"Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning. Of His own will begat He us with the Word of truth, that we should be a kind of first fruits of His creatures ..." (James 1:17-18)
"So mightily grew the Word of God and prevailed ..." (Acts 19:20)
One of the key commandments we receive in His Word -- the Word of the Lord God Almighty --is to let brotherly love continue, forgetting not to entertain strangers, for thereby, in so doing, we may entertain angels unawares. (Hebrews 13:1) This includes remembering them that are in bonds, as being bound with them, and also them which suffer adversity, as being ourselves also suffering adversity in the body. In another place, the apostles chose seven men full of the Holy Ghost to serve tables, and to help care for the orphans and the widows. Together, these good works communicate to those who are without hope the peace and joy that we have within, because we willingly asked Jesus to become both Lord and Christ in our heart, being water baptized in His precious Name -- Jesus. (Acts 2:36-41; Romans 6:3-4; I Peter 3:21-22; Acts 19:)
The dialogue between the rich man and the Lord Jesus is instructive because the Lord is sharing with the man wherein should be his life priorities. That is, first to "Hear O Israel the Lord thy God is One Lord" and second, to love Him with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength. Plus, through the love and peace that we receive from the Lord in our hearts -- His mercy and kindness and grace in our very essence -- we then desire to reach out and love one another. (Mark 12:29-31; Deuteronomy 6:4) In other words, we learn to let the Lord flow through us to those around us.
This very same love in witnessed in one of Jesus' parables, wherein Jesus shares with His disciples beforehand that the Son of man (who is Jesus) shall be delivered unto the hands of men. (Luke 9:44; Matthew 17:22-23)
Herein, the Lord Jesus tells of a certain man who went into a far country to receive for Himself a kingdom. And now, as we witness in the parable, the Lord Jesus (the certain man who planted the vineyard and set a hedge about it) has returned to gather those who believe in Him. But in the interim, He has sent prophets, and the psalmist to warn them of the times to come, if the people choose not submit to the Lord God. And then He sends the Son and we all know what happened to Him. But now I am getting ahead of myself. The parable from Mark 12:
"A certain man planted a vineyard, and set an hedge about it, and digged a place for the wine fat, and built a tower, and let it out to husbandmen, and went into a far country. And at the season, He sent to the husbandmen a servant, that He might receive from the husbandmen of the fruit of the vineyard. And they caught him, and beat him, and sent him away empty. And again He sent unto them another servant; and at him they cast stones, and wounded him in the head, and sent him away shamefully handled. And again He sent another; and him they killed, and many others; beating some, and killing some.
Having yet therefore one s/Son, His well beloved, He sent Him also last unto them, saying, "They will reverence My s/Son." But those husbandmen said among themselves, "This is the heir; come, let us kill Him, and the inheritance shall be ours." And they took Him, and killed Him, and cast Him out of the vineyard.
"What shall therefore the Lord of the vineyard do? He will come and destroy the husbandmen, and will give the vineyard unto others. And have ye not read this scripture; The s/Stone which the builders rejected is become the Head of the corner. This was the Lord's doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes?"
It is no wonder, as the Lord Jesus so aptly states, that "they sought to lay hold on Him, but feared the people: for they knew that He had spoken the parable against them: and they left Him, and went their way." (Mark 12:1-12) Still, as we know from the old covenant, the Lord God continually laboured with the Israelites (the Jews) and did everything to bring them back to Him. He gave them manna from heaven in the desert, and provided springs of living water for them to drink. But they would not listen, preferring to worship instead the golden calf in whoredom.
In fact, "How oft," said the Lord, would He have gathered His children unto Him in the same way that a hen gathers her chicks, but His people would not listen. So the Lord reached out instead to a people that were not originally His people, to extend to them His offer of life everlasting. But to do so, the Lord Jesus had to make everyone - both Jew and Gentile, both male and female, both bond and free - equal so that we could all (by repenting and being water baptized in the Name of the Lord Jesus) be one in Christ Jesus. (Galatians 3:28; Acts 2:36-41)
You see, from the very beginning, our Lord God and Saviour has sent His servants and prophets, and the psalmist also, to invite His beloved people back into the kingdom of God. But sadly, and far too often, the people would not listen, killing and maiming those who proclaimed the Word of the Lord. So finally, God sends His only begotten Son (God Himself manifest in the flesh -- I Timothy 3:16; Isaiah 9:6) to become our Saviour. The body of Christ church which He hath purchased with His own blood.
After the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared. (Titus 3:4-7)
Just as Jesus shared with His disciples in the parable, they killed the s/Son too because they recognized Him to be the heir. What these did not know is that in crucifying Jesus, He became victorious in all things. "All power is given unto Me," Jesus said, which is why He could also state, "I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No man comes to the Father but by Me." (John 14:6; Matthew 28:18)
Yes, "by Him therefore let us offer the sacrifices of praise to God continually." What is the sacrifice of praise to God? As the scripture states, that is, the fruit of our lips GIVING THANKS TO HIS NAME! (Hebrews 13:15)
The ONLY Name given under heaven whereby we must be saved. (Acts 4:12) The Name above every other name. (Philippians 2:9) His Name? As the angel of the Lord declared, His Name shall be JESUS, for He shall save His people from their sins. (Matthew 1:21-23)
And today? We are "looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the Great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto Himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works!" (Titus 2:13-14)
Let those with ears to hear, hear. Stand in the offering plate.
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