Tag: Gospels

Good versus bad.

August 7, 2021

We continue with the stories told in Luke chapter 6.

43 A good tree does not produce bad fruit; neither does a sick tree have good fruit. 44 Every tree is known by its fruit. Men do not gather figs from thorn bushes,

Matthew 7:17 Even so every good tree brings forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree produces evil fruit.

18 A good tree cannot bring bad fruit, neither can a sick tree produce good fruit.

19 Every tree that does not give good fruit is cut down and burned.

20 By their fruits you will know them.

Luke 6:43 begins with the distinction between good and evil trees and quality and inadequate fruit. Following this introduction, the fact that thistles and thorns do not produce figs or grapes is given. Matthew shared this concept first. We are not talking about fruit. He is speaking of men. They can be evil or righteous. We are to be fruit inspectors to know the difference.

Matthew 6:45 A good man does what is good out of the treasure of his heart; and an evil man acts with evil intent from the evil of his heart: from the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks. 46 Why do you call me, Lord, Lord, and do not do the things which I ask?

Jesus talks in verse 45 about where our motivations reside. The treasure in our hearts is either good or evil. That inner pressure leads us to be righteous or unrighteous. These different ideas come out of our mouths or are expressed through our hands and feet. Our actions show who we are.

Matthew 7:16 You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thorn bushes, or figs from thistles?

When you go to the grocery store to buy produce, do you ever contemplate how the things you buy are grown? I like to grow my own food if I can. This year my garden includes onions, lettuce, tomatoes, squash, cucumbers, carrots, and beets. I don’t intentionally grow weeds. Often, they are more prolific than my preferred plants. I know some people in this world that might be considered human weeds. They have no useful purpose in their lives.

Matthew 7:21 Not everyone that says to me, Lord, Lord, shall enter the kingdom of heaven; but he that does the will of my Father who is in heaven.

22 Many will say to me at the day of judgment, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in your name? and in your name have cast out devils? and in your name done many wonderful works?

23 And then I will profess to them, I never knew you: depart from me, you that work iniquity.

Matthew 7:21-23 has the Son of God telling us that He will deny that He knows us, if we are just playing games with God. Do you call Him Lord, or do we truly respect Him as the one that we follow and let Him guide us through everything? Doing the work that we have been given makes us disciples. Trying to do it on our own, makes us hopeless. Our Father gives hope and encouragement when we ask for it.

We are reading the words that were spoken by the Messiah while He was living on this earth. Hearing these sayings are not enough. We must do what we are told to do. Go back to the beginning of this sermon that was given from a mountain top. These are not suggestions. At this point We are likened to one of two types of men depending on whether we obey His commands or ignore them.

Luke 6:47 Whoever comes to me, and hears my sayings, and does them, I will show you who he is like:

48 He is like a man who builds a house, and digs deep, and lays the foundation on a rock: and when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently upon the house, and could not shake it: for it was founded upon a rock.

49 But he that hears, and does not, is like a man that builds a house without a foundation on the earth; against which the streams beat vehemently, and immediately it fell; and it was completely destroyed.

Are you familiar with the construction process? Every project begins with a foundation. The size of the building is irrelevant in determining how the structure should be supported. If you do not dig down and start building from solid rock, you are foolish. Ask any builder and he will tell you this is true. Today we may need to use concrete below our brick, stone, wood, or metal framework. Christians are often referred to as being stupid enough to believe unfounded claims. Continuing listening to what this Godman says about himself and those that follow Him.

©Copyright 2021 by Charles Kensinger

The Parables begin.

August 6, 2021

We begin in Luke chapter six with stories that Jesus told during His ministry

Luke 6:39 He spoke a parable to them, “can the blind lead the blind? Will they not fall into a ditch together?”

Matthew 15:14 Let them alone: they are blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch.

Can the blind lead the blind is the question? What does He mean by this? If you do not see how to follow your own path, you cannot direct someone else in how to live their lives. Without Christ we cannot see our own purpose. Trying to guide others will cause everyone to fail. Matthew 15:14 expresses it a little differently. It is still true.

Luke 6:40 The disciple is not above his master. Everyone that is perfect shall be his own master.

Matthew 10:24 The disciple is not above his master, nor the servant above his lord.

Masters and disciples are contrasted and compared. Followers learn from those that lead them. Your purpose is to become like the one that leads. Leadership is the goal of every follower of the Lord. As you mature others will look to you for directions in discipleship. Look at the way Matthew recorded this statement. He adds servants and Lords to the mix which is appropriate because we are to be servants and Jesus is to be our Lord.

Luke 6:41 Why do you see a speck that is in your brother’s eye, but miss the log that is in your eye?

42 How can you say to your brother, “Brother, let me pull out the speck that is in your eye, when you do not see the log that is in your eye? You hypocrite, get rid of the log in your eye, and then you will see clearly to pull the speck that is in your brother’s eye.

Matthew 7:3 Why do you see a speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not observe the log that is in your eye?

4How can you say to your brother, “Let me pull out the speck from your eye”; and look, a log is in your eye?

5 You hypocrite, first get rid of the log in your eye; and then you will see clearly to clean out the speck from your brother’s eye.

You can’t lead when you are blind. Blindness may have many causes. An obstruction is the suggested cause in Matthew 7:3-5 and Luke 6:41-42. A speck in the eye is compared to a log or beam in your own eye. This is a direct exaggeration to emphasize the absurdity in what we do. Have you heard of the humor of Jesus? This is a perfect example.

Our Lord asks us to mind our own business and not try to fix others before we have corrected all our faults. Our sins are as bad as those of our brothers and sisters in Jesus’ eyes. The term hypocrite is an interesting one. In Greek, a hypocrite was an actor or thespian. It was someone who concealed their identity and attempted to fool others into believing they were someone they were not. That fits with what Christ is telling us here. We should see ourselves as we are and not belittle others because they are different.

©Copyright 2021 by Charles Kensinger

Written in Red introduction.

August 1, 2021

I was drug through the Bible as a young child beginning shortly after my birth. I may have been a week old when I went to church for the first time. I do not believe that first church had a nursery, so I was in the service with everyone else. I was colicky and my mother had to be walking me outside to allow the pastor to be heard.

My first recollection of studying the word of the Lord was in the children’s department of Immanuel Baptist Church in Springfield, Missouri. It was a few blocks down the street from our home. It was still more of a pushing operation. My parents and the teachers stayed behind me directing me to drink. I wasn’t very thirsty. At age eleven I came to know the Lord as my personal savior.

These studies are called Bible Trekking because my voyage through it on my own began while I was in college. I was still attending Immanuel and was attempting to find God’s direction for my life. My travels began in earnest in 1974 when I accepted my savior’s call to the ministry of the gospel.

My entry into journalism school was scrapped and I transferred to Southwest Baptist College in Bolivar, Missouri to study the Bible on a serious level. My professors reminded me of what I had heard for years as a child. They also opened my eyes to who they thought Jesus and God were. That was where the trek began.

The term Christian or Christianity has thousands of definitions that are held by those who claim to be followers of Christ and those who reject Him. Just who was He and who can we believe?

How can we learn what Christianity is about? Have you tried just reading the words that Jesus spoke? I began this study a few years ago and have decided to finish it while sharing it with you. I began by using a harmony of the gospels to flow through all four stories of the Lord in chronological order. I have decided that it would be more productive to follow His words through categories.

The time we must cover is just thirty-five years or so. We will look at the stories He told, the miracles that were performed, who Jehovah is, who Jesus claimed to be, the new covenant that God was giving to the world, and the new teachings that seemed completely foreign from Judaism.

As we read these words, what version of the Bible should we use. It doesn’t matter. I will be using both the King James Version and Young’s Literal Translation. At times the Quotations will not show either KJV or YLT. The notation will be BTV which stands for the Bible Trekking Version. This is not an official translation. It simply means that I want to use the words that I think explain it to us.

Let’s begin with the stories that are called parables. A parable usually has only one aspect that relates to the teaching Jesus wants us to learn. Some of these teachings are in more than one of the four gospels. We will discuss the different words each witness recalls Him using and if the different witnesses cause any problems with interpretation.

©Copyright 2021 by Charles Kensinger