Last week we started this series by talking about Jesus coming to His hometown after His first year of ministry and being the guest speaker at His hometown synagogue. He read from the scroll of Isaiah and we said that there were five types of people that Jesus came for.

The Poor
The Brokenhearted
The Imprisoned
The Blind
The Oppressed

This week we are going to talk about how He ministered to these groups and how He wants us to minister to them as well. He is our model for life and ministry.

In John 13:15 Jesus said, “I have given you an example to follow. Now do as I have dome for you”. (This is as He washed His disciples feet, but it was even bigger than just that moment. His entire ministry modeled what He wanted and wants His disciples to do.

1. Preach Good News

For the poor He came to preach Good News. He wants us to do the same. What is the good news? You are not an accident. God created you because He wants to have an eternal relationship with you. Jesus is the answer to all of our problems. You don’t have to earn your way to heaven. You can be forgiven, set free, delivered. He Has a purpose for your life. How? Love people well and if the opportunity arises, tell your story.

2. Comfort the Brokenhearted

Everybody has experience a broken heart. How? Open your eyes and look around you. Broken hearted people are everywhere. Pray for them, encourage them, look for ways to show them kindness.

3. Proclaim Freedom

Proclaim freedom for those who feel imprisoned. Let’s look at this another way. Have you ever heard anyone say “I feel trapped?” That is a prison and God has come to proclaim freedom for trapped people. People trapped in addictions, abusive situations, finances, health, and all sort of circumstances. As we said last week, perhaps the biggest trap of al is “fear”. How do we help people overcome their fears? How do we overcome our own fears?

Practice the presence of Christ.

1 John 4:18 (NIV)
18 There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.

So we work on our relationship with God. We talk to Him, we start praying about our decisions, we make time for Him in our lives. We realize that He is with us and that no matter what happens, He is with us for ever. IN His presence, there is no room for fear.

And there is something else, we need to move against the fear, and that is called faith. You deal with the things you are afraid of. You open the door of the closet and the boogey man isn’t as big as you thought he was. The fear is always worse than the reality. The fear of failure is worse that failure. Failure is no big deal. You just get up and start over. The fear of rejection is worse than rejection. The fear of embarrassment is worse than embarrassment. The fear is always worse than reality.

4. Recovery of Sight

We need to be willing to speak the truth in love, to offer insight. When you see someone in a bad situation, someone messing up their lives, you need to look for ways to speak into in love. Not in judgment, but in love.

This is often the hardest thing to do but it is the most loving thing to do. You will speak the truth to people you love.

Love helps the blind to see by telling them the truth.

5. Release the Oppressed

We need to care for the people who are overlooked. Who are unable to fend for themselves. And, perhaps the biggest oppression is on those people who don’t yet know Jesus. We need to be aware of our calling as ambassadors for Christ and make sure we don’t fall into the “it’s all about me” perspective of life.

Let me close with the words of the Apostle Paul:

1 Corinthians 9:19-24 (NIV)
19 Though I am free and belong to no man, I make myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. 20 To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. 21 To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law), so as to win those not having the law. 22 To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some. 23 I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings. 24 Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize.

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Mark 8:1-38 (NIV)
1 During those days another large crowd gathered. Since they had nothing to eat, Jesus called his disciples to him and said, 2 “I have compassion for these people; they have already been with me three days and have nothing to eat. 3 If I send them home hungry, they will collapse on the way, because some of them have come a long distance.” 4 His disciples answered, “But where in this remote place can anyone get enough bread to feed them?” 5 “How many loaves do you have?” Jesus asked. “Seven,” they replied. 6 He told the crowd to sit down on the ground. When he had taken the seven loaves and given thanks, he broke them and gave them to his disciples to set before the people, and they did so. 7 They had a few small fish as well; he gave thanks for them also and told the disciples to distribute them. 8 The people ate and were satisfied. Afterward the disciples picked up seven basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. 9 About four thousand men were present. And having sent them away, 10 he got into the boat with his disciples and went to the region of Dalmanutha. 11 The Pharisees came and began to question Jesus. To test him, they asked him for a sign from heaven. 12 He sighed deeply and said, “Why does this generation ask for a miraculous sign? I tell you the truth, no sign will be given to it.” 13 Then he left them, got back into the boat and crossed to the other side. 14 The disciples had forgotten to bring bread, except for one loaf they had with them in the boat. 15 “Be careful,” Jesus warned them. “Watch out for the yeast of the Pharisees and that of Herod.” 16 They discussed this with one another and said, “It is because we have no bread.” 17 Aware of their discussion, Jesus asked them: “Why are you talking about having no bread? Do you still not see or understand? Are your hearts hardened? 18 Do you have eyes but fail to see, and ears but fail to hear? And don’t you remember? 19 When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many basketfuls of pieces did you pick up?” “Twelve,” they replied. 20 “And when I broke the seven loaves for the four thousand, how many basketfuls of pieces did you pick up?” They answered, “Seven.” 21 He said to them, “Do you still not understand?” 22 They came to Bethsaida, and some people brought a blind man and begged Jesus to touch him. 23 He took the blind man by the hand and led him outside the village. When he had spit on the man’s eyes and put his hands on him, Jesus asked, “Do you see anything?” 24 He looked up and said, “I see people; they look like trees walking around.” 25 Once more Jesus put his hands on the man’s eyes. Then his eyes were opened, his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly. 26 Jesus sent him home, saying, “Don’t go into the village.” 27 Jesus and his disciples went on to the villages around Caesarea Philippi. On the way he asked them, “Who do people say I am?” 28 They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, one of the prophets.” 29 “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?” Peter answered, “You are the Christ.” 30 Jesus warned them not to tell anyone about him. 31 He then began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and after three days rise again. 32 He spoke plainly about this, and Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. 33 But when Jesus turned and looked at his disciples, he rebuked Peter. “Get behind me, Satan!” he said. “You do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men.” 34 Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 35 For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it. 36 What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul? 37 Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul? 38 If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his Father’s glory with the holy angels.”

In the last few chapters Mark has presenting his case that faith in Jesus is the answer for the hard hearts that we have from living in a fallen world on a broken planet. Mark has shown the difference between people who claim to be religious and yet refused to see that Jesus was the “Messiah” they had been looking for. How different they were from the “pagan woman” who came to Jesus so humbly and begged His aid. She could not trust in her relationship with Abraham because she didn’t have one. She didn’t trust in the Law. She just came to Jesus, acknowledged Him as Lord, and hoped in His grace. That is how we are all to come to Him and live in Him.

In Chapter 8 Mark presents a series of stories to bring the issue of faith in Jesus clearly into focus.

Mark 8:1-13

The feeding of the four thousand. Fish sandwiches again. Jesus favorite food. This miracles clearly demonstrates Jesus compassion and power and points to Him as the Son of God.

Mark 8:11

Surrounded by a sea of miraculous accounts, the Pharisees want to test Jesus by demanding a sign from heaven. If they couldn’t see a sign from heaven in what they had already witnessed, nothing that Jesus did would convince them. Their hearts were too hardened by their own “religiousity”.

Mark 8:14-21

It was this lack of faith demonstrated by the Pharisees and previously by Herod that Jesus was warning His disciples about. It is not enough to merely believe in God, faith must be placed in Christ. It is not about the externals, it is about the internals. True faith results in a total commitment to God and make choices which please Him.

The disciples were still struggling with their own hardened hearts and were still having difficulty in understanding the new paradigm. The Kingdom message is so different from anything they had ever heard. It seems so much easier to follow rules and rituals then it does to live in faith being led by the Spirit. We often cling to the familiar even when it is bad.

Mark 8:22-26

Jesus is spitting again. This time on a mans eyes. Do you see anything? I can see a little. More prayer. I can see!

This miracle is like Jesus relationship with His disciples. They could see but because of hardened hearts, they did not yet see clearly. But the Pharisees, like Herod, whose hearts were far from God, could not see at all!

Mark 8:27-30

Why faith in Jesus? Because Jesus is the Son of God, the Messiah. When we put our faith in Him, we are in relationship with the one living and true God.

Like the blind man and like the disciples themselves, we may not see clearly at first. But as we continue to grow and trust in Jesus and as we learn to respond to Him, our hardened hearts will soften, and our vision will clear. It is faith in Christ alone that can transform the hard human heart.

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We are continuing today in our series called “Connecting” and we are looking at how important it is to be connected to God and to others. Last week we talked about God as our father as we looked at the first part of the Lords prayer, “Our Father, who art in heaven”. This week we are going to talk about “peace” as we look at the second part of the Lords prayer….

Matthew 6:10 (NIV)
10 your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

Let’s start by talking about the Kingdom of God. What is it? The Kingdom of God is not a place, the Kingdom of God is His right or authority to rule and reign. The Kingdom of God exists anywhere Jesus is king. In this part of the Lord’s prayer we are in effect asking for His rule in our lives, not doing things my way but doing things His way. And it is in doing things His way that we begin to find “peace” in the midst of the chaos that is all around us.

Romans 14:17 (NCV)
17 In the kingdom of God, eating and drinking are not important. The important things are living right with God, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit.

This verse tells us that the Kingdom of God is spiritual– living right with God, and it’s relational – living a life of joy and peace. In other words it’s all about connecting. Connecting to God and connecting to each other. It’s spiritual and it’s relational.

As we pray this part of the prayer, what is our part of the process.

1. Letting go

Every day you get up in the morning and you have to decide who’s going to be in control of your life – you or God.

Psalms 46:10 (GW)
10 Let go {of your concerns}! Then you will know that I am God. I rule the nations. I rule the earth.

God says, “I’m in control so you need to let go and know that I am God.” Most of you know this verse as “Be still and know that I am God.” The word “be still” that phrase in the Hebrew literally means let go, calm down, relax, lighten up. That’s what it literally means. It means to let go.

2. Learning to be content

In this life you have to be ready to change what you can and to accept what you can’t change. This is about contentment. We struggle so hard sometimes to try and control uncontrollable situations, and all it does is cause us stress and worry.

There is only one thing that works in the situations that you can’t change. Acceptance. Learning to be content.

Philippians 4:11-13 (NIV)
11 I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.
12 I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. 13 I can do everything through him who gives me strength.

For me, one of the most powerful things about this verse, is that it was written by Paul while he was in prison. He learned to be content even in the most difficult of situations.

3. Not my will

I don’t know if you’ve noticed it but I’ve sure noticed it that my plans get changed a lot. I make all these great plans and then they just get changed.

Most of my plans end up getting changed because of my problems. Problems are a part of life. Rather than struggling to try and get my will, my plan accomplished, I often have to realize that my plan might not be God’s plan. My will and God’s will are often quite different.

So you have to lay down your plans because problems aren’t always going to cooperate with your plans.

When we are walking through the difficult seasons of life, like an upside economy, we really need to be connected to God and to others.

This is not the year to be a Lone Ranger. (Even the Lone Ranger had Tonto). This is the year to get connected. Get connected to a group, get connected to this church, get connected to God, get connected to a group of men or women around you. This is the time to be in community.

One of the things that we can learn when things are hard economically, is to be unselfish. Learning to be unselfish is one of the biggest lessons that we have to learn in this life. Being unselfish frees us up from so much worry and baggage. It really helps us to get our priorities straight and realize what is important in life…God, and the people in our lives.

Luke 16:9 (NIV)
9 I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings.

He says the number one use of money is to use it in relationships. Help other people, make friends. And of course the best friends are the ones you make for eternity.

4. Trust God with the future

To really know peace we have to decide that we are going to live one day at a time and we are going to trust God with the future. We need to decide that no matter what happens during this recession we are going to live for God and we are going to leave whatever happens up to Him. The results of my life are going to be up to God.

Proverbs 3:5-6 (NIV)
5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; 6 in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.

What does that mean? “He’ll make straight your paths.” It means this: He’s going to keep you on the right track. That’s what it means when God says I’ll make straight your paths. He says if I choose to trust in the Lord and I don’t listen to what I think is best but I listen to what God thinks is best, and I acknowledge him in every area of my life – my career, my family, every area of my life and I say “This is your area, Lord.” He says he will make straight your paths. He will keep you on the right path. You’re not going to go off in the ditch. I will keep you in the right direction. I will keep you from heading in the wrong way.

Come back often to see the latest sermons or bible studies on your Online Pastor site. We are blessed to be your Pastor Online!

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Matthew 13:1-58 (NIV)
1 That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the lake. 2 Such large crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat in it, while all the people stood on the shore. 3 Then he told them many things in parables, saying: “A farmer went out to sow his seed. 4 As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. 5 Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. 6 But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. 7 Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. 8 Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop–a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. 9 He who has ears, let him hear.” 10 The disciples came to him and asked, “Why do you speak to the people in parables?” 11 He replied, “The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them. 12 Whoever has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him. 13 This is why I speak to them in parables: “Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear or understand. 14 In them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah: “‘You will be ever hearing but never understanding; you will be ever seeing but never perceiving. 15 For this people’s heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn, and I would heal them.’ 16 But blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear. 17 For I tell you the truth, many prophets and righteous men longed to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it. 18 “Listen then to what the parable of the sower means: 19 When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is the seed sown along the path. 20 The one who received the seed that fell on rocky places is the man who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. 21 But since he has no root, he lasts only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, he quickly falls away. 22 The one who received the seed that fell among the thorns is the man who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke it, making it unfruitful. 23 But the one who received the seed that fell on good soil is the man who hears the word and understands it. He produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.” 24 Jesus told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. 25 But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away. 26 When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared. 27 “The owner’s servants came to him and said, ‘Sir, didn’t you sow good seed in your field? Where then did the weeds come from?’ 28 “‘An enemy did this,’ he replied. “The servants asked him, ‘Do you want us to go and pull them up?’ 29 “‘No,’ he answered, ‘because while you are pulling the weeds, you may root up the wheat with them. 30 Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn.’” 31 He told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. 32 Though it is the smallest of all your seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and perch in its branches.” 33 He told them still another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into a large amount of flour until it worked all through the dough.” 34 Jesus spoke all these things to the crowd in parables; he did not say anything to them without using a parable. 35 So was fulfilled what was spoken through the prophet: “I will open my mouth in parables, I will utter things hidden since the creation of the world.” 36 Then he left the crowd and went into the house. His disciples came to him and said, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds in the field.” 37 He answered, “The one who sowed the good seed is the Son of Man. 38 The field is the world, and the good seed stands for the sons of the kingdom. The weeds are the sons of the evil one, 39 and the enemy who sows them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels. 40 “As the weeds are pulled up and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the age. 41 The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil. 42 They will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 43 Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear. 44 “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field. 45 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. 46 When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it. 47 “Once again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was let down into the lake and caught all kinds of fish. 48 When it was full, the fishermen pulled it up on the shore. Then they sat down and collected the good fish in baskets, but threw the bad away. 49 This is how it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come and separate the wicked from the righteous 50 and throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 51 “Have you understood all these things?” Jesus asked. “Yes,” they replied. 52 He said to them, “Therefore every teacher of the law who has been instructed about the kingdom of heaven is like the owner of a house who brings out of his storeroom new treasures as well as old.” 53 When Jesus had finished these parables, he moved on from there. 54 Coming to his hometown, he began teaching the people in their synagogue, and they were amazed. “Where did this man get this wisdom and these miraculous powers?” they asked. 55 “Isn’t this the carpenter’s son? Isn’t his mother’s name Mary, and aren’t his brothers James, Joseph, Simon and Judas? 56 Aren’t all his sisters with us? Where then did this man get all these things?” 57 And they took offense at him. But Jesus said to them, “Only in his hometown and in his own house is a prophet without honor.” 58 And he did not do many miracles there because of their lack of faith.

People are deciding whether to follow Jesus or not. They have heard the Kingdom proclaimed and they have seen the signs and wonders that the Kingdom is indeed present and yet because Jesus doesn’t fit into their God box many are rejecting Him.

In Matthew 13 Jesus begins teaching in Parables. Rather than clearing the issue up for people, the parables actually seem to be clouding the issue. Why would Jesus teach in parables? Jesus was asked this question by His disciples and He said, “Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing they do not hear or understand” (Matthew 13:13). The people, in rejecting the clear presentation and demonstration of the Kingdom of God and of who He was, had closed their eyes to truth. We need to remember that the Israelites had a very clear understanding of what they thought the Kingdom of God would be like. There expectations didn’t include the two comings of Christ. They were busy looking for what will take place at His second coming and so they rejected Him. They were looking for a Lion and He came as a Lamb. When He comes back, it will as the Lion.

The parables can only be understood in light of the Now and the Not Yet. The Kingdom is here but not fully here. We get a taste of the Kingdom but this is not the full meal. We live in an inaugurated eschatology. Jesus inaugurated the end times when He came the first time, He will fulfill it completely with His second coming. The disciples, who were ready for the Kingdom rule to be established, had trouble grasping this new idea. Explain to us what this means…..They had no way of knowing that there would be this time of tension between the now and the not yet that we live in today.

Jesus concludes His teaching with a question: “Have you understood all these things?” (Matthew 13:51). Yes. I don’t think so. It would only be later that they could begin to understand the implications of the Now and Not Yet. Jesus came to bring both the old and the new elements of the Kingdom.

Matthew 13:3-9, 18-23

The Sower

The seed is the word of God. The different soil represents the condition of people’s heart and how they receive the Good News. What they were expecting was that Messiah would turn Israel and all nations to Himself. What they got was that individuals had to choose how they would respond to the Word’s invitation. Until He comes back.

Matthew 13:24-30

Wheat and Tares

What they expected was to rule over the world with the King. What they got was that the citizens of the Kingdom would be among the people of the world until harvest time. Working the harvest, preaching the gospel, that none would perish. Living as servants, not as Lords. This was the basis for the whole constant argument among the disciple about who would be the greatest in the Kingdom.

Matthew 13:31-33

Mustard Seed and Leaven

What they expected was the Kingdom to be established in majesty and glory. What they got was a Kingdom that begins in seeming insignificance and its impact increases over time.

Matthew 13:44-46

Hidden Treasure and Pearl

These two parables are perhaps my favorite. They teach us about the value of Jesus. He is the treasure hidden in the field and He is the pearl of great price and there is nothing more valuable in life than a relationship with Him. But something happens after you figure out that Jesus is the treasure and the pearl and that He is worth everything. The amazing thing is that to Jesus, YOU are the treasure and YOU are the pearl and He gave everything that He might have relationship with YOU. What they expected was that the Kingdom would provide all things that people valued. What they got was an exhortation to let it all go and seek first the Kingdom (Matthew 6:33)

Matthew 13:47-50

Net

What they expected was that the Kingdom would start with a separation of righteous and unrighteous. What they got was a Kingdom that ends with the separation of the unrighteous from the righteous.

We are living in the tension of the Now and Not Yet, waiting on the Second Coming of Jesus, but busy redeeming the time by working in the harvest until the trumpet sound signals His return.

If you have questions about the Now and the Not Yet you should check out the series we did on the Kingdom of God. All the teaching of that series is available to watch for free at Christian Cell Groups.

Come back often to see the latest sermons or bible studies on your Online Pastor site. We are blessed to be your Pastor Online!

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Matthew 12:1-50 (NIV)
1 At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath. His disciples were hungry and began to pick some heads of grain and eat them. 2 When the Pharisees saw this, they said to him, “Look! Your disciples are doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath.” 3 He answered, “Haven’t you read what David did when he and his companions were hungry? 4 He entered the house of God, and he and his companions ate the consecrated bread–which was not lawful for them to do, but only for the priests. 5 Or haven’t you read in the Law that on the Sabbath the priests in the temple desecrate the day and yet are innocent? 6 I tell you that one greater than the temple is here. 7 If you had known what these words mean, ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the innocent. 8 For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.” 9 Going on from that place, he went into their synagogue, 10 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?” 11 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? 12 How much more valuable is a man than a sheep! Therefore it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.” 13 Then he said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” So he stretched it out and it was completely restored, just as sound as the other. 14 But the Pharisees went out and plotted how they might kill Jesus. 15 Aware of this, Jesus withdrew from that place. Many followed him, and he healed all their sick, 16 warning them not to tell who he was. 17 This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah: 18 “Here is my servant whom I have chosen, the one I love, in whom I delight; I will put my Spirit on him, and he will proclaim justice to the nations. 19 He will not quarrel or cry out; no one will hear his voice in the streets.
20 A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out, till he leads justice to victory. 21 In his name the nations will put their hope.” 22 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. 23 All the people were astonished and said, “Could this be the Son of David?” 24 But when the Pharisees heard this, they said, “It is only by Beelzebub, the prince of demons, that this fellow drives out demons.” 25 Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and every city or household divided against itself will not stand. 26 If Satan drives out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then can his kingdom stand? 27 And if I drive out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your people drive them out? So then, they will be your judges. 28 But if I drive out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. 29 “Or again, how can anyone enter a strong man’s house and carry off his possessions unless he first ties up the strong man? Then he can rob his house. 30 “He who is not with me is against me, and he who does not gather with me scatters. 31 And so I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. 32 Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come. 33 “Make a tree good and its fruit will be good, or make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad, for a tree is recognized by its fruit. 34 You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good? For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks. 35 The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him. 36 But I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken. 37 For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.” 38 Then some of the Pharisees and teachers of the law said to him, “Teacher, we want to see a miraculous sign from you.” 39 He answered, “A wicked and adulterous generation asks for a miraculous sign! But none will be given it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. 40 For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. 41 The men of Nineveh will stand up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and now one greater than Jonah is here. 42 The Queen of the South will rise at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for she came from the ends of the earth to listen to Solomon’s wisdom, and now one greater than Solomon is here. 43 “When an evil spirit comes out of a man, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it. 44 Then it says, ‘I will return to the house I left.’ When it arrives, it finds the house unoccupied, swept clean and put in order. 45 Then it goes and takes with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there. And the final condition of that man is worse than the first. That is how it will be with this wicked generation.” 46 While Jesus was still talking to the crowd, his mother and brothers stood outside, wanting to speak to him. 47 Someone told him, “Your mother and brothers are standing outside, wanting to speak to you.” 48 He replied to him, “Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?” 49 Pointing to his disciples, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers. 50 For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.”

We need to talk about the Pharisees for a minute. The Pharisees started out with good intentions about 200 years before the arrival of Christ. Pharisee has at its root the meaning of separate. The Pharisees has separated from the Greek influence on Hebrew culture and were trying to maintain the “law”. Over time they gravitated to being more concerned over the oral interpretation of the law, which had hundreds of added rules and regulations to accompany the “law”. The Pharisees were looking for Messiah to come but they couldn’t accept the package that He came in. From the time of the sermon on the mount, until this point when Jesus teaching about the Kingdom being present is demonstrated by the miracles and ministry of Jesus and His disciples, the Pharisees have had to decide who Jesus is. Is He the One or is He not. So steeped in their tradition they CHOOSE to dismiss Jesus and they now begin to step up their attack against Him with traps and smear campaigns. They are looking to exploit every situation and they ultimately don’t care who they hurt in the process. The first attack is over the Sabbath.

Matthew 12:1-8

Jesus words in verse 7 and 8 are extremely important. “I desire mercy not sacrifice.” The Pharisees have lost the point of the law altogether, which was to demonstrate what Kingdom community should look like and ultimately point us all to our need for a Savior. To the Pharisees it was no longer about the God of the law, it was about the law of God. When Jesus says in Verse 8 “The Son of Man is the Lord of the Sabbath He is making that point.

Matthew 12:9-13

The second attack is about healing on the Sabbath. It actually looks like this was a trap set by the Pharisees. They weren’t concerned about the man with the withered hand, they were only concerned with their interpretation of the law. Jesus talks about the value of people. This is a subject that we have to really think about. Are their issues that we are standing on that make us more like the Pharisees than like Jesus? Are their issues that have caused us to care less about people than about being right? Jesus confronts religious people harshly, but how does He confront sinners? He speaks the truth but He does it in love. After Jesus heals the man with the withered hand the Pharisees make seal the deal and decide it is time to get Jesus out of the picture.

Matthew 12:14-24

The smear attack begins in earnest with the Pharisees claiming that Jesus is operating under the power of Beelzebub.

Matthew 12:25-37

Jesus responds to the accusations. The Kingdom of God has been clearly presented and demonstrated for the Pharisees. Their decision is to deny the evidence and stir up lies. Jesus says something very important in verses 31 and 32. First, He makes it clear that everyone who speaks against Him can be forgiven, but anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven. This verse has made a lot of people uncomfortable. In context what Jesus is saying is that the Pharisees can be forgiven for their accusations against Him, but if they refuse to see the work of the Holy Spirit in His ministry, if after having seen God at work in the power of the Holy Spirit, they still choose to deny that Jesus is the Messiah, then they are doomed, in this age and the age to come. He then goes on to chastise them for their lies and slander, saying that their willingness to spread lies comes from the evil stored up in them. The evil is that they would rather do anything to hold on to their way of thinking than to accept Jesus as the King they were waiting for.

Matthew 12:38-45

The Pharisees request for a sign was not in order to confirm their faith, but to try and excuse their unbelief. There had already been plenty of miracles demonstrated. Jesus points them to the sign of the prophet Jonah. In so doing, Jesus is pointing all people to the cross. The death and resurrection of Christ on the cross is the ultimate sign of the Lordship of Jesus. It is there for all to see and accept. The parable Jesus gives in verses 43-45 of the unclean spirit speaks of the idea of everyone who is presented with the Gospel, and chooses not to believe. The Pharisees had clear evidence of Jesus was and yet they chose not to accept Him. Their evil inside them will now get worse. So it is for all those who reject what Jesus has come on the cross.

Matthew 12:46-50

Sometimes the people who are closest to the truth, have the hardest time receiving it. This was the case initially with Jesus mother and brothers. Sometimes the pull of our culture, our family and friends, can keep us from the truth as well.

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In this Bible Study series on Internet Pastor we will be studying through the New Testament verse by verse. You can watch or listen to the study by going to the Online Church page.

Matthew 9:1-38 (NKJV)
1 So He got into a boat, crossed over, and came to His own city. 2 Then behold, they brought to Him a paralytic lying on a bed. When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, “Son, be of good cheer; your sins are forgiven you.” 3 And at once some of the scribes said within themselves, “This Man blasphemes!” 4 But Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said, “Why do you think evil in your hearts? 5 For which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Arise and walk’? 6 But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins”–then He said to the paralytic, “Arise, take up your bed, and go to your house.” 7 And he arose and departed to his house. 8 Now when the multitudes saw it, they marveled and glorified God, who had given such power to men. 9 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. 10 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. 11 And when the Pharisees saw it, they said to His disciples, “Why does your Teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” 12 When Jesus heard that, He said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. 13 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.” 14 Then the disciples of John came to Him, saying, “Why do we and the Pharisees fast often, but Your disciples do not fast?” 15 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. 16 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. 17 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.” 18 While He spoke these things to them, behold, a ruler came and worshiped Him, saying, “My daughter has just died, but come and lay Your hand on her and she will live.” 19 So Jesus arose and followed him, and so did His disciples. 20 And suddenly, a woman who had a flow of blood for twelve years came from behind and touched the hem of His garment. 21 For she said to herself, “If only I may touch His garment, I shall be made well.” 22 But Jesus turned around, and when He saw her He said, “Be of good cheer, daughter; your faith has made you well.” And the woman was made well from that hour. 23 When Jesus came into the ruler’s house, and saw the flute players and the noisy crowd wailing, 24 He said to them, “Make room, for the girl is not dead, but sleeping.” And they ridiculed Him. 25 But when the crowd was put outside, He went in and took her by the hand, and the girl arose. 26 And the report of this went out into all that land. 27 When Jesus departed from there, two blind men followed Him, crying out and saying, “Son of David, have mercy on us!” 28 And when He had come into the house, the blind men came to Him. And Jesus said to them, “Do you believe that I am able to do this?” They said to Him, “Yes, Lord.” 29 Then He touched their eyes, saying, “According to your faith let it be to you.” 30 And their eyes were opened. And Jesus sternly warned them, saying, “See that no one knows it.” 31 But when they had departed, they spread the news about Him in all that country. 32 As they went out, behold, they brought to Him a man, mute and demon-possessed. 33 And when the demon was cast out, the mute spoke. And the multitudes marveled, saying, “It was never seen like this in Israel!” 34 But the Pharisees said, “He casts out demons by the ruler of the demons.” 35 Then Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people. 36 But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd. 37 Then He said to His disciples, “The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. 38 Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.”

Chapter 9
Jesus continues to demonstrate that the Kingdom of God is here with dynamic supernatural encounters. Throughout the chapter there are awesome displays of faith and hope because of the message that Jesus has presented. He is now demonstrating the Words with the Works.

Matthew 9:1-8 Jesus heals a paralytic

These encounters are all so amazing. Not only is the fact the Kingdom of God is here being displayed, it is setting off all sorts of other situations. Notice in verse 2 that it is the faith of the friends that Jesus mentions. Sometimes we are led to believe that if we ask God for something and it doesn’t happen then it must either be a lack of faith or we have some sin in our life that is keeping it from happen. Neither conclusion is correct. First off, if the condition for answered prayer is that we are sin free, none of us will ever have a prayer answered. In this instance, it the healing wasn’t about the faith of the paralytic but the faith of his friends. (We must remember that the Kingdom is here but not fully here. This allows for the sovereignty of God) Jesus also gets the religious leaders stirred up when He says your sins are forgiven. This is significant because only God can forgive sins. Jesus is making a bold claim here and that is what stirs up the religious leaders.

Matthew 9:9-13

In these verses Matthew is called to follow Jesus and then he invites his friends over to meet Jesus. This is also not well received by the religious leaders of the day. They have spent years building themselves up by excluding the very people God wants to include. We have to be very careful that our own brand of religiosity doesn’t keep us from becoming just like the scribes and Pharisees. For example, one of the best ways to share the Gospel with people is to hang out with the friends of new Christians. Over time, our circle of friends begins to change and more and more our friends tend to be Christians. However, when someone new comes in, they might still have a lot of friends who aren’t believers. If we can connect with them in non-religious ways we have an opportunity to share the Gospel. However, we have to be will to meet them on their terms. People who are not believers have an entirely different way of processing life. If we aren’t able to love people where they are then we will not be effective in this approach. This is demonstrated in the way people respond to Jesus and the way they respond to the Pharisees.

Matthew 9:14-17

This interaction with John’s disciples is interesting. They also didn’t understand why Jesus and His disciples would attend a feast like the one at Matthews house while they were fasting. When they asked Jesus about it He told them that the Kingdom is like a great feast in this case a wedding banquet. At a wedding people are happy and eating, not fasting and mourning. Jesus the Bridegroom (King) was present and so there was no need to fast. When the people reject Him (when the bridegroom is taken away) then they will fast. Jesus then makes a comparison between the ministry of John the Baptist and His own ministry. John’s ministry was that of a reformer. He was trying to bring about repentance in people who were trapped in the traditions and rituals of the Pharisees. In effect, he was trying to patch up an old system (like sewing an unshrunk cloth on an old garment which would tear or pouring new wine into old wineskins which would burst). Jesus had come to do something new. He had come to lead a group out of the old ways and into the Kingdom of God based on Him and His righteousness!

Matthew 9:18-34

Jairus come to Jesus and worships and says to Jesus my daughter has died but if you will lay your hand on her she will live. The woman with the issue of blood knows that if she can just touch his garment she will be healed. Two blind men cry out for mercy and they receive sight. A demon possessed mute man is delivered and healed. The people are seeing the nature of God as light is breaking into the darkness they have lived in for so long. The reaction of the Pharisees is typical, this man casts out demons by the ruler of demons. What they are saying in effect that the mute demon possessed man is better than Jesus who they are saying is demon possessed and blaspheming.

Matthew 9:35-38

Jesus continues His ministry and trains His disciples. As He ministers His disciples are watching and learning. Jesus is preparing them to go and do the same things He was doing. The workers are few, the harvest is ripe. If you remember the teaching we did on the Feasts you know that we are in between the fourth feast (Pentecost), and the fifth feast (Trumpets), which signifies the end of the harvest. Jesus is filled with compassion for the condition of the people who have lived in such darkness. He is going to send out an army (which includes us) to bring the light of the Gospel into a fallen and broken planet. It is His story, and it is awesome.

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Before we dive into Matthew Chapter 8, I thought you might like a little information on a little tie in between the Christmas story and the New Year. In Matthew Chapter 2, which records much of the early life of Jesus, there is an interesting scripture:

Matthew 2:19 (NIV)
19 After Herod died, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt

What makes this interesting is that Herod’s death is very well established historically as happening in 4BC.

In the Middle Ages, Dionysius Exiguus computed the date of Christ’s birth. He named the year of the Nativity 1 A.D. The year immediately before that year was 1 B.C. He did not include a year for zero. He also obviously made an error in his calculations by not taking into account the recorded death of Herod in 4BC.

What this means is that the birth of Christ actually took place (you have to add two years for Herod’s command to kill all the male children in Bethlehem two years old and younger, Matthew 2:16) somewhere between 7 BC and 5 BC. The trouble is not with the Biblical account, it is with the calculation of the dates by Dionysius Exiguus.

So Happy 2001 or 2002 or 2003 or 2004!

Let’s move on to Matthew Chapter 8

Matthew 8:1-34 (NKJV)
1 When He had come down from the mountain, great multitudes followed Him. 2 And behold, a leper came and worshiped Him, saying, “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.” 3 Then Jesus put out His hand and touched him, saying, “I am willing; be cleansed.” Immediately his leprosy was cleansed. 4 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.” 5 Now when Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to Him, pleading with Him, 6 saying, “Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, dreadfully tormented.” 7 And Jesus said to him, “I will come and heal him.” 8 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. 9 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.” 10 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! 11 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.12 But the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” 13 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. 14 Now when Jesus had come into Peter’s house, He saw his wife’s mother lying sick with a fever. 15 So He touched her hand, and the fever left her. And she arose and served them. 16 When evening had come, they brought to Him many who were demon-possessed. And He cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were sick, 17 that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying: “He Himself took our infirmities And bore our sicknesses.” 18 And when Jesus saw great multitudes about Him, He gave a command to depart to the other side. 19 Then a certain scribe came and said to Him, “Teacher, I will follow You wherever You go.” 20 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.” 21 Then another of His disciples said to Him, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.” 22 But Jesus said to him, “Follow Me, and let the dead bury their own dead.” 23 Now when He got into a boat, His disciples followed Him. 24 And suddenly a great tempest arose on the sea, so that the boat was covered with the waves. But He was asleep. 25 Then His disciples came to Him and awoke Him, saying, “Lord, save us! We are perishing!” 26 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. 27 So the men marveled, saying, “Who can this be, that even the winds and the sea obey Him?” 28 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. 29 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?” 30 Now a good way off from them there was a herd of many swine feeding. 31 So the demons begged Him, saying, “If You cast us out, permit us to go away into the herd of swine.” 32 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. 33 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. 34 And behold, the whole city came out to meet Jesus. And when they saw Him, they begged Him to depart from their region.

Jesus has just finished the sermon on the mount in Chapters 5 through 7. As He walks down for the mountain, great multitudes are following Him. The people that Jesus has made himself known to, are now wanting to know Him more. His teachings have impacted them at the very core of who they are.

In this Chapter we see Jesus begin to demonstrate the power of the Kingdom of God. His Words and His works are a demonstration of what He stated in the beginning of His ministry:

Matthew 4:17 (NKJV)
17 From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

The Kingdom of Heaven and the Kingdom of God are terms used interchangeably throughout the Gospels. Throughout His ministry, Jesus would talk about and then demonstrate the Kingdom of God. Words and Works.

In verses 2- 4 Jesus heals a leper. After hearing all that Jesus had to say about who God really is and the kind of relationship He wants to have with us, a leper, who would have been an outcast and considered unclean by the religious leaders of the day, has the faith to walk up to Jesus. “If you are willing, You can make me clean”. What a great picture.

In verses 5 -13 we see the encounter with a centurion, a Roman officer, a gentile. Until the arrival of Jesus, he would not have believed he even had access to God. Now he demonstrates some of the greatest faith displayed in the scripture.

In verses 14 -17 Jesus heals Peter’s mother-in-law and also basically everyone in town who was sick or demon possessed.

This is in fulfillment of Isaiah 53:

Isaiah 53:1-7 (NKJV)
1 Who has believed our report? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? 2 For He shall grow up before Him as a tender plant, And as a root out of dry ground. He has no form or comeliness; And when we see Him, There is no beauty that we should desire Him. 3 He is despised and rejected by men, A Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him; He was despised, and we did not esteem Him. 4 Surely He has borne our griefs And carried our sorrows; Yet we esteemed Him stricken, Smitten by God, and afflicted. 5 But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed. 6 All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way; And the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all. 7 He was oppressed and He was afflicted, Yet He opened not His mouth; He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, And as a sheep before its shearers is silent, So He opened not His mouth.

In verses 18 – 22 Jesus has a discussion with a scribe. It is interesting in that on the surface it might seem that having a scribe as a disciple might have more impact than the group of guys He had chosen. The reality was, that unlike His disciples, the scribe would only follow Jesus conditionally. It is either all in or not in with Jesus.

In verses 23 – 27 Jesus demonstrated His power over nature by calming the storm. In each of our lives, we will be faced with storms, but we can always trust in Him.

In verses 28 – 34 Jesus again demonstrates the Kingdom of God in this encounter with two demon possessed men. Like the demons, some people would rather choose their own herd of swine than the Savior of the world!

Come back often to see the latest sermons or bible studies on your Online Pastor site. We are blessed to be your Pastor Online!

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In our Online Ministry Bible study today on Pastor Online we are continuing our discussion on Understanding the Bible from beginning to end. So far in our study on getting the Bible from beginning to end we have developed the following ideas:

God is the Eternal King. He is an infinite, unchangeable, Spirit, perfect in holiness, wisdom, goodness, justice, power and love.

From all eternity He exists as the One Living and True God in three persons of one substance, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, equal in power and glory.

God’s Kingdom is everlasting. From His throne, through His Son, His eternal Word, God created, upholds, and governs all that exists: the heavenly places, the angelic hosts, the universe, the earth, every living thing and human beings. God created all things very good.

Satan, originally a great good angel rebelled against God, taking a host of angels with him. He was cast out of God’s presence, and, as a usurper of God’s rule established a counter-kingdom of darkness and evil on the earth.God created mankind in His image, male and female, for relationship with himself, and to govern the earth. Under the temptation of Satan our original parents fell from grace, bringing sin and God’s judgment of death to the earth. Through the fall, Satan and his demonic host gained access to God’s good creation. Creation now experiences the consequences and effects of Adam’s original sin Human beings are born in sin, subject to God’s judgment of death, and captive to Satan’s kingdom of darkness.

God did not abandon His rule over the earth, which He continues to uphold by His providence. In order to bring redemption, God established covenants, which revealed His grace to sinful people. In covenant with Abraham, God bound Himself to His people Israel, promising to deliver them from bondage to sin and Satan and to bless all the nations through them.

As King, God later redeemed His people by His mighty acts from bondage in Egypt and established His covenant through Moses, revealing His perfect will and our obligation to fulfill it. The law’s purpose is to order our fallen race and to make us conscious of our moral responsibility.

By the work of God’s Spirit, it convicts us of our sin and God’s righteous judgment against us and brings us to Christ alone for salvation.

When Israel rejected God’s rule over her as King, God established the monarchy in Israel and made an unconditional covenant with David, promising that his heir would restore God’s kingdom reign over His people as Messiah forever.

In the fullness of time, God honored His covenants with Israel and His prophetic promises of salvation by sending His only Son, Jesus, into the world. Conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary, as fully God and fully human in one person, He is humanity as God intended us to be.

Jesus was anointed as God’s Messiah and empowered by the Holy Spirit, inaugurating God’s kingdom reign on earth,
overpowering the reign of Satan by resisting temptation,
preaching the good news of salvation, healing the sick,
casting out demons and raising the dead. Gathering His disciples, He reconstituted God’s people as His Church to be the instrument of His kingdom.

After dying for the sins of the world, Jesus was raised from the dead on the third day, fulfilling the covenant of blessing given to Abraham. In His sinless, perfect life Jesus met the demands of the law and in His atoning death on the cross He took God’s judgment for sin which we deserve as law breakers. By His death on the cross He also disarmed the demonic powers.

The covenant with David was fulfilled in Jesus’ birth from David’s house, His Messianic ministry, His glorious resurrection from the dead, His ascent into heaven and in His present rule at the right hand of the Father. As God’s Son and David’s heir, He is the eternal Messiah-King, advancing God’s reign throughout every generation and throughout the whole earth today

The Holy Spirit was poured out on the Church at Pentecost in power, baptizing believers into the Body of Christ and releasing the gifts of the Spirit to them. The Spirit brings the permanent indwelling presence of God to us for spiritual worship, personal sanctification, building up the Church, gifting us for ministry, and driving back the kingdom of Satan
by the evangelization of the world through proclaiming the word of Jesus and doing the works of Jesus.

God’s kingdom has come in the ministry of our Lord Jesus Christ, that it continues to come in the ministry of the Spirit through the Church, and that it will be consummated in the glorious, visible and triumphant appearing of Christ – His return to the earth as King.

Today we will end up our study on understanding the Bile from beginning to end. We have examines the thread of redemption that starts immediately after the fall and weaves its way through the Bible, telling us of how God has made a way for us through Christ. Today we will look at the final process before it is all put back together.

After Christ returns to reign

Matthew 25:31-32 (NIV)
31 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory.
32 All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.

1 Corinthians 15:23-25 (NIV)
23 But each in his own turn: Christ, the firstfruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him. 24 Then the end will come, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father after he has destroyed all dominion, authority and power.
25 For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet.

He will bring about the final defeat of Satan and all of his minions and works

Revelation 20:10 (NIV)
10 And the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night for ever and ever.

The resurrection of the dead

1 Corinthians 15:51-52 (NIV)
51 Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed– 52 in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed.

This is the feat of trumpets. The one we are waiting for. It is followed by Atonement (judgment) and Tabernacles.

The final judgment

John 5:28-30 (NIV)
28 “Do not be amazed at this, for a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice 29 and come out–those who have done good will rise to live, and those who have done evil will rise to be condemned. 30 By myself I can do nothing; I judge only as I hear, and my judgment is just, for I seek not to please myself but him who sent me.

Revelation 20:11-15 (NIV)
11 Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. Earth and sky fled from his presence, and there was no place for them. 12 And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. 13 The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what he had done. 14 Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. 15 If anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.

Thank God for having your name written in the Lambs book of life. As believers, your judgment was taken by Jesus on the Cross.

And the eternal blessing of the righteous and eternal conscious punishment of the wicked.

Matthew 25:31-46 (NIV)
31 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. 32 All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. 34 “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’ 37 “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’ 40 “The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’ 41 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42 For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’ 44 “They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’ 45 “He will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’ 46 “Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”

There is a punishment for refusing to accept Jesus as the Lord and Savior of your life. It is the unpardonable sin.

Finally, God will be all in all

1 Corinthians 15:24-28 (NIV)
24 Then the end will come, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father after he has destroyed all dominion, authority and power. 25 For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. 26 The last enemy to be destroyed is death. 27 For he “has put everything under his feet.” Now when it says that “everything” has been put under him, it is clear that this does not include God himself, who put everything under Christ. 28 When he has done this, then the Son himself will be made subject to him who put everything under him, so that God may be all in all.

and His kingdom, His rule and reign

1 Timothy 6:13-16 (NIV)
13 In the sight of God, who gives life to everything, and of Christ Jesus, who while testifying before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, I charge you 14 to keep this command without spot or blame until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, 15 which God will bring about in his own time–God, the blessed and only Ruler, the King of kings and Lord of lords, 16 who alone is immortal and who lives in unapproachable light, whom no one has seen or can see. To him be honor and might forever. Amen.

Will be fulfilled in the new heavens and the new earth

2 Peter 3:13 (NIV)
13 But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness.

Recreated by His mighty power in which righteousness dwells

Revelation 21:27 (NIV)
27 Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life.

And in which He will be forever worshipped

1 Timothy 1:17 (NIV)
17 Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen.

Revelation 7:9-12 (NIV)
9 After this I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. 10 And they cried out in a loud voice: “Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.” 11 All the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures. They fell down on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, 12 saying: “Amen! Praise and glory and wisdom and thanks and honor and power and strength be to our God for ever and ever. Amen!”

I can only imagine when all I will do, is forever, worship Him.

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