Monthly Archives: May 2022

Matthew 14- Touch of Faith

4 Replies

And when they were gone over, they came into the land of Gennesaret. And when the men of that place had knowledge of him, they sent out into all that country round about, and brought unto him all that were diseased; And besought him that they might only touch the hem of his garment: and as many as touched were made perfectly whole. Matthew 14:34-36

Today we see Jesus entering the town of Gennesaret, a small town off the Sea of Galilee, and this story will kind of remind you of the woman who touched the garment of Christ. We see basically the same scenario being played out here also, but in a bigger scale. As the scripture says “They begged him that they might have one touch of his garment” That’s all these people needed, was One touch of the Lord Jesus and there lives were made whole

Anytime we see a healing by Jesus , we typically notice the same pattern, and we see it here also. First , the people recognized who Jesus is. The people understood Jesus is the Son of God, The Messiah, The Lord and Savior, they believed this in their hearts, otherwise they would not have come to Christ. This is the first step, the drawing of the Holy Spirit to Christ. Those who don’t reject the calling will be saved

Secondly, they are seeking Christ. Since they understood Jesus is Lord, now they are seeking Christ, they are coming from all directions to hear the words of Jesus and to be saved. Jesus said “Come to me all who are weary and burden laden, and I’ll give you Rest” (Matthew 11:28) Jesus didn’t say , just sit there and do nothing, no Christ said “Seek and you shall find, knock and the door will be opened “ (Matthew 7:7) The people came to seek Christ

Third, by faith they came to Christ and touched his garment to be saved. The people of Gennesaret demonstrated their faith, by coming to Jesus and touching his garment. It’s not that The Lord’s garment was magical , it was the people demonstrating faith in Jesus as the Son of God. The bible says “Without faith, it is impossible to please God” (Hebrews 11:16) You must have faith in Jesus Christ to be saved!

Lastly, I like the wording of the KJV here “As many as touched were made perfectly whole” (v36) Most translations say they are healed, but this is more than just about a physical healing, this is about saving their souls. You can be in perfect health and still be headed to Hell, the healing should not be the focus here, its the salvation we received from Jesus Christ through faith, Amen!

Matthew 14- Walk of Faith

3 Replies

And straightway Jesus constrained his disciples to get into a ship, and to go before him unto the other side, while he sent the multitudes away. And when he had sent the multitudes away, he went up into a mountain apart to pray: and when the evening was come, he was there alone. But the ship was now in the midst of the sea, tossed with waves: for the wind was contrary. And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea.And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear. But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid. Matthew 14:22-27

The “Walking on Water” again is another demonstration of Christs deity and proclamation that the New Covenant is a Better Covenant than the Old Covenant (Hebrews 8) As we looked previously Jesus feeding the 5,000 in the wilderness was superior to Moses taking care of the Israelites in the Wilderness, as Moses prophesied “God will raise a prophet like me, listen to him” (Deuteronomy 18:15)

We remember when God parted the Red Sea and Moses led the Israelites through the waters, (Exodus 14) however now we see Jesus Christ , not parting the waters, but walking on the water. A task that only could be accomplished supernaturally by God, demonstrating Christ deity and his superior nature to Moses. Jesus is not just a man, but he is God in the flesh (John 1:14)

The disciples in the boat were in fear, they believed they were going to die, but Jesus told them “Be of good cheer or take courage, do not be afraid” How many Christians live in fear on a daily basis? Focus on the Savior and not your problems, focus on Christ walking on the water, and not on the storms!

And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water. And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus. But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me. And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt? And when they were come into the ship, the wind ceased. Then they that were in the ship came and worshipped him, saying, Of a truth thou art the Son of God. Matthew 14:28-33

Peter temporarily demonstrated some faith, and Jesus said “Come”, and by his faith in Christ, Peter was able to walk on water, however once he allowed his fears and doubts to creep in, he immediately sank. This is a good analogy of how faith works, when you trust in Jesus with all your heart, God will does his work, however when you allow your doubt and fears to creep in, your faith becomes broken

Notice immediately Peter cried out to Jesus “Lord Save Me” and Christ immediately pulled him out of the water, this should also be our response in times of trouble, Lord Save Me! When Jesus finally entered the boat, what was the disciples’ response? They worshiped Christ and declared Jesus is the Son of God, Amen!

Matthew 14- Feeding the Multitude

3 Replies

When Jesus heard of it, he departed thence by ship into a desert place apart: and when the people had heard thereof, they followed him on foot out of the cities. And Jesus went forth, and saw a great multitude, and was moved with compassion toward them, and he healed their sick And when it was evening, his disciples came to him, saying, This is a desert place, and the time is now past; send the multitude away, that they may go into the villages, and buy themselves victuals. But Jesus said unto them, They need not depart; give ye them to eat. And they say unto him, We have here but five loaves, and two fishes. Matthew 14:13-17

The feeding of the 5,000 is a story that is documented in all four of the gospels, this story really demonstrates how Jesus is the Christ and the New Covenant is a Better Covenant (Hebrews 8) Notice the location of this event, it’s in the wilderness. Now thinking back to the Old (Mosaic) Covenant what happened in the wilderness? Well Moses led the Israelites through the Wilderness, and God provided the Bread from Heaven and the Living Water

Well as Moses prophesied, there will be One greater than Moses, (Deuteronomy 18:15) Moses was prophesying about Jesus, and Christ was demonstrating how He is greater than Moses, Christ is greater than all, King of Kings and Lord of Lords. While Moses relied upon God to provide for the Israelites, Jesus provided for the 5,000 in the Wilderness, Christ was revealing his deity as God in the flesh (John 1:14)

He said, Bring them hither to me. And he commanded the multitude to sit down on the grass, and took the five loaves, and the two fishes, and looking up to heaven, he blessed, and brake, and gave the loaves to his disciples, and the disciples to the multitude. And they did all eat, and were filled: and they took up of the fragments that remained twelve baskets full. And they that had eaten were about five thousand men, beside women and children. Matthew 14:18-21

 Christ blessed the bread, broke the bread , and distributed it among the multitude, does this sound familiar? Jesus was revealing that He is the Bread from Heaven (John 6) , Christ is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29), this was a revelation of Communion, the breaking of bread is a reminder of Christ sacrifice

But also it is important to understand Jesus is the Bread from Heaven, Christ is the Manna that came down from Heaven, to give us eternal life. Without the sacrifice of Christ , there is no atonement for our sins. Jesus paid it all for us on the cross, on the 3rd day, he rose from the dead defeating sin and death forever!

Are you hungry for righteousness? Are you thirsty for salvation? Come to Jesus Christ and you shall be saved Amen!

Matthew 14- Death of John The Baptist

1 Reply

At that time Herod the tetrarch heard of the fame of Jesus, And said unto his servants, This is John the Baptist; he is risen from the dead; and therefore mighty works do shew forth themselves in him. For Herod had laid hold on John, and bound him, and put him in prison for Herodias’ sake, his brother Philip’s wife. For John said unto him, It is not lawful for thee to have her. And when he would have put him to death, he feared the multitude, because they counted him as a prophet. Matthew 14:1-5

So you want to be a prophet? Many people today and throughout time claimed to be a prophet of God, but be careful what you wish for. Throughout history it’s been well documented the true prophets of God faced intense persecution and usually death. This was the same fate for John the Baptist, as Jesus called him “The greatest of all prophets” (Matthew 11:11)

So why was John the Baptist imprisoned and killed? Because he was preaching the true gospel of Jesus Christ, everyone needs to Repent and become Born Again. Herod didn’t like this message of repentance, when John called out his immoral and invalid marriage he had with his brother’s wife. Most people don’t like to be called out on their sin, this is why Jesus and the Apostles and Prophets received heavy persecution and death.

It’s interesting that Herod believed Jesus was John the Baptist risen from the dead, which makes us understand Herod knew John was a Holy Man from God, but Herod loved his sin more than He loved God, so he killed the messenger of God. This is the same evil spirit and mentality most people have today. People love their sin more than they love God

But when Herod’s birthday was kept, the daughter of Herodias danced before them, and pleased Herod. Whereupon he promised with an oath to give her whatsoever she would ask. And she, being before instructed of her mother, said, Give me here John Baptist’s head in a charger. And the king was sorry: nevertheless for the oath’s sake, and them which sat with him at meat, he commanded it to be given her. And he sent, and beheaded John in the prison. And his head was brought in a charger, and given to the damsel: and she brought it to her mother. And his disciples came, and took up the body, and buried it, and went and told Jesus. Matthew 14:6-12

Now to show you how depraved Herod was , we see this bizarre birthday celebration where the “daughter of Herodias” who is also Herod’s step daughter, dances for him and pleases him to the point he will give her whatever she wants. Now we don’t have to go into detail that this is an immoral and depraved event. Now the girls mother, Herodias, uses this situation as a “power grab” to eliminate John the Baptist, because he has been calling her out on her sin and her conscience is probably pricked. The show Desperate Housewives has nothing on the Bible!

So Herod, knowing John the Baptist is a prophet of God, goes ahead and orders his execution anyway because Herod loves his sin and wants to please people more than fearing God. Many of John’s disciples or students must have witnesses all of these events and then went back and told Jesus what had happened

What can we learn from this story? The love of sin is greater than the love of God in most people. If you want to know why Jesus said we must be Born Again to enter the Kingdom of Heaven (John 3:3) just look at the depravity of the human heart and understand why we need to be reborn

Matthew 13- Hometown Hero?

2 Replies

And it came to pass, that when Jesus had finished these parables, he departed thence. And when he was come into his own country, he taught them in their synagogue, insomuch that they were astonished, and said, Whence hath this man this wisdom, and these mighty works? Is not this the carpenter’s son? is not his mother called Mary? and his brethren, James, and Joses, and Simon, and Judas? And his sisters, are they not all with us? Whence then hath this man all these things? And they were offended in him. But Jesus said unto them, A prophet is not without honour, save in his own country, and in his own house. Matthew 13:53-57

As the Bible says “The Word (Jesus) became flesh and dwelt among us” (John 1:14) Jesus is God in human form, the incarnation of Christ is a revelation that is sometimes difficult for our human minds to comprehend. However, imagine if Jesus Christ grew up in your hometown, and you knew him from a child. This was the response from the people of Nazareth, they rejected Jesus as the Christ because they already knew who he was

Is this not the carpenter’s son? Is this not the son of Mary? It’s amazing how our human minds can reason with any little doubt we can grasp. We still see this today, many people reject Jesus as the Son of God, because they can’t comprehend the incarnation of Christ, they can’t comprehend the resurrection of Christ, they can’t comprehend how Jesus can be fully God and fully man (Philippians 2) Even if our human minds can’t comprehend these things, we can’t deny the truth that Jesus is the Son of God

But as Jesus said “ A prophet has no honor in their hometown” this really shouldn’t be a surprise to us, knowing the history of God’s prophets being persecuted and killed, why would we think it would be any different when the Messiah came? They killed the Messiah just as they killed their prophets and apostles, the heart of man is wicked beyond belief and needs to be Born Again

And he did not many mighty works there because of their unbelief. Matthew 13:58

Notice Jesus didn’t perform many miracles in Nazareth because of their lack of faith, their lack of belief in who Jesus truly is. Anything is possible with God, but nothing will be possible without faith. Without faith we can’t please God (Hebrews 11:16) Faith in Jesus Christ is the only way to salvation, Amen!

Matthew 13- Judgement Day

2 Replies

Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a net, that was cast into the sea, and gathered of every kind: Which, when it was full, they drew to shore, and sat down, and gathered the good into vessels, but cast the bad away. So shall it be at the end of the world: the angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from among the just, And shall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth. Jesus saith unto them, Have ye understood all these things? They say unto him, Yea, Lord. Matthew 13:47-51

Here we see Jesus describing “Judgement Day” with a parable of casting a giant net into the sea and separating the good and the bad. As we talked about the Wheat and the Tares, so it’s the same concept here, the saved and unsaved will be gathered together and then separated to their eternal destinies.

Jesus said “The Kingdom of Heaven is like a Net cast into the Sea and gather all kinds” again Christ is using the analogy of fishing, but notice not everyone will be saved for the Kingdom, the bad will be “cast away”. As Christ said “so shall it be at the End of the World “ this is the judgment day of Christ. The angels will come forth and separate the wicked from the just, the saved from the unsaved, the Born Again from the spiritually dead

Notice again here Christ describes Hell fire, “They shall be cast into the furnace of fire”, “there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth” Again this is not “Soul sleep” this is not Annihilationism, this is eternal conscious torment in the furnace of fire. This is why we need to tell people about Jesus, their eternal souls rely upon it, this is not forcing your beliefs upon someone, this is about a war on souls, this is about pulling people out of the fire

Jesus asked his disciples, “Do you understand all these things”? They answered him Yes, but I doubt the modern day Church understands these things , otherwise we would see Christians preaching on every street corner. The fact we see virtually no evangelism from the Church today, shows they really have no understanding of what is at stake in eternity. Souls could be lost forever, as the Bible says “How will they hear without a preacher” (Romans 10:14)

Then said he unto them, Therefore every scribe which is instructed unto the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an householder, which bringeth forth out of his treasure things new and old. Matthew 13:52

Jesus ends this teaching with an interesting statement, what I believe Christ is saying is that the entire Bible (Old and New Testament) is a complete revelation of the Kingdom of God and Christ himself. As Jesus said “ Everything must be fulfilled, that is written about Me (Christ) in the Law of Moses, the Prophets, and the Psalms” (Luke 24:44) Jesus was affirming the entire Bible is about him and Gods Kingdom

The Net will be cast soon, Christ is returning again, are you Born Again or are you one of the wicked that will be cast into Hell Fire?