relationships (Matthew 25:31-46) Meeting What is Needed

(Matthew 25:31-46)

31 “But when the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne. 32 And all the nations will be gathered before Him; and He will separate them from one another, just as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats; 33 and He will put the sheep on His right, but the goats on the left.

34 “Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. 35 For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; 36 naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.’ 37 Then the righteous will answer Him, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You something to drink? 38 And when did we see You as a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You? 39 And when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ 40 And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it for one of the least of these brothers or sisters of Mine, you did it for Me.’

41 “Then He will also say to those on His left, ‘Depart from Me, you accursed people, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels; 42 for I was hungry, and you gave Me nothing to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me nothing to drink; 43 I was a stranger, and you did not invite Me in; naked, and you did not clothe Me; sick, and in prison, and you did not visit Me.’ 44 Then they themselves also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, or thirsty, or as a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not take care of You?’ 45 Then He will answer them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did not do it for one of the least of these, you did not do it for Me, either.’ 46 These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

TODAY'S TAKEAWAY:

This particular event, "the judgement of nations", will take place after the Tribulation, when Jesus returns to set up the Millennial kingdom.  

Before the Tribulation, Jesus (doesn't come to earth, but) descends from heaven to catch up all believers of all time (1 Thessalonians 4:9-18), leaving only unbelievers on the earth to go through the seven remaining years of the Jewish Age.  This is when the Jews will see their signs of Jesus' second coming.  This is when they as a nation will finally believe that Jesus was and is their Messiah, King and Savior... each one deciding to become a believer.

At Jesus' return, He will sit on His throne.  First thing that He will do is have all unbelievers removed from the earth.  Keep in mind that the Lord is just and fair.  Also being sovereign, He knows exactly when and who will accept Him, and who will reject Him no matter how much time and opportunities they have.  And being love, God will never force anyone to love Him back, so why would He force anyone to live for eternity with Him and His children.  Besides, because He is holy, He cannot have a relationship with sin.  This is why Jesus' forgiveness is necessary.

While we need to be forgiven by the Lord in order to have all sins removed from our account, Christianity is all about having a personal relationship with the Lord!  Notice that in His judgments, it is very relational, demonstrating that true believers demonstrate true compassion, based on God's love, which is selfless, sacrificial and unconditional.  It is not performative or manipulative.  Especially given the fact that because the world hates the Lord Jesus, they will hate believers, as well as Jews (these all being "the least of these").  

Just a bit of investigating into the conditions of a communist country (for example), one will get an idea of just how many Christians are persecuted, tortured, imprisoned and executed.  In tyrannically-run countries, when anyone is a hostage or put into prison, they are only fed the minimal amount of bread and water required to just barely sustain life.  This is an added method of punishment.  Therefore, in Bible times, if that country allowed, people could bring prisoners extra food, water, clothing, etc.  Many prisons have people in solitary conditions, which will make a person go mad, so having anyone visit them would be very much appreciated.

Believers are also told to help the poor, the weak, the vulnerable... and most especially their brothers and sisters in Christ!  Just like the Bible tells us we should not neglect our own family members, we should not neglect our spiritual family members.  Churches who have food drives and outreach programs for other communities and countries, should also make sure that all of their members have what they need.  This requires us to develop relationships with one another, so that when one of us is hurting, we can be there for them.  

Perhaps it is important to think of things this way:  if we neglect our loved ones, it is the same as neglecting the Lord;  and whenever we serve others, it is the same as serving the Lord, Himself.  And our ability to serve and develop God-centered relationships, is only possible if we have a relationship with the Lord God, Himself.

relationships (Matthew 25:14-30) Having the Deepest Adoration

(Matthew 25:14-46)

14 “For it is just like a man about to go on a journey, who called his own slaves and entrusted his possessions to them. 15 To one he gave five talents, to another, two, and to another, one, each according to his own ability; and he went on his journey. 16 The one who had received the five talents immediately went and did business with them, and earned five more talents. 17 In the same way the one who had received the two talents earned two more. 18 But he who received the one talent went away and dug a hole in the ground, and hid his master’s money.

19 “Now after a long time the master of those slaves came and settled accounts with them. 20 The one who had received the five talents came up and brought five more talents, saying, ‘Master, you entrusted five talents to me. See, I have earned five more talents.’ 21 His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful slave. You were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter the joy of your master.’

22 “Also the one who had received the two talents came up and said, ‘Master, you entrusted two talents to me. See, I have earned two more talents.’ 23 His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful slave. You were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter the joy of your master.’

24 “Now the one who had received the one talent also came up and said, ‘Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you did not scatter seed. 25 And I was afraid, so I went away and hid your talent in the ground. See, you still have what is yours.’

26 “But his master answered and said to him, ‘You worthless, lazy slave! Did you know that I reap where I did not sow, and gather where I did not scatter seed? 27 Then you ought to have put my money in the bank, and on my arrival I would have received my money back with interest. 28 Therefore: take the talent away from him, and give it to the one who has the ten talents.’

29 “For to everyone who has, more shall be given, and he will have an abundance; but from the one who does not have, even what he does have shall be taken away. 30 And throw the worthless slave into the outer darkness; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

TODAY'S TAKEAWAY:

Studying this passage closely, and putting it into context of the entire chapter, as well as the entire Bible, helps to correctly understand God's truths.  The necessary truths to reference here are:

• we are all born as slaves to sin
• God desires that we all come to know Him so that He may save us and bless us, but it is our choice
• once we become believers, WE CANNOT LOSE OUR SALVATION (this is a critical truth to keep in mind!  John 6:37, 10:28–29;  Romans 8:30, 38–39;  Ephesians 1:13–14, 4:30, Philippians 1:6)
• as believers, even we ourselves cannot undo our salvation (Romans 11:29 says "for the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable")
• as believers, we have been set free from the forced slavery of sin
• as believers, we become "bondslaves" (voluntary servants who are permanently devoted and dedicated to serving) the Lord
• the Lord is our loving, benevolent, generous, helpful and absolutely fair Master
• as believers, the Lord gives us suitable gifts and equips and strengthens us for the things He instructs us to do, as well as for the specific things that He calls us to do
• the Lord will give different gifts to different believers, and some believers will get several gifts, but all gifts and all believers are important in God's kingdom!
• the Lord has a purpose and plan for everyone, and all that we need is to have a willing heart, and our obedience will be the outpouring of our love for Him
• we are never to serve out of fear, selfishness or pride, our only motive in serving God should be with agape love, in His righteousness and strength, all to His glory
• for those believers who are unwilling to use their gifts to serve, will miss out on the Lord's blessings here on earth
• as we serve the Lord here on earth, He will bless us and see to our needs, even and especially as we may suffer persecution in His name
• as our treasures should be stored up in heaven, when we see Him face to face, the Lord will judge and reward us for our good deeds done with righteous motives

There are two ways one can interpret this passage, but I believe the latter is the correct interpretation.  The first way is to consider that all of the slaves are believers.  The third slave is the believer who is unwilling to serve the Lord.  The first believer who is most zealous in serving the Lord, will typically be the one to pick up the slack, and they will be blessed and rewarded for doing so.  

The third slave (if we consider them to be a believer) would not lose their salvation, but God will discipline His children.  We should know that when we stray away from the Lord, our relationship with Him will suffer.  Even though a believer cannot lose the Holy Spirit, we can definitely quench the Holy Spirit.  And when God's Spirit mourns within us, we will experience unrest and sadness in our souls!  So while this way to interpret these verses is still true...

The very last verse says that the third slave is thrown into outer darkness where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth.  This is typically the description of hell, which is a place that is completely void of God and all of His blessings.  This would indicate that the third slave never became a believer.  So in this interpretation, this is the person who has rejected and refused God's love and salvation.  

It is clear that this slave never knew God personally, because this person saw Him as someone who was "a hard man" who selfishly benefitted off the backs of others.  As well, this slave was "afraid" of the Lord.  And by not becoming a believer, not wanting God to be part of their life, that person is sent to a place that is void of God.

Those who love and know the Lord Jesus personally, "fear" Him.  This fear is a deep respect, so much so that we cannot help but be in awe of the Lord.  And in this grateful adoration and respectful zeal, we will want to serve Him, not because we have to, but because we want to!!!

relationships (Matthew 25:1-46) It's Very Personal

(Matthew 25:1-46)

1 “Then the kingdom of heaven will be comparable to ten virgins, who took their lamps and went out to meet the groom. 2 Five of them were foolish, and five were prudent. 3 For when the foolish took their lamps, they did not take extra oil with them; 4 but the prudent ones took oil in flasks with their lamps. 5 Now while the groom was delaying, they all became drowsy and began to sleep. 6 But at midnight there finally was a shout: ‘Behold, the groom! Come out to meet him.’ 7 Then all those virgins got up and trimmed their lamps. 8 But the foolish virgins said to the prudent ones, ‘Give us some of your oil, because our lamps are going out.’ 9 However, the prudent ones answered, ‘No, there most certainly would not be enough for us and you too; go instead to the merchants and buy some for yourselves.’ 10 But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the groom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding feast; and the door was shut. 11 Yet later, the other virgins also came, saying, ‘Lord, lord, open up for us.’ 12 But he answered, ‘Truly I say to you, I do not know you.’ 13 Be on the alert then, because you do not know the day nor the hour.

TODAY'S TAKEAWAY:

For the simple fact that Jesus has used this theme of a wedding celebration quite a few times, shows just how personal it is for Him, and He wants us to understand just how personal it is, that He desires all to come to know Him.  The Lord extends His proposal - His gift of salvation - so that we can enter into a personal relationship with Him.  And all of these particular parables are in line with the Jewish wedding ceremonies that would have taken place back then.  The groom represents Jesus, and the bride represents the Church.  

At this point, in this particular parable, the bride and groom were already engaged (those becoming believers, receiving the Lord's indwelling Holy Spirit of promise).  The groom has already gone away to prepare his home for her (Jesus is preparing a place for us in heaven).  When everything is ready, the groom comes to collect His bride (representing the rapture, when all believers of all time up until that point will be caught up into the air to be with Jesus).  The bride and groom consummate their marriage (the Church will be in heaven with Jesus for the seven years).  Meanwhile...

This is where this parable picks up.  The virgins represent all of those unbelievers left on earth for the Tribulation (the last seven years of the Jewish Age).  Once the honeymoon stage of the ceremony is complete, the groom will lead his bride to where the wedding feast is going to take place.  The virgins who are ready will follow the groom (with his bride) to the wedding feast to celebrate (Jesus will return, and lead all those who have become believers during those seven years into the Millennial kingdom). 

If you have ever been part of a wedding ceremony as bridesmaids or groomsmen... while there is extreme joy and excitement, you know just how serious this is.  Generally speaking, the bride or groom has chosen you to be part of the wedding ceremony because you are especially close, either a relative or a very good friend.  You understand how important your role is, and how important all of the details are to the couple.  For those who really love the couple, you are not going to be late!  You are not going to drop the ball by not being ready!

Just so, for anyone who thinks they will just be able to sneak into the Millennium (and crash the wedding feast), is sorely mistaken.  Just like it will be impossible to sneak into heaven, or sweet-talk their way in because they think they are "good enough", even though they are not a child of God.  While in fact, unbelievers even hate the heavenly Father and His children, yet still they think they deserve to live in His home and take a share of the legitimate children's heritance?

For those who would be turned away, no one should be insulted or indignant.  Understand that the proposal - the invitation - has been sent out to everyone!  Either one accepts it, or rejects it, which is to either accept the Lord Jesus into our heart, soul and life, or one rejects the Lord Jesus and all that He has done for us.  

Being omniscient, the Lord knows exactly when and who is going to accept Him.  So when the time is right... will be at the exact point in time when everyone who is going to accept the Lord's salvation has already done so.  And all of those who have rejected Him, even if they were given a thousand more years of opportunities, will still only reject Him.

If we feel sad about this, this should compel us to be sharing the gospel message whenever God gives us an opportunity.  Not to try to force anyone into making a decision, because God does not even do that.  That is not out of love, but out of our wanting to control things.  If someone rejects the gospel message, we should still continue praying for and loving that person.  We never know if and when they will get to a point of repentance, but God does!  And if we think we care so much, just understand that God cares exceedingly more!

relationships (Matthew 24:1-51) Clarity and Understanding Helps

(Matthew 24:1-51)

1 Jesus left the temple area and was going on His way when His disciples came up to point out the temple buildings to Him. 2 But He responded and said to them, “Do you not see all these things? Truly I say to you, not one stone here will be left upon another, which will not be torn down.”

3 And as He was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things happen, and what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?”

4 And Jesus answered and said to them, “See to it that no one misleads you. 5 For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and they will mislead many people. 6 And you will be hearing of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for those things must take place, but that is not yet the end. 7 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places. 8 But all these things are merely the beginning of birth pains.

9 “Then they will hand you over to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations because of My name. 10 And at that time many will fall away, and they will betray one another and hate one another. 11 And many false prophets will rise up and mislead many people. 12 And because lawlessness is increased, most people’s love will become cold. 13 But the one who endures to the end is the one who will be saved. 14 This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come.

15 “Therefore when you see the abomination of desolation which was spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place—let the reader understand— 16 then those who are in Judea must flee to the mountains. 17 Whoever is on the housetop must not go down to get things out of his house. 18 And whoever is in the field must not turn back to get his cloak. 19 But woe to those women who are pregnant, and to those who are nursing babies in those days! 20 Moreover, pray that when you flee, it will not be in the winter, or on a Sabbath. 21 For then there will be a great tribulation, such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever will again. 22 And if those days had not been cut short, no life would have been saved; but for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short. 23 Then if anyone says to you, ‘Behold, here is the Christ,’ or ‘He is over here,’ do not believe him. 24 For false christs and false prophets will arise and will provide great signs and wonders, so as to mislead, if possible, even the elect. 25 Behold, I have told you in advance. 26 So if they say to you, ‘Behold, He is in the wilderness,’ do not go out; or, ‘Behold, He is in the inner rooms,’ do not believe them. 27 For just as the lightning comes from the east and flashes as far as the west, so will the coming of the Son of Man be. 28 Wherever the corpse is, there the vultures will gather.

29 “But immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 30 And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory. 31 And He will send forth His angels with a great trumpet blast, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other.

32 “Now learn the parable from the fig tree: as soon as its branch has become tender and sprouts its leaves, you know that summer is near; 33 so you too, when you see all these things, recognize that He is near, right at the door. 34 Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place. 35 Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away.

36 “But about that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone. 37 For the coming of the Son of Man will be just like the days of Noah. 38 For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, 39 and they did not understand until the flood came and took them all away; so will the coming of the Son of Man be. 40 At that time there will be two men in the field; one will be taken and one will be left. 41 Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken and one will be left.

42 “Therefore be on the alert, for you do not know which day your Lord is coming. 43 But be sure of this, that if the head of the house had known at what time of the night the thief was coming, he would have been on the alert and would not have allowed his house to be broken into. 44 For this reason you must be ready as well; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour when you do not think He will.

45 “Who then is the faithful and sensible slave whom his master put in charge of his household slaves, to give them their food at the proper time? 46 Blessed is that slave whom his master finds so doing when he comes. 47 Truly I say to you that he will put him in charge of all his possessions. 48 But if that evil slave says in his heart, ‘My master is not coming for a long time,’ 49 and he begins to beat his fellow slaves, and he eats and drinks with those habitually drunk; 50 then the master of that slave will come on a day that he does not expect, and at an hour that he does not know, 51 and he will cut him in two and assign him a place with the hypocrites; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

TODAY'S TAKEAWAY:

Why would anyone who says they love us decide to just leave us alone in the dark? So, since one's Christian faith is all about having a personal relationship with Jesus, Jesus shares His plans with us very clearly, for us to understand.  Just like here, where the disciples asked Jesus in private for this valuable information, and Jesus told them everything they needed to know.  

In a nutshell, all people need to be alert and ready, meaning, before it is too late, we all need to make our eternal decision:  to become a believer, or not.  When we become a believer, we enter into a personal relationship with the Lord, who changes us from the inside out.  We will serve Him, not because we have to, but because we want to.  And even as we are persecuted for the simple fact that we are believers, when we get to heaven, we will be judged and rewarded for our good deeds, done with righteous motives.

If anyone is curious about the end times, notice that the disciples ask Jesus for the signs of His second coming and for the end of the age.  "End of the age" is NOT talking about the Church Age.  The disciples knew nothing yet of the Church Age.  They were asking about the end of their Jewish Age, as the prophecy is described in Daniel chapter 9.  

After the Tribulation, all unbelievers will be removed from the earth.  All of those who become believers during the Tribulation, including the Israelites as a nation, will enter the Millennium with Jesus Christ (their Messiah).  This is when Israel will finally have all of their covenants fulfilled (land, seed and blessings), because Jesus, the sovereign King of kings will be sitting on the throne, and leading them into worldwide peace, in His righteousness.

Jesus is very clear about the fact that no one knows when He will return.  Let this just sink in... except for God the Father, no one will know the exact time of when Jesus returns, even though the Jewish Age's seven remaining years have all of these signs leading up to that event (the signs being the judgements of the Tribulation found in the book of Revelation).  If no one knows of that time - not even Jesus - what makes anyone think that we can predict when the rapture will happen, which occurs at the start of the Tribulation!?  Like a thief in the night...  

And just so, no one knows exactly when they will pass away.  Even if one attempts suicide, that person might somehow still be spared.  The Lord in His sovereignty, knows all things.  Therefore, He knows exactly who will become a believer or not.  And He knows exactly when one will become a believer.  As well, the Lord is just, and therefore gives everyone fair opportunity to make their eternal decision.  Everyone has fair opportunity to be ready!  God loves us that much, desiring that all come to know Him!!!

relationships (Matthew 23:23-39) The Way to Acceptance

(Matthew 23:23-39)

23 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier provisions of the Law: justice and mercy and faithfulness; but these are the things you should have done without neglecting the others. 24 You blind guides, who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel!

25 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and of the dish, but inside they are full of robbery and self-indulgence. 26 You blind Pharisee, first clean the inside of the cup and of the dish, so that the outside of it may also become clean.

27 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which on the outside appear beautiful, but inside they are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness. 28 So you too, outwardly appear righteous to people, but inwardly you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.

29 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you build the tombs for the prophets and decorate the monuments of the righteous, 30 and you say, ‘If we had been living in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partners with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’ 31 So you testify against yourselves, that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets. 32 Fill up, then, the measure of the guilt of your fathers. 33 You snakes, you offspring of vipers, how will you escape the sentence of hell?

34 “Therefore, behold, I am sending you prophets and wise men and scribes; some of them you will kill and crucify, and some of them you will flog in your synagogues, and persecute from city to city, 35 so that upon you will fall the guilt of all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah, the son of Berechiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar. 36 Truly I say to you, all these things will come upon this generation.

37 “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those who have been sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were unwilling. 38 Behold, your house is being left to you desolate! 39 For I say to you, from now on you will not see Me until you say, ‘Blessed is the One who comes in the name of the Lord!’”

TODAY'S TAKEAWAY:

As we can see with all of the woes - no one can work their way to heaven.  There is nothing we can do to earn salvation.  And we certainly cannot clean our own hearts and souls.  I'm pretty sure we've all tried making promises, like, "From now on, I'm going to do better!" or "I would NEVER do THAT..." yet, off we go, in our own strength, making a mess of things.  No one is "good enough".  But also understand that no one is beyond saving!  

Consider the Apostle Paul, who had been a Pharisee.  Paul was not there when the Pharisees had Jesus crucified, but he zealously joined the ranks to pursue and persecute Christians, and have them stoned to death... UNTIL he met Jesus in a vision, and was repentive with great remorse, Jesus changed his heart!  

Paul went on to be used by God in a mighty way, and even with that, as Paul writes in Romans 7, we are blessed to have God's grace, guidance and help, because until we get to heaven, we will all still struggle with our sinful nature.  To continue in God's blessings, any time we mess up and sin, we just have to confess and continue running back to the Lord and His open and loving arms.

We can see how loving and caring God is!  Being love itself, God will never force anyone to love Him back, and will never force anyone to be obedient.  This is a personal choice that everyone must make.  Understand that God doesn't want to send anyone away to be punished.  He desires to gather us all together, to nurture and eternally protect us.  But the Lord Jesus is holy and cannot have a relationship with sin.  And Jesus cannot just take one's sins away without our permission, because that would be stealing.  We have to willingly give Him our sins in exchange for His gift of forgiveness and eternal life.

This is why we need the Lord to save us.  And this is why we continuously need the Lord to help us, guide us, strengthen and care for us...  We just need to go to Him AS WE ARE to humbly repent, and the Lord forgives all our sins.  It is then that the Lord changes us from the inside out, and gives us His indwelling Holy Spirit.  So, it starts with, and it is all about having a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus, who wants us to steadfastly remain under His wings of protection, guidance and blessings.

relationships (Matthew 23:16-23) Showing Respect

(Matthew 23:16-23)

16 “Woe to you, blind guides, who say, ‘Whoever swears by the temple, that is nothing; but whoever swears by the gold of the temple is obligated.’ 17 You fools and blind men! Which is more important, the gold or the temple that sanctified the gold? 18 And you say, ‘Whoever swears by the altar, that is nothing; but whoever swears by the offering that is on it is obligated.’ 19 You blind men, which is more important, the offering or the altar that sanctifies the offering? 20 Therefore, the one who swears by the altar, swears both by the altar and by everything on it. 21 And the one who swears by the temple, swears both by the temple and by Him who dwells in it. 22 And the one who swears by heaven, swears both by the throne of God and by Him who sits upon it.

TODAY'S TAKEAWAY:

Many Pharisees were more concerned about their outward appearances, and not at all about their hearts.  At some point, one will start to contradict themselves.  Like, in their efforts to not see a woman and lust, instead of addressing the sin that's in their hearts, they would close their eyes, even when walking - and bump into things.  

Just like that, to avoid taking God's name in vain, which includes breaking an oath or promise to the Lord, the Pharisees told the Jews to no longer say the sacred name of God.  Instead, they would put other things in its place, like, they would swear by gold or by their offerings...  But this was putting those other things in place of the Lord!  Ironically, that is also "taking the Lord's name in vain!"

There are many ways in which to take the Lord's name in vain.  "SHAV" is the Hebrew word for "vain", meaning emptiness, vanity, falsehood, or worthlessness. It describes things that are deceptive, destructive, or ultimately without substance, value, or lasting meaning.

- in this verse, shav describes misusing, trivializing, or associating God's name with falsehood or empty oaths...

(Exodus 20:7)  “You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not leave him unpunished who takes His name in vain."

- in this verse, shav, describes having lifted up their soul to falsehood (referring to idols or deceitful practices)...

(Psalm 24:4)  

     "One who has clean hands and a pure heart, 

     Who has not lifted up his soul to deceit 

     And has not sworn deceitfully."

- in this verse, shav highlights that human efforts devoid of God's foundation are empty and futile...

(Psalm 127:1)

     Unless the Lord builds a house,
     They who build it labor in vain;
     Unless the Lord guards a city,
     The watchman stays awake in vain.

When we truly love someone, we care about them, we help protect their reputation, and actually make an effort not to irritate them.  Now let's just imagine a person who claims to love you, but they keep calling out your name, without any reasons at all, so that you are always jumping to attention, for no reason.  Or they blurt out your name whenever things go wrong, so that it sounds like you are to blame.  Or they use your name to make a promise to someone else, but they don't keep it, so that now your name is associated with a liar.  Just so, and even more so, as we claim to love God, do we respect Him enough to use His name with respect?

relationships (Matthew 23:15) Our Only Fulfillment

(Matthew 23:15)

15 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you travel around on sea and land to make one proselyte; and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves.

TODAY'S TAKEAWAY:

There are a lot of things in this world that lead people astray, be it money, power, fame, fun, desires of the flesh... These will consume time, energy and resources, and become a person's idol/s and god/s.  But when people realize that there's still something missing in their lives, and consider seeking more important and something bigger than themselves, they can easily fall prey to any of the many cults and religions of this world.  

One might feel fulfilled, at first, because now one's life will be filled (consumed) with all sorts of do's and don'ts and rituals.  And even if one of the religions seem close enough to Christianity, it is still not "close enough".  They are all empty, as these also consume time, energy and resources, simply because one is still trying to do things in one's own efforts and thinking.  And to what end?  What is actually being accomplished?

God created all of us with a free will, and with a soul, that can only be filled by Him.  He created us, so that He'd have children to love, with a desire that we will choose to love Him back.  The whole purpose of creating everything was because God wants to have a close relationship with each and every one of us.  But because Adam and Eve sinned, and brought sin and death into this world, we are all born into this sin nature, spiritually dead, separated from God, and slaves to sin.  

Since God is holy, He cannot have a relationship with sin.  But our loving God didn't just throw up His hands and walk away, He came to earth in flesh, to be fully man while still being fully God, to save us - to save us from death with His eternal life, to free us from the grips of sin with His forgiveness, grace and mercy, through His own death and resurrection.  Heaven belongs to God, therefore it makes sense that we can only get to heaven through Him!  Anything else would be a lie.

Since God is love, He will not force anyone to love Him back, but He will pursue us.  One of the ways God will reach out to us, is to use other believers.  He has given us "the key" (the gospel message), which we are to share with others.  Another way that God pursues us is with His Holy Spirit, who convicts the hearts of sinners (who knocks at the doors of one's heart).  Our souls will remain empty, yearning for something or someone, until we let the Lord in, to fill us completely.  Nothing else or nobody else can do this.  Only the Lord can fulfill us, complete us, and satisfy us.