Month: January 2024

Bible Passage For The Day 1-30-2024

/ Matt Vance / Leave a comment

Acts 2:42-47

And they were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to the prayers. 43 And fear came upon every soul; and many wonders and signs were taking place through the apostles. 44 And all those who had believed were together and had all things in common; 45 and they began selling their property and possessions and were dividing them up with all, as anyone might have need. 46 And daily devoting themselves with one accord in the temple and breaking bread from house to house, they were taking their meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart, 47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord was adding to their number daily those who were being saved.

Following Jesus Requires Us To Move Forward. EXPOSITION ON THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE study #85 (Luke 9:61-62)

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To open up this study I want to remind you that we are really continuing our study from last time concerning what following Jesus looks like. Remember I stated in our last study that the first 3 points, the first 2 points from last study and the first point for this study, took us back to the parable of the Sower or soils that Jesus spoke on back in Luke 8. There were 4 soils, 3 represented the different types of people that reject the Gospel and one represented the true Christian. In those 3 soils there is one that Jesus explains in Luke 8:14 as the seed which fell among the thorns, these are the ones who have heard, and as they go on their way they are choked with worries and riches and pleasures of life, and do not bear ripe fruit.

Last study our points were Following Jesus requires FORSAKING yourself and Following Jesus requires leaving the FUTURE to God. Both of these showed to us that we must be willing to give God our present and our future and now we will look at the fact that this must be done as we move forward. When we are trying to move forward in our walk with Christ often times people in your own family can be the biggest hinderance not because they are purposely trying to but because they are unregenerate and do not have God’s view in mind. Before we were saved, we all had one agenda and that was to please self. Even as Christians we often fight this battle daily and it is with that thought that we go into our next point in this section of Scripture which serves as our first point for this study.

1.Following Jesus requires leaving FAMILY affairs to God.
Look with me at Luke 9:61-62 Another also said, “I will follow You, Lord, but first permit me to say farewell to those at home.” 62 But Jesus said to him, “No one, after putting his hand to the plow and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.”

This man was just like the others, he was following in the crowd, he was amazed at the ministry of Jesus, he was willing to go but only on his terms. Jesus knowing the hearts of all people knew who it was that would continue with Him and the one’s who wouldn’t. Here this man comes up to Jesus to tell Him that he wants to follow him. Again this seems like a great thing but again we see another person wanting to come to Jesus on his own terms.

This man says “I will follow You, Lord, but first permit me to say farewell to those at home.” Some people will look at this as not so unreasonable of a request. They may say that it seems proper to take time with your family before going on a journey that requires full attention. But Jesus answers this man by saying  “No one, after putting his hand to the plow and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.”

People that make up a god of their own says that this does not sound like a loving God. They may say that they would never want to serve such a harsh God that has no compassion. But there is a principle behind what Jesus says that needs to be seen. Jesus is not trying to be harsh or unloving but this shows the seriousness of the call to follow Jesus.

Our culture has pampered this call and has really destroyed the way that God calls people. A lot of churches make membership, baptism and religious activity so easy. There is no real commitment, there is no real challenge to be unhinged from the world or to live in holiness. Many churches are content with having members that tithe even if they never grow, serve or do their part in bringing others to the Kingdom of God. They allow people to come to God how they want. They come with their sin, they remain in their sin and they are told that they are Christians because they made a profession of faith. This act is very dangerous and sinful because this has warped the command by our Lord to deny self, to take up our cross and die daily.

This response by our Lord is really soft compared to other times He speaks on this subject. Matthew 10:37-39 says “He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; and he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. 38 And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. 39 He who has found his life will lose it, and he who has lost his life for My sake will find it.

This thought is expounded even more in Luke 14:26-27 when Jesus says “If anyone comes to Me, and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be My disciple. 27 Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple.

Matthew used a word that speaks of a general kind of love that shows that we are not to have love in general more than God. But then Luke use the Greek word miseó (mis-eh’-o) which means to to detest (on a comparative basis), to love someone or something less than someone (something) else or to renounce one choice in favor of another.

Both of these different words shows us that we must be willing to put God first in front of family. Many people would do anything for family so this issue has to be addressed here because there are times when your own family, your son or daughter, your parents, your spouse could be a hinderance to your obedience to God.

Jesus speaks a parable about this very thing in Luke 14:16-24 which I encourage you to go read. In the parable a man was giving a dinner in which he invited many people. Each one of the guests began to make excuses for not being able to go to this dinner. Luke 14:18b-20 records their excuses as ‘I have bought a piece of land and I need to go out and look at it. I ask you, consider me excused.’ 19 And another one said, ‘I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I am going to try them out. I ask you, consider me excused.’ 20 And another one said, ‘I have married a wife, and for that reason I cannot come.’ 

These each represent people that are not willing to give up their life to go to the most important banquet of their life. This parable represents people that are called to salvation but not chosen for salvation. The fact is, they love their life more than they love God. In the parable when the man hears of these people making excuses he tells his slave in Luke 14:23-24 ‘Go out into the highways and along the fences, and compel them to come in, so that my house may be filled. 24 For I tell you, none of those men who were invited shall taste of my dinner.’”

The bottom line is that following Jesus is not some commitment you can make when you are ready. If He is calling you, then you must respond. That response will either be living for yourself or denying yourself. There is no room for going back and doing what you want for a little while then returning to follow when you want. A person that does that will live their entire life going from commitment to the church one moment to living like the world the next. This is why Jesus says to this man in Luke 9:62 “No one, after putting his hand to the plow and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.”

I want to expound a little more on this verse to show that following God has to be done by not looking back but moving forward. This leads us to our final point for this study and for chapter 9.

2.Following Jesus requires moving FORWARD towards God.
*Look again at Luke 9:62 But Jesus said to him, “No one, after putting his hand to the plow and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.”*

We can’t dismiss the fact that this is the response to the man from verse 61 but I think it is clear that this has an element to it that the other responses from our Lord in this section does not. The other responses has ideas that we must take with us like, knowing that we must deny ourselves in order to follow Christ or we must trust God for our future. Jesus clearly states in the second response something that every believer should be doing and that is proclaiming everywhere the kingdom of God.

Here Jesus speaks directly to this third man concerning the fact that he wanted to go say his final farewells. But *within this response Jesus gives to us a principle that carries on directly to the reality of what being a Christian means. Yes being a Christian means denying oneself, yes being a Christian means trusting God for future situations, yes being a Christian means that we are to be proclaiming the truth of the Gospel and God’s kingdom come but in summation being a Christian means that you never turn back to live your old life.

Now let’s be clear I do not believe Jesus is speaking about sinful behaviors here but rather a way of life. What I mean is that Jesus is not saying you will never fall into sinful patterns or that you will never sin but rather is making the point that a Christian will not look back with a desire to think like they did before. They will not live a life with selfish motives as the standard for their life, they will not live in fear of their future and they will not sit dormant in sharing the Gospel with the gifts that God has given to them. They will exhibit a life of faith in God. Hebrews 10:38 says But My righteous one shall live by faith, And if he shrinks back, My soul has no pleasure in him.*

The Christian should be following a life of faith in God, not in perfection but in direction as John MacArthur says. It is recognizing that you aren’t perfect or sinless but that you are moving in the direction that aligns with God’s standard. I love what Paul says in Philippians 3:12-16 Not that I have already obtained it or have already become perfect, but I press on so that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus. 13 Brothers, I do not consider myself as having laid hold of it yet, but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. 15 Let us therefore, as many as are perfect, think this way; and if in anything you think differently, God will reveal that also to you. 16 However, let us keep walking in step with the same standard to which we have attained.

The fact is we have not become the person we want to be but we will look forward to what God has for us and not look back on sins and mistakes that may hinder us in our spiritual growth. We must make sure that we are not trying to live for both the world and God. We can not live for self and for God, we can not live for the happiness of worldly things and for God. God may give to us worldly prosperity and He may not but the fact is we must be living towards God. James 1:5-8 says But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him. 6 But he must ask in faith, doubting nothing, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind. 7 For that man ought not to expect that he will receive anything from the Lord, 8 being a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.

James starts with the fact that we need to ask God for wisdom. That asking must be in faith but if it is not in faith then we are unstable not just in wisdom but in all of his ways, James says. Living a life apart from faith shows up as a person living for the world but wanting to live for God. The point Jesus makes in Luke 9:62 I think shows to us this same reality. Each of these men wanted to follow Christ but the fact is they were still living for the world and could not seem to let go.

As we close this chapter I just want to point out that Jesus is not suggesting that if you want to live a prosperous Christian life then you need to not look back but rather it is clear that “No one, after putting his hand to the plow and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.”

They may have been a part of the church for years, they may have been baptized, been on the staff of a church or even the pastor but if they go back into the world to live for the world then they are not and were never truly following Christ. They may have been a learner, a church member but they were never truly saved. 1 John 2:18-19 says Children, it is the last hour; and just as you heard that antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have appeared. From this we know that it is the last hour. 19 They went out from us, but they were not really of us; for if they were of us, they would have remained with us; but they went out, so that it would be manifested that they all are not of us.

Are you living in for the world? Are you living for the standards the world sets or what the Bible says? The Bible does not change with culture, the Bible does not change with new ideologies but rather we must hold firm to what God says and live in that way, never looking back but moving forward.

Bible Passage For The Day 1-29-2024

/ Matt Vance / Leave a comment

Colossians 1:15-20

Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.
16 For in Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things have been created through Him and for Him.
17 And He is before all things,
And in Him all things hold together.
18 And He is the head of the body, the church;
Who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything.
19 For in Him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell,
20 And through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, having made peace through the blood of His cross—through Him—whether things on earth or things in heaven.

Introduction To The Book Of Jude. EXPOSITION ON THE BOOK OF JUDE study #1 (Jude vs. 1-2)

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Today we start with another exposition in a book of the Bible, it has been about 5 months since we finished in the book of Ephesians which then took us to a topical exposition in Hebrews 11. Now we will begin our look into the book of Jude. Jude is the 4th shortest book in the entire Bible but contains some very powerful instructions and warnings concerning false teachings and false teachers. Personally I have been wanting to dive into this book for some time now but I was already caught up in the Ephesians and Hebrews 11 studies.

Jude has only one chapter with 25 verses and the theme of this book seems to point towards encouragement and exhortation towards believers. In this exhorting and encouragement Jude warns against the false teachers that had already infiltrated the church. This goes along with many text of Scripture that shows us that a pastor, leader or overseer should be able and actively warning against such false teaching. For example Titus 1:9b says of men that would be appointed to the office of elder that they must be able both to exhort in sound doctrine and to reprove those who contradict.

The time of this writing is not specific but goes along with a time frame of 60 to 70 AD. Once again there is nothing in this letter to indicate to us what year or anything specific so all we have to go on is tradition. Not knowing the timing will not hinder us from understanding the context and meaning of the original text.

In this study we are just introducing this letter with a look at the first two verses. These will answer two questions, one being who the writer is and the other being who the writer is writing to. In this we will see the words of compassion and care coming from a person that cares deeply for his audience.

1.Who wrote the book of Jude?
Look with me at Jude vs. 1a that says Jude, a slave of Jesus Christ, and brother of James.

The obvious is that Jude wrote this book of the Bible. We could take time to look at the possibility of the other people in the Bible with the name Ioudas (ee-oo-das’) from the Greek. This name can be seen as Jude, Judas or Judah. We know that Jesus had two disciples named Judas, one the betrayer and the other called Thaddeus. There are other people in the New Testament that have this name as well but the text clearly gives to us some information that helps us in knowing who this is.

Like other New Testament writings we see that Jude opens up with a humble title of himself as he says Jude, a slave of Jesus Christ. Many translations use terms like servant or bond-servant where we see slave in the LSB here. I think it is important to always notice the distinction that a servant and slave has. A slave in our culture seems to be a harsh word and the very reason why that word has been swapped out for servant in many translations. But with that I do believe we have lost the meaning of what the New Testament writers were trying to convey concerning their relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ.

One of the words that translates as servant is the Greek word oiketes (oy-ket’-ace). This word is defined as a household servant working for a family, implying it is done with affection and devotion. This seems to be a good example of someone that is a Christian but this is not the term used by Jude and most New Testament writers when you may see servant or bond-servant in the Bible.

Another word in the Greek we may see as servant or bond-servant is diakonos (dee-ak’-on-os) which is used often in reference to a deacon or a minister. This again is not the term used here for slave or servant in Jude.

The term used here in Jude is the Greek word doulos (doo’-los) which strictly means someone who belongs to another or a bond-slave that is without any ownership rights of their own. To most of us this seems to be strange language because we think back at slavery in our culture as harsh and cruel but that was not the idea primarily in their culture. I understand why people wanted to change the translation but with that we do lose so much meaning. If we take the idea of servant and apply it to how Jude starts here we might just think that Jude was a great worker for the Lord or that He is one that places himself in areas of service for the Gospel. In fact he did those things but that is not the idea he was trying to convey here.

The idea he is trying to convey is that he is not his own. This letter is not from his own perspective or for his honor. Everything he is going to say and everything he does is because he is the Lord’s slave. He does not live for himself but for God. The doulos idea also means their must be a master that is in control. The word doulos is directly connected to the word kurios (koo’-ree-os) which is used for lord or master. This is a person exercising absolute ownership rights.

So Jude is not saying that he is just a servant, someone that serves or a deacon of some sort but he is saying that Jesus is his Lord and he is Jesus’ slave. The slavery they would know would not depict harsh and cruel treatment but rather love, care, acceptance and inclusion. So we conclude that Jude expresses that Jesus is his Lord and he is a willing slave to the Lord.

This brings us to move along in this verse to understand who this is exactly. Look again at the beginning of Jude vs 1 Jude, a slave of Jesus Christ, and brother of James.

We have now a little more information that Jude is the brother of James. Once again we know that there were many people named James in that time as well. There was James the Apostle but we know that he was killed very early in the establishment of the church. In fact there is no mention of James the Apostle having a brother named Jude anywhere in the Bible or in historical documents so I conclude that it could not be James the Apostle.

The other James that would be the best to consider would be James who was the leader of the Jerusalem church. It is this James that wrote the book of the Bible we know as the Book of James. In fact listen to how James starts his letter in James 1:1a James, a slave of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ.

James uses the same word doulos to express his relationship to God and to the Lord Jesus. Tradition points towards James being the half brother of Jesus. This goes along as well with these names being in a list of Jesus’ brothers in Mark 6:3 that says Is this man not the carpenter, the son of Mary, and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon? Are not His sisters here with us?” And they were taking offense at Him.

We see there among those listed as Jesus’ brother both James and Judas(Jude). Paul makes reference to James in Galatians 1:18-19 where he is recounting his calling from God and his visit to Jerusalem, it says there Then three years later I went up to Jerusalem to become acquainted with Cephas, and stayed with him fifteen days. 19 But I did not see any other of the apostles except James, the Lord’s brother.

Neither James nor Jude used their credentials as the Lord’s brother but that they are His slave. They did not want to use family connection to bring about some type of authority but rather looked to associate with the people as a fellow slave of the Lord. It wasn’t until after Jesus’ death, burial and resurrection that Jesus’ brothers came to believe. We know that Paul expresses in 1 Corinthians 15:6-7 that Jesus appeared to five hundred brothers at one time, also James and also to the Apostles. This shows us that this may have been the point of conversion for James and most likely the rest of his brothers because we see in Acts 1:14 that says These all with one accord were continually devoting themselves to prayer, along with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and His brothers.

Here Jesus’ brothers were assembled with the apostles in the upper room. Before they did nothing but mock Jesus but now they are following along with the disciples to eventually fulfill the Great Commission.

Along with tradition I believe that the writer of this great letter is the half-brother of our Lord Jesus. His mention of his brother James sets him apart because James the leader of the Jerusalem church would not have needed an explanation. Everyone knew who James was especially Jews that had fled to other areas outside of Jerusalem during the mass persecution surrounding that area. This leads us to look at our next point to understand who is the audience of Jude.

2.Who is the book of Jude written to?
Look with me at Jude vs. 1-2 that says Jude, a slave of Jesus Christ, and brother of James, To those who are the called, beloved in God the Father, and kept for Jesus Christ: 2 May mercy and peace and love be multiplied to you.

I want to point out from the beginning that we can not get something from the text that is not here. What is not here is the exact audience of Jude. What I mean is we do not have a location of the recipients of this letter but in reality we just have a general title for this audience. We see here in Jude vs 1b that his audience is To those who are the called, beloved in God the Father, and kept for Jesus Christ.

This letter is to those who are called. It is this that I want to turn our attention to because this terminology will help us realize that this is directly pointed to Christians. The word we need to look at is the word called here. This word is the Greek word klétos (klay-tos’) which is an adjective that of course describes a noun. This word is used often of Christians but we must qualify that because there is a general call that excludes those that actually accept the invitation.

To further explain let’s look at the parable of the wedding feast that Jesus taught. In this parable we clearly see that Jesus says first in Matthew 22:2 “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son.

This is the general invitation to this feast or in reality the call to be saved. The problem exposes itself quickly in the parable when Jesus says in Matthew 22:3-6 that says And he sent out his slaves to call those who had been called to the wedding feast, and they were unwilling to come. 4 Again he sent out other slaves saying, ‘Tell those who have been called, “Behold, I have prepared my dinner; my oxen and my fattened livestock are all butchered and everything is ready; come to the wedding feast.”’ 5 But they paid no attention and went their way, one to his own farm, another to his business, 6 and the rest seized his slaves and mistreated them and killed them.

To many people this just seems to be an example of those that reject the Gospel and have doomed themselves to Hell for eternity. But in reality we must remember that all of us before becoming Christians had this same way of living. Ephesians 2:1-3 says And you were dead in your transgressions and sins, 2 in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the ruler of the power of the air, the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience, 3 among whom we all also formerly conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, doing the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest.

Romans 3:10-11 says “There is none righteous, not even one; 11 There is none who understands, There is none who seeks for God; 12 All have turned aside, together they have become worthless; There is none who does good, There is not even one.”

There is no doubt to most people that we were unable to do anything right or worthy of acceptance towards God. Then Ephesians 2:4-5 says But God, being rich in mercy because of His great love with which He loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved.

*So back to the parable of the wedding feast we see that the king was angry at these people which represents God’s wrath on sinners. But then there is a second group that is called that responds positively to this call. These came to the wedding feast, they were brought to the feast, dressed in the proper attire but the others were thrown into outer darkness. Then Jesus says in Matthew 22:14 For many are called, but few are chosen.”

The fact is if you follow the parable it is clear that we see many called. The called are those that rejected the invitation and also those that accepted the invitation. The ones that accepted did not accept because of their own willingness but because the master chose them. 2 Timothy 1:8b-9 says but join with me in suffering for the gospel according to the power of God, 9 who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus from all eternity.*

There are many other places we could see this concept within the Bible but what I want to make clear is that Jude is most likely writing this letter to a church that he had ministered to or was leading at the time in some way. 1 Corinthians 1:9 says God is faithful, through whom you were called into fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

Jude shows love and care for his audience when he says in Jude vs 2 May mercy and peace and love be multiplied to you.

This shows his connection and affection for these people that he most likely was in connection with in the Gospel.

The called when used in this way represents those that accepted the invitation. The call of the general position is not a call that can be accepted without first God making us alive as we saw in Ephesians 2:4-5. So this concludes that we know that Jude is writing to the church and his purpose for this writing will be strong and direct as we will see from the beginning to the end of this great Epistle.