LookingtoJesus

January 17

Bible Reading: Matthew 12

The Pharisees of Jesus’ day lived according to an extensive set of rules.  This was nowhere more evident than in their religious efforts associated with keeping of the Sabbath, as Alfred Edersheim explained in his book, “The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah,”: “On no other subject is Rabbinic teaching more minute and more manifestly incongruous to its professed object.”  There were laws that dealt with how far a person could travel, how much weight a person could lift, and what could and could not be done to deal with a medical need or injury.  These smaller traditions worked to cloud the original intent of the setting aside of the Sabbath—weightier concerns of the Law were lost in the minutia of petty rules (Matthew 15:3, 6-9; 23:23-24).  Jesus perfectly upheld the law (2 Corinthians 5:21), but He refused to be bound by the man-made traditions of the Pharisees.

After one Sabbath-breaking controversy (Matthew 12:1-8), Jesus entered “their” synagogue and caused another (Matthew 12:9).  A man with a “withered hand” was there, along with the people, Jesus’ disciples, and the Pharisees.  We are given no history and few details regarding the man, though Luke’s gospel records that it was the man’s right hand (Luke 6:6).  It is possible that the Pharisees had deliberately brought the man—to see what Jesus would do.  Alfred Edersheim comments regarding the scene:

“We can now imagine the scene in the Synagogue.  The place is crowded.  Christ probably occupies a prominent position as leading the prayers or teaching: a position whence He can see and be seen by all.  Here, eagerly bending forward, are the dark faces of the Pharisees, expressive of curiosity, malice, cunning.  They are looking round at a man whose right hand is withered, perhaps putting him forward, drawing attention to him, loudly whispering, ‘Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath-day?’  The Lord takes up the challenge.”

Alfred Edersheim

Jesus had the man come forward.  He asked the Pharisees, “Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do harm, to save a life or to kill (Mark 3:4)?”  “But they kept silent.”  “And after looking around at them with anger, grieved at their hardness of heart” (Mark 3:5), the Lord of the Sabbath (Matthew 12:8), healed the man on the Sabbath.  “Then He said to the man ‘stretch out your hand!’  And he stretched it out, and it was restored to normal, like the other” (Matthew 12:13).  As with Jesus’ other miracles, this one revealed His Divine authority and identity (John 20:30-31).  We are not told of the reaction of the people, though a future miracle caused the people to ask, ‘This man cannot be the Son of David, can He?’  (Matthew 12:23).  The reaction of the Pharisees was both sad and predictable: “But they themselves were filled with rage, and discussed together what they might do to Jesus” (Luke 6:11).

They were, after all, nothing but white-washed tombs, filled with dead men’s bones and all uncleanness (Matthew 23:27).  A lively faith and love for God that would have responded to the Spirit’s clear testimony regarding Jesus was absent (Matthew 12:31-32).  A genuine love for man that would have delighted in the restoration of this man’s health was missing.  In its place was a violent disdain for the One who was working to reveal the true nature of their puffed-up religiosity (Matthew 12:34-35).  Henceforth, they would not rest until the Light was extinguished.

Religious rule-keeping is no substitute for right relationship with God.  It is the nature of “self-made religions” to invent “commandments and teachings of men” (Colossians 2:22-23).  But the inferiority of anyone’s self-righteousness is readily exposed in the presence of the Light.  In response to Jesus there are but two choices, hate the light or come to it (John 3:20-21) —stand with Jesus or against Him (Matthew 12:30).  The Sabbath-day healing of the man with the withered hand enraged the Pharisees, but I’m thinking that the man with the withered hand probably had a different opinion.

Religious rule-keeping is no substitute for a right relationship with Jesus.

Rock of Ages, cleft for me,
let me hide myself in thee;
let the water and the blood,
from thy wounded side which flowed,
be of sin the double cure;
save from wrath and make me pure.

Not the labors of my hands
can fulfill thy law’s demands;
could my zeal no respite know,
could my tears forever flow,
all for sin could not atone;
thou must save, and thou alone.

January 16

Bible Reading: Matthew 11

Matthew 11:28-30, “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.”

By design, a submarine is at its best underwater.  For on the surface, its round hull offers little resistance to the working of the waves in rocking the boat. We experienced some of that when a typhoon came suddenly as our sub was moored next to a destroyer in Hong Kong harbor.  The rising waves worked to rock the sub until our fairwater planes put a dent in the adjacent destroyer.  It was time to make a fast exit out of there!  Tethered men in life jackets repeatedly fell overboard as they prepared the sub to get underway.  In the engine room, we took steps to perform a fast reactor startup.  Though half the crew was ashore, we nevertheless made a quick departure to the open sea.  Once we got to deeper water, we knew we’d be safe, for in the depths of the sea we’d find a place where the winds and the waves could no longer reach us. 

It is a troublesome world.  And we’ve all got troubles of our own.  Is there any place we can go to find rest for our souls?  Recliners work well for taking an afternoon nap.  Rest rooms are helpful when you need to find some privacy.  Rest areas are great when you need a break from driving.  There are even rest homes for when you get older and need to take a break from everything else.  But where’s the place where you can find rest for your soul?  We will likely find no greater invitation than this in all the Bible.  C. H. Spurgeon thought so much of it that he delivered at least 12 sermons on this text.  “Come to me,” bids the Lord, “and you will find rest for your souls!”  There is a place of quiet rest near to the heart of God, and Jesus invites us to come.

“Rest is a pleasant thing, and a thing that all seek after. The merchant, the banker, the tradesman, the soldier, the lawyer, the farmer—all look forward to the day when they shall be able to rest. But how few can find rest in this world! How many pass their lives in seeking it, and never seem able to reach it! It seems very near sometimes, and they imagine it will soon be their own. Some new personal calamity happens, and they are as far off rest as ever. The whole world is full of restlessness and disappointment, weariness and emptiness. The very faces of worldly men let out the secret; their countenances give evidence that the Bible is true; they find no rest…. But Jesus offers rest to all who will come to Him. “Come unto Me,” he says, “and I will give you rest.” He will give it. He will not SELL it, as the Pharisee supposes—so much rest and peace in return for so many good works. He gives it freely to every coming sinner, without money and without price….He will give you rest from guilt of sin….He will give you rest from fear of law….He will give you rest from fear of hell….He will give you rest from fear of the devil….He will give you rest from fear of death….He will give you rest in the storm of affliction. He will comfort you with comfort the world knows nothing of. He will cheer your heart, and sustain your fainting spirit. He will enable you to bear loss patiently, and to hold your peace in the day of trouble. Oh! this is rest indeed!”

J. C. Ryle

He will fight your battles, heal your wounds, refresh your fainting spirits, guide you by His counsel while here, and at last receive you to Himself! – John Newton

Come, Ye Sinners, Poor and Needy
Weak and wounded, sick and sore;
Jesus ready stands to save you,
Full of pity, love and power.

Refrain
I will arise and go to Jesus,
He will embrace me in His arms;
In the arms of my dear Savior,
O there are ten thousand charms.

Come, ye weary, heavy laden,
Lost and ruined by the fall;
If you tarry till you’re better,
You will never come at all.

January 13

Bible Reading: Matthew 10

Matthew 10:1a, “And he called to him his twelve disciples.”

Jesus saw the crowds and had compassion for them, “because they were-as they still are—harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd” (Matthew 9:36).  Recognizing the scarcity of hands for such a plentiful harvest, He asked His disciples to pray that the Lord of the Harvest might send laborers (Matthew 9:37-38).

The answer to these prayers was the disciples themselves.  Jesus called them (Matthew 10:1).  He sent them out with His instructions (Matthew 10:5; 11:1).  Much in this chapter has specific relevance to the Apostles—they were to proclaim a message of the kingdom (Matthew 10:7); they were to go only to the “lost sheep of Israel” (Matthew 10:6); and they were to go doing good in miraculous ways (even raising the dead; Matthew 10:8).  Portions of the chapter look forward to a future time, but the passage still has relevance to us.

It is striking to note the means through which God chose to do the work He intended to do.  Jesus did not recruit and call men from the powerful, well-connected, or even well-educated.  He deliberately chose ordinary men—fishermen, a tax-collector, a zealot, and others (Matthew 10:2-4).  These men were merely human and would demonstrate their limitations on countless occasions.  But once Spirit-filled, after Christ’s resurrection, God would use them (all but Judas) and others like them to “(turn) the world upside down” (Acts 17:6).  God was well pleased to work through ordinary men to accomplish His extraordinary plans.  He still works that way:

“For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth.  But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even the things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God.”

1 Corinthians 1:26-29

The chapter is full of warnings regarding difficulties associated with ministry.  These same difficulties exist in this day and are experienced in varying degrees by Christ’s followers around the world.  He sent them out as “sheep in the midst of wolves” (Matthew 10:16).  He Himself, the Lamb of God, ministered amidst wolves.  These “wolves” relentlessly worked and conspired against Him, seeking His demise.  His followers should expect to experience the same kind of abuse (Matthew 10:24-25; Philippians 1:29; 1 Timothy 3:12).  So, it is important that they be “wise as serpents and innocent as doves” (Matthew 10:16).

“Have no fear of them,” He said (Matthew 10:26).  Contend for the truth — “say it in the light… proclaim it on the housetops” (Matthew 10:26-27; Jude 3).  The truth will prevail (Matthew 10:26; 2 Timothy 2:9).  Have no fear — “even the hairs of your head are all numbered” by Him (Matthew 10:30).  The Master’s Plan?  Ordinary men facing extraordinary opposition made victorious through the Master and His power and love (Romans 8:31-39)!

Dawson Trotman, “Soul winners are not soul winners because of what they know, but because of Who they know, and how well they know Him, and how much they long for others to know Him.”

And ‘tho this world with devils filled,
Should threaten to undo us,
We will not fear, for God hath willed
His truth to triumph through us.
The prince of darkness grim,
We tremble not at him—
His rage we can endure,
For lo, his doom is sure:
One little word shall fell him.

January 12

Bible Reading: Matthew 9

Matthew 9:24b, “And they laughed at him.”

He is the eternal Son of God, the creator of all things, the one who flung the stars into space and parted the land back from the sea.  Heaven-sent to dwell among us, His life was radically different from any before or since.  He was unconventional in his ways and unwilling to adapt to the demands or expectations of others.  He came to do His Father’s will, and that sometimes led to some crazy responses, including much ill-founded skepticism.  This chapter includes some examples of this…

The synagogue official’s daughter had died, but he believed that Jesus could bring her back to life, so he went to Jesus and to ask for help.  Jesus followed the man, and after stopping to heal a woman, made his way to his house.  There he found a crowd in noisy disorder and heard the flute players serenading her departure.  He bid the crowd to depart, they began “laughing at him” (Matthew 9:18-26).

Some men brought a paralytic to Jesus to be healed.  Jesus said, “Take courage, My Son, your sins are forgiven” (Matthew 9:2).  The response of the religious leaders?  They accused him of blasphemy (Matthew 9:3). On another occasion, He was reclining at a table in a house with His disciples and other guests, including many tax-gatherers and sinners.  The religious leaders took note and asked the disciples why he would eat with such folks (Matthew 9:10-13).  Even the disciples of John were puzzled by Him.  They fasted, as did the Pharisees.  But they questioned why Jesus and His disciples did not fast (Matthew 9:14-17).  A dumb and demon-possessed man was brought to Jesus.  Jesus cast out the demon and made the man to speak.  The multitudes marveled, but the Pharisees attributed His work to the devil (Matthew 9:32-34).

He was questioned and criticized by both friends and foes and those who didn’t know any better. They questioned everything about Him—His motives, His ability, His ministry style, and His choice of friends.  They accused Him of blasphemy, but the man was both healed and forgiven.  They wondered about his questionable friends, but He had come to seek and save such people.  They were puzzled as to why His disciples didn’t fast—but why should they in the presence of the bridegroom?  They accused Him of healing by the power of the devil, but since when does the devil work against himself (Matthew 12:25-29).

They were laughing at Him, but no doubt stopped when the little girl arose (Matthew 9:24).  He was ridiculed and mocked even as hung on a cross for man’s sin.  To this day, most doubt Him or, while doubting, still accuse Him of all sorts of things.  The cynicism, questions, and accusations should have ceased when He rose from the dead.  That great triumph over sin and death proved both His identity and worth.  But the laughing and criticism continues.  How patient and compassionate is Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ!  He was patient with the doubters and critics when He walked the earth, He is patient still “not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9).  He is Lord of all—one day every knee will bow and every tongue confess that truth (Philippians 2:10-11).  On that day, all laughing at Jesus will forever cease.

Jesus changes things.  Whether in this world, or in the heart of a man, things cannot and will not remain the same in the life-changing presence of Jesus.

Jesus! what a Friend for sinners!
Jesus! Lover of my soul;
Friends may fail me, foes assail me,
He, my Savior, makes me whole.

Hallelujah! what a Savior!
Hallelujah! what a Friend!
Saving, helping, keeping, loving,
He is with me to the end.

January 11

Bible Reading: Matthew 8

Matthew 8:1-2, “When he came down from the mountain, great crowds followed him. And behold, a leper came to him and knelt before him, saying, ‘Lord, if you will, you can make me clean’.”

Matthew 8:28, “And when he came to the other side, to the country of the Gadarenes, two demon-possessed men met him, coming out of the tombs, so fierce that no one could pass that way.”

The leper (Matthew 8:1-4) likely didn’t know the crazy men (Matthew 8:28-34), but he’s been perpetually “bound-together” with them as bookends to a chapter which speaks to the miracle working power of the Lord Jesus.  In that sense and in another they shared much in common.

I’ve been lonely.  You’ve likely experienced loneliness too.  But it’s hard to imagine what must have been the lonely and hopeless experience of these three needy souls.  Adam’s kin all bear the tragic consequences of sin. These seemingly bore more than their fair share.

Disfigured by leprous sores and scars, the diseased leper was deemed unclean.  Others were prohibited from having any direct contact with him.  “Unclean, Unclean” he would warn lest any might come too close.  He had said it so frequently it birthed his identity.  Forsaken by family and friends, he was a lonely man.  A discard of human society.  Parents warned their children to stay away from him.  How long had it been since he experienced the hug of his mother or embrace of his friend?  He was a man without hope, utterly alone and rejected.  But then Jesus came.  By faith the leper made his way to Him.  Disregarding earthly protocol, he bowed down to Jesus.  Confidently he proclaimed, “Lord, if you are willing, You can make me clean” (Matthew 8:2).  And you know what Jesus did?  He did what no one else would dare do—what the leper had not experienced in months, maybe years.  “He stretched out His hand and touched him” (Matthew 8:3).  “Be cleansed,” He said.  And the leper was cleansed!  One can only imagine the joyful reunion that was the result when the leper was made whole and restored to his family and friends.

The demon-possessed men lived in the tombs, far away from everyone else.  They were so violent that nobody else could pass by that way.  Their naked bodies bore the bruises and scars of self-afflicted wounds.  Though often bound with shackles and chains, with demonic power, they would tear the chains from them and break the shackles into pieces.  The fearful neighbors could hear them crying out constantly “day and night,” their devil-inspired shrieks instilling fear in their hearts.  They were all alone.  Two men deemed too crazy and too dangerous to associate with.  Rejected and relegated to the place where dead men dwelt.  Lonely and helpless and hopeless men.  But then Jesus came.  The two men “met Him as they were coming out of the tombs” (Matthew 8:28).  The demons spoke.  “Go” Jesus replied!  And with a word, the men were delivered of their demons and made right of mind.  One can only imagine the joyful reunion that was the result when the demon-possessed men were restored to their family and friends.

The Savior of all hung there on a cross.  The Only Begotten of God despised and rejected.  Conspired against and unfairly tried, he was declared guilty and condemned to die.  His friends forsook Him.  His created mocked Him.  A cacophony of voices filled the air with insults and abuse.  Humanity declared Him unwelcome.  The loneliness of that experience is hard to fathom, but it was worse than we can even imagine.  The burden of all the ugly sins of all the lost and lonely sons of Adam was put upon Him.  He who had never sinned, was made to be sin.  And for a moment of time, the eternal and perfect fellowship between the Father and the Son was severed.  The pain and agony and loneliness of that event transcends all human understanding.  He cried out, “My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?”  But the grave could not hold Him, He rose from the dead triumphing over sin and death and the devil. 

He was made to be sin that we might be made righteous in Him.  He was made to be lonely in sin that He might rescue the lonely from sin.  In Him, there is hope for us all.  He was not afraid to reach out and touch a leper.  He was powerful enough to subdue the demons.  He cares.  He is able.  He alone is able to rescue the lost and lonely.

No matter how lost or lonely we might find ourselves, in Jesus we find One who always cares. And cared enough to die for our sins!

I stand amazed in the presence
Of Jesus the Nazarene
And wonder how He could love me
A sinner condemned, unclean

How marvelous, how wonderful
And my song will ever be
How marvelous, how wonderful
Is my Savior’s love for me

January 10

Bible Reading: Matthew 7

Matthew 7:13-14, “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.”

I walked that path so many times, as I knew where it would take me — to my favorite of all fishing holes, at the top of a roaring rapids where salmon and steelhead would rest for a bit on their upstream journey. What a sight to behold! The swift flowing water of the beautiful North Umpqua River roared as it tumbled over the falls.  With tall stands of old growth firs adorning both sides of the canyon, and an occasional eagle in flight overhead, I’d sometimes find myself singing the words to “How Great Thou Art” as I made cast after cast, hoping to hook into a big fish.

It was not an easy path to follow, as there were twists and turns, narrow places, downed trees, washouts, and steep inclines and descents to traverse. Rumors of a resident cougar and the reality of ever-present poison oak called for a watchful eye. Afternoon temperatures would sometimes reach 100 degrees, so if you were packing out a couple of steelhead the trek was even harder. Sometimes I made a wrong turn and ended up in the brush. I got poison oak on more than one occasion. And sometimes I’d make a misstep and fall. But year after year, and time after time, I keep going back because that was the path I needed to take if I wanted to get to where I wanted to go.  Our text speaks of two different paths leading to two different places.  It shouldn’t escape our notice that there are only these two paths.  Every person is one path or the other, but only one path leads to a desirable destination.

Entrance to the narrow path is through a narrow gate.  We are elsewhere instructed that there is but one way of salvation, and that is through Jesus Christ.  He is “the way, and the truth, and the life,” and “no one comes to the Father except through (Him)” (John 14:6).  “There is salvation is no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).  Salvation is by grace through faith in Jesus (Ephesians 2:8-9).  To enter by the narrow gate is to abandon all other hope and look to Christ alone to save.  But no one enters through the narrow gate apart from God’s intervention.

The advantage of the broad path is that you can believe as you wish and behave as you want.  You’ll find plenty of encouragement along the way (Ephesians 2:1-3; Proverbs 14:12; Romans 1:32).  The problem with the broad path, or course, is that it leads to a horrific destination.  It is like a super wide freeway leading to a sudden drop off into a bottomless abyss.  The destruction spoken is of the eternal kind (2 Thessalonians 1:8-9).  Though soul after soul plummet down into the abyss, still death is never satisfied (Proverbs 27:20).  Being both difficult and disdained, the narrow way is the path less traveled.  But it has the advantage in that it’s the only path that leads to the abundant and eternal life bound up in Jesus.

“Be up and on your journey. Enter in at the gate at the head of the way, and do not stand hesitating. If it be the right road, you will find the entrance somewhat difficult, and exceedingly narrow, for it demands self-denial, and calls for strictness of obedience, and watchfulness of spirit. Nevertheless, ‘enter ye in at the strait gate.’ Whatever its drawbacks of fewness of pilgrims, or straightness of entrance, yet choose it and use it.  True, there is another road, broad and much frequented, but it leads to destruction. Men go to ruin along the turnpike road, but the way to heaven is a bridle path. There may come other days, when the many will crowd the narrow way, but at this time, to be popular one must be broad—broad in doctrine, in morals, and in spirituals. But those on the strait road shall go straight to glory, and those on the broad road are all abroad. All is well that ends well. We can afford to be straightened in the right way rather than enlarged in the wrong way, because the first ends in endless life, and the second hastens down to everlasting death.”

Charles Spurgeon

Lord, deliver me from the temptation to keep in step with the masses, for its only on Your path that my feet find a safe and desirable path in this deceitful and dangerous world.

I have decided to follow Jesus;
I have decided to follow Jesus;
I have decided to follow Jesus;
No turning back, no turning back.

Tho’ none go with me, I still will follow,
Tho’ none go with me I still will follow,
Tho’ none go with me, I still will follow;
No turning back, no turning back.

January 9

Bible Reading: Matthew 6

Matthew 6:25, “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life…”

If so inclined, any of us can find plenty of things to worry about—economic troubles, global threats, personal struggles, relationship difficulties, health concerns, financial fears, job issues, problems big and small—the list goes on and on.

But we are commanded not to worry.  And though worry is a common sin, it is still a sin.  Many tend to think of it as a mundane thing, a relatively harmless vice—low on the list of offenses, but there’s good reason to reconsider that assessment.  And though studies confirm what we know to be true, that worry can prove harmful to us emotionally and physically and spiritually, we still do it. 

“Many of us are addicted to worry because we simply don’t view it as being sinful.  It’s become acceptable, something we blithely excuse without a second thought.  After all, it doesn’t have the same obvious effects that, say, alcohol or drugs do.  It seems more like a normal part of the human condition.  Who can imagine life without worry?”

Chuck Swindoll

Worry is defined as “a state of anxiety and uncertainty over actual or potential problems.” Worry reflects a lack of trust in God and His ability or desire to care for us—it thereby works to undermine the intimacy of our fellowship and credibility of our witness. Jesus spoke to the problem in depth in His Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 6:24-35).

There are at least 10 reasons given here to refrain from worry:

1.        God commands us not to worry.  “Do not be anxious” (Matthew 6:25a).

2.        There is more to life than the concerns we tend to worry about.  “Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?” (Matthew 6:25b).

3.        God takes care of the birds—and you are of more value than they are.  ”Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them.  Are you not worth more than they” (Matthew 6:26)?

4.        Worry doesn’t accomplish anything.  “And which of you by being anxious can add a single cubit to his life’s span” (Matthew 6:27)?

5.        God beautifully arrays the lilies of the field—though they expend no effort.  “And why are you so anxious about clothing?  Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin, yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory did not cloth himself like one of these.  But if God so arrays the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more do so for you, O men of little faith” (Matthew 6:28-30)?

6.        To worry–being preoccupied with earthly concerns-is to live no different than the unsaved.  “Do not be anxious then, saying ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘With what shall we clothe ourselves?’  For all these things the Gentiles eagerly seek” (Matthew 6:31-32b).

7.        God knows all about your needs. “For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things” (Matthew 6:32b).

8.        Instead of worrying about earthly concerns, be concerned about His kingdom and His righteousness.  “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added to you” (Matthew 6:33).

9.        Don’t borrow, by worrying, from tomorrow’s troubles. “Therefore do not be anxious for tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself.  Each day has enough trouble of its own” (Matthew 6:34).

10.      Instead of worrying—pray (Matthew 6:8-14; Philippians 4:6-7).

“We can easily manage if we will only take, each day, the burden appointed to it. But the load will be too heavy for us if we carry yesterday’s burden over again today, and then add the burden of the morrow before we are required to bear it.” – John Newton

The words below, from an old song by B.J. Thomas, put things in right perspective:

He’s got it all in control, He’s got it all in control
He’s put that reassurance, Way down in my soul
He’s got it all in control
I’ve put my life in His hands, I’ve put my life in His hands
So every road I walk down, I’m sure is in His plan
‘Cause I’ve put my life in His hands
He holds the stars in the sky, He holds the land back from the sea
If He can do all of that, Surely he can take care-of you and me

Sometimes we suffer
From a cut or a bruise
Or some other kind of wound
They heal on their own
And are soon forgotten

Other hurts cut deeper
To the depths of one’s heart
With a pain unbearable
They threaten to undo us
And leave lasting scars
That change the way we live

The pain lingers on
Though the wound lies hidden
We all have them
These wounds and scars
Of hurts that cut too deep
We yearn for no more pain
But that’s sadly unavoidable

We are compelled to choose
Between two paths in responding
To focus on the hurt and pain
And feed it’s guilt and loss
Or choose to keep on loving
And find a hope unassailable

Others have scars too
Some smaller and some bigger
And when we venture then to care
We lend a salve that lessens
The hurts they’ve long carried
Giving and receiving comfort
That we might journey on

The scars are a part of living
And some might call them ugly
But when met with God’s love
They can be turned into a story
Of divine grace and strength
And love’s triumph amidst the scars

There is One who bore all
Dying for sins not His own
Scarred body and soul
To restore us to the God well-able
To heal all our soul diseases
And bring us to that place
Where scars and tears will be no more

January 6

Bible Reading: Matthew 5

Matthew 5:20, “For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.”

According to an August 2020 survey, roughly half of Americans believe they will go to heaven if they are “generally good” or “do enough good things,” while only one-third believe salvation is obtained only by accepting Jesus Christ as savior.  What do I say to the one who does not know Jesus, but thinks that they will be saved because of their own doings?  It’s a good question of great relevance in our day.

In His “Sermon on the Mount” (Matthew chapters 5-7) Jesus spoke to folks who had been taught such things.  The Scribes and Pharisees of Jesus’ day espoused a religious of works.  They supposed they could win heaven by the careful observance of countless man-made rules.  Theirs was a religion of proud self-reliance.  It underestimated both the extent of God’s holiness and depth of man’s depravity.

Henry Ironside’s comments on these chapters are helpful:

“For the natural man this sermon (i.e., Matthew chapters 5-7) is not the way of life, but rather a source of condemnation; for it sets a standard so high and holy that no unsaved person can by any possibility attain to it. He who attempts it will soon realize his utter helplessness, if he be honest and conscientious. He must look elsewhere in Scripture for the gospel, which is the dynamic of God unto salvation to all who believe (Romans 1:16)… So far as the unsaved are concerned, therefore, the teaching given here becomes indeed, as C. I. Scofield has well said, ‘Law raised to its Nth power’.”

Henry Ironside

In his quest for salvation, apart from God showing a person otherwise, it is man’s natural (sinful) tendency to diminish the extent of what the Law demands in order that he might somehow keep it.  The religious leaders of Jesus’ day had worked hard to make the Law more “manageable.”  They taught: “’You shall not commit murder’ and ‘whoever commits murder shall be liable to the court’ (Matthew 5:21).” They supposed that in not actually “murdering” anyone, they had kept the Law.  A self-righteous person might even say, “I’m going to heaven, I’m a good person, I haven’t killed anybody.”  But Jesus reaffirmed the true intent of the Law: “But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be guilty before the court; and whoever shall say to his brother, ‘Raca’ (‘empty-head’), shall be guilty before the supreme court; and whoever shall say, ‘You fool,’ shall be guilty enough to go into the hell of fire” (Matthew 5:22).  Indeed, not only are we commanded not to murder (or even to harbor murderous intentions within our hearts), but to love even our enemies (Matthew 5:43-44).  Who hasn’t been angry with someone and thus failed to uphold these commands?

The people of Jesus’ day supposed the scribes and Pharisees to be the epitome of righteousness, but Jesus demands something far greater, “For I say to you, that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you shall not enter the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:20).  Fortunately for us, God has graciously provided a way through which a true righteousness can be obtained, even as 2 Corinthians 5:21 explains: “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”  Before his salvation, the Apostle Paul possessed a most impressive religious resume.  As a self-righteous Pharisee, he had been extremely zealous in his law keeping.  But he did not find true righteousness until he found Christ (Philippians 3:8-9).  No one can be made righteous via their own good works. Instead, a sinner receives the righteousness of Christ only through faith in Him.  Salvation is by grace through faith in Christ and His finished work on the cross (Ephesians 2:8-9).

The problem with the Law is that no one, except Christ, has been able to keep it.  But God has availed to us a salvation by faith in Christ who was made to be sin in order to save us from ours.

Rock of Ages, cleft for me,
Let me hide myself in Thee;
Let the water and the blood,
From Thy riven side which flowed,
Be of sin the double cure,
Save me from its guilt and power.

Not the labor of my hands
Can fulfill Thy law’s demands;
Could my zeal no respite know,
Could my tears forever flow,
All could never sin erase,
Thou must save, and save by grace.

January 5

Bible Reading: Matthew 4

Sin and temptation are unavoidable realities.  Even if you were to fly away to live alone on a deserted island, you’d still face temptation, and you’d still sin, for you’d go with you.  John MacArthur has commented on this reality:

“Since the Fall in the Garden of Eden, temptation has been a constant, unrelenting part of human life. Men have tried to avoid and resist it with self-inflicted pain to make themselves uncomfortable and presumably humble, or by isolating themselves from other people and from physical comforts. But no person has ever found a place or a circumstance that can make him safe from temptation.”

John MacArthur

There’s been no one except for Jesus who has been tempted in all ways as we all are, yet without sin. The first event recorded by Matthew after Jesus’ baptism is His temptation. He was “led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And after He had fasted forty days and forty nights, He then became hungry. And the temper came…” (Matthew 4:1-3). Three times He was tempted. Three times He responded quoting Scripture. Through it all, He never sinned.

Jesus never sinned.  Not then, not ever.  He “knew no sin” (2 Corinthians 5:21).  He never thought a sinful thought, never did a sinful deed, never said a sinful word (1 Peter 2:22; Hebrews 4:15).  He perfectly fulfilled the Father’s will in every respect.  Never before or since has there been anyone like Him.  The Devil tempted Adam and Eve and they sinned.  Sin entered into man’s existence and every other soul born since has sinned (Romans 3:23).  But Jesus never sinned.   O Blessed truth!

Jesus knew no sin—He never sinned.  He was therefore qualified to be offered up as a substitutionary sacrifice for us as a “lamb unblemished and spotless” (1 Peter 1:19).  On the basis of His death and resurrection, He has availed to the believer a salvation from sin in every respect—freedom from its penalty, power, and—in heaven—its presence.

“He was tempted in all things as we are” (Hebrews 4:16).  Yet He never sinned.  He is therefore able to “sympathize with our weaknesses” and “come to our aid” (Hebrews 2:18). 

“Jesus knows all about struggles, He will guide till the day is done; There’s not a friend like the lowly Jesus—no not one!  No, not one!”

Johnson Oatman

Jesus was tempted with the temptations that are “common to man” (1 Corinthians 10:13) — “the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life” (1 John 2:16; Genesis 3:6).  But He, the Word, responded with the word (Matthew 4:4, 7, 10).  In this respect, He has provided for us a great example.  It is as the Word, the sword of the Spirit, is treasured in our hearts, that victory over sin is assured (Psalm 119:11; Ephesians 6:17).  Indeed, the “young men” of First John were commended because they were strong and overcame the evil one.  How were they made strong?  The Word of God abided in them (1 John 2:14; Colossians 3:16).

How precious to know that in this world where sin is an ever-present reality—and terrible and tenacious enemy—there is One who never sinned and indeed won the victory over our great foe (1 Corinthians 15:55-57).  “Wretched man that I am!  Who will set me free from the body of this death?  Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!” (Romans 7:24-25).

The One who never sinned, and died for sins, is well able to come to the aid of those who are tempted to sin.

I am weak but Thou art strong;
Jesus, keep me from all wrong;
I’ll be satisfied as long
As I walk, let me walk close to Thee.

Just a closer walk with Thee,
Grant it, Jesus, is my plea,
Daily walking close to Thee,
Let it be, dear Lord, let it be.