Observations From Matthew 6:24

(Matthew 6:24) “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.

Some observations:
1. There are two masters: God and possessions (money, or the things money can buy)
2. There are two types of serving:
          a. Love, to love dearly and be fond of
          b. Devotion, to stay in the same room as, to hold to
3. There are two types of non-serving:
          a. Hate, to detest and have hatred toward
          b. Despising, to think little of, or have nothing to do with
4. Serving means to yield obedience to
5. There is no middle ground, it is either one or the other at any given moment
6. There is no possible way to serve God and possessions at the same time and same way
7. One master is visible, and one master is invisible
8. We are always serving one or the other at any given moment
9. Being indifferent to God is the same as hating God; they are both non-service
10. Being in love with God is the same as holding to, or staying near God; they are both service
11. If God requires service to him at all times, and I can not serve two masters; there must be a way to serve God by serving an earthly boss. When I am doing what an earthly master says because God says I should submit to my earthly authority, I am serving God as long as the earthly master does not require me to disobey a command from my heavenly Master.

Kurios

Even if you are not all that familiar with the Bible, I am guessing you remember the account of Moses encountering God speaking to him through a burning bush (Charlton Heston?). Moses is about to be used as an instrument in the hands of God, to both rescue the people of Israel, and to bring judgement upon the Egyptians. Moses sees a bush that is on fire and draws close. He hears God say that the ground Moses is walking on is holy (because God is there, not because the real estate is holy) and he should remove his sandals. After God tells Moses His plans, Moses says "If I come to the people of Israel and say to them, 'The God of your fathers has sent me to you,' and they ask me, 'What is his name?' what shall I say to them?" God then says,

“ I am who I am.” And he said, “ Say this to the people of Israel, ‘ I am has sent me to you. ’” 15 God also said to Moses, “ Say this to the people of Israel, ‘The Lord, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you. ’ This is my name forever, and thus I am to be remembered throughout all generations.

When God tells Moses his name, he uses the Hebrew word Yahweh. The Old Testament is written in Hebrew. There is also a greek translation of the Old Testament called the Septuagint. The name of God in the greek language is Kurios. 

We fast forward to the New Testament; Jesus is speaking to a group of people in John chapter 8. He says is verse 58, "Truly, truly I say to you, before Abraham was, I am." The Jews Jesus was speaking to were so mad, they picked up stones and were going to stone him to death. Why? Because Jesus called himself the Kurios, and the Jews knew exactly what he was saying. Jesus is saying that he is the one who spoke to Moses through the burning bush.

Jesus is God!  

To Bare Fruit For Your Husband

(Romans 7:1-6) Or do you not know, brothers — for I am speaking to those who know the law — that the law is binding on a person only as long as he lives? 2 For a married woman is bound by law to her husband while he lives, but if her husband dies she is released from the law of marriage. 3 Accordingly, she will be called an adulteress if she lives with another man while her husband is alive. But if her husband dies, she is free from that law, and if she marries another man she is not an adulteress.
4 Likewise, my brothers, you also have died to the law through the body of Christ, so that you may belong to another, to him who has been raised from the dead, in order that we may bear fruit for God. 5 For while we were living in the flesh, our sinful passions, aroused by the law, were at work in our members to bear fruit for death. 6 But now we are released from the law, having died to that which held us captive, so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit and not in the old way of the written code.

As I am reading through my Bible this year, I am reminded of how the women of old longed to bear children for their husbands; and in this passage, the children would be the fruit that they longed to bare. A man and woman would be joined together, and with God's blessing, they would bare fruit.

Before the gospel comes to a person, they are unable to bare fruit for God (Galatians 5). The law says, "Thou shall not covet," and upon hearing that command, the non-Christian finds new passions of covetousness growing in his own heart. This is good, because it is one purpose for the law. So even though the law is good, it arouse sinful passions in the heart of man, which produces bad fruit, or in other words; no fruit for God.

The gospel kills. It crucifies a person on the cross with Jesus. When a person is dead, they are no longer under any law. Just like when two people are married, and the man dies, the law of marriage that bound the two people together is no longer binding upon the remaining alive woman. She is free to marry another. She is free to bare fruit for another man.

In this way, the Christian is now free from the law which condemned. The Christian has died to the law, and has been married to Jesus, and she is free to bare fruit for him. This means that every bit of godliness and righteousness that grows in her from now on, is fruit for Jesus. Every gospel seed she sows, is fruit for Jesus. Yet how do we as Christians know what fruit is pleasing to God, or what traits are defined as godliness, or righteousness? Well, they are found in the law. This is the second purpose of the law, to sanctify the Christian into the very image of the one they are now married to. The Christian is given the Holy Spirit, which enables the Christian to have a new heart, which longs to, and is now able (in part), to become obedient to the law.

Two Masters- Sin and Righteousness

(Romans 6:1-23; Romans 6:11) So you must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.

The battle has been raging ever since you could remember. You look out across the field of blood to your opponent clothed in white. His warriors are strong and powerful. You lay your face back down in the mud, you feel the ache from head to toe from the wounds inflicted upon you by your own master. You wonder if this may be the last day you will ever have to lift your heavy sword against the warriors of light, or feel another lash across your body from the hand of your own cruel master. Your sword is a few inches from your fingertips. You hear the panting and the growling of your master coming behind you. He calls out your name and you do not move. "Stand and fight you worthless slave." You feel the ground move from each step he takes towards you. You hear the sound of a snap from your masters belt, which you have come to learn, is the last noise you hear before you feel the slash of yet another whip across your worn out body.

He unleashes a furry of blows, which causes every nerve in your body to scream out for relief. Though you long to scream out in pain, you force your mouth and your body to remain still. Sin calls out your name again, lifts your chin with his gnarly and bloody fingers, and calls you a worthless, good for nothing slave. You feel his boot crush your ribs as he kicks you for the last time. You hear your master curse your name as he leaves you for dead.

As you lay, covered in your own blood, aching from every inch of your body; light begins to form good and righteous thoughts in your mind. You are dead to sin, yet you are alive to...

You hear another set of heavy footsteps approaching you. You force yourself to remain still, and breath with slow and unnoticeable movements. You hear another Master call your name, "Son, you have considered yourself dead to sin. Awake and consider yourself alive to God in Christ Jesus."

You lay still for a few moments, considering the words you just heard. You have been fighting this opponent your whole life time and wonder what it will be like be for Him and not against Him. The battle ceases in your mind as you lift your head out of the grime, and make eye contact with the One called Righteousness. He says to you, "Son, no one can serve two masters." "Do you not know that if you present yourself to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness?"

You ponder His statement for a moment, and force yourself to your knees to bow before the One whom offers you a new life. For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

A Word About Grace

Yesterday a  sister in Christ shared this link ( What Is Grace? ) with my family and me. After reading it, and pondering the great love she experienced in 2005 during her conversion, and the love she still experiences day by day; she was moved to write a wonderful, and personal challenge to her friends and family. I will not share what she wrote, but wanted to share the link she sent to us for your benefit. May Christ fill you today with hope!

What Is Grace?

Godly Grief Leads Somewhere..

(2 Corinthians 7:10) For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death.

As a man who didn't come to faith in Jesus until I was 30 years old, I have had much grief in my life. As far back as I can remember, I have had rebellion in my heart. I was the kind of kid that influenced other kids for the bad. I can remember many times doing rebellious and evil things even if nobody was around to influence me; the influence was right there deep in the inner sanctuary of my own heart.

I understand what Paul means when he says worldly grief. It is a grief over doing wicked and wrong things toward other people. I have had this type of grief toward my parents, my friends, my teachers, the law, and toward animals. It feels like a regret or sorts. A sorrow because of hurt I caused to another. Also it was a self focused sorrow, meaning a sorrow because at times I would get caught. I would venture to say that everyone who has lived on this planet for any amount of time has felt worldly grief. It can come in various degrees; from a slight prick to the conscience, to a wishing you were dead.

It was not until the Spirit of God moved upon my dead heart, till I understood anything about godly grief. Up till the time I became a Christian, I thought all of my sin was horizontal not vertical. When this type of grief comes upon you it is different. It may feel the same, but it has a very different object in view. When I understood that all of the sin I had committed was not ultimately toward others, but toward the God who's image all the others were made; it dropped me to my knees to scream mercy, mercy, mercy! Jesus tells us that if we give even a drink of water to a child made in his image, we are doing it for him. Which flips the other way as well and says that if we throw a cup of water in a child's face, we are splashing the Son of God. This goes for kicking, punching, stealing, lusting, envying, murdering, prompting to anger, gossiping, or any other sin we may do to another.

If you have never known anything of a godly grief, I am afraid you can not be a Christian. Godly grief produces a repentance which leads to salvation. Godly grief is a gate you have to go through, before you get to the cross, or the celestial city of heaven. Godly grief accompanies salvation. You do not turn toward Jesus for forgiveness, without turning away from the sin that caused Jesus to die. And it takes a Spirit empowered grief to lead your mind to understand that all of your deeds are done to, and in the sight of God.

Jesus sent the Holy Spirt to convict the world of sin, righteousness and the judgement to come. Pray to the Lord for His Spirit to produce in you a godly grief, which will lead you to salvation...which won't be regretted.

Becoming Steadfast And Wise

James 1:2-8
Testing of Your Faith

2 Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, 3 for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. 4 And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. 6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. 7 For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; 8 he is a double- minded man, unstable in all his ways.

As I read these verses over and over again this morning it brought hope and joy into my heart. When I come to verse 5, my joy increases hearing that I will be given wisdom from God if I ask him. I am a man who needs much wisdom, and I love hearing that God gives generously and will not reproach me for asking. But then comes verse 6 with the conditional statement, I must ask God in faith, without doubting. If I doubt that God will give me the wisdom I seek, then he won't give it to me, because I am a double-minded man who is unstable in all his ways. This knowledge turns my joy into sadness. So I press on in the text, asking for wisdom to understand the text, and God helps me. 

The doubting, unstable man in verse 8 is the same as a man who is not steadfast (verse 2). The man who is not steadfast, can become steadfast, single-minded and faith-filled through trials of various kinds. So my Bible tells me to count it all joy when any trial comes my way. Why? Because the trial is ordained by God to train me to become more and more steadfast. The more steadfast I become, the more stable and single-minded I will become, and the more stable and single-minded I become, the more I will receive the wisdom I seek from God; because I will be asking in faith, with no doubting. 

Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds..