Talk of JESUS . com

Tag: Matthew

  • My Blessing

    My Blessing

    The Choice of Life or Death

    Deuteronomy 30:11 “For this commandment which I command you today is not too mysterious for you, nor is it far off.

    Psalm 34:18

    The LORD is near to the brokenhearted
    and saves the crushed in spirit.

    A woman has put off her dreaded appointment – the one with the cancer doctor.

    Finally after some urging she makes the call and goes into the hospital for those tests. Now all there is to do is wait for the results – the call from the doctor.

    A hopeful call the same afternoon is unsuccessful. No word. We must wait until tomorrow.

    Morning. No call. (How could these medical people be so unfeeling for one waiting for an answer that seems like a choice of life or death? How can they take so long?)

    Finally late in the afternoon the doctor calls.

    Conversation. Sounds good. (He asks her some questions about what she eats.) NO cancer.

    What a blessing had been given to her just six years ago in answer to her prayer.

    She did have cancer, then. She had treatments and love and patience for the patient. She had the answer of blessing to her prayer. The Lord healed her brokenness. The Lord healed her cancer. The Lord blessed her.

    Now… after receiving the freeing news once more, the Lord has once more kept her from cancer.

    It is the Lord who has kept her, though she did not witness His power and love.. though she never mentioned her Great Healer… though she rejected His blessing.

     

    Deuteronomy 30 

    New King James Version (NKJV) excerpt

    The Blessing of Returning to God

    “Now it shall come to pass, when all these things come upon you, the blessing and the curse which I have set before you…

    and you return to the Lord your God and obey His voice, according to all that I command you today…

    6 And the Lord your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your descendants, to love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, that you may live.

    For the Lord will again rejoice over you for good as He rejoiced over your fathers, 10 if you obey the voice of the Lord your God, to keep His commandments and His statutes which are written in this Book of the Law, and if you turn to the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul.

     Mark 1:

    32 That evening at sundown they brought to him all who were sick or oppressed by demons. 33 And the whole city was gathered together at the door.

    34 And he healed many who were sick with various diseases, and cast out many demons. And he would not permit the demons to speak, because they knew him.

    35 And rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he departed and went out to a desolate place, and there he prayed.

    Jesus likely thanked our Heavenly Father for healing these who were sick and for His casting out the demons from their tormented souls.

    Do you pray?

    What is your prayer?

    Do you ask for blessing and not curse? Do you ask for casting out of your demons or do you rely on those who have brought curse into your house? Are you friend of the world? OR Do you really pray to God for the blessing and healing and grace to free you from your cancer of sin?

    And what, therefore, do you do when the Lord answers your prayer?

     

    Matthew 12

    For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. 35 The good person out of his good treasure brings forth good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure brings forth evil. 36 I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak, 37 for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”

    Return of an Unclean Spirit

    43 “When the unclean spirit has gone out of a person, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, but finds none. 44 Then it says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ And when it comes, it finds the house empty, swept, and put in order. 45 Then it goes and brings with it seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they enter and dwell there, and the last state of that person is worse than the first. So also will it be with this evil generation.”

    Luke 17

    English Standard Version (ESV)

    Temptations to Sin

    And he said to his disciples, “Temptations to sin are sure to come, but woe to the one through whom they come! 2 It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck and he were cast into the sea than that he should cause one of these little ones to sin. 3 Pay attention to yourselves! If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him, 4 and if he sins against you seven times in the day, and turns to you seven times, saying, ‘I repent,’ you must forgive him.”

    Jesus Cleanses Ten Lepers

    11 On the way to Jerusalem he was passing along between Samaria and Galilee. 12 And as he entered a village, he was met by ten lepers, who stood at a distance 13 and lifted up their voices, saying, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.” 14 When he saw them he said to them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went they were cleansed. 15 Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice; 16 and he fell on his face at Jesus’ feet, giving him thanks. Now he was a Samaritan. 17 Then Jesus answered, “Were not ten cleansed? Where are the nine?

    18 Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?” 19 And he said to him, “Rise and go your way; your faith has made you well.”

    I was once a blessing to one with cancer. The Lord sent me.

    Then the Lord also sent cancer to me. (Surely it was a curse.)

    But then the doctors removed my tumor. For this I thank the Lord for healing.

    Thank you, Lord. (It is small offering for the great blessing from your love and mercy, the blessing of your healing grace.)

    I am witness to Christ Jesus and praise Him for His great mercy.

    Yet what of my Blessing? (For I am greatly grieved.) We do love her.

  • Meeting Together

    Meeting Together

    one white sheep
    We know you are NOT like us, but welcome back to our church. We missed you.

    Hebrews 10: 

    25 And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near.

    26 Dear friends,

    if we deliberately continue sinning after we have received knowledge of the truth, there is no longer any sacrifice that will cover these sins.

    27 There is only the terrible expectation of God’s judgment and the raging fire that will consume his enemies.

     John 10:14,27 

    “I am the good shepherd; I know my own sheep, and they know me …

    My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.

     James 5: 

    The Prayer of Faith

    13 Is anyone among you suffering?

    Let him pray.

    Is anyone cheerful?

    Let him sing praise.

    14 Is anyone among you sick?

    Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven.

    16 Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.

    The-Sacrificial-Lamb-Josefa-de-Ayala-ca-167019 My brothers,

    if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone brings him back,

    20 let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.

     Luke 15:

    4 “If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them gets lost, what will he do?

    lost sheep on shouldersWon’t he leave the ninety-nine others in the wilderness and go to search for the one that is lost until he finds it? 5 And when he has found it, he will joyfully carry it home on his shoulders.6 When he arrives, he will call together his friends and neighbors, saying, ‘Rejoice with me because I have found my lost sheep.’

    7 In the same way, there is more joy in heaven over one lost sinner who repents and returns to God than over ninety-nine others who are righteous and haven’t strayed away!

    Could you hear the Voice of our Good Shepherd?

    Would you come back to His church, dearly beloved?

    Matthew 18:20 For where two or three gather together as my followers, I am there among them.”

  • The Pervasiveness of Sin

    The Pervasiveness of Sin

    If you perceive the pervasiveness of sin,

    you will pour forth great gratitude for God’s grace

    and the cross of Christ.

    Revelation 18:  For your merchants were the greatest in the world,
    and you deceived the nations with your sorceries.
    24 In your streets flowed the blood of the prophets and of God’s holy people
    and the blood of people slaughtered all over the world.”

    … all the nations were deceived by your sorcery.

    So warns Christ’s Revelation to John of Babylon, a home for demons – the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit. Even Ezekiel had warned Jerusalem of these same evils (perhaps appropriate warning to a 21st c. church).

    3 For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies.

    Disclaimer & Caution

    Researching the Revelation of Jesus Christ to John reconfirms a need for a note of caution to the reader.

    MUCH false teaching, speculative interpretation and agenda-driven preaching will easily mislead and confuse most believers, except believers well-versed scripturally in apologetics. Perhaps one of the greatest dangers is to accept an interpretation of just one man on the many important symbols John presents in Revelation – especially in the following chapters.

    The following is a continuation in my series on Revelation, begun with the Letters to the Seven Churches and now continuing from much later in John’s apocalypse in Chapter 17.

    May I suggest that you take my interpretation of scripture (or anyone’s interpretation) under consideration of:

    • the Holy Spirit
    • Scripture (including, possibly root meanings of the Greek or Hebrew)
    • prayerful consideration of application to your life and those in your life

    Roger Harned

    Central

    to the Judgment of Christ Jesus

    in the Apocalypse of John.

    Revelation is misunderstood and much misrepresented. Will the deception of these last days not increase with the pervasiveness of sin?

    BABYLON, the Harlot Queen,

    sits upon the scarlet beast –

    Revelation 17:5 And upon her forehead was a name written, Mystery, Babylon The Great, The Mother Of Harlots And Abominations Of The Earth.

    SIN is pervasive!

    Revelation begins with warning to the churches. Should the churches of these last days not heed the warnings of a time so near?

    The Apostle John describes Heavenly visions (none of which I will describe today):

    • The Scroll and Seven Seals (ch. 4-7)
    • Seven Angels with Seven Trumpets (ch. 8-11)
    • Seven Symbolic Histories (ch. 12-14)
    • Seven Bowls of God’s Wrath (ch. 15-16)

    All of this leads up to the drama of punishment, with its great symbolism. All of Revelation leads to a drama:

    CENTERED ON EVIL vs. GOOD

    SATAN vs. CHRIST JESUS.

    Though the FINAL BATTLE does not take place until Revelation 19, the familiar opponents of God confront the believer and unbeliever alike with the great symbolism of Revelation 17 and 18. What Jesus reveals is what our Lord has always revealed to those with ears to hear.

    Matthew 24

    dome and wall

    English Standard Version (ESV)

    Jesus Foretells Destruction of the Temple

     

    Signs of the End of the Age

    3 As he sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?”

    4 And Jesus answered them, “See that no one leads you astray. 5 For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and they will lead many astray.

    6 And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not yet. 7 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places.8 All these are but the beginning of the birth pains.

    9 “Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations for my name’s sake. 10 And then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another.

    egypt-violence-eu11 And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. 12 And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold. 13 But the one who endures to the end will be saved.

    14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come…

    wolf23 Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There he is!’ do not believe it.

    24 For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect.

    25 See, I have told you beforehand. 26 So, if they say to you, ‘Look, he is in the wilderness,’ do not go out. If they say, ‘Look, he is in the inner rooms,’ do not believe it. 27 For as the lightning comes from the east and shines as far as the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.

    Do NOT be deceived:

    1 Corinthians 6:9 Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality {note: The two Greek terms translated by this phrase refer to the passive and active partners in consensual homosexual acts.}

    2 Timothy 2:12-13 Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, while evil people and impostors will go on from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.

    1 John 2:26 I write these things to you about those who are trying to deceive you.

    Do you with ears to hear understand how the world is being deceived?

    Do you sip from the cup of the Harlot?

    Hear and understand the wine of her cup.

    … all the nations were deceived by her ‘pharmakeia’ sorcery.

    Heed the warning of the punishment for those who partake of the sorcery of the Harlot:

    Revelation 21:8 But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, G5332 and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.

    Let us continue to proclaim Christ crucified; for He IS and He will return in victory over Satan, the Harlot, and all the armies of evil which surround the believer every day.

    We have Great Grace in Christ Jesus and His Blood of the Cross, where by His death and resurrection we are victorious over sin and death.

    Christ Jesus our Lord has defeated the enemy. These last days will end and the faithful will be most thankful for the grace of the Cross.