Ephesians 5:15-18
Look carefully how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, redeeming the time because the days are evil. Therefore, do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. And do not get drunk with wine for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, always and for everything giving thanks in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God the Father.

I have yet to meet a 4 year old that has any problem singing or making up their own songs.  In fact, most adults know that this is one of the primary ways in which a young child learns.  But hanging around any 4 or 5 year old for very long and you will know that not only do they have no problem singing a song they know or even making one up they in fact will ask you to sing with them!

Inconceivable!

They will even be willing to teach you the song if you do not know it.  I honestly wish I remember myself at that age and the easy ‘joy’ that goes with being that young.  What happened to me?  What happened to all my friends and my peers?  When did we all stop singing?

I’m writing this post actually because I see so many individuals that I care about that are “living for the weekend” and choosing not to fully live for God.

I wish they were talking about Sunday morning church but obviously they are not.  Obviously they are talking about going out Friday and Saturday and in various ways completely get wasted in various ways.  The irony that for as long as alcohol as existed – alcohol and singing almost always go together.  Whether it is Pub songs from 400 years ago or karaoke bars or dance clubs of today, music and alcohol have always been consistent wonderful friends for one another.

In the middle of Ephesians 5 Paul reflects for a moment regarding something that saddens his heart about his day just as I’m writing about something I see that saddens my heart with people that are important in my life.  If I could sum up what saddened Paul’s heart as well as mine in just a quick phrase it would be simply this:  “stop wasting life and live for a God who loves you dearly”.  But a sobering thought as I reflect on my own culture as well as the Apostle Paul, Paul reminds me in verse 15:  “but the days are evil”.

It is the 2nd part of that thought that I want to spend the majority of my time on right now, the idea of “living for God”.  I want to explore the idea of what it means to be “Filled With The Holy Spirit”.

What Does It Mean To Be Filled With The Holy Spirit?

The phrase “baptize in (or with) the Holy Spirit” was first used by the Prophet John the Baptist. All four of our gospels record that he said, “I have baptized you with water, but he (i.e., Jesus) will baptize you with the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 3:11; Mark 1:8; Luke 3:16; John 1:33). The only two writers in the New Testament who refer elsewhere to the phrase “baptize with the Spirit” are Luke in the book of Acts, and Paul in 1 Corinthians. Luke refers to it twice, quoting John each time (Acts 1:5; 11:16), and Paul refers to it once (1 Corinthians 12:13). But I don’t think Paul and Luke use this phrase to refer to the same thing. For Paul, it is virtually identical to regeneration or new birth (conversion). For Luke, it is essentially the same as being filled with the Spirit and refers to that first experience of  being filled.

I do want to share my thoughts on this issue.  First, it is important to note that a phrase can change in meaning by various degrees when used by different authors.  It will not always mean exactly the same thing every place it occurs in Scripture. Good interpretation lets a word or phrase mean whatever the immediate context demands. What really matters in Scripture is not that a phrase everywhere have the same meaning, but that the reality which a phrase describes does not contradict other descriptions of reality in the Bible. The gospel writers of both Paul and Luke do not use the  phrase “baptized with the Spirit” in the exact same sense.

How Paul Uses The Phrase  “Baptized/Filled With The Spirit”.

Paul uses the phrase only once. He says in 1 Corinthians 12:12, 13:
Just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit.

Paul’s understanding conceived of Spirit-baptism as the act by which the Spirit made us members into Christ’s body.  Once we were alienated from God, cut off from Christ (Ephesians 2:12), but then the Holy Spirit came came us and brought us to life by uniting us to the living Christ and thus to his people in one body. This is a once-for-all event. It is never repeated, neither Paul nor Luke ever commands a Christian to be baptized by the Spirit.

How Luke Uses The Phrase “Baptized/Filled With The Spirit”.

A quick look through the Book of Acts written by Luke it is clear that Luke means something different by the phrase of filled with Spirit.  Luke suggests that this is not a once only event but something that is both ongoing and repeated.  This is clear in the book of Acts.  In Acts 1:4-5, Luke records that Jesus told the disciples to wait for the promise of the Father of ‘before many days you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit.  This is a simple reference to Pentecost in the next chapter.

Here’s how Luke describes it:
When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. And suddenly a sound came from heaven like the rush of a mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared to them tongues as of fire, distributed and resting on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.   It is essential to point out on the day of Pentecost that it was only the Apostles gathered who were the ones speaking in tongues and not the entire crowd which numbered in the thousands.

Luke uses the phrase in Chapter 1 that Jesus says they will be baptized by the Spirit and in chapter 2 Luke uses the phrase to describe that promise being fullfilled as “filling of the Holy Spirit”.

Luke does the exact same thing in Acts 11 describing the experience at the house of Cornelius.  He quotes the John the Baptist again describing the baptism of the Holy Spirit using both phrases baptism and filling.

Both in Acs 2 and Acts 11 Luke sees what happened at both the day of Pentecost and the House of Cornelius as both a baptism of the Spirit and a filling of the Holy Spirit.  Luke uses the phrase filling of the Spirit three more times in the book of Acts referring to disciples being filled.

Both Paul and Luke mean two different things by this phrase:  Paul is describing regeneration and Luke is referring to the initial filling of the Spirit after an individual trusts Jesus Christ.

But now that Christ has come and through his death and resurrection purchased all the blessings of God, it is God’s purpose to call all his people to experience the fullness of the Holy Spirit. When a person first experiences this fullness of the Spirit, that is what Luke means by being baptized with the Spirit.

While Luke’s definition of filled with the Spirit leans towards a powerful experience Luke does not ever make the case and it is impossible to argue rightly from the book of Acts that God intends for the baptism of the Spirit to always be accompanied by speaking in tongues.  In Acts only the Apostles preaching spoke in tongues not the 3,000 that were saved.  Paul plainly teaches in 1 Corinthians 12 that God does not give the gift of tongues to everyone.

This truth is the same as it was in Acts 2 or for us today that being baptized with the Holy Spirit, to be filled with the Spirit of God may or may not result in tongues speaking and as a result speaking in tongues is not a necessary part of either Luke’s or Paul’s understanding of being baptized with the Spirit.  I would also add that if on the day of Pentecost only around a dozen spoke in tongues while 3,000 did not, I believe it is very easily to say that the act of speaking in tongues will not be the normal experience for the vast majority of believers.

I do want to be clear on two issues:  I do not reject by any means the validity of the gift of tongues for today.  It is a powerful gift for many. It is only God who determines who receives various gifts. I also want to make clear that it is doctrinally wrong to insist that speaking in tongues are a necessary part of the baptism of the Holy Spirit. As I look through the book of Acts I do see three common experiences that do accompany those that have been filled with the Holy Spirit.  While more are possible I do see three that are common to most believers in Scripture..

Three manifestations that seek consistent in Acts with those described to be filled with the Holy Spirit seem to be filled with joy, victorious over sin (repentance), and have a bold witness for their faith in Jesus Christ.  While Luke does draw the conclusion that being filled with the Spirit of God is an experience and something powerful does take place Luke is also very clear to point out that something must be done with that experience if that experience was really from God.

How Do You Know If You Are Filled With The Holy Spirit?

Ephesians 5:15-18
Look carefully how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, redeeming the time because the days are evil. Therefore, do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. And do not get drunk with wine for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, always and for everything giving thanks in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God the Father.

How do you know if you are filled with the Holy Spirit?  Let me be very practical from our verses in Ephesians 5:  Are you getting drunk?  It is interesting the word for debauchery literally means an abandoned life.  Are you doing things by drinking heavily or frequently or by using drugs to abandon/get-a-way even if it is just a happy hour.  Here’s a simple practical way to tell from the text if you are filled with the Spirit:  Do you enjoy singing to God and to others about what Christ has done!  Look at Ephesians 5 again, it is all about singing!

But here’s the real answer if you are filled with the Holy Spirit?  Instead of Paul giving us a complete checklist of things to look for to know if we are filled with the Holy Spirit he actually does something else in the context.  Look at the context of Ephesians 5.  What follows immediately following verse 18, the command to be filled with the Spirit?

Instructions on Husbands and Wives, Children and Parents, Masters and Slaves.

Perhaps the question, “Am I Filled With The Spirit” should not be a question we ask ourselves but something we ask those that know us best including our present and our past.   Husbands you need to ask your wife and your children for an accurate answer.  Wives you need to ask your husbands and children for the best answer.  Children, ask your brothers and sisters whether or not you are filled with the Spirit, they’ll be honest, I promise!  Dare I also suggest simply ask your boss or your co-workers about your work ethic and integrity on the job as well.

How Do We “Get Filled” When God Does The Filling?

Now let’s ask the final and most humbling of all the questions in regard to being “filled with the Spirit”.  Ephesians 5:18 commands us to be full of the Spirit but the problem is we are not the filler; the Spirit is.  The truth is the answer is that God has ordained and promised to move powerfully into our lives with fullness through faith.

Luke tells us in Acts 6:5 that Stephen was a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit,”.  They both belong together.  The truth is when a person is filled with faith, he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of joy and peace.

Paul shares it this way in Romans 5:13, “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.”    Paul makes the connection that it is in our believing that we are filled with joy and peace.  Let’s make the connection that Paul makes.  Through our faith the Spirit fills us with His hope as well as His Joy and His peace.  In the end, God is ultimately the God of hope, Amen!

While it is the Spirit that fills us it is our responsibility to purposely place ourselves in continual opportunities for our faith to be fed.  We must place ourselves at the Spiritual dinner tables that God does provide so that our faith will be fed.  Only God can increase our faith but our role is to sit at the table when the Word is preached, when Worship is underway, when Fellowship is gathering, and when Service in His Kingdom arises.

The truth is nobody is filled with the Spirit all the time.  I have yet to meet a Christian who is always full of joy.  When I do I make fun of them just to bring them down a little (I’m teasing!).  I have yet to meet a Christian who is always full of hope.  I’ve never met someone who is always submissive to the Will of God, have yet to meet someone that still does not have something that they need to repent of and give to God.  To be practical to the text:  I have yet to meet a Christian who can’t stop singing about Jesus all the time.

While the world longs for a Happy Hour to escape from the world; the justified, regenerated Child of God hungers to be filled with the Spirit of the Living God while He or She waits for their new home.

As a believer in Jesus Christ if I have to choose between the world offering a so called “Happy Hour” or the Heavenly Father who offers “Oh Happy Day” I will choose Oh Happy Day every time.  In the end, Christians have the best song to sing!

As the hymn says: Oh Happy Day, When Jesus Washed, My Sins Away!  Amen!

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I wanted to share this quote that I read from an online book recently from a 17th century puritan named Thomas Brooks in his book “Precious Remedies Against Satan’s Devices”.

“That Christ should come from the eternal bosom of his Father to a region of sorrow and death; that God should be manifested in the flesh, the Creator made a creature; that he that was clothed with glory should be wrapped with rags of flesh; he that filled heaven and earth with his glory should be cradled in a manger; that the power of God should fly from weak man, the God of Israel into Egypt; that the God of the law should be subject to the law, the God of the circumcision circumcised, the God that made the heavens working at Joseph’s homely trade; that he that binds the devils in chains should be tempted; that he, whose is the world, and the fullness thereof, should hunger and thirst; that the God of strength should be weary, the Judge of all flesh condemned, the God of life put to death; that he that is one with his Father should cry out of misery, ‘My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?’ (Matt. 27.46); that he that had the keys of hell and death at his girdle should lie imprisoned in the sepulchre of another, having in his lifetime nowhere to lay his head, nor after death to lay his body; that that head, before which the angels do cast down their crowns, should be crowned with thorns, and those eyes, purer than the sun, put out by the darkness of death; those ears, which hear nothing but hallelujahs of saints and angels, to hear the blasphemies of the multitude; that face, that was fairer than the sons of men, to be spit on by those beastly wretched Jews; that mouth and tongue, that spake as never man spake, accused for blasphemy; those hands, that freely swayed the sceptre of heaven, nailed to the cross for man’s sins; each sense annoyed: his feeling or touching, with a spear and nails; his smell, with stinking flavour, being crucified about Golgotha, the place of skulls; his taste, with vinegar and gall; his hearing, with reproaches, and sight of his mother and disciples bemoaning him; his soul, comfortless and forsaken; and all this for those very sins that Satan paints and puts fine colours upon.

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As he passed by, he saw a man blind from birth. And his disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” Jesus answered, “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him. We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming, when no one can work. As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” Having said these things, he spat on the ground and made mud with the saliva. Then he anointed the man’s eyes with the mud and said to him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam” So he went and washed and came back seeing.

There are certain sides of Jesus that I gravitate more easily towards at times. There are sayings of Jesus throughout the Gospels that are easier for more to follow than others. It is so easy to go through the Gospels and pick out the things I like best about Jesus and say this is the Jesus that I follow. To take that one-step further it is easy as a preacher and a teacher to only preach and teach the things that I like, things that seem politically correct, and make everyone feel great.

But since my orthodox faith believes that Jesus is both All-Powerful, Creator, and Sustainer of all things I cannot only focus on my favorite version of Jesus. I believe the Bible is the Word of God and cannot pick and choose.

This means I follow and submit to all the teachings of Christ even when Jesus makes me uncomfortable.

John Chapter 9 is one of these occasions. The disciples ask a simple question. The question is simply as they walk by a man born blind, who sinned this man or his parents to cause him to be born blind? It is an honest question. All of us need an answer for things that seem unnatural or confusing to us. Most of us want the simpliest answer when it comes to explaining suffering.

But the answer Jesus gives not only is not a simple answer but it makes me very uncomfortable and contend with an Almighty God. While the disciples are trying to comprehend all that Christ is saying Jesus begins to heal this man born blind. In fact, he makes it obvious to everyone who He really is in this moment. John 9 deals with Jesus angering the Pharisees about working and healing on the Sabbath. Jesus spits on the ground and makes mud to place on the blind man’s eyes. Jesus is trying to ruffle some Pharisee’s feathers at this point.

But He heals this blind man and all the while the disciples are left wrestling with the divine words of Jesus. Here is the answer Jesus gives, “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him” (v.3).

That is a shocking statement and leaves me wrestling with a difficult understanding of God to wrap myself around.

According to John 9, it is Jesus (who is the Creator) who caused this man to be born blind in order that He could display His powerful works in Him, which is to heal him from blindness. The disciples are left with an answer that makes them wrestle with an Almighty God who does whatever He pleases, whenever He pleases, and however He pleases.

Just as the disciples wrestled with that answer so do I and as the disciples I accept and embrace this All-Powerful and Sovereign God. That teaching that Jesus was wanting His disciples to learn as well as us is that God causes and uses our infirmity to display His incredible power. Also, God does not ask for my opinion on the subject or seek my approval. He does not apologize as well. But a day will come when He will say to me, “Go Wash!”

Contending with an Almighty God and coming to a place of both worship and devotion towards Christ often takes just as big of a miracle as the one that took place for the man born blind.

Lord Jesus, Thank You for all that you are!

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Psalm 19

¹ The heavens declare the glory of God;
the skies proclaim the work of his hands.

² Day after day they pour forth speech;
night after night they display knowledge.

³ There is no speech or language
where their voice is not heard.

⁴ Their voice  goes out into all the earth,
their words to the ends of the world.
In the heavens he has pitched a tent for the sun,

⁵ which is like a bridegroom coming forth from his pavilion,
like a champion rejoicing to run his course.

⁶ It rises at one end of the heavens
and makes its circuit to the other;
nothing is hidden from its heat.

⁷ The law of the LORD is perfect,
reviving the soul.
The statutes of the LORD are trustworthy,
making wise the simple.

⁸ The precepts of the LORD are right,
giving joy to the heart.
The commands of the LORD are radiant,
giving light to the eyes.

⁹ The fear of the LORD is pure,
enduring forever.
The ordinances of the LORD are sure
and altogether righteous.

¹⁰ They are more precious than gold,
than much pure gold;
they are sweeter than honey,
than honey from the comb.

¹¹ By them is your servant warned;
in keeping them there is great reward.

¹² Who can discern his errors?
Forgive my hidden faults.

¹³ Keep your servant also from willful sins;
may they not rule over me.
Then will I be blameless,
innocent of great transgression.

¹⁴ May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
be pleasing in your sight,
O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer.

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I will be the first to admit that a baby is cute.  There is something about a baby’s smile that draws an individual in to quickly fall in love with that precious gift of life.  Living in a postmodern world where no absolute truth exists and proper worldviews are influentially shaped by experience over reason, it is no wonder that many who come from the postmodern worldview struggle with the Biblical understanding of the nature of man and original sin.

How could a newborn baby be spiritually and morally corrupt?  This little baby is smiling and laughing.  To a postmodern it does not make sense based on the experience of a happy fat little baby that the child has a depraved heart, mind, and soul.  Many emergent and postmodern church leaders are moving fast away from the understanding of the consequences of the Fall of man.  (A Christianity Worth Believing, Doug Pagitt).

It seems that there is a cultural shift away from the idea that man is fallen and the pendulum is moving towards an Imago Dei only theology.  When an Imago Dei mindset rules the theological day it really is nothing more than a return to Pelagianism which believes that man is essentially good and born just as pure as Adam, including man is able to choose God on his own.

Augustine wrestled with both dual issues:  the idea that man is so fallen that only a life of asceticism and making opportunities to be burned at the stake is acceptable and the other side that man is really good and has no real battle with sin or evil.  Augstine after wrestling with Manicheism and Pelagianism I believe understood the correct Biblical teaching that man is both Created but Fallen as well as Fallen but Created.

A Postmodern needs to move beyond looking at how cute a baby in explaining the nature of man but instead return to God’s Living Word which in fact is a mirror to how broken we truly are.  Man is a created in the image of God meaning he has tremendous value and worth and through God’s common grace (not saving grace) the ability to do good towards one another.  Common Grace is God’s grace given to all of creation.  This includes the sun shining on the righteous and the unrighteous, rain for both the righteous and unrighteous. God continually displays his goodness through providing food, work, allowing us to know beauty, and have a basic understanding of joy.  This is God’s common grace to all of us.

While we are Created we also are still Fallen.  All of us are born rebels.  It is true that perhaps I can be nice to my own family and friends (for a season) but because we are fallen none of us have any ability to ever be good towards God.  It can all be traced back clear to the garden with both Adam and Eve being tempted wanting to be like God.  All of us have been in that same pursuit ever since.

As a Christian it is essential that I remember two things in regards to my born-again life.  I need to be constantly reminded that even as a saved child of God sin still remains in my life.  It does exist and still will hurt me every time.  As a believer I must also remember that God is continually striving to make me new.

Living in a postmodern world I must remember two key biblical truths:  I am created in the image of God but I am also Fallen.  When I have both in proper perspective I can with confidence speak bodly the truth from Luke 15, I once was lost but now I am found.

Amen.

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Stand firm thus in the Lord.

“My foot has held fast to his steps; I have kept his way and have not turned aside.”

For the LORD loves justice; he will not forsake his saints. They are preserved forever.—The LORD will keep you from all evil; he will keep your life.

“My righteous one shall live by faith, and if he shrinks back, my soul has no pleasure in him.” But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who have faith and preserve their souls.—If they had been of us, they would have continued with us. But they went out, that it might become plain that they all are not of us.

“If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples.”—“The one who endures to the end will be saved.”—Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong.—“Hold fast what you have, so that no one may seize your crown.”—“The one who conquers will be clothed thus in white garments, and I will never blot his name out of the book of life.”

Phil. 4:1; Job 23:11; Ps. 37:28; Ps. 121:7; Heb. 10:38, 39; 1 John 2:19; John 8:31; Matt. 24:13; 1 Cor. 16:13; Rev. 3:11; Rev. 3:5 (Read full verses…)

Evening

Enoch walked with God.

“Do two walk together, unless they have agreed to meet?”

Making peace by the blood of his cross. . . . And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him.—But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.

For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ.

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.

Gen. 5:22; Amos 3:3; Col. 1:20-22; Eph. 2:13; Rom. 5:10, 11; 1 John 1:3; 2 Cor. 13:14 (Read full verses…)

<< Apr 20 | Apr 21 | Apr 22 >>

Excerpted from Daily
Light on the Daily Path ©2002 Crossway Books, a publishing ministry of Good
News Publishers.

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“Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep.”

And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. And the earth shook, and the rocks were split.—For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God.—By this the Holy Spirit indicates that the way into the holy places is not yet opened as long as the first section is still standing.

“I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture.”

“No one comes to the Father except through me.”—For through him we . . . have access in one Spirit to the Father. So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God.—Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh . . . —We have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God.

John 10:7; Matt. 27:51; 1 Pet. 3:18; Heb. 9:8; John 10:9; John 14:6; Eph. 2:18, 19; Heb. 10:19, 20; Rom. 5:1, 2 (Read full verses…)

Evening

There is in my heart as it were a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I am weary with holding it in, and I cannot.

Necessity is laid upon me. Woe to me if I do not preach the gos-pel! . . . What then is my reward? That in my preaching I may present the gospel free of charge, so as not to make full use of my right in the gospel.—So they called them and charged them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John answered them, . . . “We cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard.”—For the love of Christ controls us.—“I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. . . .” “You wicked and slothful servant! . . . You ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and at my coming I should have received what was my own with interest.”

“Go home to your friends and tell them how much the Lord has done for you.”

Jer. 20:9; 1 Cor. 9:16, 18; Acts 4:18-20; 2 Cor. 5:14; Matt. 25:25-27; Mark 5:19 (Read full verses…)

<< Apr 18 | Apr 19 | Apr 20 >>

Excerpted from Daily
Light on the Daily Path ©2002 Crossway Books, a publishing ministry of Good
News Publishers.

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Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples, “The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses’ seat, so practice and observe whatever they tell you—but not what they do.  For they preach, but do not practice.  They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on people’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to move them with their finger.

It’s pretty easy to preach true things.  I don’t necessarily mean that sermons are easy to deliver, but that most of us tend to excel at speaking, even getting worked up and passionate about certain issues, far more than actually putting those things into practice.  Part of the reason that this is easy to do in the church is that we have an authority to point to that people accept as good and right: the Bible.  We get good feelings inside over knowing and saying things that line up with it, and well we should.  Jesus indeed said to practice and observe the teaching (or preaching) that they received from even the the hypocritical scribes and Pharisees  because the Scripture contained wonderful truth to hold on to.  So ultimately, the Word of God itself does not lose an ounce of authority no matter what type of person upholds it before others.  We need to remember that because the finest of men in church leadership may let us down through choices that they make.

With all of that said however, Jesus did not let the teachers of His day off the hook; these verses were actually only the beginning of an all-out verbal slaughter that He would soon bring to their ears.  The scribes and Pharisees knew the Scriptures well in terms of being able to teach them to others, but they didn’t know them much at all when it came to living out what they had studied.  O how Christian leaders (and ultimately anyone who has Christian influence, namely, all believers) need to hear this message from our Lord!  The religious leaders had developed some sort of philosophy that they, because of the honorable position that they were in, had the right both to be exempt from activities of obedience and to act as deliverers of extra burdens to the congregation.  It was not enough for them to simply regurgitate the Word of God, for they wanted to be sure to beat down any potential threat that could arise from those under their counsel.  I would imagine that sometimes this was done subtly and with a manufactured air of wisdom and kindness, but Jesus wasn’t fooled.  He knew that such actions actually served to shut the kingdom of heaven in people’s faces (V. 13).  This is the great difference between working to preserve ritual and personal position verses doing everything that is possible to open up the door for people to feast on the glories of the Lord.  But be careful with this, for many are running with such an idea while leaving the truth behind.  This is a grave error that happens both in the arenas of legalism and liberalism.  We must observe form and positions of authority in the church because the written Truth instructs us in such.  Let us get into and daily meditate on what God has so graciously given to us; let us continually introduce the burden-freeing Jesus to others with hands engaged in works of blessing, beginning today.

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But when the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together.  And one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him.  “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?”  And he said to him, “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.”

When challengers get knocked out in the ring by the champion, they can either accept defeat or give it another go.  Now, the different contenders might watch the fights of the others, studying the films, and try to learn something about their common adversary.  This happened sometimes with the Pharisees and Sadducees, which actually led them to work together at times against Jesus.  Well, the former experienced a serious K.O. by Jesus over the day’s hot topic of Jewish responsibilities in paying taxes to the Romans.  The second group experienced a similar defeat over a discussion about the resurrection, something that put them at odds with both the Pharisees and Jesus.  But now the Pharisees, who perhaps thought they had learned a bit through hearing about Jesus’ time with the Sadducees, decided to give it another go.

Jesus gave them a concise answer to their question about the great commandment that not only showed that He remained the Champion, but also gave to us something of such great value toward knowing what our lives need to be all about.  Quoting from Deuteronomy 6 and Leviticus 19, He delivered to us a teaching that informs all of our orthodoxy and orthopraxy (right doctrine and the practice of it).  First, all that we say, think, and do is to reflect our love for God.  We can always ask the question then as we go about life, “Is what I’m about to do something that will speak to my complete, loving devotion to the Lord?”  And then the second one serves as a further clarification or specification of the first.  Loving God with our all will mean showing great love and care for those that He puts before us.  This command is the one that we probably struggle with the most on a daily basis because it’s a great deal messier than the first.  I was reminded of this just yesterday after getting repeatedly verbally slammed by a random person on the Facebook page of a mutual friend who was looking for feedback on something.  Part of it may have been due to some misunderstanding between us (I hope), but regardless, it was clearly related to a disagreement about a hot-button issue in society and (unfortunately) in the church as well.  That’s life…dealing with all different sorts of people we’re called by Jesus to love.

Imagine the Pharisees at that point who might have looked at one another with the realization of how poorly they had done in obeying the Word of God in this area and then also knowing that to say anything harsh to Jesus at that point would reveal to everyone just how hypocritical they were.  Sadly, they would soon forget this interaction and seek the crucifixion of Jesus.  Let us be sure that our memories are longer and hearts more tender than theirs.  Love God with everything and love others like we all love ourselves–tremendously to-the-point commands to ponder and practice as we face the many, often confusing, facets of life today.

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“What do you think? A man had two sons. And he went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work in the vineyard today.’  And he answered, ‘I will not,’ but afterward he changed his mind and went.  And he went to the other son and said the same. And he answered, ‘I go, sir,’ but did not go.  Which of the two did the will of his father?” They said, “The first.” Jesus said to them, “Truly, I say to you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes go into the kingdom of God before you.

How you end up in life is of greater importance than how you begin.  Now don’t get me wrong, it’s best to both start and finish well, and “the end” comes upon many people when they might least expect it.  Additionally, starting poorly can be a great way to pick up nasty baggage that can make for difficulties later.  I say all this because I don’t believe there’s any merit to ideas like the one of releasing kids to “sow their wild oats” in the younger years that they might get out all the bad in them.  That’s an exceedingly ridiculous and unbiblical philosophy.  BUT, the gospel message is all about bringing redemption to broken people, a category that everyone ultimately falls into before they come to know Jesus as Lord…hence, my original statement: How you end up in life is of greater importance than how you begin.  The Pharisees didn’t understand this (or at least they didn’t truly accept it), so Jesus told them a little story to reveal this too them.  They had to affirm the fact that the first son was the one who did what his father wanted while the other one was all talk.  After all, even they knew on an intellectual level that actions speak louder than words.  What they didn’t see coming, however, was that Jesus was about to put the now repentant sin-laden outcasts of society in a higher holy bracket than they were in.  As we follow the rest of the account, Jesus clarified things by telling the Pharisees that such “bad people” responded to John the Baptist’s message of repentance whereas these religious leaders did not.

As we read the gospel accounts, it can be kinda fun (and even right in a way) to talk about how messed up groups like these are.  After all, Jesus was so masterful at pulling the rug out from under them again and again to the point where all they could think about was putting Him to death.  What we need to take care in, however, is that we not forget to ask ourselves if there are ways in which we fall into the “bad guy” department.  For those who have practically grown up knowing Jesus, where the church has felt like home, it can be easy to think that we have some kind of inherent holiness by way of association.  It feels natural to say the right things, act the right way around others in the church, and not be in the practice of daily dying to self through repentance and re-dedication.  And so, whether we’re the child who starts out telling Dad off or begins by trying to tickle His ears, let us make certain that we are on our way to ending up as the one found faithful.  A heart test is a good test for today.

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