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Wisdom From Above
– Matthew Nineteen –
In Matthew nineteen we have
record of the Pharisees asking Jesus about divorce and remarriage. Jesus said
that the only reason a man could divorce his wife marry another was because of
her adultery. He also said that if a man divorces his wife because of her
adultery and another man marries her that man is in like manner committing
adultery. Jesus again showed his compassion on children by saying, "Suffer
little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the
kingdom of heaven." He showed that it is difficult for the rich to go to
heaven. He said that it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle
than it is for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of heaven.
Life is full of problems. Only
wisdom from above can provide answers to questions about (1) divorce and
remarriage, (2) celibacy, (3) how important are children? (4) what about our wealth?, and (5) who can be saved? Matthew
chapter nineteen allows us to look into the mind of God for wisdom from the
Master on some very difficult subjects.
Wisdom from
above concerning divorce – Matthew 19:1-12: The Pharisees tested Jesus with the question,
"Is it lawful and right to dismiss and divorce
one's wife for any
and every cause?"
They intended to use against Jesus whatever His answer was.
In answer Jesus challenged their knowledge of Old Testament events by
taking them back to the beginning when God "made them male and
female." He spoke of the permanence of the
marriage covenant. God's plan was simple; one man joined inseparably to
his wife for life. Moses had allowed divorce and remarriage for many reasons
because of the stubbornness of the people's heart. Adultery or unchasity is the only exception given by the
Master, "And I say to you, whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual
immorality, and marries another, commits adultery; and
whoever marries her who is divorced commits adultery." (Matthew 19:9)
If the divorce occurred for some reason
other than adultery the one that marries this divorced woman commits adultery.
After hearing the Master teach about divorce the disciples
thought it might not be advisable for man to marry. They thought celibacy might
be preferred to marriage. Jesus named three groups who could practice celibacy:
(1) those that were born eunuchs, (2) those made eunuchs by men, and (3) those
that made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom's sake. Celibacy is a command only
for those able to accept it. (Matthew 19:12)
Wisdom from above concerning children – Matthew 19:13-15:
It was only natural that
the Lord would move from the topic of marriage to discuss children. Wise parent
will always desire the blessings of the Lord upon their children. These parents
"brought unto him little children, that he
should put his hands on them, and pray: and the disciples rebuked them." They thought that it was beneath the dignity of
Jesus to be "bothered" with children. Jesus told them to leave
the children alone.
Jesus told the
apostles to leave the children alone. Today I
would like to say to the abortionist "leave the children alone." Do
not murder these innocent children. The drug pusher, tobacco industry, sexual
perverts and atheist need to hear the same message -- "leave the children
alone." They are too precious to be destroyed by your evil works! Jesus
told the disciples the kingdom of heaven is composed of those who are like
little children. (Mt 19:14)
Wisdom from
above concerning our attitude toward wealth – Matthew 19:16-22: The rich young ruler came running to Jesus. He knelt down in the presence of the Lord manifesting his
humility. He asked the most important and interesting question that any person
can ever ask of God. His question was, "What good deed must I do to
possess eternal life?" (Matthew 19:16) He was interested in having eternal
life.
Jesus told him, "...you
must continually keep the commandments." (Matthew 19:17) The young man
said he had been obedient from youth. But, he asked, "What still do I
lack?" (Matthew 19:20) Jesus told him that to have spiritual maturity he
must, "...go and sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will
have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me." (Matthew 19:22) He would
not obey. He would have had far more than he was asked to give up if he had
only been willing to surrender to the Lord. The church in the twentieth-first
century has been drastically affected by the same problem, materialism. Many
sell their souls for a few perishing things!
The rich young ruler wanted
to go to heaven, but he wanted to go on his own terms! We see
the same thing with denominations today. They have their own teachings. They
say, "Just pray the sinner's prayer, and you will go to heaven!" They
have their instruments of music in their worship services, sometimes even a
full band. They want salvation, but they want it on their own terms. It seems
as if many want to go to heaven but few are willing to live in simple, humble
obedience to what the Word of God teaches.
Wisdom from
above concerning who can be saved – Matthew 19:23-30: It is difficult for those who have wealth to get into
the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 19:23) When the disciples heard Jesus say that it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a
needle than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of heaven they asked,
"Who then can be saved?" (Matthew 19:24)
The rich man that Jesus spoke
of was a person that loved his riches, and made an idol of them. His desire was
to gain more and more. "Who then can be saved?" Jesus told the
disciples that those that had left all and become His disciple would be blessed
in this life. They would receive one hundred percent on whatever they had given
up. However, even more than this they would receive eternal life. (Matthew
19:29) We can have faith in this promise and trust Christ for its performance!
The only power that can cause a
man to cease trusting in his money is the power of God. The problem is never
that a person has possessions but rather, that the possessions have him. Any
wealth that we possess must be used to serve God and glorify Him in His
kingdom. The apostles had given up material things for Christ. Peter wondered
what they would have as a result of this sacrifice. What they gave up may have
been looked upon by many as "small" but by forsaking these things
they showed their sincerity. Jesus told the apostles that they would sit upon
"twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of
Wisdom from above says that
sinners should come to Christ and live for Him. Purify your heart by faith
(John
- - - - Charles Box
News & Notes
1. Prayer List:
2. Placed Membership: Steve Hoffman has
place his membership with the Walnut Street Church of
Christ. Steve’s address is
3. Sympathy Expressed: Our love and
sympathy is expressed to Cheryl Pierce and her family in the death of her
nephew, Matthew Tanner.
4. Please Pray For: The following
people are serving in
5. Special Guest Speaker: Andrew Crowe
will visit with us on Sunday night, May 20th. He will meet with our
elders and deliver the evening sermon. He is asking
6. Wedding Invitation: Mr. and Mrs. James
Thomas Gaston request the honour of your presence at the marriage of their
daughter Erica Dawn to Jeremy Brett Thomas son of Mr. and Mrs. Jeffery Sidney
Thomas on Friday, the first of June Two thousand and seven at seven o’clock in
the evening, Ashville Road Church of Christ, Leeds, Alabama – Reception
following the ceremony.
7. Birthdays: Celebrating birthdays
this week are: May 21st Nell Daughtry, Kindal Harrell and Becky
McCreary, May 22nd Logan Lassiter, May 25th Agnes
Hammonds, and May 26th Lisa Garlock.
8. Congratulation: Congratulations to
Justin Pierce who graduated May 11th from
9. Graduates To Be
Honored: Our graduates for this year are Tyler Ray and Morgan Till. They
will be honored on May 27th following the evening services. Please
bring finer foods and honor these special people.
10. Open House: You are cordially
invited to attend the Grand Opening ceremony for our new Intermediate Care
Facility for mentally retarded adults, Friday, June 1st at 2:00 p.m.
Rainbow Omega.
11.
12. Backwoods Christian Camp: Our week at Backwoods will be July
8-13. Camp fees will again be paid from the Carl Sessions Camp Fund for all
etchurchofchrist.org/backwoods/backwoods_christian_camp_2007.htm.
13. Put These Dates On Your Calendar: (a) May 20th–23rd
– College Street Church of Christ – Gospel Meeting – Speaker (see bulletin
board) – Time Sunday 3:00 p.m. and weeknights 7:30 p.m. (b) June 3rd–8th – Wald Church of Christ –
Gospel Meeting – Speaker Colin McKee – Time Sunday morning Bible Study 10:00
and Worship 11:00, all Evening services 7:30 (c) June 15th – 16th – Backwoods Christian
Camp – June Bug 2007 – Science and the Bible – K4 – 4th grade – Cost
$30 – Time begins at 5:00 p.m. Friday ends at
Waiting in Line
Every day most of us wait in line for something. Whether it is a line in a fast food restaurant, at a red light, or any number of other things for which one might wait. We wait in these lines because we believe that when we reach its end, the reward will be worth our time and effort. What line are you waiting in? When you reach the end of the line in your physical life, what will be your reward?
Each of us is waiting in one of two lines.
One line leads to heaven and eternal reward (Romans
To be added to the line that leads to heaven,
you must meet certain qualifications. You must hear and believe the gospel of
Christ. (Romans
To be added to the line that leads to hell is quite simple. There are no real conditions to being put in this line. All you need to do is live for yourself. Disregard what God has said in His word and live the way you want to live. You’ll never have to worry about whether or not you’re still in this line, because unless you are preparing to be in heaven’s line, this is most assuredly the one of which you are a part. But be aware that your reward will consist of fiery punishment for all of eternity. (II Thessalonians 1:8-9.)
We never know when our lives will end. Live every day as if it were your last. Then
when the end comes there will be no surprise in where your line leads.
- - - - Darrell Powell
With some
people, a clear conscience is nothing more than a poor memory.
Don’t just own a Bible; read it!
(334-382-3001)