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Articles from Pastor Jon's Blog

Numbers 1:32-46 2008-01-11 00:00:00 Numbers 1 –The First Census of Israel 7. (32-33) The Tribe of Ephraim: 40,500 potential soldiers. From the sons of Joseph, the children of Ephraim, their genealogies by their families, by their fathers' house, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and above, all who were able to go to war: those who were numbered of the tribe of Ephraim were forty thousand five hundred. 8. (34-35) The Tribe of Manasseh: 32,200 potential soldiers. From the children of Manasseh, their genealogies by their families, by their fathers' house, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and above, all who were able to go to war: those who were numbered of the tribe of Manasseh were thirty-two thousand two hundred. 9. (36-37) The Tribe of Benjamin: 35,400 potential soldiers. From the children of Benjamin, their genealogies by their families, by their fathers' house, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and above, all who were able to go to war: tho ...

Pilgrims Progress -- Chapter 1 2008-01-10 07:36:29 The audio from "Pilgrims Progress" -- Chapter 1 is available on the Springfield Calvary site. You can listen by clicking here.<:))))><< ...

Numbers 1:22-31 2008-01-10 00:00:00 Numbers 1 –The First Census of Israel 2. (22-23) The Tribe of Simeon: 59,300 potential soldiers. From the children of Simeon, their genealogies by their families, by their fathers' house, of those who were numbered, according to the number of names, every male individually, from twenty years old and above, all who were able to go to war: those who were numbered of the tribe of Simeon were fifty-nine thousand three hundred. 3. (24-25) The Tribe of Gad: 45,650 potential soldiers. From the children of Gad, their genealogies by their families, by their fathers' house, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and above, all who were able to go to war: those who were numbered of the tribe of Gad were forty-five thousand six hundred and fifty. 4. (26-27) The Tribe of Judah: 74,600 potential soldiers.  From the children of Judah, their genealogies by their families, by their fathers' house, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and above, ...

Numbers 1:20-21 2008-01-09 00:00:00 Numbers 1 –The First Census of Israel C. The count of the tribes. 1. (20-21) The Tribe of Reuben: 46,500 potential soldiers. Now the children of Reuben, Israel's oldest son, their genealogies by their families, by their fathers' house, according to the number of names, every male individually, from twenty years old and above, all who were able to go to war: those who were numbered of the tribe of Reuben were forty-six thousand five hundred. a. Those who were numbered of the tribe of Reuben were forty-six thousand five hundred: Many people wonder if these numbers are accurate and literal. Some think that they are grossly exaggerated, and others have suggested they are increased by a factor of ten. Despite the objections of critics, it is best to trust the simple testimony of God’s Word. Surely God could provide for such a multitude in the wilderness and occasional discrepancies in numbers are likely due to scribal errors. b. Forty-six thousand five hundred: Are these number ...

Numbers 1:4-19 2008-01-08 00:00:00 Numbers 1 –The First Census of Israel 3. (4-16) The heads of the tribes. And with you there shall be a man from every tribe, each one the head of his father's house. These are the names of the men who shall stand with you: from Reuben, Elizur the son of Shedeur; from Simeon, Shelumiel the son of Zurishaddai; from Judah, Nahshon the son of Amminadab; from Issachar, Nethanel the son of Zuar; from Zebulun, Eliab the son of Helon; from the sons of Joseph: from Ephraim, Elishama the son of Ammihud; from Manasseh, Gamaliel the son of Pedahzur; from Benjamin, Abidan the son of Gideoni; from Dan, Ahiezer the son of Ammishaddai; from Asher, Pagiel the son of Ocran; from Gad, Eliasaph the son of Deuel; from Naphtali, Ahira the son of Enan." These were chosen from the congregation, leaders of their fathers' tribes, heads of the divisions in Israel . a. A man from every tribe, each one the head of his father's house: Israel was organized according to the tribes that descended fro ...

Numbers 1:1-3 2008-01-07 00:00:00 Numbers 1 –The First Census of Israel 2. (1-3) The purpose of the census. Now the Lord spoke to Moses in the Wilderness of Sinai, in the tabernacle of meeting, on the first day of the second month, in the second year after they had come out of the land of Egypt, saying: "Take a census of all the congregation of the children of Israel, by their families, by their fathers' houses, according to the number of names, every male individually, from twenty years old and above; all who are able to go to war in Israel. You and Aaron shall number them by their armies.” a. Now the Lord spoke to Moses in the Wilderness: As Moses met with the Lord in the tabernacle, God commanded him to take a census of the congregation of the children of Israel - but only counting all who are able to go to war in Israel  b. You and Aaron shall number them by their armies: This was predominately a military census to see who could fight on Israel ’s behalf in taking the Promised Land. Thi ...

Numbers Chapter 1 2008-01-06 00:00:00 Numbers 1 – The First Census of Israel 1. An Introduction. a. The first section of Numbers, chapters 1 through 9, is a picture of God's provision for guidance and warfare. These are the two critical needs of Israel in their march from Mount Sinai, where the Law was given to the northern wilderness of Paran, at the very edge of the Promised Land, the land of Canaan. On the way they would need guidance because this was a trackless wilderness. Moreover, they would need protection, for the wilderness was occupied by hostile tribes who opposed them every time they turned around. b. Is this a familiar picture? We need guidance to wend our way among the subtle dangers, temptations, and evils of this world. We all need protection from the enemies who surround us, who would defeat us if they could. c. This section describes the arrangement of the encampment, including the position of the tabernacle with the tribes on every side, and a numbering of the armed men of Israel. These are pict ...

John 8:6b 2008-01-05 00:00:00 John 8 - The Light of the World 3. (6b) Jesus ignores them, as if He never heard them. But Jesus stooped down and wrote on the ground with His finger, as though He did not hear. a. As though He did not hear: Why did Jesus ignore them? Some think it was because He despised them; others say that He was embarrassed for the woman’s sake. Still others say that He was horrified at what these men did to her. b. Wrote on the ground with His finger: What did Jesus write? No one can know for certain. He may have listed their names or their sins; or simply doodled; He may have followed Roman judicial practice and wrote out His sentence before He pronounced it. i. Or, He may have written out a passage like Exodus 23:1: Do not put your hand with the wicked to be an unrighteous witness. Unless otherwise noted all Scripture is taken from the New King James translation of the Bible.<:))))><< ...

John 7:53-8:6a 2008-01-04 00:00:00 John 8 - The Light of the World 2. (7:53-8:6a) A woman is brought to Jesus, caught in the act of adultery. And everyone went to his own house. But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. Now early in the morning He came again into the temple, and all the people came to Him; and He sat down and taught them. Then the scribes and Pharisees brought to Him a woman caught in adultery. And when they had set her in the midst, they said to Him, "Teacher, this woman was caught in adultery, in the very act. Now Moses, in the law, commanded us that such should be stoned. But what do You say?" This they said, testing Him, that they might have something of which to accuse Him.  a. Brought to Him a woman caught in adultery: They set a trap for Jesus. If Jesus says, "Let her go," then it seems that He breaks the Mosaic Law. If he says, "Execute her for the crime of adultery," then Jesus seems harsh and He breaks Roman law, because the Romans had taken away the ...

John 7:53-8:11 2008-01-03 00:00:00 John 8 - The Light of the World A. An adulteress is brought before Jesus for judgment. 1. Textual questions on John 7:53 through 8:11. a. From manuscript current evidence, it seems unlikely that this portion ( 7:53-8:11) was part of the original text of John’s gospel, or at least in this place. The majority of ancient Greek manuscripts omit this section Many later manuscripts mark this section with asterisks One group of manuscripts inserts it after Luke 21:38 A few have this section after John 21:24, and one has it after John 7:36 i. All this shows that ancient scribes were ignorant of its exact position, but were anxious to retain it in the gospel records. They knew it belonged, but they didn’t exactly know where. b. Some ancient Christians (like Augustine and Ambrose) omitted this story, not so much because of the textual evidence, but because they thought it made Jesus appear to condone sexual immorality. c. At the same time, the character of the story make ...

Numbers – An Introduction - 3 2008-01-02 00:00:00 Numbers – An Introduction B. Israel takes inventory: The census of Numbers 1. 1. (1a) God speaks to Moses. Now the Lord spoke to Moses in the Wilderness of Sinai, in the tabernacle of meeting. a. The Lord spoke to Moses: the Lord spoke to Moses. Does God still speak to people today? Does God still speak to His people today? b. How does God speak to people today? How does God speak to His people today? i. Through creation. a) Creation will tell you there is a God and that He is a powerful Creator. b) Creation does not give us a complete revelation of God. c) Creation can not tell you what His name is, what He is like, or how we can approach God. ii. Through the circumstances of our lives. a) This can be good or bad, positive or negative. b) Can be difficult to discern. iii. Through other people. a) This can include inspired preaching and teaching, the fellowship of the saints, counseling, mentoring, as well as the exercise of the manifestations of the Spirit s ...

Top 10 predictions for 2008 2007-12-31 23:30:00 Top 10 predictions for 2008 1. The Bible will still have the answers. 2. Prayer will still work. 3. The Holy Spirit will still move. 4. God will still inhabit the praises of His people. 5. There will still be God-anointed preaching. 6. There will still be singing of praise. 7. God will still pour out blessings upon His people. 8. There will still be room at the Cross. 9. Jesus will still love you. 10. Jesus will still save the lost. And Remember...God is still on the Throne !    Happy New Year! <:))))><< ...

Course Refinements 2007-12-31 01:00:00 Blogs develop over time. A blog might start out in one direction and end up somewhere altogether different. Sometimes this is good. When Pastor Jon's blog started out, it was an experiment in blogging. The whole concept was new to me. Over time it became a blog dedicated to "blogging the whole counsel of God." And that is good. There are also other subjects I want to discourse upon. I want to blog about pastoral ministry, church planting, the church, and living this Christian life just to name a few. So, I created a new blog called Laboring In The Lord. It is about all those things and perhaps a few more. You are invited to visit there as well... As for Pastor Jon's Blog, it will continue to feature Bible exegesis. That is, it will have posts from my teaching notes. We just began a Sunday series on "Pilgrims Progress," a study from the book of Numbers. We will also begin a mid week study of the book of Ruth. So, why the sudden focus on the Old Testament? We, ...

Numbers – An Introduction - 2 2007-12-31 00:00:00 Numbers – An Introduction 2. This fourth book of Moses tells us what happened during those 38 years. The Hebrew title of this book gives us an idea of the theme of Numbers. In Hebrew this book is titled In the Wilderness instead of Numbers. Rabbinic teachers have referred to this book as “Murmurings”. The Israelites had a propensity to grumble and complain. a. A Chronicle of successes and failures of the “Wilderness Wanderings.” It is a book about arrested progress: it took about 40 hours to get Israel out of Egypt; it took 40 years to get Egypt out of Israel. b. The wilderness was never meant to be Israel’s destination. God’s intention was to bring them into the Promised Land of Canaan. The wilderness was intended as a temporary place - a place to move through, not to live in.  i. Arithmoi, “Numbers” (LXX) ii. Numeri, (Latin) iii. B’midbar, “In the Wilderness” iv. “The Hebrew word for wilderness (midbar) means a place for driving ...

Sunday Quotes 12.30.07 2007-12-30 00:30:00 John 2:5; Whatever He says to you, do it. Truth = when the word and the deed become one. The purpose of your life is far greater than your own personal fulfillment, peace of mind, or even your happiness. It's far greater than your family, your career, or even your wildest dreams and ambitions. If you want to know why you were placed on this planet, you must begin with God. You were born BY His purpose and FOR His purpose. -- Rick Warren "By perseverance the snail reached the ark." --Charles Haddon Spurgeon Nothing is harder to bear than a guilty conscience. -- Croft M. Pentz Adrian Rogers told the story of a lady who took a course in first aid: "They were having testimonials about first aid, and she stood up and said, 'I want to give a testimony. The other day out in front of my house, there was an automobile accident. An old man driving his car lost control, went over the curb, and hit an oak tree head-on. He was thrown out into the street. His skull was fractur ...