Posts that reference the Gospel of Matthew

Study Tip: Do This!

Success or Failure- Which Way? We've been looking at the different "types" of statements for in Scripture. So far we've considered God's promises, looking for those "I will" statements that He makes. Last week, we discussed the long (boring) sections of straight factual information and what encouragement those might have for us. Today, let's consider the commands.

One of the complaints folks often give about the Bible is that it's just a collection of "thou shalt nots". In fact, there are far more positive commands in God's word. Generally, they are easy to find.

Look for verbs. After God created Adam and Eve, He blessed them, then He issued His first command. "Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it…" (Genesis 1:28) See all those verbs? Be… multiply… fill… subdue… If you remember back to English class, that was the imperative form of the verb. The speaker expects the listener to take action.

Now, there's a caution- not every command is for us. I'm not trying to weasel out of certain commands. However, context is critical to our understanding of any passage. So when you look for those imperative verbs…

Look for application. When God called Moses, He gave him some incredible signs to perform to validate his message. "Cast [your rod] on the ground," God said, and the rod became a snake. Then God said, "Reach out your hand and take it by the tail." When Moses did, the snake became his rod once again. (Exodus 4:3-4). Does that mean we should throw down sticks, expecting them to transform? Or can we grab snakes by the tail? Of course not. God's instructions were exclusively for Moses in that situation.
On the other hand, Jesus says, "Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." (Matthew 11:28) Did that just apply to the group listening that particular day? That one is an open invitation to all hearers and readers.

How do you tell the difference? I haven't reviewed EVERY command, but some guidelines that may help are…

If the instruction is about an attitude or a response to God, it applies. (Like, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, strength and mind.")
If the commands is about how to treat others, it still applies. (Love your enemies, for example.)
If the speaker or writer is addressing a crowd, the commands usually still apply, like Paul's letters, or the Sermon on the Mount
In the Old Testament, commands involving offerings, feasts, sacrifices and the Law, no longer apply. Jesus fulfilled all those so we are freed.
Depend on the Holy Spirit's guidance if you're unsure.

"Whoever hears these sayings of Mine and does them, I will liken to a wise man who builds his house on the rock." (Matthew 7:24)

Study Tip: Now, Then and When

By Paula Wiseman

Trail Marker Study Tip Tuesday is back! Often little words carry great weight, and today's tip looks at some important small words that can be a big help during our study time.

One key to understanding a passage of Scripture is getting a handle on the sequence of events presented. Some signposts to watch for are "now", "then" and "when".

For instance, I flipped open to Matthew chapter 2. Here's a sample of sequence markers (the "trail" markers):
V.1 "Now after"
V.3 "when Herod"
V.4 "when he had gathered"
V.7 "Then Herod"
V.9 "when they heard the king"
V.10 "when they saw the star"
V.11 "when they had come into the house"
"When they opened their treasures"
V.12 "then being divinely warned"

While these sequences are especially important studying the narrative sections of Scripture like the Gospels or some of the Old Testament books, they also figure in other books as well.

1 Corinthians 15:54 "So WHEN this corruptible has put on incorruption and this mortal has put on immortality, THEN shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: "Death is swallowed up in victory."

1 John 3:2 "Beloved NOW we are the children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that WHEN He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is."

Other times they introduce a condition or a contingency:

Jeremiah 29:13 "And you will seek Me and find Me WHEN you search for me with all your heart."

Ezekiel 36:23 "…[A]nd the nations shall know that I am the Lord, WHEN I am hallowed in you before their eyes."

2 Chronicles 7:14 "If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, THEN I will hear from heaven and forgive their sin and heal their land.

Watch for these trail markers as you read, and take a moment to consider what truth they are highlighting.

Do you have other examples?

Get Out of the Boat

By Paula Wiseman

Last night, our pastor preached from Matthew 14, where Jesus walks on the water out to the boat full of disciples in the middle of a storm. It’s one of my favorite stories. Four of those twelve guys were fishermen and had no doubt seen their share of storms on the Sea of Galilee. The other eight, however, were complete landlubbers and probably didn’t even know how to swim. Now imagine being terrified, seasick, cold and wet. It’s somewhere between three and six o’clock in the morning, you see a … man (?) Jesus (?) walking (?) out to you. Then he says something completely crazy. “Be of good cheer! I AM; do not be afraid.” Yeah right. Be of good cheer? If the disciples weren’t so miserable they would’ve caught what Jesus said to them – I AM. In English, it gets translated,”It is I”, but in the original, Jesus says the same words God said to Moses. This was HUGE. I AM [JEHOVAH].

Then Peter does the unthinkable. “Lord, if that’s really You, call me out there on the water with You.” And Jesus did. Then Peter did. Imagine sitting in that boat, listening to this exchange. Peter wants to go OUT of the boat. We’re about to drown IN the boat. Why would he want OUT?

Because Peter got it. There’s a storm. It’s beyond what I can handle. My own ideas of what’s safe and secure (the boat)are failing me. I want to be where Jesus is. It’s calm where Jesus is. That’s where peace and safety is. I’m not gonna wait for Him to come to my boat. I’m going to Him.

And Peter walked on water. Sure, he sank after a little bit, and Jesus had to grab him, but what about the nameless guys in the boat? What about the “they”, and “them” who sat and watched it all? They all worshipped Jesus when He got in the boat, but Peter worshipped Him before that. Jesus didn’t have to calm the storm before Peter knew Jesus was God.

So many times, I’m a “they” hiding out in the back of the boat, trying to handle things the best way I know how, never admitting that my boat is taking on water. Jesus has already said, “I’m here.” How much longer am I gonna stay cold and wet, tired and scared, before I realize I need to be where Jesus is? How long before I get out of the boat?

j0289274 Last night, our pastor preached from Matthew 14, where Jesus walks on the water out to the boat full of disciples in the middle of a storm. It’s one of my favorite stories. Four of those twelve guys were fishermen and had no doubt seen their share of storms on the Sea of Galilee. The other eight, however, were complete landlubbers and probably didn’t even know how to swim. Now imagine being terrified, seasick, cold and wet. It’s somewhere between three and six o’clock in the morning, you see a … man (?) Jesus (?) walking (?) out to you. Then he says something completely crazy. “Be of good cheer! I AM; do not be afraid.” Yeah right. Be of good cheer? If the disciples weren’t so miserable they would’ve caught what Jesus said to them – I AM. In English, it gets translated,”It is I”, but in the original, Jesus says the same words God said to Moses. This was HUGE. I AM [JEHOVAH].

Why Study? Jesus’ Answer

By Paula Wiseman

After giving a series of parables, Jesus asked His disciples if they understood His words. They answered that they did, and He replied:

(MSG) [Jesus] said, “Then you see how every student well-trained in God’s kingdom is like the owner of a general store who can put his hands on anything you need, old or new, exactly when you need it.” Matthew 13:52

In that simple statement, Jesus answers the question of why we need to study. God has a storehouse of wisdom and instruction in His Word- Old and New Testament- that covers the range of human experiences. Studying helps us find the answers we need AND the answers for others who come to us for insight.

The Holy Spirit stands ready to help us absorb, interpret and apply all these things, but He won’t unless we apply ourselves to learning.

1205099_33832717 After giving a series of parables, Jesus asked His disciples if they understood His words. They answered that they did, and He replied:

The Holy Spirit stands ready to help us absorb, interpret and apply all these things, but He won’t unless we apply ourselves to learning.

Busyness

By Paula Wiseman

My calendar filled up all the sudden. The older kids are in a play this spring and practice has begun. We’ve added voice lessons to our weekly routine. Homeschool PE moves to the pool at the college for a swimming unit. What was manageable last week suddenly got nuts.

Times like this are especially challenging for me. It seems if the pressure mounts to get everything done, I start having trouble getting anything done. I lose perspective. I lose focus and I end up spinning my wheels.

Jesus says “Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest… Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.” (The Message)

This is what I’m working on for the next few weeks.

BIC040 Just a quick post today. My calendar filled up all the sudden. The older kids are in a play this spring and practice has begun. We’ve added voice lessons to our weekly routine. Homeschool PE moves to the pool at the college for a swimming unit. What was manageable last week suddenly got nuts.

Freely and lightly. Yes!

Study Tip: Chapter Breaks

By Paula Wiseman

When God inspired men to write His words, divisions for chapters and verses were NOT included in that divine revelation. In fact, it was hundreds of years before those were added. I’ve heard one story that a monk rode his donkey while he copied the Scripture. Whenever the donkey’s gait caused the monk’s pen to jerk, that became a new verse. Whatever method was used, the man-made system is sometimes less than perfect. Sometimes, if we get away from the chapter divisions, we see some fresh connections.For example, my Sunday school kids have studied these verses in the last couple of weeks-

When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him. And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.

(That’s Matthew 3:16-17 and 4:1) Of course, we studied the baptism of Jesus one week and the temptation the following week. And of course, these are two separate incidents, but the chapter break may prevent us from realizing the connection between the two events. God the Father had identified Jesus as the Messiah, the sacrifice for sins. Now the Lamb was going to be examined to ensure that He was without any blemish or defect. He would be tested to prove He was an acceptable sacrifice. Matthew’s whole point in writing a gospel was to demonstrate that Jesus of Nazareth was the Messiah prophesied in the Old Testament, that He fulfilled all of God’s law.

Matthew 4 into 5 is another example of a bad break. Chapter 5 begins “And seeing the multitudes…” And? You can’t start a chapter with ‘and’… What multitudes? Where’d they come from? The end of chapter 4 tells you that Jesus healed a bunch of folks and so huge crowds were following Him from Galilee, Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea and beyond Jordan…” (We’ll save the geography lesson for some other time.)

As you study, watch the words at the beginning of a chapter and notice how they connect to what precedes them.