Politics and Other Messes 71016 Matthew 22 15

Politics and Other Messes 7/10/16

Matthew 22: 15 -22 NLT 15 Then the Pharisees met together to plot how to trap Jesus into saying something for which he could be arrested. 16 They sent some of their disciples, along with the supporters of Herod, to meet with him. “Teacher, ” they said, “we know honest you are. You teach the way of God truthfully. You are impartial and don’t play favorites.

Matthew 22: 15 -22 NLT 17 Now tell us what you think about this: Is it right to pay taxes to Caesar or not? ” 18 But Jesus knew their evil motives. “You hypocrites!” he said. “Why are you trying to trap me? 19 Here, show me the coin used for the tax. ” When they handed him a Roman coin, 20 he asked, “Whose picture and title are stamped on it? ” 21“Caesar’s, ” they replied. “Well, then, ” he said, “give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, and give to God what belongs to God. ” 22 His reply amazed them, and they went away.

I Corinthians 1: 10 NLT 10 I appeal to you, dear brothers and sisters, by the authority of our Lord Jesus Christ, to live in harmony with each other. Let there be no divisions in the church. Rather, be of one mind, united in thought and purpose.

2 Corinthians 5: 14 -21 NLT 14 Either way, Christ’s love controls us. Since we believe that Christ died for all, we also believe that we have all died to our old life. 15 He died for everyone so that those who receive his new life will no longer live for themselves. Instead, they will live for Christ, who died and was raised for them. 16 So we have stopped evaluating others from a human point of view. At one time we thought of Christ merely from a human point of view. How differently we know him now! 17 This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!

2 Corinthians 5: 14 -21 NLT 18 And all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to himself through Christ. And God has given us this task of reconciling people to him. 19 For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them. And he gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation. 20 So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, “Come back to God!” 21 For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ.

Isaiah 40: 3 -5 NLT 3 Listen! It’s the voice of someone shouting, “Clear the way through the wilderness for the Lord! Make a straight highway through the wasteland for our God! 4 Fill in the valleys, and level the mountains and hills. Straighten the curves, and smooth out the rough places. 5 Then the glory of the Lord will be revealed, and all people will see it together. The Lord has spoken!”

Politics and Other Messes