Good Morning “Sword Fighters”. Today we are in Matthew 12.
In Matthew Chapter 10 we read that Jesus came to bring the sword, not peace! The sword against what, or who? Evil, sin and the messed up thinking that plagues man as a result.
Jesus flipped the script. He turned the world on its head. He was preaching a Gospel which seemed to run contrary to the strict rules the religious leaders had been practicing and teaching for years. But… He did not come to abolish the Law but to fulfill it (Matthew 5:17). He demonstrated what The Law lived out looks like. They were nearly perfect at “obeying” The Law, and felt good about that! You can imagine their frustration when Jesus comes on the scene and starts preaching Grace, Love and forgiveness of sins.
(1) Religion is man reaching up to God. Christianity is God reaching down to man through Jesus.
(2) Religion is all about works and trying to earn favor with God. Christianity realizes favor is only possible through Jesus. Works don’t save us but should accompany true salvation (Matthew 7:18, James 2:17), from a humble submitted servant heart!
What’s in it for us? Ha ha… Only ALL that we seek to artificially fabricate with the world’s offerings. With Jesus in us and us remaining in Him through His Word -Jesus works through us to produce real Joy, not fabricated Joy. In fact He says COMPLETE Joy (John 15:11).
They’d become really good at the works part, but their hearts were off. They start looking for ways to trip Jesus up and even begin plotting to kill Him. With every new accusation, Jesus puts them in their place.
“You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good? For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.”
Matthew 12:34
He continues to remind them and us, He wants our heart - and for our sake, it’s important He has it. The spiritual battle we are in becomes more apparent in this chapter. It’s important for us to realize we are in a battle. It’s a battle that first requires the Holy Spirit be in us if we are to have any strength for the battle. We are powerless on our own. Once we’ve received Jesus’ payment for our sins, the Holy Spirit indwells us (Acts 1:8, John 14:15-17). He is our power! The Sword of the Spirit is our weapon. If we are going to choose to fight this battle, and hope to be victorious, we must put on the FULL Armor of God (Ephesians 6:10-18)!
Love you all! Dig in and live it out!
In Matthew Chapter 10 we read that Jesus came to bring the sword, not peace! The sword against what, or who? Evil, sin and the messed up thinking that plagues man as a result.
Jesus flipped the script. He turned the world on its head. He was preaching a Gospel which seemed to run contrary to the strict rules the religious leaders had been practicing and teaching for years. But… He did not come to abolish the Law but to fulfill it (Matthew 5:17). He demonstrated what The Law lived out looks like. They were nearly perfect at “obeying” The Law, and felt good about that! You can imagine their frustration when Jesus comes on the scene and starts preaching Grace, Love and forgiveness of sins.
(1) Religion is man reaching up to God. Christianity is God reaching down to man through Jesus.
(2) Religion is all about works and trying to earn favor with God. Christianity realizes favor is only possible through Jesus. Works don’t save us but should accompany true salvation (Matthew 7:18, James 2:17), from a humble submitted servant heart!
What’s in it for us? Ha ha… Only ALL that we seek to artificially fabricate with the world’s offerings. With Jesus in us and us remaining in Him through His Word -Jesus works through us to produce real Joy, not fabricated Joy. In fact He says COMPLETE Joy (John 15:11).
They’d become really good at the works part, but their hearts were off. They start looking for ways to trip Jesus up and even begin plotting to kill Him. With every new accusation, Jesus puts them in their place.
“You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good? For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.”
Matthew 12:34
He continues to remind them and us, He wants our heart - and for our sake, it’s important He has it. The spiritual battle we are in becomes more apparent in this chapter. It’s important for us to realize we are in a battle. It’s a battle that first requires the Holy Spirit be in us if we are to have any strength for the battle. We are powerless on our own. Once we’ve received Jesus’ payment for our sins, the Holy Spirit indwells us (Acts 1:8, John 14:15-17). He is our power! The Sword of the Spirit is our weapon. If we are going to choose to fight this battle, and hope to be victorious, we must put on the FULL Armor of God (Ephesians 6:10-18)!
Love you all! Dig in and live it out!
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