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The Rejected Cornerstone

Matthew 21:33-46, Acts 4:5-12 In both of these passages the high priests, scribes, and pharisees are upset. In Matthew they are mad about the parable Jesus tells them about the vineyard tenants who beat up those who come for the harvest and even put the vineyard’s owners son to death. This of course tells the story of how the tenants here – the Israelites rejected the prophets God sent to tell them to change their ways and will eventually put to death Jesus God’s son. Jesus quotes Isaiah 5:1-7 here that the stone which the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. This cornerstone will be given to those who produce the fruits of the kingdom. The chief priests realize that Jesus is talking about them and become angry – the truth hurts. They want to arrest him but don’t want to lose favor with the people who think he is a prophet. In our Acts passage the chief priests are angry with Peter and John for performing the miracle of making a lame man walk. They ask by what power Pete...
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The Bread the Lord has Given

Exodus 16:2-15, Psalms 105:1-6, 37-45 The Israelites after praising God for deliverance from the Egyptians are now complaining about the lack of food. So, God sends down meat in the form of quails and manna which Moses calls the bread the Lord has given you. Throughout the forty years it took them to reach the promised land God provided. He gave then shoes that didn’t wear out, a cloud for direction, and fire for light at night. Psalm 105 praises the Lord for God’s provision. The psalmist talks about the cloud and fire by night, the quails, and food in abundance. This was the bread the Lord had given. It also talks about getting water from the rock. God did all this because the Lord remembered the holy promise to Abraham. It is questionable if these always to complain people were brought out in joy and singing as they took possession of the land. It is said this provision – a place to live was given so they might keep God’s statutes and observe God’s laws. The rest of the Old Tes...
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Powerful Compassionate God

Exodus 14:19-31, 15:1-13,21-22; Psalms 103:1-13 The Israelites are delivered from Egypt in our Exodus 14 passage by the power of God who turns the Red Sea into dry land which they can cross over safely. Then God causes the waters to come back and drown out all the Egyptians who are chasing them. In chapter 15 they sing a song of praise to the Lord who has triumphed gloriously. From this act of miraculous deliverance, they declare that God is their strength and might. They say that God has become their salvation. Little do they known then that God will later send Christ to bring salvation from sin and the ability to have a personal relationship with God. While the Israelites boast of God’s powerful deliverance from the Egyptians, David in Psalm 103 praises God for the Lord’s compassion and mercy. This is shown in God forgiving all our iniquities, healing all our diseases, redeeming our lives from the Pit, and crowning us with steadfast love and mercy. God’s steadfast love is mention...
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Gifts of the Spirit

Acts 2:1-21, I Corinthians 12:3-13   Our Acts scripture is commonly read on Pentecost Sunday. It tells how the Holy Spirit descended on the believers. One act of the Spirit was to make people filled with it speak languages so all in the diverse crowd were able to hear in their own language. When they are sneered at for being drunk, Peter speaks out and tells how the prophet Joel predicted this, that all people men and women, young and old, slaves and free will have the Spirit poured out on them. Peter quoting Joel mentions one of the spiritual gifts we spoke of a few weeks ago that being prophecy. We saw a list of spiritual gifts when we studied Romans 12. Well, Paul expands them in I Corinthians. Our passage starts by stating that no one can say Jesus is Lord except by the Holy Spirit. This is the power of the Holy Spirit in us to recognize Christ as Lord. Another aspect of the Spirit is its handout of a varieties of gifts. This magnification of the Spirit is for the commo...
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God the Repayer, Not Us

Matthew 16: 21-28, Romans 12:9-21 In Matthew 16 Jesus rebukes Peter and his philosophy that only good things should happen to good people. Jesus tells him he is setting his mind on human things not on the divine which was the plan for Jesus to suffer and die for our sins. He tells how those that save their lives will lose them, but those who lose it for Jesus sake will find it. Forsaking human wisdom and following the divine Jesus and God’s divine plan of salvation one will truly be saved and find a life worth living. This passage ends with Jesus telling them how when Jesus returns he will repay everyone for what they have done. This is one scripture to claim for those who wonder what will happen to the Hitlers of this life. Paul in Romans talks about genuine love and how it is shown by holding on to what is good and to outdo one another in showing honor. We are to continually rejoice in the hope God has given us to be patient in affliction and to persevere in prayer. He lists th...
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Building Up the Church

 Matthew 16: 13-20, Romans 12:1-8   There are many different thoughts today on who Jesus was. Some say just a prophet or a good man who lived righteously or what we as Christians believe, along with Peter in Matthew 16, that he is the Messiah the Son of God. People of Jesus’ time thought he was John the Baptist, Elijah, or Jeremiah. When Jesus asks Peter the disciple replies “You are the Messiah, the Son of the Living God.” To this response Jesus calls Peter blessed and tells how Peter is the rock on which he will build his church. The Catholic church patterns its leadership as priests like Peter. In Romans Paul talks about how the church built upon Peter the Rock has many different members, but not all have the same function. He goes on to list spiritual gifts ones that differ according to the grace given us. Each of us has been given a talent, ability, or calling that when exercised builds up the church. The gifts listed are prophecy, ministry, teaching, encouragement, g...
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What Truly Defiles Us

Matthew 15:10-20; Romans 11: 1-2, 29-32 The Pharisees are at it again elevating their rules above God’s. The one in question here is the ceremonial washing of hands before eating. The disciples who ate on the run didn’t go through this complex ritual of hand washing before eating. Today for health reasons we wash our hands before eating but this was a much more elaborate washing dictated by the Pharisaic law. So, Jesus tells the crowd that it is not what goes into the mouth but the evils that come out of it and the sins that comes out of the heart are the things that truly defile one – not omitting the ceremonial handwashing. He calls these leaders blind leading the blind. Their focus instead should be on the truly defiling activities such as evil intensions, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, and slander. We have seen the false witness and slander of what the Pharisees do to Christ and eventually they will be behind Christ’s murder on the cross. They do the...
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