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The Truth Of The Matter is Episode:170 Prior Biblical Knowledge Part 1
31 Plays2 months ago
Continuing through the Gospel of Matthew series the soft open is reflection. Are you reflecting on how good God is on the daily? If not, you should consider it. You will be surprised how present He is in the details of your life.The focus today was on Matthew 10:34 “Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword.” The question that gets posed is what does Jesus mean by Sword? Why isn't his purpose driven to bring about peace? Why is prior biblical knowledge important as you continue to read the Bible? Tune in to learn how to continue to build your relationship with Jesus Christ.
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Transcript
Introduction and Gratitude
00:00:00
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Welcome to the truth of the matter is podcast. I'm your host Jonathan and this is episode 170. Let's begin by recognizing and appreciating all of our new and consistent listeners.
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We thank you all in advance for continuing to press play at your own convenience.
Reflecting on God's Love and Purpose
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and I've had the chance to reflect on it. I actually wanted to provide
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the challenge has always been for me.
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any given day within within whatever of a time period he decides to do it at. And the challenge is to pinpoint exactly which ones I want to share while also being mindful that those blessings of God
00:02:31
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In the past, I've mentioned the passage Romans 828, and along Romans 828, NLT, and it reads,
00:03:01
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My suggestion is if we reflect on what God allows and see how it's working together for our good and our benefit, we also need to interpret it as part of God's love and purpose for our lives.
00:03:22
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We need to reflect on what God has allowed to happen to us while also interpreting it as part of his love and his purpose for our eventually use us as instruments, as ambassadors, or representatives for himself.
Maximizing God's Blessings
00:03:51
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And in my walk with God, I've learned that blessings are meant to be eye-openers. I've also learned to examine those blessings that God has done for me and make adjustments accordingly.
00:04:07
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You must be wondering, why am I saying this? I believe with every blessing that you receive from God, it behooves you to optimize that blessing.
00:04:22
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So here, here's a few examples that come to mind. If God blesses me with a job interview, I need to assess how I can optimize that blessing.
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So how do I do that? Well, it begins with being confident in myself. What else comes to mind?
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I recognize the importance of preparation.
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What else comes to mind? The importance of time management. Now let's go back to confidence for a second because I want to make a few comments and provide scriptures as to why having confidence in yourself is essential here.
Scriptural Insights on Strength and Service
00:05:23
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If I lack confidence as a believer, as a follower of Christ, and I'm looking for the scriptures to support and in encourage and uplift me, I suggest Joshua chapter 1 verse 9. Let's look at that in the NLT. Again, Joshua chapter 1 verse 9 says,
00:05:45
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This is my command. Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or discouraged for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go. So what's the takeaway from the passage? I need to be strong. I need to be courageous. And I'm going to add this in here. I need to be fearless. Let's look at another scripture for more resolve. Let's go to first Corinthians chapter 10 and we're going to take a look at verse 31. So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it to the glory of God. So
00:06:36
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If I plan to work hard, if I plan to be a part of a gathering for a lunch, for a dinner, if I plan to hang out with some friends, the scripture says, I ought to do it to the glory of God.
00:06:58
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Let's look at another passage of scripture. Let's go to Colossians chapter three, verse 23 through 24. And it reads, whatever you do, work out with all your heart as working for the Lord, not for human masters. Since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward, it is the Lord Christ you are serving.
00:07:26
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So, what's the takeaway here? When it comes to working, it's about effort and remembering who you're working for. I believe once you change your mentality on the matter, it's all about serving with all your heart, mind, and soul towards God. That's how you show God your love.
00:07:52
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It's a beautiful passage in 1 John. He said, let us not love with words of speech, but in action and in truth. If I were to add another verse, remember what Jesus says in Matthew chapter 20 verse 26. I'm going to paraphrase here. Whoever wants to be great among you must serve. So last week.
Personal Experiences of Blessings and Evangelism
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I would say it was a great week because I appreciate and love how God has blessed me. It was truly a wonderful thing because it shows me that God is so amazing.
00:08:43
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that it's hard at times to explain his goodness and his greatness because he keeps on surprising me. It was a blessing because I got the opportunity to evangelize to a few people who are willing full listeners. Is it possible that God sent them my way? Maybe, maybe not.
00:09:03
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But I want to say, pointing to someone else is a blessing. Telling someone else about Jesus is a beautiful thing. Expressing what it's like to have a relationship with God is wonderful. Testifying about his goodness is an honor and a privilege.
00:09:27
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It was a blessing to share my mechanic with a friend and to hear although it was a bit of a wait that eventually once he got in there, that wait was worth it. I appreciate that. The truth of the matter is everyone knows that in this market, the cost of living has gone up substantially. And to find someone in that field who's reasonable and affordable
00:10:02
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I would believe is a blessing. It was a blessing to take a photo with someone at a graduation and to hear them say that they felt I played a significant role in their development. I was touched, really was. You know, I had some real good feelings as opposed to also recognizing that it would be disingenuous if I didn't mention the sadness and the stressfulness of others that I also heard based on their circumstances. And with this, I want to say I understand why there are different types of ministries for that very reason, right? The ability to serve needs to be a priority for the believer. Understanding people,
00:11:01
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and confronting them by comforting them genuinely is not an easy thing to do. It's a challenge. Being able to do something about this situation is hard. And no matter how much you want to help,
00:11:24
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The reality is we all have some limitations, especially financially, which is why we give our time to help because we can't get it back. So I say, if you're doing that, make sure you do it truthfully, honestly, with no regret and make sure that you prioritize them.
Importance of Reflection and Prayer
00:11:58
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These are hard conversations to have.
00:12:03
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Very hard. So the reason I begin this podcast, of course, with reflection and talk about doing it as much as I do, because God has been a blessing to me every single week. I believe he's also been a blessing to non-believers as well. The question is, are you noticing it?
00:12:29
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I know that God deserves the glory, the honor and the praise. And I believe if you take the time to sit back and reflect on your week, you're going to see how good God has been to you. And I believe it might blow your mind. So I say, let's be more intentional to understand how good God is on a daily basis.
00:12:55
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which is why here's my suggestion. If you decide to reflect dearly, I believe you will notice the presence of God with you. But remind yourself that it requires for you to pay close attention to the details of your life.
00:13:22
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And I believe if you begin evaluating what's going on, you will start to easily notice that God is blessing you and that God is looking out for you. So I say, give it a try and see his grace and mercy over your life. And I believe you'll start to see that in the little things. Amen. Now that leads us right into prayer. So let's do that.
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there are plenty of who are in need of friendships,
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someone to chat with about life's challenges and the right mindset to have when things become teach them by guiding them in the right direction. That right direction is you. That right direction is in love. We need to be gentle with our words, our actions,
00:15:07
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try to be intentional as we
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Encourage us to use our as we go to your word, allow us to give pray that your word will provide us with a standard of truth.
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And Lord, you know all we need is your help. So we trust in that each and every day.
00:16:09
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all help We need all the help that we can get from you Lord. And therefore we say this in Jesus name we pray and all in agreement say. Amen and
Exploring the Gospel of Matthew
00:16:21
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amen. So continuing through the gospel of Matthew series We have come to a point in the text Where we have another opportunity To read a very bold statement from Jesus Now if you've been following along in the gospel of Matthew series thus far We already have read some bold and interesting comments from Jesus.
00:16:46
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And I don't know about you, but it's been a blessing to study and try to understand the meaning of his words. And I mean, really try to understand that with honesty and intentions every step of the way. And as I read the passage for this week or the verse for this week, what became important and essential to my understanding is what I already knew about other biblical texts.
00:17:15
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And I utilized that to get a deeper understanding. It was because of my knowledge about other the biblical texts that I was able to see potentially what Jesus could have been saying. And I used that word potential because I could be wrong in my assessments.
00:17:34
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Now I have a desire to learn, and if someone were to say to me, I don't agree with my overall conclusion, and here's why, and of course they supported it by scripture, I would have to reconsider things, and I would have to go back and study the scriptures, right? Or fair my estimation. What's different about this podcast is that you're getting
00:18:05
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deep thought philosophically, you're getting a philosopher's perspective on things. And I want you to know that I'm always going to look to understand God more deeply.
00:18:19
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I legitimately practiced Matthew 7-7, asking you to receive, seeking you will find, knock and the door will be open to you. I preferably appreciate how the NLT says keep on asking, keep on seeking, keep on knocking, which means at first glance,
00:18:39
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If I don't get anything, I try, try again until God reveals something to me or He shows something to me. And that might be a long time. That might be the same day. That might be in a week. That might be in a month. It could be in a year. I don't put any time stamp.
00:18:58
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on what God is willing to show me in the scriptures. And when he does show me something interesting, it blows my mind. That's what I mean about spending time with God. You spend time with him and you wait on the opportunity for him to reveal himself to you through the scriptures and reveal information and perspective through the scriptures.
00:19:21
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sort that So today we're going to look at the gospel of Matthew chapter 10 verse 34. Yes. One verse. And this is going to be part one of our conversation. I want to make sure that I don't flood you with information. I want to be calculated while also allowing you to follow along. And if you're interested in watching.
00:19:50
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or listening to this again, I welcome you to do so. So, Matthew chapter 10 verse 34, it says, do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth.
00:20:08
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I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. Reading this from the English Standard Version. Imma read it again. Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword.
00:20:27
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Interesting passage. So the first thing that came to my mind is how Jesus is in touch with the times, right? He's aware of the popular view during his time. If you think about it, what did Israel believe? Based on Old Testament scripture, I believe that they thought that the Messiah was coming.
00:20:54
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And what did they believe about this Messiah? Well, they believe that the Messiah will be a militant Messiah.
Understanding Jesus' Teachings and Actions
00:21:05
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Yep, militant Messiah. Based on scripture, we have examples of why they concluded with this thought.
00:21:18
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Joshua, who took over for Moses. Nehemiah, who spent time building the war back up. Saul for a little while, right? David. And we have to mention the heroes in the book of Judges.
00:21:42
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We have passages in support of this. Let's go to Samuel chapter 30, verse eight, which says, then David asked the Lord, should I chase after this ban of raiders? Well, I catch them. And the Lord told him, yes, go after them. You will surely we recover it everything that was taken from you. Reason why I'm bringing up this passage of scripture is because it highlights God's relationship with David, that he was with him. And everything that David did, it points out that there was a conversation that was had between David and God. And we get a preview of that in the scriptures.
00:22:33
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He's another portion of scripture that we have. Joshua 11, 18, it says Joshua waged war against all these kings for a very long time. Of course, if you read the book of Exodus into Joshua, you know that Moses died, or he didn't necessarily die. That's a misspoken thing.
00:22:58
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Moses was not allowed and into the land of milk and honey based upon him taking the tablets that had the laws on it and throwing it to the ground, disobeying God. So he was not allowed into the promised land. Now, the person that was
00:23:26
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ordained to take over or approved to take over will be Joshua. Now, the pastors that I've read Joshua 1118 said that he waged war against all kings for a very long time. The specific amount of time is not mentioned, which is very telling, right?
00:23:49
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i Believe based upon some history Searching it I did I believe it was a total of 13 battles that he did on the behalf of Israel and Before he went on this journey God told Joshua in chapter 1 verses 5 and 6 Now we know what was said in 6, but I'm gonna reread it again for context. It says no one is will be able to stand against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so shall I be with you. I will never leave you nor forsake you. Be strong and courageous because you will leave these people to inherit the land I swore to the ancestors to give them.
00:24:46
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Now, we don't see a change in leadership style until Solomon comes on the scene and requests us a different gift. And that gift was wisdom and discernment, right? To be wise, to show his intelligence, to assess matters and situations thoroughly, right? Biblical history tells us that the Jews pictured their Messiah as a warrior. They believed that he would deliver them from Roman authority. And they wanted to see that fulfillment of God's promise to make Israel great in a free nation in their present time. Unfortunately, that's not what happened. So let's think deeply here. Why do you think after Jesus was resurrected,
00:25:39
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The scripture says in Acts chapter 1 verse 2 and 3, which pretty much talks about God's appearance on earth with them, right? Sort of in preparation and discussion. Now, of course, scripture doesn't point out exactly where he hung out. It just points out that he was present with them. And that and these verses say that until that day,
00:26:09
Speaker
when he was taken up after he had given commands through the Holy Spirit to apostles whom he had chosen, he presented himself alive to them after his suffering by many proofs. According to them during the 40 days and speaking about the kingdom of God, right, if you go to the Gospel of John chapter 20 verse 25,
00:26:33
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It talks about the miracles that he performed with so much, not enough books would be able to contain what he was able to do. Okay?
00:26:47
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Another thing is in that same chapter, it's not until we get to verse six through eight, that we see the disciples asked Jesus a question about the destiny of Israel as a whole. So let's go there. Again, we are remaining in the book of Acts and we're going to be verses six to eight and it reads. So when they had come together, they asked them, Lord,
00:27:12
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Will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel? He said to them, it is not for you to know times or seasons that the father has fixed by his own authority, but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you. And you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all of Judea and Samaria.
00:27:41
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and to the end of the earth. So of course there's a lot to be desired here for dialogue. The idea of why I'm mentioning this portion of text was to get you to think about Jesus and his approach and his demeanor. But what I want us to do now is turn our directions and focus on the last word that is used to close out the verse chapter 10 verse 34. And that word is sword.
00:28:11
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sword. Let's think critically here, right? The second sentence in the verse says, I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. So if it's not peace, the question is, why is it a sword? Which happy thinking, right? We had one time in scripture when Jesus was aggressive.
00:28:38
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And that was when he was flipping the tables off or the tables over and chasing people out for selling in his father's house. Why? Because he was quoting what happened in the book of Jeremiah when the people were using God's house as a place for thieves. So let's go to the passage for accuracy. Let's go to Jeremiah chapter seven verse 11. And it says again, Jeremiah 711 says, has this house, which bears my name become a den of robbers to you? Other translations says thieves, but I have been watching declares the Lord.
00:29:22
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and Let's be transparent. Let's go to Matthew chapter 21 verse 12 to 13 Of course, we haven't gotten there yet, but his apropos here Jesus entered the temple courts and drove out all who were buying and selling there.
00:29:41
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He overturned the tables of the money, charges, and the benches of those selling doves. It is written, he said to them, my house will be called a house of prayer, but you are making it a den for the robbers or thieves and other translations. So why am I bringing this up? Well, if you go back to verse 34, the question is, right, we have to ask ourselves,
00:30:10
Speaker
is when Jesus uses the word sword, should we take it literally or figuratively? Should we take it literally or figuratively? And based on Matthew, chapter 21, verses 12 to 13, we can conclude that he was aggressive, but it wasn't to anyone, personally,
00:30:35
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okay? It wasn't to anyone, personally, but it was based on principle and it was the things. It's not about a body physical sword. It must be a depiction of war where you would need a sword. And that's when I remember what Paul said in Ephesians. But before we go there, we need to address something else.
00:31:09
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that came to my mind. We need to look at what Jesus did and what he said and leaving us with a standard. As a matter of fact, we need to also look at something else.
00:31:26
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There's a passage of scripture that I want to go to as well. I believe it's aproposia is very necessary. It plays a pivotal role in the argument that I'm making. And that passes is the gospel of Mark, chapter 14. And when I look at verses 43 through 48, and I'm looking particularly in the N I V, it says just as he was speaking, Judas, one of the 12 appeared.
00:31:55
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With him was a crowd armed with swords and clubs, sent from the chief priests, the teachers of the Lord, and the elders. Now the betrayer had arranged a sign with them. The one I kiss is the man, arrest him and lead him away under guard. Going at once to Jesus, Jesus said, Rabbi,
00:32:21
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kissed him, the men seized Jesus and arrested him. Then one of those standing near drew his sword and struck the servant of the high priest cutting off his ear. Jesus says, am I leading a rebellion that you have come out with swords and clubs to capture me? Every day I was with you teaching in the temple courts, you did not arrest me.
00:32:51
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but the scriptures must be fulfilled. Then everyone deserted him and fled. A young man wearing nothing but a lined garment was following Jesus. When he ceased him, he fled naked, leaving his garment behind. Now I believe it's in the Gospel of John that shares that Jesus healed the man that had his ear cut off. But the point is,
00:33:20
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And why I'm mentioning this passage is that if Jesus truly meant when he was talking about he did not come to bring peace but a sword and we took it literally.
00:33:33
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Then we would have to look over his ministry for the three to three and a half years and look at any point where his words led to people getting hurt. His message led to a rebellion. Jesus never preached with the mindset to lead a rebellion.
00:33:59
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Now you can argue that he's a revolutionary, right? But we know in history, Martin Luther the King, his message was nonviolence. Where does that nonviolent message come from? It comes from Jesus. Yes, it comes from Jesus. And what does Jesus employ us to do? Love our neighbor, love our enemy, forgive our neighbors,
00:34:29
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forgive our enemies forgive them 77 times over turn near the cheek right there's a reason why in the gospel of john chapter 13 verse 34 says a new command i give you love one another as i have loved you so you must love one another by this everyone will know that you are my disciples based upon how you love one another so this is clear evidence that Jesus did not lead a rebellion which is interesting which is why he said you come with swords and clubs to arrest me very interesting approach and
00:35:19
Speaker
is very interesting that you would think that they would need to be a fight to cease Jesus when in fact he's been among them the whole entire time and never at a point did it ever feel like Jesus was being aggressive now we could point out different portions like maybe in the gospel of Luke they were gonna push Jesus off a cliff, right? And he slid past them. But again, you have to really look at the scriptures and really see little hints here and there, where I won't say they're strong arguments, but it does give you calls to pause and think, okay? In fact, there's another portion in scripture where he says, if it be so,
00:36:14
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All you had to do was say the word and he could call on legions of angels to defend him, to defend him. But of course, that's not what the purpose was here. Right? So it's important that when you read scriptures like this, that you take your time and evaluating the situation.
00:36:43
Speaker
and Seeing how certain things fit They're gonna be points in times that when you read in scripture, they're not gonna fit but they're gonna be points in times where the scripture does a beautiful job of Painting a picture or I Would say it's almost like making a case Right you build evidence up and that evidence is either gonna support your argument or if you're talking now or you're dealing with somebody else, it's going to destroy somebody else's argument. The point is scripture is so powerful and mind blowing that the scripture for the believer should strengthen his or her faith. Okay, that's what the scriptures should do. Now,
Spiritual Readiness and the Armor of God
00:37:42
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We need to look at what Jesus did in leaving us with a standard. Okay. Verse 34 mentions, do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace. Very interesting statement. He says, do you think that I have come to bring peace to the earth? He says, I have not come to bring peace.
00:38:08
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So the question that comes to my mind is what does peace look like without accountability?
00:38:19
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Again, what does peace look like without accountability? How about this? What does peace look like without standards and rules that are designed to keep us in check? What does peace look like without boundaries?
00:38:37
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If you're looking for peace, you have nothing that can guide us or direct us to that common union of respect and dignity for one another. I don't believe you have a chance. Okay.
00:38:55
Speaker
This is why Jesus said, I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. So the question is, what does the sword represent here? Okay. What does the sword represent here? And the only answer to that question, in my opinion, it's found in Ephesians chapter six.
00:39:17
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verses 10 to 18. Now, what I want to focus on in verse 17, but for the context, I want to read this the amplified classic edition. And I want you to pay attention to how they translate this particular section. In conclusion,
00:39:42
Speaker
In conclusion, be strong in the Lord, draw your strength from him and be empowered through your union with him. And the power of his boundless might put on the full armor of God for his precepts are like the splendid army of a heavy armed soldier. So that you may be able to successfully stand up against all the schemes and strategies and the seats of the devil. Read that portion again. Put on the full armor of God for his precepts are like the splendid army of a heavily armed soldier so that you may be able to successfully stand up against all the schemes and strategies and the seats of the devil.
00:40:37
Speaker
For our stroke was not again flesh or blood, contending only with physical opponents, but against the rulers, against the powerful, against the world forces of this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness and the heavenly supernatural places. Therefore put on God's complete armor that you may be able to resist and stand your ground on the evil day of danger and I haven't done it all.
00:41:08
Speaker
The crisis demands to stand firmly in your place. Stand therefore, hold your ground, having tightened the belt of truth around your loins. Having put on the breastplate of the pressplate of integrity and of moral Restitute and right standing with God. And having should your feet in preparation to face the enemy with the firm footed stability and promptness and readiness produced by the good news of the gospel of peace. Lift up all the covering shield of saving faith.
00:41:50
Speaker
upon which you have quenched all the flaming missiles of the wicked one. Verse 17, and take the helm of the salvation, the sword that the spirit wills, which is the word of God. Of all prayer and petition, pray with specific requests at all times on every occasion and every season.
00:42:18
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and a spirit, and with this is view. Stay alert with all perseverance and petition, interceding in prayer for all God's people. So the focus with this conversation was for us to get to verse 17.
00:42:45
Speaker
And it reads, take the helm of the salvation, the sword that the spirit wills, which is the word of God. So it's the word of God that Jesus came to bring us. With it, we have our was standard, our accountability. It's with the word, it shapes and fashions who we are as ambassadors and representatives of Christ.
00:43:12
Speaker
It's with the word Jesus said in Luke 11, 28 in the Amplified version. He said, on the contrary, blessed and happily favored by God are those who hear the word of God and continually observe it. Other translations will say, keep it. This is the prime example of what I mean when I say, let's use prior biblical knowledge to deeply understand what Jesus is saying.
00:43:43
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Why? Because as we look at the true meaning. of peace right we could eat we could even dug deeper and talked about what it says i believe is in math chapter five could be verse 30 and talked about what does peace really mean and i truly believe peace really means or really points to the believer because anyone that has christ he brings you peace right He brings you comfort. And I'm talking about the pastors and Thessalonians, that if you come and you lay it at his feet, right he will give you rest. right If we even dig deeper and we talk about Melchizedek,
00:44:34
Speaker
right and who Jesus who comes in different forms in the Old Testament speaks about what he really what his real purpose is and what his kingdom is all about right we know that the gospel message what Jesus shared is a message of peace but before we can even get to that portion we have to address what the spirit the sword of the spirit is it's the truth and unfortunately the truth is confrontational right it can make you uncomfortable very quickly
00:45:18
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Which is why any time we really truly dig deep into
00:45:26
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The true meaning of what Jesus said in the gospel of John 14 six when he says, I am the way the truth in their life. No one comes to the father except to me. That's a powerful declaration. It's also pointing out that every other belief system that exists in the world, that they're flat out wrong, right? We can even dig deep and talk about that. When Jesus says, enter through the narrow gate,
00:45:54
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Right. Not the wide gate was as broad and leads to destruction, but into do the narrow gate was very few fine, which leads not to destruction, but the way that you want to go. Right. We really, really dig deep and understand the points of the scripture and why reading it holds you accountable.
Commitment to Transformation through Scripture
00:46:16
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It's because it points out that you can't just live any old way that you want.
00:46:22
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You just can't. Why? Because we are called not to just be ambassadors of representatives of him, but we are called to turn away and to repent. And part of repenting is turning away from the lifestyle that you once lived. And what the scripture does is it holds you accountable and it convicts you. All right, doesn't make you feel guilty, but it convicts you to change the lifestyle that you once lived. This is very,
00:46:52
Speaker
very hard to accept and I understand that which is why the commitment to God has to be a genuine. If it's not genuine you're gonna find yourself backsliding.
00:47:06
Speaker
right If it's not a genuine one, you're gonna find yourself looking at the scriptures and wanting to pick and choose what ah which ones you want to accept, right? But you can't read the scriptures like a menu. Now understand that most believers will tell you that they wrestle with scriptures and things that they don't i quite agree with, but understand that eventually you have to submit yourself to it. And that means you have to realize that whatever's being written there is being written there with a reason and a cause to help benefit you I Can go on all day, but what I want to do is I want to point something out Right, this is the prime example again of what I mean when I say Let's use prior biblical knowledge to deeply understand what Jesus is saying remember what 2nd Timothy chapter 3 verse 16 through 17 says in the NLT and
00:48:01
Speaker
All scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teaching us what it is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. Again, that's the accountability that I've spoke about. It corrects us when we are wrong and it teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work.
00:48:31
Speaker
I mean, this is why Dave has said that I hide that word in my heart that I might not sin against you. The key word is that, is that you might, you might not. Why? Because of course we have this flush here. You understand what Roman says, right? The things that I don't want to do, the things that I keep on doing, the things that I do want to do, or the things that I don't do, right? And he says, this I find a work in me, right? It's a challenge. It's hard.
00:49:01
Speaker
It's a battle, so you have to war against your flesh. right But these things make it visually honest that you're gonna have to face them. You're gonna have to deal with them. And truth be told, this cross that you're carrying, you're gonna carry it for a while.
00:49:24
Speaker
So you may not have to carry a cross that Jesus carried, but you're going to carry that cross when you really, truly understand what it takes, right? To live out the Christian difference.
Overcoming Challenges with Faith and Knowledge
00:49:42
Speaker
Right. This is why Jesus says you're going to face hardships. Life is going to be hard, but be a good cheer. I overcome the world. All these passages point to that point to the fact that it's hard. It's difficult. And yet we have passages like like it gets first or second Corinthians chapter 10 that he's aware that these things are hard. Right. He's aware so much so.
00:50:13
Speaker
that even though you're facing and dealing with them, he's created a way so that you can escape it. And I'm talking about not just the hardships that you're gonna go through, but the sin that you're gonna be faced with wanting to start doing. God's created a way out.
00:50:35
Speaker
Right? There's nothing new under the sun, right? You can't think that what you're going through, no one has has ever gone through ever in history. Doesn't work like that. That's pretty much why we have in Hebrews 4.15, it speaks about his knowledge and understanding of what you go through. And it points out that he did not say. So don't think for a second. He doesn't know. He doesn't have a feeling. He does. He's aware.
00:51:06
Speaker
He knows all about it. So with that being said, we've covered a lot. We've talked about a lot. Right? The question that I have for you is that when you read scripture, are you allowing scripture that prior knowledge that you have?
00:51:27
Speaker
Are you allowing the Holy Spirit to stir you to see the connections that can be made? Because there are plenty connections that can be made. Okay. Our goal is to continue to be students of the Word and look for an opportunity to grow in relationship with Him. And you do that by spending time and by being the best student possible.
00:51:54
Speaker
And that's all happens with effort. Okay. And on that note, let's jump right into a devotional time. First John chapter five verse 20 says, we know also that the son of God has come and has given us understanding so that we may know him who is true and we are in him who is true by being his son, Jesus Christ. He is true God and eternal life. Keep yourself from idols.
Recognizing Jesus as the Embodiment of the Word
00:52:24
Speaker
So remember that Jesus Christ is God in the flesh. And as you read the gospels,
00:52:46
Speaker
And if you begin to realize that that Jesus is God in the flesh, I promise you, you will have a greater appreciation for the word of God. I'm telling you, not just the word.
00:53:00
Speaker
but God coming or putting on flesh and providing us a standard that we can model and live our lives after there and know that this standard is like no other.
00:53:16
Speaker
Okay, here's a short prayer for the week. It closes out for encouragement and motivation to continue to fight the good fight and continue to keep the faith. O God in the name of Jesus, open our eyes to see our minds to understand. Open up our hearts to receive what is true, Truth is not an idea.
00:53:45
Speaker
But that truth is a person and that person is Jesus Christ. And so we say these things genuinely in Jesus name, we pray. Amen. And of course, until next time, the truth of the madness podcast audience, be careful, be vigilant and watchful as we depart from one another, but never from the presence of God, God bless. And I can't wait to talk to you.
00:54:14
Speaker
next time, be safe.