Bible Study WELCOME TO AN IN DEPTH STUDY OF MATTHEW'S GOSPEL.

[Chopper]

April 12th 2016 Matthew 19:27-30 I Want To Be First.

Matthew 19:27 "Then answered Peter and said unto him, Behold, we have forsaken all, and followed thee; what shall we have therefore?
19:28 And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That ye which have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
19:29 And every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name's sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life.
19:30 But many that are first shall be last; and the last shall be first."

In all my experience, I have found that Christians have a desire to become first in most of their endeavors. Success in this world has to do with being the most popular and being first not last. I remember a coach of a football team tell his players, "Winning is everything, loosing is nothing."

I remember most of all an experience I had when I was called to be the Pastor of a Baptist Church in Massachusetts. I moved from Maine to Mass. in 1982. When I arrived, a small group of men were there to help me unload my furniture and belongings. One in particular named Nick, was all over himself being friendly and helpful. Even after we had moved in, Nick was there at the parsonage with lots of help and fellowship.

Nick wanted to be number one in my book and I did need his help and we were together quite a bit with different projects. It wasn't long before I noticed one Elder who thought he was number one and wanted to force himself on some of my belief's as different from his.

Number one!! When you are popular, there are folk who want to be on your side because that makes them popular as well. I don't think the Disciples were any different. They may have been a little jealous of John who seemed closer to Jesus. Certainly Peter, James and John were picked by Jesus as special.

During the time period that Jesus and His Disciples were functioning, there had always been the attitude of the Scribes and Pharisees, and other Leaders of Israel that they were the most important people. The Disciples were the base kind of people, fishermen, laborers, a dirty bunch compared to the elite leaders of Judaism. That's bad enough, but the Leaders treated the lower class of people like the Disciples like they were last, the very low class of poor humans.

V. 30 is one of the greatest instructions from Jesus the Son of God. It is a pathway of the straight and narrow road that leads to the Kingdom. Like the Rich Man, who thought he was a number one kind of guy, figured that in all his accomplishments and grand position in life should grant him a special place where Jesus is headed. When Jesus told him that he must forsake all of his fame and fortune, and become poor and last like He and His followers were, the Rich Man could not lower himself to that level.

I have wondered, as I have witnessed to quite a few "well to do" folk in the past, if they viewed Christianity as a lower class of people restricted to a no fun existence.

Jesus said the He didn't come to earth to be served. A wealthy person basks in people waiting hand and foot on their every need. Can that type of person give that up, and instead, serve other people's needs? NOT!! That's why it's so hard for a rich man to pass thru a needle to the Kingdom, he can't do it, or won't do it.

The Last shall be First. We are here to serve others, not to have others serve us. One day, we'll enter the Kingdom of God. The New Jerusalem. There, the Last will become First. Our sacrifices today will be forwarded to the Kingdom, where our reward is. Rewards are not received in this life. We must continue to be last, a servant like Jesus, and He will be our Reward first and after that, He will, according to our "works" repay those struggles that was in this life.

 

[reba]

and the said AMEN

 

[RevSRE]

The Last shall be First. We are here to serve others, not to have others serve us. One day, we'll enter the Kingdom of God. The New Jerusalem. There, the Last will become First. Our sacrifices today will be forwarded to the Kingdom, where our reward is. Rewards are not received in this life. We must continue to be last, a servant like Jesus, and He will be our Reward first and after that, He will, according to our "works" repay those struggles that was in this life.

Chopper,
Here is a question for you. I read that the first, Israel, (Paul said he took the gospel to Israel first then the the gentile) when we get to the Kingdom Israel will be last and the "Saved by Grace" the Church will be first. Only the Church is made that promise That we will be a Royal Priest hood and rule With Jesus. The Question, DO you think Israel who for sure were God's first people will be the ones called last? That Israel will be there but in a place of service not to rule.

The Rich man is not condemned BECAUSE HE IS RICH, I knew a very rich man that did not live that way.
We were at summer christian camp, we wanted to put on a special program, but we needed to build a set for the play. We went to this church member and explained what we needed, his business was building and construction, we asked for some scrap to build our set. He sent a crew and NEW. material they built a beautiful set. He attended our presentation. He lived a Christ first life!

 

[reba]

Rom_5:17 For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.)
Rule what do you mean by rule.. We are going to hold court, maybe judge others if so for what...

Exo 19:5 Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine:
Exo 19:6 And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel.

 

[Malachi]

The Question, DO you think Israel who for sure were God's first people will be the ones called last? That Israel will be there but in a place of service not to rule.

When Israel is redeemed and restored, it will be the leading nation under Christ on earth. Israel will not "rule" as such but be blessed above all other nations on earth. At the same time the Church (the Wife of the Lamb) will live and reign with Christ.

 

[reba]

What do the scripture say about marrying a wife one has divorced for adultery?

Jer_3:8 And I saw, when for all the causes whereby backsliding Israel committed adultery I had put her away, and given her a bill of divorce; yet her treacherous sister Judah feared not, but went and played the harlot also.

 

[Malachi]

19:30 But many that are first shall be last; and the last shall be first

The principles of the Kingdom of God are the opposite of the principles of the kingdoms of this world. This is one of those paradoxical principles. The apostles were all simple, unlearned men who trusted Christ but were despised by the religious leaders of Israel (as was Christ). When Christ establishes His Kingdom on earth those same apostles will be rulers and judges of Israel, whereas the ones who had all the privileges on earth will be in Hell. Hence the "twelve thrones".

But there is an application for Christians also. Those who are in the public eye and lauded for their many accomplishments may find that they are the least in the Kingdom, whereas the ones who were insignificant on earth may play leading roles in God's eternal Kingdom. As Chopper says, we should not be looking for rewards on earth, since they are reserved for eternity.

 

[Chopper]

Chopper,
Here is a question for you. I read that the first, Israel, (Paul said he took the gospel to Israel first then the the gentile) when we get to the Kingdom Israel will be last and the "Saved by Grace" the Church will be first. Only the Church is made that promise That we will be a Royal Priest hood and rule With Jesus. The Question, DO you think Israel who for sure were God's first people will be the ones called last? That Israel will be there but in a place of service not to rule.

The Rich man is not condemned BECAUSE HE IS RICH, I knew a very rich man that did not live that way.
We were at summer christian camp, we wanted to put on a special program, but we needed to build a set for the play. We went to this church member and explained what we needed, his business was building and construction, we asked for some scrap to build our set. He sent a crew and NEW. material they built a beautiful set. He attended our presentation. He lived a Christ first life!

Yours is an interesting question Stephen. Without doing a lot of in depth study on the subject, I'll state just what I believe so far.... Israel is a separate group of God's people until they get saved, Once saved, they are a part of Christ's Church. During the Tribulation, 144,000 Jewish Evangelists will preach the Gospel to Israel & others. Many Jews will be saved and join the Church, all one in Christ.

So it will be in the Kingdom. The Church of Jesus Christ will be made up of Jew and Gentile, all Believers in Christ Jesus.

 

[Chopper]

What do the scripture say about marrying a wife one has divorced for adultery?

Jer_3:8 And I saw, when for all the causes whereby backsliding Israel committed adultery I had put her away, and given her a bill of divorce; yet her treacherous sister Judah feared not, but went and played the harlot also.

I'm sorry Reba for not answering your question until now. Israel and Judah had become unfaithful to YHWH serving other ungodly ways of their neighbors. They were not following God's Commands, Statues and Rules. Therefore just like men, He divorced them, putting them away from their promised homes into captivity into the lands of their idols.

 

[Chopper]

APRIL 21, 2016 MATTHEW 20:1-16 GOD'S SOVEREIGNTY.

Matthew 20:1 For the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an householder, which went out early in the morning to hire labourers into his vineyard.
20:2 And when he had agreed with the labourers for a penny a day, he sent them into his vineyard.
20:3 And he went out about the third hour, and saw others standing idle in the marketplace,
20:4 And said unto them; Go ye also into the vineyard, and whatsoever is right I will give you. And they went their way.
20:5 Again he went out about the sixth and ninth hour, and did likewise.
20:6 And about the eleventh hour he went out, and found others standing idle, and saith unto them, Why stand ye here all the day idle?
20:7 They say unto him, Because no man hath hired us. He saith unto them, Go ye also into the vineyard; and whatsoever is right, that shall ye receive.
20:8 So when even was come, the lord of the vineyard saith unto his steward, Call the labourers, and give them their hire, beginning from the last unto the first.
20:9 And when they came that were hired about the eleventh hour, they received every man a penny.
20:10 But when the first came, they supposed that they should have received more; and they likewise received every man a penny.
20:11 And when they had received it, they murmured against the goodman of the house,
20:12 Saying, These last have wrought but one hour, and thou hast made them equal unto us, which have borne the burden and heat of the day.
20:13 But he answered one of them, and said, Friend, I do thee no wrong: didst not thou agree with me for a penny?
20:14 Take that thine is, and go thy way: I will give unto this last, even as unto thee.
20:15 Is it not lawful for me to do what I will with mine own? Is thine eye evil, because I am good?
20:16 So the last shall be first, and the first last: for many be called, but few chosen.

The Sovereignty is a very important attribute of YHWH. Sovereignty plays a part of many important doctrines that are presented to Christians. If we don't fully understand how Sovereignty works, so much of the ways of Jesus the Son of God will be mis-interpreted....20:15 "Is it not lawful for me to do what I will with mine own?" This is an important message to all of us. God owns everything!!

We might think that something is unfair, but we need to see things from God's Own standpoint. I fear sometimes that we forget that God's ways and thoughts are not our ways and thoughts. His ways and thoughts are far above ours. It is only thru the arrogance of mankind that we think we have the answers when we don't!

These workers were grumbling against the owner because the last got the same amount of money as the first. This is a lesson to us that folk who get saved late in life will receive the Kingdom blessings like those who have been saved 50 years.

 

[Deborah13]

is a lesson to us that folk who get saved late in life will receive the Kingdom blessings like those who have been saved 50 years.

I agree that is a good interpretation. Still I wonder how this parable, that was spoken to the Jews, is specific to them and their way of thinking about their relationship to God and to Jesus. How do the hours of the day relate to this?

 

[Chopper]

I agree that is a good interpretation. Still I wonder how this parable, that was spoken to the Jews, is specific to them and their way of thinking about their relationship to God and to Jesus. How do the hours of the day relate to this?

I think Jesus was referring to the Scribes and Pharisees. They thought they were number one in God's book and that Israel would certainly be the Leaders in the Kingdom. WRONG!!

 

[Malachi]

20:12 Saying, These last have wrought but one hour, and thou hast made them equal unto us, which have borne the burden and heat of the day.

We see here a display of God's grace, and that God is no respector of persons. Humanly speaking, these men did not deserve what they received. And that tells us that none of us deserve God's grace, yet it is freely available to all through Christ. Thus grace is described as God's undeserved and unmerited love, kindness, and mercy to sinners of every stripe.

 

[Malachi]

I think Jesus was referring to the Scribes and Pharisees. They thought they were number one in God's book and that Israel would certainly be the Leaders in the Kingdom. WRONG!!

Correct. Wrong at the first coming, but not wrong at the second coming of Christ. Nonetheless, all Jews at that future time will mourn, repent, be converted, and receive Christ as Lord and Savior. It is only then that Israel will be the leading nation in the Kingdom of God on earth. But Israel must first be redeemed and restored. Today there is no Jew or Gentile in God's sight, for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.

 

[Deborah13]

I think Jesus was referring to the Scribes and Pharisees. They thought they were number one in God's book and that Israel would certainly be the Leaders in the Kingdom. WRONG!!

I agree that the Scribes and Pharisees thought this way and that is what they taught the people.
Adam Clarke, in his commentary, writes about the hours in the parable, it's interesting.

 

[Jethro Bodine]

I agree that the Scribes and Pharisees thought this way and that is what they taught the people.
Adam Clarke, in his commentary, writes about the hours in the parable, it's interesting.

How offensive it must have been to them to be told that tax collectors and prostitutes are not only receiving the very same kingdom they are sure they are first and foremost in, but that they were even entering into it before them.

'The first shall be last; and the last shall be first' is a very deep, multi-layered truth that starts all the way back in Genesis with Cain and Abel.

 

[RevSRE]

I know may will disagree, But I feel (In my Opinion) This has been taught wrong since Augustine. Calvinism is the grandchild of Gnosticism, included in Christian thought by Augustine. This is a subject that we need to very seriously RECONSIDER.
God in His own time decided to make man for fellowship, a creature able and willing to by choice come to Fellowship with GOD.

Did God need man? NO!
Did man in any way add to or complete God? NO!
God made man because He wanted too.

In the beginning God created the heaven and earth and it was good.
God created man and woman and it was good.
The next point we jump to in the study is man disobeying God. And we often come to some, I think, unfounded conclusions. Possibly we need to start with WHY God created all the world and Mankind in the first place. We need this foundation before we get to the fall and a medieval intermix of ideas from many sources.

Which point do we need as the basis, the foundation of our theology?

1. God created Man for Fellowship and gave man “The Image of God” so he could truly fellowship with God. Man has to have enough of the “Image of God” to Truly Commune with and Relate to God. Man was made to Rule with Dominion over the earth. God gave man enough free will so that he could and has the right to make choices on his own, and God will honor the choices.

2. God from eternity knew man would sin, creation and God’s plan was to provide a foundation for the plan of saving Grace. When Adam disobeyed God he became totally depraved and cannot come to God by choice. Man has no free will or a will so corrupted that he cannot use it to know God.

But this thing commanded I them, saying, Obey my voice, and I will be your God, and ye shall be my people: Jer_7:23

We so often look at the creation and jump right to Adam disobeying God that we miss the point of the story, and the foundation of all the rest of our understanding and theology.

The question has been asked, “Why did God create the world and man if He knew man would sin?” Like so many questions this one may be placing the emphasis in the wrong place.

Look at a few ideas that may help us understand.

1. The universe, the milky way, our solar system, the Earth were made by God for MAN to have a home, A place where God and Man could fellowship. God, self-existent, eternal, Holy, unchanging, all knowing, sovereign, made the world and man because HE WANTED TOO. God was making a creature for fellowship, love, and service. Someone to commune with, this fellowship, I think, is the key!

2. God did not gain from, have too, need too make man. All this is about fellowship. Fellowship with a creature that could and would choose to fellowship with Him.

3. God is self-existent (eternity, space and time, exist in the self-existent God). He does not live in eternity, minute by minute, day by day, God INHABITS eternity, self-existent, NOW. All of eternity, every second of time, is now present before God. Yes, He saw the broad way, He saw the choices people would make, not to love and obey and fellowship with Him. Yes, He saw all the ones that by free choice would choose not to love or know Him. God gave man enough free will so that he could and has the right to make choices on his own, and God will honor the choices. IS 57:15

4. But, so long ago when God looked at eternity He saw the ones that choose to love Him. Yes, He saw the narrow way that few find, He saw all our sins and failures. But, He looked beyond all that and saw fellowship with the ones that choose to follow Him. He saw in eternity that there would be some that elect by their free moral choice to serve and fellowship with Him.

5. Yes, He saw His holiness and righteousness and He knew the price of man’s sin would have to be paid. Yes, He saw the Cross. Before time He knew He would go to that old rugged cross in my place…HE DID IT ANYWAY!


I do not know where in your theology you need to place this, but it is a fact of the Bible story, The Relation between God and man is FELLOWSHIP not Grace! Grace comes later to fix a problem and restore fellowship.

Some say man cannot have a free will because the sovereignty of God would be limited. Nothing can happen that is not the will of God. OK, God’s will is that the creature in His world can choose to serve Him or not.

Religion has resulted in the invention of a new meaning for the word "sovereign," which basically means God controls everything. Nothing can happen but what He wills or allows. However, there is nothing in the actual definition that states that. The dictionary defines "sovereign" as, "1. Paramount; supreme. 2. Having supreme rank or power. 3. Independent: a sovereign state. 4. Excellent." None of these definitions means that God controls everything.

It is assumed that since God is paramount or supreme that nothing can happen without His approval. That is not what the Scriptures teach. In 2 Peter 3:9, Peter said, "The Lord is...not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance." This clearly states that it is not the Lord's will for anyone to perish, but people are perishing. Jesus said, "Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leads to destruction, and many there be which go in there at" (Matt. 7:13). Relatively few people are saved compared to the number that are lost. God's will for people concerning salvation is not being accomplished.The Sovereignty Of God By Andrew Wommack

The “Not” and all that follows from people not obeying God is the result of people choosing to disobey God, using a free will choice that God gave them. How important is that choice? God seeing eternity, knowing some would choose the world and not obey Him, Then looking to all who would obey and fellowship with Him, loved us so much,

EVEN SEEING THE CROSS; HE ALLOWED FREE WILL CHOICE ANYWAY!

Everyone in Gods eternal Kingdom will be there because they chose to be, It is all about fellowship with God, CHOOSING to FELLOWSHIP WITH GOD!

 

[Chopper]

I agree that the Scribes and Pharisees thought this way and that is what they taught the people.
Adam Clarke, in his commentary, writes about the hours in the parable, it's interesting.

Hi Deb. You were absent for a while, and I want you to know that I missed you and I'm so very glad to see your posts once again. You are one of my favorite people. I have come to know how valuable your wisdom in the Scriptures is to me. I still thirst so much for knowledge in Spiritual matters, and you have supplied so much of that to my heart.

Bless you my Dear Sister. I love you so very much.

 

[Malachi]

Religion has resulted in the invention of a new meaning for the word "sovereign," which basically means God controls everything.

Absolutely correct. The meaning of sovereignty has been totally distorted in order to accommodate the doctrines of men. God is indeed sovereign over this universe, Christ does indeed have all power and authority in this universe, yet God ALLOWS men and angels to make choices, whether righteous or unrighteous. The Law of Sowing and Reaping ensures that every choice receives its just reward.

With reference to the OP, the apostles chose to follow Christ and forsake their nets (and other occupations), and will sit on thrones in Christ's Kingdom. The scribes and Pharisees chose to disregard God's judgement against themselves, and will suffer in eternal Hell (the Lake of Fire).

 

[Deborah13]

Hi Deb. You were absent for a while, and I want you to know that I missed you and I'm so very glad to see your posts once again. You are one of my favorite people. I have come to know how valuable your wisdom in the Scriptures is to me. I still thirst so much for knowledge in Spiritual matters, and you have supplied so much of that to my heart.

Bless you my Dear Sister. I love you so very much.

I love you too, Pastor Chopper. Someday I will be happy to wait my turn in line to give you a great big hug.