Fire Of God

Job 1:13-16 – One day when Job’s sons and daughters were feasting and drinking wine at the oldest brother’s house, a messenger came to Job and said, “The oxen were plowing and the donkeys were grazing nearby, and the Sabeans attacked and made off with them. They put the servants to the sword, and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you!” While he was still speaking, another messenger came and said, “The fire of God fell from the heavens and burned up the sheep and the servants, and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you!”

Jeremiah 6:20 – What do I care about incense from Sheba or sweet calamus from a distant land? Your burnt offerings are not acceptable; your sacrifices do not please me.”

Genesis 18:17 – Then the Lord said, “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do?

Leviticus 10:2 – So fire came out from the presence of the Lord and consumed them, and they died before the Lord.

Numbers 11:1 – Now the people complained about their hardships in the hearing of the Lord, and when he heard them his anger was aroused. Then fire from the Lord burned among them and consumed some of the outskirts of the camp.

Application:

• ·         The attitude of one’s heart and the manner of one’s life are far more important than the ritual of sacrifice.
• ·         God has revealed His purposes to His covenant people and allows their voice to be heard in the court of heaven itself.
• ·         Aaron’s older sons are regularly remembered as having died before the Lord. Their death was tragic. However, a new era was being inaugurated.
• ·         The new community had to be made aware that it existed for God, not vice versa.

All Scripture verses taken from NIV

Do Not Lay A Finger

Job 1:12 – The Lord said to Satan, “Very well, then, everything he has is in your power, but on the man himself do not lay a finger.” Then Satan went out from the presence of the Lord.

1 Corinthians 10:13 – No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.

2 Samuel 24:1 – Again the anger of the Lord burned against Israel, and he incited David against them, saying, “Go and take a census of Israel and Judah.”

Application:

• ·         In all the evil he effects among human beings or in nature, Satan is under God’s power.
• ·         Temptation in itself is not sin. Jesus was tempted. Yielding to temptation is sin.
• ·         Although Scripture is clear that God does not cause anyone to sin, it is also clear that the evil acts of people and Satan are under God’s sovereign control.

All Scripture verses taken from NIV

He Will...Curse You

Job 1:9-12 – “Does Job fear God for nothing?” Satan replied. “Have you not put a hedge around him and his household and everything he has? You have blessed the work of his hands, so that his flocks and herds are spread throughout the land. But now stretch out your hand and strike everything he has, and he will surely curse you to your face.” The Lord said to Satan, “Very well, then, everything he has is in your power, but on the man himself do not lay a finger.” Then Satan went out from the presence of the Lord.

Luke 22:31 – “Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift all of you as wheat.

Job 2:10 – He replied, “You are talking like a foolish woman. Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?” In all this, Job did not sin in what he said.

Application:

• ·         Satan, the accuser, is given power to afflict but is kept on a leash.
• ·         Satan wanted to test the disciples, hoping to bring them to spiritual ruin.
• ·         A key them of the book: Trouble and suffering are not merely punishment for sin; for God’s people they may serve as a trial or as a discipline that culminates in spiritual gain.

All Scripture verses taken from NIV

My Servant

Job 1:1,7-8 – In the land of Uz there lived a man whose name was Job. This man was blameless and upright; he feared God and shunned evil…The Lord said to Satan, “Where have you come from?” Satan answered the Lord, “From roaming throughout the earth, going back and forth on it.” Then the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil.”

Genesis 3:1 – Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?”

Genesis 2:4 – This is the account of the heavens and the earth when they were created, when the Lord God made the earth and the heavens.

Joshua 1:7 – “Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go.

Exodus 20:20 – Moses said to the people, “Do not be afraid. God has come to test you, so that the fear of God will be with you to keep you from sinning.”

Isaiah 52:13 – See, my servant will act wisely; he will be raised and lifted up and highly exalted.

Isaiah 53:11 – After he has suffered, he will see the light of life and be satisfied; by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many, and he will bear their iniquities.

Application:

• ·         The deceiver undertook to alienate people from God. He also acts as an accuser to alienate God from people.
• ·         “Lord” is the personal name of God, emphasizing His role as Israel’s Redeemer and covenant Lord, while “God” is a general term. When they appear together—they clearly indicate that they refer to the one and only God.
• ·         “My servant” is a designation for one who stands in a special relationship with God and is loyal in service.
• ·         “Blameless and upright” means spiritually and morally upright.
• ·         Do not think that God’s display of his majesty is intended simply to fill you with abject fear. He has come to enter into covenant with you as your heavenly King.
• ·         “Act wisely” is a mark of God’s blessing and of obedience to God’s word.
• ·         “Justify” means cause many to be declared righteous.

All Scripture verses taken from NIV

Angels Came To Present Themselves

Job 1:2-6 – He had seven sons and three daughters, and he owned seven thousand sheep, three thousand camels, five hundred yoke of oxen and five hundred donkeys, and had a large number of servants. He was the greatest man among all the people of the East. His sons used to hold feasts in their homes on their birthdays, and they would invite their three sisters to eat and drink with them. When a period of feasting had run its course, Job would make arrangements for them to be purified. Early in the morning he would sacrifice a burnt offering for each of them, thinking, “Perhaps my children have sinned and cursed God in their hearts.” This was Job’s regular custom. One day the angels came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came with them.

Job 42:10 – After Job had prayed for his friends, the Lord restored his fortunes and gave him twice as much as he had before.

Nehemiah 12:30 – When the priests and Levites had purified themselves ceremonially, they purified the people, the gates and the wall.

1 Kings 22:19 – Micaiah continued, “Therefore hear the word of the Lord: I saw the Lord sitting on his throne with all the multitudes of heaven standing around him on his right and on his left.

2 Samuel 24:1 – Again the anger of the Lord burned against Israel, and he incited David against them, saying, “Go and take a census of Israel and Judah.”

Luke 22:31 – “Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift all of you as wheat.

Job 38:6-7 – On what were its footings set, or who laid its cornerstone—while the morning stars sang together and all the angels shouted for joy?

Application:

• ·         Job’s prayer for those who had abused him is a touching Old Testament illustration of the high Christian virtue our Lord taught. Job’s prayer marked the turning point back to prosperity for him.
• ·         Ritual purity was intended to teach God’s holiness and moral purity.
• ·         Micaiah’s description of the heavenly scene puts the earthly scene into which he had been brought in its true light—a powerful portrayal of where the true power lies and of the folly of human pretensions.
• ·         Although Scripture is clear that God does not cause anyone to sin, it is also clear that the evil acts of people and Satan are under God’s sovereign control.
• ·         Satan wanted to test the disciples, hoping to bring them to spiritual ruin.
• ·         When the earth was created, the angels were there to sing the praises of the Creator, but Job was not. He should therefore not expect to be able to understand even lesser aspects of God’s plans for the world and for humankind.

All Scripture verses taken from NIV

Feared God

Job 1:1 – In the land of Uz there lived a man whose name was Job. This man was blameless and upright; he feared God and shunned evil.

Ezekiel 14:19-20 – “Or if I send a plague into that land and pour out my wrath on it through bloodshed, killing its people and their animals, as surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, even if Noah, Daniel and Job were in it, they could save neither son nor daughter. They would save only themselves by their righteousness.

Genesis 22:12 – “Do not lay a hand on the boy,” he said. “Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son.”

Job 2:3 – Then the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil. And he still maintains his integrity, though you incited me against him to ruin him without any reason.”

Psalm 26:1 – Vindicate me, Lord, for I have led a blameless life; I have trusted in the Lord and have not faltered.

Job 28:28 – And he said to the human race, “The fear of the Lord—that is wisdom, and to shun evil is understanding.”

Genesis 20:11 – Abraham replied, “I said to myself, ‘There is surely no fear of God in this place, and they will kill me because of my wife.’

Application:

• ·         “Blameless and upright” means spiritually and morally upright.
• ·         When God comes in judgment against a nation or people, they cannot count on another’s righteousness—not even that of their parents—to deliver them.
• ·         Abraham’s “faith was made complete by what he did”.
• ·         God cannot be stirred up to do things against His will.
• ·         “Blameless life” was a claim of moral integrity.
• ·         “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom”.
• ·         “Fear” has the sense of reverential trust in God and commitment to His revealed will.

All Scripture verses taken from NIV

Even The Whole World Would Not Have Room

John 21:25 – Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written.

Luke 14:25-26 – Large crowds were traveling with Jesus, and turning to them he said: “If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even their own life—such a person cannot be my disciple.

Application:

• ·         “Even the whole world would not have room” was hyperbole. Our historical knowledge of Jesus is at best partial, but we have been given all we need to know.
• ·         “Hate father and mother” was a vivid hyperbole, meaning that one must love Jesus even more than one’s immediate family.

All Scripture verses taken from NIV

Disciple Who Testifies

John 21:17-24 – The third time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, “Do you love me?” He said, “Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Feed my sheep. Very truly I tell you, when you were younger you dressed yourself and went where you wanted; but when you are old you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go.” Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God. Then he said to him, “Follow me!” Peter turned and saw that the disciple whom Jesus loved was following them. (This was the one who had leaned back against Jesus at the supper and had said, “Lord, who is going to betray you?”) When Peter saw him, he asked, “Lord, what about him?” Jesus answered, “If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? You must follow me.” Because of this, the rumor spread among the believers that this disciple would not die. But Jesus did not say that he would not die; he only said, “If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you?” This is the disciple who testifies to these things and who wrote them down. We know that his testimony is true.

Matthew 4:19 – “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.”

Acts 1:15-16 – In those days Peter stood up among the believers (a group numbering about a hundred and twenty) and said, “Brothers and sisters, the Scripture had to be fulfilled in which the Holy Spirit spoke long ago through David concerning Judas, who served as guide for those who arrested Jesus.

John 1:7 – He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all might believe.

Application:

• ·         Evangelism was at the heart of Jesus’ call to His disciples.
• ·         John the Baptist’s singular ministry was to testify about Jesus.
• ·         The disciple John’s purpose was to draw people to believe in Christ.

All Scripture verses taken from NIV

Third Time

John 21:12-16 – Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast.” None of the disciples dared ask him, “Who are you?” They knew it was the Lord. Jesus came, took the bread and gave it to them, and did the same with the fish. This was now the third time Jesus appeared to his disciples after he was raised from the dead. When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?” “Yes, Lord,” he said, “you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.” Again Jesus said, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” He answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Take care of my sheep.”

John 20:22 – And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.

1 Peter 5:2-3 – Be shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care, watching over them—not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not pursuing dishonest gain, but eager to serve; not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock.

Ezekiel 34:1-2 – The word of the Lord came to me: “Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel; prophesy and say to them: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Woe to you shepherds of Israel who only take care of yourselves! Should not shepherds take care of the flock?

John 10:11 – “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.

Application:

• ·         The disciples needed God’s help to carry out the commission they had just been given.
• ·         Peter is fulfilling Christ’s command to feed His sheep as he writes 1 Peter.
• ·         “Shepherds of Israel” were those responsible for providing leadership, especially the kings and their officials, but also the prophets and priests.
• ·         Jesus said that the good shepherd is willing to die for His sheep.

All Scripture verses taken from NIV

Nathanael

John 21:1-11 – Afterward Jesus appeared again to his disciples, by the Sea of Galilee. It happened this way: Simon Peter, Thomas (also known as Didymus), Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two other disciples were together. “I’m going out to fish,” Simon Peter told them, and they said, “We’ll go with you.” So they went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing. Early in the morning, Jesus stood on the shore, but the disciples did not realize that it was Jesus. He called out to them, “Friends, haven’t you any fish?” “No,” they answered. He said, “Throw your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some.” When they did, they were unable to haul the net in because of the large number of fish. Then the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” As soon as Simon Peter heard him say, “It is the Lord,” he wrapped his outer garment around him (for he had taken it off) and jumped into the water. The other disciples followed in the boat, towing the net full of fish, for they were not far from shore, about a hundred yards. When they landed, they saw a fire of burning coals there with fish on it, and some bread. Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish you have just caught.” So Simon Peter climbed back into the boat and dragged the net ashore. It was full of large fish, 153, but even with so many the net was not torn.

John 1:45 – Philip found Nathanael and told him, “We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”

Application:

• ·         Joseph was Jesus’ legal, though not his natural, father.

All Scripture verses taken from NIV

That By Believing You May Have Life

John 20:31 – But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.

John 1:4,7,24-25 – In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind…He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all might believe…Now the Pharisees who had been sent questioned him, “Why then do you baptize if you are not the Messiah, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?”

John 3:16 – For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

Application:

• ·         Faith has content.
• ·         John’s purpose was to draw people to believe in Christ.
• ·         “The Messiah” means “the Anointed One”. People were looking for not just an anointed one but the Anointed One, the Messiah.
• ·         “God so loved the word” is the great truth that motivated God’s plan of salvation.
• ·         Life is Christ’s gift, and He, in fact, is “the life”.

All Scripture verses taken from NIV

Signs

John 20:29-30 – Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book.

John 2:11 – What Jesus did here in Cana of Galilee was the first of the signs through which he revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him.

John 21:25 – Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written.

John 1:7 – He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all might believe.

Application:

• ·         Signs revealed Jesus’ glory and likely also pointed to the fullness of the salvation He came to effect.
• ·         Our historical knowledge of Jesus is at best partial, but we have been given all we need to know.
• ·         John emphasizes that the facts about Jesus are amply attested.

All Scripture verses taken from NIV

Peace

John 20:22-28 – And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone’s sins, their sins are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.” Now Thomas (also known as Didymus), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord!” But he said to them, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.” A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.” Thomas said to him, “My Lord and my God!”

John 14:27 – Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

John 1:1 – In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

Application:

• ·         God does not forgive people’s sins because we do so, nor does He withhold forgiveness because we do.
• ·         All true peace is Christ’s gift.
• ·         To acknowledge Jesus as Lord and God is the high point of faith.

All Scripture verses taken from NIV

Receive The Holy Spirit

John 20:22 – And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.

Acts 2:17,38 – “‘In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams…Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Acts 8:15-16 – When they arrived, they prayed for the new believers there that they might receive the Holy Spirit, because the Holy Spirit had not yet come on any of them; they had simply been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.

Application:

• ·         The disciples needed God’s help to carry out the commission they had just been given.
• ·         Two gifts are now given: the forgiveness of sins and the Holy Spirit.
• ·         Since the day of Pentecost, those who “belong to Christ” also have the Holy Spirit.
• ·         The age of Messianic fulfillment has arrived.

All Scripture verses taken from NIV

Peace Be With You!

John 20:18-21 – Mary Magdalene went to the disciples with the news: “I have seen the Lord!” And she told them that he had said these things to her. On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord. Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.”

John 14:27 – Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

Matthew 28:19-20 – Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

John 17:18 – As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world.

Application:

• ·         “Peace…my peace” was a common Hebrew greeting. All true peace is His gift. In its greetings of peace the world can only express a longing or wish. But Jesus’ peace is real and present.
• ·         The doctrine of the Trinity means that there is one true God, existing eternally as three distinct persons” Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
• ·         We may long for heaven, but it is on earth that our work is done.

All Scripture verses taken from NIV

I Have Not Yet Ascended

John 20:8-17 – Finally the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went inside. He saw and believed. (They still did not understand from Scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead.) Then the disciples went back to where they were staying. Now Mary stood outside the tomb crying. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb and saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus’ body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot. They asked her, “Woman, why are you crying?” “They have taken my Lord away,” she said, “and I don’t know where they have put him.” At this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus. He asked her, “Woman, why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?” Thinking he was the gardener, she said, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him.” Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means “Teacher”). Jesus said, “Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’”

Luke 24:46-47 – He told them, “This is what is written: The Messiah will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance for the forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.

John 16:8-12,14 – When he comes, he will prove the world to be in the wrong about sin and righteousness and judgment: about sin, because people do not believe in me; about righteousness, because I am going to the Father, where you can see me no longer; and about judgment, because the prince of this world now stands condemned.  “I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear… He will glorify me because it is from me that he will receive what he will make known to you.

Mark 3:35 – Whoever does God’s will is my brother and sister and mother.”

John 1:12-13,18 – Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God…No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God and is in closest relationship with the Father, has made him known.

John 3:16 – For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

Application:

• ·         First the disciples came to know of the resurrection through what they saw in the tomb; only later did they see it in Scripture.
• ·         The Old Testament depicts the Messiah as one who would suffer and rise from the dead on the third day.
• ·         “Because I am going to the Father” was the ascension, which as part of Christ’s exaltation placed God’s seal of approval on Christ’s redemptive act.
• ·         To live out Christ’s teaching requires the enabling presence of the Spirit.
• ·         The Spirit draws no attention to Himself but promotes the glory of Christ.
• ·         Membership in God’s spiritual family, evidenced by obedience to Him, is more important than membership in our human families.
• ·         Membership in God’s family is by grace alone—the gift of God.
• ·         “The one and only Son, who is Himself God” is an explicit declaration of Christ’s deity.
• ·         Although believers are also called “sons” of God, Jesus is God’s Son in a unique sense.

All Scripture verses taken from NIV

Broken

John 19:36-37 – These things happened so that the scripture would be fulfilled: “Not one of his bones will be broken,” and, as another scripture says, “They will look on the one they have pierced.”

Numbers 9:12 – They must not leave any of it till morning or break any of its bones. When they celebrate the Passover, they must follow all the regulations.

Psalm 34:19-20 – The righteous person may have many troubles, but the Lord delivers him from them all; he protects all his bones, not one of them will be broken.

Zechariah 12:10 – “And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and supplication. They will look on me, the one they have pierced, and they will mourn for him as one mourns for an only child, and grieve bitterly for him as one grieves for a firstborn son.

Application:

• ·         It was extraordinary that Jesus was the only one of the three whose legs were not broken and that He suffered an unusual spear thrust that did not break a bone.
• ·         When Jesus was crucified, it was reported that none of His bones were broken, in fulfillment of Scripture.
• ·         Perhaps John’s Gospel applies “Not one of them will be broken” to Jesus—as the one above all others who could be called “righteous”.

All Scripture verses taken from NIV