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Just as with the "certain lawyer" who approached Jesus (Luke 10:25-37, as we discussed recently), the "rich young ruler" also approached Jesus with the question, "What shall I do to inherit eternal life?" (see Mark 10:17-27, Luke 18:18-27)
Jesus' response to the man was similar, bringing up five or six of the Ten Commandments. And so, is that true? Do the commandments have anything to do with inheriting eternal life? After all, that was how Jesus responded to this man's question about inheriting eternal life! Mike and Joel talk this through in this week's Growing in Grace podcast.
As we continue looking at how the words of Jesus don't always apply to believers, we realize many questions may arise, including the question, "What about the Bible passage that says, 'ALL Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work?'" We take some time out at the beginning of the podcast to address that.
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Sunday, September 20, 2009
207. It's All About the Unconditional Love of the Father
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Continuing from last week with our look at parables in which we often seem to misidentify the characters, or at least in which we seem to put the spotlight on the wrong characters, this week we take a look at the story that is commonly called "The Parable of the Prodigal Son." Certainly the prodigal son isn't a character who we simply glance over, and most of us can easily identify with him in one way or another, but is he really meant to be the main focus of the parable? We'll share a couple of real-life stories as we discuss how we think the focus was always meant to be on the great love of the father.
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Continuing from last week with our look at parables in which we often seem to misidentify the characters, or at least in which we seem to put the spotlight on the wrong characters, this week we take a look at the story that is commonly called "The Parable of the Prodigal Son." Certainly the prodigal son isn't a character who we simply glance over, and most of us can easily identify with him in one way or another, but is he really meant to be the main focus of the parable? We'll share a couple of real-life stories as we discuss how we think the focus was always meant to be on the great love of the father.
Sunday, September 13, 2009
206. Identifying Ourselves Correctly in the Parables
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The words of Jesus - surprisingly to many people - are not always what they seem at face value, as we've discussed over the past few weeks here on Growing in Grace. Often we begin with a preconceived premise in our determination of what Jesus is trying to communicate, but if we start with the wrong premise then we're going to end up going down the wrong path, leading to the wrong conclusions. With this in mind, this week we take a look at how various characters in the parables that Jesus told are often misunderstood because we often start with the wrong premise of the meaning of each parable.
Often the parable of the Good Samaritan is read and taught in such a way as to make us (Christians) out to be people who should strive to be the Good Samaritan in the story. The parables of the Pearl of Great Price and of the Treasure Hidden in a Field are presented as stories that show Jesus as a precious pearl and treasure that we are to purchase after we sell all we have. Are these things really what these parables are communicating? We'll take into consideration the people Jesus was talking with in each situation and what questions He was responding to, and also take into account the surrounding context and other New Covenant truth to help us sort out who some of characters in the parables really represent.
Hint: We often try to make ourselves the heroes and/or the centerpieces of the parables. But perhaps these parables really show us how Jesus is the hero and centerpiece!
(Click to Play, Right-Click to Download, or use Player below)
The words of Jesus - surprisingly to many people - are not always what they seem at face value, as we've discussed over the past few weeks here on Growing in Grace. Often we begin with a preconceived premise in our determination of what Jesus is trying to communicate, but if we start with the wrong premise then we're going to end up going down the wrong path, leading to the wrong conclusions. With this in mind, this week we take a look at how various characters in the parables that Jesus told are often misunderstood because we often start with the wrong premise of the meaning of each parable.
Often the parable of the Good Samaritan is read and taught in such a way as to make us (Christians) out to be people who should strive to be the Good Samaritan in the story. The parables of the Pearl of Great Price and of the Treasure Hidden in a Field are presented as stories that show Jesus as a precious pearl and treasure that we are to purchase after we sell all we have. Are these things really what these parables are communicating? We'll take into consideration the people Jesus was talking with in each situation and what questions He was responding to, and also take into account the surrounding context and other New Covenant truth to help us sort out who some of characters in the parables really represent.
Hint: We often try to make ourselves the heroes and/or the centerpieces of the parables. But perhaps these parables really show us how Jesus is the hero and centerpiece!
Sunday, September 06, 2009
205. Sermon on the Mount - Jesus' Words To You? (Part 2)
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We're taking some time to look at some of the 'hard sayings' of Jesus, as recorded in the four books that open the New Testament as we know it, known as "The Gospels." Specifically, this week we're continuing on with our look at "The Sermon on the Mount." What was Jesus really saying? To whom did His words apply? Was this a "Christian" teaching? Was Jesus giving a new list of rules to live by? Why do some of His words seem so harsh and legalistic?
We'll move on next week to various other words that Jesus spoke to others that seem hard, looking at them in the context of the New Covenant in which we now live.
(Click to Play, Right-Click to Download, or use Player below)
We're taking some time to look at some of the 'hard sayings' of Jesus, as recorded in the four books that open the New Testament as we know it, known as "The Gospels." Specifically, this week we're continuing on with our look at "The Sermon on the Mount." What was Jesus really saying? To whom did His words apply? Was this a "Christian" teaching? Was Jesus giving a new list of rules to live by? Why do some of His words seem so harsh and legalistic?
We'll move on next week to various other words that Jesus spoke to others that seem hard, looking at them in the context of the New Covenant in which we now live.
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