So where have I been...

     Well let me tell you.  The sap was keeping me busy and then came the snow and cold weather that stopped the sap production but increased my time on the tractor finding places to put the snow.  Easter is coming so I am getting ready for that day and some added extra teaching was thrown my way so needless to say I have been busy.  On top of that, I have been actively looking for a replacement car for one of our sons, the kitchen stove is on the last legs, and the pole barn door finally would not go up and down anymore.  The amount of money we received from our income tax return was looking like not enough to accomplish what I wanted it to and set aside some money for our other son's honeymoon.  But then God stepped in.  After looking at countless used cars, I stumbled upon one that just hit the lot that day, that was better than anything we had looked at.  It was advertised with an engine I am not familiar with but when the salesman started it up I knew something was going our way.  The hood was lifted and there sat an engine I know a lot about.  The car was priced $600.00 lower than the least priced one so far.  It now sits in the driveway.  I went on the hunt for a stove and God be praised 3 or 4 were on craigslist in our area.  A tenth of a new one, I found one slightly used and well kept and now it sits in the kitchen.  Now onto the pole barn door and I think there is enough cash to get the materials and hardware to do it myself.  And...I transferred the rest into the savings for the honeymoon.  Only God can do those kind of things.

     Onto Matthew 18...this will be the third sermon of probably five for this chapter.  It is great to see another complete sermon of Jesus and how He ties all of it together.  The new word picture is "a child" and how we are to enter the kingdom as a child and be protected from sin as a child and be guided back to the flock as a child and be taught how to resolve conflicts as a child and then forgive others as a child.  The children are referring to all God's children and not just young believers.  I can cause others to sin in the body and I prevent this by dealing drastically with my own.  I should not despise my brothers and sisters and I prevent this by actively searching for those who stray and rejoice with their return.  I should not hold grudges with others and I prevent this by following a step by step resolution process that Jesus lays out.  I should not withhold forgiveness and I prevent this by remembering how much God has forgiven me.

     I told the congregation that I look at this process of preaching book by book, chapter by chapter, and verse by verse so differently now.  I approach this chapter as if God were saying to us, "GFF you need to learn this and you need to apply this.  This is just what you need to hear right now."  So if I follow through it puts the passage of "if your brother sins against you" on Easter Sunday.  I am sure that God will put together a message that will bring out what we need to hear on that day.

     Jesus is teaching us this week that it should be normal practice for us to put on our hiking boots to round up the strays rather than just point fingers at them from afar.  If last Sunday was convicting, this Sunday will be that much more.

     Well back to the sap....

Adam