Bro. Freddie
4 Pointer
Missionary Baptist Minister
Posts: 184
|
Post by Bro. Freddie on Aug 16, 2009 4:47:08 GMT -5
Matthew 12:1-8 (King James Version)
1. 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. 2. 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. 3. But He said unto them, Have ye not read what David did, when he was an hungred, and they that were with him; 4. 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? 5. 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? 6. But I say unto you, That in this place is One greater than the Temple. 7. But if ye had know what this meaneth, I will have mercy and not sacrifice, ye would not have condemned the guiltless. 8. For the Son of man is Lord even of the sabbath day.
If you will recall, we have been looking at a short sermon Jesus gave concerning John the Baptist, and his ministry, the pronouncement of judgment upon Capernaum, and other cities that had witnessed His miracles, and a short invitation. Today, we are going to look at a fact of life, and see what the Lord would have us to learn.
In verse 1, the first thing I noticed was the phrase At that time. When I first started studying this, I thought that this happened immediately after Jesus gave the short sermon concerning John the Baptist. But, after I thought on it, I am now not so sure. It could have been right after His sermon, but then again, this could have happened much later, or even earlier. The phrase at that time simply refers to a specific time. Reading further, we next see what day of the week it was. It was on the Sabbath day. Now the Sabbath was a holy day to the Jews. This was the day that God rested after He created everything, and is one of the Ten Commandments. The Jews had a lot of laws concerning the Sabbath. There was a certain distance that a person could walk on the Sabbath, there was no cooking or cleaning or any other labor on the Sabbath, and many more laws concerning this particular day of the week. The Sabbath was designed by God as a day of rest. Before I go any further, I need to point out one thing. The Sabbath is on Saturday, not Sunday. Please keep this in mind, because it will be important later on. Looking further, we see that Jesus and the disciples were walking through a corn field, and being hungry, they plucked some ears of corns, and ate them. Now I'm sure every one who reads this has been hungry at one time or another. I know I have, But I don't think I have ever been hungry enough to eat raw corn straight from the stalk. So I believe that the disciples were extremely hungry. And being extremely hungry, they did what came natural to them. They picked a few ears of corn and ate it. We might think it strange that someone traveling through would just go out in a field and pluck someone's crop, and consume it, but God's Law allowed for this. A traveler was permitted by law to pick and eat as long as it wasn't in excess.
Looking at verse 2, the first thing I want us to look at is the fact that the Pharisees saw the disciples eating corn. Brethren, I have said it time and again. People are watching our lives. The Pharisees saw what they thought was a violation of the Law, and they were quick to condemn Jesus and His disciples. The same thing happens in our lives today! People see things we do, and are quick to condemn us. I'll use an example here. One time we lived in a small town in Arkansas named Delight. It is about 12 miles from where I live now. Once a month, the church would have an afternoon service at the nursing home in Murfressboro. My pastor at the time was a young man, not much older than I was. As we were driving back, I was driving a little faster than allowed by law, and tried to pass him. He sped up and wouldn't let me pass. We were just goofing around. I later told my brother-n-law what happened, and he got all upset. He thought that a preacher shouldn't be breaking the law, but it was alright for him to break the same law. Folks, people are watching our lives! We should do everything possible to live a life that someone can't condemn. Do we? Next, we see the Pharisees condemnation of Jesus and His disciples. Remember, the Pharisees kept a perverted version of the Law. Even though they thought that the kept the letter of the Law, they wouldn't open their eyes to the fact that they were not keeping the spirit of the Law. But to make it worse, they tried to tell Jesus, the One who was with God when He gave the Law to Moses, that He was breaking the Law. What a sad commentary.
In verse 4 and 5 we see Jesus answer their condemnation. In these verses He recalls to their memory a story that everyone in attendance knew. It is the story of David and the priests found in I Samuel 21. In this story, David was fleeing from Saul, who wanted to kill him. David and his men were hungry, so they asked the priests in the house of God for some bread. All the priests had was shewbread, or bread baked especially for the house of God. Shewbread was consider holy bread because it was made for the house of the Lord. But this bread was not lawful for David to eat. Only the priests were allowed to eat this bread, yet the priests gave it to David. Why was David not punished by the Lord for eating this bread that was hallowed unto God? As I thought on this, I realized the answer was in verse 7. More on that in a moment.
In verse 5 Jesus said that the priests also broke the Law on the Sabbath, yet they weren't held accountable. Remember, the Sabbath day was a holy day, and a person wasn't to do anything that wasn't absolutely necessary. But the priests, to carry out their duties, broke the Law on the Sabbath. And because they broke the Law, they should have been condemned to death, yet weren't. Why? Again, the answer is in verse 7.
In verse 6, Jesus says, But I say unto you, That in this place is One greater than the Temple. The Temple was the Jews most sacred holy place. It was there that the presence of God filled the Temple and God lived. It was one of the most glorious building ever built, made of all sorts of different valuable materials, and overlaid almost entirely with gold. The Jews considered the Temple to be the centerpiece of Jerusalem, and all of Israel. But Jesus said that there was One greater at this place. What did He mean? The phrase At this place is referring to the actual time that He made this statement. We would say Right here, right now. So Jesus was saying that right then, in that place, there was One greater than the Temple. Jesus was referring to Himself! Jesus is greater than the Temple! See, the Jewish people had gotten to the point that they worshiped the Temple more than the One who the Temple was designed to be the house. They thought more about the Temple than they did about God. They had placed the Temple above God. Folks, anything you place above God is nothing more than an idol. Are you placing things above God?
In verse 7 we see a verse that Jesus has quoted before. This verse is from Hosea 6:6 and we looked at it in Matthew 9:13 when the Pharisees asked why they fasted but Jesus' disciples didn't. Jesus quoted from Hosea 6:6 then, and is doing so again. Folks, God would rather us show mercy unto others than perform all the sacrifices in the world. When we show mercy unto others, it is showing them, and others, that we love the Lord and that we are trying to live for Him. It is a witness unto them! Often times people will say that the love the Lord, but their actions don't show it. They will turn away from someone that needs help, not showing the love of the Lord to that person. Folks, we should not be that way! We should show the love of the Lord to everyone we come into contact with. Do we?
As we look at verse 8, Jesus said, For the Son of man is Lord even of the Sabbath day. Remember, Jesus often times referred to Himself as the Son of man. We have discussed this before, so I am not going to go into that today. What I want us to focus on here is that Jesus said that He was Lord even of the Sabbath day. In other words, what He is saying is that He is Lord on the Sabbath day too. Brethren, Jesus was there when God established the Sabbath as a day of rest. He was there when God gave the Law to Moses on Mount Sinai. Jesus is Lord over the Sabbath because He is God! He created everything, therefore He is Lord over everything. He even created you. Is He Lord over your life?
Today we have seen the Pharisees condemn Jesus for His disciples picking corn and eating it when they were hungry. We have seen His answer to those who would condemn Him. We have seen that Jesus is Lord over even the Sabbath day. My question to you is one I have asked before. Is He Lord over your life? Have you trusted in Him to save you for all eternity? If so, then show mercy unto others and don't be a hypocrite. If not, then I urge you to turn to Him by faith, realizing that you are a sinner headed to hell for all eternity, knowing that He died on the cross for your sins, and trusting in Him to save you. And He will! What is your answer today?
|
|
Bro. Freddie
4 Pointer
Missionary Baptist Minister
Posts: 184
|
Post by Bro. Freddie on Oct 25, 2009 5:47:58 GMT -5
I apologize for the long delay in posting another one of my sermon notes. I needed a little time off, and then it was hard to get started back. I was also dealing with prophecy, in the next sermon note, and I have a hard time with the symbolism in prophecy. Again, my apologies.
Matthew 12:9-14 (King James Version)
9. And when He was departed thence, He went into their synagogue: 10. 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. 11. 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? 12. How much then is a man better than a sheep? Wherefore it is lawful to do well on the Sabbath days. 13. Then saith He to the man, Stretch forth thine hand. And he stretched it forth; and it was restored whole, like as the other. 14. Then the Pharisees went out, and held a council against Him, how they might destroy Him.
As usual, a short review is needed before we look at our passage of Scripture for today. When we started chapter 12, we saw how Jesus and His disciples were passing through a field of corn and the disciples, being hungry, plucked some corn and ate it. The Pharisees got all upset about this because it happened on the Sabbath day, a day of rest. Jesus answered their accusations with Scripture, quoting from Hosea 6:6 which states that He would rather have mercy than sacrifices. Jesus also stated that He was Lord over the Sabbath. Today, we are going to look at a continuation of this episode in the life of Jesus and see what He would have us to learn.
In verse 9 the first thing I noticed was the phrase And when He was departed thence. Jesus was either in the cornfield, or on the edges of it, when He answered the Pharisees concerning His disciples picking corn and eating it, as seen in our previous verses. So it is only logical to assume that this is what Matthew was referring to. The phrase and when He was departed from thence is simply saying that what happens next happened when He left the cornfield. In the latter part of verse 9 we see where Jesus went. He went into their synagogue! Now I'm not sure where this synagogue was. It could have been in Capernaum, or any of the other towns that Jesus visited. But where it was located is not relevant. What is relevant is the fact that He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath. Jesus went to where God was worshiped on the day that He was supposed to be worshiped on. Before I go any further, let me make one thing clear. The synagogue and the church aren't the same. A synagogue is a Jewish place to learn about God, and to hear the Scriptures expounded upon. Yet, Jesus being crucified for our sins isn't preached in a synagogue. Anyway, getting back to our verse, Jesus went to the synagogue on the day that He was supposed to go. Folks, we are to be like Jesus! We should go to worship Him on the day that He has chosen. We should be in one of the Lord's New Testament churches on Sunday worshiping Him. Are we?
In verse 10 we see a man who had a withered hand. A withered hand is one in which the muscles, and often the bones themselves, are shrunken, owing to the loss of nerve power or stiffening of joints. Often times the limb is much shorter and slender than the other. (Unger's Bible Dictionary). As you can see by the description of this disease, it is incurable, especially in that day and age. As I thought on this condition, it sort of reminded me of atrophy of a limb. When I broke my arm in September of 2007, I was unable to use it for about 2 months. The doctors warned me that I might have a little muscle loss, due to non-use, and I did. My right arm is still not as strong today as it was before I broke it. It is possible that something like this happened to this man. But what ever it was, we need to note one thing. This man continued to serve the Lord! He was in the synagogue on the Sabbath, just like Jesus. He was there to hear the Scriptures and to learn more about the Messiah. I believe that it was hard for this man to do many ordinary things, that we take for granted, like dressing ourselves, because he had only one functioning limb. Yet he still continued to serve the Lord! Shouldn't we do the same? Looking at the next phrase in verse 10, we see that they asked Him saying, Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath days? The they referred to here is the Pharisees. If you will remember, the Pharisees were the ones accusing Jesus' disciples of plucking corn on the Sabbath and eating it. They followed Jesus to the synagogue and looked for other ways that they might accuse Him (as seen by the last part of verse 10). Folks, it is quite possible that this was a trap laid by the Pharisees. They were hoping to catch Jesus by asking Him if is was lawful to heal on the Sabbath. Jesus had already answered their accusations, yet they refused to accept it. Aren't we like that today? I hear all the time people saying that they prayed about something, yet God didn't answer their prayer. If they were praying for the right things, then God answered their prayers, but they just refused to accept it. It was the same way with the Pharisees! Jesus had already given them the answer, yet they were still seeking an answer. Folks, when God answers us, we need to accept the answer and move on. He knows what is best for us and we need to accept that fact and move on. Do we?
In verse 11, Jesus again answers their accusations, but in a different way. This time He uses an animal as an example. The example is of a shepherd. If a man had one sheep, and it fell into a hole on the Sabbath, would that man allow that sheep to stay their until the next day, or would he go and rescue it? Now you have to realize that sheep were an important commodity in those days. They used sheep for all sorts of things, including food and clothing. While one sheep may not have provided much wool for a lot of clothes, it was still a part of the family, much like a dog or cat is a part of our family. So the owner of this one sheep would have placed a great value on this one animal. And if this one animal fell into a deep hole, they would have rescued it, no matter what day of the week it was. In the Old Testament Law, there is a provision for rescuing an animal on the Sabbath. You are allowed to, as long as you don't put that same animal in there on purpose. The Pharisees knew this, yet once again they wanted to overlook the spirit of the Law and just obey the letter of the Law. Are we like that? Do we want to overlook what Jesus said for us to do?
As we look at the first part of verse 12, Jesus continues His answer to the Pharisees accusation. How much then is a man better than a sheep? If we were to put this in modern English, it would read How much more is a man worth than an animal? There are people in this world today who think that an animal is more valuable than a human. These people are wrong! Folks, mankind is God's greatest creation, and as such, He places a high value upon human life. Let me try and explain. During creation God created less complex lifeforms first, (the fish and the birds), then more complex lifeforms (rest of the animals), then mankind. As you can see, God progressed from the less complex to the more complex. And since mankind is God's greatest creation, He values us above the rest of creation. Let's look at this another way too. What other animal or bird that God created has a soul other than man? NONE! What other animal or bird will live on throughout eternity? NONE! Folks, Jesus gave His life for mankind, not animals, therefore mankind is more valuable than any animal. In the last part of verse 12 Jesus says Wherefore it is lawful to do well on the Sabbath days. In this phrase the word well could also be translated as good. So what Jesus is saying is that it is okay under the Law to do good on the Sabbath days.
In verse 13 Jesus told the man to stretch forth his hand, and when he did it was whole. I believe that this man who had a withered hand had it hid, possibly because he was ashamed of it, and it was healed when he showed it to others. This withered hand was healed in the blink of an eye! Folks, no one, other than the God of the universe, could have done this. As I thought on this, and realized how amazing this was, I was reminded of a fact that I have known for a long time. Every one of the miracles that Jesus performed were meant to teach us something or is a picture of something. So what does this miracle teach us? I believe that this miracle is a picture of salvation. This man had to do no works, or be baptized, or anything else, for Jesus to heal him. He simply had to trust in Jesus. When this man trusted Jesus to heal his hand, by stretching it out, it is a picture of someone trusting in Jesus for salvation. When Jesus healed it, in less time than it takes for someone to blink, it is a picture of the speed in which Jesus saves someone. It is instantaneous. And this mans hand was healed forever, so that is a picture of salvation for all eternity. Do you see the picture Jesus has painted for us?
In verse 14 the Pharisees left Jesus and held a council to figure out how they could destroy Him. I believe that the Pharisees were so mad that Jesus had proved them wrong that they decided to find a way to have Him removed. There are people like this today! When they are presented with the truth, they get mad, and look for some way to pervert that truth. They look for some way to say that Jesus isn't powerful enough to keep them saved for all eternity. They look for a way to say that they have to "help" Jesus save them, and a host of other things. Folks, Jesus is God, and as such, He doesn't need our help to save us, nor to keep us saved. He is all you will ever need! Have you trusted in Him?
Today we have seen Jesus foil another trap laid by the Pharisees. We have seen how He answered them, and the miracle that followed. We have seen how this miracle is a picture of salvation by grace through faith. We have also seen how that some reject Jesus. My question to you today is simple. Have you trusted in Jesus like the man with the withered hand? Or have you rejected Him like the Pharisees? Each one of us has to make a decision about this in our life. I pray you make the right decision.
|
|
|
Post by broncbuster2 on Oct 31, 2009 14:55:13 GMT -5
I am glad that you made it back, Thank you for the sermon
|
|
Bro. Freddie
4 Pointer
Missionary Baptist Minister
Posts: 184
|
Post by Bro. Freddie on Nov 1, 2009 5:52:09 GMT -5
Matthew 12:15-21 (King James Version)
15. But when Jesus knew it, he withdrew himself from thence: and great multitudes followed him, and he healed them all; 16. And charged them that they should not make him known: 17. That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, 18. 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. 19. He shall not strive, nor cry; neither shall any man hear his voice in the streets. 20. A bruised reed shall he not break, and smoking flax shall he not quench, till he send forth judgment unto victory. 21. And in his name shall the Gentiles trust.
If you will recall, last time we looked at the miracle of Jesus healing the withered hand of a man. We saw how the Pharisees were mad that Jesus had foiled their plan to trap Him, and that they went out and plotted how to destroy Him. We are now going to look at what happened after this miracle and try to learn what the Scriptures teach. My prayer each time someone reads this is that they will learn and grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord.
In verse 15 the first thing I want us to look at is the phrase But when Jesus knew it. Now remember, Jesus had answered the Pharisees accusations about healing on the Sabbath and they left Him and plotted on how they might destroy Him. The word it is referring to the Pharisees plotting against Jesus. The word knew is referring to Jesus learning of this scheme, or of Him hearing about it. Why would Matthew record that Jesus had to hear of this scheme? Jesus is God, and being God, He knows everything, so why did Matthew write that He had to learn or hear of it? As I thought on this, I remembered how Matthew portrayed Jesus throughout his writing. It was as the King of Kings! When there is a plot to overthrow a king, usually someone loyal to that king informs him of it. I think that is what happened here. There was some in the hierarchy of Israel that were loyal to Jesus and they informed Him that the Pharisees as a whole were bent on destroying Him. Did Jesus need anyone to tell Him though? NO! He knew the Pharisees were determined to destroy Him before He ever came to earth, but He gave someone an opportunity to show their love for Him. He gives us the same opportunity everyday. We have the opportunity to show our love for Him by telling others about Him. Do we? The next thing we need to look at is the phrase He withdrew Himself from thence. This is simply the Old English way of saying that Jesus removed Himself from the area where the Pharisees were plotting against Him. The reason that Jesus left that area is because it was not yet time for Him to give His life on the cross. See, God has a perfect time for everything, and His timing isn't the same as ours. The perfect time for Jesus to give His life as a sacrifice for us was not here yet. Therefore He left the area to continue His ministry and wait until the time was right. The last part of verse 15 says that great multitudes followed Him, and He healed them all. Most of the time we tend to think that it was just Jesus and the twelve apostles walking around the countryside of Israel. But that simply isn't true. Almost all of the time there was a large crowd following Jesus. And that is the way it was this time too. A large crowd followed Jesus at this time and He healed them all. I want us to consider this miraculous event for just a moment. There was a large number of people following Jesus, possibly as many as 5,000, and He healed them all. There is no limit to the power of Jesus!
In verse 16, Jesus charged (told) the people that they should not make Him known. In other words, He told the people to not go out and tell others about His healing of them. Why? I believe it was because He didn't want His ministry to become a circus. Jesus came to Earth to do the most important job of all time. He came to Earth to be the sacrificial lamb for mankind. He didn't want anything to distract from that fact.
In verse 17 Matthew tells us that all that Jesus did was prophesied by the prophet Esaias. Esaias is another way to spell and pronounce Isaiah. The prophecy that Matthew is telling us that was fulfilled is from Isaiah chapter 42. One thing to keep in mind is that Isaiah prophecy was about 700 to 800 years before Jesus, yet they are almost word for word. Let's look at these in detail.
Verse 18 is from Isaiah 42:1. In the first part of this verse Isaiah wrote Behold my servant, whom I uphold while Matthew quoted Behold my servant, whom I have chosen. Is there a difference? NO! The words uphold and chosen mean exactly the same thing. These words signify to take with the thought that what is taken is eligible or suitable. In other words, Jesus is the servant spoken of, and He is suitable for the task before Him, which is the perfect sacrifice for mankind's sins. Why was He suitable? Because He was God in human flesh! Folks, Jesus was, and still is, the only One who could have lived the perfect life, and be the perfect sacrifice for our sins. In the second part of verse 18, Isaiah wrote mine elect, in whom my soul delighteth and Matthew wrote my beloved, in whom my soul is well pleased. Again, there is no difference in these phrases. Elect and beloved are the same thing as is delighteth and well pleased. Jesus was the beloved spoken of here and God the Father was well pleased with Him. Why was God the Father pleased with God the Son? Because He did the will of the Father! It was the Fathers will that Jesus live a perfect life and die for our sins, and He did. He did what the Father wanted Him to do. In the next part of verse 18 Matthew wrote I will put my spirit upon Him and Isaiah wrote I have put my spirit upon Him. Is there any difference? NO! Matthew quoted Isaiah as saying that the spirit of God would be upon Him (Jesus) in the future, as seen by the usage of the word will, while Isaiah wrote that the spirit of God was upon Him (Jesus) already, as seen by the word have. And both are accurate! The Spirit of God, meaning the Holy Spirit, is part of the triune aspect of God. There is God the Father (God), God the Son (Jesus), and God the Holy Spirit (or Holy Ghost). Each of these aspects of God are separate, yet they are One. So the Spirit of God, the Holy Spirit, was upon Jesus before He came to earth, and it was also upon Him while He was here on earth. In the last part of verse 18 Matthew wrote that he shall shew judgment to the Gentiles while Isaiah wrote he shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles. Do you see any difference? NO! Both men used the future tense in the words bring forth and shew. The word judgment denotes a separating or a decision of divine nature. The word Gentile is actually the word for nations. Jesus will show judgment unto all nations because He is the King of Kings!
In verse 19, Matthew again quotes from Isaiah 42, but this time it is from verse 2. Isaiah wrote He shall not cry, nor lift up, nor cause His voice to be heard in the street. Matthew wrote He shall not strive, nor cry; neither shall any man hear his voice in the streets. See any difference? NO! These verses are identical! As I thought on this, I realized that there are 2 ways this verse can be looked at, and we need to look at both. 1. This verse can be viewed as how humble Jesus was. He never proclaimed in the streets how righteous He was, like the Pharisees, yet He was more righteous than anyone has ever been. He preached to the people, yet He never proclaimed in the streets like others. 2. This was also a prophecy about His crucifixion. Before Jesus was led down the streets of Jerusalem, carrying the cross, He was beaten beyond all recognition. He was not even recognizable as a man. The cross was made of rough wood, meaning not smooth, and the splinters from that cross had to be digging into His back. Yet, He complained not. He was spit upon in the streets, yet He never said a word. I believe the 2 thieves who were crucified that same day were either cursing the people or begging for mercy, but not Jesus. He went to Calvary as meek as a lamb.
Verse 20 is a direct quote from the first part of Isaiah 42:3. It is exactly word for word. I had trouble understanding this part of Isaiah's prophecy, until I talked to another preacher friend of mine. He had just translated this part of Isaiah from the original Chaldean it was written in, and after talking with him, I finally understood what Isaiah was talking about. Folks, this is a prophecy about Jesus' character during His earthly ministry! Let's break these down into parts that we may better understand it. A bruised reed shall He not break. To get this straight in my mind, I had to think of a type of reed that grows locally. I thought of a bamboo reed, or as we call it in Arkansas, a cane pole. We use these reeds here for different things, like fishing poles, or poles for staking bean in the garden. These poles are fairly strong, unless you harm them in the space between the joints, then they are weak in that area and will bend and break. Now compare these cane poles to people. All of us are weak in certain areas of our lives. We have all been hurt in some way or the other. Jesus, who was God in human flesh, could have ignored those who came to Him hurting, but He didn't. He showed mercy! Smoking flax shall He not quench. Flax was the bark of a plant that was grown to produce linen, a cloth. It was twisted, beaten to a pulp, bleached, and woven to produce this cloth. In the raw state, before it was beaten and bleached, it was used to make candle wicks. Now I am sure you have all seen a candle that has almost been snuffed out. It puts off a smoke, and very little flame. It has almost been extinguished. It is the same way with some people! They have been through trials and tribulations in their life and they have almost given up hope. Jesus never extinguished these people. He gave them hope! The last part of verse 20 is a prophecy of the end times. Till He send forth judgment unto victory is referring to the time when Jesus comes back for His children. Let me try and explain. Jesus is still showing mercy and giving people hope today just like He did when He walked upon this earth. He will continue to show these attributes to people until the final battle between Him and Satan. Jesus wins, which is the victory spoken of, and then He shall judge those who have not trusted in Him. This is the Great White Throne judgment where those who have not trusted in Him as Savior will be cast in the lake of fire and brimstone.
Verse 21 refers to Isaiah 42:4 although it is not a quote. The Holy Spirit led Matthew to write a condensed version of Isaiah 42:4. But it still means the same thing! And in His name shall the Gentiles trust. Remember, most times the word Gentiles can be translated nations. In the name of Jesus shall the nations trust. Folks, there is only One name whereby men may be saved and that name is JESUS. He is the ONLY One who has lived a perfect life, the ONLY One who gave His life for you, and He is the ONLY One who can save you. There is no other way to salvation!
Today we have seen a prophecy fulfilled that was over 700 years old. We have seen Isaiah's prophecy about the character of Jesus, while He was on the road to Calvary, and during His personal ministry. We have also seen that Jesus is the ONLY Saviour for mankind. My question to you is simple. Have you trusted in Him to save you?
|
|
Bro. Freddie
4 Pointer
Missionary Baptist Minister
Posts: 184
|
Post by Bro. Freddie on Jan 31, 2010 6:32:44 GMT -5
Matthew 12:22-24 (King James Version)
22. 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. 23. And all the people were amazed, and said, Is not this the Son of David? 24. But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, This fellow doth not cast out devils, but by Beelzebub the prince of the devils.
If you will recall, last time we looked at a fulfillment of prophecy concerning Jesus that was spoken by Isaiah more than 700 years earlier. We saw how Isaiah had prophesied about Jesus' character and His fulfillment of that prophecy. Today, we are going to look at a miracle that Jesus performed and the beginning of a short sermon, or lesson, that Jesus tried to teach the Pharisees.
In verse 22, the first thing we need to look at is the word then. This word is a logical indicator and tells me that what happens next followed an earlier event. To find the earlier event, we have to go all the way back to verses 15 and 16 in this chapter. In those verses Jesus healed all the people that were following Him and then told them that they should not tell others about His miracles. I believe this was to fulfill prophecy and it was to keep Jesus' ministry from becoming a circus. The next thing we need to look at is what happened. Someone, or a group of people, brought unto Jesus a man. This man was possessed with a devil and this devil had made this man dumb, or without speech. This man was also blind. Now I'm not sure what caused this man's blindness. It could have been from birth, or from an accident. The Scriptures don't tell us. I don't think this man's blindness was from demon possession. The way Matthew recorded this event leads me to this conclusion. This is also recorded in Luke 11, and Luke doesn't mention blindness, just that the man could not speak due to the demon. Let's look at this verse in a little more detail. This man was brought unto Jesus. If you will recall, back in Matthew chapter 8, we saw two men who were possessed with demons. We saw how they were exceedingly strong, able to break ropes that were used to bind them. They were also very violent, not letting anyone near them. These were just two of the traits we noticed in that passage. Now I don't know a lot about demon possession, and I don't know if this man was like the ones we noticed earlier. But if he was, just think about the ones who brought him to Jesus. He had to have been tied up with very strong ropes or even chains, and was hard to control. I believe that the demon inside this man knew where they were going, and did everything in his power to stop it. But this man's friends prevailed and brought him to Jesus. Folks, that is love in one of it's purest forms. They loved this man so much that they were willing to risk physical harm to bring Him to the One who could do something about his condition. Jesus healed him. This is significant to me because of the way Matthew recorded it. There was no elaborate ceremony or anything like that. While the Scriptures don't say exactly, I believe that Jesus either spoke, or simply touched this man, and the demon left him, and his sight was restored. Folks, Jesus performed two miracles either by speaking or by simply touching this man! He cast out the demon, which allowed this man to speak again, and He cured his blindness, all at the same time. What a miracle! The blind and dumb both spake and saw. This is important because of one little fact that a lot of people tend to overlook. When Jesus healed this man, He didn't just take care of one of his problems, He took care of all of his problems. Brethren, Jesus doesn't do anything half-way. He does everything totally and completely! This miracle is a picture of salvation. When Jesus saves someone, it is total and complete. There is nothing else that needs to be done. Some people believe that you have to live a good enough life to be saved, or that you have to "keep" yourself saved by some means or another. There is nothing further from the truth! Just like when Jesus healed this man, totally and completely, when He saved me, it was total and complete.
In verse 23 we find that all the people were amazed at what had just happened. As I thought on this, at first I wondered why the people were amazed. Jesus is God in human flesh, and being God, He can do anything He wants to do. But as I looked further in this verse I realized that these people didn't know Jesus. They were amazed because they didn't realize that Jesus was God. They were looking for a Saviour, but not the Saviour like you and I think of. They were looking for someone to remove them from Roman bondage and restore Israel to it's former glory. In the latter part of verse 23 the people were asking a question among themselves. They asked Is not this the Son of David? These people knew that it was prophesied that a King would come, and that He would be of the lineage of David, but like I stated earlier, they were looking for a Deliverer, not a Saviour. In Acts chapter 5 there is a record of two men who claimed to be the Messiah, Theudas and Judas of Galilee. Both of these men had a lot of followers and both claimed to be the promised Messiah. Folks, I believe that these two men had confused the people. They were claiming to be something that they were not and were destroyed and their followers scattered. Since the people were confused by these two men, it is only logical to assume that they were taking the attitude of waiting and watching to see if Jesus was indeed the Messiah. Folks, Jesus is the Messiah! There is no doubt about it!
In verse 24 we again see the Pharisees casting doubt upon Jesus. They claimed that Jesus could only cast out these demons because He was a demon Himself and was working for the prince of demons, Beelzebub. Before we go any further, I need to make one thing clear. The people mentioned in the previous verse and the Pharisees mentioned in this verse were two totally different groups. The people were like you and I, just normal working people, while the Pharisees were the religious leaders of Israel. So looking back at our verse, we see that the religious leaders of Israel were trying to say that Jesus was a devil and was working for the prince of all the devils. These men, who were supposed to know the prophecies concerning the coming Messiah, ignored all the prophecy being fulfilled right before their eyes. They were teaching a perverted version of the Law of God and Jesus was teaching the true version of the Law. Folks, the same thing is happening today. People are teaching that God is love, which He is, but they are failing to teach that God is also a just God and that judgment is coming. People are teaching a perverted version of salvation, when in fact it is simple and to the point. Are you like Jesus or are you like the Pharisees?
Today we have seen a great miracle performed by Jesus. We have seen how it is a picture of salvation by being total and complete. We have also noticed how the people were confused, yet the Pharisees were not trying to clarify the situation, but instead was making it worse by casting doubts upon Jesus as promised Messiah. My question to you today is simple. Who do you believe that Jesus is? Do you believe that He is the Messiah that was promised? Or do you believe that He was just a good man?
|
|
|
Post by broncbuster2 on Jan 31, 2010 13:21:01 GMT -5
Thank you Bro freddie I was going to ask today if you was going to be able to get another one out soon
|
|
Bro. Freddie
4 Pointer
Missionary Baptist Minister
Posts: 184
|
Post by Bro. Freddie on Feb 7, 2010 5:34:36 GMT -5
Matthew 12:25-28 (King James Version)
25. 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: 26. And if Satan cast out Satan, he is divided against himself; how shall then his kingdom stand? 27. And if I by Beelzebub cast out devils, by whom do your children cast them out? therefore they shall be your judges. 28. But if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God is come unto you.
If you will remember, last time we looked at a miracle Jesus performed. He cast out a demon from a man, and also healed him of his blindness all at the same time. The people of the land were starting to believe that Jesus was indeed the promised Messiah, and then the Pharisees started putting doubt in their minds. The Pharisees claimed that Jesus was of Satan, and by Satan's power was able to cast these demons out. Today we are going to begin to look at Jesus' answer to their accusations.
In verse 25 the first thing we need to look at is the phrase And Jesus knew their thoughts. This is referring back to verse 24 when the Pharisees had heard about Jesus casting out the demon from a man who was possessed. The more I think about this the more I am convinced that there is a time lapse here between verse 24 and verse 25. In verse 24, the Pharisees heard about Jesus healing the man possessed by a demon, yet here in verse 25 Jesus knows their thoughts and responds. I think there is a time lapse of a day or so here just from the way the Scriptures read. I "think" that the Pharisees had heard of this miracle, and they came to Jesus. Jesus, knowing their thoughts, responded to them in the following manner. In the next part of verse 25, Jesus begins His response. Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation. The word desolation is defined as to make desolate or lay waste. So what Jesus is saying is that every kingdom that is divided against itself is laid waste, or we might say, brought to ruin. As I thought on this part of verse 25, I remembered the nation of Israel. During the reigns of both David and Solomon, Israel was the most powerful nation on earth. They were what we would call today a super-power. But, because of David's and Solomon's sins, 10 tribes were taken away from Solomon and given to Jeroboam. After Solomon's death, when his son Rehoboam reigned, there was civil war between Rehoboam and Jeroboam. Israel was divided and was never a world super-power again. Through the remainder of the period of kings, Israel and Judah were never as strong as they could have been because they were divided and were eventually destroyed. In the last part of verse 25, Jesus said that every city or house divided against itself shall not stand. This is the same concept as looked at in the previous paragraph, but just brought down to a more personal level.
In verse 26 Jesus asks a question of the Pharisees who were saying that He was of Satan. If Satan cast out Satan, he is divided against himself; how shall then his kingdom stand? In other words, if Satan cast himself out of someone who was demon possessed then he cast himself out. In that instance he is divided and is therefore not as powerful as he would be and therefore his kingdom would be very weak and unable to stand. Folks, with this one question Jesus refuted the claims of the Pharisees that He was of Satan and He used clear and concise logic to do so.
Looking now at verse 27, Jesus again asks a question to make the people think. If I by Beelzebub cast out devils, by whom do your children cast them out? From what little I know of the time that Jesus lived in, I think that the Pharisees had claimed to have cast out demons. And when they claimed this, they bragged about it, therefore it was common knowledge. If Jesus cast out demons by the power of Beelzebub (another name for Satan), then when the Pharisees cast out demons, then by whose power or authority did they cast out the demons? Wouldn't it stand to reason that they were casting out demons by the power of Satan also? YES! Folks, the Pharisees were wanting to have their cake and eat it too. They were wanting to say that they cast out demons by the power of God, yet Jesus, who was the Son of God, was casting out demons by the power of Satan. You can't have it both ways! In the last part of verse 27 Jesus said therefore they shall be your judges. The word judges is defined as those whose conduct provides a standard of "judging". To put it in terms we might better understand, Jesus is saying that the children, or followers, would be the standard by which the Pharisees would be judged on this matter. Now, this is NOT talking about the Judgment Seat of Christ or the Great White Throne Judgment. Jesus is simply saying if the followers of the Pharisees cast out demons they had to have learned how to do it from someone. And if the Pharisees had cast out demons, by whose power was it? Was it of the power of God or by the power of Satan? As I thought on this, I begin to think about how the Pharisees felt when Jesus asked them these questions. Don't you think it would have made them furious to know that Jesus was accusing them of being of Satan just like they accused Him? They were supposed to be the religious leaders of that day, yet Jesus said that if He cast out demons by the power of Satan then they were doing it too. I believe it made them furious to be compared to Satan.
As we look now at verse 28, Jesus said, But if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God is come unto you. The logical indicator but tells me that what follows is exactly opposite of what precedes. What precedes? The casting out of demons by the power of Satan! What follows? The casting out of demons by the power of the Spirit of God! Folks, the power of God is directly opposite to the power of Satan. God is good while Satan is evil. God is love while Satan is hate. God is truth while Satan is the father of lies. What Jesus is saying is that if He cast out demons by the power of God, then He was God in human flesh, and those that doubted this fact needed to wake up and realize it. Jesus was stating beyond a shadow of a doubt that He was God and that there was no denying the fact of the matter.
Today we have seen Jesus' answer to the Pharisees accusation that He was of Satan. He used logic and common sense. My question to you is simple Who do you say Jesus is? Is He the Son of the living God? Or do you say He was just a good man, or a mighty prophet? If you say He was the latter, then you are saying that He is NOT the Son of God and in fact is of Satan. Who do you say Jesus is?
|
|
Bro. Freddie
4 Pointer
Missionary Baptist Minister
Posts: 184
|
Post by Bro. Freddie on Feb 14, 2010 5:36:23 GMT -5
Matthew 12:29, 30 (King James Version)
29. 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. 30. He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad.
By way of introduction we will do a short review as usual. If you will recall we begin to look at Jesus' response concerning the Pharisees accusation that Jesus was casting out demons by the power of Satan. Jesus asked the Pharisees by what power they cast out demons and then gave them a hypothetical situation. Today, we are going to look at some more of Jesus' answer and see what He would have us to learn.
In verse 29 the first thing we need to notice is the word or. This is another logical indicator that tells us that this is another hypothetical question. This question is designed to make the Pharisees, and us, think. As we look further in verse 29, we see a couple of words that we need to identify. Each of these words are in Old English and we don't use them much anymore. The word strong could also be translated mighty or powerful. It could also mean wealthy. Just like today, people equated wealth with power. The word spoil means to take or plunder. The word goods means possessions.The word bind basically means to tie up. So to put it in a way we can understand, Jesus was asking the Pharisees that if a person broke into a wealthy mans house wouldn't it be common sense to first tie up the owner of the house before they tried to rob him. YES! Folks, this is not rocket science so don't try to make it harder than it is. Jesus is asking the Pharisees a simple question in which the only response can be in the affirmative.
In verse 30 we need to look at the entire first part of this verse. He that is not with me is against me. I can put it no simpler than Jesus did. If you are not with (for) Jesus, then you are against (not for) Him. As I sat and thought on what to say about this verse, I realized that there is not a whole lot I can say. This is plain and simple. If you are not a child of Jesus, then you are a child of Satan. There is no middle ground! You have to be on one side of the fence or the other. Whose side are you on? In the latter part of verse 30, Jesus said he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad. Jesus used an analogy here about everyday things that people would understand. At first, when I started studying this, I thought that He was using the analogy of a farmer, but as I thought on this I realized that I was wrong. Jesus is using the analogy of a shepherd! When a shepherd wants all his sheep in a certain area, he gathers them together. When someone (like a thief), or something (like a wolf), wants to take a sheep from the herd, they scatter them so that the sheep are not all together, making it easier to pick one off. Gathering together is exactly the opposite of scattering abroad! This is just another way of saying that if you are not on Jesus' side, then you are against Him. Whose side are you on?
In conclusion, today we have seen Jesus ask the Pharisees, and us today, a simple question in response to their accusation that He used the power of Satan to cast out demons. We have also seen Jesus make the statement that if you are not on His side then you are on Satan's. My question to you is simple. Whose side are you on? Are you on Jesus'? Or are you on Satan's?
|
|
Bro. Freddie
4 Pointer
Missionary Baptist Minister
Posts: 184
|
Post by Bro. Freddie on Feb 21, 2010 5:04:06 GMT -5
Matthew 12:31, 32 (King James Version)
31. 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. 32. 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.
If you will recall, we have been looking at the response given by Jesus unto the Pharisees concerning His casting out of demons. The Pharisees were trying to cast doubts upon Jesus' ministry by saying He was casting out demons through the power of Satan, not by the power of God. Last time we saw how Jesus used a hypothetical situation of a thief breaking into a wealthy man's house to prove His point that He was indeed the Son of God. Jesus also said that if you were not with Him then you were against Him. Today, we are going to look at a couple more verses in his response that are often misunderstood and see if we can understand these verses properly.
The first thing we need to look at in verse 31 is the word wherefore. This word is a logical indicator and is interchangeable with the word therefore. Both of these words points us to a conclusion. So, Jesus is starting to give His conclusion to the Pharisee's accusations. The next thing we need to look at is the phrase I say unto you. Here Jesus is stressing that He is indeed the One doing the speaking and that what He says is true. Jesus wanted the people to know that what He was going to say next was of the utmost importance. The next thing we need to look at is the phrase all manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men. Sin is defined as missing the mark. "The mark" I'm speaking of is that perfect condition set by God. The word blasphemy is the evil speaking of or the railing against God. So in fact what Jesus is saying is that everyone, no matter who, and no matter what the sin, can experience forgiveness. In the next part of our verse, we see the logical indicator but. This tells me that what follows is opposite of what preceded. The word blasphemy is the same as earlier in this verse and means an evil speaking of or railing against. So as we tie this entire verse together we see that Jesus said that all sin will be forgiven except the evil speaking of against the Holy Spirit. I have heard people ask what is the unforgivable sin? and this right here answers that question. Some have even asked what blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is and that too is easy to answer. One of the primary jobs of the Holy Spirit is to convict men of their sins. When the Holy Spirit convicts a person of their sins, and tells them that they need a Saviour, and that person rejects the conviction of the Holy Spirit, that is in fact railing against or speaking evil of the Holy Spirit. Folks, the ONLY sin that won't be forgiven man is the rejection of the Holy Spirit! When a person rejects the Holy Spirit, they are in fact saying that they don't need a Saviour. When a person dies in that condition, they are forever lost and will spend eternity in the lake of fire and brimstone. There are no second chances after this life!
In verse 32 Jesus goes into a little more detail on this subject. Whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man , it shall be forgiven him. The phrase Son of man is referring to Jesus, so what Jesus is saying is that whoever speaks evil against Him, it would be forgiven unto him. I believe that when Jesus mentioned the words speaketh a word against the Son of man He was meaning all manner of evil communications. He could have meant speaking evil, telling tales (rumors or lies), or outright cursing Him. What ever it was, it would be forgiven. More on this in a moment. In the last part of verse 32 Jesus said, but whosoever speaketh evil against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come. Again, we see the logical indicator but which tells us that what follows is opposite of what precedes. What precedes? Forgiveness! What follows? Non-forgiveness! Folks, I can't stress this enough. When you speak evil of the Holy Ghost, or Holy Spirit, you are dooming yourself to spending eternity in torment. As I thought on this subject, I asked myself a question. Why would speaking evil of the Holy Spirit be worse than speaking evil of God or Jesus? They are the same, meaning the three different aspects of God, so why would speaking evil of One be worse than speaking evil of the other two aspects? As I thought on this, I remembered the work of the Holy Spirit. One of the jobs of the Holy Spirit is to convict the lost of their sinful condition and convict them that they need a Saviour. These lost people have probably spoken evil against Jesus and God because they didn't know any better. They didn't know it was a sin! But when the Holy Spirit convicts them of their sin, and they reject Him, they are in fact saying that they don't need a Saviour. This is speaking evil! When a person rejects the conviction of the Holy Spirit, they are rejecting Jesus, and when a person does that, they are choosing to spend eternity in the lake of fire and brimstone. The ONLY unforgivable sin is the continuous rejection of the Holy Spirit!
Today we have seen what mankind calls the unforgivable sin, the rejection of the convicting power of the Holy Spirit. We have seen that speaking evil words against God or Jesus will be forgiven, but speaking evil against the Holy Spirit will not. My question to you today is this: Have you rejected the previous conviction of the Holy Spirit? If so, I urge you to accept His conviction and turn to Jesus before it is too late. The Bible teaches that God's Spirit, meaning the Holy Spirit, will not always be with, or convict, man. You never know when the Holy Spirit will quit convicting you. Please accept Jesus before it is too late.
|
|
Bro. Freddie
4 Pointer
Missionary Baptist Minister
Posts: 184
|
Post by Bro. Freddie on Feb 28, 2010 5:44:08 GMT -5
Matthew 12:33-35 (King James Version)
33. 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. 34. O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh. 35. 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.
If you will recall, we have been studying Jesus' answer to the accusations by the Pharisees of His casting out of demons. They said He cast out these demons by the power of Satan and not by the power of God. Today we are going to look at the continuation of His answer and try to learn what He would have us to learn.
In the first part of verse 33 Jesus said Either make the tree good, and his fruit good. Don't try to make this harder than it is. Jesus is using an example of a tree in an orchard to make a point. The word either simply means an option or to make a choice. This also tells us that this is the first choice of at least two options. You can do one or the other but you can't do both is the gist of what Jesus is saying by using this word. The word good describes the type of fruit the tree is producing. Good fruit from this tree is fruit that is edible and is nourishing. The word make is indicative of doing something to help this tree. It could be either fertilizing it, or giving it other nutrients, or pruning it back, or whatever. It was something that someone did to help this tree to produce good fruit. In the middle of this verse Jesus said or else make the tree corrupt, and his fruit corrupt. The words or else tell us that this is the second choice of two options. The word corrupt means evil or bad. It is used to describe the fruit of this tree which means that this fruit is not worth consuming. This fruit could be bitter or sour or any other number of things. It is simply bad fruit. The word make is the same as in the first part of this verse, yet here it describes the actions of someone who doesn't help the tree produce good fruit. In the last part of this verse Jesus said for the tree is known by his fruit. When I was growing up, my family moved to a house that had an apple tree on it's property. It had never been taken care of and didn't produce good fruit. It was common knowledge in my family that the fruit produced by this apple tree wasn't fit for human consumption. This tree was good for nothing other than firewood. It was known by it's fruit! Now that we have looked at the individual parts of this verse, let's tie it all together. Jesus is making an analogy between a tree and the Pharisees. Remember, the Pharisees had accused Jesus of casting out demons by the power of Satan. Jesus answered by saying that if He cast out demons by the power of Satan, then so did they. This is a continuation of that thought! A person can't have it both ways. The fruit of a tree will either be good or bad, it won't be both! It is the same way in our life. Either you will be a servant of Jesus or you will be a servant of Satan. You will either be for Him or against Him. You have to make a choice! And you will be known by the fruit that you produce! You will either be known by your actions whether you are a child of God or a child of Satan. By what fruit are you known?
In the first part of verse 34 Jesus calls the Pharisees a generation of vipers. The word vipers is basically a generic term for poisonous snake and since Jesus used the plural form of this word, He is referring to more than one person. After a little research I found out that it is impossible to identify the exact species of snake that Jesus was referring to. And it doesn't matter! What Jesus is referring to is not the exact snake species, but the characteristics of a snake. Think for a moment if you will, about a snake. Down through history, they have been portrayed as evil, ever since Satan used one in the Garden of Eden. They are often times poisonous, striking fear into the heart of man. They hide and strike without warning, injecting their prey with their poison. This is just a few of the attributes of a snake. And Jesus was comparing the Pharisees to one! That's because the Pharisees were the same way! They waited for their victims (the people), injecting their brand of poison (a perverted version of the Law) into them, striking without warning. They struck fear into the hearts of the people because of the power they wielded. Folks, we have vipers in among us today. They are just like the Pharisees, teaching a perverted version of the Gospel, striking fear into the hearts of people because of their power. If someone doesn't teach the ENTIRE Gospel, both Old and New Testament, they are teaching a perverted version of God's Word. Do you know anyone like this? In the next part of verse 34, Jesus asks the Pharisees a question but He also condemns them at the same time. How can ye, being evil, speak good things? Again, Jesus calls the Pharisees evil, one of the characteristics of a snake. The word evil and the word good are exactly opposite of each other. Jesus is in essence asking the Pharisees how they can talk of good things when they are evil. Don't you know it had to really burn the Pharisees up to have Jesus call them evil? They thought they were holy and righteous when in fact they were just the opposite. Folks, one day there is going to be a big surprise to a lot of people. These people are going to stand before the Lord and say that they have cast out demons in His name and many other wondrous works yet they will hear the words Depart from me, ye workers of iniquity, for I never knew ye. There is only one way a person can speak of good things and that is through the shed blood of Jesus Christ. Have you asked Jesus to be your Saviour? In the last part of verse 34 Jesus said for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh. Brethren, this is simple. What is in a man's heart is what he will speak of. If there is hate in his heart, he will speak of hate. If there is love in his heart, he will speak of love. What is in your heart today?
In verse 35 the word treasure, both instances, is metaphorically speaking of a storehouse where treasures are stored. So if we were to put this in a way we might understand it better, we might say that out of the storehouse of his heart, a good man will bring forth good things. And it is directly opposite concerning an evil man's heart. Folks this is not rocket science so please don't make it more than it is. Jesus is simply saying that what is in your heart is what kind of fruit you will bear. If good things are in your heart, you will produce good fruit. If evil things are in your heart you will bring forth evil fruit.
Today we have seen Jesus use the example of a tree to make His point concerning where His power came from. We have also seen that what is in the heart of a man is what will come out of the man. Is your heart evil or good? There is only one way to have a good heart, and that is by trusting in Jesus as your Saviour. Have you trusted in Him for your salvation?
|
|
|
Post by broncbuster2 on Feb 28, 2010 19:11:14 GMT -5
I see this day in and day out, "Jesus is simply saying that what is in your heart is what kind of fruit you will bear. If good things are in your heart, you will produce good fruit. If evil things are in your heart you will bring forth evil fruit. " Thank you bro freddie, your messages are always my first read.
|
|
Bro. Freddie
4 Pointer
Missionary Baptist Minister
Posts: 184
|
Post by Bro. Freddie on Mar 7, 2010 5:45:21 GMT -5
Matthew 12:36, 37 (King James Version)
36. But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. 37. For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.
If you will remember, last time we looked at part of the response given by Jesus to the Pharisees concerning His casting out of demons. The Pharisees were trying to cast doubt on Jesus' ministry by saying that He was casting out these demons by the power of Satan. Jesus has refuted their claims totally and completely and is wrapping up His response. Today, we are going to look at the last part of His response and see what the Lord would have us to learn. I pray that you learn as much as I do as I study and write this.
The first thing we need to look at is the word but. Now I know we have gone over this time and time again, but it never hurts to repeat something when we are studying the Scriptures. The word but is a logical indicator that tells me what follows is opposite of what precedes. It can also refer to a continuation of a thought that has more detail. I believe that this continuation of thought in more detail is what Jesus is driving at. What precedes? Works of the heart! What follows? Idle words! More on this in a moment. The next thing we need to look at is the phrase I say unto you. This is just the way Jesus used to say that what He was going to say next was of the utmost importance. Now I am not saying that everything that Jesus said wasn't important because it was. What I am saying is that Jesus was essentially saying for us to open up our ears and pay attention because this was very important. The word idle is the Greek word argos and is defined as inactive, unfruitful, or barren. In this verse it is used metaphorically in the sense of ineffective or worthless. The word account means a reckoning and the phrase day of judgment refers to either the Judgment Seat of Christ or the Great White Throne Judgment. Now that we have defined our words, let's tie it all together. And the best way to do that is to start at the end of this verse and work our way back toward the beginning. One of these days, every human ever born or conceived will stand before Jesus. The saved will be at the Judgment Seat of Christ and the lost will stand before Him at the Great White Throne Judgment. I don't care who you are, you will stand before Him at one of these judgments. You, and I too, will stand before Him and answer for every word we have ever said (idle words) and every deed that we have ever done. The saved will have rewards given or taken away at the Judgment Seat of Christ due to our actions and our words. The lost will be condemned for all eternity at the Great White Throne Judgment. Which judgment will you be at?
In verse 37 the word justified is defined primarily as to deem to be right or to show to be right. Another definition is to declare to be righteous or to pronounce righteousness. A simple explanation of being justified is to be right in the eyes of God. So what Jesus is saying in this verse is that by your words, or what you speak, you will be made right in the eyes of God. Is Jesus saying that just by speaking you will be saved? NO! In Ephesians 2:8 Paul wrote For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God. So we see that we are saved by grace through faith and that it is the gift of God. But confession is also a part of salvation. Paul also wrote in Romans 10:9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. So we see that we have to confess with our mouth and believe (have faith) that God raised Jesus from the dead. When a person confesses that they are a sinner and believe on Jesus (have faith), they are justified (made right in the eyes of God) by their words. Folks, that's all there is to salvation! There is no works of any type, no laws you have to keep, or anything else. Salvation is simply admitting you are a sinner and placing your faith in Jesus. Have you trusted in Him? In the last part of verse 37 we see that Jesus said and by thy words thou shalt be condemned. By His usage of the word and we see that there is a choice. A choice between being justified (being right in the eyes of God) or being condemned. The word condemned signifies the right to exercise law or judgment against anyone or to pronounce judgment. Like I stated earlier, everyone will stand before Jesus one day in one of two judgments. The saved will stand before Him at The Judgment Seat of Christ and the lost will stand before Him at the Great White Throne Judgment. If you are at the latter, you will hear the words Depart from me ye workers of iniquity, for I never knew ye. You will be condemned (judgment pronounced against) for all eternity and will be sentenced to spend eternity in torment. Jesus has the right or authority to do this because He gave His life for you, giving you a choice. If you choose not to confess Him, you are essentially making the choice to spend eternity in eternal torment. What choice have you made?
Today we have seen Jesus finish giving His answer to the Pharisees concerning their charge of Him using the power of Satan to cast out demons. He has totally and completely refuted their claim and proved that He is indeed the Son of God. We have also seen the simple plan of salvation. Have you trusted in Jesus to save you? Are you justified? Or are you going to be condemned for all eternity? Please, before it is too late, turn to Jesus, place your faith in Him, and accept Him as your Saviour.
|
|
Bro. Freddie
4 Pointer
Missionary Baptist Minister
Posts: 184
|
Post by Bro. Freddie on Mar 10, 2010 17:24:26 GMT -5
I don't know if I will be able to post any sermon notes this week. We will be moving some furniture to the parsonage in Ethel, Ok. We are going to start staying out there on the weekends which would save me from driving 246 miles every Sunday. If I am able to get any studying done, I will try to post one Sunday afternoon or evening.
Bro. Freddie
|
|
|
Post by broncbuster2 on Mar 13, 2010 19:26:47 GMT -5
I love your messages Whenever you get it finished, please dont wait for too long:^)
|
|
Bro. Freddie
4 Pointer
Missionary Baptist Minister
Posts: 184
|
Post by Bro. Freddie on Mar 28, 2010 18:40:54 GMT -5
I thought I would be able to access the sermon notes that I should have posted last week today. I was able to get to them, but couldn't get online with the laptop to post them for some reason. I even hooked the laptop up to my home connection. I tried e-mailing them to myself, but all I got was some weird boxes, like it was in another language, but none I have ever seen before. The laptop may have to go to the shop, so I may have to rewrite my notes. Sorry for the delay.
|
|