Chapter 35
WE ARE BLESSED
(Matthew 11:1-6)
Before we begin let us pray and ask our Heavenly Father for His blessing upon this study.
Dear Holy Father,
We come before You in the Name of Your only begotten Son, Jesus Christ. Father please open our eyes, our ears and our hearts so we can truly see, hear and accept the things You are teaching us. Holy Father please bless this study and exploration of Your Word.
Amen
INTRODUCTION
We begin by our study by reading what Jesus once said to the disciples of John the Baptist as recorded in,
Matthew 11:1-6
"[1] After Jesus had finished instructing his twelve disciples, he went on from there to teach and preach in the towns of Galilee. [2] When John heard in prison what Christ was doing, he sent his disciples [3] to ask him, "Are you the one who was to come, or should we expect someone else?" [4] Jesus replied, "Go back and report to John what you hear and see: [5] The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor. [6] Blessed is the man who does not fall away on account of me.""
As one reflects upon the above discourse the question may arise as to what did Jesus mean when He said: "Blessed is he who is not offended or stumbles because of Him?"
To address this question we will:
With this introduction in mind we begin our study with,
THE EXAMPLE OF THE ISRAELITES
To gain some insight as to why the majority of the Israelites did not recognize or accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior we will,
We begin this portion of our study by reading what Jesus once said to some of the Jews who believed in Him. As we read the following passage in the Gospel according to John, I can not emphasis enough that Jesus was speaking to some of the Jews who believed in Him.
John 8:31-47
"[31] To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, "If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. [32] Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." [33] They answered him, "We are Abraham's descendants and have never been slaves of anyone. How can you say that we shall be set free?" [34] Jesus replied, "I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. [35] Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. [36] So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. [37] I know you are Abraham's descendants. Yet you are ready to kill me, because you have no room for my word. [38] I am telling you what I have seen in the Father's presence, and you do what you have heard from your father." [39] "Abraham is our father," they answered. "If you were Abraham's children," said Jesus, "then you would do the things Abraham did. [40] As it is, you are determined to kill me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God. Abraham did not do such things. [41] You are doing the things your own father does." "We are not illegitimate children," they protested. "The only Father we have is God himself." [42] Jesus said to them, "If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and now am here. I have not come on my own; but he sent me. [43] Why is my language not clear to you? Because you are unable to hear what I say. [44] You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father's desire. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies. [45] Yet because I tell the truth, you do not believe me! [46] Can any of you prove me guilty of sin? If I am telling the truth, why don't you believe me? [47] He who belongs to God hears what God says. The reason you do not hear is that you do not belong to God.""
Let us notice the following verses,
31 … If we abide or hold to Jesus' teachings, that is believe and do what Jesus says, then we are His disciples. Please notice the condition.
32 … If we abide or hold to Jesus' teachings then the truth will set us free. Again, please notice the condition.
33 … Upon hearing Jesus' Words, the Jews took offense. They assumed that Jesus was telling them they were slaves to the Romans. We must remember that at this time in Israel's history the Romans had conquered and occupied the territory of the Israelites. However, as one reads Josephus'
1 account of the Roman occupation of Israel, one discovers that the Romans allowed the Jews to maintain their religious customs, beliefs and traditions. We also discover that according to Josephus, many of the Jewish people constantly rebelled against the Roman authorities. Hence, this was one of the reasons why they wanted the insurgent Barabbas instead of Jesus to be released from prison. However, as we discover in verses 34-36, Jesus was not speaking of physical bondage or slavery but of spiritual slavery to sin.37 … Jesus told the Jews that He understood they were descendents of Abraham. The implication of this belief of the Jews was that they were God's chosen people. Jesus then told them that even though they were the physical descendents of Abraham they were trying to put Him to death. The analogy for those born and raised in a Christian family is that if we do not accept and follow Jesus Christ as our Lord, then in effect we are also trying to put Him to death. This is not a physical death but a death were we wish to not hear or listen or follow Him. In other words, we want Him out of our lives, that is dead to us.
38 … Jesus told those who believed that they were Abraham's descendents and hence God's children that He Jesus was speaking to them what He heard and seen from the very God they claimed to believe in and follow. Jesus then clarified the issue by telling these people that they were doing what they have seen and heard from their father.
39(a) … The Jews responded by again stating that Abraham was indeed their father.
39(b)-41(a) … Jesus told the Jews that if Abraham was truly their father then they would do what Abraham did. In other words, Jesus told them that being a physical descendent of Abraham was not enough. They must also be of like mind and spirit. Specifically, Abraham heard, believed and obeyed God the Father. Jesus pointed out that instead of behaving the way Abraham did, which was loving, believing and obeying God, they were seeking to kill Him. Hence, He reminded them that they were doing the deeds of their father, that is they have a mind and spirit like his.
41(b) … The Jews responded to Jesus' assertion by stating that they only have one father, that is God the Father. It is interesting to note that even today many people claim God to be their Father and yet they reject Jesus Christ as the only begotten Son of God.
42 … Jesus responded to the Jews and now to all those who claim that God is their father by stating the following truth: "If God were or is your Father then you would love Him, Jesus Christ." Conversely, the reason a person does not understand, love and obey God's Words is because they do not belong to Him.
44(a) … Jesus teaches us that the reason a person will not accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior and abide in His Words is because the God of the Bible is not their father. Instead their father is the devil or Satan. This is why they have the desire to do the works of the evil one.
44(b)-45 … Since the devil is a liar and does not stand in the truth, his followers will not accept the truth of Jesus Christ and His Words.
47 … Jesus summarized His discourse to the Jews that believed in Him by stating that: "He who is of God hears, that is understands, loves and obeys, God's Word."
In other words, Jesus was telling them that they were hypocrites. They claimed to be followers or true believers in the God of the Bible but in fact their belief and faith was only empty works. To see this let us consider the following passage,
Mark 7:6-7
"[6] He replied, "Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites; as it is written: "'These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. [7] They worship me in vain; their teachings are but rules taught by men.'"
What is amazing about the above discourse is that the Jews Jesus talked to truly thought and believed they were children of God. They were diligent to offer all the prescribed sacrifices, observe all the special feasts or holy days and worshipped at the prescribed times in the Temple. They read the Scriptures and were careful to observe all the purification rituals. Yet Jesus identified them as hypocrites and of the evil one. Pretty sobering … isn't it?
Given all this one might be concerned about their relationship with God. More specifically, one might wonder whether or not they are a hypocrite. To assist in assessing this concern let us review some of the symptoms of hypocrisy. In other words let us review some of the ways in which hypocrisy reveals itself.
SOME OF THE SYMPTONS OF HYPOCRISY
For the purposes of this study we will briefly review the following five symptoms of some of the Israelites' hypocrisy.
We begin with the,
Continued worship of other gods
This symptom of hypocrisy manifested itself during times of stress, unpleasantness or the lack of patience while waiting upon God. It first appeared during Israel's exodus from Egypt. While waiting for Moses to return from Mount Sinai, the people fell away from trusting in the God of the Bible. Instead they began to look to a false god that was really a man made golden calf. To see this let us read from,
Exodus 32:1-6
"[1] When the people saw that Moses was so long in coming down from the mountain, they gathered around Aaron and said, "Come, make us gods who will go before us. As for this fellow Moses who brought us up out of Egypt, we don't know what has happened to him." [2] Aaron answered them, "Take off the gold earrings that your wives, your sons and your daughters are wearing, and bring them to me." [3] So all the people took off their earrings and brought them to Aaron. [4] He took what they handed him and made it into an idol cast in the shape of a calf, fashioning it with a tool. Then they said, "These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt." [5] When Aaron saw this, he built an altar in front of the calf and announced, "Tomorrow there will be a festival to the LORD." [6] So the next day the people rose early and sacrificed burnt offerings and presented fellowship offerings. Afterward they sat down to eat and drink and got up to indulge in revelry."
To bring this symptom more into today's culture and society we find that many who profess to be Christians worship and serve false gods such as: money, Chief Executive Officers (CEO's), presidents, passed on "saints", actors/actresses, sports heroes, etc.
The second symptom of hypocrisy was that of the,
Leadership using religion as a vehicle for monetary gain
To see this let us read what happened when Jesus first entered into the Temple area. To do this let us go to,
Mark 11:15-18
"[15] On reaching Jerusalem, Jesus entered the temple area and began driving out those who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves, [16] and would not allow anyone to carry merchandise through the temple courts. [17] And as he taught them, he said, "Is it not written: "'My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations' ? But you have made it 'a den of robbers.'" [18] The chief priests and the teachers of the law heard this and began looking for a way to kill him, for they feared him, because the whole crowd was amazed at his teaching."
To bring this symptom more into today's culture and society one only needs to objectively observe many of the TV televangelists, the spending habits and building programs of many of today's mega churches or all the trinkets and other paraphernalia being sold for profit on "church" property.
Third on the list of symptoms of the majority of Israel's hypocrisy was the,
Seeking of one another's glory
Jesus raised this issue when He spoke to those who read the Scriptures and instead of coming to Him they looked after and followed the so called learned men of the Jewish Law. To read what Jesus had to say about this let us go to,
John 5:43-44
"[43] I have come in my Father's name, and you do not accept me; but if someone else comes in his own name, you will accept him. [44] How can you believe if you accept praise from one another, yet make no effort to obtain the praise that comes from the only God ?"
To bring this symptom closer to home one only needs to reflect upon the myriad of professing Christians who listen to and hold in high esteem those who add to or subtract from the Word of God. These folks tend to follow and rely upon the teachings of these so called learned preachers and teachers rather than follow Jesus Christ and the purity of His Word.
Fourth in our list of symptoms is the,
Seeking after what Jesus could do for them rather than seeking Jesus for who He is
Jesus pointed this issue out to those who followed Him after He fed five thousand with only five barley loaves of bread and two small fish. To read what Jesus said let us go to,
John 6:22-26
"[22] The next day the crowd that had stayed on the opposite shore of the lake realized that only one boat had been there, and that Jesus had not entered it with his disciples, but that they had gone away alone. [23] Then some boats from Tiberias landed near the place where the people had eaten the bread after the Lord had given thanks. [24] Once the crowd realized that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they got into the boats and went to Capernaum in search of Jesus. [25] When they found him on the other side of the lake, they asked him, "Rabbi, when did you get here?" [26] Jesus answered, "I tell you the truth, you are looking for me, not because you saw miraculous signs but because you ate the loaves and had your fill."
In other words, Jesus told them that they did not come after Him because of who He truly is. No, instead they followed Him because He was able to provide for their material needs and wants.
This symptom of hypocrisy reveals itself in today's health and wealth teachers and their so called "Christian" congregations.
The fifth and last symptom of the majority of the people's hypocrisy that we will cover in this study is that of,
Trusting in one's own actions or works rather than in God
To see this let us read what God the Holy Spirit said about this issue as recorded in,
Romans 9:30-31
"[30] What then shall we say? That the Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have obtained it, a righteousness that is by faith; [31] but Israel, who pursued a law of righteousness, has not attained it.""
Let us notice the following verses,
30 … The Gentiles are those who were not the physical descendants of Abraham. These were the people who did not, nor were allowed, to participate in all the Temple activities or services. These were those who did not know nor meticulously tried to follow and obey the Law of Moses, that is the law of righteousness. However, these were the folks that did obtain the righteousness that comes from faith in God.
31(a) … On the other hand, the Israelites did pursue the law of righteousness. They did try to observe all the Temple rituals, celebrate the various feasts and holy days and offered the prescribed sacrifices. In today's Christian culture this would be akin to regular attendance at church services, offering tithes, celebrating religious holidays, going to various conferences and Bible studies, etc.
Unfortunately, for many of the Jews all this effort and activity was of no benefit. Why?
God the Holy Spirit provides us with the answer to this question in,
Romans 9:32
"[32] "… Because they pursued it not by faith but as if it were by works. They stumbled over the "stumbling stone.""
In others words, these people were pursuing righteousness by their own effort, that is they tried to justify themselves to God by attempting to comply with the law. Specifically, they did not place their faith in God to justify them. Instead, they placed faith in themselves to be able to justify themselves to Him. Another way to look at this is that they did not place their faith in God's Mercy or Grace to forgive them of their sins or keep them from its power. Instead they sought after God's Graces through their own merits. The consequence of this was that they were not able to see, receive or accept Jesus Christ as the promised Messiah. Hence, they stumbled over the stumbling stone.
However, whoever believes, has faith in and trusts in Jesus will receive God's reward. To see this let us now read from,
Romans 9:33
"[33] As it is written: "See, I lay in Zion a stone that causes men to stumble and a rock that makes them fall, and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame.""
Why? Why faith? Why is it so important to have faith and trust in God/ The answer to these questions is beautifully provided in,
Hebrews 11:6
"[6] And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him."
With all what we have covered in mind we now come to the last portion of this study. That is,
THE TRUE BORN AGAIN BELIEVERS IN JESUS CHRIST ARE BLESSED
To see this let us begin by rereading the following excerpt of what Jesus said to the disciples of John the Baptist. However, this time we will read from "The Amplified Bible." It is noted that "The Amplified Bible" provides the clarifying shades of meaning of the Greek text that may be concealed by the traditional word-for-word translations. With this in mind let us now read from,
Matthew 11:6
"[6] And blessed - happy, fortunate and "to be envied - is he who takes no offense at Me, and finds no cause for stumbling in or through Me. And is not hindered from seeing the Truth.""
In other words, those who have not stumbled over Jesus Christ, that is those who have truly recognized and accepted Him as their Lord and Savior are blessed.
To gain an appreciation of how blessed we are let us return to the Gospel according to John and reread from,
John 8:31-36
"[31] To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, "If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. [32] Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." [33] They answered him, "We are Abraham's descendants and have never been slaves of anyone. How can you say that we shall be set free?" [34] Jesus replied, "I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. [35] Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. [36] So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed."
Hence, those who are true born again disciples of Jesus Christ are: (1) Free from the penalty of sin, that is they are forgiven and are free from God's wrath and (2) Free from the power of sin, that is they have been redeemed from the bondage of sin and Satan.
To see that the true born again disciple of Jesus Christ has been set free from the penalty of sin, let us read the following passage from the letter to the Colossians.
Colossians 1:13-14
"[13] For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, [14] in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins."
The New Testament also teaches us that the true born again disciple of Jesus Christ has been redeemed from sin, that is sin no longer has dominion over them. To see this let us read the following passage from the letter to the Romans,
Romans 6:3-11
"[3] Or don't you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? [4] We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. [5] If we have been united with him like this in his death, we will certainly also be united with him in his resurrection. [6] For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin-- [7] because anyone who has died has been freed from sin. [8] Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. [9] For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him. [10] The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God. [11] In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. [12] Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. [13] Do not offer the parts of your body to sin, as instruments of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God, as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer the parts of your body to him as instruments of righteousness. [14] For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace."
CLOSING
With these blessings in mind let us close this study by prayerfully reading the following Psalm.
Psalm 32:1-11
"[1] Blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. [2] Blessed is the man whose sin the LORD does not count against him and in whose spirit is no deceit. [3] When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. [4] For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was sapped as in the heat of summer. Selah [5] Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, "I will confess my transgressions to the LORD"-- and you forgave the guilt of my sin. Selah [6] Therefore let everyone who is godly pray to you while you may be found; surely when the mighty waters rise, they will not reach him. [7] You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance. Selah [8] I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you and watch over you. [9] Do not be like the horse or the mule, which have no understanding but must be controlled by bit and bridle or they will not come to you. [10] Many are the woes of the wicked, but the Lord's unfailing love surrounds the man who trusts in him. [11] Rejoice in the LORD and be glad, you righteous; sing, all you who are upright in heart!"
Amen and Amen