Matthew 20 – Being Called to God’s Vineyard, Presence or Position, and Spiritual Eyesight

Matthew 20 

Being Called to God’s Vineyard, Presence or Position, and Spiritual Eyesight

Hired into God’s Vineyard

This chapter has a whole lot to do with calling, timing, commitment, and reward. When Jesus came, the first ones He was sent to was the Jewish nation. After that, the Gentiles would be called. Paul came in later, out of due time. Yet, he didn’t come behind the chiefest of apostles and outdid those that were in Christ before Him.

Like the prodigal son who returned from his wandering to the Father and was held as dear as the brother who never wandered. See Matthew 18. The reward would be given to the saints not according to the time of their conversion, but according to those who followed Him and are faithful to Him even in the latter end. They will have the same reward as the apostles who entered in so many years ago. Faithful sufferers for Christ will have the same reward as those of primitive times.

All rewards will be according to each one’s work, so people will not receive all the same rewards – that’s not what this is saying. But as far as the rewards for doing what they were called to suffer for Christ, regardless of the time in history and life that they entered in by God’s grace  - the same rewards would be given. God is the one who gives us a calling to do a work in His kingdom/vineyard.

Until we are called into the kingdom of God, we are standing idle in our lives. The soul of man was created to be called to work in God’s kingdom. Being idle is the reality of living in a sinful state before we are born again. All people are standing idle until they are born again and assigned to their work. They are doing nothing effective that applies to the very purpose God created them to fulfill.

It’s our job to humble ourselves and ask Jesus to come into our hearts. God will make sure every person hears it before they die. Once that happens, God will prepare us for our specific assignment. We all have one.

The marketplace represents the place of concourse, where people gather and meet. That’s the place where wisdom cries in the streets – see Proverbs. Wisdom cries out to the public to come to know the Lord and be about His business, not busyness. People are playing and fooling around with this and that, but the wisdom of God calls us to a life of business in the Father’s house – like Jesus.

Luke 2:49

And He said to them, “Why did you seek Me? Did you not know that I must be about My Father’s business?”

The kingdom of God is God’s vineyard. He is the One who planted it, waters it and cares for it. We as His children must be in this vineyard doing what we were created to do to bring Him glory. He wants us to be His family and His co-laborers to reach each other with the gospel.

A person who is idle may end up in hell, but the one that will go to heaven must be busy – about His business. The reward we will get has nothing to do with religious “works.” It is a loving offering of a life willingly laid down for Jesus to serve Him and go above and beyond the norm to walk in love and obedience to what He is asking of us day by day.

We aren’t rewarded for just checking the duties off a list. Religious activities are useless. There’s no love in that. We discussed this is a previous chapter. We are called to walk in love and lay down our lives for our brothers – in this world. They need us. That means we will have to crucify our flesh – our own way of doing things and allow Him to lead us by His Spirit day by day as we go.

1 John 3:16

By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.

Getting the reward of a crown of righteousness is a blessing to embrace for eternity for the work He calls us to do in His kingdom.

2 Timothy 4:8

Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing.

What does work for a day really mean in relationship to this passage? Look at this.

John 9:4

I must work the works of Him who sent Me while it is day; the night is coming when no one can work.

The night is coming. Darkness is coming on the earth. There is already a lot of it here. We are called to work while we can. If we do not finish what God called us to do, then it will be unfinished forever. Who would want that to happen? Yet for many, it is happening. They leave the earth with their work undone. The reward of rest will be to us at the end of the day and when this life is finished.

Revelation 14:12-13

 Here is the patience of the saints; here are those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus. Then I heard a voice from heaven saying to me, “Write: ‘Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.’ ” “Yes,” says the Spirit, “that they may rest from their labors, and their works follow them.”

Think of the hours in a day. Think of the first apostles. They were the first workers to go out to call in the Jews. Later in the day, they went to call in the Gentiles. The timing was interesting. Some are called early in life by God’s grace. Think of John the Baptist who was called from his mother’s womb. Then Timothy as a child and Obadiah in His youth. When they were called to go, they went speedily. Mary Magdalene came in later on and was healed of many devils – then she clung closely to Jesus.

Some are called in their 20’s, 30’s, 40’s and beyond. There are different hours of the day we receive our call. Paul was called in middle life years while in pursuit of worldly lusts. The Lord has work for all ages and He is willing to have anyone who will come in and pursue His work and fulfill their God given purpose. He doesn’t turn away any who are willing. Unfortunately, not all will come.

The 11^th hour is the last season of life – in old age. While there is life, there is hope. But at the 12^th hour, the day is done and there is no more time to work. Anyone can come at any age. God is not willing that any should perish. They can still do the work of the Lord – even in their 90’s. He can set to work those who have lived a life of idleness. Nothing is too hard for the Lord to do. Nicodemus was an older Jewish leader – yet he had the hope of being born again.

The Gentiles came in when they heard the gospel – certainly not before. Those that hear the message of salvation many times and refuse to accept it will not be able to say at the 11^th hour that no man has offered them hire. In other words, that no one told them about how to be saved and put to work in God’s kingdom. Now is the accepted time.

2 Corinthians 6:2

For He says: “In an acceptable time I have heard you, and in the day of salvation I have helped you.” Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.

When evening comes and life is over, then will we be rewarded or judged. The workers did not come to get their reward until called. In God’s timing we rest and wait for His call to the rewards. Those that came in at the 11^th hour, it is mentioned in Matthew Henry’s commentary, would not be called last in order not to discourage them. God is so kind.

I think a point is made here that the Lord shows no partiality to people. The last being first and the first being last shows that God is no respecter of persons. See Acts 10:34. No preference is given to seniority. I believe this eliminates the issue of pride – like “I got here first.”

Verse 15 shows us that God is the Owner and He has a right to do what He will. In verse 12, the servant is complaining that others got the same pay when they came in later to work. Who are we to argue with God? An envious person is considered evil. It’s an evil eye that doesn’t appreciate good things happening to others. After all, why should we fellow servants be concerned about someone who came in later in life than we did? Aren’t we eternally glad they did – no matter when?

Many of the ones that come into the kingdom later end up doing more by the blessing of God, attaining greater levels of knowledge, grace, and usefulness. And the ones who have been walking with the Lord a longer time may not be used as effectively for various reasons.

We must not boast about when we came into the vineyard or how zealous we are. The most important part it to keep up that zeal, that newness, that excitement for Jesus. We don’t want our good beginnings to end up as of little use to us.

Many are called, but few are chosen. Those who endure to the end will make it. Once called, it is a love walk – not a duty walk. No matter the call, we must not give more attention to the call than to the love of the Lord Jesus Himself. Therein lies our whole purpose for living and dying – to be with Him, now and for eternity. Let’s make our calling and election sure and stay with it.

Matthew 24:13

But he who endures to the end shall be saved.

2 Peter 1:10-11

Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble; for so an entrance will be supplied to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Presence of Position

The brothers who asked for position did so through their mother. The fact that they put someone in front of Jesus who had some type of authority to avoid asking for themselves is interesting. A subject in itself. But the bottom line in these passages was the reason for which they wanted to be placed at Jesus right and left hand – in other words, in a high and prominent position.

Jesus immediately asked them if they could drink the cup He was about to drink. In ignorance, they promptly said yes. They wanted to have a high position and it looks like it was more important than just being in Jesus’ presence. The cup of suffering that Jesus would drink would not be achievable by any man because all have sinned. 

Jesus never did. He was the only One who could provide the payment for our sins. He did say however, that we as His disciples will drink from His cup. Notice the word “from.” This means that we will suffer as followers of Christ as we lay down our lives for Him. We will suffer indeed as He did, just not the full measure of all that He did.

Philippians 3:7-11

But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ.  Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ  and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith;  that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.

One can look at Psalm 22 and Isaiah 53 to get a real up close and personal look at the sufferings of our Savior. Our sufferings will be worth it. Why? Because being in the presence of Jesus for eternity would be to a Christian who really loves Him the ultimate goal, regardless of where we are placed in His heavenly kingdom.

Psalm 84:10

For a day in Your courts is better than a thousand. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God Than dwell in the tents of wickedness.

Whenever we just go to Him to be in His presence, through worship and just sitting with Him, it is the best place any human can be. That’s where we will find rest, joy, peace, comfort, and fulfillment. Doesn’t that sound like what the world needs now?

Psalm 16:11

You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

Jesus winds up His teaching on this subject of position by showing His listeners that those who will be greatest among them will be those who give themselves to service. He didn’t want His followers to follow the pattern of the Gentiles mentioned in these passages who considered it great to rule over people. They liked bossing people around and being the boss, but not doing it in a loving way. It was more an issue of pride and position. Jesus  warns that this should not be so for His followers.

He used Himself as an example stating that’s exactly what He came to do – be a servant to the lost and hurting world. He laid down all His mighty weight and glory as God in heaven and came to earth to serve us the best thing we could ever be served – eternal life and the ability to be in His presence for all eternity.

2 Corinthians 5:21

For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

This chapter finishes strong by showing us the compassion and tender mercy of our God by healing the two blind men. They humbly approached Jesus, worshipped, and honored Him, seeking something that was really important to them – their eyesight. Jesus immediately gave it to them.

What they asked can be taken from the natural realm of healing blind eyes to the supernatural realm of spiritual eyesight. So many times we are blinded to the truth. Seeing things that are in the natural realm is not all there is in this life. We need Holy Spirit to open our eyes to the spiritual unseen things. It will make all the difference in our journey with Jesus through this life. We need to see this life in the light of eternity because that’s what matters most.

1 Corinthians 4:17-18

For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.

Reflection

Talk about seeing unseen things! Wow! Today I spent most of my time studying from a commentary about this parable. I had never really dug deep into it. I always just assumed it meant that we would get saved no matter when in life we come to Jesus. While that part is true, I didn’t see it like I did today. As I read, I discovered there is so much more to this. This Bible study is helping me, and as I get help from Holy Spirit, I count it a joy to do what I am called to do in God’s vineyard, and share the word with people all over the world.

I surrendered my life to Jesus later in life at the age of nearly 50. I spent the last many years learning, learning, learning. I was a lot like Mary Magdalene in many ways. I needed a lot of healing work. I have participated in many ministries and events and outreaches. Evangelism was a big part of my call. Teaching is yet another. It’s such a blessing when I can share with you what the Lord is sharing with me.

Has it been challenging for me? You bet it has. I have been rejected by family and friends, had a gospel tract thrown in my face, been yelled at, cussed at and mocked, suffered rejection within the church, and lost a job for standing up for Jesus, just to name a few things. I have had to learn to lay down a lot of my desires to eat or shop the way I might otherwise want to. Where I go and how I spend my time is very devoted to the Lord and being in His service. No more hanging around the “marketplace” so to speak.  

I’m still working at all of these things, yet I remember that no matter how hard and painful it can be at times, Jesus is worth it. He tells us that His power is perfect in our weakness and that He will supply all our needs. He tells us that we can do all things through Christ. We may suffer for just a brief moment in this life, but the rewards for being in and working in His vineyard are well worth it.

There is a song coming to me right now. It says, “I wouldn’t trade You for silver or gold. I wouldn’t trade You for riches untold. You mean more than this world to me.” Is that truly the song of our hearts dear friends? I want that for all of us. It doesn’t matter to me when you get born again and take up your assignment in God’s vineyard – it just really matters that you do.

How About You?

What speaks to you the most in this chapter? Will you take it to the Lord in prayer? He will help you if you do.

Questions or comments? Email me at: Hannylynn05@gmail.com

Matthew 19 – Marriage, Divorce, Celibacy, Humility & What Has Your Heart

Matthew 19 – Marriage, Divorce, Celibacy, Humility & What Has Your Heart

Text: Read Matthew 19

May 21, 2020

Jesus Always Healing People

The beginning of this chapter gives us yet another reminder about the healing power of Jesus. Everywhere He went, He was healing people. It is good to stop and reflect on this for just a moment. Is Jesus still alive? Yes. Is He still healing people? Yes. That means if we have any sickness in our body, we can remember that we can take it to the Lord, and He will always say yes. We may not know how He will heal us in a given situation, but if we have the faith to believe He will, then it will be done for us as we have believed.

Matthew 8:13

Then Jesus said to the centurion, “Go your way; and as you have believed, so let it be done for you.” And his servant was healed that same hour.

Marriage, Divorce & Celibacy

Reasons for divorce and the sanctity of marriage are the topic in this section. We also see something about reasons for not marrying to be set apart for God’s service. There were specific guidelines laid down in the Old Testament for getting a divorce. It was always due to marital unfaithfulness.

Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, Isaiah. Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Malachi all mention the reasons why the Lord was permitting divorce. But if we look at what Malachi says, the bottom line is that God hates divorce.

Matthew 2:16

“For the Lord God of Israel says that He hates divorce, for it covers one’s garment with violence,” Says the Lord of hosts. “Therefore take heed to your spirit, that you do not deal treacherously.”

The rulers in Jesus’ day were always looking for a way to trap Him with their questions to see if He would go against what was written in the law. They were wanting to hear Him say that people could get divorced for any reason, but Jesus didn’t go there. While God gave justifiable reasons to allow it in the Old Testament, Jesus explained in the New Testament that when God created a man and a woman, He intended for them to be joined together for life. There’s no good reason for divorce unless, as Jesus said, one of the partners commits sexual immorality.

When a man and a woman come together, they literally become one flesh. They are joined together as one unit, even though they each have their own spirit inside of them. Verse 6 tells us that what God joined together, let not man separate.

Nowadays, the whole sanctity of marriage has been turned into something it was never intended to be. Men are marrying men, and women are marrying women. People are getting divorced for all kinds of reasons. Many times, they just stop applying themselves to the relationship when the newness of the wedding wears off. Over time, they just grow apart from each other.

The Bible makes it clear that homosexuality is an abomination to the Lord, but many won’t hear it. They refuse to acknowledge it. This can be studied out in both the old and the new testaments. Others like the idea of a wedding and all the excitement that goes with it, but do not feel that they need to be obligated for life.

This is a matter of the utmost importance. Why? Because God ordained marriage. After all, Jesus is called our Bridegroom. We are His betrothed, His bride to be (yes, male or female, you are a bride of Christ if you are born again). God joined us together with Jesus to be married, and that is to be a holy and very sacred union for all eternity.

Isaiah 54:5

For your Maker is your husband, The Lord of hosts is His name; And your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel; He is called the God of the whole earth.

All through the New Testament, Jesus talked about the bride and the Bridegroom, referring to us with Him. Let’s look at the parable about the invitation to the wedding feast.

Matthew 22:1-14

And Jesus answered and spoke to them again by parables and said:  “The kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who arranged a marriage for his son,  and sent out his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding; and they were not willing to come.  Again, he sent out other servants, saying, ‘Tell those who are invited, “See, I have prepared my dinner; my oxen and fatted cattle are killed, and all things are ready. Come to the wedding.”

But they made light of it and went their ways, one to his own farm, another to his business. And the rest seized his servants, treated them spitefully, and killed them. But when the king heard about it, he was furious. And he sent out his armies, destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city. 

Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy.  Therefore go into the highways, and as many as you find, invite to the wedding.’  So those servants went out into the highways and gathered together all whom they found, both bad and good. And the wedding hall was filled with guests.

“But when the king came in to see the guests, he saw a man there who did not have on a wedding garment.  So he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you come in here without a wedding garment?’ And he was speechless.  Then the king said to the servants, ‘Bind him hand and foot, take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’  “For many are called, but few are chosen.”

Look at this in the book of revelation.

Revelation 22:17

And the Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let him who hears say, “Come!” And let him who thirsts come. Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely.

So we see that the whole issue of marriage was patterned after God marrying us – His born again children. One day we will be His spouse and He will be ours. It’s a forever thing. That’s how marriage was designed to work from the very beginning. Our marriage to Him won’t be exactly like an earthly marriage of course, but it will be pure and holy and everlasting. 

Even though all are invited to be with Jesus as His bride in heaven and in the new earth forever, not all will come. Though He bids us to come, He will not force us. He will allow those who don’t come to go the other way – though it would break His heart.

Finally, some will not marry for the reason of inability to consummate the marriage due to a physical abnormality. Still others will make the decision to set themselves apart for the service of the Lord to be without the distraction of a spouse. Paul did not marry, and he spoke a lot on this.

1 Corinthians 7:32-35

But I want you to be without care. He who is unmarried cares for the things of the Lord—how he may please the Lord. But he who is married cares about the things of the world—how he may please his wife. There is a difference between a wife and a virgin. The unmarried woman cares about the things of the Lord, that she may be holy both in body and in spirit. But she who is married cares about the things of the world—how she may please her husband. And this I say for your own profit, not that I may put a leash on you, but for what is proper, and that you may serve the Lord without distraction.

A Word About Humility

Yesterday, in Matthew 18, we looked at humility in more detail. Jesus had made it clear to the disciples that being like a child is what God looks at as great in His kingdom. Why? Because kids are humble, not proud. As adults need to be just like that. We can come to the Lord in a lowliness and meekness – aka, humility.

Humility is described as a mild and gentle temper. Patient with people. Humble people are submitted to the Lordship of Jesus as not only their Savior but their Lord. This means they are willing to allow Him to be the ruling factor in their lives. It is laying down our own will. Humble people are opposed to pride and arrogance. God hates pride.

Proverbs 16-19

These six things the Lord hates, yes, seven are an abomination to Him: A proud look, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that are swift in running to evil, a false witness who speaks lies, and one who sows discord among brethren.

James 4:6

But He gives more grace. Therefore He says: “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”

What Your Heart?

This story shows a man who had been a great Jewish man. He obeyed the Jewish laws and he obviously worked hard to attain great wealth. This was all good. The day He spoke with Jesus, he was given the chance to see even greater things in his young life. Jesus told him that all he would have to do to inherit the kingdom of heaven would be to sell his goods and follow after Him.

Did this mean he could not have wealth? No. We can only imagine the great things he would have experienced as he went with Jesus. The whole thing here was that Jesus put His finger on the one thing that had a hold of his heart more than serving God. It was his money. He would rather keep the money than go with Jesus. So that day, he showed where his heart really was.  

In verse 23, Jesus told His listeners that it was harder for a rich man to enter heaven than for a camel to go through the eye of a needle. He meant that people whose heart were not for God, but for their possessions, would have a tough time getting in because they were not loyal to the Lord.

Next, we see the disciples mentioning that they had indeed left everything to follow Jesus. They wondered how they could enter the kingdom of heaven because they had money. They were business men. Jesus answered, saying,  

“With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” (vs 26)

The wonderful thing is that one can be rich and follow Jesus. The only problem here was that the money had more of the young man’s heart than Jesus did, and the Lord will not take second place. He gave the disciples a wonderful answer and promise about what they would get for leaving everything for Him.

Matthew 19:28

So Jesus said to them, “Assuredly I say to you, that in the regeneration, when the Son of Man sits on the throne of His glory, you who have followed Me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.  And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My name’s sake, shall receive a hundredfold, and inherit eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and the last first.

We see that God made others rich in the Bible – in fact very rich. He wants us to have more than enough so we can be used by Him to bless others and advance the gospel around the world. That takes money. Here we see that the Lord would bless His followers greatly and the very best part would be eternal life with Him. Nothing on this earth could compare to that.

Reflection

I have had my experiences with marriage and thank God that the right one finally came along, though later in life. The good news is that when we get connected with the spouse that God chooses for us, it is unbeatable and unbreakable. A reflection of what being married to Jesus would be  like.

For a long time I thought I would never marry again after a failed marriage, but the Lord had a better plan. One day in a church, I met the man I would marry. It caught both of us off guard and we were delighted to realize quickly that we were God’s choice for each other. And I can say that even the best of marriages will have their challenges. People are different, one from another. Things will come up. But with the Lord’s Holy Spirit at work in us, we can be loving and forgiving toward each other and move on.

This chapter teaches me a lot about how much God helps us when we humble ourselves before Him. We get a lot of grace and help from Him when we do.

It also reminds me that I need to keep God first. I have had issues with addictions in my life, and by His grace, I have come a long way from where I once was. Though it is a continual battle with the flesh and the enemy at times, I am learning more to lean on His everlasting arms. I am learning to receive more of His love and forgiveness, so I am not inclined to turn to something else to fill my heart.

All of my successes in my life were only possible to achieve WITH God. Apart from Him, I could do nothing. Rich people, the sick, broken, and addicted people can all get into heaven with the help of God. And for me, for you, and all people, our help comes from the Lord in the form of His precious Son Jesus – the Christ. Thank God for Jesus!

We have to remember that God never condemns us for falling short of His glory which we do every day, but He wants to give us the grace to come closer to Him and get better and better with things that have troubled us.

I hope this blessed you as you read it.

How About You?

What speaks to you the most in this chapter? Will you take it to the Lord in prayer? He will help you if you do.

Questions or comments? Email me at: Hannylynn05@gmail.com

Matthew 18 Bible Study - Humility, Sin, Returning Sheep and Forgiveness

Matthew 18 – Humility, Sin, Returning Sheep and Forgiveness

Text: Read Matthew 18

May 20, 2020

Greatness in God’s Kingdom Looks Like Smallness in the World

When Jesus was asked by His disciples how to obtain greatness in the kingdom of heaven, He quickly pulled a little child to His side to illustrate His lesson. The lesson is not that we act like kids do so to speak. Rather, Jesus is letting us know that we should have a humble heart like a child does. Let’s think about how kids see and do life. 

When they are told something, they believe it with all their hearts because they trust the one telling them something. They just act like themselves and don’t pretend to be anything but who they are. They are fresh and excited, and they are humble. They are tender hearted. Kids haven’t been tainted by the grown up world’s thinking. They aren’t all puffed up, aka  prideful.

If Mom and Dad say, "we going to Disney World", they are quick to believe it. What Jesus is saying here is that what God honors most in His family is a person with humility – a willingness to do things the way God asks them to do it. They don’t insist on their way. A humble heart is a willing heart. A humble heart is a surrendered heart to another’s will. God really appreciates that. Jesus showed us the example.

Philippians 2:8

And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.

If It’s Causing You to Sin, Get Rid of It

While talking to the disciples, Jesus explained that things that cause us offense – in other words, to sin, should be disposed of. He warns that it’s better to get rid of sin and live without the thing that causes it in our lives than to end up in hell.

Another important point is that anyone who causes one of His children to sin would be better off if they had been drowned in the depth of the sea. That sounds pretty intense, and it is. People who are out there leading a whole lot of very humble and sweet people into wrong religions and beliefs are really in serious trouble. Jesus takes it very seriously when religious leaders, for example, teach people incorrect things about Him. It’s like we read in the chapter the other day – the blind leading the blind. It will cause them both to fall.

Jesus Came to Save That Which Was Lost

The whole purpose for Jesus coming to the earth in the first place was to save that which was lost through Satan in the fall of man when Adam and Eve sinned. What God had created to be a family for Himself was handed over to the devil – Satan, when this first couple sinned by giving him the rule over their lives.

God, who knows everything of course, knew this was going to happen. He already had a plan to bring them back the only way He could. That was to come to earth Himself, in the form of His Son Jesus and become like us so we could go back to being what we were created to be – in His image. He came to save us from destruction and ending up in hell for eternity. He came that we would have eternal life with Him. Look at this very famous word from the Bible.

John 3:13-17

No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven, that is, the Son of Man who is in heaven. And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.

Lost Sheep

Not only did Jesus come to save all mankind from destruction, but He also goes after those who are His who may have wandered away. Many people accept Jesus as their Savior and come to know and love Him greatly. At first, a person gets born again and is so touched by the filling of God’s Holy Spirit in them that they are passionately excited about the new birth that has taken place in their hearts. They know that all their sins are now forgiven, and they have an eternal hope in Jesus that will never fade away.

What happens to so many is this. Once all the excitement and newness start to fade a bit through daily life experiences, people can get caught back up in the things of this world and life. While it is necessary for us to live in this world and be God’s shining light to others, we have to stay heavenly minded throughout it all.

When trials and temptations come, people can go back to doing things the old way if they have not been staying close to Jesus on a daily basis. Then, little by little that once passionate heart can cool off to a lukewarm state. They find themselves no longer passionately pursuing an even deeper relationship with Jesus. The devil, who hates God and His people comes in to steal, kill and destroy anything He can in our lives to try to pull us away from the Lord.

The good news from this chapter is that Jesus will go after the one who strays to bring them back into the fold. He rejoices when one comes back so much, even more than over the ones who are already in the fold but have not strayed away from His presence and fellowship. He said it is not the will of God that any one of His children should perish.

2 Peter 3:9

The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.

When Someone in the Church Does You Wrong

I believe this is a big subject in the body of Christ today. We hear of people leaving their congregation because someone at church offended them or did them wrong in some way. Sadly, they get mad at the whole group and just leave. The thing is, Jesus gave us a key for dealing with just such things in this chapter.

Jesus gave us a step by step process to deal with that very issue. People are people, born again or not. We all have faults and make mistakes. People who are walking with the Lord more closely will be less likely to hurt others, while new converts have not yet had enough time to get their thinking changed to the way Jesus would do things. They still have  hurts, and hurting people will hurt other people.

We are all in a maturing process, so as we go through this life, we need to have a way to work things out with each other. Well, Jesus shows us how. If someone sins against us, we are advised to go directly to that person and work it out. We shouldn’t go run to other people and tell them about it. We need to keep the matter private and go directly to the one who hurt us.

If that person does not hear your case, aka, acknowledge what he did, then the Lord advises us to go get one or two other people to discuss the matter. In this, we will have witnesses to the case – sort of like a mini trial in a court of law where you have a case presented and a jury to decide the matter. This way, you are protected in case things do not go well.

Finally, if after those two attempts to bring resolution to the matter the person will not cooperate with the church in those discussions, then the church has no alternative but to release him from close fellowship as one would a sinner who was never saved to begin with. Let him/her be ashamed of their sin, and let not the church be affected by it.

Galatians 6:1

Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted. Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.

That does not mean he can’t later repent and come back and ask for forgiveness. But until he should come to his/her senses, they shouldn’t be in with the church, because as we just read back in Matthew 16, a little leaven can spoil the whole group. The church cannot afford to have such trouble among the group.

What Are We Allowing? What Will We Forbid?

In this teaching, Jesus tells us that what we bind on earth is also bound in heaven. And what we loose on earth is also loosed in heaven. What He was saying is what we allow is what will stand and what we don’t allow will not stand. In the case of this discussion, the church was advised to make a decision to remove a sinning brother who would not repent. They could not afford to allow this to be mixed in with the rest of the church, less it cause dissension or strife.

On the other hand, what they wouldn’t allow would also be backed up in heaven and disallowed. The Lord gave us the authority to handle such matters. It reminds us of where the whole court system began. Moses was given the responsibility to help the children of Israel get delivered out of Egypt (bondage). Then they started bringing all their disputes to him and we can only imagine how overwhelming that must have been to him. That was a lot of people, and as we mentioned earlier, we know how people can be in day to day living. Things will come up.

Exodus 18:13-26

 And so it was, on the next day, that Moses sat to judge the people; and the people stood before Moses from morning until evening.  So when Moses’ father-in-law saw all that he did for the people, he said, “What is this thing that you are doing for the people? Why do you alone sit, and all the people stand before you from morning until evening?”

And Moses said to his father-in-law, “Because the people come to me to inquire of God.  When they have a difficulty, they come to me, and I judge between one and another; and I make known the statutes of God and His laws.”

So Moses’ father-in-law said to him, “The thing that you do is not good. Both you and these people who are with you will surely wear yourselves out. For this thing is too much for you; you are not able to perform it by yourself.  Listen now to my voice; I will give you counsel, and God will be with you: Stand before God for the people, so that you may bring the difficulties to God. And you shall teach them the statutes and the laws, and show them the way in which they must walk and the work they must do. Moreover you shall select from all the people able men, such as fear God, men of truth, hating covetousness; and place such over them to be rulers of thousands, rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens. And let them judge the people at all times. Then it will be that every great matter they shall bring to you, but every small matter they themselves shall judge. So it will be easier for you, for they will bear the burden with you. If you do this thing, and God so commands you, then you will be able to endure, and all this people will also go to their place in peace.”

So Moses heeded the voice of his father-in-law and did all that he had said. And Moses chose able men out of all Israel, and made them heads over the people: rulers of thousands, rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens. So they judged the people at all times; the hard cases they brought to Moses, but they judged every small case themselves.

We have been given the ability to agree as touching anything according to the word of God and it will be done for us by our Father in heaven. Gathering together in the God’s house and asking and agreeing for something according to God’s way of doing things (His will), Jesus assures us that it will be done for us as we asked.

How Often Do We Forgive Someone?

The rest of this chapter has to do with forgiveness. This is another big part of the life of the body of Christ. Forgiving people is critical for our own spiritual good. God forgave us so much by sending us His Son Jesus to die for our sins. How much more should we be willing to forgive those who sin against us?

All of this ties together so well. People who are sinning against others in the church and need to be dealt with. And people who have been offended need to be able to forgive the offender regardless of what they do. For many, this is a hard pill to swallow. They can’t find it in their heart to forgive the one who hurt them. But God’s word makes it clear that we need to forgive as God has forgiven us.

Look at Peter asking Jesus how many times he should forgive someone. The answer Jesus gave surely surprised him. What the Lord said to him was simple. Every time we get offended or hurt, we have to forgive. Some think the offense is too big to forgive, but if we look at what God has forgiven us, it can put that comment into it’s proper perspective.

Take one look through the Ten Commandments and ask yourself honestly if you have ever broken these laws. The answer to that for every human is, yes, we all have broken every one of them. Still God chose to forgive us. That’s amazing love on display!

Some may think they have never committed murder, or adultery, or stolen something for example. But Jesus said if we do it in our hearts it is the same as physically doing it. One can study this out in the earlier chapters of Matthew. See Exodus 20 for the Ten Commandments. Thank God for Jesus and His atoning Blood!

Forgive Us Our Debts as We Forgive Those with Debts Against Us

Looking at the last section of scriptures, I titled it according to what the Lord was teaching His disciples and us to pray about. This is not a ritualistic prayer to quote every day word for word. It is a pattern for prayer. As we pray these words we can also include our own words and situations into our prayers to God. He said in there we are to ask God to forgive us as we also extend that same forgiveness to others who have hurt us in some way.

This addresses the very issue mentioned in verses 23-38. A man owed a very large debt that he could not pay. When he pleaded for mercy, the master, moved with compassion forgave him. After that happened, he went out and roughly demanded that someone who owed him money pay it back. The same scene played out. That man’s fellow servant fell at his feet begging for mercy but found none.

When the word got back to the master about this, he was deemed a wicked servant and tortured until he could repay his debt. The last verse wraps it all up saying that our Father would do the same to us if we did not forgive from our hearts. The Master here is really Jesus. The debt we owed is far to big for any of us to pay. We could never pay for the sins we have committed. We are imperfect, therefore God had to send down the only One who would be perfect to pay the high price for our sins. That One is Jesus – God’s only Son.

Matthew 6:14

“For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.

Ephesians 2:4-9

But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.

Reflection

This chapter spoke volumes to me today, as they always do.  God’s word is a lamp to our feet and a light to our path. See Psalm 119:105. In the recent season of my life, I have experienced much of what we discussed, especially the lost sheep part and getting lukewarm. I have had to do a lot of repenting over this. I am so grateful to the Lord that He loves us enough to come after us and bring us back to His loving arms again.

Just this morning I had to humble myself before the Lord and ask for His forgiveness. By His grace, He showed me through the reading of this chapter that I had not loved Him the way I should have and had wandered away from my First Love - Jesus. Other things in life just kept me from really living a life of full devotion to Him. I was sad at the thought of how I have broken His heart so many times. I realized how I had let the busyness of life and the lusts of my flesh get in to pull me away from closeness to Him.

The devil certainly wants to cause these distractions to come to do just that. He prowls around like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour. If he can get one of God’s sheep pulled off by themselves for long enough, he can devour them. Why? Because they are by themselves. That’s why we need the church. That’s why we need to read our Bible every day and that’s why we need to pray and seek the Lord for help and guidance every day.

The BIG thing in all these things we should do as a Christian brings me back to what I am reading about people who teach God’s children to sin. I had a dream of being in a church pew. I had gone to a very religious church for years. Here’s what it was like:

Sitting in a  pew learning what we ought to do, not knowing how we would do it, or about the love of God to bring us through it.

That little rhyme came to me in my time with the Lord this morning. He helped me see that not all of the things that I have done for Him have been done with a cheerful and willing heart. Some was done because it was the thing we are are “supposed” to do. And some I did because I knew He wanted me to, but my heart was not really in it. In other words, rather than being a cheerful giver, I was doing it alright, all the while gritting my teeth as if to just endure it.

God won’t accept all of our sacrifices and gifts we bring to Him. No, the ones we give grudgingly will not make Him feel loved or blessed. It's just like us when we give something to someone we care about. If we are doing it out of duty and a sense of obligation, it really carries no value for the recipient. Likewise, God has feelings and emotions – like us because we are, after all, created in His image.

If we aren’t doing what we do for Jesus because we love Him, then it won’t matter one bit to Him. That’s religion, and He hates religion. So do I! Religion teaches us to do a bunch of works and go through rituals. Then we walk away thinking we “did something for God”, when all we did was to satisfy our conscience thinking it was somehow going to help us in eternity.

Jesus talked about getting rid of things that cause us to sin. The Lord has asked me to forgo certain things that cause me to stumble and sin. I wrestled with this a long time because my flesh didn’t want to accept it. So I have had to readjust my thinking and change my heart to say I love God more than those things He wants me to give up. He is flexible in some ways on those things, but for the most part, He has shown me a pattern of what will be in my best interest, for my spiritual and my physical good.

I was upset about the church leaders and some of the members who had taught me religion rather than relationship in my past. I had to forgive them. I am doing it again today in my heart. It’s so important. My sins have been so great, and I want to be forgiving because of all that Jesus forgave me.

Yes, there will be pain in the offering, but is Jesus worth it to us? I want to say a great big yes to that. As I go forward, I believe He will help me to improve greatly as I humble myself before Him. Some songs that came up for me today really described this all so well. They talked about remembering the time when we first let Jesus come into our heart. Also, deciding to follow Jesus with no turning back. Lastly, a song about going home to the Father’s arms – like a prodigal son.

Each day, I find it good to read a Psalm and a Proverb. It will bring a heart of prayer as well as wisdom. Look at the following and see if it blesses you. 

A Psalm a Day & a Proverb a Day Keeps the Trouble Away!

Each day we can find verses in these two books that will bring something to the surface that we may be dealing with. It can be a need for healing, protection, comfort, or peace. 

Whatever the need be, valuable nuggets can be picked up in God’s words of wisdom and the many prayers of the Psalms that can enhance our study for the day. I will give you examples of what I see, and you can pick out your own verses and thereby design your own prayers. Enjoy 😊

Psalm 20 (Read First) A Prayer Example

Heavenly Father,

Hear me when I call on You in the day of trouble. Send me help, strengthen me, and support me. Remember what gifts I have given You and the sacrifices I have made. Give me my heart’s desire to love and serve You. Cause those plans to succeed. While others trust in the things of this world to save and help them, I will remember that You are God and only You can help me. Nothing and no one else can. Thank You Father God, in Jesus Name. Amen.

Proverbs 20 (Read First)  – A Prayer Example

Heavenly Father,

Forgive me for being works oriented rather than motivated by love. Your word says that we are known by our actions. Even kids are. You said to draw out what is deep in our heart. Today You helped me to do just that. You also said that our conscience will search and reveal our hearts. Mine certainly has been operating just fine. Forgive for the times  I have ignored what I knew to be right. And forgive me for the times I have not sought Your help and trusted in Your strength to get through the temptations, the battles, and the storms in life. In the Name of Jesus I ask God that You would continue to show me the way through Your word and in my spirit, among the many other ways You choose to speak to me. Thank You for Your perfect love that casts out fear. In Jesus Name. Amen.

How About You?

Will you take a look at your heart before God and allow Him to show you what’s deep in your heart that needs to be drawn out? It may be painful for a moment, but it will be worth it.

Questions or comments? Email me at: Hannylynn05@gmail.com