A Nugget from New Life Network
Scripture for the Day (December 1, 2015)
And if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. (Joshua 24:15)
The Jewish elders and chief priests were constantly challenging Jesus. They were looking for anything they could to use against him to prove he was an impostor or fraud. On this particular occasion, as Jesus taught in the Temple, they asked him by what authority did he do all these things?
Jesus responded to their question with a question:
And Jesus answered and said unto them, I also will ask you one thing, which if ye tell me, I in like wise will tell you by what authority I do these things. The baptism of John, whence was it? from heaven, or of men? And they reasoned with themselves, saying, If we shall say, From heaven; he will say unto us, Why did ye not then believe him? But if we shall say, Of men; we fear the people; for all hold John as a prophet. And they answered Jesus, and said, We cannot tell. And he said unto them, Neither tell I you by what authority I do these things.
Jesus then shared this parable with them:
But what think ye? A certain man had two sons; and he came to the first, and said, Son, go work to day in my vineyard. He answered and said, I will not: but afterward he repented, and went. And he came to the second, and said likewise. And he answered and said, I go, sir: and went not. Whether of them twain did the will of his father? They say unto him, The first. Jesus saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That the publicans and the harlots go into the kingdom of God before you. For John came unto you in the way of righteousness, and ye believed him not: but the publicans and the harlots believed him: and ye, when ye had seen it, repented not afterward, that ye might believe him.
There are two main hindrances to faith identified here and they are still major hindrances today. They are religion and double mindedness. Religion (the first hindrance) kept these leaders from believing what John the Baptist had said, “Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). This did not agree with their doctrine so they missed the blessing and salvation sent from God. They missed the Messiah!!
The second hindrance is double mindedness. When confronted by Jesus on whether John the Baptist came from Heaven or from men they responded, “We cannot tell”. You have to make a decision when it comes to Jesus! The parables are all about decisions and choices (the broad way or the narrow way; building on the rock or sand; the wheat and the chaff; the wise and foolish virgins; the sheep and the goats, etc.) A double minded man is unstable in all his ways and will receive nothing from God (James 1:7-8).
It is amazing to me that we still have these two major hindrances (religion and double mindedness) alive and well today in the Christian church. They keep us from receiving the things of God. Many think they know the truth because of what they have heard preached to them. But they have never really studied the Word for themselves and asked God to reveal to them the real truth. Even if they have a hint that what they are hearing is missing something, or is not the real truth, they will not make a decision to change because they are afraid it will hinder long standing family or religious traditions. What a shame!!!
We encourage you today to pursue a personal relationship with the Lord! Read His Word! Pray and ask for wisdom and guidance. He wants to talk to YOU, not just your Pastor. But, to walk with Jesus, you have to make a decision and that decision will usually always result in some type of change.
Paul was one of the most respected and educated religious leaders of his day. Listen to what he said about all that theological training and religious tradition.
A Message from the Apostle Paul
The very credentials these people are waving around as something special, I’m tearing up and throwing out with the trash—along with everything else I used to take credit for. And why? Because of Christ. Yes, all the things I once thought were so important are gone from my life. Compared to the high privilege of knowing Christ Jesus as my Master, firsthand, everything I once thought I had going for me is insignificant—dog dung. I’ve dumped it all in the trash so that I could embrace Christ and be embraced by him. I didn’t want some petty, inferior brand of righteousness that comes from keeping a list of rules when I could get the robust kind that comes from trusting
Christ—God’s righteousness. (Philippians 3:8-9, The Message Bible)
