Here He is speaking of the disciples. Thank God that He did rise, and that we too will one day rise with Him. God grant we may be! (Carson). 15:14-15 And when he had spent everything, a severe famine arose in that country, and he began to be in need. But as well soon see, this verse must be read in its context if were to truly appreciate and understand our Lords message. A few things. Verse 3 reminds us that all we do, all we strive for, is done by both the permission and the power of God. I like how MacArthur points out that Martha seems to have faith that Christ can and will raise her brother on the final day, but doesnt seem to connect the possibility of Him having the power to raise her brother now. We have all sinned against God. 21:8-14 The other disciples came in the boat, dragging the net full of fish, for they were not far from the land, but about a hundred yards off. (Revelation 20:3 ESV). 3:12)[ix]. [10] For they disciplined us for a short time as it seemed best to them, but he disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness. Lastly this verse teaches us how people are saved: by believing in the Son of God. As Carson notes, their question is not designed to elicit information. (c) I think the marvelous success that attended the cast of the net, when Christ gave the command, was meant to teach that when Christ is pleased to give success to ministers, nothing can prevent souls being brought into the Gospel net, converted and saved. the Father knew that the measure of his Sons suffering was the depth of his Sons love for the Fathers glory. Carson weighs four major opinions on the matter and comes to the conclusion that the best way to understand this is through the prism of what is going on in each situation with each individual. (Philippians 2:12-13). I hope you respond by recognizing the depth of your depravity and your sin and that apart from Christ you were a wretch without merit enough to last one hour before the Holy One. (Colossians 2:15), Frame describes how the Amil views the future, Amils affirm that toward the end of this era Satan will be released briefly, as Revelation 20:3 indicates (also verses 7-8). Sign up for our newsletter: It was here that I found the poem The Hound of Heaven by English poet Francis Thompson. This was the same Psalm that Jesus used to shut up the Pharisees who had tried to trap Him in His teaching: Now while the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them a question, [42] saying, What do you think about the Christ? Snow sits upon it in winterand the heat of the sun bakes it in the summer. That is a very important statement. (Romans 5:12-15). In our recent Bible study there was a passing comment about Spurgeon describing God as the hound of heaven, citing that God relentlessly pursued him until Spurgeon finally surrendered to him. John Frame describes the difference between Amils and Post-mills: Well, although the postmil agrees with the amil that our age is a time of persecution for the church, he also thinks that during this time Christians will come to have more and more influence in general culture. And silvern chatter the pale ports o' the moon. [ix] Again we see the call to Spiritual maturity, which is more than simply intellectual sophistication (Sproul). Specifically, we see in the word so at the beginning of verse six, that Christs motivation for staying is born out of verse fives love for the Bethany family. http://www.desiringgod.org/articles/why-memorize-scripture, [xiv] He says a ton of great things here. These are the words and component parts of a person whose heart has been miraculously changed by the Holy Sprit. Spurgeon called Human Inability and that can be located by clicking here. There is a website: thehoundofheaven.com. (b) I think the lack of success in catching fish, which the disciples had until the Lord appeared, was meant to teach that without Christs presence and blessing ministers can do nothing. You were faithless, hopeless, and on a grim march toward eternal death when He snatched you off that path and plucked you like a brand from the burning (Zech. [xi] John Frame, Systematic Theology, Pg. The first is that John lets us know this is the first day of the week. This is Sunday. In each parable something that was lost been restored. The image, I say, is so far from being unnatural that it is most pregnant with suggestions and full of useful teaching. Heres the link: http://www.desiringgod.org/blog/posts/why-we-read-the-bible. [5] Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, (Philippians 2:4-5 ESV), Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. Im sure you can look back at times in your life when you wanted so badly to fly here or go there or do this or that but you couldnt and perhaps as you look back on it now, it was for the better. Oh, the glory we shall then enjoy up yonder, on the hills of spices in the garden of God. My personal notes reflect several pages of introspection from those teaching sessions in August of 2013. [36]So the Jews said, See how he loved him! [37]But some of them said, Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man also have kept this man from dying?. Ryken, Commentary on Luke, Volume II, Pg. The Father has a sovereign plan, and the Son knows that all things are in the hand of the Father this is illustrated all the more in verse 9. [8]And I will give to you and to your offspring after you the land of your sojournings, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession, and I will be their God. (Genesis 17:4-8 ESV), And the angel of the LORD called to Abraham a second time from heaven [16]and said, By myself I have sworn, declares the LORD, because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, [17]I will surely bless you, and I will surely multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and as the sand that is on the seashore. However, He will never betray those on whom He sets His love, but will love them faithfully for all time.. For He delights in taking weak dying sinners and bathing them in the nutrition imparting light of His gospel. C.H. The work of the Church will be completed, and the reckoning of results will take place. His justice is seen in His passing over those self-righteous older brothers who refuse to come in and eat with the prodigals. How is it said that we obtain this discernment? This is why we study the character of God. Do we run to our master, the healer, the Lord? Caiaphas cold political reasoning seemed shrewd the ends justified the means. Carey Stone. Carson talks about how some of the Jews thought (superstitiously) that the soul of a body hovers above the body for three days prior to finally departing. He has saved us and not to mope about in introspection for our entire lives, but to love others in service to our Lord. I think its rather amusing that John had to mention this almost to get a little dig in on Peter (I always knew I was faster!). God loves the world despite the fact that the world is evil. [6]I will make you exceedingly fruitful, and I will make you into nations, and kings shall come from you. I leave his ways to himself, for they are far, far above meThere are windings and tos and fros in his ways, which blind bodies like us cannot see.. I said to Dawn: Be suddento Eve: Be soon; With thy young skiey blossoms heap me over. It is treating His message with seriousness, and laying hold of His promise of eternal life by faith. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. It was first printed in 1890 in the periodical Merry England,[1] later to appear in Thompson's first volume of poems in 1893. Ordo we stay in our homes sobbing over a loss or a heartache. Although he was a son, he learned obedience through what he suffered. 1:5 indicates His will for our adoption as sons). Here we see that once again Christ is moved again, and its no wonder given the nature of the response from those in the mourning party (he is filled with a righteous indignation as the Greek clearly impliesagain, the English translations are all incorrect). May it never be! As this text was originally written, it referred only to the length of life and the length of existence which God promised to his obedient Israel. [30] Being therefore a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that he would set one of his descendants on his throne, [31] he foresaw and spoke about the resurrection of the Christ, that he was not abandoned to Hades, nor did his flesh see corruption. Finally, in the parable of the prodigal son, we see the longsuffering father, effusive with joy and love upon the return and restoration of his long lost son. Such is the love the father had for his son. Listen to the reflections of C.H. In all that he does, he prospers. (Psalm 1:1-3), o And Paul writes in 2 Corinthians the following, And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. It is therefore comforting and of no small importance that upon His victory the Lord refers to His disciples as those who will participate in the rewards of His triumph. Believing in the Son glorifies God because it gives proper due to who the Son is, and it magnifies Him. In another occasion, He said, But if it is by the finger of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you (Luke 11:20). Now from what John says, its apparent that the disciples didnt fully grasp yet the significance of what they were seeing. I, p..69. (1 John 4:9-10). (1 Corinthians 15:20-26), And he is the head of the body, the church. John later would say this in his epistles: In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. Pride, anger, resentment had no place in this mans heart. [16] In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; [17] and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, [18] praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. The usual summary is that Agape is more a love of choice a sacrificial love. It is a matter of the will. The Hound of Heaven Pursued John Stott. There is no doubt that the world was in darkness before He came so much so that every other nation worshiped idols except Israel. But indeed He was raised as Paul remarks: But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. [14] I will feed them with good pasture, and on the mountain heights of Israel shall be their grazing land. We need to ask for His help to change our desires to match His (1 Cor. Not that the number itself is significant, but rather that the exact number tells us something of how impressive the catch actually was. Our very salvation is like this, for we are saved NOW, yet we have not yet fully realized that salvation. Imagine a home where the builders laid the foundation, got the plumbing and electrical set in, built the cement blocks structure and decided to take a breakfor a few years! Johns editorial note in verse two that it was Mary who anointed the Lord helps us understand that John is assuming his readers would have heard of this story from the synoptic gospels. He was able to grasp the fact that since God controlled both life and death, that God could just as easily raise his son from the dead as he could bring him to life in the womb of a 100-year-old woman. [25] For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. [ix] Tom Schreiner, New Testament Biblical Theology, Pg. It seems that they had already agreed upon raising Lazarus, and that now Christ is thanking God the Father for hearing Him and for granting this miracle so that He may be glorified that people might believe. Our Lord has risen He has defeated death! "The Hound of Heaven" is a 182-line poem written by English Catholic poet Francis Thompson (1859-1907). In our own lives this means that we need to emulate Christ. This is a bit mind bending, but I think it correlates well with the idea we find in other parts of Scripture that Gods ways are not our ways, and that He does many things that at the time we may not understand. He deals with their lack of faith and misunderstanding and selfishness. [7]And I will establish my covenant between me and you and your offspring after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your offspring after you. 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. I thought I saw an Abrahamic type of faith a gigantic faith. 21:1, Ps. This prayer is typically called The High Priestly Prayer of Jesus.. 11:54-57Jesus therefore no longer walked openly among the Jews, but went from there to the region near the wilderness, to a town called Ephraim, and there he stayed with the disciples. Much has, perhaps rightly, been made of how when Jesus asked Peter whether he loved him, he was using the word agape whereas Peter was responding with phileo for his description of love. They would have been happy for their suffering to be relieved Id wager. [5] And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. In contrast to our love for sin, His love is seen as extravagant. The Catholic church (so-called) does not encourage the reading of Scripture, in fact it is the greatest rationer of spiritual nutrition in all the world. In Stavropol, Russia, this order was carried out with vengeance. [3] Or are you compassionate, and full of wisdom? So should it be with us but this means we must have hearts that are desirous of this and not simply our own obsessions and hobbies. [27] And he said to him, Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fattened calf, because he has received him back safe and sound. [28] But he was angry and refused to go in. Tony Romano talks about how this stops everything, it interrupts everything life stops cold in its tracks in order to find this coin. This ought to give us great hope and joy. Charles Spurgeon. By asking God to change our hearts desires to match that of His Sons. Sin is not simply what we do, its who we are we are sinners.