Week 16, Day 4: The Lights of the World
Today’s Reading: Matthew 7:1-8:34
Some thoughts from yesterday’s reading…
In Matthew 5:14-16, Matthew records for us the teachings of Jesus as He relates the nature of the believer to the rest of the world. We, as believers, are supposed to be the “light of the world.” Sometimes, we may lose sight of what is meant by that, especially with the application that Jesus Himself makes in verse 16. There, He tells us that we are to let our lights shine before men, so that they might be able to see our good works. What some interpret this to mean is that we are supposed to be boastful about the good works that we do, so that others will make sure and take note of them them. That is simply not the case, and is contrary to other Bible teachings. For example, in Matthew 6:3, Jesus specifically says that when doing charitable deeds, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing. That is, we should not be trying to broadcast our good works in such a way as to try and draw attention to ourselves.
This seems to indicate that there is a fine line between what we are forbidden to do, and what we are expected to do. We should be careful in our actions, for it appears that our very attitude may be the difference in crossing that line. Do we do things so that others may pat us on the back and tell us what a good job we are doing? Or do we do things so that God may be glorified (Matthew 5:16)?
One good example of the proper attitude is found in Tabitha, whose story is told in Acts 9:36-43. When Tabitha died, there were many who came to mourn her, and brought the things that she had made for them. They were able to be a testament to her charity, and her good works. Notice that the passage does not say that she had proclaimed her good works before others. She had performed them before others, and they took notice of them. Tabitha did not have to “toot her own horn” and brag about what she had done. She didn’t have to draw attention to herself. But, those who had been on the receiving end of her good works were more than happy to share their feelings toward her.
This is what we should be like! We don’t have to go about telling everyone what we have done, or are doing. We should do as much as we can for others, and then pray that God is glorified by our actions. We shouldn’t need the accolades of men. We should be willing to do good for others just because we know that is what Jesus wants us to do. If we have to pat ourselves on the back for what we are doing, then we have the wrong attitude!
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Week 16, Day 3: Preaching Like John the Baptizer
Today’s Reading: Matthew 5:1-6:34
Some thoughts from yesterday’s reading…
There seems to be a move in the religious world today, and even among those in the Lord’s church, to soften the preaching of the gospel message. Just recently, I read a blog post in which the author opined that we need to preach more like Jesus. In the context of his writing, he meant that we need to be more loving, and more soft in delivering the message found in scripture. This mentality seems to be the prevailing thought! However, it does not take into consideration the method and manner in which the first century preachers spoke. It seems that we are moving toward (if we have not already reached the point) of training ourselves to want “professional preachers” who will dress according to our pre-determined dress code and speak softly, no matter the subject under consideration, and who will not offend anyone with anything that he says. Let’s compare that to Matthew’s account of John’s preaching in Matthew chapter 3.
First, in Matthew 3:4, Matthew gives us a description of John. Based on that alone, John would not be allowed to enter into the pulpit of most churches. Even by the day’s standards, John was rough looking. How often today do we let the manner of dress deter us from being willing to listen to the message that is delivered? I am not suggesting that we need to try and purposefully offend with our dress, but to set the standard as being a 3 piece suit with tie is purely devised by man. How many churches wouldn’t think of letting the preacher preach if he were to show up without a tie, or a suit jacket? How many would not let John preach? Perhaps we should reconsider our purely superficial standards for what makes one “qualified” to preach!
Secondly, consider the message presented by John. We sometimes walk around on egg shells for fear that we might offend someone with the message of scripture. However, John started his message with a striking thought. In Matthew 3:7, John called his audience a “brood of vipers.” I am sure he meant that in the most loving way! His message was one designed to warn the people of their impending doom if they did not make the changes that God was demanding of them. He told them not to rely upon their Jewish heritage to save them, for God could raise up children of Abraham from the stones. He told them that they could be cut down and thrown into the fire. His message was not one of comfort, or peace to them. He was harsh and very plain spoken. How many of these types of lessons would a church today be willing to hear before deciding that it was “time for a change”?
Unfortunately, there seems to be a movement among churches to want their ears scratched rather than hearing what is needed. And, there are plenty of preachers who are willing to give the churches just what they want. There is a need for all preachers (myself included) to evaluate ourselves and see if we are indeed preaching like the first century preachers preached. Are we willing to say the hard things, the things that are not accepted so easily? Or are we the type of preachers who dress nicely, speak kindly, and never offend? If that is the case, we will make many soft Christians, who are never taught what is necessary to be pleasing to God. People are offended by the gospel message. In fact, far more are offended than are accepting of it. That was the case in the first century, and it is the case today. If we find something different, then we better check our preaching, and see where we have left the first century gospel! We should want to be preachers like John, and Jesus, and Paul and Peter, and Stephen. Yet every one of those men offended their audiences enough to lose their lives. Would our preaching have done the same thing?
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Week 16, Day 2: Unbelievable Bible Stories!
Today’s Reading: Matthew 3:1-4:25
Some thoughts from yesterday’s reading…
Yesterday, we considered the idea of having a love for truth. The basis for loving truth has to come from believing what God has revealed, even when it seems difficult to believe. There are many accounts revealed in the pages of the Bible that test our willingness to accept the “unbelievable.” Are we going to accept the truth, even if it challenges the things that we know to be true about the natural world?
There are many things that are contrary to natural occurrence in the Bible. The story of Jonah and the great fish relates a man swallowed by a great fish, living in its belly for 3 days. The book of Joshua speaks of a day in which the sun did not set when it should, shining in the noon time position for a whole day. Genesis speaks of a flood that covered the whole world. The book of Matthew relates to us the birth of Jesus. Are we going to believe these “unbelievable Bible stories”?
Matthew 1:18-25 tells us that Jesus was born of a virgin, which was exactly what the prophet Isaiah had predicted (Isaiah 7:14). Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit, and He was called the Son of God. Verse 21 tells us that His name was called Jesus (Savior) because he would save His people from their sins.
There are many people who choose not to believe this account of the birth of Christ. It simply cannot be, because virgins don’t have babies! Realize that if you reject this Bible account of Jesus’ birth, you must reject the rest of the account of Jesus’ life. If you reject the account of Jesus’ life, then you must reject His teaching. How can we have any confidence in any of the Bible message? If the Bible is partly not true, then all of it is untrustworthy!
Some accounts in the Bible may be difficult for us to accept. But, God has provided enough evidence for us throughout the rest of the Bible, and through the natural creation, to give us confidence in Him and His revelation. We must truly have a love for truth to be able to come to belief in God, and trust His word. When we come to a belief in who He is, then these accounts are not hard to understand. Why would it be difficult for an all powerful God to cause a man to be swallowed by a great fish? Why would it be difficult for Him to perform miracles? Why would it be difficult for Him to send His son to earth by way of a virgin?
Do you believe the unbelievable Bible stories?
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