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Life Around "The Fire"
Life Around "The Fire"
Exploring Jesus' Final Days: The Heart of True Faith in God's Kingdom
Discover the reality and the realm of God's rule and reign as we embark on a compelling exploration. Through the lens of the Gospel of Luke, chapter 22, and other synoptic gospels, we unravel the pivotal moments leading up to Jesus' crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension. This episode bridges personal reflection with instructional insight, showcasing how the Kingdom of God is accessible through belief and covenant relationship with Jesus. Join us as we uncover the essence of Jesus' ministry and His unwavering commitment to elevating those society often overlooks.
Experience the tension and devotion that surrounded Jesus in His final days as we navigate the pages of Mark chapter 14. We highlight the striking contrast between a woman's act of worship through anointing Jesus with costly oil and Judas Iscariot's impending betrayal. This narrative not only emphasizes Jesus' sacrifice but also serves as a testament to the transformative power of true faith. We take a closer look at how Jesus challenged religious leaders and societal norms, steadfastly prioritizing relationships and spiritual depth over superficial customs.
Gain insights on living authentically by freeing yourself from the constraints of others' opinions. Inspired by Jesus' life, we explore the importance of aligning with God's kingdom and relying on divine guidance rather than human approval. As we fix our eyes on Jesus, we invite you to experience God's love and presence in your own life. We conclude with a heartfelt prayer and invite you to connect with us, fostering a community grounded in faith and mutual support. Let us navigate the complexities of life together, as we strive for authenticity and spiritual depth.
Loving Yeshua/Jesus, Loving people... Come as you are and you will be loved!
Feel free to check out our website by typing in lifearounsthefire.com or Life Around The Fire ... We think you'll find some beneficial stuff to look at and apply to your life.
Shalom to you and your home.
We weren't actually going to be doing a podcast today, but earlier, while I was spending some time just going through the scriptures, I kind of got that, you know that nod from from Holy Spirit indicating that it was his intent, his desire, to put together a podcast with me. So here we are, and we've been looking at the kingdom of God now for quite some time. That's our topic. We've been looking at the kingdom of God now for quite some time. That's our topic, and there's become a baseline that we're using in the scriptures concerning the gospel of Luke, chapter 22, primarily chapter 22. But in the other synoptic gospels, matthew and Mark, there's a similar story. The synoptic gospels meaning synonym or the same. The gospels have a lot of the same material in them. And then the Gospel of John is a rather unique Gospel. It has some significantly different slants to the life and the ministry of Jesus, but in this instance, this particular point in the life and ministry of Jesus, really culminating in his death on the cross and then his resurrection and ascension, we have really all four of the Gospels have portions of them that deal with this particular story or this particular time story or this particular time. And so Matthew, chapter 26, for those of you that are taking notes and like to look at things yourselves Matthew, chapter 26, mark, chapter 14, that's what we're going to be reading actually from today and then Luke 22, and then John chapters 12 and 13, all focus in on this particular portion of time at the tail end of Jesus' ministry on earth and prior to his crucifixion, his resurrection and his ascension. And so we've been, I've been spending a lot of time there and looking specifically at the portrayal of God's kingdom as we see it, demonstrated in this section, demonstrated in this section. The kingdom of God is our topic because that's central to the teaching and the word and the works of Jesus the kingdom of God he came to proclaim and to demonstrate the kingdom of God being at hand, meaning available. Entrance to it is available through him, belief in him, covenant relationship with him, and so he's portraying this and we've been looking at it.
Speaker 1:I've been looking at it and I've been spending some time on my own just reading this particular portion, kind of where I'm at in my personal time and I guess somewhat as a rule, but by and large I don't cross over from things that I'm just taking in personally from the scriptures and trying to find something that I'm going to teach from. When I'm doing that, because I'm really not so much reading the scriptures for study I do, but I'm letting the scriptures read me. When I'm on my own, quietly looking at the Word, I'm really letting God read me through, letting the Word read me, change me and help me understand. And then there are other times where I just I study so that I can fill myself up and then have a reservoir through which Holy Spirit can draw from and you can draw from, and we have that interaction that way teaching, preaching but in this instance there's kind of a crossover. So, all that being said, I was not planning on putting together the podcast, but in my growing relationship with God, I'm learning to understand his nuances, gestures, not just having to have him speak to me, words, but even a glance or just a nod, a look, saying yeah, that's more like what was going on with this. Like you know, this is, it's important. So I'm doing my best to be obedient to that right now.
Speaker 1:So Mark chapter 14 is the synoptic version of Luke 22 that we're going to be looking at today, and starting at verse 1, because there's something really significant in here concerning God's kingdom and how his life of God, because that's really the kingdom of God live in his kingdom as citizens, as children, and mature and grow and function. Powerful, because his kingdom is powerful, eternal, everlasting. And so in mark mark, chapter 14, beginning, verse 1, mark writes after two days it was the passover and the feast of unleavened bread, and the chief priest inscribes sought how they might take him by trickery, meaning Jesus, how they might take him by trickery and put him to death. But they said not during the feast, lest there be an uproar of the people, these individuals, religious people. You would think that the religious people would love Jesus. Religion and religious people don't like Jesus. Still don't Didn't then, don't now Strictly religious stuff, the works of man, to either make an image of God or get their way into God's favor somehow by good works.
Speaker 1:Religion, man, jesus is into relationship, god's into relationship. And he was tipping over their sacred cows and turning over their carts and everything else. He was exposing the real underbelly, the dark side of religion and that religious people were going crazy. They wanted to kill him, literally wanted to kill him. They were vibing that vibe we're going to kill you. We talked in a previous podcast. I mean, we all know when someone doesn't like us something, you can cut it with a knife. The air right.
Speaker 1:Can you imagine people wanting to groups of people, high-level people, plotting behind your back to kill you because you are exposing the fallacy of their religion and the oppression of it, what they stand for? They're irate and so they also didn't want any bad publicity. They loved good press. They loved good press, but any bad press they didn't want it because they wanted to look good in front of people. Press. They didn't want it because they wanted to look good in front of people Even though inside they were rotten. Outside they liked to look good. That's what religion does, verse 3,.
Speaker 1:And being in Bethany, at the house of Simon the leper, as he sat at the table, jesus, as Jesus sat at the table, a woman came having an alabaster flask of very costly oil of spikenard, which was very costly, like a year's worth of wages, was in that particular alabaster jar A container in which was this spikenard, this very, very, very heavy perfume, costly. She broke the flask and poured it on his head. Can you imagine he's sitting at this guy's house and the way they would eat was they would recline kind of small table on the floor and they would recline, having people over. Oftentimes there was a lot of people and people were milling around and this woman, this woman that was part of the gathering, takes this costly perfume and pours it on Jesus' head in front of everybody, and the room just filled with the fragrance of that spikenard and Jesus was covered with that fragrance. But some it says in verse 4, but some there.
Speaker 1:But there were some, excuse me, but there were some who were indignant among themselves and said why was this fragrant oil wasted? For it might have been sold for more than 300 denarii and given to the poor. And they criticized her sharply. How awkward she does this act of worship. And these individuals criticized her sharply in front of everybody. It wasn't uncommon for a woman to be treated that way. Anyway, this was a very misogynistic, very patriarchal, man-oriented culture, middle Eastern culture, and so women were like Next to dogs in the Food chain. So they criticized her sharply.
Speaker 1:But Jesus, I love that. But Jesus isn't that true? But Jesus, don't you love it in your life? And then came Jesus, not religion Sometimes. Then came religion and man. Is there a difference? I've experienced a difference.
Speaker 1:Thank God, jesus came. Thank God, holy Spirit introduced me to Jesus. He sought me out, god. My father sought me out by his spirit, introducing me to his son. But Jesus said let her alone. Why do you trouble her? She has done a good work for me, for you have the poor with you always and whenever you wish you may do good to them, but me you do not have always. She has done what she could.
Speaker 1:She has come beforehand to anoint my body for burial. What she has come to anoint my body for burial, what are you talking about? Jesus, he was once again declaring that all of the things that were going on around him he was aware of, but he also was aware of the fact that he was on a mission. He was the one who was going to lay down his life. No one was going to take it from him. Let's get that real clear. Nobody killed Jesus. Yes, people murdered his body, but he gave his body up on our behalf, so we wouldn't have to be the ones experiencing that torment. Experiencing that torment. She has come beforehand to anoint my body for burial. Assuredly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be told as a memorial to her. Well, you're hearing it yourself right now.
Speaker 1:Again, this woman anointed Jesus, this woman who is considered in that culture less than or equal to a dog, Maybe equal to, sometimes even less than, property. Jesus said I've elevated her, I'm elevated. Isn't that amazing what Jesus did? He elevates us, he elevates us. He elevates us to who we really are in his eyes, and then we can live according to that, not according to what people place upon us. Hear that, not according to what people place upon us.
Speaker 1:Then verse 10,. Then Judas Iscariot, one of the 12, one of the 12 of Jesus, one of the 12 apostles, one of the 12 disciples, one of the 12 that were disciples, that became apostles, sent out ones originals. One of the 12 went to the chief priest to betray him. Then Judas, one of the twelve, went to the chief priest to betray him to them, and when they heard it, they were glad and promised to give him money. So he sought how he might conveniently betray him. Okay, all right, let's unpack this for a second here.
Speaker 1:Okay, again, jesus knew this. He functioned according to what we have available to us, which are the gifts of the spirit, words of knowledge. He functioned perfectly with those insights, those things operating in his life. He knew what was going on in the hearts of people. He could know their thoughts. He could declare things, he could have knowledge about things that were supernatural, and so he knew all of this. He knew this was going on before it took place, but he was still going along with what was going on because it was part of a plan. God is so amazing. He wasn't surprised by this, although the people thought they were getting away with something. Now, that isn't that us, isn't that people? We do stuff think we're getting away with it. Nobody knows. This is an ironclad plan. Nobody knows this one, except, except To God. The darkness is his light. He said things are all out in the open and he has a way of exposing things.
Speaker 1:But also he, jesus, was not living based upon the acceptance or the rejection of people. He was living according to the acceptance and the declaration of his Father, the declaration of his father's love, the father's saying I love him, I love you, jesus, saying about him I love him. Listen to him. This is my beloved son, this is him, this is my son. Listen to him. He is the object of the Father's affection and Jesus was basing his well-being, his sense of well-being, upon that acceptance. There's wisdom in that. There's wisdom in us not basing our acceptance or rejection upon people.
Speaker 1:You know why? Because people have stuff going on inside of their heads that we can't necessarily see. They can smile in our face and all the time they want to take our place Backstabbers, backstabbers, backstabbers. That's why we're doing a podcast. This is why to elevate Jesus in the sense that thank you God that he is above this stuff and he wasn't taken by surprise then. He's not taken by surprise now and he can help us not live our lives bound by the opinions of other people. That's bondage, man, because people will let us down. People will let you down. Eventually. Someone's going to let you down. If we base all of our hope, or none of our hope, then on people, we're miserable. But we can live a life free from that and actually live life with the life of God in us, trusting God. That's what Jesus was doing, that's what he provides for us.
Speaker 1:But people think stuff, man. Some of you have people thinking stuff about you right now. They smile at you, they see you and they're like hey, hi, but inside they're saying things negative about you and behind your back. They're criticizing you and you know how you can tell that is true, because they're saying something about someone else to you when they're with you. If they're saying something about someone else to you when they're with you, if they're saying something about someone else to you, they're saying something about you to someone else.
Speaker 1:Don't put all of your eggs in the basket of people's approval. I mean it can be nice, but don't get too high with the compliments or too low on the criticisms. Try to have the pendulum right there in the middle, you know, and keep our focus in on our acceptance and our position in the very eyes of our Heavenly Father. He loves you, he loves me, he thinks highly of you. He has elevated you to a high place. He's elevated us to the highest place. We are seated with him in heavenly places right now place we are seated with him in heavenly places right now and we can function accordingly in part. Right now, in fact, he's teaching us how to come on up so his glory can come on down In part. There's more to come, but what's available right now is far more than what we've been living, and there are things unfolding right now teaching us how to live that way, by his spirit, by his word, powerful. That's what Jesus was modeling. That's the kingdom of God. That's what we've been talking about. That's the Jesus was modeling. That's the kingdom of God. That's what we've been talking about. That's the demonstration part.
Speaker 1:If all we have is the word and no works, we're going to dry up. If all we have are works and no word, we're going to blow up. But if we have word and works, we're going to grow up. I want to grow up before I grow old, in the kingdom of God, according to and in the likeness of Jesus. He is my focus, he is our focus. We behold him. We is my focus, he is our focus. We behold him, we become like him. People, people are going to think stuff, just like in this.
Speaker 1:Judas sought meaning. He thought he gave a lot of time to thinking how he would conveniently betray God. How are you going to betray God, thinking you're going to do it and get, you're going to get some money for it and then after that, you know, hey, or this will force his hand. Ever try to force God's hand, force things to happen. We're going to make this thing happen. We're going to make it happen. No, you're not.
Speaker 1:Unless the Lord builds the house, anyone who's trying to build it without him labors in vain. Unless the Lord guards and watches the city, the guards and watchmen wake up in vain. But God is building his house, he's building his church. And the gates of Hades, the very portals of hell, the very portals of darkness, the very realms of darkness, cannot withstand the advancing work of God's kingdom, his church being the banner holders for it, the ark of his presence. Upon our shoulders now, his glory, carrying his glory. Nothing can stop the advancement. Nothing, jesus said.
Speaker 1:The declaration comes out of your mouth, that's from the spirit. Like Peter when he said you are the Christ, the son of the living God, jesus said flesh and blood is not showing you that. That's come from the spirit. Like peter when he said you are the christ, the son of the living god, he said flesh and blood is not showing you that. That's come by the spirit. And upon that confession, upon that rock, upon that, that way of life, that's how I'm going to do my stuff, that's how I'm going to build my church. So he's doing it right now to us and through us, regardless of what people are plotting, regardless whether they're plotting negative things or trying to put together a good program. We'll get together, we'll build a thing. You know what we'll do. We'll build an ark and put the ark on that ark and we'll build a good ark. We'll have a good program and put God on it and he'll love it.
Speaker 1:Unless we do things God's way, it don't matter how much money we throw into our programs, someone's going to die, if not physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually, if not physically can't play around man Meaning. We can't do things our way and then call them God's way, and call things God that aren't God, and build a religion and say God's in it. He's not in it. It's hype, it's smoke machines, it's mirrors, a lot of energy, a lot of soul energy that people pour into it and in the end it's just deflating. People get exhausted and unless you keep pumping it up, it doesn't continue on. So it's not just evil plots that are going on in the heads of people. Sometimes they're like man we got a good plan, but is it God's plan? If it ain't God's plan, just spend your time waiting on him and hearing from him and then doing what he says. That's what Jesus did. That's his model. He goes.
Speaker 1:I don't do anything except what I see the Father doing. I don't say anything except what I hear the Father saying it comes a time. It comes a time. It comes a time, just like this stuff that's going on in these pages, that I'm reading these words in this book, that actually took place. That's an actual literal time in which that took place.
Speaker 1:We're living in an actual literal time where things are taking place. You're living in an actual literal time where things are taking place. You're living in a time where something significant is happening in front of your face right now, right now. Can you see it? Do you have eyes to see, ears to hear? God has provided that. Are you using them? Am I? I am now and I see things now. I'm hearing things now.
Speaker 1:The kingdom of God participating in it. There's so much more I want to experience and see personally, but also through me, impacting the world around me. But it's happening. It's happening, praise God. His kingdom is happening, not programs. I'm done doing the programs. I've said it many times, say it one more time I'm done doing things that way. Done. I'm one of the dones, but I'm not done doing things with God.
Speaker 1:With Him, I don't need to do things for Him. With Him, by Him, hallelujah, he being the center of our attention, not the opinions of people. Let's pray, father, right there, right there, right there, right there. Deliver us from evil, the snare of the fear of man being afraid of people Caught man, being afraid of people caught up in the opinions of people. Deliver us from that, Deliver us from evil.
Speaker 1:God, fix our attention upon Jesus, holy Spirit, fix our eyes on Jesus. Ha, fix their eyes on Jesus and Jesus. Show us, father again and again and again and again and again. And Father, thank you for making yourself open to us, for loving us, showing us who you are. God, thank you for all aspects of who you are and how you're accomplishing your good pleasure, your things that are you, your kingdom. Come, lord, your kingdom be manifest and your heart be known. Your love be just demonstrated and your heart be known, your love be demonstrated Just like it was in the life of Jesus. We stand here in his name and we say so be it. Amen, amen, amen, amen, amen. All right, folks, wow, I love you. If you happen to have any thoughts, questions, perhaps some concerns, feel free to drop us a line at liferonthefire at gmailcom, or look us up on the web and check out our webpage. We've got some interesting things there and beneficial. I'm looking forward to hearing from you. In the meantime, god bless you. Adios amigos.