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....November 13, 2017
Over the past several months we have seen so much violence in our country. Everything from protests about free speech to distrust of our President. People ask me, "what is the world coming to?" Over the next few weeks I want to share with you a message that will I pray effect all of our lives. It has to do with two words. These two words can make or break your life as a Christian. The two words are:
"Christian Love"
We, as followers of the mighty Savior of the world, are called upon to go above and beyond our human capabilities sometimes over these two words. Sometimes we think we are asked to swallow our pride, suck it up and generally cowtow to others because of our "Christian Love" but how hard is that to do for you? It is difficult for me so I am sure it is equally hard for you. This week I want to focus on 1 Corinthians 13:1 3 and how Paul wants us to handle things.
A story was told a few years ago about an actor who was playing the part of Christ in a Passion Play. As he carried the cross up the hill a bystander in the crowd began heckling him, & shouting insults.
Finally, the actor had taken all of it he could take. So he threw down his cross, walked over to the bystander, & punched him.
After the play was over, the director told him, "I know he was a pest, but I have to fire you. We just can't have you behaving this way while playing the part of Jesus." The actor begged, "Please give me one more chance. I can handle it if it happens again." So the director decided to give him another chance.
The next day he was once again carrying his cross up the street. Sure enough, the heckler was back. You could tell that the actor was really trying to control himself, but it was about to get the best of him. He was clinching his fists & grinding his teeth.
Finally, he looked at the heckler & said, "I'll meet you after the resurrection!"
You know, sometimes it is hard for those who profess to be Christians to behave like Christians should. We try to carry our crosses, but if someone crosses us, we tend to lose our composure & behave in much the same way the rest of the world behaves.
But the Bible teaches that we are to be people who exercise love in all of our relationships with one another.
Listen to these words, "Be completely humble & gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love" (Ephesians 4:2). And again, "Make every effort to live in peace with all men & to be holy..." (Hebrews 12:14).
Now each of these say the same thing. It may be difficult sometimes, & not everybody will be easy to love, but if it is possible, we are to live in peace & harmony with everyone.
So I'm beginning a series of teachings that will deal with how to get along with other people, & we will focus on 1 Corinthians 13, the "love chapter" of the Bible.
This week we will look at the first 3 verses which Paul begins by saying, "Now I will show you the most excellent way." (1 Corinthians 13:1)
THE IMPORTANCE OF LOVE IN OUR LIVES
He is saying, "I want to show you the best way to take care of virtually every situation, & that is the way of love." Then he points out that love is more important than four other things that Christians consider very important.
In Verse 1, Paul says that love is more important than spiritual gifts. "If I speak in the tongues of men & of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal." (1 Corinthians 13:1)
On the day of Pentecost, when the very first gospel sermon was ever preached, God gave the apostles the special gift of being able to speak in languages that they had never learned so that the people hearing them could understand what was being said.
But here in 1 Corinthians, Paul says that if God gave him the gift of speaking every human language, & even the heavenly language of the angels, but he didn't have love, then he would be nothing more than a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. Now what did he mean by that?
Back in the 1st Century, there was a big gong or cymbal hanging at the entrance of most pagan temples. When people came to worship, they hit them to awaken the pagan gods so they would listen to their prayers.
Here, Paul is saying that even if he were so blessed that he could speak with the greatest of eloquence in every language, but did not have love, then his life was as useless as this ridiculous act of pounding on a gong to awaken non existent gods. You see, love is more important than any spiritual gift.
Then in vs. 2 Paul says that love is more important than knowledge. "If I have the gift of prophecy & can fathom all mysteries & all knowledge, ... but have not love, I am nothing." (1 Corinthians 13:2)
Paul says that even if you know it all - if you know everything there is to know about nuclear science, about medicine & philosophy & psychology & every other kind of “ology” - if you know it all, but have not love, then you are nothing at all.
Why? Paul says in 1 Corinthians 8:1, "Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up."
I do not think we need more knowledge near as much as we need more love. For the hearts of people need to change before society will ever change.
Thirdly, Paul says that love is more important than faith. Now he doesn't say that faith is not important. He just says that love is more important. He said, "If I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing." (1 Corinthians 13:2)
But what is your faith? What do you believe for sure? Do you believe that God is the creator of the world? Do you believe that Jesus Christ is His only begotten Son, & that He came into our world & lived a sinless life, & that He died & was buried & on the third day rose again?
Do you believe that He is now at the right hand of the Father, & is preparing a place for us, & that one day He will come again?
If you TRULY believe all those things, then well & good & I commend you for it. But the Bible teaches that if you believe all the right things, but do not have love, then you are nothing. Because even faith is of no value unless it is backed up by love.
The priest & the Levite in the parable of the Good Samaritan had faith. The problem was they had no love. So they walked by on the other side & just left the man lying there to die.
In Galatians 5:6, Paul says, "The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love."
Fourthly, love is more important than generosity. Paul says, "If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing." (1 Corinthians 13:3)
Now notice that he doesn't say, "If I give 10%." He says, "If I empty my checking account, if I cash in my insurance policies, if I give everything away to help the poor, & even sacrifice myself, but I don't have love then I gain nothing at all."
You see, generosity by itself is not enough. I get calls all the time, & I'm sure you do, too, from people appealing for funds for worthwhile causes.
But why give? Do you give because your pastor just preached a sermon on stewardship? Or, because you feel guilty if you do not? Do you give because you want to impress others around you?
If the only reason that I give is to receive or to benefit myself, then love is absent, & giving is empty. The motive for giving should be love, love for God & love for God's people.
So Paul is saying that love is more important than spiritual gifts, more important than knowledge, more important than faith, & more important than generosity.
PRACTICING LOVE IN OUR EVERYDAY LIVES
So obviously, love is very important, much more maybe, than we ever realized. Listen to what Jesus says in John 13:34, "A new commandment I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another."
Now notice that Jesus says that this is a commandment, not a suggestion. And God never commands us to do anything that we cannot do.
We tend to think that love is something that just happens, because that is what the world teaches. You fall in love like you fall into a ditch, or you fall out of love like you fall out of a tree. You can't help it. It is something that just happens to you.
Do you remember this old song - "I can't help falling in love with you." Another one was, "You've lost that loving feeling." And again, "I love you. Please tell me your name." That's really deep stuff, you know.
But the Bible teaches that love is something we can control. God commands us to love each other. Which means that I can decide to love you, & you in turn can decide to love me. So this is not a hopeless situation at all.
Now, what kind of love is being talked about here? In Philippians 2:4 Paul tells us, "Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others." In other words, to love in the same way that Jesus loved.
Think about others & their interests just like you think about yourself & your interests. You become unselfish. Now let's apply that in several different areas.
First of all, see how that would work in the family. Let's suppose that someone in every family would say, "I'm going to go home & put this into practice."
Start with your spouse. You ought to love your husband or your wife first & most. You ought to be kinder, more tender, more gentle to them even if they're behaving like a jerk. Begin first in your marriage relationship.
And pretty soon it filters down to the relationship you share with your children, maybe even your in laws & everybody else in the family. Just because you love them.
It begins in the family, & it spills over into the church family & into the world. In fact, Jesus said, "By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." (John 13:35)
That's the way the world will find out that the message of Jesus Christ is valid. And if we really love each other the way Jesus loved us then we have to develop in our own lives the same kind of compassion for people that Jesus had.
A friend told about renting the movie "Free Willy" & watching it with his grandchildren. He said that they were enthralled, especially one grandson who was almost 5 years old. His grandson set his little chair in front of the TV & didn't move for two hours as he watched that movie.
His eyes were fixed to the screen. He was mesmerized. He watched everything. You could see tears in his eyes. You could see him laugh when he was supposed to laugh. He was totally caught up in the movie.
Can you remember getting caught up in something & so identifying with what's going on that you actually became involved in the story? Well, that's compassion, & it will cause us to ask ourselves some tough questions.
"What's it like to hurt deep inside & no one knows you're hurting & you don't feel free to tell them that you're hurting?
What's it like being sick & knowing you're not going to get well, & wanting more than anything else to live?
What's it like to be handicapped?"
"What's it like to be a minority? What's it like to be dealing with marital problems or domestic problems?
What kind of burdens are people carrying, & do we care enough to help them bear those burdens? That's what it means when Jesus talks about loving one another as He has loved us.
There is a story about a missionary, Doug Nichols, that I want to share with you because I think it illustrates what I have been trying to say. Doug Nichols went to India, but while he was just starting to study the language he developed tuberculosis & had to be put in a sanitarium.
It was not a very good place to be. It was not very clean & conditions were difficult because there were so many sick people there. But Doug decided to do the best he could in that situation. So he took some Christian books & tracts & tried to witness to the other patients in the sanitarium.
He tried to witness, but he was handicapped because of his inability to com-municate very well in their language, & he felt so discouraged. He tried to pass out Christian tracts & books, but no one would take them.
Here he was. Because of his illness he would be there a long time. But it seemed like the work that he had come to India to do would not be done because no one would listen to him.
Because of his tuberculosis, every night at about 2 o'clock he would wake up with chronic coughing that wouldn't quit. Then one night when he awoke he noticed across the aisle an old man trying to get out of bed.
He said the man would roll himself up into a little ball & rock back & forth trying to get up the momentum to get up & stand on his feet. But he just couldn't do it. He was too weak.
Finally, after several attempts the old man laid back & wept. The next morning Doug understood why the man was weeping. He was trying to get up to go to the bathroom & didn't have enough strength to do that. So his bed was a mess & there was a smell in the air.
The other patients made fun of the old man. The nurses came to clean up his bed & they weren't kind to him, either. In fact, one of them even slapped him in the face. Doug said that the old man just laid there & cried.
Doug said, "That next night about 2 o'clock I started coughing again. I looked across the way & there was the old man trying to get out of bed once more. I really didn't want to do it, but somehow I managed to get up & I walked across the aisle & I helped the old man stand up."
But he was too weak to walk, so Doug said, "I took him in my arms & carried him like a baby. He was so light that it wasn't a difficult task. I took him into the bathroom, which was nothing more than a dirty hole in the floor, & I stood behind him & supported him in my arms as he took care of himself."
"Then I carried him back to his bed & laid him down. As I turned to leave he reached up & grabbed my face & pulled me close & kissed me on the cheek, & said what I think was 'Thank you.'
Doug said, "The next morning there were patients waiting when I awoke, & they asked if they could read some of the books & tracts that I had brought. Others had questions about the God that I worshiped & about His Son who came into the world to die for their sins."
Doug Nichols says that in the next few weeks he gave out all the literature that he had brought, & during the months that he was there many of the patients, & even doctors & nurses in that sanitarium, came to accept Jesus as their Savior, too.
He said, "Now what did I do? I didn't preach a sermon. I couldn't even communicate very well in their language. I didn't have a brilliant lesson to teach them, or wonderful things to show them. All I did was take an old man to the bathroom & anyone can do that."
Someone has said, "They will not care how much you know, until they know how much you care."
There is a more excellent way, & that is the way of Jesus Christ.
DID YOU EVER WONDER???
"The way we choose to respond when others make mistakes can cause them to feel ashamed or can allow them to remember our kindness and share our stories with future generations." -- Michelle Sedas
When I read the above quote I couldn't help but think of Doris.* Doris was a little lady who lived in the memory care unit. She had been a science teacher by profession, but she also was a very creative person. All around her room were dolls that she had made. They were the most interesting dolls I'd ever seen; each was very different from the other.
From what I gathered from talking to Doris she'd taken a class in doll making. One day while I was in her room she took one of the dolls out of the case to show me. She said that this was the first doll she had ever made. This doll was very unusual with fine artistic work. The ceramic skirt was made of delicate ruffles. I was amazed that anyone could do such unique work.
As Doris was holding the doll very carefully she turned the doll in such a way that I could see a slight break in one of the ruffles on the skirt. Then she said, "Would you like me to tell you about this?" Of course, I was curious to know what happened.
Doris said that on the way to class she bumped the side of the skirt. She said she was devastated and almost didn't go to class at all. When it came her turn to show the doll to the teacher, she had to point out the break in the skirt. Doris felt for sure that the doll would be rejected because of it. Much to her surprise the teacher told her she was just going to ignore this break and grade the doll on the other good qualities it had.
Doris said this remark and attitude from the teacher changed her life. She said she knew if that teacher hadn't forgiven that small mistake she would never had made the rest of the dolls.
The quote at the beginning expresses what happened to Doris. This teacher could have made Doris feel ashamed by her mistake. But because of her willingness to ignore the mistake, Doris was sharing her kindness to the next generation.
BOOKS OF THE BIBLE...A TEACHING
Jesus Is Lord of the Sabbath
12 At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath. His disciples were hungry, and they began to pluck heads of grain and to eat. 2 But when the Pharisees saw it, they said to him, “Look, your disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath.” 3 He said to them, “Have you not read what David did when he was hungry, and those who were with him: 4 how he entered the house of God and ate the bread of the Presence, which it was not lawful for him to eat nor for those who were with him, but only for the priests? 5 Or have you not read in the Law how on the Sabbath the priests in the temple profane the Sabbath and are guiltless? 6 I tell you, something greater than the temple is here. 7 And if you had known what this means, ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the guiltless. 8 For the Son of Man is lord of the Sabbath.”
A Man with a Withered Hand
9 He went on from there and entered their synagogue. 10 And a man was there with a withered hand. And they asked him, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?”—so that they might accuse him. 11 He said to them, “Which one of you who has a sheep, if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will not take hold of it and lift it out? 12 Of how much more value is a man than a sheep! So it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.” 13 Then he said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” And the man stretched it out, and it was restored, healthy like the other. 14 But the Pharisees went out and conspired against him, how to destroy him.
God’s Chosen Servant
15 Jesus, aware of this, withdrew from there. And many followed him, and he healed them all 16 and ordered them not to make him known. 17 This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah:
18 “Behold, my servant whom I have chosen,
my beloved with whom my soul is well pleased.
I will put my Spirit upon him,
and he will proclaim justice to the Gentiles.
19 He will not quarrel or cry aloud,
nor will anyone hear his voice in the streets;
20 a bruised reed he will not break,
and a smoldering wick he will not quench,
until he brings justice to victory;
21 and in his name the Gentiles will hope.”
Blasphemy Against the Holy Spirit
22 Then a demon-oppressed man who was blind and mute was brought to him, and he healed him, so that the man spoke and saw. 23 And all the people were amazed, and said, “Can this be the Son of David?” 24 But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, “It is only by Beelzebul, the prince of demons, that this man casts out demons.” 25 Knowing their thoughts, he said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and no city or house divided against itself will stand. 26 And if Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then will his kingdom stand? 27 And if I cast out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore they will be your judges. 28 But if it is by the Spirit of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. 29 Or how can someone enter a strong man’s house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man? Then indeed he may plunder his house. 30 Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters. 31 Therefore I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven people, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. 32 And whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come.
A Tree Is Known by Its Fruit
33 “Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree bad and its fruit bad, for the tree is known by its fruit. 34 You brood of vipers! How can you speak good, when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. 35 The good person out of his good treasure brings forth good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure brings forth evil. 36 I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak, 37 for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”
The Sign of Jonah
38 Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered him, saying, “Teacher, we wish to see a sign from you.” 39 But he answered them, “An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. 40 For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. 41 The men of Nineveh will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and behold, something greater than Jonah is here. 42 The queen of the South will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and behold, something greater than Solomon is here.
Return of an Unclean Spirit
43 “When the unclean spirit has gone out of a person, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, but finds none. 44 Then it says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ And when it comes, it finds the house empty, swept, and put in order. 45 Then it goes and brings with it seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they enter and dwell there, and the last state of that person is worse than the first. So also will it be with this evil generation.”
Jesus’ Mother and Brothers
46 While he was still speaking to the people, behold, his mother and his brothers stood outside, asking to speak to him. 48 But he replied to the man who told him, “Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?” 49 And stretching out his hand toward his disciples, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! 50 For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.”
A CHALLENGE ABOUT THE SABBATH
The sabbath is a day of rest (12:1–14). God himself established it in the fourth commandment as a weekly space from the burden of work (Exodus 20:8–11). It’s a day for a taste of heaven.
In Jesus’ day, some of the Pharisees have trussed the sabbath in a web of legislation—which they vigorously enforce. They criticize Jesus for allowing his disciples to ‘work’ when they pick and munch ears of corn.
Jesus answers with a story of David. Once, when David and his companions were hungry, he asked a priest for bread. The only bread was in the sanctuary—the loaves placed in the presence of God. But David decided that their needs were more important than a mere religious custom—and commanded the priest to feed them.
Jesus agrees with David. He confronts the fussy Pharisees with divine common sense. The sabbath is a day for liberty and liberation—not legalism! To prove it, he does some ‘work’ of his own on the sabbath, and heals a man with a shriveled hand. It is this act of defiance that makes some Pharisees want to kill him.
JESUS, GOD’S SERVANT
Jesus has to avoid his enemies, but the time has not yet come for them to have their way (12:15–21). He continues quietly to heal the sick. Matthew sees in Jesus the gentle servant described by Isaiah—devoting himself to God’s work without any kind of self-assertion or show of force (Isaiah 42:1–4).
A BLASPHEMOUS SUGGESTION
Jesus heals a demon-possessed man. His action prompts people to wonder if he is the Son of David—the coming Messiah who will deliver Israel by the power of God (12:22–37).
But some Pharisees, full of envy and spite, have a different explanation. They say Jesus has power over demons because he works for their prince, Beelzebub. This was the very compromise with Satan which Jesus rejected during his temptation in the desert.
Jesus argues that if Satan is now expelling his own agents, then his evil empire must be collapsing. But if Jesus is overcoming demons by the power of God’s Spirit, then the kingdom of God is taking them all by surprise. His critics insult the Holy Spirit when they attribute this work to the devil. It’s an unforgivable lie against God, and they will be judged for it.
THE SIGN OF JONAH
Some of the Pharisees ask Jesus for a sign, to prove who he is (12:38–45). Jesus answers that the only sign they will be given is the sign of Jonah—the sign of resurrection.
Jesus is amazed at the resistance of the religious leaders. The citizens of Nineveh recognized the truth of Jonah’s message, and the queen of Sheba recognized the greatness of Solomon’s wisdom. But the Jews can’t see that someone greater than Jonah and Solomon is with them now.
Knowles, A. (2001). The Bible guide (1st Augsburg books ed., p. 421). Minneapolis, MN: Augsburg.
Knowles, A. (2001). The Bible guide (1st Augsburg books ed., p. 421). Minneapolis, MN: Augsburg.
Knowles, A. (2001). The Bible guide (1st Augsburg books ed., p. 421). Minneapolis, MN: Augsburg.
The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2016). (Mt 12:46–50). Wheaton: Standard Bible Society.
The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2016). (Mt 12:38–45). Wheaton: Standard Bible Society.
The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2016). (Mt 12:33–37). Wheaton: Standard Bible Society.
The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2016). (Mt 12:22–32). Wheaton: Standard Bible Society.
The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2016). (Mt 12:15–21). Wheaton: Standard Bible Society.
The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2016). (Mt 12:9–14). Wheaton: Standard Bible Society.
The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2016). (Mt 12:1–8). Wheaton: Standard Bible Society.
HAVE A SAFE AND BLESSED WEEK:)
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