Jan 04, 2022 · Jesus made the statement “many who are first will be last, and many who are last will be first” (Matthew 19:30) in the context of His encounter with the rich young ruler (Matthew 19:16–30). After the young man turned away from Jesus, unable to give up his great wealth (verse 22), Jesus’ disciples asked the Lord what reward they would have in heaven, since they had …
Our policy, for the moment, is to conceal ourselves. Of course this has not always been so . . . If any faint suspicion of your existence begins to arise in his mind, suggest to him a picture of …
Thank God we don’t have to be perfectly aware beforehand to make such a choice. We may even be surprised when we find ourselves arriving in the Heaven of the Course: “You do not have to …
When Isaiah received his vision of God, his first reaction was to say: "Woe is me! for I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips" ( Isaiah 6:5). …
Lewis Institute – Cincinnati. he modern age in which we live, and with which C.S. Lewis contested throughout his writings, denies the supernatural. John Lennon brilliantly expressed this modern mind in his song “Imagine”: “Imagine there’s no heaven…. No hell….
Lewis wrote, “I willingly believe that the damned are, in one sense, successful, rebels to the end; that the doors of hell are locked on the inside.”7. The work by Lewis that got his face on the cover of Timemagazine in 1947,The Screwtape Letters,explored hell.
We learn about physics, biology, math, chemistry; in short, we study the physical side of life. In our educational experience, heaven may not be denied. It is just ignored. Consciously or unconsciously, we get the point: matter is all there is; there is no other world!
Lewis believed that a vigorous supernaturalism was essential to understanding Christianity.2Central to Lewis’s supernaturalism was an unapologetic belief in heaven and hell. Without a supernatural world, especially heaven and hell, there is much about our lives, human experience, and Christianity that just doesn’t fit together.
Realizing that the world we see is really just a projection of our own ideas is the beginning of hope, healing, and miracles. Because no matter how difficult changing our minds may be, it’s infinitely easier than changing a world that seems to be beyond our control. I place the future in the hands of God.".
A fundamental principle of the Course (as well as centuries of Eastern philosophy before it) is that only the mind is real.
Wherein ye once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the powers of the air, of the spirit that now worketh in the sons of disobedience; among whom we also all once lived in the lusts of our flesh, doing the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest.
Verse Ephesians 2: 2. Wherein in time past ye walked — There is much force in these expressions; the Ephesians had not sinned casually, or now and then, but continually; it was their continual employment; they walked in trespasses and sins: and this was not a solitary case, all the nations of the earth acted in the same way; it was the course of this world, κατα τον αιωνα του κοσμου τουτου, according to the life, mode of living, or successive ages of this world. The word αιων, the literal meaning of which is constant duration, is often applied to things which have a complete course, as the Jewish dispensation, a particular government, and the term of human life; so, here, the whole of life is a tissue of sin, from the cradle to the grave; every human soul, unsaved by Jesus Christ, continues to transgress. And the nominally Christian world is in the same state to the present day. Age after age passes on in this way and the living lay it not to heart!
According to the course of this world - In conformity with the customs and manners of the world at large. The word rendered here as “world” - αἰων aiōn - means properly “age,” but is often used to denote the present world, with its cares, temptations, and desires; and here denotes particularly the people of this world. The meaning is, that they had lived formerly as other people lived, and the idea is strongly conveyed that the course of the people of this world is to walk in trespasses and sins. The sense is, that there was by nature no difference between them and others, and that all the difference which now existed had been made by grace.
according to the course of this world meaning this world, in distinction from the world to come, or the present age, in which the apostle lived, and designs the men of it; and the course of it is their custom, manner, and way of life; to which God's elect, during their state of unregeneracy, conform, both with respect to conversation and religious worship: great is the force that prevailing customs have over men; it is one branch of redemption by Christ, to deliver men from this present evil world, and to free them from a vain conversation in it; and it is only the grace of God that effectually teaches to deny the lusts of it; and it is only owing to the prevalent intercession and power of Christ, that even converted persons are kept from the evil of it:
Some think that by children of disobedience the apostle means particularly the disobedient, unbelieving, refractory, and persecuting Jews; but I rather think he speaks this generally, and refers to the Jews in the following verse.
Jesus not only lived a life of faith before his disciples, he called them to live a life of faith as well. First and foremost he called them to put their trust in him as Messiah and Son of God. But he didn’t stop there. He called them to an active, living faith in their heavenly Father in the affairs of everyday life.
When the disciples were in danger ofdrowning in a storm on the Sea of Galilee, Jesus upbraided them for their fear and lack of faith (Mark4:35–41). When they were unable to cast out a demon, he told them it was due to their lack of faith (Matt. 17:14–21).
As his ministry progressed, he told the crowds, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross and follow me” (Mark 8:34). At the end of his earthly ministry, he recommissioned the repentant Peter with the words, “Follow me” (John 21:19).
Because Jesus is the image of God in human form (Col. 1:15; Heb. 1: 3) , as we become more and more like him, the image of God is increasingly restored in our lives. A key part of this process is gaining a clearer knowledge of Jesus as he is presented to us in Scripture.
As we immerse our minds and hearts in the gospels, two major defining characteristics of his life stand out with striking clarity: faith and love. Secure in the love of God and his own sonship, Jesus lived with an unshakable trust in his heavenly Father and wholehearted love for God and others.
Jesus makes this clear when he says, “If you love me, you will obey what I command” (John 14:15 NIV). So does the apostle John, who says, “For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome” (1 John 5:3 ESV).
Or George Müller of Bristol, who over many decades, by simple faith in God and his word, prayed in the finances to feed, clothe, shelter, and educate thousands of orphans daily without telling anyone but God of his need. (If you want to be strengthened in your faith, read The Spiritual Autobiography of George Müller.)
Jesus concludes the story with a familiar saying: “The last will be first, and the first will be last.”. The Church has traditionally understood this as a parable foreshadowing the generosity of God to include the Gentiles in His covenant, at the “eleventh hour” in salvation history, blessing them with the same blessing first promised long ago ...
The Church has traditionally understood this as a parable foreshadowing the generosity of God to include the Gentiles in His covenant, at the “eleventh hour” in salvation history, blessing them with the same blessing first promised long ago to His Chosen People, the Jews.
When the disciples hear that even the rich, thought to be especially blessed by God, would have a hard time entering heaven, they ask, “Who, then, can be saved?” (Mt 19:25) Jesus gives them an answer that He further elaborates in today’s reading: “With men, this is impossible, but with God, all things are possible” (Mt 19:26).
In this, Jesus is warning His disciples (then and now) not to think of God’s blessings as a matter of record-keeping. God’s generosity cannot be measured. All of us, the “worthy” and the “unworthy,” are utterly dependent on it.
First Reading (Read Isa 55:6-9) These verses from Isaiah are a perfect preparation for our Gospel reading, because they speak about God’s generosity (“generous in forgiving”) and about how different God’s way is from ours. Recall the shock we felt in reading the parable and hearing that “the last will be first and the first will be last.”.
Here, God tells us, through Isaiah, “My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways, says the LORD. As high as the heavens are above the earth, so high are My ways above your ways, and My thoughts above your thoughts.”. This difference between God’s way and ours is what keeps life interesting.
The psalmist tells us that God’s “greatness is unsearchable.” That is exactly what both Isaiah and Jesus seek to tell us in our other readings. Our imaginations are not vivid enough to be able to predict how God’s goodness and mercy will break out in His creation: “The LORD is good to all and compassionate toward all His works.” Perhaps the most treasured characteristic of His immeasurable and unimaginable kindness is the one we will repeat in the responsorial: “The LORD is near to all who call upon Him.”
~ C.S. Lewis. There is no neutral ground in the universe: every square inch, every split second, is claimed by God and counterclaimed by Satan. ~ C.S. Lewis.
Occam’s razor states that one should not increase, beyond what is necessary, the number of entities required to explain anything, however, the simple theory must be able to account for or explain what needs explaining. It’s not enough to have a simpler theory if you can’t account for anything.
The real attitude of sin in the heart towards God is that of being without God; it is pride, the worship of myself, that is the great atheistic fact in human life.
The reason why many people do not believe in God is not so much that it is intellectually impossible to believe in God, but because belief in God forces that thoughtful person to face the fact that he is accountable to such a God. ~ Robert A. Laidlaw.
The worst moment for the atheist is when he is really thankful, and has nobody to thank. ~ Dante Gabriel Rossetti. Humanism or atheism is a wonderful philosophy of life as long as you are big, strong, and between the ages of eighteen and thirty-five.
There are two different kinds of revelation, natural revelation, which we find in the world, and special revelation, which we find in the word of God. A basic rule of Biblical interpretation is that we should always interpret natural revelation through the grid of special revelation, that is the word of God.
The loneliest moment in life is when you have just experienced that which you thought would deliver the ultimate, and it has just let you down. ~ Ravi Zacharias. I do not feel obliged to believe that same God who endowed us with sense, reason, and intellect had intended for us to forgo their use. ~ Galileo.
Remembering our sins is only beneficial when it reminds us of the extent of God’s forgiveness and makes it easier for us to forgive others ( Matthew 18:21-35 ). Sadly, there are some people who don’t “forgive themselves,” that is, who don’t move beyond their past, because they really don’t want to forget their former sins.
Forgiveness should remind us of the great Savior who forgave us, undeserving though we will always be, and draw us closer in loving obedience to Him ( Romans 5:10; Psalm 103:2-3, 10-14 ).
The Bible says that when God forgives us, He “remembers our sins no more" ( Jeremiah 31:34 ). This does not mean that the all-knowing God forgets because He forgives us. Rather, He chooses not to bring up our sin to Himself or others.
Likewise, with guilty feelings we can accept the fact that we are forgiven in Christ, or we can believe the devil’s lie that we are still guilty and should therefore feel guilty. The Bible says that when God forgives us, He “remembers our sins no more" ( Jeremiah 31:34 ).
It was a day so grand that a man might experience it once in a lifetime. Jesus is the Undefeated Sovereign and the Ultimate Victor. </h6 class=”pullquote”>. Paul pictures Christ as the conquering general with his people marching with him in the grand victory parade.
Paul mentions in verses 11-12 that he went to Troas (on the western coast of modern-day Turkey) to preach the gospel but left quickly to go across the Aegean Sea to Macedonia because he was looking for Titus who had news from the church at Corinth.
An old gospel song says that “the name of Jesus is so sweet, I love its music to repeat.”. True, but the name of Jesus is also explosive. Not everyone loves Jesus. Many people prefer never to hear his name mentioned in public. If you don’t want an explosion, keep quiet about Jesus.
Make sure you get hooked up with the winners. In October 2008 Marlene and I spoke at a marriage conference at Harvey Cedars Bible Conference in New Jersey. In order to get there, we flew to Philadelphia where some friends picked us up and took us to the Jersey Shore.
Jesus is the Undefeated Sovereign and the Ultimate Victor. </h6 class=”pullquote”>. Paul pictures Christ as the conquering general with his people marching with him in the grand victory parade. Having subdued all his enemies, he marches in ultimate triumph, the Undefeated Sovereign and the Ultimate Victor.
Paul calls Christians “the aroma of Christ” and “the fragrance of the knowledge of him.”. Perhaps he is thinking of the incense that the priests swung as the general and his soldiers marched through Rome. That sweet smell meant victory, but to the wretched captives the same smell was a fragrance of death.
But it is all to his credit that Brit Hume has refused to back down. Near the end of his interview with Bill O’Reilly he said that the name of Jesus has always been explosive. Nice word. It reminds me of Romans 1:16 and Paul’s comment that the gospel is the “power” of God providing salvation for anyone who believes.