Tag Archives: Religion

Matthew 12- Children of God

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While he yet talked to the people, behold, his mother and his brethren stood without, desiring to speak with him. Then one said unto him, Behold, thy mother and thy brethren stand without, desiring to speak with thee. But he answered and said unto him that told him, Who is my mother? and who are my brethren? And he stretched forth his hand toward his disciples, and said, Behold my mother and my brethren! For whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother.  Matthew 12:46-50

Here we see Jesus use an incident as a teaching moment of the New Covenant. Mary, the mother of Jesus , and his brothers were looking for Jesus to talk to him. Instead of Jesus immediately acknowledging them, he was teaching us what it meant to be a true Child of God. Some would argue that Jesus was being rude or disrespectful to his mother, however from the gospels we know Jesus and Mary had a very strong relationship, and that is not the case here

Jesus asks the question “Who is my mother? Who are my brothers? Now from a biological sense we know the answer, but Jesus is speaking from a spiritual sense. Christ is trying to teach us that we are Children of God through Him (Christ). Just as the Jews are not saved by their bloodline, we are not Children of God by our bloodline either. We must become Born Again to enter the Kingdom of Heaven (John 3:3) We can’t be Children of God, without the regeneration of the Holy Spirit

Jesus said “Whoever does the will of My Father (God) , which is in heaven, is my brother, sister, and mother” What is the will of God the Father? That everyone receives Christ and becomes saved (Matthew 18:14, 2 Peter 3:9) Outside of that Will , you are not a Child of God, outside of Jesus Christ, you can’t be saved (John 14:6, Acts 4:12)

Let me take this one more step further, there is a misconception that everyone is automatically a Child of God. This is not Biblical, we are all made in the Image of God (Genesis 1:27) however we are not all Children of God unless we are Born Again in Christ Jesus (Galatians 3:28)

Atheists are not Children of God, Muslims are not Children of God, you can only be a Child of God if you are Born Again (John 3:3) Nobody can come to the Father (God) except through Christ (John 14:6) We can’t stand before a Holy God unless we become regenerated or Born Again. Many people claim to know God without Christ, but God doesn’t know them. 

Who are the Children of God? They are the ones who do the Will of The Father, what is the will of The Father? That everyone receives Christ and becomes Born Again (John 3:3), Amen!

Matthew 12- Spiritual Warfare

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When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest, and findeth none. Then he saith, I will return into my house from whence I came out; and when he is come, he findeth it empty, swept, and garnished. Then goeth he, and taketh with himself seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter in and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first. Even so shall it be also unto this wicked generation. Matthew 12:43-45

As the Bible says “ A natural man can’t understand spiritual things “ (1 Corinthians 2:14) As we look at the scriptures today, you can’t comprehend what is happening here unless you are seeing it through spiritual eyes. Many people, even Christians today, don’t believe in the supernatural world, they don’t believe in Angels or Demons, they don’t believe they have a soul, so how can they comprehend what Jesus is teaching here now?

The supernatural realm is just as real as the natural world, demons are actively working all around you trying to destroy your soul. When we look around at this world today, you have to wonder how there is so much evil? How are people this depraved? It’s because they are under demonic influence. The Bible says “Satan is like a roaring lion looking to devour you” (1 Peter 5:8) If you deny the existence of Satan and his demons, they will devour you and pull your soul down to Hell with them. We are all in a Spiritual Warfare (Ephesians 6) we are not fighting against flesh and blood, we are fighting against the demonic forces of Satan

Jesus tells us “When demons leave a person, they come back with seven more demons even more wicked than the first” Christ is warning us to “Stay Alert” you are in a spiritual warfare. We need to stay in prayer, we need to stay in the Word of God, we need to be filled with the Holy Spirit. Neglect of practicing these things will leave you as a lamb to the slaughter. The world is so depraved, because they are not only under the influence of demons, they are filled with demons. Many non saved people are possessed with demons and don’t even realize it

This is why we must become Born Again (John 3:3) Jesus said “Unless you are Born Again , you can’t see the Kingdom of Heaven” You need to be baptized and sealed with the Holy Spirit. You need to be regenerated from your sinful self, as we stated earlier the natural man can’t comprehend spiritual things. You can’t know God without the Holy Spirit

Failure to heed these warnings not only will leave you dead in your sins (Ephesians 2) but also leave you to be devoured by Satan and his demons. The spiritual war for your soul is real, Heaven is real, Hell is real, Satan and demons are real, you must become Born Again and get the Armor of God (Ephesians 6) on to stand against Satan, Amen! 

Matthew 12- The Sign of Jonah

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Then certain of the scribes and of the Pharisees answered, saying, Master, we would see a sign from thee. But he answered and said unto them, An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas: For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale’s belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. Matthew 12:38-40

Throughout Jesus ministry he prophesied about his death and about his resurrection on the 3rd day. However the disciples never understood what he was talking about, they never seemed to grasp the idea that the Messiah had to die for the sins of the world. However almost everybody knows the story of Jonah, even people who are Atheists typically have heard the story of Jonah and the whale, it’s shocking that the Resurrection story of Christ has always been in the Sunday School story, just nobody could put it all together

The religious leaders demanded a sign from Jesus that He is the Messiah, well Jesus was given them the sign, the Resurrection! Christ retold the story of Jonah and the Whale, Jonah spent 3 days and nights in the belly of the whale, symbolic of the heart of the Earth. So if you want your sign, look at the Empty Tomb! The Tomb is still empty today because Christ Is Risen!

Now 3 days and 3 nights has been a controversial topic in Christianity, unfortunately. The real error comes when we try to read the Bible as a 21rst Century American. You need to read it as a 1rst Century Jew, 3 Days and 3 Nights is a Hebrew Idiom, does not mean a literal 72 hours. I know alot of English speaking Christians have a hard time comprehending this, but I would recommend you do a deeper study into that topic before reading it as a 21rst Century American

The men of Nineveh shall rise in judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: because they repented at the preaching of Jonas; and, behold, a greater than Jonas is here. The queen of the south shall rise up in the judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: for she came from the uttermost parts of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and, behold, a greater than Solomon is here. Matthew 12:41-42

As Jesus said “ A greater Jonah is Here” The story of Jonah and the Whale was a foreshadow of the Resurrection of Christ and the New Covenant. Remember Nineveh was a Gentile nation, this is why Jonah didn’t want to go there and preach. But after Jonah preached repentance there and the Gentiles truly repented , God forgave them. This is a complete foreshadow of the New Covenant and the Resurrection of Christ

Next time you read the Sunday School story of Jonah and the Whale, think of Jesus, think about what he did for us on the cross to atone for our sins and the eternal resurrection on Easter Sunday morning! Amen!

Matthew 12- By Their Fruit

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Either make the tree good, and his fruit good; or else make the tree corrupt, and his fruit corrupt: for the tree is known by his fruit. O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh. A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things. Matthew 12:33-35

Earlier we looked at one of Jesus strongest teachings in Matthew 7 Being Known By Their Fruit, today Christ kind of echoes the same message however this time it’s directed at the religious leaders. Even today, there are a lot of corrupted people “working” in religion, even in Christianity. We see this with the religious leaders, as Jesus calls them “A generation of vipers”

So how do we know who is a real leader of God and who is corrupted? As Jesus said “The tree is known by their fruit” These wolves that run fake ministries and corrupted Churches, the question is what spiritual fruit are they actually producing? Are people becoming Born Again in Christ? Or do we see works of the flesh, money, power , and sex? Pretty much every time you turn on the TV, these ministries are begging for money or bragging about their accomplishments, is this really being a servant of Christ?

As Jesus challenged the religious leaders, “How can you be evil, speak good things”? These wolves don’t have the Holy Spirit, they can’t provide you with any wisdom of God or miracles from God. Their entire ministry is ran by Satan, it’s a total deception! You need to use spiritual discernment when listening to a preacher or pastor (1 John 4:1)

But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned. Matthew 12:36-37

The Apostles James said “Not many of you should become teachers” (James 3:1) Why was James saying this? Because of what Jesus said “Every idle word that you speak should be given an account on the day of judgment” All these false prophets and teachers will need to give an account to Jesus Christ on judgment day.  They may be laughing all the way to the bank today, but in eternity they will be weeping and gnashing of teeth

But this is a warning for us also, don’t preach unless God makes you qualified. These words that I write today, I will give an account for them to Christ, because they are based on his words. It’s a responsibility we must bear, but it is one that must be done. Let them that have spiritual ears, hear! The false prophets and false teachers will be known by their fruit and stand in Judgment before Christ Amen!

Matthew 12- Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit

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Wherefore I say unto you, All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men: but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men. And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come. Matthew 12:31-32

The previous article I just wrote “A Kingdom Divided” touched on this subject of “Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit” We saw Jesus doing the works of God through the Holy Spirit and the religious leaders accusing him of doing the works of Satan. Obviously this is total blasphemy, to give Satan credit of doing God’s work, but it also demonstrates the deity of the Holy Spirit

Those who deny the Triunity of God, (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) would have a harder time comprehending what is Blasphemy of the Holy Spirit. Because the Holy Spirit is God (Acts 5) just as Jesus Christ the Son is God (John 1) just as our Heavenly Father is God. To speak against the Holy Spirit is to blasphemy God. When you deny the works of the Holy Spirit, you are denying the works of God. 

When you understand this, you get a better understanding of what “Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit” is. Some would just say it’s denying the salvation of Christ, however when you understand the Triunity of God, the blasphemy goes farther than that. The Holy Spirit is involved in all the works of God, the Creation of the Heavens and Earth , the resurrection of Christ, the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Any denial of these things would be Blasphemy against God

So to take this one step further, an Atheist who denies the Creation of the Universe by God would be Blasphemy of the Holy Spirit, a muslim who denys the resurrection of Jesus Christ would be Blasphemy of the Holy Spirit, the medical doctor who gives themselves credit for bringing a patient back to life is Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit

As the Apostle Paul said “ The evidence of God is clearly seen so we are without excuse “ (Romans 1:20) The denial of God’s sovereignty and power is total Blasphemy, we are without excuse! We can claim we didn’t know or God didn’t reveal enough to us, but we do know. God has revealed his sovereignty, His power, His deity through the works of Creation and Jesus Christ, Amen!

Matthew 12- A Kingdom Divided

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Then was brought unto him one possessed with a devil, blind, and dumb: and he healed him, insomuch that the blind and dumb both spake and saw. And all the people were amazed, and said, Is not this the son of David? But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, This fellow doth not cast out devils, but by Beelzebub the prince of the devils.And Jesus knew their thoughts, and said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand: Matthew 12:22-25

The religious leaders have witnessed many miracles performed by Jesus, so how did they deny this? They accused Jesus of being possessed by demons and working for Satan. Now when we talk about “Blasphemy of the Holy Spirit” which Jesus would go in more depth later in this chapter, this is blasphemy of God. To accuse the Son of God to be working for Satan is depraved and carnal

Jesus shut down their illogical argument very quickly, Christ said “Every Kingdom Divided against itself is brought to desolation” Meaning if you think logically, if Jesus was working for Satan why would he be casting out demons and healing people? There is no logic with the religious leaders, there is pure blasphemy on their part in their reject of Jesus as the Christ, the Son of God.

And if Satan cast out Satan, he is divided against himself; how shall then his kingdom stand? And if I by Beelzebub cast out devils, by whom do your children cast them out? therefore they shall be your judges. But if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God is come unto you. Or else how can one enter into a strong man’s house, and spoil his goods, except he first bind the strong man? and then he will spoil his house. He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad. Matthew 12:26-30

Notice what Jesus says here “I cast out devils by the Spirit of God, then the Kingdom of God is come unto You” Again going back to what is Blasphemy of the Holy Spirit, the religious leaders are accusing the works of the Holy Spirit to Satan, therefore it’s blasphemy. As Jesus continues to point out , the logic in the religious leaders’ reasoning is depraved. If Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself. What the religious leaders are proposing demonstrates their depravity and hatred towards Christ

Jesus said “He that is not with me is against Me” It’s as simple as that , you are either Born Again with Christ or your against Christ with Satan. Rejection of Christ leads you to total condemnation, there is no way to salvation without Jesus Christ. One day every knee will bow and tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord (Philippians 2) Amen

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!