The Wanderer

Parkway Baptist Church

Sunday Morning Service ~ Matthew 2:1-2

Top Highlights

• The wise men came in search of Jesus and asked Where is He?
  • This shows they were looking for Him
    • something interesting to point out is that they were wise men of the East – that means they were Gentiles…
    • They were also very likely astrologers
  • The people of our world are also silently pleading and looking for Jesus — they just don’t know it 🙂
• They came based off a star they had seen
  • God used a star — they were astrologers — God used a thing they understood to capture their attention

The pastor went on to describe where Jesus is historically, physically, and spiritually. I’d like to highlight one aspect of it: physically. Jesus is physically in heaven at the right hand of God Almighty! Two aspects of His placement are intriguing to me. The first is the interesting thing in the Hebrew language. The right hand of God is the merciful seat. Jesus is sitting at the right hand of His Father advocating for us and being our Mediator. There are many religions which have priests are several other ways for their advocation. All I am here to say is this:

By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.
And every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins: But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God…And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more.

Hebrews 10:10-12,17 KJV

That is unimaginably comforting. His sacrifice was the PERFECT ULTIMATE one. No amount of confessions or guilt-tripping or whatever else is needed… JUST HIS BLOOD.

One more thing before I close the morning highlights. We have a promise and assurance that Jesus is at His place of authority because He promised us His Spirit (John 16:7)(1 John 3:24).

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Sunday Evening Service ~ (several places… there were four points)

• Elijah and Elisha (2 Kings 2:9-15)
  • Elisha asked for Elijah’s spirit and was given Elijah’s mantle
  • Elisha rents his clothes upon picking up the mantle– a symbolic reference to putting on the new man…
    • take up the faith of our fathers and preceding generation….
• This passage somewhat parallels to Jesus’s ascension and the Holy Spirit…
• A passage that wasn’t mentioned but I still want to incorporate is the Prodigal son parable… the Father threw his cloak on his runaway son… it’s like God throwing Jesus’s blood dipped robe over us and saying welcome home.

I want to close with this closing scripture used tonight. Jude 22. This verse says we need to have compassion for the lost. Do we really do that anymore? Ask yourself… when was the last time you wept for a lost person?