Transformed Lives Transforming The World

Makes Sense

In Matthew 19, while talking about how God designed marriage from the beginning, Jesus says "So they are no longer two but one flesh.  What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate."  

What a novel concept: we should not let our desires lead us to undermine God's design.  From the context of this passage (Matthew 19:3-12) we can see that this is obviously the case in marriage.  A person's desire for someone different should not allow them to defy God's design for marriage to be a permanent union.

But this principle-that we should not seek to undo what God has established- applies to other areas of life.  However, I also see my desires in defiance of God's design in those areas of life.

For example, with the command to remember the Sabbath God established the importance of rest in our lives.  Even though we are not obligated to strictly obey the Old Testament Sabbath, I think it is still God's design for us to rest regularly.  However, I constantly find myself at odds with this.  My desire to be productive, to be successful, and to feel like I'm accomplishing things often compels me to ignore rest and to continue working, in defiance of the God's design.  

Also, in Matthew 6 Jesus says "Do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on... But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you."  On the basis of his providence God has established a life where we can be totally focused on him, yet I find myself living in opposition to this.  There are times that I focus on what I will drink or what I will wear and especially on what I will eat because at times those are the things that I desire.  When I let my desire for those things steal my focus from the kingdom of God I have allowed my desires to draw me away from God's design.

Some of our desires are good and are in line with God's designs, but some of our desires are far more selfish and conflict with God's designs.  If God is all knowing and all powerful and loving and good (which he is), then it stands to reason that the way he has designed thing is superior to the way we might desire for things to be.  Despite this is logical conclusion I often find myself following my own desires rather than God's design.  It's makes a lot more sense to do things God's way rather than my way.

In what areas of life are you following your own desires rather than God's design?

(Mike Crain)

MEMORY VERSE: Matthew 12:20

"a bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not quench, until he brings justice to victory;"

DAILY READING: Matthew 18:1-6

FOR DEEPER STUDY OF MATTHEW:

It is interesting to see that Jesus doesn't look at greatness the way we normally do.  We tend to  think of greatness in terms of accomplishments, status, and power.  We want to know what someone has done to decide how great they are.  Jesus points out in these verses that God doesn't look at things the way we do.  He looks at internal attitudes, while we look at external achievements.

This passage shows us that God measures greatness in terms of humility, genuineness, and trust.  He says that we can't enter the Kingdom of Heaven unless we posses that dependency on God that is like a child.    

Verse 6 has always weighed on me as a Christian.  As we live our lives we should take great concern to not influence someone to sin.  How easy it is to just live life without concern for how we influence others.  We influence our co-workers, we influence our spouses, we influence our children, and we influence our friends.  

(Mark Kincannon) 

Marriage and Divorce

In Matthew 19:3-12, Jesus is challenged by the Pharisees.  They ask him, "is it lawful to divorce one's wife for any cause?"  These men were trying to get Jesus to chime in on a debated topic of their day. Hoping to ruin his credibility.  Some thought that you could only divorce for unfaithfulness, others thought that you could divorce if the wife did a bad job with certain household responsibilities, and others thought that if there was a better looking woman that you could get to hook up with you then you could divorce for that reason.  Jesus knew how flawed their debate was.  He knew that these different positions within the debate were all centered around the men's selfish desires.  These men were of the opinion that if their wife did something they didn't like then they could just get a new one and it was not that big a deal.  

Jesus wanted them to see how from the beginning of time God had meant for marriages to be united for life.  He says, "what God joins together let man not separate."  These men wanted to get divorces because things were not as they liked.  If we let our emotions dictate for us our commitment level in a marriage we will tend to see marriage as the Pharisees did.  We should see our commitment to marriage not from the vantage point of our emotions, but from the vantage point of God's design for marriage found in Genesis 2:24.  

MEMORY VERSE: Matthew 12:20

"a bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not quench, until he brings justice to victory;"

DAILY READING: Matthew 17

FOR DEEPER STUDY OF MATTHEW:

Matthew 17:1-13 speaks about the transfiguration of Christ.  The other Gospel accounts of this same story are found in Mark 9:2-8, and Luke 9:28-36.  The transfiguration gave Peter, James, and John a glimpse into Jesus divine nature.  Here we see what some commentators believe will be what Christ will be like at his second coming.  Look for the different details that each different author brings to light.  

Peter has just confessed that he believes that Jesus is the Messiah and now he gets to witness this amazing event.  What was the significants of this event for the three disciples?  Some believe it was to show them that Jesus was the fulfillment of the Old Testament writings of the Law and the Prophets.  Moses was there to represent the Law which he wrote, and Elijah was there to represent the Prophets.  These two figures were greatly revered in the hearts and minds of Jews.  This event would elevate Jesus past Moses and Elijah as God says, "this is my beloved son."

Witnessing this event was important for distinguishing Jesus as the one and only Messiah and the one that is greater than all others that have ever lived.

(Mark Kincannon) 

Does Desire Reveal Design?

"Have you not read that he who created them from the beginning made them male and female, and said, 'Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh?'"

Does our desire reveal God's design?  I've long struggled with the question.  I have a desire for my wife and I claim that is a God given desire.  Another person has a desire for someone of the same sex and I claim that is a temptation to sin.  It seems hypocritical. 

It has long been argued by some that desire defines design.  Because some have a sexual desire for those of the same sex, God must have made them that way.  It seems like a logical argument. However, desire cannot define design.  It can help us in our search, but it cannot be a definition.  Because of humanity's ability to be deceived, only God can define design.  Desire is set within our hearts to motivate us to search for that design.

When our desire conflicts with God's Word, there is something wrong with our desire.  Maybe it is a fallen part of humanity and our challenge is to be faithful despite the desire.  Maybe it is a misinterpreted expression of desire and our challenge is to fulfill that desire withing Biblical standards.  Either way, we cannot use our desire to ignore God's commands.  For desire doesn't reveal humanity's design, God does.

(Kevin Thompson)   

MEMORY VERSE: Matthew 12:20

"a bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not quench, until he brings justice to victory;"

DAILY READING: Matthew 16

FOR DEEPER STUDY OF MATTHEW:

It always used to confuse me why Jesus tells the disciples to tell know one that he is the Christ (Messiah) as he did in 16:20.  Doesn't he say in Matthew 28 go and make disciples.  This would require them to tell others about Him.  Why does he do this in chapter 16?

One of there reasons that Jesus says this is because many people misunderstood what the Messiah was really supposed to be according to the Old Testament.  Many were looking forward to a Messiah that would free them from Rome politically.  This was not the case with Jesus.  Also, Jesus knew that certain things needed to be done before he was arrested and crucified.  He probably knew that if certain things got out about Him too fast His crucifixion would happen too soon.

(Mark Kincannon) 

Life is the Issue

At stake is the most basic of all human rights—the right to live. Life is the issue. To anyone that reads newspapers, watches newscasts, or has observed with any sense of objectivity our own culture’s perception of the sacredness of human life this fact is glaringly apparent; human life is growing cheaper by the minute. Increasingly the decisions about who gets to live and who doesn’t are being laid in the hands of women and men, who again in numbers that are increasing, seem to believe that the choice of another being’s life or death is theirs to make. Whether it’s cold-blooded murder in some dark alley, an ill-thought suicide of the desperate, or completely legal and lawful abortions in medical facilities my question is the same; is human life ours to take? I can’t believe it is.

I don’t pretend that the argument is simple, just that it’s valid, and that it needs to be made. Our rights as Americans to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness do not represent what is good and best about America if my having them requires me to deny them to you. Liberty for the masses cannot exist without limitations on the individual. My rights can only be mine rightly if they do not trample on your rights to the same advantages.

It is at this point that our laws have failed in my opinion. They protect the rights of some to secure an abortion by denying the right to others to live. I realize there are those who genuinely disagree with my position that life begins at conception. Therefore to them my argument is without merit because no right to life has been violated if no life exists. If they are right then I am wrong. But I do not believe that they are. I believe life does begin at conception.

The Bible insists that life is God’s domain, that God created us in his own image, and urged us to populate our world through the birth of children (Genesis 1:27-28). If he is the creator of all life, as our faith agrees that he is, then he is the creator of life even in the womb. That theological fact immediately eliminates the argument over when life begins. The definition of life cannot be limited to size, recognizable form, medical viability or gestational trimesters. It cannot be argued against, theologically, that when sperm and egg unite that a life has begun, because that it precisely how God created us to populate our world with children. When life begins cannot be separated from how life begins. They are two ways of describing the same event. When a woman becomes pregnant that which is within her womb doesn’t look like a human to us, and it can’t exist outside her womb, but whether it’s a zygote, an embryo, or a fetus at the moment of conception it contains the forty-six chromosomes necessary to develop into a unique and unrepeatable person. Given a little time that fact becomes both observable and undeniable. When pregnancy occurs life exists. It is how God has decreed, through his creation of natural law, that life would be possible. All life, whether in the womb or out of it, is the creative work of God.

Exodus 20:13 strictly prohibits us from the unjustified taking of innocent human life. It isn’t ours to take. It’s his, as is declared in Psalm 24:1: “The earth is the Lord’s and all that is in it, the world and those that live in it.” When we touch a human life, positively or negatively, we are touching something that belongs to God. Unless we are both qualified and prepared to take upon ourselves the divine role of supreme lordship over life, we are not free to steal from God that which belongs to him.

Does it make sense that a woman should be free to decide what happens with her own body? It would if her body was hers, but according to Christian theology, it isn’t: “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body…which is his” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). To advocate the freedom of choice regarding the practice of abortion requires a theological divergence both from the New Testament as well as from God’s own declaration in the Old Testament: “It is he that made us, and we are his” (Psalm 100:3).

What about accidental or unplanned pregnancies? What about unwanted pregnancies? Those pregnancies too represent God’s natural law that governs all human life. Even then our faith allows us to reason that God will bring about good from what our circumstances tell us is bad. Should we not believe that God works in all things, including unwanted or accidental pregnancies, for the good of people that love him, as is stated with such clarity and comfort in Romans 8? In fact we are compelled to believe it.

Beyond that we who are of the Christian faith believe in God as the One that makes possible the redemption of all human life. Is it not the very fact of humanity’s ill-fated desire for self-rule and autonomy that made it necessary for God the Father to send his Son to reclaim us? We cannot believe that his redemptive power and purpose lacks efficacy regarding the unborn child whether its life was planned or not.

 

Maybe we don’t believe that abortion should be allowed or practiced. Maybe we’re convinced that regardless of its lawful allowance that it’s still wrong. Maybe we agree that from a theological position it is an untenable option to pregnancy and indefensible as a just treatment of the unborn. If that’s all we do we’re as much a part of the problem as if we believed the practice of abortion to be just, moral and good.

Just how much of this problem is ours? If our position can ever lay claim to legitimacy then it isn’t just their problem—those who favor it, those who’ve chosen it, and even those who have performed it. It’s ours as well.

When a fifteen-year-old girl suddenly feels the stirring of life within her—yet unknown to anyone else—her choices have become her problems, but not hers alone. Because we are the church, because of the love of Christ, because we are our brother’s keeper, it is no longer just her problem. It’s our problem too. If “abortion is where the rubber hits the road,” as Pamela Maraldo of Planned Parenthood Federation of America stated, then we have to build an off-ramp.

Very often the promiscuous teen, the frightened collegiate, the welfare client, and the abandoned fiancée all have this in common; they choose abortion because they don’t know what else to do. They don’t think there’s anyone that will help them if they choose otherwise. There must be a viable choice if we expect them to make a better decision than abortion. In the case of the unwanted, the abused and the anguished the church has to learn to see opportunity rather than disgust and go to work to save children from an unjust fate and, I believe, save the parents from a decision they may well live to regret for the rest of their lives.

It is our responsibility to love the mother, to love the father, and to love the baby. It is our responsibility to provide for them an atmosphere of Christian hospitality, to tell them the truth about God, and to offer training to them so they may become fully devoted followers of Christ, and raise their baby as Christian parents.

It is also our responsibility to reduce the number of abortions by learning to become proactive in the prevention of underage, unplanned, and unwanted pregnancies. It seems unlikely to me that any law will change as a result of my words or that any abortion provider will close their doors. So it seems to me that the most effective way to help reduce the number of abortions is to reduce the need for them. With our words and with our behavior we must become a culture that teaches our values to our young. We haven’t always done so as well as we might have.

How can we expect to convey a healthy respect for human sexuality to penetrate the minds of our children when, through our various choices of entertainment and personal habits, we allow them to see that we appear to believe otherwise? How can we hope to teach and train our children to develop biblical convictions and morals that will result in them having a healthy respect for themselves, their bodies, and their own sexual expression if we, their parents, teachers, and leaders, send them such mixed messages as we often do through our own attitudes and actions? The vital need is that a proper foundation be laid, healthy lifestyle principles be established, and that clear lines be drawn between right and wrong, for we do believe that some things are right and other things are wrong. For this we do not apologize. Children must be given an opportunity to learn healthy patterns before they can be expected to do so.

By teaching our children that the physical ability of performing sexually does not mean that you’re supposed to, that sex doesn’t belong in the back seat of a car, and that it’s okay as long as you practice “safe sex” is a myth maybe we can begin to make a difference in the number of abortions by reducing the need for them.

There are other ways to be involved. Become active in the political process and let your voice be heard by contacting your elected officials. Offer support to responsible organizations that exist to help unwed mothers or adoption agencies that offer alternatives to abortion. And we can pray. The sin of abortion may never become illegal, so we can pray that the minds of women and men will change, and that a wholesome respect and attitude toward sexuality will be rediscovered. We can pray for a resurgence of the belief in sexual and marital fidelity. We can pray for those who are considering abortion as a solution to reconsider. And we can, and most definitely should, pray for those who have already made that decision to understand God’s grace and believe in his love for them. 

It’s important for me to speak clearly that regardless of my opinions, and regardless of whether I’m right or wrong in stating them, this much is not arguable; God loves each one of us as much as he has ever loved any of us. My opinions don’t place me beyond his love, and neither do yours, because we are his children, each and every one. He can no more cease to love us than we can cease to love our own children. When I think of my own daughter, son-in-law, and their three beautiful children I am amazed at how much I love all of them. That’s how God looks at all of us and more so, and that’s how he feels about all of our children…even those that were never given the chance to be born.

(Ed Saucier)

MEMORY VERSE: Matthew 12:20

"a bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not quench, until he brings justice to victory;"

DAILY READING: Matthew 15

FOR DEEPER STUDY OF MATTHEW:

When Jesus was asked for help by the Canaanite woman (a non-Jewish probably pagan) it has always bugged me that Jesus says in 15:24, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel."  I've been under the impression God was always, even from the beginning, to be for all nations.  He told Abraham that he would use his decedents (namely Jesus) to bless all the families of the earth in Genesis 12:3, not just the Israelites.  Clearly the mission that Jesus eventually sends the disciples out on at the end of the book of Matthew is to all nations, "go and make disciples of all nations."  Why did Jesus say in this instance that he was sent ONLY to the lost sheep of Israel?

This is a difficult question to answer and I consulted a bunch of commentaries, scholars, and pastors to come up with this answer?  I'm not sure.  Which is o.k.  I don't have to know everything about Scripture.  Somethings are beyond my ability to understand.  That doesn't rock or shift my faith.  I'm alright with that, yet I also have a desire to investigate all difficult passages that I come across.  When I have questions I usually want answers, even if the answer is God is way too big for me to understand.

One scholar that I read said, that it is a reference to the Old Testament book of Ezekiel, where the leadership of Israel were not shepherding their flock.  So Jesus is basically pointing a finger at his present day leaders, the Pharisees, and saying these people have no leader and I, Jesus,  am here to be Israel's leader.  I will shepherd them.  So in this scholars view it seems Jesus was not so much dealing with the woman or the disciples as he was trying to teach the Pharisees a lesson.

Another commentary stated that it was a testing of the Caaninate woman.  Jesus was using this as a teachable moment for the people around her to communicate that faith in God is not something that is just lip service.  It is not a formula of words that can be prayed or spoken that will just get you all that you want from God.  Jesus wanted her to show the people around her, that she was serious.  The woman needed to show humility in order to receive  the blessing from Jesus.  If she came in to the request thinking that she deserved to be granted her request then she didn't understand her real need for Jesus.  Therefore he wouldn't grant that request.  That is why he did what was customary of the day and said that dogs (non-Israelites) don't deserve the good things that are due God's children (Israelites).  The lady in turn proved her humility, not to Jesus (he is God and knows the heart), but to the others around and maybe herself.  Because she showed her humility by saying that even dogs get the scraps that fall from the table.  In this she showed that she was undeserving and Jesus granted her request.  Jesus in this view is teaching the disciples in particular that humility before God is of absolute necessity.

This question is one of many difficult questions found in Scripture, but I don't encourage you to shy away from difficult tensions that you find in Scripture.  Dive into them.  God will teach you something profound.

(Mark Kincannon)

Lingering Thoughts for Monday, January 26th...

Patience in the Reeds...

In yesterday's sermon we waded into the reeds of Matthew 12:20-21. I hope today you will indulge me the opportunity to walk back into the reeds for a few moments.

 For many of us this is an unfamiliar passage.  I would love to research in sermon archives and see if it had ever been used in the context of the sanctity of human life...my guess it is hasn't. Nevertheless, it paints a picture for us of the depth of Jesus' compassion for the hurting.  The reeds, as discussed in yesterday's sermon, could unfairly provide us the opportunity to "devalue the different."  Essentially, in a shoreline full of reeds why would it matter if one breaks.  We learned that this is not the ethic of Jesus.  In fact it is not even close!

The lingering thought for me is that we cannot simply happen upon the broken reeds.  In fact to compassionately love like Christ, the kind of love that will make a difference in this world, we need to search them out.  It is one thing to love the broken reeds of unborn children.  They need a voice in this world and some of the loudest must be God's people.  Yet, it is much harder to love the broken reeds of the families that have aborted a child, the doctor who performed the abortion, the ACLU lawyer who defended the abortion, and the pro-choice protester who holds signs supporting the abortion.  Those are the reeds that are much harder to show compassion towards.

Nevertheless, for these verses to become real in our lives we must do exactly that.  All people, not matter where they stand with us politically, ethically, and spiritually, are healthy, bruised, or broken reeds in need of mercy.  To do otherwise is not fulfill this passage.

The challenge today as we seek to make real this Biblical challenge is to be willing to search out any and all reed that is around us.  To do as Christ did and find them! This means effort will have to be put forth in our life.  Searching out bruised and broken reeds could days among "normal" ones.  Nevertheless that is where you must go...it is where you must be!

As you close your reading time this morning begin to search your life for the broken reeds that need to know restoration is found in the cross of Jesus.  Pray for them.  Pray for yourself and the potential ministry you could have to them.  Pray that you can have patience in the reeds today.

(Joel Reynolds)

For further reading on the concept of the bruised reed, I highly recommend the Puritan classic "The Bruised Reed" by Richard Sibbs.  For an English Puritan Sibbs is very approachable and the length of the book is one that you can accomplish.  This work was very helpful for me in my understanding of the mercy shown to me by Christ and the mercy I must show because of Christ.  You can find the book on Amazon.com HERE

 

 

MEMORY VERSE: Matthew 12:20

"a bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not quench, until he brings justice to victory;"

DAILY READING: Matthew 14

FOR DEEPER STUDY OF MATTHEW:

I think that one of the great things that is often overlooked in this chapter, where two famous miracles are done by Jesus, is His desire to be alone so He could talk with His Father.  Look at verse 13.  Jesus heard the news about John the Baptist and he didn't run to his friends, or his followers, or his family.  When I'm sad sometimes those groups are the first that I turn to for help.  Jesus was probably upset about what happened to John the Baptist, and he went to try to spend time with God the Father.  What was His motivation for seeking that alone time?  I'm not certain, but one possibility might have been to say he was trying to sift through the emotions and arrive at the truth that he should focus on.  He knew that the Father was the best place to receive that truth.  While He wanted to be alone, the people followed him and then He served them and taught them and preformed a miracle before them.  

Then notice what he does in verse 23.  He is still wanting to spend time alone with His Father.  Was it because He still wanted to sort through the emotions that He had because of the death of John the Baptist?  I don't know.  What I do know is that He has modeled for us an important discipline of the life of a Christian.  That is that we should spend time alone with God.   This is very convicting to me.  It is very hard to find a time that is quite where there are no kids needing something, no cell phones buzzing, no T.Vs playing in the background, no spouse making noise in the other room, or where no responsibilities are needing to be taken care of.  If it was a priority for Jesus, it should be a priority for me.   

(Mark Kincannon)

Humility

Behold my servant whom I have chosen,

my beloved with whom my soul is well pleased.

I will put my Spirit upon him,

and he will proclaim justice to the Gentiles.

He will not quarrel or cry aloud,

nor will anyone hear his voice in the streets;

a bruised reed he will not break,

and a smoldering wick he will not quench,

until he brings justice to victory;

and in his name the Gentiles will hope.

Matthew 12:18-21

Christ came down from heaven to be a servant.  That's baffling to me.  I cannot imagine the transition from all-powerful God in heaven to lowly human servant bound for the cross.  To go from being above all things to being a servant shows a tremendous amount of humility.  

• Perhaps it is humility that makes Jesus what this passage describes.  It might very well be what pleases the soul of the Father.  No one is pleased by a proud servant.  The proud servant is usually the one who gets punished.
• It's got to be humility that allows Jesus to do things without fanfare.  Pride would seek the lime light, but a servant knows that the fame is not for him but for his master.  Christ always points back to the Father.      
• Humility must be the reason that Jesus does not quarrel or cry out in the streets.  Pride would want to make a scene and be noticed, but humble Jesus is content to let the work of the Spirit speak for him.  
• Surely humility is what gives Jesus such a heart for justice.  Pride has a little concern for justice, because the prideful people only care about what benefits themselves. 
• Without humility Christ could not have shown tenderness to the weak, the bruised reed and the smoldering wick.  Pride doesn't care about the well-being of others, but Christ desired to save the downtrodden from complete despair.

Humility shows through the life of Jesus like a ray of bright light.

How is humility or a lack of humility affecting the way you live?

Are you living humbly by the Spirit as a servant of the Lord who seeks justice, or are you living pridefully by your own leading as a servant of sin seeking your own gain?

(Mike Crain)

MEMORY VERSE: Matthew 28:18-20

18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in [1] the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

DAILY READING: Matthew 13

FOR DEEPER STUDY OF MATTHEW:

In this chapter of Matthew Jesus speaks in parables.  For me sometimes it is hard to interpret parables, and if I can't interpret them it is hard for me to apply them to my life.  If I can't apply them to my life I'm not going to be changed or transformed into what God wants me to be.

Sometimes the parables are explained for us in the next few passages.  This is the case in this chapter where Jesus explains what the parable of the sower really means.  At other times it is left for us to try to understand.  In some ways it was easier to understand in those days because some of the subject matter used to tell the parable was part of the everyday life and it's not part of our normal life.  In other ways it was difficult for the original hearers to understand.  One thing is for sure, without the Holy Spirit in our life counseling us none of us, now or then, could understand any of Scripture.  

Here are a few basic principles to keep in mind when you are attempting to understand parables.  This is taken from our Foundations I class that is taught on Sunday Mornings on the VB and FSM campuses during first service.  Much of this Foundations material is based in Robert Stein's A Basic Guide to Interpreting the Bible.

1.  Parables have two main parts.

* A picture part---the story

* A reality part---the real life situation that it is compared to

2.  Parables aren't historical.

*  We shouldn't confuse life-like story lines with a historical event.

3.  Parables contain exaggerations.

4.  We should focus on the most basic point of the parable, not the details.

5.  We must try to understand the parable the way the original audience understood it.

6.  Parables should be interpreted in light of the full teaching of the Bible.  It will not teach something contradicting to Scripture.

7.  Look for the 2 or 3 main characters.  Look for the climax at the end of the story.  Find the major interaction between the main characters and the major event of the story.

8.  Parables are not allegories.

9.  Apply the main point to your life.

Not all of the parables will fit into this basic structure, but hopefully these tips will help you in your understanding of Scripture.

(Mark Kincannon)

The Suffering Servant

DEVOTION: The Suffering Servant

The sermon this Sunday will come from Matthew 12:15-21.  It is a passage that Matthew uses to show how Jesus was the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy.  If you've been reading the FOR DEEPER STUDY OF MATTHEW at the bottom of each daily devotional you'll recognize that this is one of the things that Matthew is doing because he is writing to show Jewish Christians how Jesus is the fulfillment of the Old Testament.  

In this passage Matthew quotes Isaiah 42:1-4.  This passage from Isaiah is from a section of Isaiah called the Suffering Servant.  Isaiah chapters 42-53 are a description of what the Promised One, the Messiah, the Savior would be like.  Many of the Jews would not like this description of the Messiah.  They wanted a political or military leader to deliver them from Rome.  

Matthew's objective is two fold as I can see it.  He wants his readers to know that Jesus is the fulfillment of this Old Testament passage in Isaiah, but he also wants people to see what Jesus is like.  He wants them know who Christ is and what is important Him.  This passage gives us a look into the character Jesus.  We get to see what Jesus values.

What one word would you chose to describe the way Jesus is described Matthew 12:15-21?  How would your life differ if you applied that characteristic to your life today?  How would you handle situations differently? 

MEMORY VERSE: Matthew 28:18-20

18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in [1] the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

DAILY READING: Matthew 12

FOR DEEPER STUDY OF MATTHEW:

To understand this section of Matthew we have to switch the way we approach the passage in the middle of the chapter.  We begin by reading a narrative or story, so we approach this part as we would a historical document.  Then in verse 18 we have to switch our approach to read it as we would a poem or song.  In order to understand verses 18-21, it is important to remember that poems and songs are written to evoke emotion and to give us a big picture description of something.  We shouldn't take things extremely literal, but more figuratively.  This is the way we approach all poetry and we should continue this approach when we look at Scripture.  

To get a sobering look at what Jesus did for us by dying on the Cross read the last chapter of the Suffering Servant section in Isaiah which Matthew quotes here in Matthew 12.  Keep in mind that it is poetry that is a description of the coming Messiah.  We know this is Jesus.  

(Mark Kincannon)

The Chosen One

The Chosen One

"Behold, my servant whom I have chosen," Matthew 15.18

Have you heard we have a new President?  I saw a little coverage on television yesterday that let me know.  As I was sleeping last night, he was dancing and dancing and dancing.  This morning, though, we have something in common--we are both at work.  He with his Secret Service Agents, multiple secretaries, a whole staff, and the faithful followership of the American Government and Armed Forces; me with my son and 12 faithful colleagues.  He might have a better office, but at least I get to wear jeans and tennis shoes. 

As the President and I work on making life on earth a better place we share something else in common, we were both chosen by God.  I believe that, not because of his politics or my arrogance, I believe it because of God's sovereignty.  I believe that God has chosen me, and you, to be where we currently are.  And we are chosen for a reason.  There is a purpose for which I currently am where I am. 

It is easy to look at the trappings of someone else's assignment and compare them to our own assuming that our job is of less importance.  Yet my assignment carries weight solely because it is the assignment that God has chosen for me.  Just as Jesus was chosen to carry out God's plan on the Cross, I have been chosen to carry out God's plan today.  It may lack drama and human significance, but the divine value is unknown to me.  In light of that reality I seek to live out my call in much the same way Jesus lived out his call--basking in the Father's love, depending on the Spirit, proclaiming justice, protecting the vulnerable, and offering hope (Matthew 12.15-21).

So whatever office you are in this morning--the corner office with big windows, the three year-olds "office" with dirty diapers, the Oval office, or the church office--trust God's Sovereignty that has brought you to this place; live out God's call upon your life; and be glad that at least you will never be called to dance on television at ten different events while the rest of the country sleeps.

(Kevin Thompson)

MEMORY VERSE: Matthew 28:18-20

18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in [1] the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

DAILY READING: Matthew 11

FOR DEEPER STUDY OF MATTHEW:

In the Old Testament book of Malachi we are told there would be one sent before the Messiah to prepare the way of the Lord.  Malachi 3:1 and Malachi 4:5-6 tell us of this messenger that will prepare the way.  This messenger would be an Elijah figure, according to Malachi.  If you recall we know that Matthew who was writing to a group of Jewish Christians would be looking towards the fulfillment of the Old Testament prophesy.  This is one of those fulfillments that Matthew wanted them to recognize. 

It is interesting to note that here in Matthew 11 Jesus tells us that John the Baptist was the one Malachi was talking about.  But in John 1:21 John denies that he is Elijah.  Who is right? Who should we believe Jesus or John the Baptist?  John was probably clearing up a popular misguided notion that the physical person of Elijah would return.  Some thought that he was actually Elijah not just a figure like him that would prepare the way of Jesus.  It was told before John's birth that he would fulfill this prophecy see Luke 1:5-17.

For us reading Matthew 11 today it should remind us of the faithfulness of our God.  These prophecies point us to the reliability and truthfulness of Scripture.  

(Mark Kincannon)

The Power of Love

Go back as far as you want to, and you’ll find out something about us; in small ways and in big ones we’ve always had problems thinking rightly about other people and treating them the way we should. Ever since Cain ambushed his brother people have been trying to figure out how to live together without wanting to kill each other—and we’re not much better at it today than Cain was.

Most of us aren’t naturally gracious people—some are, but let’s be honest, not a whole lot of us are. Most of us aren’t born with enough innocence inside us to last into our adult years—which is a shame, I think, because it means we lose the ability to believe that there. And for the most part, most of us aren’t very open minded or open hearted or open spirited or open whatever you want to call it, when it comes to our willingness to love people that are different from us. And we never have been. Most of us, and to a significant degree, probably all of us, are the very opposite—we’re prejudiced.

We probably don’t want to admit it, and even if we’re willing to admit it, we probably don’t want to do anything about the fact that most of us have some prejudice toward some other people.

There’s a very dark and very arrogant side to prejudice, and before it can make its way into my brain and become mine, I have to make some assumptions. I can’t be prejudiced against you without believing that there’s something about me that’s better than you. Yes, you are unique, but so is everybody else…

Maybe I think I’m smarter, or better looking, better informed or educated, or have more class, or dress better and wear my hair in an updated style; but before I can be prejudiced against you I have to make the assumption that as a human being, for some reason that I’ve agreed to, I’m more valuable as a person than you are. There’s a second assumption I have to make as well. Before I can be prejudiced against you I also have to assume that there’s something about you that means you don’t deserve the same things I deserve; you don’t deserve the privileges I enjoy, the opportunities, freedoms, and respect that I have, and you don’t deserve to live in my neighborhood, to sit in my classrooms, or to worship at my church… There’s more. I can’t adopt an attitude of prejudice toward anyone else without taking the default position that when God created him or her he somehow created something that’s less than human. For me to opt to believe that there’s anything about me that’s innately superior to someone else means that God did not, in fact, create us equal. For prejudice to be a justifiable option I have to assume that the soul of some people is inferior to my own. Finally, before I can be a prejudiced person I have to assume that the prayer that Jesus prayed in John 17 for all of his followers to become one should never have prayed.

·      He prayed that you would be protected from the evil of humanity’s fallenness—so you have to assume he shouldn’t have if you want to keep your prejudice.

·      He prayed for you to be set aside, specifically, as his very own ambassador for good—you’ll have to assume he shouldn’t have if you want to remain prejudiced.

·      He prayed for you to know what it’s like to be “One” with him, one in purpose and passion—prejudice assumes he shouldn’t have.

·      He prayed that all who would ever follow him would live lives of such spiritual authenticity that people would believe in him because of what they see in us—so you’ll have to assume he never should have prayed that prayer for you to remain prejudiced.

·      He prayed that we live in the light of his glorious goodness—you’ll have to assume he shouldn’t have prayed that for you if you want to live as a prejudiced person.

·      And he prayed that the world would know he loves us—and for you to maintain prejudice toward other people for any reason, you’ll need to assume he shouldn’t have…

Some people have prejudiced opinions of other people because their skin is a different color. We all know that, right? White people are normally the ones that take it on the chin here, and we’ve earned the right, but you don’t have to be white to be prejudiced.

Sometimes it’s where we come from. If you’re not from where I’m from then I might not like you or trust you or care too much about what’s important to you.

Some men are prejudiced against women, and some women are prejudiced against men.

Younger people are often dismissive of older ones, and older people tend to discount the value of anyone’s opinion under the age of forty.

A lot of prejudice seems to be connected to political issues.

Sometimes people of wealth think poorly of the poor, and just as often those in lower economic classes think high-mindedly about those of higher economic standing.

Most straight people don’t like gay people, and most gay people don’t like straight people.

And there’s no place where prejudice seems to thrive so well as among people of religious persuasion.

And it’s all wrong… I’m not asking you to agree with everything that everybody else does or thinks or even to believe that every opinion is as valid as every other opinion, because I don’t believe that either, and I don’t think you have to. I’m just asking you to treat people with simply dignity even when they’re so different from us, even when they’re terribly sinful, and to love them like Jesus asked us to…

A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. ³⁵By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another. (John 13:34-35)

But what if… Love one another…

Even if they… Love one another…

What about the… Love one another…

I implore you; I beg you; I plead with you; to honor the wishes of our Lord… Love one another; love one another; love one another; love one another; love one another.

(Ed Saucier) 

MEMORY VERSE: Matthew 28:18-20

18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in [1] the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

DAILY READING: Matthew 10

FOR DEEPER STUDY OF MATTHEW:

Chapter 10 contains some hard sayings of Christ.  These words can be taken to heart by all Christians that set out their lives to

 do as we are commanded and spread the truth and love of Christ.  As Jesus sends out the twelve we get to look in at His 

words telling them what to expect on their journey.  They are reminded that the journey is not going to be easy.  Once again 

Jesus says that persecution will come to them and they must endure.  When the challenge from the non-believing world sets 

its course against them (even if it is family) the words of Jesus are blunt.  He says, " do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul."

This is a great reminder to us today when we are intimidated and fearful in the face of those that might persecute us for following Jesus.  We have one who is our protector and Savior that can provide for us even the whole world seems to be our enemy.

(Mark Kincannon)

Lingering Thoughts on Monday, January 19th...

Lingering Thoughts for January 19th
More than Dreams...

It dawned on me this fall that, "I have a dream" is the only speech of Martin Luther King, Jr. that I have ever read or heard in its entirety.  I felt this was a tragedy when it came to my mind and heart as not only a believer but an American.  After some research as to where to start some basic reading of MLK I decided to start with, "Strength to Love," which is a collection of some of his greatest sermons and speeches. 

Dr. King's widow, Coretta Scott King, wrote that she has heard consistently people telling her the life change brought by this book.  She credits this to the fact that this book contains th central element of Martin Luther King, Jr's philosophy of nonviolence: His belief in a divine, loving presence that binds all life. (pg. 7).

Needless to say the book is a precious jewel.  It is filled with sermons, thoughts, speeches, and most of all the passion of Dr. King to eradicate racism and social injustice for all.  He felt that the best thing for ALL people was an end to racism...not just for African Americans.  His writing challenged, caused me to think, and other times (in the middle of Starbucks no less) made me weep.  I cannot commend this book to you any more. 

However, this post today is not about my words...its about his.  I feel that the best I can give you today is to steal his words to inspire your reflection on the fight against racism today.

Dr. King Writes:

Today we know with certainty that segregation is dead.  The only question remaining is how costly will be the funeral.

These great changes are not mere political and sociological shifts.  They represent the passing of systems that were born in injustice, nurtured in inequality, and reared in exploitation.  They represent the inevitable decay of any system based on principles that are not in harmony with the moral laws of the universe.  When in future generations men look back upon these turbulent, tension-packed days through which we are passing, they will see God working through the history for the salvation of man.  They will know that God was working through those men who had the vision to perceive that no nation could survive half slave and half free.

God is able to conquer the evils of history.  His control is never usurped.  If at times we despair because of the relatively slow progress being made in ending racial discrimination and if we become disappointed because of the undue cautiousness of the federal government, let us gain new hear in the fact that God is able.  In our sometimes difficult and often lonesome walk up freedom's road, we do not walk alone.  God walks with us.  He has placed within the very structure of this universe certain absolute moral laws. We can neither defy nor break them.  If we disobey them, they will break us.  The forces of evil may temporarily conquer the truth, but the truth will ultimately conquer its conqueror.  Our God is able.  James Russell Lowell was right:

Truth forever on he scaffold, Wrong forever on the throne, 
Yet that scaffold sways the future, and, behind the dim unknown,
Standeth God within the shadow, keeping watch above his own.

- Quote taken from the sermon, God is Able
(Strength to Love, pp. 111)

 MEMORY VERSE: Matthew 28:18-20

18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in [1] the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

DAILY READING: Matthew 9

FOR DEEPER STUDY OF MATTHEW:

In verses 9-13 we see Jesus calling Matthew, the author of the book, to follow Him.  Matthew was a tax collector and his occupation is listed along with sinners who Jesus associated with.  Most "righteous Jews" would not associate with these people.  Why is it that a tax collector would be seen in such a negative light in those days?  We might not like to have to pay taxes, but most people today don't think that those that work for the IRS are sinners just because that is their job.  So why are they seen in such a negative light here in this passage?

Jewish tax collectors were seen as traitors to their own people.  They weren't collecting taxes for the Jewish people they were collecting taxes for the Roman government.  A Roman government that the Jews didn't want to have to answer to.  Most of the Jews hated to be ruled by the Roman authorities so much that they began to read the Old Testament Scriptural promises of a Messiah into their own circumstances.  Changing its meaning to fit what they wanted to see happen (something that we have to try to avoid).  They hated being ruled by Rome so much that they made their Messiah, their Savior, into a military hero who would free them from Roman rule.  That is why so many people had a hard time believing that Jesus was the Messiah.  They wanted someone to deliver them from Rome while God wanted to provide a deliverance from sin and its consequences.  

(Mark Kincannon)

Comissioned

Devotion: Commissioned

I find that in my natural laziness, I sometimes try to get out of hard work.  If an endeavor looks like it may prove to be long and difficult, even if i know it will be beneficial and rewarding in the end, I tend to hope that other people will take it on so I don't have to.

Matthew 28:19-20

Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to obey all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.

Making disciples is hard work, it's incredibly satisfying and rewarding, but it is not easy.  It's more than just making believers, it's developing a devoted Christ-follower.  Within his command to make disciples Jesus tells his eleven disciples to "make disciples...teaching them to obey all that I have commanded you."  It takes a lot of time and effort to teach someone all that Jesus taught.  It takes even more time and effort to teach a person to obey all that Jesus taught.  It actually takes more than a lifetime, because I have to see anyone successfully obey everything that Jesus taught his disciples.  Making disciples is a very involved process, and in my lazier moments it can be something that I would rather not have to do.

I used to think I had a loop hole out of making disciples.  Jesus didn't tell me to make disciples, and he didn't tell a whole crowd of people to make disciples; he only told the eleven disciples to make more disciples, so it would seem that disciple making was their job, not mine.  But notice again that Jesus told the disciples to teach new disciples to obey everything that Jesus had taught them.  So that means that as disciples, followers of Christ, we should do our best to know and obey all that Jesus commanded his original disciples.  Part of what he commanded them was the very command we are looking at here, the command to make disciples.  So as Christians the calling to make disciples also falls to us.  Part of following Jesus is helping other people to follow Jesus.  That is one of the great joys and great strengths of Christianity, we are commanded to pass onto others what we know of Christ, just as others have shared with us their experiences with Jesus.

Who are you discipling?

(Mike Crain)

MEMORY VERSE: Matthew 18:15

“If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother."

DAILY READING: Matthew 8

FOR DEEPER STUDY OF MATTHEW:

I think it is interesting that there is one small section that differs from the rest of the sections in this chapter.  Did you notice the difference.  In the midst of Jesus healing the sick, controlling the weather, and casting out demons there is a small section where the feel good stories take a pause.  In verses 18-22, Jesus gives them a reality check.  Its almost like Matthew was concerned his readers would think life was always going to be good and easy if they followed Jesus.  

I think many of us are attracted to the feel good stories where Jesus is healing or doing miracles.  And why wouldn't we be attracted to those stories of Jesus.  Sometimes it is easy to not pay close attention to the parts of the New Testament that tell us that when we follow Christ there will be hard times.  Not only is there a theology that is pretty popular these days that says all true Christians should be healthy and wealthy.  But even some of us who don't believe that theology tend to have a belief that we as Christians should not have to endure hardships.  

Reread verses 18-22 and take to heart that in this life of following Christ we will have to endure difficulty.  So when you face one of these times know that this doesn't mean that Christ has forgotten you.  It is just part of what God uses to bring us closer to Him and to ultimately bring Himself more Glory.  After all Jesus experienced great suffering to bring us forgiveness.

(Mark Kincannon)

All Nations

DEVOTION:

"Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit" --Matthew 28:19

If you know me very well you know that discipleship is what I'm all about.  It is my passion.  If I could, I would love to one day work myself out of every responsibility that I have at Community Bible Church, but discipleship.  I mean that in a good way.  I love my job, but I would love to find talented, passionate people to equip, release, and support them in doing things that they are gifted at doing.  Chances are they will do it far better than I ever could anyway.  Therefore bringing more Glory to God.

Here is my problem with this verse. I wonder if you have a similar struggle.  When I think of making disciples I naturally picture myself discipling people that are very similar to me.  I don't think that is bad in itself, but I do think that it is very short sighted, and not what Jesus meant when he said go and make disciples of all nations.  The key word being all.

God's love for people is not limited to people that are like me.  May God help me to see that, understand that, and live that. 

(Mark Kincannon)   

 MEMORY VERSE: Matthew 18:15

“If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother."

DAILY READING: Matthew 7

FOR DEEPER STUDY OF MATTHEW:

Chapter 7 of Matthew completes Matthew's record of the Sermon on the Mount.  I think verses 1-6 are some of the most misunderstood verses in the New Testament.  People often say the Bible says don't judge others, and they use verses 1-2 to make that claim.  

If you read this whole section Jesus actually tells them that they have to make some judgements about people.  Look at verses 6.  He illustrates using pearls, dogs and pigs.  It says don't throw or give your pearls (precious things) to dogs and swine (things that in the Jewish culture of the day were shunned and looked at as scavengers).

Here is the thing, in order to decide if someone is a dog or a pig you have to make a judgement call.  So what does this passage teach us?  Should we judge or should we not judge?

I think verse 12 points us to the answer.  I think that when Jesus is saying, "judge not, that you not be judged," he is telling us that we should treat people the way that we would want to be treated, We need to look at ourselves and honestly with great consideration, make sure that we are humbly living as God would want us to.  Then we will have the wisdom to help others when they have sin in their lives.  It isn't our job to make a final judgement call on anyone.  That is God's job, but we are to be discerning about sin and more importantly we are to make sure that we are not living in sin.  The key word being we.

In conclusion we have to make judgement calls, but know that we are going to be judged by high standards.  We are all going to be judged by God's standards.  Therefore before you go pointing out others problems make sure you don't have problems that you need to take care of.

(Mark Kincannon)

All Authority

DEVOTION:

"All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me," Matthew 18.18.

Do we truly believe that Jesus had all authority in heaven and on earth as he spoke to the disciples?  My first response is "of course."  Yet how I live my life might communicate a different answer.  The authority of Jesus, which was given by the Father, not only expressed itself in power but also came in truth.  Jesus has authority, in part, because he knows truth far more than anyone else.  He has authority because he knows best how to live life.  His way is superior to any other way.

It is apparent that I doubt his authority because I often believe my way is better than his.  He says forgive, but I feel it is better whine.  He says to walk humbly, but walking proud seems more effective.  He says to give, but spending is more fun. 

I can confess all day that I believe Jesus has all authority, but my true belief is seen my actions.  Do I trust myself or do I trust him?  Do I follow my gut or his word?  Do I believe he has all authority or do I think on occasion I know better?

All authority in heaven and on earth was given to Jesus.  That authority makes him THE authority on how to live life.  Try as I may to find my own way, his way is always best.  

(Kevin Thompson)

 MEMORY VERSE: Matthew 18:15

“If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother."

DAILY READING: Matthew 6:19-34

FOR DEEPER STUDY OF MATTHEW:

In this selection of Scripture Jesus is talking to this crowd that is made up of serious followers and those that are just intrigued.  He talks to them about how they should approach their practical everyday life.  He actually challenges their way of thinking in regards to the stuff of life.  When I say stuff I mean the real things that we all tend to struggle with.  What are the issues that he deals with in this passage?  Go back and look before you read on.

Jesus challenges the hearers to make sure they value things that are truly important.  Jesus explains that one can't serve money and God, we have to pick one.  The very nature of the word serve in the Greek points to an explicit loyalty.  Lastly, he deals with anxiety.  Anxiety, which is created by trying to put food on our table and a shirt on our back.  

Notice how applicable the New Testament is.  The words that Jesus spoke 2000 years ago are so practical today.  Who in the last week has not been challenged to overly value something that wasn't really lasting, maybe a house or 401K.  Who isn't daily challenged to not server money, but God.  Who doesn't regularly worry about paying the bills.  Whether it is 2009 or 0090 the words that Jesus spoke continue to speak loudly today.

(Mark Kincannon)

An Ounce of Prevention

     As good as it is to reconcile with a friend when things have taken a downward turn, most of us would agree that it would be even better if we could come up with a plan that would keep us from ever needing to reconcile. It's the old adage, "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure," applied to every day life. While it’s not likely to ever happen, I can think of one thing that would at least eliminate some of it, and maybe a lot of it. Try this on for size—make up your mind that from this day on you’re out of the judging business, and you’re never going back. It’s a tragic story which, in varying forms and multitudes of situations too numerous to list, repeats itself every day as people encounter each other and try to figure out how to get along or at least, how to get by. We are addicted to judging other people. Before we dismiss that, think about it from a biblical perspective.

In Matthew 7:1 Jesus told us not to judge others, and if we do, we should expect to be judged as well… It may not be the best motive in the world, but it’ll do till something better comes along. If for no other reason than the negative effect it’s going to have in my life, I’ve decided to give others lots of elbowroom and keep my mouth shut!

James reminds us, in the event that we’ve forgotten, that there’s only one judge, and it’s not you (James 4:12).

Paul’s warning should surely get our attention, when we judge others, we condemn ourselves (Romans 2:1). If you read his writings carefully you’ll discover in the 14^th chapter of Romans that warning to be explained and expanded (Romans 14:1-6; 10-16, 21-22). He hits it again in his writing to the Colossians where he slams us for letting others judge us for our personal preferences regarding what we eat, drink or do. The bottom line is; mind your own business.

There’s a lot to be said for minding our own business. But Christians 2000 years ago weren’t so different from the Christians today. They had lots of personal opinions and hang-ups about what Christians should or shouldn’t eat or drink or do. There’s nothing wrong with having opinions—it’s talking about ‘em that gets us in trouble—and we love to talk about them. So we’re reminded that the best thing to do with most of our opinions is keep them to ourselves. A couple of things to remember:

 

• All of us are at liberty, through study and prayer, to develop our own convictions that we believe will please God, honor biblical instruction, increase our faith and help us lead others to Christ—and we’re free, maybe even obligated, to live by them. That’s what we learn from Romans 14.
• None of us has the right to assume that those whose opinions differ from ours are less committed to Christ, his word or his mission. It is essential that we respect the dignity of one another without being judgmental of those with whom we disagree. That’s the lesson from Colossians 2.

We call this sort of thinking The Priesthood of the Believer, and it really is a very big deal. Efforts to force conformity have always been unfair to people and hostile against the purpose of the gospel—yet it’s the very thing that we’ve often thought makes us Salt of the Earth Christians lighting the way for others through the darkness. That’s why it’s so hard for so many of us to stop doing it—we think what we’re doing is a good thing. But it isn’t a good thing—it’s a bad thing—a thing that sounds wise and looks humble but isn’t. It’s religious egotism at its zenith that’s lost touch with Jesus and has no redeeming value by which we or anyone else may grow in our faith (Colossians 2:23).

At the same time we should always consider the possible effects our decisions may have on others before deciding whether to exercise our freedom (Romans 14:13-18), because liberty is not license. But it’s my business to mind my own business and kindly allow you the same privilege without judging, comparing or throwing stones.

It seems painfully simple really. Don’t criticize others. But its simplicity is often compromised by our assumption that in order to be on God’s side we have to figure out who’s not by comparing other people to our opinion of what good, Godly people are supposed to look and act like. That’s not our job. It never has been, and it never will be.

• If need be, let’s admit that we’re guilty. Are you guilty? Honestly, now. Are you? We aren’t supposed to do it, we don’t have enough character to do; we don’t have enough information to do it…but we’ve done it anyway. Time to confess—quietly.
• Tell God you’re sorry. Maybe you didn’t even know what a big deal it was—but now you do.
• Let’s decide together that we aren’t going to do it anymore. Enough said. Really, it is.

 (Ed Saucier)

MEMORY VERSE: Matthew 18:15

“If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother."

DAILY READING: Matthew 6:1-18

FOR DEEPER STUDY OF MATTHEW:

There are three sections to this passage.  The first section contains verses 1-4, the second section, verses 5-15, and the third section, verses 16-18.  Go back and read each section and notice who Jesus says not to be like.  Do that before reading any further.

Who are the people that Jesus is talking about?  Hypocrites...right.  The ironic thing here is that these people are being criticized by Jesus for doing things that we would call good things.  They are doing righteous acts, they are praying, and they are fasting.  Why is it Jesus is criticizing them?  It is their motive.  How easy it is for our sinful nature to take something good and turn it into a selfish act, therefore making it evil.  

(Mark Kincannon)

Lingering Thoughts on January 12th, 2009...

Good morning!  My name is Joel Reynolds and I am the student pastor at Community Bible Church. I am very excited to begin to write regularly for the Transformed Lives Blog each Monday morning. I feel as if I have been called up to the big leagues...or at least invited to dine at the adult table!  In all honesty I look forward to the mornings we will share considering what God has for us as we start a new work week. 

 I have decided to call my regular post, "Lingering Thoughts" because my assignment is to reflect upon Sunday's sermon.  Rather than recap the sermon (which you can listen to again HERE) I feel our time together would be best used considering the "what now" of the sermon.  My hope is that each week I can humbly share the lingering thought(s) that remain in my spirit the day after and perhaps that will help you work through the lingering thoughts you have.  At least that is my hope.

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Lingering Thoughts on Monday, January 12th...
"Who's Waiting for You?"

Yesterday we were confronted with the idea of "reverse responsibility."  Here it is the one who has been wrong who also has the responsibility to deal with the sin.  If this is in fact true, and I think it is, we have alot of work to do!  Rather than wait for those who have sinned against us to come to us humble and contrite to confess their sins and ask for their forgiveness, we are challenged to go to them instead.  Imagine with me a church where we do not let petty gossip, pride, egos, or jealousy divide us.  What a force we could be in this world if we were actively seeking out and forgiving those who have wronged us.  The rub is, we cannot do it in a way that seeks to make us better than our sinful friend.  Rather, we should make purity and unity the goals for our community. 

The scary lingering thought for me is who is waiting for me.  Who is out there that I need to offer forgiveness to.  It will not be easy to share with them how they have wronged me.  Furthermore, it will be hard to not come across as pious and perhaps a little legalistic.  What a difficult line to walk!

More frightening is who is going to come to me?  I would be fooling myself to think that there is no one out there that I have wronged, offended, or hurt.  I pray that the issue was a misunderstanding and can be explained.  However, what if it is not?  What if something I said or did in jest has pained them, affected their journey, festered in their spirit.  What if I am the one that someone is going to confront. 

It is easy to think of humbly approaching all the people who I have sinned against us.  The matter is totally different when it leaves the door open for others to confront our sins and wrongs.  Yet, this is what we are to do if we long to become the people of God that show real mercy.

In fact we should not even let today go by without seeking forgiveness.  Jesus says in the sermon on  the mount, "So if you are offering your gift at the alter and there remember your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the alter and go.  First be reconciled to your brother, and then come, and offer your gift." (Matthew 5:23-24)

My lingering thoughts today are on those that I have hurt, wronged, and sinned against!  Who have you hurt that needs to be approached?  Who do you need to seek forgiveness from before they have to extract it from you?  Lets spend our morning writing that long overdue email apologizing to the co-worker we have slandered.  May your day have a moment in it where you call your sister and ask for forgiveness.  Today before the sun sets be reconciled to your brother or sister so Christ might be glorified in you.

(Joel Reynolds)

Joel writes daily on the Converge Student Blog which can be found HERE

MEMORY VERSE: Matthew 18:15

“If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother."

DAILY READING: Matthew 5

FOR DEEPER STUDY OF MATTHEW:

Last week we talked about the three aspects of communication.  The giver, the message, and the taker.  We mentioned how important understanding each one of those is in order to understand the real message.  We talked about the giver, who was Matthew, we talked about the taker, who in the case of the book of Matthew were Jewish Christians that lived in a Greek environment.  As we try to understand the narrative of Matthew 5 we have to zoom in on the context of this specific part of the story in order to understand the message.  So we have to look at two givers or authors of the message and two takers or audiences of the message in order to fully understand the message.  We've already talked of the giver and taker of the overall book, but what about this specific part of the story of Jesus' life.  Who is talking and who is listening.  Matthew 5 is the beginning of the famous Sermon on the Mount.  The first thing you need to do in order to understand the message of the Sermon on the Mount is to understand who is speaking and who is listening.  Go back and look at this text and find the answer to this before you read any further.   

In this case there is the giver or author of the message, Jesus.  There is also the taker or hear of the message.  In this case there are two different groups of people.  There are those who are disciples.  These people are the people that have decided that Jesus was the Messiah.  They are following Christ because they are convinced he is the Promised One that all Jews were looking for.  There is also in this crowd those who were just intrigued by this, Jesus, and they are following him yet they are not committed to following Him as those that have decided for sure that He is the Messiah.  Later we see the reaction of the crowd to Jesus' teaching. See Matthew 7:28-29

There are two groups listening to this message of Jesus.  Those that believe he is the Messiah and those who are impressed by Him yet unconvinced that Jesus is the Savior.  Keep that in mind as you read the next few day's DAILY READING section of the blog.  It will help you understand the Sermon on the Mount better. 

(Mark Kincannon)

The Next Step

DEVOTION:  The Next Step

What happens when employing Matthew 18:15 and Matthew 18:16 has failed to bring about reconciliation, the desired result of the confrontation?  A fellow believer has sinned against you and you have gone to them alone to show them their fault.  In fact, when they refused to acknowledge the truth of your complaint you brought along a couple of reputable witnesses to give the confrontation some credibility, but your fellow believer wouldn't even listen to them.  What do you do now?

Jesus says that you take your situation before the church.  Matthew 18:17 "If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church." 

 

What does it mean to tell it to the church?  

It is hard for me to believe, within the context of the 21st century church and given the size of many of our churches, that taking the matter before the church would mean just walking up to the front on Sunday morning and making the whole situation public knowledge.  It seems that wisdom would suggest that the first step in "tell it to the church" would be to bring the matter to one of the pastors.  From there the pastor should be able to help you discern how many people need to be made aware of what is going on in order to bring about reconciliation.  There is a chance that just telling the pastor and bringing them into the conflict, may be enough to resolve the situation.

Why do we tell it to the church?  

We don't bring it before the church in order to tattle-tale or to make a big deal out of the issue.  Contrary to what we might desire, we don't take the situation before the church to throw the person that wronged us under the bus and to subject them to public embarassment.  We take it before the church so that the wrongdoer might finally be convinced of what is right.  If someone will not listen to one or two or three people that want what is right and true and best, then hopefully they will listen to a whole body of people who have proven that they love them and want what is best for the Kingdom of God.   As is true with every step of this process, the goal of telling it to the church is not for you to be proven right, but the goal is repentance on the part of the wrongdoer and reconciliation between you and them.

(Mike Crain)

MEMORY VERSE: Matthew 12:34

"You Brood of Vipers! how can you speak good when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks"

DAILY READING: Matthew 4:12-25

FOR DEEPER STUDY:

In the section Jesus begins his earthly ministry.  It is commonly thought that Jesus' ministry was basically three years.  The first year is usually thought of to be a year without much much attention.  The second year Jesus gains popularity, and then the third year he loses the favor of many and begins to be rejected.  Matthew doesn't give much attention to the first year.  John 1-4 sheds some light on those years, but Matthew, Mark, and Luke (known as the Synoptic Gospels) don't.  In this section of Matthew we see that He is gaining popularity, but this does not mean that these people had become His disciples.  Many of these people were following after Jesus because of the healing that He was doing.  They were after what He could provide.  They didn't realize that He could heal them from eternal sickness.  They didn't realize how much He sacrificed to be on earth.  They didn't understand how much He would sacrifice on the Cross because of His love for the Father and for them.  They were wanting to be physically healed, and who wouldn't want that.  It is a temptation for all of us to look to the things that Jesus can give us an not become His disciples.  Because of our natural self preservation it is easy for us to miss the beauty and greatness of God an just be attracted just for the salvation He can provide us, or the things in this earthly life that we need.  God wants us to love Him, and not just the gifts He gives. 

John Piper uses the analogy of a spouse or a child opening a gift that you have given them.  A gift that cost you a ton of sacrifice to buy. Then the spouse or child says I love this gift, but if it wasn't for this gift I wouldn't have anything to do with you.  It is disrespectful for us with our human friends and family to just love them for what they can do for us and not care anything for the person.  We would never think that that was ok for someone to do to us, but how easy is it for us to view Jesus just as a gift giver and not Almighty God who loves us and has sacrificed greatly for us.

What are some of the things that you tend to associate with your love for Jesus, but might possibly be more of a love for the gift rather than love for Jesus himself?

 (Mark Kincannon)

When Matthew 18:15 doesn't work, then what?

DEVOTION: When Matthew 18:15 doesn't work, then what?

In yesterday's devotion Kevin reflected on Matthew 18:15 that tells us that when someone sins against you go to that person and deal with the issue.  Don't go to others to talk about the problem behind their backs.  So what happens when you go to that person and they don't say I'm sorry, they don't repent? Then what do we do?

The next step is found in Matthew 18:16, "But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses."

Can I just take two people that I know will side with me, and see if the numbers will intimidate the person who sinned against me into repenting?  You might be able to intimidate someone into a vocal repentance but it doesn't mean they will really change.  As we already discussed last week transformation of the heart is what we are after.  Intimidation might change behavior for a short time but it won't make the changes that we really want.  Therefore the people that you want to come along with you in this situation need to be people who will bring truth to light.  I also think these people need to be people that have a history of being people that are level headed and tactful.  You can speak truth, but if it is done without the right tact the truth will probably stay hidden behind the bad presentation.  Therefore, leading to no true transformation.

(Mark Kincannon)

MEMORY VERSE: Matthew 12:34

"You Brood of Vipers! how can you speak good when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks"

DAILY READING: Matthew 4:1-11

FOR DEEPER STUDY OF MATTHEW:

There are several things that one could spend time focusing on from Matthew 4:1-11, but one thing that I think fits with our past few days of the Deeper Study sections of the blog is the idea that when Jesus is tempted he responds to the temptation with what?  Don't keep reading until you've looked to see how he responds. 

He doesn't have a concordance, he doesn't have a good friend to ask what the Bible says about this temptation, he doesn't have have a Bible to flip through...He responds by quoting Scripture in its proper context.  He knows it.  

There is our example to follow from this passage.  We need to know Scripture.  We have to memorize Scripture so that when the temptation comes we react with the Truth of the Bible that is written on our hearts and minds.  We need to know Scripture better than the one that is trying to deceive us because that is where sin begins.  Sin begins with things that seem right for some reason.  Many times the temptation begins with half-truths, which in reality are no-truths.  If we just kind of know Scripture then the half-truth recommendation from the tempter will probably deceive us.  How are you doing on memorizing the passage for this week?  Will it be fresh on your mind when the temptation comes?

(Mark Kincannon)

Him vs. Them

MEMORY VERSE: Matthew 12:34

"You Brood of Vipers! how can you speak good when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks"

DEVOTION: Him vs. Them

"If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault." --Matthew 18:15

One of my great joys as a little brother was to always wait until my sister did something wrong and then to go tell my parents.  It's a little brother's gift. Often my knowledge of her indiscretion was used as leverage.  "If you don't do something for me, I'm going to tell them," I could threaten.  The only exception was when her action was against me, then there was no waiting and no bargaining.  Running and crying I would find the tallest person around to tell of my plight, expecting immediate justice.

Nearly twenty years have passed since my sister and I lived in the same house, but my actions haven't changed.  Whenever someone hurts me I still run to others and tell my sad story.  I describe the injustice.  I describe the great travesty.  I paint myself as a victim and clearly label the perpetrator.  I don't save the story for one person, I will tell it for all who will listen.  When someone hurts me, everyone finds out. 

This text confronts my normal action and calls it sin.  It very clearly states that when a brother (or sister) sins against me, I am not supposed to run and tell others.  I am to tell him.  Before anyone else knows, I am to tell him.  How strange it is to think that soon after being sinned against, I can quickly become the sinner in how I respond.  

Human nature says that when we are hurt we should let everyone know what has been done to us.  The Bible says that when we are hurt we should let the person who hurt us know about it. 

    How many relationships are currently broken because you haven't told the other person how they hurt you?

    How much time could be saved if we stopped telling others about what has happened to us and started talking to the actual person who caused the sorrow?

"If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault."

(Kevin Thompson)

DAILY READING: Matthew 3

FOR DEEPER STUDY OF MATTHEW:

In Matthew 3 we have the beginning of Jesus' adult life and ministry.  Up to this point we've learned about events that took place during His childhood.  Now we have John the Baptist which would lead the way for Jesus.  Just as was described in the Old Testament hundreds of years before.  Remember who Matthew was writing to.  He was writing to people that probably knew the Old Testament and people that were probably looking for it to be fulfilled.  Matthew makes reference to the prophet Isaiah, but there are many other places in the Old Testament where a forerunner to the Messiah, the Savior, was prophesied a preparing a way for the Lord.  For an example See Malachi 3:1 

John is calling people to repent which means to turn or change one's mind.  He speaks boldly to the Pharisees and Sadducees.  These are two different groups of Jewish religious leaders.  Much of Matthew will show us Jesus interacting with these groups.  The Pharisees were the common man's religious group that followed strict laws that were developed after the Old Testament books of Law were in place.  The Sadducees were a much smaller group that were a little more high class in many ways.  They were involved with the Roman government and were highly involved at the Temple.  So as you look at this passage think about how shocking it must have been for these religious leaders to have John the Baptist to basically call them snakes.

(Mark Kincannon)

Sticks & Stones, Broken Bones & Other Related Subjects

MEMORY VERSE:  Matthew 12:34

"You brood of vipers! How can you speak good, when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks."

DEVOTION: Sticks & Stones, Broken Bones & Other Related Subjects

Sticks and stones can break my bones, but words will never hurt me… Really? The only people that really believe it are those that prefer being abusers of words to users of words; even then they don’t believe it unless they’re the ones doing the abusing. Besides, do we really want to make very many important decisions based on nursery rhyme theology? Remember, these nursery rhyme theologians are the same people that wrote stories for us to read about: a witch that lured kids to her gingerbread house so she could eat them; a not-so-athletic kid named Jack that cracked his head open when he tried to impress Jill and get a drink of water; an old woman that made her kids live in—not wear, but live in—a shoe; a wolf that ate a not-so-bright little girl’s grandmother just for the fun of it, and a lot of others that don’t bear mention in a publication such as this.

The truth of the matter is words can hurt, and words do hurt. Words hurt far more deeply than we users and abusers of words want to admit, and they do so with far greater frequency than can ever be justified. Let me repeat that… they do so with far greater frequency than can ever be justified; and they shouldn’t. Let me repeat that too…they shouldn’t…ever.

In the event that you’ve already tired of my words and don’t intend to read further, let me give you a hint as to where this is all headed way down at the end… We can fix this if we care to; and we ought to care to. See, if we don’t fix it, we’re only playing games when we talk about transformation, and that…well, that’s something we just can’t afford.

A little review of the lessons we heard this past Sunday may help. To begin with, far from the benign and innocent victims their reputations have garnered over the centuries, words are incredibly powerful and potent. They can be good, and they can be bad. They can lift you up, and they can slay you. They can help, and they can cause untold harm. They can be life giving or they can be incendiary. James, the firebrand of New Testament authors, assaults our play at faith by reminding us that unharnessed words are the equivalent of speech that gets its energy from the bad place.

While words are imperfect they’re all we have, so we have to use them; and since we do, we ought to learn how to use them the right way, for the right things, and for the best outcome for all that are involved.

Our words fail us so miserably only because we fail at the task of taking responsibility for them. Almost as often we fail in our responsibility to repair the damage we cause after the fact. Neither is a biblical way to conduct our lives. Neither is transformation living. And neither is of benefit to any group of people that are trying very hard to live in community with each other the way Jesus told us to. May I offer the following?

First, you need a filter. I need a filter. Everyone needs a filter. Think it through, filtering it, before you let it through, saying it. Think very carefully about what you’re going to say, how you’re going to say it, and why—and do so before you ever utter a single word that anyone else ever hears. If you get good enough at this, you just might not even need the others. But just in case you do, I’ll keep going.

Second, when the need to talk to or about another person arises, take the time to listen to your own words as though they were being spoken to you by the other person. If you don’t like the result, it’s a cinch that they won’t either, and it’s transformation time…time to change your ways. If you have developed that habit of speaking to other people in a manner that you would find offensive I want to let you in on a secret that you alone may not know about yourself; you are an incredibly offensive person, and everyone that knows you wishes you would get it together, but they don't know how to tell you. So I'm telling you, for them. For whatever reason, if you have decided to grant yourself this incendiary privilege of speaking to people in ways that you would not want spoken to you, then you have also decided that it’s okay for you, but not for others in all likelihood, to disregard the common courtesies that make the world work better, as well as to dismiss all of the teachings of the New Testament when it comes to your own prerogative of personal speech habits. That’s a little too close for self-righteousness for me… If this is you--and it just might be you--it's time to grow up and take some responsibility in this area instead of always expecting everyone else to do it for you.

Third, add a good dose of repentance and call me in the morning. I think our efforts at repentance usually fall flat before we’re finished confessing our sins, because most of the time we’d rather repent for what we’ve done than for what we are. It’s much easier to repent for saying something that was unkind than it is to confess that I’m a proud, arrogant, spoiled lover of personal privilege. But it’s the only kind of repenting that works. Get tough on yourself… Come on. You can do this. In fact, you’re supposed to. Do the hard work—all of it—of taking personal responsibility for all that you say, do and/or imply. Lacking that, this whole thing’s a nuisance. So don’t pull any punches or play any word games. Do it with integrity and honor. Then call me… 

Give this a try across the board. Don’t leave anyone out, regardless of who they are, and don’t exempt yourself from any situation no matter how tough it might have been. Try it for a month. If you don’t like the result call me and I’ll apologize for misleading you, and I’ll take full responsibility for having done so.

(Ed Saucier)

PRAYER: God, help me to humble myself and recognize if I'm similar to the "brood of vipers that Jesus was calling out in this passage.  Change my heart so that I will take the proper steps to speak the words that bring life, not death to others.

DAILY READING: Matthew 2

FOR DEEPER STUDY OF MATTHEW:

In order for our hearts to be changed I think we need to take seriously what the Bible says about itself.  We are told that we should meditate on the word day and night Psalm 1:1-2 .  What does it mean to meditate on the word?  Does it mean that I need to sit in the lotus position and say ohm, ohm, ohm as I think about a verse.  I don't think so.  Meditation on the Word means doing things to make the Word something that is readily on your mind.  Something that will help you to remember what God says in the middle of a business meeting, ball game, or an argument with your spouse.  

Scripture memorization is one thing that increase ones ability to meditate on the Word day and night.  It is amazing how the Holy Spirit will cause a memorized verse to pass through my mind at just the right time to remind me of what the Truth is.

Read the memory verse above to yourself 10 times out loud and then see how much of it you can do from memory.  Then tomorrow do the same thing.  Then on Thursday do the same thing and I bet you by Friday you will be close to having it memorized.  People use the excuse all the time that they just aren't good at memorizing things.  I used to use that excuse.  If my three year old can remember things that he hears over and over again, be it a verse of Scripture, commercials, silly songs or the ABC, then surely we can too. 

(Mark Kincannon)

Out of the Heart

MEMORY VERSE:  Matthew 12:34

"You brood of vipers! How can you speak good, when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks."

DAILY READING: Matthew 1

DEVOTION:  Out of the Heart

I don't know about you but it doesn't take me very long to reflect on yesterday's sermon  to know that my heart still needs to be transformed.  Actually, as I listened to Mike preach in Van Buren yesterday it became crystal clear to me that I'm still in need of a heart change.  The memory verse for this week is extremely important for me to learn.  

On Saturday night Michelle and I were discussing something dealing with our kid's future.  I had one opinion and Michelle had a different one.  For some reason, and I'm still not sure why other than my heart needs transformation, it got all over me.  I got really mad.  I mean not just a little frustrated, I mean ticked off.  In my head, and thankfully they stayed in my head, I wanted to say harsh things to Michelle to prove my point and show her how right I was about this situation.  When Michelle and I have a disagreement we usually settle on what is the right thing to do and its not just whoever can win the argument.  We usually have level headed discussions, where our voices are never raised.  Saturday night my flesh wanted no part of a level headed discussion.  I wanted to do more than just raise my voice, I wanted to yell.  I wanted to be right and it made me furious that she disagreed with me.

As I said earlier, I didn't yell.  I did raise my voice a bit, but I kept most of the anger and frustration inside.  Although, my jaw is sore from clinching my teeth.  I went and started to think and pray about why I was so mad.  I just couldn't figure it out.  It made no sense for me to be that mad.  The discussion about our kid's future was years away and it was really not worth, even slightly, disagreeing about.  After about 30 minutes to an hour of thinking and praying through this situation God revealed something to me.  It wasn't who was right about the disagreement, it was that the source of my anger was the arrogant, selfish, evilness of my heart.  

Saturday night coupled with Sunday's sermon has been a very humbling revelation that out of my heart comes my actions and words.  This text makes clear to me that I've got a long way to go, that all the hours put in during seminary learning God's Word was not enough.  That helping to plan and write sermons are not enough.  That I need to daily interact with Scripture.  I need to daily allow God's word to penetrate my heart.  I've got to get alone with God and His Word.  That is hard to do around my house.  But I can't make excuses.  The consequences are too terrible for my heart not to continue to be changed by God.  The words and actions that will come out of my heart if it is not changed will do too much damage to me and more importantly to my family and friends.

PRAYER:

God, please give me the wisdom and discipline to allow my heart to become like Your heart, by being shaped by You and Your Word.

(Mark Kincannon)

FOR DEEPER STUDY OF MATTHEW:

In communication whether it is written text, spoken word, or body language there are three components.  Not understanding one of the components will lead to confusion.  Robert Stein does a great job of explaining this in his book A Basic Guide to Interpreting the Bible.

The three components of communication are: 1. The Giver (author, writer, or speaker)  2. The Message (written, spoken, or body language) 3. The Taker (listener, reader, or audience).  

  

Friday Mike told you who the giver or author was and gave you some of Matthew's main objectives in writing the book.  Today, I want to look at who the taker or original audience was.  If we try to understand the message using our culture we will not understand the message.  We need to understand what kind of environment Matthew was writing into originally.  What type of things influenced the them?  Were they Asian, Greek, Arabic, or something else?  What type of religious background did they have?  Would they know anything about the Old Testament?  Understanding these things will help us understand some of the details of Matthew's writing.  These details within the context of the passage, and help from the Holy Spirit will illuminate the passage for us.  Once we see what Matthew wanted communicated to his original readers we will better understand how we can apply it to our current situation in January 2009.

Matthew was probably writing to Jewish Christians who grew up in a Greek or Hellenistic environment.  

They were Jews, but had believed that Jesus was the Messiah or Savior.  Therefore they would probably have a pretty decent understanding of the Old Testament.  So in Matthew's writing he might take this for granted and not fully explain something that might be everyday common knowledge to a person from a Jewish background.  He would adhere to some common Jewish customs such as refraining from using the word GOD.  Over use of this word was considered to be taking the Lord's name in vain.  This would be disobeying one of the 10 commandments.  Exodus 21:7 says, "You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God."  Over using was misusing.

A large number of references to the Old Testament are made.  Matthew expects that the Jews were looking for someone to fulfill the Old Testament promises of a Messiah.  He knew that the Jews were looking for that, therefore he would show them how Christ was the fulfillment of several of these Old Testament passages.  Therefore, when you see a reference made to Isaiah like the one in Matthew 12:15-21, you can know that these people needed to be encouraged to believe that Jesus was the Messiah that was taught about in the Old Testament hundreds or thousands of years previously. They would believe the Old Testament.  They needed to be reminded of what the Old Testament said about the true Messiah of the Old Testament that he should have been a suffering servant type of King. Not a military or political type of King.

They were people that lived within a Greek culture possibly outside of Palestine which is another term sometimes used to describe the Biblical territory of Israel.  Therefore, they would understand references to things common to those people living in the Greek culture.  

So as your going through the daily readings for this book over the next couple of months be sure to remember who the giver of the message was and who the taker of the message was originally and hopefully it will help you to be able to apply the message to your life.

(Mark Kincannon)

Welcome to Matthew

For the next eight weeks Sunday's sermons will come from the book of Matthew.  Since so much of understanding Scripture relies on understanding the context of the text we wanted to acquaint you with the Gospel of Matthew.

• The Gospel of Matthew was authored by its namesake, Matthew, one of Jesus' 12 apostles.  Matthew is called Levi in Mark and Luke's Gospels, leading to the conclusion that he probably had two names, Matthew Levi.  Read about Matthew's conversion in Matthew 9:9-13, Mark 2:13-17, Luke 5:27-32.    
• Organization:  Matthew does not follow the entire life of Jesus, almost all of his childhood is absent from Matthew's Gospel, but this was common in ancient biographies.  The Gospel of Matthew is organized around five key discourse: (1) chs. 5-7 (2) ch. 10 (3) ch. 13 (4) ch. 18 (5) chs.24-25.
• Key Themes: 
  •  Jesus as the fulfillment of the Old Testament
    • Jesus in the fulfillment of the Law (5:17)
    • Jesus in fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy; recurrence of the phrase, "this was done that it might be fulfilled as the prophets had said."
    • Jesus as the descendant of Abraham and of David (Ch.1); title "Son of David" used of Jesus 9 times in Matthew 
  •   The Kingdom of Heaven
  •   Discipleship 
• The material in Jesus' five major discourses describe in detail a the characteristics of a life devoted to Christ.  A Great Commission to make disciples (28:18-20)

(Mike Crain)  

Growing in the New Year

One of the things we discussed at our end of the year review last month was our desire to provide opportunities for you, using this blog, to grow in your understanding of Scripture.  We already provide Foundations class on Sunday Mornings in hopes to aid you in your pursuit to know Christ more by knowing the Bible better, and Mike Newcity, Lew Bell and John Kareus do a great job leading those classes, but we wanted to give you something each day that would drive you towards a better knowledge of the Bible as well.  Our desire is not to just give you a bunch of Bible knowledge, our desire is to help you know the Bible better so that your life becomes more like Christ and you are better prepared to study the Bible on your own, and eventually help others learn more about Christ as well.  (Transformed Lives Transforming Their World)

For the next two months we are going to use the book of Matthew to see what Jesus would say to us regarding how we use our words.  So during this sermon series (Shout or Silent) we are going to try to aid you with a survey of the the book of Matthew on this blog.  We will continue with the daily devotions but we will also add some more detailed information that will help you to learn how to approach the text properly and hopefully pull out more details out of the text. 

Each week we will have a memory verse taken from the passage we will be preaching from on Sunday Morning.  We are going to have a daily reading from Matthew that will walk you thru the book.  We will also have some important things to remember as you read the passage.  As always please let us know if you ever have any questions or need help understanding a passage.

(Mark Kincannon)