Jesus did not only call the twelve. He also gave them power to do what He had called them to do. The same principle holds true today: whom God calls, God equips. The equipping may not be completely evident before the ministry begins, but it will be evident along the way. (David Guzik)
Here we find the first call to the Christian ministry, and the end proposed by the commission given. To call persons to the ministry belongs only to Him who can give them power to cast out unclean spirits. He whose ministry is not accompanied with healing to diseased souls, was never called of God. But let it be observed, that, though the spiritual gifts requisite for the ministry must be supplied by God himself..... (Adam Clarke) We must be born of water and the Spirit. What does it mean to be born of water? We know from John 3:10 that whatever being born of water is, it should have been familiar to Nicodemus from the Old Testament. i. Some have thought born of water means to be baptized. Water here may represent baptism, but there is no real Old Testament foundation for this. ii. Some have thought that born of water refers to our physical birth, since we come forth from a sack of water. This approach is more attractive, but doesn't it simply state the obvious? However, it does make a good parallel with the idea of that which is born of the flesh in John 3:6. iii. Some have thought that born of water means to be born again by the Word of God. In other passages of Scripture, water represents the Word, as we are washed by the water of the word (Ephesians 5:26). iv. Some have thought that born of water means to be regenerated by the Holy Spirit, the living water of John 7:38-39. v. Some have thought that born of water means to receive the water of cleansing prophesied in Ezekiel 36:25-28 as part of the New Covenant. This is the approach has the most weight (though it is a tough call), because of its firm connections to Old Testament prophecy - which Jesus says Nicodemus should have know to understand these things. Without the new birth of the Spirit, all works of righteousness are tainted by the flesh. Yet, everything that a Spirit-led man does can be pleasing to God. (Guzik) Amos 7:14
Then Amos answered and said to Amaziah, “I was no prophet, nor a prophet's son, but I was a herdsman and a dresser of sycamore figs. Amos in answering this priest, who was really challenging his authority, "Who ordained you? Amos said, "Look, I was only a shepherd; I was just a herdsman. I picked sycamore fruit. And while I was following the herd, the Lord said to me, 'Go and prophesy.'" No formal background, no training, just the call of God. God equips those whom He calls. Judges 6:11-24 The Call of Gideon 11 Now the angel of the Lord came and sat under the terebinth at Ophrah, which belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, while his son Gideon was beating out wheat in the winepress to hide it from the Midianites. 12 And the angel of the Lord appeared to him and said to him, “The Lord is with you, O mighty man of valor.” 13 And Gideon said to him, “Please, my lord, if the Lord is with us, why then has all this happened to us? And where are all his wonderful deeds that our fathers recounted to us, saying, ‘Did not the Lord bring us up from Egypt?’ But now the Lord has forsaken us and given us into the hand of Midian.” 14 And the Lord[a] turned to him and said, “Go in this might of yours and save Israel from the hand of Midian; do not I send you?” 15 And he said to him, “Please, Lord, how can I save Israel? Behold, my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father's house.” 16 And the Lord said to him, “But I will be with you, and you shall strike the Midianites as one man.” 17 And he said to him, “If now I have found favor in your eyes, then show me a sign that it is you who speak with me. 18 Please do not depart from here until I come to you and bring out my present and set it before you.” And he said, “I will stay till you return.” 19 So Gideon went into his house and prepared a young goat and unleavened cakes from an ephah[b] of flour. The meat he put in a basket, and the broth he put in a pot, and brought them to him under the terebinth and presented them. 20 And the angel of God said to him, “Take the meat and the unleavened cakes, and put them on this rock, and pour the broth over them.” And he did so. 21 Then the angel of the Lord reached out the tip of the staff that was in his hand and touched the meat and the unleavened cakes. And fire sprang up from the rock and consumed the meat and the unleavened cakes. And the angel of the Lord vanished from his sight. 22 Then Gideon perceived that he was the angel of the Lord. And Gideon said, “Alas, O Lord God! For now I have seen the angel of the Lord face to face.” 23 But the Lord said to him, “Peace be to you. Do not fear; you shall not die.” 24 Then Gideon built an altar there to the Lord and called it, The Lord Is Peace. To this day it still stands at Ophrah, which belongs to the Abiezrites. "Now, it is interesting, he called it Jehovah-shalom. He's about ready to go into one of the biggest battles of his entire life, I mean he is facing warfare and an enemy and conflict, God has called him to deliver the children of Israel from the oppression of Midianites but he calls the altar Jehovah-shalom, "God our peace." For he is looking beyond the battle to the peace that God is going to bring. And so by faith really, the altar is named Jehovah-shalom, "the Lord our peace" because he's looking beyond the conflict to the peace that God has promised to His people. It's really very beautiful. And we too can look beyond the conflict to the peace that God has promised. And maybe you're in conflict and turmoil tonight but He is still to you Jehovah-shalom, "the Lord your peace" and He can give you peace even in the midst of the conflict. Jehovah-shalom. One of the beautiful compound names of Jehovah." -- (Commentary Chuck Smith) Luke 7:11-17
Jesus Raises a Widow's Son 11 Soon afterward he went to a town called Nain, and his disciples and a great crowd went with him. 12 As he drew near to the gate of the town, behold, a man who had died was being carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow, and a considerable crowd from the town was with her. 13 And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her and said to her, “Do not weep.” 14 Then he came up and touched the bier, and the bearers stood still. And he said, “Young man, I say to you, arise.” 15 And the dead man sat up and began to speak, and Jesus gave him to his mother. 16 Fear seized them all, and they glorified God, saying, “A great prophet has arisen among us!” and “God has visited his people!” 17 And this report about him spread through the whole of Judea and all the surrounding country. You never know the truth of any situation until you have heard from Jesus! When Jesus revealed Himself in this circumstance, the people were filled with awe and praised God! Never determine the truth of a situation only by looking at the circumstances. Don't evaluate your situation until you have heard from Jesus. He is Truth. (H. Blackaby) I'm sure you've heard someone say, "Believe your beliefs, and doubt your doubts!"
Jesus saw a difference between doubt and unbelief. Oswald Chambers said, "Doubt is not always a sign that a person is wrong; it may be a sign that they are thinking." Doubt says "I can't believe." Unbelief says, "I won't believe." Doubt is honesty; Unbelief is obstinacy. Doubt is looking for light; Unbelief is content to sit in the darkness. Look at John 3:16-20: "For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him. There is no judgment against anyone who believes in him. But anyone who does not believe in him has already been judged for not believing in God's one and only Son. And the judgment is based on this fact: God's light came into the world, but people loved the darkness more than the light, for their actions were evil. All who do evil hate the light and refuse to go near it for fear their sins will be exposed." (Commentary Mark Martin) Though Jesus was God and was worshiped as the second Person of the glorious Trinity, He took the form of a "BOND SERVANT."
"…but [He] emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men" (Philippians 2:7, NASB). The word "emptied" is the word from which we get the term "kenosis," the doctrine of Christ's self-emptying in His incarnation.
"What can we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us?" (Romans 8:31).
There are times when God directs His angels to protect us from physical danger. In other words, by God's command angels keep us safe! The prophet Daniel experienced this angelic assistance in the lion’s den! After Daniel had spent the night in the den of lions he told King Darius: "My God sent His angel and shut the lions' mouths, and they have not harmed me, inasmuch as I was found innocent before Him; and also toward you, O king, I have committed no crime" (Daniel 6:22, NASB). Today, God still dispatches His angelic servants to protect us. Billy Graham tells the story of John G. Patton, a missionary in the New Hebrides Islands. One evening, natives surrounded the missionary compound with the intent of burning down the compound and killing Mr. Paten and his wife. The missionaries prayed fervently all night, and were surprised and relieved to witness the natives leaving the next morning. A year later, the chief of the hostile tribe was converted to Christianity. John asked him at that time, "what happened that night about a year ago when your natives surrounded our little lean-to there on the sand by the beach that caused them to suddenly leave?" And the chief replied, "We left because of all those men you had with you." John said, "There were no men, just myself and my wife." The chief went on to say that they had seen men standing guard—hundreds of big men in shining clothes—with swords in their hands totally encircling his home. It wouldn't be the first time that God sent angels to protect His servants! (Cited in God, Satan and Angels, John MacArthur, pp. 123-124) John 5:15 comes after a controversy about Jesus healing a man on the Sabbath.
In our terminology, Jesus would say: "My Father works on the Sabbath, and so do I. " By this Jesus makes it clear that He is equal to God the Father, and reminds us that God doesn't take holidays. Psalm 121:3-4 He will not allow your foot to be moved; He who keeps you will not slumber. Behold, He who keeps Israel Shall neither slumber nor sleep. |
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