Grace Community Church of Ramona Podcast

Love does not insist on its own way. Love is not irritable or resentful. Love bears, believes, hopes, and endures all things.

Not The End

The response of: Judas, deep regret leading to death. The Religious Leaders, Hostile rejection. Pilate, Indifference. The Centurian, Profound Confession. Nature, Cosmic Protest. God, Wrath applied. Jesus, Sacrificial Obedience. What is your response to the death of Jesus the Messiah?

These religious leaders have determined to condemn Jesus at any cost, clearly violating the very LAW that they pretend to hold so preeminent. They had a conviction and were in search of a crime.

Facing the darkest hours of His human existence, Jesus masters His flesh and brings it into submission to His spirit which is committed to doing His Father's will. In contrast, the flesh has the upper hand and undermines the desire of the disciples to be loyal to Jesus.

Jesus knew the purpose of his death. It was for the forgiveness of sins. Not just for the disciples, but for many. This is the working out of God's plan that was revealed through the prophets (Jeremiah 31:31-34; Isaiah 53:10-11).

The role of these young ladies was to escort the bridegroom in a torchlight procession to his house and the wedding feast. The "lamps" were actually torches for outdoor usage - cloth wound round a stick and soaked with oil.

Matthew 24 Review

We believe that verses 4-35 describe the events leading up to the destruction of the temple in AD 70, with two brief comments regarding the Parousia in verses 27-28; 30-31. Verses 36-51 deal with the Parousia.

We believe that verses 4-35 describe the events leading up to the destruction of the temple in AD 70, with two brief comments regarding the Parousia in verses 27-28; 30-31. Verses 36-51 deal with the Parousia.

The hypocrisy Jesus denounces is not personal deceitfulness; it is a distorted perspective which makes the scribes and pharisees think they are doing the will of God when, in fact, they are missing the main point.

And he said to him, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets." (Matthew 22:34-40)

The invitation will be extended to Gentiles, but for Jews and Gentiles alike, acceptance into the Kingdom is conditioned upon one requirement (22:8-14).

Easter Sunday: The Resurrection

The consequences will be two-fold: the religious leaders will suffer divine judgment (v.41, 44) and the mediation of God's Kingdom will be taken away from these religious leaders and given to a people who will produce the fruit of righteous living before God (v. 41, 43).

By His authority, Jesus executed instant judgment upon the fig tree. Jesus assured the disciples that, when they were absolutely confident it was God's will, they, too, will be able to execute instant judgment.

Jesus' anger was about the location rather than the activity itself.

Honor and recognition will come to believers who follow Jesus' example of sacrificial service.

Jesus has made it clear He is going to reward His followers who faithfully serve Him in this life because it is His right and it pleases Him to do so. Jesus is generous. Amazingly, He will be generous in the rewards with which He will reward His faithful in the Messianic Kingdom (i.e. hundredfold).

The disciples assume wealth is a sign of God's blessing - divine affirmation a person is living in the kingdom now. Jesus warns it is impossible for a rich person to enter kingdom life. The disciples ask, "Who then can be saved?"

Jesus responds that God's will is that the man and woman whom He joins in the "one flesh" union of marriage be not separated by man. Jesus' answer makes clear that God's original design for marriage did not include divorce.

Freely Reflecting Forgiveness

The two or more gathered are agreeing on the sin of the brother and bringing a request to God in relation to that. They can be confident that the very presence and authority of Jesus is with them as they "bind and loose" the various issues, attitudes and actions that would arise in the early church.

The Apostle Paul explicitly forbids his readers from paying attention to any Pseudepigraphal myths. Therefore neither Jesus nor the Apostles, even if they were aware of them, would ever use the Valley of Hinnom as a metaphor for hell even if there was an example of that equivalence in these fantasies.

Though Jesus, as the Son of the God of the Temple is "free" (exempt), He pays the Temple tax anyway for Himself and Peter to avoid giving offense.  Some things are just not worth hassling over.