Bible Study: Be Not Conformed

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Today is Wednesday October 06, 2010 and we are reading through the Bible in a year. Today's message comes from the reading of the Book of Matthew, chapters 13-14. If you would like to read today's chapters along with us here online you can Click Here to read them or copy & paste this link onto your browser: http://www.imfollowingjesus.com/bible-october-6. In today's Bible reading we will read about Jesus teaching in and explaining His reason for talking in parables, the parable of the sower, the death of John the Baptist, Jesus feeding 5000, and Jesus saves Peter from the rough seas.

Today's Message: Be Not Conformed
A parable is a short story that uses familiar events aimed to teach truth and morality, Jesus often spoke in parables. He wanted people to see how simple it was to live life for God the right way and still enjoy life. To be moral means to have respect for yourself, to go against what the world sees as normal and respect the body and mind that the Lord gave you. Anytime a person conforms to the standards of the world by wearing clothes that reveal the nakedness of the body, listening to music that only livens the flesh, and gives their body away to anyone is not only disrespecting the body God gave them, but also disrespecting God. The Bible says, “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” -Romans 12:1,2.

God makes it simple for us to get into His Kingdom, accept that you are a sinner, believe in His Son, confess that you are a sinner, and ask Jesus to save you from your sins. However, man makes it more complicated, they add in that you need to do all these things to get to heaven and throw in these extra rules that are not from God and tell you that if you will not follow them you will lose your right to heaven. Can I tell you that being moral does not get you to heaven, only Jesus does, but once we do get saved it is up to us whether or not we become transformed by what we have learned. Jesus explains how people receive this simple truth through a sower sowing seeds, “And when he sowed, some seeds fell by the way side, and the fowls came and devoured them up: Some fell upon stony places, where they had not much earth: and forthwith they sprung up, because they had no deepness of earth: And when the sun was up, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away. And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprung up, and choked them: But other fell into good ground, and brought forth fruit, some an hundredfold, some sixtyfold, some thirtyfold.” - Matthew 13:4-8.

No matter how much we learn through God's Word there is always more to learn and we are going to have some questions concerning what we read. Jesus' disciples were right there with Him in the flesh and they still had questions. They asked Jesus why He spoke in parables, “He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given. For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath. Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand....For this people's heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.” - Matthew 13:11-13,15.

What Jesus is saying here is that He speaks in parables to make things easier to understand for those who are willing to be taught, but makes them harder for those who are willingly ignorant. He knows that those who really have no interest in what He is saying is not really listening, but those who do will hear and see what He is saying and be saved. “This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind, Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart:...And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.” - Ephesians 4:17,18,23,24.

Jesus also explains to the disciples who the sower is, “Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field: But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way. But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also....He answered and said unto them, He that soweth the good seed is the Son of man; The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one; The enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels. As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world. The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity; And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.” - Matthew 13:24-26,37-42.

The sower is Jesus, the field is the corruptible world, and the tares or weeds are Satan. There are going to be many weeds among us to corrupt us, some will remain faithful to God, some will get saved and will fall from God's grace, but when Jesus returns, those who truly believed in and accepted Jesus Christ as their Savior will be found and saved from the fire. “Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you, Who by him do believe in God, that raised him up from the dead, and gave him glory; that your faith and hope might be in God. Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently: Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.” -I Peter 1:18-23.

The great thing is when we allow Jesus to be Lord of our lives He is always watching over us and even if we fall He is right there waiting for us to return to Him. “And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea. And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear. But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid. And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water. And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus. But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me. And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt? And when they were come into the ship, the wind ceased.” - Matthew 14:25-32. Jesus is not going to save anyone that does not want to be saved, but He will save all who ask Him to save them. We have faith in Jesus to save us, let's have faith in Him to lead us and guide us to the simple, moral, incorruptible, life that God truly blesses to those who believe in His Son.“Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.” - Revelation 22:13. Praise God!

Enjoy the rest of your day/night and week.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina

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