sermon excerpt

How to Become a Doer and Not Just a Hearer of the Word

/ Richard Bargas / Leave a comment

This past Sunday I spoke to our church about Jesus’ command to his disciples and those in the crowd to “do and observe” what the Pharisees and Scribes who sat in Moses’ seat taught, so long as it was accurately reflected in the Bible. We are also called by Scriptures to do and observe all that the Bible teaches. So, as a people who desire to be not merely hearers, but doers, I gave these five applicational thoughts about how to “use” the Bible more effectively. If you want to hear the sermon that this is taken from, you can download or stream it here, entitled “The Authority of the Word of God.”

  1. Notate. Take note of application given in sermons you hear. Literally take notes! Look for what God would have you DO with his Word. Don’t just collect biblical information. Then, go back and review your notes, praying for help to obey what you have seen that he wants you to do.

     

  2. Saturate. On your own, read your Bible with an eye for application. This means that you need to know how to find universal principles in the Bible. These are truths that are good in every time and every culture. They are also consistent with the whole Bible.

     

  3. Categorize. Take those universal truths and begin categorizing them into useful headings. Begin by setting up categories for your roles in life–Bible verses for you as a Father/Mother, as a husband/wife, as a son/daughter, as a Christian, as an employee, as a neighbor.

     

  4. Organize. Put Scriptures (and the principles that they speak of) in categories that will lend themselves to your use–such as pride, humility, gossiping, the tongue, hope, fear of man, decision making, forgiveness, etc. Some of these will be more useful to you than others, so be sure to put them on a list that you can tuck into your Bible, or even write into the end papers of your Bible so they are handy whenever you need them.

     

  5. Apply. Now, when you are, for example, having a bad day with your mouth–you keep hurting others, or maybe you’ve lost your temper–you can turn in your Bible and meditate on what God’s Word says about that issue and what you need to do. As you do this over and over, you will not only begin to remember where to go without having to look at the list, but you will slowly memorize those verses.

 

It’s not brain surgery or rocket science, but it does take discipline and effort. Jesus said for you and I to “do and observe” His Word. If you claim that the Bible is truly your authority, then you need to know it so you can obey it. If not, then you are merely a hearer of the Word and not a doer–fooling yourself. May we never find ourselves there.

Blessed Are the Poor in Spirit

/ Richard Bargas / Leave a comment

There is a bestselling financial book by Robert Kyosaki entitled Rich Dad, Poor Dad. Its purpose, like most books of this type, is to share with the reader financial secrets in order to make you financially wealthy.

In these ever-tightening financial times, people are more concerned than ever that they get their financial house in order, fearing an economic recession is just around the corner, if not at our doorstep.

I think that taking care of your family financially is not only wise, but also biblical. Paul told Timothy, “But if anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.” (1Tim 5:8).

Yes, financial responsibility is definitely an important part of a stable life, even for a Christian. But, there is an even more crucial issue that we must prepare for, we must seek after—it is spiritual poverty.

Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to him. And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 5:1-3

“Blessed,” in simplest terms means “happy.” But it is so much more than a “dopey smile on your face giddiness.” It is a deep-seated, satisfying contentedness. Dr. Lloyd-Jones made an insightful comment about happiness. He said,

Happiness is the great question confronting mankind. The whole world is longing for happiness and it is tragic to observe the ways in which people are seeking it. The vast majority, alas, are doing so in a way that is bound to produce misery. Anything which, by evading the difficulties, merely makes people happy for the time being, is ultimately going to add to their misery and problems. That is where the utter deceitfulness of sin comes in; it is always offering happiness and it always leads to unhappiness and to final misery and wretchedness. The Sermon on the Mount says, however, that if you really want to be happy, here is the way.” (Studies in the Sermon on the Mount, p. 24).

So, whom did Jesus say would be blessed? Notice that I did not say, what would make us blessed—as if an object could make us happy—I asked, who is the happy man or woman? Who is the one who is blessed? It is the one who is poor in spirit.

“Poor in spirit” is not about money. “Poor in spirit” does not refer to your bank account, or it would be a virtue to be penniless. There are many among the poor who are just as spiritually starved as those that are rich in this world. While some wealthy folks may trust in their riches, it is equally true that some who are poor are repeatedly telling themselves and others, “If only I had a little more money, things would be different…”

But money doesn’t buy happiness or heaven. Luke 18:9-14 contains probably the best snapshot of the rich dad and poor dad, spiritually speaking. In this story, Jesus is speaking to men who were not spiritually poor, but thought of themselves as spiritual millionaires. They were religious and quite satisfied with themselves. Verse 9 tells us that because of this smug attitude, they looked down their nose at others who were not their spiritual equals.

Let’s look at a few features of the spiritually self-sufficient man, the rich man, and then we will look at the other guy.

First, notice that he had no need. The spiritually “rich” do not see their need for God. They may not be particularly religious. They may be downright wicked. Or, they may be especially skilled in the art of religiosity and morality. Yet, this is the point, they think to themselves, “I am not like these others who need God. I am fine as I am. I don’t need all of this religion and such. It’s not for me.”

Second, they are spiritually blind. The spiritually rich are blind to their own faults. They soothe themselves with thoughts of their own goodness, in comparison to others. But they will not compare themselves to God, because if they did, they would not see themselves as rich, but wretched and poor. Consider what the Bible says about all people:

“The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it? “I the Lord search the heart and test the mind, to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his deeds.” Jeremiah 17:9-10

“As it is written: “None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.” Rom 3:10-12

“We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment. We all fade like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.” Isa 64:6

Third, these spiritually “rich” are really spiritually bankrupt. Yes, those who would consider themselves in the best spiritual state, so good in fact that they have no need for God, are in fact bankrupt. They are spiritually rich only in their imagination. They just don’t want to face the truth. Like people today who live off of credit until it catches up to them, the spiritually rich live like they are close to God until one day God says to them, “Depart from me, I never knew you…” (Matt 7:23).

Let’s go back to Jesus’ story in Luke 18:13. Here we have a man that is spiritually poor, or as Matthew 5:3 says, “poor in spirit.” Let’s look at his character:

First, his actions come from an inner attitude. The thumping of the chest, the averted eyes, the crying out to God with a passionate heart, these originate in a heart that is changed. These come from how he views himself—he calls himself, “a sinner.” He is not merely saying a spiritual platitude-“I am a sinner, but who isn’t?” No, this man feels in every fiber of his being that he is a sinner.

Second, this sinner has come to a terrible realization. This sinner realizes that his sin puts him in a very frightening place with almighty God. He cries out, “be merciful to me.” Cries of mercy recognize their guilt. Mercy begs that the offended one would withhold the righteous judgment and wrath they so richly deserve.

Third, the changed attitude and this terrible realization affect his worship before God. This is why the tax collector will not look up. He is guilty before God and he is ashamed. He beats his chest in shame and disgust at his own sins. This man has nothing to offer God. No excuses. No self-righteousness. No good works. No spiritual bargaining chips. HE IS POOR IN SPIRIT.

Fourthly, his brokenness before God; his spiritual poverty, is found acceptable in God’s eyes. In Matt 4:3, Jesus said that the poor in spirit are blessed, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Heaven belongs to, is enjoyed by, and is inhabited by those who are poor in spirit.

Jesus said of the tax collector in Luke 18, that he went home justified—right with God—not the other.

Rich Dad, Poor Dad. Which are you?

No need? No desire for God or what you call religion? Feeling good about yourself? You’re the rich dad who is spiritually bankrupt. You are not right with God, and you will never be right with God with that attitude.

The last sentence in Luke 18:14 said, “For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.” Humble yourself. See yourself as you really are before God. Beg his mercy, and he will hear your pleas and will forgive you your sins. You can be justified by God today.

Do you see yourself as a sinner? Do you see yourself with God’s eyes? Are you broken and remorseful over your sins? Ask God for mercy. His mercy is abundant and will forgive any and every sin. First John 1:9 says, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

When you humble bow before God and ask his mercy and forgiveness, Matt 5:3 says, yours shall be the kingdom of heaven.

Did you resolve to share Christ this year?

/ Richard Bargas / 4 Comments

At least he tried!I love fishing. I remember a time when a friend and I climbed a fence and hiked into an abandoned gravel pit to fish a pond we found inside of it. The pond wasn’t very large, (we were able to cast to the other side) but we figured that since it was inaccessible, it might have good fishing. We didn’t catch anything. There weren’t any fish in the little pond. No life at all. It was just a big whole where rainwater had collected.

Sometimes Christians are like that. They don’t venture out where the fish are, and they never catch fish. They reluctantly throw their hooks into a bucket. “Oh well,” they reason, “I guess I’m not an evangelist.” Or, we can be guilty of thinking that since we no longer have any unbelieving friends, we don’t need to share Christ.

Churches as a whole can be guilty of this as well. Instead of being about the business of saving souls, they focus on making everyone in the church comfortable, or inviting Christian friends from other churches to their church. Friends, that isn’t evangelism, that is, to change the analogy, sheep stealing. Moving sheep from one pen to another doesn’t increase the size of the flock.

Pastor E.V. Hill said that the church throughout the ages has struggled in this area, becoming “keepers of the aquarium instead of fishers of men.”

We are not to be keepers of our little (or big) aquarium. We are called by Jesus to be fishers of men.

In this blog post, I would like to call your attention to four facts about the call of every Christian to be fishers of men, or evangelists.

1. Jesus Uses Every Type of Person to Preach the Gospel. 

“While walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon (who is called Peter) and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen.” (Matt 4:18)

Jesus chose rough, unpromising men to be his Apostles. None of the original twelve disciples were formally trained, that we know of. The only exception was the Apostle Paul, who was a special exception all around. None of those Jesus chose were religious leaders. Many were fishermen. Matthew was a tax collector.

Many of them were so obscure in their background that we know very little about them. The other followers of Jesus included women, former prostitutes, slaves and slave-owners, businessmen and women, soldiers, and even politicians.

Although Jesus could have done the work of evangelism alone, his plan was to use his disciples to win other disciples for the kingdom. God uses means (us) to preach the gospel to the world (the end of which is to bring glory to God).

Have you ever considered how God has placed you where you are to effect change in your sphere of influence? We are called to take the gospel to our corner of the world, wherever that may be right not.

As a pastor, I have limited access to many different types of people in their “natural environment” even though I regularly evangelize and share Christ. As a matter of fact, whether at the barbershop or a party, nothing seems to kill a conversation quicker than the question, “So what do you do for a living?” I know that when I say, “I’m a pastor,” immediately most people tense up. I’ve seen beer cans disappear and language instantly cleaned up, followed by a change of subject or location!

Just talking.I have limited success and less opportunity to share the gospel with unsaved teachers as a Christian teacher can. I cannot reach out to unsaved businessmen in the same way that a Christian businessman can. I cannot gain the same access to unsaved students as a Christian student can. I can’t speak to your neighbors about Christ as well as you can. I don’t mean that you can explain the gospel in a different way, because the gospel message is the same to all of humanity. But we all have different relationships and are different people—and that gives us different opportunities and different personalities and different styles that God uses as his means for preaching the same gospel to different audiences. Everybody has access to a whole range of unbelievers that many others do not.

2. Jesus Calls Us to Evangelism as Part of Following Him.

And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” (Matt 4:19)

Peter, Andrew, James and John had had other encounters with Jesus before this incident in Matthew 4. This was not the first time they had followed Jesus. But now Jesus was calling them to make a bigger commitment. Included in this command to follow Jesus was the need to evangelize. Why?

  • It is the way of the wise (Prov 11:30)
  • It results in rewards (Deut. 12:3). This is our capacity to reflect the glory of God.
  • It is commanded (Matt 28:19-20). We may not be evangelists, but that does not exempt us from God’s command. As Paul told Timothy in 2 Tim 4:5, “Do the work of an evangelist”

Some excuses you may be using to excuse yourself, along with my response:

  • I don’t have any friends. So, make friends.
  • I only have Christian friends. So, make non-Christian friends.
  • I don’t know how to share my faith. Go to your pastor and tell him you’d like to learn. And then sign up to go out with your church when they do, or call an unsaved friend and make a date to have some coffee together.
  • I don’t speak well. Neither did Moses (Ex. 4:10-14)
  • I’m too busy.
    • Too busy to obey the Lord?
    • Too busy to pluck a soul from hell?
    • Too busy to throw the life-giving seed of the Word?
    • If this is truly the case, you are too busy and your priorities are sinfully warped and out of place.
  • I’m shy, I’m scared. This is the fear of man, and it is sinful.

Sometimes we would prefer to die for Jesus than to live for him….We are more concerned about looking stupid (a fear of people) than we are about acting sinfully (fear of the Lord). (Ed Welch, When People are Big and God is Small, pp. 39, 40.)

The reality is that a call to be a disciple of Jesus requires that we die to ourselves and live for Christ. Jesus said it clearly, “Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.” (Matt 16:24). Our comfort and ease matter little in this regard.

3. Jesus is the One who Makes Us Into Fishers of Men.

And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” (Matt 4:19)

“I will make you fishers of men.”

Consider with me for a second the changes to John and James, two of Jesus’ disciples. Mark 3:17 says that Jesus gave these brothers the nickname, Boanerges, or “sons of thunder.” Why? It is quite possible because they were men who were rough around the edges—like bulls in a china shop, as we might say.  In Luke 9:51-56, the Sons of Thunder asked Jesus if they could call down fire from heaven to consume an inhospitable Samaritan village. This incident shows us that they did not have tender hearts of mercy for the lost (at least not all the lost). But they would learn, and they would be radically changed by the Lord.

James was the first of the Apostles killed for his faith (Acts 12:1-3). John was later known as the Apostle of Love because of his extensive writing about the love of God (see 1John 4:7-12). Both had learned to be servants and to love others as Christ loved them. They became excellent examples of fishers of men.

Peter preachingThink about the changes that happened to “first-to-stick-his-foot-in-his-mouth” Peter. Of course, he is most infamously known for being shackled by the fear of man when he had stated publicly that he would be willing to die for Christ before denying him (Matt 26:69-75). But the Peter we see after the resurrection is a completely different man. In Acts 2:14; 3:11-12; 4:7-8, he was set free from his fear of man to be bold for the Lord in his testimony. What was the difference? Acts 4:13 says, “Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they were astonished. And they recognized that they had been with Jesus.” They had been with Jesus and they had received his Spirit. This will be what makes a difference for us as well. As we spend time with the Lord, we will become more like him. We will grow in compassion for the lost and we will preach the gospel to them. When we deny ourselves, as Jesus did, all the excuses begin to melt away. When we remember that we are not alone in our evangelistic efforts, we find comfort and help. Consider Jesus’ words:

Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you.

When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you.” (John 16:7, 13-14)

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” (Acts 1:8)

You cannot evangelize in your own power. God empowers you to do what he commands you to do. He makes you a fisher of men.

4. Jesus Calls Some to Dedicate Their Lives in Full Time Gospel Ministry.

“Immediately they left their nets and followed him” (Matt 4:20). “Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him” (Matt 4:22).

The disciples left everything (Matt 9:27). Worldly security. Family. Home. They did this to follow Jesus in full time ministry. But being dedicated to the ministry of the gospel is also a high honor (1Tim 3:1). Never again would Peter, Andrew, James and John be known as fishermen. These four and the rest would forever be known as Jesus’ Apostles.

God has not called everyone to be an evangelist or a full time minister of the gospel, but God has called every Christian to share his or her faith. This is not an option, nor is it a suggestion. It is a command. As we have seen, there is no excuse that we can come up with that is acceptable to the Lord. When we don’t share Christ with others, we are disobedient. There may be some who have felt that God might be calling them to give up their job for full time service in the gospel. Maybe it is to be a missionary or maybe to be a pastor one day. If that is the case, how are you preparing to obey the Lord’s calling on your life? Do something! If you don’t plan to do something, you are planning to do nothing.

Tempted to Doubt God

/ Richard Bargas / Leave a comment

I couldn't help it!When I was a small boy, my brother and I knew that my mom had a stash of chocolate and we made it our mission to get it. We took a chair and used it to get up on the counter, and then we stood up on the counter and climbed the shelves to the very top shelf where it was hidden. We took it down and unleashed the chocolate from its wax paper wrapper and broke off a wedge from the circular shaped chocolate bar, and then we took a big bite. It was awful. It was unsweetened baking chocolate that is never meant to be consumed in that form.

Our other attempt to score chocolate was also a horrible failure. It was at an early age that I learned what Ex-Lax is. You remember Ex-Lax, the chocolate looking laxative that was wrapped in foil? I know I’ll never forget it! Temptation strikes all of us, no matter our age!

In Matthew 4, Satan took Jesus to Jerusalem and set him on the pinnacle of the temple, possibly the high southeastern corner called Solomon’s Porch. This corner dropped over 400 feet into the Kidron valley below. It was from this precipice that Satan pitched his next temptation to Jesus. Matthew 4:6 says,

“and [Satan] said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down, for it is written, “‘He will command his angels concerning you,’ and “‘On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.’”

Along with the temptation, Satan quoted Scriptures to back up what might seem to be an otherwise crazy suggestion. The two quotations that Satan used were from the Old Testament, from Psalm 91:11-12, a psalm that speaks of God as the protector and salvation of those who trust in him when they are in danger. So, what Satan is saying is basically true.  But what was his motive? His attack here was two-fold:

1.            The Temptation to Doubt God’s Word

Whereas in the first temptation the doubt was directed as God’s provision, here the doubt is pointed at God’s Word. It is as if Satan were saying, “Oh, so you are quoting Scriptures are you? Do you truly believe them? I have read them too. Psalm 91 says that if you are the Son of God, he will protect you so that you won’t even stub your toe if you were to jump from here. Do you believe it? Then, throw yourself down from here and prove it.”

Jesus replied to Satan’s temptation without negating the Scriptures. Instead he clarified what they mean. You see, just because someone uses the Bible doesn’t mean they are telling the truth. There are a lot of thieves on TV who use the Bible as a means to fulfill their own greed by taking advantage of unwary followers. There are also a lot of false teachers who draw attention to themselves by using the Bible as a tool for their wicked doctrines, even teaching things that the Bible clearly says are wrong as if God has sanctioned them.

You don’t believe me? Satan used the Bible. Why wouldn’t his children? That doesn’t mean that we should distrust all Bible teachers. But we need to realize that we are responsible to dig into the truth to understand it ourselves. The Bible has only one interpretation, not many. We can apply it in a lot of different ways, but it has only one meaning—what the Author intended it to mean.

Mom, is that you?Consider this example sentence given by someone, “MY MOTHER LIKES CLIMBING VINES.” Now we can’t say that this means, “MY FATHER IS AN AUTO MECHANIC.” We can’t just arbitrarily replace “father” with “mother” or “likes” with “is” or “climbing vines” with “auto mechanic.” If words have any meaning (and they do, or this blog post and everything on the internet mean nothing), we would be foolish to say, “OH, THAT’S JUST YOUR INTERPRETATION.” But there is still a problem here. Does this sentence, MY MOTHER LIKES CLIMBING VINES mean that my mother enjoys climbing up vines like Tarzan, or my mother finds pleasure in the types of vines that climb a trellis? The only way to find out, is to know the context—Is she in the garden department at Home Depot, or is she wearing a leopard skin suit and hanging from a rope?

Jesus answered Satan by using the biblical principle that is called the Analogy of Faith. This principle teaches that Scripture interprets Scripture. And because Scripture never contradicts itself, it will always agree with itself. The Bible is not self-contradictory, since it is from God and God is not a God of confusion, nor can he err.

Notice Jesus’ words in his reply to Satan in Matthew 4:7, “Jesus said to him, “Again it is written, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’”When Jesus starts by saying, “Again” or “On the other hand” He is clarifying Satan’s twisted interpretation of Scripture with a clear principle taught elsewhere in Scripture. The fact that you shall not put the Lord to the test surely means that Satan’s interpretation was in error.

2.            The Temptation to Test God (v. 7)

Here we can see the second phase of the attack. (Matthew 4:7, “Jesus said to him, “Again it is written, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’”) This verse that Jesus quotes is from Deut 6:16. In this verse it refers to Israel’s testing in Massah. So what happened in Massah? We need to go to Ex. 17:1-7 to find out.

The Problem at Massah

The problem wasn’t thirst. It was a lack of faith in God that required God to prove that he cared for the people. “IF GOD REALLY CARES FOR US, THEN HE WOULD GIVE US WATER.” In the first temptation, Satan wanted Jesus to act on his own to satisfy his own needs since, he implied, God didn’t care for him. Since Jesus showed faith and testified to the faithfulness of God, Satan tempted Jesus to prove that God cared for him by putting God to the test. How many of you have been tempted in this way? IF GOD REALLY CARES FOR ME, THEN HE WOULD [fill in the blank here].

  • Heal my friend’s sickness
  • Give me back my child who died
  • Repair my broken marriage
  • Bring home my wayward teen
  • Provide me with the relationships I long for
  • Pay my overdue bills

But let’s think of the two situations before us again:

1.            Massah

Was God able to provide water? Yes, and he did. Was the Lord with them? Yes, with or without water

2.            The Wilderness

Was God able to catch the Lord if he threw himself down? Yes. Jesus knew that twelve legions of angels would save him from the cross if he wanted them to. But since Jesus did not do it, can we know that God was with him? Yes!

  • He was with him before he went into the wilderness-Matt 3:17
  • He was with him after he faced the temptations-Matt 4:11
  • Surely, God did not abandon his Son in the midst of the temptation, did he?

Let’s go back to our temptations to put God to the test:

  • Can he heal any sickness?
  • Can he raise the dead?
  • Can he repair the worst marriage?
  • Can he bring home wayward children?
  • Can he provide someone for the lonely?
  • Can he pay our overdue bills?

YES!

But, does he have to in order to prove to you that he is with you? Does he have to in order to prove that he cares for you?

The Disciples struggled with this too. In Mark 4:35-41 it says this:

35“On that day, when evening had come, he said to them, “Let us go across to the other side.” 36 And leaving the crowd, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was. And other boats were with him. 37 And a great windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking into the boat, so that the boat was already filling. 38 But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion. And they woke him and said to him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” 39 And he awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. 40 He said to them, “Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?” 41 And they were filled with great fear and said to one another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?”

Look at verse 38 again. “Do you not care that we are perishing?” Can I reword that for you?

  • Do you not care that I am hurting?
  • Do you not care that our marriage is crumbling?
  • Do you not care that we are in desperate need?

Whatever the situation, the answer is the same. God does care for his children. If he is able to speak so that the wind and sea obey him, he is fully capable of removing your trial.

How do we overcome this temptation to test God when we doubt his care for us? Dwell on the almighty power of God. This will take your eyes off of the problem and place them on God. Notice, the fishermen were so afraid that they went into panic mode (vv. 38, 40) But when Jesus spoke and rebuked the wind and the waves, you would think they would become calm. Verse 41 says that despite the calm in the sea, they were filled with a GREAT FEAR. Their fear had moved from a fear of drowning in a storm to the fear that comes from knowing that you are in the presence of a holy God. And that is terrifying. “Sometimes the Lord calms the storm. Sometimes he lets the storm rage and calms the child.” Remember what the Bible says about God’s care for you.

  • Matt 6:25-34: Don’t be anxious.
  • 1Pet 5:7: Cast your cares upon him.
  • Phil 4:6: Pray depending upon God.

Now the skeptic would say, that’s simplistic. But it’s anything but. When we are tempted to doubt God and his Word, we need to go to him and ask his help. We need to trust him to meet our needs in his way and in his time. The Israelites in Massah were unwilling to do that. They wanted water and they wanted it now! What about you? Will you learn from their mistake and follow the way of the Master in times of temptation?

Showing Concern for Stray Sheep

/ Richard Bargas / Leave a comment

The hymn Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing was written by the 18th century pastor and hymnist Robert Robinson at age 22 in the year 1757. This hymn probably grips most Christian’s hearts because of its honesty when it says,

O to grace how great a debtor
Daily I’m constrained to be!
Let Thy goodness, like a fetter,
Bind my wandering heart to Thee:
Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,
Prone to leave the God I love;
Here’s my heart, O take and seal it;
Seal it for Thy courts above.

Considering the very real fact that we are all prone to wander, I thought that it would be helpful to consider the four ways in which we need to show loving concern for a brother or sister who has gone astray from Matthew 18:10-14

1. Do not despise the “little ones” (v. 10). It has been all too easy for many to get side tracked on this verse thinking that it somehow points to the notion of “guardian angels.” Without spending much time in this issue, let me say that there is little evidence that is given to hold to such an idea. The main point of this verse teaches that the mature Christians in the Church are to make sure that they do not despise (kataphroneo, lit. think down upon) these “little ones” which are other believers, especially the less mature.

How can we despise other Christians?

In 1Corinthians 11:22, Paul rebuked the wealthy Christians in that church for despising the poor in the way that they humiliated them in their feast when they would not share with those who had little to eat. So, we can despise the less mature by humiliating others in regards to earthly things such as wealth, education, clothing, social standings and other such things.

In 1Timothy 4:12, Paul instructed Timothy to not allow others to despise him as their pastor because of his youthfulness, but rather that Timothy should set the example for the church in godliness. So, we can despise others when we look at age as a standard instead of godliness—younger is not always better and older is not always wiser.

In 1Timothy 6:2, Paul rebuked those Christians who were taking advantage of their Christian masters by not working as hard as they could, because they had misguided ideas about their oneness in Christ. But Paul tells them that they ought to work harder for a Christian master because in doing so we are blessing a brother in Christ. So, we too can be guilty of despising a Christian brother when we take advantage of relationships we have with other Christians because they are Christians and should “understand,” when in fact we would never treat an unbeliever in this manner. There are of course other ways in which we can despise or look down upon our brothers and sisters in Christ.

Besides Jesus’ words in the first 9 verses of Matthew 18, Jesus adds another reason that we should not despise these “little ones” of God—because their angels are constantly bringing updates and are in the presence of the throne of God. As I wrote above, this isn’t saying that each Christian has his or her own guardian angel, and it is definitely not saying babies have a guardian angel (“little ones” are Christians). Hebrews 1:14 states that angels are ministering spirits for the benefit of the children of God as a group. So, God administers his grace through the hands of angelic messengers, but this is not saying that each person is assigned an angel. The major point not to be missed is this: Don’t look down upon God’s children, because they are so precious to him that he has his angels constantly ministering to us and responding to our needs.

2. Go after the straying sheep (v. 12). As stated in verses 7-9, temptations will come, but we are not to be the ones who lead other believers astray. Now in this verse we see that there will be some who are led astray, and it clarifies how we should respond appropriately. Jesus tells a parable, asking the opening question: “What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep and one goes astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go in search of the one that went astray?

Jesus expects his disciples to answer, “Of course!” It’s like saying to me, “What do you think? If you lost one of your four kids, would you leave the three and go look for the one?” YES!! I wouldn’t say, “Well, I do have three spares. We’ll see if she comes back on her own.” No, no, no. Jesus has already stressed how highly precious his little ones are in his sight.We are precious to the Lord. We, among all the millions of believers, are still precious to him. So what should we do when one of our fellow sheep goes astray? We should go after him or her. “Gone astray” is a passive verb, and suggests that this little lamb may have been led astray by a brother in Christ, possibly by someone placing a stumbling block in their path. Don’t get me wrong, each person is responsible for his or her own decisions, but our actions affect others, and we will share in the guilt if we are the stumbling block that led a little one astray.

In verses 15-20, we will see how we need to deal with a Christian who is unrepentant in their sin, so there are guidelines for going after straying sheep. Just as a simple guideline, we are not to overlook the sin that leads a Christian to walk away from Christ or his church. We cannot search for straying sheep with the hope that they can be won back with compromising regarding their sin, which led them astray.

3. Rejoice when the strays are restored (v. 13). Not all those who go astray are returned to the fold. Some sheep that wandered from their flock were eaten by wolves or faced some other death.Those who do not return to the flock of God, but depart from the faith entirely do not lose their salvation, but show that in reality they never were one of God’s “little ones.” 1John 2:19 says, “They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us. But they went out, that it might become plain that they all are not of us.” But for those who are eventually restored to the faith through repentance, the parable that Jesus taught that the Shepherd rejoices over this one who was lost and now has been found—even more than he does over the 99 who were never lost.

Hopefully you can see the similarities of this parable with Jesus’ parable about the prodigal son. Jesus is not saying that the 99 are any less special than the one that was restored, but that when the one is restored, the most appropriate thing to do is to rejoice at his restoration to God. In 2Corinthians 2:5-11, Paul referred to a man who had sinned against him, and whom the church had dealt with for his sin. Apparently, the church was still holding his sin against him. In this passage Paul urges the church to forgive the repentant sinner and to comfort him, for if they did not, the burden would become too much for him and he would be excessively sorrowful.

Likewise, we need to see that when a straying child of God is brought back into the fold, our place is never to hold that sin over him or her in an unforgiving spirit, but rather to rejoice at their restoration. Elsewhere Scriptures teaches, “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.” (Eph 4:32)

4. Understand God’s will is restoration (14) The lesson of this parable is given in this last verse. The word houtos means, “therefore” or “thus,” and brings the teaching to its concluding response for those listening. Jesus has been teaching through this parable that the Good Shepherd loves and cares for all of his sheep, and that even the least stray lamb is important to him. Our heavenly Father doesn’t allow his children to stray off and be lost forever. He cares for them and brings them back to himself…always:

John 6:39 “And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day.”

John 10:28 “I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand.”

John 17:12 “While I was with them, I kept them in your name, which you have given me. I have guarded them, and not one of them has been lost except the son of destruction, that the Scripture might be fulfilled.”

The Reformers called this doctrine, The Perseverance of the Saints, but it is better called, the Preservation of God. Since God sees each of his sheep as precious enough to go after, we must understand this doctrine as our duty as well. We cannot allow the sheep to go off and stray from the faith. If they leave, may if be that they have done so with a chorus of voices from the church calling them back. And, even though some churches rejoice in the loss of a “troublesome” Christian, even calling it “blessed subtraction,” God does not see it that way.

Think about your own local church, do you see people missing? Do you see some who have been gone for a while? Do you know why? Have you pursued them? Now, imagine that something has happened where you have been gone for a month. Wouldn’t you want to be missed? Maybe not. Maybe you have not been walking with the Lord, and you think you are happier at the moment. But, deep inside you now you aren’t. What if nobody cared? What will you do about it? Will you leave your comfort zone and go after the stray sheep?