Stand 1

Matthew 3:17 And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.

Why was God pleased with Jesus here at His baptism? Jesus had yet to begin His ministry, Jesus had not done anything yet. Or had He?

Jesus lived for thirty years before His ministry began. Nothing much was revealed about that life, except that no matter what happened in it, He did not sin. That in and of itself should have been significant. As I ponder the possible perfect life I must say it should stand out as being special in observance to those around Him. Yet Jesus was not known for is absence of sin. The world was fine with who Jesus was as a man in their midst.

Luke 4:16 And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up for to read.

The leader of the synagogue would never allow anyone to read before the congregation unless he was well known and proven himself before the leadership. Jesus was noteworthy enough to be given a voice in that place. So Jesus read from the scriptures, as was his custom. Nothing noteworthy there. Everyone was used to Jesus reading of the scriptures. So what changed?

Luke 4:21 And he began to say unto them, This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears.

This is the beginning. Jesus could live a perfect life and be known for all His works of the flesh, because up to this moment Jesus lived as a man. His efforts were seen to be flesh, His life was seen as attainable, His efforts appreciated, as long as they were seen to be of the flesh.

To be continued tomorrow.

 

Fame

Genesis 11:4 And they said, Go to, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth.

Going vertical has been a goal for mankind for a long time. Seems like every nation wants a tallest tower. The achievements of man bring fame. They stand as a symbol for what a city and perhaps a nation stand for before men and God.

If you have seen movies about the tower of Babel, you might have seen the king of Babel waging war against God. Scriptures do not say that. This one verse was enough to cause God to come down and confuse their language. So why do film makers take liberty to say it was making war against God?

God’s word says it was because “nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do.” A word associated with imagination is vanity. A vain imagination is one with desires to do unfruitful endeavors. So what is it that is vain in building a tower to heaven? Is their desire to see the face of God?

If that is a vain effort, then what is God trying to prevent?

Deuteronomy 4:29 But if from thence thou shalt seek the Lord thy God, thou shalt find him, if thou seek him with all thy heart and with all thy soul.

1 Corinthians 1:26c not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called:

God is not found in the high places, but rather in the low.

Luke 1:52 He hath put down the mighty from their seats, and exalted them of low degree.

 

 

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