Chapter 35

WE ARE BLESSED

(Matthew 11:1-6)

 

          Before we begin let us pray and ask our Heavenly Father for His blessing upon this study.

 

          Dear Holy Father, Almighty God.

                    We come before You in the Name of Your only begotten Son, Jesus Christ. Father please open our eyes, our ears and our heart so we can truly see, hear and accept the things You are teaching us. Holy Father please bless this study and exploration of Your Word.

Amen

 

INTRODUCTION

          We begin our study by reading what Jesus once said to the disciples of John the Baptist as recorded in,

 

Matthew 11:1-6

"[1] After Jesus had finished instructing his twelve disciples, he went on from there to teach and preach in the towns of Galilee. [2] When John heard in prison what Christ was doing, he sent his disciples [3] to ask him, "Are you the one who was to come, or should we expect someone else?" [4] Jesus replied, "Go back and report to John what you hear and see: [5] The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor. [6] Blessed is the man who does not fall away on account of me.""

 

          Before we move on, let us reread verse 6 as translated in the; “New American Standard Bible (NASB):

[6] And blessed is he who does not take offense at Me.”

 

          As one reflects upon the above discourse the question may arise as to what Jesus meant when He said: "Blessed is he who is not offended or falls away because of Him?" To address this question we will:

          1. Examine one of the main reasons why the majority of the Israelites did not recognize or accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.

 

          2. Review the Biblical meaning of being blessed and then we will review why the born-again believers in Jesus Christ are blessed.

 

With this introduction in mind we begin our study with,

 

THE EXAMPLE OF THE ISRAELITES

          To gain some insight as to why the majority of the Israelites did not recognize or accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior we will,

          1. Review what Jesus once said to some of the Jews who believed in Him.

          2. Review some of the symptoms that expose the sin of hypocrisy.

 

For this portion of our study we start by reading,

 

JESUS’ INTERCHANGE WITH SOME OF THE JEWS

          In reading the following passage in the Gospel according to John we find Jesus was speaking to some of the Jews who believed in Him.

          Even though in previous studies we explored this interchange, it is worth our while to do it again. The reason for this is because Jesus was talking to those who believed Him. Thus, this conversation may be relevant to some of those who also believe in what He said. That being said, let us read from,

 

John 8:31-47

"[31] To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, "If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. [32] Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."

 

Let us notice the following verses,

          31 … If we abide or hold to Jesus' teachings, that is believe and do what Jesus says, then we are His disciples.

 

          32 … If we abide or hold to Jesus' teachings, then the truth will set us free.

Let us now read the following verse,

 

[33] They answered him, "We are Abraham's descendants and have never been slaves of anyone. How can you say that we shall be set free?"

 

          33 … Upon hearing Jesus' Words, the Jews took offense. They assumed that Jesus was telling them they were slaves to the Romans. We must remember that at this time in Israel's history the Romans had conquered and occupied the territory of the Israelites. However, as one reads Josephus'¹ account of the Roman occupation of Israel, one discovers that the Romans allowed the Jews to maintain their religious customs, beliefs and traditions. We also discover that according to Josephus, many of the Jewish people constantly rebelled against the Roman authorities. To see that Jesus was not speaking of physical bondage or slavery but of spiritual slavery to sin, let us read the following verses,

[34] Jesus replied, "I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. [35] Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. [36] So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. [37] I know you are Abraham's descendants. Yet you are ready to kill me, because you have no room for my word. [38] I am telling you what I have seen in the Father's presence, and you do what you have heard from your father."

 

Let us notice the following verses,

          37 … Jesus told the Jews that He understood they were descendents of Abraham. The implication of this belief of the Jews was that they were God's chosen people. Jesus then told them that even though they were the physical descendents of Abraham they were trying to put Him to death.

          The analogy for those born and raised in a Christian family is that if we do not accept and follow Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, then in effect we are also trying to put Him to death. This would not be a physical death but one that means we do not want to hear or listen or follow Him. In other words, because of the costs we learned about in Chapters 32, 33, and 34 we want Him out of our life, which in effect means for Him to be dead to us.

 

          38a … Jesus told them what He heard and seen from the very God they claimed to believe in.

 

          38b … Jesus clarified the issue by telling them they were doing what they have seen and heard from their father.

 

Let us now read the Jews response,

 

[39a] "Abraham is our father," they answered.

 

Jesus’ response is recorded in the following verses,

 

[39b] …"If you were Abraham's children," said Jesus, "then you would do the things Abraham did. [40] As it is, you are determined to kill me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God. Abraham did not do such things. [41a] You are doing the things your own father does."

 

          39(b)-41(a) … Jesus told the Jews that if Abraham was truly their father then they would do what Abraham did. In other words, Jesus told them that being a physical descendent of Abraham was not enough. They must also be of like mind and spirit. Specifically, Abraham heard, believed and obeyed God the Father. Jesus pointed out that instead of behaving the way Abraham did, which was loving, believing and obeying God, they were seeking to kill Him. Hence, He reminded them that they were doing the deeds of their father that is they have a mind and spirit like his.

 

The Jews response to Jesus is recorded in,

 

[41b] "We are not illegitimate children," they protested. "The only Father we have is God himself."

 

          41(b) … The Jews responded to Jesus' assertion by stating that they only have one father that is God the Father. It is interesting to note that even today many people claim God to be their Father and yet they reject Jesus Christ as the only begotten Son of God and their Lord and Savior.

         

Moving on let us now read how Jesus responded to their claim,

 

[42] Jesus said to them, "If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and now am here. I have not come on my own; but he sent me. [43] Why is my language not clear to you? Because you are unable to hear what I say. [44] You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father's desire. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies. [45] Yet because I tell the truth, you do not believe me! [46] Can any of you prove me guilty of sin? If I am telling the truth, why don't you believe me? [47] He who belongs to God hears what God says. The reason you do not hear is that you do not belong to God."

 

Let us notice the following verses,

          42-43 … Jesus responded to the Jews and now to all those who claim that God is their father by stating the following truth: If God were or is your Father then you would love Him, Jesus Christ. Conversely, the reason a person does not understand, love and obey God's Words is because they do not yet belong to Him.

 

          44(a) … Jesus teaches us that the reason a person will not accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior and abide in His Words is because the God of the Bible is not their father. Instead their father is the devil or Satan. This is why they have the desire to do the works of the evil one.

 

          44(b)-45 … Since the devil is a liar and does not stand in the truth, his followers will not accept the truth of Jesus Christ and His Words.

 

          47 … Jesus summarized His discourse to the Jews that believed in Him by stating that: "He who is of God hears, that is understands, loves and obeys, God's Word."

 

          In other words, Jesus was telling them that they were hypocrites. They claimed to be followers or true believers in the God of the Bible but in fact their belief and faith was only empty works. To see this let us consider the following passage,

 

Mark 7:6-7

"[6] He replied, "Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites; as it is written: "'These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. [7] They worship me in vain; their teachings are but rules taught by men.'"

 

          What is amazing about the above discourse is that the Jews truly thought and believed they were children of God. They were dilligent to offer all the prescribed sacrifices, observe all the special feasts or holy days and worshipped at the prescribed times in the Temple. They read the Scriptures and were careful to observe all the purification rituals. Yet Jesus identified them as hypocrites and of the evil one. Pretty sobering … isn't it?

 

          Given all this one might be concerned about their relationship with God. Specifically, one might wonder whether or not they may be a hypocrite. To assist in assessing this concern let us review,

 

SOME OF THE SYMPTOMS OF HYPOCRISY

          For this study we will briefly review five symptoms of the Israelites', especially the Israelite elders’, hypocrisy.

          1. They continued to worship other gods.

          2. They used religion as a vehicle for monetary, gain.

          3. They sought after one another's glory.

          4. They sought after God's blessings rather than God Himself.

          5. They trusted in their own actions or works.

 

We begin with the,

 

Continued worship of other gods

          This symptom of hypocrisy manifested itself while waiting upon God during times of stress, unpleasantness or the lack of patience. It first appeared during Israel's exodus from Egypt. While waiting for Moses to return from Mount Sinai, the people fell away from trusting in the God of the Bible. Instead they began to look to a false god that was really a man-made golden calf. To see this let us read from,

 

Exodus 32:1-6

"[1] When the people saw that Moses was so long in coming down from the mountain, they gathered around Aaron and said, "Come, make us gods who will go before us. As for this fellow Moses who brought us up out of Egypt, we don't know what has happened to him." [2] Aaron answered them, "Take off the gold earrings that your wives, your sons and your daughters are wearing, and bring them to me." [3] So all the people took off their earrings and brought them to Aaron. [4] He took what they handed him and made it into an idol cast in the shape of a calf, fashioning it with a tool. Then they said, "These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt." [5] When Aaron saw this, he built an altar in front of the calf and announced, "Tomorrow there will be a festival to the LORD." [6] So the next day the people rose early and sacrificed burnt offerings and presented fellowship offerings. Afterward they sat down to eat and drink and got up to indulge in revelry."

 

          To bring this symptom more into today's culture and society we find that many who profess to be Christians worship and serve false gods such as: money, dead "saints", actors/actresses, sports heroes, etc.

 

The second symptom of hypocrisy was,

 

The use of religion as a vehicle for monetary gain

          To see this let us read what happened when Jesus first entered into the Temple area. To do this let us go to,

 

Mark 11:15-18

"[15] On reaching Jerusalem, Jesus entered the temple area and began driving out those who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves, [16] and would not allow anyone to carry merchandise through the temple courts. [17] And as he taught them, he said, "Is it not written: "'My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations'? But you have made it 'a den of robbers.'" [18] The chief priests and the teachers of the law heard this and began looking for a way to kill him, for they feared him, because the whole crowd was amazed at his teaching."

 

          To bring this symptom more into today's society observe the habits or lifestyle of many of the TV televangelists. Consider the spending habits and building programs of many of today's mega churches or all the trinkets and other paraphernalia being sold at inflated prices in “Christian” bookstores.

 

The third symptom of Israel's hypocrisy was,

 

The seeking one another’s glory

          Jesus raised this issue when He spoke to those who looked after and followed the so-called learned men of the Jewish Law rather than seeking and following God. To read what Jesus had to say we go to,

 

John 5:43-44

"[43] I have come in my Father's name, and you do not accept me; but if someone else comes in his own name, you will accept him. [44] How can you believe if you accept praise from one another, yet make no effort to obtain the praise that comes from the only God?"

         

          An example of this for today would be those who solely look to well known or famous Christian preachers and teachers for their understanding and/or sharing of God’s Word. Instead they should pray to our Lord and go to His word to discover what He is teaching them. This does not mean God did not or does not ordain teachers and preachers to help us understand His Word. However, it does mean that we should be like the Bereans and checkout the validity of their teaching with what the Bible says. To see this we go to,

 

Acts 17:10-12

[10] Then the brethren immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea. When they arrived, they went into the synagogue of the Jews. [11] These were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so. [12] Therefore many of them believed, and also not a few of the Greeks, prominent women as well as men. 

 

Fourth in our list of symptoms is the,

 

Seeking after what Jesus could do for them rather than for who He is

          Jesus pointed this issue out to those who followed Him after He fed five thousand men in addition to the woman and children with only five barley loaves of bread and two small fish. To read what Jesus said let us go to,

 

John 6:22-26

"[22] The next day the crowd that had stayed on the opposite shore of the lake realized that only one boat had been there, and that Jesus had not entered it with his disciples, but that they had gone away alone. [23] Then some boats from Tiberias landed near the place where the people had eaten the bread after the Lord had given thanks. [24] Once the crowd realized that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they got into the boats and went to Capernaum in search of Jesus. [25] When they found him on the other side of the lake, they asked him, "Rabbi, when did you get here?" [26] Jesus answered, "I tell you the truth, you are looking for me, not because you saw miraculous signs but because you ate the loaves and had your fill."

 

          In other words, Jesus told them that they did not come after Him because of who He truly is. No, instead they followed Him because He was able to provide for their material needs and wants.

          This symptom of hypocrisy reveals itself in today's health and wealth teachers and their so-called Biblical teaching.

 

The fifth and last symptom is that of,

 

Trusting in one's own actions or works rather than in God

          To see this let us read what God the Holy Spirit said about this issue as recorded in,

 

Romans 9:30-31

"[30] What then shall we say? That the Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have obtained it, a righteousness that is by faith; [31] but Israel, who pursued a law of righteousness, has not attained it.""

 

Let us notice the following verses,

          30 … The Gentiles are those who were not the physical descendants of Abraham. They were also those who did not convert to Judaism. However, these were the folks that did obtain the righteousness that comes by faith in God.

          A good example of such a person would be Cornelius. To see this let us begin by reading from,

 

Acts 10:1-8

[1] There was a certain man in Caesarea called Cornelius, a centurion of what was called the Italian Regiment, [2] a devout man and one who feared God with all his household, who gave alms generously to the people, and prayed to God always. [3] About the ninth hour of the day he saw clearly in a vision an angel of God coming in and saying to him, “Cornelius!” [4] And when he observed him, he was afraid, and said, “What is it, lord?” So he said to him, “Your prayers and your alms have come up for a memorial before God. [5] Now send men to Joppa, and send for Simon whose surname is Peter. [6] He is lodging with Simon, a tanner, whose house is by the sea. He will tell you what you must do.” [7] And when the angel who spoke to him had departed, Cornelius called two of his household servants and a devout soldier from among those who waited on him continually. [8] So when he had explained all these things to them, he sent them to Joppa.

 

          Let us read what occurred when Cornelius’ men arrived where Peter was residing. It is noted they arrived right after God gave Peter a vision to teach him to no longer consider any animal unclean to eat. Their arrival is recorded in,

 

Acts 10:19-28

[19] While Peter thought about the vision, the Spirit said to him, “Behold, three men are seeking you. [20] Arise therefore, go down and go with them, doubting nothing; for I have sent them.” [21] Then Peter went down to the men who had been sent to him from Cornelius, and said, “Yes, I am he whom you seek. For what reason have you come?” [22] And they said, “Cornelius the centurion, a just man, one who fears God and has a good reputation among all the nation of the Jews, was divinely instructed by a holy angel to summon you to his house, and to hear words from you.” [23] Then he invited them in and lodged them. On the next day Peter went away with them, and some brethren from Joppa accompanied him. [24] And the following day they entered Caesarea. Now Cornelius was waiting for them, and had called together his relatives and close friends. [25] As Peter was coming in, Cornelius met him and fell down at his feet and worshiped him. [26] But Peter lifted him up, saying, “Stand up; I myself am also a man.” [27] And as he talked with him, he went in and found many who had come together. [28] Then he said to them, “You know how unlawful it is for a Jewish man to keep company with or go to one of another nation. But God has shown me that I should not call any man common or unclean.

 

          Let us now read what happened while Peter was teaching them about the good news of Jesus Christ.

 

Acts 10:44-48

[44] While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who heard the word. [45] And those of the circumcision who believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles also. [46] For they heard them speak with tongues and magnify God. Then Peter answered, [47] “Can anyone forbid water, that these should not be baptized who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?” [48] And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord. Then they asked him to stay a few days.

 

With this in mind, we now return to Chapter 9 of Romans and reread,

 

Acts 9:31

[31] “… but Israel, who pursued a law of righteousness, has not attained it."

 

          Unfortunately, many of the Israelites did pursue the law of righteousness. They did try to observe all the Temple rituals, celebrate the various feasts and holy days and offered the prescribed sacrifices.

 

          In today's Christian culture this would be akin to regular attendance at church services, offering tithes, celebrating religious holidays, going to various conferences and Bible studies, etc.

 

          Unfortunately, for many of the Jews all this effort and activity was of no benefit. The reason for this is provided to us in,

         

Romans 9:32

"[32] "… Because they pursued it not by faith but as if it were by works. They stumbled over the "stumbling stone.""

 

In others words, these people were pursuing righteousness by their own effort, that is by attempting to comply with the law they tried to justify themselves to God. Specifically, they did not place their faith in God to justify them. Instead, they placed faith in themselves to be able to justify themselves to Him. Another way to look at this is that they did not place their faith in God's Mercy or Grace to forgive them of their sins or keep them from its power. Instead they sought after God's Graces through their own merits. The consequence of this was that they were not able to see, receive or accept Jesus Christ as the promised Messiah.

As recorded in the following passage, they stumbled over the stumbling stone.

 

Romans 9:33

"[33] As it is written: "See, I lay in Zion a stone that causes men to stumble and a rock that makes them fall, and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame.""

 

          Why is it so important to have faith and trust in God? The answer to this question is beautifully provided in,

 

Hebrews 11:6

"[6] And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him."

 

We now come to the last portion of this study. That is,

 

THE TRUE BORN-AGAIN BELIEVERS IN JESUS CHRIST ARE BLESSED

          To see this let us begin by rereading the following excerpt of what Jesus said to the disciples of John the Baptist. However, this time we will read from the August, 1976 version of "The Amplified Bible." It is noted that "The Amplified Bible" provides the clarifying shades of meaning of the Greek text that may be concealed by the traditional word-for-word translations. With this in mind let us now read from,

 

Matthew 11:6

"[6] And blessed - happy, fortunate and "to be envied - is he who takes no offense at Me, and finds no cause for stumbling in or through Me. And is not hindered from seeing the Truth.""

 

          The following 2015 version of “The Amplified Bible” provides additional shades of meaning;

 

“[6] And blessed [joyful, favored by God] – is he …”

 

          In K. S. Wuest’s “Expanded Translation of the Greek New Testament we find the following shade of the Biblical  meaning for the word blessed,

 

“[6] And spiritually prosperous is he …”

 

          In other words, those who have not stumbled over Jesus Christ are those who have truly recognized and accepted Him as their Lord and Savior are blessed.

          To gain an appreciation of how blessed we are let us return to the Gospel according to John and reread from,

 

John 8:31-32

"[31] To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, "If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. [32] Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."

 

          Hence, those who are true born again disciples of Jesus Christ are: (1) Free from the penalty of sin, that is they are forgiven and are free from God's wrath and (2) Free from the power of sin, which means they have been redeemed from the bondage of sin and Satan. This is recorded in,

 

Colossians 1:13-14

"[13] For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, [14] in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins."

 

CLOSING

With these blessings in mind let us close this study by prayerfully reading the following Psalm.

 

Psalm 32:1-11

"[1] Blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. [2] Blessed is the man whose sin the LORD does not count against him and in whose spirit is no deceit. [3] When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. [4] For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was sapped as in the heat of summer. Selah [5] Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, "I will confess my transgressions to the LORD"-- and you forgave the guilt of my sin. Selah [6] Therefore let everyone who is godly pray to you while you may be found; surely when the mighty waters rise, they will not reach him. [7] You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance. Selah [8] I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you and watch over you. [9] Do not be like the horse or the mule, which have no understanding but must be controlled by bit and bridle or they will not come to you. [10] Many are the woes of the wicked, but the Lord's unfailing love surrounds the man who trusts in him. [11] Rejoice in the LORD and be glad, you righteous; sing, all you who are upright in heart!"

 

Blessed be the Lord forever,

Amen and Amen