Thursday, June 29, 2006
HE HAS YOUR WORD ON IT
Vv. 36-37. "And I say to you, that every careless word that men shall speak, they shall render account for it in the day of judgment. 37. "For by your words you shall be justified, and by your words you shall be condemned."
The religious leadership had hijacked God’s true and pure religion for a personal system that circumnavigated God’s spoken requirements. Jesus again alludes to that which was said by these frauds through His opening statement: “And I say to you.” We witness the “God-man” proclaiming the serious error of attributing the work of the Holy Spirit to that of Satan. These blasphemies are their own careless words that they will face in their day of judgment. MacArthur writes, “What a person is on the inside, his mouth will give on the outside, the most immediate illustration of the principle showed that it was the evil hearts of the Pharisees that made them blaspheme the Holy Spirit by accusing Jesus of casting out demons by Satan’s power. They spoke evil because their hearts were filled with evil, and by their own words they condemned themselves as they sought to condemn Jesus.”
Again we see only two options; you shall be justified or you shall be condemned spelled out in verse 37, "For by your words you shall be justified, and by your words you shall be condemned." It is now time to take inventory of our own words. Do these words edify those we speak to? Their ears are the receptacles that connect directly to our heart; do we inject venom into their hearts by our words or do we seek to speak the cleansing words of God designed to regenerate their soul?
Much time has been consumed on the serious subject of blasphemy and particularly the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit. These passages indicate that this is an eternal sin that finds no forgiveness. The question arises, “Can a Christian be guilty of this sin?” The answer in a word is no. I leave John Calvin to explain, “Blasphemy of the Spirit is a token of reprobation, and hence, it follows, that whoever have fallen into it, have been delivered over to a reprobate mind, (Rom. 1:28). As we maintain, that he who has been truly regenerated by the Spirit cannot possibly fall into so horrid a crime, so, on the other hand, we must believe that those who have fallen into it never rise again; nay, that in this manner God punishes contempt of his grace, by hardening the hearts of the reprobate, so that they never have any desire towards repentance.”
The religious leadership had hijacked God’s true and pure religion for a personal system that circumnavigated God’s spoken requirements. Jesus again alludes to that which was said by these frauds through His opening statement: “And I say to you.” We witness the “God-man” proclaiming the serious error of attributing the work of the Holy Spirit to that of Satan. These blasphemies are their own careless words that they will face in their day of judgment. MacArthur writes, “What a person is on the inside, his mouth will give on the outside, the most immediate illustration of the principle showed that it was the evil hearts of the Pharisees that made them blaspheme the Holy Spirit by accusing Jesus of casting out demons by Satan’s power. They spoke evil because their hearts were filled with evil, and by their own words they condemned themselves as they sought to condemn Jesus.”
Again we see only two options; you shall be justified or you shall be condemned spelled out in verse 37, "For by your words you shall be justified, and by your words you shall be condemned." It is now time to take inventory of our own words. Do these words edify those we speak to? Their ears are the receptacles that connect directly to our heart; do we inject venom into their hearts by our words or do we seek to speak the cleansing words of God designed to regenerate their soul?
Much time has been consumed on the serious subject of blasphemy and particularly the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit. These passages indicate that this is an eternal sin that finds no forgiveness. The question arises, “Can a Christian be guilty of this sin?” The answer in a word is no. I leave John Calvin to explain, “Blasphemy of the Spirit is a token of reprobation, and hence, it follows, that whoever have fallen into it, have been delivered over to a reprobate mind, (Rom. 1:28). As we maintain, that he who has been truly regenerated by the Spirit cannot possibly fall into so horrid a crime, so, on the other hand, we must believe that those who have fallen into it never rise again; nay, that in this manner God punishes contempt of his grace, by hardening the hearts of the reprobate, so that they never have any desire towards repentance.”
Wednesday, June 28, 2006
CARELESS WORDS
Vv. 36-37. "And I say to you, that every careless word that men shall speak, they shall render account for it in the day of judgment. 37. "For by your words you shall be justified, and by your words you shall be condemned."
There is only one accurate way to measure one’s heart, mind, and attitude; by observing the words that men speak. The word careless – argos – are those words that are unproductive or worthless; the AV renders this as idle. We must remember that blasphemy is the topic that Jesus is forcing the religious leadership to recognize. This also is recognized by their overflowing mouths.
Hendriksen rightly states, “Every man remains fully responsible for what he is, thinks, speaks, and does, for though it is true that he cannot change his own heart, it is also true that with the strength given him by God he is able to flee to him who renews hearts and lives. The Lord is ever willing and eager to give whatever he demands of men. If men do not receive it, this is their fault, not God’s (Italics his).”
These careless words serve only one purpose; that they shall render account to the spokesman in his; the day of judgment. We leave a telltale trail through this journey called life that will end in a review of how we have littered that very trail we have trod.
Christianity is exclusive in that it draws its doctrine not from man but from God’s self revelation that we know as the Bible. In this we discover that there are only two kinds of people, the saved and the damned. God sovereignly saves those He chooses and uses those very ones as His means to save others by proclaiming their sin debt paid by His own Son’s precious blood spilled at the cross. There are no other options. The saved individual, or Christian, still lives with a very real potential to sin but his sin debt has been covered; past, present, and future at the cross. His sin only serves to inflict despair and remorse whereas the non-Christian, or unregenerate, sees no harm done. This is the blasphemy that will eventually flow from his mouth. Sin is no big deal in the eyes of the unsaved and serves only as an infraction of some arbitrary and optional archaic mandate unjustly forced upon him. These unregenerate will face the day of judgment and their defense will be their own careless words reflecting their heart in their life on earth.
There is only one accurate way to measure one’s heart, mind, and attitude; by observing the words that men speak. The word careless – argos – are those words that are unproductive or worthless; the AV renders this as idle. We must remember that blasphemy is the topic that Jesus is forcing the religious leadership to recognize. This also is recognized by their overflowing mouths.
Hendriksen rightly states, “Every man remains fully responsible for what he is, thinks, speaks, and does, for though it is true that he cannot change his own heart, it is also true that with the strength given him by God he is able to flee to him who renews hearts and lives. The Lord is ever willing and eager to give whatever he demands of men. If men do not receive it, this is their fault, not God’s (Italics his).”
These careless words serve only one purpose; that they shall render account to the spokesman in his; the day of judgment. We leave a telltale trail through this journey called life that will end in a review of how we have littered that very trail we have trod.
Christianity is exclusive in that it draws its doctrine not from man but from God’s self revelation that we know as the Bible. In this we discover that there are only two kinds of people, the saved and the damned. God sovereignly saves those He chooses and uses those very ones as His means to save others by proclaiming their sin debt paid by His own Son’s precious blood spilled at the cross. There are no other options. The saved individual, or Christian, still lives with a very real potential to sin but his sin debt has been covered; past, present, and future at the cross. His sin only serves to inflict despair and remorse whereas the non-Christian, or unregenerate, sees no harm done. This is the blasphemy that will eventually flow from his mouth. Sin is no big deal in the eyes of the unsaved and serves only as an infraction of some arbitrary and optional archaic mandate unjustly forced upon him. These unregenerate will face the day of judgment and their defense will be their own careless words reflecting their heart in their life on earth.
Tuesday, June 27, 2006
CLEAR VISION INTO ONE'S HEART
V34b-35. How can you, being evil, speak what is good? For the mouth speaks out of that which fills the heart. 35. "The good man out of his good treasure brings forth what is good; and the evil man out of his evil treasure brings forth what is evil.
One of the most basic principles in scripture is that one’s mouth speaks out of that which fills his heart. People love to talk about what they are interested in; desires, hobbies, upcoming events, heroes, idols, or even dissention. That which we speak most often of is our favorite topic and we seek to align ourselves with those who have that common interest. We are told that whatever we do, do all to the glory of God (1Cor. 10:31) but we typically pursue our goals for selfish reasons and personal glorification; our mouths will eventually reveal our motives. The religious leaders sought alliances with those who would agree with their assessment that Jesus operative power came from Satan.
That which fills is a single Greek noun – perisseuma – having a meaning of super abundance or fullness that overflows. One’s mouth is the external vent where the overflow of his heart is jettisoned overboard. The evidence of the material examined coming out of this port will expose the heart’s condition in due time. The mouth is the ultimate expression of the heart.
Jesus builds on this idea comparing the heart as one’s treasure – thesarous – as He gives the positive and negative connotations. The good man out of his good treasure brings forth what is good. In this example the good treasure is representing the good heart or a heart that overflows, or brings forth out of his mouth a display of that which is good. In the negative sense the reverse is true: The evil man out of his evil treasure brings forth what is evil. Calvin says, “The tongue is the index of the mind.” This is why it is so important to feed on the text of scripture. It is the only source of what is ultimately good, pure, and regenerative.
One of the most basic principles in scripture is that one’s mouth speaks out of that which fills his heart. People love to talk about what they are interested in; desires, hobbies, upcoming events, heroes, idols, or even dissention. That which we speak most often of is our favorite topic and we seek to align ourselves with those who have that common interest. We are told that whatever we do, do all to the glory of God (1Cor. 10:31) but we typically pursue our goals for selfish reasons and personal glorification; our mouths will eventually reveal our motives. The religious leaders sought alliances with those who would agree with their assessment that Jesus operative power came from Satan.
That which fills is a single Greek noun – perisseuma – having a meaning of super abundance or fullness that overflows. One’s mouth is the external vent where the overflow of his heart is jettisoned overboard. The evidence of the material examined coming out of this port will expose the heart’s condition in due time. The mouth is the ultimate expression of the heart.
Jesus builds on this idea comparing the heart as one’s treasure – thesarous – as He gives the positive and negative connotations. The good man out of his good treasure brings forth what is good. In this example the good treasure is representing the good heart or a heart that overflows, or brings forth out of his mouth a display of that which is good. In the negative sense the reverse is true: The evil man out of his evil treasure brings forth what is evil. Calvin says, “The tongue is the index of the mind.” This is why it is so important to feed on the text of scripture. It is the only source of what is ultimately good, pure, and regenerative.
Monday, June 26, 2006
VENOM
V34. "You brood of vipers, how can you, being evil, speak what is good? For the mouth speaks out of that which fills the heart.
The analogy Jesus draws is that these religious leaders have the same characteristics of a viper whose venom will result its victim eternal damnation. The religious concluded that Jesus was hostile to their mission; refused to see that their position was in error and violently opposed His Holy Spirit empowered work among them.
Calvin writes, “From all that has been said, we may conclude that those persons sin and blaspheme the Holy Spirit, who maliciously turn to dishonor the perfections of God, which have been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit, in which His glory ought to be celebrated, and who, with Satan, their leader, are avowed enemies of the glory of God. We need not then wonder, if for such sacrilege there is no hope of pardon; for they must be desperate who turn the only medicine of salvation into a deadly venom.”
Religion, in its truest form, is a remedy for the sin of mankind. Its primary medicine is repentance. Repentance is the gift of God that removes one from the status of an enemy to a child of God who glorifies his Creator.
Returning to the parable of the trees we observe Jesus scathing anathema that He places on the religious leadership: “How can you, being evil, speak what is good? Good begets that which is good and evil begets that which is evil. Good trees bear good fruit and vipers beget broods of the same venomous kind. Their religion is venom proclaimed from their mouths and injected into the ears of their followers resulting in a blasphemy of the Holy Spirit.
The analogy Jesus draws is that these religious leaders have the same characteristics of a viper whose venom will result its victim eternal damnation. The religious concluded that Jesus was hostile to their mission; refused to see that their position was in error and violently opposed His Holy Spirit empowered work among them.
Calvin writes, “From all that has been said, we may conclude that those persons sin and blaspheme the Holy Spirit, who maliciously turn to dishonor the perfections of God, which have been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit, in which His glory ought to be celebrated, and who, with Satan, their leader, are avowed enemies of the glory of God. We need not then wonder, if for such sacrilege there is no hope of pardon; for they must be desperate who turn the only medicine of salvation into a deadly venom.”
Religion, in its truest form, is a remedy for the sin of mankind. Its primary medicine is repentance. Repentance is the gift of God that removes one from the status of an enemy to a child of God who glorifies his Creator.
Returning to the parable of the trees we observe Jesus scathing anathema that He places on the religious leadership: “How can you, being evil, speak what is good? Good begets that which is good and evil begets that which is evil. Good trees bear good fruit and vipers beget broods of the same venomous kind. Their religion is venom proclaimed from their mouths and injected into the ears of their followers resulting in a blasphemy of the Holy Spirit.
Sunday, June 25, 2006
BROOD OF VIPERS
V34. "You brood of vipers, how can you, being evil, speak what is good? For the mouth speaks out of that which fills the heart.
With a scathing rebuke, Jesus continues explaining the eternal sin with parables. Again, this is Jesus first public confrontation with the religious leadership, some from Jerusalem (Mark 3:22) who came specifically to take action concerning Him. We have just observed the parable of the trees and their offspring or fruit and now we find the religious tagged with the name brood of vipers. Some translators render brood as offspring which draws the parallel to the offspring of the good or bad tree. One does not long consider the goodness or a viper.
The viper is deadly and deceptive in its camouflage. The mother lays numerous eggs and when hatched the brood scurries off like insects. By total surprise they bite and inject venom into the victim. This very thing happened to the Apostle Paul on the island of Malta: Acts 28: 1-6 And when they had been brought safely through, then we found out that the island was called Malta. 2. And the natives showed us extraordinary kindness; for because of the rain that had set in and because of the cold, they kindled a fire and received us all. 3. But when Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks and laid them on the fire, a viper came out because of the heat, and fastened on his hand. 4. And when the natives saw the creature hanging from his hand, they began saying to one another, "Undoubtedly this man is a murderer, and though he has been saved from the sea, justice has not allowed him to live." 5. However he shook the creature off into the fire and suffered no harm. 6. But they were expecting that he was about to swell up or suddenly fall down dead. But after they had waited a long time and had seen nothing unusual happen to him, they changed their minds and began to say that he was a god.
With a scathing rebuke, Jesus continues explaining the eternal sin with parables. Again, this is Jesus first public confrontation with the religious leadership, some from Jerusalem (Mark 3:22) who came specifically to take action concerning Him. We have just observed the parable of the trees and their offspring or fruit and now we find the religious tagged with the name brood of vipers. Some translators render brood as offspring which draws the parallel to the offspring of the good or bad tree. One does not long consider the goodness or a viper.
The viper is deadly and deceptive in its camouflage. The mother lays numerous eggs and when hatched the brood scurries off like insects. By total surprise they bite and inject venom into the victim. This very thing happened to the Apostle Paul on the island of Malta: Acts 28: 1-6 And when they had been brought safely through, then we found out that the island was called Malta. 2. And the natives showed us extraordinary kindness; for because of the rain that had set in and because of the cold, they kindled a fire and received us all. 3. But when Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks and laid them on the fire, a viper came out because of the heat, and fastened on his hand. 4. And when the natives saw the creature hanging from his hand, they began saying to one another, "Undoubtedly this man is a murderer, and though he has been saved from the sea, justice has not allowed him to live." 5. However he shook the creature off into the fire and suffered no harm. 6. But they were expecting that he was about to swell up or suddenly fall down dead. But after they had waited a long time and had seen nothing unusual happen to him, they changed their minds and began to say that he was a god.
