July 9th 2017
Are You A Follower Or A Believer? You Must Be Both!
Luke 6:46 (NIV)
"Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?”
We seem to live in a time of suspicion and distrust that seems to be growing all the time. There always seem to be a lot of people who are willing to take their time to join a picket against whatever happens that they do not agree with. However, these same people do not have time to go out and help someone who needs their help. They do not even have time to help the helpless, by telling the authorities who perpetrated crimes in their own neighborhood! They do not trust those in authority, but even worse they do not trust their neighbors. Many such people when interviewed, claim to be believers. What Would Jesus Do, if He were living in their neighborhood?
After the selected verse for this commentary, Jesus went on to tell His followers about house building, and how when building a house, or building your lifestyle, you must start by first building a good foundation. I will show you what he is like who comes to me and hears my words and puts them into practice. He is like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. When the flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it, because it was well built. (Luke 6:47-48). If you build your faith on believing Jesus, then you will have a good foundation, and will be able to keep the faith, even in troubled times! It is easy to see the faults of other people, but it may not be as easy to see the same symptoms in your life.
As we read the Gospels we will see some disturbing comments that Jesus made while He still walked this earth. One such comment was recorded by Matthew. "Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. (Matthew 7:21). Are you sure you are doing God’s will for your life? Let us not just read this comment, and proceed reading this commentary! Stop, and really dwell on that thought, "Not everyone - will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.” Are you sure you are doing God’s will for your life?
A paraphrase is “Judge not lest you be judged!” Are you (we) finding fault with your brother or sister, and judging their actions, but not taking the same look at your (our) life and actions. Remember it is not your good deeds you may perform on this earth that will give your salvation. Jesus was likely stating this when He spoke about His judgement when He returns. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’ (Matthew 7:22-23). Good deeds you perform, even miracles, are not what gives you salvation, it is only by grace that any of us can be saved. For we are all sinners!
Of course, this grace was obtained through Jesus’ suffering and death on that cross over two thousand years ago. Based on the love that Jesus showed by dying for your sins we can obtain this grace even though we may still be sinners. Here is a command Jesus gave us His followers to imitate, which is not at all bothersome. My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no-one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command. (John 15:12-14). The only catch here is the part above about “Love each other as I have loved you.” Are you working on that love each other part? This reminds me of an old song, “What a friend we have in Jesus.”
Following commands can be a problem, as we try to determine whether we are following Jesus, or are we following the commands of mankind? Peter struggled with following the new commands Jesus gave. Peter had to forget the commands he had learned from another religion. Again, while meaningful these commands had slipped from being from God to be redefined by the Jews. Then a voice told him, "Get up, Peter. Kill and eat." "Surely not, Lord!" Peter replied. "I have never eaten anything impure or unclean." The voice spoke to him a second time, "Do not call anything impure that God has made clean." (Acts 10:13-15). What is the basis of your faith or belief? Is what you believe Biblically based, or are you following the ideas of modern mankind?
No one knows when the Lord Jesus will return to rapture His believers! Keep in mind that it is unlikely that you will still be alive when Jesus returns. If you die before then, you MUST have believed that He really will return, else you may not be making the return trip with Jesus! We need to be ready at all limes, as Jesus has reminded us. Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour. (Matthew 25:13). When Jesus healed someone He often said to them, “Your faith has saved you!” Would your faith save you too?
Paul wrote about how taking Jesus into your life will change you, it may actually cause you to be a new creation. Do you have Jesus in your life? Have you noticed the difference? Think about that for a while before reading on here! You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. (Ephesians 4:22-24). Did some Bible Study teacher ever cause you to think about the positive side of taking Jesus into your life? Paul wrote that we can be “made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.” Can you possess an attitude that is godlike?
Remember what God said about how He created mankind? Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground." So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. (Genesis 1:26-27). Jesus created mankind with the ability to emulate His holy attitude, but the curse, the Fall of Mankind, caused us to have within us a sinful nature. However, because of Jesus’ perfect sacrifice it is possible for His grace to cover over this sinful nature. Then, it is possible for us to love our neighbors as we love our self! Note, this says you must first love yourself!
Believe it, “God created man in his own image!”
Your brother in life through Adam, your brother in eternity through Jesus,
Bob Moak
Luke 6:46 (NIV)
"Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?”
We seem to live in a time of suspicion and distrust that seems to be growing all the time. There always seem to be a lot of people who are willing to take their time to join a picket against whatever happens that they do not agree with. However, these same people do not have time to go out and help someone who needs their help. They do not even have time to help the helpless, by telling the authorities who perpetrated crimes in their own neighborhood! They do not trust those in authority, but even worse they do not trust their neighbors. Many such people when interviewed, claim to be believers. What Would Jesus Do, if He were living in their neighborhood?
After the selected verse for this commentary, Jesus went on to tell His followers about house building, and how when building a house, or building your lifestyle, you must start by first building a good foundation. I will show you what he is like who comes to me and hears my words and puts them into practice. He is like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. When the flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it, because it was well built. (Luke 6:47-48). If you build your faith on believing Jesus, then you will have a good foundation, and will be able to keep the faith, even in troubled times! It is easy to see the faults of other people, but it may not be as easy to see the same symptoms in your life.
As we read the Gospels we will see some disturbing comments that Jesus made while He still walked this earth. One such comment was recorded by Matthew. "Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. (Matthew 7:21). Are you sure you are doing God’s will for your life? Let us not just read this comment, and proceed reading this commentary! Stop, and really dwell on that thought, "Not everyone - will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.” Are you sure you are doing God’s will for your life?
A paraphrase is “Judge not lest you be judged!” Are you (we) finding fault with your brother or sister, and judging their actions, but not taking the same look at your (our) life and actions. Remember it is not your good deeds you may perform on this earth that will give your salvation. Jesus was likely stating this when He spoke about His judgement when He returns. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’ (Matthew 7:22-23). Good deeds you perform, even miracles, are not what gives you salvation, it is only by grace that any of us can be saved. For we are all sinners!
Of course, this grace was obtained through Jesus’ suffering and death on that cross over two thousand years ago. Based on the love that Jesus showed by dying for your sins we can obtain this grace even though we may still be sinners. Here is a command Jesus gave us His followers to imitate, which is not at all bothersome. My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no-one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command. (John 15:12-14). The only catch here is the part above about “Love each other as I have loved you.” Are you working on that love each other part? This reminds me of an old song, “What a friend we have in Jesus.”
Following commands can be a problem, as we try to determine whether we are following Jesus, or are we following the commands of mankind? Peter struggled with following the new commands Jesus gave. Peter had to forget the commands he had learned from another religion. Again, while meaningful these commands had slipped from being from God to be redefined by the Jews. Then a voice told him, "Get up, Peter. Kill and eat." "Surely not, Lord!" Peter replied. "I have never eaten anything impure or unclean." The voice spoke to him a second time, "Do not call anything impure that God has made clean." (Acts 10:13-15). What is the basis of your faith or belief? Is what you believe Biblically based, or are you following the ideas of modern mankind?
No one knows when the Lord Jesus will return to rapture His believers! Keep in mind that it is unlikely that you will still be alive when Jesus returns. If you die before then, you MUST have believed that He really will return, else you may not be making the return trip with Jesus! We need to be ready at all limes, as Jesus has reminded us. Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour. (Matthew 25:13). When Jesus healed someone He often said to them, “Your faith has saved you!” Would your faith save you too?
Paul wrote about how taking Jesus into your life will change you, it may actually cause you to be a new creation. Do you have Jesus in your life? Have you noticed the difference? Think about that for a while before reading on here! You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. (Ephesians 4:22-24). Did some Bible Study teacher ever cause you to think about the positive side of taking Jesus into your life? Paul wrote that we can be “made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.” Can you possess an attitude that is godlike?
Remember what God said about how He created mankind? Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground." So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. (Genesis 1:26-27). Jesus created mankind with the ability to emulate His holy attitude, but the curse, the Fall of Mankind, caused us to have within us a sinful nature. However, because of Jesus’ perfect sacrifice it is possible for His grace to cover over this sinful nature. Then, it is possible for us to love our neighbors as we love our self! Note, this says you must first love yourself!
Believe it, “God created man in his own image!”
Your brother in life through Adam, your brother in eternity through Jesus,
Bob Moak
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