by Jim Kerwin
on May 23, 2022
The John the Baptist Experience
Book 1: The Exceptional Messenger
Chapter 5: Squaring John with Elijah
Copyright © 2022
by
Jim Kerwin
A Question for You
“He must increase, I must decrease.”Matthew 11 relates the story of the imprisoned John sending two of his disciples to Jesus with this question: “Are you the Expected One?” (Matthew 11:2-3) They see some of Jesus’ miracles, receive a prophecy-based word of encouragement for John, and they then depart (vv. 3-7a).
Jesus then turns to the crowds and launches into an unfolding of John’s ministry and its importance. Do you remember Jesus’ final statement regarding John in this passage?
- 14“And if you are willing to accept it, John himself is Elijah who was to come. 15He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”
- Matthew 11:14-15
In that phrase “Elijah who was to come,” Jesus is referring to [continue reading…]
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1 Chronicles 21:25,
1 King 12:12-27,
1 King 19:14,
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1 Kings 11:26-43,
1 Kings 16:31,
1 Kings 18,
1 Kings 18:24,
1 Kings 18:4,
1 Kings 18:43-44,
1 Kings 19:1-7,
1 Kings 19:16-21,
1 Kings 19:2,
1 Kings 19:8,
2 Chronicles 11:13-40,
2 Chronicles 7:1,
2 King 1:7-8,
2 Kings 2:1-18,
2 Kings 2:3-7,
2 Kings 3:11,
Acts 10:37,
Acts 13:24-25,
Acts 18:24-26,
Acts 19:1-7,
Acts 1:15-26,
Acts 2:32-36,
Ahab Jezebel,
Alexander the Great,
Apollos,
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Genesis 14:18-22,
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John 10:41,
John 15:13-14,
John 1:21,
John 1:35-40,
John 3:22-36,
John the Baptist,
Judge 6:21,
Judges 13:19-20,
Leviticus 9:24,
Luke 11:1,
Luke 11:5,
Luke 15:10,
Luke 1:35,
Luke 1:41-44,
Luke 1:5-25,
Luke 1:57-80,
Luke 1:80,
Luke 3:14,
Luke 5:33,
Luke 7:18-24,
Luke 7:20,
Luke 7:28,
Maccabees,
Malachi 4:1,
Malachi 4:5-6,
Mark 12:37,
Mark 2:18,
Mark 6:29,
martyrdom,
Matthew 11:11,
Matthew 11:14-15,
Matthew 11:2-7,
Matthew 11:8,
Matthew 14:12-13,
Matthew 28:18-20,
Matthew 3-8-10,
Matthew 3:11-12,
Matthew 3:4,
Matthew 3:5,
miracles,
Mount Carmel,
Persian Empire,
Prayer,
Revelation 12:11,
Revelation 2:10-11,
Revelation 6:9-11,
Romans 5:7,
The John the Baptist Experience
by Jim Kerwin
on May 16, 2022
16 May 2022
Dear Friend,
Jesus is
still doing good!
April flew by, May is accelerating, and I have a plane to catch early this Friday, May 20th, for my teaching trip to Guatemala (May 20-31). Let me take a break for a few minutes, sit down, and share with you some of April’s highlights.
I’m reminded of a line from Peter’s sermon at Cornelius’ house. Speaking of the Lord’s earthly life, Peter said, “God anointed Jesus with the Holy Spirit and with power… He went about doing good and healing…”
What a down-to-earth description of the Lord’s ministry! Jesus is [continue reading…]
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The John the Baptist Experience
by Jim Kerwin
on April 25, 2022
The John the Baptist Experience
Book 1: The Exceptional Messenger
Deeper Dive 6:
Verb Voices and Violent Versions
Copyright © 2022
by
Jim Kerwin
Matthew 11:12 —
A Thorny Translation Challenge
“He must increase, I must decrease.”
As we have seen, Matthew 11:1-19 is that wonderful passage in which Jesus teaches about John the Baptist. First, He sends a message of encouragement to the imprisoned John. Then Jesus uses the opportunity to point the crowd to John’s fulfillment of the prophecies in Malachi 3:1 and 4:5-6 (the latter being the “Elijah prophecy”).
Matthew’s account of the events and teaching that day is very clear — except for one verse that has proven to be something of a thorny challenge to translate and interpret. That verse is Matthew 11:12—
“From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and violent men take it by force.”
What makes it “thorny”? Because [continue reading…]
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2 Kings 11:14,
2 Kings 19:1,
2 Kings 22:11,
2 Kings 22:19,
2 Kings 2:12m 2 Kings 5:8,
2 Kings 6:30,
2 Samuel 13:19,
2 Samuel 13:31,
2 Samuel 15:32,
2 Samuel 1:11,
2 Samuel 1:2,
2 Samuel 3:31,
active voice,
Acts 14:14,
Deuteronomy 6:5-6,
Ezra 9:3,
Ezra 9:5,
Genesis 37:29,
Genesis 37:34; Genesis 44:13,
Isaiah 36:22,
Isaiah 37:1,
Jeremiah 41:5,
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Job 1:20,
Job 2:12,
Joel 2:12-13,
John 6:15,
John the Baptist,
Judges 11:35,
Luke 16:16,
Malachi 4:4-5,
Matthew 11:1-19,
Matthew 11:12,
Matthew 26:25,
middle voice,
Numbers 14:6,
passive voice,
rending of garments,
The John the Baptist Experience
by Jim Kerwin
on May 21, 2022
Isaac-Watts
(1674-1748)
Come, Holy Spirit, heavenly Dove,
With all Thy quick’ning powers;
Kindle a flame of sacred love
In these cold hearts of ours.
Look how we grovel here below,
Fond of these trifling toys;
Our souls can neither fly nor go
To reach eternal joys.
In vain we tune our formal songs,
In vain we strive to rise;
Hosannas languish on our tongues,
And our devotion dies.
Dear Lord! and shall we ever live
At this poor dying rate?
Our love so faint, so cold to Thee,
And Thine to us so great?
Come, Holy Spirit, heav’nly Dove,
With all Thy quick’ning powers;
Come, shed abroad the Savior’s love
And that shall kindle ours.
To discover more hymns, visit our growing list of Powerful Poetry.
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Perfect Love
by Jim Kerwin
on May 17, 2022
Edna Worrell
(1873–1961)
A friend I have called Jesus,
Whose love is strong and true,
And never fails howe’er ’tis tried,
No matter what I do;
I’ve sinned against this love of His,
But when I knelt to pray,
Confessing all my guilt to Him,
The sin clouds rolled away.
Chorus:
It’s just like [continue reading…]
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Love of God
by Jim Kerwin
on May 15, 2022
Ellen Lakshmi Goreh
(1853-1937)
Take my heart, O Great Refiner,
Plunge it in the cleansing flame;
Heat the furnace seven times hotter,
I shall still adore Thy Name;
I shall hail its hungry roaring,
’Twill be music in mine ear,
If, amid its fiery [continue reading…]
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by Jim Kerwin
on May 13, 2022
Civilla Martin
(1866-1948)
29“Are not two sparrows sold for a cent? And yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. 30But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. 31So do not fear; you are more valuable than many sparrows.”
Matthew 10:29-31 nasb
6“Are not five sparrows sold for two cents? Yet not one of them is forgotten before God. 7Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear; you are more valuable than many sparrows.“
Luke 12:6-7 nasb
Why should I feel discouraged,
Why should the shadows come,
Why should my heart be lonely,
And long for Heav’n and home,
When Jesus is my portion?
My constant friend is He—
His eye is on the sparrow, [continue reading…]
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by Jim Kerwin
on May 9, 2022
Eleanor Schroll
(1878–1966)
There’s a garden where Jesus is waiting,
There’s a place that is wondrously fair,
For it glows with the light of His presence —
’Tis the beautiful garden of prayer.
Chorus:
Oh, the beautiful garden, [continue reading…]
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Prayer
by Jim Kerwin
on May 6, 2022
Albert Reitz
(1879-1966)
It happened that while Jesus was praying in a certain place, after He had finished, one of His disciples said to Him, “Lord, teach us to pray just as John also taught his disciples.”
Luke 11:1 nasb
“Teach me to pray, Lord, teach me to pray” —
This is my heart-cry day unto day.
I long to know Thy will and Thy way;
“Teach me to pray, Lord, teach me to pray!”
Chorus:
Living in Thee, Lord, and Thou in me,
Constant abiding, this is my plea.
Grant me [continue reading…]
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by Jim Kerwin
on May 4, 2022
George A. Young
(18??-19??)
In shady, green pastures
So rich and so sweet,
God leads His dear children along;
Where the water’s cool flow
Bathes the weary one’s feet,
God leads His dear children along.
Chorus:
Some through the waters,
Some through [continue reading…]
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by Jim Kerwin
on April 11, 2022
The John the Baptist Experience
Book 1: The Exceptional Messenger
Deeper Dive #5: “Malachisaiah”?
Copyright © 2022
by
Jim Kerwin
“He must increase, I must decrease.”
Two Prophecies,
Two Readings
Please let me share Mark 1:1-3 from two translations, the King James Version and the New American Standard Bible:
The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God; 2As it is written in the prophets,
“Behold, I send My messenger before Thy face,
which shall prepare Thy way before Thee.
3The voice of one crying in the wilderness… etc.
[kjv]
1The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. 2As it is written in Isaiah the prophet:
“Behold, I send My messenger ahead of You,
Who will prepare Your way;
3The voice of one crying in the wilderness…’ ” etc.
[nasb]
As we can see, Mark introduces “the beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ,” by immediately [continue reading…]
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1 John 1:1,
1 Peter 1:1,
2 John 1,
2 Kings 19:21,
3 John 1,
Acts 23:22,
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Deuteronomy 11:1-6,
Exodus 20:11,
Genesis 2:1-2,
Hebrews 10:15-17,
Hebrews 10:5-9,
Hebrews 1:5-13,
Hebrews 2:6-8,
Hebrews 3:15,
Hebrews 3:7-11,
Hebrews 4:4,
Hebrews 4:7,
Hebrews 6:14,
Hosea 1:10,
Hosea 2:23,
Isaiah 10:22-23,
Isaiah 40:3,
Isaiah 62:11,
James 1:1,
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Jude 1,
Majority Text,
Malachi 3:1,
Mark 1:1-3,
Matthew 21:1-5,
Matthew 21:5,
mnemonic trigger,
Numbers 16:1-33,
Numbers 16:1-33; Numbers 26:9-10,
Numbers 26:9-10,
Psalm 106:16-17,
Psalm 8:4-6,
Psalm 9:14,
Romans 11,
Romans 9:25-26,
Romans 9:27-28,
Textus Receptus,
The John the Baptist Experience,
Zechariah 9:9
by Jim Kerwin
on April 7, 2022
Ellen Lakshmi Goreh
(1853-1937)
In the secret of His presence
How my soul delights to hide!
Oh, how precious are the lessons
Which I learn at Jesus’ side!
Earthly cares can never vex me,
Neither trials lay me low;
For when Satan comes to tempt me,
To the [continue reading…]
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by Jim Kerwin
on April 6, 2022
5 April 2022
Answered Prayer for the Honduras Trip!
Dear Friend,
The La Joya church-plant worship band warming up on Sunday evening, 13 March
Consider this communique a praise report! While you were praying for last month’s Honduras trip, God was answering and blessing. Maybe it’s just because I’ve been Covid-restricted in my travel for two years, but it really seems like this trip took the prize for the number of God-timed and God-ordained arrangements.
Plus, the Lord kept me in the best of health, and He preserved us on the road — we witnessed (but didn’t participate in!) two head-on collisions. All thanks to God and many thanks to you all for your prayers.
I fired off many pages of narrative to my wife Denise while I was gone — way too much to condense here.
Perhaps the story can best be [continue reading…]
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Yoro
by Jim Kerwin
on March 28, 2022
Clara Scott
(1841-1897)
Open my eyes, that I may behold
Wonderful things from Your law.
—Psalm 119:18 nasb—
Open my eyes that I may see
Glimpses of truth Thou hast for me.
Place in my hands the wonderful key
That shall unclasp and set me free.
Silently now I wait for Thee,
Ready, my God, Thy [continue reading…]
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