Ansible-One

Seems to me that I should have more than enough time to get the things done that I want done within a day.  If I want to go to work and then come home to play a game I should have time to do that.  If I want to hit a few golf balls and then come home and dig out the Legos for my son, there should be time for that.

I suppose it culture or the devil working through our culture that is demanding time from us.  I love last years experience at Glorieta when my family and I actually had time to hike, play, or simply be.

That reminds me, I need to make time to plan for another trip this year…

Merry Christmas everyone!  Remember that despite the agony of sorting out the day itself, its the reason we remember the day that is important.  Thank you God for giving us your Son.

This week we only briefly discussed last week’s topics.  Few revisions were made to the previous post.  Dr. Underwood’s handout was riddled with formatting issues and typos so I have corrected some of these.  Again, the outline and questions are posed by Dr. Underwood and the commentary in blue is mine.

 Discovery Class – Week 2

John 2

John 1

• He is God
• John announces his coming
• John explains his role (baptize with the Spirit)
• John identifies his purpose (“behold the Lamb of God”)
• John 1:49 Nathaniel uses Messianic phrase that identifies him as the Messiah
• Holy Spirit settles on Jesus which identifies him as the promised Messiah/King
• All aspects of John 1 lead us to conclude that Jesus is God, the promised Messiah, and the fulfillment of the Davidic covenant.
• “Son of Man” vs. 51 (emphasizes divine authority of Jesus); Dan. 7:13

John 2:1-11 (The first miracle)

• The ultimate embarrassment: __________
  Running out of wine at the wedding
• Mary asked Jesus to change water to wine because __________
  She knew that He was the son of God.
• “It is not yet my time” suggests __________
• Jesus did this miracle at a public venue because __________
  He wanted there to be no doubt in who He was
• Wine in the NT is symbolic of __________
  The blood of Jesus Christ
• Why all the witnesses? __________
• What is the significance of “you have kept the good wine until now?”
  Traditionally, the best and strongest wine was used first.
• The typology of the Jewish wedding and Messiah is __________
  In the Jewish wedding tradition, the bride does not know when the groom will come and take her to the wedding.  No one knows when the Messiah will come to take the believers.
• As we consider the first miracle of Jesus we should conclude: __________

John 2:12-17 (The misplaced story?)

• This is an event that probably took place at the end of Jesus ministry.
• Why is it here?  Jesus quotes Jer. 7:11 & Isa. 56:7 in the synoptic gospels.
  John is packaging the story to inject that Jesus shares the emotions of God from the OT.
       Isa. 1 (the indictment)
• God hates insincere worship and perversion of the faith.
• Jesus demonstrates He is exactly like God (the Father) Col. 1
• John’s point:  Jesus is __________
  God.

John 2:18-19

• The prediction to the Jewish leaders

John 2:23-25

• “Many people believed in his name because they saw the miraculous signs he was doing”

Questions:

1. Based on what they witnessed, how should the people who were at the wedding react?
   They should be completely shocked.  It has been hundreds of years since the prophets of the OT foretold the coming of Jesus.  Even still, some would have known of John the Baptist by this point as well.  Some would had to have been in awe at the sight, but would would have to beleive and know that He was someone special and of God at very least.
2. Based on the facts we see in John chapters 1 & 2, how should we respond?
   That Jesus is the Messiah.  Prophesized in the OT and witnessed by those in the NT.

Jim Underwood 2009

Greeting all,

I have completed the enhancements and updates of the site.  Now running the latest WordPress and added a couple new widgets to list recent comments and a cool new plugin that allows me to post a static text in the side bar.

So check it out, let me know what you think.  If you would like help setting up your own blog let me know and we can get something going.

There are tons of references in the Bible to people “who have eyes but do not see, who have ears but do not hear” (Jer 5:21).  I think it is important to be aware of the hand of God at work on our lives.  I believe it takes two things to see it in motion however.  Seeing takes both the faithfulness that God calls us to have in Him and the Son, and it takes a bit of seasoning.  Not necessarily maturity or experience exactly, but a mixture of the two which makes a person seasoned in life.  My family had an experience recently that I fully believe was masterminded by God and conducted by the Holy Spirit.

As we move into the fall, there are many things in which that my family re-engages.  For most people, school is starting, sports, etc., but as homeschoolers, we haven’t really stopped school at all.  This past summer, though our home has been comfortable, we are constantly reminded of the challenges of living in an apartment.  Late night yelling outside our door, irresponsible pet owners, inconsiderate neighbors that are happy to run you over while we are walking the dog, parking spaces…don’t get me started on parking spaces.  These are challenges that exist everywhere but they are amplified considerably when you live 4 feet away from next person.
A family member pointed out a house for rent in a neighborhood in a good location.  Wifey and I decided to take a look to see if it might suit our purpose and budget.  The house was…ok.  The owners were questionable, but it got the ball rolling.  We decided to check out other houses around the city by spending $5 in gas a couple hours.

In one of the last neighborhoods we drove through, we saw an older house in great condition from the front (never underestimate curb appeal!), but it appeared to have some kind of notice sign on the front door.  These days, papers taped to doors are usually eviction or foreclosure notices, but we figured we would check it out anyway.

A couple of facts to put into play before I go on: 1) we discovered that our apartment lease was up at the end of September, a month sooner than expected. 2) we know our budget requirements and our limitations on raising cash quickly for moving 3) many other things have to fall in place perfectly too.  Deposits, credit, services, move in date, etc. all had to fit a certain mold before we would be able to select a new place.  Otherwise, we would simply renew the lease and deal with the chaos that is building at the apartment complex.

So we call the house owner and ask about the papers on the door.  They were electrical permits and not foreclosure notices.  Interesting, the person is very keen on taking care of the place.  Rent, a little high but within the budget.  So we expressed interest in seeing the house.
We meet the next day and do walk through.  We start talking and beginning the dance of negotiation.  We are hoping to get a bit of a discount off her original price.  The owner comes down $75.  Nice.  This is when it happens.  Before we had a chance to begin listing our other requirements, she informs us that yard care is included in the rent, the deposit can be paid in two payments, and there would even be an additional discount during summer months for water costs.  At that moment, I vividly remember praising God inside.  We really liked the place.

I had to stop myself at this point.  How in the world could each of the things that worried us the most be instantly cared for?  So, we played our hand next.  We could move in until the end of September so we would not break our apartment lease.  No problem.  We would like at least the weekend before the end of the month to move in so we can recruit help instead of paying movers.  No problem.  Our previous old credit history would have to be overlooked in favor of our current rent history and income.  No problem.  Ok wow.  Not only did God need the praise for the incredible find, but it was becoming apparent that He wanted us to find this house.

Finally, one last intangible requirement was that we had to have a certain level of trust for the person.  After talking about pasts for about 5 minutes we realize, the owner was a teacher in the district we grew up in.  A little deeper and it turns out she knew of people my wife’s family.  Ok cool, so she has been around our town for a while.  I mentioned my mom works in the district.  That did it.  She instantly recognized the name.  Not only that, but they are friends and see each other often.

We pursued the house, and were approved.  Each requirement met perfectly, and then she added some more on top.  How could this not be orchestrated by God?  Luck or chance…no way!  Only when God is involved are things perfect in everyway.  We will be faithful stewards of what we have been entrusted to.  We will care for the property and make it our home.  Keep your eyes open to see and your eyes open to hear.  God is constantly at work in this world.