And he came to Capernaum: and, being in the house, he asked them, What was it that ye disputed among yourselves by the way? But they held their peace: for by the way they had disputed among themselves who should be the greatest. And he sat down, and called the twelve, and saith unto them, If any man desire to be first, the same shall be last of all, and servant of all. And he took a child, and set him in the midst of them: and when he had taken him in his arms, he said unto them, Whosoever shall receive one of such children in my name, receiveth me; and whosoever shall receive me, receiveth not me, but him that sent me.–MARK ix. 33-37.

If there is in heaven a picture of that wonderful teaching, doubtless we shall see represented in it a dim childhood shining from the faces of all that group of disciples of which the centre is the Son of God with a child in his arms. The childhood, dim in the faces of the men, must be shining trustfully clear in the face of the child. But in the face of the Lord himself, the childhood will be triumphant–all his wisdom, all his truth upholding that radiant serenity of faith in his father. Verily, O Lord, this childhood is life. Verily, O Lord, when thy tenderness shall have made the world great, then, children like thee, will all men smile in the face of the great God.

But to advance now to the highest point of this teaching of our Lord: “He that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me.” To receive a child in the name of God is to receive God himself. How to receive him? As alone he can be received,–by knowing him as he is. To know him is to have him in us. And that we may know him, let us now receive this revelation of him, in the words of our Lord himself. Here is the argument of highest import founded upon the teaching of our master in the utterance before us.

God is represented in Jesus, for that God is like Jesus: Jesus is represented in the child, for that Jesus is like the child. Therefore God is represented in the child, for that he is like the child. God is child-like. In the true vision of this fact lies the receiving of God in the child.

The Unspoken Sermons by George MacDonald are available as free download on Amazon.com for your Kindle.

Read much more here: http://www.online-literature.com/george-macdonald/unspoken-sermons/1/

Love to hear your comments and reflections . . .

The dog eagerly scampered down the sidewalk, followed by his master holding his leash. The dog sniffed all the way around a sign-post, then tried to continue on ahead, not realizing he’d looped his leash around the post. His master gently pulled back on the leash, trying to get his dog to retrace his steps and get the leash unsnarled. The dog strained forward with all its might, wanting to move on ahead and not understanding why he was being asked to halt.

Now this was a dutiful dog, and he soon realized he must submit his will to his master, even though it made no sense to him. If the dog had any theological training, he might have even labeled his desire to go forward as a “sin,” and to yield himself to the inscrutable will of his master. The owner, if he knew how, might wish to expose this as false dogma, to explain that he too wanted to continue moving forward. He might add that he had to deny his dog’s will to pull forward on the leash in order to grant him his true wish, to resume their walk together.

Prior summary is from a C.S. Lewis Letter to his friend Arthur Greeves a few years after his conversion to Christianity. (Based on Collected Letters of CSL, Vol 2, 122):

http://booksbycslewis.blogspot.com/2008/11/parables-for-pilgrims.html

Please read 85% of the letter itself here: http://tinyurl.com/82q8j3z

Most if not all of us are very comfortable with granting Mary the essential role of Jesus’ mother, while regarding anything additional as veering towards “Mariolatry.”

It seems obvious to us that she should not be regarded as a co-redeemer or “Co-Redemptrix” with our Lord Jesus Christ. Mary was as human─maybe more obedient─ than you and me, starting with a normal human birth, in a place and time, with a subsequent death.

How many of us have one or more Nativity sets we carefully bring out in late November or December as a reminder of that blessed event? Mary is typically represented kneeling and in a few sets, with arms outstretched in awe, joy or adoration. Then, around New Years she is carefully added to the box and put out of sight and mind for another year. Is this where our thoughts should end?

Rosaries and “Hail Marys” take it too far; but one beautiful thing is her total submission to God and His will.

The name Mary occurs 51 times in the New Testament and its use has been attributed to the popularity of Marianne as the last rep of the Hasmonean family who was the second wife of Herod the I.  It traces back to the meaning of bitterness. She is the best known woman in the Old or New Testaments.  Mary was a humble village woman and likely not affluent.

What a beginning for the greatest man ever to be born of a woman.

WWMD? (What Would Mary Do?)

1. The Annunciation-she said yes! ─ Luke 1:26-38
2. Jesus’ Birth in Bethlehem ─ Luke 2:1-7
3. The presentation of Jesus at the temple ─ Luke 2:21-24
4. Jesus at 12 discussing the Law with the Elders the ELuke 2:41-52
5. Mary’s Special request at the wedding in Cana ─ John 2:1-12
6. Jesus brothers and Mary say Jesus is Nuts ─ John 7:1-5, Mark 3:20-35
7. Mary is present when Jesus Christ is crucified ─ John 19:25-27
8. Mary waits for the Holy Spirit with Others at Pentecost ─ Acts 1:14

Was Jesus an only child and did Mary remain a virgin in perpetuity?

We find in Matt 13:55, 56 & Mark 6:3 James, Joseph, Judas, Simon and other unnamed daughters.

^NLT Matthew 13:55 Then they scoffed, “He’s just the carpenter’s son, and we know Mary, his mother, and his brothers– James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas. ⁵⁶ All his sisters live right here among us. Where did he learn all these things?”

Why was she picked from among all women from all of history?

• Her race and religion and through Joseph her lineage back to King David.
• Her sanctity, she gave herself as a living sacrifice to her Lord.
• She was set apart for a mission ─ Luke 1:29-33,

^NIV Luke 1:29 Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. ³⁰ But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. ³¹ You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. ³² He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, ³³ and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end.”

Luke 1:46 suggests Mary was not without sin herself

Highly favored of the Lord Luke ─ 1:28, 30

^NKJVF28 And having come in, the angel said to her, “Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!”  ²⁹ But when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and considered what manner of greeting this was.  ³⁰ Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.

Mary found favor with God. What did that favor cost her?

^NET Luke 2:34 Then Simeon blessed them and said to his mother Mary, “Listen carefully: This child is destined to be the cause of the falling and rising of many in Israel and to be a sign that will be rejected. ³⁵ Indeed, as a result of him the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed– and a sword will pierce your own soul as well!”

Who else in the O.T. or N.T. would you consider greatly favored by God?

Any costs involved?  Any suffering experienced?

Where do we sign up to be in God’s good favor?

Finally, who only deserves our full allegiance and worship?

Let us end by obeying fully the words of Mary the Mother of Jesus found in John 2:5:

^NET John 2:5 His mother told the servants, “Whatever he tells you, do it.”

WWMD? (What Would Mary Do?)

1. The Annunciation-she said ____! ─ Luke 1:26-38
2. Jesus’ Birth in Bethlehem ─ Luke 2:1-7
3. The presentation of Jesus at the temple ─ Luke 2:21-24
4. Jesus at 12 discussing the Law with the Elders in the Temple ─ Luke 2:41-52
5. Mary’s special request at the wedding in Cana ─ John 2:1-12
6. Jesus brothers and Mary say Jesus is nuts ─ John 7:1-5, Mark 3:20-35
7. Mary is present when Jesus Christ is crucified ─ John 19:25-27
8. Mary waits for the Holy Spirit with Others at Pentecost ─ Acts 1:14

Was Jesus an only child and did Mary remain a virgin in perpetuity?

Why was she picked from among all women from all of history?

Her race and religion and through Joseph her lineage back to King David

Her sanctity, she gave herself as a living sacrifice to her Lord

She was set apart for a mission ─ Luke 1:29-33

Luke 1:46 suggests Mary was not without sin herself

Highly favored of the Lord ─ Luke 1:28, 30

Mary found favor with God.  What did that favor cost her?

Who else in the O.T. or N.T. would you consider greatly favored by God?

Any costs involved?  Any suffering experienced?

Where do we sign up to be in God’s good favor?

Finally, who deserves our full allegiance and worship?

Let us end by obeying fully the words of Mary the Mother of Jesus found in John 2:5:

Therefore all that is not beautiful in the beloved, all that comes between and is not of love’s kind, must be destroyed.

And our God is a consuming fire.

Read More: http://www.online-literature.com/george-macdonald/unspoken-sermons/2/

The three O.T. and N.T. with fulfillment have the answers in italics so you may want to copy the students copy without those notes so they might fill in their own notes.

There is an excellent supplemental handout about the Diety and Humanity of Jesus from:

THE FULL DEITY OF JESUS CHRIST (Adapted from: http://www.baptiststart.com)

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Some critical questions as we begin and then we’ll look for answers throughout this study:

1. Who exactly came 2000 years ago?
2. Why did He come?
3. Was all this really prophesied before it happened?
4. What exactly is the Incarnation of the Word?

We will look at the prophecies of the Nativity of Jesus by starting with the N.T. accounts and looking backwards to their first declarations in the O.T. The coming of Jesus into this world, to a small town and into an insignificant country on the outskirts of the Roman Empire is a fact of history. God became flesh and dwelt among us. Predicted from ages past this fulfillment was full of both wonder and import.

Genesis 1:26 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth.

There are at least two striking affirmations here that are critical to our study today. (An important note:  God said, “let us make man in our image” which speaks to more than one personality or entity in the Genesis communication allowing an early place for both the Son and the Holy Spirit along with the Father.) First of all, we are created in God’s image (1 Cor 11:7), but have been separated from all that we should and could be by our sin. Our human nature can only be understood in reference to our origin in God, not merely as some random evolutionary product. Secondly, we are to have dominion over nature, but have been cast out of the garden and subject to physical death and to toil for our bread. The second Adam, who did not sin, is redeeming all to Himself and ultimately that likeness and dominion will be fully restored to mankind. It started at Jesus’ birth and is beginning now and will finally be completed with a visible reality.

The people of Israel/Judea were expecting and hoping for a Messiah to appear as a King and emancipator from Roman domination. However, His coming was far more and seemingly far less than their limited hopes. God’s intent from the incarnation was to ultimately satisfy this hope, but first the appearance would look like a paradox and even opposite. The Son would come in awesome humility and as a servant. The road to kingship first had to go through Bethlehem, Egypt, Nazareth and the ultimate humility and shame of crucifixion.

Matthew traces Jesus’ genealogy from Abraham through David and to Joseph. Luke does the same thing through Mary.

Micah 5:2 (fulfilled Matt 2:1,6-8) – A declaration and promise to a minor town─really to the people─in a specific location that a ruler would come from among them who has mysterious ancient origins. The result and confirming prophecy are given in Matthew chapter 2

Jeremiah 23:5,6 (fulfilled Luke 1:31-33) – In contrast to the corrupting and counterproductive shepherds of Jeremiah’s day, God would raise a good shepherd from the family of David to ultimately rule over both Judah and Israel. In Luke, this same promise is given to Mary of what her son would become.

Hosea 11:1/Exodus 4:22,23 (fulfilled Matt 2:13,14) –God called both Israel as His first-born nation and His only begotten son Jesus out of Egypt through Moses and then to Joseph.

Matthew insisted that his readers discover Jesus as the expected and prophesied king.

We are going to break up into two groups. You will be first century rabbinical scholars looking at the facts about both Jesus’ birth and his life and what was prophesied.

Group #1 will be looking only at the records regarding the birth.

Group #2 will be looking at only the records regarding his later ministry.

You will be comparing either the birth or ministry events to select verses (for time constraints) from the Old Testament and come to some judgments and conclusions.

Quickly pick a leader who will also be your spokesperson, then pick a skeptic and also a true believer.

Stay with the verses on the sheets and involve everyone in the discussion.

5 minutes to read instructions and choose leader/spokesperson, skeptic and believer

5 minutes to read to yourselves the N.T. and O.T. verses

10 minutes to discuss and make judgments led by your leader/spokesperson

We will then come back together as a bigger group and talk about Incarnation and some closing remarks.

Group #1 – Comparing Prophecy with Records of Jesus’ Birth

Your Mission: Compare the birth events to select verses from the Old Testament and come to your own judgments and conclusions.

Stay with the verses on the sheets and involve everyone in the discussion.

5 minutes to choose Leader/Spokesperson, Skeptic and Believer

• Leader/Spokesperson:

• Skeptic:

• Believer:

Psalms 132:11 The LORD swore an oath to David, a sure oath that he will not revoke: “One of your own descendants I will place on your throne—

Jeremiah 23:5  “The days are coming,” declares the LORD,
“when I will raise up for David^[a] a righteous Branch, a King who will reign wisely and do what is just and right in the land.
⁶ In his days Judah will be saved and Israel will live in safety.
This is the name by which he will be called: The LORD Our Righteous Savior.

Isaiah 7:14 Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.

Micah 5:2 “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.”

Hosea 11:1 “When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son.

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Matthew 1:1,2 A record of the genealogy of Jesus Christ the son of David, the son of Abraham:  2 Abraham was the father of Isaac, Isaac the father of Jacob, Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers,

Matt 2:1,2 After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem ² and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”

Matthew 1:18 This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit.

Luke 2:4-6 So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. 5 He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. 6 While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born,

Matthew 2:19,20 After Herod died, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt  20 and said, “Get up, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who were trying to take the child’s life are dead.”

5 minutes to read to yourselves the N.T. and O.T. verses from the NIV Old & New Testaments

10 minutes to discuss and make judgments led by your Leader/Spokesperson

We will then come back together as a big group and discuss and have some closing remarks by your teacher.

______________________________________

Group #2 – Comparing Prophecy with Records of Jesus’ Ministry

Your Mission: Compare the ministry events to select verses from the Old Testament and come to your own judgments and conclusions.

Stay with the verses on the sheets and involve everyone in the discussion.

5 minutes to choose Leader/Spokesperson, Skeptic and Believer

• Leader/Spokesperson:

• Skeptic:

• Believer:

5 minutes to read to yourselves the N.T. and O.T. verses from the NIV Old & New Testaments

Malachi 3:1 “See, I will send my messenger, who will prepare the way before me. Then suddenly the Lord you are seeking will come to his temple; the messenger of the covenant, whom you desire, will come,” says the LORD Almighty.

Zechariah 9:9 Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion! Shout, Daughter of Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and having salvation, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.

Isaiah 32:3 Then the eyes of those who see will no longer be closed, and the ears of those who hear will listen.

Isaiah 35:5,6 Then will the eyes of the blind be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped.  6 Then will the lame leap like a deer, and the mute tongue shout for joy. Water will gush forth in the wilderness and streams in the desert.

Isaiah 11:2  The Spirit of the LORD will rest on him– the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of power, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD-

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Matthew 11:10,11b This is the one about whom it is written: “‘I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way before you.’ 11 I tell you the truth: Among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist;

John 12:13,14 They took palm branches and went out to meet him, shouting, “Hosanna!” “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” “Blessed is the King of Israel!”  14 Jesus found a young donkey and sat upon it,

Matthew 9:32-35 … a man who was demon-possessed and could not talk was brought to Jesus.  33 And when the demon was driven out, the man who had been mute spoke. The crowd was amazed and said, “Nothing like this has ever been seen in Israel.” … 35 Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness.

 Matthew 3:16,17 As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting on him.  17 And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”

10 minutes to discuss and make judgments led by your Leader/Spokesperson

We will then come back together as a big group and discuss and have some closing remarks by your teacher.

The Incarnation

For Christians who believe the Bible is God’s inspired word, the Incarnation is the belief that Jesus Christ, the second person of the Trinity, God’s Son and the Word or Logos, became flesh by conception in the Virgin Mary.

The Incarnation means that Jesus, as the noncreated second hypostasis or hypostatic union (two natures in one person) of the triune God, took upon himself both a human body and nature and at that moment became both God and man. John 1:14 says: “And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us.”

In Jesus, the divine nature and human nature were joined but not mixed so He was and still is “truly God and truly man”.

This is central to the traditional faith held by most Christians. Alternative views on the subject have been proposed throughout the centuries, but all were rejected by mainstream churches.

After the time of the apostles some alternate views were expressed and argued for, but eventually, the Christian Church accepted the teaching of St. Athanasius and his allies, that Christ was the incarnation of the eternal second person of the Trinity who was truly God and truly a man simultaneously. All differing beliefs were defined as heresies. Such as:

Docetism: Jesus was a divine being that took on human appearance but not flesh. Jesus’ physical body was an illusion, as was his crucifixion; that is, Jesus only seemed to have a physical body and to physically die, but in reality he was incorporeal, a pure spirit, and hence could not physically die.

Arianism: Christ was a created being. The Arian concept of Christ is that the Son of God did not always exist, but was created by—and is therefore distinct from—God the Father.

Nestorianism: The Son of God and the man, Jesus, shared the same body but retained two separate natures. Jesus Christ, who is not identical with the Son but personally united with the Son, who lives in Him.

The most widely-accepted definitions of the Incarnation and the nature of Jesus were made by the First Council of Nicea 325, the Council of Ephesus 431, and the Council of Chalcedon in 451. These councils declared that Jesus was both fully God: begotten from, but not created by the Father; and fully man: taking his flesh and human nature from the Virgin Mary. These two natures, human and divine, were hypostatically joined into the one personhood of Jesus Christ.

The Judgment Seat of Christ

Judging, judgment and the idea of a judge have more than a negative vibe for most of us. We are told not to judge one another, but something within tell us this is not the whole truth. Our daily lives─driving to work is one example─demands of us hundreds of decisions or judgments some of which we take special note of and most are unconscious. Certainly this is not what the command is about!

The Old Testament

Let’s talk about judging, judgment (types of judgment) and the judges referenced in the Old Testament.

The idea of a judge goes all the way back to Cain and Abel, Adam and Eve with God Himself the first judge. Moses was considered one of the first judges over Israel and The Book of Judges details a whole chronology of judges provided for Israel in the early days of the nation.

Judgment and judging is an integral pattern in the fabric of the Old Testament and it reaches a high level in the Psalms with David often pleading, expecting and prophesying judgment from God to those (including nations) who do evil to others and to David himself. This is the most human expression in Scripture of the call for, desire and request for needed judgment upon those who have caused hurt and injured without cause. A crescendo is attained in the Major and Minor Prophets with the judgment directed at nations and especially God’s own Israel for its many sins, hard hearts, injustice and violence to the poor, the laws of God and their neglect of their personal and corporate duties to their covenant God.

<Regarding Josiah King of Israel, this being addressed to his son Jehoahaz> Does it make you a better king if you build houses of cedar, finer than those of others? Your father enjoyed a full life. He was always just and fair, and he prospered in everything he did. He gave the poor a fair trial, and all went well with him. That is what it means to know the Lord. (Jer 22:15-16)

 The New Testament 

Of course God the Father is the ultimate judge mentioned in the four Gospels with an occasional signpost─especially described in the parables─to the judgment assigned to Christ at the end of days.

The various judgments at the end of days are further delineated and clarified in the both the Gospels and The Acts of the Apostles, Epistles and The Book of Revelation.

Wrong Kind of Judging

(James 4:1-2, 11-12) Where do you think all these appalling wars and quarrels come from? Do you think they just happen? Think again. They come about because you want your own way, and fight for it deep inside yourselves. You lust for what you don’t have and are willing to kill to get it. You want what isn’t yours and will risk violence to get your hands on it. Don’t bad-mouth each other, friends. It’s God’s Word, his Message, his Royal Rule, that takes a beating in that kind of talk. You’re supposed to be honoring the Message, not writing graffiti all over it. God is in charge of deciding human destiny. Who do you think you are to meddle in the destiny of others?

(Romans 2:1-3, 16) Those people are on a dark spiral downward. But if you think that leaves you on the high ground where you can point your finger at others, think again. Every time you criticize someone, you condemn yourself. It takes one to know one. Judgmental criticism of others is a well-known way of escaping detection in your own crimes and misdemeanors. But God isn’t so easily diverted. He sees right through all such smoke screens and holds you to what you’ve done. You didn’t think, did you, that just by pointing your finger at others you would distract God from seeing all your misdoings and from coming down on you hard? Or did you think that because he’s such a nice God, he’d let you off the hook? And so, according to the Good News I preach, this is how it will be on that Day when God through Jesus Christ will judge the secret thoughts of all.

Good Kind of Judging

(1 Cor 2:15) Whoever has the Spirit, however, is able to judge the value of everything, but no one is able to judge him.

(1 Cor 6:15) Shame on you! Surely there is at least one wise person in your fellowship who can settle a dispute between fellow Christians.

Awesome Judging

(1 Peter 1:17) And if ye call on him as Father, who without respect of persons judges according to each man’s work, pass the time of your sojourning in fear.

(Act 10:42) And He commanded us to preach unto the people, and to testify that it is He who was ordained by God to be the Judge of the quick and dead.

The Five Separate Future Judgments: Outline and some text from Lehman Strauss

Not all men or angels will be judged at the same time and place. There are five future judgments.

1. The Judgment Seat of Christ. The first of these will be the judgment of the believer’s works, called “The Judgment Seat of Christ.” It is this judgment to which we shall give great consideration in this chapter. But first, we shall outline the four future judgments that will follow the judgment of the believer’s works.

2. The Judgment of Regathered Israel. In Daniel 12:1 this judgment is called “The Time of Jacob’s Trouble.” This will be the punishment of the Jews for their failure to obey God and their rejection of Jesus Christ. During the Great Tribulation, Israel will pay for her sins. There also will be tremendous reward for those who believed through this period or come to receive their true Messiah as their only hope.

3. The Judgment of the Living Nations. Then the nations of the earth will be judged. This judgment will not be against individuals but against nations for their treatment of the Jewish people. “For, behold, in those days, and in that time, when I shall bring again the captivity of Judah and Jerusalem, I will also gather all nations, and will bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat, and will plead with them there for my people and for my heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations, and parted my land” (Joel 3:1-2).

4. The Judgment of Fallen Angels. This is the final judgment against Satan and other fallen angels who will be judged with him. Immediately after the one thousand years of the Kingdom Age, Satan and his hosts will meet their end. “And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, He hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day” (Jude 6).

5. The Judgment of the Unbelieving Dead. This is called the Great White Throne Judgment. After the casting of Satan into Hell, the wicked dead will be raised to receive the final sentence of condemnation (Revelation 20:12-15). No believer will be judged at that day as the final judgment is reserved for all who rejected the Lord Jesus Christ on earth.

When We are Judged

(1 Cor. 3:12-15) Some will use gold or silver or precious stones in building on the foundation; others will use wood or grass or straw.13 And the quality of each person’s work will be seen when the Day of Christ exposes it. For on that Day fire will reveal everyone’s work; the fire will test it and show its real quality.14 If what was built on the foundation survives the fire, the builder will receive a reward.15 But if your work is burnt up, then you will lose it; but you yourself will be saved, as if you had escaped through the fire.

This passage is regarding working in the fields of the Lord to do your part to bring in the harvest. Many times we go through the motions of being a Christian, going to work, putting up with our family; but God has higher standards. Are we striving to have every area of our lives bathed in His will and oversight? Is our first or at least second thought for the Holy Spirit to give us power in a situation or the words to say or the right reaction/attitude to have in a given situation? Or do we find ourselves coasting? What is even worse is when we are involved in what might be termed ministry of any sort, yet we are so preoccupied with the task, busyness or spotlight, that we seldom ask God to help us or empower. In these times of service, are we reverting to the flesh and our selfish attitudes and putting our ideas/plans first or are we humbly submitting it all to Him, willing to take some abuse, misunderstanding and being unacknowledged or appreciated?

To suffer loss, is to a legal term meaning to be “fined”, that is to suffer detriment. The foundation is sound, but your building materials are garbage or worse. What could be worse?

The judgment seat of Christ “Bama” is used in the ancient Olympic Games, where medals or awards are meted out. Skin of our teeth is not anything to aim for. The lose may continue throughout all eternity as we reckon with the lack. Only the gold, silver and precious jewels will make it and be rewarded. So what is the difference in the product? He has given each of us a generous talent to be used, spent and He expects a big return. What do we have to give back to His generous hands in thanksgiving?

Casting Crowns:

The Judgment Seat of Christ will be a Day of Crowns for those who will receive rewards for their works. There are five such “crowns” to be given.

1. The Incorruptible Crown. “You’ve all been to the stadium and seen the athletes race. Everyone runs; one wins. Run to win. All good athletes train hard. They do it for a gold medal that tarnishes and fades. You’re after one that’s gold eternally.” (1 Corinthians 9:24,25). 26-27I don’t know about you, but I’m running hard for the finish line. I’m giving it everything I’ve got. No sloppy living for me! I’m staying alert and in top condition. I’m not going to get caught napping, telling everyone else all about it and then missing out myself.!

2. The Crown of Rejoicing. 1 Thess 2:19-20 Who is our hope or joy or crown of happiness? It is you, when you stand before our Lord Jesus Christ when He comes again. 20 You are our pride and joy.

3. The Crown of Righteousness. “Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto them also that love His appearing” (2 Timothy 4:8). Hold fast to the fact of the Lord’s return; believe and hope in it. God has prepped a special crown for those waiting for the blessed hope and who love His appearing.

4. The Crown of Life. “Blessed is the man that endures temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love Him” (James 1:12). “Fear none of those things which thou shall suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life” (Revelation 2:10). The Crown of Life is carefully reserved for those who have given their very lives. We will not all receive this crown, but will gladly rejoice with those who have counted the cost and declared by Jesus worthy of this eternal honor

5. The Crown of Glory. 2 Be good shepherds of the flock God has put in your care. Do not care for the flock as if you were made to. Do not care for the flock for money, but do it because you want to. 3 Do not be bosses over the people you lead. Live as you would like to have them live. 4 When the Head Shepherd comes again, you will get the crown of shining-greatness that will not come to an end. (1 Peter 5:2-4).

Now What?

“… Cast their crowns before the throne, saying, Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.” (Revelation 4:10-11)

(Rev 20:11-15) And I saw a great white throne and the one sitting on it. The earth and sky fled from his presence, but they found no place to hide. I saw the dead, both great and small, standing before God’s throne. And the books were opened, including the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to what they had done, as recorded in the books. The sea gave up its dead, and death and the grave gave up their dead. And all were judged according to their deeds. Then death and the grave were thrown into the lake of fire. This lake of fire is the second death. And anyone whose name was not found recorded in the Book of Life was thrown into the lake of fire.

For the past 3 years—off-and-on—I’ve been reading the first volume of,  The Collected Letters of C.S. Lewis: Family letters, 1905-1931. I look at the natural division of the letters by years and consider these the chapters. 1929 was an important year to Jack as he was coming to serious terms with his father’s illness and the reality of that part of his own life closing. One very important time in Jack’s life was ending and the first pages of a new volume were being written. He also bent his knee this year to Deism, but yet could and would not make the jump to Christianity. During the process of handling his father’s estate—organizing the contents of the home, especially books, and what to keep, what to sell or auction—he had left some keys tied by a string in what he hoped was his father’s desk in Belfast. The college key would be a 100 pound fee to replace. Jack corresponded several times with his life-long friend Arthur Greeves—a neighbor to the family—to look in their house and mail them to him in Oxford if found. That incident and the culmination of the travails of working through the tedious details of the estate had worn him out. The math, accounting  and legal considerations were not his areas of strength.

He began engaging, once again, in his favorite pastime: taking long walks. He preferred walking without Baron Papworth (died 1937?)—except on short exercise strolls—as it allowed freedom of travel since the family dog was not to go by such-and-such a place where an angry dog lived, etc. During these walks he would try to empty his mind of thinking and attempt to create or allow a meditative state. This seemed to do a wonder of good as some of his best descriptions of nature, thus far in his letters are provided. Some of these mention a sense of wonder or awe that he later termed Sehnsucht as the “inconsolable longing” in the human heart for “we know not what.”  See Sehnsucht. The quote below is from a few months later from a 1930 letter to Arthur Greeves. He is responding to the book: The Signature of all Things, With other Writings by Jacob Boehme.

See the Excerpts of the book Here at Google Books

My immediate reaction was to be offended and shocked.  Then I thought about it . . .

There were times in the Old Testament when God commanded Israel to destroy or annihilate a people, race, culture.  This was after much wickedness on said nation’s part, and after a very long wait to see if their sin sufficiently warranted such drastic measures. I believe the Amalekites were a case study in the matter. Please refer to: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amalekites for an excellent and fairly accurate study.

Many people both in the church and not have assumed that the God in the O.T. appeared vindictive and stern, while the New Testament image—as personified in the person of Jesus—is warm, personable and forgiving.  Both images are relative caricatures and taken this way present two distinct and possibly contridictory personalities. Let’s look at some texts to illustrate that the opposite of these images are also true, or at least they paint a fuller picture. 

There is much compassion in the O.T.:

There is sternness and strong judgement  in the N.T.:

Part of the equation is that certain things needed to be emphasized in each major volume of the Bible.

No contradiction here, only various emphasis.

Would Jesus Bomb (including annihilation by other violent means) an individual or group or nation? 

Revelation Verses / “He takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked . . .”