God really doesn’t look at things the way we do. I have always been struck by how God’s way is often counterintuitive to man’s. We think the first should be first and the last should be last but God says the first shall be last and the last shall be first. Doesn’t make sense in human terms does it? We think that if we do more good than bad we should be able to get in to Heaven but God says even being angry with someone is enough to keep you out of Heaven no matter how much good you’ve done.
In today’s reading Jesus tells a parable that says those who belong to Him will inherit Heaven and our share of Heaven will have nothing to do with how long we were a Christian. This means the guy that has lived a horrible sin-filled life and truly submits his life to Christ just a day before he dies will have the same inheritance as a person who lived faithfully as a Christian for 60 years. Theoretically a brutal mass murderer could be saved and have the same inheritance in Heaven as you or me. Would that make you mad? (I say theoretically because a brutal mass murderer would have a pretty hardened heart – Jesus could melt that heart but they would still have to submit.)
You know, I don’t believe the story Jesus tells is really about the size of our inheritance but about our attitude toward others and toward God. Do we think we really earn a greater reward because of time served? Let me tell you something, the amount of time you serve Christ is meaningless; the attitude of your heart is everything. You were a sinner before a Holy God. He chose to show you grace and mercy. Does He take anything from you if he shows grace and mercy to another? Do you lose if a last minute convert receives as much of a blessing as you? Of the people I know that are following this blog I have a hard time imagining that they would be disturbed by such a scenario, but evidently there are enough people out there that would be disturbed to warrant Jesus addressing the issue.
We all need to understand something. None of us deserves Heaven. No amount of good work, pre or post conversion, matters. We serve God after our conversion because we love Him and want to serve Him, not because we hope for a greater reward. If you are serving God for any other reason you need to examine your heart. Something is wrong. Serve God out of love not desire for gain.
In these few short verses today we have two extremely controversial statements by Christ that continue to confound many to this very day. One of these statements has become a wedge that divides the body of Christ.
Matthew 16:18 ESV
“And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”
Jesus began this conversation by challenging His disciples to properly identify Him. There was much controversy among the people of that day as to who Jesus was. Was He a prophet like Jeremiah? Was He the resurrected Elijah as promised in the Bible? Was He John the Baptist, that is to say a great teacher, but nothing more? These were the various opinions being bandied about as Jesus walked the Holy Land. It is confession of Jesus as the Son of God which leads to salvation. It is this very question “Who is Christ?” which every person to this day must answer for themself.
Now Peter, being led by the Holy Spirit answered “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the Living God.” Peter’s answer resulted in Jesus telling him that he was blessed because flesh and blood had not revealed this to him. Now wait a minute. Wasn’t it Jesus who mentored Peter and the other disciples? Why would this have been revealed by God in Heaven rather than by Jesus on Earth? Some of us today wish we could have been there 2,000 years ago and sat at the Master’s feet as He taught. We seem to think it would have made belief in who He is somehow easier. Evidently not. It was the Holy Spirit who revealed the identity of Christ to Peter and the others back then just as He does today.
Okay so now we have this statement that “on this rock I will build my church”. Some believe that Jesus was saying that He would build His church on Peter or on his efforts. The Catholic church believes it is this very verse that gives the Pope spiritual authority over all Christians. Well this verse and the next:
Matthew 16:19 ESV
“I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”
Others believe that verse 18 refers to the idea that a confession of faith in Jesus Christ is that upon which Christ will build His church. Still others believe that Jesus is saying He will build His church upon Himself. I find the first interpretation rather tortured and flimsy. I view the other two as rather viable. Let’s take a closer look at verse 18 shall we?
“You are Peter and on this rock I will build my church”. In the original Greek we read “You are Petros and upon this petra I will build my church.” “Petros” means “a little piece of rock” and “petra” means “bedrock”. Now clearly Jesus is using a play on words to communicate a truth. Is that truth that He will build His church on one little rock, one rather week minded and week willed fisherman nicknamed “little rock”, or is it that He will build His church on something more substantial like bedrock? Is that bedrock a confession of who Jesus Christ is or is Jesus Christ Himself? I can almost see Jesus pointing to Peter as He says “little rock” and to Himself as He says “bedrock”. Can you?
My current favorite biblical commentator is J. Vernon McGee and he thought it is upon Jesus Himself that His church is being built. I can’t argue with this but the entire context of the conversation revolves around a confession of Jesus as the Christ, the Son of God. It seems to me we are splitting hairs. The church is built upon Jesus the Christ and a confession that He is the Christ for no one comes to the Father except through Him – not through Peter.
Where in Scripture does it say that Peter will pass on this alleged spiritual authority to only one person at a time? I’m afraid some weak Pope centuries ago saw in scripture a perversion that would allow him more power. He twisted scripture to suit his own desires for power. I am sorry for him. Meeting his maker must have been rather uncomfortable for him.
All of this, however, brings us to the issue of Peter being given the keys to the kingdom of heaven and the power to bind and set free. What are the keys of heaven? I’m afraid I do disagree with Mr. McGee who says that the keys are the Word of God. I’m sorry but I just don’t see that. Keys unlock an entry way. Can Scripture open the door to heaven? No, I’m afraid many a non-believer has read the Scriptures and walked away as lost and banished as when they started.
What allows us in to Heaven? Jesus Christ allows us in to Heaven. His bloody death and glorious resurrection open the door for us. By confessing Jesus as the Christ, the One who died, was buried, and was raised three days later just as Scripture foretold, one gains forgiveness for one’s sins and entry to Heaven. So Jesus is the key as is confession of who He is. But what about this binding and loosing business?
When we don’t share Christ with a lost person they are bound on Earth and excluded from Heaven. When we share Christ, and the Holy Spirit draws that person to saving faith in Him, that person is set free on Earth and gains entry to Heaven for eternity. The promise of the keys to Heaven was not a promise to Peter alone but to every Christian as we each are given the keys and the responsibility to set people free with them.
Did you realize you have the power to set people free? You do in that you can share Christ. You can’t save anyone, only the work of the Holy Spirit can work that miracle just as He did with Peter, but if you don’t share Christ with the lost they will be forever doomed.
Okay I guess I’m going to have to hit the second controversy quickly.
Matthew 16:28 ESV
“Truly, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.”
Jesus has not yet returned and all the people who heard Jesus speak are long dead. How can this statement by Jesus be true? I don’t have space to go into detail but tomorrow we are going to read about the transfiguration of Christ. It was at the moment that Peter, James, and John witnessed the transfiguration of Jesus that His prophecy was fulfilled. These three saw the Son of Man coming in his kingdom at that very moment.
Let me ask you, where do you think Jesus is right now? You say Heaven right? Brothers, that is His Kingdom. Those three fellows saw Jesus as He is today. This is not a dud of a prophecy. It has already happened.
Okay, I’m closing in on 1,200 words so I’ll have to leave it all at that. Let me know what you think and have a blessed day!
Have you ever heard someone say that they believe they will get into Heaven because they have done more good than bad? While Heaven is a Biblical concept this idea that doing more good than bad will get you in is not. Some people think that they can come to Christ on their own terms, that they will walk down the aisle and accept this free gift of salvation and then go about reforming their ways. They will attend church and volunteer for charitable work. Believe it or not such a person is not necessarily saved. Salvation is not a deal you make as if with an equal. It is not a business arrangement by which you promise to do X if Jesus promises to do Y.
No, the moment of salvation comes when a person truly comes face to face with the fact that they deserve eternal separation from God and that there is nothing they can do to earn their way back into His good graces. It is in that place of sincere, abject sorrow and regret for one’s sinful life where one truly gives up control of one’s self to Jesus Christ. At that point it is Christ who is in charge. That person is saved. I mention all of this because without that understanding a passage from today’s reading may seem a bit strange.
Matthew 12:43-45 ESV
“When the unclean spirit has gone out of a person, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, but finds none. Then it says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ And when it comes, it finds the house empty, swept, and put in order. Then it goes and brings with it seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they enter and dwell there, and the last state of that person is worse than the first. So also will it be with this evil generation.”
What does this mean? It means that if you are doing the work of saving yourself you are only dressing yourself up for more sin. I like how my old buddy J. Vernon McGee put it.
“In other words, reformation is no good. My friend, you can quit doing many things, but that won’t make you a Christian. If everyone in the world would quit sinning right now, there wouldn’t be any more Christians in the next minute or in the next day, because quitting sin doesn’t make Christians. Reformation is not what we need….
This same situation is with us today. The hardest people in the world are unsaved church members because they think they are all right. They have undergone self-reformation—empty, swept, and garnished. They are like a vacant house, and all the evil spirits have to do is move in. The Devil owns them, and they don’t recognize this fact. Reformation means death and destruction. Regeneration means life and liberty.”
McGee, J. V. (1997). Thru the Bible commentary (electronic ed.). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.
Brothers, salvation is found not in our own power to stop sinning but in our relationship with Christ. Today’s reading points out how special that relationship is.
Matthew 12:48-50 ESV
“But he replied to the man who told him, ‘Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?’ And stretching out his hand toward his disciples, he said, ‘Here are my mother and my brothers! For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.’”
A Christian has a relationship with Christ so close it is closer than that of mother and child, brother and sister. That is one tight relationship. Do you see how those passages are related? Jesus is saying that you can’t clean yourself well enough to gain Heaven but if you will submit your life to Him you will be closer than a brother. This is fantastic because it reiterates the point that those that belong to Christ are adopted children of God. We are children of the King! We will go to Heaven because we belong to Him not because of any mysterious scale of right and wrong.
I’d like to close with a video of a comedian that goes by the stage name of “Father Guido Sarducci”. If you are my age you’ll remember him from Saturday Night Live back in the 70’s. He has a theory on paying for one’s sins and getting in to Heaven. There is one moment in the video where he speaks of a particular sin that may make some uncomfortable so if you are prone to being offended by such things please don’t view the video.
Today we read of the temptation of Christ. Jesus had just been baptized and the next thing we know he is wandering in the wilderness for an extended period of time without food or water. I wonder how many of us can relate to that. I accepted Christ with a fire in my heart. Over the years, however, there were times when my spiritual life seemed to dry out. At times I even felt, and acted, as if I was lost. When did Satan come to tempt Christ, when He was His strongest or weakest? Satan attacks when we are at our weakest.
Satan’s first jab was directed at Jesus’ physical weakness – hunger. His body needed food but His mission was not to serve Himself but His Father in Heaven. Jesus parried Satan’s thrust of temptation by using that great two-edged sword – the Word of God. Jesus knew God’s holy Word and He knew how to handle it appropriately. You’ll notice that Satan attempted to use this sword as well but in a self-serving, and thus inappropriate, way. Jesus easily deflected Satan’s repeated attacks. He was able to do this because He knew God’s Word. He had studied and memorized God’s Word and was prepared, even when at His weakest, to defend Himself.
Do you see why it is so important to spend daily time in God’s Word? If you haven’t figured it out yet let me inform you that you are in the midst of a spiritual battle. If you submitted your life to Christ you have enlisted in the Army of God and that makes you a prime target for the forces of darkness. Are you walking out into that battlefield every day without your armor? If you do take your sword with you, do you know how to use it appropriately? You can’t just go around swinging that thing wildly – someone will get hurt. No my friend you must put yourself through spiritual warfare boot-camp and then you must hone your skills every day.
I once heard it said that we cannot fight God’s battles with Satan’s weapons. I find that brilliant and, after some reflection, rather obvious. Lies, deceit, hate, murder, theft, self-centeredness – do you think you can go to war on the side of God using those weapons? Of course you can’t. Your weapons are selflessness, charity, truth, love, prayer, the Holy Spirit and the Word of God. Find yourself a mentor, a spiritual Mr. Miyagi, and do the daily grind of “wax on, wax off” exercises to strengthen your spiritual muscles and to develop your skill in wielding your spiritual weapons. (Forgive the Karate Kid metaphor – I realize not everyone is familiar with that movie)
Bottom line, Jesus has given you an example of how to fight against the darkness. Learn the lesson. Develop your spiritual knowledge and skills so you will be ready for battle even when you find yourself at your lowest.
Happy New Year! I hope 2011 was a year of blessing for you and your family and that 2012 will be even more blessed. I feel I must warn you, however, God’s blessings are not necessarily as man would like them. We tend to think of blessings in terms of good health, wealth, and assorted pleasures. God thinks of blessings in terms of eternity. We often complain when we struggle with life. Sometimes we even think that God has abandoned us. Nothing could be further from the truth for those that belong to Him. For the child of God, hardship in this life is simply preparation for eternity. It is through those struggles that we learn to lean on, and follow, God. It is in those times of trouble that we are reminded of our need for Him. It is in difficulty that we mature spiritually. For this we should be grateful.
Here in 2012 we will read only the New Testament. We are going to try to dig deeper than before into this last will and testament of Jesus the Christ. I must add a warning here as well. The New Testament does not stand alone, it is built upon the solid foundation of the Old Testament. In fact, if you are not familiar with the Old Testament you will miss a great deal of the story. Doing so would be like getting to the theatre and taking your seat during the second act of a two act play. You get to see how the thing ends but you will have missed all the lead up to the critical turn in history. In fact, the Old Testament is necessary to show us why we need a Savior. If you don’t know why you need a Savior then learning of His arrival loses a bit of its power.
If you have not been with us over the past two years as we read through the entire Bible together, you may prefer a reading plan that allows you to start at the beginning. I have made two such plans available for those who would prefer to read the entire Bible this year. One plan goes straight from Genesis to Revelation in biblical order, the second plan starts at Genesis but proceeds in chronological order. If you subscribe to the daily e-mail you will receive the New Testament reading for the day along with its corresponding commentary. The e-mail will also contain the other two full Bible reading plans. If you click on the passages for the day of the particular plan you wish to follow you will be taken to www.esvbible.org and your day’s passage will be available for you to read.
If you are following the New Testament plan I want to make one thing perfectly clear, if you have to choose between reading the Bible or my commentary, read the Bible. We all have limited time which means we must prioritize; we must put first things first. Time with God in prayer and Bible reading should be at the top of your list. My words are simply an opinion and an option. If you do have the time, however, I would love to read your comments on the daily passages, which brings me to another point.
Years ago I would attempt to read the Bible in one year as a personal goal. There would be times when I would stay on schedule and then other times when I would get behind. In fact, I could get as far as a couple months behind. I would then do some heavy duty catching up. The problem with my approach is that I wasn’t really digesting what I was reading. The words were going in but they were not penetrating my mind, let alone my heart, because my goal was reading the Bible not growing from daily time spent in God’s Word. I started this blog to force myself to get more out of God’s Word and to challenge other men to join me in the journey.
Along the way I found that reading God’s Word with the intention of writing something about what I had read forced me to digest the Word. It was no longer a goal to simply have my eyes travel over all the words in the Bible. I would like to suggest a couple of things for you to consider as you start this year off with me. First, consider making a daily comment on this blog about what you’ve read. If you’d rather not have others read your words, consider keeping a journal. This journal can be a word processing document you keep on your computer or it can be an old fashioned pen and paper journal, but reading God’s Word with the intention of putting your thoughts down on paper is a power tool for spiritual growth.
Second, try to set aside a particular time every day to have your quiet time with God. We make time for the things that are important to us. Now I confess that while I target first thing in the morning for my quiet time it often slips to lunch time or late at night. It can be difficult to keep the same time every day set aside for God. Our jobs, family life, or any number of other commitments can force us to shift things around. That is okay as long as we keep our commitment to grow in God’s Word every day. Even so, it is inevitable that you will miss a day. What are you going to do when you miss? Will you try to catch up? Will you simply pick up at the current place in the reading plan? The answer to that comes down to your goal. It is fine to have a goal of reading the entire Bible in a year or the New Testament in a year, but the more important goal, and you can have more than one goal, is to grow through the digestion of the Word.
That brings me to my third and final suggestion. Don’t quit. Keep your commitment to grow in God’s Word every day. When you miss, simply get back in the saddle again. My father used to say to me “Today is the first day of the rest of your life.” God’s grace is new every morning. Get up every day and ask yourself “What am I going to do with the rest of my life!”
Well, I’ve written over a thousand words and I haven’t yet commented on today’s reading. I guess I’ll have to keep this short. I want you to notice one thing.
Matthew 1:23
“‘Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel’ (which means, God with us).”
Mankind could not save itself so God came down to Earth in the form of a little baby so He could walk in our shoes (okay, sandals) and suffer and die so that His blood could save us from the penalty we earned. While Jesus bodily ascended into Heaven, He is still with us in the form of His Holy Spirit which resides within the hearts of all who have submitted their lives to Him. This is my point brothers, never forget that you are not alone. God is with you.
I was just having a conversation with a co-worker today about a story in Acts that I didn’t realize at the time I would be reading today. I was saying to my friend that there are basically two philosophical views in the world today. There are those who think man can perfect himself and those who think he cannot. What is known today as Communism, and by various other names, is based on the belief that man can perfect himself, that all that is required to do so is for the right program or process be put in place and men will suddenly love each other and peace will be established forever. This theory is based on the idea that if all human beings have the same “stuff” there will be no injustice, poverty, war, hatred and any myriad of other social ills. Communism is about “stuff” it is materialism run amok.
Some believers in Communism point to the example of the early Christians as evidence of the “rightness” of their belief. I find this ironic since Communism is mortally opposed to any religion. These followers of this strange brand of materialism typically point to the following Scripture to support their claim of divine blessing on their program.
Acts 4:32-35
“Now the full number of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one said that any of the things that belonged to him was his own, but they had everything in common. And with great power the apostles were giving their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all. There was not a needy person among them, for as many as were owners of lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold and laid it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to each as any had need.”
Yes, following the ascension of Christ, His 120 followers pooled all of their belongings together. All resources were distributed based on need not ability. When you read that here it sounds pretty good doesn’t it? I love the idea of everyone having what they need with no worry about the necessities of life. Communal living worked well for this small band of believers. Why couldn’t it work for the entire world? My friend it could work for the entire world if the entire world would do just one thing – submit to the authority of Christ. Submitting to the authority of Christ includes acknowledging the need for a Savior, confessing one’s sins with true repentance in one’s heart, and determining to put the will of your Heavenly Father above your own.
I’m afraid that is too high a price for some. Those who march under the hammer and sickle don’t really want to give – they want to get. Submitting one’s own will for the will of God is not going to happen with these folks. No in their world they are their own gods and this is precisely why their brand of Communism will never work. They think that by forcing others to their will they can achieve their dreamed of Utopia – their own little heaven on earth. It can’t be done. The only way human beings can live with each other in the peace and love these folks desire is by having the peace and love of Jesus Christ within their hearts.
They can’t have what they want most because they are not willing to give up their own godhood. Communism cannot work because man is terminally self-centered. I just showed you how the Christians who had the Holy Spirit working in their hearts lived, but what about those who only acted like they were followers of Christ? Take a look at this.
Acts 5:1-2
“But a man named Ananias, with his wife Sapphira, sold a piece of property, and with his wife’s knowledge he kept back for himself some of the proceeds and brought only a part of it and laid it at the apostles’ feet.”
Ananias and Sapphira ended up dead because of their deception. They claimed that they were giving all the proceeds from the sale when they were only giving part. There was no need for them to lie because giving to the group was voluntary. These two did not have the power of the Holy Spirit working within them. They were unable to overcome their self-centeredness in their own power. Remember they could have kept the property or given only part of the proceeds to the group and they would have been fine, but they wanted to look pious when they were not. That is true of those who follow Communism. They want to look pious but they really just want power and wealth just like everyone else.
Where ever Communism has ruled there has been a ruling elite who get more stuff than everyone else. These individuals known as the “Protectorate of the Proletariat” are no better than the Robber Barons of old; in fact they are rather worse. Why? Because they are as self-centered and sinful as everyone else. Living as a peaceful community of humanity is only possible with Christ as the Lord and Savior of every member. Without Him, Communism is only about power and wealth shifting from one set of hands to another; the world remains the same if not poorer.
You want to live in peace? Understand that you cannot perfect yourself. Only God can perfect you and it starts when you submit your life to Christ.
Matthew 20:1–19
Matthew 16:13–28
Matthew 12:43–13:17
Matthew 4
God Is With You
Does Communism Work?
