Jesus

The Restoration of the Kingdom

/ Bobby Mayfield / Leave a comment

The Restoration of the Kingdom

Book of Micah Chapters 3-5

How important is good leadership? Leadership is a matter of life and death to any nation and to any church.

What’s wrong with America today?

  1. America has walked away from God.
  2. The leadership in America has done nothing to keep America secure, militarily or financially, nor to provide proper care for its people.
  3. The politicians have forgotten that they are to serve the people and not themselves.
    They act like a bunch of cackling hens, forgetting what they are in Washington to do, and it is not to play politician; it is to serve our nation that is going to the dogs.

The leadership in America has failed its people, and they do not care to change their ways, and foolish Americans keep them in office to do nothing. If they had a real job, most of them would be fired and replaced, yet we the people do not have that option, but we should.

To be honest, I do not believe there is an honest leader in any nation today who serves to benefit their people.

This was the case in Israel.

The government of Israel was divided into civil, judicial, and religious branches, and the leaders of all three branches had become corrupt.

Sounds familiar, does it not?

Every leader in every leadership position is to act fairly with integrity and fair dealing, while upholding the laws of the land they serve.

They are to administer justice.

If we as voters send someone into leadership positions in our government offices or our courts, many of them become corrupt before they do any good at all.

It is a well-known fact that much of the Church has become corrupt, and it is the same in the false religions.

We absolutely cannot attempt to rewrite the Word of God every time we see something we do not like.

Just as Israel will be judged by God, so will the Church and the leaders of every nation upon this world.

Justice will extend to every part of the societies of this world and every aspect of human behavior.

In the Church, justice goes far beyond the legal systems of this world.

The Ten Commandments are all about justice.

God’s Law requires much more than avoiding wrongdoing toward others.

God’s Law requires much more than not harming or hurting others.

God’s Law requires much more than refraining from doing wrong.

True justice always seeks to do what is right and what is good.

True justice is the purpose of the Word of God, so we can be more like Christ Jesus.

Jas 1:26 If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man’s religion is vain.
Jas 1:27 Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.

*****Mic 4:1 But in the last days it shall come to pass, that the mountain of the house of the LORD shall be established in the top of the mountains, and it shall be exalted above the hills; and people shall flow unto it.
Mic 4:2 And many nations shall come, and say, Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, and to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for the law shall go forth of Zion, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.

Many people throughout this world live in quiet desperation when they do not have to.

In Israel, the Temple was destroyed.

Today, we see the Church also falling apart.

The truth is that it is impossible that the Houses of God lie in waste forever!

The Bride of Christ is certain, and the Lord Jesus Christ will return to get His bride, and He will come just as soon as God the Father decides it is time.

Mar 13:32 But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father.

This is a true statement because this was the procedure for all Jewish marriages. The bridegroom would build on to the Father’s House, and only the Father would know that everything was ready to accept the new Bride.

We know this entire world could collapse at any moment when one of the foolish leaders sets off an atomic bomb, and then all those weapons would be fired, and there are certainly some foolish leaders who could one day do this.

The fact is that the Temple of God will be rebuilt.

The Church will hang on till the end.

The Lord Jesus will return, first to get His Bride, the Church, then to remove sin from this world.

These are the facts.

Abraham, who is the father of faith, clearly understood this truth.

Heb 11:8 By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went.
Heb 11:9 By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise:
Heb 11:10 For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God.

What is left of the world after the return of Jesus Christ will walk to please the Lord!

The Gospel will be located in Jerusalem, and the world that remains will want to know all about it!

Jesus Christ caused the Gospel to begin in Jerusalem.

Jerusalem is the place where His ministry began, where He died, where He arose from that death, where He ascended back to Heaven, where He gave the Apostles their commission, and where the Church received the Holy Spirit.

It is only in Jerusalem that we can walk in the actual paths of the Lord.

All those who remain after the Lord has judged this world will remember what they had so easily forgotten.

Rom 1:19 Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them.
Rom 1:20 For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:

The Gospel is the fulfillment of God’s Law.

Why would any other city be chosen for Jesus to return to?

Why would we as Christians give up so easily? Where is our faith?

*****Mic 4:3 And he shall judge among many people, and rebuke strong nations afar off; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up a sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.
Mic 4:4 But they shall sit every man under his vine and under his fig tree; and none shall make them afraid: for the mouth of the LORD of hosts hath spoken it.
Mic 4:5 For all people will walk every one in the name of his god, and we will walk in the name of the LORD our God for ever and ever.

Our world has not been at peace since the sin of Adam and Eve, but the world will finally be at peace when the Lord Jesus returns, after He causes peace to happen.

As in every war, food will be scarce, so all military hardware that was used for war will be converted to farm equipment.

We may see tanks pulling plow equipment and building roads and repairing a broken world.

The word “war” will be totally forgotten and replaced with “love thy neighbor”.

Many a believer has thought, how wonderful it would be to sit at the feet of Jesus, and this will finally be possible when King Jesus rules from Jerusalem.

King Jesus will also “Judge” all disputes between nations wherever they are located upon this earth.

I believe the task of those whom the Lord brought with Him, the wife He will no longer separate Himself from, will be to sit and judge the disputes of individuals.

1Co_6:3 Know ye not that we shall judge angels? how much more things that pertain to this life?

Can you just imagine the savings when there is no money spent on war, no money spent to combat drugs, no money spent to combat sin, no money spent on bad health, and no money spent on politicians, for none of these things will exist.

There will be no United Nations, which has never been what it set out to be.

Rom 14:17 For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.
Rom 14:18 For he that in these things serveth Christ is acceptable to God, and approved of men.

People will be changed: Tit 3:2 To speak evil of no man, to be no brawlers, but gentle, shewing all meekness unto all men.

People will enjoy life completely safe.

The Jewish people and the Jewish nation will be honored among all people.

Deu 28:1 And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe and to do all his commandments which I command thee this day, that the LORD thy God will set thee on high above all nations of the earth:
Deu 28:2 And all these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God.

Jerusalem will then be the actual center of the world.

We should remember God’s promise to Abraham.

Gen 12:1 Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee:
Gen 12:2 And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:
Gen 12:3 And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.

God never breaks a promise!

All the people of the world will walk to Jerusalem in the laws of their god, but they will leave Jerusalem walking in the laws of the Lord God of Israel, and now the Lord God of all His Creation.

It’s like salvation. I walked in my own ways before I met Jesus. Now, I walk in His laws and will do so forever and ever!

All nations will recognize the Word of God as the Laws of God, which is much higher, much deeper, and more complete than anything previous.

All those who have had to hide their worship of the Lord because of their faith in Him can now walk openly.
All those who were outcasts because of their faith in Jesus Christ can walk with their heads held high.
All those whose walk was not perfect in the Lord will now walk in perfection.
All those who were afflicted because of their faith in Christ will no longer be afflicted.

There will be no power that can overcome the power of our Savior and our King, King Jesus!

Prophecy will be fulfilled: Dan 2:44 And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever.

King Jesus will sit on His throne in Jerusalem because all the prophecies of the Bible will have been fulfilled!

The Lord Jesus was born in a humble stable, to humble parents, and He served His life as a humble Shepherd, and He humbled Himself and died on a cruel cross, but this same Jesus is God Almighty and now sits as the eternal King of all His Creation.

This is how the true Judge of Israel began His life on earth.

*****Mic 5:2 But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.
Mic 5:3 Therefore will he give them up, until the time that she which travaileth hath brought forth: then the remnant of his brethren shall return unto the children of Israel.
Mic 5:4 And he shall stand and feed in the strength of the LORD, in the majesty of the name of the LORD his God; and they shall abide: for now shall he be great unto the ends of the earth.

The Prophet Micah begins to tell us about the true Judge of Israel in more detail.

It is easy to see that the future of the Church, the Bride of Christ, and the future of Israel lies in that Babe that was born in Bethlehem Ephratah some two thousand years ago.

The prophecy of Micah was some seven hundred years before the birth of Christ, our King.

We read all the time about the prophecies of men who may get one or two things right, but the prophets of God had to get every prophecy of God right, or we could not consider them true prophets of God and the Word of God could not be trusted.

We know that this prophecy of the birth of our Savior was true, so why should we doubt that the Lord Jesus will sit as King of this world for a thousand years?

It is the Lord Jesus Christ who is our life because He is our future.

He was born of a virgin just as the Word of God, by the Prophet Isaiah, wrote.

Isa 7:14 Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.

This Immanuel is the true food of His people: Joh 6:51 I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.

It is this Jesus who will gather His Church to bear the fruit of God: Joh 15:5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.

The world does not get excited about these things, but we who believe and have faith in the work that the Lord Jesus did for our salvation should be excited and should stay excited about the truth of the Word of God. It is time to look up, for our redemption is closer than it has ever been.

Jer 23:5 Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth.
Jer 23:6 In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely: and this is his name whereby he shall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.

It is Israel that has given us our Messiah and our soon-coming King.

Rev 12:1 And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars:
Rev 12:2 And she being with child cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered.

When the Lord Jesus returns to this earth, He will come in His full power.

He will stand up for His people.
He will defeat the enemies of His people.
He will then be King but also a Shepherd and provide for the needs of His people.
He is God’s ideal King.

The Church, His Bride, will be with Him.

1Th 4:13 But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.
1Th 4:14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.
1Th 4:15 For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.
1Th 4:16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
1Th 4:17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

The remnant of Israel will join with the Church; all will be the children of God.

Rom 11:25 For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.
Rom 11:26 And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob:
Rom 11:27 For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins.

*****Mic 5:7 And the remnant of Jacob shall be in the midst of many people as a dew from the LORD, as the showers upon the grass, that tarrieth not for man, nor waiteth for the sons of men.
Mic 5:8 And the remnant of Jacob shall be among the Gentiles in the midst of many people as a lion among the beasts of the forest, as a young lion among the flocks of sheep: who, if he go through, both treadeth down, and teareth in pieces, and none can deliver.
Mic 5:9 Thine hand shall be lifted up upon thine adversaries, and all thine enemies shall be cut off.

We should all know by now the promises made to Abraham, and here in the Book of Micah, we see Micah give us information about the fulfillment of that prophecy.

God will make true believers out of that remnant of Jacob.

We need to understand clearly the promises God made to Abraham.

Paul wrote: Rom 9:8 That is, They which are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God: but the children of the promise are counted for the seed.
Rom 9:9 For this is the word of promise, At this time will I come, and Sara shall have a son.
Rom 9:10 And not only this; but when Rebecca also had conceived by one, even by our father Isaac;
Rom 9:11 (For the children being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth;)
Rom 9:12 It was said unto her, The elder shall serve the younger.
Rom 9:13 As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated.

It was Jacob who inherited his father’s blessing, but Jacob was never a perfect man, and no patriarch of Israel can be seen as a perfect model of Christian morals.

We should also understand that it was the fear of his brother Esau that sent Jacob to find a Gentile bride. That Gentile bride is the Church.

The promise to Abraham was to be a blessing to all nations and not just to the Jews.

Micah describes a remnant that will be as fresh as the morning dew, sharing the water of life with the nations that remain after the Tribulation period.

Jer_30:7 Alas! for that day is great, so that none is like it: it is even the time of Jacob’s trouble; but he shall be saved out of it.

It is only at this time that the Jews become true believers.

After this remnant is noted as fresh as the morning dew, they will be to the Gentiles as a lion among the beasts.

At this time, all the animals will have become docile, and none of them will be against mankind nor mankind against the animals.

That remnant of the Jews will be associated with the Lion of the tribe of Judah.

Gen 49:9 Judah is a lion’s whelp: from the prey, my son, thou art gone up: he stooped down, he couched as a lion, and as an old lion; who shall rouse him up?

Rev 5:5 And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Juda, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof.

Israel will finally become a tool in the hand of God during the Tribulation period of seven years.

God will bring the Tribulation period to an end.

Mic 5:15 And I will execute vengeance in anger and fury upon the heathen, such as they have not heard.

Zep 3:8 Therefore wait ye upon me, saith the LORD, until the day that I rise up to the prey: for my determination is to gather the nations, that I may assemble the kingdoms, to pour upon them mine indignation, even all my fierce anger: for all the earth shall be devoured with the fire of my jealousy.

These things have already begun to take place.

Amen

Jesus Christ Is Alive

/ Bobby Mayfield / Leave a comment

Jesus Is Alive

Book of Luke Chapter 24

People sometimes ask, what is the greatest discovery that has ever been made throughout the history of our world?

Immediately, they think about material things or certain medicines.

That answer should be simple. The greatest discovery that has ever been made in this world is the empty tomb of the Lord Jesus Christ!

His tomb is still empty today because it was a borrowed tomb; the Lord Jesus only needed it for three days.

Much of this world does not know this, and most of the world does not believe this is true to their loss.

We should be very clear: if the Lord Jesus Christ had not risen from the dead, there would be no such thing as Christianity.

Christianity would be just another religion serving a false god.

The empty tomb and our risen Savior have to become a personal discovery for each individual on this earth.

If my God cannot do the impossible, then He cannot be my God!

If my God is not alive, then I am no more than a fool and bound for Hell with no means of salvation.

The Passover is past. The Lord Jesus was buried just before six PM on the day of the Passover.

The first day following Passover was to be a holy convocation treated as a special Sabbath, and it did not matter what day of the week it was; it could well have been on a Friday.

Lev 23:5 In the fourteenth day of the first month at even is the LORD’S passover.
Lev 23:6 And on the fifteenth day of the same month is the feast of unleavened bread unto the LORD: seven days ye must eat unleavened bread.
Lev 23:7 In the first day ye shall have an holy convocation: ye shall do no servile work therein.

It was on Tuesday when the Lord Jesus had these words.

Mat 26:2 Ye know that after two days is the feast of the passover, and the Son of man is betrayed to be crucified.

Two days after Tuesday would be Thursday. The words of Jesus are more reliable than calendars; this Passover was on a Thursday.

The day after the preparation day, which was Passover, would be the Feast of Unleavened Bread, which was treated as a Sabbath, a High Day. Then, in this particular year, the true Sabbath would follow that day, meaning that when Sunday came, Jesus would have been in the ground for three days and three nights.

The Lord Jesus had been in the grave three days and three nights just as He had said.

At least this is where my Bible study leads me.

Mat_12:40 For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale’s belly; so, shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.

Jhn_19:31 The Jews therefore, because it was the preparation, that the bodies should not remain upon the cross on the sabbath day, (for that sabbath day was an high day,) besought Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away.

Luk 23:54 And that day was the preparation, and the sabbath drew on.
Luk 23:55 And the women also, which came with him from Galilee, followed after, and beheld the sepulchre, and how his body was laid.
Luk 23:56 And they returned, and prepared spices and ointments; and rested the sabbath day according to the commandment.

*Luk 24:1 Now upon the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they came unto the sepulchre, bringing the spices which they had prepared, and certain others with them.
Luk 24:2 And they found the stone rolled away from the sepulchre.
Luk 24:3 And they entered in, and found not the body of the Lord Jesus.

It was the death of the Lord Jesus Christ that would bring the history of this world and eternity to their fulfillment according to God’s plan.

God plans that every living soul be provided with the opportunity for atonement.

The day of atonement was the only day of the year in which the High Priest could enter the Holy of Holies, but not without blood, which he offered for himself.

On this day, he wore none of his colorful clothes to enter behind the Veil but wore white linen clothes.

On this Passover, the Lord Jesus offered His own blood for the atonement.

When the High Priest fulfilled his purpose, he left those clothes in the Holy of Holies just as the Lord Jesus left His white linen clothes behind, and He is not only our Mediator, but He is our true High Priest.

Rom 5:11 And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement.

The meaning of the word is at-one-ment, and it means the state of being at one or being reconciled to God.
Until you are washed in the blood of Jesus, you cannot be reconciled to God!
Atonement is reconciliation. It signifies the truth of the Gospel which flows from the death of Jesus Christ.

The Lord Jesus Christ died in our place! The Lord Jesus Christ took our punishment, which we were rightly due for the sins we committed against our Heavenly Father, our Creator.

Our guilt was imputed to Him, and this is why He came at the First Coming.

2Co 5:21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

1Pe 2:24 Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.

Heb 9:28 So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.

This was God’s plan, and it was executed by His only begotten Son.

The Old Covenant is over, and the New Covenant has begun.

These women were not aware of these things, yet all they knew was that the body of the Lord Jesus Christ had not been properly cared for, and it had been three days.

At four days, the body of Jesus would be corrupted.

Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus had rushed to get the body of Christ into a grave on the day of Passover.

The Lord Jesus had been dead three days, just as He had said.

Mat_12:40 For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale’s belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.

The Lord Jesus Christ arose on the first day of the week, which is Sunday on the Jewish calendar.

We now look at Monday as the first day of the week and Sunday as our Sabbath.

Act 20:7 And upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached unto them, ready to depart on the morrow; and continued his speech until midnight.

This Sunday would have had its beginning at six o’clock the previous day, and these ladies came to the Tomb of Christ early that next morning.

Because His resurrection had occurred just as He had said, another order of things had occurred.

It was love that brought these ladies to the tomb of Jesus, and it is love and truth that should bring us all to the cross of Jesus.

Death reigns no more in our earthly flesh if you are reconciled to God.

The curse of Adam has ended for you.

The rules of death have been broken by the Lord Jesus Christ.

Why? Because His tomb was empty, but that was not all.

1) The Scriptures were opened: Luk 24:27 And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself.

2) Eyes were opened: Luk 24:31 And their eyes were opened, and they knew him; and he vanished out of their sight.

3) The mind is opened: Luk 24:45 Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures,

4) Heaven was opened: Luk 24:51 And it came to pass, while he blessed them, he was parted from them, and carried up into heaven.

That stone was not rolled away to let the Lord out of that grave. He was already out before the angels rolled away that stone.

That stone was rolled away to allow these women who loved Him so much to go inside and look at an empty tomb.

This was the first victory of God’s amazing grace.

Now, mercy and grace are the rules God will use toward all mankind.

These ladies were perplexed about what they had seen.

*Luk 24:4 And it came to pass, as they were much perplexed thereabout, behold, two men stood by them in shining garments:

One of the best proofs of the resurrection of Jesus Christ is the testimony of these ladies.

They witnessed the body of the Lord Jesus being placed into that tomb, and they now see that the tomb is empty.

They knew He was dead, and they knew where He had been laid, and the door had been sealed.

It was the penalty of death to remove this seal unauthorized.

None of those who came to the tomb of Christ had believed Him when He said He would be three days in it and then He would arise from that death until it took place.

As they arrive, they see the stone rolled away, and no one man could do such a thing, and they knew that they could not do it themselves.

Mar 16:3 And they said among themselves, Who shall roll us away the stone from the door of the sepulchre?
Mar 16:4 And when they looked, they saw that the stone was rolled away: for it was very great.
It was the angels who rolled away the stone.

Mat 28:2 And, behold, there was a great earthquake: for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it.

An angel of the Lord cannot lie; they are only messengers.

The body of Jesus Christ was not in the tomb.

These angels had taken on the form of humans.

They looked like men, but their clothing was not of this world but shining garments.

One angel was on each end of the slab where the Lord Jesus had lain, which gives us the vision that the mercy seat was no longer in the Holy of Holies.

Jesus is first called Lord Jesus in this passage after His resurrection, for He is now our risen Savior.

What was the message of the angels?

*Luk 24:5 And as they were afraid, and bowed down their faces to the earth, they said unto them, Why seek ye the living among the dead?
Luk 24:6 He is not here, but is risen: remember how he spake unto you when he was yet in Galilee,
Luk 24:7 Saying, The Son of man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.
Luk 24:8 And they remembered his words,

They were not so much afraid of those angels as they were about the missing body of Christ.

The truth is, God the Father has fully accepted the work of His Son for our atonement, and life has returned to Him.

Joh 10:17 Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again.
Joh 10:18 No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father.

The Lord Jesus becomes the Living God because death cannot hold our Savior!

Not many living will stay in a dead man’s tomb for very long.
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These angels also reminded these women of what the Lord Jesus had said before His death.

We had better be clear in our hearts, we do not honor a dead Savior, we honor the Living God!

Because they now remembered the words that Jesus had spoken, they had conviction and boldness to witness to others this truth.

The Lord Jesus had declared that the grave could not hold Him.

Heb 7:8 And here men that die receive tithes; but there he receiveth them, of whom it is witnessed that he liveth.

Rom 1:4 And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead:

Eph 1:19 And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power,
Eph 1:20 Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places,

It is the power of His resurrection that removes any doubt that the Lord Jesus is the true Messiah, God in the Flesh.

None of those who had followed the Lord Jesus had truly accepted that He would arise from His death.

They had not accepted that He would die until it happened.

It is an eye-opening event when we realize that we were wrong about God!

God is who He says He is!

God does as He says He will do!

*Luk 24:9 And returned from the sepulchre, and told all these things unto the eleven, and to all the rest.
Luk 24:10 It was Mary Magdalene, and Joanna, and Mary the mother of James, and other women that were with them, which told these things unto the apostles.
Luk 24:11 And their words seemed to them as idle tales, and they believed them not.

What is the greatest lesson we can learn from this passage?

We need to pay attention to what the Lord Jesus Christ says!

The Lord Jesus always speaks the truth!

Not finding the Body of Jesus puzzled these women when it should have brought faith.

Many will say that an empty tomb is not proof of a resurrection.

Full belief required the appearance of Jesus Christ.

Faith would know that He is alive!

We should understand that the Holy Spirit did it this way so the Church would know that the grave was empty and it was the actual body of Jesus and not some ghost.

Many commentators will say that those two angels are Moses and Elijah, but the Bible does not lead us in this direction.

The angels quickly told these ladies that if they wanted to see the Risen Savior, they had come to the wrong place.

We know our Savior cannot be bound by any tomb, and you will never find Him there again.

The angels told these ladies to remind the eleven Apostles that He would meet them in Galilee.

The angels also said, “Do you not remember what Jesus said?”

Luk 18:31 Then he took unto him the twelve, and said unto them, Behold, we go up to Jerusalem, and all things that are written by the prophets concerning the Son of man shall be accomplished.
Luk 18:32 For he shall be delivered unto the Gentiles, and shall be mocked, and spitefully entreated, and spitted on:
Luk 18:33 And they shall scourge him, and put him to death: and the third day he shall rise again.

The body of Jesus Christ had not been removed; Jesus had walked out of that grave, going straight through the rock because it was the angels who rolled that heavy stone away.

The enemies of Jesus were still rejoicing, but this rejoicing was about to end.

It took a while for these women to believe that the Lord had risen from that grave, and the Apostles did not believe these women.

The greatest sin in all the Bible is to not believe in the Gospel of Jesus Christ!

The Apostles had no excuse for rejecting the truth of the resurrection, for the Lord had told them He would arise on many occasions.

They did go to Galilee, but they were quitting. They felt they had no one to serve after the death of Jesus.

This is where they would witness the truth of the Lord Jesus.

There is a lack of clear direction. They are no longer full of the Lord Jesus, and activities they previously abandoned for Him have a chance to creep back in.

It is never a good time to quit on Jesus!

Mar 16:14 Afterward he appeared unto the eleven as they sat at meat, and upbraided them with their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they believed not them which had seen him after he was risen.

Joh 3:18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

Peter was still suffering because he had denied Christ.

*Luk 24:12 Then arose Peter, and ran unto the sepulchre; and stooping down, he beheld the linen clothes laid by themselves, and departed, wondering in himself at that which was come to pass.

Many say that those linen clothes lay in that grave just as they were wrapped, meaning that the body of Jesus had passed through those wrappings, leaving them in place.

Jesus had folded the napkin that was over His face and laid it in another place, and we all know the meaning of this. “I will be back.”

As I said earlier, the High Priests would always leave those white linen clothes in the Holy of Holies, so that the empty tomb had become the Holy of Holies, and that place in the Temple was no longer important. The Veil had been torn into two pieces.

Peter came to the tomb of Jesus.

Peter saw what manner His clothes were laid.

Peter departed, wondering within himself what had actually happened.

What we now know is that it is dangerous not to understand the Word of the Lord Jesus Christ.

We cannot spiritualize the Word of God because it will lead to unbelief and serious problems.

All we need to do is be open to the evidence that the Holy Spirit gives us in the Gospels.

1) The tomb is empty.
2) Jesus has risen just as He said.
3) The Holy Spirit will convince us of the truth if we listen to Him.

Joh 8:23 And he said unto them, Ye are from beneath; I am from above: ye are of this world; I am not of this world.
Joh 8:24 I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins.

Act 4:12 Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.

The risen Messiah was not some spirit, He was not some vision, not some phantom, not a hallucination or the figment of man’s imagination, He was the risen Savior.

One day, not so far into the future, we will have a glorified body just like the Lord has.

*Luk 24:44 And he said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me.
Luk 24:45 Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures,
Luk 24:46 And said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day:
Luk 24:47 And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.
Luk 24:48 And ye are witnesses of these things.
Luk 24:49 And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high.

The road to Emmaus is another great picture of the resurrection of Jesus Christ, but our lesson goes to the teaching of the Lord Jesus to the Apostles after they knew that the resurrected Christ is the same Christ who had died for their sin and ours.

Now that these Apostles know that Jesus is a risen Savior, they can better understand the lessons He had taught them.

All prophecies up to the point of the Cross had been fulfilled just as they were written.

Jesus makes a point to teach these men that every word of God would be fulfilled just as written.

We can depend on the Word of God and a proper translation of the Word of God, such as the KJV.

Many translations are nothing but trash and should be done away with.

1) The death of Christ and the Resurrection had to take place just as they happened. Some of the brutalizing of our Savior was unnecessary, but foretold.

None of these things should have been a surprise to these men, and certainly not to the Scribes and Pharisees who were supposedly Bible scholars.

The Lord Jesus had preached these things Himself.

2) It was necessary that the death of Christ and His resurrection take place. His death was imperative, or we would still be bound with our sin, unforgiven.

His resurrection also had to take place, showing us the power of God and our own future resurrection of our bodies.

The Lord Jesus gave us His own division of the Bible of that day.

The Law
The Prophets
The Psalms

Basically, the entire Old Testament.

3) The Lord Jesus opened their eyes so they could understand:

1Co 2:14 But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
1Co 2:15 But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man.
1Co 2:16 For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.

4) These prophecies had to be fulfilled.

Christ had to suffer a terrible death and then rise from that death.

Repentance and forgiveness must be preached.

The Holy Spirit and the Power of Heavenly Father must be sent.

Every believer was to be equipped for witnessing the truth of God.

The source of the Holy Spirit and His Power can come from God the Father only.

Jesus Christ was to send the promises of God the Father.
It was God the Father who made the promises.
We are to wait upon the Lord Jesus Christ to return while praying for the promises of God.

God the Father is the source of all power.

Act 1:8 But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.

His work finished, the Lord went home to be by His Father’s side.

*Luk 24:50 And he led them out as far as to Bethany, and he lifted up his hands, and blessed them.

Luke closes his Gospel with the ascension of the Lord Jesus Christ.

He had remained on earth for forty days since His resurrection.

The Lord Jesus came to this world on a mission to save the people of this world, and He provided a means of salvation and reconciliation with God to every individual who has lived since that time.

His ascension closes His earthly ministry, but it opens His Heavenly ministry, His mission of intercession for the world.

He now bears witness through the lives of those who believe Him.

He is now the propitiation for our sins.

1Jn 2:1 My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:
1Jn 2:2 And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.
1Jn 2:3 And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments.

God’s Son returned to the right hand of God the Father.

His ascension proves that Heaven is a real place!

Php 3:20 For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ:
Php 3:21 Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself.

His ascension assures us that we have a very special Helper in Heaven who really loves and cares for us.

Amen

Mock Trials, Crucifixion, and Burial

/ Bobby Mayfield / Leave a comment

Mock Trials, Crucifixion, and Burial

Book of Luke Chapter 23

Who is this Jesus?

Luk 22:67 Art thou the Christ? tell us. And he said unto them, If I tell you, ye will not believe:

Luk 22:68 And if I also ask you, ye will not answer me, nor let me go.
Luk 22:69 Hereafter shall the Son of man sit on the right hand of the power of God.
Luk 22:70 Then said they all, Art thou then the Son of God? And he said unto them, Ye say that I am.

This is the Jesus who was born of a virgin.

Luk 2:11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.

This is the Jesus who received His commission at His baptism.

Luk 3:21 Now when all the people were baptized, it came to pass, that Jesus also being baptized, and praying, the heaven was opened,
Luk 3:22 And the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon him, and a voice came from heaven, which said, Thou art my beloved Son; in thee I am well pleased.

This is the Jesus who was proclaimed at His first sermon.

Luk 4:18 The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,
Luk 4:19 To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.

This is the Jesus who was proclaimed by His disciples.

Luk 9:20 He said unto them, But whom say ye that I am? Peter answering said, The Christ of God.

This is the Jesus of Nazareth.

Act_22:8 And I answered, Who art thou, Lord? And he said unto me, I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom thou persecutest.

This Jesus is the Son of Man: Luk 22:69 Hereafter shall the Son of man sit on the right hand of the power of God.

This Jesus is the Son of God: Jhn_11:4 When Jesus heard that, he said, This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God might be glorified thereby.

This is the same Jesus, who the Scriptures prove is God’s Messiah, and was rejected by the Jews.

This is the same Jesus who was crucified for all the sins of this world.

This is the Jesus that should not be seen as a helpless idealist who died in weakness, but who was and who is the Lord of Glory.

1Co_2:8 Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.

What were the charges against the Lord Jesus Christ?

1) Jesus was charged by the Sanhedrin Court with perverting the nation of Judah and with committing sedition against Rome, which was a false charge.
2) Jesus was charged by the Sanhedrin Court with disobeying the Laws of Judah and not paying His taxes, which were all false charges.
3) Jesus was charged by the Sanhedrin Court with claiming to be king and being a rival to Caesar, which was also false.

*Luk 23:13 And Pilate, when he had called together the chief priests and the rulers and the people,
Luk 23:14 Said unto them, Ye have brought this man unto me, as one that perverteth the people: and, behold, I, having examined him before you, have found no fault in this man touching those things whereof ye accuse him:
Luk 23:15 No, nor yet Herod: for I sent you to him; and, lo, nothing worthy of death is done unto him.

We first saw Pilate, who was the great compromiser.

It is by this Roman that the most innocent man to have ever lived, the Lord Jesus Christ, was put to death.

This was the greatest tragedy in human history, though it was deemed necessary by God the Father.

He found no fault in Jesus because there were no faults, as these Jews brought only false charges, and they knew it.
He had sent the Lord Jesus to Herod, who also found no faults in the Lord Jesus.
He gave in to worldly pressure.

Herod was also a compromiser who used this instance to repair his relationship with Pilate.

Pilate hated the Jews because of their religion, and the Jews hated Pilate for the same reason. He worshipped idols.

Among the things he had done was that he had stolen money from the treasury of the Temple for a water project, and he was never forgiven for this.

Pilate was certainly a wicked man.

Pilate knew that these same elders and High Priests would go to Caesar if he did not do as they requested.

We see that they all were worried about their standing and their riches, all material things.

Pilate decided to appease the Jews because it was certain that they would cause Him trouble in Rome.

Pilate was concerned about himself, not truth and justice.

A compromising man is self-centered. They will always protect themselves at the expense of all others!

Pilate said, “I will just chastise this Jesus and let Him go”.

Pilate subjected our Lord Jesus to a horrible punishment of scourging, just to try to satisfy the religious leaders of Judah.

He thought that the sight of Jesus after this cruel treatment might perhaps cause the people to pity Him.

The High Priests had the people in such a false uproar that they made a tragic mistake.

Mat_27:25 Then answered all the people, and said, His blood be on us, and on our children.

*Luk 23:16 I will therefore chastise him, and release him.
Luk 23:17 (For of necessity he must release one unto them at the feast.)
Luk 23:18 And they cried out all at once, saying, Away with this man, and release unto us Barabbas:
Luk 23:19 (Who for a certain sedition made in the city, and for murder, was cast into prison.)
Luk 23:20 Pilate therefore, willing to release Jesus, spake again to them.
Luk 23:21 But they cried, saying, Crucify him, crucify him.

The Romans had a custom of releasing a prisoner on certain special days and Pilate brought this custom to Judah. It was never a Hebrew custom.

At the time of the Passover, Pilate would release a prisoner from his cells, many just political prisoners, and Pilate decided he could release our Lord Jesus, and all sides would be satisfied, but the elders and the High Priests so stirred up the people, and they would have no part even in this.

Pilate may have tried many ways to release the Lord Jesus when all he had to do was just release Him; he had this power all along.

The Lord Jesus was completely innocent and Pilate knew this.

We see that word envy: Mrk_15:10 For he knew that the chief priests had delivered him for envy.

What is the truth of envy? Envy leads to strife, division, railing, and sometimes murder.

We see all these things in this mockery of a trial of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Gal 5:21 Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.

There was a man named Barabbas who was the guiltiest prisoner in Pilate’s cells at that time.

He was a murderer.
He was a thief.
He was a seditionist.
He was an insurrectionist.
He was guilty.

There are some who say that this Barabbas was also named Jesus, but this is not true.

In the Armenian version of the Scriptures, it says: “whom will you that I shall deliver unto you, Jesus Barabbas, or Jesus that is called Christ?”

The Armenian Church does not follow the Doctrine of the Apostles, which is the Doctrine of Jesus Christ.

One commentary says this text was written by a bigoted transcriber.

Matthew wrote that Barabbas was a notorious prisoner.

Mat 27:16 And they had then a notable prisoner, called Barabbas.

These disciples of the Devil had their way with Pilate because he was just as wicked as they were.

Psa 69:4 They that hate me without a cause are more than the hairs of mine head: they that would destroy me, being mine enemies wrongfully, are mighty: then I restored that which I took not away.

One thing is missing. When the truth is known, it should be proclaimed and not compromised!

This is the only thing that our politicians know how to do today: compromise with the Devil and his ways.

Compromise weakens principles.
Compromise weakens life!

God will never accept compromise!

Much of the Church has compromised with the world today, and they will find that God will not accept them.

1Jn 5:11 And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.
1Jn 5:12 He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.

They cried crucify Him, crucify Him.

Luk 23:24 And Pilate gave sentence that it should be as they required.

The Lord said the same thing that we say about our children. We just cannot fathom how our children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren will survive in this wicked world if the Lord Jesus does not return soon.

Luk 23:28 But Jesus, turning unto them said, Daughters of Jerusalem, weep not for me, but weep for yourselves, and for your children.

The Lord Jesus was crucified, and the Lord Jesus Christ died a real death.

*Luk 23:44 And it was about the sixth hour, and there was a darkness over all the earth until the ninth hour.
Luk 23:45 And the sun was darkened, and the veil of the temple was rent in the midst.
Luk 23:46 And when Jesus had cried with a loud voice, he said, Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit: and having said thus, he gave up the ghost.

The sixth hour would be midday, around twelve o’clock, when the Sun was high in the sky.

At this very moment, the brightest time of the day, it became completely dark.

This was not an eclipse of the Sun, and it can be proven.

An eclipse of the Sun only lasts about six minutes, but this darkness at the death of Jesus Christ lasted for three hours.

Another proof is that the time of the Passover is the time of the full Moon, and Eclipses of the Sun do not take place at the time of the full Moon.

The Sun withdrew its rays when the Lord Jesus Christ was made sin for us.

If He had not been made sin, there would be no means of salvation.

The Sun of Righteousness is led into darkness.

Ecc_3:16 And moreover I saw under the sun the place of judgment, that wickedness was there; and the place of righteousness, that iniquity was there.

In those places, people are selfish and ambitious. The greatest injustice in the place of justice is the trial against the Lord Jesus.

Mal_4:2 But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall.

The sun is the symbol of dominion over the day (Gen_1:16 ). Thus, the day of the LORD is marked by His dominion over Sunday, but truly every day.

Jesus is the day star.

2Pe 1:19 We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts:

The “daystar” appears in each of us once we accept the Lord Jesus Christ as our Savior.

He is the bright and morning star: Rev 2:28 And I will give him the morning star.

Rev 22:16 I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star.

At this time, the light of Our Daystar was out because the Lord Jesus had taken on all the sin that this world had committed.

It was darker than it had been since that first Passover.

It was so dark you could feel the darkness, and it did not feel good!

There is no goodness in darkness!

Exo_10:21 And the LORD said unto Moses, Stretch out thine hand toward heaven, that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt, even darkness which may be felt.

There was no light anywhere to be seen for three hours.

This darkness tells us just how much God hates sin!

In the darkness, all of mankind also stood in the darkness, having no way to see God.

For three hours God forsake His Son.

This was the thing that the Lord Jesus hated the most.

God had to break fellowship with His own Son for three hours.

The Lord Jesus Christ hung lonely on an old wooden cross between Heaven and Earth.

The Earth did not want Him and lifted Him, and Heaven closed itself above Him.

God had stopped the Sun from shining, and the Glory of the Lord went dark for a period of three hours.

That is not all: The veil of the Temple was ripped from top to bottom because the Almighty God had ripped what could not be ripped by man.

The way to God has now been opened and it is through His Son.

Oh, the Lord Jesus Christ was dead, but He could not stay dead and still be God!

God dwells in darkness, and He invites the entire world to come to Him by the Light of His Son, Jesus Christ.

The Lord Jesus said, “Father, into thy hands I commend My Spirit”.

The work that provided every human being a way to Heaven to live with God was now finished; all we need to do is accept this truth as fact.

The unshakable foundation of the Kingdom of God had been laid!

Psa 31:5 Into thine hand I commit my spirit: thou hast redeemed me, O LORD God of truth.

The Lord Jesus came to die, and this work was now complete.

*Luk 23:47 Now when the centurion saw what was done, he glorified God, saying, Certainly this was a righteous man.

This thing that happened got the attention of a man who had fought many battles and survived but was still in the hands of the Devil.

He had been in charge of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, but he knew he was never in charge at all.

He had made sure that Jesus was nailed to the cross, but since that time, all these things that happened were between the Lord Jesus and God the Father.

No one could have changed what happened.

Old Satan was celebrating, but his joy would not last exceedingly long!

This Centurion was a Gentile, and the Church would soon turn to the Gentiles who began to see the truth of Jesus Christ in the coming generations, but we must understand that God will soon turn back to the Jewish people, and almost all of them will believe what they first rejected, and God will close the Door to the Gentiles.

Rom 1:28 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind,

Rom 1:32 Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.

It was time to place the Body of Christ into a borrowed tomb.

*Luk 23:50 And, behold, there was a man named Joseph, a counsellor; and he was a good man, and a just:
Luk 23:51 (The same had not consented to the counsel and deed of them;) he was of Arimathaea, a city of the Jews: who also himself waited for the kingdom of God.
Luk 23:52 This man went unto Pilate, and begged the body of Jesus.
Luk 23:53 And he took it down, and wrapped it in linen, and laid it in a sepulchre that was hewn in stone, wherein never man before was laid.

This man we know of as Joseph of Arimathea was a secret believer who failed to confess the Lord Jesus publicly until His death.

He had ignored what the Lord Jesus had said.

He had stepped forward for Jesus, but only after His death.

The Bible does say that he had not committed to the false trial and deeds of those who had pushed for the death of Jesus.

He was afraid to stand up for God, and there are many like him today in the Church.

This is a question we should ask ourselves: would we take a stand with Jesus if that time came to us?

We need to be settled on this question now!

We must never be afraid to make a public confession of our faith!

Joseph was a highly educated member of the ruling body of Israel.

He was a good and just man to those around him.

He was a man looking for the Messiah.

He was a man looking for the Kingdom of God.

These things meant nothing because he was a man who refused to stand up for Jesus, who was also the Messiah, as Scripture proved so easily.

He feared the loss of his position more than his fear of God.

Joh 19:38 And after this Joseph of Arimathaea, being a disciple of Jesus, but secretly for fear of the Jews, besought Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus: and Pilate gave him leave. He came therefore, and took the body of Jesus.
Joh 19:39 And there came also Nicodemus, which at the first came to Jesus by night, and brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about an hundred pound weight.
Joh 19:40 Then took they the body of Jesus, and wound it in linen clothes with the spices, as the manner of the Jews is to bury.

Here we see another man named Nicodemus, a man similar to Joseph.

Luk 9:26 For whosoever shall be ashamed of me and of my words, of him shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he shall come in his own glory, and in his Father’s, and of the holy angels.

It makes no sense for us to be this way because it just makes us losers.

Luk 12:4 And I say unto you my friends, Be not afraid of them that kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do.
Luk 12:5 But I will forewarn you whom ye shall fear: Fear him, which after he hath killed hath power to cast into hell; yea, I say unto you, Fear him.

Our fear does not come from God; it can only come from the Devil.

2Ti 1:7 For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.
2Ti 1:8 Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner: but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God;
2Ti 1:9 Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began,

Joseph got his courage back at the death of our Savior, and he went to Pilate to demand the body of Christ because he knew that the Romans usually just dumped the bodies of crucified criminals.

Pilate, being fed up with the Jesus matter, still did not want the disfavor of the Sanhedrin Court and gave the body of Christ to Joseph, who was a part of the Sanhedrin Court.

Every secret believer needs to go to the foot of the cross and meet the Savior who died for us there.

Joseph is careful with the body of Jesus and laid the body of Jesus in his own tomb he had prepared for himself.

When the Lord Jesus Christ was born, He was wrapped in swaddling clothes. Now, as He has died Jesus was wrapped in clothes again.

While everyone else is preparing for the Feast of the Unleavened Bread, the Lord Jesus is laid in a borrowed tomb.

Many who had stood by the Lord wanted to get close to Him now, but there was no sign of the eleven disciples.

The cross had changed many lives just as it does today.

Just remember we serve a Living Savior who can never die again.

Amen

Passover to Betrayal and Denial

/ Bobby Mayfield / Leave a comment

Passover to Betrayal and Denial

Book of Luke Chapter 22

It was time for the Jewish Passover, and this Passover is tied to the death of Jesus Christ.

The annual Passover celebrated by the Jews is both memorial and symbolic:

1) As a memorial in memory of that first Passover night in Egypt.
2) Symbolic because its ultimate fulfillment was at Mount Calvary.

Joh 1:29 The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.

1Co 5:7 Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us:
1Co 5:8 Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

On the tenth day of Abib (Nisan), a day set aside for the Passover Feast, each family was to select a lamb, without blemish, a male of the first year, and keep it isolated and under close observation until the fourteenth day.

If this lamb were injured or became sick within those four days, it would have been blemished and could not be used as the Passover Lamb, and they would have to select another one.

The Lord Jesus also spent four days in view of those of religion before He was crucified.

On Palm Sunday, Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a colt, the foal of a donkey, with multitudes crying Hosanna to the Son of David, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord,

This was a fulfillment of prophecy: Zec 9:9 Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass.

The Lord Jesus then went in and cleansed the Temple.

Mat 21:12 And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves,
Mat 21:13 And said unto them, It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves.

The Lord Jesus was under critical scrutiny for four days.

Four different groups challenged him in one day:

1) The chief priests and the elders of the Jews.

2) The Pharisees with the Herodians.

3) The Sadducees.

4) The Pharisees again who brought their lawyer.

With every test, the Lord Jesus proved to be the Messiah by the Word of God.

He had no blemishes, and He had no sin!

We know that day began at six PM and ended at six PM the following day.

The Lord Jesus and the disciples began their feast in the evening of the Passover, while most others celebrated their feast after daylight on the same day, which was the day the Lord Jesus was crucified and died between the hours of 3:00 and 6:00 PM, in accordance with prophecy.

Luk 23:44 And it was about the sixth hour, and there was a darkness over all the earth until the ninth hour.

Luk 23:46 And when Jesus had cried with a loud voice, he said, Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit: and having said thus, he gave up the ghost. Luk 23:46 And when Jesus had cried with a loud voice, he said, Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit: and having said thus, he gave up the ghost.

Exo 12:5 Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year: ye shall take it out from the sheep, or from the goats:

Exo 12:7 And they shall take of the blood, and strike it on the two side posts and on the upper door post of the houses, wherein they shall eat it.
Exo 12:8 And they shall eat the flesh in that night, roast with fire, and unleavened bread; and with bitter herbs they shall eat

The Lord Jesus Christ instituted the Lord’s Supper on the evening He was crucified.

The Lord Jesus commanded that His followers continue to observe this last meal until His return.

Mat 26:26 And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body.
Mat 26:27 And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it;
Mat 26:28 For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.
Mat 26:29 But I say unto you, I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.

This began the New Covenant in contrast to the Old Covenant.

To enact this New Covenant, His death was necessary because it was His death that provided the forgiveness of our sins.

1Co 11:23 For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, That the Lord Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed took bread:
1Co 11:24 And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me.
1Co 11:25 After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me.
1Co 11:26 For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord’s death till he come.

So, what is the meaning of the Lord’s Supper?

1) It is a memorial to the death of Jesus Christ for our sins. He said, “Do this in remembrance of Me.”

A) The bread symbolized the body of Jesus Christ.

1Pe 2:24 Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.
1Pe 2:25 For ye were as sheep going astray; but are now returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls.

B) The grape juice symbolized His blood for the forgiveness of sin.

Eph 1:7 In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;
Eph 1:8 Wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence;
Eph 1:9 Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself:
Eph 1:10 That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him:

The Lord’s Supper looked forward to the cross.

He finished His work of salvation when He came the first time.

His resurrection looks forward to His return.

Mat 26:29 But I say unto you, I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.

The Lord’s Supper is also a communion of believers with each other!

1Co 10:16 The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ?
1Co 10:17 For we being many are one bread, and one body: for we are all partakers of that one bread.

Those who love the Lord Jesus Christ will also follow Him and eat and drink the same symbolic elements, focusing on our common faith in the work the Lord Jesus Christ did to provide our salvation.

*Luk 22:14 And when the hour was come, he sat down, and the twelve apostles with him.
Luk 22:15 And he said unto them, With desire I have desired to eat this passover with you before I suffer:
Luk 22:16 For I say unto you, I will not any more eat thereof, until it be fulfilled in the kingdom of God.
Luk 22:17 And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and said, Take this, and divide it among yourselves:
Luk 22:18 For I say unto you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine, until the kingdom of God shall come.
Luk 22:19 And he took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them, saying, This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me.
Luk 22:20 Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you.

When all prophecy is fulfilled, we will sit down again for the Lord’s Supper, the difference being, He will be there with us.

This will be the Marriage Supper of the Lamb.

It is possible that the Passover Feast has no significance as a meal of remembrance for the Jews as they have rejected the Messiah as the fulfillment of Old Testament Scripture.

Even the Church is cautioned: 1Co 11:27 Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord.
1Co 11:28 But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup.
1Co 11:29 For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body.

The Lord’s Supper is never to be thought of as a means of salvation.

After this meal the Lord Jesus and the eleven disciples now went to the Garden of Gethsemane to pray.

The Lord Jesus often prayed at Gethsemane, and Judas the betrayer knew this.

*Luk 22:47 And while he yet spake, behold a multitude, and he that was called Judas, one of the twelve, went before them, and drew near unto Jesus to kiss him.
Luk 22:48 But Jesus said unto him, Judas, betrayest thou the Son of man with a kiss?

We should understand that the religious leaders of Israel had joined the forces of darkness against the Messiah.

This will be repeated when the Lord Jesus Christ returns!

Judas had been one of the twelve, but he had now sunk so low as to desert the Lord.

How could he have done such a thing?

Luk_22:3 Then entered Satan into Judas surnamed Iscariot, being of the number of the twelve.

Judas is separated from the crowd, but his crime is much greater than that of the crowd.

There was the kiss of love and the kiss of reverence, but this day Judas had the kiss of a traitor.

Mar 14:44 And he that betrayed him had given them a token, saying, Whomsoever I shall kiss, that same is he; take him, and lead him away safely.

The kiss of Judas on this day was to put the Lord Jesus in the hands of His enemies.

Only a criminal has this kind of love!

The other eleven had love to defend the Lord, but the Lord did not need them to defend Him.

In fact, it is the Lord who does what is needed to protect these eleven true disciples.

We must also keep in mind that these Jewish leaders could have captured the Lord Jesus many times, but they were afraid of the people.

They chose the cover of darkness and broke the law themselves to capture Him.

*Luk 22:49 When they which were about him saw what would follow, they said unto him, Lord, shall we smite with the sword?
Luk 22:50 And one of them smote the servant of the high priest, and cut off his right ear.
Luk 22:51 And Jesus answered and said, Suffer ye thus far. And he touched his ear, and healed him.

We know that only the eleven remaining disciples were with the Lord at this time.

We know it was Peter who took the sword that he had, and it was Malchus who was the servant of the High Priest.

Peter attempted to take off the head of Malchus, but Malchus reacted quickly enough that only his ear was removed, and the Lord Jesus immediately healed him.

Many of these men were the Temple guards, but the rest were chief priests and elders of Israel.

The Lord Jesus was no robber trying to escape!

The Lord Jesus was the Lamb of God, ready to be sacrificed.

All those things of abuse that were used on Him were unnecessary.

Even the kiss of Judas was unnecessary because Jesus had stepped forward to protect those who were with Him.

Jesus told His disciples to stand back and just allow this thing to happen to protect them, and that prophecy would be fulfilled.

The use of violence was to be left to those who brought swords and clubs, and not those who followed the Lord.

The Lord Jesus was never a danger to society, but He was a danger to their positions with Rome.

To them, Jesus was no more than a thief trying to rob them of their position over the people.

The Lord Jesus was not ready to establish His earthly Kingdom at that time.

They still did not understand that our Lord Jesus was bringing eternal salvation to all those who believed in Him and the work of the Cross.

*Luk 22:52 Then Jesus said unto the chief priests, and captains of the temple, and the elders, which were come to him, Be ye come out, as against a thief, with swords and staves?
Luk 22:53 When I was daily with you in the temple, ye stretched forth no hands against me: but this is your hour, and the power of darkness.

The greatest sin of these people, which is the only sin that cannot be forgiven, was that they were blind to the Son of God!

They just were not going to accept the Lord Jesus as the Messiah, no matter how many miracles He did.

The Lord Jesus never once acted as if He were a thief come to steal something from this world.

The Lord Jesus never preached a sermon that allowed them to live as they wished; He always preached the Word of God clearly.

Only if they changed their evil and wicked ways could they be received by the God that they said they worshipped.

They had to repent and obey the Word of God, which was the message that they received from Moses.

They knew the truth of the flood.

The Lord Jesus had to teach the truth for anyone to be saved.

God will never accept an unrighteous person.

If we want to meet the Almighty Living God, then it will only be without sin.

We must believe who God really is!

Heb 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

The Word of God tells us who He is, and we must have enough faith to believe it.

Those who arrested the Lord Jesus on this day could only think of their position with Rome and not their position with the God whom they said they followed.

They were sold out to this material world that will soon come to its terrible end.

They had joined forces with the powers of darkness.

Eph 6:12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

What did the Devil know?

Col 1:12 Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light:
Col 1:13 Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:

When the Light of Jesus reappears, the darkness of this world will disappear.

Peter became afraid for his life, and it caused him to sin.

*Luk 22:54 Then took they him, and led him, and brought him into the high priest’s house. And Peter followed afar off.
Luk 22:55 And when they had kindled a fire in the midst of the hall, and were set down together, Peter sat down among them.

Peter followed Jesus “afar off”.

This phrase means:

1) Not walking close to Him.
2) Not standing with Him.
3) Not being identified with Him.
4) Not focusing his life on Him.

If this could happen to Peter, it could happen to any of us.

Peter became afraid for his own life, and his commitment was weak.

Peter sat down with the crowd.

The truth is God has not given us the Spirit of Fear, so if we are afraid, it came from the Devil.

2Ti 1:7 For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.
2Ti 1:8 Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord,

What is apostasy?

Apostasy describes the defection of Christians, or so-called Christians, who now accompany the Antichrist.

It is written that just before the return of the Lord Jesus Christ, there will be much apostasy by many in the Church.

What we see in Peter is what we will see in the Church just before the rapture of the Church.

2Th 2:3 Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;

The Antichrist will show himself to be a superhuman and deceive many.

*Luk 22:56 But a certain maid beheld him as he sat by the fire, and earnestly looked upon him, and said, This man was also with him.
Luk 22:57 And he denied him, saying, Woman, I know him not.
Luk 22:58 And after a little while another saw him, and said, Thou art also of them. And Peter said, Man, I am not.
Luk 22:59 And about the space of one hour after another confidently affirmed, saying, Of a truth this fellow also was with him: for he is a Galilaean.
Luk 22:60 And Peter said, Man, I know not what thou sayest. And immediately, while he yet spake, the cock crew.

We must never pretend that we do not know the Lord Jesus Christ.

We do not need to hang out with non-believers.

We certainly must never deny the Lord Jesus Christ.

Persecution is going to increase among Christians, and it is already terrible in many places today.

Jesus said: Mrk_8:35 For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel’s, the same shall save it.

Matthew and Mark tell us that Peter began to curse and swear.

As Peter warms himself among the enemies of Jesus, he becomes like them.

Pro 4:14 Enter not into the path of the wicked, and go not in the way of evil men.
Pro 4:15 Avoid it, pass not by it, turn from it, and pass away.

Peter was from Galilee and he could not deny this.

Then the rooster crowed.

*Luk 22:61 And the Lord turned, and looked upon Peter. And Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how he had said unto him, Before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice.
Luk 22:62 And Peter went out, and wept bitterly.

Then Peter remembered the Lord’s Words.

Then the Lord turned his head so He could see Peter and Peter could see the Lord.

The Lord Jesus had already warned Peter: Luk 22:31 And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat:
Luk 22:32 But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren.

In all this, the Lord Jesus, knowing exactly what would happen to Peter, the Lord never forgot him.

Even while the Lord Jesus was being beaten and abused, He still prayed for Peter.

He loved and cared for Peter, and He still wanted his loyalty and service.

Peter left this wicked crowd just as fast as he could.

He was a broken man, full of anguish and pain for having failed the Lord Jesus, and he wept bitterly.

Peter repented of his sin.

1Jn 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Amen

Zacchaeus and Jesus Enters Jerusalem

/ Bobby Mayfield / Leave a comment

Zacchaeus and the Triumphal Entry

Book of Luke Chapter 19

The Lord Jesus Christ was making His way to Jerusalem because He had an appointment with a cross and He intended to keep it.

It had been only an hour or so that He had restored sight to a blind beggar from Jericho.

This man, being blind, still recognized the Lord Jesus as the Messiah.

Luk 18:38 And he cried, saying, Jesus, thou Son of David, have mercy on me.

As the Lord comes to the streets of Jericho, He comes to a short man named Zacchaeus.

Zacchaeus was a Jew, but he was also a very rich man.

Zacchaeus was so short that he had to climb up into a tree to see over the crowded streets as the Lord Jesus was coming into view as He entered Jericho.

Being chief among the publicans meant that he was superintendent of customs and tribute in the district of Jericho.

He would have been especially hated by the Jews and considered a traitor to Israel.

Something had been bothering Zacchaeus for a long time.

Zacchaeus was a dissatisfied man. His dishonest acquisitions had made him rich but had subtracted him from his peace of mind.

He knew that the least he could do would be to repay those whom he had robbed. But his soul required more, and longed for salvation, such as only Jesus Christ could give.

We call this Holy Ghost conviction.

Here we see that the Lord Jesus knew what was going on with Zacchaeus before He met him.

The Lord Jesus stopped under the tree where Zacchaeus was located and invited Himself to the home of Zacchaeus.

Let’s read:

*****Luk 19:1 And Jesus entered and passed through Jericho.

We know that the walls of Jericho had fallen by a miracle of God in the time of Joshua, and he captured that city.

Joshua also put a curse on this city; Jos 6:26 And Joshua adjured them at that time, saying, Cursed be the man before the LORD, that riseth up and buildeth this city Jericho: he shall lay the foundation thereof in his firstborn, and in his youngest son shall he set up the gates of it.

The city of Jericho had been re-founded by a man named Hiel, a Bethelite who did exactly what Joshua had said.

1Ki 16:34 In his days did Hiel the Bethelite build Jericho: he laid the foundation thereof in Abiram his firstborn, and set up the gates thereof in his youngest son Segub, according to the word of the LORD, which he spake by Joshua the son of Nun.

Not too long into the future, there was a college of prophets founded at Jericho.

2Ki 2:4 And Elijah said unto him, Elisha, tarry here, I pray thee; for the LORD hath sent me to Jericho. And he said, As the LORD liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. So they came to Jericho.

Jericho is no more than a collection of mounds today.

*****Luk 19:2 And, behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus, which was the chief among the publicans, and he was rich.

Luk 19:3 And he sought to see Jesus who he was; and could not for the press, because he was little of stature.

Luk 19:4 And he ran before, and climbed up into a sycomore tree to see him: for he was to pass that way.

Luk 19:5 And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up, and saw him, and said unto him, Zacchaeus, make haste, and come down; for to day I must abide at thy house.

That word “chief” tells us that Zacchaeus was a very rich man.

Zacchaeus had one problem, and it was that his wickedness was starting to bother him.

This was Holy Ghost conviction.

The Holy Spirit was very busy during the time of Jesus, but He was not yet given to fill the believer.

Joh 16:7  Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.

Jhn_16:13  Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.

Zacchaeus could not understand it, but he knew he wanted to see Jesus.

He knew it was more than curiosity; he just had to see the Lord.                            

Personal taxes and property taxes were collected by the Roman government, but the customs on goods were farmed out.

This created a system that could be easily exploited.

Zacchaeus had exploited this system until he was rich and probably caused the customs collectors under him to contribute to his wealth.

There was a huge crowd waiting for the arrival of the Lord Jesus Christ.

The streets were already crowded because of pilgrims going to Jerusalem for the Passover.

Zacchaeus then climbed a sycamore tree to increase his chances of seeing Jesus.

We should understand that if you are truly seeking the Lord Jesus, He will find you!

This is how faith begins its work in us.

We may not understand it at first, but we just know that once we meet Jesus, things will get better.

He may not have been sure if Jesus would come that way, but something told him that He would.

Zacchaeus was hated by those on the ground under him, but he was not ashamed to seek the Lord Jesus.

We must never be ashamed of our Lord Jesus!

All of a sudden, the Lord was there, and He already knew the name of Zacchaeus.

*****Luk 19:5  And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up, and saw him, and said unto him, Zacchaeus, make haste, and come down; for to day I must abide at thy house.

Luk 19:6  And he made haste, and came down, and received him joyfully.

The Lord Jesus invited Himself to the home of Zacchaeus.

The Lord Jesus does not just want us to turn to Him, but He wants all those in our homes to turn to Him.

This was more than Zacchaeus expected, but he became excited and he welcomed this opportunity to meet the Lord.

Jericho was a city full of priests.

Jericho was the summer home of the Herods.

The Herods were the last of the Edomites and not Jews.

Jericho had a city government.

All the religious world hated all publicans, and Zachaeus was chief of the publicans.

The Lord Jesus set public opinion aside and chose the home of the most hated man in that city to dine with and lodge with.

We should also understand that the Lord Jesus was going to Jerusalem to die.

This would be Zacchaeus’s only chance to repent and accept the Lord Jesus for who He is. Our Savior!

It was the same for all those lined up to meet Jesus; that day was the day of salvation for them all.

1Jn 1:3  That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ.

Zacchaeus obeyed the Lord and made haste, and joyfully received the Lord Jesus Christ.

The naysayers, the mumblers, and the murmurers began to do what they do best.

*****Luk 19:7  And when they saw it, they all murmured, saying, That he was gone to be guest with a man that is a sinner.

Luk 19:8  And Zacchaeus stood, and said unto the Lord; Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have taken any thing from any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold. x

By saying that Zachaeus was a sinner, they were also saying that they were not sinners.

We know better!

Rom 3:23  For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;

Zachaeus realized that all those around him were staring at him, and most of them were not pleased with him or with Jesus.

This crowd had nothing but contempt for Zachaeus.

The world does not understand the love of God!

A transformation is taking place in the life of this little man.

The Lord Jesus had not told Zachaeus as he had told the rich young ruler.

Zacchaeus came up with these things himself. He knew he was a sinner, and he knew his sins.

Zacchaeus was experiencing a radical change in his life.

Zacchaeus had a new attitude about his wealth. It just did not mean the same to him any longer.

He would give it back to those who were poor.

Luk 12:33  Sell that ye have, and give alms; provide yourselves bags which wax not old, a treasure in the heavens that faileth not, where no thief approacheth, neither moth corrupteth.

Luk 12:34  For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

The rest of his wealth would be used to correct the wrongs he had done as a tax collector.

Zacchaeus said, “In all those cases where he had defrauded others,” he would obey the Word of God.

Zacchaeus knew the Scriptures; this was his sin.

Lev 6:4  Then it shall be, because he hath sinned, and is guilty, that he shall restore that which he took violently away, or the thing which he hath deceitfully gotten, or that which was delivered him to keep, or the lost thing which he found,

Lev 6:5  Or all that about which he hath sworn falsely; he shall even restore it in the principal, and shall add the fifth part more thereto, and give it unto him to whom it appertaineth, in the day of his trespass offering.

He goes even further. Exo 22:1  If a man shall steal an ox, or a sheep, and kill it, or sell it; he shall restore five oxen for an ox, and four sheep for a sheep.

This law applied to sheep, but Zacchaeus applied it to anything he had taken from anyone.

This also seems to say that Zacchaeus knew those he had caused the most harm.

This is what the Holy Spirit does: He will remind us of those we have harmed the most.

How did the Lord Jesus respond?

*****Luk 19:9  And Jesus said unto him, This day is salvation come to this house, forsomuch as he also is a son of Abraham.

Luk 19:10  For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.

The Lord Jesus was speaking more to that crowd than He was to Zacchaeus when He said these words.

Zacchaeus had been converted from Judaism to Christianity in a big way.

Sadly, many more did not respond to the truth they had just seen and heard.

Zacchaeus repented and changed his whole life.

Zacchaeus was serious about giving his life to the Lord Jesus.

Life has more meaning once you meet the Savior.

It was the Lord Jesus Himself who proclaimed Zacchaeus to be saved.

Jesus said it was repentance that saved Zacchaeus, but Zacchaeus would bring the message of salvation to his household.

Zacchaeus met the Lord Jesus and brought Him into his heart and then took Him into his house.

Zachaeus now had peace in his soul.

The Lord Jesus tells this entire crowd why He came to this earth: He came to seek and to save all who are lost!

Rom 3:28  Therefore, we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law.

Zacchaeus put himself in a position to be saved by seeking Jesus, but the Lord Jesus did the speaking to the heart of Zacchaeus, and that heart was torn out, and a new heart was put in.

Ezk_36:26  A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.

The Lord Jesus, on leaving Jericho, told the people another parable.

After this, Jesus entered Jerusalem for the last time.

*****Luk 19:28  And when he had thus spoken, he went before, ascending up to Jerusalem.

Luk 19:29  And it came to pass, when he was come nigh to Bethphage and Bethany, at the mount called the mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples,

Luk 19:30  Saying, Go ye into the village over against you; in the which at your entering ye shall find a colt tied, whereon yet never man sat: loose him, and bring him hither.

Luk 19:31  And if any man ask you, Why do ye loose him? thus shall ye say unto him, Because the Lord hath need of him.

Luk 19:32  And they that were sent went their way, and found even as he had said unto them.

Luk 19:33  And as they were loosing the colt, the owners thereof said unto them, Why loose ye the colt?

Luk 19:34  And they said, The Lord hath need of him.

Luk 19:35  And they brought him to Jesus: and they cast their garments upon the colt, and they set Jesus thereon. 

Luk 19:36  And as he went, they spread their clothes in the way.

Before we get to this portion of our lesson, the Lord Jesus gives us another parable which relates to His servants while He is gone back to Heaven.

Jesus makes it very clear that many of His servants actually hate Him.

Many of these servants expected the Lord Jesus to take the throne of King David and run the Romans out of Israel and Jerusalem.

Had the Lord Jesus claimed to be King?

Jesus claimed to be King of a place not on this earth.

Jesus claimed to be the King of Peace.

We know when He returns, He will become King of this earth for one thousand years.

There is a three-thousand-foot rise in elevation from Jericho to Jerusalem.

Going to Jerusalem was an uphill walk all the way from Jericho.

The Lord Jesus knew it was time to fulfill His destiny as told by the prophets.

His purpose was to suffer and die for all mankind.

He would enter Jerusalem as the King Messiah in peace.

Zec 9:9  Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass.

It was the providence of God that the Lord Jesus would enter Jerusalem in such a dramatic fashion.

The whole scene was centered around Him riding into the city of Jerusalem on this colt, which had never been broken.

If that colt had spoken, it would have said it was happy to carry the burden of the Lord, for His burden is light.

The Lord Jesus had come to Jerusalem as the Prince of Peace.

Isa_9:6  For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

The Lord Jesus had claimed the right to use this colt because He is Lord of all creation.

The Greek word “kurios” is used here, which means the One with Supreme Authority.

In the New Testament that word Lord carries the same meaning as Jehovah in the Old Testament.

I have often felt like I was that colt tied to sin and only Jesus could make me free.

Exo 13:13  And every firstling of an ass thou shalt redeem with a lamb; and if thou wilt not redeem it, then thou shalt break his neck: and all the firstborn of man among thy children shalt thou redeem.

If the Lord Jesus had not caused me to be made free, then I would have died because He would not have redeemed me.

Fetching this colt was extremely important if the Lord Jesus was to proclaim He was indeed King.

When we are delivered from the bondage of sin, we are servants who carry the Lord around in our hearts and on our feet.

This is our duty as the servants of God.

Rom_12:1  I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

When the Lord Jesus gives us specific instructions, and we follow them exactly, things will go just as He said.

We are not to add to or take away from His Word!

Bethany was a suburb of Jerusalem, only two miles from Jerusalem.

When the Lord Jesus was in Jerusalem, He stayed with Mary, Martha, and Lazarus in their home in Bethany.

The message of Jesus was very clear:

1) He was the promised King the prophets had talked about.

2) He was not coming as a conquering King or as any world leader at this time.

3) He was coming as Savior with Peace.

4) Jesus came to show the world that God is first the God of Love and Reconciliation.

This colt was a symbol of Peace.

This colt was a symbol of service.

This colt was a symbol of sacredness because it had never been ridden by any man, woman, or child.

1Sa 6:7  Now therefore make a new cart, and take two milch kine, on which there hath come no yoke, and tie the kine to the cart, and bring their calves home from them:

The Lord Jesus wanted the world to know that He indeed is that sacred hope promised in the Scriptures.

Tit_2:13  Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;

The Apostles threw their coats upon the colt to form a saddle to protect the colt.

The rest of their coats they threw upon the road.

You see, not only our deeds but also our walk should be subject to the Lord Jesus.

There were thousands of pilgrims along the road to Jerusalem, and they threw their coats or palm limbs on the roadway.

Many of them had seen the miracle of raising Lazarus from the dead and many other miracles.

This crowd that would be in Jerusalem was probably the largest crowd to have ever assembled in Jerusalem.

They clearly saw that the Lord Jesus was coming in peace.

Psa 115:1  Not unto us, O LORD, not unto us, but unto thy name give glory, for thy mercy, and for thy truth’s sake.

Psa 115:2  Wherefore should the heathen say, Where is now their God?

Psa 115:3  But our God is in the heavens: he hath done whatsoever he hath pleased.

These people praised God for His truth.

*****Luk 19:37  And when he was come nigh, even now at the descent of the mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen;

Luk 19:38  Saying, Blessed be the King that cometh in the name of the Lord: peace in heaven, and glory in the highest.

Most of the people in the area of Judah and Galilee had heard of the things that the Lord Jesus had done, and most of these same people had come to Jerusalem for the Passover Feast with great hope.

They truly hated Rome.

Many of them realized that the Lord Jesus Christ had the power to do anything He chose to do.

Act 10:36  The word which God sent unto the children of Israel, preaching peace by Jesus Christ: (he is Lord of all:)

Act 10:37  That word, I say, ye know, which was published throughout all Judaea, and began from Galilee, after the baptism which John preached;

Act 10:38  How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him.

They thought the hour of freedom from the tyranny of Rome had come.

They thought that God was going to free all the nations of the earth from Roman domination.

They thought that Jesus would set up His throne in Jerusalem to rule and reign over the righteous.

They thought Jesus would establish Israel as the leading nation of the world.

They had failed to see many things.

They failed to see that Jesus was riding a colt of a donkey, which was a sign of peace.

They failed to see that Jesus was riding an animal of burden, to carry the burdens of all mankind.

They failed to see that Jesus was riding an animal of Sacredness.

They failed to see that Jesus was riding a humble animal that symbolized meekness.

1Pe 2:23  Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously:

1Pe 2:24  Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.

1Pe 2:25  For ye were as sheep going astray; but are now returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls.

And then the Pharisees speak.

*****Luk 19:39  And some of the Pharisees from among the multitude said unto him, Master, rebuke thy disciples.

Luk 19:40  And he answered and said unto them, I tell you that, if these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out.

No one was going to get a Pharisee to praise the Lord Jesus.

The Pharisees are the enemies of the Lord, and they were disturbed at what was happening around Him.

What they see is unacceptable in their eyes and must be stopped.

These same ones had already given the order to hunt Jesus down and murder Him.

To them, Jesus was no more than a teacher and not a very good one.

They considered the Lord Jesus to be an insurrectionist.

Those stones would have been very happy to sing out in praise of our Savior!

We know that the Sun hid its face when the Lord was crucified.

Mat 27:45  Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land unto the ninth hour.

We also know that the earth cried out in pain at the death of our Savior.

Mat 27:51  And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent;

Yes, those stones would have certainly cried if the Lord Jesus had told them to.

*****Luk 19:41  And when he was come near, he beheld the city, and wept over it,

Luk 19:42  Saying, If thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace! but now they are hid from thine eyes.

Luk 19:43  For the days shall come upon thee, that thine enemies shall cast a trench about thee, and compass thee round, and keep thee in on every side,

Luk 19:44  And shall lay thee even with the ground, and thy children within thee; and they shall not leave in thee one stone upon another; because thou knewest not the time of thy visitation.

It should be obvious to us that God has a true love for the City of Jerusalem.

It really hurt the Lord to allow Jerusalem to be destroyed and the nation to cease to exist for over nineteen hundred years.

God has a plan, and nothing will change Him from completing His plan.

Psa 81:11  But my people would not hearken to my voice; and Israel would none of me.

Psa 81:12  So I gave them up unto their own hearts’ lust: and they walked in their own counsels.

Psa 81:13  Oh that my people had hearkened unto me, and Israel had walked in my ways!

Psa 81:14  I should soon have subdued their enemies, and turned my hand against their adversaries.

The Greek word “klaio” means more than wept it means the Lord Jesus burst out in tears and wailed over Jerusalem.

The Lord Jesus weeps for all the lost.

Peace was actually within reach for Israel and Jerusalem, and they wanted no part of it.

How many wars have been fought after the Lord Jesus offered peace, but the world wants no part of it?

The people of the world will believe anything but the Word of God.

This world is doomed to destruction because there is no faith!

The word “shalom” means freedom from trouble, but it means much, much more than this.

Jerusalem had only one day left to accept the truth of the Lord Jesus Christ, but we know their answer.

1) There is peace of the world. This is a peace of escapism, of avoiding trouble, refusing to face reality.

2) There is the “Peace of God”. A peace that comes from deep within us, a tranquility of the mind, a peace that settles and strengthens through terrible trials.

The source of true peace is the Lord Jesus Christ!

Jerusalem fell because they could not see that in Jesus Christ, God had visited His people, and they had rejected Him.

There is much greater devastation coming to this world for the same reason, and it is not far off.

Amen

Twelve Evangelists Were Sent and Five Thousand Were Fed

/ Bobby Mayfield / Leave a comment

Twelve Evangelists Were Sent and Five Thousand Were Fed

Book of Luke Chapter 9

We should understand that God has revealed His program for the Church, and the Church is to follow the program God has given us.

We do not have the authority to change the program the Lord Jesus Christ lived and died for and then arose in glory to give us an example of our own glory when we reach Heaven.

We must understand Christ’s calling and our own calling.

We would not understand anything if we were not called of God!

Paul wrote by the Holy Spirit: Rom 1:1 Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, “called to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God”,

All God’s saints have been called: Rom 1:7 To all that be in Rome, beloved of God, “called to be saints”: Grace to you and peace from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ.

We are called for His purpose: Rom 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, “to them who are the called according to his purpose”.

It is because we are called of God that we can believe!

God chose us while we were still sinners, just like the Lord Jesus Christ called twelve men who were the outcasts of society.

God chose us when we deserved death and offered us life!

This is the same thing the Lord Jesus Christ did when He called His disciples.

*Luk 9:1 Then he called his twelve disciples together, and gave them power and authority over all devils, and to cure diseases.
Luk 9:2 And he sent them to preach the kingdom of God, and to heal the sick.

1) We already know that the devil’s demons can cause sickness and misery.

Luk 13:11 And, behold, there was a woman which had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bowed together, and could in no wise lift up herself.

Luk 13:16 And ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan hath bound, lo, these eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the sabbath day?

2) We should also know that demons can influence the mind.

We know that Satan deceived Eve, and Eve caused Adam to sin.

2Co 11:3 But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.

2Co 4:4 In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.

Satan and his demons can lead weak Christians away from the simplicity of Jesus Christ by telling us that it is hard to live by the commands of God, and most of us will fail. He does not mention God’s grace.

Jas 3:14 But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth.
Jas 3:15 This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish.

We must keep our minds on Christ Jesus!

2Co 10:5 Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;

3) Demons deceive people.

1Th 3:5 For this cause, when I could no longer forbear, I sent to know your faith, lest by some means the tempter have tempted you, and our labour be in vain.

Through his demons Satan also works in unbelievers.

Eph 2:1 And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins;
Eph 2:2 Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:

4) Demons deceive nations.

Rev 16:13 And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet.
Rev 16:14 For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.

5) Demon possession is a reality.

The Scriptures teach us that there was a great outbreak of demon activity in the time of Jesus Christ, no doubt to oppose Him.

We see this through all the Gospels and in parts of the Book of Acts.

We can see evidence of demon possession in the affected person’s personality.

Demons do have some supernatural knowledge and intellectual power and can show supernatural strength.

Jesus Christ defeated Satan and his demons at the cross:

Col 2:13 And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses;
Col 2:14 Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;
Col 2:15 And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it.

Are there demons out there today? We have the power to defeat demons because we have the power to defeat Satan, and that power comes by using the Word of God, as we saw in the temptations of Jesus Christ.

Jas_4:7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

As far as the gift of healing, it was given to the Apostles of Christ by Jesus himself to promote the Gospel. These healings were instantaneous, unconditional, and most importantly, purposeful.

Not just for the purpose of relieving their suffering.

It was secondary to preaching the Word of God.

It was to confirm these Apostles as the messengers of God.

We must understand who our enemies are: Eph 6:11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
Eph 6:12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

Today God heals through answered prayer and not through another person.

The Lord Jesus gave these men the power to do certain things and then the authority to use that power.

He does not do this today!

*Luk 9:3 And he said unto them, Take nothing for your journey, neither staves, nor scrip, neither bread, neither money; neither have two coats apiece.
Luk 9:4 And whatsoever house ye enter into, there abide, and thence depart.
Luk 9:5 And whosoever will not receive you, when ye go out of that city, shake off the very dust from your feet for a testimony against them.
Luk 9:6 And they departed, and went through the towns, preaching the gospel, and healing every where.

We wonder why the Lord told them not to take necessary items with them.

The Lord Jesus did not want them to worry about anything when it came to their own needs. This would only hinder them in fulfilling their mission.

They were to travel with “faith” that our Heavenly Father would provide those needs.

This way, they could dedicate themselves completely to their task.

They were to have perfect faith!

Missions and missionaries fail because of a lack of faith!

We need to believe and trust God everyday knowing that He loves us and He will do what He says He will do.

We cannot allow material things to become obstacles in serving God.

We must avoid any appearance of evil or of being evil.

We must avoid all worldly distractions when serving the Lord.

The Jews were hospitable people, taught from the beginning by the Laws of Moses.

Exo_23:9 Also thou shalt not oppress a stranger: for ye know the heart of a stranger, seeing ye were strangers in the land of Egypt.

The disciples were to investigate and search out a receptive family and home and stay there until it was time to move on to another city.

The family is still most important to God. The Church is to be the family of God!

The Gospel is a message for the community intended to spread from family to family.

There is nothing upon this earth that is to be more stable than the godly family.

Preaching and door-to-door evangelism are still the preferred methods of reaching the lost.

Act 5:42 And daily in the temple, and in every house, they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ. Act 5:42 And daily in the temple, and in every house, they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ.

This is the method taught by the Lord Jesus Christ.

The Lord Jesus told His disciples that there would be places where they would not be received.

It was the custom of the Jews when they returned from Gentile lands, as they crossed the frontiers of the Holy Land, to shake the dust off their feet.

This was saying: “we free ourselves from all contact with you” or “we free ourselves from participation in your condemnation”.

It had the same meaning as that of Pilate: Mat 27:24 When Pilate saw that he could prevail nothing, but that rather a tumult was made, he took water, and washed his hands before the multitude, saying, I am innocent of the blood of this just person: see ye to it.

The Apostle Paul also had his method for the Judaizers: Acts 18:6 And when they opposed themselves, and blasphemed, he shook his raiment, and said unto them, Your blood be upon your own heads; I am clean: from henceforth I will go unto the Gentiles.

What did the Lord Jesus say about those who rejected the Gospel? Mat 10:15 Verily I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment, than for that city.

And so, they went forth preaching and teaching the “Kingdom of God”.

*Luk 9:7 Now Herod the tetrarch heard of all that was done by him: and he was perplexed, because that it was said of some, that John was risen from the dead;
Luk 9:8 And of some, that Elias had appeared; and of others, that one of the old prophets was risen again.
Luk 9:9 And Herod said, John have I beheaded: but who is this, of whom I hear such things? And he desired to see him.

There was a revival happening in Judah, and it found its way into the halls of government.

This teaches us that every government always has its ears open to what is happening in Christianity.

Almost every government will seek ways to stop any revival of Christianity.

Herod had already murdered John the Baptist, thinking he had stopped the Christian movement, but he was wrong.

No government exists that can stop the plan of God!

Some people had said that John the Baptist had been raised from the dead.

This bothered Herod because he had murdered John by removing his head to give to his wife, and he was feeling guilty because he was guilty.

The family of Herod was a tangled mess.

Herodias was the daughter of Aristobulus, another son of Herod the Great. When she married Philip, she was marrying her own father’s brother.

Herod Antipas was another uncle of Herodias, and Herod Antipas talked Herodias into leaving his brother Philip to marry him, further compounding the incest in this family.

This is why John the Baptist preached against these things, and it got him murdered by the king.

Not only had some people said that John had risen from the dead, but others had said that Elijah had come back as had been prophesied, and some had even said that Jesus was one of the other prophets that had been raised from the dead.

The biggest thing we see here is that the imaginations of non-believers will run wild when they realize their guilt.

What did God say about the conscience? Heb_9:14 How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?

What else did God say? 1Ti 4:1 Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;
1Ti 4:2 Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron;

Herod thought that if he could just see the Lord Jesus in the flesh, then he would not feel so guilty and just maybe he could be forgiven.

Wickedness will bring you to conviction sometimes, but you must act upon it.

*Luk 9:10 And the apostles, when they were returned, told him all that they had done. And he took them, and went aside privately into a desert place belonging to the city called Bethsaida.

The first thing we notice here is that we all need some private time with the Lord Jesus.

It is just after this that the Lord Jesus spends most of His time with these twelve men.

This is also a good example for all of us. We need to tell the Lord what we have accomplished and then seek His wisdom on how to do better.

There is no time that we should be standing still.

If we are having results in our ministries, it is only because we know the Lord Jesus and are filled with the Holy Spirit.

We should always evaluate ourselves to see how we can improve.

A desert place is a place that is not cultivated for crops but consists of grazing land.

Bethsaida was the birth home of Peter, Andrew, and Philip.

Joh 1:44 Now Philip was of Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter.

It seems no matter where the Lord was, crowds of people could always find Him.

*Luk 9:11 And the people, when they knew it, followed him: and he received them, and spake unto them of the kingdom of God, and healed them that had need of healing.

We should notice that the Lord Jesus always has time for the needy.

These disciples would soon embark on the greatest mission of this world, but the Lord Jesus would always take time to help those who came to Him because He is our compassionate Savior.

This lesson is clear. Even when we need our rest, there are still people who need the Lord.

There are always sheep who need the Shepherd.

Mar 6:34 And Jesus, when he came out, saw much people, and was moved with compassion toward them, because they were as sheep not having a shepherd: and he began to teach them many things.

In the Kingdom of God, God is the absolute ruler, and we are His subjects; the Word of God is the absolute law, and obedience is demanded.

Many people are confused about this and think they can alter the Law of God.

If you are a “Born Again” child of God, you have already felt the healing power of God, but in most cases, healing is not our greatest need.

It is always our Spiritual needs that are most important, so therefore the Lord does not always heal us as we would think He would.

Most of the time, we can learn more in our suffering than we can ever learn when we are healthy, and we can get closer to God.

This was a lesson that these chosen men of God needed to learn.

Miracles are great, but salvation is greater!

*Luk 9:12 And when the day began to wear away, then came the twelve, and said unto him, Send the multitude away, that they may go into the towns and country round about, and lodge, and get victuals: for we are here in a desert place.
Luk 9:13 But he said unto them, Give ye them to eat. And they said, We have no more but five loaves and two fishes; except we should go and buy meat for all this people.

We know that these disciples had been given certain powers when they were sent on a mission, and we do not read where He had taken their powers away.

So, the Lord tells them to provide their needs.

These people had certainly been listening to the Lord for several hours, and it may have been hard for them to find food so late in the day.

We know this was a crowd of five thousand men, and it could have been much larger if there were women and children there.

The Lord Jesus could have stopped his teaching earlier, but He did not.

Either way, five thousand people would never find shelter or food to meet their needs in such a short period of time.

The answer these disciples had was that the people could provide their own needs.

We know that people just cannot be left to sustain their own needs; we all need God’s help.

Jesus told His disciples it was they who should provide the needs of these people.

It was more important for these people to hear the message of God than it was to seek food and shelter.

Joh 6:49 Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness, and are dead.
Joh 6:50 This is the bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die.
Joh 6:51 I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live forever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.

The biggest problem the twelve disciples saw was that there were just not enough resources available to feed these people.

The twelve men said that they did not have the power to meet the needs of these people. We know that only God has such power.

There is nothing too hard for God!

*Luk 9:14 For they were about five thousand men. And he said to his disciples, Make them sit down by fifties in a company.
Luk 9:15 And they did so, and made them all sit down.

It would have been hard to make sure that every person could eat if this crowd were not organized.

They were set as if they were an army.

While this was taking place, the Lord took time to pray. He had what He needed: “five small barley loaves and two fish”.

Mar 6:40 And they sat down in ranks, by hundreds, and by fifties.
Mar 6:41 And when he had taken the five loaves and the two fishes, he looked up to heaven, and blessed, and brake the loaves, and gave them to his disciples to set before them; and the two fishes divided he among them all.

*Luk 9:16 Then he took the five loaves and the two fishes, and looking up to heaven, he blessed them, and brake, and gave to the disciples to set before the multitude.
Luk 9:17 And they did eat, and were all filled: and there was taken up of fragments that remained to them twelve baskets.

The Jewish barley loaves were broad, thin cakes, and they were broken to eat them.

The two fish were small fish, maybe no bigger than sardines, and were salted to preserve them.

The Lord Jesus Christ broke these small cakes and fish, and He gave them to the Apostles, and He just kept on breaking and giving until all were fed.

The Lord Jesus Christ was meeting the needs of these children of Judah.

Jesus had first looked up to Heaven, giving thanks to God the Father.

Jesus thanked God for what He did have, fives cakes of barley and two fish.

He then blessed what God had already given to Him.

We should understand that once we do our part in the work God has given to us, then and only then will God multiply our resources.

What we will see is that there was plenty enough to feed this large crowd, and there was still some leftovers.

God will provide more than enough!

Each of the Lord’s disciples kept coming to Jesus to fill their baskets until all were fed.

Joh 6:11 And Jesus took the loaves; and when he had given thanks, he distributed to the disciples, and the disciples to them that were set down; and likewise of the fishes as much as they would.

Psa 37:16 A little that a righteous man hath is better than the riches of many wicked.

By feeding these people in such a desert place, the Lord Jesus shows these Jews He is the new Moses spoken of in the Books of Moses!

Deu 18:15 The LORD thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me; unto him ye shall hearken;

Deu 18:18 I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee, and will put my words in his mouth; and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him.
Deu 18:19 And it shall come to pass, that whosoever will not hearken unto my words which he shall speak in my name, I will require it of him.

When everyone had their fill, twelve baskets, one for each Apostle, were filled with what had not been eaten.

When we study this miracle out, we do not see any indication that any of these people were aware of the miracle that had just taken place beyond His own disciples.

The truth is that this world belongs to the Lord Jesus: Psa 24:1 The earth is the LORD’S, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein.

*Luk 9:18 And it came to pass, as he was alone praying, his disciples were with him: and he asked them, saying, Whom say the people that I am?
Luk 9:19 They answering said, John the Baptist; but some say, Elias; and others say, that one of the old prophets is risen again.
Luk 9:20 He said unto them, But whom say ye that I am? Peter answering said, The Christ of God.

The Lord Jesus never forgot to thank His Father for what He had done.

The Lord Jesus also needed strength as He would set out for Jerusalem, where He would soon face the cross.

We can only imagine the mental anguish upon the Lord as He walked by Golgotha, knowing He would soon die there.

No doubt this would be part of His suffering for us, even before the cross.

At the end of His prayer, He then asked His disciples, “Who say the people that I am”?

There were many Jews who thought that Jesus was the reincarnated John the Baptist.

Others said He was Elijah who had returned as prophesied.

It was also time for those twelve chosen men who rest their minds on Jesus the Christ of God.

It was time for them to confess without hesitation that Jesus was the Messiah sent from Heaven.

As disciples of Christ Jesus, we must pray before all major events in our lives.
As disciples of Christ Jesus, we too must come to an understanding of the Cross, His death, burial, and His resurrection.

We must pray for strength to withstand the trials of life, to bear our own cross that lies ahead of us.

Psa 91:15 He shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honour him.
Psa 91:16 With long life will I satisfy him, and shew him my salvation.

Many people just said the Lord Jesus was just a great man who had come their way.

These twelve men needed to have their concept of the Messiah corrected with the truth.

The general saying was that the Messiah would come to be King of Israel and, like King David, save them from their enemies.

Isa 7:14 Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.

Isa 9:6 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.
Isa 9:7 Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.

Mic 5:2 But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.
Mic 5:3 Therefore will he give them up, until the time that she which travaileth hath brought forth: then the remnant of his brethren shall return unto the children of Israel.
Mic 5:4 And he shall stand and feed in the strength of the LORD, in the majesty of the name of the LORD his God; and they shall abide: for now shall he be great unto the ends of the earth.

Jer 33:14 Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will perform that good thing which I have promised unto the house of Israel and to the house of Judah.
Jer 33:15 In those days, and at that time, will I cause the Branch of righteousness to grow up unto David; and he shall execute judgment and righteousness in the land.
Jer 33:16 In those days shall Judah be saved, and Jerusalem shall dwell safely: and this is the name wherewith she shall be called, The LORD our righteousness.

All these things would be true, but the Lord Jesus first came to save us and start the Church.

Jesus was not the Forerunner John the Baptist.
Jesus was not Elijah returned.
Jesus was not one of the Prophets of the Old Testament who returned.

These are the same false confessions made of the Messiah in every generation.

The Lord Jesus is much more than just some man martyred for His faith.
He was certainly the greatest teacher and the greatest prophet of all time.
He was the only one who could tell us the truth of God.
He was the One sent not only for the Jews but also for the Gentiles.
He was a Great Carpenter.
He did make this world, but many reject this truth.

What is the truth? 1Jn 2:22 Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son.
1Jn 2:23 Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father: (but) he that acknowledgeth the Son hath the Father also.

Again: 1Jn 4:3 And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.
1Jn 4:4 Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.
1Jn 4:5 They are of the world: therefore speak they of the world, and the world heareth them.
1Jn 4:6 We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error.

The Lord Jesus is indeed the Messiah sent from the only true God, Immanuel, with the mission to save all mankind.

The Lord Jesus was not just some man. He is the Almighty Living God!

*Luk 9:21 And he straitly charged them, and commanded them to tell no man that thing;
Luk 9:22 Saying, The Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be slain, and be raised the third day.

The truth is, “Faith” in God cannot be lived out in a vacuum.

A sheltered faith can never be a mature faith!

As believers, we are not to accept the opinion of others; we must know that we know the Lord Jesus is indeed the Messiah sent from God to save us from the penalty of our sin.

The Lord Jesus is indeed the Messiah, but not what the Jews wanted at that time.

The path of His suffering was not an option. It had to take place just as written in the Word of God.

The path to His Kingship will also be just as described in the Word of God.

It was the elders of Judah, the Chief Priests, and the Scribes, who caused Jesus to be slain.

Many of these were the members of the Sanhedrin Court, the Supreme Court of the Jews.

Amen

God in Control

/ Bobby Mayfield / Leave a comment

Kingdom Teaching and a Storm Is Calmed

Book of Luke Chapter 8

Most ministries do not survive unless there is some support for them. Even the ministries of the Lord had supporters.

There are certain women who are mentioned in this chapter, but our lesson concerns the ministry rather than those who support the ministry.

If you support a ministry of the Gospel, then God knows it, and this is the purpose of the Holy Spirit mentioning these precious ladies who supported the work of the Lord.

Our lesson begins with verse 5, where we will look at some parables.

What is a parable? A parable is a mode of teaching that takes a familiar event to teach spiritual truths.

The Lord Jesus used parables to teach us many lessons of the truth of Heaven.

Why did the Lord Jesus use parables?

Mat 13:34 All these things spake Jesus unto the multitude in parables; and without a parable spake he not unto them:
Mat 13:35 That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying, I will open my mouth in parables; I will utter things which have been kept secret from the foundation of the world.

We use the word typology in our lessons, and parable teaching is also a teaching by typology.

The parable of the Sower:

*Luk 8:4 And when much people were gathered together, and were come to him out of every city, he spake by a parable:
Luk 8:5 A sower went out to sow his seed: and as he sowed, some fell by the way side; and it was trodden down, and the fowls of the air devoured it.
Luk 8:6 And some fell upon a rock; and as soon as it was sprung up, it withered away, because it lacked moisture.
Luk 8:7 And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprang up with it, and choked it.
Luk 8:8 And other fell on good ground, and sprang up, and bare fruit an hundredfold. And when he had said these things, he cried, He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.

There was a revival going on in the land of Judah. It had begun with John the Baptist and was continued by God’s Messiah, Jesus of Nazareth.

Multitudes of people were gathering to hear what the Lord Jesus had to say.

Who is the Sower in this parable? The Sower is the Lord Jesus Christ.

The Lord Jesus is not looking for fruit among His people, but as the Sower, He sows the seed which is the Word of God.

The Lord Jesus preaches the truth of the Scriptures.

Not some traditional version.
Not some altered version.
Not some version containing the beliefs of man.

The Lord Jesus preaches the version that is approved by the Holy Spirit.

When we read our KJV Bibles, we are reading the English version of the Hebrew and Greek Scriptures approved by the Holy Spirit.

Almost all these people who gathered to hear the Lord Jesus knew the work of the sower.

They also knew that not every seed would produce fruit.

Not everyone who came to hear the Words of Jesus was sincere, and this teaching would also address those people.

If the Lord Jesus could not teach them a truth that they could believe, then He would warn all those who had their ears open to His message.

Just hearing the Word of God is not enough; we must apply the Word of God to our lives and be obedient to it.

The Word of God will not bear fruit if we do not put it to good use!

The Parable of the Sower addresses all people who hear the Word of God.

Every parable is taken from things that happen every day!

Notice the Sower always goes out, and he sows the seed. If not, there can be no fruit.

Today, not many will go out.
Today, not many sow the seed, the Word of God.
Today, there are not many who visit and care for the flock.

Four things happen when the Sower sows the Seed.

1) Some seeds fell by the wayside.

This is seed that was sown outside the field. It fell on walking paths and the road.
This seed fell on unprepared ground and was walked on. It was walked upon, and some lay on top of the ground, and birds came and ate it.

2) Some seeds fell upon rocky ground.

This was a rock that had very little soil to cover it. This seed grew quickly because the water would lie on top of the rock when it rained, but that water would soon dry up, and those plants would wither away because the Sun would scorch the plants.

3) Some seeds fell amongst the thorns.

This seed would sprout, but those plants were soon choked to death by those thorns.

4) Other seeds fell on good ground.

This seed produced much fruit and bears fruit a hundredfold.

Jesus immediately said: “He that hath ears to hear, let him hear”.

It is most important that we hear what God has to say so we will know the truth!

The disciples of Jesus Christ asked, “What do these things mean”?

They also asked, “why do you teach using parables”?

*Luk 8:9 And his disciples asked him, saying, What might this parable be?
Luk 8:10 And he said, Unto you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God: but to others in parables; that seeing they might not see, and hearing they might not understand.

Jesus said that when the truth of God is taught, we are listening to what the Holy Spirit wants us to hear, and we are to respond to it.

Up until this point, Jesus had been teaching by direct reading of the Scriptures, and He would still do this also.

Jesus began to teach with parables to reach those who had a sincere desire to understand the Word of God.

Learning from a parable required people to do some thinking to get the meaning of the Scriptures.

The Lord Jesus Christ wants us to open our hearts to receive God’s message.

It is important to ask enough questions until we get the true meaning of what God is teaching us, one Parable at a time.

We will seek the truth of God if we already have a personal relationship with Him.

Jesus also used the parables to conceal the truth from closed minds!

Closed minds will not spend much time seeking the truth of God because they are not interested in the truth of God.

They are carnal-minded.

Hard-hearted people have no interest in the God of Love.

If you think you already have it all figured out, you will never understand the truth of God.

*Luk 8:11 Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God.
Luk 8:12 Those by the way side are they that hear; then cometh the devil, and taketh away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved.
Luk 8:13 They on the rock are they, which, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, which for a while believe, and in time of temptation fall away.
Luk 8:14 And that which fell among thorns are they, which, when they have heard, go forth, and are choked with cares and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to perfection.
Luk 8:15 But that on the good ground are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience.

We should understand that the Sower is the Lord Jesus Christ, or one of His disciples today.

1Co 3:9 For we are labourers together with God: ye are God’s husbandry, ye are God’s building.

The Seed is then the Word of God which is incorruptible.

1Pe 1:23 Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.

It is the Gospel that brings much fruit.

Col 1:5 For the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, whereof ye heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel;
Col 1:6 Which is come unto you, as it is in all the world; and bringeth forth fruit, as it doth also in you, since the day ye heard of it, and knew the grace of God in truth:

Jesus warns us all that there are all types of people in a crowd.

The fate of our ministries, and how well they grow, depends on those who hear it!

The success of the seed depends upon one thing only, and it is the condition of the soil.

The acceptance of the Word of God relies on one thing: the condition of the heart.

In this parable, the “soil” is in type the “heart”.

1) That seed by the wayside.

That person by the wayside hears the Word of God. He is present, but he is off to the side. He is not involved in any church, and he lets his mind wander to things he would rather be doing than listening to some preacher. He will not pay any attention to God’s warnings.

Before this person can believe the Devil will come and snatch the Word of God from him.

This person will never apply the Word of God to themselves.

2) The seed on the rock.

It means this person hears the Word of God, even becomes excited over it. He may even make a profession of faith.

But he fails to count the cost and consider the commitment he must make and the effort it takes to be a Christian, and he will not apply himself and become grounded in the Word of God.

When trials and temptations come, he will fail, and his profession of faith will be meaningless.

Luk 9:57 And it came to pass, that, as they went in the way, a certain man said unto him, Lord, I will follow thee whithersoever thou goest.
Luk 9:58 And Jesus said unto him, Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head.
Luk 9:59 And he said unto another, Follow me. But he said, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father.
Luk 9:60 Jesus said unto him, Let the dead bury their dead: but go thou and preach the kingdom of God.
Luk 9:61 And another also said, Lord, I will follow thee; but let me first go bid them farewell, which are at home at my house.
Luk 9:62 And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.

3) The seed among the thorns:

This person receives the Word of God and honestly tries to live for Christ.

The Church and its activities appeal to him, and he joins, even calling himself a Christian, but he cannot overcome the thorns of worldliness.

He is unwilling to cut his ties with the world. He tries to live a double life.

He violates the command of God: 2Co 6:17 Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you,
2Co 6:18 And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.

He never becomes a child of God!

We must separate ourselves from the world to be a child of God!

1Ti 6:9 But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition.

1Ti 5:6 But she that liveth in pleasure is dead while she liveth.

2Ti 3:1 This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.
2Ti 3:2 For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,
2Ti 3:3 Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good,
2Ti 3:4 Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;
2Ti 3:5 Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.

4) The seed on good ground.

These are the ones who accept the Word of God with an honest and good heart.

They hear the Word of God, and they keep it.

They will bring forth fruit that will last because they are patient as they witness for Jesus Christ.

They honestly seek to learn and know the truth of God; the Church will grow.

Act 2:41 Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.

1Th 2:13 For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe.

They are devoted to Christ and committed to the Gospel.

They do not allow the Devil to snatch away the truth of God.

The Lord Jesus adds to this truth:

*Luk 8:16 No man, when he hath lighted a candle, covereth it with a vessel, or putteth it under a bed; but setteth it on a candlestick, that they which enter in may see the light.
Luk 8:17 For nothing is secret, that shall not be made manifest; neither any thing hid, that shall not be known and come abroad.
Luk 8:18 Take heed therefore how ye hear: for whosoever hath, to him shall be given; and whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken even that which he seemeth to have.

A candle must be lit to fulfill its function.

A candle is made for one purpose only, and that purpose is to give light.

A couple of things we must understand:

1) All fruit that is gathered is for God. We cannot save anyone; we can only lead them to the Lord, who can save them.

2) The light that remains is for the neighborhood. Once we are saved, we are to learn how to make our light as bright as it can be.

3) This candle is given by God Himself, and it cannot be purchased; it is a gift of God to each believer.

This candle is useless to God unless it is used.

This candle represents our Christian Life.

Mat_5:16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

This is the life we have when we have been “Born Again” into the family of God.

This life is only useful to God when our candle is lit!

This candle is God-given, but it must be we ourselves who can only light our candle.

We must take the initiative to light our candle and not try to hide it.

The Lord Jesus Christ is the only spark that can light our candle!

Joh 8:12 Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.

Joh 11:9 Jesus answered, Are there not twelve hours in the day? If any man walk in the day, he stumbleth not, because he seeth the light of this world.
Joh 11:10 But if a man walk in the night, he stumbleth, because there is no light in him.

Joh 12:36 While ye have light, believe in the light, that ye may be the children of light. These things spake Jesus, and departed, and did hide himself from them.

Candles can be used as decoration. We can be a life that beautifies others. This is not the primary use of our life.

You can use the wax from a candle to fill a hole. We can be a life that fills in the gaps in society. This is not the primary use of our lives.

Our life can be like an ornament to attract attention. This would be a life centered on us. This is certainly not what God wants from us.

Our life must be able to shine freely. Eph 5:8 For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light:

Our life must be like a candle that is set in a high place. Our High Place must be the Lord Jesus Christ.

Our life must be bright and not dim.
Our life must be strong in Christ and not weak.

If we try to hide our light, it is because we are ashamed of the true Light, the Lord Jesus Christ.

1Pe 4:16 Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf.
1Pe 4:17 For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?

We must understand that there are no more mysteries in the Bible. The Gospel was hidden for a time period but it is not to be hidden now.

There are no secret ways to get to Heaven! The Lord Jesus Christ explained the Gospel well enough for us to understand these things.

In fact, Jesus said we should know the way to Heaven by now.

Joh 14:1 Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.
Joh 14:2 In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.
Joh 14:3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.
Joh 14:4 And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know.

We must understand as we live out our lives in this wicked world that the truth is very narrow.

If we do not understand the Gospel of Grace, we have learned the wrong lesson!

Joh 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

We can think, we can guess, and we can suppose but we cannot stray from the truth of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Only the truth of God will bring rewards!

If we do not use what the Lord has given to us, those rewards will be taken away.

Mat 5:6 Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.

We must believe what the Lord Jesus says.

He gives us this example:

*Luk 8:22 Now it came to pass on a certain day, that he went into a ship with his disciples: and he said unto them, Let us go over unto the other side of the lake. And they launched forth.
Luk 8:23 But as they sailed, he fell asleep: and there came down a storm of wind on the lake; and they were filled with water, and were in jeopardy.

When the Lord told His disciples they were going over to the other side, they should have believed Him.

Jesus, the Son of Man, needed the help of the disciples to get away from the crowds that had gathered.

Most of these disciples had made their living on the Sea of Galilee. They knew this Sea and the suddenness of storms on this Sea.

Jesus, the Son of God, said we are going to the other side, and when He said this, these men should have believed what Jesus said and accepted it as the truth.

We could say this boat ride was a test of faith.

God will test our faith from time to time!

We will face many storms in our Christian life!

We must understand our sovereign God can do anything He so pleases at any time He so pleases!

1Ti 3:16 And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.

The Man Jesus was so tired that He fell asleep, but it did not change His plan.

The Lord Jesus was trusting that the skills of these men would get them to the other side of Galilee.

The Lord Jesus was present, but He was not actively involved in the task of rowing.

Then came the storm, and it was a terrible storm.

This little boat was in jeopardy of sinking, but for one thing.

The Lord Jesus had said that they were going to the other side, and it was a sure thing.

*Luk 8:24 And they came to him, and awoke him, saying, Master, master, we perish. Then he arose, and rebuked the wind and the raging of the water: and they ceased, and there was a calm.

They felt that only the Lord Jesus had the power to save them when the Lord Jesus had trusted that they had the skills to reach the other side. He knew all along what they would do. This was a test of their faith; they were never in jeopardy.

Any place where the Lord Jesus is present is a safe place, no matter if He is asleep!

These disciples said they felt they were about to perish yet; they also had said that the Lord Jesus was the Messiah.

This shows that they had doubts that Jesus was the true Messiah.

They were desperate enough to wake up the Lord Jesus.

Just as that fever had left Peter’s mother-in-law, just as all disease had left many people when the Lord spoke and said leave, the Lord Jesus spoke to the wind, and immediately the wind stopped blowing, and the Sea was calm.

Then the Lord had a question for them.

*Luk 8:25 And he said unto them, Where is your faith? And they being afraid wondered, saying one to another, What manner of man is this! for he commandeth even the winds and water, and they obey him.

We had better believe that Satan had his wickedness involved with this storm, so the Lord Jesus stood on His feet when He could have rebuked the wind with just His words. Satan would try to murder the Lord Jesus at every opportunity.
We must understand that the people of God must have absolute faith in our Savior.

We must also understand that if we are afraid, then it did not come from God, and if it did not come from God, it must have come from the Devil.

They had seen many miracles in their time with the Lord Jesus, but they felt that no one could control nature, and they were wrong again.

Jesus had said they were all going to the other side, and not one of them could have perished.

When the Lord describes the Rapture of the Church, we do not have to doubt that it will be real.

1Th 4:13 But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.
1Th 4:14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.
1Th 4:15 For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.
1Th 4:16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
1Th 4:17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

Amen

Having Great Faith

/ Bobby Mayfield / Leave a comment

A Centurion’s Faith and a Dead Man Raised

Book of Luke Chapter 7

As we get into the miracles of Jesus Christ, let’s talk about the Lord Jesus, the miracle worker.

The Lord Jesus Christ was also a miracle worker, but we should understand that for the most part, He did these miracles to show the people He is God Almighty.

Another thing we should see about the miracles of Jesus, He did things that only God could do.

Such healing of a leper, the knowledge to heal a leper, is something only God can do.

There is still no cure for leprosy even today.

It is the same for a sinner; there is no cure for sin other than the “Grace” of God that comes in the form of the Lord Jesus Christ.

We can say that sin is a disease that only the Lord Jesus Christ can heal.

Another miracle happened when the Lord Jesus gave sight to the blind man. There is still no cure for blindness today.

Jesus came to this earth to open all our eyes to the truth of our Holy God.

Psa 146:8 The LORD openeth the eyes of the blind: the LORD raiseth them that are bowed down: the LORD loveth the righteous:

There is another prophecy that led the Lord Jesus to perform miracles. Isa 29:18 And in that day shall the deaf hear the words of the book, and the eyes of the blind shall see out of obscurity, and out of darkness.

The Bible must remain the truth of the Almighty God!

Isa 35:5 Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped.
Isa 35:6 Then shall the lame man leap as an hart, and the tongue of the dumb sing: for in the wilderness shall waters break out, and streams in the desert.

What is the greatest miracle of Jesus Christ? Isa 43:25 I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins.

Isa 44:22 I have blotted out, as a thick cloud, thy transgressions, and, as a cloud, thy sins: return unto me; for I have redeemed thee.

The religious leaders of Jerusalem had no way to explain the miracles that were done by Jesus Christ without admitting He was truly the Messiah, which they were not about to do.

They came up with a plan.

Mat 12:22 Then was brought unto him one possessed with a devil, blind, and dumb: and he healed him, insomuch that the blind and dumb both spake and saw.
Mat 12:23 And all the people were amazed, and said, Is not this the son of David?
Mat 12:24 But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, This fellow doth not cast out devils, but by Beelzebub the prince of the devils.

This is the sin against the Holy Spirit.

This sin cannot be forgiven because these wicked men had seen that Jesus had performed these miracles, His words, and His works.

These Pharisees dogmatically reported that Jesus performed these miracles under the power of Satan.

The miracles could not be denied, but they refused to acknowledge that Jesus was indeed the Messiah.

There will be no opportunity for repentance of this sin because it is the same sin of not believing the truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Mat 12:31 Wherefore I say unto you, All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men: but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men.
Mat 12:32 And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come.

It is a great study just to study the miracles that the Lord did while He was on this earth.

*Luk 7:1 Now when he had ended all his sayings in the audience of the people, he entered into Capernaum.

We should understand one important thing about the Word of God.

Once we have heard the Word of God, we can no longer remain neutral; we will be on the Lord’s side or on the world’s side.

After the Lord Jesus was driven out of Nazareth, He chose Capernaum as the headquarters of His ministry.

The city of Capernaum saw many great works of the Lord during His time there, but this wicked city never accepted the Lord Jesus as God’s Messiah, and it does not exist as a city today.

Mat 11:23 And thou, Capernaum, which art exalted unto heaven, shalt be brought down to hell: for if the mighty works, which have been done in thee, had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day.
Mat 11:24 But I say unto you, That it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment, than for thee.
The Lord Jesus had just preached a great sermon to those who had gathered to hear Him.

Capernaum was important enough to Rome that a detachment of Roman soldiers stayed there at all times.

It was this Roman commander who had provided the money to build a Jewish synagogue in Capernaum.

*Luk 7:2 And a certain centurion’s servant, who was dear unto him, was sick, and ready to die.

There is a clear lesson to learn in this passage.

People with great faith also care for other people.

Most people look down on our military, but I found that when I was a soldier, most soldiers care for people.

Most soldiers respect others even when they are on assignment in other nations than their own.

When we see the word slave, we do not usually see a person who is loved or cared for.

This Centurion would have had to buy this person for him to be a slave, and he had grown attached to his slave.

A slave in that day was nothing more than a tool to be used and abused by most of those who owned them.

This slave had become deathly sick and ready to die.

The lesson we are to learn is that God will not do for those who have no or little faith.

*Luk 7:3 And when he heard of Jesus, he sent unto him the elders of the Jews, beseeching him that he would come and heal his servant.

True faith will humble us because we know we are unworthy to approach God and certainly unworthy to ask God for His help.

We should understand that once we understand we are saved from the wrath of God, why should we think God owes us anything else?

This soldier had only heard about the wonderful things the Lord had done, and he believed these things were true, unlike most Jews of that day.

The Book of Matthew said that this Centurion had approached the Lord Jesus.

The Book of Luke says that this Centurion sent some religious leaders to approach Jesus.

The truth is, if a commander sends someone with a message, then it is as if he had approached that person himself.

Both Luke and Matthew are right in what they wrote by the Holy Spirit.

No doubt this military man had heard of the wonderful things that Jesus had done.

We had better believe that Rome had someone in the crowds who approached Jesus to put down any insurrection that occurred, but we know Jesus never preached for rebellion against Rome.

This Centurion requested help, not for himself but for a slave in his possession.

He sent priests who were the leaders of the synagogue that he had helped to build.

Today, we do not need a priest on this earth to intercede for us; we can go straight to our Heavenly Father as long as we go in the name of His Son, Jesus.

1) Once we are exposed to the Gospel of Jesus Christ, we must humble ourselves before the Lord if we want to seek the blessings of God!

Mic 6:8 He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?

What was told to Jesus about this military man?

*Luk 7:4 And when they came to Jesus, they besought him instantly, saying, That he was worthy for whom he should do this:
Luk 7:5 For he loveth our nation, and he hath built us a synagogue.

When we have faith in the truth of God, we will want to know more about Him.

What we see is that some Roman soldiers did have true faith in the God of Israel.

He did this knowing that his own nation and his own rulers despised the Jews.

He helped these Jews because he loved the God of Israel, and it was not a fake love.

The world hated the Jews just as most of the world hates the Jews today.

When you are a hated person, you will strive to be better than those around you, and this will cause more hatred.

We can truly narrow this down to the fact that the Jews served the One True God, and the world will always have many gods or be Anti-God.

God said: Gen_12:3 And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.

Those who hate Israel and the Jews also hate the Word of God, no matter what they say!

The world rejects that it is by faith that God works in our world.

If there is one thing that the whole world has, it is that there is always someone to blame if things are not going to suit them.

This is why there are no solutions to problems reached in this world.

The Jews and the Gentiles have very few dealings with one another.

The Gentiles were treated with less respect than a dog by the Jews, and so did the Gentiles treat the Jews. We know it is much the same today.

Mar 7:25 For a certain woman, whose young daughter had an unclean spirit, heard of him, and came and fell at his feet:
Mar 7:26 The woman was a Greek, a Syrophenician by nation; and she besought him that he would cast forth the devil out of her daughter.
Mar 7:27 But Jesus said unto her, Let the children first be filled: for it is not meet to take the children’s bread, and to cast it unto the dogs.
Mar 7:28 And she answered and said unto him, Yes, Lord: yet the dogs under the table eat of the children’s crumbs.
Mar 7:29 And he said unto her, For this saying go thy way; the devil is gone out of thy daughter.

This Roman soldier did not allow these things to interfere with his love of God and his faith in Christ.

*Luk 7:6 Then Jesus went with them. And when he was now not far from the house, the centurion sent friends to him, saying unto him, Lord, trouble not thyself: for I am not worthy that thou shouldest enter under my roof:
Luk 7:7 Wherefore neither thought I myself worthy to come unto thee: but say in a word, and my servant shall be healed.
Luk 7:8 For I also am a man set under authority, having under me soldiers, and I say unto one, Go, and he goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it.

We can have faith in a lot of things in this world, and most of them have little or no real meaning because there is no real benefit for them.

If our faith is real in Jesus Christ, then He knows it, and it means something to Him!

That soldier of Rome had great faith in Jesus Christ.

We see this Scripture a lot, but it is a truth we can depend upon: Heb 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

This is the faith of this soldier from Rome faith even the Jews did not have.

This faith is believing that the Lord Jesus Christ is the sovereign Lord with all the power of Heaven.

This faith is believing that the Lord Jesus Christ will reward those who diligently seek Him, and He will use His power on behalf of those who seek Him.

This faith is believing that there is nothing impossible for the God of the Bible.

This faith is believing that all God has to do is speak the Word, and things will happen.

Mat 28:18 And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.

If we cannot believe this, then we will never get a prayer answered, and we need to question our salvation.

*Luk 7:9 When Jesus heard these things, he marvelled at him, and turned him about, and said unto the people that followed him, I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel.
Luk 7:10 And they that were sent, returning to the house, found the servant whole that had been sick.

When God has a great admiration for our faith, He will move on our behalf!

This Gentile from Rome had stirred the heart of our Savior!

There are only two places in the Scriptures where it is said that Jesus marvelled.

Here in this passage about the Gentile Roman soldier and the people of Nazareth, His hometown who had no faith.

Mar 6:4 But Jesus said unto them, A prophet is not without honour, but in his own country, and among his own kin, and in his own house.
Mar 6:5 And he could there do no mighty work, save that he laid his hands upon a few sick folk, and healed them.
Mar 6:6 And he marvelled because of their unbelief. And he went round about the villages, teaching.

There will be no great works in our life, in our church, nor in our ministries without “Great Faith” in the Lord Jesus Christ!

It did not matter if this man was a Roman.
It did not matter if this man was a Gentile.
It did not matter if this man was a soldier who had followed commands, even commands to kill.
It only mattered that he had great faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.

The Lord Jesus Christ has the power to do as He says He will do and the power to meet all our needs!

Mar 11:22 And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God.
Mar 11:23 For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith.
Mar 11:24 Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.

This is the power to answer any prayer!

*Luk 7:11 And it came to pass the day after, that he went into a city called Nain; and many of his disciples went with him, and much people.

The city of Nain was only six miles from the city of Nazareth, and this distance could be walked in less than a day.

This is the same area where Elisha had raised the son of a Shunammite woman, so this area had seen the power of God.

There were many witnesses to this resurrection because it was a funeral procession.

Many unbelievers had followed the Lord Jesus from Nazareth.

The disciples of Jesus were with Him.

The timing of the arrival of the Lord Jesus was perfect.

*Luk 7:12 Now when he came nigh to the gate of the city, behold, there was a dead man carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow: and many people of the city were with her.
Luk 7:13 And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her, and said unto her, Weep not.

We have stated before that for a woman to be left on her own in this day, it would be hard for her to survive.

The women of that day were homemakers, while the husband and sons, if she had one, would provide for the home.

We saw she was a widow, so her husband had already passed.

In typology, Israel is a widow without a husband today because the Jews still reject the Lord of Glory.

She is now attending the funeral of her only begotten son.

All of Israel’s hope lies in the only Begotten Son of God, the Son who will die for their sins as He did for all sinners. They must first admit that they are sinners.

Was this the reason that the Lord Jesus had compassion on her? It was at least part of it.

The crowd of people attending the funeral and the crowd of people following the Lord Jesus Christ all met together at the gates of the city.

The crowd of the city walks with death.

The crowd with Jesus walks with Life.

What we will witness is that death will lose to the Giver of Life.

Death has the last word for the unbeliever.
Life has the last word for the believer.

Rom 6:23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

When death meets the Lord Jesus Christ, death will have to give way to Life!

Rev 1:18 I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.

The Lord Jesus was touched by this whole scene. This mother was a type of the love that God has for His children.

We should also notice that no one had asked the Lord Jesus for help.

We see that God does act sometimes out of His own compassion. Why?

Joh 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

Compassion is a mix of passion, love, and sorrow.

*Luk 7:14 And he came and touched the bier: and they that bare him stood still. And he said, Young man, I say unto thee, Arise.
Luk 7:15 And he that was dead sat up, and began to speak. And he delivered him to his mother.

A bier was a flat wooden frame on which the body of the dead was carried from the house to the grave.

The body of the Lord Jesus would lie on such a bier in a couple of years in Jerusalem.

We know that contact with a dead body was forbidden by the Laws of Moses as a source of defilement.

Num 19:11 He that toucheth the dead body of any man shall be unclean seven days.

Though God can do as He pleases, the Lord Jesus did not touch the body of this young man but only touched the bier, as written by Luke.

Jesus then spoke: Young man, I say unto thee, Arise.

1) The Lord Jesus did have the power to bypass traditional beliefs. The Lord Jesus Christ possesses the right and the power to override all religious laws and beliefs and over life and death as our Creator, but He would never go against the written Word of God.

2) The Lord Jesus Christ has the power to stop the death processional. The pallbearers stopped without Jesus saying a word to them.

3) The Lord Jesus Christ is the only one who has the power to raise the dead. He commanded life to return to this young man.
Joh 5:24 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.
Joh 5:25 Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live.
Joh 5:26 For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself;
Joh 5:27 And hath given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of man.
Joh 5:28 Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice,
Joh 5:29 And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.

We should understand that everyone who was raised from the dead by Jesus while he was first on this earth later died again.

The Lord Jesus Christ tells us exactly what will happen after the death of the believer and the death of the unbeliever.

The souls of the believers will return with Christ.

The souls of the unbeliever will be reunited with their mangled bodies in the Burning Lake of Fire.

*Luk 7:16 And there came a fear on all: and they glorified God, saying, That a great prophet is risen up among us; and, That God hath visited his people.
Luk 7:17 And this rumour of him went forth throughout all Judaea, and throughout all the region round about.

These people in Nain had never seen such a thing as this.
The disciples of Christ had never seen such a thing as this.
All those who were following the Lord as spies for the religious had never seen such a thing as this resurrection of the dead.

Many of them had a great fear of what they saw.

This was a fear of reverence and awe. This is the same fear that we all should have.

Jhn_6:48 I am that bread of life.

Jhn_14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

As far as the human body is concerned, death has the last word.

As far as the Christian is concerned, death is the next step into God’s Heaven.

When death is confronted with life, death loses.

Death has no right to the body of a Christian!

1Th_4:14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.

There was only one thing left to do, and this was to glorify God.

All those present all knew one thing, and it was that only the Living God had the power to raise the dead back to life.

The Lord Jesus was not asked for any help.

The Lord Jesus saw this poor mother and had compassion upon her.

We serve a compassionate and loving God who can be touched by the suffering of His people.

Our God is the only source of true consolation.

The Lord’s compassion is followed up with His “Grace”. The free, unmerited love and favor of God is the spring and source of all the benefits men receive from Him.

Why did God send His Son to save us to begin with? Because He had compassion on us and was willing to show His Grace to us.

Those words “God hath visited His people” mean they should have recognized that Jesus Christ is the Messiah, but they did not have enough faith, and even this little faith did not last long.

They began to see the Lord Jesus as only a Prophet of God, though He was a Prophet, He was so much more than a Prophet. He was God’s Son.

Luk 19:41 And when he was come near, he beheld the city, and wept over it,
Luk 19:42 Saying, If thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace! but now they are hid from thine eyes.
Luk 19:43 For the days shall come upon thee, that thine enemies shall cast a trench about thee, and compass thee round, and keep thee in on every side,
Luk 19:44 And shall lay thee even with the ground, and thy children within thee; and they shall not leave in thee one stone upon another; because thou knewest not the time of thy visitation.

The Muslims and other religions call Him Prophet, but I call Him Savior. I call Him God!

We can look forward to the Rapture of the Church or the day after our death when we hear the voice of the Lord calling us home.

1Th 4:13 But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.
1Th 4:14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.
1Th 4:15 For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.
1Th 4:16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
1Th 4:17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

Amen

Called and Chosen to Serve the Lord

/ Bobby Mayfield / Leave a comment

Appointing the Apostles and the Sermon on the Mount

Book of Luke Chapter 6

What is wrong with much of the Church today? People tend to institutionalize religion, making it full of form and ritual, rules and regulations, ceremonies, and services.

What does the Bible say about this? 2Ti 3:5 Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.

The modern church is denying the power of the Holy Spirit, and many have kicked the Lord Jesus Christ out of the doors of the church.

The Church becomes a religion like all the false religions and far from Christianity, which is the desire of our Heavenly Father.

The Church is to walk in the ways of the Lord Jesus Christ, or it is not a church!

Why were we saved to begin with? The Lord Jesus Christ needs people!

In fact, that word “need “is wrong. The Lord Jesus does not need any of us!

It is those who are lost who need Christians; they do not need religionists!

We are chosen to carry the message of salvation to the world.

How did the Lord Jesus go about choosing people to serve as ambassadors from Heaven?

*Luk 6:12 And it came to pass in those days, that he went out into a mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God.

The Lord Jesus chose His people after much prayer.

No matter what we are about to take on, we are foolish not to spend much time in prayer.

There was a large group of people following Jesus at this time, and not all of them had the right reasons for doing so.

The leaders of Judaism were filled with hatred for Him, and their hatred was increasing.

In every circumstance, prayer is the refuge for those who serve Christ!

Most of us can say our prayers in a minute or two, but in reality, this is not enough time to get our message to our Heavenly Father.

Yes, He knows what we need, but why should He help us or our ministries if we refuse to spend some time with Him?

The Lord continued all night. Once the Lord started this prayer, He stayed with it until He got His message across and received His answer.

We may not always get an answer when we pray, but we must get our intentions to the Lord!

Jesus was about to choose men to carry the Gospel to all the world, and yet He had a reason for every choice He made.

We know that one of those men was Judas Iscariot, and though we may not know the exact reason he was chosen, we do know Christ had His reason.

By the time the sun had come out, the Lord Jesus Christ knew whom He would choose.

*Luk 6:13 And when it was day, he called unto him his disciples: and of them he chose twelve, whom also he named apostles;

There were many who were following the Lord Jesus everywhere He traveled, but He chose twelve men from those who were called disciples with the intent that they would be His apostles.

A disciple of Jesus Christ must:

1) Believes in His doctrine.
2) Rests on His sacrifice.
3) Keep the knowledge of His Spirit.
4) Follows His example.

Rest meaning: Mat 11:28 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
Mat 11:29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.
Mat 11:30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.
An Apostle of Jesus Christ:

1) They are commissioned to preach the Gospel.
2) They had the authority of the Master.
3) They aided in the ministry of Christ.
4) They followed His example.

These are the same things we, who are disciples, must do!

How were an Apostle chosen:

1) They were men who had been with Jesus.
2) They could testify to the Death, Burial, and Resurrection of Jesus Christ. Act 1:22 Beginning from the baptism of John, unto that same day that he was taken up from us, must one be ordained to be a witness with us of his resurrection.
3) They were given the keys to the Kingdom of God.
4) They were given supernatural gifts. Act 2:43 And fear came upon every soul: and many wonders and signs were done by the apostles.
5) They were called by the Lord Jesus Christ: Gal 1:1 Paul, an apostle, (not of men, neither by man, but by Jesus Christ, and God the Father, who raised him from the dead;)
6) They were given the inspired Word of God and would not depart from its truth: 1Th 2:13 For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe.

These Apostles were to have no successors. They were the only authoritative teachers of the Doctrines of Jesus Christ.
The office of the Apostle ceased when these men died.

We cannot be apostles, but we can be the messengers of Jesus Christ and the Gospel.

The Lord Jesus called Himself the Apostle sent from Heaven: Joh 17:3 And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.

That word “sent” is the Greek word “Apostello,” meaning sent on a mission.

The Apostle Paul also said the Lord Jesus was an Apostle: Heb 3:1 Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus;

The Lord Jesus Christ, our great Apostle, was sent from Heaven with the message of salvation.

So, the Lord chose His Apostles:

*Luk 6:14 Simon, (whom he also named Peter,) and Andrew his brother, James and John, Philip and Bartholomew,
Luk 6:15 Matthew and Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon called Zelotes,
Luk 6:16 And Judas the brother of James, and Judas Iscariot, which also was the traitor.

There should be no doubt that these twelve men were a diverse group.

Simon, whom the Lord had already named Cephas, which means a “mass of rock” and is translated as Peter, was chosen, as was his brother Andrew.

We could say that Andrew was more Greek than he was Israelite. He had also been a disciple of John the Baptist

James and John, along with Simon, were businessmen, and these three seemed to have a closer relationship with our Savior than the rest.

James and John were also called Boanerges, “sons of thunder”.

Some say this was because of their preaching, but in reality, the name came because of their temper.

Luk_9:54 And when his disciples James and John saw this, they said, Lord, wilt thou that we command fire to come down from heaven, and consume them, even as Elias did?

The enthusiasm of James serving the Lord was probably what got him selected as the first martyr.

Matthew may have been the wealthiest of them all, but he may have given even his wealth up to follow the Lord Jesus.

We know Thomas as doubting Thomas, and he may have been a twin.

James the Less was a son of the sister of Mary, also named Mary.

One was a political nationalist and an insurrectionist, Simon the Zealot.

The Zealots were pledged to overthrow the Roman government and to assassinate as many Roman officials and their Jewish cohorts as possible.

Philip was a native of Bethsaida and seems to have had a prominent place among the Apostles.

Bartholomew was also known as Nathanael and is always mentioned with Philip.

Not much is said about Bartholomew. The Lord Jesus did appear to him on the Sea of Tiberias after His resurrection, and he did witness the Ascension of the Lord.

The Lord Jesus said he was indeed an Israelite. Joh 1:47 Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him, and saith of him, Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile!

Guile means being crafty, so Bartholomew was a man who fulfilled the true idea of Israel. A man of God, and we could say a man who could get in touch with God through prayer.

Bartholomew would be one of those Israelites who stand at the wall today, praying.

Judas or Jude, the son of Alphaeus, who was also the son of Caphi, who was a Jewish general under Jonathan Maccabaeus.

He seems to be the brother of James the Less.

Then there is Judas Iscariot, the betrayer, also called the Son of Simon. Joh 13:26 Jesus answered, He it is, to whom I shall give a sop, when I have dipped it. And when he had dipped the sop, he gave it to Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon.
Joh 13:27 And after the sop Satan entered into him. Then said Jesus unto him, That thou doest, do quickly.

None of these men was famous or in any way tied to the government.

As this group comes together, we can see the power of Christ, who gives us all purpose and meaning to life.

We should understand that the Lord knew that Judas the traitor would betray Him, and this also was the providence of God.

1Co 1:27 But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty;
1Co 1:28 And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are:
1Co 1:29 That no flesh should glory in his presence.

Once these things were settled, the Lord Jesus had a sermon that needed preaching.

*Luk 6:20 And he lifted up his eyes on his disciples, and said, Blessed be ye poor: for yours is the kingdom of God.
Luk 6:21 Blessed are ye that hunger now: for ye shall be filled. Blessed are ye that weep now: for ye shall laugh.
Luk 6:22 Blessed are ye, when men shall hate you, and when they shall separate you from their company, and shall reproach you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of man’s sake.
Luk 6:23 Rejoice ye in that day, and leap for joy: for, behold, your reward is great in heaven: for in the like manner did their fathers unto the prophets.

Many Bible scholars call this passage the Sermon on the Plain to say it is different from the Sermon on the Mount, but we are going to see what the Lord says here.

The Lord Jesus had just chosen His twelve Apostles, knowing that one of them would betray Him, which is another lesson for the Church.

It shows that anyone can spend a lot of time with the Lord Jesus and appear to be saved when they never truly accept who Jesus is and why He came as a Shepherd and will return to be King of kings and Lord of lords.

Jesus is not only speaking to the crowd that had gathered, but He is also speaking to those chosen to be His Apostles.

This message, some call the beatitudes, explains clearly what it means to be a follower of Jesus Christ.

What is materialism? Materialism is the philosophy that considers the fundamental principle of all things and denies the independence and autonomy of the spirit.

Some say it is naturalism, but it is not.
It can be called sensualism, but this is an incomplete meaning.

Materialism is sensual enjoyment in its fullest sense and denies the existence of the spirit world.

We should understand that some parts of our being are non-material.

Gen 1:26 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.
Gen 1:27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.

What is the image of God?

The image of God in mankind cannot be material because God is Spirit.

Joh 4:24 God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.

God is spirit, and He does not have a body.

1) Personality is nonmaterial because each of us has self-consciousness and self-determination, which allows us to make choices. Animals do not have this trait.

Without this, we could not be redeemed!

Personality reveals our ability to exercise dominion over our created world and develop the earth.

Gen 1:28 And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.

Gen 2:15 And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it.

2) Our Spiritual being. God is Spirit, so the human soul is a spirit.

The attributes of a spirit are reason, conscience, and will. These are all non-material.

God has endowed each of us with those attributes that belong to His own nature as a Spirit.

This is why we can know God and the foundation of our belief in our Creator.

If we do not have the image of God, we cannot know Him, and we would be like the animals.

3) We have a moral nature.

Man was created in moral righteousness, also called knowledge and holiness, which was lost in the fall of Adam.

Eph 4:22 That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts;
Eph 4:23 And be renewed in the spirit of your mind;
Eph 4:24 And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.

Col 3:10 And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him:

We are not all material but are also spiritual.

This was Darwin’s error that has followed mankind through the last few centuries.

We did not evolve from animals!!!!!!!

The Lord Jesus begins His sermon, preaching to those who are poor in spirit.

There is nothing in this material world that can make us rich in spirit!!

We must seek our Creator, our God, and His Kingdom, knowing that He alone has the power to make us rich in spirit.

Mat_6:33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

Being poor in spirit is being full of self.

There is a lot of difference between having self-righteousness and having God’s righteousness.

Self-righteousness dies when the body dies.

The righteousness of Christ Jesus lives forever.

Jesus says all those who become rich in spirit will inherit the kingdom of God.

2Co 5:21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

Blessed are the hungry. Again, this is spiritual hunger and not physical hunger.

Being hungry is not a blessing; it is sad and tragic.

If we hunger after righteousness, hunger spiritually, it means we have a starving spirit that craves the righteousness of God.

Righteousness means to be right and to do right according to the Word of God.

Just being righteous is not enough; we must do righteousness!

Loose living is dangerous. People do whatever they desire, and they feel comfortable with their relationship with Christ, and they are wrong. They must be righteous and do righteousness to be secure.

Self-righteousness is the first step to legalism and being judgmental.

Jesus does not say Blessed are the righteous because no one is.

Rom 3:10 As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:
Rom 3:11 There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God.

Jesus says Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness.

Jesus continues Blessed are those who are sorrowful, those who weep and mourn.

The thought here is of a broken heart over wickedness, helpless against evil, desperate.

It’s the same brokenness we should feel when we see the Lord Jesus Christ on that cross.

We should be broken when we realize that we should have been on that cross rather than our innocent Savior.

We should be desperately sorry for our sin.
We should feel sorrowful for other sinners.
We should feel sorrowful when we experience personal tragedy or trauma.

When the Lord says He will wipe away all tears, it means we will laugh with the joy and comfort of our salvation and redemption.

Psa 16:11 Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.

We will pass from death to real life!
God will wipe away all our tears.

We should feel blessed when the world looks upon us as the disciples of Jesus Christ.

We will be hated without a cause.
Our names will be seen in slander.
We will be charged with false crimes and accusations.

We should rejoice and jump for joy because our rewards are in heaven and not on this earth.

We must remember that we are not of this world; our home is in Heaven!

Those who reject the Lord Jesus Christ and depend upon materialism will not have any of these blessings.

*Luk 6:24 But woe unto you that are rich! for ye have received your consolation.
Luk 6:25 Woe unto you that are full! for ye shall hunger. Woe unto you that laugh now! for ye shall mourn and weep.
Luk 6:26 Woe unto you, when all men shall speak well of you! for so did their fathers to the false prophets.

Judgment is coming to all those who depend upon materialism.

We already know that materialism cannot satisfy our God given spirit!

We can say that woe is equivalent to great grief.

I do not consider myself to be rich, but we could say that anyone who has something that they can put away or save after their needs are met are richer than our parents and grandparents were.

Mar 12:41 And Jesus sat over against the treasury, and beheld how the people cast money into the treasury: and many that were rich cast in much.
Mar 12:42 And there came a certain poor widow, and she threw in two mites, which make a farthing.
Mar 12:43 And he called unto him his disciples, and saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That this poor widow hath cast more in, than all they which have cast into the treasury:
Mar 12:44 For all they did cast in of their abundance; but she of her want did cast in all that she had, even all her living.

The wealthy are esteemed, honored, and envied.

Wealth brings power!

Those who are already wealthy usually work hard to gain more.

What does God say?

Eph 4:28 Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth.

What did the Lord tell the rich young ruler?

Mat 19:21 Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me.

Riches make most who have it selfish.

Riches attach us to this dying world.

Those who are full are those who are so full of themselves that they do not have room for God!

Those who choose to be full of what this world has to offer.

Rom 16:18 For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple.

They will leave everything they have accumulated behind when they pass on.
There are no desires that can be fulfilled after death.
There are no delights fulfilled in Hell that will last for eternity.
They shall hunger for righteousness, but it will be too late.

What did the Lord Jesus say?

Rev 3:17 Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:

Those who laugh now are those who laugh in their sin.

They have no sense of sin, no sorrow, and no regret over evil or suffering or wickedness.

They pay no attention to this dying world!

They will be alone in Hell to weep over their great losses.

Job 20:5 That the triumphing of the wicked is short, and the joy of the hypocrite but for a moment?
Job 20:6 Though his excellency mount up to the heavens, and his head reach unto the clouds;
Job 20:7 Yet he shall perish for ever like his own dung: they which have seen him shall say, Where is he?

Worldly people want attention, honor, and praise, but all these things do is fill them with pride that they cannot overcome.

We must also be aware of the so-called preachers that the world speaks well of.

The modern church would not allow Jesus Christ in the pulpit today.
The modern church has allowed the world into the church, and though they are rich, they are failing because they have rejected the Doctrine of Jesus Christ, who God has made Head of the true Church.

The sermon on the mount and the sermon on the plain would be rejected as false, and the false church will keep growing in sin and riches and end in Hell.

Amen

Jesus Called Disciples and More Healings

/ Bobby Mayfield / Leave a comment

Jesus Called Disciples and More Healings

Book of Luke Chapter 5

In the time of Jesus, every teacher had his own company of disciples.

Jewish Rabbis had theirs, Pharisees had theirs, John the Baptist had his, but the difference in the disciples of Jesus Christ was that He chose twelve men Himself.

This inner circle of men had to forsake their lives and follow the Lord Jesus wherever He went.

They also continued the ministry of Jesus after He returned to Heaven.

The most important thing was that they were trained to carry the ministry of Jesus forward after He was gone.

They changed from disciples to Apostles.

That word apostle has a similar meaning to ambassador.

We should realize that the Lord Jesus also appointed another seventy men and commissioned them.

Luk 10:1 After these things the Lord appointed other seventy also, and sent them two and two before his face into every city and place, whither he himself would come.
Luk 10:2 Therefore said he unto them, the harvest truly is great, but the labourers are few: pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he would send forth labourers into his harvest.
Luk 10:3 Go your ways: behold, I send you forth as lambs among wolves.

A disciple of Jesus Christ will submit to baptism, submit to the teachings of God’s Word, and obey all the Lord Jesus has commanded.

The Lord has told all His disciples that He will make us fishers of men: Mrk_1:17 And Jesus said unto them, Come ye after me, and I will make you to become fishers of men.

Jesus would have all mankind caught in the Gospel net!

*Luk 5:1 And it came to pass, that, as the people pressed upon him to hear the word of God, he stood by the lake of Gennesaret,

Lake Gennesaret is the same body of water known as the Sea of Galilee.

The call of men is needed more today because the world has more than eight billion people in it who need to hear the truth of the Gospel and make a decision for themselves.

We can see that these people wanted to hear what the Lord Jesus had to say.

They wanted to hear the Word of God!

They had a hunger and thirst for things that the Lord Jesus was saying.

Mat 5:6 Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.

We need that same hunger and thirst today for the truth.

*Luk 5:2 And saw two ships standing by the lake: but the fishermen were gone out of them and were washing their nets.
Luk 5:3 And he entered into one of the ships, which was Simon’s, and prayed him that he would thrust out a little from the land. And he sat down, and taught the people out of the ship.

Have you ever noticed how sound travels so well when you are on the lake?

I believe the Lord Jesus had a booming voice that could be heard from a great distance, but no man can talk over a large, disorderly crowd hanging all over him.

Simon Peter makes his fishing boat available to the Lord Jesus, so Simon participates in the work of the Lord.

Like a pastor preached recently, “What do we have in our hands to give unto the Word of the Lord”?

Do we make available our resources to the work of the Lord?

*Luk 5:4 Now when he had left speaking, he said unto Simon, Launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for a draught.
Luk 5:5 And Simon answering said unto him, Master, we have toiled all the night, and have taken nothing: nevertheless at thy word I will let down the net.

The work of the Lord is not all drudgery; the work of the Lord can be rewarding.

Now, this is not saying that Jesus teaches a prosperity Gospel, but God will reward those who are on the battlefield of the Lord, but it is rarely financial, other than meeting our needs.

Peter and those with him had fished all night and had taken nothing.

This is the outcome I have most of the time, but catching fish is not the main reason I go fishing.

Here again, the Lord Jesus had a reason for the miracle that He was about to perform.

The title Master comes from the Greek word meaning teacher.

Sometimes the same Greek word for teacher is used as the title doctor.

Peter was an experienced fisherman, and he knew if the fish did not bite in the night, they were not going to bite in the daytime, but the Lord Jesus wanted to start working on Peter’s faith.

The Lord also wanted Peter to accept Him as the Messiah who has control of all nature.

The lesson from the Lord Jesus was out with the old and in with the new.

A New Covenant was beginning, and it would have better results than the Old Covenant.

The lesson for us all is that we can place our faith in the infallible Word of God.

As we build on our Christian lives, doubt must be replaced with obedience.

There are no hopeless situations for the child of God.

The results of obedience will always be a blessing.

When we are drawn to God, we need to obey our hearts.

I can remember a few weeks before I came to this church, I was walking in my yard, and the Holy Spirit asked me why I was throwing my life away because of the way I was living.

I only knew the truth of that day when I came through the doors of this church.

Peter was having a similar feeling on this day with the Lord Jesus.

*Luk 5:6 And when they had this done, they inclosed a great multitude of fishes: and their net brake.
Luk 5:7 And they beckoned unto their partners, which were in the other ship, that they should come and help them. And they came, and filled both the ships, so that they began to sink.

The miracles of the Lord Jesus Christ showed that He could do things that only God could do.

There are many charlatans out in this world today, but none of them can do what only God can do. And we must not be fooled by them.
The Holy Spirit will not allow their lies to be true.

Those who claim the power to heal should go to the closest hospital and stop the suffering of those on the inside.

If Peter had only caught a few fish or even a net full of fish, he would have thought little about it.

The Lord Jesus wanted Peter to feel the willingness to serve the Lord.

If Peter thought he was exhausted, he was about to find out what true exhaustion was all about.

Peter’s net could not hold all the fish, and he called for another boat to come to help. Both boats had so many fish in them that they were in jeopardy of sinking, which the Lord would not have allowed because it would have defeated His purpose.

The Lord Jesus knew exactly how many fish it would take to sink those boats!

When we make decisions in this life, we must make those decisions according to the Word of God and our faith.

Peter’s faith began to rise.
Peter’s faith rested on the Words of Christ, “At Thy Word”. No one else could have talked Peter into letting down his nets he had just cleaned.
Peter’s faith led to obedience without questioning.

Many of us are disappointed at what this life offers, but we find that as we walk in step with Jesus Christ, we learn what blessings are all about.

Peter became overwhelmed because of his own sin of doubt.

*Luk 5:8 When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, Depart from me; for I am a sinful man, O Lord.
Luk 5:9 For he was astonished, and all that were with him, at the draught of the fishes which they had taken:

Peter understood exactly what had happened!

Peter was overwhelmed by his own unworthiness!

Peter understood that he had just witnessed a miracle.

The people on the shore are not mentioned, but they were there, many of them, because they had witnessed or heard of the many miracles of healing that the Lord Jesus had performed.

To Peter, the Lord Jesus was no longer Master but now Lord. We know Him as Lord of lords.

Peter came to the Lord Jesus upon his knees in confession of his sins.

1) Peter confessed to his sin of unbelief. He had questioned the Lord’s will. He had to acknowledge that the Lord’s power was not of this earth.

2) Peter confessed that Jesus was indeed Lord. In this verse, the Greek word “kurios” means supreme in authority.

1Co 12:3 Wherefore I give you to understand, that no man speaking by the Spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed: and that no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost.

Peter acknowledged that the Lord Jesus was the authority that must be obeyed, and we had better understand this also.

3) Peter confessed his fear and his reverence as Peter was in awe of the miracle that the Lord Jesus had just shown him.

This reminds us of the Prophet Isaiah: Isa 6:5 Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts.

Peter was close to salvation as we know it:

Rom 10:9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
Rom 10:10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

And others had witnessed this miracle.

*Luk 5:10 And so was also James, and John, the sons of Zebedee, which were partners with Simon. And Jesus said unto Simon, Fear not; from henceforth thou shalt catch men.
Luk 5:11 And when they had brought their ships to land, they forsook all, and followed him.

This passage tells us when these men realized that Jesus is Lord of all, and they were determined to follow Him.

This passage tells us something else.

We know that in typology, this fishing boat is in type the Church, and the Church cannot do anything without the Lord Jesus Christ being onboard.

Jesus Christ challenged these men to follow Him and become fishers of men.

It is the job of the Church to produce and train fishers of men with those who answer the call of Christ and are filled with the Holy Spirit.

To Peter, it was now obvious that the Lord Jesus was indeed the Messiah come from God, and he had what we all need.

A reverent fear of God and an actual fear of the Almighty God and the Lord Jesus, sensing this fear, said, “Fear not”.

The Lord Jesus had not come at this time for “judgment”. He will judge this world when He returns the second time.

So, we too can “Fear not”.

In actuality, the world has already been judged, and we are judged as sinners.

This is the reason the Lord Jesus came to earth the first time.

Rom 3:10 As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:

Rom 3:21 But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets;
Rom 3:22 Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference:
Rom 3:23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;

What do we know of our own calling?

Joh 15:16 Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.

There were two of the disciples of Christ who were named James.

Here we have James, the brother John was the son of Zebedee.

It is this James with his brother John and Peter who become the Lord’s inner circle.

This James is never mentioned apart from John.

This is the James that King Herod had killed with a sword.

There is another James, the son of Alphaeus, called James the Less, because he was shorter than James, the brother of John.

There are also two other men named James.

James, the half-brother of the Lord, who later became the pastor of the Church in Jerusalem.

It is this James who wrote the epistle of James.

Then there was James, the father of Judas Iscariot.

Those who are called of God will forsake all and follow the Lord.

Luk 9:23 And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.

*Luk 5:12 And it came to pass, when he was in a certain city, behold a man full of leprosy: who seeing Jesus fell on his face, and besought him, saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean.

There are some things we should see here.

Leprosy is a type of sin in the New Testament.

In the salvation plan of God, we must first acknowledge that we are sinners.

Then we must acknowledge the cleansing.

In reality, we are not healed from our sin; we are cleansed from our sin.

Only the Lord Jesus Christ can cleanse us of our sin.

We must be washed to become clean.

Rev_1:5 And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood,

Is the Lord Jesus also the Great Healer? He certainly is, and He can heal us from any ailment.

Mat_14:14 And Jesus went forth, and saw a great multitude, and was moved with compassion toward them, and he healed their sick.

He will do neither without a show of faith.

Luk_9:11 And the people, when they knew it, followed him: and he received them, and spake unto them of the kingdom of God, and healed them that had need of healing.

This leper, who came to Jesus, was sustained by his hope. He saw hope in the Lord Jesus Christ. He is our only hope in this world!

He called Jesus Lord because he knew that Jesus is Lord of lords.

1Co_12:3 Wherefore I give you to understand, that no man speaking by the Spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed: and that no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost.

We must realize just how dirty and defiled we are on the inside and on the outside before we can be cleansed of that defilement.

We must humble ourselves before the Lord, who only can cleanse us!

Leprosy was the most terrible of diseases in the day of Jesus and was greatly feared by the people, and we should see sin in the same way today.

It would cause disfigurement, and many times it was fatal; again, sin causes these same things.

It is no wonder that leprosy is a type of sin in Scripture.

The leper was considered unclean.
The leper was judged to be the walking dead.
The leper was an outcast and banished from society.
The leper was considered polluted and incurable.

Sin will cause these same things, but because of the mercy and grace of God, He looks deep into our hearts, and He knows there can be something special in each of us if we will only trust Him.

The leper had asked the Lord Jesus if He could be willing to help him, and the Lord said; ‘I will”.

*Luk 5:13 And he put forth his hand, and touched him, saying, I will: be thou clean. And immediately the leprosy departed from him.

We see that the Lord Jesus Christ is willing to help anyone if they show faith in His powers.

The Lord Jesus is always moved with compassion for those who are hurting in any manner.

This leper acknowledges that he is hopelessly lost and the only thing that can help him is God’s “Grace”.

Only “Grace” can heal a leper because only “Grace” can cleanse us of our sin!

So many have become desperate in our world today because this world cannot help them, and if it could, it refuses to help them.

The Lord Jesus reached out and touched this man when no one else would ever touch a leper for fear of getting the disease.

Every leper was considered untouchable!

The Highest of all God’s could go low enough to touch the unclean leper when no one else would.

The Lord Jesus Christ will reach out and touch all who are considered untouchable in our world if they trust Him.

The Lord Jesus is always willing to help those who have faith that He will help them.

How did Jesus heal this leper? It was that sword in His mouth. He just spoke the words “be thou clean,” and this man was cleansed.

We can all be cleansed by the Word of Jesus Christ.

What did the Lord Jesus do throughout the time He was upon this earth the first time?

Mat 9:35 And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people.
Mat 9:36 But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd.

For this, He was crucified!

*Luk 5:14 And he charged him to tell no man: but go, and shew thyself to the priest, and offer for thy cleansing, according as Moses commanded, for a testimony unto them.

What did this man need to do next?

This man needed to worship and offer thanks to God and learn to obey the Word of God before doing anything else.

Remember, this man did not have a place on his body that was not covered with leprosy.

In typology, he was deep in sin. He wanted to run and tell the world that he was now.

We must understand that the Lord Jesus had come to this earth as a lowly servant, and He did not want people to think more of Him than this.

Php 2:5 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:
Php 2:6 Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:
Php 2:7 But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:

Jesus Christ did not do the things He did for self-exaltation.

Jesus wrote all prophecy, and He knew some would try to make Him king, but it was not the time for this to take place.

It was highly unlikely that any lepers were healed in those days. A priest had to go through a detailed list of laws to ever confirm that any leper was cured.

This leper still needed a certificate from a priest saying he had been cleansed.

Book of Leviticus, Chapters 13, verses 38-59, and Chapter 14, verses 1 through 32 will give us some idea about the cure of leprosy.

*Luk 5:15 But so much the more went there a fame abroad of him: and great multitudes came together to hear, and to be healed by him of their infirmities.
Luk 5:16 And he withdrew himself into the wilderness, and prayed.

The fame of our Lord actually interfered with His ministry so much that Jesus had to withdraw to the wilderness and talk to His Heavenly Father.

This is another great example for us.

When the world interferes with our relationship with our Savior, we need to get alone with God and tell Him what we are going through.

Jesus had the message of salvation and the power to heal, but the message of salvation is much more important!

It was God and prayer that were the source of His power, and He needed much time alone with God, just as we all do.

*Luk 5:17 And it came to pass on a certain day, as he was teaching, that there were Pharisees and doctors of the law sitting by, which were come out of every town of Galilee, and Judaea, and Jerusalem: and the power of the Lord was present to heal them.

As the fame of the Lord Jesus grew, the old religionists came to investigate.

Above all, the Lord Jesus Christ was at this time Teacher, and it is His message that is of greater importance.

This committee had representatives from all over the country. Every major area was represented.

These people could not get along with each other, but they came together to critic the Lord Jesus.

These critics did not come to help Jesus in His ministry of salvation, and they certainly did not come to learn from Him.

They came to investigate and observe Him. They were like spectators at a ball game, except salvation is not a game. Salvation is a God thing, and God sent His Son to show us the only path to Salvation.

What did the Lord Jesus do? He just kept on doing what He was doing and paid them no attention.

Rom 14:4 Who art thou that judgest another man’s servant? to his own master he standeth or falleth. Yea, he shall be holden up: for God is able to make him stand.

We are not here to judge any minister who is serving in the name of our Savior.

We were never called to be judges but witnesses!

*Luk 5:27 And after these things he went forth, and saw a publican, named Levi, sitting at the receipt of custom: and he said unto him, Follow me.
Luk 5:28 And he left all, rose up, and followed him.
Luk 5:29 And Levi made him a great feast in his own house: and there was a great company of publicans and of others that sat down with them.

When the Lord Jesus Christ began building His disciples who stayed with Him, He chose those who were the outcasts of society.

This man called Levi is the same as Matthew, who wrote the Book of Matthew.

Levi was a dreaded tax collector.

The tax collectors of that day were normally Jews, and it was Rome who set up the tax standard, but most of the tax collectors were rich because they collected more than was required.

For this reason, they were hated because they worked for the Roman government.

To the Lord Jesus, Matthew was just a sinner like we are all sinners, and we should see other people as sinners just as we are sinners.

We may be better off than those who reject the Lord Jesus, because He has made a way for us to get to Heaven, but we are not better than anyone we meet, lost or saved.

In fact, Christian Pride can interfere with the job the Lord has given us to do.

We should have a testimony about what salvation has done for us, but the message we have is the message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

The Lord Jesus went forth, whether it was from a house or a city, because it was time for Him to be busy about His Father’s business.

What is the business of our Heavenly Father? 1Ti_2:4 Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.

By associating with a man such as Levi, Jesus was exposing Himself to ridicule and acceptance by the upper class of Jerusalem.

These outcasts were not acceptable to the social network of society, but Jesus loved them.

We must understand that we were all outcasts from Heaven until we accepted the truth of the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Just as the Lord Jesus humbled Himself before these outcasts of society, we have to humble ourselves before Him.

Everything that the Lord Jesus did was an example for us to learn as we are to be more like Him in all His ways.

Matthew made a great feast in his home, and there were many more of the tax collectors there because they were each other’s only friends.

Matthew’s heart was now filled with joy, and he wanted all his friends to learn of God’s Messiah.

Matthew forsook his riches and became a disciple of Jesus Christ.

The Lord Jesus wants us all to do the same thing today.

2Co 5:19 To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.
2Co 5:20 Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God.
2Co 5:21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

As always, the super religious crowd found faults in the way that the Lord Jesus worked His ministry, and these outcasts of society were not wanted in their religious circles.

They were not acceptable!

*Luk 5:30 But their scribes and Pharisees murmured against his disciples, saying, Why do ye eat and drink with publicans and sinners?
Luk 5:31 And Jesus answering said unto them, They that are whole need not a physician; but they that are sick.
Luk 5:32 I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.

The religious crowd saw Jesus Christ only as a person who associated with the rejected of society.

Today, this would be the drunks, those who consume drugs, those who have addictions to all sorts of illegal substances, those who are in jails, and anyone else who accepts the truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Jesus called us to witness His truths and not be like those who only judge people to see if they think they are acceptable.

If you did not keep the laws of the religious crowd on that day, you were ceremonially unclean and rejected.

Thank goodness we are not under the law, but under grace, God’s Amazing Grace.

The Lord Jesus said to this crowd that only those who realized they were sinners needed a Savior.

All those who are righteous in their own eyes do not need anything.

These are those who are sick, but they do not know it.

They will never call the doctor, so they can never be healed.

The Lord Jesus came to save sinners.

The Lord Jesus died to pay the sin debt of all sinners, even those who think they are not sinners.

The Lord Jesus gave His life for the life of all sinners!

The righteous crowd does not accept the fact that they need repentance!

They say they do not need saving.

Those who trust in some false god say they do not need saving.

Those who are rich think their money can buy them salvation, so they do not need saving.

Those who trust in the ways of the world say they do not need saving.

What does God teach us?

Joh 3:17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
Joh 3:18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

And God the Father adds: Psa_2:4 He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision.

Pro_6:15 Therefore shall his calamity come suddenly; suddenly shall he be broken without remedy.

Pro_1:26 I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your fear cometh;

Today is the day of salvation, don’t wait until it is too late to call upon the Lord!

Amen