Something Greater

It's Not Okay to Lie How would you respond to someone who casually says, "It's okay to lie because all I have to do is ask God for forgiveness and He will forgive me?" Paul expected a similar question from his Roman readers: "If our unrighteousness serves to show the righteousness of God, what shall we say? That God is unrighteous to inflict wrath on us?...If through my lie God’s truth abounds to his glory, why am I still being condemned as a sinner? And why not do evil that good may come?" Romans 3:5,8 (ESV) Paul's answer: God is Judge of the world! A judge rewards right and administers punishment for wrong . Were God to forgive sin simply because one asked for forgiveness, God would cease to be a righteous Judge. God does not forgive because people ask Him for forgiveness... He cannot unconditionally forgive sin and still remain the righteous Judge of the world. The entire world is held accountable to God for violating His Law (Romans 3...

Resurrection of the Dead Acts 4:1-12 "And as they were speaking to the people, the priests and the captain of the temple and the Sadducees came upon them, greatly annoyed because they were teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection from the dead." Acts 4:1-2 (ESV) The resurrection of Jesus threatened the religious leaders in Jerusalem. ANNOYED: diaponeomai (to toil through, be worried); from ponos (toil or anguish); from penes (starving or indigent); from peno (to toil for daily subsistence) The Greek word that we translate as "annoyed" means to feel threatened, as if by starvation . In what way did the resurrection of the dead threaten the religious leaders? The religious leaders arrested Peter and John and attempted to charge them with being heretics . They demanded to know by what authority Peter and John healed the crippled man: "When they had set them in the midst, they inquired, By what power or by what name did you do th...

Blood and Pain "But what God foretold by the mouth of all the prophets, that his Christ would suffer, he thus fulfilled." Acts 3:18 (ESV) FORETOLD: prokatangello (to announce beforehand, to predict or promise); from pro (in front of, prior to) and katangello (to proclaim, promulgate); from kata (down) and angelos (a messenger, an "angel" or pastor); from agello (to bring tidings); from ago (to lead, bring, drive, go, pass, induce) PROPHETS: prophetes (a foreteller, a "prophet", an inspired speaker, a poet; from pro (in front of, prior to) and phemi (to show or make known, to speak or say); from phos (luminousness); from phao (to shine or make manifest) God spoke through prophets, foretelling of the suffering of Christ, fulfilling the prophecies through wicked, ignorant sinners . What prophecies foretold of the suffering of Christ? How can wicked, ignorant sinners fulfill the plan of a good God? Paul previously preached about the paradox of G...

Prepared for Death "Behold, this child is appointed for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is opposed (and a sword will pierce through your own soul also), so that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed." Luke 2:34-35 (ESV) "Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!" John 1:29 (ESV) "Now as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body. And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, Drink of it, all of you, for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins." Matt 26:26-28 (ESV) Jesus was born to die, and He knew it . His death was preached by prophets centuries before His birth. He was described as a Sacrifice and a Lamb for slaughter . I believe Jesus knew His destiny even when He was still an unborn baby . Every lullaby sang by his ...

The Pain Of Death "God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it. For David says concerning him, "I saw the Lord always before me, for he is at my right hand that I may not be shaken; therefore my heart was glad, and my tongue rejoiced; my flesh also will dwell in hope. For you will not abandon my soul to Hades, or let your Holy One see corruption. You have made known to me the paths of life; you will make me full of gladness with your presence." Acts 2:24-28 PANGS: "Odin", a pang or throe, especially of childbirth; akin to "odyne" (grief) and "duno" (to go down" The "pain" of death for Jesus was not loosened until God raised Him up. Thus, the pain that Jesus suffered, the deepest pain, was not from the crown of thorns, the beating and flogging...not even the crucifixion. All of these pains would be loosened when His heart and mind shut down, dropping His body ...

"Put to death therefore what is earthly in you..." Colossians 3:5 "Put to death what is earthly": Impossible? "Put to death" in the Greek is "nekroo", to deaden or subdue . It is derived from "nekros", dead, from a word meaning a corpse. In English we describe the decay of living flesh as "necrosis". The Hebrew equivalent is "balah", to fail, wear out or decay . "Earthly" means soil, implying the surface, or world, on which we live . Paul uses "put to death" to introduce a long list of specific sins that a Christian is to "put away", "put off", and "do not" : sexual immorality impurity passion evil desire covetousness (idolatry) anger wrath malice slander obscene talk lying Paul classifies these specific sins under the general category of "earthly", and he says that a Christian is to "put them to death": deaden them, subd...