Friday 011725
Don’t let me or my writings influence or scare you in any way, instead, allow me to be used as a vessel to open the Word, just a little bit, and hopefully, together we are going to read and study His Word, and let God teach us what He wants us to hear.
Since the beginning of this study, our vision has been that we are ONLY going to follow what is found in the Holy Bible, that pertains to us, and we realize that it’s ONLY from our own effort that we put into this study, that we’re going to take anything away for our own use.
The verses we are going to study tonight:
Matthew 28:1, 5a, 7, 16-20, 19:27-28; Acts 1:15-16, 21-26; Acts 8:1; 2 Timothy 3:16-17.
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This morning lesson can be difficult … especially if you allow your humanness to get into your head instead of you just listening to what the Word is telling you.
Questions arise all the time in this world that we live in, so this morning, let’s begin our lesson and ask the question, what if?
What if the stories, events and the Word was never repeated after Jesus’ death, burial and resurrection?
Well, it should be obvious to us that Jesus’ words never became silent and idle, since we still in the 21st century, hear about Jesus today, it’s been almost two-thousand years since those events happened.
So, let’s turn to Matthew, just to begin a timeline and begin tonight’s lesson.
At this point in our readings, Jesus has already been crucified.
Matthew 28
vs1 ‘…Now after the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb…’ NET (New English Translation)
In the NLT it is written that the ladies ‘…went out to visit the tomb…’ NLT (New Living Translation)
vs5a ‘…And the angel answered and said unto the women…’ KJV (King James Version)
The angel told the women to go quickly and let the eleven remaining disciples know that Jesus would meet them in Galilee.
vs7 ‘…Then go quickly and tell his disciples, He has been raised from the dead. He is going ahead of you into Galilee. You will see him there. Listen, I have told you…’ NET (New English Translation)
vs16 ‘…After this, the 11 disciples went to Galilee. They went to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go…’
vs17 ‘…When they arrived at the place, they saw Jesus. Then they went down on their knees, and they worshipped him. But some of the disciples were not sure that it really was Jesus…’
vs18 ‘…Jesus went near to them, and he said to them, ‘God has given me authority over everyone and everything. I have all authority in heaven and in this world…’ EASY (Easy English Bible)
vs19 ‘…Go, therefore, and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit…’
vs20 ‘…teaching them to follow all that I commanded you; and behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age…’ NASB (New American Standard Bible)
This, vs19 is known as ‘the Great Commission.’ It happened after Jesus was crucified, buried and had risen from the dead.
What if, when Jesus told the eleven to go out and make disciples in all the nations, what if they wouldn’t have moved from their spots, what do you think might have happened?
What would have happened if Jesus’ Word would have just became still and never moved forward again?
After Jesus’ Ascension into heaven the apostles stayed primarily in Jerusalem, waiting for Jesus’ return to take them into the Kingdom that He talked about all the time while He was with the disciples.
Throughout the gospels of Matthew, chapters 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 18, 19, 24, 25; in Mark, chapters 1, 4, 9, 10; in Luke, chapters 4, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 16, 17 and finally in John, chapters 3 and 18 Jesus speaks of the Kingdom and again, in Acts, chapters 1,8 and 28 all make a reference to the kingdom.
The apostles all knew, the Kingdom that Jesus had promised them, was coming.
In Matthew 19
vs27 ‘…Then Peter spoke up. Look, he said, we have left everything and followed you. What will we have…’
vs28 ‘…Jesus said to them, you can be sure that when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne in the New Age, then you twelve followers of mine will also sit on thrones, to rule the twelve tribes of Israel…’ GNT (Good News Translation)
Peter knew there was the need for the twelfth disciple to sit on the twelfth throne after Judas’ death.
So, from the Book of Acts, we can hear Peter telling the other disciples they needed to fill that twelfth seat vacated by Judas when he hung himself.
Acts 1
vs15 ‘…At this time Peter stood up among the brothers and sisters (a group of about 120 people was there together), and said…’
vs16 ‘…Brothers, the Scripture had to be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit foretold by the mouth of David concerning Judas, who became a guide to those who arrested Jesus…’ NASB (New American Standard Bible)
Peter was concerned with this vacancy, the twelve were now only eleven.
vs21-22 ‘…So then, someone must join us as a witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. He must be one of the men who were in our group during the whole time that the Lord Jesus traveled about with us, beginning from the time John preached his message of baptism until the day Jesus was taken up from us to heaven…’
vs23 ‘…So they proposed two men: Joseph, who was called Barsabbas (also known as Justus), and Matthias…’
vs24 ‘…Then they prayed, Lord, you know the thoughts of everyone, so show us which of these two you have chosen…’
vs25 ‘…to serve as an apostle in the place of Judas, who left to go to the place where he belongs…’
vs26 ‘…Then they drew lots to choose between the two men, and the one chosen was Matthias, who was added to the group of eleven apostles…’ GNT (Good News Translation)
So, to continue and ask the question, once again …
What if, when Jesus told the eleven to go out and make disciples in all the nations, what if they wouldn’t have moved from their spots, what do you think might have happened?
What would have happened if Jesus’ Word would have just became still and never moved forward again?
Acts 8:1 ‘…Now Saul approved of putting Stephen to death. And on that day a great persecution began against the church in Jerusalem, and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except for the apostles…’ NASB (New American Standard Bible)
Just for those that only read the KJV, this verse is for you …
Acts 8:1 ‘…And Saul was consenting unto his death. And at that time there was a great persecution against the church which was at Jerusalem; and they were all scattered abroad throughout the regions of Judaea and Samaria, except the apostles…’ KJV (King James Version)
Maybe there is a different version …
Acts 8
vs1 ‘…And Saul approved of their killing him. On that day a great persecution broke out against the church in Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria…’ NIV (New International Version)
vs1 ‘…Saul was one of the witnesses, and he agreed completely with the killing of Stephen. A great wave of persecution began that day, sweeping over the church in Jerusalem; and all the believers except the apostles were scattered through the regions of Judea and Samaria…’ NLT (New Living Translation)
vs1 ‘…And Saul approved of his execution. And there arose on that day a great persecution against the church in Jerusalem, and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles…’ ESV (English Standard Version)
vs1 ‘…And Saul was there, giving approval to Stephen’s death. On that day a great persecution broke out against the church in Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria…’ BSB (Berean Standard Bible)
vs1 ‘…Saul wholeheartedly approved of Stephen’s death. And on that day a great and relentless persecution broke out against the church in Jerusalem; and the believers were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except for the apostles…’ AMP (Amplified Bible)
vs1 ‘…Saul agreed with putting him to death. On that day a severe persecution broke out against the church in Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout the land of Judea and Samaria…’ HCSB (Holman Christian Standard Bible)
I reckon it is true that all the different versions of the English Bible, don’t distract from the truth found in the Word.
The point I’ve tried making in this lesson, what if, when Jesus told the eleven to go out and make disciples in all the nations, what if they wouldn’t have moved from their spots, what do you think might have happened?
Obviously, nothing happened because the original remaining eleven, were replaced by the apostle Paul.
There are those from the old school way of thinking that always make a point of stating, ‘you’re all doomed since you haven’t believed in the words taken from the torah’ (which we could also state that it was those same forefathers, from that old school way of thinking, that didn’t listen either to their own torah’s since, it was them originally that had Jesus turned over to the Romans so they would kill and get rid of Him).
There are those that only trust and believe in ONE version of the English Bible, but the first problem with that is, where is it written (ANYWHERE) telling us that there is only one version that we should read, use, and listen to; this sounds like a personal preference more than a real thing to me. Secondly, is it maybe because its old … because, just to let you know, there are older English versions than the AKJV. And then Thirdly, it honestly sounds like the words used in this ONE version have been taken from a Shakespearean play, I mean really, who talks like that today?
Wherefore art thou Romeo.
There are the churches that we have in our society today that believe and follow that ALL Scripture written in the Bible, is the Inspired words of God and we should follow every one of them.
I agree, ALL Scripture has been Inspired by God, but I disagree that ALL Scripture has been meant for each one of us to follow.
Just let me list one passage taken from Jonah (Jonah 1:1-3), God told him to do something but rather than listening and following God’s commands, Jonah fled, bought a ticket to travel by ship and left his countryside for Spain … this is the example you want to teach your kids … this is the example you want to set as precedence for what is written in the Bible? I mean, REALLY!!!
Jonah 1
vs1 ‘…The word of the Lord came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying…’
vs2 ‘…Arise, go to Nineveh, the great city, and cry out against it, because their wickedness has come up before Me…’
vs3 ‘…But Jonah got up to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. So he went down to Joppa, found a ship that was going to Tarshish, paid the fare, and boarded it to go with them to Tarshish away from the presence of the Lord…’ NASB (New American Standard Bible)
And that kind of leads me into where I’m at today, why listen to the Torah, why only read one version of the Bible, and why would I FOLLOW all Scripture.
2 Timothy 3
vs16 ‘…All Scripture is inspired by God and beneficial for teaching, for rebuke, for correction, for training in righteousness…’
vs17 ‘…so that the man or woman of God may be fully capable, equipped for every good work …’ NASB (New American Standard Bible)
So, I am told ALL Scripture has been Inspired by God, but nowhere does it tell me I should FOLLOW all Scripture.
And maybe a lot of you people need to get your heads out of the sand and start reading ALL the Scripture and stop living in the past.
Stop and focus on the Scripture that was written for us Gentiles … and start following Jesus’ CHOICE.
Keep reading your Bibles. Continue to study His Word … leave mankind’s words behind you, leave his thoughts and his examples and FOLLOW what God has given to us.
I love y’all and remember Jesus loves each one of us even more than we can comprehend the word LOVE.
Jesus, I pray that those ears and eyes, either listening or seeing this message today would be opened to the very fullest and allow Your love to come inside their lives and comfort them. Teach us Jesus. Protect us. We love You. Amen
InHIM. ><)))o>