Tag Archives: Matthew

Matthew 12- Gods Chosen Servant

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But when Jesus knew it, he withdrew himself from thence: and great multitudes followed him, and he healed them all; And charged them that they should not make him known: That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, Behold my servant, whom I have chosen; my beloved, in whom my soul is well pleased: I will put my spirit upon him, and he shall shew judgment to the Gentiles. He shall not strive, nor cry; neither shall any man hear his voice in the streets. A bruised reed shall he not break, and smoking flax shall he not quench, till he send forth judgment unto victory. And in his name shall the Gentiles trust. Matthew 12:15-21

It’s amazing when you read the book of Isaiah and see all the prophecies that were fulfilled about Jesus, and the exact detail of his incarnation to his death on the cross. The prophet Isaiah was given amazing detail by God about Christ, here we see another prophecy foretold by Isaiah that was fulfilled by Jesus.

Isaiah 42 for tells us exactly about the ministry of Christ, a Chosen Servant that will have the Holy Spirit. Remember the Baptism of Christ when the Holy Spirit came down in the form of a dove upon Jesus. The Messiah will bring justice to the Gentiles, notice a foretelling of the New Covenant here from the Old Testament. The Christ Jesus didn’t just come to save Israel, but came to save God’s elect, Jew or Gentile

In the prophecy it states “I will keep you and give you as a Covenant to the People, A light to the Gentiles “ (Isaiah 42:6) Remember Christ instituted the New Covenant (Luke 22) on the cross, when Jesus fulfilled all the requirements of God and said “It Is Finished” (John 19:30) And give you (Christ) as a Covenant to the People (Elect) A light to the Gentiles (New Covenant) God did not say just a Light to Israel but a Light to the Gentiles, Jesus Christ the light of the world for everyone who becomes Born Again

Behold the former things have come to pass, and New things I declare (Isaiah 42:9) This is New Covenant language, another foretelling of God’s eternal Kingdom, the New Heavens and New Earth (Revelation 21) Christ is making all things New by defeating sin and death at the cross, this was all foretold and fulfilled by Jesus Christ

The Apostle Matthew always does a nice job tying together the Old and New Testaments, demonstrating how Christ fulfilled all these prophecies foretold by Isaiah. His name (Jesus) shall the Gentiles trust (Matthew 12:21) All our hope and salvation is in Jesus Christ (Acts 4:12) there is no other way to salvation or God (John 14:6) Amen!

Matthew 12- Jesus Heals On The Sabbath

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And when he was departed thence, he went into their synagogue: And, behold, there was a man which had his hand withered. And they asked him, saying, Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath days? that they might accuse him. And he said unto them, What man shall there be among you, that shall have one sheep, and if it fall into a pit on the sabbath day, will he not lay hold on it, and lift it out? How much then is a man better than a sheep? Wherefore it is lawful to do well on the sabbath days. Matthew 12:9-12

Again today we are looking at Jesus addressing the Sabbath, those who say Jesus was silent on the issue of the Sabbath, need to reread their Bible. Here we see Jesus healing on the Sabbath, of course the religious leaders use this as an opportunity to condemn Christ for doing anything on the Sabbath. It was a trap the religious leaders tried to set they asked Jesus “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath”? Now these men are supposed to be experts in The Law, so how do they not know this if they are going to condemn Christ for it? 

The religious leaders tried to set a trap, however as other attempts it always fails. Jesus said to them “It is lawful to do well on the Sabbath” meaning if you are ok with retrieving your lost sheep then why wouldn’t you be ok with healing a person? These religious leaders were hypocrites, they were trying to use Gods Law to condemn Christ to death

Then saith he to the man, Stretch forth thine hand. And he stretched it forth; and it was restored whole, like as the other. Then the Pharisees went out, and held a council against him, how they might destroy him. Matthew 12:13-14

Jesus then healed the man on the Sabbath, and instead of the religious leaders being grateful to see God’s work, they instead tried to use God’s Law to kill the Messiah! Jesus is demonstrating his deity here, not only because Christ healed the man but also demonstrated that Christ is Lord of The Sabbath

The religious leaders would say Christ broke the Sabbath Law, however Jesus is The Sabbath and is God in the flesh, Christ can do whatever He wants on the Sabbath. The religious leaders failure to understand who Jesus Is and the hardness of their hearts, leaves them condemned in their sin even if they “Kept the Sabbath”

True Sabbath Rest can only be found in Jesus Christ alone, without Christ you can’t enter into Gods Rest (Hebrews 4) Amen!

Matthew 12- Lord Of The Sabbath

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At that time Jesus went on the sabbath day through the corn; and his disciples were an hungred, and began to pluck the ears of corn, and to eat. But when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto him, Behold, thy disciples do that which is not lawful to do upon the sabbath day. But he said unto them, Have ye not read what David did, when he was an hungred, and they that were with him; How he entered into the house of God, and did eat the shewbread, which was not lawful for him to eat, neither for them which were with him, but only for the priests? Matthew 12:1-4

One of the most debated issues of Christianity still  today is about “Keeping The Sabbath”, are Chrstians to “Keep The Sabbath”? What does it mean to Keep The Sabbath? What is the Sabbath? The Sabbath was a sign of the Mosaic Covenant (Exodus 31:13, 17) It was the sign to set apart Israel from the surrounding Pagan nations, much like Circumcision was the sign of the Abrahamic Covenant to set them apart

Sabbath simply means “Rest” , as I talked about in my previous post, Jesus Is Our Rest (Matthew 11:28) Keeping The Sabbath as a Christian is to Abide in Jesus Christ, you can’t enter into God’s Rest without Christ (Hebrews 4) Nobody can come to the Father except through Jesus Christ (John 14:6) To “Keep The Sabbath” without Christ , would be pointless and useless. Salvation can only be found in Jesus Christ alone (Acts 4:12)

So as we look at our gospel reading today, we see Jesus and the Apostles “Breaking The Sabbath”, they are traveling on the Sabbath, eating and picking corn on the Sabbath. When the Pharisees called them out on their actions, what they didn’t realize is Jesus Is Lord of The Sabbath, Jesus is Lord of Lords, Jesus is The Sabbath

Or have ye not read in the law, how that on the sabbath days the priests in the temple profane the sabbath, and are blameless? But I say unto you, That in this place is one greater than the temple. But if ye had known what this meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice, ye would not have condemned the guiltless. For the Son of man is Lord even of the sabbath day. Matthew 12:5-8

Jesus said “Something greater than the Temple is Here” Christ was talking about himself, remember “Destroy this temple in 3 days I will raise it Up” (John 2:19) Christ is the fulfillment of The Temple, Christ is the fulfillment of The Sabbath, Christ is the fulfillment of The Law. All of the things were shadows to point to Christ, but now the Christ is here! God became Flesh and He lived among us (John 1:14) You kept The Sabbath to learn about Christ, but now the Christ has come!

The Temple was the focal point of the Mosaic Covenant, without the Temple nothing could be accomplished. But now something greater than The Temple is here, the sacrificial system pointed to Christ, the Levitical priest line point to Christ, the show bread pointed to Christ, and Christ raised up His Temple on the 3rd day defeating sin and death forever!

Jesus is Lord of The Sabbath, He didn’t regard Breaking the Sabbath because Christ is The Sabbath. We don’t just worship Christ one day a week, we worship Christ seven days a week, and we only enter into God’s Rest through Christ , Amen!

Matthew 11- Rest In Christ

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At that time Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes Even so, Father: for so it seemed good in thy sight. All things are delivered unto me of my Father: and no man knoweth the Son, but the Father; neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him. Matthew 11:25-27

 How can we know God? How can we become saved? It’s only through Jesus Christ (John 14:6) Jesus said “Nobody knows the Father God except the Son” All these religious people trying to bypass Christ , can never get to God. That’s why Jesus said “Father God hid these things from the wise “ Many religious people are not saved and never actually knew God at all, because you can only know God through Christ

Jesus said “To whom the Son will reveal Him (God)” Christ chooses us before we choose Him (Ephesians 1:4) This is a concept hard for us to grasp, that even when we were dead in our sins, Jesus called us and drew us towards Him to become reborn. All the religious practices of a lifetime can’t replace this supernatural event of becoming Born Again (John 3)

Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. Matthew 11:28-30

Come to Jesus and Christ will give you Rest , Jesus is our Sabbath Rest. You can’t enter into God’s Rest without Christ (Hebrews 4) To try and Keep the Sabbath without Christ is pointless, you are still dead in your sins (Ephesians 2) You need Christ as your Sabbath, you need to be Yoked with Christ, Abide in Jesus and Christ will show you the way. 

When we look at The Law , we see our sinful nature, we see the enormous task of trying to “Keep The Law”, however Christ said “My Yoke Is Easy and My Burden Is Light” Jesus paid the penalty for our sins on the cross (John 19:30) Share the Yoke of Christ and Jesus will Give You Rest

Billions of people try to find God without Christ, they try to earn their own salvation, they all fail because Jesus Christ is the Living Son of God and The Lord is the only one who can give us Rest and reconcile us back to God, Amen!

Matthew 11- Repent or Perish

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Then began he to upbraid the cities wherein most of his mighty works were done, because they repented not: Woe unto thee, Chorazin! woe unto thee, Bethsaida! for if the mighty works, which were done in you, had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. But I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the day of judgment, than for you. Matthew 11:20-22

Woe to the Unrepentant Sinner! We live in a world where everyone preaches “Jesus Is Love” but nobody preaches about repentance and obedience. Let’s look at the words of Jesus Christ today,  “He began to denounce the cities because they did not repent” As Jesus said “Repent or Perish” (Luke 13:3) Repentance is not an option, it’s a requirement for salvation. Unless we truly repent, we will perish according to Christ

So what does it mean to repent? Repent means to turn away or turn around from your sinful ways. To truly repent means to change, not to be doing or stuck in the same sin as before you became saved. You are either a slave to Sin or a slave to Christ (Romans 6:20)

Jesus said “It will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the day of Judgment, than for you” It’s interesting because Tyre and Sidon were pagan nations, who even though they witnessed miracles performed by Christ, the majority of them still rejected Him. It will be worse at the day of Judgment for anyone who doesn’t repent of their sins and put their faith in Jesus Christ for salvation. 

And thou, Capernaum, which art exalted unto heaven, shalt be brought down to hell: for if the mighty works, which have been done in thee, had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. But I say unto you, That it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment, than for thee. Matthew 11:23-24

Jesus makes another interesting statement “It would be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of Judgment, than for you” Everyone knows the story of Sodom and Gomorrah, God destroyed them with fire and brimstone, Jesus said a worse fate for the unrepentant sinner, of course Christ is referencing Hell

Jesus is giving us a wake up call, a warning, repent of your sins and put your faith in Christ, before it’s too late. Tomorrow isn’t guaranteed, repent of perish Amen!

Matthew 11- Greatest Prophet

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And as they departed, Jesus began to say unto the multitudes concerning John, What went ye out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken with the wind? But what went ye out for to see? A man clothed in soft raiment? behold, they that wear soft clothing are in kings’ houses. But what went ye out for to see? A prophet? yea, I say unto you, and more than a prophet. For this is he, of whom it is written, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee. Verily I say unto you, Among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist: notwithstanding he that is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. Matthew 11:7-11

What would you expect the greatest prophet to look like? Would you expect them with great beauty? Would you expect them with the clothing and authority of a King? Well, our preconceived notions are all wrong! John the Baptist was probably a man most of us wouldn’t want to be seen with in public, we lived in the desert, eating bugs, and wearing camel hair. However Jesus Christ said “John is the greatest of all prophets” (v11) 

Just as Jesus identified himself as the Christ, with scripture, Jesus is also identifying who John the Baptist is with scripture. You can’t understand the New Testament until you have a grasp of the Old Testament. If you “unhitch” from the Old Testament, the New Testament would make no sense. Christ is identifying John the Baptist as the “Messenger or Yahweh” to prepare the way for Jesus

And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force. For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John. And if ye will receive it, this is Elias, which was for to come. He that hath ears to hear, let him hear. Matthew 11:12-15

Jesus makes an interesting statement here “For all The Prophets and Law prophesied until John”  A couple things can be taken away from this , John the Baptist was the last of the Prophets as all prophecies are foretelling about Christ. Secondly The Law is fulfilled with Christ (Matthew 5:17) Everything from the Old Testament was pointing to the coming and the fulfillment of Jesus Christ! (Luke 24: 44)

But what happened to John the Baptist? He was rejected and eventually killed by beheading. What happened to Jesus Christ? He was despised and rejected and crucified on a cross (Isaiah 53) As Jesus said “They who have ears, let them hear” Most of the world has no spiritual discernment, even though God foretold about the coming of Christ, most of the world has rejected God’s salvation

If you want to know the real Jesus, read your Bible, pray without ceasing to God, and ask for the Holy Spirit , Amen!

Matthew 11- Are You The One?

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And it came to pass, when Jesus had made an end of commanding his twelve disciples, he departed thence to teach and to preach in their cities. Now when John had heard in the prison the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples,And said unto him, Art thou he that should come, or do we look for another?  Matthew 11:1-3

Just to set the stage here, John the Baptist is currently in prison. It’s interesting because when we think of John in prison, we usually associate it with the incident with King Herod (Matthew 14:3), however after Jesus left the wilderness and began his ministry, John was put in prison also (Matthew 4:12) It doesn’t explicitly say why John was imprisoned the first time, but we can assume his bold preaching got him in alot of trouble.

John the Baptist asks a very interesting question, and it almost seems puzzling since he was called the greatest of all prophets by Jesus (Matthew 11:11) John asks Jesus “Are you the Messiah, or should we look for someone else”? So if you ever feel bad that you don’t know or understand something from the Bible, just remember John the Baptist had doubts or was unsure at first if Jesus is the Christ!

Now to John’s defense, since he was locked up in prison, he doesn’t really know what works Jesus has performed yet. He was present at the Baptism of Christ when God the Father said “This is my beloved Son” and saw the Holy Spirit descend upon Christ. (Matthew 3) However remember John is just a human like us, he probably doubts himself and wants to be certain he’s following the right man

Jesus answered and said unto them, Go and shew John again those things which ye do hear and see: The blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to them. And blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in me. Matthew 11:4-6

Notice how Jesus affirms who He is, he quotes scripture. Case in point, if you want to know the real Jesus, you need to read your Bible. Since John knew the Messianic prophecies from Isaiah (Isaiah 35, 61) John knew Jesus was confirming that He is the Christ. Jesus is also confirming that he is fulfilling scripture, confirming that He is the Christ based on the works he accomplished during his ministry

Jesus then says “Blessed is anyone who is not offended in me” Meaning have faith in Christ you will be saved. Salvation is found in Jesus Christ alone (John 14:6) Those who reject Jesus as the Christ can’t be saved because there is no atonement for their sins.

If you want to know more about Jesus , read your Bible! Salvation is by faith in Christ alone, Amen!

Matthew 10- The Lords Work

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He that receiveth you receiveth me, and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me. He that receiveth a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet’s reward; and he that receiveth a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man’s reward. And whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of cold water only in the name of a disciple, verily I say unto you, he shall in no wise lose his reward. Matthew 10:40-42

Being a disciple of Christ is not an easy task, there will be many people who shun you, many people who will mock you, there maybe alot of people who will persecute you. However it’s important to keep an “Eternal Perspective” on our lives. The tasks you may be doing now for The Lord, might seem pointless at present , but from an Eternal Perspective they are critical. Doing work for The Lord, is building God’s Kingdom , one soul at a time. This work has eternal consequences but also it has eternal satisfaction

You think about your job today , you are assigned tasks or projects that may seem important or relevant today. But a few months from now, a few years from now, nobody even remembers what was accomplished or by whom. With The Lords work, You have an opportunity to make a difference eternally. 

As Jesus said “ They that receive you, will receive Christ, and they receive God” Everything that you’re doing is for the glory of God and not yourself. Even the smallest tasks , like picking up the trash at Church or handing out bulletins, are part of God’s work and the overall goal of building God’s Kingdom. If you are a Christian, you are involved in some way , shape or form. You don’t have to be the Pastor or Bishop to be serving The Lord. Every Christian in the Church is vital to doing The Lord’s work and building God’s Kingdom. Everything belongs to God including our ministries and Churches, Christ is the Master and we are his servants! We must make sure we continue to keep that hierarchy and mindset to be obedient to God

When you understand the importance of your work in Christ, you must also understand the responsibility you hold also. We must remain accountable and disciplined in everything we do for God. We see many ministries and Churches, fall away due to misconduct or immorality. As a worker for God, we will be held to a higher standard. Everything you do, big or small, will be scrutinized and under the microscope from the world. We must remain a good representation of Jesus in everything we do, even if its just picking up the trash at Church. If we are immature or unable to handle this responsibility, then we should refrain from being a part of the work until we are ready. 

Now if they reject your ministry or work, they are ultimately rejecting Christ , as long as you’re in alignment with the Holy Spirit and the Word of God. If you’re doing The Lord’s work and the world rejects you, don’t take it personally, as they are rejecting God. Jesus said “They will hate you, as they hated me (John 15:18) Abide in Christ and Christ will Abide in You, do everything you do for the Glory of God, not for the glory of ourselves

Time is running out, The Lord’s return is near, we must remain alert and busy building God’s Kingdom and doing The Lord’s work, Amen!

Matthew 10- Exclusive Jesus?

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Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword. For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law. And a man’s foes shall be they of his own household. Matthew 10:34-36

Again we see a continual theme with the modern day Church as we analyze scripture, the modern day Lukewarm Christianity of today is not Biblical. Today we have many Churches and many Christians promoting that Jesus is just all about love and acceptance, that Christ will just love you as you are and everybody is a Child of God. All these statements can’t be further from the truth. 

As we look at the words of Jesus “ I didn’t come to send peace on Earth, but a sword” So what is Jesus talking about here? Jesus came to deliver us from our sins, however there is a transformation that takes place when becoming Born Again. Just as Christ had died for our sins, our old self dies with our sins. Just as Christ is Risen defeating sin and death, we are Risen as a new creation in Christ. We don’t stay dead in our sins, we are now alive in Jesus Christ (Ephesians 2, Romans 6, John 3)

The sword is to divide the sheep and the goats (Matthew 25), divide the wheat and the tares (Matthew 25), everybody doesn’t go to Heaven, in fact Jesus said very few will actually find the narrow path to Heaven. (Matthew 7) The transformation will cause division among people, among families, among communities, even among countries. The world hates the real Jesus and will hate his sheep (John 10) this is the sword of division, Jesus Christ

He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me. Matthew 10:37-38

Jesus paid for our salvation with a major price, you were bought with a price (1 Corinthians 6:20) If you belong to Christ you are no longer of yourself, you belong to Christ. As Jesus said “Anyone who doesn’t take up their cross and follow me, is not worthy of me” Taking up your cross is not an easy walk, it’s a walk full of persecution, mockery, discrimination. Why? Because the world hates the real Jesus and crucified him. Don’t expect to be treated better than your Master, you were bought with a price

So as a Born Again Christian, don’t expect rainbows and butterflies, expect the sword that will divide you , that will set you apart from the evil world (Romans 12:2) This is a battle for your soul, salvation is only found in Jesus Christ alone , Amen!

Matthew 10- Are You Ashamed of Jesus?

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Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven. But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven. Matthew 10:32-33

In today’s world, over 2 billion people identify as a “Christian”, meaning follower of Christ. That sounds good on paper, but in reality where are these people? Why is there so much evil and injustice in the world today when almost a third of the world’s population is supposed to be filled with the Holy Spirit? There are only a few logical reasons for this, however one main problem is most are “Closet Christians”

There are alot of people who may belong to a Church and may even be active, but outside the walls of the congregation they don’t speak a word about the gospel of Jesus Christ. They live just as the world lives. The Greek word that is often translated as Church is “Ekklessia” it means called out , set apart, group of believers. If you are Born Again and part of Christ’s Church, you are not to be conformed with the world, you are supposed to be Set Apart. (Romans 12:2) However most Churches have turned into Country Clubs or a Social Group, they are not the Body of Christ looking to build God’s Kingdom by fulfilling the Great Commision (Matthew 28:19)

Jesus said “If you confess me before others , I will confess you before my Father in Heaven” Are you confessing Christ to everyone you know? Are you confessing Christ to your family or neighbors? Does anyone in your community even know you are a Christian? I know alot of “Christians” will say “I don’t want to be a Jesus freak”, “I don’t want to be known as a Holy Roller” Jesus died for the penalty of your sins, and you can’t even profess him as your Lord before others?

There has to be a relationship, often when people get married or engaged, what do they do? They tell everyone about it, they post an announcement on social media or the newspaper. However, how many people tell everyone Jesus is their Lord and Savior? Some would say, this is not the same, Jesus said “Depart from me , I never knew you “ (Matthew 7:23) The Greek word for Knew is “Ginosko” meaning a relationship. Jesus wants a relationship with You, not a religion

Jesus said “Whoever denies me before others, I will deny them before My Father in Heaven” If you’re not telling people about your Jesus, then you’re denying him. Again the analogy of marriage, if someone just got married, you would expect them to tell you about it. If they didn’t talk about their new spouse, you would probably think that’s strange. Well if somebody really believes Jesus is their Lord and never talks about Him, that would be pretty strange. Is Jesus really your Lord? Do you really believe who Jesus says he is?

Examine your relationship with Christ, profess The Lord before others. Tell others what Jesus has done for your life. If your neighbors were asked, would they identify you as a Christian? Take comfort in knowing our Lord is the Mediator between us and our Heavenly Father, Amen!