Have you ever thought about why there are four gospels? Referring to Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, “each of them deals with the same period of history, each sets forth the teaching and miracles of the Savior, each describes His death and resurrection” (Pink, 2007). Even though each of the four contain many similarities, each book is also unique, “and it is in noting their variations that we are brought to see their true meaning and scope and to appreciate their perfections” (Pink, 2007).
I have always found it interesting that there are so many gaps in time in the biographies of Christ; even when putting the information from all four together, the picture remains far from a complete life biography of our Lord. For instance, after the Gospels reveal the infancy of Christ, Luke briefly describes a situation in Jesus’ childhood at age twelve, and then nothing more is mentioned until Christ is thirty. Furthermore, it is interesting to think of all the other messages and miracles of Christ that were not recorded, even after age thirty. John, in the gospel that bears his name, states in chapter 21 verse 25, “Now there are also many other things that Jesus did. Were every one of them to be written, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written” (ESV). Is this not a fascinating thought?!
But why four books? As little as is covered, according to John, why was there not just one account of Christ’s earthly life and His Messianic ministry? I believe the answer to these questions can be found by looking at the other books of the Bible. As Christians, most of us believe that the Bible is the inspired word of God. And with this, I refer again to author Arthur Pink:
“Because one or two was not sufficient to give a perfect presentation of the varied glories of our blessed Lord. Just as no one of the Old Testament typical personages (such as Isaac or Joseph, Moses or David) give an exhaustive foreshadowment of our Lord, so, no one of the four Gospels presents a complete portrayal of Christ’s manifold excellencies. Just as no one or two of the five great offerings appointed by God for Israel (see Lev. 1–6) could, by itself, represent the many-sided sacrifice of Christ, so no one, or two, of the Gospels could, by itself, display fully the varied relationships which the Lord Jesus sustained when He was here upon earth. In a word, the four Gospels set Christ before us as filling four distinct offices.”
To illustrate this, think of it this way: if I were tasked to report to you in detail the Statue of Liberty, I wouldn’t simply take a picture from one vantage point and give you only one piece of information about it, say the history. No, rather I would take pictures from multiple angles, reference sources to obtain information about its history, symbolism, location, etc. In order for me to present to you a reliable, complete, and trustworthy report, I must supply to you material from multiple sources, otherwise it would be deemed unreliable. I believe the same holds true for the Gospels.
In Matthew, Christ is presented as the Son of David, the King of the Jews, and everything in his narrative centers around this truth. This explains why the first Gospel opens with a setting forth of Christ’s royal genealogy, and why in the second chapter mention is made of the journey of the wise men from the East, who came to Jerusalem inquiring “Where is He that is born King of the Jews?”, and why in chapters five to seven we have what is known as “The Sermon on the Mount” but which, in reality, is the Manifesto of the King, containing an enunciation of the Laws of His Kingdom (Pink, 2007).
In Mark, Christ is depicted as the Servant of Jehovah, as the One who through equal with God made Himself of no reputation and “took upon Him the form of a servant.” Everything in this second Gospel contributes to this central theme, and everything foreign to it is rigidly excluded. This explains why there is no genealogy recorded in Mark, why Christ is introduced at the beginning of His public ministry (nothing whatever being told us here of His earlier life), and why there are more miracles (deeds of service) detailed here than in any of the other Gospels (Pink, 2007).
In Luke, Christ is set forth as the Son of Man, as connected with but contrasted from the sons of men, and everything in the narrative serves to bring this out. This explains why the third Gospel traces His genealogy back to Adam, the first man, (instead of to Abraham only, as in Matthew), why as the perfect Man He is seen here so frequently in prayer, and why the angels are seen ministering to Him, instead of commanded by Him as they are in Matthew (Pink, 2007)..
In John, Christ is revealed as the Son of God, and everything in this fourth Gospel is made to illustrate and demonstrate this Divine relationship. This explains why in the opening verse we are carried back to a point before time began, and we are shown Christ as the Word “in the beginning,” with God, and Himself expressly declared to be God; why we get here so many of His Divine titles, as “The only begotten of the Father,” the “Lamb of God,” the “Light of the world” etc.; why we are told here that prayer should be made in His Name, and why the Holy Spirit is here said to be sent from the Son as well as from the Father (Pink, 2007).
Although this is only the tip of the iceberg on this topic, I hope it gives you some insight into why there are four gospels of Jesus Christ. I encourage you to also research this topic, while comparing and contrasting the gospels.
Josh
Sunday, November 7, 2010
Sunday, October 24, 2010
2010-10-24 Halloween Thoughts
Halloween is upon us. This is a unique holiday, in my opinion. Think about it – kids dress up and go to various houses to get candy; people set out to scare and be scared; strange games are played, i.e. bobbing for apples; and fiction and death is celebrated. As a Christian, how should we view Halloween, and furthermore, should we participate?
In my research, I came across an article by Elliott Watson on CBN.com, “Should Christians Celebrate Halloween?” The article is found below, followed by my personal comments:
The origins of Halloween are Celtic in tradition and have to do with observing the end of summer sacrifices to gods in Druidic tradition. In what is now Britain and France, it was the beginning of the Celtic year, and they believed Samhain, the lord of death, sent evil spirits abroad to attack humans, who could escape only by assuming disguises and looking like evil spirits themselves. The waning of the sun and the approach of dark winter made the evil spirits rejoice and play nasty tricks. Believe it or not, most of our Halloween practices can be traced back to these old pagan rites and superstitions.
But what about today? Perhaps we can still learn from history. In the fourth century, Christians attempted to co-opt the holiday by celebrating the lives of faithful Christian saints the day before Halloween. This was a conscious attempt to provide an alternative and re-focus the day away from ghouls, goblins, ghosts, witches and other “haunted” experiences. Since that time many Christians have decided to allow their children to dress in more “innocent” costumes of pumpkins, princesses, Superman or as a cowboy. Part of this is due to the simple reality that in today’s Western culture it is nearly impossible to “avoid” Halloween.
Just before reaching a conclusion on the subject, I was struck with the thought that I ought to further my search and find out what Wicca, the official religion of witchcraft, has to say about Halloween. Perhaps they viewed the day as a simple fun and innocent neighborhood activity?
“Shock” is the only word to describe what I found. Halloween is a real, sacred day for those who follow Wicca. In fact, it is one of two high and holy days for them. The Celtic belief of spirits being released is current, along with the worship of Samhain (the lord of death) – both are promoted as something to embrace on that day. There is no question in my mind that to those who believe and follow the practices of witchcraft, Halloween represents an opportunity to embrace the evil, devilish, dark side of the spiritual world.
So after discovering this, what is a reasonable conclusion? As Christians you and I are placed in this world to be a light in a world of darkness. There is no lasting benefit to ignore a holiday that exists around us, but it also does harm to celebrate Halloween as it has originated and grown over the centuries.
My suggestion? Christians should be teaching their children (age appropriately) that:
•there is a spiritual world filled with goodness from God and evil from Satan (Eph. 2:1-10);
•life with Christ has power over darkness (I John 4:4); and
•those who celebrate Halloween either are unaware of its roots, or are intentionally promoting a world where evil is lauded and viewed as an ultimate power.
To counter the evil influence of Halloween, we need to join together and celebrate the reality of the heroic efforts of Christian saints over the evil in their day. Many leaders in the past -- and present -- have fulfilled the mandate of destroying the works of the devil through their sacrificial commitment to Christ and His Kingdom.
Too, rather than “hide” in the face of evil, we should unabashedly and boldly create an alternative that is positive and uplifting; that celebrates good over evil and the triumph of God over Satan. We need to provide an environment that also makes room for heaps of fun while using the day as a “teachable moment” to celebrate God’s protection, provision and purpose for our lives.
As for my personal feelings about Halloween, I can recall one thing about the holiday from my youth – it was fun. Even when I dressed as Dracula, it was still fun, and I never once burned anyone at the stake. My word of advice is simply this: Let the kids enjoy the holiday, but make sure they enjoy it safely. Furthermore, before or after the Halloween festivities, use this as an opportunity for teaching about God and Christ’s power over darkness.
Josh
In my research, I came across an article by Elliott Watson on CBN.com, “Should Christians Celebrate Halloween?” The article is found below, followed by my personal comments:
The origins of Halloween are Celtic in tradition and have to do with observing the end of summer sacrifices to gods in Druidic tradition. In what is now Britain and France, it was the beginning of the Celtic year, and they believed Samhain, the lord of death, sent evil spirits abroad to attack humans, who could escape only by assuming disguises and looking like evil spirits themselves. The waning of the sun and the approach of dark winter made the evil spirits rejoice and play nasty tricks. Believe it or not, most of our Halloween practices can be traced back to these old pagan rites and superstitions.
But what about today? Perhaps we can still learn from history. In the fourth century, Christians attempted to co-opt the holiday by celebrating the lives of faithful Christian saints the day before Halloween. This was a conscious attempt to provide an alternative and re-focus the day away from ghouls, goblins, ghosts, witches and other “haunted” experiences. Since that time many Christians have decided to allow their children to dress in more “innocent” costumes of pumpkins, princesses, Superman or as a cowboy. Part of this is due to the simple reality that in today’s Western culture it is nearly impossible to “avoid” Halloween.
Just before reaching a conclusion on the subject, I was struck with the thought that I ought to further my search and find out what Wicca, the official religion of witchcraft, has to say about Halloween. Perhaps they viewed the day as a simple fun and innocent neighborhood activity?
“Shock” is the only word to describe what I found. Halloween is a real, sacred day for those who follow Wicca. In fact, it is one of two high and holy days for them. The Celtic belief of spirits being released is current, along with the worship of Samhain (the lord of death) – both are promoted as something to embrace on that day. There is no question in my mind that to those who believe and follow the practices of witchcraft, Halloween represents an opportunity to embrace the evil, devilish, dark side of the spiritual world.
So after discovering this, what is a reasonable conclusion? As Christians you and I are placed in this world to be a light in a world of darkness. There is no lasting benefit to ignore a holiday that exists around us, but it also does harm to celebrate Halloween as it has originated and grown over the centuries.
My suggestion? Christians should be teaching their children (age appropriately) that:
•there is a spiritual world filled with goodness from God and evil from Satan (Eph. 2:1-10);
•life with Christ has power over darkness (I John 4:4); and
•those who celebrate Halloween either are unaware of its roots, or are intentionally promoting a world where evil is lauded and viewed as an ultimate power.
To counter the evil influence of Halloween, we need to join together and celebrate the reality of the heroic efforts of Christian saints over the evil in their day. Many leaders in the past -- and present -- have fulfilled the mandate of destroying the works of the devil through their sacrificial commitment to Christ and His Kingdom.
Too, rather than “hide” in the face of evil, we should unabashedly and boldly create an alternative that is positive and uplifting; that celebrates good over evil and the triumph of God over Satan. We need to provide an environment that also makes room for heaps of fun while using the day as a “teachable moment” to celebrate God’s protection, provision and purpose for our lives.
As for my personal feelings about Halloween, I can recall one thing about the holiday from my youth – it was fun. Even when I dressed as Dracula, it was still fun, and I never once burned anyone at the stake. My word of advice is simply this: Let the kids enjoy the holiday, but make sure they enjoy it safely. Furthermore, before or after the Halloween festivities, use this as an opportunity for teaching about God and Christ’s power over darkness.
Josh
Sunday, September 19, 2010
2010-09-19 -- Reaching the Un-Churched
Commentary by Clark
The current state of the society, in regards to spiritual fitness, is in dismal shape. Like Ray had mentioned in his sermon this past Sunday, there are generations of people who are out of the church and only a small percentages of Americans actually attend church compared to the numbers that attended years ago. As a country, one that was founded upon Christian faith, we are following suit with many European nations as we experience an increase in agnostics and atheists.
In the first chapter of Romans, Paul writes about wrath of God upon the Jews and Gentiles for their wickedness. Paul explains how the sinful desires of men overcame the obedience of God, even though they understood knew God's commands. Verse 21 states, "For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened." Then in verse 28, Paul wrote, "Furthermore, since they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, he gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done."
Is this not what is happening in our society today? Because we have strayed from His teachings, our hearts have been hardened and we have become one with sin -- both in embracing it and exploiting it. However, we as the Bride of Christ can make a difference, but we must find a way to reach the un-churched.
In the ninth chapter of Corinthians, verses 19-23, Paul writes,
"Though I am free and belong to no man, I make myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God's law but am under Christ's law), so as to win those not having the law. To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some. I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings."
Following Paul's example, we should do the same for our community. We must reach them, but we have to reach them on their terms. Now I'm saying that we become like the foolish, dark-hearted sinners, but rather we offer to them an experience to meet God and begin a relationship with God in a manner that is not so foreign to them.
This is not a new idea for church. This is not a new idea for evangelism. The way, in my opinion, to reach this lost society is to use tried and true techniques of the past. The techniques I am referring to revolve around the word contemporary. Encarta defines contemporary as "modern person or thing: somebody or something in existence at the present time." For instance, our worship services on Sunday were contemporary at one time, and for some in the congregation it may still feel contemporary. But for the average un-churched person below the age of fifty, I'd venture to say that this particular style feels out of touch.
Now, don't get me wrong, I'm not saying we should change our Sunday worship services. On the contrary, I am proposing that we investigate the possibility of adding a worship service; one that follows the time-proven aspects of church growth: modernizing. I envision a mid-week praise and worship service featuring instruments of various types, audio/visual experiences, communion, and a message brought to the congregation via a speaker, whether it be a pastor, a lay member, elder, deacon, or a spirit-filled youth member.
It is my belief that many young families and college age people would be more likely to attend a church service during the week so that they maintain an open weekend. As society becomes busier and more involved with various activities, I believe many un-churched people are unwilling to give up one of their weekend mornings to attend something that feels foreign to them. If put together and promoted properly, I believe that a mid-week service at FCC-Shawnee could be a very successful form of evangelism and worship.
I propose that we follow the example of Paul and the churches before us and investigate into this option. And as always, I'd love to hear feedback from you on this idea.
Josh
The current state of the society, in regards to spiritual fitness, is in dismal shape. Like Ray had mentioned in his sermon this past Sunday, there are generations of people who are out of the church and only a small percentages of Americans actually attend church compared to the numbers that attended years ago. As a country, one that was founded upon Christian faith, we are following suit with many European nations as we experience an increase in agnostics and atheists.
In the first chapter of Romans, Paul writes about wrath of God upon the Jews and Gentiles for their wickedness. Paul explains how the sinful desires of men overcame the obedience of God, even though they understood knew God's commands. Verse 21 states, "For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened." Then in verse 28, Paul wrote, "Furthermore, since they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, he gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done."
Is this not what is happening in our society today? Because we have strayed from His teachings, our hearts have been hardened and we have become one with sin -- both in embracing it and exploiting it. However, we as the Bride of Christ can make a difference, but we must find a way to reach the un-churched.
In the ninth chapter of Corinthians, verses 19-23, Paul writes,
"Though I am free and belong to no man, I make myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God's law but am under Christ's law), so as to win those not having the law. To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some. I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings."
Following Paul's example, we should do the same for our community. We must reach them, but we have to reach them on their terms. Now I'm saying that we become like the foolish, dark-hearted sinners, but rather we offer to them an experience to meet God and begin a relationship with God in a manner that is not so foreign to them.
This is not a new idea for church. This is not a new idea for evangelism. The way, in my opinion, to reach this lost society is to use tried and true techniques of the past. The techniques I am referring to revolve around the word contemporary. Encarta defines contemporary as "modern person or thing: somebody or something in existence at the present time." For instance, our worship services on Sunday were contemporary at one time, and for some in the congregation it may still feel contemporary. But for the average un-churched person below the age of fifty, I'd venture to say that this particular style feels out of touch.
Now, don't get me wrong, I'm not saying we should change our Sunday worship services. On the contrary, I am proposing that we investigate the possibility of adding a worship service; one that follows the time-proven aspects of church growth: modernizing. I envision a mid-week praise and worship service featuring instruments of various types, audio/visual experiences, communion, and a message brought to the congregation via a speaker, whether it be a pastor, a lay member, elder, deacon, or a spirit-filled youth member.
It is my belief that many young families and college age people would be more likely to attend a church service during the week so that they maintain an open weekend. As society becomes busier and more involved with various activities, I believe many un-churched people are unwilling to give up one of their weekend mornings to attend something that feels foreign to them. If put together and promoted properly, I believe that a mid-week service at FCC-Shawnee could be a very successful form of evangelism and worship.
I propose that we follow the example of Paul and the churches before us and investigate into this option. And as always, I'd love to hear feedback from you on this idea.
Josh
Sunday, August 29, 2010
2010-08-29 -- Be Bold
First, please allow me to thank the church, spiritual life committee, and Pastor Ray for allowing me to preach this last Sunday. The kind words, handshakes, and hugs that many of you shared with me after services were very much appreciated. FCC-Shawnee has had a great influence on my life throughout the past 12 years. Without God and this church in my life, I simply do not know where I’d be. You have all given so much and I personally thank each of you for that.
“I had tried to drive certain long brass-headed nails into a wall but had never succeeded except in turning up their points, and rendering them useless. When a tradesman came who understood his work, I noticed that he filed off all the points of the nails, the very points on whose sharpness I had relied, and when he had quite blunted them, he drove them in as far as he pleased. With some consciences our fine points in preaching are worse than useless. Our keen distinctions and nice discriminations are thrown away on many; they need to be encountered with sheer force and blunt honesty. The truth must be hammered into them by main strength, and we know from whom to seek the needed power” (The Quotable Spurgeon Copyright 1990 by Harold Shaw Publishers).
Oh, how true the aforementioned analogy is! Far too often we are too politically correct and afraid of hurting feelings or stepping on toes when we should really be blunt and to the point. The image of Christ that I have in mind is not of a limp-wristed, feminine, soft spoken male that many artists have portrayed over the centuries; no, the image I have in mind is of a brute, real man’s man, who was both physically and mentally strong. I picture the incarnate as a man who didn’t shy away from confrontation or honest-to-goodness bluntness.
Many times in Christian teaching we try to use the subtle approach of sharpen brass nails – a feel good way of teaching the good news – when maybe we should be more like the tradesman and use a blunt straight-forward approach, just as Christ did. For instance, Christ didn’t shy away from confronting the Pharisee’s about their heresies, nor should we shy away from teaching His straight-forward message. However, I do feel like I need to add a disclaimer here: Don’t use this as an excuse to seek out confrontations! Choose your battles wisely, my brothers and sisters, but when the time calls, be ready to go to bat with the sword of the spirit.
Another caution though: watch out for man’s rules on God’s words. Many Christians and denominations have suffered from using the blunt approach of teaching inerrancies of God’s holy word. Don’t let your own personal afflictions get in the way of God’s truth. This can be difficult, especially as a member in the Disciples of Christ church, where we are all called to seek and understand the scriptures according to our own understanding through the Holy Spirit’s guidance. Ultimately what I am stressing here is simple: speak truthfully, honestly, earnestly, and openly about Christ as the Savior of the world. Don’t back down from the world when the world wants to teach differently. Be strong in your faith.
“Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness. Stretch out your hand to heal and perform miraculous signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus.” After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly. Acts 4:29-31
Josh
“I had tried to drive certain long brass-headed nails into a wall but had never succeeded except in turning up their points, and rendering them useless. When a tradesman came who understood his work, I noticed that he filed off all the points of the nails, the very points on whose sharpness I had relied, and when he had quite blunted them, he drove them in as far as he pleased. With some consciences our fine points in preaching are worse than useless. Our keen distinctions and nice discriminations are thrown away on many; they need to be encountered with sheer force and blunt honesty. The truth must be hammered into them by main strength, and we know from whom to seek the needed power” (The Quotable Spurgeon Copyright 1990 by Harold Shaw Publishers).
Oh, how true the aforementioned analogy is! Far too often we are too politically correct and afraid of hurting feelings or stepping on toes when we should really be blunt and to the point. The image of Christ that I have in mind is not of a limp-wristed, feminine, soft spoken male that many artists have portrayed over the centuries; no, the image I have in mind is of a brute, real man’s man, who was both physically and mentally strong. I picture the incarnate as a man who didn’t shy away from confrontation or honest-to-goodness bluntness.
Many times in Christian teaching we try to use the subtle approach of sharpen brass nails – a feel good way of teaching the good news – when maybe we should be more like the tradesman and use a blunt straight-forward approach, just as Christ did. For instance, Christ didn’t shy away from confronting the Pharisee’s about their heresies, nor should we shy away from teaching His straight-forward message. However, I do feel like I need to add a disclaimer here: Don’t use this as an excuse to seek out confrontations! Choose your battles wisely, my brothers and sisters, but when the time calls, be ready to go to bat with the sword of the spirit.
Another caution though: watch out for man’s rules on God’s words. Many Christians and denominations have suffered from using the blunt approach of teaching inerrancies of God’s holy word. Don’t let your own personal afflictions get in the way of God’s truth. This can be difficult, especially as a member in the Disciples of Christ church, where we are all called to seek and understand the scriptures according to our own understanding through the Holy Spirit’s guidance. Ultimately what I am stressing here is simple: speak truthfully, honestly, earnestly, and openly about Christ as the Savior of the world. Don’t back down from the world when the world wants to teach differently. Be strong in your faith.
“Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness. Stretch out your hand to heal and perform miraculous signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus.” After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly. Acts 4:29-31
Josh
20100829 -- Influence Sermon
Today’s verse comes the gospel of Matthew, chapter 16, beginning with verse five and concluding with verse twelve.
In this passage Christ is warning his disciples about the influence of the Sadducees and Pharisees.
In life, we are all subject to influence – some good, some bad, but always present. The world often becomes a point of strong influence for many of us; which leads many of us to do as our sinful heart’s desire. As Christians, we are instructed by Christ to live according the scripture, to follow His example, and teach others about the Good News.
Please read with me now the words of Christ as he instructs the disciples:
5When they went across the lake, the disciples forgot to take bread. 6"Be careful," Jesus said to them. "Be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees."
7They discussed this among themselves and said, "It is because we didn't bring any bread."
8Aware of their discussion, Jesus asked, "You of little faith, why are you talking among yourselves about having no bread? 9Do you still not understand? Don't you remember the five loaves for the five thousand, and how many basketfuls you gathered? 10Or the seven loaves for the four thousand, and how many basketfuls you gathered? 11How is it you don't understand that I was not talking to you about bread? But be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees." 12Then they understood that he was not telling them to guard against the yeast used in bread, but against the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees.
May God bless this, the reading of His word, and give us all an open heart to hear the message of Christ, our Lord. May the word of God convict our hearts so that we may become people of good influence.
In the account from Matthew’s gospel that we just read, we find the disciples on the boat worried about bread. I imagine their stomachs were growling and they were probably blaming one another forgetting to bring bread with them. As they continued in their grumblings, Jesus warns the disciples about the yeast of the Pharisees and the Sadducees. Though Christ’s warning was meant in a spiritual fashion, the disciples were still thinking about physical bread. They didn’t understand the context of what Jesus was saying about yeast. Who knows, maybe they were planning to purchase bread on the other side of the sea, and they thought Jesus was cautioning them not to buy unclean bread which Jews could not eat.
According to Mark’s account of this situation, found in Chapter 8 verse 14, we are informed that the disciples had forgotten to bring bread with them but they did have one loaf on the boat. With this in mind, Christ’s chastising of them seems very fitting. If they had remembered how Jesus had multiplied bread on two occasions, they certainly would not have worried. Their “little faith” kept them from understanding His teaching and depending on His power to meet their needs.
It must have grieved Jesus that His handpicked helpers were so spiritually obtuse. The fact that He had multiplied bread on two occasions and fed over 10,000 people had apparently made little impression on them! Why worry and argue over one loaf of bread when you have Jesus in the boat with you? Their minds were dull, their hearts were hard (see Mark 6:52), their eyes were blind, and their ears were deaf (see Mark 4:11-12).
Just like the disciples, we too have a tendency to forget God’s blessings (Ps. 103:1-2). He meets our needs, but then when the next problem arises, we complain or become frightened. As long as we are with Him, we can be sure He will care for us. It would do us all good to pause occasionally and remind ourselves of His goodness and faithfulness.
But that teaching is just a side note on the actual lesson of this message. The main lesson here deals with yeast, not with bread or being taken cared for. In the Bible, yeast, or leaven, is consistently a symbol of evil. Each Passover season, the Jews had to remove all yeast from their dwellings (Ex. 12:18-20), and yeast was not allowed with the offerings (Ex. 23:18; 34:25; Lev. 2:11; 6:17). Evil, like yeast, is small and hidden, but it spreads and soon infects the whole (Gal. 5:9).
But what is it about yeast that makes it the appropriate word to describe what false doctrine and false teachings can do to God’s children? Yeast does two things that make it the perfect choice to describe how false teaching operates. First, yeast works insidiously. Its influence on the lump of dough is subtle. It works quietly as it penetrates the whole loaf. Second, yeast’s nature is to grow and spread. Once it is introduced into the lump of dough, if left alone, it will change the character of the whole lump. These aspects of yeast as descriptions of how false doctrine operates are true in individuals as well as corporate bodies such as individual churches or denominations.
Christ’s warning to the disciples was directly against the Pharisees and Sadducees. The Pharisees’ doctrine was dangerous because they founded their authority upon oral law or human traditions and as a result were legalistic, self-righteous and formalistic. The Pharisees believed that in addition to the written law there was also an authoritative oral law passed down through history by various leaders, prophets and rabbis. While they formally accepted the authority of the Old Testament, their traditions in practice were more important than the Bible because they interpreted the Scriptures. As a result they held to a number of heresies.
Like the Pharisees, the Sadducees doctrine was also dangerous because of their willingness to subject the Bible to finite reason, practicality and skepticism. While the Pharisees added to God’s word, the Sadducees detracted from it. They were the modernists of their day. The Sadducees did not place the Old Testament historical and prophetic books on the same level with the five books of Moses. They did not believe in the resurrection of the body, in the existence of angelic beings, or even that man had a soul or spirit (Ac. 23:8). The Sadducees attempted to sway people to their own position by using clever arguments that made a mockery of the Scriptures.
This warning was made because if this false teaching got into the hearts and minds of the disciples, it would infect them and pollute the truth Jesus had given them to proclaim about Himself and His kingdom. Christ didn’t say “beware!” very often, but when He did, it was of upmost importance.
While Christ’s warning about the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees was most likely primarily concerning doctrine, I like to also think about it as a warning to all of us about yeast as influences. Jesus was teaching that just as only a small amount of yeast was needed to make a batch of bread rise, so the evil teachings and hypocrisy of the religious and political leaders could permeate and contaminate the entire society. Jesus used yeast as an example of how a small amount of evil could affect a large group of people. The wrong teachings of the Pharisees were leading the entire nation astray. Jesus warned his disciples to constantly be on guard against the contaminating evil of the religious leaders (see also 2 Corinthians 13:5; Galatians 5:9).
Jesus instructed the disciples to be on guard. What does it take to be on guard, in terms of faith?
• A strong and sure center. We must keep Jesus at the center of our Christian faith.
• A developing sense of “what makes sense.” That comes through a lifelong process of learning the Bible, understanding the life of the church, and being open to the Holy Spirit.
• A core of Christian friends. A single sentry does not protect a castle. Find friends who will keep you growing. Relate yourself with people and a church where Jesus is the center, the Bible is seriously studied, and people are “on the move.”
We must be on guard at all times.
However, I believe that somewhere over the past recent history, people have generally let their guard down. As a society, we have become self-righteous hypocrites, mostly looking out for ourselves at whatever cost. We have been overcome by the yeast of worldliness through the media, Hollywood, politics, and money. The media has infiltrated our minds with all these grand ideas of money, sex, and self-serving attitudes. Furthermore, I imagine that on a daily basis, a vast portion of society knows more about the characters in their shows and the people in Hollywood than they do their own friends and families.
Looking at current politics, we can see that yeast of worldliness has spread throughout our elected leaders. They are generally more concerned about get elected for their own self-righteousness than they are for serving the people who elected them. Regardless if they’re democrats, republicans, or independents, nearly all of them are guilty of looking out for their own interests over the ideals and directions of the majority of Americans.
Money has been called the “root of all evil.” Thinking about, I don’t think this is fair statement. Money is simply an object incapable of being either good or evil; however, when the yeast has infected the holder of money, it becomes a great force. Money attracts people. Wealthy people often have the greatest influence on a society. Now I’m not saying wealth is a bad thing, no, not at all, just stating that if the yeast of worldliness spreads through the wealthy, that is a problem.
Many times the poor and less fortunate are looked down upon because their social status. That is the yeast of worldliness at work. Thinking that we must have the best and newest everything and placing these desires before God and love for one another is the yeast of worldliness.
The yeast of worldliness is what I am considering style. Christ is substance. As Christians, we must be steadfast in placing substance over style.
Jesus' earthly messianic ministry was mainly healing the sick and preaching the kingdom of God, and as time permitted he trained his disciples, mostly through common life together. He did not train his disciples by giving special lectures in a gorgeous lecture hall. It was discipleship training through his common life together with his disciples. In short, his discipleship training was through his influence itself.
The substance of Christ, His influence, is what instructed the disciples. Because of this influence, the disciples were sent out to make disciples of nations; they founded the Christian churches. They taught what they knew, and that wasn’t a message formed for their own benefit! No, nearly all the disciples died horrible deaths because they were influencing others with the substance of Christ.
Had the disciples been contaminated by the yeast of the Pharisees, we would not be gathered in this house of worship today. Had the disciples fallen to worldly desires and self-righteousness, we wouldn’t be in the Lord’s house today. Think about how different your life would be if the yeast Pharisees and Sadducees had won over the hearts and minds of the disciples. Let us remember the teaching of Christ, so that we as society do not become the Pharisees of today.
Let prepare to go to the Lord in prayer. All eyes closed and heads bowed.
With your eyes closed and heads bowed, recall the message from this morning. Think about how you are influencing others. Search in yourself to gain an understanding to whether you are seeking style, the yeast of the world, or are truly seeking the substance of Christ?
Let us pray.
In this passage Christ is warning his disciples about the influence of the Sadducees and Pharisees.
In life, we are all subject to influence – some good, some bad, but always present. The world often becomes a point of strong influence for many of us; which leads many of us to do as our sinful heart’s desire. As Christians, we are instructed by Christ to live according the scripture, to follow His example, and teach others about the Good News.
Please read with me now the words of Christ as he instructs the disciples:
5When they went across the lake, the disciples forgot to take bread. 6"Be careful," Jesus said to them. "Be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees."
7They discussed this among themselves and said, "It is because we didn't bring any bread."
8Aware of their discussion, Jesus asked, "You of little faith, why are you talking among yourselves about having no bread? 9Do you still not understand? Don't you remember the five loaves for the five thousand, and how many basketfuls you gathered? 10Or the seven loaves for the four thousand, and how many basketfuls you gathered? 11How is it you don't understand that I was not talking to you about bread? But be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees." 12Then they understood that he was not telling them to guard against the yeast used in bread, but against the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees.
May God bless this, the reading of His word, and give us all an open heart to hear the message of Christ, our Lord. May the word of God convict our hearts so that we may become people of good influence.
In the account from Matthew’s gospel that we just read, we find the disciples on the boat worried about bread. I imagine their stomachs were growling and they were probably blaming one another forgetting to bring bread with them. As they continued in their grumblings, Jesus warns the disciples about the yeast of the Pharisees and the Sadducees. Though Christ’s warning was meant in a spiritual fashion, the disciples were still thinking about physical bread. They didn’t understand the context of what Jesus was saying about yeast. Who knows, maybe they were planning to purchase bread on the other side of the sea, and they thought Jesus was cautioning them not to buy unclean bread which Jews could not eat.
According to Mark’s account of this situation, found in Chapter 8 verse 14, we are informed that the disciples had forgotten to bring bread with them but they did have one loaf on the boat. With this in mind, Christ’s chastising of them seems very fitting. If they had remembered how Jesus had multiplied bread on two occasions, they certainly would not have worried. Their “little faith” kept them from understanding His teaching and depending on His power to meet their needs.
It must have grieved Jesus that His handpicked helpers were so spiritually obtuse. The fact that He had multiplied bread on two occasions and fed over 10,000 people had apparently made little impression on them! Why worry and argue over one loaf of bread when you have Jesus in the boat with you? Their minds were dull, their hearts were hard (see Mark 6:52), their eyes were blind, and their ears were deaf (see Mark 4:11-12).
Just like the disciples, we too have a tendency to forget God’s blessings (Ps. 103:1-2). He meets our needs, but then when the next problem arises, we complain or become frightened. As long as we are with Him, we can be sure He will care for us. It would do us all good to pause occasionally and remind ourselves of His goodness and faithfulness.
But that teaching is just a side note on the actual lesson of this message. The main lesson here deals with yeast, not with bread or being taken cared for. In the Bible, yeast, or leaven, is consistently a symbol of evil. Each Passover season, the Jews had to remove all yeast from their dwellings (Ex. 12:18-20), and yeast was not allowed with the offerings (Ex. 23:18; 34:25; Lev. 2:11; 6:17). Evil, like yeast, is small and hidden, but it spreads and soon infects the whole (Gal. 5:9).
But what is it about yeast that makes it the appropriate word to describe what false doctrine and false teachings can do to God’s children? Yeast does two things that make it the perfect choice to describe how false teaching operates. First, yeast works insidiously. Its influence on the lump of dough is subtle. It works quietly as it penetrates the whole loaf. Second, yeast’s nature is to grow and spread. Once it is introduced into the lump of dough, if left alone, it will change the character of the whole lump. These aspects of yeast as descriptions of how false doctrine operates are true in individuals as well as corporate bodies such as individual churches or denominations.
Christ’s warning to the disciples was directly against the Pharisees and Sadducees. The Pharisees’ doctrine was dangerous because they founded their authority upon oral law or human traditions and as a result were legalistic, self-righteous and formalistic. The Pharisees believed that in addition to the written law there was also an authoritative oral law passed down through history by various leaders, prophets and rabbis. While they formally accepted the authority of the Old Testament, their traditions in practice were more important than the Bible because they interpreted the Scriptures. As a result they held to a number of heresies.
Like the Pharisees, the Sadducees doctrine was also dangerous because of their willingness to subject the Bible to finite reason, practicality and skepticism. While the Pharisees added to God’s word, the Sadducees detracted from it. They were the modernists of their day. The Sadducees did not place the Old Testament historical and prophetic books on the same level with the five books of Moses. They did not believe in the resurrection of the body, in the existence of angelic beings, or even that man had a soul or spirit (Ac. 23:8). The Sadducees attempted to sway people to their own position by using clever arguments that made a mockery of the Scriptures.
This warning was made because if this false teaching got into the hearts and minds of the disciples, it would infect them and pollute the truth Jesus had given them to proclaim about Himself and His kingdom. Christ didn’t say “beware!” very often, but when He did, it was of upmost importance.
While Christ’s warning about the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees was most likely primarily concerning doctrine, I like to also think about it as a warning to all of us about yeast as influences. Jesus was teaching that just as only a small amount of yeast was needed to make a batch of bread rise, so the evil teachings and hypocrisy of the religious and political leaders could permeate and contaminate the entire society. Jesus used yeast as an example of how a small amount of evil could affect a large group of people. The wrong teachings of the Pharisees were leading the entire nation astray. Jesus warned his disciples to constantly be on guard against the contaminating evil of the religious leaders (see also 2 Corinthians 13:5; Galatians 5:9).
Jesus instructed the disciples to be on guard. What does it take to be on guard, in terms of faith?
• A strong and sure center. We must keep Jesus at the center of our Christian faith.
• A developing sense of “what makes sense.” That comes through a lifelong process of learning the Bible, understanding the life of the church, and being open to the Holy Spirit.
• A core of Christian friends. A single sentry does not protect a castle. Find friends who will keep you growing. Relate yourself with people and a church where Jesus is the center, the Bible is seriously studied, and people are “on the move.”
We must be on guard at all times.
However, I believe that somewhere over the past recent history, people have generally let their guard down. As a society, we have become self-righteous hypocrites, mostly looking out for ourselves at whatever cost. We have been overcome by the yeast of worldliness through the media, Hollywood, politics, and money. The media has infiltrated our minds with all these grand ideas of money, sex, and self-serving attitudes. Furthermore, I imagine that on a daily basis, a vast portion of society knows more about the characters in their shows and the people in Hollywood than they do their own friends and families.
Looking at current politics, we can see that yeast of worldliness has spread throughout our elected leaders. They are generally more concerned about get elected for their own self-righteousness than they are for serving the people who elected them. Regardless if they’re democrats, republicans, or independents, nearly all of them are guilty of looking out for their own interests over the ideals and directions of the majority of Americans.
Money has been called the “root of all evil.” Thinking about, I don’t think this is fair statement. Money is simply an object incapable of being either good or evil; however, when the yeast has infected the holder of money, it becomes a great force. Money attracts people. Wealthy people often have the greatest influence on a society. Now I’m not saying wealth is a bad thing, no, not at all, just stating that if the yeast of worldliness spreads through the wealthy, that is a problem.
Many times the poor and less fortunate are looked down upon because their social status. That is the yeast of worldliness at work. Thinking that we must have the best and newest everything and placing these desires before God and love for one another is the yeast of worldliness.
The yeast of worldliness is what I am considering style. Christ is substance. As Christians, we must be steadfast in placing substance over style.
Jesus' earthly messianic ministry was mainly healing the sick and preaching the kingdom of God, and as time permitted he trained his disciples, mostly through common life together. He did not train his disciples by giving special lectures in a gorgeous lecture hall. It was discipleship training through his common life together with his disciples. In short, his discipleship training was through his influence itself.
The substance of Christ, His influence, is what instructed the disciples. Because of this influence, the disciples were sent out to make disciples of nations; they founded the Christian churches. They taught what they knew, and that wasn’t a message formed for their own benefit! No, nearly all the disciples died horrible deaths because they were influencing others with the substance of Christ.
Had the disciples been contaminated by the yeast of the Pharisees, we would not be gathered in this house of worship today. Had the disciples fallen to worldly desires and self-righteousness, we wouldn’t be in the Lord’s house today. Think about how different your life would be if the yeast Pharisees and Sadducees had won over the hearts and minds of the disciples. Let us remember the teaching of Christ, so that we as society do not become the Pharisees of today.
Let prepare to go to the Lord in prayer. All eyes closed and heads bowed.
With your eyes closed and heads bowed, recall the message from this morning. Think about how you are influencing others. Search in yourself to gain an understanding to whether you are seeking style, the yeast of the world, or are truly seeking the substance of Christ?
Let us pray.
Sunday, August 22, 2010
2010-08-22 -- Influence
Influence is ever-present in our daily lives; sometimes good, sometimes bad, but always present. For instance, the media, colleagues, school mates, pastors, bosses, spouses, parents, and kids are all sources of influence. For some, outside influence directly dictates a person’s actions, e.g. politicians. As Christians, we should all be aware of the external influences in our lives and respond appropriately to each.
In Matthew 5:5-12, Christ warns the disciples to, “Be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” In this warning Christ was not referring to the physical yeast that is used in dough to make leaven bread as the disciples first thought He was, rather He was speaking about the influence that the Pharisees and Sadducees had on the community.
Christ made this warning because the Pharisees’ doctrine was dangerous for the reason that they founded their authority upon oral law or human traditions and as a result were legalistic, self-righteous and formalistic. The Pharisees believed that in addition to the written law there was also an authoritative oral law passed down through history by various leaders, prophets and rabbis. While they formally accepted the authority of the Old Testament, their traditions in practice were more important than the Bible because they were used to interpret the Scriptures. As a result they held to a number of heresies.
Furthermore, Christ warned the disciples about the Sadducees since their doctrine was also dangerous because of their willingness to subject the Bible to finite reason, pragmatism and skepticism. While the Pharisees added to God’s word, the Sadducees detracted from it. They were the modernists of their day. The Sadducees did not place the Old Testament historical and prophetic books on the same level with the five books of Moses. They did not believe in the resurrection of the body, in the existence of angelic beings, or even that man had a soul or spirit.
But why did Christ reference the yeast? What is it about yeast that makes it the appropriate word to describe what false doctrines can do to a person, a church, or a community? Yeast does two things that make it the perfect choice to describe how false teaching operates. First, yeast works insidiously. Its influence on the lump of dough is subtle. It works quietly as it penetrates the whole loaf. Second, yeast’s nature is to grow and spread. Once it is introduced into the lump of dough, if left alone, it will change the character of the whole lump. These aspects of yeast as descriptions of how false doctrine operates are true in individuals and especially in corporate bodies such as individual churches or denominations.
I believe this same analogy works well for the influences that we often face in our daily lives. If we do not continuously fight off the negative, anti-God influences, like the yeast taking over the bread, we a doomed to be taken over by the influence; we must continually be on our guard.
The aforementioned scripture and topic will be the subject of this week’s sermon. I am much honored to have the opportunity to bring the message to both services. Furthermore, I am thankful and honored to have a good friend and mentor, Sherrie Randall, assisting me in fulfilling the pastoral roles in worship this coming week.
Josh
In Matthew 5:5-12, Christ warns the disciples to, “Be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” In this warning Christ was not referring to the physical yeast that is used in dough to make leaven bread as the disciples first thought He was, rather He was speaking about the influence that the Pharisees and Sadducees had on the community.
Christ made this warning because the Pharisees’ doctrine was dangerous for the reason that they founded their authority upon oral law or human traditions and as a result were legalistic, self-righteous and formalistic. The Pharisees believed that in addition to the written law there was also an authoritative oral law passed down through history by various leaders, prophets and rabbis. While they formally accepted the authority of the Old Testament, their traditions in practice were more important than the Bible because they were used to interpret the Scriptures. As a result they held to a number of heresies.
Furthermore, Christ warned the disciples about the Sadducees since their doctrine was also dangerous because of their willingness to subject the Bible to finite reason, pragmatism and skepticism. While the Pharisees added to God’s word, the Sadducees detracted from it. They were the modernists of their day. The Sadducees did not place the Old Testament historical and prophetic books on the same level with the five books of Moses. They did not believe in the resurrection of the body, in the existence of angelic beings, or even that man had a soul or spirit.
But why did Christ reference the yeast? What is it about yeast that makes it the appropriate word to describe what false doctrines can do to a person, a church, or a community? Yeast does two things that make it the perfect choice to describe how false teaching operates. First, yeast works insidiously. Its influence on the lump of dough is subtle. It works quietly as it penetrates the whole loaf. Second, yeast’s nature is to grow and spread. Once it is introduced into the lump of dough, if left alone, it will change the character of the whole lump. These aspects of yeast as descriptions of how false doctrine operates are true in individuals and especially in corporate bodies such as individual churches or denominations.
I believe this same analogy works well for the influences that we often face in our daily lives. If we do not continuously fight off the negative, anti-God influences, like the yeast taking over the bread, we a doomed to be taken over by the influence; we must continually be on our guard.
The aforementioned scripture and topic will be the subject of this week’s sermon. I am much honored to have the opportunity to bring the message to both services. Furthermore, I am thankful and honored to have a good friend and mentor, Sherrie Randall, assisting me in fulfilling the pastoral roles in worship this coming week.
Josh
Sunday, August 1, 2010
2010-08-01 -- Acceptance
Acceptance can be hard. What the object of acceptance is remains solely to the individual; but depending on the circumstances, the action of accepting may be difficult, but it can be very rewarding. For instance, I know many people, including myself, that struggle with accepting lifestyles or viewpoints of others that do not correlate with our own. Now I’m not saying that we need to just accept everything that everybody does, rather I am stating that we should accept everyone for who they are and who they can be.
A struggle for me throughout most of my life, for example, has been accepting others’ lifestyles, more specifically, the wealthy and the poor. Being middle class my entire life, I relate well with those whom live as I have. I have often had a hard time accepting the wealthy and their life of luxuries, nice houses, and fancy cars for the people that they are without the money being a factor. Additionally, I have found it difficult to accept the poor and their lack of worldly possessions as the people that that they are without their circumstances coming into play.
But over that past couple of years I have been working on this issue of acceptance and judgment. “Don't judge any man until you have walked two moons in his moccasins.” With this quote, I remind myself that I do not know all, and there is more to the story than the cover of the book I am seeing. Regardless of others’ worldly position, I try to accept that person for who they are, not what they have. For all I know, even though their life isn’t equal to mine, maybe they are comfortable and content. We all have our own struggles, worries, and faults – some of which we can change and some of which we accept – but as for others, who are we to judge? Shouldn’t we just accept them and love them for who they are, just as God has accepts and loves us?
You are not accepted by God because you deserve to be, or because you have worked hard for him; but because Jesus died for you (Colin Urquhart, 1940– ).
Josh
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