Matthew 22:20 ”
“And He said to them, ‘Whose image and inscription is this?’”

As the cross approaches, so does the opposition to Jesus. The religious leaders are desperately trying to turn the people against Jesus. In this case, they sent the young Pharisees, and the Herodians, a political sect that favored the Jews being ruled by Rome. When they arrived, they must have thought they had come up with the perfect question. No matter how Jesus answered, He would end up polarizing himself. “Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar?” If Jesus says “yes”, he will find himself at odds with the people. They will think of Him, and all He has done and said, as simply a political movement in support of Rome. If He says “no”, He will find himself the enemy of Rome and be a wanted man. I can almost feel the excitement of the religious leaders as the question is posed.  Jesus’ response is as insightful as it is brilliant.

“Whose image and inscription is this… Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s and to God the things that are God’s”

Jesus draws their attention to the coin. He wants them to notice whose image it bears and what has been written on it. Since it bears the image and text of Caesar, render it to him. Jesus does not stop there, He adds, “Render to God the things that are God’s.”

It strikes me, as I think of holding a coin, that today, like then, coins bear images and inscription. They both show and tell to whom they really belong, and so do we. The Bible tells us we have been created in the image of God, and when we receive Christ, we are born again in His image.

“. . . put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him, . . .” (Colossians 3:10)

And as we walk with Him, He writes upon our hearts. We actually become living love letters from God; written for the world to read.

“You are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read by all men; clearly you are an epistle of Christ, ministered by us, written not with ink but by the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of flesh, that is, of the heart.”            2 Corinthians 3:2-3

Let’s be sure, today, that we are rendering to God what belongs to Him. He created you, redeemed you, and desires you. Give unto God what is God’s.

Pastor Jim

Questions for chapter 22

1. Who do you think the characters of the Parable in verses 1-14 represent?
2. What seems to be the desire of the King?
3. Where were the people invited from?
4. Why was one of the guests removed from the feast?
5. What does Jesus tell us to do with the things that belong to God?
6. What things of yours belong to God?
7. What is significant about the statement “God is the God of the living?”
8. In a word, what is the greatest commandment?
9. To who is that love to be directed?
10. In what way are you showing love for God and others?

Old Testament:
Genesis 43- Don’t Wait
Genesis 44- That’s Heavy Man

Matthew 21:42
“The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone. This was the LORD’s doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes.”

Jesus told a story that the original audience understood to be speaking of how they were rejecting the Son of God. In response to the story, Jesus refers to builders who had rejected the “chief cornerstone.” In many ancient buildings, the foundation was supported by a cornerstone, without it, the foundation would not be able to support that which was built upon it. Jewish lore tells the story of the building of Solomon’s Temple, a project that took many years. The massive stones for the Temple were quarried some distance away from the Temple site and delivered to the builders. As they were laying the foundation, a very oddly shaped stone,that did not seem to fit, arrived. The contractor, thinking the quarry had made a mistake, had the stone thrown away. It was pushed down a hill into the city trash dump. Sometime later, the contractor sent to the quarry asking for the chief cornerstone. The quarry sent back a message saying it had already been delivered. When the contractor argued that he had never received the stone, someone reminded him of the oddly shaped stone, the one that did not seem to fit his plans, that he had thrown in the trash. Sure enough, that was the stone that would support the whole building. With great effort, they raised the stone out of the rubbish heap, and continued erecting what would become a building which would bring glory to God and salvation to man.

It is not difficult to understand what Jesus is getting at. In the parable, the Son was rejected because the vine dressers saw no value in having Him rule over them. They thought their lives would be better, more profitable, and more successful without the Son. But they were, in fact, rejecting the most important aspect of life; relationship with God through Jesus Christ.

Have you made Jesus the chief cornerstone of your life? Is the rest of your life built upon the solid foundation of relationship with Jesus? Take some time right now to surrender all to Jesus and to reflect upon how you can let Him reign in every area of your life.

Pastor Jim

Questions for chapter 21

1. Riding into Jerusalem on a donkey was a public declaration by Jesus of being the Messiah. How did the people react?
2. Why was it wrong for the Temple to be filled with all that stuff? See verse 13.
3. What lesson do we learn about bearing fruit from the fig tree?
4. Why do you think the religious leaders were afraid to answer the questions posed by Jesus?
5. In the parable of the Vinedressers, who are the characters representing?
6. What does the phrase in verse 42 mean?05

Old Testament:
Genesis 41- Prepare For The Future
Genesis 42- For Me Or Against Me

Matthew 20:16
“For many are called, but few chosen.”

This verse is the conclusion of a parable Jesus spoke regarding God’s reward system. All those who responded to the offer of the vineyard owner received the same wage, whether they worked for a few hours or for the entire day. What a beautiful picture of God’s grace. Heaven is the great reward of all who respond to the call of God. Young Timothy and the thief hanging next to Jesus were both recipients of God’s manifold grace, both will forever live under the banner of King Jesus, walk the streets of gold, and experience the glories of living in glory.

That being said, I am struck by the condition of those who responded to the vineyard owners call. We read, they were “standing idle.” The word idle means to be free from work. We use the word to speak of a car that is sitting at a stop sign; the motor is running, but the car is going nowhere. It is not being used to its fullest potential or to accomplish what it was designed for. The person who responds to Christ in the eleventh hour will receive freely the gifts of eternity, but will have lived life idly, not fulfilling the purposes for which God designed them.

What about you? Are you living life for the glory of God? Are you storing up treasures in heaven, by living life to please King Jesus?
Take a moment to get today’s marching orders from the Lord.

Pastor Jim

Questions for Chapter 20

Matthew 19:4-6
“He answered, ‘Have you not read that he who created them from the beginning made them male and female, and said, “Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh?” So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.’”

We understand that marriage was designed by God. He created man and woman, and designed marriage as the most intimate of all relationships. But why? What is the purpose of marriage? If we were to walk the streets and interview people, asking them, “Why did you get married?”, I think the most common reply would be, “I got married to be happy.” I don’t think every married couple is happy, but I think that it is the motivation behind most marriages. We think being with that person will make us happy. But I want you to notice what we read regarding God’s design in marriage: “It is not good for man to be alone…” (Genesis 2:18). It was not for man’s happiness alone that God designed marriage, but instead, for his good.

Let me remind you of another very familiar verse:

Romans 8:28
“And we know that all things work together for good for to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.”

Paul is reminding us that God uses everything in our lives for good. But what is the good? Does he mean everything in our life is designed to make us happy, or healthy, or wealthy? If we look at verse 29, Paul continues:

Romans 8:29
“For whom he foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son…”

What is the good that everything is working toward? What is the good that marriage was designed to provide? It is the good of being made more like Jesus. Everything in our lives is like a tool in the hand of God, which He uses in order to make us more like Jesus. The difficult boss, the rain on your wedding day, receiving the promotion, finding money you did not know you had, are all tools God uses to make us comparable to Jesus. What is the tool that He uses the most? Once you get married, I think that tool will be your spouse. In fact, the marriage relationship is the closest thing the unbeliever will see of a relationship with the Lord. The husband’s love is compared to Christ’s love for us, and the wife’s obedience is compared to the obedience the believer is to show to Christ.

We need to learn not to look to our spouse to make us happy. It is too great a burden for them to carry. We need to learn to look to the Lord, and allow the Lord to mold and shape us into the image of Christ.

Pastor Jim

Questions on Chapter 19

Matthew 18:21
“Then Peter came to Him and said, ‘Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times?’”

I think Peter had a little more insight into the mind of God than he gets credit for. In the passage leading up to this, Jesus spoke regarding confronting those who are in sin. He spoke of going to a sinning brother, bringing others and going a second time, then telling the church of his sin, and finally treating the unrepentant as you would an unbeliever (which of course means that you want to do all you can to win them back to Christ). It is in response to this that Peter asks regarding forgiveness.

Not all sins are to be confronted. When a believer is committing a sin that endangers their relationship with God, we must do all that is available to us to warn them, instruct them, and win them back to Christ; but not all sin is like that. Some sins are what we might call the sins of humanity. They are sins that manifest themselves in things like forgetfulness, or being inconsiderate, or even unkind. We might also call these relational sins. Those are not the sins that need to be confronted, but forgiven. Many of us have had a well-intentioned believer come to us, quote Matthew 18 about confronting sin, then proceed to tell us of the recent times when we disappointed them by neglecting to call, seeming to ignore them, or sitting in a different location at church. I want to suggest that those are not sins to confront, but to forgive.

Forgiveness is really the key to relationships within the body. The longer we walk with Jesus, the more we will find that even the Christians we admire most will do things to let us down or hurt our feelings. If we carry those things around, not only are we disobeying Jesus’ example and command to forgive, but we are also carrying around weight that will slow us down in our Christian progress.  It will work like a poison, turning us from a sweet and fruitful tree that draws others to Christ, into a bitter root that others avoid.

Perhaps now would be a good time to examine your heart. Are you bearing a grudge? Is there anyone you are not forgiving? Is there anyone who you would like to see in debtor’s prison?

Paul said, “Forgiving one another as God in Christ forgave you.”  Ephesians 4:32

Look at the debt which you have been forgiven, and forgive!

Pastor Jim

 Questions for Chapter 18

Old Testament:
Genesis 35- Go Back
Genesis 36- Choose Wisely

Matthew 17:1
“Now after six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John his brother, led them up on a high mountain by themselves; . . .”

This event had a tremendous impact upon Peter. Years later, when writing his first epistle, Peter recounts this event and how amazing it was to witness. I think some of its value is in the fact that it is a portrait of what awaits the child of God in heaven.

First, we read Jesus was “transfigured before them”. In other words, they saw the veil of humanity taken away and were able to see something of the deity and glory of Christ. We know heaven will be filled with glorious sites: streets of gold, gates of pearl, spectacular angelic beings, and so much more. But truly, heaven’s heaven, the great glory of eternity, will be the presence of Christ. There will be no need for the sun, for the glory of Jesus will illuminate heaven. The disciples got to see a glimpse of the glory of God.

Next, we read that Moses and Elijah appeared and were recognizable. Peter, James and John had never seen a picture or video, yet had no trouble recognizing these men. Moses represents, to some degree, those who will enter eternity through death; Elijah, those who will enter through the rapture. Upon arriving, we see that they are fellowshipping with each other and Jesus. Another of Heaven’s glories, is the fact, that we will fellowship together with all who have gone on before us. What a great joy it will be to gather with our longed-for loved ones, and together,enjoy the presence of Jesus.

Finally, we read that they heard God speak. We know from other texts, the voice of God is like the sound of roaring thunder, or the waves of the sea, or even of a multitude. But for most of us, all we have ever heard is that faint, still whisper. There is a day coming, in heaven’s glory, where we will hear the voice of God speaking loud and clear.

It is no wonder Peter wanted to build tents so he could have this experience daily.

Pastor Jim

Questions for Chapter 17

Old Testament:
Genesis 33- Face Of God
Genesis 34- Double Standard

Matthew 16:18-19
“And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”

Webster’s Dictionary defines ‘prevail’ as,

“to gain ascendancy through strength or superiority, . . .to triumph over.”

This verse has always fascinated me. Jesus is promising He is the one who will build the church. Since the church is not a building, but people, He is saying, He will add the living stones to the church of God. Jesus is also telling us, the devil and his forces seek to prevail against the church. The Bible gives us just enough insight into the realm of the spirit to know there are spiritual battles that take place. The battle is between the forces of God and the forces of Satan, and they are fighting over the souls of men. Jesus said He came to give us abundant life, while the devil is trying to steal, kill, and destroy us. The gates of hell will not prevail against the church. You can have great confidence this morning that the forces of Heaven are far superior to the forces of hell.

It also strikes me, the weapon which Jesus refers to the devil using, is a gate. In all of my experience, I have never heard of an army or even an individual soldier, going into battle carrying a gate. I have heard of people with guns, knives, swords, pitchforks and other farming tools, but never a gate. You see, a gate is not an offensive weapon, but a defensive weapon. A gate would be used to enclose the city and keep people in. Jesus is giving insight into what the devil is trying to do. He wants to keep people in bondage to sin and death. Jesus is also giving insight into the role of the church. We are on a mission to rescue people held captive to sin and death, by declaring to them the message of Christ

Take a few minutes this morning to pray for your sphere of influence; your family, friends, co-workers and neighbors who have not yet come to Christ. Pray that the gates of hell would not prevail, and that they would listen to the Gospel and be saved.

Pastor Jim

Questions for Chapter 16
1. What sign does Jesus give to prove that He is who He claimed to be?
2. Leaven is like yeast; a small amount permeates a dough ball and causes the whole lump to rise. Sin does the same thing in our lives. It starts out small and grows out of control. Have you
3. What important questions did Jesus ask the disciples?
4. How does Peter respond?
5. What promise does Jesus give to Peter regarding the church and the gates of hell?
6. What are the requirements if we want to follow Christ; verse 24?

Old Testament:
Genesis 31- God In My Pocket
Genesis 32- The Champion 

Matthew 15:36
“And He took the seven loaves and the fish and gave thanks, broke them and gave them to His disciples; and the disciples gave to the multitude.”

It is against the law to give away what you do not own. If it does not belong to you, it is not yours to give. That is one of the most basic principles that governs when serving Jesus. If we want to help others walk with the Lord, we must first receive from the Lord. The story of the loaves and fish illustrate that principle quite well. The disciples took what they had, brought that to Jesus; He multiplied it, and they distributed it to others.

If we want to be involved in serving the Lord, it starts with taking what we have and making it available to the Lord. Perhaps the most important commodity that we possess is time. When we make time to serve the Lord, He will always give us something to pass on. Over the years, we have seen this principle in action time and time again. Someone will venture out in faith and step into an area of service, they have an overwhelming sense of being unqualified, but as they spend time seeking the Lord and moving forward, God always provides more than what they needed to serve effectively.

We cannot neglect to take what we have and give it to the Lord, nor can we neglect to spend time with Him, if we want our service to be successful.

Pastor Jim

Questions for Chapter 15
1. Are there any traditions you are holding on to that transgress God’s commands?
2. Explain the contrast between what goes in a man and what comes out?
3. What does Jesus commend the woman of Canaan for?
4. Why do you think the disciples had a hard time believing the multitude could be fed with so little?
5. According to verse 32, how does Jesus feel about the unsaved multitudes?
6. How does that affect the way you view the lost?

Old Testament:
Genesis 29- Dysfunctional
Genesis 30- Plotting And Scheming 

Matthew 14:31
“O you of little faith, why did you doubt?”

As Peter’s eyes left Jesus and began to focus on his surroundings, his great faith failed and he began to sink. In desperation he cried out, “Lord, save me” to which Jesus replied, first with a stretched out hand, then with gentle rebuke.

“O you of little faith, why did you doubt?”

If I were in Peter’s place I might have responded, “I am doubting because what I thought was a good idea, in a moment of great courage, I am now thinking was not such a great idea.” I am doubting, because the wind is boisterous and the waves are large. I am doubting, because of the law of gravity, and I do not swim that well. I am doubting, because it is night, dark, and I do not want to drown. I am doubting, because what I asked to do is humanly impossible, and I am now suffering the consequences of that decision. In other words, Peter had many reasons to doubt; however, he had many more reasons to trust.

Just before his doubt, he had witnessed Jesus walking on water; a humanly impossible task. We might argue, Jesus was more than human, and defies the laws of the universe that control us. However, just before this event,we read that Jesus looked to the disciples to feed a great multitude. “They do not need to go away, you give them something to eat” (Matthew 14:16). When they responded that all they had was five loaves and two fish, He said “bring them here to Me.” Jesus was teaching them a vital principle for Christian living: what is impossible for man, is possible for God. The same God who can multiply fish and bread, can keep you afloat in the midst of the storm.

Rather than focusing on the problem, which leads to doubt, fear, and despair, let’s focus on the Savior, who not only walks on water, but is able to help us do the impossible.

Pastor Jim

Chapter 14

Old Testament:

Genesis 27- It Must Be The Lord
Genesis 28- Terms And Condition

Matthew 13:43
“Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!”

While explaining the Parable of the Tares, Jesus spoke of the harvest at the end of the age, when all humanity will be gathered together. In Revelation 19, we see this event unfolding. We see all of humanity standing before the throne of God, and the books opened. The first book we might call the ‘book of works’. It contains every sin committed, every idle word spoken, every vile thought we’ve had. The second is the Book of Life. When we receive Christ, not only is our name written in the Book of Life, but all that was in the ‘book of works’ is erased. Paul spoke of “the handwriting of ordinances that was against us has been erased, having been nailed to the cross” (Colossians 2:14). Those, whose names are found in the Book of Life, will be escorted into heaven, where they will forever be with the Lord.

What a glorious future awaits the child of God! Jesus goes even further. He tells us, not only will we be in heaven, but we will shine in heaven. This reminds me of the words of Daniel 12:3,

“Those who are wise shall shine
Like the brightness of the firmament,
And those who turn many to righteousness
Like the stars forever and ever.”

The stars of today are those who act, sing, play sports, or make a great deal of money, but the brightest stars in the kingdom of heaven, are those who lead others to Christ. Pray today about how God might use you this week to win someone to Christ

Pastor Jim

Questions for Chapter 13

Old Testament:
Genesis 25-When All Else Fails
Genesis 26- Curse Or Choice