Shenango Valley Church SDA

No mid week Bible study tonight...No mid week Bible study tonight...

Recently on a warm day, I decided to LET our wood burning stove go out because we didn’t need to waste the wood and the heat might be too much. I had to cease putting my energy and resources into it for this to happen. Regarding contentment, the principle is the same; we are to LET patience have a perfect work (in trials) so that we may be mature and complete, not lacking anything (James 1:4). Did you catch that last part? This is to bless and advantage us not curse and den...y us! Why are we fighting God and this divine process? John 14:1 says LET your hearts not be troubled... What fuel are you adding to the fire of the trial and your own unnecessary frustration + discontent in your life? Cease! Choose to let it run its course for the benefit it is producing. This is the day that the Lord has made, I WILL (choose to) rejoice and be glad in it psalms 118:24 See more

Resisting Conviction and Grace Now when the Pharisees heard it they said, ‘This fellow does not cast out demons except by Beelzebub, the ruler of the demons.’ Matthew 12:24 One day a demon possessed man was brought to Jesus who was both blind and mute as a result of his being possessed. Jesus cast out the demon and restored the man’s sight and speech. This healing would have been just one of the dozens, or perhaps even hundreds, that Jesus had healed except for an accu...sation the Pharisees made in connection with it. The people following Jesus had begun to ask if Jesus might be the Son of David, a title for the Messiah, and to discourage this the Pharisees said, He casts out demons by Beelzebub, the ruler of demons. Here’s the thing. Jesus actions, his healing, his teaching, his humble status in life and the persecution that he experienced, were all fulfilling the Old Testament prophecies regarding the Messiah. The people coming to Jesus to be healed by him and to listen to his teaching were seeing this. One can also assume that even the Pharisees that were following him with the intent of harassing him and trying to undermine his ministry were seeing this as well. But they were so intent on opposing Jesus that they crossed into dangerous ground, they began to declare that the works of God we’re the actions of the devil. And the problem goes even deeper that a single, perhaps less than sincere, statement. The tendency we have as prideful people is to stand by what we say and to use all our intelligence to justify and defend what we say. This tendency, that we all have, was going to drive the Pharisees, that had accused Jesus of working with the devil, to a become absolutely committed to their blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. That’s a dangerous place to be. How could they ever repent and confess a sin that they were committed to defending? Jesus pointed out the illogic of their accusation and then warned them that every sin could be forgiven except the sin of blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit brings conviction of sin to our hearts. If we’re intentionally fighting against his working in our lives we undermine his ability to lead us to repentance and submission to God. Salvation comes by grace. When we put our selves in a position of resisting that grace we’re in a dangerous place indeed. Jesus’ rebuttal and warning tells us that they had not yet crossed the point of no return. There was still some capability in their hearts of seeing their error and repenting of their sin. Unfortunately, most of those Pharisees would continue to resist Jesus’ ministry and fight against the Holy Spirit. But what about us? Will we heed the warnings Jesus brings to us through his word, and that the Holy Spirit brings home to our hearts? Will we submit to God’s leading and repent of our sin, or will we resist him, and like the Pharisees sin against the Holy Spirit and resist God grace?

A Sabbath Day’s Work Now when He had departed from there, He went into their synagogue. And behold, there was a man who had a withered hand. And they asked Him, saying, Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?that they might accuse Him. Matthew 12:910 The situation with the disciples plucking and eating the grain wasn’t the only time that Jesus came into conflict with the Pharisees over Sabbath observance. The very next event Matthew records is one in which Jesus meets a ...man with a withered hand in a synagogue on the Sabbath day. Mark, in his gospel, makes it clear that this was not a chance meeting. The Pharisees had arranged for Jesus to cross paths with the man so that they they could test him. It’s obvious that their plan was to discredit him by making an accusation of breaking the Sabbath if he should heal the man; it’s probably reasonable to assume that they had a damaging accusation lined up if he should refuse to heal him as well. Mark also tells us that as Jesus saw the condition of the crippled man and in turn saw the predatory way in which the Pharisees watched to see what he would do that Jesus heart was filled with anger against those hypocritical leaders. They professed godliness. They presented themselves to the world as being holy and righteous when in reality their hearts were full of hatred for Jesus and complete indifference for the condition of the crippled man. The only genuine consideration they had was for their own interest and profit. This was even true when it came to their Sabbath observance, and Jesus pointed it out. Which of you, if one of your sheep fell into a pit on the Sabbath day, wouldn’t get to work and pull that sheep out of the pit? God had made a provision in his law allowing for cattle and livestock to be rescued and cared for on the Sabbath. In this the Jewish people only saw how their investment was protected. They didn’t see that God was ensuring that there would be no excuse for the needs of suffers to be neglected because it was the Sabbath day. God gave us his Sabbath because he knew that we needed it. We’re benefited by the Sabbath in more ways than we understand. The blessing of the Sabbath is one of the ways that God demonstrates his continual love for us. Our loving Heavenly Father desires that we should all love as he loves. Having pointed out that God permitted his people to help animals on the Sabbath Jesus declared that a person is much more valuable than an animal and he healed the man’s withered hand. Too much we do too little to help ease the suffering around us. Too often we let opportunities pass by to show others that we care about them and to demonstrate the loving care of Jesus. We’ll use anything to excuse our neglect, even Sabbath observance. God forgive us and help us to see your love and all the ways you give us to show that love to the world.

Keeping The Sabbath Holy But if you had known what this means, ‘I desire mercy and not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the guiltless. For the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath. Matthew 12:78 It was the Sabbath day and Jesus and his disciples were passing through a grain field. As they made their way through some of the disciples plucked heads of grain from the wheat, rolled them between their palms to separate the wheat from the chaff, and the ate the ker...nels of grain. No doubt they had done this many times and never thought that some people would have considered these actions work and therefore a violation of the Sabbath. Inevitably, a complaint was registered with Jesus about his disciples scandalous behavior. But Jesus didn’t think his disciples had done anything wrong and he defended his disciples by sighting examples from the Old Testament where patriarchs had been justified in acting in ways that could be technically viewed as breaking the law. He ended his defense of his disciples actions by saying that if their accusers had known what God meant when he said, I desire mercy and not sacrifice, then they wouldn’t have been so quick to condemn the guiltless. What the Pharisees had lost sight of, in their desire to not violate the Sabbath, is that keeping the Sabbath is far more about what you do do than it is about what you don’t do. The Sabbath is a day to worship God and to spend time in being a blessing to others for him. On the Sabbath God calls us to himself in a special way and he gives his presence to us, in a qualitative way, that is different from any other day. There are particular blessings that come to us because we remember and keep the Sabbath, to spend it with God, that are not ours if we choose to neglect the Sabbath and later choose another day to be with God. But it must be emphasized that keeping the Sabbath is primarily about our focusing on filling the day with being with God and touching others for him. To focus on avoiding prohibited behaviors does not in itself set us up to actually keep the Sabbath. If we’ve only concerned ourselves with steering clear of work and worldly distractions and haven’t actually worshipped God, communicated his love to our fellow men by acts of kindness to them, relieved the suffering of the sick, or the loneliness of the shut in, we haven’t actually remembered the Sabbath day to keep it holy. When Jesus said, If you had know what this means, ‘I desire mercy and not sacrifice,’ he was touching on the heart of our problem. We don’t really know or understand God. This is why we need the Sabbath. This is why we need a time of undistracted focus on being with our Heaven Father and receiving from him the blessing of his undivided attention. It’s only by basking in his love, returning that love to him with all our heart, mind and strength, and showering that love on others near us, that we’ll ever understand the heart of God.

Do We Look For Another? And when John had heard in prison about the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples and said to Him, ‘Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?’ Matthew 11:23 John the Baptist had been arrested by King Herod and placed in prison. However, in his confinement word came to him about Jesus: the messages he taught and the miracles he performed. John was convicted that Jesus might be the Messiah. In fact, he had once proclaimed Jesus to b...e the Messiah, the Lamb of God that would take away the sin of the world. However, months of imprisonment had caused questions and doubts to arise in his mind. So the beleaguered servant of God sent messengers to Jesus with a question, Are you the Coming One, or do we look for another? Jesus didn’t directly answer John’s disciples question. Instead he told them to report to John what they saw him do and what they heard him teach. The blind see and the lame walk; the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear; the dead are raised up and the poor have the gospel preached to them. Jesus knew that as a student of the prophecies John would see in these actions the fulfillment required to relieve his doubts. Then Jesus added this promise, Blessed is he who is not offended because of Me. After Johns disciples had left Jesus turned to those who were listening and asked them what they had gone to see when they went to John. They hadn’t gone to see a weak willed man that would run away at the least opposition to the message he had been given to bear. No, the people had gone to see and hear a prophet, and in John they had seen a prophet and so much more. Jesus said that no man born of woman was greater than John and that he was, in fact, the fulfillment of the prophesied return of Elijah who was foretold to herald the coming of the Messiah. But it occurs to me that John’s question is one that we too must ask and find the answer to. Do we look for another? Jesus didn’t give John the answer he asked for. Instead he gave him what he needed to decide for himself. So today, each person that walks this earth must consider the evidence Jesus gives, and decide for himself, or herself, the answer to this question, Do I look for another? Every time this question intrudes itself into my life I am repeatedly led back to the same answer. Jesus is the one, there is no other. In his earthly ministry, and in the millennia since that time, he has fulfilled all that the prophets have foretold he would. Jesus is God’s Messiah. Jesus is the world’s Savior. Jesus is the only one we can turn to for life. Jesus is all we need. We don’t need to look for anyone else.

Priorities Of God’s Kingdom He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it. Matthew 10:3739 The words of our focus text are some of the most difficult to truly internalize in all the Bible. Jesus touches on the most precious re...Continue reading

How Would Jesus Be Treated? A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master. It is enough for a disciple that he be like his teacher, and a servant like his master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more will they call those of his household! Matthew 10:2425 What would Jesus do?, is a mantra or saying, that Christians sometimes use as a prompt or standard for guiding personal behavioral expectations. The thought is tha...Continue reading

Called To Preach And as you go, preach, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons. Freely you have received, freely give. Matthew 10:78 I find it very interesting that Jesus would send out his disciples as preachers and witnesses at what many would consider to be very early in their training as disciples. It’s true that these men had been traveling with Christ, listening to his teaching and witnessing ...his healing for many months. All of those commissioned to preach were convicted of the truth of Jesus’ teaching and believed that he was the Christ, the Messiah promised by God. At the same time all of these men were still works in process, each possessing deficiencies in character, errors in their understanding of the requirements of God for his people, and errors in their beliefs of what the Messiah would be like. Nevertheless, to these men was given the command to go out and preach, proclaiming that the kingdom of heaven is at hand. Together with these words they bore witness to what they had seen of Jesus, the miracles they had seen him perform, and the words they had heard him teach. Power was also given to them to perform the same miracles of healing that Jesus had done. Demons were cast out, the lame were made whole, the sick were made well, lepers were made clean, and even the dead were raised. And so they went. Men who were not very much different from those to whom they were sent to minister. Men who until just a few short months before had been just like those to whom they were now preaching. Men who by the veracity of their own lives could testify that their association with Jesus was changing them. Humble vessels of clay they might be, but they had been with Jesus, his words and his power now filled them, and this reality gave those they went to an assurance that the same experience could come to them. The experience of preaching the message they had heard their master teach, and performing the works of healing they had seen him bless the world with also served to deepen the impact these things had in their own lives. Many times a deeper understanding can only be gained when we’ve made the effort to instruct someone else in what we have learned. Somehow through the simple act of transitioning from student to teacher, in and of itself, the Holy Spirit is able to deepen conviction and clarify understanding. Too many wait too long to heed Christ’s call to go out as witnesses. Too many believe the lie that they’re not ready. Too many doubt that the one who called them is able to empower them for the work he’s given them to do. The world is waiting for a simple, bold and godly witness. One that will simply declare Jesus, and repeat the words we’ve heard him say.

We Need More Reapers Then He said to His disciples, ‘The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.’ After the healing of Jairus’ daughter and the woman who touched Jesus’ garment, Matthew records that Jesus continued to travel throughout the countryside healing and preaching the gospel. Two specific healing events are recorded the first being the healing of two blind men and the second... the healing of a mute demon possessed man. After the healing of the blind men Jesus instructed them sternly to tell no one but when they went away they spread the news of their healing widely. With the second healing, that of the mute demoniac, came an attack from the Pharisees. They had been looking for an avenue to discredit Jesus and with this healing they invented one. They accused Jesus of casting out demons by the power of the devil. In other words they were saying that Jesus was only able to appear to remove the demons because he was collaborating with the devil. Many people trying to do good in this world would be discourage by the lack of cooperation and the blatant attacks Jesus experienced. Many would at this point be tempted to completely stop doing anything good or helpful for others, or at the very least to dramatically scale back their charitable activities. But not Jesus. Matthew chapter nine verse thirty five goes on to say that Jesus continued to travel widely throughout the cities and towns preaching, teaching and healing. And the people flocked to hear what he had to say and to be healed by him. So great was the number of people coming to Jesus that he observed to his disciples that the harvest was plentiful. He also pointed out that the laborers working in the harvest were too few. For this reason he instructed his disciples to pray that the Lord of the harvest would send forth more reapers into His harvest. It’s still true today that the harvest is plentiful and the laborers are few. We often feel that the opposite is the case but this is a deception of the devil. If we actually enter into doing the work of seeking out the needy and the inquirers, and then ministering to those that need our help and teaching those that are looking for truth we’ll find that there’s not enough time in the day for us to meet all the needs that are brought to us. Just like it was two thousand years ago when Jesus healed the sick and proclaimed the gospel there is an abundant harvest waiting for the disciples of Christ to join their master as he gathers his own to himself. If we’ll heed the Father’s call to join the laborers we’ll soon find the harvest gathered and be able to welcome our Lord as we seen him coming in the clouds.

The Touch Of Faith While He spoke these things to them, behold, a ruler came and worshiped Him, saying, My daughter has just died, but come and lay Your hand on her and she will live. Matthew 9:18 In just nine verses Matthew summarizes the telling of two very beautiful stories of healing. The first of these overlapping stories is that of the resurrection of Jairus’ daughter. Matthew doesn’t include the identity of the ruler that made the request but Mark provides the nam...Continue reading