Latest / Dwelling Place: The Bible for Moms / #199. Jesus Has Authority Over It All: Finding Peace in Matthew 8, Mark 2, & John 5

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#199. Jesus Has Authority Over It All: Finding Peace in Matthew 8, Mark 2, & John 5 · Dwelling Place: The Bible for Moms

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  This is The Dwelling Place from Entrusted Ministries.
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  I'm Stephanie Hickox.
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  Today in reading Matthew 8, Mark 2, and John 5, we'll observe the difference that great friends can make in your life.
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  then Jesus displays that He longs to bring liberty to those that follow Him finally, Jesus has a courtroom discourse where he calls five witnesses to the stand who all back him and his authority to do the works he's
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  been doing As we observe over and over that Jesus has victory Over every realm?
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  believe it can bring a deeply rooted peace to us that we realize we don't need to be anxious about anything because He is Lord over all In Matthew 8, after Jesus cleanses a leper, a Roman centurion comes to
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  him.
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  The title centurion indicates he was in charge of 100 men.
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  He understands how authority works His servant is sick, and he asks Jesus for help.
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  in verse eight, he tells Jesus, Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof, but only say the word and my servant will be healed."
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  The Jewish tradition at that time said that if a Jewish person entered a Gentile's house, they would become unclean.
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  The Roman centurion understands this and doesn't want Jesus to take that risk So in faith, he declares, I know you can heal him from here."
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  Jesus marvels at his faith Finally, there's someone who gets it.
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  Jesus says, "I haven't even found this kind of faith among the Israelites."
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  And Jesus heals his servant from afar.
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  Later on in Matthew 8 Someone expresses a desire to follow Jesus but says, "Lord, first let me go and bury my father."
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  I've always kind of misunderstood Jesus' response because He says, Follow me and leave the dead to bury their own dead."
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  It sounds a little bit extreme, but I found this explanation really enlightening from the MacArthur commentary.
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  He says this doesn't mean that the man's father was already dead.
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  This was actually a common figure of speech.
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  The man was saying, Let me wait until I receive my inheritance."
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  so his analysis might have been, Hey, following you looks like a kind of risky endeavor.
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  I think I'd prefer to have the security blanket of my inheritance before I embark on this."
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  but Jesus knows his time on this earth is short, and he says, "The time is now.
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  Don't wait."
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  After all of the healing and ministering to people that Jesus has been doing, he's apparently exhausted because While in a boat, an intense storm occurs the disciples are afraid they're dying, but Jesus is fast asleep This probably indicates
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  two things about Jesus.
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  First, he has complete peace over God's protection over him, and secondly, that he probably is just absolutely spent, from the long hours of ministry, and not even the tumultuous winds and storm are waking him This sea is about
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  700 feet below sea level, And then there are high mountain peaks around.
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  So there's a wind trench there that creates pretty severe storms.
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  When the disciples wake Jesus up, he rebukes the wind and the sea, and there's a great calm.
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  And I've always loved their acknowledgment.
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  What sort of man is this that even winds and sea obey Him?
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  Jesus has been revealing his authority over sickness, over the spiritual realm, over nature, And layer by layer, they're realizing how extensive Jesus' authority is and when you and I are convinced of that same reality, it can completely transform
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  our cares and our worries Now let's turn to Mark 2.
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  Jesus is back in Capernaum, and when the people find out, they are crowding in and around the house He's staying at.
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  Many people believe that this was Peter's house that He lived at while in Capernaum, and archeologists believe that they have uncovered the exact location of Peter's home I find this particularly interesting because Peter was the one dictating these
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  events to Mark as he wrote his gospel, he would've shared this story of four friends cutting through the roof to bring this paralytic to Jesus.
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  And if it was Peter's home, in fact, I love that he doesn't even make a side note about how destructive these friends were being to his house Jesus recognizes the faith of these four incredible friends that would go
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  to such lengths to bring their paralyzed friends to Him Their efforts expressed that they believed that Jesus was able to heal.
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  But once again, Jesus does the unexpected.
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  Upon seeing the paralytic, he says, Son, your sins are forgiven."
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  The scribes in attendance are shocked, but they don't verbalize it yet.
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  And Jesus is able to understand their objection.
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  In verse eight, he says to them, Why do you question these things in your hearts?
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  Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, 'Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, 'Rise, take up your bed and walk?'
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  But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on Earth to forgive sins."
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  He said to the paralytic, I say to you, pick up your bed and go home."
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  And he rose and immediately picked up his bed and went out before them all, so that they were all amazed and glorified God, saying, We never saw anything like this."
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  Jesus is not shying away from controversy.
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  Over and over, he is declaring who he is And as he comes to fulfill the messianic prophecies about him, The religious leaders of the day Are not on board With his unorthodox methods Next, we're given a more detailed
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  account Of Jesus calling Matthew, who's also known as Levi here.
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  Matthew immediately leaves his tax collector booth and then throws Jesus a dinner party with his tax collector friends and sinners.
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  The Pharisees are shocked that Jesus would eat with this type of people, and Jesus' response is, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick.
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  I came not to call the righteous, but sinners."
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  What these Pharisees don't understand is that we're all sick and in need of the Great Physician.
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  But we must humble ourselves in order to recognize it and receive what Jesus has to offer Then he gets called out for having a little bit of grain on the Sabbath.
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  As Jesus points, to David doing a similar thing in the Old Testament, he once again points to the freedom that we have in God, that it's not just about the rules it's about God's heart.
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  God did give many rules to follow in the Torah, but the Pharisees had added to so many of them Initially, it may have felt that they were honoring God's laws, but eventually it turned into legalism So Jesus clarifies,
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  the Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.
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  Sabbath was created to be a blessing and to remind us of God's rest in creation.
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  It's supposed to renew us for the rest of the week, not create a checklist of dos and don'ts And that's so convicting for me because I've often felt discouraged that I can't follow the Sabbath To the extent that
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  I want as a mom, and I've prayed quite a bit about it actually.
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  I remember a time my kids were really young, and my husband was exhausted due to his MS, and I was discouraged that there was no way I could ever get a break.
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  I prayed about how I could possibly honor the Lord on the Sabbath, and He put two words on my mind: paper plates.
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  At that time, I felt He was saying, This is just one tweak you can make."
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  to make things a little bit simpler one day a week.
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  And every time I pull out those paper plates, I think about God's heart to bring joy and refreshment.
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  Instead of being legalistic about what I can and can't accomplish on a day, I try to do things that bring me joy because I know God's heart is a liberty for His people We'll continue to talk about the
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  Sabbath Because it's one of those issues Jesus addresses head on because the Pharisees had it so wrong.
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  We see that more in the next account about the paralytic man.
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  In John 5, we already read about a paralytic man that had four incredible friends that would do whatever it took to get him to the healing he needed from Jesus.
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  But this next man is desolate and doesn't have anyone to help him.
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  he's been an invalid for 38 years And he's been lying by a pool waiting for healing.
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  He has no one to help him get in the water If you're like me, you probably didn't notice this because those tiny little numbers that indicate the verse in your Bible are so small.
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  But chapter five goes from verse three to verse five.
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  Because the original earliest manuscripts do not include this, we think that maybe a scribe added this side note in later.
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  But some translations still include it.
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  It says, "For an angel of the Lord went down at certain seasons into the pool and stirred the water.
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  Whoever stepped in first after the stirring of the water was healed of whatever disease he had."
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  Now it's more likely that this was fed by an intermittent spring and we do have a record of it becoming red with miracles.
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  It's possible that these minerals had medicinal value.
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  So the people would wait for this bubbling up, the movement of the water, and then try as hard as they could to be the first one in there But this man has no one to help him in And
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  Jesus asks him a curious question, Do you want to be healed?"
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  the sick man explains he has no one to help him And that while he tries to get into the water, someone always goes before him.
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  I think this is so sad That the surrounding people could understand that he's been in this situation for nearly four decades, and in that time, not one person could sacrifice, not one person wanted to help him get potential
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  healing Well, you know what?
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  Jesus doesn't need those waters.
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  And He sees this man even though he doesn't have friends to help him.
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  Jesus said to him, Get up, take up your bed and walk."
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  And at once the man was healed, and he took up his bed and walked.
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  this may not seem a problem to us, but the Pharisees had added a rule that you are not allowed to carry your bed on the Sabbath.
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  instead of saying, Congratulations," they say, "Why are you carrying your bed on the Sabbath?"
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  And this leads to a huge confrontation with Jesus but we're also given an interesting insight.
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  scripture is very clear that sickness is not always the result of sin or disobedience.
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  Sometimes it's to bring glory to God.
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  But it's possible that this man's condition was due to sin, Because when Jesus sees him later, he says, See, you are well.
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  Sin no more, that nothing worse may happen to you."
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  When the Jews find Jesus and begin to question him, Why would you do this on the Sabbath?"
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  His response is, My Father is working until now, and I am working."
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  It's because he claimed to be equal with God that they begin a plot to kill him But this confrontation provides exactly the moment that Jesus needs to issue an incredible courtroom discourse in which he basically says, You know
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  how Jewish law requires you to have two witnesses?
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  I have five that I'm equal with the Father."
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  this is gonna be our main reading so we can understand The authority and deity of Jesus we'll start in five eighteen This was why the Jews were seeking all the more to kill him, because not only was he
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  breaking the Sabbath, but he was calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God.
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  So Jesus said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing.
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  For whatever the Father does, that the Son does likewise.
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  For the Father loves the Son, and shows him all that he himself is doing.
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  and greater works than these will he show him, so that you may marvel.
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  For as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so also the Son gives life to whom he will."
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  For the Father judges no one but has given all judgment to the Son, that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father.
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  Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him.
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  Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes Him who sent me has eternal life.
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  He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.
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  Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming and is now here when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live.
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  For as the Father has life in Himself, so He has granted the Son also to have life in Himself And he has given him authority to execute judgment because he is the Son of Man.
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  Do not marvel at this, for an hour is coming when all who are in tombs will hear his voice and come out, those who have done good to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil to
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  the resurrection of judgment.
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  I can do nothing on my own.
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  As I hear, I judge, and my judgment is just.
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  Because I seek not my own will, but the will of him who sent me.
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  If I alone bear witness about myself, my testimony is not true.
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  There is another who bears witness about me, and I know that the testimony that he bears about me is true.
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  You sent to John, and he has borne witness to the truth.
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  Not that the testimony that I receive is from man, but I say these things so that you may be saved.
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  He was a burning and shining lamp And you were willing to rejoice for a while in his light.
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  But the testimony that I have is greater than that of John, for the works that the Father has given me to accomplish, the very works that I am doing, bear witness about me that the Father has sent me,
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  and the Father who sent me has himself borne witness about me.
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  His voice you have never heard, his form you have never seen, and you do not have his word abiding in you, for you do not believe the one whom he has sent.
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  You search the Scriptures because you think in them you have eternal life, and it is they that bear witness about me.
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  Yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life.
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  I do not receive glory from people, but I know that you do not have the love of God within you.
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  I have come in my Father's name, and you do not receive me.
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  If another comes in his own name, you will receive him.
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  How can you believe when you receive glory from one another and do not seek the glory that comes from the only God?
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  Do not think that I will accuse you to the Father.
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  There is one who accuses you, Moses, on whom you have set your hope.
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  For if you believed Moses, you would believe me, for he wrote of me.
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  But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe my words?
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  Jesus points to five witnesses that prove He is who He says He is: John the Baptist, His works themselves, the Father, the scriptures and then the fifth one is a mic drop moment.
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  I heard this really cool explanation.
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  It's kind of like in a courtroom Where the prosecution has their favorite witness, and the defense is arguing their case, and they're just thinking, "Wait till we bring our guy to the stand so they're thinking, "Moses is our
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  guy.
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  His writings are what we hold to."
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  but then Jesus says, Actually, Moses testifies on behalf of me.
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  You have no case."
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  Basically, Jesus says that the family resemblance is solid.
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  The Son looks like the Father, and He does what the Father does.
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  Jesus heals people and loves them well, and He shows God's heart behind the rules.
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  Instead of what the Pharisees are doing, they keep adding onto God's laws, trying to prove their righteousness and completely missing God's heart and love Jesus is looking for people who will humble themselves and acknowledge their need for Him
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  and recognize the authority that He has over every realm.
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  He has systematically proved His deity.
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  And when we read about this We can realize we don't need to fear about any circumstance in our lives when we understand the power and the goodness of our Lord and Savior, we can move forward in perfect trust
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  for our lives and for our families Heavenly Father, we praise you for sending your Son that so perfectly displayed your image Through his humanity and example, we better understand your heart to heal, to rescue, and to set free.
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  We pray you would help us to understand the liberty and freedom that you long to bring us I pray you'd reveal to the moms listening how they can have rest and refreshment in their lives As you created patterns
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  of rest for your people, reveal to us how we can be faithful in serving our families, but still trust you for opportunities of renewal as well and ultimately we know That peace can come from a deeply rooted trust
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  in your goodness and your power.
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  so I pray over any moms that are particularly struggling with anxiety, that as they study your authority over all things, that it would transform the way that they think about their daily lives Jesus, we praise you for your
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  courage.
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  You fought the right battles, and you did it because you love us.
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  We rejoice in the peace and rescue you purchased for us.
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  It's in your name we pray, amen