Open

Re:Verse passage – Matthew 7:24-29 (day three)

“The crowds were amazed at his teaching; for he was teaching them as one having authority, and not as their scribes.”

Whatever teaching justifies people in positions in which they hold power over you; whatever teaching conveys that you possess little worth; whatever teaching encourages you not to advocate for your well-being; whatever teaching claims God’s will as a trump card to quell dissent; whatever teaching tends to favor the powerful; whatever teaching places some people above God’s judgment – such teaching magnifies man, not God. It wasn’t the downtrodden, the spiritual outsiders, the sinners whom Jesus disturbed. Rather, it was the celebrated, the spiritual elite, the most biblically literate who became alarmed. The prostitutes and tax collectors? They knew hope when they saw it. This is what happened when the real authority taught the scriptures. Jesus opens doors the system has slammed shut.

Authority

Re:Verse passage – Matthew 7:24-29 (day two) When Jesus had finished these words, the crowds were amazed at His teaching; for He was teaching them as one having authority, and not as their scribes. vs. 28-29

A good teacher will understand his students and know what they need to hear. Whether by his actions or by his words, Jesus was an excellent teacher. Perhaps you have sat in a lecture where you have been captivated by the teacher so much it seemed like a privilege to hear them speak. The last verse of our reading sums it up fairly well. Jesus had authority. He wasn’t regurgitating facts. He was the author and perfecter of our faith.

We may not be able to sit on a hillside and listen to Jesus teach, but we can trust the accounts of those who recorded these stories. Jesus’ words still have authority. He still speaks through the scriptures, through the Holy Spirit, and through the testimony of others. Our foundation should be founded upon Christ alone.

Re:Verse Blog – 2/19/24

Re:Verse passage – Matthew 7:24-29 (day one)

Join us as Senior Pastor Chris Johnson, Associate Pastor Aaron Hufty, and Associate Pastor Bryan Richardson walk us through Matthew 7:24-29 in our Winter Re:Verse Series: “The Sermon on the Mount – Living Kingdom Values.”

Freedom Weekend

Re:Verse passage – Matthew 7:15-23 (day seven)

Thank you for praying for Freedom Weekend. We truly felt the power of your prayers through the week and into the last several days. On Friday night the speaker, Laine Melikian (FBC Marble Falls), challenged our students to identify the things that hold them back from living for God. We find healing in confession and repentance of these things. Then on Saturday he brought it back up again by pointing out that we repetitively come to points in our life, such as a freedom weekend, where we find ourselves in the same state of confessional repentance, but the repentance should be meant to remove something from our life in order to make room for God to work. What are the good things that God wants to do in your life now? Not a point in the future, but right now! How will you let the Kingdom of Heaven overlap with your life today so that you can join in God’s good work today?

Does this challenge you? I know our students were challenged! Pray with me as students continue to process what this means for them and what next steps God is calling them to take!

Their New Prophet

Re:Verse passage – Matthew 7:15-23 (day six)

Oh, the joys of those who do not
    follow the advice of the wicked,
    or stand around with sinners,
    or join in with mockers.
2 But they delight in the law of the Lord,
    meditating on it day and night.
3 They are like trees planted along the riverbank,
    bearing fruit each season.
Their leaves never wither,
    and they prosper in all they do.

Psalm 1:1-3

As Jesus taught them about “false prophets” and “fruit,” I imagine they thought about Psalm 1. Jesus is making a similar appeal: be discerning with the prophets you allow in your life; find the ones who will teach you to delight in God’s Kingdom and model Kingdom fruitfulness.

Ultimately, Jesus is inviting them to learn from him. (Matthew 11:29)

Relationship

Re:Verse passage – Matthew 7:15-23 (day five)

“Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’”

These are the four most dreaded words in scripture. “I never knew you.”  Yet, there is hope and comfort in them. Jesus is mandating that what is absolutely essential for eternal life, is a relationship with God through Him. God desires a relationship with us- a relationship that shapes our minds, hearts, and wills. Interaction. Engagement. Speaking and listening. Learning and growing. Serving and sharing. If this relationship is real it must be vibrant- producing fruit. There must be a connection to what we profess and our actions. You evilDOERS (emphasis mine). Verbal and moral. Lips and life. Attitudes and Actions. All/both are evidence and affirmation of a relationship with the Lord. (See James chapter 2)

Cheap Grace

Re:Verse passage – Matthew 7:15-23 (day four)

Dietrich Bonhoeffer coined the phrase “cheap grace” in his famous book, The Cost of Discipleship. He describes cheap grace as a grace that requires no repentance, no sacrifice, and ultimately no cross. We want Jesus’ free gift without having to do anything in response. I think this is what Jesus is warning us about here. There will be people who talk like they know Jesus, but never truly surrender their lives to him, never suffer with him, and never know him intimately.

Of course, grace is given to us freely by a gracious God. We don’t have to earn it or “purchase” it on our own, but that doesn’t mean it’s not costly. Grace calls us to become more like Christ. Grace calls us to rid our lives of sin so that we can make room for the Spirit. Grace calls us to participate in the life, death and resurrection of Christ. Grace calls us to lay our lives down so that we may have life abundant.

This is a great passage for us to meditate on as we begin the season of Lent. A season where we’re challenged to pray, “more of You, and less of me.” This creates the room for the Spirit to work in us and produce this good fruit by which we are known.

Theater

Re:Verse passage – Matthew 7:15-23 (day three)

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.”

Who did Jesus refer to time and again throughout his sermon as having taught his listeners? Hypocrites, or actors. Eager for the best seats at the banquets? Actors. Making prayer into performance art? Actors. Skirting the law for their own financial gain and in so doing devouring widows’ houses and depriving the elderly of financial support? Actors. Laying claim to the mantle of Moses and with it the special status of a select few blessed by God? Actors. These actors, also known as teachers of the law, are very good at their primary craft – acting. “I’m not a doctor, but I play one on TV.” And Jesus says, “What does that have to do with anything?”

Discernment

Re:Verse passage – Matthew 7:15-23 (day two)  You will know them by their fruits. vs. 16a

Discernment is a skill set unsuited to our current cultural psyche. We don’t have to truly determine value and worth because there are so many other voices doing that for us. Speeches are “fact checked” in real time, and then are dissected the instant they are finished. We speak of the damage social media does to our society, and we all have several different forms on our devices. How many of us truly walk away from the constant ‘noise’ of those feeds?

Discernment is not a sound bite you can fit into a post on ‘X’. Discernment will not be found on any ‘Insta Influencer’s’ posts. When trying to determine truth from deception you will need a longer attention span. A bruised fruit and a bad fruit are not the same. We all sin, that is our fallen nature. The difference in Jesus’ analogy is that he is asking you to weigh the teaching over time, against all that you know of God. Is truth found there? Does it hold up? Truth doesn’t tell you what you want to hear. It is truth. Let us pray for discernment as we make decisions for ourselves, our families, our church, and our world.

Re:Verse Blog – 2/12/24

Re:Verse passage – Matthew 7:15-23 (day one)

Join us as Senior Pastor Chris Johnson, Associate Pastor Aaron Hufty, and Associate Pastor Bryan Richardson walk us through Matthew 7:15-23 in our Winter Re:Verse Series: “The Sermon on the Mount – Living Kingdom Values.”