IIT UBF - University Bible Fellowship at IIT

Daily Bread

Accept Jesus' Hard Words

Date: Sep. 24, 2015

Passage

Matthew 19:16-30  (ESV)

16 And behold, a man came up to him, saying, “Teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life?” 17 And he said to him, “Why do you ask me about what is good? There is only one who is good. If you would enter life, keep the commandments.” 18 He said to him, “Which ones?” And Jesus said, “You shall not murder, You shall not commit adultery, You shall not steal, You shall not bear false witness, 19 Honor your father and mother, and, You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 20 The young man said to him, “All these I have kept. What do I still lack?” 21 Jesus said to him, “If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” 22 When the young man heard this he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.

23 And Jesus said to his disciples, “Truly, I say to you, only with difficulty will a rich person enter the kingdom of heaven. 24 Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.” 25 When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished, saying, “Who then can be saved?” 26 But Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” 27 Then Peter said in reply, “See, we have left everything and followed you. What then will we have?” 28 Jesus said to them, “Truly, I say to you, in the new world, when the Son of Man will sit on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. 29 And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands, for my name’s sake, will receive a hundredfold and will inherit eternal life. 30 But many who are first will be last, and the last first.

Daily Bread

Key Verse: 19:21

Jesus said to him, “If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.”

First, do you love Him (16-22). Jesus' words sometimes seem hard: "Do you love Me more than these?" (Jn 21:15) We were created to love Him above all else. Only in this way can we be truly fulfilled. Jesus is drawing this young man to Himself by creating a conflict in his heart that will eventually turn into a "pearl of great price" - faith. his identity as a law-abiding, religious Jew, though strongly held and deeply sincere, must be broken down so this young man can become like a child and experience a genuine relationship with God.

Second, all things are possible with God (23-30). God said to Job "look at every proud man and humble him ... then I myself will admit ... your own right hand can save you." (Job 40:12,14) It is impossible for man to humble himself, or others. Only God is able to humble the proud. Though we be ever so sincere, still our proud hearts must be humbled to realize our true state as sinners before God, totally dependent on his mercy. Only then can we experience God's wonderful, amazing grace of salvation. Great peace will come of it - the "peaceable fruit of righteousness" (Heb 12:11).

Prayer: Lord, grant me the grace to hear 'hard' words from you, that I may learn complete humility and total dependence based on a love for you far greater than my love for anything or anyone else.

One Word: Swallow the bitter pill - hear God's 'hard' words - and be saved.

Daily Bread

Gifts for the Temple

1 Chronicles 29:1-9

Key Verse: 29:6

Then the leaders of fathers’ houses made their freewill offerings, as did also the leaders of the tribes, the commanders of thousands and of hundreds, and the officers over the king’s work.

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Intro Daily

Today's Question

What are the ordinary, external ways Christ uses to bring us the benefits of redemption?

See answer and references