Mark 3:5:“And he looked around at them with anger, grieved at their hardness of heart, and said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out, and his hand was restored. The Pharisees went out and immediately held counsel with the Herodians against him, how to destroy him.”

In Mark 3:5, Jesus was angry with the Pharisees’ lack of compassion for a man with a deformed hand. They sat silently observing Jesus to see if He would heal this man on of all things, on a Sabbath day. They did not acknowledge the purpose of the Sabbath. The Herodians, a Jewish political party that ordinarily opposed the Pharisees, had now united with them because they saw Jesus as a threat to their political future so united to try to destroy Jesus. Both of these groups silence displayed their hardened and cold hearts, by not answering Jesus’s question: “Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do harm, to save a life or to kill (verse 3)?”

If they chose to do good, that would not have violated any OT laws. Their traditions missed the point of the OT law – to love God with all your heart, soul, and mind and one’s neighbor. Jesus turned the tables back on His accusers by asking if it was against the law to do good or to save a life?

Jesus did not lose his temper and yet was “angry” with the Pharisee’s pridefulness. He could see into their hearts and identified their true sinful motives. Jesus was furious at their hard-nosed religion. They were more concerned about their traditions than seeing a man healed. Jesus then moved the question from a legal to a moral issue.

Too often when we give into losing our patience and express our anger, we blow up like a volcano. Our pride and self-centeredness take over. However, Jesus revealed His outrage, in this instance, by healing a man’s hand – by correcting a problem. That was His solution without tearing either religious sect down, and He did it so well! Jesus challenged His accusers, and their sin made Him angry. Jesus then left the crowd and spent a night in prayer.

The aftermath of anger is a lifelong struggle we all face. Jesus came to offer forgiveness, fulfillment, and freedom. Our focus needs to be turned towards worshipping the Lord and deepening our relationship with Him. That’s it.

As Jerry Bridges states: “Sometimes we apologize to the person who is the object of our anger, and sometimes we don’t. The relationship is scarred but not broken. That seems to be the way far too many believers view the sin of anger. they’ve just come to accept it as part of life . . . rather than noxious weeds . . . and can poison our minds.” Respectable Sins. Confronting The Sins We Tolerate.

Listen to Jeremy Camp’s song, Christ In Me w/Lyrics YouTube

  

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Colossians 3:17; 23-24: “And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord, you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You areserving the Lord Christ.”

I had the privilege recently of being a guest teacher/speaker at a class in the Business department at Biola College. The students, all seniors, were able to listen and learn from individuals who are salespeople in hearing about practical applications. Since I am a seasoned and successful sales representative for Norman Fox, & Co., I had been recommended and was asked to relate what has been useful in my career in sales. The teacher of the class was the Assistant Dean of Administration.

I opened with my background and how I became a sales rep. in the Chemical Distribution industry. My second point was my PowerPoint presentation on “The Secret Behind Sales Negotiations.” I intertwined illustrations from stories with various customers – highs and lows. Towards the end of the class, the students had a chance to ask me questions, and one girl’s question has planted a memory in my mind that I cannot forget. Her question to me was:

 “How do you stay encouraged in your sales job? What do you do for this?”

 Her face looked earnestly perplexed. What an excellent question! My immediate answer was: “I spend timedaily in the Word of God. I read God’s Word every day, and He encourages me.That is how I stay encouraged in my sales job.” Later I thought, oh I shouldhave shared that I talk on the phone with my peers, that helps to encourage me.Or I should have pointed to various Ted Talks on sales or something on LinkedIn. But in the end, none of these will give lasting encouragement in givingmore zeal for continual passion in one’s sales job. No, it is God alone thatgives the sales outcome and gives comfort and peace in that whole process.

I then quoted to the class my signature verse: Psalms 119:92: “If your law had not been my delight, I would have perished in my affliction.” I explained that sales go up and down. There will be patterns. Then there will be customers that close and declare bankruptcy (I have had at least two). But we are to work in our employment, as working for God – don’t be lazy. God chose fishermen to be his disciples because they worked hard.  Professional fishermen did not sit around doing nothing. They sorted their catch. Cleaned the fish. Mended equipment. God needs professional men and women who are not afraid to work. He will bring the results in the end. My results are God’s job.  My prayer is to be of benefit, and God has answered above and beyond my vision. Our profession cannot be our idol. Being the best in our field, cannot be our idol. Our dreams of aspirations cannot be our idol. My job is to be obedient and to do what God says that I find while reading His Word. My value and worth is in God alone.

So when I need verbal encouragement, I told the class, from management, I pray and ask God to have someone such as my boss, give me a verbal complement that I feel I need, and He does it! I shared a complimentary email from my boss that she had just sent to me that afternoon after I turned in my month-end sales report. Another answer to a prayer that I had on needing encouragement and God provided – Jehovah Jireh. I give all thanks and honor to Him.

So my immediate answer to the girl’s question, was not wrong, “How do you stay encouraged? What do you do for this?” Now my question to you the reader is, “How do you stay encouraged? What do you do for this?”

Listen to MerceMe –Finish What He Started and their song Flawless (Official Music Video).

Matthew 22:41-42: “Now while the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them a question, saying “What do you think about the Christ? Whose son is he?”

The Pharisees and Sadducees in the book of Matthew, kept trying to test and trip up Jesus over and over. Jesus’ miracles of healing the blind, casting out demons, etc. didn’t change their intellectual minds and cold hearts. Seeing new wonders were not needed. It says in verses 34-36: “But when the Pharisees had heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together. And one of them a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” A lawyer was an expert in the law. The Pharisees had classified over 600 laws and often tried to distinguish the more important from, the less important. So this lawyer, who was an “expert in the law” asked Jesus to identify which was the most important law? Jesus answered by quoting Deut. 6:5, “Love God with all your heart, soul, and mind” which Jews repeated daily, and Leviticus 19:18, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” He quoted from the Old Testament which they would have been familiar with. Jesus was saying that by fulfilling these two commandments, a person keeps all of the other commandments. Instead of worrying about all we should not do, we should concentrate on all we can do to show our love for God and others. Jesus didn’t condemn what the Pharisees taught, but He went right to the root of their heart issue – pride and hypocrisy. They knew the Scriptures but did not live by them.

So then Jesus turns the tables on the religious leaders. He asked them a question: “What do you think about the Christ? Whose son is he?” Six different times in Matthew, Jesus introduces this question, “What do you think?” He did that to test someone. These Pharisees, Sadducees, Herodians, and scribes had all put Jesus to the test. Now he was turning the tables on them and used an indirect approach on His enemies. He made it sound like He was asking another theological question. But in reality, it was the most crucial and critical question, a personal issue they would ever face. Jesus responded to each test with wisdom, logic, and Scripture, that verified Him as the Messiah. In the end, the Pharisees and others were amazed and did not dare to continue to trap Jesus and ask Him anymore questions.

It is no different today. We can argue about the political scene of our day, we can debate about differences in denominations and values, but it all boils down to “What do you think about the Christ?” That is the most critical question to be answered.

This Christmas season, it may be easier to speak up more about Jesus, as “He is the reason for the season.” We can cut through all the philosophical and intellectual clichés and get down to the heart issue: “So what do you think about Jesus Christ?”

Listen to Matt Maher’s What A Friend (Official Lyric Video) YouTube.

Matthew 16: 1-3: “And the Pharisees and the Sadducees came, and to test him they asked him to show them a sign from heaven. He answered them, “When it is evening, you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red.’ And in the morning, ‘It will be stormy today, for the sky is red and threatening.’ You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times.”

Jesus had performed numerous miracles in numerous cities that validated Him being the Messiah. The Pharisees, who were traditionalists, legalists, and religious hypocrites elevated their traditions above God’s Word. They came from middle-class Jewish families. The Sadducees were from the Jewish aristocracy and were the liberals of their day. They rejected the idea of angels and any form of resurrection or life after death and were more politically minded. These two groups were often bitter opponents, and both had false teaching of doctrine. However, now they were joining forces in unity against Jesus because they saw Him as a threat against their leadership and power. They did not come to Jesus out of any genuine faith or need, but out of jealousy and “to test him.” They asked for a sign or miracle to use against Him. Neither sect was concerned about matters of the heart.

But miracles never convince or convict people of sin or produce a desire for salvation. The miracles that Jesus did were the result of peoples faith in recognizing Him in their heart and mind and soul. Willful unbelief was never dissolved by any miraculous wonder that Jesus or His disciples had performed.

My husband, having grown up on a farm when he was a child, can tell what the weather is going to do by looking up at the sky. By looking at the particular type of clouds in the air and the direction of the wind, he can often predict what the weather pattern will be. The Pharisees and the Sadducees, in Biblical times, did the same thing. If they saw a red sky during sunset, it meant that no rain was ahead, dry air was moving towards them, and the wind was sure to follow. A red sky in the morning indicated the dry air had already moved past them and rain or a storm would follow. They had great intellectual intelligence (such as predicting the weather) but did not have spiritual knowledge and understanding to discern spiritual matters. They held onto their idols of pride and their independent way of indifference to Jesus, in demanding yet another sign from heaven. No miracle in the sky would have changed their minds. Jesus could have chosen to impress them but He refused. So Jesus judged them by leaving.

The theme of faith is found throughout Matthew. In Matthew 14:31 Jesus says to Peter when Peter tried to walk on water but started to sink when he saw the wind, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” Then in Luke 17:5: “The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!”

So how do we correctly live amongst our own modern-day culture of misguided intellectuals and philosophers who don’t recognize Christ’s return is closer today than it was yesterday? How do we as believers learn from Peter and the apostles? Do we keep needing to see miracles ourselves?

Jesus said “follow me” 23 times throughout Matthew and Mark. That is our answer. We keep on following Jesus one day at a time. We that are saved are each a miracle molded by Jesus working in and perfecting us in His image on an on-going daily basis. He gives us blessings we need to recognize and give Him thanks. We have a story to share – His story to share with others.

We with our spiritual eyes recognize the signs of the times are pointing to Christ’s return more and more. God alone controls human history. So each day that we live is a gift from God. Live out your faith fully as He intended – one day at a time. Your life is evidence to reach another person for Christ.

Listen to Lauren Daigle – Light of the World (Lyrics)

Matthew 13:58: “And he did not do many mighty works there, because of their unbelief.”

Jesus had been healing people, doing miracles, teaching in parables, instructing his disciples, and then returned to Nazareth, where he had grown up. But the people in His hometown rejected Him. They still didn’t accept Him as the Messiah, as the Christ. We all shake our heads and don’t understand how this could be  – despite all the miracles Jesus had done? The people of Nazareth walked by sight and not by faith and rejected believing in Jesus again, so that was Jesus’ final visit to Nazareth. They took Jesus for granted and only saw Him as the carpenter’s son. He astonished them and yet their hearts remained the same – unmoved. Jesus knows the feeling of rejection.

Jesus did few miracles in His hometown “because of their unbelief.” The NIV says it was “because of their lack of faith.” Lack of faith blinds us to the truth found in God’s Word and robs us of hope. Unfulfilled dreams and expectations can cause despair and disillusionment, and that is just the temptation that Satan tries to distract us by within our Christian walk of faith.

Jesus later healed an epileptic boy with a demon, in Matthew 17:14ff. The disciples had tried to heal him but were unsuccessful. But Jesus did it. These disciples asked Jesus why they couldn’t cast it out? Jesus answered in verse 20: “Because of your little faith. For truly, I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you.”

A mustard seed is tiny. It is like a little dot – like the size of a grain. Think of having a small amount of faith, even the size of a period on paper at the end of a sentence, and give it to God to enlarge, grow, and get planted into something so much larger than you can even imagine, despite any circumstance.

Are you in need of more faith today? Are you trying to understand God’s sovereignty in the midst of your pain? Are you struggling with being blinded by lack of faith because you can’t see God working in your situation? Ask God to increase your faith and then keep your eyes on the Lord and listen for His voice to speak to you as you keep reading the Word day by day with endurance and perseverance. Trust in God no matter what. Follow Psalm 46:10: “Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!”

Listen to Mercy Me Even If (Official Lyric Video) YouTube and MercyMe – “Even If” Live with Bart Millard Testimony – Lead Singer.

Matthew 13:23: “As for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it. He indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty and in another thirty.”

This verse is the last on the section where Jesus explains the Parable of the Sower in Matthew 13:18-23. He states that the last sower is a picture of a person sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit and passionate about following in obedience what God’s Word states. This person seeks after God’s leading and will, and is prepared to receive knowledge from His Word and to give it out. Desiring to hear God’s voice and act on it is the description of the one who sowed on good soil – despite when some difficulty arrives.

The word hear in Matthew 13 is used nineteen times. Jesus was making a point on how important it is to listen to God. Hearing God’s Word, paying attention, putting it into practice, and using it in our lives is emphasized by Jesus in Matthew, Mark, and Luke:

• Matthew 13:23: Hear and understand.
• Mark 4:24: Pay attention to what you hear. Listen carefully.
• Luke 8:18: Take care then how you hear and share it with others. Don’t hide it.

The person who planted on good soil, in the parable, does not allow trials, burdens, setbacks, unexpected circumstances, and heartache, to control, contaminate, and dominate their life. How Satan works at trying to get us to sin by the trap of discouragement due to anxiety and worries. We have to fight back. We have to persevere and keep staying in the Word, holding it close to our heart, and praying God’s Word out loud to be an overcomer in Christ. Sometimes it takes an Eli in our life to speak apples of gold words that we so need to hear. It isn’t always easy, and trite and over simplistic cliches don’t cut it. Often feelings of rejection come into place that becomes our battle. It is said rejection is the hardest emotion of them all to handle in life. But that is another subject for another time.

God gave us two ears so our brain can tell from which direction the sound is coming from. The brain needs input from both ears to separate sounds efficiently. I want to listen carefully and have my ears primed to hear His voice back to me of confirmation from a verse He has chosen to speak to me in giving me answers. I want to be the one that then bears fruit and yields a hundredfold. Got my earbuds on. How about you?

Listen to Nobody (feat. Matthew West) Casting Crowns Lyrics Lyric Video. YouTube. This just came out on October 18, 2018.

 

Matthew 12:34b;36: “For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. I will tell you on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak, for by your words you will be justified and by your words you will be condemned.”

I remember the song we sang in Sunday School as a small child – “Oh be careful little tongue what you say. O be careful little tongue what you say. For the Father up above is looking down in love, Oh be careful little tongue what you say.”

Words can hurt profoundly and are hard to take back. Why is it our memories are often filled with past harsh or too loud volumes of speech in response to our disobedience to parents when we were children, or our boss? We judge from our perspective and allow our mind to ponder and relive the incident and harbor lack of forgiveness. Yes, I admit I have done this myself at times and just had a conversation about this recently with a fellow salesman I work with. But our memory may be tainted and not exactly correct in that memory of those words. Then we rationalize the blame, not on ourselves (rightly or wrongly) but the offending person. Harboring bitterness is never justified (Ephe. 4:31-32) as we are admonished to “forgive as God in Christ has forgiven you.” (See also Heb. 12:15).

In Matthew 12, Jesus had just been talking to a group of Pharisees that had accused Jesus of getting His power from casting out demons to that of Satan instead of the Holy Spirit. This was total blasphemy. Jesus calls them in v. 34 “a brood of vipers.” He knew what was in their hearts and that they once again were denying Jesus was the Messiah, and that they were evil. Matthew chronicles the rejection of Christ in chapters 11 and 12 and their total blasphemy against the Lord and the Holy Spirit. Their words condemned them. They revealed what was in their heart – wickedness. So Jesus speaks to the issue – of what was revealed about their character by their words in a public setting.

In verse 34 Jesus declared “For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.” Sometimes speaking “off-the-cuff” or as we say “off the top of our head” gets us into trouble. Our attitude is showing and not so gloriously. Beth Moore has said: “Lord, help me not say anything stupid today and embarrass You!” The same thought is stated by David in Psalm 141:3: “Set a guard, O LORD over my mouth; keep watch over the door of my lips!”

James 3 talks about the tongue being the hardest to bridle. James 3:2 states: “For we all stumble in many ways. And if anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle his whole body.” The tongue can produce lasting damage. My Grandma Helmers used to warn and quote to me from the KJV: “Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth, take heed lest he fall.” 1 Cor. 10:12.

Solomon said, “death and life are in the power of the tongue.” That is the principle in Matthew 12: 34b-36 and throughout Scripture. May our words be full of blessings and grace and give evidence of our righteousness in Christ, as we communicate our thoughts and in our endeavors today.

Matthew 12:34b;36 from the MSG: “It’s your heart, not the dictionary, that gives meaning to your words. Words are powerful.”

 

Matthew 11: 20: “Then he began to denounce the cities where most of his mighty works had been done because they did not repent.”

In Matthew, we read how Jesus had performed many miracles. He healed a man with leprosy; He healed the Centurion’s servant from a distance; healed a paralyzed man; healed the blind and the mute, and many other miraculous deeds. But what strikes me in reading through Matthew is that time, and time again Jesus does miracles for the sick, the blind, leprosy, and even restoring people back to life from the dead, yet people still did not repent and believe in Jesus. The very cities where Jesus showed His greatest power the people responded the least and went their own way. Why is that?

In Matthew 7:28-29 we read: “And when Jesus finished these sayings, the crowds were astonished at his teaching, for he was teaching them as one who had authority, and not as their scribes.” The NIV says the crowds were amazed at his teaching. The MSG says “the crowd burst into applause. They had never heard teaching like this.” Yet some still didn’t accept Jesus as the Messiah and Son of God who came to seek and save those that were lost.

Half of the miracles performed by Jesus had been done in Capernaum. Jesus declared woe, pity, and judgment upon the cities that He and His disciples had performed miracles in due to the people not recognizing and repenting of their sins (Matt:11:20). They still did not believe in Jesus being their Messiah. They were intellectually and spiritually proud and refused to come to Jesus in faith.

Isn’t it the same today? People still reject the risen Savior – Jesus Christ. The invitation is for all. Yet Jesus continues to be compassionate and offers freedom in obtaining eternal peace through believing in Him but it involves having a repentant heart.

Then what about us as Christians? We all see and are astonished when our prayers are answered. Yes, I do it too, you are not the only one. But God is gracious and loves to hear our praise and acknowledgment of the gifts He gives us. Don’t we all like to be thanked when we provide a gift to someone? Our memory becomes short however when life then happens again. Our responsibilities weigh us down. There are problems we have to solve. We have a schedule to keep and get done.

We hear beautiful sermons on Sundays and attend wonderful Bible studies, but are we weaving God’s Word into our lives and applying it to desire more of what God desires? Are we asking ourselves if there is something I need to change in processing this information? Are we striving to hear God’s voice in our plans we have set out to accomplish? Jesus concluded Matthew 11:28-30 with these words: “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” This is Jesus’s lesson on being His disciple. Have you brought Him into your plans today and asked Him to show you His mighty work in your ideas and projects in submitting to His authority? Then be alert to see God’s miracles of amazement in your life.

Listen to Danny Gokey’s “Give Me Jesus” (Live) YouTube.

Matthew 8:10: “When Jesus heard this, he marveled and said to those who followed him, “Truly, I tell you, with no one in Israel have I found such faith.”

The ESV in Matthew 8:10 states Jesus “marveled” at the faith this Centurion had. The NIV says Jesus was “astonished” at the faith this career military officer in the Roman army had. This man was over 100 soldiers who had a servant at home that was paralyzed and was suffering.

The Jews hated the Centurions’ for their unjust treatment and ridicule. Yet this Gentile officer was different, and his genuine faith amazed Jesus! He was a Gentile and yet not afraid to come to Jesus, a Jew. This Centurion’s faith put to shame the dull and inactive religion of many Jewish religious leaders of his day. In Matthew 8:10-12 in the MSG, he is called “ a vanguard.” Matthew tells us Jesus offered to go to his home to heal his servant, but the Centurion’s response to Jesus was that He only needed to speak the word. That he had the faith that his servant would then be healed by Jesus. He didn’t think Jesus had to go there in person. His word was enough for this leader! He understood Jesus’s absolute authority (v. 8-9). Later we see Jesus’ own disciples did not recognize as clearly as this Centurion did about Jesus (v. 26) having complete power and supremacy in His sovereignty and authority over all of creation. Further note – Jesus healed from a distance the Centurion’s servant.

Definition of a vanguard: a position at the forefront of new developments or ideas.

Synonyms:

Forefront leader, trailblazers, trendsetters, innovators, advance guard, spearhead leader.

Matthew 8:10-12 MSG says: “Taken aback, Jesus said, “I’ve yet to come across this kind of simple trust in Israel, the very people who are supposed to know all about God and how he works. This man is the vanguard of many outsiders who will soon be coming from all directions – streaming in from the east, pouring in from the west, sitting down at God’s kingdom banquet alongside Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Then those who grew up ‘in the faith’ but had no faith will find themselves out in the cold, outsiders to grace and wondering what happened.”

Why do we need signs so often, of knowing God’s will or in seeing a prayer request answered? Why do we limit God in our mindset and lack of faith? We need to put our faith into action.

God wants to reach all people, and His message is for everyone. We need to cut through religious slogans and clichés and live out our faith vigorously. I want to be a vanguard for Jesus in my faith in Him, how about you?

“Faith isn’t the ability to believe far and long into the misty future. It’s simply taking God at His Word, and taking the next step.” Joni Erickson Tada.

Listen to King & Country “Busted Heart (Hold Onto Me)” Lyrics YouTube.