An unbelieving and rebellious generation

Matthew 17: 14-27

You hear Jesus’ words about an unbelieving and rebellious generation quoted frequently. It’s usually used as a reference to the declining morals of the day among those who don’t know God. It’s interesting though that Jesus is addressing his followers, the disciples (or at least that is who is talking about).

It makes me wonder where our faith is. Are we, as a global church, an “unbelieving and rebellious generation.” I’m afraid we are. We, as believers, struggle to trust God for what he wants to do through us. The disciples had trouble trusting that God could work through them to cast out demons. We struggle to realize that God could work through us to help our friends find Jesus, to help people who are hurting, and to help others grow spiritually.

It’s easy to dismiss the call of God on our lives because we don’t think we have the ability to do what he has asked us to do. We can come up with tons of excuses. But in the end we must come to the realization that it’s through his ability that we’ll be able to complete what he has for us.

What are some things each of us need to trust God for? How are we ignoring how he wants to work through us?

Let us not be the ones he calls “unbelieving” and “rebellious.”

The Transfiguration

Matthew 17: 1-13

I bet this was an experience that Peter, James, and John didn’t soon forget! To see the meeting between Jesus, Elijah, and Moses would have been great. But to see Jesus transfigured before their face would have been incredible.

In fact it was so meaningful for Peter that he wanted to stay there on the mountaintop. Thank goodness he didn’t. God had so much more to do through him, but he had to leave the mountaintop – to leave that place of spiritual high. That’s a good reminder to all of us.  We’ve got to be willing to leave the places of spiritual security at times so we can be the light in the dark places of the world.

Copy of our scripture reading schedule for February

I’ve got to put this as a post for some reason. Just in case you don’t have a copy of our reading schedule.

February reading plan

Take up your cross

Matthew 16: 13-28

I’m trying to only comment on one particular part of our reading passages each day. It allows me to focus more. Today it was hard to choose! A lot of great stuff in this section. There’s Peter’s confession of Christ, there’s Jesus’ promise of the eternal nature of the Church, and Jesus predicting his own death.

But where God focused my heart this morning is his call for us take up our cross and follow him. I’m reminded that God wants nothing else than my life. He doesn’t ask just for surface level religious practices. He wants me to be willing to give up my life (and everything that entails — my hopes, my dreams, my plans, and everything that “I”am) for him.

I can’t escape the fact that there is way too much of me in me. What does it mean to give up our lives to gain them? I think it means we take on God’s dreams and plans for our lives. We let ourselves be servants to him as our master. We give up the claim to our successes, and we give up the claim to our failures. Our lives truly become all about him.

I want that for my life. I want him to be totally in charge. At time part of me holds back though. I wonder if I give him complete control will he lead me into a life that is truly satisfying. But I am reminded of the fact that he stitched me together in my mother’s womb. He made me. He knows what satisfies me. And I’ll never truly be satisfied until I trust him and him alone for that satisfaction. I need less of me in my life and much, much more of Him.

Signs of the times

Matthew 16: 1-12

Interesting passage. Just a few thoughts. There are a lot of people in the world who are so focused on the miraculous and yet they ignore the most amazing miracle in history — the resurrection of Jesus. “An evil and adulterous generation wants a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign ofJonah.” (v. 4) I think that’s what Jesus is pointing at here. Remember Jonah spent three days in the belly of a whale before God brought him out. Jesus spent three days in the grave before he was resurrected. Everyone is looking for a sign. But God has already given the world the greatest sign we can ask for of the deity of Jesus.

I don’t think this means that there will be no miracles ever. I think Jesus just wants to reminded us about what the greatest miracle is. There are a lot of people who believe that there’s a God who can do miraculous things. But the real question is do they accept the cross. Do they believe that Jesus died on it for our sins and was resurrected to new life?

Loving the disenfranchised

Matthew 15: 21-39

I’m going to focus today on vv. 29-32. It’s amazing to me how often Jesus is seen in the Gospels helping the most disenfranchised of the community. Here he focuses on those who are lame, blind, deformed,  and unable to speak. They would have been some of the most left out people of society. It’s clear Jesus’ heart went out to the. But it was more than that. He helped them. And he included them.

It makes me think about how we, as believers, can struggle at times around folks who are disabled. We wonder what to say. We try hard not to stare at the disability. We can try so hard to treat the disabled normally that we end up treating them very abnormally. I believe God calls the church to full inclusion of the disabled. The church should be a picture of a community that loves and includes everyone — regardless of disability.

Jesus again gives us this great model and calls us to live up to it. Can we love, even the disenfranchised of this world, like he did?

A matter of the heart

Matthew 15: 1-20

This is another passage I mentioned in a previous sermon. Motives matter. It’s clear in this passage that Jesus is just as concerned with what is going on inside of us as he is with our actions. It’s not that he isn’t concerned with our actions. He just wants more. He wants to reform our hearts.

I think it’s telling that Jesus quotes the prophets and says that when we focus only on externals in our Christian walk we honor God with our lips while our hearts are far from him. It’s as if we think we can hide what is going on inside with what we’re doing on the outside. That may work with other people (for a little while), but it never works in our relationship with God.

I’m reminded of my own life. It’s easy as a pastor to try to pretend everything is going OK spiritually when they’re not. People expect pastors to always have everything together. But when I act as if everything is OK, but my spiritual life is struggling, I’m being just as much of a hypocrite as the Pharisees were. Scary.

We all need to look at our lives and ask ourselves where our insides don’t match our outsides.

Walking on water

Matthew 14: 22-38

If you remember, I preached on this passage my first sermon at RiverWind last July. Jesus asks Peter to do something absolutely crazy – walk on water. But God comes through and empowers him in the process.

Whenever I read this story I’m reminded that God is continually calling all of us onto the sea. But boy is it hard to take that first step. We know it only makes sense for us to sink when we step on that water. And no one wants to sink! You know Jesus could have built a brick bridge to help Peter walk on water, but he didn’t. Peter had to actually take the step before he was able to walk across the sea.

It’s the same way with us. We’ve got to actually step out of the boat before we can experience the miracle that God wants to work in our lives. I’m thinking through in my own life this morning, what are some ways I need to take a step of faith? What is Jesus calling me to do that I’ve been reluctant to do because I don’t want to take that step? I’m continuing to pray through that.

I’d like to take more risks relationally, getting to know non-Christians so that I can share the Gospel with them. I know often that God asks me to strike up conversations with lost people I’m around when I’m out in the community and often I ignore the voice.  But no doubt it’s a risk. I always tell myself that if I share the Gospel too early in a relationship, I could risk destroying any opportunity I’ll ever have. Unfortunately, that can lead me to inaction, because I never seem to find the right time. But that’s not my greatest problem. My greatest problem is that I don’t put myself in enough situations to share the Gospel. After working in ministry situations most of the last eight years, I’m not around non-believers most of the day. Sometimes the greatest risk I can take is just to start a friendship with someone who may not be a believer. It means starting conversations with the cashier at the grocery or the person who cuts my hair instead of choosing to stay in my own little world in those situations. I ask God for the help to do that. I need to take that first step of faith and let God do the rest.

Jesus is calling me to step out onto the water and get to know more non-Christians. I have no doubt about that. What is he calling you to do?

I pray this morning that God will help all of us step beyond our fears. I pray we’ll do it individually and corporately as a church. 

Welcome to Pastor Tobin’s blog!

I’m glad you decided to visit the blog! This blog is a ministry of RiverWind Baptist Church in Newburgh, IN. It has a few distinct purposes. It’s main purpose right now is to be a place where I can share some insights on what God is teaching me as we read through the New Testament together this year. These won’t necessarily be grand and illustrious thoughts, but I’ll strive to make them honest. Often they will be some of my first thoughts as I read the passage. If you sign up using the link to your right, you’ll have the opportunity to get those blog entries in your e-mail when I make them. You’ll also have the ability to comment on things I’ve said. Just be nice

I’ll also use this blog from time to time to communicate items that I feel are important. I hope you’ll sign up for e-mail updates and join us for the conversation!