Alternate Plans
Bible Order: Lev 14–15
Chronological Order: Exod 16–18
Heart Felt Faith
Jesus has been telling the Jews that the promise of God to Abraham and his descendants will now be offered to the Gentiles because their faith has been external rather than internal. In other words their faith was all about appearances and did not penetrate down to their heart. This was a problem then for the Jews as it is for Christians today. There are those who go to church regularly, donate funds to the church, and even accept a place of honor in the church as deacons or elders but they are Christians only outwardly; inside they are still lost and separated from God.
In today’s reading Jesus really lets the scribes and Pharisees have it with both barrels. We have been hearing parables about them and their empty faith but now Jesus just states it all blatantly to their faces.
Matthew 23:25-28 ESV
“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and the plate, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. You blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and the plate, that the outside also may be clean. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people’s bones and all uncleanness. So you also outwardly appear righteous to others, but within you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.”
Fellas, where is your heart? Is your heart truly dedicated to the Lord Jesus Christ? Does your heart belong to Him? Is the focus of your life His will or yours? I hope you will pray for me as I pray for you that your heart will continually be cleansed by the shed blood of Jesus Christ and that your faith will be honest, true, and heart deep.
Have a blessed day!
Your brother and servant in Christ,
Bill
Dying to self, living to serve!
Alternate Plans
Bible Order: Lev 5:14–7:38
Chronological Order: Exod 7–9
The Vineyard Will Be Given To Those Who Bear Fruit
At this point in Matthew, Jesus is in Jerusalem for the Passover celebration. He is not far from the cross now. He is preparing His disciples for a future without His physical presence. He is also letting them know that the promises to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob are about to be offered to the Gentiles. The Jews had been the only Chosen People for centuries. In yesterday’s reading Jesus caused a fig tree to wither up because when He came to it looking for fruit there was none to be had. I mentioned in yesterday’s commentary that many feel the fig tree represents Israel and the fact that their faith had become all show and no fruit.
The “religious” folks of Jesus’ day were all about ritual and legalism; they really had the letter of the Law down pat. Unfortunately they were all posers. They acted pious but their hearts were full of self-centeredness; they in no way mastered the spirit of the Law. In fact I would wager that they didn’t even comprehend the concept. How sad that God’s Chosen People had become empty shells; Godly on the outside and filthy on the inside.
In today’s reading Jesus gives us a parable about a master and his wayward tenants. When it came time for the tenants to give the master the fruit due him they beat and killed his messengers. Eventually the master sent his son to collect the fruit and they killed him too. This parable is a story of the history of Israel. God sent servants, the prophets, to the people of Israel to call them back to Him; He was looking to harvest the fruit that belonged to Him. The Chosen People beat and stoned and killed those prophets. God sent more prophets and the people killed those too. Finally God sent His Son to the tenants and, just like the son of the master in the parable, the tenants would kill Him as well.
What would the master do to those murderous tenants?
Matthew 21:41 ESV
“…He will put those wretches to a miserable death and let out the vineyard to other tenants who will give him the fruits in their seasons.”
The promises to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob have now been offered to gentiles as well. Let me be clear, becoming a member of God’s family, a member of the Chosen People is no longer determined by being a Jew or being a Gentile. Membership is based upon the condition of a person’s heart. It just doesn’t matter if you go through the “godly” motions. If you are a poser you will not inherit the Kingdom of God.
You know, the lost are pretty tired of “godly” posers. Too often they look at people who call themselves Christians and what they see are people who go to church and condemn sin but then live no differently than the rest of the world.
Are the lost seeing in today’s Christians the Pharisees of the past? Is your faith real? Is your faith only skin deep or is it heart deep? God and the rest of the world are watching. If you are a poser you are only fooling yourself. Don’t be a fruitless fig tree. Bear your fruit in season. How would you feel if you heard these words from the mouth of Jesus?
Matthew 21:43 ESV
“Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people producing its fruits.”
Do you understand how important it is for your Christian faith to bear fruit? I hope so brother. I hope so.
Have a blessed day!
Your brother and servant in Christ,
Bill
Dying to self, living to serve!
Alternate Plans
Chronological Order: Gen 4–7
God’s Will Be Done
Yesterday I wrote an introduction to this year of reading through the New Testament. This meant that I ran out of room to provide an outline for the book of Matthew and so will provide one today. You might want to take some time to review this as it is helpful to see how the whole book is put together before digging into specifics. I’ll provide that outline here and then share a comment on the reading below that.
Outline
Chapters
1. Genealogy and Record of Virgin Birth of Jesus
2. Visit of Wise Men—Flight to Egypt—Return to Nazareth
3. John the Baptist, Forerunner of King, Announces Kingdom and Baptizes Jesus, the King
4. Testing of the King in Wilderness—Begins Public Ministry at Capernaum—Calls Disciples
5–7. Sermon on the Mount
1. Relationship of Subjects of Kingdom to Self, 5:1–16
2. Relationship of Subjects of Kingdom to Law, 5:17–48
3. Relationship of Subjects of Kingdom to God, 6:1–34
4. Relationship of Children of King to Each Other, 7:1–29
8. Six Miracles of King Demonstrate His Dynamic to Enforce Ethics of Sermon on Mount
9. Performs Six More Miracles—Calls Matthew—Contends with Pharisees
10. Jesus Commissions Twelve to Preach Gospel of the Kingdom to Nation Israel
11. Quizzed by Disciples of John—Rejects Unrepentant Cities—Issues New Invitation to Individuals
12. Conflict and Final Break of Jesus with Religious Rulers
13. Mystery Parables of Kingdom of Heaven
14. John the Baptist Beheaded—Jesus Feeds 5,000—Sends Disciples Into Storm at Sea—Walks on Water to Them
15. Jesus Denounces Scribes and Pharisees—Heals Daughter of Syrophoenician Woman and Multitudes—Feeds 4,000
16. Conflict with Pharisees and Sadducees—Confession from Disciples, Peter Spokesman—Jesus First Confronts Them with Church, His Death and Resurrection
17. Transfiguration—Demon Possessed Boy—Tax Money Provided by Miracle
18. Little Child—Lost Sheep—Conduct in Coming Church—Parable on Forgiveness
19. God’s Standard for Marriage and Divorce—Little Children Blessed—Rich Young Ruler—Apostles’ Position in Coming Kingdom
20. Parable of Laborers in Vineyard—Jesus Makes 4th and 5th Announcement of His Approaching Death—Mother Requests Places of Honor for James and John—Jesus Restores Sight to Two Men
21. King Offers Himself Publicly and Finally to Nation—Cleanses Temple—Curses Fig Tree—Condemns Religious Rulers with Parables of Two Sons and Householder
22. Parable of Marriage Feast for King’s Son—Jesus Answers and Silences Herodians, Sadducees, Pharisees
23. Jesus Warns Against and Pronounces Woes Upon Scribes and Pharisees—Weeps over Jerusalem
24–25. Olivet Discourse
Jesus Answers Questions About Sign of End of Age and Sign of His Coming—Parable of Ten Virgins—Parable of Eight Talents—Judgment of Sheep and Goat Nations
26. Jesus Plotted Against—Anointed by Mary of Bethany—Sold by Judas—Observes Last Passover and First Lord’s Supper—Agonizes in Gethsemane—Arrested and Tried by Religious Rulers—Disowned by Peter
27. Trial, Death and Burial of the King
28. Resurrection of the King—His Great Commission
McGee, J. V. (1997). Thru the Bible commentary (electronic ed.). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.
The book of Matthew was written by a disciple of Jesus also known in the Bible as Levi the tax collector. He was with Jesus from almost the beginning so he is a solid first hand witness to the ministry of Christ. Matthew/Levi wrote his gospel to a primarily Jewish audience so he emphasized Jesus’ fulfillment of Jewish, Messianic prophecy. Those days were days of turmoil. The Jewish people were under a Roman protectorate. The Romans placed Herod on the throne of Israel. The problem was that Herod was not and Israelite – that is a descendant of Jacob otherwise known as Israel. He was actually a descendant of Esau, Jacob’s older twin brother.
The Israelites didn’t like having a foreign king or a foreign power over them. They were a people under subjugation to pagans. This caused them to long desperately for God’s promised Messiah; the king who would save Israel. There were many prophecies concerning the Messiah and as the world would discover, Jesus fulfilled them all. Unfortunately, most people in Israel wanted, and therefore expected, a conquering hero rather than a sacrificial lamb. They missed Him. Matthew started his Gospel with a recitation of Jesus’ descent through Joseph. Now this might seem odd considering the fact that Jesus did not have an earthly father in a biological sense. Still, Joseph was Jesus’ earthly father and his descent from King David was important in a patriarchal society. In another Gospel we will learn that Mary also was a descendant of King David and so Jesus did have the bloodline prophecy demanded.
In today’s reading we see that King Herod was very concerned about the three wise men that followed the star proclaiming the arrival of Israel’s new born king. Herod held an illegitimate claim to the throne. If a prophesied king were to be found in Israel it was more than likely the people would rise up against Herod and kill him. The Romans might very well win in the end, but that would be of little consolation to a dead Herod.
Herod intended to kill the prophesied king in order to save his own skin. In tomorrow’s reading we will learn that he had every male child in Bethlehem under the age of two killed to make sure he achieved his goal. This should give some perspective on how desperate Herod felt on his precarious throne. Still, the schemes of this earthly king are nothing before the sovereign will of God the Father. Jesus came for a purpose. He had an appointment with death and his time was another 30 some years in the future. God’s will would be done no matter the schemes of men.
Have a blessed day!
Your brother and servant in Christ,
Bill
Dying to self, living to serve!
Your Behavior Tells Me What You Believe
What you really believe can be seen in what you actually do. I don’t know about you but that statement truly hurts me. I say I am a follower of Christ. Am I? Does my behavior match my actions? Do I love other people the way God would have me love them? Do I discipline my heart and mind to reflect the character of Christ? You know when I ask these kinds of heart penetrating questions I know that the man who is under conviction will feel the sting they provoke, but a man whose mind is given over to lustful pursuits of the flesh will simply brush them aside. Our stumbles hurt if we belong to Christ.
Take Abraham. Abraham did some sinful things – the Bible records them for us. But Abraham also believed that God was the God of all and he submitted to God’s authority. We see in Abraham the life of a sinner saved by grace – a grace procured by faith in God. Why are the Jewish people the Chosen People? Did Abraham earn that position for his descendants? Some might argue that he did because he was willing to sacrifice his son at God’s command. Willing to do something and doing that thing are two very different propositions. God was not looking for Abraham to kill Isaac, He was looking for the condition of Abraham’s heart. God would never have allowed Abraham to finish the deed. God stopped Abraham and provided the required sacrifice Himself.
Abraham’s heart was in the right place but he did not earn salvation for himself or anyone else. God chose to reveal Himself, yet again, to the world through the Jewish people, the descendants of Abraham, for His own purpose and not for the sake of paying Abraham for something he didn’t do. Abraham believed God was who He said He was and that he owed God trust and obedience. Because he truly believed this he left his home in Haran and wandered in a land that was not his own, Canaan. He trusted God when He said that He would make Abraham’s descendants more numerous than the sands so he acted in faith when God told him to sacrifice Isaac, his only remaining son. You see, what he truly believed he acted upon.
Today Paul mentions Abraham.
Romans 4:1-5
“What then shall we say was gained by Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh? For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness.” Now to the one who works, his wages are not counted as a gift but as his due. And to the one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness”
It was Abraham’s faith, his belief, which counted as righteousness. Now you may think my point is that one cannot earn their salvation and while that fact is true it is not my point. My point is that what you truly believe will be reflected in your behavior. I have run in to a lot of people in my life who claim to be Christians but their behavior tells me that they do not believe God is righteous or that there will be a judgment. Their behavior shows that they love themselves more than they love God.
Now again, don’t get me wrong, we all stumble and I don’t wish to pile on the Christian who has stumbled and already feels convicted about his sin. I’m talking about the guy who can go around trying to have sex with any woman that will have him, drink until he is falling down drunk, treat other people despicably and have not one moment of discomfort over his bad behavior. I hear people say “you’ve got to have a little fun” as if abusing themselves and other people is fun and treating yourself and others with love and respect is a joy kill.
The thinking of these folks is just absolutely upside down. What they call fun is a disaster and what they reject is the joy and fullness of life God intended all of humanity to have. How can a person who behaves in such a sinful way think he is truly a Christian? He did not submit his life to Christ because his life has not been changed. Jesus Christ is not an insurance policy you hope you never need. You need Christ and you are either His or you are not.
If you behave in a way that is not consistent with what you say you believe then you don’t really believe it. If I believe that I am a sinner before a Holy God and that I will be held accountable for my sins, that I will spend eternity in a fiery pit, you bet your bottom dollar I will grab hold of salvation with both hands, and out of my love for my Savior I will do my best to serve Him, to be faithful to His desire for my life. My life will reflect His holiness.
Your behavior tells me what you really believe. If you try to be the man God created you to be I know something about what you believe. If you think obeying God is a kill joy, and fun is abusing yourself and others, I’ll know it by how you behave and I’ll know you are not a Christian. Your behavior tells me what you believe! So what do you believe?
Have a blessed day.
Your brother and servant in Christ,
Bill
Dying to self, living to serve!
One Hump Or Two
A few days ago I wrote about a passage in Luke 14 where Jesus said that anyone who did not renounce all that he had could not be His disciple. The point of Jesus’ words was to impress upon His followers the supreme position Jesus must hold in their lives. The riches of this world are very seductive and easily possess the position that rightly belongs to God. It isn’t the riches themselves that are at issue but the distraction these riches cause. This is why Jesus said the following:
Mark 10:25
“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.”
Now some people, particularly those of a Communist persuasion, believe this means that if you are wealthy you can’t get into Heaven. This is not an accurate understanding of this verse. True, Jesus says that an impossibility is more likely to occur than a rich person enter the kingdom of God but this isn’t because of riches in and of themselves but rather the attitude one typically acquires in the pursuit of riches.
Abraham is held in great respect in both the Old and New Testaments. In fact Jesus speaks of Abraham as living in Heaven.
Luke 13:28
“In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God but you yourselves cast out.”
Abraham was fabulously wealthy. I don’t think this can be overstated. By the standards of his day he would have been like a billionaire of today. If Abraham was so extremely wealthy how could he be in Heaven if wealth disqualified you from entrance? The reason is wealth was not the focus of his life – God was. That is the issue. It is the most important issue. What is number one in your life; is it God or you? Why do any of us want wealth? We want wealth because it will make us comfortable. We want wealth because it will make our lives easier. We want wealth because with it we can be anything we want to satisfy our fleshly desires. “Me, me, me, me, me, me me!” Where is God in all of this?
When we are poor and hurting it is natural for us to seek God. When we are rich and comfortable it is easy for us to forget about God. By the standards of most of the world today, Americans are fabulously wealthy. This in itself is not a disqualification for entrance into Heaven but our desire for wealth is. Our desire for wealth turns us into camels too big to pass through the needle. Make the desire of your heart God Himself and drop those humps off your back!
Have a blessed day!
Your brother and servant in Christ,
Bill
Dying to self, living to serve!
Standing In The Fire
We begin the book of Daniel today and it kicks off with some of the most well-known stories in the entire Bible. The first of these is the story of Nebuchadnezzar’s dream. The king had a dream and he wanted to make sure that whoever gave him the interpretation knew what they were talking about so he commanded his wise men to not only tell him the interpretation but to tell him the dream as well. Since none of them could do such a miraculous thing the king ordered that all “wise men” be killed. Daniel prayed to God for the necessary information and then went and told the king his dream and the interpretation thereof. This elevated Daniel to a high position in the king’s court. Daniel asked the king to promote his three friends to positions of responsibility in managing the king’s lands and the king was happy to do so.
The dream the king had concerned the empires that would come into being after he was gone as represented by a large statue. The head of the statue was made of gold and it represented the Babylonian empire. The arms and chest of the statue were made of silver and represented the Persians and Meads who joined together to defeat the Babylonians. Next was to come the Grecian empire of Alexander the Great represented by the belly and thighs made of bronze. The legs of iron represent Rome. Iron is stronger than gold, silver, or bronze as the Roman empire was stronger than the others. That empire eventually split into two kingdoms and eventually crumbled as if it were made of clay. Here was real prophecy. The mountain that came at the end of Nebuchadnezzar’s dream is the kingdom of Jesus Christ. Just as the other kingdoms came, so will His kingdom come.
The second story that almost everyone knows is the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego being thrown into the fiery furnace because they refused to bow down to the golden image of Nebuchadnezzar. Perhaps one of the most intriguing aspects of this story concerns a mystery man. After these three men were thrown into the fire, Nebuchadnezzar saw something rather shocking.
Daniel 3:24-25
“Then King Nebuchadnezzar was astonished and rose up in haste. He declared to his counselors, “Did we not cast three men bound into the fire?” They answered and said to the king, “True, O king.” He answered and said, “But I see four men unbound, walking in the midst of the fire, and they are not hurt; and the appearance of the fourth is like a son of the gods.”
Who was this fourth person? Most commentaries view this individual as the “pre-incarnate Christ”. There are several places within the Old Testament where we believe we have seen the pre-incarnate Christ. Most memorable to me is the moment the pre-incarnate Christ stood with Abraham discussing the coming punishment of Sodom and Gomorrah. I believe this is a wonderful analogy for what the faithful servant of God can expect. You may be persecuted and reviled for your faith and faithfulness but the fires of Hell will not touch you. I can only imagine how frightening it must have been for those three men to stand before Nebuchadnezzar and, knowing it meant a fiery death, remain faithful to the One True God.
I’m reminded of the early Christians in the Roman Coliseum who refused to renounce their Lord even though that refusal meant being torn to pieces by wild animals. We are not guaranteed an easy life because we accepted Christ. In fact Christ warns us that the opposite is true. As we come closer to the end of the age expect that the rather comfortable life we have come to expect may one day be gone. One day we may have to stand before some earthly authority and, knowing it means our death, state that we will remain faithful to our Lord. Are you prepared to stand your ground in the face of death? I hope you are. I hope I am for that matter!
Have a blessed day!
Your brother and servant in Christ,
Bill
Dying to self, living to serve!
Matthew 23
