"Studying to show myself approved..."

[Jabel al Lawz]

Hello everyone. I'm new on the site, as you may have guessed, here in the Introductions section. I was studying for one of my church's Mid-Week Bible Studies, and researching a topic, I ran across this forum as a source of information. Now in my mid-60's, I've been saved since my 30's, having been first brought up in Roman Catholicism. I came to Christ at a decisive moment when I realized my church's teachings were not helping me make changes in my life, for the benefit of my wife and family. Accepting Christ is the best thing I have ever done, and my life bears no resemblance now to what it was in the early 1980's.
I am blessed beyond measure to have aligned myself with a Bible-Teaching Church, where my family worshipped for 20 years. 15 of those years were "on staff" on a voluntary basis in my off hours from work.
Eventually, my Senior Pastor told me that it was time for me to throw out my own nets to be a fisher of men. It's been 10 years now that I have pastored a small independent church in upstate New York.
The topic that I was preparing to teach included the discrepancy between the Gospel accounts regarding the number of animals Jesus rode into Jerusalem on the Sunday prior to His crucifixion. I was aghast at the variety of responses, and the spectrum they covered while reading the posts. From serious, to the laughable (with all due respect for humor), any reader would have been left in confusion. It saddened me that no one addressed the Old Testament prophecies that Jesus fulfilled during His triumphal entry into the City of the Great King on that day!
As I put my own thoughts into a more concise format, I'll put my two-cents in on the topic. In the meantime, this is a great way to learn about blog sites, and how best to use them for my church's website. Bye for now.
Pastor RJames, NY

[Esther B.]

Re: "Studying to show myself approved..."

A cautious welcome to you. Please read and follow the instructions for this forum so we can get to know you better.

[Mary Etheldreda]

Re: "Studying to show myself approved..."

The topic that I was preparing to teach included the discrepancy between the Gospel accounts regarding the number of animals Jesus rode into Jerusalem on the Sunday prior to His crucifixion. I was aghast at the variety of responses, and the spectrum they covered while reading the posts. From serious, to the laughable (with all due respect for humor), any reader would have been left in confusion. It saddened me that no one addressed the Old Testament prophecies that Jesus fulfilled during His triumphal entry into the City of the Great King on that day!

Hello, and welcome to our friendly forum! It's always nice to have a fellow shepherd to help keep the sheep in line. Are you talking about this sermon, daear: How many donkeys did Jesus ride on? by our very own, beloved Pastor Rune Enoe? If so, I'm confused as to why you found it so confusing. I look forward to hearing your opinion.

[Levi Jones]

Re: "Studying to show myself approved..."

I think you and I will get along pretty well. I assume you read Pastor Enoe's notes on the Triumphal Entry?

Or my commentary on Matthew 21?

Perhaps you can lend your own commentary on them.

[VictoryOS]

Re: "Studying to show myself approved..."

I haven't read your introduction yet because I left my bifocals in the other room, but hello to you anyway, Mr Laws!

[Russell Holbeck]

Re: "Studying to show myself approved..."

Hello Jabel al Lawz.

You should ask the Administrator to change the spelling of your first name to Jabal he is the great-great-great-great-great-great-great grandson of Adam I might be off by one.

Thank you.

Rusty

[Naomi Ruth Lamb]

Re: "Studying to show myself approved..."

Jabel,

Welcome to our friendly, warm forums!

I believe donkeys were blessed by God in many special ways and are, therefore, to be revered and respected. Not like some Hindu atheist satan worshipper does with cows, but in a quiet, solemn manner, knowing that God's own Son chose to ride ass wherever He traveled - when He wasn't hoofing it, of course. How awful to choose a time when mass transit defecated on the main road - making travel at night disgusting at best.

Still, God knows all, He knows every hair on our heads even before our birth. He knows every mosquito that will bite us, every person that shall come our way, and He knows what tomorrow holds, since He is already there. Glory to His Precious Name.

In Christ,
NRL

[Pim Pendergast]

Re: "Studying to show myself approved..."

Welcome to the forum, Mr James!

It saddened me that no one addressed the Old Testament prophecies that Jesus fulfilled during His triumphal entry into the City of the Great King on that day!

There's no denying that Jesus' triumphal entry was a fulfilment of prophecy, for the Bible tells us it is.

Mat 21:4-5 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.

Jn 12:14-15 And Jesus, when he had found a young ass, sat thereon; as it is written, Fear not, daughter of Sion: behold, thy King cometh, sitting on an ass's colt.

Matthew and John are clearly referring to Zechariah 9:9.

Zech 9:9 Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass.

Of course, even the Evangelists didn't realise it was a fulfilment of prophecy till the Holy Spirit told them it was.

Jn 12:16 These things understood not his disciples at the first: but when Jesus was glorified, then remembered they that these things were written of him, and that they had done these things unto him.

If we look at the following verse in Zechariah 9, we can see that it can only be referring to Jesus.

Zech 9:10a And I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim, and the horse from Jerusalem, and the battle bow shall be cut off:

Jesus' coming brought peace to Israel. Not the literal Israel or the literal Jerusalem, of course. If we read Luke's account of the triumphal entry, we find that Jesus stopped to weep over Jerusalem because it would be destroyed for rejecting Him.

Lk 19:41-44
41 And when he was come near, he beheld the city, and wept over it,
42 Saying, If thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace! but now they are hid from thine eyes.
43 For the days shall come upon thee, that thine enemies shall cast a trench about thee, and compass thee round, and keep thee in on every side,
44 And shall lay thee even with the ground, and thy children within thee; and they shall not leave in thee one stone upon another; because thou knewest not the time of thy visitation.

No; Jesus' coming brought peace to the spiritual Israel, God's chosen people, His church.

Zech 9:10b and he shall speak peace unto the heathen:

Jesus came to preach the Good News to the heathen. This would seem at odds with Matthew 15:24.

Mat 15:24 But he answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel.

But I suppose He did vicariously preach the Gospel to the nations through His disciples (Mat 28:19).

Zech 9:10c and his dominion shall be from sea even to sea, and from the river even to the ends of the earth.

This one has yet to be fulfilled, but it can only be referring to Jesus. I can't think of anyone else who will return from heaven to rule over the earth for 1,000 years (Rev 20:1-6), can you? Because the prophecies about Jesus' first coming were fulfilled, we can trust that the prophecies about His second coming will also come true.