Week 22, Day 2: Behold the Lamb of God

Today’s Reading:  John 3:1-4:54

Some thoughts from yesterday’s reading…

It could be argued that John 1:29 summarizes the premise of the gospel message.  John referred to Jesus as the “Lamb of God” which is not understood without an examination of the Old Testament sacrificial system.  In the Old Testament, God required the sacrifice of animals for people to have their sins forgiven.  But, the sacrifice of animals was never intended to be permanent.  The Hebrew writer made it very clear that animal sacrifice was not good enough, and there had to be a perfect sacrifice (the Son of God) for sins to be taken away.

Jesus, as the Messiah, was the sacrifice that God sent to be the perfect sacrifice.  He would shed His blood for all of mankind, one sacrifice forever.  He would not have to offer Himself many times. This plan was what God always intended.  Many think this was a last minute substitute for the failed plan of instituting a physical kingdom.  Such a belief ignores the purpose and teachings of the Old Testament.

So, for those who were looking for the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecies, John’s statement was quite meaningful.  Most in the first century missed the significance of John’s statement, but as we look back on it, we can see clearly the meaning.  It is through His sacrifice that we can have the forgiveness of sin.  If we want to take part with Him in His sacrifice, we must submit to His commands, including the act of baptism (see Romans 6).

If you are interested in learning more about this concept, let us know and we will share a home study with you that explores these ideas in much more detail than what is feasible in this venue!

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Week 22, Day 1: Responsibilities of Older Saints…

Today’s Reading:  John 1:1-2:25

Some thoughts from Friday’s reading…

OK, you probably caught me again.  I messed up and forgot to write up a post yesterday.  My apologies!  Maybe you will have time to catch up before the end of the week!  Now on to the previously scheduled post…

In Titus 2:1-10, Paul gives some instructions that seem to fall by the wayside in today’s society.  He gives instructions for older saints, both men and women, to teach the younger generations.  We often wonder why we lose the younger generations, as they become busy and allow themselves to become consumed by the things of the world.  This happens to those who are teenagers, as well as those who are just starting careers and families.  One of the reasons that this happens is that the older generations do not take the time to teach the younger generations!  Think about how beneficial this would be if Christians would just follow it!  For some reason, we think it is best to learn lessons from the “School of Hard Knocks” rather than listening to teachings of others.  How much heartache could be alleviated if older Christians would simply use their wisdom and experiences to teach the younger generations?

Paul gives instructions for older women to teach the younger women about their responsibilities in the family.  Young ladies today are often taught that the Biblical teachings are outdated, sexist and simply do not apply to them.  How dare we think that her place is in the home, taking care of her children and her home?  One big problem, in many places at least, is that there are at least 2 generations that have adopted the worldly concepts of the woman’s responsibilities.  How can older Christians teach younger Christians their familial responsibilities when they have never learned them properly themselves?  For some reason, many Christian ladies have decided that Paul’s instructions in this passage are not really very important.  They have decided that they don’t really need to teach these principles, or any others.  I have seen places where the the wives of the elders could not take time out of their busy schedules to help teach ladies classes when the younger ladies were asking for this type of leadership and instruction!

The same types of problems exist with men.  Perhaps it is the stubbornness of men that leads to problems.  We don’t want others telling us how to do anything.  However, we would save ourselves a lot of problems, and probably humiliation, if we would take instruction from older men!  But often, the problem arises that older men don’t want to take on the responsibilities of teaching younger men, or they don’t want to take the time or put forth the effort of teaching the younger generations.  This ought not be!  Older men should see the importance of passing on biblical teaching to the younger generations, so that one day they too will be prepared to lead.  In many churches, elders have been appointed who have not done a good job of training the younger men, so that when they are old and depart this life there are no men prepared to take on that role in the Lord’s church.  This is a sad commentary on their unwillingness to do as Paul instructed in this passage!

Let us never ignore our responsibilities as expressed in this passage.  If we are among the younger, let us learn from our elders, respecting their experience and wisdom.  If we are among the older, let us work diligently to teach the younger Christians all that they need to grow strong, and remain faithful to the Lord!

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