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Pronouns Metaphors Erros Part 22
Pronouns Metaphors Errors Pt 22
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Pronouns, Metaphors, and Errors
Message
April 12, 2015
Part 22
NKJ John 3:7-8
7 "Do not marvel that I said to you,
'You must be born again.'
8 "The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit."
NKJ John 3:9-10
9 Nicodemus answered and said to Him, “How can these things be?”
10 Jesus answered and said to him,“Are you the teacher of Israel, and do
not know these things?”
NKJ John 3:11-12
11 "Most assuredly, I say to you, We speak
what We know and testify what We have seen,
and you do not receive Our witness.
12 "If I have told you earthly things and you do
not believe, how will you believe if I tell you
heavenly things?
“Are you the teacher of Israel, and do not know these things?”
Yeshiva ישיבה, literally "sitting( work that presses one to the tent)”; is a Jewish institution that focuses on the study of traditional religious texts, primarily the Talmud and Torah study.
Study is usually done through daily lectures or classes and in study companionship pairs, a unique feature of the yeshiva.
Today, I want to do something I have wanted to do for many years- -explore three specific responses to official“birthing” business from God involving an angel or Jesus; to see what kind of differences exist, if any, between them: from Zacharias, the father of John the Baptizer;from Mary, the mother of Jesus; and from Nicodemus, the nocturnal Pharisee.
1. Nicodemus responds to Jesus in John 3.9
“How can these things be?” [Accepted? Yes/No]
2. Zacharias responds to the angel in Luke 1.18
“How shall I know this? [Accepted? Yes/No]
For I am an old man, and my wife is well advanced in years.”
3. Mary responds to the angel in Luke 1.34
“How can this be, [Accepted? Yes/No]
since I do not know a man?”
Let’s look first at Zacharias, then Mary, and finally Nicodemus.
Luke 1:11-14
11 Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him,
standing on the right side of the altar of incense.
12 And when Zacharias saw him, he was troubled,
and fear fell upon him.
13 But the angel said to
him, "Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your prayer
is heard; and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a
son, and you shall call his name John.
14 "And
you will have joy and gladness, and many will
rejoice at his birth.
[This is probably the point at which the angel lost him.]
Luke 1:15-17
15 "For he will be great in the sight of the
Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink.
He will also be filled with the Holy Spirit,
even from his mother's womb.
16 "And he will
turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their
God.
17 "He will also go before Him in the spirit
and power of Elijah, 'to turn the hearts of the fathers
to the children,' and the disobedient to the wisdom
of the just, to make ready a people prepared for the
Lord."
Luke 1:18
18 And Zacharias said to the angel, "How shall I know this?
For I am an old man, and my wife is well advanced
in years."
I’m going to do a first, second and third derivative kind of thing with these responses, in order to capture the “attitude” of Zacharias and the others.
Let me explain…
By referring to derivatives; a first, second and third; I mean that we will build upon our understanding by going through each response three times, attempting to refine our translation by looking more carefully at the details during each successive pass through the Greek words.
this thing( the entire message)? (neuter gender)
Syntax: word1( word2)
Reads:word1 is put for word2
white space means “is put for” “this thing” is put for “the message”.
Implication: Zacharias questions the validity of the entire message.
2nd Derivative
In accordance with semantic domain: relations involving correspondences;
what thing: (neuter) an authority the law, a decree, an official document
will I come to know for myself (middle voice) using a corresponding authority in order to verify this thing?
this thing? this thing( this message)? very possibly with a pejorative( worsening) meaning
3rd Derivative
In accordance with( how does this correspond to)
what thing ( some other authority) [implied: other than you]
so that will I come to know for myself( in order to verify to my own satisfaction, middle voice)
this thing ( this ridiculous message)?
Paraphrase
How does this message correspond to some authority other than you by which I might eventually compare and verify this ridiculous message to my own satisfaction; because both I and my wife are well beyond our reproductive years!
…not a cool way to address an angel of the Lord.
Implication
To the angel:
Maybe you got the wrong message; or the wrong Zacharias; or the wrong address; very possibly you got the wrong date, since we’d stopped praying that prayer a very long time ago. Please check your invoice; if this message really is for me, the timing is way off, it should have been delivered 40 years ago.
See Steve’s “tail of the times”…
Outcome…
Luke 1:19-20
19 And the angel answered and said
to him, "I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence
of God, and was sent to speak to you and bring
you these glad tidings.
20 "But behold, you will be mute and not able to speak until the day these things take place, because you did not believe my words which will be fulfilled in their own time."
This is an unusual affliction which demonstrates God’s creativity and timing in the manner by which He chooses to deal with his children on an“individual” basis.
Usually a person is mute as a secondary affliction.
Because they are unable to hear, they cannot
monitor the sounds they make; they are mute,
because they cannot hear.
Zacharias was rendered speechless, yet he was able to function, because he could still hear.
When God says, “Shut up!”, He means it.
Next..
Luke 1:28-38
28 And having come in, the angel said to her, "Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you;
blessed are you among women!"
29 But when she saw him, she was troubled at his
saying, and considered what manner of greeting
this was.
30 Then the angel said to her, "Do not
be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.
Luke 1.31-33
31 "And behold, you will conceive in your womb
and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name
JESUS.
32 "He will be great, and will be called
the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give
Him the throne of His father David. 33 "And He
will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of
His kingdom there will be no end."
Luke 1:34-35
34 Then Mary said to the angel, "How can this be,
since I do not know a man?"
2nd Derivative
2. in what way in what manner
3. will it be? will it happen by itself? (future middle)
1 This thing This birthing event (not the message itself, and no pejorative likely)
3rd Derivative
2. in what manner in what other manner
3. will it happen by itself? will it happen; spontaneously, since I am definately not having sexual relation with any man?
1This birthing event The entire process of giving birth to a baby
Outcome…
Luke 1:35-38
35 And the angel answered and said to her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the
power of the Highest will overshadow you;
therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born
will be called the Son of God.
36 "Now indeed, Elizabeth your relative has also
conceived a son in her old age; and this is now the
sixth month for her who was called barren.
37 "For with God nothing will be impossible."
38 Then Mary said, "Behold the maidservant of
the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word."
And the angel departed from her.
[Also, Gabriel’s delivery was a little more smooth.]
Success with messages about birthing…
it’s all about the delivery!
Next..
John 3:7-8
7 "Do not marvel that I said to you,
'You must be born again.'
8 "The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit."
John 3:9
9 Nicodemus answered and said to Him,"How can these things be?"
2nd Derivative
2. In what way (adverbial) in what manner
3. are they presently able (middle voice) do they have their own ability (middle)
1. Subject: these things These events of people being born again ( likely pejorative)
4. to happen? to take place?
3rd Derivative
2. In what manner in what manner
3. Do they have their own ability (middle) are they spontaneously able
1. These events of people being born again (likely pejorative) these spectacular events of people being born again
4. to happen? to take place?
Paraphrase
These spectacular events of people being born again, in what manner are they spontaneously able to take place?
Outcome…
John 3. 10-11
10 Jesus answered and said to him, "Are you the teacher of Israel, and do not know
these things?
11 "Most assuredly, I say to you, We speak what We know and testify what We
have seen, and you do not receive Our witness.
John 3. 12
12 "If I have told you earthly things and you do
not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things?
Implications
With God’s Word, there is always a“present-tenseness” to it, from our perspective. Even though spoken ages prior, His truth is as fresh and relevant as anything could possibly be today.
The full Godhead, glorious and wise,
is the Author of this Word to us. We are to listen to it closely, trusting in its own
validity, without adding to it our doubt and
skepticism which comes only through disrespect
and disbelief. We do well to remember that nothing, absolutely“nothing”, gets past God’s notice and awareness. So we need not ever think that He has abandoned
us.If it should seem that He is not near at hand,
it’s because we have somehow pressed Him away
from us. His witness is true, His understanding is complete,
He knows what He’s talking about, and His words
are as powerful in their authority as they are in
their truthfulness. Nothing we could say to the Lord would surprise
or shock Him, He’s seen and heard it all.Give consideration to the word of Jesus to
Nicodemus, for yourself. If He is showing you things, and you are already
trusting in Him for earthly matters, how much
more glorious things will He show you of
heavenly (Godly) matters, and enable you to grasp
an understanding of them and to partake of them. There are certain things( truth propositions) from
Scripture that the Lord expects you to already know
and to already have thought deeply about. The better the thoroughness and the quality of our
study of the Bible, the better we are prepared to
receive greater things( blessings) from Him in the
near( short range) and distant( long range) future.Well thought out( meditated upon) scriptural
knowledge properly prepares us to make better
sense of our blessings, to recognize and appreciate
them all the more.
Many will be surprised on the Day of Judgment when they discover that it was just as the Word of God says; only the righteousness of Christ is able to save you.All men are sinners and no one can save himself. God is just, so He must punish sin; but He is also merciful, moreover gracious, and offers His Son as the perfect sacrifice in order to purchase a place for you in heaven, which He offers to you as the free gift of eternal life. A couple of more details from the Greek…
Jesus is the Christ,
Jesus is the Messiah,
Jesus is the Anointed One,
He is God Incarnate,
the Good Shepherd!
In order to pay the debt of our sins, He came from Heaven, having been sent by the Father,
where He lived a life of perfect obedience to the Father
even unto the shameful death upon the cross
in order to pay the debt of your sins.This gift must be received by faith,
believing that Jesus’ perfect life and Cross Work
was His complete and necessary Atonement
for your sins, in your behalf.
Faith is a gift that comes by the Power of God the Holy Spirit working in a person’s innermost being.
Only the power of God can open your heart to the willingness to have the void within it filled
with the presence of Christ by His Spirit.The Holy Spirit has the authority and power to quicken your dead spirit, to make it come to life.
Only the life of His Spirit’s quickening of your heart will allow the Gospel message of salvation to even make sense to you, to truly “hear” the message and give you the ability,
as the Holy Spirit bears witness to Jesus,
to recognize your need for forgiveness and restoration, and gain the desire of your heart to be favorably inclined to want to receive Christ as your personal Lord and Savior.If you have not done so before this moment,
ask Jesus to forgive you your sins,
tell Him you’ve stop trying to be your own savior,
and ask Him to come into your life right now,
and to give you eternal life. Then, in faith believing,
thank Him for the gift that He is giving you,
the one He paid for in full in your place,
in Jesus’ name,
AMEN
Copyright April, 2015
Rev. Jim Craig
All Rights Reserved
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