My project results – part 4 continued

 

Why have Christians been dying for 2,000 years? Jesus provides the answer in Mark 4 when he quotes from Isaiah 6.

 

Here’s Isaiah 6. Isaiah is speaking.

My eyes have seen The King, Jehovah of hosts. … And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, whom shall I send and who will go for us? Then I said, Here am I, send me! And he said, Go and tell this people, hear, but hearing do not understand, and see, but seeing not do know. Make fat the heart of this people, and his ears make heavy, and his eyes shut, lest he see with his eyes, and with his ears hear, and with his heart understand and turn and one heals him. Then I said, until when, O Lord? And he said, until that might lie desolate cities without inhabitant, and even the houses without man, and the land laid waste a desolation. And Jehovah has sent far away mankind and great the desolation in the midst of the land. (Isaiah 6:5,8-12)

 

Here’s Mark 4 where Jesus quotes this Isaiah 6 passage. Jesus has just told the crowd the parable about sowing seed where the seed falls on four types of ground.

 

And when he became alone, asked him those around him with the twelve the parable. And he said to them, to you has been given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God, but to these outside in parables all things become, that seeing they may see and not perceive, and hearing they may hear and not understand, lest they should convert and be forgiven their sins. And he says to them, know you not this parable? And how all the parables will you know? He sowing the word sows. (Mark 4:10-14)

 

Notice Jesus quotes only part of the Isaiah passage. He was giving his disciples a reference in the old testament so they would know what he wanted them to read in full. This is that. Jesus brings together what the old testament said was coming, with what he is doing as the Savior.

 

Look at what Jesus connects. God says to Isaiah, lest they turn and one heals him. Jesus, who is God, says lest they should convert and be forgiven their sins. They are the same thing. In Isaiah God says what happens, in Mark God says how it happens. Once your sins are forgiven, the penalty of death is gone. Without death, there is no sickness. You are healed. You live.

 

Look at the last line of Isaiah 6, Jehovah has sent far away mankind. Jehovah has always planned for us to stop being an Adam man out of the earth. We are now children of God. Because the church doesn’t often teach the old testament scriptures we haven’t seen and understood the full picture of what Jesus has done for us. Salvation is both forgiveness of sins so we are healed and becoming a child of God so we cease to be a first Adam man. We still think either we are a sinner or a man out of the earth, or both. That’s why Christians have been dying for 2,000 years. There isn’t something new God needs to do for us so we live, we just need to see and hear what God has already done for us in Jesus.

 

God knew this would happen. Look at the next verse of Psalm 82.

 

I have said Gods you are, and sons of the Most High, all of you. But as man you shall die. (Psalm 82:6-7b)

 

It’s literal. If you remain a first Adam man in actual fact (you haven’t been baptized and born from above) or you remain a first Adam man in your thinking (you don’t discern you have a new heavenly body), you will die. It isn’t God’s plan. But God gives you free will. God’s people die for lack of knowledge. The only way to get knowledge is to abide in the word and learn what God did for you. It’s Mark 4:24a INT - be careful what you hear. If you listen to truth, listen to Jesus, you will find life.

 

 

A woman named Martha received Jesus into her house. She had a sister named Mary, who, sitting beside the feet of Jesus, heard his words. But Martha was distracted by much serving. And coming to Jesus Martha said, Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me alone to serve? Tell her that she should help me. Jesus answered her, Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things. But one thing is the need. Mary has chose the good part which shall not be taken from her. (see Luke 10:38-42)

 

Jesus loved Martha and Mary. (see John 11:5). Martha was busy trying to serve Jesus, but in doing so, she did not hear what Jesus was teaching. Mary was listening carefully. The good part we must have is to listen to Jesus. Martha was distracted and anxious and troubled.

 

Jesus gives us peace and rest. We live in the kingdom of God at peace and in rest. From there we are able to help the world. We must find life and righteousness and the kingdom of God for ourselves before we can share those things with others.

 

Those who seek God shall lack no good thing. (see Psalm 34) Those who seek God, who listen to Jesus, will have good news to share and an open door in which to share it.

 

 

What did God most want me to know? I am now in the kingdom of God. As a child of God, I am born with a heavenly body. Thank you, God!

 

Click here to read part 5