As you read this week's passages, one of the first things you are going to notice are the 19th and 20th verses of Matthew 16. What does it mean when Jesus says that the church "binds and looses" on earth in verse 19? And in verse 20, why does Jesus want no one to know that He is the Christ?
In Isaiah 51 we are invited to consider where righteousness (and hence salvation) come from. The answer to that question is located at the beginning of the passage, in verse one, where we are told to "look to the rock from which you were hewn," a reference to father Abraham. So, how are we declared righteous? What leads to salvation? The answer to that question provides the bedrock on which the Lord is building His church.
Looking over the Scriptures, meditating on "Bedrock & Building Blocks," what God is showing me is the importance of remembering that we are only the building blocks of His church (Romans 12:4-5), and that He is the only One who can provide the "bedrock" that will keep the structure from crumbling (Colossians 1:16-17).
This is what Jesus is referring to in Matthew 16:19. Going back a bit, His words in in Matthew 16:18 ("on this rock I will build my church") refer to the truth in Peter's confession--the truth that Jesus is the Son of God. It is this truth on which the church is built - on the deity of Christ. This means that, as Isaiah 51:6 alludes to, only because of Christ is everlasting life possible (it also means that its actions have everlasting consequences; when we "loose" [permit] His light to shine through our lives, or when we "bind" [forbid] hatred, there are eternal ramifications.)
Reminding ourselves of this truth will help us heed Paul's words in Romans 12:3 ("Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you."). Without the power of Christ, anything we do is worthless, and the church would become a heap; only through His majesty do we accomplish anything, as David notes in Psalm 124 ("If the Lord had not been on our side . . . the raging waters would have swept us away. . . . Our help is in the name of the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.").
Going a little deeper into the Romans passage, we see that it does not use the idea of "living stones" being built into a temple, but the "body" of Christ. The concept illustrated, however, is the same. We are the raw material which forms the church, and it is our faith in Jesus the Christ which allows us to be used in that way. Like Abraham, we are declared righteous, and thus saved, by grace through faith. Having placed our faith in Him we belong to God, and are called to present our bodies for God's good purpose as an act of worship. We are also called to "prove" (to test or take the measure of what is around us in order to discover) God's good, acceptable and perfect will.
In Psalm 124, the emphasis is on the source of our deliverance. The Lord is on the side of His people. He is the One who acts on our behalf, securing our future as we escape that which so easily ensnares or entangles us. What a blessing our deliverance is!
One way of connecting these Scriptures: Exodus 3:9-15 Psalm 105:1-6, 23-26, 45c: Matthew 16:24-27 Romans 12:14-21 God released His people from bondage in Egypt, through His reluctant servant Moses, and they multiplied greatly there and in the Promised Land, a land of blessings and rewards. (Exodus 3 and Psalm 105) God has released us from the bondage of sin through a Willing Savior, Jesus, and He is multiplying us greatly. So now Jesus asks us to follow His example of self-sacrifice, even to a Cross, often through difficult works, as we await His return and rewards. (Matthew 16 and Romans 12)
As you read this week's passages, one of the first things you are going to notice are the 19th and 20th verses of Matthew 16. What does it mean when Jesus says that the church "binds and looses" on earth in verse 19? And in verse 20, why does Jesus want no one to know that He is the Christ?
ReplyDeleteIn Isaiah 51 we are invited to consider where righteousness (and hence salvation) come from. The answer to that question is located at the beginning of the passage, in verse one, where we are told to "look to the rock from which you were hewn," a reference to father Abraham. So, how are we declared righteous? What leads to salvation? The answer to that question provides the bedrock on which the Lord is building His church.
ReplyDeleteLooking over the Scriptures, meditating on "Bedrock & Building Blocks," what God is showing me is the importance of remembering that we are only the building blocks of His church (Romans 12:4-5), and that He is the only One who can provide the "bedrock" that will keep the structure from crumbling (Colossians 1:16-17).
ReplyDeleteThis is what Jesus is referring to in Matthew 16:19. Going back a bit, His words in in Matthew 16:18 ("on this rock I will build my church") refer to the truth in Peter's confession--the truth that Jesus is the Son of God. It is this truth on which the church is built - on the deity of Christ. This means that, as Isaiah 51:6 alludes to, only because of Christ is everlasting life possible (it also means that its actions have everlasting consequences; when we "loose" [permit] His light to shine through our lives, or when we "bind" [forbid] hatred, there are eternal ramifications.)
Reminding ourselves of this truth will help us heed Paul's words in Romans 12:3 ("Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you."). Without the power of Christ, anything we do is worthless, and the church would become a heap; only through His majesty do we accomplish anything, as David notes in Psalm 124 ("If the Lord had not been on our side . . . the raging waters would have swept us away. . . . Our help is in the name of the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.").
Going a little deeper into the Romans passage, we see that it does not use the idea of "living stones" being built into a temple, but the "body" of Christ. The concept illustrated, however, is the same. We are the raw material which forms the church, and it is our faith in Jesus the Christ which allows us to be used in that way. Like Abraham, we are declared righteous, and thus saved, by grace through faith. Having placed our faith in Him we belong to God, and are called to present our bodies for God's good purpose as an act of worship. We are also called to "prove" (to test or take the measure of what is around us in order to discover) God's good, acceptable and perfect will.
ReplyDeleteIn Psalm 124, the emphasis is on the source of our deliverance. The Lord is on the side of His people. He is the One who acts on our behalf, securing our future as we escape that which so easily ensnares or entangles us. What a blessing our deliverance is!
ReplyDeleteOne way of connecting these Scriptures: Exodus 3:9-15 Psalm 105:1-6, 23-26, 45c: Matthew 16:24-27 Romans 12:14-21
ReplyDeleteGod released His people from bondage in Egypt, through His reluctant servant Moses, and they multiplied greatly there and in the Promised Land, a land of blessings and rewards. (Exodus 3 and Psalm 105)
God has released us from the bondage of sin through a Willing Savior, Jesus, and He is multiplying us greatly. So now Jesus asks us to follow His example of self-sacrifice, even to a Cross, often through difficult works, as we await His return and rewards. (Matthew 16 and Romans 12)