Tag: wiseom

31.v. “And they were astonished at his teaching, for his word possessed authority.”

 

Matthew 7:28  And when Jesus finished these sayings, the crowds were astonished at his teaching, for he was teaching them as one who had authority, and not as their scribes.

 Mark 1:22    And they were astonished at his teaching, for he taught them as one who had authority, and not as the scribes.

 Mark 6:2     And on the Sabbath he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were astonished, saying, “Where did this man get these things? What is the wisdom given to him? How are such mighty works done by his hands?

 Luke 4:22    And all spoke well of him and marveled at the gracious words that were coming from his mouth. And they said, “Is not this Joseph’s son?”

 Luke 4:32   and they were astonished at his teaching, for his word possessed authority.

 John 7:46     The officers answered, “No one ever spoke like this man!”

 His audience could not but notice that Jesus taught with an authority lacking in the other teachers in His day, who often only quoted other rabbis. Jesus spoke with inherent authority, and the authority of God’s revealed Word.  “Two things surprised them: the substance of his teaching, and the manner of it. They had never heard such doctrine before; the precepts which he had given were quite new to their thoughts. But their main astonishment was at his manner: there was a certainty, a power, a weight about it, such as they had never seen.” (Spurgeon)

We often hear people quote other people to make a point supporting their point. These are published people who we may know by name or they come from a peer-reviewed published paper. We give these people some sort of higher position because of their understanding and knowledge in their field of expertise.  I don’t think there is anything inherently wrong with this if it is understood that these people, though they may have very high IQ or wealth, they are just people who speak from a worldly, temporary position.  Jesus spoke of the heavenly and Godly.  He spoke with authority, wisdom, knowledge, and understanding. And yet, we read His words and give them little thought. We read it without meditating on it. We read it like we are reading a newspaper or magazine. There is deep wisdom, knowledge, and understanding in His Word. If we were to study it for a thousand lifetimes we would just begin to scratch the surface of its holiness.  Blessed is the one who takes to heart God’s Word both in thought and practice.

24.x. “On him we have set our hope that he will deliver us again.”

 

2 Corintihians 1:8 For we do not want you to be unaware, brothers, of the affliction we experienced in Asia. For we were so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself. Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death. But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead. He delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will deliver us again. You also must help us by prayer, so that many will give thanks on our behalf for the blessing granted us through the prayers of many.

 Psalms 44:6-7   For not in my bow do I trust, nor can my sword save me.  But you have saved us from our foes and have put to shame those who hate us.

 Proverbs 28:26    Whoever trusts in his own mind is a fool, but he who walks in wisdom will be delivered.

 Jeremiah 9:23-24     Thus says the LORD: “Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches,  but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the LORD who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the LORD.”

 Jeremiah 17:5-7    Thus says the LORD: “Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength, whose heart turns away from the LORD.  He is like a shrub in the desert, and shall not see any good come. He shall dwell in the parched places of the wilderness, in an uninhabited salt land.  “Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose trust is the LORD.

Whatever the problem was, it was bad. Because of this problem, Paul lived with the awareness that he might die at any time.  He was able to able to learn from this and say – “not to rely on ourselves but on God”.  He has delivered us, He is delivering us, and He will deliver us – past, present, future.  David, though he used bow and sword, said that he did not trust in them even thought there was victory – It was all of God and not by their might, talent, power, or strength that victory was gained.  

It is when we seek deliverance and rely on self, how is God to help?  Life is marked by events, and our life is lived either in anticipation of those events (looking to the future) or in reflection upon them (looking to the past). In either situation, stress is a possibility. We may be concerned about what is coming, or we may be exhausted by what has happened. Whenever life drains you of strength, let God be your source for refreshment (Psalm 23:1-3). Make prayer your first choice when it comes to unburdening your soul of what this world has done, is doing, and will do that adversely affects you. God is not limited and will deliver you. His strength, His power, His might, His timing.