Sunday, 2/1/2015

“The world says: "You have needs -- satisfy them. You have as much right as the rich and the mighty. Don't hesitate to satisfy your needs; indeed, expand your needs and demand more." This is the worldly doctrine of today. And they believe that this is freedom. The result for the rich is isolation and suicide, for the poor, envy and murder.” ~ Fyodor Dostoyevsky

EXODUS 27, 28

God continues to give instructions

• The bronze altar
• The courtyard
• The oil
• The priest's garments

MATTHEW 21:23-46

The Pharisees are truly after him in order to trap him in his words.  They ask him by what authority he is doing his miracles.  He turns the question around on them and questions them about John the Baptist. Knowing they will not be able to answer because of their fear of the people, he gets out of the trap.  He then tells two parables in order to expose their hearts.

The Parable of the two sons...one does not agree with his Father but ultimately obeys, the other agrees but never obeys.  Jesus makes the comparison...

Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you. For John came to you to show you the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes did. And even after you saw this, you did not repent and believe him. (32)

The Parable of tenants...a rich landowner was allowing tenants to occupy his vineyard and all he was asking was a share of the crop.  Every messenger he sends to collect his share, the tenants kill.  Finally he sends his son, they realize its his son and they take him out and kill him as well.  So Jesus asks what will the landowner do to the tenants.

“He will bring those wretches to a wretched end,” they replied, “and he will rent the vineyard to other tenants, who will give him his share of the crop at harvest time.”Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures:

“ ‘The stone the builders rejected

has become the cornerstone;

the Lord has done this,

and it is marvelous in our eyes’?

“Therefore I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit. Anyone who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; anyone on whom it falls will be crushed.”
When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard Jesus’ parables, they knew he was talking about them.  They looked for a way to arrest him, but they were afraid of the crowd because the people held that he was a prophet.

JOURNAL

The realization that I am just as guilty as the pharisees of being blessed and given gifts and as a result squandering them and not worshiping God and obeying is pretty overwhelming. Everyday my actions produce a crop, are my actions out of obedience or rebellion.  The heart of my actions will affect the fruit they produce.

To obey in joy will produce the fruit of the spirit (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness and self-control). Rebellion and going my own way will produce bitter fruit...selfishness, revenge, wrath, deceit, over-indulgences, murderous thoughts...the list goes on and on.  While I may get a quick hit of happiness, the lasting effect is bitterness and destruction.

Jesus gives me the way, joyful obedience in trusting him in everything. Surrendering my thoughts and will...why would I ever choose the path of destruction?  

So I find this law at work: Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord! (Romans 7:21-25)