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The Truth Of The Matter is- Episode: 160 Decisions Decisions Decisions
31 Plays1 year ago
As we Continue through the Gospel of Matthew series we begin with why reflection is important, and why the value of being reminded should always be welcomed. We transition to the idea of wisdom and its many different stages appreciating all it has to offer. With the discussions of Matthew 10:21-23 as the primary objective the need for change helps us open the floor for discussion. As believers When it comes to living the Christian difference what becomes a Non-Negotiable is to live righteous. Living for Christ will lead you to make many changes. This happens because God gives you a new heart and new desires. Tune in to see how this relates to Matthew 10:21-23.
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Transcript
Introduction and Podcast Gratitude
00:00:00
Speaker
Welcome to the Truth of the Matters podcast. I'm your host, Jonathan, and this is episode 160. Let's begin by recognizing and appreciating all of our new and consistent listeners.
00:00:22
Speaker
We thank you all in advance for continuing to press play at your own convenience. And of course, I pray that this podcast, regardless of the episode that you press play on, can and will be a blessing to you.
The Value of Self-Sufficiency
00:00:34
Speaker
So the first blessing I received last week, I thought was a phenomenal reminder. And this phenomenal reminder was the importance of being handy. And as I continue to get older, obviously, I will be a father someday. And I hope to have a wife someday. And I hope to be a homeowner someday.
00:01:02
Speaker
And if those are some things that I'm looking to eventually do, I think the importance of being handy follows suits with that. And I think the skill set in general being handy isn't just limited to a man. This also could be very beneficial to a woman as well, right? Handling two screws I think it's something that we all should desire and want to do because eventually it's going to come a point in time where you just need to simply be able to muster it up and do things on your own, not always having to rely on others because everyone is not always going to have somebody that is available and ready to assist you.
00:01:54
Speaker
And nowadays people are looking for opportunities to gain profit. Just offer the little things that they assisted do for you. So you want to make sure that you are ready, locked and loaded to be able to handle some of your own issues and situations that come up, whether it's in your home, whether it's associated with your car, whatever it is.
Moments of Cluelessness
00:02:23
Speaker
I think it's important that that skill is added onto the rest of the skills that you are continuing to develop, gain, and and improve.
00:02:39
Speaker
I think one of the things that helped me come to this realization is just asking myself questions. So I'm going to do that. I'm going to do you a favor and ask you the same questions that I asked myself. And I hope that is helpful. I hope that is useful. And I want you to consider these questions that I'm going to ask you right now. One of them is how many of you have had the experience of being completely clueless in something?
00:03:09
Speaker
I think most of us have been clueless, whether that was in our childhood, in our adult life, being clueless, I think is part of living. Part of living is realizing that you might be engaged in a dialogue that doesn't sound very familiar to you. You might be engaged in a dialogue that sounds very interesting to you, but you know nothing about and you might desire to learn about that said thing. I think the other question that I ask myself is, how did it make you feel? How did being ignorant in that moment, being clueless in that moment make you feel?
From Ignorance to Religious Podcasting
00:03:57
Speaker
Part of my story into how I came to Christ was my desire to show up to church on Sundays. But the thing was I was ignorant of the very things that were being discussed. I was not familiarized with scripture. I was not familiarized with the books in the Bible. And yet I said I believed in God. Yet I said I placed my faith in Christ. But as it pertains to knowing who God really is, knowing his word, I was clueless. And the way it made me feel was empty. I felt empty in that moment. And of course, that emptiness has led me not only to develop and build my relationship with Christ genuinely, but also has
00:04:49
Speaker
established something inside of me that desired to give people an outlet to see the importance of why they should study scripture. Part of that story of ignorance is the birth of this podcast, The Truth of the Matter is.
00:05:07
Speaker
And lastly, the other question is, did it result in a ignorant tax?
The 'Ignorant Tax' and Self-Education
00:05:13
Speaker
And what I mean by ignorant tax is if you just break down the term ignorance, is to not know, to not have a clue. And tax is basically an additional charge onto every purchase that you make. I'm pretty sure a lot of you have gone to the 99 cents store, gone to the grocery store. And I remember this as a kid where I would go in the store and put a bag of chips on on top of the aisle.
00:05:48
Speaker
and it would come out to 108 or or 105. And it used to annoy me because I didn't consider the tax. And of course we know taxes help repair the streets, help basically pay teachers salaries. The taxes have numerous different reasons of why people are being taxed in the first place. And basically an ignorant tax is that when you're clueless in something, you don't have an idea about something, then when you pursue to get assistance from other people, they can take advantage of you. And if you had did a little of research, if you had attended YouTube adversity, YouTube university, you'll realize that I could have done this myself.
00:06:47
Speaker
I didn't need to pay anybody. And therefore you pay somebody else for something that you could have handled. That is an ignorant tax.
Expanding Knowledge for a Well-Rounded Life
00:06:59
Speaker
Now, in my humble opinion, I felt that this is a blessing because I believe the knowledge of improving
00:07:13
Speaker
This skill can be helpful. This insight will only be a positive and I don't see how it will be a negative. So I say why not? Why not learn by retaining and remembering information and insight on how to be much more efficient in your handiness.
00:07:39
Speaker
The truth of the matter is part of life is going through it, not having all the answers. And then the question then becomes, what do you do knowing this?
00:07:54
Speaker
Being aware of this.
00:07:58
Speaker
Do you decide to remain ignorant and say it's okay? Well, the majority of us are ignorant in something, so why not I do the same thing? Or do you seek to be well-rounded in things and you then become much more persistent and educating yourself in things that don't pertain to you? Some of the suggestions that I will put out there in terms of how you can do that is there are apps out there that provide you, that guide you and help you to speak another language. I would say read things that don't necessarily pertain to you, different types of things.
00:08:49
Speaker
You'd be surprised on how much self teaching that you do. And that you're helping yourself for future reference can bring you along to better, to be a better individual in society, to be a better individual for your family, to be a better individual for your friends. And maybe there's something that you do that sparks the interest of somebody else.
00:09:20
Speaker
to help lead them to see the importance of being a better human.
00:09:27
Speaker
I say this all to say, ask yourselves, does your thinking, does your mindset become limited or expansive after hearing this? Does your thinking become limited or expansive? Limited is that you don't desire to do any of these things and therefore you stay where you are. Expansive is that you desire to better yourself. And by doing that, you take on the challenge of being much more educated in other areas other than the things that you normally do.
Efficiency in Learning: Real Life vs. Video Games
00:10:06
Speaker
You'd be surprised that if you can play video games and you can take the time out to be efficient in that, how much more can you be efficient in other things? And believe it or not, people are becoming much more efficient in the job market. They are not just great at one thing, but at numerous amount of things. They're taking on odd jobs, learning to paint. learning to do so many different things that maybe they thought they shouldn't do, but then see that they, they sort of love that more than what they currently do. And then they might, you know, expand their education in those areas, trade jobs, right? There's so many different things that we can do. And I'm here just to say, give it a try.
The Danger of Exploited Ignorance
00:10:57
Speaker
Now what I can guarantee that will happen is that when you lack basic insight in certain areas, people are going to take you to task. You actually become an easy target where people desire to take advantage of you. Therefore, keep in mind that we live in a world where people owe you nothing. and every possible thing can be related to big business. Ignorance is one of the greatest weapons to manipulate you and to deceive you. Never forget that, never lose sight of that.
Divine Wisdom vs. Human Impatience
00:11:34
Speaker
So the blessing here is to not fall asleep at the will as you live life. But I say be wide awake as you are observing trends, people, society, but most importantly, God's voice.
00:11:53
Speaker
The second blessing is giving God the credit he deserves.
00:12:00
Speaker
There are so many things we know nothing about that God has covered, that God has done for us.
00:12:09
Speaker
And when you just think about wisdom and how wisdom is a discernment thing, wisdom is a courage thing. Wisdom is a humbling thing when it comes to how you apply it and how wisdom is a experienced thing. It's a seasonal time thing. It can be a wild thing when it comes down to the results, when it comes down to the benefits, when it comes down to seeing how it all plays out. This is a blessing because as you learn to be better and do better, some decisions and these outcomes are expected to breed success right away.
00:12:52
Speaker
While in other endeavors, the results of process isn't going to happen anytime soon.
00:13:04
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It may be a chance that you're taking when you invest. It may be a process that must occur. You know, the element of productivity must take an effect.
00:13:24
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This is a blessing because it requires the move of faith. And I say God deserves more credit because it's such a thoughtful
Consistency in Faith and Daily Blessings
00:13:33
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and progressive process he's operating in. And that goes against our human nature, right? We want answers immediately, but God is saying, nope. Rather he's saying in due time, slow and steady wins the race. But the most important thing is consistency. That is what matters. You know, the art of learning and the art of growth takes time. If you study success, you will notice these things. This is why I say God is a genius. Not only is he a genius, he's amazing.
00:14:17
Speaker
And this is why he deserves all the credit in much more than we can ever give him. And again, the reason why I begin with these reflections before we dive into God's words, is because time and time again, we need to be encouraged to reflect. And if you will, and if you do, you'll start to notice the presence of God with you daily. If you pay close attention to the details of your life, you will start to easily notice that God is blessing you, that God is looking after you. That if you give this a try, you will see His grace and His mercy over your life and just the little things. Amen. Now this leads us right into prayer, so let's pray.
00:15:13
Speaker
Oh God, in the name of Jesus, how amazing and great you are, Lord God. How mindful you are of us. How loving and caring and thoughtful you are, Father. How powerful and intelligent you are, Lord. We thank you. We honor you and we glorify you. As we go into your word today, bless us, teach us and strengthen us. Lord, we invite your Holy Spirit into this conversation for truth and most importantly, understanding. As we come, we do so humbly and openly, seeking comfort, not in anything but your word, seeking an opportunity to be in your presence. Lord, I ask that we leave with a different perspective, a different outlook on life, and as we allow your word to shape and fashion and impact our thoughts, actions, motives, and words,
00:16:11
Speaker
leading to not our own understanding but yours. And if you co-sign, please agree by saying in Jesus' name we pray. Amen and amen.
Living for Christ: Changes and Challenges
00:16:21
Speaker
So continuing with the gospel of Matthew series, we're gonna pick up where we left off at. And that's gonna be Matthew chapter 10 verses 21 through 23. And I love this section of the verses that we'll be looking at in this passage. I love it because it can be extremely controversial. I love it because it's going to challenge us. I love it because even with everything that I'll say today, I still don't know if what is being said will comfort everybody.
00:17:00
Speaker
And I'll tell you what I mean in a second. So let me read this. We're going to be reading this in the English Standard Version. Brothers will deliver brother over to death. Again, brother will deliver brother over to death. And the father, his child and children were raised against parents and have them put to death. And you will be hated by all for my namesake. But the one who endures to the end will be saved.
00:17:34
Speaker
When they persecute you in one town, flee to the next. For truly I say to you, you will not have gone to all the towns of Israel before the son of man comes." Very interesting section here. And it's interesting because it really has to do with what Jesus is warning Disciples of and I'm gonna tell you how this relates to us now in 2024 But I want to begin by saying this, right? Make sure I get a little drink a little sip of my drink Okay, it's good You know as believers when it when it comes down to living right I believe it should be non-negotiable right the truth is I
00:18:33
Speaker
When it comes to living for Christ, well you're going to have to make changes. You won't make changes. You're going to have to make changes. Those changes are going to be difficult and hard. It's going to be difficult and hard because you can't continue to live for Christ and sin willfully.
00:19:00
Speaker
I believe that if a person truly encounters Jesus Christ, the person, your life will not be the same. The change that happens usually comes as a result of having a change heart. You see, when God gives you a new heart, hence Ezekiel 36, 26, you naturally have new desires and new interests.
00:19:29
Speaker
I would say that you are a new person having a different outlook on life. I would say that a new purpose will come from that and will drive you to be who God created you to be. The interesting thing about that is when I think about Jesus and his encounters with different individuals in the scriptures, We see his encounter with the woman at the well and she evangelizes and tells other people. We don't know if she was saved. We don't know if her life changed. When I think about the story when Jesus had a conversation with the rich young ruler and the rich young ruler talked about all the different things that he's kept since he was old in terms of the commandments, Jesus said, you lack one thing.
00:20:23
Speaker
Give your riches and come follow me. We don't know what happens. We don't know what the outcome is. When I think about what transpired with Judas, he followed them. We know he was greedy. We know he mishandled the money. But he heard the messages. He heard everything that Jesus said. And yet he took his own life. So why do I make the statement in the beginning that I believe and encounter with Jesus Christ would guarantee that your life would not be the same? It's because I think from a genuine standpoint, when you encounter Jesus, the person, I think the most important takeaway is when truth stands before you, and I always hint at that truth is not
00:21:24
Speaker
a concept, but it's a person. And you look at how you lived your life thus far. I think you realize that the way you're headed is not improving. And therefore this instant encounter will start to reveal things about yourself that you probably have never considered before up until that point. And as I mentioned, the stories and the scriptures, and we don't know the outcomes, I wanted a state of mind that they were in. In fact, I don't think they actually thought Jesus was God. And I think knowing that then, there's a possibility that they overlooked their encounter with Christ.
00:22:18
Speaker
But I know my encounter with Christ has everything to do with his divinity because we know that in that in his story, he was crucified and he has risen and he is alive and well. So I think that's a huge difference. It's a huge difference because at the time, some of those individuals had no idea who Jesus was. But I think we know who he is now, because I think there are numerous testimonies that tell you who he is now. That is almost inexcusable. I think more or less, as John puts it in 1 John, that anyone that rejects who Jesus is, is is actually the Antichrist.
00:23:18
Speaker
Mainly I digress something that came to mind just now and I wanted to express it. Something that was curious about, but let's talk about the reality.
00:23:33
Speaker
The reality is in the middle of any changes being made, there are going to be two perceptions or two perceived differences.
God's Discipline as Love
00:23:42
Speaker
One is backed up by scripture. And as Romans 8 28, rather than I say, I'll let the scripture say, and it says, and when we know that in all things, God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. So the belief is that we realize that God is in fact dealing with me. And if he is dealing with me, he is discipling me. And we know based on scripture,
00:24:13
Speaker
that God disciples those he loves. And if he disciples those he loves, then we learn to embrace God's hand of discipline, his hand of action. so
00:24:26
Speaker
If hardships are coming, we know that there's a development of character that is coming out of it. If hardships are coming, there's definitely the possibility that a blessing is right around a corner. If hardships are coming, it's to get me prepared for what I need to do or what I need to handle next.
Faith Challenges: Losing Connections
00:24:46
Speaker
There's a reason behind God's method of madness in those moments. Now, the other perspective is simple. Rather than have faith in God's actions over your life, your situation, your circumstance, I think what tends to happen is that doubt is going to creep in. Not only is it going to creep in, concerns are going to rise. Not only are concerns going to rise, worrying will take precedent and desiring to go back to how things used to be.
00:25:21
Speaker
will feel like the right thing to do. I mean, look what transpired in your Testament, especially in the book of Exodus, right? Once people were set free and God delivered his people out of Egypt, later on, you had a lot of individuals who were ungrateful. They wanted to go back to Egypt. They were saved. God used Moses to lead them out. And yet when they were challenged in the right way, they began to complain. They began to make excuses.
00:26:04
Speaker
They didn't embrace the challenge. And of course, not embracing the challenge and choosing to complain then became a normal thing. This is why they were all fed with famine. This is why
00:26:23
Speaker
A lot of these things that happened to them, happened to them as a result of the complaining to God. I don't think it was famine. I'm trying to remember what it was. It was manna. That's what it was. It was manna that fell from the sky.
00:26:40
Speaker
And of course, when you think about this, does any of this sound familiar? I know it does because I've gone through this. I've experienced this. I know anyone living life and trying to do the right thing has experienced this. Immediately when change, when change needs to be made, you feel uncomfortable. Maybe you used to work a night shift and now you're working a morning shift and you're so used to working at night shift that working a morning shift makes you feel uncomfortable. or maybe you're studying a topic that's extremely difficult or you're not interested in and then you start to wonder why I took this course. Or maybe you're in the middle of exercising and the minute you get out of breath or you feel a little dizzy or you feel weak, you wanna give up. You wanna take your ball and go home. These are real realities.
00:27:41
Speaker
You know, during this period of change and in the midst of the adjustments that you will have to make, it's going to feel like it's the worst decision you ever made. Why? Because you are also going to lose out on a lot of things. So I spoke about adjustments. I spoke about how things are going to be even worse. Now I'm going to relate that back to the people around you that matter most. And that's your family and your friends.
Worldly Comfort vs. Righteousness
00:28:23
Speaker
And the reason why it's gonna feel like the worst decision ever is you're gonna lose your family and your friends. And you're gonna lose them over a difference of opinion. And you're going to ask yourself,
00:28:41
Speaker
What are you gonna be loyal to?
00:28:51
Speaker
These are going to be the challenges that you face when change is required of you. Another thing that's gonna happen to you is you're gonna start to feel lonely sometimes. You might even start questioning yourselves at times. This will lead you to a battle with yourself. Will you look to serve people or serve Jesus and please Jesus?
00:29:26
Speaker
Are you looking for worldly acceptance? Or are you living and desiring to operate in righteousness and not wickedness? Now, I'm pretty sure a lot of us know that worldly acceptance and worldly praise feels good. It feels good because we see how it has ran through social media and the desires for likes and the desires for shares and the desires for comments. Makes you feel good. Makes you feel valued. Makes you feel loved.
00:30:14
Speaker
And some people are willing to at times sell themselves as a result of it. Maybe if I reveal, the more I reveal of myself, the more you like this photo that I have or this video that I'm doing. And as a result, if you love this video or this photo that I post, then I can get a follow. I can get a like, I can get a subscription.
00:30:51
Speaker
You know, there's a beautiful passage that I think about that's apropos here. So let's go to the gospel of John chapter 15. And I'm going to look at verse 18 through 19. And it says, if the world hates you know that it hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world will love you as its own. But because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. So once you have chosen to serve Jesus, you have to be watchful of the distractions. You have to be mindful of the many different philosophies and schools of thought that are encouraging and motivating and inspiring.
00:31:39
Speaker
multiple governments and policy all around the world. Anything that isn't God will probably most likely fall under the deception of the devil. I think constantly you have to be reminded that is God's truth versus everything else. There's the acts of the flesh and the fruits of the spirit.
00:32:10
Speaker
First John chapter 2 verse 15 to 16 says, do not love the world or anything in the world. If any anyone loves the world, love for the father is not in them. For everything in the world, the lusts of the flesh, the lusts of the eyes and the pride of life comes not from the father, but from the world.
Betrayal and Rebellion for Beliefs
00:32:29
Speaker
Now I love how the n l to the n the NLT puts it in verse 16. The NLT puts it in verse 16 says, for the world offers only a craving for physical pleasures, a craving for everything we see and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the father, but are from the world.
00:32:59
Speaker
So with the difference of opinion along with the difference of mindset and motive, you will have family and friends that will turn on you. This is why at least in the context of the text, portrayal is likely to happen. Rebellion isn't too far behind. Abandonment isn't out of the question. It all depends on how things begin to unfold. The power struggle will begin, and it's a real thing. In some cultures, if you aren't serving their God, not only are they going to kick you out, but they they will really abandon you. if it's a chill If it's a child resisting the authority of their parent in this day and age, there are protocols to protect them.
00:33:55
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to the degree that it drives parents like crazy.
00:34:02
Speaker
During biblical times, betrayal just meant death or imprisonment. The reason why this is so difficult to discuss or even talk about is because once you make that decision to serve Christ and you're around people who don't quite understand it and don't quite respect it,
00:34:27
Speaker
A lot of outcomes are very much possible.
00:34:33
Speaker
I think we see this in numerous other things, right? We see this with kids who come out as gay or lesbian and immediately parents abandon them. Parents stop talking to them. They get beat up. in school, tease for a long time. And then children just lose themselves. They get lost. We don't just see that in that. We see it in drug usage.
00:35:12
Speaker
We see it in children that wear clothes that aren't name brand to get tease to the degree that
00:35:25
Speaker
They take their lives, they kill themselves. I say this all to say that your choices in life and where things eventually lead to sparks such a change and that change can impact the people around you in a negative fashion.
00:35:52
Speaker
just talking about during Jesus's time. You know, once the word spread about your loyalty to Jesus in certain areas, that could very well mean communities will be punished, areas will be punished under that said jurisdiction by that government or city council. And I would imagine
00:36:16
Speaker
that because of your commitment to Christ and those around you who were not committed to Christ, but word was out that you were, they hated you.
00:36:30
Speaker
Hated your family, hated your friends. Heck, I think maybe your family and your friends hated you as a result because you did not serve and do the towns specific
00:36:48
Speaker
beliefs we see this not in just that we see this in the book of Daniel we saw what happened to them the three that were put into the fire we saw what happened to David we saw what happened to Daniel specifically especially when it came to him not him being told that he couldn't serve God and you had spies watching to see if he did and eventually he was an alliance then and eventually he came out not being dismantled by the lion But what about those stories of individuals that don't have the luxury of being saved in those moments, but being devoured? Do we say God's wrong for that? No, you understand that based upon our decision and commitment to Him, we lives will be lost. I bring up Hebrews 11 all the time.
00:37:44
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But today I'm not gonna be so biblically heavy in certain areas. I'm mentioning these examples and hope that you will go and you will check out those stories and read the details of them.
00:37:58
Speaker
But everything that's happening has to do with the chosen association with Jesus Christ, right? The name that is above all names, the name that has power and authority, the name that has demons trembling.
Endurance in Faith and Spiritual Survival
00:38:14
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As believers, we are told to hold on, to remain in courage, and most importantly, to endure because we will be saved.
00:38:28
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But just as I stated in the beginning, this is difficult. This is hard. This is not easy.
00:38:40
Speaker
As we look at this passage and compare it to our own circumstances today, I believe there are obviously huge differences in requirement of actions. In the context of Matthew chapter 10 verse 21 through 23, it's about the survival and the necessity and not necessarily the success. It's about the survival and not necessarily the success. Again, it is about the survival and not the necessity of success, right? Jesus was warning them of the cause to follow him.
00:39:17
Speaker
And in some parts of the world, I would say that the same precautionary actions is true for them today. As for us in 2024, for me being in the United States, specifically in New York, it's more about standing on business from a um a actually morality standpoint. It's actually more about standing on business from a morality standpoint. It's not about compromising myself. I believe that there are just different requirements that hold the same position, however, it just looks differently. Basically, the conviction versus preference stance I've spoken about on this podcast, it comes down to decisions, decision decisions, decisions. Will I take the courage to live out the Christian difference, to live out my Christian faith?
00:40:17
Speaker
Even if it leads to death, punishment, will I fold under pressure? Or will I stand tall in my conviction to Christ, knowing that no matter what you do to me, I will still believe? So, with that being said, I think it's about time that I take you to a specific passage that sort of highlights everything that's being discussed. And that's in the Gospel of John. chapter nine where Jesus heals a man who was born blind. The Pharisees began an investigation on the healing of this man and I suppose they got answers that they were not happy with. So let's dive into this and let's pick up at verse 18.
Standing Firm Amidst Fear of Change
00:41:02
Speaker
They said they still did not believe that he had been blind and had received the sight until they sent for the man's parents.
00:41:12
Speaker
Is this your son, they asked? Is this the one you say was born blind? How is it that now he can see? We've known him. He is our son, the parents answered, and we know he was born blind. But how he can see now or who opened his eyes we don't know. Ask him. He is of age. He will speak for himself. His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jewish leaders, the leaders who already had decided that anyone who acknowledges that Jesus was the Messiah will be put out of the synagogue. So here we have an opportunity, a moment to stand on business.
00:42:06
Speaker
Here we have the consequences of mentioning Jesus. And rather than answer, rather than stick up for him as his parents, they put all the pressure on this young man. All the pressure on the young man.
00:42:31
Speaker
Let's see what happened. Verse 24. At second time, they summoned the man who had been blind, gave glory to God by telling the truth. They said interesting language here. We know this man is a sinner. He replied, whether he is a sinner or not, I don't know. One thing I do know. As I was blind, but now I see. Then he asked him, what did he do to you? How did he open your eyes? He answered, I have told you already and you did not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you want to become his disciples too? Then they hurtled and so said him and said, you are this fellow's disciple. We are disciples of Moses.
00:43:23
Speaker
We know that God spoke to Moses, but as for this fellow, we don't even know where he comes from. The man answered, now that is remarkable. You don't know where he comes from and yet he opened my eyes. You know that God does not listen to sinners.
00:43:45
Speaker
He listens to the godly person who does his will. Nobody has ever heard of opening the eyes of a man born blind. If this man were not from God, he could do nothing. So what we see here is fear of change. that would have to be accepted. And what I mean by fear of chains that would have to be accepted is that if they accepted that what Jesus did came from God and who Jesus is, is a person that comes from God.
00:44:28
Speaker
They would have to stop everything that they were doing up until this point in terms of belittling Jesus's name and who sent him. Instead, what you see is they mentioned Moses. They mentioned how Moses is their father. They mentioned how this fellow, they don't know where he comes from. I remember in another section, they see Jesus as just the son of a carpenter. Right. And that he was born regular son of Mary and Joseph, son of, ah son of Mary and Joseph, Joseph the carpenter. That's how they saw him.
00:45:15
Speaker
We see a threat.
The Cost of Following Christ
00:45:16
Speaker
We see the folding under pressure by his parents, as I mentioned earlier. We see the young man standing his ground as a result of being teased and thrown out of the synagogue. This is what it looks like to place your faith and belief in Christ and face retribution, face dishonorment and public spirits. Let's just pick up at verse 35. Jesus heard that they have thrown them out of, Jesus heard that they have thrown them out. And when he found him, he said, do you believe in the son of man? Who is he, sir? The man asked, tell me so that I may believe in him. Jesus said, you have seen him. In fact, he's the one speaking to you. Then the man said, Lord, I believe and he worshiped him.
00:46:14
Speaker
So we see the price that this young man paid. He was insulted. He was berated. And yet he knew for certain that the man that had opened his eyes was no ordinary man, that he must've come from God. And unlike his parents who were afraid to be kicked out, he willfully accepted his kicking out. And when he had the opportunity to hear from Jesus, not only did he hear from him, he worshiped him. And this is extremely important because all around the world today, we have people who are in families that don't care for them because of their commitment to Christ.
00:47:09
Speaker
We have rebellious children who do not want to submit to the authority of a Christ home, right? In this home, we will serve the Lord only. They're not interested. In fact, they're making their parents' lives miserable because of their unwillingness to be obedient. We know Paul says, obey the parents in the Lord for this is right. We know Paul says that by obeying your parents, you will live life and your life will be extended. You will live long. And yet a lot of this is rejected and not believed.
00:47:58
Speaker
Especially overseas, we have kids once they are found out to be serving and believing in Christ, their parents want nothing to do with them. They don't have homes to go back to. This is the price of believing in Christ. Back then it was even worse. During Jesus time was even worse. Again, this is the challenge of believing in Christ. So I want us to finish with this last passage, Luke 14, 26.
Prioritizing Relationship with God
00:48:34
Speaker
And the reason why I want to finish with this last passage here is because I think it's critical to understand what this passage is saying. So I think occasionally when I've heard people speak on this passage,
00:48:48
Speaker
I think they misunderstand what the past is really saying. So I want to actually break this down and, you know, sort of explain to you how I see it, right? Now, maybe you meet someone and and you hear a different perspective of a different pastor and you say, well, my perspective on it is wrong. that's okay right i'm not here to be right i'm here only to provide some perspective and i'm i'm here for those conversations it's not about being right for me it's about learning and growing and i feel like we tend and we'll have those moments if we're open to it
00:49:31
Speaker
So Luke 14, 26 says, if anyone comes to me does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, even their own life, such a person cannot be my disciple. So I say this, nothing or no one should come between your relationship with God The course of following Jesus must be your priority. We should not place anyone or anything. When it comes to its value above God's value to us, even on a personal level, there is no comparison or level of importance that should rival your commitment and your relationship with Jesus Christ.
00:50:26
Speaker
I want to end with devotional time by tying in one more passage that will allow me to close and also place a fitness in touch on this topic for today. I want to go to Book of Acts shop to five verse twenty eight through twenty nine again welcome vax chapter verse through verse 28 through 29. We're going to read this in the NLT and it reads, We gave you strict orders never again to teach in this man's name. He said, instead you have filled all Jerusalem with your teachings about him. And you want us to be responsible for his death. Verse 29 reads, but Peter and the apostles replied, we must obey God rather than any human authority.
00:51:16
Speaker
So the question is going to be, are you going to obey God? Or are you going to obey humans? You know, there's nothing like the process of change because it's only one thing that is constant and that is change. So I say, think about what I'm saying and think about what is required to change. Accept that challenge or reject it. It comes down to decisions, decisions, decisions. It's totally up to you. But be mindful that the work will be brutal.
00:51:56
Speaker
But I believe it will be all the more worth it to hear well done, good and faithful servant. So I say, run your race and don't look back and trust in the Lord. Here's a short prayer that we are going to say to close out. Father God in Jesus name, give us the courage, the confidence and the willpower to follow you. I know there will be hardships and challenges, but you told us to be a good cheer because you have overcame the world. And that's exactly what we are going to do because we trust in Him. All those in agreement with that statement, please say in Jesus' name we pray.
00:52:44
Speaker
Amen and of course until next time the truth of the matter's podcast audience be careful be vigilant and watchful as We depart from one another but never the presence of the Lord till next time God bless