II Kings 1

2 Kings 1:1 ( ESV )

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¹After the death of Ahab, Moab rebelled against Israel.

§  Subject to Israel since the time of David. II Sam. 8:2.

§  Saw Ahab as no longer the king and Ahaziah as weaker king and probably knew of his injury. It’s time for the rebellion.

§  Moab’s history:  Lots relationship with his daughter. Known as the washbasin.  Place where Ruth came from.

2 Kings 1:2 ( ESV )

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²Now Ahaziah fell through the lattice in his upper chamber in Samaria, and lay sick; so he sent messengers, telling them, “Go, inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron, whether I shall recover from this sickness.”

§  Ahaziah-Name means, “Jah has seized.” One of Ahab’s sons. Reigns for about 2 years. Did evil in sight of the Lord. (I Kings 22:52) Known for service to Baal. (I Kings 22:53) Dies without an heir.

§  Lattice-He fell through these bars that covered a window or part of the roof as it was used for venting. This was in an upper story room.

§  Inquire of Baal-Zebub-Not  Jehovah God but rather, “The lord of the flies.” Supposedly in charge of healing diseases this name would later be used for Satan in Matt. 12:24 and Mark 3:22.

§  Ekron-The northern most of 5 major Philistine cities. This is the second place where they took the ark after it was captured in I Sam. 5:10-12. It would be about 15 miles south of Joppa.

§  Recover-Like his father Ahab wanted a favorable report. Failed to look for help from Jehovah God.

2 Kings 1:3-4 ( ESV )

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³But the angel of the Lord said to Elijah the Tishbite, “Arise, go up to meet the messengers of the king of Samaria, and say to them, ‘Is it because there is no God in Israel that you are going to inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron?

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⁴Now therefore thus says the Lord, You shall not come down from the bed to which you have gone up, but you shall surely die.’^f” So Elijah went.

§  Angel-Gen. 16:9 A theophany or a manifestation of God. Often the second person of the trinity.

§  Messengers-They had to come through here to get where they were going.

§  Is it?-Sarcastically as if he did not exist. This is how far the king’s apostasy had gone.

§  Now-Because of your idolatry and serving other false “gods” you will die. Death was to have been the punishment for idolatry. Ex. 22:20. (Make your offerings; God will make an offering of you.)

2 Kings 1:5-6 ( ESV )

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⁵The messengers returned to the king, and he said to them, “Why have you returned?”

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⁶And they said to him, “There came a man to meet us, and said to us, ‘Go back to the king who sent you, and say to him, Thus says the Lord, Is it because there is no God in Israel that you are sending to inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron? Therefore you shall not come down from the bed to which you have gone up, but you shall surely die.’^f”

§  Why-He knew it would have taken more time to inquire of Baal-zebub of Ekron.

§  A man-Apparently they did not recognize Elijah. How sad.

§  Lord-The king would hear God’s message whether he wanted to or not.

§  Is it-By saying these words Elijah was reminding Ahaziah of his sin in following after other gods.

§  Shall not come down..die-The consequences of his sin.

2 Kings 1:7-8 ( ESV )

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⁷He said to them, “What kind of man was he who came to meet you and told you these things?”

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⁸They answered him, “He wore a garment of hair, with a belt of leather about his waist.” And he said, “It is Elijah the Tishbite.”

Ø  What kind-his mind probably already reflecting back to his father’s encounters.

Ø  Hairy man-Referring to what he wore or maybe to his Nazarite vow.

Ø  Leather belt-Garment of sheep or goat with the hair left on them.

Ø  Elijah-The enemy knows his foe.

2 Kings 1:9 ( ESV )

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⁹Then the king sent to him a captain of fifty men with his fifty. He went up to Elijah, who was sitting on the top of a hill, and said to him, “O man of God, the king says, ‘Come down.’^f”

Ø  Think about it by doing this he was declaring war on God. After receiving this message the king was infuriated. Ahaziah shows contempt instead of treating Elijah as a prophet of God, he treated him like an outlaw. He would rather hear from the, “lord of the flies.”

Ø  Sitting on the top of  a hill-A man who is at peace with his God and out in the open before his enemies. They should have been reminded of the victory of Elijah on Mount Carmel and how fire was sent down from God.

Ø  Man of God-Sarcastically as he commands him to do the king’s bidding, but God had already said what would happen to the king.

Ø  Come down-Threat now made and his power now brought up. You may be a man of God but you will obey Ahaziah. If he truly saw him as a prophet he would not demand him to obey.

2 Kings 1:10 ( ESV )

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¹⁰But Elijah answered the captain of fifty, “If I am a man of God, let fire come down from heaven and consume you and your fifty.” Then fire came down from heaven and consumed him and his fifty.

v  If I am-Who is in charge Ahaziah or God?

v  Fire-Judgment is about to fall. Fire should have spoken to Ahaziah as this is how his father and mother’s prophets were defeated in I Kings 18. (Some people never get it.) As already prophesied God was saying to Ahaziah God was Israel’s ruler rather than him. These men were destroyed by Fire.

2 Kings 1:11-12 ( ESV )

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¹¹Again the king sent to him another captain of fifty men with his fifty. And he answered and said to him, “O man of God, this is the king’s order, ‘Come down quickly!’^f”

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¹²But Elijah answered them, “If I am a man of God, let fire come down from heaven and consume you and your fifty.” Then the fire of God came down from heaven and consumed him and his fifty.

Ø  Another-Ahaziah ignores God and we will do it again and do it my way.

Ø  Quickly-More insolent than the first one. He demands now.

Ø  If-Elijah proves that he is God’s man and not Ahaziah. His prayer is similar to the one in I Kings 18.

Ø  Consumed-God will not be lowered to man’s expectations.

2 Kings 1:13-14 ( ESV )

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¹³Again the king sent the captain of a third fifty with his fifty. And the third captain of fifty went up and came and fell on his knees before Elijah and entreated him, “O man of God, please let my life, and the life of these fifty servants of yours, be precious in your sight.

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¹⁴Behold, fire came down from heaven and consumed the two former captains of fifty men with their fifties, but now let my life be precious in your sight.”

Ø  Third-Ahaziah’s heart is hardend once again.

Ø  Fell-This one shows an attitude of respect and homage to Elijah and His God. He submits to authority. He took the above actions and warnings to heart.

Ø  Pleaded-Not for obedience but for mercy. He knew that it was God’s mercy that allowed him to live. A lesson none of the others had learned.

Ø  50-He was a good soldier who was concerned about the souls of his men. He saw them as precious or valuable and rare.

Ø  Behold-He knew the fate of the other 100 men and their commanders.

2 Kings 1:15-18 ( ESV )

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¹⁵Then the angel of the Lord said to Elijah, “Go down with him; do not be afraid of him.” So he arose and went down with him to the king

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¹⁶and said to him, “Thus says the Lord, ‘Because you have sent messengers to inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron—is it because there is no God in Israel to inquire of his word?—therefore you shall not come down from the bed to which you have gone up, but you shall surely die.’^f”

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¹⁷So he died according to the word of the Lord that Elijah had spoken. Jehoram became king in his place in the second year of Jehoram the son of Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, because Ahaziah had no son.

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¹⁸Now the rest of the acts of Ahaziah that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel?

ü  Down-Elijah now goes to the captain after God told him to do it. Easy for him to do after he saw how God protected him.

ü  Then-Message is now directly given forth. Elijah confronts him face to face.

ü  Because you-Tells him that he went to a false god and his life would not be spared.

ü  Israel-King was an ungodly influence upon Israel. Message of doom remains the same for the king.

ü  Die-No words spared, idolatry was a serious thing. Incident proved that God was sovereign over Israel.

ü  According-This was what God had stated. Idea is he died shortly thereafter without an heir as his brother would now reign.

ü  Chronicles-It was recorded in other books.

Christmas blessings

     Let me start this  blog by not saying, Happy Holidays but rather MERRY CHRISTMAS. What a true joy it is to know that He truly is the focus of these days whether the world sees or understands that fact. It is a truth. He is the reason for the season and for the joy that we can have.

     When I think of this time of year I am also reminded of the gifts that are given and the year that has passed. Yet, when I talk of the gifts that have been given I am not talking about the material things as such but rather the blessings that He has poured out upon this year.

MY FAMILY

JULIE

     This Christmas is a special one for the two of us as it was 25 years ago that Julie and I celebrated our first Christmas together. She would take a bus all the way from Lincoln Nebraska and meet me in Little Rock. We then drove from there all the way to my mother and father's home in Gravette Arkansas. She survived my parents, family members and fit in with all of us. It would be one of my favorite Christmases ever and during that New Years Eve I would propose to her at the old Grace Baptist Church in Fayetteville, Arkansas. 

     There is not a day that I do not thank the Lord for allowing her to be be a part of my life. She has always been the reason in our family and the one who has always allowed me to dream. She has stood by me in the midst of celebration and even in the most difficult of storms. 

Hannah

     No longer can we claim her as our oldest teen as Hannah celebrated her 20th birthday this year. We are so proud of her as she is now halfway through her training at Frontier School of the Bible. She has worked hard to put herself through college with scholar jobs and working during the summer months. We have also so appreciated the gifts sent to her through our old church, friends and loved ones. The best part is seeing how she is growing the wisdom of the things of the Lord and becoming the godly young woman we have had the joy of watching grow.

Hadassah

          What a trip to see our youngest one now a senior. She is doing well with her courses with her mother and has only one more semester to go. She works at a local grocery chain here in Lincoln called Hy-Vee.  She is a hard worker and has already received a couple of raises. She is also looking for her first car. We are also excited as she is planning going on a short term missions trip to Nicaragua for about nine days this summer. She has applied for her passport and is seeking the Lord's face.

Our Calvary Church Family

     Two years ago we would never have dreamed of living in Lincoln Nebraska and becoming members of the church that my wife grew up in and came to know Christ through. Yet, the Lord's plans are often more different than ours and they are always good.

     What a joy it is to see Pastor Godwin still at the helm of the church here. He started this church 40 years ago and has remained their pastor ever since. Even though the church is quite large we have always been amazed at how He has sought us out, took me out to coffee, spent precious time praying for us as a family. His wife and His staff of pastors are a unique group of people who have a unity that is seldom seen and we have been so blessed by and to be a part of. The church family has ministered to us in so many ways that we could never repay them for their acts of love and kindness.

     We have also been blessed by a great Sunday School class led by the one and only Sid Swanson. We have a blast studying the Word of God in the classroom. Even our bunny trails have always led us back to the awesomeness of the Great God we serve. Not only have we seen this class in its teaching mode but also seen the blessing of them acting as brothers and sisters when we had to move earlier this year and how they went out of their way to help us.

WORK

     As many of you know we have been seeking a ministry that we could serve in full time. We have went through various doors of ministry only to find them closed but we have made some brothers and sisters who will forever be dear to us. 

     I have been working temporary jobs and the Lord has allowed me to have 2 jobs that I have been able to work at. This is not a common thing for temp workers as they usually will have several more during the course of the year. At Norvartis I was only supposed to have a 6 week job that lasted over 7 months. The job that I am currently at work with is doing scanning and filing for a group called American Home Patient. Once again a job that was supposed to only last for 6 weeks has now went on for almost 4 months or longer. We are trying to find a higher paying job but as of yet have not been able to. I am grateful in that I have made some dear friends here. Many of them do not know the Lord so I thank Him for the ability to share with them.

     Julie will possibly be working at a local day care center not to far from where we live. She will probably start up at the beginning of this year. Pray for us as we continue to send out resumes, make phone calls and also look for possible ministries. Yet, we also pray that no matter what that He will use us where we are at.

OUR PRAYER PARTNERS

     One of the great blessings of our lives through the years is knowing that so many of you have been behind us in prayer. Some of you have been by our sides since the days of North Arkansas Gospel Mission, Calvary Bible Church in Grand Junction, Sandusky Baptist Church and Reeves Bible Church. You will never know what your prayers, financial support, letters of encouragement have meant to us through the years. Your friendship has been so special to us and we thank God for all of you who have walked together with us through so many things.

OUR SPIRITUAL BLESSINGS

     In light of all these things we are truly a blessed family. Yet even more during this season we thank the Father for the unspeakable gift of His Son. After all these years my heart still cannot get over the joy of a savior who was willing to give His life for us and for that alone we will be forever grateful. A savior who would humble himself to become a babe and give of His life for you and me. 

     Yes, we are blessed brothers and sisters and for that I am beyond thankful to a God who would love me so. Have a great Christmas and may the joy of our savior and His blessings fill your heart this Christmas and the year to come.

     

     

THE STORY

Our story begins with a king who was willing to leave all that He had for His people. One who was willing to leave splendor beyond all earthly comprehension. The amazing thing was that He was not doing it for a kind or even grateful people. No, the people who He was willing to leave all that He had were a people who despised and hate His kingdom.  They had done nothing but live in open treason to His cosmic majesty.

Yet, the king in all of His glory lays it all down and leaves it all behind. Angels who cry out His name declaring Him to be the Holy one will now not be heard. The glories of the presence of Heaven will be traded for an earth trodden planet.

   

Not only will all of this be laid aside for us but He will not even show forth His glory as a King. No, He will come as an infant to be cared for by two poor parents. One of those people was a carpenter by trade. He will not be born in a palace but rather in a lowly manger.

His mother who is a young virgin would be told that she would give birth to a son. She ponders this thought and wonders how that this could ever take place as she has never been with a man. The angel proclaims to her that the Holy Spirit will overshadow her and the child will be born and will be called holy-the Son of God. His name will be Jesus, The Lord is our Salvation.

The beautiful part is that Mary will simply say, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” She does not question why, but simply is willing to do whatever the Lord would have her to do.

Joseph now comes onto the scene. He is betrothed to Mary and looks forward to the day when they will be man and wife. He has been true and faithful to her. She leaves to go see her cousin Elizabeth. When he sees her again though he finds out that she is now with child. We cannot imagine what Joseph must have been going through as all of his dreams must have been shattered.

If Joseph would have been a vengeful man, He could have had Mary even stoned. Joseph was a just man though and in his mercy He would simply legally break away from her. Once again God steps in and an angel tells Joseph that he should not be afraid to take Mary as his wife as the child to be conceived from her was from the Holy Spirit. She would bear a son and His name was to be Jesus. His purpose was to save His people from their sin.

Joseph like Mary instead of arguing or asking God why, simply does what the angel of the Lord commanded Him to do. For the rest of their lives they would be falsely accused, mocked and be accused of a sin they had never committed. For them though it was a small sacrifice in their lives as they would rather obey God then to please men.

They are to take part in a census that would be held in Bethlehem which would have been about seventy miles away from where they lived at in Nazareth. We often see pictures of a pregnant Mary riding upon a donkey as they make the journey. Yet, there is nothing in the scriptures that state that this was so. This might have happened but then again it could have been that they had to make this journey on foot.

When the King is brought into this world there is no mansion or soft bed to lay His head on. No the king of all creation would be born in a lowly manger. I have often wondered what it must have been like for Mary and Joseph as they held the creator of not only themselves but of the whole world in their hands. As they took hold of those little fingers and looked into the very face of God.

What must have went through this young couples head as a group of shepherds came from out of the darkness to see their son. What they must have thought as they heard their story of a bright light that shown upon them and of angels that declared His glory.

What must they have thought when within two years a group of men from the east came bearing gifts for the child king? Men who were now bowing down before their young child as one would bow down before a king.

The one thing that keeps pounding through my head is the word Sacrifice. This would be the King’s whole life for His people. It would also be the lives of those who were near to Him like Mary and Joseph and the Wise Men from the east. This is Our King Jesus. He is the one who sacrificed His very life so that we would be saved. A gift that we can never repay, yet may we live a life of sacrifice as well.

WHAT ARE MY MOTIVES? MATTHEW 6:1-8

 Why do I do what I do? Do I really see everything that I do as a gift for God or do I act the way I do to be seen of men and to get their praise? Who Am I really living for?

Matthew 6:1 ( ESV )

¹“Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven.

·         Practicing- They did these things as a matter of Habit before all.

·         Righteousness-These were acts that apparently could be seen by our fellow man. Three main acts of righteousness, giving, prayer and fasting which will be dealt with in verse 15 and following.

·         To be seem by them-Their religion was not real but it was all for show. (A performance before all to be seen and praised.)

·         No reward-Why? As another passage puts it for they have already received their reward now. What would I rather have the glory of men or the glory of God?

·         Father who is in heaven-This is where we want our rewards from and whom we want them from. What good is it if I profit the whole world and lose my own soul?

Matthew 6:2 ( ESV )

²“Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 

·         Thus-Because of the above truth. I should not act as the hypocrite does.

·         Give to the needy-Part of the O.T. law to give to those who are in need. (Dt. 15:11)

·         Sound no trumpet-A custom that they had among themselves when giving trumpets were blown in order to be noticed. (Remember the story of the Poor Widow and her mite?) Like a trumpet blast which will always grab a person’s attention.  We get the idea of to, "toot our own horn."

·         Hypocrites-Men who give in this way are known as those who have masked faces or fake. Denotes one who either pretends to be what he is not (as here), or dissembles what he really is (as in Luke 12:1, 2). JFB

·         Note they did these things both in the synagogues as well as in the streets to be seen of men. They do receive a reward but it is only the praises of man not the praises of God. The idea of in the streets carries with it a crowded area. To be seen of all men.

Matthew 6:3 ( ESV )

³But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing,

·         But-In contrast to the above who want to be seen by men and get their praises.

·         Give to the needy-We should still be those who give.

·         Do not-Not the picture of ignorance but in contrast to the above people, do not let your giving be based on being noticed but rather of a generous heart towards others and for their own well-being.  Don't dwell on it. JFB

·         Right hand-The giver readily forgets what he has given. (Thus giving becomes something I just do for God and not for any other reason.) 

Matthew 6:4 ( ESV )

⁴so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

·         Secret-Let our giving be between us and our God alone. We do not need the praise of men

           for the way that we give to the Lord and to the needy.

·         Romans 2:16 ^“on that day when, according to my gospel, God judges the secrets of men by Christ Jesus.”  This is a private audience thing between our God and us alone. (Like being called before a king for a command performance.)

·         Father who sees-He should really be the only one who knows what we give. We pray to the one who is invisible.   (I Tim. 1:17) and we are seen by Him.

·         Reward you-I believe that this will be openly before all men when we appear before

Him.

Matthew 6:5 ( ESV )

⁵“And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 

§  Now prayer becomes the issue in our acts of righteousness. (The first one is more towards mankind while this one is towards our God.)

§  This is how the hypocrites pray. Out in the synagogues and in the streets. (Note: Not against public prayer as this was done by Jesus Himself but these men only prayed in public in order to be seen and praised.) … That they might be seen. Many pious Jews would pray at set times throughout the day. I Peter 1:24 The glory of man does not last.

§  Truly-This is a truth to be stated loudly. Like the above they have received their reward.

Matthew 6:6 ( ESV )

⁶But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

·         But-In contrast to the above type who want to be seen of men and the hypocrites that live out in this world.

·         Go into your room-Once again Jesus is not against public prayer but when we pray we need to realize who we are really talking to. We have entered into the very presence of our Heavenly Father. It makes me wonder if these men prayed privately or only when they could be seen by others.

·         Once again like in verse 6 the phrase, “Who sees in secret will reward you." Is used again.  Our giving and our prayer life or acts of righteousness of any kind should only be for the Lord and Him alone. Big Daddy Weaves, “An Audience of One.”

Matthew 6:7 ( ESV )

⁷“And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words.

·         When you pray-He does still want them to pray.

·         Empty phrases-Repetition or "magic words or phrases" to get their gods attention. This is done on and on by Hindus and followers of Mohammed. Reminded of the Baal prophets of I Kings 18:26, "O Baal, hear us." Prayer that is not coming from a sincere heart. W.Wiersbe, "Some people just repeat the same old phrase over and over again, they are like a phonograph player that has its needle stuck. You already know what they are going to pray before they even begin.”

·         Gentiles-This is how the unsaved pray.

·         Many words-Be careful in the area of maybe God will hear me more if I speak to Him more eloquently. Prayers that are just merely recited or like a formula to grab God's attention. Remember these words are tied in with them being empty phrases.  Just continuing on or to babel on.

Matthew 6:8 ( ESV )

⁸Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. 

·         Father knows-Then why should I pray? If He already knows. What is the purpose of it all? Our Father loves to hear His children talk to Him and ask Him for things. (Example of a Father here on earth with his children.)

·         Like them-The Gentiles in this case or the unbelieving people.

·         Father-Remember who we are praying to He is our Father.

THE GREATEST TREASURE

THE GREATEST TREASURE

She looked up towards the heavens could not wait for Christmas day,

 Knowing there would be presents for her underneath the tree,

  Her eyes lit up so brightly as she could not wait for the day to come,

    A day in which all of her treasures would soon be seen.

So she waits with baited breath and excitement un-contained,

The joy across her face is so vividly seen,

Arms that are opened wide and ready to receive,

The treasures that she would soon hold in her hand.

So the Father gave His greatest gift, the thing He loved the most,

 The Son who was now born among the poorest of the poor,

  His eyes were lifted up knowing His Father would be pleased,

   He would be the greatest treasure this world would ever receive,

So we wait with baited breath and excitement un-contained,

The joy across our face can be visibly seen,

Arms that are opened wide and ready to receive,

The day in which the greatest treasure will come back for me.

Our eyes look towards the Heavens waiting for the return of the One,

 The One who will reign as the greatest King of Kings,

  Our eyes are lifted up longing to behold His face,

   Longing for the greatest treasure this world has ever seen.

So we wait with baited breath and excitement un-contained,

The joy across our face can visibly be seen,

Arms that are opened wide and ready to receive,

The day in which the greatest treasure will come back for me.

SERIOUSLY, WE ARE TO LOVE OUR ENEMIES. MATTHEW 5:43-48

Matthew 5:43 ( ESV ) ⁴³“You have heard that it was said, ^£‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 

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·         They assumed that the Gentile leaders over them were their enemies and therefore they hated them. But here’s the rub. It’s just not in the Bible.

·         Look at these O.T. passages that seem to be saying the exact opposite.  Proverbs 25:21 “If your enemy is hungry give him bread to eat, and if he is thirsty, give him water to drink. In Ex. 23:4-5 They were asked to do good to an enemy if his livestock had fallen, help him out.

·         It stands out to me that Jesus would make this His last argument in these passages that deal with You have heard that it was said. This was the last straw. Jesus now shows just how far the Pharisees had gone with making their own traditions to be put on the same level as the Word of God. No teacher or other teachings are to be put on the same level as His Word.

Matthew 5:44 ( ESV ) ⁴⁴But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 

·         Once again Jesus speaks with the same authority over them as the Word of God and over their vain traditions and false teachings.

·         Love your enemies? The Greek word here is Agape which is the sacrificial type of love that we are to demonstrate t/w one another.

·         Those who persecute you would esp. be referring to the Romans who were now over them. The very same Romans who would slap or insult them. The same Romans who would take away their property. The same Romans who would demand of them to do certain things like force them to be a servant for a mile.

·         We are to pray for these men who persecute us but the question is HOW? Maybe a scene from the cross will help us to understand this way to pray.

Luke 23:34 ( ESV ) ³⁴And Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.”^£ And they cast lots to divide his garments. 

1.       At the height of His humiliation after being beaten, put upon the cross He is still willing to pray for their forgiveness.  All men are in need of forgiveness even our enemies. We should pray for our enemies in this way.

2.       They know not-Jesus knows that men are truly depraved and lost. They do not even think sometimes about the impact of their choices or their actions because they have been blinded by the God of this world. We must realize that sometimes our enemies truly believe that they are right even though they are not. Why do they do this to us? You and I must get it into our heads that it is because of the blindness of their sin that there heart is enslaved in such a way. We are not to repay evil for evil in I Peter 3:9

Matthew 5:45 ( ESV ) ⁴⁵so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. 

·         What does He mean that you maybe sons of the Father by doing this?  The verse has the idea of we act like the Father when we show love to our enemies. How?

·         This is how God acts to people whether they are just or unjust. The Father still showers kindness even upon those that curse Him daily.

·         We use this passage quite often to prove a theological truth that God shows common grace to all men. He is kind to all of mankind even to those who are His enemies. (While we were still enemies with God He showed us love. Rom. 5:10) He shows common grace to all because He is a merciful God and because He wants to draw all men to Him.

·         This does not mean that we are to have this deep sense of love towards our enemies with feelings. Rather we are to show them acts of kindness that they don’t deserve. We are to go out of our way.

·         God does show common grace to all men. Yet, God does not show His everlasting love toward those who refuse to receive Him. Point of the passage we are to go out of our way and show kindness to all.

Matthew 5:46 ( ESV ) ⁴⁶For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? 

·          All men show acts of kindness towards one another. We do not deserve a special award for something that all men do.

·          Note in verse 46-47 the Lord uses two groups of men who were the Jews most dreaded enemies. The tax collectors who often would steal from them and rob them blind. Then to hear about the Gentiles sent shivers down their spines. This had to stand out to Jesus hearers as they saw how their own religious leaders dealt with these men in hatred.

 

·          Many of these tax collectors were Jewish men hired by Romans to gather taxes. They were looked down upon as traitors to their people.  This would have been esp. true to Matthew as he had been a tax collector earlier in his life.

·          As believers we are all called to do much more then what the unsaved world is willing to do.

Matthew 5:47 ( ESV ) ⁴⁷And if you greet only your brothers,^£ what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? 

·         What does He mean to greet only your brothers? Probably you are willing to say Hello or visit with just the ones you have as friends.

·         Have you ever gotten to the point where the tension between you and someone has grown so much that you even refuse to say Hi to them? You know what I mean. You try to avoid certain people for fear that you will have to acknowledge to them that they even deserve to live.

·         The Gentiles here for you and me represent the unsaved world or our most dreaded enemies. Listen even our enemies will say hello to their friends. We as believers are to act in an entirely different way. We are to go out of our way to reach them. (Ex: How I will go out of my way to be friendly to even those who do not want to speak to me.)

Matthew 5:48 ( ESV ) ⁴⁸You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

·         If we are truly sons of the living God we need to act like our Father. Our Father wants us to strive for perfection, or in this case to act as a mature son. An immature Christian will not act with love towards his enemies. When we love our enemies we then are showing our maturity and becoming more like Jesus.

·         If we cannot show acts of kindness or go out of our way to say hello to our enemies then we act like and are no better than the children of this world. We are acting like infants or spoiled children. We are to be marked by love.