BibleTrekToday.com

Year: 2015

  • Which power flows through Jesus?

    Scripture reading for January 16th:  Matthew 12

    Jesus had a hard time with the religious leaders of His day.  “Going from that place, He went into their synagogue, and a man with a shriveled hand was there.  Looking for a reason to accuse Jesus, they asked Him, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?”  He said to them, “If any of you has a sheep and it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will you not take hold of it and lift it out?  How much more valuable is a man than a sheep!  Therefore it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.”  (Matthew 12:9-12)   Jesus went on to heal the man’s hand that very Sabbath.  The religious leaders then began to plot to kill Him!  They loved to play their religious games by the rules that they had made up!

    Aware of their plotting, Jesus withdrew to another place.  “Then they brought Him a demon-possessed man who was blind  and mute, and Jesus healed him, so that he could both talk and see.  All the people were astonished and said, “Could this be the Son of David?”  But when the Pharisees heard this, they said, “It is only by Beelzebub, the prince of demons, that this fellow drives out demons.”” (Matthew 12:22-24)  These same religious people drew another wrong conclusion about the power that Jesus was operating in.  They chose to believe Jesus was under Satan’s influence!  Jesus politely instructed them that “Every kingdom divided against itself would be ruined, and every city or household divided against itself will not stand.”  (Matthew 12:25-26)    Satan’s kingdom and power can only be defeated by God’s power!  Let’s be careful to discern the real Jesus and His divine power!

  • Miracles and judgment!

    Scripture reading for January 15th:  Matthew 11

    Jesus talked about the generation of Jews that were living in the time He ministered on earth.  “To what can I compare this generation?  They are like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling out to others:  “We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not mourn.”  For John (the Baptist) came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon.’  The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and “sinners.”  But wisdom is proved right by her actions.”  (Matthew 11:16-19)  The Jews of Jesus day had excuses for everything they saw.  They made accusations that enabled them to stay smug and live as usual.

    Jesus likened them to children playing games.  Some played the flute and danced, inviting others to join in.  This was the ministry of Jesus!  He performed miracles and turned water into wine at a wedding feast.  He was accused of being a glutton and friend of sinners by the religious people of that day.  The miracles served only to make them more skeptical and hardened.  John the Baptist came calling people to repentance and to mourn over their sins.  He lived in the desert and dressed like a prophet.  These same religious people accused him of having a demon!

    We must be careful how we react to Jesus and to the people God sends to call people to Himself!  He pronounced ‘woe’ on Korazin and Capernaum, the places He ministered the most but was rejected and judged!  It would be more bearable for Sodom than for them on Judgment Day!  (Matthew 11:23-24)

     

  • Delegated authority!

     Scripture reading for January 14th:  Matthew 10

    Man was created in the image of God.  Part of that image was the ability to exercise dominion and rule over the earth. (Genesis 1:27-28)  In the Garden of Eden, man chose to disobey God and took the bait of Satan to eat of the Tree of the Knowledge of good and evil.  The result was death, separation from God, sickness, sweat, and the curse.  Jesus came to restore the image of God in man and gave those who followed Him authority over the powers of darkness.  “He called His twelve disciples to Him and gave them authority to drive out evil spirits and to heal every disease and sickness.”  (Matthew 10:1)

    Jesus sent these disciples to the lost sheep of Israel.  He told them not to take along any provisions but to live by faith and look for those God provided to care for them.  They were to minister without charge and bless those that received them with a blessing of peace.   However Jesus warned them:  “If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, shake the dust off your feet when you leave that home or town.  I tell you the truth, it will be more bearable for Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for that town.”   (Matthew 10:14-15)   These instructions tell us the seriousness of preaching the Word of God and allowing God to use us for the ministry of healing and deliverance.

    Knowing Jesus brings us into the realm of delegated authority to declare the Kingdom of God.   Jesus desires that His disciples walk in power and declare the victory of the cross over sin, sickness and demonic bondage!  When people won’t listen, they bring judgment on themselves!

     

  • Jesus does the “impossible”!

    Scripture reading for January 13th:  Matthew 9

    A miracle is something that happens that is beyond the ordinary.  Miracles have been one of the languages that God has used to cause men and women to marvel and open their heart to believe.  Jesus the Son of God was a miracle-worker who did extraordinary miracles that got the attention of lost and hurting people and brought relief to those suffering from the power of Satan.

    “While He was saying this, a ruler came and knelt before Him and said, “My daughter has just died.  But come and put Your hand on her and she will live.”  Jesus got up and went with him, and so did His disciples.”  Matthew 9:18-19   A ruler of the Jews came to Jesus for help in an impossible situation.  His daughter was dead!  For some reason, Jesus had become known for the extraordinary miracles that He performed.  Word had reached this ruler and he was desperate for help.   Jesus responded to the man’s faith, taking along His disciples for a lesson in the miraculous!

    “When Jesus entered the ruler’s house and saw the flute players and the noisy crowd, He said, “Go away.  The girl is not dead but asleep.”  But they laughed at Him.  After the crowd had been put outside, He went in and took the girl by the hand and she got up.  News of this spread through all that region.”   Matthew 9:23-26  Jesus was mocked when He told the mourners that the girl was not dead but asleep!  They were escorted out before Jesus could act to defeat death.   After a touch from Jesus, death left her body!   Jesus is still the Miracle Worker today!  His followers are now His hands and feet!

  • Will you follow Jesus “wherever”?

    Scripture reading for January 12th, 2014:  Matthew 8

    “When Jesus saw the crowd around Him, He gave orders to cross to the other side of the lake.  Then a teacher of the law came to Him and said, “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.”  Jesus replied, “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay His head.”  Another disciple said to Him, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.”  But Jesus told him, “follow Me, and let the dead bury their own dead.””  Matthew 8:18-22

    Two different men approached Jesus desiring to follow Him as apprentices.  Far from recruiting them and promising them fame and fortune for their willingness to learn, Jesus came back at them with strong statements of truth.  The first man was willing to follow Jesus “wherever” He would go. This man was told by Jesus that He had no place to go and stay.   Would he be willing to give up a home and it’s comforts to follow Him into the unknown?    Was this man willing to live by faith and trust Jesus for the future?

    The second man asked Jesus for a leave of absence to bury his father.  We are not told if the father was sick and his death imminent or if this was a matter of this man waiting on time and chance to fulfill the obligation to care for his family.  Jesus firmly told him to come now!  Someone would always be there to bury the dead!  His was a ministry to those who wanted eternal life and urgency was required!  Check your own heart today!  Are you willing to follow Jesus “wherever” and “now”?

  • Build on the Rock!

    Scripture reading for January 9th:  Matthew 7

    Jesus concluded His message to the people on kingdom living with an encouragement to seek God.  They must be people who would be persistent to find what they needed from God.  They must ask!  They must seek!  They must knock!  All these verbs are in the continual sense of ‘ask and keep on asking, etc’.  “Everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.”  (Matthew 7:8)  God is a loving Father who will give good gifts to those that seek Him!

    But Jesus also warned His followers early in His ministry to watch out for false prophets.  He likened them to wolves dressed up as a sheep!  What an example Jesus used in that rural cultural setting!  He told them that they would know the false prophets by their fruit.  Bad trees don’t produce good fruit!   “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.”  (Matthew 7:21)   False prophet may do miracles and prophesy in His Name, but will go to hell!

    Every person is building a spiritual house.  You can hear the Word of God and not do it!  That person is building on the sand!  Those that hear and then apply it to their lives are likened to a man building his house on a rock.  Storms of life come and test the foundation.  Those on the sand collapse under the pressure and are destroyed.  Those on the rock survive every storm!  Which kind of builder are you?

     

  • Seek first the kingdom!

    Scripture reading for January 8th:  Matthew 6

    Jesus’ message was full of teaching about the kingdom of heaven.  Jesus taught His disciples to pray to the Father.  Their first request was to be the declaration, “Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”  (Matthew 6:10)  Jesus wanted His followers submitted to the King and in agreement with His will!  In their case, the King would be their heavenly Father!  Jesus was taking them beyond where they were to a New Covenant understanding of adoption as God’s children.

    Jesus taught His followers not to store up money or earthly treasures.  He taught that many things can rob us here of those earthly treasures. Thieves could steal them or the elements could cause them to decay or become worthless.  Instead, kingdom people store their treasures in heaven where they will be eternally safe.  Jesus stated emphatically, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”  (Matthew 6:21)  Besides that, no one can serve two masters!  “You cannot serve both God and Money.”  (Matthew 6:24b)

    We all have a tendency to worry about our daily needs.  People in Jesus’ time did the same thing.  Jesus encouraged them not to worry about their needs, telling them that their heavenly Father knew them.  They were supposed to ask Him for their daily bread each day!  (Matthew 6:11)  They could observe the birds and the grass and see that God cared for them.  They were much more valuable to God!  “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.  Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself.  Each day has enough trouble of its own.”  (Matthew 6:33-34)

     

  • Jesus: “I tell you!”

    Scripture reading for January 7th:  Matthew 5

    Many focus on the Beatitudes as a wonderful statement of kingdom life and blessings.   But Jesus spoke at length about many other common beliefs held among the people.  He reminded the people with “you have heard it said:” and then countered the common sayings with God’s perspective.  These truths ran counter to the current religious teaching of the day.  They also challenge us today in that the religious world still holds some of the same perspectives.

    “You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘Do not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment.”  (Matthew 5:21-22a)  Jesus took one of the Ten Commandments and showed that under kingdom rules, anger with another also was capable of bringing judgment.  Murder starts in the heart with feelings of anger and disparaging comments like “You fool!”!  God looks at the heart, not just the actions!

    “You have heard that it was said, ‘Do not commit adultery.’ But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.  If your right eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away.  It is better for you to lose one part of your body that for your whole body to be thrown into hell.”   (Matthew 5:27-29)  Jesus took another of the commandments and showed that adultery also started in the heart.  God doesn’t just look at the acts in the kingdom He rules, he looks at the heart.  Breaking this command is serious business!  Better to lose an eye than to go to hell!  Maybe it’s time to listen to Jesus!

     

  • Jesus preached the Kingdom!

    Scripture reading for January 6th:  Matthew 4

    Jesus had an awesome spiritual experience at His baptism!  He was filled with the Holy Spirit and got to hear His Father tell Him He loved Him and was pleased! Immediately, He was led by the Spirit into the wilderness and was tempted by Satan for forty days.  Jesus had to face spiritual warfare and suffered temptations like all humans but unlike everyone else, He remained faithful to God and His Word!  Jesus defeated each temptation with a Scripture quote telling the Devil truth. (Matthew 4:4,7,10) Satan had to withdraw and Jesus returned in the Spirit’s power to begin ministry to the lost! (Luke 4:1)

    Jesus moved from Nazareth to Capernaum  by the Sea of Galilee.  He began to preach saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.”  (Matthew 4:17)  He also healed every disease and sickness as He went preaching the good news of the kingdom.   (Matthew 4:23)   The good news was that God loved all men and desired to see them turn from their selfish ways.  Repentance is a change of mind about who has the right to run your life.  It may also be described as a change of Kings and kingdoms!  In the kingdom of God, truth is the language of God.  Jesus was the Truth in human flesh and lived by that truth.  (John 1:12, John 14:6)  We are born the first time under the kingdom of darkness and Satan’s lies.  Repentance means turning from that kingdom to the kingdom of heaven!

    Jesus brought the kingdom of heaven near to each person.  We have opportunity to respond to the good news as long as Christ has not returned! Today is the best day to turn to Him!  Now is the only time we know we have!  If you have not responded, please do it now!

     

     

  • Jesus, the Holy Spirit and Fire!

    Scripture reading for January 5th: Matthew 3

    John the Baptist, the cousin of Jesus, came on the scene when Jesus was nearly 30 years old.  He preached that the kingdom of heaven was at hand and that all men needed to repent.   John wore the clothes of a prophet and lived in the lonely places of the Judean wilderness.  Matthew records that he was the one spoken of by Isaiah, “A voice of one calling in the desert, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for Him.’” (Isaiah 40:3)  Many people came and confessed their sins and were baptized by John in the Jordan River.

    When the Saducees and Pharisees came to observe, John warned them of their need to repent and be baptized.  He told them that having a genetic tie to Abraham was not enough with God.  God was looking for fruit of obedience in each life and would judge all who had none!  He also warned them that there was one coming after him who would be more powerful and honored.  The “Coming One” would baptize men with the Holy Spirit and with fire, not just water!  This One would gather in the faithful, but punish the wicked!  (Matthew 3:11-12)

    Jesus then appeared to be baptized by John.  John recognized Him as the “Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.” (John 1:29)   Jesus was insistent and John baptized Him.  As Jesus came out of the water, the Holy Spirit came down and rested on Him like a dove, and a Voice from heaven stated: “This is My Son, whom I love; with Him I am well-pleased.” (Matthew 3:17)  Water baptism is a step of obedience that all disciples should follow.  But Jesus also is the Baptizer in the Holy Spirit and Fire!  Go after all He has for you!