SCRIPTURE

Jonah’s Prayer.

 

LORD sent a great fish to swallow Jonah, and he remained in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.

Jonah prayed to the LORD, Out of my distress I called to the LORD, and he answered me; From the womb of Sheol^* I cried for help, and you heard my voice.

You cast me into the deep, into the heart of the sea, and the flood enveloped me; All your breakers and your billows passed over me. Then I said, “I am banished from your sight! How will I again look upon your holy temple?”

The waters surged around me up to my neck; the deep enveloped me; seaweed wrapped around my head.  I went down to the roots of the mountains; to the land whose bars closed behind me forever, But you brought my life up from the pit,

O LORD, my God.^f When I became faint, I remembered the LORD; My prayer came to you in your holy temple…. I, with thankful voice, will sacrifice to you; What I have vowed I will pay: deliverance is from the LORD.ⁱ

Then the LORD commanded the fish to vomit Jonah upon dry land.

REFLECTION

PRAY THAT I NEVER SEPARATE MYSELF FROM GOD BY CHOOSING MY WILL BVER HIS!

J

ESUS CHRIST LORD AND SAVIOR

When reading the Bible, you may have noticed some people and events seem familiar like you have already read something similar.  Well, that is true if you read from both the Old Testament and the New Testament and there is a name for this experience

The Old Testament is fully unveiled in the New Testament. In the New Testament the Old is perfectly fulfilled in the person of Jesus Christ The technical name for seeing the New Testament in the Old Testament is called typology. Typology is the study of the Bible as a unified whole with Christ at the center.

 I will now share with you a few of the types found in the Old Testament

 

ADAM

 

Jesus is the New Adam giving us life rather than death.  Early Christian writers spoke of Jesus as the New Adam. They took this from what Paul said concerning Christ;

 The first Adam was disobedient which resulted in original sin and death. Jesus was obedient which resulted in salvation and life.

 

 ABRAHAM

 The LORD said to Abram: Go forth^* from your land, your relatives, and from your father’s house to a land that I will show you. I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, so that you will be a blessing Genesis 12:1-2

 Like the Redeemer, Abraham functionally “had nowhere to lay his head.”  Abraha was to be the Father of many nations.  Jesus came to call all nations, the everlasting Father of all,

 

 ISAAC

 Sometime afterward, God put Abraham to the test and said Take your son Isaac, your only one, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah. And there offer him up as a burnt offering on one of the heights that I will point out to you Genesis 22:1-2

Isaac was a type of Christ. He was the promised “son of Abraham as Jesus is the pomised Son of God the Father.” Just as Isaac’s birth was the result of the supernatural power of God so too was it true of Jesus. Isaac carried the wood on his back for the sacrifice as Jesus carried his cross.

Do not lay your hand on the boy,” said the angel

 MELCHIZEDEK

Melchizedek, king of Salem, brought out bread and wine, and being a priest of God Most High, he blessed Abram with these words:  Blessed be Abram by God Most High, the creator of heaven and earth; And blessed be God Most High, who delivered your foes into your hand.” Genesis 14:18-19

 “The Lord has sworn, and he will not repent: ‘You are a priest forever'”-in the order of –  Melchizedek  It was fitting that we should have such a high priest: holy, innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners…He has no need, as did the high priests, to offer sacrifice day after day, first for his own sins and then for those of the people; he did that once for all when he offered himself.  Hebrews 7:17-22

Melchizedek offers bread and wine to Abraham

MOSES

 Moses’ mission was to free Israel from slavery to Egypt.  Jesus delivers us from the slavery of sin.

 Then the LORD said to Moses: Come up to me on the mountain and, while you are there, I will give you the stone tablets on which I have written the commandments intended for their instruction. Genesis 24:12

 Moses receives Ten Commandments

In the New Testament Jesus explains the Ten Commandments more fully in the Beatitudes in the Sermon on the Mount

 When he saw the crowds, he went up the mountain, and after he had sat down…, He began to teach them, saying: The Beatitudes^*… Matthew 5:1-2

 JONAH

 The story of Jonah and the whale from the Old Testament prefigures Christ’s burial, the stomach of the whale as Christ’s tomb: Jonah was freed from the whale after three days, so did Christ rise from his tomb after three days.

“This is the word of the LORD that came to Jonah, “Set out for the great city of Nineveh, and preach against it; their wickedness has come up before me.” Jonah 2:11

Jonah tried to run away from his mission, “But the LORD sent a large fish, that swallowed Jonah; and he remained in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.  On the third day Jonah was “resurrected” from the belly of the fish

.

After Jesus’ death He was placed in a tomb 

 “Taking the body, Joseph wrapped it (in) clean linen and laid it in his new tomb that he had hewn in the rock. Then he rolled a huge stone across the entrance to the tomb and departed.” Matthew 27:60

On the third day Jesus rose from the dead.

“After the Sabbath, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to see the tomb.…..  Then the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid! I know that you are seeking Jesus the crucified.  He is not here, for he has been raised just as he said.” Matthew 28:1-10

 DAVID

 

 David was a shepherd from Bethlehem who was chosen by God to be the King of Israel. David was a mighty warrior King. Jesus is the mighty warrior King. David was a shepherd/King who ruled over God’s people in faithfulness.  Jesus is the Good Shepherd and the King of Kings who rules over God’s people in perfect covenantal faithfulness.

PRAYER TO JESUS LORD AND SAVIOR

Jesus, I believe you are the Son of God, that you died on the cross to rescue me from sin and death and to restore me to the Father.

 I choose now to turn from my sins, my self-centeredness, and every part of my life that does not please you. I choose you. Please forgive me. Live in me. Love through me.  In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

FOR GOD SO LOVED THE WORLD

                                                                                                      JOHN 3:16

If I speak in human and angelic tongues^* but do not have love, I am a resounding gong or a clashing cymbal… And if I have all faith so as to move mountains but do not have love, I am nothing.

If I give away everything I own, and if I hand my body over so that I may boast but do not have love, I gain nothing.

Love is patient, love is kind. It is not jealous, is not rude, it does not seek its own interests, it is not quick-tempered, it does not brood over injury, it does not rejoice over wrongdoing but rejoices with the truth.

It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things…

REFLECTION

How does my love measure up to 1 Cor. Chapter 13?

God is love.  As we make an account at the end of our lives, God will ask how we have loved.

Made in the image and likeness of God, do I love as God loves?

Are there people I don’t love? Why? Do I wish them well or evil?

One Body, Many Parts.^*

Now the body is not a single part, but many. If a foot should say, “Because I am not a hand I do not belong to the body,” it does not for this reason belong any less to the body. Or if an ear should say, “Because I am not an eye I do not belong to the body,” it does not for this reason belong any less to the body.

If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be? If the whole body were hearing, where would the sense of smell be? But as it is, God placed the parts, each one of them, in the body as he intended. But as it is, there are many parts, yet one body.

Indeed, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are all the more necessary, and those parts of the body that we consider less honorable we surround with greater honor, and our less presentable parts are treated with greater propriety,

.Application to Christ.^*

As a body is one though it has many parts, and all the parts of the body, though many, are one body, so also Christ. For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, slaves or free persons, and we were all given to drink of one Spirit.

Now you are Christ’s body, and individually parts of it.  Some people God has designated in the church to be, first, apostles;^* second, prophets; third, teachers; then, mighty deeds; then, gifts of healing…Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work mighty deeds? Strive eagerly for the greatest spiritual gifts.

THE MYSTICAL BODY OF CHRIST

Unity and Variety.

…^* There are different kinds of spiritual gifts but the same Spirit;^c there are different forms of service but the same Lord; there are different workings but the same God who produces all of them in everyone. To each individual the manifestation of the Spirit is given for some benefit.

To one is given through the Spirit the expression of wisdom; to another the expression of knowledge according to the same Spirit; to another mighty deeds; to another prophecy…But one and the same Spirit produces all of these, distributing them individually to each person as he wishes.

REFLECTION

Consider your body and all its parts. What kind of God must we have that has given us all we need to sojourn here on earth.

Christ is one mystical body too, made up of many members with specific gifts of the spirit to enhance and spread the gift of Christ. What is/are my gifts?

 

The True Wisdom.^*

We speak a wisdom to those who are mature, but not a wisdom of this age, nor of the rulers of this age who are passing away.

Rather, we speak God’s wisdom,^* mysterious, hidden, which God predetermined before the ages for our glory,

It is written: “What eye has not seen, and ear has not heard, and what has not entered the human heart, what God has prepared for those who love him,” God has revealed to us through the Spirit…

We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit that is from God, so that we may understand the things freely given us by God.

And we speak about them not with words taught by human wisdom, but with words taught by the Spirit, describing spiritual realities in spiritual terms.^*

Now the natural person^* does not accept what pertains to the Spirit of God, for to him it is foolishness, and he cannot understand it, because it is judged spiritually. The spiritual person, however, can judge everything but is not subject to judgment^* by anyone.

REFLECTION

We walk in faith not sight! Heaven united to God is even beyond our imagination. Trust in Jesus!

May the Holy Spirit guide me home!

May my wisdom image God’s to see the world as God sees it.

WHO SEES ME SEES THE FATHER

The Word of Life

What was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we looked upon and touched with our hands is the Word of life

the life was made visible; we have seen it and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life that was with the Fathe and was made visible to us—

what we have seen and heard we proclaim now to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; for our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ.  We are writing this so that our joy may be complete.

REFLECTION

Before we were was the Word and the Word was made flesh!  We are to PROCLAIM this truth with all our minds, all our hearts, and all our souls.

It is not enough to keep the word to ourselves.  We are meant tp be in relationship in image of the Most Holy Trinity as we journey home. Leave no one behind!

Rejoice, we are Easter people!

God is Light.

Now this is the message that we have heard from him and proclaim to you: God is light,^* and in him there is no darkness at all. If we say, “We have fellowship with him,” while we continue to walk in darkness, we lie and do not act in truth. 

But if we walk in the light as he is in the light, then we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of his Son Jesus cleanses us from all sin.

If we say, “We are without sin,” we deceive ourselves,^* and the truth is not in us. If we acknowledge our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive our sins and cleanse us from every wrongdoing.  If we say, “We have not sinned,” we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

REFLECTION

To walk in light or darkness is to live according to truth or error.

Fellowship with God and with one another consists in a life according to the truth as found in God and in Christ.

Denial of the condition of sin is self-deception. Forgiveness and deliverance from sin through Christ are assured through acknowledgment of them and repentance.

Embrace the LIGHT! Sometimes it may make us uncomfortable while we are being pruned but once pruned we are acceptable for homecoming.

                                  

THE PHARISEE AND PUBLICAN

PRAY IN THE TEMPLE

LUKE 18:10-14

Two people went up to the temple area to pray; one was a Pharisee and the other was a tax collector. The Pharisee took up his position and spoke this prayer to himself,

‘O God, I thank you that I am not like the rest of humanity–greedy, dishonest, adulterous–or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week, and I pay tithes on my whole income.’

But the tax collector stood off at a distance and would not even raise his eyes to heaven but beat his breast and prayed, ‘O God, be merciful to me a sinner.’

I tell you, the latter went home justified, not the former; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”

 REFLECTION:

The Pharisee boasted to God how good he was…

only God is good… Think about that for awhile…

the only thing I own are my sins God be merciful to me, a sinner

if I do good deeds it is because of God’s grace…

I have one Savior, Our Lord, Jesus Christ…by whose merits, my sins are forgiven..

PARABLE OF UNFORGIVING SERVANT

MATTHEW 18:23-35

Peter asked Jesus, “Lord, if my brother sins against me, how often must I forgive him?  As many as seven times?” Jesus answered, “I say to you, not seven times but seventy-seven times.

That is why the kingdom of heaven may be likened to a king who decided to settle accounts with his servants. When he began the accounting, a debtor was brought before him who owed him a huge amount.

Since he had no way of paying it back, his master ordered him to be sold, along with his wife, his children, and all his property, in payment of the debt.  At that, the servant fell down, did him homage, and said, ‘

Be patient with me, and I will pay you back in full.’  Moved with compassion the master of that servant let him go and forgave him the loan.

When that servant had left, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a much smaller amount.  He seized him and started to choke him, demanding, ‘Pay back what you owe.’

Falling to his knees, his fellow servant begged him, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay you back. But he refused. Instead, he had him put in prison until he paid back the debt.

Now when his fellow servants saw what had happened, they were deeply disturbed, and went to their master and reported the whole affair.

His master summoned him and said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you your entire debt because you begged me to. Should you not have had pity on your fellow servant, as I had pity on you?’

Then in anger his master handed him over to the torturers until he should pay back the whole debt. So will my heavenly Father do to you, unless each of you forgives his brother from his heart.”

REFLECTION:

there are no limits on God’s mercy and forgiveness

There are no limits on the times I should forgive another…

 …we are told to be perfect as our heavenly Father is perfect…one way we achieve this is through forgiving others…

we live now in time of mercy…later there will be judgment… on judgment day the measure we measure will be measured out to us…