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Matthew 11 - John’s Questions

11 When Jesus had finished giving instructions to His twelve disciples, He departed from there to teach and preach in their cities.

-          Jesus model’s good behavior by being a servant leader

-          He called the management meeting, gave them authority, gave them instruction and sent them out to take of God’s business

-          Then immediately, Jesus went back to work too!

-          Let us all commit to following His example and be servant leaders!

2 Now when John, while imprisoned, heard of the works of Christ, he sent word by his disciples 3 and said to Him, “Are You the Expected One, or shall we look for someone else?” 4 Jesus answered and said to them, “Go and report to John what you hear and see: 5 the blind receive sight and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to them. 6 And blessed is he who does not take offense at Me.”

-          John was in prison for preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ

-          Yet he is still searching for and following after Jesus (WOW)

-          Are you the expected one?

o   This is the real question.

o   Who is Jesus?  Is He the Messiah that was foretold in the old testament?

§  He either is or He isn’t

§  The one question everyone will have to answer when they meet God!

§  Those who believe that Jesus Christ is Lord will be saved!

§  Those who don’t believe wont!

-          Jesus answered (for Himself)

o   The blind receive sight

o   The lame walk

o   The lepers are cleansed

o   The deaf hear

o   The dead are raised up

o   The poor have the gospel preached to them

o   And blessed is he who does not take offense at Me

o   Could it be any clearer – who Jesus is?

o   These answers prove that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God!

Jesus’ Tribute to John

7 As these men were going away, Jesus began to speak to the crowds about John, “What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind? 8 But what did you go out to see? A man dressed in soft clothing? Those who wear soft clothing are in kings’ palaces! 9 But what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and one who is more than a prophet. 10 This is the one about whom it is written,

‘Behold, I send My messenger [l]ahead of You,
Who will prepare Your way before You.’

11 Truly I say to you, among those born of women there has not arisen anyone greater than John the Baptist! Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. 12 From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and violent men take it by force. 13 For all the prophets and the Law prophesied until John. 14 And if you are willing to accept it, John himself is Elijah who was to come. 15 He who has ears to hear, let him hear.

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Matthew 10 - The Twelve Disciples; Instructions for Service

10 Jesus summoned His twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every kind of disease and every kind of sickness.

-          The twelve disciples; instructions for service

-          12 is the number of Godly government

o   It is made of  2 x 6

o   2 is the number for witnesses & truth

o   6 is the number of man

o   The first Adam sinned and caused death (sin entered the world)

o   The last Adam (Jesus) was perfect and was sacrificed and rose again (sin was removed and eternal life became possible)

-          Jesus summoned His twelve disciples

o   This means called an important meeting for a special purpose

-          And gave them authority over unclean spirits

o   To cast them out

o   And to heal every kind of disease and every kind of sickness

o   It seems authority over unclean spirits may be related to disease & sickness

o   Disease is something that happens to an organ; sickness is something that happens to a man

§  Disease is something that needs to be cured such as infection, injury, toxic exposure, cell degeneration.

§  Illness is something that that needs to be managed such as feelings of pain, discomfort, distress, weakness, fatigue, etc

o   To heal them is the general theme

o   I love that the Lord wants people to get healed and He called a special meeting to empower His team to go and do it!

2 Now the names of the twelve apostles are these: The first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; and James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother; 3 Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; 4 Simon the Zealot, and Judas Iscariot, the one who betrayed Him.

-          Simon (1) who is called Peter: rock or stone; a rock or stone

-          Andrew (2): manly; Man of Vows; Man of Liberty

-          James (3): supplanter; replacer; He who closely follows

-          Zebedee (son of): my gift; Gift of Yah, Yah Has Given

-          John (4): Jehovah is a gracious giver

-          Philip(5): lover of horses; He who leans on his military complex

-          Bartholomew (6): son of the farmer; abounding in furrows; to plow

-          Thomas (7): a twin

-          Matthew (8): gift of Jehovah

-          James (9): supplanter; replacer

-          Alphaeus (son of): changing

-          Thaddaeus (11): large hearted, courageous

-          Simon the Zealot (11): rock or stone

-          Judas Iscariot (12): he shall be praised; city slicker

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Matthew 9 - A Paralyzed Man Healed

9 Getting into a boat, Jesus crossed over the Sea of Galilee and came to His own city.

-          The title is A paralyzed man healed

o   The paralyzed man was probably in this condition for a long time

o   He likely struggled with the idea of whether it would last forever or not

o   So too, sometimes we feel paralyzed because we can’t move or take the next step until God intervenes and helps us

-          Jesus had just healed two demon-possessed men and cast our the evil spirits into a heard of pigs and they ran off the cliff and drowned in the sea

-          Instead of rejoicing and praising God, the locals pleaded with Jesus to leave their region

o   Worldly men would rather roll in the mud with the pigs

-          So this is when

o   Jesus got into a boat

§  He was leaving the region where He was not wanted

o   Crossed over the Sea of Galilee and came to His own city

§  Galilee means rolling or to encircle to turn around

§  His own city was Capernaum which means “village of consolation, protected by Being Sorry”

§  He came to heal them but they rejected Him so He turned around and left because they failed to repent

2 And they brought to Him a paralyzed man lying on a stretcher. And seeing their faith, Jesus said to the man who was paralyzed, “Take courage, son; your sins are forgiven.” 

-          And they brought to Him a paralyzed man lying on a stretcher

o   Notice “they brought to Him”

o   This means multiple believers got involved to help the paralyzed man

§  They were trying to Outbless him

o   They would not be bringing a paralyzed man on a stretcher unless they believed in their heart that Jesus could heal him!

-          And seeing their faith

o   Notice Jesus can see faith

o   This means yours and mine and everyone else’s

o   Notice He saw their faith (not just the paralyzed man but those who were carrying him or bringing him to Jesus to be healed)

o   The fervent prayers of a righteous man availeth much!

-          Jesus said to the man who was paralyzed

o   notice Jesus focuses on the person who needs the help the most and speaks to him directly. so too he will speak directly to you if you need help today if you believe He can.

-          take courage, son; your sins are forgiven

o   it takes courage to believe God's word

o   Jesus was asking the paralyzed man to disregard the fact that he was not able to move his limbs using his mind and his muscles

o   Jesus was asking the paralyzed man to believe the words spoken by Jesus instead of what his physical mind and physical body knew to be true

o   noticed that he called him son which is a term of family endearment

o   because of his faith Jesus is already welcoming him into His family

o   notice that Jesus forgave his sins and that's when he got healed

§  so too when Jesus forgives us for our sins that's when we get healed or born again

§  this is a spiritual reality which will now make an impact on the physical reality

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Matthew 8 - Jesus Cleanses a Leper; The Centurion’s Faith

8 When Jesus came down from the mountain, large crowds followed Him. 2 And a leper came to Him and bowed down before Him, and said, “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.” 3 Jesus stretched out His hand and touched him, saying, “I am willing; be cleansed.” And immediately his leprosy was cleansed.

-        Remember Jesus had been up on the mountain (away from the crowds) to spend time with the Father in prayer.

-        His disciples joined Him and He taught them valuable lessons

o   Mat Chapter 5 – the beatitudes 

§  To be salt & light

§  To love your enemies

§  To live a higher standard (Christian values)

o   Mat Chapter 6 – giving to the poor and pray

§  Be careful not give or pray to be seen

§  How to pray

§  Fasting for God in private

§  You cannot serve God and Wealth (you must choose)

o   Mat Chapter 7 – Don’t judge others

§  You will be judges by the same measure you judge

§  The golden rule (treat everyone as you would want to be treated)

§  Everyone who asks, seeks, knocks gets a good response by faith

§  The narrow and wide gate (you must choose one)

§  How to tell a good tree from a bad one (measure the fruit)

§  Not everyone who says Lord, Lord will get into heaven

·       Only those who do the will of the Father (obedience)

§  Build your life on the rock not on the sand

·       Because the storms will come

-        These are foundational lessons that disciples must learn and apply in their life

-        Now Jesus comes down mountain to start ministering to others

-        Large crowds followed Him because He did miracle after miracle in their sight

-        A leper came and bowed down before Him

o   This is the position of reference and respect (humility)

-        He said “Lord if you are willing, you can make me clean”

o   This was a declaration of the leper’s faith in Jesus the Son of God

o   Remember everyone who asks, believing receives!

-        Jesus stretched out His hand and touched him saying I am willing; be cleansed

o   And immediately his leprosy was cleansed

o   No other man would touch leper because its contagious

o   Jesus touched him and healed him because of the lepers faith!

 4 And Jesus *said to him, “See that you tell no one; but go, show yourself to the priest and present the offering that Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.”

-        Jesus didn’t want too much attention drawn to Himself because it was not time yet

-        But Jesus wanted the leper to show himself to the priests

5 And when Jesus entered Capernaum, a centurion came to Him, imploring Him, 6 and saying, “Lord, my servant is lying paralyzed at home, fearfully tormented.” 7 Jesus *said to him, “I will come and heal him.” 8 But the centurion said, “Lord, I am not worthy for You to come under my roof, but just say the word, and my servant will be healed.

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Matthew 7 - Judging Others

7 “Do not judge so that you will not be judged. 2 For in the way you judge, you will be judged; and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you.

-        Matthew means “gift of Yahweh”

-        This chapter is a gift if you heed its instruction

-        Do not judge so that you will not be judged

o   This is a simple but powerful spiritual rule 

o   Don’t judge – so that – its an important reason – you won’t be judged

o   Get the formula

-        For in the way you judge, you will be judged

o   This means the scale of judgement is balanced by your own actions

-        And by your standards of measure, it will be measured to you

o   Your measure of judgement is a boomerang

o   Consider this before judging others

 3 Why do you look at the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? 4 Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ and behold, the log is in your own eye? 5 You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.

-        It seems easy to point out the speck in our brothers (other peoples sin)

-        But we don’t notice the log in our own eye (a log is much bigger than a speck)

-        The biggest sinners are often critical of petty little things in others

-        Lets make sure we are not guilty of doing this!

-        How can you help remove a speck (sin) in your brothers eye when you have a log (bigger sin) in your own (obviously you can’t or shouldn’t)

-        You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye

o   This means do a little self-introspection and repent

o   Ask God to forgive you and turn the opposite direction 

-        Then you will see clearly to take the speck out your brothers eye

o   We can’t help others overcome their sin until we overcome our own

o   We have all fallen short of the glory of God (missed the mark of perfection)

o   We all need to repent and ask for Forgiveness

o   Only those freshly washed in the blood of the lamb are ready to help others!

6 “Do not give what is holy to dogs, and do not throw your pearls before swine, or they will trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces.

-        What is holy is the Gospel (the Good News) of Jesus Christ who died and raised again the 3rd day to make a way for sinners to be forgiven, born again and granted a way into heaven even though underserving.

-        Dogs are driven be hunger and emotion (reactive to their flesh alone)

o   They are not interested in spiritual matters

o   You should preach the gospel to everyone but those who don’t want to hear it or reject it should be left alone to ravage their food for tomorrow they die

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Matthew 6 - Giving to the Poor and Prayer

6 “Beware of practicing your righteousness before men to be noticed by them; otherwise you have no reward with your Father who is in heaven.

-        Some people only do things to be seen by men

-        Unless your motivation is because of the love of Jesus Christ whatever you do is in vain

-        There will be no reward in heaven

2 “So when you give to the poor, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be honored by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. 3 But when you give to the poor, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 so that your [c]giving will be in secret; and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.

-        This is the proof that your only motivation is the love of God

-        Don’t tell anyone else about it (but the Lord knows)

-        God will reward you for every good deed you do which based on love not recognition

5 “When you pray, you are not to be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on the street corners so that they may be seen by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. 6 But you, when you pray, go into your inner room, close your door and pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.

-        The first subject was giving

-        This subject is praying

-        Some people actually pray to be seen or seem pious but it doesn’t fool God

-        When you pray, make sure its for no other purpose other than to talk to God

o   Never to be seen by men

7 “And when you are praying, do not use meaningless repetition as the Gentiles do, for they suppose that they will be heard for their many words. 8 So do not be like them; for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him.

-        Repetitious words are something you say without giving any original thought

-        It likes repeating the rosery 

-        Prayer should be heart felt communication from the heart directly to the Father

-        Unless your prayer is from the heart and real, it will have zero impact

9 “Pray, then, in this way:

‘Our Father who is in heaven,
 Hallowed be Your name.

-        The first thing to do when praying is to remember who God is…

o   Our Father who is heaven

o   He is God Almighty, the Father of everything that has breath and life

o   And He is in heaven looking down upon everything going on upon earth

-        Hallowed by Your name

o   The name of God is Holy

o   When you call upon God in Jesus name there is serious power

o   Jesus Christ is the only name under heaven whereby a man may be saved

o   We should have great respect, reverence and awe in His name

-        So you start your prayer remembering God’s position, power & holy name!

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5 When Jesus saw the crowds, He went up on the mountain; and after He sat down, His disciples came to Him. 2 He opened His mouth and began to teach them, saying,

-          The sermon on the mount; the beatitudes 

o   I like to see these are the attitudes we should be (be like these)

-          When saw the crowds, He went up on the mountain; and after He sat down, His disciples came to Him

o   There is something entirely peaceful and godly to go up into the mountains to spend quiet time with God away from the crowds and the busyness of life

o   Notice His disciples came to Him

§  We can come to Him in the mountains too

§  Seeking His face, His will, His direction, His correction, etc

-          He opened His mouth and began to teach them

o   Whatever Jesus has to say, I want to know and learn it well

o   How about you?

3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

-          Pour in spirit speaks of great humility

-          Bowing yourself before the King and seeking His will rather than own

-          This is the opposite of pride

-          If you come to the Lord “poor in spirit”, humble – you will be blessed

-          This means things get better

4 “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.

-          Those who mourn are mourning their friends and family who have died

-          It is heart wrenching to have a loved one ripped out of your life

-          But don’t worry,  you will see them again is what is implied

-          This is why you will blessed in the end when you are reunited with your loved ones

5 “Blessed are the gentle, for they shall inherit the earth.

-          The gentle are those who carefully treat and care for others

-          When you gently care for others, God notices it

-          You will inherit the earth (this means you will own it without having to pay for it)

-          You can’t earn a inheritance. It is simply given to you by a caring and thoughtful relative

6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.

-          To hunger is to yearn for something

-          To thirst implies urgency

-          Do you hunger and thirst for righteousness (can’t wait for things to be made right)

-          This means all that which is unfair and evil ceases to happen and God rights every wrong

-          If describes what you feel in your heart, congratulations! You will be satisfied means you are going to see it come to pass.

7 “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.

-          To be merciful is not repay evil for evil done to you

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Matthew 4 - The Temptation of Jesus

4 Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2 And after He had fasted forty days and forty nights, He then became hungry. 3 And the tempter came and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.” 4 But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.’”

5 Then the devil *took Him into the holy city and had Him stand on the pinnacle of the temple, 6 and *said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down; for it is written,

‘He will command His angels concerning You’;

and

‘On their hands they will bear You up,
So that You will not strike Your foot against a stone.’”

7 Jesus said to him, “On the other hand, it is written, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’”

8 Again, the devil *took Him to a very high mountain and *showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory; 9 and he said to Him, “All these things I will give You, if You fall down and worship me.” 10 Then Jesus *said to him, “Go, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and serve Him only.’” 11 Then the devil *left Him; and behold, angels came and began to minister to Him.

Jesus Begins His Ministry

12 Now when Jesus heard that John had been taken into custody, He withdrew into Galilee; 13 and leaving Nazareth, He came and settled in Capernaum, which is by the sea, in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali. 14 This was to fulfill what was spoken through Isaiah the prophet:

15 “The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali,
By the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the [f]Gentiles—
16 “The people who were sitting in darkness saw a great Light,
 And those who were sitting in the land and shadow of death,
 Upon them a Light dawned.”

17 From that time Jesus began to preach and say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

The First Disciples

18 Now as Jesus was walking by the Sea of Galilee, He saw two brothers, Simon who was called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. 19 And He *said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.” 20 Immediately they left their nets and followed Him. 21 Going on from there He saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee, and [j]John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets; and He called them. 22 Immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed Him.

Ministry in Galilee

23 Jesus was going throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the [k]gospel of the kingdom, and healing every kind of disease and every kind of sickness among the people.

24 The news about Him spread throughout all Syria; and they brought to Him all who were ill, those suffering with various diseases and pains, demoniacs, [l]epileptics, paralytics; and He healed them. 

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Matthew 3 - The Preaching of John the Baptist

3 Now in those days John the Baptist *came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea, saying, 2 “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” 

-          The preaching of John the Baptist

o   The is the herald blowing the trumpet announcing the arrival of the King of Kings

o   Let us not forget John was in Elizabeth’s stomach when Mary came to confirm what the angel had told her. Zacharias was the priest who lost his voice and could not speak until Jesus was born.  As soon as John was born Zacharias gained his voice again.

-          Now in those days

o   What days?

o   The days right after Herod had all the children under 2 killed

o   After Rachel mourned for her children

§  Rachel means lamb

§  A picture of the Lamb of God mourning for all His children too

§  Something had to be done and it was about to – BIG TIME

-          John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea

o   John means “Yahweh is gracious”

o   It was God’s grace (unearned, undeserved favor) that John got to deliver this message for all to receive

o   Judea means “the praised one” or “beautiful boy”

o   John came to preach about the beautiful boy who is to be “the praised one”

o   Why did he begin his ministry in the wilderness?

§  Because it was not convenient

§  It would take real commitment for someone to come and see him and hear his message

§  No lookie loos – only serious inquires invited

-          Repent for the kingdom of Heaven is at hand

o   This means turn from your sin (make a U-turn)

o   Get off the wide road that leads to hell and get on the narrow path that leads to heaven

o   It will require that you repent

§  Ask God to forgive you for your sins and stop sinning

§  To hide it, confess it and be healed!

3 For this is the one referred to [d]by Isaiah the prophet when he said,

“The voice of one [e]crying in the wilderness,
‘Make ready the way of the Lord,
Make His paths straight!’”

-          Isaiah had written about this event long before

-          Now it has come true

-          The Jews to whom John preached would know and understand the significance of this event

-          John was preparing the way for the Lord’s entrance

4 Now John himself had [f]a garment of camel’s hair and a leather belt around his waist; and his food was locusts and wild honey.

-          God had a plan for John before he was born

-          Lukewarm believers are in gave danger because they have not made any stark changes in their life after getting born again.

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Matthew 2 - The Visit of the Magi

2 Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying, 2 “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him.”

-          The visit of the Magi

o   Magi means wise men (plural) or wise astronomers or wise believers.

-          Where is He who has been born King of the Jews?

o   This is prophecy in the bible

o   Nobody would say this unless they knew bible

o   Notice they considered Him King of the Jews already!

o    A baby born without saying a single word and yet Magi from the east come!

-          Since the Magi said “For we have saw His star”

o   This means they were likely astronomers (those who study the sky)

o   They saw “His” star so they were obviously believers waiting for a sign

-          And have come to worship Him

o   Wisdom of all wisdom

o   They recognized the signs of the time and they came to worship Him

o   Notice they were waiting for Him to come (like a bride waiting for her groom)

 3 When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. 4 Gathering together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. 5 They said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea; for this is what has been written by the prophet:

6 ‘And you, Bethlehem, land of Judah,
 Are by no means least among the leaders of Judah;
 For out of you shall come forth a Ruler
 Who will shepherd My people Israel.’”

-          When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled

o   Because Herod knew about the prophecy of the coming King

o   Herod was troubled because he wanted to remain king (pride)

-          And all Jerusalem with him

o   Even the Jews were troubled

o   All Jerusalem (all means all not some)

o   Misery loves company

-          Gathering together all the chief priests and scribes of the people

o   Notice Herod gathered all the chiefs together (it’s a big deal)

-          He inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born

o   Asking questions so he can try and thwart God’s plan

-          They told Herod where the Messiah was to be born (they all sold him out)

-          The prophet had prophesied before that Out of You Shall Forth a Ruler

o   In other words, there is going to be a new king

o   And it’s not going to be Herod

-          Who will shepherd my people Israel

o   In other words, the new King is going to be put in charge

o   And he will shepherd my people (a shepherd leads and finds fresh water & food)

o   A shepherd not only leads, he fiends and protects.

o   In a sense, Herod’s days were numbered

7 Then Herod secretly called the magi and determined from them the exact time the star appeared.

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