It is our ability to choose that sets us apart from the rest of God’s creation. In fact Jesus was so emphatic about maintaining our freedom of choice that He purchased us from the slave market. We might think God’s intention was to bind us with rules and laws but not so. Our forefather Adam forfeited human freedom by selling us into slavery to sin and the devil but Jesus paid to set us free. His purchase was very unique. Even though we are legally owned by Him, He never removed our choice to acknowledge His transaction. He wants us to remain free even if that means choosing another master. Though He wants to be our only master it requires that we serve Him willingly. He will not share us with another master but always maintains our freedom of choice. Unlike other slave owners He will not round us all up, strap us to a boxcar and ship us off to His plantation. He desires all who serve Him to do so by their own choice through a heart of love.
One would think if He paid such a price to make us His own that He would demand our allegiance. But our choice is highly valuable to Him because it is the only factor that separates those who love their master from those who serve out of fear and obligation. God’s love for us does not involve debt or obligation. True love can not be obligated or demanded, it must be freely given. Jesus freely gave His life and now He wants us to freely give ours to Him.
Having said all that, we must understand it is our choice that will determine who we serve and where we will spend eternity. Some suggest God sends people to hell but that is not true. The only way we end up in hell is if we choose to reject God and heaven. Our escape from the slave master of sin and hell is to acknowledge that Jesus Christ so loved us that He took our place in punishment and death that we might go free. All we have to do is accept what He has already accomplished and confess Him as our Master and Savior.
Some may think they are too far gone and could never walk with God. Others say they have tried serving Jesus and it didn’t work out. The good news is Jesus Christ has more grace toward us than we do toward our self. When we fail we often give up trying but Jesus calls us lovingly to His side to empower us to walk in freedom. Life can be like a rut that we have walked in for many years. We may find our self slipping back into that old rut again and again but our loving master is so kind and patient that He is always ready to help the fallen to rise up and go again. Walking with Jesus is a life long love encounter with God. I can not imagine Him giving up on us after paying such an enormous price with His blood.
God has put before us the option to either choose life or death, blessing or cursing. He admonishes us to “choose life that both we and our children might live.” (See Deuteronomy 30:19)
Jesus said, “I have come that you might have life and that more abundantly.”
Choose Him today!!
Friday, May 6, 2011
Thursday, May 5, 2011
Cast Out the Bondwoman and Her Son
Is bondage an issue in the church today?
Are some Christians spiritually like the descendants of Hagar?
If so, how do we recognize it and deal with it?
Paul writing to the Galatians explains how the two sons of Abraham are typical products of two different covenants. Ishmael was born of the slave woman Hagar while Isaac was born of Sarah the free woman. The Old Covenant law, like Hagar, carried a gene so to speak that reproduced bondage and slavery. Sarah as a type of the New Covenant on the other hand was born free. Therefore her offspring carried a spiritual DNA that would reproduce freedom. Those born of Hagar were of the flesh and the earth while the descendants of Abraham through Sarah were the result of a promise from above. (See Galatians 4: 25-26)
Abraham and Sarah resorted to earthly human reasoning to produce a child through the slave woman Hagar. Human reasoning will always conflict with the ways of God. Therefore the descendants of Hagar and Ishmael will reproduce the same conflict against the wisdom and promises of God. The son that God promised Abraham through Sarah required that He make a way where there was no way. She was not only barren but advanced in years well past the age of child bearing. Isaac was called the son of promise because it was not humanly possible for Sarah to give birth.
Paul is amazed that the Galatians would choose slavery in place of freedom in Christ. Paul reminded them slaves do not receive an inheritance. He repeats the words of Sarah recorded in Genesis 21:10 “Cast out this bondwoman and her son for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with my son Isaac.” The Galatians had fallen from grace and had gone back to using the law as their standard for righteousness. In doing so they unwittingly forfeited their inheritance as free children of God through Christ. Interjecting legal requirements into the New Covenant is like expecting human reasoning to fulfill God’s promise, or like trusting in human effort to solve a God sized problem.
When New Covenant believers receive Christ and are born again of the Spirit of God they exchange their former identity as slaves to sin for that of God’s own Son. We become sons of God, joint heirs with Christ and partakers of the divine nature. The Galatians had a problem that still exists today. They turned back from trusting in the work of Christ alone and began to integrate some of their former religious requirements. In effect they tried to pour new wine into old wineskins and burst them. They sewed as it were, new cloth into a worn out garment which made matters worse. The Galatians were trying to mix religious works of old with the finished work of Christ. They were in effect saying Christ had not completed or satisfied God’s requirements for righteousness and his work on the cross was inadequate. Paul was trying his best to wake them up to what they had cut themselves off from. They, like Abraham resorted to human effort and reasoning to bring about a promise only God Himself could fulfill.
So the question I would like to examine is how do we apply these things to our lives in this modern twenty first century? Are Paul’s words here even relevant to us today? Is it possible some believers are living like slaves? Who is the bondwoman and her son today, and how would we cast them out? In the following paragraphs I would like to shed some light on these questions.
Hagar is a type of the Old Covenant law which was given to Moses on Mt Sinai. The law was intended for those who had a slave mentality and nature. Slaves had no land therefore had to work for those who did. As a result they had nothing to pass on to their children except a slave’s heritage.
Paul tells the Corinthian church in chapter 1 that he had begotten them through the Gospel. The Gospel, or the New Covenant is like a mother, and Paul speaks on behalf of Christ. So God is our Father and the Gospel or New Covenant is the mother of all who believe. Sarah is a type of the New Covenant mother which speaks of freedom from legal requirements. The Galatians were being confused by those promoting the Jewish religion and the law as a requirement for salvation and righteousness. Paul explained; if righteousness were the result of observing laws then Christ died in vain. (See Gal. 2:21)
In today’s church world, though we are begotten through the Gospel and are of the free woman, there are many who promote a gospel mixed with the law. We who have been exposed to this mixture of law and grace could be like Ishmael with a slave mentality and void of the understanding of who we really are and the inheritance we have. Imagine if Isaac had been raised by Hagar and led to believe he was her son. He most likely would have developed a slavery mentality without any concept of his true identity. He could have wasted much of his life working as if to earn something that he already had coming to him by birthright.
Imagine a believer today who is born again through the gospel then is raised or trained up under those who instill the rules and regulations of the law as the approved method of being acceptable to enter God’s presence. Many believers have received mixed messages informing them of who they truly are and the great inheritance they have in Christ, but find hurdles placed before them in the form of religious duties. They are tripped up in their attempt to press into their inheritance. Possibly the most common hindrance for believers is their own mentality. We need to retrain our thoughts and recognize the patterns we learned as former slaves to sin. On top of that we have an enemy who comes as an angel of light promoting religious practices that are intended to keep us bound. He doesn’t want us to know our true identity lest we also discover his in the process.
In my own experience I think the latter was most prevalent. I had a slavery mentality like the Israelites coming out of Egypt, and I had a hard time receiving the truth that I was no longer a slave. I had developed a comfort zone based in a slavery mentality and I naturally gravitated to those who nurtured that mentality in me. Looking back from where I am now I see that I can not blame anyone as if they were purposely trying to keep me from all God had, it was just a matter of sowing and reaping. Those who went on before me were doing the best they knew based on what they received.
The signs of a slavery mentality are many but I want to mention just a few. A slave is an outsider, not part of the family so they feel like they do not belong. They want to be included so they strive for acceptance. They are used to doing what they are told and they make few decisions on their own. They may have guilt because of their condition and position. They feel underprivileged and taken advantage of by others. They often develop a perception which causes them to misinterpret the intentions of their leaders. A slave often lives with a sense of shame which makes him susceptible to being motivated by guilt, but yielding to that motivation gives only temporary relief. Slaves have no family connection with their master but are committed to performing required duties.
I would say that casting out the bond woman and her son is compared to ridding ourselves of a slavery mentality and no longer receiving from those who nurture or reproduce that mentality. Flee from anyone who habitually uses guilt or shame as motivation to do something for Christ. A true Shepard will put their own life on the line to protect their sheep from the bondage of slavery. The hireling will sell his sheep into slavery to further propagate their dependence on Him. He is most interested in job security as opposed to true shepherds who will lead his flock into maturity and dependence upon God. Good shepherds will work themselves out of a job and empower others to take his place.
Those who promote rule keeping above relationship are reproducing a slave mentality. Relationship leads to inheritance. We receive from our Father because we are related to Him by birth not just because we work hard to earn it. Isaac had and inheritance unlike Ishmael though they both had the same father. Ishmael was not the son of promise but Isaac was. The promise was given to Abraham and Sarah not to the woman in bondage. We become partakers in the inheritance with Christ as the promised seed of Abraham. There is nothing we can do to earn it or deserve it, it is entirely a gift based on the goodness of God. We receive through believing the promise of God. By faith we enter into His family and become heir of all that He has.
The key or hinging point is what we believe and how we think. Our actions, attitudes, and speech are indicators of what we believe. Do we believe we are of the free woman or do our attitudes and actions reveal us to be more like slaves without an inheritance? Jesus spoke a parable that reveals how He tests His servants and makes a distinction between slaves from owners. In the book of Matthew, He spoke of three servants and their responses to being entrusted with a portion of their master’s wealth. To one servant he gave ten talents, to the second he gave five, and to the third he gave one talent. The amounts varied according to their abilities. The master told them to do business or make investments until he returned. The first two servants went right to work and increased the wealth, but the third hid his in a safe place. When their master returned he asked each to give a report of their stewardship. The first and second both reported they had doubled the money but the third just returned the exact amount that was given him. He explained that he feared loosing it through a bad investment and was also suspicious of his master’s motives. The third servant displayed a slave mentality. He thought His master would take advantage of his efforts without reward, so as it turned out he received exactly what he expected. The master took the one talent from that slave minded servant and gave it to the one with the ten.
Jesus said; “Those who have, shall be given more, and those who have not, even that which they have will be taken away.” The other two servants did what they believed their master would have done and treated the wealth as if it were their own. As a result they actually realized ownership and were promoted. They received their inheritance and were trusted to rule over cities. The one with the slave mentality proved himself to be unworthy of promotion and even lost that which he had.
The first two servants mentioned obviously knew their master well enough to believe he was good. They trusted him to do what was right. The third did not truly know and trust his master. He totally misread his motive and as a result lost out on the inheritance. The test was not for the master to know who to promote but for the servants to understand the basis of receiving an inheritance. Though it appears to be based on performance and works I believe it was to expose true motives. Owners will outwork slaves any day of the week. Slaves don’t see the advantage of doing anything they do not have to do because it will not seemingly benefit them. Servants that think like owners do not measure their service according to legal requirements. Their ownership mentality caused them to treat another’s wealth as if it was their own. Jesus said those who are faithful with that which belongs to another will be given their own. Jesus intends to make owners out of slaves but we must believe those are His true intentions. He is not like many earthly masters but wants to share His Kingdom with His servants. God is our Father and wants His sons and daughters to share the wealth of the family inheritance
Unfaithful servants are also called unprofitable. If a servant does only that which is required of him he is unprofitable. In other words if a servant restricts what he will do for his master to the legal agreement or the law, he is revealed to be a slave not a son with an inheritance. The third servant in the parable restricted what he would do to the legal binding agreement between slave and master. Slaves agreed to work off a debt to their master by committing to a certain amount of work each day. If the master comes up with something extra not in their agreement he doesn’t have to do it. In this case the servant totally misread his master’s intentions. He expected to be taken advantage of not rewarded. His lack of truly knowing his master is the real issue here.
This parable reveals there are some who serve God but see him through the eyes of a slave in bondage. They think He is just like all the other masters and only bought them from the slave market to see how much work he can get out of them. They totally miss that His true intentions are to turn slaves into owners, orphans into sons, and joint heirs with His Son Jesus.
Some have a difficult time with the idea of work in the context of the New Covenant. For sure it is based upon the finished work of Christ and not dependant upon anything we can do to earn our position in the family. We receive everything from God by faith and not by works, but faith without works is dead. To understand the difference between the works of the law and the works of faith we need only look at the motivation. From the outer appearance both types of servants may appear identical. The one who works by the law is attempting to fulfill an obligation and gain his master’s approval through his work. He is mindful of duty and requirements. His goal line is to meet his obligation. But the one who works by faith is doing so to express his gratitude and love for his Master. His focus is not on the finish line or on meeting a certain obligation. The one under the law strives for approval by meeting his obligations while the other is joyfully expressing gratitude because he is already accepted.
The goal of faith is not meeting obligations. As we enter into Christ we join in His work, and co-labor with Him. He has already met all the requirements and obligations of the law. His very nature surpasses obligations. Anyone who is dutifully striving to meet obligations is not yoked to Christ because striving for approval is contrary to His very nature. So duty or requirements are a beginning point for us who have received the divine nature and are yoked with Him. The New Covenant has its beginning where the legal requirement ended. A fulfilled law becomes the foundation for inheritance and ownership. Love is the fulfilling of the law so love is the foundational motivation for the servants of Christ.
Hagar and her son Ishmael were born slaves and unable to inherit the promises of God to Abrahams seed through Sarah. We were also born as slaves and unable to inherit those same promises. But thanks be to God who made a way through His Son Jesus Christ that whoever believes and receives Him as Lord and Savior will be adopted into His family and included in the inheritance.
Again, it all boils down to what we believe. We may know and even confess that we are heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ but if we think and act like slaves we will not realize those blessings in this life. We can not afford to be satisfied with an Old Covenant relationship with God. We are no longer slaves but free. Though we all believe that and can confess it, if our every day attitudes, speech and actions are slave-like we will not realize our full inheritance and purpose in this life.
Is bondage an issue in the church today?
Are some Christians spiritually like the descendants of Hagar?
If so, how do we recognize it and deal with it?
Paul writing to the Galatians explains how the two sons of Abraham are typical products of two different covenants. Ishmael was born of the slave woman Hagar while Isaac was born of Sarah the free woman. The Old Covenant law, like Hagar, carried a gene so to speak that reproduced bondage and slavery. Sarah as a type of the New Covenant on the other hand was born free. Therefore her offspring carried a spiritual DNA that would reproduce freedom. Those born of Hagar were of the flesh and the earth while the descendants of Abraham through Sarah were the result of a promise from above. (See Galatians 4: 25-26)
Abraham and Sarah resorted to earthly human reasoning to produce a child through the slave woman Hagar. Human reasoning will always conflict with the ways of God. Therefore the descendants of Hagar and Ishmael will reproduce the same conflict against the wisdom and promises of God. The son that God promised Abraham through Sarah required that He make a way where there was no way. She was not only barren but advanced in years well past the age of child bearing. Isaac was called the son of promise because it was not humanly possible for Sarah to give birth.
Paul is amazed that the Galatians would choose slavery in place of freedom in Christ. Paul reminded them slaves do not receive an inheritance. He repeats the words of Sarah recorded in Genesis 21:10 “Cast out this bondwoman and her son for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with my son Isaac.” The Galatians had fallen from grace and had gone back to using the law as their standard for righteousness. In doing so they unwittingly forfeited their inheritance as free children of God through Christ. Interjecting legal requirements into the New Covenant is like expecting human reasoning to fulfill God’s promise, or like trusting in human effort to solve a God sized problem.
When New Covenant believers receive Christ and are born again of the Spirit of God they exchange their former identity as slaves to sin for that of God’s own Son. We become sons of God, joint heirs with Christ and partakers of the divine nature. The Galatians had a problem that still exists today. They turned back from trusting in the work of Christ alone and began to integrate some of their former religious requirements. In effect they tried to pour new wine into old wineskins and burst them. They sewed as it were, new cloth into a worn out garment which made matters worse. The Galatians were trying to mix religious works of old with the finished work of Christ. They were in effect saying Christ had not completed or satisfied God’s requirements for righteousness and his work on the cross was inadequate. Paul was trying his best to wake them up to what they had cut themselves off from. They, like Abraham resorted to human effort and reasoning to bring about a promise only God Himself could fulfill.
So the question I would like to examine is how do we apply these things to our lives in this modern twenty first century? Are Paul’s words here even relevant to us today? Is it possible some believers are living like slaves? Who is the bondwoman and her son today, and how would we cast them out? In the following paragraphs I would like to shed some light on these questions.
Hagar is a type of the Old Covenant law which was given to Moses on Mt Sinai. The law was intended for those who had a slave mentality and nature. Slaves had no land therefore had to work for those who did. As a result they had nothing to pass on to their children except a slave’s heritage.
Paul tells the Corinthian church in chapter 1 that he had begotten them through the Gospel. The Gospel, or the New Covenant is like a mother, and Paul speaks on behalf of Christ. So God is our Father and the Gospel or New Covenant is the mother of all who believe. Sarah is a type of the New Covenant mother which speaks of freedom from legal requirements. The Galatians were being confused by those promoting the Jewish religion and the law as a requirement for salvation and righteousness. Paul explained; if righteousness were the result of observing laws then Christ died in vain. (See Gal. 2:21)
In today’s church world, though we are begotten through the Gospel and are of the free woman, there are many who promote a gospel mixed with the law. We who have been exposed to this mixture of law and grace could be like Ishmael with a slave mentality and void of the understanding of who we really are and the inheritance we have. Imagine if Isaac had been raised by Hagar and led to believe he was her son. He most likely would have developed a slavery mentality without any concept of his true identity. He could have wasted much of his life working as if to earn something that he already had coming to him by birthright.
Imagine a believer today who is born again through the gospel then is raised or trained up under those who instill the rules and regulations of the law as the approved method of being acceptable to enter God’s presence. Many believers have received mixed messages informing them of who they truly are and the great inheritance they have in Christ, but find hurdles placed before them in the form of religious duties. They are tripped up in their attempt to press into their inheritance. Possibly the most common hindrance for believers is their own mentality. We need to retrain our thoughts and recognize the patterns we learned as former slaves to sin. On top of that we have an enemy who comes as an angel of light promoting religious practices that are intended to keep us bound. He doesn’t want us to know our true identity lest we also discover his in the process.
In my own experience I think the latter was most prevalent. I had a slavery mentality like the Israelites coming out of Egypt, and I had a hard time receiving the truth that I was no longer a slave. I had developed a comfort zone based in a slavery mentality and I naturally gravitated to those who nurtured that mentality in me. Looking back from where I am now I see that I can not blame anyone as if they were purposely trying to keep me from all God had, it was just a matter of sowing and reaping. Those who went on before me were doing the best they knew based on what they received.
The signs of a slavery mentality are many but I want to mention just a few. A slave is an outsider, not part of the family so they feel like they do not belong. They want to be included so they strive for acceptance. They are used to doing what they are told and they make few decisions on their own. They may have guilt because of their condition and position. They feel underprivileged and taken advantage of by others. They often develop a perception which causes them to misinterpret the intentions of their leaders. A slave often lives with a sense of shame which makes him susceptible to being motivated by guilt, but yielding to that motivation gives only temporary relief. Slaves have no family connection with their master but are committed to performing required duties.
I would say that casting out the bond woman and her son is compared to ridding ourselves of a slavery mentality and no longer receiving from those who nurture or reproduce that mentality. Flee from anyone who habitually uses guilt or shame as motivation to do something for Christ. A true Shepard will put their own life on the line to protect their sheep from the bondage of slavery. The hireling will sell his sheep into slavery to further propagate their dependence on Him. He is most interested in job security as opposed to true shepherds who will lead his flock into maturity and dependence upon God. Good shepherds will work themselves out of a job and empower others to take his place.
Those who promote rule keeping above relationship are reproducing a slave mentality. Relationship leads to inheritance. We receive from our Father because we are related to Him by birth not just because we work hard to earn it. Isaac had and inheritance unlike Ishmael though they both had the same father. Ishmael was not the son of promise but Isaac was. The promise was given to Abraham and Sarah not to the woman in bondage. We become partakers in the inheritance with Christ as the promised seed of Abraham. There is nothing we can do to earn it or deserve it, it is entirely a gift based on the goodness of God. We receive through believing the promise of God. By faith we enter into His family and become heir of all that He has.
The key or hinging point is what we believe and how we think. Our actions, attitudes, and speech are indicators of what we believe. Do we believe we are of the free woman or do our attitudes and actions reveal us to be more like slaves without an inheritance? Jesus spoke a parable that reveals how He tests His servants and makes a distinction between slaves from owners. In the book of Matthew, He spoke of three servants and their responses to being entrusted with a portion of their master’s wealth. To one servant he gave ten talents, to the second he gave five, and to the third he gave one talent. The amounts varied according to their abilities. The master told them to do business or make investments until he returned. The first two servants went right to work and increased the wealth, but the third hid his in a safe place. When their master returned he asked each to give a report of their stewardship. The first and second both reported they had doubled the money but the third just returned the exact amount that was given him. He explained that he feared loosing it through a bad investment and was also suspicious of his master’s motives. The third servant displayed a slave mentality. He thought His master would take advantage of his efforts without reward, so as it turned out he received exactly what he expected. The master took the one talent from that slave minded servant and gave it to the one with the ten.
Jesus said; “Those who have, shall be given more, and those who have not, even that which they have will be taken away.” The other two servants did what they believed their master would have done and treated the wealth as if it were their own. As a result they actually realized ownership and were promoted. They received their inheritance and were trusted to rule over cities. The one with the slave mentality proved himself to be unworthy of promotion and even lost that which he had.
The first two servants mentioned obviously knew their master well enough to believe he was good. They trusted him to do what was right. The third did not truly know and trust his master. He totally misread his motive and as a result lost out on the inheritance. The test was not for the master to know who to promote but for the servants to understand the basis of receiving an inheritance. Though it appears to be based on performance and works I believe it was to expose true motives. Owners will outwork slaves any day of the week. Slaves don’t see the advantage of doing anything they do not have to do because it will not seemingly benefit them. Servants that think like owners do not measure their service according to legal requirements. Their ownership mentality caused them to treat another’s wealth as if it was their own. Jesus said those who are faithful with that which belongs to another will be given their own. Jesus intends to make owners out of slaves but we must believe those are His true intentions. He is not like many earthly masters but wants to share His Kingdom with His servants. God is our Father and wants His sons and daughters to share the wealth of the family inheritance
Unfaithful servants are also called unprofitable. If a servant does only that which is required of him he is unprofitable. In other words if a servant restricts what he will do for his master to the legal agreement or the law, he is revealed to be a slave not a son with an inheritance. The third servant in the parable restricted what he would do to the legal binding agreement between slave and master. Slaves agreed to work off a debt to their master by committing to a certain amount of work each day. If the master comes up with something extra not in their agreement he doesn’t have to do it. In this case the servant totally misread his master’s intentions. He expected to be taken advantage of not rewarded. His lack of truly knowing his master is the real issue here.
This parable reveals there are some who serve God but see him through the eyes of a slave in bondage. They think He is just like all the other masters and only bought them from the slave market to see how much work he can get out of them. They totally miss that His true intentions are to turn slaves into owners, orphans into sons, and joint heirs with His Son Jesus.
Some have a difficult time with the idea of work in the context of the New Covenant. For sure it is based upon the finished work of Christ and not dependant upon anything we can do to earn our position in the family. We receive everything from God by faith and not by works, but faith without works is dead. To understand the difference between the works of the law and the works of faith we need only look at the motivation. From the outer appearance both types of servants may appear identical. The one who works by the law is attempting to fulfill an obligation and gain his master’s approval through his work. He is mindful of duty and requirements. His goal line is to meet his obligation. But the one who works by faith is doing so to express his gratitude and love for his Master. His focus is not on the finish line or on meeting a certain obligation. The one under the law strives for approval by meeting his obligations while the other is joyfully expressing gratitude because he is already accepted.
The goal of faith is not meeting obligations. As we enter into Christ we join in His work, and co-labor with Him. He has already met all the requirements and obligations of the law. His very nature surpasses obligations. Anyone who is dutifully striving to meet obligations is not yoked to Christ because striving for approval is contrary to His very nature. So duty or requirements are a beginning point for us who have received the divine nature and are yoked with Him. The New Covenant has its beginning where the legal requirement ended. A fulfilled law becomes the foundation for inheritance and ownership. Love is the fulfilling of the law so love is the foundational motivation for the servants of Christ.
Hagar and her son Ishmael were born slaves and unable to inherit the promises of God to Abrahams seed through Sarah. We were also born as slaves and unable to inherit those same promises. But thanks be to God who made a way through His Son Jesus Christ that whoever believes and receives Him as Lord and Savior will be adopted into His family and included in the inheritance.
Again, it all boils down to what we believe. We may know and even confess that we are heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ but if we think and act like slaves we will not realize those blessings in this life. We can not afford to be satisfied with an Old Covenant relationship with God. We are no longer slaves but free. Though we all believe that and can confess it, if our every day attitudes, speech and actions are slave-like we will not realize our full inheritance and purpose in this life.
Friday, March 25, 2011
Understanding Jesus
Jesus spoke to the multitudes using parables, but explained things in detail to His closest followers. In Mark 4:13 after He had spoken the parable of the sower, He asked them, “Do you not know this parable? How then will you know all parables?” The comment I want to focus on is Jesus’ indication that a proper interpretation of the parable of the sower somehow would open the understanding to the rest of His teachings.
I set out to find some hidden message in that parable looking for the key that unlocked the rest of the parables. After much digging I realized it really was not hidden at all, it was the most obvious lesson in the parable. Having good soil in the heart is necessary to properly receive and understand His words. But just knowing the importance of having good soil does not unlocked anything. It is actually having the good soil that makes the difference. Until I get rid of the thistles and thorns, remove the rocks and plow up the ground that has been trodden down by the treadmill of life, I will not be able to bring the seed of His word to fruitfulness in my life. Hearing and agreeing with His word and even receiving it with joy is not enough. It must reproduce Christ in me because He being formed in me is my hope of glory. The seed of God’s word is intended to produce fruit not just to be consumed by itching ears. I can not be a good hearer only, I must become a fruitful doer of the word.
I understand that most of our hearts have some good soil along with all the other conditions mentioned. That indicates parts of our hearts may be overtaken with other things than the purposes of God. Thorns and thistles refer to the cares of life choking out the growth that should come from receiving the word. The seed that falls by the wayside refers to a trodden down path where the seed is stolen away by the wicked one due to lack of understanding. Stony ground does not produce fruit because of persecution or offence that arises because of the word. We should not be satisfied to have 25% good soil but recognize these conditions and deal with them.
So the bottom line is, the true understanding of Jesus’ teaching requires a change of heart condition. In Mark 8:17-18 Jesus Asked His disciples why they did not understand what He was talking about. He asked if their ears were dull of hearing and if their hearts were still hardened. It was evident that they could not understand Him because of a heart condition. Understanding God and His word depends more upon the condition of the heart than having good disciplines or habits. So when Jesus said knowing the meaning of the parable of the sower is a prerequisite to knowing all parables, that means we must not only be able to explain it but to actually experience it in our own life. Just knowing about something is much different than actually experiencing it personally.
Let us take a quick look at these four soil conditions mentioned and do a self exam. What actually would cause soil to be compacted like a frequently used pathway? It could refer to a hardness of heart caused by the deceitfulness of sin. (See Hebrews 3:13) Sin is very deceitful because it presents itself as the solution to human desire but in reality is a counterfeit. Our heart can become increasingly hardened if we refuse to turn from sin after we have been convinced of the truth.
Ground that has been overtaken with weeds and other unproductive growth may actually be good soil but filled with the wrong crop. Unattended soil is like a garden that has not been cared for. Seeds that are carried about by the wind are allowed to take root and grow in it. Proverbs 4:23 says “Keep your heart with all diligence for out of it flows the issues of life”. Imagine our heart to be like a plot of ground that was given to us by God to steward or care for. Like the garden that was entrusted to Adam and Eve we are to prevent ungodly seeds from drifting in and taking root.
Jesus said we are not defiled by what goes into our mouth but by what comes out of it. From the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. So what comes from our mouth reveals what is growing in our hearts.
Ground that is rocky describes a heart that is offended by opposition or ridicule. Sometimes we can carry an offence due to former wounds and hurts. It becomes a huge stone in our heart that prevents the seed of God’s word from taking root. The Pharisees and religious people of Jesus day were repeatedly offended and stumbled at the words of Jesus. They were likely offended because they were the religious authority of that day yet Jesus exposed their hypocrisy. They used a religious facade to hide their true heart condition but it (the facade) only increased the blindness that prevented them from seeing, hearing and understanding the truth of Jesus.
Good soil in the heart is maintained by forgiving others their trespasses and guarding against further offence. It is remaining humble and transparent not allowing the seeds that blow in the wind to take root and not be tossed to and fro in our belief structure by the changing winds of man’s doctrines. Good soil is not overgrown with thorns and thistles, the cares of this natural life. It is reserved for the seed of God’s word. It will produce and increase in Kingdom proportions.
I set out to find some hidden message in that parable looking for the key that unlocked the rest of the parables. After much digging I realized it really was not hidden at all, it was the most obvious lesson in the parable. Having good soil in the heart is necessary to properly receive and understand His words. But just knowing the importance of having good soil does not unlocked anything. It is actually having the good soil that makes the difference. Until I get rid of the thistles and thorns, remove the rocks and plow up the ground that has been trodden down by the treadmill of life, I will not be able to bring the seed of His word to fruitfulness in my life. Hearing and agreeing with His word and even receiving it with joy is not enough. It must reproduce Christ in me because He being formed in me is my hope of glory. The seed of God’s word is intended to produce fruit not just to be consumed by itching ears. I can not be a good hearer only, I must become a fruitful doer of the word.
I understand that most of our hearts have some good soil along with all the other conditions mentioned. That indicates parts of our hearts may be overtaken with other things than the purposes of God. Thorns and thistles refer to the cares of life choking out the growth that should come from receiving the word. The seed that falls by the wayside refers to a trodden down path where the seed is stolen away by the wicked one due to lack of understanding. Stony ground does not produce fruit because of persecution or offence that arises because of the word. We should not be satisfied to have 25% good soil but recognize these conditions and deal with them.
So the bottom line is, the true understanding of Jesus’ teaching requires a change of heart condition. In Mark 8:17-18 Jesus Asked His disciples why they did not understand what He was talking about. He asked if their ears were dull of hearing and if their hearts were still hardened. It was evident that they could not understand Him because of a heart condition. Understanding God and His word depends more upon the condition of the heart than having good disciplines or habits. So when Jesus said knowing the meaning of the parable of the sower is a prerequisite to knowing all parables, that means we must not only be able to explain it but to actually experience it in our own life. Just knowing about something is much different than actually experiencing it personally.
Let us take a quick look at these four soil conditions mentioned and do a self exam. What actually would cause soil to be compacted like a frequently used pathway? It could refer to a hardness of heart caused by the deceitfulness of sin. (See Hebrews 3:13) Sin is very deceitful because it presents itself as the solution to human desire but in reality is a counterfeit. Our heart can become increasingly hardened if we refuse to turn from sin after we have been convinced of the truth.
Ground that has been overtaken with weeds and other unproductive growth may actually be good soil but filled with the wrong crop. Unattended soil is like a garden that has not been cared for. Seeds that are carried about by the wind are allowed to take root and grow in it. Proverbs 4:23 says “Keep your heart with all diligence for out of it flows the issues of life”. Imagine our heart to be like a plot of ground that was given to us by God to steward or care for. Like the garden that was entrusted to Adam and Eve we are to prevent ungodly seeds from drifting in and taking root.
Jesus said we are not defiled by what goes into our mouth but by what comes out of it. From the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. So what comes from our mouth reveals what is growing in our hearts.
Ground that is rocky describes a heart that is offended by opposition or ridicule. Sometimes we can carry an offence due to former wounds and hurts. It becomes a huge stone in our heart that prevents the seed of God’s word from taking root. The Pharisees and religious people of Jesus day were repeatedly offended and stumbled at the words of Jesus. They were likely offended because they were the religious authority of that day yet Jesus exposed their hypocrisy. They used a religious facade to hide their true heart condition but it (the facade) only increased the blindness that prevented them from seeing, hearing and understanding the truth of Jesus.
Good soil in the heart is maintained by forgiving others their trespasses and guarding against further offence. It is remaining humble and transparent not allowing the seeds that blow in the wind to take root and not be tossed to and fro in our belief structure by the changing winds of man’s doctrines. Good soil is not overgrown with thorns and thistles, the cares of this natural life. It is reserved for the seed of God’s word. It will produce and increase in Kingdom proportions.
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
The Spirit and the Word
John 6:63
63 It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life. NKJV
In John 6, Jesus had gathered quite a large following, but many only followed because He miraculously fed them by multiplying the loaves and fishes. He told them not to labor for food that perishes but for the food that endures to everlasting life. Then Jesus spoke of His body as bread and His blood as drink. He was speaking of a spiritual food that the flesh would not profit from but was for their eternal souls.
John 6:53-55
53 Then Jesus said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you. 54 Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. 55 For My flesh is food indeed, and My blood is drink indeed. NKJV
Jesus is the living word. The Word was made flesh and dwelled among us and we beheld His glory. He is the bread that came down from heaven. He is spiritual food for our souls. Man is different than every other living creature in that we need not only a steady supply of oxygen to live but God-breathed words for our soul. We need not only the vital signs of natural life but the very breath and heartbeat of God within our breast.
Matt 4:4
4 But He answered and said, "It is written, 'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.'" NKJV
Physical life is sustained by natural food from the earth but the spiritual life of mankind must be sustained by the words that proceed out of the mouth of God, or God-breathed words.
1 Corinthians 15:45
45 And so it is written, "The first man Adam became a living being." The last Adam became a life-giving spirit. NKJV
God created everything by the word of His mouth. He spoke into being all things, both visible and invisible. There is just one exception to that pattern and that is His creation of man. He formed man from earth’s soil, breathed life into his nostrils and he became a living soul. See Gen. 2:7
It stands to reason that, if the breath of God was needed to give life to man in the beginning, we surely need God’s breath to continue in us.
2 Tim 3:16-17
16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17 so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. NIV
The context of these verses, in 2 Timothy, speaks of the manner in which men wrote the scripture through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. It is not automatic that every time scripture is quoted that it will give life to the hearer. Even the devil quotes scripture for the purpose of mocking, condemning or misleading someone. The letter of the law alone is dead but the Spirit gives life to God’s word.
Evangelism involves speaking God-breathed words that give life to the hearer. Just as the breath of God gave man life at creation, His breath is required in the process of becoming a new creation. Jesus, speaking to Nicodemus, explained the process of being born again.
John 3:7-8
7 Do not marvel that I said to you, 'You must be born again.' 8 The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit." NKJV
Just as the wind comes and goes at its own will, and we hear the sound of it, so is the process of being born again of the Spirit. The God-breathed word comes, at His will, to give life to those who hear the sound and agree with it. Then those who are born again will be led by the Spirit in the same way, going here, or there, speaking God-breathed words to others.
It was Adam’s choice to partake of the tree of knowledge of good and evil that brought spiritual death through separation from God. Adam and Eve were banished from the garden so they would not eat of the tree of life and live forever in their sin. Sin has now been punished and its power destroyed by Jesus on the cross. The way has been opened for us to come to the tree of life again. We can come to Jesus and partake of Him: He is the bread of life and the living water that we need.
Though we were not given the choice to be born into this world, God does give us the choice to be born again of the Spirit. We can now choose to forsake sin, eat from the tree of life and live forever in God’s eternal Kingdom.
63 It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life. NKJV
In John 6, Jesus had gathered quite a large following, but many only followed because He miraculously fed them by multiplying the loaves and fishes. He told them not to labor for food that perishes but for the food that endures to everlasting life. Then Jesus spoke of His body as bread and His blood as drink. He was speaking of a spiritual food that the flesh would not profit from but was for their eternal souls.
John 6:53-55
53 Then Jesus said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you. 54 Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. 55 For My flesh is food indeed, and My blood is drink indeed. NKJV
Jesus is the living word. The Word was made flesh and dwelled among us and we beheld His glory. He is the bread that came down from heaven. He is spiritual food for our souls. Man is different than every other living creature in that we need not only a steady supply of oxygen to live but God-breathed words for our soul. We need not only the vital signs of natural life but the very breath and heartbeat of God within our breast.
Matt 4:4
4 But He answered and said, "It is written, 'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.'" NKJV
Physical life is sustained by natural food from the earth but the spiritual life of mankind must be sustained by the words that proceed out of the mouth of God, or God-breathed words.
1 Corinthians 15:45
45 And so it is written, "The first man Adam became a living being." The last Adam became a life-giving spirit. NKJV
God created everything by the word of His mouth. He spoke into being all things, both visible and invisible. There is just one exception to that pattern and that is His creation of man. He formed man from earth’s soil, breathed life into his nostrils and he became a living soul. See Gen. 2:7
It stands to reason that, if the breath of God was needed to give life to man in the beginning, we surely need God’s breath to continue in us.
2 Tim 3:16-17
16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17 so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. NIV
The context of these verses, in 2 Timothy, speaks of the manner in which men wrote the scripture through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. It is not automatic that every time scripture is quoted that it will give life to the hearer. Even the devil quotes scripture for the purpose of mocking, condemning or misleading someone. The letter of the law alone is dead but the Spirit gives life to God’s word.
Evangelism involves speaking God-breathed words that give life to the hearer. Just as the breath of God gave man life at creation, His breath is required in the process of becoming a new creation. Jesus, speaking to Nicodemus, explained the process of being born again.
John 3:7-8
7 Do not marvel that I said to you, 'You must be born again.' 8 The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit." NKJV
Just as the wind comes and goes at its own will, and we hear the sound of it, so is the process of being born again of the Spirit. The God-breathed word comes, at His will, to give life to those who hear the sound and agree with it. Then those who are born again will be led by the Spirit in the same way, going here, or there, speaking God-breathed words to others.
It was Adam’s choice to partake of the tree of knowledge of good and evil that brought spiritual death through separation from God. Adam and Eve were banished from the garden so they would not eat of the tree of life and live forever in their sin. Sin has now been punished and its power destroyed by Jesus on the cross. The way has been opened for us to come to the tree of life again. We can come to Jesus and partake of Him: He is the bread of life and the living water that we need.
Though we were not given the choice to be born into this world, God does give us the choice to be born again of the Spirit. We can now choose to forsake sin, eat from the tree of life and live forever in God’s eternal Kingdom.
Monday, September 20, 2010
The Kingdom of God
The Kingdom of God is described in the following verse not only by what it is, but by what it is not. Romans 14:17 for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. NKJV
The context of Roman 14 is that some were eating foods that were formerly unclean but have been made pure through the work of Christ. Some believers were weak in the faith and had not yet come to that understanding. Paul’s instructions were not to offend the weak or unlearned brother over an issue that is of no eternal consequence. Old Covenant believers were defiled by many things such as touching a leper or eating the flesh of unclean animals. But New Covenant believers have power to sanctify and cleanse food, (see 1Timothy 4) and, touch and cleanse the leper as ministers of Christ. (See Matt. 10:8) Jesus said, in Matthew 15:11, that it is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a man but what comes out of it. Some had found fault with Jesus and His disciples for eating with unwashed hands. Jesus wanted them to understand that men were defiled by the attitudes of their hearts, and what proceeded from their mouths, rather than by what went into the mouth.
The truth must always be spoken or conveyed in love. Love would rather go without than cause a weaker brother to be offended over food. The Kingdom of God is manifested through a heart of love toward God and our fellow man, not a list of rules we keep. The Kingdom of God is righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.
The Scribes and the Pharisees did not manifest the Kingdom; in fact, Jesus rebuked them, saying: “But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut up the kingdom of heaven against men; for you neither go in yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in.” (See Matt. 23:13) The scribes and Pharisees were very appearance oriented. They liked to sit in places of prominence, to greet people in the market place and be called Rabbi (Teacher). Their garments had wide hems, or borders, with scripture text written on them, so that they would appear as God’s authorities. They used the commandments of God and the Law of Moses for an opportunity to lord it over the people. Jesus said that these Pharisees did not enter the Kingdom and even prevented others who desired to enter. The Kingdom is not a show of power and authority directly over flesh and blood but over the spiritual forces of darkness, which will indirectly affect human behavior. The spiritual leaders of that day had fallen under the influence of darkness while supposing that they were leading people into the light. Jesus called them blind leaders of the blind.
The Kingdom is Righteousness
Jesus told His followers that, unless their righteousness exceeded that of the scribes and Pharisees, they would not enter the Kingdom of God. (See Matthew 5:20) The righteousness of the Pharisees was only external and of human effort, not compatible with a Kingdom that ruled from within the heart. Jesus exposed the hypocrisy of the religious Pharisees many times yet they repented not, but rather sought to destroy Him. True righteousness draws opposition from those whose righteousness is of human effort. From the beginning, we find that Cain became angry and killed his brother Abel because God was not pleased with his offering. Cain offered fruit from cursed ground that required toil and the sweat of the brow to produce. His offering was typical of human effort or self righteousness which is to God as filthy rags. Abel’s offering was typical of the sacrifice of Christ, the innocent blood of the lamb. The same spirit that drove Cain to kill his brother also drove the religious people of Jesus’ day to destroy Him. The same spirit is alive and at work today, stirring up opposition against the righteous.
In this present age, His Kingdom is revealed by power over demon spirits that hold people in bondage. Jesus said: “If I cast out devils by the finger of God it is because the Kingdom of God has come upon you.” (See Luke 11:20) We read in Luke 17:20: Now when He was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, He answered them and said, "The kingdom of God does not come with observation ; 21 nor will they say, 'See here!' or 'See there!' For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you." NKJV
Kingdom righteousness is a matter of the heart. It is firstly a position of right standing with God; secondly, it produces good works and obedience to God’s laws from the heart. True righteousness is not flaunted before men as if it were a merit badge or a rank of authority over our fellow man. True righteousness would rather go hungry than to offend a weaker brother with food or drink.
Kingdom Righteousness is also by faith. The Pharisees counted themselves righteous by their ability to avoid the physical acts of sin--- that is known as righteousness by the works of the law. Righteousness by faith is not attained by anything we could do or any sin we could avoid, but by believing on and trusting in the cleansing work of Christ on the cross. When we believe His word and receive His gift of righteousness then we are declared righteous before all heaven and earth. The spiritual powers of darkness know that we are righteous because we have been translated from under their dark power into the Kingdom of God’s dear Son. (See Colossians 1:13) The Pharisees remained under the influence of darkness because they trusted in human effort and wisdom to do God’s will. If that be possible then Jesus Christ died in vain.
The Kingdom is Peace
Jesus is the prince of peace and He is King. Paul says in Colossians 3:15a “Let the peace of God rule in your hearts”.
The peace of the Kingdom is not of this world and cannot be measured by earthly standards. The world is only at peace when there is no conflict. The world I see is experiencing constant conflict in varying degrees. Most of us are not ducking bullets or experiencing a literal war, but some are. The streets of many American cities have become a war zone. A more common conflict may be with a coworker or a family member over trivial issues. Some may wonder how we could ever experience peace in the midst of all that is going on.
The peace of God’s Kingdom is also something that is hidden in the heart. It is not quenched or snuffed out by what goes on in the natural world. When Jesus was sleeping in the boat during the storm, his disciples frantically woke Him up because they thought He didn’t care if they all drowned. Jesus spoke peace to the wind, and the waves became still because peace was his weapon. While his disciples were overcome with fear Jesus remained at rest.
In Acts 27, Paul was aboard a ship as a prisoner. When they were overtaken by a storm at sea, he was able to take control of a frantic situation because he was walking in Kingdom peace. He did not rebuke the wind like Jesus, but a supernatural ability to speak with authority caused frantic men to obey him. That is amazing; usually, in that kind of situation, it is every man for himself. We must remember that Paul was a prisoner on board that ship and had no earthly authority over anyone there, but Kingdom authority will attract our attention especially if we are on the brink of disaster. It is undeniable that Paul’s peace and composure was a product of God’s Kingdom.
Some said of Jesus: “this man speaks with authority and not as the scribes” (See Matt. 7:29). The scribes were able to teach the scripture but their words lacked the ability to move men to obedience. In 1 Corinthians 4:20, Paul says that the Kingdom of God is not just words but power. Paul received the obedience of men aboard a ship in which he had no natural authority because he was operating in the authority of God’s peace.
The Kingdom is Joy
Joy is a result of righteousness and peace. When we receive His righteousness by faith, we also experience peace, knowing we are no longer at odds with God our creator. From God’s perspective, the work of Christ for our salvation was completed from the very foundation of the earth (See Hebrews 4), but we are still an enemy of God in our own mind (See Colossians 1:21) until we receive and appropriate His gift of righteousness and enter His Kingdom. We have Joy because our sins have been washed away, never to be remembered again, knowing that God is for us not against us.
The scripture also says that the joy of the Lord is our strength. Our enemy has no weapon that can match peace or joy so his strategy is to cause us to lose them or to respond in fear. We must walk in faith to walk in Kingdom peace and joy, so fear is our enemy’s only effective weapon. Fear attempts to shock us into its control. It is the shock factor that can cause us to respond without peace or joy. Fear never forewarns us of its arrival. The purpose of the shock treatment is to get us to use our natural reasoning and carnal weapons, rather than the mind of Christ and the whole armor of God. But the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, or natural, but they are mighty through God to the pulling down of, or making extinct, enemy strongholds. (See 2 Corinthians 10:4)
Joy and peace are produced by the Spirit. When we walk in harmony with the Spirit of God we will sow to the Spirit and will reap life of the Spirit. Like peace, joy is not dependant upon having the right conditions in the natural. Usually pressure situations cause whatever is on the inside of us to come out. If we were thrown in jail for doing good, it might cause anger or revenge to rise up within us, but when Paul and Silas were thrown in prison they began to rejoice and sing songs of praise to God. (See Acts 16:25) Their joy activated the hidden power of God’s Kingdom. The earth shook and all the prison doors were opened. I often wondered why all the prisoners’ shackles fell off and not just those on Paul and Silas. Apparently none of them escaped, including Paul and Silas. The whole incident appears to have happened to bring salvation to the jailor and his household. Joy and praise release the power of God’s Kingdom to set prisoners free. The jailor was not bound by physical chains but he was set free from the bondage of sin.
I am reminded of a chorus we used to sing. “Joy is the flag that is flown from the castle of my heart when the King is in residence there”. Shackles falling off prisoners and cell doors opening are signs, in the natural, that King Jesus is present to set captives free.
The context of Roman 14 is that some were eating foods that were formerly unclean but have been made pure through the work of Christ. Some believers were weak in the faith and had not yet come to that understanding. Paul’s instructions were not to offend the weak or unlearned brother over an issue that is of no eternal consequence. Old Covenant believers were defiled by many things such as touching a leper or eating the flesh of unclean animals. But New Covenant believers have power to sanctify and cleanse food, (see 1Timothy 4) and, touch and cleanse the leper as ministers of Christ. (See Matt. 10:8) Jesus said, in Matthew 15:11, that it is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a man but what comes out of it. Some had found fault with Jesus and His disciples for eating with unwashed hands. Jesus wanted them to understand that men were defiled by the attitudes of their hearts, and what proceeded from their mouths, rather than by what went into the mouth.
The truth must always be spoken or conveyed in love. Love would rather go without than cause a weaker brother to be offended over food. The Kingdom of God is manifested through a heart of love toward God and our fellow man, not a list of rules we keep. The Kingdom of God is righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.
The Scribes and the Pharisees did not manifest the Kingdom; in fact, Jesus rebuked them, saying: “But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut up the kingdom of heaven against men; for you neither go in yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in.” (See Matt. 23:13) The scribes and Pharisees were very appearance oriented. They liked to sit in places of prominence, to greet people in the market place and be called Rabbi (Teacher). Their garments had wide hems, or borders, with scripture text written on them, so that they would appear as God’s authorities. They used the commandments of God and the Law of Moses for an opportunity to lord it over the people. Jesus said that these Pharisees did not enter the Kingdom and even prevented others who desired to enter. The Kingdom is not a show of power and authority directly over flesh and blood but over the spiritual forces of darkness, which will indirectly affect human behavior. The spiritual leaders of that day had fallen under the influence of darkness while supposing that they were leading people into the light. Jesus called them blind leaders of the blind.
The Kingdom is Righteousness
Jesus told His followers that, unless their righteousness exceeded that of the scribes and Pharisees, they would not enter the Kingdom of God. (See Matthew 5:20) The righteousness of the Pharisees was only external and of human effort, not compatible with a Kingdom that ruled from within the heart. Jesus exposed the hypocrisy of the religious Pharisees many times yet they repented not, but rather sought to destroy Him. True righteousness draws opposition from those whose righteousness is of human effort. From the beginning, we find that Cain became angry and killed his brother Abel because God was not pleased with his offering. Cain offered fruit from cursed ground that required toil and the sweat of the brow to produce. His offering was typical of human effort or self righteousness which is to God as filthy rags. Abel’s offering was typical of the sacrifice of Christ, the innocent blood of the lamb. The same spirit that drove Cain to kill his brother also drove the religious people of Jesus’ day to destroy Him. The same spirit is alive and at work today, stirring up opposition against the righteous.
In this present age, His Kingdom is revealed by power over demon spirits that hold people in bondage. Jesus said: “If I cast out devils by the finger of God it is because the Kingdom of God has come upon you.” (See Luke 11:20) We read in Luke 17:20: Now when He was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, He answered them and said, "The kingdom of God does not come with observation ; 21 nor will they say, 'See here!' or 'See there!' For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you." NKJV
Kingdom righteousness is a matter of the heart. It is firstly a position of right standing with God; secondly, it produces good works and obedience to God’s laws from the heart. True righteousness is not flaunted before men as if it were a merit badge or a rank of authority over our fellow man. True righteousness would rather go hungry than to offend a weaker brother with food or drink.
Kingdom Righteousness is also by faith. The Pharisees counted themselves righteous by their ability to avoid the physical acts of sin--- that is known as righteousness by the works of the law. Righteousness by faith is not attained by anything we could do or any sin we could avoid, but by believing on and trusting in the cleansing work of Christ on the cross. When we believe His word and receive His gift of righteousness then we are declared righteous before all heaven and earth. The spiritual powers of darkness know that we are righteous because we have been translated from under their dark power into the Kingdom of God’s dear Son. (See Colossians 1:13) The Pharisees remained under the influence of darkness because they trusted in human effort and wisdom to do God’s will. If that be possible then Jesus Christ died in vain.
The Kingdom is Peace
Jesus is the prince of peace and He is King. Paul says in Colossians 3:15a “Let the peace of God rule in your hearts”.
The peace of the Kingdom is not of this world and cannot be measured by earthly standards. The world is only at peace when there is no conflict. The world I see is experiencing constant conflict in varying degrees. Most of us are not ducking bullets or experiencing a literal war, but some are. The streets of many American cities have become a war zone. A more common conflict may be with a coworker or a family member over trivial issues. Some may wonder how we could ever experience peace in the midst of all that is going on.
The peace of God’s Kingdom is also something that is hidden in the heart. It is not quenched or snuffed out by what goes on in the natural world. When Jesus was sleeping in the boat during the storm, his disciples frantically woke Him up because they thought He didn’t care if they all drowned. Jesus spoke peace to the wind, and the waves became still because peace was his weapon. While his disciples were overcome with fear Jesus remained at rest.
In Acts 27, Paul was aboard a ship as a prisoner. When they were overtaken by a storm at sea, he was able to take control of a frantic situation because he was walking in Kingdom peace. He did not rebuke the wind like Jesus, but a supernatural ability to speak with authority caused frantic men to obey him. That is amazing; usually, in that kind of situation, it is every man for himself. We must remember that Paul was a prisoner on board that ship and had no earthly authority over anyone there, but Kingdom authority will attract our attention especially if we are on the brink of disaster. It is undeniable that Paul’s peace and composure was a product of God’s Kingdom.
Some said of Jesus: “this man speaks with authority and not as the scribes” (See Matt. 7:29). The scribes were able to teach the scripture but their words lacked the ability to move men to obedience. In 1 Corinthians 4:20, Paul says that the Kingdom of God is not just words but power. Paul received the obedience of men aboard a ship in which he had no natural authority because he was operating in the authority of God’s peace.
The Kingdom is Joy
Joy is a result of righteousness and peace. When we receive His righteousness by faith, we also experience peace, knowing we are no longer at odds with God our creator. From God’s perspective, the work of Christ for our salvation was completed from the very foundation of the earth (See Hebrews 4), but we are still an enemy of God in our own mind (See Colossians 1:21) until we receive and appropriate His gift of righteousness and enter His Kingdom. We have Joy because our sins have been washed away, never to be remembered again, knowing that God is for us not against us.
The scripture also says that the joy of the Lord is our strength. Our enemy has no weapon that can match peace or joy so his strategy is to cause us to lose them or to respond in fear. We must walk in faith to walk in Kingdom peace and joy, so fear is our enemy’s only effective weapon. Fear attempts to shock us into its control. It is the shock factor that can cause us to respond without peace or joy. Fear never forewarns us of its arrival. The purpose of the shock treatment is to get us to use our natural reasoning and carnal weapons, rather than the mind of Christ and the whole armor of God. But the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, or natural, but they are mighty through God to the pulling down of, or making extinct, enemy strongholds. (See 2 Corinthians 10:4)
Joy and peace are produced by the Spirit. When we walk in harmony with the Spirit of God we will sow to the Spirit and will reap life of the Spirit. Like peace, joy is not dependant upon having the right conditions in the natural. Usually pressure situations cause whatever is on the inside of us to come out. If we were thrown in jail for doing good, it might cause anger or revenge to rise up within us, but when Paul and Silas were thrown in prison they began to rejoice and sing songs of praise to God. (See Acts 16:25) Their joy activated the hidden power of God’s Kingdom. The earth shook and all the prison doors were opened. I often wondered why all the prisoners’ shackles fell off and not just those on Paul and Silas. Apparently none of them escaped, including Paul and Silas. The whole incident appears to have happened to bring salvation to the jailor and his household. Joy and praise release the power of God’s Kingdom to set prisoners free. The jailor was not bound by physical chains but he was set free from the bondage of sin.
I am reminded of a chorus we used to sing. “Joy is the flag that is flown from the castle of my heart when the King is in residence there”. Shackles falling off prisoners and cell doors opening are signs, in the natural, that King Jesus is present to set captives free.
Friday, April 23, 2010
Honoring God With The Tithe
Gen 14:1 And it came to pass in the days of Amraphel king of Shinar, Arioch king of Ellasar, Chedorlaomer king of Elam, and Tidal king of nations, 2 that they made war with Bera king of Sodom, Birsha king of Gomorrah, Shinab king of Admah, Shemeber king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela (that is, Zoar). NKJ
Genesis 14 records how several kings banded their armies together to go against nearby cities including Sodom and Gomorrah. It so happened that Abraham’s nephew Lot and his family lived in Sodom and were taken captive along with all the people of the city, their food and supplies. One resident of Sodom managed to escape and brought the news to Abraham. When he heard of it he rounded up 318 of his trained servants to go hunt them down.
Gen 14:8 And the king of Sodom, the king of Gomorrah, the king of Admah, the king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela (that is, Zoar) went out and joined together in battle in the Valley of Siddim 9 against Chedorlaomer king of Elam, Tidal king of nations, Amraphel king of Shinar, and Arioch king of Ellasar — four kings against five. 10 Now the Valley of Siddim was full of asphalt pits; and the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled; some fell there, and the remainder fled to the mountains. 11 Then they took all the goods of Sodom and Gomorrah, and all their provisions, and went their way. 12 They also took Lot, Abram's brother's son who dwelt in Sodom, and his goods, and departed.
13 Then one who had escaped came and told Abram the Hebrew, for he dwelt by the terebinth trees of Mamre the Amorite, brother of Eshcol and brother of Aner; and they were allies with Abram. 14 Now when Abram heard that his brother was taken captive, he armed his three hundred and eighteen trained servants who were born in his own house, and went in pursuit as far as Dan. 15 He divided his forces against them by night, and he and his servants attacked them and pursued them as far as Hobah, which is north of Damascus. 16 So he brought back all the goods, and also brought back his brother Lot and his goods, as well as the women and the people.
NKJV
They recovered everything that was stolen, Lot, all his possessions and all the people from the city. While they were returning home, Melchizedek, King of Salem, met them with bread and wine and pronounced God’s blessing upon Abraham saying, “The God of heaven and earth has delivered the enemy into your hand.” Abraham gave a tenth part of the spoil as a tithe to Melchizedek being the priest of “The Most High God.”
Just then the king of Sodom showed up and told Abraham to keep all the supplies he had recovered for himself, just let the people return home. But Abraham refused to keep even one fragment of the spoils lest the king of Sodom would claim to have made Abraham rich. Abraham knew that it was God that had given them victory in battle and that his wealth and power were from God. He gave a tithe to Melchizedek the priest in honor of God. Abraham would not take even a sandal strap from the spoils of Sodom because he wanted to protect the reputation of being made rich and powerful by God alone. He would not allow an opportunity for anyone else to claim that they had made Abraham rich.
We also must never forget that it is God who gives us the power to get wealth as a confirmation of His covenant with us. We give tithes of all our increase into His storehouse in honor of Him, and as a result we will be blessed along with Abraham. Deuteronomy 8:18 says God confirms the covenant that was made with our forefathers (Abraham) by giving us the ability to obtain wealth. When God gives us victory over our enemies and we recover what has been stolen from us it will be because we have honored God as our source of power not our own wisdom or might. We must also be careful not to take spoil for ourselves that would leave even a shadow of doubt as to who made us rich.
Abraham was in covenant with his nephew as part of his family. A covenant meant that if one of the two parties was ever in trouble the other would do all in his power to fight for and recover all that was lost. Of course this covenant included God as one of the partners and that is where the supernatural power factored in.
Abraham gave tithe to Melchizedek to recognize and honor God as covenant partner. He had the confidence to go after armies likely numbering in the thousands with only three hundred and eighteen men because he trusted in God who was the initiator of the covenant. The king of Sodom’s offer to keep all the spoil would have been appealing to someone who did not know the source of all the things we need for this life.
On the flip side of the coin, the book of Daniel records the story of Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, who would not honor God as the source of might, wisdom and the power to gain wealth. Nebuchadnezzar thought everything revolved around him. He had a golden statue of himself made and set up. He ordered all to fall down and worship before the statue every time they herd the sound of the musical instruments. If anyone refused to bow down and worship the image of Nebuchadnezzar they would be thrown into the midst of the burning fiery furnace.
God gave Nebuchadnezzar opportunity to repent of his evil ways. The three Hebrew children, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego refused to bow down to the image or worship any other god than the God who made all things and put breath within them. As a result they were taken, bound and thrown into the furnace. The God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego delivered them from death and not even the smell of smoke was upon them. Only the ropes that bond them were burned off. Nebuchadnezzar was so impressed with the way their God delivered them from death that he made a decree stating that anyone who says anything amiss concerning the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego would be cut in pieces and their houses be made a dung hill.
Though Nebuchadnezzar was greatly impressed with their God he evidently was not willing himself to bow down and make Him his God. He continued on in pride and arrogance believing all the wealth and provision of his kingdom was a result of his own wisdom and might. He saw himself as the provider of all things as if the people of his kingdom were eating out of his hand. He failed to give glory to the God of heaven and earth, so God gave Nebuchadnezzar a dream.
Daniel’s interpretation of the dream was that Nebuchadnezzar’s kingdom would be taken from him and that his mentality would be reduced to that of a beast in the field. He would grow hair like eagle feathers and claws like a bird and would live off grass and vegetation. Seven years would pass before his reason and mentality would be restored. As Daniel completed the interpretation he gave the king some advice saying that if he would break free from his sinful way and begin to show mercy to the poor perhaps God would lengthen his days and continue to prosper his kingdom.
One year after Daniel interpreted his dream, Nebuchadnezzar was in his royal palace. He said to himself; “Is not this great kingdom of Babylon built by my own power and for the honor of my majesty?” No sooner than these words were out of his mouth a voice came from heaven declaring that the kingdom had departed from him. He was driven from among men and went into the fields to eat grass like an ox and his ability to reason was taken from him until seven years passed.
Nebuchadnezzar had to learn the hard way that his ability to reason, to be creative and prosperous is a gift from God. He learned the hard way not to steel the glory from his creator. In contrast to Abraham, Nebuchadnezzar could not honor and give glory to God. So God removed from him the very mentality and reason that made him different from all other creatures. The image and likeness of God was temporarily removed. God reduced him to the level of a cow grazing in the fields.
It would behoove us all to learn this lesson without having to go through a similar experience. Abraham gave a tenth part of all his increase to Melchizedek in honor of God. He knew without a doubt it was God given supernatural ability allowing 318 men to defeat armies. He knew also that it was by the power of God that they were able to recover all the spoil stolen from the city of Sodom. Abraham was very careful not to touch the glory while Nebuchadnezzar could not keep his hands off it.
In Roman 1, Paul describes people who failed to recognize and honor God with thankfulness.
Rom 1:21 for though they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their senseless minds were darkened. 22 Claiming to be wise, they became fools; 23 and they exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling a mortal human being or birds or four-footed animals or reptiles. NRSV
Those that Paul described, appear to have followed a similar path as Nebuchadnezzar. Their mentality diminished to the point that they lost sight of the one in whose image they were made. They exchanged the image of the immortal, eternal God for the mortal, corruptible image of self made man, or the beasts of the field.
We often overlook our natural talents and abilities as a gift of grace from God. He has given us our abilities, talents and the power to gain wealth. He has given us a mentality far greater than all other creatures and He has breathed life into us. Without Him we can do nothing. Tithing is honoring God for what He has given into our hands. It is recognizing and acknowledging the covenant we have with Him. Abraham gave tithes of all the spoils recovered in the battle yet in the end he kept nothing for himself. He knew the tithe was more about honoring God for the power to gain or recover wealth than for the wealth itself.
I believe the recovery of family and goods stolen by the enemy will result as we follow the example of Abraham in honoring God. As we remain in covenant with God as did Abraham our small bands of faithful warriors will be empowered to defeat armies of thousands. Though our battle today is not against flesh and blood the principal is the same. We rely on the promise of God to supernaturally cut off our enemies according to our covenant with Him. Giving God the tithe is our acknowledgement of covenant. We are partners with Him, and through that covenant relationship we are supernaturally empowered to defeat our enemies. If we fail to acknowledge God as covenant partner and take the glory for ourselves He has no responsibility to show Himself strong on our behalf.
.
Genesis 14 records how several kings banded their armies together to go against nearby cities including Sodom and Gomorrah. It so happened that Abraham’s nephew Lot and his family lived in Sodom and were taken captive along with all the people of the city, their food and supplies. One resident of Sodom managed to escape and brought the news to Abraham. When he heard of it he rounded up 318 of his trained servants to go hunt them down.
Gen 14:8 And the king of Sodom, the king of Gomorrah, the king of Admah, the king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela (that is, Zoar) went out and joined together in battle in the Valley of Siddim 9 against Chedorlaomer king of Elam, Tidal king of nations, Amraphel king of Shinar, and Arioch king of Ellasar — four kings against five. 10 Now the Valley of Siddim was full of asphalt pits; and the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled; some fell there, and the remainder fled to the mountains. 11 Then they took all the goods of Sodom and Gomorrah, and all their provisions, and went their way. 12 They also took Lot, Abram's brother's son who dwelt in Sodom, and his goods, and departed.
13 Then one who had escaped came and told Abram the Hebrew, for he dwelt by the terebinth trees of Mamre the Amorite, brother of Eshcol and brother of Aner; and they were allies with Abram. 14 Now when Abram heard that his brother was taken captive, he armed his three hundred and eighteen trained servants who were born in his own house, and went in pursuit as far as Dan. 15 He divided his forces against them by night, and he and his servants attacked them and pursued them as far as Hobah, which is north of Damascus. 16 So he brought back all the goods, and also brought back his brother Lot and his goods, as well as the women and the people.
NKJV
They recovered everything that was stolen, Lot, all his possessions and all the people from the city. While they were returning home, Melchizedek, King of Salem, met them with bread and wine and pronounced God’s blessing upon Abraham saying, “The God of heaven and earth has delivered the enemy into your hand.” Abraham gave a tenth part of the spoil as a tithe to Melchizedek being the priest of “The Most High God.”
Just then the king of Sodom showed up and told Abraham to keep all the supplies he had recovered for himself, just let the people return home. But Abraham refused to keep even one fragment of the spoils lest the king of Sodom would claim to have made Abraham rich. Abraham knew that it was God that had given them victory in battle and that his wealth and power were from God. He gave a tithe to Melchizedek the priest in honor of God. Abraham would not take even a sandal strap from the spoils of Sodom because he wanted to protect the reputation of being made rich and powerful by God alone. He would not allow an opportunity for anyone else to claim that they had made Abraham rich.
We also must never forget that it is God who gives us the power to get wealth as a confirmation of His covenant with us. We give tithes of all our increase into His storehouse in honor of Him, and as a result we will be blessed along with Abraham. Deuteronomy 8:18 says God confirms the covenant that was made with our forefathers (Abraham) by giving us the ability to obtain wealth. When God gives us victory over our enemies and we recover what has been stolen from us it will be because we have honored God as our source of power not our own wisdom or might. We must also be careful not to take spoil for ourselves that would leave even a shadow of doubt as to who made us rich.
Abraham was in covenant with his nephew as part of his family. A covenant meant that if one of the two parties was ever in trouble the other would do all in his power to fight for and recover all that was lost. Of course this covenant included God as one of the partners and that is where the supernatural power factored in.
Abraham gave tithe to Melchizedek to recognize and honor God as covenant partner. He had the confidence to go after armies likely numbering in the thousands with only three hundred and eighteen men because he trusted in God who was the initiator of the covenant. The king of Sodom’s offer to keep all the spoil would have been appealing to someone who did not know the source of all the things we need for this life.
On the flip side of the coin, the book of Daniel records the story of Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, who would not honor God as the source of might, wisdom and the power to gain wealth. Nebuchadnezzar thought everything revolved around him. He had a golden statue of himself made and set up. He ordered all to fall down and worship before the statue every time they herd the sound of the musical instruments. If anyone refused to bow down and worship the image of Nebuchadnezzar they would be thrown into the midst of the burning fiery furnace.
God gave Nebuchadnezzar opportunity to repent of his evil ways. The three Hebrew children, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego refused to bow down to the image or worship any other god than the God who made all things and put breath within them. As a result they were taken, bound and thrown into the furnace. The God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego delivered them from death and not even the smell of smoke was upon them. Only the ropes that bond them were burned off. Nebuchadnezzar was so impressed with the way their God delivered them from death that he made a decree stating that anyone who says anything amiss concerning the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego would be cut in pieces and their houses be made a dung hill.
Though Nebuchadnezzar was greatly impressed with their God he evidently was not willing himself to bow down and make Him his God. He continued on in pride and arrogance believing all the wealth and provision of his kingdom was a result of his own wisdom and might. He saw himself as the provider of all things as if the people of his kingdom were eating out of his hand. He failed to give glory to the God of heaven and earth, so God gave Nebuchadnezzar a dream.
Daniel’s interpretation of the dream was that Nebuchadnezzar’s kingdom would be taken from him and that his mentality would be reduced to that of a beast in the field. He would grow hair like eagle feathers and claws like a bird and would live off grass and vegetation. Seven years would pass before his reason and mentality would be restored. As Daniel completed the interpretation he gave the king some advice saying that if he would break free from his sinful way and begin to show mercy to the poor perhaps God would lengthen his days and continue to prosper his kingdom.
One year after Daniel interpreted his dream, Nebuchadnezzar was in his royal palace. He said to himself; “Is not this great kingdom of Babylon built by my own power and for the honor of my majesty?” No sooner than these words were out of his mouth a voice came from heaven declaring that the kingdom had departed from him. He was driven from among men and went into the fields to eat grass like an ox and his ability to reason was taken from him until seven years passed.
Nebuchadnezzar had to learn the hard way that his ability to reason, to be creative and prosperous is a gift from God. He learned the hard way not to steel the glory from his creator. In contrast to Abraham, Nebuchadnezzar could not honor and give glory to God. So God removed from him the very mentality and reason that made him different from all other creatures. The image and likeness of God was temporarily removed. God reduced him to the level of a cow grazing in the fields.
It would behoove us all to learn this lesson without having to go through a similar experience. Abraham gave a tenth part of all his increase to Melchizedek in honor of God. He knew without a doubt it was God given supernatural ability allowing 318 men to defeat armies. He knew also that it was by the power of God that they were able to recover all the spoil stolen from the city of Sodom. Abraham was very careful not to touch the glory while Nebuchadnezzar could not keep his hands off it.
In Roman 1, Paul describes people who failed to recognize and honor God with thankfulness.
Rom 1:21 for though they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their senseless minds were darkened. 22 Claiming to be wise, they became fools; 23 and they exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling a mortal human being or birds or four-footed animals or reptiles. NRSV
Those that Paul described, appear to have followed a similar path as Nebuchadnezzar. Their mentality diminished to the point that they lost sight of the one in whose image they were made. They exchanged the image of the immortal, eternal God for the mortal, corruptible image of self made man, or the beasts of the field.
We often overlook our natural talents and abilities as a gift of grace from God. He has given us our abilities, talents and the power to gain wealth. He has given us a mentality far greater than all other creatures and He has breathed life into us. Without Him we can do nothing. Tithing is honoring God for what He has given into our hands. It is recognizing and acknowledging the covenant we have with Him. Abraham gave tithes of all the spoils recovered in the battle yet in the end he kept nothing for himself. He knew the tithe was more about honoring God for the power to gain or recover wealth than for the wealth itself.
I believe the recovery of family and goods stolen by the enemy will result as we follow the example of Abraham in honoring God. As we remain in covenant with God as did Abraham our small bands of faithful warriors will be empowered to defeat armies of thousands. Though our battle today is not against flesh and blood the principal is the same. We rely on the promise of God to supernaturally cut off our enemies according to our covenant with Him. Giving God the tithe is our acknowledgement of covenant. We are partners with Him, and through that covenant relationship we are supernaturally empowered to defeat our enemies. If we fail to acknowledge God as covenant partner and take the glory for ourselves He has no responsibility to show Himself strong on our behalf.
.
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Lord, Increase our Faith
In Luke 17 Jesus taught His followers that they must forgive an offending brother seven times in one day if necessary. It is unlikely that anyone would offend seven times in a day, and Jesus was surely not limiting it to seven. In Matthew 18:21-22, Peter asks the Lord how often he should forgive, until seven times? Jesus’ reply was not until seven times but seventy times seven. In other words we are to forgive without limit. This teaching obviously prompted the disciples to ask for an increase in faith. Operating in faith requires that we remove the limits from our thinking and actions.
Jesus’ reply to their request for an increase in faith was; “If ye had faith as a grain of mustard seed ye might say unto this sycamine tree, Be thou plucked up by the root and be thou planted in the sea; and it should obey you.” KJV
Jesus continues talking about a servant working in a field. It could appear as if He had gone on to another subject, but if you look closely, His comments were instructions for them to increase their faith. Many suppose Jesus was saying they needed nothing more than a speck of faith to command a tree to be uprooted and cast into the sea, but if that were so why did He rebuke His disciples for having so little faith on other occasions?
Jesus is introducing Kingdom thinking. A mustard seed is the smallest of seeds yet when planted, becomes a tree large enough for birds to take refuge in. (See Mark 4:31) A seed is not very impressive, and by itself is limited, but if it falls into the ground and dies, it sprouts up and becomes a tree that produces much. (becomes profitable) Those who are great in God’s Kingdom must become humble servants of all. God’s Kingdom on earth began as a seed that fell into the ground. Jesus was that seed. He humbled Himself, set aside His equality with God and became a servant even unto death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted Him and has given Him a name above all other names.
The servant that came in from the field for lunch should not expect his master to prepare food, but just the opposite. He should serve his master and not expect a special reward for doing his duty. Jesus went on to tell His own followers that they should not expect to be rewarded for doing their duty. Their request for an increase in faith is compared to asking for a greater level of authority in His Kingdom. Jesus was showing them that increase occurs by our decrease. In order to be rewarded with a greater level of authority their service must exceed duty.
Here again Jesus is adjusting their thinking. Peter thought in limited terms when he asked how many times he was required to forgive. Until we break free from a duty or obligation mentality we remain limited in our thinking and lacking in faith. The very nature of faith is having no limits. God’s Kingdom does not come with observation. In other words it begins small, it is obscure or out of sight like a mustard seed when it is planted. Though it is an ever increasing Kingdom it cannot be measured or limited. Therefore those who operate in the authority of His Kingdom must be humble, obscure and small. Entrance into God’s Kingdom is through a very narrow passage like the eye of a needle, we must shrink to fit, but once inside all limits are gone.
The disciples understood their need for more faith to forgive without limits and Jesus instructed them in how to receive it. It is not a matter of Him just giving us more than we have now, but we increase our faith by taking the seed we have and planting it through humble service. A servant must exceed the requirements of duty and obligation in order to enter the realm of faith. Faith cannot operate within the limits of obligation.
This teaching ended on an interesting note. In Luke 17:10 Jesus said; So likewise ye, when ye shall have done all those things that were commanded you, say,
We are unprofitable servants: We have done that which was our duty to do. KJV
Something that is unprofitable costs more to own and maintain than it produces, at best the master breaks even on his investment. The parable of the talents in Matthew 25 provides a good comparison between faithfulness and being unprofitable. The master was testing his servants to determine there faithfulness. We often think of faithfulness as being steady or never missing a beat, but in this parable it goes much deeper than that. The servants that were called faithful took interest in and added value to their master’s wealth as a project they were not required to do. I do not see any specific instructions given in how to look after the talents they received. The interpretation of that was evidently left up to them.
I am sure the master already knew his servants well, which explains why he only gave the third, one talent. The third servant saw his master in a different light than the others. While the first two were honored to be trusted with the wealth, the third had a suspicious attitude. He saw it as an added responsibility, not part of their original agreement and it exceeded his obligation. In his mind the master was just expecting more with no added benefit. Since his master gave no specific instructions, he decided to do nothing but hide the talent in a safe place. He totally misread his master. His true intent was to allow his servants to keep that which had been entrusted to them, but prejudice eliminated the reward. Since he was not faithful with his master’s possessions and did not treat them as if they were his own, they did not become his own. (See Luke 16:12) Because the two faithful servants took interest in and increased their master’s wealth, he in turn promoted them to a greater place of authority as rulers over cities.
If we want an increase in faith or to receive a promotion in God’s Kingdom, we must trust our Master and believe that He is good, that His intentions are for us to prosper and receive a place of honor. We must not have a slavery mentality that will only do what is required lest we forfeit our inheritance. We must become vulnerable and step outside the limitations of duty to which we are so accustom. We must trust that our master God will never expect anything of us that He will not also give us the grace to perform.
Jesus’ reply to their request for an increase in faith was; “If ye had faith as a grain of mustard seed ye might say unto this sycamine tree, Be thou plucked up by the root and be thou planted in the sea; and it should obey you.” KJV
Jesus continues talking about a servant working in a field. It could appear as if He had gone on to another subject, but if you look closely, His comments were instructions for them to increase their faith. Many suppose Jesus was saying they needed nothing more than a speck of faith to command a tree to be uprooted and cast into the sea, but if that were so why did He rebuke His disciples for having so little faith on other occasions?
Jesus is introducing Kingdom thinking. A mustard seed is the smallest of seeds yet when planted, becomes a tree large enough for birds to take refuge in. (See Mark 4:31) A seed is not very impressive, and by itself is limited, but if it falls into the ground and dies, it sprouts up and becomes a tree that produces much. (becomes profitable) Those who are great in God’s Kingdom must become humble servants of all. God’s Kingdom on earth began as a seed that fell into the ground. Jesus was that seed. He humbled Himself, set aside His equality with God and became a servant even unto death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted Him and has given Him a name above all other names.
The servant that came in from the field for lunch should not expect his master to prepare food, but just the opposite. He should serve his master and not expect a special reward for doing his duty. Jesus went on to tell His own followers that they should not expect to be rewarded for doing their duty. Their request for an increase in faith is compared to asking for a greater level of authority in His Kingdom. Jesus was showing them that increase occurs by our decrease. In order to be rewarded with a greater level of authority their service must exceed duty.
Here again Jesus is adjusting their thinking. Peter thought in limited terms when he asked how many times he was required to forgive. Until we break free from a duty or obligation mentality we remain limited in our thinking and lacking in faith. The very nature of faith is having no limits. God’s Kingdom does not come with observation. In other words it begins small, it is obscure or out of sight like a mustard seed when it is planted. Though it is an ever increasing Kingdom it cannot be measured or limited. Therefore those who operate in the authority of His Kingdom must be humble, obscure and small. Entrance into God’s Kingdom is through a very narrow passage like the eye of a needle, we must shrink to fit, but once inside all limits are gone.
The disciples understood their need for more faith to forgive without limits and Jesus instructed them in how to receive it. It is not a matter of Him just giving us more than we have now, but we increase our faith by taking the seed we have and planting it through humble service. A servant must exceed the requirements of duty and obligation in order to enter the realm of faith. Faith cannot operate within the limits of obligation.
This teaching ended on an interesting note. In Luke 17:10 Jesus said; So likewise ye, when ye shall have done all those things that were commanded you, say,
We are unprofitable servants: We have done that which was our duty to do. KJV
Something that is unprofitable costs more to own and maintain than it produces, at best the master breaks even on his investment. The parable of the talents in Matthew 25 provides a good comparison between faithfulness and being unprofitable. The master was testing his servants to determine there faithfulness. We often think of faithfulness as being steady or never missing a beat, but in this parable it goes much deeper than that. The servants that were called faithful took interest in and added value to their master’s wealth as a project they were not required to do. I do not see any specific instructions given in how to look after the talents they received. The interpretation of that was evidently left up to them.
I am sure the master already knew his servants well, which explains why he only gave the third, one talent. The third servant saw his master in a different light than the others. While the first two were honored to be trusted with the wealth, the third had a suspicious attitude. He saw it as an added responsibility, not part of their original agreement and it exceeded his obligation. In his mind the master was just expecting more with no added benefit. Since his master gave no specific instructions, he decided to do nothing but hide the talent in a safe place. He totally misread his master. His true intent was to allow his servants to keep that which had been entrusted to them, but prejudice eliminated the reward. Since he was not faithful with his master’s possessions and did not treat them as if they were his own, they did not become his own. (See Luke 16:12) Because the two faithful servants took interest in and increased their master’s wealth, he in turn promoted them to a greater place of authority as rulers over cities.
If we want an increase in faith or to receive a promotion in God’s Kingdom, we must trust our Master and believe that He is good, that His intentions are for us to prosper and receive a place of honor. We must not have a slavery mentality that will only do what is required lest we forfeit our inheritance. We must become vulnerable and step outside the limitations of duty to which we are so accustom. We must trust that our master God will never expect anything of us that He will not also give us the grace to perform.
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