The teaching of the Lord Jesus becomes more pointed and starts ruffling some religious feathers. Take a look.
Matthew 12: Jesus Is Lord of the Sabbath
1 At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath. His disciples were hungry, and they began to pluck heads of grain and to eat.
2 But when the Pharisees saw it, they said to him, "Look, your disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath."
3 He said to them, "Have you not read what David did when he was hungry, and those who were with him:
4 how he entered the house of God and ate the bread of the Presence, which it was not lawful for him to eat nor for those who were with him, but only for the priests?
5 Or have you not read in the Law how on the Sabbath the priests in the temple profane the Sabbath and are guiltless?
6 I tell you, something greater than the temple is here.
7 And if you had known what this means, 'I desire mercy, and not sacrifice,' you would not have condemned the guiltless.
8 For the Son of Man is lord of the Sabbath."
A Man with a Withered Hand
9 He went on from there and entered their synagogue.
10 And a man was there with a withered hand. And they asked him, "Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?"---so that they might accuse him.
11 He said to them, "Which one of you who has a sheep, if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will not take hold of it and lift it out?
12 Of how much more value is a man than a sheep! So it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath."
13 Then he said to the man, "Stretch out your hand." And the man stretched it out, and it was restored, healthy like the other.
14 But the Pharisees went out and conspired against him, how to destroy him.
God's Chosen Servant
15 Jesus, aware of this, withdrew from there. And many followed him, and he healed them all
16 and ordered them not to make him known.
17 This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah:
18 "Behold, my servant whom I have chosen, my beloved with whom my soul is well pleased. I will put my Spirit upon him, and he will proclaim justice to the Gentiles.
19 He will not quarrel or cry aloud, nor will anyone hear his voice in the streets;
20 a bruised reed he will not break, and a smouldering wick he will not quench, until he brings justice to victory;
21 and in his name the Gentiles will hope."
Blasphemy Against the Holy Spirit
22 Then a demon-oppressed man who was blind and mute was brought to him, and he healed him, so that the man spoke and saw.
23 And all the people were amazed, and said, "Can this be the Son of David?"
24 But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, "It is only by Beelzebul, the prince of demons, that this man casts out demons."
25 Knowing their thoughts, he said to them, "Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and no city or house divided against itself will stand.
26 And if Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then will his kingdom stand?
27 And if I cast out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore they will be your judges.
28 But if it is by the Spirit of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.
29 Or how can someone enter a strong man's house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man? Then indeed he may plunder his house.
30 Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters.
31 Therefore I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven people, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven.
32 And whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come.
A Tree Is Known by Its Fruit
33 "Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree bad and its fruit bad, for the tree is known by its fruit.
34 You brood of vipers! How can you speak good, when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.
35 The good person out of his good treasure brings forth good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure brings forth evil.
36 I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak,
37 for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned."
The Sign of Jonah
38 Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered him, saying, "Teacher, we wish to see a sign from you."
39 But he answered them, "An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.
40 For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.
41 The men of Nineveh will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and behold, something greater than Jonah is here.
42 The queen of the South will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and behold, something greater than Solomon is here.
Return of an Unclean Spirit
43 "When the unclean spirit has gone out of a person, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, but finds none.
44 Then it says, 'I will return to my house from which I came.' And when it comes, it finds the house empty, swept, and put in order.
45 Then it goes and brings with it seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they enter and dwell there, and the last state of that person is worse than the first. So also will it be with this evil generation."
Jesus' Mother and Brothers
46 While he was still speaking to the people, behold, his mother and his brothers stood outside, asking to speak to him.
47
48 But he replied to the man who told him, "Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?"
49 And stretching out his hand toward his disciples, he said, "Here are my mother and my brothers!
50 For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother."
Matthew 13: The Parable of the Sower
1 That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea.
2 And great crowds gathered about him, so that he got into a boat and sat down. And the whole crowd stood on the beach.
3 And he told them many things in parables, saying: "A sower went out to sow.
4 And as he sowed, some seeds fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured them.
5 Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and immediately they sprang up, since they had no depth of soil,
6 but when the sun rose they were scorched. And since they had no root, they withered away.
7 Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them.
8 Other seeds fell on good soil and produced grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.
9 He who has ears, let him hear."
The Purpose of the Parables
10 Then the disciples came and said to him, "Why do you speak to them in parables?"
11 And he answered them, "To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given.
12 For to the one who has, more will be given, and he will have an abundance, but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.
13 This is why I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand.
14 Indeed, in their case the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled that says: "'You will indeed hear but never understand, and you will indeed see but never perceive.
15 For this people's heart has grown dull, and with their ears they can barely hear, and their eyes they have closed, lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their heart and turn, and I would heal them.'
16 But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear.
17 For truly, I say to you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.
The Parable of the Sower Explained
18 "Hear then the parable of the sower:
19 When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. This is what was sown along the path.
20 As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy,
21 yet he has no root in himself, but endures for a while, and when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately he falls away.
22 As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and it proves unfruitful.
23 As for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it. He indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty."
The Parable of the Weeds
24 He put another parable before them, saying, "The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field,
25 but while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat and went away.
26 So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared also.
27 And the servants of the master of the house came and said to him, 'Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have weeds?'
28 He said to them, 'An enemy has done this.' So the servants said to him, 'Then do you want us to go and gather them?'
29 But he said, 'No, lest in gathering the weeds you root up the wheat along with them.
30 Let both grow together until the harvest, and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, Gather the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.'"
The Mustard Seed and the Leaven
31 He put another parable before them, saying, "The kingdom of heaven is like a grain of mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his field.
32 It is the smallest of all seeds, but when it has grown it is larger than all the garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches."
33 He told them another parable. "The kingdom of heaven is like leaven that a woman took and hid in three measures of flour, till it was all leavened."
Prophecy and Parables
34 All these things Jesus said to the crowds in parables; indeed, he said nothing to them without a parable.
35 This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet: "I will open my mouth in parables; I will utter what has been hidden since the foundation of the world."
The Parable of the Weeds Explained
36 Then he left the crowds and went into the house. And his disciples came to him, saying, "Explain to us the parable of the weeds of the field."
37 He answered, "The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man.
38 The field is the world, and the good seed is the sons of the kingdom. The weeds are the sons of the evil one,
39 and the enemy who sowed them is the devil. The harvest is the close of the age, and the reapers are angels.
40 Just as the weeds are gathered and burned with fire, so will it be at the close of the age.
41 The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all law-breakers,
42 and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
43 Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear.
The Parable of the Hidden Treasure
44 "The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.
The Parable of the Pearl of Great Value
45 "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls,
46 who, on finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and bought it.
The Parable of the Net
47 "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was thrown into the sea and gathered fish of every kind.
48 When it was full, men drew it ashore and sat down and sorted the good into containers but threw away the bad.
49 So it will be at the close of the age. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous
50 and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
New and Old Treasures
51 "Have you understood all these things?" They said to him, "Yes."
52 And he said to them, "Therefore every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like a master of a house, who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old."
Jesus Rejected at Nazareth
53 And when Jesus had finished these parables, he went away from there,
54 and coming to his hometown he taught them in their synagogue, so that they were astonished, and said, "Where did this man get this wisdom and these mighty works?
55 Is not this the carpenter's son? Is not his mother called Mary? And are not his brothers James and Joseph and Simon and Judas?
56 And are not all his sisters with us? Where then did this man get all these things?"
57 And they took offense at him. But Jesus said to them, "A prophet is not without honor except in his hometown and in his own household."
58 And he did not do many mighty works there, because of their unbelief.
Things to think about…
1. Look at the hardness of the human heart in Mt 12:1-14. Jesus is the fulfilment of the Sabbath. By trusting in Him the Sabbath is kept through resting in Him. The seventh day of creation pointed to the eternal rest we would have in Christ. God will not bless anyone who breaks the Sabbath. In order to prove He is the Lord of the Sabbath, and a God of mercy Jesus heals the man with the withered hand, but the response from the Pharisees is only anger and resentment. It is from this point that they seek to kill Jesus. One of their laws had been broken. What laws or liturgy, written or otherwise do we have in the church that inhibits Christ getting the glory in our ministry?
2. We see in Mt 12:7 Jesus repeating what he said in Mt 9:13, “'I desire mercy, and not sacrifice,”, quoting Hosea 6:6 again. Often we need to hear the same message to have things reinforced. Jesus did the same with his hearers to make sure there was no misunderstanding. This verse reinforces the need for a grace centred character, not just a formal theological framework. After a healing miracle we see the incredible response from the Pharisees in Mt 12:14, “they conspired against him, how to destroy him”. They don’t fall to the ground in worship, or repent, or give thanks to God…they conspire. Woe to those who hear and see a faithful ministry every week and yet have in their heart to conspire to pull down the minister.
3. The Lord used this hatred to fulfil the prophesy about the Messiah to the Gentiles from Isaiah, Mt 12:15-21 – that Christ would be revealed to them as their Saviour. Even the bad that happens in this world ultimately has a good purpose in Christ. Those of us without a Jewish heritage or origin rejoice in these verses.
4. In Mt 12:22-32 Jesus speaks of the honour due to the Holy Spirit. Blasphemy against Him will not be forgiven. We may not be able to blaspheme the Holy Spirit as Christians, but we can in many ways grieve the Holy Spirit? Praise the Lord that though our sin be as scarlet we are made white as snow in Christ. If you are concerned about blaspheming the Holy Spirit and there is a genuine desire within you to not do that and honour Christ, you have not blasphemed the Spirit. Blasphemers of the Holy Spirit couldn’t care less whether there is a Spirit to be blasphemed or not, they have rejected Him, regardless of His power being on display. Much like the Pharisees that conspired after seeing the miracle of an arm being stretched out where there was none originally.
5. In Mt 12:33-37 Jesus brings another reminder message about fruits and their fruit. Jesus spoke about this in the Sermon on the Mount, Mt 7:16-20. The same message is said here using slightly different wording, but the message is the same. Produce good fruit. Our character in Christ must have the fruit of the Spirit, Gal5:22, 23 be on display in all our interactions with others, especially the household of faith. Our words will either justify us or condemn us, vs 37.
6. Jesus makes mention of three separate witnesses that were either Gentiles or hostile to the Lord’s message in Mt 7:38-42. Jesus mentions, Jonah, the Ninevites and the Queen of the South. Interesting that Jesus does not say Jonah was an allegorical story. He simply says “he was in belly of a great fish”. No further explanation is given. We accept the Ninevites were real people whom he spoke to, why not the fish that swallowed hi. Indeed, that’s what makes the story so incredible. The point of the 3 examples is that they saw and heard God’s power and grace and recounted how great the Lord was to others. Jesus calls us to do likewise.
7. What do you make of Mt 12:43-45 and the sweeping clean of the ‘spiritual’ house? I think when truth is rejected after a sustained period of blessing by the Holy Spirit there is the potential for a hardness of heart that can set in that fulfils what this passage is talking about. People who have been sitting under good teaching but constantly find reasons for not sharing or living out that truth are in danger of hardening their heart to the point of unbelief. Sadly, there are many who have walked away from sound biblical teaching who are now no longer walking with Christ. Their heart is filled with other desires and pursuits. The god of this age has blinded their eyes so they cannot see. Note that Jesus speaks about the generation becoming worse with the infiltration of evil, not just an individual. The end of the age will be marked by an increase in evil and satanic influence and a desire for self-satisfaction.
8. Our Lord affirms that if you want to know who your true family is according to Jesus, you only need to look around the church, Mt 12:46-50. Those who do the will of the Father who is in heaven are your spiritual family in Christ. Sadly my wife and I do not have saved parents or siblings. We have been praying for them for almost 30 years. Our family in Christ is one of grace of which we are privileged to be a part.
9. After Jesus spoke all His parables which fulfilled the prophecies of Isaiah 6:9, 10 and Psalm 78:1-4, those in His hometown of Nazareth rejected Him because they knew His background. This is often the case with new Christians who come from an unbelieving family, “you have no honour in your hometown” or in your own household. Pray against this powerful spirit of unbelief, Mt 12:58!
10. In Mt 13:1-33 Jesus teaches in parables. These parables all have a focussed teaching about some aspect of the kingdom of heaven. Generally, they point to who will inherit the kingdom and who will not. Have a look at the parable of the weeds and the wheat. Some have said the field is the church. But Christ clearly teaches here that the field is the world. We should never allow spiritual weeds to be given a voice or be allowed to grow and thrive in the church. To be a light and an influence in the world we are called to turn away from sin. As Spurgeon has said, “Providing amusement for the people is nowhere spoken of in the Scriptures as a function of the church.” In the church we should be feeding the sheep not entertaining the goats. Weeds are to be plucked, or rather preached out of the church.
11. When considering the Parable of the Sower have you ever thought what sort of tribulation and persecution Mt 13:21 would be required for you to throw in the towel with Christ. The only thing that allows us to endure any persecution anywhere in the world is that we are kept by grace because we have been planted in good soil. But never presume upon this grace. We must take heed how we stand (by grace) lest we fall.
12. In the parables of the hidden treasure and the pearl of great price, Mt 13:44-46 we see two differences. In one he stumbles across the treasure, in the second he is looking for the treasure (the pearl of great price). I must confess my faith was the former, I stumbled upon it, my salvation happening in an instant. Others look for years trying one faith or another until they find the Pearl of Christ. The outcome is the same. Regardless of our journey and how we came to our faith in Christ, the outcome is still the salvation of a soul. As we share this treasure with others, there is plenty of Christ’s wealth to go round.
13. The parable of the net in Mt 13:47-50 is a picture of all people in the world. The outcome is the same in the fact that everyone will be caught in it. Our Lord is very clear on those who are considered ‘bad fish’. These are thrown out where “there is weeping and gnashing teeth”, vs 50. But the good fish are kept in containers, vs 48. Being in Christ’s container is the only place to be. The other is too fearful to consider.
14. After Jesus spoke all His parables which fulfilled the prophecies of Isaiah 6:9, 10 and Psalm 78:1-4, in Mt 13:53-57 Jesus is rejected by His hometown. This is often the case with new Christians who come from an unbelieving family. They have no honour in their own household because of their new found faith. Pray against this powerful spirit of familiarity and unbelief, Mt 13:58. Jesus’ friends and family in Nazareth apparently knew all about Jesus. He was the carpenter’s son, there was no way that He was the Messiah. We of course know that Christ’s brothers would later become wonderful disciples of Christ. Keep praying for your unsaved family and friends that know you well. May they come to honour the true Prophet, Jesus. Those in His hometown rejected Him because they knew His background, Mt 13:53-56, but they didn’t truly know Him.
Vision Point for cell groups
CBC’s Vision :- To be a growing biblical church community, significantly influencing our city and beyond, through intentional outreach, fulfilling our mission.
Sermon title was “The context of blessing” - from Matt 7:7-24
1. The Sermon on the Mount begins with the word “Blessed”. It then proceeds with the context of how we are to be blessed. Jesus says that we must ask, seek and knock, vs 7. Jay mentioned the reasons why we should expect God to answer, but also why he doesn’t answer at times. He used the example of earthly fathers when our children ask for things. But also when we ask, sometimes we don’t ask correctly, Jam 4:3. Discuss.
2. Why discussed “Spiritual Gps” on Sunday and the narrow gate and difficult way, vss 12-14. How do we know we are on the right track spiritually?
3. What is the quality of the produce coming off your spiritual farm, vss 16-20. How can we measure whether the fruit is good or bad? Often what we listen to and spend our time on is a good indicator. How can we discern whether we are following a wolf in sheep’s clothing or not, vs 15?
4. I believe some of the most fearful verses in scripture are found in Mt 7:21-23. How can we discern whether we are known by God or whether we are of the group that says “Lord, lord” where Jesus responds to them by saying “depart from Me I never knew you”?
Prayer Points
1. Pray for ministries as they start up this week.
2. Pray for testimonies that people will be doing every second week. Please consider when you would like to do yours when the pastor asks you to share yours.
3. Pray for other building projects – café roof, the repair of the house roof.
4. Growth, conversions, joy in the Word and Spirit to remain and increase.
Praise Points.
1. Safe return of everyone from holidays
2. Ministries started back.
3. Worship led by Rod, Zac, Molly and Reilly. Rin, Tim and Dan on the desks. You made Sundays praise enjoyable.
4. More visitors and spirit of joy on Sunday.
5. More restrictions being lifted.
Announcements
1. Combined service. 5pm Sun 24th Oct, Riverlife Baptist Church.
2. PlayPatch starts back this week.
3. Kids@church back. Please check your rosters
4. Recharge Youth – back on Friday 6:30pm at church all high schoolers.
5. Church bank details bsb:- 704 913 and Acc number:- 4000 4388 1
