“Your Kingdom Come”
Matthew 6:5-18 Shp Kevin Jesmer NIU UBF 8-21-11
Key Verse: 6:9b,10
“Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done
on earth as it is in heaven.”
Do you known what the best thing ever is? Is spending eternity with Jesus in the Kingdom of God as his child! Jesus’ main concern was always to glorify his Father in heaven and expand the territory of the Kingdom of God. From the onset of his ministry he preached the message, “The kingdom of heaven is near. Repent and believe the good news!” (Mark 1:15) He chose his disciples and helped each of them to see the kingdom of God. He wanted to work through them to share the Gospel so that the Kingdom of God may grow in the hearts of the people. This is a great task….too great a task for these disciples to accomplish through their own human efforts. They need to do much more than just preach, teach and serve others basic needs. How could they do it? Only through prayer. That is why Jesus presents a model prayer for his disciples of all time. When Jesus’ disciples pray personally before God a genuine motivation to glorify God in all that they do grows in them. Then the Kingdom of God can grow to others. Let’s examine this model prayer.
Part l: The Attitude Of Prayer To God (5-8).
First, the attitude of prayer. Look at verse 5. “And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full.” We can approach prayer with various attitudes. There is the attitude of, “here we go again.” There is the sleepy attitude where we doze off in the holy sleeping position. At least they are trying to pray. There are good attitudes, that make a person say, “I can’t wait to talk to God” or “I need God’s help.” or “I want to get to know my Heavenly Father more deeply.”
In Jesus’ time there was another attitude among some of the people. There were hypocrites who tried hard to make people notice they were praying to God, but they are actually putting on a display for people to see. They sought human recognition. Would you ever do this? I don’t think many of us try to show off our spirituality by praying publically. In any case, the prayers born out of such motives are not directed vertically, to God, but horizontally, to other people.
Jesus says that such people forfeit the blessing of genuine fellowship with God through prayer. Verse 5b reads, “…I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full.” What is their reward? Their reward is having a few people say, “Wow! That person is really holy!” They get a momentary feeling of self satisfaction. Or they get a sense of relief that their being asked to pray is all over for now. They will get no reward from God. No peace of; no affirmation that their hearts are right before him; no praise from Jesus when they see him face to face in the heavenly kingdom. We must have the right attitude in prayer. But how?
First, our prayers must be directed vertically to God, in private. Look at verse 6. “But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.” Jesus is emphasizing a personal, intimate conversation with God. We Christians have a great privilege of prayer to God. When Jesus died on the cross the curtain in the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The way to the most holy place was wide open. No longer did the people require a High Priest to pray for them, they could approach the throne of God, through faith. They could come to God and cry, “Abba, Father!” This is a great privilege given to us Christians. It was a costly privilege. The cost was the suffering and death of Jesus. This privilege was given to us. Jesus urges us to exercise this privilege in secret. We can make a personal relationship with God through prayer when we have the right attitude. So often we pray at meetings, two by two, or before meals, but go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen! Where your favorite place to pray in private to Jesus?
We always like to knock the younger generation, thinking of all their bad qualities. I think that our young people are not far from learning personal prayer. They already are accustomed to go into their rooms, closing their doors, and spending time on the computer or on an iPod. They know how to text to their friends, read texts and listen to music, via virtual reality. This is just a step away from the life of prayer. Can you see it? A rich prayer life is just around the corner for many of them.
Second, we must be confident that our Father in heaven knows our every need and wants to intervene. Look at verses 7-8. “And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.” Pagans pray to idols which are not real. They babble repeated prayers thinking that these idols will be moved and give them blessings. Buddhist’s have found a way to increase the frequency of their formalistic prayers. When they are too tired to pray any longer, they can go to their prayer wheels and spin a prayer wheel. But prayer for Christians is not just endless, formalistic babblings. We have heartfelt prayer to our Father God, who is living. More than that, he listens and is very concerned as he watches over us each moment of the day. He understands us and knows exactly what we need. He answers our prayers. I can guarantee you that God will answer any prayer you send him. His answer will be “Yes”, “No” or “wait”.
Sometimes we don’t know what we need. All we know is that we need something. We can only groan before God in ways that words cannot express. But God hears and understands our groans. He is happy when we turn to him for help in our time of need. In 1986 at the age of 22, I was groaning because of my emptiness and my meaningless life as a student hedonist. One night I felt so bored, all alone and meaningless, that I went into my room and cried in my pillow, “Oh God!” It was more of a groan than a prayer. But it was a prayer uttered in the privacy of my own room. God heard my prayer. And he sent Christians to me who tried to preach the Gospel to me. Eventually I met Msn Ruth Hwang and I came to meet Jesus personally. Recently, I battled despair and depression. Many of my prayers were groanings pointed towards God. But God heard these groaning prayers and he is filling my heart with new hope and new vision. I don’t know if any of you noticed a difference in me lately. But there is a difference. We don’t have to wait until we are in a spiritual crisis to pray privately to God.
Part ll: Father In Heaven, Hallowed Be Your Name! (9)
First, “Our Father in heaven.” (9) Jesus taught us to call God “Father.” This was a revolutionary teaching in the ancient world. Until this time, no one would call God “Father.” The Jews knew God as the Almighty Creator God, the holy God who demanded their obedience. If they met the holy God in their sinful state, they would die immediately. It would be like finding yourself in the middle of a nuclear reactor. They had such an awesome respect for God that they would not say his name, and so they made up a name for God, that could not be verbalized, YHWH. (Which was Yahweh without the vowels.)
Jesus wanted his disciples to call God “Father.” They could do so because Jesus gave them the right to call God their father, for faith in him made each believer into a child of God. (Jn 1:12) How is this possible? Jesus offered his body and shed his blood at the cross to purchase for us another privilege, the privilege to call God “Father”. Through Jesus’ sacrifice our sins are forgiven and we are purified. Now, through faith, we can stand before God as holy children of God. This all comes through receiving Jesus and believing in his name. Wow! What a great gift.
When we call God “Father” we must recognize God’s love for all people. When we call God “Father,” we recognize that we are all part of his spiritual family which is made up of people from every language and nation who have been saved by Jesus’ blood. In God our Father, we have so many brothers and sisters. Several of us have come from Korea to be missionaries. They are all our brothers and sister in the Lord. Another young man grew up in the suburbs and has recently dedicated his life to Christ. He is a brother in the Lord. Suzie is a believer from Heidelberg Germany. She is a sister in the Lord. Red, yellow, black and white we are all precious in his sight for we are all part of the family of God. We can even think of unbelievers as our prodigal brothers and sisters in the sense they were all created by our heavenly Father who is their creator God. They just don’t know it. So, let’s decide to love our neighbors as ourselves no matter who they may be.
Second, “Hallowed be your name.” Hallowed means to be sanctified, consecrated, highly venerated. (http://education.yahoo.com/reference/dictionary/entry/hallowed) In a word, respected. Although God is our Father, we must remember whom we are coming to and not just come to him flippantly nor relate to him as many young people relate to their parents. Our relationship must be different. Why? God is the Almighty Creator God. He is holy. He is the Judge of all mankind. It is right for his name to be exalted above every name. It starts with hallowing God in our own hearts first.
As we pray, “Hallowed be your name,” we must also desire to bring honor to his name by the way we live in this world. How can we do this? Study hard in school and reveal God’s grace by trying your best to get great marks. Excel at work so that other employees may see God’s glory and honor him. Make our homes places of worship, love and praise to the holy God. Our ministries must maintain the highest moral standard and reveal the Spirit of the Holy God at work among us. When we pray “Hallowed be your name”, then God’s name will be hallowed through our lives, families and ministries and among the people of the campus’ we are praying for.
Part lll: Your Kingdom Come!
One of the most powerful portions of this model prayer is, “Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” Since the Fall, this world has been a battlefield between the God and the devil. This battle has been going on for millennia. God has always been near to those who had faith, but in the perfect time, God sent Jesus, our savior and king, who would destroy the devil and restore God’s rightful rule in the hearts of his people. This is great news, for in the kingdom of Satan, there is only condemnation, fear, despair, worries, anxieties, slow erosion and degradation of the soul, mind and heart. There is death. But in the Kingdom of God there is God’s healing, hope, mission, spiritual joy, love, peace, room to grow, security, spiritual growth and strength and of course eternal life. When we accept Jesus as our Savior King, we are saved from the devil and become God’s children. We effectively come out of the kingdom of darkness and into the kingdom of light life, the Kingdom of God.
However, the battle is not over. It is going on in us and around us and throughout this world. Just examine your own heart and watch the news. The Bible teaches that he devil is prowling around like a roaring lion. He blinds the eyes people so they can not see the glory of God in Jesus Christ. (2 Cor 2:4, 1 John 2:11).
The same is true even for more seasoned Christians. They too can loose sight of the kingdom of God. For years they serve Jesus, but one thing after another strike their hearts like the constant barrage of punches from a boxing opponent. The bad economy, work hassles, weakness of the body, constant rejections to our efforts to evangelize, constant calls to sacrifice, loved ones who don’t share our faith, sins and temptations, all take their toll on us until we can not see the kingdom of God any longer. We know that going back to the world is not an option, but we loose our joy of living by faith. Has this happened to you? Maybe we think that we can never tasted the joy, love and peace of the Kingdom of God again. But the truth is, experiencing the kingdom of God can be as new and fresh an experience to us as it is to new believers.
How do we dwell in the kingdom of God? We need to repent and believe the Gospel. Think about Nicodemis. Nicodenus had everything, the highest education, the respect of his peers, a high position in society. He had it all by this world’s standard, but he was not happy. He came to Jesus at night and asked him many spiritual questions. He was missing something. There was a “God sized hole in his heart”. Jesus saw pasts his words to see the true problem in his heart. Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, no one can see the Kingdom of God unless he is born again.” (Jn 3:3) According to the spiritual doctor, Jesus, the cure to Nicodmuses’ problem is that he needed to see and experience and live in the kingdom of God. Then the emptiness and meaningless of life he was feeling would be eradicated and he would find new joy, new life and salvation. We all need to repent and believe and have the Kingdom of God come into our hearts.
There are several other reasons why we must pray, “Your Kingdom Come?” First, The task is too big for us to accomplish. We try, but we are helpless. We fail to create an environment where we can reveal the kingdom of God. Our hearts may also be in such turmoil that we feel far from the kingdom of God. We need God’s help. Second, we need to pray because people really need the kingdom of God. They need heavenly citizenship fast! We try our best, but we will reach our limits. Praying is all we can do sometimes. But it is the best and most important thing to do. Third, God wants to work through us and co-work with us. This requires communication and collaboration with God through prayer. Can you think of any other reasons to pray?
God’s kingdom is spreading in many hearts and among us. We heard Matt’s message yesterday. It was delivered with spirit, power and personal conviction. We heard the personal testimonies of Sarah and Hope. That was there own testimonies born out of their living faith. We see all the humble co-working between all of us to make this Bible school possible. We experienced the joyful snack time with Subway sandwiches. The willing, open hearts of so many children of God, is proof that the kingdom of God is growing. May God’s kingdom advance in our campus’ until Jesus comes.
Part lV: Other Things To Pray For In God’s Kingdom (11-15)
Children of God, who pray for the advancement of the Father’s Kingdom, also pray for their daily bread, forgiveness and protection from sin. First, “Give us today our daily bread.” (11) Jesus teaches us to pray for our daily bread. Through prayer, we learn to depend on God and realize that God is the giver of our daily bead. And he does provide. He doesn’t always give us what we want, but he surely gives us what we need. People are so afraid of not having their daily needs met. But worrying never helped anyone. We need to stop worrying, and ignoring Jesus in our quest to “survive”. Rather we need to pray for our daily bread knowing that we are children of our Father God and he will supply our needs. We may pray for delicious steak but God knows what’s best because sometimes, whole wheat bread, and a simple diet is healthier for you.
Second, “Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.” (12) Here, the word "debt" has the same meaning as "sin." Living in this world, we need the forgiveness of our sins every day. Why? Because we sin everyday. Our sin problem is very serious. It is keeping our eyes blinded to the reality of the Kingdom of God. That is why Jesus said in Mark 1:15, “The time has come,’ he said, ‘The Kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!” Therefore, we must repent and ask God's forgiveness of our sin. Next, we must forgive others who have sinned against us. Then our spiritual eyes will be open and we can enter the kingdom of God. Forgiving others is so important that Jesus emphasizes it again. Look at verses 14 and 15. "For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins." This is a serious matter. Is there anyone in your life whom you need to forgive? Do it now…don’t wait.
Sixth, "And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one." (13) Here, "the evil one" is the devil. There are many who say, "I don’t believe in the devil.” They these, Christianity faith is all about psychology and the power of positive thinking only. The battle is in your own thoughts. But I say, the evil one is a real enemy and the devil’s greatest weapon is making people believe he doesn’t exist. (Then he can do what ever he wants to.) Some say that they are not afraid of the evil one. Such people don’t know themselves and they surely don’t know that consequences of falling into the evil one’s grip. The devil's temptation is like sugared poison. No one can run away from the devil's pursuit. We must acknowledge that we are completely helpless, and pray earnestly to our Father in heaven to protect us from the devil and keep us then near him. "Lord, lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one."
Today Jesus teaches us that, as Jesus’ disciples, we must build up a secret prayer life, calling God, “Father”. We must hallow his holy name and promote the reverence and worship of God around us. When we do, God’s kingdom will come into our hearts, grow among us, on our campus’, across our nation and the world. A genuine motivation to glorify God in all that we do will grows in us. As we pray for God’s kingdom to come, he will provide for our physical and spiritual needs. We will be free from anxieties and insecurities. There will be an abundance of grace, love and forgiveness. There will be protection from sin and temptation when we dwell in the Kingdom of our heavenly Father. The Kingdom of God sounds pretty good. Let’s pray earnestly for its advancement.
Showing posts with label Matthew. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Matthew. Show all posts
Sunday, September 11, 2011
Thursday, June 9, 2011
A TESTIMONY TO ALL NATIONS
Matthew 24:1-35 (51) Message delivered by Sarah Barry at the Missionary Conference 5/30/11
Key Verse: 24:14, (30-31) Forward by Kevin Jesmer of NIU UBF
“And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations and then the end will come.”
“At that time, the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and all the nations of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and great glory. He will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.”
Forward by Shp Kevin Jesmer (NIU UBF)
The following is the message delivered by Mother Sarah Barry at the Missionary/Shepherd conference in Seoul Korea (May 30th to June 1st 2011). This was the site of the celebration of the 50th Anniversary of our UBF ministry. I feel that it is important to hear this message because it is a message that is heard by all of our UBF members worldwide. Through the hearing of this message may our hearts be filled with the same hope and vision that filled the hearts of all attendants to the missionary/shepherd conference. Our ministry was founded on September 1, 1961, in South Korea, in the midst of national turmoil following a military coup d'etat. At the time, Korean college students fell into deep despair due to the social instability and the deteriorating value systems of the times. At that time, Dr. Samuel Lee (1931-2002) was ministering to college students after graduating from a Presbyterian seminary. He was translating Bible material for the “Navigators.” Dr. Lee met Missionary Sarah Barry who volunteered to come to Korea to help this war-devastated country. She was sent by the Board of World Missions of the Presbyterian Church. They shared a common belief that the best way to help Korea and the world was to plant faith and hope for the future in the hearts of college students with a life-giving, Gospel spirit, so that they would grow to be future leaders of the Korea and the world. To this end, they began to pray with the prayer topic, "Bible Korea, World Mission," and studied the Bible with college students. This was the beginning of the University Bible Fellowship. Since then God has established over 1800 full time missionaries in over 92 countries. In the 1980’s, Julie and I came to Jesus through the love and the prayers of such Korean missionaries. Julie in LA and I in Winnipeg Canada. It is through the lives of faith of these missionaries that we have found our own mission and calling in life and the calling and mission of our family. Maybe it is your calling and mission too? You will eventually find out. And so God has been working and using our ministry to touch the hearts of college students world wide, over the last 50 years. This year we wanted to celebrate this fact and find some clear direction for our ministry as a whole for the next 50 years. That should cover the rest of my earthy life and half of my kids’ lives, if everything goes as planned. And so now is the time to sit back and relax and image that you are an attendee at the Missionary/shepherd conference at Seoul Korea and imaging that I am Mother Sarah Barry who is in her eighties. God bless you all. …..Shp Kevin Jesmer NIU UBF
As we celebrate our 50th anniversary, we give thanks to God. We are here to praise God for his gracious work in and among us. We are here to worship him. We are here to pray for one another and encourage one another. Through the blood of Jesus and by God’s grace alone we have forgiveness of sin. Through his resurrection, we have life and hope in the kingdom of God. We are ready to welcome and worship our King when he comes. God has made our calling, to take the gospel to the campuses of the world, a sure calling. It is a privilege for me to be here among you who have served God sacrificially in the mission fields of the world. We thank him for his presence with us during the past 50 years. As we look forward toward the future, we want to think, not about what we must do, but about what God is doing.
Through earthquakes, famines, a tsunami that devastated Japan, through wars and revolutions in Africa and the Middle East, God has reminded us that he is in control of nature and history. He reminds us that Jesus is coming again. We don’t know when. But his coming is sure. Let’s read verses 30-31. “At that time, the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and all the nations of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and great glory. He will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.”
What is God doing in these end times, and what can be our response? Let’s read Mt 24:14. “And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations and then the end will come.” This is God’s promise. God keeps his promises. There is no failure in world mission. The gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world..
Part 1: Jesus’ Sorrow –Jerusalem Destroyed
In Matthew 21, Jesus entered Jerusalem as a humble king, riding a donkey. He went first to the temple. He cleansed it. He drove out all those who were doing worldly business there. He rebuked the Pharisees for their hypocrisy. He wept over Jerusalem because it rejected God’s love and blessing. He wept because of the suffering that would come to Jerusalem. Let’s read Mt 24:1-3. Jesus and his disciples walked away from the temple and climbed up the Mount of Olives. They sat down, overlooking the beautiful temple which King Herod had built. Jesus’ disciples were moved as they looked at the beautiful buildings. The disciples revealed a value system focused on wealth and power, on material things. Jesus was still weeping in his heart because of God’s people who rejected God’s love (23:37). His heart was full of sorrow when he responded, “I tell you the truth. This temple will be demolished. Not one stone will be left standing on another. Every stone will be thrown down.”
The destruction of Jerusalem happened just as Jesus prophesied: In 70 A.D. a Roman army under General Titus entered Jerusalem. He was bent on destroying the Jews and their religion. Someone set fire to the temple and it burned to the ground. He killed all the Jews he could find. The streets of the city ran with blood. A few people sought refuge in the Masada fortress, but they were discovered and before they could be massacred, they committed mass suicide. The Jewish people were killed or driven out of Palestine. Those who escaped scattered throughout the world. Jews would not return to reclaim Jerusalem for nearly 2000 years–until after WWII in 1948, when the State of Israel was established. When they began to return, they could not rebuild the temple, because a Mosque was sitting on the temple mount. This was God’s sovereign wisdom. There is still no temple; no animal sacrifices. There is no need for the temple, for Jesus is the temple; he is the perfect sacrifice. The destruction of Jerusalem and the attempted annihilation of the Jews is an event comparable to the holocaust of modern times.
To the disciples, the destruction of the temple was tantamount to the end of the world. Indeed, the destruction of the temple foreshadowed the end of the age and Jesus’ second coming. Jesus had these two events in his heart.
Part ll: The End Of The Age And Jesus’ Second Coming.
The disciples asked Jesus two questions about the end of the age: When will you come again? And, what will be the sign of your coming?
Jesus begins his answer to the question about signs with a warning: “Do not be deceived.” People who only look for signs are frequently deceived. Watch out that no one deceives you–false Messiah’s will come. In a world that does not care about truth, lies prevail. False Messiahs take advantage of this. God’s people must watch out and not be deceived. God’s word is truth. We must be equipped with the sword of the Spirit, the word of God. Jesus said, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.” (35)
In the time leading up to the end there will be great suffering. There will be natural disasters and man-made disasters. Jesus says, “Don’t be alarmed, the end has not come. It is the beginning of birth pains.” We should not give in to fear. God is in control. He tells us that this is the beginning of birth pains. What does he mean by “birth pains”? A woman giving birth to a baby suffers excruciating pain. But it is not pain and suffering that leads to death; it is pain that results in a new life coming into the world. The birth pains herald a new and glorious age, the coming of the Risen Christ, King Jesus, and his kingdom.
What then is the sign of his coming? Read verses 30-31. “At that time, the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and all the nations of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and great glory. He will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.” The sun will be darkened. The moon will not give its light. God will shake the heavens and the stars will fall from the sky. Jesus’ coming is a cosmic event. His elect are those who have accepted the gospel of his kingdom. The mourners are those who have not. The elect will come with the Risen Christ to join him in establishing his glorious kingdom on earth as it is in heaven.
The disciples did not fully understand, but they believed. We also do not understand everything, but we believe that Jesus is coming again. It was promised to the first witnesses that Jesus who was taken into heaven would come back in the same way they saw him leave. (Ac 1:11). The Risen Christ will come, bringing God’s kingdom to earth. He will come with his elect. His coming marks the end of this present age. His coming ushers in a new heaven and a new earth. Jerusalem had been cruelly destroyed. But the Apostle John had a vision of a new and glorious Jerusalem coming down from God out of heaven as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. (Rev 21:1,2) The kingdom of the Risen Christ will be full of love and joy.
The next question is, “When?” –What is the time of his coming? Jesus’ answer is, “No one knows when; Be ready; keep watch.” “No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, or the Son, but only the Father.” (36) If we knew the time of Jesus’ coming, we could think, “I’ll get ready later.” People were like this in the days of Noah (24:37-39). Only Noah was ready. The rest of the people went about business as usual, eating, drinking, partying, getting married. They paid much attention to their flesh lives and no attention to their spiritual lives. Noah also lived an ordinary life, but he was different. He was ready. He made time to walk with God, and listen to him. He believed that God meant what he said. So, when God told him to build a boat, he built it. He believed and obeyed God’s word. He was saved, but everyone else drowned. In the same way, we should be ready. Like Noah, we should walk with God in prayer, listen to his word and be ready. Jesus will come like a thief in the night. He will come at a time when we do not expect him. Therefore, we should keep watch.
Part lll. What Is God Doing In These Times And What Will He Do?
What is God doing? First, He is working to help his elect stand firm. Look at verses 12-13. “Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved.” Second, He is working now through his elect to bring his love and mercy and forgiveness to the world. Third, He will gather his elect from everywhere. “When the Son of Man comes with power and glory he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.” Who, then are the elect?
God’s elect are those who have accepted Jesus as Savior and Lord. They are those who inherit the kingdom prepared for them from the Creation. (25:31-40) The elect love God because God first loved them. They are the “sheep” in Chapter 25 who care for the vulnerable people of society—they feed the hungry, visit the prisoners, minister to the sick, clothe the naked, love the unlovable. They don’t even realize that they are serving God and spreading the gospel of his kingdom. They inherit the kingdom prepared for them from the creation. But, on the other hand, wickedness will increase. God’s people will be persecuted, hated, put to death. Some will fail. They will turn from the faith and betray each other. Most men’s love will grow cold. But these, the worst of times, are also the best of times. It is the time of opportunity. It is the time for love to challenge hate, the time to make God’s saving grace known.
Tass Saada was a PLO sniper. He murdered Jews in Israel; he killed Christians in Jordan. He was born in a refugee camp in Gaza. When the Jewish state was formed in 1948, many Palestinians became homeless immigrants, Tass Saada’s family included. He was raised in a world of radical Islam and violent Palestinian nationalism. By his teenage years he was a cauldron of hatred. Especially, he hated Jews. He had no homeland, so he wanted to immigrate to America. Someone told him that the best way to get a green card was to marry an American. So he did. But in his heart, he was a jihadist and he hated America. One day a friend tried to evangelize him and he got mad. Then his friend offered him a Bible. He shouted, “Don’t get near me—that’s God’s book.” So his friend said, ‘You believe this is God’s book? Then listen to what God’s Book says about Jesus.” And he read John 1:14—“the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.” It hit Tass that the Bible teaches plainly that Jesus is God and he trembled. He heard a voice, “I am the Way and the Truth and the Life.” He didn’t know that these words were from the Bible. Jesus was speaking to him personally. Jihad is not the way; Jesus is the Way. He prayed, “Jesus, come into my life.” He repented of his sins. And this violent radical Muslim was transformed by the power of the Word of God and the Holy Spirit. The killer became a man of peace and compassion. Once he called his friend. “Was Jesus a Jew?” “Yes, Jesus was a Jew.” So Tass Saada could love Jews. He could love his wife. He became a powerful and bold preacher of the gospel of the kingdom. He founded an organization called “Hope for Ishmael” dedicated to reconciling Arabs and Jews. He and his wife moved to a refugee camp in Gaza, where he was born, to share Jesus’ love with poverty-stricken children there. Tass Saada is one of God’s elect. God is working through his elect to bring his gospel to the world. This is the time to challenge hatred with God’s love. In these times God refines and purifies the hearts of his people through suffering. Through broken dreams, sickness, seeming failure God purifies our hearts. God’s mission to the world will not fail.
God is spreading his gospel to all nations through his elect. Look at verse 14. “And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.” God’s Son, the Christ, was born into a Roman world, according to God’s set time and foreknowledge. Roman laws, Roman soldiers, Roman roads and a common language unified the world in a way that it had never been unified before. Paul and the apostles could travel anywhere without visas. The gospel was spread to the whole Roman world.
We have “Roman roads” in our time, too. We live in the world of the internet, satellite T.V. and radio; in the world of facebook and Twitter and Youtube. Through these modern roads of communication, our world has become one community. In Egypt, Whael Ghonim, a Google executive and Asmaa Mahofouz, a 26 year-old woman, made facebook entries that sparked a revolution. Mubarak’s government fell. News travels. Revolution sparks revolution. The Muslim Radicals want to use the opportunities of our times to destabilize the world so that they can step into a power vacuum and rule. We don’t know which way the revolutions happening in Libya, Syria, Yemen, and other parts of the world are going. But this is a time of unprecedented opportunity for the gospel of the kingdom to be preached in the whole world. Wayne Pederson of Radio station HCJB continues to beam the message of the Prince of Peace into Libya and North Africa, and people are listening. Jesus promised that “the gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations and then the end will come.” (14) Jesus keeps his promise. His coming is our glorious hope.
Part lV: How Can We Respond To What God Is Doing?
We can love God and love one another. Even though people’s love grows cold, God’s love does not grow cold. God is merciful and compassionate. God is love. He is working in and through you and me to bring the gospel of the kingdom to the ends of the earth. He is working in us to share his love in a world where love has grown cold. By his grace alone, we can stand firm to the end. Let us put our trust in Jesus and give him our hearts.
Again, We can love God and love one another. When we accepted God’s grace of forgiveness, we welcomed Jesus into our hearts. It is no longer I who live. It is Christ who lives in me. We cannot tell about a person’s inner life from his outward appearance. But God looks at the heart. When the Son of Man comes, two men will be working together in a field. They are doing the same thing. But their hearts are different. One knows God; Jesus is in his heart. God’s Spirit rules him. God does not know the other one. One will be taken; the other will be left. Two women will be working together, grinding grain with a hand mill. They are dressed alike and they are doing the same thing. But one has a heart that is ruled by Jesus and the other’s heart is full of greed and lust. One will be taken; the other left. (40-41) The heart cleansed by Jesus’ blood and ruled by the Holy Spirit is a heart that is ready to meet King Jesus. Let us forgive one another. Let us love one another and build up one another.
Paul says, “As we wait for Jesus to come again, ‘(Let us) put on faith and love as a breastplate and the hope of salvation as a helmet..let us encourage one another and build up each other, just as in fact you are doing...’” (I Th 5:8-11) Jesus’ blood has cleansed us. We are ready to welcome King Jesus. “He died for us so that we may live together with him.”
We can be faithful and wise servants. We should keep on living the life God called us to live. In verses 45-51, Jesus talks about the faithful and wise servant whom the master has put in charge of the servants in his household to feed them…He says, “It will be good for that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns.” As we wait for the coming of our King Jesus, the indwelling Jesus helps us to be faithful and wise servants. He helps each of us to feed God’s sheep, overcome our selfishness, to be mindful of all of God’s family. He enables my life and your life to be a testimony to the nations.
We can participate in his work of making disciples of all nations. He promises that this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations. This is what God is doing. He invites us to participate. In the last verses of Matthew’s gospel, he sends his disciples forth to share in what he is doing. Go and make disciples of all nations. He gives us another promise: And surely I am with you always to the very end of the age. We are in Christ and he is in us. We can stand firm. May God use our lives as a testimony to the nations. “And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations and then the end will come.”
1. Read verses 1-3. How was Jesus' view of the temple different from that of the disciples? (Cf.
Mark 13:1) To what future events was Jesus probably referring? What was the disciples'
response? (3)
2. Read verses 4-8. What did Jesus teach about the climate of the world and of the end of the
age? What warnings did he give his disciples? What was Jesus' attitude toward these things?
Why? (6,8)
3. Read verses 9-14. What other things will happen in the last days? How will people react
under such pressure? What should Jesus' people do? What did Jesus promise?
4. Read verses 15-22. What does this "abomination" refer to? (cf. Daniel 9:27; 11:31) When
abominable things happen, what must God's people do? Why might worldly attachments
ensnare people? (16,17,18) How will God help his own?
5. Read verses 23-35. How will false prophets try to deceive God's people? How can we
not be deceived? Who will mourn and who will rejoice when the Son of Man comes?
What lesson can we learn from the fig tree?
6. Read verses 36-51. What does it mean to be ready? What can we learn from the
faithful steward? What happens to the unfaithful steward? (45-51)
Matthew 24:1-35 (51) Message delivered by Sarah Barry at the Missionary Conference 5/30/11
Key Verse: 24:14, (30-31) Forward by Kevin Jesmer of NIU UBF
“And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations and then the end will come.”
“At that time, the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and all the nations of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and great glory. He will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.”
Forward by Shp Kevin Jesmer (NIU UBF)
The following is the message delivered by Mother Sarah Barry at the Missionary/Shepherd conference in Seoul Korea (May 30th to June 1st 2011). This was the site of the celebration of the 50th Anniversary of our UBF ministry. I feel that it is important to hear this message because it is a message that is heard by all of our UBF members worldwide. Through the hearing of this message may our hearts be filled with the same hope and vision that filled the hearts of all attendants to the missionary/shepherd conference. Our ministry was founded on September 1, 1961, in South Korea, in the midst of national turmoil following a military coup d'etat. At the time, Korean college students fell into deep despair due to the social instability and the deteriorating value systems of the times. At that time, Dr. Samuel Lee (1931-2002) was ministering to college students after graduating from a Presbyterian seminary. He was translating Bible material for the “Navigators.” Dr. Lee met Missionary Sarah Barry who volunteered to come to Korea to help this war-devastated country. She was sent by the Board of World Missions of the Presbyterian Church. They shared a common belief that the best way to help Korea and the world was to plant faith and hope for the future in the hearts of college students with a life-giving, Gospel spirit, so that they would grow to be future leaders of the Korea and the world. To this end, they began to pray with the prayer topic, "Bible Korea, World Mission," and studied the Bible with college students. This was the beginning of the University Bible Fellowship. Since then God has established over 1800 full time missionaries in over 92 countries. In the 1980’s, Julie and I came to Jesus through the love and the prayers of such Korean missionaries. Julie in LA and I in Winnipeg Canada. It is through the lives of faith of these missionaries that we have found our own mission and calling in life and the calling and mission of our family. Maybe it is your calling and mission too? You will eventually find out. And so God has been working and using our ministry to touch the hearts of college students world wide, over the last 50 years. This year we wanted to celebrate this fact and find some clear direction for our ministry as a whole for the next 50 years. That should cover the rest of my earthy life and half of my kids’ lives, if everything goes as planned. And so now is the time to sit back and relax and image that you are an attendee at the Missionary/shepherd conference at Seoul Korea and imaging that I am Mother Sarah Barry who is in her eighties. God bless you all. …..Shp Kevin Jesmer NIU UBF
As we celebrate our 50th anniversary, we give thanks to God. We are here to praise God for his gracious work in and among us. We are here to worship him. We are here to pray for one another and encourage one another. Through the blood of Jesus and by God’s grace alone we have forgiveness of sin. Through his resurrection, we have life and hope in the kingdom of God. We are ready to welcome and worship our King when he comes. God has made our calling, to take the gospel to the campuses of the world, a sure calling. It is a privilege for me to be here among you who have served God sacrificially in the mission fields of the world. We thank him for his presence with us during the past 50 years. As we look forward toward the future, we want to think, not about what we must do, but about what God is doing.
Through earthquakes, famines, a tsunami that devastated Japan, through wars and revolutions in Africa and the Middle East, God has reminded us that he is in control of nature and history. He reminds us that Jesus is coming again. We don’t know when. But his coming is sure. Let’s read verses 30-31. “At that time, the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and all the nations of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and great glory. He will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.”
What is God doing in these end times, and what can be our response? Let’s read Mt 24:14. “And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations and then the end will come.” This is God’s promise. God keeps his promises. There is no failure in world mission. The gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world..
Part 1: Jesus’ Sorrow –Jerusalem Destroyed
In Matthew 21, Jesus entered Jerusalem as a humble king, riding a donkey. He went first to the temple. He cleansed it. He drove out all those who were doing worldly business there. He rebuked the Pharisees for their hypocrisy. He wept over Jerusalem because it rejected God’s love and blessing. He wept because of the suffering that would come to Jerusalem. Let’s read Mt 24:1-3. Jesus and his disciples walked away from the temple and climbed up the Mount of Olives. They sat down, overlooking the beautiful temple which King Herod had built. Jesus’ disciples were moved as they looked at the beautiful buildings. The disciples revealed a value system focused on wealth and power, on material things. Jesus was still weeping in his heart because of God’s people who rejected God’s love (23:37). His heart was full of sorrow when he responded, “I tell you the truth. This temple will be demolished. Not one stone will be left standing on another. Every stone will be thrown down.”
The destruction of Jerusalem happened just as Jesus prophesied: In 70 A.D. a Roman army under General Titus entered Jerusalem. He was bent on destroying the Jews and their religion. Someone set fire to the temple and it burned to the ground. He killed all the Jews he could find. The streets of the city ran with blood. A few people sought refuge in the Masada fortress, but they were discovered and before they could be massacred, they committed mass suicide. The Jewish people were killed or driven out of Palestine. Those who escaped scattered throughout the world. Jews would not return to reclaim Jerusalem for nearly 2000 years–until after WWII in 1948, when the State of Israel was established. When they began to return, they could not rebuild the temple, because a Mosque was sitting on the temple mount. This was God’s sovereign wisdom. There is still no temple; no animal sacrifices. There is no need for the temple, for Jesus is the temple; he is the perfect sacrifice. The destruction of Jerusalem and the attempted annihilation of the Jews is an event comparable to the holocaust of modern times.
To the disciples, the destruction of the temple was tantamount to the end of the world. Indeed, the destruction of the temple foreshadowed the end of the age and Jesus’ second coming. Jesus had these two events in his heart.
Part ll: The End Of The Age And Jesus’ Second Coming.
The disciples asked Jesus two questions about the end of the age: When will you come again? And, what will be the sign of your coming?
Jesus begins his answer to the question about signs with a warning: “Do not be deceived.” People who only look for signs are frequently deceived. Watch out that no one deceives you–false Messiah’s will come. In a world that does not care about truth, lies prevail. False Messiahs take advantage of this. God’s people must watch out and not be deceived. God’s word is truth. We must be equipped with the sword of the Spirit, the word of God. Jesus said, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.” (35)
In the time leading up to the end there will be great suffering. There will be natural disasters and man-made disasters. Jesus says, “Don’t be alarmed, the end has not come. It is the beginning of birth pains.” We should not give in to fear. God is in control. He tells us that this is the beginning of birth pains. What does he mean by “birth pains”? A woman giving birth to a baby suffers excruciating pain. But it is not pain and suffering that leads to death; it is pain that results in a new life coming into the world. The birth pains herald a new and glorious age, the coming of the Risen Christ, King Jesus, and his kingdom.
What then is the sign of his coming? Read verses 30-31. “At that time, the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and all the nations of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and great glory. He will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.” The sun will be darkened. The moon will not give its light. God will shake the heavens and the stars will fall from the sky. Jesus’ coming is a cosmic event. His elect are those who have accepted the gospel of his kingdom. The mourners are those who have not. The elect will come with the Risen Christ to join him in establishing his glorious kingdom on earth as it is in heaven.
The disciples did not fully understand, but they believed. We also do not understand everything, but we believe that Jesus is coming again. It was promised to the first witnesses that Jesus who was taken into heaven would come back in the same way they saw him leave. (Ac 1:11). The Risen Christ will come, bringing God’s kingdom to earth. He will come with his elect. His coming marks the end of this present age. His coming ushers in a new heaven and a new earth. Jerusalem had been cruelly destroyed. But the Apostle John had a vision of a new and glorious Jerusalem coming down from God out of heaven as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. (Rev 21:1,2) The kingdom of the Risen Christ will be full of love and joy.
The next question is, “When?” –What is the time of his coming? Jesus’ answer is, “No one knows when; Be ready; keep watch.” “No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, or the Son, but only the Father.” (36) If we knew the time of Jesus’ coming, we could think, “I’ll get ready later.” People were like this in the days of Noah (24:37-39). Only Noah was ready. The rest of the people went about business as usual, eating, drinking, partying, getting married. They paid much attention to their flesh lives and no attention to their spiritual lives. Noah also lived an ordinary life, but he was different. He was ready. He made time to walk with God, and listen to him. He believed that God meant what he said. So, when God told him to build a boat, he built it. He believed and obeyed God’s word. He was saved, but everyone else drowned. In the same way, we should be ready. Like Noah, we should walk with God in prayer, listen to his word and be ready. Jesus will come like a thief in the night. He will come at a time when we do not expect him. Therefore, we should keep watch.
Part lll. What Is God Doing In These Times And What Will He Do?
What is God doing? First, He is working to help his elect stand firm. Look at verses 12-13. “Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved.” Second, He is working now through his elect to bring his love and mercy and forgiveness to the world. Third, He will gather his elect from everywhere. “When the Son of Man comes with power and glory he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.” Who, then are the elect?
God’s elect are those who have accepted Jesus as Savior and Lord. They are those who inherit the kingdom prepared for them from the Creation. (25:31-40) The elect love God because God first loved them. They are the “sheep” in Chapter 25 who care for the vulnerable people of society—they feed the hungry, visit the prisoners, minister to the sick, clothe the naked, love the unlovable. They don’t even realize that they are serving God and spreading the gospel of his kingdom. They inherit the kingdom prepared for them from the creation. But, on the other hand, wickedness will increase. God’s people will be persecuted, hated, put to death. Some will fail. They will turn from the faith and betray each other. Most men’s love will grow cold. But these, the worst of times, are also the best of times. It is the time of opportunity. It is the time for love to challenge hate, the time to make God’s saving grace known.
Tass Saada was a PLO sniper. He murdered Jews in Israel; he killed Christians in Jordan. He was born in a refugee camp in Gaza. When the Jewish state was formed in 1948, many Palestinians became homeless immigrants, Tass Saada’s family included. He was raised in a world of radical Islam and violent Palestinian nationalism. By his teenage years he was a cauldron of hatred. Especially, he hated Jews. He had no homeland, so he wanted to immigrate to America. Someone told him that the best way to get a green card was to marry an American. So he did. But in his heart, he was a jihadist and he hated America. One day a friend tried to evangelize him and he got mad. Then his friend offered him a Bible. He shouted, “Don’t get near me—that’s God’s book.” So his friend said, ‘You believe this is God’s book? Then listen to what God’s Book says about Jesus.” And he read John 1:14—“the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.” It hit Tass that the Bible teaches plainly that Jesus is God and he trembled. He heard a voice, “I am the Way and the Truth and the Life.” He didn’t know that these words were from the Bible. Jesus was speaking to him personally. Jihad is not the way; Jesus is the Way. He prayed, “Jesus, come into my life.” He repented of his sins. And this violent radical Muslim was transformed by the power of the Word of God and the Holy Spirit. The killer became a man of peace and compassion. Once he called his friend. “Was Jesus a Jew?” “Yes, Jesus was a Jew.” So Tass Saada could love Jews. He could love his wife. He became a powerful and bold preacher of the gospel of the kingdom. He founded an organization called “Hope for Ishmael” dedicated to reconciling Arabs and Jews. He and his wife moved to a refugee camp in Gaza, where he was born, to share Jesus’ love with poverty-stricken children there. Tass Saada is one of God’s elect. God is working through his elect to bring his gospel to the world. This is the time to challenge hatred with God’s love. In these times God refines and purifies the hearts of his people through suffering. Through broken dreams, sickness, seeming failure God purifies our hearts. God’s mission to the world will not fail.
God is spreading his gospel to all nations through his elect. Look at verse 14. “And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.” God’s Son, the Christ, was born into a Roman world, according to God’s set time and foreknowledge. Roman laws, Roman soldiers, Roman roads and a common language unified the world in a way that it had never been unified before. Paul and the apostles could travel anywhere without visas. The gospel was spread to the whole Roman world.
We have “Roman roads” in our time, too. We live in the world of the internet, satellite T.V. and radio; in the world of facebook and Twitter and Youtube. Through these modern roads of communication, our world has become one community. In Egypt, Whael Ghonim, a Google executive and Asmaa Mahofouz, a 26 year-old woman, made facebook entries that sparked a revolution. Mubarak’s government fell. News travels. Revolution sparks revolution. The Muslim Radicals want to use the opportunities of our times to destabilize the world so that they can step into a power vacuum and rule. We don’t know which way the revolutions happening in Libya, Syria, Yemen, and other parts of the world are going. But this is a time of unprecedented opportunity for the gospel of the kingdom to be preached in the whole world. Wayne Pederson of Radio station HCJB continues to beam the message of the Prince of Peace into Libya and North Africa, and people are listening. Jesus promised that “the gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations and then the end will come.” (14) Jesus keeps his promise. His coming is our glorious hope.
Part lV: How Can We Respond To What God Is Doing?
We can love God and love one another. Even though people’s love grows cold, God’s love does not grow cold. God is merciful and compassionate. God is love. He is working in and through you and me to bring the gospel of the kingdom to the ends of the earth. He is working in us to share his love in a world where love has grown cold. By his grace alone, we can stand firm to the end. Let us put our trust in Jesus and give him our hearts.
Again, We can love God and love one another. When we accepted God’s grace of forgiveness, we welcomed Jesus into our hearts. It is no longer I who live. It is Christ who lives in me. We cannot tell about a person’s inner life from his outward appearance. But God looks at the heart. When the Son of Man comes, two men will be working together in a field. They are doing the same thing. But their hearts are different. One knows God; Jesus is in his heart. God’s Spirit rules him. God does not know the other one. One will be taken; the other will be left. Two women will be working together, grinding grain with a hand mill. They are dressed alike and they are doing the same thing. But one has a heart that is ruled by Jesus and the other’s heart is full of greed and lust. One will be taken; the other left. (40-41) The heart cleansed by Jesus’ blood and ruled by the Holy Spirit is a heart that is ready to meet King Jesus. Let us forgive one another. Let us love one another and build up one another.
Paul says, “As we wait for Jesus to come again, ‘(Let us) put on faith and love as a breastplate and the hope of salvation as a helmet..let us encourage one another and build up each other, just as in fact you are doing...’” (I Th 5:8-11) Jesus’ blood has cleansed us. We are ready to welcome King Jesus. “He died for us so that we may live together with him.”
We can be faithful and wise servants. We should keep on living the life God called us to live. In verses 45-51, Jesus talks about the faithful and wise servant whom the master has put in charge of the servants in his household to feed them…He says, “It will be good for that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns.” As we wait for the coming of our King Jesus, the indwelling Jesus helps us to be faithful and wise servants. He helps each of us to feed God’s sheep, overcome our selfishness, to be mindful of all of God’s family. He enables my life and your life to be a testimony to the nations.
We can participate in his work of making disciples of all nations. He promises that this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations. This is what God is doing. He invites us to participate. In the last verses of Matthew’s gospel, he sends his disciples forth to share in what he is doing. Go and make disciples of all nations. He gives us another promise: And surely I am with you always to the very end of the age. We are in Christ and he is in us. We can stand firm. May God use our lives as a testimony to the nations. “And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations and then the end will come.”
1. Read verses 1-3. How was Jesus' view of the temple different from that of the disciples? (Cf.
Mark 13:1) To what future events was Jesus probably referring? What was the disciples'
response? (3)
2. Read verses 4-8. What did Jesus teach about the climate of the world and of the end of the
age? What warnings did he give his disciples? What was Jesus' attitude toward these things?
Why? (6,8)
3. Read verses 9-14. What other things will happen in the last days? How will people react
under such pressure? What should Jesus' people do? What did Jesus promise?
4. Read verses 15-22. What does this "abomination" refer to? (cf. Daniel 9:27; 11:31) When
abominable things happen, what must God's people do? Why might worldly attachments
ensnare people? (16,17,18) How will God help his own?
5. Read verses 23-35. How will false prophets try to deceive God's people? How can we
not be deceived? Who will mourn and who will rejoice when the Son of Man comes?
What lesson can we learn from the fig tree?
6. Read verses 36-51. What does it mean to be ready? What can we learn from the
faithful steward? What happens to the unfaithful steward? (45-51)
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Matthew 1:1-25
“Immanuel” – God With Us
Matthew 1:1-25 Shp Kevin Jesmer NIU UBF
Key Verse: 1:22-23 12-06-09
“All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: ‘The virgin will be with child and will give birth to son, and they will call him Immanuel’ – which means, ‘God with us.’”
Today we want to prepare our hearts for Christmas. Next week Pastor Teddy will preach on Matthew 2. This chapter is a great prep for what we will hear next week. Focusing on this chapter, Matthew stresses that Jesus is the King promised by God for this genealogy is one of a king, the King, the Christ of God. Through this genealogy we can learn how God works, who Jesus is, and how to be one of the blessed ones who are called to participate in God’s history.
First, Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham (1).
Jesus came into this world at exactly the right time. Look at verse 1. “A record of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.” Jesus was born some 2,000 years ago. He came into the world and lived in real time. The gospels are the story of Jesus’ life and work. The name “Jesus” means Savior. Matthew 1:21 says, “..he will save his people from their sins.” Jesus came to solve the sin problem, the real problem of mankind. Matthew knew personally how Jesus saved people from their sins for before he became an apostle, Matthew had been Levi the tax collector. He was lonely and despised, but Jesus became his friend and changed him from a petty, selfish man into one of the most great and sacrificial men in history. he was a recipient of God’s amazing grace. Matthew introduces the Savior Jesus to each one of us.
The name “Christ,” means “the anointed one of God.” In the Old Testament, God anointed people whom he had called. Kings, prophets and priests were all anointed to be used by God. Among those chosen few, there would be one unique anointed one, called the “Christ.” He is Jesus Christ, the son of David, the Son of Abraham.
First, Jesus Christ, the son of David. David was the youngest of eight sons of Jesse, and he was a shepherd boy. David took care of his father’s sheep with all his heart, and sometimes he risked his life to rescue them from lions and bears. God noticed David’s shepherd’s heart. When God needed someone to be king of Israel, he chose David. God instructed the prophet Samuel to anoint him with oil. Then the Holy Spirit came upon David in power. David’s life was marked by his love for God and his shepherd heart for God’s people. This is revealed by putting his life on the line to fight and defeat Goliath. Later, while running for his life as a political criminal, David accepted God’s sovereignty over his life and future. In the midst of hardship, David thanked God and wrote many songs of praise. They became the Psalms. One time, about four hundred men came to David with all kinds of problems. In modern terms, they had excessive credit card debt, failing transcripts, and broken families. They were difficult to care for. But David accepted and cared for them and put hope in them. Later, each of them became a key member of David’s kingdom.
Under David’s leadership, Israel became a united kingdom and entered into a golden age. It was a glorious theocracy where God was honored and there was righteousness and peace. It became a model of the kingdom of God. God was pleased by David’s life of faith and love for God. God promised David that a king would be raised from his line whose kingdom would last forever (2 Sa 7:12-16). The Israelites looked forward to the coming of the son of David who would rule eternally with righteousness and peace. Jesus is the Christ, the son promised to David. (Isa 9:6-7).
Next, Jesus Christ, the son of Abraham. Abraham was 75 years old when God called him. His human desire was to have a son and to be a noble father. However, his wife Sarah was barren. It seemed that no matter how hard he worked his life would end with his death and he would leave nothing behind, but his dust. This made Abraham fatalistic. One day, God said to Abraham, “I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great and you will be a blessing” (Gen 12:2). Abraham put his faith and hope in God’s promise and obeyed God practically by leaving his country, people, and father’s household to go to the land God would show him. Abraham lived by faith, building many altars of worship to God. But after ten years, he felt that living a holy life was pointless. At that moment, God gave him his word of promise and“Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations....” (Rom 4:8) God blessed Abraham’s faith by making him into a great nation, and ultimately by sending the Christ, Jesus, through his line. Indeed, God is a God of history. God uses people who have faith in his promises to accomplish his world salvation purpose. All those who make a personal decision to obey God’s calling and believe God’s promises can participate in this history and be blessed just like Abraham.
Second, God Rules History (2-17).
Matthew organized Israel’s history into three periods. Look at verse 17. “Thus there were fourteen generations in all from Abraham to David, fourteen from David to the exile to Babylon, and fourteen from the exile to the Christ.” The first, from Abraham to David, was the period of the patriarchs (2-6a). God helped these patriarchs, to pass their faith and blessing from one generation to the next. The patriarchs obeyed God’s word absolutely, believed God’s promises and lived holy lives. God blessed them by being with them, protecting and prospering them. Ultimately, God blessed them with the hope of heaven (Heb 11:10). We can learn here the importance of raising one man until he has the unshakable faith of a patriarch. I can see such modern day Patriarchs being raised, like Dr John Lee Jr of Springfield UBF and Andrew Martin of NKU. There are many others.
In the patriarchal period, three women are mentioned. They are Tamar, Rahab and Ruth. They were all Gentiles. Matthew includes these three women because they had the faith that pleased God. God works through faith, regardless of gender or nationality. By faith, theses women turned terrible human circumstances into God’s abundant blessing. Tamar was an abandoned widow after the consecutive deaths of her two husbands, the sons of Judah. (Gen 38) Judah promised to give his third son to her, but reneged. When Judah was emotionally weak after the death of his own wife, Tamar dressed as a prostitute, slept with Judah and conceived. Her act was regarded as an act of faith, unorthodox though it may be. Her act of faith almost cost her life. Yet her action was propelled by wisdom and motivated by a desire to honor her dead first husband. When she acted in faith, God had mercy on her, her life was spared, Judah repented, and God granted twin babies. She was no longer fruitless. She prepared Judah’s heart for future repentance and could also carry on the name of her first husband in the history of Israel.
Rahab was a prostitute living in the wall of Jericho when the Israelite army was poised to destroy the city to carry out God’s judgment. But she believed God ruled the heavens and the earth and that he would surely fulfill his purpose. She had faith in the Creator God, the God of Israel. So she sided with the people of Israel. She risked her life to hide Israelite spies and she encouraged the Israelite army by telling them how fearful the people of Jericho were. Humanly speaking, she was a traitor. She risked being hated, but God saw her faith and spared her life and the lives of her family members. Moreover, God included her in the genealogy of Jesus.
Ruth was a Moabitess and the daughter-in-law of Naomi. When Naomi’s husband and sons died early, Naomi was left destitute. Ruth decided to stay with Naomi and followed her back to Israel. She would be subject to societal prejudice. She seemed to lose everything. But God blessed Ruth’s decision and established her family with Boaz. She became the great-grandmother of King David. By her faith, her sorrowful widow’s fate was turned into God’s amazing blessing. What about Mary? In brief, Mary trusted God when it meant becoming pregnant before marriage in a strict, legalistic society. She too was ready risk loosing Joseph and even her own life, but God used her faith to bring Jesus into the world.
The second period, from David to the exile to Babylon, was the time of the kings. Those mentioned in verses 6b-11 are all kings of Judah. Some were good kings and others were bad kings. The “good” kings sought to love God and to honor God and to be good shepherds of their people like David was. God blessed them and their people when they did so. There were also “bad” kings who ignored the word of God and David’s example and used their kingship for selfish benefit and pleasure. They fell into idol worship and became instruments of the devil. God’s people suffered terribly under their reign. But God bore with the evil kings and remained with his people for the sake of keeping his promise to David. God is faithful, even when his people are unfaithful.
God is even with is people when they sin. In verse 6 Matthew says that David’s son Solomon was born through a woman who had been Uriah’s wife. This exposes David’s terrible sin of adultery and murder. Matthew did not hide this sin, but exposed it clearly. God could have nullified his covenant with David. By God’s help, David repented his sin before God. God forgave his sin and restored his soul. Thus, King David could stand in God’s redemptive history solely by God’s grace. In the final analysis, people are included in God’s history by his grace alone.
The third period is from the exile to Babylon to the Christ. The exile to Babylon was precisely God’s punishment on his people for their sins. In that time of punishment they were driven from the Promised Land and sent into Babylon. They lost all their privileges and became slaves. Their human condition became as bad as it could be. Yet, for many exiles, it was that very time that they began to remember the promise of God to send the Christ. The hope of God began to burn in their hearts. Those whose hearts the Lord had touched, returned to Jerusalem to rebuild its walls with great zeal. God sanctifies his people through the divine discipline, of exiled life. It is very costly, but in this way, God faithfully carries out his work through undeserving people so that they could live as a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. Could God be subjecting you to divine discipline for the same purpose? Definitely!
Third, a Jesus-Centered House Church (18-21;24-25).
So far in Chapter 1 we have learned that though his people are unfaithful and sinful, God is faithful. He works though his people of faith to fulfill all of his promises. Now, in verses 18-25, Matthew focuses on one family to reveal how the promised Savior, Jesus Christ was born and how God used the faith and obedience of Joseph and Mary. He used ordinary people who loved and obeyed him. Maybe we can apply this to our own lives. Let’s see. Look at verse 18. “This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit.” Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph. Mary’s heart might have danced with joy and excitement as she prepared the day of her wedding, trying on her wedding dress again and again. But one day something happened to interrupt her daydream. An angel of the Lord appeared to her with a message: She was chosen as the mother of the Messiah. It was the great blessing of God but very costly. She could loose her fiancé Joseph or loose her very life. It required an immediate decision of faith. Mary did not hesitate. She accepted God’s grace and plunged her life into the providence of God. Then the Holy Spirit came upon her, and the baby Jesus was conceived.
Verse 18 says that Mary was found to be with child. Joseph found out about her condition through the obvious change in her body shape. Joseph could only think that Mary was unfaithful
But look how Joseph responded in verse 19. “Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.” He could have become angry and self-righteous and have Mary thrown in the middle of living room in front of all her relatives, cursed her and dragged her out to stone her. This happens in some countries even today. He did not do this. Joseph was a righteous man. He saw this event in God. He remembered that he and Mary had both made a pledge before the holy God. Though he could not save Mary from the repercussions of this pregnancy, he could try his best to save Mary’s life and dignity while maintaining the laws of God. He retained his objectivity and had in mind to divorce her privately. We learn from Joseph how to make godly decisions in a crisis. First, we must see things in God, obey the law and at the same time revealing mercy. Second, we must think of others before ourselves. Then we can make a sound decision in the sight of God.
God saw the anguish of his heart and intervened. Look at verse 20. “But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, ‘Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.’” To God, Joseph’s decision making process was pretty good, but his conclusion was wrong. it was because Joseph did not recognize the work of the Holy Spirit. God did not want Joseph to divorce Mary and so he intervened and told Joseph to take Mary home as his wife. Joseph had to change his mind because God had his own plan in this matter. Then he could be used in God’s redemptive history.
When the angel addressed Joseph, he called him “Joseph son of David.” As a legal heir of David, Joseph could register Jesus in David’s line. Humanly speaking, Joseph was a poor Jewish carpenter. But God regarded Joseph highly because of his spiritual heritage. Joseph was a son of David in spirit and character, as well as in name. God chose this Joseph to be a human father to Jesus. God does not look at the obscurity of our human condition, but spiritual heritage as people of faith.
Joseph was to name the newborn baby, like a good father. Look at verse 21. “...you are to give him the name Jesus....” God trusted Joseph to provide a good environment for Jesus and to protect Jesus like a father. This would involve hardship, even risking his life. But God entrusted his precious Son Jesus to Joseph, for Joseph was trustworthy.
Joseph obeyed God absolutely. Look at verses 24-25. “When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. But he had no union with her until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.” First he took Mary home as his wife. People in his community would question his integrity. Yet Joseph bore their reproach, defending Mary. Also, Joseph named the boy Jesus. In doing so, Joseph expressed his faith in God’s word. Joseph believed that Jesus really was the Savior of the world. Joseph’s faith and obedience made him very useful to God. Joseph and Mary had the most fruitful house church in history. It was through their faith in God and obedience. God was at the center of their hearts. God was at the center of their family. We pray to raise Jesus-centered house churches for every campus in the world.
Fourth, Jesus Saves His People From Their Sins (21).
People think that they need cold-hard cash or i-tune gift cards for Christmas. But from God’s point of view, what people need is salvation from their sins. Look at verse 21. “She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” To God, sin is the real problem. Yet there are so many people who have no idea about the sin problem. What is sin? Sin is to separate or to cut one’s relationship to God through disobedience. Some symptoms of sin are meaninglessness, depression, guilt, shame, fear and despair. Sin paralyzes us inwardly. Sin makes us helpless to serve God’s purpose in our lives. Sin robs us of spiritual desires and forces us to live petty lives. Sin makes us blames the system and other people. Sin is the problem. We must repent and come back to God and be saved.
But Jesus came to save his people from their sins through his death and resurrection. While on earth, Jesus served all kinds of needy people. Jesus healed the sick, drove out evil spirits and raised the dead. Most of all, Jesus planted the living hope of the kingdom of God in the hearts of people. But Jesus was despised and rejected by men. Finally Jesus was crucified. Though Jesus was treated in such a way, he prayed, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing” (Lk 23:34a). Then Jesus bowed his head and breathed his last. Jesus died on the cross for our sins. Isaiah 53:4-5 says: “Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.” Jesus’ death is the sacrifice of atonement that God accepted for our sins. On the third day, God raised Jesus from the dead. Jesus’ resurrection opened the way for us to have eternal life in the kingdom of God. While on earth, we can live as God’s precious children and serve his holy purpose. (Lk 1:74,75) In this way Jesus saves us from our sins. Praise Jesus!
Jesus is also, Immanuel – God with us. Look at verses 22-23. “All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: ‘The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel’–which means ‘God with us.’” How could he be with us? First, Jesus humbled himself to be with us. (John 1:1-3) Jesus is the Creator God. Jesus is infinite. Jesus is eternal. Jesus is Almighty. Yet Jesus came down to this world and entered human history as a baby. Jesus became weak and vulnerable, giving up everything, in order to be with us.
Second, Jesus is with us through the Holy Spirit. Jesus promised his disciples to send his Holy Spirit to those who love and obey him (Jn 14:23). The Holy Spirit is our Counselor, our source of strength. Ultimately, Jesus dwells in our souls through the Holy Spirit to sanctify us as his children. Let’s us pray for the Holy Spirit to dwell in us.
Third, Jesus is with us always. Jesus’ last words in Matthew’s Gospel are, “And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Mt 28:20b). Jesus promised to be with his people always, to the very end of the age. Jesus is not a fair weather friend. Jesus is with us always, in good times and bad times; in times of struggle as well as times of blessing. Jesus is with us when no one else can be with us. Jesus is with us until he completes the work he began in us (Php 1:6). Jesus is with us until he comes again in glory as King of kings.
In the genealogy of Jesus Christ, Matthew sees history from God’s point of view. God rules history and will accomplish his redemptive purpose without fail. Trends of the world come and go, yet God remains faithful to his promise. God’s promises are trustworthy. God’s word is true. Let’s put our trust in God’s promises and obey God’s calling in our times just as Joseph and Mary did in theirs. Let us accept Jesus, who came to this world as a baby to be with us. Praise Jesus who solved our sin problem through his death and resurrection. Praise Jesus who is willing to dwell in our hearts through the Holy Spirit. Let’s accept Immanuel Jesus in our hearts deeply this Christmas.
1. What were God’s promises to Abraham? (Ge12:1–3; 17:6; 22:18) To David? (2Sa7:12–13,16) How is God’s faithfulness in keeping these promises revealed in the history of the patriarchs? (2–6a) In the history of the kings of Judah? (6b–11) During and after the Babylonian exile? (12–17; Ps145:13–14)
2. Note the unusual mothers Matthew names (3,5,6,16); what might be his intention in including them here? How had they overcome their desperate situations with faith and borne sons who were included in Jesus’ genealogy? What does this reveal about God’s vision for world salvation?
3. How is God’s grace revealed in Judah’s story? (3) In David’s story? (6b) Note how only David is called “King” (6a; 1Ki15:5). How did God maintain David’s kingdom by his grace through the reigns of good and evil kings in Judah? (7–11)
4. How is Joseph described? (16,20,19a). When he learned of his fiancée Mary’s pregnancy, what did he decide? (18,19b) How did God help him change his mind? (20–21,24–25) What can we learn here from Joseph? About the lineage of Jesus? (Ro1:3)
5. What was unique about Jesus’ conception? (18,20) What is the significance that he was “conceived by the Holy Spirit”? (Php2:6; Col2:9; Heb2:17; 1Ti2:5) Read verse 21. How is he uniquely qualified to save all people from their sins? (Heb4:15; 9:12–14)
6. Read verses 22–23. How did God finally fulfill his promises in the birth of Jesus? What can we learn here about God, especially his humility and his love? (Jn1:14; 3:16) How was Immanuel Jesus with his people during his life and ministry? (4:15–16,23–24; 8:17; 11:28–30; 12:20–21; 28:20)
7. How was Immanuel Jesus especially meaningful to the author, Matthew? (9:9–13) At this Christmas, how is this message a source of comfort and encouragement to us personally and nationally?
Matthew 1:1-25 Shp Kevin Jesmer NIU UBF
Key Verse: 1:22-23 12-06-09
“All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: ‘The virgin will be with child and will give birth to son, and they will call him Immanuel’ – which means, ‘God with us.’”
Today we want to prepare our hearts for Christmas. Next week Pastor Teddy will preach on Matthew 2. This chapter is a great prep for what we will hear next week. Focusing on this chapter, Matthew stresses that Jesus is the King promised by God for this genealogy is one of a king, the King, the Christ of God. Through this genealogy we can learn how God works, who Jesus is, and how to be one of the blessed ones who are called to participate in God’s history.
First, Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham (1).
Jesus came into this world at exactly the right time. Look at verse 1. “A record of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.” Jesus was born some 2,000 years ago. He came into the world and lived in real time. The gospels are the story of Jesus’ life and work. The name “Jesus” means Savior. Matthew 1:21 says, “..he will save his people from their sins.” Jesus came to solve the sin problem, the real problem of mankind. Matthew knew personally how Jesus saved people from their sins for before he became an apostle, Matthew had been Levi the tax collector. He was lonely and despised, but Jesus became his friend and changed him from a petty, selfish man into one of the most great and sacrificial men in history. he was a recipient of God’s amazing grace. Matthew introduces the Savior Jesus to each one of us.
The name “Christ,” means “the anointed one of God.” In the Old Testament, God anointed people whom he had called. Kings, prophets and priests were all anointed to be used by God. Among those chosen few, there would be one unique anointed one, called the “Christ.” He is Jesus Christ, the son of David, the Son of Abraham.
First, Jesus Christ, the son of David. David was the youngest of eight sons of Jesse, and he was a shepherd boy. David took care of his father’s sheep with all his heart, and sometimes he risked his life to rescue them from lions and bears. God noticed David’s shepherd’s heart. When God needed someone to be king of Israel, he chose David. God instructed the prophet Samuel to anoint him with oil. Then the Holy Spirit came upon David in power. David’s life was marked by his love for God and his shepherd heart for God’s people. This is revealed by putting his life on the line to fight and defeat Goliath. Later, while running for his life as a political criminal, David accepted God’s sovereignty over his life and future. In the midst of hardship, David thanked God and wrote many songs of praise. They became the Psalms. One time, about four hundred men came to David with all kinds of problems. In modern terms, they had excessive credit card debt, failing transcripts, and broken families. They were difficult to care for. But David accepted and cared for them and put hope in them. Later, each of them became a key member of David’s kingdom.
Under David’s leadership, Israel became a united kingdom and entered into a golden age. It was a glorious theocracy where God was honored and there was righteousness and peace. It became a model of the kingdom of God. God was pleased by David’s life of faith and love for God. God promised David that a king would be raised from his line whose kingdom would last forever (2 Sa 7:12-16). The Israelites looked forward to the coming of the son of David who would rule eternally with righteousness and peace. Jesus is the Christ, the son promised to David. (Isa 9:6-7).
Next, Jesus Christ, the son of Abraham. Abraham was 75 years old when God called him. His human desire was to have a son and to be a noble father. However, his wife Sarah was barren. It seemed that no matter how hard he worked his life would end with his death and he would leave nothing behind, but his dust. This made Abraham fatalistic. One day, God said to Abraham, “I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great and you will be a blessing” (Gen 12:2). Abraham put his faith and hope in God’s promise and obeyed God practically by leaving his country, people, and father’s household to go to the land God would show him. Abraham lived by faith, building many altars of worship to God. But after ten years, he felt that living a holy life was pointless. At that moment, God gave him his word of promise and“Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations....” (Rom 4:8) God blessed Abraham’s faith by making him into a great nation, and ultimately by sending the Christ, Jesus, through his line. Indeed, God is a God of history. God uses people who have faith in his promises to accomplish his world salvation purpose. All those who make a personal decision to obey God’s calling and believe God’s promises can participate in this history and be blessed just like Abraham.
Second, God Rules History (2-17).
Matthew organized Israel’s history into three periods. Look at verse 17. “Thus there were fourteen generations in all from Abraham to David, fourteen from David to the exile to Babylon, and fourteen from the exile to the Christ.” The first, from Abraham to David, was the period of the patriarchs (2-6a). God helped these patriarchs, to pass their faith and blessing from one generation to the next. The patriarchs obeyed God’s word absolutely, believed God’s promises and lived holy lives. God blessed them by being with them, protecting and prospering them. Ultimately, God blessed them with the hope of heaven (Heb 11:10). We can learn here the importance of raising one man until he has the unshakable faith of a patriarch. I can see such modern day Patriarchs being raised, like Dr John Lee Jr of Springfield UBF and Andrew Martin of NKU. There are many others.
In the patriarchal period, three women are mentioned. They are Tamar, Rahab and Ruth. They were all Gentiles. Matthew includes these three women because they had the faith that pleased God. God works through faith, regardless of gender or nationality. By faith, theses women turned terrible human circumstances into God’s abundant blessing. Tamar was an abandoned widow after the consecutive deaths of her two husbands, the sons of Judah. (Gen 38) Judah promised to give his third son to her, but reneged. When Judah was emotionally weak after the death of his own wife, Tamar dressed as a prostitute, slept with Judah and conceived. Her act was regarded as an act of faith, unorthodox though it may be. Her act of faith almost cost her life. Yet her action was propelled by wisdom and motivated by a desire to honor her dead first husband. When she acted in faith, God had mercy on her, her life was spared, Judah repented, and God granted twin babies. She was no longer fruitless. She prepared Judah’s heart for future repentance and could also carry on the name of her first husband in the history of Israel.
Rahab was a prostitute living in the wall of Jericho when the Israelite army was poised to destroy the city to carry out God’s judgment. But she believed God ruled the heavens and the earth and that he would surely fulfill his purpose. She had faith in the Creator God, the God of Israel. So she sided with the people of Israel. She risked her life to hide Israelite spies and she encouraged the Israelite army by telling them how fearful the people of Jericho were. Humanly speaking, she was a traitor. She risked being hated, but God saw her faith and spared her life and the lives of her family members. Moreover, God included her in the genealogy of Jesus.
Ruth was a Moabitess and the daughter-in-law of Naomi. When Naomi’s husband and sons died early, Naomi was left destitute. Ruth decided to stay with Naomi and followed her back to Israel. She would be subject to societal prejudice. She seemed to lose everything. But God blessed Ruth’s decision and established her family with Boaz. She became the great-grandmother of King David. By her faith, her sorrowful widow’s fate was turned into God’s amazing blessing. What about Mary? In brief, Mary trusted God when it meant becoming pregnant before marriage in a strict, legalistic society. She too was ready risk loosing Joseph and even her own life, but God used her faith to bring Jesus into the world.
The second period, from David to the exile to Babylon, was the time of the kings. Those mentioned in verses 6b-11 are all kings of Judah. Some were good kings and others were bad kings. The “good” kings sought to love God and to honor God and to be good shepherds of their people like David was. God blessed them and their people when they did so. There were also “bad” kings who ignored the word of God and David’s example and used their kingship for selfish benefit and pleasure. They fell into idol worship and became instruments of the devil. God’s people suffered terribly under their reign. But God bore with the evil kings and remained with his people for the sake of keeping his promise to David. God is faithful, even when his people are unfaithful.
God is even with is people when they sin. In verse 6 Matthew says that David’s son Solomon was born through a woman who had been Uriah’s wife. This exposes David’s terrible sin of adultery and murder. Matthew did not hide this sin, but exposed it clearly. God could have nullified his covenant with David. By God’s help, David repented his sin before God. God forgave his sin and restored his soul. Thus, King David could stand in God’s redemptive history solely by God’s grace. In the final analysis, people are included in God’s history by his grace alone.
The third period is from the exile to Babylon to the Christ. The exile to Babylon was precisely God’s punishment on his people for their sins. In that time of punishment they were driven from the Promised Land and sent into Babylon. They lost all their privileges and became slaves. Their human condition became as bad as it could be. Yet, for many exiles, it was that very time that they began to remember the promise of God to send the Christ. The hope of God began to burn in their hearts. Those whose hearts the Lord had touched, returned to Jerusalem to rebuild its walls with great zeal. God sanctifies his people through the divine discipline, of exiled life. It is very costly, but in this way, God faithfully carries out his work through undeserving people so that they could live as a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. Could God be subjecting you to divine discipline for the same purpose? Definitely!
Third, a Jesus-Centered House Church (18-21;24-25).
So far in Chapter 1 we have learned that though his people are unfaithful and sinful, God is faithful. He works though his people of faith to fulfill all of his promises. Now, in verses 18-25, Matthew focuses on one family to reveal how the promised Savior, Jesus Christ was born and how God used the faith and obedience of Joseph and Mary. He used ordinary people who loved and obeyed him. Maybe we can apply this to our own lives. Let’s see. Look at verse 18. “This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit.” Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph. Mary’s heart might have danced with joy and excitement as she prepared the day of her wedding, trying on her wedding dress again and again. But one day something happened to interrupt her daydream. An angel of the Lord appeared to her with a message: She was chosen as the mother of the Messiah. It was the great blessing of God but very costly. She could loose her fiancé Joseph or loose her very life. It required an immediate decision of faith. Mary did not hesitate. She accepted God’s grace and plunged her life into the providence of God. Then the Holy Spirit came upon her, and the baby Jesus was conceived.
Verse 18 says that Mary was found to be with child. Joseph found out about her condition through the obvious change in her body shape. Joseph could only think that Mary was unfaithful
But look how Joseph responded in verse 19. “Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.” He could have become angry and self-righteous and have Mary thrown in the middle of living room in front of all her relatives, cursed her and dragged her out to stone her. This happens in some countries even today. He did not do this. Joseph was a righteous man. He saw this event in God. He remembered that he and Mary had both made a pledge before the holy God. Though he could not save Mary from the repercussions of this pregnancy, he could try his best to save Mary’s life and dignity while maintaining the laws of God. He retained his objectivity and had in mind to divorce her privately. We learn from Joseph how to make godly decisions in a crisis. First, we must see things in God, obey the law and at the same time revealing mercy. Second, we must think of others before ourselves. Then we can make a sound decision in the sight of God.
God saw the anguish of his heart and intervened. Look at verse 20. “But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, ‘Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.’” To God, Joseph’s decision making process was pretty good, but his conclusion was wrong. it was because Joseph did not recognize the work of the Holy Spirit. God did not want Joseph to divorce Mary and so he intervened and told Joseph to take Mary home as his wife. Joseph had to change his mind because God had his own plan in this matter. Then he could be used in God’s redemptive history.
When the angel addressed Joseph, he called him “Joseph son of David.” As a legal heir of David, Joseph could register Jesus in David’s line. Humanly speaking, Joseph was a poor Jewish carpenter. But God regarded Joseph highly because of his spiritual heritage. Joseph was a son of David in spirit and character, as well as in name. God chose this Joseph to be a human father to Jesus. God does not look at the obscurity of our human condition, but spiritual heritage as people of faith.
Joseph was to name the newborn baby, like a good father. Look at verse 21. “...you are to give him the name Jesus....” God trusted Joseph to provide a good environment for Jesus and to protect Jesus like a father. This would involve hardship, even risking his life. But God entrusted his precious Son Jesus to Joseph, for Joseph was trustworthy.
Joseph obeyed God absolutely. Look at verses 24-25. “When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. But he had no union with her until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.” First he took Mary home as his wife. People in his community would question his integrity. Yet Joseph bore their reproach, defending Mary. Also, Joseph named the boy Jesus. In doing so, Joseph expressed his faith in God’s word. Joseph believed that Jesus really was the Savior of the world. Joseph’s faith and obedience made him very useful to God. Joseph and Mary had the most fruitful house church in history. It was through their faith in God and obedience. God was at the center of their hearts. God was at the center of their family. We pray to raise Jesus-centered house churches for every campus in the world.
Fourth, Jesus Saves His People From Their Sins (21).
People think that they need cold-hard cash or i-tune gift cards for Christmas. But from God’s point of view, what people need is salvation from their sins. Look at verse 21. “She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” To God, sin is the real problem. Yet there are so many people who have no idea about the sin problem. What is sin? Sin is to separate or to cut one’s relationship to God through disobedience. Some symptoms of sin are meaninglessness, depression, guilt, shame, fear and despair. Sin paralyzes us inwardly. Sin makes us helpless to serve God’s purpose in our lives. Sin robs us of spiritual desires and forces us to live petty lives. Sin makes us blames the system and other people. Sin is the problem. We must repent and come back to God and be saved.
But Jesus came to save his people from their sins through his death and resurrection. While on earth, Jesus served all kinds of needy people. Jesus healed the sick, drove out evil spirits and raised the dead. Most of all, Jesus planted the living hope of the kingdom of God in the hearts of people. But Jesus was despised and rejected by men. Finally Jesus was crucified. Though Jesus was treated in such a way, he prayed, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing” (Lk 23:34a). Then Jesus bowed his head and breathed his last. Jesus died on the cross for our sins. Isaiah 53:4-5 says: “Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.” Jesus’ death is the sacrifice of atonement that God accepted for our sins. On the third day, God raised Jesus from the dead. Jesus’ resurrection opened the way for us to have eternal life in the kingdom of God. While on earth, we can live as God’s precious children and serve his holy purpose. (Lk 1:74,75) In this way Jesus saves us from our sins. Praise Jesus!
Jesus is also, Immanuel – God with us. Look at verses 22-23. “All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: ‘The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel’–which means ‘God with us.’” How could he be with us? First, Jesus humbled himself to be with us. (John 1:1-3) Jesus is the Creator God. Jesus is infinite. Jesus is eternal. Jesus is Almighty. Yet Jesus came down to this world and entered human history as a baby. Jesus became weak and vulnerable, giving up everything, in order to be with us.
Second, Jesus is with us through the Holy Spirit. Jesus promised his disciples to send his Holy Spirit to those who love and obey him (Jn 14:23). The Holy Spirit is our Counselor, our source of strength. Ultimately, Jesus dwells in our souls through the Holy Spirit to sanctify us as his children. Let’s us pray for the Holy Spirit to dwell in us.
Third, Jesus is with us always. Jesus’ last words in Matthew’s Gospel are, “And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Mt 28:20b). Jesus promised to be with his people always, to the very end of the age. Jesus is not a fair weather friend. Jesus is with us always, in good times and bad times; in times of struggle as well as times of blessing. Jesus is with us when no one else can be with us. Jesus is with us until he completes the work he began in us (Php 1:6). Jesus is with us until he comes again in glory as King of kings.
In the genealogy of Jesus Christ, Matthew sees history from God’s point of view. God rules history and will accomplish his redemptive purpose without fail. Trends of the world come and go, yet God remains faithful to his promise. God’s promises are trustworthy. God’s word is true. Let’s put our trust in God’s promises and obey God’s calling in our times just as Joseph and Mary did in theirs. Let us accept Jesus, who came to this world as a baby to be with us. Praise Jesus who solved our sin problem through his death and resurrection. Praise Jesus who is willing to dwell in our hearts through the Holy Spirit. Let’s accept Immanuel Jesus in our hearts deeply this Christmas.
1. What were God’s promises to Abraham? (Ge12:1–3; 17:6; 22:18) To David? (2Sa7:12–13,16) How is God’s faithfulness in keeping these promises revealed in the history of the patriarchs? (2–6a) In the history of the kings of Judah? (6b–11) During and after the Babylonian exile? (12–17; Ps145:13–14)
2. Note the unusual mothers Matthew names (3,5,6,16); what might be his intention in including them here? How had they overcome their desperate situations with faith and borne sons who were included in Jesus’ genealogy? What does this reveal about God’s vision for world salvation?
3. How is God’s grace revealed in Judah’s story? (3) In David’s story? (6b) Note how only David is called “King” (6a; 1Ki15:5). How did God maintain David’s kingdom by his grace through the reigns of good and evil kings in Judah? (7–11)
4. How is Joseph described? (16,20,19a). When he learned of his fiancée Mary’s pregnancy, what did he decide? (18,19b) How did God help him change his mind? (20–21,24–25) What can we learn here from Joseph? About the lineage of Jesus? (Ro1:3)
5. What was unique about Jesus’ conception? (18,20) What is the significance that he was “conceived by the Holy Spirit”? (Php2:6; Col2:9; Heb2:17; 1Ti2:5) Read verse 21. How is he uniquely qualified to save all people from their sins? (Heb4:15; 9:12–14)
6. Read verses 22–23. How did God finally fulfill his promises in the birth of Jesus? What can we learn here about God, especially his humility and his love? (Jn1:14; 3:16) How was Immanuel Jesus with his people during his life and ministry? (4:15–16,23–24; 8:17; 11:28–30; 12:20–21; 28:20)
7. How was Immanuel Jesus especially meaningful to the author, Matthew? (9:9–13) At this Christmas, how is this message a source of comfort and encouragement to us personally and nationally?
Thursday, August 6, 2009
Matthew 13:44-46 Message
THE GREATEST TREASURE IS JESUS!
Jennifer Jesmer
2009 NIU COD SBC
Matthew 13:44-46
Key Verse 13:44
"The Kingdom of Heaven is like a treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it he hid it again and in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field. Again, the Kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. When he found one of great value he went away and sold everything he had and bought it."
Good morning! My name is Jennifer. I'm a part of NIU UBF. We've had quite a weekend so far, eh? Last night we heard from Shps Hannah about the wise builder. We learned that we need to be like the wise builder, building our lives on God and to act on the will of God rather than doing nothing. This morning I want to talk about Jesus' vision of the Kingdom of God. Before we start I would like to pray.
Dear heavenly father, thank you for your son, Jesus Christ. Thank you for everyone who decided to come to this conference. Be with us in spirit during the rest of the weekend, and help us to grow closer to you. Use me as a messenger of your words. I pray in Jesus' name, amen.
From first glance this passage looks small and relatively insignificant. But when not taken for its face value these two of Jesus' parables hold many truths important for us to remember about the values that we place on things. As we think about this passage, I would ask you to ask yourself this question: What do you value more than anything else?
PART ONE: Buried Treasure
This passage describes two different men who find priceless treasures. Jesus told these parables to talk about the nature of the kingdom of God. The treasure is this kingdom. The first man found this treasure by accident, hidden in a field. Lets all read verse 44.
"The Kingdom of Heaven is like a treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it he hid it again and in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field."
As far as ordinary walks go, this man was very lucky, it seemed. One day an ordinary man was walking through an ordinary field and made a more than ordinary discovery - a priceless treasure just below the surface of the ground. We can imagine that the moment he discovered it he was elated. This treasure was worth everything he owned. Imagine, finding a chest of gold coins, a string of Hope diamonds or a barrelful of hundred dollar bills! But in a couple minutes his euphoria wore off as he remembered that the treasure wasn't his. The only way that he could legally own it would be if he bought the field.
Nowadays, a standard farmer's field can cost around $5,000 an acre in Illinois. Most of us don't have this kind of cash lying around, and probably neither did this man. The only way he could afford this field was if he sold all of his possessions first. In this world, treasures like this are usually too good to be true. Treasure chests in movies usually go hand in hand with curses, booby traps, and rival pirates. But the kingdom of God is not like any other treasure. No one is fighting you for it, it comes with only the prices of commitment and faith.
Remember, this is an allegory of the kingdom of God. The thing that gets people, maybe some of you, about God, is that they are so used to their old lives that when something better comes along, taking it and changing is too.. dangerous. And it really is a gamble. But knowing what this man knew- that the treasure was waiting for him if he could just give up his old life and trade it in for something infinitely better, the trade is less of a gamble and more of a guarantee of a return. We don't have to be afraid, because God is waiting on the other side of faith with open arms.
God calls us to commit. You can't be split between the world and him. But this is no blind jump off a cliff. Jesus helps us to commit and to sell everything. And really, it's not like we are giving up much - just dedicating everything to serve God. Instead of selfish time and friendships and money, everything works together to please God.
So in joy, the man sold everything he owned. He sold his car. He sold his house. He sold his furniture. He sold his laptop. He sold his new mountain bike. All of it to buy this field, and subsequently, this treasure. And he wasn't sad about it - he was joyful, because he knew that what he found was better. He could buy a better car, a better house, better furniture, electronics, and bikes. If we are going to obtain that which is of the greatest value, we must not be petty people, but ambitious and venturous.
How far would you go for God? Would you dedicate your life? Would you change your mission? What is your treasure? Some of you may be wondering what all this means- to dedicate, to commit. As Christians we can dedicate time to bible study for an hour instead of wasting time watching TV. We can dedicate friendships to God by being a leader and example for them instead of following them to places that you should not be going. You can dedicate your career to God by making time on Sundays to go to church, or I know a lot of you got time off work to come to this weekend retreat. That's not easy. But God sees everything, Just by doing small things like this, you commit and you will get the heavenly return some day.
One more thing that I want to point out about this man and his treasure was God's leading. Lets read verse 44 again.
"The Kingdom of Heaven is like a treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it he hid it again and in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field."
Out of all the fields, and out of all the places the man could be walking, he found the treasure. It was a miracle. God had to have led him there. There are no such things as random events. God controls it all. As followers of Christ, we need to understand that there is no luck. There is no fate. There is no Karma. There are no accidents or coincidences. In everything that happens to us and enters our life, God is working out his perfect plan.
So just as this man who was not looking for treasure found one, we all are being sought after by God. He wants you to find Him. He wants you to commit to Him. God can change your life. Yes He can! He wants you and I to joyfully see what he wants to bless us with. He wants us to trade in for the Kingdom of God.
PART TWO: Precious Pearl
Lets all read verse 45. "Again, the Kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls."
This parable compares the Kingdom of God with a very fine, precious pearl. Much like the previous parable, a man finds a priceless treasure, sells all he has, and buys the treasure. There is one main difference however, in that this man was looking for pearls.
A merchant is someone whose job is to travel, buying and selling goods. They work in trading of commodities that they do not produce themselves. This merchant could be compared to someone who is looking for meaning, looking for purpose or things that bring true happiness.
Verse 46 reads, "When he found one of great value he went away and sold everything he had and bought it.”
Looking for pearls is like looking for things that make us happy. Friends could be a pearl. Money could be a pearl. Family could be a pearl. Career could be another. What was different about this one and what is the point of the analogy of the kingdom of God is that God's kingdom is worth all of that combined. Our lives are but a second compared to an eternity with God, and unless we can see that big difference we will always be settling for the small pearls, the ones found everywhere and totally skip out on the eternal life that God wants to give us.
These little pearls are things that make me happy for a moment, but don't have the great value of God's kingdom. And they seem good for a while, but compared to the precious pearl and treasure of God, these are not long lasting.
A long time ago I used to go to church in a different city before we moved to NIU. I loved going to church because it meant spending time with my best friends. We would sit in service and write notes and always run around and play as soon as the sermon was over. But when my family decided that we would move, I was both terrified and sad. I could no longer pass notes in church and do all the other stuff because we lived in different cities. Essentially that move was my (unwilling) sale of all I had. And even though they are still very much my friends, church is no longer somewhere I go to hang out. I started studying the bible with my mom, I started to help with the services and I had more of an active role. As a result my faith grew. Before, I wasn't thinking about God. I was only thinking about myself. I was like that merchant. I had the small pearls of fun, but God gave me something more important- a personal relationship with him. Pastor Kevin's message we learned that if we seek the Kingdom of God first, everything else God will give. Working towards a solid personal relationship with Jesus doesn't mean no friends or nothing else that makes you happy, it means that Jesus makes you the MOST happy. God wants us to sit and listen past what we think is happy and see what he sees.
Part Three: Conclusion
I’d like to read a passage from a book called Life of the Beloved by Henri JM Nouwen.
“Aren’t you, like me, hoping that some person, job, thin, or event will come along and give you that final feeling of inner well-being you truly desire? Don’t you often home, ‘May this book, idea, course, trip, job, country, or relationship fulfill my deepest desire’? But as long as you are waiting for that moment you will go on running helter-skelter, always anxious, restless, lustful and angry, never fully satisfied. God’s voice tells us he loves us and wants to give us more than that.” This is God’s treasure – the kingdom of God.
In this passage we learned about the value of the kingdom of God. Everything in this world seems like it can make us happy, but only when we commit to following God and searching after the kingdom of God as first priority can we have perfect happiness. No matter if you are searching or not, God wants you to be a part of his family. Eternity with him is worth everything else. Therefore we can joyfully invest in the Kingdom of God. With that treasure we can have everything.
Let's pray. Dear God, thank you for offering us the treasure of the kingdom of heaven. Help us to see the difference between the fleeting momentary happiness and true joy. Bless the rest of the programs this weekend and be with us. I pray in Jesus Name, Amen.
One Word: THE GREATEST TREASURE IS JESUS!
Jennifer Jesmer
2009 NIU COD SBC
Matthew 13:44-46
Key Verse 13:44
"The Kingdom of Heaven is like a treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it he hid it again and in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field. Again, the Kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. When he found one of great value he went away and sold everything he had and bought it."
Good morning! My name is Jennifer. I'm a part of NIU UBF. We've had quite a weekend so far, eh? Last night we heard from Shps Hannah about the wise builder. We learned that we need to be like the wise builder, building our lives on God and to act on the will of God rather than doing nothing. This morning I want to talk about Jesus' vision of the Kingdom of God. Before we start I would like to pray.
Dear heavenly father, thank you for your son, Jesus Christ. Thank you for everyone who decided to come to this conference. Be with us in spirit during the rest of the weekend, and help us to grow closer to you. Use me as a messenger of your words. I pray in Jesus' name, amen.
From first glance this passage looks small and relatively insignificant. But when not taken for its face value these two of Jesus' parables hold many truths important for us to remember about the values that we place on things. As we think about this passage, I would ask you to ask yourself this question: What do you value more than anything else?
PART ONE: Buried Treasure
This passage describes two different men who find priceless treasures. Jesus told these parables to talk about the nature of the kingdom of God. The treasure is this kingdom. The first man found this treasure by accident, hidden in a field. Lets all read verse 44.
"The Kingdom of Heaven is like a treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it he hid it again and in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field."
As far as ordinary walks go, this man was very lucky, it seemed. One day an ordinary man was walking through an ordinary field and made a more than ordinary discovery - a priceless treasure just below the surface of the ground. We can imagine that the moment he discovered it he was elated. This treasure was worth everything he owned. Imagine, finding a chest of gold coins, a string of Hope diamonds or a barrelful of hundred dollar bills! But in a couple minutes his euphoria wore off as he remembered that the treasure wasn't his. The only way that he could legally own it would be if he bought the field.
Nowadays, a standard farmer's field can cost around $5,000 an acre in Illinois. Most of us don't have this kind of cash lying around, and probably neither did this man. The only way he could afford this field was if he sold all of his possessions first. In this world, treasures like this are usually too good to be true. Treasure chests in movies usually go hand in hand with curses, booby traps, and rival pirates. But the kingdom of God is not like any other treasure. No one is fighting you for it, it comes with only the prices of commitment and faith.
Remember, this is an allegory of the kingdom of God. The thing that gets people, maybe some of you, about God, is that they are so used to their old lives that when something better comes along, taking it and changing is too.. dangerous. And it really is a gamble. But knowing what this man knew- that the treasure was waiting for him if he could just give up his old life and trade it in for something infinitely better, the trade is less of a gamble and more of a guarantee of a return. We don't have to be afraid, because God is waiting on the other side of faith with open arms.
God calls us to commit. You can't be split between the world and him. But this is no blind jump off a cliff. Jesus helps us to commit and to sell everything. And really, it's not like we are giving up much - just dedicating everything to serve God. Instead of selfish time and friendships and money, everything works together to please God.
So in joy, the man sold everything he owned. He sold his car. He sold his house. He sold his furniture. He sold his laptop. He sold his new mountain bike. All of it to buy this field, and subsequently, this treasure. And he wasn't sad about it - he was joyful, because he knew that what he found was better. He could buy a better car, a better house, better furniture, electronics, and bikes. If we are going to obtain that which is of the greatest value, we must not be petty people, but ambitious and venturous.
How far would you go for God? Would you dedicate your life? Would you change your mission? What is your treasure? Some of you may be wondering what all this means- to dedicate, to commit. As Christians we can dedicate time to bible study for an hour instead of wasting time watching TV. We can dedicate friendships to God by being a leader and example for them instead of following them to places that you should not be going. You can dedicate your career to God by making time on Sundays to go to church, or I know a lot of you got time off work to come to this weekend retreat. That's not easy. But God sees everything, Just by doing small things like this, you commit and you will get the heavenly return some day.
One more thing that I want to point out about this man and his treasure was God's leading. Lets read verse 44 again.
"The Kingdom of Heaven is like a treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it he hid it again and in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field."
Out of all the fields, and out of all the places the man could be walking, he found the treasure. It was a miracle. God had to have led him there. There are no such things as random events. God controls it all. As followers of Christ, we need to understand that there is no luck. There is no fate. There is no Karma. There are no accidents or coincidences. In everything that happens to us and enters our life, God is working out his perfect plan.
So just as this man who was not looking for treasure found one, we all are being sought after by God. He wants you to find Him. He wants you to commit to Him. God can change your life. Yes He can! He wants you and I to joyfully see what he wants to bless us with. He wants us to trade in for the Kingdom of God.
PART TWO: Precious Pearl
Lets all read verse 45. "Again, the Kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls."
This parable compares the Kingdom of God with a very fine, precious pearl. Much like the previous parable, a man finds a priceless treasure, sells all he has, and buys the treasure. There is one main difference however, in that this man was looking for pearls.
A merchant is someone whose job is to travel, buying and selling goods. They work in trading of commodities that they do not produce themselves. This merchant could be compared to someone who is looking for meaning, looking for purpose or things that bring true happiness.
Verse 46 reads, "When he found one of great value he went away and sold everything he had and bought it.”
Looking for pearls is like looking for things that make us happy. Friends could be a pearl. Money could be a pearl. Family could be a pearl. Career could be another. What was different about this one and what is the point of the analogy of the kingdom of God is that God's kingdom is worth all of that combined. Our lives are but a second compared to an eternity with God, and unless we can see that big difference we will always be settling for the small pearls, the ones found everywhere and totally skip out on the eternal life that God wants to give us.
These little pearls are things that make me happy for a moment, but don't have the great value of God's kingdom. And they seem good for a while, but compared to the precious pearl and treasure of God, these are not long lasting.
A long time ago I used to go to church in a different city before we moved to NIU. I loved going to church because it meant spending time with my best friends. We would sit in service and write notes and always run around and play as soon as the sermon was over. But when my family decided that we would move, I was both terrified and sad. I could no longer pass notes in church and do all the other stuff because we lived in different cities. Essentially that move was my (unwilling) sale of all I had. And even though they are still very much my friends, church is no longer somewhere I go to hang out. I started studying the bible with my mom, I started to help with the services and I had more of an active role. As a result my faith grew. Before, I wasn't thinking about God. I was only thinking about myself. I was like that merchant. I had the small pearls of fun, but God gave me something more important- a personal relationship with him. Pastor Kevin's message we learned that if we seek the Kingdom of God first, everything else God will give. Working towards a solid personal relationship with Jesus doesn't mean no friends or nothing else that makes you happy, it means that Jesus makes you the MOST happy. God wants us to sit and listen past what we think is happy and see what he sees.
Part Three: Conclusion
I’d like to read a passage from a book called Life of the Beloved by Henri JM Nouwen.
“Aren’t you, like me, hoping that some person, job, thin, or event will come along and give you that final feeling of inner well-being you truly desire? Don’t you often home, ‘May this book, idea, course, trip, job, country, or relationship fulfill my deepest desire’? But as long as you are waiting for that moment you will go on running helter-skelter, always anxious, restless, lustful and angry, never fully satisfied. God’s voice tells us he loves us and wants to give us more than that.” This is God’s treasure – the kingdom of God.
In this passage we learned about the value of the kingdom of God. Everything in this world seems like it can make us happy, but only when we commit to following God and searching after the kingdom of God as first priority can we have perfect happiness. No matter if you are searching or not, God wants you to be a part of his family. Eternity with him is worth everything else. Therefore we can joyfully invest in the Kingdom of God. With that treasure we can have everything.
Let's pray. Dear God, thank you for offering us the treasure of the kingdom of heaven. Help us to see the difference between the fleeting momentary happiness and true joy. Bless the rest of the programs this weekend and be with us. I pray in Jesus Name, Amen.
One Word: THE GREATEST TREASURE IS JESUS!
Sunday, August 2, 2009
Matthew 4:19-20 Message
Messenger: Tim Sagel
Opening Message, NIU COD Summer Bible Conference
Introduction to conference:
Welcome to the Dupage-NIU SBC entitled “Seek First God's Kingdom.” Praise God for gathering us here at Hamburger University to worship Him. You know, my father is a graduate of Hamburger University. He walked into a McDonalds during the great Blizzard of '67, and asked for his first job. They were so impressed by his determination that he was immediately hired. Our goal in life should be to seek God's kingdom first even in life's worst storms. Through this conference may we see the futility of seeking after the things of this world and make a decision to seek first God's kingdom.
Title: Follow me
Key Verse: Matthew 4:19,20 “Come follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will make you fishers of men.” At once they left their nets and followed him.
Prayer: Dear Lord Heavenly Father, thank you for sending your son to us, to save us from a life of sin and darkness. Please open each and everyone of our hearts to your word that we may all come away with one word from this conference. And grant me your Holy Spirit to deliver this message. In Jesus Christ we pray, Amen.
Part 1 A New Dawn
Jesus began his ministry in a very dark and oppressing time. John the Baptist was preaching repentance and was jailed when he called for Herod to repent. The people were led by politicians that were corrupt morally. Herod was rebuked by John for sleeping with his brother's wife. Godly men that did not compromise or water down their preaching were jailed. Herod ruled over the area called Galilee. This is where Jesus began his ministry. That day Isaiah's scripture was fulfilled.
15"Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali,
the way to the sea, along the Jordan,
Galilee of the Gentiles—
16the people living in darkness
have seen a great light;
on those living in the land of the shadow of death
a light has dawned."
2
This not only tells us where Jesus would preach, but also explains the state of the people and who Jesus was. People don't like to hear the message that they are living in darkness. They have pride that blocks them from walking in the light. But, it was clear that the people were living in darkness under the shadow of death. Jesus, the great light, would bring a new dawn. A start of something great. Jesus is the light that shines on new beginnings. His response to the darkness is spelled out in verse 17
From that time on Jesus began to preach, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near."
Jesus responded to the darkness with the life-giving gospel. Jesus calls us to turn from our old ways through true repentance. God gave us this new light that we may turn back to him and once again be his children.
We come in contact with the darkness on a daily basis, don't we? My usual response is that of a non-response. I have become numb to the darkness around me. Without thinking or seeing I sidestep the darkness to avoid confrontation. It's as if slightly out of my perception, so that I can avoid it. Once in a while, I am led to share the gospel by God's grace and it is wonderful. I pray for each of us to take the time to confront the darkness with the gospel.
Part 2 The Life we live
Let's read verse 18
As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen.
Peter and Andrew fished on the Sea of Galilee. They worked very hard just to eek out a meager existence. This wasn't lazy day fishing sitting with your grandpa on the bank with a pole. Fishing was dangerous work, people lost fingers, when razor sharp nets got away from you. They developed rough calloused hands, the ones you get playing guitar pale in comparison. Their hope was to live a long life, and provide for a family. To grow their family business to include a few boats and have others working for them, to pass on the family business to their sons, really make a name for themselves. This isn't too far from the American dream of owning a small business. But, there is something lacking in these dreams, God. True hope and vision comes from Jesus. Today people's hearts have become numb and calloused. They have developed a non-response to the gospel. People tend to not care about anything in particular. They don't care or mind living in failure, especially when they decide not to try anymore. People believe nothing they do can change anything. So why bother? People live lives in fear of failure. They'll follow the path of least resistance to avoid it. People work hard- or just hard enough-
3
in an insecure job for many years drowning in debt. Then at 40 they have a mid-life crisis reflecting on past failures with regret. Their hope is to work hard to the ever increasing retirement age to stay above the debt. I don't know about you, but I see a huge lack of fulfillment in that life.
Before my call to mission I was on a direct path to failure. I would have never gotten help with my ADD, only to struggle by on my own strength with limited success. With whatever I could have accomplished, I'd still be unhappy because of the high standards I often set for myself and fall short of. Someday I would get a job, marry a Sunday Christian, have direction-less kids, and then wonder why they were like that. Without clear mission and direction in my own life, what kind of family or life could I have.
Part 3 The Calling
Let's read verse 19 together.
"Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men."
These men knew this was it, the thing they had been waiting all their lives for. Jesus offered them hope and direction, and the promise to catch men. These words “Come follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” were the words that transformed these men into disciples. I want you to stop and think about the power of these words. How could these few words compel them to do what they did, drop everything and follow Jesus? I want you to close your eyes and picture this scene and these words. You are on the sea with your brother casting your nets, and Jesus comes up to you and speaks these words “Come follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” There are countless reasons not to go, but there is also that one reason why you would go. You have been searching for true meaning and purpose all your life, but didn't know it. You searched all over for it, only to settle for what you do know. Suddenly those endless days of searching seem futile. So, you drop your nets and follow the man that has promised life with meaning. Verse 20 reads “At once they left their nets and followed him.” What a beautiful story of men finding what matters and following a dream that led to a fulfilled life. We need to accept this gift Jesus offers with great expectation.
Jesus chose these men and saw great potential in them. They would become the first two apostles, and Peter the head of the early Church. Jesus really blessed them to become great co-workers, preachers, and disciple raisers . Jesus made them a blessing unto others. These men who would have led otherwise ordinary lives were blessed by God in order to do something wonderful and beyond their own dreams. These lowly fisherman had all this great potential. Jesus saw it and called them to follow a new path to glorify God.
4
You may ask yourself, “fishers of men,” what's that? A fisher of men is someone that has a clear identity and mission before God, chosen to follow Jesus' example to actively pursue people and to lead them to God's truth and the life of faith and holy mission. Fishers of men have made a decision of faith to have God to use them to share the gospel. They have identified themselves as God's instruments in changing lives advancing the gospel.
Part 4 Sons of Thunder Fishing Company
Jesus went on to call James and John in verse 21
Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John. They were in a boat with their father Zebedee, preparing their nets. Jesus called them
James and John were also fishermen. They lived with some success. They had a small fishing business with their father Zebedee, and a few hired men. They didn't live on easy street, but they had a taste of success which also could have kept them from following Jesus. “Good enough” is the enemy of “the best.” People become too busy continuing in what they know to change and follow Jesus. People value their time and find serving Jesus a bad investment. If it is in their portfolio, it's a low percentage. James and John were going through their daily routine preparing their nets when Jesus came by. This time let's consider this scene in a setting more familiar to you. Imagine you walk into the library to study, put down your backpack, start-up your laptop, choose a play list on your ipod, and gather your notes to work on your homework. Suddenly Jesus walks up to you, taps you on the shoulder, and says, “you come follow me.” What is your response? What do you do? Do you ignore him? Do you tell you're busy? Or do you leave everything behind to follow Jesus? Their response was immediate, they followed Jesus.
Jesus called me when I was a student at Triton College. After school one day, I dropped by the Triton Bible House just to pick up some gifts that my brother Chris sent from Korea. But Jesus had other plans. While we were talking Pastor Teddy asked me to study the Bible with Shs Charisma Magno, and accepted. I was socially awkward and still recovering from a shy childhood in a Christian home. Jesus saw great potential in me. Through Bible study life began to make sense. I found direction which became mission, and discipline became the way I live. God is growing me as a student shepherd and co-worker at NIU ministry. He has hope for me to receive an EE degree not just for a livelyhood, but to support a life of mission. Someday I hope marry by faith and have a family with direction and mission centered on Jesus and the kingdom. Jesus has hope for me to bring my faith with
5
me everywhere I go, ultimately to join him in the kingdom of heaven. It's just not about me. This summer I am attending the ESBC and am praying for God to increase my world mission vision, to see the world as he does.
Conclusion: Jesus came as a light to a world living the darkness of spiritual poverty and ignorance. His response to the darkness was to share the gospel. Jesus went out and called the first disciples to become fishers of men. Jesus saves us from an unsatisfying life. When we answer the call to be fishers of men we are blessed with a truly meaningful mission and life with purpose. Those who have been called are intended to call others. God has chosen each of us to participate in his kingdom work, one heart and one Bible study at a time.
Prayer: Dear Lord Heavenly Father, thank you for calling each of us to become fishers of men. Thank you for bringing all of us together to worship and learn of you this weekend. Grant us each one word from this conference. Be with Pastor Kevin Jesmer and grant him your Holy Spirit to deliver the message “Seek First God's Kingdom.” And may we all wake up early for daily bread and bless the morning devotion message. In Jesus Christ we pray, Amen.
Key Verse: Matthew 4:19,20 “Come follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will make you fishers of men.” At once they left their nets and followed him.
Opening Message, NIU COD Summer Bible Conference
Introduction to conference:
Welcome to the Dupage-NIU SBC entitled “Seek First God's Kingdom.” Praise God for gathering us here at Hamburger University to worship Him. You know, my father is a graduate of Hamburger University. He walked into a McDonalds during the great Blizzard of '67, and asked for his first job. They were so impressed by his determination that he was immediately hired. Our goal in life should be to seek God's kingdom first even in life's worst storms. Through this conference may we see the futility of seeking after the things of this world and make a decision to seek first God's kingdom.
Title: Follow me
Key Verse: Matthew 4:19,20 “Come follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will make you fishers of men.” At once they left their nets and followed him.
Prayer: Dear Lord Heavenly Father, thank you for sending your son to us, to save us from a life of sin and darkness. Please open each and everyone of our hearts to your word that we may all come away with one word from this conference. And grant me your Holy Spirit to deliver this message. In Jesus Christ we pray, Amen.
Part 1 A New Dawn
Jesus began his ministry in a very dark and oppressing time. John the Baptist was preaching repentance and was jailed when he called for Herod to repent. The people were led by politicians that were corrupt morally. Herod was rebuked by John for sleeping with his brother's wife. Godly men that did not compromise or water down their preaching were jailed. Herod ruled over the area called Galilee. This is where Jesus began his ministry. That day Isaiah's scripture was fulfilled.
15"Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali,
the way to the sea, along the Jordan,
Galilee of the Gentiles—
16the people living in darkness
have seen a great light;
on those living in the land of the shadow of death
a light has dawned."
2
This not only tells us where Jesus would preach, but also explains the state of the people and who Jesus was. People don't like to hear the message that they are living in darkness. They have pride that blocks them from walking in the light. But, it was clear that the people were living in darkness under the shadow of death. Jesus, the great light, would bring a new dawn. A start of something great. Jesus is the light that shines on new beginnings. His response to the darkness is spelled out in verse 17
From that time on Jesus began to preach, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near."
Jesus responded to the darkness with the life-giving gospel. Jesus calls us to turn from our old ways through true repentance. God gave us this new light that we may turn back to him and once again be his children.
We come in contact with the darkness on a daily basis, don't we? My usual response is that of a non-response. I have become numb to the darkness around me. Without thinking or seeing I sidestep the darkness to avoid confrontation. It's as if slightly out of my perception, so that I can avoid it. Once in a while, I am led to share the gospel by God's grace and it is wonderful. I pray for each of us to take the time to confront the darkness with the gospel.
Part 2 The Life we live
Let's read verse 18
As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen.
Peter and Andrew fished on the Sea of Galilee. They worked very hard just to eek out a meager existence. This wasn't lazy day fishing sitting with your grandpa on the bank with a pole. Fishing was dangerous work, people lost fingers, when razor sharp nets got away from you. They developed rough calloused hands, the ones you get playing guitar pale in comparison. Their hope was to live a long life, and provide for a family. To grow their family business to include a few boats and have others working for them, to pass on the family business to their sons, really make a name for themselves. This isn't too far from the American dream of owning a small business. But, there is something lacking in these dreams, God. True hope and vision comes from Jesus. Today people's hearts have become numb and calloused. They have developed a non-response to the gospel. People tend to not care about anything in particular. They don't care or mind living in failure, especially when they decide not to try anymore. People believe nothing they do can change anything. So why bother? People live lives in fear of failure. They'll follow the path of least resistance to avoid it. People work hard- or just hard enough-
3
in an insecure job for many years drowning in debt. Then at 40 they have a mid-life crisis reflecting on past failures with regret. Their hope is to work hard to the ever increasing retirement age to stay above the debt. I don't know about you, but I see a huge lack of fulfillment in that life.
Before my call to mission I was on a direct path to failure. I would have never gotten help with my ADD, only to struggle by on my own strength with limited success. With whatever I could have accomplished, I'd still be unhappy because of the high standards I often set for myself and fall short of. Someday I would get a job, marry a Sunday Christian, have direction-less kids, and then wonder why they were like that. Without clear mission and direction in my own life, what kind of family or life could I have.
Part 3 The Calling
Let's read verse 19 together.
"Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men."
These men knew this was it, the thing they had been waiting all their lives for. Jesus offered them hope and direction, and the promise to catch men. These words “Come follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” were the words that transformed these men into disciples. I want you to stop and think about the power of these words. How could these few words compel them to do what they did, drop everything and follow Jesus? I want you to close your eyes and picture this scene and these words. You are on the sea with your brother casting your nets, and Jesus comes up to you and speaks these words “Come follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” There are countless reasons not to go, but there is also that one reason why you would go. You have been searching for true meaning and purpose all your life, but didn't know it. You searched all over for it, only to settle for what you do know. Suddenly those endless days of searching seem futile. So, you drop your nets and follow the man that has promised life with meaning. Verse 20 reads “At once they left their nets and followed him.” What a beautiful story of men finding what matters and following a dream that led to a fulfilled life. We need to accept this gift Jesus offers with great expectation.
Jesus chose these men and saw great potential in them. They would become the first two apostles, and Peter the head of the early Church. Jesus really blessed them to become great co-workers, preachers, and disciple raisers . Jesus made them a blessing unto others. These men who would have led otherwise ordinary lives were blessed by God in order to do something wonderful and beyond their own dreams. These lowly fisherman had all this great potential. Jesus saw it and called them to follow a new path to glorify God.
4
You may ask yourself, “fishers of men,” what's that? A fisher of men is someone that has a clear identity and mission before God, chosen to follow Jesus' example to actively pursue people and to lead them to God's truth and the life of faith and holy mission. Fishers of men have made a decision of faith to have God to use them to share the gospel. They have identified themselves as God's instruments in changing lives advancing the gospel.
Part 4 Sons of Thunder Fishing Company
Jesus went on to call James and John in verse 21
Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John. They were in a boat with their father Zebedee, preparing their nets. Jesus called them
James and John were also fishermen. They lived with some success. They had a small fishing business with their father Zebedee, and a few hired men. They didn't live on easy street, but they had a taste of success which also could have kept them from following Jesus. “Good enough” is the enemy of “the best.” People become too busy continuing in what they know to change and follow Jesus. People value their time and find serving Jesus a bad investment. If it is in their portfolio, it's a low percentage. James and John were going through their daily routine preparing their nets when Jesus came by. This time let's consider this scene in a setting more familiar to you. Imagine you walk into the library to study, put down your backpack, start-up your laptop, choose a play list on your ipod, and gather your notes to work on your homework. Suddenly Jesus walks up to you, taps you on the shoulder, and says, “you come follow me.” What is your response? What do you do? Do you ignore him? Do you tell you're busy? Or do you leave everything behind to follow Jesus? Their response was immediate, they followed Jesus.
Jesus called me when I was a student at Triton College. After school one day, I dropped by the Triton Bible House just to pick up some gifts that my brother Chris sent from Korea. But Jesus had other plans. While we were talking Pastor Teddy asked me to study the Bible with Shs Charisma Magno, and accepted. I was socially awkward and still recovering from a shy childhood in a Christian home. Jesus saw great potential in me. Through Bible study life began to make sense. I found direction which became mission, and discipline became the way I live. God is growing me as a student shepherd and co-worker at NIU ministry. He has hope for me to receive an EE degree not just for a livelyhood, but to support a life of mission. Someday I hope marry by faith and have a family with direction and mission centered on Jesus and the kingdom. Jesus has hope for me to bring my faith with
5
me everywhere I go, ultimately to join him in the kingdom of heaven. It's just not about me. This summer I am attending the ESBC and am praying for God to increase my world mission vision, to see the world as he does.
Conclusion: Jesus came as a light to a world living the darkness of spiritual poverty and ignorance. His response to the darkness was to share the gospel. Jesus went out and called the first disciples to become fishers of men. Jesus saves us from an unsatisfying life. When we answer the call to be fishers of men we are blessed with a truly meaningful mission and life with purpose. Those who have been called are intended to call others. God has chosen each of us to participate in his kingdom work, one heart and one Bible study at a time.
Prayer: Dear Lord Heavenly Father, thank you for calling each of us to become fishers of men. Thank you for bringing all of us together to worship and learn of you this weekend. Grant us each one word from this conference. Be with Pastor Kevin Jesmer and grant him your Holy Spirit to deliver the message “Seek First God's Kingdom.” And may we all wake up early for daily bread and bless the morning devotion message. In Jesus Christ we pray, Amen.
Key Verse: Matthew 4:19,20 “Come follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will make you fishers of men.” At once they left their nets and followed him.
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Matthew 6:33 Message : SBC
SEEK FIRST HIS KINGDOM
Matthew 6:19-34 2009 DuPage/NIU Summer Bible Conference
Key Verse: 6:33 Shp Kevin Jesmer NIU UBF 7-17-09
“But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you
as well.”
In this passage Jesus teaches his disciples, of all ages, a most important Biblical principle which they must practice in order to be his disciples. It is to seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, entrusting their very lives in God who alone can provide for all their needs, both physically and spiritually. Through this passage may we all accept the Biblical principle into our hearts and live victoriously as Jesus’ disciples.
Part l: Seek First His Kingdom And His Righteousness (33)
In this passage, Jesus tells us, in verses 33 to, ““But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness and all these things will be given to you as well.” It sounds great like the lead to an epic novel, but what does Jesus mean? Well, to understand it, let’s break it down into its component parts. When we do, it doesn’t look so ominous?
First, “to seek first” To seek something “first” has to do with priorities. It means to seek, as of “first” importance. We all have priorities in our lives, but not everything can be top priority. Jesus understands all the things that demand our attention, but he wants something to be our top priority. What is it? Verse 33a, ““But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness…”
Next, “Seek first his kingdom.” Jeremiah 23:5 sheds light on this. It reads, “ ‘The days are coming,’ declares the LORD, ‘when I will raise up to David a righteous Branch, a King who will reign wisely and do what is just and right in the land.’” This prophecy looks forward to Jesus. Jesus is a king. He is from the house and line of David. Jesus is Lord of heaven and earth, through his death and resurrection. He lives forever, ruling the hearts of his people. That is why the Bible says that the kingdom of God is within you. He also rules among his people for where two or three gather in Jesus’ name, there shall he be. Jesus is surely among us today, because fifty of us have gathered in Jesus’ name. Jesus is a “shepherd” king who rules his subjects with wisdom and justice. And Jesus’ kingdom is forcefully expanding all around the world. Jesus wants us to seek his kingdom as first priority, taking hold of it, by faith. (Mt 11:12)
Next, “Seek first his righteousness.” Think of it this way. The root of the word, “righteousness” is “right”. Being “righteous” before God, means that we have entered into a right relationship with God. Because of our sins we could only be declared guilty, separated from God and kept from entering his kingdom. How can we ever be made “right” before God? Abram was declared “righteous” by God, simply by believing God’s incredible promises. (Gen 15:6) Jesus is our righteousness. Jeremiah 23:6,“In his days Judah will be saved and Israel will live in safety. This is the name by which he will be called: The LORD Our Righteousness.” When we repent of our sins, believing that Jesus shed his precious blood so that we can be forgiven of all our sins, then we are forgiven by God. When we stand before God, he sees Jesus in us. We become part of God’s family and receive eternal life. John 17:3, “Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.” To seek his righteousness is to seek to know Jesus through sincere Bible study and putting his words into practice.
Part ll: “God Does Not Understand My Situation”
Though Jesus gives us such a wonderful command, it is not easy to obey it. It seems that this world is opposed to seeking God’s kingdom and his righteousness. We are drawn from all quarters to chase after almost anything and everything else. What do people chase after? Look at verse 19, ““Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.” People chase after treasure which they store up for themselves. For most, their treasure is money. But Jesus tells us that any earthly treasure will decompose, decay or be stolen. Those who put their hope in earthly treasures will eventually have their hopes crushed.
People worry a lot instead of seeking Jesus. Look at verses 31 and 32, “So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' 32For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them”. People worry about having enough food and shelter. Their fears sound legitimate. But the problem is our security fears never go away. The more you have the more you spend. The more you have the more you worry. People who run after these things never have enough room in their hearts to seek first God’s kingdom and righteousness.
Part lll: Jesus Gives Us Clear Direction
Jesus does not leave us directionless. Look at verses 19 & 20, “But store up for yourselves treasure in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.” He tells us to store up treasure in heaven. What are they? Treasure in heaven are eternal things of greatest value. They are things that we can only bring with us to heaven. They are things that we will receive praise from God when we see him face to face. The greatest treasure in heaven is eternal life in the kingdom of God. This is a treasure that we need more than anything. This treasure is easy to acquire because eternal life is a gift from God, freely given to anyone who believes. John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” You can have the treasure of eternal life in Jesus today, all you have to do is repent of your sins and believe in Jesus.
Another treasure is a glorious, eternal dwelling place. In John 14:2, Jesus told his disciples, “In my Father’s house are many rooms...I am going there to prepare a place for you.” The word “rooms” means “mansions.” For those who have given their lives to Jesus, God has prepared a mansion of glory in the kingdom of heaven that can never be foreclosed upon. Some of us have envied the homes in the “Lifestyles Of The Rich And Famous” ,but a room in the Father’s house will make even the choicest parcels of real estate seem like shacks.
Another treasure is our spiritual character. A truly rich person is one who has the spiritual character of our Lord Jesus Christ, hewn through many spiritual struggles. Though we may suffer a lot in this world, we are bearing the beautiful image of Christ. There are other treasures too. All those who have been misunderstood, persecuted, and rejected in this world, for Jesus’ name’s sake, will receive the crown of righteousness that never fades away. Also, people who lead other people to Jesus will shine like stars in the universe. Ultimately those who remain faithful to Jesus will receive a warm welcome by Christ himself, who will say, “Well done, my good and faithful servant.” Christians are truly rich with heavenly treasure.
How can we store up heavenly treasures? In the context of the Sermon on the Mount, we store up treasures in heaven by giving to the needy, like giving food to the hungry, shelter to the homeless, giving clothes to those whose clothes old and few, taking care of the sick, even those sick with sin, visiting people who are lonely, planting God’s hope in the heart of those who are weary of life. It includes prayer and fasting before God. (Matt25:35-40). Can you remember righteous acts that Christians have performed on you? Every righteous act is remembered and blessed by the Lord.
Jesus tells us these things because he cares about the condition of our hearts. Look at verse 21, ““For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” And also verses 21-22,“"The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are good, your whole body will be full of light. 23But if your eyes are bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!” If our treasures are on earth, then the eyes of our hearts focused on things that are perishing, spoiling and fading away. (1 Peter 1:3-4) The eyes become full of sadness and disappointment. Jesus does not want us living with “bad eyes.” He wants us to have good, bright eyes, eyes that are full of life and vitality and real hopes, eyes that are focused on Jesus and the kingdom of heaven.
Jesus tells us not to worry. Let’s read verse 25. “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes?” Worrying seems to come too natural for some. But worrying is totally useless. Worry makes us waste our precious lives doing nothing. Worrying is the mother of all kinds of anxiety and stress related illnesses. Worry comes when we see our need without seeing our God.
To overcome worrying, Jesus teaches us to have faith in God. Look at verse 25 and 26. “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? “Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?” The fact is that God cares about all of his creation, even us. Our Creator God, continues to care for us as our loving Father. There are all kinds of evidences of God loving provision. Look at how he takes care of the birds, they look very happy and well fed. They fly around freely and sing all day long. We just have to acknowledge the facts and not worry by trusting God.
There are people who don’t worry about food and shelter. Who here is worrying about food and shelter? God has always provided…right? Jesus has a lesson for those concerned about clothes and outer beauty. Look at verse 28b-30a, “…See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, ..” Jesus understands our need for dignity, but he doesn’t want us to worry. Our God does a fantastic job clothing the lilies and the grasses. Mankind can never create such beauty. God will clothe us beautifully with inner beauty, by his grace. True beauty does not come from our clothes but from a quiet and gentle spirit, that is provided by God to those who seek heavenly treasure (1 Peter 3:3-4)
Part lll: “All These Things will Be Give to You as Well.”
Jesus gives each of us a great and wonderful promise in verse 33, “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” People think that God will provide our food, clothing, shelter…the bare necessities. But the truth is that God knows and understands our every need and wants to provide all we need for life and ministry and spending eternity with our Lord Jesus. He provides everything we need in abundance. But there is only one prerequisite….we must determine to seek God’s kingdom and his righteousness as top priority in our lives.
I thank God, that he has helped me to live by the Biblical principle these past 23 years. My heart is drawn to the things of this world. On my own I could never seek first God’s kingdom and his righteousness as top priority. I first came to know Jesus at the age of 22 while finishing my studies at a Community College. I had lived as a hedonistic student. While studying for my last exam, I was invited to Sunday Service by a Korean Missionary, Ruth Hwang. I thought, “if I get a job I will stay and study the Bible.” I applied for one job and got it. After one month of Bible study I attended the MSU Summer Bible Conference. There that I repented of my doubts and started to believe in Jesus. My first epiphany was that Jesus is real, there is a spiritual world, and that the Bible is the Word of God. Later, I accepted John 4:13-14 as my life key verse, “Jesus answered, ‘Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.’” I was a Samaritan man, but Jesus quenched my thirsty heart. He saved me the emptiness of a meaningless, hedonistic life. Jesus helped me to make several quick decisions of faith. I accepted campus mission, moved into the common life with other Christians and began to grow as a student shepherd. Jesus was going to help me to seek his kingdom first in other crucial times. Let’s see.
Right from the beginning, I experienced God’s divine discipline. My parents were not Christians. They could not understand my changed life in Jesus. They were scared. They began to oppose my life of faith. This went on for five years. There was a lot of tears. I was tempted to ignore God’s call and avoid a lot trouble. But at this crucial moment God helped me. I accepted John 6:68-70, “Simon Peter answered him, ‘Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We believe and know that you are the Holy One of God.” Every episode of opposion drew me closer to the word of God to find the truth.
God helped me to seek his kingdom in regards to my future marriage. When I studied about Isaac and Rebekah, in my 1:1 Bible study, my heart was so moved. The Bible says that when she was led to Isaac, “She took her veil and covered herself. Then the servant told Isaac all he had done. Isaac brought her into the tent of his mother Sarah, and he married Rebekah. So she became his wife, and he loved her…” I began to cry because of the beauty of their marriage. I thoughtI could never have such pure love. I could seek God’s kingdom by waiting on God’s time and in God’s way for a future marriage partner. And I waited for six years before led me to my God-given soul mate, Julie.
In 1991, I had another opportunity to seek God’s kingdom first. The missionaries had left to plant new churches in Toronto and Montreal. I was left in Winnipeg, with 8 Bible students. I was spiritually young, weak and poor. It was not easy to carry on the work of God. God saw my situation and he inspired Shp Teddy to invite me to Triton UBF. I could have ignored his invitation and stayed in Winnipeg, safe and secure. But when I prayed, I accepted Genesis 12: 1-2, “The Lord said to Abram, ‘Leave your country, your people and your father’s household and go to the land I will show you.’ I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you. I will make your name great and, and you will be a blessing.” With this word of God in my heart, I could have strength to make the 1,000 mile journey to Chicago and start seeking God’s kingdom at Triton UBF.
My career path was another hour of decision. I had no clear career goals. I was a pasta quality control person, a security guard, a muffin baker, a 7-11 clerk. I never thought about studying nursing. But when Pastor Teddy invited me to Triton UBF to study nursing I had a decision to make. I prayed about it and God helped me to realize that he could really use my job as a nurse in my shepherd life. The choice became clear. After five years of study, in 1996, I graduated with my Bachelors degree in nursing.
Another moment of decision came in 1992. Servants of God had been praying for my marriage. There was woman of faith who also praying for Russia (like I was) and was teaching the Bible in L.A. Her name was Julie Nugent. I highly respected her faith. The prospect of being engagement with Julie came up. What was I going to do? Was I going to depend on my own limited charm, or depend on God, seeking God’s kingdom in regards to my future family? God reminded me of the beautiful family of Isaac and Rebekah. Based on this I took Julie to be my wife. This year we are celebrating 17 years of marriage.
In 1998, the call to pioneer NIU UBF came. Our family was ready to go. But would we go? I was comfortable where I was. God gave us Isaiah 32:2, which reads, "Each man will be like a shelter from the wind and a refuge from the storm, like streams of water in the desert and the shadow of a great rock in a thirsty land." We prayed that gospel, and our house church, could be a refuge to thousands of thirsty NIU students. Based on these words, we pioneered NIU.
Pioneering affected our kids. Jenn was 6. Augustine was 3 1/2 and Sarah was 2 1/2. In this world people say, “Don’t push them too much”, “They will decide later in life to believe in Jesus and serve Jesus.” But as a new house church, we had only a few co-workers. We had no family to baby sit. The kids needed to co-operate. Was I going to shelter them from the difficulties of mission life or give them discipleship training from a young age? I remembered the words from Proverbs 22:6, “Train a child in the way he should go, and when his is old he will not turn from it.” Choosing to disciple our kids, was one way to seek first God’s kingdom. The kids were our singers, our musicians, our prayer servants, our testimony sharers, our Bible students. It was hard, but to us it is all worth it to see them grow strong in Christ and to co-work together in the work of God. And the kids feel the same way. They have been our faithful coworkers over the years and a source of joy and inspiration.
God has helped me to seek, Jesus, my righteousness. Over the years God has raised up Bible teachers for me, pastors who love me and teach me many spiritual things. Weekly testimony writing has been times where I can sit and reflect on my relationship with Jesus. Pioneering a new chapter has helped me to dig deep into the word of God each and every week. My wife pushes me read the Bible every day, even tossing the “One Year Bible” on my chest, just before I dose off to sleep. For six years now God has helped me to receive Bible study and discipleship training through our leaders at the main center. When I want to give up seeking God’s righteousness as top priority, God has and will continue.
Nowadays God is calling my house church to another moment of decision. We have been at NIU for 11 years now. Pioneering seems to slow going. Why not just join up with the local mega church filled with young families and vibrant youth groups? Why not be a small group leader? It is because God has called my family to build up the campus ministry through 1:1 Bible study and house church ministry in UBF. This is my personal calling. God reminds me that if I continue to live as a shepherd and Bible teacher that he will bless our lives and ministry abundantly. And so, now, Julie and I want to seek first God’s kingdom and his righteousness by re-dedicating our house church lives as 1:1 shepherds for NIU students. Please pray for us.
Since God has been helping me seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, God has been blessing me more than most people I grew up with. I know because I see high school friends on Facebook. He has given me heavenly peace and heavenly sunshine knowing that my sins are completely forgiven. He has quenched my thirsty heart with his living water for the last 23 years. He has given me good eyes, enlivened by spiritual treasure and a living hope in the kingdom of God. He has led me to my wife Julie who is very beautiful and spiritual and a great co-worker. God has given us 5 children, who want to please God and who believe in Jesus. He has trained me to study the Bible under mature servants of God. I could preach at conferences like this. I have my health. God has helped me to be a nurse, a job that is flexible and recession proof and five minutes from home. He has helped me to pioneer a church and become a pastor for a collegiate ministry. He gave us a Bible house and great home in a nice community. He has shown me the world, including Korea, Russia, Germany, Holland, India and Kenya. He has given me vision for the pioneering of the western suburbs all the way to Rockford. I know that my spiritual influence will carry on after my death. One day I will see my Lord and Savior, face to face in the Kingdom of heaven. I am so richly blessed! It is all because Jesus helped me, at crucial moments in my life to decide to seek first God’s kingdom and his righteousness.
Now is the time for each of us to decide. We have explored every avenue this world has to offer and it not delivered the meaning and fulfillment that we thought. We have sought to build up our own kingdom only to see the walls of our kingdom, crumbling down around us. We have been so busy trying to survive, that we have failed to discover God’s righteousness, Jesus Christ. For so many life is taking three steps forward and two steps back, or for some it is two steps forward and three steps back. They have no love of God, no forgiveness of God, and no hope in the kingdom of God. All they are left with are feelings of guilt, condemnation and regret, saying, “It might have been”. Their legacy will end with themselves, when they will have to stand before God. Is that they life we want? Jesus implores is to consider his direction and his promise. He says in Matthew 6:33, “But seek first God’s kingdom and his righteousness and all these things will be given to you as well.” Let’s decide today. Let’s face our “moments of decision” that God brings. Be ready to carry through with your decision, by faith. It will not be easy. You will have to humble yourself to live according to God’s word and follow Jesus. There will be sacrifices for without a spirit of sacrifice no one can seek God’s kingdom as of top priority. (Lk 9:23) Indeed, there are times when you feel like you cannot carry on, but those are the times that Jesus wants us to cry out for strength to help you on your journey. He will surely bless you when you are faithful and do not give up. And maybe some of you have given up. Maybe you started to seek God’s kingdom, but somewhere along the way you have stopped making it your number one priority. There is hope, grace and strength in Jesus. Explain to him your situation. Tell him, you want to start again. His grace will help you to start to seek his kingdom and his righteousness right from where you are. He will bless your life with more than just food, clothes and a bed to sleep on. God will give you eternal hope, a meaningful mission, and lots of spiritual treasure. But there is a prerequisite. And you know what it is. Let’s say it all together. It is verse 33. “But seek first God’s kingdom and his righteousness and all these things will be given to you as well.” May God bless you to make that all important decision today.
Matthew 6:19-34 2009 DuPage/NIU Summer Bible Conference
Key Verse: 6:33 Shp Kevin Jesmer NIU UBF 7-17-09
“But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you
as well.”
In this passage Jesus teaches his disciples, of all ages, a most important Biblical principle which they must practice in order to be his disciples. It is to seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, entrusting their very lives in God who alone can provide for all their needs, both physically and spiritually. Through this passage may we all accept the Biblical principle into our hearts and live victoriously as Jesus’ disciples.
Part l: Seek First His Kingdom And His Righteousness (33)
In this passage, Jesus tells us, in verses 33 to, ““But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness and all these things will be given to you as well.” It sounds great like the lead to an epic novel, but what does Jesus mean? Well, to understand it, let’s break it down into its component parts. When we do, it doesn’t look so ominous?
First, “to seek first” To seek something “first” has to do with priorities. It means to seek, as of “first” importance. We all have priorities in our lives, but not everything can be top priority. Jesus understands all the things that demand our attention, but he wants something to be our top priority. What is it? Verse 33a, ““But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness…”
Next, “Seek first his kingdom.” Jeremiah 23:5 sheds light on this. It reads, “ ‘The days are coming,’ declares the LORD, ‘when I will raise up to David a righteous Branch, a King who will reign wisely and do what is just and right in the land.’” This prophecy looks forward to Jesus. Jesus is a king. He is from the house and line of David. Jesus is Lord of heaven and earth, through his death and resurrection. He lives forever, ruling the hearts of his people. That is why the Bible says that the kingdom of God is within you. He also rules among his people for where two or three gather in Jesus’ name, there shall he be. Jesus is surely among us today, because fifty of us have gathered in Jesus’ name. Jesus is a “shepherd” king who rules his subjects with wisdom and justice. And Jesus’ kingdom is forcefully expanding all around the world. Jesus wants us to seek his kingdom as first priority, taking hold of it, by faith. (Mt 11:12)
Next, “Seek first his righteousness.” Think of it this way. The root of the word, “righteousness” is “right”. Being “righteous” before God, means that we have entered into a right relationship with God. Because of our sins we could only be declared guilty, separated from God and kept from entering his kingdom. How can we ever be made “right” before God? Abram was declared “righteous” by God, simply by believing God’s incredible promises. (Gen 15:6) Jesus is our righteousness. Jeremiah 23:6,“In his days Judah will be saved and Israel will live in safety. This is the name by which he will be called: The LORD Our Righteousness.” When we repent of our sins, believing that Jesus shed his precious blood so that we can be forgiven of all our sins, then we are forgiven by God. When we stand before God, he sees Jesus in us. We become part of God’s family and receive eternal life. John 17:3, “Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.” To seek his righteousness is to seek to know Jesus through sincere Bible study and putting his words into practice.
Part ll: “God Does Not Understand My Situation”
Though Jesus gives us such a wonderful command, it is not easy to obey it. It seems that this world is opposed to seeking God’s kingdom and his righteousness. We are drawn from all quarters to chase after almost anything and everything else. What do people chase after? Look at verse 19, ““Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.” People chase after treasure which they store up for themselves. For most, their treasure is money. But Jesus tells us that any earthly treasure will decompose, decay or be stolen. Those who put their hope in earthly treasures will eventually have their hopes crushed.
People worry a lot instead of seeking Jesus. Look at verses 31 and 32, “So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' 32For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them”. People worry about having enough food and shelter. Their fears sound legitimate. But the problem is our security fears never go away. The more you have the more you spend. The more you have the more you worry. People who run after these things never have enough room in their hearts to seek first God’s kingdom and righteousness.
Part lll: Jesus Gives Us Clear Direction
Jesus does not leave us directionless. Look at verses 19 & 20, “But store up for yourselves treasure in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.” He tells us to store up treasure in heaven. What are they? Treasure in heaven are eternal things of greatest value. They are things that we can only bring with us to heaven. They are things that we will receive praise from God when we see him face to face. The greatest treasure in heaven is eternal life in the kingdom of God. This is a treasure that we need more than anything. This treasure is easy to acquire because eternal life is a gift from God, freely given to anyone who believes. John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” You can have the treasure of eternal life in Jesus today, all you have to do is repent of your sins and believe in Jesus.
Another treasure is a glorious, eternal dwelling place. In John 14:2, Jesus told his disciples, “In my Father’s house are many rooms...I am going there to prepare a place for you.” The word “rooms” means “mansions.” For those who have given their lives to Jesus, God has prepared a mansion of glory in the kingdom of heaven that can never be foreclosed upon. Some of us have envied the homes in the “Lifestyles Of The Rich And Famous” ,but a room in the Father’s house will make even the choicest parcels of real estate seem like shacks.
Another treasure is our spiritual character. A truly rich person is one who has the spiritual character of our Lord Jesus Christ, hewn through many spiritual struggles. Though we may suffer a lot in this world, we are bearing the beautiful image of Christ. There are other treasures too. All those who have been misunderstood, persecuted, and rejected in this world, for Jesus’ name’s sake, will receive the crown of righteousness that never fades away. Also, people who lead other people to Jesus will shine like stars in the universe. Ultimately those who remain faithful to Jesus will receive a warm welcome by Christ himself, who will say, “Well done, my good and faithful servant.” Christians are truly rich with heavenly treasure.
How can we store up heavenly treasures? In the context of the Sermon on the Mount, we store up treasures in heaven by giving to the needy, like giving food to the hungry, shelter to the homeless, giving clothes to those whose clothes old and few, taking care of the sick, even those sick with sin, visiting people who are lonely, planting God’s hope in the heart of those who are weary of life. It includes prayer and fasting before God. (Matt25:35-40). Can you remember righteous acts that Christians have performed on you? Every righteous act is remembered and blessed by the Lord.
Jesus tells us these things because he cares about the condition of our hearts. Look at verse 21, ““For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” And also verses 21-22,“"The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are good, your whole body will be full of light. 23But if your eyes are bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!” If our treasures are on earth, then the eyes of our hearts focused on things that are perishing, spoiling and fading away. (1 Peter 1:3-4) The eyes become full of sadness and disappointment. Jesus does not want us living with “bad eyes.” He wants us to have good, bright eyes, eyes that are full of life and vitality and real hopes, eyes that are focused on Jesus and the kingdom of heaven.
Jesus tells us not to worry. Let’s read verse 25. “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes?” Worrying seems to come too natural for some. But worrying is totally useless. Worry makes us waste our precious lives doing nothing. Worrying is the mother of all kinds of anxiety and stress related illnesses. Worry comes when we see our need without seeing our God.
To overcome worrying, Jesus teaches us to have faith in God. Look at verse 25 and 26. “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? “Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?” The fact is that God cares about all of his creation, even us. Our Creator God, continues to care for us as our loving Father. There are all kinds of evidences of God loving provision. Look at how he takes care of the birds, they look very happy and well fed. They fly around freely and sing all day long. We just have to acknowledge the facts and not worry by trusting God.
There are people who don’t worry about food and shelter. Who here is worrying about food and shelter? God has always provided…right? Jesus has a lesson for those concerned about clothes and outer beauty. Look at verse 28b-30a, “…See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, ..” Jesus understands our need for dignity, but he doesn’t want us to worry. Our God does a fantastic job clothing the lilies and the grasses. Mankind can never create such beauty. God will clothe us beautifully with inner beauty, by his grace. True beauty does not come from our clothes but from a quiet and gentle spirit, that is provided by God to those who seek heavenly treasure (1 Peter 3:3-4)
Part lll: “All These Things will Be Give to You as Well.”
Jesus gives each of us a great and wonderful promise in verse 33, “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” People think that God will provide our food, clothing, shelter…the bare necessities. But the truth is that God knows and understands our every need and wants to provide all we need for life and ministry and spending eternity with our Lord Jesus. He provides everything we need in abundance. But there is only one prerequisite….we must determine to seek God’s kingdom and his righteousness as top priority in our lives.
I thank God, that he has helped me to live by the Biblical principle these past 23 years. My heart is drawn to the things of this world. On my own I could never seek first God’s kingdom and his righteousness as top priority. I first came to know Jesus at the age of 22 while finishing my studies at a Community College. I had lived as a hedonistic student. While studying for my last exam, I was invited to Sunday Service by a Korean Missionary, Ruth Hwang. I thought, “if I get a job I will stay and study the Bible.” I applied for one job and got it. After one month of Bible study I attended the MSU Summer Bible Conference. There that I repented of my doubts and started to believe in Jesus. My first epiphany was that Jesus is real, there is a spiritual world, and that the Bible is the Word of God. Later, I accepted John 4:13-14 as my life key verse, “Jesus answered, ‘Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.’” I was a Samaritan man, but Jesus quenched my thirsty heart. He saved me the emptiness of a meaningless, hedonistic life. Jesus helped me to make several quick decisions of faith. I accepted campus mission, moved into the common life with other Christians and began to grow as a student shepherd. Jesus was going to help me to seek his kingdom first in other crucial times. Let’s see.
Right from the beginning, I experienced God’s divine discipline. My parents were not Christians. They could not understand my changed life in Jesus. They were scared. They began to oppose my life of faith. This went on for five years. There was a lot of tears. I was tempted to ignore God’s call and avoid a lot trouble. But at this crucial moment God helped me. I accepted John 6:68-70, “Simon Peter answered him, ‘Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We believe and know that you are the Holy One of God.” Every episode of opposion drew me closer to the word of God to find the truth.
God helped me to seek his kingdom in regards to my future marriage. When I studied about Isaac and Rebekah, in my 1:1 Bible study, my heart was so moved. The Bible says that when she was led to Isaac, “She took her veil and covered herself. Then the servant told Isaac all he had done. Isaac brought her into the tent of his mother Sarah, and he married Rebekah. So she became his wife, and he loved her…” I began to cry because of the beauty of their marriage. I thoughtI could never have such pure love. I could seek God’s kingdom by waiting on God’s time and in God’s way for a future marriage partner. And I waited for six years before led me to my God-given soul mate, Julie.
In 1991, I had another opportunity to seek God’s kingdom first. The missionaries had left to plant new churches in Toronto and Montreal. I was left in Winnipeg, with 8 Bible students. I was spiritually young, weak and poor. It was not easy to carry on the work of God. God saw my situation and he inspired Shp Teddy to invite me to Triton UBF. I could have ignored his invitation and stayed in Winnipeg, safe and secure. But when I prayed, I accepted Genesis 12: 1-2, “The Lord said to Abram, ‘Leave your country, your people and your father’s household and go to the land I will show you.’ I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you. I will make your name great and, and you will be a blessing.” With this word of God in my heart, I could have strength to make the 1,000 mile journey to Chicago and start seeking God’s kingdom at Triton UBF.
My career path was another hour of decision. I had no clear career goals. I was a pasta quality control person, a security guard, a muffin baker, a 7-11 clerk. I never thought about studying nursing. But when Pastor Teddy invited me to Triton UBF to study nursing I had a decision to make. I prayed about it and God helped me to realize that he could really use my job as a nurse in my shepherd life. The choice became clear. After five years of study, in 1996, I graduated with my Bachelors degree in nursing.
Another moment of decision came in 1992. Servants of God had been praying for my marriage. There was woman of faith who also praying for Russia (like I was) and was teaching the Bible in L.A. Her name was Julie Nugent. I highly respected her faith. The prospect of being engagement with Julie came up. What was I going to do? Was I going to depend on my own limited charm, or depend on God, seeking God’s kingdom in regards to my future family? God reminded me of the beautiful family of Isaac and Rebekah. Based on this I took Julie to be my wife. This year we are celebrating 17 years of marriage.
In 1998, the call to pioneer NIU UBF came. Our family was ready to go. But would we go? I was comfortable where I was. God gave us Isaiah 32:2, which reads, "Each man will be like a shelter from the wind and a refuge from the storm, like streams of water in the desert and the shadow of a great rock in a thirsty land." We prayed that gospel, and our house church, could be a refuge to thousands of thirsty NIU students. Based on these words, we pioneered NIU.
Pioneering affected our kids. Jenn was 6. Augustine was 3 1/2 and Sarah was 2 1/2. In this world people say, “Don’t push them too much”, “They will decide later in life to believe in Jesus and serve Jesus.” But as a new house church, we had only a few co-workers. We had no family to baby sit. The kids needed to co-operate. Was I going to shelter them from the difficulties of mission life or give them discipleship training from a young age? I remembered the words from Proverbs 22:6, “Train a child in the way he should go, and when his is old he will not turn from it.” Choosing to disciple our kids, was one way to seek first God’s kingdom. The kids were our singers, our musicians, our prayer servants, our testimony sharers, our Bible students. It was hard, but to us it is all worth it to see them grow strong in Christ and to co-work together in the work of God. And the kids feel the same way. They have been our faithful coworkers over the years and a source of joy and inspiration.
God has helped me to seek, Jesus, my righteousness. Over the years God has raised up Bible teachers for me, pastors who love me and teach me many spiritual things. Weekly testimony writing has been times where I can sit and reflect on my relationship with Jesus. Pioneering a new chapter has helped me to dig deep into the word of God each and every week. My wife pushes me read the Bible every day, even tossing the “One Year Bible” on my chest, just before I dose off to sleep. For six years now God has helped me to receive Bible study and discipleship training through our leaders at the main center. When I want to give up seeking God’s righteousness as top priority, God has and will continue.
Nowadays God is calling my house church to another moment of decision. We have been at NIU for 11 years now. Pioneering seems to slow going. Why not just join up with the local mega church filled with young families and vibrant youth groups? Why not be a small group leader? It is because God has called my family to build up the campus ministry through 1:1 Bible study and house church ministry in UBF. This is my personal calling. God reminds me that if I continue to live as a shepherd and Bible teacher that he will bless our lives and ministry abundantly. And so, now, Julie and I want to seek first God’s kingdom and his righteousness by re-dedicating our house church lives as 1:1 shepherds for NIU students. Please pray for us.
Since God has been helping me seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, God has been blessing me more than most people I grew up with. I know because I see high school friends on Facebook. He has given me heavenly peace and heavenly sunshine knowing that my sins are completely forgiven. He has quenched my thirsty heart with his living water for the last 23 years. He has given me good eyes, enlivened by spiritual treasure and a living hope in the kingdom of God. He has led me to my wife Julie who is very beautiful and spiritual and a great co-worker. God has given us 5 children, who want to please God and who believe in Jesus. He has trained me to study the Bible under mature servants of God. I could preach at conferences like this. I have my health. God has helped me to be a nurse, a job that is flexible and recession proof and five minutes from home. He has helped me to pioneer a church and become a pastor for a collegiate ministry. He gave us a Bible house and great home in a nice community. He has shown me the world, including Korea, Russia, Germany, Holland, India and Kenya. He has given me vision for the pioneering of the western suburbs all the way to Rockford. I know that my spiritual influence will carry on after my death. One day I will see my Lord and Savior, face to face in the Kingdom of heaven. I am so richly blessed! It is all because Jesus helped me, at crucial moments in my life to decide to seek first God’s kingdom and his righteousness.
Now is the time for each of us to decide. We have explored every avenue this world has to offer and it not delivered the meaning and fulfillment that we thought. We have sought to build up our own kingdom only to see the walls of our kingdom, crumbling down around us. We have been so busy trying to survive, that we have failed to discover God’s righteousness, Jesus Christ. For so many life is taking three steps forward and two steps back, or for some it is two steps forward and three steps back. They have no love of God, no forgiveness of God, and no hope in the kingdom of God. All they are left with are feelings of guilt, condemnation and regret, saying, “It might have been”. Their legacy will end with themselves, when they will have to stand before God. Is that they life we want? Jesus implores is to consider his direction and his promise. He says in Matthew 6:33, “But seek first God’s kingdom and his righteousness and all these things will be given to you as well.” Let’s decide today. Let’s face our “moments of decision” that God brings. Be ready to carry through with your decision, by faith. It will not be easy. You will have to humble yourself to live according to God’s word and follow Jesus. There will be sacrifices for without a spirit of sacrifice no one can seek God’s kingdom as of top priority. (Lk 9:23) Indeed, there are times when you feel like you cannot carry on, but those are the times that Jesus wants us to cry out for strength to help you on your journey. He will surely bless you when you are faithful and do not give up. And maybe some of you have given up. Maybe you started to seek God’s kingdom, but somewhere along the way you have stopped making it your number one priority. There is hope, grace and strength in Jesus. Explain to him your situation. Tell him, you want to start again. His grace will help you to start to seek his kingdom and his righteousness right from where you are. He will bless your life with more than just food, clothes and a bed to sleep on. God will give you eternal hope, a meaningful mission, and lots of spiritual treasure. But there is a prerequisite. And you know what it is. Let’s say it all together. It is verse 33. “But seek first God’s kingdom and his righteousness and all these things will be given to you as well.” May God bless you to make that all important decision today.
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