Wednesday, March 17, 2021

A Debt of Ten Thousand Talents Matthew 18:21-35


  One day Jesus shared a parable with his disciples about forgiveness.  It is recorded in Matthew 18:21-35.  In it, the king wishes to settle accounts with his slaves.  So, he calls before him one who owes him ten thousand talents (a debt that would be over 10 million dollars today) and tells him to repay.  When he says that he cannot the king orders him to be sold along with all that he has and repayment to be made.  The man begs for his life and the life of his family and the king graciously forgives him and sets him free.

    But, unfortunately the slave learns nothing from this and goes out and find a man who owes him one hundred denari (about 3.5 months worth of wages) and starts to choke him saying "Pay back what you owe" Matt 18:28.  The other slave pleads for him to give him more time, but the slave has no compassion on him and throws him into prison.  HIs fellow slaves see what has happened and report it to the king.

    When the king hears this he is angered and says to the slave "You wicked slave, I forgave you all that debt because you entreated me.  Should you not also have had mercy on your fellow slave, even as I had mercy on you?"  As a result of this, the man is handed over to torturers until he can repay his debt in full.  The story ends with these words of Jesus "So shall My heavenly Father also do to you.  If each of you does not forgive his brother from your heart."

   I was thinking about this story about the king and the slaves today.  Of course the debt that the first slave had represents the debt that we owe to God and the compassion the king shows is what the king does for us.  He forgives us not because we paid the debt or would ever be able to, but based on grace and mercy.  But, then God expects for us to not hold a debt against others in return.  Yet, much of the time we are like the thief who goes out and chokes his fellow slave and demands repayment for a lesser sin.  

   If we could truly see our debt that God has forgiven us we would be astonished at it size.  Would we even be able to see the bottom or the sides of it if we could actually see it.  The magnitude of it and the stench of our sins that God has literally wiped away is beyond your and mine imagination.   All of this because Jesus paid for it and took it away.  Not because your such a great person and deserve it.  So, who am I to hold bitterness and anger against others when they wrong me?  My debt, which was bigger than any man can imagine, was forgiven and washed clean because of God's grace and mercy.  I can't go around with anger in my heart and hate others or be bitter because of their faults.  

   There is another warning in scripture that is a part of the Lord's prayer that says much the same thing as the passage I mentioned earlier.  "For if you forgive men for their transgressions your heavenly Father will also forgive you.  But if you do not forgive men, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions."  Matthew 6:14-15.  What that tells me is that if your walking around with unforgiveness in your heart you are walking on dangerous ground.   There is no question about the nature of this command.  There really is no other way to interpret it.

   Paul said it this way in Ephesians 4:31-32  "Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice.  And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you."


Wednesday, March 10, 2021

Have you ever felt inadequate to the task God calls you?

      I was talking one day to someone about how God uses people that others have given up on.  After I stopped and really thought about it, that includes many of the so called "heros" of the Old Testament and New.  There is a section of scripture where it says,

"For consider your calling, brethren, that there were not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble; but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and god has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong, and the base things of the world and the despised, God has chosen, the things that are not, that He might nullfiy the things that are, that no man should boast before God."  1 Corinthians 1:26-29, NASV

       And when you do a survey of scripture you see that this is the truth.  Gideon for example describes hmself in Judges 6:15 as being from the least family in Manasseh and the youngest of his father's household.  And the time when the angel appeared to Gideon he was beating out the wheat to try and save it from raiding Philistines.  Another example would be Moses  Exodus 3:11.  We think of Moses as really great, but do you know he killed a man and hid him in the sand Exodus 2:12.  Or what about David, he was responsible for the death of Uriah and adultery with Bathsheba 2 Samuel 11.  Or what about Peter who denied that he even knew Jesus John 18:25-27.

      I think what that passage in 1 Corinthians above tells us that God intentionally choses the things of this world that are not that He might alone get the glory for what happens.  He wants people who are leaning on Him and trusting Him and depending on Him in order for something good to happen.  So that when it does He alone will get the credit for it.  Need more proof, look at the disciples themselves.

     Even up to the Lord's Supper itself the disciples had been arguing over who was the greatest of them Luke 22:24.  They were consumed often times by petty arguments.  Just as the church is often today.  That is why on the night that he was betrayed Jesus got up from his seat and grabbed a wash basin and washed the disciples feet.  They had a pride problem that they needed to be cured of before God could do anything good through them.

   I think this is why God was able to use Paul for as long as he did.  He was always aware of his shortcomings and faults.  And if there was a problem with pride that seemed to evaporate when God gave him what is called the thorn in the flesh, which we don't exactly know what that was.  When Paul asked for it to be removed in 2 Corinthians 12:9 the Lord said this and if it is true for Paul it is true also for us.

   "My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness."

   In response Paul was able to say,

   "Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast abot my weaknesses, that the power of Christ may dwell in me.  Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ's sake for when I am weak, then I am strong."   2 Corinthians 12:9-10

Sunday, March 7, 2021

5 Things We Can Say for Certain about the End Times

     I was listening to a sermon earlier today from Greg Laurie (which I will put a link to at the bottom of this post) and he was talking about the afterlife.  There are many different thoughts about how things will end in the end times including views of the tribulation and rapture and 1,000 year reign of Christ.  There are also many disagreements about how things will happen.  I thought I would write about five things (with supporting scripture which I encourage you to examine) that we can say for certain about the end times leading up to Jesus return.

1. The end will come about suddenly.  (Matthew 24:27; 1 Thess 4:16).  There is no question that when Jesus does return that it will be in a twinkling of an eye or very, very suddenly.  Before we know it things are going to change.  There will not be time to have a prayer meeting and prepare.  One moment things will be normal and the next the Lord will descend with a shout.  God is being patient right now giving people a chance to repent and come to him, but there will be a day when an opportunity will be over and God will be wrapping history up.  We are living in what Jesus referred to as the days like the days of Noah.  What does it say in Matthew 24:37-41

37 For [a]the coming of the Son of Man will be just like the days of Noah. 38 For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, 39 and they did not [b]understand until the flood came and took them all away; so will the coming of the Son of Man be. 40 At that time there will be two men in the field; one [c]will be taken and one [d]will be left. 41 Two women will be grinding at the [e]mill; one [f]will be taken and one [g]will be left.

2. The days of Noah were days of great sin and we live in times of great sin when people call wrong right and right wrong and have values that don't reflect godly living.  There is a time of apostacy before and during the end times.  I believe we are seeing this today when many preachers preach a gospel not found in the Bible at all.  Church has become something that is selfish and self seeking treating God like a giant Walmart.  God is viewed as someone who is there to help us instead of us living to glorify and honor Him with our lives.  Look at the way many big churches advertise themselves and it about being the best you or the most prosperous.  (see 2 Timothy 3:1-7, 2 Timothy 4:3, 2 John 7)

3. There are some now who are considered great who will be last in the afterlife and some last who will be great.  Jesus says this numerous times in the gospels see Matthew 19:30; James 4:4, 1 John 2:15-16.  There are some whom the world loves and they are getting all their attention and rewards now, but will be poor in the afterlife and there are some who have nothing who will have their tears wiped away.  Revelation 21:4.  The Bible makes it clear that friendship with the world is hostility towards God.  We are to be careful where our heart and treasure is.  The Bible tells us to seek first His kingdom and righteousness, but some are too busy building their own Matthew 6:33

There is a story about a rich man who had no place for his crops.  He decided to tear down his barns and build bigger barns so that he could be prepared for many days ahead.  God called this man a fool because while he was rich in the world's eyes he was not rich towards God.  That very night his soul was required of him and he saw no profit from all the barns and stuff he had on this earth.  There will be some who live in mansions now that will suffer in the next life and some who suffer now who will be rewarded. See the story of the rich man and Lazarus in Luke 16.

4. God will one day judge all persons.  People today seem to live as though they are accountable to no one but themselves.  There is no fear of God in their eyes.  But, Proverbs 1:7 tells us that "the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge."  To live as though there is no God who will judge you at the end is literally stupid.  You will have to stand and give an account and there will be no where to hide.  There is a God in heaven who sees everything you do and every motive of your heart and there is nothing hidden from Him.  Very soon you will see him and hear His voice and that is something you need to think about.  Are you trusting in your own goodness to get you through that meeting?  It's not going to turn out well for you then.  But, it says in scripture that God demonstrated his own love toward us that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us.  Romans 5:8.  Either you accept that or you don't.

5. God is coming back to redeem his creation.  There will one day be a new heaven and new earth.  Man has done everything he can to destroy and consume this creation.  The world is getting worn out and nature is showing the strain of the sins of man.  See Romans 8:22.  Those of us who are redeemed will one day be in the presence of God with no reference to sin or death, dying or pain.  There will be no heart problems, arthritis, diabetes, cancer or disease there.  There will be no darkness there.  I believe part of what that means is that darkness symbolizes sin.  see Revelation 21:1

https://youtu.be/uLiovnm_xWw Greg Laurie's sermon on the afterlife

Psalm 32:5-7 God is Ready and Eager to Forgive

  Psalm 32:3-7 3 When I kept silence, my bones waxed old through my roaring all the day long. 4 For day and night thy hand was heavy upon me...