Introduction

Hi, I am Evangelist Patrick Garcia, and welcome to the Gospel for Canada blog!

Please feel free to leave comments to my blog posts.

Services are currently held at 5:30pm every Sunday at 8868 Lynwood Park Private, Edwards, Ontario

Planning with Jesus (James 4:13-15)

¹³ Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow ^[d]we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit”; ¹⁴ whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. ¹⁵ Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that.”

 

I like to plan things; don’t you? I also get upset when things don’t go like I plan them. Things like when I expect my kids to do something and they don’t or when I expect people to treat me fairly  and they don’t or when I expect life will go easy and smoothly but it doesn’t. I think as people we all share a certain level of discomfort and displeasure when things don’t go our way.

Stop and think for a moment though about how God wants us to process our planning in life. Firstly; did we keep God in our thoughts when we made our plans in the first place? (Proverbs 3:5-6) It’s important that we attempt to look at life and circumstances from God’s point of view. I find in my own life it’s all too easy to dwell on disappointments and grumble over my own oversights but God is perfect in every way! He has bigger purposes for our lives than we often realize and sometimes He’ll allow us to derail or go off track to develop patience or some other virtue in our character and smooth out rough edges in our personality like anger or pride. (Romans 5:3-5) Remember that God’s primary motive for your life is that it brings Him glory. (Isaiah 42:8) He has every right as Almighty God to allow things in your life to mold you into the image He desires you to be. (Romans 8:29)

Secondly; Be honest and realistic in assessing your own failed plans but remember that your true identity is in the person of Jesus Christ and not your plan. (Ephesians 1:3)  Defining yourself by your successes or failures will ultimately leave you dissatisfied because of the many uncertainties associated with this life. (James 4:14) Planning for the future is difficult because it involves much oversight and thoughtfulness. (Proverbs 11:14) Sometimes our plans may fail due to poor judgment, lack of preparedness, plain laziness, or circumstances outside of our control. That’s’ when it’s especially important to lean on God who in His loving providence is all wise and all knowing and already has our path charted out for us in advance. (Isaiah 40:28, 1 Peter 5:7) The sum total of your life is not wrapped up in your plans succeeding or failing. As Christians; our identity is rooted in the personhood of Jesus Christ who is perfectly successful always and forever. (Hebrews 13:8)

Thirdly; grow in grace and knowledge through your plans. (2 Peter 3:18) Planning successfully require godliness as we learn that Jesus Christ is the solution to all of life’s problems and his glory should be the entire sum total of our plans. (Colossians 2:9) It is impossible to be truly successful apart from an abiding relationship to Jesus Christ. (John 15:5) Poorly executed plans that are rooted in loving obedience to Jesus Christ are superior to elaborately executed plans that are realised apart from Jesus Christ. That is because genuine wisdom in life is derived from God. (Proverbs 9:10) Furthermore; our eternal rewards will be awarded by Christ on the basis that our plans were in keeping with God’s ways. (2 Corinthians 5:10)

Finally; Be satisfied with carrying out your plans because that is your lot in this life. (1 Timothy 6:6, Ecclesiastes 5:18) Part of being created in God’s image is we are able to carry out our own plans in this life. This is our privilege and common grace as humans not shared by the animals. They merely do what they do instinctively whereas people are able to create and mold their very own plans! Why not thank God today for allowing us to make our own plans… if the Lord wills.

2 Year anniversary speech (Jeremiah 2:1-13)

 

Dear Brethren in Christ and honoured Guests;

It is my pleasure to address you on this September 27, 2020 Gospel for Canada community church 2^nd. Year anniversary Lord’s Day worship.  Today is the day the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it. Firstly I would like to thank God for giving us the opportunity to mark this special occasion in these unsettled times. Secondly; I would like to thank Dewan; the owner of this fine establishment; Palki Cuisine of India, for hosting our function this evening. Lastly; I would like to thank everyone who has co-laboured to make this evening a success.

My heart was initially eager to share the history of how the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ came to this great nation of Canada. My motive was to lead this assembly to greater resolve and resourcefulness in continuing the work of evangelism in Canada. In spite of the equal value of honouring those who have sown the gospel seed in our great nation; the burden I believe the Lord has laid on my heart for today is different. I believe it is my Christian duty to warn our national leaders and fellow Canadians of the current religious decay in our nation and the future national disaster and ruin that may await Canada if we choose to continue in apathy towards worshipping the true God of Heaven and the Lord Jesus Christ. What I intend to present you today is a similitude or a comparison between the recorded history from the nation of Israel’s abandonment of the one true God in 627BC as recorded in the book of Jeremiah and Canada’s current abandonment of the one true God. I will also share the national consequences for abandoning the one true God and how we can avoid future national judgment.

 

Firstly; a brief history of our Judeo Christian roots:

652 years before Canada was birthed; the seed of Judeo-Christian Law had been planted in Great Britain in the Magna Carta (The Great Charter of 1215) and now Canada was about to reap from that harvest. The British North America Act; later re-named The Constitution Act of 1867 united the French Canadian Catholics and the British Protestants giving them the right to protection by law and freedom to practise religion. Religious life was at the forefront of public life in the Dominion of Canada including education and civil policy.  Confederation lore says that Sir Samuel Tilley proposed the term "Dominion". His inspiration was apparently Psalm 72:28: "He shall have dominion also from sea to sea, and from the river unto the ends of the earth."  Not only did "a Mari usque ad Mare" (officially translated as "From Sea to Sea") become Canada's official motto, but the term "Dominion" became part of Canada's official name.       

Source: "Dominion of Canada" Historica Canada,

Secondly: a continued Canadian commitment to rule of law and religious freedom…

In 1890; The Public School Act caused a breakdown of discriminatory practises targeting religiously funded Catholic schools in Manitoba. Sir Wilfrid Laurier attempted to mend religious differences with the Laurier-Greenway Compromise of 1896. This law gave provinces the right to self govern but also opened the way for privately funded religious schools to continue. In 1960; after some religious persecution of the Jehovah’s Witnesses in Quebec; Prime Minister John Diefenbaker passed the “Bill of Rights” which once again placed religion at the centre of public life with the purpose to:

 “Acknowledge the supremacy of God” and affirms that “institutions remain free only when freedom is founded upon respect for moral and spiritual values and the rule of law.”

Former Prime Minister Pierre Elliott Trudeau said, “The golden thread of faith is woven throughout the history of Canada from its earliest beginnings up to the present time.” As a result of this understanding; The Charter of Rights and Freedoms (1982) legislated freedom of religion and freedom of conscience for every Canadian. This current charter affirms:

Whereas Canada is founded upon principles that recognize the supremacy of God and the rule of law:

 

Thirdly; the religious climate in Canada today

According to Wikipedia: With Christianity in decline after having once been central and integral to Canadian culture and daily life, Canada has become a post-Christian, secular state despite the majority of Canadians claiming an affiliation with Christianity. The majority of Canadians consider religion to be unimportant in their daily lives, but still believe in God. The practice of religion is now generally considered a private matter throughout society and the state.

Since that is the national case for Canada today: I will seek to answer a thought provoking question.

What happens to a nation that abandons the one true God?

To answer this important question; we will look at the tragedy of the nation of Israel’s abandonment of the one true God during the ministry of Jeremiah the prophet.

George Santayana stated:

"Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it."

 

In Jeremiah, Chapter 2; God states His case against the nation of Israel

 

2 The Lord gave me another message. He said, ² “Go and shout this message to Jerusalem. This is what the Lord says:

“I remember how eager you were to please me
    as a young bride long ago,
how you loved me and followed me
    even through the barren wilderness.
³ In those days Israel was holy to the Lord,
    the first of his children.
All who harmed his people were declared guilty,
    and disaster fell on them.
    I, the Lord, have spoken!”

⁴ Listen to the word of the Lord, people of Jacob—all you families of Israel! ⁵ This is what the Lord says:

“What did your ancestors find wrong with me
    that led them to stray so far from me?
They worshiped worthless idols,
    only to become worthless themselves.
⁶ They did not ask, ‘Where is the Lord
    who brought us safely out of Egypt
and led us through the barren wilderness—
    a land of deserts and pits,
a land of drought and death,
    where no one lives or even travels?’

⁷ “And when I brought you into a fruitful land
    to enjoy its bounty and goodness,
you defiled my land and
    corrupted the possession I had promised you.
⁸ The priests did not ask,
    ‘Where is the Lord?’
Those who taught my word ignored me,
    the rulers turned against me,
and the prophets spoke in the name of Baal,
    wasting their time on worthless idols.
⁹ Therefore, I will bring my case against you,”
    says the Lord.
“I will even bring charges against your children’s children
    in the years to come.

¹⁰ “Go west and look in the land of Cyprus^[b];
    go east and search through the land of Kedar.
Has anyone ever heard of anything
    as strange as this?
¹¹ Has any nation ever traded its gods for new ones,
    even though they are not gods at all?
Yet my people have exchanged their glorious God^[c]
    for worthless idols!
¹² The heavens are shocked at such a thing
    and shrink back in horror and dismay,”
    says the Lord.
¹³ “For my people have done two evil things:
They have abandoned me—
    the fountain of living water.
And they have dug for themselves cracked cisterns
    that can hold no water at all!

Like the Dominion of Canada; the nation of Israel had originally honoured the one true God and their nation was meant to be a blessing for all peoples. Canada enjoyed a fruitful Judeo-Christian birth and adolescence because it respected Jesus Christ and the rule of law based on Judeo-Christian Biblical morality. It is a well known fact that Canadian Common law has its origins in British law which has its origins in the Holy Bible.

 

According to prophet Jeremiah: Israel committed two evils.  Below is the first

¹³ “For my people have done two evil things:
They have abandoned me—
    the fountain of living water.

In the Bible; fountains of living water represent a satisfying life found only in God. Isn’t it true today much like in Jeremiah’s day that Jesus Christ is being abandoned by our national leaders, the Holy Bible has fallen out of vogue with the most Canadians, and places of Christian worship are mostly empty on the Lord’s Day? Why is this so? Why have Canadians abandoned the God who has blessed their lives and upheld their nation for these past 150 years?  

The second evil that Israel committed answers this question.

 And they have dug for themselves cracked cisterns
 that can hold no water at all!

Much like Canada today; the nation of Israel turned to other gods from foreign nations and other gods of their own making. Jeremiah compared these false gods to a cracked drinking water reservoir that can’t hold any drinking water. Water is meant to sustain life for all people. In other words, the nation of Israel traded the sustained life of satisfaction they once enjoyed when they worshiped the one true God for an unsustainable life of misery when they turned to false gods. The trade illustrated here is clearly a poor choice.

 

And how did the rest of the story end?

In brief; after having been given numerous terms of surrender by an opposing Babylonian King; tragedy and ruin fell upon the nation of Israel when they were completely conquered and vanquished as part of God’s divine judgement. Israel’s national identity was erased with the destruction of their temple; which signified their religious worship of the one is true God. In terms of what disaster awaits the Dominion of Canada if we continue in apathy towards worshipping the one true God; I can only speculate but the results will likely be equally tragic.

How we can avoid future national judgment?

Psalm 115

¹ Not to us, O Lord, not to us,
    but to your name goes all the glory
    for your unfailing love and faithfulness.
² Why let the nations say,
    “Where is their God?”
³ Our God is in the heavens,
    and he does as he wishes.
⁴ Their idols are merely things of silver and gold,
    shaped by human hands.
⁵ They have mouths but cannot speak,
    and eyes but cannot see.
⁶ They have ears but cannot hear,
    and noses but cannot smell.
⁷ They have hands but cannot feel,
    and feet but cannot walk,
    and throats but cannot make a sound.
⁸ And those who make idols are just like them,
    as are all who trust in them.

⁹ O Israel, trust the Lord!
    He is your helper and your shield.
¹⁰ O priests, descendants of Aaron, trust the Lord!
    He is your helper and your shield.
¹¹ All you who fear the Lord, trust the Lord!
    He is your helper and your shield.

¹² The Lord remembers us and will bless us.
    He will bless the people of Israel
    and bless the priests, the descendants of Aaron.
¹³ He will bless those who fear the Lord,
    both great and lowly.

¹⁴ May the Lord richly bless
    both you and your children.
¹⁵ May you be blessed by the Lord,
    who made heaven and earth.
¹⁶ The heavens belong to the Lord,
    but he has given the earth to all humanity.
¹⁷ The dead cannot sing praises to the Lord,
    for they have gone into the silence of the grave.
¹⁸ But we can praise the Lord
    both now and forever!

Praise the Lord!

 

Like the nation of Israel before us; we must remember the God who birthed and upheld our nation these past 150 years! It’s not too late to return to worshipping the one true God and the Lord Jesus Christ. Our Forefathers’ once asked God almighty for a land where His dominion would span from sea to sea and the Lord answered with the confederation of the Dominion of Canada. Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. Glory to him in the church and in Christ Jesus through all generations forever and ever! Amen.

Defending the gospel against false sacramental grace (Romans 11:6)

⁶ And if by grace, then it is no longer of works; otherwise grace is no longer grace. ^[a]But if it is of works, it is no longer grace; otherwise work is no longer work.

Since the time of Cain and Abel, (Genesis 4:2-5) there have only been two types of sacrifices offered up to God by sinful mankind throughout the ages to obtain God’s grace. One is “Works” in which mankind tries to appease God for his guilt by his own labour. This sacrifice inevitably falls short because God is perfectly holy and our works cannot meet God’s perfect standard. (Isaiah 64:6) The other type of sacrifice that is acceptable to God is “Faith” because faith is trusting Jesus Christ to do what we are incapable of doing ourselves. (Ephesians 2:8-9) 

An illustration of this during the apostolic era is found in Acts; Chapter 15 when certain men from Judea taught that adherence to the Mosaic Law was binding on gentile believers in order for them to obtain God’s salvation. (Acts 15:1, 5) Apostle Peter; speaking at the Jerusalem council; affirmed salvation by grace alone though faith alone and affirmed that God’s cleansing came not as a result of external rites or ceremonies. (Acts 15:8-11) The certain men of Judea had violated the gospel of grace and needed to be confronted to prevent their error from spreading confusion about the way in which people are made right with God and the freedom that are theirs to possess in Jesus Christ. (Ephesians 2:4-9, Galatians 1:8, 5:1-6)

The basic understanding that salvation is obtained by: grace alone, through faith alone, and in Christ alone has continued to be a point of contention through the centuries as the true gospel of grace continues to be under attack by those who teach that human merit or religious rites somehow brings about God’s salvation. True ministers of Christ however are called to defend God’s gospel of grace. (Jude 3-4)

Today; many sources of false sources of saving grace are still being taught in false religious systems under the guise of being a sacrament. (Some action on our part in addition to Jesus’ atonement that imparts saving grace) It is my intent to expose some of them today so that you will not be condemned by believing in another gospel or that your freedom in Christ will not be hindered. (Romans 11:5-6)

 

Water Baptism: Many erroneously believe that baptising a baby at birth initiates a person into the church but this is false teaching. Water baptism alone can do nothing for your infant or for an adult alike in transferring grace to a person. Godly parents are commanded to instruct children in the ways of the Lord as an act of obedience and stewardship. (Deuteronomy 11:19) Grace however; is perfectly and completely transferred to a person when the He or She is born again (John 3:3) of the Holy Spirit. In the New Testament; The Holy Spirit is received when a person responds in faith to the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. This and only this initiates a person into the church. (John 1:13) In addition; this act of divine mercy is predetermined by the Heavenly Father. (Romans 8:29, Titus 3:5)

Water baptism is commanded for disciples (also called Christians Acts: 11:26) of Jesus Christ (Acts 8:26-38) as a means of publically identifying with the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ (Romans 6:3-6) and is one two valid ordinances of the church. An ordinance is a decree to be obeyed but it does not imply saving grace or merit leading to salvation. (That would annul grace)

Romans 10:9

⁹ that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.

 

Eucharist: Some have been taught that salvation is dependent on partaking of the Eucharist. They are taught that by eating the literal body and the literal blood of our Lord Jesus Christ as He is being transmutated (literally transformed into bread and wine) and repeatedly offered as a sacrifice on the alter for sin; that this ritual thus imparts portioned grace to the partaker leading to salvation if faithfully observed.

This unbiblical teaching contradicts the plain teaching of Holy Scripture that Jesus Christ was only offered one time and that his sacrifice was perfect to forgive all the sins of believers (past, present, and future) and had no need to be repeated since it was wholly accepted by the Heavenly Father and vindicated by the Holy Spirit. (Hebrews 10:8-14, Romans 1:4)

⁸ Previously saying, “Sacrifice and offering, burnt offerings, and offerings for sin You did not desire, nor had pleasure in them” (which are offered according to the law), ⁹ then He said, “Behold, I have come to do Your will, ^[a]O God.” He takes away the first that He may establish the second. ¹⁰ By that will we have been ^[b]sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.¹¹ And every priest stands ministering daily and offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. ¹² But this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God, ¹³ from that time waiting till His enemies are made His footstool. ¹⁴ For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are being ^[c]sanctified.

With Jesus Christ as your priest; one sacrifice is all it took. Reject false grace, from false priest who offer a false sacrifice!

We do uphold the Biblical ordinance of the Lord’s Supper by partaking of the bread and fruit of the vine in remembrance that our God; the Lord Jesus Christ made a new way (New Covenant) for us to be right with God through His death. (Mark 14-22-25) 

 

Confession: In some circles; the belief is held that one must confess His or Her sins to an appointed human priest in order to be absolved (or forgiven) of their daily sins. This practise comes from a misunderstanding of the divinely elected priesthood.

As noted in the above passage from Hebrews 10:8-14; Jesus Christ clearly distinguished himself from the earthly priesthood of the Levitical priesthood by being completely qualified as the God-man to represent us before Holy God because Jesus Christ is completely sinless and is therefore qualified to offer us real help. (Hebrews 4:14-16) We therefore have no need to endorse false (sinful) priests to represent us before the Heavenly Father when Jesus Christ is infinitely superior as demonstrated by His “once for all” work on the cross that provided complete forgiveness from God. (John 3:16, Isaiah 53:10-12, Romans 3:23-26,)

 In the Bible; (God’s authoritative word) the only valid priest that is recognized by God is the high priest Jesus Christ. (Hebrews 5:5-6) Since Jesus Christ’s priesthood is binding and permanent; for a human to assume the position while Jesus Christ occupies that priestly office (Hebrews 7:25) is both presumptuous and blasphemous. (Romans 2:24)

Biblical confession of daily sins for the disciple of Jesus Christ is to be made to our Heavenly Father for renewed fellowship with God. Jesus Christ acts as our advocate and the Holy Spirit cleanses us from confessed sin. Confess your sins to one another also so you will aided in overcoming them. (1 John 1:9, James 5:16, Titus 3:5)

 

Confirmation: Some traditions teach that confirmation grants the recipient a greater portion of gifting from the Holy Spirit. This doctrinal error stems from a false understanding of how the Holy Spirit portions gifts to believing Saints. Spiritual gifts are sovergnly distributed by Jesus Christ as along with all other necessary grace (Ephesians 1:3) at the moment of conversion and have nothing to do with undergoing a ceremony or ritual. (Ephesians 4:7-8, 11)

Christians are however commanded to walk in the Holy Spirit which implies submissiveness to His leading in our lives. (Galatians 5:16)

Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus. (1 Thessalonians 5:18)

 This message is a topical sermon on the importance of thanksgiving and why it is essential in the life of the disciple of Jesus Christ.

Firstly; the principle reason why we as Christians are to offer thanksgiving to our God is that we are commanded to do so. God’s will of command is for His disciples to habitually find reasons to be thankful and express them to our creator.

Psalm 29:2

Honor the Lord for the glory of his name.
Worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness.

Why does God desire us to express thankfulness to Him?

To offer thanksgiving affirms and agrees with that which is true and firmly established. Mainly; that God is all good and is most worthy of our thanksgiving. To give God thanksgiving rightly directs our affection upwards to the deserving God from whom all blessings flow.

1 Chronicles 29:10-12

¹⁰ Then David praised the Lord in the presence of the whole assembly:

“O Lord, the God of our ancestor Israel,^[i] may you be praised forever and ever! ¹¹ Yours, O Lord, is the greatness, the power, the glory, the victory, and the majesty. Everything in the heavens and on earth is yours, O Lord, and this is your kingdom. We adore you as the one who is over all things. ¹² Wealth and honor come from you alone, for you rule over everything. Power and might are in your hand, and at your discretion people are made great and given strength.

Does God need the affirmation of our thanksgiving?

God is completely self existent and self satisfied so He does not need anything or anyone. God is not needy like people or other created beings. His omnipotence (all power) makes Him unique in that He has no actual or perceived needs.

Psalm 50:8-14

 ⁸ I have no complaint about your sacrifices
    or the burnt offerings you constantly offer.
⁹ But I do not need the bulls from your barns
    or the goats from your pens.
¹⁰ For all the animals of the forest are mine,
    and I own the cattle on a thousand hills.
¹¹ I know every bird on the mountains,
    and all the animals of the field are mine.
¹² If I were hungry, I would not tell you,
    for all the world is mine and everything in it.
¹³ Do I eat the meat of bulls?
    Do I drink the blood of goats?
¹⁴ Make thankfulness your sacrifice to God

Since God does not need my thanksgiving; what if I choose to withhold it?

The LORD is full of unfailing love but is also a jealous God. This does not mean God is capricious like a little child who wants a siblings toy but rather that His majesty and glory command worship and gratitude for His kindness towards us through Jesus Christ. To deny this command is an act of contempt that amounts to the sin of rebellion.

Psalm 103:1-5

103 Bless the Lord, O my soul;
And all that is within me, bless His holy name!
² Bless the Lord, O my soul,
And forget not all His benefits:
³ Who forgives all your iniquities,
Who heals all your diseases,
⁴ Who redeems your life from destruction,
Who crowns you with loving-kindness and tender mercies,
⁵ Who satisfies your mouth with good things,
So that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.

Why do people withhold thanksgiving to God?

Mostly; people who deny God thanksgiving are unbelievers and are operating out of their sinful nature. Disciples who deny God thanksgiving are quenching the Holy Spirit at work in them.

Romans 1:21

²¹ Yes, they knew God, but they wouldn’t worship him as God or even give him thanks. And they began to think up foolish ideas of what God was like. As a result, their minds became dark and confused.

 

1 Thessalonians 5:19

¹⁹ Do not stifle the Holy Spirit.

When should I offer thanksgiving to God?

The Christian life is characterized as continual thanksgiving since our life is sustained by the person of Jesus Christ and God is the one who ultimately meets all our needs. Communion with God through prayer is to be accompanied with giving of thanks. Thanksgiving is offered when we make our requests to God and is part of true prayer.  

Colossians 4:2

² Devote yourselves to prayer with an alert mind and a thankful heart.

How should we offer thanksgiving to God?

Giving thanks to God is to be done privately through prayer or verbally and corporately with others.

Psalm 50:23

²³ But giving thanks is a sacrifice that truly honors me.
    If you keep to my path,
    I will reveal to you the salvation of God.”

 

What are some benefits to offering thanksgiving to God?

Offering thanksgiving to God is a vital part of our prayers and is a powerful antidote against worry, anxiety, and complaining which are all sins that harm us. God delights in meeting the needs of His children and doesn’t want us to live bogged down with internal conflict. Offer God thanksgiving as part of your prayers to keep your inner peace.

Philippians 4:6-7

⁶ Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. ⁷ Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.

Parable of two sons (Mathew 21:28-32)

²⁸ “But what do you think? A man had two sons, and he came to the first and said, ‘Son, go, work today in my vineyard.’ ²⁹ He answered and said, ‘I will not,’ but afterward he regretted it and went. ³⁰ Then he came to the second and said likewise. And he answered and said, ‘I go, sir,’ but he did not go. ³¹ Which of the two did the will of his father?”

They said to Him, “The first.”

Jesus said to them, “Assuredly, I say to you that tax collectors and harlots enter the kingdom of God before you. ³² For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him; but tax collectors and harlots believed him; and when you saw it, you did not afterward ^[a]relent and believe him.

 

The meaning

In this parable; (an earthly story with a heavenly meaning) Jesus tells of a father who asks his two sons to work in the family business. The father in this parable represents God and the two sons represent too kinds of responses to the gospel of Jesus Christ. The first son represents outright sinful people who come to realize; after hearing the gospel; that they need to repent towards Jesus Christ and do so; leading to salvation as evidenced by their transformed obedient lives. The second son represents self righteous religious people who think they are right with God (justified) based on their lip service apart from obedience to the gospel of Jesus Christ when they are in fact far from salvation because of their unbelief.

 

The call of the Father (verse 28)

John the Baptists entire ministry (great as it was: Luke 7:28) was merely to be a forerunner or herald for the arrival of someone infinitely superior than He was. Religious leaders in John’s day wanted to know if John thought of himself as the promised Messiah. John flat out denied He was the Messiah but admitted to being a forerunner to the Messiah. (John 1:20, 23) John the Baptist later revealed to the Jews of His day that Jesus Christ is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. (John 1:29) Not only is Jesus Christ the Messiah of the Jews but according to John the Baptist; Jesus Christ is the saviour of the whole world.  Mathew 3:8 tells us to bear fruits worthy of repentance. Since the fall on man; God has been teaching mankind repentance. (Psalm 25:8) In these last days; God crystallized his revelation on what is meant to repent. Mainly; that we needed to turn from our sins and believe the full message about His Son; The Lord Jesus Christ. (Hebrews 1:1-2) A life submitted to Jesus Christ will result in a fruitful life. Jesus promised all his disciples that they would do greater works than His own works. (John 14:12) The father therefore is still asking today as He always has:

“Son, go, work today in my vineyard.”

 

The natural response (verse 29)

Human beings are by nature sinful (Ephesians 2:3) and have a disposition that leads them away from the things of God. Therefore; His first response to disobey the Father’s command to “work in my vineyard” is quite natural. Some examples of this if you are not convinced are: children disobeying parents, adults being unthankful, and employees acting indifferent and lazy at the workplace to name a few. What happens when a morally accountable human being hears the truth about sin, righteousness, and judgement and decides to believe God’s testimony about his Son?  When people hear the word of God; they discover that God is holy and expects us to be holy too. (1 Peter 1:16) People also hear that God will judge their sins either upon Christ’s cross or in the horrors of hell. (1 John 2:2, Mathew 18:8) After hearing these truths; it is also natural for sinners to see the error of their ways and change their minds altogether about doing the Father’s will. And what is the Father’s will you ask:

John 6:40

⁴⁰ And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day.”

 

The self deceived response (verse 30)

Why do people think they can sidestep the Biblical Jesus Christ and the implication on their lives? God calls everybody who wasn’t pardoned through the blood of His Son Jesus Christ dead in their sins (Ephesians 2:1) but some people respond to God’s offer of salvation with deaf ears and blind eyes. (Mark 4:12) In the parable above; many religious leaders amongst the Jews of Jesus’ day did not believe He was the Messiah but thought of themselves as “right with God” because of their strict adherence to the Mosaic Law and their ties with the Patriarch of faith Himself: Abraham. (Romans 9:32, John 8:39) In reality though; this false sense of confidence in their own righteousness is what prevented these people from entering the kingdom. They had an outward form of religion by name only as shown in parable above. The second son said:

“I go, sir”

However; this son had no intention of doing what God had commanded. That is; He was not willing to repent from dead works and turn to the Father through faith in His one and only Son. (2 Peter 3:9) Instead; He kept the façade of being religious without ever receiving new life in Christ. (Ephesians 2:1)

 

Jesus asked a question with an obvious answer: (verse 31)

“Which of the two did the will of his father?”

The answer was given:

“The first.”

The point made here is simple but critically important for the hearers: Doing God’s will is required and not just saying we are doing’s God’s will.

The context of this parable and Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem (Mathew 21:5, Mathew 21:37) demands that people accept God’s testimony about His Son that He is in fact the promised Messiah, the saviour of the world, and the Lord of all!

 

The conclusion of the matter (verse 32)

Jesus said to them, “Assuredly, I say to you that tax collectors and harlots enter the kingdom of God before you. ³² For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him; but tax collectors and harlots believed him; and when you saw it, you did not afterward ^[a]relent and believe him.

People are not admitted into the kingdom by manmade standards of righteousness but by repentance of sin and faith towards Jesus Christ. (Romans 3:26) Tax collectors and harlots (extorsioners and the sexually immoral) are just one step away from salvation where as proud religious people are unable to enter the kingdom. A claim to religion will not open the door of salvation for us; neither will gross sin keep us out of the kingdom if we repent and put our faith in Jesus Christ. (Acts 2:38-39) John the Baptist’s message and character were genuine and common people responded to His powerful preaching by accepting his baptism of repentance and being prepared to receive the greater baptism which was to come through Jesus Christ. (Mathew 3:11) In addition to the truthfulness of John’s message and character; the transformed tax collectors and harlots gave undeniable evidence that God had sent John to testify about the Messiah Jesus Christ.

 

Application

Dear friend; I appeal to you as one who has tasted the heavenly gift and testify to you today that Jesus Christ is the all sufficient, abiding saviour of the world. In Jesus’ name; recognize that your religious title or claims will not grant you salvation anymore than a membership to the finest religious university will make you a doctorate in matters of religion. God has no grandchildren and you are no exception. The Bible says we must be born again to enter the kingdom of God (John 3:3) In Jesus’ name; lay aside your false sense of religious security and grab hold of the living Word; Jesus Christ. Only by faith in the personhood of Jesus Christ and his atoning work on Calvary will you find eternal life. (1 Corinthians 15:1-5)

 

Closing Prayer

Father in Heaven; make us humble to realize our great need to be rescued from our sin and not trust in our own religious title or claim. Oh Heavenly Father; grant us; like the first son in the parable; to regret our disobedience and to so despise our sin that we are willing to forsake it completely and wholeheartedly cling to Jesus Christ; who suffered and died for us to redeem us from our sins and grant us eternal life.

 

Forever and ever… Amen

The Lord will provide (Philippians 4:10-20)

¹⁰ But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that now at last your^[a] care for me has flourished again; though you surely did care, but you lacked opportunity. ¹¹ Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content: ¹² I know how to ^[b]be abased, and I know how to ^[c]abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. ¹³ I can do all things through ^[d]Christ who strengthens me.¹⁴ Nevertheless you have done well that you shared in my distress. ¹⁵ Now you Philippians know also that in the beginning of the gospel, when I departed from Macedonia, no church shared with me concerning giving and receiving but you only. ¹⁶ For even in Thessalonica you sent aid once and again for my necessities. ¹⁷ Not that I seek the gift, but I seek the fruit that abounds to your account. ¹⁸ Indeed I ^[e]have all and abound. I am full, having received from Epaphroditus the things sent from you, a sweet-smelling aroma, an acceptable sacrifice, well pleasing to God. ¹⁹ And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus. ²⁰ Now to our God and Father be glory forever and ever. Amen.

 

In today’s me first culture; it is hard to imagine a God who promises to supply all the needs of those who give sacrificially to the work of advancing  gospel ministry but that is what scripture teaches. ((Philippians 4:19) And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.) The Philippian church had made a sacrificial offering to further the apostle Paul’s gospel ministry to which Paul assured the Philippians that their gift had been credited to their account. ((Matthew 6:19-21) ¹⁹ “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; ²⁰ but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. ²¹ For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.)

 

God promised to make provision for all their earthly needs as well. This way of thinking goes against anti-Christ hedonism philosophy; that is, living for pleasure and using our liberty to gratify our own desires as the highest human virtue. The Bible condemns this way of living as idolatrous self worship. ((Romans 1:25) ²⁵ who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.) Through eyes of faith; spiritual men and women are able to see past the temporal of this life into the eternal riches that await the faithful in heaven. ((Hebrews 11:16) ¹⁶ But now they desire a better, that is, a heavenly country. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them.)

 

Let’s turn our attention again to the passage and study the practical aspects of church giving. Firstly; we notice that the church in Philippi was eager to help Paul’s gospel ministry and had helped in the past. (Verse 10) It’s true that acts of practical giving are often the intent of the twice born heart but opportunity to act on our desire may be lacking. Perhaps finances are not available to give due to joblessness or perhaps other barriers such as distance or even other pressing needs may prevent or stall our purposed giving. This is especially true for those who are financially indebted because there is already a valid claim on their finances that precedes their desire to give charitably. Proverbs 22:7 says:

⁷ The rich rules over the poor,
And the borrower is servant to the lender.

For some; (unlike the church in Philippi) the reason that they lack opportunity to give towards furthering gospel ministry is because they simply have not purposed to do so. Other cares crowd their minds and they have not yet reckoned the importance to do so. To that person; I would simply say; seek your heavenly Father in prayer and petition Him to make you more generous towards furthering gospel ministry in your individual way or through your local church.  ((2 Corinthians 9:7)⁷ So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of ^[a]necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver.)

 

In verse 11-12; we learn an important principle from a mature disciple of Jesus Christ. Namely; how to be content with whatever means we find ourselves with. ((1 Timothy 6:6) ⁶ Now godliness with contentment is great gain.) According to the most recent data from the Bank of Canada, the average debt held by Canadians, excluding mortgages is $20,759. This national reality demonstrates that as a nation; we are not living in the sphere of God’s purposed contentment but rather we are a covetous people, always wanting more of that we aren’t purposed to have. ((Exodus 20:17)¹⁷ “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor’s.”)

 

The Biblical solution to this problem is learning to be content with our current situation. This means that rather than always lusting after more; we need to learn to be thankful and contented by what we already have and what God Almighty has provided, is providing, and will continue to provide for us for the rest of our earthly lives. ((Matthew 6:26-30) ²⁶ Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? ²⁷ Which of you by worrying can add one ^[a]cubit to his ^[b]stature?²⁸ “So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; ²⁹ and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not ^[c]arrayed like one of these. ³⁰ Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?)

 

Verse 13 Paul and all Christians claim this confidently without pride or conceit because God the Son places His power into us to accomplish His purposes through us in spite of having little or a lot of resources. Gospel ministry is not predominantly dependent on material wealth but rather spiritual power provided through the Holy Spirit. ((Ephesians 3:16) ¹⁶ that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man,) Consider the humble missionary if you will. A young lady named Sue with the gift teaching discerns a call to go on a foreign mission after confiding with her pastor that she feels led by the Holy Spirit to disciple and train pastors in a primitive society. Sue is sponsored air travel by her church but arrives in a completely isolated society in which She has no means to support herself, little to no human connections, limited language comprehension and the culture (although She has studied it) is still alien to Her own. Within days of arriving, Sue finds work as a seamstress apprentice earning  just enough for her room and board. On her third day on the job; Sue is approached by another seamstress who notices the cross on her neck and says she too is Christian and invites her to her home for dinner that evening. There, Sue meets a passionate yet immature minister who lacks understanding of basic apostolic doctrine. The mission is now under way with very limited resources. 7 years later, Sue returns home with the husband she discipled and later married during the mission with their 3 year old daughter. He too feels led to foreign missions but before the next missionary trip begins; they have many stories of God’s faithfulness that must be told back home.

 

Verse 14-16 Any genuine minister will be grateful for any and all help He may receive with his gospel ministry.  Paul was affirming the partnership that He shared with the Philippian church. Gospel ministry is the work of the preacher and the local church as they expend their energy and resources to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ as their primary goal.

 

Verse 17-18 The Philipian church offered their gift with the right attitude of a willing heart and with the right motive of investing into soul winning that would profit them into eternity.  ((Psalm 126:5-6)

⁵ Those who sow in tears
Shall reap in joy.
⁶ He who continually goes ^[a]forth weeping,
Bearing ^[b]seed for sowing,
Shall doubtless come again ^[c]with rejoicing,
Bringing his sheaves with him.)

((Proverbs 11:30³⁰ The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life,
And he who ^[a]wins souls is wise.)

Verse 19-20 The Lord will provide.( Jehovah-jireh or Yahweh Yireh)

The spiritual man or woman trusts that God will provide for their material need naturally and even supernaturally if need be as they live in faithful obedience. God owns all the earth and is able to meet all your need through His providence. This promise only applies to those who call on the one true God by faith in His one and only Son Jesus Christ. This principle does not mean that Christians should be slothful, negligent, or wasteful but rather hard working and industrious as God enables each one.

Proverbs 6:6-11

⁶ Go to the ant, you sluggard!
Consider her ways and be wise,
⁷ Which, having no ^[a]captain,
Overseer or ruler,
⁸ Provides her ^[b]supplies in the summer,
And gathers her food in the harvest.
⁹ How long will you ^[c]slumber, O sluggard?
When will you rise from your sleep?
¹⁰ A little sleep, a little slumber,
A little folding of the hands to sleep—
¹¹ So shall your poverty come on you like a prowler,
And your need like an armed man.

 

To conclude; I will cite a famous story in the life of the Father of faith; Abraham, who trusts God and is provided for at just the right moment.

Genesis 22:9-14

⁹ Then they came to the place of which God had told him. And Abraham built an altar there and placed the wood in order; and he bound Isaac his son and laid him on the altar, upon the wood. ¹⁰ And Abraham stretched out his hand and took the knife to slay his son.

¹¹ But the Angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham, Abraham!”

So he said, “Here I am.”

¹² And He said, “Do not lay your hand on the lad, or do anything to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me.”

¹³ Then Abraham lifted his eyes and looked, and there behind him was a ram caught in a thicket by its horns. So Abraham went and took the ram, and offered it up for a burnt offering instead of his son. ¹⁴ And Abraham called the name of the place, ^[a]The-Lord-Will-Provide; as it is said to this day, “In the Mount of the Lord it shall be provided.”