Latest / Journey Elgin / Journey Through Scripture- Mt 9-11, Mk 6, John 5 & Lk 9
Transcript
- Phillip Thomas: It's good to see you today. My name is Philip Thomas, Pastor of Journey here in Ellegan, Texas, and we are continuing our journey through scripture. ⁓ we're in the Gospels. We're gonna going in the chronological order, which kind of makes it a little crazy going through the Gospels. A lot of skipping around, reading a few verses from this passage and this passage. So I know it can be challenging, but I hope that you are enjoying the the process that we are going going through. So today we're gonna be looking at ⁓ Matthew chapter. 9 through 11, but mainly chapter 10, the very end of chapter 9, first of Chapter 11, mainly chapter 10 of Matthew. Mark, just the first part of chapter 6. And next time we'll do the rest of Mark chapter 6. So if you read all of it, it's no big deal. ⁓ Luke chapter 9, and then all of John chapter 5. All right. So what ⁓ this starts off just a a few verses, just a reminder, this ⁓ in Matthew chapter thirteen, the very end of that, verses fifty three through fifty eight. ⁓ Jesus continues to be unwelcome at Nazareth, his hometown. ⁓ remember there was the the incident where they actually took him and were gonna throw him off the cliff. This appears to be a different incident ⁓ that he's going and he's preaching ⁓ and teaching and they just they can't get over the fact of who he is that he's hey, isn't this the little kid that we saw running in the streets, right? And ⁓ he says in verse fifty eight of Matthew chapter thirteen, now he did not do many mighty works there because of their unbelief. ⁓ Mark six, verses one through six, so the very beginning of Mark six ⁓ also talks about how a prophet has no honor in his own country. he could do no mighty works there except that he laid hands on a few sick people and healed them, and he marveled because of their unbelief. Then he went about the villages in a circuit teaching. So again, we saw last on Tuesday we talked about the woman who was ⁓ cured of her long term illness of bleeding, and the reason that she was cured, Jesus says, was because of your faith, because you believed. And now here he is amazed at their unbelief. So you kind of see the ⁓ the the dynamics there that is going on in in a Now we're getting into John, which John is all about the importance of believing in Jesus and who Jesus is. And so John chapter five, ⁓ encourage you to read all of that. This is the second time that Jesus ⁓ would be in Jerusalem ⁓ for one of the feasts. Again, we don't we don't know all the little details here. ⁓ you know the the again the gospels are not a ⁓ biography, a documentary of a timeline, right? They are a big a a bigger picture of who Jesus is, what his message was, what we need to learn from him. ⁓ but we can tell that Jesus went back and forth to Jerusalem ⁓ a few times and in John this appears to be the second time he goes and he goes to this pool of Bethsaida and ⁓ it is a healing pool and for people that could get into the pool ⁓ the they would be able to be healed. ⁓ there's a lot that goes into that kind of kind of interesting But ⁓ Jesus runs upon up up upon a paralyzed man who had been there for thirty eight years. ⁓ and especially in that culture there was the only thing you could do was beg ⁓ and ⁓ rely on people's pity ⁓ and that's what this guy had been dealing with for thirty eight years. He could never get into the pool. Sadly no one even helped him into the pool. Like you would have thought at some point someone would have said, you know, this guy's been here a while, why don't we let him go in. No, none of that. So he's just been completely cast aside ⁓ for thirty eight years until the Savior shows up. And and Jesus comes comes and he says, ⁓ do you want to be made well? The man answered, ⁓ I've I've basically obviously right but I've been here and I can never get down because someone always gets in the pool before me and Jesus tells him to rise, take up your bed and walk. And immediately the man was made well, took up his bed and walked. This is in again John chapter five, the very first part. ⁓ the now you would think this is not a big deal at all, except this was the Sabbath. And interestingly says the Jews therefore, and of course it's talking about the Jewish leaders, ⁓ said to him who is cured, It is the Sabbath, it is not lawful for you to carry your bed. Now We talk a lot about legalism and the danger of allowing, you know, kind of following the rules to get into the in the way of the spirit of following God. There was a reason to not work on the Sabbath. That was trying to honor God. God set set apart the Sabbath, said keep it holy. Well they had gone so far in their piousness and righteousness that rather than being amazed at this guy of thirty eight years was healed, their first response was, ⁓ you're not supposed to be carrying your bat. That's considered work, and you're not supposed to be doing that on the Sabbath. That shows spiritual bankruptcy. That you are you are spiritual, but you have lost what that spiritualness is about. Right? You you have become it has become a ritual religion, not a relationship with God. And and so the They they ask who made your who did this to you? He did not know who it was. ⁓ so he just you know couldn't really tell them exactly who had ⁓ made him well. And then afterward Jesus found him in the temple. This is this is interesting, this is important, and said to him, so Jesus finds the man that he has healed, he says, See, you have been made well. Sin no more lest a worse thing come upon you. Now you may be thinking, what could be worse than being 38 years of not being able to walk? Well, maybe Jesus understood something bigger spiritually and eternally. And what does he ask him to do? Not only does he, yes, he heals him physically, but he actually says, Sin no more, or it would be worse than what you've been through. Now, again, Jesus does this in a ⁓ a very loving and gracious manner. But one one thing you're gonna see, and especially as we continue on, and one thing that I I've ⁓ emphasized a few times is I believe that we have gotten into this trap of seeing, ⁓ the God of the Old Testament is this God of vengeance and ⁓ judgment and all this, and then here comes Jesus and he's so nice and he's sweet and he's loving and he just wants everyone to feel good about themselves. That is an oversimplica Simplification of unfortunately how many ⁓ Christians and churches kind of approach ⁓ the the world today. And I I think it's important as we read through this, yes, you see the graciousness and the love and the forgiveness and the and just the the beauty of how Jesus treats people, but he also recognizes the danger. of sin and what sin does and the consequences of sin, and he does tell people that. And so here he tells this guy, sin no more. ⁓ So then it it continues on and he is starts to have interaction with the Jewish ⁓ leaders. verse sixteen of John chapter five says for this reason the Jews persecuted Jesus, sought to kill him because he had done these things on the Sabbath, right? Again. Just r ridiculous. But Jesus then answered them, this really made them angry. My father, this verse seventeen, my father has been working until now, and I have been working. Therefore the Jews sought all the more to kill him, because he not only broke the Sabbath, but he also said that God was his father, making himself equal with God. So it is John is letting us know why the religious leaders ⁓ get to the point that they want to crucify Jesus, right? This is all building up to that. ⁓ you know, and and whether ⁓ everyone fully believed that Jesus was claiming to be God, ⁓ Jesus was very careful with that, right? He was being strategic, but the religious leaders were were picking up what he was saying and they were becoming very, very angry. ⁓ and then Jesus is is talking and he's talking to his ⁓ disciples ⁓ and in verse twenty four he says this This is very interesting. Most assuredly I say to you, he who hears my words and believes in him who sent me has everlasting life and has and shall not come into judgment, but is passed from death into life. Most assuredly I say to you, the hour is coming and now is when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live, for as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son to have life in himself. And is given authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of Man. It says the ⁓ verse ⁓ twenty eight, do not marvel at this, for the hour is coming in which all who are in the grace will hear his voice and come forth, those who have done good to the resurrection of life, those who have done evil to the resurrection of condemnation. I can of myself do nothing as I hear, I judge, and my judgment is righteous, because I do not seek my own will, but the will of the Father who sent me. ⁓ So again, that's a a pretty a pretty divisive statement that he is saying that I have come to judge. I I and the Father and one, right? ⁓ if you you you can't believe in one and not the other, and you need to believe in me. Just as you believe in the one who sent me. And that will lead to a a time of resurrection to the g to the the heaven or resurrection to condemnation. you know that and I I think it's very interesting. It says those who have done good to the resurrection, those who have done evil to condemnation. Our actions matter as well as who we believe in and who we put our trust in. ⁓ who do we ⁓ throw ourselves at the mercy of. Right. ⁓ and the answer is should be to the Messiah, to the Son of God. Continues on. He talks about kind of ⁓ the the witness of the how he is the Son of God. ⁓ John can get very theological. It's very, very interesting. I encourage you to kind of read through it. And then it he says in verse thirty seven, and the Father himself who sent me has testified of me. You have neither heard his voice at any time nor have seen his form, but you do not have his word abiding in you because whom he sent, him you do not believe. ⁓ you search the scriptures for them and you think you have eternal life, and these are they which testify of me, but you are not willing to come to me that you may have life. So again he's just equating the importance of coming to him, of believing in him. Then ⁓ we see in Matthew chapter ⁓ nine, ⁓ the that how Jesus goes about ⁓ healing and ⁓ teaching and he has compassion on people. This is the very end of chapter nine, verses thirty-five, ⁓ verse thirty six. But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion for them because they were weary and scattered like sheep having no shepherd. Then he said to the disciples, The harvest truly is plentiful. But the laborers are few, therefore pray that the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers ⁓ into his harvest. So then he prepares to send the twelve out, ⁓ and he splits them up into groups of two and they go to different cities. and he he warns them ⁓ that this could be tough. ⁓ he says, Go and and find the places that welcome you, and for the places that don't welcome you, he says, Shake off the dust from your feet. That's ⁓ Matthew chapter ten. ⁓ verse ⁓ verse fourteen. ⁓ and then he kind of goes into really talking about things to come. They are not going to be as persecuted on this trip, ⁓ but persecutions are going to come. And he says verse sixteen of Matthew chapter ten, Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as dove. But beware of men, for they will deliver you up to counsels and scourge you in their synagogues. You will be brought before governors and kings for my name's sake as testimony to them and to the Gentiles. But when they deliver you up, do not worry about what you should speak, for it will be given to you in that hour what you should speak, for it is not you who speaks, but the Spirit of the Father who speaks in you. So he is He is preparing them for what they eventually will experience. The just about all the disciples end up being martyrs. ⁓ they experience lots of persecution. ⁓ Jesus teaches ⁓ the about the fear of God, ⁓ verse twenty eight, and do not fear those who kill the body, but cannot kill the soul, but rather fear him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. it so it talks about the importance of con ⁓ confessing Christ before men. Thirty two, chapter ⁓ verse thirty two of again, this is Matthew chapter ten. Therefore, whoever confesses me before men, him I will also confess before my Father who is in heaven, but whoever denies be before men, him I will also deny before my Father in heaven. And then verse thirty-four is a very divisive saying from Jesus. Again, both things can be true. Jesus is one of grace and mercy and desires all to come to him, but he also brings division, and he knows that his message is. ⁓ is not going to be accepted by everyone. Verse thirty four. Do not think that I come to bring pre peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, a daughter against mother, a daughter in law against mother in law, man's enemies will be of his own household. He who loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and he who loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And he who does not take his cross and follow after me is not worthy of me. He who finds his life will lose it. And he who loses his life for my sake will find it. Jesus recognizes that this message will divide. And you know, we're we are entering into a time that is that is going to be more like this. ⁓ families will be divided over their belief in in Christ and and how you live that out ⁓ in this world. ⁓ it is extremely important to to understand that, to to know that there is a divisive ⁓ aspect ⁓ to striving to follow Christ. And we need to make sure we are doing that in a in the an appropriate way, ⁓ where we are not causing the division, but rather it's the it's those who are rejecting the message ⁓ that the the division this naturally happens as a result of that. ⁓ Then you ⁓ read in the r Mark chapter six, seven through thirteen talks about the sending out of the twelve, and Luke chapter nine, verses one through six is also sending out the twelve. Very short ⁓ there, but but that is seen in all the synoptic gospels of how Jesus sent the twelve out to go to different towns and told them told ⁓ just rely on on God and you will be able to to heal and to drive out demons. And can you imagine? what that would have been like for the disciples ⁓ and and what a a statement of their faith of that their faith is growing. Remember just before they'd been in a boat and didn't know if Jesus could save them from a storm. And but now they are exercising that faith by going to the cities around them and actually doing what Christ has called them to do. All right, so we'll stop there. ⁓ read Matthew chapter fourteen. The rest of Mark ⁓ chapter six, ⁓ all of Luke chapter nine and then John chapter six. So that's Matthew fourteen, Mark six, Luke nine, and John six. Alright, we'll see you on