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Did Jesus teach or does the Bible teach that it is wrong to request a sign from someone who professes to be a prophet? This is one of the fundamental questions which we posed as we entered this study of events from Matthew 12. Here are the specific verses which have been the basis upon which some have stated that it is wrong to ask a sign from a professed prophet. “Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered, saying, 'Teacher, we want to see a sign from You.' But He answered and said to them, 'An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign will be given…  ( Click for more )

One set of facts and two diametrically opposing conclusions! How often does this phenomenon occur? The universe exists with the intricate and unfathomable designs that it displays; one person looks up and thanks His Creator while another person looks down and thanks mother nature and blind evolution for his existence. A politician makes a speech and a news commentator praises him to the highest while on another channel the same speech is derided as shallow and worthless. A blind and mute man has his physical faculties made entirely whole by a man from Galilee; one group is amazed…  ( Click for more )

“Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered, saying, 'Teacher, we want to see a sign from You.' But He answered and said to them, 'An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.'” (Matthew 12.38-40).

Just prior to this exchange between Jesus and His perennial antagonists, the Pharisees, a marvelous event had taken place; many people…  ( Click for more )

There is a direct connection between Paul's admonition to receive The Love of the Truth in 2 Thessalonians 2.10 and many of the teachings of Jesus. Today, we introduce one of the many passages from the ministry of Jesus in which this fact is evident. It is a lengthy passage but we cite it in its entirety because of our intent to dwell here for some time. It is literally filled with meaning, much of it quite subtle, which has to do with our major topic. Read with care the following text!

“Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered, saying, 'Teacher, we want to…  ( Click for more )

The Love of the Truth is not only a noble pursuit; it is an essential if one is to have any hope of pleasing God. Paul put it this way: “The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.” (2 Thessalonians…  ( Click for more )

God placed constraints on religious unity; because of that, we can go too far in the pursuit such unity. We must never mistake the overzealous pursuit of unity for The Love of the Truth or vice versa. The believer must never forget that unity is a product of The Love of the Truth and unless that love is present, biblical unity can never be achieved. Biblical unity demands more than uniformity of practice; it demands unity of heart and that unity proceeds from The Love of the Truth!

Both of the New Testament passages which specifically mention unity are passages which “put…  ( Click for more )

As we continue our thoughts on The Love of the Truth and how it relates to the theme of religious unity, we shall answer our question about what constraints, if any, God has placed upon the achievement of unity and whether or not we can go too far in the pursuit of unity. These are serious and timely matters in all aspects of the human endeavor and it is our purpose to provide a biblical answer to these questions.

There are two passages in the New King James Version of the New Testament that use the word unity. It is also factual that these two verses are the only occurrences…  ( Click for more )

Hope may be defined as the reasonable expectation of something better. Hope is not a baseless wild dream, but is based upon evidence, and in a spiritual context, is based upon faith. Hope has the capacity to see men through the darkest of days if only a reasonable expectation of a brighter day awaits. Hope is the antithesis of despair and is always attended by a "can do" attitude, not because of the conditions that prevail now, but because of what we expect to exist in the future.

Paul, through frequently in troubles and persecutions, did not despair, but persevered…  ( Click for more )

Our focus is on unity! What place does unity have in God’s scheme of things? What place does unity have in man’s execution of God’s scheme? Is unity possible when it comes to matters religious? What constraints, if any, are placed upon the achievement of unity? Can we go too far in attempting to achieve unity?

First of all, in God’s scheme of things, unity is an automatic! Since He is the embodiment of all truth, there is no disunity, discontinuity, disconnect, or deviation of any sort with God! James stated twith God there “… is no variableness,…  ( Click for more )

In closing yesterday, we posed some questions that deserve our attention; we asked, “Why did it [the truth] cause division when Jesus preached it? Was it because He didn't do it right? Or, maybe He failed to have adequate empathy with His hearers in order for the truth not to be offensive to some?” In responding to these questions, we immediately stated that such conclusions are preposterous. However, what about unity? Isn’t that something for which we should strive? Isn’t unity a desirable situation in which to live, work, and worship? We will presently address…  ( Click for more )

Yesterday's article began with these words: “The Love of the Truth sometimes demands division!” Today we will expand those thoughts.

We will begin these thoughts by citing four passages that have to do with Jesus and division (all words in bold are for my emphasis; jb). Jesus said, “Do you suppose that I came to give peace on earth? I tell you, not at all, but rather division.” (Luke 12.51). In Jerusalem at one of the feasts, Jesus cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink.” John commented on the results of His appearance by…  ( Click for more )

The Love of the Truth sometimes demands division! Read it again, please. The Love of the Truth sometimes demands division! I am not a “shock-jock” in the popular sense of the term, but sometimes people need to wake up to reality and this is one of those times.

Being politically correct is not only a difficult job, it is an impossible and sometimes sinful endeavor! Jesus couldn't be “politically correct” and neither can nor should we attempt to be. In His ministry, Jesus remained at odds to His opposition constantly! I ask you, dear reader to re-read the…  ( Click for more )

“Jesus answered and said to them, ‘Go and tell John the things which you hear and see: The blind see and the lame walk; the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear; the dead are raised up and the poor have the gospel preached to them. And blessed is he who is not offended because of Me.’” (Matthew 11.4-6). The American Standard Version of 1901 correctly renders the last sentence of the quoted passage as, “And blessed is he, whosoever shall find no occasion of stumbling in me.”

Is it possible that an “occasion of stumbling” might be…  ( Click for more )

If it is impossible for mankind to know the truth, God is nothing more than a sadistic tyrant! If a strong delusion such as the one mentioned in 2 Thessalonians 2 is extremely difficult to avoid, God’s fairness certainly ought to be questioned. If the power of Satan cannot be readily seen as inferior when compared to God’s unlimited power, then how can humanity legitimately be held accountable for doing so?

These and similar questions come into play when one considers the consequences of failing to detect the “strong delusion” and for failing to receive…  ( Click for more )

The Love of the Truth is not light reading! It is devotional material, but at the same time it is meat. Spiritual milk is needed but so is spiritual meat. The Hebrews writer rebuked some who should have progressed from milk to meat (see Hebrews 5.12-14). In a similar passage, Paul chided the Corinthian believers because they could only take the spiritual milk and were incapable of receiving spiritual meat (1 Corinthians 3.3). The reader is challenged to put on his/her thinking cap and to thoroughly study these messages on The Love of the Truth!

The Limited Commission (Matthew…  ( Click for more )

Our quest in this series is to come to an understanding of what God wanted us to know when He spoke of the necessity of receiving The Love of the Truth. In yesterday's article, we closed with this statement: “The delusion spoken of in 2 Thessalonians 2 is connected to the apostolic empowerment of Matthew 10.1, and to God's witness by means of the miraculous in Hebrews 2.3-4.” As we continue this study, it is our intent to elaborate on this statement and to expand it as necessary to more fully grasp the soul-saving principles involved in receiving The Love of the…  ( Click for more )

Bible students must set the stage to understanding! Some things have a larger context and can only be understood in light of that context. The focus text from which the title of this series is taken is a classic example of this principle. We will revert to that passage and see how its meaning is intertwined with other biblical events and passages.

Please recall that 2 Thessalonians 2:10 talks about the necessity of receiving The Love of the Truth. Also connected with this text is an inspired prediction that some people would be deceived through the evil workings of “...Satan,…  ( Click for more )

Wednesday’s column ended with these words: “Our purpose here is to demonstrate the fact that Jesus was the epitome of The Love of the Truth and thereby define how we as followers ought to be ‘...changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.’ (2Corinthians href="https://pro.studylight.org/study-desk.html?q=2co+3:18">2Corinthians href="https://pro.studylight.org/study-desk.html?q=2co+3:18">2 Corinthians 3.18).” The necessity that we possess The Love of the Truth has been repeatedly stressed…  ( Click for more )

Would you say that Jesus was and is the epitome of The Love of the Truth? Would you say that The Love of the Truth would include compassion for others? Would you say that Jesus was a compassionate person? When you think of Him, what deeds of compassion come to mind? Was it the many healings that He performed? Was it His kindness toward His mother? In what ways was Jesus compassionate? We will consider this question and notice that compassion extends beyond the limitations which we frequently assign to it.

We will look again at the passage we considered yesterday. “Then Jesus…  ( Click for more )

“Then Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people. But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd. Then He said to His disciples, 'The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.'” (Matthew 9.35-38).

Jesus is the living, breathing epitome of The Love of the Truth.…  ( Click for more )

“And the multitudes marveled, saying, 'It was never seen like this in Israel!' But the Pharisees said, 'He [Jesus] casts out demons by the ruler of the demons.'” (Matthew 9.33-34).

Matthew's obvious intent in some of his writings was to draw otherwise isolated facts into a summary form from which essential decisions about those facts could be made. The quoted text is an excellent example of that process. The tiny word but helps the reader of the scripture to properly frame life and eternity altering issues at hand. Concerning the deeds and purposes of Jesus, the multitudes…  ( Click for more )

“Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.” (2 Corinthians 4.16-18).

Intense persecution was the background for Paul’s statement (just quoted). He knew that death could literally…  ( Click for more )

“Then He spoke a parable to them: 'No one puts a piece from a new garment on an old one; otherwise the new makes a tear, and also the piece that was taken out of the new does not match the old. And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; or else the new wine will burst the wineskins and be spilled, and the wineskins will be ruined. But new wine must be put into new wineskins, and both are preserved. And no one, having drunk old wine, immediately desires new; for he says, “The old is better.”'” (Luke 5.36-39).

Luke alone refers to the sayings quoted (above)…  ( Click for more )

Yesterday’s message ended with these words: The Love of the Truth does not cause one to abandon common sense; it embraces it! Today we extend this thought as we continue to examine the scriptures that deal with questions posed to Jesus regarding fasting.

Biblical fasting demands a biblical motive. It is not something that someone can decide to do just because it is a certain day of the week, or month, or year. The called fasts of the Old Testament had specific motives in view and they were connected with national issues confronting Israel. On the other hand, personal fasts…  ( Click for more )