Matthew 23 - Seven Woes spoken to arrogant, hypocritical Pharisees who want to be teachers recognized by men. Jesus was not addressing His disciples. He was addressing the Pharisees who sat on Moses Seat---men who were very sincere about their religion. Their very name means separated from sin. But faith isn't about how sincere we are in practice or belief. We can be sincerely wrong. There is only one way to God, through Jesus Christ. The difference between the Pharisees and the disciples was that the Truth changed the disciples but the Pharisees character remained the same. The disciples we know in Matthew all struggled with arrogance and hypocrisy even betrayal. Every one of those disciples died a martyr's death (except John the Beloved). They didn't die for a Good Teacher, they died for the Resurrected Christ. Did the Pharisees ever change? Do we find them in the pages of Acts? Jesus changed the disciples. And He is changing you and He is changing me. We will never be the same again that we were even yesterday. Changed Lives. Kingdom Building.
Jesus' mission is to change your life, to bring you into His Kingdom of Love
by forgiving your self-worshiping rebellion that keeps you falling short
of God's Way of relating and by empowering you to bring God's Kingdom
near to others by the radically changed way we can now relate. 66 LL
Blessed is he who comes in the Name of the Lord.
ReplyDeleteSin is serious stuff. Sin separates us from God, destroys relationships and defiles our hearts. Like whitewashed tombs, all scrubbed up and clean, but dead on the inside, we cannot do the work of making ourselves presentable before the King, no matter how hard we try in our own power.
Our self righteousness and attempts to clean up our lives are filthy robes that mask the besetting sin beneath.
Should we continue in sin, so that grace can abound? God forbid.
How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?" (Romans 6:1-2)
Grace abounds. Take Him up on His promises today. Wear the beautiful Blood-stained transformed white robe of righteousness that He died to give us.
Blessed is he that comes in the Name of the Lord.
for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved. (Acts 4:12)
Wrap me in Grace, Lord.
ReplyDeletePurify the thoughts inside my heart, my mind, my soul.
Gather me.
Under Your Wings.
For I am on the cross next to You.
In need of Your forgiveness and grace.
I offer my life.
By Faith.
Wash me now, whiter than snow.
He longs to gather both of you under His wings...Eagle wings, so protective. He so delights in both of you. And what touches me deeply about you both is that you are so willing to take a hard look at your own heart, your own stuff. I feel like so much I read is about how to live the Christian life by focusing on the positive and making the right choices. Right choices will be the fruit of our right hearts before Him. All of you on this blog are pressing hard into Him to find Him and deal with the fray of your own heart. Our selfishness is more serious than our woundedness---what has happened to us. You all are such a delight to journey with for you truly are asking the right questions and wrestling with good stuff. Life isn't just about making good moral choices or we'll end up works-religion. You guys so stir me to righteousness---Daniel 12:3 and for that I am eternally grateful! Love to you tonight, Bev
ReplyDeleteAnnette, your words are always soothing to me and sink way deep with the Truth of it. Just love reading your comments. Thank you so much for always being willing to risk and give a part of yourself to all of us. I love you so much!
ReplyDeleteDeborah, your rhetoric is always so moving. Your analogies, your metaphors, your poetic devices are priceless. Love your writing but what I am really saying is love your beautiful heart! So grateful to be your friend! Love you dearly, Bev
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