[33] Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this that you yourselves are seeing and hearing. [11] So Jesus said to Peter, Put your sword into its sheath; shall I not drink the cup that the Father has given me?. Left as it is, water creeps into crevices and freezes, thereby expanding and cracking the cement blocks. [vi] In the Reformation Study Bible R.C. One of the things that fascinates me about the Biblical accounts of angels is their perspective. This time He says that He is the resurrection and the life this means that Christ raises us from spiritual death to spiritual life! For help and support, please email help@spurgeon.org. This is a passage I had preached a sermon on some time ago, so the notes were the same and can be found by clicking here. Let us cease to expect that missionaries and ministers will ever convert the world, and teach all mankind to love one another. (Romans 1:24-25, ESV). You see, death here seemed to have the last say, and the attitude of defeat among the mourners smacked of Satan. [xi], The Amillennial position, which holds some points in common with both of the premillennial positions, believes that the church age is the kingdom age prophesied in the Old Testament. We need to all ask ourselves at some critical point, Do I believe this? If the answer is yes then you know that Christ is your resurrection and your life. 11:4 But when Jesus heard it he said, This illness does not lead to death. Believers will indeed gain wealth, influence, and even dominance.[xv]. And we behold by reading, by praying, and by asking for Him to change us into the image of Christ, which He is gradually doing. Our King has come and has inaugurated the kingdom of God. Certainly the most glaring example of suffering and death being used for Gods pleasure is the example of Jesus Christs own passion and death. In the midst of this whole confusing scene, Jesus is obviously still in complete control, to the point where He issues and a command that the mob let His disciples go. Just as He took pleasure in bruising His Son, and takes pleasure in allowing you to face difficult trials for both His glory and for your refinement and sanctifications sake. After looking into this a bit more I found that Spurgeon wasn't the first person to come up with this analogy! 24:35). Look at what we read in Acts 4: [12] And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved., [13] Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they were astonished. The size of the group is an indication of the caution the Romans had during feast days when they would consolidate their troops in Jerusalem and garrison them at Antonia (Carson) in order to control any uprisings among the Jews. Rather it is put here to point us to Christ, and how Christ ultimately triumphed over the grave. Second, Lazarus rising from the dead was a sign of greater resurrection to come, especially that of Christs resurrection which was now only a short time away, and of course of our own resurrections once Christ comes again. Not that the number itself is significant, but rather that the exact number tells us something of how impressive the catch actually was. [32] It was fitting to celebrate and be glad, for this your brother was dead, and is alive; he was lost, and is found.. The God of the Bible is not a stoic. We need to look at the context of the book and how the author has used words in the past. If you have found yourself covered in shame, if you have wronged your Lord, take comfort we all have wronged our Lord. How many times have you been prevented from getting something, doing something, going somewhere because of situations or circumstances beyond your control? Therefore we must be continually putting ourselves in a position to learn more, to hear the Word more, to pray more. You need milk, not solid food, [13] for everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, since he is a child. (2 Corinthians 4:4, ESV). [22]But even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you., As we look at Marthas response to the presence of our Lord it seems at first blush that she is placing a tremendous amount of faith in Him, and indeed her faith here is a beautiful thing. [20] For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. His sovereignty is manifested in ordaining, and indeed bringing about, the salvation of those who seemed (by all worldly standards) to have wandered beyond the reach of salvation. 1088. The Hound of Heaven - Wikipedia He had no need to die for people who are sinless, for there are no such people. Our King reigns now, so for us to put the kingdom of God entirely in the future is to miss one of the most significant points of the New Testament. [42]I knew that you always hear me, but I said this on account of the people standing around, that they may believe that you sent me., Carson points out that this was not a public prayer meant to play to the gallery but rather He sought to draw His hearers into the intimacy of Jesus own relationship with the Father and demonstrates the truth that Jesus does nothing by Himself, but is totally dependent on and obedient to His Fathers will.. Ryken says, The word sinners was the catch all for people who had a notorious reputation for bad behavior thieves, drunkards, prostitutes, and anyone else who refused to conform to the holy habits of the religious community.[1]. He said, The church is on mission because God is on mission.. [38] For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, [39] nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.