February 25, 2024
BEYOND BELIEF: JESUS MAKES THE DIFFERENCE
February 25, 2024
Pastor Jonathan Falwell
In 2 Peter 3:15-16, Peter writes that the “beloved [apostle] Paul…has written to you…some things which are hard to understand”! This is a very true statement, not just of Paul, but no matter how learned someone may be, there can be a passage or a verse that presents a thought or idea that may cause us to wonder what God means. Today’s miracle of the fish with the coin in its mouth is a good illustration. We all know that Jesus is able to do anything He desires but the “why” is sometimes obscure. Join us as we learn why Jesus wanted Peter to take money to pay a tax that He didn’t owe. We want to answer the question, “Why is this in the Bible?”
Focal Passage: Matthew 17:24-27
Being in the family makes all the difference:
- Read Matt. 24-26. As the incident occurs, what was the temple tax? Why do you think the collectors of the temple tax accosted Peter, rather than Jesus? Speculation is useless as to why they would have been hesitant to ask Jesus directly, but for the sake of knowing the situation better, what could have been a reason? Why did Peter say “Yes”?
- How did Jesus know what had happened with Peter, prior to his coming into the house? What does that tell you about your own life, and the intimate knowledge He has of what is going on with you even when you don’t see Him with your eyes?
- Why did Jesus take this moment as a “teachable moment” to illustrate to Peter His unique position? What are some benefits our children receive from us as their parents? What are some of the advantages they have because they are our children?
- Whose house was the temple? Read Matt. 5:17 and Gal. 4:4. Why did He—the Son—still pay tax? Did Jesus pay this tax because He, in human form, was fulfilling the laws?
But we must be a witness:
- Read Matt. 17:27a. If Jesus had not paid the temple tax, would the collectors feel He was somehow setting Himself apart from them? What kind of testimony would He have been had He ignored their taxes because He was the Son of God? Did they yet believe that?
- Who is it that we—as Christians—want to be a witness to? Do you think Peter understood why Jesus was doing this?
- Read 1 Thess. 5:22. How did Jesus illustrate this verse?
But don’t worry, be happy—Jesus paid it all!
- Read Matt.17:27b. What did Jesus tell Peter to do? If you were Peter, what would be going through your mind? Do we ever doubt Jesus when we feel like He is telling us to do something we might think is a bit quirky?
- What does this section of verse 27 tell you about His authority over all the earth and everything in it? Does He have any less power now than He did at that time?
APPLICATIONS:
1. As children of God, this world should not be our worry!
2. While here, we must be “IN” but not “OF” the world but should be a witness of the Gospel.
3. In the midst of the insanity of the day, He is still a miracle working God in our lives!
4. TRUST HIM!
Close:
Right now—just like other times in the past—life seems to be nothing but a giant mass of worry-causing events, happening one right after another. We cannot control the crises that seem to come daily, nor the people who cause the chaos, nor even how involved we sometimes get, though we don’t mean to. What we CAN control is our reaction to whatever the world is throwing at us. Like Peter, who was outside of his house when the tax collectors asked him if Jesus paid the temple tax, we have a God who is with us every moment whether we realize it or not. He is not unaware of what is happening with us at any time. He not only knows who we are interacting with, but what they are doing to our spirit. He cares how we’re thinking, how we’re feeling, and especially, how we’re trusting Him in all our circumstances.
What about you? Does Jesus ever tell you to go somewhere and do something? He might not tell you to go to water and cast in your fishing line with a hook on it, but it could still be something as easy. And you might think, “Lord, that is so crazy! I need (fill in the blank), and You’re telling me to do (this)??” Read the story of the leper, Naaman in 2 Kings 5. Elisha told him, at God’s direction, to go wash in the Jordan River to be healed. He thought that was nonsense, until someone of his own counsel told him to do it. Of course, he was healed. What need do you have in your life that you would be told to “go fishing”? Perhaps it seems a waste of time to you, but Jesus does nothing in our lives that is a waste of time. As with Peter, He desires our complete trust that He knows what He is doing. As we sang this morning, He is our Solid Rock with Love Divine! Praise Him for loving us through all our sinful actions, careless words, or inept witnessing! Praise Him for His presence in our lives, and for “remembering our frame, that we are but dust.” Praise Him for life, for miracles beyond number, for family, for friends, for a loving church, but most of all, for heaven with Him one day. What a Day that will be!
By Sandy Day
February 25, 2024