Epistle for August 28, 2006
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E-pistle
Dr. Curt Scarborough, President FreeWay Foundation August 18, 2006
Somethin' >From The Oven
Matthew 13:33
When my wife and I put our house up for sale a few years ago, the real
estate agent advised us to bake bread. Apparently, the aroma of fresh baked
bread permeating the place is a plus when prospective buyers come to view the
house. I suppose the homey scent helps trigger the impulse to "sign on the dotted
line." Maybe that advertising slogan is right: "Nothin' says lovin' like somethin'
from the oven, and Pillsbury says it best!"
As ministers of the word, we are well advised to serve up hot, fresh-baked
bread to our congregations. My text focuses our thoughts on "Somethin' from the
Oven." Jesus said, "The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and
mixed into a large amount of flour until it worked all the way through the dough."
(Matthew 13:33)
RECEIPE FOR BREAD
Bread, often called "the staff of life," can be made of wheat, rye, oats, or corn.
It can be made even tastier by adding nuts, raisins, cinnamon, or icing. The basics of
a bread recipe are few and simple: flour (ground grain), water, and yeast.
Just mix these ingredients together to produce dough and wait for it to rise.
Then pop it into a hot oven, and bake it until your mouth waters.
So it is with the Bread of Life which we preachers prepare and serve to hungry
people. The flour is the Word of God. The water is our liquid prayer . . . tears shed as
we prepare to preach. The yeast represents the leavening power of the Holy Spirit.
These elements produce the "dough" that rises as we allow time for the process.
The oven is our heart and mind, and the heat is the presence of God warming the
ingredients with inspiration and revelation.
BAKING THE BREAD
Although we refer to Isaiah 61 as Jesus' first sermon text (Luke 4:18ff), it is not.
Before He spoke in the synagogue, the Lord preached to the Devil in Luke 4:4,
"It is written, 'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God'"
(Deuteronomy 8:3)
Only one miracle of Jesus is recorded in all four gospels: the feeding of the
5,000. In John 6, that miracle is connected with Jesus' claim to be the "Bread of Life."
(v. 35) Just as Jesus instructed His disciples when confronted with a hungry multitude,
"You give them something to eat," He commands us to feed our hungry people.
Note the parable in Matthew 24:45-47 that refers to a faithful, wise servant.
The servant is blessed because he gives the household food at the right time.
But before meal time . . . before dinner is served . . . food must be prepared.
And that takes time and effort. Pastors, please note!! The apostles gave themselves
CONTINUALLY to prayer and the ministry of the Word (Acts 6:4). It wasn't the MAIN
thing; it was the ONLY thing! Continually means unceasingly, without interruption.
Impractical and impossible? Not if the church has enough "deacon-servants" doing
other ministry tasks.
SERVING HOT BREAD
The woman in the text (Matthew 13:33) could represent a pastor-teacher,
whose role is to bake and serve the hot, fresh bread. The minister's most foundational
task is to mix the flour from many crushed, ground grains to truth with salty tears of
intercessory prayer and the living, moving yeast-like activity of the Holy Spirit to form
the dough. That's sermon preparation, and it takes time and effort to form God's
message into a worthy loaf of bread.
This loaf is Christ's body in the world (John 6) . . . spiritual food for starving souls.
Just as Christians are to be "poured out wine," we also are to be "broken bread"
(See Philippians 2:17 and II Timothy 4:6,7).
WHAT KIND OF BREAD IS SERVED?
1. Moldy Bread – contaminated corrupted, harmful, dangerous. Sometimes
the bread served contains impurities, even poisonous substances.
2. Stale Bread – old, tasteless, unattractive, unappetizing. Sometimes the
bread served is last month's left-overs, or last year's. Sometimes
almost inedible bread is dragged out of the pantry and served cold on
Sunday morning.
3. Half-baked bread – like Hosea 7:4-8, sometimes the bread served is
under-done . . . half-baked . . . needing more time in the oven of
God's presence.
4. Fresh Bread – probably most often the bread served is safe to eat, bland
but nourishing . . . sort of like the slices used to make a cheese sandwich.
It's okay, but nothing to write home about!
5. Hot-Bread – not to often, but occasionally, the bread served is "somethin' from
the oven!" It smells delicious; it's warm and tasty; it makes a person's
mouth water! Once you've tasted hot bread, there's no mistaking it for
any other kind of bread.
What made Jesus' teachings and sermons so unforgettable and dynamic!
They were hot from the oven! He spoke with authority (Matthew 7:29), not with a
second-hand revelation which quoted ancient authorities. Jesus commended Peter's
great confession (Matthew 16:17) because he received the truth directly from the
Father, not from other men.
What do we rely upon in our bread baking? Commentaries? Others'
sermons? Computerized concordances? These many help occasionally, but should
we not rely directly upon the Source of the Word, the Holy Spirit? See I John 2:20, 27.
CHRISTIANS ARE BREAD
When I was a boy, one of the favorite gospel songs was "Bringing in the
Sheaves." That song speaks of the field of lost persons needing to be harvested.
Too often, however, we've been content to bring in the sheaves and to fill the grain
elevator (the church) with bountiful harvest.
Grain in the bin does not accomplish its purpose on earth. In addition to plowing
the fields, sowing the seeds, and harvesting the grain, we need to see ourselves as millers
and bakers . . . grinding the grain into flour and baking the flour into bread to feed the
starving multitudes.
Noah Found Grace in God's Eyes
(Genesis 6:1-18)
I. Concentration: on the man Noah, whose name means "Comfort" or "Rest"
1. He found grace (God's unmerited gift or favor) in God's eyes, v. 8.
2. He was just . . . fair, true, and honest, v. 9.
3. He was perfect . . . blameless, having maturity and integrity, v. 9.
4. He, like his great-grandfather, Enoch, walked with God, v. 9.
II. Meditation: on the sinful world in which Noah lived
1. Satanism. "Nephilim" translated "Sons of God" refers to the fallen,
dark angels of Satan, who cohabited with humans, v. 2.
2. Wickedness. People had "twisted" (a related root word) good into
evil and vice versa . . . were addicted to depravity, not discerning
right from wrong, v. 5.
3. Total corruption of society. "Every intent . . . only evil continually
. . . all flesh had corrupted their way," vv. 5. 12.
4. Full of violence. Noah's day was notorious for its cruelty and
disregard for human life, v. 12.
III. Revelation: on God's spoken words to Noah
1. "My Spirit shall not strive (struggle; contend) with man forever
. . . yet his days shall be one hundred twenty years," v. 3.
At the flood, God reduced the life span of humans from about
900 years to maximum of 120 years.
2. "I will destroy them (the Satanic, wicked, corrupt, violent persons)
with the Earth," v. 13. This cleansing of the earth by water would
destroy the half-human, half-demon giant monsters which intimidated
the people of that era, v. 4.
3. "Make yourself an ark of gopher wood . . . I am bringing floodwaters
. . . everything that is on the earth shall die," vv. 14, 17.
4. "I will establish My covenant with you," (and your family), v. 18.
IV. Applications: as a Christian, I need to . . .
1. Live a just, perfect life of integrity by receiving God's grace and
by walking daily with Him.
2. Keep my life pure and blameless in the midst of a Satanic, wicked,
corrupt, violent . . . crooked and perverse generation, Philippians 2:15-16.
3. Hear and faithfully proclaim God's coming judgment, regardless of the
small number of persons who heed my warning over a period of up to
100 years, Genesis 5:32 and Genesis 7:6 . . . for indeed, these are "the days
of Noah" which Jesus mentioned in Matthew 24:37-39.
4. Obey God's instructions in order to receive His deliverance . . . His way of escape;
His "ark of safety," Jesus Christ . . . Who saves us from pending doom, Hebrews 11:7.
Pillsbury College & Seminary
Has God been speaking to you about becoming a student at
Pillsbury College & Seminary? Maybe now is the time for you to
continue your education. Please call us at 314-739-1121 or email
<a href="mailto:info@pillsburycs.org" title="mailto:info@pillsburycs.org">info@pillsburycs.org and we will be glad to answer any questions.
If you call, Dr. Bartlett will speak to you about class work or any other
concerns you may have about Pillsbury.
We will also mail our catalog if you provide your name and address.
Our catalog contains information concerning all our class work and tells
about Pillsbury's vision for all of our graduates.
All work is done through distance learning. There are no on-campus
classes to attend. Dr. Scarborough has tutorials for most of the classes,
which will help in studying for the exams.
Contact us about furthering your education at Pillsbury College &
Seminary – TODAY!!
"Education is a kind of continuing dialogue, and a dialogue assumes,
in the nature of the case, different points of view."
-Robert Hutchins
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