Peachtree City Christian Church's Podcast

Matthew 20:1-16

Intro. This parable follows the encounter with the young man who is wealthy – the young man goes away sad because he didn’t get the answer he wanted.

What do we learn?

Facts to consider about our relationship with the Owner:

• We serve a generous God (verses 1&2)
  • A denarius would have been a pretty good wage…
• His generosity gives us purpose (vs 1)
• His generosity is not about fairness, but what is right (vs 4)
• His generosity reaches out to everyone/all (vs8)
  • In fact, it is relentless
• His generosity towards us is about our relationship with Him (vs 13)
  • Stop the comparison game. 

What does His generosity reveal about us? (v. 11-12)

Is it?: 

• Pride or humility?
• Envy or thankfulness?
• Frustration or resolve?
• If we love as He loves…

Conclusion: 1 Thess. 5:16 Rejoice always, 17 pray continually, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

Let’s rejoice and give thanks for the generosity of our Father!!!

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Luke 14:12-24

Jesus is here telling this parable, with someone [likely a Jew and fellow Messianic Jews in attendance] who are hosting him…

What can we learn?

The invitation has gone out; the banquet is ready!

Q: What constitutes the banquet in our world?

A: The banquet  is what we’ve been invited to do (B.I.G., worship experience, Lord’s Supper, etc.)

What makes us worthy?

• • • It’s NOT anything that we do; it’s the fact that we are valued by God. (“God is never impressed with your product, but He is deeply impressed with your heart.”) 
      • 1. Poor {+Spiritual Poverty; cf. Mt 5:3; 11:5 [ie. poor choices, lack of understanding, …]}
        2. Blind {+Spiritual Blindness; cf. 2 Cor 4:4 [ie. satan blinds cf. 2 Cor 4:4]}
        3. Maimed = (the Crippled {+Spiritual Crippled} and the Lame {+Spiritual Lame}); cf. Lev 22:22; Mt 18:8 [ie. attempting less than what our Lord desires.]
    • Our Father reaches out to the outcast, downcast, oppressed – the unloved: the least, lost, lonely. We should also! None of us are worthy but we’re all invited!

What makes us worthy…  is the invitation!

Why make excuses?

• • Excuses seem easier than action, {but are they??? You have to do as much work keeping up a lie…}
  • What excuses are you presenting to the Master or the servant(s) of the Master?
  • If you can’t worship for a day – Sunday {Romans 12:1-2}; what makes you think you can do it for eternity?

How important is this invitation to you?

Illustration:  Let’s just say, you were invited to dinner, all expenses paid, to Buckingham Palace and on the exact same day you were invited to a dinner at George’s house, which one would you choose??? 

Most would choose Buckingham Palace, I’d assume; you wouldn’t want to pass it up.  

Revelation: Christ has given an invitation! Everytime you put something in front of the invitation Christ has given to you, you are choosing the lesser option…George’s house.

David puts it this way,

Psalm 84:10 (NIV)

“Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere; I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked.”

Everything is truly going to hinge on how much you value the invitation that has been given to you.

The invitation has gone out; the banquet is ready!

Luke 10:25-37

What can we learn?

• • We are never as good or as bad as people see us {nobody knows the full story}.

• When Jesus started telling the story, everyone assumed that the priest and Levites were the good people and the bad guy was the Samaritan.

• • 
    
  • It’s not about your position, it’s about your heart…
  • What is right is right regardless of who you are dealing with……

• Most of the people in Jesus’ audience would have assumed that the Samaritan fell among the thieves and he deserved what he got…
• It’s about our relationship with God! This influences your relationship with your neighbor 

• 
  
• We can always come up with reasons not to do something….
• Who is there that deserves my help?
• What is enough???
  • [Matthew 18:21-22] Peter: Is 7 times enough?? Jesus: How about multiplied by 70?
• The mercy we show people matters.
• Jesus said, “Go and do likewise.” – Luke 10:37

Mark 4:1–20

What can we learn?

• Is Jesus saying, only 1 in 4 get it or that the work is cut out for us?  in other words we’ve got work to do.
• Reminds us that as Disciples we have the call to: prepare, plant, and water (1 Cor.3:6-9).
  • 6 I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow. 7 So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. 8 The man who plants and the man who waters have one purpose, and each will be rewarded according to his own labor. 9 For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, God’s building. 
• The seed is good!
  • So what is the purpose of the seed?  To Bear Fruit.

What does it mean to bear fruit? 

What does fruit give us? Healthy lives, energy, refreshment, revitalizes

We’re not just to Bear Fruit but MUCH Fruit!

John 15:8, This is to My Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be My disciples.

Fruit is KARPOS – action, posterity, of enduring value 

• The soil is the issue. (Mark 4:13-20 MSG):
  **All of these soil types can be prepared/changed.
  
  
  • Our tendency is to look at others, but first, you need to ask, which soil am I? (Luke 6:41-41, Mt 7:3-5 “Log in your own eye…”)
    • 1. Am I interested in what the seed is supposed to do in my life?
    • 2. What are we doing about it? {Us vs Others}
• Path
  • Am I just going through the motions?
    • Seed cannot germinate without planting, watering and good soil.
• Rocky
  • How does it make me feel?
    • Wrapped up in emotion as long as things are going well then it’s okay, but as soon as difficulty comes then they cut and run.
• Thorny
  • What will it do for me?
    • Just not giving God a chance to do the work.
• Ready (good soil)  {that means someone else has already done the preparation – I’m trying to prepare soil}

Conclusion:

• Is it possible that Jesus is telling us, think about what we are doing? Why we are doing? How we are doing? What’s our role? 
• All of it is determined by Who we are doing this for.

Which one are We?

What can we learn?

Consistent love of the Father

But also the son acts based on what he thinks or feels instead of what he has been told

What can we learn?

Consistent love of the Father

But also the son acts based on what he thinks or feels instead of what he has been told

The son has always been told that he is loved – he just thinks that love is something else

 
1. What consistent love does.

1 Cor 13 – keeps doing these for the benefit of the other

2. Our identity.

We can all identify with one of them at some point:

Younger Son – ask for something that is not his

Older Brother – is not thankful for what he has

3. The Father knows:

He knows what the son is going to do with the money

Personality

Character

Habits

Traits

Who we are.

4. Change is possible.

When he came to his senses

He was better serving at home than dying in despair

5. Moving forward after forgiveness.

Celebrate the homecoming, not the mistakes

6. There is always the opportunity to come home.

This means different things to each son.

To one son it means he is forgiven

To the other it means he must forgive

Conclusion:

The consistent love of the Father calls to us all to change the way we see Him and the way we see each other.

Psalm 72:9-11May the desert tribes bow before him and his enemies lick the dust. May the kings of Tarshish and of distant shores  bring tribute to him. May the kings of Sheba and Seba  present him gifts. 

May all kings bow down to him and all nations serve him.

The beginning of the fulfillment of this prophecy is physically present in the Magi coming to worship………….

Some very important questions for us to answer:

• Who has the most authority in your world?  Phil.2:10-11 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,  in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.  
• Could it be you with the most authority in your own life? Lk.9:23 Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.
• Is Jesus the King of your life? Matt.7:22-23 Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ 23 Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’
• Why should Jesus have the most authority? Phil.2:9 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name,
• Does Jesus have the most say? Lk.6:46 “Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?

The two most vital questions for us to answer:

How can I change who has the most authority in my life?… Surrender your life to Christ

Rom.6:4 We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.

How do you give Jesus authority in your life?

• Set a time of personal reflection on a daily basis (what did I do today to honor God) 
• Get an accountability partner who is committed to Christ
• Limit the type of media (tv, movies, books, social media) that you partake in (cf. Colossians 2:8)
• Start your day out with devotion/Scripture with application (YouVersion verse of the day) 
• Commit to regular worship, in a corporate setting (52 weeks commitment) 

Isaiah 9:6 For to us a child is born,  to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called, Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,  Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

What has been given?

1-Wonderful Counselor

What is a counselor? Gives advice, usually to move away from something and to something different – In this case the exact opposite  What does He lead us towards?

These Things:

• Humility
• Honesty
• Justice
• Righteousness
• True Repentance
• Integrity
• Unity- 

2- Mighty Savior- Zephaniah 3:17 The Lord your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; in his love he will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing.”

3- Eternal Promise- 1 John 2:25 And this is what he promised us—eternal life.

4- True Peace- Philippians 4:7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Micah 5:2 “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,  though you are small among the clans of Juda, out of you will come for me One who will be Ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old,  from ancient times.”

A few things to consider from this passage:

• His Reign is not by human authority – Jesus fulfilled this:  

John 18:33-37 “Pilate then went back inside the palace, summoned Jesus and asked him, “Are you the king of the Jews?” “Is that your own idea,” Jesus asked, “or did others talk to you about me?”  “Am I a Jew?” Pilate replied. “Your own people and chief priests handed you over to me. What is it you have done?” Jesus said, “My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jewish leaders. But now my kingdom is from another place.” “You are a king, then!” said Pilate. Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. In fact, the reason I was born and came into the world is to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.”

• His Reign is not determined by public opinion – Jesus fulfills this: Matt 28:18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.
• His Reign was set before the world was formed- Jeus fulfills this: John 1:1-2 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 

This is a critical piece– we must Be mindful that the Kingdom is here, its within us and Christ is Ruler of that Kingdom…. Luke 17:20-21 Once, on being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, Jesus replied, “The coming of the kingdom of God is not something that can be observed, 21 nor will people say, ‘Here it is,’ or ‘There it is,’ because the kingdom of God is in your midst.”

What does He actually rule in your life?

• Time
• Talent
• Treasure

If He is ruling you; you are surrendering. 

What kind of sway does He have in your time, talents, and treasures?

Who is your allegiance to? The Kingdom or the world

There are really only two questions:

Is Jesus King?

Are you willing to do whatever He says regardless of what that is?

Isaiah 11:1-3

Jesus came as Judge – Why? Because it is necessary for life, think about we make judgments every day

So then we need to know how to judge rightly…… which means we need to understand: How He judges! 

He looks at our hearts as much as our actions, because; The greatest feats in humanity pale in comparison to His righteousness and light. 

God is not impressed with your labor as much as He is with your heart … God looks deeper into our souls…  1 Peter 3:15; 

Let’s face it we are going to Judge each other, in fact, Jesus gives us instruction about what that should look-  Matt 7:2 For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.

Jesus judges with: 

• Wisdom – James 3:13 Who is wise and understanding among you? Let them show it by their good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom.
• Understanding – Philemon 1:6 I pray that your partnership with us in the faith may be effective in deepening your understanding of every good thing we share for the sake of Christ
• Knowledge – Rom.15:14b filled with knowledge and competent to instruct one another.
• Righteousness – James 3:18 Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness.

Conclusion:

God doesn’t judge us on the basis of just what we do, but the intention of our hearts…

We follow our King and Judge that means we do things the way He does things

Colossians 2:2-3

Definition of discipleship: To look, act, think, and take on the attributes of Jesus.

1. It is our connection to Jesus – John 8:36

• Jesus sets us free, the only way you can get free is to surrender and submit your life to Him.

2. It is our calling/mission as followers – Matt.28:19-20

•   To lead others to Discipleship we have to first be Disciples

3. It is how our potential is realized – John 15:5

• We can do nothing (of value; of eternal purpose) apart from Him!  Greek… of no account
• Your best is nothing in comparison to His glory that is why our best is realized when Jesus is our King – Isaiah 64:6

Conclusion

As followers of Jesus we have 2 jobs: be disciples and make disciples.