Let us read today’s verses in Matthew 7:19-27.
(Jesus spoke:) "Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Therefore by their fruits you will know them. "Not everyone who says to Me `Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, `Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, `I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!" "Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock; and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock. "But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand; and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall."
God’s faithful children have the ability to discern if a person is a real believer. They know what fruit to look for in the person’s life. The presence of God’s fruit (such as those written in Galatians 5:22) is a signal that the person lives in obedience to God’s will and is trustworthy in God’s eyes. The presence of sinful ways in a person’s life (such as those written in Galatians 5:19-21) would warn believers that the person has not lived in obedience to God’s will and is therefore not trustworthy; he will not enter the kingdom of heaven.
Many dare to call themselves as Christians; many even take up positions as leaders in Christian churches; some even succeed in doing much religious work. Outwardly, it may appear that such people can rightfully claim a reserved place in the kingdom of heaven. The public might even call them saints, based on what the public had seen them do and had heard them speak.
But today’s verses give no importance to outward appearances. These verses say that God’s focus is on the inward realities of a person’s life. In the final analysis, Jesus will decide who will or will not enter His kingdom based on what He sees within a person’s soul, and not on any credentials and public achievements.
Many so-called evangelists today abound who boast of mighty works that they have accomplished. Many claim the ability to prophesy and work awesome miracles — even invoking the name of the Lord Jesus as they carry out their performances. Yet these accomplishments do not guarantee their entrance into heaven, according to Jesus. When judgement day comes, they would be very surprised if they were not allowed to enter heaven; their audiences who trusted and followed them would be surprised too.
Jesus said that obedience to God is the key to entering heaven. In today’s verses, our Lord emphasized it by saying it twice. Those that listen to what God tells them personally and obeys, they will enter. They have based their faith on a solid foundation that will endure any destructive challenge. Their obedience will be honored by Jesus in accepting them into heaven.
It is entirely true that some can perform mighty works for God and yet not be living in obedience to God. Some preach eloquently, some can prophesy, and some can stage mighty works of healing and casting out demons. But it cannot be presumed that they do these in living obedience to God. Many do it as a livelihood. Many do it for recognition, fame, and other worldly motives. They only succeed in misleading others as they attain their selfish objectives.
But the most dangerous presumptions come upon those who perform mighty works which had been empowered by God, and yet later live in disobedience to God. They had experienced the empowerment of God as His Spirit used them to do amazing deeds. Subsequently, they refused to obey God. Instead of serving the glorious God, they chose to serve themselves. They exchanged the glory of God with worldly gain. The Bible contains examples of such persons.
Saul, before he became king, was a humble man. The Spirit of the Lord came upon him and he prophesied (1Sam.10:9-11). A real empowerment from God! After he became king, Saul turned into a proud and ungodly man because he often disobeyed God. The rest of Saul’s life was displeasing to God.
Judas was an apostle of Jesus. He was among the 12 men who were closest to our Lord. He had spent plenty of time with Him. In Matthew 10:1 it is written that Judas was empowered by Jesus to perform mighty works: And when He had called His twelve disciples to Him, He gave them power over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease. In spite of his closeness to Jesus, Judas did not pursue a life of submission to God’s ways. His materialistic heart learned to rebel against the spiritualistic ways of the Lord. He later sold Jesus to the priests and Pharisees. Judas traded the glory of Jesus which he had personally experienced, all in exhange for 30 silver coins.
Lawlessness is one way that the Bible describes disobedience. It describes the person’s refusal to be led by the guidance of God who keeps trying to guide us towards His ways. Such a person will choose to do only what his heart desires, disregarding whatever God may be guiding him to do. Even if that person’s deeds are not outrageouly wicked and even if his deeds result in good things, if he is not obeying God he is still disobedient.
Judas did not violate the Mosaic Law or disobey any of the 10 commandments. Some would even credit him for the act that allowed Jesus to fulfill His mission to die. Still, Jesus called him the "son of perdition" (John 17:12), a phrase describing a person who is headed toward final judgment and destruction.
Saul and Judas are examples of the kind of people that Jesus warns us about in today’s verses. Yes, there are others like them, many of whom presume that their mighty works are an assurance of their automatic acceptance into heaven. According to Jesus, many of them will be surprised on judgment day because He will reject them.
The ones whom Jesus will accept into His kingdom are those that do the will of the Father. The New Testament says that the will of the Father is that we abide in Jesus whom He had sent. Those who live their lives in obedience to the teachings and examples of Jesus are actually doing the will of the Father. Because they abide in Jesus, He abides in them and reigns supreme in their thoughts, their words, and their deeds.
Jesus will bring into heaven those faithful ones, they that chose to serve Him in total surrender rather than serve themselves. He will even proclaim them before His Father’s throne.
The Judge Himself guides us in today’s verses. Let us live accordingly. God bless us all.
Friday, February 20, 2009
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
THE SAMARITAN WOMAN - John 4:5-19
Let us read today’s verses John 4:5-19 So He came to a city of Samaria which is called Sychar, near the plot of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. Now Jacob’s well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied from His journey, sat thus by the well. It was about the sixth hour. A woman of Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, "Give Me a drink." For His disciples had gone away into the city to buy food. Then the woman of Samaria said to Him, "How is it that You, being a Jew, ask a drink from me, a Samaritan woman?" For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans. Jesus answered and said to her, "If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, `Give Me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water." The woman said to Him. "Sir, You have nothing to draw with, and the well is deep. Where then do You get that living water? Are You greater than our father Jacob who gave us the well, and drank from it himself, as well as his sons and his livestock?" Jesus answered and said to her, "Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life." The woman said to Him, "Sir, give me this water, that I may not thirst, nor come here to draw." Jesus said to her, "Go, call your husband, and come here." The woman answered and said, "I have no husband." Jesus said to her, "You have well said, `I have no husband,’ for you have had five husbands, and the one whom you now have is not your husband; in that you spoke truly." The woman said to Him, "Sir, I perceive that You are a prophet."
God always uses the truth to reveal Himself. That is how people experience His love and His concern in their personal lives. That was the same way that Jesus revealed Himself to the Samaritan woman. Samaria was an area between Judea and Galilee. The city of Sychar was in Samaria, specifically at the foot of Mount Gerizim, the mountain where the Samaritans worshipped God. Jesus was traveling the long journey from Judea to Galilee. He was tired and thirsty when He reached Sychar. As He sat by a well, He requested a Samaritan woman to give Him some of the water that she was drawing from the well. It was a fact that Samaritans and Jews despised each other. Their mutual hatred had marred their relations for many centuries. It started at the time of the Babylonian Exile when the Jews were conquered and exiled to Babylon for 70 years. Some Jews insisted on staying behind in the land of Israel, a decision which disobeyed the prohecies of God. Among them were the Samaritan Jews. As a result of staying behind, the Samaritans intermarried with their heathen neighbors, which was forbidden by the law that God had given through Moses. By the time the exiled Jews returned to Israel, the Samaritans were not purely Jewish anymore. They were thus oustracized as non-Jews. This animosity could be sensed in the conversation between Jesus and the Samaritan woman. The woman mockingly asked why Jesus, a Jew, had requested her, a Samaritan and a non-Jew, for a drink of water. A Jew must not expect any hospitality from a Samaritan. But our Lord transcended that hostile remark. In words that could only come from the gentle lips of the Savior, Jesus tried to explain that He had so much to give anyone who serves Him even if such service is only a drink of water. Jesus used the topic of potable water to illustrate the abundant spiritual blessings that only He could provide. He called it "LIVING WATER". This spiritual water would quench every spiritual thirst. Its’ essence was everlasting life. The woman did not seem to grasp what Jesus was saying. Her worldly understanding was chained to her physical needs and any material benefits she could gain. She could not lift her attention to any spiritual reality. So she tried to toy around by mocking, "Give me this water so that I do not have to come to this well again to get water." But though she mocks Jesus, she does not shun Jesus. Though she cannot grasp the full meaning of Jesus’ revelation, she still converses with Jesus. And more than anything else, she still listens to Him. That was all that Jesus needed at that moment. As long as she would continue listening, our Lord was willing to share His grace and His life-changing words. Jesus shifted the conversation. He wanted to reveal more of Himself; this He did by exposing the deepest secrets of the woman. He invaded the privacy of her heart. He openly declared the secret shame which burdened her soul. The truth could set her free. But how would she react? Humans can easily clam up defensively and deny their guilt in an attempt to avoid humiliation. Humans might even retaliate with insults in order to counteract the rebuke. But the truth, if denied, will be helpless and unable to set one free. The Samaritan woman responded admirably. She made no effort to sidestep the heavy guilt which she had been bearing; she was an adulteress. She chose not to deny the truth; instead she declared that Jesus had been sent by God. Only God can examine her heart and mind. Only God can know all the details of her past, even the darkest sins which she had concealed. She recognized that God had sent someone to draw her heart towards a spiritual reality: that God still loved her and He desired that she turn away from her worldliness and submit to Him. Her response brought a big change in her life (John 4:25-29). How about us? Are we too engrossed with the life of this world? Is it difficult to lift our attention from the worldly to the spiritual? How have we responded to those moments when the Spirit of God tries to draw our materialistic hearts to spiritual reality? Can we still recognize God’s attempts to nudge us from a worldly trance? Do we still marvel at God’s daily revelations of His love the way the Samaritan woman did? May God give us ears that hear and eyes that see. May He give us the grace to respond in humble submission and in loving obedience. And may God be glorified in our thoughts, in our actions, and in our words. God bless us all.
God always uses the truth to reveal Himself. That is how people experience His love and His concern in their personal lives. That was the same way that Jesus revealed Himself to the Samaritan woman. Samaria was an area between Judea and Galilee. The city of Sychar was in Samaria, specifically at the foot of Mount Gerizim, the mountain where the Samaritans worshipped God. Jesus was traveling the long journey from Judea to Galilee. He was tired and thirsty when He reached Sychar. As He sat by a well, He requested a Samaritan woman to give Him some of the water that she was drawing from the well. It was a fact that Samaritans and Jews despised each other. Their mutual hatred had marred their relations for many centuries. It started at the time of the Babylonian Exile when the Jews were conquered and exiled to Babylon for 70 years. Some Jews insisted on staying behind in the land of Israel, a decision which disobeyed the prohecies of God. Among them were the Samaritan Jews. As a result of staying behind, the Samaritans intermarried with their heathen neighbors, which was forbidden by the law that God had given through Moses. By the time the exiled Jews returned to Israel, the Samaritans were not purely Jewish anymore. They were thus oustracized as non-Jews. This animosity could be sensed in the conversation between Jesus and the Samaritan woman. The woman mockingly asked why Jesus, a Jew, had requested her, a Samaritan and a non-Jew, for a drink of water. A Jew must not expect any hospitality from a Samaritan. But our Lord transcended that hostile remark. In words that could only come from the gentle lips of the Savior, Jesus tried to explain that He had so much to give anyone who serves Him even if such service is only a drink of water. Jesus used the topic of potable water to illustrate the abundant spiritual blessings that only He could provide. He called it "LIVING WATER". This spiritual water would quench every spiritual thirst. Its’ essence was everlasting life. The woman did not seem to grasp what Jesus was saying. Her worldly understanding was chained to her physical needs and any material benefits she could gain. She could not lift her attention to any spiritual reality. So she tried to toy around by mocking, "Give me this water so that I do not have to come to this well again to get water." But though she mocks Jesus, she does not shun Jesus. Though she cannot grasp the full meaning of Jesus’ revelation, she still converses with Jesus. And more than anything else, she still listens to Him. That was all that Jesus needed at that moment. As long as she would continue listening, our Lord was willing to share His grace and His life-changing words. Jesus shifted the conversation. He wanted to reveal more of Himself; this He did by exposing the deepest secrets of the woman. He invaded the privacy of her heart. He openly declared the secret shame which burdened her soul. The truth could set her free. But how would she react? Humans can easily clam up defensively and deny their guilt in an attempt to avoid humiliation. Humans might even retaliate with insults in order to counteract the rebuke. But the truth, if denied, will be helpless and unable to set one free. The Samaritan woman responded admirably. She made no effort to sidestep the heavy guilt which she had been bearing; she was an adulteress. She chose not to deny the truth; instead she declared that Jesus had been sent by God. Only God can examine her heart and mind. Only God can know all the details of her past, even the darkest sins which she had concealed. She recognized that God had sent someone to draw her heart towards a spiritual reality: that God still loved her and He desired that she turn away from her worldliness and submit to Him. Her response brought a big change in her life (John 4:25-29). How about us? Are we too engrossed with the life of this world? Is it difficult to lift our attention from the worldly to the spiritual? How have we responded to those moments when the Spirit of God tries to draw our materialistic hearts to spiritual reality? Can we still recognize God’s attempts to nudge us from a worldly trance? Do we still marvel at God’s daily revelations of His love the way the Samaritan woman did? May God give us ears that hear and eyes that see. May He give us the grace to respond in humble submission and in loving obedience. And may God be glorified in our thoughts, in our actions, and in our words. God bless us all.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
