Matthew 28

Reading the resurrection account reminds me of one of my favorite songs, The Easter Song by Annie Herring from 2nd Chapter of Acts. I think that this is one of the most powerful songs ever written. Some of the lyrics come straight out of Matthew 28! Check out the following link to see an interview with the three artists from the band and a live performance of the song...SWC

The Easter Song-Second Chapter of Acts

The Easter Song by Anne Herring
Here the bells ringing
They're singing that you can be born again
Here the bells ringing
They're singing Christ is risen from the dead
The angel up on the tombstone
Said He has risen, just as He said
Quickly now, go tell his disciples
That Jesus Christ is no longer dead

Joy to the world,
He has risen, hallelujah
He's risen, hallelujah
He's risen, hallelujah

Hear the bells ringing
They're singing that you can be healed right now
Hear the bells ringing,
They're singing Christ, He will reveal it now
The angels, they all surround us
And they are ministering Jesus' power
Quickly now, reach out and receive it
For this could be your glorious hour

Joy to the world,
He has risen, hallelujah
He's risen, hallelujah
He's risen, hallelujah, hallelujah

The angel up on the tombstone
Said he has risen, just as he said
Quickly now, go tell his disciples
That Jesus Christ is no longer dead

Joy to the world,
He has risen, hallelujah
He's risen, hallelujah
He's risen, hallelujah
Hallelujah

Matthew 27

When I reflect on the man (Simon of Cyrene--North Africa) who carried the cross (actually the crossbeam) for Jesus, I think, "what an honor." I wonder what he thought? At the time he was probably worried about what the Roman soldiers might do to him.

In the book of Mark we are also given the names of Simon's two sons, Alexander and Rufus (Mark 15:21). The name Rufus again appears in Romans 16:13 as the apostle Paul sends his greetings to Rome. Tradition holds that this family became believers and were well known in the early church. There is good reason to believe that this tradition is true. Otherwise it would have been unlikely that the gospel writers would have mentioned these names. Looking back, I'm sure that Simon was honored to carry the cross. We also have the honor to carry a cross... SWC

Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. Matthew 16:24 (ESV)

Matthew 26

Following the passover meal, Jesus and his disciple sang a hymn (ESV). Most likely they would have sung Psalm 113. This Psalm was traditionally sang at this time. It is a Psalm of praise. We continue this same tradition today when we sing a song of praise following the Lord's Table--sometimes the Doxology. Let's keep this in mind the next time we celebrate communion! SWC

Praise the Lord! Praise, O servants of the Lord, praise the name of the Lord! Psalm 113:1 (ESV)

Matthew 24 & 25

Both of these chapters focus on future events. Since we don't know the time of Christ's return, the charge is to be found in a "ready" condition. Here's a synopsis of how to live...SWC

Endure until the end (Matthew 24:13)
Don't follow a false Christ (Matthew 24:23)
Stay awake (Matthew 24:43)
Be ready (Matthew 24:44)
Be a faithful and wise servant (Matthew 24:45)
Use our talents (Matthew 25:21)
Feed and cloth the hungry (Matthew 25:35)
Receive strangers (Matthew 25:35)
Visit the sick and imprisoned (Matthew 25:36)

Matthew 23

Can you imagine working so hard to pick a small gnat out of your soup but missing the camel! I think I'd notice. What Jesus wants us to notice is that we spend too much time on the motions (the little gnats) and miss the matters of the heart (the camel). Things like justice, mercy and faithfulness are aspects of character and not just actions. We miss doing these things because they take time, effort and emotional sacrifice. SWC

Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness. These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others. You blind guides, straining out a gnat and swallowing a camel! Matthew 23:23-24 (ESV)

Matthew 22

“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.” Matthew 22:37-40 (ESV)

Heart - core of our being
Soul - emotion
Mind - intellect
Strength - ability (Mark 12:30)

In other words, God gets it ALL! SWC

Matthew 21

But when the chief priests and the scribes saw the wonderful things that he did, and the children crying out in the temple, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” they were indignant. Matthew 21:15 (ESV)

What a contrast! The children shouting with joy, the priests and scribes resentful. Throughout the book of Matthew I've noticed that children pop up on many occasions. In fact the various forms of the English word "child" is found 36 times in the ESV--more than any other NT book. Jesus liked children. He liked their innocence and joy. Perhaps I should become like a child. Sounds kinda Scriptural doesn't it? SWC

Matthew 20

There are primarily two Greek words in the New Testament for "servant." Notice that Jesus uses both of them in Matthew 20:26-27.

But whoever would be great among you must be your servant (diako), and whoever would be first among you must be your slave (doulos). (ESV)

"Diako" refers to anyone who executes commands at someones direction. This could be a slave, a soldier, a wife, an employee, a friend and etc. "Doulos" refers to a slave who exists only to selflessly serve the will of a master. Jesus is calling us to function in both roles. In other words, we become Christ's (and consequently everyone else's) servant by choice. We're not coerced, but willingly choose to put ourselves under God's will and direction. What mission of service is Jesus asking me to complete today? SWC

Matthew 19

I like Peter's boldness. He says what's on his mind. Sometimes it gets him in trouble, remember the rooster? And sometimes he gets kudos from it, like when he declared that Jesus was the Christ. In Matthew 19:27 following the departure of the young rich man Peter asks, "See, we have left everything and followed you. What then will we have?" instead of getting rebuked this time, Jesus gives him an answer.

• He will receive a hundredfold
• He will inherit eternal life

I like thinking about heaven. This is the hope that encourages me daily as I work through the joys and challenges of living for Jesus. SWC

Matthew 18

Next week is Sanctity of Human Life week (January 20-27, 2008). Check out Focus on the Family for some great resources. In our reading today from Matthew 18 Jesus covers the issue perfectly--doesn't he always? SWC

At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them and said, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. “Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened around his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea, Matthew 18:1-6 (ESV)

Matthew 17

In Matthew 14 Jesus chides his disciples for their lack of faith. This lack of faith is the reason they are unable to cast out a demon. The kind of faith we are to have is that of a mustard seed (Matthew 17:20). The mustard seed represents littleness that over time grows into something great. In other words mustard seed faith is persistent faith. Trusting God long term with our challenges and requests. SWC

Matthew 16

One moment Peter was making a great statement of faith, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God," (Mt 16:16) and the next he was attempting to direct Jesus away from the cross, "This shall never happen to you!" (Mat 16:22). We tend to model the same thing. Dinesh D'Souza, author of, "What's So Great About Christianity" writes about this duplicity,

"There is religious truth. reserved for Sundays and the days of worship, and there is secular truth, which applies the rest of the time. This divided lifestyle is opposed to what the Bible teaches."

We need to be followers of Jesus 24-7! SWC

Matthew 13-15

I've eaten a lot of weird things. The worst was raw sea-urchin eggs. Salty. Gooey. Sticky. Nasty. I couldn't keep them down! In Matthew 15 Jesus teaches us that it is NOT what we eat that makes us dirty, but what we say. For our words reflect our heart. Does our speech honor the creator and lift up those around us? Even in the most difficult of circumstances our correct words can be the light in a dark world. SWC

This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. Matthew 15:8 (ESV)

It is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but what comes out of the mouth; this defiles a person. Matthew 15:11 (ESV)

Matthew 12

We had 13 guys bowling today at ACME Bowl near Southcenter Mall. The high score was my friend Pat with 180! When I bowl there is no hope of a score above 110--that's a guarantee. I stink!

When Matthew writes about Jesus he's reminded of a passage from Isaiah that calls him the, "Hope of the Gentiles" (Matthew 12:21). This is what I need, hope. Not the hope of a better bowling game, but the guarantee of eternal life! SWC

Matthew 11

But to what shall I compare this generation? It is like children sitting in the marketplace and calling to their playmates, "We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not mourn." Matthew 11:16-17 (ESV)

The Seahawks are playing tomorrow (Saturday, January 12) at Green Bay. Imagine that throughout the entire game the Packer fans remain silent. Unlikely you say. Impossible. Not going to happen. And yet this was the crowd's response to Jesus when he came. God walking among them, and the vast majority were unresponsive. Let's make sure that we are responsive to the moving of God in our lives throughout the day. Look for Him working and join in! SWC

Matthew 10

As Jesus sends out his twelve apostles I am most impressed by their reliance on God. The power to do miracles--comes from God. Food and lodging--provided by God. Justice against the inhospitable and the persecutors--delivered by God. Words to speak about Christ--given by God. Reward to the faithful--handed out by God. This is the faith that God is calling me to. Total reliance on Him every day to complete the impossible! SWC

Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. Matthew 10:37-39 (ESV)

Matthew 9

What jumps out at me in chapter 9 is the need...

One Paralytic
One Tax Collector
One Dead Girl
One Sick Woman
One Dead Girl's Dad
Two Blind Men
One Demon Possessed Man

In addition add various disciples, the paralytics' friends, some nasty scribes and pharisees, the disciples of John, some flute playing funeral goers and a crowd or two. And notice what Jesus says...

'Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.”' Matthew 9:37-38 (ESV)

This world needs help, and I have the cure... SWC

Matthew 7 & 8

Notice Jesus' authority. His authority over religious rulers (Matthew 7:28-29), his authority over sickness (Matthew 8:1-17), his authority over life's incidentals (Matthew 8:18-22), his authority over the elements (Matthew 8:23-27) and his authority over demons (Matthew 8:28-34).

And then notice the contrast between the disciples reaction when they were in trouble, "Save us, Lord; we are perishing." and the centurion, "Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof, but only say the word, and my servant will be healed." Panic and fear with the disciples and controlled confidence with the centurion. Both called out for help, but only the centurion honored God with his attitude. How do we react under pressure?

Matthew 5 & 6

There's not much of anything that I can add to the Sermon on the Mount! I'm reminded of a song by Audio Adrenaline. The music video of this song is great and I've added the link below. The musical style may not be to everyones taste, but the message of humility found in chapter 5 is vital to our Christian walk. From the Beatitudes in verses 3-12 to the radical teachings of "turn the other cheek" and "love your enemy" found in verses 38-48. Who can I play second place to today? SWC

Get Down
Lavishly our lives are wasted
Humbleness is left untasted
You cant live your life to please yourself, yeah
Thats a tip from my mistakes
Exactly what it doesn't take
To win you've got to come in last place
To live your life you've got to lose it
And all the losers get a crown

Get Down Video Link

Matthew 4

Jesus used Scripture to resist temptation. Time to add more Scripture to memory! The following link is to a MS Word file with a memory plan from The Navigators. SWC

Scripture Memory Plan (MS Word Doc)

Matthew 3

Bear fruit in keeping with repentance. (ESV) Matthew 3

John's message is to repent. Repentance means, "to change your mind." This is an inward change of the heart toward personal sin. John challenges us to notice that genuine repentance is demonstrated by actions. SWC

Matthew 2

What jumps out at me in chapter 2 is God's omniscience. He knows exactly when Jesus will die on the cross and so absolutely nothing (not even Herod's evil plan to kill children) will sidetrack God's path for Jesus. So too in my life. Until the time is right for me to depart, absolutely nothing can take me out! Think of it as divine body armor! Not that this is a license for reckless living, but encouragement to endure and serve while we discover and live God's perfect plan for our lives! SWC

Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you, for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him. (ESV) Matthew 2:13

Matthew 1

Matthew traces the genealogy of Jesus through his step-father Joseph. Notice the inclusion of five women. This is definitely out of the ordinary for a Jewish genealogy. Matthew did this deliberately! All of these women can be considered at least slightly tainted. They all had bad reputations. Tamar and Rahab were prostitutes. Ruth was Moabite. Bathsheba was an adulteress. Even Mary’s reputation was somewhat suspect—Joseph was planning on divorcing her (Matthew 1:19). Isn’t grace awesome? SWC