Author: David Worcester

Lead Pastor of Compass Church http://CompassChurchSD.com #Jesus, #Family #ChurchPlanting #CollegeMinistry. #Missions http://GospelAppointments.com @collegiatecoll

What Compassion Tastes Like – Matthew 14:1-21

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Reflection from my reading in Matthew 14:1-21 in the One Year Bible New Testament.

From Retreat To Mission Trip

Jesus had just heard the news that his fellow minister, John the Baptist, has died. Jesus was planning on taking some time alone to be with God and possibly mourn. The crowd heard Jesus was going away and followed him on foot!

Personally, I would be annoyed if I was trying to get away and people kept following me. But Jesus had a different response.

“When he went ashore he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them and healed their sick.” Matthew 14:14

Jesus had compassion, which literally means “to have pity.” Jesus felt the needs of the crowd and gave up his comfort and rest for their sake. He proceeded to heal the sick among them and spend the day with them. Here’s the principle…

Compassion Fuels Loving Action

Jesus’ love was demonstrated again after a long day of healing as the disciples recommended the people go back to the village and get some food. But Jesus was not ready to send them away yet. Earlier that day Jesus was headed to be alone; now he couldn’t get enough of these people!

Opportunity To Teach 

Jesus was a master at taking opportunities to teach his disciples while meeting needs of people. Instead of telling them what he was going to do he said, “You feed them.”  The disciples must have been shocked, because they only had five loves and two fish!

Jesus then said, “Bring them here.” He prayed and asked the disciples to distribute the food. Miraculously, he was able to feed all 5,000 of the men and many other women and children. Everyone ate all they wanted and there was 12 baskets of leftovers!

In this exchange, Jesus showed his disciples what compassion looks like, demonstrated his power, tested their faith, and involved them in the process of meeting needs!  

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What is the Kingdom of Heaven Like? Matthew 13:31-58

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Reflection from my reading in Matthew 13:31-58 in the One Year Bible New Testament.

The Kingdom of Heaven is Like…

In a series of parables, Jesus illustrated different aspects of the Kingdom. Note: there are a lot of “deeper” interpretations about what these could mean but I have just shared my thoughts on what I feel the passage is most clearly trying to communicate.

A Mustard Seed 

“It is the smallest of all seeds, but when it has grown it is larger than all the garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches.” Matthew 13:32

Like a mustard seed, the kingdom of heaven started small and is still expanding.

Wheat and Weeds

“The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man. The field is the world, and the good seed is the sons of the kingdom. The weeds are the sons of the evil one…” Matthew 13:37–38

The good seeds are people who belong to the kingdom of God. The weeds are those who belong to the devil. When Jesus returns, his angels will separate the true and false believers. False believers and non-believers will be sent to Hell and true believers will “shine like the sun in the kingdom.”

Yeast

“He told them another parable. “The kingdom of heaven is like leaven that a woman took and hid in three measures of flour, till it was all leavened.” Matthew 13:33

Once yeast in the dough starts, it can’t be stopped! This is the multiplying effect of the Kingdom, and it hasn’t stopped spreading.

A Hidden Treasure 

“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.” Matthew 13:44

The Kingdom of God is more valuable than any hidden treasure! Those who discover it’s true worth will sacrifice for it and experience true joy!

A Pearl Merchant

 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls, who, on finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and bought it.” Matthew 13:45–46

The Kingdom is worth sacrificing everything for. What you gain is more valuable than all your possessions combined.

A Net

“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was thrown into the sea and gathered fish of every kind. When it was full, men drew it ashore and sat down and sorted the good into containers but threw away the bad.” Matthew 13:47–48

In the end,  God’s angles will separate out the true believers from the false believers and non-believers. Those who were not true believers will be thrown into Hell and the true believers will be kept safe.

Like a jewel, the Kingdom of Heaven is multifaceted. In this series of parables, Jesus is able to highlight aspects of his great Kingdom!

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Which Soil Are You? – Matthew 13:1-30

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Reflection from my reading in Matthew 13:1-30 in the One Year Bible New Testament.

 Surrounded by such a huge crowd that he had to get into a boat, Jesus tells one of the most famous and powerful parables of his ministry.

Parable in Summary

A farmer scatters seed in four places. Here are the results.

  1. Path – Eaten By Birds
  2. Shallow Rocky Soil – Quickly sprouted then died
  3. Thorns – Choked out
  4. Good Soil – Grew strong and produced a lot of crop!

Fortunately for us, later behind the scenes Jesus gives his 12 apostles the meaning of the parable.

Path People

“When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. This is what was sown along the path.” Matthew 13:19

Path people are people who hear the message but don’t understand it. Before it has a chance to take root, it is stolen from them by the devil.

Shallow People

“As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy, yet he has no root in himself, but endures for a while, and when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately he falls away.” Matthew 13:20–21

The rocky shallow people are those who hear the message and get really excited but don’t actually ground themselves in Christ. They don’t take the effort to be solidly rooted. Because of this, at the first sign of trouble they fall away.

Thorny People 

“As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and it proves unfruitful.” Matthew 13:22

Thorny people care too much about the worries of this world. They are too busy chasing riches and the cares of the world that they are distracted from really following Jesus and thus from bearing fruit.

Good Soil People

“As for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it. He indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty.” Matthew 13:23

Good soil people understand God’s word and obey it. They are used by God to help others know him and do much good in their lives. They not only add value to the world around them but multiply themselves by helping others know Christ and walk with Him.

Which soil are you currently? 

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What is The Unforgivable Sin Really? – Matthew 12:24-50

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Reflection from my reading in Matthew 12:24-50 in the One Year Bible New Testament.

This is one of the more scary passages of scripture! After reading some commentaries, here are some of my thoughts on this passage.

A House Divided 

The context as always is important in interpreting  scripture. Jesus healed a demon-oppressed man and the religious leaders said Jesus was using the power of Beelzebul, the prince of Demons.

Jesus responded by telling them that a kingdom divided against it self will not stand.

“Knowing their thoughts, he said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and no city or house divided against itself will stand. And if Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then will his kingdom stand?” Matthew 12:25–26

Jesus showed them how illogical their claims were….

“But if it is by the Spirit of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.” Matthew 12:28

Basically, the religious leaders were attributing the Spirit’s work to demons! By denying the Spirit’s work, they were in effect rejecting Jesus and his validity. Jesus was drawing the line in the sand. Either you are with me or not!

The Scariest Passage In the Bible

“Therefore I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven people, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. And whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come.” Matthew 12:31–32

For passages like this, it is important not to overlook them or explain them away. As I did research on this, it is important to know that it is not the the words themselves that are not unforgivable but the fruit of a heart that has rejected the Holy Spirit. One of the best commentaries I have found on this section is from Warren Wiersbe, 

“It appears that this situation existed only while Christ was ministering on earth. Jesus did not appear to be different from any other Jewish man (Isa. 53:2). To speak against Christ could be forgiven while He was on earth. But when the Spirit of God came at Pentecost as proof that Jesus was the Christ, and was alive, to reject the witness of the Spirit was final. The only consequence would be judgment. When the leaders rejected John the Baptist, they were rejecting the Father who sent him. When they rejected Jesus, they were rejecting the Son. But when they rejected the ministry of the Apostles, they rejected the Holy Spirit—and that is the end. There is no more witness. Such rejection cannot be forgiven.“

Basically, God can forgive any sin accept the final rejection of the God himself. In his outline, Warren Wiersbe explains even more simply,

“It is the sin of willful, persistent unbelief and final rejection of Jesus Christ. Adultery is not unpardonable (see John 8:1–11), nor is murder (God forgave David). But when a person persists in rejecting Christ and comes to the place where his heart is so calloused he has no concern for his eternal destiny, then it is too late.”

So my best understanding is that the unforgivable sin in this passage is attributing the work of the Spirit done by Jesus to demons, and ultimately rejecting Jesus and not receiving his forgiveness and eternal life.

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Jesus Was Loving Not Legalistic – Matthew 12:1-23

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Reflection from my reading in Matthew 12:1-23 in the One Year Bible New Testament.

Jesus was a perfect example of what it looks like to show mercy and love to people instead of being chained down by legalism.

Legalism is basically the belief that a strict adherence to rules is required for entrance into Heaven and to gain favor with God.

Lord of the Sabbath

The Pharisees were the religious leaders of the day who were known for their legalism. Not only were they vigalent with the Scriptural commands, but they developed extra rules on top of that and looked down on those who didn’t follow them.

They gave Jesus and his disciples a hard time for picking grain on the Sabbath. The Sabbath was and is a big deal for the Jewish people. God has commanded us to rest one day out of the week, but the Jewish people have taken that rule and added many extra rules surrounding it.

Sabbath Elevator 

When I was visiting Jerusalem, I encountered one way they are still trying to keep this law that demonstrates  legalism. We were in a hotel and one of the elevators stopped at every floor, because pushing a button on the Sabbath would be considered working! The Jews of the day didn’t have elevators, but they had many similar laws about the Sabbath so they were anxious to see what Jesus would do.

Basically, Jesus tells them that they are missing the point of the law!

“And if you had known what this means, ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the guiltless. For the Son of Man is lord of the Sabbath.” Matthew 12:7–8

God values mercy over sacrifice. Jesus is the Lord of the Sabbath and set an example to not be chained by man’s extra rules while still obeying the clear commands of the Bible.

Love is Greater Than Legalism

Jesus then had a chance to demonstrate how love was better than legalism. There was a man with a deformed hand in the synagogue and the Pharisees tried to set Jesus up by asking if it was permitted to heal on the Sabbath. I love his response!

“He said to them, “Which one of you who has a sheep, if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will not take hold of it and lift it out? Of how much more value is a man than a sheep! So it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.” Matthew 12:11–12

Jesus then healed the man’s hand! This made the legalistic Pharisees mad. To Jesus, people were the priority over following man-made rules! PEOPLE ARE THE PRIORITY!

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3 Ways To Stress LESS – Matthew 11

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Reflection from my reading in Matthew 11 in the One Year Bible New Testament.

Too much stress leads to:

  • Damaged health
  • Distracted minds
  • Disrupted productivity
  • Disengaged relationships

Jesus doesn’t promise us an island vacation in Jamaica every day where you sip on a coconut and listen to Bob Marley. But he does promise to help us deal with the stressful things that come our way.

1. Come to Jesus For Rest

“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28

The first step toward dealing with stressful situations is to stop and ask God for help. Only Jesus can give you the soul rest you need.

2. Handle What God Has Given You

“Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:29–30

A yoke was a piece of wood that held oxen together when they were pulling a plow. A yoke involved work. Jesus is saying, “link up with me, stay connected to me, pull with me, and it will be much easier than trying to pull it all yourself.”

Jesus doesn’t promise us zero stress. But He promises to help us.

We get stressed out when we try to do more or less than what God is calling us to do.

The homeless person experiences the stress of having to find food, shelter, and staying safe on the streets.  His stress comes from not taking care of the things he should.

The high level business man has a different kind of stress. He’s not worried about what he will eat or drink or sleep.  He is worried about his next meeting, he’s stressed because he has three meetings in one hour, he’s stressed because he is trying to do too much.

So what about you? Are you trying to handle more than Jesus wants you?  Or are you handling less? 

The only solution for our stress problem is Christ’s yoke, no more, no less.

 3. Learn Humility and Gentleness.

“…learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” Matthew 11:29

One of the things we learn from Jesus is how to be humble and gentle. Often our stress comes when we try to take over God’s job. Too often we spend our time worrying and stressing over things that we cannot control.

 One of the keys to stress relief is understanding what is God’s job and what is your job.  

Are you worrying about things that only God has control over? If so, then you need to get in God’s training program. Humility is the key to stress relief.   

Let God be God! I will leave you with a  famous prayer called the “Serenity Prayer.” May God help you stress less!

God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, The courage to change the things I can, And wisdom to know the difference. – The Serenity Prayer

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4 Principles For Facing Fear And Persecution – Matthew 10:21-42

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Reflection from my reading in Matthew 10:21-42 in the One Year Bible New Testament.

Jesus, specifically in vs. 26-33, is telling the apostles not to fear people who persecute them for their faith. We would be wise to take these principles to heart.

1. Be Bold

 “So have no fear of them, for nothing is covered that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known.  What I tell you in the dark, say in the light, and what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops.” Matthew 10:26–27

Everything that is done will be found out! Jesus instrustructed his disciples to not keep what he told them a secret but shout it from the rooftops!

2. Don’t Fear People, Fear God

“And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.” Matthew 10:28

We should fear God alone! God is the only one who has the power to save your soul.  The worst people can do to you is kill your body and send you to heaven!

3. Trust in God’s Protection

“Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. But even the hairs of your head are all numbered.  Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.” Matthew 10:29–31

God loves you way more than a stupid little bird! He knows you individually! He knows more about you than you know about yourself! How many of you know the number of hairs on your head? Just as God takes care of the sparrows he promises to take care of those who serve him.

4. Don’t Be Ashamed of Jesus 

“So everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven, but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven.” Matthew 10:32–33

 This verse doesn’t mean that if you don’t go upfront during the altar call that you are not saved. I am sad that this verse has been misused  in that way. What it means is that if Jesus is your Lord then you won’t be ashamed to identify with him. This is a challenge: in your classrooms when your professor is talking down on Christianity, identify with Jesus; when your co-workers are talking about “Christians,” identify with Jesus; when your friends are talking about their faith, don’t be ashamed to talk about yours!

It’s time for Christians to boldly take risks for Jesus, even if it means facing some persecution!

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6 Principles for Effective Short Term Missions – Matt 10:1-20

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Reflection from my reading in Matt 10:1-20 in the One Year Bible New Testament.

We can learn some valuable principles for how to do short-term trips from Jesus’ instructions. These are NOT commands for all Christians but specific instructions from which we can learn principles.

1. Go To A Specific People Group

“These twelve Jesus sent out, instructing them, “Go nowhere among the Gentiles and enter no town of the Samaritans, but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” Matthew 10:5–6

Jesus told them specifically to go to the Jews, not the Samaritans or Gentiles. We should love everyone we come across but focus on reaching those we are sent to reach!

2. Preach the Kingdom

” And proclaim as you go, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.” Matthew 10:7

Preaching is still the best way to share the good news! Don’t be afraid to share the good news. Besides, you are only there for a short time so why not be bold?!

3. Meet Practical Needs

“Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, cast out demons. You received without paying; give without pay.” Matthew 10:8

Generously meet the needs of the area. Pray for the sick to be healed and meet other practical needs of the area.  This will draw positive attention to you and open doors for your message.

4. Trust God to Meet Your Needs

“Acquire no gold or silver or copper for your belts, no bag for your journey, or two tunics or sandals or a staff, for the laborer deserves his food.” Matthew 10:9–10

Where God guides, God provides. Don’t let money stop you from going where God called you. Remember, these are specific commands that applied to the 12, but the principle is that we should expect God to provide if we are serving him.

5. Find A Worthy Host

 “And whatever town or village you enter, find out who is worthy in it and stay there until you depart. As you enter the house, greet it. And if the house is worthy, let your peace come upon it, but if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you.” Matthew 10:11–13

If you find someone willing to host you, stay there! Don’t be too proud to accept hospitality. This will open up relational doors to the network of the host and will establish you as a legitimate person in the community. This summer in Germany, our students stayed with host students, loved it and were able to influence more people that way!

6. Harvest The Ripe

“And if anyone will not receive you or listen to your words, shake off the dust from your feet when you leave that house or town.” Matthew 10:14

Move with the movers. And if no one is moving… move on! Don’t pressure people that are not interested in hearing! Move on and find those who are ripe for the good news. One thing that I like to do is to pray that we could find the ripe people to talk to. Imagine a farmer yanking all the fruit off the tree before it’s ripe; that would be silly. As you go, God will bring you some who are ready to hear your message, focus on them!

I love short term trips and hope that more will follow these principles and bring many more to faith in Jesus!

Harvesters Wanted – Matt 9:18-38

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 Reflection from my reading in Matthew 9:18-38 in the One Year Bible New Testament.

Compassion Fuels Passion

“And Jesus went throughout all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.” Matthew 9:35–36

If you notice here, Jesus’ compassion was the driving force behind his effort. It wasn’t his desire for a big ministry or to look good for others. His compassion fueled his passion!

Without Jesus People Are…

Harassed – People are confused and troubled by worry, depression, lies and attacks from the enemy.

Helpless – This term in the original greek can also mean to be thrown down. Picture a fight when a small child or woman is thrown down violently on the ground by a larger man. The result is someone dejected and alone lying on the ground with no hope. This is what people are like without Jesus.

Like Sheep Without A Shepherd –  Without Jesus, people are like a sheep without a shepherd lost in the middle of the wilderness. They don’t have any purpose or direction for their lives. They are vulnerable to any attack. Ultimately, they are doomed without the protection of the Shepherd.

Jesus did something about it! 

This should motivate us to do something to be a part of God’s harvest. I love that before the description of Jesus’ compassion it actually shows us the example of Jesus actively traveling around preaching the good news, healing, and giving people hope. Along with doing our part in spreading the good news, Jesus gives us something we all can do to be a part of this great harvest! 

How to Get More Harvesters  

“Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few;  therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.” Matthew 9:37–38

Here’s the principle, The problem is not the lack of harvest but lack of harvesters! 

Jesus’ solution to this problem is to pray earnestly, or to literally beg or plead with God to send more workers into the field. And when you pray this, be ready to be an answer to your own prayers and harvest yourself!

Imagine all the harassed, helpless people who would be saved if we all took a few moments a day and prayed that God would raise up more workers for his great harvest?

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Jesus Partied With A Purpose – Matt 9:1-17

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 Reflection from my reading in Matt 9:1-17 in the One Year Bible New Testament.

From Traitor To Gospel Writer

 “As Jesus passed on from there, he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax booth, and he said to him, “Follow me.” And he rose and followed him.  Matthew 9:9 

Jesus was criticized for the company he kept. Tax collectors were known as traitors because they not only worked for the Roman oppressors, but they also charged extra and kept money for themselves. But Jesus asked one of the tax collectors, named Matthew, to follow him.

Matthew later became a gospel writer! Jesus looked at Matthew and saw him for what he could be instead of what he was. Jesus gave him a second chance and Matthew took it!

Chill’n With Jesus

 “And as Jesus reclined at table in the house, behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and were reclining with Jesus and his disciples.” Matthew 9:10 

I love the picture of Jesus reclining with the most notorious sinners of the day. Very often when someone comes to Christ, there are good opportunities for them to reach out to their friends. I believe one reason Jesus was able to have access to the tax collectors and sinners was because they were Matthew’s friends! Jesus used natural connections in order to reach his friend’s group.

In order to reach people, we have to be around them. When was the last time you just hung out with non-believers?

It Doesn’t Look Good…

 “And when the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?”  Matthew 9:11 

Jesus was criticized by the religious leaders of the day. Jesus was willing to let his reputation suffer for the sake of loving those people and showing them mercy.

A Hospital for Sinners 

 “But when he heard it, he said, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. 13 Go and learn what this means, ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.’ For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.”  Matthew 9:12–13 

Jesus preferred spending time with those who knew they needed him over those who thought they were perfect. Jesus came to heal the spiritually sick. Jesus showed us that mercy is greater than sacrifice. As a church, I believe we must follow Jesus’ example of spending time with people who need God and provide a safe place for sinners to come receive the healing in our services. I will leave you with one of my favorite quotes of what the Church should be,

“The church is a hospital for sinners, not a museum for saints.” – Abigail Van Buren

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