King James Bible Study – [And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. – Mark 8:34]
Date: Thursday, October 10, 2024
Chapters: Matthew Chapter 9, Luke Chapter 7
Message: For The Glory of God
Hello My Friend,
God, did it again, He protected my house and all of us who were in it from the hurricane, we did not even lose power and that is amazing because we are usually the first to lose power even if a bird sneezed on the grid that my house is powered from. My brothers house on the other hand had significant damage, a tree fell on their house, water came in through some of the rooms, and they have no power, but everyone is okay. I find it incredible that the strong house that was boarded up and secure took a larger hit than my weak house that only had towels covering the windows. It is a reminder of what foundation we all need to be standing on so that no matter what storm we face and we are grounded on Christ.
[1 Corinthians 3:11-15 For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12 Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; 13 Every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is. 14 If any man’s work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. 15 If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.]
Life is so fragile, it can change just as fast as the vapor that it is. Sometimes we think that it is necessary to say these long extravagant prayers to our Father, but the truth is, He just wants us to talk to Him. In fact, sometimes saying nothing at all brings the best conversation with Him because that is when you feel the hand of Jesus touching you. As we continue in the reading of the Gospels, Matthew, gives his account of the four men who brought the crippled man to Jesus, but he leaves out how they lowered him down to Him.
[Matthew 9:2-8 And, behold, they brought to him a man sick of the palsy, lying on a bed: and Jesus seeing their faith said unto the sick of the palsy; Son, be of good cheer; thy sins be forgiven thee. 3 And, behold, certain of the scribes said within themselves, This man blasphemeth. 4 And Jesus knowing their thoughts said, Wherefore think ye evil in your hearts? 5 For whether is easier, to say, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Arise, and walk? 6 But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (then saith he to the sick of the palsy,) Arise, take up thy bed, and go unto thine house. 7 And he arose, and departed to his house. 8 But when the multitudes saw it, they marvelled, and glorified God, which had given such power unto men.]
[Son, be of good cheer; thy sins be forgiven thee.] Why did Jesus feel the need to say this? He was trying to give them the benefit of the doubt and show them that He was not some mere man, but God in the flesh. If they truly believed in the Scriptures then they would have known that Jesus is the very Messiah they had been waiting for. However, they failed to even bring that thought to their minds. Now, there were some there that were in awe over what they had saw, and while they did praise God, they kind of missed the mark. [they marvelled, and glorified God, which had given such power unto men.]
Seriously? Did they think that God would give some random person the ability to just speak and heal someone? Ones faith in Christ is only as strong as ones willingness to admit that they are a sinner, [1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.]
Matthew, goes on to give his testimony on how he met Jesus. What was perhaps the biggest shocker to the people of Jesus choosing Matthew to be one of His disciples was the fact that he was a tax collector.
[Matthew 9:9-13 And as Jesus passed forth from thence, he saw a man, named Matthew, sitting at the receipt of custom: and he saith unto him, Follow me. And he arose, and followed him. 10 And it came to pass, as Jesus sat at meat in the house, behold, many publicans and sinners came and sat down with him and his disciples. 11 And when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto his disciples, Why eateth your Master with publicans and sinners? 12 But when Jesus heard that, he said unto them, They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick. 13 But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.]
[Why eateth your Master with publicans and sinners?] Just in case they needed a reminder, there is none without sin, which is why Jesus responded the way He did. Anyone who is too proud to admit that they have sinned is actually committing sin because they are lying to themselves, [1 John 1:8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.]
To make matters worse, some of the disciples of John, the Baptist were there and started questioning Him, [Luke 7:19-23 And John calling unto him two of his disciples sent them to Jesus, saying, Art thou he that should come? or look we for another? 20 When the men were come unto him, they said, John Baptist hath sent us unto thee, saying, Art thou he that should come? or look we for another? 21 And in that same hour he cured many of their infirmities and plagues, and of evil spirits; and unto many that were blind he gave sight. 22 Then Jesus answering said unto them, Go your way, and tell John what things ye have seen and heard; how that the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, to the poor the gospel is preached. 23 And blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in me.]
[blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in me.] These men were so ashamed that they left and that was when Jesus started speaking to the crowd, [Luke 7:25-29 But what went ye out for to see? A man clothed in soft raiment? Behold, they which are gorgeously apparelled, and live delicately, are in kings’ courts. 26 But what went ye out for to see? A prophet? Yea, I say unto you, and much more than a prophet. 27 This is he, of whom it is written, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee. 28 For I say unto you, Among those that are born of women there is not a greater prophet than John the Baptist: but he that is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he. 29 And all the people that heard him, and the publicans, justified God, being baptized with the baptism of John.]
[justified God, being baptized with the baptism of John.] Remember, John, spoke the same message, so when his disciples questioned Jesus they were not the believers they appeared to be who followed John. Jesus, goes on to point that out, [Luke 7:31-34 And the Lord said, Whereunto then shall I liken the men of this generation? and to what are they like? 32 They are like unto children sitting in the marketplace, and calling one to another, and saying, We have piped unto you, and ye have not danced; we have mourned to you, and ye have not wept. 33 For John the Baptist came neither eating bread nor drinking wine; and ye say, He hath a devil. 34 The Son of man is come eating and drinking; and ye say, Behold a gluttonous man, and a winebibber, a friend of publicans and sinners!]
[We have piped unto you, and ye have not danced;] In other words, the Pharisees and lawyers, who rejected the counsel of God, and the baptism of John, were ignorant to the truth and jealous, expecting the people to dance to the music they were playing or rather the false religion and are now acting like children having a temper tantrum because people are learning of and accepting that He is the Christ. This is how all religious leaders get when people start learning the truth and they start losing money, [Hebrews 4:2 For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it.]
Things were getting too intense and it was obvious that they were too hardhearted to accept the truth, but one of the men had so much faith in Jesus that he believed that he could raise her daughter up from the dead. He begs for Jesus to come with him and tough his dead daughter, so Jesus got up and followed him.
[Matthew 9:18-21 While he spake these things unto them, behold, there came a certain ruler, and worshipped him, saying, My daughter is even now dead: but come and lay thy hand upon her, and she shall live. 19 And Jesus arose, and followed him, and so did his disciples. 20 And, behold, a woman, which was diseased with an issue of blood twelve years, came behind him, and touched the hem of his garment: 21 For she said within herself, If I may but touch his garment, I shall be whole.]
[came behind him, and touched the hem of his garment:] Now, people touched Jesus all day long, but this woman had so much faith in Him that if she could just touch His coat she knew she would be healed. Jesus, stops in His tracks, looks behind and sees the woman and acknowledges her.
[Matthew 9:22-25 But Jesus turned him about, and when he saw her, he said, Daughter, be of good comfort; thy faith hath made thee whole. And the woman was made whole from that hour. 23 And when Jesus came into the ruler’s house, and saw the minstrels and the people making a noise, 24 He said unto them, Give place: for the maid is not dead, but sleepeth. And they laughed him to scorn. 25 But when the people were put forth, he went in, and took her by the hand, and the maid arose.]
[Daughter, be of good comfort;] I can relate to this woman, Jesus, did not think about her past, all the years that she had used every means to be healed from her pain to no avail, but God. He finally saw her faith and that was when she was healed. Jesus, will always respond to our faith, sometimes it may not be in the way that we would like, but that is what grace is for, [1 Peter 5:10 But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you.]
[saw the minstrels and the people making a noise,] Here were these people mourning the death of this young lady when Jesus shows up and tells them that she is not dead. Of course, they not only laughed at Him, but mocked Him. Jesus, could have just brought her back to life in front of them, but Jesus, does not need to prove Himself to anyone, but the ruler’s faith was enough for Him to perform this incredible miracle. And speaking of faith, as soon as He left the house He was approached by two blind men.
[Matthew 9:27-30,32-33 And when Jesus departed thence, two blind men followed him, crying, and saying, Thou Son of David, have mercy on us. 28 And when he was come into the house, the blind men came to him: and Jesus saith unto them, Believe ye that I am able to do this? They said unto him, Yea, Lord. 29 Then touched he their eyes, saying, According to your faith be it unto you. 30 And their eyes were opened; and Jesus straitly charged them, saying, See that no man know it. 32 As they went out, behold, they brought to him a dumb man possessed with a devil. 33 And when the devil was cast out, the dumb spake: and the multitudes marvelled, saying, It was never so seen in Israel.]
[According to your faith be it unto you.] Do you see how faith plays a key factor in how Jesus responds to us? I am not going to say that my brother and everyone in his house did not have faith in God keeping them safe from the storm, but it does play a part in how God responds to them. No one got hurt and the damage could have been much worse so do we praise God for what He has done or question Him for what He did not do or what we expected Him to do? [James 1:2-4 My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; 3 Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. 4 But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.]
Matthew, also records how Jesus visited not only the great and wealthy cities, but the poor and needy villages as well, and He preached the same Gospel message to all. The souls of the poorest in the world are just as precious to Christ as the souls of the wealthiest, therefore Christ had compassion on all of them.
[Matthew 9:35-38 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. 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. 37 Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few; 38 Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest.]
[he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted,] These people were lost, scattered all over the world, just like sheep who have gone astray with no way to know what would come of them. You see, when we come to God we must come to Him by faith, and there are many ways that God uses to get us increase that faith. Sometimes He does use death, sometimes a miracle, sometimes a tragedy. Why? People do respond differently to Christ, [2 Corinthians 4:15-16 For all things are for your sakes, that the abundant grace might through the thanksgiving of many redound to the glory of God. 16 For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day.]
The wicked do not want to believe that life does go beyond death because quite honestly, no one wants to end up in hell. So, if they talk themselves into believing that it does not apply to them, then they think that they are some how off the hook. Now, Luke, tells us of the faith of the nobleman who sent for Jesus to cure one of his servants.
[Luke 7:1-3,6-7,9 Now when he had ended all his sayings in the audience of the people, he entered into Capernaum. 2 And a certain centurion’s servant, who was dear unto him, was sick, and ready to die. 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. 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: 7 Wherefore neither thought I myself worthy to come unto thee: but say in a word, and my servant shall be healed. 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.]
[but say in a word, and my servant shall be healed.] Here are these men telling Jesus that He needs to heal this man because of all the good that he has done when the centurion himself sends word to Jesus not to come because he is not worthy for Him to even be standing in his doorway. That is when Jesus saw the faith that He had not seen in the children of Israel. Did you notice something that Luke points out as he gives his testimony of what he saw when he walked with Jesus? [Lord, trouble not thyself:] Luke, refers to Jesus as the Lord. He does it again when he tells the story of a widow who had just lost her son and they were taking him to be buried.
[Luke 7:11-16 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. 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 much people of the city was with her. 13 And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her, and said unto her, Weep not. 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. 15 And he that was dead sat up, and began to speak. And he delivered him to his mother. 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.]
[And he came and touched the bier:] [Bier; A carriage or frame of wood for conveying dead human bodies to the grave.] I find it interesting that Jesus only touched the carriage, He just spoke to the man, and he sat right up. When Jesus speaks to you, let me tell you, His voice is like no other, strong and powerful, and truly like a two edged sword. You do not need the Bible for Him to speak to you, but when you do get in His Word and it speaks to you, it speaks loud and clear, [Hebrews 4:12-13 For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. 13 Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do.]
Now, to prove that it is the ones who know they are not worthy for Jesus to come to them that get saved, Jesus accepted an invitation to one of the Pharisees house for dinner. As they are sitting there a woman, will known by these people went up to him, and it was not what she did that caused a great stir, it was what Jesus did.
[Luke 7:36-39 And one of the Pharisees desired him that he would eat with him. And he went into the Pharisee’s house, and sat down to meat. 37 And, behold, a woman in the city, which was a sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat at meat in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster box of ointment, 38 And stood at his feet behind him weeping, and began to wash his feet with tears, and did wipe them with the hairs of her head, and kissed his feet, and anointed them with the ointment. 39 Now when the Pharisee which had bidden him saw it, he spake within himself, saying, This man, if he were a prophet, would have known who and what manner of woman this is that toucheth him: for she is a sinner.]
[if he were a prophet, would have known who and what manner of woman] This woman was a prostitute, it is interesting that this man who thought himself without sin would even let her in his house. I imagine that there were several people around who just showed up. Well, Jesus, once again, puts them in their place, although it actually made them even more angry.
[Luke 7:41-44,47-48 There was a certain creditor which had two debtors: the one owed five hundred pence, and the other fifty. 42 And when they had nothing to pay, he frankly forgave them both. Tell me therefore, which of them will love him most? 43 Simon answered and said, I suppose that he, to whom he forgave most. And he said unto him, Thou hast rightly judged. 44 And he turned to the woman, and said unto Simon, Seest thou this woman? I entered into thine house, thou gavest me no water for my feet: but she hath washed my feet with tears, and wiped them with the hairs of her head. 47-48 Wherefore I say unto thee, Her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she loved much: but to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little. 48 And he said unto her, Thy sins are forgiven.]
[Her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she loved much:] The least worthy person, the most wretched worst sinner of all who receives Christ as their Saviour is greater in the Kingdom of God than the most righteous person on earth. Why? Because the are the ones who received Christ and were saved, [Romans 3:23-24 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; 24 Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:] Praise God!
Jesus Christ Revealed/Magnified: [Matthew 9:12-13 But when Jesus heard that, he said unto them, They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick. 13 But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.]
Today’s Prayer: Jesus, You know my heart, my thoughts, and even my actions before I do them. I know that I am who I am today because of my faith in You. I am definitely not the same person I was before You came into my life, and You are not done with me yet, I know You are doing a great work in me through these manifold temptations. Lord, lead me and guide me, give me the strength that only You can give me to not only live by faith, but walk in it every single day. Let me be a witness and a testimony for those who are searching for You in a time when they need You. Give me Your mercy, grace, and strength to suffice my infirmities and bring glory to You. I ask these things in Your name, Jesus. Amen.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
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