#thewordsofjesus

[ceeoffaith]

Jesus Answers a Question About Fasting

In today’s red letter post, the disciples of John the Baptist question Jesus about fasting. I have linked a sermon by John MacArthur which covers today’s verses, as well as links from a Bible commentary site. Both resources explain these verses better than I can at the moment; I would much rather leave the explanations to a Bible scholar of John MacArthur’s caliber.

May the Lord bless you and keep you always! ✝️🤍🙏🏻

Then the disciples of John came to Him, saying, “Why do we and the Pharisees fast often, but Your disciples do not fast?” And Jesus said to them, “Can the friends of the bridegroom mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast. No one puts a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment; for the patch pulls away from the garment, and the tear is made worse. Nor do they put new wine into old wineskins, or else the wineskins break, the wine is spilled, and the wineskins are ruined. But they put new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved.” - Matthew 9:14-17

Resources

Receiving the Sinner/Refusing the Righteous, Part 2

Matthew 9:14 Summary

Matthew 9:15 Summary

Matthew 9:16 Summary

Matthew 9:17 Summary

[ceeoffaith]

Jesus Calls Sinners to Repentance

Today’s red letter post highlights not only Matthew’s call to follow Jesus, but also Jesus clearly declaring WHY He came into the world.

I’ve seen so many people twist the passage in which Jesus ate with tax collectors and sinners, as if to justify their belief that Jesus “forgives all”. The Pharisees viewed Jesus’ association with tax collectors and sinners with self-righteous disgust. To clarify, Jesus never condoned the sin of those with whom He sat. His response to the Pharisees was simply that He sat with those who needed Him the most. Jesus did not join them in their sin. He sat with them to call them to repentance.

The self-righteous believe that their presence at Sunday mass is what makes them good people. That they’re doing “enough” to get into heaven. That because everyone sees them in worship and prayer, they’re automatically saved. I’ve often said that, when the rapture happens, there will be crowded churches and empty prisons. Going to and being seen in church is not an indication of salvation. Christianity is more than that. True Christians are the first to admit that they’re unworthy of God’s grace, that they are NOT good people on their own. True Christians know they’re sinners in need of Jesus as their Savior, and that they had no part in their salvation. True Christianity is being in a direct relationship with our triune God, followed by a permanent lifestyle change, made possible by the willingness to be Spirit-filled and Spirit-led. True Christianity is acknowledging the need for our great Physician and Shepherd because we are sick without Him, and lost without His guidance.

May the Lord bless you and keep you always! ✝️🤍🙏🏻

As Jesus passed on from there, He saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax office. And He said to him, “Follow Me.” So he arose and followed Him. Now it happened, as Jesus sat at the table in the house, that behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and sat down with Him and His disciples. And when the Pharisees saw it, they said to His disciples, “Why does your Teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” When Jesus heard that, He said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy and not sacrifice.’ For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.” - Matthew 9:9-13

Resources

Receiving the Sinner/Refusing the Righteous, Part 1

[ceeoffaith]

Jesus' Power Over Demons

In today’s red letter post, we focus on a single word from the mouth of Jesus - “Go.”

He was speaking to a legion of demons who took possession of two men. The demons knew that Jesus was about to cast them out, and they begged Him to allow them to take possession of a herd of pigs. He simply said, “Go.” The possessed herd then ran down the hill and died in the sea.

The powers of darkness are no match for the sovereign power of our Lord. Satan knows it. His legions of demons know it. The battle between God and His adversary has been ongoing since the time of creation, and it will continue until s returns and defeats all evil with an almighty, final blow.

Regardless of your belief in Jesus or lack thereof, whether you praise or mock Him, whether you obey or disobey Him, whether you know Him or not, whether He knows you or not, whether you stand with or against Him, there’s only one thing you’ll ever have to remember:

God wins in the end.

May the Lord bless you and keep you always! ✝️🤍🙏🏻

When He had come to the other side, to the country of the Gergesenes, there met Him two demon-possessed men, coming out of the tombs, exceedingly fierce, so that no one could pass that way. And suddenly they cried out, saying, “What have we to do with You, Jesus, You Son of God? Have You come here to torment us before the time?” Now a good way off from them there was a herd of many swine feeding. So the demons begged Him, saying, “If You cast us out, permit us to go away into the herd of swine.” And He said to them, “Go.” So when they had come out, they went into the herd of swine. And suddenly the whole herd of swine ran violently down the steep place into the sea, and perished in the water. Then those who kept them fled; and they went away into the city and told everything, including what had happened to the demon-possessed men. And behold, the whole city came out to meet Jesus. And when they saw Him, they begged Him to depart from their region. - Matthew 8:28-34

Resources

Jesus’ Power Over the Supernatural

[ceeoffaith]

Jesus Calms the Winds and the Sea

In today’s red letter verse, Jesus speaks amid a violent storm during which He and the apostles are traveling by boat to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, away from the growing crowds following Him.

The overall message is a reminder to trust in Jesus for protection and salvation. Our triune God has sovereign command of everything in the universe, regardless of its size. He oversees the flow of nature. He holds the planets, stars, suns, galaxies in place with His sovereign power. Everything is precisely where it should be in order for the flow of nature to happen. He can calm storms. He can open up wombs to bear children or close them. He can bring about famine or abundant food. He can breathe life into someone who has already died, and he holds the breath of everyone alive today in His mighty hand. Those who don’t have faith or trust in our Savior face things far worse than a storm - namely an eternity spent without His holy attributes. The love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control that exists in this world exists because of our triune God. When He is absent, so too are all of His attributes. Folks who mock and deny Him don’t understand the fact that His presence is what prevents evil from fully taking over. It will happen during the tribulation, as prophesied by the apostle John in Revelation. Fear, which is indicative of a lack of faith, is a sin. Trust in Jesus and you’ll have nothing to fear, both in this life and in the eternal one.

May the Lord bless you and keep you always! ✝️🤍🙏🏻

Now when He got into a boat, His disciples followed Him. And suddenly a great tempest arose on the sea, so that the boat was covered with the waves. But He was asleep. Then His disciples came to Him and awoke Him, saying, “Lord, save us! We are perishing!” But He said to them, “Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?” Then He arose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm. So the men marveled, saying, “Who can this be, that even the winds and the sea obey Him?”

Resources

Jesus’ Power Over the Natural

[ceeoffaith]

The Cost of Discipleship

In our red letter post today, Jesus encounters two men who declare they want to follow Him. Jesus responds, explaining the cost of discipleship, saying that following Him wouldn’t be comfortable or easy. Unlike the animals, Jesus didn’t have a place to call “home”, and that would be true of anyone who followed Him. The second man placed personal, secular {worldly} obligations above following Jesus, to which Jesus responded by saying that the spiritually dead would bury their own; following Jesus was far more important - a higher calling for the advancement of His eternal kingdom.

Following Jesus Christ comes at a great cost. It requires us to trade our free will for His will, in complete humble obedience. We must put our total trust in Him, not fearing anything or questioning His purpose for us. We must say the hard things to other people in rebuke and warning. We must preach the gospel, and endure persecution as a result. We must put God above all else, including family, money, material possessions, and anything else we might idolize. We must be willing to endure the discomfort our faith brings, keeping in mind that our eternal reward - being in the presence of our triune God - is a gift from our Father, made possible by His ultimate sacrifice for our sins.

May the Lord bless you and keep you always! ✝️🤍🙏🏻

And when Jesus saw great multitudes about Him, He gave a command to depart to the other side. Then a certain scribe came and said to Him, “Teacher, I will follow You wherever You go.” And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.” Then another of His disciples said to Him, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.” But Jesus said to him, “Follow Me, and let the dead bury their own dead.” - Matthew 8:18-22

Resources

What Keeps Men from Christ?

[ceeoffaith]

Today’s red letter post continues through Matthew 8, focusing on the faith of a centurion asking Jesus to heal his servant.

The centurion believed in Jesus’ power to heal by a verbal declaration, and Jesus responded that He had not found such faith in Israel. He went on to say that many Gentiles would inherit God’s kingdom, while many Israelites would not. It confirms that background - religious or cultural - is not important when it comes to salvation…but faith in Jesus as Lord and Savior is. Jesus declared the centurion’s servant healed, and he was healed in the same hour.

May the Lord bless you and keep you always! ✝️🤍🙏🏻

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Now when Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to Him, pleading with Him, saying, “Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, dreadfully tormented.”

And Jesus said to him, “I will come and heal him.”

The centurion answered and said, “Lord, I am not worthy that You should come under my roof. But only speak a word, and my servant will be healed. For I also am a man under authority, having soldiers under me. And I say to this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes; and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”

When Jesus heard it, He marveled, and said to those who followed, “Assuredly, I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel! And I say to you that many will come from east and west, and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. But the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” Then Jesus said to the centurion, “Go your way; and as you have believed, so let it be done for you.” And his servant was healed that same hour. - Matthew 8:5-13

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Resources

Jesus’ Power Over Disease, Part 2

[ceeoffaith]

Jesus Heals a Leper

Today’s red letter post features one of Jesus’ many miracles of healing, which gave a man his life back.

Lepers were forced to live in isolation, unable to live a normal life. They were shunned by society, left to suffer alone because they were considered unclean. The man showed humility and faith in Jesus’ power to heal, and in response, Jesus showed compassion and did what nobody else would do - He touched the man, which immediately healed him.

This passage serves as a reminder of the blessings we receive as a result of humility, faith, repentance, and obedience. The Lord knows what’s in our heart, and He responds by either blessing or chastening.

May the Lord bless you and keep you always! ✝️🤍🙏🏻

When He had come down from the mountain, great multitudes followed Him. And behold, a leper came and worshiped Him, saying, “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.” Then Jesus put out His hand and touched him, saying, “I am willing; be cleansed.” Immediately his leprosy was cleansed. And Jesus said to him, “See that you tell no one; but go your way, show yourself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.” - Matthew 8:1-4

Resources

Jesus’ Power Over Disease, Part 1

Jesus’ Power Over Disease, Part 2

[ceeoffaith]

The House Built on the Rock > Sand

Today’s red letter post concludes the Sermon on the Mount and focuses on the difference between strong and weak faith, and the presence or absence of obedience of God’s Word.

Jesus compared strong faith and obedience to a house built on a solid foundation. The storm refers to spiritual attacks. If we believe in Jesus and obey Him, He keeps us safe. Conversely, the house built on sand represents weak or no faith and no obedience, and cannot endure the storms/attacks. We are told that we must not only be hearers of the Word, but also doers. We must read Scripture AND apply it to daily life. Merely reading Scripture, without the intention of obeying, is a waste of time…and it’s a sin {knowing the gospel but denying it is the unforgivable sin}.

But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does. - James 1:22-25

I pray that you enjoyed our posts on the Sermon on the Mount. It is the greatest sermon ever given in the history of mankind because it was given by our Lord, and because it is a direct message from God about how we MUST live. The Sermon is not filled with suggestions, nor is it subject to opinion or debate. It’s what God expects from us if we’re to inherit His eternal kingdom.

May the Lord bless you and keep you always! ✝️🤍🙏🏻

“Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock. “But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall.” And so it was, when Jesus had ended these sayings, that the people were astonished at His teaching, for He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes. - Matthew 7:24-29