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Matthew 16-19

10/5/2015

6 Comments

 
Reading through Matthew at the pace we are can be very challenging. At the end of October your mind and heart might heart and be on overload. Try not to catch everything that happens or remember every Word that Jesus says. Take maybe 1 or 2 sections that is read each day and study that a little deeper. In the rest of the reading, just act like a sponge and soak it in. So on that idea, much of this month I will focus my writing on a particular section and try to help us unpack it a little better and understand what Jesus saying and telling His children to pay attention too. Here are my thoughts today from Matthew 19:16-22.

​Another question triggers further discussion about the Law. It comes from an unidentified young man who asks Jesus about doing good things to enter the kingdom. While modern evangelists might present this man with the gospel in six easy steps, Jesus’ response seems designed to turn him away. Jesus refers to the commandments, explicitly mentioning the sixth, seventh, eighth, ninth, fifth and tenth laws of the Decalogue (in that order) but implying the continued authority of all ten. Keeping these commandments is the way to ‘enter life’ (v. 17).
The young man has prided himself with having done exactly that. Thinking he has nothing more to do, he asks Jesus what is lacking in his life. Jesus’ response to him is that he should sell all his goods and give them to the poor, and then he should follow Jesus. The young man fails the test; instead of responding positively to Jesus’ words, he goes away sorrowful.
Jesus was not advocating the selling of our possessions as an absolute condition for entering the kingdom. If he were, he would have said this to everyone, and there would be no rich believers in the Bible. Rather, he was using this to expose the true nature of the young man’s heart; although, like Paul, he was blameless in his law-keeping (see Phil. 3:6), he was still a slave to materialism and his many possessions. His life might have been morally exemplary, but his heart was not in love with God.
It is always important to remind ourselves that, even in the Old Testament, commandment-keeping and loving God went side by side. So Moses says in Deuteronomy 11:1, ‘You shall therefore love the Lord your God and keep his charge, his statutes, his rules, and his commandments always.’ The condition which Jesus imposed on the young man of this chapter showed that his claim always to have kept all the commandments was contradicted by the fact that he loved things more than he loved God.
6 Comments
Tammy
10/8/2015 01:58:30 pm

all of us have that one thing we still need to give up for Jesus. I'm noticing the theme of Matthew so far is to "follow me". It's hard to follow Jesus if we are carrying a lot of unnecessary things. He doesn't want us to do that. He wants our heart undivided and totally in love with Him. Everything we do and say and think comes down to a heart issue. That's what Jesus was telling the rich ruler. He wanted to show him that loving Jesus above his riches was much more beneficial to him, but his heart was messed up. We could be just like the rich man in that we follow all the rules and do the right thing all the time, but if our heart isn't right with God, it means nothing.

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Bruce
10/9/2015 01:03:22 am

I am looking at my life after reading Matthew, and find just how out of wack it is with living a Godly/Christian life. There are many things in my daily life that take me away from God. My job and the people I deal with or types of people I deal with. The job its self and the rules that are placed on me. But most importantly is my earthly concerns of taking care of myself and family. Jesus was able to go through his life with no worries as the transcript of last week sermon said. Although I pray for that kind of faith, I fall short by a lot.... I guess one question is; how do I give up coming to work, worrying about how to provide for my family and all things that make life comfortable, in order to follow Jesus to the kingdom of heaven??? That is a question that I have thought about many times of the years. Hopefully some day I will find the answer.

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Tammy
10/9/2015 05:52:29 am

Well....your question got me thinking.....The sermon last week touched a lot on worry. Worry and faith are opposites and when we worry it means we don't trust God. And worry will kill our faith real quick. With that said....it's not easy.
Another thing....God is not concerned with us being comfortable in this life. To work harder for more "things" isn't what he has planned for us. He has us work hard for his glory and honor. We are to work hard to show love and compassion to other and make more disciples. Wow....to think about it further....we aren't to be comfortable at all here on earth. Why? Because it's not our home and also if we get too comfortable we take Him for granted and get too relaxed in our faith.
Now I know providing for your family is important and Biblical. When we put them above our obligation to God is when we have to step back and reevaluate out priorities.
Our household has been turned upside down this past year....however when I live through each day, I am seeing constant reminders that we are right where our God needs us to be for the moment. And whatever tomorrow holds is ok too cause he walks before us paving our way.....and If he's gone ahead to secure our path, we can be ok with whatever the outcome.....good or not so good. By trusting and letting him have control of your life is showing great obedience. Trust and obey. Philippians 4:7

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Tammy
10/9/2015 06:17:46 am

bruce....also check out Deuteronomy 31:8.....Hebrews 13:5......and Joshua 1:5.....genesis 28:15
These all continue the theme of his our God is always with us and goes before us.

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Bruce
10/9/2015 11:28:55 am

Thanks Tammy,

You are a big help to me with my walk with God. I pray that he shows me the way to better Christian. I have been trying hard but it is not easy. I was talking with a friend last night about all the daily distractions that we all face. Shortly after the conversation i found myself getting agitated about a past dealing i had. Part way through it, i remembered our conversation and that helped me to just let it go. I even brought it to his attention and he laughed and said it is a constant struggle. I then talked to myself and thanked God for showing that i was doing what i have been calling "wrong thinking". It was not much but it was a small victory over my sin. Thank you to our God for all my small victories.

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Tamy
10/9/2015 06:26:34 pm

Small victories add up to big ones. You are growing everyday and I'm sure our God is proud of your accomplishments!!

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