Category: Gospels
Does God love the IRS?
Scripture reading for January 10th: Matthew 9:1-17, Psalm 7:10-17, Proverbs 2:16-19
Have you ever been audited by the IRS? Did your IRS agent invite you over to his or her house? Jesus came by Matthew’s tax collection booth and called him to follow. Matthew responded by leaving and following Him. He invited Jesus to come over to his house and Jesus came and ate and laughed with Matthew’s “sinner” friends, causing quite a stir among the religious community!
“When the Pharisees saw this, they asked the disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” On hearing this Jesus said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” (Matthew 9:11-13) Jesus loved all men, but He could only bring health to those who realized that they were sick. Those who could not admit that they needed a doctor would not find healing. Likewise, those who could not confess sin would not find repentance.
This is the danger of religion. Religion reduces our righteousness or spiritual health to some man-made rules that we try to keep. We are told that if we just do this or confess to that, all will be well with our soul. The Pharisees of Jesus’ day meticulously tried to keep God’s law and judged those who did not do all that they had commanded. Their pride in their religious good works blinded them to their need to confess and repent from their own sins. (1st John 1:9)
Our Father sent Jesus to walk and live among His people, demonstrating His love and desire that all would repent and be made righteous. Our righteousness is a gift of God by grace through faith in Jesus, not the result of our keeping His laws or man’s religious rules. (Ephesians 2:8-10) Jesus loves all sinners, even tax collectors like Matthew! Responding to Jesus by repentance and faith leads to following Jesus and eternal life! Praise the Lord for His mercy! Thank God Jesus loved sinners enough to call them to follow Him and them eat and laugh with them! May we show Christ’s love to the lost and hurting people we come in contact with each day!
Jesus, please leave us alone!
Scripture reading for January 9th: Matthew 8, Psalm 7:1-9, Proverbs 2:12-15
Jesus left a fruitful place of ministry in Capernaum at Peter’s house where he healed many sick and cast out numerous demons. The Holy Spirit led Him to cross the Sea of Galilee to a region known as Gadarenes. This was Gentile territory and the people there raised lots of pigs. But it wasn’t for the pigs that Jesus would go there!
As Jesus and the disciples crossed the water, a severe storm threatened to capsize their boat. Even the experienced fishermen among the group were frantic and woke Jesus from his sleep in the bow of the boat. Jesus stood up and rebuked the storm and a great calm settled over the sea. He also rebuked the disciples for their lack of faith. (Matthew 8:24-27) They were amazed at His authority and wondered who He really was.
Upon arrival, the disciples and Jesus were greeted by two men who were demon possessed. These men came out of a cemetery and spoke directly to Jesus, addressing Him as the “Son of God”. It is interesting to note that the demons knew Jesus as the “Son of God” when the disciples were still wondering! These evil spirits also knew that Jesus had authority over them and begged Him to send them into a large herd of pigs nearby. Jesus did not dialogue with these spirits, but simply said, “Go!” As they entered the pigs, the pigs rushed headlong over a steep bank into the sea and all were drowned.(Matthew 8:32)
Mark told the story in a slightly different manner that gave more detail than Matthew. Mark told of one man who was called “Legion” because of the many demons in him. Mark also numbered the pigs, saying that there were nearly 2000 in that herd! As Jesus was leaving, the man who was delivered begged to follow Jesus in his boat, but Jesus sent him back to share with his family and the region what God had done for him. (Mark 5:11-20)
The saddest part of this story is the people of that town’s reaction to these men’s deliverance. They came to Jesus and begged Him to leave their region! (Matthew 8:34) The loss of their pigs was more important than the freedom of two souls from the devil’s grasp! As you think about this story, what emotions do you feel for the various characters represented?
A pattern of powerful prayer!
Scripture reading for January 7th: Matthew 6, Psalms 5:7-12, Proverbs 2:1-8
Jesus was anointed of God by the Holy Spirit to teach. In this sermon, He taught on prayer, fasting, and giving as well as living a life of contentment instead of worry. A life of prayer and generosity will lead to a life of true contentment! Seeking first God’s kingdom and His righteousness leads to all we need being added to our life by God! (Matthew 6:38)
Prayer is our conversation and interaction with God the Father who made us and also created the universe. Sin has broken the relationship and our ability to communicate with God. We can even try to use prayer, fasting and giving in selfish ways. They can be all about us and drawing attention to our devotion to God instead of as an act of worship in response to God’s goodness or direction to us. Motives of the heart are important as we pray or give.
Jesus taught his disciples a model prayer that we call the “Lord’s Prayer”. Jesus never intended that we just say this prayer in mindless repetition, but taught a timeless pattern of prayer that would help with motives and having a right heart in communicating with God. The prayer starts with relationship–“Our Father in heaven”. His very name and title brings reverence and respect–“hallowed be Your Name”. We are children of our heavenly Father but must show respect as we would for our earthly father (or should).
The next petition concerns a desire for God’s will to be done on earth as in heaven. This is not fatalism, but an aligning of our wills with God’s will and a recognition that we are open to do His will here on earth and enforce it in our circle of influence by faith. We are dependent on God, however, for our daily bread and ask for our needs from Him.
Forgiveness is asked for, but with recognition that we must forgive others. This thought is reinforced, because it is one of the biggest stumbling blocks of our flesh. We are constantly under temptation and need God’s help and deliverance from the source of temptation, the “evil one”.
These elements are the Lord’s instructions for powerful prayer! Let’s apply these principles daily as we move forward by Spirit-inspired prayer!
Happy, to be envied!
Scripture reading for January 5th: Matthew 5:1-30, Psalm 4, Proverbs 1:22-27
Jesus Christ was at heart a teacher. His teaching was with authority that many religious people of that day lacked because He clearly understood the word of God. (Matthew 7:28-29) His longest recorded teaching is Matthew 5-7 and called the “Sermon on the Mount”. Jesus climbed a hillside which formed a natural theater enabling Him to be heard by a large crowd. They gathered to hear Him teach and marveled at what He taught them!
The introduction to this teaching is called the “beatitudes”. These short statements all begin with “blessed” and are a description of the kind of life that belongs to those who choose the kingdom of heaven revealed by Jesus. These verses all contain blessings and promises to those who meet the requirements for the blessings. According to the Amplified Bible, the term “blessed” includes in the meaning happiness and a joy and blessing that is to be envied. To be blessed is to have God’s favor and smile of pleasure. The Aaronic blessing of Numbers 6:24-27 comes to mind as God’s instruction to Aaron the High Priest for blessing the Israelites. God is the great King of the Kingdom and the King’s smile is a sign of His pleasure and acceptance.
Various attributes and attitudes are considered blessed. If you are poor in spirit, meek, or pure in heart, God’s blessing is yours. If you are hungry and thirsty for righteousness or actively a peacemaker, God is smiling on you. If you are suffering persecution because of your righteousness, that also merits God’s blessing and favor. Great reward will come to each who exhibit these attributes and attitudes. They will be the salt of the earth and light of the world! (Matthew 5:11-16) Care must be taken daily to maintain their “salty” status and let their lights shine to bring praise to God the Father in heaven!
True blessedness and joy comes from being what God created you to be. These attributes are formed in those who humbly follow Jesus and ask to be filled with His Spirit. Jesus perfectly exhibited these attributes and will form them in us as we submit to His word! Let your light shine and flavor the world with real saltiness! All glory goes to God!
Led by the Spirit!
Scripture reading for January 4th: Matthew 4, Psalms 3, Proverbs 1:20-21
“Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil. After fasting forty days and forty nights, He was hungry. The tempter came to Him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.” Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.'” (Matthew 4:1-4)
Jesus, Himself, was filled with the Holy Spirit at His baptism. (Matthew 3:16-17) The Holy Spirit came in the bodily form of a dove and rested on Him after His baptism by John. Jesus was baptized to fulfill all righteousness and to identify with sinners that He came to save. Jesus was a human man and yet was God. He was empowered by the Holy Spirit to begin His life of ministry at the age of 30.
The Holy Spirit is God’s Spirit living in us. God’s Spirit is a person, not an impersonal force or some creepy presence. The Holy Spirit came upon Jesus and immediately began to lead Him into God’s will and purpose for His life. It is interesting to note that the first place the Holy Spirit led Jesus was into the desert for testing. He led Jesus to a forty day time of fasting in that desert where He underwent a series of temptations from the devil. We have a record of three of these temptations, but the Scriptures imply that there were many more.
What is fasting all about? We all have flesh that likes to call the shots in our life. Fasting is a willful denial of the rule of our flesh and a purposeful recognition that we want to live by God’s will and word. We recognize that we need the rule of God’s Spirit to help us in life more than we need bread or sleep! We tell the flesh “no” and say “yes, Lord” to God. Jesus was tempted to turn stones into bread to satisfy His hunger. Jesus spoke Deuteronomy 8:2-3 to Satan, countering the temptation with God’s word! Satan was trying to get Jesus (and us today) to live for Himself and His appetite instead of God’s will! As we continue our journey through 2013, let’s ask the Lord for victory over our flesh and the devil’s temptations!
The Holy Spirit and Fire!
Scripture reading for January 3rd: Matthew 3, Psalms 2:7-12, Proverbs 1:15-19
“I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me will come One who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not fit to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. His winnowing fork is in His hand and He will clear His threshing floor, gathering His wheat into the barn and burning up the chaff with unquenchable fire.” (Matthew 3:11-12)
John the Baptist was the last prophet in the Old Testament who came in the spirit and mold of Elijah. (Malachi 4:5-6) Malachi had spoken of him in his last word over 400 years earlier. John came calling people to repentance and insisting that everyone needed to be baptized. Baptism was something that new converts to Judaism were called to do, but John insisted that all needed it. This angered the religious establishment but drew huge crowds of hungry people who were hoping to prepare themselves spiritually for the coming Messiah.
John told of the One coming after him! This One would bring a new baptism, the Holy Spirit and fire! As we seek to prepare ourselves for this new year, we would do well to seek Jesus for a fresh baptism or filling with the precious Holy Spirit! The fire was a symbol of the presence of God. Natural fire brought heat, light, and energy to those close to it; the fire of the Holy Spirit brings a holy energy to be a witness for the Lord. The fire of God’s amazing love will burn hot in those so baptized and they will share their love of Jesus and God’s love in them with those who have not heard!
It is interesting to note that Jesus is pictured by John with an instrument of harvest in his hands. His purpose is to gather His wheat into the barn. The wheat represents those who are believers in Christ and have the kernel of the Holy Spirit and God’s life in them. The barn represents God’s Kingdom and rule. Those who are “chaff”, have no life in them and are only fit for the unquenchable fire! The baptism of Jesus with the Holy Spirit and Fire is ours for the asking! (Luke 11:9-13) Don’t go another day without this precious gift!
Persecution soon after birth!
Scripture reading for January 2nd: Matthew 2, Psalm 2, Proverbs 1:
Satan, the ancient serpent of old, was put on notice in the Garden of Eden that the seed of woman would crush his head. Since that time, Satan has pursued the Seed to kill, steal, and destroy. He was particularly after the One that was promised and has left a trail of death throughout history. Cain killed Abel by Satan’s inspiration. In Moses’ day, all the Hebrew boys were to be thrown into the river and drowned.
In the time of Herod, a census was decreed by Rome and this brought Joseph and Mary to their place of registry in Bethlehem to pay their taxes. As they approached the town, Mary was ready to give birth. There was no place for them in the inns, so they took refuge in a stable and Mary gave birth to Jesus Christ, the Son of God!
Matthew recorded the visit of wise men from the East, following a star and looking for one who was “born King of the Jews.” When King Herod heard this news, he was disturbed and sought to find out where the Christ was to be born. “But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means among the least of the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will be the Shepherd of My people Israel.” (Micah 5:2) Herod lied to the wise men, asking to know who this child was. The found the child and worshiped Him, leaving gifts. They were warned in a dream not to tell Herod and returned another way.
Herod was furious and ordered the execution of all children in the area two years old and younger! Joseph and Mary had been warned in a dream to flee to Egypt and had done so! Such cruelty was directed towards Jesus at birth! Satan surely tried to kill Him then but failed! This story helps us to trust God in our journey through life. He can protect us from the wiles of Satan and guide us to safety until we finish our journey and purposes here. Like Joseph and Mary, we must listen and obey quickly to avoid the traps set for us by Satan. Delay can be fatal! Others suffered too, but God works all for good in His great plan of redemption!
Happy New Year! “Simply Jesus” in 2013!
Scripture reading for January 1st: Matthew 1, Psalms 1 Proverbs 1:1-7
Welcome to the fifth year of BibleTrekToday.com, a blog that comments on a personal journey through the New Testament in 2013! I would like to invite you to read along with me and participate in the journey for yourself. I will post the readings for each day from the New Testament and Psalms and Proverbs.
Our theme for 2013 at Good Shepherd Church is “Simply Jesus”. Key scriptures for this theme are found in Acts 4:10-12 and Hebrews 12:1-3 . Jesus Christ is the only way of salvation and His Name is the only Name with power for salvation and healing. Through Jesus, the Holy Spirit was given as the Father’s gift to the Church. The Spirit marks all who belong to Jesus Christ with God’s seal of ownership (Ephesians 1:18). The early apostles simply trusted in the Name of Jesus and experienced miracles and deliverance. May we learn to simply trust His Name for miracles and our needs.
In our journey of faith, we must fix our eyes on Jesus Christ, who is the author and finisher of our faith. (Hebrews 12:2) The times we live in may involve suffering, pain, persecution and even martyrdom. “I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33) As Jesus suffered and set us an example of patience and faithful obedience, we must also simply follow Him. Jesus has promised to never leave us and will walk with us through any trouble or persecution. In Him we will overcome the world as well!
Religious and spiritual deception is rampant in our world as well. “I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy. I promised you to one husband, to Christ, so that I might present you as a pure virgin to Him. But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent’s cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ.” (2nd Corinthians 11:2-3) As we journey through this year, I am praying with godly jealousy over my church family against the deceptions of our time. Satan knows his time is short and is actively seeking to lead God’s people away from a pure devotion to Christ. Through a pure and simple focus on Jesus Christ, we shall overcome in 2013!
“Do you love Me?”
Scripture reading for November 3rd: John 18-21
When you are in a covenant relationship with someone, it is always good to affirm our love for that person. We go through seasons when the relationship may be strained or drifting rather than passionately connected. We go through personal trials and attacks of Satan that seek to knock us off our vows of commitment. Today we will consider Peter, one of Jesus’ most trusted disciples who denied Jesus three times. (John 18:22-27)
We don’t know exactly how long after the resurrection that the account in John 21 takes place. Peter and a number of the disciples had decided to go fishing in the Sea of Tiberius (Galilee). They fished all night and by morning had nothing to show for. As they were approaching shore, Jesus stood there and called out to them. They told Him that they had no fish but didn’t recognize Him. He told them to throw their net on the right side of the boat. When they did, they were unable to haul their net into the boat because of the great number of fish! At that point, John recognized Jesus and told Peter. Peter immediately jumped into the water and came to Jesus, who had built a fire with fish already cooking and some bread for the tired fishermen. John’s account states that this was the third time Jesus appeared to them.
After Jesus served them the meal, Jesus turned to Simon Peter and asked him a question. “Simon son of John, do you truly love me more than these?” “Yes, Lord,” he said, you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.” (John 21:15) This was repeated three times in similar fashion. Peter’s feelings were hurt because Jesus asked him this three times. (John 21:17)
Jesus wants us all to affirm our love for Him on a daily basis. We can tell Him we love Him, but obedience demonstrates the reality of our love. In Peter’s case, he was called to feed the lambs and sheep. For us, we must spend time listening, praying and reading His word. Then obey what He shows us!
A final thought concerned Peter’s death. Tradition says that Peter was crucified upside down in Rome. He chose that because he felt unworthy to die as his Lord had! “To live is Christ, to die is gain!” (Philippians 1:21)
Are you securely attached?
Scripture reading for November 2nd: John 13-17
Several years ago, I planted two grape vines in my back yard along the fence. I had used these potted vines as a sermon illustration of Jesus’ teaching in John 15. I studied grapes and found that they were one of the most widely grown crops in the world. There are many different varieties and colors and people love to eat them fresh, as juice, or as wine. They also need cultivation and tending to be the most fruitful and healthy. Dead and diseased branches need trimmed off and the vines trained to grow in the arbor. The branches are not good for anything but producing fruit.
Jesus used this great agricultural example to teach his disciples about their need to stay attached to Him! Jesus said that He was the true vine and the disciples are branches. If they would just “abide” in Him and allow His Word to “abide” in them, they would produce much fruit. (John 15:7) Being a branch is all about “abiding”! It doesn’t sound too hard to understand! A branch that doesn’t remain attached is good for nothing but the fire!
Jesus also went on to say that His Father was the gardener who tended the vine. (John 15:1) All fruitless branches were pruned off to keep from wasting precious nutrients so that those branches that were abiding could use those nutrients to produce fruit. Fruitful branches are pruned and trained to maximize fruit production. God is glorified when His branches produce much fruit! (John 15:8) Branches that produce no fruit are trimmed off and are good for nothing but the fire.
After four years the original potted vines were nearly 20 feet long and covered a section of a wooden fence that I planted them near. I took two branches off these vines to church for a sermon illustration. One branch had 12 clusters of grapes on it and a second branch had none! I had cut them off and after just one hour, they were already wilted. It is amazing how quickly they die without attachment!
The lesson for us is plain and simple. We must stay attached to the vine and also bear fruit. This takes a relationship with God through His Word and prayer! Are you securely attached and producing? Today is the best time to affirm your attachment!