Comprehending His Kindness.

Romans 2

Or do you have contempt for the wealth of his kindness, forbearance, and patience, and yet do not know that God’s kindness leads you to repentance? – Vs 4 (NET)

In chapter one, Paul gave a list of all the sins of those whom "God gave over." He included unrighteousness, greed, evil, envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice, gossiping, slander, insolence, hatred for God, arrogance, boasting, being disobedient to parents, lack of understanding, untrustworthiness, and lack of love and mercy. Now in chapter two he warns his Gentile readers that whether they have committed any of those sins or not, they still stand before God as guilty. Even in our passing of judgment on those who practice such sins, we reveal our own guilt. Like those professing Roman Christians, we may not have been given over by God to impurity, degrading passions, or depraved minds, but we still find many of those same sins evident in our lives. And each time we do find them showing up in our lives, and we do nothing about them, Paul warns us that we are storing up wrath (Vs 5). Paul uses the them of the coming judgment of God a lot in this book. It is a warning.

If we are truly believers and we sin, which we will, there is something that needs to happen. Paul makes it clear in verse four: "Or do you have contempt for the wealth of his kindness, forbearance, and patience, and yet do not know that God’s kindness leads you to repentance?" As followers of Christ, we have received God's kindness in the form of His mercy and grace. He has not given us what we deserve: death. But instead, He has given us what we don't deserve: forgiveness of sin and eternal life. He has shown us great patience. This kindness has a purpose though. It is to lead us to repentance. Repentance is to change one's mind, and it includes the idea of reformation. He kindness is intended to lead us to a different way of thinking and a changed life style. Our lives are no longer to be characterized by that list of sins from chapter one.

To live in continued sin is to live with a stubborn and unrepentant heart. It is to show contempt for the kindness God has shown. And that kind of life, according to Paul, will be judged harshly by God, because He "will render to each according to his deeds" (Vs 6). "He will give eternal life to those who persist in doing what is good, seeking after the glory and honor and immortality that God offers. But he will pour out his anger and wrath on those who live for themselves, who refuse to obey the truth and practice evil deeds." (Vs 7-8 - NLT). Eternal life or anger and wrath. Only those who live a life of repentance, based on their understanding of and appreciation for the kindness of God, will enjoy eternal life. An unrepentant life is the sign of an unsaved life. When we are saved by Christ, our eyes are opened to the reality of our own sinfulness and the awesomeness of God's grace. That comprehension of His kindness, His giving us what we don't deserve instead of what we did deserve, it what leads us to repent – to turn from our old way of thinking about sin. We will choose to do good instead of evil. And because we have the Holy Spirit living within us, we have the power to do so.

I love how The Message paraphrases this verse:

Or did you think that because he's such a nice God, he'd let you off the hook? Better think this one through from the beginning. God is kind, but he's not soft. In kindness he takes us firmly by the hand and leads us into a radical life-change.

Father, thank You for your incredible kindness that You showered on me through Your grace and mercy. But never let me take that kindness lightly. I don't want to live in unrepentant sin. I don't want to stubbornly cling to my old way of life as if Your kindness means nothing. I want my life to reflect the radical life-change available to me because of what Jesus Christ did on the cross.  Amen

Righteousness and Wrath.

Romans 1

…the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith… - Vs 17 (NASB)

There's an interesting contrast in this chapter that Paul seems to give us. One is about God's righteousness. The other is about God's wrath. Paul tells us how both are revealed or made known. In other words, he is letting us know how we can recognize the righteousness or rightness of God in the world, and how we can see God's wrath or anger in the world.

In verse 17, Paul says that God's righteousness is revealed in the gospel – the Good News of Jesus Christ. Paul says, "I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation for everyone who believes" (Vs 16). He was, "eager to preach the gospel" to those in Rome for this very reason. The gospel and its message of salvation through the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ is what reveals God's righteousness. He is a righteous God. As the Greek word indicates, God's character is one of integrity, virtue, purity of life, rightness, and correctness. But God's righteousness wasn't just revealed in the gospel. Paul says it is made known "from faith to faith." What does that mean? Well, here is my take on it. I think Paul is saying that the real power of the gospel is revealed when men come to faith and they share that faith with others. That's what he means by the phrase "from faith to faith." Some commentators interpret it to mean "in ever-increasing degrees of faith," but that doesn't seem to fit the context. Paul has been talking about preaching the gospel. He has talked about how the faith of the Roman believers is "being proclaimed throughout the whole world" (Vs 8). I think what Paul is saying is that as the gospel is preached and proclaimed, people's lives are changed by its power. But the real power of the gospel is made known when the faith of one changed individual leads to faith in another. The gospel message has a contagious quality to it. It spreads. And every time it does spread, God's righteousness is revealed. Because of what Jesus Christ did on the cross, God is right and just to declare men righteous and restore them to a right relationship with Himself. This whole process of one man's faith leading to another man's faith reveals over and over again the righteousness of God.

But how is God's wrath or revealed? In verse 18, Paul says it comes directly from heaven. Unlike His righteousness that is revealed from faith to faith, or through the viral sharing of our faith from one to the other, God's wrath is made known directly from Him. It comes from His throne room. It comes in the form of judgment and decrees against man's sinfulness and rebellion. In describing how God reveals His wrath, Paul simply puts it that "God gave them over" (Vs 24, 27, 28). He literally hands them over to the power of another. The Greek word means "to deliver up one to custody, to be judged, condemned, punished, scourged, tormented, put to death." He turns them over "to impurity" (Vs 24), to "degrading passions" (Vs 26), and to "depraved minds" (Vs 28). We can see it all around us. God's wrath or punishment is evident in the lives of so many in the world today as they struggle with these very things. His wrath is revealed or made known by the sinful actions of men and women who have rebelled against Him and rejected the message of the gospel.

The righteousness of God. The wrath of God. We can see them both all around us. But we have the ability to make known His righteousness as we live our lives in righteousness by faith (Vs 17). When we live righteously, others see it. It becomes contagious. Our faith leads to their faith. And as they place their faith in the Good News of Jesus Christ, God's rightness and justice is revealed to men. Look at the contrast. When man is left to himself, the result is an ever-increasing degree of unrighteousness and godlessness. We see it evident all around us. But God has done the right thing, the righteous thing. He has made it possible for men to be made right with Him. He has provided a solution: A Savior. And every time someone accepts Jesus Christ as His Savior, God's righteousness is declared.

So like Paul, let us not be ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for salvation. It is the key to revealing His righteousness on the earth – day after day. So let's be eager to preach the gospel and live lives of righteousness.

Father, I want my life to reveal Your righteousness, but I also want to see others come to faith because of my faith so that Your righteousness can be made known again and again. Every time someone steps into the kingdom, it shows that you are a just and righteous God Who is saving mankind from a fate worse than death – eternal separation from You. May I grow increasingly eager to share the Good News of Jesus Christ with everyone I meet.  Amen

Doubting Disciples.

Matthew 28

…but some were doubtful… - Vs 17 (NASB)

Jesus has risen from the dead! The guards assigned to prevent anything from happening to the body and who worked for the High Priest are literally scared stiff. The women arrive at the tomb only to find it empty. An angel gives them orders to tell the disciples what has happened and to tell them the no-longer-dead Jesus is going to meet them in Galilee. As they run to tell the disciples the great news, Jesus Himself meets them and reminds them exactly what it is they are to do. Then when Jesus appears to His disciples – alive and well – Luke says, "some were doubtful."

That blows my mind! How could they be doubtful? He had told them this was going to happen. They refused to believe it, but on more than one occasion Jesus had clearly said that He would be killed, but that He would rise again three days later. Now it had happened! These guys had watched Him die. Now He stood before them alive! But some doubted. Sure, Luke also says that some worshiped Him, but it's hard to look past the fact that some were doubtful. The living Lord stood right before their eyes and they were doubtful. The Greek word for doubtful is distazo and it comes from the word dis, which means "twice." They were literally wavering between two opinions. They wanted to believe that what they were seeing was true, but their common sense told them it was too good to be true. They were having difficulty reasoning this all out in their minds. Their senses were in conflict. It was a classic battle between faith and reason. And it is still going on today.

I have to ask myself which group I would have been in that day – the worshipers or the doubters? When Luke says that some worshiped, he uses a word that conveys the idea of falling upon your knees and touching the ground with the forehead as an expression of profound reverence. It's exactly what the women did when they encountered Jesus along the road in verse 9: "And they came up and took hold of His feet and worshiped Him." They were overcome with fear and joy. They recognized that they were in the presence of the Son of God and reacted accordingly. The disciples did the same thing when they saw Jesus – at least some of them. The others stood by doubting, wavering, and debating in their minds what exactly it was they were witnessing. Did they think they were seeing a ghost? Was this all a dream? Had Jesus not really died? It's interesting that Mark records in his gospel that when the women first told the disciples that they had seen Jesus alive, "they refused to believe it" (Mark 16:11). Why? Because it was unbelievable! The impossible had just happened. Now that they were standing in front of Jesus themselves, they went from disbelief to doubt. It was hard to deny that something had happened, but they just weren't sure what it was.

And many of us are still doubting today. At one time we were disbelieving. We denied the reality of Jesus and the need for Him to be our Savior. But then we placed our faith in Him and become Christ-followers. But at some point, doubt set in. We have seen Him work in and around our lives, but we waver and doubt in our minds whether it was really Him. We face struggles and trials and know we should turn to Him, but we doubt that He can really help. We allow our minds to overwhelm our faith. We let reason convince us that He isn't real or, at least, He isn't reliable. So we doubt. He is standing right in front of us, alive and well, with all the resurrection power He had that day He walked out of the grave, but we stand on the edge wavering in our belief. We are His doubting disciples. And if we are doubting Him, it is impossible to truly worship Him. You can't truly worship and waver at the same time. He is risen. He is alive. He is exactly Who He said He was. The Son of God and the Savior of the world. The cure for wavering is worship. Quit standing around doubting and debating. Get on your knees and acknowledge Him for Who He is.

Father, Your Son is alive and I want to be one of the worshipers, not the the waverers. I want to be the one who is on my knees in reverence and awe, not standing around wondering if all this is really true. Forgive me for doubting so often the reality of the resurrected Lord. I confess that there are times I reveal my doubt in my fears and apprehensions, or in my refusal to obey Your commands. I doubt and it shows up in my actions. But Your Son is alive and He has proven Himself so in my life. I have no reason to doubt.  Amen

Not An Option.

Matthew 27

Come down from the cross. - Vs 40 (NASB)

As Jesus hung on the cross, He continued to suffer verbal abuse from His accusers and those who had gathered to watch the grisly spectacle of His death. Matthew records that they were "hurling abuse" at Him, mocking and taunting Him. They shouted, "So! You can destroy the Temple and build it again in three days, can you? Well then, if you are the Son of God, save yourself and come down from the cross" (Vs 40). They were reacting to a statement Jesus had made earlier in His ministry and that had been brought up again at His trial. John records it in his gospel. When Jesus had cleansed the Temple in Jerusalem, kicking out the money changers and overturning tables, the Jewish leaders had demanded a sign to confirm that He had authority to do what He had done. Jesus' response was, "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up" (John 2:19 - NASB). This was the main accusation brought against Jesus in His trial by false witnesses. They claimed that Jesus had said, "I am able to destroy the temple of God and to rebuild it in three days" (Matthew 26:61 - NASB). But John makes it clear that Jesus had been speaking of the temple of His body. He had been predicting His bodily resurrection.

Now, here He hung on the cross and was being taunted to come down. In their minds, this would be what it would take to convince them of His claim to be the Messiah. Not that they even remotely believed He just might do it. But I find it interesting that they were asking Him to do the one thing He could not, or would not do. Come down from the cross. That is exactly what the enemy would have loved to see Him do. Come down from the cross. Stop the one thing that would bring redemption and hope to mankind. Stop God's divine plan for man's ultimate salvation. If Jesus had called down angels and had them rescue Him from the cross, many would have probably believed. But they would not have been saved. Their sins would not have been payed for. They would still have been required to live according to the Law, attempting to satisfy the righteous demands of a holy God, in their own strength. And they would have failed, like all those before them.

"Come down from the cross!", they shouted. "He saved others," they scoffed, "but he can’t save himself! So he is the king of Israel, is he? Let him come down from the cross, and we will believe in him! He trusted God––let God show his approval by delivering him! For he said, ‘I am the Son of God'" (Vs 42-43, NLT). This whole event made no sense to them. If He was the Messiah, then He wouldn't be on the cross in the first place. And if He was the Messiah, then God would avenge Him by delivering Him. If THAT was to happen, then they would believe. But it wouldn't happen, because it couldn't happen. Because our hope lay not in God delivering Jesus from the cross, but from death. Jesus' victory was not going to be over the cross, but over sin and the grave. "For the power of the life–giving Spirit has freed you through Christ Jesus from the power of sin that leads to death" (Romans 8:2 - NLT). Had Jesus come down from the cross, it would have accomplished nothing. Sure, it would have been impressive, but it would not have been redemptive. It would not have saved. He had to die in order that we might live. He had to be sacrificed in order to satisfy the righteous demands of a holy God. Coming down from the cross was NOT an option. And because Jesus chose to remain where He was and suffer the full brunt of sin's assault on His life, we have eternal life. "But God raised Him up again, putting an end to the agony of death, since it was impossible for Him to be held in its power" (Acts 2:24 - NASB). God delivered Jesus from death, not the cross. And for that I am eternally grateful.

Father, thank You for the victory of Jesus Christ over death and sin. Thank You Jesus for enduring the cross, for remaining where You were and enduring what You didn't deserve – all for me. Thank You that You chose not to save Yourself, so that we might be saved. Yours was a life of selfless service right to the very end. And I am eternally grateful.  Amen

Ken Miller Grow Pastor & Minister to Men kenm@christchapelbc.org

No Other Way.

Matthew 26

Does it not seem possible to you that if I make request to my Father he will even now send me an army of angels?. – Vs 53 (BBE)

I love this verse for a number of reasons. First, it assures me of Jesus' confidence in His identity. He is the Son of God and He has every right and the authority to end the madness that is about to take place – with just a word from His mouth. All He has to do is ask His Father, and thousands of thousands of angels would come to His aid. He could wipe out the Pharisees and all the other so-called religious rules, including the High Priest Caiaphas. And if I had been Jesus, I probably would have done it. At this point in the proceedings, I would have gotten fed up with the disciples and everyone else around me and put an end to this madness. But that's not what Jesus did. When Peter strikes off the ear of one of the high priest's slaves, Jesus tells him to put his sword away. Peter was not going to be able to stop what was about to happen. But Jesus could have. And He didn't.

He could have stopped the arrest. He could have prevented the trials, the beatings, the ridicule, the verbal and physical abuse, and ultimately, His death. But Jesus was going to finish what He had begun. He asks the somewhat rhetorical question, "How then will the Scriptures be fulfilled, which say that it must happen this way?" (Vs 54). He knew He had to follow through with the divine plan in its entirety – even if it meant pain and suffering at the "hands of sinners" (Vs 45), the hands of men He Himself had created. He knew He had to fulfill the prophesies made so many centuries before. He was the key to God's plan of salvation for mankind. His humanity struggled with the prospects of suffering a violent death on a Roman torture device. He prayed three times in the garden, asking, "If it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; yet not as I will, but as You will" (Vs 39). His humanity longed to escape this destiny of death. But His divinity was determined to obey the will of the Father. From the time that Satan first tempted Jesus in the garden, trying to get Him to take a path other than the one God the Father had prescribed, Jesus had been faithful and obedient. And it wasn't going to change now.

It must happen this way. And it did. Jesus went willingly. He suffered silently. He died gladly. All so that we might live eternally.

Though he was God, he did not demand and cling to his rights as God. He made himself nothing; he took the humble position of a slave and appeared in human form. And in human form he obediently humbled himself even further by dying a criminal’s death on a cross. – Philippians 2:6-8, NLT

Jesus could have called down angels to rescue Himself. But He came to rescue us. "He died for our sins, just as God our Father planned, in order to rescue us from this evil world in which we live" (Galatians 1:4, NLT).

Father, thank You for You divine plan of redemption. Without it I would be lost. Jesus, thank You for willingly following through with that plan. You didn't have to do it. You didn't have to save me. You didn't have to die in my place, but you did. You could have called down angels, but you didn't. And I can't thank You enough!  Amen

Listen and Respond.

Matthew 25

For to everyone who has, more shall be given, and he will have an abundance; but from the one who does not have, even what he does have shall be taken away. – Vs 29 (NASB)

This is a difficult statement, smack dab in the middle of a very difficult section of teaching on the kingdom of God by Jesus. And this particular phrase has been used by Jesus before. Over in Matthew 13, He used the same exact words after explaining to His disciples why He spoke in parables. "Jesus answered them, 'To you it has been granted to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been granted'" (Matthew 13:22, NASB). Then He followed with "For whoever has, to him more shall be given, and he will have an abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has shall not be taken away from him." Jesus used this same phrase again in speaking about the lamp. "And He was saying to them, 'A lamp is not brought to be put under a basket, is it, or under a bed? Is it not brought to be put on the lampstand? For nothing is hidden, except to be revealed; nor has anything been secret, but that it would come to light. If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear'" (Mark 4:21-23, NASB). Then He immediately follows this up with, "Take care what you listen to. By your standard of measure it will be measured to you; and more will be given you besides. For whoever has, to him more shall be given; and whoever does not have, even what he has shall be taken away from him" (Mark 4:24-25, NASB).

So what's the point? What's the common theme going on in these situations? It's interesting that more often than not, I have heard this phrase of Jesus explained as a lesson on stewardship. Typically, I have heard it used to encourage faithful tithing or the faithful use of our talents. And while there may be some way in which this application can be derived from Jesus' statement, the more I read it in the contexts in which He used it, the more I believe He was not speaking of stewardship or finances at all. It would appear to me that in all three of the cases we looked at above, recorded by three different gospel writers, the real issue is how we respond to the truth. In the Matthew 25 passage, Jesus has told the parable of the talents. Three different servants have been given money by their master before he leaves on a journey. He has entrusted them with something that belongs to him. Jesus tells what each of the three did with what they were entrusted. The one with five talents doubled what he was given to ten. We aren't told how. The one who was entrusted with two talents gained two more. Again, we aren't told how. Finally, the one who was given the one talent did nothing with his, but buried it, returning it to the master when he came back. The first two are recognized as being faithful and receive a reward. Their reward was increased responsibility and the recognition of their master's joy. The third is condemned as unfaithful, wicked, and lazy. His crime? He did nothing with what he was entrusted. The issue here is not talents or abilities. It has nothing to do with our good stewardship of money or resources. But it has everything to do with how we respond to the truth of God that has been entrusted to us. To some, God entrusts more. As He did with the disciples. They were given a special measure of God's truth as revealed through Jesus Christ. They responded to it and were rewarded accordingly. To others, they heard the words of Jesus, saw the miracles He performed, but failed to do anything with what they had been given. They did not respond to the truth.

The same is true in the Mark passage. The lamp in Jesus' story represents light or the truth. Jesus is that light. He was the truth of God being revealed to men. In John 1:9, Jesus referred to Himself as the "true light." In John 9:5 He said, "I am the light of the world." In John 1:5 we are told "The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it." Jesus was the light that came to shine in the world, but some would refuse to recognize it and respond to it. They would end up rejecting the truth. That's why Jesus side "Take care what you listen to." This has to do with listening to and responding to the truth. The New Living Translation says it this way, "And be sure to pay attention to what you hear. The more you do this, the more you will understand––and even more, besides."

This is all about listening and responding. Using what we have been given by God. Not our talents and abilities. But the truth that has been entrusted to us. We have been given insight into the kingdom of God. We have been given the ability to understand the truth of the gospel. Now what are we doing with it? "Much is required from those to whom much is given, and much more is required from those to whom much more is given" (Luke 12:48, NLT). We have been given much. God has shared the truth of new life in Jesus Christ with us. What are we doing with it? Are we allowing it to change us and transform us? Or are we doing nothing with it? Are we resting on our laurels, content to have our "ticket to heaven," but not doing growing and maturing into Christ-likeness? We have the truth. We live in the light. And the more we understand it and respond to it, the more truth we receive and the brighter the light shines.

Father, thank You for giving me Your truth through Jesus Christ. You are the one who opened my eyes to see. You opened my ears to hear. You have given me much. Help me to continue to respond to the truth I have received by obeying it. You promise to give me more and more. Your supply is endless. Your grace and mercy are never ending. Your wisdom is without bounds. I can never exhaust your supply. Thank you.  Amen

Find Us Faithful.

Matthew 24

Blessed is that slave whom the master finds at work when he comes. – Vs 46 (NET Bible)

This is a deep and difficult passage with a lot of end time prophesy given by Jesus. The disciples asked what they thought was a fairly simple question: "Make clear to us, when will these things be? and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the world?" (BBE). I think they were really wondering when He was going to set up His kingdom. The Greek word they use for "coming" is parousia and it can mean "arrival." It's the same word commonly used for the Lord's return, but I think the disciples were using it to signify His arrival in Jerusalem as King. In just a few days Jesus would "arrive" in Jerusalem to cheers and shouts of "Hosanna!" But in spite of the disciple's expectations, this would not be His official "arrival."

But their simple question would get a very complex answer. Jesus ends up telling them more than they wanted to know and more than they would ever understand. But in all the things that Jesus would share with them regarding the tribulation times and His ultimate return, the phrase that struck me hardest was "blessed is that slave whom the master finds at work when he comes." This is part of a small parable that Jesus weaved into His lecture on the ends times. He has been talking about being ready because His return will be unexpected and unannounced. Jesus never answers the part of their questions regarding the timing of His arrival. He basically tells them that only God knows the answer to that question. So they need to be ready. But none of the disciples would live to see His second coming. And none of us will be around either, due to the nature of the rapture (1 Thessalonians 4:13;18). But Jesus says that those who come to know Him during the great tribulation will need to be ready for Him to return at any time. So that when He does return, He will find them doing their jobs, doing what they are supposed to be doing, That is the essence of His mini-parable.

And isn't that how we should be living our lives? Always ready. Always living with a sense of anticipation. There is a sense in which each of us as Christ-followers should have our sights set on the return of Christ. We should live as if He will show up this afternoon. We should want Him to return. And the truth is, He could return for His church any day. "For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord" (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17).

So I need to be doing what I am supposed to be doing. I need to be about My Father's business. That means I shouldn't be distracted by the things of this world. I don't want to have Him show up and find me busy doing my own thing. This is the way the disciples would end up living their lives. After Jesus was resurrected, they would each live their lives as if He was about to come back any minute. They fulfilled the Great Commission. They kept the Great Commandment. None would live to see the rapture of the church or the physical return of Christ, but they lived their entire lives in a state of perpetual readiness. That is how I want to live. I want to live a life of faithfulness. So that if Jesus should return for His church, He will find me ready. But if He delays and I experience death, I want my life to be a testimony of faithfulness. So that those who come behind me will find inspiration for their lives.

We're pilgrims on the journey

Of the narrow road

And those who've gone before us line the way

Cheering on the faithful, encouraging the weary

Their lives a stirring testament to God's sustaining grace

Surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses

Let us run the race not only for the prize

But as those who've gone before us

Let us leave to those behind us

The heritage of faithfulness passed on through godly lives

Oh may all who come behind us find us faithful

May the fire of our devotion light their way

May the footprints that we leave

Lead them to believe

And the lives we live inspire them to obey

Oh may all who come behind us find us faithful

After all our hopes and dreams have come and gone

And our children sift through all we've left behind

May the clues that they discover and the memories they uncover

Become the light that leads them to the road we each must find

Oh may all who come behind us find us faithful

May the fire of our devotion light their way

May the footprints that we leave

Lead them to believe

And the lives we live inspire them to obey

Oh may all who come behind us find us faithful.

Words and Music by Jon Mohr
Copyright 1988 Birdwing Music/Jonathan Mark Music

Father, I want to live a life of faithfulness. I want to be ready for Your Son's return. Help me avoid the distractions of this world. Keep me on the path that You have prepared for me. May my life have a fire of devotion that lights the way for others to follow.  Amen

Spirit of the Pharisees.

Matthew 23

Woe to you! - Vs 13 (NASB)

Chapter 23 is an extension of Jesus verbal blasting of the Pharisees He began in chapter 22. In fact, it is an even more personal attack than ever. But while Jesus is addressing the faults and failings of the Pharisees and scribes, His real message seems to be one of warning to His own followers. He is exposing to His disciples the characteristics of the Pharisees that He detests. He is warning them to "not do according to their deeds" (Vs 3), or better yet, not follow their example. There are some sobering warnings for us in these verses as well.

Just look at some of the terms Jesus uses for these men: hypocrites, blind guides, fools and blind men. He accuses them of being glory seekers, attention grabbers, power mongers, and religious nit-pickers. He exposes their pseudo-righteousness, religious hypocrisy, legalism, abuse of power, neglect of the poor and powerless, pious externalism, and self-deception. It would be really easy to look at this chapter and just focus in on the faults of the Pharisees – to gang up on them and blast them as religious losers who are well-deserving of what is coming to them. But I think Jesus is trying to warn us that we are all prone to the same tendencies. The disciples themselves had grown up idolizing these men. They were the religious elite of their day. If there had been Pharisee baseball cards, the disciples would have tried to collect the whole set – even get their autographs to increase the card's value. They stood in awe of what these men said and how they lived. They feared them and revered them. Now Jesus was blasting them. Why? Because He wanted to expose their hearts to His followers. Jesus had come to turn the religious world on its ear. It was not longer going to be business-as-usual. No more religious hokem-pokem and spiritual smoke and mirrors. No more self-righteous fakery and pious pretending. Jesus came to bring heart transformation, not some pathetic attempt at behavior modification.

Everything Jesus slams the Pharisees for we can be guilty of – even as Christ-followers. We can be guilty of saying things and not doing them. We can teach the Word and not live it. We can spout God's truth and not even believe the words that are coming out of our mouth. We can demand that our kids be godly, but then fail to show them how with our own lives. We can burden down others with our own brand of legalistic rules and regulations: Don't dance, don't play cards, don't go to movies, don't … you get the picture. But we won't come alongside those same people and help them live the life God has called them to live. We can be guilty of seeking the attention of men, the places of honor, the positions of power, the mantle of leadership, and the service of others – all within the walls of the church. We can be guilty of turning others away from Christ by the way we live our lives. Our hypocrisy becomes a turn-off to the lost. We can easily neglect the poor and powerless around us, whether its the single mom trying to raise her kids on a limited income, the widow who can't maintain her home, the couple who've lost their income, or the lonely individual who comes to church every Sunday just hoping someone will give them the time of day. We can be guilty of making our own rules and silly regulations that have little or no basis in Scripture. We want everyone to follow our rules and regulations. Whether it's our arbitrary time requirement for a proper quiet time, our expectation that everyone attend Bible study as often as we do, pray as much as we do, or dress like we do. We can be guilty of looking good on the outside when the inside is a totally different story. We can reject the words of God's appointed teachers by sitting in sermons and classes, hearing the truth of God, but refusing to apply it to our lives.

Every one of the accusations Jesus levels at the Pharisees can be leveled at us. We can be guilty of the very same things. That is the danger. We all the spirit of the Pharisee within us. It is the spirit of religious formalism and self-righteousness. It reeks of pride, arrogance, and self-sufficiency. It rejects Christ's call for humility and death to self. It loathes the idea of serving rather than being served. It despises all that Jesus represents. It sees Him as a threat to its well-being. And the Pharisee is alive and well today – in all of us. So we have to take Jesus' woes to heart. Woe was an expression of grief, not anger. Jesus is grieved by this kind of attitude, especially in His people. It is dangerous, deceptive, and destructive. And it is a real threat to each one of us today.

Father, open our eyes so that we can see the Pharisee within us. Don't let us accuse others when we have those same traits within ourselves. May we be just as grieved as Jesus was over the Pharisee-like attitudes and actions that exist in our own lives. Expose them to us so that we can repent of them. Give us hearts of humility so that we might serve You.  Amen

Few Are Chosen.

Matthew 22

For many are called, but few are chosen. – Vs 14 (NASB)

A king holds a wedding feast for his son who is getting married.

He had sent out invitations to his guests.

When the time came, he sent his servants to inform the guests there party was starting.

But all his guests turned him down – having no desire to go to his party.

So he sent out his servants again – telling them to tell his guests just how good his party was going to be.

But those invited to the party didn't care – and went about their affairs.

Some even took the king's servants and beat them, even killing some.

The king, in anger, sent his army to punish these people, destroying their town and themselves.

He then sends his servants to invite new guests – to replace the first ones – who had refused his invitation.

So they hit the streets and invited anyone and everyone they met – the good, the bad, and the ugly.

The wedding hall was filled, including one guest who came improperly dressed for the occasion.

The king had this man bound and thrown out of the festivities.

What a story. As usual, Jesus had an audience in mind. It was the same group His last two parables were directed at: The Pharisees. But in this case, it also included the Jews as a people. Jesus is saying that God had invited the Jews to His feast. He had called them and made them His own. They had done nothing to deserve the "invitation to his party." They were no different than anyone else, but God had set Israel apart – making them holy and wholly His. But they had rebelled. The had ultimately refused His invitation. They had no desire to take part in what God had planned for them. They grumbled, complained, rebelled, and sought after other gods. They had refused to listen to God's prophets – rejecting their messages and even killing some. And even as Jesus spoke, there were many who were rejecting His message or repentance and restoration. Jesus was that final invitation to celebrate with God, but "they paid no attention and went their way" (Vs 5 - NASB). Just as the Jews of the Old Testament rejected the message of God and ended up in captivity with the city of Jerusalem ransacked and destroyed, so too would the Jews of Jesus' day find their sacred city of Jerusalem destroyed in less than 40 years from the time Jesus spoke. Their refusal was going to result in destruction.

You're Invited

But here's the great news. Because the Jews turned their backs on God, He opened up the doors to us. We are those who were ultimately invited to the festivities because of the rejection of the Jews. We weren't even aware there was a party. We hadn't received an invitation. And the, all of the sudden, we get a personal invitation from God Himself, inviting us to be His guests at His Son's wedding feast. He even provided the wedding garments for us to wear. This was a last-minute invite and we didn't have anything to wear to this shin-dig, so God provided the clothes for us to wear to His party. That's why the guy who showed up dressed inappropriately was kicked out. He was not wearing the clothes the king had provided. He came dressed in his own "righteousness" and was thrown out. This "party" to which I have been invited is something I could have never dreamed of being a part of. I didn't deserve the invitation. I didnt know the King or His Son. I didn't have the right credentials. I didn't even own the right kind of wedding clothes to attend a party like this. But God provided it all! My presence at His Son's wedding feast is all His doing and not mine. That's pretty amazing.

God's not done!

Here's another exciting thought. God is not done with Israel. Paul makes that perfectly clear in his letter to the Romans.

Did God’s people stumble and fall beyond recovery? Of course not! His purpose was to make his salvation available to the Gentiles, and then the Jews would be jealous and want it for themselves. Now if the Gentiles were enriched because the Jews turned down God’s offer of salvation, think how much greater a blessing the world will share when the Jews finally accept it. I am saying all of this especially for you Gentiles. God has appointed me as the apostle to the Gentiles. I lay great stress on this, for I want to find a way to make the Jews want what you Gentiles have, and in that way I might save some of them. For since the Jews’ rejection meant that God offered salvation to the rest of the world, how much more wonderful their acceptance will be. It will be life for those who were dead! – Romans 11:11-15

What a picture of God's sovereign plan. He is in control. He knows exactly what He is doing. Israel's rejection of His Son was not a set-back for Him. It was all part of His plan to restore all mankind to a right relationship to Him. God chose Israel and used Israel to show how man could not achieve righteousness on his own. They were given God's righteous laws, but couldn't keep them. They failed. Even the Pharisees of Jesus' day were still trying to keep the Law and earn their way into God's good favor. But they would ultimately kill His Messenger. They would reject God's righteousness for their own. But God is not done with Israel. Paul goes on to say:

Many of the Jews are now enemies of the Good News. But this has been to your benefit, for God has given his gifts to you Gentiles. Yet the Jews are still his chosen people because of his promises to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. For God’s gifts and his call can never be withdrawn. Once, you Gentiles were rebels against God, but when the Jews refused his mercy, God was merciful to you instead. And now, in the same way, the Jews are the rebels, and God’s mercy has come to you. But someday they, too, will share in God’s mercy. For God has imprisoned all people in their own disobedience so he could have mercy on everyone. – Romans 11:28-32 (NLT)

Mercy on everyone!

God is an amazing God. In spite of all Israel has done, He will show mercy. He will keep His promises to them. He has not abandoned them. They too will share in His mercy, just as we have. They will receive His grace, in spite of their rebellion and rejection. That's the kind of God we serve. He is faithful and just, gracious and merciful, holy and loving. The fact that any of us will be at the wedding feast of His Son is amazing enough. But I am grateful and humbled by the truth that I will be there – at His invitation and clothed in His righteousness and not my own.

Father, what a story of your grace and mercy. Thank You for inviting me to your feast. For providing the clothes to wear. I am amazed and awed at the significance of it all. And thank You that you are the kind of god who does not reject His own. Your faithful love for the people of Israel is a testament and a reminder of your faithfulness to me. You will never reject me, in spite of me. Your love is everlasting.  Amen

Pharisee Or Faithful.

Matthew 21

When the leading priests and Pharisees heard Jesus, they realized he was pointing at them – that they were the farmers in his story. - Vs– 45 (NLT)

There was no love lost between Jesus and the religious leaders of His day. It wasn't that Jesus hated the Pharisees, Sadducees, Scribes, and priests. But He did hate their false piety, self-righteousness, and arrogant assumption that they were pleasing God with their hypocritical rule-keeping. Jesus came to destroy those assumptions and to eliminate man's failed attempts at satisfying God through self-effort. The Pharisees and their pious peers were symbolic of all that is wrong with religion – man's attempt to reach God and impress Him with our works. So while Jesus walked this earth, He had some strong words for these men. And none stronger than the two parables He tells in chapter 21.

Now I've always had it in for the Pharisees. I grew up learning to despise their attitudes and actions. They were the bad guys, enemies of Jesus. They wore the black hats and Jesus wore a white one. I learned to view them as evil and conniving. But then there came a time in my spiritual journey when I started to see myself as a Pharisee. Or better yet, I began to see the Pharisee in me. I suddenly realized that I could be just as self-righteous and hypocritical. I could be just as much a man-pleaser as they were. I found that I could become prideful over all my good works for God. I compared myself with others and worked hard to find those who didn't measure up to my standards, so that I could feel better about myself. I developed lists of rules and regulations that dictated how I was to live my life. I tried to keep all those rules and regulations – usually with less-than-stellar results. But when I could check off a few of them, I became prideful and arrogant. I had become the very thing I despised: A Pharisee. And so, when I read this chapter, I have to listen with ears as if Jesus is talking to me. I can't afford to stand on the sideline as a spectator, watching the Messiah dress down the Pharisees. No, I need to hear what He may be saying the Pharisee that lives in me.

The Will of the Father

The first parable is about a man who had two sons. He asks the first son to go work out in his vineyard. This son initially says, "No," but then later regrets that decision and goes to work in the vineyard. When the father asks his second son to work in the vineyard, he says, "OK," but then never follows through. Jesus asks His listeners which of the sons did the will of his father, and they respond, "The first." Then Jesus makes His point. "I assure you, corrupt tax collectors and prostitutes will get into the Kingdom of God before you do. For John the Baptist came and showed you the way to life, and you didn’t believe him, while tax collectors and prostitutes did. And even when you saw this happening, you refused to turn from your sins and believe him" (Vs 31-32 - NLT). The real point of this parable seems to be the two kinds of people it characterizes. The first sons represents those who prove better than they promise. Their initial response is "No," but then they act in obedience. The second son represents those who promise better than they prove. They give all appearances of being obedient, but in the end, refuse. Both of these sons had been given the same command. One refused, but ultimately obeyed. One gave the impression he would obey, but never did. In the story, it is obvious that Jesus is comparing the tax collectors, prostitutes, and more apparent sinners in his audience to the Pharisees, and those who held them in high esteem. Jesus is saying that the ones you would think would get into heaven will not. And the ones you would least think should get into heaven will. Why? Because of one word that Jesus uses in His parable. It is the Greek word metamelomai. It is translated "regretted or changed his mind." It means “to change one’s mind about something, with the probable implication of regret.” The idea in this context involves more than just a change of mind, for the son regrets his initial response and changes his actions. Only the first son shows regret or repentance that leads to a changed response. The second son didn't change his mind. He never intended to do what he said he was going to do. In verse 32, Jesus indicates that the Pharisees rejected the ministry of John the Baptist. They refused to believe his message. And even when they saw the tax collectors and prostitutes believing, they "did not even feel remorse (metamelomai) afterward so as to believe him" (NASB). At no point did they repent and show a change of heart.

The Rejected Son

The second parable is even harder than the first. In it, Jesus lays out exactly what has happened over the centuries and what is about to happen in the days ahead. For generations, the Jews had been rejecting the Word of God brought by the prophets of God. They had abused them and even killed them. Now God had sent His own Son, and they were rejecting Him as well. And in just a few days they would even have Him killed. Of course, Jesus' audience doesn't understand all this because He is speaking to them in a parable. So He asks them what the owner of the vineyard in His story will do to those who killed his servants and his son, they say, "He will put the wicked men to a horrible death and lease the vineyard to others who will give him his share of the crop after each harvest" (Vs 41 - NLT). Without knowing it, they condemn themselves. Jesus tells them that, as a result, "God's kingdom will be taken back from you and handed over to a people who will live out a kingdom life." (Vs 43 - NLT). Their refusal to accept Jesus and allow Him to direct their lives would lead to their rejection by God.

So what does all this have to do with us? We are that people. The ones who have had the kingdom of God handed over to us. And we are expected to live out a "kingdom life." We are the ones who initially said, "No," but then repented and said yes. We obeyed and went to work in the vineyard. But every day we face the choice of being faithful or Pharisees, of saying, "No," then repenting and obeying, or saying "Yes," but never intending to keep our word. Jesus is looking those who will faithfully obey and who will live out a kingdom life – producing the fruit that comes from a relationship with him. The Pharisees were sinners who were blind to their sin, thinking they were righteous and in no need for a Savior. The tax collectors and prostitutes represent us – sinners who recognize their sin and their need for a Savior. I need a Savior every day. I need to acknowledge my sin every day. I need to repent and obey every day. Because I have been given the kingdom and God wants to produce His fruit through me.

Father, forgive me for being a Pharisee so many times in my life. I sometimes live as if I don't need You. I act as if I can save myself, change myself, and justify myself. But I can't. Keep reminding me to repent of my own self-righteousness and turn to You for help. I want my life to produce the fruit of your kingdom. I want my life to honor You. Thank You that I can because of what Jesus Christ has done for me and in me.  Amen

A Heavenly Reward.

Matthew 20

So the last shall be first, and the first last. – Vs 16 (NASB)

I think that I have always misunderstood this verse. I have tended to view it as a statement regarding position or prominence. But in the context of Jesus parable of the kingdom, it is a statement regarding equality. It is interesting that Jesus bookends his parable of the kingdom, found in verses 1-16, with this same statement. You find it in the closing verse of chapter 19 and in verse 16 of chapter 20. It is also book-ended by two stories of the disciples asking questions regarding position, prominence, and power. In chapter 19, verse 27, Peter asks Jesus, "We’ve given up everything to follow you. What will we get out of it?" (NLT). He is wanting to know what their reward is going to be for having sacrificed everything to follow Jesus. Jesus then tells them that they will be rewarded, they will sit on thrones judging the 12 tribes of Judah. But then he says something else. "And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or farms for My name’s sake, will receive many times as much, and will inherit eternal life" (NASB). Jesus seems to be saying that the disciples are not the only ones who will be required to give up a lot to follow Jesus. So they are going to be rewarded as well – just like the disciples. And their reward will be far more valuable than what they may have been required to give up. They will receive the priceless reward of eternal life. Then Jesus makes the statement: "But many who are first will be last; and the last, first." The disciples and all those who come after them because of their witness, will all be equal in the kingdom. It doesn't matter that Peter and his companions were the first to follow Jesus. Those of us who have become Christ-followers centuries later will receive the same reward. The very last person to follow Christ before the rapture of the church takes place will receive the same eternal life that Peter did. And the disciples, like the laborers in Jesus' parable will have no room for complaint. In fact, Jesus seems to tell this parable because He knew the hearts of His disciples. They were a competitive group who had some significant aspirations for recognition and reward, and eternal life was not necessarily at the top of their list of rewards. So Jesus tells them this parable about the kingdom. And it seems blatantly directed at the disciples.

You have a landowner who owns a vineyard. He goes out early in the morning and hires a group of laborers to work that vineyard, agreeing to pay them a denarius for their efforts. Then throughout the day he hires new laborers, who go to work at different times of the day. He even hires some at the very end of the day. But every one of them receives the same reward for their work: a denarius. When the first group becomes indignant at this slight, the landowner says to them, "Am I not permitted to do what I want with what belongs to me? Or are you envious because I am generous?" (NET Bible). Then Jesus closes this story with the statement, "So the last shall be first, and the first last."

The point seems to be the reward: Eternal life. We shall all receive the same thing – out of God's kindness and mercy. None of us will deserve any more than any other. In fact, the eternal life we receive will so outweigh any work we have done or anything we may have given up, that there is no comparison. We all will receive the same reward. I think Jesus is even saying that the gift of eternal life will mean more to the disciples than the thrones they will sit on ruling over the 12 tribes of Israel. Those positions and the power they represent will pale in comparison. But it's very interesting that after having told this parable to the disciples, then after having shared with them what is about to happen to Him when He arrives in Jerusalem (arrest, trial, beating, mocking, and crucifixion), Matthew records the incident of the mother of James and John coming to Jesus. She has come to request that Jesus give her two sons positions of power and prominence in His coming kingdom. "In your Kingdom, will you let my two sons sit in places of honor next to you, one at your right and the other at your left?" (Vs 21 - NLT). Her request represents the hearts of the disciples. It is what they wanted. Eternal life was not enough. They wanted more. They wanted power and position. They wanted recognition. But Jesus tells them that things are different in His kingdom. It isn't about being served, it's about serving. He tells them, "But among you it should be quite different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must become your slave" (Vs 26-27 - NLT). Their eyes were focused on an earthly kingdom. They were expecting Jesus to establish His throne in Jerusalem and set up His kingdom there. They wanted to be sure they were considered for the highest positions of power in that kingdom. But Jesus is letting them know that His kingdom had come. It was here, but not in the form they were expecting. His kingdom was about serving and sacrifice, not power, position, and prominence. Jesus Himself had come to serve, not be served. They were to follow His example. While on this earth, they were going to learn that the position they should be seeking was that of being on their knees as servants, not sovereigns. They were going to learn to put themselves last in order that others might come to know Christ. Their greatness would come from being humble. Their reward would come for being faithful.

And so it is with us. We need to recognize that while Jesus delays His return, we are part of His kingdom here on earth. We are His ambassadors. We are His laborers. We don't need to be worrying about recognition and power. We need to be serving. We need to be giving. We need to follow His example of selfless sacrifice and service. Not so that we will receive some great reward here, but because we already have a great reward awaiting us - eternal life. A reward that is priceless and beyond anything we could ever receive this side of heaven. So we serve here because of what we are going to receive there. We gladly give away now, because of what we will receive then. We gladly take on the position of a slave on this earth, because we know we are heirs of a heavenly kingdom.

Father, thanks for reminding me that I am going to receive a reward in heaven that is so incredibly priceless. I don't need to worry about what I am going to get here. I don't need to fret over getting recognition and rewards here. What I am going to receive there is worth it all. Any acts of service I do and any suffering I encounter here are well worth the reward waiting for me there. Help me to remember that daily, so that I would spend more of my time serving - gladly and humbly. Amen

Whole-Hearted, Not Half-Hearted.

Matthew 19

Jesus told him, "If you want to be perfect, go and sell all you have and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me." - Vs 21 (NLT)

What's keeping you from following Jesus? It's amazing what can stand in the way of our sold-out commitment to the Lord. In this young man's case, it was his wealth. He came to Jesus asking what he needed to do to obtain eternal life. When Jesus told him to "keep the commandments," the young man asked "which ones?" Now isn't that interesting? It reveals that this guy is looking for some specific law or rule he can keep in order to get his hands on eternal life. This is someone who was used to getting what he wanted. He had money. He could buy pleasure, comfort, companionship, entertainment, security. Now he wanted eternal life. So he's asking Jesus about the "cost." He is really asking, "What is it going to take for me to have this one thing I don't yet own?

Jesus gives him a list of a few of the commandments. He includes the ones prohibiting murder, adultery, stealing, and false witness. He also includes the ones about honoring your parents and loving your neighbor. In all, Jesus lists six different commandments. And the young man claims to have kept them all. But what's interesting is that Jesus left out four of commandments:

•  You shall have no other gods before Me

•  You shall not take the name of your Lord your God in vain

•  You shall remember the sabbath and keep it holy

The first three have to do with our worship of God. The first three are what make it possible to keep the last seven. If we do not have a right relationship with God, we will not be able to keep the rest of the commandments. The last seven all have to do with our relationships with others. If we don't worship God properly, we will not treat others properly. I think Jesus knew that this man did not have a right relationship with God. His wealth had become his god, instead of God Almighty. He worshiped the creation rather than the Creator. Money had become his functional Messiah. It provided all he needed for life, but it couldn't provide eternal life. This young man had probably used God's name "in vain," which means he used it frivolously, lightly, or for insincere purposes. He had probably called on God to protect his wealth and to continue to prosper his situation. He may have called on God to punish or remove his business competition. He may have tried to use God as a tool to gain even more wealth. All of this would have been using God's holy name for unholy purposes. And when it came to keeping the sabbath, I am going to guess that this guy had probably failed to honor it and keep it holy as the law commanded. He had probably worked a few hours on the Lord's day in order to make a few extra bucks. He had probably not treated this one day with the respect and honor that God had commanded. For him it could have become like any other day. I can see him sitting in his office, counting his coins and evaluating his financial worth. No, this young, wealthy man had probably violated all three of the first commandments on a regular basis and Jesus knew it. Jesus knew that this was the man's real roadblock to salvation.

But there was one more commandment that Jesus left out of His list. This one is particularly interesting considering the man's financial state.

•  You shall not covet anything that belongs to your neighbor

In the NET Bible, there's this interesting note regarding the word "covet."

The verb חָמַד (khamad) focuses not on an external act but on an internal mental activity behind the act, the motivation for it. The word can be used in a very good sense (Ps 19:10; 68:16), but it has a bad connotation in contexts where the object desired is off limits. This command is aimed at curtailing the greedy desire for something belonging to a neighbor, a desire that leads to the taking of it or the attempt to take it. It was used in the story of the Garden of Eden for the tree that was desired. (NET Bible, Biblical Studies Press)

This young man had a lot, but he wanted more. He was not satisfied. He may have wanted more wealth, but it is more likely that he wanted what someone else had that he couldn't buy. It could have been as the commandment prohibits, his neighbor's wife. We don't know. But Jesus leaves out this commandment for a reason, just as He does the first three. I think He is making a point. Jesus simply tells the young, "If you want to be perfect, go and sell all you have and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me" (Vs 21 - NLT). With this one statement, Jesus cuts to the core of the man's problem. He is in love with his wealth. His money has become his god. He is not willing to part with it, even to gain eternal life. He is not willing to share it with others - even those in need. His treasure is here on earth. Maybe he thought a small donation to Jesus' ministry would have bought him his ticket to eternal life. Maybe he thought Jesus was going to tell him he had already done enough and eternal life was already his. But at Jesus response, the young man walks away grieved.

Jesus told the disciples, "I tell you the truth, it is very hard for a rich person to get into the Kingdom of Heaven. I say it again––it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of God!" (Vs 24 - NLT). Obviously, Jesus is not saying rich people can't be saved. But He is saying that their acceptance of the free gift of salvation is made more difficult by their potential love affair with wealth. Anyone can be saved, because "with God all things are possible" (Vs 26). But this man's spiritual condition was burdened by his worship of material possessions.

But what about us? What do we have in our lives that is keeping us from selling out completely to Christ and following Him? Even as believers there are things in our lives that keep us from following Him wholeheartedly. Things we hang on to and refuse to let go of. It could be our reputations, our comfort, our careers, our need for control. Jesus knows our hearts. He knows when we have created substitutes for Him. We have things in our lives that we worship and value more than Him. And as long as we clutch on to those things we will never be able to follow Him unhampered and uninhibitedly. So what is He asking you to "sell" and give away? What are you clinging to instead of Him? Let it go and follow Him.

Father, forgive me for creating my own gods. For worshiping other things than you. I know I have things in my life that prevent me from following You like I should. I allow them to distract me and divert me from my commitment to You. They are good things that I have turned into god things and that is a bad thing. Please forgive me. And show me how to let them go, so that I might follow. Amen

Power, Position and Prominence.

Matthew 19

I assure you, unless you turn from your sins and become as little children, you will never get into the Kingdom of Heaven. – Vs 3 (NLT)

Unless you turn from your sin, turn around, change, are converted, have a change of heart, return to square one and start over – those are just a few of the various ways in which this verse has been translated. Jesus is calling for a change. He is telling His disciples and us, that we must go through a change to follow Him. Metaphorically, Jesus is saying each of us must turn ourselves from our current course of conduct. We must reverse course. We must change our way of thinking. This statement by Jesus was in response to the disciples' question, "Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?"

These guys were obsessed with position, power, and prominence. And they were wanting to know what their place in the pecking order of heaven was going to be. This seems to have been a regular point of debate for them. Luke records another time in which the topic of greatness was dominating their thoughts: "And they began to argue among themselves as to who would be the greatest in the coming Kingdom" (Luke 22:24). This one took place at the final Passover meal He shared with His disciples and immediately after Jesus had announced one of them would betray Him. Over in the book of Mark, we have recorded an instance when James and John came to Jesus and requested, "In your glorious Kingdom, we want to sit in places of honor next to you, one at your right and the other at your left" (Mark 10:37). Matthew even lets us know that their mother was involved. "Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee came to Jesus with her sons, bowing down and making a request of Him." When Jesus asked what she wanted, she said, "Command that in Your kingdom these two sons of mine may sit one on Your right and one on Your left" (Matthew 20:20-21).

Power, position, and prominence. Those are powerful things in our world. But in the kingdom of God, they seem to have no place. Jesus tells the disciples that they must become "like little children." If they don't, they will never enter the kingdom of heaven. So what is He talking about? Humility. Jesus is telling them that they must continue to humble themselves until they become like a child – exhibiting trust, openness, and an eagerness to learn. They must develop a child's simple trust. A child's vulnerability. A child's sense of dependence. A child's honesty and willingness to openly express their needs to the One who can meet those needs. These childlike qualities are what constitute true greatness in God's kingdom. Paul said, "When I am weak, then I am strong" (2 Corinthians 12:10). He was talking about strength in the midst of persecutions. But his attitude is what Jesus is talking about. It is a willingness to admit my weakness and my need for God's strength. It is a constant realization that I am anything BUT great. I am undeserving of God's love, mercy, and grace. Rather than worry about what my position or place of prominence will be in the kingdom, I should rejoice like a little child that I get to be there at all.

This attitude of childlike humility is not a one-time deal. It is something we are to develop over time. Jesus said that we are to become like children. The Greek word can be translated "begin to be." Unless we begin to be like a child in our attitudes and actions, we can never enter the kingdom of heaven. It is God's grace that allows any of us to enter into His kingdom. None of us can enter heaven pridefully, arrogantly, or deservedly. We enter only as children, carried in the arms of Christ. We don't enter by our strength, but by His. We don't enter on our merits, but according to His. So why do we spend so much time here on earth worrying about our power and position? It will not get us one step closer to heaven. It has no value in God's eternal economy. So why waste so much energy and effort about who is the greatest? I should spend far more time rejoicing in the amazing fact that I am His child. I can't take care of myself. I can't feed myself. I can't defend myself. I can't save myself. But He has done all that for me.

Father, I am amazed that You have chosen to make me Your son. You have chosen to adopt me and make me Your heir. Help me to reject any thoughts of my own greatness or deservedness. I have done nothing to earn or merit Your grace, mercy, and love. You just chose to love me. May I continue to become like a little child. May I grow daily in my dependence on You. May gratitude be my attitude, not pride. May humility characterize my life, not pride. May my faith become increasingly more childlike every day. Amen

He Didn’t Have To.

Matthew 17

However, we don’t want to offend them, so go down to the lake and throw in a line. Open the mouth of the first fish you catch, and you will find a coin. Take the coin and pay the tax for both of us. - Vs– 27 (NLT)

I love this story. It seems like such a disconnect from the rest of the chapter and, at first glance, doesn't see to be any more than an interesting little side story. But I think it reveals so much about Jesus. Peter is confronted by some Temple representatives who collect the annual tax for the upkeep and support of the Temple. They want to know if Jesus, as Peter's teacher or rabbi, pays the tax. They seem to be inferring that He hasn't. Peter, probably defensively, assures them that Jesus has paid the tax. But the reality is, according to the rest of the story, Jesus had not yet paid the tax. Peter had lied. So when he entered the house, he was going to talk to Jesus about the matter. He had put his neck on the line and told these officials that Jesus had paid the tax. Now Peter had to get Jesus to make good in his (Peter's) promise.

But before Peter could bring up the matter, Jesus asks him an interesting question: "From whom do the kings of the earth collect customs or poll-tax, from their sons or from strangers?" (Vs 25 - NASB). Peter quickly answers, "From strangers." Jesus point seems to be that the sons of the king are exempt from the tax. In that one small statement, Jesus communicates a lot about Himself. He once again affirms His deity and His unique position as the Son of God. He is the exempt one. As the Son of God, Jesus was not personally obligated to pay for the support of God's house, because being God, it was His Temple.

"Behold, I am going to send My messenger, and he will clear the way before Me. And the Lord, whom you seek, will suddenly come to His temple; and the messenger of the covenant, in whom you delight, behold, He is coming," says the LORD of hosts. – Malachi 3:1

Jesus wasn't just another rabbi. He wasn't just some itinerant teacher roaming the countryside. He was the Son of God. It was His Temple. It was His house. He did not have to pay a tax to support His own house. I think the magnitude of this statement escaped Peter at the moment. But I am sure that he reflected on this exchange once Jesus had resurrected. He would have recalled what Jesus had said. But for now, he was probably still wondering how they were going to pay the tax. He wasn't about to go to these officials and tell them that Jesus was exempt because He was the Son of God. Not only would they laugh at him, they would probably arrest them both. But Jesus knew what Peter was thinking and gently gave Peter some instructions for coming up with the tax money. Now these were some strange instructions. "Go down to the lake and throw in a line. Open the mouth of the first fish you catch, and you will find a coin. Take the coin and pay the tax for both of us." Can't you just see Peter's face? "You want me to do what?" Matthew is kind enough not to give us Peter's response. But we assume that Peter did as the Lord commanded him and it all happened just like Jesus said it would. He caught the fish, opened its mouth, and there was the coin. A single shekel, but enough to cover not only Jesus' tax, but Peter's as well.

This is probably my favorite part of the story. Jesus, as the Son of God, wasn't obligated to pay this tax, but He did. He said His reason for doing so was to not offend these officials. But I think He was covering for Peter. Peter had told these men that Jesus had already paid the tax. Now Jesus made it a reality. He didn't have to, but He did. It reminds me that Jesus didn't have to come to earth, but He did. He didn't have to take on human flesh, but He did. He didn't have to die as a sinner, but He did. He didn't have to pay my debt, but He did. Jesus paid Peter's debt. He met Peter's obligation. Why did He choose to get the coin from the mouth of a fish? I have no idea. Maybe it was a visual lesson for Peter, the fisherman. Jesus could have handed Peter a shekel. He could have told him to pick up the nearest rock and there he would find the coin. But instead, He sends Peter the fisherman to go fish. To go do what he had done every day of his life for years. But this time, things were different. Instead of a net, he was to use a line and a hook. This wasn't about quantity, but a single fish. The very first fish. This was going to be a miracle. It reminds me of the first time that Peter had met Jesus. Peter was fishing and had not had much luck. They had been fishing all day and had caught nothing. So Jesus tells them to go back out to the deep water and let down their nets for a catch. When they did, they caught so many fish that it began to sink their boat. This time Jesus sent Peter to get one single fish. Once again, Jesus had provided a catch and He had proven who He was. The first time, Peter's response was to follow Jesus. We are not given Peter's response this time. But I have the feeling that Peter was blown away by what happened. When he caught that fish and found the coin, he was amazed once again. Jesus really was the Son of God. He really was the owner of the Temple. He was really was above having to pay the tax. Yet He paid it willingly.

Father, it amazes me that Your Son was willing to come to earth, live as a human being, suffer at the hands of men, and die a sinner's death, even though He didn't deserve it. He did all this, even though He didn't have to. He did it willingly. And all for me. He didn't have to pay that tax, but He did. He didn't have to die for me, but He did. And I can't thank You both enough. Amen

Deny Yourself. Undeniably Difficult..

Matthew 16

Then Jesus said to the disciples, "If any of you wants to be my follower, you must put aside your selfish ambition, shoulder your cross, and follow me." - Vs 24 (NLT)

Deny yourself. Take up your cross. THEN follow Jesus. Being a Christ-follower is about more than just expressing belief in Him. It is a about willingly dying to my own, selfish, self-focused way of living. It is about giving up my way for His. In the Greek the phrase, "must deny himself" is an imperative. It means "to affirm that one has no acquaintance or connection with someone." In other words, you are willing to say that you are no longer acquainted with your old self. It can also mean "to forget one's self, lose sight of one's self and one's own interests." That is what Jesus is calling us to. But for many of us, our decision to follow Christ was not accompanied by a determination to deny self. We gladly took our interests and our love-affair with self right along with us. And so we still spend countless hours trying to keep self pleased, while at the same time we're trying to follow Christ. But Jesus said we had to deny ourselves. We had to put away selfish ambition. We have to give up our self-seeking agenda for His. Isn't that exactly what Jesus blasted Peter for just a few seconds before He made this statement? Jesus had been telling the disciples that "He would suffer at the hands of the leaders and the leading priests and the teachers of religious law. He would be killed, and he would be raised on the third day" (Vs 21 - NLT). And Peter's response was to pull Jesus aside and rebuke Him. His exact words were, "God forbid it, Lord! This shall never happen to You" (Vs 22 - NASB). At first glance this just sounds like Peter not wanting Jesus to suffer and die. But Jesus reveals the truth behind Peter's statement. Peter isn't really concerned about Jesus. His motivation is purely selfish and self-centered. He had an agenda and Jesus was a critical part of that agenda being fulfilled. He was supposed to be the Messiah. He was supposed to right the wrongs and injustices that the Jews had suffered for generations. Jesus was supposed to set up His kingdom here on earth and overthrow the Romans. And Peter wanted a place of importance in that kingdom. When Jesus revealed God's plan, it didn't match Peter's. So Peter read Jesus the riot act. He was not thinking about God's eternal plan of redemption for the entire world. He was thinking about Peter's plan for power, prominence, and position. Sure, he wanted to see the Jewish people restored, but he could have cared less about any Gentiles being a part of that restoration. His vision was short-sighted and self-focused. Jesus made it clear when He said to Peter, "Get away from me, Satan! You are a dangerous trap to me. You are seeing things merely from a human point of view, and not from God’s" (Vs 24 - NLT). Then Jesus made His now-famous statement that those who want to be His followers, must first deny themselves, their agendas, and their temporal, man-centered viewpoints.

But that's not all. Denying self must be accompanied by a willingness to pick up our own cross. To take up the very instrument that would lead to our own death. To bear the cross means to accept the rejection of the world for turning to Jesus and following Him. Discipleship involves a death that is like a crucifixion. I crucify my old self and my old way of life on the cross daily. Paul puts it this way in Galatians 6:14: "For my part, I am going to boast about nothing but the Cross of our Master, Jesus Christ. Because of that Cross, I have been crucified in relation to the world, set free from the stifling atmosphere of pleasing others and fitting into the little patterns that they dictate" (The Message). In Galatians 5:24, Paul says this: "Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there" (NLT). In Romans 6:6, Paul states: "Our old sinful selves were crucified with Christ so that sin might lose its power in our lives. We are no longer slaves to sin" (NLT).

In his Gospel account, Luke records Jesus call to radical discipleship this way: "If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me" (Luke 9:23 - NASB). He includes the word "daily." While my old self was crucified with Christ on the cross, there is a sense in which I am daily required to die to self. I will continue to do battle with my old sin nature until Jesus returns or He calls me home. So I must take up my cross daily. I must deny my old sin nature by putting it to death each and every day of my life. And I have plenty of opportunity to do so.

It's interesting that Jesus said that we must first deny ourselves, then take up our cross, before we follow Him. There seems to be a flow to this process. We tend to want to follow, but leave out the first two steps. Jesus seems to make discipleship costly, not easy. He says that if I want to save my life, I must be willing to lose it. Following Jesus is not easy. The path He calls us to is not a smooth and pleasant one. It will cost us. But the reward for outweighs any cost. The gain is far greater than any pain it may require of us. Following Him means forsaking ME. My will, my desires, my plans, my pleasures, my sins. It means denying myself, taking up my cross daily, and walking the path He walked. A path of selfless service, radical obedience, and total dependence on the Father.

Father, help me deny myself and take up my cross daily. It is hard to do. My old self still pulls at me, trying to get my off the path. I still have to battle the old desires that used to enslave me. But I am no longer a slave to those things. I have been set free. But I need to daily deny myself and shoulder my cross. I need to continue to put to death the old sin nature that would love to take back over control. But thank You that I can live differently because I have the Holy Spirit living within me. I am a new creature with a new heart, and a whole new potential for living a Christ-like life. Amen

True Heart Change.

Matthew 15

But evil words come from an evil heart and defile the person who says them. - Vs 18 (NLT)

If you've ever had the impression that Jesus was some mild-mannered, wimpy moralist who wandered around the Judaen landscape spouting obscure, hard-to-understand riddles, this chapter should change your mind forever. Matthew records with painful honesty the words of Jesus as He lights up the false righteousness of the Pharisees and, by extension, any of us who give Him lip service, but not our hearts. He is talking to men and women who are more concerned about keeping up appearances by keeping a certain set of rules, than having a relationship with Him.

It all started with the Pharisees accusing Jesus' disciples of eating with unclean hands. This wasn't about good hygiene. It was about the disciples breaking the rules that the Pharisees had come up with on their own. There was no requirement in the Law that required anyone to wash their hands before eating. Only priests were required to cleanse themselves from any impurity before they could perform their priestly duties. But the Pharisees had expanded this rule to include that everyone be required to wash their hands before eating. And now Jesus' disciples were breaking their rule.

Jesus doesn't hold back. He calls them hypocrites. He accuses them of coming up with their own set of laws that would allow them to get around the actual laws of God. That way they could appear righteous without actually having to being so. In verse 11, Jesus cuts to the chase and lays out the real problem: "You are not defiled by what you eat; you are defiled by what you say and do." This wasn't about eating with impure hands. It was about living with impure hearts. Jesus makes this painfully clear when He explains the true source of our words and actions in verse 18: "But evil words come from an evil heart and defile the person who says them" (NLT).

I love the response of the disciples. "Do you realize you offended the Pharisees by what you just said?" Yes, I think Jesus knew He had offended them because that was His obvious intent. Not because He hoped to change them with His searing sarcasm, but I think He was hoping that the disciples would take in what He was saying and no longer idolize these men as icons of religious virtue. Jesus was pulling them down off the pedestal upon which they had been placed by the people. Jesus was exposing their false righteousness and introducing a new form of righteousness that flowed from the heart. A heart that would require the radical transformation that His coming death, burial and resurrection would make possible. To Jesus, the Pharisees were like "blind men leading blind men" (Vs 14) – futile, dangerous, and hopeless in their attempt to provide direction for spiritual transformation. But in some ways, we are a lot like them. In his book, The Wisdom of Tenderness, Brennan Manning describes our similarities this way:

The violence with which some Christians expound their beliefs makes me think that they are trying to convince themselves. The specter of their well-concealed unbelief frightens them, so they become more militant and strident. When this same fear grips the churches, they disintegrate into lifeless propagators of formal rituals or intolerant agents of repression.  Without an intimate, heartfelt knowledge of Jesus, the preachers who staff these churches resemble travel agents handing out brochures to places they've never visited.

So how does Jesus describe these kinds of people? "These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far away. Their worship is a farce, for they replace God’s commands with their own man–made teachings" (Vs 8-9). No heart. Just head. No heart transformation. Just behavior modification. More good behavior and less bad behavior MUST equal godliness. But how did that formula work out for the Pharisees? Not so well. And it won't work for us today. No, Jesus is still all about heart change – change from the inside out. And He is the only one who can bring it about.

Father, I don't want to worship You in vain. I don't want my man-made rules and attempts at self-righteousness to keep me from coming to You. I want true heart change, not superficial self-induced behavior modification that never seems to last. Thank You for sending Your Son and making it possible for me to live a new life in a whole new way. Thank You for Your Holy Spirit who provides me with the power I need to live the life I've been called to live. Amen

Less Is More.

Matthew 14

But Jesus said to them, "They do not need to go away; you give them something to eat!" - Vs 16 (NASB)

It had been a long day. It started with news that John the Baptist had been beheaded. This had hit Jesus hard, causing Him to withdraw in a boat to a secluded place by Himself (Vs 13). But Jesus' solitude didn't last long. It never did. There were always the crowds. And this day was no different. So after a long day, the disciples found themselves surrounded again by thousands of men, women, and children, all there to get a glimpse of Jesus, or to receive healing from Him. The location was remote and when it started getting late, the disciples recommended to Jesus that He call it a day and send the crowds away so they could go into the nearby villages and find food to eat. Many of these people were miles from their own homes, having traveled long distances in order to see Jesus. The disciples were weary and probably tired of all the crowds, and who could blame them. So when they told Jesus that He ought to send the crowds away they were more than a little surprised at His response. "They do not need to go away; you give them something to eat!"

What?! You have got to be kidding Jesus. Where are we supposed to find enough food to feed this many people. There are at least 5,000 men and that doesn't include all the women and kids. We're talking well over 10,000 people here. And you want us to give them something to eat?

The disciples were stunned. A few of them were probably even put out at the audacity of this request – or command. Jesus was telling them to do the impossible. And they proved it by listing their meager supplies on hand: Five loaves and two fishes. That wasn't even enough to feed 12 hungry disciples, let alone a crowd like this. The facts were clear. There were too many people and not enough resources. Case closed. Or so they thought.

Jesus doesn't want to hear their excuses. But He does want their fishes and loaves. He takes what they've got and then orders the disciples to seat the crowd on the grass. Can you imagine what is going through the disciples' minds? They're probably thinking they're going to have a riot on their hands when Jesus starts handing out little bitty pieces of fish and bread to these people. The people aren't going to stand for this. They're going to get upset. But as they do crowd control, Jesus calmly takes their five loaves and two fish and looking up into heaven, He blesses it. Then He begins dividing up the food and handing it to the disciples, who in turn give it to the people. And He keeps breaking and dividing, and the disciples keep handing it out. Over and over again. Until every single person in the crowd has eaten their fill. Matthew recalls that "they all ate and were satisfied" (Vs 20). Slowly, calmly, unspectacularly, Jesus had just performed one of His greatest miracles. He had fed a huge crowd of people with just a handful of loaves and fishes. And when the disciples did clean-up duty they picked up twelve baskets of leftovers. One basket for each of them.

Matthew records no statement by Jesus condemning the disciples' lack of faith. In fact, Jesus seems to say nothing. I think the twelves baskets were probably statement enough for the disciples. They started out with little and walked away with an abundance. Jesus had presented them with an impossible situation. He had made an unrealistic request. All the facts pointed to failure. Their resources were too small. They lacked what was necessary to do what Jesus was demanding of them. Or did they? Jesus used the very resources they had to do what He did. He simply multiplied what they had. He blessed what they had. He took their lack and made it more than sufficient. And isn't that what He wants to do in your life and my life? Take what little we have and bless it and multiply it? He isn't concerned about the quantity of our strength, the amount of our wisdom, the abundance of our ability. He just wants us to bring it to Him and let Him use it as He sees fit. We have to admit our lack. We have to confess that we don't have enough, but then trust that this is NOT a problem for Him. He'll use it. And we'll find that there was really was more than enough after all. Because in His hands our meager resources become more than sufficient for the need.

I love this story because it is a reminder of what my life is to be like every single day. I face situations each day that require more of me than I have to give. They demand of me more than I can deliver. But Jesus simply says, "Bring to Me what you have. Give me what you've got." And when I obediently let Him have it, He blesses it, multiplies it, and works miracles with it. It reminds me of the old song that says, "Little is much when God is in it." Little is much. That is to be the story of my life as I live it in obedience to Jesus Christ.

Father, little really is much when You are in it. Your power makes my weakness a non-factor. Your ability to multiply even my meager abilities and resources make anything possible. I have no excuse for not serving, sharing, giving, or going in Your name. Jesus just asks that I bring to Him what little I have and let Him use it. Thank You for using me in spite of me. Thank You for being willing to take what I have and use it to accomplish Your kingdom work here on this earth. Amen

Birds, Rocks, And Thorns.

Matthew 13

Other seeds fell among thorns that shot up and choked out the tender blades. - Vs 7 (NLT)

In chapter 13 we have the well-known parable of the seeds. Or better yet, the parable of the soils. Jesus tells of four different types of soils on which the seed of the Word is spread. Four soils – four different responses. One was soil by the side of the road. Another was soil surrounded by rocks. A third was soil in which thorns had already taken root. And finally, there was the good soil. All four soils received the same seed. All four soils represent different kinds of people and their responses to the hearing of the Word of God. In this case the Word refers to the Gospel – the good news regarding Jesus Christ and His kingdom. In Jesus' audience that day were all four types of people. Jesus goes on to give us a clear explanation of what these people were like.

The first group are those who hear the word of the kingdom but do not understand it (Vs 19). It makes no sense to them. So it never takes root in their lives. There's no response. And what they have heard is snatched away by the enemy. He distracts them and diverts their attention away from the truth of the Word.

The next group hears the Word and receives it with joy (Vs 20), but they never allow it to take root in their lives. This is an emotional response and it proves temporary. Because as soon as any kind of trouble comes into their lives due to the Word, they bail. Initially, they loved the idea behind the Gospel, but when it fails to make their life easier, happier, and trouble-free, they jettison the truth of God's Word. They walk away disappointed and disillusioned.

The third group are those whose lives are already filled with the things of this world. They've allowed their lives to become infested with the "thorns" of materialism, wealth, pleasure, prestige, etc. The uncultivated soil of their lives has been the perfect place for weeds and thorns to take root. So when they hear the Word, it is unable to take root and flourish because it is overpowered by the presence of worldly desires. Jesus calls it the "worry of the world and the deceitfulness of wealth" (Vs 22). Charles Haddon Spurgeon, the 19th-Century pastor of the Metropolitan Tabernacle in London, referred to this group of people in the following way in a sermon entitled "Sown Among Thorns": "You are religious persons, and to all appearance you are under the influence of godliness. You exhibit plenty of leaf, but there is no corn in the ear, no substance in your Christianity."

Spurgeon goes on to say: "The seed sown among thorns lived and continued to grow. And in many people's minds the Gospel of divine truth is growing after a fashion: they understand it better, can defend it more valorously, and speak of it more fluently. Moreover, it does influence them in some form and degree, for gross vices are forsaken. They are decent imitations of believers: you can see the shape of an ear: the stalk has struggled up through the thorns until you can see its head, and you are led to expect corn. But go to that apparent wheat-ear, and feel it: there are the sheaths but there is nothing in them; you have all the makings of an ear of wheat, but it will yield no grain. I would speak to those before me who, perhaps, have been baptized and are members of the church; I want to ask of them a question or two. Do you not think that there is a great deal of empty profession nowadays? Do you not think that many have a name to live and are dead? 'Yes,' say you, 'I know a neighbor whom I judge to be in that condition.' May not another neighbor judge the same of you? Would it not be well to raise the question about yourself? Have you really believed in the Lord Jesus? Are you truly converted from sin and self? Turn that sharp eye of yours homeward for a while. Examine your own actions, and judge your condition by them. Put yourself into the crucible. O my God, what if I should be a preacher to others, and should be myself a castaway! Will not every deacon and elder, and every individual church member, speak to himself after the same fashion. You will go to your Sunday school class this afternoon; will you be teaching the children what you do not know? You mean to go to a meeting this evening and talk to others about conversion; will you be exhorting them to that which you have never yourself experienced? Will it be so? You do not need fine preaching, but you do need probing in the conscience. A thorough examination will do the healthy no harm, and it may bless the sick. 'Lord, let me know the worst of my case,' is one of my frequent prayers, and I suggest it to you."

This third group is a significant one in the church today. It consists of those who hear the Word, seemingly respond to it, but never seem to live lives that exhibit the fruit of a life that has been changed by it. Why? Because the Gospel, with its message of salvation and sanctification, has been choked out by worldly cares and obsessions. Spurgeon puts it this way: "So much then about the seed: it was good seed, it was sown, it was received by the soil, it grew and promised well, but yet in the end it was unfruitful. No doubt multitudes, who receive Christianity, become regular attendants at our place of worship, and are honest in their moral character; but Christ is not all in all to them. He holds a very secondary place in their affections. Their wheat is overshadowed with a thicket of thorns, and is so choked that it comes to nothing. Their religion is buried beneath their worldliness."

We all have thorns in our soil. We all struggle with the worries of the world and the deceitfulness of wealth. That doesn't mean we're wealthy, but that we've bought into the lie that wealth and affluence is the answer to all our problems. Our lack of material possessions or abundance of them can both lead to the life-changing message of the Gospel being choked out of our lives. There's nothing wrong with the seed and there's nothing wrong with the soil. It is just that we have allowed our love affair with the things of this world to fill our lives to the point that there is no room for the Gospel to grow. And without its growth and maturity, there is no fruit. As Spurgeon said so well, our religion becomes buried by our worldliness. So is the Word being choked out in your life? Are the worries of the world and the deceitfulness of wealth crowding out the message of spiritual transformation in your life? He who has ears, let him hear. Listen to the words of Jesus. Examine your life. Confess your love affair with the world. Allow Him to do some serious weeding so that He might pull up the thorns that fill your life and create room for His message of truth to take root and grow. He can and He will. And then your life can be like the fourth soil – fruitful and abundant.

Father, open the eyes of those whose lives are choked by the cares of this world. It happens to all of us. We get wrapped up in materialism and pleasure, worldliness and wealth. This world seems to offer everything we need for happiness. But Your Word makes it clear that true joy and eternal life can only be found in Your Son Jesus Christ. Forgive us for our religiousness that only simulates a changed life, when in reality we are still living lives that are in love with the world. Remove the thorns so that our lives might be fruitful and full.  Amen

He Is Greater.

Matthew 12

Something greater…is here. - Vs 6, 41, 42

Three times in this chapter, Jesus makes the statement, "something greater…is here." Three times He makes a comparison between Himself and a person or place from Israel's past. He compares Himself to the Temple, to Jonah, and then to Solomon – all in the middle of an ongoing confrontation with the Pharisees. They accuse His disciples of violating the Sabbath because they are picking heads of grain and eating them. In their legalistic minds, this constituted "work." Jesus responds to their accusations by reminding them that the priests themselves work on the Sabbath and are innocent. And because He, Jesus, is greater than the Sabbath, He and His disciples are likewise innocent. He is greater than the Sabbath because He is Lord of the Sabbath.

The next confrontation is over Jesus' healing of a demon-possessed man. The crowds are amazed and begin to wrestle with the idea that Jesus just may be the Son of David, the Messiah. This sets the Pharisees off and they accuse Jesus of healing by the power of Satan.This accusation garners a fairly intense response from Jesus against the Pharisees. He reveals that their denial of His healing power as being from God was to deny the Holy Spirit and to deny that the power and reign of God was present in the world. They were committing the unforgivable sin – attributing the Spirit's word to Satan.

Even after this confrontation, the Pharisees have the gall to come to Jesus and ask Him for a sign. But Jesus refuses, telling them that the only sign they will receive is "the sign of Jonah the prophet" (Vs 39). Jesus is referring to His own death, burial, and resurrection. Just as Jonah was in the belly of the great fish for three days and nights, so Jesus would be three days and nights in the earth after His crucifixion. But Jesus slams the Pharisees, reminding them that while the people of Ninevah responded to the preaching of Jonah and repented, they are their contemporaries refused to listen to the preaching of Jesus – even though He is greater than Jonah. Jesus' preaching is greater than Jonah's. His message is greater than Jonah's. He is preaching about the kingdom of God and the means to enter it – through Him. Jonah was preaching a temporary salvation from judgment. Jesus is preaching a permanent salvation from eternal judgment to come. It is interesting that Jesus chose to compare Himself to Jonah, one of the prophets to the Gentiles. It would not be long before Jesus would expand His message of salvation to the Gentiles as well.

Finally, Jesus compares Himself to Solomon, the great king and the son of David. He says the the queen of Sheba, who came to visit Solomon and to witness his wisdom, would stand up and condemn this generation, because they have the true wisdom of God standing right in front of them, but refuse to believe. Jesus is greater than Solomon because He is wiser than Solomon. His kingdom is greater than Solomon.

Jesus has compared Himself to three of their icons: The Temple, Jonah the prophet, and Solomon. This had to have rubbed the Pharisees wrong. Jesus was claiming superiority to the very house of God and two of patriarchs of their faith. He was claiming to have power over the Temple itself – the very place where God Himself dwelt. He was claiming to be preaching a greater message than that of Jonah. He was claiming to possess a greater wisdom than Solomon. But they refused to recognize His power, His message, and His wisdom. The refused to acknowledge His greatness. But can we be guilty of the same thing today? Can we refuse to acknowledge God's greatness? Are our plans greater than Him? Are our rules greater than Him? Do we refuse to acknowledge His infinite wisdom, His incomparable message, His limitless power? If we are not careful, we can find ourselves questioning the wisdom of Jesus, doubting the power of Jesus, and rejecting the message of Jesus. He is calling us to daily repentance and dependence on Him. But we can become arrogant, refusing to see ourselves as sinners in need of a Savior every day of our lives. We can refuse to repent, content with our "ticket to heaven." We can think of ourselves as wiser than He is by following our own plan, instead of His. We can refuse to admit that He has the power and authority to tell us what to do with our lives, by living according to our own set of rules and standards.

He is greater than…everything we can think of. And He wants us to acknowledge that fact.

Father, Your Son is greater. He is greater than anything that I might want to compare Him with. But I do not always live my life as if I believe that fact. I doubt Him. I reject Him. I refuse to obey Him. May I continue to grow in my understanding of His infinite greatness. I want to increase in my understanding on His power, His wisdom, and the life-changing message that He brings. He is greater! Amen

The Yokes On You.

Matthew 11

Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke fits perfectly, and the burden I give you is light. - Vs 28-30 (NLT)

You're probably familiar with the Great Commandment and the Great Commission. But have you ever heard of the Great Invitation? Well, you'll find it in the verses above. It's one of the most overlooked of the three "Greats" in the Scriptures. Maybe it's because it uses a farming metaphor that most of us can't relate to. Or maybe it's because we've determined it is just talking about salvation. But the more I read it and study it, the Great Invitation is one of the most powerful statements about spiritual growth and formation in the entire Bible. It goes hand in hand with the Great Commandment – to love God and to love others – and the Great Commission – to make disciples. In fact, without the Great Invitation, keeping the other two will be impossible. It provides the foundation on which to build a simple, yet vibrant spiritual growth strategy.

In this passage, Jesus is offering an invitation with two parts. The first is an invitation to the lost. He is addressing all those who are weary, worn out and burdened down by a religious system that is based on rule-keeping and self-righteousness. The average Jewish peasant was living a life burdened with the legalism imposed on them by the Pharisees. There were literally hundreds upon hundreds of laws they were required to keep – most of them man-made, not God-ordained. Their righteousness was based on their ability to keep up. Their standing with God was dependent on their strict adherence to rules that were impossible to keep. So they were beaten down, tired, and staggering under the load of guilt and shame that came with their failure. So Jesus invites them to come to Him. He extends a personal invitation to have a relationship with Him. And He offers them rest. Jesus offers them a new way into a relationship with God – through Him. It is not burdensome or wearying. It's restful. Jesus extends to them the Good News of the Gospel.

But there's a second part to this invitation. And I think it is the part that most often gets overlooked. Once Jesus has invited us into a relationship with Him, He issues a command. He says, "Take My yoke upon you." This is a critical next-step that most of us refuse to take. We refuse to get into the yoke with Jesus. We accept His invitation to rest, but we balk at the idea of the yoke. Maybe it's because we don't fully understand it. Maybe it's because it sounds like too much work. But either way, we miss out. Because Jesus tells us to get into the yoke in order that we might learn from Him. To get in the yoke was a common phrase in Jesus day. It was used by rabbis and teachers when referring to their disciples or followers. You were invited by a rabbi to yoke with him and so learn from him. It was a common farming term that all understood. When a farmer wanted to train up a new oxen to plow in the yoke, he would take a young calf and place him in a yoke next to a "veteran" ox. In this relationship, the young ox would learn from the "master." He would learn to submit to the older ox's leadership and direction. He would learn the ways of the plow. He would learn to die to his own way of life and to live his life with a new sense of purpose. Prior to getting in the yoke, the young ox lived a life that was his own. He ate when he wanted to eat. He slept when he wanted to sleep. He had no responsibilities or cares. But once in the yoke, his life changed. He now had work to do. He had a purpose for living. His existence took on new meaning and his world no longer revolved around him. He was walking and working alongside his mentor – learning the way of the yoke. Sure, it was work, but it was easy as long as he did it the master's way.

That is the relationship Jesus longs for with each of us. He wants us to get in the yoke next to Him. He has work for us to do. He has a plan for our lives and a purpose for our existence, but we will never know it or experience it outside of the yoke. Yet, many of us refuse to get in the yoke with Him. Or perhaps we never knew we were supposed to get in the yoke with Him. But it's never too late to get in the yoke. He calls us daily to join Him and learn from Him. It is in the yoke that true discipleship takes place. It is in the yoke that we learn to live like Jesus lived. It is in the yoke that we develop the desire to love God and others. It is in the yoke that we develop a passion for the lost and a commitment to make disciples. The yoke trains us, equips us, empowers us, and inspires us for service.

•    Being in the yoke is … worship

-    You are living a life of obedience and, which is worshipful

-    You are living a life of dependence, which is worshipful

-    You are glorifying God, which is worshipful

Being in the yoke requires that you … connect

-    First, you must connect to Christ

-    But ultimately, being in the yoke connects you to other believers

-    You become part of the body of Christ through your connection to Christ

Being in the yoke is where you learn, which means you … grow

-    You can’t help but learn in the yoke

-    Jesus says, “learn from Me”

-    The purpose of the yoke is discipleship

Being in the yoke will require you to … serve

-    You are in the yoke to do God’s work according to His will

-    Jesus came to serve, not be served

-    He is still serving today and He wants us to serve alongside Him

Being in the yoke is the message we model and … share

-    When we live our life in the yoke with Jesus, we are modeling what it means to be His disciple

-    We don’t just share the good news, we live it out

-    Jesus told us to “make disciples”

-    We cannot effectively “make” what we don’t understand or have not experienced

The yoke is about a discipleship/apprenticeship relationship in which we learn from Jesus… …How to be a shepherd …How to be a leader …How to be a son of God …How to be a good soldier …How to be a citizen …How to be a priest …How to be a prophet …How to be an advocate …How to be a reconciler …How to be a steward …How to be an encourager …How to be a servant …How to be an evangelist …How to be a sacrifice …How to be a healer …How to be a fruit bearer …How to be a worshiper …How to be a teacher …How to be a student

These are produced out of a relationship with Christ. They are the fruits of Christ-likeness. We are becoming what He is – which is at the heart of sanctification. It all begins with the Great Invitation, Christ’s gracious offer of life, rest, and relationship with Him. If someone does not accept His invitation, which includes an offer of salvation and a life of sanctification, the other two commands are impossible to keep. Outside of the yoke, fulfillment of the Great Commission and keeping of the Great Commandment are impossible. A journey of spiritual growth must begin in the yoke. Maturity in Christ is essentially growth in Christ-likeness. That is the by-product of a life lived in the yoke, where a disciple learns from the Master Himself.

Father, thank You for the yoke. May I increasingly find myself more at home there than at any other place. I want to learn from Jesus Himself as I work alongside Him. I want to experience the rest He offers in the midst of a life of service to Him and for Him. Give us a greater desire to live in the yoke with Jesus.. Amen