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BJ McConnell
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Sept 28, 2019 2:32:20 GMT -5
Posts: 246 Amens: 13
Favorite Verse: 2 Cor 5:17
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Post by BJ McConnell on Nov 1, 2019 16:21:20 GMT -5
God's grace to all, I hope everyone has had a pleasant week!
Chapter eight starts off with lots of healing, including the well know story of the Roman soldier that has such faith in Jesus that he tells Him if He only speaks the word his servant will become well and that traveling to his home is not necessary. As most here are probably familiar with, Jesus then tells those around Him that He has not found such faith among the Israelites. But have you ever noticed what Jesus says next? Take a close look at verse 11...
I don't think I've ever caught that before, but this is the first time in the new testament that it's mentioned the kingdom of heaven will be extended to the Gentiles, and it comes from Jesus Himself!! Praise God!
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BJ McConnell
Forum Owner
Sept 28, 2019 2:32:20 GMT -5
Posts: 246 Amens: 13
Favorite Verse: 2 Cor 5:17
Bible Study Member?: Yes
Born Again Christian?: Yes
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Post by BJ McConnell on Nov 1, 2019 16:43:33 GMT -5
The closing of chapter eight tells us of the possessed men at the tombs in Gergesenes who confront Jesus and immediately recognize Him as the Son of God. First of all, isn't it interesting that demons consistently recognize Jesus for who He truly is, but the nation of Israel do not? But don't be too quick to judge, I've often asked myself, had I been there, would I have believed. The honest answer is I really don't know, but I think there's a good chance the answer is no I would not have been any different.
Well, that's just a side note. The real reason I bring up this part of the story is found in the end. Let's take a minute to read the story...
Lots of interesting things happening here in the exchange between Jesus and the demons just in verse 29 alone, but what really drew my attention was what took place after the demons drove the swine into the sea and perished. This is just my opinion, so make of it what you will, but to me the reaction of the city seems to be drawing a parallel to how the world today reacts to the message of the gospel.
When those who kept the herd told what happened, you would think there would be gratitude, I mean Jesus just rid them of demons who were vexing the shores of their city. Instead, they find Jesus and tell him to depart. Not just some of them, the bible says the whole city showed up to tell Him to go away! Could it be that they could recognize what had happened but were not willing to leave their sins behind? Sounds a lot like the world we live in today.
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BJ McConnell
Forum Owner
Sept 28, 2019 2:32:20 GMT -5
Posts: 246 Amens: 13
Favorite Verse: 2 Cor 5:17
Bible Study Member?: Yes
Born Again Christian?: Yes
User Offline
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Post by BJ McConnell on Nov 2, 2019 13:15:27 GMT -5
Normally, I wouldn't skip over a full chapter in any study because I do like to cover as much material as possible, but honestly I am excited to get into chapter 10. Of course, Chapter 9 has a lot of great moments to point out, but Chapter 10 is so powerful and important in understanding the ministry of Jesus and why he came to earth the first time around.
For the longest time, I had no exposure to the fact that the gospels, while the core of our salvation, is not directed to the Gentiles, and therefore is not directly a reflection of the church age. Huh? No, seriously. If we let the bible say what it says and do not fall into the temptation to relate every piece of gospel scripture to this modern age, it is easy to see that the real reason Jesus came the first time to earth was to bring the message of salvation to the Jews, not to the Gentiles. Yes, Jesus did minister to a handful of Gentiles while he was on the earth, but He also strictly ordered the Apostles not to go to the Gentiles.
I mentioned in an earlier post that in Chapter 8 Jesus made first mention of salvation to the Gentiles, so clearly Christ knew (of course, He's God) that salvation would come to the Gentiles. So why prohibit the Apostles from going to them during His earthly ministry? Because that is how God's plan of salvation was laid out and prophesied in the old testament, and from the very beginning of existence for that matter. Even Paul, who's calling was specifically to take the gospel to the Gentiles made this matter of fact...
And even more, listen to God speaking to the nation of Israel through the prophet Isaiah...
So with all that said, it's not surprising that after Chapter 10 opens with the naming of the Apostles, the first thing Jesus tells them when preparing them to go out to preach the gospel is to stay away from the cities of the Gentiles and Samaritans. He then specifically tells them...
Jesus spends the rest of the Chapter giving instruction to the Apostles on what to do and expect as they go out to preach the gospel, and if there is one particular thing I would glean from the remainder of the chapter it would be verses 32 and 33...
These words are the very core of the gospel and our salvation, be it to Jew or Gentile.
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