Posts Tagged ‘Matthew’

I will build my church (from Matthew 16:18 ESV)

The antecedent for ‘I’ in Matthew 16 is Jesus. Notice that He is the one to do the building. Notice that it is His church being built. But the larger context of that Matthew 16 passage is that Jesus is instructing Peter on Peter’s part in the whole process.

Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith (from Hebrews 12:2 ESV)

Of course, our portion of the plan could never be considered, would never be carried out, unless Jesus chose to be our faith-founder and faith-perfecter. As we continue in the faith that our LORD provides, let us remember who is doing the building in and through us; let us remember whose church it is that is being built.

Jesus Christ is the Bread and the Word. Part of God’s plan for us is that we are humbled and hungry – we must learn to feed on Him. The children of Israel often grumbled that they were well fed in Egypt and wanted to go back to that familiar place of comfort rather than die in the desert from hunger. Like us, they had short memories regarding their own actions and God’s provision. They were not satisfied in Egypt and had grumbled in those circumstances. God brought them out of Egypt in a most miraculous manner and chose to be in their presence; they refused to accept communion with Him. Moses spoke of bread and word during one of his final sermons to the congregation.

“And he humbled you and let you hunger and fed you with manna, which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that he might make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD.” (Deuteronomy 8:3 ESV)

Jesus quotes this verse during a time of temptation; He shows that Scripture is a great way to combat temptation; he demonstrates an understanding of what man needs for life.

“But he answered, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”” (Matthew 4:4 ESV)

Jesus unmistakably speaks of himself as the bread that satisfies in John 6, right after feeding five thousand and walking on water.

“Jesus said to them, ‘I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.’” (John 6:35 ESV)

Of course, the reason belief in Christ quenches thirst is that he provides living water in abundance to those that ask.

“Jesus answered her, ‘If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.’” (John 4:10 ESV)

“On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, ‘If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’” Now this he said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive, for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.” (John 7:37-39 ESV)

So God allows us to be humbled and hungry, in order that we look to Jesus. He is the bread that we need, and the Word that satisfies.

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men… And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.” (John 1:1-4,14 ESV)

 “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.” Matthew 13:44 (ESV)

“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls, who, on finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and bought it.” Matthew 13:45-46 (ESV)

 Those two short parables, told by Jesus, indicate the extreme value attributed to the kingdom of heaven. Just recognizing that God’s Kingdom is a treasure, a pearl of great price, isn’t enough. Are we willing to pursue the kingdom of heaven at all costs? What are we holding on to as valuable in competition with the kingdom? Are we attempting to straddle the fence and pursue the kingdom at some reduced rate? Are we hoping to acquire the treasure without total commitment?

 Surrounding the parable of the treasure in the field and the pearl of great price, you will find an explanation of the parable of weeds and the parable of a great catch of good and bad fish. In both of these parables Scripture states that the Son of Man will send his angels to separate the evil from the righteous and cast the evil into the fiery furnace where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Can we claim conclusively that we are seeking the kingdom first and foremost, or are we just weeds planted in the same field as the seed sown by the Son of Man? Are we willing to sell all that we have in recognition of the value of the hidden treasure, or are we just bad fish hanging out in the net with the righteous? Let’s be willing to go all the way!

Merry Christmas:  During the past few years people have debated the demise of the term “Merry Christmas” and have begun to fight back and proclaim that removing Christ from Christmas is a line they are not willing to cross. “Season’s Greetings” just doesn’t cut it in denoting the ‘holiness’ of that particular holiday.

The year of our LORD:  “Anno Domini” (AD) and “Before Christ” (BC) make Jesus Christ central in our most common calendar system. Every time you said or wrote ‘2009’ last year you were remembering that our LORD is central in all things, even in our perception of how we mark time. Many people desire that we change the usage to “Before Common Era” (B.C.E.) and “Common Era” (C.E.) in order to not offend individuals that don’t accept Christ as the Messiah.

Days of the week  and month names:  Friends (Quakers) make a practice of not using the names of the days of the week because those names are based on or derived from pagan gods. Friends prefer the simpler, more Biblical form of attending Meeting on First Day, going to work on Second Day, and resting on Day Seven (or Seventh Day). The usage of Sunday (Sun’s day), Monday (Moon day), Tuesday (Tiw’s day), Wednesday (Woden’s day), Thursday (Thor’s day), Friday (Frig’s day), and Saturday (Saturn’s day), brings glory to false gods and shouldn’t be spoken by followers of Christ. Friends would also use numbers to denote the month names because many of the names of the months are based on ancient Roman Paganism (Janus – a two-headed Roman God, Februa – a Roman Pagan festival, Mars – a Roman God of war and fertility, Aprilis – the Roman Goddess of love, Maia – the Roman Goddess of the springtime, Juno – the Roman Great Mother Goddess, Julius Caesar – a Roman dictator, and Augustus Caesar – a Roman emperor).

Word Usage:  For more regarding how we use words, see the post “Hank and Awesome.”

Last evening, at Youth Group, Sage gave a teaching about false teachers (prophets) stealing our thoughts from THE WAY.  He taught from Jeremiah 23, Matthew 16, and 2 Peter 2, and warned that we cannot allow God’s Holy Word to be watered down or His message of holiness to be compromised by people telling us that “it’s just a little thing” or “it’s not that important” when we start dipping our toes into the things of the world.

So, where do we draw the line? The One True Teacher chose Scripture’s fulfillment over His comfort and His life. In Matthew 26 Jesus points out to His disciples that He could call on His Father and have more than twelve legions of angels (that’s over 72,000 angels) at His disposal, “But how then would the Scriptures be fulfilled that say it must happen in this way?” Christ chose the cross because His Words are important and they do have meaning. His life, death, and resurrection indicate that He knows what lines cannot be crossed, whether out of convenience, custom, or comfort. Let us be transformed by the renewing of our minds and become mature enough to know which lines cannot be crossed in our lives.

Peter learned a lot of life lessons the hard way, but at least he learned them. In 1 Peter, his letter to God’s chosen and scattered people, Peter stated that we should always be prepared to give an answer for the hope we possess.

“But make sure in your hearts that Christ is Lord. Always be ready to give an answer to anyone who asks you about the hope you have. Be ready to give the reason for it. But do it gently and with respect.” 1 Peter 3:15 (NIrV)

Peter exemplified one that was always ready to give an answer; he never ran short of words to say. Without the Guidance of his LORD though, Peter didn’t always have the right answer or a good answer. In Matthew 16 and Mark 8 Christ is asking His disciples who they think He is and Peter gives an inspired and intelligent answer. Within a few short verses, however, Peter is being rebuked by Jesus for an answer that was misguided.

“Blessed are you, Simon, son of Jonah! No mere man showed this to you. My Father in heaven showed it to you.” Matthew 16:17 (NIrV)

and then in Matthew 16:23

“Get behind me, Satan! You are standing in my way. You do not have in mind the things of God. Instead, you are thinking about human things.” (NIrV)

Peter spoke well when guided by God, but not so well in the flesh. That is why he reminds us in 1 Peter 3:15 to “make sure in your hearts that Christ is LORD.” If you are a redeemed child of the cross, then you have the fullness of God dwelling within you. If you allow Him to be LORD of your heart, you will be ready to give an answer for the hope within you.

“But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.” John 14:26 (ESV)

 

”The first to present his case seems right, till another comes forward and questions him.”           Proverbs 18:17 (NIV)

How do we know who or what to believe? Here is one example of differing advice from different sources, in 2 Chronicles 32 (NIV)

• Hezekiah told the children of Israel, “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or discouraged because of the king of Assyria and the vast army with him, for there is a greater power with us than with him. With him is only the arm of flesh, but with us is the LORD our God to help us and to fight our battles.”  (verses 7 and 8a)
• The people gained confidence from what Hezekiah told them. (verse 8b)
• A messenger from Sennacherib came and questioned the wisdom of what Hezekiah had told the people. He suggested that Assyria was much stronger than all nations and that no god could protect people from the power of Assyria. (verses 10-19)
• Hezekiah went to God in prayer. (verse 20)
• “The LORD sent an angel, who annihilated all the fighting men and the leaders and officers in the camp of the Assyrian king.” (verse 21)

Hezekiah and his people were wise to not heed the advice of the questioning messenger from Sennacherib, even though on the face of it the messenger had a good argument. Assyria had conquered many nations and peoples far greater than the Israelites. They just hadn’t come up against the God of Israel. The LORD gives wisdom liberally to those that ask. Hezekiah sought the LORD and wasn’t swayed by the worldly argument that questioned his wisdom.

 In Matthew 13, Jesus tells the parable of soils and then explains what it means. In the explanation of that parable, some individuals had received the Word when presented, but then fell away later. They didn’t stand their convictions because they had no roots. They lacked wisdom. James 1:5-8 says, “If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does.”

 “A simple man believes anything, but a prudent man gives thought to his steps.”          Proverbs 14:15 (NIV)

Galatians 5:22-23 contains a list of attributes of the fruit of the Spirit, but what kind of plant can produce “Spirit Fruit”? God’s Word is full of information regarding fruit and plants and seed.

Beginning in the first chapter of the Bible, Genesis 1:11-12, “God said, “Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds.” And it was so. The land produced vegetation: plants bearing seed according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good.”

You will continue to run across the theme of fruit and seed all the way though Scripture until you get to the last chapter in the Bible, Revelation 22:1-2, “Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life. It was as clear as crystal. It flowed from the throne of God and of the Lamb. It flowed down the middle of the city’s main street. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing 12 crops of fruit. Its fruit was ripe every month. The leaves of the tree bring healing to the nations.”

In the midst of a teaching about trees and fruit in Matthew 7:18, we are told, “A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit.” The principle of each plant bearing seed or fruit after its own kind doesn’t change from Old Testament to New Testament. A plant can only bear the fruit that it is designed to bear.

So let’s go back to Galatians 5:22- 23 and look at what kind of plant can produce “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” That Spirit Fruit only comes by being in the Spirit. Galatians 5 informs us that a conflict is being waged between the flesh and its desires and the Spirit. Verse 24 tells us, “Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires.”

Let us walk in the Spirit and produce Spirit Fruit.

Quotes in this post from (NIV).