Devotionary

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Ep 142 – Matthew 6:1-4 May 14, 2017

Show notes

Today, we move into chapter six of Matthew, and we'll be looking at the first four verses. I've entitled this episode, "Godly Giving" because it deals with the kind of giving God desires. He is looking for giving that is motivated by righteousness, not done in order to somehow achieve a reputation of righteousness. Doing good deeds in order to make a good impression is not what God is looking for in His people. Righteous-looking acts that are motivated by a self-promoting agenda may get you recognized by men, but they won't result in a reward from God. Once again, Jesus is presenting an alternative view of what it means to live a righteous life. It had less to do with external behavior than it did with a changed heart. Godly giving was to be selfless and sacrificial. It wasn't to be done for show or in an effort to leave a favorable impression. That kind of giving was self-centered and far from righteous as far as God is concerned. So, Jesus warns His listeners, and us, that righteous-looking deeds done to impress others and promote self will never result in the only approval you really need: God's.

Ep 141 – Matthew 5:48 May 13, 2017

Show notes

In today's episode, we're going to look at a single verse, the final verse of Matthew, chapter five. While short in length, this verse packs a powerful punch, that is just as impactful today as it was when Jesus spoke it on the Galilean hillside. On top of all that Jesus has said to His audience, He now challenges them with a call to perfection. But not some kind of earthly form of perfection. He calls for godly perfection. Rather than emulating the righteousness of men, we are to use God as our standard of perfection. But that sounds impossible, doesn't it? How can fallen, sinful men hope to match the sinless perfection of God? What chance do we stand in achieving this seemingly unattainable standard? None whatsoever. That is, if we are left to our own devices and remain dependent upon our sinful flesh to try and pull it off. But Jesus is pointing to something far more reliable than human achievement. He is trying to set the stage and prepare the hearts of the people for His offer of salvation. Redemption is right around the corner. Perfect righteousness that will provide a right standing with God is about to be available to all who place their faith in Jesus Christ as their Savior.

Ep 140 – Matthew 5:43-47 May 12, 2017

Show notes

In Matthew 5, verses 43-47, Jesus will tell his audience to love their enemies. As Christians, we've grown accustomed to that phrase as Christians. We may not obey it, but we're certainly more than familiar with it. But when Jesus dropped it on His audience that day on the hillside by the Sea of Galilee, it was a like He was speaking a foreign language. Once again, He was addressing a common misperception regarding the law and their obedience to it. This time, it had to do with something the law didn't say, but that had become almost as binding as the law itself. For some reason, the Jews had gotten it into their heads that God's command to love their neighbor also meant that they were free to hate their enemies. And since God didn't seem to indicate who their enemies were, they took it upon themselves to decide. In essence, anybody who wasn't a Jew was their enemy. But Jesus had other ideas. He wasn't going to let them misinterpret and misapply God's law. Because for those who would be approved by God, and end up a part of His kingdom, the law of love extended to any and all, including enemies. Because it had nothing to do with loveabilty or loveliness.

Ep 139 – Matthew 5:38-42 T May 11, 2017

Show notes

We live in a world where getting even is seen as some kind of inalienable right. We somehow think that retaliation for a wrong done is guaranteed by the constitution. And the Jews of Jesus' day had the same mentality. So, in today's episode, based on Matthew 5, verses 38-42, we'll see Jesus address the mistaken notion that retaliation was a God-given right, provided for in the law of Moses. Instead, He is going to present the life of self-sacrifice and love. He will encourage His listeners to give rather than choosing to get even. Like touching a live electrical wire, His message will jolt His audience, sending shockwaves of confusion and doubt into their brains. What He is asking them to do will sound illogical and impossible to their ears. What He recommends will come across as unprofitable as it is unappealing. But once again, Jesus was describing the life of those who are blessed or approved by God. He was revealing the radical new lifestyle that would mark those who place their faith in Him as their Savior and Lord. Their righteousness would surpass that of the scribes and Pharisees, allowing them to keep the law love as modeled in the life of Jesus Himself.

Ep 138 – Matthew 5:33-37 May 10, 2017

Show notes

In today's episode we'll be looking at verses 33-37 of Matthew 5. I've entitled this episode, "Trustworthy Truthfulness", because in these verses, Jesus is going to bring up the issue of oaths, but His real emphasis is going to be on speaking truth. For the Jewish people, oaths had become another misunderstood and misused tradition that provided them with an excuse to lie and get away with it. Originally, swearing an oath had been a serious thing. It was a way of guaranteeing your word. But, over time, the religious leaders had developed workarounds or loopholes that allowed someone to make an oath and then break it. It was like crossing your fingers. You made a promise, but with no intention of keeping it. And the worst part was, many were using God's name or things associated with God, to back up their oaths. So, when the failed to live up to their word, they were dragging God's name through the mud. Which is what led Jesus to take this on in the first place. In essence, Jesus is telling them to say what they mean and mean what they say.

Ep 137 – Matthew 5:31-32 May 09, 2017

Show notes

Today's episode covers Matthew 5, verses 31-32. In these two short verses, Jesus takes on what was an extremely hot topic at that time: Divorce. Then, as today, divorce was a problem among the people of God. And while the Mosaic law had restrictions regarding its use and strict regulations governing its accessibility for the Jewish people, they had begun to act as if divorce was not only a viable option, but in some cases, a preferable one to marriage. And as before, Jesus will deal with the perception regarding divorce and the reality that God intended when He gave the laws concerning it to begin with. For God, marriage was intended to reflect the covenant relationship between He and His people. So, it was all about faithfulness. And Jesus will make that point painfully clear to His audience as He stresses God's unwavering view regarding the marriage covenant. For all practical purposes, Israel had bought into the idea of no-fault divorce. Men were putting away their wives for little or no reason, and thinking nothing of having done so. But Jesus was going to put that mindset to an abrupt halt.

Ep 136 – Matthew 5:27-30 May 08, 2017

Show notes

In today's episode, we'll be looking at Matthew 5, verses 27-30. I've entitled this lesson, "Purity of Life" because in it, Jesus is going to deal with the issue of adultery. But, like each of the topics He has covered in His message up to this point, Jesus is going to give His audience a slightly different perspective than that to which they were accustomed. They knew that, according to the Mosaic Law, adultery was wrong. But was NOT committing adultery the goal God had in mind when He gave this law to Moses? Jesus will go out of His way to point out that there is far more behind this law than a prohibition against marital unfaithfulness. In fact, He'll get to the literal heart of the matter – the heart of man. God was looking for purity of life, not some kind of performance-based, do-just-enough-to-keep-God-happy kind of lifestyle that focused on avoiding the major infractions, while failing to measure up to the inward transformation God was really interested in. Adultery was a symptom of something far more offensive to God: Unfaithfulness to Him.

Ep 135 – Matthew 5:21-26 May 07, 2017

Show notes

Today's episode is entitled, "The Capacity to Love" and covers Matthew 5, verses 21-26. In this section of His message, Jesus will deal with the need for love among God's people. Those who are blessed or approved by God, will be marked by love, not hatred. The Jews took great pride in their adherence to God's law concerning murder. For most of the people in the crowd that day, murder may have crossed their mind at some point, but they had refused to give in. And they believed that fact counted as a plus on the righteousness side of their ledger. Yet, Jesus was about to blow that false mindset out of the water. He was going to reveal that the God wasn't as concerned about murder as He was about the condition of the heart that could eventually result in murder. Hate was the problem. Or to put it another way, the lack of love. It wasn't enough to not kill someone. God wanted you to love them. To refrain from murder is not a sign of righteousness and would certainly not qualify as love. Once again, Jesus is rocking the boat and disrupting the status quo.

Ep 134 – Matthew 5:17-20 May 06, 2017

Show notes

Today, we're going to be in Matthew 5, verses 17-20. Jesus is going to assure His listeners that what He is teaching is not contrary to the Old Testament Scriptures. It may have sounded radical and revolutionary to their ears, but it was not a departure from God's law and all that the prophets had written. Jesus wasn't introducing something that was going to replace the law, it was going to fulfill it. He wasn't contradicting the writings of the prophets, He was actually the one they had promised would come. The law was God's revelation of what He expected in terms of right behavior from mankind. It was His brand of righteousness described in great detail. The writings of the prophets were predominantly the call of God for the people of Israel to return to Him. The prophets spoke on behalf of God, calling the disobedient Israelites back to a right relationship with God, through obedience to His law. They could return or face the consequences. They could repent or suffer God's punishment in the form of captivity and enslavement. But they failed to return and the inevitable happened. But Jesus had come to call the people of God back to God, offering them a better righteousness they could have never produced on their own.

Ep 133 – Matthew 5:13-16 May 05, 2017

Show notes

In this episode, we move into the next part of Jesus' message, found in Matthew 5, verses 13-16. Here Jesus will begin to deal with the goal for those who have been blessed or approved by God. Their lives are to make a difference in the world around them. This episode is entitled, "Agents of Change," because that is exactly what we are called to be. Jesus will use two simple metaphors to illustrate how those approved by God should live in the midst of the world around them. The nation of Israel had been set apart by God to be a living example of what it looks like for a people to have a relationship with God. But they had failed to remain faithful. God leveled this sobering accusation against them through the prophet, Ezekiel. "I placed her at the center of the nations, but she has rebelled against my regulations and decrees and has been even more wicked than the surrounding nations. She has refused to obey the regulations and decrees I gave her to follow." (Ezekiel 5:5-6 NLT). Now, Jesus was offering a new opportunity for people to have a relationship with God and act as His agents of change in the world.

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