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Post by stevepugh on Jan 26, 2008 4:23:40 GMT -5
Par 6 3 v13-17 Christ is baptised by John (Mark 1v9-11 Luke 3v21-22)
13 Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John, to be baptized of him. 14 But John forbad him, saying, I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me? 15 And Jesus answering said unto him, Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness. Then he suffered him. 16 And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a *dove, and lighting upon him: 17 And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.
*Dove – The only bird offered in sacrifice. The Dove is thought to be symbolic of Israel and denotes the Lord as the ideal Israelite.
· Why did John initially refuse to baptise the Lord? · How did the Lord answer his fears? · What happened to the Lord at his baptism?
The Lord came to John to be baptised by him, not as sinner needing repentance but as God manifest in flesh who as a man wished to fulfil all aspects of righteousness. Perhaps when John asked the Lord to confess his sin there was no reply. The Dove from heaven and the voice from heaven confirmed to John who Jesus was. The voice from heaven spoke of the Lords identity, he is my beloved Son and his life In him l am well pleased. The Lord was the object of the Fathers love and his life was the delight of his heart.
Steve
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Post by Michael on Jan 26, 2008 6:29:31 GMT -5
I thought the dove is an emblem of the Holy Spirit.
Luke 3:22 22 And the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon him, and a voice came from heaven, which said, Thou art my beloved Son; in thee I am well pleased.
Psalms 68:13 13 Though ye have lien among the pots, yet shall ye be as the wings of a dove covered with silver, and her feathers with yellow gold.
Matthew 10:16 16 Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.
Genesis 8:9 9 But the dove found no rest for the sole of her foot, and she returned unto him into the ark, for the waters were on the face of the whole earth: then he put forth his hand, and took her, and pulled her in unto him into the ark.
Other emblems of the Holy Spirit include:-
Wind-He Convicts Fire-Purifies Oil-Illuminates and heals
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Post by stevepugh on Jan 29, 2008 2:50:17 GMT -5
Yes as you pointed out the dove was symbolic of a number of things.
In Jewish thought it is symbolic of Jewishness.
Steve
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Post by stevepugh on Jan 29, 2008 2:51:24 GMT -5
Chapter 4
Par 7 4 v1-11 The will of God in the wilderness (Mark 1v12-13 Luke 4v1-13)
A Led by the Spirit v1 B Accosted by the Devil v1 C If you are the Son of God – Stones to Bread v3 (Lust of the flesh) D The Answer – It is Written v4 C If you are the Son of God – Fall from the Temple v5-6 (Pride of Life) D The Answer – It is Written v7 C If you will fall down and worship me v8-9 (Lust of the eye) D The Answer – It is Written v10 B Forsaken by the Devil v11 A Ministered to by angels v11
1 Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the *devil. 2 And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred. 3 And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made *bread. 4 But he answered and said, *It is written, Man shall not live by *bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. 5 Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple, 6 And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone. 7 Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God. 8 Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; 9 And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me. 10 Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve. 11 Then the devil leaveth him, and, behold, angels came and ministered unto him.
*The Devil – The word means accuser or slanderer. The single powerful supernatural enemy of God. *Bread – Small loaves. Similar on shape, colour and texture to the stones. *It is written – It means it has been written and will stand written for ever – (the perfect tense) The Lord seldom quoted scripture but often said ‘I say to you’. *Bread alone – The Lord is not sustained by food for the body only but by the Word of God, which is food for the soul.
· Why did the Lord go into the wilderness? · Look at each temptation and ask what is the Lord being asked to do and how did the Lord respond to each temptation?
The Lord is led by the Spirit into the wilderness to fast and to be tempted. Here we have a secret to the life and ministry of Christ – He was under the direct guidance of the Holy Spirit and knew victory over temptation in his personal life. Martyn Luther said that ‘Temptation and the Word of God – make a man of God’. The Lord was not brought up in the Universities of his day, but like his fathers David and Abraham was educated alone, by God, in the desert. Like David he fought with the giant and overcame him. And like Abraham to took on a might force and totally defeated them. The Lord was a man of war in the spiritual realm. When David faced the giant he had five smooth stones and only needed one. When the Lord faced Satan he had the Law of God in his heart, but only quoted from one book Deuteronomy.
Steve
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Post by stevepugh on Feb 3, 2008 4:09:34 GMT -5
Par 8 4 v12-17 Christ begins to preach (Mark 1v14-20 Luke 4v14-5v11)
12 Now when Jesus had heard that John was cast into prison, he departed into Galilee; 13 And leaving Nazareth, he came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is upon the sea coast, in the borders of Zabulon and Nephthalim: 14 That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, 15 The land of Zabulon, and the land of Nephthalim, by the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles; 16 The people which sat in darkness saw great light; and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up. 17 From that time Jesus began to *preach, and to say, Repent: for the *kingdom of heaven is at hand.
*Preach – The work of a herald – proclaiming good news. *Kingdom of heaven – The time when Christ will sit on the throne of his father David – The Millennium. When ‘Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven’. Apart from the Church era it was only nine years away.
· Why did the Lord move north to Capernaum? · What was the main message of the Lord?
After secret fasting and victory in the desert the Lord moves into a public ministry of preaching and disciple making. It was the work of the Evangelist/Pastor. His ministry starts right where John left off, with the same words.
Steve
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Post by Michael on Feb 4, 2008 5:56:11 GMT -5
I would say that The Lord Jesus Christ is the chief apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor, teacher plus alot more! For example, I know he is a prophet because Moses spoke about Him In Deut.18:15
The LORD thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me; unto him ye shall hearken;
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Post by andrew on Mar 17, 2008 13:10:20 GMT -5
Matthew 5:43-48
43 "You have heard that it was said, `You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' 44 But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. 46 For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? 47 And if you salute only your brethren, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? 48 You, therefore, must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect. Meditation: What makes Christians different from others and what makes Christianity distinct from any other religion? It is grace — treating others, not as they deserve, but as God wishes them to be treated — with loving-kindness and mercy. God is good to the unjust as well as the just. His love embraces saint and sinner alike. God seeks our highest good and teaches us to seek the greatest good of others, even those who hate and abuse us. Our love for others, even those who are ungrateful and selfish towards us, must be marked by the same kindness and mercy which God has shown to us. It is easier to show kindness and mercy when we can expect to benefit form doing so. How much harder when we can expect nothing in return. Our prayer for those who do us ill both breaks the power of revenge and releases the power of love to do good in the face of evil. How can we possibly love those who cause us harm or ill-will? With God all things are possible. He gives power and grace to those who believe and accept the gift of the Holy Spirit. His love conquers all, even our hurts, fears, prejudices and griefs. Only the cross of Jesus Christ can free us from the tyranny of malice, hatred, revenge, and resentment and gives us the courage to return evil with good. Such love and grace has power to heal and to save from destruction. Do you know the power of Christ’s redeeming love and mercy? Was Jesus exaggerating when he said we must be perfect as our heavenly Father is perfect? The original meaning of “perfect” in Aramaic is “completeness” or “wholeness–not lacking in what is essential”. God gives us every good gift in Jesus Christ so that we may not lack anything we need to do his will and to live as his sons and daughters. He knows our frailty and sinfulness better than we do. And he assures us of his love, mercy, and grace to follow in his ways. Do you want to grow in your love for God and for your neighbor? Ask the Holy Spirit to change and transform you in the image of the Father that you may walk in the joy and freedom of the gospel.
“Lord, your love brings freedom and pardon. Fill me with your Holy Spirit and set my heart ablaze with your love that nothing may make me lose my temper, ruffle my peace, take away my joy, nor make me bitter towards anyone.”
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