Archive for the Matthew Category

Seeing God Face to Face from Tabletalk Magazine

Posted in Matthew with tags , , on November 28, 2011 by Harry

“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” - Matthew 5:8

On Friday we saw that the connection of the mercy we receive with the mercy we show to others can be a scary prospect indeed apart from the mediation of Christ. If we were to consider the potential of Scripture to strike us with fear more fully, however, we would doubtless include the sixth beatitude as a frightening passage as well. Jesus promises that the “pure in heart” will “see God,” but who among us is pure in heart?

Again, our only confidence is in Christ, who has sanctified His people by His blood (1 Cor. 6:11). He has set us apart definitively as holy and pure, and we prove this status by striving after personal holiness until in glory we are perfected and freed from all sin. This purity is guaranteed by the effectual work of our Savior, and so we who are in Christ Jesus know that we will one day experience the Beatific Vision — we know that we will one day see God as He is.

In Exodus 33:20, the Lord tells us that no man can see His face and live, but this is not due to God making His image-bearers inherently unable to bear His presence. Before the fall, humanity experienced intimate, face-to-face communion with the Creator when He walked with us in the cool of the day (Gen. 3:8). But this fellowship was lost when we fell into sin. The barrier that keeps us from seeing the Lord now is our fallen character. Once this fallenness is removed, there is no reason why we would not be able to gaze on God’s incomparable beauty.

This, indeed, is the Lord’s greatest promise to us, that we will be able to gaze upon Him, the most beautiful, awe-inspiring, worthy, holy, loving being that ever was, is, and will be. We will, as 1 John 3:1–3 tells us, see Him as He is. The Apostle is making reference to Christ: not the human nature of Christ alone but also the divine nature that is perfectly united with humanity in the person of our Savior. And to see the divine nature of the Son of God also means that we will see the other persons of the Trinity as well, for the Son dwells in the Father and the Father in the Son, just as the Holy Spirit mutually indwells the Father and the Son (John 10:37–38). What seeing God face to face means precisely is not for us to know today, but we do know that seeing Him will fully satisfy our souls.

Coram Deo

The greatest glory of heaven is not that we will be free of pain, as wonderful as that will be. Instead, the ability to enjoy direct, face-to-face communion with God and see that for which our souls were created will be the highest joy we can imagine. We can scarcely contemplate the wonder of that day, but the beauty of Christ should make us long for it with the deepest longings of our souls and pursue the purity of heart that leads to this vision.

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Why Was Jesus Baptized?

Posted in Matthew with tags on July 28, 2010 by Harry

Matthew 3:13–17 “Jesus answered him, ‘Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness’” (v.15a).

John the Baptist has labored to prepare a way for the Messiah (Matt. 3:1–12)and is finally granted an audience with the Christ Himself. In today’s passage, Jesus comes to John for baptism (vv. 13–17).This encounter is not the first time the two meet.  As relatives (Luke 1:26–66),they undoubtedly spent time with each other while growing up. John certainly knows Jesus’ purity, which, along with his prophetic insight into the identity of Jesus, explains his reluctance to baptize Him (Matt. 3:13–14).To baptize Jesus for the same reason John baptizes the people would be wrong, our Lord has no need to repent (1 Peter 2:22). But Jesus is not baptized“with water for repentance” (Matt. 3:11) as His people are.  He is baptized to fulfill “all righteousness” (v. 15). Dr. R.C. Sproul has said this means that Jesus must obey all of the laws God has given to Israel, including John’s baptism. John Calvin wrote that Christ is baptized to “render full obedience to the Father.”Thus, “to fulfill all righteousness” means that Jesus has to obey the overarching saving plans and purposes of God. Thousands of years beforeChrist’s earthly ministry, the Father called His “son,” the people of Israel, out of Egypt (Hos. 11:1) and gave them His Law to show them the way of life (Lev.18:5). God punished His son as He promised when Israel failed to be the Lord’s obedient servant (Deut. 28:15–68), but the fullness of His wrath never fell on the people, though they suffered severely for their sins. Isaiah predicted a day when Israel would be God’s servant and pay for transgression (52:13–53:12).Due to our fallenness, our Father knew His people could never themselves be His servant and pay fully for iniquity. So He placed a king over His people to identify with them as their representative and succeed where they failed. In place of Israel, David’s line would be God’s son and servant (Ps. 2:7).Because of sin, no fallen son of David could fulfill this vocation. Therefore,Jesus comes as God’s perfect Son and servant. In receiving baptism like they do, He identifies Himself with His people. God calls Jesus His Son (Matt. 3:17),showing us that He is accepted as faithful Israel, servant of the Most High.

In His baptism, our Lord confirmed His willingness to identify with the plight of His people, a willingness first displayed when He became incarnate (see also Heb. 2:14–18). We who live under the new covenant experience the awesome benefit of knowing that God came down to our own level to identify with us and help us in our trials. If you lack strength this day, consider Jesus who is uniquely able to fortify you because He too suffered on this earth.

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Repentance

Posted in Matthew with tags , on July 25, 2010 by Harry

Matthew 3:7–10 “ But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming for the baptism, he said to them, ‘… Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bear fruit in keeping with repentance’” (vv. 7–8).

After centuries of silence, the covenant Lord spoke to His people again through John the Baptist. Beginning around 27 A.d., John prepared the way for the Messiah to inaugurate God’s kingdom, calling Israel to repentance because the nation as a whole had not shown contrition for the sins that led to exile from Palestine. In John’s day, the people were not ready for the kingdom to come.  John’s call is laid on all of us throughout the Bible. “Repentance” is the English translation of the Greek term metanoia, which literally means “change of mind.” Repentance expresses sorrow for the ways in which we have offended God (Ps. 51:4), but it is also much more. Repentance is a change of mind and actions wherein we cease our approval of wickedness and justification of bad behavior. It is foremost a decisive reorientation of one’s life away from the self and toward the Lord. This does not mean we repent only once at the start of the Christian life and then go our merry way, for confession of sin is needed until life’s end (1 John 1:8–9). But this subsequent repentance flows from and confirms the initial act wherein we realize our desperate state, admit our need of pardon, and come to Jesus in a childlike manner (Matt. 19:13–15).  John Calvin comments on today’s passage, saying, “Repentance is an inward matter, which has its seat in the heart and soul, but afterwards yields its fruits in a change of life.” It is not enough to profess sorrow for transgression; we have not truly turned from sin if our lives are unchanged (Isa. 29:13–14; James2:14–26). Scripture does not teach that sinless perfection is possible before we are glorified, nor does it deny that some sins are harder to overcome than others.  What it does say is that those who are truly repentant do what they can to “resist the devil” (James 4:7) and flee temptation. They also look for others to help them bear their burdens, to hold them accountable and help them find strength when they are weak (Gal. 6:1–2). The truly repentant lapse into sin on occasion, but they always return to the narrow path of righteousness.   True converts will not find their assurance in denominational membership (Matt. 3:9–10) or in a past act of devotion. They find it in a justified life of repentance and faith.

One of the more neglected tools that can help us grow in our holiness is the confession of sins one to another (James 5:16). It can be difficult to admit to other people that we have sinned, but loving brothers and sisters in Christ can help assure us of His forgiveness and help us overcome persistent temptations.  Without being involved in the lives of other believers we will not find these opportunities. Take the initiative and be a part of the lives of other Christians.

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Matthew 16 – Primus inter Pares

Posted in Bible, Matthew on July 13, 2010 by Harry

Few passages in the Synoptic Gospels have been more disputed in the history of the church than Peter’s confession that Jesus is “the Christ, the Son of the living God,” and its aftermath (Matt. 16:13–28). Here we may venture only three reflections:
(1) Judging by his response, Jesus sees this confession as a significant advance, achieved by revelation from the Father (16:17). But that does not mean that before this point Peter had no inkling that Jesus is the Messiah. Nor does it mean that he understood “Messiah” in the full-fledged, Christian sense associated with the word after Jesus’ death and resurrection. At this point, quite clearly, Peter was prepared to accept Jesus as Israel’s King, the Anointed One from the Davidic line, but he had no idea that he must be simultaneously Davidic king and suffering Servant, as the ensuing verses show. Both Peter’s understanding and his faith were maturing, but still painfully lacking. Part of Peter’s coming to full Christian faith on these matters depended absolutely on waiting for the next major redemptive-historical appointment: the cross and the resurrection.
(2) Jesus’ words, “[Y]ou are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church” (16:18), have been taken to be the foundation of the Roman Catholic papacy. Even on the most sympathetic reading, however, it is difficult to see how this passage says anything about passing on a Petrine precedence, still less about gradually developing and enhancing the papacy until in 1870 the doctrine of papal infallibility was promulgated. Offended by such extravagant claims, many Protestants have offered exegeses equally unbelievable. Perhaps Jesus said, “You are Peter” (pointing to Peter) “and on this rock I will build my church” (pointing to himself). Or perhaps the “rock” on which the church is built is not Peter, but Peter’s confession—which scarcely accounts for the pun in Greek: “you are petros and on this petra.”
(3) It is better to see that Peter really does have a certain primacy—what has been called “a salvation-historical primacy.” He was the first to see certain things, the leader gifted by God in the first steps of organization and evangelism after the resurrection (as Acts makes clear). But not only was this leadership bound up with Peter’s unique role in redemptive history (so unique that it could not, in the nature of the case, be passed on), but the gospel authority extended to him (16:18–19) is extended to all the apostles (18:18). This is what we should expect: elsewhere we are told that the church is built on the foundation of prophets and apostles (Eph. 2:20). As the ancient formula puts it, Peter was primus inter pares—first among equals.

  • Carson, D. A. (1998). For the love of God : A daily companion for discovering the riches of God’s Word. Volume 2 (25). Wheaton, Ill.: Crossway Books.

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God’s Son is Called

Posted in * Favorites, Israel, Matthew, OT Messianic Prophecies on March 11, 2010 by Harry

Matthew 2:13-15 “This was to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by
the prophet, ‘Out of Egypt I called my son”‘ (v. 15b).

Despite Egypt’s antagonism toward Israel (Ex. 1:1-2:10), God’s rescue of His
people from captivity and His destruction of the pharaoh’s army (chap. 14) was never intended to be His last word regarding the Egyptian people. The Lord actually saved the Israelites in order to make them a light to the nations (Isa. 49:1-6), a witness to the glory and holiness of God as a nation of priests and servants (Ex. 19:1-6). This call was given so that people of every ethnicity would trust in Yahweh, even people from Egypt (Pss. 68:29; 82:8: Isa. 19:16-25).
Nothing less than the very salvation of the whole world was the purpose for Israel’s call. Called out of Egypt, Israel was to be the agent of Egypt’s redemption. Yet as is well known, the nation of Israel as a whole did not fulfill its call. True, the Spirit used the faith of individual Israelites like Naomi and the two spies sent to Jericho to call individual Gentiles like Ruth and Rahab to faith (Josh. 2; Ruth 1). Nevertheless, the people as a whole failed in their vocation and went after the pagan gods worshiped in the nations around them (Jer.16:14-21).
God could have abandoned His plan to make Israel, the people He called out of Egypt, a light to the nations due to its failure to bear witness to the Gentiles. Yet that is not what He did, as revealed in today’s passage. Matthew 2:13-I5 describes Jesus’ descent into Egypt and return to Galilee as a fulfillment of a prophecy first given in Hosea 11:1. In its original context, this prophecy in Hosea is about the Lord’s initial call of Israel (His son) out of Egypt during the exodus to be His light to the world. Since Israel failed to be this light, God sent His Son to succeed where His people failed. He would be the new Israel who would obey His Father’s will without hesitation and, as the light of the world (John 8:12), bring men and women from every background into saving fellowship with the one, true God. Christ Jesus, the true Israel, would incorporate into His body men and women to share His vocation as the light of the world to draw the nations to Himself (Matt. 5:14).
The Lord redeemed the Israelites from Egypt to save Egypt and, indeed, the entire world. When they failed, He sent His only Son, the faithful one, and brought Him out of Egypt to redeem Egypt, Assyria, and the world (Isa. 19:16-24; John 3:16).

All of us who were once in sin were in slavery even if we had no earthly masters. Wickedness held sway over our every thought, decision, and action, but in Christ we have been rescued from this power and are now enabled to live before God’s face in a manner that pleases Him. Christ went into Egypt and was brought out to begin the work that redeemed us from sin, and we should pursue holiness in gratitude for this awesome grace.

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Matthew 7:21

Posted in Faith, Matthew, Works on June 29, 2009 by Harry

bible21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.

Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary:

  • Christ here shows that it will not be enough to own him for our Master, only in word and tongue.
  • It is necessary to our happiness that we believe in Christ, that we repent of sin, that we live a holy life, that we love one another.
  • This is his will, even our sanctification.
  • Let us take heed of resting in outward privileges and doings, lest we deceive ourselves, and perish eternally, as multitudes do, with a lie in our right hand.
  • Let every one that names the name of Christ, depart from all sin.

ESV Study Bible Notes:

  • An oral confession of Jesus as Lord does not always indicate a repentant heart.

MacArthur Study Bible:

  • The faith that says but does not do is really barren unbelief
  • Jesus is not suggesting that works merit salvation but that true faith will not fail to produce the fruit of good works
  • This point is also precisely the point of James 1:22-25; 2:26

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Matthew 5:3

Posted in Matthew, Total Depravity on June 24, 2009 by Harry

bible

3 Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

ESV Study Bible Notes:

  • The “poor in spirit” are those who recognize they are in need of God’s help. 
  • “theirs is the kingdom of heaven”
    • It belongs to those who confess their spiritual bankruptcy.

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Matthew 18:3

Posted in Dependence, Matthew, Trust on May 21, 2009 by Harry

“Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.”

ESV Study Bible notes:

  • The humility of a child consists of childlike trust, vulnerability, and the inability to advance his or her own cause apart from the help, direction, and resources of a parent.

Reformation Study Bible notes:

  • Not because children are innocent, but because they are dependent and make no pre-tense of being otherwise

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