Tag: sin

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Repentance and the Kingdom of Heaven

Day 2 of Jesus, I Need You – Part 2, a study of Thistlebend Ministries

Scripture Reading: Matthew 3:1-12 and 11:15

 In those days John the Baptist came to the Judean wilderness and began preaching. His message was,  “Repent of your sins and turn to God, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near.” The prophet Isaiah was speaking about John when he said,

“He is a voice shouting in the wilderness,
‘Prepare the way for the Lord’s coming!
    Clear the road for him!’”

3:11“I baptize with water those who repent of their sins and turn to God. But someone is coming soon who is greater than I am—so much greater that I’m not worthy even to be his slave and carry his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.

11:15Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand!

Matthew 3:1-3,11 and 11:15 NLT
Observation: What’s the Message?

Today’s message is undoubtedly the message of repentance because the “Kingdom of Heaven was near”, perhaps best explained by Bibleref.com

John’s Jewish listeners would have been familiar with the idea that a new kingdom would one day be established by the promised Messiah. John will point to Jesus as that Messiah, and to the imminent establishment of His kingdom. John will insist, though, that repentance—turning from sin—was necessary for his Jewish listeners to be included in that kingdom. The mere fact of their Israelite heritage would not be enough. This would have been a new idea to some.

However, let’s also look at the underlying message – the one we find in Matthew 11:15 which is nearly the same as what we previously read in Revelation 2:7. Both passages call us to listen to what’s being said. We’ve seen it twice already in our study. Once as a warning about being alienated from God and the other in the message from Jesus to the Church at Ephesus concerning how they had left their first love. In both passages He wants the people to know how imperative it is for them to listen to what He’s saying. He wants them to listen so they will know how to live and choose to turn from what is wrong and do what is right.

In today’s passage, we read how John the Baptist was sent to prepare the way for the Lord, the long awaited Messiah. His message is one of repentance in order to prepare the hearts of those who will listen – to be ready to receive the salvation that Jesus is bringing. It is so important to realize that if we fail to listen to His instructions or if we fail to make much of His Word we will lose the opportunity to draw close to God and to have Him draw close to us.

So Why A Message Of Repentance?

Repentance is to make a turn – a change of heart and mind that changes the actions or thoughts and words of a person. One commentary described repentance like this, “To stop going the wrong way and start going the right way.” So John was preparing the people to think differently and respond differently to people and situations. Jesus would be bringing the message of Salvation – “He who believes in me will have eternal life the one who does not believe will not have eternal life”, (John 3:36).

Application: How Then Should We Live?

To be sure, salvation is through faith alone in Christ alone -but repentance is part of that faith. The understanding or foundation of our faith is that we are all sinners (Rom 3:23), in need of a Savior because the wages of our sin is death (Rom 6:23), the requirement – an atonement we could not provide – a spotless, sinless sacrifice, (2 Corinthians 5:21). This is the sacrifice God sent because He so loved the world (John 3:16).

Because we have believed, we – like John, are now witnesses and messengers meant to prepare the way for others to come – making sure they know the way. If we don’t listen to this teaching and follow we may well be a hindrance to the Gospel message.

Since John’s message was one of ‘repentance’, we must understand what repentance is and make sure that we turn from our sin and walk in the ways of the Lord, who left a bold and lasting legacy for us to follow – namely, loving God with all of His being and loving us more than He loved Himself – even to the point of death on the cross.

Prayer: Response to God’s Word

God forbid that we would be a hindrance to the message of Jesus Christ! Help us to make straight the path so that all will come to You and be saved. Help us to understand the promise isn’t ours through our goodness or family heritage – but – as Your Word teaches – it is through faith alone in Christ alone. Help us to not forget the importance of listening to the message Jesus and John and others like them came to bring – for as Timothy said,  All Scripture is inspired by [You] and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. Use it to prepare and equip us to do every good work! In His Name — and for Your Glory! Amen –

Your Turn:
  • What’s your take away from today’s message?
  • What are some things you can do to make sure you are listening to God’s Word?
  • Are there things you currently need to repent (turn away from)?
Want More?

Go deeper with…

Thistlebend’s devotional

An understanding of Matthew chapter 3, who John the Baptist was, and what he was doing to prepare the way for the Jesus, The Messiah

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Pray Knowing the Spirit Intercedes

 And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes on behalf of the saints according to God’s will. NET

 

 And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God’s own will. NLT

Romans 8:27

This has been one of my favorite and most comforting verses since my early twenties. Somehow knowing that God searches our hearts – not just looking for sin and things that need to be removed, as David prayed in Psalm 139:23-24, but also to help us in our weakness, like when we want to pray but just can’t find the words. The Father, who knows our hearts – the good, and bad, and ugly of our hearts – doesn’t turn away from His children but instead cares so deeply for us and wants us to be able to communicate with Him – that He sent His Spirit to intercede on our behalf. Actually verse 26, in the New Living Translation, says that the Spirit prays for us with groans that cannot be expressed in words.

Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!

And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words

Psalm 139:23-24 and Romans 8:26

Imagine it – the Creator of the universe not only says come … bring me your burdens, your heartaches, and tiredness. Turn to me when you’re tempted or in need, cry out to me in your distress or when you’re afraid. He even invites us to bring Him our sin so that he might forgive us and cleanse us from all unrighteousness … and as if that’s not enough – He says, when You don’t know how to pray about something – don’t worry, I have you covered. Oh the rich rich goodness of our God!

May you find hope and encouragement from these truths today!

Don’t miss today’s Love God Greatly Blog Post at https://lovegodgreatly.com/lgg-blog/

Posted in Bible study, From the Insideout, Quiet Time
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The Temptation of Jesus

Read Matthew 4:1-11

In today’s reading Matthew shares insight and wisdom from the life of Christ that will help us overcome the temptations we will inevitably face. Christ had just been baptized and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness where He was to be tested. Bibleref.com explains, that “it was God’s intention that Jesus should endure this time of testing.” [For a full explanation of 4:1 visit https://www.bibleref.com/Matthew/4/Matthew-4-1.html. ] However, the focus of today’s passage for me became verse 4, which follows Satan’s pointed temptation to Jesus, who had been fasting, to turn stones into loaves of bread (4:3). While Jesus, no doubt, could have easily met this temptation He instead answers Satan, directly, with a firm “No!” He then uses Scripture to confirm His choice.

3 During that time the devil came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become loaves of bread.” 4 But Jesus told him, “No! The Scriptures say, ‘People do not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”

Matthew 4:3-4 (NLT)

Actually, every other time I have ever read or heard this Scripture taught my mind has been drawn to the use of God’s Word to combat the temptations, and rightfully so. We should always be ready with Scripture when we meet temptations – after all God’s Word is our primary weapon against sin which is why David answered his own question in Psalm 119, “How can a young man keep His way pure?” with these words, “By obeying God’s Word.” He goes on to explain how he does that, “I seek You (God) with all of my heart, do not let me stray from your commandments. I have hidden Your Word in my heart that I might not sin against You.” Temptation is clearly combatted with God’s Word. However, it is equally clear to me today that it is good and right to be direct and firm with the ‘tempter’ and say “no”! What a great example of handling our temptations, “But Jesus told him, ‘No!'”.

How can a young man keep his way pure?

By keeping your word.

10 I have sought you with all my heart;

don’t let me wander from your commands.

11 I have treasured your word in my heart

so that I may not sin against you.

Psalm 119:9-11 (CSB)

Jesus’ example makes me think of the campaign, “Just Say No!”, used in the “War on Drugs during the 80’s and 90’s to discourage children from using illegal drugs. Perhaps, as children of God, we should make this our campaign against temptations this year – “Say No to Satan!”. We are only 10 days in to the new year, yet it is already clear to me that there will be, as with every other year, daily temptations. Perhaps we will be tempted to mimic the behavior of the world (Romans 12:2), or to fear (Isaiah 41:10), or complain (Phil 2:14-16), or become angry (Eph 4:26, James 1:20) and unforgiving (Col 3:13), or to use our words to tear down instead of build up (Eph 4:29), the list of temptations are endless (the combatting Scriptures are equally endless) … but regardless of how or when the temptation comes may our answer be, like Jesus’, a firm and resolved NO! Let’s “Say NO to Satan!” and watch him flee in 2022.

Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

James 4:7 (ESV)

Posted in Bible study, LGG Study

Truths Over Lies: Wk2/Day5

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TRUTH OR LIE? GOD WON’T FORGIVE YOU FOR THAT …

Read and SOAP: Isaiah 43:25 and 1 John 1:9

I, I am the one who blots out your rebellious deeds for my sake; your sins I do not remember.

Isaiah 43:25

But if we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous, forgiving us our sins and cleansing us from all unrighteousness.

1 John 1:9

What do you think?

  • Does God forgive all of our sins?
  • Is any sin bigger than God’s sacrifice and mercy?

Many Christians debate whether there is an “unforgivable sin.”  

Read the full devotional

To the girl who thinks God won’t forgive you, … 

Read the full blog here
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Truth Over Lies: Wk1, D5

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DECEIVED THROUGH OUR IGNORANCE

  • Read: 1 John 4:1, 1 Thes 5:21, Acts 17:11, Psalm 119:11, Titus 3:5-6, and James 1:22
  • SOAP: Psalm 119:11

I have hidden your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.

Psalm 119:11

What do you think?

  • What does it mean to hide God’s Word in your heart?
  • How does it help us not sin against God?

Don’t forget today’s LGG Devotional and Blog

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Friendship: Week 1, Wednesday Sin’s Impact on Friendship

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READ: GENESIS 3:8-13 AND 4:6-8; SOAP: GENESIS 3:8

Genesis 3:8-13 New Living Translation

When the cool evening breezes were blowing, the man and his wife heard the Lord God walking about in the garden. So they hid from the Lord God among the trees. 9 Then the Lord God called to the man, “Where are you?”

10 He replied, “I heard you walking in the garden, so I hid. I was afraid because I was naked.”

11 “Who told you that you were naked?” the Lord God asked. “Have you eaten from the tree whose fruit I commanded you not to eat?”

12 The man replied, “It was the woman you gave me who gave me the fruit, and I ate it.”

13 Then the Lord God asked the woman, “What have you done?”

“The serpent deceived me,” she replied. “That’s why I ate it.”

Do you think this first sin impacted the relationship that Adam and Eve had with each other? What about with God? If so, how?

Check out today’s LGG Devotional

Genesis 4:6-8 New Living Translation

“Why are you so angry?” the Lord asked Cain. “Why do you look so dejected? 7 You will be accepted if you do what is right. But if you refuse to do what is right, then watch out! Sin is crouching at the door, eager to control you. But you must subdue it and be its master.”

8 One day Cain suggested to his brother, “Let’s go out into the fields.” And while they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother, Abel, and killed him.

DON’T FORGET TO CHECK OUT TODAY’S LGG BLOG  HTTPS://LOVEGODGREATLY.COM/BLOG/

Posted in Bible study, LGG Study

Faithful Love: Week 4, Friday Living as Wise Women

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READ: HOSEA 10:1-8 AND LAMENTATIONS 1:8,15, AND 18; SOAP: LAMENTATIONS 1:18

The Lord’s Judgment against Israel

How prosperous Israel is—
    a luxuriant vine loaded with fruit.
But the richer the people get,
    the more pagan altars they build.
The more bountiful their harvests,
    the more beautiful their sacred pillars.
2 The hearts of the people are fickle;
    they are guilty and must be punished.
The Lord will break down their altars
    and smash their sacred pillars.
3 Then they will say, “We have no king
    because we didn’t fear the Lord.
But even if we had a king,
    what could he do for us anyway?”
4 They spout empty words
    and make covenants they don’t intend to keep.
So injustice springs up among them
    like poisonous weeds in a farmer’s field.

5 The people of Samaria tremble in fear
    for their calf idol at Beth-aven,
    and they mourn for it.
Though its priests rejoice over it,
    its glory will be stripped away.
6 This idol will be carted away to Assyria,
    a gift to the great king there.
Ephraim will be ridiculed and Israel will be shamed,
    because its people have trusted in this idol.
7 Samaria and its king will be cut off;
    they will float away like driftwood on an ocean wave.
8 And the pagan shrines of Aven, the place of Israel’s sin, will crumble.
    Thorns and thistles will grow up around their altars.
They will beg the mountains, “Bury us!”
    and plead with the hills, “Fall on us!”

Lamentations 1:8, 15, and 18

Jerusalem has sinned greatly,
    so she has been tossed away like a filthy rag.
All who once honored her now despise her,
    for they have seen her stripped naked and humiliated.
All she can do is groan
    and hide her face.

15 “The Lord has treated my mighty men
    with contempt.
At his command a great army has come
    to crush my young warriors.
The Lord has trampled his beloved city
    like grapes are trampled in a winepress.

“The Lord is right,” Jerusalem says,
    “for I rebelled against him.
Listen, people everywhere;
    look upon my anguish and despair,
for my sons and daughters
    have been taken captive to distant lands.

The young women and men from Israel had to pay the price of the people´s rebellion toward God. We must never forget that sin has consequences. Read the full devotional

Read the full devotional
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Faithful Love: Week 4, Monday The First and Best Option

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MONDAY – WEEK 4, DAY 1: FAITHFUL LOVE

Read: Hosea 7:13-16 and Psalm 78:32-39; SOAP: Psalm 78:38

Woe to them! For they have fled from me!
Destruction to them! For they have rebelled against me!
I want to deliver them,
but they have lied to me.
14 They do not pray to me,
but howl in distress on their beds;
they slash themselves for grain and new wine,
but turn away from me.
15 Although I trained and strengthened them,
they plot evil against me!
16 They turn to Baal;
they are like an unreliable bow.
Their leaders will fall by the sword
because their prayers to Baal have made me angry.
So people will disdain them in the land of Egypt.

Despite all this, they continued to sin,
and did not trust him to do amazing things
33 So he caused them to die unsatisfied
and filled with terror.
34 When he struck them down, they sought his favor;
they turned back and longed for God.
35 They remembered that God was their protector,
and that God Most High was their deliverer.
36 But they deceived him with their words,
and lied to him.
37 They were not really committed to him,
and they were unfaithful to his covenant.
38 Yet he is compassionate.
He forgives sin and does not destroy.
He often holds back his anger,
and does not stir up his fury.
39 He remembered that they were made of flesh,
and were like a wind that blows past and does not return.

Israel saw their problem, but not their sin.

Read the rest of the LGG devotional – 

Reflection Question: What do you learn about God in light of His response to Israel’s rebellion? I invite you to share your answer or a question n the comment bar.

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Gospel of Mark: Week 4, Monday Cut It OFF

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Read: Mark 9:30-50; SOAP: Mark 9:43

Jesus Again Predicts His Death

Leaving that region, they traveled through Galilee. Jesus didn’t want anyone to know he was there, 31 for he wanted to spend more time with his disciples and teach them. He said to them, “The Son of Man is going to be betrayed into the hands of his enemies. He will be killed, but three days later he will rise from the dead.” 32 They didn’t understand what he was saying, however, and they were afraid to ask him what he meant.

The Greatest in the Kingdom

After they arrived at Capernaum and settled in a house, Jesus asked his disciples, “What were you discussing out on the road?” 34 But they didn’t answer, because they had been arguing about which of them was the greatest. 35 He sat down, called the twelve disciples over to him, and said, “Whoever wants to be first must take last place and be the servant of everyone else.”

36 Then he put a little child among them. Taking the child in his arms, he said to them, 37 “Anyone who welcomes a little child like this on my behalf welcomes me, and anyone who welcomes me welcomes not only me but also my Father who sent me.”

Using the Name of Jesus

John said to Jesus, “Teacher, we saw someone using your name to cast out demons, but we told him to stop because he wasn’t in our group.”

39 “Don’t stop him!” Jesus said. “No one who performs a miracle in my name will soon be able to speak evil of me. 40 Anyone who is not against us is for us. 41 If anyone gives you even a cup of water because you belong to the Messiah, I tell you the truth, that person will surely be rewarded.

42 “But if you cause one of these little ones who trusts in me to fall into sin, it would be better for you to be thrown into the sea with a large millstone hung around your neck. 43 If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It’s better to enter eternal life with only one hand than to go into the unquenchable fires of hell with two hands. 45 If your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It’s better to enter eternal life with only one foot than to be thrown into hell with two feet.[d] 47 And if your eye causes you to sin, gouge it out. It’s better to enter the Kingdom of God with only one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell, 48 ‘where the maggots never die and the fire never goes out.’[e]

49 “For everyone will be tested with fire. 50 Salt is good for seasoning. But if it loses its flavor, how do you make it salty again? You must have the qualities of salt among yourselves and live in peace with each other.

Sin is tricky like that. It starts out as a little thing. An unhealthy thought, just one puff, a second glance, a slip of the tongue, one more drink, one more purchase, a burst of anger…

Read the Full LGG Blog

There is a high cost to following Jesus.

To find out what it is read the devotional
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Draw Near: Week 5, Friday Reframing Our Minds Around Application

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Today’s Scripture: Psalm 19:12-13; Psalm 119:9-16 (SOAP: Psalm 119:11)

How can a young person stay pure?
    By obeying your word.
10 I have tried hard to find you—
    don’t let me wander from your commands.
11 I have hidden your word in my heart,
    that I might not sin against you.
12 I praise you, O Lord;
    teach me your decrees.
13 I have recited aloud all the regulations you have given us.
14 I have rejoiced in your laws as much as in riches.
15 I will study your commandments and reflect on your ways.
16 I will delight in your decrees and not forget your word. Psalm 119:9-16

How can I know all the sins lurking in my heart?
    Cleanse me from these hidden faults.
13 Keep your servant from deliberate sins!
    Don’t let them control me.
Then I will be free of guilt and innocent of great sin. Psalm 19:12-13

There are two things a text will show you. Either it will teach you something you should know, or it will tell you something you should do. … Don’t skip over the passages that don’t clearly tell you about something you should be doing. Look for truths that will help you renew your mind and love God more.

Read the full blog/lesson at LGG

When we memorize and remember God’s Word we can cling to the truth we’ve received during difficult moments. Instead of being taken captive by lies or despair, we can call to mind the truth of God’s Word when we need it most.

Read the full devotional at LGG