Matthew (**donotes very visual devotion)
Matthew 1:1 - Born to Be . . .
**Matthew 3:17 - This is My Son
**Matthew 4:19 - Come, Follow Me
**Matthew 5:11 - Water Off a Duck's Back
**Matthew 5:15 - Shine!
**Matthew 6:1 - Outward Show, Inward Reality
**Matthew 6:33 - Daily Seek God's Kingdom
**Matthew 7:2 - Measure Carefully
**Matthew 7:14 - The Way is Hard
**Matthew 7:24 - Anchored to the Rock
**Matthew 9:38 - Harvest
***Matthew 9:38 - Commence (Holy Day Lesson - Eighth Day)
**Matthew 10:29 - Feathers
**Matthew 10:8b - Walking Water - Share (Holy Day Lesson - post-Feast of Tabernacles)
**Matthew 11:28 - There's No Place Like Home
Matthew 11:28-30 - Finding Rest
**Matthew 12:34 - What's in Your Heart
Matthew 12:36 - Every Careless Word
**Matthew 13:38 - Harvest Time (Holy Day Lesson - Pentecost)
**Matthew 13:38 - Bow the Knee (Holy Day Lesson - Pentecost)
Matthew 14:17 - What Do You Have?
**Matthew 14:27 - Jesus Walks on Water (YEA lesson)
Matthew 15:10 - Hear and Understand (Holy Day Lesson - Pre-Feast of Tabernacles)
Matthew 16:16 - The Center of Our Lives
**Matthew 17:5 - Mountain Top Miracle (YEA Lesson)
Matthew 18:4 - Humility
Matthew 18:10 - Angels
Matthew 19:17 - Good
Matthew 19:30 - Last and First
Matthew 20:33 - Open My Eyes
Matthew 22:40 - Hangers
Matthew 24:13 - Never Give Up
Matthew 24:46 - So Doing
**Matthew 25:21 - Well Done
**Matthew 26:21 - A Sad, Sad Supper (YEA lesson)
**Matthew 28:20 - Promises
Born to Be . . .
The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham. Matthew 1:1
Ancestry matters. Think about Secretariat. In the movie, the owner, Penny, talks about Secretariat being sired by Bold Ruler out of Somethingroyal, by Princequillo. It was important. From one of the parents, the horse got speed. From the other, he got endurance. Penny was betting that the combination was going to give her a winning horse.
That’s part of the reason I keep asking people what they think Pepper is. I asked the vet his opinion. I asked the U-Fli trainer her opinion. Obviously, they’re not going to know Pepper’s parents, but every breed of dog has distinguishable characteristics - both physical and temperamental. Blue heelers are fiercely loyal to the family and are natural herd dogs, even herding children, when necessary. Great Pyrenees are easy-going, gentle giants. Dalmatians are known to be high-strung. Terriers would rather argue with you than play with you. It’s not going to matter, in the end, what Pepper is; I’m just curious about his tendencies.
And really, they are just tendencies. Think about labrador retrievers. They’re supposed to retrieve. Velvet retrieves very well. Ebony could care less. But not only are they both black labs, they were both from the same litters. So just because they’re labs, doesn’t necessarily mean they’re both going to be good retrievers.
So even if you had a great-great-great uncle who owned a cattle ranch which stretched for two days (riding on horseback in any direction), that doesn’t necessarily mean you’re going to have a good head for business, own a cattle ranch, or even like cows. But you might. Likely though, you’ll inherit physical features which are more easily seen, like blond hair or blue eyes.
So it’s interesting that Matthew begins his gospel with
The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham. Matthew 1:1
Jesus Christ was the legal descendant of David, through Joseph, and the physical descendant of David, through Mary. Jesus was, and is, the heir to the throne of his father David. He inherited the right to the throne because He was a descendant of King David. Jesus was born to be King.
The last part of Matthew 1:1 says, “son of Abraham.” That’s a little more difficult to define. What does it mean to be the son of Abraham? Perhaps it means that Jesus is in that lineage of the faithful. Perhaps it means that just as Isaac was the son of promise, Jesus is the One promised to come, to save mankind, slain from the foundation of the world. Perhaps, when people hear “son of Abraham,” they think of God’s command for Abraham to sacrifice Isaac. Perhaps, Matthew is telling his readers that not only was Jesus born to be King, He was also born to be our sacrifice, our Savior.
Genealogy and family connections are interesting. In the life of a Christian though, they are more than interesting; they are very meaningful. We are told in Romans 8:15-17, 23 that we are adopted into God’s family as sons. Jesus Christ is our older Brother (Romans 8:29). We are going to be adopted into the kingly line - that’s why we’re called a royal priesthood (1 Peter 2:9). That’s why we’re qualified to reign with Christ on earth for a thousand years (Revelation 5:10). But this inheritance is not because of our works, our inherent goodness, because we are so wonderful. These promises of being the brothers and sisters of Jesus Christ are because of what He did: He came as a human being to die for the sins of those who would believe on Him. In accepting Jesus Christ as your Savior, you are not only given salvation and the promise of eternal life, but adoption into the very family of God as well. It’s a huge thing that Jesus Christ did for each of us.
Sometimes life gets tough. Sometimes you get discouraged. Just remember what your inheritance is - in Jesus Christ. As part of His family, you’re in the kingly line. You’re a descendant of Abraham, the father of the faithful. When you’re tired of struggling, just remember what’s waiting for you. Then, work out your faith. Live like a child of the King.
**This is My Son
This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. (KJV) - Matthew 3:17
Materials needed: doves with questions, lesson from Christian Educational Ministries (https://www.borntowin.net/yea/primaries/primaries-life-of-christ/)
There’s a lot of information packed into this lesson! Let’s see how much you remember from Matthew 3:3-17 and Mark 1:4-11.
Where was John the Baptist? What body of water? Sea of Galilee or Jordan River? (Jordan River)
What was John the Baptist famous for eating and wearing? (clothes made from camel’s hair; locust and wild honey) Was it wrong for him to eat locusts? Aren’t they unclean? (No, locusts are one of the clean bugs. Yuck!)
What was John the Baptist doing? Was he playing in the water? Taking a bath? (He was preaching and baptizing.) What was he preaching? (People needed to repent.) What does “repent” mean? (It means to be sorry for your actions/sins and to stop doing them!) What are sins? (Sins are anything that transgresses God’s laws.)
John the Baptist also said he was preparing the way - for whom? (Jesus)
What did Jesus want John the Baptist to do? (He wanted John to baptize Him.) Why did Jesus want to be baptized? Did He do something wrong? Did He need to repent of anything? (No!! The Bible says it was to fulfill all righteousness. It was the right thing to do.)
What descended on Jesus when He’d been baptized? (Matthew 3:16 says “he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him.”)
What did the people hear after Jesus’ baptism? (‘A voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” ’ (vs. 17)
It’s important to remember that Jesus gave us an example to follow - to fulfill all righteousness, to do what is right. Being baptized is an act of obedience, doing what God has said. What are some other things you should be doing right now? (Reading your Bible, coming to church, honoring your father and mother, not fighting with your brothers and sister, praying - talking with God, singing praises to God) Our goal is to emulate (to look like) our Older Brother, Jesus Christ, and to some day hear God say, “Well done.” We all want God, our Heavenly Father, to be well pleased with us.
**Come, Follow Me
“Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” - Matthew 4:19
Materials Needed: paper fish (magnets attached) with review questions, fishing pole of dowel rod and string with magnet at the end, lesson #5 from Primaries book (https://www.borntowin.net/.../primaries-life-of-christ/)
Have you ever stopped to think about the disciples that Jesus chose? Their backgrounds were so varied! Imagine a tax collector and a zealot working together under any other circumstances!! Imagine choosing muscular fishermen to preach the good news of the Kingdom of God - instead of the priests and teachers of the law. It’s truly a testimony about the power of God to accomplish His will, for His glory and honor. (1 Corinthians 1:26-31)
Another amazing aspect of Jesus calling His disciples is how they responded. Peter, Andrew, James, and John are recorded as immediately leaving their nets. Perhaps it was because they had worked all night without catching a single fish. Then, when Jesus told them to put down their nets again, they caught so many that the nets began breaking and the fish filled both boats so that the boats started to sink (Luke 5). After a miracle like that, who would be reluctant to follow Jesus!?
Jesus often spoke to the people about things they knew well. Then He used those familiar aspects of their lives to help explain spiritual things. The concept of harvest, of sheep needing a shepherd, a gate, living water, hungering for righteousness . . . Jesus did this when calling Peter, Andrew, James and John too!! He acknowledged they were fishermen. Now he was going to make them fishers of men. And after just having seen what Jesus could do, those four fishermen must have had no doubt that Jesus could use them to do what He said.
What about you? Are you a disciple of Jesus Christ? Have you thought about how Jesus can use you for His glory? Just like Peter, Andrew, James, and John were working hard before Jesus called them, you need to work hard: Work hard in school, obey your parents, read the Bible daily, go to church, choose to do the right thing, get along with others. In other words, be a light to the people around you so that they will want to know more about the God you serve.
***Sabbath School was a lot of fun! I made construction paper fish and clipped a paperclip onto their mouths. Then I made a "fishing pole." I let the boys "fish." When they caught one, I asked them the question on the back. If they answered correctly, they continued to fish. If they missed the answer, I threw the fish back. . . . I used the questions from the teacher's edition of the YEA lesson (#5) from the first Primary book from CEM. (https://www.borntowin.net/.../primaries-life-of-christ/)
**Water Off a Duck’s Back
Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. Matthew 5:11
Materials needed: oil, feather, water, towels
(Demonstrate how water does not penetrate a feather but slides off
because of the natural oil with which the ducks preen themselves.)
God created ducks (and most birds, actually) with a special oil gland. They use their bills and beaks to preen themselves and spread that oil all over their feathers. Why would they do that? Well, oil and water don’t mix. So a light coating of oil repels the water which would otherwise get to their skin and freeze in the winter. The oil allows the feathers to provide the perfect protection from rain, sleet, and snow.
When we’re talking about Bible symbolism, what does oil typically make you think of? The Holy Spirit. It was oil in the lamp which caused them to burn brightly. It is God’s Holy Spirit in you which causes you to shine brightly for the Lord and to illuminate His Word to the people around you.
So maybe it’s just a coincidence. But what if God’s Holy Spirit is also like the oil on a duck’s feathers. What if the insults and persecution and lies of others are like water off a duck’s back to you because you have the Holy Spirit, because you know you belong to the King of kings. You are special because He chose you to belong to Him.
So when people insult you, persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Jesus Christ, it’s not easy. It hurts. It doesn’t feel good. But you know you are blessed because they’re only saying and doing those things because you belong to Him. And you can let it slide right off you - like water off a duck’s back.
**Shine!
Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket . . . Matthew 5:15
Materials: candle, matches, bowl or flashlight and basket
We all know how silly it would be to light a candle and then put it under a bowl so that it won’t give its light. If you put the candle under the bowl, what will happen to the candle? Eventually, it will burn all of the oxygen available and it will go out. How silly to light a candle just to let it go out - and be of no use to anyone at all. This statement presupposes that we need the light. It’s dark and we can’t see; we need the light. So we light a candle. Then what do we do with the candle? We hold it up, or put it up high enough so it can shine its light so we can see.
We know that Jesus is the Light of the world (John 1:4-9; John 8:12). So it should not be surprising to find scriptures in the Old Testament that would point to this reality. For instance, the lampstand which was in the tabernacle was to be tended by the priests from evening to morning; it was not allowed to go out (Exodus 27:21). John 1:5 tells us that Jesus, the Light, shines in the darkness. Also, this lamp stand had 22 almond flowers on it - the same number of letters in the Hebrew alphabet. Psalm 119:105 says, “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path.” Jesus is the Word of God (John 1:1). He is the Word and the Light which illuminates our path.
And there are other references to light - very comforting and encouraging references:
Micah 7:8 - Do not gloat over me, my enemy! Though I have fallen, I will rise. Though I sit in darkness, the LORD will be my light.
Psalm 27:1 - The LORD is my light and my salvation— whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life— of whom shall I be afraid?
Psalm 18:28 - You, LORD, keep my lamp burning; my God turns my darkness into light.
And then there’s this very important scripture in Matthew 5:14; Jesus tells His disciples that they are the light of the world. Then He tells them that people don’t light a lamp and put it under a basket.
If you are a follower, a disciple, of Jesus Christ then Jesus has called you the light of the world. You are to be giving glory and honor to God in everything you do - especially as the world around you grows more dark. If the world were full of light, your light wouldn’t be seen - or as desperately needed. But in an ever-increasingly darkening world, your light is more important than ever. We each need to make sure that we’re following in the footsteps of Jesus, the Light of the world, that we can likewise spread His light to people who desperately need hope; they desperately need the Savior; they need Light.
However, it's not only people who don’t know our God who need your light; God’s people need the encouragement too. There’s a stanza in a song: I will hold the Christlight for you in the nighttime of your fear; I will hold my hand out to you, speak the peace you long to hear. We each rely on the light of our brothers and sisters in Christ to endure and persevere, to stay the course. We need the light!!
Especially now, don’t hide your light under a basket. Let it shine!!
**Outward Show, Inward Reality
Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them . . . Matthew 6:1
Materials: pencils (big pencil, Mickey Mouse ears pencil, heart pencil, long eraser pencil, normal pencil, mechanical pencil with/without lead)
Sometimes I look at pencils and I’m reminded again of how powerful marketing can be. I have a Mickey Mouse pencil. The lead part is normal, but the eraser end is curved around into Mickey Mouse ears. Cute. Appealing. But totally unusable for erasing anything! I have a pencil that the eraser end is formed into a heart. Not only is the eraser completely useless, the lead wasn’t put into the pencil dead center, so it doesn’t sharpen well. It’s not really usable on either end.
Similarly, I have one of those huge pencils. First of all, it’s too big to get into a pencil sharpener, so it has to be sharpened the old-fashioned way - with a pocket knife. And then it’s so long, it’s hard to get the right balance to actually be able to use the thing. Talk about an appealing, but worthless, pencil! (Although I was told it could make a nice carpenter’s pencil.)
To the discerning eye, the limited usefulness of these pencils is readily apparent. But what about mechanical pencils? If the tightness mechanism is worn out so that it doesn’t hold the lead in place, the pencil looks like a useable tool, but really isn’t. Or if there’s no lead at all, the pencil looks good on the outside, but the inward reality means that I don’t really want that pencil on my desk. Who wants a pencil that is not a good tool?
Do you ever wonder if our Christian walk can be compared to these pencils? What if we were like the Mickey Mouse or heart pencil - very outward appealing, but not a very useful tool in God’s hands? What if we were like the big pencil - attractive and larger than life to the people around us, but again not very useful as a Christian in God’s hands? What if we were like one of the mechanical pencils? Everyone thinks we’re a great Christian, useful and valuable, but the reality is that we don’t function well as a Christian or we are empty inside. We don’t have the Holy Spirit working inside; we’re just a Christian in name only - which is to say, not really a Christian at all.
Ah, but a good pencil! One that writes smoothly and dependably, one that has good lead and an eraser that brushes out every error - oh a pencil like that is not only worthwhile, it’s protected and treasured. I’ll pass by every other pencil on my desk to find that one pencil that is such a good tool that it’s a delight to use. In Biblical terms, it’s my good and faithful servant. And that’s how we want to be in God’s sight - His good and faithful servant. The outward show is only important if it mirrors the inward reality.
**Daily Seek God’s Kingdom
But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness . . . Matthew 6:33
Materials: glass, magnet, paper clip, thread/string, tape, piece of fabric, a piece of paper, a penny, a piece of plastic, aluminum
Set up demonstration: Place the bar magnet over the top of the glass. Tie a piece of string to a metal paper clip. Let the paper clip touch the magnet on the bottom side of the magnet. Run the string from the paper clip down to the table and tape it so that the string can slide. Put the paper clip away from the magnet slowly. The magnet will have enough attraction on the paper clip to make it look like it’s standing straight up.
Discussion:
You are like that paper clip that is attracted to God and His ways. When God starts working with you, you want to spend time with Him and learn more of His ways. But relationships don’t stay static: you either grow closer together or you grow farther apart.
You can pull the string/paper clip far enough away from the magnet that it is no longer attracted. In a similar way, in your life, you can allow other things to pull you away from God. God hasn’t moved, but you have chosen a path where you miss the closeness and relationship with God.
You don’t have to pull the paper clip away from the magnet to break its attraction. All it takes is something to come in-between the two. In a similar way, sometimes it isn’t that we’ve chosen to move away from God or even that we’ve allowed things to move us away from God. It is rather a case of being distracted from keeping our eyes on Him. So you can put objects in-between the paper clip and the magnet. Which of them will break the attraction? (piece of fabric, a piece of paper, a penny, a piece of plastic, aluminum)
Think about the choices in your life. Which of your choices strengthened your relationship with God? (Things like observing the Sabbath and Holy Days, praying, studying your Bible, talking about God with other people, doing kind things for people because you love God.) Which choices made you feel more distant from Him? (Things like reading ungodly books, listening to ungodly music, making the choice to break God’s laws and to spend time with people who break God’s laws.) Then think about things that happen to you which can cause you to take your eyes off God. (Things like being upset about money, not feeling well, a fight with your best friend) When you start worrying (overly or excessively) about the future, you’ve taken your eyes off God and allowed yourself to become distracted from Him and His promises for you.
Don’t you love how God has given us simple things like magnets and paperclips to remind us to daily seek His kingdom and His righteousness - to be attracted to Him and His ways above all else?
But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. Matthew 6:33
**Measure Carefully
and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. Matthew 7:2
Materials Needed: tape measure, yard stick, ruler
If I measure your shoe with my ruler, I would expect to get the same answer if I measured your shoe with my tape measure or my yard stick. If I don’t get the same answer, I’m going to be confused. What is the right answer? How can I do what I needed to do with that information?
Think of all the things that need precise measurements: building a house, sewing clothes, making a cake, measuring out medicine, cutting hair - or how about doing alterations for a wedding dress!! For any one of these endeavors, it’s not going to work too well if I just eyeball it. I rely on a ruler, tape measure, yard stick to all give me the same answer. It will not turn out well otherwise!!
So what do you think Jesus was talking about in Matthew 7:2? Was He talking about tape measures and rulers? In context, He was talking about the way you treat people around you. Specifically He’s talking about how you want to be treated and how you treat others. Do you want mercy? Do you want people to be nice to you and help you out? Do you want forgiveness? Do you want hugs and smiles? Then that’s what you had better be showing to others. You’d better show mercy and forgiveness. You’d better be generous and kind to others. You’d better hug and smile at others.
But He was also talking about how you measure others and their behavior. Do you want your brother to be punished for doing something that you just want forgiveness for? What happens if your brother accidentally pinches your finger? Do you want your parent to spank him? It’s important to remember that if you want him punished severely, then if you accidentally hurt someone, you will also be punished severely. It’s funny - many adults have a hard time with this one. They want other people to be punished, but they want mercy for their own wrongdoings. Jesus said that’s not the way it works.
So whether it’s how you treat others or how severely you want others punished, remember that the ruler doesn’t change. With the measure you use, it will be measured to you.
**The Way is Hard
For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few. Matthew 7:14
Materials: ping pong balls, cup, big container
Would you be more likely to bounce a ping pong ball into a cup or into a big container? A big container, obviously, would be easier because there’s more room for error. If you have a big enough container, you could even close your eyes and still bounce the ball into it.
How is bouncing a ball into the cup like the life of a Christian? Make no mistake: Salvation is a free gift from Jesus Christ. But discipleship is costly. It is hard. It requires a life of being wholly devoted to God. It means making mistakes, repenting and trying again to do what pleases God. The life of a follower of the Messiah is not easy. It demands that you bring every thought into submission to Jesus Christ. It requires that you become a living sacrifice to God.
Just like you have to practice bouncing the ball to get it into the cup, you have to keep working at living your life in a way that accurately reflects God and His ways to the people around you.
When you don’t make the ping pong ball into the cup the first time, you don’t give up. And when you sin (transgress or break God’s laws), you don’t give up. You repent and try again.
If several people compete at the same time, they can interfere with each other’s efforts. Similarly, Christians can run into conflicts with each other. So you apologize and figure out how to work together to serve God.
When you try to bounce the ball into the cup, you’re competing with other people to see who can get the most balls in the cup the most quickly - so they can be the winner and get the glory and honor. But when you’re a Christian, you’re not competing with other Christians to see who can be best and lord it over one another. We want to help one another so that everyone wins and God gets the glory and honor through the way we live our lives.
It’s a very scary thing for Jesus to have told us that the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.
Let’s work together and be among those few who find life in Jesus Christ.
**Anchored to the Rock
Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. Matthew 7:24
Materials: tray, container of water, towels, sand, two fist-sized rocks, houses from Monopoly, glue gun
“A wise man built his house upon a rock and the rain came a’tumblin’ down.
The rain came down and the floods came up and the house on the rock stood firm.
A foolish man built his house upon the sand and the rain came a’tumblin’ down.
The rain came down and the floods came up and the house on the sand went smash.”
We sing this kids’ song. The tune is catchy. It’s fun. But have you really thought about what it means? If I put a Monopoly house on a pile of sand and then sprinkle water on it, what will happen? Given enough water, the sand will wash away and the house will be destroyed. (Since it’s a plastic house, it’s not destroyed; it’s tipped over, perhaps even upside down. But you get the idea.)
So what if I put a Monopoly house on a rock. I can sprinkle water on it and as long as it’s not a deluge, it won’t be tipped over. But what if it is a deluge? Or what if it’s another storm - like a tornado or a hurricane or an earthquake? If the house is just sitting on the rock, it’s not secure. It has an appearance of security, but it is not truly secure.
But what if I used a hot glue gun to glue the Monopoly house to the rock? Now what can I throw against that house which would cause it to be tipped over or destroyed. It would take a hammer, wouldn’t it!!
I suspect there are Christians out there who fall into all three categories. There are the house-on-the-sand Christians who say they are Christians, but their foundation on the Word of God is shaky. At the first storm in life, they are in trouble! There are the house-on-the-rock Christians. They look like they are set solidly, but the storms of life can be relentless. A huge storm, a large wave, can knock them over. The appearance doesn’t count for anything when the chips are down.
The Christian who is anchored to Jesus Christ is the only one of the three who can endure. Their trust and faith is not in themselves, but in the One who can save them from any and all storms in life. And because that’s where their faith and trust is, they live their lives as servants of the Most High, children of God, ambassadors for Christ. Their lives reflect God’s ways so that no one has to wonder if they’re a Christian.
Do you understand that part of building a house is having a firm foundation? Sand doesn’t give a firm foundation. There’s nothing to anchor to. Setting your house on a rock isn’t the definition of building a house any more than looking like a Christian makes you a true Christian. Make sure your foundation is secure. Anchor your house to the Rock. I want you to not just sing “On Christ the solid rock I stand;” I want your feet to be anchored there!
**Harvest
therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest. Matthew 9:38
Materials: a piece of fruit or vegetable harvested from the garden
What do you get when you first plant your garden? What is the first thing you harvest? Ask my kids! I’ve been making them help me harvest every morning for an hour! Weeds! Now obviously, weeds really aren’t part of the garden harvest, but they are very ubiquitous. It’s an amazing thing how the weeds flourish better than the plants you tend and nurture and really want to grow!
So I spend hours weeding and watering and mulching with hay around my plants. If I leave the weeds, they’ll choke out the tender tomatoes and carrots and strawberries. If I don’t water enough (not too little, not too much), the weeds will survive, but the chard and broccoli and peppers will not grow well. And they might not even make it. And I have discovered that if I put hay around my plants, it keeps down the weeds and it also moderates both the water and the temperature. The plants don’t get too dry or too wet, nor do they get too hot in the Missouri summer sun.
And isn’t my garden like the life of a Christian!? When you’re a new Christian, what is most likely to show up in your words and actions? Weeds - things that are not Godly, things that are not pleasing to God! So you work to get rid of those weeds. That happens both by your will and God’s Holy Spirit working in your life.
But remember: it’s not just weeds that keep the garden from growing well. It’s also water. And I don’t think it’s a coincidence that Jesus said, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.” (John 4:10). God has made it very plain in our lives that we can’t survive as a Christian unless we have a relationship with Jesus, the One who can give us the Living Water, the Holy Spirit (John 7:39).
In the end, if you make good choices and stay connected to God the Father through Jesus Christ, there will be an abundant harvest in your life. You’ll be exhibiting the Godly behaviors that draw others to want a relationship with God. That’s when you become a laborer in God’s harvest - willing and able to spread the good news of Jesus Christ to a world - a field - that so desperately needs Him.
So when you are praying that the Lord of the harvest will send more laborers into the harvest, it’s important to remember that you’re one of those laborers - but you’ve got to keep the weeds out of your garden and you have to have the Living Water, the Holy Spirit.
**Commence
“Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.” Matthew 9:38
Materials: bags for each child with foam leaf, band-aid, balloon, jewels, blue yarn doll, rock, antiseptic wipe, heart
At the end of a class, a seminar, a training session, the students are gathered together, reminded of the lessons they’ve learned and sent off to get started on their jobs. That’s what today feels like! We’ve spent the past seven days learning, drinking in lots of information. Now we’re ready for our marching orders. We’re ready to go use what we’ve been given - to put it into practice.
(Heart) We’ve felt the Holy Spirit all week long. It has filled this place and us! Now, like the water ceremony portrays, we need to go home and let the living water flow out of our hearts and water our world. We came out of a dry and dusty land. It’s time to go home and make it blossom.
(wipes) After the priests were cleansed and consecrated in the tabernacle for seven days, they assumed their duties on the eighth day (Leviticus 8:33; 9:1). It’s time to get to work as part of God’s kingdom of priests. We may not be priests yet, but we must realize this is the place God is preparing for us and preparing us for. Live your life with that goal and reality in mind. Look for opportunities to share the gospel and to encourage people to seek God and to draw closer to Him.
(Rock) What happened in the temple once it had been dedicated? It was used for the glory of God. This week has been a reminder for us, that, as the temple of God, we are dedicated to His purposes. All of us are the lively stones that God is using for His purpose to His glory.
(yarn doll) Knowing that you are the Bride of Christ - His helpmate - be aware that God is preparing you for that role. You will be tried and purified. Stay close to God (prayer, Bible study, meditation, and fellowship) and trust Him! You are special to Him.
(Jewels) Just how special to Him we are is hard to wrap our minds around!! He calls us jewels! He gave His only begotten Son as a sacrifice for us so that we could be adopted into His family. He loves us beyond our imagination. Hold onto that trust no matter what!!
(Form leaf and Band-aid) On the first day, we talked about building a tabernacle according to God’s commands. Now, seven days later, the tabernacle looks like the weather has not been kind to it! Similarly, these temporary dwellings, our bodies, look a little worse for the wear as we live through the storms of life. But we keep our eyes focused on Him, knowing it’s part of His plan!
(Balloon) And we rejoice! We rejoice that we have a future in God’s kingdom as the temple of God, the Bride of Christ, priests of God, adopted into God’s family.
Are you ready to get started?
***Share (Holy Day Lesson - post-Feast of Tabernacles)
Freely you have received; freely give. Matthew 10:8b
Materials needed: four clear cups, water, food coloring, strips of paper towel
Imagine you have a cup full of colored water and you stick a twisted strip of paper towel into it. Then you stick the other end of the paper towel into a cup that has a small amount of clear water. Do you know what happens? The water will work its way up the towel and down into the second cup, coloring the water.
What happens if the second cup also has colored water? Then the two colors will mix.
What happens if both cups are about equal in amounts of water? The water from both cups will wick up the towel and met in the middle.
This is called capillary action. (Capillary action is how florist can make green carnations and fourth grade science teachers can make multicolored celery leaves.) The water moves from an area of higher water density to an area of lower water density. It looks like the water is out for a walk. When we add food coloring to the water, we can see how the water molecules move more clearly.
Do you ever do this? Do you ever take what you have and give it to someone else?
We’ve just returned from celebrating the Feast of Tabernacles. It’s a great eight days of worshipping God, fellowshipping with other believers, and drinking in of intimate time with Jesus Christ. Not only did we eat many good meals together, we also shared some very good spiritual meals together: sabbath school lessons, seminars, sermons, Bible studies, etc. What did you take away from the Feast? What did you learn (or reinforce) that you can share with the people around you?
Some of the people around you don’t know anything about the Feast of Tabernacles. They’re like that cup with clear water. You get to tell them something that may be brand new to them. Other people you know celebrated the Feast at a different Feast site. They heard different things that you heard. You’re like one colored cup of water; they’re like another colored cup of water. When you share together, you mix your ideas. And that’s a good thing too.
We are so blessed. God has given us so much. And whether you’re sharing what you have been given physically, or you’re sharing the good news of the kingdom of God, there are people out there who need the blessing that you can give to them. What can you share with someone today?
**Feathers
Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. Matthew 10:29
Materials: feathers, drop of oil, water, towels
Have you ever spent any time looking into feathers and what an amazing creation they are?! The story goes that the inventor of velcro got his idea from the burrs which stick to animal coats, clothing, and anything else that brushes up against them. But velcro could very well have been inspired by birds’ feathers. Their intricate creation not only keeps each individual barb connected to the one next to it, if they are disconnected, the bird - by running its beak down the feather - can reattach the barbs together.
If that weren’t amazing enough, when the bird preens his feathers (cleaning and straightening them out), he’s also spreading a little bit of oil on them. Have you heard the saying “water off a duck’s back”? The water runs right off a bird because of the oil on their feathers. (Incidentally, when birds get into an oil spill, we clean their feathers with Dawn “to get grease out of the way.” But the detergent also strips the natural oil from the feathers. Until the bird can dry out and get itself re-oiled, it can’t fly and is extremely vulnerable to anything that thinks it might like a chicken dinner.)
And speaking of flying, feathers are designed by God in the perfect way to make flying possible for birds. The albatross needs to have a running start of a cliff to get airborne, but once it’s up in the air, flying is not a problem even for this huge bird. Feathers are a vital part of a bird getting lift - air rushing over the wing at a faster rate causing low pressure and therefore lift.
We could also talk about the different types of feathers. The long pinion feathers at the end of the wing are for flight. The contour feathers give the bird its shape and protection. The down feathers provide both insulation from heat and cold.
When you look at feathers and you think about how intricate they are, how much detail God put into each one, and then you read the verse in Matthew 10:29, Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. Then Jesus follows that with these two very comforting verses: 30But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. 31Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.
If God is willing to bless the birds with such an amazing attribute as feathers, what will He do for you?
**There’s No Place Like Home
Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Matthew 11:28
Materials needed: clear pie plate, water, two sharpies (permanent ink), paper towel,
https://www.borntowin.net/yea/primaries/primaries-life-of-christ/ (Book Two, Lesson 2)
For a similar video: https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-1d&q=prodigal+son+children%27s+object+lesson#fpstate=ive&vld=cid:031c92d9,vid:EmxL2ifqTto
Once there was a young man who decided he wanted his inheritance right then; he didn’t even want to wait until his father had died. His father agreed to give it to him. (Draw a simple house on one half of the paper towel with a black Sharpie.) The young man traveled to a far country and spent his money frivolously. (Fold the paper towel in half. Put the house on the outside. On the inside, in the same spot as the house, draw a stick figure in blue.) Soon his entire inheritance was gone! The young man had to find a job so that he could get some money so that he could eat. He found himself taking care of pigs and supplementing his diet out of their food trough. He suddenly realized that his father’s hired servants were treated better than what he was experiencing. He decided to go home and beg his father for a job.
The young man hadn’t realized the depths of his father’s love for him. His father ran to meet him when he saw the young man walking down the road. The young man admitted his guilt and said that he knew he wasn’t worthy to be called a son. But the father threw a party! His son that was lost was home again. (Place the folded paper towel in the water in the pie plate. The water makes the paper towel translucent and it looks like the stick figure is in the house.)
God has chosen us to be part of His family. He has that much love for us. (Draw a red heart on the inside part of a new piece of paper towel.)
Sometimes we sin (the transgression of God’s laws). We put ourselves out of fellowship with God. (Draw a heart outline of the outside part of the paper towel.) Things may go smoothly for a while, but without God and His ways, we soon find ourselves in trouble. We may think that we can’t go home; we’ve ruined things forever. What we don’t realize is the depth of God’s love for us. When we’re truly repentant, God is faithful and just to forgive us for our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9).
The next time you wake up and realize that your relationship with God is estranged because of your sin, repent. God loves you. There’s a good reason Jesus told the story of the prodigal son - so that we would understand how much God wants us to repent. (Place the folded heart paper towel in the water.) Here’s where our memory verse comes in: Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest (Matthew 11:28) - because there’s no place like home (aka being in fellowship with our Father) for finding rest for our souls!
Finding Rest
Come to me all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light. Matthew 11:28-30
This section of Matthew grabs my attention! How often do I feel weary and heavy-laden! How often do I wish I could just rest!! But there are some other cool tidbits to glean from this passage.
Notice the parallelisms, the repetition of concepts. First Jesus contrasts
“Come to me all who labor and are heavy laden” with
“For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
His audience had a heavy burden. They were laboring. He could give them an easy yoke and a light burden. What a contrast!
Next Jesus contrasts these two ideas:
“and I will give you rest” with
“you will find rest for your souls.”
The word translated “rest” is not the same Greek word. The first one means “rest or repose, take ease, to refresh.” The second one means “to cease from labor, or literally, to pause again.” There’s an idea here that people somehow got away from the rest that God originally gave to mankind, the kind of rest found in Jesus Christ.
The third contrast is the yoke or guide. First Jesus says,
“take my yoke upon you . . .” and
“my yoke is easy.”
Here the comparison is to emphasize the rest that is found in Jesus Christ.
Interestingly enough, the word “yoke” can mean that tool which is placed on the oxen to guide them, to teach them how to do the work for the master. The spiritual meaning is similar. The rabbis used the word “yoke” to mean their teachings. Consider what Jesus said in Matthew 23:4, talking about the Pharisees: “They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on people’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to move them with their finger.” In contrast to what the religious leaders of the day were teaching, Jesus said his teaching was easy because He, Jesus, was gentle and lowly in heart. That word “heart” means “the thoughts, reasonings, judgments, understanding or will.”
It is no coincidence that Matthew places this passage just prior to the incident with the Sabbath in Matthew 12, where the Pharisees were so critical about Jesus’ disciples plucking and eating grain as they walked through the fields on the Sabbath. Jesus’ teachings about what was acceptable and proper on the Sabbath was very different from the harsh and restrictive laws imposed by the Pharisees.
So what does Jesus say people need to do? “. . . learn from me.” This word “learn” means “learn, endeavor, desire, seek.” Again we are back to a major theme of the whole Bible: seeking God! Oh and what a reward to gain if we seek God and learn from Him!! Rest! Doesn’t that phrase ring in your mind!!
“And you will find rest for your souls.”
**What’s in Your Heart
For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. Matthew 12:34
Materials: balloons, metal nuts of various sizes
Do you know what happens when you put a nut into a balloon and get it rapidly moving around the inside of the balloon? It’s the coolest thing: it starts humming. Now each nut makes a little bit different hum. And it’s kind of fun to guess which is which and why they do this.
The nut inside rubs against the balloon. The friction causes the sound. And that’s what happens with you too. Whatever is inside you is expressed through your facial expressions, your actions, and the words you speak. It’s what Jesus said in Matthew 12:34: “For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.” Jesus uses the very concrete example of fruit trees. If the tree is good, it will produce good fruit. If the tree is bad, it will produce bad fruit. In a similar way, what you genuinely are will be displayed for all to see by your words and deeds.
So could you pretend that you were something you’re not. Well, of course. We have actors in Hollywood that do that to earn a living! And there are some people who intentionally try to make you think that they are something they are not - for some evil purpose. But who you are, consistently, day after day is what people hear coming from your mouth and through your behaviors.
Like we’ve talked about before, it isn’t so much that you want to hide what’s inside. It is that you want God to change what is inside so that what is expressed is Godly and good.
Seek God. Seek His ways. Submit yourself to the life-changing power of the Holy Spirit. Then whatever hums in your heart will be pleasing to God and beneficial to those around you who hear.
Every Careless Word
I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak, Matthew 12:36
There’s a childish saying which goes:
Sticks and stones may break my bones,
but words can never hurt me.
It’s not true, of course, because the words people say can hurt a great deal. You can forget that you’ve been hurt physically, but the mental pain of an ill-placed word can linger for decades! It’s very unfortunate that the compliments we sincerely give to others are not remembered as long!!
There’s a much more accurate, contemporary Christian song sung by Hawk Nelson about the power of our words.
They've made me feel like a prisoner; They’ve made me feel set free;
They've made me feel like a criminal; Made me feel like a king.
They've lifted my heart To places I'd never been,
And they've dragged me down Back to where I began.
Words can build you up; Words can break you down;
Start a fire in your heart or Put it out.
Let my words be life; Let my words be truth.
I don't wanna say a word Unless it points the world back to You.
You can heal the heartache; Speak over the fear.
God, Your voice is the only thing We need to hear.
Let the words I say Be the sound of Your grace.
I don't wanna say a word Unless it points the world back to You.
I wanna speak Your love; Not just another noise.
Oh, I wanna be Your light; I wanna be Your voice.
Words can so quickly slip out of our mouths. We can be joking. We can be angry. We can be too busy. We can be thinking of other things. But once those words are out of our mouths, they’re gone. We can’t call them back. We need to be very careful about our words.
There’s another poem about our words:
The wise old owl lived in an oak.
The more he saw, the less he spoke.
The less he spoke, the more he heard.
Why can’t we all be like that bird?
We know the power of words, both to do good and to do incredible damage. But do we realize how much our words matter to God? He says, “I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak” (Matthew 12:36). We will have to explain to God why we said what we said, why we chose those particular words, why we delivered them in that tone of voice.
The words we say come out of our hearts. They are an expression of what we really feel and who we really are. We need to remember that we will give an account both for what we have done in this life as well as what we have said. We seriously need to learn to be more judicious about our words!
**Harvest Time (Pentecost Lesson)
The field is the world, and the good seed is the sons of the kingdom. The weeds are the sons of the evil one, Matthew 13:38
Materials needed: grasses
Do you know what has been happening in the fields over the past seven weeks? Planting and harvesting. Yes, really! We tend to think of spring as the time to plant, and it is - for some crops. But there are other crops which were planted last fall and they are ready to harvest in spring - like barley, oats, and wheat. Here in Missouri, there are already farmers out in the fields harvesting hay. We’ve had enough rain and warm temperatures to have a good crop of grass already! Seeing those big round bales in the fields means that cows and horses will have something to eat this coming winter.
But unless the farmer tilled and sowed alfalfa, the fields of grass are a mixture of grasses. There’s timothy, brome, alfalfa, clover, ryegrass, fescue, Bermuda grass, and orchard grass. And there’s usually a mixture of other plants too. We have daisies, plants that look like daisies, sunflowers, Queen Anne’s Lace which dot the pasture. And there are some weeds - thistles, stinkweed, etc. There’s a lot of variety.
So when Jesus said that the field is the world, this is something we can understand because we see it in front of us. Then He said (in Matthew 13:38) that the good seed is the sons of the kingdom. The weeds are the sons of the evil one.
When I stand back and look at the pasture, all I see are green plants and a few white flowers. I can’t identify the really nutritious plants or the weeds from a distance. But I know they are there. In the same way, we live in a world where there are sons of the kingdom - Christians - people who belong to God. And there are evil people - people who reject God and do evil things.
And, it’s going to be that way - with good and bad people in our world - until the harvest, until Jesus Christ returns. It’s our job to grow where we are planted and produce fruit for the Landowner, the King, our God.
And we’ll talk about that tomorrow on Pentecost.
**Bow the Knee (Pentecost Lesson)
The field is the world, and the good seed is the sons of the kingdom. The weeds are the sons of the evil one, Matthew 13:38
Materials needed: grasses
Wheat and tares look very similar as they are growing. You can’t really tell which is which until the wheat produces fruit - the head of grain. Tares don’t produce a head of grain. They don’t produce any fruit. Do you understand why it’s a problem to have tares growing in your field of wheat? The tares use the nutrients in the soil, nutrients that could be used by the wheat, but then they don’t produce anything. There’s no reward for the farmer for having these weeds in his field!
In this parable in Matthew 13, the servants asked the landowner if he planted the weeds!!! When the landowner said that an enemy had done it, the servants wanted to know if they should go pull up the weeds. The landowner said that in pulling up the weeds, the wheat could be damaged. The weeds were allowed to grow with the wheat until the harvest.
Knowing that Jesus was using a parable, a picture, to describe what our world is like means that God allows evil people to live in the world with His people. Does that mean we should live like the evil people we see around us? No!! Does that mean we are excused from producing fruit for the kingdom? No.
In fact, we should be producing more fruit for the kingdom, for our Master and Lord, because we owe Him everything and we know that we do. He’s the One who called us by name and redeemed us. He’s the One who blesses us and helps us to grow. He’s the One who gives us hope and a future.
Have you ever seen an apple tree so loaded with fruit that the branches were breaking? Have you ever seen a tomato plant or a pepper plant so full of fruit that it looks like it’s going to fall over? Do you know what happens when a stalk of wheat is filled with fruit? The head, the top of the stalk of wheat, gets so full and heavy, that the heads bows over. Hmm. Isn’t that interesting?! One of the ways that you can tell, immediately, the difference between wheat and tares is that the wheat’s head bows; the tare’s head doesn’t because it has no fruit.
It’s a great visual reminder that we need to bow our head because of the abundance that God has blessed us with - even the ability to produce fruit for His glory.
What Do You Have?
They said to him, “We have only five loaves here and two fish.” (Matthew 14:17)
Country singer Dolly Parton sang a song several years ago called “My Coat of Many Colors.” It was about growing up poor and needing a coat one winter. Someone had given their family a box of rags. Her mother took those tiny pieces of rags and sewed them into a coat. It would be enough to keep the little girl warm going to school. It’s a heart-warming story about a family having so little but using what they’d been given. It was enough. Making good use of what you have been given is also seen in the parable of the talent (Matthew 25) or the parable of the pounds (Luke 19).
The Philadelphia church in Revelation 3 also had very little. Jesus tells them, “I know that you have but little power, and yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name” (Revelation 3:8). Jesus doesn’t talk about them having something tangible like a box of rags. He talks about their reserves of strength, their desire to persevere in righteousness, holding onto their faith in God and His promises to those who love and seek Him. They have just a little strength, but they have the willingness to do what is right and the heart to act on that desire. Jesus encourages them to persevere.
But neither of these stories (the coat made of rags or the perseverance of the Philadelphia church) show exactly the principle in Matthew 14, when Jesus fed the 5000. It’s not really a story about having very little and making do with it. It’s not a story of persevering with the little you have. It’s a story about having very little and taking it to God, asking Him to do something with it. There are stories in the Bible which talk about having a little, but God doing so much with it.
David slew Goliath with a sling and a stone. God used just a little stone from the brook and a young shepherd to defeat the entire army of the Philistines.
The widow in 2 Kings 4 only had a little oil. Elisha told her to borrow as many vessels as she could and pour the oil from her jar into the vessels. She did and when the last vessel was filled, the oil stopped flowing. Elisha told her to sell the oil. It was just a little oil, but with God’s intervention, it was enough to pay her debts and to live on.
Then there’s this story in Matthew about Jesus feeding the 5000 (That’s just the men; it didn’t include the women and children.) with just five loaves and two fish. They picked up 12 basketfuls afterwards! That’s a very little for so many people, but it was more than enough in God’s hands.
God didn’t chose the largest and most impressive nation to be His people. He chose the least. The apostle Paul says that not many wise, powerful, and important people were called (1 Corinthians 1:26), but God chose to work through the lowly things to display His power, to show how much God can do with so little.
So what do you have? What is it that you feel God wants you to do? Do you feel like you have the ability and the resources to do that job? Perhaps you only have a little oil. Perhaps you only have five smooth stones and a sling. Perhaps you only have five loaves and two fish. What do you think God can do with your resources if your heart is to serve Him and to do the right thing?
There are so many instances where God takes the little that people have and increases it to fulfill His purposes for His glory. David’s stones. The widow’s little oil. The boy’s five loaves and two fish. We need to stop looking at our resources through the world’s eyes. According to the world, David would have been soundly defeated and killed by Goliath. The widow’s sons would have been taken by her creditors. The 5000+ people who came to hear Jesus would’ve gone away hungry. We need to realize that we serve the Great God of the Universe. If He wants to accomplish something for His glory, He can do great things with a very little amount. And, as in the case of the five loaves and the two fish, more can be collected afterward than what you started with.
Our job is not to worry about resources. Our job is to make sure we’re walking according to God’s will, we have the heart for righteousness, and the willingness to act. Who knows? Maybe God will take what we have and do great things - even if it’s just five loaves and two fish.
**Jesus Walks on Water (YEA lesson)
“Be brave! It is I. Don’t be afraid” (NIrV). Matthew 14:27
Materials needed: wash basin, toy boat, water, towels!!!; lesson #7 from Primaries book (https://www.borntowin.net/yea/primaries/primaries-life-of-christ/) REACH Activity #2/YEAH Activity #2
The disciples had literally just watched Jesus multiply five barley loaves and two fish with enough to feed 5000 people (probably more ‘cause that was just the men!) and gather 12 baskets of leftovers! So what happened next?
Jesus sent the disciples in the boat to go to the other side of the Sea of Galilee. He went up on the mountain to pray. The disciples in the boat were battling strong waves because the wind was so strong. So what did Jesus do? He walked to them on the water.
Can you see this in your mind? These men are in a boat on a sea. The waves were likely not only keeping them from making much headway, but were also threatening to swamp the boat. But that’s not what Matthew said they were afraid of. They were terrified of the sight of Jesus walking on the water. Even when Jesus told them not to be afraid - that it was He, Peter wanted verification. He asked Jesus to command him to come to Jesus on the water. So Jesus told Peter to come. Peter had enough courage to get out of the boat and start toward Jesus, but the wind (and what it was doing) scared him. He started to sink. Jesus reached out His hand, grabbed Peter, and asked him why he had doubted.
Then they got into the boat. And now another miracle occurred: the wind ceased.
Multiplying loaves and fishes. Walking on water. Controlling the wind. Finally, with these three experiences, the disciples worshipped Jesus, calling Him the Son of God.
Do you know that Jesus is the Son of God? Do you trust Him in the middle of a storm? Are you more afraid of trusting God or of the storm around you? I guess it all depends on whether you have a relationship with Jesus or not. If you know Him, or rather are known by Him, then you can trust Him no matter what storms in life assail you (pun not intended). And you will worship Him because you know He is God!
Note: We’re going to put a toy boat in a basin and make some waves. I will have some popsicle puppets so the students can re-enact the story. And I’ll make sure I have enough towels. 😉
Hear and Understand (Holy Day Lesson - pre-Feast of Tabernacles)
And he called the people to him and said to them, “Hear and understand.” Matthew 15:10
Before Jesus started speaking to the people, he gave them two commands: hear and understand. These are two separate, but connected, commands.
Think about hearing. In order to hear what someone is saying, you have to be close enough to actually pick up the sound. If you’re standing on the other side of the room, you may not be able to hear what I’m saying on this side of the room. When you want to hear someone, you get close to them.
But just because you can hear, it doesn’t automatically follow that you can understand. If they are using words you don’t know, or speaking in a language you don’t speak, you aren’t going to “get” what they’re saying - no matter how close you get to them. If I say, “Cherchez le livre sur la table et ouvrez à page huit s’il vous plaît,” it will do you no good to get closer to me. You’re still not likely to understand what I want you to do. You might have to learn French before you’d understand.
So when Jesus wanted to talk with the people, He gave two commands: hear and understand. And these can apply to us today. Do you want to know what God wants you to do? Do you want to receive the blessings of walking in God’s ways? Then you must likewise do these two things: hear and understand. The first one - hear - means you’re going to have to get close to Jesus. That means walking in His ways. That means reading the Bible, praying, fellowship with other believers, doing what God tells you to do - like going to the Feast of Tabernacles.
Do you want to understand what God has said? That means you’re going to have to study. You’re going to have to put in some time and effort. You’re going to have to ask for God to open your mind and give you understanding and wisdom. God says that when we seek Him with all of our heart, He will be found by us.
It’s a good thing to remember before we go to the Feast. Are we going to have a good time? Yes! Are we just going to have a good time? No. We are going to assemble before God on His days because He said to! We are going to worship Him. We’re going to spend time with Him. We’re going to learn more about Him in His presence. We’re going to hear and to understand - because we want to know Him. We want a closer walk with Him. We want the blessing of walking in His ways: Blessed is everyone who fears the Lord, who walks in his ways! (Psalm 128:1) And we’re going to rejoice while we’re doing it.
The Center of our Lives
Simon Peter replied, “You are Christ, the Son of the living God.” Matthew 16:16
I had heard that Matthew 16:16 is the center verse in Matthew. But I couldn’t verify that. I counted and divided by two, and it didn’t come out that way. So, I don’t know if the count was done using a different version, if some of the verses were eliminated because they weren’t in the original text, or if I simply miscalculated. But I couldn’t get it to come out that way.
Still, it would be a nice “coincidence” if Matthew 16:16 did happen to be the center verse. After all, the book of Matthew’s theme is discipleship. It makes sense that you would want to recognize the person to whom you are a disciple!
Furthermore, there’s the literary structure. In Western thought, the point of the story comes at the end. Think of our fairy tales or Aesop’s fables. The lesson or moral of the story isn’t revealed until the end. But in Hebrew thought, the point of the story comes in the middle, with all the supporting thought mirroring that thought on both sides. They build to the main point and then reiterate the reasons why. So having Matthew 16:16 as the center verse would make a lot of sense.
Why is it central?
Jesus is the Messiah, the Christ. He’s the One who was promised to come and save us from our sins. In addition, He’s the Son of the living God. He’s not anything like the immovable, inanimate, pagan gods of the nations. Jesus is the only begotten Son of the God of the universe. He’s God the Son. He’s of that divine family. That means Jesus is the fulfillment of the Old Testament promise of a divine son as anointed king (2 Samuel 7:14; Psalm 2:7).
It’s also very significant that Simon Peter recognized Jesus as Christ, the Son of the living God. Jesus told Peter that was not revealed to Peter by a human being, but by the Father in heaven. Do you understand how important that is? Peter believed that Jesus was/is the Messiah, the Son of the living God. He didn’t just come to that understanding on his own. God the Father gave it to him. Similarly, if you believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Christ, the Son of the living God, then it is evidence that God is likewise working in your life, drawing you to Him (John 6:44).
You have to believe that He is who He says He is before you’re willing to do what He says. You have to believe that He is the Messiah, the Anointed One sent by the Father, before you are willing to submit your life to Him. You have to believe that He is the Redeemer, the Savior of the World, before you turn your life over to Him. And you have to believe that He is the King of kings and Lord of lords before you’re ready to accept Him as your Sovereign in all things.
But there’s a funny thing about words. You can say a lot of things - they just pop out of your mouth without much thought. But it’s when you believe with your entire being what you are saying that it has life-changing power. If you say, and truly believe, that Jesus is Christ, the Son of the living God, you will be willing to be His disciple. You’ll learn about Him. You’ll learn to walk in His ways. You’ll desire to know Him so well that He becomes the most important part of your life. He will, in essence, become the center of your life.
I don’t know where I heard that Matthew 16:16 is the center of Matthew. But even if it’s not in a strictly counting sense, it is in every other way that matters. Jesus is Christ, the Son of the living God.
***Mountain Top Miracle
This is my Son. . . listen to Him. Matthew 17:5 (NIrV)
Materials needed: various noise makers, https://www.borntowin.net/yea/primaries/primaries-life-of-christ/ (Book Three, Lesson 2)
Have you ever heard an exchange like this? “Hey! Didn’t you hear me?” “No, sorry. I wasn’t listening.”
Why wasn’t the person listening? Can you think of reasons? Distracted or preoccupied. Hard-of-hearing. Not interested. Too noisy. Not close enough. Completely unaware that someone was talking. Thinking that he couldn’t possibly be talking to him.
Don’t you think it’s fascinating that God the Father had to tell Peter, James, and John two things: 1) That Jesus was His Son - Didn’t they already know that?! and 2) To listen to Jesus. If you knew that Jesus was God, the Son, wouldn’t you be paying close attention to what He said? Well, apparently not, because God doesn’t say things for no reason.
So what does this mean to you? First of all, you must become a really good listener. That means you have to distinguish what sounds are what and which are worth paying attention to. Let’s practice: What do you hear? Ooo. Did you learn something? You have to be still and quit making noise yourself if you want to listen to something else. And sometimes it works better if you close your eyes.
O.K. Now that you’re still, what do you hear? Can you distinguish between a box of rocks and a box of coins? Do you hear a bouncing tennis ball or a bouncing super ball. Was it a rubber band or a balloon? That one’s a little harder, isn’t it. They sound very similar. So what if I have you watch and listen. O.K. Now close your eyes again. Which one is it: a rubber band or a balloon?
Listening to Jesus is the similar. You have to know what He sounds like - otherwise someone might convince you to listen to someone who isn’t Jesus. And how do you know what Jesus sounds like? You read the Bible every day. You come to church. You talk with your parents about God.
But even when you know what Jesus is saying because you know your Bible, you come to church, you listen to your parents - are you putting what you know into practice? Or will Jesus say to you, “Hey! Didn’t you hear me?” Because if you have heard Jesus, God the Father expects that you will obey!! I hope none of you will have to say, “No, I wasn’t listening.”
Humility
Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 18:4
We want to be great, to have honor, to be well-thought of by the people around us. We want a better position rather than a lesser position. We don’t want to clean toilets, pick up dog poop, muck out stalls, or take care of people’s trash. If we had a choice, we would rather be close to the top, making decisions, influencing others, and keeping our hands clean. So we think about what Jesus said:
Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 18:4).
To be great we have to become like this child. We have to humbles ourselves. So what is humility? It’s the knowledge that God is great and you are not. It’s an attitude of submission, recognizing his sovereignty. We realize that His will is perfect, no matter what happens in our lives, and we need to learn to put His will and His ways first - always.
Jesus used the illustration of a child, a particular child who had come to Him, an an object lesson in humility. Think about the children you’ve seen. Some of them are anything but humble. I watched a little toddler run to his mother with a popped balloon. He screamed at her, “Blow it up.” She couldn’t, of course, because it had been popped. But he was in no frame of mind to listen to her. He just wanted his way. His face turned red, he pushed his chest up, and cried and screamed at his mother to fix it. When she tried to reason with him and tell him she couldn’t, he continually interrupted her and screamed all the louder to “blow it up.”
There’s the urban legend about the grandfather with his grandson in the store. The grandson was out of control, demanding, and screaming. The grandfather kept calmly repeating, “Just wait until we get home, Earnest. Just wait until we get home.” An observer remarked to the grandfather, “I’m so impressed with how patient you are with Earnest.” The grandfather looked at the person and replied, “I’m Earnest.”
Maybe you can think of a nice child, but I see many who are not humble. And, unfortunately, we weren’t there to see the one Jesus was holding. But we do have other verses in the Bible which talk about humility.
James 4:6 “ . . . God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”
Daniel 4:37 “. . . and those who walk in pride he is able to humble.”
Proverbs 6:16-17 “There are six things that the LORD hates, seven that are an abomination to him: haughty eyes . . .”
Jesus Himself gave us an example of what it means to be humble: “Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross” (Phil. 2:5-8)
Jesus our Messiah submitted His will to that of the Father, even to the point that He suffered and died, despite being innocent! He took our guilt and our sins upon Himself. He was mocked and ridiculed and beaten - none of which He deserved - for us because it was the will of the Father.
Because Jesus was willing to humble Himself completely to God’s will, the Father “has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Phil 2:9-11).
It’s that paradox that we see so often in the Bible. You humble yourself and you will be exalted. “Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you” (1 Peter 5:6). But the catch here is that you are not seeking the honor. Your job is to seek the humility, to submit your will to whatever God wants for you. You don’t complain. You don’t grumble. You respectfully, willingly do whatever God gives you to do. If you think you’re there, if you’re willing to do whatever God asks of you, look at the relationships you have with the people around you, especially those in authority over you, your parents, teachers, the police, your boss at work. How do you respond when they give you a job you don’t want to do? Do you submit your will and do what they ask? Do you submit, but grumble the whole time? Do you complain to others about having to do what they’ve asked? God gives us lot of chances to practice our humility. This life has a way of humbling most people.
The other interesting paradox in this whole equation is that a person who is truly humble before God is no longer interested in becoming great for his own benefit in the kingdom. He still wants to become great, but it’s for the glory of God. Remember what Philippians 2:11 says? “ . . . every knee [will] bow . . . and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of the God the Father. Jesus Christ submitted completely to the Father’s will and when He was exalted, Jesus continued, and continues, to honor the Father - even though He is King of kings and Lord of lords. Jesus continues to submit to the will of His Father.
Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 18:4
We don’t know what the humility of that child looked like, but God gave us lots of examples, especially in the person of Jesus Christ, of what kind of humility He’s looking for. Additionally, He gave us lots of chances to practice humility with those all around us. It’s not just those in authority over us! Philippians 2:3 says, “ . . . in humility count others more significant than yourselves.” Every day you get to practice being humble, even if it means scrubbing toilets or serving others. And God doesn’t make it an if-then statement: you have to be humble only if others are humble first. It doesn’t work that way. You are submitting out of reverence for God. If you truly humble yourself before Him, He will lift you up - for His glory!
Angels
See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that in heaven their angels always see the face of my Father who is in heaven. Matthew 18:10
In American Sign Language, the sign for “hate” is flicking the middle fingers of both hands down and away from you. It’s almost like saying, “Ooo, yuck. Get that away from me!!” That’s what it’s like to despise something. It’s a feeling of revulsion. You feel like, “I don’t want that to touch me.” Despising something can also mean that you look down at with repulsion. It’s a combination of not valuing something that you don’t want close to you. I despise dead skunks. Just thinking about it makes me scrunch up my face with revulsion. I will cross to the other side of the road to get as far away from them as possible. I feel similarly towards eating mice or snake. I can’t imagine actually be willing to intentionally put that stuff in my mouth.
But I should never have that kind of feeling towards a child, what Jesus calls a little one. That makes me think of Pigpen in Schultz’s comic strip Peanuts. He is such a dirty little boy that a cloud of dirt envelopes him everywhere he goes. If you met him face to face, the last thing you’d be tempted to do is actually touch him.
This verse also makes me think of the plight of children in India. Many children are simply unwanted. They beg on the streets. They comb through the garbage dumps looking for enough food to eat. They are unwanted and despised by the society around them. But the United States is even worse than India. In the United States, if you don’t want a child, it is legal to kill it. It’s called abortion! Before the child is even born, before the mother can even touch her own child with her own hands, she despises it so much that she kills it - and there are doctors (you know, the ones who have taken the hippocratic oath to heal, not hurt) who actually carry out the murder simply to make money.
Thinking about Pigpen, children in India, and abortion, look at Matthew 18:10 again: See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that in heaven their angels always see the face of my Father who is in heaven.
Why does Jesus say you shouldn’t despise one of these little ones? Because their angels in heaven always see the face of God the Father in heaven!
Consider what we know about angels. They are messengers like Gabriel to Daniel (Daniel 8:15; Daniel 10:11) and to Zechariah (Luke 1:19) and the angel to Philip (Acts 8:26). They help to fight where God sends them to fight (Daniel 10:13, 20; Joshua 5:13-14; 2 Kings 6:17). Angels are sent to destroy or kill (1 Chronicles 21:12). Angels are given the task when Jesus returns of gathering the elect “from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven” (Mark 13:27). Angels are also given the charge to guard and protect (Psalm 91:11-12).
For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways. On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.
Perhaps this is where we get the idea of guardian angels, angels that watch over little children and keep them from harm. Except . . . it doesn’t always work that way. We can all think of children who are injured and killed.
At the end of the day, we’re left with questions and a desire to know more about God, His will and His ways. We know that children are special to God, that Jesus rebuked his disciples when they were keeping children from coming to Jesus (Luke 18:16). We know that we are to consider others more significant than ourselves (Philippians 2:3). And we know that Jesus said, See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that in heaven their angels always see the face of my Father who is in heaven (Matthew 18:10). It’s something to think about. But more than that, we must carefully consider our attitudes and actions towards any of these little ones.
Good
And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments. Matthew 19:17
If I asked you how you are, you might say, “Good.” You might tell me that you just saw a good movie. You might even tell me that we’re having good weather. The word “good” is almost as ubiquitous as dirt or bugs or the oxygen we breathe. And you can even hear people tell you that “this is good dirt” or “this is a good bug.” But Jesus made an emphatic point that no one is good but God. He must have had a different definition of the word “good” than what we normally use.
This word translated “good” in Matthew 19:17 is the Greek work agathos, Strongs #18. It’s meanings range from “useful, salutary; of good constitution or nature; good, pleasant, agreeable, joyful, happy; excellent, distinguished; to upright, honorable.”
That doesn’t help us much because there are many things around us which are of excellent nature, which are useful, which are upright and honorable. In fact, Jesus himself in the parable of the sower and the seeds (Matthew 13) talked about the seed falling on good soil. In Matthew 12:35, Jesus states, “A good G18 man out of the good G18 treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: G18 and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things.” Here Jesus calls things, treasure of the heart, and even a man, good. So why does Jesus make the point of telling the young man that only God is good?
The young man wanted some specific information - how to gain eternal life. And I wonder if he’d asked other rabbis the same question. I think Jesus wanted to make sure the young man understood that he wasn’t just talking to another rabbi. I think Jesus wanted to make it very clear that He, Jesus, was and is God and He has the authority and the knowledge to answer the young man’s question accurately.
Some people read this verse and say, “See, Jesus is telling the young ruler than He’s not God.” But that’s not what Jesus said. In fact, it’s like Jesus is saying, “I am Good. I am God and you would do well to recognize that.” God is good in the ultimate sense of the word; He is not marred in any way.
The rest of the conversation is likewise very interesting. Jesus tells him, “If you would enter life, keep the commandments.” There are some who say, “See. You have to do something to earn salvation. It’s not a free gift. Jesus said so.” But I don’t think this is what Jesus is saying. Based on how the rest of the conversation went, I think Jesus had something more in mind. The young man wanted to specifically know which commandments were necessary. Jesus named a few. The young man assured Jesus that he’d done all of those things from his youth. Then he wanted to know what else he needed to do. Jesus told him that if he wanted to be perfect, he should sell all he had, give it to the poor, and come follow Jesus.
Salvation is about giving up everything you are and everything you have, turning it all over to the lordship of Jesus Christ, and then seeking His will in everything you do. The commandments, and all of “the Holy Scriptures, are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus” (2 Timothy 3:15). The purpose of God’s law is to teach you God’s ways. As Paul says, “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16-17). It is God’s law which makes you see your need for the Savior. It is faith in Jesus Christ, in His sacrifice and resurrection - for you - which leads to your salvation.
In the end, Jesus’ message to the rich young ruler is the same message He gives to us all. We must keep God’s commandments because they are holy and righteous and good (Romans 7:12). Then, when we keep God’s law, it brings us to God. It shows our need for the Savior and how to have a relationship with God. So we keep God’s laws. We learn to submit everything to God - our possessions, our goals, our priorities, our lives, even our thoughts (2 Corinthians 10:5). When we learn to put God first in everything, we learn to follow His leading with all of our hearts. He shepherds us because we hear His voice, because we know Him, because we have a relationship with Him to be able to recognize which voice is His! We follow because we’ve learned He is good, all the time; we trust Him.
Jesus is the Good Shepherd (John 10:11-18). If we follow Him, we will be that good soil (Matthew 13:8), producing good fruit. We will be able to produce good fruit because we have a good relationship with our Savior and God. We will hear Jesus say at His return, “Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord” (Matthew 25:23). It will be very good.
Last and First
But many who are first will be last, and the last first. Matthew 19:30
When I first moved to Missouri, one of the most remarkable differences between small-town Iowa and large-city Missouri were the lines. There were lines at the post office, lines at the grocery store, lines at the fabric store, and of course, lines at the DMV. You had to take a number. People wouldn’t just wait in line honestly; you had to take a number!
We run into lines everywhere we go. I remember the line of cars waiting to cross the bridge at Port Huron, MI on our way to the Feast of Tabernacles in 2000. I remember the lines at Six Flags the first year we took the kids. The lines were so long that even though we were there for ten hours, they only rode ten rides! There are even lines for things that you don’t really want to do - like pay your property and real estate taxes.
I’ve been responsible for making a few lines myself. When I was teaching, I was forever telling the kids to line up. Line up to go to the bathroom, line up to go to recess, line up to come in from recess, line up to go to gym or music or art, line up to go to the library . . . you get the picture! Lining kids up is the best way to make sure everyone is ready, everyone is quiet, and everyone is orderly.
Lines form because there are too many people at all the same place at the same time wanting to do the same thing. The Force Awakens opened on Thursday night. There were people who were waiting in line the night before at 11 p.m. They wanted to make sure they were going to get in and get a good seat. They were willing to sacrifice their time to wait in line.
So . . . shouldn’t those people who wait in line all night get to go in first? Shouldn’t those kids who are obedient and line up quickly get to go to recess first? Shouldn’t the people who are first in line at the DMV get to complete their business first? What’s Jesus really talking about here?
Jesus gave an example: it would be easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of heaven. He talked about those who had left everything to follow Him would be in leadership positions in the kingdom. It is all about attitude and perspective.
If you have an attitude of “me first,” then you, logically, can’t be putting God first. You are already breaking the first of the Ten Commandments. On the other hand, if you want God’s will in your life and are willing to give up what you want for God’s will, then you are putting God first - where He belongs. Thankfully, God gives us lots of practice to make sure we know where our heart really is. He gives us all of the people around us - like the people at the DMV and at Six Flags, and other brothers and sisters. If you think you are the most important person in the world and you expect everyone to do your bidding, then you are putting yourself first. You are not thinking of others more highly than yourself ( Phil 2:3). If you think your mom should cut you a piece of cake before everyone else is even finished eating supper, then you are putting yourself first - even if it is your birthday! On the other hand, if you serve others, if you put others’ needs in front of your own, if you seek to give them honor, then you are learning humility. If you are willing to do the dishes for Mom even if it’s not your turn, you are serving. If you are willing to do chores (like picking up dog poop, cleaning the bathroom, scrubbing the floors) even if it’s not your job, then you’re learning to put others first. If you are patient and polite even when the line is long at the DMV or Six Flags, perhaps you will be a good witness to the people around you that you’re different. You want people to recognize that you are different - in a good way - and you want them to be curious enough to want to know why you’re different. Then perhaps you can tell them about God and how great He is, not how great you are.
But many who are first will be last, and the last first. Matthew 19:30
Many who are first are first because they think they are most important. In reality, God is most important. When you learn how to live that in your life - that God is first in everything, it’s very pleasing to God . . . and you could find yourself first in line in the kingdom. The next time you’re standing in line, think about your attitude of God being first in everything; while you’re waiting you might as well do something important.
Open Our Eyes
They said to him, “Lord, let our eyes be opened.” Matthew 20:33
Have you ever played that game to show how observant/unobservant you are? You intentionally look around the room for one minute. Then you close your eyes and someone asks you questions about what’s in the room. Most people don’t do very well, even when they know what’s coming. If they didn’t have even a minute to look . . . well, suffice it to say: most people are not very observant.
Helen Keller wrote an essay about having the gift of sight so that she could see for three days. She listed the things she most wanted to see: a sunrise, the outdoor delights in the woods, a busy city street, museums, women’s clothing, and the theatre. But I don’t remember her writing about seeing more than just surface things. For instance, you can see that someone has a red shirt on, but you can also see their expression and judge their emotions, whether they’re having a good day or a bad day. Would they appreciate a silly joke or do they need some serious encouragement? But to a blind person, one who has never had their sight, they don’t realize the depths to which they can’t see. They may only have an idea of what is possible.
I suspect that it’s like that with us too. We may be able to see, but we don’t realize the depths to which we can’t see. Think about the time (2 Kings 6:8-23) when the Syrians were attacking Israel. Elisha’s servant was afraid of the besieging army. Elisha prayed that God would open his eyes; Elisha’s servant saw that “the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire around Elisha” (vs. 17).
Elisa’s servant could see the Syrian army, but he didn’t have eyes to see the army of the LORD. He didn’t realize the depths to which he couldn’t see - at least not until Elisha prayed that his eyes be opened.
It’s curious, this event recorded in Matthew 20:29-34. As Jesus left Jericho, a great crowd followed him. Two blind men called to Jesus. When He asked them what they wanted, they said to him, “Lord, let our eyes be opened.” Immediately following this healing of the sight comes the account of the triumphal entry. What an event to be able to see! Immediately preceding the healing of the two blind men is the incident when the mother of James and John, the sons of Zebedee, asked Jesus that they be allowed to sit on either side of Jesus in the kingdom. Jesus took the opportunity to help the disciples see that “whoever would be great among you must be your servant” (Matthew 20:26).
There’s obviously more to seeing than just observing the surface facts. They’re like water bugs skittering on the surface. There’s so much more that we could see.
There’s a current Christian song by Brandon Heath which goes “Give me Your eyes for just one second. Give me your eyes so I can see everything that I keep missing.” What are we missing? Like Helen Keller, it’s kind of hard to know what to ask for when we don’t have it.
Perhaps we could ask to see God’s will in our life, to know what path He wants us to take. I’d like to understand how the unfolding of events, leading me in a certain direction, fits into God’s plan. When I run into obstacles, is that God telling me to go a different direction? Is He telling me to wait? Is He waiting to see how very much I want a thing? Is an obstacle a “no” from God or is it the enemy trying to discourage me from something good?
Perhaps we could ask to see more clearly how to interact with others. What is it that they need to hear that will encourage them today in their walk with Christ?
Perhaps we could ask to see, with God’s eyes, the potential of each person. If we could see, as C.S. Lewis describes in The Weight of Glory, what is possible for each person who becomes a child of God, we might have more compassion and patience with each one. We might be more willing to share Jesus Christ with them.
I don’t know. What am I missing that I don’t even realize? I suspect that, like the two blind men, it would behoove me to ask, “Lord, let my eyes be opened.”
What about you?
Hangers
On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets. Matthew 22:40
The hanger is a wonderful invention. Before the hanger, people would throw their clothes over the end of the bed, over the top of chairs, hang them on hooks or pegs, fold them into chests, or just pile them on the floor. Walking into homes today, we might be tempted to wonder if a particular family has discovered this wonderful invention. There are coats thrown across chairs. There are piles of clothes, more or less neat, on the bedroom floors and in the closets. And, within five feet of the coat closet, there are mounds of coats and jackets hung on top of each other on the pegs. Is it just too hard to hang a jacket on a hanger?
On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.
It’s interesting that the ESV renders this verse “depend.” The KJV, the NKJV, and the NIV all render it “hang.” The ESV, RSV, and NAS all say “depend.” The Greek word here is #2910, and means “to hang up, suspend” and is used in two ways: 1) of one hanging on a cross, and 2) of the Law and the Prophets - they are summed up, they hang on two precepts.
So Jesus is telling his listeners that the Law and the Prophets hang, or depend, or are summed up, by two commandments. What are we hanging up? What are the Law and the Prophets? The law is the law of God. It’s His directions to His creation for making life work. But it’s more than that. Because God is the Creator, His laws for making things work right are also an expression of God’s character. When God’s people weren’t following His laws, He sent the prophets to try to get them back on track. Over and over, the prophets tell the people to repent, to change their ways, to return to God. They warn God’s people of the consequences of continuing their rebellious ways, but every one of them has a message of hope embedded in their prophesy. If you repent and humble yourself and return to God, He will turn from the calamity He has decreed for you! So it is these two things, God’s law and the message of the prophets, which are hung.
But what are they hung on? Matthew 22:40 says “on these two commandments.” What two commandments are they?
And one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him.“Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?”And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.This is the great and first commandment.And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself (vs 35-39).
Here’s the hanger: love God with everything you are and love people around you as much as you love yourself.
Too many times people try to hang God’s law and His message of repentance on something other than these two commandments. That is, they keep God’s law because they want to appear important to the people around them. It’s just an outward show. It’s like they’re saying, “Look at how religious I am.” That’s not loving God. That’s hypocrisy.
Or perhaps they keep God’s law because they think they can show God how righteous they are. Let me assure you: God is not fooled by our religious antics. Our righteous is an filthy rags to Him. Jesus Christ is our righteousness!
Sometimes people think they can keep God’s laws as a bargaining chip with God. That goes something like this: If I keep the Sabbath this week, you’ll make all my problems disappear for the next week. If I don’t eat pork, you’ll keep me healthy all my life. If I pay a tithe to the church, you’ll make me win the lottery. Those people aren’t keeping the law because they love God, they’re keeping the law because they hope they can influence God to bless them if they keep the law!
God wants a relationship, a close relationship, with each and every one of His people. He loves us so much that He sent His Son to die because we were sinners. We were separated from Him because we wouldn’t obey His laws. We couldn’t obey His laws because of our carnal nature. So God sent His Son to make a way for us to be bought back from sin, to put to death the carnal nature and to be new creatures in Christ. He paid our sin debt. That’s how much God loves us. So what’s our response? If we truly understand, then we love God - and we obey His commandments because we love God.
You know, God’s love is so great! If we would respond to His call to love Him with all of our hearts and all of our minds and all of our souls, we would find His laws easier to obey. They would begin to be part of our nature; we would obey because we couldn’t imagine not obeying.
You know, the hanger is an incredible invention! Perhaps we should use it more frequently to hang up our clothes. And we really should use God’s hanger - loving God with everything we are, and loving our neighbor as ourself.
Never Give Up
But the one who endures to the end will be saved. Matthew 24:13
Can you think of something that would be very difficult to do? I can. Climb Mt. Everest. Explore the Amazon Rainforest. Travel from Independence, MO to Oregon in a covered wagon. Keep all the weeds out of my garden. Keep the house clean. From the “I’m never going to do that” category to the “every day” category, there are tasks which require us to persevere. We have to be very diligent, to keep working at it, to persist in our endeavor to attain our goal.
All of life is like that. You persevere in school to learn so that you can get a good job, so that you can make enough money to live comfortably and be generous to others. You persevere in relationships: it’s not always easy living with a sibling, but if you can learn to get along with him, or her, you can probably get along with anyone. You persevere in jobs that have to be done: painting the house, fencing the yard, cutting firewood - because all of these tasks make your life better.
You are probably old enough to realize that there is more to do than you can possibly get done. So the key is to figure out what really has value to God. What will bring glory and honor to Him? What will bring you closer to Him? Think about it for a minute. You could set a goal to watch every vile and nasty show on television for the next six months. You would really have to persevere, but it wouldn’t bring glory and honor to God and it would likely take you farther from God in your relationship to Him. You could set a goal to read three chapters in the Bible every day. That would take a lot of perseverance and dedication - and, if you asked God for wisdom to understand, that would be a very God-honoring goal. It would also be very beneficial to you because you would be getting God’s word into your mind every day!
But the one who endures to the end will be saved. Matthew 24:13
So what was Jesus talking about in Matthew 24:13? He was talking about being a Christian, holding onto the truths of God, conducting yourself in a God-honoring way - no matter what. This verse comes right in the middle of the prophecies about the end time, prophecies which describe the persecution Christians will endure before Jesus Christ comes back to set up His kingdom on this earth. Jesus’ message is to keep fighting the good fight, to run with endurance the race set before us, to overcome, and to endure to the end. The implication here is that it won’t be easy. It will be difficult to endure to the end, to persevere in doing what is right.
It’s going to require a determination from each of us to rely on God for our strength and a dedication to the goal. Sometimes we look at the big projects - like painting the whole house or reading all of the Bible from cover to cover - and we’re totally overwhelmed by how big the task is. But each task is made up of smaller actions. You don’t walk outside and paint the whole house. You paint one brushstroke at a time. You don’t open the Bible and read the whole thing. You read one word at a time, one sentence at a time, perhaps three chapters every day. In anything that you accomplish, you do one small thing, and then you do it again, and then you do it again. Pretty soon, the whole house is painted, the whole garden is weeded, the entire Bible has been read.
Enduring to the end means setting the pattern of your life - daily prayer, daily Bible study, fellowshipping with the body of believers on a consistent basis, and constant reliance on God’s guidance. Then, when something comes along which doesn’t fit with the Godly pattern of your life, you can look at it and evaluate it: Does this honor God? Because you’ve been persevering in your efforts to seek God with all of your heart, it will be much easier to determine whether it’s a good thing or not.
Enduring to the end also means sticking to that pattern - unless God shows you differently. It’s exhausting to keep pulling up weeds. It’s tiring to clean house. There are days when you just don’t feel like reading your Bible. There are times when you are angry at someone so you don’t feel like praying to God. Those are the times when you do it anyway. You persevere in doing what is right even when you don’t feel like it because one action leads to another action until it becomes a habit.
I love the quote from Winston Churchill: “Never give in, never give in, never, never, never, never-in nothing, great or small, large or petty - never give in except to convictions of honour and good sense.”
Fight the good fight. Run with endurance the race set before you. Endure to the end. Never give up.
So Doing
Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes. Matthew 24:46
Have you ever been given a job to do? Of course! People are given jobs to do from the time they are old enough to understand directions! Pick up your room. Put your toys away. Hang up your coat. Wash the dishes. Most of these kinds of jobs are short-term tasks. You do them, and they’re done, at least until the dishes are dirty again. Other jobs are long-term jobs: fence the property, teach your children until they move out of the house, work for AT&T for 33 years.
There’s an interesting thing about most jobs: there’s a certain amount of freedom in how the job is done. If you are supposed to wash the supper dishes, you get to choose which dish you’re going to wash first. A very particular dish washer might tell you to wash the glasses first, then the silverware, then the bowls and plates, and finish with the cooking pots and pans. But, in many cases, your mom is just glad you’re washing the dishes! Even in working for AT&T for 33 years, I know Ron had a certain amount of freedom to accomplish the job. It had to be done correctly, and in the shortest amount of time. But as long as Ron did his work, management didn’t tell him exactly how that was to be accomplished. Or think about teaching children. There’s a lot of freedom there!! Each child learns a little differently; that’s why there are so many different curriculum choices. How to present a topic can vary from teacher to teacher, from child to child, and from day to day. There are many such jobs which are more of an art than an exact science.
So, considering how ubiquitous jobs are, you probably won’t be surprised to learn that God has likewise given you a job - if you are His, if He is your God. Can you think of what that job might be?
Jesus said we are to be the light of the world (Matthew 5:14-16). We are supposed to shine the gospel of who Jesus Christ is to everyone around us. But as long as we do that accurately, God doesn’t dictate in the Bible exactly how that should look for each person.
We are to make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:19-20). In order to do that we have to be disciples of Jesus ourselves, seeking Him with all of our heart so that we know Him well enough to share Him with others, encouraging them to likewise follow Him.
Hebrews 10:24-25 says that we are to consider how to stir up one another to love and good works. Did you know that you may have a special talent of encouragement to the church family? Your smile and hugs may mean the world to many.
Do you know that God gave a special job to children? Psalm 8:2 (and Matthew 21:16) say that from children He has ordained praise to silence the foe! But God doesn’t say what that praise should exactly look like. It could be singing songs of praise to God. It could be thanking God for what He has done that day.
John the Baptist was given a very specific job. He was to prepare the way of the Lord. He knew this. But John didn’t know exactly what that looked like. Remember? He didn’t want to baptize Jesus; he felt that he should be baptized by Jesus. Isn’t that encouraging to you?! Even a great man like John had to rely on God to show him how to accomplish the job that he’d been given.
There’s one other important thing to remember about your job, the one God gives to you. You have to do it. Too many people in our world today think that “work” is a four-letter word, that having a job is a bad thing. (Oh, they like the pay check; they just don’t like the work.) But God works. Adam and Eve worked in the garden before sin ever entered the world - and God said His creation was very good. Work doesn’t have to be a bad thing. Still, many people groan when they think about having to go to work. They put off doing jobs that need to be done. They procrastinate. They try to find someone else to do the job. They find excuses. They find diversions to keep them from accomplishing the job that they’ve been given to do. And sometimes, those jobs, which really need to be done, are done poorly or not at all. Sometimes they’re done, but with lots of grumbling!! That’s really unfortunate because enjoying your work is truly a blessing from God (Ecclesiastes 5:19). When you enjoy it, you don’t mind getting to work. It’s a pleasure.
So what’s your attitude towards the job that God has given you to do. Are you procrastinating? Are you too busy doing something else? Are you trying to get someone else to do what you should be doing for the Master? Or are you looking for opportunities to be a light, to encourage the church family, or to praise God with all of your heart. We should be ready, willing, eager to do the job God has given us to do. We get to do something for our God - for the One who has given us everything, the One who loves us enough to make a way to adopt us into His family!
When Jesus Christ comes back, He’s going to be looking to see how you’re doing your job. There’s lots of freedom in how you want to do your job. You might not know how to accomplish your job today, but He’s promised to guide you and give you wisdom (Proverbs 3:5-6). Regardless, you’ve got a job to do. Isn’t it time to get busy working for our Lord? When He comes back, I want Him to find me “so doing.”
**Well Done!
His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant.’ Matthew 25:21
Materials needed: hand prints in plaster, cloth, fabric paint, bucket, water, cleaning cloths for clean up.
One of my most favorite parts of pouring concrete is getting to put your hand print or initials in the concrete, as if to say, “This is my work. I’m proud of it. I did well.” That’s a great feeling, isn’t it, knowing that you had a hard job to do and you did well?
This month is graduation month for so many young people - high school or college or graduate school. They worked for years to achieve a goal. They’ve reached the end of this time. Some of them did ok. Some of them did well. Some of them did very well. In college, those who succeed at the highest level graduate summa cum laude - with highest honors. They are recognized for having done very well.
Those who graduate summa cum laude went to class, listened to their professors, did their assignments, learned the lessons, and demonstrated that they learned well on their exams and papers. They put in a lot of effort and the university recognizes that in a commencement ceremony.
We all need to set goals in our lives - and then, when we’ve reached those goals, we need to think about how well we did. Did we do just the bare minimum? Did we do ok? Or did we work very hard to receive that commendation of “well done?”
We’re going to put your hand prints on our Sabbath school blanket. I want it to be a reminder to each of you of two things (Here’s your goal.): 1) Honor God in everything you do (playing with your brothers and sisters, cousins and friends; obeying your parents; being respectful at church); and 2) Seek God with all of your heart (reading your Bible, praying to God, memorizing Bible verses, coming to church) so that He will be found by you. If you do these two things (honoring God and seeking Him), when Jesus comes back, it will be incredible to hear Him say, “Well done.”
**A Sad, Sad Supper
And while they were eating, he said, “Truly I tell you, one of you will betray me.” Matthew 26:21 (NIV)
Materials Needed: string, books, toy car, snack, YEA lesson (YE2D.3 - borntowin.net/yea/primaries/)
Have you ever trusted something that you shouldn’t have? Expected a string to be stronger than it was? Expected a tow rope to hold when pulling a pickup out of the mud - only to find that it wasn’t the tow rope; the bumper was not as strong as you thought? What about the dog - or cat? Have you left your supper on the living room table because you’re watching tv and when you got back, you discover that you’re feeding the critter and now you need to get another meal? When a rope breaks, or a bumper bends, or a critter helps themselves to our food, we kinda kick ourselves because we knew we might be pushing the limits of what we should reasonably expect.
But. When it comes to people, we tend to believe the best about someone - until that trust is broken. A little brother reads his older sister’s diary and then tells her secrets to all his friends. She trusted her brother to stay out of her stuff, to protect her privacy, and to not make fun of her. He broke her trust. He betrayed her.
When we fail to keep a secret, fail to do what we have agreed to do, or when we don’t act like you would expect a friend to act, it damages the trust someone has in us. In other words, we’ve betrayed that trust. And the relationship we had with that other person may never be restored. It’s hard to recover from a betrayal.
Jesus had spent three and a half years preaching the gospel. He’d chosen twelve men to be His disciples. They learned from him - students from the Teacher. They did what He asked. They saw His miracles. They were empowered to do miracles in His name. They healed the sick and the lame. They cast out demons. They shared meals. They shared hardships and persecutions. They shared joys and successes. They grew very close; they were friends.
It hurts to think that one of these twelve men would go to the chief priests and religious leaders. For thirty pieces of silver, he told them he would help them find and identify Jesus. The religious leaders wanted to kill Jesus. Judas knew this! But he did it anyway. He betrayed his Friend.
We feel very sad that Judas would do such a thing. It should also make us sad to realize that we also can very easily betray Jesus. What?! We’d never do that! O.K. What do you tell people when they ask where you go in the fall? Do you say you go on vacation? Or do you tell them you’re keeping the Feast of Tabernacles? Do you take a stand against doing something that you know is against God’s law - when your friends want you to participate? Can people see that you’re a Christian by your actions?
We should care more about pleasing God than fitting in with our friends. We should care more about acting in Godly ways than being popular. When we call ourselves Christians, we have to remember that God has entrusted us with the name of His Son. We don’t want to betray that trust!! We want to walk worthy of the calling we have received.
**Promises
I am with you always. Matthew 28:20
Materials: water-based markers, coffee filter, cup of water
Demonstration: Using markers, make a multi-colored design close to the center of coffee filter. Fold the filter in half and then into thirds. Then put the tip into a glass of water. The capillary action will pull the water up, which also pulls the marker up through the filter, making a design.
The rainbow is such a beautiful sight! But it’s also a sign of one of God’s promises. After the Flood, God told Noah, “Never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all life. Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures of every kind on the earth.” This is a promise that God made to everyone (even the animals).
There are other promises too. Jeremiahs 29:13 says, You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart. This is great promise of God. If you really want to find God, He will be found by you. But you really have to seek Him - God says - with all of your heart.
Then there’s a promise that God makes with those with whom He has a relationship. God has drawn you to Himself (John 6:44); you’ve wanted desperately to find Him. You know God as your God. Here’s another beautiful promise: I am with you always (Matthew 28:20).
These two promises go together. You have to want God and to look for Him with all of your heart. Once God has drawn you to Himself, He will be with you always. There is nowhere you could go that God cannot follow. Do you remember the story of Jonah? Jonah couldn’t flee from the presence of the LORD.
The Psalmist writes in Psalm 139:7-10:
Where shall I go from your Spirit?
Or where shall I flee from your presence?
8 If I ascend to heaven, you are there!
If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there!
9 If I take the wings of the morning
and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,
10 even there your hand shall lead me,
and your right hand shall hold me.
When you know God and love Him, you don’t ever have to feel like you’re all alone. God is there. Did you see what the psalmist said, “ . . . your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me.” This is someone who knows God and knows that God will never leave him or forsake him. God will be with him always.
When we make ungodly choices, God is obviously not going to participate in our sinfulness. And God will let us face the consequences of our sinful choices. Having a relationship with God is not a get-out-of-jail-free card. But when we repent and call on His name, when we seek Him with all of our hearts again, He will be found by us. God loves us that much.
I love the promises of God.
Matthew 1:1 - Born to Be . . .
**Matthew 3:17 - This is My Son
**Matthew 4:19 - Come, Follow Me
**Matthew 5:11 - Water Off a Duck's Back
**Matthew 5:15 - Shine!
**Matthew 6:1 - Outward Show, Inward Reality
**Matthew 6:33 - Daily Seek God's Kingdom
**Matthew 7:2 - Measure Carefully
**Matthew 7:14 - The Way is Hard
**Matthew 7:24 - Anchored to the Rock
**Matthew 9:38 - Harvest
***Matthew 9:38 - Commence (Holy Day Lesson - Eighth Day)
**Matthew 10:29 - Feathers
**Matthew 10:8b - Walking Water - Share (Holy Day Lesson - post-Feast of Tabernacles)
**Matthew 11:28 - There's No Place Like Home
Matthew 11:28-30 - Finding Rest
**Matthew 12:34 - What's in Your Heart
Matthew 12:36 - Every Careless Word
**Matthew 13:38 - Harvest Time (Holy Day Lesson - Pentecost)
**Matthew 13:38 - Bow the Knee (Holy Day Lesson - Pentecost)
Matthew 14:17 - What Do You Have?
**Matthew 14:27 - Jesus Walks on Water (YEA lesson)
Matthew 15:10 - Hear and Understand (Holy Day Lesson - Pre-Feast of Tabernacles)
Matthew 16:16 - The Center of Our Lives
**Matthew 17:5 - Mountain Top Miracle (YEA Lesson)
Matthew 18:4 - Humility
Matthew 18:10 - Angels
Matthew 19:17 - Good
Matthew 19:30 - Last and First
Matthew 20:33 - Open My Eyes
Matthew 22:40 - Hangers
Matthew 24:13 - Never Give Up
Matthew 24:46 - So Doing
**Matthew 25:21 - Well Done
**Matthew 26:21 - A Sad, Sad Supper (YEA lesson)
**Matthew 28:20 - Promises
Born to Be . . .
The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham. Matthew 1:1
Ancestry matters. Think about Secretariat. In the movie, the owner, Penny, talks about Secretariat being sired by Bold Ruler out of Somethingroyal, by Princequillo. It was important. From one of the parents, the horse got speed. From the other, he got endurance. Penny was betting that the combination was going to give her a winning horse.
That’s part of the reason I keep asking people what they think Pepper is. I asked the vet his opinion. I asked the U-Fli trainer her opinion. Obviously, they’re not going to know Pepper’s parents, but every breed of dog has distinguishable characteristics - both physical and temperamental. Blue heelers are fiercely loyal to the family and are natural herd dogs, even herding children, when necessary. Great Pyrenees are easy-going, gentle giants. Dalmatians are known to be high-strung. Terriers would rather argue with you than play with you. It’s not going to matter, in the end, what Pepper is; I’m just curious about his tendencies.
And really, they are just tendencies. Think about labrador retrievers. They’re supposed to retrieve. Velvet retrieves very well. Ebony could care less. But not only are they both black labs, they were both from the same litters. So just because they’re labs, doesn’t necessarily mean they’re both going to be good retrievers.
So even if you had a great-great-great uncle who owned a cattle ranch which stretched for two days (riding on horseback in any direction), that doesn’t necessarily mean you’re going to have a good head for business, own a cattle ranch, or even like cows. But you might. Likely though, you’ll inherit physical features which are more easily seen, like blond hair or blue eyes.
So it’s interesting that Matthew begins his gospel with
The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham. Matthew 1:1
Jesus Christ was the legal descendant of David, through Joseph, and the physical descendant of David, through Mary. Jesus was, and is, the heir to the throne of his father David. He inherited the right to the throne because He was a descendant of King David. Jesus was born to be King.
The last part of Matthew 1:1 says, “son of Abraham.” That’s a little more difficult to define. What does it mean to be the son of Abraham? Perhaps it means that Jesus is in that lineage of the faithful. Perhaps it means that just as Isaac was the son of promise, Jesus is the One promised to come, to save mankind, slain from the foundation of the world. Perhaps, when people hear “son of Abraham,” they think of God’s command for Abraham to sacrifice Isaac. Perhaps, Matthew is telling his readers that not only was Jesus born to be King, He was also born to be our sacrifice, our Savior.
Genealogy and family connections are interesting. In the life of a Christian though, they are more than interesting; they are very meaningful. We are told in Romans 8:15-17, 23 that we are adopted into God’s family as sons. Jesus Christ is our older Brother (Romans 8:29). We are going to be adopted into the kingly line - that’s why we’re called a royal priesthood (1 Peter 2:9). That’s why we’re qualified to reign with Christ on earth for a thousand years (Revelation 5:10). But this inheritance is not because of our works, our inherent goodness, because we are so wonderful. These promises of being the brothers and sisters of Jesus Christ are because of what He did: He came as a human being to die for the sins of those who would believe on Him. In accepting Jesus Christ as your Savior, you are not only given salvation and the promise of eternal life, but adoption into the very family of God as well. It’s a huge thing that Jesus Christ did for each of us.
Sometimes life gets tough. Sometimes you get discouraged. Just remember what your inheritance is - in Jesus Christ. As part of His family, you’re in the kingly line. You’re a descendant of Abraham, the father of the faithful. When you’re tired of struggling, just remember what’s waiting for you. Then, work out your faith. Live like a child of the King.
**This is My Son
This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. (KJV) - Matthew 3:17
Materials needed: doves with questions, lesson from Christian Educational Ministries (https://www.borntowin.net/yea/primaries/primaries-life-of-christ/)
There’s a lot of information packed into this lesson! Let’s see how much you remember from Matthew 3:3-17 and Mark 1:4-11.
Where was John the Baptist? What body of water? Sea of Galilee or Jordan River? (Jordan River)
What was John the Baptist famous for eating and wearing? (clothes made from camel’s hair; locust and wild honey) Was it wrong for him to eat locusts? Aren’t they unclean? (No, locusts are one of the clean bugs. Yuck!)
What was John the Baptist doing? Was he playing in the water? Taking a bath? (He was preaching and baptizing.) What was he preaching? (People needed to repent.) What does “repent” mean? (It means to be sorry for your actions/sins and to stop doing them!) What are sins? (Sins are anything that transgresses God’s laws.)
John the Baptist also said he was preparing the way - for whom? (Jesus)
What did Jesus want John the Baptist to do? (He wanted John to baptize Him.) Why did Jesus want to be baptized? Did He do something wrong? Did He need to repent of anything? (No!! The Bible says it was to fulfill all righteousness. It was the right thing to do.)
What descended on Jesus when He’d been baptized? (Matthew 3:16 says “he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him.”)
What did the people hear after Jesus’ baptism? (‘A voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” ’ (vs. 17)
It’s important to remember that Jesus gave us an example to follow - to fulfill all righteousness, to do what is right. Being baptized is an act of obedience, doing what God has said. What are some other things you should be doing right now? (Reading your Bible, coming to church, honoring your father and mother, not fighting with your brothers and sister, praying - talking with God, singing praises to God) Our goal is to emulate (to look like) our Older Brother, Jesus Christ, and to some day hear God say, “Well done.” We all want God, our Heavenly Father, to be well pleased with us.
**Come, Follow Me
“Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” - Matthew 4:19
Materials Needed: paper fish (magnets attached) with review questions, fishing pole of dowel rod and string with magnet at the end, lesson #5 from Primaries book (https://www.borntowin.net/.../primaries-life-of-christ/)
Have you ever stopped to think about the disciples that Jesus chose? Their backgrounds were so varied! Imagine a tax collector and a zealot working together under any other circumstances!! Imagine choosing muscular fishermen to preach the good news of the Kingdom of God - instead of the priests and teachers of the law. It’s truly a testimony about the power of God to accomplish His will, for His glory and honor. (1 Corinthians 1:26-31)
Another amazing aspect of Jesus calling His disciples is how they responded. Peter, Andrew, James, and John are recorded as immediately leaving their nets. Perhaps it was because they had worked all night without catching a single fish. Then, when Jesus told them to put down their nets again, they caught so many that the nets began breaking and the fish filled both boats so that the boats started to sink (Luke 5). After a miracle like that, who would be reluctant to follow Jesus!?
Jesus often spoke to the people about things they knew well. Then He used those familiar aspects of their lives to help explain spiritual things. The concept of harvest, of sheep needing a shepherd, a gate, living water, hungering for righteousness . . . Jesus did this when calling Peter, Andrew, James and John too!! He acknowledged they were fishermen. Now he was going to make them fishers of men. And after just having seen what Jesus could do, those four fishermen must have had no doubt that Jesus could use them to do what He said.
What about you? Are you a disciple of Jesus Christ? Have you thought about how Jesus can use you for His glory? Just like Peter, Andrew, James, and John were working hard before Jesus called them, you need to work hard: Work hard in school, obey your parents, read the Bible daily, go to church, choose to do the right thing, get along with others. In other words, be a light to the people around you so that they will want to know more about the God you serve.
***Sabbath School was a lot of fun! I made construction paper fish and clipped a paperclip onto their mouths. Then I made a "fishing pole." I let the boys "fish." When they caught one, I asked them the question on the back. If they answered correctly, they continued to fish. If they missed the answer, I threw the fish back. . . . I used the questions from the teacher's edition of the YEA lesson (#5) from the first Primary book from CEM. (https://www.borntowin.net/.../primaries-life-of-christ/)
**Water Off a Duck’s Back
Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. Matthew 5:11
Materials needed: oil, feather, water, towels
(Demonstrate how water does not penetrate a feather but slides off
because of the natural oil with which the ducks preen themselves.)
God created ducks (and most birds, actually) with a special oil gland. They use their bills and beaks to preen themselves and spread that oil all over their feathers. Why would they do that? Well, oil and water don’t mix. So a light coating of oil repels the water which would otherwise get to their skin and freeze in the winter. The oil allows the feathers to provide the perfect protection from rain, sleet, and snow.
When we’re talking about Bible symbolism, what does oil typically make you think of? The Holy Spirit. It was oil in the lamp which caused them to burn brightly. It is God’s Holy Spirit in you which causes you to shine brightly for the Lord and to illuminate His Word to the people around you.
So maybe it’s just a coincidence. But what if God’s Holy Spirit is also like the oil on a duck’s feathers. What if the insults and persecution and lies of others are like water off a duck’s back to you because you have the Holy Spirit, because you know you belong to the King of kings. You are special because He chose you to belong to Him.
So when people insult you, persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Jesus Christ, it’s not easy. It hurts. It doesn’t feel good. But you know you are blessed because they’re only saying and doing those things because you belong to Him. And you can let it slide right off you - like water off a duck’s back.
**Shine!
Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket . . . Matthew 5:15
Materials: candle, matches, bowl or flashlight and basket
We all know how silly it would be to light a candle and then put it under a bowl so that it won’t give its light. If you put the candle under the bowl, what will happen to the candle? Eventually, it will burn all of the oxygen available and it will go out. How silly to light a candle just to let it go out - and be of no use to anyone at all. This statement presupposes that we need the light. It’s dark and we can’t see; we need the light. So we light a candle. Then what do we do with the candle? We hold it up, or put it up high enough so it can shine its light so we can see.
We know that Jesus is the Light of the world (John 1:4-9; John 8:12). So it should not be surprising to find scriptures in the Old Testament that would point to this reality. For instance, the lampstand which was in the tabernacle was to be tended by the priests from evening to morning; it was not allowed to go out (Exodus 27:21). John 1:5 tells us that Jesus, the Light, shines in the darkness. Also, this lamp stand had 22 almond flowers on it - the same number of letters in the Hebrew alphabet. Psalm 119:105 says, “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path.” Jesus is the Word of God (John 1:1). He is the Word and the Light which illuminates our path.
And there are other references to light - very comforting and encouraging references:
Micah 7:8 - Do not gloat over me, my enemy! Though I have fallen, I will rise. Though I sit in darkness, the LORD will be my light.
Psalm 27:1 - The LORD is my light and my salvation— whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life— of whom shall I be afraid?
Psalm 18:28 - You, LORD, keep my lamp burning; my God turns my darkness into light.
And then there’s this very important scripture in Matthew 5:14; Jesus tells His disciples that they are the light of the world. Then He tells them that people don’t light a lamp and put it under a basket.
If you are a follower, a disciple, of Jesus Christ then Jesus has called you the light of the world. You are to be giving glory and honor to God in everything you do - especially as the world around you grows more dark. If the world were full of light, your light wouldn’t be seen - or as desperately needed. But in an ever-increasingly darkening world, your light is more important than ever. We each need to make sure that we’re following in the footsteps of Jesus, the Light of the world, that we can likewise spread His light to people who desperately need hope; they desperately need the Savior; they need Light.
However, it's not only people who don’t know our God who need your light; God’s people need the encouragement too. There’s a stanza in a song: I will hold the Christlight for you in the nighttime of your fear; I will hold my hand out to you, speak the peace you long to hear. We each rely on the light of our brothers and sisters in Christ to endure and persevere, to stay the course. We need the light!!
Especially now, don’t hide your light under a basket. Let it shine!!
**Outward Show, Inward Reality
Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them . . . Matthew 6:1
Materials: pencils (big pencil, Mickey Mouse ears pencil, heart pencil, long eraser pencil, normal pencil, mechanical pencil with/without lead)
Sometimes I look at pencils and I’m reminded again of how powerful marketing can be. I have a Mickey Mouse pencil. The lead part is normal, but the eraser end is curved around into Mickey Mouse ears. Cute. Appealing. But totally unusable for erasing anything! I have a pencil that the eraser end is formed into a heart. Not only is the eraser completely useless, the lead wasn’t put into the pencil dead center, so it doesn’t sharpen well. It’s not really usable on either end.
Similarly, I have one of those huge pencils. First of all, it’s too big to get into a pencil sharpener, so it has to be sharpened the old-fashioned way - with a pocket knife. And then it’s so long, it’s hard to get the right balance to actually be able to use the thing. Talk about an appealing, but worthless, pencil! (Although I was told it could make a nice carpenter’s pencil.)
To the discerning eye, the limited usefulness of these pencils is readily apparent. But what about mechanical pencils? If the tightness mechanism is worn out so that it doesn’t hold the lead in place, the pencil looks like a useable tool, but really isn’t. Or if there’s no lead at all, the pencil looks good on the outside, but the inward reality means that I don’t really want that pencil on my desk. Who wants a pencil that is not a good tool?
Do you ever wonder if our Christian walk can be compared to these pencils? What if we were like the Mickey Mouse or heart pencil - very outward appealing, but not a very useful tool in God’s hands? What if we were like the big pencil - attractive and larger than life to the people around us, but again not very useful as a Christian in God’s hands? What if we were like one of the mechanical pencils? Everyone thinks we’re a great Christian, useful and valuable, but the reality is that we don’t function well as a Christian or we are empty inside. We don’t have the Holy Spirit working inside; we’re just a Christian in name only - which is to say, not really a Christian at all.
Ah, but a good pencil! One that writes smoothly and dependably, one that has good lead and an eraser that brushes out every error - oh a pencil like that is not only worthwhile, it’s protected and treasured. I’ll pass by every other pencil on my desk to find that one pencil that is such a good tool that it’s a delight to use. In Biblical terms, it’s my good and faithful servant. And that’s how we want to be in God’s sight - His good and faithful servant. The outward show is only important if it mirrors the inward reality.
**Daily Seek God’s Kingdom
But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness . . . Matthew 6:33
Materials: glass, magnet, paper clip, thread/string, tape, piece of fabric, a piece of paper, a penny, a piece of plastic, aluminum
Set up demonstration: Place the bar magnet over the top of the glass. Tie a piece of string to a metal paper clip. Let the paper clip touch the magnet on the bottom side of the magnet. Run the string from the paper clip down to the table and tape it so that the string can slide. Put the paper clip away from the magnet slowly. The magnet will have enough attraction on the paper clip to make it look like it’s standing straight up.
Discussion:
You are like that paper clip that is attracted to God and His ways. When God starts working with you, you want to spend time with Him and learn more of His ways. But relationships don’t stay static: you either grow closer together or you grow farther apart.
You can pull the string/paper clip far enough away from the magnet that it is no longer attracted. In a similar way, in your life, you can allow other things to pull you away from God. God hasn’t moved, but you have chosen a path where you miss the closeness and relationship with God.
You don’t have to pull the paper clip away from the magnet to break its attraction. All it takes is something to come in-between the two. In a similar way, sometimes it isn’t that we’ve chosen to move away from God or even that we’ve allowed things to move us away from God. It is rather a case of being distracted from keeping our eyes on Him. So you can put objects in-between the paper clip and the magnet. Which of them will break the attraction? (piece of fabric, a piece of paper, a penny, a piece of plastic, aluminum)
Think about the choices in your life. Which of your choices strengthened your relationship with God? (Things like observing the Sabbath and Holy Days, praying, studying your Bible, talking about God with other people, doing kind things for people because you love God.) Which choices made you feel more distant from Him? (Things like reading ungodly books, listening to ungodly music, making the choice to break God’s laws and to spend time with people who break God’s laws.) Then think about things that happen to you which can cause you to take your eyes off God. (Things like being upset about money, not feeling well, a fight with your best friend) When you start worrying (overly or excessively) about the future, you’ve taken your eyes off God and allowed yourself to become distracted from Him and His promises for you.
Don’t you love how God has given us simple things like magnets and paperclips to remind us to daily seek His kingdom and His righteousness - to be attracted to Him and His ways above all else?
But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. Matthew 6:33
**Measure Carefully
and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. Matthew 7:2
Materials Needed: tape measure, yard stick, ruler
If I measure your shoe with my ruler, I would expect to get the same answer if I measured your shoe with my tape measure or my yard stick. If I don’t get the same answer, I’m going to be confused. What is the right answer? How can I do what I needed to do with that information?
Think of all the things that need precise measurements: building a house, sewing clothes, making a cake, measuring out medicine, cutting hair - or how about doing alterations for a wedding dress!! For any one of these endeavors, it’s not going to work too well if I just eyeball it. I rely on a ruler, tape measure, yard stick to all give me the same answer. It will not turn out well otherwise!!
So what do you think Jesus was talking about in Matthew 7:2? Was He talking about tape measures and rulers? In context, He was talking about the way you treat people around you. Specifically He’s talking about how you want to be treated and how you treat others. Do you want mercy? Do you want people to be nice to you and help you out? Do you want forgiveness? Do you want hugs and smiles? Then that’s what you had better be showing to others. You’d better show mercy and forgiveness. You’d better be generous and kind to others. You’d better hug and smile at others.
But He was also talking about how you measure others and their behavior. Do you want your brother to be punished for doing something that you just want forgiveness for? What happens if your brother accidentally pinches your finger? Do you want your parent to spank him? It’s important to remember that if you want him punished severely, then if you accidentally hurt someone, you will also be punished severely. It’s funny - many adults have a hard time with this one. They want other people to be punished, but they want mercy for their own wrongdoings. Jesus said that’s not the way it works.
So whether it’s how you treat others or how severely you want others punished, remember that the ruler doesn’t change. With the measure you use, it will be measured to you.
**The Way is Hard
For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few. Matthew 7:14
Materials: ping pong balls, cup, big container
Would you be more likely to bounce a ping pong ball into a cup or into a big container? A big container, obviously, would be easier because there’s more room for error. If you have a big enough container, you could even close your eyes and still bounce the ball into it.
How is bouncing a ball into the cup like the life of a Christian? Make no mistake: Salvation is a free gift from Jesus Christ. But discipleship is costly. It is hard. It requires a life of being wholly devoted to God. It means making mistakes, repenting and trying again to do what pleases God. The life of a follower of the Messiah is not easy. It demands that you bring every thought into submission to Jesus Christ. It requires that you become a living sacrifice to God.
Just like you have to practice bouncing the ball to get it into the cup, you have to keep working at living your life in a way that accurately reflects God and His ways to the people around you.
When you don’t make the ping pong ball into the cup the first time, you don’t give up. And when you sin (transgress or break God’s laws), you don’t give up. You repent and try again.
If several people compete at the same time, they can interfere with each other’s efforts. Similarly, Christians can run into conflicts with each other. So you apologize and figure out how to work together to serve God.
When you try to bounce the ball into the cup, you’re competing with other people to see who can get the most balls in the cup the most quickly - so they can be the winner and get the glory and honor. But when you’re a Christian, you’re not competing with other Christians to see who can be best and lord it over one another. We want to help one another so that everyone wins and God gets the glory and honor through the way we live our lives.
It’s a very scary thing for Jesus to have told us that the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.
Let’s work together and be among those few who find life in Jesus Christ.
**Anchored to the Rock
Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. Matthew 7:24
Materials: tray, container of water, towels, sand, two fist-sized rocks, houses from Monopoly, glue gun
“A wise man built his house upon a rock and the rain came a’tumblin’ down.
The rain came down and the floods came up and the house on the rock stood firm.
A foolish man built his house upon the sand and the rain came a’tumblin’ down.
The rain came down and the floods came up and the house on the sand went smash.”
We sing this kids’ song. The tune is catchy. It’s fun. But have you really thought about what it means? If I put a Monopoly house on a pile of sand and then sprinkle water on it, what will happen? Given enough water, the sand will wash away and the house will be destroyed. (Since it’s a plastic house, it’s not destroyed; it’s tipped over, perhaps even upside down. But you get the idea.)
So what if I put a Monopoly house on a rock. I can sprinkle water on it and as long as it’s not a deluge, it won’t be tipped over. But what if it is a deluge? Or what if it’s another storm - like a tornado or a hurricane or an earthquake? If the house is just sitting on the rock, it’s not secure. It has an appearance of security, but it is not truly secure.
But what if I used a hot glue gun to glue the Monopoly house to the rock? Now what can I throw against that house which would cause it to be tipped over or destroyed. It would take a hammer, wouldn’t it!!
I suspect there are Christians out there who fall into all three categories. There are the house-on-the-sand Christians who say they are Christians, but their foundation on the Word of God is shaky. At the first storm in life, they are in trouble! There are the house-on-the-rock Christians. They look like they are set solidly, but the storms of life can be relentless. A huge storm, a large wave, can knock them over. The appearance doesn’t count for anything when the chips are down.
The Christian who is anchored to Jesus Christ is the only one of the three who can endure. Their trust and faith is not in themselves, but in the One who can save them from any and all storms in life. And because that’s where their faith and trust is, they live their lives as servants of the Most High, children of God, ambassadors for Christ. Their lives reflect God’s ways so that no one has to wonder if they’re a Christian.
Do you understand that part of building a house is having a firm foundation? Sand doesn’t give a firm foundation. There’s nothing to anchor to. Setting your house on a rock isn’t the definition of building a house any more than looking like a Christian makes you a true Christian. Make sure your foundation is secure. Anchor your house to the Rock. I want you to not just sing “On Christ the solid rock I stand;” I want your feet to be anchored there!
**Harvest
therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest. Matthew 9:38
Materials: a piece of fruit or vegetable harvested from the garden
What do you get when you first plant your garden? What is the first thing you harvest? Ask my kids! I’ve been making them help me harvest every morning for an hour! Weeds! Now obviously, weeds really aren’t part of the garden harvest, but they are very ubiquitous. It’s an amazing thing how the weeds flourish better than the plants you tend and nurture and really want to grow!
So I spend hours weeding and watering and mulching with hay around my plants. If I leave the weeds, they’ll choke out the tender tomatoes and carrots and strawberries. If I don’t water enough (not too little, not too much), the weeds will survive, but the chard and broccoli and peppers will not grow well. And they might not even make it. And I have discovered that if I put hay around my plants, it keeps down the weeds and it also moderates both the water and the temperature. The plants don’t get too dry or too wet, nor do they get too hot in the Missouri summer sun.
And isn’t my garden like the life of a Christian!? When you’re a new Christian, what is most likely to show up in your words and actions? Weeds - things that are not Godly, things that are not pleasing to God! So you work to get rid of those weeds. That happens both by your will and God’s Holy Spirit working in your life.
But remember: it’s not just weeds that keep the garden from growing well. It’s also water. And I don’t think it’s a coincidence that Jesus said, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.” (John 4:10). God has made it very plain in our lives that we can’t survive as a Christian unless we have a relationship with Jesus, the One who can give us the Living Water, the Holy Spirit (John 7:39).
In the end, if you make good choices and stay connected to God the Father through Jesus Christ, there will be an abundant harvest in your life. You’ll be exhibiting the Godly behaviors that draw others to want a relationship with God. That’s when you become a laborer in God’s harvest - willing and able to spread the good news of Jesus Christ to a world - a field - that so desperately needs Him.
So when you are praying that the Lord of the harvest will send more laborers into the harvest, it’s important to remember that you’re one of those laborers - but you’ve got to keep the weeds out of your garden and you have to have the Living Water, the Holy Spirit.
**Commence
“Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.” Matthew 9:38
Materials: bags for each child with foam leaf, band-aid, balloon, jewels, blue yarn doll, rock, antiseptic wipe, heart
At the end of a class, a seminar, a training session, the students are gathered together, reminded of the lessons they’ve learned and sent off to get started on their jobs. That’s what today feels like! We’ve spent the past seven days learning, drinking in lots of information. Now we’re ready for our marching orders. We’re ready to go use what we’ve been given - to put it into practice.
(Heart) We’ve felt the Holy Spirit all week long. It has filled this place and us! Now, like the water ceremony portrays, we need to go home and let the living water flow out of our hearts and water our world. We came out of a dry and dusty land. It’s time to go home and make it blossom.
(wipes) After the priests were cleansed and consecrated in the tabernacle for seven days, they assumed their duties on the eighth day (Leviticus 8:33; 9:1). It’s time to get to work as part of God’s kingdom of priests. We may not be priests yet, but we must realize this is the place God is preparing for us and preparing us for. Live your life with that goal and reality in mind. Look for opportunities to share the gospel and to encourage people to seek God and to draw closer to Him.
(Rock) What happened in the temple once it had been dedicated? It was used for the glory of God. This week has been a reminder for us, that, as the temple of God, we are dedicated to His purposes. All of us are the lively stones that God is using for His purpose to His glory.
(yarn doll) Knowing that you are the Bride of Christ - His helpmate - be aware that God is preparing you for that role. You will be tried and purified. Stay close to God (prayer, Bible study, meditation, and fellowship) and trust Him! You are special to Him.
(Jewels) Just how special to Him we are is hard to wrap our minds around!! He calls us jewels! He gave His only begotten Son as a sacrifice for us so that we could be adopted into His family. He loves us beyond our imagination. Hold onto that trust no matter what!!
(Form leaf and Band-aid) On the first day, we talked about building a tabernacle according to God’s commands. Now, seven days later, the tabernacle looks like the weather has not been kind to it! Similarly, these temporary dwellings, our bodies, look a little worse for the wear as we live through the storms of life. But we keep our eyes focused on Him, knowing it’s part of His plan!
(Balloon) And we rejoice! We rejoice that we have a future in God’s kingdom as the temple of God, the Bride of Christ, priests of God, adopted into God’s family.
Are you ready to get started?
***Share (Holy Day Lesson - post-Feast of Tabernacles)
Freely you have received; freely give. Matthew 10:8b
Materials needed: four clear cups, water, food coloring, strips of paper towel
Imagine you have a cup full of colored water and you stick a twisted strip of paper towel into it. Then you stick the other end of the paper towel into a cup that has a small amount of clear water. Do you know what happens? The water will work its way up the towel and down into the second cup, coloring the water.
What happens if the second cup also has colored water? Then the two colors will mix.
What happens if both cups are about equal in amounts of water? The water from both cups will wick up the towel and met in the middle.
This is called capillary action. (Capillary action is how florist can make green carnations and fourth grade science teachers can make multicolored celery leaves.) The water moves from an area of higher water density to an area of lower water density. It looks like the water is out for a walk. When we add food coloring to the water, we can see how the water molecules move more clearly.
Do you ever do this? Do you ever take what you have and give it to someone else?
We’ve just returned from celebrating the Feast of Tabernacles. It’s a great eight days of worshipping God, fellowshipping with other believers, and drinking in of intimate time with Jesus Christ. Not only did we eat many good meals together, we also shared some very good spiritual meals together: sabbath school lessons, seminars, sermons, Bible studies, etc. What did you take away from the Feast? What did you learn (or reinforce) that you can share with the people around you?
Some of the people around you don’t know anything about the Feast of Tabernacles. They’re like that cup with clear water. You get to tell them something that may be brand new to them. Other people you know celebrated the Feast at a different Feast site. They heard different things that you heard. You’re like one colored cup of water; they’re like another colored cup of water. When you share together, you mix your ideas. And that’s a good thing too.
We are so blessed. God has given us so much. And whether you’re sharing what you have been given physically, or you’re sharing the good news of the kingdom of God, there are people out there who need the blessing that you can give to them. What can you share with someone today?
**Feathers
Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. Matthew 10:29
Materials: feathers, drop of oil, water, towels
Have you ever spent any time looking into feathers and what an amazing creation they are?! The story goes that the inventor of velcro got his idea from the burrs which stick to animal coats, clothing, and anything else that brushes up against them. But velcro could very well have been inspired by birds’ feathers. Their intricate creation not only keeps each individual barb connected to the one next to it, if they are disconnected, the bird - by running its beak down the feather - can reattach the barbs together.
If that weren’t amazing enough, when the bird preens his feathers (cleaning and straightening them out), he’s also spreading a little bit of oil on them. Have you heard the saying “water off a duck’s back”? The water runs right off a bird because of the oil on their feathers. (Incidentally, when birds get into an oil spill, we clean their feathers with Dawn “to get grease out of the way.” But the detergent also strips the natural oil from the feathers. Until the bird can dry out and get itself re-oiled, it can’t fly and is extremely vulnerable to anything that thinks it might like a chicken dinner.)
And speaking of flying, feathers are designed by God in the perfect way to make flying possible for birds. The albatross needs to have a running start of a cliff to get airborne, but once it’s up in the air, flying is not a problem even for this huge bird. Feathers are a vital part of a bird getting lift - air rushing over the wing at a faster rate causing low pressure and therefore lift.
We could also talk about the different types of feathers. The long pinion feathers at the end of the wing are for flight. The contour feathers give the bird its shape and protection. The down feathers provide both insulation from heat and cold.
When you look at feathers and you think about how intricate they are, how much detail God put into each one, and then you read the verse in Matthew 10:29, Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. Then Jesus follows that with these two very comforting verses: 30But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. 31Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.
If God is willing to bless the birds with such an amazing attribute as feathers, what will He do for you?
**There’s No Place Like Home
Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Matthew 11:28
Materials needed: clear pie plate, water, two sharpies (permanent ink), paper towel,
https://www.borntowin.net/yea/primaries/primaries-life-of-christ/ (Book Two, Lesson 2)
For a similar video: https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-1d&q=prodigal+son+children%27s+object+lesson#fpstate=ive&vld=cid:031c92d9,vid:EmxL2ifqTto
Once there was a young man who decided he wanted his inheritance right then; he didn’t even want to wait until his father had died. His father agreed to give it to him. (Draw a simple house on one half of the paper towel with a black Sharpie.) The young man traveled to a far country and spent his money frivolously. (Fold the paper towel in half. Put the house on the outside. On the inside, in the same spot as the house, draw a stick figure in blue.) Soon his entire inheritance was gone! The young man had to find a job so that he could get some money so that he could eat. He found himself taking care of pigs and supplementing his diet out of their food trough. He suddenly realized that his father’s hired servants were treated better than what he was experiencing. He decided to go home and beg his father for a job.
The young man hadn’t realized the depths of his father’s love for him. His father ran to meet him when he saw the young man walking down the road. The young man admitted his guilt and said that he knew he wasn’t worthy to be called a son. But the father threw a party! His son that was lost was home again. (Place the folded paper towel in the water in the pie plate. The water makes the paper towel translucent and it looks like the stick figure is in the house.)
God has chosen us to be part of His family. He has that much love for us. (Draw a red heart on the inside part of a new piece of paper towel.)
Sometimes we sin (the transgression of God’s laws). We put ourselves out of fellowship with God. (Draw a heart outline of the outside part of the paper towel.) Things may go smoothly for a while, but without God and His ways, we soon find ourselves in trouble. We may think that we can’t go home; we’ve ruined things forever. What we don’t realize is the depth of God’s love for us. When we’re truly repentant, God is faithful and just to forgive us for our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9).
The next time you wake up and realize that your relationship with God is estranged because of your sin, repent. God loves you. There’s a good reason Jesus told the story of the prodigal son - so that we would understand how much God wants us to repent. (Place the folded heart paper towel in the water.) Here’s where our memory verse comes in: Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest (Matthew 11:28) - because there’s no place like home (aka being in fellowship with our Father) for finding rest for our souls!
Finding Rest
Come to me all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light. Matthew 11:28-30
This section of Matthew grabs my attention! How often do I feel weary and heavy-laden! How often do I wish I could just rest!! But there are some other cool tidbits to glean from this passage.
Notice the parallelisms, the repetition of concepts. First Jesus contrasts
“Come to me all who labor and are heavy laden” with
“For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
His audience had a heavy burden. They were laboring. He could give them an easy yoke and a light burden. What a contrast!
Next Jesus contrasts these two ideas:
“and I will give you rest” with
“you will find rest for your souls.”
The word translated “rest” is not the same Greek word. The first one means “rest or repose, take ease, to refresh.” The second one means “to cease from labor, or literally, to pause again.” There’s an idea here that people somehow got away from the rest that God originally gave to mankind, the kind of rest found in Jesus Christ.
The third contrast is the yoke or guide. First Jesus says,
“take my yoke upon you . . .” and
“my yoke is easy.”
Here the comparison is to emphasize the rest that is found in Jesus Christ.
Interestingly enough, the word “yoke” can mean that tool which is placed on the oxen to guide them, to teach them how to do the work for the master. The spiritual meaning is similar. The rabbis used the word “yoke” to mean their teachings. Consider what Jesus said in Matthew 23:4, talking about the Pharisees: “They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on people’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to move them with their finger.” In contrast to what the religious leaders of the day were teaching, Jesus said his teaching was easy because He, Jesus, was gentle and lowly in heart. That word “heart” means “the thoughts, reasonings, judgments, understanding or will.”
It is no coincidence that Matthew places this passage just prior to the incident with the Sabbath in Matthew 12, where the Pharisees were so critical about Jesus’ disciples plucking and eating grain as they walked through the fields on the Sabbath. Jesus’ teachings about what was acceptable and proper on the Sabbath was very different from the harsh and restrictive laws imposed by the Pharisees.
So what does Jesus say people need to do? “. . . learn from me.” This word “learn” means “learn, endeavor, desire, seek.” Again we are back to a major theme of the whole Bible: seeking God! Oh and what a reward to gain if we seek God and learn from Him!! Rest! Doesn’t that phrase ring in your mind!!
“And you will find rest for your souls.”
**What’s in Your Heart
For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. Matthew 12:34
Materials: balloons, metal nuts of various sizes
Do you know what happens when you put a nut into a balloon and get it rapidly moving around the inside of the balloon? It’s the coolest thing: it starts humming. Now each nut makes a little bit different hum. And it’s kind of fun to guess which is which and why they do this.
The nut inside rubs against the balloon. The friction causes the sound. And that’s what happens with you too. Whatever is inside you is expressed through your facial expressions, your actions, and the words you speak. It’s what Jesus said in Matthew 12:34: “For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.” Jesus uses the very concrete example of fruit trees. If the tree is good, it will produce good fruit. If the tree is bad, it will produce bad fruit. In a similar way, what you genuinely are will be displayed for all to see by your words and deeds.
So could you pretend that you were something you’re not. Well, of course. We have actors in Hollywood that do that to earn a living! And there are some people who intentionally try to make you think that they are something they are not - for some evil purpose. But who you are, consistently, day after day is what people hear coming from your mouth and through your behaviors.
Like we’ve talked about before, it isn’t so much that you want to hide what’s inside. It is that you want God to change what is inside so that what is expressed is Godly and good.
Seek God. Seek His ways. Submit yourself to the life-changing power of the Holy Spirit. Then whatever hums in your heart will be pleasing to God and beneficial to those around you who hear.
Every Careless Word
I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak, Matthew 12:36
There’s a childish saying which goes:
Sticks and stones may break my bones,
but words can never hurt me.
It’s not true, of course, because the words people say can hurt a great deal. You can forget that you’ve been hurt physically, but the mental pain of an ill-placed word can linger for decades! It’s very unfortunate that the compliments we sincerely give to others are not remembered as long!!
There’s a much more accurate, contemporary Christian song sung by Hawk Nelson about the power of our words.
They've made me feel like a prisoner; They’ve made me feel set free;
They've made me feel like a criminal; Made me feel like a king.
They've lifted my heart To places I'd never been,
And they've dragged me down Back to where I began.
Words can build you up; Words can break you down;
Start a fire in your heart or Put it out.
Let my words be life; Let my words be truth.
I don't wanna say a word Unless it points the world back to You.
You can heal the heartache; Speak over the fear.
God, Your voice is the only thing We need to hear.
Let the words I say Be the sound of Your grace.
I don't wanna say a word Unless it points the world back to You.
I wanna speak Your love; Not just another noise.
Oh, I wanna be Your light; I wanna be Your voice.
Words can so quickly slip out of our mouths. We can be joking. We can be angry. We can be too busy. We can be thinking of other things. But once those words are out of our mouths, they’re gone. We can’t call them back. We need to be very careful about our words.
There’s another poem about our words:
The wise old owl lived in an oak.
The more he saw, the less he spoke.
The less he spoke, the more he heard.
Why can’t we all be like that bird?
We know the power of words, both to do good and to do incredible damage. But do we realize how much our words matter to God? He says, “I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak” (Matthew 12:36). We will have to explain to God why we said what we said, why we chose those particular words, why we delivered them in that tone of voice.
The words we say come out of our hearts. They are an expression of what we really feel and who we really are. We need to remember that we will give an account both for what we have done in this life as well as what we have said. We seriously need to learn to be more judicious about our words!
**Harvest Time (Pentecost Lesson)
The field is the world, and the good seed is the sons of the kingdom. The weeds are the sons of the evil one, Matthew 13:38
Materials needed: grasses
Do you know what has been happening in the fields over the past seven weeks? Planting and harvesting. Yes, really! We tend to think of spring as the time to plant, and it is - for some crops. But there are other crops which were planted last fall and they are ready to harvest in spring - like barley, oats, and wheat. Here in Missouri, there are already farmers out in the fields harvesting hay. We’ve had enough rain and warm temperatures to have a good crop of grass already! Seeing those big round bales in the fields means that cows and horses will have something to eat this coming winter.
But unless the farmer tilled and sowed alfalfa, the fields of grass are a mixture of grasses. There’s timothy, brome, alfalfa, clover, ryegrass, fescue, Bermuda grass, and orchard grass. And there’s usually a mixture of other plants too. We have daisies, plants that look like daisies, sunflowers, Queen Anne’s Lace which dot the pasture. And there are some weeds - thistles, stinkweed, etc. There’s a lot of variety.
So when Jesus said that the field is the world, this is something we can understand because we see it in front of us. Then He said (in Matthew 13:38) that the good seed is the sons of the kingdom. The weeds are the sons of the evil one.
When I stand back and look at the pasture, all I see are green plants and a few white flowers. I can’t identify the really nutritious plants or the weeds from a distance. But I know they are there. In the same way, we live in a world where there are sons of the kingdom - Christians - people who belong to God. And there are evil people - people who reject God and do evil things.
And, it’s going to be that way - with good and bad people in our world - until the harvest, until Jesus Christ returns. It’s our job to grow where we are planted and produce fruit for the Landowner, the King, our God.
And we’ll talk about that tomorrow on Pentecost.
**Bow the Knee (Pentecost Lesson)
The field is the world, and the good seed is the sons of the kingdom. The weeds are the sons of the evil one, Matthew 13:38
Materials needed: grasses
Wheat and tares look very similar as they are growing. You can’t really tell which is which until the wheat produces fruit - the head of grain. Tares don’t produce a head of grain. They don’t produce any fruit. Do you understand why it’s a problem to have tares growing in your field of wheat? The tares use the nutrients in the soil, nutrients that could be used by the wheat, but then they don’t produce anything. There’s no reward for the farmer for having these weeds in his field!
In this parable in Matthew 13, the servants asked the landowner if he planted the weeds!!! When the landowner said that an enemy had done it, the servants wanted to know if they should go pull up the weeds. The landowner said that in pulling up the weeds, the wheat could be damaged. The weeds were allowed to grow with the wheat until the harvest.
Knowing that Jesus was using a parable, a picture, to describe what our world is like means that God allows evil people to live in the world with His people. Does that mean we should live like the evil people we see around us? No!! Does that mean we are excused from producing fruit for the kingdom? No.
In fact, we should be producing more fruit for the kingdom, for our Master and Lord, because we owe Him everything and we know that we do. He’s the One who called us by name and redeemed us. He’s the One who blesses us and helps us to grow. He’s the One who gives us hope and a future.
Have you ever seen an apple tree so loaded with fruit that the branches were breaking? Have you ever seen a tomato plant or a pepper plant so full of fruit that it looks like it’s going to fall over? Do you know what happens when a stalk of wheat is filled with fruit? The head, the top of the stalk of wheat, gets so full and heavy, that the heads bows over. Hmm. Isn’t that interesting?! One of the ways that you can tell, immediately, the difference between wheat and tares is that the wheat’s head bows; the tare’s head doesn’t because it has no fruit.
It’s a great visual reminder that we need to bow our head because of the abundance that God has blessed us with - even the ability to produce fruit for His glory.
What Do You Have?
They said to him, “We have only five loaves here and two fish.” (Matthew 14:17)
Country singer Dolly Parton sang a song several years ago called “My Coat of Many Colors.” It was about growing up poor and needing a coat one winter. Someone had given their family a box of rags. Her mother took those tiny pieces of rags and sewed them into a coat. It would be enough to keep the little girl warm going to school. It’s a heart-warming story about a family having so little but using what they’d been given. It was enough. Making good use of what you have been given is also seen in the parable of the talent (Matthew 25) or the parable of the pounds (Luke 19).
The Philadelphia church in Revelation 3 also had very little. Jesus tells them, “I know that you have but little power, and yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name” (Revelation 3:8). Jesus doesn’t talk about them having something tangible like a box of rags. He talks about their reserves of strength, their desire to persevere in righteousness, holding onto their faith in God and His promises to those who love and seek Him. They have just a little strength, but they have the willingness to do what is right and the heart to act on that desire. Jesus encourages them to persevere.
But neither of these stories (the coat made of rags or the perseverance of the Philadelphia church) show exactly the principle in Matthew 14, when Jesus fed the 5000. It’s not really a story about having very little and making do with it. It’s not a story of persevering with the little you have. It’s a story about having very little and taking it to God, asking Him to do something with it. There are stories in the Bible which talk about having a little, but God doing so much with it.
David slew Goliath with a sling and a stone. God used just a little stone from the brook and a young shepherd to defeat the entire army of the Philistines.
The widow in 2 Kings 4 only had a little oil. Elisha told her to borrow as many vessels as she could and pour the oil from her jar into the vessels. She did and when the last vessel was filled, the oil stopped flowing. Elisha told her to sell the oil. It was just a little oil, but with God’s intervention, it was enough to pay her debts and to live on.
Then there’s this story in Matthew about Jesus feeding the 5000 (That’s just the men; it didn’t include the women and children.) with just five loaves and two fish. They picked up 12 basketfuls afterwards! That’s a very little for so many people, but it was more than enough in God’s hands.
God didn’t chose the largest and most impressive nation to be His people. He chose the least. The apostle Paul says that not many wise, powerful, and important people were called (1 Corinthians 1:26), but God chose to work through the lowly things to display His power, to show how much God can do with so little.
So what do you have? What is it that you feel God wants you to do? Do you feel like you have the ability and the resources to do that job? Perhaps you only have a little oil. Perhaps you only have five smooth stones and a sling. Perhaps you only have five loaves and two fish. What do you think God can do with your resources if your heart is to serve Him and to do the right thing?
There are so many instances where God takes the little that people have and increases it to fulfill His purposes for His glory. David’s stones. The widow’s little oil. The boy’s five loaves and two fish. We need to stop looking at our resources through the world’s eyes. According to the world, David would have been soundly defeated and killed by Goliath. The widow’s sons would have been taken by her creditors. The 5000+ people who came to hear Jesus would’ve gone away hungry. We need to realize that we serve the Great God of the Universe. If He wants to accomplish something for His glory, He can do great things with a very little amount. And, as in the case of the five loaves and the two fish, more can be collected afterward than what you started with.
Our job is not to worry about resources. Our job is to make sure we’re walking according to God’s will, we have the heart for righteousness, and the willingness to act. Who knows? Maybe God will take what we have and do great things - even if it’s just five loaves and two fish.
**Jesus Walks on Water (YEA lesson)
“Be brave! It is I. Don’t be afraid” (NIrV). Matthew 14:27
Materials needed: wash basin, toy boat, water, towels!!!; lesson #7 from Primaries book (https://www.borntowin.net/yea/primaries/primaries-life-of-christ/) REACH Activity #2/YEAH Activity #2
The disciples had literally just watched Jesus multiply five barley loaves and two fish with enough to feed 5000 people (probably more ‘cause that was just the men!) and gather 12 baskets of leftovers! So what happened next?
Jesus sent the disciples in the boat to go to the other side of the Sea of Galilee. He went up on the mountain to pray. The disciples in the boat were battling strong waves because the wind was so strong. So what did Jesus do? He walked to them on the water.
Can you see this in your mind? These men are in a boat on a sea. The waves were likely not only keeping them from making much headway, but were also threatening to swamp the boat. But that’s not what Matthew said they were afraid of. They were terrified of the sight of Jesus walking on the water. Even when Jesus told them not to be afraid - that it was He, Peter wanted verification. He asked Jesus to command him to come to Jesus on the water. So Jesus told Peter to come. Peter had enough courage to get out of the boat and start toward Jesus, but the wind (and what it was doing) scared him. He started to sink. Jesus reached out His hand, grabbed Peter, and asked him why he had doubted.
Then they got into the boat. And now another miracle occurred: the wind ceased.
Multiplying loaves and fishes. Walking on water. Controlling the wind. Finally, with these three experiences, the disciples worshipped Jesus, calling Him the Son of God.
Do you know that Jesus is the Son of God? Do you trust Him in the middle of a storm? Are you more afraid of trusting God or of the storm around you? I guess it all depends on whether you have a relationship with Jesus or not. If you know Him, or rather are known by Him, then you can trust Him no matter what storms in life assail you (pun not intended). And you will worship Him because you know He is God!
Note: We’re going to put a toy boat in a basin and make some waves. I will have some popsicle puppets so the students can re-enact the story. And I’ll make sure I have enough towels. 😉
Hear and Understand (Holy Day Lesson - pre-Feast of Tabernacles)
And he called the people to him and said to them, “Hear and understand.” Matthew 15:10
Before Jesus started speaking to the people, he gave them two commands: hear and understand. These are two separate, but connected, commands.
Think about hearing. In order to hear what someone is saying, you have to be close enough to actually pick up the sound. If you’re standing on the other side of the room, you may not be able to hear what I’m saying on this side of the room. When you want to hear someone, you get close to them.
But just because you can hear, it doesn’t automatically follow that you can understand. If they are using words you don’t know, or speaking in a language you don’t speak, you aren’t going to “get” what they’re saying - no matter how close you get to them. If I say, “Cherchez le livre sur la table et ouvrez à page huit s’il vous plaît,” it will do you no good to get closer to me. You’re still not likely to understand what I want you to do. You might have to learn French before you’d understand.
So when Jesus wanted to talk with the people, He gave two commands: hear and understand. And these can apply to us today. Do you want to know what God wants you to do? Do you want to receive the blessings of walking in God’s ways? Then you must likewise do these two things: hear and understand. The first one - hear - means you’re going to have to get close to Jesus. That means walking in His ways. That means reading the Bible, praying, fellowship with other believers, doing what God tells you to do - like going to the Feast of Tabernacles.
Do you want to understand what God has said? That means you’re going to have to study. You’re going to have to put in some time and effort. You’re going to have to ask for God to open your mind and give you understanding and wisdom. God says that when we seek Him with all of our heart, He will be found by us.
It’s a good thing to remember before we go to the Feast. Are we going to have a good time? Yes! Are we just going to have a good time? No. We are going to assemble before God on His days because He said to! We are going to worship Him. We’re going to spend time with Him. We’re going to learn more about Him in His presence. We’re going to hear and to understand - because we want to know Him. We want a closer walk with Him. We want the blessing of walking in His ways: Blessed is everyone who fears the Lord, who walks in his ways! (Psalm 128:1) And we’re going to rejoice while we’re doing it.
The Center of our Lives
Simon Peter replied, “You are Christ, the Son of the living God.” Matthew 16:16
I had heard that Matthew 16:16 is the center verse in Matthew. But I couldn’t verify that. I counted and divided by two, and it didn’t come out that way. So, I don’t know if the count was done using a different version, if some of the verses were eliminated because they weren’t in the original text, or if I simply miscalculated. But I couldn’t get it to come out that way.
Still, it would be a nice “coincidence” if Matthew 16:16 did happen to be the center verse. After all, the book of Matthew’s theme is discipleship. It makes sense that you would want to recognize the person to whom you are a disciple!
Furthermore, there’s the literary structure. In Western thought, the point of the story comes at the end. Think of our fairy tales or Aesop’s fables. The lesson or moral of the story isn’t revealed until the end. But in Hebrew thought, the point of the story comes in the middle, with all the supporting thought mirroring that thought on both sides. They build to the main point and then reiterate the reasons why. So having Matthew 16:16 as the center verse would make a lot of sense.
Why is it central?
Jesus is the Messiah, the Christ. He’s the One who was promised to come and save us from our sins. In addition, He’s the Son of the living God. He’s not anything like the immovable, inanimate, pagan gods of the nations. Jesus is the only begotten Son of the God of the universe. He’s God the Son. He’s of that divine family. That means Jesus is the fulfillment of the Old Testament promise of a divine son as anointed king (2 Samuel 7:14; Psalm 2:7).
It’s also very significant that Simon Peter recognized Jesus as Christ, the Son of the living God. Jesus told Peter that was not revealed to Peter by a human being, but by the Father in heaven. Do you understand how important that is? Peter believed that Jesus was/is the Messiah, the Son of the living God. He didn’t just come to that understanding on his own. God the Father gave it to him. Similarly, if you believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Christ, the Son of the living God, then it is evidence that God is likewise working in your life, drawing you to Him (John 6:44).
You have to believe that He is who He says He is before you’re willing to do what He says. You have to believe that He is the Messiah, the Anointed One sent by the Father, before you are willing to submit your life to Him. You have to believe that He is the Redeemer, the Savior of the World, before you turn your life over to Him. And you have to believe that He is the King of kings and Lord of lords before you’re ready to accept Him as your Sovereign in all things.
But there’s a funny thing about words. You can say a lot of things - they just pop out of your mouth without much thought. But it’s when you believe with your entire being what you are saying that it has life-changing power. If you say, and truly believe, that Jesus is Christ, the Son of the living God, you will be willing to be His disciple. You’ll learn about Him. You’ll learn to walk in His ways. You’ll desire to know Him so well that He becomes the most important part of your life. He will, in essence, become the center of your life.
I don’t know where I heard that Matthew 16:16 is the center of Matthew. But even if it’s not in a strictly counting sense, it is in every other way that matters. Jesus is Christ, the Son of the living God.
***Mountain Top Miracle
This is my Son. . . listen to Him. Matthew 17:5 (NIrV)
Materials needed: various noise makers, https://www.borntowin.net/yea/primaries/primaries-life-of-christ/ (Book Three, Lesson 2)
Have you ever heard an exchange like this? “Hey! Didn’t you hear me?” “No, sorry. I wasn’t listening.”
Why wasn’t the person listening? Can you think of reasons? Distracted or preoccupied. Hard-of-hearing. Not interested. Too noisy. Not close enough. Completely unaware that someone was talking. Thinking that he couldn’t possibly be talking to him.
Don’t you think it’s fascinating that God the Father had to tell Peter, James, and John two things: 1) That Jesus was His Son - Didn’t they already know that?! and 2) To listen to Jesus. If you knew that Jesus was God, the Son, wouldn’t you be paying close attention to what He said? Well, apparently not, because God doesn’t say things for no reason.
So what does this mean to you? First of all, you must become a really good listener. That means you have to distinguish what sounds are what and which are worth paying attention to. Let’s practice: What do you hear? Ooo. Did you learn something? You have to be still and quit making noise yourself if you want to listen to something else. And sometimes it works better if you close your eyes.
O.K. Now that you’re still, what do you hear? Can you distinguish between a box of rocks and a box of coins? Do you hear a bouncing tennis ball or a bouncing super ball. Was it a rubber band or a balloon? That one’s a little harder, isn’t it. They sound very similar. So what if I have you watch and listen. O.K. Now close your eyes again. Which one is it: a rubber band or a balloon?
Listening to Jesus is the similar. You have to know what He sounds like - otherwise someone might convince you to listen to someone who isn’t Jesus. And how do you know what Jesus sounds like? You read the Bible every day. You come to church. You talk with your parents about God.
But even when you know what Jesus is saying because you know your Bible, you come to church, you listen to your parents - are you putting what you know into practice? Or will Jesus say to you, “Hey! Didn’t you hear me?” Because if you have heard Jesus, God the Father expects that you will obey!! I hope none of you will have to say, “No, I wasn’t listening.”
Humility
Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 18:4
We want to be great, to have honor, to be well-thought of by the people around us. We want a better position rather than a lesser position. We don’t want to clean toilets, pick up dog poop, muck out stalls, or take care of people’s trash. If we had a choice, we would rather be close to the top, making decisions, influencing others, and keeping our hands clean. So we think about what Jesus said:
Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 18:4).
To be great we have to become like this child. We have to humbles ourselves. So what is humility? It’s the knowledge that God is great and you are not. It’s an attitude of submission, recognizing his sovereignty. We realize that His will is perfect, no matter what happens in our lives, and we need to learn to put His will and His ways first - always.
Jesus used the illustration of a child, a particular child who had come to Him, an an object lesson in humility. Think about the children you’ve seen. Some of them are anything but humble. I watched a little toddler run to his mother with a popped balloon. He screamed at her, “Blow it up.” She couldn’t, of course, because it had been popped. But he was in no frame of mind to listen to her. He just wanted his way. His face turned red, he pushed his chest up, and cried and screamed at his mother to fix it. When she tried to reason with him and tell him she couldn’t, he continually interrupted her and screamed all the louder to “blow it up.”
There’s the urban legend about the grandfather with his grandson in the store. The grandson was out of control, demanding, and screaming. The grandfather kept calmly repeating, “Just wait until we get home, Earnest. Just wait until we get home.” An observer remarked to the grandfather, “I’m so impressed with how patient you are with Earnest.” The grandfather looked at the person and replied, “I’m Earnest.”
Maybe you can think of a nice child, but I see many who are not humble. And, unfortunately, we weren’t there to see the one Jesus was holding. But we do have other verses in the Bible which talk about humility.
James 4:6 “ . . . God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”
Daniel 4:37 “. . . and those who walk in pride he is able to humble.”
Proverbs 6:16-17 “There are six things that the LORD hates, seven that are an abomination to him: haughty eyes . . .”
Jesus Himself gave us an example of what it means to be humble: “Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross” (Phil. 2:5-8)
Jesus our Messiah submitted His will to that of the Father, even to the point that He suffered and died, despite being innocent! He took our guilt and our sins upon Himself. He was mocked and ridiculed and beaten - none of which He deserved - for us because it was the will of the Father.
Because Jesus was willing to humble Himself completely to God’s will, the Father “has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Phil 2:9-11).
It’s that paradox that we see so often in the Bible. You humble yourself and you will be exalted. “Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you” (1 Peter 5:6). But the catch here is that you are not seeking the honor. Your job is to seek the humility, to submit your will to whatever God wants for you. You don’t complain. You don’t grumble. You respectfully, willingly do whatever God gives you to do. If you think you’re there, if you’re willing to do whatever God asks of you, look at the relationships you have with the people around you, especially those in authority over you, your parents, teachers, the police, your boss at work. How do you respond when they give you a job you don’t want to do? Do you submit your will and do what they ask? Do you submit, but grumble the whole time? Do you complain to others about having to do what they’ve asked? God gives us lot of chances to practice our humility. This life has a way of humbling most people.
The other interesting paradox in this whole equation is that a person who is truly humble before God is no longer interested in becoming great for his own benefit in the kingdom. He still wants to become great, but it’s for the glory of God. Remember what Philippians 2:11 says? “ . . . every knee [will] bow . . . and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of the God the Father. Jesus Christ submitted completely to the Father’s will and when He was exalted, Jesus continued, and continues, to honor the Father - even though He is King of kings and Lord of lords. Jesus continues to submit to the will of His Father.
Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 18:4
We don’t know what the humility of that child looked like, but God gave us lots of examples, especially in the person of Jesus Christ, of what kind of humility He’s looking for. Additionally, He gave us lots of chances to practice humility with those all around us. It’s not just those in authority over us! Philippians 2:3 says, “ . . . in humility count others more significant than yourselves.” Every day you get to practice being humble, even if it means scrubbing toilets or serving others. And God doesn’t make it an if-then statement: you have to be humble only if others are humble first. It doesn’t work that way. You are submitting out of reverence for God. If you truly humble yourself before Him, He will lift you up - for His glory!
Angels
See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that in heaven their angels always see the face of my Father who is in heaven. Matthew 18:10
In American Sign Language, the sign for “hate” is flicking the middle fingers of both hands down and away from you. It’s almost like saying, “Ooo, yuck. Get that away from me!!” That’s what it’s like to despise something. It’s a feeling of revulsion. You feel like, “I don’t want that to touch me.” Despising something can also mean that you look down at with repulsion. It’s a combination of not valuing something that you don’t want close to you. I despise dead skunks. Just thinking about it makes me scrunch up my face with revulsion. I will cross to the other side of the road to get as far away from them as possible. I feel similarly towards eating mice or snake. I can’t imagine actually be willing to intentionally put that stuff in my mouth.
But I should never have that kind of feeling towards a child, what Jesus calls a little one. That makes me think of Pigpen in Schultz’s comic strip Peanuts. He is such a dirty little boy that a cloud of dirt envelopes him everywhere he goes. If you met him face to face, the last thing you’d be tempted to do is actually touch him.
This verse also makes me think of the plight of children in India. Many children are simply unwanted. They beg on the streets. They comb through the garbage dumps looking for enough food to eat. They are unwanted and despised by the society around them. But the United States is even worse than India. In the United States, if you don’t want a child, it is legal to kill it. It’s called abortion! Before the child is even born, before the mother can even touch her own child with her own hands, she despises it so much that she kills it - and there are doctors (you know, the ones who have taken the hippocratic oath to heal, not hurt) who actually carry out the murder simply to make money.
Thinking about Pigpen, children in India, and abortion, look at Matthew 18:10 again: See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that in heaven their angels always see the face of my Father who is in heaven.
Why does Jesus say you shouldn’t despise one of these little ones? Because their angels in heaven always see the face of God the Father in heaven!
Consider what we know about angels. They are messengers like Gabriel to Daniel (Daniel 8:15; Daniel 10:11) and to Zechariah (Luke 1:19) and the angel to Philip (Acts 8:26). They help to fight where God sends them to fight (Daniel 10:13, 20; Joshua 5:13-14; 2 Kings 6:17). Angels are sent to destroy or kill (1 Chronicles 21:12). Angels are given the task when Jesus returns of gathering the elect “from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven” (Mark 13:27). Angels are also given the charge to guard and protect (Psalm 91:11-12).
For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways. On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.
Perhaps this is where we get the idea of guardian angels, angels that watch over little children and keep them from harm. Except . . . it doesn’t always work that way. We can all think of children who are injured and killed.
At the end of the day, we’re left with questions and a desire to know more about God, His will and His ways. We know that children are special to God, that Jesus rebuked his disciples when they were keeping children from coming to Jesus (Luke 18:16). We know that we are to consider others more significant than ourselves (Philippians 2:3). And we know that Jesus said, See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that in heaven their angels always see the face of my Father who is in heaven (Matthew 18:10). It’s something to think about. But more than that, we must carefully consider our attitudes and actions towards any of these little ones.
Good
And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments. Matthew 19:17
If I asked you how you are, you might say, “Good.” You might tell me that you just saw a good movie. You might even tell me that we’re having good weather. The word “good” is almost as ubiquitous as dirt or bugs or the oxygen we breathe. And you can even hear people tell you that “this is good dirt” or “this is a good bug.” But Jesus made an emphatic point that no one is good but God. He must have had a different definition of the word “good” than what we normally use.
This word translated “good” in Matthew 19:17 is the Greek work agathos, Strongs #18. It’s meanings range from “useful, salutary; of good constitution or nature; good, pleasant, agreeable, joyful, happy; excellent, distinguished; to upright, honorable.”
That doesn’t help us much because there are many things around us which are of excellent nature, which are useful, which are upright and honorable. In fact, Jesus himself in the parable of the sower and the seeds (Matthew 13) talked about the seed falling on good soil. In Matthew 12:35, Jesus states, “A good G18 man out of the good G18 treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: G18 and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things.” Here Jesus calls things, treasure of the heart, and even a man, good. So why does Jesus make the point of telling the young man that only God is good?
The young man wanted some specific information - how to gain eternal life. And I wonder if he’d asked other rabbis the same question. I think Jesus wanted to make sure the young man understood that he wasn’t just talking to another rabbi. I think Jesus wanted to make it very clear that He, Jesus, was and is God and He has the authority and the knowledge to answer the young man’s question accurately.
Some people read this verse and say, “See, Jesus is telling the young ruler than He’s not God.” But that’s not what Jesus said. In fact, it’s like Jesus is saying, “I am Good. I am God and you would do well to recognize that.” God is good in the ultimate sense of the word; He is not marred in any way.
The rest of the conversation is likewise very interesting. Jesus tells him, “If you would enter life, keep the commandments.” There are some who say, “See. You have to do something to earn salvation. It’s not a free gift. Jesus said so.” But I don’t think this is what Jesus is saying. Based on how the rest of the conversation went, I think Jesus had something more in mind. The young man wanted to specifically know which commandments were necessary. Jesus named a few. The young man assured Jesus that he’d done all of those things from his youth. Then he wanted to know what else he needed to do. Jesus told him that if he wanted to be perfect, he should sell all he had, give it to the poor, and come follow Jesus.
Salvation is about giving up everything you are and everything you have, turning it all over to the lordship of Jesus Christ, and then seeking His will in everything you do. The commandments, and all of “the Holy Scriptures, are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus” (2 Timothy 3:15). The purpose of God’s law is to teach you God’s ways. As Paul says, “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16-17). It is God’s law which makes you see your need for the Savior. It is faith in Jesus Christ, in His sacrifice and resurrection - for you - which leads to your salvation.
In the end, Jesus’ message to the rich young ruler is the same message He gives to us all. We must keep God’s commandments because they are holy and righteous and good (Romans 7:12). Then, when we keep God’s law, it brings us to God. It shows our need for the Savior and how to have a relationship with God. So we keep God’s laws. We learn to submit everything to God - our possessions, our goals, our priorities, our lives, even our thoughts (2 Corinthians 10:5). When we learn to put God first in everything, we learn to follow His leading with all of our hearts. He shepherds us because we hear His voice, because we know Him, because we have a relationship with Him to be able to recognize which voice is His! We follow because we’ve learned He is good, all the time; we trust Him.
Jesus is the Good Shepherd (John 10:11-18). If we follow Him, we will be that good soil (Matthew 13:8), producing good fruit. We will be able to produce good fruit because we have a good relationship with our Savior and God. We will hear Jesus say at His return, “Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord” (Matthew 25:23). It will be very good.
Last and First
But many who are first will be last, and the last first. Matthew 19:30
When I first moved to Missouri, one of the most remarkable differences between small-town Iowa and large-city Missouri were the lines. There were lines at the post office, lines at the grocery store, lines at the fabric store, and of course, lines at the DMV. You had to take a number. People wouldn’t just wait in line honestly; you had to take a number!
We run into lines everywhere we go. I remember the line of cars waiting to cross the bridge at Port Huron, MI on our way to the Feast of Tabernacles in 2000. I remember the lines at Six Flags the first year we took the kids. The lines were so long that even though we were there for ten hours, they only rode ten rides! There are even lines for things that you don’t really want to do - like pay your property and real estate taxes.
I’ve been responsible for making a few lines myself. When I was teaching, I was forever telling the kids to line up. Line up to go to the bathroom, line up to go to recess, line up to come in from recess, line up to go to gym or music or art, line up to go to the library . . . you get the picture! Lining kids up is the best way to make sure everyone is ready, everyone is quiet, and everyone is orderly.
Lines form because there are too many people at all the same place at the same time wanting to do the same thing. The Force Awakens opened on Thursday night. There were people who were waiting in line the night before at 11 p.m. They wanted to make sure they were going to get in and get a good seat. They were willing to sacrifice their time to wait in line.
So . . . shouldn’t those people who wait in line all night get to go in first? Shouldn’t those kids who are obedient and line up quickly get to go to recess first? Shouldn’t the people who are first in line at the DMV get to complete their business first? What’s Jesus really talking about here?
Jesus gave an example: it would be easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of heaven. He talked about those who had left everything to follow Him would be in leadership positions in the kingdom. It is all about attitude and perspective.
If you have an attitude of “me first,” then you, logically, can’t be putting God first. You are already breaking the first of the Ten Commandments. On the other hand, if you want God’s will in your life and are willing to give up what you want for God’s will, then you are putting God first - where He belongs. Thankfully, God gives us lots of practice to make sure we know where our heart really is. He gives us all of the people around us - like the people at the DMV and at Six Flags, and other brothers and sisters. If you think you are the most important person in the world and you expect everyone to do your bidding, then you are putting yourself first. You are not thinking of others more highly than yourself ( Phil 2:3). If you think your mom should cut you a piece of cake before everyone else is even finished eating supper, then you are putting yourself first - even if it is your birthday! On the other hand, if you serve others, if you put others’ needs in front of your own, if you seek to give them honor, then you are learning humility. If you are willing to do the dishes for Mom even if it’s not your turn, you are serving. If you are willing to do chores (like picking up dog poop, cleaning the bathroom, scrubbing the floors) even if it’s not your job, then you’re learning to put others first. If you are patient and polite even when the line is long at the DMV or Six Flags, perhaps you will be a good witness to the people around you that you’re different. You want people to recognize that you are different - in a good way - and you want them to be curious enough to want to know why you’re different. Then perhaps you can tell them about God and how great He is, not how great you are.
But many who are first will be last, and the last first. Matthew 19:30
Many who are first are first because they think they are most important. In reality, God is most important. When you learn how to live that in your life - that God is first in everything, it’s very pleasing to God . . . and you could find yourself first in line in the kingdom. The next time you’re standing in line, think about your attitude of God being first in everything; while you’re waiting you might as well do something important.
Open Our Eyes
They said to him, “Lord, let our eyes be opened.” Matthew 20:33
Have you ever played that game to show how observant/unobservant you are? You intentionally look around the room for one minute. Then you close your eyes and someone asks you questions about what’s in the room. Most people don’t do very well, even when they know what’s coming. If they didn’t have even a minute to look . . . well, suffice it to say: most people are not very observant.
Helen Keller wrote an essay about having the gift of sight so that she could see for three days. She listed the things she most wanted to see: a sunrise, the outdoor delights in the woods, a busy city street, museums, women’s clothing, and the theatre. But I don’t remember her writing about seeing more than just surface things. For instance, you can see that someone has a red shirt on, but you can also see their expression and judge their emotions, whether they’re having a good day or a bad day. Would they appreciate a silly joke or do they need some serious encouragement? But to a blind person, one who has never had their sight, they don’t realize the depths to which they can’t see. They may only have an idea of what is possible.
I suspect that it’s like that with us too. We may be able to see, but we don’t realize the depths to which we can’t see. Think about the time (2 Kings 6:8-23) when the Syrians were attacking Israel. Elisha’s servant was afraid of the besieging army. Elisha prayed that God would open his eyes; Elisha’s servant saw that “the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire around Elisha” (vs. 17).
Elisa’s servant could see the Syrian army, but he didn’t have eyes to see the army of the LORD. He didn’t realize the depths to which he couldn’t see - at least not until Elisha prayed that his eyes be opened.
It’s curious, this event recorded in Matthew 20:29-34. As Jesus left Jericho, a great crowd followed him. Two blind men called to Jesus. When He asked them what they wanted, they said to him, “Lord, let our eyes be opened.” Immediately following this healing of the sight comes the account of the triumphal entry. What an event to be able to see! Immediately preceding the healing of the two blind men is the incident when the mother of James and John, the sons of Zebedee, asked Jesus that they be allowed to sit on either side of Jesus in the kingdom. Jesus took the opportunity to help the disciples see that “whoever would be great among you must be your servant” (Matthew 20:26).
There’s obviously more to seeing than just observing the surface facts. They’re like water bugs skittering on the surface. There’s so much more that we could see.
There’s a current Christian song by Brandon Heath which goes “Give me Your eyes for just one second. Give me your eyes so I can see everything that I keep missing.” What are we missing? Like Helen Keller, it’s kind of hard to know what to ask for when we don’t have it.
Perhaps we could ask to see God’s will in our life, to know what path He wants us to take. I’d like to understand how the unfolding of events, leading me in a certain direction, fits into God’s plan. When I run into obstacles, is that God telling me to go a different direction? Is He telling me to wait? Is He waiting to see how very much I want a thing? Is an obstacle a “no” from God or is it the enemy trying to discourage me from something good?
Perhaps we could ask to see more clearly how to interact with others. What is it that they need to hear that will encourage them today in their walk with Christ?
Perhaps we could ask to see, with God’s eyes, the potential of each person. If we could see, as C.S. Lewis describes in The Weight of Glory, what is possible for each person who becomes a child of God, we might have more compassion and patience with each one. We might be more willing to share Jesus Christ with them.
I don’t know. What am I missing that I don’t even realize? I suspect that, like the two blind men, it would behoove me to ask, “Lord, let my eyes be opened.”
What about you?
Hangers
On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets. Matthew 22:40
The hanger is a wonderful invention. Before the hanger, people would throw their clothes over the end of the bed, over the top of chairs, hang them on hooks or pegs, fold them into chests, or just pile them on the floor. Walking into homes today, we might be tempted to wonder if a particular family has discovered this wonderful invention. There are coats thrown across chairs. There are piles of clothes, more or less neat, on the bedroom floors and in the closets. And, within five feet of the coat closet, there are mounds of coats and jackets hung on top of each other on the pegs. Is it just too hard to hang a jacket on a hanger?
On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.
It’s interesting that the ESV renders this verse “depend.” The KJV, the NKJV, and the NIV all render it “hang.” The ESV, RSV, and NAS all say “depend.” The Greek word here is #2910, and means “to hang up, suspend” and is used in two ways: 1) of one hanging on a cross, and 2) of the Law and the Prophets - they are summed up, they hang on two precepts.
So Jesus is telling his listeners that the Law and the Prophets hang, or depend, or are summed up, by two commandments. What are we hanging up? What are the Law and the Prophets? The law is the law of God. It’s His directions to His creation for making life work. But it’s more than that. Because God is the Creator, His laws for making things work right are also an expression of God’s character. When God’s people weren’t following His laws, He sent the prophets to try to get them back on track. Over and over, the prophets tell the people to repent, to change their ways, to return to God. They warn God’s people of the consequences of continuing their rebellious ways, but every one of them has a message of hope embedded in their prophesy. If you repent and humble yourself and return to God, He will turn from the calamity He has decreed for you! So it is these two things, God’s law and the message of the prophets, which are hung.
But what are they hung on? Matthew 22:40 says “on these two commandments.” What two commandments are they?
And one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him.“Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?”And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.This is the great and first commandment.And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself (vs 35-39).
Here’s the hanger: love God with everything you are and love people around you as much as you love yourself.
Too many times people try to hang God’s law and His message of repentance on something other than these two commandments. That is, they keep God’s law because they want to appear important to the people around them. It’s just an outward show. It’s like they’re saying, “Look at how religious I am.” That’s not loving God. That’s hypocrisy.
Or perhaps they keep God’s law because they think they can show God how righteous they are. Let me assure you: God is not fooled by our religious antics. Our righteous is an filthy rags to Him. Jesus Christ is our righteousness!
Sometimes people think they can keep God’s laws as a bargaining chip with God. That goes something like this: If I keep the Sabbath this week, you’ll make all my problems disappear for the next week. If I don’t eat pork, you’ll keep me healthy all my life. If I pay a tithe to the church, you’ll make me win the lottery. Those people aren’t keeping the law because they love God, they’re keeping the law because they hope they can influence God to bless them if they keep the law!
God wants a relationship, a close relationship, with each and every one of His people. He loves us so much that He sent His Son to die because we were sinners. We were separated from Him because we wouldn’t obey His laws. We couldn’t obey His laws because of our carnal nature. So God sent His Son to make a way for us to be bought back from sin, to put to death the carnal nature and to be new creatures in Christ. He paid our sin debt. That’s how much God loves us. So what’s our response? If we truly understand, then we love God - and we obey His commandments because we love God.
You know, God’s love is so great! If we would respond to His call to love Him with all of our hearts and all of our minds and all of our souls, we would find His laws easier to obey. They would begin to be part of our nature; we would obey because we couldn’t imagine not obeying.
You know, the hanger is an incredible invention! Perhaps we should use it more frequently to hang up our clothes. And we really should use God’s hanger - loving God with everything we are, and loving our neighbor as ourself.
Never Give Up
But the one who endures to the end will be saved. Matthew 24:13
Can you think of something that would be very difficult to do? I can. Climb Mt. Everest. Explore the Amazon Rainforest. Travel from Independence, MO to Oregon in a covered wagon. Keep all the weeds out of my garden. Keep the house clean. From the “I’m never going to do that” category to the “every day” category, there are tasks which require us to persevere. We have to be very diligent, to keep working at it, to persist in our endeavor to attain our goal.
All of life is like that. You persevere in school to learn so that you can get a good job, so that you can make enough money to live comfortably and be generous to others. You persevere in relationships: it’s not always easy living with a sibling, but if you can learn to get along with him, or her, you can probably get along with anyone. You persevere in jobs that have to be done: painting the house, fencing the yard, cutting firewood - because all of these tasks make your life better.
You are probably old enough to realize that there is more to do than you can possibly get done. So the key is to figure out what really has value to God. What will bring glory and honor to Him? What will bring you closer to Him? Think about it for a minute. You could set a goal to watch every vile and nasty show on television for the next six months. You would really have to persevere, but it wouldn’t bring glory and honor to God and it would likely take you farther from God in your relationship to Him. You could set a goal to read three chapters in the Bible every day. That would take a lot of perseverance and dedication - and, if you asked God for wisdom to understand, that would be a very God-honoring goal. It would also be very beneficial to you because you would be getting God’s word into your mind every day!
But the one who endures to the end will be saved. Matthew 24:13
So what was Jesus talking about in Matthew 24:13? He was talking about being a Christian, holding onto the truths of God, conducting yourself in a God-honoring way - no matter what. This verse comes right in the middle of the prophecies about the end time, prophecies which describe the persecution Christians will endure before Jesus Christ comes back to set up His kingdom on this earth. Jesus’ message is to keep fighting the good fight, to run with endurance the race set before us, to overcome, and to endure to the end. The implication here is that it won’t be easy. It will be difficult to endure to the end, to persevere in doing what is right.
It’s going to require a determination from each of us to rely on God for our strength and a dedication to the goal. Sometimes we look at the big projects - like painting the whole house or reading all of the Bible from cover to cover - and we’re totally overwhelmed by how big the task is. But each task is made up of smaller actions. You don’t walk outside and paint the whole house. You paint one brushstroke at a time. You don’t open the Bible and read the whole thing. You read one word at a time, one sentence at a time, perhaps three chapters every day. In anything that you accomplish, you do one small thing, and then you do it again, and then you do it again. Pretty soon, the whole house is painted, the whole garden is weeded, the entire Bible has been read.
Enduring to the end means setting the pattern of your life - daily prayer, daily Bible study, fellowshipping with the body of believers on a consistent basis, and constant reliance on God’s guidance. Then, when something comes along which doesn’t fit with the Godly pattern of your life, you can look at it and evaluate it: Does this honor God? Because you’ve been persevering in your efforts to seek God with all of your heart, it will be much easier to determine whether it’s a good thing or not.
Enduring to the end also means sticking to that pattern - unless God shows you differently. It’s exhausting to keep pulling up weeds. It’s tiring to clean house. There are days when you just don’t feel like reading your Bible. There are times when you are angry at someone so you don’t feel like praying to God. Those are the times when you do it anyway. You persevere in doing what is right even when you don’t feel like it because one action leads to another action until it becomes a habit.
I love the quote from Winston Churchill: “Never give in, never give in, never, never, never, never-in nothing, great or small, large or petty - never give in except to convictions of honour and good sense.”
Fight the good fight. Run with endurance the race set before you. Endure to the end. Never give up.
So Doing
Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes. Matthew 24:46
Have you ever been given a job to do? Of course! People are given jobs to do from the time they are old enough to understand directions! Pick up your room. Put your toys away. Hang up your coat. Wash the dishes. Most of these kinds of jobs are short-term tasks. You do them, and they’re done, at least until the dishes are dirty again. Other jobs are long-term jobs: fence the property, teach your children until they move out of the house, work for AT&T for 33 years.
There’s an interesting thing about most jobs: there’s a certain amount of freedom in how the job is done. If you are supposed to wash the supper dishes, you get to choose which dish you’re going to wash first. A very particular dish washer might tell you to wash the glasses first, then the silverware, then the bowls and plates, and finish with the cooking pots and pans. But, in many cases, your mom is just glad you’re washing the dishes! Even in working for AT&T for 33 years, I know Ron had a certain amount of freedom to accomplish the job. It had to be done correctly, and in the shortest amount of time. But as long as Ron did his work, management didn’t tell him exactly how that was to be accomplished. Or think about teaching children. There’s a lot of freedom there!! Each child learns a little differently; that’s why there are so many different curriculum choices. How to present a topic can vary from teacher to teacher, from child to child, and from day to day. There are many such jobs which are more of an art than an exact science.
So, considering how ubiquitous jobs are, you probably won’t be surprised to learn that God has likewise given you a job - if you are His, if He is your God. Can you think of what that job might be?
Jesus said we are to be the light of the world (Matthew 5:14-16). We are supposed to shine the gospel of who Jesus Christ is to everyone around us. But as long as we do that accurately, God doesn’t dictate in the Bible exactly how that should look for each person.
We are to make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:19-20). In order to do that we have to be disciples of Jesus ourselves, seeking Him with all of our heart so that we know Him well enough to share Him with others, encouraging them to likewise follow Him.
Hebrews 10:24-25 says that we are to consider how to stir up one another to love and good works. Did you know that you may have a special talent of encouragement to the church family? Your smile and hugs may mean the world to many.
Do you know that God gave a special job to children? Psalm 8:2 (and Matthew 21:16) say that from children He has ordained praise to silence the foe! But God doesn’t say what that praise should exactly look like. It could be singing songs of praise to God. It could be thanking God for what He has done that day.
John the Baptist was given a very specific job. He was to prepare the way of the Lord. He knew this. But John didn’t know exactly what that looked like. Remember? He didn’t want to baptize Jesus; he felt that he should be baptized by Jesus. Isn’t that encouraging to you?! Even a great man like John had to rely on God to show him how to accomplish the job that he’d been given.
There’s one other important thing to remember about your job, the one God gives to you. You have to do it. Too many people in our world today think that “work” is a four-letter word, that having a job is a bad thing. (Oh, they like the pay check; they just don’t like the work.) But God works. Adam and Eve worked in the garden before sin ever entered the world - and God said His creation was very good. Work doesn’t have to be a bad thing. Still, many people groan when they think about having to go to work. They put off doing jobs that need to be done. They procrastinate. They try to find someone else to do the job. They find excuses. They find diversions to keep them from accomplishing the job that they’ve been given to do. And sometimes, those jobs, which really need to be done, are done poorly or not at all. Sometimes they’re done, but with lots of grumbling!! That’s really unfortunate because enjoying your work is truly a blessing from God (Ecclesiastes 5:19). When you enjoy it, you don’t mind getting to work. It’s a pleasure.
So what’s your attitude towards the job that God has given you to do. Are you procrastinating? Are you too busy doing something else? Are you trying to get someone else to do what you should be doing for the Master? Or are you looking for opportunities to be a light, to encourage the church family, or to praise God with all of your heart. We should be ready, willing, eager to do the job God has given us to do. We get to do something for our God - for the One who has given us everything, the One who loves us enough to make a way to adopt us into His family!
When Jesus Christ comes back, He’s going to be looking to see how you’re doing your job. There’s lots of freedom in how you want to do your job. You might not know how to accomplish your job today, but He’s promised to guide you and give you wisdom (Proverbs 3:5-6). Regardless, you’ve got a job to do. Isn’t it time to get busy working for our Lord? When He comes back, I want Him to find me “so doing.”
**Well Done!
His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant.’ Matthew 25:21
Materials needed: hand prints in plaster, cloth, fabric paint, bucket, water, cleaning cloths for clean up.
One of my most favorite parts of pouring concrete is getting to put your hand print or initials in the concrete, as if to say, “This is my work. I’m proud of it. I did well.” That’s a great feeling, isn’t it, knowing that you had a hard job to do and you did well?
This month is graduation month for so many young people - high school or college or graduate school. They worked for years to achieve a goal. They’ve reached the end of this time. Some of them did ok. Some of them did well. Some of them did very well. In college, those who succeed at the highest level graduate summa cum laude - with highest honors. They are recognized for having done very well.
Those who graduate summa cum laude went to class, listened to their professors, did their assignments, learned the lessons, and demonstrated that they learned well on their exams and papers. They put in a lot of effort and the university recognizes that in a commencement ceremony.
We all need to set goals in our lives - and then, when we’ve reached those goals, we need to think about how well we did. Did we do just the bare minimum? Did we do ok? Or did we work very hard to receive that commendation of “well done?”
We’re going to put your hand prints on our Sabbath school blanket. I want it to be a reminder to each of you of two things (Here’s your goal.): 1) Honor God in everything you do (playing with your brothers and sisters, cousins and friends; obeying your parents; being respectful at church); and 2) Seek God with all of your heart (reading your Bible, praying to God, memorizing Bible verses, coming to church) so that He will be found by you. If you do these two things (honoring God and seeking Him), when Jesus comes back, it will be incredible to hear Him say, “Well done.”
**A Sad, Sad Supper
And while they were eating, he said, “Truly I tell you, one of you will betray me.” Matthew 26:21 (NIV)
Materials Needed: string, books, toy car, snack, YEA lesson (YE2D.3 - borntowin.net/yea/primaries/)
Have you ever trusted something that you shouldn’t have? Expected a string to be stronger than it was? Expected a tow rope to hold when pulling a pickup out of the mud - only to find that it wasn’t the tow rope; the bumper was not as strong as you thought? What about the dog - or cat? Have you left your supper on the living room table because you’re watching tv and when you got back, you discover that you’re feeding the critter and now you need to get another meal? When a rope breaks, or a bumper bends, or a critter helps themselves to our food, we kinda kick ourselves because we knew we might be pushing the limits of what we should reasonably expect.
But. When it comes to people, we tend to believe the best about someone - until that trust is broken. A little brother reads his older sister’s diary and then tells her secrets to all his friends. She trusted her brother to stay out of her stuff, to protect her privacy, and to not make fun of her. He broke her trust. He betrayed her.
When we fail to keep a secret, fail to do what we have agreed to do, or when we don’t act like you would expect a friend to act, it damages the trust someone has in us. In other words, we’ve betrayed that trust. And the relationship we had with that other person may never be restored. It’s hard to recover from a betrayal.
Jesus had spent three and a half years preaching the gospel. He’d chosen twelve men to be His disciples. They learned from him - students from the Teacher. They did what He asked. They saw His miracles. They were empowered to do miracles in His name. They healed the sick and the lame. They cast out demons. They shared meals. They shared hardships and persecutions. They shared joys and successes. They grew very close; they were friends.
It hurts to think that one of these twelve men would go to the chief priests and religious leaders. For thirty pieces of silver, he told them he would help them find and identify Jesus. The religious leaders wanted to kill Jesus. Judas knew this! But he did it anyway. He betrayed his Friend.
We feel very sad that Judas would do such a thing. It should also make us sad to realize that we also can very easily betray Jesus. What?! We’d never do that! O.K. What do you tell people when they ask where you go in the fall? Do you say you go on vacation? Or do you tell them you’re keeping the Feast of Tabernacles? Do you take a stand against doing something that you know is against God’s law - when your friends want you to participate? Can people see that you’re a Christian by your actions?
We should care more about pleasing God than fitting in with our friends. We should care more about acting in Godly ways than being popular. When we call ourselves Christians, we have to remember that God has entrusted us with the name of His Son. We don’t want to betray that trust!! We want to walk worthy of the calling we have received.
**Promises
I am with you always. Matthew 28:20
Materials: water-based markers, coffee filter, cup of water
Demonstration: Using markers, make a multi-colored design close to the center of coffee filter. Fold the filter in half and then into thirds. Then put the tip into a glass of water. The capillary action will pull the water up, which also pulls the marker up through the filter, making a design.
The rainbow is such a beautiful sight! But it’s also a sign of one of God’s promises. After the Flood, God told Noah, “Never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all life. Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures of every kind on the earth.” This is a promise that God made to everyone (even the animals).
There are other promises too. Jeremiahs 29:13 says, You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart. This is great promise of God. If you really want to find God, He will be found by you. But you really have to seek Him - God says - with all of your heart.
Then there’s a promise that God makes with those with whom He has a relationship. God has drawn you to Himself (John 6:44); you’ve wanted desperately to find Him. You know God as your God. Here’s another beautiful promise: I am with you always (Matthew 28:20).
These two promises go together. You have to want God and to look for Him with all of your heart. Once God has drawn you to Himself, He will be with you always. There is nowhere you could go that God cannot follow. Do you remember the story of Jonah? Jonah couldn’t flee from the presence of the LORD.
The Psalmist writes in Psalm 139:7-10:
Where shall I go from your Spirit?
Or where shall I flee from your presence?
8 If I ascend to heaven, you are there!
If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there!
9 If I take the wings of the morning
and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,
10 even there your hand shall lead me,
and your right hand shall hold me.
When you know God and love Him, you don’t ever have to feel like you’re all alone. God is there. Did you see what the psalmist said, “ . . . your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me.” This is someone who knows God and knows that God will never leave him or forsake him. God will be with him always.
When we make ungodly choices, God is obviously not going to participate in our sinfulness. And God will let us face the consequences of our sinful choices. Having a relationship with God is not a get-out-of-jail-free card. But when we repent and call on His name, when we seek Him with all of our hearts again, He will be found by us. God loves us that much.
I love the promises of God.