I have always loved Jesus’ parable of the two sons.  The question that comes up from the story is what is more important attitude or action?  The reality to Jesus is that both matter equally.  You can do the right thing with a bad attitude or for the wrong reasons and still be at fault.  You can also have the best attitude and best of intentions and not follow through and still be wrong.  Let’s look at the story together today in Matthew 21. 

28 “What do you think? There was a man who had two sons. He went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work today in the vineyard.’ 29 “‘I will not,’ he answered, but later he changed his mind and went. 30 “Then the father went to the other son and said the same thing. He answered, ‘I will, sir,’ but he did not go. 31 “Which of the two did what his father wanted?” “The first,” they answered. Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you. 32 For John came to you to show you the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes did. And even after you saw this, you did not repent and believe him.

Clearly the Pharisees are represented by the first son.  They “obey” the law but seem to completely miss the point and in turn miss Jesus the promised Messiah.  Perhaps Peter is an example of the second son.  Shortly after this he promises that he would never deny Jesus only to do it three times.  We probably have all found ourselves in this story maybe even as both sons at one time or the other.  The point is that God cares equally about our attitudes and actions.  In fact if anything He seems to care more about our hearts.  We all will fail and struggle but the real question is do we long to obey and serve God?  Do we love Him enough to want to do what He asks of us even if we do fail?  I pray that God gives us all both a heart that longs to follow Him and the strength to follow through. 

Hello Advent Family,

Have you ever noticed that the economy of God is vastly different from ours?  We want everyone to get what they deserve except when it comes to us.  We want the grace and blessing that God offers us even though we do not deserve it.  Jesus tells a parable to illustrate God’s economy to us all in Matthew 20.  Let’s look at it together today.

“For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard. 2 He agreed to pay them a denarius for the day and sent them into his vineyard. 3 “About nine in the morning he went out and saw others standing in the marketplace doing nothing. 4 He told them, ‘You also go and work in my vineyard, and I will pay you whatever is right.’ 5 So they went. “He went out again about noon and about three in the afternoon and did the same thing. 6 About five in the afternoon he went out and found still others standing around. He asked them, ‘Why have you been standing here all day long doing nothing?’ 7 “‘Because no one has hired us,’ they answered. “He said to them, ‘You also go and work in my vineyard.’ 8 “When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, ‘Call the workers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last ones hired and going on to the first.’ 9 “The workers who were hired about five in the afternoon came and each received a denarius. 10 So when those came who were hired first, they expected to receive more. But each one of them also received a denarius. 11 When they received it, they began to grumble against the landowner. 12 ‘These who were hired last worked only one hour,’ they said, ‘and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the work and the heat of the day.’13 “But he answered one of them, ‘I am not being unfair to you, friend. Didn’t you agree to work for a denarius? 14 Take your pay and go. I want to give the one who was hired last the same as I gave you. 15 Don’t I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous?’ 16 “So the last will be first, and the first will be last.”

This doesn’t seem to fit with our sense of fairness.  The reality is that a denarius was more than a fair wage for a full day’s work.  The workers were not complaining that they didn’t receive fair treatment but that others received more than they deserved.  In God’s economy of grace that is the way things work.  We all receive far more than we deserve.  We deserve punishment and receive the riches of eternal life.  Let’s be a people who embrace that grace and share the wealth!

Have you ever noticed that it is times when you are in your greatest need that you lean most heavily on God?  We may know that we should lean on Him always and we may even do well at that for a season.  Those times when we are at our end we seem to really rely upon God.  When we recognize that we are always in great need of God we tend to do better in our relationship with Him and with others.  Jesus has an encounter with a man who is interested in God but does not recognize his need for Him.  Let’s look at it together today.

Just then a man came up to Jesus and asked, “Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?” 17 “Why do you ask me about what is good?” Jesus replied. “There is only One who is good. If you want to enter life, keep the commandments.” 18 “Which ones?” he inquired. Jesus replied, “‘You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, 19 honor your father and mother,’ and ‘love your neighbor as yourself.’” 20 “All these I have kept,” the young man said. “What do I still lack?” 21 Jesus answered, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” 22 When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth. 23 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Truly I tell you, it is hard for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of heaven. 24 Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.”25 When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and asked, “Who then can be saved?” 26 Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”

The man’s problem was not his wealth.  His problem was that he thought he was good enough for God on his own merit.  When Jesus asked him to sell what he had and follow Him it wasn’t about the money.  It was about what we rely upon.  Do we rely upon our own strength, wealth, power, and success?  Jesus’ point is that when we rely upon ourselves and do not recognize our need for God it truly is tough to find Him.  May God give us all a fresh sense of our need for Him so that we may rely upon Him every day!

I believe that Matthew 18 is one of the most important passages in scripture for the life of the church.  Dealing with conflict is such an important skill and Matthew 18 sets out a precedent for how to do it appropriately.  Let’s look at it together today.

“If your brother or sister sins, go and point out their fault, just between the two of you. If they listen to you, you have won them over. 16 But if they will not listen, take one or two others along, so that ‘every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.’ 17 If they still refuse to listen, tell it to the church; and if they refuse to listen even to the church, treat them as you would a pagan or a tax collector. 18 “Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. 19 “Again, truly I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. 20 For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.”

Hello Advent Family,

I love the story of the transfiguration in Matthew 17.  My favorite part is verse 4 and Peter’s ridiculous statement.  He had seen Jesus calm storms at His word, feed 5,000 people with a little bread and a few fish, heal people, turn water into wine and so much more.  Peter says to Jesus despite all of this that it is good that he is there with Jesus so he can build a shelter for Jesus, Moses, and Elijah.  Let’s look at the story together today. 

Hello Advent Family,

Have you ever had to give up something you really cared about for something more important?  There are always circumstances in life where we have to deny things that we want for things that are even more important.  Jesus calls us to this type of a life and talks about it with His disciples in Matthew 16.  Let’s look at it together today. 

24 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. 25 For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it. 26 What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul? 27 For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father’s glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what they have done.

I remember once being offered 3rd row sideline Miami Heat tickets to a playoff game (during the big 3 era) only to find out it was the day we left for a mission trip.  I remember briefly feeling a sense of loss but ultimately knowing what a blessing the trip was going to be.  In fact in my life I know that while we are all called to take up our cross for Jesus I have certainly received much more in blessings from my faith journey than loss in “things” I have given up.  I have a Pastor friend who always says that if your faith life doesn’t hurt occasionally you aren’t doing it right.  Jesus calls us to life of flipping our priorities around.  Possessions, power, prestige, job success, wealth… all of those things are fine and good but Jesus is calling us to pursue lives of purpose, love, serving, and telling others about Him.  God may bless us with all of the other things along the way but our goal is His goal – to share His love with the world.

In His Grip,
Pastor Dave

Hello Advent Family,

How do you feel about rules?  For the Pharisees, the religious laws and rules were their bread and butter.  They loved to hold the rules over others heads and felt superior because they “knew” the law better than anyone else.  Jesus came onto the scene and they felt threatened and wanted to trap Him.  Jesus didn’t want to get rid of the law He simply wanted to get the the heart of the matter.  He also wanted everyone to understand their need for God.  For the Pharisees the law was their God.  Let’s look at a parable in Matthew 15 He teaches to the disciples and also for the benefit of the Pharisees to teach them this lesson.  

10 Jesus called the crowd to him and said, “Listen and understand. 11 What goes into someone’s mouth does not defile them, but what comes out of their mouth, that is what defiles them.” 12 Then the disciples came to him and asked, “Do you know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this?” 13 He replied, “Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be pulled up by the roots. 14 Leave them; they are blind guides. If the blind lead the blind, both will fall into a pit.”15 Peter said, “Explain the parable to us.”16 “Are you still so dull?” Jesus asked them. 17 “Don’t you see that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and then out of the body? 18 But the things that come out of a person’s mouth come from the heart, and these defile them. 19 For out of the heart come evil thoughts—murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander. 20 These are what defile a person; but eating with unwashed hands does not defile them.”