Good Morning,
I hope that all
of you had a wonderful and restful Labor Day holiday. We are so blessed to live
in a country that respects the men and women who serve in the Armed Services to
insure that we are able to enjoy the quality of life that we do. As Christians we
are blessed to have a God that sent his son to live and die on this Earth so
that we will be able to enjoy an eternal way of life someday. Today we are
continuing in our study of the seven woes in Matthew 23, specifically the
fourth woe today, thank you for joining me on this journey.
Matthew 23:16-22
16 “Woe to you,
blind guides! You say, ‘If anyone swears by the temple, it means nothing; but
if anyone swears by the gold of the temple, he is bound by his oath.’ 17 You
blind fools! Which is greater: the gold, or the temple that makes the gold
sacred? 18 You also say, ‘If anyone swears by the altar, it means nothing; but
if anyone swears by the gift on it, he is bound by his oath.’ 19 You blind men!
Which is greater: the gift, or the altar that makes the gift sacred? 20
Therefore, he who swears by the altar swears by it and by everything on it. 21
And he who swears by the temple swears by it and by the one who dwells in it.
22 And he who swears by heaven swears by God’s throne and by the one who sits on
it.
Once again Jesus
is commenting on the inconsistent lives that the Pharisees and Teachers of the
Law are living, and the example that they were setting for the people of their
day. When I read this passage it reminds of my first full-time ministry job in
the small town of Pocahontas Arkansas. The teens in my youth group were fond of
using the phrase “don’t lie in church” anytime one of them said something
unbelievable in the church building. At first I thought this was just a cute colloquialism,
but I soon found out that they really placed some importance on the building in
which we met to worship and have Bible class. In their minds this building was
set apart as holy and as such their actions should be holy while inside this
building while outside of the building they could live however they wished.
This isn’t a new
phenomenon in the lives of Christians. The denominational world would have you
believe that the building in which you worship is a “sanctuary” where the Lord
dwells. In reality the Lord does not dwell in the physical building but rather in
the hearts of his followers (Acts 17:24). If we follow this line of reasoning
then we will come to the inescapable conclusion that it doesn’t matter where we
are or whom we are with when it comes to obeying God and keeping his
commandments. This cannot be an occasional decision, it must be a daily choice
to love God and keep his commandments consistently. Let’s help each other make
and keep that decision everyday no matter where we are or whom we are with.
Questions For Thought
1. Why do we
live inconsistent lives when we know God sees all and knows all?
2. What are some
ways to insure consistency in our lives?
3. Is there a
Christian person in your life that demonstrates consistency?
Be Strong and
Courageous
Paul
Paul
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