Wednesday, August 09, 2006
PHARISEEISM
Matt. 12:49. And stretching out His hand toward His disciples, He said, "Behold, My mother and My brothers! 50. "For whoever does the will of My Father who is in heaven, he is My brother and sister and mother."
Mark 3:34. And looking about on those who were sitting around Him, He said, "Behold, My mother and My brothers! 35. "For whoever does the will of God, he is My brother and sister and mother."
Luke 8:21b. "My mother and My brothers are these who hear the word of God and do it."
Jesus identifies spiritual family ties as He shows the protagonists by stretching out His hand toward His disciples and then repeats the initial word that brought about the interruption; “Behold!” This is Jesus’ method of focusing directly on the information that was brought in by His personal family, who was trying to get Him out of His predicament. He is in no way being condescending to His family who He loved even more than they did Him. He came to offer them the salvation that begins and ends in Him as He did with everyone else including His enemies.
It is at this point His Father is factored into the spiritual family. "For whoever does the will of My Father, he is My brother and sister and mother." MacArthur writes, “Until a person believes in Christ, God cannot give him any spiritual help, and that person cannot give God any spiritual service.”
The religious were selling reformation as evidenced in Phariseeism. Reformation is a man made adjustment in the way he makes moral decisions which doesn’t make him spiritually alive. This is what is so deadly about selling false conversion; it insulates the spiritually dead from coming into contact with the truth that regenerates. Phariseeism can generate self-satisfaction but Jeremiah tells us about that in Jer. 17:9 "The heart is more deceitful than all else and is desperately sick; who can understand it?”
Jesus has just been accused of healing a demon possessed man by the power of Satan, yet He still offers a universal call to those who would listen in the word “whoever”. "For whoever does the will of God, he is My brother and sister and mother." This call to do the will of God is extended to all peoples. So the question and answer as to what the will of God is found in John 6:28-19 They said therefore to Him, "What shall we do, that we may work the works of God?" 29. Jesus answered and said to them, "This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent."
If one truly believes (is a Christian) he will show his love for the Father’s gift of the Son by living in obedience to what the Son has commanded.
Mark 3:34. And looking about on those who were sitting around Him, He said, "Behold, My mother and My brothers! 35. "For whoever does the will of God, he is My brother and sister and mother."
Luke 8:21b. "My mother and My brothers are these who hear the word of God and do it."
Jesus identifies spiritual family ties as He shows the protagonists by stretching out His hand toward His disciples and then repeats the initial word that brought about the interruption; “Behold!” This is Jesus’ method of focusing directly on the information that was brought in by His personal family, who was trying to get Him out of His predicament. He is in no way being condescending to His family who He loved even more than they did Him. He came to offer them the salvation that begins and ends in Him as He did with everyone else including His enemies.
It is at this point His Father is factored into the spiritual family. "For whoever does the will of My Father, he is My brother and sister and mother." MacArthur writes, “Until a person believes in Christ, God cannot give him any spiritual help, and that person cannot give God any spiritual service.”
The religious were selling reformation as evidenced in Phariseeism. Reformation is a man made adjustment in the way he makes moral decisions which doesn’t make him spiritually alive. This is what is so deadly about selling false conversion; it insulates the spiritually dead from coming into contact with the truth that regenerates. Phariseeism can generate self-satisfaction but Jeremiah tells us about that in Jer. 17:9 "The heart is more deceitful than all else and is desperately sick; who can understand it?”
Jesus has just been accused of healing a demon possessed man by the power of Satan, yet He still offers a universal call to those who would listen in the word “whoever”. "For whoever does the will of God, he is My brother and sister and mother." This call to do the will of God is extended to all peoples. So the question and answer as to what the will of God is found in John 6:28-19 They said therefore to Him, "What shall we do, that we may work the works of God?" 29. Jesus answered and said to them, "This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent."
If one truly believes (is a Christian) he will show his love for the Father’s gift of the Son by living in obedience to what the Son has commanded.
# posted by Castusfumus : 7:33 PM
