My wife works for a Kohl's store, and she was scheduled to start work at 3:30am, so I just got up with her this morning. I arrived at the Kohl's in Lynwood, at about 3:30am and there were about a couple of hundred people in line. There were two radio stations and one TV station reporters set up outside the store interviewing the customers as they waited in line.
I grabbed four hundred Million dollar "Christmas" bills, and started at the end of the line and handed out tracts, all the way up to the front of the line. Then I went back to where I started, and went back towards the end of the line.
The most interesting thing this morning was when I handed the four Hindu Indian gals tracts, they asked "what is this?", and I said "Gospel tracts." They said, "What's that?" I said, "They tell you how to go to heaven, when you die." One gal resonded, "Oh, I already know I'm going to heaven."
I was past them, as they responded with their last retort, so I quipped back, "Would you consider yourself to be a good person?" The one gal said, "Yes", so I felt led to turn back, and spend a little time with them.
I asked the gal if she had ever lied, she said "No". I asked, "Ever taken anything that didn't belong to you?", she said "No", I said "one of the commandments is about adultery, Do you know what that is?", "Yes", she responded. Then I told her, "Jesus said, if you even look at another person, to lust after them, that you'd be guilty of adultery of the heart." "Have you ever done that?", I asked. She contested, "Just by looking, you wouldn't be guilty of adultery." I said, "The Bible says, ", she interrupted, "But I don't accept the Bible." I said, "The Bible says, for all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God." I also said, "God's requirements are for us to be perfect in thought, word and deed. So when you stand before God on judgment day, would you be innocent" One of the other gals, chimed in, "Well then, no one would make it to heaven." "Exactly, I said, and God made a way for you to be innocent. Jesus died on the cross to pay for your sins. I'm just here to try to make sure that people are ready to face God." "Thanks for talking with me, God bless..."
God bless...
Friday, November 28, 2008
Tuesday, September 09, 2008
Killing Time, Saving Lives
I was waiting for my son while he was in his driver's training course last night, so I went over to the artesian well on 164th street and handed out several tracts. Note to self, get some Spanish language tracts (other languages such as Russian, Japanese, Viet Namese and Chinese would also be useful.)
Then I went over to the Alderwood mall, hopefully to witness to people as the waited at the bus stop. I wasn't disappointed. I talked to three Hispanic people, one of them very thugged out, and got to witness the full Gospel to the young man named Levi. He didn't come to faith, but we did have a very engaging discussion.
Then I showed a couple of young Afro-American men the curved illusion and they busted up. I got to lead them through the Law and they both admitted that if they got what they deserved on Judgement Day, that they'd end up in hell. Then I got to share the good news of how God loved them so much He became a man in the person of Jesus Christ and died on the cross for their sins (they already knew the story). They were very receptive and I encouraged them to get right with God and read the Gospel of John.
After that I went back and picked up my son at the driver's training school.
This is but one example of how the LORD can use us to share the good news of eternal life through Jesus Christ, even when we're just killing some time.
God bless...
Then I went over to the Alderwood mall, hopefully to witness to people as the waited at the bus stop. I wasn't disappointed. I talked to three Hispanic people, one of them very thugged out, and got to witness the full Gospel to the young man named Levi. He didn't come to faith, but we did have a very engaging discussion.
Then I showed a couple of young Afro-American men the curved illusion and they busted up. I got to lead them through the Law and they both admitted that if they got what they deserved on Judgement Day, that they'd end up in hell. Then I got to share the good news of how God loved them so much He became a man in the person of Jesus Christ and died on the cross for their sins (they already knew the story). They were very receptive and I encouraged them to get right with God and read the Gospel of John.
After that I went back and picked up my son at the driver's training school.
This is but one example of how the LORD can use us to share the good news of eternal life through Jesus Christ, even when we're just killing some time.
God bless...
A Great Blessing (Twice)
Two times in August, I found myself at the Monroe fairgrounds sitting in the "Godmobile" witnessing, evangelizing, ministering and sharing. This "Godmobile" approach has got to be one of the best approaches for engaging people of all ages that I have ever seen. The Godmobile has a question painted on the side and a big sign on top that say, "Are you going to heaven when you die? Take the two question test to find out."
Not only was it rewarding to have the opportunity to witness and evangelize people of all ages and conditions, but it was a great blessing to be seated next to fellow Christians with a heart for the lost.
Some incidents from those events that stand out in my mind, are ones like the tatoo covered man coming up and saying "No, I'm not going to heaven. I'm going to hell and that's where I want to go because that's where all the prostitutes and liquor will be."
Another was when the drunk couple came up and the gal said in a pleading voice, "I just want to know that I will go to heaven when I die, I love the Lord..." and then having a ten minute debate with the drunk man about why he needed to get right with God.
Others were the goth teen who listened to the Gospel and then proceeded to tell me that there was no heaven, that life ended at death and God was in everything.
Likewise the Muslim young man who listened to the Gospel and then proceeded to tell me that the Muslim way to heaven was the right way.
All in all, the Godmobile, which is sponsored by the Full Gospel Businessman's Association is doing a great thing in reaching out to the lost in Washington state.
God bless...
Tuesday, May 06, 2008
Four Faces -- The Person and Nature of Jesus Christ
The following was presented on Saturday evening at the Monroe Prison...
When I became a Christian, in my early twenties, I still lived at home, and I got heavily involved in prayer, and Bible study and going to church, you know, stuff like that, and my mom was concerned for me. She said to me, "Keith, don't be so heavenly minded, that you're no earthly good."
So I don't want you guys to accuse me of not being practical, so I'm going to start off with some practical, down-to-earth things you can do to save yourself some pain. Here's some sound advice, some "tried and true" words of wisdom that you can follow to improve your life. Okay?
Alright, here goes, you ready, don't wash your face with Clorox, no-no, that would be bad. Don't shave with a Ginsu knife... doesn't work very well. Don't stop a chainsaw with your face... that'll leave a mark. Don't try to cool off a hot iron with your tongue... Ouch. All of these are bad, bad ideas.
Now for some good ideas, brush your teeth, don't forget to floss. Eat right, exercise, get enough sleep, pay your taxes... you can't outrun the IRS. So it took me all of, what, ten seconds to give you this practical down-to-earth advice. Now, that we got the earthly things out of the way, lets take some time and talk about heavenly things.
Originally, I wanted to talk to you guys about Hebrews 10:23-25. It was my intention to "provoke you to love and good works." I wanted to exhort you guys to serve God and serve others. You know what another word for exhort is, don't you, "NAG". Beside the fact that I'm not a very good Nag, I became convinced that it wasn't my responsibility or job to do that. I believe the LORD re-directed me to a different topic. I really feel we all need grow in our love and knowledge of Jesus Christ. We need more of Him in our lives, so let's to talk about Him. We'll talk about who he is, what he's done for us. It's my intent to encourage you guys to draw nearer to Him since he's the source of life and love and righteousness. I need this too, so I'll be preaching to myself as well.
Very early in my Christian life, I worked with a Catholic Christian lady. As we were driving in her truck one day, we were talking about Jesus. I asked her, if someone were to ask you who is Jesus to you, what would you tell them? She said, I would say he is my best friend.
So, I want to tell you about my best friend. Turn to Ezekiel chapter 1. This may seem like a strange part of the Bible to look at to find out about Jesus, but I hope you'll find this very appropriate and relevant to knowing Jesus Christ. Ezekiel 1 shows us a picturesque scene of Living Creatures and the Glory of the LORD. Ezekiel has a vision into heaven.
Ezekiel 1:4-14, says, I looked, and I saw a windstorm coming out of the north, an immense cloud with flashing lightning and surrounded by brilliant light. The center of the fire looked like glowing metal, and in the fire was what looked like four living creatures. In appearance their form was that of a man, but each of them had four faces and four wings. Their legs were straight; their feet were like those of a calf and gleamed like burnished bronze. Under their wings on their four sides they had the hands of a man. All four of them had faces and wings, and their wings touched one another. Each one went straight ahead; they did not turn as they moved.
Their faces looked like this: Each of the four had the face of a man, and on the right side each had the face of a lion, and on the left the face of an ox; each also had the face of an eagle. Such were their faces. Their wings were spread out upward; each had two wings, one touching the wing of another creature on either side, and two wings covering its body. Each one went straight ahead. Wherever the spirit would go, they would go, without turning as they went. The appearance of the living creatures was like burning coals of fire or like torches. Fire moved back and forth among the creatures; it was bright, and lightning flashed out of it. The creatures sped back and forth like flashes of lightning.
This almost sounds like it could be the scene out of some fantasy movie. Like the Chronicles of Narnia or the Lord of the Rings or something. This guy is for real though. This is an actual scene out of heaven. I want to focus in on this creature, because he exists for a specific purpose. We also see this same guy show up in Revelation 4:6-7.
I love picturesque scenes with brilliant colors and sounds. Music and art reach deep within us and cause an emotional response. You can look at a picture with bright colors and it screams out at you. Take for instance a bright red Ferrari going down the street, it screams, GIVE ME A TICKET!
This creature, I guess you could call him an angel of some sort, has two purposes in life. First, he is meant to give glory to God. Secondly, his four faces graphically illustrate four aspects Christ's nature. I want to spend a moment on each of these aspects of Christ's person and nature. I'm going to take a scene out of the scripture for each of these four aspects of the nature and person of Jesus Christ.
THE FACE OF A MAN
First, there is the face of a man. Jesus was a man. I doubt anyone here would dispute that. Let's look at Luke chapter 4 for a scene that shows Jesus in all of his humanity.
Luke 4:1-13 Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the desert, where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and at the end of them he was hungry. The devil said to him, "If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread."
Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Man does not live on bread alone.'"
The devil led him up to a high place and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. And he said to him, "I will give you all their authority and splendor, for it has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to. So if you worship me, it will all be yours."
Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.'"
The devil led him to Jerusalem and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. "If you are the Son of God," he said, "throw yourself down from here. For it is written: " 'He will command his angels concerning you to guard you carefully; they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.'"
Jesus answered, "It says: 'Do not put the Lord your God to the test.'"
When the devil had finished all this tempting, he left him until an opportune time.
How does this story do anything for us? How can it help you and me? Well, it shows our Jesus being tempted, that's a good start. So he was tempted. He was tempted just like you and me. Jesus was and is a man. He is completely human, through and through. And because of that, the way he handled it, is the way we should handle it. Don't let it handle us. He's showing us, how we can deal with temptation. He resists it and he depends on Scripture. How often, when you or I are tempted do we resist and depend on scripture? It seems like it should be easy. We may not have a treasury of scripture memorized for any given situation, but at the very least we can rely on scriptural principles and pray. You remember the LORD's prayer, "Lead me not into temptation, but deliver me from evil."
The humanity of Jesus is actually a very important teaching. He was just like you and me, except without sin. He never had sin, he didn't side-step sin with some tap-dance, he was from all eternity the completely holy Son of God. He became flesh and was born of the Virgin Mary. He had red blood running through his veins. He has emotions, thoughts, feelings all human. I thought it would be interesting to lookup the words "Human Being" and see what they meant.
Human, being
Human means "lowly, of the earth". Here is the God of the universe, the heavenly LORD, who took on the estate of a lowly, earth-bound man.
"Being" means "conscious or aware of ones existence". You know, you and I are different from the animals; They don't go look in a mirror to check themselves out to see how they look. They don't check their breath, or anything like that, but we care about ourselves. But that isn't the highest plane on which to live our life. Rather than "Self consiousness", the highest goal of living is to constantly live with "God Consciousness". Where we live for God, and put Him first, you know "Thy will be done..." and in so doing, we even put others ahead of ourselves. You won't be able to put others first in your own fleshly nature. We're born with a selfish nature. You don't have to teach babies to be selfish. They go wah, wah, wah, and scream at the slightest hint of hunger or any discomfort. We don't have to learn to be selfish, it comes natural. So, you won't be able to change that tendency by yourself. It'll have to be a cooperative effort. All you can do is allow God to change you on the inside. All you can do is let yourself be ruled and conquered by God the Holy Spirit. Jesus, himself did the same thing. Christ Jesus only succeeded because He depended on the Holy Spirit moment by moment.
When we get to heaven, we're going to see a man; the Man Christ Jesus on the throne of God. He's going to display the scars of his crucifixion for all of eternity. In Revelation, John says he saw "the Lamb as it had been slain, in the midst of the throne."
THE FACE OF A LION
The lion is the "King of the Cats". We're not talking the Cowardly Lion here, this is Jesus who is called the "Lion of the Tribe of Judah" in Revelation 5:5. You may have seen that bumper sticker, "Jesus is coming again, and He's mad this time." You don't want to mess around with a lion. This designation of a Lion coming from the tribe of Judah goes all the way back to the book of Genesis where Jacob (A.K.A. Israel) was giving his blessing to his sons, he called his third son Judah a "lion's whelp."
Jesus came to earth to assume the title of "King of the Jews", and partially, it was for that claim that he was crucified. Let's look at Matthew 21 for the scene where Jesus presented Himself as King of the Jews.
Mathew 21:1-9 As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, "Go to the village ahead of you, and at once you will find a donkey tied there, with her colt by her. Untie them and bring them to me. If anyone says anything to you, tell him that the Lord needs them, and he will send them right away."
This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet:
"Say to the Daughter of Zion, 'See, your king comes to you, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.' "
The disciples went and did as Jesus had instructed them. They brought the donkey and the colt, placed their cloaks on them, and Jesus sat on them. A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted,
"Hosanna to the Son of David!"
"Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!"
"Hosanna in the highest!"
So, Jesus is a gentle king to those who call out to him "Hosanna" or Save Me, and I mean RIGHT NOW! That's what Hosanna means, is Save Now. If you haven't already, call out to him in the quietness of your own heart and ask Him to save you now, because Today is the day of salvation. He won't push his way into your life. You have to ask him to come in.
THE FACE OF AN OX
An Ox is a beast of burden. They can be yoked up, two of them together and they can be used to plow a field, or rip out stumps. Then afterward, in the evening you can butcher them and barbque them and have them for dinner. I say that jokingly, but its true. They can do real work, and at the end of the day, they can be sustenance; you know... food. So, an Ox is a servant animal. They may not be the most glamorous animal around, but when you have a heavy-duty job that needs to be done, they can "Git'r Done" for you.
The primary work that Jesus, "The Servant" did for us was to stand-in for us, and take the punishment that we deserved. On the cross he died in our place, so that we wouldn't have to.
Mark chapter 15:34 says, "And at the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachtani?", which means My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? To me, these words of Christ on the cross show the great lenght that He went for us. He was forsaken by God, so that we wouldn't have to be.
How about you guys... Have you ever felt forsaken? Maybe you feel forsaken right now. If you feel forsaken, if you feel left out, if you feel like you're missing something because you're locked up in here. Please realize that you aren't alone. God loves and cares about you and He wants to be closer to you than any other person. Please know that God wants to be bonded with you, right beside you, watching over you, moving in you, hovering over you, protecting you, guiding you, I mean what else can I say? He loves you guys, and so do I. He cares about you, and so do I. Avail yourself of His presence. You surely can't bother him by coming to him through prayer. He want's you to be a son, a favorite son.
Let me illustrate about prayer, really quickly, we're almost done. I was at work the other day, and it was about 4:45 in the afternoon. I got a call from my son who was at home. On the surface, that isn't really a big deal. I have a decent relationship with my kids and I talk to them all the time, but I don't normally get a call from them at work. What was unique about this particular day from any other, was that my wife, who would normally have been at home, taking care of my sons, was at work. After 20 years of our marriage, and staying home, and being a homemaker, she's gone back to work. So, she was at work, and my son, my 15 year old son, was hungry and was wondering when I was coming home to fix dinner for him. Don't get me wrong, I was glad to hear from him, it was just a little out of the ordinary.
How about you and God? Would it be out of the ordinary for God to hear from you? Are you spiritually hungry? Are there needs in your life? Don't let any time go by before you call on God in prayer, and seek Him for all your needs. Don't just call on Him asking him for things. He doesn't mind you asking Him for things, but go deeper. We can share everything with him; all of our experiences and our plans, our joys, and our sorrows, our victories and our failures. He wants to hear anything and everything from us.
THE FACE OF AN EAGLE
Eagles are amazing birds. They're huge. The fly higher and can see further than any other bird. They are predators. They're called "raptors" because they can swoop down on their prey, maybe its a fish or something, and snatch it right out of the river. I happened to see a documentary on raptors recently, and it is amazing at how high they can fly and spot their prey; and the tremendous speed that they can dive down and grab their prey.
For all these reasons, the eagle has always been a symbol for deity, or divinity; you know God.
So Jesus was and is a Man. He's also King of the Universe. At the very same time, he was and is a Servant to all mankind. And lastly, Jesus Christ is God. He's the God-Man. He is 100% man, and at the very same time, he's 100% God. I know, that adds up to 200%. Therein lies the mystery. A lot of people and other religions don't accept this. But this is what the Bible teaches.
I like to go to John chapter 8 to show the deity of Jesus Christ.
John 8:56-58 Jesus was telling the Pharisees who he was and where he came from. The Pharisees were basically being very disrespectful to him and telling him that they rejected His claim to being the Messiah from heaven.
Jesus responds and says, "Your father Abraham rejoiced at the thought of seeing my day; he saw it and was glad." The Pharisees come back was, "You are not yet fifty years old, and you have seen Abraham!", Jesus answered, "I tell you the truth, before Abraham was born, I AM!" At this, they picked up stones to stone him, but Jesus hid himself, slipping away from the temple grounds.
They knew what he was saying. He was claiming to be the eternal. They wanted to stone him because he was making himself out to be God. The reference that Jesus is making relates back to Exodus, where God told Moses to go set his people free from Egypt. Moses said, if the people ask me, what is the name of this God who sent you?, what shall I tell them your name is? God said, tell them, "I AM THAT I AM" has sent you.
Jesus has all the qualities and characteristics of God. Our God is all knowing. Jesus demonstrated knowing things of which he didn't have direct knowlege. The Bible say's he knew what was in the heart of men. He knew everything about you before he chose you. He loves you in spite of what you've done and there's nothing you could do to make him not love you. So just glory and revel in the love of God and that will change your life.
Our God is all powerful. Jesus demonstrated power over diseases, storms, people, demons, even death. There's nothing to hard for him. Whatever you're going through, he is strong enough to be able to help you. He may not change your situation, but he can and will help you through it.
Our God is omni-present (everywhere at the same time.) The Bible says the heaven of heavens can't contain God, but somehow he localized himself in the Man Jesus Christ. There's nowhere you can go to get away from him. You can't hide from him, so you may as well be open and honest and transparent with him. You will find freedom when you are completely open and honest with him.
Our God is completely Holy and Righteous and awesome. He's completely separate from sin. That's why He has the power to be able to cleanse us from our sin. That cleansing power should lead us to a life of holiness; where we wholly devote ourselves to following Him.
So that's our LORD and my friend, Jesus Christ... Man, King, Servant and God. I hope something I've said will help you in some way. It's all about Jesus guys.
God bless you guys and thanks for listening.
When I became a Christian, in my early twenties, I still lived at home, and I got heavily involved in prayer, and Bible study and going to church, you know, stuff like that, and my mom was concerned for me. She said to me, "Keith, don't be so heavenly minded, that you're no earthly good."
So I don't want you guys to accuse me of not being practical, so I'm going to start off with some practical, down-to-earth things you can do to save yourself some pain. Here's some sound advice, some "tried and true" words of wisdom that you can follow to improve your life. Okay?
Alright, here goes, you ready, don't wash your face with Clorox, no-no, that would be bad. Don't shave with a Ginsu knife... doesn't work very well. Don't stop a chainsaw with your face... that'll leave a mark. Don't try to cool off a hot iron with your tongue... Ouch. All of these are bad, bad ideas.
Now for some good ideas, brush your teeth, don't forget to floss. Eat right, exercise, get enough sleep, pay your taxes... you can't outrun the IRS. So it took me all of, what, ten seconds to give you this practical down-to-earth advice. Now, that we got the earthly things out of the way, lets take some time and talk about heavenly things.
Originally, I wanted to talk to you guys about Hebrews 10:23-25. It was my intention to "provoke you to love and good works." I wanted to exhort you guys to serve God and serve others. You know what another word for exhort is, don't you, "NAG". Beside the fact that I'm not a very good Nag, I became convinced that it wasn't my responsibility or job to do that. I believe the LORD re-directed me to a different topic. I really feel we all need grow in our love and knowledge of Jesus Christ. We need more of Him in our lives, so let's to talk about Him. We'll talk about who he is, what he's done for us. It's my intent to encourage you guys to draw nearer to Him since he's the source of life and love and righteousness. I need this too, so I'll be preaching to myself as well.
Very early in my Christian life, I worked with a Catholic Christian lady. As we were driving in her truck one day, we were talking about Jesus. I asked her, if someone were to ask you who is Jesus to you, what would you tell them? She said, I would say he is my best friend.
So, I want to tell you about my best friend. Turn to Ezekiel chapter 1. This may seem like a strange part of the Bible to look at to find out about Jesus, but I hope you'll find this very appropriate and relevant to knowing Jesus Christ. Ezekiel 1 shows us a picturesque scene of Living Creatures and the Glory of the LORD. Ezekiel has a vision into heaven.
Ezekiel 1:4-14, says, I looked, and I saw a windstorm coming out of the north, an immense cloud with flashing lightning and surrounded by brilliant light. The center of the fire looked like glowing metal, and in the fire was what looked like four living creatures. In appearance their form was that of a man, but each of them had four faces and four wings. Their legs were straight; their feet were like those of a calf and gleamed like burnished bronze. Under their wings on their four sides they had the hands of a man. All four of them had faces and wings, and their wings touched one another. Each one went straight ahead; they did not turn as they moved.
Their faces looked like this: Each of the four had the face of a man, and on the right side each had the face of a lion, and on the left the face of an ox; each also had the face of an eagle. Such were their faces. Their wings were spread out upward; each had two wings, one touching the wing of another creature on either side, and two wings covering its body. Each one went straight ahead. Wherever the spirit would go, they would go, without turning as they went. The appearance of the living creatures was like burning coals of fire or like torches. Fire moved back and forth among the creatures; it was bright, and lightning flashed out of it. The creatures sped back and forth like flashes of lightning.
This almost sounds like it could be the scene out of some fantasy movie. Like the Chronicles of Narnia or the Lord of the Rings or something. This guy is for real though. This is an actual scene out of heaven. I want to focus in on this creature, because he exists for a specific purpose. We also see this same guy show up in Revelation 4:6-7.
I love picturesque scenes with brilliant colors and sounds. Music and art reach deep within us and cause an emotional response. You can look at a picture with bright colors and it screams out at you. Take for instance a bright red Ferrari going down the street, it screams, GIVE ME A TICKET!
This creature, I guess you could call him an angel of some sort, has two purposes in life. First, he is meant to give glory to God. Secondly, his four faces graphically illustrate four aspects Christ's nature. I want to spend a moment on each of these aspects of Christ's person and nature. I'm going to take a scene out of the scripture for each of these four aspects of the nature and person of Jesus Christ.
THE FACE OF A MAN
First, there is the face of a man. Jesus was a man. I doubt anyone here would dispute that. Let's look at Luke chapter 4 for a scene that shows Jesus in all of his humanity.
Luke 4:1-13 Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the desert, where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and at the end of them he was hungry. The devil said to him, "If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread."
Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Man does not live on bread alone.'"
The devil led him up to a high place and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. And he said to him, "I will give you all their authority and splendor, for it has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to. So if you worship me, it will all be yours."
Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.'"
The devil led him to Jerusalem and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. "If you are the Son of God," he said, "throw yourself down from here. For it is written: " 'He will command his angels concerning you to guard you carefully; they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.'"
Jesus answered, "It says: 'Do not put the Lord your God to the test.'"
When the devil had finished all this tempting, he left him until an opportune time.
How does this story do anything for us? How can it help you and me? Well, it shows our Jesus being tempted, that's a good start. So he was tempted. He was tempted just like you and me. Jesus was and is a man. He is completely human, through and through. And because of that, the way he handled it, is the way we should handle it. Don't let it handle us. He's showing us, how we can deal with temptation. He resists it and he depends on Scripture. How often, when you or I are tempted do we resist and depend on scripture? It seems like it should be easy. We may not have a treasury of scripture memorized for any given situation, but at the very least we can rely on scriptural principles and pray. You remember the LORD's prayer, "Lead me not into temptation, but deliver me from evil."
The humanity of Jesus is actually a very important teaching. He was just like you and me, except without sin. He never had sin, he didn't side-step sin with some tap-dance, he was from all eternity the completely holy Son of God. He became flesh and was born of the Virgin Mary. He had red blood running through his veins. He has emotions, thoughts, feelings all human. I thought it would be interesting to lookup the words "Human Being" and see what they meant.
Human, being
Human means "lowly, of the earth". Here is the God of the universe, the heavenly LORD, who took on the estate of a lowly, earth-bound man.
"Being" means "conscious or aware of ones existence". You know, you and I are different from the animals; They don't go look in a mirror to check themselves out to see how they look. They don't check their breath, or anything like that, but we care about ourselves. But that isn't the highest plane on which to live our life. Rather than "Self consiousness", the highest goal of living is to constantly live with "God Consciousness". Where we live for God, and put Him first, you know "Thy will be done..." and in so doing, we even put others ahead of ourselves. You won't be able to put others first in your own fleshly nature. We're born with a selfish nature. You don't have to teach babies to be selfish. They go wah, wah, wah, and scream at the slightest hint of hunger or any discomfort. We don't have to learn to be selfish, it comes natural. So, you won't be able to change that tendency by yourself. It'll have to be a cooperative effort. All you can do is allow God to change you on the inside. All you can do is let yourself be ruled and conquered by God the Holy Spirit. Jesus, himself did the same thing. Christ Jesus only succeeded because He depended on the Holy Spirit moment by moment.
When we get to heaven, we're going to see a man; the Man Christ Jesus on the throne of God. He's going to display the scars of his crucifixion for all of eternity. In Revelation, John says he saw "the Lamb as it had been slain, in the midst of the throne."
THE FACE OF A LION
The lion is the "King of the Cats". We're not talking the Cowardly Lion here, this is Jesus who is called the "Lion of the Tribe of Judah" in Revelation 5:5. You may have seen that bumper sticker, "Jesus is coming again, and He's mad this time." You don't want to mess around with a lion. This designation of a Lion coming from the tribe of Judah goes all the way back to the book of Genesis where Jacob (A.K.A. Israel) was giving his blessing to his sons, he called his third son Judah a "lion's whelp."
Jesus came to earth to assume the title of "King of the Jews", and partially, it was for that claim that he was crucified. Let's look at Matthew 21 for the scene where Jesus presented Himself as King of the Jews.
Mathew 21:1-9 As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, "Go to the village ahead of you, and at once you will find a donkey tied there, with her colt by her. Untie them and bring them to me. If anyone says anything to you, tell him that the Lord needs them, and he will send them right away."
This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet:
"Say to the Daughter of Zion, 'See, your king comes to you, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.' "
The disciples went and did as Jesus had instructed them. They brought the donkey and the colt, placed their cloaks on them, and Jesus sat on them. A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted,
"Hosanna to the Son of David!"
"Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!"
"Hosanna in the highest!"
So, Jesus is a gentle king to those who call out to him "Hosanna" or Save Me, and I mean RIGHT NOW! That's what Hosanna means, is Save Now. If you haven't already, call out to him in the quietness of your own heart and ask Him to save you now, because Today is the day of salvation. He won't push his way into your life. You have to ask him to come in.
THE FACE OF AN OX
An Ox is a beast of burden. They can be yoked up, two of them together and they can be used to plow a field, or rip out stumps. Then afterward, in the evening you can butcher them and barbque them and have them for dinner. I say that jokingly, but its true. They can do real work, and at the end of the day, they can be sustenance; you know... food. So, an Ox is a servant animal. They may not be the most glamorous animal around, but when you have a heavy-duty job that needs to be done, they can "Git'r Done" for you.
The primary work that Jesus, "The Servant" did for us was to stand-in for us, and take the punishment that we deserved. On the cross he died in our place, so that we wouldn't have to.
Mark chapter 15:34 says, "And at the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachtani?", which means My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? To me, these words of Christ on the cross show the great lenght that He went for us. He was forsaken by God, so that we wouldn't have to be.
How about you guys... Have you ever felt forsaken? Maybe you feel forsaken right now. If you feel forsaken, if you feel left out, if you feel like you're missing something because you're locked up in here. Please realize that you aren't alone. God loves and cares about you and He wants to be closer to you than any other person. Please know that God wants to be bonded with you, right beside you, watching over you, moving in you, hovering over you, protecting you, guiding you, I mean what else can I say? He loves you guys, and so do I. He cares about you, and so do I. Avail yourself of His presence. You surely can't bother him by coming to him through prayer. He want's you to be a son, a favorite son.
Let me illustrate about prayer, really quickly, we're almost done. I was at work the other day, and it was about 4:45 in the afternoon. I got a call from my son who was at home. On the surface, that isn't really a big deal. I have a decent relationship with my kids and I talk to them all the time, but I don't normally get a call from them at work. What was unique about this particular day from any other, was that my wife, who would normally have been at home, taking care of my sons, was at work. After 20 years of our marriage, and staying home, and being a homemaker, she's gone back to work. So, she was at work, and my son, my 15 year old son, was hungry and was wondering when I was coming home to fix dinner for him. Don't get me wrong, I was glad to hear from him, it was just a little out of the ordinary.
How about you and God? Would it be out of the ordinary for God to hear from you? Are you spiritually hungry? Are there needs in your life? Don't let any time go by before you call on God in prayer, and seek Him for all your needs. Don't just call on Him asking him for things. He doesn't mind you asking Him for things, but go deeper. We can share everything with him; all of our experiences and our plans, our joys, and our sorrows, our victories and our failures. He wants to hear anything and everything from us.
THE FACE OF AN EAGLE
Eagles are amazing birds. They're huge. The fly higher and can see further than any other bird. They are predators. They're called "raptors" because they can swoop down on their prey, maybe its a fish or something, and snatch it right out of the river. I happened to see a documentary on raptors recently, and it is amazing at how high they can fly and spot their prey; and the tremendous speed that they can dive down and grab their prey.
For all these reasons, the eagle has always been a symbol for deity, or divinity; you know God.
So Jesus was and is a Man. He's also King of the Universe. At the very same time, he was and is a Servant to all mankind. And lastly, Jesus Christ is God. He's the God-Man. He is 100% man, and at the very same time, he's 100% God. I know, that adds up to 200%. Therein lies the mystery. A lot of people and other religions don't accept this. But this is what the Bible teaches.
I like to go to John chapter 8 to show the deity of Jesus Christ.
John 8:56-58 Jesus was telling the Pharisees who he was and where he came from. The Pharisees were basically being very disrespectful to him and telling him that they rejected His claim to being the Messiah from heaven.
Jesus responds and says, "Your father Abraham rejoiced at the thought of seeing my day; he saw it and was glad." The Pharisees come back was, "You are not yet fifty years old, and you have seen Abraham!", Jesus answered, "I tell you the truth, before Abraham was born, I AM!" At this, they picked up stones to stone him, but Jesus hid himself, slipping away from the temple grounds.
They knew what he was saying. He was claiming to be the eternal. They wanted to stone him because he was making himself out to be God. The reference that Jesus is making relates back to Exodus, where God told Moses to go set his people free from Egypt. Moses said, if the people ask me, what is the name of this God who sent you?, what shall I tell them your name is? God said, tell them, "I AM THAT I AM" has sent you.
Jesus has all the qualities and characteristics of God. Our God is all knowing. Jesus demonstrated knowing things of which he didn't have direct knowlege. The Bible say's he knew what was in the heart of men. He knew everything about you before he chose you. He loves you in spite of what you've done and there's nothing you could do to make him not love you. So just glory and revel in the love of God and that will change your life.
Our God is all powerful. Jesus demonstrated power over diseases, storms, people, demons, even death. There's nothing to hard for him. Whatever you're going through, he is strong enough to be able to help you. He may not change your situation, but he can and will help you through it.
Our God is omni-present (everywhere at the same time.) The Bible says the heaven of heavens can't contain God, but somehow he localized himself in the Man Jesus Christ. There's nowhere you can go to get away from him. You can't hide from him, so you may as well be open and honest and transparent with him. You will find freedom when you are completely open and honest with him.
Our God is completely Holy and Righteous and awesome. He's completely separate from sin. That's why He has the power to be able to cleanse us from our sin. That cleansing power should lead us to a life of holiness; where we wholly devote ourselves to following Him.
So that's our LORD and my friend, Jesus Christ... Man, King, Servant and God. I hope something I've said will help you in some way. It's all about Jesus guys.
God bless you guys and thanks for listening.
Monday, April 21, 2008
Lunch With The Boss
On Friday, we had a team lunch at an Indian restaurant in Bellevue. It was interesting food, but what was more interesting is how the LORD gave me an opportunity to witness to my boss.
We were driving back to the office after having lunch, and the boss was talking about a family who had been driving a van (a vehicle that the driver wasn't used to), and they had swerved and rolled the van over. Serveral family members were killed. His main point was that if you are driving a vehicle that you aren't used to, you need to be very careful, and understand the forces at work when you are driving a taller vehicle.
Since he had brought up the subject of death, and I had been praying for an opportunity to share the Gospel with him, I asked God to see where He would take this conversation, and I asked my boss, what he thought happened to someone after they died. At first, he just shugged his shoulders, and put his palms up, as if to say, I don't know, your guess is as good as mine. Subsequently, he being an (assumed) Hindu, told me about how he believed that you would be graded at the end of this life, and you would come back as another life form based on how well you did.
After he finished, I had the opportunity, in a testimonial fashion to explain the fact that we'd all have to stand before our Creator, and give an account of everything we'd done, said or even thought during this lifetime. Then I shared how I found myself to be a liar, thief, blasphemer and parent dishonorer, and I'd be in big trouble on Judgement Day. But the Good News was that God became a man in Jesus Christ, not only to live a perfectly innocent life in my place, but also to pay the penalty for my sins by dying on the cross.
My boss wasn't buying it, but I did get the honor of sharing the Gospel with him.
God bless...
We were driving back to the office after having lunch, and the boss was talking about a family who had been driving a van (a vehicle that the driver wasn't used to), and they had swerved and rolled the van over. Serveral family members were killed. His main point was that if you are driving a vehicle that you aren't used to, you need to be very careful, and understand the forces at work when you are driving a taller vehicle.
Since he had brought up the subject of death, and I had been praying for an opportunity to share the Gospel with him, I asked God to see where He would take this conversation, and I asked my boss, what he thought happened to someone after they died. At first, he just shugged his shoulders, and put his palms up, as if to say, I don't know, your guess is as good as mine. Subsequently, he being an (assumed) Hindu, told me about how he believed that you would be graded at the end of this life, and you would come back as another life form based on how well you did.
After he finished, I had the opportunity, in a testimonial fashion to explain the fact that we'd all have to stand before our Creator, and give an account of everything we'd done, said or even thought during this lifetime. Then I shared how I found myself to be a liar, thief, blasphemer and parent dishonorer, and I'd be in big trouble on Judgement Day. But the Good News was that God became a man in Jesus Christ, not only to live a perfectly innocent life in my place, but also to pay the penalty for my sins by dying on the cross.
My boss wasn't buying it, but I did get the honor of sharing the Gospel with him.
God bless...
Monday, April 14, 2008
Overwhelmed and Overjoyed
Saturday, April 12, 2008 was a day to remember. Actually, there was a sense of Deja vu. Ron and I went to Quest (Seattle Seahawk) Stadium to the "Seeds of Compassion" event featuring the Dali Lama. The Deja vu part was that this event seemed to be right out of any number of "End Times", type of Christian movies, where throngs of people go to see and worship the Anti-Christ. Not that the Dali Lama is the Anti-Christ, but he and his religion is certainly anti-christian.
As we arrived in the (I believe) the North parking lot, we saw literally thousands of people lined up, walking toward the entrance. I was kind of overwhelmed at the number of people going into this event. I wish I had enough boldness to open-air to the people in line.
We handed out, oh about five or six hundred tracts, and enjoyed the whole time. We got into a couple of one-on-one conversations and we were very encouraged. We also met a few other WayOfTheMaster evangelists handing out tracts and street preaching.
We handed tracts to people ranging from Buddists, to Hindus, to "so-called Christians", to Witches, to hippies, and many other types of people in between.
God bless...
As we arrived in the (I believe) the North parking lot, we saw literally thousands of people lined up, walking toward the entrance. I was kind of overwhelmed at the number of people going into this event. I wish I had enough boldness to open-air to the people in line.
We handed out, oh about five or six hundred tracts, and enjoyed the whole time. We got into a couple of one-on-one conversations and we were very encouraged. We also met a few other WayOfTheMaster evangelists handing out tracts and street preaching.
We handed tracts to people ranging from Buddists, to Hindus, to "so-called Christians", to Witches, to hippies, and many other types of people in between.
God bless...
Thursday, March 27, 2008
A Little Too Late
Last Friday morning, (Good Friday) I had the day off from work. I had to take my sons to school though; therein was the problem. They had agreed to get up and out the door early, but that didn't go as well as planned.
I got to the AM/PM near Cascade High School at around 7:20am. There was a group of about six kids cloistered between two shipping containers, smoking and talking, so I approached them and started handing out Million Dollar Bills. They were all excited and I heard them say wow, can I spend this. I said, no, don't spend it.
The LORD opened an opportunity to begin talking with them, I asked, what do you guys thing happens after we die. They said, you go to heaven and hell. I said where do you think you'll go when you die. Heaven, they answered. I asked, does everyone go to heaven. Yes, they answered. Even murderers and rapists, I asked. Yes, they answered.
Then I turned the conversion toward them, and made it more personal. I focused in on one guy, and asked him if he considered himself to be a good person, good enough to go to heaven. Sure he answered. I asked him if he had ever lied. He admitted yes. I asked him if he had ever stolen anything. He denied ever having stolen anything. I said, should I believe you, you just admitted you're a liar. He emphatically said, no, I've never taken anything. I asked him if he's ever downloaded music he didn't pay for. His head dropped, and he said yeah. So he admitted to being a thief. Lastly, I asked him if he'd ever used the LORD's name in vain. He admitted to that. I expained that was called blasphemy, and that the LORD would not hold him guiltless, whoever uses His name in vain.
I asked him if he thought he would be innocent or guilty, when he died and stood before God on judgement day. He admitted guilt. I asked him if he thought he'd go to heaven or hell. He said heaven. I asked why. Some girl in the background said, what if you ask God for forgiveness. Right then, another girl in the group looked at the clock on her cell phone and said, we have four minutes. I asked if they had to go, she said yes. I said, get going then, I don't want you guys to be late for school. As they left, I said don't forget to read the message.
That was a blessing to be able to witness of the law and conviction to them. I pray that they will be convicted to the point to where they reach out to God for mercy, and come to know the LORD Jesus Christ.
God bless...
I got to the AM/PM near Cascade High School at around 7:20am. There was a group of about six kids cloistered between two shipping containers, smoking and talking, so I approached them and started handing out Million Dollar Bills. They were all excited and I heard them say wow, can I spend this. I said, no, don't spend it.
The LORD opened an opportunity to begin talking with them, I asked, what do you guys thing happens after we die. They said, you go to heaven and hell. I said where do you think you'll go when you die. Heaven, they answered. I asked, does everyone go to heaven. Yes, they answered. Even murderers and rapists, I asked. Yes, they answered.
Then I turned the conversion toward them, and made it more personal. I focused in on one guy, and asked him if he considered himself to be a good person, good enough to go to heaven. Sure he answered. I asked him if he had ever lied. He admitted yes. I asked him if he had ever stolen anything. He denied ever having stolen anything. I said, should I believe you, you just admitted you're a liar. He emphatically said, no, I've never taken anything. I asked him if he's ever downloaded music he didn't pay for. His head dropped, and he said yeah. So he admitted to being a thief. Lastly, I asked him if he'd ever used the LORD's name in vain. He admitted to that. I expained that was called blasphemy, and that the LORD would not hold him guiltless, whoever uses His name in vain.
I asked him if he thought he would be innocent or guilty, when he died and stood before God on judgement day. He admitted guilt. I asked him if he thought he'd go to heaven or hell. He said heaven. I asked why. Some girl in the background said, what if you ask God for forgiveness. Right then, another girl in the group looked at the clock on her cell phone and said, we have four minutes. I asked if they had to go, she said yes. I said, get going then, I don't want you guys to be late for school. As they left, I said don't forget to read the message.
That was a blessing to be able to witness of the law and conviction to them. I pray that they will be convicted to the point to where they reach out to God for mercy, and come to know the LORD Jesus Christ.
God bless...
Wednesday, February 06, 2008
Directly From KHouse dot Org
This is so important, I'm copying and pasting it out of the KHouse Newsletter from 2/6/2008
THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT
The Sermon on the Mount is the manifesto of our King and the platform of the Prince of Peace. And it's the Law! It goes vastly beyond the Law of Moses. It is the Ten Commandments amplified and expanded. It raises the Law to the nth degree. As the Law of the Kingdom, it is the highest ethical teaching in the Bible. It will be the Law of this world during the Millennium, and then it will find full fruition. Christ will reign on earth in person and will enforce every word of it. The Sermon on the Mount will finally prevail when He whose right it is to rule shall come.
The Sermon on the Mount is the longest discourse recorded in Scripture and it was addressed to believers! (This would be a source of condemnation to the unsaved.) Don't let the familiarity of this passage lure you into thinking that you have mastered it; it is tough ground and one of the most misunderstood portions of Scripture.
The Beatitudes
The word beatitude is not found in your Bible. It simply means "blessing" and comes from the Latin word for "blessed." Note that these verses deal with attitudes - what we think in our hearts, and our outlook on life. "Beatitudes" are the attitudes that ought to be in our lives if we are true Christians. These first 16 verses of Matthew 5 describe the true Christian and deal with character. The rest of the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5, 6, and 7) deals with the conduct that grows out of character. Character always comes before conduct, because what we are determines what we do. There is a definite progression in these verses. They show how the person begins with his or her own sense of sin and finally becomes a child of God and the results that then follow:
"Poor in spirit" (v. 3): This is our attitude toward ourselves, in which we feel our need and admit it.
"Mourn" (v. 4): This is our attitude toward sin, a true sorrow for sin.
"Meek" (v. 5): This is our attitude toward others; we are teachable; we do not defend ourselves when we are wrong.
"Hunger and thirst" (v. 6): Here, our attitude toward God is expressed; we receive His righteousness by faith because we ask for it.
"Merciful" (v. 7): We have a forgiving spirit and love others.
"Pure in heart" (v. 8): We keep our lives and motives clean. Holiness is happiness to us - there are no substitutes.
"Peacemakers" (v. 9): We should bring peace, between people and God, and between those who are at odds with each other.
"Persecuted" (v. 10): All who live godly lives will suffer persecution.
It's interesting that there are eight beatitudes listed; the number eight in Scripture usually represents a new beginning. (The unwritten 9th Beatitude: "Blessed are the flexible, for they will not be broken.") The rest of the Sermon on the Mount shows the results of the new life in the believer:
Salt of the Earth
Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? It is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men. - Matthew 5:13
Salt was used as a preservative; it preserves materials from corruption. Salt also creates thirst and introduces flavor. Salt speaks of inward character that influences a decaying world. Our task is to keep our lives pure that we might ''salt'' this earth and hold back corruption so that the Gospel can get out.
Light of the World
Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid...Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven. - Matthew 5:14, 16
Light speaks of the outward testimony of good works that points to God. Our good works must accompany our dedicated lives as we let our lights shine.
The Higher Righteousness
Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven... For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven. - Matthew 5:19a, 20
What a blow to the Jew! He knew the extremes that the professional Law-keepers resorted to! What was to become of them? This is the key point of the passage. You cannot break the commandments and get away with it. But you cannot keep them in your own strength either. The only way you can keep them is to come to Jesus Christ for salvation, power, and strength. The commandments are not a way of salvation but a means to show you the way to salvation - through the acceptance of the work of Jesus Christ.
Pharisaical Error
The scribes and Pharisees were not insincere: they tried to adhere to the keeping of the Law. Although misguided, they were zealous and sincere. Anyone that tries to reconcile himself to God by his works, his rules, or his legalism is pharisaical. Is there any other way to heaven other than by Jesus Christ? If there is, Jesus' own prayers were not answered - in Gethsemane, Jesus pleaded with the Father three times for an alternative.
Which "Commandments"?
What are "these commandments" being referred to in Matthew 5:19? The ones we find in the remainder of Matthew 5 and continuing in Chapters 6 and 7. Jesus will emphasize "my words" (Cf. Mt 7:24-27). His call was to obedience (Jn 14:15, 21, 23; 1 Jn 5:3). Does the Christian need to "keep the Law"? The fact of the matter is that the Law is still a standard: it reveals to me that I cannot measure up to God's standard. This drives me to the cross of Christ. The only way I can fulfill the Law is by accepting the only One who could fulfill it - Jesus Christ.
Jesus Fulfilled the Law
Jesus became our sacrifice and shed His own sinless blood on our behalf. He offered Himself once for all for the sins of all mankind (Hebrews 7:27, 9:12, 26, 28, 10:10, 1 Peter 3:18). Everything was fulfilled just before Jesus’ death on the cross when He uttered His last words: "It is finished!" (John 19:30) tetelestai = "paid in full." The second way He fulfilled the Law is that He taught and commanded what God’s will is under the New Covenant for those who would enter the Kingdom of God. He gave us a new set of rules. Paul called those rules Christ’s Law. Some of those were the same as God gave in the Old Testament Law. Many were changed, but most of Old Testament Law was not included at all in Christ’s Law. "For Christ is the end of the Law for righteousness to every one that believeth (Rom 10:4)." New Testament believers are not under the Law; Jesus abolished the Law through His sacrifice on the cross.
The Purpose of the Law
"Through the Law we become conscious of sin." (Rom 3:20)
"The Law was added so that the trespass might increase." (Rom 5:20)
"It was added because of transgressions until the Seed [the Lord Jesus Christ] to whom the promise referred had come." (Gal 3:19)
"So the law was put in charge to lead us to Christ that we might be justified by faith." (Gal 3:24)
"Now that faith has come, we are no longer under the supervision of the Law." (Gal 3:25)
Paul was the writer who most discussed the question of the Old Testament Law and its applicability to the New Testament Christian. He was in a unique position to do so, having been a Pharisee who had been taught by Gamaliel (Acts 22:3), an esteemed teacher of the Law. The Law said, ''You shalt not kill [murder]'' (Ex 20:13); but Jesus said, ''Don’t be angry with others.'' Anger is like murder in the heart and it can lead to evil words and actual murder. And while actual adultery is far worse than inward lustful fantasies, the inner desires can quickly lead to this forbidden sin (Ex 20:14). We must deal ruthlessly with ourselves and not encourage the imagination to ''feed on'' these sins. The eyes and the hands (seeing and touching) must be kept under control.
Religious Practice
In Matthew Chapter 5, the King speaks of the righteousness His subjects must possess. It must be a righteousness to exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, and that comes only through trust in Christ. Matthew Chapter 6 deals with the external part of religion: the righteousness that the subjects of the kingdom are to practice. The internal motive, of course, is the important thing in what you do for God. Chapter 7 deals with judging others, prayer, and the "Golden Rule."
The Law of Christ
Jesus did not set aside the Law of Moses, He fulfilled it! He takes the Law of Moses, interprets it in the extreme, and in an absolute sense. And then He absolutely fulfills it! Remember that your salvation does not accrue because of your ability to fulfill Matthew 5, 6, and 7, but because Jesus did - and you can appropriate His achievement to your benefit. Do it now, in the privacy of your own will.
THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT
The Sermon on the Mount is the manifesto of our King and the platform of the Prince of Peace. And it's the Law! It goes vastly beyond the Law of Moses. It is the Ten Commandments amplified and expanded. It raises the Law to the nth degree. As the Law of the Kingdom, it is the highest ethical teaching in the Bible. It will be the Law of this world during the Millennium, and then it will find full fruition. Christ will reign on earth in person and will enforce every word of it. The Sermon on the Mount will finally prevail when He whose right it is to rule shall come.
The Sermon on the Mount is the longest discourse recorded in Scripture and it was addressed to believers! (This would be a source of condemnation to the unsaved.) Don't let the familiarity of this passage lure you into thinking that you have mastered it; it is tough ground and one of the most misunderstood portions of Scripture.
The Beatitudes
The word beatitude is not found in your Bible. It simply means "blessing" and comes from the Latin word for "blessed." Note that these verses deal with attitudes - what we think in our hearts, and our outlook on life. "Beatitudes" are the attitudes that ought to be in our lives if we are true Christians. These first 16 verses of Matthew 5 describe the true Christian and deal with character. The rest of the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5, 6, and 7) deals with the conduct that grows out of character. Character always comes before conduct, because what we are determines what we do. There is a definite progression in these verses. They show how the person begins with his or her own sense of sin and finally becomes a child of God and the results that then follow:
"Poor in spirit" (v. 3): This is our attitude toward ourselves, in which we feel our need and admit it.
"Mourn" (v. 4): This is our attitude toward sin, a true sorrow for sin.
"Meek" (v. 5): This is our attitude toward others; we are teachable; we do not defend ourselves when we are wrong.
"Hunger and thirst" (v. 6): Here, our attitude toward God is expressed; we receive His righteousness by faith because we ask for it.
"Merciful" (v. 7): We have a forgiving spirit and love others.
"Pure in heart" (v. 8): We keep our lives and motives clean. Holiness is happiness to us - there are no substitutes.
"Peacemakers" (v. 9): We should bring peace, between people and God, and between those who are at odds with each other.
"Persecuted" (v. 10): All who live godly lives will suffer persecution.
It's interesting that there are eight beatitudes listed; the number eight in Scripture usually represents a new beginning. (The unwritten 9th Beatitude: "Blessed are the flexible, for they will not be broken.") The rest of the Sermon on the Mount shows the results of the new life in the believer:
Salt of the Earth
Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? It is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men. - Matthew 5:13
Salt was used as a preservative; it preserves materials from corruption. Salt also creates thirst and introduces flavor. Salt speaks of inward character that influences a decaying world. Our task is to keep our lives pure that we might ''salt'' this earth and hold back corruption so that the Gospel can get out.
Light of the World
Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid...Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven. - Matthew 5:14, 16
Light speaks of the outward testimony of good works that points to God. Our good works must accompany our dedicated lives as we let our lights shine.
The Higher Righteousness
Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven... For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven. - Matthew 5:19a, 20
What a blow to the Jew! He knew the extremes that the professional Law-keepers resorted to! What was to become of them? This is the key point of the passage. You cannot break the commandments and get away with it. But you cannot keep them in your own strength either. The only way you can keep them is to come to Jesus Christ for salvation, power, and strength. The commandments are not a way of salvation but a means to show you the way to salvation - through the acceptance of the work of Jesus Christ.
Pharisaical Error
The scribes and Pharisees were not insincere: they tried to adhere to the keeping of the Law. Although misguided, they were zealous and sincere. Anyone that tries to reconcile himself to God by his works, his rules, or his legalism is pharisaical. Is there any other way to heaven other than by Jesus Christ? If there is, Jesus' own prayers were not answered - in Gethsemane, Jesus pleaded with the Father three times for an alternative.
Which "Commandments"?
What are "these commandments" being referred to in Matthew 5:19? The ones we find in the remainder of Matthew 5 and continuing in Chapters 6 and 7. Jesus will emphasize "my words" (Cf. Mt 7:24-27). His call was to obedience (Jn 14:15, 21, 23; 1 Jn 5:3). Does the Christian need to "keep the Law"? The fact of the matter is that the Law is still a standard: it reveals to me that I cannot measure up to God's standard. This drives me to the cross of Christ. The only way I can fulfill the Law is by accepting the only One who could fulfill it - Jesus Christ.
Jesus Fulfilled the Law
Jesus became our sacrifice and shed His own sinless blood on our behalf. He offered Himself once for all for the sins of all mankind (Hebrews 7:27, 9:12, 26, 28, 10:10, 1 Peter 3:18). Everything was fulfilled just before Jesus’ death on the cross when He uttered His last words: "It is finished!" (John 19:30) tetelestai = "paid in full." The second way He fulfilled the Law is that He taught and commanded what God’s will is under the New Covenant for those who would enter the Kingdom of God. He gave us a new set of rules. Paul called those rules Christ’s Law. Some of those were the same as God gave in the Old Testament Law. Many were changed, but most of Old Testament Law was not included at all in Christ’s Law. "For Christ is the end of the Law for righteousness to every one that believeth (Rom 10:4)." New Testament believers are not under the Law; Jesus abolished the Law through His sacrifice on the cross.
The Purpose of the Law
"Through the Law we become conscious of sin." (Rom 3:20)
"The Law was added so that the trespass might increase." (Rom 5:20)
"It was added because of transgressions until the Seed [the Lord Jesus Christ] to whom the promise referred had come." (Gal 3:19)
"So the law was put in charge to lead us to Christ that we might be justified by faith." (Gal 3:24)
"Now that faith has come, we are no longer under the supervision of the Law." (Gal 3:25)
Paul was the writer who most discussed the question of the Old Testament Law and its applicability to the New Testament Christian. He was in a unique position to do so, having been a Pharisee who had been taught by Gamaliel (Acts 22:3), an esteemed teacher of the Law. The Law said, ''You shalt not kill [murder]'' (Ex 20:13); but Jesus said, ''Don’t be angry with others.'' Anger is like murder in the heart and it can lead to evil words and actual murder. And while actual adultery is far worse than inward lustful fantasies, the inner desires can quickly lead to this forbidden sin (Ex 20:14). We must deal ruthlessly with ourselves and not encourage the imagination to ''feed on'' these sins. The eyes and the hands (seeing and touching) must be kept under control.
Religious Practice
In Matthew Chapter 5, the King speaks of the righteousness His subjects must possess. It must be a righteousness to exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, and that comes only through trust in Christ. Matthew Chapter 6 deals with the external part of religion: the righteousness that the subjects of the kingdom are to practice. The internal motive, of course, is the important thing in what you do for God. Chapter 7 deals with judging others, prayer, and the "Golden Rule."
The Law of Christ
Jesus did not set aside the Law of Moses, He fulfilled it! He takes the Law of Moses, interprets it in the extreme, and in an absolute sense. And then He absolutely fulfills it! Remember that your salvation does not accrue because of your ability to fulfill Matthew 5, 6, and 7, but because Jesus did - and you can appropriate His achievement to your benefit. Do it now, in the privacy of your own will.
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Five Guys in the Car
As noted before, we live on a corner lot, at the top of a hill. The street that goes down the hill has a green-belt trailhead where people love to congregate and sit in their cars and do all sorts of things, like socialize, eat, drink, and smoke. This past Saturday afternoon was one of those times where a group of guys were sitting in their car on this street, smoking and talking. I had to really work on my nerve to get myself to go out there to speak with them. I put on my jacket, grabbed a stack of Million Dollar Bills and prayed a quick prayer as I walked down toward the car. There were five guys in the car, and they were early high school aged and they were smoking cigarettes.
The guys gladly accepted the million dollar bills and without hesitation entered into a conversation with me. They asked, what the million dollar bills were, I told them they were Gospel tracts. I asked if they had heard the Gospel, they said they hadn't. I explained that "Gospel" was just Bible talk for "Good News." But before I could give them the Good News, I'd have to give them the Bad News first. They said okay. I said the Bad News is that we all have to die someday. And I asked them what they thought happened to someone when they died. There were a variety of answers, but one guy said, "I guess the whole heaven and hell things play a part." I said, do you guys think you'll go to heaven when you die, what do you think someone has to do to go to heaven? Do you guys consider yourselves to be good people. Then the driver had an interesting response, he said something like, "I'm probably not what you (or the Bible) would consider a good person."
As I began to go through a few of the Ten Commandments with them, one of the guys in the back seat got a phone call, but I went through them as quickly as possible. They agreed they had lied, (they denied ever stealing anything), and contested that looking with lust was equal with adultery. The driver asked something like, "how can you be guilty just by thinking something, its not the same as doing it." And I told him that our own judicial system had the same idea, where a person can be convicted of "Conspiricy to commit murder" without having done the actual crime.
They admitted that when they stand before God on Judgement Day that they'd be guilty and that they would probably deserve Hell. I tried to explain to them that Hell was a reasonable punishment for committing sins against a Holy and Righteous, Eternal God. At that point, the guy in the back starts complaining that he had to go so I very quickly gave them the Gospel, that even though they deserved Hell, God did something for them so they wouldn't have to go there. God became a man in Jesus Christ and died on the cross to take the punishment that they deserved. In other words Jesus paid their fine. At that they said they had to leave and drove off.
I did say to Dillon, "Talk to me again sometime." and he shook his head and said yes, he would.
God bless...
The guys gladly accepted the million dollar bills and without hesitation entered into a conversation with me. They asked, what the million dollar bills were, I told them they were Gospel tracts. I asked if they had heard the Gospel, they said they hadn't. I explained that "Gospel" was just Bible talk for "Good News." But before I could give them the Good News, I'd have to give them the Bad News first. They said okay. I said the Bad News is that we all have to die someday. And I asked them what they thought happened to someone when they died. There were a variety of answers, but one guy said, "I guess the whole heaven and hell things play a part." I said, do you guys think you'll go to heaven when you die, what do you think someone has to do to go to heaven? Do you guys consider yourselves to be good people. Then the driver had an interesting response, he said something like, "I'm probably not what you (or the Bible) would consider a good person."
As I began to go through a few of the Ten Commandments with them, one of the guys in the back seat got a phone call, but I went through them as quickly as possible. They agreed they had lied, (they denied ever stealing anything), and contested that looking with lust was equal with adultery. The driver asked something like, "how can you be guilty just by thinking something, its not the same as doing it." And I told him that our own judicial system had the same idea, where a person can be convicted of "Conspiricy to commit murder" without having done the actual crime.
They admitted that when they stand before God on Judgement Day that they'd be guilty and that they would probably deserve Hell. I tried to explain to them that Hell was a reasonable punishment for committing sins against a Holy and Righteous, Eternal God. At that point, the guy in the back starts complaining that he had to go so I very quickly gave them the Gospel, that even though they deserved Hell, God did something for them so they wouldn't have to go there. God became a man in Jesus Christ and died on the cross to take the punishment that they deserved. In other words Jesus paid their fine. At that they said they had to leave and drove off.
I did say to Dillon, "Talk to me again sometime." and he shook his head and said yes, he would.
God bless...
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