Centered on Christ - Matthew 16 & 17

The introduction to this lesson will automatically become the conclusion of the lesson. This is true because God created each and every one of us with a purpose in his mind for our being. Babies born to unwed parents are not accidents. The adult parents may have made a mistake, but the child that resulted from their mistake is not responsible for their error. No living person is a mistake because we were all created by God…He knew us before we were conceived and he had a purpose in mind for each of us and a major part of that purpose was for us to live a Christ centered life. First and foremost, we were created to love and fellowship with our Maker and to worship him only, having no other Gods before him; therefore, it is not enough to know about him—but we must know him personally. We learn about him through our study of his word; we know him by our faith.

In the opening verses of Matthew chapter 16, and following some of the most convincing miracles that Christ performed, the Pharisees and Sadducees showed their refusal to believe by requesting that Jesus give them a sign from heaven so they too could believe. Knowing that they had no intention of accepting him, he told them that they already had the story of Jonah and no other sign would be given. Jesus then left them and went on his way. The time had come when Christ would shift his emphasis to discipleship training.

He crossed the lake where his disciples became concerned in that they had not taken bread for food. Jesus warned them against the false teaching of the Jewish leaders by telling them that he was not concerned about the bread, but his concern was about the yeast that causes bread to rise. In this case specifically he was concerned about the bad yeast [false teaching] of the Pharisees and Sadducees that spoiled the [bread] message he was bringing. His disciples finally understood the parable of the bad yeast. The thing that bothers me most as an elderly man is that it appears to me that people today are even more willing to accept, believe, follow and even financially support the false witnesses of our day. I pray that God will help me rightly divide the word and never lead one soul astray from the true teachings of Jesus Christ. Study his word—it is truth.

The central theme of our lesson for today begins with Matthew 16:13 where Jesus turns his attention away from the crowds that were following him to his need to make final preparation for his disciples to be ready to take his place at his death. To begin this task he and the disciples left Capernaum and traveled approximately twenty five miles north east into the mountainous region of Caesarea Philippi and away from the crowd that had been following him. Caesarea Philippi was a more secluded area located at the upper end of the Jordan River. It had been known for its many religious associations with the other gods of that day and even had many temples that had been erected for the worship of Baal. It was said to be the birthplace of the nature god, who was called Pan; because they believed that the Jordan originated out of a cave located in the area. Herod the Great had built a huge marble temple at Caesarea Philippi and dedicated it to Caesar as his god.

He went to the area because it was away from the crowds, and because of its religious history of ‘many gods’ it was a perfect setting for him to tell his disciples a final time who he was and why he came to the world—what he came to do—and for sure he wanted them to know how he would accomplish His mission and what his plans were for them and all other followers of Jesus. He wanted to focus specifically on His identity as the True Son of the one and only True God; this was not for him, but for the twelve disciples.

Whether or not you have already read the entire chapter—you must now read verses 13 through 28. The very first question posed to his disciples was; * “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” They named several like John the Baptist, Elijah and other prophets. His next question was “Who do you think I am?” Christ already knew what the people thought…he did not ask the question for his benefit…but he wanted to point out to the disciples that some of them had at times wondered and may have even agreed with the people in their thoughts. The cross and his death were only about six months away, and the time had come when the disciples had to be convinced that he was the Christ…The Son of God—why? They would be his spokesmen from this time forward, and would be responsible for carrying forth His Great Commission of the Church to the rest if the world. *He is referring to himself as the Son of Man.

No wonder that Jesus was worried, do you remember when John was in prison, back in the 11th chapter, he sent messengers back to ask Christ who he really was. His home town had refused to accept his deity since he was the carpenter’s son. He had been accused of being a glutton and drunkard and a servant of the devil, and the disciples had never put forth a strong defense for him—so he had reason to know that to date, they were not 100 percent convinced that he was the true Messiah. Allow me to step aside for a moment and ask each of you how many different languages you can speak. Most will answer, “Only one, English.” A few speak two, and I suppose that the most common second language is Spanish. Don’t be surprised when I tell you that all of the readers of this lesson can speak at least three different languages.

Just a few chapters back Jesus scolded Peter and actually alluded to his dullness when Peter asked Christ to explain one of the simple parables he had used. Actually it is a little surprising to me that now… when they are confronted with The Lord’s most important question to date—“Who do you say that I am?”…Peter seems to be the first of the disciples to fully understand and give the correct answer. It is interesting to me that three of the NT writers agreed that it was Peter, but gave a different version of his answer; with all versions having the same meaning. The word “Messiah” and the word “Christ” are the same word in two languages…Messiah is Hebrew…Christ is Greek and both refer to the Living Son of God. So now—if you have read this paragraph and understood it, you can speak and translate at least three languages, Hebrew, Greek and English.

It is important for each of us to realize that we must personally become acquainted with, knowledgeable about, and willing to accept Christ. The day will come [and it may be soon] when Christ will look you straight in the eyes, call you by name, and ask you—“Who do you say that I am?” and “Who did you tell people that I was?” He already knows the answer…so it is for your benefit that he will ask. If you have never accepted him as Savior, how will you answer? If you have been saved [as by fire] and never told anyone who Christ is, how will you answer the second question?

It does you NO GOOD to know about Jesus Christ; in fact it could become your downfall. The proof of your standing with him is when you can answer his question by saying “I know that you are Jesus Christ, God’s Son, and my personal Savior.” Peter was the first apostle that came to this conclusion. Personally, I wish that the comment made by Christ at this time could have been perfectly clear to everyone in his audience and above all to the disciples that wrote about this incident. This passage [verses 17-19] is one of the most controversial in the NT. Much of the controversy hinges on the word ROCK.

This rock that Jesus would build his church on has been identified by some as; 1. Jesus Christ himself—not his physical body but—the salvation that he provided through his sinless life, his willingness to die for our sins, his horrible death on the cross, his burial that conquered death and resurrection—all of which provides us salvation and a home in heaven. 2. Peter, the first to recognize Christ as deity and the first great leader in the church at Jerusalem. 3. The confession of faith that Peter gave and all the confessions of faith that would ever be given by people who accept Christ as their master.

There is a play on words used in this passage that is not unusual but makes it difficult for us to know exactly what was said and who the pronouns actually were as well as who the rock was. First, let us look at Peter. In the Greek language the word “Peter” is “Petros” spelled with a capitol P indicating a personal name. The word “rock” is “petra” and there is no capitol indicating something or a thing and not a person or city. Add to this confusion Peter’s Aramaic name which is spelled “Kephas” which is also the Aramaic for “rock.” Applying the name “Rock” to a person is not unusual. Abraham was called a rock [petra] by God. God is said to be a rock many times in the bible. One thing for sure is that when it is used it is in a complementary way.

If there is a person out there anywhere that has access to the original manuscript or a copy of it, and you are able to read and translate, I wish you would go to this scripture and see what Christ actually said. Here is what I believe he said. He said, “Wonderful, my dear fisherman, you have finally comprehended just who I am…and you are right. When you were named they called you Petros [a rock] and now, Peter, I agree that you are a rock [petra] among the disciples. The time has come, I must build my church and I will build it upon the foundation of the trinity…the Father, Son and Holy Ghost, and I Jesus Christ will be the chief corner petra [stone or rock ]. I love old Peter and appreciate him so much, but he made too many mistakes to be the foundation of my Church.

Every thing I believe about salvation, every thing that I trust to be flawless, and good for me is CENTERED IN CHRIST. Christ is the foundation of the church where my membership is. The totality of Christ from the day he was born in Bethlehem until this very moment—who he is, what he did, and what he continues to do, makes him the foundation of my church and my belief.

Each individual may not fully understand all of the ramifications of each phase of the Gospel and should not be disturbed in that they do not know and understand everything in the bible. But I believe that each and every person that is saved must first believe the general story that the bible relays to us, so if you do not believe the bible…you have a problem. The story relayed is too long to cover here, but I must give you the major guide-post along your journey to Saving Grace and Eternal Life. Through your faith……

You must believe in God the Father and Creator of everything there is; that sin entered the world and that everyone is a sinner until saved. You must believe that God sent his Son to save lost people; that he was born a virgin; lived and worked to establish his church, died on the cross and shed his blood to save the lost; that he was buried and arose from the grave where he proved himself to be deity and gave the church its commission, and promised to send the Holy Spirit to take his place and then he arose back into heaven.

So, now that you believe these truths, it is a simple matter for any sinner, lost and away from Jesus, to be saved and assured of a life with Christ forever. In fact it is so simple that I often say that is part of the reason why so many remain lost…they simply think that anything that easy can not be valued so highly. But it is! Admit you are a sinner, repent, and ask Jesus to come into your life and live his life through you…You must mean it, believe it, do it and then prove it by obeying him. You must be centered on Jesus Christ and the Cross, because he loved you so much that he died for you! He paid your sin debt!

Practice Genune Purity - Matthew 14 - 16

In the last few verses of chapter thirteen, Jesus had moved back to Nazareth, his home town, where he found it difficult to preach and win people because he was not accepted there. “And He did not do many miracles there because of their lack of faith.” Note: It is impossible for me to cover all the events in the life of Christ that are recorded in chapters 14 and 15, therefore it is imperative that you read them slowly understand how each event fits into his overall plan to march forward to the cross.

As we consider this phenomenon it may appear that his people who knew him well should have had more faith in him for he had lived a sinless life before them and had performed many miracles that proved his abilities. But the fact remains that we are also judged by our heritage and his was a heritage of mediocrity. Every one knew his father was a lowly carpenter that labored for a living. No doubt, many knew the story of his unique birth to a girl that was not married at the time of his conception. Many of the leaders in Nazareth knew his four brothers and all of his sisters by name. It appears very likely to me that out of a family this size there could have been one or more prodigals; in fact, one or more could have gone beyond being reckless, wasteful and extravagant—and could have committed grievous sins.

It never seems fair, but families always suffer when one or more siblings go wrong. Jesus could have been misjudged by something one of his family members did that was not acceptable in the society of the day. His accusers named his family, and then questioned him, asking how anything this powerful, great, and miraculous could come from a brother of this family. They had little or no faith in him. They took offense at him and used it in an attempt to destroy his position as their Messiah. Jesus shrugged them off by saying that “Only in his hometown and in his own house is a prophet without honor.”

John and Jesus had been preaching ‘repentance for sin’ and ‘necessity to practice purity’ for two or more years when John was arrested and thrown into prison. The theme for our study today is “PRACTICE GENUINE PURITY.” Before we go any further it is necessary for us to stop for a moment and examine the definition of the word purity. Webster says that purity is the state of being pure—not much help; so what does ‘pure’ mean and what are the ramifications in regards to Christianity? Any thing or any person that is pure is free of foreign matter, contamination, or corruption. Matthew tells us that Jesus dealt with both circumstances as he taught purity. Pure food and water that is for human consumption should be free from any foreign mater that would contaminate the ingested food or drink. This necessity is to prevent illness or even long-term and dangerous diseases. Sinning against the law and will of God causes corruption of the heart, sole and mind [sin corrupts] and therefore renders sorrow and regret to the sinner and usually it extends on to the members of the immediate family and even to the church and nation.

I suggest that you read again for emphasis the first twelve verses of chapter fourteen. According to Herod, John had two grievous faults that cost him his life. First, he was too popular with the people. Josephus writes [Antiquities of the Jews, 18. 5.2] that John had become very popular with the people; they worshipped him, and would follow his teachings and instructions. Herod was afraid that John would lead an uprising against him that could cost him his kingship for it seemed that the people would do anything John advised. Josephus said that it was Herod’s suspicious jealousy of John which made him kill John; because, he was like every other weak, suspicious and frightened tyrant, could think of no other way of dealing with a possible rival other than killing him. In this scenario, Herod’s IMPURITY was greed and desire for political power.

His second fault was that he preached against sin regardless of who was offended. Herod had a brother, Phillip living in Rome and his wife’s name was Herodias. Earlier in life, Herod had traveled to visit his brother in Rome, fell in love with Herodias, and seduced her to leave Phillip and marry him. John preached against lust, divorce and living in adultery and name Herod and Herodias as an example of the guilty. Herodias had a daughter, probably sixteen to eighteen years of age, and I am not sure but she was probably the daughter of Phillip, her first husband. In my mind’s eye, I can just see this mother and daughter as they discussed the horrible claims that John spoke against the sinful state of their marriage.

Herod was afraid of John because of his wide and powerful influence over the people that heard him preach—and he was probably not going to do anything about it—because he feared that there would be an uprising against him. The truth is that women are even more resentful than men…Herodias had a growing hatred for John and she planned a way to trick Herod into killing John.

At his birthday party, his step-daughter danced for him, did so well and pleased him so much that he promised to give her anything she desired. Matthew says that she was prompted by her mother to demand John’s head on a platter be delivered to Herodias. There was a law or creed that bound Herod to carry out his promise—even though he did not really want to kill John—he was trapped and could not get out of the deal. Extensive reading will tell you that this was the end of both John the Baptist and Herod, because he eventually lost his kingship and was banished to Gaul.

It is vividly obvious that the second IMPURITY in the life of Herod was a combination of lust, selfish desire, infidelity, and even murder. This is a story involving several families that were devastated because Herod did not control the lust in his heart that was for his brother’s wife.

Please remember the subject of our study for today is telling us that we must PRACTICE GENUINE PURITY. Go back now and read again for emphasis the first 20 verses of chapter 15. As I read this scripture it appeared rather difficult for me to fully understand. It seems that the Pharisees and Scribes from Jerusalem were really seeking an answer to a very simple question that had to do with the law. The people must wash their hands but the disciples do not…why? The answer was not so simple. The answer represents the division that stands between the teachings of Christ and the teaching of the ones who were asking the question. At this moment they may not have been seeking to entangle Jesus—but they were soon to become outraged when they discovered that Jesus was really talking about two different views of religion and two different views of the demands of God. The thing that hit them the hardest was that there seemed to be no possibility of any compromise and ultimately one would destroy the other.

It is here and now that Christ got down to the part about what was CLEAN and UNCLEAN…WHAT IS PURITY. They found that he was not talking about physical cleanness although he was not condemning good hygiene of the physical body. Christ told them that if they were clean they could approach God and if unclean God would not be available.

The Jewish opposition to Christ based their ideas of cleanness on what the law taught to be clean and or unclean. The basic laws that they followed are found in the eleventh chapter of Leviticus. We know from the story of the Garden incident that there was one fruit in the garden that God forbid Adam to eat. As far as I know all, or at least most all, other fruit and vegetables were considered clean. It was not so with the animals. Jews do not eat pork or rabbit, and Leviticus indicates that only fish with fins and scales can be eaten. Therefore all food forbidden was considered as unclean and could not be eaten. The point that Jesus tries to make is that it is not what enters the body that causes us to be unclean spiritually.

In the fifteenth verse poor old Peter shows that he was a little slow in learning. Christ actually ask him if he was so dull that he could not see that it had to be the things that man says and does that matters to God. He is emphasizing here that the Jews had thought they were pleasing God with the observing of rules and regulations which had to do with physical cleanness—washing their hands. Jesus tells them that religion in practice is the results of the state of a man’s heart. It is not what goes in the body that tells us what a man is thinking and doing it is what comes out…actions speak even louder than words.

It would be much easier for Baptist to abstain from certain foods and wash our hands [in a certain way] always using lava soap for example, than it is to love the lost and undone, and to help the poor and needy at the cost of our own time and money. I am so happy that our church is mission minded and that we have proof to show it. The paradox is that we must not get too excited about all of the outward observances of things we do well. We must be even more concerned about the things harbored in our hearts. Do we really care about others with a desire to see them prosper? What brings you your greatest pleasure in life? Is it what you are getting or is it the things that you give others?

Jesus was teaching us that all the good things that are observable in others can not atone for a heart where pride, lust, and bitterness are in command. “BLESSED ARE THE PURE IN HEART, FOR THEY SHALL SEE GOD”

What matters to God is not always how we act, but why we act; not so much what we do, but what we wish in our heart that we could do. Men are interested in the deed—while God is more concerned with the intention.

Be Patient With Others - Matthew 13

After thinking about how best to introduce this lesson there seemed to be no way that I could improve on what the author in Life Way wrote in his introduction in “Explore the Bible,” I have heard similar questions and discussions many times and Matthew seems to answer them as well as any of the other books in the NT. The following paragraph quotes Dr. Luther Dorr a retired seminary professor of 20 years at New Orleans Baptist Seminary.

“Why does God allow evil to persist in the world? Why doesn’t He just zap all the evil—and evil people: Surely all the evil that people are doing can’t please God, can it? Why doesn’t God just punish wicked people now and get them out of the way of good people? Most Christians have heard questions similar to these and may have asked similar questions themselves. The lesson for this week focuses on Jesus’ answers to these kinds of questions because people were asking such questions two thousand years ago. Jesus taught His followers how to deal with evil people. My first question for you is: Do you like to be able to make your own choice about whom you will serve? Or would you prefer to have God tell you, on the day that you become accountable: “You have no choice—you have accepted me as Savior and will serve me here on earth, and when you die you will go to Heaven?”

At first, this may sound great—but remember the Bible teaches that there are two roads—one is narrow and few will travel this road to its final destination, heaven. The other road is wide, and the gate is wide, and many will enter in. My second question is: What if you were one of the many who would hear the Master say: “You have no choice—you have accepted Satan as the one you will serve here on earth and when you die you will go to Hell?” It is sad but the majority of all people will hear this.

Why doesn’t he zap all evil people? If he did, no one would go to heaven, because the bible teaches that all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. We were conceived in sin and born in inequity. All would be bound for Hell. In fact that is our condition—we are all bound for Hell. Except for one condition: when we reach the time and age of accountability—God gives us the chance to realize our condition and the ability to accept Christ’s death on the cross as the total payment for our sin. God has given us our freedom to choose between heaven and hell and I am thankful. The beginning of the 13th chapter shows a definite turning point in Jesus’ ministry.
He has been in the cities and towns usually in the synagogues or temples teaching and now in today’s lesson we find him in a boat that has been pushed off from the bank with the people gathered on the shore. There is no doubt that his opportunities to teach in the houses of worship are closing. Some were too small for the crowds that were gathering. By this time in his ministry, he is only welcomed by the common people who have witnessed and been blessed by his healing ministry. However the leaders of the Jewish movement [Sadducees and Pharisees] were now in open opposition to him. Have you ever stopped to realize that Jesus Christ was banished from his own church while he was on earth ministering to his people? I sometimes wonder how long he would have been able to survive at First Baptist in Heber Springs.

When they forced him out of the synagogue he went to the open air along the sea shores. In this lesson today, we see that he left the people on shore and he entered a boat and pushed out from the bank. He did this so there would be room for the people to gather in closely along the sea shore and the expansion of water between them and the boat helped to carry his voice making it possible for the people to hear. [When I was a youngster, traveling evangelist would preach in “Brush Harbors”] Stop and think about this for a moment. Why? There were always country church buildings somewhere near, but the evangelist preferred the brush harbor to the existing sanctuary. Why? [People have always felt more at ease in a neutral site.]

It is far more important that you understand that Jesus changed his teaching style to the use of parables than it is that he changed the place where he was teaching. Jesus was definitely the master of the “short story” or parable way of teaching. He used parables to teach because they always make the truth seem so concrete. Anything abstract is difficult for us to understand. Did you know that people, [you and I] think in pictures? Think about it for a moment. If I mention the word Elephant—what comes into your mind? You see an elephant. If I simply say the word hurricane—immediately you see a funnel cloud reaching from the sky down to the ground. Finally if someone says son, daughter or grandchild…I do not see a picture of some unknown child…no! I see a picture of Kay, Rebecca, Lance, or Nicholas because these are mine…and you see Pamela or Cassie, Tori, Tiffany, or Courtney because they are yours. We see and think using pictures that are realistic in our minds. And that is why Christ chose to start emphasizing his parables…they painted pictures.

Even before this time Jesus had been using the seedlings of true parables. This was his major method of teaching. As a former teacher in public schools, I relate to this method. The teacher starts with something that students understand in order to get to the things they do not understand. We have already witnessed his use of the salt of earth and light of the world; the wise and foolish builder; the garments and wine skins; and the birds of the field and the lilies of the valley; these are truth in pictures. Now in this chapter the pictures [parables] are more fully developed…they are truth in pictures. We all have problems thinking in the abstract…we can comprehend the concrete. A young child may not have the understanding of what the word ‘beautiful’ means; show a boy his pet dog and explain that he is beautiful; show a girl her favorite doll and explain her beauty; show both of them a read rose and they will soon understand the abstract word beautiful.

A parable does not think for you; but it tells or shows you an interesting story and lets you decide what the moral of the story really is. Did you know that there are some things you can not be taught? You can not be taught ‘truth’ and you must discover for yourself. You hear a story—what does it mean? What is the truth in it? You must decide for yourself.

The first twenty three verses tell us the parable of the four soils, or the farmer planting seed. Crowds had forced Jesus to get in a boat and push out to sea a short way—using the boat as a pulpit and the water as a megaphone he taught and they could hear him. In my minds eye I can see a farmer just behind the crowd plowing in the field. He calls their attention to the farmer as he was planting his crop. He was there…they could see him…they knew what he was doing…Christ used things they already knew to teach the unknown. Jesus used the farmer as the text of his message. He started talking about something that everyone on the shore would understand and proceeded to tell them about the Kingdom on earth—something that few if any fully understood. Time will not allow us to cover each point that Christ made, but he explains what he said and how it relates to each person that is represented by a seed planted either to prosper and grow or wither and fail. You must be a student of the bible—do not rob yourself of the blessing of self understanding…read it now!

There is a second part of this parable in these same verses—it is about the word and the hearer—and is aimed at two sets of people. The first is the hearer with a closed mind. There are people who have already made up their minds as to what they want to believe and nothing will change their thinking. Christ’s illustration reminds me of my back yard. The soil is hard clay, water will run off and the ground remains hard. If I scatter seed they wash away and never take root and grow. My front yard can be tilled to a loose loamy soil and seed will germinate in it immediately…the wetter you make it the faster the grass grows. Few seeds are ever wasted. When it was my garden, the fruit grew plentiful…its mind was not closed and new things grew therein.

The second hearer has a mind like the shallow ground; thin and infertile, so that seed may germinate, but nothing worthwhile ever comes from the seed that are up and growing but soon will wilt and become useless. This man lets important things get crowded out; he is to busy to pray; he is preoccupied with worldly thoughts and deeds and never has time to study God’s word. He always has time to serve on a committee or council; may be a great Rotarian, or community volunteer, or a great business man. None of these things are wrong, sinful, or bad…but they are surely ‘second best’ but second best is always an enemy of the best. He is not planted in the deep and rich soil where God always grows and furnishes the best elements of our life.

This entire chapter is one parable after another and can be summed up to say that it is the story of all kinds of people, with good and bad works and intentions. Christ had to deal with all of them in a positive way in order to help the best of men grow stronger and in order to claim the lost, hardened unbelievers that were not plesant to deal with. Now think about the title of this lesson…BE PATIENT WITH OTHERS…we have to deal with the same kinds of people with the same talents or lack there of, men that refuse to use what they know to be good, in order to help them grow in God. As sowers of seed, as workers in the church, we will find some easy to teach, wanting to learn—and some that have closed minds…no matter who we are dealing with…we MUST BE PATIENT WITH THEM, Christ was!

In the last few verses of this lesson we find the sad story of Jesus returning to Nazareth his home town. It is here that we learn the lesson he learned and that is that it is hard [sometimes maybe impossible] to be successful among your home town people. The lesson that I see here lies in the fact that the congregation does a lot more preaching than one would think, just by the attitude they bring to the service. If they attend service with a mind that is closed to the preacher for their own personal reasons, it will be impossible for him to create a worshipful, spiritual uplifting feeling among the people. We must attend church to worship God…not to judge the pastor.

Our ministers must have our support. We must remain open minded—desiring to worship and be lifted up—and we must be patient, always believing that we are there not only to grow spiritually ourselves, but we must be willing to patiently wait and desire that the lost be reached. Wherever we attend church…when we meet on Sunday morning or Wednesday night to listen to the word of God being taught, we must come with eager expectancy and think not about the messenger but yearn for the Spirit of God to speak through him. Membership criticism is a pastor’s worst enemy!!!

Watch Your Words - Matthew 11 and 12

It is not always easy to use the English language correctly. One word can have two distinctly different meanings—quiet often two words have the same meaning. There are times when the meaning of a word or words can have different meanings that are related to the spelling of the word—and then the meanings of words may change, not because of the spelling, but by the inflection of the speakers voice. The message delivered can be totally misunderstood, not only because of the words you use, but by the way you WATCH YOUR WORDS. If you will slowly read this paragraph again and carefully think through what I have said, it will help you understand why this lesson is so important. Now try to imagine the addition of one more very special difficulty that enters into communication between two people that speak different languages that requires a translator.

Christ spoke with depths of meaning that were impossible for the Jewish people to fully understand. Take a few moments to read the last ten verses of chapter ten and you will see how difficult it must have been for the Israelites to understand the in-depth meanings of the teachings of Christ. “If you acknowledge me before men I will acknowledge you before God; but if you disown me before men I will disown you before my Father. “Do not think that I came to bring peace to earth…because I really came to bring a sword…I came to turn son against his father and daughter against her mother…” We can understand why the Jewish leaders were so upset at some of the words and ways Christ was using to explain his mission on earth.

Now we go on to chapter eleven, after Jesus had finished instructing his twelve disciples he set out to preach in the towns of Galilee. John the Baptist was in prison when he heard about some of the things that Christ was teaching and doing. King Herod married his own sister-in-law and was rebuked by John for his lust and adultery and it finally caused him to be be-headed. In jail and facing death, it is easy to see why John began to wonder if Christ was real. John sent some of his followers back to inquire of Christ—“Are you the prophesied one…the coming messiah? Or, should we expect another?” Jesus sent the answer back by his disciples and he WATCHED HIS WORDS by suggesting that John look at what Christ was doing, and not what he was saying. Silently he answered by pointing to his acts of healing the blind, deaf, curing the lepers, raising the dead and preaching to the poor. This suggests to me that when we have doubts, we should simply turn and see what Christ has done and know that he will do likewise with and for us.

The other gospels indicate that John had caused some problems with his straight forward teaching…he was so successful that he actually acquired a following that thought he was the chosen one that would be the new Messiah. Christ chose this moment to send John his answer and to address the followers of John. Christ asked the crowds—what did you go to see? Did you think John was a limp weed, blowing in the wind—with no power connection with the coming messiah? Or, did you think you would see a powerful executive, dressed in great attire, showing his power and prominence? Actually it was neither…you should have been looking for a prophet…the great profit that was the messenger ahead of me…sent to prepare you for my coming. Then Jesus began to denounce the cities where he had been preaching and that had refused to repent. He used grievous examples telling them that they were worse than the people of Sodom and Gomorrah.

Then in the twenty-eighth verse he showed his compassion for those who are in trouble. He told them that if they were weary and burdened and would come to him…trust him…call upon his name that he would give them the rest they desired. He promised that his yoke was easy and light, but invited them to share in it to prove their love for him.

Chapter 12 brings us to one of the greatest arguments in the scriptures and it has to do with the keeping of the law. This is where we get involved with the arguments that require us to WATCH OUR WORDS. What does it mean when we say we should keep the Sabbath holy? Christ and his disciples were about the Father’s business seven days a week. It was on the Sabbath, they were hungry, they were in a corn field and so they gathered and ate. [This broke the law.] But Christ reminded them that the Sun of man was the lord of the Sabbath. They were reminded that Jesus was the creator of all things, even the law itself and therefore the creator is greater than his creation.

The purpose of the original and approved part of the law regarding the Sabbath was established to allow the priest and people to worship God by performing sacrifices and conducting worship. Jesus emphasized the intent of the law and not the words. Watch his words and see his intent first and then the letter of the law. Here as in other places in Matthew, they accused Christ of heresy and this is getting close to the unpardonable sin.

Leaving the cornfield where they harvested and ate, they went into the synagogue where a man with a shriveled hand was healed. The Jews were there waiting to accuse Christ of breaking the rules by healing on the Sabbath. They believed that a man in dire need could be stabilized but not healed. Christ simply asks if they had a sheep in a ditch in a critical condition, would they save him on the Sabbath—or leave him in the ditch to die. He knew that they would want to save their investment. His question then was; is a man not worth more than an animal in the sight of God? The answer being yes—he then stated that it is therefore lawful to do good on the Sabbath.

Jesus knew that the Jewish leaders were plotting against him, although there is no indication that he actually heard them plotting their scheme to kill him. It is comforting to a Christian to know that Christ knows our every word spoken…he even knows our thoughts that are unspoken and this emphasizes the need for us to pay attention to the central thought in our lesson today…watch your words… and thoughts, and do not envy or lust.

The crowds would build and as soon as he finished his work in each place he moved on in order to disrupt any local plotting against him. We have already seen that they were accusing him of casting out devils using the power of the Devil [Beelzebub]. In verse 22 he healed the man that was blind and mute. The people were astonished and some wondered if he really was the Son of David. Immediately the Pharisees heard them talking and countered by telling everyone that it was only by the power of Beelzebub that he was performing the miracles. Matthew did not say that Jesus did not hear them, but indications are that he knew their thoughts. Again, wee need to remember that he is with us continually and knows our every thought and move. Watch your words.

Jesus exploded their argument by reminding all that in order to use the power of the devil to cast out demons…he would be destroying Satan with Satan’s power—thus, he said, “A house divided against itself will fall.” In verse 29 he also explained that in order to rob a business or home, it is necessary to first defeat the owner or man of the house. We know that the Devil had already been defeated, His power was disrupted at the time of Christ’s birth; then in the desert of temptation Christ overcame his power to tempt God; and then at his resurrection he destroyed Satan’s major weapon—death. Our promises found in Revelation 20: 10 are that he has no ultimate power to destroy us but in the end time he will burn in a Devils hell.

If you have a friend that thinks he can remain neutral toward Christ and still be ok—that is think that his ‘good works’ is adequate you need to ask him/her to read verse 30. It is impossible for anyone to remain neutral about the acceptance or rejection of Jesus as their personal Savior. If you have not openly accepted Christ as your Lord and Savior—by your lack of action, you have already rejected him. Explain to your friend that his belief in God is not the same as repenting of sin and accepting him as savior. This is the most important conversation you will ever have with your friend, because you are dealing with the only sin that can not be forgiven. Sinning against your body or spirit can be forgiven—sinning against your friend, or neighbor, or spouse can be forgiven—sinning against Jesus Christ and God the father can be forgiven—but sinning against the Holy Spirit can not be forgiven. It is the unpardonable sin. The unpardonable sin is the continued deliberate refusal to accept and believe in God’s power through Jesus Christ, his son, and the continual refusal to heed the warning of the Holy Spirit. The repeated refusal indicates a deliberate and irreversible hardness of the heart.

The Holy Spirit is that small voice that comes to you and reminds you that you need to repent of sin and accept Christ as your savior in order to be free from your sin. When you continually ignore Him he may be patient for a time, but there is always the danger that he will say that he has had enough—I will not tarry with you any longer—and when that happens you are eternally lost because you can not come to God any time you want to come…you must come when the Holy Spirit beacons you to come. Do not fear or begin to doubt, simply say now: “Lord forgive me a sinner, come into my heart and allow me to live my life through you—I accept you as my Savior and you will be pardoned, saved, set free and nothing or no one can separate you from Christ. However, you can not fake it [v.33] says that everyone will know you are saved by the fruit you bear. Now in [vs. 34-36] is the important warning about watching your words.

Jesus is talking. He personally reminds us that the things we say reveals what is in our hearts. When you meet a friend or a friend calls you what kinds of words come from your mouth? Too often it is weather, rain, fishing, Razorbacks, sore backs, high prices, those liberal Democrats, those conservative Republicans, politics in general, and worst of all those backslidden hypocrites—or some unmarried pregnant girl. Not all are bad, but something that Christ is doing in your life for or with you, would please your Lord. You can not solve your heart problem by “Watching your words” however, by watching your speech and allowing the Holly Spirit to fill you with new attitudes and new motives it will lead to a cleansing of the heart and mind. “A good person brings good things out of the good that is stored up in him and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him. But I tell you that men will have to give account on the Day of Judgment for every careless word they have spoken. For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned [vs. 35-36]. YOU BROOD OF VIPERS, HOW CAN YOU WHO ARE EVIL SAY ANYTHING GOOD [v. 34]? [All, everyone, that has not been born again is evil.]

Matthew wrote today’s lesson but Jesus taught it…see v.25…Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them…AND THE REST OF THE LESSON IS WRITTEN IN RED LETTERS. Good jokes bring laughter and are good for the soul. Smutty jokes condemn the soul. Our lesson title is: “WATCH YOUR WORDS!” And pray for me.

Take Part in Missions - Matthew 9 and 10

WHERE AS: The First Baptist Church, Heber Springs, Arkansas donates the first sixteen percent of all undesignated funds it receives to the Southern Baptist Cooperative Program for world wide missions and

WHERE AS: The Church gives the next five percent of all undesignated funds to The Little Red River Association in support of its mission program and

WHERE AS: The Church participates in the Lottie Moon annual mission drive by continually exceeding its designated goal and

WHERE AS: The Church participates in the Dixie Jackson annual mission drive by continually exceeding its designated goal and

WHERE AS: The Church supports other local and state programs such as the Children’s Home and Boy’s Ranch and

WHERE AS: The Church supports the Pastor, Music Director and Youth Director in their annual participation in The World Changers, The Century Men and other specified mission projects and

WHERE AS: The Church is blessed with a cadre of men and their wives that build and repair churches and work in disaster relief in many states throughout the USA and

WHERE AS: The Church supports the Nail Benders and Hammer Heads with a supply and tool trailer and the church van and

WHERE AS: The Church Mission Committee is continually active in planning and involving the church in other numerous mission minded activities throughout the year so THEREFORE

MAY IT NOW BE DECLARED: “THE FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH OF HEBER SPRINGS, ARKANSAS BLESSES THE NAME OF THE LORD JESUS CHRIST IN ITS EFFORTS TO MEET THE COMMAND OF THE MASTRER WHEN HE TOLD US TO GO INTO THE ENTIRE WORLD AND PREACH THE GOOD NEWS OF SAVING GRACE; FOR IT IS BY OUR GOOD WORKS; PEOPLE SHALL KNOW US! THIS CHURCH IS THE “LIGHT” ON A HILL; AND THE “SALT” OF THE EARTH THAT HAS NOT LOST ITS SAVOR.

First Baptist has an average of slightly less than 300 in Sunday school each week and just fewer than 400 in worship services each Sunday morning. I am eighty three years old and have been a member of, and worshipped in a total of six different Southern Baptist churches during the last sixty four years. Two of these were more than double the size of the Heber Church. Man for man, and pound for pound, this Church delivers the greatest blow to Satan through its united mission mindedness. WE MUST BE ETERNALLY PROUD!
To all other churches, to my readers everywhere, I challenge you in the name of Christ, to join FIRST BAPTIST OF HEBER SPRINGS to “TAKE PART IN MISSIONS.” Read Matthew 9 and 10 and see what Christ taught his Church to do. We are to go preach and teach the Good News and always remember that the example set by your daily life speaks louder than any words can proclaim.

In 9: 34, there is recorded one of the most ridiculous charges ever made against our Lord. The Pharisees did not deny that Christ was able to perform great miracles; but their argument was that he got his power to cast out demons from the prince of demons—the devil—Satan—and not from God. They actually made four separate charges against him; 1] blasphemy 2] befriending outcasts 3] impiety and 4] serving Satan which is the most ridiculous claim. Satan is a demon! How and why would Christ use the power of Satan to destroy Satan and his demons? This would be equal to “self-destruction.” A parallel would be for an atheist to use an example of the proven power of God to prove there is no God.

The stories told in chapter nine indicate that the work of Christ had exploded; crowds grew larger and followed Jesus as he performed miracles one after another. It soon became evident that out there in the multitudes of people there were more problems than there were helpers and Jesus proclaimed that the fields were white unto harvest and that additional workers were desperately needed. In the last verses of chapter nine we learn that Christ became burdened beyond his capacity to deliver. He turned to his disciples and told them that the people were without shepherds, lost, undone, and needful… and he instructed them to pray that the lord of the harvest would send out the needed workers to help gather in the lost. He needed help and so he chose twelve apostles first; and now he needs more help so he is telling the apostles to seek others who would shepherd new flocks.

A special call came to the twelve disciples in the first verses of chapter ten and it is here that you will find the first compiled list of the twelve disciples. It is here that you will find one of the first challenges to the disciples regarding the importance of MISSION work. Remember their names: 1] Simon Peter, 2] Andrew, 3] James son of Zebedee, 4] John, 5] Phillip, 6] Bartholomew, 7] Thomas, 8] Matthew, 9] James the son of Alphaeus, 10] Thaddaeus, 11] Simon the Zealot, and Judas Iscariot.

In verse five their first instructions were given and it is one of the most perplexing things that Jesus says during his commissioning of his disciples. One would think that his first commandment would have been a positive direction for them to go, but it wasn’t—instead it was a negative statement. “Do not go to the Gentiles or any town where the Samaritans live.” He then turned positive and said they were to go to the lost sheep of Israel; those are his ancestors that were already in rebellion against him. We are told that there are some things written in the Word that we will not understand this side of his second coming. Some times he told the healed person not to tell anyone about his healing; and then in other places he would instruct the recipient of healing to go and tell. The reasons for contrasting instructions are not always perfectly clear to us. There are some obvious “may-bees” as to why he would leave out these two groups.

Anyone that is not a Jew is considered a Gentile. Anyone that was half Jew was considered a Samaritan; the Samaritans came into existence as a result of forbidden marriages between Jews and husbands or wives that were members of the heathen nations that conquered Jewish nations. In the beginning, God had chosen his people to bring the story of creation, fallen man, and paradise regained. It had always been God’s intention for his chosen people to be his messengers. It is true, when Jesus came in to the world, the chosen people did not accept him, rejected him and finally were responsible for his death on the cross, but we must realize that this must have broken the heart of God the Father. So, “may-be” Christ is asking his disciples not to go to the Gentile or the Samaritan first…because this was not the original plan of his Father—God.

Jesus called many, but chose, ordained, or set apart only twelve men. “May-be this was supposed to represent one leader for each of the twelve-tribes of Israel; however, regardless of the reason for only twelve, it was a small number assigned to a big job. At that point in time the Israelite nation was located in the smaller area known as the Holy Land, located in and around Jerusalem. The lands located in the north, south and far eastern part of the country was occupied primarily by the Gentiles, Samaritans and heathen tribes. May-be the smaller area of Israelites knew more about God’s promises and would be more receptive at this point in time; and he wanted to make sure that the disciples were successful.

May-be the disciples were better prepared to start their work among their own people. May-be Jesus was limiting the area because of the problems of transportation and travel in those days. One thing we do know—Jesus had no intent to leave these people out of his plan of salvation. Later on, he met Paul on the Road to Damascus and specifically chose him to witness to the Gentile world; proving that he came to save both Jews and Gentiles.

Let us go back to the call. As Christ went about preaching, teaching, and healing, he used every opportunity to ‘call’ disciples to follow him. The word “disciples” means learners. He kept his eyes open and watched for the learners that followed him closely and regularly. He finally decided on the twelve that were most dedicated and worthy to be named as his chosen disciples. Then he called them individually and commissioned them—that is he sent them out with instructions as to what they were to do and not do—which has already been mentioned above. You can read these instructions in verses 5 through 16. The instructions contained warnings that they would not always be accepted; that they would be as sheep among wolves and hated because of him, Jesus. He then gave them his assurance that he would keep them safe until their work was finished. Jesus reminded the disciples that the Jewish leaders had accused him of being Beelzebub [the devil] so they should expect the same kind of treatment. However, the disciples were not to have any fear of the enemy that could destroy the body…but they should fear [respect] the one that can destroy the soul.

Christ told them to stand firm, and if a city, town, church fail to receive and support them they were to “Shake the dust off their feet and go on to another place.” This same instruction was given by Jewish leaders to their people when they went into a Gentile city and were not accepted. The disciples were Jews, and they were witnessing to Jews, and they all realized that this was the way they had treated the Gentiles. Now Christ is telling them to use the same gesture that Jews had instigated. When the pious Jew dusted his feet it meant that he was not accepting the Gentile practices. If the disciples shuck the dust of a Jewish town from their feet it would show that they were separating themselves from the pious Jews who had rejected the Messiah. The Jews were warned that Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed because of their wickedness and they will be in worse condition for rejecting the Messiah.

The series of teaching in the last verses of the tenth chapter were some of the hardest for the Jewish families to accept. It was of great importance to be a Jew. Families were close and structured always accepted and promoted because of their lawful inheritance rights…with first rights going to the oldest son. Now Matthew is warning the Jews that it is not ‘who they are’ that counts…but it is what they think about Christ that matters. He is telling them that they are to no longer put family members first, but that Jesus comes first. He tells them that families will be broken…father against son…and son against father any time either one will not accept Christ first.

Jesus sees the peril of the misguided crowds in the cities and the misguided parents and children and is moving here to address their needs through his disciples. In Chapter nine he declares and demonstrates that he has absolute authority and through his compassion is proving himself to be the Promised One. In chapter ten he delegates his authority to his disciples and commands them to carry on his ministry—even the ability to perform miracles. Surely the disciples had begun to realize that their load was heavy and that it would continue to grow worse as His earthly ministry drew toward the end. But he did not let them fully realize what their burden would be like toward the end. As late as the Last Supper in the Garden, some were still asking questions about what was ahead. In fact He had to come back from the grave before they reached the point of total surrender.