is equipping ourselves with the word. That's the only way. And this is something I always want to emphasize. Being a Christian is tough. Not just because of the life style, but because everyone is out there to attack you. How are you going to respond? I don't know? Christianity has been attacked for many many years, but it still stands and nobody has yet to disclaim anything the Bible says. Science, rumors, nothing. But what good is that when we, Christians, don't know the word? I think that's the one reason Christians are still victims. If we all knew the word and stood up like Jesus, what can the others say? Nothing. That's right, become a baller like Jesus.
There are probably other lessons you can draw from this text, but that's the one thing that I wanted to point out and really struck me. That and I confirmed the fact that Jesus is baller.
As always, my summary:
Satan Tempts Jesus in the Desert
1-4 Jesus was in the desert being tested by the Satan. Satan told Jesus to turn stone into food because Jesus was hungry from fasting. Jesus told Satan, “Man does not live on bread along, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.”
5-7 Satan uses Scripture to try to tempt Jesus to fall off from the highest point because God will save Him. However, Jesus told Satan to not test the Lord.
8-11 Satan took Jesus to a high mountain and showed Him the world saying that he will give all of it to Jesus if He served him. However, Jesus said to only serve the Lord, and so the devil left, having lost.
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
Baptism
Matthew 3
你们好！Yes, I had my Chinese oral exam that I did very well on, which is great because I was very stressed out about it. I almost missed my morning class today (I know, what's wrong with me), but somehow my body woke up at 7:10 and I rushed to my 7:30 on time. I think it's time for a new alarm clock. Anyways I always love doing my QT's (and now my blogging time) right after dinner because by now everything is settled, my stomach is happy, I'm happy, and I can give my 100% to God. Nothing really exciting happened today so I don't have much to share. I'll just go straight to my reading then!
The story skips a few years (ok more like 20-30 years. Jesus is almost an ah-juh-shee!). We start with John the Baptist who starts going around sharing the prophecy and telling people to repent. The Bible states that John was in clothes that were "made of camel's hair, and he had a leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey." Now I tried to visualize that and for some reason I kept getting the picture of one of those sandpeople in Star Wars:
Anyways, imagine someone dressed like that (minus the mask) trying to come telling you to repent! But people did come and the dress didn't seem to matter much. John says something that was rather hard to understand at first: "12 His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor, gathering his wheat into the barn and burning up the chaff with unquenchable fire." Yes it's a comparison comparing the ones that are saved and ones that aren't, but in the context of where it's at, it's talking more specifically about being baptized. I never really took baptism that seriously, but the way John puts it, it's the difference between being a wheat that will be taken by God and chaff that will be burnt.
Jesus comes along to Jordan and asks John to baptize Him. Imagine the look on John's face when he's asked to do this. Jesus replies by saying that "'it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.'" This again makes me think twice about the importance of baptism and all other practices in the Bible. There are many thing I regard as petty and almost stupid at church. For some people, the act of going to church is even pointless. But this action and response by Jesus really answers that. Who are we to say such things? Are we really that great and holy to be able to say that we don't need it? If Jesus, aka God, says He needs to be baptized, who are we to say we don't need it? If Jesus were here today, would he attend church regularly? Well, He'd probably be the guest speaker at every church he goes to, but even if He weren't, I bet He would. That really hit me. The next time I think something like that, I just need to remember what Jesus said, "'It is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.'" Amen.
Once Jesus gets baptized, everything goes crazy and God declares from the heavens saying that Jesus is His Son. This is essentially what happens when we get baptized. It's been a while since I've witnessed baptism. The last time I've seen someone get baptized was in high school when I attended a Baptist Church. They take this motion very seriously. Then I thought about the other churches I've attended (which are all Presbyterian). Then I realized, I really haven't seen any. That got me really curious about the stance Presbyterians take on baptism and other "sacraments." Here's what I found:
"In Baptism, the Holy Spirit binds the Church in covenant to its Creator and Lord. The water of Baptism symbolizes the waters of creation, of the flood, and of the Exodus from Egypt. Thus, the water of Baptism links us to the goodness of God's creation and to the grace of God's covenants with Noah and Israel. Prophets of Israel, amidst the failure of their own generation to honor God's covenant, called for justice to roll down like waters and righteousness like an everflowing stream. (Amos 5:24) They envisioned a fresh expression of God's grace and of creation's goodness -- a new covenant accompanied by the sprinkling of cleansing water. In his ministry, Jesus offered the gift of living water. So, Baptism is the sign and seal of God's grace and covenant in Christ. (Book of Order W-2.3003)"
1-3 Time has passed and John the Baptist preached in the Desert of Judea, telling people to repent for the kingdom of heaven is near. He told people to “Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.”
4-6 John was dressed very poorly, but went around baptizing people as people confessed their sins and went to John.
7-10 John warns the Pharisees and Sadducees, telling them to “produce fruit in keeping with repentance.” He tells them that anyone who does not produce good fruit will be cut.
11-12 Baptism from John is good for now, but when Jesus comes, all those who don’t repent will be judged and will not be able to enter the kingdom of God.
John Baptizes Jesus
13-15 Jesus came to Galilee to be baptized by John. John was hesitant but baptized Jesus because He told John, “it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.”
16-17 Once Jesus gets baptized, the heavens opened and the Spirit of God descended and declares Jesus is the Son and God is pleased with Him.
你们好！Yes, I had my Chinese oral exam that I did very well on, which is great because I was very stressed out about it. I almost missed my morning class today (I know, what's wrong with me), but somehow my body woke up at 7:10 and I rushed to my 7:30 on time. I think it's time for a new alarm clock. Anyways I always love doing my QT's (and now my blogging time) right after dinner because by now everything is settled, my stomach is happy, I'm happy, and I can give my 100% to God. Nothing really exciting happened today so I don't have much to share. I'll just go straight to my reading then!
The story skips a few years (ok more like 20-30 years. Jesus is almost an ah-juh-shee!). We start with John the Baptist who starts going around sharing the prophecy and telling people to repent. The Bible states that John was in clothes that were "made of camel's hair, and he had a leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey." Now I tried to visualize that and for some reason I kept getting the picture of one of those sandpeople in Star Wars:
Anyways, imagine someone dressed like that (minus the mask) trying to come telling you to repent! But people did come and the dress didn't seem to matter much. John says something that was rather hard to understand at first: "12 His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor, gathering his wheat into the barn and burning up the chaff with unquenchable fire." Yes it's a comparison comparing the ones that are saved and ones that aren't, but in the context of where it's at, it's talking more specifically about being baptized. I never really took baptism that seriously, but the way John puts it, it's the difference between being a wheat that will be taken by God and chaff that will be burnt.
Jesus comes along to Jordan and asks John to baptize Him. Imagine the look on John's face when he's asked to do this. Jesus replies by saying that "'it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.'" This again makes me think twice about the importance of baptism and all other practices in the Bible. There are many thing I regard as petty and almost stupid at church. For some people, the act of going to church is even pointless. But this action and response by Jesus really answers that. Who are we to say such things? Are we really that great and holy to be able to say that we don't need it? If Jesus, aka God, says He needs to be baptized, who are we to say we don't need it? If Jesus were here today, would he attend church regularly? Well, He'd probably be the guest speaker at every church he goes to, but even if He weren't, I bet He would. That really hit me. The next time I think something like that, I just need to remember what Jesus said, "'It is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.'" Amen.
Once Jesus gets baptized, everything goes crazy and God declares from the heavens saying that Jesus is His Son. This is essentially what happens when we get baptized. It's been a while since I've witnessed baptism. The last time I've seen someone get baptized was in high school when I attended a Baptist Church. They take this motion very seriously. Then I thought about the other churches I've attended (which are all Presbyterian). Then I realized, I really haven't seen any. That got me really curious about the stance Presbyterians take on baptism and other "sacraments." Here's what I found:
"In Baptism, the Holy Spirit binds the Church in covenant to its Creator and Lord. The water of Baptism symbolizes the waters of creation, of the flood, and of the Exodus from Egypt. Thus, the water of Baptism links us to the goodness of God's creation and to the grace of God's covenants with Noah and Israel. Prophets of Israel, amidst the failure of their own generation to honor God's covenant, called for justice to roll down like waters and righteousness like an everflowing stream. (Amos 5:24) They envisioned a fresh expression of God's grace and of creation's goodness -- a new covenant accompanied by the sprinkling of cleansing water. In his ministry, Jesus offered the gift of living water. So, Baptism is the sign and seal of God's grace and covenant in Christ. (Book of Order W-2.3003)"
"Baptism enacts and seals what the Word proclaims: God's redeeming grace offered to all people. Baptism is God's gift of grace and also God's summons to respond to that grace. Baptism calls to repentance, to faithfulness, and to discipleship. Baptism gives the church its identity and commissions the church for ministry to the world." (Book of Order W-2.3006)
"The water used for Baptism should be common to the location, and shall be applied to the person by pouring, sprinkling, or immersion. By whatever mode, the water should be applied visibly and generously." (Book of Order W-3.3605)
"Baptism is received only once. There are many times in worship, however, when believers acknowledge the grace of God continually at work. As they participate in the celebration of another's Baptism, as they experience the sustaining nurture of the Lord's Supper, and as they reaffirm the commitments made at Baptism, they confess their ongoing need of God's grace and pledge anew their obedience to God's covenant in Christ." (Book of Order W-2.3009)
"As there is one body, there is one Baptism. (Eph. 4:4-6) The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) recognizes all Baptisms with water in the name of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit administered by other Christian churches." (Book of Order W-2.3010)
All this information can be found on http://www.pcusa.org. PCUSA, better known as Presbyterian Church USA, has a lot of information on what our denomination entails. I think this stuff is more important than you guys think, so check it out.
My summary notes:
1-3 Time has passed and John the Baptist preached in the Desert of Judea, telling people to repent for the kingdom of heaven is near. He told people to “Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.”
4-6 John was dressed very poorly, but went around baptizing people as people confessed their sins and went to John.
7-10 John warns the Pharisees and Sadducees, telling them to “produce fruit in keeping with repentance.” He tells them that anyone who does not produce good fruit will be cut.
11-12 Baptism from John is good for now, but when Jesus comes, all those who don’t repent will be judged and will not be able to enter the kingdom of God.
John Baptizes Jesus
13-15 Jesus came to Galilee to be baptized by John. John was hesitant but baptized Jesus because He told John, “it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.”
16-17 Once Jesus gets baptized, the heavens opened and the Spirit of God descended and declares Jesus is the Son and God is pleased with Him.
Monday, December 1, 2008
Meandering With God
Matthew 2
I hope everyone is doing very well the first day after break. It's really tough to go to class these days especially with all the snow. You start making excuses for not going (Mark if you're reading this, I'm talking to you). But I must make a confession that I missed one of my classes today. I acquired a cold over the break (I know, excuses) and decided to take a nap after my 10:30. That nap ended up becoming a deep sleep. I felt so guilty *sigh*. What's even worse is it's the last few weeks before finals, so you feel even more guilty for not going to class. These are some great times to be in. The first IM I received when I logged on AIM was from a good friend of mine:
Friend (4:26:15 PM): dude
Friend (4:26:19 PM): i gave up on life or something
krzymono (4:31:53 PM): wait wut
krzymono (4:32:06 PM): that's sissy talk
Friend (4:32:14 PM): i hate school man
Yea, that's a friend who just received his exams back after break (seriously how messed up can professors be). So if you are in a similar situation as he is in, hang in there. Oh and I'm on AIM like all day. I'm not really present at the computer, but I do like to use AIM a lot. So if you want to drop by and have a chat, I'm there (even if it takes me an hour or two to respond).
Now to the important stuff...
I really enjoyed Chapter 2. It starts off after the birth of Jesus Christ and the Magi come to Jerusalem looking for Jesus. They saw his star from the east and have arrived to worship Him. Now a note about the star because a lot of people like to make a big fuss about it (lol science). Here's what I think........who cares. Honestly it's not very important to me. Whatever people want to throw at it to debunk the existence of Jesus Christ, I really don't care. If there really was a star, then God is capable of making it work, and if there wasn't, well I think a lot of people in the past liked to embellish their stories a little.
Anyways, King Herod was the ruler at the time and is the one who sent the Magi to look for Jesus. The scripture says, "3When King Herod heard this he was disturbed." Now this is rather interesting. King Herod is the king right now, what does he have to be disturbed about? Is it that he senses a greater being or someone that can usurp his throne? Whichever it is, he feels a threat. So the coming of Jesus Christ was obviously something that was somewhat expected.
Here's a question, everyone knew the prophecy. Then why is it that only the Magi were present to worship Him when He arrived? Was it the fashion in which Jesus arrived on earth that they weren't accustomed to (maybe they were expecting something more grand)? Were people just skeptical? It's really tough to say, but try putting yourself in those shoes. Say you heard about the prophecy and knew something about it. Then you hear the news. What would your reaction have been? Do we still doubt Him? As much as we want to put 100% faith in Him, I think a lot of us still doubt Him and will always be skeptical. Even when something is so blatant (that even the king is disturbed by it), we're probably going to be quick to be skeptical about the event. These are the kind of things I like to think about. Jesus, Joseph, and Mary are all the protagonists of the story and Herod is the antagonist, but many times we forget the others. And sometimes it's important to point out the others, because those others are probably what we resemble the most. I don't know if that makes any sense (sorry, cold is kicking in).
The story continues on with Joseph. Joseph, again is very obedient and follows what he is told to do. He escapes to Egypt till Herod dies. Then he is told by an angel to go back to Israel because everything is supposed to be safe now. So he leaves for Israel only to take a detour because he was afraid of Herod's successor Archelaus, also Herod's son. So he took Mary and Jesus to the district of Galilee and lived in Nazareth. Now it's kind of weird that Joseph is told to do something only to do something else when God probably knew what was going to happen. That had me stumped for a bit, but in the end I concluded that it doesn't matter.
What does matter to me is Joseph and his characteristic. It's difficult to grasp how Joseph really was because we only read the good things. How difficult is it to this? Now I tried to bring this into a more applicable scenario. As much as we think we know what we're going to do, God might have something different stored in for you. Now I know that sounds very cliche and something you hear every Sunday, but really it's the way it works. I had a pastor in the past who shared with us his life before becoming a pastor. He lived like every normal Korean kid and probably was expected to become a doctor or lawyer. His life took a huge turn when he went to the Marines because he really didn't know what to do. If you ever see this guy, this guy has one of the smallest body frames and is nowhere fit to be a soldier. But there he was and he became a member of force recon. Then he became a firefighter, a teacher, then finally studied to become a pastor. He is only in his 30s. He shared with us how each turn he has taken showed him something different. Ultimately all this led to becoming a pastor because he's met so many different people. Now our lives might not necessarily take 180 degree turns like his, but we should be ready regardless. Joseph probably had no idea he was going to have to take care of the world's messiah. That's how unpredictable life is.
Joseph's role is made somewhat minute because of who Jesus is, but let us not forget Joseph and what he went through. While we may not have to take care of the messiah, we do have to be ready for whatever God brings to us next.
For my summary notes:
Visitors Arrive From Eastern Lands
1-6 Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea during the time of King Herod, and Magi came to seek Him and worship Him. King Herod and the rest of Jerusalem were disturbed by this news. King Herod wanted to know where Jesus was born and the priests and teachers told him Bethlehem in Judea like the prophet was written.
7-12 King Herod called the Magi to find out where Jesus was and to report back so he can worship Him as well. The Magi went on their way, saw the star and found Jesus with Mary. They worshipped Him and gave him treasures and headed to their country on a different route because they were warned by a dream not to go back to Herod.
The Escape To Egypt
13-15 The Lord told Joseph to leave and escape to Egypt because Herod was going to come kill them. So He took Mary and Jesus to Egypt, where they stayed till the death of Herod. Another prophet was fulfilled.
16-18 Herod was furious and decided to kill all the boys in Bethlehem who were two years old and younger. This was another prophecy that was told by Jeremiah.
The Return To Nazareth
19-23 After Herod died, God told Joseph to go to Israel. However, after learning that Archelaus, son of Herod, had been given reign. Thus, after being warned by a dream, Joseph took a detour to Nazareth, fulfilling another prophecy.
I hope everyone is doing very well the first day after break. It's really tough to go to class these days especially with all the snow. You start making excuses for not going (Mark if you're reading this, I'm talking to you). But I must make a confession that I missed one of my classes today. I acquired a cold over the break (I know, excuses) and decided to take a nap after my 10:30. That nap ended up becoming a deep sleep. I felt so guilty *sigh*. What's even worse is it's the last few weeks before finals, so you feel even more guilty for not going to class. These are some great times to be in. The first IM I received when I logged on AIM was from a good friend of mine:
Friend (4:26:15 PM): dude
Friend (4:26:19 PM): i gave up on life or something
krzymono (4:31:53 PM): wait wut
krzymono (4:32:06 PM): that's sissy talk
Friend (4:32:14 PM): i hate school man
Yea, that's a friend who just received his exams back after break (seriously how messed up can professors be). So if you are in a similar situation as he is in, hang in there. Oh and I'm on AIM like all day. I'm not really present at the computer, but I do like to use AIM a lot. So if you want to drop by and have a chat, I'm there (even if it takes me an hour or two to respond).
Now to the important stuff...
I really enjoyed Chapter 2. It starts off after the birth of Jesus Christ and the Magi come to Jerusalem looking for Jesus. They saw his star from the east and have arrived to worship Him. Now a note about the star because a lot of people like to make a big fuss about it (lol science). Here's what I think........who cares. Honestly it's not very important to me. Whatever people want to throw at it to debunk the existence of Jesus Christ, I really don't care. If there really was a star, then God is capable of making it work, and if there wasn't, well I think a lot of people in the past liked to embellish their stories a little.
Anyways, King Herod was the ruler at the time and is the one who sent the Magi to look for Jesus. The scripture says, "3When King Herod heard this he was disturbed." Now this is rather interesting. King Herod is the king right now, what does he have to be disturbed about? Is it that he senses a greater being or someone that can usurp his throne? Whichever it is, he feels a threat. So the coming of Jesus Christ was obviously something that was somewhat expected.
Here's a question, everyone knew the prophecy. Then why is it that only the Magi were present to worship Him when He arrived? Was it the fashion in which Jesus arrived on earth that they weren't accustomed to (maybe they were expecting something more grand)? Were people just skeptical? It's really tough to say, but try putting yourself in those shoes. Say you heard about the prophecy and knew something about it. Then you hear the news. What would your reaction have been? Do we still doubt Him? As much as we want to put 100% faith in Him, I think a lot of us still doubt Him and will always be skeptical. Even when something is so blatant (that even the king is disturbed by it), we're probably going to be quick to be skeptical about the event. These are the kind of things I like to think about. Jesus, Joseph, and Mary are all the protagonists of the story and Herod is the antagonist, but many times we forget the others. And sometimes it's important to point out the others, because those others are probably what we resemble the most. I don't know if that makes any sense (sorry, cold is kicking in).
The story continues on with Joseph. Joseph, again is very obedient and follows what he is told to do. He escapes to Egypt till Herod dies. Then he is told by an angel to go back to Israel because everything is supposed to be safe now. So he leaves for Israel only to take a detour because he was afraid of Herod's successor Archelaus, also Herod's son. So he took Mary and Jesus to the district of Galilee and lived in Nazareth. Now it's kind of weird that Joseph is told to do something only to do something else when God probably knew what was going to happen. That had me stumped for a bit, but in the end I concluded that it doesn't matter.
What does matter to me is Joseph and his characteristic. It's difficult to grasp how Joseph really was because we only read the good things. How difficult is it to this? Now I tried to bring this into a more applicable scenario. As much as we think we know what we're going to do, God might have something different stored in for you. Now I know that sounds very cliche and something you hear every Sunday, but really it's the way it works. I had a pastor in the past who shared with us his life before becoming a pastor. He lived like every normal Korean kid and probably was expected to become a doctor or lawyer. His life took a huge turn when he went to the Marines because he really didn't know what to do. If you ever see this guy, this guy has one of the smallest body frames and is nowhere fit to be a soldier. But there he was and he became a member of force recon. Then he became a firefighter, a teacher, then finally studied to become a pastor. He is only in his 30s. He shared with us how each turn he has taken showed him something different. Ultimately all this led to becoming a pastor because he's met so many different people. Now our lives might not necessarily take 180 degree turns like his, but we should be ready regardless. Joseph probably had no idea he was going to have to take care of the world's messiah. That's how unpredictable life is.
Joseph's role is made somewhat minute because of who Jesus is, but let us not forget Joseph and what he went through. While we may not have to take care of the messiah, we do have to be ready for whatever God brings to us next.
For my summary notes:
Visitors Arrive From Eastern Lands
1-6 Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea during the time of King Herod, and Magi came to seek Him and worship Him. King Herod and the rest of Jerusalem were disturbed by this news. King Herod wanted to know where Jesus was born and the priests and teachers told him Bethlehem in Judea like the prophet was written.
7-12 King Herod called the Magi to find out where Jesus was and to report back so he can worship Him as well. The Magi went on their way, saw the star and found Jesus with Mary. They worshipped Him and gave him treasures and headed to their country on a different route because they were warned by a dream not to go back to Herod.
The Escape To Egypt
13-15 The Lord told Joseph to leave and escape to Egypt because Herod was going to come kill them. So He took Mary and Jesus to Egypt, where they stayed till the death of Herod. Another prophet was fulfilled.
16-18 Herod was furious and decided to kill all the boys in Bethlehem who were two years old and younger. This was another prophecy that was told by Jeremiah.
The Return To Nazareth
19-23 After Herod died, God told Joseph to go to Israel. However, after learning that Archelaus, son of Herod, had been given reign. Thus, after being warned by a dream, Joseph took a detour to Nazareth, fulfilling another prophecy.
Sunday, November 30, 2008
Here We Go!
Matthew 1
I really don't know who's going to be reading this (I'd be surprised if it's anybody at all), but I am actually pretty elated about this. I've been wanting to do something very similar for a very long time because I think it's an awesome way to use the technology we have today, but I really haven't had the courage do go with it. I have shared this with a couple of people outside of Cornerstone, so I wanted to start a brand new book. Struggling to choose what to start with (being the Asian I am), I chose to just go with the first book of the New Testament: Matthew. Without further ado, my entry:
This seems like a very short reading for a day, but I didn't want to overdo it from the get-go. For those of you who are doing this, I suggest the same approach because I've found myself overdoing it a lot at times and burning out a few weeks after. Start small, and if you think you can do more, then add more accordingly.
Anyways the first chapter is very straightforward. It goes through the lineage from Abraham to Jesus Christ. Now I'll be honest in saying that I did skim over a lot of these because #1 I didn't think it was too important, and #2 I didn't even know who they were (much less pronounce their names). However, after reading the comments from my study Bible (yes, I know I'm a cheater), it brought up an interesting point. From Abraham to Jesus, there are many different types of people. We're talking a range from the obedient like Abraham to the evil like Manasseh (I actually don't know if Manasseh was evil or not, but my Study Bible says so...lol). Anyways it shows that God will work with anyone and everyone. He does not limit us by our shortcomings. That's awesome, I think. I mean that's like saying that someone as screwed up as I am can have a great grandson that will play a huge part in the Kingdom of God.
The second part of the first chapter talks about the birth of Jesus Christ. Now we all know the story and probably have played a role in the Christmas Play at some point in our lives so I won't go into too much detail there. This is Matthew's take on the event, and so it may differ from the other's (ie. Luke). Anyways the thing to point out here was Joseph. We probably all discussed this at some point in our lives, but MAN! I just watched this one Korean movie (I think it's translated "The Baby and Me"), and it was about some guy that found a kid (his kid) in his shopping cart one day. He didn't know about it and doesn't know what to do with it. That's the same thing here, except the baby is Jesus! I don't know about you, but for the guys out there I know becoming a father is a pretty big thing to swallow. Now becoming a father of someone who you KNOW will change the world....yea.
Anyways I don't want to bore you guys with my first entry (congratulations if you made it this far). I have made a lot more notes on my Bible for those who are interested. I also like to listen to different pastors' take on the passages. So in the future if I see/hear something I like, I'll try to post here. I want to end with a summary of the events, as this is something that helps me read.
1-6 Explanation of the genealogy from Abraham to King David
7-17 Continuation of the genealogy from Solomon to Joseph, who was the husband to Mary, who gave birth to Jesus Christ. In total there were 14 generations from Abraham and 14 generations from David to the exile to Babylon, and 14 from exile to Christ.
Angel Appears To Joseph
18-21 Mary was pregnant with Jesus through the Holy Spirit. Joseph didn’t want to hurt Mary, so he thought about divorcing her quietly. However, an angel appeared and told Joseph to not worry and to name the baby Jesus when He is born. Jesus was given the name because “he will save his people from their sins.”
22-25 This was to fulfill a prophet that said a virgin will give birth to a son who will be called Immanuel, which means “God with us.” Joseph followed what he was told to do and named the baby Jesus.
Only two weeks left!
I really don't know who's going to be reading this (I'd be surprised if it's anybody at all), but I am actually pretty elated about this. I've been wanting to do something very similar for a very long time because I think it's an awesome way to use the technology we have today, but I really haven't had the courage do go with it. I have shared this with a couple of people outside of Cornerstone, so I wanted to start a brand new book. Struggling to choose what to start with (being the Asian I am), I chose to just go with the first book of the New Testament: Matthew. Without further ado, my entry:
This seems like a very short reading for a day, but I didn't want to overdo it from the get-go. For those of you who are doing this, I suggest the same approach because I've found myself overdoing it a lot at times and burning out a few weeks after. Start small, and if you think you can do more, then add more accordingly.
Anyways the first chapter is very straightforward. It goes through the lineage from Abraham to Jesus Christ. Now I'll be honest in saying that I did skim over a lot of these because #1 I didn't think it was too important, and #2 I didn't even know who they were (much less pronounce their names). However, after reading the comments from my study Bible (yes, I know I'm a cheater), it brought up an interesting point. From Abraham to Jesus, there are many different types of people. We're talking a range from the obedient like Abraham to the evil like Manasseh (I actually don't know if Manasseh was evil or not, but my Study Bible says so...lol). Anyways it shows that God will work with anyone and everyone. He does not limit us by our shortcomings. That's awesome, I think. I mean that's like saying that someone as screwed up as I am can have a great grandson that will play a huge part in the Kingdom of God.
The second part of the first chapter talks about the birth of Jesus Christ. Now we all know the story and probably have played a role in the Christmas Play at some point in our lives so I won't go into too much detail there. This is Matthew's take on the event, and so it may differ from the other's (ie. Luke). Anyways the thing to point out here was Joseph. We probably all discussed this at some point in our lives, but MAN! I just watched this one Korean movie (I think it's translated "The Baby and Me"), and it was about some guy that found a kid (his kid) in his shopping cart one day. He didn't know about it and doesn't know what to do with it. That's the same thing here, except the baby is Jesus! I don't know about you, but for the guys out there I know becoming a father is a pretty big thing to swallow. Now becoming a father of someone who you KNOW will change the world....yea.
Anyways I don't want to bore you guys with my first entry (congratulations if you made it this far). I have made a lot more notes on my Bible for those who are interested. I also like to listen to different pastors' take on the passages. So in the future if I see/hear something I like, I'll try to post here. I want to end with a summary of the events, as this is something that helps me read.
1-6 Explanation of the genealogy from Abraham to King David
7-17 Continuation of the genealogy from Solomon to Joseph, who was the husband to Mary, who gave birth to Jesus Christ. In total there were 14 generations from Abraham and 14 generations from David to the exile to Babylon, and 14 from exile to Christ.
Angel Appears To Joseph
18-21 Mary was pregnant with Jesus through the Holy Spirit. Joseph didn’t want to hurt Mary, so he thought about divorcing her quietly. However, an angel appeared and told Joseph to not worry and to name the baby Jesus when He is born. Jesus was given the name because “he will save his people from their sins.”
22-25 This was to fulfill a prophet that said a virgin will give birth to a son who will be called Immanuel, which means “God with us.” Joseph followed what he was told to do and named the baby Jesus.
Only two weeks left!
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