Teachings of the Kingdom

Read Mt 22:1-15

We must contextualize these kingdom teachings of Jesus. The come on the very heels of Jesus entering into Jerusalem to the cries of “Hosanna to the son of David.” They were calling Him their king. Next, the religious leaders, after witnessing His cleansing of the temple, ask Him about His authority. He then challenged them as to the rejection of the chief cornerstone. The Pharisees "perceived" that He spoke of them. Duh!

The religionists knew they were in big trouble. For them it was the 4th quarter and they were down by several touchdowns. Jesus rode into town on a donkey just as Zechariah had foretold and it was on the exact day prophesied by Daniel. What were they to do? So they told Jesus to tell the people to shut up with all these "Hosannas".

He told them that on this particular day, if they didn't do the praising, the rocks would.

Against that backdrop, Jesus begins speaking to all in attendance about "the kingdom". I guarantee you, He had their attention. He spoke about invitations to be a part of the kingdom, about those opposed to it, about being prepared for the kingdom or being caught unprepared.

I don't suppose there had ever been such keen interest in a sermon as His Kingdom teaching that day.

The responses? Many heard Jesus gladly because they were under the impression that the actual reign of Messiah, Son of David was imminent. But the Pharisees had other ideas...trip Him up, get Him to say something they could use against Him, even take Him by force if the opportunity arose.

But the kingdom Jesus referred to was misunderstood. His chief interest was to reign over individual kingdoms of the heart.

Today, I cede the throne of my heart back over to the King. Daily my flesh revolts against His reign and it deposes the rightful rulership of King Jesus. With Paul, I die daily, so that I may live in Him and under Him.

A Disruption Down at the IHOP

I love the IHOP. At least, I used to. I am not thrilled with what it has become. The service there hasn't been too good the last few years, the quality of the fare and he crowd has declined and prices have gotten pretty high.

Jesus wasn't thrilled with what the IHOP had become either. In fact, He got downright angry about it. That is, the Intended House of Prayer.

Mat 21:12 And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves,
Mat 21:13 And said unto them, It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves.

We need to stop and ask ourselves if today's IHOPs, our churches have become something they were not intended to be. Have we left our first love? Have we neglected prayer? Are others being glorified more than Christ?

How 'bout we all make sure that church be the wonderful thing God intended for it to be?

Coming Soon to a State Near You

The Supreme Court of the State of Iowa has come out of the closet for the strutting sissies. In a unanimous decision, they have upheld the overturning of a ban on homosexual marriage by a lower court. This means that the deviants can began getting married in Iowa shortly, and if you don’t like it, you are bound to get hit with one of their purses.

Nebraskans flock to the Hawkeye state on a regular basis to satisfy their gaming vices in the border casinos. Now, I foresee the sodomites of our state heading across the Missouri to get their licenses to be licentious.
Another thing I see, It's only a matter of time now before those of us who are still willing to speak the truth and say that homosexuality is wrong are the ones that they are calling criminals.

Once again, Bible prophecy is coming to pass. “Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded; But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all. Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed.”

It is not the eating, drinking, buying and selling that took down Lot’s society, it was the proliferation of perversion. The stench of our nation’s sin has reached the nostrils of Heaven and now, time is short. It is not only homosexuality that concerns me, but also the acceptance and even approval of it. Now, states are legalizing pervert marriage, soon they will be penalizing those who speak against it.

May God protect our children, our churches and the decent people of our nation.

Here Comes the King!

Mat 21:1 And when they drew nigh unto Jerusalem, and were come to Bethphage, unto the mount of Olives, then sent Jesus two disciples,
Mat 21:2 Saying unto them, Go into the village over against you, and straightway ye shall find an ass tied, and a colt with her: loose them, and bring them unto me.
Mat 21:3 And if any man say ought unto you, ye shall say, The Lord hath need of them; and straightway he will send them.
Mat 21:4 All this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying,
Mat 21:5 Tell ye the daughter of Sion, Behold, thy King cometh unto thee, meek, and sitting upon an ass, and a colt the foal of an ass.
Mat 21:6 And the disciples went, and did as Jesus commanded them,
Mat 21:7 And brought the ass, and the colt, and put on them their clothes, and they set him thereon.
Mat 21:8 And a very great multitude spread their garments in the way; others cut down branches from the trees, and strawed them in the way.
Mat 21:9 And the multitudes that went before, and that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna to the Son of David: Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest.
Mat 21:10 And when he was come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, Who is this?
Mat 21:11 And the multitude said, This is Jesus the prophet of Nazareth of Galilee.
Mat 21:12 And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves,
Mat 21:13 And said unto them, It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves.
Mat 21:14 And the blind and the lame came to him in the temple; and he healed them.
Mat 21:15 And when the chief priests and scribes saw the wonderful things that he did, and the children crying in the temple, and saying, Hosanna to the Son of David; they were sore displeased,
Mat 21:16 And said unto him, Hearest thou what these say? And Jesus saith unto them, Yea; have ye never read, Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings thou hast perfected praise?

What is on your mind?

Psa 115:12 The LORD hath been mindful of us: he will bless us; he will bless the house of Israel;

Think about what we think about. Our world is so busy and our thoughts are so scattered at times that focusing on something important can be like nailing Jello to a wall. I would like to center my thoughts on the Lord for an extended period of time, but other things scream for my attention; the day's agenda, a pressing need, a worry, a person in need, a pain I am having or a money problem.

These and other thoughts speed through our minds causing needful thoughts to dive for the tall grass on the side of the road.

Paul said, " Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things."
Phil 4:8

Now let's turn our thoughts to the God Who not only created, but sustains the universe. As if He had little else to do, God is mindful of us!!! We are in His thoughts and on His mind, not now and then but consistently. He knows our thoughts, He sees our plight, He plans our future and he directs our path. What glory and wonder the Mind of the Divine!

Perhaps today I will think more about the One Who constantly considers me.

Wise Up!

Psa 111:10 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do his commandments: his praise endureth for ever.

Think of the professor down at the U who looks down his long nose, through his spectacles which are precariously planted at the end of the ski slope he breathes with at those of us mere mortals who are stuck in 15th century thinking.
He chortles at our beliefs about the sanctity of life and intelligent design.

He is miffed that we would want to stifle 'free-thinking' with such preposterous ideas like absolutes and morality.

My dad called these people educated idiots who are too smart for their own good. My preacher said that letters after a person's name are like curls in a pig's tail, a pig is still a pig. I have known people whose IQs were off the charts, but they had zippo common sense.

A bunch of little, bright-eyed Sunday school kids who know how to quote John 3:16 and can tell you what it means are on the right path to wisdom. Those simplistic believers who rely on the Lord's power to keep God's commandments have a pretty good understanding of what's what.

Education is a great thing. The Word tells us that wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding.

It is said that knowledge is the accumulation of facts, but wisdom is knowing how to apply them.

Those who know God know essentially everything necessary, but those who deny God, well, the Bible has a word for them and there is a day named after them on the first of April.

Only Jesus CAN Satisfy Your Soul

Psa 107:9 For he satisfieth the longing soul, and filleth the hungry soul with goodness.

Jesus said, blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.

Have you ever been driving around town and thought you'd hit a drive-through for lunch? You find a place that sounds "okay", but once you've eaten their burger or taco or whatever fare they offered, it just didn't hit the spot. You then wish you would have found something better, but alas, it is too late. You've had your lunch and now you are filled but not satisfied. You've wasted your money and space in your stomach on junk.

This is not unlike our lives. We seek to fill a hunger, a longing, and sometimes we choose the wrong things. When we are bored, we may invest an hour in a TV show that leaves us feeling unfulfilled and we know that is an hour wasted that we will never have back.

Appetite is a funny thing. They say never do your grocery shopping when you are hungry. You end up getting a bunch of junk you don't need.

The truth is, only Christ satisfies a longing soul. That emptiness, those pangs of spiritual and emotional hunger can only be met and fulfilled by the One Who created that longing within us.

The only way to find true satisfaction and fulfillment is by longing for the right thing and then get an abundance of it. And He is that goodness that truly satisfies your hungry and longing soul.