Poem: Christ trumps Death!

by John Chrysostom

If anyone is devout and a lover of God, let them enjoy this beautiful and radiant festival.

If anyone is a grateful servant, let them, rejoicing, enter into the joy of his Lord.

If anyone has wearied themselves in fasting, let them now receive recompense.

If anyone has labored from the first hour, let them today receive the just reward.

If anyone has come at the third hour, with thanksgiving let them feast.

If anyone has arrived at the sixth hour, let them have no misgivings; for they shall suffer no loss.

If anyone has delayed until the ninth hour, let them draw near without hesitation.

If anyone has arrived even at the eleventh hour, let them not fear on account of tardiness.

For the Master is gracious and receives the last even as the first; He gives rest to him that comes at the eleventh hour, just as to him who has labored from the first.

He has mercy upon the last and cares for the first; to the one He gives, and to the other He is gracious.

He both honors the work and praises the intention.

Enter all of you, therefore, into the joy of our Lord, and, whether first or last, receive your reward.

O rich and poor, one with another, dance for joy!
O you ascetics and you negligent, celebrate the day!

You that have fasted and you that have disregarded the fast, rejoice today!
The table is rich-laden: feast royally, all of you!
The calf is fatted: let no one go forth hungry!

Let all partake of the feast of faith. Let all receive the riches of goodness.

Let no one lament their poverty, for the universal kingdom has been revealed.
Let no one mourn their transgressions, for pardon has dawned from the grave.
Let no one fear death, for the Saviour’s death has set us free.

He that was taken by death has annihilated it!
He descended into Hades and took Hades captive!
He embittered it when it tasted His flesh! And anticipating this, Isaiah exclaimed: “Hades was embittered when it encountered Thee in the lower regions”.

It was embittered, for it was abolished!
It was embittered, for it was mocked!
It was embittered, for it was purged!
It was embittered, for it was despoiled!
It was embittered, for it was bound in chains!

It took a body and came upon God!
It took earth and encountered Ηeaven!
It took what it saw, but crumbled before what can not seen!

O death, where is thy sting?
O Hades, where is thy victory?

Christ is risen, and you are overthrown!
Christ is risen, and the demons are fallen!
Christ is risen, and the angels rejoice!
Christ is risen, and life reigns!
Christ is risen, and not one dead remains in a tomb!

For Christ, being raised from the dead, has become the first-fruits of them that have slept.
To Him be glory and might unto the ages of ages.

Amen.

5 Loaves and 2 Fish

Notes from Pastor Perry Stone's Bible Study

In Mark 6:41, we see that Jesus fed 5000 men with 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish, with 12 basket full of food leftover.

Why 5?

Why 2?

Why 12?

When we read the Bible, there are always 4 layers of understanding:

1. Literal (easiet)

2. Allegorical
3. Metaphorical
4. Mystery (Sode in Greek) (hardest)

Numbers hold meaning:

3 = unity
4 = worldly
5 = grace
6 = man
7 = perfection/completion
8 = new beginning

Colors hold meaning:
Purple = royalty
White = purity
Red = redemption

Symbols hold meaning:
Fish = souls

Key circumstance when Jesus fed the 5000 men:

1. The event was near the sea
2. It was near the time of Passover
3. There were 5 barley loaves and 2 fish
4. There were 5000 men (that is, this does not include women and children)
5. There were 12 baskets full of food leftover

Why 2?

There are 2 fish, because 1 represents the Jews and the other represents the Gentiles

Other places in the Bible also use the number two in a similar manner:

2 olive trees (Romans 11:11-24)
2 witnesses during the Tribulation (Revelation 11:3)

In each of these instances, it is always one for the Jews, the other for the Gentiles

What does the fish mean?

The heavenly sign of pisces = two fish connected by a ribbon; pisces represents Israel

The sign of pisces therefore shows Israel is complete when the two fish (one representing the Jewish branch, the other representing the Gentile branch) are joined together.

When Jesus is feeding the people with the two fish, He is feeding both the Jews and the Gentiles.

What does the barley mean?

Barley is the first fruit harvested during the Pentecost. Barley bread therefore contains no leaven. Barley bread thus represent the church made clean through Christ. Leaven represents sin, and Jesus fed the 5000 with unleavened bread, as Jesus made His church without sin.

Why 5?

5 = Grace

5 = 5-fold ministries (Ephesians 4:11)

There are 5 books in the Torah.
David took 5 rocks to fight against Goliath, certainly not because David thought he would miss and needed a few more as insurance. No. In fact, David's faith in God was so great, he knew he would need one and only one rock to kill Goliath, for Goliath had blasphemed against God. The reason why David took 4 extra rocks was because Goliath had 4 giant brother, suggesting David anticipated Goliath's brothers taking revenge. And again, David's faith in God was so great, David needed exactly only one rock per giant. Lastly, it is clearly stated in the Bible that those who blaspheme against God gets stoned. Goliath blasphemed against God; Goliath got stoned.

In John 21:11, Simon Peter caught 153 fish. What's the significance?

100 = fullness of the Gentiles
50 = fullness of the Israel cycle of rest
3 = wholeness

fish = nations of souls saved
Pastor Stone believes this suggests that there will be 153 nations when Jesus returns.

Parable of the Net (Matthew 13:47-52)

The sea represents the world, and the fish represents the nations. The Kingdom is like the net cast into the sea to gather every kind of fish. The bad fish is thrown away, just as in the end of days those who are not with Christ will be cast away.

From the above analysis, we learn from Pastor Stone that there are multiple layers of message found within the Bible. It takes many hours of study to be able to extract all the information God has given us.

How does salvation work for an individual?

Notes and thoughts from Bible Study with Pastor Terry Gray

Ephesians 2:8-10

"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do."

The source of salvation is God.

Salvation does not come from man; not from our mom, not from our pastor, not from ourselves. Salvation comes from God and God only. It is a gift from God. 

John 19:30

"When he had received the drink, Jesus said, 'It is finished.' With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit."

Matthew 27:51 "At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom."

The veil was a physical separation of the most sacred part (inner chamber) from the rest of the temple. Only the high priest can enter this inner chamber. The high priest enters it once a year (Day of Atonement) with blood to atone for the sins of the people for that year. And before he could enter it, he must fully cleanse himself. For if he did not cleanse himself as instructed by God (both physically and spiritually), he will be stroke dead upon entrance. This is why high priests enter the inner chamber with a rope tied around his ankle. For if he were stroke dead, he could be pulled out by his people.

The veil thus separated God and man. Man needs to be separated by the veil because we have sinned and can no longer be in the presence of our perfect God.

But.

But, the veil was torn in two upon Jesus death. It was ripped in half. This was certainly a miraculous feat, because the veil was a huge curtain (60 feet long, 30 feet high, and about 4 inches thick). It is so heavy that it required 300 men to lift it! Hence, God ripped this veil in half at the exact moment of Jesus' death. This is such an incredible message directly from God. This is God telling us that with the death of His only Son, the barrier that separates us from God has been broken down. This also fulfills Jesus' statement, "No one comes to the Father except through me" (John 14:6).

Because Jesus was perfect, His blood fulfilled what animal blood could only symbolize. The animal blood was a band-aid. Jesus is our eternal fix. With His blood, Jesus atoned for our sins--past, present, and future. And because of Jesus, we can once again be in the physical presence of God. And thus, with the death of Jesus, the veil was no longer necessary.

Hebrews 10:19-22

"Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water."

Coming back to Ephesians 2:8-10, we need to realize that Jesus did it all. "It is finished," He said. Only through Him, can we enter God's kingdom. Jesus is therefore our only way to salvation. And the base of salvation is grace. It is not something we can earn. To stress this point, Pastor Chuck Missler has said, "Jesus Christ did it all. To add anything to it is blasphemy." That is, Jesus did it all for us. There is nothing we can add to it. And to think we can do anything more to work for our salvation is a sinful pride.

As Christians, we therefore live under God's Grace. 

Therefore, NOT by works. Salvation cannot be earned. We cannot be saved by living a moral and good life. Because in comparison to God's perfection, we will never be good enough. We are saved by Jesus alone. For He did all the work. "It is finished," Jesus said as He died on the Cross. Our salvation is sealed through Jesus and Jesus only.

Faith in Christ thus brings us salvation.  And it has to be a personal faith. It can't be just intellectual. The intellectual knowledge of God our Father has to be realized by HEART. That is, it is not enough to just acknowledge God's existence. We have to individualize the Gospel. We can't be saved because our loved ones pray for us. Because the only person who can choose salvation for me is me. I must personally choose it!

Ephesians 2:10

James 2:14-26

Being a Christian does NOT end at accepting God's salvation. For faith without works is dead. Our discipleship BEGINS at accepting God's salvation. When we receive Jesus, we are born again, for our souls are transformed. We need to allow God to work within us and become an example to others, to show others how God works in our lives.

1 Corinthian 2

And so, when we truly understand AND ACCEPT God's Grace and salvation, we start to live differently. The Holy Spirit would work within us, leading us to serve God. And we would therefore serve God with all the right motives.

In sum, we still need to work. But we work NOT for our salvation, because salvation has already been graciously given to us by God. Jesus alone fulfilled our inadequacies of our sins and imperfections. We work, instead, by allowing the Holy Spirit to work through us, to guide us, to use us as examples of those who walk with God.

So, the order is, we receive salvation and then do good work. We do good work not for salvation but because we found salvation.

Revelation 3:20

Jesus said, "Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me."

Take that door, open it, and welcome Jesus in.

Women's Place in Spiritual Leadership?

1 Timothy 2:8-15

Notes and thoughts from Pastor Terry Gray's Bible study

1 Timothy 2:11-13

Romans 13:1

Ephesians 5:22-33

These passages instructs that we are to submit to appropriate authorities--clear-cut roles for every one of us at every stage in life. Specifically, that man is the head of his family and also the head in his church. At first glance, these passages appear to put women down. But bear in mind as we move through this study, Christianity has freed more women than any other movement in history. In fact, God loves all people and states clearly that all people are equal. So, let's keep this in mind. In fact, these passages have nothing to do with the intrinsic value of women but with order.


And if we're still not convinced, refer to the book of Judges. Deborah was the ONLY female judge appointed by God in the history of Israel. Deborah was appointed because there was no capable man who could lead God's people during that time of chaos. And so, God raised Deborah up. This brilliantly shows that God places men as the spiritual head and women as men's support. But, when men can't get the job done, then women will have to rise to the occasion. Hence, when there is capable men, women should support them and be there to work together to do God's work. There should be no power struggle. That only prevents God's work being done!

Structure prevents chaos. Paul said, Adam was formed first, then the woman--a sign of order. In the Fall, Adam did not act as the spiritual head, and everything went downhill. God did not only punish Eve for swaying Adam but also Adam for failing to lead. As stated clearly, in the Bible, there is suppose to be order in the home and in the church. And we learn that God's plan is to have man as the spiritual leader in the home and the church. Again, it is NOT about who is better to lead; it is about ORDER.

We should also take culture into consideration: Back in the time when this was written, women and men sat in separate sections of the church. During a sermon, to prevent the wife from shouting across the room to ask her husband a question about the sermon, Paul stresses to save these questions until they are home. (This is Pastor Terry's example. I don't know how true this is, so I have remain neutral on this example.) Hence, Paul is not saying women cannot speak in church. The Greek word used for the translated word "silence" in fact has the additional meaning of PEACEABLE, NON-CHAOTIC silence. And so, Paul is encouraging that women should receive instruction without contention, with a peaceful spirit. "Silence" here in the scripture by no means point to "no talking". However, it stresses that a woman cannot usurp a man's spiritual leadership. Jesus has stressed, each body part is important. The head cannot say to the arm that it doesn't need the arm. And similarly, the man is the head. But it doesn't not mean it is "better" than the woman. Just like all parts of the body need to work together, man and woman are partners. Both need to do each part for the success of the two.

1 Timothy 2:8-10

The main point is stressing that beauty is on the inside, shining out from within the works of Jesus Christ. Paul goes into great detail about what not to wear and what to wear because, again, back in those days, women who wore those things were women who did not walk in the path of the Lord. As opposed to getting tangled up with whether or not braiding hair is acceptable, we ought to see the bigger picture of the message: Beauty is shining the light of our Lord from within us, to do what is right in the eyes of the Lord, to allow God to work through us.

Pastor Terry concludes: There is a place in the church for women and their ministries. Women are as important as men in the church. No one party is better or worse. Each has its own job to do, and each needs to do it well. Men and women therefore are equal partners and are encouraged to work as a team and to respect God's order. There should be no power struggle between men and women. There should be no power struggle between women and women. There should be no power struggle between men and men in the church!

Isaiah 65-66

Isaiah 63:15–64:12

Isaiah 65:1–2

Isaiah requested for God’s compassion and wonders why God has withheld His tenderness and left His people (Isaiah 63:15-64:12). We see that Isaiah is aware of God's anger on His people, and how he also understands no one could save them from their sins, that they don't deserve to be saved. Regardless, Isaiah continues to pray for God's mercy and compassion. God's response reiterate Isaiah's worries and fears. God has held out his hands to His people, and yet, these people continue to walk their ways and do whatever they want.

Isaiah 65:2-7

Israel has refused God's Way, continues to provoke Him by worshiping idols and doing unclean things.

Isaiah 65:2-7

The Lord will punish His people for all the sins they have committed.

Isaiah 65:8–10

The Lord will not destroy all of His people but will preserve a portion of the descendants of Jacob who will inherit the land.

Isaiah 65:11–12

To those who purposely choose to go against God, they will be severely punished.

Isaiah 65:13–16

God's servants will eat, drink, rejoice, sing and live in blessing, whereas those who chose to go against God will never be able to enjoy such luxuries and will suffer an eternal death.

Isaiah 65:17–25In the future, there will be a new heavens and a new earth. Former events will not be remembered, and the new Jerusalem will be a delight, with its people a joy. God will bless Jerusalem and take delight in His people. No longer will God's people weep. Man would live well past one hundred years old and enjoy the works of their hands. God's people will be blessed by God. They will hear God, and God will hear them. Great peace will also come to the new Jerusalem; so great a peace that the wolf, the lamb, the lion, and the ox will feed together. All will have joy except the serpent who will feed on only dust. There will be no harm nor destruction in this new Jerusalem.

2 Peter 3:10–13

Revelation 20:4–6; 21:1–8

Understanding the Bible is never easy, and we must always be careful of our interpretations. Learning from great pastors and Bible Study leaders, I have learned that one of the most important thing to understanding the Bible is to understand its context. Once we understand the background of the event that is taking place, we can then better understand what is meant by certain phrases when used under those circumstances.

Second, refer back to the BIble's original written language. The Old Testament was mostly written in Hebrew whereas the New Testament, in Greek. Often times, deeper layers of meaning are lost when words are translated from Hebrew/Greek to English. Hence, whenever a passage seems cryptic to understand, we should consider both its context and refer back to its original written language to gain further insight into the message behind that passage.

Lastly, everything in the Bible is stated at least twice. The easiest example is the Gospels. It is revealed via 4 different perspectives. Additionally, things stated in the New Testament can be supported by things stated in the Old Testament, and vice versa. Hence, whenever in doubt with an understanding, double check it by finding another instance stated directly in the Bible. It should always make sense. If it doesn't, or if it contradicts another concept, then a deeper understanding of the context and reference to its original written text is needed.

Given the above, we should therefore be fully aware that everything in the Bible makes both literal and metaphorical sense. Unless the text specifically says it is metaphorical or the context suggests it is symbolic, then the Bible can always be taken both literally and metaphorically.

Hence, coming back to Isaiah's prophesy of a new Jerusalem, Isaiah is certainly describing a physical renewal for the nation of Israel. This will take place AFTER the Tribulation (Revelation 21). After the Tribulation, satan and his followers will be banished to Hell for a thousand years (Revelation 20). During those thousand years, Jesus will rule on earth (His 2nd coming), establishing the new Jerusalem. Those who died in Christ before and during the Tribulation will get a new body and will be transformed from a mortal to an eternal being.

John 3:3-9

1 Peter 1:22-23

As a Christian, we are God's new creation. We were born once of the physical body. To become a Christina, we need to born again of our spiritual soul. And so, by definition, as a Christian, we are God's new creation.

Isaiah 66:1–16

- From within the heart, we need to deeply know that our lives are not about ourselves. Furthermore, we need to truly understand just how great our sins are. We are naturally selfish and easily tempted. And without Jesus, we would never be able to enjoy an eternal life with God. Instead, we would suffer an eternal death in Hell. Our lives are thus not about ourselves. Our lives are all about Jesus.

- We need to learn from the mistakes of the Israelites. They show no real fear of God and boldly chooses to disobey God. But look what has happened. To this day, Israel is still suffering from God's wrath. If it isn't because of the everlasting covenant that God has established with Abraham, God has no reason to promise the return of its glory! God could have easily wiped Israel out as He did with Sodom and Gomorrah! The problem with us is that we seem to think we are gods. We think that just because we can invent things and create better technology to improve our lives, we are all powerful and rule over the earth. And because the time for God's wrath has not yet come, we don't realize how horrific it is to fall on the wrong side of God. Why is it so easy for us to forget lessons of history? The Bible documents clearly how Sodom and Gomorrah was destroyed. The Bible also teaches us to walk with the Lord or we will face harsh judgment. We need to heed these instructions with great seriousness. We need to appropriately fear God's Word to fully understand the severity of our predicament as sinful humans.

- The faithful will be blessed and be glorified by God.

Isaiah 66:14

Matthew 28:20

God will be with His people until the end. And in the end, those who walk with God will rejoice and live in great peace and comfort; those who don't will suffer God's judgment.

Isaiah 66:15–16

Matthew 24:21–31

2 Thessalonians 1:7–9

Revelation 19:11–21

God's final judgment will be "unequaled from the beginning of the world" and "never to be equaled again (Matthew 24:21). God will judge with fire and His sword. If we think what happened to Sodom and Gomorrah is the harshest example of God's wrath, we have seen nothing yet.

Isaiah 66:17–24- Those who consecrate themselves for pagan worship will be put to death by the Lord.

- All nations will ultimately see the glory of God. God will designate certain groups of people to proclaim His glory, which will ultimately be seen on the holy mountain in Jerusalem.

1 Corinthians 2:9

Mark 9:47–48

Revelation 20:11–15

The eternal destiny of God's people is eternal life. The eternal destiny of those who rebel against God inherently sides with satan and will thus suffer an eternal death apart from God.

Luke: To Forgive and To Seek Forgiveness

Notes and thoughts from Pastor Mark's sermon:

Luke 17:1-10

http://www.marshillchurch.org/media/sermons

What does Jesus teach us about what we should do when we sin?

What does Jesus teach us about what we should do when others sin against us?

Whenever there is a wrong committed, we should focus on fighting to the glory of God and not to further our own selfish wants/needs. Here's how:

Luke 17:1-4
How to fight to the glory of God
 

In dealing with our own acts of sin: 

1. Do not give in to temptation and sin: Temptations will come; not if but when. And just because temptations are inevitable, that doesn't mean we have to give in. We can choose not to. Jesus was also tempted often, but He never gave in (Luke 4:1-13).

2. Do not tempt others to sin: Don't be an agent of the devil and cause others to sin.

3. Repent and seek forgiveness: We need to seek forgiveness from our brothers and sisters before we can seek forgiveness from God (Matthew 5:24; Mark 11:25).

In dealing with others who sin against us:

1. Rebuke those who sin

2. Forgive the sinner: Let go of your own judgment and leave true judgment in the hands of God

3. Keep rebuking and forgiving

What if I don't believe God's Way works?

Luke 17:5-6Trust God that as long as you do your part toward reconciliation, God will work on the other party's heart. Let God be the ultimate judge.

What of I don't want to do what Jesus says?

Luke 17:7-10

Jesus is our master. We cannot say no. Jesus is the highest authority. And we ought to remember, despite Jesus being our master, He didn't come to dictate us. Instead, He came to serve us and to free us from our sins. He has been sinned against more than anyone of us--Surely, He knows more than anyone how much it hurts to be sinned against! And yet, as our servant-master, as the only perfect man who has never sinned, He still asked for God for forgiveness of our sins when He was wrongfully persecuted on the cross. He did so for us because He loves us so.

And so, if Jesus forgives all sins, then we ought to be able to forgive any one sin. And when we forgive, we leave the final judgment in God's hands, where it should be. And of course, when we know we have sinned against others, we should also seek forgiveness. For we cannot seek God's forgiveness until we have done so from our brothers and sisters whom we have wronged.

Hebrews 4:14-16

Jesus is the Great High Priest

Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin. Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

2 Corinthians 5:14-21

For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again. So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.