<html><head></head><body><div><div><div><div><br></div>Mark 14;53-58<div><br></div><div><b>53. &nbsp;And they led Jesus to the high priest; and all the chief priest and the elders and the scribes were assembled.</b></div><div><b>54. &nbsp;And Peter had followed him at a&nbsp;distance, right into the courtyard of the high priest; and he was sitting with the guards, and warming himself at the fire.</b></div><div><b>55. &nbsp;Now the chief priest and the whole council sought testimony against Jesus to put him to death; but they found none.</b></div><div><b>56. &nbsp;For many bore faults witness against him, and their witness did not agree.</b></div><div><b>57. &nbsp;And some stood up and bore false witness against him, saying,</b></div><div><b>58. &nbsp;“We Heard him say, ‘I will destroy this temple that is made with hands, and in three days I will build another, not made with hands.’”</b></div><div><b><br></b></div><div>The temple Jesus referred to was His own body, and by extension, the Church.</div><div><br></div><div>Jesus did not say ‘<u>I will destroy</u>&nbsp;this temple’. &nbsp;Neither was Jesus’ body <u>made with hands</u>.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>The true temple of God is us the Church. &nbsp;The Triune God makes us His own dwelling place. &nbsp;He uses His Word and Spirit to cleanse and indwell us.</div><div><br></div><div>In our baptism into Christ (Romans 6) we have been joined into Christ to share in His death to sin and we have been raised with Christ in His resurrection to never die. &nbsp;As Jesus said to Martha, <i>“Whoever lives and believes in me shall never die.”</i></div><div><i><br></i></div><div>Then, Jesus asked Martha, <i>“ Do you believe this?” &nbsp;</i></div><div><i><br></i></div><div>The faith given to us by the hearing of the Word in our baptism, includes the gift of eternal life, (not just the forgiveness of sins). &nbsp;We live out our eternal life as we live earthly lives of sacrificial love, God’s own love. &nbsp;This eternal life has already begun in us. &nbsp;This gift of eternal life teaches our hearts that we need not fear earthly death. &nbsp;In our discipleship, following Christ in paths of righteousness, “<i>we are being killed all&nbsp;day long;&nbsp;are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.” &nbsp;</i>(Romans 8;36)</div><div><br></div><div>But, in all our tribulations, <i>“We are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” &nbsp;</i>(Romans 8;37-39)</div><div><br></div><div>We, in our baptism into Christ, have been called to share in His sufferings. &nbsp;Our loving Heavenly Father allows tribulation into our lives for both &nbsp;a witness to this world of Christ indwelling us, and also for purification. By our trials, we are being conformed into the image of Jesus.</div><div><br></div><div><i>“ We know that in everything, God works for good with&nbsp;those who love Him,&nbsp;who&nbsp;are called according to his purpose.&nbsp;&nbsp;For those whom He foreknew He&nbsp;also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that he might be the first-born among many brethren.” &nbsp;</i>(Romans 8;28&amp;29)</div><div><br></div><div>In whatever suffering we are enduring, we are to humbly ask ourselves, what is my&nbsp;Lord teaching me&nbsp;about His ongoing work in me. &nbsp;What in me must yet die, and what in me, with Christ must raise up?</div><div><br></div><div>Prayer: &nbsp;Merciful Father, in the midst of my sufferings with Christ, grant me grace to die to those things which belong to my old nature and this world, and grant me grace to believe by Christ indwelling me, I am able to walk with Jesus the paths of righteousness&nbsp;in newness of life, loving even my enemies. &nbsp;In Jesus we all pray, Amen.</div><div><br></div><div>Love,</div><div>Dad/Baba/Eric</div><div>Grandpa Pickle Pastor</div><div>“A chapter a day, every day, progressively, be transformed, ‘soak’ in the living Word. &nbsp;God’s Word is our habitation, and we are His.”</div><div><br><br><div><a href="https://mail.onelink.me/107872968?pid=nativeplacement&amp;c=Global_Acquisition_YMktg_315_Internal_EmailSignature&amp;af_sub1=Acquisition&amp;af_sub2=Global_YMktg&amp;af_sub3=&amp;af_sub4=100000604&amp;af_sub5=EmailSignature__Static_" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"></a><br></div></div></div></div></div></body></html>


Mark 14;53-58
53.  And they led Jesus to the high priest; and all the chief priest and the elders and the scribes were assembled.54.  And Peter had followed him at a distance, right into the courtyard of the high priest; and he was sitting with the guards, and warming himself at the fire.55.  Now the chief priest and the whole council sought testimony against Jesus to put him to death; but they found none.56.  For many bore faults witness against him, and their witness did not agree.57.  And some stood up and bore false witness against him, saying,58.  “We Heard him say, ‘I will destroy this temple that is made with hands, and in three days I will build another, not made with hands.’”
The temple Jesus referred to was His own body, and by extension, the Church.
Jesus did not say ‘I will destroy this temple’.  Neither was Jesus’ body made with hands. 
The true temple of God is us the Church.  The Triune God makes us His own dwelling place.  He uses His Word and Spirit to cleanse and indwell us.
In our baptism into Christ (Romans 6) we have been joined into Christ to share in His death to sin and we have been raised with Christ in His resurrection to never die.  As Jesus said to Martha, “Whoever lives and believes in me shall never die.”
Then, Jesus asked Martha, “ Do you believe this?”  
The faith given to us by the hearing of the Word in our baptism, includes the gift of eternal life, (not just the forgiveness of sins).  We live out our eternal life as we live earthly lives of sacrificial love, God’s own love.  This eternal life has already begun in us.  This gift of eternal life teaches our hearts that we need not fear earthly death.  In our discipleship, following Christ in paths of righteousness, “we are being killed all day long; are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.”  (Romans 8;36)
But, in all our tribulations, “We are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”  (Romans 8;37-39)
We, in our baptism into Christ, have been called to share in His sufferings.  Our loving Heavenly Father allows tribulation into our lives for both  a witness to this world of Christ indwelling us, and also for purification. By our trials, we are being conformed into the image of Jesus.
“ We know that in everything, God works for good with those who love Him, who are called according to his purpose.  For those whom He foreknew He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that he might be the first-born among many brethren.”  (Romans 8;28&29)
In whatever suffering we are enduring, we are to humbly ask ourselves, what is my Lord teaching me about His ongoing work in me.  What in me must yet die, and what in me, with Christ must raise up?
Prayer:  Merciful Father, in the midst of my sufferings with Christ, grant me grace to die to those things which belong to my old nature and this world, and grant me grace to believe by Christ indwelling me, I am able to walk with Jesus the paths of righteousness in newness of life, loving even my enemies.  In Jesus we all pray, Amen.
Love,Dad/Baba/EricGrandpa Pickle Pastor“A chapter a day, every day, progressively, be transformed, ‘soak’ in the living Word.  God’s Word is our habitation, and we are His.”

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