Does it happen to you?

That sense of reading a Bible passage, one that you are sure you have read before, and then this time you read it and are firmly convinced that someone has added new words into your Bible.

Well, it happens to me. The latest example was from reading Matthew 28:17,

"When they saw Him, they worshiped Him, but some doubted."

I have read this passage before, but this time I was convinced that the words "some doubted" had been added. Why would I possibly think this?

Because the context is that Jesus is appearing to His disciples following the Resurrection. The Resurrection that they did not expect, although they had been told about it. The Resurrection now gloriously shown true in every bodily degree in the person of Jesus. The Resurrection, that you would think, would have these formerly moping, mourning, weeping disciples now jumping for joy to realize that their Lord whom they thought lost to them forever had been completely and more fully restored!

So why in tarnation did some doubt?

Searching this out I discovered that this word doubt is within the same meaning as the fear and doubt Peter experienced in Matthew 14:28-30,

"Lord, if it's you," Peter replied, "tell me to come to you on the water." "Come," He said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!”

Essentially, as long as Peter kept his eyes on Jesus and believed His words, he was able to do a thing well beyond his natural ability. He was enabled by Jesus to walk on water. When Peter took his eyes off of Jesus and doubted, he immediately began to sink.

My favorite part about the story is that Jesus did not view Peter's doubt as irredeemable failure, but instead compassionately reached out and caught him. Jesus identified Peter's doubt as little faith, but as the chapters continue you see that Jesus does not give up on Peter.

So back to these "some doubted" disciples. They had their Lord before them, asking them to believe a supernatural thing--His being raised from the dead--and they respond with little faith, with doubt. It seems too much to believe.

And yet, as the harmony of the gospels proves, as Acts and the epistles demonstrate, Jesus continues to put up with those of little faith, with doubt.  He doesn't gloss over what the problem is, but He identifies it, and continues to show Himself more than the doubt.

This was a gift to me today.  To know that Jesus shows Himself greater than my doubt.

I have never written...

a Thursday Thirteen post before, but Leslie at Lux Venit wrote one for today that has really motivated me. She wrote 13 of Jesus' hard teachings, all from the gospel according to Matthew. Since I'm studying through Matthew this year, this list was particularly significant as I've wrestled with all of them. I wrote in her comments that I would do a Thursday Thirteen on Jesus' promises and encouragements, also all from Matthew. And please take lesson from Leslie's admonition that there are certainly more than 13, but here are the 13 that have been of particular encouragement to me this year in my study.

1. Come, follow me, and I will make you fishers of men. 4:19

2. Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. 5:17

3. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 6:33

4. Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 7:24

5. But go and learn what this means: 'I desire mercy, not sacrifice.' For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners. 9:13

6. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. 10:39

7. Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn form me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light. 11:28-30

8. Take courage! It is I. Don't be afraid. 14:27

9. With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible. 19:26

10. And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life. 19:29

11. He is not the God of the dead but of the living. 22:32

12. This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. 26:28

13. All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age. 28:18-20

There is a line...

in one of the Veggie Tales videos where the Archibald Asparagus first announces and then criticizes Larry the Cucumber's sequential stereophonic mul-ti-me-di-a experience because it's only a bed sheet and a slide projector. In one of those silly things, the first time Husband and I ever saw that video, it cracked us up and has since become a family joke.

Husband has never understood my penchant for having a lot going on and usually all at the same time. It is not uncommon for me to have the television on in addition to listening to music through my radio and also blogging. It's all very distracting visually and auditorily to him, but it fits right into my persona of spinning lots of plates at the same time, praying that none crash upon me. Which happens.

I recognize that I like the mul-ti-me-di-a experience. Probably too much, because learning to focus and focus well on a particular thing has been a point of self-discipline for me, my whole life. Studying that idea in Matthew 22 this week reminded me of that essential point.

In Matthew 22:36-40 a scribe comes to Jesus to ask Him which is the greatest commandment. Jesus replies, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment."

At first brush this sounds like the instruction for a multimedia experience with a whole bunch of things going on all at once. The truth is in how when the Biblical command is applied of loving God completely with all your heart, and all your soul, and all your mind, then the result is not a scattered and distracted state, but a beautifully integrated state.

Salvation is known in one sense of being a slave to sin now set free through the redemption of the Savior. In a second sense though, one that I come to appreciate and give thanks for more and more, is that of having my fractured, scatterbrained, and distracted personality pieced together and conformed to Christ's image. As each piece is renewed and repaired, as sanctification occurs in every closet and junk drawer of my life, He makes me whole in Him. The temporal aspect of being set free from spinning plates so that I can genuinely focus and focus well on loving Him completely, with my whole heart, whole soul, and whole mind is a treasure of eternal worth.

I'll let Larry the Cucumber tackle the mul-ti-me-di-a experience.

Can you imagine...

seeing the Lord Jesus Christ transfigured before your very eyes? Peter, James, and John witnessed this event. Matthew recounts the story in his gospel letter.

After six days Jesus took with him Peter, James, and John the brother of James and led them up a high mountain by themselves. There he was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light. Just then there appeared before them Moses and Elijah, talking with Jesus. Mt. 17:1-3

I mean, wow! Wow! WOW!

This experience was so life impacting that later in his life, Peter described the event yet again in 2 Peter 1:16-17:

We did not follow cleverly invented stories when we told you about the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of His majesty. For He received honor and glory from God the Father when the voice came to Him from the Majestic Glory, saying, 'This is my Son, whom I love; with Him I am well pleased.' We ourselves heard this voice that came from heaven when we were with Him on the sacred mountain.

Peter truly never forgot this very real, actually happened, mountaintop experience, and was probably a great encouragement to him through the many years of persecution and the work of building the New Testament church. But what's really more important to me in reading Peter's account in 2 Peter is what he then goes on to write in the next few verses, 19-21. Look.

And we have the word of the prophets made more certain, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts. Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet's own interpretation. For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.

Did you put that together? Peter had this amazing, and truly life-changing experience at the Transfiguration of the Lord Jesus. BUT, when he recounts the event, he says that the "word...made more certain" is Scripture! That's huge. That's huge in this day and age when the easier thing is to run after an emotional experience rather than have due diligence for the study of God's Word.

Peter had his physical eyes opened at the Transfiguration, and his physical body definitely experienced some sensations, particularly when he fell facedown terrified before the voice of the Lord God Almighty. But Peter had his spiritual eyes opened through the teaching of Jesus, the words of Jesus. And it was only the words of Jesus, THAT teaching, that sustained his physical body through the years following. Peter evaluated his experience by the Word of God, not the other way around.

The word made more certain is the Word of God. When God the Father commanded those disciples on the mountain to "Listen to Him!" He meant the teaching of Jesus. Those teachings are only found in the Bible, written by men inspired by the Holy Spirit. Peter, an eyewitness of the Lord's glory, sets our attention on the glory of His written word.

May it echo in hearts that we would do well to pay attention to this Word.

Lift high the cross...

is a hymn that I love. You can listen to it here at cyberhymnal. For some reason, cyberhymnal does not include all of the words. I've written them in below because the doctrine taught in this hymn is too little heard of a call in today's evangelical morass where personal selfishness masquerades as Biblical virtue.

James Montgomery Boice is a commentator that I frequently read. He is now with the Lord in glory. In his commentary on the gospel according to Matthew, he not only gives clarity to a passage, but he also never misses the chance to pastorally preach its application to life. More often than not, I am persuaded that he wrote these things personally to me, alone.

Here is one such example regarding a challenge for believers today.

We live in a day when a substantial part of the evangelical world wants a domesticated Jesus who "blesses, satisfies, fills, thrills, and strengthens his followers" but does not insist on a cross. What we need is the genuine Jesus who demands that his followers die to self and actually follow him.

The quoted part within Boice's statement is from D.A. Carson, another man seeking after God's own heart regarding the cost and treasure of true discipleship. The insistence on the cross for a believer is onerous to many because we only want the privileges, but none of the responsibilities. Choosing to forget the Cross in its cost means choosing to ignore the Person on the Cross in our practice.

Jesus said it this way:

If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it.

Let us be a people that not only lift high the Cross, but live according to the One who bore it.

Lift High the Cross

Lift high the cross, the love of Christ proclaim,
Till all the world adore His sacred Name.

Led on their way by this triumphant sign,
The hosts of God in conquering ranks combine. (Refrain)

Each newborn servant of the Crucified
Bears on the brow the seal of Him Who died. (Refrain)

O Lord, once lifted on the glorious tree,
As Thou hast promised, draw the world to Thee. (Refrain)

So shall our song of triumph ever be:
Praise to the Crucified for victory. (Refrain)

One of my favorite...

commentators this year has become J.C. Ryle. To prepare for teaching Matthew this year, I've been reading his book Expository Thoughts on Matthew. In his foreword, Ryle states, "I now send forth the volume, with an earnest prayer that it may tend to the promotion of pure and undefiled religion, help to extend the knowledge of Christ, and be a humble instrument in aid of the glorious work of converting and edifying immortal souls."

Ryle is exceptionally pastoral in his writing, and his statement of purpose is clearly shown as convictingly, lovingly, boldly, he confronts the reader with the truth of Scripture. In comments he makes on Mt. 13:1-23, Ryle says,

"There is only one evidence of hearing the Word rightly. That evidence is to bear 'fruit.' The fruit here spoken of is the fruit of the Spirit. Repentance towards God, faith towards the Lord Jesus Christ, holiness of life and character, prayerfulness, humility, charity, spiritual mindedness,--these are the only satisfactory proofs that the seed of God's Word is doing its proper work in our souls. Without such proofs our religion is vain, however high our profession: it is no better than sounding brass and a tinkling cymbal. Christ has said, 'I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit.' (John 15:6) We must never be content with a barren orthodoxy, and a cold maintenance of correct theological views; we must not be satisfied with clear knowledge, warm feelings, and a decent profession' we must see to it that the Gospel we profess to love, produces positive 'fruit' in our hearts and lives. This is real Christianity. These words of St. James should often ring in our ears: 'Be ye doers of the Word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.' (James 1:22)"

May each one today bearing His name go out to do His Word.

 

 

I got engaged...

in November 1989. The wedding date was set for August 1990. January 1, 1990 was the day that my future husband (FH) boarded a plane for South Korea to serve the country. Since I was also still in school, the wedding plans fell to me and my mom. Of course, I wanted, and needed, the FH's input on the many and various essential decisions. Our primary method of communication was through letters, now called snail mail. Email was not an option, and neither were international phone calls.  I was a poor, starving college student, and FH was saving for our life together.

Anyway, the first few times that I asked my FH what he thought about certain significant events of our wedding (probably real essentials like order of service or staging of bridesmaids), he answered, "I have no opinion."  I accepted this the first few times, because I interpreted his "no opinion" as deference to "my opinion."  However, at some point light began to dawn, and I suspected that perhaps his "real opinion" was indifference to the whole event.  His neutrality offended my centrality over the essentiality.

Which really, really, really upset me.

Why would my FH be indifferent to such an important, life-changing event as Our Wedding?  I was baffled.  But not so baffled that I didn't confront my FH.  To his credit, he was not intending to affect indifference to Our Wedding, but in truth, he did not want to be consumed (because I obviously was) with the minutae of details necessary to planning Our Wedding.  He cared greatly for me, but not so much for every. single. itty. bitty. detail.  In order for FH to communicate to me his primary care, I desired that he communicate interest in the details through an opinion.  Even if that opinion stated, "I'm happy for you to decide."

The life-changing event, Our Wedding, occurred on schedule and with all details intact in August 1990.  But the life-changing event that occurred prior was the discussion between FH and me that "I have no opinion" was an unacceptable statement regarding those things that affected us both.  For having "no opinion" actually implied an opinion of indifference.

While not an exact illustration, I was reminded of that event after reading Mt. 12:30, "He who is not with me is against me, and he who does not gather with me scatters."  This verse in context means there is no neutrality with Jesus.  You are either with Him, or against Him.  You cannot have a "no opinion" attitude.

By this point in Matthew, Jesus has all ready addressed, repeatedly, the indifference and thereby, rejection of His gospel among the multitudes and the religious establishment.  Though He continues to give out His message, clearly the time is fast approaching where His teaching will dramatically change.  I think this verse 30 is the warning knell that a choice must be made.  An encounter with Jesus requires a response.  Neutrality is not an option.

And even more sobering is the truth that we are judged by our response to Him, with the consequence of that response bringing either condemnation or blessing.

I do not want to be of "no opinion" towards the Christ.

"I want to know Christ and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like Him in His death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead."  Php 3:10-11 

Think of how many...

of your sins were future when Christ died for you nearly two millenia ago?

If all our sins were future and Christ died for all our sins, then no future sin can cancel out what Christ has accomplished.

All of our sins were future and Christ died for all of them (Rom. 8:1; Heb. 8:12-13).  If Christ died for all our sins, the debt having been paid, no sin can separate us from God.

Amen.

(From Dr. John Hannah's notes)

Verily, verily...

was proclaimed by the preacher, with gusto of voice and flourish of his right hand. An usher in the foyer paused to whisper into the ear of the assistant to the children's ministry. She quickly bustled off to the children's area, inwardly worried that the announcement would disrupt children's church. Once there, she took a quick breath and hollered to the pianist, "Vera Lee, the pastor wants you in the sanctuary right now!"

And that's about where our Biblical memory has gone it seems. The phrases of the Bible once oft quoted by even the smallest of children are unknown to the biggest, now having their own children. Raising your Ebenezer is a suspect action, laying out a fleece could come with a criminal record just because it sounds violent, and weeping and gnashing of teeth is what happened when the Wii didn't show up under the tree on the 25th.

If it were only a case of no longer speaking ye merry ole King James, then perhaps there would be no concern. But our weeping should not be at how language has changed, but at how Biblical context in our language has been swallowed up from lack of Biblical knowledge.

Hosea 4 is a charge against Israel by the Lord for their lack of faithfulness to His law, for ignorance of His commands, and for corruption in words, thoughts and deeds towards each other and even the land itself. In verse 6 He states, "my people are destroyed from lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I also reject you as my priests;" These stern words are not only for the religious leaders of the people, but for the people themselves who have demanded the cheap and easy instead of pursuing the costly treasures of grace.

Matthew 11 includes a similar indictment.

16"To what can I compare this generation? They are like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling out to others:
17" 'We played the flute for you,
and you did not dance;
we sang a dirge
and you did not mourn.'
18For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, 'He has a demon.' 19The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, 'Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and "sinners." ' But wisdom is proved right by her actions."

In this passage, Jesus is criticizing the crowds who were unhappy with John the Baptist's message of, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near." And they were equally unhappy with Jesus' message of, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near." These petulant children did not want to hear that their ways were foolish and unrighteous, or that they were in need of repentance and salvation.

These curious seekers of the spectacular who flocked to see and hear John the Baptist wearing his strange clothes, and taking of his strange diet decided that they did not like his habits of austerity. These same curious seekers of the wondrous also then congregated to see the miracles of Jesus, but decided that His sociable habits of dining with the tax collectors, prostitutes, and "sinners" were also suspect behavior.

Instead they desired ear tickling words that matched their opinions and traditions, or that would grant even shaky foundation to their self-righteousness. Like an Add-A-Bead necklace of the '80's, the religious establishment had taken the pure Word of God and tacked on their cheap trinkets. And with each easily bent bead, Biblical memory for the substance of what God really said faded even more.

Jesus' last statement in this passage both warns and encourages the genuine listener, "But wisdom is proved right by her actions." Meaning that the one who knows God's Word will live and act upon God's Words. Wisdom is shown by the exercise of wisdom. Wisdom comes by the study and application of the Bible, and through the instruction and teaching of the Holy Spirit to the humble believer who repents and believes.

Only then will Biblical memory be rebuilt into this generation. Only then will Biblical context and knowledge regain a standing among the people of God.

Something needs to be said...

about this very popular opinion that Christians are to accept and tolerate anyone, regardless of their behaviors, language, actions, and so on. I do not believe this opinion is Biblically grounded in either the Old or New Testament. Studying through Matthew’s gospel this year has only solidified my belief. Let’s look at a few examples of whom Jesus accepted and tolerated.

In Matthew 4, Jesus is approached by Satan who attempts to tempt Him to disobey God’s will. Satan’s tactics are crystal clear misinterpretations of Scripture, twisted into a different meaning that does not accord with the revealed character of God. Jesus rebukes each devilish perversion with correct interpretations of His Father’s Words. Jesus does not accept or tolerate the devil or his tactics of teaching.

I know, that’s kind of a strawman argument, you’re saying. Of course, Jesus wouldn’t tolerate the devil. Come on.

Okay, you’re right. But seeing as how the point needs to develop as to whom exactly Jesus does accept and tolerate, we might as well start with the antithesis example. At the very least, in reading Mt. 4:1-10, you should come away with the understanding that Jesus does not accept or tolerate the twisting of God’s Word to accord with personal opinion.

Let me try again. I’ll use a religious example this time. In Matthew 5:20, Jesus says, “For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.”

Whoa! Now that’s a pretty non-accepting and intolerant attitude towards the righteousness of the noted and established religious leadership of the day. It’s one thing to argue that Jesus won’t brook with the devil (Mt 4), but now to say that He’s not too fond of the religious leadership either? Well, we could give this one to the atheists as a point on their side that Jesus doesn’t like religious people…..or we could try to understand why He’s being a tad bit critical here.

Matthew 5:20 is within the context of the Sermon on the Mount which is an incredible discourse where Jesus describes the true character of a Christian (Beatitudes, Mt 5:1-10), the true influence of a Christian (salt & light, Mt. 5:13-16), and here in 5:20, He gives the bar for true righteousness that is accepted by God versus righteousness that is not. The outward, self-righteousness of the Pharisees did not, does not, and will not satisfy a Holy God who requires the true righteousness of Christ alone (Rom 3:21-22).

All righty then, now we have a standard of what and whom Jesus accepts and tolerates—those who are clothed in His righteousness alone. Those, by grace who have received faith, a gift from God, have believed the gospel of God and are now justified and given the righteousness of Christ. That’s about it in a nutshell. Here are some helpful references, Eph 2:8-10; Rom 10:9-10; Jn 3:16-18, 36.

But I know that now you’re asking about all those other examples of sinners and such that Jesus demonstrated obvious compassion towards and acceptance of, not only healing their diseases but forgiving their sins; and some of them were quite unclean (lepers), quite socially isolated (women), and quite politically unpopular (Gentiles).

Great if you’re thinking that because now we can get on to the next point. Jesus did in His time on earth as manifest flesh come into contact with every score of person from the highest rulers to the lowest on the social ladder rungs. And in every circumstance those persons were challenged and confronted by His truth. Not the other way around. He did not allow one of those persons to simply exist as they were without being confronted as to their illness, their error, their ignorance, their arrogance, their power, their self-righteousness, their sin, or their state of being. Every single one was confronted by the Lord Jesus Christ and the truth of His gospel.

There was no patent acceptance and tolerance of the state, situation, or circumstance said person was in. The blind were given sight, the lame were made to walk, the demons were cast out, the Pharisees were rebuked, the disciples were challenged and taught, the sinners were forgiven, the Gentiles were invited, and the political leaders were judged. Every single person was forever changed by his or her interaction with Jesus. Whether it meant that His truth caused a new birth in their lives and therefore, a new way of living; or His truth was rejected by them, thus sealing their condemnation.

The misapplication of the words acceptance and tolerance are wreaking havoc in Christianity because the lie has been purchased with cheap grace that anyone can do anything spouting any profession and still be okay with Jesus. He didn’t brook such nonsense in His physical lifetime, why would you think that now in the giving of the Holy Spirit that convicts the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment (Jn 16:8-11) that it would be any different?

You can come to Jesus as a sinner (for everyone does), as a social outcast, as a leader having great power, as a wealthy person, as a destitute, as a woman or man, as a child or teen, as anything. But you cannot remain with Jesus unchanged. And thank God for that!

One of my favorite stories...

about Jesus is found in Matthew 8:23-27. This is the story of Jesus and His disciples in a boat on the Sea of Galilee when a storm furiously sweeps up over the lake. Jesus, exhausted, is asleep in the boat while His disciples are hanging on for dear life and are thoroughly frightened to the point of believing themselves about to drown.

Terrified, they wake Jesus up and beg His help, "Lord, save us! We're going to drown!" Jesus replies, "You of little faith, why are you so afraid?" and then promptly rebukes the winds and waves and immediately calm is restored. The disciples are amazed at the authority of this man that even the winds and waves obey Him.

I like this story so much because every time it's taught the application is always applied to the storms a believer encounters in life and how one responds, even one with little faith; followed closely by how Jesus intervenes in said storms.

In discussion with a friend, she pointed out something I'd never thought about regarding the disciples. She mentioned that with the exception of only a few, these men were seasoned fishermen both used to boats, used to water (obviously) and even used to storms while in boats on the water. Even if the few who were not fishermen were out of their wits scared, wouldn't the fisher types have had words of comfort for them? "Come on, guys, this squall isn't anything." But the text clumps the disciples as a group that is scared and goes to wake Jesus.

Added to that point is the idea that their experiences on and around the water would have made them aware of ominous skies so if a storm looked imminent, perhaps they wouldn't have so readily entered the boat.

A personal challenge I had to consider this time around, issuing from personal circumstances, is how directly Jesus demonstrates His authority to test our faith and confront our response. The Lord does not do either for mere effect and drama, but certainly for the sake of stirring us up to a greater understanding of both His sovereignty and His provision.

Undergoing life's storms is a given event whether you are a professing Christian or not. However, being confronted for your response has a unique consequence for the Christian. If an unbeliever expresses resentment, despondency, or any other emotion, that response is contained within their worldview of fate, luck, or karma. But a believer's response of fear, resentment, despondency is contained and so shaped by their understanding of God's character.

When the "I don't know why this happened," meets the overruling sovereignty of God, then choosing peace in the boat is a joyful exercise. When the "I'm drowning in my circumstances," is confronted by the majesty of the Living God, then living the sufficiency of His grace in your weakness is light to a dark world. When the "I'm afraid," is awed by the power of the One whom the winds and waves obey, then your heart is stirred to desire more of His amazing grace.

Thanks be to God!

A great pondering of my...

heart recently is that of discipleship. On this post I wrote about Bonhoeffer's appeal to Christians to embrace and live costly grace as purchased by the shed blood of Christ.

In studying Matthew 8, Jesus demonstrates a very specific authority over His disciples. Part of Matthew's purpose in his writing is to show Jesus as God's Anointed One, the Messiah King, who has specific, unique, and sovereign authority over every aspect of His disciple's lives. I realize this type of writing makes many of us nervous, myself included, because as a commenter aptly noted, "The costly grace that requires everything from us may leave us nearly unrecognizable in the end." She's right on.

So what do you do with such a challenge to self? In the pondering of these things, I was reminded of this verse in Matthew 10:24-25a, "A student is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master. It is enough for the student to be like his teacher, and the servant like his master." The context of the verse is in Jesus' instructions to His disciples as He sends them out to preach the message of His kingdom. He is warning that as His disciples they will come under persecution, hardship and trial because of their identification with Him.

To consider that obeying the Father's will cost Jesus His life, a conclusion arises that it is either A) arrogant or B) ignorant to think that discipleship, identification with Christ will cost us nothing.

A second commenter asked a harder question in my post, "What to do?"

The answer lies in Jesus' words of Matthew 10:39, "Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it."

Let the clarion call of my very soul issue the cry that whatever He asks, I will give. Whatever He requires, I will surrender. Whatever He commands, I will obey. I believe, Lord, help me in my unbelief. There can be no other option for a true disciple of Christ.

Studying through the...

Sermon on the Mount has been eye-opening, toe-stomping, heart-twisting, soul-convicting, mind-changing truth. A top item on my list of being thankful this year is having been given the time and privilege to really dig into the Sermon on the Mount, and find treasure.

Seeing how the Sermon is connected, how the teaching builds upon itself and reinforces itself is greatly encouraging and instructive. It also makes me grieve for how often and erroneously verses are lifted out of the Sermon's context and used as so much battle axe weaponry or smoke and mirrors magic in the Church, among the flock. Ironically, a large portion of the Sermon is Jesus' strong rebuke of the Pharisees for doing the very same thing to God's Word. He condemns their hypocrisy and mistaken practices without mincing words or sidestepping feelings. With particular care and specifics, Jesus instructs His disciples to live according to His Father's Word--all that is within the Law and Prophets.

From Jesus' description of the essential elements of Christian character described in the Beatitudes to the salt and light influence that a Christian will have to Matthew 5:20 when Jesus requires divine righteousness vested in saving faith versus Pharisaical external righteousness to the practical applications of how distinctive living looks, speaks, and acts. In every teaching Jesus' words are not only connected by His authority but also by how the concepts relate to one another.

Jesus is the King, teaching about His Kingdom, instructing His disciples what they must believe and how they must live to be vital members of the Kingdom. If you are looking for an area of study for this holiday season, I encourage you to read and thoroughly study with a humble heart Jesus' instruction in Matthew 5-7. It's not a program to change your life. It's the Living Word of God to renew your mind and transform your life to the person and will of Christ. May God bless diligence submitted to Him.

The complexity and simplicity...

of the Sermon on the Mount is a great part of its attraction because Jesus' teaching lends itself generously to word pictures in exposition. Some of these word pictures Jesus employs first Himself in teaching His disciples, ie. a bad tree produces bad fruit, a wise man and a foolish man building houses.

The word picture suggested to me in commentary regarding Matthew 7:7-8 was that of a child looking for his mom. This type of a word picture has its reality happening in my house almost on a daily basis. The commentator described the situation as one of "ascending urgency." Urgency is the byword for a boy's interactions. Urgency to conquer, to win, to create and to destroy. Ascending is where my blood pressure can go just as easily as my affection for the Y chromosomal eccentricities.

Here are the verses,

7"Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 8For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.

In this mom's quest for privacy, I retreat to the er, second story throne room being careful to close the door. From the nether regions of the house, I hear a faint voice calling, "Mom! Mom! Mom!" There is no attached sound of bleeding or terror so I think that I have a few more minutes. This is the ask.

Then I hear thunderous, though it's only one child, footsteps coming up the basement stairs, then the first landing, then the second landing. All the while calling, "Mom! Mom! Mom!" Because terror and bleeding are still not inflectively factored into the "Mom!", I persist in my delusional privacy. This is the seek.

Slower, creeping footsteps are now heard coming through my room, pausing at the bathroom tile, then proceeding across the master bath tile to come to a stop, right outside the throne room door. Knocking proceeds in conjunction with a tentative, "Mom, are you in there?" This is the knock.

"Yes," I respond, "I'm here."

The child's persistence has paid off having now found me to answer the ascending urgent question, "Can I have a snack?" or "Do worms chew their food?" or "Are you coming out of there?"

Even this child has learned the true concept that persistence to receive an answer is displayed in asking, seeking, and knocking. Where then is the adult lesson, the instruction to the disciple of Jesus? To be as persistent as a child in looking for Mom's answer in every situation--whether the meeting of needs, the quest for discernment, the plea for help, or the desire for wisdom. The relationship of mother to child invests value into both the pursuit and the response. The relationship of Father to child has ever more significance in the command, the obedience and the access.

Ask, seek, and knock that you may receive, find and have opened to you.

Do you remember...

the children's Sunday School song,

The wise man built his house upon the rock.
The wise man built his house upon the rock.
The wise man built his house upon the rock,
And the rains came tumbling down.
The rains came down, and the floods rose up.
The rains came down, and the floods rose up.
The rains came down, and the floods rose up.
But the house on the rock stood firm.

The foolish man built his house upon the sand.
The foolish man built his house upon the sand.
The foolish man built his house upon the sand.
And the rains came tumbling down.
The rains came down, and the floods rose up.
The rains came down, and the floods rose up.
The rains came down, and the floods rose up.
And the house on the sound fell down. CRASH!

So build your life on the Lord Jesus Christ.
Build your life on the Lord Jesus Christ.
Build your life on the Lord Jesus Christ,
And the blessings will come down.
The blessings will come down as the prayers go up.
The blessings will come down as the prayers go up.
The blessings will come down as the prayers go up.
So build your life on the Rock.

Of course there are actions with each verse. I don't remember when I first heard it, but it was a real favorite of mine in 5K.

The text in Matthew 7 that it comes from was part of my focus in this week of study. Jesus teaches this illustration after having taught since chapter 5 of the kingdom call specifics to live distinctively as a disciple of Christ. This illustration is key as a vivid illustration of exactly what that means.

There are only two ways about it in this life. Jesus opens that teaching with the word picture of a narrow gate and road versus a wide gate and broad road. The narrow leads to life, and the broad leads to destruction. Jesus warns against false teachers who are known by their bad fruit in His contrast of good trees produce good fruit and bad trees produce bad fruit. Jesus declares that empty profession without internal possession will not be known by Him as truth.

And then He really ramps up the contrast between two ways with this last picture. What is startling is the fact that both the wise man and the foolish man HEARD His words. They maybe even sat in service together, took sermon notes, and served on many church committees.

But the wise man is eternally saved by the truth that he built his house upon the rock solid truth of Jesus' words---alone. The foolish man is eternally destroyed by the truth that he built his house upon the sandy traditions and opinions derived from that which is not of God. Both men suffered storms. Both men were proved in their faith and works by those storms. The wise man's house stood. The foolish man's house came crashing down.

Two ways. That's it. There is no third verse about the semi-wise, sometimes foolish man who built his rock house on sand, or his sand house on rock.

Implicit in the illustration is that the storms come to everyone. The very foundations of your and my house will be exposed by rebellious children, by troubled marriages, by conflict with family, by job loss, by chronic illnesses, even by death and by every manner of difficulty on the scale of 1 to infinity.

Waiting until the storm appears is not the time to consider your insurance. Consider your assurance today.

Do you remember...

the children's Sunday School song,

The wise man built his house upon the rock.
The wise man built his house upon the rock.
The wise man built his house upon the rock,
And the rains came tumbling down.
The rains came down, and the floods rose up.
The rains came down, and the floods rose up.
The rains came down, and the floods rose up.
But the house on the rock stood firm.

The foolish man built his house upon the sand.
The foolish man built his house upon the sand.
The foolish man built his house upon the sand.
And the rains came tumbling down.
The rains came down, and the floods rose up.
The rains came down, and the floods rose up.
The rains came down, and the floods rose up.
And the house on the sound fell down. CRASH!

So build your life on the Lord Jesus Christ.
Build your life on the Lord Jesus Christ.
Build your life on the Lord Jesus Christ,
And the blessings will come down.
The blessings will come down as the prayers go up.
The blessings will come down as the prayers go up.
The blessings will come down as the prayers go up.
So build your life on the Rock.

Of course there are actions with each verse. I don't remember when I first heard it, but it was a real favorite of mine in 5K.

The text in Matthew 7 that it comes from was part of my focus in this week of study. Jesus teaches this illustration after having taught since chapter 5 of the kingdom call specifics to live distinctively as a disciple of Christ. This illustration is key as a vivid illustration of exactly what that means.

There are only two ways about it in this life. Jesus opens that teaching with the word picture of a narrow gate and road versus a wide gate and broad road. The narrow leads to life, and the broad leads to destruction. Jesus warns against false teachers who are known by their bad fruit in His contrast of good trees produce good fruit and bad trees produce bad fruit. Jesus declares that empty profession without internal possession will not be known by Him as truth.

And then He really ramps up the contrast between two ways with this last picture. What is startling is the fact that both the wise man and the foolish man HEARD His words. They maybe even sat in service together, took sermon notes, and served on many church committees.

But the wise man is eternally saved by the truth that he built his house upon the rock solid truth of Jesus' words---alone. The foolish man is eternally destroyed by the truth that he built his house upon the sandy traditions and opinions derived from that which is not of God. Both men suffered storms. Both men were proved in their faith and works by those storms. The wise man's house stood. The foolish man's house came crashing down.

Two ways. That's it. There is no third verse about the semi-wise, sometimes foolish man who built his rock house on sand, or his sand house on rock.

Implicit in the illustration is that the storms come to everyone. The very foundations of your and my house will be exposed by rebellious children, by troubled marriages, by conflict with family, by job loss, by chronic illnesses, even by death and by every manner of difficulty on the scale of 1 to infinity.

Waiting until the storm appears is not the time to consider your insurance. Consider your assurance today.

A sweet sound...

to this mother's ear was the babbling gibberish that my second son, Chess, used to entertain me with alongside of animated facial expressions and much hand waving. He was convinced that I perfectly understood exactly what he was attempting to communicate. Probably because I indulged him with smiling and head nodding even though his language was about as clear as Farsi with a Scottish accent.

But oh, it was so sweet to see him trying to communicate with me. And it was very frustrating for him that no amount of his babbling gibberish conveyed his thoughts and wants to me. The end result was usually foot stomping and tears. Only after I taught him some basic sign language cues did the frustration end. As his mind became informed with correct words and the knowledge of language, he was able to drop the sign language cues and become effective in his communication.

"Gosmeko ne jujue penazza" became "Give me juice, please." (And I'm sure that is a paraphrase of the actual babbling.)

I was reminded this week of Chess' babbling as a toddler when I read Matthew 6:7, "And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words." Investigating the meaning behind babbling uncovered some interesting applications for believers.

The Greek word is actually "battalogeo". Part of its uniqueness is that the word is not found anywhere else in biblical literature leaving it without clear derivation or meaning. William Tyndale was the first translator to choose the onomatopoetic "babble" as an English equivalent. With that choice the word came to mean a nonsense repetition of sounds. Babbling is that of making non-sense, or no sense.

Jesus is clear in His teaching that believers are not to pray like pagans, at all. He judges their babbling as only many words, not invested with any knowledge of the One True Living God. In context to God's Word look at Proverbs 1:7, "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline." An unbeliever not having a proper fear of the Lord does not have knowledge and so makes no sense in his prayers or ideas about prayer. He despises the discipline of learning how Jesus teaches and models prayer. He despises the wisdom that comes from obedience to the Lord.

Jesus goes on to teach in verse 8: "Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him." He highlights the personal relationship that a believer has with God the Father that an unbeliever does not have. In light of the personal relationship that God the Father grants to His children, application insists that a believer pray within context of knowing Who God is and who she is before God. To pray in any way like a pagan with babbling of many words, with no sense, without knowledge of Who the Living God is in character and attribute, is offensive to a Holy God.

Let Christians remember that our call to prayer is as essential as our call to repent, to bear fruit, to grow in faith, to work out our salvation, to count the cross and so on through the right doctrines of living as a disciple of Christ. Let us not imitate the pagans in any way, method, or manner for the sake of sloth or feelings. Let Christians remember to humble themselves before knowledge of the Lord so that their prayers honor and exalt His hallowed name, His sovereign rule, and His perfect will.

Chemistry was not...

my strong suit in high school and therefore, not a chosen class for my college major. I took the requisite science and math to graduate and then made it a personal goal to stay out of the building that smelled like formaldehyde.

The Bible however, requires an understanding of chemistry. Did you know that? Look at Matthew 5:13:

"You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men."

I know what salt is because I cook with it and sprinkle it on my food, all the time. In fact, the older I get, I think I tend to use more salt than less. I see my Mom's hand sprinkling it on and hear my Dad's voice telling her/me to take it easy--the food doesn't need preserving.

So the visual illustration of true believers being the salt of the earth is a powerful one bringing up all sorts of pictures of how salt flavors and seasons food. How salt in the days before refrigeration preserved food from decay and rot. How roads and sidewalks are covered in salt during icy, snowy weather to melt the elements of slippage and provide a measure of safety. How salt makes you thirsty for a drink of water. How at night I crave the saltiness of popcorn. How salt works with baking soda to make bread rise. Jesus used a significant visual illustration to describe and apply how He commands His people to live in the world.

But some reading I came across on the properties of salt indicated that sodium chloride is one of the most stable compounds we have and that therefore, salt cannot technically lose its saltiness. Bible skeptics can really pick up on this and show a crack in Jesus' teaching, eh?

Further reading proved the historical context that grounds Jesus' illustration. The table salt we use today is a very purified form that can withstand virtually any attack to its composition. Salt can become contaminated when mixed with impurities and so become useless, even dangerous. (There's a wide range of application enough for a whole other blog post on what happens when believers become contaminated with impurities of teaching and belief and...I digress).

The salt in Jesus' time though was not purified and may even have come from around the Dead Sea region. While being part sodium chloride, the actual salt was also mixed with a benign white powder, kind of like a grainy dust. The salt part was easily washed out from the other material, but the remaining white powder looked like salt. Even though it did not and could not act like or taste like salt, until it was actually tried, that grainy white imposter salt remained. Once discovered, it was not good for anything but to be thrown out and trampled upon.

Again, application and illustration abound in warning and encouragement to the true believer. It's not enough that one look like a disciple of Christ--punching the religious card. One must actually be a disciple of Christ. This only comes by faith, only evidenced by works of faith, and is only proved by the Giver of faith.

But it is still worth the question and searching examination to consider as a confessing believer, am I true or imposter salt?

My sons are studying...

through Matthew with me this year. Their Bible study covers the same text that mine does, and as part of their homeschool work, they have to read the verses and answer questions.

My two fourth graders are able to work through the text and questions pretty much on their own. Occasionally there are questions that we discuss together. My first grader who began reading this past summer requires more consistent help, not only with reading through the text but also in answering the questions. My practice is to read the verses to him and then ask the questions. This sometimes takes a couple of read throughs as he listens for the specific answer.

Last week's lesson covered two questions on Mt. 5:10-11, "Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me." He asked me what "persecuted" meant. I explained to him that Jesus was teaching His disciples that when they live as He instructs, some people will treat them in a mean way. Mean is a pretty clear concept for a six year old, so it's the word that I used. He did want further clarification on the degree of mean though.

He asked, "Like how mean?"

I said, "Well, they might try to hurt you or say unkind things and lies about you. They might call you names."

Very soberly he replied, "Well, I don't think I want to live like Jesus."

His honesty shocked and sobered me because his small voice echoes the truth found in many lives. Just like my six year old, I don't want people to lie about me or say unkind things. I don't want others to call me names. But I do want to live like Jesus. And to be His disciple means to live distinctively in the face of the truth of persecution, whatever level or degree that persecution might take. We live in Smalltown, USA where blatant, burning at the stake, throwing in jail, beatings and stonings for baptism and worship do not take place. I've read Foxes' Book of Martyrs, but I've not been asked to live it.

I'm persuaded though that the reason Jesus expounded this beatitude over the others is because this one takes into consideration the full impact of the previous seven. If you are living out the first seven, then the results do come just as Jesus taught--in rejection of Him, played out to you. As people responded to Christ, they will also respond to His followers.

So, I told my son that I understood him, that I didn't want people to be mean to him either, but that more than anything I prayed that he would live like Jesus. I told him I think it's the most important thing, and I told him that Jesus would care for him even if people were mean to him, or worse.

And as I told him, I told myself. Living distinctively for Jesus is both the cost and gift of the cross.

And before you know it...

you haven't blogged in almost a week. I am still here.

But with conscious decision this week, I decided not to blog what I was studying until I'd first taught it. I suspected that I was giving first place to laying out my thoughts on the topic through the blog instead of yielding first rights to God and how He would have me teach His Word.

See how pertinent and relevant studying the Bible is? Even in blogging? Yes, indeed, the temptations are always present for believers. Repentance and redirection are too.

So now that I've studied and taught Matthew 5:1-16, I'll take some time to blog out what I learned.

A very significant thing that struck me with these verses, that I had never seen before, is the fact that Jesus specifically taught the Sermon on the Mount to His disciples. As opposed to teaching to a general crowd, you realize. Let me explain.

At the end of the Sermon, Mt 7:28, the Word states, "When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at His teaching...." Here is evidence that Jesus' teaching was heard by the crowd. However, at the beginning of the Sermon, Mt 5:1-2, the Word states, "Now when He saw the crowds, He went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, and He began to teach them..." The "them" in verse 2 refers to the disciples.

Context from the end of Mt. 4 explains any gaps. Jesus was now well known amongst Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea and the Jordan region (Mt 4:25), and large crowds came to follow Him. Probably many were interested in hearing and seeing what this new teacher would say and do. Curiosity is a powerful thing.
These curious crowds would most certainly have followed Him up to where He sat with His disciples to listen in on what He was saying. But the teaching of these kingdom principles was, and is, specifically for those who live in the kingdom of heaven--for those who depend only and entirely upon the righteousness of Christ for entrance to His kingdom.

This a huge consideration in light of the fact that the Sermon so clearly reveals what you and I cannot do on our own, apart from the Holy Spirit. The Sermon clearly reveals an entire realm of counter-cultural thoughts and conduct that will not be found in any popular magazine as keys to happy living. The people of God are to live distinctively as the people of God. The Sermon clearly reveals this contrast again and again, both between believers and unbelievers as well as between true believers and religious believers.

This is where my head has been this week, really thinking and considering how, if, when, where, consistently or not, do I live distinctively? It's a searching question. I'll blog more on it later.