Jesus the corner stone 6-26
Isaiah 28:16 Matt 21:42-44
Isaiah 28:16
16 Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a
precious corner stone, a sure foundation: he that believe shall not make haste.
Matt 21:42-44
42 Jesus saith unto them, Did ye never read in the scriptures, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner: this is the Lord’s doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes?
43 Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof.
44 And whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken: but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder.
Mr 12:10 And have ye not read this scripture; The stone which the builders rejected is become the head of the corner:
:
Lu 20:17 And he beheld them, and said, What is this then that is written, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner?
Ac 4:11 This is the stone which was set at naught of you builders, which is become the head of the corner.
1Pe 2:6 Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Zion a chief corner stone, elect, precious: and he that believes on him shall not be confounded.
1Pe 2:7 Unto you therefore which believe he is precious: but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner,
1Pe 2:20 For what glory is it, if, when ye be buffeted for your faults, ye shall take it patiently? but if, when ye do well, and suffer for it, ye take it patiently, this is acceptable with God.
We see in this lesson that as with many lessons in the "Spirit Walk" the paradox exists. What seems to be one way when walked out actually turns out the opposite result as would be intuitively expected.
The corner stone in that day was used to extrapolate the whole of the building.
1) First the outside corner would become the point at which the right angle triangles would be projected. A 3,4,5 triangle will always have a diagonal side twice in length of the small side, as will a 5,12,13 triangle since the sum of the sides squared is equal to the long side squared (9+16=25 and 25+144=169) These builders did not need long levels to erect a one story clay tile building. They needed only to be sure that the sides were square. the 3,4,5 triangle did not need to be any given length as any rope divided into half twice would produce four sections, add one longer section the piece and you have the five side, and subtract a section for the three side. The result would always be a right angle on the corner. So we have a cornerstone. On this stone the whole building would be erected.There you have a picture of Christ being the "rightness" of the whole building. A person needs only to look at Jesus and ask WWJD? to get direction and plumpness with truth. The walls and sides of the building have no relation with the property sides or the ground level, only the cornerstone. It seems that today people want to be their own plumb line as to correct action. But any block in the building that is out of plumb line with the corner actually detracts from the whole and is "out of order." When the question of sin is raised, the many want to ask what feels right, what is every one else doing? It seems that if this illustration is carried out to the clarity, the teaching of the cornerstone would prevail. And by implication if one is to be right with God he must see sin the same way that God sees it!
2) Second the cornerstone also must be placed of the foundation. The foundation is a series of very strong and deep rocks that are placed below the ground line to support the weight of the walls and the roof. In houses today they are required to be placed 24"-36" below the ground line. The they were simply large flat limestones laid in a straight line and at right angles to the planned building sides. they would form underground an outline of what the building would look like after it was finished. With out this foundation when the rains of the spring or Fall (times of change) would come the walls would begin to sink in the soft ground near the surface. Several feet below the surface the ground is much more hard packed and not subject to surface movement with he addition of water. The image we get is to see the cornerstone becoming the author of the building. Where it is written, all other stones hang. That is true authority. Ouch! A hard word. In out society where no authority is recognized but the self, many do not defer to the authority of God. But since he wrote the book (the Bible,) he would be the author.
Matthew 21 records Jesus as preparing his disciples to the crucifixion and the eventual resurrection by assuring them that the way to acceptance before God was to endure rejection patiently.(humbly bear up under. This only works when a person is violated by a superior in Gods chain of command.)
This acceptable in I Pet 2:20 is a kind of acceptability where recognition is placed upon a person as result of their dexterity similar to the "Nobel Peace Prize" is placed upon a person who has demonstrated remarkable accomplishment by discovering a breakthrough element or process. This would be like a Promotion given to a person in a company sense. So Peter is saying that one way to promotion is to accept patiently mistreatment for doing right by some one under whose authority they are placed.
An example in the Scriptures would be found in the way that Joseph was mistreated treated over and over again. Each time that he was "Pushed Under" he "patiently" accepted his position , without bitterness, and God promoted him. In the end he was in charge of the whole of Egypt.
Another example is found in the life of David who wrote the Psalms. when he was mistreated probably for ten or fifteen years, God promoted him to King. Psalms records the life attitude that David walked through as he ran from the ones that tried to kill him.
The last lesson that this passage teaches is that we may fall upon this corner stone in time of need. We may indeed break in the process, but a breaking is a collection of large pieces. If one fails to fall upon the rock in humility, eventually the rock will "roll" upon him with crushing results. The pieces would be very small and difficult to repair. So the question is not to get away or not, but whether to be broken or to be crushed. I know from experience the "breaking process" is much easier than the "crushing process." Your only control is when the process (judgment) takes place. Do you get right with God now and become broken before him, or do you await his judgment when the process will crush and reduce to power all that you hold dear?
Sunday, July 27, 2008
Saturday, July 19, 2008
Jesus is the Good Shepherd
Jesus The Good Shepherd John 10:11-14; Psalm 23:1-6
Jesus The Pastor,Shepherd
The Good Shepherd, there must be a bad one.
The Thief Comes not but for to Steal Kill and Destroy
But I come to give Life and That more abundantly. John 10:10
I am the Good Shepherd:
A.)The Good Shepherd gives his life for his sheep
The hireling and not the shepherd sees the wolf coming and
Leaves the sheep, flees The Wolf Catches the sheep and
scatters them.
B.)I am the Good Shepherd -I know my sheep and am known of them
The Father knows me, and in the same way I know the Father
Knowing the Father, I lay down my life for the sheep
We are not to be concerned about the "other sheep"
C.)When Jesus wants to say something he paints a picture with
words.
In the New Testament there are 14 other references to pastor as
the Greek word is used
Seven times refer to an actual pastor of real sheep
Seven times refer to the office of pastor in the Church
If we are to understand the allegory and Paul's mystery of the
church we are to understand that the church becomes the
manifestation of Christ in this age, in short the church
becomes the pastor to the sheep On this principle hangs the
first half of the lesson. It matters little how much Jesus
is the pastor or even the Great Shepherd if it does not touch
the heart of the person. In order to actually experience the
mystery of being Sheep, the church must provide the context of
the situation. In many lands, peoples, societies and families
the specific out working of this mystery takes different forms
and styles. Since the early fifties a new phenomenon has begun
to develop across the face of the church. In Korea a pastor
named Yonggi Cho
(en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yoido_Full_Gospel_Church)
using the gifts and people available to him, developed a new
style of effecting the job of pastor. His was a society where
women were the driving force within the family and the streets
remembered the action of war only a few years earlier.
Destruction and rubble wallpapered the hearts of the believers.
His mother-in-law responded to hurt, loneliness and pain that
littered the community around her. She approached her
son-in-law with the proposition, could she organize a small
group of the ladies to minister to other ladies in a way to
which ladies could understand and respond.
Together with her daughter (the pastors wife) she met with
eight others of different ages and backgrounds. Pastor Cho had
already worked for nearly four years with almost no apparent
success to build his church. Almost dismissively the pastor's
blessing was given. This idea however was one whose time had
come! Not since Acts 2:46 had the church functioned on a
discrete level touching the souls of each individual "where one
really lived." The results in Korea were similar to those in
Jerusalem in first century. The church multiplied. As each
group developed the miniature living rooms could hold only a
few. By default each group would begin to subdivide with a new
leader stepping forward to "look after the sheep." The room
size requirements forced the group size to twelve and less.
After certain problems developed administration caused the
church as a whole to require size limits for the grouped to be
twelve or less. Jesus told a parable of a shepherd with 100
sheep, ninety-nine were accounted for yet one was lost. In the
ears of His listeners, a flock of a hundred was a substantial
lot! Today the average church, in this century is one hundred
or less. It seems that this is a threshold above which the
more needy of the flock drift away, needs unmet. With Yonggi
Cho in Korea the small groups cared for the minor needs of the
general population. In the likely event someone had a need
greater than the small group could pastor, that person drifted
to pastor of the group immediately before. If the specifics of
that problem, were greater the person would be passed up higher
and higher until at the last the sheep would be in the presence
of the wisest in the growing church. In this manner all sheep
were pastored and "Not one was lost!" Currently the flock
numbers 852,000. Over the years other churches have adopted
this small group style of pastoring the needs of the sheep.
Those that have effectively incorporated this "small group
concept" have grown to a point that in every city in the world
there exists churches well over the 100 person limit that the
one shepherds is able to care for. In the Southern Baptist
Convention, when a church gets to a size that a new pastor is
needed, one is hired. Soon he develops "his flock" and the
multiplication process begins anew. Because no one can serve
two masters he soon splits off to a new building across the
street or across town.
At Lake Pointe we have incorporated this concept in our ABF
(Adult Bible Fellowship.) It meets in the structure of the
"Sunday School" but effectively functions as a small group
fellowship. Each "pastor-teacher" organizes the people into
smaller groups that meet regularly in homes or cafes where each
person may exchange the thoughts of their heart. In this manner,
our leadership may touch the needs of more than the one hundred
person cap that hovers over most churches.
The second half of our lesson expands upon the Psalm 23
This image, "The Lord is my Shepherd, eliminates from David of old
in Psalm 23. Phillip Keller in "A Shepherd looks at Psalm 23"
describes admirably the picture described in the Prophetic ritings.
1) The Lord is my shepherd! The shepherd purchases the sheep and owns them. They each know that they belong to this shepherd. A
good Shepherd would have strong healthy sheep each of whom would have a very personal relationship with the pastor. A shepherd not quite so good would omit the doctoring of the pest bites, and scrapes of the shrubbery that sheep experienced while feeding. He might neglect to move the sheep to greener pastures or to drive off predictors. Pitiful members of these flocks displayed the lack of care as sheep are very needful of regular and diligent care. But then again Adonai (Lord) would own each member of his estate. When a person experiences "Born Again" experience he does so by proclaiming Jesus as Lord and Savior of his life.(Rom 10: 9-10.)
2) I shall not want. David pictures not only the lack of need but the sentence construction of placing an immediate negative actually implies a complete and utter contentment with their state in life. So complete was the satisfaction the person would never think to look anywhere else for source of need. As with many doctrines of the Christian paradigm, excesses manifest. It is imperative to keep a balanced view of life remembering great men of faith experienced lack and deprivation in the course of their daily life. Consider John The Baptist who ate only grasshoppers (or beans depending on the interpretation), Then there was Elijah also dressed in sheepskin. As deception is prone to do, some modern teaching depicts those who lack as being of "little faith." In truth the Lord gives increase with out adding grief there with. Such is a more gentile thing than the excesses of "Faith" that are taught by some. This does indeed contrast against the verse John 10:10 where Jesus proclaims that you will have life and have it abundantly.
3) He maketh Me to Lie down in Green Pastures. Sheep will never lie down unless several conditions are met. First they must experience no fear. They instinctively know that they are a most vulnerable breed. Second, they could not know strife. As in most animals groups, there remains a "pecking order." An older larger and experienced ewe always claims for herself the best graze, water and spots of rest and especially the strongest buck.With pecks, bites, and stomps this preeminent one bosses the subservient members of the flock. For a sheep to lie down all must be "in order" with no strife. Third each sheep must experience no pest, or other discomfort. A standing sheep can jump away from or swat a fly or other biting insect. Fourth and obviously a sheep must be free from hunger. Only then could a sheep trust the staff of the shepherd to "lay down in green pastures." Keller notes that once there was a ewe who forever wandered off in curiosity to see what lay over the next hill. Such a discontented sheep require constant watch and supervision as other sheep would wander off into unsafe area and attendant danger. The next year with great relief the knife eliminated the wandering ewe and her problems. Additionally the shepherd exerted much work and time keeping the pasture green and supple to meet the needs of his sheep.
4) He leadeth me beside still waters. Although sheep's feet are made for dry an arid ground, they still require water.The shepherd by hard and diligent work clears water holes, and seep pits, He also shifts the location of the flock from place to place as needed by the sheep. In the hot summer months, he will even move the sheep up to the mountains to eat the dew found on the leaf of the grass early in the morning. This provided sufficient water for each sheep for the duration of the day. Sheep of the Good Shepherd also moves the little ones from place to place to drink of the water of the Holy Spirit."Generally speaking the sheep obtain water from dew on the grass, deep wells, or gentle brooks and streams." Believers today obtain vital nourishment from the Holy Spirit in similar ways.
5) He restoreth my soul. Remember that it is a sheep that is in the care of the good shepherd that we are thinking of. Each ear would know of the need for a "cast-down" sheep to be "restored!" But what causes a sheep to be "cast down"? Some sheep are more prone to this distress than others. David knew of the bitter taste of tears, and disappointment. He knew personally of the hopelessness and lack of strength that comes form this "cast-down" experience. This old English word describes a sheep on his back and helpless to get himself up. He in this position would need to rust a shepherd to get him up. With slender legs and a large clumsy body once a top heavy sheep lost his balance and landed on his back, he would eventually die if a person could not lift him up. Excess weight of unshorn wool added to the problem. This image bears out in the flock of the Lord. A full grown sheep that delivers no usefulness is more prone to "down-cast" than one who is busy in the Kingdom producing much fruit for the master. Some basic principles apply to both sheep and children of the Good Shepherd. First the ones always looking for the soft spot are in danger. They will pick soft round holes of sorts to lie in as these are cooler and over time more comfortable. These also are places that over time are spots where a careless foot may slip capsizing the sheep leaving him cast down. Unwillingness to "endure hardness" leaves one susceptible to "cast down." Over time this yields to a second characteristic. Seeking soft places hinders the development of endurance. Such endurance carries a person or a sheep over the rough times of life that are sure to come. A parallel characteristic is lack of personal self-discipline. Sheep like people often permit self-indulgence seeking the soft and easy places to eat sleep or live their life. Others find themselves top heavy with burdens weighted down so to speak with the excess. Wool thick and plush; in scripture depicts the self life. Such is, with believers as well as sheep, burdened with the self life are those who might be easily cast down. Wool never was allowed to the Priest in the Holy of Holies, as this depicted self, pride, personal preference comfort, or warmth. God will not tolerate this of a priest representing the flock of the people of Israel. As Peter matured, Jesus promised that he would go to a place he would not want to go, and do things he would prefer not to do. This describes a life of self sacrifice. The assertion and endurance required leaves no space of time to be cast down. A last reason to be cast down resides in the simple condition of carrying too much weight. Balancing work and eats so as to maintain good weight keeps a sheep from becoming too heavy thus susceptible to cast down.
6)He leads me in paths of Righteousness for his name sake. "Sheep are notorious creatures of habit." Keller asserts. For this reason a flock will soon eat away the forage near to the path. The shepherd must continually guide the sheep this way or that maintaining the health of the pasture. Whole country sides are forever changed by sloppiness in feeding sheep. In the same way believers must assertively pursue a path of rightness and truth. This would not usually be an easy path, but instead it would be a path less traveled. There are some who remain stubborn or stiff necked. People like do not submit to the leadership of the shepherd.
Seven attitudes pervade those who follow the shepherd to fresh pastures.
1) Love others more than himself.
2) The attitude to stand alone when necessary.
3) Forgo self rights.
4) Willingness to be at the bottom of the heap. Be last if need be. a lack of competition.
5) Gratitude, In everything give thanks
6) Differ to others instead of asserting self-will.
7) Similarly an attitude of obedience. His directions are always to a path of righteousness.
7) Yea though I walk through he valley of the shadow of Death. From the arrangement of the poetry this phrase is the pivot point of the message of the Psalm.23. The sheep is speaking for himself and describes the situation of walking in great danger. In the heat of summer, the shepherd will mount the march up the side of the mountain and through the long narrow valley surrounded by rough rock cliffs. In these parts, often a mountain cat or wolf would await in the crevices hoping for a straggler that would make an easy meal. In order to reach to mountain top the sheep must needs travel through the valley. In years gone by I worked as a unit room mechanic. That would be the place where power plant repairs would need to be made. Like many professions there was a natural cycle of business. In the winter and early spring the potential service was limited. I discovered that I would need to use the time as efficiently as possible. If I did not get the work allowed me done a little faster than the next man, I would not receive the only remaining job scheduled. I used the time as quickly as possible employing all skills that I could muster. During the quiet times I would rehearse everything in my mind that I had done on the job. As I thought about this until I had cleared up any lost time. If another job with similar requirements would arrive, I could practice the new skills until all was as practiced as possible. Later in the year when business was flush, I would continue to practice the skills learned. In this way I would collect the profit gained from this knowledge when business was good. In the lean times I would learn then collect when times were good. In Hebrews 11 we have the hall of faith, In the first half the men overcame by faith. On the other hand the second group endured through faith. Both experiences required faith and exemplified courage. It is in the Valley that each person gets to know the shepherd personally, not simply as a story another has told. He then could encourage others with the comfort with which he himself was comforted. He also has a method for relief that he could tell others. The question was not whether a person will have a valley experience, but how he will react to the valley.
8) The Sheep said, I will fear no evil, thou are. with me. That seems adequate, The Lord is with me, This is exactly the same thing that comforts the sheep.
9) Thy rod and thy staff comfort me. The staff is a twelve foot branch dried and cured to use to reach across the group of sheep to nudge one on the other side. In this way all knew that the shepherd watched each and every one. This was a comfort to one and all. The Rod was made from the knurled root of a tree partially revealed at the edge of a creek bank that had been washed. He would also cut and trim the piece to use as a piece to throw, strike or jab. The are common and universal tools of the trade. The rod would also whack an unruly sheep that caused trouble. The peace that resulted within the flock truly comforted the balance of the sheep. It also comforted the unruly ones well. The rod speaks of the Word. It implies Authority. The rod also counted the sheep noting if any were missing. It also opened the fleece to examine for sores or insect bites. He could then apply salve to medicate the wound.
10) Thou prepare a table for me in the presence of my enemies.. The mountain side contained the best forage, It also represented the more dangerous land. Feeding the enemy go a long way toward eliminating them altogether.
11) Thou anoints my head with oil. With Summer the flies swarm. They lay eggs that turn into worms.Any bloody place becomes a host for worms. Worms grow and as they do they cause additional damage. The Oil will dissolve eggs and worms promoting healing. A daily anointing of Oil of the Holy Spirit works to heal heart and soul every day. The continual presence of the Holy Spirit causes a blessing that promotes healing of all other wounds and diseases. The daily thoughts of the anointing causes a person's mind set, to center on healthful and blessed thoughts.
12) I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. Choices! choices! The Lord honors our choices. If we see his flock as a place to live in forever, that choice is indeed forever. A thought becomes a plan, A plan in times a course. A course in time becomes a life, a life in time becomes a destiny. It all starts with a choice for God and Godliness.
Jesus The Pastor,Shepherd
The Good Shepherd, there must be a bad one.
The Thief Comes not but for to Steal Kill and Destroy
But I come to give Life and That more abundantly. John 10:10
I am the Good Shepherd:
A.)The Good Shepherd gives his life for his sheep
The hireling and not the shepherd sees the wolf coming and
Leaves the sheep, flees The Wolf Catches the sheep and
scatters them.
B.)I am the Good Shepherd -I know my sheep and am known of them
The Father knows me, and in the same way I know the Father
Knowing the Father, I lay down my life for the sheep
We are not to be concerned about the "other sheep"
C.)When Jesus wants to say something he paints a picture with
words.
In the New Testament there are 14 other references to pastor as
the Greek word is used
Seven times refer to an actual pastor of real sheep
Seven times refer to the office of pastor in the Church
If we are to understand the allegory and Paul's mystery of the
church we are to understand that the church becomes the
manifestation of Christ in this age, in short the church
becomes the pastor to the sheep On this principle hangs the
first half of the lesson. It matters little how much Jesus
is the pastor or even the Great Shepherd if it does not touch
the heart of the person. In order to actually experience the
mystery of being Sheep, the church must provide the context of
the situation. In many lands, peoples, societies and families
the specific out working of this mystery takes different forms
and styles. Since the early fifties a new phenomenon has begun
to develop across the face of the church. In Korea a pastor
named Yonggi Cho
(en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yoido_Full_Gospel_Church)
using the gifts and people available to him, developed a new
style of effecting the job of pastor. His was a society where
women were the driving force within the family and the streets
remembered the action of war only a few years earlier.
Destruction and rubble wallpapered the hearts of the believers.
His mother-in-law responded to hurt, loneliness and pain that
littered the community around her. She approached her
son-in-law with the proposition, could she organize a small
group of the ladies to minister to other ladies in a way to
which ladies could understand and respond.
Together with her daughter (the pastors wife) she met with
eight others of different ages and backgrounds. Pastor Cho had
already worked for nearly four years with almost no apparent
success to build his church. Almost dismissively the pastor's
blessing was given. This idea however was one whose time had
come! Not since Acts 2:46 had the church functioned on a
discrete level touching the souls of each individual "where one
really lived." The results in Korea were similar to those in
Jerusalem in first century. The church multiplied. As each
group developed the miniature living rooms could hold only a
few. By default each group would begin to subdivide with a new
leader stepping forward to "look after the sheep." The room
size requirements forced the group size to twelve and less.
After certain problems developed administration caused the
church as a whole to require size limits for the grouped to be
twelve or less. Jesus told a parable of a shepherd with 100
sheep, ninety-nine were accounted for yet one was lost. In the
ears of His listeners, a flock of a hundred was a substantial
lot! Today the average church, in this century is one hundred
or less. It seems that this is a threshold above which the
more needy of the flock drift away, needs unmet. With Yonggi
Cho in Korea the small groups cared for the minor needs of the
general population. In the likely event someone had a need
greater than the small group could pastor, that person drifted
to pastor of the group immediately before. If the specifics of
that problem, were greater the person would be passed up higher
and higher until at the last the sheep would be in the presence
of the wisest in the growing church. In this manner all sheep
were pastored and "Not one was lost!" Currently the flock
numbers 852,000. Over the years other churches have adopted
this small group style of pastoring the needs of the sheep.
Those that have effectively incorporated this "small group
concept" have grown to a point that in every city in the world
there exists churches well over the 100 person limit that the
one shepherds is able to care for. In the Southern Baptist
Convention, when a church gets to a size that a new pastor is
needed, one is hired. Soon he develops "his flock" and the
multiplication process begins anew. Because no one can serve
two masters he soon splits off to a new building across the
street or across town.
At Lake Pointe we have incorporated this concept in our ABF
(Adult Bible Fellowship.) It meets in the structure of the
"Sunday School" but effectively functions as a small group
fellowship. Each "pastor-teacher" organizes the people into
smaller groups that meet regularly in homes or cafes where each
person may exchange the thoughts of their heart. In this manner,
our leadership may touch the needs of more than the one hundred
person cap that hovers over most churches.
The second half of our lesson expands upon the Psalm 23
This image, "The Lord is my Shepherd, eliminates from David of old
in Psalm 23. Phillip Keller in "A Shepherd looks at Psalm 23"
describes admirably the picture described in the Prophetic ritings.
1) The Lord is my shepherd! The shepherd purchases the sheep and owns them. They each know that they belong to this shepherd. A
good Shepherd would have strong healthy sheep each of whom would have a very personal relationship with the pastor. A shepherd not quite so good would omit the doctoring of the pest bites, and scrapes of the shrubbery that sheep experienced while feeding. He might neglect to move the sheep to greener pastures or to drive off predictors. Pitiful members of these flocks displayed the lack of care as sheep are very needful of regular and diligent care. But then again Adonai (Lord) would own each member of his estate. When a person experiences "Born Again" experience he does so by proclaiming Jesus as Lord and Savior of his life.(Rom 10: 9-10.)
2) I shall not want. David pictures not only the lack of need but the sentence construction of placing an immediate negative actually implies a complete and utter contentment with their state in life. So complete was the satisfaction the person would never think to look anywhere else for source of need. As with many doctrines of the Christian paradigm, excesses manifest. It is imperative to keep a balanced view of life remembering great men of faith experienced lack and deprivation in the course of their daily life. Consider John The Baptist who ate only grasshoppers (or beans depending on the interpretation), Then there was Elijah also dressed in sheepskin. As deception is prone to do, some modern teaching depicts those who lack as being of "little faith." In truth the Lord gives increase with out adding grief there with. Such is a more gentile thing than the excesses of "Faith" that are taught by some. This does indeed contrast against the verse John 10:10 where Jesus proclaims that you will have life and have it abundantly.
3) He maketh Me to Lie down in Green Pastures. Sheep will never lie down unless several conditions are met. First they must experience no fear. They instinctively know that they are a most vulnerable breed. Second, they could not know strife. As in most animals groups, there remains a "pecking order." An older larger and experienced ewe always claims for herself the best graze, water and spots of rest and especially the strongest buck.With pecks, bites, and stomps this preeminent one bosses the subservient members of the flock. For a sheep to lie down all must be "in order" with no strife. Third each sheep must experience no pest, or other discomfort. A standing sheep can jump away from or swat a fly or other biting insect. Fourth and obviously a sheep must be free from hunger. Only then could a sheep trust the staff of the shepherd to "lay down in green pastures." Keller notes that once there was a ewe who forever wandered off in curiosity to see what lay over the next hill. Such a discontented sheep require constant watch and supervision as other sheep would wander off into unsafe area and attendant danger. The next year with great relief the knife eliminated the wandering ewe and her problems. Additionally the shepherd exerted much work and time keeping the pasture green and supple to meet the needs of his sheep.
4) He leadeth me beside still waters. Although sheep's feet are made for dry an arid ground, they still require water.The shepherd by hard and diligent work clears water holes, and seep pits, He also shifts the location of the flock from place to place as needed by the sheep. In the hot summer months, he will even move the sheep up to the mountains to eat the dew found on the leaf of the grass early in the morning. This provided sufficient water for each sheep for the duration of the day. Sheep of the Good Shepherd also moves the little ones from place to place to drink of the water of the Holy Spirit."Generally speaking the sheep obtain water from dew on the grass, deep wells, or gentle brooks and streams." Believers today obtain vital nourishment from the Holy Spirit in similar ways.
5) He restoreth my soul. Remember that it is a sheep that is in the care of the good shepherd that we are thinking of. Each ear would know of the need for a "cast-down" sheep to be "restored!" But what causes a sheep to be "cast down"? Some sheep are more prone to this distress than others. David knew of the bitter taste of tears, and disappointment. He knew personally of the hopelessness and lack of strength that comes form this "cast-down" experience. This old English word describes a sheep on his back and helpless to get himself up. He in this position would need to rust a shepherd to get him up. With slender legs and a large clumsy body once a top heavy sheep lost his balance and landed on his back, he would eventually die if a person could not lift him up. Excess weight of unshorn wool added to the problem. This image bears out in the flock of the Lord. A full grown sheep that delivers no usefulness is more prone to "down-cast" than one who is busy in the Kingdom producing much fruit for the master. Some basic principles apply to both sheep and children of the Good Shepherd. First the ones always looking for the soft spot are in danger. They will pick soft round holes of sorts to lie in as these are cooler and over time more comfortable. These also are places that over time are spots where a careless foot may slip capsizing the sheep leaving him cast down. Unwillingness to "endure hardness" leaves one susceptible to "cast down." Over time this yields to a second characteristic. Seeking soft places hinders the development of endurance. Such endurance carries a person or a sheep over the rough times of life that are sure to come. A parallel characteristic is lack of personal self-discipline. Sheep like people often permit self-indulgence seeking the soft and easy places to eat sleep or live their life. Others find themselves top heavy with burdens weighted down so to speak with the excess. Wool thick and plush; in scripture depicts the self life. Such is, with believers as well as sheep, burdened with the self life are those who might be easily cast down. Wool never was allowed to the Priest in the Holy of Holies, as this depicted self, pride, personal preference comfort, or warmth. God will not tolerate this of a priest representing the flock of the people of Israel. As Peter matured, Jesus promised that he would go to a place he would not want to go, and do things he would prefer not to do. This describes a life of self sacrifice. The assertion and endurance required leaves no space of time to be cast down. A last reason to be cast down resides in the simple condition of carrying too much weight. Balancing work and eats so as to maintain good weight keeps a sheep from becoming too heavy thus susceptible to cast down.
6)He leads me in paths of Righteousness for his name sake. "Sheep are notorious creatures of habit." Keller asserts. For this reason a flock will soon eat away the forage near to the path. The shepherd must continually guide the sheep this way or that maintaining the health of the pasture. Whole country sides are forever changed by sloppiness in feeding sheep. In the same way believers must assertively pursue a path of rightness and truth. This would not usually be an easy path, but instead it would be a path less traveled. There are some who remain stubborn or stiff necked. People like do not submit to the leadership of the shepherd.
Seven attitudes pervade those who follow the shepherd to fresh pastures.
1) Love others more than himself.
2) The attitude to stand alone when necessary.
3) Forgo self rights.
4) Willingness to be at the bottom of the heap. Be last if need be. a lack of competition.
5) Gratitude, In everything give thanks
6) Differ to others instead of asserting self-will.
7) Similarly an attitude of obedience. His directions are always to a path of righteousness.
7) Yea though I walk through he valley of the shadow of Death. From the arrangement of the poetry this phrase is the pivot point of the message of the Psalm.23. The sheep is speaking for himself and describes the situation of walking in great danger. In the heat of summer, the shepherd will mount the march up the side of the mountain and through the long narrow valley surrounded by rough rock cliffs. In these parts, often a mountain cat or wolf would await in the crevices hoping for a straggler that would make an easy meal. In order to reach to mountain top the sheep must needs travel through the valley. In years gone by I worked as a unit room mechanic. That would be the place where power plant repairs would need to be made. Like many professions there was a natural cycle of business. In the winter and early spring the potential service was limited. I discovered that I would need to use the time as efficiently as possible. If I did not get the work allowed me done a little faster than the next man, I would not receive the only remaining job scheduled. I used the time as quickly as possible employing all skills that I could muster. During the quiet times I would rehearse everything in my mind that I had done on the job. As I thought about this until I had cleared up any lost time. If another job with similar requirements would arrive, I could practice the new skills until all was as practiced as possible. Later in the year when business was flush, I would continue to practice the skills learned. In this way I would collect the profit gained from this knowledge when business was good. In the lean times I would learn then collect when times were good. In Hebrews 11 we have the hall of faith, In the first half the men overcame by faith. On the other hand the second group endured through faith. Both experiences required faith and exemplified courage. It is in the Valley that each person gets to know the shepherd personally, not simply as a story another has told. He then could encourage others with the comfort with which he himself was comforted. He also has a method for relief that he could tell others. The question was not whether a person will have a valley experience, but how he will react to the valley.
8) The Sheep said, I will fear no evil, thou are. with me. That seems adequate, The Lord is with me, This is exactly the same thing that comforts the sheep.
9) Thy rod and thy staff comfort me. The staff is a twelve foot branch dried and cured to use to reach across the group of sheep to nudge one on the other side. In this way all knew that the shepherd watched each and every one. This was a comfort to one and all. The Rod was made from the knurled root of a tree partially revealed at the edge of a creek bank that had been washed. He would also cut and trim the piece to use as a piece to throw, strike or jab. The are common and universal tools of the trade. The rod would also whack an unruly sheep that caused trouble. The peace that resulted within the flock truly comforted the balance of the sheep. It also comforted the unruly ones well. The rod speaks of the Word. It implies Authority. The rod also counted the sheep noting if any were missing. It also opened the fleece to examine for sores or insect bites. He could then apply salve to medicate the wound.
10) Thou prepare a table for me in the presence of my enemies.. The mountain side contained the best forage, It also represented the more dangerous land. Feeding the enemy go a long way toward eliminating them altogether.
11) Thou anoints my head with oil. With Summer the flies swarm. They lay eggs that turn into worms.Any bloody place becomes a host for worms. Worms grow and as they do they cause additional damage. The Oil will dissolve eggs and worms promoting healing. A daily anointing of Oil of the Holy Spirit works to heal heart and soul every day. The continual presence of the Holy Spirit causes a blessing that promotes healing of all other wounds and diseases. The daily thoughts of the anointing causes a person's mind set, to center on healthful and blessed thoughts.
12) I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. Choices! choices! The Lord honors our choices. If we see his flock as a place to live in forever, that choice is indeed forever. A thought becomes a plan, A plan in times a course. A course in time becomes a life, a life in time becomes a destiny. It all starts with a choice for God and Godliness.
Saturday, July 12, 2008
Jesus the Lion of the Tribe of Judah, Jesus the Lamb of God
Jesus the Lamb of God/ Jesus the Lion of Judah
Exodus 12:3-7; Revelation 5:5, 8-9; Hosea 11:10
He says to me, "You can farm this ground but I want the first harvest". Thinks I, "everyone knows the first harvest is not usually the best for taste, for color, or for texture. But if that is the deal, that is the deal!" He continued, "That is right , every year I want the first one." Same principle:, when you stop to eat, first say thanks, and bless the grub, then eat! Yes the principle runs through out all creation. Well, when this bunch of Egyptians, some 1600 years BCE trotted through-out the land ignoring all of the other divine mandates, one day He said, "that is enough." He sent the death angel (guess it only took one) around to checkout the land. The rule was, Whoever had returned the first born child through out the land could place a swash of blood over the header of the front door. The proper way was to wave a hyssop (kind of like a little broom) through the bowl of blood saved from the offering of a young lamb.
The procedure was this: Pick out a first born lamb, as this was only a few months after the winter harvest. Let him run around the house like a pet dog for the week before the day. This way all get used to the bitter cost paid to cover the house of the family.
Two stipulations ,(1) the whole animal must be consumed as there can be no "left-overs.";
(2) all must participate. No one gets to say I don't like that! This creates a particular impression on the little ones, especially the girls. As It turns out the ladies hold the civilization together. This shared experience causes bonding to hold the family together. As compared to any other experience these "Children of Israel" have ever had, this is a landmark!
Hebrew 10:1 suggests that this and other sacrifices provided an image of things to come. John in Rev 5:5 declared Jesus the Lamb of the World. He has carried this image forward to a place where Jesus is pictured as the little defenseless Lamb like the one offered by each family to receive the benefit of the Passover. The Passover claimed the life of the first born. In essence this picture teaches that Jesus redeems each person who participates in the spiritual feast.Nice!
John the Baptist first declared that Jesus was the "Lamb of the World." Jesus later identified him as the greatest prophet before the death of Jesus on the Cross. This and the act of Baptism by immersion was the first message that he is recorded as saying. He also predicted that there would be a "Baptism of the Holy Spirit." He described it as a Baptism (immersion) of the Spirit and with Fire!
As we consider the names of Jesus we think of the many paradoxes in the "Walk of the Spirit."
one such is described in this same lesson: "Jesus, The Lion of the tribe of Judah." This allegory refers back to the book of beginnings. As Judah prepares himself for burial he begins to prophesy about each of his brothers, Then he. came down to lineage of Judah,(Gen 9:9-12) He denoted the same as a Lion's whelp. The Lion symbolized the Kingship of the animal Kingdom. By implication Judah is predicting that the lineage Judah would seed the Royal line. this was such a bizarre thought as the Jewish had never been a people for whom Kings were of consequence. The family had a strange independence and were not likely to submit to any one taking authority over the family. Yet here you have it. Some six-seven hundred years later however the people did require a king God! The Benjamin family line had become the most prolific and from them at the hand of the prophet Samuel, Israel produced a King. Sadly Samuel a great physical specimen, stumbled as he bowed to the will of the people. He wanted to look good to men, he wanted their approval. God however raised up a humble man next to reign over the Children of Israel. This same man David, sought to please God. David happened to derive from the line of Judah. In Rev 5:5 he is refereed to as the lion of the tribe of Judah.
Other references to the lion always delimits the reference to "like" or "as." In each case the lion is not the voice of the Lion but one like a lion. I Peter warns to be sober because your adversary the devil roams "as a Lion" seeking whom he may devour. I expect lot be presented victorious over the threatening of the adversary. As for me and my house we will worship the Lamb. We will let him have his place as king of our hearts.
Exodus 12:3-7; Revelation 5:5, 8-9; Hosea 11:10
He says to me, "You can farm this ground but I want the first harvest". Thinks I, "everyone knows the first harvest is not usually the best for taste, for color, or for texture. But if that is the deal, that is the deal!" He continued, "That is right , every year I want the first one." Same principle:, when you stop to eat, first say thanks, and bless the grub, then eat! Yes the principle runs through out all creation. Well, when this bunch of Egyptians, some 1600 years BCE trotted through-out the land ignoring all of the other divine mandates, one day He said, "that is enough." He sent the death angel (guess it only took one) around to checkout the land. The rule was, Whoever had returned the first born child through out the land could place a swash of blood over the header of the front door. The proper way was to wave a hyssop (kind of like a little broom) through the bowl of blood saved from the offering of a young lamb.
The procedure was this: Pick out a first born lamb, as this was only a few months after the winter harvest. Let him run around the house like a pet dog for the week before the day. This way all get used to the bitter cost paid to cover the house of the family.
Two stipulations ,(1) the whole animal must be consumed as there can be no "left-overs.";
(2) all must participate. No one gets to say I don't like that! This creates a particular impression on the little ones, especially the girls. As It turns out the ladies hold the civilization together. This shared experience causes bonding to hold the family together. As compared to any other experience these "Children of Israel" have ever had, this is a landmark!
Hebrew 10:1 suggests that this and other sacrifices provided an image of things to come. John in Rev 5:5 declared Jesus the Lamb of the World. He has carried this image forward to a place where Jesus is pictured as the little defenseless Lamb like the one offered by each family to receive the benefit of the Passover. The Passover claimed the life of the first born. In essence this picture teaches that Jesus redeems each person who participates in the spiritual feast.Nice!
John the Baptist first declared that Jesus was the "Lamb of the World." Jesus later identified him as the greatest prophet before the death of Jesus on the Cross. This and the act of Baptism by immersion was the first message that he is recorded as saying. He also predicted that there would be a "Baptism of the Holy Spirit." He described it as a Baptism (immersion) of the Spirit and with Fire!
As we consider the names of Jesus we think of the many paradoxes in the "Walk of the Spirit."
one such is described in this same lesson: "Jesus, The Lion of the tribe of Judah." This allegory refers back to the book of beginnings. As Judah prepares himself for burial he begins to prophesy about each of his brothers, Then he. came down to lineage of Judah,(Gen 9:9-12) He denoted the same as a Lion's whelp. The Lion symbolized the Kingship of the animal Kingdom. By implication Judah is predicting that the lineage Judah would seed the Royal line. this was such a bizarre thought as the Jewish had never been a people for whom Kings were of consequence. The family had a strange independence and were not likely to submit to any one taking authority over the family. Yet here you have it. Some six-seven hundred years later however the people did require a king God! The Benjamin family line had become the most prolific and from them at the hand of the prophet Samuel, Israel produced a King. Sadly Samuel a great physical specimen, stumbled as he bowed to the will of the people. He wanted to look good to men, he wanted their approval. God however raised up a humble man next to reign over the Children of Israel. This same man David, sought to please God. David happened to derive from the line of Judah. In Rev 5:5 he is refereed to as the lion of the tribe of Judah.
Other references to the lion always delimits the reference to "like" or "as." In each case the lion is not the voice of the Lion but one like a lion. I Peter warns to be sober because your adversary the devil roams "as a Lion" seeking whom he may devour. I expect lot be presented victorious over the threatening of the adversary. As for me and my house we will worship the Lamb. We will let him have his place as king of our hearts.
Sunday, July 6, 2008
Jesus the Living Water
Jesus is the living waterExodus 12:17-18;Numbers 20:10-11;John 4:13-15
This is a lesson that highlights reality. It contrasts the differences in the way different people view their world. This viewpoint is called things like identity or point of view.It is said of some that they see the world through rose colored glasses. Others have a kind of Polaroid lends that fillers out some kinds of light (the glare) while permitting the ambient light to pass through with out effect. Often the wearer gets used to this kind of glass filter and forgets that much of the cross light is not there. The Spanish word for these is called antiojos. Literally it means "before the eyes" In this way most people filter out people and experiences that do not seem relevant to their current object of thought. My daughter has entered into a residency in psychiatry. She studies people who have a view of reality that is distorted or skewed by family sickness, sin, abuse, drug usage, or demonic influences. In all of these instances she endeavors to win the trust of the patient so that she may help them clarify the distortion of their view of reality. This process over time causes some healing to take place through the process of treatment.Sadly some do not ever permit their reality to be adjusted by experience. In religious circles this phenomenon might be called "Hard Shell."
Jesus said in John 4 that I will be to you a well of living water. This metaphor attempts to describe a concept that presents difficulty in understanding. In the old testament counterpart Moses is challenged with the thirst of his million who trusted him by leave Egypt (the armies behind notwithstanding.)
In the desert there exists any number of places to obtain water, a little water, The desert by definition is a place of little water. In Texas we can see all of the types of terrain that is found through out the world. There exist much land that is very arid, and in places looks very much like the desert area of the middle east. A person who knows the land can find water, maybe for himself or for he and his horse. But after that is consumed it may take hours or days to refill the pocket of water from seepage. This also pictures the water available in the desert of southern Israel or the Sinai Desert. The problem was not that there wasn't any water, but that there wasn't enough to fill the "million man march" through the desert. The people repeated a scenario where some of the men would go to the leader Moses and intercede for the women the various complaints of these Jewish women. Women every where have expectations about the life that they consider "normal!" They developed over time a "workday view" that encompass sacrifices that they are willing and able to make and those that they are not able to make. These are developed "in light" of the life that they experienced as children and saw their mothers endure.In Texas history Apache women lived a particular life as normal in the desert of Southwest Texas. This was not unlike the daughters of Jethro the priest of Midian in Ex 3:1. The Jewish Women of Ex 12 expected water supply like the river Nile in Egypt. At times the river flooded over the banks and the span of the river was farther thin the eye could see, over a mile wide. This was far different than the desert where every speck of water must be used appropriately in order to avoid starvation. This causes hygiene standards to be quite different. The stress of these families fell upon the men who cried out to Moses "Would have been better that we would have died in Egypt" It is said, "If Mom is happy every body is happy." In this example the whole lot would have preferred death to the war that these people were enduring within their homes. It truly was a crisis of identity for all involved. I get this inference from the fact that the scripture in Ex 12 does not say the people actually were thirsty. It only says they were afraid of dying of thirst. I have lived in the desert area of Southwest Texas. I have also lived in the city where each person may normally use 500 gallons of water a month. the viewpoint of the two situations is vastly different. This difference affects every part of life. Moses had lived with Jethro several years and as such had both a desert view of water and the city view of water.Each view pictured a different life style as to the normal use of water. He was not concern with the supply of water aside from the complaints of the people. He calmly went to God and asked for help. The Lord (Adonai) Instructed him to take the same shepherd's stall that he had used with Jethro less than a year earlier and strike a rock. The river necessary to satisfy a group of people this large, would have had to be twenty five feet across and be running faster than you could stand up in it. This would require a miracle. Just such a rock exists in Val Verde county near Comstock, Texas. The rock is about the size of a two story house, and the water that shoots from under this rock is truly amazing. It pops up in the middle of the desert at the head of a canyon called Seminole Canyon. The Texas state park by that name resides there since 1980. An earth quake necessary to move this rock off of the artesian spring in the middle of the Sinai desert would have shut up even the most confirmed skeptic.The amount of power necessary to move a rock this size would have reduced the staff to splinters! Moses therefore would not have applied much power to the rock in question. the other problem was: which rock covered the spring? .Because Moses was following the cloud or the pillar of fire, The guidance system must have followed the creak, because the people discussed not the water problem for many years. They had other problems than not the water. Before the forty years had elapsed, the Nation ran out of water again, This time the people had complained about Moses's wife, and various other concerns.It seems mixed race marriages did not set well with the children of Israel of that day. Moses already had two children and displayed little patience with their criticism. This time when water supply became scarce, he sought the Lord again about the need. After a noble start he did not like the directions given to obtain the needed water. Instead of following the directions "speak to the rock" he struck it a gain a second time (like he had done before!) He had the right rock, because the children of Israel complained no longer. God must have wanted to declare some principle about speech and faith, because when the need for obtaining water was satisfied , God became angry with Moses for the only time in his one hundred twenty year life.I find it ironic that Moses("drawn from water") should stumble over a water supply problem. Psalm 106:32 also makes reference as this contrast has challenged readers view point of the character of all involved including God himself through the intervening years. Other passages in the New Testament lend more information about "Faith" and it's relationship with speech. God thought that this leader's response to the command was as serious as the disobedience of the Children of Israel in the Desert receiving the same penalty, death before reaching the goal.
In John 4:13 Jesus is talking to a half breed lady of all things, at a well in Samaria. In these areas, a well became the anchor of a city and sometimes outlasted many generations. The water would seep underground from the snow melt of the mountains many miles away. The wells could not produce water anywhere, but only where the strata underground directed the flow and underground pools retained the source of life! Jesus used this well as an illustration of himself. Living water from a well. "Living water" disciples something like the rapids of Colorado State park "Arkansas Headwaters Recreational Area." This is Living water! To have this violent and thunderous water coming from a well was a shocking contrast indeed. In a nearby passage in John 7:38 Jesus indicates this water will well out of the belly of a believer. A Person with this passion often becomes the founder of a church or even a denomination. Jesus is clearly contrasting those who simply "come to me" and those who truly believe. A Person has to work to lift water at ten pounds per gallon from a well twenty to a hundred feet deep. A person needs little or no work to receive nourishment from a river. such is the two stages of belief. A river or a well. Again this is a contrast of viewpoint. Where is the frame of reference, the view point of the world? In many endeavors there is this two stage level of success. In the lake a boat traveling fast enough will "plane" in the water. At this speed the boat is stable and the resistance of the water around is lessened. But as speed increases the boat will "lift." In this phase the boat is completely out of the water except the prop driving the boat. In this phase there is very little resistance or drag. The boat fairly flies above the water. This is the comparison Jesus is making in these two illustrations. In auto racing there is this same two stage of travel. A first of "plane" then a second of lift. In this phase there is very little drag. The lesson pictures a person who believes so much and so completely that the viewpoint permits no consciousness other than that of Jesus. By inference, this is an easier way to live.
This step progression of consciousness is also noted in recognition of knowledge. The first time a thought or word is encountered there is recognition. The second step is recognition having seen the same concept a subsequent time. The third step is short term memory. "I remember hearing of that before." This is the first stage where internal consciousness is facilitated. The fourth stage is long term memory. In it consciousness is utilized to the point that great familiarity stimulates interactive thought. the fifth level of consciousness is reflex. This phase does not require memory registers, but is "automatic." It is at this area that Jesus describes "rivers of Living waters." Consciousness is not even aware that there exists a reality not congruent with this knowledge. Truly this is the "viewpoint" that I am trying to illustrate.
So the question that presents it self is "How do I get to this level of Belief?" The first step is found in Romans 10:9-10. The second is found in Romans 1:16. Become not ashamed of the Word of righteousness. This is more of a process over time than the first step. But is the Power of God that transports a person over this step. Often the fellowship ("Konionia") of the saints will assist in developing a new viewpoint ,point of view, or identity. The process begins again with the words spoken from the heart. "I like this or that!"; "I Love this or that!".These seemingly casual words actually recreate a new reality each time that they are spoken. In this manner over time these thoughts become reflex. Unfortunately competing words contrary to these will create a type of confusion internally and sometimes unknown tot he speaker that James 1:8 describes as double-minded! He commands that these be remedied by cleanse hands then by purify heart. Hands relate to what is actually done. Hearts describe the point of view or the viewpoint. What is it that a person sees when he looks out at the world? What kinds of "glare" do the Polaroid "lens" over his eyes filter? It also helps to "create an atmosphere" by changing the "wallpaper" of the circumstances. Wallpaper would be people, music, or other media. What stimulation doe es come before the consciousness on a regular basis? These are easier to con troll for the belief of Jesus than some of these inner things like viewpoint. The third step to changing consciousness is to start talking to those in the environment about Jesus. Witnessing at first. Every person has an experience or memory to give witness. Then next find someone who is more attached tot eh world than himself and begin to teach principles already mastered.Gal 6:1 suggests that when one can see another taken in a fault, he should restore the one in need. The fourth step is to begin to memorize scripture. Commit the spiritual tools to a reflex level of memory. In this way the one meg of board memory in the mind is not taken up with remembering the reality of the scripture. With time and practice the quantity of memory will grow, but every one has some memory to start with. Every one can remember the verse 1 John 1:4 & 1:16. God Is Love. This is a good starting point, Another verse is John 11:35, Jesus wept. Sometimes it comforts a broken heart to know that Jesus cares enough to cry. Also II Samuel 14:14 reminds that God does not "respect" the person above another. I.E. What God did for another he might also do for you given fulfill of qualifications.
This is a lesson that highlights reality. It contrasts the differences in the way different people view their world. This viewpoint is called things like identity or point of view.It is said of some that they see the world through rose colored glasses. Others have a kind of Polaroid lends that fillers out some kinds of light (the glare) while permitting the ambient light to pass through with out effect. Often the wearer gets used to this kind of glass filter and forgets that much of the cross light is not there. The Spanish word for these is called antiojos. Literally it means "before the eyes" In this way most people filter out people and experiences that do not seem relevant to their current object of thought. My daughter has entered into a residency in psychiatry. She studies people who have a view of reality that is distorted or skewed by family sickness, sin, abuse, drug usage, or demonic influences. In all of these instances she endeavors to win the trust of the patient so that she may help them clarify the distortion of their view of reality. This process over time causes some healing to take place through the process of treatment.Sadly some do not ever permit their reality to be adjusted by experience. In religious circles this phenomenon might be called "Hard Shell."
Jesus said in John 4 that I will be to you a well of living water. This metaphor attempts to describe a concept that presents difficulty in understanding. In the old testament counterpart Moses is challenged with the thirst of his million who trusted him by leave Egypt (the armies behind notwithstanding.)
In the desert there exists any number of places to obtain water, a little water, The desert by definition is a place of little water. In Texas we can see all of the types of terrain that is found through out the world. There exist much land that is very arid, and in places looks very much like the desert area of the middle east. A person who knows the land can find water, maybe for himself or for he and his horse. But after that is consumed it may take hours or days to refill the pocket of water from seepage. This also pictures the water available in the desert of southern Israel or the Sinai Desert. The problem was not that there wasn't any water, but that there wasn't enough to fill the "million man march" through the desert. The people repeated a scenario where some of the men would go to the leader Moses and intercede for the women the various complaints of these Jewish women. Women every where have expectations about the life that they consider "normal!" They developed over time a "workday view" that encompass sacrifices that they are willing and able to make and those that they are not able to make. These are developed "in light" of the life that they experienced as children and saw their mothers endure.In Texas history Apache women lived a particular life as normal in the desert of Southwest Texas. This was not unlike the daughters of Jethro the priest of Midian in Ex 3:1. The Jewish Women of Ex 12 expected water supply like the river Nile in Egypt. At times the river flooded over the banks and the span of the river was farther thin the eye could see, over a mile wide. This was far different than the desert where every speck of water must be used appropriately in order to avoid starvation. This causes hygiene standards to be quite different. The stress of these families fell upon the men who cried out to Moses "Would have been better that we would have died in Egypt" It is said, "If Mom is happy every body is happy." In this example the whole lot would have preferred death to the war that these people were enduring within their homes. It truly was a crisis of identity for all involved. I get this inference from the fact that the scripture in Ex 12 does not say the people actually were thirsty. It only says they were afraid of dying of thirst. I have lived in the desert area of Southwest Texas. I have also lived in the city where each person may normally use 500 gallons of water a month. the viewpoint of the two situations is vastly different. This difference affects every part of life. Moses had lived with Jethro several years and as such had both a desert view of water and the city view of water.Each view pictured a different life style as to the normal use of water. He was not concern with the supply of water aside from the complaints of the people. He calmly went to God and asked for help. The Lord (Adonai) Instructed him to take the same shepherd's stall that he had used with Jethro less than a year earlier and strike a rock. The river necessary to satisfy a group of people this large, would have had to be twenty five feet across and be running faster than you could stand up in it. This would require a miracle. Just such a rock exists in Val Verde county near Comstock, Texas. The rock is about the size of a two story house, and the water that shoots from under this rock is truly amazing. It pops up in the middle of the desert at the head of a canyon called Seminole Canyon. The Texas state park by that name resides there since 1980. An earth quake necessary to move this rock off of the artesian spring in the middle of the Sinai desert would have shut up even the most confirmed skeptic.The amount of power necessary to move a rock this size would have reduced the staff to splinters! Moses therefore would not have applied much power to the rock in question. the other problem was: which rock covered the spring? .Because Moses was following the cloud or the pillar of fire, The guidance system must have followed the creak, because the people discussed not the water problem for many years. They had other problems than not the water. Before the forty years had elapsed, the Nation ran out of water again, This time the people had complained about Moses's wife, and various other concerns.It seems mixed race marriages did not set well with the children of Israel of that day. Moses already had two children and displayed little patience with their criticism. This time when water supply became scarce, he sought the Lord again about the need. After a noble start he did not like the directions given to obtain the needed water. Instead of following the directions "speak to the rock" he struck it a gain a second time (like he had done before!) He had the right rock, because the children of Israel complained no longer. God must have wanted to declare some principle about speech and faith, because when the need for obtaining water was satisfied , God became angry with Moses for the only time in his one hundred twenty year life.I find it ironic that Moses("drawn from water") should stumble over a water supply problem. Psalm 106:32 also makes reference as this contrast has challenged readers view point of the character of all involved including God himself through the intervening years. Other passages in the New Testament lend more information about "Faith" and it's relationship with speech. God thought that this leader's response to the command was as serious as the disobedience of the Children of Israel in the Desert receiving the same penalty, death before reaching the goal.
In John 4:13 Jesus is talking to a half breed lady of all things, at a well in Samaria. In these areas, a well became the anchor of a city and sometimes outlasted many generations. The water would seep underground from the snow melt of the mountains many miles away. The wells could not produce water anywhere, but only where the strata underground directed the flow and underground pools retained the source of life! Jesus used this well as an illustration of himself. Living water from a well. "Living water" disciples something like the rapids of Colorado State park "Arkansas Headwaters Recreational Area." This is Living water! To have this violent and thunderous water coming from a well was a shocking contrast indeed. In a nearby passage in John 7:38 Jesus indicates this water will well out of the belly of a believer. A Person with this passion often becomes the founder of a church or even a denomination. Jesus is clearly contrasting those who simply "come to me" and those who truly believe. A Person has to work to lift water at ten pounds per gallon from a well twenty to a hundred feet deep. A person needs little or no work to receive nourishment from a river. such is the two stages of belief. A river or a well. Again this is a contrast of viewpoint. Where is the frame of reference, the view point of the world? In many endeavors there is this two stage level of success. In the lake a boat traveling fast enough will "plane" in the water. At this speed the boat is stable and the resistance of the water around is lessened. But as speed increases the boat will "lift." In this phase the boat is completely out of the water except the prop driving the boat. In this phase there is very little resistance or drag. The boat fairly flies above the water. This is the comparison Jesus is making in these two illustrations. In auto racing there is this same two stage of travel. A first of "plane" then a second of lift. In this phase there is very little drag. The lesson pictures a person who believes so much and so completely that the viewpoint permits no consciousness other than that of Jesus. By inference, this is an easier way to live.
This step progression of consciousness is also noted in recognition of knowledge. The first time a thought or word is encountered there is recognition. The second step is recognition having seen the same concept a subsequent time. The third step is short term memory. "I remember hearing of that before." This is the first stage where internal consciousness is facilitated. The fourth stage is long term memory. In it consciousness is utilized to the point that great familiarity stimulates interactive thought. the fifth level of consciousness is reflex. This phase does not require memory registers, but is "automatic." It is at this area that Jesus describes "rivers of Living waters." Consciousness is not even aware that there exists a reality not congruent with this knowledge. Truly this is the "viewpoint" that I am trying to illustrate.
So the question that presents it self is "How do I get to this level of Belief?" The first step is found in Romans 10:9-10. The second is found in Romans 1:16. Become not ashamed of the Word of righteousness. This is more of a process over time than the first step. But is the Power of God that transports a person over this step. Often the fellowship ("Konionia") of the saints will assist in developing a new viewpoint ,point of view, or identity. The process begins again with the words spoken from the heart. "I like this or that!"; "I Love this or that!".These seemingly casual words actually recreate a new reality each time that they are spoken. In this manner over time these thoughts become reflex. Unfortunately competing words contrary to these will create a type of confusion internally and sometimes unknown tot he speaker that James 1:8 describes as double-minded! He commands that these be remedied by cleanse hands then by purify heart. Hands relate to what is actually done. Hearts describe the point of view or the viewpoint. What is it that a person sees when he looks out at the world? What kinds of "glare" do the Polaroid "lens" over his eyes filter? It also helps to "create an atmosphere" by changing the "wallpaper" of the circumstances. Wallpaper would be people, music, or other media. What stimulation doe es come before the consciousness on a regular basis? These are easier to con troll for the belief of Jesus than some of these inner things like viewpoint. The third step to changing consciousness is to start talking to those in the environment about Jesus. Witnessing at first. Every person has an experience or memory to give witness. Then next find someone who is more attached tot eh world than himself and begin to teach principles already mastered.Gal 6:1 suggests that when one can see another taken in a fault, he should restore the one in need. The fourth step is to begin to memorize scripture. Commit the spiritual tools to a reflex level of memory. In this way the one meg of board memory in the mind is not taken up with remembering the reality of the scripture. With time and practice the quantity of memory will grow, but every one has some memory to start with. Every one can remember the verse 1 John 1:4 & 1:16. God Is Love. This is a good starting point, Another verse is John 11:35, Jesus wept. Sometimes it comforts a broken heart to know that Jesus cares enough to cry. Also II Samuel 14:14 reminds that God does not "respect" the person above another. I.E. What God did for another he might also do for you given fulfill of qualifications.
Bread
the bread of life John 6:31-35;Ex 12:17-18; 16:4
These verses compare Jesus to Manna that "rained" down from heaven.
The interesting aspect of this Miracle in the desert was that it took place on the feast of unleavened bread. This is one of seven stated feasts defined by Moses. There were three clustered around Passover (in the Spring) three clustered around Rosh Shan nah (in the fall), then last being the feast of Pentecost. This happened soon after the first green sprigs came up in the spring crop. Fifty days after Passover it was a kind of thanksgiving ahead of time. The statement being If I see the first sprig I have the harvest , by Faith.
This Manna then was Gods supply of unleavened Bread. The feast signified a removal of all Yeast (an evidence of foreign matter that substantially changed the Lump of dough.) This picture becomes an OT type of the Lord Jesus Christ. Torah is peppered with such pictures that taken as a whole lend credence to the assertion that Jesus (Joshua-deliverer to his family) was in fact the Messiah of Israel.
In John 6 Jesus making this assertion that He was the Unleavened bread pictured in Ex 12 exploded in the minds of these disciples who had just seen the feeding of the multitudes by a little boy's lunch. Using the phrase "I am" in the sentence "I am the bread from heaven, screamed "God" "God" "God" to the hearer not unlike the saliva beginning to flow when the sound of the dinner bell rings at a time that diner is expected to be ready. The only time God ever answered that he had a name he answered "I AM." The implication: I am what ever you need at the time, I am with out any prior creator and with out any completing process. For anyone to use this phrase was either the max of blasphemy or in Jesus' case a simple statement of Truth.
The distressing quality of this "what-is-it" (Manna) was that it did not come down at any set time, it rotted after one night (except on Sabbath), and it always tasted the same. Not needing to be cooked, it did not lend itself to spice variation. While being a complete food in itself, Manna was a complete food, just what was needled.
We now know that eating a balanced diet of meat,milk,bread, fat, fruit and vegetables; leaves a body satisfied with the weight times ten of calories(200 # needs 2000 calories!).
These calories are obtained with:
two meat ounces, one fruit serving (four ounces,),
one vegetable (four ounces,) one milk (four ounces,)
one-half fat (two ounce,) two bread (twenty-five carbohydrates.)
for each fifty pounds of body weight desired.
100#
four meat ounces, two fruit serving (four ounces,),
two vegetable (four ounces,) two milk (four ounces,)
one fat (two ounce,) four bread (twenty-five carbohydrates.)
150#
six meat ounces, three fruit serving (four ounces,),
three vegetable (four ounces,) three milk (four ounces,)
one and one-half fat (two ounce) six bread (twenty-five carbohydrates.)
175#
seven meat ounces, three-four fruit serving (four ounces,),
three-four vegetable (four ounces,) three-four milk (four ounces,)
one and one-half fat (two ounce )seven bread (twenty-five carbohydrates.)
200#
eight meat ounces, four fruit serving (four ounces,),
four vegetable (four ounces,) four milk (four ounces,)
two fat (two ounce) eight bread (twenty-five carbohydrates.)
bread servings (@ 12-14 grams carb)
(Note me at, milk or nuts may have fat embedded)
(Also any sugar or starch food like potato or pasta will be work in the body as a bread.)
Additionally a person may drop ten percent of intake in each of the food groups and not experience hunger. This will cause a gradual loss of weight over a prolonged period, say 10% in three to four months. Assuming there are not other factors like using food to medicate or comfort, the person will experience satisfaction with the stated calorie levels. A group called "First Place" provides additional support and information for those with the unwanted load of excess pounds. Counseling and Addiction support groups address the emotional nature of "phantom hunger." Ultimately these are a type of idolatry where a person seeks to fill "a God sized hole" with something other than Himself. Additionally People differ as to how well they metabolize) these calories. There are differences based on age ,sex, and heredity.
When Jesus promises that when one "eats" of "the bread I shall give" he will never hunger or thirst, this is what He is actually saying. It turns out that fear causes the body to clamp the stomach area interfering with the normal discharge of Urea. The body immediately sends a "thirst alert" to the intent that the additional water will wash out the system of this pH charged imbalance. The same stomach response will inhibit the digestion process, leaving a lack of nutrients in the blood stream, skewing the blood sugar balance. This registers as hunger. If a person will simply trust Jesus in situations of stress leading to fear, the person will not hunger or thirst unnaturally. (Fulfilling Jesus promise, or rather proving the trueness of the scripture.)
In conclusion the old or new covenant described by the Old or the New Testament provides a workable lifestyle that when implemented will answer all of life's issues and concerns. In Short one man said the scriptures were Gods Operation manual
These verses compare Jesus to Manna that "rained" down from heaven.
The interesting aspect of this Miracle in the desert was that it took place on the feast of unleavened bread. This is one of seven stated feasts defined by Moses. There were three clustered around Passover (in the Spring) three clustered around Rosh Shan nah (in the fall), then last being the feast of Pentecost. This happened soon after the first green sprigs came up in the spring crop. Fifty days after Passover it was a kind of thanksgiving ahead of time. The statement being If I see the first sprig I have the harvest , by Faith.
This Manna then was Gods supply of unleavened Bread. The feast signified a removal of all Yeast (an evidence of foreign matter that substantially changed the Lump of dough.) This picture becomes an OT type of the Lord Jesus Christ. Torah is peppered with such pictures that taken as a whole lend credence to the assertion that Jesus (Joshua-deliverer to his family) was in fact the Messiah of Israel.
In John 6 Jesus making this assertion that He was the Unleavened bread pictured in Ex 12 exploded in the minds of these disciples who had just seen the feeding of the multitudes by a little boy's lunch. Using the phrase "I am" in the sentence "I am the bread from heaven, screamed "God" "God" "God" to the hearer not unlike the saliva beginning to flow when the sound of the dinner bell rings at a time that diner is expected to be ready. The only time God ever answered that he had a name he answered "I AM." The implication: I am what ever you need at the time, I am with out any prior creator and with out any completing process. For anyone to use this phrase was either the max of blasphemy or in Jesus' case a simple statement of Truth.
The distressing quality of this "what-is-it" (Manna) was that it did not come down at any set time, it rotted after one night (except on Sabbath), and it always tasted the same. Not needing to be cooked, it did not lend itself to spice variation. While being a complete food in itself, Manna was a complete food, just what was needled.
We now know that eating a balanced diet of meat,milk,bread, fat, fruit and vegetables; leaves a body satisfied with the weight times ten of calories(200 # needs 2000 calories!).
These calories are obtained with:
two meat ounces, one fruit serving (four ounces,),
one vegetable (four ounces,) one milk (four ounces,)
one-half fat (two ounce,) two bread (twenty-five carbohydrates.)
for each fifty pounds of body weight desired.
100#
four meat ounces, two fruit serving (four ounces,),
two vegetable (four ounces,) two milk (four ounces,)
one fat (two ounce,) four bread (twenty-five carbohydrates.)
150#
six meat ounces, three fruit serving (four ounces,),
three vegetable (four ounces,) three milk (four ounces,)
one and one-half fat (two ounce) six bread (twenty-five carbohydrates.)
175#
seven meat ounces, three-four fruit serving (four ounces,),
three-four vegetable (four ounces,) three-four milk (four ounces,)
one and one-half fat (two ounce )seven bread (twenty-five carbohydrates.)
200#
eight meat ounces, four fruit serving (four ounces,),
four vegetable (four ounces,) four milk (four ounces,)
two fat (two ounce) eight bread (twenty-five carbohydrates.)
bread servings (@ 12-14 grams carb)
(Note me at, milk or nuts may have fat embedded)
(Also any sugar or starch food like potato or pasta will be work in the body as a bread.)
Additionally a person may drop ten percent of intake in each of the food groups and not experience hunger. This will cause a gradual loss of weight over a prolonged period, say 10% in three to four months. Assuming there are not other factors like using food to medicate or comfort, the person will experience satisfaction with the stated calorie levels. A group called "First Place" provides additional support and information for those with the unwanted load of excess pounds. Counseling and Addiction support groups address the emotional nature of "phantom hunger." Ultimately these are a type of idolatry where a person seeks to fill "a God sized hole" with something other than Himself. Additionally People differ as to how well they metabolize) these calories. There are differences based on age ,sex, and heredity.
When Jesus promises that when one "eats" of "the bread I shall give" he will never hunger or thirst, this is what He is actually saying. It turns out that fear causes the body to clamp the stomach area interfering with the normal discharge of Urea. The body immediately sends a "thirst alert" to the intent that the additional water will wash out the system of this pH charged imbalance. The same stomach response will inhibit the digestion process, leaving a lack of nutrients in the blood stream, skewing the blood sugar balance. This registers as hunger. If a person will simply trust Jesus in situations of stress leading to fear, the person will not hunger or thirst unnaturally. (Fulfilling Jesus promise, or rather proving the trueness of the scripture.)
In conclusion the old or new covenant described by the Old or the New Testament provides a workable lifestyle that when implemented will answer all of life's issues and concerns. In Short one man said the scriptures were Gods Operation manual
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