Results 361 - 380 of 657
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Results from: Answered Bible Questions, Answers, Unanswered Bible Questions, Notes Author: stjones Ordered by Verse |
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Results | Verse | Author | ID# | |||
361 | explain Mark 15:34 | Mark | stjones | 21126 | ||
Hi, Pixie; My guess - it's just a guess - is that when he gave up his spirit, the man representing all that sin was dead and what remained was the pure, holy spirit of Christ: 'When he had received the drink, Jesus said, "It is finished." With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit' (John 19:30) All our sins were taken on at the cross and atoned for at that moment when Jesus breathed his last. At the resurrection, the man Jesus, righteous all along, was again holy and pure enough to ascend into Heaven. I like to sit around and read about these events and try to figure out such things - trying to "think God's thoughts after him". But don't let my intellectualizing get in the way of the wonderful myteries that have been only partly revealed. Peace and grace, Steve |
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362 | explain Mark 15:34 | Mark | stjones | 21150 | ||
Thanks; the quotes reveal that it's not original: Joseph Bayly, "Psalms of My Life" Victor, 2000. Hard to find but worth it. This is a review so I hope the following is fair use: A Psalm for Christmas Eve Praise God for Christmas Praise Him for the Incarnation for Word made flesh. I will not sing of shepherds watching flocks on frosty night or angel choristers. I will not sing of stable bare in Bethlehem or lowing oxen wise men trailing distant star with gold and frankincense and myrrh. Tonight I will sing praise to the Father who stood on heaven's threshold and said farewell to His Son as He stepped across the stars to Bethlehem and Jerusalem. And I will sing praise to the infinite eternal Son who became most finite a Baby who would one day be executed for my crimes. Praise Him in the heavens. Praise Him in the stable. Praise Him in my heart. (c) Copyright 1987, 2000 by the estate of Joseph Bayly. If you can read that dry-eyed, you're a better man than I. Our (retired) pastor used to say that without Easter, Christmas has no purpose; without Christmas, Easter has no meaning. Peace and grace, Steve |
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363 | explain Mark 15:34 | Mark | stjones | 21148 | ||
Hi, Tim; I agree. This is a topic that I've thought about in the past and felt moved to jump in. I once did a brief meditation at a community Good Friday service on some of Jesus' words from the cross. In it, I speculated about Jesus' separation from his Father at Christmas when he "stepped across the stars to Bethlehem and Jerusalem". I wondered if his prayer in Gethsemane wasn't motivated more by dread of this looming moment of complete separation than by dread of the cross itself. I concluded with the thought that the terrible, undeserved separation he endured assures us that "neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God." (Romans 8:38-39) Still, the details are a mystery that ought to pique our curiosity but also feed our sense of wonder. Peace and grace, Steve |
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364 | explain Mark 15:34 | Mark | stjones | 21168 | ||
Hi EdB; I guess I don't see the connection with Romans 8:38-39 since that has to do with the assurance of our reconciliation with God accomplished by Jesus on the cross. But I do wonder why Jesus (quoting Psalm 22) would cry out to God who had "forsaken" him? Are you saying that was just a final scripture lesson for the benefit of the spectators and not a cry from the heart? It seems to me that this cry suggests (probably doesn't prove) that God the Father had indeed "forsaken" him somehow. To say that God "turned away" is more metaphorical than factual. Clearly, nobody really knows. I don't want to start a whole new trinity discussion, but they are also Three. I assume that it would be one thing for God to contenance Satan and his sin and something entirely different to see his own Son (and himself, in some mysterious way) stained with the world's sin. Peace and grace, Steve |
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365 | explain Mark 15:34 | Mark | stjones | 21190 | ||
Hi, EdB; Well, while I'm not entirely convinced, I'm convinced it's not terribly important: "Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face" (1 Corinthians 13:12) Peace and grace, Steve |
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366 | explain Mark 15:34 | Mark | stjones | 21201 | ||
Naw; I've got it all figured out ;-) ;-) ;-) Peace and grace, Steve |
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367 | Let Mormon in on family celebrations? | Mark 2:17 | stjones | 47045 | ||
While Jesus was having dinner at Levi's house, many tax collectors and "sinners" were eating with him and his disciples, for there were many who followed him. When the teachers of the law who were Pharisees saw him eating with the "sinners" and tax collectors, they asked his disciples: "Why does he eat with tax collectors and 'sinners'?" On hearing this, Jesus said to them, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners." I have a feeling Jesus would have dinner with your husband while your brother sounds like the Pharisees to me. I don't know you, your brother, or the rest of your family well enough to give advice, but I would have to ask myself if I really wanted to spend time with anyone so mean-spirited. I pray that God will bless and guide you. Peace and grace, Steve aka Indiana Jones |
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368 | Politics source? | Mark 13:28 | stjones | 33215 | ||
Hi, SRN; Ok, you have an audience. What is this Fig Tree group you keep referring to? What connection did it have with Jesus? And, assuming the source is not your thumb, what is your source? Inquiring minds want to know. Thanks. Peace and grace, Steve aka Indiana Jones |
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369 | Politics source? | Mark 13:28 | stjones | 33615 | ||
Thanks, SRN; that explains a lot. Peace and grace, Steve aka Indiana Jones |
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370 | Searching for the truth | Mark 13:32 | stjones | 79921 | ||
Good answer. You may be interested in my observations concerning the prophecy industry in message #79212. Or you may not. ;-) Peace and grace, Steve aka Indiana Jones |
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371 | Why little sign of power in our churches | Mark 16:17 | stjones | 93189 | ||
Hi, Suede67; I'm a little late to the conversation, but your reference to 1 Corinthians 13:8 caught my eye. The passage makes even more sense if you read it in context, especially the next four verses: "For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears. When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me. Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known." Are you suggesting that "then" has already come? Has the event that Paul referred to - "when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears" - has already happened? Has perfection already come a second time? That is when gifts such as prophecy and tongues will disappear. 1 Corinthians 13 makes perfect sense apart from any discussion of whether or not God has suspended spiritual gifts. Among the things that the Bible says will last forever is, according to Jesus, our fellowship with the Holy Spirit: "... I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever--the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you." (John 14:16-17) I'd be interested to know what you think the Holy Spirit is supposed to do "in" us. It seems to me that anything he is likely to do "in" me will probably manifest itself in some outward way - as a gift of the spirit. Peace and grace, Steve aka Indiana Jones |
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372 | Why little sign of power in our churches | Mark 16:17 | stjones | 93292 | ||
Hi, Ken; Thanks for the reply and the interesting analogy. I certainly agree that being a rectifier (in the electronic sense) is part of what the Holy Spirit does. After I replied to Suede67, I realized that there is another passage in 1 Corinthians that is very relevant to this discussion - one I just preached on two weeks ago! That is the previous chapter, 12, in which Paul clearly links spriritual gifts to the body of Christ. If we are to believe that spiritual gifts have ceased, we must also believe that the body of Christ has also ceased to exist or at least lost the power of its parts. Taken as a unit, chapters 12 and 13 make it clear that the Holy Spirit is still busy and still distributing his gifts in accordance with the Father's will. Peace and grace, Steve aka Indiana Jones |
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373 | The tower in Luke 13 | Luke | stjones | 19817 | ||
No mention of terrorists in the NIV. Jesus was talking to the crowd about a pair of incidents they knew about where a number of people had died violently. Like Job's friends, they assumed that such a catastrophe was evidence of extreme sinfulness. Jesus told them they would die too, so they needed to repent. The NIV is among several translations available at www.biblegateway.com. Peace and grace, Steve |
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374 | the conversion of Zaccheus | Luke | stjones | 19966 | ||
In addition to what prayon said, there are a number of other lessons or examples in this incident: 1. Zacchaeus showed determination in his desire to find out about Jesus - he wasn't passive. (19:3-4) 2. When called, Z responded immediately and obediently, unlike, say, the rich young ruler in Mark 11:17-22. (19:5-6) 3. Without being prompted, Z demonstrated a giving spirit. (19:8a) 4. Again without prompting, Z repented and made amends for past sins. (19:8b) I wonder how many of us, upon first hearing about Jesus, responded with enthusiasm, obedience, and a joyful spirit like Zacchaeus. I know I didn't :-( Peace and grace, Steve |
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375 | purpose of christmas | Luke 2:20 | stjones | 103712 | ||
I think the key is verse 20: "The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told." We too should do those things. And at Easter, we should follow the example of the women who visited the tomb and ran off crying "He is risen!" Peace and grace, Steve aka Indiana Jones |
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376 | Help | Luke 3:21 | stjones | 109086 | ||
Hi, Rowdy; You are right on the money, my friend. If God is one person, that was a mighty elaborate deception. -Indy |
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377 | After Salvation, What? | Luke 9:23 | stjones | 21015 | ||
Hi, Hank; I don't know if I would say any of what follows are obligations because I'm not sure we have obligations - sounds kinda legalistic to me. But I'm pretty sure(!) God would like us to always choose righteousness, to allow ourselves to be ruled by the mind of Christ within us (Jeremiah 31:33 - "I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts" and 1 Corinthians 2:16 - "we have the mind of Christ.") This is the struggle Paul discussed in Romans 8:14-25. So I respectfully submit the following as examples of how we should manifest the mind of Christ controlling our lives: "We know that we have come to know him if we obey his commands. The man who says, "I know him," but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But if anyone obeys his word, God's love is truly made complete in him. This is how we know we are in him: Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did." (1 John 2:3-6) '"Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him." ... "If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. He who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me. "All this I have spoken while still with you."' (John 14:21-25) 'A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."' (John 13:34-35) Peace and grace, Steve |
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378 | Aren't we all accountable for our sins | Luke 13:3 | stjones | 43606 | ||
Hi, Jdth; Can you cite a passage that says "sometimes your sins are the fault of others"? It's true that Jesus warned against leading "one of these little ones who believe in me to sin" (Matthew 18:6). But he didn't say that the little ones would transfer responsibility for their sin to the one who misled them. We are all accountable. Fortunately God is faithful to forgive no matter what has happened to us in the past. Is there a passage that says God "won't forgive those who intentionally make others sin"? The only unforgivable sin in the Bible is blaspheming the Holy Spirit. (Mark 3:9) Otherwise, God stands ready to forgive any sin. Peace and grace, Steve aka Indiana Jones |
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379 | Aren't we all accountable for our sins | Luke 13:3 | stjones | 43937 | ||
Hi, Harold; Better to say that I/we agree with the Scriptures! ;-) Thanks for your reply. It does seem harsh. And it would be harsh if God were not the forgiving father that he is. Accountability would be unbearable if we had to bear it alone. But we don't Peace and grace, Steve aka Indiana Jones |
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380 | can u b forgivn if you once turned away? | Luke 15:32 | stjones | 43679 | ||
Cheer up; of course it's possible. Re-read the story of the prodigal son (Luke 15:11-32). Every Christian I know struggles with this, if just for a moment or a day or a season. Sheep go astray; the Good Shepherd gathers them back in - when they're humble and willing to come. Dare I say "welcome back"? Peace and grace, Steve aka Indiana Jones |
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