Tag: Hosanna

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Feast of Tabernacles, Part 1

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View Of Jerusalem with the Temple of Solomon by Philippe de Champaigne, 17th Century Image in the Public Domain
“View Of Jerusalem with the Temple of Solomon”
by Philippe de Champaigne, 17th Century
Image in the Public Domain

Feast of Tabernacles, Part 1

Throughout Scripture, time and again God is seen stretching a Helping Hand to His people. His entire Book is a record of His love and care for them. God not only chronicled the many times He provided for the nation Israel but He insisted that they celebrate what He has done for them. You see, it’s not only important to God that His children praise Him for His constant provision but it’s also important for His children to remember the many ways He’s supported and cared for them. It is a lesson for all of us because when we remember the Lord’s tender love and help, we call to mind His abilities and willingness to lift us above whatever is pressing against us.

That is precisely God’s purpose in giving the Feast of Tabernacles. In today’s episode we discuss not only the Scriptural but the traditional details of the Feast the Jewish people call Sukkot (or Succoth). God intended this Feast to be a reminder of the time He provided for the nation of Israel when they were fleeing the Egyptians following the Exodus. It is a celebration of God’s Faithfulness and mankind’s total but joyous dependence on Him. (Of course, there is another reason for this celebration but you’ll have to wait for Part 2 to hear about that. Can you guess? I’m sure you can.)

In this podcast we have decided to go into some depth describing the ancient Talmudic traditions that have grown up around God’s original Feast. We learn that Sukkot is greatly loved by the Jewish people and has been for millennia. In this first part we concentrate on the ancient festivities and see that even tradition can be used to shed Scriptural light on Truth.

I want to remind you that we are discussing matters of eternal importance. You may think that these sorts of things are for the Jew only but everything in God’s Word can be applied to everyone; Jew, Christian…even non-believer. It is all so vital and that is why we urge you each time to take a moment to pray before you begin the study. There is so much to learn and so much to meditate on that we must be certain that God is with us, guiding us and showing us what His Word has to say. So, I strongly suggest that you go to the Father in prayer and ask Him to assist you as you hear His Word taught so that you may glean from it every precious gem that will lead you closer to Him.

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The Parable of the Tenants

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Sir John Everett Millais (British, Southampton 1829–1896 London) The Wicked Husbandman (The Parables of Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ), 1864 British, Wood engraving; proof on India paper; image: 5 1/2 x 4 5/16 in. (13.9 x 10.9 cm) sheet: 7 5/16 x 6 1/16 in. (18.6 x 15.4 cm) The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Rogers Fund, 1921 (21.68.4(8)) http://www.metmuseum.org/Collections/search-the-collections/382273
Sir John Everett Millais (British, Southampton 1829–1896 London) The Wicked Husbandman (The Parables of Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ), 1864 British,
Image in the Public Domain

The Parable of the Tenants

We Christians have been at “this” so long that we don’t even question what “this” actually is. Most of us walk into church every Sunday and, sometimes Wednesday, and we just do whatever we did the previous Wednesday or Sunday. We are told to kneel, we kneel. We are told to sing, we sing. We’re told to offer peace to the person sitting next to us and we robotically comply. But I suspect…with a high degree of confidence that if someone were to ask the kneeling, singing, peace offering church goer why they kneel and sing and offer peace most would point toward the pulpit and say “he told me to”. Church, to most of us, is not much more than following orders. Believe me, I know. I knelt, sang and peace-offered on cue for most of my life. I “toed the line” loyally, never once asking myself “why”. After all, I’m old enough to have witnessed the once-common stinging consequences of religious curiosity. Don’t ask, don’t swell. The church was in charge and they made sure you didn’t forget it. Though the methods may have changed, the philosophy has not.

Now, don’t get me wrong. I’m not an anarchist. I believe in leadership. I believe God’s intention is to put men in leadership positions over His people. The Bible makes that clear. Jesus makes that clear and His Parable of the Tenants tells us that. Whenever Jesus told a parable He was trying to describe either what the Kingdom is like OR what it is not like. Theologians categorize them as Parables of Comparison or Parables of Contrast. The Parable of the Tenants, our topic for this week, is a Parable of Comparison and in it Jesus tells us that God’s Plan for His people includes assigning leadership roles. God intends you and I and His Creation to be led and administered by mankind. Why? We don’t know. For how long? We aren’t told but His current method of getting things done involves human leadership and, according to Jesus, we have made quite a mess of it. That’s the central point of the Parable of the Tenants. That’s why He told that story.

God’s Word is vital to our relationship with Him. He has called us all to produce fruit and He has provided everything we need to fulfill that calling. The Parable of the Tenants (sometimes called the Parable of the Wicked Husbandmen) serves to warn us of the implications of misusing what He has given us. We were created to serve Him and He will, someday, return to collect His due.

I realize this little introduction is not very pleasant. I realize that what I put here may not motivate you to eagerly listen to this weeks podcast but, nonetheless, I encourage you to join us for this most important discussion from God’s Word. But, as always, before you get started, go to the Father in prayer and ask Him to open your heart and mind and make you receptive to all that He has to say to us: the sweet as well as the stern; the comforting as well as the corrective; the renewing as well as the rebuking.

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Resurrection-Part 1 Why Bother?

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The Resurrection by Claude Mellan
The Resurrection by Claude Mellan
Image in the Public Domain

Resurrection Part 1-Why Bother?

In the past, I have been accused (with an inference of derision) of being a Christian “apologist”. In case you don’t know, an apologist is defined by Webster’s as someone “who speaks or writes in defense of someone or something”. Well, I thought that’s what guys like me are supposed to do. In fact, isn’t that what we’re all supposed to do? Isn’t that what Peter meant when he said:

(1Pe 3:15)  But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear.

I don’t believe in arguing about the things of God. I normally don’t engage in debate about these sorts of things but I have and will continue to present the things of God in a way that will allow the listener or reader to make an informed decision. If you want to call that “defending” the Faith; that’s fine with me. I simply want to encourage a habit of critical thinking and I believe that’s God’s Way, as well. God is not afraid of our questions. He’s not afraid of our doubts. He knows our limitations because, frankly, He set them. He established the boundaries of our intellect, for some reason, and so He is aware of how much we can learn and it is obvious that He has a lot more confidence in our intelligence than most of our church leaders do.

All of that to say that, in this ministry, I won’t apologize for being…an apologist. I trust you and I trust the Spirit of Truth to do His job and guide you (and me) into all Truth (John 15:26). This lesson is the beginning of a series and this series is going to challenge you. We will be taking a detailed look at the most important event in human history: the Resurrection of Jesus. Why is that important? Well, that is the point of this first installment. It is here that we examine whether or not believing Jesus rose from the tomb is important. I mean, we talk a lot about the “Risen Christ” in church. At Easter time (I don’t like that word but that’s for another day) we plaster all over the place “He is Risen!” We see it on church billboards, in the pastor’s newsletter, we post it on Facebook and even occasionally (with ever-dwindling frequency) give each other greeting cards that tell us that the tomb was empty. But, do we really believe it? It’s pretty spectacular, when you think about it. A dead man is placed in a grave and He is not there 3 days later. And, listen, that does not mean He’s now a ghost…whatever that is. We don’t have trouble with the concept of someone’s spirit going…somewhere after they die. That is NOT what happened in this instance. His BODY rose. He had a body. What was once dead flesh got up and left that boulder-sealed cave. Can you believe that? By the way, that’s a legitimate question. I want to know. Can you believe that Jesus rose, BODILY, from the dead because if you can’t or you won’t then Paul says your faith is in vain. (1 Corinthians 15:17) Now, if you need more information to make a decision, I get that. That’s okay. That’s why this series is here. We want to make sure to give you as much information as possible so you CAN decide because decide you must and, if we fail at that, we hope that, at least, this series gives you a genuine desire to learn enough to make a decision. I am hoping you’ll see how important this is and that you take it upon yourself to seek out Truth…no matter the personal cost. This is NOT to be taken lightly. The Resurrection is the central, pivotal fact of human history. The Resurrection is the dividing line between the saved and the damned. Those that accept its Truth will live and those that don’t…won’t. So, I implore you with every ounce of my being to find a way to bring yourself to full acceptance of the Truth of the Resurrection. May I humbly suggest that you start by listening in to this series. If nothing else, it should give you a foundation upon which to build your continued pursuit of the most startling claim in human history. BUT before you do ANYTHING take this to God in prayer. Ask Him to guide you. Ask Him to show you Truth and, I believe, He will open up His Word to you in ways that may surprise you. If your heart is sincere and you truly want what He wants, God will answer your doubts and strengthen your Faith.