The Crowds Follow Jesus

Matthew 12:15-21, "Jesus withdrew from the place. Many followed Him and He healed all their sick warning them to not to tell Who He was. 

"This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet...

'Here is My Servant Whom I have chosen, the One I love, in Whom I delight. I will put My Spirit on Him and...

"He will proclaim justice to the nations.

"He will not quarrel or cry out; no one hear His voice in the streets. A bruised reed He will not break, and a smoldering wick He will not snuff out till He leads justice to victory. In His Name the nations will put their hope!"

We have the victory in Jesus!

Healing on the Sabbath

Matthew 12:9-14, "Jesus went into their synagogue and a man with a shriveled hand was there. Looking for a reason to accuse Jesus, they asked Him, 'Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?' He said to them, 'If any of you has a sheep and it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will you not take hold of it and lift it out?'

"How much more valuable is a man than a sheep! Therefore it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath. Then He said to the man, 'Stretch out your hand.' So he stretched it out...

"(When he did) it was completely restored just as sound as the other (hand).

"But the Pharisees went out and plotted how they might kill Jesus."

Jeremiah 17:9, "The heart is deceitful above all things and is desperately wicked."

Have you given your heart to Jesus for cleansing of your sins? Jesus says,  "I Am the only Way, the Truth, the Light. No one comes to the Father except through Me." (John 14:6)

The Sabbath

Matthew 12:1-8, "Jesus went through the grain fields on the Sabbath. His disciples were hungry and began to pick heads of grain and eat them. 

"The Pharisees saw and said, 'Look! Your disciples are doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath!' Jesus answered, 'Have you not read what David did when he and his companions were hungry? He entered the house of GOD, and ate the consecrated bread - which was not lawful for them to do but only the priests.

"Have you read in the law that on the Sabbath the priests desecrate the day and yet are innocent? I tell you that One greater than the temple is here (Jesus). If you had known what these words mean, 'I desire mercy, not sacrifice' you would not have condemned the innocent. For the Son of Man IS the LORD of the Sabbath.' "

Jesus Promises Rest for Your Soul

Matthew 11:20-30, "Jesus began to denounce the cities in which most of His miracles had been performed because they did not repent...'I tell you, it will be more bearable for Sodom on the day of judgment than for you!'

"At that time Jesus said, 'I praise You, Father, LORD of heaven and earth, because You have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. This was Your good pleasure. 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.

Jesus Promises Eternal Life

Matthew 11:2-6, "In prison, John heard what Christ was doing. He asked his disciples to ask if Christ was the One to come or should they expect someone else. Jesus replied to them, 'Go back and report to John what you see and hear...

               The blind receive their sight...

              The lame walk...

              The leprosy is cured...

            The deaf hear...

            The dead are raised to life...

            The Good News is preached to the poor.

"Blessed is the man who does not fall away on the account of Me."

I John 5:4-12, "For everyone born of GOD overcomes the world, even our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world? Only the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of GOD. His Spirit testifies this truth. GOD's testimony is greater (than man's). Anyone who believes in Jesus has this testimony in his heart...this testimony: GOD has given us eternal life in Jesus Christ. He who has the Son (Jesus) has life (eternal); he who does not have the Son (Jesus) does not have (eternal) life."

Eternal life is a free gift from Almighty GOD.

Romans 6:23, "For the wages of sin are death, but the free gift of GOD is eternal life in Christ Jesus our LORD."

That free gift is received as Acts 2:38 shares:

"Repent (of your sins) and be baptized in the Name of Jesus Christ of the forgiveness of your sins and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit (and be saved.)"

Acts 4:12, "There is no other Name under heaven by which we can be saved." 

John 14:6, "Jesus said, 'I Am the way, the truth, the life. NO ONE comes to the Father but through Me.' "

Come to Christ, confess your sin, receive Eternal Life.

Rewards of Being Christ's Disciple

Matthew 10:40-42, Jesus told His disciples, "He who receives you, receives the One Who sent Me.

"...Anyone who receives a righteous man because he is a righteous man will receive a righteous man's reward. 

"And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these because he is My disciple, I tell you the truth, he will certainly not lose his reward."

What is that reward? It is believing and accepting Christ Jesus as your Savior.

You Must Put GOD Above All Else

Matthew 10:37-40, "Anyone who loves father or mother, son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. Anyone who does not take his cross and follow Me is not worthy of Me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. He who receives Me, receives the One Who sent Me."

GOD's Love for us is so great it goes beyond our comprehension! "He calls us to a higher mission than this life. Love of family is a law of GOD, but even this love can be self-serving and used as an excuse not to serve GOD or do His work." (Commentary)

"To take up our cross and follow Him means to be willing to publicly identify with Him, to experience almost certain opposition, and be committed to face even suffering and death for His sake." (Commentary)

"The more we love this life's rewards (leisure, power, popularity, financial security), the more is discovered how empty they are (compared to the riches of Almighty GOD!)" (Commentary)

The richest possession we have is the free gift from our Awesome, Almighty, Creator, Savior, Holy Father GOD, Salvation! 

Are you ready for the New Heaven, New Earth, New Jerusalem recorded in Revelation 21:1 for this present heaven and earth will pass away.

II Peter 3:10, "The LORD will come and the heavens will vanish with a mighty roar and all the heavens (universe) will melt and be destroyed with intense heat."

Revelation 21:1-3, "I saw a New Heaven and a New Earth, for the first heaven and earth was no longer. I saw the Holy City, the New Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from GOD. Now the dwelling of GOD is with men." Are you ready for the Power of Almighty GOD? I am!