Month: April 2022

The “Triumphal” Entry

Sunday, April 10, 2022

“All this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying, Tell ye the daughter of Sion, Behold, thy King cometh unto thee, meek, and sitting upon an ass, and a colt the foal of an ass” (Matthew 21:4,5 KJV).

Do you ever wonder why Jesus Christ rode on a donkey the Sunday before His crucifixion?

In today’s Scripture (cf. Matthew 21:1-11; Mark 11:1-10; Luke 19:28-40; John 12:12-19), Jesus’s crucifixion on Calvary’s cross is just five days away. Leaving Bethany, He travels to Jerusalem (a mile to the northwest). Israel’s believing remnant in Jerusalem is excited to hear that Messiah is returning to “the city of the great King” (Psalm 48:2; Matthew 5:35); in anticipation, the great multitude throws their garments and palm branches on the ground. As Jesus enters the city, they cry out, “Hosanna [“O save!”]: Blessed is the King of Israel that cometh in the name of the Lord” (Matthew 21:9; Mark 11:9,10; Luke 19:38; John 12:13; cf. Psalm 118:26).

While often called the “Triumphal Entry,” there really was no victory being celebrated in today’s Scripture—the victory was to come later! What we need to realize is that Jesus Christ was humble (“meek”) here: as a King riding on a donkey into Israel’s capital city, He demonstrated He desired peace with Israel (a fulfillment of Zechariah 9:9). He had not come to destroy her, though He would have been just in doing so; He had come to save her from her sins, her enemies, and her satanic bondage (Matthew 1:21; Mark 2:17; Mark 3:22-30; Luke 1:68-75; Luke 9:55,56; Luke 19:9,10; Acts 3:24-26; et cetera).

Just a few days later, Jesus Christ appeared weak and defeated. He never fought back as the Roman soldiers mercilessly abused Him; He allowed Himself to be crucified on Calvary. It was His meek and lowly coming; now was not the time to pour out His wrath. He resurrected and ascended into heaven as a royal exile. Revelation 19:11 says Jesus Christ will return to Jerusalem on a white horse, a sign of war and wrath (Zechariah 14:1-4)—that will be His true triumphal entry, for He will conquer Satan’s world system forever!

Two Sons and Two Fathers

Saturday, April 9, 2022

“And they cried out all at once, saying, Away with this man, and release unto us Barabbas:” (Luke 23:18 KJV).

One son will be liberated to live, and the other Son will be sentenced to die!

At the time of Christ’s trial, Barabbas is a prisoner (Matthew 27:16). Barabbas is a murderer, a robber, and guilty of “insurrection,” or rebelling against the government (Mark 15:7; Luke 23:18,19; John 18:40).

It is Passover. Roman governor Pontius Pilate has a custom that, at the feast, he releases a prisoner, whomever the people desire (Matthew 27:15; Mark 15:6). “But the chief priests and elders persuaded the multitude that they should ask Barabbas, and destroy Jesus. The governor answered and said unto them, Whether of the twain will ye that I release unto you? They said, Barabbas. Pilate saith unto them, What shall I do then with Jesus which is called Christ? They all say unto him, Let him be crucified” (Matthew 27:20-22).

Israel’s chief priests, rulers, and common people all demand Christ’s crucifixion and Barabbas’ release, so Pilate gives the sentence (Luke 23:23-25). Guilty Barabbas is set free to live, and innocent Jesus Christ is condemned to be crucified. While Barabbas’ involvement in the matter seems insignificant upon first glance, God included it in His written Word because to provide us with an amazing illustration!

“Barabbas” means “son of the father.” Barabbas is a criminal, and he represents sinful, rebellious mankind who is worthy of death. He is bound by sin, and faces eternal death. Spiritually, sinful mankind is the son of Satan—man is of his father the devil (John 8:44). Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father, God, “knew no sin” (2 Corinthians 5:21), but took upon Himself our sins and was punished in our place.

Innocent Jesus Christ took the place of guilty Barabbas, which actually represented Christ taking the place of the whole world, suffering God’s wrath on our behalf! “For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust…” (1 Peter 3:18). Thus, through Christ’s finished crosswork, we sinful sons of Adam (and Satan) can be freed from sin, and we can become the righteous sons of God.

The Price of Christ #2

Friday, April 8, 2022

“Then took Mary a pound of ointment of spikenard, very costly, and anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped his feet with her hair: and the house was filled with the odour of the ointment” (John 12:3 KJV).

How much should Jesus Christ be worth in the eyes of Christians?

About six days before His crucifixion, Jesus is in Bethany, a town one or two miles (1.6 or 3.2 kilometers) southeast of Jerusalem. He has raised Lazarus from the dead just a short time earlier (John chapter 11), and they are holding a supper for Jesus there in Bethany (John 12:1-9). Lazarus’s sister Mary (cf. John 11:2) anoints Jesus’ feet as recorded in today’s Scripture.

Mary took a “pound” (roughly a pint or 0.5 liter) of the very intense aromatic essential oil “spikenard” and poured it onto Jesus’ feet. She then wiped His feet with her hair. (You can grasp Mary’s humility by remembering that sandaled feet that trod hot Middle Eastern sand were quite filthy, sweaty, and smelly. Can you imagine wiping your hair on those feet?)

Spikenard, whose plant derivative is still unknown, was just as the Bible says—“very costly.” In fact, when Judas—the thieving treasurer of the apostles—saw what Mary did, he bemoaned, “Why was not this ointment sold for three hundred pence, and given to the poor?” (John 12:5). Verse 6 says, “This he said, not that he cared for the poor; but because he was a thief, and had the bag, and bare what was put therein.” Judas just wanted the spikenard sold so he could pocket the money!

The word “pence” in our King James Bible means the Roman coins called denarii. A denarius was equal to one day’s wages, so 300 pence was roughly ten month’s wages (the denarius was originally worth the price of ten donkeys, so 300 pence was 3,000 donkeys!). Mary recognized the great value of the Lord Jesus Christ: He was worth far more than the mere 30 pieces of silver (three or four months’ wages) Judas later received for betraying Him. May we Christians value the Lord of glory, Jesus Christ, as much as Mary did!

The Price of Christ #1

Thursday, April 7, 2022

“And said unto them, What will ye give me, and I will deliver him unto you? And they covenanted with him for thirty pieces of silver” (Matthew 26:15 KJV).

How much is Jesus Christ worth in the eyes of lost man?

Let us read today’s Scripture within its context: “Then one of the twelve, called Judas Iscariot, went unto the chief priests, and said unto them, What will ye give me, and I will deliver him unto you? And they covenanted with him for thirty pieces of silver. And from that time he sought opportunity to betray him” (Matthew 26:14-16).

“Then Judas, which had betrayed him, when he saw that he was condemned, repented himself, and brought again the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, saying, I have sinned in that I have betrayed the innocent blood. And they said, What is that to us? see thou to that. And he cast down the pieces of silver in the temple, and departed, and went and hanged himself. And the chief priests took the silver pieces, and said, It is not lawful for to put them into the treasury, because it is the price of blood. And they took counsel, and bought with them the potter’s field, to bury strangers in. Wherefore that field was called, The field of blood, unto this day. Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremy the prophet, saying, And they took the thirty pieces of silver, the price of him that was valued, whom they of the children of Israel did value; and gave them for the potter’s field, as the Lord appointed me” (Matthew 27:3-10).

The 30 pieces of silver was enough to buy a field; it was an enormous sum of money. The King James Bible does not specify what types of coins the priests paid Judas, but the “30 pieces of silver” is estimated to be the equivalent of three or four months’ wages. According to the Mosaic Law, the price of a slave was “thirty shekels of silver” (Exodus 21:32). In the eyes of lost mankind, the Lord of glory, Jesus Christ, was worth nothing more than a slave!

A Delight That is Right #4

Wednesday, April 6, 2022

“I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart” (Psalm 40:8 KJV).

What is the “delight” that is right?

The Lord Jesus Christ is the most unique Person in all the universe: He is the God-Man, undiminished Deity and full humanity. The Gospel Record of Luke prominently features His human qualities. For instance, “And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, filled with wisdom: and the grace of God was upon him…. And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man” (Luke 2:40,52). As we grow and learn, so Jesus developed physically and mentally.

Isaiah the Prophet, 700 years before, quoted Christ: “The Lord GOD hath given me the tongue of the learned, that I should know how to speak a word in season to him that is weary: he wakeneth morning by morning, he wakeneth mine ear to hear as the learned. The Lord GOD hath opened mine ear, and I was not rebellious, neither turned away back” (chapter 50, verses 4,5). In complete submission to His Heavenly Father, He learned exactly what His Father had planned for Him. Jesus took particular interest in studying the Hebrew Bible, our Old Testament Scriptures, His Father’s preserved words. “Yea, thy law is within my heart” (today’s Scripture).

One fruit of the indwelling Holy Spirit is “joy” (Galatians 5:22). In other words, if He is working in us, we will rejoice or take delight in what God is doing. Yet, we cannot know what God is doing until we first find His words to and about us. The Apostle Paul is God’s spokesman to us Gentiles in the mystery program (Romans 11:13; Ephesians 3:1,2). We study the entire Bible, but we pay special attention to the Pauline Epistles, Romans through Philemon, God’s current dealings with man. As Jesus Christ conducted His earthly ministry, He knew exactly where He was in the purpose and program of Father God. Similarly, we can find immense satisfaction in knowing where we are on that Divine timeline for the ages. Of all the pleasures and thrills in this life, dear friends, nothing else even comes close to the delight that is right!

A Delight That is Right #3

Tuesday, April 5, 2022

“I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart” (Psalm 40:8 KJV).

What is the “delight” that is right?

Today’s Scripture reveals the key to delighting to do God’s will. We must first know God’s will, having His “law” (that is, His words) within our heart. Addressing the saints at Rome, the Holy Spirit through the Apostle Paul penned, “But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you” (Romans 6:17). The Roman believers, as lost people, had trusted the Lord Jesus Christ as their personal Saviour. Hence, they passed from death to life, Adam to Christ, Satan to God. Here is the first part of God’s will for any person: “…God our Saviour; Who will have all men to be saved…” (1 Timothy 2:3,4a).

Here is the second part of God’s will for us: “…God our Saviour; Who will have all men… to come unto the knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 2:3,4). This is victorious Christian living—learning, understanding, and believing sound Bible doctrine that will give us daily victory over sin. We have eternal life in Christ, so now that life of God is expressed in and through us as we walk by faith in these His words to and about us. In Ephesians 1:1-12, we read of “the good pleasure of [God’s] will” (verses 5,9). Ultimately, our Heavenly Father desires to have spiritually mature believers who can glorify His Son Jesus Christ in the heavenly places throughout the endless ages to come.

For now, we are on Earth, “For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure” (Philippians 2:13). “Wherefore also we pray always for you, that our God would count you worthy of this calling, and fulfil all the good pleasure of his goodness, and the work of faith with power:…” (2 Thessalonians 1:11). If we want to do God’s will, we simply find out what He enjoys doing, and, by faith, go do that, and thus we will do God’s will and have the delight that is right….

Saints, please remember us in your monthly giving—these websites do cost money to run! 🙂 You can donate securely here: https://www.paypal.me/ShawnBrasseaux, or email me at arcministries@gmail.com. Do not forget about Bible Q&A booklets for sale at https://arcgraceministries.org/in-print/booklets-bible-q-a/. Thanks to all who give to and pray for us! By the way, ministry emails have really been backed up this year. I am handling them as much as humanly possible. Thanks for your patience. 🙂

A Delight That is Right #2

Monday, April 4, 2022

“I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart” (Psalm 40:8 KJV).

What is the “delight” that is right?

The people of the world find pleasure in owning all sorts of possessions and participating in all kinds of activities. Yea, they will go to great lengths to feel such excitement and “contentment.” They can never have enough “stuff,” education, money, fun, relaxation, and so on. Contrariwise, when God the Son, “the Word” (John 1:14), “became flesh,” the life that He led was the very life Father God would have had had Father God been incarnated.

Psalm 37:23 reports: “The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD: and he [the good man] delighteth in his [the LORD’S] way.” Also, Psalm 119:35: “Make me to go in the path of thy commandments; for therein [in thy commandments] do I delight.” Today’s Scripture quotes the Lord Jesus over 1,000 years before He took on human flesh: “I delight to do thy will, O my God….” As the perfect Man, He is addressing Father God and submitting to His will (faith and obedience) instead of His own (autonomy). The opposite, the sinner, is in Jeremiah 6:10: “To whom shall I speak, and give warning, that they may hear? behold, their ear is uncircumcised, and they cannot hearken: behold, the word of the LORD is unto them a reproach; they have no delight in it [the word of the LORD].”

After Christ’s earthly ministry and ascension back to Heaven, Hebrews 10:5 elaborates on Psalm 40 as prophesying, “…but a body hast thou prepared me….” This is the incarnation, Father God’s plan for Christ, and Christ is fully cognizant of just what His Father would have Him do. Psalm 22:8 is another Messianic passage: “He trusted on the LORD that he would deliver him: let him deliver him, seeing he delighted in him.” As Jesus hung on the cross, His mockers taunted Him with these very words (Matthew 27:43). If He loved God so much (and they saw Him demonstrate it throughout His earthly ministry), let God rescue Him from their wicked hands!

The Lord Jesus Christ indeed had a delight that is right….

A Delight That is Right #1

Sunday, April 3, 2022

“I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart” (Psalm 40:8 KJV).

What is the “delight” that is right?

For six years, a woman once used a manual typewriter to type out every number from 1 to 1,000,000. It had taken her nearly 2,500 pages to complete the task. When asked why she had engaged in such strange behavior, she replied, “I just love typing!” If this lady could find enjoyment passing her time doing something so trivial, perhaps we as Bible-believing Christians will find more pleasure in our Heavenly Father’s business.

Today’s Scripture in context: “[6] Sacrifice and offering thou didst not desire; mine ears hast thou opened: burnt offering and sin offering hast thou not required. [7] Then said I, Lo, I come: in the volume of the book it is written of me, [8] I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart.” The significance of this passage was not readily apparent to King David, through whom the Holy Spirit was writing, or any other Old Testament saint. It would take one millennium before God revealed just what these verses implied.

We turn now to the Book of Hebrews, chapter 10: “[5] Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me: [6] In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin thou hast had no pleasure. [7] Then said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me,) to do thy will, O God.” The Holy Spirit has interpreted Psalms’ “mine ears hast thou opened” as, in Hebrews, “but a body hast thou prepared for me.” Chapter 10 of Hebrews throws additional light: “[10] By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. [11] And every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins: [12] But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God;….”

Psalm 40 is Messianic, a foretelling of Jesus Christ’s life and ministry….

Be Grateful

Saturday, April 2, 2022

“Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Ephesians 5:20 KJV).

Thankfulness is one result of the Holy Spirit filling us (verse 18)….

Recently, I listened to a 40-year-old audio recording of a preacher-teacher training men for the ministry. They were having class long before I was even born! One student had difficulty with the wording of a certain Bible verse, so he had asked the teacher for help. The teacher answered the question for the whole class as best as he could—but I knew it was wrong. Denominationalism had clouded their judgment. Little did those men know I would be hearing their confusion four decades later. I felt like screaming the simple answer to them. Yet, of course, it was impossible for me to communicate with them. If only they had turned to the very next chapter, and read a verse therein, it would have not only addressed that troublesome query but even saved them from one of their denomination’s most serious doctrinal errors. I can only wonder, though, would they have actually cared to hear me share that verse with them? Would they have been willing to part with their theological system? Only the Lord knows.

Those who value rightly divided Scripture invariably respond with, “I had so many unanswered questions in church, but, now that I know dispensational Bible study, all those doubts and ‘contradictions’ have just disappeared!” We always should remind them, “Now, you go share with others what you have learned! Be grateful, not prideful. I have taught you, not for you to consider yourself a god, but for you to better know the one true God and what He is doing and what He would thus have you do.”

Dear Christian friends, if we truly love the Lord Jesus Christ, we will be thankful for His inspired, preserved, and translated words. In English, that is the King James Bible. If we truly love His words, we will believe them and share them with people as often as we can. If we truly love God’s hidden wisdom, we will teach others about Jesus Christ according to the revelation of the mystery, Paul’s epistles, Romans through Philemon. Be grateful! 🙂

The Evangelistic Window

Friday, April 1, 2022

“And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up” (Deuteronomy 6:7 KJV).

An evangelist conducted a survey at one of his meetings. About 4,500 people were in attendance. The polling data revealed 400 had become Christians before age 10, some 600 had become Christians between the ages of 16 and 20, but only 25 had become Christians after age 30. A staggering 1,875 were still unsaved!

Saints, if these figures are accurate, this is what we face in ministry. While there is always that extremely slim possibility a person will trust Jesus Christ as his or her personal Saviour in the final moments of this life (recall Luke 23:39-43), with advancing years comes increasing hardness toward spiritual truths. The old cliché “set in his or her ways” is definitely more applicable as one progresses in age. Whatever worldview was formed in the soul during its first 20 years will almost certainly remain for the rest of that earthly life. God, as Creator, knew this all too well. Therefore, He specifically wrote Bible verses with that fact in mind. For instance, see today’s Scripture, the LORD’S directions to Israelite parents who were to emphatically teach His words to their children. Or, that classic command, “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it” (Proverbs 22:6).

There is absolutely no guarantee all whom we reach with the Gospel will believe it. In fact, most will not believe it—ever. Whatever they do with God’s Word after we give it to them is their responsibility, not ours. If the children with whom we share the Gospel now eventually grow up to be the worst criminals in history, or if they or those adults we reach ultimately die and go to Hell being as lost as lost could be, at least we can say we did what we could to prevent it. Our conscience is clear. No blood is on our hands. We took advantage of the “evangelistic window”—it was they who did not.

Bible Q&As #939 and #940: “What does ‘bray’ mean in Job?” and “What does ‘descry’ mean?”