This is our seventeenth study. Please click HERE for an intro to this study. Today we will look at how the Pharisees tithed.
Matthew 23:23-24
23 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices — mint, dill and cummin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law — justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former. 24 You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel.
Observations
It is a little puzzling to me why the Pharisees concentrated on the little things as the spices but neglected the larger and spiritual things. But here are my ideas. Maybe they thought people would be impressed with them, that they were so diligent in giving a tenth of their spices; or maybe it was all they knew how to do; they were just doing things as they were taught. As for neglecting the larger things of justice, mercy and faith, I suggest that it was because they were unconverted and they did not understand those spiritual things (1 Cor. 2:14).
Application
We should regard first the things of the Spirit and His kingdom. First give your life totally to Him and then He will direct you in what else to do. Never do things to impress people, but only to obey God in love.
This is our sixteenth study. Please click HERE for an intro to this study. Today we will look at how evil the Pharisees were.
Matthew 23:13, 15
13 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the kingdom of heaven in men’s faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to.
15 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You travel over land and sea to win a single convert, and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of hell as you are.
Observations
The Pharisees must have known how to enter heaven, or else they would not know how to shut it off to others. It wasn’t out of ignorance that they missed heaven. They plain out rejected it. And when they made converts, they made them not for heaven but for hell. It sounds to me like they had some kind of a bitterness against God and His Son that they would be so rejecting of God.
Application
Beware of this kind of teacher. And stir others away from this kind of teacher, who will try to keep them from true conversion to God.
The following article is an excerpt from this book.
When we look at the Disciples Prayer (or The Lord’s Prayer), I believe we see three types of petitions that Jesus taught (Matthew 6:8-13).
1. Invocation
We get this idea from the first three requests: “Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name; Your Kingdom come; Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”
This first type of petition, according to Jennings, is the invocation of our prayer; it is the summoning of the Spirit of God that He would come to us and be God to us, to help us pray and do His will.5
Yes, it is asking Him to help us pray that His name be hallowed–let Your name be hallowed. And bring your kingdom to us; and bring your will to us.
As I see it, from my study of this topic, there are two very basic natures or meanings of prayer: (1) petition, and (2) soul to soul communication with God (which really includes all parts of prayer). In this post we will focus on petition.
According to the original Biblical words translated for us as “prayer,” every Hebrew and Greek word I studied (three Hebrew words and eight Greek words) indicate that prayer is petition—asking God for something. It is an expression of a wish or a desire; Christian prayer is an expression of a wish or desire to God. We see this particularly in the following Greek words: euchomai (to pray to God, to wish for), deomai (to desire, to want, to ask, and to beg), and deesis (a wanting, a needing, then an asking, entreaty, and supplication).
Here we see in these words that desire comes first…
This is our fifteenth study. Please click HERE for an intro to this study. Today we will listen to what Jesus said to His disciples about how to regard the Pharisees’ teaching.
Matthew 23:1-7
Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples: 2 “The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. 3 So you must obey them and do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach. 4 They tie up heavy loads and put them on men’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them. 5 “But they do all their deeds to be noticed by men; for they broaden their phylacteries, and lengthen the tassels of their garments. 6 “And they love the place of honor at banquets, and the chief seats in the synagogues, 7 and respectful greetings in the market places, and being called by men, Rabbi.
Observations
Jesus taught here that because the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat and have authority as a teacher, they must be obeyed. But Jesus also warned the people not to follow their example, because they were hypocrites. Then Jesus showed them how to spot a hypocrite: 1) they are not willing to do the work they demand of others; 2) any deed they do they do to be noticed by others; 3) they try to make themselves appear spiritual; 4) they love places of honor; and 5) they love respectful greetings and being called Rabbi.
Application
First, we must respect anyone in authority, like a teacher or professor. Second, we are not obligated to follow anyone’s example. Jesus is the one we should follow. Third, be careful to do all things for the glory of God, not to be noticed by others, to appear spiritual or to get the respect of others.
There is a man that I, for many years, have regarded highly for his knowledge of the bible and his doctrine. But recently I have discovered how he believes in future things. To me his eschatology is wrong. And because of that I have been sulking. I feel so disappointed in him. How can such a brilliant man be so wrong on this—not to believe in the rapture of the church?
I heard a 45-minute sermon by him on Daniel 9:24-27. He took it bit by bit, and he explained the pre-tribulation rapture view perfectly; and then, in just a few minutes, rejected it and taught his preterist view. He just couldn’t except that there is a gap of time between the 69th and 70th week. And he gave the lamest reasons. And then he preceded to cut down the rapture view and said that it all started in 1830 by someone’s vision. You may be aware of all the stories.
But since my great disappointment, and after much prayer, I have come to except that he is just a man who, like us all, is not perfect. And though I think he is wrong with his eschatology (and I try to keep an open mind), he is still very brilliant in his knowledge of the bible and a true believer. And like most scholars his age (he died in 1981), he just missed some of the best teaching on the pre-tribulation rapture. And I do believe that all those who were great scholars of the 1700s and 1800s didn’t hear too much about the rapture either.
But just because a doctrine comes late doesn’t mean that it is wrong. The belief in the rapture is fairly new, yet we believe that it is a correction of the error that the church has had for centuries. I think the apostle Paul has given us a good explanation of the rapture. But it is too bad that just a couple centuries later it was explained away by allegorical views.
But thank God, errors in eschatology will not disqualify a person for salvation. Though some will miss the joy of expecting Him, we who are believers will all meet together in the air before Him—regardless of how we believed.
When Jesus had finished these words [His sermon], the multitudes were amazed at His teaching; 29 for He was teaching them as one having authority, and not as their scribes.
Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount was not long. If you add up all the verses in chapters 5, 6, and 7, you won’t come up with more than three or four pages. And if you were preaching it, it won’t take more than about twenty minutes.
Yet His sermon had a profound effect on all the people. They were “amazed at His teaching.” Why? I’m sure they were captivated by what He said, but more, by how He said it. Verses 29 tells us that He taught them “as one having authority, and not as their scribes.”
And I think they were equally amazed that He was yet a young man, an ordinary person, and just a carpenter and not having the schooling as the scribes had. Yet He spoke so well, as if he were learned—even more than the scribes.
Here are four reasons why Jesus spoke as one having authority:
Whereas the scribes always quoted from many teachers, Jesus used no quotes. He spoke for Himself. All His teachings were original to Himself.
He spoke with confidence and certainty.
He had His own sayings. He made up His own stories—parables. And He often spoke about Himself.
He was always referring to Himself: “I am come,” “I am come to fulfill,” “I and my Father are one.”
Another observation is that while so many say that the sermon on the Mount is just moral and ethical teachings; if you look closely, you will see that it is full of doctrine: doctrine about Himself, about the rebirth, about the new life in Christ, and about the incarnation and more.
This is the end of my blog posts on the Sermon on the Mount.
“Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine, and acts upon them, may be compared to a wise man, who built his house upon the rock. 25 “And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and burst against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded upon the rock. 26 “And everyone who hears these words of Mine, and does not act upon them, will be like a foolish man, who built his house upon the sand. 27 “And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and burst against that house; and it fell, and great was its fall.”
Here is a picture of two men, a wise man and a foolish man. The wise man had a true and good foundation. The foolish man had a foundation made of sand—it would not last.
In this illustration, the wise man is a Christian. His foundation is Christ. The foolish man is a non-Christian. His foundation is his own works and his own philosophy of life. But his foundation is not true and so it is unstable—as sand.
The rain and the floods and the wind represent the tests of our faith and what our life if built on. Notice that both the Christian and the non-Christian are tested.
The rain may represent things like illness, loss or disappointment. Floods may represent the world, or worldliness—“the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life.” And the wind may represent Satanic attacks, such as to hurl doubts and evil thoughts at us.
Now for the non-Christian, the main disaster for him will come at the judgment, when it is discovered that there is no foundation, that Christ is not his Lord. The Christian does have a lasting foundation, which is Jesus Christ. But the trials of life will nevertheless test his faith to see how he has built upon that foundation (look at 1Corinthisna 3:12-15). And our rewards at the end of our life will depend on it.
One of the most important things for a Christian to do is to see to it that he has a good devotional life, and also that it doesn’t become mechanical. We must remember in our quiet times with the Lord, to stop and meditate on what we read from the bible, and listen to what God is telling us. Then determine to obey Him and to be always asking for His help and guidance along the way. He is our anchor and firm foundation.
We know that the person of the Holy Spirit dwells in the heart of every believer (Romans 8:9); however, every believer does not seem to possess the power of the Spirit. Some live every day just like pagans. They don’t hear God speak to them; they don’t seem to have any spiritual strength; and they have very little power over temptation.
The problem of course is that they have not allowed the Holy Spirit to be in complete control. If we expect to live in the power of the Holy Spirit we must invite Him to dwell in every part of our life. We must give Him the throne of our heart.
There are a few terms in scripture that are descriptive of this concept of giving Him control. In Galatians 5:16-25 there are three terms used: walk by the Spirit, led by the Spirit, and live by the Spirit. From these verses Paul tells us, essentially, that if we live by the Spirit we must choose to walk by the spirit and be led by the Spirit. Also in Ephesians 5:18 Paul states that we are to be filled with the Spirit. Then in Romans 8:6 Paul indicates that we are to have our mind set on the Spirit.
If we analyze these terms we may conclude that all of them mean basically the same thing—they are descriptive of our giving the Holy Spirit control, also of making Christ Lord. And when we do that we will obtain the power of the Holy Spirit. But the process of making Him our Lord can only be accomplished through prayer.
Our prayers should be not so much for getting power, but to ask Him to fill us and control us; then when He has control in us and is made Lord in us, the result will be that He will wield His power in us and through us.
How often do I have to pray for His filling? I ask Him every day, and sometimes two or three times a day. And the reason is that I continue to sin, and when I sin I exalt myself, and thus I continue throughout the day to have a need for humility and for His Lordship.
And so it makes sense that we all must ask Him to refill us after every time we sin. Ask as often as you sin. When you sin, just say, Lord, I’ve sinned. Will you please fill me again?
Now, when He fills us and gives us His power, what kind of power is it, and what should we expect will happen?
According to Ephesians 1:19-20, it is a great and mighty power; it is the same power that raised Jesus from the dead and seated Him at the right hand in the heavenly places!
In Ephesians 3:16-20 we see that it is a power that will strengthen us in our inner man. Note in this prayer of Paul’s the threefold results of this power:
…that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man, [1] That Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; [2] that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth and to know the love of Christ which surpassed knowledge, and [3] that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God.
Paul concludes in verse 20 by saying that according to this power of the Holy Spirit that works within us, He will do exceeding abundantly beyond all that we ask or think.
Yes, He will give us more power than we can imagine. He gives us a mighty power to witness (Acts 1:8). He gives us an enduring power to work and to serve in His kingdom. He also gives us the power in the inner man to rest and reflect, and to draw strength from Him as Christ dwells in us and fills us with love and the fullness of God. And it all comes to us through prayer. Prayer is the key that unlocks the door to this great storehouse of power.
Anxiety is a terrible thing. It is a state of uneasiness and worry, of fearfulness and dread. But prayer can make it all go away; when you pray God will help you to see that He is in control and that He loves you and cares for you.
When we are anxious, we think only of ourselves and of all the things we think we need. Prayer, however, will take us to God and draw us away from ourselves so that we are more concerned for His kingdom and His righteousness. The practice of prayer will help us to see that life is more than food and clothing, and that we have no need to worry about those things—since God cares for us just as he cares for little birds and flowers (Matt. 6:25-29).
If you are prone to anxiety, try to develop the habit of praying about everything. And when you pray, instead of lingering in your anxiety, focus instead on God, honoring Him with thanksgiving and praise (Rom. 1:21). As you pray with thanksgiving, taking all of your concerns to God, He will fill you with an incredible peace. Here is the promise from Philippians 4:6-7:
Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, shall guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Stephen Nielsen 