@jchiatt

I’ve been going through Mark for the past two weeks. I thought I’d just share what I’ve been seeing! Please feel free to let me know your thoughts as well!

1 The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, athe Son of God.1

2 bAs it is written in Isaiah the prophet,2

c“Behold, I send my messenger before your face,

who will prepare your way,

3 dthe voice of one crying in the wilderness:

e‘Prepare3 the way of the Lord,

make his paths straight,’” 

4 fJohn appeared, baptizing in gthe wilderness and proclaiming ha baptism of irepentance jfor the forgiveness of sins. 5 And all the country of Judea and all Jerusalem were going out to him and were being baptized by him in the river Jordan, kconfessing their sins. 6 Now John was lclothed with camel’s hair and lwore a leather belt around his waist and ate mlocusts and nwild honey. 7 And he preached, saying, o“After me comes he who is mightier than I, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie. 8 pI have baptized you with water, but qhe will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”

In the first three verses, Malachi 3:1 and Isaiah 40:3 are quoted, prophesying the proclaiming of Jesus by John the Baptist in the wilderness. If you read verses 4-8, it says John the Baptist was in the wilderness proclaiming the coming Messiah.

In verse 8, John the Baptist tells the congregation of people that he baptizes them with water, but that the one that is coming will baptize them with the Holy Spirit. Baptizing with mere water does not cleanse one of sins, only faith in Christ and what He did for us count you as righteous before God (Eph. 2:8, John 14:6, 2 Cor. 5:21, 1 Cor. 15:3-4). 

9 rIn those days Jesus scame from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. 10 And when he came up out of the water, immediately he tsaw uthe heavens being torn open vand the Spirit descending on him like a dove. 11 And wa voice came from heaven, x“You are my beloved Son;4 with you I am well pleased.”

Here, Jesus is baptized. There are some key things to remember here. Some will say that Jesus was baptized because you must do that to receive the Holy Spirit. If we assume that for even Jesus (or us) to receive the Holy Spirit we must be baptized, then we are saying that Jesus was baptized for the same reason that the people there were (the forgiveness of sins). That doctrine in itself implies that Jesus needed the cleansing of sin, implying that He was not always perfect, which contradicts the fact that He knew no sin (2 Cor. 5:21). To say that we do not receive the Holy Spirit until we are baptized contradicts a fundamental principle of the Gospel. Instead, we should consider here that John the Baptist was prophesied to prophesy the coming of Christ; to “prepare the way of the Lord” (verse 3). So Jesus was coming out of obedience in fulfilling the Scriptures and to declare the beginning of His ministry. We must remember that John the Baptist himself proclaims that Jesus will baptize us with the Holy Spirit (verse 8). Some will argue Gal. 3:27, where Paul says, “For as many of you as were baptized in Christ have put on Christ”. They say that for us to “put on Christ” we must be “baptized in Christ”. The truth is, if you look at the word for “baptism” (baptizo), it has three different definitions. 1 is “to dip repeatedly, to immerse, to submerge (of vessels sunk)”. Another is “to cleanse by dipping or submerging, to wash, to make clean with water, to wash one’s self, bathe”. The last is to “overwhelm”. Also the Greek word “bapto” means to “dip” (essentially), but in a way that is temporary. The word “baptizo” means to be immersed or overwhelmed in a permanent way. If we were “bapto”, then we could possibly infer that we can lose the Holy Spirit, thus losing our salvation; but instead we are “baptizo”, being permanently sealed (overwhelmed) with the Holy Spirit through our belief in the Gospel, not the submersion in mere water (Eph. 1:13). Jesus’ baptism was out of obedience to symbolize the coming baptism of the Holy Spirit (verse 8).

12 yThe Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness. 13 yAnd he was in the wilderness forty days, being ztempted by aSatan. And he was with the wild animals, and bthe angels were ministering to him.

Here it says that the Spirit immediately drove Jesus out into the wilderness, and that he was tempted by Satan and ministered to by angels for forty days. We know in other places (Matthew 4) more details about this time, including the details on His temptations and the fact that He fasted during this time. But here I just want to look at the fact that the Spirit drove Him out into the wilderness. The Spirit within us who are believers can lead us to places or away from places. In Acts 16:6 it says the Spirit forbid Paul to go preach the Gospel in Asia. We don’t really know why, but I believe a safe assumption is God was protecting Paul and those who were with him from something. We must always be open to hear where the Spirit may be telling us to go; whether that be the next phase of our life or a certain coffee shop or even a druglord’s house in the middle of the night. To close our ear to the Spirit is to close our ear to God and refuse to walk in the good works He has prepared for us to walk in (Eph. 2:10). Also, the Spirit drove Jesus out into the wilderness. And upon reading Matthew 4, we know the Spirit drove Him to a forty day period where He fasted and was tempted by the enemy. Translated, the Spirit led Jesus to a hard and trying period of time. Instead of giving in to temptation and eating, throwing Himself off of a temple, or bowing down to Satan, He stood firm, proving His sinless nature (2 Cor. 5:21) and His steadfastness of faith (which leads to perfection and completeness) (James 1:2-4). Where has the Spirit led you? Recently the Spirit has led me to a place of trial. God is, at this moment, testing my steadfastness of faith. How are you responding to where the Spirit has led/is leading you? 

14 cNow after John was arrested, Jesus dcame into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God, 15 and saying, e“The time is fulfilled, and fthe kingdom of God is at hand; grepent and believe in the gospel.”

John the Baptist was then arrested. Afterwards, Jesus began His preaching of the Gospel, which was prophesied all throughout the Old Testament. Apart from Matthew 28:19, part of modeling Jesus’ life is preaching the Gospel. He Himself proclaimed the events that were taking place and the events that were to take place. 

16 hPassing alongside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew the brother of Simon casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen.17 And Jesus said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you become ifishers of men.”5 18 And immediately they left their nets and followed him.19 And going on a little farther, he saw James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, who were in their boat mending the nets. 20 And immediately he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants and followed him.

Here, Jesus calls His first disciples. He simply says to them, “Follow me”, and they immediately follow him. These guys left behind what they were working on at the time, their life, and even their family — they left behind everything and everyone— and followed Jesus. Do you have that kind of faithfulness and trust? Are you willing to drop everything — everyone and everything you know and love — in order to follow Jesus? What is He worth to you? It is with a bit of uncertainty that I say that I am willing to drop everything and everyone and am willing to endure anything and everything — a trashed reputation, torture, even death — for Jesus. I want that to be my heart. After all, He gave up and endured far worse than all of that for me; He took God’s wrath in my place and in all of mankind’s place. Can you imagine what the wrath of the Creator of the Universe must feel like? Especially that wrath multiplied times the number of all of mankind? I can’t.

Be back soon. Keep pressing on!

jc 

             Sharon Kowalski and Karen Thompson, two schoolteachers, had shared their life and home for ten years. When a terrible car accident left Kowalski unable to speak and almost paralyzed, a terrible battle ensued. Kowalski’s parents insisted that they, not Thompson, had the legal right to control their daughter’s care. They put Kowalski in a nursing home and Thompson fought for seven years to bring her back to live in the home they shared.

                   In the above story, a homosexual couple faced a horrible crisis solely because of the policy that only a “loved one” (family member) can facilitate care of an injured person.

                   This kind of thing happens all the time. People are discriminated against because of who they are or what they believe. It’s nothing new; it’s always existed. Forms of discrimination have plagued our society since its birth. We’ve seen it in slavery, women’s rights, and now we also see it in religious and sexual orientation cases. This has gone on long enough.

                   Martin Luther King once said, “We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools.” While the context of what he was addressing is in regard to race, the concept can apply to all forms of discrimination. The foundation of this country is liberty – everyone is entitled to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Therefore, I am here today to persuade you to adopt liberal views, in terms of social freedom, rather than conservative views. Please do not mistake me; I understand that conservatives believe in and want a society in which laws are made directly correlating with what they would call “traditional moral values” – usually this means the Bible. While this, in essence, is not wrong, I want to reveal a new and even biblical perspective to those of you who are currently conservative. I am actually a believer in Christ myself, and upon seeing what His Word had to say about the matter, I formed my political opinion. But whether you are a Christian or not, you can take this speech to heart. With all that said, I say to you that every United States citizen, regardless of race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, or any other demographical identifier, should be protected by the same laws and entitled to the same opportunities as every other citizen as long as they pose no harm to another.

                   The earliest form of discrimination we see in history is racism. African Americans were, at one time, sold as property and treated as property. Think about if you were to buy a used computer from a friend, use it for a while, and then it malfunctions or doesn’t work fast enough for you so you just get mad and throw it across the room. This, although kind of a vague visualization, is how slaves were treated. Slavery finally ended, but racism continued afterwards due to the court case Plessy v. Ferguson. This case allowed the segregation of blacks and whites – a problem that would plague the South for nearly a century. Thankfully, today’s society is not like that; but racism still exists. One example of this is the social discrimination of black and white dating relationships and marriages. Most people who discriminate against these relationships stand on the verse 2 Corinthians 6:14, which says, “Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness?” In my experience, some conservatives will take only the first three words of this verse and stand on that to discriminate against black-white relationships. I tell you today that this discrimination is wrong. If that is the verse you stand on, then consider Romans 1:16, which says that salvation is for ALL who believe, not just whites.

                   We’ve also seen gender discrimination before. It took 150 years since this country was founded just for women to gain their right to vote. Thankfully this is not really a problem in society today. This is good because guys, we are not very bright sometimes. We need females for far more than just having and taking care of children, cooking, cleaning, and sex. Some bible verses that would back this up would be:

                   -Genesis 2:20 (ESV) - …But for Adam there was not found a helper fit for him.

                        -Because a helper was not found fit for Adam, God made him a helper – woman.

                   -1 Peter 3:7 (ESV) – “Likewise, husbands, live with your wives in an understanding way, showing honor to the woman as the weaker vessel, since they are heirs with you of the grace of life, so that your prayers may not be hindered.”

                        -Women are joint heirs to God’s promise of eternal life with us. It’s pretty clear to me that a husband is not showing honor to his wife by ordering her around and treating her as an object rather than his partner for life.

                   -Ephesians 5:25 (ESV) – “Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her,”

                        -If we are to love our wives as Christ loved us, then we must understand how Christ loves us. Christ loves us so much that He gave Himself up for us. While He walked the earth, he was a servant of all, completely selfless, and then he DIED for us. So in turn, if we are to love our wives as Christ loved us, we should be a SERVANT of our wives; not a commanding, arrogant jerk. We should serve her because we both are heirs of eternal life and we should sacrifice our lives (in terms of serving, and literally sacrificing) for her.

                   Another discrimination issue we see today is the issue of religion. A conservative would want a government based on Christian doctrine and belief. While this, in essence, isn’t bad, we must recognize other faiths in our country and not discriminate against people of other faiths. Also, some people, because of the war we’re in and because of the society we live in, discriminate against Muslims. This is ultimately because they are scared of them. What we must realize is that by living in fear we have given terrorists exactly what they want. If you think about the word “terrorism”, it means, according to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, “the systematic use of terror especially as a means of coercion.” Terrorists WANT you to live in fear. If you need bible verses to back this up, consider, among many places in the bible, Phillipians 1, where Paul says basically that he only is here on earth to carry out God’s will. If you are a believer there is absolutely no reason to live besides spreading the Gospel, so don’t live in fear of others or what is to come. And for all of us, be reminded that the more fear you live in, the more the government can use the Patriot Act to spy on you and invade your privacy, all in the name of “counter terrorism”.

                   Perhaps the biggest form of discrimination in recent years has been against homosexuality. We see a massive amount of both social and legal discrimination against homosexuals. A conservative would say homosexuality should not be allowed because it goes against the bible. Please here me when I say that I am by no means an advocate for homosexuality. It does indeed go against what the bible says, which is what I personally believe. At the same time, please hear me when I say that it is not my nor anyone else’s right to tell someone what they can or can’t do or who they can or can’t marry, as long as no harm is to be done to another.

II.               It is time for us to love others and be at peace with everyone. A house divided cannot stand. So, what are we going to do? Are we going to remain idle and watch discrimination set our country back as it has done so many times throughout history? We are all equal. We are all entitled to liberty. Don’t deny anyone that right. So I urge you today to adopt a liberal view of social issues in society. For those of you who are believers, ask yourself this question: how can I preach the Gospel to someone if I am condemning them, telling them how to live their life, and imposing my faith on them?

                   For those of you who want bible verses to back this up, consider these:

-Romans 12:18 – If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. (ESV)

                   -This verse is plain and simple. Live peaceably with ALL. It doesn’t say live peaceably with everyone except homosexuals. Condemning someone is not living peaceably with them.

-John 13:35 – By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another. (ESV)

-1 Corinthians 3:11 – For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, Christ Jesus. (ESV)

                   -You don’t save people. You setting the government according to the bible won’t save people. Only God Himself, Jesus Christ, can save people.

-Romans 3:23 - …for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.

                   -We ALL – blacks, whites, men, women, Christians, Satanists, heterosexuals and homosexuals – fall short of the glory of God.

Everything in this universe - the earth, the planets, the stars, human beings, philosophies, buildings, technology, relationships, feelings, emotions - they are all temporary.

Even marriage is temporary.

The point of marriage (or singleness if that’s what God calls you to) is to multiply the Gospel.

Once a believer, the only true point to remain in this life is to multiply the Gospel.

Paul says in Phillipians, 

For me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell. I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better. But to remain in the flesh is more necessary on your account. Convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with you all, for your progress and joy in the faith, so that in me you may have ample cause to glory in Christ Jesus, because of my coming to you again. - Phillipians 1:21-26

You were created to spread the Gospel. 

Matthew 28:19-20:

Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.

Your marriage of 20, 30, 60, even 80 years is temporary. You are not married in heaven:

For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven. - Matthew 22:30

The whole point of living is to spread the Gospel. Without believers spreading the Gospel and disciples being made and strengthened/sanctified by the Word, the unbelievers of this world are destined to suffer the wrath of God. Track with me. Of course this sounds like something you would hear someone screaming on the side of the road, but think about it. This is what the Word says about those who are not in Christ when the day of judgment comes:

This is evidence of the righteous judgment of God, that you may be considered worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are also suffering—-since indeed God considers it just to repay with affliction those who afflict you, and to grant relief to you who are afflicted as well as to us, when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his might angels in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His might, when He comes on that day to be glorified in his saints, and to be marveled at among all who have believed, because our testimony to you was believed. - 2 Thessalonians 1:5-10

Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.

- John 3:36

And another angel, a third, followed them, saying with a loud voice, “If anyone worships the beast and its image and receives a mark on his forehead or on his hand, he also will drink the wine of God’s wrath, poured full strength into the cup of his anger, and he will be tormented with fire and sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. - Revelation 14:10

Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. - Romans 5:9

So, in light of all this, it is very clear in the Word that the unbelievers of this world are destined for the wrath of God unless the truth is revealed to them. We must take the Gospel to the ends of the Earth!

So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the Word of Christ.

-Romans 10:17

Even in marriage, the whole point of it is to live by the Word and raise our children up in the instruction of the Lord so we can raise generations that multiply the Gospel.

Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD, the fruit of the womb a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the children of one’s youth. Blessed is the man who fills his quiver with them! He shall not be put to shame when he speaks with his enemies in the gate.

-Psalm 127:3-5

“You shall therefore lay up these words of mine in your heart and in your soul, and you shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall team them to your children, talking of them when you are sitting in your house, and when you are walking by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates, that your days and the days of your children may be multiplied in the land that the LORD swore to your fathers to give them, as long as the heavens are above the earth.

-Deuteronomy 11:18-21

And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. -Deuteronomy 6:6-7

Not even marriage is permanent. You don’t *need* or *have* to marry. You don’t need someone else to complete you. You are complete by your faith in Christ. You (and the rest of the body of believers) are His bride (Revelation 19:7). We can see here that the whole point of it is to raise up children in the instruction of the Lord. We cannot force them to believe as we do, but I believe God can definitely reveal Himself to them if parents set the standard in the household.

Please do not mistake me. I am not against marriage nor am I against enjoying life. God grants us life. It is a gift from God. But just like any other gift, we must be good stewards of it. Being a good steward of the breath God breathed into us means glorifying Him in everything we do and multiplying the Gospel so others can have the same joy that we do. 

Also, don’t make this a “fire and brimstone” kind of thing. Share the Gospel in love and all gentleness. Sharing the Gospel is not putting someone on a judgment seat and scaring them into belief.

Everything is temporary, save the Gospel.

There is nothing more important than the Gospel of Christ.

Share in love.

Other verses to consider:

-1 Peter 1:18
-1 Corinthians 15:42
-John 2:28
-Hebrews 1:11
-John 3:16
-1 John 2:17
-1 Corinthians 1:18
-Matthew 7:24-27 

“In many separate revelations and in different ways God spoke of old to our forefathers in and by the prophets, but in the last of these days He has spoken to us in the person of a Son, Whom He appointed Heir and lawful Owner of all things, also by and through Whom He created the worlds and the reaches of space and the ages of time.”

Christ was the final prophet. Before Christ, God communicated with us through the prophets - you can see this all throughout the Old Testament. Now that Christ has reconciled us to God through the death of His fleshly body, God communicates with us through the Holy Spirt Whom Christ sent to be our Comforter and our Teacher. At the same time, Christ intercedes for us so that we who are righteous can stand before God and appear blameless and openly worship and pray to Him. 

Prophets no longer exist. Anyone who is counted as righteous before the Lord can be used to communicate God’s messages and plan, through the Holy Spirit. Anyone who claims to be a chosen, exclusive prophet of God in this time is a liar.

Acts 16:31 - “Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household.”

Romans 10:9-10 - “If you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with a heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.”

Psalm 1:1-3 - “How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, nor stand in the path of sinners, nor sit in the seat of scoffers! But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night. He will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in its season and its leaf does not wither; and in whatever he does, he prospers.”

Leviticus 16 - The Law of Atonement

After the death of Aaron’s two sons, when they drew near before the Lord and died, The Lord said to Moses, Tell Aaron your brother he must not come at all times into the Holy of Holies within the veil before the mercy seat upon the ark, lest he die; for I will appear in the cloud on the mercy seat. But Aaron shall come into the holy enclosure in this way: with a young bull for a sin offering and a ram for a burnt offering. He shall put on the holy linen undergarment, and he shall have the linen breeches upon his body, and be girded with the linen girdle or sash, and with the linen turban or miter shall he be attired; these are the holy garments; he shall bathe his body in water and then put them on. He shall take at the expense of the congregation of the Israelites two male goats for a sin offering and one ram for a burnt offering. And Aaron shall present the bull as the sin offering for himself and make atonement for himself and for his house. He shall take the two goats and present them before the Lord at the door of the Tent of Meeting. Aaron shall cast lots on the two goats—one lot for the Lord, the other lot for Azazel or removal. And Aaron shall bring the goat on which the Lord’s lot fell and offer him as a sin offering. But the goat on which the lot fell for Azazel or removal shall be presented alive before the Lord to make atonement over him, that he may be let go into the wilderness for Azazel. Aaron shall present the bull ass the sin offering for his own sins and shall make atonement for himself and for his house, and shall kill the bull as the sin offering for himself. He shall take a censer full of burning coals of fire from off the altar before the Lord, and his two hands full of sweet incense beaten small, and bring it within the veil into the Holy of Holies. And put the incense on the fire before the Lord, that the cloud of the incense may cover the mercy seat that is upon the ark of the Testimony, lest he die. He shall take of the bull’s blood and sprinkle it with his finger on the front of the mercy seat, and before the mercy seat he shall sprinkle of the blood with his finger seven times. Then shall he kill the goat of the sin offering that is for the sins of the people and bring its blood within the veil and do with that blood as he did with the blood of the bull, and sprinkle it on the mercy seat and before the mercy seat. Thus he shall make atonement for the Holy Place because of the uncleanness of the Israelites and because of their transgressions, even all their sins; and so shall he do for the Tent of Meeting, that remains among them in the midst of their uncleanness. There shall be no man in the Tent of Meeting when the high priest goes in to make atonement in the Holy of Holies until he comes out and has made atonement for his own sins and those of his houses and of all the congregation of Israel. And he shall go out of the altar which is before the Lord and make atonement for it, and shall take some of the blood of the bull and of the goat and put it on the horns of the altar round about. And he shall sprinkle some of the blood on it with his fingers seven times and cleanse it and hallow it from the uncleanness of the Israelites. And when he has finished atoning for the Holy of Holies and the Tent of Meeting and the altar, he shall present the live goat; And Aaron shall lay both his hands upon the head of the live goat and confess over him all the iniquities of the Israelites and all their transgressions, all their sins; and he shall put them upon the head of the goat, and send him away into the wilderness by the hand of a man who is timely. The goat shall bear upon himself all their iniquities, carrying them to a land cut off! And the man leading it shall let the goat go in the wilderness. Aaron shall come into the Tent of Meeting and put off the linen garments which he put on when he went into the Holy of Holies, and leave them there; And he shall bathe his body with water in a sacred place and put on his garments, and come forth and offer his burnt offering that of the people, and make atonement for himself and for them. And the fat of the sin offering he shall burn upon the altar. The man who led the sin-bearing goat out and let him go for Azazel or removal shall wash his clothes and bathe his body, and afterward he may come into the camp. The bull and the goat for the sin offering, whose blood was brought in to make atonement in the Holy of Holies, shall be carried forth without the camp; their skins, their flesh, and their dung shall be burned with fire. And he who burns them shall was his clothes and bathe his body in water, and afterward he may come into the camp. It shall be a statute to you forever that in the seventh month on the tenth day of the month you shall afflict yourselves by fasting with penitence and humiliation and do no work at all, either the native-born or the stranger who dwells temporarily among you. For on this day atonement shall be made for you, to cleanse you; from all your sins you shall be clean before the Lord. It is a sabbath of rest to you, and you shall afflict yourselves; it is a statute forever. And the priest who shall be anointed and consecrated to minister in the priest’s office in his father’s stead shall make atonement, wearing the holy linen garments; He shall make atonement for the Holy Sanctuary, for the Tent of Meeting, and for the altar, and shall make atonement for the priests and for all the people of the assembly. This shall be an everlasting statute for you, that atonement may be made for the Israelites for all their sins once a year. And Moses did as the Lord commanded him.

• So, here Moses is instructed by God about how Aaron is to go through the atonement process. All I really have to say is I’m super thankful that we are no longer under the Law! Praise God for Jesus!

What do you think?

Exodus 20 - The Ten Commandments

Verse 1 - Then God spoke all these words:

• Here, God is speaking to Moses at Mount Sinai. Could you imagine? Speaking. Just imagine what may have been going through Moses’ mind here. Do you think you would be more obedient if God actually spoke to you? Truth is, he does. Every day, if you have accepted and trust in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, God speaks to you and dwells within you through the Holy Spirit.

Verses 2-3 - I am the Lord your God, Who has brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. You shall have no other gods before or besides Me. 

• To me, verse 2 is God saying “Hey, I did this for you. You should respect me because of this and keep my commandments”. This, to me, relates to what Jesus did for us. If Christ was so gracious as to come here and die for us not only in a physical sense but also in a spiritual sense, then why wouldn’t we desire to respect his wishes?
• Verse 3 - You shall have no other gods in your lives; plain and simple. Anything in your life that is getting your devotion more than God is an idol and is wrong. Simple enough, yet so hard, huh? But why?

Verses 4-6 - You shall not make yourself any graven image to worship it or any likeness of anything that is is the heavens above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; You shall not bow down yourself to them or serve them; for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generation of those who hate Me, But showing mercy and steadfast love to a thousand generations of those who love Me and keep My commandments. 

• This says we shouldn’t esteem ourselves or declare that we are any God-like figure. To me, this just goes back to humbleness. Matthew 18:2-4 says that we must have faith like a child to enter the Kingdom. Think of a child; so humble, innocent. We must become less so that He can become more.

Verse 7 - You shall not use or repeat the name of the Lord your God in vain; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain. 

• How many times a day do we say “Oh my God”? It seems so harmless, but could it actually be a disrespect to our Father? Could it also be the same as when we say “Oh my gosh”? If you really think about it, we are only substituting the word “God” in order to justify our actions. What do you think?

Verses 7-11 - Earnestly remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, But the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God; in it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, your daughter, your manservant, your maidservant, your domestic animals, or the sojourner within your gates. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. That is why the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it. 

• How many times do we try to get that extra housework done on Sunday because we spent our Saturday hanging out or watching the game? Could this also mean that we shouldn’t wait until Sunday to do our homework? Honestly, I believe that if you are seeking God and devoting your life to Him, it doesn’t matter when you are working just as long as you are truly seeking God. Thinking about context, God wanted these people to know that they needed to seek Him, right? I could totally be wrong, and please correct me if I am.

Verse 12 - Regard your father and mother, that your days may be long in the land the Lord your God gives you. 

• Honor your father and mother, even when you’re an adult. You don’t have to necessarily obey their every command once you are grown, but you should still do nothing to dishonor them.

Verses 13-16 - You shall not commit murder. You shall not commit adultery. You shall not steal. You shall not witness falsely against your neighbor. 

• These are pretty straight up. Yeah.

Verse 17 - You shall not covet your neighbor’s house, your neighbor’s wife, or his manservant, or his maidservant, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor’s.

• How many times do we find ourselves “wishing” for something a friend of our’s has? How often do we find ourselves discontent with our possessions or our circumstances. I for sure do. True story: I have a really old car. It’s not the newest-looking car in town for sure. Sometimes a pride thing inside me says that I need a newer car. Dumb story. The point is I have to remember that this car was given to me, it runs great, has really low miles and was truly a gift from God - an entirely awesome story in itself. I have to remember that I have been blessed by God and it’s important for all of us to cling to the truth that God provides and for us to swallow our pride. God hates it.

Verses 18-20 - Now all the people perceived the thunderings and the lightnings and the noise of the trumpet and the smoking mountain, and as they looked they trembled with fear and fell back and stood afar off. And they said to Moses, You speak to us and we will listen, but let not God speak to us, lest we die. And Moses said to the people, Fear not; for God has come to prove you, so that the reverential fear of Him may be before you, that you may not sin.

• Again, imagine actually being in the presence of God.

Verses 21-26 - And the people stood afar off, but Moses drew near to the thick darkness where God was. And the Lord said to Moses, Thus shall you say to the Israelites, You have seen for yourselves that I have talked with you from heaven. You shall not make with Me; gods of silver or gods of gold you shall not make for yourselves. An altar of earth you shall make to Me and sacrifice on it your burnt offerings and your peace offerings, your sheep and your oxen. In every place where I record My name and cause it to be remembered I will come to you and bless you. And if you will make Me an altar of stone, you shall not build it of hewn stone, for if you lift up a tool upon it you have polluted it. Neither shall you go up by steps to My altar, that your nakedness be not exposed upon it.

• Here, God gives Moses the “blueprints” of the altar. 

The important thing to remember in regard to the Ten Commandments is that they were part of the Law. It’s important to remember that it is not by our own works but by faith that we are accounted as righteous to God. If we get caught up in the “rules” of Christianity, we miss God’s plan for our lives entirely. Love God and others, and live by His Word. Through this, the “rules” that society labels Christianity as being all about will just naturally be followed by you as the Holy Spirit works within you.

John 14:15 - If you really love Me, you will keep My commands.

1 John 2:4 - Whoever says, I know Him but fails to keep and obey His commandments is a liar, and the Truth is not in him.

Comments?

I’m doing a 66-day reading plan that takes you through many of the high points in the bible. Feel free to join in! Each day, I’ll be just writing my own little notes on things I notice. Feel free to comment! Today is the first day, beginning in Genesis 3. 

Genesis 3 - The Fall of Man

Verse 1 - Now the serpent was more subtle and crafty than any living creature of the field which the Lord God had made. And he [Satan] said to the woman, Can it really be that God has said, You shall not eat from every tree of the garden?

• The first thing I notice here is how Satan is compared to the living creatures which God had made. It reminds me that God even made Satan, and therefore He is almighty and able and ready to save us from Satan. 
• Satan tempts Eve by questioning what God has said. If you think about it, this is how Satan still tempts everyone in the world. We are all children of wrath (as defined by Scripture), and our flesh is naturally rebellious against God. Satan exploits this every day by presenting questions that question what God has clearly said. He’s been doing it for thousands of years; obviously, because it’s effective.

Verses 2-3 - And the woman said to the serpent, We may eat the fruit from the trees of the garden, Except the fruit from the tree which is in the middle of the garden. God has said, You shall not eat of it, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.

• Correct me if I’m wrong, but God never said that they shouldn’t touch it. What do you think this could mean? What are your thoughts?

Verses 4-5 - But the serpent said to the woman, You shall not surely die, For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing the difference between good and evil and blessing and calamity.

• And just like that Eve was tempted. It worked the same way then as it does now. The enemy creeps in, questions God, then presents an alternate effect that is completely against what we really know is going to happen. Somehow, we still accept it. We still allow the enemy to persuade us to sin. It happens every day, multiple times a day. 
• I noticed how Satan said that Eve would be like God if she ate from the tree of knowledge. It was quite the opposite —for as soon as she did, sin came into the world and she was no longer without sin (like God)— but it still presented that idea in Eve’s head that made her question her Creator.

Verse 6-7 - And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food and that it was delightful to look at, and a tree to be desired in order to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate; and she gave some also to her husband, and he ate. Then the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and the sewed fig leaves together and made themselves apronlike girdles.

• And here, sin entered the world. Seemed almost too easy for Satan, huh?

Verses 8-13 - And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. But the Lord God called to Adam and said to him, Where are you? He said, I heard the sound of You walking in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; and I hid myself. And He said Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten of the tree of which I commanded you that you should not eat? And the man said, The woman whom You gave to be with me—she gave me fruit from the tree, and I ate. And the Lord God said to the woman, What is this you have done? And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I ate.

• First, I’m reminded of the shame we sometimes feel when we sin. Sometimes the enemy can make us feel dirty. If we have salvation and the Holy Spirit dwells within us, we are accounted as righteous to God and it is important to cling to that truth when we are attacked by the enemy with guilt.
• Here, God asks Adam and Eve a few questions. Now of course, God knows the answers to all of them. I believe the questions represent something deeper here. When God asks “Where are you?”, of course He knows where Adam is. Here, I believe this is representing the fact that Adam is now a sinful being and not in communion with God — he is “lost”, as we sometimes call it. When He asks “Have you eaten of the tree of which I commanded you that you should not eat?”, I believe it’s symbolizing the repentance that God calls each of us to. Of course He knows we have sinned, He’s God; but I believe this represents the idea of repentance.
• I may be wrong, but in Verse 12 it seems like Adam may be trying to blame Eve for what has happened. This is something many of us today struggle with. Instead of taking responsibility for our own sin, we try to pin the blame on other people or other things.

Verses 14-19 - And the Lord God said to the serpent, Because you have done this, you are cursed above all domestic animals and above every wild living thing of the field; upon your belly you shall go, and you shall eat dust and what it contains all the days of your life. And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her Offspring; He will bruise and tread your head underfoot, and you will lie in wait and bruise His heel. To the woman He said, I will greatly multiply your grief and your suffering in pregnancy and the pangs of childbearing; with spasms of distress you will bring forth children. Yet your desire and craving will be for your husband, and he will rule over you. And to Adam He said, Because you have listened and given heed to the voice of your wife and have eaten of the tree of which I commanded you, saying, You shall not eat of it, the ground is under a curse because of you; in sorrow and toil shall you eat of the fruits of it all the days of your life. Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth for you, and you shall eat the plants of the field. In the sweat of your face shall you eat bread until you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you shall return.

• In verse 15, God speaks of Jesus when he mentions that the Offspring of the woman will tread over Satan.
• Here, a few curses are placed on humanity. First, a woman’s pregnancy and childbirth are cursed with suffering. Also, man is subject to now live and also die physically; and also we are cursed with working in order to sustain our lives. Could this mean that there are no solutions to the issue of the world running out of food around 2050? What do you think?
• Verse 17 reminds me that the man must lead the relationship. It is another verse that I’ve noticed lately that just gives me as a man a whole new responsibility to step up and lead.

Verses 20-24 - The man called his wife’s name Eve, because she was the mother of all the living. For Adam also and for his wife the Lord God made long coats of skins and clothed them. And the Lord God said, Behold, the man has become like one of Us (the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit), to know how to distinguish between good and evil and blessing and calamity; and now, lest he put forth his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever —Therefore the Lord God sent him forth from the Garden of Eden to till the ground from which he was taken. So God drove out the man; and He placed at the east of the Garden of Eden the cherubim and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep and guard the way to the tree of life.

• In verse 21, God makes tunics of skins to clothe Adam and Eve with. This means that a death took place in order to cover them up. They only needed to be covered up because of the sin that took place. Can you see Christ here? Since the beginning, the wages of sin have been death.

Hope someone enjoyed this. Either way, what do you think? Do you see anything I missed?