Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze.com
Thursday, December 16, 2010
One Hand, Two Hands Review
I recently read “One Hand, Two Hands” by Max Lucado. It is a book for young children to teach them the value of using their hands to the glory of God. It is a nice book that is written in a poetic style and rhymes most of the time. The art in the book is well done and would definitely keep a child entertained. I was interested in reviewing this book because we are soon going to have our first child. I was not too impressed with the forced rhyming in some of the areas of the book, and was not overwhelmed with the content as I usually am by Max’ books. The book tries to show that we have opportunities to use our hands to God’s glory, and that is probably a difficult concept to put into a children’s book. The message is definitely a good lesson for children to learn, but with the lack of flow in the rhyming, it was definitely not my favorite children’s book. I would not recommend the product to others. This is based primarily on the price. Its cover price is roughly $17, which seems pretty steep to me for a children’s book. While I usually enjoy Max’ books, this time I would steer clear.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze.combook review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze.com
Monday, July 12, 2010
Mind Your Own Mortgage - Book Review
Mind Your Own Mortgage – By Robert J. Bernabe
I have to say that I had mixed emotions on this book. I appreciated the well researched, well thought out approach to monitoring my own mortgage. At the same time, I was frustrated that the appendices he mentioned in the book were nowhere to be found on his website. This had been an oversight and it was soon corrected. The information was valuable and I would say it boils down to: don’t let the loan companies decide when it is right for you to refinance. YOU need to take an active part in watching how things are going. When rates have dropped, take a look at the option that costs you nothing. If it lowers your rate, great! If it doesn’t, hold off. Continue to pay the same amount as you did when you began paying for your mortgage and you will considerably reduce long term cost.
The book came to me at a very inopportune time. I had just refinanced. A perfect time to hear about all the things that I may have done wrong. I didn’t do too bad. I could have picked a different option, but such is life. I know to continue paying a higher amount and will reduce the length of the loan. A valuable resource I found is http://www.vertex42.com/Calculators/home-mortgage-calculator.html. This is a great, free, resource to see how much your mortgage will cost. Keep up with it and you will use the info in this book in a tangible way.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.combook review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
I have to say that I had mixed emotions on this book. I appreciated the well researched, well thought out approach to monitoring my own mortgage. At the same time, I was frustrated that the appendices he mentioned in the book were nowhere to be found on his website. This had been an oversight and it was soon corrected. The information was valuable and I would say it boils down to: don’t let the loan companies decide when it is right for you to refinance. YOU need to take an active part in watching how things are going. When rates have dropped, take a look at the option that costs you nothing. If it lowers your rate, great! If it doesn’t, hold off. Continue to pay the same amount as you did when you began paying for your mortgage and you will considerably reduce long term cost.
The book came to me at a very inopportune time. I had just refinanced. A perfect time to hear about all the things that I may have done wrong. I didn’t do too bad. I could have picked a different option, but such is life. I know to continue paying a higher amount and will reduce the length of the loan. A valuable resource I found is http://www.vertex42.com/Calculators/home-mortgage-calculator.html. This is a great, free, resource to see how much your mortgage will cost. Keep up with it and you will use the info in this book in a tangible way.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com
James Chapter 3:1-12
James 3:1-12
Let your mouth be evidence of your faith.
Why should we not become teachers? Aren’t we called to disciple and lead?
(1 Tim 1:3-11, Luke 12:48, Lev 5:17, Gal 2:11, Acts 15:1-2, Matt 28:18-20, 2 Pet 2:1-3)
How should we follow up on our teachers?
(2 Tim 2:15, Acts 17:11, 1 Tim 3:6, Prov 18:2, 2 Tim 4:1-4, 2 Pet 2:1-3, Matt 7:15-20)
What are some examples of an untamed tongue?
(Proverbs 12:17-20, 13:3, 16:27, 17:7, 18:4-8, 25:18, Matt 7:15-20, Eph 4:25-27)
Why does James relate the tongue to a fire, why not to the bridle or the rudder?
(Matt 15:11, 18-19, Matt 12:36, Psalm 39:1-3, Prov 26:21, 16:27, Gal 5:9, 1 Cor 5:6)
What type of conversation is fitting?
(Eph 4:29-31, 5:4, Col 3:8, 4:6, Rom 14:19, Psalm 141:3)
How does this fit?
(Matt 7:16, Psalm 19:14, Eph 4:11-16, James 1:26, 2:26)
1 Tim 1:3-11
3As I urged you when I was going to Macedonia, remain at Ephesus so that you may charge certain persons not to teach any different doctrine, 4nor to devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies, which promote speculations rather than the stewardshipa from God that is by faith. 5The aim of our charge is love that issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. 6Certain persons, by swerving from these, have wandered away into vain discussion, 7desiring to be teachers of the law, without understanding either what they are saying or the things about which they make confident assertions.
8Now we know that the law is good, if one uses it lawfully, 9understanding this, that the law is not laid down for the just but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for those who strike their fathers and mothers, for murderers, 10the sexually immoral, men who practice homosexuality, enslavers,b liars, perjurers, and whatever else is contrary to soundc doctrine, 11in accordance with the gospel of the glory of the blessed God with which I have been entrusted.
Luke 12:48
48but the one who did not know it, and committed deeds worthy of a flogging, will receive but few. From everyone who has been given much, much will be required; and to whom they entrusted much, of him they will ask all the more.
Leviticus 5:17
17“Now if a person sins and does any of the things which the LORD has commanded not to be done, though he was unaware, still he is guilty and shall bear his punishment.
Galatians 2:11ff
11But when Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned. 12For prior to the coming of certain men from James, he used to eat with the Gentiles; but when they came, he began to withdraw and hold himself aloof, fearing the party of the circumcision. 13The rest of the Jews joined him in hypocrisy, with the result that even Barnabas was carried away by their hypocrisy. 14But when I saw that they were not straightforward about the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas in the presence of all, “If you, being a Jew, live like the Gentiles and not like the Jews, how is it that you compel the Gentiles to live like Jews?
15“We are Jews by nature and not sinners from among the Gentiles; 16nevertheless knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the Law but through faith in Christ Jesus, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, so that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the Law; since by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified. 17“But if, while seeking to be justified in Christ, we ourselves have also been found sinners, is Christ then a minister of sin? May it never be! 18“For if I rebuild what I have once destroyed, I prove myself to be a transgressor. 19“For through the Law I died to the Law, so that I might live to God. 20“I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me. 21“I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness comes through the Law, then Christ died needlessly.”
Acts 15:1-2
1Some men came down from Judea and began teaching the brethren, “Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.” 2And when Paul and Barnabas had great dissension and debate with them, the brethren determined that Paul and Barnabas and some others of them should go up to Jerusalem to the apostles and elders concerning this issue.
Matthew 28:18-20
18And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, 20teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
2 Peter 2:1-3
1But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction. 2And many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of truth will be blasphemed. 3And in their greed they will exploit you with false words. Their condemnation from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep.
2 Tim 2:14-19
14Keep reminding them of these things. Warn them before God against quarreling about words; it is of no value, and only ruins those who listen. 15Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth. 16Avoid godless chatter, because those who indulge in it will become more and more ungodly. 17Their teaching will spread like gangrene. Among them are Hymenaeus and Philetus, 18who have wandered away from the truth. They say that the resurrection has already taken place, and they destroy the faith of some. 19Nevertheless, God’s solid foundation stands firm, sealed with this inscription: “The Lord knows those who are his,”a and, “Everyone who confesses the name of the Lord must turn away from wickedness.”
Acts 17:11
11Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.
1 Tim 3:6
6He must not be a recent convert, or he may become conceited and fall under the same judgment as the devil.
Proverbs 18:2
2A fool finds no pleasure in understanding
but delights in airing his own opinions.
2 Tim 4:1-4
1I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: 2preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. 3For the time is coming when people will not endure sounda teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, 4and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths. 5As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.
2 Pet 2:1-3
1But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will also be false teachers among you, who will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing swift destruction upon themselves. 2Many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of the truth will be maligned; 3and in their greed they will exploit you with false words; their judgment from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep.
Matthew 7:15-20
15“Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. 16“You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes nor figs from thistles, are they? 17“So every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. 18“A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can a bad tree produce good fruit. 19“Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20“So then, you will know them by their fruits.
Proverbs 12:17-20
17 He who speaks truth tells what is right,
But a false witness, deceit.
18 There is one who speaks rashly like the thrusts of a sword,
But the tongue of the wise brings healing.
19 Truthful lips will be established forever,
But a lying tongue is only for a moment.
20 Deceit is in the heart of those who devise evil,
But counselors of peace have joy.
Matthew Henry Commentary on Proverbs 12:17-20
17. It is good for all to dread and detest the sin of lying, and to be governed by honesty. 18. Whisperings and evil surmises, like a sword, separate those that have been dear to each other. The tongue of the wise is health, making all whole. 19. If truth be spoken, it will hold good; whoever may be disobliged, still it will keep its ground. 20. Deceit and falsehood bring terrors and perplexities. But those who consult the peace and happiness of others have joy in their own minds.
Proverbs 13:3
3The one who guards his mouth preserves his life;
The one who opens wide his lips comes to ruin.
Proverbs 16:27
27A worthless man digs up evil,
While his words are like scorching fire.
Proverbs 17:7
7Excellent speech is not fitting for a fool,
Much less are lying lips to a prince.
Proverbs 18:4-8
4 The words of a man’s mouth are deep waters;
The fountain of wisdom is a bubbling brook.
5 To show partiality to the wicked is not good,
Nor to thrust aside the righteous in judgment.
6 A fool’s lips bring strife,
And his mouth calls for blows.
7 A fool’s mouth is his ruin,
And his lips are the snare of his soul.
8 The words of a whisperer are like dainty morsels,
And they go down into the innermost parts of the body.
Proverbs 25:18
18Like a club and a sword and a sharp arrow
Is a man who bears false witness against his neighbor.
Matthew 7:15-20
15“Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. 16“You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes nor figs from thistles, are they? 17“So every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. 18“A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can a bad tree produce good fruit. 19“Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20“So then, you will know them by their fruits.
Ephesians 4:25-27
25Therefore, laying aside falsehood, SPEAK TRUTH EACH ONE of you WITH HIS NEIGHBOR, for we are members of one another. 26BE ANGRY, AND yet DO NOT SIN; do not let the sun go down on your anger, 27and do not give the devil an opportunity.
Matthew 15:11
11“It is not what enters into the mouth that defiles the man, but what proceeds out of the mouth, this defiles the man.”
Matthew 15:18-19
18“But the things that proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and those defile the man. 19“For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, slanders.
Matthew 12:36
36“But I tell you that every careless word that people speak, they shall give an accounting for it in the day of judgment.
Psalm 39:1-3
1 I said, “I will guard my ways,
that I may not sin with my tongue;
I will guard my mouth with a muzzle,
so long as the wicked are in my presence.”
2 I was mute and silent;
I held my peace to no avail,
and my distress grew worse.
3 My heart became hot within me.
As I mused, the fire burned;
then I spoke with my tongue:
Proverbs 26:21
21Like charcoal to hot embers and wood to fire,
So is a contentious man to kindle strife.
Proverbs 16:27
27A worthless man digs up evil,
While his words are like scorching fire.
Galatians 5:9
9A little leaven leavens the whole lump of dough.
1 Corinthians 5:6
6Your boasting is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump of dough?
Eph 4:29-31
29Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. 30And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice.
Eph 5:3-4
3But immorality or any impurity or greed must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints; 4and there must be no filthiness and silly talk, or coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks.
Colossians 3:8
8But now you also, put them all aside: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive speech from your mouth.
Colossians 4:6
6Let your speech always be with grace, as though seasoned with salt, so that you will know how you should respond to each person.
Romans 14:19
19So then we pursue the things which make for peace and the building up of one another.
Psalm 141:3
3Set a guard, O LORD, over my mouth;
Keep watch over the door of my lips.
Matthew 7:16
16“You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes nor figs from thistles, are they?
Psalm 19:14
14Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
Be acceptable in Your sight,
O LORD, my rock and my Redeemer.
Eph 4:11-16
11And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherdsb and teachers,c 12to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, 13until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood,d to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, 14so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. 15Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, 16from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.
James 1:26
26If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless.
James 2:26
26As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.
Let your mouth be evidence of your faith.
Why should we not become teachers? Aren’t we called to disciple and lead?
(1 Tim 1:3-11, Luke 12:48, Lev 5:17, Gal 2:11, Acts 15:1-2, Matt 28:18-20, 2 Pet 2:1-3)
How should we follow up on our teachers?
(2 Tim 2:15, Acts 17:11, 1 Tim 3:6, Prov 18:2, 2 Tim 4:1-4, 2 Pet 2:1-3, Matt 7:15-20)
What are some examples of an untamed tongue?
(Proverbs 12:17-20, 13:3, 16:27, 17:7, 18:4-8, 25:18, Matt 7:15-20, Eph 4:25-27)
Why does James relate the tongue to a fire, why not to the bridle or the rudder?
(Matt 15:11, 18-19, Matt 12:36, Psalm 39:1-3, Prov 26:21, 16:27, Gal 5:9, 1 Cor 5:6)
What type of conversation is fitting?
(Eph 4:29-31, 5:4, Col 3:8, 4:6, Rom 14:19, Psalm 141:3)
How does this fit?
(Matt 7:16, Psalm 19:14, Eph 4:11-16, James 1:26, 2:26)
1 Tim 1:3-11
3As I urged you when I was going to Macedonia, remain at Ephesus so that you may charge certain persons not to teach any different doctrine, 4nor to devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies, which promote speculations rather than the stewardshipa from God that is by faith. 5The aim of our charge is love that issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. 6Certain persons, by swerving from these, have wandered away into vain discussion, 7desiring to be teachers of the law, without understanding either what they are saying or the things about which they make confident assertions.
8Now we know that the law is good, if one uses it lawfully, 9understanding this, that the law is not laid down for the just but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for those who strike their fathers and mothers, for murderers, 10the sexually immoral, men who practice homosexuality, enslavers,b liars, perjurers, and whatever else is contrary to soundc doctrine, 11in accordance with the gospel of the glory of the blessed God with which I have been entrusted.
Luke 12:48
48but the one who did not know it, and committed deeds worthy of a flogging, will receive but few. From everyone who has been given much, much will be required; and to whom they entrusted much, of him they will ask all the more.
Leviticus 5:17
17“Now if a person sins and does any of the things which the LORD has commanded not to be done, though he was unaware, still he is guilty and shall bear his punishment.
Galatians 2:11ff
11But when Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned. 12For prior to the coming of certain men from James, he used to eat with the Gentiles; but when they came, he began to withdraw and hold himself aloof, fearing the party of the circumcision. 13The rest of the Jews joined him in hypocrisy, with the result that even Barnabas was carried away by their hypocrisy. 14But when I saw that they were not straightforward about the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas in the presence of all, “If you, being a Jew, live like the Gentiles and not like the Jews, how is it that you compel the Gentiles to live like Jews?
15“We are Jews by nature and not sinners from among the Gentiles; 16nevertheless knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the Law but through faith in Christ Jesus, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, so that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the Law; since by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified. 17“But if, while seeking to be justified in Christ, we ourselves have also been found sinners, is Christ then a minister of sin? May it never be! 18“For if I rebuild what I have once destroyed, I prove myself to be a transgressor. 19“For through the Law I died to the Law, so that I might live to God. 20“I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me. 21“I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness comes through the Law, then Christ died needlessly.”
Acts 15:1-2
1Some men came down from Judea and began teaching the brethren, “Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.” 2And when Paul and Barnabas had great dissension and debate with them, the brethren determined that Paul and Barnabas and some others of them should go up to Jerusalem to the apostles and elders concerning this issue.
Matthew 28:18-20
18And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, 20teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
2 Peter 2:1-3
1But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction. 2And many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of truth will be blasphemed. 3And in their greed they will exploit you with false words. Their condemnation from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep.
2 Tim 2:14-19
14Keep reminding them of these things. Warn them before God against quarreling about words; it is of no value, and only ruins those who listen. 15Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth. 16Avoid godless chatter, because those who indulge in it will become more and more ungodly. 17Their teaching will spread like gangrene. Among them are Hymenaeus and Philetus, 18who have wandered away from the truth. They say that the resurrection has already taken place, and they destroy the faith of some. 19Nevertheless, God’s solid foundation stands firm, sealed with this inscription: “The Lord knows those who are his,”a and, “Everyone who confesses the name of the Lord must turn away from wickedness.”
Acts 17:11
11Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.
1 Tim 3:6
6He must not be a recent convert, or he may become conceited and fall under the same judgment as the devil.
Proverbs 18:2
2A fool finds no pleasure in understanding
but delights in airing his own opinions.
2 Tim 4:1-4
1I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: 2preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. 3For the time is coming when people will not endure sounda teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, 4and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths. 5As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.
2 Pet 2:1-3
1But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will also be false teachers among you, who will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing swift destruction upon themselves. 2Many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of the truth will be maligned; 3and in their greed they will exploit you with false words; their judgment from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep.
Matthew 7:15-20
15“Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. 16“You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes nor figs from thistles, are they? 17“So every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. 18“A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can a bad tree produce good fruit. 19“Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20“So then, you will know them by their fruits.
Proverbs 12:17-20
17 He who speaks truth tells what is right,
But a false witness, deceit.
18 There is one who speaks rashly like the thrusts of a sword,
But the tongue of the wise brings healing.
19 Truthful lips will be established forever,
But a lying tongue is only for a moment.
20 Deceit is in the heart of those who devise evil,
But counselors of peace have joy.
Matthew Henry Commentary on Proverbs 12:17-20
17. It is good for all to dread and detest the sin of lying, and to be governed by honesty. 18. Whisperings and evil surmises, like a sword, separate those that have been dear to each other. The tongue of the wise is health, making all whole. 19. If truth be spoken, it will hold good; whoever may be disobliged, still it will keep its ground. 20. Deceit and falsehood bring terrors and perplexities. But those who consult the peace and happiness of others have joy in their own minds.
Proverbs 13:3
3The one who guards his mouth preserves his life;
The one who opens wide his lips comes to ruin.
Proverbs 16:27
27A worthless man digs up evil,
While his words are like scorching fire.
Proverbs 17:7
7Excellent speech is not fitting for a fool,
Much less are lying lips to a prince.
Proverbs 18:4-8
4 The words of a man’s mouth are deep waters;
The fountain of wisdom is a bubbling brook.
5 To show partiality to the wicked is not good,
Nor to thrust aside the righteous in judgment.
6 A fool’s lips bring strife,
And his mouth calls for blows.
7 A fool’s mouth is his ruin,
And his lips are the snare of his soul.
8 The words of a whisperer are like dainty morsels,
And they go down into the innermost parts of the body.
Proverbs 25:18
18Like a club and a sword and a sharp arrow
Is a man who bears false witness against his neighbor.
Matthew 7:15-20
15“Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. 16“You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes nor figs from thistles, are they? 17“So every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. 18“A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can a bad tree produce good fruit. 19“Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20“So then, you will know them by their fruits.
Ephesians 4:25-27
25Therefore, laying aside falsehood, SPEAK TRUTH EACH ONE of you WITH HIS NEIGHBOR, for we are members of one another. 26BE ANGRY, AND yet DO NOT SIN; do not let the sun go down on your anger, 27and do not give the devil an opportunity.
Matthew 15:11
11“It is not what enters into the mouth that defiles the man, but what proceeds out of the mouth, this defiles the man.”
Matthew 15:18-19
18“But the things that proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and those defile the man. 19“For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, slanders.
Matthew 12:36
36“But I tell you that every careless word that people speak, they shall give an accounting for it in the day of judgment.
Psalm 39:1-3
1 I said, “I will guard my ways,
that I may not sin with my tongue;
I will guard my mouth with a muzzle,
so long as the wicked are in my presence.”
2 I was mute and silent;
I held my peace to no avail,
and my distress grew worse.
3 My heart became hot within me.
As I mused, the fire burned;
then I spoke with my tongue:
Proverbs 26:21
21Like charcoal to hot embers and wood to fire,
So is a contentious man to kindle strife.
Proverbs 16:27
27A worthless man digs up evil,
While his words are like scorching fire.
Galatians 5:9
9A little leaven leavens the whole lump of dough.
1 Corinthians 5:6
6Your boasting is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump of dough?
Eph 4:29-31
29Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. 30And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice.
Eph 5:3-4
3But immorality or any impurity or greed must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints; 4and there must be no filthiness and silly talk, or coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks.
Colossians 3:8
8But now you also, put them all aside: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive speech from your mouth.
Colossians 4:6
6Let your speech always be with grace, as though seasoned with salt, so that you will know how you should respond to each person.
Romans 14:19
19So then we pursue the things which make for peace and the building up of one another.
Psalm 141:3
3Set a guard, O LORD, over my mouth;
Keep watch over the door of my lips.
Matthew 7:16
16“You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes nor figs from thistles, are they?
Psalm 19:14
14Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
Be acceptable in Your sight,
O LORD, my rock and my Redeemer.
Eph 4:11-16
11And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherdsb and teachers,c 12to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, 13until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood,d to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, 14so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. 15Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, 16from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.
James 1:26
26If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless.
James 2:26
26As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.
James Chapter 2:1-13
Recap of Chapter 1:
James immediately starts with discussing faith.
• Verse 2 notes that you should consider it joy when you fall into trials because the testing of your faith produces patience.
• Verses 5 and 6 note that we should ask G-d for wisdom and have the faith that He will generously give it to us.
Chapter 2:
Read James 2:1-4
Pray
Genuine faith is shown in this chapter.
Read 2:1-13
We see that we are not to make distinctions and judgments by deciding ourselves that one person is better than another. We should see them how G-d sees them. If we are rich or poor, we need to view ourselves as G-d views us.
Verse 8 and following shows us that we are going against God’s laws and that we are not
following that which summed up all the law and the prophets (Mat 22:34-40)
Genuine faith is not merely knowing what you should do, but acting upon it. Chapter 2:2 notes that this is taking place in the assembly or synagogue. If this was happening in the congregation, one can imagine what was going on outside. This is a reminder to me that we need to be careful of our actions. Other people are watching us. DC Talk noted on one CD that:
"The greatest single cause of atheism in the world today
Is Christians who acknowledge Jesus with their lips
Then walk out the door and deny him by their lifestyle.
That is what an unbelieving world simply finds unbelievable."
Our partiality with things as easy to see as rich and poor infect the rest of our lives. We begin to pick and choose which laws we want to follow. (Read James 2:9-11)
Our goal is to follow him in everything.
Faith
Humility
Note that 1 Pet 5:5-7, James 4:6, Prov 3:34 all say same thing.
We don’t have anything to boast about. 1 Cor 1:26-29
If we boasted in anything it would be Jer 9:23-24
James 2:1-13
1My brethren, do not hold your faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ with an attitude of personal favoritism. 2For if a man comes into your assembly with a gold ring and dressed in fine clothes, and there also comes in a poor man in dirty clothes, 3and you pay special attention to the one who is wearing the fine clothes, and say, “You sit here in a good place,” and you say to the poor man, “You stand over there, or sit down by my footstool,” 4have you not made distinctions among yourselves, and become judges with evil motives? 5Listen, my beloved brethren: did not God choose the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him? 6But you have dishonored the poor man. Is it not the rich who oppress you and personally drag you into court? 7Do they not blaspheme the fair name by which you have been called?
8If, however, you are fulfilling the royal law according to the Scripture, “YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF,” you are doing well. 9But if you show partiality, you are committing sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors. 10For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles in one point, he has become guilty of all. 11For He who said, “DO NOT COMMIT ADULTERY,” also said, “DO NOT COMMIT MURDER.” Now if you do not commit adultery, but do commit murder, you have become a transgressor of the law. 12So speak and so act as those who are to be judged by the law of liberty. 13For judgment will be merciless to one who has shown no mercy; mercy triumphs over judgment.
Hebrews 11:1
1Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.
Hebrews 11:6
6And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.
John 13:17
17“If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them.
Romans 1:5
5through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith among all the Gentiles for His name’s sake
Romans 16:25-26 (specifically 26)
25Now to Him who is able to establish you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery which has been kept secret for long ages past, 26but now is manifested, and by the Scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the eternal God, has been made known to all the nations, leading to obedience of faith
Prov 3:34
34Though He scoffs at the scoffers,
Yet He gives grace to the afflicted.
1 Peter 5:5-7
5Young men, in the same way be submissive to those who are older. All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because,
“God opposes the proud
but gives grace to the humble.”a
6Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. 7Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.
James 4:6
6But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says:
“God opposes the proud
but gives grace to the humble.”b
James 4:6
6But He gives a greater grace. Therefore it says, “GOD IS OPPOSED TO THE PROUD, BUT GIVES GRACE TO THE HUMBLE.”
Numbers 12:3
3(Now the man Moses was very humble, more than any man who was on the face of the earth.)
Job 34:19
19Who shows no partiality to princes
Nor regards the rich above the poor,
For they all are the work of His hands?
Jer 9:23-24
23This is what the LORD says:
“Let not the wise man boast of his wisdom
or the strong man boast of his strength
or the rich man boast of his riches,
24but let him who boasts boast about this:
that he understands and knows me,
that I am the LORD, who exercises kindness,
justice and righteousness on earth,
for in these I delight,”
declares the LORD.
1 Cor 1:26-31
26For consider your calling, brethren, that there were not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble; 27but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong, 28and the base things of the world and the despised God has chosen, the things that are not, so that He may nullify the things that are, 29so that no man may boast before God. 30But by His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption, 31so that, just as it is written, “LET HIM WHO BOASTS, BOAST IN THE LORD.”
Galatians 5:13-15
13You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful naturea; rather, serve one another in love. 14The entire law is summed up in a single command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”b 15If you keep on biting and devouring each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other.
Matthew 22:34-40
34Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together. 35One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: 36“Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”
37Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’b 38This is the first and greatest commandment. 39And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’c 40All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”
James 1:9-11
9But the brother of humble circumstances is to glory in his high position; 10and the rich man is to glory in his humiliation, because like flowering grass he will pass away. 11For the sun rises with a scorching wind and withers the grass; and its flower falls off and the beauty of its appearance is destroyed; so too the rich man in the midst of his pursuits will fade away.
James immediately starts with discussing faith.
• Verse 2 notes that you should consider it joy when you fall into trials because the testing of your faith produces patience.
• Verses 5 and 6 note that we should ask G-d for wisdom and have the faith that He will generously give it to us.
Chapter 2:
Read James 2:1-4
Pray
Genuine faith is shown in this chapter.
Read 2:1-13
We see that we are not to make distinctions and judgments by deciding ourselves that one person is better than another. We should see them how G-d sees them. If we are rich or poor, we need to view ourselves as G-d views us.
Verse 8 and following shows us that we are going against God’s laws and that we are not
following that which summed up all the law and the prophets (Mat 22:34-40)
Genuine faith is not merely knowing what you should do, but acting upon it. Chapter 2:2 notes that this is taking place in the assembly or synagogue. If this was happening in the congregation, one can imagine what was going on outside. This is a reminder to me that we need to be careful of our actions. Other people are watching us. DC Talk noted on one CD that:
"The greatest single cause of atheism in the world today
Is Christians who acknowledge Jesus with their lips
Then walk out the door and deny him by their lifestyle.
That is what an unbelieving world simply finds unbelievable."
Our partiality with things as easy to see as rich and poor infect the rest of our lives. We begin to pick and choose which laws we want to follow. (Read James 2:9-11)
Our goal is to follow him in everything.
Faith
Humility
Note that 1 Pet 5:5-7, James 4:6, Prov 3:34 all say same thing.
We don’t have anything to boast about. 1 Cor 1:26-29
If we boasted in anything it would be Jer 9:23-24
James 2:1-13
1My brethren, do not hold your faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ with an attitude of personal favoritism. 2For if a man comes into your assembly with a gold ring and dressed in fine clothes, and there also comes in a poor man in dirty clothes, 3and you pay special attention to the one who is wearing the fine clothes, and say, “You sit here in a good place,” and you say to the poor man, “You stand over there, or sit down by my footstool,” 4have you not made distinctions among yourselves, and become judges with evil motives? 5Listen, my beloved brethren: did not God choose the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him? 6But you have dishonored the poor man. Is it not the rich who oppress you and personally drag you into court? 7Do they not blaspheme the fair name by which you have been called?
8If, however, you are fulfilling the royal law according to the Scripture, “YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF,” you are doing well. 9But if you show partiality, you are committing sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors. 10For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles in one point, he has become guilty of all. 11For He who said, “DO NOT COMMIT ADULTERY,” also said, “DO NOT COMMIT MURDER.” Now if you do not commit adultery, but do commit murder, you have become a transgressor of the law. 12So speak and so act as those who are to be judged by the law of liberty. 13For judgment will be merciless to one who has shown no mercy; mercy triumphs over judgment.
Hebrews 11:1
1Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.
Hebrews 11:6
6And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.
John 13:17
17“If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them.
Romans 1:5
5through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith among all the Gentiles for His name’s sake
Romans 16:25-26 (specifically 26)
25Now to Him who is able to establish you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery which has been kept secret for long ages past, 26but now is manifested, and by the Scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the eternal God, has been made known to all the nations, leading to obedience of faith
Prov 3:34
34Though He scoffs at the scoffers,
Yet He gives grace to the afflicted.
1 Peter 5:5-7
5Young men, in the same way be submissive to those who are older. All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because,
“God opposes the proud
but gives grace to the humble.”a
6Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. 7Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.
James 4:6
6But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says:
“God opposes the proud
but gives grace to the humble.”b
James 4:6
6But He gives a greater grace. Therefore it says, “GOD IS OPPOSED TO THE PROUD, BUT GIVES GRACE TO THE HUMBLE.”
Numbers 12:3
3(Now the man Moses was very humble, more than any man who was on the face of the earth.)
Job 34:19
19Who shows no partiality to princes
Nor regards the rich above the poor,
For they all are the work of His hands?
Jer 9:23-24
23This is what the LORD says:
“Let not the wise man boast of his wisdom
or the strong man boast of his strength
or the rich man boast of his riches,
24but let him who boasts boast about this:
that he understands and knows me,
that I am the LORD, who exercises kindness,
justice and righteousness on earth,
for in these I delight,”
declares the LORD.
1 Cor 1:26-31
26For consider your calling, brethren, that there were not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble; 27but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong, 28and the base things of the world and the despised God has chosen, the things that are not, so that He may nullify the things that are, 29so that no man may boast before God. 30But by His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption, 31so that, just as it is written, “LET HIM WHO BOASTS, BOAST IN THE LORD.”
Galatians 5:13-15
13You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful naturea; rather, serve one another in love. 14The entire law is summed up in a single command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”b 15If you keep on biting and devouring each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other.
Matthew 22:34-40
34Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together. 35One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: 36“Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”
37Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’b 38This is the first and greatest commandment. 39And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’c 40All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”
James 1:9-11
9But the brother of humble circumstances is to glory in his high position; 10and the rich man is to glory in his humiliation, because like flowering grass he will pass away. 11For the sun rises with a scorching wind and withers the grass; and its flower falls off and the beauty of its appearance is destroyed; so too the rich man in the midst of his pursuits will fade away.
James Chapter 2:14-26
Here are my notes for when I taught a recent home Bible Study on James Chapter 2
James 2:14-26
Recap –
• Faith – evidence, action, assurance, receipt of things believed in.
(Heb 11:1, Heb 11:6, John 13:17, Romans 1:5, 16:26)
Faith and Works
Can that faith save him?
In verse 2:24 James talks about a person having faith without deeds. Can that faith save him?
• No. True faith is coupled with actions that display our beliefs. If our lives remain unchanged we don’t truly believe what we claim to.
How do we reconcile this with Romans 3:28?
(Consider Matt 7:26-27 / Matt 7:15-23 / John 13:17 / John 15 / 1 John 3:16-24)
• Paul is looking at works according to the law of Moses. James is looking at works done in obedience to the gospel.
• We are called to be fruit inspectors.
Was Abraham saved by faith or works?
(Gen 15:3-6 / Romans 4:3 / Romans 4:9)
• Abraham believed God and it was reckoned to him as righteousness. His beliefs were tested when he was to sacrifice Isaac.
Ephesians 2:8-10
• Saved by grace through faith
• Gift of god
• Act on the faith
• As we saw earlier the Torah was given to a redeemed people, not to redeem people
James 2:21 – Justified?
Definition - to show to be righteous, declare righteous
NASB Word Usage - acknowledged...justice (1), acquitted (1), freed (3), justified (24),
justifier (1), justifies (2), justify (4), vindicated (3).
• Another word that it could be translated as is validated.
• See 1 Tim 3:16
Rahab’s Story
(Joshua 2 / Heb 11:31 / Matt 1:5)
• Josh 2:8-11 Her belief caused action
• Note that God was not approving of the sin of lying
In Conclusion
James 2: 26 / 1 John 2:3
• If we love him, we will keep his commandments
James 2:14-26
14What use is it, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but he has no works? Can that faith save him? 15If a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily food, 16and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and be filled,” and yet you do not give them what is necessary for their body, what use is that? 17Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself.
18But someone may well say, “You have faith and I have works; show me your faith without the works, and I will show you my faith by my works.” 19You believe that God is one. You do well; the demons also believe, and shudder. 20But are you willing to recognize, you foolish fellow, that faith without works is useless? 21Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up Isaac his son on the altar? 22You see that faith was working with his works, and as a result of the works, faith was perfected; 23and the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “AND ABRAHAM BELIEVED GOD, AND IT WAS RECKONED TO HIM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS,” and he was called the friend of God. 24You see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone. 25In the same way, was not Rahab the harlot also justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way? 26For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead.
Matthew 7:26-27
26“Everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not act on them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. 27“The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and it fell—and great was its fall.”
Matthew 7:15-23
15“Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. 16“You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes nor figs from thistles, are they? 17“So every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. 18“A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can a bad tree produce good fruit. 19“Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20“So then, you will know them by their fruits.
21“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. 22“Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ 23“And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.’
John 13:17
17“If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them.
John 15
Jesus Is the Vine—Followers Are Branches
1“I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. 2“Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit. 3“You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. 4“Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me. 5“I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing. 6“If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire and they are burned. 7“If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8“My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples. 9“Just as the Father has loved Me, I have also loved you; abide in My love. 10“If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love; just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love. 11“These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full.
1 John 3:16-24
16We know love by this, that He laid down His life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. 17But whoever has the world’s goods, and sees his brother in need and closes his heart against him, how does the love of God abide in him? 18Little children, let us not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and truth. 19We will know by this that we are of the truth, and will assure our heart before Him 20in whatever our heart condemns us; for God is greater than our heart and knows all things. 21Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God; 22and whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do the things that are pleasing in His sight.
23This is His commandment, that we believe in the name of His Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, just as He commanded us. 24The one who keeps His commandments abides in Him, and He in him. We know by this that He abides in us, by the Spirit whom He has given us.
Gen 15:3-6
3And Abram said, “Since You have given no offspring to me, one born in my house is my heir.” 4Then behold, the word of the LORD came to him, saying, “This man will not be your heir; but one who will come forth from your own body, he shall be your heir.” 5And He took him outside and said, “Now look toward the heavens, and count the stars, if you are able to count them.” And He said to him, “So shall your descendants be.” 6Then he believed in the LORD; and He reckoned it to him as righteousness.
Romans 4:3
3For what does the Scripture say? “ABRAHAM BELIEVED GOD, AND IT WAS CREDITED TO HIM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS.”
Romans 4:9
9Is this blessing then on the circumcised, or on the uncircumcised also? For we say, “FAITH WAS CREDITED TO ABRAHAM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS.”
Ephesians 2:8-10
8For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.
1 Tim 3:16
16By common confession, great is the mystery of godliness:
He who was revealed in the flesh,
Was vindicated in the Spirit,
Seen by angels,
Proclaimed among the nations,
Believed on in the world,
Taken up in glory.
Joshua 2:1-11
1Then Joshua the son of Nun sent two men as spies secretly from Shittim, saying, “Go, view the land, especially Jericho.” So they went and came into the house of a harlot whose name was Rahab, and lodged there. 2It was told the king of Jericho, saying, “Behold, men from the sons of Israel have come here tonight to search out the land.” 3And the king of Jericho sent word to Rahab, saying, “Bring out the men who have come to you, who have entered your house, for they have come to search out all the land.” 4But the woman had taken the two men and hidden them, and she said, “Yes, the men came to me, but I did not know where they were from. 5“It came about when it was time to shut the gate at dark, that the men went out; I do not know where the men went. Pursue them quickly, for you will overtake them.” 6But she had brought them up to the roof and hidden them in the stalks of flax which she had laid in order on the roof. 7So the men pursued them on the road to the Jordan to the fords; and as soon as those who were pursuing them had gone out, they shut the gate.
8Now before they lay down, she came up to them on the roof, 9and said to the men, “I know that the LORD has given you the land, and that the terror of you has fallen on us, and that all the inhabitants of the land have melted away before you. 10“For we have heard how the LORD dried up the water of the Red Sea before you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to the two kings of the Amorites who were beyond the Jordan, to Sihon and Og, whom you utterly destroyed. 11“When we heard it, our hearts melted and no courage remained in any man any longer because of you; for the LORD your God, He is God in heaven above and on earth beneath.
Hebrews 11:31
31By faith Rahab the harlot did not perish along with those who were disobedient, after she had welcomed the spies in peace.
Matthew 1:5
5Salmon was the father of Boaz by Rahab, Boaz was the father of Obed by Ruth, and Obed the father of Jesse. 6Jesse was the father of David the king.
1 John 2:3-6
3By this we know that we have come to know Him, if we keep His commandments. 4The one who says, “I have come to know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him; 5but whoever keeps His word, in him the love of God has truly been perfected. By this we know that we are in Him: 6the one who says he abides in Him ought himself to walk in the same manner as He walked.
James 2:14-26
Recap –
• Faith – evidence, action, assurance, receipt of things believed in.
(Heb 11:1, Heb 11:6, John 13:17, Romans 1:5, 16:26)
Faith and Works
Can that faith save him?
In verse 2:24 James talks about a person having faith without deeds. Can that faith save him?
• No. True faith is coupled with actions that display our beliefs. If our lives remain unchanged we don’t truly believe what we claim to.
How do we reconcile this with Romans 3:28?
(Consider Matt 7:26-27 / Matt 7:15-23 / John 13:17 / John 15 / 1 John 3:16-24)
• Paul is looking at works according to the law of Moses. James is looking at works done in obedience to the gospel.
• We are called to be fruit inspectors.
Was Abraham saved by faith or works?
(Gen 15:3-6 / Romans 4:3 / Romans 4:9)
• Abraham believed God and it was reckoned to him as righteousness. His beliefs were tested when he was to sacrifice Isaac.
Ephesians 2:8-10
• Saved by grace through faith
• Gift of god
• Act on the faith
• As we saw earlier the Torah was given to a redeemed people, not to redeem people
James 2:21 – Justified?
Definition - to show to be righteous, declare righteous
NASB Word Usage - acknowledged...justice (1), acquitted (1), freed (3), justified (24),
justifier (1), justifies (2), justify (4), vindicated (3).
• Another word that it could be translated as is validated.
• See 1 Tim 3:16
Rahab’s Story
(Joshua 2 / Heb 11:31 / Matt 1:5)
• Josh 2:8-11 Her belief caused action
• Note that God was not approving of the sin of lying
In Conclusion
James 2: 26 / 1 John 2:3
• If we love him, we will keep his commandments
James 2:14-26
14What use is it, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but he has no works? Can that faith save him? 15If a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily food, 16and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and be filled,” and yet you do not give them what is necessary for their body, what use is that? 17Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself.
18But someone may well say, “You have faith and I have works; show me your faith without the works, and I will show you my faith by my works.” 19You believe that God is one. You do well; the demons also believe, and shudder. 20But are you willing to recognize, you foolish fellow, that faith without works is useless? 21Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up Isaac his son on the altar? 22You see that faith was working with his works, and as a result of the works, faith was perfected; 23and the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “AND ABRAHAM BELIEVED GOD, AND IT WAS RECKONED TO HIM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS,” and he was called the friend of God. 24You see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone. 25In the same way, was not Rahab the harlot also justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way? 26For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead.
Matthew 7:26-27
26“Everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not act on them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. 27“The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and it fell—and great was its fall.”
Matthew 7:15-23
15“Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. 16“You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes nor figs from thistles, are they? 17“So every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. 18“A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can a bad tree produce good fruit. 19“Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20“So then, you will know them by their fruits.
21“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. 22“Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ 23“And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.’
John 13:17
17“If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them.
John 15
Jesus Is the Vine—Followers Are Branches
1“I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. 2“Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit. 3“You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. 4“Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me. 5“I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing. 6“If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire and they are burned. 7“If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8“My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples. 9“Just as the Father has loved Me, I have also loved you; abide in My love. 10“If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love; just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love. 11“These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full.
1 John 3:16-24
16We know love by this, that He laid down His life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. 17But whoever has the world’s goods, and sees his brother in need and closes his heart against him, how does the love of God abide in him? 18Little children, let us not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and truth. 19We will know by this that we are of the truth, and will assure our heart before Him 20in whatever our heart condemns us; for God is greater than our heart and knows all things. 21Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God; 22and whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do the things that are pleasing in His sight.
23This is His commandment, that we believe in the name of His Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, just as He commanded us. 24The one who keeps His commandments abides in Him, and He in him. We know by this that He abides in us, by the Spirit whom He has given us.
Gen 15:3-6
3And Abram said, “Since You have given no offspring to me, one born in my house is my heir.” 4Then behold, the word of the LORD came to him, saying, “This man will not be your heir; but one who will come forth from your own body, he shall be your heir.” 5And He took him outside and said, “Now look toward the heavens, and count the stars, if you are able to count them.” And He said to him, “So shall your descendants be.” 6Then he believed in the LORD; and He reckoned it to him as righteousness.
Romans 4:3
3For what does the Scripture say? “ABRAHAM BELIEVED GOD, AND IT WAS CREDITED TO HIM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS.”
Romans 4:9
9Is this blessing then on the circumcised, or on the uncircumcised also? For we say, “FAITH WAS CREDITED TO ABRAHAM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS.”
Ephesians 2:8-10
8For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.
1 Tim 3:16
16By common confession, great is the mystery of godliness:
He who was revealed in the flesh,
Was vindicated in the Spirit,
Seen by angels,
Proclaimed among the nations,
Believed on in the world,
Taken up in glory.
Joshua 2:1-11
1Then Joshua the son of Nun sent two men as spies secretly from Shittim, saying, “Go, view the land, especially Jericho.” So they went and came into the house of a harlot whose name was Rahab, and lodged there. 2It was told the king of Jericho, saying, “Behold, men from the sons of Israel have come here tonight to search out the land.” 3And the king of Jericho sent word to Rahab, saying, “Bring out the men who have come to you, who have entered your house, for they have come to search out all the land.” 4But the woman had taken the two men and hidden them, and she said, “Yes, the men came to me, but I did not know where they were from. 5“It came about when it was time to shut the gate at dark, that the men went out; I do not know where the men went. Pursue them quickly, for you will overtake them.” 6But she had brought them up to the roof and hidden them in the stalks of flax which she had laid in order on the roof. 7So the men pursued them on the road to the Jordan to the fords; and as soon as those who were pursuing them had gone out, they shut the gate.
8Now before they lay down, she came up to them on the roof, 9and said to the men, “I know that the LORD has given you the land, and that the terror of you has fallen on us, and that all the inhabitants of the land have melted away before you. 10“For we have heard how the LORD dried up the water of the Red Sea before you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to the two kings of the Amorites who were beyond the Jordan, to Sihon and Og, whom you utterly destroyed. 11“When we heard it, our hearts melted and no courage remained in any man any longer because of you; for the LORD your God, He is God in heaven above and on earth beneath.
Hebrews 11:31
31By faith Rahab the harlot did not perish along with those who were disobedient, after she had welcomed the spies in peace.
Matthew 1:5
5Salmon was the father of Boaz by Rahab, Boaz was the father of Obed by Ruth, and Obed the father of Jesse. 6Jesse was the father of David the king.
1 John 2:3-6
3By this we know that we have come to know Him, if we keep His commandments. 4The one who says, “I have come to know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him; 5but whoever keeps His word, in him the love of God has truly been perfected. By this we know that we are in Him: 6the one who says he abides in Him ought himself to walk in the same manner as He walked.
Monday, May 3, 2010
Book Review: The Money Answer Book
I just finished reading Dave Ramsey’s newest book entitled The Money Answer Book. It is a great book to answer quick questions on how to handle your finances, get out of debt and live free from monetary burdens. The book is broken down to several sections that are easy to flip through for your questions.
I appreciate this book and will be utilizing many of its principles. It uses a Biblical understanding of money to help teach about changing your habits. We should not be in debt. We need to be good stewards of what God has given us. How are we going to do that if we are living from paycheck to paycheck? Are you going to be able to live life out like the early church if you are living beyond your means? How will you be able to help other people from your church if you have made poor financial decisions? The book helps delve into common problems like how to eliminate debt, how to make a budget, how to plan on saving for retirement. It is worth the read. He peppers the pages with wise quotes from the Bible and from notable people. The bottom line is that it is worth putting some of the plans into action.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.combook review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
I appreciate this book and will be utilizing many of its principles. It uses a Biblical understanding of money to help teach about changing your habits. We should not be in debt. We need to be good stewards of what God has given us. How are we going to do that if we are living from paycheck to paycheck? Are you going to be able to live life out like the early church if you are living beyond your means? How will you be able to help other people from your church if you have made poor financial decisions? The book helps delve into common problems like how to eliminate debt, how to make a budget, how to plan on saving for retirement. It is worth the read. He peppers the pages with wise quotes from the Bible and from notable people. The bottom line is that it is worth putting some of the plans into action.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com
Book Review: Plan B
I just finished reading Pete Wilson’s newest book entitled Plan B – What do you do when God doesn’t show up the way you thought he would? It is a good read. The book goes into how we have misconceived notions of how God will show up in various situations. What do we do and how do we react when things don’t go as we expect? Do we give up on trusting Him? May it never be. God can use anything for His glory.
Pete uses several examples out of the Old Testament to illustrate his points. Often we begin to trust our feelings and not rely on what God has said. We feel like He has left us in a messed up situation. Often times it is our decisions that have caused us to walk down the wrong road, or make a poor decision. We don’t feel like God is there for us anymore. What do we do in this Plan B? I appreciate that Pete stays with the same version of the Bible for most of his Biblical references. He uses long passages to illustrate his points, rather than taking a verse and mis-interpreting its context. He uses some of my favorite people in the Bible to illustrate how God can move. A good read.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.combook review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
Pete uses several examples out of the Old Testament to illustrate his points. Often we begin to trust our feelings and not rely on what God has said. We feel like He has left us in a messed up situation. Often times it is our decisions that have caused us to walk down the wrong road, or make a poor decision. We don’t feel like God is there for us anymore. What do we do in this Plan B? I appreciate that Pete stays with the same version of the Bible for most of his Biblical references. He uses long passages to illustrate his points, rather than taking a verse and mis-interpreting its context. He uses some of my favorite people in the Bible to illustrate how God can move. A good read.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
The Chronological Guide to the Bible
I have recently finished reading The Chronological Guide to the Bible. This is a non-fiction book that can be utilized with any translation of the Bible. As the title describes, the book is a guide to the Bible. It works similar to a Manners and Customs book or a commentary on various portions from the scripture. The goal of the book is to put the information in chronological order. I do have to say that I appreciated that in the introduction it is mentioned that they cannot know for sure if the books were written the exact order that they are presented. They do a good job at categorizing the information and making it approachable. As a book of the bible is introduced, it is given a brief outline for the book itself. There were many bits of information that I had never thought about before, and others that I found fascinating. All in all, I had been looking for a book like this for several years, and was very happy to find it in a high quality full color book. The only addition I would have appreciated would be an index that would allow someone to find specific portions quicker. I first and foremost appreciated the information in the book, and could have enjoyed it just as well if it had not been in “chronological order.”
I received a copy for free from Booksneeze.com in return for reviewing it on my blog.
I received a copy for free from Booksneeze.com in return for reviewing it on my blog.
Friday, March 5, 2010
Random thoughts today
The Hadassah branch that is used at Sukkot is to represent people who do good deeds but do not know G-d's Torah. It hit me today, a week or two after Purim, that Esther's name was originally Hadassah.
Also, I have been looking into some of RVL's claims that the idea of a hard heart in the Passover story (with Pharaoh), was related more to (or could have been translated better as) a heavy heart. In this sense, it would relate to the Egyptian concept of doing wrong. The most printed page of "The Book of the Dead" has the Egyptian gods leading someone through the path to the afterlife. They have to weigh the person's heart against a feather. If the feather is heavier than the heart, the person is seen as blameless. If the heart is heavier, it is gobbled up by one of the gods and the person could not enter the afterlife. That would have been the worst possible end according to an Egyptian.
Like I said, random thoughts today. Maybe more to come.
Also, I have been looking into some of RVL's claims that the idea of a hard heart in the Passover story (with Pharaoh), was related more to (or could have been translated better as) a heavy heart. In this sense, it would relate to the Egyptian concept of doing wrong. The most printed page of "The Book of the Dead" has the Egyptian gods leading someone through the path to the afterlife. They have to weigh the person's heart against a feather. If the feather is heavier than the heart, the person is seen as blameless. If the heart is heavier, it is gobbled up by one of the gods and the person could not enter the afterlife. That would have been the worst possible end according to an Egyptian.
Like I said, random thoughts today. Maybe more to come.
Friday, February 26, 2010
Book Review: The Map
So, I requested my first book from booksneeze.com. It is called The Map: The Way of All Great Men by David Murrow.
The Map starts off with a fairly poorly written action parable where the author, David Murrow, is on an adventure to find a map that is “written in code and hidden in the Gospel of Matthew, [and] reveals a truth so explosive it could rock the foundations of Christianity – or lead to its rebirth.” His action enriched parable is a bit over dramatized and apparently was written as a response to several people’s reaction to his first book Why Men Hate Going to Church. It seems that people were frustrated with his contention that the church needs to become manlier and that it is the weakness in it that is boring most men in our congregations.
The Map is his understanding that Matthew’s Gospel structured the actions of Jesus (Yeshua) in such a way as to point to three journeys. He points out that there is a journey of submission, a journey of strength, and a journey of sacrifice. He shows that we need to start our journey in a direction opposite to our normal, manly, nature. We learn to submit to Jesus by building upon a foundation of submission. He contends that this is where many congregations get stalled. They fill the seats by teaching the meekness and passivity that we need to learn, but do not move forward and teach the journey of strength, let alone the journey of sacrifice.
All in all, his premise is not a bad one. He is pushing for a re-formulation of how we deal with men in our congregations. He is suggesting that we need direction, and that it would be beneficial for us to mature beyond the meek, weak men that many churches help create.
While this book is written for men, he fails to point out that the growth he is suggesting would be the same map for women. He runs through many men in the Bible, showing their three-fold journey, but fails to mention the women who walked the same path. If we are all to become more like our Messiah, would it not be beneficial for women to walk this path as well? What about Eshter and Ruth for example? I know several women in the church that have learned the journey of submission and the journey of sacrifice, but have been taught that they should never progress to the journey of strength and take a stand.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.combook review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
The Map starts off with a fairly poorly written action parable where the author, David Murrow, is on an adventure to find a map that is “written in code and hidden in the Gospel of Matthew, [and] reveals a truth so explosive it could rock the foundations of Christianity – or lead to its rebirth.” His action enriched parable is a bit over dramatized and apparently was written as a response to several people’s reaction to his first book Why Men Hate Going to Church. It seems that people were frustrated with his contention that the church needs to become manlier and that it is the weakness in it that is boring most men in our congregations.
The Map is his understanding that Matthew’s Gospel structured the actions of Jesus (Yeshua) in such a way as to point to three journeys. He points out that there is a journey of submission, a journey of strength, and a journey of sacrifice. He shows that we need to start our journey in a direction opposite to our normal, manly, nature. We learn to submit to Jesus by building upon a foundation of submission. He contends that this is where many congregations get stalled. They fill the seats by teaching the meekness and passivity that we need to learn, but do not move forward and teach the journey of strength, let alone the journey of sacrifice.
All in all, his premise is not a bad one. He is pushing for a re-formulation of how we deal with men in our congregations. He is suggesting that we need direction, and that it would be beneficial for us to mature beyond the meek, weak men that many churches help create.
While this book is written for men, he fails to point out that the growth he is suggesting would be the same map for women. He runs through many men in the Bible, showing their three-fold journey, but fails to mention the women who walked the same path. If we are all to become more like our Messiah, would it not be beneficial for women to walk this path as well? What about Eshter and Ruth for example? I know several women in the church that have learned the journey of submission and the journey of sacrifice, but have been taught that they should never progress to the journey of strength and take a stand.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
BookSneeze.com
A friend turned me on to this website. I love books. It is an interesting way to get books for free. You read a book, write a review, post the review on your blog and one major site, and then request the next book. Sounds good to me.
There are a small number of books available at a time. I just requested a book called: The Map.
There are a small number of books available at a time. I just requested a book called: The Map.
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Genesis 3: The Fall
My wife and I are going to be doing a question and answer session with a local church's High School group. The High School group is going through a lesson plan to discuss sex. I didn't realize until after I had preped the following study, that we would only be doing a simple question and answer about our relationship, and not leading the discussion. I didn't want my notes to be in vain, or only for myself. Here you go:
Genesis 2:16-17
The Lord God commanded the man, saying, "From an tree of the garden you may eat freely; but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you will surely die."
Notice that Eve wasn't around yet. Eve is created in verse 22 of Chapter 2.
Genesis Chapter 2 shows an interesting progression:
Genesis 2:18 - God notes that "it is not good for the man to be alone."
Genesis 2:20 - "there was not found a helper suitable for him."
Genesis 2:22 - God creates woman to be the suitable helper.
In this progression, we could see that God is noting that Adam can use a helper, he has Adam go through all the animals and see that there is nothing that would be suitable for him, and then God creates what Adam needs foa suitable helper.
God is showing that He can be trusted.
There is a lot of stuff going on in the following verses (Chapter 3:1-7). What it seems to boil down to is that Adam and Eve decided not to trust God, and felt that they had a better way. They were selfish. The wanted something that they weren't allowed to have.
Where are the places in my life where I have decided that I know better than God? Where have I decided that He isn't doing the best thing for me? Why am I not trusting Him?
Genesis 1 shows the creation of the world. God creates good things. His designs are good, but what we do with His creation is not always good.
At the end of verse 10, we see "and God saw that it was good."
At the end of verse 12, we see "and God saw that it was good."
At the end of verse 18, we see "and God saw that it was good."
At the end of verse 21, we see "and God saw that it was good."
At the end of verse 25, we see "and God saw that it was good."
In verse 31, we see "God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good."
God gives us good things, he shows us he can be trusted and we still turn away.
God's creation of woman in Chapter 2:22 states that "The LORD God fashioned into a woman the rib which He had taken from the man, and brought her to the man.
Matthew Henry has a beautiful commentary on this portion:
The woman was made of a rib out of the side of Adam; not made out of his head to rule over him, nor out of his feet to be trampeled by him, but out of his side to be equal with him, under his arm to be protected, and near his heart to be beloved.
Ephesians 5:25-33 NASB says:
Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her, so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she would be holy and blameless. So husbands ought also to love their own wives as their own bodies. He who loves his own wife loves himself; for no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ also does the church, because we are members of His body. For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and shall be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh. This mystery is great; but I am speaking with reference to Christ and the church. Nevertheless, each individual among you also is to love his own wife even as himself, and the wife must see to it that she respects her husband.
Emphasis in this case is on verse 25 and 33:
Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her, ...Nevertheless, each individual among you also is to love his own wife even as himself, and the wife must see to it that she respects her husband.
Notice that Chapter 3:6 says that the tre was good for food, it was a delight to the eyes, and desirable to make one wise.
1 John 2:15-17 NASB says:
Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. The world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever.
Eve had not believed or trusted God to do what he said in Chapter 2:17. The serpent was crafty and had Eve doubting that what God said was true.
Our sin is just like Eve's. We don't belive that God is good enough to follow through with his promises. God had directly provided for Adam in the prior verses, but yet Eve didn't trust Him with what He said.
We fall in the same way Eve did, with the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life. We think we know better. In the moment, we feel like we have a better way.
We say:
How far is too far? / How much can I touch?
He says:
Wait till you're married, I have a better plan (Genesis 2:24-25)
We say:
Pornography is okay / Cosmo is okay / Romance novels are okay
He says:
"but i say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust for her has already committed adultry with her in his heart." (Matthew 5:28)
We say:
I will be ok / I know better / This just feels right / It feels so right, it can't be wrong
He says:
Don't go near it. (Genesis 39:7-12 / Proverbs 7:6-8, 21-22)
We shouldn't be asking the wrong questions. We should focus on asking the right questions.
What are the right questions?
What does God say?
Who can I call before I find myself in a bad place?
When am I most vulnerable?
As believers in the Messiah, we should understand even more that God is faithful with his promises. He promised that he would send a redeemer, and we know that our redeemer is Yeshua. He has fulfilled the most important of His promises, how too will he be faithful with the small things.
Genesis 2:16-17
The Lord God commanded the man, saying, "From an tree of the garden you may eat freely; but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you will surely die."
Notice that Eve wasn't around yet. Eve is created in verse 22 of Chapter 2.
Genesis Chapter 2 shows an interesting progression:
Genesis 2:18 - God notes that "it is not good for the man to be alone."
Genesis 2:20 - "there was not found a helper suitable for him."
Genesis 2:22 - God creates woman to be the suitable helper.
In this progression, we could see that God is noting that Adam can use a helper, he has Adam go through all the animals and see that there is nothing that would be suitable for him, and then God creates what Adam needs foa suitable helper.
God is showing that He can be trusted.
There is a lot of stuff going on in the following verses (Chapter 3:1-7). What it seems to boil down to is that Adam and Eve decided not to trust God, and felt that they had a better way. They were selfish. The wanted something that they weren't allowed to have.
Where are the places in my life where I have decided that I know better than God? Where have I decided that He isn't doing the best thing for me? Why am I not trusting Him?
Genesis 1 shows the creation of the world. God creates good things. His designs are good, but what we do with His creation is not always good.
At the end of verse 10, we see "and God saw that it was good."
At the end of verse 12, we see "and God saw that it was good."
At the end of verse 18, we see "and God saw that it was good."
At the end of verse 21, we see "and God saw that it was good."
At the end of verse 25, we see "and God saw that it was good."
In verse 31, we see "God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good."
God gives us good things, he shows us he can be trusted and we still turn away.
God's creation of woman in Chapter 2:22 states that "The LORD God fashioned into a woman the rib which He had taken from the man, and brought her to the man.
Matthew Henry has a beautiful commentary on this portion:
The woman was made of a rib out of the side of Adam; not made out of his head to rule over him, nor out of his feet to be trampeled by him, but out of his side to be equal with him, under his arm to be protected, and near his heart to be beloved.
Ephesians 5:25-33 NASB says:
Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her, so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she would be holy and blameless. So husbands ought also to love their own wives as their own bodies. He who loves his own wife loves himself; for no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ also does the church, because we are members of His body. For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and shall be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh. This mystery is great; but I am speaking with reference to Christ and the church. Nevertheless, each individual among you also is to love his own wife even as himself, and the wife must see to it that she respects her husband.
Emphasis in this case is on verse 25 and 33:
Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her, ...Nevertheless, each individual among you also is to love his own wife even as himself, and the wife must see to it that she respects her husband.
Notice that Chapter 3:6 says that the tre was good for food, it was a delight to the eyes, and desirable to make one wise.
1 John 2:15-17 NASB says:
Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. The world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever.
Eve had not believed or trusted God to do what he said in Chapter 2:17. The serpent was crafty and had Eve doubting that what God said was true.
Our sin is just like Eve's. We don't belive that God is good enough to follow through with his promises. God had directly provided for Adam in the prior verses, but yet Eve didn't trust Him with what He said.
We fall in the same way Eve did, with the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life. We think we know better. In the moment, we feel like we have a better way.
We say:
How far is too far? / How much can I touch?
He says:
Wait till you're married, I have a better plan (Genesis 2:24-25)
We say:
Pornography is okay / Cosmo is okay / Romance novels are okay
He says:
"but i say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust for her has already committed adultry with her in his heart." (Matthew 5:28)
We say:
I will be ok / I know better / This just feels right / It feels so right, it can't be wrong
He says:
Don't go near it. (Genesis 39:7-12 / Proverbs 7:6-8, 21-22)
We shouldn't be asking the wrong questions. We should focus on asking the right questions.
What are the right questions?
What does God say?
Who can I call before I find myself in a bad place?
When am I most vulnerable?
As believers in the Messiah, we should understand even more that God is faithful with his promises. He promised that he would send a redeemer, and we know that our redeemer is Yeshua. He has fulfilled the most important of His promises, how too will he be faithful with the small things.
Friday, January 22, 2010
Parashat Bo [Exodus 10:1 - 13:16]
Parasha Bo [Exodus 10:1 – 13:16] is probably one of the most important portions to the history of the Jewish people. This is the Parasha that establishes Passover, and the feast of unleavened bread. If I am not mistaken, these may be the first feasts that are established as a permanent ordinance throughout all generations. It is the portion where God, with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, saves his people, the Israelites, from the slavery of the Egyptians. The 10th plague inflicted on Egypt what breaks the will of the Pharaoh. Pharaoh’s land is now desolate with the destruction of the vegetation and livestock. The final straw, as it were, was the death of the firstborn male (the 10th “plague”). Exodus 12:29 tells us that “the LORD struck all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sat on his throne to the firstborn of the captive who was in the dungeon, and all the firstborn of cattle (NASB). I have learned that traditionally, the firstborn is to be the head of the family when the father is away. He is to be the high priest on occasions that the father is away. In this case, he would have crippled the religious heritage of the Egyptians.
One thought that just struck me is that the Pharaoh would not have been the firstborn male in his family. Verse 29 states that “the LORD all the firstborn in the land of Egypt” (emphasis mine). This would have included Pharaoh had he actually been the firstborn in his family. Would this have been something that he had hidden? Would that have been disgraceful for him to be recognized as not the firstborn? Did he somehow manage to get the position in a way that he did not deserve? Would this have undermined his leadership of the Egyptians? I am not sure of the implications. Any thoughts?
I was interested to see hyssop mentioned in this portion. Hyssop specifically is to be used to apply the blood to the doorposts of the house (Exodus 12:22). I was interested because immediately I recalled Psalm 51:7 “Purify me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.” I have heard of “the principle of first use” in the Bible, which basically notes that subsequent uses of a word or concept in the Bible points to the first use of the word or concept. I wonder if King David would have been thinking of the Passover and the use of hyssop when he penned the Psalm. As a King of Israel, would he be thinking of the great mistakes that the Pharaoh (King) of Egypt had made and be requesting god to blot out his iniquities and pass over him and his home? Interestingly enough, David’s firstborn son by Bathsheba dies as a result of his sins.
Easton’s Bible History online has this information:
http://www.bible-history.com/eastons/H/Hyssop/
Hyssop
(Heb. 'ezob; LXX. hyssopos), first mentioned in Ex. 12:22 in connection with the institution of the Passover. We find it afterwards mentioned in Lev. 14:4, 6, 52; Num. 19:6, 18; Heb. 9:19. It is spoken of as a plant "springing out of the wall" (1 Kings 4:33). Many conjectures have been formed as to what this plant really was. Some contend that it was a species of marjoram (origanum), six species of which are found in Palestine. Others with more probability think that it was the caper plant, the Capparis spinosa of Linnaeus. This plant grew in Egypt, in the desert of Sinai, and in Palestine. It was capable of producing a stem three or four feet in length (Matt. 27:48; Mark 15:36. Comp. John 19:29).
Among the other thoughts that I had, was how in Exodus 12:40 it notes that they were in Egypt for 430 years. Verse 41 notes that it was 430 years…to the very day. Genesis 15:16 notes that the Israelites will be in slavery for 400 years. Was it only 30 years before the Israelites were put into slavery by the Egyptians?
There are more thoughts, but this is it for today.
One thought that just struck me is that the Pharaoh would not have been the firstborn male in his family. Verse 29 states that “the LORD all the firstborn in the land of Egypt” (emphasis mine). This would have included Pharaoh had he actually been the firstborn in his family. Would this have been something that he had hidden? Would that have been disgraceful for him to be recognized as not the firstborn? Did he somehow manage to get the position in a way that he did not deserve? Would this have undermined his leadership of the Egyptians? I am not sure of the implications. Any thoughts?
I was interested to see hyssop mentioned in this portion. Hyssop specifically is to be used to apply the blood to the doorposts of the house (Exodus 12:22). I was interested because immediately I recalled Psalm 51:7 “Purify me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.” I have heard of “the principle of first use” in the Bible, which basically notes that subsequent uses of a word or concept in the Bible points to the first use of the word or concept. I wonder if King David would have been thinking of the Passover and the use of hyssop when he penned the Psalm. As a King of Israel, would he be thinking of the great mistakes that the Pharaoh (King) of Egypt had made and be requesting god to blot out his iniquities and pass over him and his home? Interestingly enough, David’s firstborn son by Bathsheba dies as a result of his sins.
Easton’s Bible History online has this information:
http://www.bible-history.com/eastons/H/Hyssop/
Hyssop
(Heb. 'ezob; LXX. hyssopos), first mentioned in Ex. 12:22 in connection with the institution of the Passover. We find it afterwards mentioned in Lev. 14:4, 6, 52; Num. 19:6, 18; Heb. 9:19. It is spoken of as a plant "springing out of the wall" (1 Kings 4:33). Many conjectures have been formed as to what this plant really was. Some contend that it was a species of marjoram (origanum), six species of which are found in Palestine. Others with more probability think that it was the caper plant, the Capparis spinosa of Linnaeus. This plant grew in Egypt, in the desert of Sinai, and in Palestine. It was capable of producing a stem three or four feet in length (Matt. 27:48; Mark 15:36. Comp. John 19:29).
Among the other thoughts that I had, was how in Exodus 12:40 it notes that they were in Egypt for 430 years. Verse 41 notes that it was 430 years…to the very day. Genesis 15:16 notes that the Israelites will be in slavery for 400 years. Was it only 30 years before the Israelites were put into slavery by the Egyptians?
There are more thoughts, but this is it for today.
Sunday, January 17, 2010
Parashat Va'era
Parashat Va'era is an interesting Portion with quite a bit to work through. Several of the pieces that I found interesting, were:
What I can say, is that my wife and I had a great evening sitting at the table and studying the word together.
- Noting that it was Aaron's staff that G-d instructed to be used to bring about the sign and miracle of the pre-plague and the first plague. Chapter 7:10, 12 note that it was Aaron's staff that becomes a serpent (tanin). I know that Aaron's rod blossoms, and is what Moses uses to strike the rock, but what else did it go through before it's final resting place in the ark?
- I am interested in knowing which Egyptian god or gods each of the plagues was standing against.
- I read on http://graspingmashiach.wordpress.com/ from Jan 17, 2010 that when Moses was instructed to throw down his rod in 4:3, that it became a Nachash, but when the sign was performed in front of Pharaoh with Aaron's staff, that it becomes a Tanin.
- In the opening of Chapter 6, G-d notes that he had not shown Himself as the LORD, but I was interested in the first use of the tetragrammaton.
What I can say, is that my wife and I had a great evening sitting at the table and studying the word together.
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Shemot [Exodus 1:1 - Exodus 6:1]
So I have been trying to read the Torah portion for the week. I am hoping to spend more time doing this. I dont just want to read a passage and move on, I want to consume it and make it part of who I am. While reading last night, I came up with several questions on the first few chapters of Exodus. I am going to continue to list these here as well as some of the information I collect on the questions. Hopefully it will be a good reference for me to come back to in future years.
So, I will collect information here regarding my questions.
Pithom and Raamses.
According to http://www.thebible.net/modules.php?name=WC&op=read&vol=6&num=24 it seems that they unearthed Pithom and Raamses in the late 1800s. One interesting fact is that the lower bricks used for the city were made of bricks made with straw, and the higher bricks were made with roots and stubble. This would seem to show the validity of Exodus 5:7.
There doesnt seem to be too much indicating the exact location of these cities. Maybe I will find more later.
Egyptian god "On"
Jamieson, Fausset and Brown have the following note (as seen on http://www.blueletterbible.org/commentaries/comm_view.cfm?AuthorID=7&contentID=1922&commInfo=6&topic=Genesis&ar=Gen_41_45)
On--called Aven ( Eze 30:17 ) and also Beth-shemesh ( Jer 43:13 ). In looking at this profusion of honors heaped suddenly upon Joseph, it cannot be doubted that he would humbly yet thankfully acknowledge the hand of a special Providence in conducting him through all his checkered course to almost royal power; and we, who know more than Joseph did, cannot only see that his advancement was subservient to the most important purposes relative to the Church of God, but learn the great lesson that a Providence directs the minutest events of human life.
It sounds like "On" may have also been know as Heliopolis (Sun Temple). Of the Heliopolis, Atum was the chief god. Atum was also known as the creator god.
Shiprah and Pu'ah
According to http://www.bible-name.com/Show-Biblical-Hebrew-Name-en555.htm, Shiprah means beauty and grace. According to http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/judaica/ejud_0002_0018_0_18356.html, Puah means girl.
According to the Talmud Sotah 11b, it appears that some of the Rabbis believe that Shiprah was Moses' mother and that Puah was Moses' sister.
Where was Midian
Not sure I can get too much info on this. Theories abound. Some seem to think that it couldnt have been in the Saudi Arabia area and would have had to be in Africa. Others indicate a belief that Midian was a group of travelers that were nomadic. Others note that Midian was an offspring of Abraham, and they would have known of the one true God, and therefore God brought Moses to be with family as it were.
Acts 7:25 commentary
There is something in this verse that at first glance indicates that Moses knew he would be a tool in the hand of God. JFB seems to indicate that he might have seen the murder of the Egyptian as an opportunity to have the Israelites rally and follow him. Honestly, I dont see that specifically in the passage. Verse 11 notes that he looked this way and that before killing the Egyptian. This would seem to show he had wanted to do it in private.
Exodus 2:14 - commentary and word prince
Why would someone need to be over you to give appropriate reproof? Not sure. Prince seems to be able to be used as ruler, governor, taskmaster, etc.
Exodus 3:5
JFB seems to have an interesting take on it. http://bible.cc/exodus/3-5.htm
It is not so much like our western thought of reverence, but the eastern thought of realization of personal defilement.
5. put off thy shoes-The direction was in conformity with a usage which was well known to Moses, for the Egyptian priests observed it in their temples, and it is observed in all Eastern countries where the people take off their shoes or sandals, as we do our hats. But the Eastern idea is not precisely the same as the Western. With us, the removal of the hat is an expression of reverence for the place we enter, or rather of Him who is worshipped there. With them the removal of the shoes is a confession of personal defilement and conscious unworthiness to stand in the presence of unspotted holiness.
Exodus 3:8
Incidently this is the first use of this phrase in the Bible. From what I gather, it is indicitive of the fact that the land was good for agraculture and for raising animals. It was to show that the land would be abundant for them.
Distance from Egypt to Sinai
It would help to know which mountain was Sinai or Horeb. I was wondering due to God's repetition of a three day journey into the wilderness.
Misc thoughts:
- Find out more about Pithom and Raamses (the cities that were built by the Israelites in Exodus 1)
- Get some information about the Egyptian god "On" (Genesis 41: 45 says that Joseph married the daughter of a priest of "On." The priest was named Poti-Pherah, was that related to the Potiphar of Genesis 39?
- Look up the meaning of the names Shiprah and Puah (From Exodus 1:15).
- Look up where Midian was located
- Find out some information about the verses in Acts 7:25 that reference the murder by Moses.
- Find out the meaning of the word Prince in Exodus 2:14
- Review commentary about Exodus 3:5
- Review commentary about Exodus 3:8, specifically milk and honey
- How long is the walk from Egypt to Sinai? God keeps mentioning a three day journey into the wilderness (Exodus 3:18)
So, I will collect information here regarding my questions.
Pithom and Raamses.
According to http://www.thebible.net/modules.php?name=WC&op=read&vol=6&num=24 it seems that they unearthed Pithom and Raamses in the late 1800s. One interesting fact is that the lower bricks used for the city were made of bricks made with straw, and the higher bricks were made with roots and stubble. This would seem to show the validity of Exodus 5:7.
There doesnt seem to be too much indicating the exact location of these cities. Maybe I will find more later.
Egyptian god "On"
Jamieson, Fausset and Brown have the following note (as seen on http://www.blueletterbible.org/commentaries/comm_view.cfm?AuthorID=7&contentID=1922&commInfo=6&topic=Genesis&ar=Gen_41_45)
On--called Aven ( Eze 30:17 ) and also Beth-shemesh ( Jer 43:13 ). In looking at this profusion of honors heaped suddenly upon Joseph, it cannot be doubted that he would humbly yet thankfully acknowledge the hand of a special Providence in conducting him through all his checkered course to almost royal power; and we, who know more than Joseph did, cannot only see that his advancement was subservient to the most important purposes relative to the Church of God, but learn the great lesson that a Providence directs the minutest events of human life.
It sounds like "On" may have also been know as Heliopolis (Sun Temple). Of the Heliopolis, Atum was the chief god. Atum was also known as the creator god.
Shiprah and Pu'ah
According to http://www.bible-name.com/Show-Biblical-Hebrew-Name-en555.htm, Shiprah means beauty and grace. According to http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/judaica/ejud_0002_0018_0_18356.html, Puah means girl.
According to the Talmud Sotah 11b, it appears that some of the Rabbis believe that Shiprah was Moses' mother and that Puah was Moses' sister.
Where was Midian
Not sure I can get too much info on this. Theories abound. Some seem to think that it couldnt have been in the Saudi Arabia area and would have had to be in Africa. Others indicate a belief that Midian was a group of travelers that were nomadic. Others note that Midian was an offspring of Abraham, and they would have known of the one true God, and therefore God brought Moses to be with family as it were.
Acts 7:25 commentary
There is something in this verse that at first glance indicates that Moses knew he would be a tool in the hand of God. JFB seems to indicate that he might have seen the murder of the Egyptian as an opportunity to have the Israelites rally and follow him. Honestly, I dont see that specifically in the passage. Verse 11 notes that he looked this way and that before killing the Egyptian. This would seem to show he had wanted to do it in private.
Exodus 2:14 - commentary and word prince
Why would someone need to be over you to give appropriate reproof? Not sure. Prince seems to be able to be used as ruler, governor, taskmaster, etc.
Exodus 3:5
JFB seems to have an interesting take on it. http://bible.cc/exodus/3-5.htm
It is not so much like our western thought of reverence, but the eastern thought of realization of personal defilement.
5. put off thy shoes-The direction was in conformity with a usage which was well known to Moses, for the Egyptian priests observed it in their temples, and it is observed in all Eastern countries where the people take off their shoes or sandals, as we do our hats. But the Eastern idea is not precisely the same as the Western. With us, the removal of the hat is an expression of reverence for the place we enter, or rather of Him who is worshipped there. With them the removal of the shoes is a confession of personal defilement and conscious unworthiness to stand in the presence of unspotted holiness.
Exodus 3:8
Incidently this is the first use of this phrase in the Bible. From what I gather, it is indicitive of the fact that the land was good for agraculture and for raising animals. It was to show that the land would be abundant for them.
Distance from Egypt to Sinai
It would help to know which mountain was Sinai or Horeb. I was wondering due to God's repetition of a three day journey into the wilderness.
Misc thoughts:
- Exodus 2:2 notes that Moses was hidden by his mother for three months. That would seem to suggest that he would have been circumcised (on the 8th day). He would have been set apart from his Egyptian family by the circumcision. This would have happened to him, but he failed to circumcise his own son, and his wife did it to save him in Exodus 4:24.
- I hadn't realized or paid attention enough to notice that God fully walks Moses through what he is going to do during his and Aaron's confrontation with Pharaoh. God tells him what will happen during the encounter at the burning bush.
- There is a famine of the bread of life. Are we being God's storehouses and giving out the good news to the nations?
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