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Showing posts from November, 2020

Jesus: The Believer’s Inheritance

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  It is fascinating to observe when people talk about inheritance, ones mind would immediately cater properties, wills, houses, jewelries, and other material things. All of which are centered on material temporal things.   In 1 Peter 1:4 , although The Apostle Peter used the term “inheritance” once in his letter, Apostle Paul on the other hand, mentioned this term in his letters several times. ( Eph_1:14 , Eph_1:18 , Eph_5:5 , Col_3:24 ,) But what is so significant about this particular emphasis of Peter? After all, he made a brief description of the inheritance (verse 4-5) a believer will obtain now that he is part of God’s family.   The term “inheritance” is not something new among Jewish ears. Going back to the OT, when God divided the promised land among the 12 tribes of Israel, every tribe received a portion of the land as their inheritance, except for the tribe of Levi…”the priestly tribe”. They were the only tribe that didn’t get one. God’s reason for doing so is interesting. Th
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The Sovereignty of the God who Hears-- Notes on Daniel 9:1-23

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  The book of Daniel is one that points to God's Sovereignty-- sovereignty not just over each individual but over every nation. Indeed, he is sovereign over all!  Daniel was just a young man when he was carried away as a prisoner by the Babylonians, the nation used by God to punish unrepentant Israel. His family background and characteristics are described in the first chapter: an Israelite "from the royal family and the nobility," a young man who was "handsome, showing aptitude for every kind of learning, well informed, quick to understand, and qualified to serve in the king’s palace."  Chapter nine of Daniel hones in on a specific time period-- the first year of Darius ' reign. Go back to chapter 5 and there we are told about how Darius received the kingdom after Belshazzar the Chaldean saw "the handwriting on the wall." In keeping with God's Word, God's judgement had come-- not just over Belshazzar but over the entire Baylonian empire. 
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“Nothing More, Nothing Less, Nothing Else” –Notes on James 4:13-17

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    There’s a story about a grandfather who tried to give advice to his grandson. He said, “Johnny, “Fools are certain, wise men hesitate.” Johnny, in reply, asked, “Are you sure, Grandpa?” With unequivocal confidence, the grandfather answered, “Yes, I am absolutely certain.”       This rather amusing story provides a good backdrop to the warning in James 4:13-17.  In this passage, we see James calling out to those whose boasting is evil by virtue of their self-confidence. “Look here,” James says, “you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we are going to a certain town and will stay there a year. We will do business there and make a profit’” (James 4:13 NLT).       First, let’s look at how James describes those who are so certain of themselves that they are pronounced guilty of such boastfulness: their mind is set to work (“we will go... and do business”); they have a targeted location (“to a certain town”); they have a plan and a goal (to engage in business and “make a profit”); they have a se
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The Matter of Slander - Notes on James 4:11-12

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  The particular subject of James in James 1:36 and James 3:1-11 is the tongue. He again returns to this subject in James 4:11-12.  Based on our prior studies, it is clear that “what you say flows from what is in your heart” (Luke 6:45). In James’ imperative to “not slander one another,” the heart of the problem, as one has aptly put it, “is the problem of the heart.”  The term “slander” speaks of having the intent of defaming or of falsely accusing another. Note that in 1 Peter 2:12, the apostle Peter speaks of slander by unbelievers against believers, which is to be expected, since unbelievers speak from a heart that is fallen in Adam. In contrast, James, in 4:11-12, confronts believers who are slandering fellow believers. Ponder on Matthew 7:1-5, which calls for believers to not condemn fellow believers. Rather, believers should love one another, for “by this all people will know” that they belong to Christ (John 13:34-35). James reasons, quite aptly, that a believer ought not to sp
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“No Laughing Matter” - Notes on James 4: 9-10

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 It is often the case that we encourage one another to rejoice. In the beginning of his letter, James explicitly exhorted the brethren to count it as joy when they meet various trials. Why, then, would the command be given in James 4:9-10 that the brethren “be wretched and mourn and weep” and to let their “laughter be turned to mourning” and their “joy to gloom?” * Think back of the sins addressed in James 2:1-13 (partiality), James 2:14-26 (faith without works), and James 4:1-5 (affinity to the world). It is in view of these sins that James is calling for them to be wretched, to mourn, and to weep. Indeed, despite the grace they have received, they have chosen to act treacherously. They were disloyal or faithless to their Savior and Lord. For this reason, it is only right that they should be miserable for having committed such sins.  With the same force, James commands them to let their “laughter be turned to mourning” and their “joy to gloom.” It is implied in these phrases that thos
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“Draw Near With a Pure Heart”— Notes on James 4:8

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The recipients of James’ letter are repeatedly addressed as “my brethren.” In James 4:8, however, they are addressed as “you sinners” and “you double-minded,” and are explicitly commanded to “draw near to God,” “cleanse their hands” and to “purify their hearts.”  Why would James describe his “brethren” with words that would not be fitting of fellow believers? To answer the question, we must look back to what James has communicated beforehand. First, in James 1:5-8, he who lacks wisdom is told to “ask God who gives generously to all.” In this context, James describes the doubter who will not receive anything from the Lord because he is ““double-minded, unstable in all his ways.” Next, in James 1:26-27, he who thinks he is “religious” is addressed, for “if... he does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person’s religion is worthless.”  Finally, in James 2:14-26, a hypothetical is given to drive home a point that James makes explicit— that is, “Show me your faith apart from
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