QT 31 Aug 12, What Jesus do we know?

John 9:13-16 (NIV) They brought to the Pharisees the man who had been blind. 14 Now the day on which Jesus had made the mud and opened the man's eyes was a Sabbath. 15 Therefore the Pharisees also asked him how he had received his sight. "He put mud on my eyes," the man replied, "and I washed, and now I see."

16 Some of the Pharisees said, "This man is not from God, for he does not keep the Sabbath."

But others asked, "How can a sinner do such miraculous signs?" So they were divided.

NOTE: "So they were divided." This is the same problem today, people are divided concerning Christ. For the religious leaders, the problem was that he wasn't following the rules (the law) as they understood it. Others correctly understood that a man cannot do miraculous good things without some divine connection. Earlier, the Pharisees said Jesus was the Lord of the dunghill, Satan himself. Apparently, that line of reasoning has not been going as well as they had hoped. So they changed tactics and introduce a false logic -- "He cannot be from God since he does not keep the Sabbath" -- in other words, we don't know who he is, but he is not from God. Which is a pretty poor response from a group that was looked up to for religious answers. And it is not like they could not have reached a proper conclusion since Nicodemus was able to search out the facts and arrive at one. But Satan would prefer he Jesus was included in his ranks if it keeps people from investigating the facts. Today, even believers develop their own view of who Jesus is without really investigating the facts. The Jesus I want to know is the one who defied the religious leaders of his day and even dismayed his followers by his total lack of interest in politics. I want to know the Jesus the bible teaches.

QT 29 Aug 12, We can't reject God's rule and then expect God to rule over evil in this world

John 9:1-5 (NIV) As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. 2 His disciples asked him, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?"

3 "Neither this man nor his parents sinned," said Jesus, "but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life. 4 As long as it is day, we must do the work of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work. 5 While I am in the world, I am the light of the world."

NOTE: Everyone looks for someone or something to blame when things do not go the way we want. Who doesn't sin and deserve something bad to happen? We all do. But the imperfections of life are result of a fallen world that rejected God's rule. We feel we have the right to reject God's rule over our life, but we bristle at the notion that God won't intervene to stop evil or protect the "innocent" from something bad happening. We can't have it both ways. If we will not repent and let God rule, we can't also demand that he show his goodness to us in this world. Our fallen world is a direct result of our rejection of God's rule. We have one chance to experience life with God ruling, and that will come during the millennial age where God will rule and the world will work as God always intended it. Our only hope for living in that age is to repent, or we will perish and never experience life as God intended. It is not too late to repent, but someday soon (it is sooner every day), it will be too late.

QT 27 Aug 12, Jesus' statements can't be ignored

John 8:41-47, 52-53, 56-59 (NIV) "You are doing the things your own father does."

"We are not illegitimate children," they protested. "The only Father we have is God himself."

42 Jesus said to them, "If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and now am here. I have not come on my own; but he sent me. 43 Why is my language not clear to you? Because you are unable to hear what I say. 44 You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father's desire. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies. 45 Yet because I tell the truth, you do not believe me! 46 Can any of you prove me guilty of sin? If I am telling the truth, why don't you believe me? 47 He who belongs to God hears what God says. The reason you do not hear is that you do not belong to God."

. . .  the Jews exclaimed, "Now we know that you are demon-possessed! Abraham died and so did the prophets, yet you say that if anyone keeps your word, he will never taste death. 53 Are you greater than our father Abraham? He died, and so did the prophets. Who do you think you are?"

. . . 56 Your father Abraham rejoiced at the thought of seeing my day; he saw it and was glad."

57 "You are not yet fifty years old," the Jews said to him, "and you have seen Abraham!"

58 "I tell you the truth," Jesus answered, "before Abraham was born, I am!" 59 At this, they picked up stones to stone him, but Jesus hid himself, slipping away from the temple grounds.

NOTE: Jesus words are as strong as any in scripture regarding his divinity. They are so strong that the crowds pick up stones to stone him. Jesus claims a different Father, that he directly came from. Jesus claims that a person who keeps his words will never see death (Jn 8:51). Jesus claims to have existed before Abraham. Jesus claims to have never sinned and challenges the crowd to prove him wrong on that point. Jesus also claims a direct knowledge of their Father, the devil, "a liar from the beginning who when he lies, speaks his native language."  There is no denying Jesus claims, and there is no way to categorize Jesus as just a good man or a good teacher. He cannot be so easily pushed to the side. No, Jesus is unlike any other man in history. He made incredible statements and confirmed those statements with action and truth. The authenticity of the claims cannot be denied, although a person can choose to not belief. But upon what does a person based his unbelief? There is nothing a rational person can choose. They must ignore the facts and create reasons (that don't exist) to justify their foolishness.

QT 24 Aug 12, Faith and daily intake of the word can free us from spiritual slavery

John 8:31-38 (NIV) To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, "If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. 32 Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."

33 They answered him, "We are Abraham's descendants and have never been slaves of anyone. How can you say that we shall be set free?"

34 Jesus replied, "I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. 35 Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. 36 So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. 37 I know you are Abraham's descendants. Yet you are ready to kill me, because you have no room for my word. 38 I am telling you what I have seen in the Father's presence, and you do what you have heard from your father."

NOTE: They are really two groups here, a group that believes, and a group that does not believe. The promise of the Word's effect is given to believers. In my own life, when I was religious, I read the bible at times but saw little effect on my life. When I became a believer, reading the bible completely transformed my life. The word is powerful both in a believer and in an unbeliever's life. But transformation and freedom from the slavery to sin is only promised to the believer who diligently seeks God in His word. The unbelieving crowd, to a certain extent, prove the limited effect of the word on their lives. They misinterpret Jesus' words and get angry at the thought that they could be slaves to anyone. Their argument, while aimed at the wrong thing, doesn't even make sense. They have been slaves at multiple times in their lives to a variety of countries (Assyria (for some), Babylon, Greece, and Rome). But Jesus is not talking about physical slavery, rather his focus is on spiritual slavery. Only belief and daily intake of the word of God can free us from spiritual slavery to sin.

QT 22 Aug 12, Every person must deal with the claims of Jesus

John 8:23-30 (NIV) But he continued, "You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world. 24 I told you that you would die in your sins; if you do not believe that I am [the one I claim to be], you will indeed die in your sins."

25 "Who are you?" they asked.

"Just what I have been claiming all along," Jesus replied. 26 "I have much to say in judgment of you. But he who sent me is reliable, and what I have heard from him I tell the world."

27 They did not understand that he was telling them about his Father. 28 So Jesus said, "When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am [the one I claim to be] and that I do nothing on my own but speak just what the Father has taught me. 29 The one who sent me is with me; he has not left me alone, for I always do what pleases him."  30 Even as he spoke, many put their faith in him.

NOTE: Verse 24 is very close to God's reply to Moses' question about God's name, "I am." And Jesus points to the crucifixion and his coming resurrection as future proof of his claims. Jesus says that he is from above, distinctly different from the audience who are from below. He is not of the world, they are of the world. And if they are not willing to believe that fact, they will die in their sins. Again, these are not the words of a good teacher, nor are they the words of just a prophet, because they are personal (concerning himself) and direct. As a result many do understand and many put their faith in him. Today, people do not like to admit Jesus' claim to be God's one and only son. Even passages like this are used since they are not as direct as mockers demand. But there was little doubting his claims among the Jews, for he was killed for this very reason, claiming to be equal to God (see John 19:7 and Matt 26:63-66). Ultimately, every person must come to terms with the claims of Christ. Will I believe? Or will I cling to some falsehood as my excuse for not believing, thinking that I am so intelligent as not needing a savior?

John 19:7 (NIV) The Jews insisted, "We have a law, and according to that law he must die, because he claimed to be the Son of God."

Matt 26:63b-66 (NIV) … The high priest said to him, "I charge you under oath by the living God: Tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God."

64 "Yes, it is as you say," Jesus replied. "But I say to all of you: In the future you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven."

65 Then the high priest tore his clothes and said, "He has spoken blasphemy! Why do we need any more witnesses? Look, now you have heard the blasphemy. 66 What do you think?"

"He is worthy of death," they answered. 

QT 21 Aug 12, Who can testify to Jesus' authority other than God himself?

John 8:12-20 (NIV) When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life."

13 The Pharisees challenged him, "Here you are, appearing as your own witness; your testimony is not valid."

14 Jesus answered, "Even if I testify on my own behalf, my testimony is valid, for I know where I came from and where I am going. But you have no idea where I come from or where I am going. 15 You judge by human standards; I pass judgment on no one. 16 But if I do judge, my decisions are right, because I am not alone. I stand with the Father, who sent me. 17 In your own Law it is written that the testimony of two men is valid. 18 I am one who testifies for myself; my other witness is the Father, who sent me."

19 Then they asked him, "Where is your father?"

"You do not know me or my Father," Jesus replied. "If you knew me, you would know my Father also."  20 He spoke these words while teaching in the temple area near the place where the offerings were put. Yet no one seized him, because his time had not yet come.

NOTE: This issue of authority has come up before. Essentially, a rabbi needed two other persons with authority (other rabbis) to be a rabbi. A person cannot  be his own witness. Yet Jesus insists than in his unique case, he can be his own witness, which is a subtle statement to his authority as God. Verse 14 says "even if I testify" and verse 18 says "I am one who testifies for myself …" At first I wondered if the "even" referred to the fact that the two witnesses were the Holy Spirit and the Father at the baptism. But verse 18 makes it clear that Jesus alone can testify to himself because of where he comes from, and that is from God. He is God's son. That is why he alone can testify to his authority, because he has all authority. There is no one greater than God, so no one can vouch for God's authority, other than God himself. He defines authority by who he is. Which is also why for years, the Israelites followed the one true God who had no name. He could not have a name, since he was not created. A person is given a name at birth by another. There was no other to name God. Therefore, God's cryptic answer to Moses is "I am that I am" -- what else can he say, "I am." In John, Jesus adds descriptors to the I am, not names, but attributes. Here he claims to be the light of the word. And if anyone follows him, they will have the light of life. These are bold statements for someone that others would classify as a good teacher or a good man. He is anything but a man or he would have needed another to testify to his authority.

QT 20 Aug 12, We are good at judging others, not so good ourselves

John 7:53-8:11 (NIV) Then each went to his own home. 8 But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. 2 At dawn he appeared again in the temple courts, where all the people gathered around him, and he sat down to teach them. 3 The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group 4 and said to Jesus, "Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. 5 In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?" 6 They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him.

But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. 7 When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, "If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her."  8 Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground.

9 At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. 10 Jesus straightened up and asked her, "Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?"

11 "No one, sir," she said.

"Then neither do I condemn you," Jesus declared. "Go now and leave your life of sin."

NOTE: This passage is greatly debated since it is missing in several manuscripts. I really have no opinion on its historicity other than to say that since it has survived to this day, maybe God purposefully preserved it. The woman is to be stoned, which suggests that she was a betrothed virgin who had laid with another man. And since she did not cry out (in the case of rape), is guilty of sin. We really don't know the circumstances regarding this woman's sin or what really happened to her. We also don't know what Jesus wrote on the ground. One commentator suggested he wrote the sins of those who accused her, beginning with the oldest. That would have cleared out the crowd quickly. Jesus knows exactly what happened to the woman. He does not condemn her, but he does tell her to leave her life of sin. Did he disobey the law of Moses by showing mercy? From a strict letter of the law point of view, possibly. But that was Jesus' whole argument about the law -- the people argued the letter of the law and totally missed the intent of the law. Who is to say whether a woman cried out or not, or was physically abused such they she did not cry out? Maybe she got herself into the situation through foolishness, but she has a right to say "no." The law set the penalty, but the situation had to be evaluated fully. And, why make a case of this one woman, when others in the crowd were guilty of the same sin and others, and had never been found out. If Jesus did write those sins on the ground, I think they would have quickly realize that they were guilty of being stoned too, right after her. Thankfully, God knows us fully. And, he forgives us on the basis of Christ's death for our sins. We are good at judging, but not so good at living righteously!

QT 16 Aug 12, The intellectuals are anything but ...

John 7:31-33, 45-53 (NIV) Still, many in the crowd put their faith in him. They said, "When the Christ comes, will he do more miraculous signs than this man?"

32 The Pharisees heard the crowd whispering such things about him. Then the chief priests and the Pharisees sent temple guards to arrest him.

. . .

45 Finally the temple guards went back to the chief priests and Pharisees, who asked them, "Why didn't you bring him in?"

46 "No one ever spoke the way this man does," the guards declared.

47 "You mean he has deceived you also?" the Pharisees retorted. 48 "Has any of the rulers or of the Pharisees believed in him? 49 No! But this mob that knows nothing of the law — there is a curse on them."

50 Nicodemus, who had gone to Jesus earlier and who was one of their own number, asked, 51 "Does our law condemn anyone without first hearing him to find out what he is doing?"

52 They replied, "Are you from Galilee, too? Look into it, and you will find that a prophet does not come out of Galilee."

NOTE: I think these verses continue a theme about how people view Jesus Christ. To those who are willing to look at the evidence, it is overwhelming. You must be able to classify Jesus. You cannot just say he was a good man because good men do not claim to be the bread of life, to be living water, to be the resurrection and the life, to be the gate into life, to be the good shepherd, to be the way, the truth and the life, and finally by believing in Jesus, you will have eternal life. No, this is not just a good man, he is a liar, a crazy man, or the Son of God. And if he is the Son of God who came from Heaven, everything he says is "deadly" true. The intellectuals, who had already made of their mind (he was a liar controlled by Satan), did not want to dig into the evidence. They dismissed the crowd as a mob, easily deceived, and uneducated. The very same thing that Atheists and supposed intellectuals say of Christians today. When one of their number, such as Nicodemus, actually try to raise an objection, they pull out an unfounded truth (which is founded truth in their opinion) and slap the person down. They are the intellectuals, the supposedly open minded, but they are the greatest fools of all, because they misread the times. In their pride, they could not see their need, and so rejected eternal life. That is such a sad story, but it is repeated every day. Our job as believers is to live in such a way that the unbeliever is forced to reexamine his opinions of Jesus Christ and hopefully to find the life he offers.

QT 13 Aug 12, Legalism is a great danger to the Church's witness

John 7:19-26 (NIV) Has not Moses given you the law? Yet not one of you keeps the law. Why are you trying to kill me?"

20 "You are demon-possessed," the crowd answered. "Who is trying to kill you?"

21 Jesus said to them, "I did one miracle, and you are all astonished. 22 Yet, because Moses gave you circumcision (though actually it did not come from Moses, but from the patriarchs), you circumcise a child on the Sabbath. 23 Now if a child can be circumcised on the Sabbath so that the law of Moses may not be broken, why are you angry with me for healing the whole man on the Sabbath? 24 Stop judging by mere appearances, and make a right judgment."

25 At that point some of the people of Jerusalem began to ask, "Isn't this the man they are trying to kill? 26 Here he is, speaking publicly, and they are not saying a word to him. Have the authorities really concluded that he is the Christ?

NOTE: Jesus did more than one miracle. His statement here is in reference to the invalid of 38 years that he had healed on the Sabbath. Jesus argues that if work can not be done on the Sabbath, then why do we circumcise on the Sabbath? The "appearances" argument ignores what was done, that is, the making a man whole who had been in bondage for 38 years. The right judgment is that, doing good is an acceptable work for the Sabbath. This is the danger of legalism. It evaluates against the rule and not the intent or purpose of the action. Legalism had riddled the Jewish faith and marred the work God intended to do through the nation. In many churches, legalism tries to do the same thing. It removes the love and compassion of the gospel, and replaces it with hatred and discord.

The other interesting point is that there is a great mixture of information regarding Jesus. One group doesn't acknowledge that the leaders are trying to kill him (verse 20) and the other group reference that very fact (verse25). There are other misconceptions about Jesus elsewhere in this passage, such as where he was born (verses 41-42), facts about the Messiah (verse 27), where his authority is coming from (verse 15), and where he is going (verse 35). These also point to one great truth about belief. Those who want to believe will search for truth, and those who don't want to believe will search for objections (while pretending to search for truth).

QT 8 Aug 12, Why the world hates Christianity

John 7:1-9 (NIV) After this, Jesus went around in Galilee, purposely staying away from Judea because the Jews there were waiting to take his life. 2 But when the Jewish Feast of Tabernacles was near, 3 Jesus' brothers said to him, "You ought to leave here and go to Judea, so that your disciples may see the miracles you do. 4 No one who wants to become a public figure acts in secret. Since you are doing these things, show yourself to the world." 5 For even his own brothers did not believe in him.

6 Therefore Jesus told them, "The right time for me has not yet come; for you any time is right. 7 The world cannot hate you, but it hates me because I testify that what it does is evil. 8 You go to the Feast. I am not yet going up to this Feast, because for me the right time has not yet come."  9 Having said this, he stayed in Galilee.

NOTE: The key to this whole chapter (7) is the statement "it (the world) hates me because I testify that what it does is evil." This is the real issue today and it is the same as it was in Jesus' day. The world hates true Christianity because it tells us that we are not okay, but are sinners. And because we are sinners, we need a savior. Those who don't want to believe will find every excuse in the book to dismiss Christianity. Those who are seeking will search for the truth that scriptures teaches and will find in it the savior they so desperately need. In the preceding chapter, Jesus makes it clear that people have the Prophets (the OT) to guide them, and now they have Jesus's words as well. Peter sums it up supremely well with his statement, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life." The real believer recognizes that the Christian life is about eternal life that is found in knowing Jesus Christ and growing deeper in that relationship, and all of this through the word of God.

QT 6 Aug 12, The early disciples wanted physical blessings and turned away when they learned of only spiritual blessing

John 6:53-66 (NIV) Jesus said to them, "I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. 54 Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. 55 For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. 56 Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in him. 57 Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me. 58 This is the bread that came down from heaven. Your forefathers ate manna and died, but he who feeds on this bread will live forever."  59 He said this while teaching in the synagogue in Capernaum.

60 On hearing it, many of his disciples said, "This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?"

61 Aware that his disciples were grumbling about this, Jesus said to them, "Does this offend you? 62 What if you see the Son of Man ascend to where he was before! 63 The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life. 64 Yet there are some of you who do not believe." For Jesus had known from the beginning which of them did not believe and who would betray him. 65 He went on to say, "This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless the Father has enabled him."

66 From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him.

NOTE: Three phrases stand out quite strongly to me. First, "your forefathers ate manna and died." In other words, why do you want to settle for so little when you can have so much. Do we really consider an eternal inheritance as less valuable than the riches of this world? Secondly, many of Jesus' disciples consider it a hard saying that was difficult to accept, … Why? Because they wanted what the world offers more than what Jesus offered. Jesus made it clear that the issue was not cannibalism because the  words concerned spirit and life and were to be understood in the spiritual sense. The third thing that stands out is that many followers of Christ, disciples, turned back and no longer followed him because he did not offer the riches of this life as the promise for being his disciples. The church is right here today, we are more interested in the riches this life offers, than the eternal reward that God offers to those who believe in him. We are to live for Christ, not for the things of this world.

QT 3 Aug 12, The real issues of life are spiritual, not physical

John 6:41, 45-52 (NIV) At this the Jews began to grumble about him because he said, "I am the bread that came down from heaven."

It is written in the Prophets: 'They will all be taught by God.' Everyone who listens to the Father and learns from him comes to me. 46 No one has seen the Father except the one who is from God; only he has seen the Father. 47 I tell you the truth, he who believes has everlasting life. 48 I am the bread of life. 49 Your forefathers ate the manna in the desert, yet they died. 50 But here is the bread that comes down from heaven, which a man may eat and not die. 51 I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world."

52 Then the Jews began to argue sharply among themselves, "How can this man give us his flesh to eat?"

NOTE: Verse 41 strikes me as an odd statement. Clearly, the similarity to the bread of Exodus and the grumbling can't be ignored, but that's not what is so interesting (this is the only chapter in John which uses the word grumble and grumbling). Verse 41 says that they grumbled because he said he was the bread that came down from heaven. In other words, they wanted real bread that they could eat -- they wanted a physical answer for their temporal life -- they were not interested in a spiritual answer to their needs. By saying that he was the bread, the Jews knew they could not eat him to survive. But actually they got it all wrong. Jesus tells them that there forefathers ate manna in the desert and died. The real problem is not temporal issues of life, but the eternal state of your life. And, Jesus continues, you must eat his flesh and drink his blood to live forever. Now we have a very clear reference to communion that Jesus will teach his disciples right before the crucifixion. So, Jesus makes it absolutely clear that our real problem in life is not physical but spiritual. We ought to know that instinctively, but sometimes the problems of life seem so overwhelming that all we can focus on is just what is in front of us.

QT 1 Aug 12, Why do we follow Jesus?

John 6:30-35, 41-44 (NIV) So they asked him, "What miraculous sign then will you give that we may see it and believe you? What will you do? 31 Our forefathers ate the manna in the desert; as it is written: 'He gave them bread from heaven to eat.'"

32 Jesus said to them, "I tell you the truth, it is not Moses who has given you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. 33 For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world."

34 "Sir," they said, "from now on give us this bread."

35 Then Jesus declared, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty.

. . .

41 At this the Jews began to grumble about him because he said, "I am the bread that came down from heaven."  42 They said, "Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How can he now say, 'I came down from heaven'?"

43 "Stop grumbling among yourselves," Jesus answered.

NOTE: The people of Jesus day could not seem to get the proper focus. There were looking for bread to sustain their physical life. They wanted Jesus to make their life easier. They did not want to worry about where the next paycheck came from. They did not want to sweat and work hard to get food. They wanted what the Israelites of Moses' day got, free food. Of course, what is forgotten are three key aspects of the Exodus. The people who picked up the free food everyday, the manna, grumbled in the desert. They wished for the old days of slavery in Egypt where they could eat leeks, onions, and cabbage. Secondly, the free food did not help them to walk with God any better. They still grumbled about many different things, and when it came time to obey God and head into the promised land, they rebelled against God. Third, they received free food from heaven but still died in the desert. Ultimately free food did not provide for their greatest need, which was a spiritual need. And the latter point is Jesus' argument here. What the people need is not physical food, but spiritual food.

At this point, the crowd requests this food Jesus offers, only to grumble (like the Exodus crowd) at Jesus' statement that he was the true bread of life. There issue is that they know his parents, so how could he come down from heaven? But the real issue is that they are not interested in a food that feeds them spiritually. They wanted their physical lives to be better.

Many Christians do the same thing today. They follow Jesus but only for what they can get out of it: health, a good family, more money and things. It is called the health and wealth gospel and it is wrong. The want the "blessings," except that God's definition of blessings is much different from ours. Today, Jesus is still offering a new heart, a new life, and a promise of a future inheritance to those who will put their faith in God. There is no promise of physical blessings here on earth, but only future ones. Will we be satisfied with that promise, or must we like the people of Jesus' times demand earthly rewards in order to follow God?