Good morning, Zane.
I’m trying to stick on a photo showing the turbulent creek that’s rushing by our property this morning. I’m sure that there is some serious flooding around our area. It seemed that torrential rain was dumping all night—and still is. The mountain has to be getting piles of snow. I doubt that I’ll be following through with my mill job in these conditions.
Today I’m looking again at the Bible reading schedule for reading through the New Testament in a year—which today puts us in Matthew 3. Please pay careful attention to this one, Zane. Just for good measure, I’ll also stick on a copy of that Bible reading plan as an attachment.
Hope your day goes well. Love and prayers—Tua/Ray.
Wow! Is that any way for a preacher to talk to people visiting one of his crusade meetings? It sounds pretty rough and disrespectful, doesn’t it? But just a minute—I’m reminded that Jesus Himself used the same expression of condemnation in much the same kind of setting. He did so not just once, but at least twice. In Matthew 12:34 Jesus said to the hostile Pharisees, “You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good? For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks.” Then amidst Jesus’ “woes” of chapter 23 He says, “You snakes! You brood of vipers! How will you escape being condemned to hell?” (Matthew 23:33-34).
Notice that following each time the expression is used there is a powerful rhetorical question that no one ever seems to answer. “Who warned you to flee the coming wrath?” “…how can you who are evil say anything good?” “How can you escape being condemned to hell?” Notice too that each question underscores the certainty of God’s intolerance of unrepentant sin. It also underscores the importance of doing everything I can to avoid being deserving of those questions.
I just looked up the word “brood” in the dictionary. Consider this definition option: “The children of one family.” Suddenly, I’m reminded of the verbal conflict Jesus had with a group of Pharisees over in John 8. That’s where Jesus declared, “You belong to your father, the devil…” (John 8:44)—in other words, “You’re one of the devil’s kids!” I’m connecting some dots. If there are only two kingdoms—that of God and that of Satan—and whereas the devil is presented as a serpent (the spiritual father of human snakehood) in his scheme to orchestrate the fall of mankind—and whereas we are all members of that family/kingdom prior to the transformation of being “born again” and made “sons of God” (John 1:12)—then we all begin as a bunch of snakes!—members of this same “brood of vipers!” Ouch!
But once again the glory of the Biblical Gospel explodes before me like a fireworks display. While it is confirmed that in the eyes of the Almighty I am either a son or a snake, His AMAZING GRACE makes it possible for snakes to become sons! Talk about a marvelous miraculous metamorphosis! Just for good measure, let’s quote it once again: “But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name” (John 1:12, KJV). Wow!