Awake Us Now

Matthew 20:17-34, Matthew 21:1-11, Exodus 12:3, Isaiah 62:11, Zechariah 9:9, and Psalm 118:25-26.

Jesus lets us know that He is the fulfillment of all the Hebrew Scripture had predicted and all that the Father had dictated.

Until we receive Jesus as Lord, this is only head knowledge. The disciples had heard Him speak what was coming multiple times, but they just did not grasp what Jesus was saying about Him being the long awaited Savior. They didn't understand what was ahead for Jesus in the next weeks. Jesus shares the sacrifice He's going to make explaining what is coming: suffering, death and rising on the 3rd day.

It's at this point in the Matthew narrative that there is a story of Jesus' Aunt wanting her sons to be on each side of Jesus in heaven.

But Jesus uses her request to teach us we are to be individuals that reflect the heart of our heavenly Father who reflect the life of our Lord Jesus Christ, and reflect His example and sacrifice.

We are to put aside the things that the world so greatly treasures and instead embrace the values of God and the Holy Scriptures. We are to serve not be served.

It's important that we today grasp the truth of who Jesus is as heart knowledge, not just head knowledge.

The next vignette Matthew shares is the story of two blind men who Jesus had compassion on and he heals their sight. This story contrasts how the blind man knew Jesus was Lord and asked for his mercy as opposed to the religious people who could not see Him for who He truly is.

As we head into chapter 21 is the story of Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem on the 10th Day of Nissan, the exact day of that thousands of year old male lambs were being brought into the city and that will be set aside until the day of the Passover sacrifice on the 14th of Nissan.

Jesus rides into Jerusalem on a donkey as a set apart sacrificial lamb who will die on the cross during Passover on the 14th day of Nissan….

…This is not coincidental… As thousands of lambs come into the city for preparations of Passover in rides the Lamb of God.

Jesus fulfilled what was prophesied in Isaiah and Zechariah when He rode into Jerusalem on the donkey, "See your Savior comes, lowly and riding on the foal of a donkey." (Paraphrased)

If a king rode into a city on a donkey it was a sign He was coming peace, but if a king rose into a city on a horse he was coming for war. Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey. He came as the Prince of Peace, the One who will suffer for the sins of the world and lay down His life for us all. He came in peace knowing full well what was ahead of Him.

Jesus is accepted and cheered for as the Savior as He enters Jerusalem to the cheers of "Hosanna to the Son of Dave. Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord." But in just a few days another crowd will be cheering, "Crucify Him! Crucify Him!"

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This teaching is from Matthew 19:13-30 and Matthew 20:1-16.

This teaching starts with a focus on children. The disciples didn't like that people were bringing little children to Jesus, these children were babies, infants, toddlers, and the disciples were thinking Jesus is trying to talk to the adults and they're bringing kids to him, taking time away from Jesus speaking, that they were noisy and disruptive and that it just wasn't appropriate.

But Jesus says, "Let the children come to me and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these." What's Jesus saying? He's saying kids matter to Him, They are part of His kingdom!

The question is how does a child believe? But then, how does an adult believe? The answer is in 1 Corinthians 12 where Paul says that no one can say Jesus is Lord except by the Holy Spirit. It's only when the Holy Spirit moves in a person's life (adult or child) that they can believe.

Many times we act like the disciples, looking at things from a human standpoint and personal prejudice instead of the vantage point of heaven. Jesus is saying kids matter and after correcting the disciples He blesses the kids.

Then the text moves into the topic of wealth and Jesus answers the question of a man asking Him how to be saved. Meaning the man is asking what he can do, this man has it wrong - we are saved by grace, not works. But Jesus patiently continues with the man and He mentions to keep the commandments to which the man replies that he's done that. Jesus sees into the man's heart and understands that he is proud of his accomplishments, wealth and focused on earning eternal life.

This is when Jesus invites the man to be one of his disciples and to sell his possessions and give to the poor. But as Jesus knew he would, the man goes away sad because the reality was his wealth was his god.

Jesus continues that it's hard for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God. But what is Jesus really saying? He's using hyperbole. So the question then is: if you have to go through the eye of a needle to be saved, who then can be saved? Jesus replies that with man that's impossible, but with God all things are possible.

Meaning that it's not by wealth or what we've accumulated, or earned or done or accomplished that we are saved, we are saved by grace alone and THAT is only possible with God through faith in Jesus Christ.

Jesus is showing us that God is over all and He is to be our treasure and number one priority in our lives. He's to be the heart of our lives. Jesus says what matters most is our relationship with Him.

We don't buy our way into eternal life, but we are called to use the gifts God has given us to His glory and for His good. So we to make sure that God is heart and center in our lives.

Pastor continues with chapter 20 where Jesus tells the Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard. The owner hired workers at sunrise, then 3 hours later hired more workers and then even more workers at noon, 3pm and 5pm. When evening came the owner paid ALL workers with a denarius (a day's wage). And those that worked the least amount of hours got the same pay as those that worked the most hours. Those that worked the most hours complained to the owner and his response was, "Are you envious because I'm generous?"

So we ask: is this just? Here's a quote that helps us understand what Jesus is teaching: "We are fools if we appeal to God for justice rather than grace!"

If God were completely just we would all be in hell, but He is merciful and Jesus is trying to bring home that truth.

Only the grace of God saves. Only the mercy of Christ offers life. Only the blood of Jesus covers our sin. Only a relationship with God through faith in Jesus delivers us.

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Pastor digs deeper into "Who was Theophilus?" He is mentioned 2 times in the New Testament:

• Luke 1:3-4 "With this in mind, since I myself have carefully investigated everything from the beginning, I too decided to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, so that you may know the certainty of the things you have been taught." Theophilus evidently had come to know Jesus. "Most excellent" possibly denotes a position of significance or of high authority.
• Acts 1:1 "In my former book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus began to do and to teach…"

Theophilus means:

• Lover of God
• Friend of God
• Loved God

Theophilus was a common name.

Some Suggested Identities given for Theophilus

• Ageneric name for every believer - but this is not an accepted idea
• Unknown high ranking Roman
• Civic leader in Antioch
• Paul's defense attorney
• Jewish High Priest (37-41 A.D,) This suggestion has been gaining popularity over the past few years. It is possible that perhaps Theophilus was an individual who was part of the ruling elite as a high priest and that he became so dissatisfied by what he was seeing and so overwhelmed by what he was seeing in Jesus that he actually became a follower of Jesus and thus removed from high office as a result. There is no proof of this, but what a story if this is true, that one of the people instrumental in Jesus' crucifixion, actually saw the Light and came to faith.

God changes hearts! God does the impossible! God turns lives around through faith in the risen Savior.

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This teaching is from Matthew 18:21-35, the Parable of the Unforgiving Debtor, and Matthew 19:1-12 on the topic of Divorce.

Peter asks Jesus if he should forgive someone seven times. Jesus responds with seventy seven times. The meaning of Jesus saying seventy seven times is that forgiveness in the face of genuine repentance does not keep track of numbers and Jesus is calling us to forgive as we have been forgiven.

Then Jesus tells this "Parable of the Unforgiving Debtor," a story where a servant of a king owes millions of dolors to the king. When the king call the debt to account and be paid, the servant begs the king to be patient with him and that he will repay it. The king has compassion and forgives the entire debt!

But then this servant of the king has a man that works for him and this man owed the king's servant a few thousand dollars and the king's servant calls this man debt to account. When the man pleads to the king's servant for time to pay but the king's servant has the man thrown into jail until he could get the debt paid.

When the king heard about the lack of compassion he confronted his servant saying he had shown compassion and forgiven the debt to him, and that he should have done the same thing to the man that owed him money. The king placed his servant in jail for his lack of compassion until he could pay it off.

The story highlights how God, who has forgiven us an immeasurable debt, desires that we show the same kind of mercy to others and if we don't then Jesus says we really don't appreciate what the Father has given us.

We are called to forgive as we've been forgiven, to treat others in the same way God treats us. We're called to reflect the incredible goodness of God. And that is shown in the act of forgiveness.

God's way is grace, mercy, forgiveness and love like He's given us. The Gospel of Jesus frees us from bitterness that destroys.

If we harbor hatred and resentment it eats away at us and destroys faith. God's call is to live life on His terms.

In the second half of today's teaching, Jesus confronts a challenging issue, "Is Divorce Lawful?" He talks about how we are created male and female and that marriage is a covenant between them with God.

The follow up questions is "Why did Moses permit divorce?" It is because of hard hearts, but it is not God's planned way. The Bible recognizes that divorce is a reality.

Today, we are living in a culture where divorce is widely practiced and what the New Testament calls us to is to recognize just as Jesus pointed out, it's not the way the Father intended, and we are to bring hope and encouragement to those who are victimized by divorce. The Bible also calls us to lovingly let people know the truth of divorce.

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Matthew 17:22-18:20. Topics: children of the Living God; kingdom of the Living God; the miracle of the four drachma coin; greatness is based on humility; childlike vs childish; total dependency on God; spiritual growth and maturity; binding and loosing - by speaking that when one comes to faith he/she is forgiven and saved vs. those deciding against God, that it is a decision with eternal consequences; God desires all to come to know Him; His love is great; the warning of being of the world and following the worldly culture; that of following natural instincts vs following the Holy Spirit.

Acts is a book filled with dramatic events, amazing characters and has great application for the Christian life. It is a powerful book showing the acts of God through the Holy Spirit and how He acts in the lives of those He calls!

This study will take us through the book of Acts one chapter at a time with a specific look at Then - things that really happened. It's not a storybook but a history book of what really happened. And Now - it is dramatic application for today. It's a record of what really happened long ago but these things are still happening today and it shows us what God wants in the lives of His followers today.

Chapter 1

In verses 1-2, Luke is identified as the author of the Book of Acts. In volume, Luke wrote 27.5% of the New Testament. He was a physician and accompanied Paul on some of his mission trips.

Then and Now

• Proofs then - verse 3 - the disciples and others saw Jesus after His resurrection.
• Proofs now - historical, archeological, scientific and documentary evidences. What has happened in the last 100 years shows evidence for the biblical message. There have been many pieces showing that early believers really did believe Jesus was alive. They were bold and courageous in sharing that news. More and more confirmation comes through archeology as we are finding the very places where these events took place. And unearthing little things that show that what Luke wrote really is accurate.
• Power then - verse 8 the disciples were to stay in Jerusalem until they received the gift that God the Father had promised to give them - the Holy Spirit - who would give them power.
• Power now - we today receive the Holy Spirit through faith in Christ and the Holy Spirit gives us the power to live the Christian life and to be effective witnesses for God.
• Purpose then - verse 8 - Jesus told them to be His witnesses
• Purpose now - we are to testify by our life example, words and actions that Jesus is alive, risen and the Messiah and Savior. We are to bring Jesus to family, friends, neighbors, and to the ends of the earth - We have the same mission - it is still our purpose today.
• Promise then - verse 11 - Jesus ascended to heaven and then the angels promised His return.
• Promise now - the second coming of Christ is the heart of the New Testament teaching and the heart of a believer's witness. Jesus is returning!
• Prayer then - the theme of prayer is found throughout the book of Acts. Verse 14 - tells us they were constant in prayer.
• Prayer now - we are to pray for God's will to be done. We are to put into practice praying as this is what Jesus taught and gave example to.
• Provision then - verses 23 and 26. A disciple was needed for replacing Judas and Matthias was added to eleven apostles.
• Provision now - God never runs out of resources. God provides for His children!

This week's READING ASSIGNMENT:

Acts chapter 1

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Matthew 16:24-17:22. Topics: Discipleship is more than having head knowledge, it is complete surrender to the Lord Jesus Christ and living for Him. Jesus continues to reveal who He is. Jesus' transfiguration and the words from heaven, out of the cloud from God the Father says, "This is my Son...Listen to Him!" These are words for us today, too!

This week's text is Matthew 16:1-23. Topics: A growing opposition against Jesus and who He says He is; Peter's confession; a discerning teaching on who/what the "Rock" is on which Christ will build the church; an insightful look at the "gates of Hades;" and Jesus shares predictions of what is to come.

This week's text is Matthew 14:34-15:39. Topics: Jesus heals both Jews and Gentiles; an examination of some of the traditions in light of what God's Word says; the feeding of the 4,000, and how this event differs from the feeding of the 5,000 that took place earlier.

What happens before the resurrection? What happens to believers who die before Jesus comes back.

The Apostle Paul is Rome ca 61 A.D. He is in jail awaiting trial and he writes the following to the Philippians: "For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know! I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body." (Philippians 1:21-24)

In this writing we see Paul is tired from all the travels, a shipwreck, stoning, beatings, being in jail and it is personally at this point he desires to depart the world and be with Christ.

Did you hear his words "BE WITH CHRIST!" However, he knows he has a job to do and so he continues to work for the Lord.

Five years later Paul is again in prison and in Rome ca. 66/67 A.D. and he the circumstances are that he knows he will die for his faith in Christ and he writes these words to his good friend Timothy: "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing." (2 Timothy 4:7-8)

Paul knows he will be with Jesus and he knows that he will be raised from the dead on "That Day" (the day of Jesus' final appearing, the day the dead are raised and we are taken up to be with Jesus forever.)

As we live out our lives here on earth, with eyes looking "That Day," we are to fight the good fight of faith, not with human weapons but with divine power. We are to finish the race hanging tightly to Jesus all along the way.

Fight the good fight!

Finish the race!

Keep the faith!

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