| July 2006 Applying Knowledge “If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.” 1Corinthians 13:1-2 |
Hello Beloved!
Last month we discussed the importance of growing in knowledge; knowledge of God
and who He is and knowledge of who you are in Him. How do we gain
knowledge…through the prayerful study of scripture? There is one last thing you
should know about knowledge. Knowledge by itself is dangerous. It must always,
always be balanced with love and humility otherwise we are in danger of becoming
legalistic. What is legalism? To be legalistic is to strictly follow the law. When
someone is legalistic, they know what the scriptures say about what to do and what not
to do and they do everything they can to observe the law. They often become
judgmental and expect everyone else to follow the strict observance of the law. They
completely forget about the doctrine of grace.
You see friend, yes we need to be obedient, that is important. We will talk more about
what obedience looks like next month. But would you agree that nobody on this planet
is perfect? Only one was, and He died so that you and I could be set free from trying
to earn our way to heaven through the observance of the law. You can never earn
your way to heaven by following the law because we can’t keep it. To break one part
of it is to break it all. That is why the cross is so important! Jesus offers us His
forgiveness and life through His finished work on the cross. Jesus knew that we were
unable to keep the standard set up by following the law…we are human and prone to
falling and making mistakes. We need to remember that every time we are tempted
to look at one of our brothers or sisters in Christ and judge them. You see applying
knowledge without love turns us into Pharisee’s. One of the best examples of this is
found in Luke chapter 7 verses 36-50…
36 Now one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to have dinner with him, so he went to the
Pharisee’s house and reclined at the table. 37 When a woman who had lived a sinful
life in that town learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee’s house, she brought an
alabaster jar of perfume, 38 and as she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she
began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them
and poured perfume on them. 39 When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he
said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would know who is touching him and
what kind of woman she is—that she is a sinner.” 40 Jesus answered him, “Simon, I
have something to tell you.” “Tell me, teacher,” he said. 41 “Two men owed money
to a certain moneylender. One owed him five hundred denarii,a and the other fifty. 42
Neither of them had the money to pay him back, so he canceled the debts of both.
Now which of them will love him more?” 43 Simon replied, “I suppose the one who
had the bigger debt canceled.” “You have judged correctly,” Jesus said.
44 Then he turned toward the woman and said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I
came into your house. You did not give me any water for my feet, but she wet my feet
with her tears and wiped them with her hair. 45 You did not give me a kiss, but this
woman, from the time I entered, has not stopped kissing my feet. 46 You did not put
oil on my head, but she has poured perfume on my feet. 47 Therefore, I tell you, her
many sins have been forgiven—for she loved much. But he who has been forgiven
little loves little.” 48 Then Jesus said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.” 49 The other
guests began to say among themselves, “Who is this who even forgives sins?” 50
Jesus said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”
I want you to notice a few things about Simon the Pharisee:
1. His righteous attitude…He thought, “if he knew who this woman was he wouldn’t
let her kiss his feet”. In my estimation, Simon felt he was better than this woman
because he knew the law and followed it and she was dirty and sinful and had kept no
part of the law. I’m certain she was an uninvited guest in his home.
Do you find yourself looking down on those who continue to stumble, or who don’t
practice their faith the way you do?
2. His judgmental heart – He first judged Jesus and His acceptance of this woman’s
worship, and then He judged the woman as filthy and a sinner.
Do you ever find yourself judging others? Do you question their faith? Do you think
that they are insincere?
Now I want you to notice how Jesus reacted to this woman.
1. He defended her…He compared her to Simon pointing out the love she showed
and the lack of love that he showed:
Simon The Sinful woman
No water for his feet Wet feet with tears/dried them with her hair
No Kiss Kissed His feet
No oil for His head Poured perfume on His feet
Loved little Loved much
2. Jesus points out two different attitudes…the Pharisee’s attitude or the person that
keeps the law, is ungrateful, prideful and not mindful of their own sins and heart
condition. The sinful woman’s attitude is one of gratitude and humility because she
KNOWS that it is through Christ that we are forgiven.
Let me ask you a question…who do you think applied love to their knowledge that
day; the Pharisee or the sinful woman? Knowledge without love can turn us all into
Pharisee’s.
Our attitude should mirror that of the sinful woman’s…gratitude for the forgiveness
found in Jesus. Scripture is there so that we can learn who He is, and it is our guide
for life. It is never to be used as a weapon against others. It should always be
handled prayerfully and with an attitude of humility. Friend, it is in the precious pages
of His word that He meets me. The Bible is the primary way He communicates with
us and thus we should always be respectful of it. His words are personal, written in
love to His children so that we could learn about Him, be comforted, have the answers
to difficult questions, be strengthened, encouraged, and feel loved. His words are
powerful enough to change your life if you let them. If you have never read your bible,
then now is the time to start. Pick up a bible you will read, the Living Bible is easy to
understand. Start with John and then read Matthew, Mark, Luke, and the rest of the
New Testament. I promise what may seem difficult at first, will become a treasured
friend that will help you grow in your faith, bring you peace, comfort, and
understanding of the amazing love that Christ has for you.
Father,
Lord, right now I ask you to open our minds to treasures found in your words. I ask
that as we learn more about you through the study of scripture that we always
remember that it is only by grace, only be our faith in your finished work on the cross
that we are worthy of heaven. I ask that every woman who commits to reading their
bibles be blessed quickly with understanding, and a word in due season. I ask Lord
that as they read, you fan the flames of their heart to be passionate about your word.
I pray that they see it as precious treasure that enriches their lives. Bless them Lord,
give them insight. In Jesus name, Amen.
Love you guys!
CJ
Last month we discussed the importance of growing in knowledge; knowledge of God
and who He is and knowledge of who you are in Him. How do we gain
knowledge…through the prayerful study of scripture? There is one last thing you
should know about knowledge. Knowledge by itself is dangerous. It must always,
always be balanced with love and humility otherwise we are in danger of becoming
legalistic. What is legalism? To be legalistic is to strictly follow the law. When
someone is legalistic, they know what the scriptures say about what to do and what not
to do and they do everything they can to observe the law. They often become
judgmental and expect everyone else to follow the strict observance of the law. They
completely forget about the doctrine of grace.
You see friend, yes we need to be obedient, that is important. We will talk more about
what obedience looks like next month. But would you agree that nobody on this planet
is perfect? Only one was, and He died so that you and I could be set free from trying
to earn our way to heaven through the observance of the law. You can never earn
your way to heaven by following the law because we can’t keep it. To break one part
of it is to break it all. That is why the cross is so important! Jesus offers us His
forgiveness and life through His finished work on the cross. Jesus knew that we were
unable to keep the standard set up by following the law…we are human and prone to
falling and making mistakes. We need to remember that every time we are tempted
to look at one of our brothers or sisters in Christ and judge them. You see applying
knowledge without love turns us into Pharisee’s. One of the best examples of this is
found in Luke chapter 7 verses 36-50…
36 Now one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to have dinner with him, so he went to the
Pharisee’s house and reclined at the table. 37 When a woman who had lived a sinful
life in that town learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee’s house, she brought an
alabaster jar of perfume, 38 and as she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she
began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them
and poured perfume on them. 39 When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he
said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would know who is touching him and
what kind of woman she is—that she is a sinner.” 40 Jesus answered him, “Simon, I
have something to tell you.” “Tell me, teacher,” he said. 41 “Two men owed money
to a certain moneylender. One owed him five hundred denarii,a and the other fifty. 42
Neither of them had the money to pay him back, so he canceled the debts of both.
Now which of them will love him more?” 43 Simon replied, “I suppose the one who
had the bigger debt canceled.” “You have judged correctly,” Jesus said.
44 Then he turned toward the woman and said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I
came into your house. You did not give me any water for my feet, but she wet my feet
with her tears and wiped them with her hair. 45 You did not give me a kiss, but this
woman, from the time I entered, has not stopped kissing my feet. 46 You did not put
oil on my head, but she has poured perfume on my feet. 47 Therefore, I tell you, her
many sins have been forgiven—for she loved much. But he who has been forgiven
little loves little.” 48 Then Jesus said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.” 49 The other
guests began to say among themselves, “Who is this who even forgives sins?” 50
Jesus said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”
I want you to notice a few things about Simon the Pharisee:
1. His righteous attitude…He thought, “if he knew who this woman was he wouldn’t
let her kiss his feet”. In my estimation, Simon felt he was better than this woman
because he knew the law and followed it and she was dirty and sinful and had kept no
part of the law. I’m certain she was an uninvited guest in his home.
Do you find yourself looking down on those who continue to stumble, or who don’t
practice their faith the way you do?
2. His judgmental heart – He first judged Jesus and His acceptance of this woman’s
worship, and then He judged the woman as filthy and a sinner.
Do you ever find yourself judging others? Do you question their faith? Do you think
that they are insincere?
Now I want you to notice how Jesus reacted to this woman.
1. He defended her…He compared her to Simon pointing out the love she showed
and the lack of love that he showed:
Simon The Sinful woman
No water for his feet Wet feet with tears/dried them with her hair
No Kiss Kissed His feet
No oil for His head Poured perfume on His feet
Loved little Loved much
2. Jesus points out two different attitudes…the Pharisee’s attitude or the person that
keeps the law, is ungrateful, prideful and not mindful of their own sins and heart
condition. The sinful woman’s attitude is one of gratitude and humility because she
KNOWS that it is through Christ that we are forgiven.
Let me ask you a question…who do you think applied love to their knowledge that
day; the Pharisee or the sinful woman? Knowledge without love can turn us all into
Pharisee’s.
Our attitude should mirror that of the sinful woman’s…gratitude for the forgiveness
found in Jesus. Scripture is there so that we can learn who He is, and it is our guide
for life. It is never to be used as a weapon against others. It should always be
handled prayerfully and with an attitude of humility. Friend, it is in the precious pages
of His word that He meets me. The Bible is the primary way He communicates with
us and thus we should always be respectful of it. His words are personal, written in
love to His children so that we could learn about Him, be comforted, have the answers
to difficult questions, be strengthened, encouraged, and feel loved. His words are
powerful enough to change your life if you let them. If you have never read your bible,
then now is the time to start. Pick up a bible you will read, the Living Bible is easy to
understand. Start with John and then read Matthew, Mark, Luke, and the rest of the
New Testament. I promise what may seem difficult at first, will become a treasured
friend that will help you grow in your faith, bring you peace, comfort, and
understanding of the amazing love that Christ has for you.
Father,
Lord, right now I ask you to open our minds to treasures found in your words. I ask
that as we learn more about you through the study of scripture that we always
remember that it is only by grace, only be our faith in your finished work on the cross
that we are worthy of heaven. I ask that every woman who commits to reading their
bibles be blessed quickly with understanding, and a word in due season. I ask Lord
that as they read, you fan the flames of their heart to be passionate about your word.
I pray that they see it as precious treasure that enriches their lives. Bless them Lord,
give them insight. In Jesus name, Amen.
Love you guys!
CJ
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
 | |  | |  | |  | |  |
