Posts Tagged ‘Matthew’

The Word 5.22.11

I do not have a burning desire to say much about the Harold Camping rapture prediction at this moment. I may change my tune later in the week as I think about it more. A simple Google search will turn up plenty of reading material on the matter. Timothy Dalrymple has some thoughts on Harold Camping and his predictions. For now, I’ll simply leave you with this passage from Matthew about the end of the age and the return of Christ. Always be careful to test every teaching against the inspired word of Scripture.

Matthew 24:3-51 (ESV)

3 As he sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the close of the age?” 4 And Jesus answered them, “See that no one leads you astray. 5 For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and they will lead many astray. 6 And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not yet. 7 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places. 8 All these are but the beginning of the birth pains.

9 “Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations for my name’s sake. 10 And then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another. 11 And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. 12 And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold. 13 But the one who endures to the end will be saved. 14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.

15 “So when you see the abomination of desolation spoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand), 16 then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. 17 Let the one who is on the housetop not go down to take what is in his house, 18 and let the one who is in the field not turn back to take his cloak. 19 And alas for women who are pregnant and for those who are nursing infants in those days! 20 Pray that your flight may not be in winter or on a Sabbath. 21 For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, and never will be. 22 And if those days had not been cut short, no human being would be saved. But for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short. 23 Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There he is!’ do not believe it. 24 For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect. 25 See, I have told you beforehand. 26 So, if they say to you, ‘Look, he is in the wilderness,’ do not go out. If they say, ‘Look, he is in the inner rooms,’ do not believe it. 27 For as the lightning comes from the east and shines as far as the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. 28 Wherever the corpse is, there the vultures will gather.

29 “Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 30 Then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. 31 And he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

32 “From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts out its leaves, you know that summer is near. 33 So also, when you see all these things, you know that he is near, at the very gates. 34 Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place. 35 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.

36 “But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only. 37 For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. 38 For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, 39 and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. 40 Then two men will be in the field; one will be taken and one left. 41 Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken and one left. 42 Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. 43 But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. 44 Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.

45 “Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom his master has set over his household, to give them their food at the proper time? 46 Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes. 47 Truly, I say to you, he will set him over all his possessions. 48 But if that wicked servant says to himself, ‘My master is delayed,’ 49 and begins to beat his fellow servants and eats and drinks with drunkards, 50 the master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know 51 and will cut him in pieces and put him with the hypocrites. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

The Word 7.19.09

Jesus calls unlikely people and uses the foolish things of this world to glorify himself. Why? In choosing unlikely people and foolish things, Jesus ensures that God’s glory is not given to man. The wise and talented would be tempted to claim honor for himself based on his good works or abilities. But Jesus makes that impossible by choosing people and things that the world scoffs at. He sits with tax collectors and sinners because they are sick and perceive the need for healing. Once again, the Pharisees miss the point. They do not think of themselves as sick and thus do not perceive an illness. They have little use for a doctor or a man who keeps company with sinnners.

God cares little for our religious speeches and habits if we do not show mercy to sinners. I believe this is an area in all of us that may need a bit of refining. I would certainly count myself in that group.

Matthew 9:9-13 (ESV)

9 As Jesus passed on from there, he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax booth, and he said to him, “Follow me.” And he rose and followed him.

10 And as Jesus reclined at table in the house, behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and were reclining with Jesus and his disciples. 11 And when the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” 12 But when he heard it, he said, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. 13 Go and learn what this means, ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.’ For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.”

The Word 7.5.09

I love this passage because it highlights the real center of Jesus’ purpose and mission. This action by Jesus illuminates his true identity (though many would still deny it). Yes, he can certainly heal the sick. But Jesus came to do much more. He came so that we might have forgiveness for our sins. He died so we could be right with a holy God. It is beautiful. I commend this passage to you today.

Matthew 9:1-8 (ESV)

9:1 And getting into a boat he crossed over and came to his own city. 2 And behold, some people brought to him a paralytic, lying on a bed. And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Take heart, my son; your sins are forgiven.” 3 And behold, some of the scribes said to themselves, “This man is blaspheming.” 4 But Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said, “Why do you think evil in your hearts? 5 For which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise and walk’? 6 But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he then said to the paralytic—“Rise, pick up your bed and go home.” 7 And he rose and went home. 8 When the crowds saw it, they were afraid, and they glorified God, who had given such authority to men.

The Word 02.15.09

Matthew 6:21 is one of the most profound verses in the New Testament. This verse describes the difference between a believer and a non-believer at a foundational level. Whatever you treasure and value the most will end up being the object of your devotion intentionally or unintentionally. If our heart’s affection is focused on Jesus then undoubtedly our lives will reflect it. However, if our heart’s affection is focused on other things then that object will be revealed through our lives as well. It comes down to a question of eternal and temporal. Which treasure is everlasting and which treasure will eventually cease to exist? Wouldn’t it make sense to choose that which lasts forever?

Matthew 6:19-24 (ESV)

19 “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, 20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

22 “The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light, 23 but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!

24 “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.

The Word 2.2.09

Prayer is a real area of struggle for many Christians including myself. It is easy to neglect amidst the list of things to do each day. It is easy to push aside because it seems to provide little immediate benefit or satisfaction in comparison to other things. Yet prayer is one of the most powerful aspects of our faith. Being able to pray to the Creator of all things is a mind-blowing idea and reality. We fail to take advantage of such a blessing. I fail to take advantage of such a blessing. So how shall we pray? What mindset should we take on? What does it look like?

Hypocrisy is a stumbling block to many people in regards to Christianity. Though we cannot completely avoid sin, we must make every effort to avoid creating stumbling blocks for anyone who comes into contact with us. We should pray with humility. We should pray with the intent to speak to the Father and honor Him. We shall avoid hypocrisy when we make much of Jesus and little of ourselves.

Matthew 6:5-14 (ESV)

5 “And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 6 But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

7 “And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. 8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. 9 Pray then like this:

“Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name.

10 Your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.

11 Give us this day our daily bread,
12 and forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.

13 And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.

14 For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, 15 but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.


The Monday Muse

Do you think churches should have regular evaluations of the worship gatherings? Why or why not?

Join the discussion!

Annie’s Music


You can pick up my wife's album on iTunes or Amazon. Interested in booking her for a show? Visit her contact page at www.annielash.com.

Blog Sponsors

Westminster Bookstore

You can support this site by visiting the sponsors above.

Twitter Updates

Latest Comments

Top Categories

Archives