Teach Me! (Matthew 5:2)

Scripture
And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying: 
Matthew 5:2

TAKE AWAYS
  • It should not be surprising that religion had been diverted from God's intent by the time Jesus came. This started all the way back in the Garden of Eden, when Adam and Eve sought to pursue their own knowledge rather than to trust God alone. 
  • Yes, Jesus came to give His life as a sacrifice for our sins, but that would have been an incomplete sacrifice had it not been accompanied by teaching us what it means to love and worship God as God would have us do. 
  • Whether it be the religious leaders of Jesus' day, or some of the leaders of today, there is only one place we can be assured of finding truth, and that is in the words of Jesus. 

APPLICATION
  • Just because someone has a title or a position of authority does not mean that they speak for Jesus. There are a variety of reasons people are in error. Some are sincere in their beliefs, but sincerity does not guarantee truth. 
  • Our truth needs to align with the truth of Jesus. There are obstacles to this, such as our biases, how we have been taught, who we trust, etc. We need to be careful as to how we handle truth. It is important that we always keep Scripture as our guide, and be willing to make sure our truth aligns with the whole of Scripture to the best of our understanding.
  • Accountability is personal, we are not redeemed because we follow the right teacher or preacher. A teacher is accountable for what they teach, but we are accountable for what we believe. The Berean Christians were lauded because when Paul spoke to them, they went to the Scriptures to verify his testimony, (Acts 17:11)  If we blindly accept a truth just because we have faith in the messenger, then we just might be a moron. (See story below)

PRAYER
I pray for our leaders. I pray that those who lead us are following the truth, and are not blinded by fear or bias or their own understanding. (Proverbs 3:5) I pray for myself, that the things that I believe will be based on the truth that is found in Jesus and in Scripture. (Acts 17:11)

THE STORY
Two men were out golfing, one a Christian, the other an atheist. At the 4th hole, the Christian started talking about the Bible. The other man told him, "I am an atheist, I do not believe in the things in the Bible." The Christian then asked, "What specifically in the Bible do you not believe?" The atheist replied, "Oh, I've never read the Bible." The Christian replied, "Sir, then you are not an atheist, you are a moron. To honestly take the title of atheist would require studying the Bible and other religions as well, in order to make an informed decision. Your claiming the title of atheist without any knowledge is not unlike many who claim the title of Christian without having studied the Bible. 

Bonus

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