Author: NBibens

A Well Built Faith

We often hear the adage, “You get what you pay for.” It’s tempting to choose an item because it’s cheaper. With some items, that may be ok. But with others, we learn the hard way that cheaper may not be better. Things that are cheaply made are rarely built well, and usually don’t stand up to the test of time. But what about our faith? Do we have a cheap faith, or a well-built faith? 

In Matthew 6:47-48, Jesus says, “I will show you what someone is like who comes to me, hears my words, and acts on them: He is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. When the flood came, the river crashed against that house and couldn’t shake it, because it was well built.”[1] A well-built, solid faith is that which obeys Jesus. Anything less is not guaranteed to last the tests of time and trials.

[1] CSB

1 Peter 3:18-22

The final verses of 1 Peter 3 offer some great encouragement, but also contain some significant challenges. What does it mean that Jesus went and spoke to spirits in prison? Why does Peter refer to Noah? How does Baptism correspond to the flood? And what is Peter’s point throughout these verses? This sermon works through these verses and offers some possible interpretations, along with a big picture view of the encouragement Peter is giving to his original audience and Christians for all time!

Laboring Like Jesus: He Had Compassion

How can we be more effective as workers in Jesus’ kingdom? How can we truly follow the Lord’s example of working for God? This week, we’ve considered Jesus’ actions in Matthew 9:35—that Jesus went, taught, preached, and healed. We can be proactive, teach the truth, preach the gospel, and help others. But there’s one more key we need to consider—our attitude towards the lost. 

Matthew 9:36 says, “When [Jesus] saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.” 

How do you feel about unbelievers? What’s your attitude towards the world? If we genuinely want to labor in the Lord’s kingdom, we must develop a love of souls. While we don’t condone sin, we should pity the tragic plight of the sinner. Like Jesus, we should have compassion towards the lost. Such compassion will motivate us to go, teach, preach, and help. Are you ready to labor like Jesus?

Laboring Like Jesus: He Healed

If we want to labor like Jesus, we must follow His example! Matthew 9:35 shows us that Jesus proactively went to teach others and proclaim the gospel of the kingdom. But even though Jesus was a master teacher, there’s something else He did. Along with teaching and preaching, the Bible says Jesus was “healing every disease and affliction.” Jesus was primarily concerned about people’s spiritual well-being. But that didn’t mean He ignored their physical needs. On the contrary, Jesus cared deeply for the hurting and helped and healed them.

We don’t have the miraculous ability to heal like Jesus did, but we can still help others who are hurting. If we want to be effective laborers in the Lord’s kingdom, we should train ourselves to look for opportunities to help and serve others, especially those who are hurting in some way. If we want to labor like Jesus, we must learn to serve like Jesus. 

Laboring Like Jesus: He Proclaimed

This week, we’ve been considering Matthew 9:35-36 and the example of Jesus as a laborer for God’s harvest. Yesterday, we saw that Jesus taught and instructed everywhere He went. Similar yet distinct from this action, we also read that Jesus was “…proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom…” Jesus wasn’t just a motivational speaker, nor was He a mere self-help instructor. Along with His teaching, Jesus also proclaimed a special message. That message was the good news of God’s kingdom. 

Preaching the kingdom involves several aspects. For example, Jesus often taught, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” Kingdom preaching demands we submit to Jesus as the King. The message of the kingdom is good news in part because sins can be forgiven in Jesus. But the gospel is not simply that Jesus is the savior. If we want to labor for the Lord, we must proclaim that Jesus is king!

Laboring Like Jesus: He Taught

How can we labor like Jesus in God’s kingdom? Matthew 9:35-36 provides a roadmap. Yesterday, we noted that Jesus went. If we want to be like the Lord, we must be proactive. But what is it Jesus went to do? Matthew 9:35 says that he went “…teaching in their synagogues…” Jesus wasn’t a motivational speaker—He was a teacher. He provided instruction to the people He met. 

If we want to labor for the Lord, first, we must be taught by His Word. But then we need to teach His word to others. Sharing the gospel isn’t just about sharing heartwarming stories about Jesus—it’s also about teaching the difference between right and wrong. To labor in the Lord’s vineyard is to help others see the dangers of sin and instruct them in ways of righteousness. We should teach lovingly and humbly, but we should teach. A gospel message that provides no instruction isn’t actually a gospel message. 

Laboring Like Jesus: He Went

In Matthew 9:38, Jesus exhorted His disciples to “pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.” That’s a good thing for us to continue to pray for. But what does it look like to labor in the Lord’s harvest? Well, Jesus demonstrates such behavior in the previous verses. In Matthew 9:35-36, we find five things Jesus did. Those verses read:

“And Jesus went throughout all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.”

The first thing to notice is that Jesus went. He didn’t sit and wait for others to come to Him—He went to work. If we want to work for the Lord, we must be willing to go and proactively seek opportunities to labor in the Lord’s harvest.