23-24Jesus said, "You're tied down to the mundane; I'm in touch with what is beyond your horizons. You live in terms of what you see and touch. I'm living on other terms. I told you that you were missing God in all this. You're at a dead end. If you won't believe I am who I say I am, you're at the dead end of sins. You're missing God in your lives."
-John 8:23-24 (MSG)
Do you believe that Jesus is the Son of God, the promised Messiah? Do you believe that, through Jesus, your sins can be forgiven? Or, are you so focused on your own view of what "religion" should be that you've completely missed the work of God? Essentially, that is what Jesus challenged the Pharisees with. Let me explain.
In John 8, we see Jesus being challenged by the Pharisees. They were the religious leaders of Jesus' day. They are the ones whom the common people looked to as the representatives of God. They would be like our preachers and pastor's today. Yet, they had completely missed Jesus as the Messiah. Why? Verse 23 says, "Jesus said, 'You're tied down to the mundane; I'm in touch with what is beyond your horizons. You live in terms of what you see and touch. I'm living on other terms.'" Jesus is telling the Pharisees that they are focused on what really doesn't matter, that their lives are focused on what is around them. Instead, they should have been focused on Jesus. If we look at our lives today, I find that I focus more on what is around me, instead of being focused on Jesus. If you're honest about it, you probably are too. We don't need to be "tied down to the mundane." We need to be focused on Jesus. Verse 24 says, "I told you that you were missing God in all this. You're at a dead end. If you won't believe I am who I say I am, you're at the dead end of sins. You're missing God in your lives." Jesus is providing a picture. If you don't believe the message of Jesus, if you don't believe that He is the Messiah, and instead focused on you own life and your own beliefs, then you are missing God and you're dead in sins. You're at a dead end. What is your focus today? Are you so focused on your your beliefs and your spiritual rules and regulations that you miss Jesus?
Most of you probably know how much I like Southern Gospel music. There is a popular song, sung by The Perry's called "I Wish I Could Have Been There." The song basically says that they wish they could have seen the miracles Jesus did. I often think about that song and those miracles. The Pharisees didn't see God through the miracles that Jesus did. They looked at Jesus as nothing more than a false teacher. They saw the miracles, they heard Jesus speak, yet they couldn't see past their rules and their regulations. My question is this: How many miracles are done today that we fail to see God in? How many miracles do we discount and call the person a false teacher or a liar? It's all in our focus. If we are focused on God and on Jesus, we'll see the works, we'll see the miracles as a working of God. But, if we focus on our rules, our beliefs and the way we think things should be, we'll miss God, we'll miss His working in the world today. What's your focus? Focus on God, focus on Jesus, focus on the Spirit, and praise Him for the works He's still doing in our world today. Think About It.
Showing posts with label Miracles. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Miracles. Show all posts
Friday, June 22, 2012
Sunday, January 22, 2012
Are Your Thoughts Keeping You From Jesus?
9 Moving on from there, He entered their synagogue. 10 There He saw a man who had a paralyzed hand. And in order to accuse Him they asked Him, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?” 11 But He said to them, “What man among you, if he had a sheep[d] that fell into a pit on the Sabbath, wouldn't take hold of it and lift it out? 12 A man is worth far more than a sheep, so it is lawful to do what is good on the Sabbath.” 13 Then He told the man, “Stretch out your hand.” So he stretched it out, and it was restored, as good as the other. 14 But the Pharisees went out and plotted against Him, how they might destroy Him.
-Matthew 12:9-14 (HCSB)
Do you know who the Pharisees were in Jesus' time? The Pharisees were one of the religious leaders of Jesus' time. The term Pharisee meant "separatists."* These men probably loved God, and wanted to obey His Word, but they blinded themselves with the things they added to the Word. Instead of realizing that Jesus is the promised Messiah, they looked at Him as nothing more than a sinner who was stirring up trouble. In the Gospels, we read numerous times that Jesus confronted the Pharisees. Each time He would challenge them-challenge their thoughts and way of life. In Matthew 12, we see just that.
In verses 1-8, we see Jesus and the disciples walking through a grain field. The disciples picked a few heads of grain to eat because they were hungry. The Pharisees started condemning them because they were doing what they should not have done on the Sabbath. Jesus rebuked them in verses 3-8. This brings us to our verses of study for today.
Verses 9-10 read, "Moving on from there, He entered their synagogue. There He saw a man who had a paralyzed hand. And in order to accuse Him, they asked Him, Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?" The Pharisees wanted to trap Him again. There was a man who had a paralyzed hand, one who needed healing. Jesus replied in verse 11-12, "But He said to them, "What man among you, if he had a sheep that fell into a pit on the Sabbath, would't take hold of it and lift it out? A man is worth far more than a sheep, so it is lawful to do what is good on the Sabbath." The Pharisees were challenged. Was it just wrong to heal a man on the Sabbath, which they interpreted as work, and all right to rescue a sheep that had fallen into the pit, which they interpreted as no work? You see, Jesus was challenging their thinking, their thought pattern. What they viewed as work (healing), Jesus viewed as doing good. The Pharisees had it backwards. Jesus' point was this: Who wouldn't rescue a sheep that had fallen into a pit, no matter the day or time? Why then would it be sinful to heal someone who could not heal themselves no matter the day or time?
In verses 13-14 we read, "Then He told the man, “Stretch out your hand.” So he stretched it out, and it was restored, as good as the other. 14 But the Pharisees went out and plotted against Him, how they might destroy Him." So, after He challenged the Pharisees thoughts, He healed the man. What did the Pharisees do? Did they rejoice at this miracle of God, at the healing of this man? Sadly, no they did not. They left to plot how they might destroy Jesus. Isn't that sad? They saw a miracle from God, and they went out, probably seething because Jesus "broke" the Law.
Here's our challenge for today. Does your thought pattern block the way you see God? The Pharisees should have rejoiced at the coming of Jesus. They should have rejoiced at the miracles He's done. Instead, they were blinded by the things they added to God's Law. It's a problem as old as time. If you go back to Genesis 3. When talking to the serpent about the forbidden tree, Eve added to the command God gave them. Don't let the things you add to God's Word blind you to the One God's Word is about. Are you letting your thoughts keep you from Jesus? Think About It.
source: http://www.keyway.ca/htm2002/pharisee.htm
-Matthew 12:9-14 (HCSB)
Do you know who the Pharisees were in Jesus' time? The Pharisees were one of the religious leaders of Jesus' time. The term Pharisee meant "separatists."* These men probably loved God, and wanted to obey His Word, but they blinded themselves with the things they added to the Word. Instead of realizing that Jesus is the promised Messiah, they looked at Him as nothing more than a sinner who was stirring up trouble. In the Gospels, we read numerous times that Jesus confronted the Pharisees. Each time He would challenge them-challenge their thoughts and way of life. In Matthew 12, we see just that.
In verses 1-8, we see Jesus and the disciples walking through a grain field. The disciples picked a few heads of grain to eat because they were hungry. The Pharisees started condemning them because they were doing what they should not have done on the Sabbath. Jesus rebuked them in verses 3-8. This brings us to our verses of study for today.
Verses 9-10 read, "Moving on from there, He entered their synagogue. There He saw a man who had a paralyzed hand. And in order to accuse Him, they asked Him, Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?" The Pharisees wanted to trap Him again. There was a man who had a paralyzed hand, one who needed healing. Jesus replied in verse 11-12, "But He said to them, "What man among you, if he had a sheep that fell into a pit on the Sabbath, would't take hold of it and lift it out? A man is worth far more than a sheep, so it is lawful to do what is good on the Sabbath." The Pharisees were challenged. Was it just wrong to heal a man on the Sabbath, which they interpreted as work, and all right to rescue a sheep that had fallen into the pit, which they interpreted as no work? You see, Jesus was challenging their thinking, their thought pattern. What they viewed as work (healing), Jesus viewed as doing good. The Pharisees had it backwards. Jesus' point was this: Who wouldn't rescue a sheep that had fallen into a pit, no matter the day or time? Why then would it be sinful to heal someone who could not heal themselves no matter the day or time?
In verses 13-14 we read, "Then He told the man, “Stretch out your hand.” So he stretched it out, and it was restored, as good as the other. 14 But the Pharisees went out and plotted against Him, how they might destroy Him." So, after He challenged the Pharisees thoughts, He healed the man. What did the Pharisees do? Did they rejoice at this miracle of God, at the healing of this man? Sadly, no they did not. They left to plot how they might destroy Jesus. Isn't that sad? They saw a miracle from God, and they went out, probably seething because Jesus "broke" the Law.
Here's our challenge for today. Does your thought pattern block the way you see God? The Pharisees should have rejoiced at the coming of Jesus. They should have rejoiced at the miracles He's done. Instead, they were blinded by the things they added to God's Law. It's a problem as old as time. If you go back to Genesis 3. When talking to the serpent about the forbidden tree, Eve added to the command God gave them. Don't let the things you add to God's Word blind you to the One God's Word is about. Are you letting your thoughts keep you from Jesus? Think About It.
source: http://www.keyway.ca/htm2002/pharisee.htm
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