This
picture tells it like it is. People in church, listening to the
preacher,but is their heart open or closed? Well, from the picture I
think they may want change, but when it comes to something that
involves them – FORGET IT!
It
is easy to discuss concepts, but when concepts become a matter of
personal involvement, well, that is entirely another matter. To put
it into other words: it is easier to talk church than
it is to be the church. Jesus had a way of
making concepts lead up to a choice for personal involvement and that
made people react in ways that ranged from acceptance to outright
combativeness. Here is an example…
Matthew
21 ( World
English
Bible
)
23
When he had come into the temple, the chief priests and the elders of
the people came to him as he was teaching, and said, “By what
authority do you do these things? Who gave you this authority?”
24
Jesus answered them, "“I also will ask you one question, which
if you tell me, I likewise will tell you by what authority I do these
things. "
25
"The baptism of John, where was it from? From heaven or from
men?” "
They
reasoned with themselves, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he
will ask us, ‘Why then did you not believe him?’
26
But if we say, ‘From men,’ we fear the multitude, for all
hold John as a prophet.”
27
They answered Jesus, and said, “We don’t know.”
He
also said to them, "“Neither will I tell you by what authority
I do these things. "
28
"But what do you think? A man had two sons, and he came to the
first, and said, ‘Son, go work today in my vineyard.’ "
29
"He answered, ‘I will not,’ but afterward he changed his
mind, and went. "
30
"He came to the second, and said the same thing. He
answered, ‘I go, sir,’ but he didn’t go. "
31
"Which of the two did the will of his father?”"
They
said to him, “The first.”
Jesus
said to them, "“Most certainly I tell you that the tax
collectors and the prostitutes are entering into the Kingdom of God
before you. "
32
"For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you
didn’t believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes
believed him. When you saw it, you didn’t even repent afterward,
that you might believe him. "
33
"“Hear another parable. There was a man who was a master
of a household, who planted a vineyard, set a hedge about it, dug a
wine press in it, built a tower, leased it out to farmers, and went
into another country. "
34
"When the season for the fruit drew near, he sent his servants
to the farmers, to receive his fruit. "
35
"The farmers took his servants, beat one, killed another,
and stoned another. "
36
"Again, he sent other servants more than the first: and they
treated them the same way. "
37
"But afterward he sent to them his son, saying, ‘They will
respect my son.’ "
38
"But the farmers, when they saw the son, said among themselves,
‘This is the heir. Come, let’s kill him, and seize his
inheritance.’ "
39
"So they took him, and threw him out of the vineyard, and killed
him. "
40
"When therefore the lord of the vineyard comes, what will he
do to those farmers?”"
41
They told him, “He will miserably destroy those miserable me n,
and will lease out the vineyard to other farmers, who will give him
the fruit in its season.”
42
Jesus said to them, "“Did you never read in the Scriptures, "
"‘The
stone which the builders rejected,"
"the
same was made the head of the corner."
"This
was from the Lord."
"It
is marvelous in our eyes?’"Psalm 118:22-23
43
"“Therefore I tell you, the Kingdom of God will be taken away
from you, and will be given to a nation producing its fruit. "
44
"He who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces, but on
whomever it will fall, it will scatter him as dust.”"
45
When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard his parables, they
perceived that he spoke about them.
46
When they sought to seize him, they feared the multitudes, because
they considered him to be a prophet.
The
chief priests and the elders were THE leaders of the nation of
Israel and they KNEW IT. They did not like Jesus trying to
teach THEM, for they thought he didn’t have the authority to do so.
Why? Because they were the ones in charge; they had
position and power. So, they challenged Jesus’ authority, but
Jesus, seeing their hypocrisy turned their question concerning
authority right back on them.
Next,
he told them two parables, aimed right at their pride, arrogance and
lack of obeying the will of God and they hated him for it. They would
have seized Jesus if it had not been for the multitude holding Jesus
to be a prophet.
So,
the next time you are listening to a sermon and the topic makes you a
bit uncomfortable…. It is quite possible that the sermon is not
aimed at your head, but rather at your heart. Listen to what God’s
word tells you to do and change for the better, even if its hard for
you to do. God will bless you for it!
Cartoons
have done much to influence the idea that many people have of Satan.
The picture of a red, demon-like character with small horns protruding
from his head, an arrow-head pointed tail, and a pitchfork in his hand
comes to the minds of many when they hear the words devil, Satan, or
hell. In fact, many of the cartoons that depict Satan with such images
also show him sitting as a king in hell, determining where each person
will go and the punishments meted out to those who are lost eternally.
This picture could not be further from the truth. And it is because of
this errant view that many—maybe even a majority—of those who read
Matthew 10:28 misunderstand what Jesus meant.
