Bon Voyage!

Bon Voyage!

All words in red come from the same word in Greek, ἀνάγω; an-ag'-o; to lead up; by extension to bring out; specifically to sail away; depart, launch, lead, loose, offer, sail, set forth, take up.

Monday, June 16, 2008: Luke 2:22

Now when the days of her purification according to the law of Moses were completed, they brought Him to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord.
Background: A firstborn male, the baby Jesus is redeemed as required by the law in Exodus 13:15.
Why was this redemption by sacrifice needed? It was to remind Israel that God (not Moses) had brought Israel out of bondage (a picture of sin) by the 10th plague, the death of Egypt’s firstborn. The terrible price paid was to be epitomized of God giving His own son to be sacrificed for mankind’s sin.

Tuesday, June 17, 2008: Matthew 3:17-4:1

And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.

… and Luke 4:5

Then the devil, taking Him up on a high mountain, showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time.
Background: Before Jesus Christ launched forth on preaching the gospel, he underwent baptism by John the Baptist. He allowed Himself to be taken (or instantly transported) first by the Holy Spirit into the wilderness and next by the Devil to strategic locations.
Why was Christ tempted? To please God, one must be obedient to Him in all respects. This was to prove Christ as one tested by temptation.

Wednesday, June 18, Luke 22:66–67a

As soon as it was day, the elders of the people, both chief priests and scribes, came together and led Him into their council, saying, “If You are the Christ, tell us.”
Background: These are the events that followed Christ’s late night arrest. After He preaches the gospel flawlessly, the administrators fault Him before the leadership of the Jews.
Is the question asked an accusation? No, it is an attempt to build a case by self-incrimination. This has never been correct procedure but a blatant miscarriage of justice.

Thursday, June 19, 2008: Romans 10:6–9

But the righteousness of faith speaks in this way, “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’” (that is, to bring Christ down from above) or, “‘Who will descend into the abyss?’” (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith which we preach): that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.
Background: In Romans 10, Paul is concerned about his own people, the Jews, attempting to get right before God by what they do. He emphasizes that it is faith in what Christ has already done that makes us right before God.
What do the two questions mean? These rhetorical questions are simply saying that you can’t do the impossible: only Jesus Christ has done this and God has raised him from the dead.

Friday, June 20, 2008: Hebrews 13:20–21

Now may the God of peace who brought up our Lord Jesus from the dead, that great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, make you complete in every good work to do His will, working in you what is well pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.
Background: This is almost the end of the letter to the Hebrews. It’s a blessing and contains a profound concept: it is not what you do, but what God does in your surrendered life.
How does the concept ‘great Shepherd of the sheep’ fit in? Jesus Christ shed His blood as a sacrifice for the sin of mankind. After His death, God brings Him up from the dead and declares Him as the one who has brought His sheep into eternal protection.