Pastor Marty Wednesday, July 15, 2015 at 12:45PM July 12, 2015--Luke 18:35-43
This sermon was preached by Pastor Nick Hauenstein. Please click the audio link in order to listen to it.
Email Article | Print Article | Share Article | tagged Blindness, Faith, Healing, Jesus, Mercy, Praise Pastor Marty Wednesday, July 15, 2015 at 12:02PM July 5, 2015--Luke 18:31-34
This sermon was preached by Pastor Marty Bonner. The following is only a summary of it. Please click the audio link at the end of the article to listen to it.
This weekend we are celebrating 239 years since our declaration of independence from King George of the British Empire in A.D. 1776. Looking back, we can see how that freedom has been tested in many different ways over the centuries. First it was tested by the War of Independence itself. Once that test had been passed we were tested on whether or not we could govern ourselves. This gave rise to the constitution in 1789. Of course other tests involved the Civil War in the 1800's, our rise as a global economic power since WWII, and throughout the last 70 years the test of our spiritual and moral fortitude. Freedom is not a right we can demand. It is a condition we can enjoy, but will always be tested. Our founding fathers believed that it was the right of all men to be free simply because they are created by God and He intends them to be free. Do we still believe that?
The story of the Bible is one of the enslavement of men and God’s consequent work to free men from it. It is not God who enslaves us. We are enslaved by our own sins to do the will of the devil. Jesus in John 8:36 tells us, “if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” We also see in the Bible, 2 Cor 3:17, “Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.” Whether or not America will pass the tests of today and remain free, every believer in Jesus needs to recognize that, regardless of society, they can remain free as individuals who have embraced Jesus, the only true source of freedom.
In Luke 18:31-34 we see that the disciples did not really understand the plan and purposes of God in Jesus. In retrospect we can see it is all about freedom, but for them it looked like Jesus was refusing to free them. The interaction of Jesus with the rich man earlier in this chapter is ultimately about a man enslaved by trust in his wealth, rather than God. Thus Jesus calls this man to embrace freedom and let go of his slavery. Of course he walks away sad because he is not sure he wants to be free from what enslaves him. He would rather have both. I want to have my cake and eat it too. However, freedom often requires us to choose what we want more.
The call to freedom comes from Jesus to whoever will listen. Leave everything else behind and follow me. Peter recognizes that they had done that in verse 28. The disciples had successfully navigated the test that the rich man failed (at least in this moment). Jesus of course recognized that what Peter says is true. In fact the things they have lost have been replaced with something that is more and yet different, as Pastor Nick shared with us last week. Though they left their families and jobs behind, Jesus had made them part of a new family with a new job. They had trusted God and wanted Him more than their previous lives.
Yet something else needed to happen. Jesus is not just a way of looking at the world and living life. He had to do a real work of freeing us from the guilt and judgment of our sins. Thus Jesus takes the 12 aside in order to remind them where he was headed, that is the cross. Our sins keep us from freedom by leading us off the path of trusting God’s way. No matter how much we want to be with God the desires of our flesh continually pull us away from God and separate us from Him. They also keep us from freedom by the guilt and judgment that stands in the way of getting back on God’s path. Jesus is not just our great example. He is that and much more. He is also our Sin Remover; our Punishment Surrogate; our Willing Scapegoat. He sacrificed himself for our freedom. Thus, it is one thing to embrace Jesus as a means of having a wonderful life. It is quite another to follow Him through the cross and to the other side.
Once having been given freedom it is important to hold on to it. Your flesh, the world, & the devil fight against that freedom. The only way to retain freedom is to keep trusting God. "He who endures until the end shall be saved." The endurance here is not about human strength, but about faith. If we hold our faith in God and His Son, Jesus, we will remain in His freedom.
Our faith is never more tested than when we have to walk a difficult path and endure the hostility of sinners. Jesus takes time to point them to the hostilities and difficulties that lie ahead. This is the 3rd time Luke records Jesus telling them about the difficult death ahead of him. Yes, we are tested in just taking hold of the call to freedom. But we are also tested in the holding on to it. Difficult paths can cause us to shrink away from freedom and retreat back into the slavery of self-life. Jesus warned his disciples that to follow him, they would need to pick up their own cross. Difficult times lay ahead. In fact he would be mocked, insulted, spit upon, scourged, and killed. They would not stand by him in his darkest hour, which would become a guilt and shame hanging over their head. These things would test them severely. What are we willing to endure in order to retain freedom as an individual? As a nation? The Israelites of the first century A.D. had a choice to make. They could cling to the hope of national freedom of Israel, or they could let go of it and obtain the freedom that no dictator or terrorist can take away; freedom in Jesus. Is there a hope for freedom of America in the days ahead? As long as there is a God there is hope. However, even nations can cross lines that bring about the judgment of God. Yet, even if this nation is without hope of turning back, we as individuals must stand with Joshua and say, "As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord." We cannot lose the greater in trying to keep the lesser. Perhaps the time has come for American Christians to make a choice. Is your love for this country greater than your love for Jesus? It is easy to conflate the two.
So how can one remain free when faced with such choices? Ultimately freedom was won by the sacrifice of Jesus on our behalf. In a similar manner, the natural freedom of our nation was won by the sacrifice of men and women who put their lives on the line. This principle cannot be avoided: freedom is only maintained by sacrifice. As Christians we follow a Lord who sacrificed earthly glory in order to give us true freedom. So how can I put my life on the line for this nation? Yes we can join militaries and police forces and fight against evil. But even that finds a dead end when whole nations embrace wickedness and reject God. The way of the cross has never been about saving the body of a man or the body politic of a nation. Jesus and his disciples are our model. They did not shrink back because the path was difficult. Rather, they pushed ahead even to the point of laying down their lives as fishermen and Israelites. They did this for themselves but also for the sake of those who would follow behind them. They wanted others to be free.
When you trust God it does not mean the path will be easy. But God has always aided His people against the forces of tyranny. Even when those forces seem invincible. He has pledged to free the world from this age of the darkness of man’s rebellion and the tyranny that forever chases us like a howling wolf. We must trust that. We must pick up our cross and follow Him. Let’s be the light in this dark and perverse generation so that some may believe and find freedom.
Email Article | Print Article | Share Article | tagged Discipleship, Freedom, Gospel, Jesus, Tests, Trials Pastor Marty Tuesday, June 9, 2015 at 12:09PM June 7, 2015-Luke 17:20-37
Today we have a portion of Scripture that deals with the Kingdom of God. In the book of Daniel it was prophesied that God would establish a kingdom that would smash all the empires of this world into bits and fill the whole earth. This promise and many others like it seemed to be a pipe dream to many in the first century. The big question would be, “When is it really going to come?” Even today, we have that same sense with the second coming of Jesus. It is easy to let the question of “when” turn into cynicism that it is never going to happen. In this passage Jesus gives us a key understanding to aid the believer’s faith and hope. In essence he reveals that we are already participating in the Kingdom of God.
Jesus is approached by the Pharisees regarding the question of when the Kingdom of God would come. They knew that the prophets promised an anointed leader from God who would judge the nations of the world and lead Israel into a Kingdom of God. This raising up of Israel under the banner of the Messiah was what a believer at that time was looking towards. Here is a man whom many are saying is the Messiah, and who has amazed them with his understanding of Scripture. Thus they want to know what he thinks about the Kingdom. The answer Jesus gives to the Pharisees is to basically tell them that the Kingdom of God is not a visible kingdom.
They had defined God’s kingdom within a very narrow sense: the messiah coming, judgment of the nations, and Israel raised to rule over the earth. This had kept them from recognizing the very, real, but invisible, rule of God that existed already. They were looking for signs that such things were about to happen. The truth is, no matter how amazing Jesus was, there was no sign that he was going to judge the nations and rule over the world from Jerusalem. Jesus tells them that the coming of the kingdom is not something that can be observed with the eyes. Sure if you know what you are looking for you can recognize the Kingdom of God. But this is precisely what their problem was. The Kingdom of God is not like the kingdoms of this world. It does not have a capital city with well defined borders, palaces and armies that can be seen in this world. This is not the same as saying that God doesn’t have a real kingdom. No, His kingdom is very real, but you won’t observe it with your eyes.
He then explains that the Kingdom of God is within the hearts of faithful believers. The kingdom was already present in the lives of those who trusted God and followed Him. Now it would be easy to see this as only referring to those who believed on Jesus. However, I think his point is broader than that. Even those prophets, who never saw Jesus, still believed on the promises of God and lived lives surrendered to the rule and authority of God. They had experienced His kingdom within their hearts and had expressed it into the world they lived. We see this same dynamic in the Lord’s Prayer. Notice that it begins with recognition of God’s rule in heaven and praying for it to be the same on earth. Such a prayer is surrendering one’s self to be a vehicle of it. “Lord, rule in me first; so that your rule may be seen in this earth.” The faithful have always prayed for and lived out the rule of God. In that way they have always experienced the Kingdom of God. Now this is not a denial that there will never be a day when there is an observable kingdom that rules over the nations of the earth. Rather, it is the correcting of an error that sets us up for disappointment and unbelief. If we always live as if God’s promised kingdom is way out there somewhere, we will grow weary. But if we live every day knowing that God’s Kingdom is ruling within me and being expressed into my life, then I am only awaiting the next phase of that Kingdom. If we see now as lacking, we will miss the experience of the very, real Kingdom of God in the now. In fact we may miss out on the future Kingdom experience because our faith and hope gives out. Recognizing God’s kingdom now readies us and strengthens us for his coming. I am experiencing more than a down payment now. I am experiencing the heart of what is to come, even though it isn’t obvious to the untrained eye.
In verse 22 Jesus turns towards his disciples and gives further understanding. The Pharisees needed to quit looking ahead and enter into the Kingdom of God as it was then. But the disciples were the ones who were entering into and experiencing the Kingdom of God through Jesus. They could rightly look ahead, but needed understanding. Part of that understanding was that Jesus was going to go away for a while and then later come back. He says to them that the day will come when they will long for just one of the days of the son of man. This future longing will not be satisfied, “you will not see it.” This passage is an important balance to those who say that Jesus and his disciples expected him to come back in their lifetimes. Here, Jesus points out a future longing that will not be satisfied.
He goes on to point out that in the midst of this longing for him to be physically with them, people would speculate about his coming. “He is here, or He is there!” In other passages this speculation is connected with false prophets, false teachers, and even false christs. Matthew 24:23-24 says, “Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There!’ do not believe it. For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.” People are never more vulnerable to shams and cons than when they want something badly. This longing that should be in the heart of true believers will be plied upon by deceivers. Jesus warns us not to trust any who claims to be the Christ, know when he is coming, or where he is. There are many such examples today. Those who point to some Christ figure who is already here but hasn’t shown himself yet, are charlatans. Jesus points this out by telling us that his coming will be as obvious as lightning in the sky. The coming of Christ will be no secret or invisible coming. There is no time where he is on earth waiting for mankind to be ready for his revelation. No. He will be revealed at his coming in an obvious and glorious way.
Yet, before he leaves, he must suffer rejection. This is a small line in the context of the future coming kingdom. But he speaks of the work of salvation on the cross and his victory over death in the resurrection. The messiah must be rejected by this world and leave. Thus the believers hope is place in the return of the rejected King.
Starting in verse 26, Jesus gives two examples from the Old Testament to inform us. The first has to do with Noah and the global judgment that came at that time. Noah lived in a society that had been warned of God’s coming judgment, but had rejected it. They had plunged headlong into a path of rebellion against God and His Word. By Noah’s day, most people scoffed at the idea of a judgment. Yet, God had given Noah specific instructions on how to avoid the coming judgment. This is a picture of how God is dealing with this generation. He will give the world plenty of warning and He will faithfully give instruction on how to avoid the coming judgment. But only a few will take advantage and be saved. The world will not be ready as a whole for the coming of Christ. Instead it will be focused on enjoying life rather than escaping judgment. The things Jesus mentions are not necessarily wrong. The emphasis is not on the moral nature of the actions. The emphasis is on the lack of wisdom. They continue on with life in the midst of judgment being poured out on the earth. A wise man looks ahead and prepares for the future. The ancient world perished, not for lack of knowledge, but for lack of faith in God’s warning. The cares of this world had pulled their hearts away from Him and choked out any faith. They lived for the kingdom of man rather than the kingdom of God. The believed only in the kingdom of man and held out no hope for the kingdom of God.
Next we are reminded of Lot. The people of Sodom and Gomorrah had done the same thing. Lot had continually warned them against the wicked things they were doing. They pretty much had told him to shut his mouth. Yet, on the day that Lot left Sodom, the judgment of God rained down upon them and they were caught off guard. Again, this happens, not for lack of knowledge. They just didn’t believe.
This is how it will be when Jesus returns. God will pull out the righteous and rain down judgment upon a world that would rather serve its own kingdom rather than His. Jesus refers to it as a day of the son of man being revealed. His true glory and righteous judgment will be unveiled and made known to the world. This is the same word that is the title of the book of Revelation. A world that scoffs at a quaint idea of Jesus will get a rude awakening on that day, only too late.
Starting in verse 31, Jesus gives several warnings to us as disciples, so that we will not experience the judgment of God. He warns against attachment to the things of this world. Our desire to save and hold on to the things of this world will jeopardize our salvation. He then tells us to remember Lot’s wife. She had done exactly this. Even though she had the information on how to be saved, and even though she was in the middle of being physically saved from the judgment, her heart was still connected to Sodom. Salvation is not about geography or biology, it is a matter of the heart.
Thus the day of Christ’s coming will be a day of separation. It will separate the righteous from the wicked so that judgment will only fall upon the wicked. Jesus gives several scenarios in which he reiterates that one person will be taken but another left. Two people will be in bed, or two women grinding their grain, or two men in the field. The point in these issues is not the ratio, but rather it is about the separation. Many who are close in every respect will find that they are left while others are taken.
At this point the disciples as the question, “Where, Lord?” In all likelihood they are wondering where the ones will be taken to. However the answer of Jesus is clearly in reference to the judgment of the wicked. So that poses the question to us, “Are the wicked those who are taken or are they the ones left?” I believe that the two illustrations of Noah and Lot, which are the context of this statement, give us the answer. In each case the righteous are taken out of the way so that the judgment coming will be upon the wicked. It is also clear in Revelation that the judgments of God are poured out on the whole earth. Thus the wicked would still be on the earth. Jesus seems to disregard the concern for where the righteous are going to be taken and focuses upon where the judgment will fall. Like a decaying body laying out in a field will be surrounded by the eagles that seek its flesh, so the wicked all across the world will find themselves unable to escape the circling judgment of God.
Friend, have you made sure that you will escape this judgment? The only way of escape is to put your trust in Jesus and turn towards him as you leave your sins behind. Make sure that your salvation is sure today.
Email Article | Print Article | Share Article | tagged Jesus, Judgment, Kingdom of God, Messiah, Rejection, Second Coming Pastor Marty Wednesday, May 27, 2015 at 2:39PM May 24, 2015-Luke 17:1-10
Today’s passage follows the parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus. The parable was given to the Pharisees, but at this point Jesus turns back to his disciples to instruct them on obedience in these matters. It is easy to treat the instructions of Jesus as optional, and only for those who want to move to higher levels of discipleship. But in this passage Jesus drives home the importance of listening to him. When people live for themselves and without thought for others, we end up sinning against each other. Eventually those sins heap up on top of each other and create large separations between us. In the last chapter Jesus spoke of how wealth could be used to bless people around us in His name. But in this chapter Jesus deals with the other side of the equation: when you are the one being overlooked or sinned against.
It is very easy in this area to only focus on the sin of other people. But Jesus warns against causing each other to stumble. In 1 John 2:10 it says, “He who loves his brother abides in the light, and there is no cause for stumbling in him.” When we truly love one another we will rid ourselves of those things that get in each other’s way. Yet, when something does happen, we can let it bother us so much that it impacts our ability to trust God and obey Him. Thus Jesus puts this in very strong terms; as a command and as a warning.
So what is meant by “offense” in this passage? In verse 4 it is to sin against your brother. The word that is translated “offense” here is more than just being offended by someone. It is used to refer to anything that causes a person to be trapped or to fall. It was used to refer to the stick that triggers a trap. The Bible also refers to a “stone of offense (or stumbling)” in which the same word is used in regards to causing someone to fall and be injured. Here it is being used of spiritual matters. When we sin against each other we are causing a situation where the other person is tempted to fall into a trap of sin with us. Jesus says that it is impossible for these offenses not to happen. In fact it is impossible for us to live in this world without being an offense to others. Some are an offense because they could care less about pleasing God and living for Him. However, we can be an offense even when we want to please God, simply because we have a heart of flesh. Christ is calling those who want to follow him to learn to deal with sins that inevitably crop up between them and others.
Jesus then pronounces a woe upon those who offend others. This is a warning that when we walk this way (offending each other) we are headed for grief. Like the Rich Man we will wake up one day to find ourselves weeping and crying for mercy. Jesus gives very stern warning to those who do not take these matters seriously and learn to restrain themselves. Even though Jesus does not flesh out what the woe would detail, it is clear that it can involve a number of things. How we treat one another can affect our eternal destinies. But, it can also affect our lives in the here and now. It can bring grief to every one of our relationships and spoil the good it is intended for. In fact, many times people who reject being a part of Christ’s Church do so out of hurt and bitterness. They see Christians sinning against each other without dealing with it and it causes them to reject Jesus. What a woeful condition we can find ourselves in when we reject God’s way and follow our own.
Ultimately Jesus is challenging us to pay attention to ourselves. It is our tendency to be so focused on the sin of others that we pay little attention to our own. We are told to “pay attention” to ourselves. Inspect, and analyze how you treat others and how you respond to them. Make sure there is no cause for stumbling within you. It would be good to recognize that even if someone sins against us, there is a secondary temptation for us to sin against them. Thus, especially in this situation we need to watch ourselves carefully.
Now the way Jesus lays this out, it doesn’t seem that there is much mercy. I believe he puts it so sternly because our pride does not need coddled. Yet, we know that God does not just warn us of woes, but also calls us to take advantage of the grace He has provided in order for us to deal with our sin correctly. The heart of this instruction is that we work on not sinning against each other and that we exercise mercy with each other regardless of what side of the problem we find ourselves. When we think of the rich man and Lazarus we clearly see the warning for the rich man. But, Lazarus was being tempted to fall and to be trapped in the sin of bitterness and unbelief. He could have refused to serve a God who would allow such a horrible life to happen to him, and yet, he clearly kept his faith in God. What a sad turn to this story it would be if Lazarus would have been filled with such bitterness and hatred that he found himself right beside the rich man in the fires of Hell.
Though Jesus doesn’t use the word reconcile here, the two instructions he does give to those who are sinned against are what help believers overcome the separating influence of sin and keep themselves tied together in relationship. Sins separate, but forgiveness overcomes that separation. Thus God does not give us any excuses to pull away from working things out with each other.
So, verse 3 gives the first instruction to you when someone sins against you. Rebuke them. Now that word sounds pretty harsh, but it simply means to correct them. It is easy when we are hurt to lash out angrily or to retreat silently. Neither one is a godly response to sin. The believer is under a command from the Lord to face it when others sin against us and to deal with it. Yet, correcting someone is a skill that needs to be honed. Just as you were not born able to walk, so you are not born able to correct. Sure you can do it, but are you causing more damage than good? In this case we can be so right, in that we were sinned against, and yet so wrong, in that we rebuke harshly and angrily.
Now let me remind us that not all things are big enough to merit a rebuke. We cannot expect people to speak and act perfectly all the time. Little things that are merely aggravations can be and should be overlooked. 1 Peter 4:8 reminds us, “Above all things have fervent love for one another, for ‘love will cover a multitude of sins.’” Now that doesn’t mean we are covering up sins. But rather we cover it much like we would cover a bill for which someone else is short the money. Also in Proverbs 19:11 it is said this way, “The discretion of a man makes him slow to anger, and his glory is to overlook a transgression.” Thus discretion is found in thinking about ourselves and how we need to give mercy to others that we expect from them.
So how do we properly correct each other? Ephesians 4:15 tells us to speak the truth in love with one another. Love is that guiding principle that should surround our decision to correct someone. This takes some serious time spent in prayer asking for wisdom as to what to say and for control over our own spirit. I can sin against my brother in how I rebuke him.
Thus we are to correct and then forgive our brother. Now forgiveness is a skill that needs to be honed as well. We all have emotional barriers to overcome in order to truly forgive someone. When we truly forgive someone we release them from the desire for justice we could hold over them. When I see them their sin is no longer a part of the picture because I have released them from it. Now this passage assumes a brother repents. What do you do if he won’t repent? You have to go to Matthew 18 for that information. But let me just say that it follows the same spirit of this passage. You must reconcile with your brother as far as is possible from your side. There is no choice, if you are going to follow Jesus, and you are never free to flee from reconciliation. Thus in Matthew 18 we first correct our brother in private and without telling others what happened. If the brother rejects us then we widen the circle and bring in one or two others to try and help us reconcile. If he still refuses to repent then we take it before the Church and its elders. If a person still refuses to repent even when faced with a whole church that is calling him to repentance he would be treated as if he wasn’t a believer. Of course at any time he could repent and rejoin the assembly. But, until then, he would not be received as a brother. Why? If he was truly following Jesus he would have no problem repenting. Today we can get offended and go down the street to another church. This is a weakness in the church today. Instead of being reconciled and becoming more like Christ, we are fractured and become more like the spirit of this world. God forgive us for running from reconciliation, repentance, and forgiveness.
In fact Jesus goes on to instruct us not to limit our forgiveness. Even if your brother sins 7 times in one day and continues to ask forgiveness, we must forgive him. There is no wiggle room to deny the repentant forgiveness. We are under a command. Now seven times is amazing to us. We would question such a person’s sincerity. However, the truth is that our flesh questions their sincerity on time number one. If he is not sincere then his master (Jesus) will take care of that. The rich man did all manner of religious things in his life, but eventually his lack of sincerity caught up with him. Quit worrying about a person’s sincerity and start worrying about your own soul. Yes, we can even rebuke a person regarding their sincerity or lack thereof. But we still must do so in order to reconcile and out of love. Now, seven is not some lucky number that allows us to quit forgiving. Elsewhere, Jesus gives the number 70X7, i.e. 490. The numbers are really meant to be so incredulous so as to cure us from counting. Love keeps no record of wrongs, i.e. it doesn’t keep count. Instead it speaks the truth in love and forgives. If you limit your forgiveness to others, do you not limit it to yourself? If you are merciless to others are you not asking God to be merciless to you? Think on this.
Now Jesus ends on a note of duty. He does so particularly because his disciples are amazed at what he expects of them. “Increase our faith.” Now surely this is a prayer we all should pray. However, that is not what they are doing. It is the equivalent of saying, how in the world do you expect us to do that! Lord, I don’t have enough faith to do that! Now before we talk about duty let us all understand that God wants us to do the right thing for more than duty. He would rather we obey Him out of love for Him and also a love for His character, and the way that He does things. Our obedience is best when it is the cry of faith, “I want to be like you, Lord!” Yet, underlying this higher motivation must be a foundation understanding that I am also duty bound. Like a foundation is to a building, so duty is to our desire to be like God. When a hurricane strikes and wipes out a house, it leaves behind a foundation. So, there are times when our desire to be like God and our love for him is wiped away in the storm and trial of temptation. Yet, there must always be a foundational response of duty before God. If you are a follower of Jesus then you have become a servant of God, duty-bound to Him. Duty can save us when our own love fails us. But, we must never settle for duty as the sole motivation. We must build upon this foundation a whole structure of love and desire to be like Jesus.
Now the instructions of Jesus make it clear that the disciples do not need their faith increased. You do not need great faith to follow these commands. You need only a small amount of faith. The amount of faith is not the problem. It is my own stubborn pride. The problem isn’t that I can’t believe and do it, it is that I don’t want to do it. It is simple to do and yet hard because my flesh fights it so.
Yet, even our pride and wounds can be overcome. The mulberry bush in this passage represents the root and bush of the sin of unforgiveness and bitterness that can grow in our hearts. If we even have a mustard seed of faith in Jesus we can send our own bitterness into the sea of God’s forgiveness. If we even trust Jesus one speck we could free our brother from his sins against us. It is only our pride that stands in the way of forgiving another person. So why am I so prideful? And, if it causes me to reject the command of Jesus, am I truly trusting and believing upon Him?
Thus, the call to duty is given by Christ. There is a reward for those who will serve him in this matter. Yes, a reward in the life to come, for sure. However, there is a reward in this life. We will be enabled to become one with a spouse, and to raise a family. We will be enabled to build a church body that brings honor to God. We will be able to be a peaceful influence everywhere we go and enjoy the fruits of brotherly love rather than the bitterness of selfish endeavors. We will be rewarded according to what masters us. So who is your master, your own fleshly pride or Jesus?
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