Matthew 10-11.30.21
Scripture:
Matthew 10:1-8
1 Jesus called his twelve disciples to him and gave them authority to drive out impure spirits and to heal every disease and sickness.
2 These are the names of the twelve apostles: first, Simon (who is called Peter) and his brother Andrew; James son of Zebedee, and his brother John; 3 Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; 4 Simon the Zealot and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him.
5 These twelve Jesus sent out with the following instructions: “Do not go among the Gentiles or enter any town of the Samaritans. 6 Go rather to the lost sheep of Israel. 7 As you go, proclaim this message: ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’ 8 Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, [a] drive out demons. Freely you have received; freely give.
Observation:
Throughout the book of Matthew, Jesus has been healing and meeting needs. In chapter 10 he calls his disciples to him (come to me, draw close to me, commune with me, hear my heart) and gives them the authority to perform the very same miracles. He gives them their assignment: 1. Go and proclaim the kingdom; and 2. Heal/meet needs.
Understanding:
These verses are confirmation of something God has been speaking to me lately. If I say I love Jesus, and he loves people, I need to love and help people. Freely I have received and freely I need to give.
“Both Jesus' proclamation and practical acts of compassion go beyond what many Christians call
ministry today. Our communities are ravaged by demonic forces, violence, injustice and all kinds of
human pain, while the church often remains irrelevant except to the few who venture through our
doors. To follow Jesus' model of ministry, more Christians must stop simply going to church and learn
rather to become the church among our communities in evangelism and ministry to social needs.” (IVP
New Testament Commentary Series)
For those of us who don’t feel qualified (me!), did you notice that Jesus’ disciples were ordinary men with no special training? They were fishermen, farmers, a tax collector, and a zealot. But Jesus said draw close to me and I will empower you.
Life Application:
I might not feel ready yet to go out and pray for healing for strangers, but I can get started with baby steps toward getting involved with my community and those in need – I can volunteer at the food pantry or donate to the homeless shelter or a myriad of other opportunities. And as I walk in obedience, I believe He will provide opportunities to share the good news.
Freely I have received – spiritually and physically, and FREELY I NEED TO GIVE.
-Debbie Dunn
Matthew 9 - 11.29.21
Scripture
Matthew 9:12-13
On hearing this, Jesus said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.
Observation
Several times throughout Jesus’ life, but in this chapter particularly, He is questioned about His motives and choice of company. Here, Jesus finally answers them regarding this and He quotes scripture in His response.
Understanding
Oftentimes this verse is used in conjunction with the value of sharing the gospel with others who do not yet know Jesus or have a relationship with Him. While I love the truth and power behind that first sentence, that is not why I chose this particular verse today. I got hung up on the difference between mercy and sacrifice. I, like many of us I think, am very much a words person but for some reason I couldn’t sort the difference between the two words today. According to the old reliable Google mercy is defined as the following: compassion or forgiveness shown toward someone whom it is within one’s power to punish or harm. Whereas sacrifice is defined as the following: surrendering a possession as an offering to God.
While I think Google has most certainly gotten these definitions right, there is one thing that I would like to add to the definition of mercy. I believe mercy is compassion or forgiveness shown toward someone even when it is not deserved. Jesus calls for mercy, and mercy in this case is a choice. In other words, showing compassion and grace to people goes beyond teaching them the gospel. Even further than that it’s not a sacrifice, it’s a choice. Jesus chose to love extravagantly, and He came to love those who everyone else cast aside. This chapter is full of those people and the way that He chose to love, maybe we ought to follow His example.
Life Application
Grace gave a wonderful sermon about giving generously yesterday, and maybe that’s the best place to start in terms of loving people like Christ did. Maybe for others its time you show mercy to someone that you have been harboring feelings against. And remember it’s not a sacrifice, it’s a choice!
-Allison Khan
Matthew 8 - 11.26.21
SCRIPTURE
Matthew 8:27b
“Even the winds and the waves obey him!”
OBSERVATION
The disciples were panicking as Jesus stood up in the boat that was being swamped by violent waves. I imagine his hair and beard going completely sideways from the wind, but his facial expression calm and confident. He rebuked the wind and waves and it was suddenly calm. The boat came to a rest. Wide eyed, the disciples couldn’t believe that Jesus had the ability to control even the most powerful forces of nature.
This chapter reveals Jesus as Lord over sickness and disease as he cleansed the leper (8:3), healed Peter’s mother-in-law of her fever (8:15) and healed all the sick (8:16). This chapter reveals Jesus as Lord over the spiritual realm when he sent demons fleeing the people they were tormenting (8:16, 32). And as mentioned, we see here Jesus’ lordship over creation.
UNDERSTANDING
Jesus is Lord of all.
It’s no wonder the apostle Paul passionately declared to the Roman Christians, “If God is for us, who can be against us!” This is the amazing part! The significance of Jesus’ lordship and authority is that he uses it on our behalf! No matter what may be against us – sickness, demons, even hurricanes and storms – we have a God who is for us. And our God has authority over it all!
This chapter also so clearly reveals God’s love for us. Every time he exercised his authority, it was for the benefit of those he came to save! Jesus is Lord of all and he is pleased to use his power and authority for our benefit.
Side note: Jesus spoke and calmed this storm in Matthew 8. But there was one other time in scripture where Jesus encountered a storm. Instead of speaking to calm the storm he spoke to calm his disciples. Instead of calming the waves, he enabled Peter to walk on them.
Whether he calms the waves in front of us or our heart within us, we can be certain that he is for us, will never leave us, and he has the authority and power to see us through.
LIFE APPLICATION
Thank God for being with me in the storm. Trust his authority and his love for me.
God, thank you for loving me! Thank you for using your authority already to change my life. To free me from my sin, from sicknesses, from demonic attacks. Once again, I ask you to come invade the areas in my life and those in our church family. In your great love for us, silence our storms and our fears. Amen.
-Pastor Levi Thompson