“And Jesus…saw a man, named Matthew, sitting at the receipt of custom, and He said unto him, Follow me. and he arose and followed Him.”
Matthew’s response to Jesus’ call is a good example of what ours should be. What Jesus wanted with Matthew was what He wants with us. What was/is that? Jesus wants us as his witnesses. Jesus did not call Matthew away from the “receipt of custom” to continue what he had always done. He wanted him to join the other disciples as witnesses to their generation. Jesus still wants us to be witnesses to the world. The need for Jesus is as great now as it was then, and the world depends on us telling them about Jesus. We are witnesses by the way we live, by how we treat people as well as our verbal witness to them. If we don’t “walk the walk” we can’t “talk the talk.” Jesus wants you to be His witness to your generation. Jesus wants us to serve as His church. We, together, are the church of Jesus Christ in this world. Jesus wants us to serve together in union with Him and with our fellow Christians. The work of the church of Jesus Christ has made a difference in our world. Think of what the world would be like if Christ’s church did not exist. I know that the world looks negatively at the churches witness today, but that does not mean that its witness is not as necessary as it was in Matthew’s day. We need to be careful to remember that we represent Jesus Christ to this world. Sometimes our witness as Christ’s church is not as effective today as it could be, but it still makes a difference in the world. He wants us to be His soldiers in the world. We are His army and we are at war. What Paul wrote in Ephesians 6:12 is still true today: “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” God’s people have always been at war with the devil, and it will continue until God brings the war to an end. Paul also mentioned our being soldiers in 2 Timothy 2:3-4: “Thou therefore endure hardness as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. 4. No man that wars entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who has chosen him to be a soldier.” Jesus wants you to be His witness as part of His church and to be a good soldier of the cross. Bro. Joe
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“A good man out of the good treasure of the heart brings forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things.”
There are some things that Jesus wants of us, and from us. I want to share three that I think are pertinent in our Christian service. Jesus wants your heart. If Jesus does not have your heart, He does not have you. The heart is the deepest aspect of our lives, and things that we say and do come from what is in our hearts. Proverbs 4:23 explains the importance of the heart: “Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.” We do not worship and serve a statue of Jesus; rather, we worship and serve Him from our hearts. Search your heart! Does Jesus have your heart? Jesus wants your loyalty. You are loyal to what, or who, is in your heart. When Jesus called Peter, Andrew, James and John, they left their nets to follow Jesus. Jesus literally took over their lives, and each of these men stayed loyal to Jesus until death. When Jesus comes into our hearts, our lives will never be the same again. You need to ask yourself what are you the most loyal to in your life? This loyalty will define your life. Frankly, if we are loyal to Jesus, we are loyal to all of the things that will make our lives better. If you want to be a good wife or husband, be loyal to Jesus and what He wants from you in family relationships. If you want to be a good church member, be loyal to Jesus and you will be a good church member. Where do your loyalties lie? Jesus wants your service. Jesus did not come into your life to make you more religious. Jesus came into your life to change your heart and mind, and to make your life better. Romans 12:2 reminds us of this: “And be not conformed to this world, but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is good and acceptable, and perfect will of God.” We are told in Psalm 100:2 to “serve the Lord with gladness.” Does “gladness” describe the quality of your service for Jesus in your daily life and in your work in your church? I think that I became a better servant, and a better preacher, when I one day decided that I was just going to enjoy preaching, teaching and ministering. It dawned on me that I should just be glad that Jesus lets me serve Him. Are you “serving the Lord with gladness”? Think about and pray about these things in your life. Bro. Joe “I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine.”
If you are a Christian you have a relationship with Jesus Christ. I want you to consider what this relationship means for your life. Jesus knows you… Jesus said “(I) know my sheep and am known of mine.” Jesus knows everything about you. He knows your likes and dislikes, and He knows the good side of you as well as the bad side of you. Jesus knows your strengths and your weaknesses. He knows your level of commitment, and is always pushing you to greater commitment. Jesus knows the best that you can do, and wants you to strive for the best. He knows that He cannot use you at your best if you are only partially committed. Jesus knows you and wants the best for you. This is why He will sometimes chasten you to get your attention, and to further your commitment. Really consider that you do not serve a Savior who knows nothing about you and one who is not interested in your life. Jesus loves you… This is a remarkable truth in light of the fact that Jesus knows everything about you. You really need to a claim His love for you. Jesus loves you in spite of your weaknesses. Jesus loves you in spite of the times that you have stumbled and fallen along the way. He loves you in spite of the fact that you do not always love Him as you should, and in spite of the fact that you might sometimes have a problem of sharing His love with the world. Perhaps there are just people in your life who are just not lovable, and you have a difficult time loving them. Remember that Jesus loves them too, and wants you to love them through Him. (It is sometimes difficult for us to realize that Jesus also loves obnoxious people.) Jesus has expectations of you… When Jesus called Peter, Andrew, James and John, He knew what their weaknesses and strengths were, but He called them to become fishers of men, and He knew that they would change the world. Jesus wants you to “take up your cross and follow (Him).” When He saved you, Jesus gave you the Holy Spirit to gift you, to empower you and to give you what you would need to be an effective servant of His. It is true that Jesus has expectations of you, and He knows what you are really capable of when you are guided by Him. This might be more than you wanted today, but it will really bring joy into your life when you know that Jesus really knows you, really loves you and really has expectations of you. Give it some thought! Bro. Joe “Who is the (person) who delights in life, loving a long life to enjoy what is good? 13. Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from deceitful speech. 14. Turn away from evil and do what is good; seek peace and pursue it.” (CSB)
I think that we would call a person who “delights in life” a happy person. These three verses tell us what can make us happy people. First, if we want to be happy people we should “keep (our) tongues from evil.” This could be a reference to evil in general, such as cursing, but I see it as an admonition not to speak evil of other people. I have discovered that gossips are not happy people. They are not happy because they observe people only to criticize them or to tear them down. This kind of thinking comes from malice in the heart. Malice is anger that has settled into a person’s mind and heart and seeks to do evil. Those who speak evil of other people are malicious people. I have heard it said that: “small minds discuss people and great minds discuss ideas.” Malicious people are small-minded people. A lot of people have been destroyed by gossip, and a lot of churches have been torn apart by gossip. If you want to be a happy person, do not speak evil of other people. Second, if we want to be happy people, we should “Keep (our) tongues from deceitful speech.” This means that we should be truthful people.There is something intrinsically bred into the human heart that longs for truth. That which is untrue is not real, in fact, it is counterfeit. Just as a counterfeit twenty dollar bill is worthless, a counterfeit tale is worthless. We have probably all known people of whom it could be said that you never know whether they are telling the truth or not. Most of the time this deceitful speech comes in the form of exaggeration. Some people have a tendency to “stretch the truth” when they are talking about themselves. The problem with people who habitually lie, or deceive, is that we cannot trust them. A person who cannot be trusted cannot be a happy person. Third, if we want to be happy people, we should: “turn away from evil and do good.” We are faced with choices everyday as to whether or not we are going to do good or evil. You have seen cartoons where a person will have an angel on one shoulder telling the person to do what is right, and a demon on the other shoulder telling the person to do what is evil. We know that the angels and demons are not literally there, but the cartoon does represent a truth. The devil, whose very purpose is to deceive, continually goads us to do wrong. The Holy Spirit continually urges us to do right. We need to listen to the Holy Spirit and do what is right. Fourth, if we want to be happy people, we should: “seek peace and pursue it.” Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount: “Blessed (happy) are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.” If you want to be a happy person, seek to bring peace wherever you are instead of discord. You can’t be happy if you sow discord wherever you are. Based on this text, are you a happy person? Bro. Joe .“And she shall bring forth a son, and you will call His name Jesus, for He shall, and He shall save His people from their sins….”
Occasionally, I like to do some word play on biblical names. This is an acrostic using the letters in Jesus’ name to signify what His coming means to us. J – Justification – We could not be saved based on our own merits, but we are justified by faith in Jesus. Romans 5:1-2: “Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. 2. By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in the hope of the glory of God.” Jesus died and rose again in order for us to be able to accept Him by faith and be saved. Thank Him for this justification, without which we would be lost. E – Emmanuel – Matthew 1:17 – “Behold a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call His name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is God with us.” This word is a reminder that our Savior came to live as a human being, but was at the same time “God with us.” Praise Him as Emmanuel in your life! S – Salvation – Jesus is God’s means of salvation from sin, as Romans 1:16 reminds us: “For am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.” Jesus Himself reminded us of this in John 14:6: “I am the way, the truth and the life: no man comes unto the Father but by me.” If you are not saved, you can be saved by confessing sin and inviting Jesus into your life by faith. U – Uttermost – This word reminds us that no one is so far away from God that he or she cannot be saved. Romans 7:25: “Where He (Jesus) is able also to saved them to the uttermost that come unto God by Him, seeing He ever lives to make intercession for them.” Another translation of “uttermost” is “completely.” This reminds us that our salvation is completely in the hand of Jesus for “whosoever will may come.” S – Spirit – In John 14:16, Jesus promised to send the Holy Spirit into the lives of those who are saved by faith: “And I will pray the Father, and He shall give you another comforter, that He may abide with you forever.” We have a great promise about the Holy Spirit in Ephesians 1:14: “In whom you also trusted, after that you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after you believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise.” All of this is yours in Jesus…. “Come unto me all you that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me, for I am meek and lowly in heart: and you shall find rest unto your souls. 30. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
Over the years I have referred to this text again and again. It was one of the first texts that I preached in my early days in the ministry. I want to share some of my thoughts on this dynamic text. First, it contains an invitation. Jesus said:”Come unto me…” When I read this text, I imagine Jesus standing on a mountain with His arms outstretched inviting people to Himself. His arms are outstretched waiting for you. You can read this text as a personal invitation from Jesus to you, offering to enter into your present cares and concerns. I do not know what your cares and concerns are, but Jesus knows about them and is waiting to give you an answer that only He can give. Jesus wants to hear from you and He wants to offer His help to lead you through, over, or around your cares and concerns. Offer Him a word of praise and thank Him for His interest in your life. Second, it contains a promise: “Come unto me all you that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” Jesus wants to give you the rest that only He can give. He further states that “you shall find rest unto your souls.” Jesus wants to give you His rest and peace in the deepest recesses of your life. There is nothing that you can tell Jesus that will surprise Him, nor can you tell Him anything that will be too great for Him to handle. Just as He stilled the storm on the Sea of Galilee, He wants to still the storms in your life. You will never know what Jesus can do for you until you accept His invitation to come to Him. Third, it contains a challenge: “Take my yoke upon you and learn of me…” A yoke is symbol of service. Oxen are put in a yoke when they are being put to work. Jesus is not inviting you to take a vacation from responsibility; rather, He is inviting you to find His rest for you in service for Him. Jesus knows what your Holy Spirit gifts are, and He knows what He wants to use you to do for Him. You will find your greatest rest and peace in Jesus as you take His yoke upon you, and make yourself available for His purposes for your life. Matthew 11:28-30 is a personal invitation to you to find your rest in Jesus as you serve in His yoke. Accept the invitation…. Bro. Joe "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
I want to share with some thoughts about forgiveness that can help you in your own pilgrimage. First, we need to remember that forgiveness is available. It is available to you! The promise of 1 John 1:9 is that if we will confess our sins, Jesus will forgive us. Jesus is “faithful and just” to forgive us. Jesus paid a great price on the cross to secure forgiveness for those who are willing to confess their sins to Him. Jesus wants you to come to Him for forgiveness. His arms are wide open to receive you and to forgive you. I do not know what sin you might be dealing with that is troubling your spirit and dampening your joy, but I know that whatever it is, Jesus is willing to forgive it if you willingly confess it. You can do that before you read another word if you really want to be forgiven. Come on, give that sin burden to Jesus and let Him relieve you of it. Second, we need to remember that forgiveness will set us free from the shame and guilt of sin. Psalm 51 is David’s prayer of forgiveness for his sin with Bathsheba. The shame and guilt of what he had done had robbed him of joy. He prayed “restore unto me the joy of your salvation.” Perhaps you need to come clean about the sins that are troubling you. Whatever it is that is troubling your soul and shattering your joy of life, can be taken to Jesus now. Jesus is standing with arms wide open to receive your confession and to give you His forgiveness. If you are tired of the shame and guilt of sin, Jesus is ready to forgive you and to cleanse you. Third, we need to remember that the forgiveness we get from Jesus is to be shared with others by our forgiving them. In His model prayer Jesus taught us to pray for forgiveness and for us to be willing to forgive those that have sinned against us. (Matthew 5:12) Ephesians 5:32 comes to mind: “And be ye kind to one another, tender hearted, forgiving one another even as God for Christ’s sake has forgiven you.” There is nothing that can bring revival to a church like people wholeheartedly forgiving one another. Don’t let an unforgiving spirit rob you from the joy that you can have in Jesus. You can ask Jesus right now to help you to forgive. The forgiveness of Jesus is available to you now if you want it. Let forgiveness change your life and set you free from whatever is hindering your growth in Christ. Bro. Joe “I will love thee, O Lord, my strength. 2. The Lord is my rock and my fortress, and my deliverer, my God, my strength, in Whom I will trust, my buckler, and the Lord of my salvation, and my high tower.”
The two verses printed above are loaded with praise of the Lord our God. I want to share with you what I found in them. David, who wrote this psalm, declared his love for the Lord. Declaring our love for the Lord is always part of our praise for Him. This made me think about my love for the Lord. I want you to think about your love for the Lord. We have many thoughts about the Lord, such as His demands on our lives. Whatever else the Lord is to us, we know that He loves us and we should love Him. Give some thought to your love for the Lord. David wrote: “O Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock and my fortress.” He mentioned God’s strength in verses 1 and 2. He also wrote that the Lord was his “rock and fortress.” He mentions that the Lord is his “buckler.” This the KJV word for "shield." Think about this: The Lord was his “strength,” his “rock,” his “fortress,” his “high tower,” or his “stronghold.” David was surrounded by his love for God, and found strength in Him. The Lord was his shield – his protection. No wonder young David was able to face Goliath. The Lord is all of this for us today. Doesn’t that make you want to love and praise Him??? David referred to the Lord as his “deliverer.” He referred to his trust in the Lord. And he declared that the Lord was his “salvation.” All of this is reference to the Lord as his savior. I think that David experienced all of this in his life as he escaped King Saul, as he fought many battles for Israel. David was a warrior. He had to trust in the Lord’s deliverance and salvation daily. This deliverance was a personal experience for David. Salvation and deliverance were in David’s heart. Because of Jesus, we can claim the Lord as our deliverer and savior. We should think about these things that David wrote as our personal experience as well as his. In Jesus, we have all of the Lord’s strength, His protection, His deliverance and salvation. Let’s pause here and praise Jesus for the love that brought Him to earth to save us, declare our love for Him, and our gratitude for all He means to our lives. Do it! (I just did.) Bro. Joe “And when you stand praying, forgive, if you have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven, may forgive you your trespasses. 26. But if you do not forgive, neither shall your Father which is in heaven, forgive your trespasses.”
I read this passage this morning and it arrested my complete attention. It made me stop and think about my own capacity to forgive. This made me think about the “sin of unforgiveness.” (My computer tells me that “unforgiveness” is not a word, but, let us say, that I just coined a new word.) I stopped reading for a few minutes and let my mind roam back over the years, and I wondered if I had forgiven everyone for everything in my life. Folks, that is a daunting task. As I let my mine rove my memory banks, I began to turn up a few interesting rocks, so to speak. That is to say that I had to pause and start doing some fast forgiving. There were people who hurt me that I had to forgive, and worse yet, there were people that I hoped to heaven had forgiven me. I don’t think unforgiveness will send us to hell, but it will sure play havoc with our growth in Christ, and it will surely hinder our witness to a lost and unforgiving world. I want to challenge you to stop what you are doing right now and do the same thing that I just did. Let your mind rove back over your memory banks, and see if there are not a few people that you have really not forgiven. It could be that we do not feel as close to Jesus as we should at times. Perhaps we get a restless feeling sometimes that there is something missing in our lives. Could this be caused by the sin of unforgiveness? (Shut up computer with your red line…But I forgive you - I quickly remembered!) At least it is worth a try. You might find a few rocks in your past that need turning over… . Why should we be forgiving toward others? Well, we have a Savior who has forgiven us for our sins when we did not deserve it. Who are we that we can’t have forgiving hearts? Paul gave us a stark reminder of this in Ephesians 4:32: “And be ye kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake has forgiven you.” We are to do for others what Jesus did for us on the cross. Think of what your life would be like if Christ had not forgiven you. I hope that I have not upset your morning, or evening, or whenever you read this, but maybe I have just given you the spiritual “shot in the arm” that you needed today. Okay, start turning over those rocks! (So to speak..) Bro. Joe “God was reconciling the world to Himself in Christ, not counting men’s sins against them. And He has committed to us the word of reconciliation.”
“Reconciliation” is an important word in the Christian faith. The Greek word that it translates means to change the relationship between two parties. In this case it means that through Christ our relationship with God has been changed. He is now at work in our lives daily through the Holy Spirit. I want to explain my understanding of this word with the following questions: Why do we need reconciliation with God? Romans 3:23 tells us that “all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” After the Garden of Eden, the Bible is filled with illustrations of the sins of humanity. The daily news gives us ample examples about humanities’ sins. We need look no further than ourselves to understand our own need for reconciliation with God. This leads us to the next question: How do we get reconciliation with God? Our text gives us the answer: “God was reconciling the world to Himself in Christ.” Actually, we are not reconciled to God by something that we did. Reconciliation is not our achievement; rather it is God’s love and grace that made it possible for us. Christ died on the cross and rose again in order for us to be reconciled to God. That is the teaching of the Bible, and there is no other way than through our faith relationship with Jesus. The first words that Christ offered from the cross were, “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.” Jesus has forgiven us, and continues to forgive us through His love and grace. As Revelation 3:23 tells us: “He stands at the door and knocks,” and we need to invite Him in by faith. What is the result of reconciliation with God? Our text tells us: “Not imputing their trespasses (sins) unto them.” When we receive reconciliation with God, we are forgiven for our sins and they are not held against us by God. It is by God’s amazing grace that our sins are forgiven. This seems almost too amazing to be true, but it is. Romans 5:10-11: “For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the faith of His Son, much more being reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. 11. And not only so, but we also joy in God through the Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement.” Thank God that we can be reconciled to Him. Thank God that you have been reconciled or that you can be reconciled. Bro. Joe |
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