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.

Always Trust Christ - Matthew 8 & 9

MATTHEW 8 AND 9, SEPT. 23, 2007
By: John Vandiver


Use your eyes to see and your imagination to emphasize the absolute truth in the printed title of this lesson as shown above. The font in the word ‘ALWAYS’ forms an arrow that > you toward TRUST and likewise the font in the word Christ that < back to TRUST and I can tell you on the authority of God’s Holy word, your salvation cannot exist without your trust/faith. By grace through faith we are saved. Trust means faith and faith means trust. Here we have before us the words trust and faith; and as always you must be reminded that these are abstract words. That is, you cannot see them with your eyes, feel them with your fingers, or taste them with your taste buds but faith and trust are as real as an oak tree or apple pie. It is the produced results of both that becomes the concrete proof that that trust and faith are present.

The incident that occurs in the first four verses of our lesson today is a perfect example of the results that occurred when a man exhibited his total trust in Jesus. The man with visible decaying flesh that caused sure death in about seven to nine years, kneeled before Christ and said, “Lord you can cleanse me if you are willing.” The Master touched him and said, “I am willing” and immediately the Leprosy was cleansed. This man’s humbleness was shown by his kneeling and his believing faith became audible when he made the exclamatory statement and said “you can heal me.’

The world watched on TV as the rescue workers went about the flooded city of New Orleans gathering people from the roof tops of their flooded homes after Katrina devastated the area. Mothers would carry their babies, and lead their little ones and step into small John boats that carried them to higher ground. Those parents had trust in the rescuers and especially in the safety of the boat, but no one knew for sure until they stepped into the boat. The viewers could not see their faith, but we could see the results of their faith when they yielded their life safety and stepped into the boat.

Leprosy was the most dreaded of all diseases during the time of Christ’s life on earth and it continued to maim and destroy until the birth of modern medicine in the twentieth century. Josephus, the Jewish historian, relates how the leper was considered as though he/she were dead. They were cast out of society and literally buried in colonies where they were left to die; they were completely banished from human society. There has never been a disease that so separated a man from his fellow-men as leprosy did. And this man with leprosy is the one Jesus reach out and touched breaking strict laws that required complete separation. Matthew said, “And Jesus stretched out his hand and touched the leper.” The moral to this story is that it paints the picture of how Jesus treats the sinner who seeks him. This is a picture of a sinner receiving salvation. “He touched me…and made me whole.”

[a] The leper came to Jesus with confidence—complete trust—in that he had no doubt that, if it was Jesus’ will—he would be made clean. The lost sinner must do likewise.
[b] The leper came with humility. He made no demands, just simply said “If you will you can cleanse me.” The lost must approach Jesus with a humble attitude.
[c] The leper came with reverence. The Authorized Version tells us that the leper worshipped Christ. It uses the Greek verb ‘proskumein’ which is a word that always describes a man’s feeling and action when he is in the presence of a divine being. A sinner must know in his heart that he is unclean, sinful, and he must realize that he is in the presence of Christ in order to be saved.

Why did Jesus demand that he go to the priest only and not tell anyone else? Jesus came to seek and save the lost and not to become an earthly king. He did not want the publicity, and he knew that the Jewish leadership would want him to use this kind of power to establish himself as an earthly leader. Jesus wanted to educate his people to understand that his power was his love for people and not force through a government of armed men. Jesus directed him to the priest because that was required by law…it was the only way a leper could lawfully be accepted as clean and become able to re-enter society.

Vs 5-13—records the greatest faith Christ ever observed in anyone. A centurion was the backbone of the Roman army. A legion contained 6,000 men and it was organized into sixty centuries with a centurion in charge of each 100 man century. Centurions were life-time regular soldiers in complete charge and ordinarily would call on no other to execute for them. This man had to bow low, and believe big, in order to call on Christ to heal his servant. When he ask and Christ told him that he would go to his home and heal the servant—the centurion said, “NO, all you have to do is say the word and it will be so.” This is an example where a slave is healed because another man believed and called on Christ. There is no evidence that the sick man ever exhibited any trust. Make note here that if a Christian is concerned about the condition of another man’s soul, he can intercede and Christ will answer him.

Make another note here that Jews were not supposed to enter the home of a Gentile. The strong faith of this Gentile Roman officer made it possible for Christ to do his work here, heal the slave, and not have to break the Jewish law of entering the home of a gentile. Remember that we do not possess faith on our own and only have the faith that the Holy Spirit allows us to obtain. The Spirit led this Roman officer to exhibit his faith strongly and it prevented Christ from having to go into his house.

The position of centurion must represent the life of a Christian. I do not recall one being mentioned in the NT that was without honor. A centurion recognized Jesus on the cross as the Son of God. Cornelius was a centurion and the first gentiles convert to the Christian Church. A centurion recognized Paul as a Roman citizen and rescued him from a mob. A centurion found out that Paul was to be killed by the Jews between Jerusalem and Caesarea and interceded and prevented his death. And finally a centurion served as Paul’s guard on the way to Rome, and treated him with respect and accepted his leadership when the ship was about to be destroyed by a storm. Note: there was something special about this centurion in Matthew in that he showed mercy toward his servant. Servants were slaves and were not respected by most masters. The centurions of the Baptist church are represented by deacons, bible teachers, and church ministers, who are responsible for the flock and indebted to the unsaved.

Vs 14-15—relates healing where no mention is made of anyone’s faith, however, the mother-in-law of Peter lost her fever the moment Christ touched her and was able to immediately get up and start meeting his needs. The story indicates that she knew him and believed in him or she would not have started serving him. No one knew Peter better than Christ, and so just the fact that he knew of Peter’s faith was enough to prompt him to heal the woman. There is more to this story and it probably is revealed here for a different reason than just to show faith. One good reason was to give the example showing that Jesus heals [saves] us so we can serve him as she did.

Matthew tells the story, but Mark tells more of the story. Mark says this incident happened in Capernaum—on a Sabbath day—after Jesus had worshipped in the synagogue. He had already healed another person while in worship among the Jews. It was against Jewish law to do any work on the Sabbath, and Christ wanted to set the stage to explain that “doing good” on the Sabbath is not sin. This is a case where the oxen is in the ditch and should be pulled out even if it is on the Sabbath.

Vs 23-27—the calming of the storm is to be emphasized in this lesson. During the Sabbath and his working on the Sabbath there must have been a large crowd that had gathered around him, he was exhausted and decided to get away from the throng—some may have been vocal by now, causing him to need some privacy. When he saw what was happening he gave orders to his disciples saying they should go across to the other side of the lake. He got in the boat and went to his bunk in the hull and fell asleep; his disciples followed him and manned the boat headed to the other side. A wild storm arose and the disciples were afraid the boat was about to go down, They called Christ.

Always trust Christ is our theme for today. The incidents up to this point have shown examples of people showing their faith in Christ and getting positive results. Now we come to the place where no one is fully trusting Christ and the results are negative. Several of the disciples were fishermen by trade and this boat was probably one of the fleet they had used many times. This is probably not the first time that they had experienced one of these horrible storms on Galilee, however any time Jesus is involved in a matter like this—things are either much worse than ordinary or much more calm than can be imagined because Christ always brings out either the worst or the best in every one of his involvements.

I have had the privilege of reading several stories from different writers that have experienced the weather conditions in the area around the Sea of Galilee. It is difficult to imagine how quickly a storm can arise and how violent it can be. The Sea of Galilee is small in comparison to other seas around the world. It is thirteen miles long, running from north to south and eight miles wide east to west. The Jordon River has used eons of time to cut deep clefts in the surface of the earth and the Sea is part of the cleft. It is not as steep or as deep as the Grand Canyon but it is 680 feet below sea level and it has other similarities. We can believe that the violence of this storm that started in a short matter of time and was calmed in even less time made believers out of any man that may have still been skeptical of God’s power. The disciples had witnessed other miracles but this one impressed on their minds the power God has to calm the storms of this life only if we will call on him to do so.

Jesus must have been pleased to know that his men had faith to believe that they could call on him and he would save them. At the same time Jesus must have been disappointed that they did not simply hold a prayer meeting and pray that he would come to their rescue at his appointed time. They had faith. They lacked faith. This reminds us of another man in the bible that prayed for Jesus to increase his little faith.

Matthew ends the eighth chapter with his story about the two demon processed men that had faith to believe that Christ would drive their demons out of them and into the hogs. There may be other reasons why Matthew chose to tell this story, but the one that is so sad is that the Gadarenes prized the value of their hogs more highly than they did the presence of Jesus in their land. There is another story in the bible where Jesus told a man to go sell all that he had and give it to the poor and then to come back for his salvation. This man went away sad because he prized his hogs or other wealth highly. Man cannot serve two Gods; it has to be either the Lord or his money.

Strive for Godly Perfection - Matthew 4:17 - 7:29

The presidential campaigning is already in full swing. There are polls being taken every day to predict who the next president will be or at least who is in the lead at the given time. Sometimes these polls are remarkably accurate. There are scientifically prepared studies that are prepared to predict the behavior of rats and men under controlled circumstances that are also accurate in a high percentage of cases. Suppose such a study was conducted to compare your behavior as a professing Christian with the behavior of the average unsaved person in your community; would the results show that your life is different from that of lost people? Only you and the Lord know the true answer. However, others can judge you rather accurately by examining the fruit you bear. We should never think that we are fooling everyone all of the time.

Based on religious reports that have been made in recent years there is reason to believe that the behavior of professed Christians and unsaved people were all too similar. Based on these studies there is reason to believe that the standards of morality in the American society is declining, and the reason primarily is because of the low moral standards among professed Christians. Christians confronted with this charge against them are likely to try to defend their lack of Christ like behavior by saying, “I am just human, and every body makes mistakes.” Regardless of your age and experiences, do your STRIVE FOR GODLY PERFECTION? Are you part of the problem that causes sinners to accuse Christians of being hypocrites? If so, you have no acceptable excuse because Matthew 5: 48 tells us that we are to “Be perfect, therefore, as our heavenly Father is perfect.” We know that only Jesus Christ was perfect…without sin…but we are admonished to continually strive to be as perfect as he is perfect.

In the last lesson, September 9, we left Christ while he must have been at one of the lowest ebbs in his earthly life—without food or drink for the last forty days—without friends or supporters and all alone with Satan who proved to be the master of temptation. “Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him [4: 11].” This experience was his final test of preparation for his earthly ministry. Matthew gives us both the message and ministry of Jesus—the new King—the prophesied Messiah in chapters 4 through 25. He features his sermons that show the greatest of all teachers using topical messages as they occurred from day to day and they are not necessarily in chronological order. The major topics that will be discussed are the Sermon on the Mount, his parables regarding the Kingdom and the end time and his teachings on forgiveness.
We must understand that Matthew is a true believer, with no doubts, and that his greatest concern is that his own people have, are, and will continue to reject Christ. He continues to use the prophecies of their Jewish ancestors to prove to the present generation that Christ is the promised Messiah. He says that Jesus heard that John had been put in prison, and because of the opposition that had arisen against John and his message regarding the coming Messiah, he moved from Nazareth to Capernaum just as Isaiah had predicted he would. Jesus began his ministry there—“From that time on Jesus began to preach, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.”’ Make note that this is the same message John was preaching when he was arrested. The Jewish leadership will treat Jesus with the same respect they showed John and they beheaded him.

Jesus was distressed because the people had rejected John’s message and would now have him killed, and he knew that he faced the same rejection and final crucifixion and he realized that he would have to select his disciples who could continue his work after his death. Therefore, as he walked along the sea shore of Galilee he chose four fishermen as his first disciples. His only promise was that he would make them to be fishers of men instead of fish.

You should be aware that these men did not blindly follow Christ because of some charismatic spell that he had cast over them. These men already knew him and had spent time with him as recorded in John 1: 35-42. When he called them into service, there was no hesitation. I have heard his call many times in my 83 years, and you should be honest and admit that you too have had ample time to hear his call on your life. It is so sad that we must admit that we have not made the strong commitment as the disciples did. I am trying now to help others see the beauty of and rewards for true commitment to Jesus Christ. It is so easy to say, ‘here am I send me.’ He will find a way to use you in his kingdom work, and his promise is to bless you. Why delay?

The last verses of the fourth chapter speaks of the expansion of his preaching and teaching throughout the Holy Land. His reputation as the amazing teacher traveled amazingly fast even as it was only by word of mouth and vast numbers attended and accepted his teachings. Jesus was amazed at the numbers and he had to search for a way to communicate with the vast crowds. In the beginning of the fifth chapter Matthew explains that he had to find a suitable mountain side, where he could situate himself above the crowd of people so he could teach and be heard. It was here that Matthew recorded one of the greatest parts of the New Testament known as the Beatitudes. There is no way for any commentator to improve upon the exact words of Jesus. You must go to Matthew 5: 3 and read them for yourself. If you have a desire to be blessed by God—read the Beatitudes. If you really have a longing in your heart to experience the blessings of God—PRACTICE THEM.

Oh that I could think of simple ways to make you understand the importance of God’s love for his people. The master teacher did it with parables that say little and speak loud and clear. Tomato season is about gone to my chagrin—I crave them in off-season. Just think about what a sprinkle of salt does for a red-ripe tomato—as well as many other foods. But if your salt has gone bland, what happens to the taste of the food? So, it should be discarded and walked on as sand on the seashore.

Many of our cities, even smaller towns at Christmas time, are show-places at night with lights of all kinds that light the way and show forth the prominent places, but if the breaker doesn’t work or someone doesn’t turn the switch on, all is dark and unseen.

God’s people are the salt and the light of this world, only when we are living and working in the will of our master. Without us the tomatoes and other foods are bland and even Las Vegas is a ghost town. If you are a Christian you are a light. If you are an obedient Christian you will let it shine…not for your gain…but for the glory of your heavenly father.

Matthew understood how his people believed in and depended upon the Law as their guide and he made sure that he quoted Christ as he explained that he did not come to do away with the Law but that he came to fulfill it…make it complete. Christ applauded those that would keep the commandments and said they would be called the greatest in the kingdom. Then he let them know that the law was not sufficient…it was not enough…only those whose righteousness surpassed that of the Pharisees and other teachers of the Law would be able to enter the kingdom of heaven [verse 20].

The central theme of the lesson today begins with verse 20, and it is here that he begins to explain the STRIVING FOR GODLY PERFECTION is more important than just the keeping of the law. The open visible keeping of a law, reveals your actions but does not reveal your inward feelings about having to do it. I wear my seat belt, but inwardly I resent having to do it. I feel that the law robs me of the opportunity I should have to make my own choice.

In verse 21, Jesus gave a much better example when he explained that one should not murder. Murder is punishable by law. Before one will murder another person there is a feeling of hatred in his heart; there is a desire to take revenge…to get even and that “feeling” is not punishable by law. Now look what Christ says: “But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment.” Under law only the action is punishable; but under grace the sinful desire of the heart is subject to judgment. Moses, in Exodus 20 condemned murder, Jesus agreed, but added that hatred also was sin because it violates the commandment to love one another. Matthew is reminding the Pharisees they were condemned because they plotted to kill Jesus and were just as guilty as the Romans whom they tricked into killing him for them.

V-23—Making an offering or paying your tithe is a form of worship. Jesus says here that you can not worship him while you have enmity in your heart toward another person. It is a matter of urgency—don’t even leave an offering until you have solved the problem. If there is a problem with another that has not been solved…it must be solved before there can be true worship. Matters of disagreement must be solved immediately. “Settle matters quickly with your adversary…”

V-27—The OT condemned sexual acts outside of marriage. Christ did not do away with that Law; instead he added to it…made it stronger…fulfilled it, when he said that it was also wrong to look at a woman lustfully. A lustful desire is mental adultery—and Jesus is emphasizing that if an act is wrong—then the intention is also sin. The only difference in the sinful act and the lustful thought is that only the Christian sins in the intention, but if the act is carried out…then there are two or more involved in the sin.

V-33—The last example given in today’s lesson that stresses our need to seek or STRIVE FOR GODLY PERFECTION—plainly and simply emphasizes the need for truthfulness. In the early days of the last century there was a moral code that was often used by Godly people. Christians happily announced that “My word is my bond;” this and a friendly hand-shake were used to seal many agreements during the period of time between WWI and WWII. The decline in morality that came about during the last half of the century has forced honest people to break the commandment given in these verses. Jesus was emphasizing the importance of telling the truth.

The people of long ago in verse 33 were warned in [Exodus 20: 7, Leviticus 19:12, Numbers 30: 1-2, and Deuteronomy 19: 16-20] were told that an oath made using the Lord’s name, must not be broken. When anyone swears falsely, with hand on the bible, there are two sins involved; first you have lied and even more important in the eyes of Christ, you have dishonored his name by using his Word to seal the oath. Your answer to a judge regarding your testimony should simply be “Yes” I will tell the truth—or “No” I will not lie.

There is a central theme that permeates the teachings of Christ revealed in this lesson that is aimed at all ‘better than thou’ Christians. Some Christians in malice—look down on those that commit murder, lie, steal and commit adultery when it becomes evident that their fellow man has committed one or more of these sins. Their response to and conversation about their guilty brethren indicates that these are atrocious sins that should not be tolerated in the church. In many cases they would be the first to initiate action against the guilty one. According to the message that Christ has given us in this lesson, the named overt actions are sin, but they are no more sinful in the Lord’s sight than those who have at one time or another embraced an inward feeling or attitude that was just as sinful as the act itself. May-be they have harmed another and failed to seek forgiveness; May-be they have gossiped, killing a good reputation and that is murder; May-be they have committed lust in their heart for another but no one else knows about it, and that is adultery; May-be they have lied, or withheld a truth that would have made a difference to someone. The overt sins are an example of breaking the Law. The evil desires of the heart are more important in Christ’s sight who says that a man is whatever his heart reveals. Remember to cast the mote from your own eye FIRST. Better still would be to just simply let Jesus do the judging.

God's Sinless Son - Matthew 3:1 - 4:16

In the matter of all the time there is [from seconds to eternity] time is suspended in endless space, without beginning and without end; it has a definition much like that of God who said “I am.” Time was, and is and will always be and those who are alive today will spend the rest of an endless journey suspended in that space of time. The conditions surrounding their existence depend upon their acceptance or rejection of Jesus Christ at this point in time. There have been some gaps in time that we know nothing about. For reasons known only by God, he kept man in the dark for one gap in time that might have been billions or trillions of years, no doubt during all of the time it took for him to plan for the creation of all things, and the order in which each would exist and play its part. Then one day he opened his spiritual office and announced to the world that he was the one and only God, and explained how he created the earth and all that is there in. He introduced Adam and Eve as the first of his human creation, and we have the Holy Bible that keeps us informed about most of the time since that day.

The children of Israel, freed from four thousand years of bondage, and promised a land of milk and honey, disobeyed God and remained as wondering pilgrims in the desert for forty miserable years. They thought that God had left them there to die. They later entered Judah and Jerusalem and prospered, built the greatest of all temples and worshipped God. Then because of disobedience they were allowed to be exiled into Babylon for seventy years of lost life and wasted time. Upon their return they started the rebuilding process, and on two occasions the work stopped, and extended years of progress was lost again. On their second failure, God disappeared again, and this time there were no messages from him for a gap of over 400 years.

In last Sunday’s lesson we found that God returned after his four hundred year departure, not as an angel, not through a dream or a vision, not even in his God person with his voice of instruction to his people; but he returned as God and man in the person of his Son Jesus Christ. He was born in Bethlehem, and was immediately rejected by his own chosen people, as had been prophesied. His life was threatened and he had to escape to Egypt until the death of Herod the Great as it had been prophesied. When Herod died Jesus returned to the holly land, but to a different town…he went to Galilee to a town called Nazareth; again this was to fulfill prophesy that he would be called a Nazarene. Here comes another gap in time….from the date of his return to Nazareth until he visited the temple with his parents, little is known about his life—this gap lasted about ten years. He traveled to Jerusalem with his parents, and as a teenager, exhibited wisdom and knowledge that confounded the most powerful minds of men. He became separated from his parents, who returned to Jerusalem and found him in the temple and took him with them back home. Then the last gap that concerns us at this time started and nothing is known about him until he shows up on his way to be baptized by John the Baptist in the River Jordon—there must have been about fifteen years between the temple scene and his baptism which marked the beginning of his three year ministry that preceded his death, burial and resurrection.

What did he do in Nazareth? How did his life compare to those of other boys his age in his home town?
When did he start to school? Or, did he go at all? Did he have a girl friend? Did his parents have any problems to solve in which he was involved? What were his favorite foods, games, and hobbies? Did he have any of the childhood health problems that were prevalent in that day? Did he personally communicate with his heavenly father? When did he realize for the first time that he was the spiritual Son of God? How did that knowledge come to him? The other apostles answered a few of our questions, but Matthew skipped about 30 years of the life of Christ and today, as we open the third chapter of his gospel. Matthew starts off by telling us that “In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the district of Judea and saying, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.’” Again, Matthew was interested in John’s part in the story, BECAUSE IT HAD BEEN PROPHISIED BY THE PROPHETS OF OLD—HIS JEWISH ANCESTORS—AND MATTHEW IS TRYING TO EMPHASIZE THE FACT THAT CHRIST WAS THE ONE PROMISED AS THEIR MESSIAH. Just to make sure, Matthew reminds them that this is the one spoken of by the prophet Isaiah.

Isaiah was not the only one, many predicted his birth. It is amazing to me that just a few pages back in the bible, the last book in the OT, Malachi 3: 1, but four-hundred-years [400 YEARS] ago, Malachi said: “See, I will send my messenger who will prepare the way before me. Then suddenly the Lord you are seeking will come to his temple; the messenger of the covenant, whom you desire, will come.’ [Accurate prophecy should build and strengthen your faith. Prophecy and its fulfillment, on time, every time helps me to KNOW that my God is real!] My faith grows deeper each time I review the story of Jesus Christ that was fore-told over four thousand years ago and I have seen and continue to see those prophecies come to pass just as God has promised.

In Matthew’s gospel, almost thirty years has passed [a gap] and now John the Baptist explodes onto the scene. He was easily recognizable because his appearance, clothing, food and message were new and different. The most important of these characteristics was the message. You may ask why it was different. It was different because of the new covenant. In all days past, in order for sins to be forgiven there had to be an atonement made by the sacrifice of some animal…it was a blood sacrifice that had to be repeated over and over, year after year. BUT NOT ANY MORE! When Christ died, shed his blood on the cross, it happened one time and it applied to every person who ever lived or will ever live on earth. John’s new message was one of REPENTANCE and faith in the one, Jesus Christ, who would die once and for all. The accomplishments of Christ did not destroy the law…but fulfilled it. The law had no saving power, but rather it pointed or guided people toward this one, Jesus, who shed his blood that covered all sin for everyone who would repent of their sin and accept him.

Everyone seems to know that repentance means doing an about face—making a 180 degree turn in the direction one is traveling. It does! But let us look at what that entails. Repentance is a turning away from the kind of self-centeredness that leads to wrong actions such as lying, cheating, stealing, gossip, revenge, and all kinds of immorality. Repentance removes all rebellion from your way of life and the new direction is going in the way with God. Remember that you can not forgive or remove your sin, only God can do that. You simply recognize that you are a sinner and repent asking God to do the forgiving. The bible assures us that “He is faithful and just to forgive our sins.”

Now, let us look at the rest of the second verse in the third chapter. Why should they repent? “Repent for the kingdom of heaven is near.” The kingdom of heaven [or of God] began the moment that God entered human history as a man. Christ Came to establish his kingdom on earth and wants it to be as it is in heaven—pure, sinless, and holy. Today Christ reigns in the hearts of all believers, but the kingdom of heaven cannot be to his satisfaction until all sin has been judged and removed.

You may have thought of John the Baptist as a great preacher—he was, but he was one of the most unique PROPHETS that spoke of the coming Christ. You will remember that John met Jesus, face to face, in the same room while both were in the fetus stage of life. Though yet unborn, John recognized Jesus as the Son of God, and informed Martha, his mother, that the child Mary was carrying was indeed the new Messiah. [He leaped in her womb—maybe, kicked her in the stomach] This personal fore-knowledge only increased the tenacity with which John proclaimed the arrival of the Savior. John quoted Isaiah, whom I believe to be the greatest of the OT prophets. They both agreed that the need for repentance was good news to those who believed but terrible news to all who refused to listen and obey.

Matthew says in verse three that John was preparing the way for the coming of the Lord. This represents the task of each of us who know Christ—we too are to prepare the way; that is, we must help prepare the people we know and serve, to recognize Christ when they meet him…even of greater importance is that we prepare them to realize that they have a spiritual need that only he can fulfill. Lost man must first realize they are lost, admit it, and desire to become a member of his bride—the Church. We can also be successful in “making their pathway straight” by correcting misconceptions that may be hindering people from approaching Christ. Someone you know may be ready to accept Christ. Are you prepared and ready to show them the way? Can you help make their pathway straight?

As you read verses four through six you will note that John looked, lived and acted somewhat different from the ordinary man on the street. If for no other reason he might have done this to attract attention of the people he met. The bible teaches that the general public should be able to look at you and see a difference from the ordinary man on the street. If Christians do not act, react and associate with others in a Christian way, how can they otherwise be determined to be different? If John the Baptist would have submitted his résumé to our church—I have often wondered if our church would have called him to be pastor. I personally have a problem with the dress worn by some Christians at worship. Somehow, I keep thinking that we owe God our best and that is dress clothes and a tie if we have them. However, I truly believe that if one does not have a suit, God is well pleased with overalls if they are clean. It is the spirit on the inside that is important—however, what you see on the outside usually reflects what is within. [Just a side note: I personally observed the student’s respect for class room teachers decrease as a result of their de-grading dress and attire during the 1960’s.]

Read verses seven through twelve and you will see that pages could be written and hours spent in explaining the content of these verses. I believe that John fore-knew the problems that the Pharisees and Sadducees would cause our Savior leading finally to his crucifixion, and this must have stirred his fervor or passion against them and resulting in his calling them a brood of poisonous snakes. It is to John’s credit, that while his temper must be at its height, he admits that he is inferior to the coming Lord who wears sandals that he is not even worthy to unlatch or carry. [That act was the place of a slave…so he considered himself less than a slave as compared to the one he proclaimed.]

We often wonder how we are to tell when a messenger is truthful—how we are to know a Christian to be worthy. John uses an example that God has used all through his word and compares a person to a fruit tree. Good trees bear editable fruit; thorn trees bear stickers of pain—and we can know a tree by its fruit. John told these who came to hear him preach that God had sent his ax [Jesus his son] who had already aimed at the roots of the ones that were bearing evil fruit and they would be hewn down and destroyed.

John must have realized that some were enamored with him and his powerful preaching and he wanted to set them straight. He said that he was baptizing with water those who repented of their sin only to point them to the one who was more powerful and would baptize them with the Holy Spirit and with fire. He assured them that Christ would come with his winnowing fork in his hand and would use it to cleanse the threshing floor. Do you believe in hell, a place of fire and destruction? Sorry, it doesn’t matter what you believe, that alters nothing. You and I are a part of the wheat that is on the floor and we are mixed in with the worthless chaff. On judgment day Christ will use his winnowing fork to separate the wheat from the chaff—the wheat will remain in his barn—the chaff will be destroyed with unquenchable fire. Folk are uncomfortable sitting under a preacher that makes this kind of strong assertion from the pulpit today. Jesus must have approved since he went to John to be baptized.

On one of these days, John had preached and some had accepted Christ and were submitting to baptism in the Jordon River. John looked up and saw Jesus approaching him asking that John baptize him in Jordon. John did not refuse, but was reluctant and tried to ‘deter’ him. It is easy to realize that John felt that it would be more appropriate for Christ to baptize him. Why did Christ seek to be baptized? He had never sinned; therefore he had no reason to repent. Christ said it was to “Fulfill all righteousness.” In his commission to the church later, he instructed that all who repented be baptized—not to save them but as a picture of their death-burial and resurrection from the sinful life. Baptism is a picture of your being in accord with what is just and moral. Christ was just and moral; however he wanted to show others what he expected of them. He set the example. He expects Christians to set the right example; not only in baptism but in every act of their Christian life. John consented and baptized Jesus that day. Why?

Christ saw this as a way to advance God’s mission for him—he was advancing God’s work on earth. No, he had no sin; however, he was confessing the sins of the nation as the prophets had done. He was baptized by John to show his approval of the message John was preaching. It is the belief of many that he was baptized to show the starting point of his earthly ministry. No doubt that there were many of the critical Pharisees gathered at the river to show their resistance to John’s preaching—and Christ approved and took part in his ministry and was baptized just to show them that they were wrong. Was this an important act on Christ’s part? It absolutely was. The last two verses in the chapter say that: “As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water…heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting on him. And a voice from heaven said ‘This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”’

In the first eleven verses of chapter four, Matthew explains how Jesus was immediately tempted by Satan who tried every trick of his trade to break the spirit of our Master. Withstanding thee temptations proved that Jesus was the Messiah…the Son of God. No one can show true obedience until they have been tempted to sin. Deuteronomy says God led Israel into the desert to humble and test them. You are, or you will be tested so just remember your convictions are only strong when they are able to hold out against the pressure that will come to bear. Satan tempted Eve in the garden and you know the sad story of the results. She succumbed and now sin abounds.

The temptation of Jesus shows us that he was human as well as God’s son. So we are human and this proves that a human can resist the devil. Resist him and he will flee from you. Remember that temptation in itself is not sin. Sin enters when we give in to temptation and disobey God. Think about it, Christ was not tempted while he was with John at the river, before or after his baptism, while he was with friends and supporters all around—but Satan waited until he was alone, hungry, thirsty and uncomfortable. He will attack us when we are most vulnerable; when we are in physical or emotional stress, when we are lonely or tired or weighted with some important decision or face with a crucial uncertainty.

We need to consider the crafty choices made by Satan to use in his seduction of Christ. It just so happens that these three areas of need are the most critical in our lives today. We are prone to give in to our physical needs. We are possessive to the point that we seek wealth and earthly processions, and there is an inward craving for power and recognition. The third area of human need is a deadly one when misused…human pride. These are the exact areas where Satan tried to overcome the will of Jesus to remain holy. Christ was hungry. So why didn’t he turn the stones into bread and eat. Jesus had power and recognition so Satan took him to a high point in the city, and told him that if he was really the Son of God he should jump off the wall and see if God would break his fall…prove that you can save your life after you jump. Finally Satan promised him the entire world if he would only worship him.

I have intentionally left out the answers that Christ gave to Satan’s questions…the reasons he gave for not following his suggestions, and this is for a special reason. I continually seek ways to get you [my class] and [now my readers] to be more diligent in your bible study. You must study to show thyself approved and able to rightly divide [explain] the word of God. Jesus was able to resist all of the devil’s temptations because he not only knew the scriptures {and he quoted scripture as his answers} but he also obeyed the scriptures. Ephesians 6:17 tells us that the scriptures are the weapons we need in spiritual combat. Read your bible first—then use commentaries to help you better understand and sometimes to broaden your understanding. Don’t just read your bible; study it!

PLEASE NOTE: God has blessed me with the ability to study his word and my greatest desire is that I can share with others what I have learned. These lessons are mailed to over one hundred people each week and that is great! However, I wish I could share them with thousands each week and I can with your help. I now have a blogspot…web site…that already has 18 lessons written in 2006, and all of the lessons written in 2007 and will continue to carry the current lesson each week. REQUEST: Tell others you know to go to the web page and study along with us. Ask them to let me know that they are receiving the word…Please! The address is: http://drjohnss.blogspot.com:80/ TELL OTHERS!

JUST THINK ABOUT IT! WE HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO HAVE A PERSONAL INVOLVEMENT IN THE GREAT COMMISSION AND ACTUALLY GO INTO ALL THE WORLD AND PREACH THE GOSPEL.

YOU COULD BE THE ONE LINK THAT BRINGS SALVATION TO SOME PERSON TODAY! God has promised that HIS WORD will not return unto him void.