January 25, 2014: Attitudes
Matthew 16
Amplified Bible (AMP)
16 Now the Pharisees and Sadducees came up to Jesus, and they asked Him to show them a sign (spectacular miracle) from heaven [attesting His divine authority].
2 He replied to them, When it is evening you say, It will be fair weather, for the sky is red,
3 And in the morning, It will be stormy today, for the sky is red and has a gloomy and threatening look. You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times.
4 A wicked and morally unfaithful generation craves a sign, but no sign shall be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. Then He left them and went away.
5 When the disciples reached the other side of the sea, they found that they had forgotten to bring any bread.
6 Jesus said to them, Be careful and on your guard against the leaven (ferment) of the Pharisees and Sadducees.
7 And they reasoned among themselves about it, saying, It is because we did not bring any bread.
8 But Jesus, aware of this, asked, Why are you discussing among yourselves the fact that you have no bread? O you [men, how little trust you have in Me, how] little faith!
9 Do you not yet discern (perceive and understand)? Do you not remember the five loaves of the five thousand, and how many [small hand] baskets you gathered?
10 Nor the seven loaves for the four thousand, and how many [large provision] baskets you took up?
11 How is it that you fail to understand that I was not talking to you about bread? But beware of the leaven (ferment) of the Pharisees and Sadducees.
12 Then they discerned that He did not tell them to beware of the leaven of bread, but of the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees.
13 Now when Jesus went into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, Who do people say that the Son of Man is?
14 And they answered, Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.
15 He said to them, But who do you [yourselves] say that I am?
16 Simon Peter replied, You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.
17 Then Jesus answered him, Blessed (happy, fortunate, and to be envied) are you, Simon Bar-Jonah. For flesh and blood [men] have not revealed this to you, but My Father Who is in heaven.
18 And I tell you, you are Peter [Greek, Petros—a large piece of rock], and on this rock [Greek, petra—a huge rock like Gibraltar] I will build My church, and the gates of Hades (the powers of the infernal region) shall not overpower it [or be strong to its detriment or hold out against it].
19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; and whatever you bind (declare to be improper and unlawful) on earth must be what is already bound in heaven; and whatever you loose (declare lawful) on earth must be what is already loosed in heaven.
20 Then He sternly and strictly charged and warned the disciples to tell no one that He was Jesus the Christ.
21 From that time forth Jesus began [clearly] to show His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders and the high priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised from death.
22 Then Peter took Him aside to speak to Him privately and began to reprove and charge Him sharply, saying, God forbid, Lord! This must never happen to You!
23 But Jesus turned away from Peter and said to him, Get behind Me, Satan! You are in My way [an offense and a hindrance and a snare to Me]; for you are minding what partakes not of the nature and quality of God, but of men.
24 Then Jesus said to His disciples, If anyone desires to be My disciple, let him deny himself [disregard, lose sight of, and forget himself and his own interests] and take up his cross and follow Me [cleave steadfastly to Me, conform wholly to My example in living and, if need be, in dying, also].
25 For whoever is bent on saving his [temporal] life [his comfort and security here] shall lose it [eternal life]; and whoever loses his life [his comfort and security here] for My sake shall find it [life everlasting].
26 For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his life [his blessed life in the kingdom of God]? Or what would a man give as an exchange for his [blessed] life [in the kingdom of God]?
27 For the Son of Man is going to come in the glory (majesty, splendor) of His Father with His angels, and then He will render account and reward every man in accordance with what he has done.
28 Truly I tell you, there are some standing here who will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in (into) His kingdom.
Yeast is a fungus that feeds on sugar and is used to make bread rise. 1 1/2 tablespoons will cause a batch of bread to rise more than triple it's original size before going into the oven. Then it rises again! Yeast is like a virus. It infects everything it touches.
Yeast can also be described as an attitude. A person's attitude affects or infects everything and everyone around them!
We've all known that person who lights up the room by simply walking in. We've also known the other type of person!
Jesus warned His disciples to beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and Saducees.
The yeast of the Pharisees was I'm saved and most likely you're not. It infected everyone it touched.
The Pharisees were judgemental, critical, harsh, and cliqueish.
The Saducees' yeast was a different type. They accepted anything as long as their world didn't change. They didn't stand for anything. They were very self centered.
This attitude is very easy to "slip into".
Jesus is calling us to be passionately committed to Him while remaining open to others, and to be open to others without simply accepting anything and everything.
This is tricky. While we are ministering to others, we must be wise as serpents and as harmless as doves. If we are not careful, we can easily become like the very person we are trying to help.
Here is the perfect formula for a happy, fulfilled life. Leading to happiness and joy for all eternity! In a nutshell. The words of my Master, Himself.
24 Then Jesus said to His disciples, If anyone desires to be My disciple, let him deny himself [disregard, lose sight of, and forget himself and his own interests] and take up his cross and follow Me [cleave steadfastly to Me, conform wholly to My example in living and, if need be, in dying, also].
Yeast can also be described as an attitude. A person's attitude affects or infects everything and everyone around them!
We've all known that person who lights up the room by simply walking in. We've also known the other type of person!
Jesus warned His disciples to beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and Saducees.
The yeast of the Pharisees was I'm saved and most likely you're not. It infected everyone it touched.
The Pharisees were judgemental, critical, harsh, and cliqueish.
The Saducees' yeast was a different type. They accepted anything as long as their world didn't change. They didn't stand for anything. They were very self centered.
This attitude is very easy to "slip into".
Jesus is calling us to be passionately committed to Him while remaining open to others, and to be open to others without simply accepting anything and everything.
This is tricky. While we are ministering to others, we must be wise as serpents and as harmless as doves. If we are not careful, we can easily become like the very person we are trying to help.
Here is the perfect formula for a happy, fulfilled life. Leading to happiness and joy for all eternity! In a nutshell. The words of my Master, Himself.
24 Then Jesus said to His disciples, If anyone desires to be My disciple, let him deny himself [disregard, lose sight of, and forget himself and his own interests] and take up his cross and follow Me [cleave steadfastly to Me, conform wholly to My example in living and, if need be, in dying, also].
25 For whoever is bent on saving his [temporal] life [his comfort and security here] shall lose it [eternal life]; and whoever loses his life [his comfort and security here] for My sake shall find it [life everlasting].
26 For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his life [his blessed life in the kingdom of God]? Or what would a man give as an exchange for his [blessed] life [in the kingdom of God]?
27 For the Son of Man is going to come in the glory (majesty, splendor) of His Father with His angels, and then He will render account and reward every man in accordance with what he has done.
28 Truly I tell you, there are some standing here who will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in (into) His kingdom.
"Jesus, I want to be kind to everyone as You were, but not accepting of anything and everything. You are my perfect example. Help me not to look down my nose at someone who is obviously struggling in some areas of their Christian walk. Help me to draw people to You, Jesus! You were Kindness personified! And yet You were definitely NOT accepting of sinful lifestyles. You LOVED the sinner and HATED the sin. You drew people to Yourself. That's how I want to be, Jesus! I want to lose sight of myself! To forget myself and my interests! Wow! What an incredibly fulfilling way to live! Just like You lived. The more I read about You, the more I love You. You are my Redeemer. I can hardly wait until I see Your face. Thanks for talking to me through Your word this morning! AMEN."
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