Notes on Matthew's Gospel by J C Ryle
This is one of those books that you can refer to for a "quick" idea of what a particular passage in Matthew means. It is "a shortened version of Expository Thoughts on Matthew by J C Ryle, first published in 1856." I would like to share with you some of what I have learned from this little book.
Matthew 1 verses 1 to 17
J C Ryle reminds us that Matthew tells us the story of the life, death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ.
To know Christ is life eternal
To believe in Christ is to have peace with God
To follow Christ is to be a true Christian
To be with Christ will be heaven itself.
We can never know too much about the Lord Jesus Christ!
You probably know how Matthew starts his book - with a family tree. 16 verses dating from Abraham to David and then from David to Jesus' own family. I know when I was young I would have skipped over these verses and at Christmas time everyone always starts reading from verse 17 but J C Ryle points out 3 things from these verses:
1. God always keeps his word - remember way back in Genesis 12 God promised Abraham that from his descendants all the nations of the earth would be blessed. Then he promised a Saviour from David's family - Isaiah 11 verse 1. Why are these verses recorded? To prove that Jesus was the son of David and the son of Abraham and that God's promise had been fulfilled.
Remember: God cannot tell lies, he will always be faithful.
2. These verses also show us the sinfulness of human nature.
Rehoboam and Jehoram had good parents but they were wicked men. Their stories are recorded in 1 Kings 12 and 2 Kings 8. Just because your parents are Christians doesn't make you Christian - you have to come a personal faith in Jesus christ to become a child of God - John 1 verse 13.
3. How great is the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Some of the names recorded here remind us of shameful lives but at the end of the list comes the name of Jesus Christ. Imagine the eternal God humbling himself and taking on human form to save me!
No-one (and I mean no-one!) is beyond the reach of Christ's love today. Sin will not shut us out of heaven if we repent and believe the gospel. If Jesus was not ashamed to have so many wicked ancestors, he will not be ashamed to call me his child and give me eternal life.
Matthew 1 verses 18 to 25
In these verses we are introduced to Joseph and the emphasis is on his behaviour rather than anything he said (nothing is recorded of his words). His behaviour is an example of wisdom and thoughtfulness for others. He didn't know that Mary's baby was God's own son. All he knew was she was pregnant before they had married. Joseph must have prayed about his problem because we are told God spoke to him in a dream. He was told not to be afraid of taking Mary to be his wife and that her child was from the Holy Spirit. Surely this is a reminder to me that I need to take all my worries and concerns to God in prayer.
Then we are told of the 2 names given to our Lord. One describes his task and the other his nature.
1. Jesus - the same name as Joshua in the Old Testament and it means Saviour. He saves people from their sins (Hallelujah!).
He saves from the power of sin by putting the sanctifying Spirit into their hearts.
He saves them from the presence of sin when he takes them out of this world to rest with him.
He will save them from the results of their sin when he gives them a glorious body at the last day.
I am not saved from sorrow and trouble but "saved from sin". I am cleansed from guilt by Christ's blood. I am being prepared for heaven by Christ's Spirit. I love the words of John 3 verse 17 "God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him."
2. Immanuel - which means "God with us".
Jesus is perfect man as well as perfect God and perfect God as well as perfect man.
As we read the Gospels we can see that Jesus was weary, hungry and thirsty. He could weep and feel pain just like me. This shows him as the man Jesus. But he could also see into people's hearts and minds. He had power over devils. He could work great miracles with a word. He spoke with angels.
Jesus is the one who possesses all power in heaven and earth and will allow no-one to take us from his hand.
As a baby Jesus was nursed by Mary. As a man he experienced the temptations of the devil. He endured real hunger, shed tears and felt pain. I can trust him with my sorrows and tell him everything that is in my heart.
And this is only chapter 1 of Matthew!
Matthew 2 verses 1 to 12
These opening verses tell us of the visit of the wise men from the east. Why is their coming important?
1. There may be true servants of God where we should not expect to find them. The Lord has many hidden ones like these wise men, who may be little known on earth but who will be found with Christ at the end of history.
2. It is not always those who seem the most religious who give Christ most honour. We might have thought that the scribes and Pharisees (the Jewish leaders of Jesus' day) would have hurried to bethlehem when they heard of Jesus' birth. But only the shepherds hurried to see Jesus (as Luke records). These unknown men from other lands came to rejoice at Jesus' birth
3. We might know scripture in our heads but do we know grace in our hearts? King Herod asked the priests and elders where Christ should be born and the were able to tell from scripture the exact place of his birth but they did not go to Bethlehem themselves. We must long to love the Lord at the same time as we long to know Christ.
4. An example of strength of purpose. How much time and effort it took for these wise men to travel from their home to Bethlehem. The dangers of the journey didn't worry them. They had set their hearts on seeing the one who was born King of the Jews and they did not rest until they saw him. Am I ready to do the same as them? How seriously do I think about my soul? Does my faith come first in my life?
5. An example of faith. These wise men believed in Christ before they had ever seen him. They believed in him when they saw him as a baby on his mother's knee. They worshipped him as a king.
Remember: they saw no miracles to convince them, they saw no signs of divinity or greatness about him - just a baby needing a mother's care like any one of us.
What did they do when they saw him? They bowed down and worshipped him as the divine Saviour of the world. Should I not be copying these men? Am I ashamed to believe in Jesus?
Matthew 2 verses 13 to 23
1. Rulers think very little about God or religion. Herod wanted to kill the baby Jesus. Do I envy the rich and the great? The bible warns against money, greed and possessions (Luke 12 verse 15 and Hebrew 13 verse 5).
2. The Lord Jesus was a man of sorrows from the time of his birth. Danger awaits him as soon as he enters the world. He is the Saviour that suffering and sorrowful people need. He knows what I mean when I pray to him about my troubles. What a reminder to tell God everything. He is the greatest friend I could ever know because he knows about the cruelty of the world.
3. Death removes rulers without warning just like anyone else. Joseph and Mary heard about the death of Herod and they were able to return to their own country as a result. What a reminder that the "joy of the godless lasts but a moment" (Job 20 verse 5) but the truth will always survive.
4. A lesson in humility is taught through Jesus' home while he was on earth. Jesus lived with Mary and Joseph in a small town in Galilee called Nazareth. He lived for 30 years in this town and was obedient to his parents. Just living among ordinary people, content with the simplicity of life. How content am I with where I live? Where will I go when I die?
These last few verses teach about the humility of Jesus. This is one of the most beautiful graces.
"Our knowledge may not be great, our faith may be weak; but if we are disciples of Jesus, let us be humble"
Matthew 3 verses 1 to 12
This is the chapter on John the Baptist. This chapter tells us about the way he lived. His preaching attracted the attention of people from Jerusalem, all Judea and all around the region of the Jordan. Luke's gospel records his birth and now as a man we are introduced to his ministry.
1. He spoke plainly about sin.
John taught the absolute necessity of true repentance before being saved (note the word true). When we repent there must be a change in our behaviour. John warned people not to rely on who they are or how often they go to church or other Christian meetings. We are naturally dead and blind and asleep with regard to spiritual things - something which I have to confess I forget when I talk to people who are not Christian. Unless we repent we shall all perish.
2. He spoke plainly about Jesus
John told everyone to expect someone much greater than him. He called himself a servant, preparing the way for the Messiah. The Messiah would take away all their guilt and one day judge the whole world. Faith in Christ is about a personal relationship.
3. He spoke plainly about the Holy Spirit
John taught about the baptism of the Holy Spirit - something that only Jesus can give us. Forgiveness of sins is not the only thing necessary to salvation. There must not only be the work of Christ for us but the work of the Holy Spirit in us. In other words we need to be prepared for heaven and that is only done by the work of the Holy Spirit. We need to know something of the baptism of the Spirit.
4. He spoke plainly about the awful anger of those who were impenitent and unbelieving
John told of the wrath of God that was to come and he preached of the fire that never goes out. Repentance is serious - so often I personally think about God's love and mercy but I need to remember that God is a God of justice and holiness. It is possible to be lost forever.
5. He spoke plainly about the safety of true believers
There is a heaven for everyone who belongs to Christ. One day Jesus is coming again and we will all be taken to be with the Lord for ever. Today we live in a wicked world and we are often tempted by the devil but Jesus will never forsake us, he will guide us safely through this life and then take us to heaven.
What amazing teaching from John - it has been so good to be reminded of the basics of my faith.
Matthew 3 verses 13 to 17
J C Ryle points out that when the Jewish priests took up their priesthood the were washed with water (Exodus 29 verse 4). When Jesus, at the age of 30 began the work for which he came into this world he was publicly baptised.
1. The importance of baptism.
If Jesus wanted to be baptised then I should also want the same. It needs to be regarded though with reverence. We should not have any superstitious ideas about the water of baptism. The water is quite ordinary and cannot act as a charm. We must not think that all people automatically receive the grace of God at the moment that they are baptised. On the other hand, we must be careful not to dishonour baptism by regarding it as of little importance. Baptism is ordained by Christ himself and should be treated with much reverence.
2. The special importance given to Jesus' baptism
All 3 persons of the Trinity were present at Jesus' baptism. God the Son is baptised in the Jordan. God the Spirit comes down like a bird to settle on him and God the Father speaks from heaven. It is as if the whole Trinity is announcing the public ministry of Christ and saying "Let us save man." There was a voice from heaven - the last time this happened was at the giving of the law at Mount Sinai (Exodus 20 verse 1). Notice God's words - "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased." These words make it clear that Jesus is the Saviour appointed from eternity to redeem the world. He is to be the link between God and man. God makes it clear that he is pleased with Jesus as the peacemaker, the substitute, and the ransom payer for all mankind.
Matthew 4 verses 1 to 11
After Jesus' baptism we are told of his temptation.
1. The devil is a real and cruel enemy of humankind
3 times the devil tried to tempt Jesus into sin.
It was the devil that brought sin into the world - Genesis 3
It was the devil that brought terrible suffering to Job - Job 1 and 2
It was the devil that deceived David - 2 Samuel 11
It was the devil that urged Peter to deny any knowledge of Jesus at his trial - matthew 26 verses 74 and 75
The bible describes the devil as a murderer; a liar and a roaring lion - John 8 verses 44 and 1 Peter 5 verse 8 - he never rests from his attack on mankind. His greatest hope is to pull us down to hell. His cunning is too clever for us to understand. He can even deceive us into believing he is an angel of light - 2 Corinthians 11 verse 14.
2. Temptations are to be expected
If the devil came to Jesus, he will also come to us. Remember to be tempted is not a sin; it is yielding to the temptation that we have to fear.
3. The Bible is our chief weapon in resisting the devil
3 times Jesus was tempted and 3 times he resisted the temptations with the words "It is written" and a text from Holy Scripture. What a reminder to read God's word daily. If we use the bible as our strongest weapon we will fight and win. It is not enough to simply possess the bible we must read it, we must pray about what we read, we must read the words until we know them well, until we remember the stories and have many verses stored in our memories. Knowledge of the bible only comes to us with attentive reading time every day. If you are not willing to give the time or attention to your bible then you are not ready for the kingdom of heaven.
4. What a sympathetic Saviour we have in the Lord Jesus
Jesus is able to understand when we are tempted because he was tempted too (Hebrews 2 verse 18). I can run to him and tell him all my troubles; he is ready to listen and will always understand my worries. I speak from personal experience. Those who seek their happiness only in the things of this life and despise the religion of the Bible have no idea what comfort they are missing.
Matthew 4 verses 12 to 25
Now we read about the beginning of Jesus' ministry. He started among simple folk but soon attracted the attention of all Syria by his miracles. Multitudes were drawn to see and listen to him.
1. Notice the way Jesus started to work
He began to preach. He was not ashamed to preach. Preaching is the primary means God used to convert and instruct souls. Times of great revivals have been times when preaching was greatly valued. Times of few conversions and careless backsliding have been times of careless and unbiblical preaching.
2. Notice the first doctrine that Jesus proclaimed to the people
"Repent" The necessity of repentance is one of the great foundation stones of Christianity, a truth that is of great importance. All have sinned, all are guilty before God and all must repent and be converted if they wish to be saved. True repentance is a big change, a change that is displayed in great sorrow for our sins, in a sincere confession of our sins, in a complete breaking away from our sinful habits and a lasting hatred of all sin. Such repentance cannot be separated from a saving faith in Christ.
3. Notice from what section of society the Lord chose his close companions
Peter, Andrew, James and John were all fishermen. They were poor and they were humble. The religion of our Lord was not intended only for the rich and learned, it was for the whole world; and most of the people in the world will always be poor. Poverty and ignorance prevent no-one from serving their Lord. Humility, repentance, a desire to listen to their Lord, to love him and to follow him; these are the things that are needed to reach the kingdom of heaven. Intellect, money and rank are worth nothing without God's grace. Jesus gives us a religion that does not flatter the rich or the great or the learned. He gives us a religion that offers us no encouragement to immorality. He gives us a religion whose first teachers were poor fishermen. This religion could not have turned the world upside down unless it came directly from God.
4. Notice some general features of the miracles that our Lord used to confirm his ministry
These miracles show us our Lord's power over creation He could heal with a touch or cast out devils with a word. He is able to save all people who turn to him, because he is almighty.
The miracles also show our Lord to be a spiritual doctor. He is able to cure every sickness of our soul. There is no broken heart that he cannot heal; no wound of conscience that he cannot cure Even though sin causes us to be crushed bruised and struck down by plague, Jesus by his blood and the Holy Spirit can make us whole. We have only to cry to him for mercy.
Most of all these miracles show us the Lord's heart. He is a most compassionate Saviour. He rejects no-one that comes to him; he refuses no-one, however wicked they have been. Jesus knows everything about you and is always ready to help. Jesus is kind and his compassion is great.
"He is just as able to save, just as willing to receive, just as read to help now as when he walked on the earth. Let us tell him all our needs, for he can heal "every disease and sickness."
Matthew 5 verses 1 to 12
Matthew chapters 5 to 7 is known as the Sermon on the Mount. Take note of those people who Jesus called blessed.
1. The Lord calls those "blessed" who are poor in spirit
Who are the "poor in spirit"? Those who are humble; those who are certain of their own sinfulness in God's sight; those who do not think of themselves as clever, but see themselves as wretched, poor and miserable in their spiritual blindness. Humility is a virtue for which all Christians should aim.
2. The Lord calls those "blessed" who mourn
Jesus is speaking in a spiritual sense and he means those people who have a deep sorrow for their sins. The memory of their sin grieves them; the burden of their sin is something they cannot bear. The offer God their broken hearts. But the day is coming when God himself will comfort them.
3. The Lord calls those "blessed" who are meek
Jesus means those who are slow to take offence, those who do not complain as soon as anything goes wrong, the patient people.
4. The Lord calls those "blessed" who hunger and thirst after righteousness
Jesus means those who long for the knowledge of God, those who long to understand exactly what God wants them to do. One day their spiritual hunger shall be satisfied.
5. The Lord calls those "blessed" who are merciful
Jesus means those who care for all who suffer, those who have tender feelings towards all who hurt in mind or body and do what they can to help them. They will be rewarded in this life and the life to come.
6. The Lord calls those "blessed" who are pure in heart
Jesus means those who are working hard at their inward holiness - not simply showing the world how good they are but making a real effort to keep from being sinful and doing their best to serve God with their whole being. Blessed are such people for God sees their hearts (1 Samuel 16 verse 17) and will make himself known to them.
7. The Lord calls those "blessed" who are peacemakers
Jesus means those who make every effort to create lovely relationships with their relatives and neighbours. He means those who try hard to make all men love one another, by teaching the Gospel which says, "Love is the fulfilment of the law" (Romans 13 verse 10). They are doing the same work as the Son of God.
8. The Lord calls those "blessed" who are persecuted for righteousness' sake
Jesus means those who are sneered at, treated with contempt and harshly treated, because they are trying to live as Christians. Jesus was treated in the same way and he will reward them greatly.
8 great truths:
- the values of Christ are the exact opposite of those in the world. The things the world praises, the world despises. In the world, pride, thoughtfulness, anger, greed, selfishness and lack of love can be seen all around us but Christ condemns them.
- how sad it is when Christ's teaching differs so greatly firm the practice of professing Christians
- how holy and spiritually minded all believers should be. Good doctrine is the root and foundation but holy living should always be the fruit.
Matthew 5 verses 13 to 20
1. These verses teach us what kind of life a Christian should display to other people in the world.
Jesus says "you are the salt of the earth". Salt has a distinctive flavour. It preserves meat from going rotten and flavours all that it is mixed with. But once it has lost its saltiness it becomes useless. See how important it is to have a fresh and distinctive life.
Jesus says "you are the light of the world." The least spark in a dark room can be seen at once. Light is the most useful of created things, bringing nourishment to nature, guidance and comfort. Light was the first thing that God called into being.
As a Christian I have to display a completely different character to that of the unbeliever. My life and my action must prove that I am worthy to be called Christian. Have I grace? My actions must prove that I have it. Have I the Holy Spirit in my heart? Then I must show the fruits of the Holy Spirit. I must show the difference in my daily life. Christianity is more than attending church or getting baptized. It is living a life that has been surrendered completely to God. Jesus expects us to be unusual people in comparison with unbelievers. We have to dare to be different.
2. These verses teach us how the message of Jesus relates to that of the Old Testament
Some of the Jews had spent much of their lives studying the books of the Old Testament and were worried that Jesus was teaching against the Law and the Prophets but our Lord dispels this worry in a single statement - "Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets. I have not come to abolish them but to fulfil them." The Old and New Testaments belong together as a single complete book for all time. Jesus came to fulfil all that was predicted by the prophets about the promised Saviour. Jesus came to fulfil the ceremonial law by becoming the blood sacrifice. Jesus came to fulfil the moral law by his perfect obedience, an obedience we could never offer. He came to pay the penalty for the sin of mankind with his atoning blood, a penalty which we could never have paid. In all his words and actions he honoured the laws of God, making their importance clearer than it had ever been (Isaiah 42 verse 21).
Let us not despise the Old Testament. It has the roots of Christianity. It is the Gospel in bud. The New Testament is the Gospel in full flower.
Let us not despise the Ten Commandments. The coming of Christ did not alter their importance at all, for they are God's unchanging measure of right and wrong. It is by the commandments that the Holy Spirit shows mankind its need of Christ. it is to the commandments that Christ points his people as their rule and guide to holy living. The commandments cannot save us or justify us but we should not despise them. The true Christian delights in the law of God.
Let us not imagine that the Gospel has lowered the standards of personal holiness. The more light we have, the more we ought to love God; the more clearly we see our own complete and full forgiveness in christ, the more heartily we ought to work for his glory.
Matthew 5 verses 21 to 37
In these verses Jesus teaches that his Gospel expands the Law and honours its authority. His teaching about the Law reveals a far more spiritual and heart-searching rule than most of the Jews supposed it to be. To give them proof he selects 3 commandments as examples.
1. The sixth commandment, forbidding us from killing another human is enlarged upon by our Lord. He shows that it condemns all displays of anger and all threatening language. We may never murder anyone, and you break the sixth commandment again and again!
2. The seventh commandment forbidding adultery is enlarged upon by our Lord. He teaches that even though our actions are moral and correct we break the seventh commandment with our impure thoughts and imaginations. God sees far beyond our actions, he looks deep into our minds and thoughts. Even a glance of the eye may be sin!
3. The third commandment. Many thought that they were keeping this Law by keeping their promises and speaking truthfully. The Lord taught that the taking of oaths or the making of promises should only be used on very serious occasions. It is a great sin to do these things carelessly!
What does this teach me?
4. It teaches us the holiness of God. He is a pure and perfect being, who sees faults and imperfections in our minds and hearts. He sees our words and thoughts as easily as our actions. He wants us to be pure in our hearts. We ought to think about this every day and so drive out of our minds all pride, self-righteousness and careless thoughts.
5. It teaches us the spiritual ignorance that is in so many of us. There are thousands of people who call themselves Christian but know nothing of the laws of God. It is possible that they have heard the Ten Commandments. They may have read them, but they know nothing of the ease with which they can break them by a thought or a look. So they live in ignorance, quite happy with their little bit of religion.
6. It teaches us our need for the Lord's redeeming blood. Is there anyone who is not guilty before God? Is there anyone who has not broken his commandments? Without Jesus as our mediator we should all be condemned at the Judgement Day. Ignorance of the true meaning of the Law is one reason why the people do not value the Gospel. They do not understand how God's commandments can be so strict and holy, for if they did they would never rest until they were safe in Christ.
7. It teaches us our need to avoid all sin. If we want to be holy, we must think carefully before we speak and sort out our quarrels before they lead us into sin. We must work hard at this, being willing to take painful action and endure any difficulty rather than fall into sin. Our duty is simply to follow our Lord.
Matthew 5 verses 38 to 48
Our Lord gives us rules on how to conduct our thoughts and actions towards other people.
1. He forbids all thoughts of taking revenge or refusing to forgive a person who has upset us or hurt us in any way.
2. We must love everyone, even our enemies. This includes speaking kindly and doing good to those who hate us. We are to be unselfish at all times.
3. This is a solemn matter:
- if we cannot aim to keep the Lord's rules we are not yet children of God. Does our Father in heaven only send rain on good people but not on bad? No the rain comes to both good and evil and the sun shines on the evil just as much as on the good. Where is our likeness to our Father in heaven if we cannot show mercy and kindness to everybody?
- again if we are unable to aim for the spirit of such rules we obviously still belong to the world. Our Lord asks, "What are you doing more than the unbelievers?" Even unbelievers love their friend. If we find it impossible to do good to our enemies then we have not yet been converted, we have not received the Spirit.
These verses show us what the Christian should be like, but sadly the reality is often very different.
4. Think what a good example of Christianity the world would see if Christians remembered and practised these things. Unfailing courtesy, tenderness and consideration for others make the characters of Christians beautiful. People notice these things. The neglect of them deforms our characters. There is no religion in rudeness, roughness and incivility.
5. Think how much happier our world would be if people practised these things. So many of our miseries are caused by quarrels, jealousies, selfish behaviour and a lack of kindness. How much happiness we could spread with the Christian love recommended by our Lord. True religion promotes good will, charity and peace. The more people accept of the Holy Spirit's teaching, the more they will love one another and the happier they will be.
Matthew 6 verses 1 to 8
In this part of the Sermon on the Mount our Lord instructs us on 2 subjects - giving to the needy and praying. These were of great importance to the Jews.
1. Jesus took it for granted that those who called themselves his disciples would give to the needy, so here he concentrates on the way in which the help is given. Those who never help others can hardly expect to be considered disciples of a giving Saviour.
2. Jesus also took it for granted that all those who called themselves his disciples would pray and he talks here only about the best way of praying. Prayerless people are not genuine Christians. Some people think that if they have attended Sunday worship and perhaps the weekly prayer meeting they have said enough prayers. But Jesus instructs us on private praying. Without consistent private prayer we may be outward members of Christ's church but we are not living members of Christ.
So what rules did our Lord give about our giving and prayer?
1. If we are giving to the needy, every action that is putting on a show must be avoided. We must not give hoping that other people will look at us and notice how generous we are. Rather, we must be humble and quiet about the way we give. "Do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing."
2. When we pray, the important thing is to be alone with God. We can usually find such a place if we really do want to be alone. There we can pour out all our joys and all our hurts and troubles to him.
3. In both these duties we can be sure we are doing it in the presence of a heart-searching and all-knowing God. "Our Father sees what is done in secret." We cannot impress our God with any outward show! We simply have to desire to please him. We must often ask ourselves if we are really sincere about all this.
Matthew 6 verses 9 to 15
These verses give us our Lord's pattern for daily prayer. It is known as the Lord's Prayer and would be recognised by thousands of people who call themselves Christians, but never open a bible or go to a place of worship. They know the words of the prayer but not the spiritual meaning. The Lord's Prayer is short and it is simple, but its words give us everything that a prayer needs to contain. It is truly a prayer from God. It has 10 parts.
It starts recognising that it is God our Father to whom we pray and there are then 3 requests about his honour, kingdom and will.
We then have 4 more phrases regarding our daily needs, our sins, weaknesses and our dangers.
After expressing our feelings towards other people, it concludes with a verse of praise.
In the whole prayer we are taught to say "we" and "us" to remind us that we are saying the Lord's Prayer with many other Christians around the world.
1. We are to pray to our Father in heaven. Not to angels or saints but to our Father, Lord of our souls, Lord of heaven and earth.
We call him Father as our creator
We call him Father in a higher sense as the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, reconciling us to himself through the death of his Son
We claim to be his children by faith in Christ and to have the Spirit of adoption that allows us to cry "Abba Father". This is the sonship that we must desire. Without faith in Christ's blood and union with him, it is useless to talk of trusting in God as our Father.
2. We are to pray about God's name. By the "name" of God we mean his power, wisdom, holiness, justice, mercy and truth. By asking that they may be "hallowed", we mean that they may be made known and glorified. The glory of God is the first thing that we should desire. It is the object of one of Jesus' own prayers: "Father glorify your name" (John 12 verse 28). It is the purpose for which the world was created, the most important thing for which we should seek, that "in all things God may be praised" (1 Peter 4 verse 11).
3. We are to pray about God's kingdom. By this we mean firstly the kingdom of grace that God sets up and maintains in the hearts of all believers. Even more importantly, we mean the kingdom of glory and is promised with the second coming of our Lord Christ, when all shall know him, "from the least to the greatest" (Hebrews 8 verse 11).
4. We are to pray about God's will. With these words we pray that everyone may obey God's laws as perfectly, readily and unceasingly as the angels in heaven do. Our truest happiness is in perfect submission to God's will and it is a work of great kindness when we pray that others may claim this happiness by their own submission.
5. We are pray about our own daily needs. We should realise and express how much we depend on God our Father, not only for bread but also for the supply of all our daily necessities. We are humbly asking our Maker to take care of us.
6. We are to pray about our sins. We confess that we are sinners and need daily forgiveness. This is important! It condemns all our efforts at self-righteousness and self-justification. We are taught to make a daily habit of seeking God's forgiveness. A daily habit!
7. We are to profess our feelings toward others. We ask our Father to forgive our sins as we forgive those who sin against us. We must not bear any spite within our own hearts. It is a reminder to us not to expect our prayers for forgiveness to be heard if we cannot forgive other people.
8. We are to pray about our weaknesses. It teaches us to acknowledge our weakness to God and to plead with him that we should not be led astray or allowed to slip into sin. We are asking him to restrain us from going anywhere that could be dangerous for our soul and not to allow us to be tempted beyond what we can bear (1 Corinthians 10 verse 13).
9. We are to pray about our dangers. It is a cry to God to deliver us from the evil in our world; from the evil that is in our hearts and from the devil himself. As long as we are in this world, we are constantly seeing, hearing and feeling the presence of evil. it is within us and around us on every side; and we earnestly pray to God, who alone can preserve us, to be continually delivering us from its power (John 17 verse 15).
10. The prayer ends with a statement of praise. "Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory". We acknowledge that all power belongs to him and that he alone shall receive all the glory. We give him all honour and praise and rejoice that he is the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords.
Matthew 6 verses 16 to 24
We examine 3 more subjects: fasting, wordliness and single-mindedness.
1. Fasting
This means going without food for a time in order to bring the body into subjection to the spirit.
David fasted when his and Bathsheba's child was ill and close to death - 2 Samuel 12 verse 16
Daniel fasted when his soul was greatly troubled - Daniel 9 verse 3
Esther fasted before going in to plead with King Ahasuerus for the Jews - Esther 4 verse 16
There is no command to fast in the New Testament; deciding to fast must be a matter of individual choice. We are taught here that if someone chooses to fast, it should be done with simplicity and humility, not with any foolish show of pride, for it is a private matter between that person and God. No-one else needs to know. The lesson to learn - there is a great importance of honest cheerfulness in our religion. Our Lord's words "put oil on your head and wash your face" are full of meaning. They teach us that we should let people know that our beliefs make us happy. Looking sad and gloomy adds nothing to our religion! Let us show people that we can be joyful.
2. Worldliness
One of the most dangerous sins. It seems so harmless to seek happiness in the world as long as we avoid obvious sin. But we make a fatal mistake if we start putting worldly goods first and neglect the need to give priority to heavenly blessings. Where are our priorities? What do we love best? Jesus says, "Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."
Let us learn from the Lord's caution to watch and pray against an earthly spirit. What are the majority of people doing? They are laying up treasure on earth. They are giving priority to what they wear, what and how much they eat, and how they relax. Let us beware of following them along the pathway to hell that consists in giving too much attention to lawful things.
3. Single mindedness
One of the secrets of building a good and happy spiritual life. It is not clever to try to concentrate on 2 things at one time. If we take on 2 jobs we will very soon discover that we are unable to concentrate on either of them successfully. In the same way we cannot serve the Lord and the world at the same time. The Lord's will and his teaching must receive our whole attention. If we keep looking towards the Lord then our soul will be in the light and it will be safe because the Lord will give us help. But if our eyes lose contact with the Lord, all will be confusion because our "body will be full of darkness."
Let us learn to be decided followers of Christ. Let us proclaim with Paul: "One thing I do" (Philippians 3 verse 13). And this decision will allow the heart, the head and the conscience to be filled with happiness. Be decided for Christ and "your whole body will be full of light."
Matthew 6 verses 25 - 34
These verses are a good example of the wisdom and compassion of our Lord's teaching. He knows us so well. He knows that we try not to think of the warnings about worldliness with the excuse that we cannot help being anxious for the things of this life. We have to provide for our families and our own needs. How can we cope with everyday life if our minds are full of heaven? Our Lord sees all our daily needs and has given us his answer.
1. He forbids us to be anxious. 4 times he tells us not to worry; about life, about food, about clothing and especially about tomorrow. Carefulness and wisdom is right, but anxiety is wrong!
2 He reminds us of the providential care that God continually takes of everything he has made. Has he given us life? Then he will surely not let us lack anything needed to maintain it. Has he given us a body? Then he will surely provide us with food and clothing.
3. He points out the uselessness of over-anxiety Our lives are in God's hands and we shall ive and die at God's appointed time.
4. He points to the birds of the air for our instruction. They make no provision for the future: they do not sow seeds, they do not reap, nor do they store their corn in great barns. They live from day to day using the instincts that they have received from God. If we are seeking to obey God we will not lack the essential things of life.
5. He points out the flowers of the field. Year after year they appear and delight our eyes, all without the slightest work from themselves. "They do not labour or spin." God, by his almighty power makes them beautiful every season. So why should his believers doubt that he is able to provide them with clothes? He who takes thought for the lilies of the field would surely not neglect his children.
6. He suggests that worrying about the things of the world is most unworthy of the Christian. Let the unbelievers be anxious, for they know nothing of our Father in heaven; but let believers show faith and contentment. When we are bereaved of loved ones we are not to behave in the same way as those who have no hope. When we are bearing the weight of the troubles of this life, we are not to worry as if we had no God.
7. He makes a gracious promise that if we put God first, all we really need will be given to us. "In all things God works for the good of those who love him" and "no good thing does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless" (Romans 8 verse 28, Psalm 84 verse 11).
8. Our Lord ends his instructions with the words, "tomorrow will worry about itself". It is no use to worry about things that have not yet happened. If some tragedy does come to us, we may be certain that God, who has allowed it to happen, will also send us grace to deal with the problem.
Matthew 7 verses 1 to 11
"Do not judge" does not mean that we are never to assess the behaviour and opinions of others. Nor do they mean that it is wrong to correct someone who is obviously making sinful decisions.
1. Our Lord is condemning those people who like to make the worst of another person's mistakes. We should have a trusting attitude, hoping the best about other people. We should be slow to find fault. This is Christian love (1 Corinthians 13 verse 7).
2. Verse 6 teaches us the importance of being careful in choosing those to whom we speak about religious things. It is not wise to speak to someone if it is clear that their angry reactions and increasing sin are only making matters worse.
3. The next few verses teach us the duty of prayer and the many encouragements there are to pray. We must pray! Our Lord emphasises the importance of prayer by using the words asking, seeking and knocking. If worldly parents give good things to their children, how much more will God listen to our prayers.
We all know that if we want to find something, we have to search. If we do not search we shall not find. But what is the good of knowing this and not bothering to search? The knowledge will only increase our condemnation on the last day.
Matthew 7 verses 12 to 20
In these verses our Lord gives us:
1. A good principle to guide us in our dealings with other people. We are to treat others as we would like them to treat us. It is likely that in our lifetime we will receive bad or selfish treatment, but we must not return that sort of treatment. Real Christians are people who make an effort to stop such behaviour and show that it is possible to be kind.
2. A warning against simply following the majority in matters of religion. We are told that the way to everlasting life is "narrow" and few travel on it; we are told that the way to everlasting destruction is "broad" and many prefer to take that way.
3. A warning about false teachers in the church. There were false prophets amongst Christians in the time of the apostles and they have been troubling men and women ever since. The best safeguard against false teaching is the regular study of the word of God, with prayers for help from the Holy Spirit.
Matthew 7 verses 21 to 29
1. We have a lesson here on the uselessness of some professions of Christianity. Not every one who says "Lord, Lord" shall be saved. It is not easy to save a soul. We must practise Christianity and not just profess it.
2. The following lesson is about 2 sorts of hearers, those who hear and do nothing and those who hear and do what is needed.
- Those who hear the Christian teaching and practise it are like wise people who build their house upon a rock. In times of trial their religion does not fail them; the floods of sickness, sorrow, poverty, disappointments and bereavements bear upon them in vain. Their souls stand unshaken, their faith does not give way. The religion that can stand trial is a true religion.
- Those who hear the same teaching but never get beyond listening to the words are like the foolish people who build their house on the sand. They listen to the preaching and it gives them good feelings and good desires. it helps them to think about spiritual things, but that is all. They never really break from sin or make any effort to give up their worldly ideas. They never lay hold of Christ. They never take up the cross. They are hearers of the truth and nothing more. And what is the end of their religion? It breaks down under the first time of trouble It fails them when their need is at its greatest. Such a religion will always prove useless.
Matthew 8 verses 1 to 5
The greatest sermon ever preached is followed up with great miracles, proving that the preacher was the Son of God. Not only did he speak as no other man spoke, but he also backed his words up with actions. These verses give us 3 miracles to study.
A leper is healed.
An absent, paralysed servant is healed on the request of his master.
A woman sick with a fever is restored to perfect health and strength by a touch.
1. What great power our Lord Jesus Christ has. When it was confirmed that someone was a leper they immediately became an incurable outcast, shunned by family and friends. Yet Jesus said "Be clean" and the leper was cured. To heal someone who was paralysed, whom Jesus could not even see, might seem impossible; yet the servant was healed. To relieve a woman of a high fever so that she was able to get up at once would be most unlikely, yet when Jesus touched her hand "she arose and made a meal for him." These are the doings of one that is almighty.
Here is a broad foundation for the faith of a Christian! We are told to come to Jesus, to believe on Jesus, to live the life of faith in Jesus; we are encouraged to lean on him, to cast all our cares on him. He is our strong rock. He is almighty. He can give life to the dead and power to the weak. With Jesus everything is possible.
2. How compassionate our Lord Jesus Christ is. Think about the circumstances of the 3 miracles and how they were completely different from each other. Jesus heard the leper's cry "Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean." It was a centurion that appealed for his servant to be healed, but Jesus never saw the sick man. Jesus saw Peter's mother-in-law who was in bed with a fever but we are not told that he spoke at all. In each instance Jesus was quick to show mercy and give healing.
Jesus is so gracious. He is never tired of doing good. He knows all our weaknesses. He knows how much evil can be done in the world. He is as ready to bear with us now as he was 2000 years ago. No heart can feel for us as much as the heart of Jesus.
3. What a precious gift it is to have faith. Think about the centurion. We are told very little about him, but one thing we know and that is that he believed! Jesus offered to go with this man and heal his servant but the centurion said, "Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed." The centurion believed when scribes and Pharisees did not, and our Lord commended him with words that have been heard all over the world: "I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith" (verse 10). To believe Christ's power and willingness to help, and to make a practical use of our belief is a precious gift. To be willing to come to Jesus as helpless sinners and give our souls into his hands is all that is needed.
Faith in Christ is most precious in God's sight. By faith true Christians come alive, by faith they overcome the sins of worldliness. Without faith no-one can be saved.
Matthew 8 verses 16 to 27
1. Here we have an example of our Lord's dealing with those who professed a willingness to be his disciples.
- when a scribe offers to follow him wherever he goes, the man's offer is not directly accepted, but neither is it rejected. Jesus said "Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head" (verse 20).
- another man asked if he could become a disciple after he had been home to his father's funeral. Jesus said "Follow me and let the dead bury their own dead." (verse 22)
Jesus knew how people, listening to him preach and watching him work miracles, were often inspired to join his followers. But he also knew how quickly inspiration could be forgotten. His answers show that we too must ask some plain questions: "Have you really thought about this? Are you prepared to endure much hardship? Are you ready to carry the cross?" There are times when a Christian must give up all for the sake of our Lord. There are many worldly duties that people will insist they must attend to but which never be compared to our responsibilities to obey and serve the Lord. There may be many people who profess religion while very few prove to have real grace.
2. Saving grace often has much weakness. We are told of our Lord and his disciples crossing the Sea of Galilee in a small boat. While Jesus slept there was a storm. The rain and wind were so furious that his disciples, most of whom were fishermen, were terrified that the boat would sink. They cried out to Jesus to save them. Jesus awoke and with a word silenced the winds and the waves so that everything was calm and still. At the same time he asked "You of little faith, why are you so afraid?"
How many of us show enough faith and love to leave all for Christ, yet are afraid when troubles comes? How many will turn to Jesus when troubles come yet do not have grace enough to believe that in the darkest hour all will be well! Let the words, "Lord, increase our faith" always be included in our prayers. Perhaps we will never know the strength of our faith until we are sorely tempted. We may thank God that Jesus is a great high priest who is compassionate and tender hearted: he knows our strengths and our weaknesses. Our prayers, even if they only have "little faith" are always answered.
Matthew 8 verses 28 to 34
1. We must be clear that there is such a being as the devil. Satan is very close to each of us and full of malice against our souls. From the beginning of creation he has been doing his best to destroy God's people and will never cease to tempt us. Both in Jesus' time and our own, the devil may even curse people with demon possession.
2. We must also understand that the power of the devil is limited. As forcefully as his will is set to do us harm in this world, he cannot move against the Lord. So we read that evil spirits can only attack the world for as long as the Lord permits. This was true of the men who approached Jesus, for when the demons who possessed their bodies and minds saw him, they recognised him as the Son of God and cried out to him, "Have you come here to torture us before the appointed time?" (verse 29) And they pleaded to be sent into the herds of pigs.
3. Jesus Christ is man's great deliverer from the power of the devil. It was prophesied that he should bruise the serpent's head; he began to bruise that head when he was born of the Virgin Mary; he triumphed over that head when he died on the cross. When he was upon earth he showed his rule over Satan by "healing all who were under the power of the devil" (Acts 10 verse 38) Our protection, when attacked by Satan is to cry out to Jesus for help. He can break Satan's hold upon our minds and bodies and set us free. What a miserable world this would be if we did not know the strength of our Lord against the devil. Christ is able to save us completely, for he lives to pray for us (Hebrews 7 verse 25).
4. We cannot leave these words without drawing attention to the worldliness of the Gadarenes. Their only thought seemed to be that Jesus should leave their region at once. They gave no sign of being glad that Jesus performed a miracle and rid the troubled men of their demons. They gave no sign of recognising Jesus as the Son of God and master of satanic forces. They cared only that their herds of pigs had rushed into the sea and drowned. They blamed Jesus for killing their animals and only wanted to be rid of him. Similarly, there are many today who are concerned only to make some money and not at all about their spiritual needs.
Matthew 9 verses 1 to 13
1. The Lord's knowledge of our thoughts. Jesus had just healed a paralysed man and immediately some scribes began to murmur amongst themselves. "This man speaks blasphemy". They spoke in secret but Jesus spoke openly and exposed their bad thoughts. All thoughts are naked and open to him (Hebrews 4 verse 13). Nothing is hidden from Christ.
2. Christ's calling of Matthew to follow him and become one of his disciples. Matthew was a tax collector. He sat at his desk possibly thinking only about his worldly affairs but when Jesus called him he got up at once and followed him.
- with Christ nothing is impossible. He can take a tax collector and make him an apostle; he can take the heart of any sinner and change it for good. When he says by the power of the Spirit, "Follow me" he can make the most sinful soul obey.
- Notice Matthew's immediate response to Jesus. By doing so he had the reward of writing this Gospel. He was blessed in his own soul and became a blessing to others.
3. Our Lord's declaration about his own calling. The Pharisees found fault with Jesus because he treated sinners as his friends. They said that it was not possible for some one to be a teacher from heaven and yet be eating and drinking with those whom they considered sinners. They were ignorant of the work prepared for Jesus during his time on earth. They were ignorant that he had come to be a Saviour, a doctor, a healer of sick souls. Jesus told the Pharisees "I desire mercy, not sacrifice. For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners" (verse 13).
- we all need to know about our own corruption We need to come to Christ knowing that we ourselves are the worst of sinners. We must not keep away from Christ because we are wicked, for we are among the sinners that Jesus came into the world to save. A sense of our personal sin is just what we need to approach God.
- if by the grace of God, we really understand the truth that sinners are those people that Christ came to call, let us never forget it. We will always need our Lord to come between our sins and us. We need our Lord to pray for us. We were sinners when we came to Christ. We will continue to be sinners as long as we live, needing to draw grace all the time from the fullness of Christ. We shall find ourselves to be sinners at the hour of our death and shall find ourselves as dependent on Christ's redeeming blood at that moment as in the day we first believed.
Matthew 9 verses 14 to 26
1. In this passage let us notice that Jesus talks of himself as "the bridegroom". He takes to himself all the souls of those who believe in him and loves them with an everlasting love. He takes them into union with himself and pays all their spiritual debts. He supplies all their needs. He sympathises with them and bears all their failings. Those that persecute his people are persecuting him. By faith God joins our sinful souls to himself.
2. The wisdom Jesus showed in the way that he treated his new disciple. The disciples of John asked him why Jesus' disciples did not fast as often as they did. Jesus defended his disciples by saying that he was with them; they would not need to fast until he was taken from them. Also, they were new to their discipleship and were not expected to know everything at once, which would be like using a piece of new, unshrunk cloth to patch an old garment, or putting fresh wine into old wine skins. Be certain that the first principles of repentance and faith are put before the people again and again until they have a clear understanding of what has to be learnt.
3. What encouragement our Lord gives to a humble soul. A woman, who for 12 years had suffered from a haemorrhage (bleeding inside), came behind our Lord and touched his clothes. She was frightened of speaking to him, but she knew in her heart that she would be healed if she touched his clothing. Jesus turned and seeing the woman, recognised her faith and spoke to her. "Go in peace. Your faith has made you whole." How happy and grateful that woman must have been! These words are recorded to help us when we are in desperate need. Our faith may be feeble; our courage lacking; our understanding of the Gospel weak. But do we trust in Jesus? do we look to Jesus and only to Jesus for pardon and peace? If we do, it is good. We can touch his heart, for such faith saves the soul.
4. Our Lord's almighty power. He restores to life one that was dead. Death is stillness, silence, coldness and no sign of breathing. We cannot mistake the change that has taken place. The body we are looking at is no longer the loved person that we once knew so well. But in this account our Lord goes to the body, calls the spirit back and the body lives again. No-one could do such a thing except God the Creator. The more clearly we look at Christ's power, the more likely we are to enjoy the peace of the gospel.
Matthew 9 verses 27 - 38
4 lessons from this passage:
1 A strong faith in Christ may sometimes be found in unexpected places. We read of the 2 blind men who were unable even to see Jesus. They had to be told about the miracles he performed. But they understood enough to know that Jesus was the Messiah. They called him the "son of David" and believed that he could help them. Grace is stronger than circumstances. The Holy Spirit can give faith to people who have little or no education, no money and very little spiritual opportunity. Simple people can believe in the Lord while many of the educated live and die in unbelief.
2. Our Lord had much experience of disease and sickness. He went about in all the cities and villages doing good. He saw every form of suffering. Nothing was too horrible for him to cure. We do not know what sufferings we or our loved ones will have to bear in the future. Our Lord is the one who is especially suited to help us to cope with our sick bodies as well as our sick consciences. He is the one from whom we will receive pardon and peace before we die.
3. Our Lord's concern for neglected souls. He saw people scattered about like sheep without a shepherd. He saw them neglected, ignored, helpless and unfit to die. He could not see such things and not feel sad. What are our feelings at such a sight? There are millions of idol worshippers and heathen on earth. Do we feel concerned about their souls? Do we pity their spiritual poverty? Do we long to see that poverty relieved? The person who does not wish to help the souls of all unconverted people cannot possibly have "the mind of Christ" (1 Corinthians 2 verse 16).
4. There is a serious duty for all Christians to pray for the unconverted and for those who are seeking to bring the Gospel to them. Let us never forget to be asking the Lord of the harvest to send out workers. it is one of the best ways of doing good.
Matthew 10 verses 1 to 15
This chapter records how our Lord appointed and sent out the apostles, the first workers in the earliest days of the church.
1. Not all ministers are good men. We read that, along with 11 other men, our Lord chose Judas Iscariot as one of his apostles. Jesus who knows the heart of every one, includes a traitor. Appointed pastors are not infallible. They have the same passions as we have, the same weaknesses and the same temptations. We are to compare their teachings with those of the bible and we are to follow them as far as they follow Christ and no further They are very much in need of our prayers.
2. Ministers are to do good by working for the Lord. They are to spread the good news, relieve those who are suffering, encourage those who are sorrowing and be glad with the joyful. Faithful ministers must be ready to sacrifice their bodies, minds, time and patience for the people in the church. they should be ready to serve rather than rule.
3. Verses 13 to 15 shows that it is most dangerous to ignore the message of the gospel. We do not need to sin in obvious, public ways to be ruined for ever. We have only to go on hearing without believing, listening without repenting, going to church without going to Christ and soon we will find ourselves in hell! What are doing about the gospel that we hear? We must receive our Lord's truth; we must have him living in our hearts; we must become his servants. If not, the preaching of the gospel will only increase our guilt. The words of the bible are all true.
Matthew 10 verses 16 to 23
1. Those who wish to do good to souls must be careful in what they expect. They will not have continual success; they will have to put up with intolerance and persecution, much of which may come from their own families. They will find themselves like "sheep among wolves" (verse 16). Human nature is wicked. The power of evil is great. It is better to know what to expect before we begin serving our Lord, than to learn it by bitter experience.
2. Those who wish to do good to souls need to pray for wisdom. They should not invite trouble by trying to force their religion on everyone and at all times. On the other hand, we must never use this principle as an excuse for cowardice or unfaithfulness. It is too easy to give way to laziness and a desire to avoid trouble and so throw away great opportunities to be useful. Let us be careful to avoid both extremes. Let us seek Christian wisdom. Let us take everything into account, not as fools but as wise people (Ephesians 5 verse 15).
Sadly many believers in the Lord Jesus do not pray consistently for the wisdom of knowledge and good judgement. Let us remember that grace with common sense is something rare. King David and the apostle Paul displayed these things, but our Lord Jesus is the most perfect example. He was the wisest of men. Let us seek to walk with Jesus!
Matthew 10 verses 24 to 33
It is not easy to win souls for the Lord. Courage is needed. So is faith, patience and perseverance. Satan will attack strongly to keep souls for himself. Human nature is desperately wicked; to do harm is easy but to do good is hard.
1. We must not expect to receive better treatment than the Lord. Jesus was slandered and rejected by those he wanted to help, so no-one can be surprised if their efforts receive the same attention. if we leave the world alone it will probably let us alone; but if we offer it some spiritual advice, we will receive the same hatred as Jesus was given.
2. We must look forward with patience to the Judgement Day. Remember that everything will be set right on that last great day. "He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun" (Psalms 37 verse 6). The good intentions, the wisdom and the rightfulness of our cause shall be seen by the whole world. So let us work on steadily. People may not understand us and some may violently oppose us, but the day is coming when we shall be proved right at last. The Lord will bring to light those hidden things of the dark.
3. We must fear God more than people. People can hurt our bodies but that is all. God "can destroy both soul and body in hell." We may be threatened with the loss of our character and property but we should not worry. We should be ready to put up with anything in order to obey God.
4. We must remember that God is looking after us for our good. Nothing in this world can happen without God's permission. Be sure of this: there is no such thing as chance, accident or luck. Christianity can often be frightening, especially when the Lord has called a person to some special duty, but we are safe in God's hand.
5. We should continually remember the day when we will meet the Lord and receive our reward. If we would like Jesus to own us and bring us to his Father, we must not be ashamed to confess him before other people. Even though we have to bear laughter, mockery, persecution and scorn, let us not be afraid to show people that we love Christ and want them to know and love them also.
The Lord cares for all his believing people but especially for those who work for his cause. All believers can do something if they try. Let us see what we have to do and then do it.
Matthew 10 verses 34 to 42
Our Lord concludes his teaching to those sent out with the gospel by reminding them of 3 great truths.
1. His gospel will not always cause peace and agreement. "I did not come to bring peace but a sword." We have no right to be surprised at the continual fulfilment of these words. It is not strange if the gospel brings disruption to our families As long as one person believes and another remains unbelieving, preaching the gospel will inevitably cause division. The gospel is not to blame for this, but the hearts of the people. In the churches there is much talk about "unity" and "harmony" and "peace" as if they were the things we ought to expect. No doubt unity and peace are blessings for which we should work and pray, but not if we have to sacrifice the truth and our own consciences.
2. True Christians must accept trouble in this world. We must endure hardships, we must deny ourselves in many things or we shall never reach heaven. So long as the world, the devil and our own hearts are inclined toward evil, there will be trouble in this world. It is best if we grasp that although we are promised a crown at the end, we are also promised a cross before we get there.
3. The smallest work done to help those who work in his cause will be rewarded by God. Anyone that gives a cup of cold water to one of his disciples will certainly not lose a reward. There is something very beautiful in this promise. It teaches us that God sees everything and knows those who work for him.
How we think of Christ's work? Do we work help the faithful or do we ignore them? Do we work against his workers or do we help them? May we all strive to leave this place a better world than it was when we were born!
Matthew 11 verses 1 to 15
1. The message which John the Baptist sends to our Lord. He sent his disciples to ask Jesus "Are you that one who was to come or should we expect someone else?" This question was not because John doubted Jesus. it was asked for the benefit of his disciples. It was meant to let them hear Christ give his own evidence of his divine mission. John was in prison and felt that his own ministry was finished. He remembered the jealousies that had been shown by his disciples towards the disciples of Jesus and he took the best way of dispelling those jealousies for ever. He sent his followers to "hear and see" for themselves.
2. The testimony that our Lord gives to the character of John the Baptist. In the past, John had pointed out Jesus as the Lamb of God. Now Jesus names John as more than a prophet. he tells the people not to suppose that John was a timid, unstable person, "a reed swayed by the wind". He was actually a bold witness to the truth. John was a self-denying preacher of repentance. He would not keep quiet about the king's sins even if it made the king angry. John not only prophesied about him, but saw him and was given the honour of pointing him out and saying, "Look, The Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!" (John 1 verse 29)
This testimony of John the Baptist shows the interest that the Lord takes in the lives of all his followers. Christ sees all that we do for him and really values it. Jesus will bear testimony to all believers at the last day. He will say, "Come you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world." (Matthew 25 verse 34)
Matthew 11 verses 16 to 24
These saying of Jesus were spoken to the Jews when he realised how unsympathetic they were towards his preaching and miracles.
1. The unreasonableness of the majority when they dismiss everything to do with the Christian religion. The leading Jews in our Lord's time found fault with all the teachers that God had sent among them.
First came John the Baptist, a man who had withdrawn himself from society and lived a simple life. But this did not impress the Jewish leaders. They said "He has a demon!"
Then Jesus the Son of God came to preach the gospel. He lived as other men lived and practised none of John's austerities. But again the Jewish leaders found fault. "Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners." They were hard to please as rebellious children.
There are thousands of people today who are just as hard to please. Whatever we say or do, they will find something to complain about. They will despise our teaching and ridicule our behaviour. They will be quick to suggest that what we do does not match what we say. What is all this but the conduct of the Jewish leaders all over again? Believers must not expect unbelievers to straightaway listen to what they say, for the Bible tells us that "the sinful mind is hostile to God" (Romans 8 verse 7). "The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God." (1 Corinthians 2 verse 14)
2. The wickedness of wilful impenitence. Our Lord denounced the cities in which most of his miracles had been performed, by saying that it would be more tolerable for Tyre, Sidon and Sodom in the Judgement Day than for those cities where people had ignored his preaching and his miracles. Just remember the idolatry and immorality of Tyre and Sidon and the terrible wickedness of Sodom. Then think what our Lord says about Korazin, Bethsaida and Capernaum. They were not outwardly wicked towns but are said to be in the lowest place of hell because they had heard the gospel regularly and yet remain uncommitted. Moral, decent and respectable though they are, they are more guilty than a sinner from Tyre, Sidon or Sodom. It is a most serious matter to be a regular hearer of the gospel if our hearts remain hard and unmoved. It is not enough to think that the preaching is nice: we must "Repent ... and turn to God" (Acts 3 verse 19). We must become one with Christ. Until then, our souls are in awful danger.
Matthew 11 verses 25 to 30
1. How good it is to have minds that are childlike and teachable. Our Lord praises his Father "because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned and revealed them to your little children" (verse 25) It is not for us to understand why some receive and believe the gospel while others do not. Those from whom the gospel message is hidden are usually those who are certain that they know best. Those who accept its message are mostly humble and willing to learn. The words of our Lord's mother are very true! "He has filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away empty." (Luke 1 verse 53)
Let us fight against all sorts of pride; pride in knowledge, pride in wealth, pride in thinking how good we are. Nothing is more likely to keep us out of heaven than pride. Let us pray for humility. The start of the way to heaven is the feeling that we are on the way to hell! We must become willing to pray in humble submission like Saul "What shall I do Lord" (Acts 22 verse 10). Our Lord repeats again and again, "He who humbles himself will be exalted" (Luke 18 verse 14).
2. The greatness and majesty of our Lord. Jesus says "All things have been committed to me by my Father. No-one knows the Son except the Father and no-one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him" (verse 27) In these words we see something of the perfect union that exists between the Father and Son. We see how superior Jesus is to all humanity.
Let us accept the practical truth that Jesus holds all the concerns of humanity in his power. He holds the keys to heaven and it is to him that we must go for admission. He is the door and it is through him that we must enter. He is our good shepherd and like sheep, we must listen to his voice. He is the doctor and we must go to him to be healed of our sinfulness. He is the bread of life and if we wish our souls to be nourished, it is to him we must go for this bread. He is the light and we must walk close to him to avoid being lost in the dark. He is the fountain of life and we must wash in his blood if we wish to be cleansed. Christ has everything that we need.
3. The wonder of the great invitation of Christ's gospel.
- notice who it is that Jesus invites. He speaks to all who are weary and burdened. This is very wide reaching. Whatever their past life has been, all who feel a load on their heart, a load of sin, sorrow, anxiety or remorse, all are invited to come to Christ.
- notice the kind offer Jesus makes "I will give you rest." Unrest is characteristic of this modern world. Hurry, failure and disappointment create tension. But with faith in our Lord's words there is hope. There is rest in Christ; rest of conscience, rest given by the pardon of sin; rest flowing from peace with God.
- notice the simple request Jesus makes. He says to those who are loaded down, "Come ... take ... learn ..." There are no difficult conditions in what he says. He only asks us to come to him just as we are with all our sins, and to submit ourselves like little children to his teaching.
- notice how encouragingly Jesus speaks about himself. He says, "I am gentle and humble in heart."
- notice how Jesus speaks about serving him. He says "My yoke is easy and my burden is light". No doubt there is a cross to be carried if we follow Christ. No doubt there are trials to be endured and battles to be fought. But the comforts of the gospel are better than the weight of the cross. they are pleasant ways and paths of peace (Proverbs 3 verse 17).
- Here is a picture of the history of the Jewish nation at the time of our Lord. They were called out of Egypt to be God's chosen people but they never seem to have lost the tendency to worship idols. They were afterwards redeemed from captivity in Babylon but they never seem to have given to God a due return for his goodness. They had been aroused by John the Baptist's preaching but their repentance was only very superficial. Their last condition became rapidly worse than the first and only 40 years after Jesus spoke, the end came. They rebelled against Rome, Jerusalem was taken, the temple was destroyed and the Jews were scattered throughout the world.
- Here is a picture the whole body of Christian churches. Delivered from heathen darkness by the preaching of the Gospel, they have never really lived as they should. Revived as they were at the time of the Reformation, they did not make the right use of their privileges and teach perfection. Now it seems that "the evil spirit has returned to his original place" and we are preparing for an outbreak of infidelity and false doctrines such as our churches have never yet seen. Everything is ready for the coming of anti-Christ.
- Saddest of all, here is a picture of the history of many individual souls. Despite strong religious feelings and some outward changes, there was nothing deeper and they eventually gave up religion. Their consciences seem to have left them; their sense of religion seems to be destroyed. They are like depraved people and it appears to be impossible to help them to repent. Let us never be content with a partial reformation of life without true conversion to God and the death of the whole body of sin. It is a good thing to cast sin out of our hearts, but let us take care that we also receive the grace of God in its place.
Matthew
13 verses 1 to 23
This
parable gives such an apt description of what goes on in all groups of
listeners from Jesus’ day up to today.
1. The work of the preacher is like that of the sower.
- The preacher must sow good seed if he wants to see fruit. He must sow the pure Word of God, not the traditions of the church or the doctrines of men.
- The preacher must work hard. He must keep preaching “in season and out of season” (2 Timothy 4 verse 2). Whilst his success does not depend on his efforts, there will be no success without effort.
- The preacher cannot give life to the seed. He can scatter the seed, but he cannot command it to grow. He may offer the word of truth to his people, but he cannot make them receive it and bear fruit. That is God’s work.
2. 2. There are ways of hearing the truth without any benefit to our souls.
- We can listen to a message while our hearts are like the hard trodden path. If we are thoughtless and unconcerned as we hear the words, the devil will pluck them away and we will go home as if we had not heard anything at all. The words of the psalmist are so true “They have ... eyes, but they cannot see; they have ears, but cannot hear” (Psalm 135 verses 16 and 17)
- We can listen to a message with pleasure but it only has a temporary effect upon us. Like the “rocky places”, our hearts may have a good crop of warm feelings but there will be no deeply rooted work in our souls, and at the first sign of opposition or temptation our religion will wither away.
- We can listen to a message and approve of every word it contains and yet get no good from it because of the influence of the world. Our hearts, like the thorny ground will be choked with a crop of pleasures and worldly plans. There are many such hearers! They know the truth well: they hope to be good Christians, but they never come to the point of giving up everything for the sake of Christ. They never commit themselves to seeking first the kingdom of God (Matthew 6 verse 33) and so they die in their sins.
We
should never forget that there are plenty of ways to listen to the word without
bringing profit to ourselves “The heart
is deceitful above all things and beyond cure.
Who can understand it?” (Jeremiah 17 verse 9)
3. Bearing fruit is the only thing that proves that we have listened to the word correctly. This fruit of the Holy Spirit is repentance towards God, faith towards the Lord Jesus, holiness of life and character, prayerfulness, humility love and spiritual mindedness. These are the only satisfactory proofs that the seed of the word is doing a good work in our souls. Without such proofs our religion is wasted. “I chose you and appointed you to go and bear good fruit – fruit that will last.” (John 15 verse 16)
There
is no part of the whole parable that is more important than this. We must see that the Gospel we love produces
true fruit in our hearts and lives. This is real Christianity. “Do not merely listen to the word, and so
deceive yourselves. Do what it says”
(James 1 verse 22). How do we hear the
Word from our preacher? What effect does
it have on our characters? We may rest
assured, that to reach heaven it needs more than going to morning and evening
services and listening to the preacher.
The word of God must be received into our hearts. If it does not do this
it will only add to our condemnation in the Judgement day.
Matthew 13 verses 24 to 43
1. It teaches us that good and evil will always be found together in the church until the end of the world. The visible church is like a large field in which wheat and weeds grow together. We must expect to find believers and unbelievers, converted and unconverted all together in our congregations. The devil has always been clever enough to sow weeds in any congregation and the most careful discipline will not completely prevent it. People who do not worry so much about the “wheat” and simply want to root out the “weeds” do not know much about the mind of Christ. After all there is much truth in a charitable saying of Augustine: “Those who are weeds today may become the wheat of tomorrow.”
Do we hope to see the conversion of the whole world by the work of missionaries and ministers? Let us give thought to the parable and beware of such an idea. We shall never see all the earth peopled by the “wheat” of God. The weeds and the wheat will grow together until the harvest. The world will never be perfect until the Lord himself returns.
2. It teaches us that there is to be a day of separation between the godly and ungodly members of the visible church at the end of the world. The wheat and the weeds will be divided at last. The angels who do the reaping will make no mistakes. The true servants of Christ will receive glory, honour and eternal life. All the careless and unconverted will be thrown into the fiery furnace.
- Let the ungodly tremble. They are sowing misery for themselves if they continue to neglect God. God’s patience should not be misunderstood.
- Let all believers take comfort. There is happiness and safety prepared or them in the day of the Lord. In the end they will be separated from the wicked. How brightly will grace shine when it is no longer dimmed by contact with the worldly and unconverted. The righteous are not greatly appreciated now: “The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him” (1 John 3 verse 1). But one day it will all change. “When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.” (Colossians 3 verse 4)
Matthew 13 verses 44 – 50
The parables of the treasure in the field and the merchant seeking pearls tech the same main lesson. They differ because the treasure was found by one who was not looking for it, whereas the pearl was found by someone who was seeking it. However, in both cases the finders sold everything they possessed to keep what they had found.
1. The parables teach us that people who are really convinced of the importance of salvation will give up everything to win Christ and eternal life. The men in the parable were sure they were making a good bargain even if others thought them foolish. In the same way, true Christians know that what they are doing is worthwhile. They come out from the world. They forsake the companions of their former life. Christ becomes their treasure; Christ becomes their “pearl of great value”. To win Christ they will make any sacrifice. This is true faith. This is the mark of a genuine work of the Holy Spirit.
2. The parables help us to understand the conduct of unconverted people. They are not fully persuaded that it is worthwhile to be different. Therefore they will not take up the cross. They cannot make up their minds to commit themselves to the Lord. They have no faith. If someone will not give up anything for Christ, we must sadly conclude that they do not have the grace of God.
3. The next parable of the fishing net is like that of the wheat and the weeds. It teaches us about the true nature of the visible church of Christ. The preaching of the Gospel is compared to letting down a net into the sea. The net gathers in both good and bad fish. In the church there are people of various sorts, converted and unconverted, false believers as well as true. The separation of good and bad is sure to come at last, but not until the end of the world. It is most important to understand this parable because mistakes can be very dangerous to souls!
- Congregations of professing Christians should be regarded as mixed bodies. To tell all baptized people that they are born again and have the Holy Spirit and are members of Christ is completely wrong. It promotes self-righteousness and lulls sinners to sleep. It goes against the teachings of Christ and ruins souls. Let us remember the net.
- Never be satisfied with mere outward church membership. We may be inside the net but not in Christ. Are we converted? Are we among the “good fish”? This question will be answered at last. There will be separation between the good fish and the bad; there will be a “furnace of fire” for the wicked.
Matthew 13 verses 51 to 58
1. The first thing to notice here is the serious question that our Lord asks the disciples after they had listened to the parables. “Have you understood all these things?” (verse 51) A sermon without an application is like a letter without an address. Listening to a sermon is useless unless it is understood. The brains must work, The heart must appreciate. Ideas must be taken home afterwards. There are thousands of people who go to a place of worship and think they have done their religious duty but do not learn anything. We should go to church not only with our bodies but also with our minds and consciences. We must remember that the Holy Spirit reaches our souls through our minds. Sleepy, inattentive people are never likely to be converted.
2. The second thing to notice is the treatment that our Lord received in his home town. He went to the synagogue and began to teach the people, but what he said made no impression on them. They were astonished but their hearts were not affected. They said, “Isn’t this the carpenter’s son? Isn’t his mother’s name Mary?” (verse 55) They were so familiar with the man Jesus that they took no notice of his words. Our Lord had to say, “Only in his home town and in his own house is a prophet without honour.” (verse 57)
- This is a sad picture of human nature. It is easy to despise things that we know well but we can provoke God into withdrawing our opportunities to hear the truth.
- This explains why relatives and friends of Christians are not always converted. Remember what happened to Jesus of Nazareth.
- Do we imagine that we would have believed if we had seen Jesus in the flesh? This account tells us otherwise.
3. The last thing to notice is the destructive nature of unbelief. “And he did not do many miracles there because of their lack of faith.” Souls perish when people will not believe. Salvation is put before them. Their sins could all be forgiven; the Father’s love is ready to receive them; the blood Christ is ready to cleanse them; the power of the Holy Spirit is ready to renew them. But they still will not believe. May we all be on our guard against this terrible sin. There are 3 great enemies of the Christian, pride, worldliness and unbelief. Unbelief is the worst.
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