Right Understanding

A Story About How We See Others

Pastor Scott started by sharing the story of his own tendencies and misunderstandings. Years ago, he believed he could read people nearly every time and know what they were thinking or planning, especially when he was a young ENFP discovering his gifts at Southern Wesleyan. Over time, though, that confidence lowered. Sometimes people fooled him, and sometimes his own perception became the problem.

"So when they cut me off, I'm thinking they're attacking me. Does that make sense? I perceive they got a problem with me. And so then the spiritual battle begins that I've got to reason with myself and say, they didn't wake up this morning, Scott, and put their shoes on and say, I'm going to wait for the Chevy truck to come down the road and pull out in front of it."

He used this example to show us how easily our pride can color our perception, and that these moments, even the little everyday conflicts, take place on a much greater battlefield than we often realize.

Spiritual Battles in Plain Sight

This Sunday, we opened the Scriptures to Matthew 16:1, 12. The section follows Jesus after a series of miraculous feedings and encounters with the Pharisees and Sadducees. Pastor Scott traced the broader spiritual context: the cosmic battle between good and evil, often unseen, always present. This isn't just talking about obvious temptations or disasters. Sometimes the spiritual battle shows up in how we perceive what's happening, and how easily our own pride or suspicion fills in the blanks.

The Pharisees and Sadducees approached Jesus, asking for a sign. Pastor Scott pointed out a layer that can be missed:

"Matthew has used a word here for test. This word test is actually the same or similar word that he used for the devil when in Matthew chapter 4, we go through this every year before Lent, when we discovered that Jesus was sent into the wilderness by the Holy Spirit to be tempted by Satan."

The choice of words matters. At first glance, the religious leaders appear curious or maybe even open to learning. But Jesus knows they have already rejected him. They want to trap him, to twist his purpose or get him to misuse his gifts, just as the devil tried in the wilderness. The cosmic battle is happening not just in far-off realms but through seemingly ordinary tension and conversation.

Evaluating the Times, Not Just the Weather

Jesus challenges the crowd: they can read the weather, but not the times. They know when a storm is coming but do not see what God is doing right in front of them. This is more than misreading a forecast, it's the risk of missing the heart of God because we are preoccupied or blinded by what we want to see.

"If you're able to understand the weather, you should be able to understand the time that you're in. The time is ripe for the Messiah to show up."

Pastor Scott connected this to our own day. Just as Israel once mixed their worship with other gods, we too can be distracted by our desires for ordinary life. He spoke about his time as a youth pastor, when teens feared Jesus might return before they experienced growing up or building a family: a very human reaction, but a window into how our own affections shape our understanding of what really matters.

This tension is alive in the church today. We are supposed to long for Jesus' return, for the fullness of God’s kingdom, but the enemy wants us to be so tied to our plans and comforts that we miss when our hearts drift from what God is doing in our own generation.

The Yeast that Changes the Dough

Jesus warns the disciples to "be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees." The disciples misunderstand. They worry that he is upset because they forgot to bring bread for the journey. But Jesus isn’t talking about bread. He’s talking about the slow and subtle ways false teaching can work its way into the life of faith.

"If you put yeast in there and you work it, it will mix through that dough, and it'll become a different type of bread... Jesus is saying to them, he says you need to beware of the teaching that the Pharisees and the Sadducees try to mix into what you know about me."

The religious leaders wanted to add obstacles and legalistic demands, turning grace into something earned or guarded. Teaching, even within the church, can creep in and change the shape of the gospel if we’re not watching with humble hearts.

"Let me tell you something, it's the grace of Jesus Christ that grows you. Anything other than that, you need to get away from it."

Humility and Love in Practice

The message turned, as Pastor Scott drew from the honest messiness of life: misunderstandings between spouses, parents and children, or coworkers. Sometimes, people really do act out of irritation or selfishness. But often, it is our own pride and assumptions that twist the situation. The enemy wants us to be caught in suspicion, distraction, and offense, because it keeps us from loving as we have been loved.

"See, the devil loses power over you when you're humble and you love someone the right way. When you love the Lord, especially."

Living It Out

We are all on a cosmic battlefield, even if our days look ordinary. Right understanding begins in humility, in trusting what Jesus has shown us about God’s heart, in testing every teaching by the measure of grace, and in seeking the Spirit’s help to see more clearly. This week, identify one place where you feel misunderstood or quick to take offense. Ask God to show you what is really happening in your heart and respond in humility and love.

Discussion Questions

1. Where in your everyday life do you recognize your own tendency to misperceive other people's actions or intentions? How might pride play a part?
2. What are some signs of "teaching that competes with grace" in your experience, and how do you discern the difference between legalism and the way of Jesus?
3. How could you prepare yourself to be more open to what God is doing in this generation, especially when your own plans or preferences might be getting in the way?