teachings of jesus
Tuesday, April 29th, 2008
by Justin
Matthew 5:13-20
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.
14″You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. 15Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.
The Fulfillment of the Law
17″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. 18I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. 19Anyone who breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20For 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.
Jesus is still in his intro on the Sermon on the Mount. He just got done telling his disciples that they need to take on these “spiritual qualities.” Kind of similar to the fruits of the spirit. when these spiritual qualities are apart of your life you are living with the kingdom in mind, we need to start focusing on bringing others to the kingdom.
1. You are salt- you make people thirsty for the kingdom. You preserve people so that their decay is slower. *WARNING* DON’T LOSE THE SALTINESS.
2. You are light- you shine in a dark world. You illuminate people’s paths.
LIGHT DRAWS YOU TO SOMETHING. It causes a distraction from the darkness.
v. 16- let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your father in heaven.
What are your good deeds? This is the questions that has haunted me. Because each sect of Christianity has “their” set of good deeds. This is the focus of my study for these 4 weeks. how do my deeds, good or bad, deter from how God deals with me? If my deeds can bring people to God, then my deeds can push people away from God? And if I help push people away from God, what does God think about that? And how does God deal differently with me who is salt and light to this world as opposed to one who is already in darkness?
Jesus goes on to say that He isn’t here to do away with what the law says, but to fulfill it. Not until Jesus comes again will the law be done away with because the law shows us our sinfulness which is to lead us to repentance and a lifestyle and change. That lifestyle change leads us to the kingdom of God.
Sunday, March 23rd, 2008
by Justin
Matthew 5:1-12
The Beatitudes
1Now when he saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, 2and he began to teach them saying:
3″Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4Blessed are those who mourn,
for they will be comforted.
5Blessed are the meek,
for they will inherit the earth.
6Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be filled.
7Blessed are the merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.
8Blessed are the pure in heart,
for they will see God.
9Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called sons of God.
10Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11″Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. 12Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
Jesus begins His Sermon on the Mount here in Matt. 5. Present were his disciples and all these people who had followed him from Galilee. Chapter 4:25 says “large crowds from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea and the region across the Jordan followed him.” So seeing all these people, Jesus went up on a hill and began to teach. Jesus didn’t preach but taught them. This shows Jesus’ humility and patience. Something that I need to have wen working with the middle schoolers and children and Saylorville and Northview. I need to be one who teaches, not just preaches.
But Jesus didn’t just start teaching everyone. He narrowed in on His disciples but He knew that everyone else was listening. Jesus began His teaching with a series of “Blessed are…” phrases. Now its interesting that Jesus starts off this way. I think He is preparing them for a road that isn’t going to be easy. So He assures them that everything is going to be “ok”! They are going to win!
There are 8 “Blessed are…”’s and some believe that they are steps. You move up each step, accomplishing a curtain virtue and then you move to the next. And if you study this passage with that in mind, you could actually believe it. But I have a see these as marks of a Christian. If you are a true follower of Jesus, these marks will be noticed in your life.
- Poor in spirit (humility)
- Morners (compassionate)
- Meek (meek)
- Hunger and thirst for righteousness (seeking for the right thing to be done)
- Merciful (giving those what they do not deserve)
- Pure in heart (habitually no practicing sin…see 1 John 3)
- Peacemakers (not war makers; not fighters over stupid stuff)
- Persecuted (a promise)
Now I do have a tendency to believe if the previous 7 are true, Jesus is saying that #8 is promised. When that happens, when you start going through persecution because of this radical, against the norm style of living, He assures them of that they are going to be persecuted. But He also gives them hope! “Rejoice!” “Be Glad!” v. 12.
Why?
Great is your reward in heaven. And He places these same young boys, these same common people, these same…disciples, followers, learners, in the same category as the prophets of the Old Testament. Can you imagine their faces at this point? Because what happened to most of the prophets of the Old Testament? They DIED! They were KILLED, MURDERED, SLAIN! And Jesus says “Rejoice and be glad!” I bet their world was rocked?
Saturday, March 22nd, 2008
by Justin
Matthew 4:12-25
Jesus Begins to Preach
12When Jesus heard that John had been put in prison, he returned to Galilee. 13Leaving Nazareth, he went and lived in Capernaum, which was by the lake in the area of Zebulun and Naphtali— 14to fulfill what was said through the prophet Isaiah:
15″Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali,
the way to the sea, along the Jordan,
Galilee of the Gentiles—
16the people living in darkness
have seen a great light;
on those living in the land of the shadow of death
a light has dawned.”
17From that time on Jesus began to preach, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.”
The Calling of the First Disciples
18As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. 19″Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will make you fishers of men.” 20At once they left their nets and followed him.
21Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John. They were in a boat with their father Zebedee, preparing their nets. Jesus called them, 22and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.
Jesus Heals the Sick
23Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people. 24News about him spread all over Syria, and people brought to him all who were ill with various diseases, those suffering severe pain, the demon-possessed, those having seizures, and the paralyzed, and he healed them. 25Large crowds from Galilee, the Decapolis,[b] Jerusalem, Judea and the region across the Jordan followed him.
v. 17 “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.”
Repentance or its form or idea has now been used 4 times, including the one, in Matthew 3-4. But this verse gives us a glimpse at what the “good news” (v. 23) is. It is repenting of their sin, turning from that sin, and following Jesus. These principles are laid out here.
v. 12-13 says that Jesus retured to Galilee and in v. 17 says that Jesus was preaching the good news (v. 27) for something since he was living there (v. 13). So how much time had Jesus lived there? I don’t have a clue but long enough to stake out 4 young men. Now since Jesus had been living here and preaching, these 4 men had to have heard what Jesus was preaching about. Verse 24 said that the news had spread all over Syria about Jesus, so these boys had to have heard him. Especially if they so easily had dropped their nets and left the only things that was going to support them. I mean come on. Would you follow just some random stranger and leave everything you had? Also v. 22 says they “immediately left the boat and their father.” I mean Zebedee was in the stinking boat. They had to have looked him in the eyes and said “Adios Padre.” Don’t you think that maybe Zebedee wanted to have a say in this. Don’t you think that Zebedee had other plans for them? Do you see what I am getting at.
- Jesus’ gospel was powerful.
- Jesus’ gospel was specific. Repent and follow me.
- Jesus’ gospel was famous. The whole country had heard about it. They were coming from everywhere.
- Jesus’ gospel changes people.Physically (people were getting healed and cured) and Spiritually (people’s sins were being forgiven.)
Jesus was the man. Everyone one wanted to follow him. But he called out 4 boys. He pointed them out specifically and said “Follow me!” Has Jesus done that for you? Has he looked into your eyes and said “Follow me.” If so, have you, or are still standing there in the water, smelling like a fish with a mossy net in your hands? Or maybe your even further away. Clear out in the boat surrounded by people who have other plans for you. What are you going to do? Are you going to drop your nets or get out of the boat? Hmmm…
Friday, March 21st, 2008
by Justin
Matthew 3:13-4:11 (NIV)
The Baptism of Jesus
13Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John. 14But John tried to deter him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?”
15Jesus replied, “Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.” Then John consented.
16As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting on him. 17And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”
Matthew 4
The Temptation of Jesus
1Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil. 2After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. 3The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.”
4Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’ ”
5Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. 6″If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down. For it is written:
” ‘He will command his angels concerning you,
and they will lift you up in their hands,
so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’ ”
7Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’ ”
8Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. 9″All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.”
10Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’[d]”
11Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him.
Why did Jesus get baptized? And the answer isn’t “So that He would give us an example,” like we use with our kids. John was offering a baptism for repentance. This is the baptism that Jesus then partakes in. So what did Jesus have to repent of? He says in v. 15 “let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill righteousness.” But Jesus is righteousness. How do your fulfill something that already is?
To fulfill righteousness is to put an end to unrighteousness. The people getting baptized were “repenting for the forgiveness of sins.” Luke 3:3 says that John was “preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.” So then Jesus came to fulfill the baptism and would then die for the forgiveness of these sins. The baptism was a symbol of being washed clean from their sins. Something that would need to keep being repeated. Jesus put an end to this baptism by fulfilling it so that repentance would no longer be valid outside of Jesus from this point forward. Believing in Him would change everything.
The temptation of Jesus then is an extra important. John just finished telling everyone that Jesus was the Lamb of God that would take waway the sins of the world. Satan needed to put an end to this fast. Jesus has been in the desert for 40 days and nights and he is hungry and thirsty from fasting, really weak and Satan attacks like a lion stalking a youth, weak water buffalo.
3 times Satan tries to get Jesus to fall.
- 1. Fall in His humanness. v. 4:3
- 2. Fall in His divinity. v. 4:6
- 3. Fall in His spirit. v. 4:9
Satan’s defeat was the beginning of the end of His reign on earth. There’s a new King in the House and He is Jesus!
Tuesday, March 18th, 2008
by Justin
I have begun a study on the teachings of Jesus throughout the gospels. I have recently been challenged through the reading of the book Velvet Elvis by Rob Bell. Rob Bell brings out the fact
that we have been brought up believing what we shouldn’t do as Christians and I was challenged then with what should we do as Christians. How should we act? How should we be different? What does Jesus say about all of this?
These are meant to be musings and not necessarily theological fact. These are my thoughts and ideas that I am gleaning from my time with God and things that He is showing me. Please feel free to add your thoughts and ideas and keep the conversation going.
1In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the Desert of Judea 2and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.” 3This is he who was spoken of through the prophet Isaiah:
“A voice of one calling in the desert,
‘Prepare the way for the Lord,
make straight paths for him.’ ”
4John’s clothes were made of camel’s hair, and he had a leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey. 5People went out to him from Jerusalem and all Judea and the whole region of the Jordan. 6Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River.
7But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to where he was baptizing, he said to them: “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? 8Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. 9And do not think you can say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham. 10The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.
11″I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me will come one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not fit to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. 12His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor, gathering his wheat into the barn and burning up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”
- Matthew 3:1-12
John was teaching a message different from what the Pharisees and Sadducees were teaching; “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near” (v.2) What would I have been thinking as I was near those waters of baptism? “Repent? Repent of what? Why do I need to be baptized? Who is this weird looking dude?”
The Pharisees and Sadducees taught “Conform to the laws and traditions. Do not change the status quo.” John calls them a brood of vipers!” (v.7) Why?
- They weren’t producing fruit of repentance. (v.8)
- They claimed they “were children of Abraham”; pride (v.9)
- They weren’t ready for the Christ who would give them the Holy Spirit. (v.11)
So what’s the point?
- John prepared the way for Jesus by offering repentance and baptism. The sign of being washed clean.
- There is power in repentance. But repentance from what?
- Sin: missing the mark; living unholy (person focused, not God focused)
- Wrong living! Like the Pharisees and Saducees. Jesus was bringing a new way of living.
- Confession of sin was key to what John was preparing everyone for. This isn’t an “I feel bad in my brain” type of confession that is generally associated with guilt. John wanted them to verbally confessing out loud to him, their sins.
-This confessing of sins is apart of repentance. What is is involved in repentance?
2 Cor 7:10-11
10Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death. 11See what this godly sorrow has produced in you: what earnestness, what eagerness to clear yourselves, what indignation, what alarm, what longing, what concern, what readiness to see justice done. At every point you have proved yourselves to be innocent in this matter.
All that to say…
John provided a new way: One of repentance and change. A new way that would change the status quo that would eventually get him killed
Twitter
