Hebrews 3:1-6 "The Faithful One"

Read Hebrews 3:1-6.

"But Christ is faithful as a son over God's house." NIV

Here Jesus is called an "apostle." The word apostle means "one who is sent." God, the Father, sent Jesus, the Son, to earth to redeem His people. Then the author compares Jesus to Moses in this respect. Just as Moses was sent out to lead the Hebrew people out of slavery in Egypt, so Jesus is sent to lead the people out of slavery to sin.

Jesus stands firm, faithfully still leading God's creation out of an eternity of damnation to an eternity with God. Even when we stray, He is "faithful" over God's house, the believers. So often we act as the Hebrew people did and wander away from Christ, but He never leaves us. He faithfully waits patiently for our return. What sorrow and grief He must suffer in the waiting. As if the suffering He already did for us on the cross was not enough, we become selfish and seek our own paths. But He waits ..... with arms open wide for His bride to return. Such patience with such fallible beings. Why? Why doesn't He just wipe us all off the face of the earth and say, "Enough of this foolishness!"

Because He is love. And His amazing love outweighs and out-waits any sin we can commit. All we need to do is "hold on to our courage and the hope of which we boast." The Son is watching.

Further Thoughts:

1. Do you have trouble believing that Jesus still loves you even in all of your messed-up-ness? Why?
2. What is the difference between being "messed up" and walking away from God or rebellion?
3. What does Scripture mean by "the narrow path?" How is the width of the path determined? (support with Scripture)
4. Read the book of Hosea. It's short, and it gives a great illustration of the way Jesus waits for us.
5. Spends some time today analyzing if you are on the narrow path or not. What are your intentions as a Christ-follower? Fire insurance or total surrender? God knows your heart, so you can't hide your intentions from Him. But sometimes, I think we hide our intentions from ourselves. It's time to be honest.
   

Matthew 26:1-16 "Choose Your Response"

Read Matthew 26:1-16.

"....will be handed over to be crucified." "...an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, which she poured on his head...." "Judas watched for an opportunity to hand him over." NIV

These three passages sum up the three possible responses to Jesus - get rid of Him, love Him, or betray Him.

In vs 1-5, the chief priests and elders are plotting to have Jesus killed. They want to be rid of Him because He has upset their way of life. In the same way the world wants to be rid of Jesus. He tends to rock the boat still two thousand years after He walked this earth. And those in opposition simply want Him to be gone. Has it ever struck you that people want religious freedom for everyone but the Christians. They scream for tolerance of other religions, but call the Christian's stance narrow-minded and intolerant. Are they not being intolerant of Christianity? So in their minds it's best just to get rid of it. We've not faced that in the extreme in America yet, but in personal hearts it is prevalent. "I don't need Jesus" is the thought of the day. "I'm strong on my own; He is just a crutch for the weak and a wall for the intolerant to hide behind." And they kill not just the idea of a Messiah, but Christ Himself.

Then Jesus goes to Bethany where a woman anoints Him with oil. She represents the believer who will give their all to serve Jesus. He is treasured and adored to the exclusion of caring for what appears to be self's best interest. Jesus is to be lifted up, loved, and prioritized in our lives. We may face ridicule, but we continue to raise Him up as the true God; the One and Only Savior. Our hopes and dreams are centered around Him and His will. Our lives are not our own, but surrendered to the One who gives freedom through service. No longer are we bound by sin because we serve the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. His name is the only name we lift up in praise for He and He alone is worthy. Even if no one else around us believes, we will stand in this truth.

Lastly, the betrayal. Judas sells Jesus out. He's looking out for number one and abandons the very One who gave him life. Judas had lived and ministered with Jesus for three years, yet he still couldn't see the better way. He had witnessed miracle after miracle; prophesies fulfilled. He called Him Lord and Master while sitting at His feet, learning from His teachings. But self won the day and Jesus was betrayed. How many people call themselves Christian yet sell Jesus out each and every day. When decisions must be made that place Christ above personal wants and ambitions, He is placed on a shelf to be dusted off for Sunday services. I guess this makes Judas the first Pharisee of the Christian church. But the practice continues daily where hypocrisy abounds. Hearts not completely surrendered to Jesus will find that a commitment to His ways will collapse under the pressures of the enticement of sin and self.

Crucify, anoint, or betray. How do you respond to Jesus?

Further Thoughts:

1. What does the Scripture say about full devotion or holiness? Find passages from Paul's letters, James, 1 Peter, and 1 and 2 John on this subject.
2. Hypocrisy is rampant in a relative world. Even Christians are drawn into the fallacy that we can make our Christian walk relative to our wants and needs. The Pharisees are a prime example for us of the dangers of and punishment for hypocrisy. Read again the seven woes in chapter 23 as a warning. Compare and contrast a devoted follower to a Pharisee.
3. How do we become complacent in our Christianity? I'm sure Judas didn't leave His family without being devoted to Jesus in the beginning. What happened along the way?
4. Are you who you say you are? This is a question I ask myself often. We can preach something all day long, but if we are not living it, is it embedded in our hearts? Write a complete definition of "Christian." Is your life lined up with this definition? If no, why not?

Matthew 12:22-29 "The Illogical Argument"

Read Matthew 12:22-29.

"It is only by Beelzebub, the prince of demons, that this fellow drives out demons." NIV

It just absolutely amazes me the illogical arguments that people will make against Christ and Christianity. Here is a prime example. Teachers of the law, God's law, accuse Christ of being a conduit of Satan to drive out demons. Why would Satan ever do that? He put the demon in the man in the first place to do his work. Yet that is the Pharisees' answer for who Jesus must be. And these were the wise men of the day -- the learned? Reminds me of Matthew 11:25 when Jesus says, "I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children." Now I'm not against education at all. I'm an educator. But really, some common sense has to come into play sometime.

Jesus answers so beautiful with pure logic. "If Satan drives out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then can his kingdom stand?"

So it just seems that this is the kind of argument that we still face to this day. People want truth yet they embrace relativism exactly like the Pharisees did. The Pharisees didn't want to see Jesus as the Messiah or their own sins and hypocrisy would be exposed and their power ripped away. Maybe that's the same reasoning today. If Jesus is embraced as the truth, then I will be shone as a person that does not follow truth. Therefore, I will create my own truth that I can follow religiously. The problem with creating our own truth is that it's truth for only us. And it can change with our whim. We stand on nothing concrete and so flounder in a world of our own making that shifts like the sand. Who are you really and what do you believe in? I guess it comes down to you only believe in yourself so you are making yourself your own god.

The Almighty does not change with the wind. He is the same yesterday, today and forever. He is a foundation that will never shift or crack because He is not only just, but loving. He is the perfect balance. God is good in all circumstances and His precepts are true. With God, there is no compromise. Full devotion is normal, not the exception. He is a mighty fortress, a strong tower. He will never leave me or forsake me. His decisions are not based on hormones, profit margins, or present circumstances. He is always right and in control. His truth is unwavering, and the path to Him is straight and narrow. He lives in the realm of black and white, no gray. Rigid, probably. Compassionate, absolutely. He embodies pure mercy and grace through His Son, Jesus Christ and desires that none of His children should perish. He is the Caring Shepherd pursuing tirelessly His lost sheep. He is never taken by surprise and never confused. His way is sure.

This is the Truth that I stand on. This is my argument against the shifting views that so many want to take today. Call me, conservative; call me, rigid; even call me, intolerant. I serve a jealous God and must remain true to Him. Any way other than His is the wrong way. Truth is still truth even if no one believes in it.

Further Thoughts:

1. How does Noah and the flood support my last statement?
2. Do you struggle with compromise like the Pharisees? Why? In what areas? What in your life needs to change to be back on the straight and narrow road?
3. Do you face constant opposition because of your faith? View their arguments in light of God's truth and stand on His firm foundation. You are not the one being rejected, He is. And He can stand up to anyone.

Matthew 7:13-14 "The Only Way to Life"

"Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it." NIV

The Jewish canon describes the width of certain paths according to their purpose. "a private way was four cubits broad, a way from city to city eight cubits, a public way sixteen cubits, and the way to the cities of refuge thirty two cubits.'' (T. Bab.) A cubit was about 21.888 inches based on the length of a man's forearm. So as you see, the greater the population that would be using a road, the wider the road. The width increased according to the numbers passing through.

Jesus is saying here that the path to heaven is very narrow. Christ is the gate - or rather, the grace that Christ provides. The path is hedged in by many difficulties and obstacles. It can be a struggle to navigate and will usually leave bruises and pain. Most people will not choose this path; the consequences of walking it are too great. They want the wider path with its freedoms, comforts, space, and social familiarity. It's the path most known, comfortable, apparently safe.

But even though the journey may seem easier, the destination is the exact opposite - destruction. The privilege of walking with Christ brings a price. The grace is free; the journey is difficult. But the rewards are unmatchable and unimaginable. There will be joys along the way, but we are going to be scraped and bruise on this path; it's strict and tight. We will be mocked for taking this road and sometimes persecuted. Popularity does not follow our way. But if we keep ours eyes on the end, the reward, the goal, the Father...we can move forward -- step-by-step, day-by-day. Have courage and remain dedicated to being one of the few.

Further Thoughts:

1. How do we handle the trials we will face? Read James 2-8, 12; 1 Peter 1:3-9.
2. Diligence is a major characteristic of the devout follower of Christ. What does the Scripture say about being diligent? Read 1 Timothy 4:7-16 and Hebrews 6:9-12.
3. I've spoken often about taking up our cross daily to follow Him. Why is that important? What is the correlation between that and walking through the narrow gate?
4. Have you allowed yourself to stray from the narrow path? Ask forgiveness and walk the narrow way again. His mercy is great, His grace is sure. He will strengthen you to endure.