QT 29 Mar 17, Faith, Believing in God's power and God's care

Matthew 8:5–13 (ESV) — 5 When he had entered Capernaum, a centurion came forward to him, appealing to him, 6 “Lord, my servant is lying paralyzed at home, suffering terribly.” 7 And he said to him, “I will come and heal him.” 8 But the centurion replied, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof, but only say the word, and my servant will be healed. 9 For I too am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. And I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes, and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes, and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” 10 When Jesus heard this, he marveled and said to those who followed him, “Truly, I tell you, with no one in Israel have I found such faith. 11 I tell you, many will come from east and west and recline at table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven, 12 while the sons of the kingdom will be thrown into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” 13 And to the centurion Jesus said, “Go; let it be done for you as you have believed.” And the servant was healed at that very moment.

NOTE: This event was immediately following the Sermon on the Mount and prior to some controversies that Jesus would cause. It is probably one-third to one-half through Jesus' three year ministry. Jesus had already met with Samaritans, and possibly Gentiles, but the focus of his ministry has been the people of Israel. His response is interesting and one has to wonder if the Centurion was Jewish (an unlikely possibility since Jesus' statements that follow suggest his faith is not seen in Israel), or the servant was Jewish. Neither of these issues really matter, as the intent, by the context, is to show Jesus' authority. The physical presence was not required for healing. Jesus' word alone was powerful enough to heal without the necessity of proximity. This is not the healing power of an Elijah, but something much greater than Elijah, whose word alone could heal. Actually, Elijah healed Naaman without seeing him, but necessitated actions on him to demonstrate faith. In this case, Jesus alone heals. But Jesus doesn't heal all of our hurts and pains every time. Sometimes the answer is no, as Paul, Timothy, and Epaphroditus would later find out. What do we do when our prayers of faith are not answered? If we really have faith, then we would believe that God cares, and is working to bring good out of our situation, and that we can rejoice in our suffering. That is the definition of faith.

QT 28 Mar 17, Matt 8:1-4, Messianic Sign: the healing of a leper

Matthew 8:1–4 (ESV) — 1 When he came down from the mountain, great crowds followed him. 2 And behold, a leper came to him and knelt before him, saying, “Lord, if you will, you can make me clean.” 3 And Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him, saying, “I will; be clean.” And immediately his leprosy was cleansed. 4 And Jesus said to him, “See that you say nothing to anyone, but go, show yourself to the priest and offer the gift that Moses commanded, for a proof to them.”

NOTE: By this point, Jesus had healed many. But in the book of Matthew, this is the first detailed description of an individual receiving healing. The only previous paragraph in Matthew talked about groups coming to him for healing. This specific healing event was very important to a Jewish observer. There are two chapters in Leviticus that detail very specifically what a Jew is to do when healed of leprosy. The problem is that no one has ever used those two chapters. Only two people are mentioned that were healed of leprosy, one was Miriam, which occurred before the writing of Leviticus, and the other was Naaman, who was not Jewish and not under the law. Consequently, the Jews considered this a Messianic miracle that would identify the Messiah to the people. In fact, Jesus makes very clear that the man follow the directions in Leviticus and go to a Priest and offer the gift required. This would have been an extraordinary event that would have set off alarm bells in Jerusalem, and the priests would have known about it, and could then move to investigate the claims, which they do. Matthew is making a very clear case that this is the promised messiah.

QT 27 Mar 17, Matt 7:28-29, Jesus is the authoritative Word of God

Matthew 7:28–29 (ESV) — 28 And when Jesus finished these sayings, the crowds were astonished at his teaching, 29 for he was teaching them as one who had authority, and not as their scribes.

NOTE: These verses end the message on the sermon on the mount. The reference to a scribe is important, since a scribe would only repeat authoritative interpretations of the scripture that have been decided by rabbis. Jesus authority to interpret scripture did not come from another rabbi (as was the required custom), but literally from and directly by God. One, because he was God, and two, because at the baptism, the Holy Spirit descended upon him as a dove, and God the Father spoke audibly, declaring him his son. On the mount of transfiguration, before Peter, James, and John, God the Father added this audible command, "listen to him." He spoke with authority, because he had authority. And he spoke a message that astonished the crowds, because the message came directly from God. This was not an intermediary like Moses relaying God's command. This was God himself, somehow existing in the flesh, directly speaking the message of God to the people. What a fascinating time to have lived! And while the message has been extended by the Apostles, it is the same message. The Apostles do not change anything. They were led by Holy Spirit and gave to us the full and complete word of God. The answers are there if we are willing to seek. That is also why it is so important to spend time daily in the word of God.

QT 24 Mar 17, Matt 5:17-20, Jesus' life fulfilled the law; Jesus' death abolished the law

Matthew 5:17–20 (ESV) — 17 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. 18 For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished. 19 Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20 For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.

NOTE: Much has been written about these verses, so I don't want to add too much, except to say that the NT writers, particularly Paul made it clear that in fact the law has been abolished, not by Jesus' life but by Jesus' death. Jesus' life fulfilled or completed the law, not a dot or iota of the law was omitted in his life. He fully complied with every aspect of the law, such that he had no sin at the end of his life. And consequently, he could offer his own sinless life for our sinful lives in order to abolish the law and the power of sin which was death. He defeated death by completely fulfilling every aspect of the law. And he abolished the law, nailing it to the cross (as Paul says in Colossians) by his death. Jesus' death changes everything. Before his death, we were under the law, after his death we live under grace. Prior to his death, Gentiles were without hope, but now we have hope. Jesus' death changed everything about life and the law. Now our righteousness can exceed that of the scribes and Pharisees, because Jesus fulfilled the law for me. Thank you Lord for my undeserved (in every sense of the word) salvation.

QT 23 Mar 17, Matt 5:11-12, Standing up against the Babylonian worldview

Matthew 5:11–12 (AMP) — 11 Blessed (happy, to be envied, and spiritually prosperous—with life-joy and satisfaction in God’s favor and salvation, regardless of your outward conditions) are you when people revile you and persecute you and say all kinds of evil things against you falsely on My account.

12 Be glad and supremely joyful, for your reward in heaven is great (strong and intense), for in this same way people persecuted the prophets who were before you.

NOTE: We hear the beatitudes so often that I think they lose their beauty and impact. Life can be tough, and we can feel like a minority, although our suffering pales with those whose very lives are threatened in many parts of the world. Still, it does not feel good to be attacked as antiquated or out-of-touch or even evil, because we hold to ideas that are called hurtful. The amazing thing is that the worldview, the culture of our time (I like to call the Babylonian worldview) is what is ultimately hurtful and destroying the families and even the souls of its adherents. We have so confused sexual identity to our great detriment. Genesis 1:27 (ESV) — 27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. As we move away from our original design and purpose we will run into design faults, because we were not intended to live in such a way. We are warped and deceived and slowly destroying ourselves as we move away from the creator's intent. Believers are here to be that voice in the increasing wilderness, the last whimper of reason. Yes, we will not be accepted, but Jesus did not say we would. But there is blessing and there is reward. We just need to stand strong. … And that does not mean to act in anger, but as Peters says, 1 Peter 3:15 (ESV) — 15 but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect, …. May we be his witness as we stand against the Babylonian assault against all that is good and holy, but with gentleness and respect (the opposite of those who ridicule us).

QT 22 Mar 17, Matt 4:23-25, What are we doing to be more like the savior?

Matthew 4:23–25 (ESV) — 23 And he went throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction among the people. 24 So his fame spread throughout all Syria, and they brought him all the sick, those afflicted with various diseases and pains, those oppressed by demons, those having seizures, and paralytics, and he healed them. 25 And great crowds followed him from Galilee and the Decapolis, and from Jerusalem and Judea, and from beyond the Jordan.

NOTE: At this point, Jesus is very popular with the masses. In all directions, people are coming to him, and great crowds are following him. As far as we can tell, this all happened in a little less than a year, during a time where there was no radio, television, or internet. Word of him spread everywhere, why? There are clues in the scriptures. One passage says that he spoke as one who had authority and not like their teachers. Another passage says that the crowds were amazed because he did everything well. Implied is that his life matched his words. He cared for people, he taught the truth of God's word, and he lived a life rooted in spiritual disciplines. He regularly got up early in the morning to pray. He often slipped away to pray. His relationship with the Father was central to his ministry. He is our example of how to live as God intends. How does my life match his example to us? What can I do better? Where do I need to change? Where do I need to grow? These are questions that we need to regularly ask ourselves.

QT 21 Mar 17, Matt 4:18-22, Responding to the call of Jesus

Matthew 4:18–22 (ESV) — 18 While walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon (who is called Peter) and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. 19 And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” 20 Immediately they left their nets and followed him. 21 And going on from there he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets, and he called them. 22 Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.

NOTE: This is still sometime prior to Jesus' night in prayer on the mountain when he selected the 12 disciples. And so, it is not clear if the response was a complete dismissal of their occupation or only partially, otherwise, he would have already chosen some of the 12 and there was no need to select them. And it was not a call out-of-the-blue, since we can see in John's gospel that he already knew these men. But it does indicate a different type of relationship. This event probably occurs one year into his ministry and two years before his crucifixion. But one thing we do know, when Jesus gave this call, they immediately responded to his authority. They knew he was not an ordinary man. There were no doubts, or excuses. They recognized the was different. And they recognized he had authority over their lives. Do we respond similarly when God calls us to a task?

QT 20 Mar 17, Eph 3:1-6, Mysteries and Secrets

Ephesians 3:1–6 (ESV) — 1 For this reason I, Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus on behalf of you Gentiles— 2 assuming that you have heard of the stewardship of God’s grace that was given to me for you, 3 how the mystery was made known to me by revelation, as I have written briefly. 4 When you read this, you can perceive my insight into the mystery of Christ, 5 which was not made known to the sons of men in other generations as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit. 6 This mystery is that the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body, and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.

NOTE: Gnosticism is the cultic belief that they are secrets hidden by God that only the select may know, and that you must join the inner circle to understand the deep truths. How does that fit with the "mysteries" and "secrets" expressed in the NT? For one, God's mysteries, when revealed, are made known to everyone. Prior, they are only know by God, but once revealed are fully revealed. Having said that, there may be other mysteries or secrets besides the eight or so that are revealed in the NT, but if there are, they would only be known by God. If someone says that they have insight into a mystery, they are saying that have a hunch or an idea, but no special revelation from God. In fact, Paul makes very clear that the mysteries have been made know by God to his Holy Apostles and prophets by the Spirit. Since there are no more Apostles, in the big "A" sense, there can be no more mysteries to be revealed. In this case, the mystery is that the church is a body of Jews and Gentiles, the same body, who all partake in the promise of Christ Jesus: eternal life, adoption as sons, and inheritance of the riches of God.

QT 16 Mar 17, Matt 4:1-4, Jesus' holiness while in human form

Matthew 4:1–4 (ESV) —

1 Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2 And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. 3 And the tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.” 4 But he answered, “It is written,

“ ‘Man shall not live by bread alone,

but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’ ”

NOTE: Satan says, "if you are the son of God" -- did he think to cause doubt? Was the question intended to cause pride? Did he think that Jesus' fleshly hunger could overcome his holiness? I suppose all those things were on Satan's mind, but to think that God might be susceptible to sin, does seem foolish. But we are also told that Jesus was tempted in every way just as we are, yet without sin. So, there must have been a chance for the holy one to sin, but then he could not be God. He could experience the temptation, but I can't imagine him sinning. When we think of heaven and wonder how we can exist without sin when we have been so susceptible over the years, Jesus' example stands out. Not that we will be God, but rather we will not have the flesh to battle, but will have new bodies. Our minds will be renewed. And we will be able to tap into the power to say no to evil. Jesus lived on earth. He had a ministry. He interacted with people. He enjoyed food and beauty. He showed us what heaven can be like for a holy creature. Someday, we will shed this body of sin and receive the promised new bodies, our resurrected bodies, and we will experience the joy of living without the taint of sin. Oh, how I look forward to that day.

QT 15 Mar 17, Matt 3:13-17, Jesus' authority

Matthew 3:13–17 (ESV) —

13 Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to John, to be baptized by him. 14 John would have prevented him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” 15 But Jesus answered him, “Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he consented. 16 And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him; 17 and behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”

NOTE: Jesus does not dispute John's profession that Jesus was the great figure, because Jesus knew who he was, the son of God. The baptism reinforces John's astute observation. Additionally, this is an important event because it bestows authority on Jesus. Later, Jews would ask for his authority, i.e., the two required rabbis who could vouch for his teachings (usually his teachers). Jesus authority is much higher than a couple of rabbis, but is God the Father and God the Holy Spirit. The Father speaks and the Holy Spirit descends upon him, thus firmly establishing his authority as none other than God himself. There is no greater authority. In the OT, God would use his word as the guarantee of his portion of a covenant or promise. Most people swear by something higher, but for God there is nothing higher. However you might want to reinterpret the story, from a Jewish point of view, the conclusion is clear--Jesus' authority rests on the absolute authority of God himself. To ignore Jesus, is to ignore God.

QT 14 Mar 17, Matt 3:11-12, Lord, give us lives that show Jesus

Matthew 3:11–12 (ESV) —

11 “I baptize you with water for repentance, but he who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. 12 His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and gather his wheat into the barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.”

NOTE: From John the Baptist's perspective, there was one Messiah, one who would baptize with the Holy Spirit and also with fire. We see the baptism of the Holy Spirit in the new birth, but because of the Jew's rejection of the Messiah in Matt 12, we see a change in the program of God, foreseen by God, but only hinted at to us. There is still a second coming of Jesus. We live in the age of the Church where the Holy Spirit indwells the members of the body of Christ. But John the Baptist prophesized the fire coming as well. He was right -- the fire is  coming. The threshing floor of God will be cleared, the wheat gathered and the chaff burned with a fire that never is satisfied. As great as our salvation is, we should be broken for those who are still facing a future separated from God. Lord, give us a heart for the lost. I pray they can see lives that express the love of God, and would be attracted to the aroma of Christ. Satan has so deceived and blinded their minds. May our lives shine with the power of a life transformed by Jesus that would break the hold of Satan on their lives.

QT 13 Mar 17, Matt 3:1-6, What does God want me to see?

Matthew 3:1–6 (ESV) —

1 In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, 2 “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” 3 For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah when he said,

“The voice of one crying in the wilderness:

‘Prepare the way of the Lord;

make his paths straight.’ ”

4 Now John wore a garment of camel’s hair and a leather belt around his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey. 5 Then Jerusalem and all Judea and all the region about the Jordan were going out to him, 6 and they were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins.

NOTE: God provided more than sufficient warning of the coming Messiah, ignoring the miracles and signs. John the Baptist, in the wilderness, calling people to repent, because the Lord was near. The wise men, the star, the angels, the shepherds -- yes, separated by 30 years -- all evidence of something that was happening. Too often we go looking for signs to match are pre-conceived notions of something, instead of being open to signs that God is speaking to us. How do we separate and differentiate? I think it requires prayer, like Simeon and Anna.

Lord, open my eyes to see what you are doing in my life and my circle of influence. Take away the blinders of sin and pride and laziness. Speak to my heart through the Spirit. May I not miss out on the work that you are calling me to do. Let me see the need clearly. May I be focused and accomplish the tasks you give me.

QT 9 Mar 17, Ps 121, We will never be forgotten or unprotected

Psalm 121:1–8 (ESV) —

1 I lift up my eyes to the hills.

From where does my help come?

2 My help comes from the Lord,

who made heaven and earth.

3 He will not let your foot be moved;

he who keeps you will not slumber.

4 Behold, he who keeps Israel

will neither slumber nor sleep.

5 The Lord is your keeper;

the Lord is your shade on your right hand.

6 The sun shall not strike you by day,

nor the moon by night.

7 The Lord will keep you from all evil;

he will keep your life.

8 The Lord will keep

your going out and your coming in

from this time forth and forevermore.

NOTE: Sometimes we need to be reminded that no matter how dark or discouraging things may be, the Lord does not slumber. He is our keeper -- the Hebrew word, shamar, is translated observe, heed, and keep. God knows all about us: where we are going, where we are coming. He promises to protect us from evil, which is not to say evil won't happen, that is the nature of a fallen world and our choice, but he will protect us from its destructive consequences. He promises to help us through life. He promises to not leave us alone. He promises to shade us from the worst that Satan may try to bring against us. Yes, life can and will be hard at times. But without the Lord, it would be unbearable and without hope. We have a wonderful hope and a glorious future. We are deeply loved by the Father. We need to relax in his hands, and remind ourselves: he knows; he is our keeper.

QT 8 Mar 17, Eph 2:19-22, The body of Christ (the church) is to build up our body, the temple of God

Ephesians 2:19–22 (ESV) —

19 So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, 20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, 21 in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. 22 In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.

NOTE: There are three structures, one is called a temple and it is indwelt by the HS, and two are called the body of Christ. There is the universal church, the body of all believers, which is the body of Christ in the world. There are local churches, a body of local believers, also called the body of Christ, and functioning in the same manner. In the latter two, the Holy Spirit dwells only by his indwelling within the believer. The last "structure" is our own body, which is called a temple of the HS. We are sealed with the promised (by Jesus) HS who is a guarantee of our inheritance. The passage tell us that the local church body builds us up (together) as a dwelling place of the HS. So one of the reasons we need the body, the church, is to build up our own temple. Yes, the Spirit already dwells there, but that does not mean it is worthy of his presence. Technically, we will never be worthy, but we can, out of thankfulness, beautify the temple of God, which is our body by making it holy.

QT 7 Mar 17, Eph 2:19-21, We spend too much time criticizing the church for not being beautiful instead of serving in our role

Ephesians 2:19–21 (ESV) — 19 So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, 20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, 21 in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord.

NOTE: One of the mysteries of the new covenant is a new entity, the church, made up of Jew and Gentile, as fellow citizens and as members of the household of God. The universal church is God's desire for man. I must admit, that we have not done a very good job of creating the universal church. It is a diverse, which is good, but it is not unified. It fights against itself. It forms itself into cliques. It hates and despise without understanding. As much as that is true, it is not true everywhere. There are churches, a remnant, who love their fellow believers, who love the lost, and are seeking to live like Christ on earth. We struggle with this body of sin that hinders our ability to truly live for God, but we don't give up. We do the right thing. I suppose for all our failures as a universal church, the only thing we can do is to do our part as a member of the body of Christ. We need to serve in whatever role we have in the body. It is not perfect. We need to get off that criticism and focus on our part. The church can be beautiful and glorious but only when we stop criticizing her and start individually serving as God has called us to serve. Open our eyes Lord Jesus.

QT 6 Mar 17, Matt 2:13-18, God does not interfere with man's evil choices, but he uses them to bring good

Matthew 2:13–18 (ESV) — 13 Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you, for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.” 14 And he rose and took the child and his mother by night and departed to Egypt 15 and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet, “Out of Egypt I called my son.”

16 Then Herod, when he saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, became furious, and he sent and killed all the male children in Bethlehem and in all that region who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had ascertained from the wise men. 17 Then was fulfilled what was spoken by the prophet Jeremiah:

18 “A voice was heard in Ramah,

weeping and loud lamentation,

Rachel weeping for her children;

she refused to be comforted, because they are no more.”

NOTE: I think this verse brings up an interesting question on God's sovereignty. Cleary God knows beforehand (what I like to point out as foreknowledge). He does not provoke Herod, who in his own evil nature kills all the children, two-years old and below in Bethlehem. God knew way back during the time of Jeremiah that Herod would commit such an atrocity. God knew during the time of Joseph. God did not cause it. God did not stop evil. God's involvement, I believe, is limited by our rebellion in the garden. We wanted freedom from God's rule, and he gave it to us (for a limited time). God does intervene according to his plan and for the good as he sees it in the lives of Joseph and Mary. Romans 11:28 tells us that he works for good to those who love him. He does not control every event, in the sense of cause. Evil men choose to do evil. The planet is decaying due to our original rebellion. People die, even though that was not his original intent when we were created. This world is not how he intended it. Although the message of the millennial is that he will restore it to his original intent, and those who have believed in him will live during the millennial reign of Christ. Life is not hopeless, the best is still to come, but it will only happen after Jesus's return. 

QT 3 Mar 17, Matt 2:10,16, What do we do with the real Jesus?

Matthew 2:10 (ESV) — 10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy.

Matthew 2:16 (ESV) — 16 Then Herod, when he saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, became furious, and he sent and killed all the male children in Bethlehem and in all that region who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had ascertained from the wise men.

NOTE: Two different reactions to the birth of Jesus, and it is still true today: great joy and furious anger. Does any person in history generate such emotional responses? Some might in the short term, like politicians and the sort. Some generate one type of emotion, like hate in the case of Hitler. But no historical religious figure generates such controversial emotions as Jesus. Actually, most people don't like what Jesus propelled forward, they back off when pushed to identify what they don't like about Jesus. Also, those people have accepted a distorted version of Jesus where miracles are myth, exclusive statements are distorted, and worlds where Jesus does not claim equality of God. Although a simple reading of scripture shows that the Jews did not interpret his statements the way we want to interpret them today. But then, the scoffers simply dismiss this by saying the statements in the bible are distorted and have been changed, with quite literally no scientific proof (since the evidence is quite the opposite). In fact, when it comes right down to it, even the miracles can't be denied because every book in the NT was written in a time when eyewitnesses still lived. And the diaspora guaranteed that these eyewitnesses were all over the known world with required trips to Jerusalem once every three years. No, the scoffers really have no good evidence that what was written is not absolutely true. But ignoring the evidence protects them from having to deal with the awful truths of Jesus' statements. What do we do with the real Jesus?

QT 2 Mar 17, Matt 2:1-3, "Jesus," the name that troubles the world

Matthew 2:1–3 (ESV) — 1 Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, 2 saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” 3 When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him;

NOTE: "Troubled!" Not overjoyed, not curious, not in wonderment, but troubled--the leadership (as depicted by 'Jerusalem') is troubled. These are Jews, the ones who should be waiting for such a wondrous event, as Simon and Anna were (see Luke 2). Jesus puts certain people on edge. For true people of faith, Jesus is a joyous name and a great excitement. To the outwardly religious, the power-hungry, the atheist, the person who loves sin, the name of "Jesus" causes the grinding of teeth. It is hated, attacked, and mocked throughout most of the world today. The worldview of Babylon is "I did it my way and I do not need or want God." The world believes that they are their own god. Which is why it is so important for the world to tout that all religions are true. Because it does two things. One, it makes all religion not true since they contract each other at fundamental levels. Two, it allows man to do whatever he wants, even create a religion of self-worship. The philosophy that all religions are true is an atheist philosophy at its very roots. And Jesus, who said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father but through me." is hated for his exclusive statements. His name sets people on edge, because it really is the name of the living God--Jesus.

QT 1 Mar 17, Matt 1:18-25, Trust God even when the world around you mocks your faith

Matthew 1:18–25 (ESV) — 18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. 19 And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. 20 But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” 22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: 

23 “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, 

and they shall call his name Immanuel” 

(which means, God with us). 24 When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife, 25 but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus. 

NOTE: There is a lot left unsaid in these verses. How do you communicate to your family, your friends, your neighbors what has happened? The supposedly pious Joseph and Mary were pregnant, and their defense is that it was a miracle. It would be better not to say anything. Joseph could have protected his reputation by divorcing Mary, but in obedience to God, he does not, thereby allowing the rumors to convict him as well. This was a time in Israel that was much different than today in America. The nation was under oppression by the Romans, much as in Judges, and the story of Judges was that the oppression was the result of following the ways of the world and disobeying the commands of God. This story would have made many in the community angry at Joseph and Mary for failing to do the right thing and wait. Of course, they did wait. Mary's conception was supernatural. Even Joseph did not believe Mary's story, else he would not have considered divorcing her. It took a visitation by an angel in a dream to convince him otherwise. As Jesus said, blessed are those who do not see (his physical presence like the disciple Thomas) and still believe. What is God calling me to believe, and to trust him?

PONDER:

1) Joseph and Mary's lives were probably surrounded by controversy during much of the early years. God's ways are not always easy. What am I living for -- the comfortable easy life, or the life of obedience? How can I tell?

2) The people living around Joseph and Mary were eyewitnesses to the greatest miracle in history and most had no clue. No one traveled with them to the census, yet later they would travel with the family when Jesus was 12 years old. Why not? What changed? Grudges destroy years and people. What do I need to let go of?

PRAYER: Father, being in your will does not make life easy. Life can still be hard but at least the struggle will not be internally, like Saul when Jesus told him that it is hard to kick against the goads. There is peace and freedom internally when we are in your will, but there still may be hardship and struggles in the external material world as we fight unseen forces that are arrayed against your will. Strengthen us. Help us to trust you and to have faith that you know what you are doing. Give us peace. Amen.