Sunday Morning Service

Matthew 21:23-46 (Click title for audio access)

"The Danger Of Fruitlessness" • 12.19.10 • Calvary Christian Fellowship, Sunday Morning Service

Intro

- Matthew has been leading us through an amazing tour of the life of Christ. He has firmly established the case for the royalty of Jesus Christ.

- From His miraculous birth, to His royal pedigree, to His miracles that matched the Messiah's profile. Jesus fits the bill from top to bottom.

- Chapter 21 continues that theme and begins to unveil a dangerous truth regarding the nation of Israel at the time of Christ.

- They had believed that they were judging Him, when they were simply opening the door for judgment upon themselves.

Text

• Matthew 21:23 : "Now when He came into the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people confronted Him as He was teaching, and said, 'By what authority are You doing these things? And who gave You this authority?'" : These men from the temple, the chief priests and the elders came and confronted Jesus as He was teaching. It seems that they interrupted Him.

- With their question, they have again interrupted ministry between God and His people. They are in the way and for a superficial, petty reason.

- They wanted to know what Jesus would say with regard to His authority. This referred to an official sanctioning by some recognized human office of power, like the Sanhedrin.

- They are not interested in His authority. They know that no earthly office had endowed Him with power. That would have made Jesus one of them!

- Instead, they would love to use this occasion to accuse Him, just as they have in the past.

- The answer had been right before their very eyes in just the previous 24 hours!

- Jesus had come into the city on the exact day predicted in Daniel 9, in the exact way that Zechariah 9:9 predicted.

- He had accepted worship from the multitudes, who cried out with Psalm 118 over Jesus and their children who repeated that saying the next day!

- He had called the Temple HIs Father's house and had performed the miracles that were prophecied of the Messiah!

- Of course, they refused to recognize his authority, his connection to the Father, for the same reasons that people do today. They refused because of prejudice. He was from Nazareth!

- He’s not glamorous, relevant or hip enough to put trust in

- They refused because of their own perceived self-righteousness. They were children of Abraham, chief priests, waiting for a member of the Trinity to retire so they could jump in!

- The predominant reason that they rejected Jesus is the same as it is today: He did not meet their expectations. They wanted a political Messiah with the power to overthrow Rome!

- People are looking for a savior of their making, one who will conform to their vision.

- Because of their predisposition to disbelieve, they asked Jesus to explain His authority.

- Jesus will answer their question with another question, whose answer will shed a lot of light.

• Matthew 21:24-27 : "But Jesus answered and said to them, 'I also will ask you one thing, which if you tell Me, I likewise will tell you by what authority I do these things: The baptism of John—where was it from? From heaven or from men?' And they reasoned among themselves, saying, 'If we say, ‘From heaven,’ He will say to us, ‘Why then did you not believe him?’ But if we say, ‘From men,’ we fear the multitude, for all count John as a prophet.' So they answered Jesus and said, 'We do not know.' And He said to them, 'Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.'" : Jesus was never at a disadvantage. He had these guys right where He wanted them each and every time.

- Jesus centers His question on their opinion of John's ministry. Why John the Baptist? First, John was a very polarizing individual. Most considered him, at the least, a Prophet.

- Some believed that he was more than that, even though he very clearly said he was not.

- One thing that made John so dangerous was that he clearly endorsed Jesus as the Messiah!

- John the Baptist was a very popular man among the people and there was rampant repentance when he was preparing the way for Jesus.

- When Jesus asked them their opinion about his ministry came from, Matthew reports their dialogue amongst each other. They knew that they were trapped.

- Saying the truth, that John's power came from heaven, would put them in a very bad position because they did not believe what He said about Jesus.

- On the other hand, saying the opposite would cause equally difficult problems with the people. Their political necks were on the line in just the span of a few seconds.

- They could not win, so they sheepishly, at the smallest volume possible said, "We don't know!" These men are so disingenuous! They refuse to honestly say what they believe!

- They are too gutless to disavow Jesus and too proud and arrogant to change their views.

- They have gone over the edge of the point of no return. Jesus will not tell them the answer because no matter how He presents, they have refused to believe it.

- Jesus leaves them to their unbelief and decides to tell a story.

• Matthew 21:28-31a : "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.’ He answered and said, ‘I will not,’ but afterward he regretted it and went. Then he came to the second and said likewise. And he answered and said, ‘I go, sir,’ but he did not go. Which of the two did the will of his father?' They said to Him, 'The first.'" : The story that Jesus tells happens again in a vineyard. This would have been a common occurrence.

- Even today, in our society, it's not rare to employ sons in the family business. In Christ's time, this was especially true.

- The emphasis of the Lord's story is on what was said and then done. That is an important detail. The Father said, not asking. His request is a benevolent command.

- The first son balked but went later, having regretted his initial position. The second son said that he would go, adding a "sir" to his reply, but then, He didn't.

- The answer to Christ's question is obvious: The first son did the will of his Father. At this point the religious leaders were very proud of their brilliant powers of deduction.

- Their joy in the matter was shortlived.

• Matthew 21:31b-32 : "Jesus said to them, 'Assuredly, I say to you that tax collectors and harlots enter the kingdom of God before you. For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him; but tax collectors and harlots believed him; and when you saw it, you did not afterward relent and believe him." : The religious leaders listened to this simple story and were in agreement with Jesus and the people that had been listening to the Lord.

- They might have even said, "What a simple, yet elegant story!" That's when the Lord turned it around on them! They were the second son!

- Playing the part of the first son was a group of people that everyone believed was excluded from the Kingdom of God.

- The tax collectors and the prostitutes were not only entering heaven; They were entering heaven before them! Literally, they are leading the way for the religious leaders to follow!

- John had come and called the self-righteous to repent, to change their mind and thus, change their behavior. They did not believe that they needed to, but the tax collectors and harlots did!

- There is something incredibly powerful about the gospel of Christ. Righteousness can be experienced by the most foul and vile of our society and Christ welcomes them in!

- Do not believe for a second that there is someone outside of His reach! That friend or family member is not hopeless. Christianity is the religion for tax collectors and harlots!

- They enter in that way, repenting of their actions, and God makes them citizens of His Kingdom! God's grace is powerful!

- But it is also limited. For those who see no need of it, who never tap into the resource that is freely available to them, these are excluded.

- The religious leaders had "said" that they would serve, love and obey God. They appeared, as the fig tree had, to be fruitful, but their actions proved otherwise!

- They were the second son, and were therefore, not doing the will of the Father! We need to stop now and ask if that is true of us! Are we doing the will of the Father?

- The first act is to believe upon Jesus Christ, to the exclusion of any other thing that we might trust in, ie. our works, our holiness, etc. That is the first part of the will of God.

- Then comes the specific areas of obedience that He calls us to every day. Are we giving Him our obedience in every aspect of our life?

- Let it not be said of us: They honored Him with their lips, but their hearts were far from Him!

- This was the essential problem with these religious leaders. They talked a good game, but they denied any real relationship with God.

• Matthew 21:33-39 : “Hear another parable: There was a certain landowner who planted a vineyard and set a hedge around it, dug a winepress in it and built a tower. And he leased it to vinedressers and went into a far country. Now when vintage-time drew near, he sent his servants to the vinedressers, that they might receive its fruit. And the vinedressers took his servants, beat one, killed one, and stoned another. Again he sent other servants, more than the first, and they did likewise to them. Then last of all he sent his son to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ But when the vinedressers saw the son, they said among themselves, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him and seize his inheritance.’ So they took him and cast him out of the vineyard and killed him.” : This story, again, would have been somewhat common for the day.

- Landowners would invest themselves in fields and then lease out the land to vinedressers. This landowner prepared a wonderful estate for these men to work in.

- He had planted the vineyard. He had taken the time to till and prepare it. He set a hedge around it, for protection from beasts and thieves. The winepress was built right onto the property.

- The tower provided shelter, storage and a place from which to view the entirety of the field. He has been very thorough in his preparations and has handed the keys over to the vinedressers.

- From here, the story takes a grisly turn. In the process of time, the landowner sent servants to receive of the fruit of his vineyard.

- In an act of utter rebellion, the vinedressers received these emissaries with beatings, murder and stoning! Incredible acts of violence that were completely unwarranted.

- These were also commonplace issues in the time of Christ, as the workers often fought against the landowners, the struggle between the working class and the rich.

- The word "beatings" point to scourging or flaying the body open. Murder, refers to quick, sudden and surprising murder. Stoning is just that. Their response was hideous and heinous!

- Finally, the son was going to come. The motive was the respect that the son would garner. But all that was seen was opportunity: "This the heir! Let's kill Him too!"

- The landowner is away and the vinedressers have decided that this is their vineyard. This is a hostile takeover and when the heir to the vineyard came, they killed him as well.

• Matthew 21:40,41 : "Therefore, when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those vinedressers?' They said to Him, 'He will destroy those wicked men miserably, and lease his vineyard to other vinedressers who will render to him the fruits in their seasons.'" : At some point, the vinedressers will face the wrath of the landowner.

- The religious leaders, listening to this tale, likely spoke this with some relish. "Yes, the owner would dole out justice to these cowards!"

- They acknowledge that he will act justly and then hand over the Vineyard to another! These are their own words!

- One cannot help but think of the Prophet Nathan's speech to King David. David was incensed at the story that Nathan told. I have no doubt that these men were just as captivated.

• Matthew 21:42 : "Jesus said to them, 'Have you never read in the Scriptures: ‘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 words to these religious leaders was the death knell to their phony religion.

- "Have you never read the scriptures!" This is my favorite of Christ's rebukes. It had to grate upon them the most.

- Jesus quotes here from Psalm 118 was the Psalm that was being sung over Jesus as He entered the city. In that Psalm, there is a second part of prophetic fulfilment.

- Jesus, the Messiah, was to be rejected by His people. In essence, Jesus is telling them this: You believe that I am being judged by you? The truth is, you are being judged by me!

- Jesus is saying, "You think that I can be a Messiah by your acceptance? I am the Messiah because of your rejection!"

- It's right there in Psalm 118 and is the 6th Messianic claim in this chapter!

- It was common and yet, they never comprehended that this was speaking directly to them. The stone that the builders, the religious leaders rejected, God had made the chief cornerstone.

- The cornerstone was the stone that any entire building was set upon. It was the first stone that everything else was measured by.

- It had to be true on every side because even one degree off could set the entire building off!

- The picture is that the builders looked at Jesus and decided that they could not build their lives on Him. He was cast aside.

- But God, not respecting their opinions, said that this was the stone that He would set the building by!

• Matthew 21:43-46 : "Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a nation bearing the fruits of it. And whoever falls on this stone will be broken; but on whomever it falls, it will grind him to powder.' Now when the chief priests and Pharisees heard His parables, they perceived that He was speaking of them. But when they sought to lay hands on Him, they feared the multitudes, because they took Him for a prophet." : God has taken away the Kingdom from this nation of people who refused to bear the fruits of it.

- He is giving it to a people who will bear the fruits of it. Who is He referring to? The Church. Believers in Christ who are faithfully His.

- He still warns them, even though they are too far gone. Whoever falls upon Jesus, the stone, to do harm to Him, will be smashed to pieces.

- God would deal with each one of those people who dealt treacherously with His Son and in the final judgment, these same people will then be ground to powder.

- It is the strongest of warnings to the religious leaders. They knew that He was speaking of them. The fig tree was an Old Testament picture of Israel, as was the Vineyeard.

- Isaiah 5 is an excellent companion to this chapter for study on your own. They knew that they were the second son and they knew that they were the vinedressers.

- God, the landowner had sent prophet after prophet to warn them and draw them back to Him, but in each case, they would not have it!

- The blood of the prophets had been on their hands and now, God has sent HIs Son and they will continue on with their tradition!

- But this was their condition: They knew He was speaking of them. They knew His warnings and they still sought to kill Him!

- Nobility, logic, God's law, respect for human life, nothing could keep them from their plan, save the fear of the multitudes!

Conclusion

- We cannot fathom coming to such a place and yet they did. Men who had been given the scriptures, the sacrifices and the temple.

- Yet, God set them aside and made a new nation out of nations. Why? They refused to bear fruit! They refused to allow the life of God to be their passion.

- Let us not make the same mistake!

Thursday Night Bible Study

Exodus 16

"A Gift From Above!?" • 12.16.10 • Calvary Christian Fellowship, Thursday Morning Service

Intro

- When one has been delivered from a life of slavery, there is a process that none of us really understands. We were born free and most have known nothing but freedom all their lives.

- The people of Israel that are now walking out into the wilderness with the Lord and Moses, have no idea how to live or survive.

- They had never left Egypt before the Exodus, nor did they know anyone that ever had! At the same time, they were to become a community that represented the God of the Universe!

- Egypt was where they were born, but the wilderness was where they were going to be raised and trained to walk with God.

- Every test gives them a new opportunity to grow and there is one around every corner.

Text

• Exodus 16:1-3 : "And they journeyed from Elim, and all the congregation of the children of Israel came to the Wilderness of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after they departed from the land of Egypt. Then the whole congregation of the children of Israel complained against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness. And the children of Israel said to them, 'Oh, that we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the pots of meat and when we ate bread to the full! For you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger.'" : The complaint de jour will be the lack of food.

- They have camped by the waters of Elim for over a month. God gave these worn out people some extra time for recovery.

- They are in what is called the Wilderness Of Sin. The wilderness of Sin was known for it's worship of the moon god, "Sin."

- As they began their trek, the food that they might have had at Elim became scarce and hunger filled their minds.

- Moses and Aaron receive the brunt of their hostility and the sentiment is conveyed to us in a summary statement that Moses provides. Notice the anatomy of their complaint.

- It begins with a lament. "Oh, that God would have killed us in Egypt." They were saying, "Before we were ever delivered from the oppression, it would have been better to simply have died!"

- Why? Because aside from the cruelty of slavery and the indignity of forced labor, there was an abundance of food. Pots of meat and bread to the full was available, even to the slaves.

- This is the second thing to note: Complaints come from a foggy memory at best! No amount of bread or meat could make up for the misery of oppression.

- In their minds at the moment, the abundant food made their suffering worth it!

- Third, note the misplaced accusation: "You have brought us out into this wilderness." Our complaints are always misplaced during pain. It was GOD who brought them out, not Moses!

- Moses was happy in retirement! Deliverance was not his idea! He did not want the job.

- Finally, note the endless pessimism and hopeless outlook. "We are going to die from this!" There was no middle ground for them. It was live or die!

- Admittedly, these are difficult times for the Israelis, but one has to concede that even in difficulty, their complaints, like ours, fail on any point.

- The enemy likes to make us think that we were happy in captivity. The good old days are always a projection of the best memories, without the realities of what led us to seek deliverance.

- We remember the fun, but not the desperation. We remember all the laughs but none of the misery. We remember the comraderie, but never the loneliness and isolation from the Lord!

- When we finally did cry out to the Lord, we were just happy that He would take us! But none of us imagined that the trek would take so much discipline!

• Exodus 16:4,5 : "Then the Lord said to Moses, 'Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you. And the people shall go out and gather a certain quota every day, that I may test them, whether they will walk in My law or not. And it shall be on the sixth day that they shall prepare what they bring in, and it shall be twice as much as they gather daily.'" : God tells Moses what is about to come and that it will be a test. It will test their loyalty to His Word.

- His Word is that they are to gather daily rations, and twice as much on the 6th day. He will soon give the reason why, but for now, it's a prohibition that is hidden in His counsel.

• Exodus 16:6-8 : "Then Moses and Aaron said to all the children of Israel, 'At evening you shall know that the Lord has brought you out of the land of Egypt. And in the morning you shall see the glory of the Lord; for He hears your complaints against the Lord. But what are we, that you complain against us?' Also Moses said, 'This shall be seen when the Lord gives you meat to eat in the evening, and in the morning bread to the full; for the Lord hears your complaints which you make against Him. And what are we? Your complaints are not against us but against the Lord.'" : It's interesting that we need constant confirmation of God's leading.

- It seems to happen like this: We become convinced, we begin walking, things become difficult, we doubt God's call, we complain wondering if He ever called us to begin with!

- That evening, God would again perform a miracle that would let them know that He was with them and had indeed been the one to bring them out.

- Moses wants the people to know something. Their complaints are against the Lord. This is a bitter pill to swallow, but it's one that needs to be correctly assessed.

- Their complaints were heard, not by human ears, but by the ears of the Lord. When they complained, they figured that they were complaining against Moses and Aaron.

- But the truth was that they were complaining against the Lord. When we are confronted with difficulty, it is the Lord who has allowed it into our lives.

- When we struggle against another person, it is God's sovereign hand that has allowed us to experience that.

- We might fight against them and complain of our circumstances, but it is God who has allowed and orchestrated those circumstances to test, prove our faith.

- He has done it to show us what spiritual midgets we really are! Instead of complaining, we need to take the time and see our hearts for what is truly in them.

• Exodus 16:9-16 : "Then Moses spoke to Aaron, 'Say to all the congregation of the children of Israel, ‘Come near before the Lord, for He has heard your complaints.’ Now it came to pass, as Aaron spoke to the whole congregation of the children of Israel, that they looked toward the wilderness, and behold, the glory of the Lord appeared in the cloud. And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ^'I have heard the complaints of the children of Israel. Speak to them, saying, ‘At twilight you shall eat meat, and in the morning you shall be filled with bread. And you shall know that I am the Lord your God.' So it was that quails came up at evening and covered the camp, and in the morning the dew lay all around the camp. And when the layer of dew lifted, there, on the surface of the wilderness, was a small round substance, as fine as frost on the ground. So when the children of Israel saw it, they said to one another, 'What is it?' For they did not know what it was. And Moses said to them, 'This is the bread which the Lord has given you to eat. This is the thing which the Lord has commanded: ‘Let every man gather it according to each one’s need, one omer for each person, according to the number of persons; let every man take for those who are in his tent.'" : The Lord appeared and as promised, the Lord brought quail down upon the camp.

- Even today, it's not uncommon to find quail in abundance in this part of the world.

- The Roman historian Pliny notes that there were enough quail to commonly sink ships in the Mediterranean! In the same article, I read that 160,000 had been netted at one time![i]

- Aside from this, in ancient Egyptian writing, quail wer considered a delicacy, so this was not just any meat! This was the good stuff good!

- These quail came into the camp and covered the ground in the evening, meaning that they flew low enough to be easily caught. The meat was taken care of.

- Then in the morning time, there appeared something that nobody had seen before. It was unique to that time, but nobody knew what it was.

- They said "manna?" That's the Hebrew word for "what is it?" The question later became it's name. Moses called it bread and identified it as the Lord's provision.

- Each man was to take an omer for each person. Every person living in any given tent was to have the same amount. An omer would be enough for everyone.

- You'll note that every man was to gather for his need and ever man for those in his tent. God provided it, but the men needed to gather it.

• Exodus 16:17-21 : "Then the children of Israel did so and gathered, some more, some less. So when they measured it by omers, he who gathered much had nothing left over, and he who gathered little had no lack. Every man had gathered according to each one’s need. And Moses said, 'Let no one leave any of it till morning.' Notwithstanding they did not heed Moses. But some of them left part of it until morning, and it bred worms and stank. And Moses was angry with them. So they gathered it every morning, every man according to his need. And when the sun became hot, it melted." : The NLT puts it this way: "Each family had just enough!"

- Each family membe was to consume it all on the very same day. None was to be left over.

- The temptation was to keep some, just in case God didn't come through or if one was lazy!

- The children of Israel did not listen to Moses and they paid for it. The next morning the leftover manna bred worms, literally maggots, and stank. The learned their lesson from there.

• Exodus 16:22-26 : "And so it was, on the sixth day, that they gathered twice as much bread, two omers for each one. And all the rulers of the congregation came and told Moses. Then he said to them, 'This is what the Lord has said: ‘Tomorrow is a Sabbath rest, a holy Sabbath to the Lord. Bake what you will bake today, and boil what you will boil; and lay up for yourselves all that remains, to be kept until morning.’ So they laid it up till morning, as Moses commanded; and it did not stink, nor were there any worms in it. Then Moses said, 'Eat that today, for today is a Sabbath to the Lord; today you will not find it in the field. Six days you shall gather it, but on the seventh day, the Sabbath, there will be none.'" : The Sabbath was already in place, even though it was not officially "law." The people were to begin living by that principle and preparing for it.

- As a result, they were to gather twice as much on Friday. They were to bake or boil the manna, so that it would keep, which it did. On the Sabbath, God would not provide any manna.

• Exodus 16:27-30 : "Now it happened that some of the people went out on the seventh day to gather, but they found none. And the Lord said to Moses, 'How long do you refuse to keep My commandments and My laws? See! For the Lord has given you the Sabbath; therefore He gives you on the sixth day bread for two days. Let every man remain in his place; let no man go out of his place on the seventh day.' So the people rested on the seventh day." : Some of God's people did not trust that the manna would remain. They went out to gather when they had been told not to.

- God has given them commands and laws, even before there was a codified law. God's Word was as good as law. It's interesting to note that one of His first prohibitions deals with rest.

- He wants His people to rest. Now, He tells them how: Stay home! This is an interesting point for those who want to argue about which day to worship on!

- The Sabbath is a day to remain in your place, sleeping in and enjoying the Lord!

• Exodus 16:31-36 : "And the house of Israel called its name Manna. And it was like white coriander seed, and the taste of it was like wafers made with honey. Then Moses said, 'This is the thing which the Lord has commanded: ‘Fill an omer with it, to be kept for your generations, that they may see the bread with which I fed you in the wilderness, when I brought you out of the land of Egypt.’ And Moses said to Aaron, 'Take a pot and put an omer of manna in it, and lay it up before the Lord, to be kept for your generations.' As the Lord commanded Moses, so Aaron laid it up before the Testimony, to be kept. And the children of Israel ate manna forty years, until they came to an inhabited land; they ate manna until they came to the border of the land of Canaan. Now an omer is one-tenth of an ephah." It's intersting that the Lord had them keep some as a memorial and it didn't rot.

- It remained for their generations to see the bread that was fed to them.

- They ate manna for all those years while they were in the desert, until they came to Canaan.

- As we conclude this chapter, it would be unwise to do so without considering what is revealed in the New Testament, so as to give us the full breadth of what this chapter is all about.

- Please turn to John 6. Jesus has fed the 5,000 and a day later, people had come by boat to see Him. He showed them their motives, in that they wanted more bread, and they asked for a sign.

• John 6:30-35 : "Therefore they said to Him, “What sign will You perform then, that we may see it and believe You? What work will You do? Our fathers ate the manna in the desert; as it is written, ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’ Then Jesus said to them, 'Most assuredly, I say to you, Moses did not give you the bread from heaven, but My Father gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.' Then they said to Him, 'Lord, give us this bread always.' And Jesus said to them, 'I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst."

- Jesus then is the true bread that the bread in the wilderness represents. To the Israelites, the bread was a reminder of God's provision, a call to daily fellowship and a testimony to His faithfulness.

- In the same way, Jesus Christ is our provision from the Lord. He has been provided, but we must go and each one gather Him in daily!

- Those who live on yesterday's fellowship are putrefying and stinky Christians! To those who go daily, they are always satisfied with Him! For those in this relationship, there is the promise of rest.

Conclusion

- As we take communion, we recall to mind that this bread still represents all these things to us, perpetually until He comes. He is the bread from heaven!

---

[i] http://dictionary.crossmap.com/definition/quails.htm

Sunday Morning Service

Matthew 21:1-21 (Click title for audio access)

"Presenting: Your King!" • 12.12.10 • Calvary Christian Fellowship, Sunday Morning Service

Intro.

- We are now in the final section of the book of Matthew. His book has set up for it's readers, the case that Jesus is the Messiah, the King of Israel.

- He has shown His credentials in every conceivable way, from His geneology, to His miracle working power. Israel has been presented with His principles and His promise.

- In this section before us, Jesus will literally present Himself to the heart of the nation, in the capital city of Israel, where the scrutiny would be the greatest.

- What is set before us is historically sobering. It is upon us to heed the warnings that might trap us as well.

Text

• Matthew 21:1-5 : "Now when they drew near Jerusalem, and came to Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, 'Go into the village opposite you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her. Loose them and bring them to Me. And if anyone says anything to you, you shall say, ‘The Lord has need of them,’ and immediately he will send them.' All this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying: 'Tell the daughter of Zion, ‘Behold, your King is coming to you, Lowly, and sitting on a donkey, A colt, the foal of a donkey.’" : Jesus is moving directly toward the cross, thus beginning the final week of Christ's life, the passion week.

- He is making a bee line toward a cross, something that we know, but was a foreign thought in the minds of even His closest disciples.

- What we are about to look at is commonly referred to as the “Triumphal Entry.” It is Sunday. Passover will be in just a few days.

- The Mount of Olives is directly across from Jerusalem and Bethphage, meaning "house of the fig," was a small village on it in Christ's time.

- Christ's instruction to the disciples was direct and seemingly bizzare. They were to go over to an adjoining villiage, and begin untying a donkey and it's offspring.

- If nobody said anything, then somebody might just come out and find their donkey missing!

- If someone did ask, the reply was simply that the Lord had need of them and this would take care of things! This week, we're going to try a little experiment...

- We understand that Christ, when He came to Earth, emptied Himself of all divine attributes.

- He did not lean upon the omniscience that He had prior to His incarnation. That being said, it can be argued that no other man has ever lived who has not been as "tuned" to the Spirit as Christ!

- He had a word of knowledge regarding where His resource would come from.

- Whoever owned the animals would quickly acquiesce to the request. In this case, I would have loved to have heard about what the Lord had done in the Donkey's owner's heart.

- When God prepares the one side, He also prepares the other!

- This drama had been foretold by the Lord many years prior to this in the Zechariah 9:9. The Messiah was going to come into Jerusalem in this humble fashion.

- Going even further, Daniel 9 predicted the very day of Christ's entrance into Jerusalem!

- The fact that Jesus is riding on a donkey's colt is very telling. When a King came into an area on a donkey, He was coming, offering peace to the citizens.

- There is a sense of benevolence and an offer to reign cordially. Jesus is offering Himself as King. They could accept His reign and acknowledge Him as their King.

- In contrast, a King on a horse was a King who had conquered! Guess what Jesus will ride on the next time He comes to Jerusalem?

- This time, He rides in offering an opportunity to receive Him as King voluntarily. That is the same truth before us today. People today can make Jesus their King.

- He can reign in our hearts and we can spend our days learning to live under His gracious rule. For those who resist, there will come a time when there will be no other choice!

• Matthew 21:6,7 : "So the disciples went and did as Jesus commanded them. They brought the donkey and the colt, laid their clothes on them, and set Him on them." : Matthew doesn't tell us what happened. He tells us that they went and got the animals, but does not elaborate from there.

- Both Mark and Luke tell us that they went and were in fact confronted by the owners as they were untying the animals. When they told them the magic words, the owners immediately let them go.

- When they brought these animals, they took their outer cloaks and they laid them on the donkey. Jesus was then set upon their clothing.

• Matthew 21:8-11 : "And a very great multitude spread their clothes on the road; others cut down branches from the trees and spread them on the road. Then the multitudes who went before and those who followed cried out, saying: 'Hosanna to the Son of David! ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’ Hosanna in the highest!' And when He had come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, 'Who is this?' So the multitudes said, 'This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth of Galilee.'" : As Jesus began His ascent onto the mount of Jerusalem, the multitudes of people followed the example of the disciples.

- They took their clothes and placed them on the road before Christ. When clothes ran out, the people took palm frawns and laid them out so that His donkey's feet would not touch the ground.

- There was such reverance and hope as Jesus came into town. The multitudes raised up their voice in celebration of their Christ, the one that they had put their national hope in.

- Thye said, "Hosanna to the Son of David." The word "hosanna" means, "Save now!" They wanted His salvation to be manifested then and there, in that time!

- They imagined a political coup and the re-elevation of the fame of Jerusalem. Jesus was the Son, the direct descendant of David, the greatest of Israel's Kings after all!

- They cried out "Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord" meaning, congratulations to the man that God is going to restore the Kingdom to.

- This was a quote from one of the Messianic Psalms, Psalm 118, which was sung on the way to Jerusalem and was being applied to Jesus.

- There was genuine excitement, but complete misunderstanding! These people wanted change. They wanted Jesus to overthrow the Romans.

- Far from their hearts and minds was Christ's true mission: To bridge the gap between a holy God and a wholly sinful nation.

- They were excited about the potential that Jesus had as a Savior of their making. This is not so different from what we see today.

- People come to Christ so that He can fix their lives. They come because they imagine a life with no problems. Whatever they believe about Christ, in many, their imagination drives them.

- When Jesus does not meet their expections, like these crowds, their words turn from worship and allegiance to something quite different

- Inside the city, the people who observe the multitude had a bit of a different reaction.

- The NKJV says that they were "moved." The NLT says that the whole city was stirred as He entered. The same word is used in other places to describe fear and an earthquake!

- The people stood in fear. They asked about Jesus. The multitudes said this was the Prophet from Nazareth. This was not the most impressive title, but it was accurate!

• Matthew 21:12,13 : "Then Jesus went into the temple of God and drove out all those who bought and sold in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves. And He said to them, 'It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you have made it a ‘den of thieves.'" : Jesus, the Son of God, came into the temple and His eyes saw a gross sight. He saw merchandising and exploitation.

- While this is the first time that Matthew records this, it was not the first time that it had happened. At the beginning of Christ's ministry, He had cleansed the temple.

- Three years later and it had not changed fundamentally.

- Those who would have entered that holy place would have been bombarded with opportunistic, temple-approved salesmen, many of whom were related to priests.

- The scene would have been a nightmare for those who hate crowds. Hundreds of thousands of the people from all over Israel would form a single file line on the way up to Jerusalem.

- The main entrance would bring you into what is called the "Court Of The Gentiles." This was a large area, where anyone could be. It was a chaotic place to be.

- You had to deal first with your money. Common money with Roman images could not be used because it was defiled. The money changers gave you approved temple money.

- Most would travel a long distance to worship, so bringing an animal for sacrifice would have been out of the question. Most brought money to purchase "pre-approved" lamb.

- If you happened to bring your own lamb, it was a fair bet that it would be found to be not quite spotless enough. A temple lamb was sold to you at Amusement Park prices!

- One could imagine the atmosphere being loud and contentious. This sounds more like an open air market, with the sounds of thousands of people bartering and bickering!

- Jesus saw the corruption, exploitation and the merchandising of God's people and He would not have it! This is the passion of the Christ, who knows what God’s house is meant to be.

- What we see here from Jesus is the very heart of God toward His people.

- Here are His people, who desire to come to Him and bring their offering. Their heart's desire is to worship Him.

- God is so passionate about His people, He just wants to get those obstacles out of the way!

- This is what He thinks about sin and things that distract us from our walk with Him. He so badly wants to bless His people, that anything that would keep them from it, He wants out!

- I would wish that we had the same attitude. I pray that we wouldn't tolerate any attitude or distraction, that keeps us from God's very best.

- Sadly, men often turn houses of prayer into homes for thieves!

- Jesus quotes here from Jeremiah 7:11. In that chapter, Jeremiah indicts the people of God for their attitude when coming into the temple.

• Jeremiah 7:8-11 : “Behold, you trust in lying words that cannot profit. Will you steal, murder, commit adultery, swear falsely, burn incense to Baal, and walk after other gods whom you do not know, and then come and stand before Me in this house which is called by My name, and say, ‘We are delivered to do all these abominations’? Has this house, which is called by My name, become a den of thieves in your eyes? Behold, I, even I, have seen it,’ says the Lord.”

- They have treated God with disrespect. His house was meant to be a place where prayer would take place. The religious leaders used the coming to His house as a pretense to rip people off!

- They set up and made prey out of the people of God and Jesus was not going to take it!

• Matthew 21:14-17 : "Then the blind and the lame came to Him in the temple, and He healed them. But when the chief priests and scribes saw the wonderful things that He did, and the children crying out in the temple and saying, 'Hosanna to the Son of David!' they were indignant and said to Him, 'Do You hear what these are saying?' And Jesus said to them, 'Yes. Have you never read, ‘Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants You have perfected praise’?' Then He left them and went out of the city to Bethany, and He lodged there." : Jesus has cleansed the temple and now He begins to touch the people. The lame, the blind were all healed. These were "wonderful things" but not wonderful to the chief priests and scribes.

- The children were screaming out the truth. They had heard the crowd and listened to what was being said. Now, these children are loudly making proclamations, as kids do.

- The religious leaders were angry because in their eyes, this man, and He was only a man, was not stopping people from saying these blasphemous things in the temple.

- Jesus is doing what the Messiah would do, but He was a poor Nazarene. The religious leaders, predisposed to non-belief, will not let any proof change their hearts.

- It's amazing that this is still the case: The Lord does wonderful things in the lives of His people, but those who observe, refuse to believe!

• Matthew 21:18,19 : "Now in the morning, as He returned to the city, He was hungry. And seeing a fig tree by the road, He came to it and found nothing on it but leaves, and said to it, 'Let no fruit grow on you ever again.' Immediately the fig tree withered away." : Jesus is on His way back in, looking for a bite, when He comes to this fig tree.

- From a distance, this tree would have looked like a tree that would have been ripe for picking. Having come to it, there were no figs at all. It just looked like one.

- Jesus cursed this tree and it withered away. This is not a divine hunger induced tantrum.

- This is a spiritual illustration: Jesus has shown Himself to the people of Jerusalem.

- There was not a place on earth that had more privilege. They had the law. They had the greatest scholars, priests and scribes.

- As a result, they had a reputation all over the world as being the center of Judaism on earth. They had the reputation of being alive.

- When you walked the walk toward Jerusalem, one would believe the hype. The city was beautiful, the temple was lovely, but when their Messiah showed up, they rejected Him.

- The life that they looked like they had was merely an illusion. Jesus condemns this city by taking out this fig tree. There is another passage that we need to look at that sheds further light.

- Turn over to Luke 13. Jesus gives an enlightening parable.

• Luke 13:6-9 : "He also spoke this parable: 'A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came seeking fruit on it and found none. Then he said to the keeper of his vineyard, ‘Look, for three years I have come seeking fruit on this fig tree and find none. Cut it down; why does it use up the ground?’ But he answered and said to him, ‘Sir, let it alone this year also, until I dig around it and fertilize it. And if it bears fruit, well. But if not, after that you can cut it down.'"

- Jesus in cursing the fig tree, is telling the world that Jerusalem has had it. He had come and given them a chance to show fruit and they had not borne any.

- This tree, the nation of Israel was seeing the beginning of the end. This city was doomed to lose it's reputation. Soon, Christ's church would rise and become the center for Jesus worship.

• Matthew 21:20-22 : "And when the disciples saw it, they marveled, saying, 'How did the fig tree wither away so soon?' So Jesus answered and said to them, 'Assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, but also if you say to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ it will be done. And whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive.'" : It's hard to imagine that the disciples could marvel at anything, but the fig tree was a dramatic presentation.

- Jesus said that the power was within them to see the same things done because of their connection with Him.

- They asked the wrong question in my mind, as they asked how, rather than why. The how refers to the faith that was active in them. Jesus was giving this to them.

- It would be their privilege to have the power to see the impossible happen.

- The power of faith can never be understated. Disciples who have a desire to follow the will of the Lord have promises that will show the greatest power.

- Today, that has not changed. You and I are conduits that others receive the life and testimony of Christ through.

- Christ's same power is alive in us, because He is alive in us! The religious system of Judaism has been rendered powerless by the Lord to affectively bring the life of God to people.

- That job has been given to you and me, the church! Therefore, we have this power.

Conclusion

- As we close, we do well to note the warning. Jerusalem had been given a wonderful privilege that they squandered. They missed their Messiah and do miss Him today.

- Their halls were like their lives, crowded with distractions and hollow pursuits that blinded them to the Lord's will in their lives.

- Even when Christ cleared things out, they just brought them back in, and formed a barricade to the nations, instead of forming a bridge to the Lord.

- Let us be wise with the life that we have. Let us ask the Lord to identify areas of distraction and loyalty that would keep Him from working through our lives, and allowing His power to flow.

Thursday Night Bible Study

Exodus 15:22-27

"Marah Carries" • 12.9.10 • Calvary Christian Fellowship, Thursday Night Bible Study

Intro.

- The Red Sea is now behind them. There had been a miraculous display of God's power and judgment upon the Egyptian armies that pursued the people of God.

- When the Israeli's saw dead Egyptians washing up on the shore, they knew that God had won the war and that they would never have to worry about their cruel slave masters again.

- They sang deep into the night and celebrated their past, as well as their future. From there it was time to start walking toward the promised land, which is where we find them.

- The history of the people of Israel has been preserved, so that we might be confronted with stories that closely resemble situations that we might face.

- They are written for our example, given that we might walk more closely to Christ. Let's dig in.

Text

• Exodus 15:22,23 : "So Moses brought Israel from the Red Sea; then they went out into the Wilderness of Shur. And they went three days in the wilderness and found no water. Now when they came to Marah, they could not drink the waters of Marah, for they were bitter. Therefore the name of it was called Marah." Having looked on the map, it seems like a small jaunt down to Marah, but when you are moving 2 million people, in the hot desert sun, it does take time, especialy when you are looking for water.

- The wilderness of Shur was the farthest reach of the Egypt's kingdom. Some form of barricade or walls stood there to ward off hostile desert dwellers.

- The problem has become a lack of drinking water for the people. Whatever supplies they had brought, had been minimal, as they left Egypt with haste. Now, they have nothing left of their reserve.

- How does one actually find water out in the wilderness? I always assumed that you needed one of those trusty sticks! There are actually several ways to find water.

- There is the dig, usually around any kind of plant life. Plants can actually have water within them, such as the cactus. Sometimes the crags of rocks can collect enough dew to get a little drink.

- I read this week, that one can actually sponge the dew from a plant and drink. And if worse comes to worse, I saw the survivor man filter his own urine! There you go!

- But we are talking about finding water for a massive group of people. This would need to be an abundant source, such as a large stream.

- As they went, they found nothing. Now, let's remember a few things here. They had the presence of God with them, leading them along the way. They are not alone out there.

- God was leading them, even in that dry period. He had not left them.

- Often, when we walk with the Lord, we are prone to believe that dry spells are abnormal. We wonder: "Has God left us?" Not at all.

- However, He often allows us to walk and to deal with lack, whether it be for physical water in their lives, or blessing and favor in our own. They found no water.

- There will be times when we say the same thing. We have searched and searched and have not found what we have need of.

- Water is essential for survival. If you have nothing else, but water, you can make it. They are running on empty here, dangerously close to the edge.

- They finally come upon Marah and water is seen, but the water was too salty or what they today call "brackish." It was appropriately named for the experience.

- It must have been heartbreaking for the people of Israel, as they finally come upon water, only to discover it's non-potability.

• Exodus 15:24 : "And the people complained against Moses, saying, 'What shall we drink?'" : We'll see this over and over again in the life and times of Moses' tenure as leader of the people of God. The people will murmur against him over and over again.

- Why did they complain against Moses? It was God who was leading them! It was God who was moving them through the desert.

- Instead of complaining, why did they not just cry out to the Lord? Why not call for a time of prayer where they would ask the Lord to bless them and provide for them?

- They complain against Moses because that is always easier to do! Find some person, especially a leader and make them suffer!

- Instead of crying out to God, which they could easily have done, they chose to complain against Moses, not realizing that doing so was actually to complain against the Lord.

- God had chosen this trial of faith for them. Moses was thirsty as well!

- "What shall we drink Moses!? What are you going to do about this? We can't go on without water MOSES!!"

- We can complain against our spouses, our employers, our neighbors, or our situations. It's better to go straight to the Lord and cry out to Him!

• Exodus 15:25a : "So he cried out to the Lord, and the Lord showed him a tree. When he cast it into the waters, the waters were made sweet. " : Moses does the best thing. When the complaints rise, he cries...out to God! Every time that this word is used, there is a sense of desperation surrounding it.

- "God I need you to answer me!" The leader of God's people can only lead when he is lead!

- Moses was not an independant agent, working daily to determine direction. He was working co-operatively with the Lord.

- When he cried out, the Lord answered him, this time, by showing him a tree. It's difficult to determine from the original language, just what sort of tree this was.

- Various translations have various words. Some translate it branch, log, twig, etc. The idea is that it was a part of a tree and the tree changed the bitter waters and made them sweet or pleasant.

- The tree had the affect of reversing the taste of the waters to it's exact opposite, from bitter to sweet. Is there a tree that does that?

- I read this week of a tree that could have grown in that area, that has this exact type of effect. It's called the Moringa Oleifera.

- Scientists have been studying this tree since the 70's and are currently looking to this as a viable solution for drinking water crises in Sudan and the surrounding regions.

˚ "When moringa seeds are crushed and poured into a pot or bottle of dirty water, the water turns transparent within seconds. The seeds' anti-bacterial properties can turn low, medium, and high turbidity waters into tap-water quality in an hour or two."[i]

- As we saw last week, the Lord used an east wind that blew the entire night to separate the waters of the Red Sea. Could He have used this tree or one similar? Absolutely.

- Could it have been a regular tree? Absolutely! Moses could have thrown anything in the water and God could have used it! The fact is that God chose to use a tree.

- Trees are quite important throughout the Word of God. It was at a tree in the book of Genesis where Man lost his innocence, sinned and began to die.

- It's at a tree where man will have His hope restored when Christ is crucified. And, there is a third tree that we'll find in heaven, whose leaves will be for the healing of the nations!

- From this, we can see just how vital this picture is. Let's deal with it this way: There was a real problem where drinking water was scarce. This tree, however it was used, affected change.

- His creativity and power to create change in our lives, using something that would not have occurred to us, will ever stand as a testimony to His provision in our lives.

- Speaking typically, there are a few points theologically that we might take from this passage. First, it would take a tree to reverse the affects of the bitterness that had been their lives.

- It would be the cross of Calvary that would effectively take the bitterness of our existence, the slavery that once overpowered us, and reverse it all by making it sweet.

- Only the cross of Christ, the place where love and justice meet, where sin is judged, can a person find a life where the most bitter of experiences will yield to the sweetness of the life in God.

- That is what the the Lord can do when He introduced into a life. Now, I feel that there is one more thing that we need to grab from this section.

- When Christ has come into our lives, when we have appropriated the power of the tree of redemption, sweetness needs to come from our lives.

- If our hearts have changed, then our lives and lips will prove that. I'm often surprised at how much of a challenge this can be, especially in the area of my mouth.

- There are days when it seems that only criticism, sarcasm and vitriol escape my lips! Perhaps you can relate.

- Even further, I am surprised at many who have no problem uttering language that a generation ago, would have been uttered only under extreme duress!

- The cross is meant to bring blessing and sweetness out of our lives as the rule!

- I would challenge us all to consider this point further. Is there a sweetness coming from my life? Has there been a change? Can other drink from this fountain without making a sour face?

• Exodus 15:25b,26 : "There He made a statute and an ordinance for them, and there He tested them, and said, 'If you diligently heed the voice of the Lord your God and do what is right in His sight, give ear to His commandments and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you which I have brought on the Egyptians. For I am the Lord who heals you.'" : God used this occasion to bring out a law, to lay down some conditions.

- There are things that they, being God's people, need to live by. What God was about to say was an ordinance for them to keep.

- It was at the waters of Marah that God proved them, allowing them to see their character. Do you realize that this is the reason that He allows us to come to Marah?

- He knows what is in our hearts. He sees our deficiencies. Unfortunately, we do not, so we need a test to reveal that to us. We need to understand that trying times reveal our true heart!

- The principle that God is about to expose to them begins with His Word.

- We would do well to heed this command as a principle for our lives. It begins with diligently heeding His voice. In the Hebrew language, there are two words of hearing, set side by side.

- It's as if Moses wrote, "Hear, Hear!" The message is always clear, that obeying God begins with giving yourself to the hearing of His Word.

- We do this corporately twice a week, both in the Old Testament, as well as the New. It's vital for us to do this together. But this is not enough.

- We need to consistently feed on the word of God individually. The importance of taking in His word daily, meditating on what has been written, cannot be understated.

- We are to hear His voice and then do what is right in His sight. There is no mystery here. To hear and then not do, is the same as not having heard at all.

- What is God speaking to you about this week? Have you clearly discerned His Word for your life? Have you done what He has told you? Have you committed to making a change?

- I think that it's interesting that what we hear and what we are called to do is "right in His sight." That is an elemental concept.

- We are called to do things that He considers right. Frankly, they may not make sense to us. They may actually go against our own natural instincts. Do what He says!

- These people, the children of Israel, were to live by every law and statute. If they would do this, God would keep them healthy!

- God's laws, especially those concerning their diet and hygienic practices, did in fact keep them from the bacteria of the world.

- Several of the nations that surrounded Israel faced great dangers from disease because they did not have those same laws. God's law kept them from self-destruction.

- How true this is for our lives! We do not relate to God based on the law of the Old Testament. Dietary, hygienic or sacrificial laws have been fulfilled in Christ.

- However, we do follow the law of love! We do follow as law, the principles of God's Word. We consider things written in the Word to be laws for our hearts.

- When we follow the Word of God, we find that we don't get the diseases of the world! We are kept safe from what often ails them.

- Because He set out these laws, because of His foreknowledge and wisdom, He had become their healer, their physician, by preventative measures!

• Exodus 15:27 : "Then they came to Elim, where there were twelve wells of water and seventy palm trees; so they camped there by the waters." : After their time is Marah, after their testing, came a time of refreshment.

- They came to Elim. The word "Elim" means "Trees." Trees of course need water and in this place, there were 12 wells of water!

- It was a place of abundance that happened out of the place of desperation and lack. It had taken a miracle before just to sustain them. This place was an oasis!

- It would have take a miracle for them to exhaust the resources of Elim!

- I can't help but take note of the principle. Testing has occurred, God has shown them their need for Him and instructed them in how they should live.

- The time was severe and difficult and their hearts have been stretched. Now, God leads them a short distance away to this wonderful place of rest.

- Right around the corner, there is blessing waiting for you. There are seasons of time when God just pours out blessing upon you.

- When we have to dwell in Marah, we never believe that we'll ever leave. After awhile, we do not believe that anything else exists, but the truth is that Elim is our next stop.

- Ayun Musa, the modern name for Elim, still boasts of 12 wells of water today.

- There were 12 wells. One for each tribe. And there were 70 palm trees. One for each elder. God had brought to them to a great place.

- They camped there for some time, many believe that it was about a month.

Conclusion

- God's leading in our lives is a mysterious thing. There will be dry seasons in your life and there will be times of desperation.

- God is allowing you to see something of your own character in those moments. Cry out to Him! Move as close as you can to His heart!

- When He has proven you, know that He also plans times of blessing. He plans for tests and He plans for rest. Keep following Him wherever He leads!

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[i] http://www.creationtips.com/bitter_sweet_water.html