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Post by charlescameron on Jun 7, 2009 9:38:29 GMT -6
Thanks, Keifer, for your encouraging response. 5:21-37 The teaching of Jesus here may be summed up thus: The heart of the matter is the matter of the heart. Jesus’teaching was much more penetrating than the pronouncements made by the scribes and Pharisees. Not content to scratch the surface, Jesus asked the deeper question, ‘What's going on in your heart?’. Jesus’ teaching has real spiritual depth. He takes seriously the Biblical teaching that ‘the heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately corrupt’(Jeremiah 17:9). He knows that we need a ‘new heart’(Ezekiel 36:26). The Pharisees were bogged down in intricate details - Do this. Do that. Do the other. All the emphasis was on what we do. Christ was much more direct - Get the heart right. Ask God for a heart of love (21-26), purity (27-32), and truthfulness (33-37). Do not say, ‘Look what I've done’(7:22). Let Christ live in your heart; let Him change you.
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Post by charlescameron on Jun 8, 2009 12:02:13 GMT -6
5:38-48 The Pharisees lived by law. Jesus lived by love. The law of God - ‘holy and just and good’(Romans 7:12) - had been distorted by the religious hypocrites. Theywere saying, ‘love your neighbour and hate your enemy’(43). ‘Love your neighbour’is found in Leviticus 19:18. ‘Hate your enemy’is not found in the Old Testament. For the Jews, ‘neighbour’ meant their own kind. They wrongly concluded that Gentiles were to be hated. Jesus’ parable of the Good Samaritan makes it clear that we are to love our enemies as well as our friends (Luke 10:25-37). Jesus’disagreement is not with the law of God. It is with man’s misuse of it. Jesus’ teaching is simple - Love is not to be limited. It is demanding - love is all-embracing. We dare not bring love within our reach. We always fall short. We can only come to Christ. Confessing our lack of love and trusting in His perfect love, we learn to love.
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Post by charlescameron on Jun 9, 2009 9:45:15 GMT -6
6:1-18 Jesus says that we are not to be like ‘the hypocrites’(2,5,16). The word ‘hypocrite’ means ‘play actor’. It refers to ‘putting on a performance’. This performance may be extremely religious, but God is not in it. The hypocrites live according to ‘the letter’of the law, but they know nothing of the power of ‘the Spirit’(2 Corinthians 3:6). The hypocrites’religious performance gets along very well without God. His presence is not sought, welcomed or treasured. The hypocrites draw attention to themselves. They do not direct attention away from themselves to God. There is a better way than the way of hypocrisy. It is the way of holiness. Our lives are to be centred on Christ - ‘it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me’(Galatians 2:20). We must not forget: apart from Him we can do nothing. We are to abide in Him (John 15:5) - in true holiness.
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Post by charlescameron on Jun 10, 2009 3:52:41 GMT -6
6:19-34 On the one side of Christ’s disciples, there are the hypocrites. On the other side, there are ‘the Gentiles’(32). The hypocrites represent religion without reality. The Gentiles represent the world, living for material things only, refusing to take spiritual realities seriously. We are to be different from both the hypocrites and the Gentiles. Our top priority is pleasing God, not impressing men. We are to live for God’s eternal Kingdom rather than living for a world which is passing away. Living for Christ is very different from worldly living. Our life is to be governed by heavenly, and not earthly, priorities (19-21). We are to walk in the light, refusing to be overcome by the darkness (22-23). We are to trust the Lord, refusing to let unbelieving anxiety rule our lives ( 25-34).
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Post by veterinarian on Jun 10, 2009 9:28:59 GMT -6
6:19-34 We are to walk in the light, refusing to be overcome by the darkness (22-23). We are to trust the Lord, refusing to let unbelieving anxiety rule our lives ( 25-34). to the above.
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Post by charlescameron on Jun 12, 2009 6:05:23 GMT -6
Thanks for highlighting the call to walk in the light and trust in the Lord. --- 7:1-14 Jesus’ teaching regarding Christian living can be related to His teaching in ‘the Lord’s Prayer’(6:9-13). We are not to pray one thing and do another. We are to live the Lord’s Prayer. We receive forgiveness from God. We are to show His forgiveness to others. We receive good things from God. We are to be generous in our giving to others. Before you can live the Christian Life, you must receive the Christian Life - Christ living in your heart (Revelation 3.20). Before you can walk in ‘the way’, you must enter by ‘the gate’(13-14). Jesus speaks of two gates, two ways and two destinations. He tells us that some will be saved and many will be lost. What we must remember is this - Christ is ‘the Door’(John 10:7), ‘the Way’(John 14:6) and ‘our Hope of glory’(Colossians 1:27). The gate may be narrow, the way hard, but never forget this - Christ is ‘the Gate’and ‘the Way’ that leads to life.
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Post by charlescameron on Jun 13, 2009 7:40:52 GMT -6
7:15-29 Whenever we are seeking to follow Christ, there will be dangers - false prophets (15-20), empty profession (21-23). Clearly, our faith must be grounded in the Son of God and the Word of God. This is the point of Jesus’ parable of the two builders and the two houses (24-27). We must build upon Christ. We must build on the Word of God. Jesus’ ‘sermon’ ends in verse 27, and is followed - in verses 28-29 - by a statement of its effect upon His hearers. Down through the centuries, Jesus’ teaching continues to make this impression on people. His words come to us with authority, addressing us with remarkable relevance. We imagine that our time is very different from Jesus’time, yet Jesus’ words make it very clear - things are not so different after all. Still, we hear Him speaking as One who has authority. His Word is unchanged, unchanging and unchangeable.
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Post by charlescameron on Jun 15, 2009 9:47:26 GMT -6
8:1-22 In verses 1-17, we read of three people who received the Lord’s blessing - the leper was cleansed (1-4), the centurion's servant was healed (5-13), Peter's mother-in-law was healed (14-17). Reading verses 18-22 together with Luke 9:57-62, we learn of three people who did not receive the Lord's blessing (Matthew mentions two, while Luke adds a third). Christ calls us to decision. Some say ‘Yes’ to Him and they are blessed. Some say ‘No’, and they miss out on the blessing. Christ touches our lives, and we are made clean (3; 1 John 1.7) - ‘The vilest offender who truly believes, that moment from Jesus a pardon receives’(13; Church Hymnary, 374). Through the entrance of His Word, we receive a new Spirit (16; Ezekiel 36:25-27). Cleansed and healed, we are to live as Christ’s disciples. There is to be no half-heartedness: ‘I will follow you, Lord, but...’(Luke 9:61). Yes, Lord!
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Post by charlescameron on Jun 16, 2009 10:28:35 GMT -6
8:23-9:17 In 8:23-9:8, we read of three great miracles, in which Christ demonstrates His power over nature (23), demons (28-34) and sickness (1-8). Following such mighty works of power, the next verse seems so ordinary - Jesus said, ‘Follow me’. Matthew ‘rose and followed Him’(9). Matthew’s conversion may seem so unspectacular, but it is no less a mighty work of God than the great miracles which preceded it. Where does the desire to follow Christ come from? Does it come from our own sinful hearts? No! It comes from the Word of Christ, spoken in power and love - ‘He drew me and I followed on, charmed to confess the Voice Divine’(Mission Praise, 499). In the human heart there is resistance - we say, ‘I am “righteous”. “I have no need”of a Saviour’(12-13). This resistance is broken down by Christ when ‘new wine is put into fresh wineskins’(17).
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Murph
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Post by Murph on Jun 16, 2009 10:48:35 GMT -6
One Sunday a friend said to me, "There is no telling what would happen if once saved, we truly surrendered all to the Lord." I have thought on that statement so many times.
We can look to Paul for an example to us but it also points out to so many of us, myself included, if we are honest with ourselves, just how short we fall from total surrender to the Lord.
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Post by charlescameron on Jun 17, 2009 5:58:32 GMT -6
Thanks, Duck, for your comment. I note that it followed the reading on Matthew's conversion. In Mark 3:14, we learn that Matthew had been called Levi. The change of name highlights the change in the man. * His name was LEVI. * He was EVIL. He was a tax collector who made a fortune at the expense of other people. * When he followed Jesus, he began to LIVE. LEVI - EVIL - LIVE This tells the story of each one of us. We must never forget that, in ourselves, we are EVIL - "in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells" (Romans 7:18). There is, however, something else that we must always remember . Through faith in Christ, we have begun to LIVE - "it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me" (Galatians 2:20). When the "sin that dwells in us" (Romans 7:17) seems to be taking control of our life, let us remember the Paul's defiant words of faith - "Thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ" (1 Corinthians 15:57). Whenever Satan, "the accuser" (Revelation 12:10), attacks us, let us take our stand against him in the victorious Name of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. Satan looks at us and he sees our sin. He keeps reminding us of this. We must keep reminding him of something else. He will be "cast down" (Revelation 12:10). Jesus came to "destroy ... the devil" (Hebrews 2:14). "For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil" (1 John 3:8). The time of the devil's final defeat is still to come. Now is the time when he is very busy - "the devil has come down to us, with great wrath." Why is he so busy? - It's "because he knows that his time is short" (Revelation 12:12). As we remind Satan, our determined enemy, that he is also a defeated enemy, the Lord will increase our strength to be "more than conquerors through Him who loved us" (Romans 8:37). It is right that we should be deeply conscious of our sin - "If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves" (1 John 1:8). We never cease to be sinners - as long as we live. We should also be deeply conscious of the forgiveness of our sins - "the blood of Jesus Christ, God's Son, cleanses us from all sin" (1 John 1:7). This cleansing is an ongoing process - "the blood of Jesus keeps on cleansing us from sin." May God help each of us to experience ever more truly and more fully the truth of these great words: "Turn your eyes upon Jesus. Look full on His wonderful face, and the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace." Charlie
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Post by charlescameron on Jun 17, 2009 5:59:51 GMT -6
9:18-38 In Jesus’ miracles, we see Him triumph over sin, death and hell. As well as healing, there is forgiveness (9:5-6), the raising of the dead (18,24-25) and the casting out of demons (33). The Pharisees (Jewish religious leaders) did not like what was happening, and they came up with their own explanation - ‘He casts out demons by the prince of demons’(34). Jesus gives us another, better, explanation: ‘The Spirit of the Lord is upon me...’(Luke 4:18-19). Jesus was sent to preach the Gospel. We are to bring the Gospel to other people. Jesus was 'teaching... preaching... and healing' (35). What opportunities there are to bring the healing power of Christ into many hearts and homes! These opportunities will be missed if ‘the labourers’ remain ‘few’(37). Many are ‘harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd’(v.36). We must not fail them!
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Post by veterinarian on Jun 17, 2009 10:22:43 GMT -6
9:18-38 Many are ‘harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd’(v.36). We must not fail them!
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Post by charlescameron on Jun 18, 2009 5:04:58 GMT -6
Thanks, veterinarian, for highlighting the Lord's words and the comment. ----- 10:1-20 Jesus gave authority to His disciples (1). He gives authority to us. It is the authority of the Word and the Spirit - ‘you will be given what to say’ by ‘the Spirit of your Father speaking through you’(20). Christ’s disciples were being trained for a great work to be done in the Name and the Power of the Lord (28: 18-20). If we are to communicate the Word in the power of the Spirit, we need to see our life as life in the Spirit and life under the Word. Scripture calls us to ‘be filled with the Spirit’(Ephesians 5:18) and to ‘let the Word of Christ dwell in us richly’(Colossians 3:16). To be filled with the Spirit is to let the Word of Christ dwell in us richly. To let the Word of Christ dwell in us richly is to be filled with the Spirit. We are to live in the power of the Spirit. We are to live in accordance with the Scriptures.
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Post by charlescameron on Jun 19, 2009 13:31:44 GMT -6
10:21-42 Jesus tells us that ‘a student is not above his teacher nor a servant above his master’(24). Our Teacher is the Lord Jesus Christ. He is our Master. Jesus emphasizes that ‘it is enough for the student to be like his teacher and the servant like his master’(25). This is the goal of the Christian life - we are to be like Jesus. This will not be an easy life. There will be persecution (22; 2 Timothy 3:12). In this situation - going the way of the Cross with Jesus (38) - we need to hear and heed the Word of the Lord: Do not fear man. Fear God (28). The fear of men is to be avoided. The fear of God is to be treasured greatly. There will be conflict with those who do not honour God (34-37). We must remember: pleasing God is more important than pleasing people. Our prayer is that our hearers will receive Christ as well as ourselves (40).
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Post by charlescameron on Jun 20, 2009 5:26:24 GMT -6
11:1-19 Much is said about John the Baptist here, yet the whole purpose is to draw attention to Jesus the Saviour. Jesus is superior to John. He is the One to whom John pointed. There are two responses to Jesus. We can take offence at Him: ‘Blessed is he who takes no offence at Me’(6). We can hear what He says, receiving Him with faith: ‘He who has ears to hear, let him hear’(15). In His time, Jesus asked the question, ‘To whom shall I compare this generation?’, giving the answer, ‘We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not mourn’(16-17). The promise of the Gospel is preached, yet many will not rejoice. The warning of the Gospel is preached, yet many will not repent. This is the story of our generation. May God help us to lead people of this generation to Christ, the ‘Friend of sinners’(19).
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Post by charlescameron on Jun 21, 2009 12:50:13 GMT -6
11:20-30 In John 16:8-11, Jesus speaks of the work of the Holy Spirit, convicting the world of sin, righteousness and judgment. Before there can be conversion, there needs to be conviction of sin. None of us can come to the Saviour of sinners without first seeing ourselves as sinners who need the Saviour. God uses the warning of judgment to send us to the Saviour - there ‘will be...judgment’, so make sure that you ‘come’to Christ for salvation (24,28; Luke 3:7-8; Hebrews 2:3; 3:7-15). Before there can be growth in grace, there needs to be conversion. Before we can live a righteous life, learning from Christ (29; 1 Peter 1:15-16), we must come to Christ for rest, being declared righteous by Him (28; Romans 4:5-8). In Christ, we have salvation, set free from judgment - ‘no condemnation’- and set free for righteousness - ‘living according to the Spirit’(Romans 8:1).
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Post by charlescameron on Jun 22, 2009 15:09:13 GMT -6
12:1-21 Much of Jesus’ ministry was carried out under the watchful eye of the Pharisees. The controversy with the Pharisees was intensifying (2, 14). The Pharisees were out to get Jesus. For all their religion, they had no time for Jesus. Still, there are the critics, those who try to undermine our faith in Christ, those who attempt to draw us away from serving Christ. We must remain resolute in our faith, believing what God says concerning His Son: ‘Here is my Servant whom I have chosen, the One I love, in whom I delight’(18; 3:17; 17:5). As we read of Jesus, the chosen Servant of God, loved by the Father and bringing delight to the Father's heart, we should give thanks for all that God has done for us in Christ (Ephesians 1: 4-6), and we should commit ourselves afresh to the service of Christ (1 Corinthians 15:58).
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Post by charlescameron on Jun 23, 2009 7:53:55 GMT -6
12:22-37 Opposition from the Pharisees was growing all the time (24). Jesus had to rebuke them in very strong words (30, 32,34,36-37). This was not exactly a ‘How to win friends and influence people’ approach! Nevertheless, this was a time for strong words. Jesus’ministry illustrates the principle: ‘a time to tear down and a time to build’(Ecclesiastes 3:3). There was a time for ‘whoever is not against us is for us’(Mark 9:40). This was the time for ‘he who is not with me is against me’(30). There was a time for speaking of the Spirit as ‘the Comforter’(John 14:16,26). This was the time for the warning about the ‘blasphemy against the Spirit’(31). The opposition was severe, but Jesus was victorious - He ‘drove out demons by the Spirit of God’, in Him ‘the Kingdom of God had come’(28). In Him, we are victorious (Romans 8:37; Revelation 12:11).
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Post by charlescameron on Jun 24, 2009 7:43:22 GMT -6
12:38-50 Jesus did not ‘mince His words’ with the Pharisees. He described them as ‘a wicked and adulterous generation’(39,45). They were men who, by their stubborn refusal to listen to Jesus, had placed themselves under the judgment of God. The Pharisees may have had no time for Jesus, but there were those who were eager to learn from Him. Out of ‘the crowd’(46), Jesus was calling to Himself those who were learning what it really means to be relatedto Him (50). Jesus directed attention away from His human connections to His divine authority. Sometimes, people make too much of the wrong things - ‘Blessed is the womb that bore you...’(Luke 11:27). They need to be reminded of the things that really matter: ‘Blessed rather are those who hear the Word of God and keep it’(Luke 11:28). As God’s children we are to do His will (50; John 14:21).
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