PROPERLY APPROACHING PRIVILEGE-VIII—Matthew 21:33-46
OR:
A CHRISTIAN APPROACH To (American)PRIVILEGE
Attention:
Out of Gas:
The young woman sat in her stalled car, waiting for help. Finally three strapping young men walked up to her. "I'm out of gas," she purred. "Could you please push me to the gas station?"
The men readily put their muscles to the car & rolled it several blocks. After a while, one looked up, exhausted, to see that they had just passed a filling station.
"How come you didn't turn in?" he yelled.
“Oh, I never go there," the girl shouted back. "They don't have full service.”
What do you do with your privilege?
Need:
Christians, like many Americans, can center their Privilege & Pride upon illegitimate sources.
Thru this parable, Jesus highlighted/clarified a proper approach to a God-ordained privilege.
There is a Proper(Christian) Approach to Privilege.
What is a Proper/Christian Approach to Privilege?
Or
How should Christians approach their God-ordained privilege?
9 approaches to Christian privilege.
We have previously discovered that we must
Approach our privilege with...
1. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT(:33a)
2. RELIABILITY/Trustworthiness(:33b)
3. AVAILABILITY(:34)
4. HUMILITY(:35-39)
5. SENSIBILITY(:40-41)Logic/Reasonableness
6. BUILDING(:42)Edification
7. A PARTICULAR & PERTINENT PRODUCT(:43)
8. STABILITY(:44)
9—Approach your privilege with...
BOLDNESS(:45-46)
Explanation:(:45-46)Fearlessness
:45—“Now when the chief priests & Pharisees heard His parables, they perceived that He was speaking of them.”
The chief priests were there with the “Pharisees.” The “Pharisees” are a part of the elders of the people(:23) who held specific conservative beliefs(& invented their own--legalists), as opposed to others such as the Sadducees, who were very liberal in their approach to Scripture.
Acts 23:6-9—“But when Paul perceived that one part were Sadducees & the other Pharisees, he cried out in the council, “Men & brethren, I am a Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee; concerning the hope & resurrection of the dead I am being judged!” And when he had said this, a dissension arose between the Pharisees & the Sadducees; & the assembly was divided. For Sadducees say that there is no resurrection--& no angel or spirit; but the Pharisees confess both. Then there arose a loud outcry. And the scribes of the Pharisees’ party arose & protested, saying, “We find no evil in this man; but if a spirit or an angel has spoken to him, let us not fight against God.”--The Sadducees were more politically compatible with worldly thinking because their biblical restraints were lax.
Mat. 23:1-12—“Then Jesus spoke to the multitudes & to His disciples, saying: “The scribes & the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. “Therefore whatever they tell you to observe, that observe & do, but do not do according to their works; for they say, & do not do. “For they bind heavy burdens, hard to bear, & lay them on men’s shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers. But all their works they do to be seen by men. They make their phylacteries broad & enlarge the borders of their garments. They love the best places at feasts, the best seats in the synagogues, greetings in the marketplaces, & to be called by men, ‘Rabbi, Rabbi.’ “But you, do not be called ‘Rabbi’; for One is your Teacher, the Christ, & you are all brethren. Do not call anyone on earth your father; for One is your Father, He who is in heaven. And do not be called teachers; for One is your Teacher, the Christ. But he who is greatest among you shall be your servant. And whoever exalts himself will be humbled, & he who humbles himself will be exalted.”
“Insofar as the scribes & Pharisees accurately taught the law & the prophets, their teaching was to be heeded.” Flesh “can develop impressive & sophisticated systems of external morality & ethical codes of conduct, but it cannot empower men to live up to them.”—MNTC
When the chief priests & Pharisees heard the parables, they rightly understood that Jesus’ parables(of the two sons(:28-30) & of the vinedressers(:33-39)) pertained to their belief system personally & as a group.
Mat. 5:20—“For I[Jesus] say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes & Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.”
“Formal piety lacks the force of genuine internal righteousness.”—LBD
“Chief priests”—arciereuv—1) Chief priest, high priest. Strong—The high-priest(literally, of the Jews, typically, Christ); by extension--A chief priest.
From—arch—Noun Fem.—1) Beginning, origin; 2) The person or thing that commences, the first person or thing in a series, the leader; 3) That by which anything begins to be, the origin, the active cause; 4) The extremity of a thing; 5) The first place, principality, rule, magistracy. Strong—(properly abstract)--Commencement, or concretely--Chief(in various applications of order, time, place, or rank).—&—iereuv—A priest(literally or figuratively).
The arciereuv above all others was honored with the title of priest, the chief of priests. It was lawful for him to perform the common duties of the priesthood; but his chief duty was, once a year on the day of atonement, to enter into the Holy of Holies(from which the other priests were excluded) & offer sacrifices for his own sins & the sins of the people, & to preside over the Sanhedrin, or Supreme Council, when convened for judicial deliberations. According to Mosaic law, no one could aspire to the high priesthood unless he were of the tribe of Aaron & descended from a high priestly family; & he on whom the office was conferred held it till death. But from the time of Antiochus[IV] Epiphanes, when the kings of Seleucideae & afterwards the Herodian princes & the Romans arrogated to themselves the power of appointing the high priests, the office neither remained vested in the pontifical family nor was conferred on any for life; but it became venal[able to be bought], & could be transferred from one to another according to the will of civic or military rulers. Hence it came to pass, that during the one hundred & seven years intervening between Herod the Great & the destruction of the holy city, twenty eight persons held the pontifical dignity. 2) The high priests, these comprise in addition to one holding the high priestly office, both those who had previously discharged it & although disposed, continued to have great power in the State, as well as the members of the families from which high priest were created, provided that they had much influence in public affairs. 3) Used of Christ because by undergoing a bloody death he offered himself as an expiatory sacrifice to God, & has entered into the heavenly sanctuary where he continually intercedes on our behalf.’
“Pharisees”—Farisaiov—Noun Masc.—1) A sect that seems to have started after the Jewish exile. In addition to OT books the Pharisees recognized in oral tradition a standard of belief & life. They sought for distinction & praise by outward observance of external rites & by outward forms of piety, & such as ceremonial washings, fastings, prayers, & alms giving; &, comparatively negligent of genuine piety, they prided themselves on their fancied good works. They held strenuously to a belief in the existence of good & evil angels, & to the expectation of a Messiah; & they cherished the hope that the dead, after a preliminary experience either of reward or of penalty in Hades, would be recalled to life by him, & be requited each according to his individual deeds. In opposition to the usurped dominion of the Herods & the rule of the Romans, they stoutly upheld the theocracy & their country's cause, & possessed great influence with the common people. According to Josephus they numbered more than 6000. They were bitter enemies of Jesus & his cause; & were in turn severely rebuked by him for their avarice, ambition, hollow reliance on outward works, & affection of piety in order to gain popularity. Strong—of Hebrew origin [compare vrp paw-rash’(to separate, literally--to disperse or figuratively--to specify); also by implication--to wound)]; A separatist, i.e. Exclusively religious; a Pharisean, i.e. Jewish sectary.
“Heard”—akouw—Verb—1) To be endowed with the faculty of hearing, not deaf; 2) To hear, 2b) To attend to, consider what is or has been said, 2c) To understand, perceive the sense of what is said; 3) To hear something— 3c) A thing comes to one's ears, to find out, learn, 3d) To give ear to a teaching or a teacher, 3e) To comprehend, to understand. Strong—a primary verb; To hear(in various senses).
“Parables”(See :33)—parabolh—Noun Fem.—Lit.=‘Throw beside’—1) A placing of one thing by the side of another, juxtaposition, as of ships in battle; 2) metaph.—2a) A comparing, comparison of one thing with another, likeness, similitude, 2b) An example by which a doctrine or precept is illustrated, 2c) A narrative, fictitious but agreeable to the laws & usages of human life, by which either the duties of men or the things of God, particularly the nature & history of God's kingdom are figuratively portrayed, 2d) A parable: an earthly story with a heavenly meaning; 3) A pithy & instructive saying, involving some likeness or comparison & having preceptive or admonitory force—3a) An aphorism, a maxim; 4) A proverb; 5) An act by which one exposes himself or his possessions to danger, a venture, a risk. Strong—A similitude(“parable”), i.e. symbolically--Fictitious narrative(of common life conveying a moral), apothegm or adage.
“Perceived/Understood/Knew”—ginwskw—Verb—1) To learn to know, come to know, get a knowledge of perceive, feel—1a) To become known; 2) To know, understand, perceive, have knowledge of—2a) To understand, 2b) To know; 3) Jewish idiom for sexual intercourse between a man & a woman; 4) To become acquainted with, to know. Ginwskw denotes a knowledge grounded on personal experience. Strong—a prolonged form of a primary verb; To "know"(absolutely) in a great variety of applications & with many implications.
“Speaking”(See :37, 41, 43; :38—epw)—legw—Verb—1) To say, to speak—1a) Affirm over, maintain, 1b) To teach, 1c) To exhort, advise, to command, direct, 1d) To point out with words, intend, mean, mean to say, 1e) To call by name, to call, name, 1f) To speak out, speak of, mention. Strong—a primary verb; properly--To “lay” forth, i.e. figuratively--Relate(in words [usually of systematic or set discourse; whereas epw & fhmi generally refer to an individual expression or speech respectively; while rew is properly--to break silence merely, & lalew means an extended or random harangue]); by implication--To mean.
“Of/About”—peri—Preposition—1) About, concerning, on account of, because of, around, near. Strong—from the base of peran[(pierce)through]; properly, Through(all over), i.e. Around; figuratively--With respect to; used in various applications, of place, cause or time.
:46—“But when they sought to lay hands on Him, they feared the multitudes, because they took Him for a prophet.”
The chief priests & Pharisees plotted/determined among themselves to seize Jesus.
They did not repent, but instead chose to do Jesus harm. In their heart-of-hearts the chief priests & Pharisees were actively living out Jesus’ vinedresser parable by throwing out & killing the son(:38-39)! Rather than repent, they plotted against the embodiment of God’s Salvation, in order to maintain their current life’s course.
We must be effective defenders of the Christian faith(Acts 18:28)—& NOT—To seek someone’s demise/undoing because it disagrees with your own belief. Rather than becoming proper apologists who are doctrinally sound, we can choose self(our own destructive way) over the Spirit of God, OR...
...Acts 18:24-28—“Now a certain Jew named Apollos, born at Alexandria, an eloquent man & mighty in the Scriptures, came to Ephesus. This man had been instructed in the way of the Lord; & being fervent in spirit, he spoke & taught accurately the things of the Lord, though he knew only the baptism of John. So he began to speak boldly in the synagogue. When Aquila & Priscilla heard him, they took him aside & explained to him the way of God more accurately. And when he desired to cross to Achaia, the brethren wrote, exhorting the disciples to receive him; & when he arrived, he greatly helped those who had believed through grace; for he vigorously refuted the Jews publicly, showing from the Scriptures that Jesus is the Christ.”
However, their “fear of the multitudes” prevented them from acting on that desire.
Such a specific “fear” makes it plain that the chief priests & Pharisees’ ‘love’ for the things of the Lord was limited by & to the realm of popular/political acceptance. Thus they did not truly care for the things & will of God, but they cared rather for their own ‘contrived’ expression of the things & will of God!...To be perceived as friends of the people.
The “multitudes” would not allow Jesus’ seizure because they recognized him as God’s prophet.
“But/And”—kai—
“When”—Added for English clarity
“Sought/Looked For/Seeking”—zhtew—Verb—1) To seek in order to find— 1c) To seek after, seek for, aim at, strive after; 2) To seek i.e. require, demand—2a) To crave, demand something from someone. Strong—of uncertain affinity; To seek(literally or figuratively); specially(by Hebraism)--To worship(God), or in a bad sense--To plot(against life).
“Lay hands on/Seize”(See :38—katecw)—kratew—Verb—1) To have power, be powerful—1a) To be chief, be master of, to rule; 2) To get possession of—2a) To become master of, to obtain, 2b) To take hold of, 2c) To take hold of, take, seize—2c1) To lay hands on one in order to get him into one's power; 3) To hold—3c) To continue to hold, to retain—3c2) To hold in check, restrain. Strong—To use strength, i.e. Seize or retain(literally or figuratively).
“Feared”—fobew—Verb—1) To put to flight by terrifying(to scare away)—1a) To put to flight, to flee, 1b) To fear, be afraid—1b1) To be struck with fear, to be seized with alarm—1b1a) Of those startled by strange sights or occurrences, 1b1b) Of those struck with amazement, 1b2) To fear, be afraid of one, 1b3) To fear(i.e. hesitate) to do something(for fear of harm), 1c) To reverence, venerate, to treat with deference or reverential obedience. Fobew denotes “to fear”, the general term; often used of a protracted state. Strong—To frighten, i.e. passively--To be alarmed; by analogy--To be in awe of, i.e. Revere.
“Multitudes”—oclov—Noun Masc.—1) A crowd—1a) A casual collection of people—1c) A multitude—1c1) The multitudes, seems to denote troops of people gathered together without order. Oclov is a crowd, an unorganized multitude, especially composed of those who have not the rights & privileges of free citizens. Strong—A throng(as borne along); by implication--The rabble; by extension--A class of people; figuratively--A riot.
“Because”—epeidh—Conjunction—1)When now, since now—1a) of time--When now, after that, 1b) of cause--Since, seeing that, forasmuch as. Strong—Since now, i.e. of time--When, or of cause--Whereas. Used 11X.
From—epei—Thereupon, i.e. Since(of time or cause)—&—dh—1) Now, then, verily, in truth, really, surely, certainly; 2) Forthwith, at once. Strong—a particle of emphasis or explicitness; Now, then, etc..
“Took/Held”—ecw or scew—Verb—1) To have, i.e. To hold—; 2) To have i.e. Own, possess; 3) To hold one's self or find one's self so & so, to be in such or such a condition; 4) To hold one's self to a thing, to lay hold of a thing, to adhere or cling to. Strong—including an alternate form scew; (used in certain tenses only); a primary verb; To hold(used in very various applications, literally or figuratively, direct or remote; such as possessions; ability, continuity, relation, or condition).
“For/To be”—wv—Adverb—1) As, like, even as, etc. Strong—probably adverb of comparative from ov, h, o; Which how, i.e. In that manner(very variously used).
“Prophet”—profhthv—Noun Masc.—1) in Greek writings--An interpreter of oracles or of other hidden things; 2) One who, moved by the Spirit of God & hence his organ or spokesman, solemnly declares to men what he has received by inspiration, especially concerning future events, & in particular such as relate to the cause & kingdom of God & to human salvation—2a) The OT prophets, having foretold the kingdom, deeds & death, of Jesus the Messiah., 2b) Of John the Baptist, the herald of Jesus the Messiah, 2c) Of the illustrious prophet, the Jews expected before the advent of the Messiah, 2d) The Messiah, 2e) Of men filled with the Spirit of God, who by God's authority & command in words of weight pleads the cause of God & urges salvation of men, 2f) Of prophets that appeared in the apostolic age among Christians—2f1) They are associated with the apostles, 2f2) They discerned & did what is best for the Christian cause, foretelling certain future events. (Ac 11:27), 2f3) in the religious assemblies of the Christians--They were moved by the Holy Spirit to speak, having power to instruct, comfort, encourage, rebuke, convict, & stimulate, their hearers; 3) A poet (because poets were believed to sing under divine inspiration)—3a) Of Epimenides (Tit 1:12). Strong—A foreteller ("prophet"); by analogy--An inspired speaker; by extension--A poet.
From—pro—a primary preposition; “Fore”, i.e. In front of, prior(figuratively--Superior) to—&—fhmi—To show or make known one's thoughts, i.e. Speak or say.
Argumentation:
Rev. 2:10-11—“Do not fear any of those things which you are about to suffer. Indeed, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, & you will have tribulation ten days. Be faithful until death, & I will give you the crown of life. “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. He who overcomes shall not be hurt by the second death.”’
Lk. 12:31-32—“But seek the kingdom of God, & all these things shall be added to you. Do not fear, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.”
Isa. 40:10-11—“Behold, the Lord GOD shall come with a strong hand, And His arm shall rule for Him; Behold, His reward is with Him, And His work before Him. He will feed His flock like a shepherd; He will gather the lambs with His arm, And carry them in His bosom, And gently lead those who are with young.”
Isa. 41:9—You whom I have taken from the ends of the earth, And called from its farthest regions, And said to you, ‘You are My servant, I have chosen you & have not cast you away: Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.’ “Behold, all those who were incensed against you Shall be ashamed & disgraced; They shall be as nothing, And those who strive with you shall perish. You shall seek them & not find them-- Those who contended with you. Those who war against you Shall be as nothing, As a nonexistent thing. For I, the LORD your God, will hold your right hand, Saying to you, ‘Fear not, I will help you.’ “Fear not, you worm Jacob, You men of Israel! I will help you,” says the LORD And your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel. “Behold, I will make you into a new threshing sledge with sharp teeth; You shall thresh the mountains & beat them small, And make the hills like chaff.”
Ps. 37:3-6—“Trust in the LORD, & do good; Dwell in the land, & feed on His faithfulness. Delight yourself also in the LORD, And He shall give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the LORD, Trust also in Him, And He shall bring it to pass. He shall bring forth your righteousness as the light, And your justice as the noonday.”
Eph. 6:18-20—“praying always with all prayer & supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance & supplication for all the saints-- & for me, that utterance may be given to me, that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.”
Mat. 5:3-16—“Blessed are the poor in spirit, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, For they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek, For they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger & thirst for righteousness, For they shall be filled. Blessed are the merciful, For they shall obtain mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, For they shall see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, For they shall be called sons of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when they revile & persecute you, & say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice & be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you. You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out & trampled underfoot by men. You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp & put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, & it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works & glorify your Father in heaven.”
We are to be ‘bold & daring’ with each of these virtues. We are to be ‘bold & daring’ with the Good News of Jesus Christ!...As He compels us!
Illustration:
Our family has a running ‘tongue-in-cheek’ joke about being ‘bold & daring!/We use it to describe anything that is ‘out of the box’ for any particular individual(whom we know all too well)!/It may be ‘bold & daring’ for a particular person to get blue cheese on their hamburger...or ‘bold & daring’ might be descriptive of one of us wearing a pattern or color outside the usual/Centered in our fleshly limitations & preferences/BOLDNESS-Fearlessness
Prior to Hurricane Irma’s anticipated landfall on the southern tip of Florida, Governor Rick Scott on the night of Thurs. Sept. 7, 2017, declared that all public schools thruout Florida should close Friday & Monday/His announcement included all panhandle schools which were not even within the predicted path of Hurricane Irma’s influence/In this predictability stage, the storm could have taken a divergent path which bypassed Florida altogether/Had that alternate course happened, the Governor would have had to ‘eat crow’ & deal with those who would denigrate his decision that was ‘wasteful of our resources’/In fact, Gov. Scott’s decision was overkill to some degree, based on potential & models but not hard facts/HOWEVER, his decision was correct in following the data available to him/His Boldness to make such an announcement would save many lives & free up much aid for those hardest hit by the Hurricane, as Irma made landfall in the keys & San Marco Island/The Governor displayed BOLDNESS-Fearlessness
Application:
?YOU Approach Privilege with BOLDNESS/Fearlessness?
?How do YOU Approach your Privilege?
CONCLUSION:
Visualization:
Pushing the young lady’s stalled car to the gas station. Pushed it passed a filling station. "Why didn't she turn in?"
“Oh, I never go there," "They don't have full service.”
What do you do with your privilege?
Action:
Approach your privilege with...
9. BOLDNESS(:45-46)
1. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT(:33a)
2. RELIABILITY/Trustworthiness(:33b)
3. AVAILABILITY(:34)
4. HUMILITY(:35-39)
5. SENSIBILITY(:40-41)Logic/Reasonableness
6. BUILDING(:42)Edification
7. A PARTICULAR & PERTINENT PRODUCT(:43)
8. STABILITY(:44)
Pt.#9 only! presented 10/29/2017pm-END SERIES-to:
FBC Cbelle
206 Storrs Ave.(SE Ave. A)
Carrabelle, FL 32322
