January - Reading 19

I think our moderators are sleeping in late this Saturday!
So here are the readings for today:

Matthew 8:1-13

Acts 11:1-18

Psalm 18:25-50

Genesis 41

(none of us discussed the last part of Matthew 7 yesterday about the wise and foolish builders!)

[ January 18, 2003, 10:07 AM: Message edited by: Clint Kritzer ]

 

Preach on, Helen, preach on!

I can't. My tongue ith thuck

So I will type. By wow is this a weird way to type all pretzled up like this!

Matthew 8:1-13 -- two healings: one a Jew and one a Gentile. Both are immediately healed. The Jew is then told to obey the law -- to go show yimself to the priest and offer the gift Moses commanded. Why? Jesus says why: "as a testimony to them." Jesus will be building them up to a point of absolutely no excuses.

To the Centurion who pleaded for the life of his servant, Jesus, commenting on his faith as Clint pointed out, only tells the Centurion, "Go! It will be done just as you believed it would." The Gentile is not told to obey any law, only to walk in faith.

Again, the Lord works within each culture. He KNOWS where each of us is grounded and the way each of us needs to respond to Him.


And yet, we see the Apostles, in the Acts reading today, exclaiming, "So then God has granted even the Gentiles repentance unto life."

Jesus had spent so much time telling them:
"For God so loved the world..."
"everyone who looks to the Son..."
"I have other sheep..."

It was a radical change after a history of being told to be separate from the other peoples of the world. It must have been very hard to accept for many of them. No wonder the problems with legalism and circumcision kept coming up.

The last section of Psalm 18 is one that actually is VERY helpful in understanding something and also in refuting Roman Catholicism!

First of all, we often are confused that those who persist in rebelling against God come to see Him as some kind of a vengeful monster deity. But I think David can help us here. Look at verses 25-27 in these terms:

To the faithful, you show yourself faithful,
to the blameless you show yourself blameless,
to the pure you show yourself pure,
but to the crooked you show yourself shrewd.
You save the humble
but bring low those who are haughty.

In a sense, just like the cultural above, God approaches each person on that person's terms! It might be then that what a person says about God says far more about that person him or herself...

Then look further down. Notice that David is directly dependent upon God Himself, not through any angels or saints or other intermediaries. It is David and God, direct communication, direct relationship.

For who is God besides the LORD?
And who is the Rock except our God?
It is GOD who arms me with strength
and makes my way perfect.
He makes my feet like the feet of a deer;
he enables me...
He trains my hands...
You give me your shield of victory,
and your right hand sustains me;
you stoop down to make be great.
You broaden the path beneath me
so that my ankles do not turn.

David continues, telling how God has given him victory over his enemies, who had nowhere to turn; and then how God made him the head of nations -- and that's plural! David, the youngest son, the shepherd boy -- what a way to be used by God!

And then David ends in praise, again referring to God as both Rock and Savior. And the Savior is ALWAYS our Rock and our refuge, not any Apostle or other human person. The Rock is forever and only God. He establishes His church among us who believe and follow, in whom His Holy Spirit dwells. No intercessors needed besides Christ Jesus Himself.


In Genesis 41 we see Joseph's rise to power in Egypt, his marriage and his two sons. Because he was able to interpret the dreams of the Pharaoh, and was believed by Pharaoh, Joseph was put in charge of all the resources of Egypt in order to prepare for the coming seven year famine. At the end of the chapter we read "And all the countries came to Egypt to buy grain from Joseph, because the famine was severe in all the world." Please understand 'all the world' there nay mean the Mediterranean area, or it may refer to something that was causing mayhem over the entire earth. I personally have no way of knowing! The word can be used either way.

But the one thing that should also be noticed here is that again rescue is for all who seek it. Granted people had to travel to Egypt for the food they needed so desperately, but there was enough for them all if they were willing to do that.


And we didn't talk about the last part of Matthew 7 yesterday, so let's remember that when we do build our house (our lives) on the Rock, who is only Christ, that means we are obeying His teachings. And as this house stands, we also stand as a testimony to a starving world, showing them where the bread of life is, so they, too, may come and eat and be satisfied.