the easy way and heaven’s king

Posted on June 28, 2011 by Jefferson Vann

Matthew 7 13 Matthew 7:13-29.  Jesus concludes his instructions to his disciples in his sermon on the mount with four figures of speech – all having to do with the dangers of counterfeit Christianity.

 

  1. He talks about two ways of trying to enter the kingdom: the hard way and the easy way.  The gate to the hard way is narrow, so people are less likely to choose it.  The gate to the easy way is wide.  It is very popular.  He warns that only those who enter through the narrow gate will find life on the other side.  Those who look for the easy way in will find destruction. Eternal life is not something everyone is born with. It is conditional, the result of the right choice (13-14).
  2. Leaders of the easy way are false prophets, but they look genuine.  They prophesy and exorcise demons and do mighty works in Jesus’ name, and call him their lord.  Jesus does not know them, and he didn’t send them, but they will be here claiming to do his will all the same.  Inside they are wolves, not sheep (15, 21-23).
  3. Jesus warns his disciples to be on the lookout for those leaders of the easy way.  He says they will look like any other tree of the orchard, but the fruit they bear will be bad.  That is how they can be recognized. The promoters of the easy way will end in destruction – by fire (16-20).
  4. People who take the easy way are like the foolish man who builds his house on the sand – with no solid foundation.  It is only a matter of time in a world of rain, floods and winds that such shoddy workmanship will be revealed.  Those wise enough to prepare for entrance through the narrow gate will build a solid foundation.  They will hear the king’s words and do them (24-27).

LORD,  we choose the hard way, the less popular way.  Help us to avoid the false prophets and stay true to your word.  Make us the genuine article.

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others and heaven’s king

Posted on June 27, 2011 by Jefferson Vann

Matthew 7 12 Matthew 7:1-12.  The theme that ties together the varied instructions in this section of the sermon on the mount is others. 

  1. The disciples will be tempted to look around at others and see their need for correction.  Jesus warns them not to do that because there will be plenty of logs in their own eyes to deal with first  (1-5).
  2. Besides, unless a person is called into the kingdom by God’s grace all their words of judgment will be like holy things thrown to the dogs, or pearls before pigs.  Outsiders do not have the capacity to appreciate the things of God’s kingdom, especially correction unto righteousness (6).
  3. The disciples would also be tempted to look around at others to provide for their needs.  Jesus tells them that they have a heavenly Father who can do that.  He is ready and willing to give to everyone who asks him, to lead everyone who seeks direction from him, and to open to whomever knocks on his door.  we do not have to depend upon others.  That is what we have a Father for (7-11).
  4. The disciples’ relationship with others is summed up in this statement: “whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them” (12).  If you appreciate grace, give them grace.  If you want mercy from them, give them mercy.  If you would like them to love you, love them.  The reason this rule is so golden is that it sets us free to love others as God does.  It helps us express our faith, so that others can see our God at work.

LORD, as we seek your kingdom for ourselves, help us to love others, so that they will want your kingdom too.

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trusting heaven’s king

Posted on June 26, 2011 by Jefferson Vann

Matthew 6 33 Matthew 6:25-34.  This section of our Lord’s sermon on the mount resonates with God’s heart as revealed in the Old Testament.  Jesus pleads with his disciples not to make the mistake that Israel did under the Mosaic covenant.  The LORD promised the peace and wholeness and blessing if they simply followed the covenant they agreed to follow, seeking God’s kingdom and righteousness.  But Israel looked around in fear at all their enemies, and sought a little extra insurance by appealing to the gods of the surrounding nations.  They thought that two masters would be preferable to one (24). 

Jesus pleads with his disciples not to make the same mistake.  He warns them not to let anxiety steal the most important things in the world: their relationship with God and what he can do in their lives.

  1. Life is more than things (like food and clothing) that people are tempted to worry about (25).
  2. The birds do not worry, and our Father takes care of them.  People are even more valuable to him than those birds (26).
  3. Worry does not accomplish anything positive.  It cannot add a single hour to one’s life (27).
  4. The flowers and grass do not worry, and God clothes them with a glory surpassing that of king Solomon.  People are even more important, since they are not temporary like the flora. They have the potential to be raised to eternal life (28-30).
  5. The Gentiles spend their time worrying about stupid things like food and clothing, because they don’t know any better (31-32).

Jesus had commanded his disciples to pray about the needs of one day: today (11).  The minute a believer gets his mind off today and starts worrying about tomorrow, he has stopped seeking God’s kingdom and righteousness.  He has stopped trusting in his heavenly Father.

LORD, we want to seek your kingdom and righteousness today, and trust you to take care of our needs today and tomorrow.

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treasures and heaven’s king

Posted on June 25, 2011 by Jefferson Vann

Matthew 6 20 Matthew 6:19-24.  Jesus did not oppose his disciples having personal possessions, but he did warn them not to lay up treasures on earth.  He wants to prevent his followers from being possessed by their possessions.  There are three very practical reasons why our master steers us away from the pursuit of personal wealth.

  1. All personal wealth is temporary.  If the moths and rust do not get to it, the thieves (or the government) will.  Treasures laid up in heaven are as permanent as God is  (19-21).
  2. Pursuit of personal wealth turns your light into darkness.  Your eye is the lamp of your life.  If it focuses on your stuff, then all that stuff will block the light.  If your light does not shine, then people who need the Father will not find him (22-23; cf. 5:14-16).
  3. Pursuit of personal wealth prevents you from serving God.  You may join a church, and call yourself a Christian, but your daily decisions are based on your loyalty to your real master.  the word translated money here is mammon, an old Semitic word that can be rendered “what you trust in.”   In the end, we serve what we trust in.  Jesus warns his disciples that trusting in a closet full of treasures is a stupid thing to do.

LORD, give us the wisdom to make wise decisions about money and personal possessions.  May they never rule over us.  May they never come between us and our devotion to you, or our witness.

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religion and heaven’s king

Posted on June 24, 2011 by Jefferson Vann

Matthew 6 1 Matthew 6:1-18.  Jesus did not oppose practicing acts of religious piety, but he warned his disciples not to practice them to gain a present “reward” (1,2,4,5,6,16,18).  There will be rewards in the future, but disciples should focus their attention on representing heaven’s kingdom on earth by doing God’s will (10).  This will bring glory to the Father (5:16).

  1. Giving to the needy expresses the love that our Father has for them.  By doing it in secret, disciples of Christ reflect the praise back on God himself (who prompted it) and not themselves.  He gets the glory.  Rewards follow in the Father’s timing (1-4).
  2. Praying for daily needs expresses submission and dependence upon our Father.  By doing it in secret, disciples of Christ ensure that their audience is God alone, and that their words are not wasted.  By not heaping empty phrases they show sincerity.  By keeping their prayers focused on God’s will they avoid selfishness. By reflecting God’s grace through forgiving others they demonstrate that God is just in forgiving them (5-14).
  3. Fasting for special needs expresses a strong desire that God’s will prevails in times of crisis or critical decisions.  By doing so in secret disciples ensure that fasting remains about God and his will, not their own.

There are countless things that believers do that potentially draw attention to ourselves.  We are commanded to be salt and light (5:13-16) and there is no way we can obey that command and keep our devotion to Christ a secret.  But these three acts of religious piety are singled out.  These have the greatest chance of backfiring and becoming about us, instead of about him.

LORD, when others depend on us to meet their needs, help us to reflect the glory back to you.  When we seek your face for our needs, help us to do so with integrity.

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the scriptures and heaven’s king

Posted on June 23, 2011 by Jefferson Vann

Matthew 5 48 Matthew 5:17-48.  Jesus taught his disciples to have a different attitude toward the Law and the Prophets (that is, the Old Testament scriptures)  (17).  He particularly warned them not to follow the path established by the scribes and Pharisees (20).  What was the sin of these religious experts that kept them from the promise of entering Christ’s coming kingdom?  They reduced the teachings of scripture to certain bite-sized chunks:

  1. “you shall not murder” (21),
  2. “you shall not commit adultery” (22),
  3. “whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce” (31),
  4. “you shall not swear falsely” (33),
  5. “an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth” (38),
  6. “you shall love your neighbor, and hate your enemy” (43).

They established these commands as the limits that the Law required, and so as long as someone did not go beyond those limits he was deemed safe.  Jesus taught his disciples that this view of the scriptures is backward.  Kingdom living is not a matter of establishing the limits to our sinfulness.  It is a life that is constantly going beyond the limits of what is expected.  It is…

  1. reconciling with anyone who you are angry with (21-26),
  2. tearing out your eye to prevent lust (27-30),
  3. staying faithful to your spouse (31-32),
  4. being true to your word so that an oath is not necessary (33-37),
  5. going the extra mile instead of retaliating evil (38-42),
  6. loving your enemies (43-47).

Kingdom living is being perfect because your heavenly Father is perfect (48).  He has promised you sonship by his grace.  

LORD, teach us to love like you love.  Teach us to live in your limitless perfection.

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promises from heaven’s king

Posted on June 22, 2011 by Jefferson Vann

Matthew 5 3 Matthew 5:1-16.  Christ’s message and ministry brought light to a dark land.  He now challenges his disciples to live up to that message by being salt and light so that others may see their good works.  What is the payoff?  They will mourn, be persecuted, betrayed and falsely accused by their brothers.  Why would anyone want to take up such a challenge?  The only reward they can be assured of in the present  is that their works will bring glory to their Father in heaven (16). 

The ultimate rewards are all in the future.

  1. the kingdom from heaven (3,10),
  2. comfort (4),
  3. inheriting the planet (5),
  4. righteousness (6),
  5. mercy (7),
  6. seeing God (8),
  7. being called the sons of God (9),
  8. great reward (12).

Jesus’ sermon on the mount must not be read as if he is a Rabbi passing out commandments to kingdom wannabes.  He does not tell his disciples that they must do x, y, and z if they ever want to become kingdom citizens.  He starts with grace.  He tells them that they are salt and light already (13-14).  He challenges them to live up to who they are by God’s grace.  He promises them a future that will make up for all they have to suffer between the promises now, and the fulfillment then.

LORD, we accept who we are because of your grace. we accept citizenship in your kingdom.  We trust you to make us who we should be.  We trust you to keep your promises.  We hunger and thirst for your righteousness.

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light from heaven’s king

Posted on June 21, 2011 by Jefferson Vann

Matthew 4 16 Matthew 4:12-25.  Jesus moved from his home town of Nazareth to the great city of Capernaum.  From there he launched his year-long great Galilean ministry.  The region had a reputation of spiritual darkness and physical danger.  It was the perfect location from which to proclaim the message because the need was so evident there.

  1. Jesus’ message was exactly the same as that of John the Baptist (3:2; 4:17).  Evidence of the need for repentance was all around them.  They were far away from the bastions of hypocrisy and political power.  Here there was only fear and need.  He would have an audience here (12-17).
  2. Jesus’ chosen disciples were not people of standing or influence.  They were fishermen.  The only strong point on their resumes was that they were learning how to do something.  This was the kind of student that Jesus wanted.  He wanted people willing to learn how to do what he was doing.  He could make them fishers of men (18-22).
  3. Once news got out that Jesus was preaching the same message that John did AND he was backing up that message with demonstrations of God’s healing power – they came.  People came from everywhere.  The darkness came to the light.  Jesus was preparing to go into some of those other regions, and to send disciples there with his message.  But first, he will send some locals who had been healed or delivered from demonic bondage to prepare the way (23-25).

LORD, bring the light of your gospel message to our land.  The need is great here.  Teach us, so that we might reach others.  Empower us so that people might be drawn to you.

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testing heaven’s king

Posted on June 20, 2011 by Jefferson Vann

Matthew 4 7 Matthew 4:1-11.  Jesus responded rightly to each of the devil’s temptations in this narrative.  He used the word of God to combat the challenges the tempter brought to him.  Yet it is equally clear that there are fundamental flaws in the challenges themselves.  Sometimes our prayers sound more like Satan’s temptations.

 

  1. “Lord, I need something, and I am looking for your miraculous provision.  Give me this one thing and I will know that you are the Son of God”  (3-4).
  2. “Lord, I have placed myself in this dangerous position because I just know that you are going to miraculously rescue me. I claim your promises from Psalm 91!”  (5-7).
  3. “Lord, I have given up something for you, so I know you are going to give me what I want”  (8-10).

When our prayer lives amount to nothing more than testing the LORD to see how much he is willing to do for us, we have missed the point of coming to him.  Prayer is not about putting the Lord to the test.  It is learning to live on every word that comes from his mouth as if it were our daily bread.  It is taking our eyes off our own desires and needs, and worshipping and serving him alone.

LORD, teach us to pray in such a way that we do not imitate the tempter.  May we learn to come to you for your sake, not our own.

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preparing for heaven’s king

Posted on June 19, 2011 by Jefferson Vann

Matthew 3 3 Matthew 3.  The life of John the Baptist was consumed with one task: preparing Israel for heaven’s king.

  1. His call for repentance was directed not toward the pagan masses, but toward a nation whose heart had forgotten that their God was holy, and they must conform to his holiness.  He is coming to be among them, and they are not ready (1-3).
  2. His life was not consumed with his own needs.  He ate what was available: locusts and wild honey.  He spent his personal time getting his people ready for their Lord (4-6).
  3. Many were deceived into thinking that the Lord’s coming could only mean peace and joy.  John knew that God was coming in wrath.  He condemned the Pharisees and Sadducees because their lives did not live up to their professions of godliness.  They were not ready (7-10).
  4. He knew that the power of the Holy Spirit could not reside in a people whose heart had not repented.  He preached of a Messiah who would judge and destroy his own people, clearing his own threshing floor, burning up the chaff.  The power of the Holy Spirit would only be for those who survived the judgment of unquenchable fire (11-12).
  5. After having met Jesus, John felt unworthy to baptize him. When he did, he saw the visible manifestation of the Holy Spirit descending like a dove, and resting on the king.  He heard the Father’s voice, owning Jesus as his Son.  Ready or not, heaven’s king is here (13-17)!

LORD, may the passion to get our people ready for your presence consume us!

Posted in commitment, destruction in hell, discernment, ethnic Israel, Holy Spirit, Jesus Christ, preparation, second coming | Tagged | 2 Comments