NTDS (21): Change?

Matt 18:3-4  And He said: "I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven."  NIV

What, maybe we should read that again! This statement is clear, concise and somewhat provocative. It does not leave any room for debate. In order to enter the kingdom of heaven, all of us need to change and become like little children. If that is the case, and it is, then we better know in what way we are to become childlike. Our eternal destiny depends upon it.

The statement follows an inquiry. Jesus’ disciples ask Him a simple question. “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” Even though Jesus has given them many clues that His kingdom will not be set up on earth at this time, they have not understood and have continued to concern themselves with what position they will have in God’s earthly kingdom (Read Mt 20:22).

By the answer Jesus gives, it is evident that they have asked the wrong question. Their question indicates that their reasons for following Jesus clearly have the wrong priority. Even after seeing Jesus give of Himself in service to all who have come to Him, they have not grasped His mission and purpose. They are more concerned with themselves than in serving those around them. Jesus tells them that they need to change the way they think and respond to Him the way a child does.

In what way do they and we need to change? The answer is found in verse four. Whoever humbles himself is the greatest in God’s kingdom. This is how we need to change. This is how we are to come to Christ and live in Christ, with a humble heart and a contrite spirit.

Ps 51:17 17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; A broken and a contrite heart, O God, You will not despise.  NASU

Isa 66:2 "But to this one I will look, To him who is humble and contrite of spirit, and who trembles at My word.  NASU

A little child comes to their parents with complete trust that their needs will be met. They are not concerned about their position in the family, but want to please their parents. They just desire to be part of their family and be safe and protected in the arms of their parents.

It is a change of heart that Jesus is telling His disciples they must have, in order to enter His kingdom. In light of this, we must ask ourselves some important questions. When we asked Christ to be our Lord and Savior, did we humble ourselves as little children? Were we putting our complete trust in Him, just as a child does? Are we willing to follow Him in whatever direction He wants to take us? Is our desire to be like Jesus, humbly serving as He did?

There are many people who seem to think that being a Christian is all about  “getting their needs met” here on earth. That is the attitude that the disciples were rebuked for. That doesn’t mean that we don’t receive blessings or that we don’t get our needs met. We certainly do. But Jesus tells us not to worry about those things and that our loving, Heavenly Father will take care of those needs, but instead we are to seek first His kingdom (Mt 6:33).

The apostle Paul puts it this way in Phil 2:3-7 “but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men.” NASU

I pray that this is the attitude of heart that we all have. If we do, we need never worry about who will be the greatest in the kingdom. It will be more than enough to be with our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ forever and ever, Amen!

God bless you

Coach

NTDS (20) “Listen to Him!”

Matt 17:2  And He was transfigured before them; and His face shone like the sun, and His garments became as white as light. NASU

This event is one of the most important events in the earthy life of Jesus and has great meaning and value to every believer. Jesus had told His disciples just six days earlier that some of them would not die until they saw Him “coming in His kingdom.” It is likely that they were thinking that Jesus meant that He would be setting up His kingdom on earth soon. That is one of the reasons for their confusion about much of what would be taking place and what Jesus had just told them about going to Jerusalem to be put to death. How could he be coming into His kingdom if He was going to die very soon?

To fulfill His promise, Jesus took Peter, James and John up to a high mountain (most likely Mt Hermon, near Caesarea Philippi), just the four of them. It was there that this amazing event occurred. Why did this happen? What was the purpose? How is it important to us today?

Just before Jesus made this promise to His disciples, He had been speaking about the cost of being a disciple and the need for one to completely give their life to Him. He promised that when He came into His glory, that His followers would be rewarded. They must have wondered what this really meant and how Jesus was going to deliver on that promise, since He had said that He was soon to be put to death. That is why Jesus purposely took the three with Him, knowing what would take place.

He would let them see a glimpse of the glory He had been talking about. What they witnessed was similar to the Shekinah glory that these men had read about in their Scriptures. Not only did they see His glory with their own eyes, they heard the voice of the father, telling them to listen to His Son.

To add to this miraculous event, they saw Moses and Elijah, who were talking with Jesus. This was significant because it would show the disciples the reality of life after death. Though Elijah did not experience death, he was alive long after God had taken him away. Moses, on the other hand, did die, yet there he was. Jesus was letting His disciples see that when He spoke of death and resurrection, He spoke with authority and they could trust what He said.

This is why this event is so important to us. It shows us that Jesus is the eternal God, because Moses and Elijah knew Him and He knew them. That would be impossible unless Jesus existed well before 33 AD. It shows us that when we are in God’s glorious kingdom, we will know Jesus as well. It demonstrates Jesus’ superiority over Moses (representing the Old Testament Law) and Elijah (representing the Prophets) when The Father says to listen to His Son.

Everything about this event should strengthen our faith, knowing that we follow a mighty king, who has the power to “bring to life” those who have died. He has the authority over life and death and everything in between. He has the ability to fulfill every promise He makes and He has made many wonderful promises to those who believe in Him. The revelation of His glory for a brief moment on earth should excite us as to what the “glory to be revealed” (Ro 8:18) will be like.

John the Apostle later described this experience with these words, “and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.” John 1:14 NASU

If you are a believer in Christ, you are looking forward to this time, when we behold His glory as we see Him face to face. If you have not yet trusted in Jesus, now is the time to give your life to Him. He says in John 14:6
"I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.” NASU

I pray that you will “listen to Him.”

God bless you

Coach

NTDS (19): The Cost

Matt 16:24
 Then Jesus said to His disciples, "If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me.  NASU

Nineteen words, fifteen in the original language, which have been the cause of great discussion, debate and confusion for nearly two thousand years. Like many of the things that Jesus said, on the surface it might seem difficult to discern what He meant.

Often that happens because so many people take verses out of context and the meaning gets distorted. In this case the meaning is really quite clear. It is not difficult to understand, but it may certainly be difficult to accept, especially if you have the notion that being a Christian is all about “meeting your needs.”

This verse has been used to justify some strange thoughts and practices. Over the years there have been those that seemed only to focus on the “deny yourself’” phrase. They have taken that to mean that the way that you get close to God is to deny anything that might bring a person pleasure. They might severely limit their food intake, own only one garment of clothing, and stay away from relationships, especially marriage which would bring physical and emotional pleasure. Some would even go so far as to beat themselves physically, so that they would feel the “suffering of Christ.” For them, that would be  “taking up their cross.”

As mentioned earlier, we must look at the context of this verse so that we do not misunderstand what Jesus is saying to all who would follow Him!

Peter has just been rebuked for thinking He could determine what would or would not happen to Jesus. Jesus had just finished telling the disciples that He was going to Jerusalem, where He would be put to death. Peter actually rebuked Jesus for this, boldly claiming that he would not let that happen to Him. Peter probably had in mind that he was going to help Jesus set up His kingdom on earth.

This is Jesus’ reply to Peter’s rebuke, (Matt 16:23)
"Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men."
(NIV) That must have stunned Peter but the second half of the verse is the key to understanding the whole passage.

In context, Jesus is making clear that being His disciple means more than just following Him along the road. He is telling them and us, that to be a disciple means that we give up the control of our lives, in order to follow His direction in our life. He does not sugar coat what that life many be like. He is saying that there is a real possibility that following Him could cost one their very life. That is the cross we all take up when we follow Him. But even if a person does not physically die for Him, they must live for Him.

The point that He is making is that when you follow Him, you are giving Him the “reins” of your life, so that He may direct your paths and be used for His glory. You choose to give up whatever plans you may have had for your life and accept His plan for you.

Many people, at this point would say, “Why would I want to do that? Why would give up my plans and desires for my life?” That is an appropriate question and too many people, who have not understood the cost of following Christ, have fallen away when they realized the true nature of this commitment. Jesus says in Luke 14:28 that it is foolish not to “count the cost” before we undertake a task.

The answer to the why question comes in verses 25-28 of Matthew 16. “For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it. What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul? For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father's glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what he has done. NIV

We freely give our lives to Jesus because He is the one with the keys to eternal life and death (Jn 3:16, 6:47,10:28). If we try to hang on to the reins of our life, we lose eternal life with our God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who loved us so much that He gave His life for us! We forfeit our soul and will be condemned for eternity. That is not a popular message for those who are unwilling to surrender their life to Christ, but if you understand His great love for you, it is not hard to give your heart and life to Him.

This is the cost of discipleship, but in verse 27 we are told that though is there a price to pay, there is a reward as well. The price we may have to pay in this temporary life is miniscule to the eternal rewards we receive. Paul says in Rom 8:18-19
“for I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us.”
NASU

It is worth whatever cost there is in this life to be assured of eternity with God, but even before the eternal rewards we receive, we are rewarded with having a personal relationship with the God who created us and loves us. Even though we are allowed to go through difficult time, we never go it alone. He blesses us abundantly more than we could ever ask or think! (Jn 10:10, Eph 3:20) Just knowing that we will forever be with Jesus is enough for me. I pray it is the same for you.

God bless you

Coach

NTDS (18): Where is Your Heart?

Matt 15:8
THIS PEOPLE HONORS ME WITH THEIR LIPS,
BUT THEIR HEART IS FAR AWAY FROM ME.  NASU

This scripture, spoken by Jesus was a quote from Isaiah 29:13. Who was Jesus speaking to and what caused Him to utter such a judgment?

Jesus was in the area known as Gennesaret. Many who were sick, had been coming to Him and they were being healed. Some Pharisees and scribes from Jerusalem approached Him. Once again, they were condemning His disciples (and therefore Jesus Himself). What was their complaint this time? The disciples were not performing the ceremonial washing of their hands before they ate. “Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders,” they complain.

Notice what it is that they are saying. It is not the breaking of “law “that is bothering them, but breaking the “tradition of elders.” This is an important distinction and it leads Jesus deliver a stinging rebuke. He begins by asking them why they, the so-called leaders of Israel, break “the command of God.” He gives an example of how they break a command to honor their fathers and mothers and then points out exactly how they break that command. Jesus then points out their hypocrisy with this statement. “Thus you nullify the word of God for the sake of your tradition.”
 Matt 15:6-7 (NIV)

It is then that He quotes the scripture from Isaiah.

What an important message Jesus has for us today in these few words. It is not just the hypocrisy that He is chastising them about. It is the fact that their hearts are far from God! They cared more about following the traditions of men than following the actual Law of God! In verse 9, Jesus says that they are teaching the precepts of men as if they were doctrines of God. Not only that but because their hearts are far from Him, their worship is in vain, it is worthless.

We can look around today and see the very same thing. There are many “religious” people, who follow traditions of men, thinking they are Godly, but those traditions are only worthless ritual. Think about the fact that these men interrupted the healing of people’s illnesses in order to complain about hand washing! How far their hearts truly were form God’s heart! Jesus made it clear to His disciples these men were not of God and that they would be judged. He says in verse 14 to leave them, because they are blind guides. Traditions of men always end up getting in the way of God wants to accomplish in people’s lives.

These rebukes from Jesus should be an exhortation to us as well. We need to examine our own hearts and ask ourselves some questions. “Where is my heart today, ”am I truly desiring to be close to God, or just going through some religious rituals?” Do I have God’s heart for people, desiring for them to be healed or do I condemn them because they do not follow some man-made rules or expectations that I have?”

It can be easy to fall into the trap of being religious. The question is, once we recognize that in ourselves, how do we change it? We certainly don’t want our worship to “be in vain.” There is only one answer to this question. Sit at the feet of Jesus. Spend time with Him. Build your “personal relationship” with Him. John 15:5 says,”
"I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.”
NASU

When we abide in Him, we are led by the Holy Spirit and are hearts stay close to Him. He fills us up with “living water” and makes us realize the emptiness of religious ritual.

I urge you, if your heart has been wandering away from Him, turn back to Him now. Like the prodigal father, He desires you to come home and rejoices in your return. Let’s all honor Him with our hearts and not just our lips! Amen

God Bless you

Coach

NTDS(17): Do Not Be Afraid!

Matt 14:27 But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, "Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid."  NASU

The context of this verse is very familiar. Jesus had sent his disciples away, to the other side of the lake, while He went up the mountainside to pray by himself. During the voyage, the boat and its occupants were being battered by the wind and the waves. All of a sudden, they see a figure on the water, walking towards them. The biblical account says that they were terrified, believing that they were seeing a ghost. Then Jesus shares the comforting words. “It is I.”

It is interesting how many times the bible records Jesus talking to His followers about their fear. It occurs at least eight times in the book of Matthew. It seems that it is an important topic. We could tend to believe that His followers were rather easily frightened because Jesus spoke about it so often, but I don’t think that is the case. After all, it took tremendous courage just to follow Jesus at this time. For many, it meant leaving their homes, families and businesses, without any knowledge of what might happen. It meant being despised by many of their kinsmen and ridiculed by the Romans.

No, I think that the twelve and all of Jesus’ other disciples were just ordinary people, like you and I. We all experience fear at times. Some commentators say that this event showed lack of faith on the part of the disciples but that is incorrect. If you read the account closely, only Peter is rebuked for lack of faith. That came after He began walking on the water to meet Jesus and lost the courage he started out with.

I think we could understand the fear of these men under the circumstances. After all, Jesus had not said anything about meeting them out in the middle of the lake! It was a pretty natural reaction to a very supernatural event. What is important is to see here, is the response of Jesus to their fear. Instead of rebuking the disciples, Jesus encourages them. How does He do that? He does it in two different ways.

First, He encourages them with His words. “Take courage,” might also be translated, “be bold,” or “have confidence.” He is telling them to replace their fear with courage, boldness or confidence. That is nice but it brings up a question. Why should they do that? The storm is raging and they see a strange figure walking toward them on the water. What would give them any reason to replace their fear with boldness or courage?

The answer to that is in the second way Jesus encourages them. It is the point I want you to pay close attention to, because it will make a huge difference in how you approach fear in your life. You see, the second way that Jesus encourages His disciples is with His presence! He assures these men that He is the one who is there with them. “It is I.” What an amazing statement! Jesus is letting them and consequently us know that as long as He is present, there is no need to fear. In His presence, fear can always be replaced with confidence, courage and boldness.

You might be thinking, “yes, but what about when I don’t feel His presence?” Then you must again go back to His words. This is what He says,

Matt 28:20
“And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."
NIV

Heb 13:5-6
He Himself has said, "I WILL NEVER DESERT YOU, NOR WILL I EVER FORSAKE YOU," so that we confidently say,

"THE LORD IS MY HELPER, I WILL NOT BE AFRAID.
WHAT WILL MAN DO TO ME?"
NASU

If you are “in Christ,” you do not need to approach life with fear. Jesus is always present in your circumstance. Let Him speak His words of encouragement to you and replace that fear with confidence and boldness in Him. His power, proven in this instance by His ability to walk on water, knows no bounds. He is able to deliver you from any circumstance, any situation. Trust in Him!

God bless you

Coach