Author Archive: Pastor Mark

Denying the fruitless enticements of the flesh

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Series: In Pursuit of Relational knowledge

We ventured away from John 15 today as we studied correlating scriptures which help up develop a more broadstroked vista of our position as branches in our Vine.

Our spirits have been made alive in and to God, our souls are being converted to think, see, feel and desire as God does, but we live in a physical body which still has both sin and death in it. So while we have very real desires to honor and obey our God and Father, we also have very real enticements from our flesh to do otherwise.

This inward conflict is not simply one of external morality, but one of intrinsic inner character at war with an external hard wiring. As such, like Paul lamented, “I find myself doing the very things I hate!”

Today we learned a little more about this, so as to better understand how to live out our “branchness” and bear fruit pleasing to God.

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Zechariah Israel future

Zechariah sees Israel’s promised future

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Thru the Bible: Zechariah 12-14

Zechariah chapters 12-14 address Israel’s future unfaithfulness and ultimate rejection of their Messiah. The judgment this brings will reduce Israel by two-thirds and the remaining 3rd will be purified and refined by trials.

During the future and Great Tribulation the antichrist will break covenant with the Jews and with antagonistic fury persecute them. Those who endure will see the Lord return on the Mount of Olives and mourn for what their ancestors (and they by extention) had done to Him.

Then the tides will turn and God’s wrath will be poured out on the antichrist and all of Israel’s enemies. He will rule from Jerusalem over the whole earth. The Feast of Tabernacles will once again be celebrated only the whole earth will participate in honoring Jesus the King Who has now tabernacled among them!

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Jesus Vine

Jesus replaces Israel as the Vine

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Series: In Pursuit of Relational knowledge

Our ongoing study in John 15 is helping us better understand how to properly receive the message of the Kingdom in our hearts. This is so we can do things ON PURPOSE to facilitate knowing Jesus in intimate and fruitfulfulness.

This week instead of pressing forward, we examined where Jesus likely drew this analogy of a vine and branches. It has its roots in Israel from when God first delivered them from Egypt and “planted them as a choice vine” in the promised land. Israel however, never really produced mature and good fruit.

As such Jesus took this illustrative metaphor for Israel and restated it with Himself being the Vine and all who were in the Kingdom… who follow Him in devotion as branches which faithfully produce fruit.

Before returning to John 15, we read the end of John 14 which introduces the Holy Spirit at the One Who facilitates this union.

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Remain Vine Branch

Remain in Me

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Series: In Pursuit of Relational Knowledge

The good heart has attributes the others lack and that makes it a heart which will produce fruit.

• It understands the message of the kingdom.
• It sees the deep value of knowing Jesus in true intimacy and surrenders to that union within His kingdom.

Because of the value this heart places on Jesus, satan seeks to desuade this heart from it’s loyalty through persecution, temptation and being hated even by those they love.

This has a COMPLETELY NON-RELIGIOUS response. This heart, instead of growing distant and cold, draws all the closer to Jesus during times of opposition and it is due to the love and value of Him that they endure.

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What God has done / What God will do

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Thru the Bible: Zechariah 11

God employs the use of two shepherd staffs to illustrate two covenants. One was called Favor and the other Union.

Favor was the shepherd staff which represented the old covenant – in particular the ark of the covenant which was taken by Nebuchadnezzar at the time of the temple’s destruction and never returned.

The second shepherd staff was Union. It represented Jesus Himself. In Jesus the union between greater Israel and Judah would be broken but a new and better covenant would be instituted. It would be an eternal covenant based upon better promises where the union would be with God directly and would result in union between each other and all in the world who would turn to Messiah in faith.

The prophecy ends with a dark note, which I believe is in reference to the change in the priesthood following the Maccabean revolt.

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