Shalom Aleichem...
Reflections is a weekly Christian Teaching Ministry. Each week we will talk about the Bible and lessons we can put to use in our daily life. We will try to, on a weekly basis, provide to you stories, thoughts, and just easy ways to live your life on a straight path.
THIS WEEK'S TEACHING....February 12, 2018
Let me challenge you this week with a short story and a question. I had someone from church ask me, "how do I really know if I am saved?" I would like you all to be honest with yourselves and ask this question to your heart. And so: How would you respond if I asked you right now, "Are you saved?"
The short answer is, you ought to be able to say, "Praise God! Glory to God! I know that I'm saved!"
Yet many Christians don't know they're saved. They go around with their shoulders all bent over—drooping, wondering, and worrying. They remind me of question marks with their heads bent over, rather than exclamation points standing straight and tall and saying, "I know whom I have believed!"
Rather than being shouting Christians, they're doubting Christians. Rather than having a "know-so" salvation, they have a "hope-so" salvation.
Somebody once said, if you could have it and not know it, you could lose it and not miss it. But the truth is, if you have salvation, you know it; and if you have it and know it, you can never lose it.
I met a young man once in a hospital room. I had just led his dying mother-in-law to the Lord Jesus Christ, and I turned to him and said, "Isn't it wonderful that she has been saved?" "Oh, no one can know that they are saved," he said.
Now this man was not an unbeliever; that is, he did not repudiate Christianity. He simply held some doctrinal stance that would not allow him to accept the assurance of salvation.
But the Apostle John wrote an entire chapter to assure God's people that they are indeed God's people. "These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God: that ye may know that ye have eternal life and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God." (1 John 5:13).
The word know means absolute assurance. According to verse 13, it is possible to be saved and know it. But the very fact that John wrote this verse shows that it is also possible to be saved and doubt it. Is doubt good? No. Doubt is to your spirit what pain is to your body. Pain is a warning, a signal that something is wrong. It does not mean you are dead. It just means that something is wrong.
If you have doubts and you are truly a born again child of God, you are suffering from some spiritual sickness. All Christians doubt from time to time. A woman once told Dwight L. Moody she had been saved for 25 years and never had a doubt. He said, "I doubt you're saved."
But while we may all be bothered by an occasional doubt, it is a problem that must and can be overcome. John said he wrote chapter five to us as God's children so that we may know that we have been saved. The words know, knoweth, or known appear 38 times in this epistle on assurance.
The next logical question, then, is "How can I know?" I know, not because of any confidence that I have in myself, but by two infallible proofs.
The Root of Our Belief
What is it we believe? Are Christians just gullible? Do we believe in fairy tales, or is there a basis for our belief? Why do we believe what we believe?
Faith is the root of our belief. But faith is not walking on eggshells and Jello. It is evidence and substance (Hebrews 11:1). It has some spiritual steel and concrete in it. It is real, and God has given us some authentic, bona fide witnesses, a testimony that we might know we are saved and going to heaven.
John says these witnesses are the eternal work of the Savior, the internal witness of the Spirit, and the external Word of Scripture.
1 John 5:6 says, "This is He that came by water and blood, even Jesus Christ; not by water only, but by water and blood." When the Lord Jesus Christ was crucified, a soldier put a spear in His side, "and forthwith came there out blood and water" (John 19:34). This is the eternal work of the Savior, that we are saved by blood and sanctified by water.
The tabernacle is an Old Testament picture of Christ. When you entered, you came first to the brazen altar upon which the bloody sacrifice was made. Next was a laver, or great basin, in which the priests would wash. First the blood, then the water. The blood of Jesus Christ pays the price for our sins, and the sanctifying water keeps us clean.
Sound familiar?
In "Rock of Ages," we sing "Let the water and the blood / from Thy wounded side which flowed / be of sin the double cure / save from wrath and make me pure."
I know I am saved because Jesus Christ, the Son of God, died to purchase my salvation. That is a historical fact. That is the saving work of Christ.
I also know I am saved because of the internal witness of the Spirit:
It is the Spirit that beareth witness, because the Spirit is truth. For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one. And there are three that bear witness in earth, the spirit, and the water, and the blood: and these three agree in one (1 John 5:6-8).
How do I know there was a man named Jesus Christ? How do I know He was the sinless Son of God? How do I know that God sent Him? How do I know that He actually died on that cross and took my sin?
Thank God I don't have to depend on somebody's argument. The Holy Spirit of God is here to make that real in my heart. You see, God gave us the work of Christ. But to make the work of Christ—the water and the blood—real to us, He gave us the Holy Spirit.
"If we receive the witness of men," John says in 1 John 5:9, "the witness of God is greater: for this is the witness of God which He hath testified of His Son." The word if may also be translated since. Since we believe the witness of men. All of us believe the witness of men.
Whenever I fly, I had to exercise faith in an airplane pilot I did not know. I never saw his credentials. I never saw him fly before. But Delta Airlines put its stamp of approval on this man, so I just get on the plane and never think too much about it. We accept the witness of men.
When your doctor writes you a prescription, you look at it, and although you cannot read it, pronounce it, or understand it, you give it to a pharmacist who puts pills in a bottle. Then, without a second thought, you take them home and swallow them. Why? We receive the witness of men.
In the same way, through faith we receive the witness of God through the Spirit that Christ died for our sins and rose from the dead for our sanctification. There is, therefore, no excuse for not believing. The Bible promises that the Holy Spirit will help anyone to believe who wants to believe. First the Spirit witnesses to us; then He witnesses in us.
"He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself" (1 John 5:10). Before I got saved, He witnessed to me. He told me what Christ did is true. Now He witnesses in me. I have the witness in myself.
Suppose I am enjoying myself by eating a piece of apple pie, and you come to me and say, "There is no such thing as apple pie. I do not believe in apple pie. And if there is apple pie, it is no good."
Despite your arguments, I have the witness within me. I have the witness on the inside. A Christian with a testimony is never at the mercy of an unbeliever with an argument, because he has the witness in himself.
Finally, the external Word of Scripture assures me that I am saved:
"Whoever believes in the Son of God accepts this testimony. Whoever does not believe God has made him out to be a liar, because they have not believed the testimony God has given about his Son. And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life." (1 John 5:10-13).
Here is the basis of our belief. Here is the reason for our certainty. We are not just gullible fools. Jesus Christ died. He came by water and blood. The Holy Spirit of God says yes, that is true. It is all attested by the Word of God.
To doubt the Bible is to call God a liar. Some say, "Well, I'm trying to believe." But they have called God a liar, plain and simple. Either this is His Word—His inerrant, infallible Word—or it is not. And the work of Christ, the witness of the Spirit, and the Word of God all say it is. It is fact, a matter of record.
Let me give you another example. Suppose I am in a courtroom, and the judge says to me, "Pastor Patrick, are you married?"
I say, "Yes I am."
"Well can you prove you are married?"
"Yes, I can. You see, I was there in the church, and I saw Terry coming down the aisle. My heart got all fluttery, and I was so happy. Your honor, it's the most wonderful feeling in the world to be married."
When I'm finished, the judge will say, "I'm sorry. While I am glad you feel that way, your feelings are not evidence in this courtroom. Do you have some proof?"
Then I go down to the courthouse. And I get that document, notarized, signed, and sealed, and I bring it before the judge. And he accepts my marriage as proven fact.
My salvation does not hinge on my emotions. I have an official record. I have the Word of God: "I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.: (1 John 5:13).
One night while out soul-winning, I asked a man if he wanted to receive Christ as his personal Lord and Savior. After we prayed together, I said, "Now, sir, I want to give you your spiritual birth certificate." And I turned to John 5:24 and read, “Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life."
We started to read it through again. “Very truly I tell you," I read. Then I told him, "It's Jesus who is speaking. Do you believe this?"
"Yes," he said.
"'whoever hears my word. . . .' Have you heard His Word?"
"Yes."
"'. . . and believes him who sent me. . . .' Have you believed on the God that sent the Lord Jesus?"
"Yes."
"'. . . has everlasting life. . . .' Do you have everlasting life?"
"Well, I hope so," he said.
I said, "Let's read it again." And we did. Again, he answered yes to every question except the last. Again, he said,
"Well, I hope so."
"Let's read it again," I said. This time, when I asked him if he had everlasting life, the light went on inside.
"Why, yes! Yes!" he shouted.
"Who says so?"
"God says so! God says so!"
That is the basis of your belief. That's the source of your certainty. Isn't it better to have God's Word than your neighbor's or your opinions, emotions, wishes, or whims?
The Fruit of Our Behavior
In addition to the root of our belief, we need only look at the fruit of our behavior to know whether or not we are truly saved. What has Jesus done in me? Is this all just some intellectual exercise, or has there been a change? The Apostle John is very practical here. He shows us how our salvation ought to show up in our behavior, and he gives three tests....to be continued:)
Got you curious yet? Come back next week for more:) I love you all.
DID YOU EVER WONDER???
Don’t let anyone bring you down so low as to hate them. Release them from the hold they have on you and continue on with peace in your heart. Life is short and is not worth wasting your time trying to figure people out or prove anything to them.
The only person you have to prove anything to is yourself. Strive to be the best person you can possibly be, be strong, and walk away. Holding on to bitterness and anger will only hinder your happiness.
Your life is much too precious to spend another minute worrying about someone that doesn’t bring you happiness. Say goodbye and wish them well. After all, they’ve made you a stronger person. They’ll see the light someday.
BOOKS OF THE BIBLE...A TEACHING
The Parable of the Ten Virgins
25 “Then the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. 2 Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. 3 For when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them, 4 but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps. 5 As the bridegroom was delayed, they all became drowsy and slept. 6 But at midnight there was a cry, ‘Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.’ 7 Then all those virgins rose and trimmed their lamps. 8 And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ 9 But the wise answered, saying, ‘Since there will not be enough for us and for you, go rather to the dealers and buy for yourselves.’ 10 And while they were going to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast, and the door was shut. 11 Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, ‘Lord, lord, open to us.’ 12 But he answered, ‘Truly, I say to you, I do not know you.’ 13 Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.
The Parable of the Talents
14 “For it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted to them his property. 15 To one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away. 16 He who had received the five talents went at once and traded with them, and he made five talents more. 17 So also he who had the two talents made two talents more. 18 But he who had received the one talent went and dug in the ground and hid his master’s money. 19 Now after a long time the master of those servants came and settled accounts with them. 20 And he who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five talents more, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me five talents; here, I have made five talents more.’ 21 His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’ 22 And he also who had the two talents came forward, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me two talents; here, I have made two talents more.’ 23 His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’ 24 He also who had received the one talent came forward, saying, ‘Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you scattered no seed, 25 so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here, you have what is yours.’ 26 But his master answered him, ‘You wicked and slothful servant! You knew that I reap where I have not sown and gather where I scattered no seed? 27 Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and at my coming I should have received what was my own with interest. 28 So take the talent from him and give it to him who has the ten talents. 29 For to everyone who has will more be given, and he will have an abundance. But from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. 30 And cast the worthless servant into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
The Final Judgment
31 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. 32 Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left. 34 Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 36 I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ 37 Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? 38 And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? 39 And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ 40 And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’
41 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42 For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ 44 Then they also will answer, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?’ 45 Then he will answer them, saying, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’ 46 And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”
‘BE READY!’
When will these things happen, and what is the timescale? Jesus says that the destruction of Jerusalem will take place within a generation (24:36–25:13). As to the date of his return, only God the Father knows which day and hour that will be. But Jesus says it will be on an ordinary day when everyone is getting on with life as usual. That is how it was when the world was destroyed by a flood in the days of Noah. That is also how it will be when the Son of man comes. His harvesting judgment will separate those who are his from those who are not—even choosing between colleagues, friends and neighbors.
In the face of this uncertainty, Jesus urges his friends to be ready—just as a homeowner would be prepared if he knew when a burglar was coming. As it is, a thief invariably takes us by surprise. The best attitude is that of the faithful servant, who is always attending to the master’s business. At whatever time the master comes home, he will find his good servant ready and waiting. By contrast, the wicked servant uses his master’s absence to ill-treat his fellows and neglect his duties. The master will punish him.
Jesus gives another picture of people who aren’t ready for his coming. There are ten bridesmaids waiting for a bridegroom to arrive at his wedding banquet. Five of them are wise and are prepared for a long wait. They have brought extra oil to keep their lamps alight. Five are foolish, and by midnight all their oil is used up. They leave their post to try to buy some more, only to miss the arrival of the bridegroom. They find themselves shut out of the feast.
In this story, Jesus describes himself as the bridegroom. The bridesmaids are believers who are awaiting his return. The wedding feast is an image of heaven, and the oil may be a symbol of holiness or the Holy Spirit.
USE YOUR TALENTS NOW
Jesus says that his return will bring a judgment. He tells the story of a man who gives some talents of money to each of his servants (25:14–30). The talents are each worth hundreds of pounds, but they are not equally distributed. While one servant is entrusted with five, another has two and another only one.
In the master’s absence, the servants have to decide what to do with his gifts. The servant with five talents invests them to make five more. The servant with two talents makes two more. The servant with only one talent digs a hole in the ground and hides it.
When the master returns, he congratulates the two servants who have made a profit with their talents, but is angry with the third. The third servant accuses his master of being hard and unpredictable, and explains that he hid the talent to keep it safe and give it back. However, the master accuses him of being both wicked and lazy. He gives the talent to the servant who now has ten, and throws the useless servant out!
This story is about God and the responsibility he gives to his people. He expects them to be enterprising with the resources entrusted to them, even though he seems to be absent. For Christians, this is a picture of our attitude to the gospel. When Christ returns, he will be delighted with those who have shared the good news with others, and angry with those who have willfully kept it a secret. We may not have much (perhaps just ‘one talent’) but it can still be invested in the service of Christ.
SHEEP AND GOATS: THE LAST JUDGMENT
Jesus gives a more extensive picture of the final judgment (25:31–46). He does so in the form of a story.
Jesus describes himself on Judgment Day. He is the Son of man, enthroned in glory and surrounded by angels. All the nations of the world are gathered before him for judgment. He separates them into two groups, like a shepherd sorting sheep from goats. The sheep on his right are the righteous, who are to be welcomed into the kingdom of heaven. The goats on his left are the wicked, who are to be cast into hell.
How does Jesus judge who are ‘sheep’ and who are ‘goats’? He makes his decision according to how they treat people in need—and especially those who are his disciples.
Paul teaches that Christ’s people are his body (1 Corinthians 12:27). Those who feed them when they are hungry, give drink to them when they are thirsty, clothe them when they are naked, welcome them when they are strangers, tend them when they are sick and visit them in prison, are in fact ministering to Christ himself. They are showing by their actions that they are welcoming the gospel and the kingdom of God. Those who neglect or reject such people are really neglecting or rejecting Christ.
Passover
Passover is the major feast of the Jewish year. The Jews remember how God secured their release from slavery in Egypt. In a single night he slew the firstborn of every Egyptian family, but ‘passed over’ the families of the Hebrews.
The festival is held on the 14th day of the month of Nisan. Lambs for every household are sacrificed in the temple in the late afternoon. They are roasted and eaten at a family meal that evening, which is now 15th Nisan, as the next day begins with sunset.
The Passover food includes unleavened bread and bitter herbs. The original Passover bread was unleavened because it was made in haste, with no time for the yeast to raise the dough. The bitter herbs are a reminder of the bitterness of slavery. During the meal the head of the house retells the story of the Passover. The family celebrates God’s goodness in rescuing his people from slavery and making them his own nation.
It is no accident that the death of Jesus takes place in Jerusalem at Passover. His self-offering and death are the fulfilment of this great festival of deliverance. Jesus is the perfect lamb of God, who is giving his life to atone for the sin of the world. Because of his death, the judgment of God will now ‘pass over’ all who turn to him. His rescue is from slavery to sin and death. His freedom is eternal life with God.
Sometimes these words are taken to mean that we must care for people in need, regardless of whether they are Christians. For Jesus, there is the closest possible link between loving God and loving our neighbour. It is by selfless service to our neighbour (the person we have the opportunity to help) that we show our love for God. Such love may be that ‘one talent’ of the previous parable.
There will be a Judgment Day for each one of us, and it is Jesus Christ who will be our judge. On that day he will endorse a choice that we have already made. We have shown our love or rejection of him many times, in our response to the needs of our fellow human beings, and in our treatment of his messengers.
The Final Week
Matthew now comes to the last days of Jesus’ life. He follows quite closely the story as we have it in the earlier and shorter Gospel of Mark.
From this point Jesus gives no teaching, but devotes himself to the suffering and death which he came to accomplish. While evil people think they are trapping and destroying Jesus, he is in fact going to the cross of his own free will. As events unfold, Matthew frequently points out the ancient prophecies which are being fulfilled.
Knowles, A. (2001). The Bible guide (1st Augsburg books ed., pp. 434–435). Minneapolis, MN: Augsburg.
The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2016). (Mt 25:31–46). Wheaton: Standard Bible Society.
The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2016). (Mt 25:1–30). Wheaton: Standard Bible Society.
HAVE A SAFE AND BLESSED WEEK:)
Ho'omaikaʻi ka Pua iā kākou