BSF Matthew Study 2013-2014 – Page 5

19 BSF Matthew Week 19, Day 5

My Daily Journal:

I worry about being taken advantage of. We live in a world full of warnings to “keep up your guard.” We are told to be careful, diligent, cautious. “There is a sucker born every minute.” Don’t be a patsy, an easy-mark.

Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.

Peter’s question is not unreasonable. There have to limits, right? There have to be boundaries. If someone wrongs us, they have to pay. How many times must I offer forgiveness to someone who repeatedly transgresses against me.

I’m guilty of this mindset. But it is a mindset of limited resources and God is a God of Unlimited Grace and Provision. Jesus helps put this in perspective. We are focused on the equivalent of 100 silver coins. We seek justice for a transgression of 100 silver coins. But God is dealing at the level of 10,000 bags of gold.

Since we don’t deal much in actual silver and gold, I looked it up.

A US Silver Dollar (1878-1935) is worth about $15.50 in silver. So 100 silver coins would be worth $1,550.

During the gold rush, a bag of gold held approximately 25 pounds. Assuming bags have traditionally been about the same size, a bag of gold at current market value would be worth a little over US $500,000. So, the forgiveness of the King was to the tune of US$5,062,000,000. $5 Billion Dollars.

In God’s economy, the things we worry about someone taking advantage of us over would get lost in rounding. If I spent more time and effort protecting my heart and my eyes and those I love, that would be a far wiser eternal investment than protecting worldly possessions.

My only appropriate response should be one of thanks to God and modeling the grace and mercy that He has shown me. When we pray for God to forgive our sins as we forgive others, the forgiveness we show others is the measure we are asking Him to use on us.

My Answers:

12.
a.
how many times must I forgive my brother = maximum number of time I can ask for forgiveness. If 7, then…

b.
Law of Lamech or Lamech’s curse was a distortion by Lamech for a rule of vengence. Jesus turned these words into a rule of forgiveness instead.

13
a.
Sins of others to me are miniscule compared to forgiveness I have received. 10,000 bags of gold vs. 100 silver coins

b.
Lord’s prayer, forgive us our sins as we forgive others

c.
As I forgive and seek to truly hear others and simply listen, I find myself in a better place, one where I feel more forgiven

d.
Thank you for being God. Thank you for being the almighty and being patient with me. Thank you for being the shepherd to come and hunt me down when I repeatedly go astray.

19 BSF Matthew Week 19, Day 4

Today’s Scriptures

My Daily Journal:

Being a member of the body of Christ is not a life of diplomacy. Diplomacy is all about building a coalition. It is about operating from a position of strength. It is about dealing with others in a way that doesn’t hurt their feelings.

We like diplomacy. You’re OK, I’m OK. Can’t we all just get along? Personal freedom. We take these words and stretch them into excuses to avoid confrontation.

When we do need to confront something, we start by building our coalition. Recruiting others to our side to present a position of insurmountable strength.

But this is all wrong. If a fellow member of the body of Christ is sinning seriously against another, I am called to approach them individually. Listen to that again. I am called to approach them individually. Not to discuss it first with a bunch of different people to build my coalition. Not to ignore it and hope it goes away or somebody else deals with it. Not to just accept it and avoid conflict. I am called to approach them individually.

I don’t like that. I don’t really want to do that – I like conflict avoidance. But I don’t need to worry or avoid this. First, the entire responsibility never rests on me. If the person doesn’t listen to me, then we simply advance to step number 2. There is no huge burden or failing on my part, it just moves to include 2 others.

Even then we still don’t need to worry. The promise about binding and loosing isn’t just a grant of authority to us as the church. It is also a reminder that when we are gathered prayerfully with 2 other believers to trust in God fully, then Jesus is there and God’s will is being done. Anything we do is only what God has ordained and allowed. I need not worry or feel burdened if I rely and trust on God whole-heartedly.

I still don’t like it, but Jesus didn’t like being tortured and put to death for my sins either. That helps put it in perspective.

My Answers:

9.
a.
All parts form one body. If one part is honored, all rejoice. If one part suffers, every part suffers.

b.
1. approach individually, 2. approach with 2 others along, 3. approach with and through the church, 4. if not, remove from the congregation until they repent and change ways

10.
a.
Compassion and love

b.
To win them over, to bring them back into a state of not sinning

11.
a.
Bind as in a binding contract. Loose as in to set free from bondage. We can set people free from sin and bind them to an inheritance of grace through faith

b.
through Jesus Christ – wherever 2 or 3 gather in His name, He is present.

19 BSF Matthew Week 19, Day 3

Today’s Scriptures

My Daily Journal:

How do I bring others to Christ? I think the answer to that is by living out my faith. It is not just in the words that come out of my mouth, but also in my actions and behaviors. It is not just in missional statements but in actions and interactions. The way I choose to live my life. The people I choose to be around and the way I choose to spend time, in ways that bring honor and glory to God. The way I put trust in Him and show His love in my interactions with others.

How do I cause others, particularly “little ones” to stumble? I think the same things apply. It isn’t just a direct comment or statement I make to them, but more often through my actions and interactions. The things I do in my life that do not bring honor and glory to God. The way I choose to live my life in worry and doubt instead of trusting in Him fully. They people I choose to be around who don’t follow Him. The interactions I have with others that exclude God.

The message in our passage today is that this is extremely serious. Far more serious than, I think, we give it credit. We go through life with such nonchalance, not thinking how the anger we feel, or the worry, or frustration or greed, lust or pride influence our words and actions in ways that can cause those “little ones” who are watching to stumble. We like to delude ourselves thinking that no one notices, but talk with young believers. Their number one concern of becoming a christian is that they will be seen to be “religious”, joined with hypocrites who go through the motions on Sunday morning but fail to demonstrate it the rest of the week.

Harsh? Yes. But when our Lord says it would be better to tie a heavy stone around your neck and go drown yourself, I am thinking we should probably take this seriously!

My Answers:

6.
a.
better to have a large millstone hung around their neck and drowned in the depths of the sea

b.
Pride – we saw someone drive out demons in your name but he wasn’t one of us so told him to stop

7.
a.
stop judging and criticizing others – Don’t be a stumbling block either in my words or actions or approach. Just because I can doesn’t mean I should because it may be misunderstood – err on the side of shining God’s light.

b.
criticism, bad examples, drinking, failing to serve or grumbling about service

8.
Even when I go astray, Jesus doesn’t write me off or condemn or curse me, instead He seeks me out and rejoices in my return.

19 BSF Matthew Week 19, Day 2

Today’s Scriptures

My Daily Journal:

I spend a lot of time with children and they are not always humble. I see plenty of kids acting out to get attention. I see many children who are very focused on themselves. I see children who have no issue being disruptive if it brings them joy or raises their social standing. I don’t read today’s verses with rose colored glasses. And, I don’t think acting childish is what the Lord is trying to tell us.

But there are also some traits I see in the children I work with that I think are at the root of today’s scriptures.

The first is love. Children are amazing at giving and accepting love. They make friends without hesitation. They show kindness and compassion for those around them. I think this is in part because they readily accept love as well. They don’t question the love of their parents and family and plug into that to have joy with others.

The second is innocence and acceptance. I am constantly amazed at the conviction these young believers have. Not because they have a depth of knowledge and study to prove something, but simply because they accept it as the truth. They know that God loves them because He does, not because they read 16 commentaries that help them work it out in their head.

I don’t think it is an accident that these verses come directly on the heels of the encounter with the father of the demon possessed son whom the disciples could not heal. I think this is the answer to his prayer to Jesus, “help me with my unbelief.”

The answer to that prayer is not going to come from some outside sign or proof or miracle (even though all of those things are present). The answer to the prayer is to just accept belief as fact. To be totally open to it, not because it is the only thing left standing after exhaustive examination (which it would be), but because it comes from God. To a child this is easy. Jesus loves me, this I know…

As maturing christians we sometimes make things so complicated. We hold on to our doubts until they are proven wrong. But, Jesus teaches us to simply let them go. It is called faith and belief for a reason.

My Answers:

3.
a.
become like little children

b.
Matt: blessed: poor in spirit: kingdom of heaven, those who mourn: be comforted
John 1: those who receive him, believe, become children of God (born of God)
John 3: must be born again (nicodemus) born of water and spirit, flesh to flesh, spirit birth to spirit

4.
a.
Anyone who wants to be first must be the very last, and the servant of all

b.
Humility and repentance

5.
a.
Not proud or concerned with “great matters”, Hidden things from wise and learned and revealed them to children, “My dear children, I write this to you…” Those entering the faith – those seeking to believe and grow in Christ, humble

b.
Those who serve, those who pray, those who put others first, teachers, preachers, missionaries, the little children – I can teach, I can pray and I can humble myself to not rely on my own knowledge or skill but to rely fully on the Holy Spirit. To be bold and step forward in the ways God is calling me that brings glory to him not gain for me.

c.
Jesus

18 BSF Matthew Week 18, Day 5

Today’s Scriptures

My Daily Journal:

I am always amazed at the way that God chooses to provide for our needs. This story of the sheckle and the fish is amazing in that regard. First, let’s look at some other ways this could have happened:

1. Jesus could have used a coin from the money the apostles had. It probably wasn’t much money, but we know from other scriptures that Judas was the keeper of their coins.

2. Peter could have been sent out fishing and harvested a number of fish to be sold for the money.

3. A coin could have appeared in Peter’s or Jesus’ hand or pocket.

I believe the way it did happen reveals much about God’s provision.

1. He does not take away from our work and focus on His ministry to answer our prayers. Our God is not a God of limited resources, where one side of the ledger is debited for the other to be credited. He provides out of His riches and plenty, not in a rob Peter to pay Paul fashion.

2. We are called to work, but God’s exceptional provision for our lives and His majesty is not wages for our work. We, like Peter, have to cast the line into the water. We have to take the step of faith and be a part, but we are not earning our provision.

3. God does not do magic tricks. Could the creator of everything, the one who multiplied the baskets of fish and bread, simply made a coin appear or adjusted the ledger to make it appear the payment was made? Of course. But that normally is not His approach. He can heal with a touch or a word, but He more often provides healing more in keeping with this event.

I think one of the key messages is that God provided for this far in advance of our awareness of the need. At some point God provided a coin to someone at the lake. At some point that coin was dropped. At some point a type of fish became native to that lake which gathers pebbles into its mouth to dig a safe breeding spot for its young. At some point a fish was born who, at some point, gathered the coin into its mouth. At some point that fish proceeded to the area where Peter cast his hook and, without dropping the coin, bit the hook and was reeled in.

More often than not, my experience of miracles in my life resemble this. Far before I knew I would have the need, God set things in motion to provide for that need. It is only by looking back, that I see the way He had been working for days, weeks, months and years, to bring what I needed, exactly in the portion needed, to me exactly when I needed it.

What comfort this should bring us. When we pray to God, we aren’t asking Him to leap into action. We aren’t asking Him to perform some magic. We simply need to ask Him to show us where to cast the line to reel in the miracle that He started far before we asked.

My Answers:

12.
a.
The transfiguration. The words and image of Moses and Elijah on the mountain

b.
they were filled with grief – they understood and accepted that He would die

c.
They were filled with grief – they did not understand and accept that He will be raised back to life on the 3rd day

13.
a.
Annual census tax. 1/2 sheckle = 2 drachma = “ransom for his life”

b.
His willingness to pay the price for life as a Jew, even though He was above the law (the son of the King) and He would give up His own life to pay the ransom for ours that we could not pay

18 BSF Matthew Week 18, Day 4

Today’s Scriptures

My Daily Journal:

Small faith vs. Little faith: Jesus praises small faith but chastises His disciples for having little faith. The image it brought to my mind was of a plant, reminiscent of the parable of the sower and the seeds.

A small plant is one just beginning to grow. It is at a tender stage, but full of potential and power. It reaches hungrily to the sun. It digs roots in deep to feed on nourishment.

In contrast, a little plant is one that is failing to thrive. Instead of continuing to dig in and grow tall and majestic, it has gotten twisted around itself. It lives only partially in the sunlight. It relies on existing roots and does not continue to dig deeper.

Imagine the frustration of the farmer who has planted strong seed and nourished it through the initial stages of growth, only to see it failing. He knows the potential. He sees the strength it can have, but, only if it chooses.

Jesus does help us with our unbelief. He has given us His Word, the bible. He has given us His church. He has given us the promise of salvation and the ability to converse with Him daily in prayer.

But how often do we fail to thrive, to feed on His nourishment, to accept His strength? We need to be bold. We need to dig in to His foundation. We need to bask in the light of our creator. When we do – what we could do for Him in His name!!!

My Answers:

9.
a. a man, a father
b. Lord have mercy on my son, seizures and suffering – heal him
c. the disciples
d. You unbelieving and perverse generation, how long shall I stay with you/put up with you: bring
e. I do believe, help me overcome my unbelief
f. doubt – little faith

10.
a.
All, physical, spiritual, power over all that has been created, power over death. A full measure. According to Gods will

b.
Small faith is freshly planted and growing, little faith is failing to mature and thrive. It is not being nourished in prayer and study and trust

c.
To trust more fully in God for everything – To fully know and live life in the fact that His will will be done.

11.
To be bold. To trust in the power He has given to His believers to take action that brings honor to Him.

18 BSF Matthew Week 18, Day 3

Today’s Scriptures

My Daily Journal:

Today’s section has two major questions:
1. Why Moses and Elijah?
2. How did Peter, James and John know who they were?

There are lots of thoughts about Moses and Elijah. Moses representing the law and Elijah the prophets, the 2 sections of the Jewish scriptures of that day. Elijah had been taken up in the chariot of fire, Moses’ grave is unknown.

But, I take a simpler view. The purpose of this event was to bring comfort to the man, Jesus. Angels had brought comfort to Jesus after his spiritual battle with Satan, the temptation in the wilderness. But the challenge faced now is human, suffering and death.

Moses and Elijah were there because they could comfort Jesus in the challenges he would face. Both of these prophets had faced physical suffering in their mission for God. Both had been taught to rely on God for their strength and substanance, specifically for the food they ate. My food, said Jesus, is to do the will of Him who sent me and to finish His work. Both Moses and Elijah physically experienced connection with God: seeing Him from the cleft in the mountain, carried in a chariot of fire.

These two humans were the best equipped of men in history to provide the comfort needed by by the Son of Man.

How did the apostles know who they were?

BSF nametags, of course!

My Answers:

6.
a.
They came to comfort Jesus. Both had been through difficult situations in their calling for God. Both had messages to deliver to a unlistening people. Both had suffered physically in their mission. Both had seen God pass by.

b.
They spoke about his departure, which he was about to bring to fulfillment at Jerusalem

c.
They were present to be a support and comfort, and encouragement – not an obstacle or one who added burden

7.
a.
As shrines to honor them

b.
Jesus is not on the same level, they came for Jesus not the apostles, they were done (did not need shelter)

c.
Listen to Him. This is my Son, whom I love, in Him I am well pleased.

8.
a.
He was sent as a prophet, one called to repent and be baptized to make the paths straight (Matt 3)

b.
He was murdered for speaking the truth

c.
future tense – Elijah comes and will restore all things. Gift is available, death is defeated, but Earth is not restored

17 BSF Matthew Week 17, Day 5

Today’s Scriptures

My Daily Journal:

This may be hard. It may not be what you or I want to hear, but the fact of the matter is: What I want doesn’t really matter.

It didn’t matter when Satan tempted Adam and Eve in the garden. It didn’t matter when Satan tempted Peter.

Being a Christ-Follower means that I follow Christ. I don’t give Him my advice on how He should do things, like I somehow have a better plan than He does. He leads, I follow. That’s the deal.

It isn’t that Christ doesn’t care about what we want and the desires of our heart. He wants those things for us. He wants us to bring them to Him and lay them at His feet. But He also wants/expects us to trust Him, not argue with Him.

There are huge blessings in that trust. As Jesus points out when we follow and trust in Him, we see Him in His full glory. We experience His full power. We don’t even have to wait until after the grave to begin living in the Kingdom, it starts now… today.

My Answers:

10.
a.
He argues with Jesus (just like the saducees) telling Him He is wrong. Jesus says get behind me.

b.
Because of love – he did not want Him to die.

c.
When I don’t like the message that God has for me. When I am unsure or uncomfortable with my own ability, but not relying on Him

d.
Satan

11.
a.
Christ bore our sins in His body on the cross so that sin is dead in us and we live in righteousness. By His wounds you have been healed

b.
denial of earthly things – we will suffer on earth but see the glory of God first hand

c.
It is a choice. We can choose to milk everything we can out of the meager minutes we have in this life or we can set that aside and focus on an everlasting life with Him.

d.
Whoever loses their life for Jesus and the gospel will save it. To see the kingdom of God

e
What do I put above God? What am I not willing to lay down? By definition, that thing I put above the Lord.

12.
Some look to the fall of Jerusalem and destruction of the temple as the rise of the new world order and the rise of Christianity. I think this refers to the vision of Stephen to see Christ standing at the altar of God and John seeing heaven in Revelation.

17 BSF Matthew Week 17, Day 4

Today’s Scriptures

My Daily Journal:

1. There used to be a commercial where the actors in it wore shirts with their credit score in bold letters on the front of their shirt. In a way, I think that is how our faith is with God. When God looks at us, He doesn’t see muscles and bones and skin. He doesn’t see facial expressions, hair styles, fashion. He doesn’t see every time I have stumbled and sinned. I mean, yes, He knows and sees all of those things, but His focus is on His Spirit in me. Not my good deeds, but how solidly I have accepted the gift of Himself that He offered to me. Have I accepted it fully, as it is, or have I only partially accepted it. Have it accepted it unadulterated, or have I tried to chip away at the corners of the gift.

The cornerstone is square and true and level. It is not adjusted by the mason to fit in with other dis-formed stones, it is not chipped away to fit into an opening, it is the first stone set that everything else builds upon.

When Jesus looked at Peter’s faith, that is what He saw. He didn’t see Peter as supernatural. He didn’t see Peter as having something above and beyond all other men. He definitely did not see perfection or infallibility! He did, however, see pure and true, square and level, faith. Jesus is the foundation. Jesus is the builder. Jesus cuts the stone and provides the living stones to build His church. That faith, the pure acceptance of the gift of the Spirit – That is the cornerstone.

2. I am seeing the message over and over again in Matthew that our words have power. Far more power than we give them credit.

We/I can be too casual with my words or lack thereof. Jesus taught, It isn’t what goes into us that makes us clean or unclean, it is what comes out of us. The words we use reflect the content of our hearts. This week we see not only that, but they have power. Things we bind and loose on earth, have eternal impact.

I’m praying to guard my heart, to keep it true to Him so that the words that come from my mouth carry the Love of Christ with them.

My Answers:

6.
a.
Deut: Rock, Jesus, savior, but one they deserted
Matt: stumbling block – Peter putting human concerns above concerns of God
Eph: Jesus cornerstone of the teachings/foundation of the apostles & prophets (the church)
1 Pete: Living stone, being built into a holy priesthood

b.
Peter at Pentecost beginning the sermon to launch the Christian Church on earth. Acts 2
No Foundation but Jesus

7.
The life of the church is not bound to the life of any man, neither Jesus or Peter

8.
Peter proclaimed the good news and many were saved (3000 +) both Jews and gentiles

b.
jews and gentiles

9.
a.
all disciples

b.
Words have power – blessing and curse are not mere words but carry weight. Souls converted on Earth will have eternal life in Heaven.

17 BSF Matthew Week 17, Day 3

Today’s Scriptures

My Daily Journal:

The crowd can (and often is) wrong. Many of us have a bias to popular opinion. The majority rules. The individual people has a say in the direction of things.

I believe this comes not so much in the faith of the populace, but in a lack of faith and trust in tyrannical rulers. But, in the same way that we can yield too much to power in the hands of a few, we can also yield too much power to the many.

There is a growing trend in churches to want to be “culturally relevant.” We need to be more accepting. We need to open the church up to a dialogue and allow people to shape what works for them. We need to be accepting of popular opinion.

But that is not how Christianity works. Jesus tells Peter, you didn’t get your statement of faith from a book or from listening to the crowd. You got your faith from God. That is where faith in Jesus comes from. “No one can say, Jesus is Lord, except by the Holy Spirit.”

Jesus Christ is a rock, not a willow tree. He is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. He doesn’t yield to who people want Him to be or who they would like for Him to be, He is who He is: The Messiah, The Son of the living God.

Emphasis is on the word “the”. There is only one Messiah, there is only one Son, there is only one living God. Jesus says “I am the way, the truth and the life.” Again., THE. The only way, the only truth, the only life. There are no other paths.

Some may look at that and say, “how arrogant. Every other path is wrong and Jesus is the only way?” It is not a boast. It is a fact. If there is only one path, shouldn’t we tell people that are heading the wrong direction. That isn’t condemning them. It isn’t judging them or putting them down. It isn’t excluding them. It is trying to love them and save them.

Don’t pay attention to my words. I could be wrong. Don’t pay attention to the words of our culture, to popular opinion. It is normally wrong. Pay attention to what the bible says. It is never wrong.

My Answers:

4.
a.
Elijah, John the Baptist, Jeremiah

b.
the Messiah, the Son of the living God

c.
Both

d.
Yes – affects everything

5.
a.
by my Father in heaven

b.
John: children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God
1 Cor 2: not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, explaining spiritual realities with Spirit-taught words
1:Cor 12: no one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit.