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Matthew 27:33-50

Why did Jesus die?

To deliver me. Romans 7 paints a miserably bleak picture of life in this world. We live in bodies that are traitorous, actively working against our best spiritual interests and putting us in captivity to sin. Verse 24 bemoans the human futility of such a hopeless situation: “O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?” Did I say hopeless? My friend, that’s why Jesus died! To give us deliverance and hope. Praise God, He sets us free to live in victory. As Galatians 1:4 reminds us, “Who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil world, according to the will of God and our Father.” The Great Deliverer experienced death so that He might effectively set us free…indeed!

To reconcile me to God. It didn’t take me long to wander away from God. And the further I walked in the alien path, the farther away I got from Him. Even though I obviously continued to be His creature, I was now His enemy. I no longer belonged to Him; I was not His son. But I have been “reconciled to God by the death of his Son” (Romans 5:10). Jesus came and “made peace through the blood of his cross” (Colossians 1:20). I am no longer an enemy and an alien. I am a son, an heir, a citizen of His heavenly kingdom!

To purify me and set me aside. Read it all

John 20:19-23

“Peace be unto you.”

The Prince of peace spoke peace for their present fears: the threatening Jews and His own sudden materialization among them.

He also spoke peace to them for their mission. As the Father had sent Him, He was sending them. As He had come to bring peace on earth, so He was sending them forth with a message of peace and redemption. But the world would hate them for that (John 15:19). Hence, “Peace be unto you.”

He wanted them to have peace despite the hateful world. He also wanted them to be at peace among themselves (1 Thessalonians 5:13), for the evil one would surely strive to turn them against each other.

The One who is our peace had given them the ministry of reconciliation (Ephesians 2:14; 2 Corinthians 5:18,19). He was calling them to be peacemakers between God and man. And among men. So the One who preached peace (Ephesians 2:17) said to them twice, “Peace be unto you.”

Got peace? Read it all

Matthew 16:13-28

Following Jesus requires that I quit following myself. But we must not confuse mere self-denial with following Jesus. Self-denial can easily become a substitute for following Jesus. We are called to deny self and follow Jesus. Whoever would be His disciple can do so only by surrendering completely to His will. “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me” (Matthew 16:24).

How ironic that we humans can strive so hard to attain personal purpose and fulfillment while avoiding the very path that would lead us to that goal. We don’t want to waste our lives on purposeless emptiness, yet we tend to flinch from applying the only principle that will most assuredly make our lives worthwhile. Anyone wishing to make his life worthwhile will achieve that goal only by giving up his life for Jesus and His work. “For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel’s, the same shall save it” (Mark 8:35).

Denying ourselves and taking up our cross can seem like such a waste of life, potential, and opportunity. Sometimes it seems more like a loss. And in such cases we may find ourselves yielding to the desire to prevent such a loss by opting to indulge our selves. Read it all

John 16:4-15

Jesus, the Good Shepherd, sent the Comforter.

Jesus, the Truth, sent the Spirit of truth.

But first He had to leave. Then He could return by the Spirit to live His life from within His disciples. As long as He stayed here in the flesh, He couldn’t do that. Thus it was expedient for Him to go away.

Now that He indwells His people, He empowers them to be comfort givers and truth tellers.

Did you know that truth involves more than merely being factual and knowing the facts? Absolutely! In fact, I suggest to you that you can be far from truth even though you know the facts.

Truth…

• loves God first and supremely.
• seeks first God’s kingdom and righteousness.
• embraces those values which exalt Jesus, for He is truth.
• refuses association with that which is ungodly.

Read it all

Matthew 15:1-14

How do we distinguish between positive and negative traditions in the church and in our lives?

The next four paragraphs come from some of my comments on a parallel passage.

“This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me” (Mark 7:6). When we observe a tradition (or practice a doctrine or live an application) solely for outward show and not from the heart, we mock God. We can allow tradition to become a mere form, a duty we perform with no thought of God. Even our singing can degenerate to that level, becoming the vain worship so despised by God.

“Laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men” (Mark 7:8). A tradition can so absorb us that we disregard what the Bible teaches. This can happen quite unintentionally. God forbid we should ever allow any tradition to displace a zeal for knowing and obeying God’s will as shown in His Word.

“Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition” (Mark 7:13). Some people, in their commitment to tradition, purposefully set aside what God Himself has to say about a given matter. For them what the Bible says does not matter anymore; they deem tradition to supersede what the Bible declares. Other people, with similar zeal for tradition, allow themselves to become that hard soil in which God’s Word cannot sprout and develop into a fruitful plant. For them tradition has become the means and purpose of spirituality; they can no longer respond to the Scriptures.

The basic problem isn’t with tradition but with our own flesh. When we allow God to create a new heart within us and daily renew our spirits, we will use (and respond to) tradition in a way that brings glory to the All Glorious One. So treasure the godly traditions you have…but keep a watch over your heart! Read it all