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The Messiah’s Secret – James Remembers Job

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    The  Messiah’s Secret – James remembers Job  
James’s under lying thread running through the letter is the life of Job He shows us by the example of Job that God will allow a Christian to be tested through trials and temptations to reveal the faith of the Christian in God. 

God allowed Job to be tested and brought to trial by Satan. 
Job was a wealthy man, Satan the accuser, challenged God to allow all that Job had to be taken away from him, he believed that Job would cease to serve God and deny his allegiance, his faith in God. 
Job lost his riches, all his possessions: his cattle, sheep, camels and his servants, all except the ones bearing the bad news that told him of his children’s death. Job 1: 20, 21. Even after the loss of his children he did not renounce God   
James saw the humility of Job in his faith in God while he was a rich man. God gave to him the kind of love that produces faith and steadfastness.  

James wrote of the lowly person being exalted and the rich person being humble. 
Christians should not to make distinctions between rich and poor, but to treat everyone the same and he encouraged them and us not to store up possessions in this life.  Josephus records in his ‘Book of Wars’ in 70 AD many rich Jewish people had stored their wealth in the temple at Jerusalem, only to see it burnt up in the fire. 
Wars of the Jews Book V1 Chapter 5 verse 2  
“And now the Romans, judging that it was in vain to spare what was around about the holy house, burnt all those places, as also the remains of the cloisters and the gates, two excepted; the one on the east side, and the other on the south; both which, however, they burnt afterward. They also burnt down the treasury chambers, in which there was a great quantity of money, an immense number of garments, and other precious goods there reposited; and, so to speak all in a few words, there it was the entire riches of the Jews were heaped up together, while the rich people had there built themselves chambers [to contain such furniture]. The soldiers also came to the rest of the cloisters that were in the outer court of the temple, whither women and children, and a great mixed multitude of people, fled, in number about six thousand.” 

 God’s faithfulness   
James taught that the most important lessons a Christian can learn is to step out in faith, faith without works does not reflect Christ. 
He advises his readers to show good works in meekness and wisdom, that reflect the nature of the righteousness of God. If someone is hungry then we should feed them as kind words are not enough. 
 He gave the example of Abraham who put his faith into practice when he offered Isaac as a sacrifice, but God intervened, a ram was provided by God and was sacrificed instead of Isaac. Abraham believed in the resurrection he believed that God would have raised Isaac in order to fulfil his promise to him that through his heir a great nation would be brought into being by God. Genesis 22: 1-18. Hebrews 11: 17-19  
Also the example of Rahab the prostitute whose faith was justified by works when she hid the Israelite spies from the king of Jericho’s men. God judges the thoughts and intentions of the heart. Joshua 2: 1-7 

James also states that God does not tempt people to sin.    
God gave us free will which allows us to choose what we say or do.  He gives wisdom to those who ask, so we are able to discern between what is right and what is wrong. We are able to use the scriptures through the Holy Spirit guiding us into all truth. 

Satan again came before God and challenged him, asking if he could touch Job in his flesh and he would renounce God. Job 2: 5.
Job’s wife found that it was too much to see her husband suffer, she told him to renounce God and die. Job told his wife that she should be able to accept the bad news as well as the good from God, he did not blame God.  

James wrote “But he gives more grace; therefore it says, “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” 7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. 8 Draw near to God and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you men of double mind. 9 Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to dejection. 10 Humble yourselves before the Lord and he will exalt you.” James 4: 6-10.  

Job in his humility kept his eyes on God, even when God was silent and he only heard from his three friend

Job’s faithfulness    
In his poverty Job went and sat on the ash mound, the dung hill, full of sores. (Elephantiasis a form of leprosy) His three friends: Eliphaz, Bildad and Zopher came and sat with him and for seven days they spoke with unbridled tongues. Eliphaz bluntly told him to now uphold the advice that he had given to others to acknowledge his sin and repent and turn back to God. Bildad said that his sin had brought all this upon him. Zopher remarked that he should cry to God actions speak louder than words. They judged him as being self-righteous as he constantly declared his integrity  

 Jessie Penn Lewis’s book ‘The Story of Job 
 “It is sometimes necessary to leave someone in the hands of God and encourage them to believe their way through the path of trial, because maybe God has allowed sickness as part of his purposes for that person.”   

Christians grumbling with unbridled tongues   
To leave someone in the hands of God – anyone who is going through a time of trial or sickness needs prayer support from their church without judging that person as to why they are in their present circumstances.

Job was prepared to die.    
And God was silent, be still in the darkness, do not kindle a fire yourself, wait upon God. Job did not renounce God. He had a vision which was prophetical, “I know that my redeemer lives and at last he will stand upon the earth, and after my skin has been thus destroyed, then from my flesh I shall I see God.” Job 17: 16. 19: 25, 26 
Job would see his redeemer face to face after his resurrection from the dead.

James wrote, “Behold, we call those happy who were steadfast. You have heard of the steadfastness of Job, and you have seen the purpose of the Lord, how the Lord is compassionate and merciful.” James 5: 11  

Elihu 
 Listening to the conversation between Job and his three friends was a young man Elihu. He held himself back until there was a pause in their conversation. The friends ceased to answer Job. Elihu had a message from God,” deliverance through the ransom.” Job 33: 24  
 Elihu had understood the dealings of God with Job, but he does not attempt to combat his insistence on integrity, as the other men did. He told him God had brought his soul from the pit, not on the ground of his own integrity, but on the ground of his faith and trust in God. 
God had enlightened Job with the light of his living redeemer and the resurrection of the dead.

Jesus the Redeemer     
“For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” John 3: 16
“Is any one among you suffering? Let him pray. Is any cheerful? Let him sing praise. 14 Is any among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord; 15 and the prayer of faith will save the sick man, and the Lord will raise him up; and if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. 16 Therefore confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man has great power in its effects” James 5:13-16.

Job’s three friends repented before Job and he prayed for his friends and they were restored, sins forgiven. God restored Job with a new spirit as a child; a new freshness of life in heavenly youthfulness; a new power in prayer and joy in the knowledge of God; a new assurance of righteousness in union with the righteous one. God restored to him his flocks and herds and once again sons and daughters graced his home. Job lived for a further 150 years after the time of his trial. 

God allowed Job to suffer as he knew Job’s thoughts and intentions of his heart was sincere towards his God. His three friends were saved from the error of prejudging Job through their repentance and forgiveness. 

 I believe James and his brothers were not convinced by his interpretation of  Isaiah in the synagogue at Nazareth and the miracles and healing that Jesus did. John 7: 1-5. Matthew 13: 54-58.
James found out the truth through the death and resurrection of Jesus that he was the Son of God and he too saw the fulfillment of the vision that Job had of seeing his redeemer face to face, not on the ground of his own integrity but on the ground of his faith and trust in God. 

For us today we too can say, “I know that my redeemer lives, and in my flesh I see God in Jesus.”                                                                                                      .                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                            
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The Messiah’s Secret – Jesus is the Christ

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The Messiah’s Secret – Jesus is the Christ
     Mark 8: 27-38.  James 3: 1-10
I have been taught to always put my words and those of others to the Bible checking them with the words of scripture. (Words in the Bible that have been translated from the original Greek and Hebrew)  
The compliers of the Lectionary have the responsibility for our daily scripture readings. They bring together a number of readings that link in various ways. 
The reading from James’ letter and Mark’s gospel are linked by the contents of the conversation between Jesus and Peter.

 James wrote in his letter that the tongue, referring to a persons’ thoughts put into words are capable of speaking both truth and falsehoods. 
Jesus and his disciples were travelling from village to village in the district of Caesarea Philippi. While they were walking along the road, Jesus asked his disciples a question “Who do people say I am? Peter said, “You are the Christ.” Matthew in his account of this conversation records Jesus’ remarks, he realised that God had revealed this truth to Peter.
Continuing the conversation, Jesus said that he was going to suffer and be killed and raised on the third day. Matthew again records Peter’s  response, he  rebuked Jesus saying, “God forbid, Lord! This should happen to you.” Matthew 16:13-23
Jesus identified that Peter’s remarks came from the teaching of men and in this case the spirit behind it was Satan. 
Peter was in error in the second part of the conversation when he denied Jesus’ authority over the scriptures concerning his death and resurrection which had been prophesied by Isaiah and King David. Secondly Peter had spoken from what he had been taught by the Scribes, Layers they had been taught from the law that when the Christ came he would remain forever.” John 12: 34. 
The Jews were not taught about the suffering and death of the Christ.

Jesus in his ministry removed the errors of misinterpretation of the Scriptures by the Pharisees, Scribes, lawyers and Rabbi’s. These errors led to the misconceptions concerning the Christ.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         
Every now again I empty my hand bag of its contents; keys, credit cards, mobile, pens, purses, handkerchiefs, comb, lipstick, receipts, small change, tracts, parking receipts and toffee wrappings. Some of the items I keep in my bag all the time, others I slip in to deal with later.
 After empting the contents of my handbag I start to sift through removing the unwanted items; like toffee wrappings, parking receipts. 
Misinterpretation of the Scriptures. 
Jesus removed the false teachings in regard to the laws that the Pharisee, lawyers and scribes had added to those laws given to Moses by God. Especially the Sabbath Laws that forbid a person to be healed on that day.
Even today though we know that we are not under the Law of Moses and Jewish traditions, but we still observe some of them as they have come down the generations. During my life time it was frowned upon for a woman to wear trousers: jeans or slacks. 
Under Jewish Law Deuteronomy 22: 5. It is forbidden for a Jewish woman to wear men’s clothes.  More recently tattoos have become very popular, and definitely frowned upon by a lot of church people. It stems from Leviticus 19: 28 they were it is not allowed tattoos under law.
Other Jewish traditions still exist in the church and in my view, as a result quenches the work of the Holy Spirit.

Misconceptions regarding Christ the Messiah.
 In response to Jesus question, “Who do men say that I am?” Those who believed in the resurrection assumed he was one of the former prophets whom God had raised from the dead: Jeremiah, John the Baptist or Elijah. But none of these prophets mentioned were descendants of King David. 
Some Jewish liturgy indicate that King David would be raised from the dead fulfilling his own prophesies.
A Messianic Prayer, the Last Day of the Feast of Tabernacles.
 “A voice herald’s and said: Turn unto me and be saved, Today if ye hear my voice. Behold the man sprang forth –   Branch is his name – David himself. Stand up! Be buried in the dust no longer! Ye who dwell in the dust. Wake up and sing. Glad will be the people when he ruleth. The name of the ungodly shall perish. But to his anointed, the Messiah David, he giveth grace. Grant salvation to the eternal people to David and his seed forever. The voice heralds and saith.” 
Both Peter at Pentecost and Paul Acts 13 made the point that King David having died his remains lay in his grave.
“Brothers I tell you confidently that the patriarch David died and was buried and his tomb is here to this day.” He went on to say, this Jesus whom you crucified God has raised up fulfilling David’s prophecy. “For David did not ascend into the heavens; but himself says, ‘The Lord said to my Lord, Sit at my right hand till I make thy enemies a stool for thy feet.’ Let all the house of Israel therefore know assuredly that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.” Acts Chapter 2: 29, 36
Paul on his first missionary journey in the synagogue at Pisidia said, “ For David, after he had served the council of God in his own generation, fell asleep, and was laid with his fathers, and saw corruption. “ Acts 13: 36.                                                                                                                                                          
(Added 2013 blog Jesus our Redeemer – Qumran Scrolls the Essene Community were in existence before the Pharisees and Sadducees. “Many scholars believe that they were connected with rise of the Pharisees in the centuries before the birth of Jesus,” Introducing the Old Testament” by John Drane.                                    
The scrolls indicate that they believed in two or even three Messiahs. One of these Messiah’s would return.)

The Pharisees, Lawyers and Scribes expected that the Christ would uphold the law and act in accordance with it.   He would also be a judge like Moses. Exodus 18: 13.
Jesus called Matthew a Tax Collector to be one of his disciples. The Pharisees were upset when they heard that Jesus sat and ate with Matthew and his fellow tax collectors. Matthew 9: 9-11   
When the Scribes and Pharisees brought the woman caught in adultery to Jesus they wanted him to exercise judgement under the law towards her. “Now in the law Moses commanded us to stone such as this. What do you say about her?” Adultery under law was punished by being stoned to death. Instead Jesus said, “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.  John 8: 3-7

Two brothers were at loggerheads over their inheritance, one of them came to him to make a judgement between them. Jesus said, “Man, who made me a Judge or divider over you.”  He had not come to be a judge over people; he came not to condemn but to save. Luke 12: 13, 14. John 3: 17.
 Jesus disregarded their interpretation of Scripture concerning the Christ.

Below road sign. The triangle is the wrong way up. This reminded me of Today’s misconceptions about the Christ.                                                                                                                                                                                                               
  In the 1960’s the ‘New Age Movement’ began, they believed that the age of Jesus Christ was over. He was a man of his time, having great insight into humanity and a good man.
 This triangle is correct.  Jesus is the Christ.                                                                                                                                                                                    
The truth is that Jesus is the Christ, his love reaching out through the cross today. Jesus who is God our Saviour revealed in the flesh and during his ministry the well documented miracles that he performed only God could do them like; create new flesh were leprosy had eaten away. Raise the dead after four days in the grave, turn water into wine etc.
In the kingdom of God’s love there is no difference between races.
After discarding those bits and pieces, I put back the things in my bag that are useful to have on occasions when I need them. I associate these with the precious promises that Jesus gave to Peter.
Matthew includes in his account these words coming from Jesus. “And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the powers of death shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” Matthew 16: 18, 19.
Peter the first shepherd of the church, commissioned by Jesus to feed the Lord’s lambs tending to his flock. John 21: 15-17.                                                                                                                                                     
After Paul was converted, it would seem that he went to Jerusalem speak with Peter and James. “Three years later he went up to Jerusalem to get acquainted with Peter and stayed with him for fifteen days. He saw none of the apostles – only James, the Lord’s brother.  Galatians 1: 18, 19.
James the Lord’s brother became a follower after Jesus’ ascension. John wrote that Jesus’ brothers did not believe in him prior to his death, resurrection and ascension. John 7: 1-9
Using the spiritual keys Peter opened the door of the kingdom to Israel at Pentecost and he opened the door to the Gentiles when he visited Cornelius at Caesarea and the Holy Spirit fell on them as he had on the Jews at Pentecost. Acts 10.
Peter had a tremendous healing ministry. They laid the sick in the streets and as his shadow passed by people were healed.

Jesus gave a word of advice not to seek to establish our own destiny and lose out on eternal life. The way to save our life is by taking up the cross and the gospel of Jesus.
The other Sunday evening I attended “Restbite” a local church in Haslingden.  During the service a young woman gave her testimony. Vicky started by telling us about her background, as a child she believed in God, but she did not take it seriously. Also in her childhood she had been sexually abused. As a result in her teens she was expelled from several schools after wreaking havoc amongst her class mates and teachers. During those teenage years she became addicted to drugs and alcohol and was caught on numerous occasions shoplifting.
All these things plus her thoughts telling her she was rubbish, from the depths of her pain and lack of self worth, she sought to end her life, thankfully she failed to do so.
Vicky said that after her daughter was born she made her mind up to change, she tried very hard not to drink and take drugs. Instead she became obsessed with cleanliness, her home was spotless and tidy, and nothing had to be out of place. Here she was making her own destiny, self determined to control her thoughts and actions.      However, sadly one day she received the news that her brother had taken an overdose of Heroin substitute and died. Her brother’s death resulted in her returning to drink and drugs.
At that time her partner, family and doctor were unable to help her.  It was a friend took her to Holly Bush, Jim Wilkinson’s church on the farm in North Allerton Yorkshire. At that meeting she heard a young man giving his testimony, Jesus had set him free from drink and drugs and she said that as he spoke everything he said seemed to be directed at her.
At the end of his testimony  the man asked if anyone wanted to follow Jesus and ask him into their life, to go forward for prayer. She went forward for prayer, as a result she was healed of her addictions and Vicky was filled with the Holy Spirit.
Through her faith in Jesus who has won the victory over all sin and the causes of sin through his death and resurrection released Vicky from the addictions.

The Lord is discarding the unwanted contents of her hand bag. Five years later, Vicky is still working through the causes that lay behind it. Jesus’ cross having already won the victory over all that stood against Vicky, the Holy Spirit is bringing to the surface the things that caused her to sink so low. After handing them over to Jesus for his healing touch she has claimed back the ground in her life that previously had torn her life apart.
(The years the locusts has eaten Joel 2: 25.)                                                                                            

The Lord has given her numerous gifts and as she puts her faith into practice using those gifts, many people will be blessed.  Vicky is rejoicing telling the world, she is certainly not ashamed of what Jesus had done for her.

The disciples were obedient to Jesus’ command not to disclose that he was the Christ. They kept it a secret  until Pentecost, where they proclaimed that Jesus was the Christ publicly for the first time. 
Truth coming from Jesus.
After Pentecost Peter now spoke about Jesus having to suffer and die. In proclaiming Jesus as the Christ Peter revealed to his listeners at Solomon’s Portico that it was prophesied by the prophets that the Christ would suffer.
They had been taught under law that the Christ would be raised from the dead and remain forever.  John 12: 33, 34. Christ after his resurrection and ascension would have fulfilled the prophesies that spoke of the times of refreshing were the God’s kingdom would be established by the Christ King David’s throne and kingdom. Had the Jewish leaders accepted him as a nation at and after Pentecost Jesus would have returned. Acts 3: 17 -end.
 “And now, brethren, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did also your rulers. But what God foretold by the mouth of all the prophets, that his Christ should suffer, he thus fulfilled. Repent therefore, and turn again, that your sins may be blotted out, that the times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that he may send the Christ appointed for you, Jesus, whom heaven must receive until the time for establishing all that God spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets from of old. Acts 3: 17-21.
Peter and John were not ashamed to bear their soul’s conviction of what Jesus had said he would fulfil. They were expecting him to return soon as Jesus had said, “ When he comes with his Holy angels. There are some standing here who will not taste death before they see the kingdom of God has come with power. “ Mark 8: 38. 9: 1.