Category: Gospels
Jesus invites us to rest!
Scripture reading for October 8th: Matthew 8-11
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30
This portion of Matthew is one I have preached on often and return to on a regular basis. I have a tendency to love to work. It is like there is a subtle underlying need to find my worth in what I do or how much I can do. This is hard to admit. I must be reminded often that He is able to handle the loads of life’s problems and I must walk with Him daily. My work earns me nothing because salvation is all grace.
In the time of Jesus, a rabbi was a master teacher who gathered disciples. When a student was fully trained, he would be like his teacher. (Luke 6:40) It was an honor to be invited to follow a rabbi and only the brightest and best were asked. However, Jesus the “rabbi”, went among the common people and called out those who appeared to be the unqualified. Jesus looked at the heart!
The ‘yoke’ of the rabbi was his teachings and example. A disciple would learn to follow the master so closely that it was said that the dust of the rabbi was on their clothes as they walked closely behind him. Jesus called all to come to him! He asked them to come under His authority, which had been given Him by the Father. (Matthew 11:27) Sickness departed at His word! (Matthew 8:2-3) Demons in people left at His command! (Matthew 8:28-34) Sins were forgiven and a paralytic healed. (Matthew 9:1-8) A dead girl was raised to life at His word! (Matthew 9:23-25) Blind men received their sight at His touch. (Matthew 9:27-31) At His command, the disciples were sent out and miracles were done through their hands! (Matthew 10:1-8)
Following Jesus still requires a complete surrender to learn from Him. His ‘yoke’ is easy and His ‘burden’ is light because He is with us wherever we are! We can rest in Him today and follow closely! Our walk with Him on earth leads to eternity with Him!
Blessed in the Kingdom!
Scripture reading for October 7th: Matthew 5-7
Matthew recorded one of the longest discourses of Jesus in the Bible that is known as the “Sermon on the Mount”. The kingdom of heaven was the subject of this great teaching. God was King over the nation of Israel and they were blessed to be His loyal subjects!
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 5:3) God’s kingdom people know that they can do nothing on their own. They need God! As a result, God blesses them with the kingdom as a gift!
“Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek for they will inherit the earth.” (Matthew 5:4-5) Kingdom people are meek and mourn over sin. They are humble and recognize their need of God’s mercy. God promises them comfort and a great inheritance!
“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. Blessed are the merciful, for they will obtain mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart for they will see God.” (Matthew 5:6-8) They hunger and thirst for righteousness and are satisfied by their King, who is their righteousness. They are merciful because they have received mercy. Kingdom kids are pure in heart because they have a new heart given as a gift from their King!
“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called the sons of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 5:9-10) They are peacemakers for they are sons of their Father who gives peace! These kids are blessed when they are persecuted for their righteousness because they have heavenly vision of the glory to come. They have a reward in heaven that no one can steal or destroy. (Matthew 5:7-12) They will see their King’s face one day and bask in His glory!
Kingdom kids are blessed to be the light of the world. They reflect the glory of their King everywhere they go. They are the salt of the earth! (Matthew 5:13-16) They help stop the corruption of sin and bring out God’s saving and preserving message of Gospel hope. They are a people who love God and love their neighbors from their heart! What a blessed life!
The Son of God, Son of David!
Scripture reading for October 6th: Matthew 1-4
Four hundred years of silence had passed and God spoke again! He began fulfilling a number of prophesies that He gave over the years concerning His Son. A virgin, named Mary, gave birth to a son. (Matthew 1:22-23) This virgin and her betrothed husband, Joseph, were descendants of King David and their genealogy was traced back to Abraham. (Matthew 1:1-16) This “Son” was born in Bethlehem, fulfilling what the prophet Micah had predicted nearly 700 years earlier. (Matthew 2:6)
Gentile wise men came to worship Him who was born “King of the Jews.” They came to Judea and visited King Herod. Herod became jealous and ordered the destruction of all boys 2 years and younger. God had already intervened and warned Joseph and Mary to depart for Egypt. This fulfilled two other prophesies about Rachel weeping for her children and God calling His Son out of Egypt. (Matthew 2:15-18) When Joseph and Mary returned to Israel after Herod’s threat had passed, they settled in Nazareth. Jesus was called a “Nazarene” in fulfillment of Scripture!
The Book of Malachi ended with a promise from God that He would send Elijah the prophet before the great and terrible day of the Lord. (Malachi 4:5-6) Elijah’s message would turn the hearts of the fathers to their children and the hearts of the children to their fathers. Matthew recorded the ministry of John the Baptist preaching in the Desert of Judea and calling God’s people to repentance and water baptism. John was Jesus’ cousin and had a special call from God to prepare the way for His Son. (Matthew 3:1-3) This also fulfilled a prophesy given by Isaiah! (Isaiah 40:3)
John the Baptist spoke plainly to the religious leaders who came to ridicule him. He warned them that one was coming who would not just baptize with water, but with the Holy Spirit and fire! (Matthew 3:7-11) As Jesus was baptized by John, many witnessed an amazing confirmation of Jesus Christ the Son of God! “As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went out of the water. At that moment heaven opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting on Him. And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with Him I am well pleased.”Matthew 3:16-17
Peter’s restoration!
Scripture reading for June 2nd: John 21:1-25
Jesus had appeared to the disciples several times. He breathed on them to receive the Holy Spirit and gave them authority to preach forgiveness of sins. John records that Jesus did many other miraculous signs in the presence of the disciples which he did not record. All that he wrote were for the purpose of helping us and others believe that Jesus was the Christ and Son of the Living God so that we might receive the gift of eternal life in His Name. (John 20:31)
The last miracle recorded by John concerned a large catch of fish. Peter had decided to return to fishing, their original occupation. He and several of the other disciples had fished all night and caught nothing. Early in the morning, Jesus stood on the shore near where they were fishing and called out to them to cast their net on the other side of the boat. When they did, the net was loaded so much that they had to drag it to shore. (John 21:1-6) That’s when John recognized Jesus and told the others.
Peter jumped into the water to race to the Lord. Jesus had started a fire there and asked for some of the fish. Peter helped bring in the catch: 153 fish! Jesus invited them all to enjoy breakfast and he fed them bread and fish that He cooked! This was Jesus’ third appearance to His disciples.
After breakfast, Jesus spoke specifically to Peter, asking him three times if he loved Him. Each time Peter replied that he did love Jesus and Jesus asked him to feed His lambs. After the last reply, Jesus spoke prophetically to Peter, “I tell you the truth, when you were younger you dressed yourself and went where you wanted; but when you are old you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go.” “Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God. Then He said to him, “Follow Me!” (John 21:18-19)
As Peter had denied Jesus three times, Jesus restored him with a three-fold confession of love. He also emphasized the work that Peter was to do and how he would die. The great catch would not be fish, but many souls! On Pentecost, 3000 were to be brought into Christ’s sheepfold!
Live appearances!
Scripture reading for June 1st: John 20:1-31
After witnessing the mockery of Jesus’ trial and crucifixion the disciples were filled with grief. They had left everything to follow Jesus and had been so full of joy at what they learned in His presence. They had heard Him tell them about going away and then they would see Him again, but they really did not understand. Now they felt hopeless, not knowing what to do next. But they had not seen the last of Jesus! He was not dead, but alive!
The women who were close to Jesus were the first to see Jesus alive. John tells about Mary Magdalene who had gone to the garden tomb while it was still dark. (Luke mentions “women”.) When she arrived, the stone was rolled away from the tomb. Mary Magdalene ran and told Peter and John, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have put Him!” (John 20:2) John records that he outran Peter, but Peter arrived and went in first to examine the tomb. There were the strips of cloth that had been used to wrap the body lying there. The burial cloth that had covered His head was neatly folded, separate from the linen. The body was gone. John records that he saw and believed. (John 20:8-9) They did not understand from Scripture about the resurrection, however. Jesus would later show them this!
After the disciples went back home, Mary stood there by the tomb, weeping. She looked back into the tomb and saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus’ body had laid. They asked her, “Woman why are you crying?” “They have taken my Lord away,” she said, “and I don’t know where they have put Him. At this she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus.” Jesus spoke to her and she thought it was the gardener until He spoke her name, “Mary”. She was told to go and tell “My brothers” that Jesus was alive! (John 20:15-18)
Finally, Jesus showed Himself to the brothers, coming into a locked room without assistance. He showed them his hands and side. He spoke peace to their troubled souls and gave them a gift, breathing on them! “Receive the Holy Spirit!” (John 20:22) The second Adam was a life-giving Spirit!
Famous Last Words!
Scripture reading for May 31st: John 19:23-42
It is said that a man’s last words as he leaves this world have meaning. They reveal something about the heart of the person and leave something for those left to remember him by. Jesus, as He hung on the cross, spoke some last words that have been contemplated by those who followed Him.
Around the cross, soldiers gambled for His seamless robe. They cast lots to see who would get this robe. It would be a little extra payment for their gruesome job. This fulfilled Scripture written by David in Psalm 22:18. Over the cross was a sign written in Aramaic, Latin and Greek, “The King of the Jews”. This was written by Pilate–a designation He refused to change even when requested by the Jews. This was the setting as Jesus suffered.
“Near the cross of Jesus stood His mother, His mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw His mother there, and the disciple whom He loved standing nearby, He said to His mother, “Dear woman, here is your son,” and to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” From this time on, this disciple took her into his house.” “ (John 19:25-27) Jesus, in His agony, took note of His mother. He placed her in the care of His beloved disciple. This was John, who wrote this account! We have an eye-witness account that is not recorded any where else. What love and compassion we behold in Christ!
“Later, knowing that all was now completed, and so that the Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, “I am thirsty.” A jar of wine vinegar was there, so they soaked a sponge in it and put the sponge on a stalk of the hyssop plant, and lifted it to Jesus’ lips. When He had received the drink, Jesus said, “It is finished.” With that, He bowed His head and gave up His spirit.” (John 19:28-30) John records these last words of Jesus.
Psalm 69:21 stated that they would give vinegar for the thirst. This prophesy was fulfilled here. I believe that Jesus was also thirsty for His Father’s house! (Psalm 42:2) His work was done, fulfilling all Scripture and now He wanted the glory of heaven and fellowship with the Father! “It is finished” simply states “Paid in full”! He then yielded His spirit to God!
The King and the Governor!
Scripture reading for May 30th: John 18:25-19:22
As the illegal trial of Jesus continued before Pontius Pilate the Son of God showed His control of this whole process. No man would take His life, He would willingly lay it down. He even reached out to help Pilate!
Pontius Pilate came out of his house to meet the Jewish leaders and their captive, Jesus Christ. He asked them what charges they were bringing against Jesus. “If He were not a criminal,” they replied, “we would not have handed Him over to you.” Pilate said, “Take Him yourselves and judge Him by your own law.” “But we have no right to execute anyone,” the Jews objected. This happened indicating the kind of death He was going to die would be fulfilled.” (John 18:29-32) These men wanted Jesus executed and knew that the only way that could happen is for Pilate to approve of it. But God’s plan was moving along and He was really in control!
Pilate took Jesus into his palace and had Jesus brought before him and asked, “Are You the king of the Jews?” “Is that your own idea,” Jesus asked, “or did others talk to you about Me?” (John 18:33-34) I believe Jesus was probing Pilate to see if he might be open to ministry and faith.
Jesus then told him, “My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, My servants would fight to prevent My arrest by the Jews. But now My kingdom is from another place.” “You are a king, then!” said Pilate. Jesus answered, “You are right in saying I am a king. In fact, for this reason I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to Me.” (John 18:36-37) Jesus was offering Pilate understanding of who He was. He was speaking truth to Pilate in a way that he could understand and repent. But Pilate questioned, “What is truth?”
Pilate tried to free Jesus, saying there was no basis for a charge against Him. The people demanded that Jesus be crucified. He questioned Jesus further but Jesus refused to answer. Pilate threatened Jesus, stating he had power to free Him. “You would have no power over Me if it were not granted to you from above.” (John 19:11) In the end, Jesus was turned over to be crucified!
Jesus was in control!
Scripture reading for May 29th: John 18:1-24
John recorded the account of Jesus’ arrest and questioning in the early morning hours of His final day. What is amazing to me as I read, is the total control that Jesus exhibits. He becomes a prisoner, but maintains His ability to lead and direct the events according to the plan of the Father.
First, as the officials came in the night with torches to the Garden, Jesus asked them who they were seeking. Whey they replied, “Jesus of Nazareth”, Jesus told them plainly that He was that person. As Jesus spoke this to them, the power of God caused these men to fall helplessly to the ground. Jesus asked them a second time who they wanted and the answer was the same. “I told you that I am He,” Jesus answered. “If you are looking for Me, then let these men go.” (John 18:8) Jesus was in charge and the men, who were officials of the ruling Sanhedrin, let the others go. This was all in accordance with Jesus’ prayer and words, “I have lost none of those you gave Me.” (John 18:9) (John 6:39) (John 17:12) Not only was He in charge, He was acting in accordance with plans made with the Father before time began!
As Peter stood up to defend Jesus, swinging his sword and cutting off the ear of Malchus the High Priest’s servant, Jesus firmly told Peter to put his sword away. He took control, healing the ear with a single touch! (Luke 22:51) “Shall I not drink the cup the Father has given to Me?” (John 18:11) Jesus knew the suffering that He must endure to complete the mission that the Father had given Him. He was in complete control and willingly let these men take Him into their custody to fulfill His goal!
As Jesus stood before Annas, He answered their questions politely. He was struck in the face by one of the officials and rebuked. Jesus still answered politely. (John 18:22-23) He was a man who was in charge, even though bound and under arrest!
Have you surrendered your life to this Jesus? Jesus is the Son of God and He perfectly obeyed the Father in drinking the cup of suffering and sin on our behalf. He was the King of Kings, but served His subjects by doing for them what they couldn’t do for themselves! Let Him take charge today!
Jesus prayed for us!
Scripture reading for May 28th: John 17:1-26
John records Jesus’ longest prayer that was written in Scripture. This prayer is a wonderful example of the heart of the Son of God. It is very instructive for us and shows how thoughtful Jesus was and how He prayed His way through the cross and for those who followed Him.
First, Jesus prayed for Himself and declared victory by faith in a full completion of the work that the Father had given Him to do. “Father, the time has come. Glorify Your Son, that Your Son may glorify You.”. . . “I have brought You glory on earth by completing the work You gave Me to do. And now, Father, glorify Me in Your presence with the glory I had with You before the world began.” (John 17:1, 4-5) Jesus desired to be back in the holy presence of His Father. He asked His Father to glorify Him with the glory He possessed before the world was formed. He understood that the time had come to finish the work and through prayer, declared it done!
Next Jesus prayed for His own disciples. He had been given these by the Father and had systematically revealed the Father and His word to them. Jesus declared to His Father that these disciples had accepted His word and believed that Jesus came from the Father. (John 17:6-19) “I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world, and I am coming to You. Holy Father, protect them by the power of Your Name–the Name you gave Me–so that they may be one as We are One.” (John 17:11) Jesus cared for His disciples and asked specifically for their protection while they were in the world. Jesus had sent them into the world as He had been sent by His Father. The world would hate them and the ‘evil one’ would persecute them.
“My prayer is not for them alone, I pray also for those who will believe in Me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as You are in Me and I am in You.” (John 17:20-21) Jesus specifically mentioned all who would come to faith, including us! He prayed for our unity in relationship with the Holy Trinity. His ultimate request was that we would be in His presence for all eternity to behold His glory! (John 17:34) Wow! What a Savior!
Grief turned to joy!
Scripture reading for May 27th: John 16:1-33
“I tell you the truth, you will weep and mourn while the world rejoices. You will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy. A woman giving birth to a child has pain because her time has come; but when her baby is born she forgets the anguish because of her joy that a child is born into the world. So with you; Now is your time of grief, but I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy.” (John 16:20-22)
Jesus spoke plainly about His coming departure and the grief that would come over the disciples as they witnessed the unfolding of events. They did not fully understand what He was saying, but He knew that the Holy Spirit would help them understand fully and remember what He taught them. He encouraged them to be patient and look for the joy that would follow.
Jesus likened the disciples joy at His resurrection to that of a mother who had just had a child. The time immediately preceding the birth would be filled with pain and anguish. The birth pains had to come before the baby was introduced to the world. So Jesus had to go through the battle with the ‘prince of this world’ and face the last enemy, ‘death’! But the ‘prince of this world’ had no hold on Him. (John 14:30) The ‘prince of this world’ must be driven out! (John 12:31) This battle would involve the cross for Jesus and the ‘prince of darkness’ would attempt to hold Him in death. However, Jesus would be victorious and emerge from the grave with the keys of death and hell! (Revelation 1:18) He would spoil the principalities and powers of darkness, and make a public show of them openly by the cross! (Colossians 2:15)
When these disciples experienced Jesus in resurrection, their grief would be turned to a joy that no one could take away! They would know God the Father was true and the Gift of the Father would teach them all things. They would understand that death had no hold on them either and live with a new boldness to share the love of God in Christ Jesus! Christ’s victory would assure them of their victory! Are you living in this joy? Why not put your faith in Jesus Christ and experience it for yourself?