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for January, 2009.
By pastorbillwalden
We often ask for wrong things from God. There may be a rightness about our intentions, but our intentions can very easily be skewed.
It was good that the disciples were following Jesus. The mother of James and John asked Jesus for a position of authority for her sons in Jesus’ kingdom.
Matthew 20:20-28 20Then the mother of Zebedee’s sons came to Him with her sons, kneeling down and asking something from Him. 21And He said to her, “What do you wish?” She said to Him, “Grant that these two sons of mine may sit, one on Your right hand and the other on the left, in Your kingdom.” 22But Jesus answered and said, “You do not know what you ask. Are you able to drink the cup that I am about to drink, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?” They said to Him, “We are able.” 23So He said to them, “You will indeed drink My cup, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with; but to sit on My right hand and on My left is not Mine to give, but it is for those for whom it is prepared by My Father.”
24And when the ten heard it, they were greatly displeased with the two brothers. 25But Jesus called them to Himself and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those who are great exercise authority over them. 26Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant. 27And whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave—28just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”
The disciples were concerned about position. Where would they end up in the hierarchy of Jesus’ kingdom? James and John wanted positions of leadership. When the other disciples heard of their request, they were angry about their efforts of self promotion. Jesus went on to teach all of them, which indicates that they all had an erroneous view of “position” in the Kingdom of God.
Instead of focusing on their position, Jesus instructed His disciples to focus on their purpose, which was servanthood. He taught them by way of negative example, speaking of the kingdoms of men. He then spoke about His own kingdom, and the example and purpose of His own life, which was to serve and give His life as a ransom for many.
In our lives, may we realize that position is something set by God, and not us, but purpose is something we fulfill. May we focus on purpose rather than on position.
By pastorbillwalden
A rich, young ruler had come to Jesus asking about eternal life. Ultimately, Jesus told him to sell all that he had, give the money to the poor, and follow Jesus. The young man went away sad, for he had many possessions. (Matthew 19:16-22)
Jesus went on to explain the problem that rich people have.
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By pastorbillwalden
The heart of God is amazing. He is far beyond us regarding His concern for people. Every one counts. God is concerned for every person on this Earth. He cares for the ones that we overlook and that we might sadly consider “out of reach”. He seeks those ones who would take “too much effort” to love and care for. He is concerned for the “less thans” and the insignificant. He seeks those who have estranged themselves from Him, either through negligence or by determined choice.
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By pastorbillwalden
Matthew 17:1-8 1Now after six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John his brother, led them up on a high mountain by themselves; 2and He was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light. 3And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Him. 4Then Peter answered and said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here; if You wish, let us make here three tabernacles: one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” 5While he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them; and suddenly a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear Him!” 6And when the disciples heard it, they fell on their faces and were greatly afraid. 7But Jesus came and touched them and said, “Arise, and do not be afraid.” 8When they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no one but Jesus only.
I very much relate to Peter. He was privileged to know Jesus. As a Christian, the Lord indwells me. I am involved with worshiping Jesus, and walking with Him, as did Peter. God reveals things to me, as He does to every seeking Christian. It is a blessed and wonderful life. I would not trade it for anything.
Like Peter, I can experience the things of God, and be very excited. I can take in information, and come to a conclusion about what ought to be done. I can make suggestions to God and to others about what to do, what to plan for, and why certain things ought to be done. It is with good intentions that Peter did that. It is with good intentions that many sincere Believers do the same.
In this passage, Peter is interrupted by God Himself. The declaration and command are that the Father is pleased with the Son, and that the disciples ought to be listening to Jesus.
What is striking to me is this: Peter went from an incredible experience that prompted suggestion making, to an even more incredible experience that caused him to fall on his face and be greatly afraid. Peter went from a “manageable” experience with Jesus to something that brought a temporary undoing.
God is good, but He is not manageable. We will experience much with Him that we can “handle”, but He will, on occasion, impact us to the limit of our being.
He does not do that to injure us, but to make an impression upon us that He indeed is God Almighty, and He will not be dictated to by our good intentions. If we have a healthy faith and close relationship with God, He will undo us from time to time.
That’s a good thing.
By pastorbillwalden
Jesus had left the area around the Sea of Galilee, and went into present day Lebanon. He was still seeking solitude after being told of the murder of His cousin, John The Baptist, and after much ministry to the multitudes.
As He entered the region of Tyre and Sidon, the Gospel writer Mark tells us that Jesus took refuge in a house. A Syro-Phoenician woman sought Jesus out, imploring Him to heal her daughter, who was demon possessed.
Matthew 15:21-25 21 Then Jesus went out from there and departed to the region of Tyre and Sidon. 22And behold, a woman of Canaan came from that region and cried out to Him, saying, “Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David! My daughter is severely demon-possessed.” 23But He answered her not a word. And His disciples came and urged Him, saying, “Send her away, for she cries out after us.” 24But He answered and said, “I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” 25Then she came and worshiped Him, saying, “Lord, help me!”
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By pastorbillwalden
God’s evaluation of a man is altogether different than man’s evaluation of man. Religious people habitually look upon the appearance of a man and determine his degree of holiness. They listen to his words and decide if he meets their standard of godliness. We easily and often evaluate another’s standing with God based upon a standard of godliness that we ourselves have invented.
Such was the case with the Pharisees in Jesus’ day. They had taken the commandments of God and misinterpreted them to such a degree that they exalted their own traditions, while in actuality, they broke God’s Law.
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By pastorbillwalden
Matthew 14:22, 23 Immediately Jesus made His disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side, while He sent the multitudes away. 23And when He had sent the multitudes away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray.
Jesus had had a long day. The news of the execution of His cousin John The Baptist had caused Him to want to be alone. (Matthew 14:13) The crowds sought Jesus out, and in spite of His grief, He ministered to them, healing and feeding them. (Matthew 14:14-21)
After the crowds have been served, Jesus was free to depart from there, and He sent His disciples across the Sea of Galilee. It was still during daylight hours, for evening had not yet come. (Matthew 14:22-24)
The disciples struggled against a contrary wind on the lake, and were fighting against the waves. Verse 25 tells us that Jesus came to them walking on the water. The time was the fourth watch of the night, which was between 3 a.m. and 6 a.m.
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By pastorbillwalden
The man or woman who walks with Jesus will be concerned about people. They will notice the needs of people, as did Jesus, and as He still does. Jesus will use His present day disciples to meet people’s needs. We who follow Jesus must be sensitive to how He is leading us to minister to others.
Matthew records for us what has come to be known as “The Feeding Of The 5,000.” The actual number of people was more than this.
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By pastorbillwalden
The words “hearing” and “listening” are very similar, and yet for the purpose of this article, allow me to offer a distinction.
Hearing: the faculty or sense by which sound is perceived.
Listening: the act of hearing attentively.
Those who hear the words of Jesus need to put forth effort to hear Him with sincerity of heart. It is entirely possible to hear the words of Jesus, and see His works among men, but still be deaf and blind to the realities of Who He is.
In Matthew 13, Jesus spoke the parable of The Sower. When He finished, His disciples asked Him why He spoke in parables. Consider the ramifications of His response to their question.
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By pastorbillwalden
Matthew 12:22-24 Then one was brought to Him who was demon-possessed, blind and mute; and He healed him, so that the blind and mute man both spoke and saw. 23And all the multitudes were amazed and said, “Could this be the Son of David?” 24Now when the Pharisees heard it they said, “This fellow does not cast out demons except by Beelzebub, the ruler of the demons.”
When the topic of Jesus comes up, opinions will vary greatly. It has always been that way. Discussions about Jesus always reveal what is in people’s hearts.
In Matthew 12, Jesus healed a demon possessed man that had been brought to Him. The two responses to this healing couldn’t have been farther apart.
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