When Jesus returns it will not be to establish a kingdom, but rather to consummate a kingdom which has been established from before the foundation of the world, and which He reigns over at this very moment. Whereas Phileo is a love of affection and is based somewhat on emotion. Mary is in tears not simply a small stream of tears, she is weeping. John Piper explains this passage in the following ways: One part of the answer is stressed at the end of verse 10, namely, that Gods pleasure is what the Son accomplished in dyingGods pleasure is not so much in the suffering of the Son, considered in and of itself, but in the great success of what the Son would accomplish in his suffering. As Moses says, this Word of God is our very life surely it is worthy of our attention today. The Elevation of Worship in Todays Culture, Reformation Month Devotionals: Thoughts from Richard Baxter. o Extended Times of Prayer: Praying for 30-60 min. He is the sum total of bliss; the fountain from which heaven flows, the element of which heaven is composed. The Amillennial view (Amil) is probably the simplest of the four major viewpoints on the millennial question. Each moment listening for the voice, The apostle knows that the Jews are familiar with the love God had for them as His special people, and Jesus relating to them the story of Moses and the bronze serpent would have certainly reminded them of Gods loyal love for them (hesed), all of this is contrasted with John now saying that God so loved the world this would have set alarm bells ringing for his audience. Man in his best estate was not to live in this world in a paradise of indolent luxury, but in a garden of recompensed toil. If grave robbers stole the body of Jesus why in the world would they A) take the linen cloths off of His body and B) set the facial shroud neatly folded in a separate pile. All Christian leadership entails a certain tension between authority and meek, exemplary service, patterned finally on Jesus himself. (John 16:13-15), ***The work of learning from God the Spirit ultimately brings Him glory, and is His plan for us, And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, [10] so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, [11] filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God. Its like a lightening storm that overwhelms your homes circuits. This is a land where plain speaking is . The futility of man and the power of God stand in contrast to each other, as well see further in this next section, but the antithetical parallels with man in our fallen state are striking. Come what may, be it the loss of a loved one, or of a job, or whatever, He is with us, guiding our life with meticulous sovereignty (Ware). You see Abraham understood the nature of God and His will and His power. Whence arise these things? He abides their foolishness and lack of understanding. It is believing that Jesus is who He says He is, and has done what He says He has done. It is the good life it prioritizes the self ahead of others, and the temporal before the eternal. Your confidence and assurance will be enhanced. The privileges of this son in his own land were lost. [9] Sing to him, sing praises to him; tell of all his wondrous works! The hallmark of this text is a warning to believers not to live their lives as introverted and covetous people. So we see here that the character and majestic holiness of Jesus is bound up in the name, and the revelation of this is too much for the finite soul to really process. http://www.desiringgod.org/articles/why-memorize-scripture, [xiv] He says a ton of great things here. It is emblematic of the hand of Satan on these men that their best plan is to find a way to put Jesus to death. It is so difficult to understand how God can possibly have taken pleasure in the crush(ing) of His one and only Son. In a recent biography of John Stott, Stott refers to Thompson's poem. NOTE: Some of the dispensationalists might argue that God rules spiritually in the hearts of men, but not physically here on earth, and does not rule them in any way other than in their hearts. The verses that come to my mind as typically cited in terms of the defeat of Satan are as follows: The seventy-two returned with joy, saying, Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name! And he said to them, I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. The second tricky topic here is the idea of judgment and condemnation and how it seems that verses 17 and 18 might not square with each other. We have loved ones with cancer. Well, we certainly make that decision, but not until we are born again otherwise we would never desire to choose to believe. Paul then goes on to say, [10] these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit. It has been said by many who are experts in the Jewish law that these trials of Jesus were a sham. If theres a second point, it is that the lowly, the meek, the humble who seek repentance are those who populate the kingdom of God. But let us go to him., It wasnt a terribly common thing in second temple culture to use the euphemism fall asleep for death, but if we scan the entirety of Scripture we see it is actually a very common phrase/word overall especially in the books of Kings and Chronicles (examples: 1 Kings 22:40, 50; 2 Kings 8:24, 10:35). 1 Peter 4:5 says, but they will give account to him who is ready to judge the living and the dead. The living are those who have been born again to new life, and the dead are those who are spiritually dead. He initiates the conversation. It would have taken an amazing effort to have accomplished this this was a coordinated effort. But more than that. That the world lies under condemnation from its own sin, That Gods love and plan for salvation extends far wider than simply to the people of Israel, That Jesus is the chosen instrument through which mankind will be saved from eternal damnation. [20]Now the law came in to increase the trespass, but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, [21]so that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. The second thing I think is notably here is the reaction of Mary she quickly rose up and went to find Christ. Amen. Ignorant of our fate we relish and proclaim a fools independence. [20] And behold, you will be silent and unable to speak until the day that these things take place, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their time. (Luke 1:19-20), Gabriel is saying, I was JUST in heaven before Gods throne. [10] Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice! [vi] In the Reformation Study Bible R.C. Certainly they do deserve consideration! Library : The Hound of Heaven | Catholic Culture The significance is the universality of the church. We might hide in the illicit romances of actors and actresses, but . Lets take one at a time. The former began with informal examination by Annas (18:12-14, 19-23), possibly while members of the Sanhedrin were being hurriedly summoned. He knew the Fathers will; He sought the Fathers mind on all things through prayer. 11:43-44When he had said these things, he cried out with a loud voice, Lazarus, come out. [44]The man who had died came out, his hands and feet bound with linen strips, and his face wrapped with a cloth. Johns point about the knowledge and planning of the Son couldnt be made more clear, knowing all that would happen to Him, John tells us that Jesus was in the drivers seat. Many scholars have argued about the differences between phileo and agape. The Hound of Heaven Dr. Tim White Would God keep his children out of paradise a single moment longer than was necessary? The Hound of Heaven. They were completely bewildered. Christ knew that He was going away soon. This certainly reminds of 9:4 where Christ says, We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming, when no one can work. And 9:5 actually ties nicely in with verse 10 here, As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.. Men of God are still men. He opened my eyes to see the gloriousness of the gospel. Listen to Spurgeon and let your hearts agree with his: One more duty I would mention, though others suggest themselves. Im not saying that the Postmillennial view is perfect, but their mindset on the nature of the kingdom certainly seems to make more sense and align more Biblically to me. Carson and F.F. [9] And when she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors, saying, Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin that I had lost. [10] Just so, I tell you, there is joy before the angels of God over one sinner who repents.. The postmillennialist has it right in the respect that when God saves a man, there is fruit and evidence of change not only in that mans heart, but in his life and in the society in which he lives. Its been awhile since I read another poem so I was eager to read The Hound of Heaven. So the resurrection should not have been a surprise, but I believe that in the moment it was a shock, and the disciples were stunned by the sequence of unfolding events. We must understand it, then, or else we have not read it aright. http://www.spurgeon.org/sermons/1503.htm, [xv] Peter OBrien says it well, the author is not suggesting that they should leave behind the gospel for some form of deeper or fuller instructions for initiates. He doesnt say, I am, The Lordship of Jesus Christ not only over the world and all created things, but over her life, That He is the one who can take away sins Hes the savior of the world (Christ), That He is working out His sovereign plan in the world and in her life and she is surrendered to that plan who is coming into the world. There were two trials one from the Jews, and one from the Romans. [13] Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them, and so with the fish. This admonition comes in the context of learning, therefore the call is for Gods children to have discernment about sound teaching and a developed taste for the sweetness of Gods Word. So the other disciple, who was known to the high priest, went out and spoke to the servant girl who kept watch at the door, and brought Peter in. [xiii] John Frame, Systematic Theology, Pg. THE HOUND OF HEAVEN - By Francis Thompson, (1859-1907) Lets close by examining the great words of Paul in Romans 8:31-39: What then shall we say to these things? It is overwhelming to me. This series of verses has had an outsized impact on my own life and walk with the Lord. Another time the Pharisees asked Him when the kingdom of God would come, and Jesus replied, Behold, the kingdom of God is in the midst of you (Luke 17:21). That image comes from Francis Thompson, a 19th century British poet who wrote "The Hound of Heaven." I love the fact that angels and all Gods elect children can look at the cross and say, see how He loved them!. Yet this verse is also one of the most misunderstood, misinterpreted verses in Scripture. (Hebrews 12:7-11). It is his duty, one might say. Spurgeon says: o If you had a New Testament in Greek it would be very Greek to some of you, but it would do you as much good to look atthatas it does to look at the English New Testament unless you read with understanding heart.[xiv], And so now you see the thrust of what were getting at here. When He would have me pray, I would not pray, and when He would have me listen to the sound of the ministry, I would not. I will feed them in justice. You need milk, not solid food, [13] for everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, since he is a child. [17]For if, because of one mans trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ. In this culture hospitality was a very important part of the social order, and who you ate with was just as important. Which leads me to my next point. As we read in verses 11 and 12 its almost as if the author stops mid course as he extolls the virtues of these great truths pertaining to Christ, and has to stop and say, you know, Id go on here, but its obvious that you arent ready for it even though I have much to say still! Hes stymied by the stagnation of these church members. J.C. Ryle, the great 19th century contemporary of Spurgeon, wrote hinting about this way of thinking: Let us dismiss from our minds the vain idea that nations will ever give up wars entirely, before Jesus Christ comes again. I cannot get Pauls words out of my mind, that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for usfor me. 1110. Its about Him giving us a preview of the rest of our lives. This includes those whose personalities clash with ours, those who hurt us and treat us badly, and even those who are hostile toward our faith (Luke 6:28; Matthew 5:44). (John 17:12 ESV). In the midst of this whole confusing scene, Jesus is obviously still in complete control, to the point where He issues and a command that the mob let His disciples go. We can see the importance of this idea of the reign of Christ in how it manages to seep into how pastors and theologians comprehend the overarching theme(s) of this book. There is no work to be done thats already been done by Jesus. And, as we see in verse 37, the reaction of these people to Jesus weeping is one of unbelief not trust and faith. Lastly this verse teaches us how people are saved: by believing in the Son of God. The revelation of the name of Christ is the revelation of who He is. No eye except that of the angels had as yet rested upon His form. [18] Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. 239. The Hound of Heaven - Collection at Bartleby.com Carson comments on the disciples response they are frankly aghast. But Christs response is to remind them that as long as the Father still have work for Him to do, as long as there is life in Him, He will continue to boldly (and obediently) carry out His mission here on earth.