Eight Through Twelve

By Clifford Best

I became a believer in Jesus Christ after I turned forty. As a result of my new converted perspective, I started seeing my former self in people who thought they were saved but werent. I also met people who doubted their salvation, people who couldnt explain why they were saved, and others who admitted their faith was unfulfilling. I subsequently determined that their weak spiritual condition was the result of not having a personal relationship with Christ Jesus. Thats because they never became acquainted with him by studying his life and ministry as recorded in the Gospels.

I wrote Eight Through Twelve to show believers that anyone who has a humble heart and a desire to know Jesus more intimately can indeed draw closer to him by studying his ministry as recorded in the Gospels. In these five chapters in the Gospel of Matthew, the reader will learn that Jesus described himself using three distinct titles Shepherd, Teacher, and Master. It is my hope that a sincere study of Jesus life using this book will lead readers into a more clear relationship with him as his sheep, student, and servant. We cant truly understand Jesus until we know him. And without knowing him, we cant truly love him. But if we love Jesus as our Savior and Master, we can love others the way he loves us. That is my prayer for anyone who seeks to know Jesus using Eight Through Twelve.

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Nov 21, 2014
• ISBN: 9781490853109

Clifford Best

Clifford Best was born in 1946 and married in 1966 in west Michigan. His son and daughter have given him four loving granddaughters. For over forty years Cliff presumed that he was a true believer in Christ. But a series of dramatic personal events caused him to realize that he was unsaved. Cliff subsequently committed himself to Christ Jesus and was transformed as a born again believer.

Book preview

Copyright © 2014 Clifford Best.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

All scripture quotations are taken from the New International Version of the Bible.

WestBow Press

A Division of Thomas Nelson & Zondervan

1663 Liberty Drive

Bloomington, IN 47403

www.westbowpress.com

1 [phone]

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

ISBN: 978-1-4908-5311-6 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4908-5312-3 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-4908-5310-9 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2014916933

WestBow Press rev. date: 11/05/2014

Contents

Dedication

Introduction

Matthew Chapter Eight

8:1–4

8:5–13

8:14–15

8:16–17

8:18–20

8:21–22

8:23–27

8:28–34

Matthew Chapter Nine

9:1–8

9:9–13

9:14–17

9:18–26

9:27–31

9:32–34

9:35

9:36

9:37–38

Matthew Chapter Ten

10:1–4

10:5–6

10:7–8

10:9–10

10:11–13

10:14–15

10:16–18

10:19–20

10: 21–22

10:23

10:24–25

10:26–27

10:28

10:29–31

10:32–33

10:34–38

10:39

10:40–42

Matthew Chapter Eleven

11:1–6

11:7–11

11:12–15

11:16–19

11:20–24

11:25–26

11:27

11:28–30

Matthew Chapter Twelve

12:1–2

12:3–8

12:9–14

12:15–21

12:22–24

12:25–30

12:31–32

12:33–37

12:38–42

12:43–45

12:46–50

Conclusion

Dedication

In Matthew 23:11 Jesus is recorded as saying that the greatest among his disciples will be a servant.

Based on that divine truth, I want to recognize the two greatest people I have ever known — my wife, Jeanne, and my dad, James. Throughout their lives as Christians, they consistently humbled themselves by serving the people they were with. I have been blessed to have lived with both of them.

Introduction

Jim and Marie Best strived to be faithful Christian parents as they lived out their lives before my brother, my sister, and me. No one taught them how to be a mom or dad. They learned how to be parents by the time honored-method of experiencing child-rearing techniques as modeled by their own mothers and fathers. I was fortunate to be born to them. Jim and Marie were honest, disciplined, and responsible. They taught their children those same virtues. My mom and dad made sure that the three of us attended school every day and completed our homework. Every Sunday they faithfully brought us to Sunday school and the worship service that followed. As a family, we prayed before every meal. And thanks to my mom, who taught us the Lord’s Prayer, we usually prayed before we went to bed.

When I turned eleven, my parents took me to catechism class at our Lutheran church. Marie and Jim made sure that I faithfully attended every Saturday morning with the other kids my age. Pastor Young taught us not only basic biblical principles but also the doctrines contained within Martin Luther’s small and large catechisms. In addition to learning about Luther’s life and the Protestant Reformation, I had to memorize various passages from his little book. I also had to memorize both the Nicene and the Apostles’ Creeds. The pastor did his best to inculcate us to be faithful and honorable Lutherans.

After two years of catechism it was time to be confirmed. I’d been taught the basic tenants of the Christian faith, and I was considered to be sufficiently knowledgeable to become a full-fledged member of the church. In order to graduate from this time-honored ritual, I had to write an essay and publish my beliefs as a newborn Christian. I remember writing my paper with a view that I needed to convince the pastor and satisfy my parents that I believed everything which they expected of me. I did that by referring to key passages of Luther’s catechism and to certain Bible verses that highlighted certain principles of Christianity. Everyone wanted me to be a Christian, but I didn’t really understand what it meant to be one. I knew right from wrong, but I was far too young and selfish to apply the doctrines of Jesus’ gospel to my life. I didn’t want anyone to know what I really believed.

After I wrote my essay, my mom read it. She subsequently scrawled additional notes on the margins and ordered me to write it a second time. My second draft still wasn’t good enough for her, so she edited it again. The third draft was better than anything I could’ve done on my own. To my surprise, Pastor Young posted all of our declarations of faith on the bulletin board at church. I could tell that the parents of the other boys had helped them write their essays too. But I was glad that my paper measured up to theirs. That’s when I knew that the two-year burden called catechism was finally over. It was harder than my schoolwork because of the memorization involved.

The final leg of my long ordeal was the confirmation service on Sunday morning. This special service commemorated my Christian education and faithful attendance, which had lasted more than two years. My mom and dad should’ve been the ones who were congratulated. They deserved credit for their diligence more than I did.

The importance of that day’s event filled the sanctuary with people who came to see their little darlings admitted into the church as communicant members. Everyone considered confirmation to be holier and more spiritual than I did. During the ceremony I dutifully repeated the passages which Pastor Young made sure all of us had memorized. Then he said the words that ushered all of us into full communicant membership in the Lutheran church. After that, I took Communion for the first time. I was surprised that nothing happened when I took it. I expected to be spiritually effected by this holy sacrament. But to a carnal Christian like me, Communion turned out to be just another obligation required by the church.

Up until that Sunday I’d never been the center of such attention from so many people. I received more gifts and money than I’d ever had before. My parents would’ve been crushed if they’d known what I was really thinking about being confirmed. But it was the attention and the gifts that made that day special for me. Nevertheless, at that immature and ignorant point of my life, I was regarded as a full-fledged Lutheran. I no longer had to serve as an acolyte sitting up front during the service and watching people look at me.

As a communicant member, my dad made sure that I participated in the family activities at church with other sons and dads. Eventually I became an apprentice usher. I learned that as long as I behaved according to the expectations of my parents and the other adults at church, I’d be accepted as a Christian with all the attendant rights and privileges accorded to Lutheran members. I learned to avoid saying the wrong words. And I learned how to pray using the common church vocabulary.

As a result of all the Sunday school lessons, sermons, catechism classes, special services, youth activities, Bible reading, hymn singing, and prayers of all kinds, I never doubted that I was saved. I knew a lot, and I was sure that I was going to heaven.

Prior to our wedding in 1966, Jeanne and I attended a couple of counseling sessions by her Methodist pastor. When I said the right words about the death and resurrection of Jesus and professed various Christian beliefs, he accepted me as a Christian. But during those meetings he didn’t discuss anything practical about being married. And worst of all, he didn’t instruct me how to be a Christian husband. Nobody did. Not even my parents.

At whatever church Jeanne and I attended during the next sixteen years, I acknowledged that the Bible was true. I confessed that Jesus was crucified and rose from the grave on the third day. I considered myself to be educated about the Bible. No one ever called me to defend my faith. No one ever challenged my salvation or my knowledge of the Bible. Except for Jeanne, no one ever held me accountable for my behavior as a Christian. When I discussed religious issues and biblical doctrines with both Christians and unbelievers, people assumed that I was saved. I never had a reason to think that I wasn’t saved in light of my upbringing at home, my training at church, and the values by which I evaluated my life. But no one ever taught me the spiritual importance of confression and repentance of sin and being born again.

By 1982, Jeanne and I had two wonderful children. We’d been residing in Louisville, Kentucky for five years and were actively involved in a local Lutheran church. I was the head usher, and I served on the church board of our little congregation. Our kids went to a Lutheran elementary school. Everything seemed to be fine until Jeanne got mad at the pastor for disrespecting her suggestion concerning fellowship activities at church. The pastor came across as an unmotivated semi retiree who wasn’t interested in doing any more than he had to. Since Jeanne refused to attend there anymore, we had to find another church. As a carnal Christian, I was irritated that we had lost our preferred tuition benefits at the kids’ school when we left the Lutheran church.

Fortunately it didn’t take Jeanne long to find another Christian elementary school. It was sponsored by a local Christian Missionary and Alliance Church. When we attended the worship service, Jeanne and I were pleasantly surprised to hear a teaching style of preaching that we hadn’t been exposed to before. When I found out that members of the church were eligible for a reduced tuition rate if their kids attended the church school, I told Jeanne to submit our names for membership. Pastor Bailey gave her a questionnaire for both of us to fill out. It pertained to our beliefs of various Christian doctrines and our understanding of certain biblical passages. After we completed the forms, Jeanne made an appointment with Pastor Bailey. I’ll never forget that day.

Pastor Bailey interviewed Jeanne and me separately. I remember him asking me a lot of biblically based questions. Afterward he announced that Jeanne could become a member of his church because she was saved. But I couldn’t. He considered me to be a pagan. I was flabbergasted. How could he possibly reach such a conclusion? He didn’t know me. No one had ever doubted my salvation before, let alone told me that I was unsaved and lost. Despite Pastor Bailey’s pious demeanor and spiritual knowledge, I naturally rejected his judgment regarding my salvation.

During the next few weeks I couldn’t shake Pastor Bailey’s pronouncement. It collided with my lifetime of knowledge and experience. I kept telling myself that if anyone was saved, I was. I knew what the Bible expected of me. I was doing most everything right. Surely my ticket to heaven was punched. But if I was truly saved, why was I restless and cranky most of the time? The fact was, my pride kept me from recognizing the truth about myself. If I couldn’t be a member, I didn’t want to attend a church where people would wonder if I was a pagan — especially since Jeanne had been accepted as a member. I had no spiritual peace. As I looked back at my life after I was saved, I saw how the Holy Spirit had been working on me.

I subsequently made an appointment to talk to Pastor Bailey about his assessment of my spiritual condition. He informed me that Jesus was not the priority of my life, that I was not born again, that the Holy Spirit was not within me, that my sins were not forgiven, and that in my present condition I was destined for hell rather than heaven.

Pastor Bailey’s arguments were so convincing that I seriously doubted my own salvation. No one had ever explained the New Testament to me the way he did. He told me about myself using my own answers from his questionnaire as the basis for his comments. Later I wondered why Pastor Bailey didn’t try to convert me and lead me to a salvation experience. Eventually I realized why he didn’t.

During the next few years, I became increasingly sensitive to my weak spiritual life. But who could I talk to about such a private, personal matter? I didn’t trust anyone that much, including Jeanne. I kept trying to be a good Christian and live obediently to the commands of Jesus. However, as I evaluated my spiritual maturity, I realized that I had a shallow understanding of the gospel truth about Jesus. I went to church with my family. I hosted a Bible study in our home. I modified my behavior to be a better man. I prayed. I tithed. I did good deeds. But—

No matter how good I tried to be, I never felt that I was good enough. No matter what I did to please God, I was never satisfied that what I did was acceptable. And I never felt forgiven. As a result of my spiritual discontentment, I grew increasingly frustrated that I couldn’t be like other men whom I knew were saved. Whenever I was around saved Christian men, I became aware of their confidant assurance compared to my weak faith. Their godly behavior and attitude was like a light that contrasted with my darkened condition. Despite the level of my worldly wisdom, professional success, and biblical knowledge, I instinctively knew that they’d been accepted by God, and I wasn’t … just like Abel and Cain in Genesis.

As a result of being discontented, I was hard to live with. What made it even worse was Jeanne’s continued growth in the Word. Not only had she become spiritually wiser than me, but she also applied the Word to her life. She was recognized as a saved believer by other Christians, and she enjoyed the fellowship that I coveted. Jeanne’s daily Christian experience was distinctly different than mine. As a result, her righteousness became an uncomfortable reminder of my inability to be the kind of Christian man I wanted to be.

Then one day while we were living in a suburb of Chicago, something happened. I was lying on the couch with the Bible trying to find support for my interpretation of a biblical doctrine which was contrary to Jeanne’s interpretation. But I couldn’t find the passage I wanted, and I became frustrated. I realized that my understanding of spiritual doctrine often conflicted with the conclusions reached by Christians concerning biblical events and doctrines.

As I laid on the couch, I started started thinking about my life in graphic detail. I recalled numerous shameful and sinful events I was responsible for. I finally admitted that my life was miserable as I tried to live up to the expectations of other people. And I acknowledged that I wanted Jesus to be an active spiritual presence in my life. I wanted the relationship with him that other men said they had. So I asked God if he would help me become closer to him by giving me a better insight into his Word. I told him that I wanted to know the Bible better and become wise in it so that I could live to please him.

After that event, I forget how long it was when I first noticed that my life had changed. What a joy it was to know that God had heard me and had granted my request. The Bible was no longer a book to be studied like a textbook. It was God’s Word speaking to me about my life and about the world. Instead of being proud and certain about my knowledge of the Bible, the Holy Spirit showed me that I’d been living as a goat rather than as a sheep. My life has never been the same since that day on the couch. I subsequently learned that my request was granted because it conformed to his will.

Please know that I didn’t suddenly understand everything I read in scripture. And I didn’t become smarter. Even now after many years, God continues to reveal spiritual insights to me from passages I’ve read many times before. But the more I read and study, the more apparent God’s plan for mankind in general and for me in particular becomes. I’ve developed a relationship with Christ Jesus, which has kept me sensitive to the times when I please him and when I disappoint him. Obedience to his commands is no longer a duty but a way of life. And morning Bible study has become my favorite time of the day.

So what’s the purpose of telling you all this about myself? How does knowing about my life affect you or relate to you? Not much if you’re a mature Christian who enjoys losing yourself in the Bible. But if you’re more like me before the miracle of my life occurred, I want to show you what a common man has learned from the Bible by the power of God’s Spirit. The study of chapters eight through twelve in the gospel of Matthew is an example of how interesting and rich God’s Word can be for those who have ears to hear.

One important lesson I’ve learned is that I have to ask Jesus to receive his wisdom and blessings. I have to continually ask for his will to be done in my life rather than simply living by my own will. To do that requires self-evaluation which is difficult and sometimes painful. When I examine my behavior in light of my relationships with the people in my life, I can see myself far more clearly than at any other time.

As a man who believed in self-reliance and masculine independence, I took pride that I could provide for myself and my family rather than being indebted to anyone for anything. I resisted depending on people whom I was sure would let me down. My pride required respect and affirmation from other men. Before I was born again, I never realized that I had lived in bondage to the expectations of other men for many years.

As a result of evaluating my self-approved life and standards against the teachings of Jesus’ gospel, the truth about myself became painfully obvious. It made me aware that my self-centered, self-absorbed, and self-indulgent life had been a constant barrier to Jesus’ call to be meek and humble. And if I couldn’t humble myself before Jesus and ask him for what I really needed, how could I humble myself before the people in my life.

Many years ago when I was discontented with myself, I remember hearing a pastor emphasize the need for Christians to give rather than to receive. That made a lot of sense to a self-reliant man. But after that day on the couch I learned the hard way that I first had to receive God’s blessings before I could please Jesus by serving other people. It’s a lot easier for a proud, independent man to give, give, give than it is for him to receive, receive, receive.

Another important lesson I learned from the gospel involved my salvation. The way my parents brought me up at home and the training I’d received in church served to wake me up to the knowledge about Jesus and his gospel. I believed the Bible, but I hadn’t been transformed by the words in it. I was enlightened, but I wasn’t changed on the inside.

In Christian terms, I hadn’t been born again. As a result, I’d developed a false security about my faith and salvation, which served to maintain my ignorance about God. It wasn’t until I became sick of my selfness, confessed my sinfulness, and acknowledged my neediness for Jesus that I received his gift. And it wasn’t until I received his gift that I finally realized that my sins had been forgiven. Unfortunately, my stubborn pride cost me several decades of living without a relationship with Jesus.

As I’ve strengthened my faith by getting to know Jesus through his gospel, I’ve met some people who were just like me—enlightened, professed, and knowledgeable but not living with Jesus’ Spirit. They’re in the same spiritual condition I was in before the miracle in my life occurred. When these people discuss Jesus, comment about Christianity, or critique the Bible, they reflect the same attitude and pride that I had before I was changed. Over time, it becomes obvious that they don’t have a personal relationship with Jesus the way they think they do. Nor do they have the spiritual power which born-again Christians have. Why is that? Because they haven’t learned to appreciate who Jesus really is. They haven’t learned what he really taught and modeled. They haven’t spent time in Jesus’ gospel, hearing and learning about the relationship between he and his Father. And they haven’t been convicted about their own sinful natures.

Despite the absence of a personal relationship