JESUS HOMELESS -- FOLLOW ME -- READING THE RED

 

WORDS OF JESUS - READING THE RED

Discipleship Tested

^{Matthew 8: 18} Now when Jesus saw a crowd around Him, He gave orders to cast off for the other side of the Sea of Galilee.
¹⁹ Then [on His way to board the boat] a scribe [who was a respected and authoritative interpreter of the Law] came and said to Him, “Master, I will accompany You [as Your student] wherever You go.” ²⁰ Jesus replied to him, “Foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.”
²¹ Another of the disciples said to Him, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father (collect my inheritance).”
²² But Jesus said to him, “Follow Me [believing in Me as Master and Teacher], and allow the [spiritually] dead to bury their own dead.”

²³ When He got into the boat, His disciples followed Him.
²⁴ And suddenly a violent storm arose on the sea, so that the boat was being covered by the waves; but Jesus was sleeping.
²⁵ And the disciples went and woke Him, saying, “Lord, save us, we are going to die!”
²⁶ He said to them, “Why are you afraid, you men of little faith?” Then He got up and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was [at once] a great and wonderful calm [a perfect peacefulness].
²⁷ The men wondered in amazement, saying, “What kind of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey Him?”

http://www.family-times.net/commentary/motives-of-service/
In this section Matthew gives two illustrations of men who said they wanted to follow the Lord and serve Him but had the wrong motives.

1. Desired fame - Because great crowds followed Jesus and there had not been much opposition up to this point, many expressed a desire to follow Him (vv. 18-20). However, they would not be willing to pay the price. One of these men was a scribe who apparently blurted out, “Master I will follow you wherever you go” (v. 19). The Lord obviously knew his heart and saw that he desired fame in following a prominent teacher. Instead of making it easy to follow Him, Jesus insisted that he count the cost of discipleship.
2. Desired personal convenience - The second man who was already a disciple of Jesus requested that he be permitted to return home and bury his father (v. 21). It appears that the man’s father was not dead or even at the point of death. This man was simply saying that he wanted to return home and wait until his father died. Then he would return and follow Jesus. His request demonstrated that he thought discipleship was something he could do when it was convenient. Jesus response was “Let the spiritually dead bury the physically dead” (v.22). Jesus did not mean disrespect to the father but that it was better to teach the Gospel to those who are spiritually dead, than to wait until the father dies and then bury him.

 

 

The IVP New Testament Commentary

https://www.biblegateway.com/resources/ivp-nt/Jesus-Authority-Nature-51

 



Jesus' Ministry Exhausts Him (8:23-24)

Jesus' exhausted slumber in the boat passage incidentally illustrates his statement in verse 20 that the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head. Perhaps as if to underline the point, Matthew omits Mark's mention of the makeshift cushion (Mk 4:38). Matthew also purposely emphasizes that Jesus' true disciples followed him (8:22-23).

Jesus Reproves the Disciples for Their Fear (8:25-26)

Jesus' peace (v. 24) contrasts starkly with the disciples' fear (v. 25); they are of little faith (v. 26), just like those who are anxious for tomorrow (6:30) or who doubt Jesus' power to work extraordinary miracles (14:31; 16:8; 17:20). Ability to sleep during trouble was often a sign of faith in God (Ps 3:5; 4:8), and the Greeks also praised philosophers who demonstrated consistency with their teaching by maintaining a serene attitude during a storm (Diog. Laert. 1.86; 2.71; 9.11.68). Just as Jesus demands that we express our love for God by trusting him for material provision (Mt 6:25-34), he demands that we trust him for safety. Our heavenly Father may not always protect us from earthly ills, but he will do with our lives what is best for us (10:29-31). By this point in the narrative the disciples appear without excuse for their unbelief, like Israel in the wilderness; "Jesus expects them to have taken charge of the storm themselves" (Rhoads and Michie 1982:90, 93).

Jesus' Power Reveals His Identity (8:27)

If the disciples thought the boat might sink with Jesus aboard, it was because they did not understand Jesus' identity. His power over the sea, however, forces them to grapple afresh with that question. Faith in Jesus' authority flows from conviction concerning his true identity (compare 8:8; 9:6).
Stories about nature miracles occasionally circulated in antiquity, usually either stories about deities (R. Grant 1986:62) or legends about heroes of the distant past (as in Diog. Laert. 8.2.59; Blackburn 1986:190; compare t. Ta`anit 2:13). Parallels to the Jonah story (Cope 1976:96-98) can link the disciples' amazement at Jesus' stilling of the storm to God's stilling the storm in the Jonah story (Jon 1:15-16); other backgrounds in the Hebrew Bible also point to Jesus' identity with God (see in Lane 1974:176). In biblical tradition it was God whom the seas obeyed (as in Job 38:8-11; Ps 65:5-8; 89:8-9; France 1985:162). The astonishment of Jesus' disciples is therefore understandable (Mk 4:41; 6:51)! Their cry for Jesus to save them reflects one sense of the Greek term save ("deliver safely") but probably also alludes on a literary level to Jesus' broader mission (Mt 1:21).

 

 

 

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Disclosure: Much of what is in my posts are things I have compiled through the years and I do not know if they have copyrights. What I do know about origin or website I give credit and have tried to always post a link to the origin. I do not market anything in any way on this blog -- I merely hope it will encourage and inspire others.

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TRAIN CHILDREN -- PRAYER FOR PARENTS

Dear Heavenly Father,
 
This morning as I ponder Proverbs 22 and the awesome JOB you have given parents regarding TRAINING their children; along with the PROMISE that comes from spiritual training -- THAT WHEN THEY ARE OLD THEY WILL NOT DEPART FROM THAT PROPER TRAINING.
 
Please Lord, help America get back to the basics of good old fashioned guidance: Honor you father and mother, Love your neighbor as yourself, live by the Ten Commandments, and a whole lot more by reading your Holy Word which has become a neglected Gold Mine of Wisdom that I believe stacks up against the deceptions of our day being spewed out by the media, the government, Hollywood, and other false heroes.
 
Lord, I'm really tired of all the experts! People who tell us how to raise our children, how to handle our marriage, how to spend our money, how to save our world.
Forgive me that I've listened to them far too often, been intimidated by them more than once; while I underestimated you as well as my own instincts and common sense.
 
Parenting sounds simple-- yet, it is the hardest job you have given mankind it seems to me. A brat as a child, a snot during teen years, a lost wandering searching soul for many adult years; isn't that kinda an accurate description of children? BUT THEN when OLD -- what do you mean we have to wait until their old to see what our teachings actually produced!
 
You said to parents "TRAIN" (sounds like what we do to soldiers in the military with hard work and repetition) in the ways he should go.
God, I think that's a really big job and wonder how parents (as commanders) feel about it in this day and age when their roles have been diminished and most forms of the rod of discipline seems to be called abuse by the social systems.
 
Wow, from Proverbs 22 it looks like parenting is the greatest profession of all according to your book. It even says greater than any riches to help our children have an honorable name.
Help our nation to really grasp that idea that it is not the role of education, churches, or government to do the training but the parent's role.
 
I pray that you give parents grace, mercy, and forgiveness if they ever feel they have failed in their job of parenting.
Give them strength to stand for home and family when jobs or other institutes try to steal their precious family time.
Give them knowledge to demonstrate your ways to their off-springs that helps trends in America leave the false drive of success for bigger houses, and more money -- as you let them know parenting is really the greatest profession of all in your kingdom.
 
In Jesus name I pray, Amen.

On Life and Conduct
Proverbs 22: 1 A good name [earned by honorable behavior, godly wisdom, moral courage, and personal integrity] is more desirable than great riches; And favor is better than silver and gold.
2 The rich and poor have a common bond;
The Lord is the Maker of them all.
3 A prudent and far-sighted person sees the evil [of sin] and hides himself [from it],
But the naive continue on and are punished [by suffering the consequences of sin].
4 The reward of humility [that is, having a realistic view of one’s importance] and the [reverent, worshipful] fear of the Lord
Is riches, honor, and life.
5 Thorns and snares are in the way of the obstinate [for their lack of honor and their wrong-doing traps them];
He who guards himself [with godly wisdom] will be far from them and avoid the consequences they suffer.
6 Train up a child in the way he should go [teaching him to seek God’s wisdom and will for his abilities and talents],
Even when he is old he will not depart from it.

 

 

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Disclosure: Much of what is in my posts are things I have compiled through the years and I do not know if they have copyrights. What I do know about origin or website I give credit and have tried to always post a link to the origin. I do not market anything in any way on this blog -- I merely hope it will encourage and inspire others.
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CLEANSED - FAITH - HEALING - BELIEF -- READING THE RED

 

 

WORDS OF JESUS - READING THE RED

Matthew 8 Amplified Bible

Jesus Cleanses a Leper

8 When Jesus came down from the mountain, large crowds followed Him. ² And a leper came up to Him and bowed down before Him, saying, “Lord, if You are willing, You are able to make me clean (well).”

³ Jesus reached out His hand and touched him, saying, “I am willing; be cleansed.” Immediately his leprosy was cleansed. ⁴ And Jesus said to him, “See that you tell no one [about this]; but go, show yourself to the priest [for inspection] and present the offering that Moses commanded, as a testimony (evidence) to them [of your healing].”

 

 

 

The Centurion’s Faith

 

⁵ As Jesus went into Capernaum, a centurion came up to Him, begging Him [for help], ⁶ and saying, “Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, with intense and terrible, tormenting pain.” ⁷ Jesus said to him, “I will come and heal him.” ⁸ But the centurion replied to Him, “Lord, I am not worthy to have You come under my roof, but only say the word, and my servant will be healed. ⁹ For I also am a man subject to authority [of a higher rank], with soldiers subject to me; and I say to one, ‘Go!’ and he goes, and to another, ‘Come!’ and he comes, and to my slave, ‘Do this!’ and he does it.” ¹⁰ When Jesus heard this, He was amazed and said to those who were following Him, “I tell you truthfully, I have not found such great faith [as this] with anyone in Israel. ¹¹ I say to you that many [Gentiles] will come from east and west, and will sit down [to feast at the table, and enjoy God’s promises] with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven [because they accepted Me as Savior], ¹² while the sons and heirs of the kingdom [the descendants of Abraham who will not recognize Me as Messiah] will be thrown out into the outer darkness; in that place [which is farthest removed from the kingdom] there will be weeping [in sorrow and pain] and grinding of teeth [in distress and anger].” ¹³ Then Jesus said to the centurion, “Go; it will be done for you as you have believed.” And the servant was restored to health at that very hour.

The Leper Does Not Beseech Cavalierly (8:1-2)

This leper was in a desperate and apparently lifelong situation. Biblical leprosy (distinct from modern Hansen's disease) was an assortment of serious skin problems that isolated the leper from the rest of society (Trapnell 1982:459). Sometimes we pray passively, almost unconcerned as to whether God hears a particular prayer or not; the leper did not have this luxury. For another expression of desperate faith, see comment on 9:20-21.

The Leper Approaches Jesus with Humility (8:2)

Bowing down before another person was a great act of respect for the other's dignity, especially for a Jewish person (as in Test. Ab. 3-4, 9, 16A). The leper not only shows physical signs of respect toward Jesus; he acknowledges that Jesus has the right to decide whether to grant the request. To acknowledge that God has the right to grant or refuse a request is not lack of faith (8:2; compare, for example, Gen 18:27, 30-32; 2 Sam 10:12; Dan 3:18); it is the ultimate act of dependence on God's compassion and takes great trust and commitment for a desperate person.

The Leper Has Perfect Trust in Jesus' Power (8:2)

He knows Jesus is able to make him clean if he wants to; he is not using if you are willing as a religious way of saying, "I doubt that you can, but I would be happy if you might do something for me anyway." Yet the text demonstrates, as has been already noted, that his trust in Jesus' power is not presumption either.

Jesus Not Only Heals but Touches the Untouchable (8:3)

Jewish law forbade touching lepers (Lev 5:3) and quarantined lepers from regular society (Lev 13:45-46); people avoided most contact with them (2 Kings 7:3; Jos. Ant. 9.74). Some ruled that the defilement of leprosy was one of the greatest defilements, for a leper could communicate it even by entering a house (m. Kelim 1:4). It is thus no small matter for Jesus to compassionately touch the man. Yet by touching Jesus does not actually undermine the law of Moses, but fulfills its purpose by providing cleansing (Mt 5:17-48; compare Lev 13:3, 8, 10, 13, 17).
Some Christians today would fear to touch a Christian brother or sister who, through blood transfusion, past lifestyle or a spouse's infidelity, was HIV-positive, even though HIV is less contagious than many people thought leprosy was. As often happens today, some people in antiquity constructed theological rationalizations for others' misfortune perhaps to escape from the fear that they too were vulnerable; hence some later teachers decided that leprosy was divine punishment (m. Seqalim 5:3; Lev. Rab. 17:3).
Jesus Wants to Make the Man Whole (8:3)
Verse 3 implies what is elsewhere explicit: Matthew views compassion as a primary motivation in Jesus' acts of healing (9:36). Even if in some cases God has some higher purpose in mind than an immediate answer to our request (as in 26:39, 42), he is never sadistic. Jesus demonstrated his feeling toward our infirmities by bearing them with us and for us (8:17) and by healing all who sought his help (8:16). Matthew hardly expects us to suppose that Jesus has lost any of his power (28:18) or compassion since the resurrection. Unfortunately, many of us Western Christians today feel more at home with the Enlightenment rationalism in which we were trained than we do with the desperate faith of Christians who dare to believe God for miracles. Those in desperate need cannot afford to rationalize away God's power and compassion.

Jesus Does Not Seek Human Honor for Himself (8:4)

This healing would be viewed as no small miracle; later Jewish teachers regarded leprosy as akin to death (compare Num 12:12; 2 Kings 5:7) and cleansing a leper as akin to raising the dead (b. Sanhedrin 47a). Yet not only does Jesus refuse to take advantage of the opportunity for publicity, he attempts to suppress it. Some other prominent biblical prophets at times worked clandestinely, endeavoring to accomplish their mission without seeking their own honor (for example, 1 Kings 11:29; 13:8-9; 21:18; 2 Kings 9:1-10), partly because they were investing their time especially in a small circle of disciples (1 Sam 19:20; 2 Kings 4:38; 6:1-3; Keener 1993:134). There are also other important reasons for the messianic secret, but whatever the other reasons, Jesus is not interested in getting credit from others for everything he does (compare Mt 6:1-18).

Jesus Honors the Requirements of the Law of Moses (8:4)

Jesus upholds the law (Mt 5:17-20): the law commanded lepers who thought they were cleansed to submit to priestly inspection and offer sacrifice (Lev 14:1-9; CD 13.6-7; m. Nega`im). Jesus may not seek credit for the miracle, but his faithfulness to the law takes precedence over his personal prohibition against announcing the work.

 



The Centurion Humbles Himself on Behalf of a Servant (8:5-6)

This Roman soldier was one that Jewish people would have to count as an exception (compare explicitly in Lk 7:4-5). The slave was probably the centurion's entire "family" (Roman soldiers were not permitted to have legal families during their two decades of military service; A. Jones 1970:155-56). (Matthew's audience may even think of Jewish relatives enslaved by the Romans after Jerusalem's fall in A.D. 70.)

The Centurion Acknowledges His Inferior Status as a Gentile (8:7-8)

Matthew reports such self-humbling on the part of both Gentiles who entreat Jesus for help (here and 15:27). The centurion's initial announcement of the need (8:6) is an oblique form of request; one rarely simply presumed on others' favor (compare Lk 24:28-29; Jn 1:38-39), and one of higher social status rarely would utter a direct request unless desperate (compare Jn 2:3). But Jesus forces the centurion to admit his status as a suppliant.
The emphatic Greek I in 8:7 suggests that Jesus' words there are probably better translated as a question: "Shall I come and heal him?" (France 1977:257). Most Palestinian Jews, after all, considered entering Gentile homes questionable (compare Acts 10:28; m. Pesahim 8:8; Oholot 18:7). Here Jesus erects a barrier the Gentile must surmount, as in 15:24, 26: an outsider who would entreat his favor must first acknowledge the privilege of Israel, whom other peoples had oppressed or disregarded (compare Jn 4:22). Such initial rejection was a not uncommon ploy for demanding greater commitment (see comment on Mt 19:16-22). Rather than protesting, the centurion acknowledges his questionable merit before Jesus (compare Lk 7:4, 6), adopting the appropriate role of a suppliant totally dependent on a patron's benefaction-a role centurions themselves often filled for local populations (Malina 1981:78; Malina and Rohrbaugh 1992:70).

The Centurion Recognizes Jesus' Unlimited Authority to Heal (8:8-9)

The man shows faith not only by acknowledging his own unworthiness but also by recognizing that Jesus' power is so great that this request is small to him. Most of the centurion's contemporaries would have balked at such faith; even Jewish people considered long-distance miracles especially difficult and rare, the domain of only the most powerful holy men like Hanina ben Dosa. The centurion reasons, however, from what he knows: he himself can issue commands and receive obedience because he is under authority, that is, backed by the full authority of the Roman Empire, which he represents to his troops. In the same way, the authority of Israel's God backs Jesus, and a mere command from his lips banishes powers in subjection under him, such as sickness.
Do we have such faith to recognize the greatness of God's power? Those who are submitted to Jesus' will may act on it today, recognizing that the authority he provides to carry out his work is his and not our own (10:8, 40).

Jesus Accepts This Attitude as Faith (8:10)

Jesus accepts the centurion's recognition of Jesus' great authority as faith and heals the servant (8:13). But the text also offers a second lesson, a lesson about our prejudices. Jesus "marvels" (NIV was astonished) only twice in the Gospel traditions, here at a Gentile's faith (v. 10) and in Mark 6:6 at his hometown's unbelief (France 1977:259). It is often those closest to the truth who most take it for granted and those who have had the least exposure to it who most recognize its power when it confronts them (Mt 2:1-12).
Many church workers focus on getting people saved in churches where new people rarely visit; we may need to focus more on sharing the faith by word and deed in our communities outside church walls, and across cultural barriers as well. As one missionary statesman put it, "I do not see why anyone should hear the gospel twice when so many people have never heard it once." Or as R. T. France muses (1985:157):

The centurion's story has thus highlighted faith as the "one thing needful." It is a practical faith which expects and receives results. Such faith renders tradition and heredity meaningless, and "of such is the kingdom of God." Schweizer draws an appropriately uncomfortable moral: "The warning in this story may be especially urgent in an age when Africans and Asians in the community of Jesus may well be called on to show `Christian' Europe what Christian life really is."

 

The Centurion Is a Promise of More Gentiles to Come (8:11-12)

Evidence supports this as an authentic saying of Jesus (Semitisms and background in Jeremias 1958:55-62). Matthew may draw Jesus' words here from another context (Lk 13:28-29) to reinforce the point that this story prefigures the Gentile mission, which Jesus endorsed in advance (France 1977:260).
Subjects of the kingdom (literally "sons of the kingdom"; compare Mt 13:38; 23:15) refers to Jewish people-those who expected salvation based on their descent from Abraham (3:9). The damnation of those who thought themselves destined for the kingdom sounded a sober warning to nationalist Jews of Matthew's day; it sounds a similar warning to complacent Christians today (Goldingay 1977:254; compare 13:38).
Rome was the great power that lay to the west, and Matthew had earlier illustrated the coming of pagans from the east (2:1). Pagans thus would recline at table (the standard posture for feasts and banquets) in the kingdom with the patriarchs-the messianic banquet Israel expected for itself (5:6; 22:2; Lk 16:23; 4 Macc 13:17; 1 Enoch 70:4).
"Exceptions" can make a difference. When one white minister living in the U.S. South was experiencing the deepest trauma of his life, some African-American Christians took him under their wing and nursed him back to spiritual and emotional health. The white minister began to experience the spiritual resources and strength that the black American church had developed through slavery, segregation and contemporary urban crises and was eventually ordained in a black Baptist church. Subsequently he discovered slave narratives and other accounts that brought him face to face with what people who looked like him had done to the near ancestors of his closest friends. He became so ashamed of the color of his skin that he wanted to rip it off. But the love of his African-American friends and the good news of Christ's love restored him, and soon he began to feel part of the community that had embraced him.
He often joined his friends in lamenting the agony of racism and its effects. But one day after a Sunday-school lesson, a minister friend said something about white people in general that he suddenly took personally. "I didn't mean you," the black minister explained quickly. "You're like a brother to me." The black minister made an exception because he knew the white Christian, but the white Christian wondered about all the people who didn't know him. He had experienced a taste of what most of his black friends regularly encountered in predominantly white circles.
The next week the ministers were studying together the story of the centurion's servant in Luke, and they noted that the centurion's Jewish contemporaries viewed him as an exception to the rule that Gentiles were oppressors. They also noted that the Gospels tell this story because that exception in Jesus' ministry points to a huge number of Gentile converts pouring in at the time when the Gospels were being written.
If even a few people become exceptions and really care enough about their brothers and sisters of other races to listen, these exceptions can show us that the racial and cultural barriers that exist in our societies do not need to continue. If we are willing to pay the price-which will sometimes include hints of rejection from people we have come to love-we can begin to bring down those barriers.

 

 

 

 

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Disclosure: Much of what is in my posts are things I have compiled through the years and I do not know if they have copyrights. What I do know about origin or website I give credit and have tried to always post a link to the origin. I do not market anything in any way on this blog -- I merely hope it will encourage and inspire others.
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BUILDING ON ROCK OR SAND -- JESUS A SURE STRONG FOUNDATION -- READING THE RED

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OQgD_Wg9DG4

ON CHRIST THE SOLID ROCK I STAND

 

 

 

WORDS OF JESUS -- READING THE RED

The Two Foundations
Matthew 7 Amplified Bible
²⁴ “So everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them, will be like a wise man [a far-sighted, practical, and sensible man] who built his house on the rock.
²⁵ And the rain fell, and the floods and torrents came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock.
²⁶ And everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not do them, will be like a foolish (stupid) man who built his house on the sand.
²⁷ And the rain fell, and the floods and torrents came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and it fell—and great and complete was its fall.”
²⁸ When Jesus had finished [speaking] these words [on the mountain], the crowds were astonished and overwhelmed at His teaching; ²⁹ for He was teaching them as one who had authority [to teach entirely of His own volition], and not as their scribes [who relied on others to confirm their authority].

The IVP New Testament Commentary
https://www.biblegateway.com/resources/ivp-nt/Obeying-Jesus-Words

Obeying Jesus' Words (7:24-27)

Another early Jewish teacher, while illustrating this point with many examples, went so far as to say that one who studies Torah and has good works "may be likened to" one who lays a foundation of stones and then of bricks, so that rising water or rain cannot overturn it. But one who studies Torah and has no good works is like one who builds with bricks on the bottom, so that even a small amount of water overturns it (ARN 24A).
But Jesus here refers to his own words the way other Jewish teachers referred to God's law (Jeremias 1972:194). The language at least implies that Jesus is God's prophetic spokesperson (Ezek 33:32-33) but is more authoritative than is typical even for prophets; in this context (Mt 7:21-23; see also 18:20), the claim is far more radical. One cannot be content with calling Jesus a great teacher, for he taught that he was more than a mere teacher; one must either accept all his teachings, including those that demand we submit to his lordship, or reject him altogether. Jesus is not one way among many; he is the standard of judgment.
The Hebrew Bible often employed the rock image for the security Israel had in God if they obeyed him (for example, Deut 32:4, 18, 31; Ps 18:2, 31, 46; 19:14), including in a time of flood and disaster (Is 28:14-19). The storm could represent any test, but surely represents especially the final test, the day of judgment (for example, Jeremias 1963:8-9; compare Mt 24:37-39). Jesus' clear assurance of deliverance in the final test contrasts with the fears of some of his contemporaries; many people had little certainty of the afterlife (see, for example, Plato Apol. 29AB, Phaedo 64A; Bonsirven 1964:167-68). Jesus spoke with unparalleled authority (Mt 7:28-29).

Epilogue: Jesus' Hearers Recognize His Authority (7:28-29)

The crowds respond to Jesus' teaching as disciples and crowds often responded to his other acts: with awe (8:27; 9:8; 12:23; 22:33; compare Jn 7:46). What astonished them so much about Jesus' teaching was not his use of proverbs, parables, hyperboles or other standard pedagogic devices of his day; what astonished them was his claim to authority, a theme that climaxes in Matthew 28:18. Other Jewish teachers regularly cited earlier sages' opinions, and though later teachers sometimes came to regard their tradition as tantamount to God's Word, Jesus' contemporaries never would have claimed, like Jesus, that people would be judged according to how they treated their words.
With greater authority than the scribes who expound the law, greater authority than Moses who gave it (5:1), the authority indeed of the One who will judge humanity on the final day (7:21-23), Jesus declares God's word, and the people recognize that he speaks with authority unlike their other teachers.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wDhaAWHjVRM

The Wise Man and The Foolish Man

 

 

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Disclosure: Much of what is in my posts are things I have compiled through the years and I do not know if they have copyrights. What I do know about origin or website I give credit and have tried to always post a link to the origin. I do not market anything in any way on this blog -- I merely hope it will encourage and inspire others.
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FALSE PROPHETS -- KNOW THEM BY THEIR FRUIT -- READING THE RED

 

 WORDS OF JESUS -- READING THE RED

A Tree and Its Fruit

false prophets

Matthew 7 Amplified Bible
¹⁵ “Beware of the false prophets, [teachers] who come to you dressed as sheep [appearing gentle and innocent], but inwardly are ravenous wolves.
¹⁶ By their fruit you will recognize them [that is, by their contrived doctrine and self-focus]. Do people pick grapes from thorn bushes or figs from thistles?
¹⁷ Even so, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the unhealthy tree bears bad fruit.
¹⁸ A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. ^1
9 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.
²⁰ Therefore, by their fruit you will recognize them [as false prophets].

²¹ “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven.
²² Many will say to Me on that day [when I judge them], ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, and driven out demons in Your name, and done many miracles in Your name?’ ²³ And then I will declare to them publicly, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me [you are banished from My presence], you who act wickedly [disregarding My commands].’

https://www.biblegateway.com/resources/ivp-nt/False-Prophets-Their-Teaching-Pose-Real
The IVP New Testament Commentary

False Prophets and Their Teaching Pose a Real Danger to Believers (7:15)

They are like hungry wolves who disguise themselves as sheep. People in Jesus' day could disguise themselves in sheepskins in the hope of being taken for stray dogs or other animals (Jos. War 3.192). Jesus' image is, however, more graphic than that, employing hyperbole: wolves do not wear clothes, and changing one's hide was a metaphor for the impossible (Jer 13:23; Jub. 37:20). By coming in sheep's clothing, the false prophets pretend to be sheep (Acts 20:29-30) though they are in fact hungry wolves who have come to prey on sheep (compare Mt 10:16).
Some denominations that once evangelized peoples and held orthodox teachings now encompass a much wider range of moral and spiritual teaching, and many movements that remain orthodox in general nevertheless remain susceptible to dangerous winds of doctrine. We who should be challenging unjust reasoning in the world instead often find ourselves fighting a defensive battle within our own ranks. For the sake of the flock, we must exercise discernment, especially within the church.

Discern by Fruits, Not Gifts (7:15-23)
True prophets obey Jesus' teachings. Like the false prophets of old (Jer 6:13-14; 8:11; 23:13-17; Ezek 13:1-16; Mic 3:5-8), those Matthew warns against in 7:15 probably proclaim a gospel of false peace, an easy way that neglects God's true demands (vv. 13-14; France 1985:147). Matthew elsewhere warns against false prophets (7:22; 24:5, 24) and apostate Christians and leaders in the church (24:12, 48-51). Jesus elsewhere applies the present denunciations of fruitless trees against the religious leaders of his day (12:33; compare 3:8, 10; 21:19; 23:3), but because his words in this context address prophets (which most Pharisees thought no longer existed in their day), one suspects that Matthew wants Christians of his own generation to take notice.
Jesus' words are not only polemic against enemies of the faith from the outside; they are also warnings to us who claim to be Jesus' followers. We dare not restrict the title "hypocrites" to Jesus' religious contemporaries (6:2, 5, 16; pace Did. 8:1-2); God's subsequent servants may share the same fate (24:51). This passage presents us with several lessons.

God Will Expose Our Hearts on the Day of Judgment (7:21-23)

Some people claim to accept Jesus as a great teacher, but no more than a teacher. Yet a central component of Jesus' teaching is the revelation of his identity, and in this passage as in Matthew 25:31-46, Jesus claims the role of final judge.
Churchgoers today are no more automatically saved than those who ate with Jesus in the past (as is often noted, attending a church no more makes one a Christian than entering a garage makes one a car). Not those who claim to "know" Jesus but only those who do the Father's will have any claim on Jesus (12:50). Jesus thus borrows biblical language for righteous enmity toward the wicked (Ps 6:8; 119:115) to banish them from his presence (Mt 7:23; compare 7:19). I never knew you is a formal repudiation of the person (25:12; compare 26:70, 72, 74; France 1985:149).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Disclosure: Much of what is in my posts are things I have compiled through the years and I do not know if they have copyrights. What I do know about origin or website I give credit and have tried to always post a link to the origin. I do not market anything in any way on this blog -- I merely hope it will encourage and inspire others.
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FATHERS TEACH YOUR CHILDREN GOD'S COMMANDMENTS -- PRAYER FOR THE CHILDREN

Dear Heavenly Father,
As I read Psalm 78 I see your great love for children and a desire for them to know your commandments.
I see the written assignment you have given in particular to the fathers as teachers of your Biblical truths.
Yet in America with so much divorce and sexual identify crisis going on the God given father role has not always been respected in the courts, in the homes, or through out the land in general.
Forgive us Lord, heal our homes and marriages, bring unity of parents on behalf of children they have birthed, deliver us from the curse of divorce and division that hurts and breaks the hearts of children.
Help us as parents to be living examples of your ways so that each new generation of our seed may be blessed by you and their faith would be in you and your commandments generation to generation.
In Jesus mighty name I pray, Amen.

Psalm 78 Amplified Bible
1 Listen, O my people, to my teaching;
Incline your ears to the words of my mouth [and be willing to learn].
2 I will open my mouth in a parable [to instruct using examples];
I will utter dark and puzzling sayings of old [that contain important truth]—
3 Which we have heard and known,
And our fathers have told us.
4 We will not hide them from their children,
But [we will] tell to the generation to come the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord,
And [tell of] His great might and power and the wonderful works that He has done
5 For He established a testimony (a specific precept) in Jacob
And appointed a law in Israel,
Which He commanded our fathers
That they should teach to their children [the great facts of God’s transactions with Israel],
6 That the generation to come might know them, that the children still to be born
May arise and recount them to their children,
7 That they should place their confidence in God
And not forget the works of God,
But keep His commandments,
8 And not be like their fathers—
A stubborn and rebellious generation,
A generation that did not prepare its heart to know and follow God,
And whose spirit was not faithful to God.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wLX2jjg4kWs

Teach Your Children - Suzzy Bogguss, Kathy Mattea, Crosby, Stills & Nash .mpg

 

 

 

We need to stop talking about dads like they're an inept accessory to parenting.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rosie-devereux/dumbass-stuff-we-need-to-stop-saying-to-dads_b_9186948.html

 

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Disclosure: Much of what is in my posts are things I have compiled through the years and I do not know if they have copyrights. What I do know about origin or website I give credit and have tried to always post a link to the origin. I do not market anything in any way on this blog -- I merely hope it will encourage and inspire others.
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MOMS AND PRIDE IN THEIR CHILDREN PRAYER

Dear Heavenly, Father,
You know Moms are crazy about their kids; Moms are the child's cheering section at every game or performance.
Yet, I wonder if just maybe we could do things a bit different!
Today as I read Matthew 20 I gleamed a new and different perspective.

Are we in this day and age missing the mark in values we teach our young? If so, please forgive us and show us how to raise the children to be less performance oriented and to have kind, humble, unselfish, generous hearts filled with desires to do good deeds in secret as they serve others without desiring any awards or recognition.

Maybe even as parents we pride ourselves when our children are put front and center again and again (while a more struggling child is ignored). Forgive us!
Help our children to be encouragers to others less able by giving a pat on the back, a "hand-up" ,or verbal "atta boys" that brings confidence and hope.

Help them not to measure others as harshly as often this society does by appearance, by biggest and best, by most expensive, or by latest style.

Create in each child a learning then teaching ability is what I perceive is your desire in Matthew 20 -- where first they learn than they share freely what they know and not to compete but to build up the whole group circle each finds themselves in; where EVERYONE gets a fair share of opportunity and no one hogs front and center stage and no one lags behind.

Forgive us like the mother in this story in Matthew 20, we seem to have become a very shallow narcissistic society. Help the children to reach out a helping hand to others around them and give them servant hearts.

In this generation please help all the children to experience the inner joys of serving others and the ability to wait for your crowned jewels in heaven.

In Jesus name I pray, Amen

 

The Request of the Mother of James and John
Matthew 20:20 Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee came to him with her sons, and kneeling before him, she asked a favor of him.
21 And he said to her, “What do you want?” She said to him, “Declare that these two sons of mine will sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your kingdom.”
22 But Jesus answered, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I am about to drink? ”They said to him, “We are able.”
23 He said to them, “You will indeed drink my cup, but to sit at my right hand and at my left, this is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared by my Father.”
24 When the ten heard it, they were angry with the two brothers.
25 But Jesus called them to him and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones are tyrants over them.
26 It will not be so among you; but whoever wishes to be great among you must be your servant,
 27 and whoever wishes to be first among you must be your slave;
 28 just as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ynzsjrcCg7w

The Statler Brothers - Let Me Be A Little Kinder

 

Narrow and Wide Gates -- READING THE RED

 

WORDS OF JESUS -- READING THE RED
The Narrow and Wide Gates

13 “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad and easy to travel is the path that leads the way to destruction and eternal loss, and there are many who enter through it.

14 But small is the gate and narrow and difficult to travel is the path that leads the way to [everlasting] life, and there are few who find it.

The IVP New Testament Commentary

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=matthew+7&version=AMP
The Narrow Way (7:13-14)

Within this chapter, verses 1-12 fit together somewhat loosely, but the paragraphs in verses 13-27 make more sense together. Most first-century Jewish people believed they were saved by virtue of descent from Abraham (3:9). Yet Jesus regards the assumption of salvation as a deception; most of his contemporaries were unsaved (7:13-14). Those who led them showed by their lives that they were not God's true representatives (vv. 15-20); indeed, many professing servants of Jesus will themselves be banished from God's presence in the judgment (vv. 21-23), for only those who truly obeyed his teaching will stand (vv. 24-27). When one compares the great numbers of people today who cavalierly identify themselves as Christians yet never consider the claims of Christ, one shudders to realize how deadly such deception remains. May we present Christ's radical claims boldly so that more professing Christians may reckon with the reality of his lordship.

Jesus' image of the narrow way should have made sense to his hearers (v. 13). Greek, Roman and Jewish writers often employed the image of the two paths in life (for example, Sen. Ep. 8.3; 27.4; Diogenes Ep. 30; Deut 30:15; Ps 1:1; m. 'Abot 2:9), and those particularly concerned with the future judgment especially employed the image of the two ways, the narrow one leading to life and the broad one to destruction (as in 4 Ezra 7:3-16, 60-61; 8:1-3; Test. Ab. 11A; 8B).

Some people's assurance of salvation is a delusion (Mt 7:13-14). To enter the narrow gate of the kingdom we must knock, that is, request that God make us citizens of his kingdom (vv. 7-8). The difficulty of Jesus' way includes embracing by repentance both persecution (5:10-12) and the ethics of the kingdom taught in the Sermon on the Mount.

Most Jewish people in Jesus' day were religious; respecting God and keeping his commandments were an important part of their culture. These would be the many people of whom Jesus' hearers would think when they heard him. Yet Jesus, like a few contemporaries who were particularly scrupulous (4 Ezra 7:45-61; 8:1-3), declared that most people were lost. Jesus intends his words to jar us from complacency, to consider the genuineness of our commitment to him.

One wonders how many members in our churches today assume that they are saved when in fact they treat Jesus' teachings lightly-people who give no thought to their temper, their mental chastity, their integrity and so forth during the week (compare 5:21-48), then pretend to be religious or even spiritually gifted in church. Do we have the courage to communicate Jesus' message as clearly as he meant it to be conveyed, to warn ourselves and others that it is possible for people to assume they are saved and yet be damned? Some texts in the Bible provide assurance to suffering Christians that the kingdom is theirs; this text challenges "cultural Christians," those following only Christian tradition rather than Christ himself, to realize that they need conversion.

My Friend

My friend, I stand in judgment now
And feel that you're to blame somehow
While on this earth I walked with you day by day
And never did you point the way
You knew the Lord in truth and glory...
But never did you tell the story
My knowledge then was very dim
You could have led me safe to him
Though we lived together here on earth
You never told me of your second birth
And now I stand this day condemned
Because you failed to mention him
You taught me many things, that's true
I called you friend and trusted you
But now I learned, now it's too late
You could have kept me from this fate
We walked by day and talked by night
And yet you showed me not the light
You let me live, love and die
And all the while you knew I'd never live on high
Yes, I called you friend in life
And trusted you in joy and strife
Yet in coming to this end
I see you really weren't my friend.
author unknown

I Knelt to Pray

I knelt to pray as day began
And prayed, "Oh God, bless every man.
Lift from each weary heart some pain
And let the sick be well again."

And then I rose to meet the day
And thoughtlessly went on my way
I didn't try to dry a tear
Or take the time a grief to hear.

I took no steps to ease a load
Of hard-pressed travelers on the road;
I didn't even go to see
The sick friend who lives next to me

But then again when day was done
I prayed "Oh God bless everyone"
But as I prayed a voice rang clear
Instructing me to think and hear

"Consult your own heart as you pray;
What good have you performed today?
God's choicest blessings are bestowed
On those who help him bear the load."

And then I hid my face and cried,
"Forgive me, Lord, For I have lied.
Let me live another day
And I will live it as I pray."

- Sterling W. Sill

 

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Disclosure: Much of what is in my posts are things I have compiled through the years and I do not know if they have copyrights. What I do know about origin or website I give credit and have tried to always post a link to the origin. I do not market anything in any way on this blog -- I merely hope it will encourage and inspire others.
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