Upon This Rock I Will Buld My Church

In Matthew 16 Jesus was discussing a very important matter with His apostles.  Let's read this passage:

13When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?”

14They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”

15“But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”

16Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”

17Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven. 18And I tell you that you are Peter,^b and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades^c will not overcome it. 19I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be^d bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be^e loosed in heaven.”

The question that is asked here is a very significant one, not only to Peter, but to us as well.  Jesus could be asking each of us as Christians who we say that He is.  And we read here that the correct answer is "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."  The key here is to believe this, to allow this fact to be dominant in our lives, and to be willing to declare it to others.  

Jesus answers to Peter using a word play.  Peter means "rock."  But when Jesus says "upon this rock I will build My church,"  He is using a different form of the word rock.  It isn't Peter that is the foundation of the church; it is the statement that Peter has made.  It is the fact that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God.  It reminds me of the final words of Jesus in the sermon on the mount, Matthew 7:

²⁴ “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practise is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. ²⁵ The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. ²⁶ But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practise is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. ²⁷ The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”

Jesus is the rock, the foundation, the chief cornerstone of our faith.  By following Him we have life eternal. 

Thanks for reading.  Have a great week!

Seek the Lord

One of my favorite verses in all the Bible is Hebrews 11:6,

"But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him."

It isn't enough to just coast through life, be a good person, and show some commitment to the Lord.  He wants us to seek Him...and to do so diligently.  That means to take an aggressive attitude toward God, to want to know Him, and to actually try to be like Him.

In Matthew chapter 6, Jesus was talking about how we as typical people tend to worry about life, what we shall eat or drink or wear.  He then says in verse 33,

"But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you."

It is all about priorities.  But it also is about seeking.  We have to seek the Lord to be successful as a Christian.  And we are familiar with the passage in Matthew 7:7, where Jesus says,

"Ask, and it will be given to you; seek and you will find, knock, and it will be opened to you."

When He says "seek" here, He means it.  We must be people who are truly seeking the Lord.

We might wonder, just what does it mean to seek the Lord; how do we do that.  I would suggest that first it means to study our Bible.  This is the actual Word of the Lord, given to us to help us to know Him better.  And we can pray.  Prayer is more powerful than we know or can conceive.  This surely is a part of seeking the Lord.

Let us be people who "seek the Lord."    Thanks for reading.  Have a great week!

Late Words of Jesus

This lesson comes from John 16 in the New Testament where Jesus is relating some important teaching to His apostles.  The first thing He says is that they will have people trying to kill them.

16 These things have I spoken unto you, that ye should not be offended.

² They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service.
³ And these things will they do unto you, because they have not known the Father, nor me.

The people persecuted and killed Jesus; He lets them know that they will face this as well.

But this chapter in the book of John goes on to talk about the Holy Spirit. 

John 16:7-14 King James Version (KJV)
⁷ Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.
⁸ And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and.... of judgment:
⁹ Of sin, because they believe not on me;
¹⁰ Of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more;
¹¹ Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged.
¹² I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now.
¹³ Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.
¹⁴ He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you.

Jesus is teaching here that there are 3 things that the Holy Spirit will do for the apostles.  These are Convict the world, Guide them into all truth, and Glorify Jesus.  We know that this is exactly what happened.  Jesus left the earth by ascending into heaven (read in Acts 1.)  Then the Lord sent back the Holy Spirit (read in Acts 2.)  And the Spirit continued to assist the apostles, giving them the power to do miracles, and even to pass that power on to other Christians.

We are the benefactors of the work of the Spirit in that He saw to it that we have the Bible today...to read...to study...to follow.  Praise be to God, and to His Son, and to His Spirit!

Thanks for reading.  Have a great week!

Mary Has Chosen That Good Part

The Story of Mary and Martha as they were hosting Jesus in their home, is found in Luke 10:38-42.  It is an interesting account and one that is a bit difficult to understand.  Let's read:

38 As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him.

References for Luke 10:38

• Cross References

• 35 10:38 - Jn 11:1 ; 12:2

39 She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said.

References for Luke 10:39

• Cross References

• 36 10:39 - Jn 11:1 ; 12:3
• 37 10:39 - Lk 8:35

40 But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!”

References for Luke 10:40

• Cross References

• 38 10:40 - Mk 4:38

41 “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things,

References for Luke 10:41

• Cross References

• 39 10:41 - Mt 6:25-34 ; Lk 12:11,22

42 but few things are needed—or indeed only one.^aMary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”     

There are at least 3 accounts of Mary and Martha in the New Testament, from which we learn that they, along with their brother Lazarus, were good friends of Jesus.  In this story we find Jesus enjoying some time with these two women.  There is work to do in preparation, so Martha is working hard to get the work done.  Mary is seemingly slacking, just sitting and listening to Jesus.  Martha becomes perturbed and says so to Jesus, feeling that it is obvious that Mary isn't doing her part to help.

We would likely agree with Martha that Mary should have pitched in to help, especially with such an important guest as Jesus.  But Jesus has a different outlook, and He uses this occasion to make a point, not only to these two ladies, but also to us for all of time.

Jesus is not against serving and working and doing one's job as a good host.  He is simply saying that nothing is as important as sitting at the feet of Jesus, listening to the words of Jesus, learning from the Master.  And this is a lesson for us, as well.  We cannot literally sit at His feet, but we have the written Word, the teachings of the Lord, not only from Jesus directly but also from His chosen vessels, the apostles.  No matter what needs to be done in this life, nothing will ever take precedence over the teachings in God's Word, the Bible.

Let us hear this important teaching of Jesus, the Christ.  

Thanks for reading.  Have a blessed week!   

Who Do You Love

There is a lot of craziness in our world today with people shooting people with whom they disagree, and evil running rampant in the name of religion.  It brings us to the question of What does the Bible teach about love and vengeance and human relations? 

We know that Jesus brought a message of peace.  Matthew 5 tells us in the words of Jesus:  "You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.'  But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you..."  And Jesus was the perfect example of this, for when He was reviled, He did not revile.

In Luke 10, Jesus was asked by a Jewish lawyer how to inherit eternal life.  Jesus said, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself."  Then the man asked, "And who is my neighbor?"  Jesus then taught the man about the good Samaritan, where a man had been injured by robbers, left for dead, and had been passed up by a priest and a Levite, but helped by the Samaritan, a man hated by the Jews.  Jesus concluded by asking, "So which of these three do you think was neighbor to him who fell among thieves?"  "And he said, 'He who showed mercy on him.'  Then Jesus said to him, 'Go and do likewise.' "  This passage shows the love and compassion that Jesus had for all men.  But it also shows that we are to exercise the same....no matter who they are.

Galatians 6:10 puts it this way, "Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith."

And Romans 12:17, "Repay no one evil for evil.  Have regard for good things in the sight of all men.  If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men. Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, 'Vengeance is Mine, I  will repay,' says the Lord. "

As Christians, we are to love everyone, our enemies, those who are in sin, those with whom we disagree,  everyone.

Thanks for reading.  Feel the love.

Sin

Controlling sin is so difficult; such a struggle.  I think it is safe for me to say that we all struggle mightily with it....if we struggle at all.  Some don't fight it all and just go with doing whatever they want.  But to serve God, to try to be a true Christian, is a challenge in our day and in our world.

Sin started with the first people, Adam and Eve.  The serpent, Satan, tempted Eve and ultimately Adam.  They were told by God not to eat of the one tree; and so, what do they end up doing?  Eating of the one tree.  They knew better; they had been carefully instructed better; but they did it anyway.  Thus, sin entered the world.  And now we get to wrestle with it.

Temptation is inevitable.  Jesus faced it for 40 days and nights.  And at the conclusion of that, the devil only relented for a time.  He promised to be back.  And the devil always comes back for us, at our weakest point.  He is real, and he is ever present.

Paul showed his difficulty with sin in his writing to the Romans in chapter 3:  "For what I am doing, I do not understand.  For what I will to do, that I do not practice, but what I hate, that I do.....For the good that I will to do, I do not do;  but the evil I will not to do, that I practice."

And to be sure, we all face the challenge to overcome sin.  In Romans chapter 3, Paul said, "...all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God."   And in 1 John 1:8 it says, "If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us."

But also note the following statement:  "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."  And Romans 3 says this same thought:  "....being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus."

We can be sure that we have all sinned....and we all will sin.  But there is a difference in living in sin, giving into it...and fighting the good fight, and going to God for forgiveness.  We must strive to live right and to please God, even if we know that we will sometimes fail.

Thanks for reading.  Have a great week!

Who will be "Saved?"

I was talking with a person this week who said they had been "saved."  I was happy to hear it, though I wondered what they meant by saying that.  And it caused me to consider what the Bible says about who will be saved.  One thing for sure that I know about the subject: it won't be me who decides whether you will be saved or not; nor you for me. 

We are all familiar with the passage in John 3:  "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life."  Thus, we see that one must believe in Him.  But that raises the question of what does "believe" involve.  He goes on to discuss this subject in more detail in the following verses.  In verse 20, He says, "For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed.  But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God."  Here we see that one not only believes, but he lives in such a way that he does truth and lives in the light.  Evil people love darkness, live in the dark, so that what they are doing may be kept secret from others.

Jesus said in John 14, "If you love Me, keep My commandments."  And in chapter 15, "If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love."  Believing in Jesus means being a follower, doing what He said we should be doing.

And Jesus said, toward the end of Matthew 7, "Therefore by their fruits you will know them."  We must be fruit bearing.  And, "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.  Many will say to Me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?'  And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practise lawlessness!' " 

This is sobering teaching, but it comes directly from the mouth of the Lord; and each of us must pay close attention to what He is saying to us.  And each of us, from our own personal commitment, will decide if we are among the "saved."

Thanks for reading.  You are important.