The Gospels are selective accounts of the life of Jesus that communicate His identity and His message. That they are selective seems clear from statements we find in the Gospels themselves (Luke 1:1-4; John 20:30; 21:25).

One way they are selective is that they focus primarily on Jesus’s three-year ministry, with the exception of a short discussion of His birth and infancy (Matthew 1–2; Luke 1–2). Since God the Holy Spirit inspired these Gospels (2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:21), we can assume they contain everything God wanted us to know about the words and works of Jesus.

The four Gospel writers were each seeking to reach a different audience. They therefore included different emphases:

• Matthew wrote his Gospel between AD 50 and 60 to prove to Jews that Jesus was the promised Jewish Messiah. It contains about 130 Old Testament citations or allusions, more than any other Gospel (for example, 2:17-18; 4:13-15; 13:35; 21:4-5; 27:9-10).

• Mark wrote his Gospel in AD 55, and he had no such Jewish motivation. He sought to portray Jesus in action rather than as a teacher. He targeted Gentile readers, and therefore went to great lengths in explaining Jewish customs. About one-third of Mark’s Gospel focuses on the last week of Jesus’s life on earth.

• Luke wrote his Gospel in AD 60, and stressed the wonderful blessings of salvation for all people. He strongly emphasized that God’s grace is for the undeserving. Luke—a well-educated and cultured man—wrote his Gospel based upon reliable, firsthand sources (Luke 1:1-4). And even as a medical doctor, he expressed unflinching belief in Jesus’s many miracles (4:38-40; 5:15-25; 6:17-19; 7:11-15) as well as His virgin birth (1:35).

• John wrote his Gospel between AD 85 and 90, and focused heavily on the identity of Jesus, thoroughly demonstrating His divine origin and deity. John demonstrated that Jesus has the attributes of deity, including omniscience (John 4:29), omnipresence (14:23), and pre-existence (1:1; 8:58; 17:5).

This Gospel is evangelistic, seeking to persuade people to trust in Christ for salvation (20:31). The word “believe” occurs almost a hundred times in this Gospel. In all four Gospels, it is clear that the very heart of Jesus’s teaching is the kingdom of God. This refers to God’s reign as King over all the earth—even in the hearts of people today.

The kingdom of God arrived in New Testament times because the King (Jesus) had arrived. The kingdom was present because the King was present (Matthew 5:3; 8:12; 12:28; 19:24; 21:31; 21:43; 25:34; Luke 12:32; John 3:3,5; 18:36; Romans 14:17; Colossians 1:13; James 2:5; 2 Peter 1:11; Revelation 12:10).

There is also a future aspect of the kingdom, involving a 1000-year reign of Christ on earth following His second coming (Revelation 20:1-6). Following are key applicational concepts in the four Gospels.

^{Inspired by Theologian: Ron Rhodes, The Key Ideas Bible Handbook: Understanding and Applying All the Main Concepts Book by Book (Eugene, OR: Harvest House Publishers, 2016), 243–244.}

As we begin chapter 1 of Ephesians, it becomes clear that our God and Father of Jesus predestined each Christian to be brought into belief in Christ as their Saviour. (John 14:6)

The Father has blessed us in Christ.

Ephesians 1:3: Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places…

The Father has chosen us in Christ to enable us to be holy before Him.

Ephesians 1:4: …even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him…

The Father in love predestined us for adoption to Himself through Christ.

Ephesians 1:4-5: In love he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will…

The Father in love predestined us to be redeemed from a life of sin, in his Beloved son, Christ.

Ephesians 1: 6-8: …to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight…

The Father has made known the mystery of His will, as His purpose for mankind, designed to be accomplished by His Son Jesus Christ.

Ephesians 1: 9: …making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose which he set forth in Christ…

The Father has a predestined plan to adopt his chosen elect children to be a united family of believers, by believing in, and adhering to His Son Jesus Christ.

Ephesians 1: 10: ...as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth. In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will…

The Father has adopted children to put their hope in His Son, Jesus Christ, and bring praise to His Sovereignty over His created beings.

Ephesians 1:12: …so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory…

God has ordained that to receive your inheritance of eternal life, He must first awaken you to hear the Gospel via His Holy Spirit. Upon believing in Jesus Christ, we are sealed by His Spirit as enter in as part of His family.

Ephesians 1:13-14: In him [Christ] you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.

If the Father chose us in Christ intending to represent holy living and godliness in Him, He will achieve this through sanctification as His Spirit leads us to overcome temptation: No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it. (1 Corinthians 10:13 ESV)

For further Teaching about Sanctification: Assurance of Salvation

^{The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Eph 1:3–14.}

^{1 Pathways, David Jeremiah}

^{2 Ibid}

^{Note: I am indebted to the teaching — from which this is conceptualized —  of Puritan, Wilhelmus à Brakel, The Christian’s Reasonable Service, ed. Joel R. Beeke, trans. Bartel Elshout, vol. 4 (Grand Rapids, MI: Reformation Heritage Books, 1995), 94–95.}

John 17:1–5 (ESV): …he lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you, since you have given him authority over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him. And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work that you gave me to do. And now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed.

Although Mt 6:9–13 and Lk 11:2–4 have become known popularly as the “Lord’s Prayer,” that prayer was actually a prayer taught to the disciples by Jesus as a pattern for their prayers. The prayer recorded here is truly the Lord’s Prayer, exhibiting the face to face communion the Son had with the Father.

Very little is recorded of the content of Jesus’ frequent prayers to the Father (Mt 14:23; Lk 5:16), so this prayer reveals some of the precious content of the Son’s communion and intercession with Him. John chapter 17 is a transitional chapter, marking the end of Jesus’ earthly ministry and the beginning of His intercessory ministry for believers (Heb 7:25).

In many respects, the prayer is a summary of John’s entire gospel. Its principal themes include: 1) Jesus’ obedience to His Father; 2) the glorification of His Father through His death and exaltation; 3) the revelation of God in Jesus Christ; 4) the choosing of the disciples out of the world; 5) their mission to the world; 6) their unity modeled on the unity of the Father and Son; and 7) the believer’s final destiny in the presence of the Father and Son.

The chapter divides into three parts: 1) Jesus’ prayer for Himself (John 17: 1–5); 2) Jesus’ prayer for the apostles (John 17: 6–19); and 3) Jesus’ prayer for all NT believers who will form the church (John 17: 20–26). ¹

In John 17:1 the hour has come for the time of His death. (see John 12:23). The very event that would glorify the Son was His death. By it, He has received the adoration, worship, and love of millions whose sins He bore. He accepted this path to glory, knowing that by it He would be exalted to the Father. The goal is that the Father may be glorified for His redemptive plan in the Son. So He sought by His own glory the glory of His Father (John 13:31, 32).

In John 17:2 we note that Christ has authority over all flesh. (cf. John 5:27; Mt 28:18).  A reference to God’s choosing of those who will come to Christ is noted “to all whom You have given Him” (John 6:37, 44). The biblical doctrine of election or predestination is presented throughout the NT (John 15:16, 19; Acts 13:48; Romans 8:29–33; Ephesians 1:3–6; 2 Thess 2:13; Titus 1:1; 1 Pe 1:2).

In John 17:3 eternal life is brought into focus. (cf John 3:15, 16; 5:24; 1 Jn 5:20). In John 17:5 Jesus prays “glorify Me together with Yourself”. Having completed His work (John 17: 4), Jesus looked past the cross and asked to be returned to the glory that He shared with the Father before the world began (see John 1:1; 8:58; 12:41). The actual completion of bearing judgment wrath for sinners was declared by Christ in the cry, “It is finished” (John 19:30).

^{1 MacArthur Study Bible NASB}

God gave to sinful man some of the most essential truths in the Ten Commandments through Moses whilst coming down to him on the mountain of Sinai.

We may view these as outdated laws. However, God gave mankind the fundamental secrets of the universe — a blueprint for living.

The primary secret of the universe is that the entire universe is run by law, some proven and equated by physicists, others by chemists, and still others by mathematicians — all atomically generated, created and managed by a loving God — not by presumption or circumstance.

On the spiritual plane, it makes sense that the person who moves and lives and has their being in unison with God’s relational laws of mind, of love, and compassion will survive as long as his universe survives. On this basis, Jesus taught in John 8:51 NLT: I tell you the truth, anyone who obeys my teaching will never {spiritually] die!

Jesus knows all about the importance of these universal laws because he co-created the universe with his Father in the Spirit as taught by the apostle Paul: Colossians 1:16-17 NKJV: For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist.

The apostle John wrote this concerning Jesus: John 1: 1-2 ESV: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

Christ revealed that the person who obeys his laws will endure for as long as the universe endures.

This is the apex of the teaching of Jesus Christ while on earth. The whole universe is run by law, not atheistic chance. He enlightened man to realize that law has nothing to do with chance. Life is not random — not casual — it’s causal. Each of us can review our life, myself included, to find our condition today and tomorrow is related to our obedience or disobedience to both natural and spiritual law.

This cause-and-effect relationship in life is referred to as the law of the harvest: to a sowing and a reaping consequence, and happiness depends on obedience to God’s laws. Spiritual pain and sorrow come through transgressing the blessed divine law, whether we yet know the law or not.

When the Apostle Paul says: Galatians 6:7-9 KJV: Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting. And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.

This means that life is run by law. Look at a few examples from scripture:

The Egyptian Pharaoh caused the boys among the Israelites to be drowned. Later when Moses led the exodus of the Israelites out of Egypt, Pharaoh chased them into the parted Red Sea, and he drowned when the Red Sea rolled back on those chariots pursuing the Israelites. The water flowed back and covered the chariots and horsemen—the entire army of Pharaoh that had followed the Israelites into the sea. Not one of them survived. Exodus 14:28 (see context Exodus 14:21-29)

Jacob deceived his father about his father’s favourite son. As years rolled by, Jacob was deceived about his favourite son Joseph by his boys. Further, Jacob showed a deceptive spirit when he conspired to get the birthright, but in time his deceptive uncle Laban pulled the wool over his eyes – giving him Leah, not Rachel to initially marry. How did Jacob deceive his father? By putting on the skins of a goat; he, in turn, was deceived by his boys, who took the coat of his son Joseph, and dipped it in the blood of a goat.  (story in Genesis chapters 25 to 29)

In the story of Ester, Haman prepared a gallows for Mordecai, but he swung from it himself. Esther 7:9-10: And the king said, “Hang him on that.”So they hanged Haman on the gallows that he had prepared for Mordecai. Then the wrath of the king abated. So they impaled Haman on the pole he had set up for Mordecai, and the king’s anger subsided.

King Asa put the prophet Hanani in stocks, but Asa died of a disease in his feet. Sowing and reaping, cause and effect — listen, the breaking of the law brings a reaction in our lives.  (see 2 Chronicles 16: 10; 12-13: Asa became so angry with Hanani for saying this that he threw him into prison and put him in stocks. …In the thirty-ninth year of his reign Asa was afflicted with a disease in his feet. Though his disease was severe, even in his illness he did not seek help from the Lord, but only from the physicians. Then in the forty-first year of his reign Asa died and rested with his ancestors.

This is the teaching of Scripture revealed in life. It is such a universal law of God that many simply refer to this as Karma — what goes around comes around. When this dawns on a man or woman of reason, it becomes evident that everyone ought to be concerned about two things: (1) to find out the laws of God, and (2) to obey them and to be happy for time and eternity..

The Ten Commandments as given to Moses on Sinai

Exodus 20: 1-17 NIV:  And God spoke all these words:

2 “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.

3 “You shall have no other gods before[a] me.

4 “You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below.

5 You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, 6 but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments.

7 “You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name.

8 “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. 9 Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns. 11 For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.

12 “Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you.

13 “You shall not murder.

14 “You shall not commit adultery.

15 “You shall not steal.

16 “You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.

17 “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male or female servant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.”

What did He say first at Sinai: “I am the Lord your God.” What commandments did He give first? The ones that pertain to Him. “You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God.”

““Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God.” What did God put first? Worship–relationship to Himself.

The Bible begins with God: “In the beginning God.” The Lord’s Prayer begins this way: “Our Father.” God is trying to teach us to put first first–not first things first, but to put God first. He comes before things. Most people turn the tables around. They put things first, and then if there is a little time left over, that is for God.

And Jesus taught the same thing — put God’s kingdom first. Matthew 6:33 NIV: But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

Actually, the mystery of human suffering is not fully explained. As Wesley Baker puts it: When the end of the book of Job comes, there is no answer written out. There is nothing there that would satisfy the logical mind! However, we can be sure of these two facts: First of all, Job’s suffering was not a direct result of his personal sin. God testified that he was a perfect and upright man; moreover, He called Job His servant: And the LORD said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil?” (Job 1:8)

Also, God said that the reasoning of Job’s three friends—that God was punishing him because of his sins—was not right (Job 42:8). Secondly, although Job was not suffering because he had sinned, yet his trials did reveal pride, self-justification, and animosity in his heart. He was not delivered until he had a vision of his own nothingness — his primary lesson was to reveal his need of humility in contradistinction to God’s greatness (Job 42:1–6); and bore the fruit of the lesson, revealed by Job’s exercise   of a forgiving, humble sprit as he prayed for his friends, he had referred to as miserable comforters. (Job 42:10). Some of the lessons we learn about suffering from the book of Job are:

1. The righteous are not exempt from suffering.

2. Suffering is not necessarily a result of sin.

3. God has set a protective hedge around the righteous.

4. God does not send sickness or suffering. It comes from Satan (Luke 13:16; 2 Cor. 12:7).

5. Satan has some control in the realm of wicked men (the Sabeans and Chaldeans), supernatural disasters (fire from heaven), weather (a great wind), sickness (the boils on Job), and death.

6. Satan can bring these things on a believer only by God’s permission.

7. What God permits, He often is said to do. “Shall we indeed accept good from God, and shall we not accept adversity?”

8. We should view things as coming from the Lord, by His permission, and not from Satan. “The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away.” From this perspective we can appreciate that regardless of how blameless, upright and god-fearing we are, there may yet be an un-sanctified aspect of our life, perhaps a self-righteousness, unbiblical doctrine overlooked, or an unknown sin;  we all have an overlooked blind spot, as we are all  fallen from the intended image of God.

9. God does not always explain the reason for our suffering.

10. Suffering develops endurance.

11. In visiting suffering saints, we should not be judgmental.

12. We should make our visits brief.

13. Human reasonings aren’t helpful. Only God can comfort perfectly.

14. At the end of the book of Job we see that “the Lord is very compassionate and merciful” (Jas. 5:11). We also learn that sometimes, at least, wrongs are made right in this life.

15. Job’s patience in suffering vindicated God.

16. Job’s patience proved Satan to be a false accuser and liar.

17. “A man is greater than the things that surround him and, whatever may befall his possessions or his family, God is just as truly to be praised and trusted as before.”

18. We should be careful about making blanket statements that do not allow for exceptions.

19. Satan is neither omnipresent, omnipotent, nor omniscient.

In spite of God’s allowing unmerited suffering, He is still just and good. From other parts of the Bible, we get further light on some of the reasons why God allows His saints to suffer:

1. Sometimes it is a result of unjudged sin in the life (1 Cor. 11:32).

2. It is a means by which God develops spiritual graces, such as patience, longsuffering, humility (Rom. 5:3, 4; John 15:2).

3. It purges dross or impurities from the believer’s life so that the Lord can see His image reflected more perfectly (Isa. 1:25).

4. It enables the child of God to comfort others with the same type of comfort with which God comforted him or her (2 Cor. 1:4).

5. It enables the saint to share in the non-atoning sufferings of the Savior and thus to be more grateful to Him (Phil. 3:10).

6. It is an object lesson to beings in heaven and on earth (2 Thess. 1:4–6). It shows them that God can be loved for Himself alone, and not just because of the favors He bestows.

7. It is an assurance of sonship since God only chastens those whom He loves (Heb. 12:7–11).

8. It causes saints to trust in God alone and not in their own strength (2 Cor. 1:9).

9. It keeps God’s people close to Himself (Ps. 119:67).

10. It is a pledge of future glory (Rom. 8:17, 18).

11. God never allows us to be tempted above what we are able to bear (1 Cor. 10:13). “You have heard of the perseverance of Job and seen the end intended by the Lord—that the Lord is very compassionate and merciful” (Jas. 5:11b).

The rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands nor give up worshiping demons and idols… nor did they repent of their murders or their sorceries or their sexual immorality or their thefts. – Revelation 9:20

Transgender rights ideology has pivoted from gay liberation. Note: I do not agree with or condone any of these alternate sexuality cultic ideologies herein discussed.

I am a conservative Christian, adhering to the Biblical creation story. God made man in His own image, male and female. I believe we need to think about this growing ideology that has merged with a leftist political view, affected university campuses, and is infiltrating non-Christians’ collective consciousness at a very fast pace. A prophecy in the book of Revelation points to  a time when people will not repent — they have entered the wide gate of destruction before the judgement when Christ returns. What is the key issue: sexual immorality and sorcery or witchcraft, which is actually demonic possession. The leaders of the world are also seduced and support their sexual cults. This will become full blown to the degree that the majority of the world will revel in wickedness. (Matthew 7:13; Revelation 21:8; 17:2)

Aspects of the gay rights movement placed no real burdens on straight North Americans. They asked for basic protections—not to be prosecuted or harassed, or fired from their jobs for who they are, to be allowed to marry the person they love—that already covered all other citizens of the nation. These past adjustments in the gay laws allowed the current pivot to the darkest politicization of the anti-biblical transgender rights movement.

Transgenderism is a far creepier perversion, demanding something different: their ideology about gender and identity is designed to totally displace traditional, binary, and scientifically accepted conceptions of sex and gender. Moreover, these demands come with an implicit threat: If you don’t get with the program, we’ll label you a transphobe and do our best to make you persona non-grata. Or try to have you arrested for misgendering someone! Behind the blame game of victimization is a push for laws that aim to suppress, especially the Christian viewpoint.

This is a political move, not a call for respect. It’s a power grab intended to silence even those with honest questions about trans identity and to crowd such people out of the public discourse. It’s predominantly a losing battle. It may be best not to share your pearls with the swine nor sniff in the garbage bucket of the depraved.

The serious downside is the complete erosion of morality. Education systems will want to reach and teach your kids with this knowledge about gender swaps. Medical systems will offer their Faustian Bargain—knives to do Frankenstein-like irreversible plastic surgery! Pharmaceutical firms will offer hormone drugs to destroy the manhood and womanhood of children incapable of making such ludicrous decisions without brainwashed coercion! Capitalism is quickly jumping on the bandwagon.

If a man wants to become a woman, some propose that psychologically may be an inherent desire for feminized homosexuality (drag queen syndrome — often a gay exaggeration of female gender signifiers). Alternatively, if a woman wants to become a man, that would be akin to masculinized lesbianism (butch syndrome — a lesbian whose appearance and behaviour are seen as traditionally masculine), each with a latent desire to allure the same sex. This argument acknowledges the evolution of the gay movement that preceded transgenderism. Thus they all view themselves as part of this broken “community.”

God help us to circumvent this twisted, ungodly narrative. This is one sure sign that we’re in the last days. And the dark side laughs sardonically as they veer down their wide gate, hellishly demonic path. We live in a very broken and very sad world. Since the moment at creation when God said, ‘I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed’, Satan has been hard at work breaking down the institutions God put in place in paradise – the institutions made to benefit us and glorify the Creator – the most beautiful one being marriage. Marriage was established by God for loving companionship and to procreate – to go forth and multiply.

Transgenderism is just one ploy, one devastating plot with heartbreaking consequences — to destroy sexuality in the confines of marriage by exposing children at incredibly young ages to ideas and images they were never intended to grasp and carry. They are being told to go against every instinct in their biological being — in their own human nature, to become who they are not. They are and will be ongoingly confused, vulnerable, and preyed upon by perverted predators – hiding their devilish motives that they will never admit to. Important Video: Miriam Grossman

This knowledge is very dark — taboo dark — so children should be able to trust their parents and institutions paid for by our taxes to shield children from this propaganda – to stop flooding society with this perverted cultic sexual ideology. Children were never intended to be exposed to such wicked knowledge – let alone sexual gender transference, at a very young age (at any age) and with such an impressionable mind. Yet here we are – young children manipulated by our educational institutions to think of these sordid ungodly ideologies.

Exploring the world of sexuality in the cultic dictum of those who wish to tear down every traditional institution given in the Garden of Eden and to whitewash every historically cultural viewpoint since, aiming to advertise themselves as being on the right side of history. If you are Caucasian, they’ll compare you — today’s white people to slave owners of yesterday, shifting the concept of past bigotry forward to those exposing their anti-Christian values.

We must stand up in the churches to make God’s people aware of this war on our children at every level. For parents unaware of what is infiltrating their children’s schools, begin to educate yourselves on the culture war we are already in the midst of. The documentary “What is a Woman” can begin to reveal how this cult has a strong grip on society at many levels.

Teach your children well: Happiness comes not from making the world affirm “who we are,” but by becoming who we were created to be. Important Video: Miriam Grossman