Matthew 22:1-14

Is it Wednesday already?!?!  How the weeks fly by!  I hope you have had a fantastic week so far.  Today, it is my honor to have my good friend, Jessica, leading the study.  Open your Bible and read through Matthew 22:1-14.  You can read it online HERE! 

NOW, if you are all set with your Bible, journal, pen, and coffee, let's go!  I am so anxious to see what we will be learning about the King, JESUS, and the Kingdom!

 

I attempted to write a light and inspiring message for today’s scripture, but the more I studied this parable the more I could feel the seriousness of the message which Jesus conveys to us through the Story of the Great Feast.

The time will come when those who have flat out refused or flat out ignored the message of the gospel, in its urgency, will be served justice by The King.  It is promised to us that all will have a chance at repentance. 2 Peter 3:9 “The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to usward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.”

Most of us are like the guests in this parable who were a mixture of good and bad.  They accepted The King’s invitation and were welcome to the wedding banquet.  Of all the people invited, we REALLY do NOT want to be the person who shows up without the proper attire and who is thrown out “into the darkness where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth”.

We must be prepared to appear before The King, dressed in obedience, cleansed and covered in the blood of Christ who paid our entrance fee.  We must be unmistakably and unquestionably a part of the wedding banquet in order to be allowed to stay and partake in the celebration.

We’ve been invited by The King.  Are you hardening your heart and refusing His invitation, ignoring it, or disrespecting it by accepting the invite, but are not fully prepared to appear before The King of Kings?

Romans 2:5-8 “…..For there is going to come a day of judgment when God, the just judge of all the world, will judge all people according to what they have done.  He will give eternal life to those who persist in doing what is good, seeking after the glory and honor and immortality that God offers.  But he will pour out his anger and wrath on those who live for themselves, who refuse to obey the truth and practice evil deeds.”

 

If you died right now, would you spend eternity in heaven with the King?  If you are unsure or answered no, I plead with you to come to salvation.  Everyone needs salvation because we have all sinned. (Romans 3:10-12; 23)  The price of sin is death. (Romans 6:23)  Jesus Christ died on the cross to pay the price for our death. (Romans 5:8)  We receive salvation and eternal through Jesus Christ. (Romans 10:9-10; 13....John 3:16)  Salvation through Jesus Christ brings us into a relationship of right standing with God, the Father.  (Romans 5:1, Romans 8:1, 38-39)

If you believe this, then pray to the Father and ask him for forgiveness of your sins.  You can say this prayer below, or say your own.

“Father, I know that I have broken your commandments and my sins have caused me to be separated from you. I am truly sorry, and now I want to turn away from my past life and follow you. Please forgive me, and help me turn away from sin. I believe that your son, Jesus Christ died for my sins, was resurrected from the dead, and is alive. I ask Jesus to be the Lord of my life. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.”

 

 

 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:  JESSICA HONC is the wife of 14 years to Will, and homeschooling mother of three children (and one on the way!).  She is the Director of Freedom Fellowship Home School Co-op.  Jessica has served in many different capacities at Freedom Fellowship in Silsbee, Texas, such as librarian and children's teacher.








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Matthew 21:23-46

We are studying in Matthew, the 21st chapter.  Grab your coffee, journal, and your Bible, and lets get down to it!  Before you read any further, I would like to ask you to please read through the whole passage, Matthew 21:23-46, first in your Bible or online HERE! 

Here we get to observe yet another important conversation Jesus has, this time with chief priests and the elders of the people.  These religious leaders have just seen the glorious entry Jesus made into Jerusalem; palm branches waving and praises being sung.  You know they could not just let this slide by unaddressed in some manner, right!?!  No one ever gave them such a warm welcome and they were important (in their own eyes!).

There are enemies of the truth today just as there were in Jesus' day.  These people always like to question the authority given to those who do more good than themselves.  The chief priests couldn't attack Jesus' teachings or the conduct of Him or His followers.  Why?  Because they were above reproach.  Here is the attack they used, "By what authority are you doing these things? And who gave you this authority?"  They didn't really question what Jesus was doing, but who told him he could do it.

We should pray to have such wisdom as Jesus had when He answered.  He did not explain or defend His practice.  "Answer not a fool in his folly, lest you also be like Him," (Prov. 26:4) Jesus did however have an answer.  We must "be ready always to give an answer to every man that asks you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear." (1 Pet.3:15)

Then, we come to the parables.  I want to ask you a few questions to ponder on about these parables.

-What response in God looking for in sinful people?
-Who is the wicked vinedresser (Husbandman, depending on translation) in the second parable?  Do you think the Jews understand what Jesus meant in the parable?
-What event was about to happen in 70 AD?  Jesus alludes to this event from time to time in His ministry.
-Which category do I fall in?  Am I one of those who repents and more and more conform myself to the will of God?  Or, am I pretending to go along with Jesus' programs, but really never followed through on it?  (This is also a good topic to discuss with your family at dinner time or family devotion time.)

Matthew 21:12-22

Grab your Bible and turn to Matthew 21.  You can also view the text online HERE!  Read through the whole passage before beginning the devotion.  I really want to stress the importance of this.  I know it is so much easier to just read through a short devotion, but we need to study the Word of God for ourselves. The Holy Spirit will "guide you into all truth." (Jn.16:13) 

Something that keeps going though my mind as I read this is that JESUS, THE KING, KNEW HIS PURPOSE IN THE KINGDOM!  His face was set like flint.  We have a lot of Christians wondering through life living without Kingdom purpose or seeking out unfounded purposes because they don't know the Word.  I encourage us, as the church, to get in the Word, and find our purpose so our nation can be turned around.  Revival will not start in some planned meetings because we have the right speakers and evangelist.  It will start in the home with individuals rising up to seek God and leading their families.  Strong families are made up of Kingdom minded men, women, and children.  We need to raise our kids with Kingdom mentality because strong families make strong churches.  Strong churches make for a strong nation.  Look back in history and you will see this to be evident!

In verses 12-17, we read the account of Jesus cleansing the temple.  Here, Jesus is fulfilling yet another prophecy.  It is found in Malachi 3:1-3.

“Behold, I send My messenger, And he will prepare the way before Me.  And the Lord, whom you seek, Will suddenly come to His temple, Even the Messenger of the covenant, In whom you delight.  Behold, He is coming,” Says the Lord of hosts.  ² “But who can endure the day of His coming?  And who can stand when He appears?  For He is like a refiner’s fire and like launderers’ soap.  ³ He will sit as a refiner and a purifier of silver; He will purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, That they may offer to the Lord an offering in righteousness."

These money changers were deceitful.  When people would come to the temple to make a sacrifice,  there were bulls, sheep, goats, and doves for them to purchase.  (So much for bringing YOUR OWN sacrifice before the Lord!)  The catch was that these merchants were changing foreign money for the current coin and cheating the people.  I can just imagine the scene as Jesus overturned tables and people scattered.  Can you imagine the astonished look on the money changers faces as He said (I imagine rather loudly and passionately), "MY HOUSE SHALL BE CALLED A HOUSE OF PRAYER, BUT YOU HAVE MADE IT A DEN OF THIEVES!" Because of the authority that Jesus carried, I imagine there was not much objection to his commands in the temple that day.  What about you?

Jesus is working to cleanse the temple now from the current money changers.  I could preach on this all day!  This blasphemous prosperity, don't-worry-how-you-live-because-everything-you-do-is-covered-under-grace gospel will only last so long.  Rest assured that God's house will not be mocked!  When Jesus shows up in the House, lies are overturned and truth is revealed!  The King of the Kingdom will drive out the worshipers of money and lovers of selfish gain.  Everything that is contrary to the Word and every false, worldly teacher will be cast out.  He will restore the church to the glorious temple it was created to be.   AMEN and AMEN!  

Next, we read about the fig tree.  What we need to know about a fig tree is that they grow the fruit first and then the leaves.  Here was a fig tree with leaves and no fruit.  This is symbolic of the church.  We have a lot of churches that look like a productive church, just like this tree, BUT BARE NO FRUIT! 

The fig tree in this passage was specifically the Jewish church.  It was going to be destroyed, the temple burned, and daily sacrifices to be taken away.  The tree withered to the ground and so did the church.  What was to come of withered trees?  Those massive churches in Ephesus and Carthage are gone.  As Daniel said in chapter 4, these trees were "Hewn down".

We must pray for the church!  We must be the church that God envisioned from the beginning.  We must live and breath our purpose in the Kingdom of God.....that purpose: TO BRING HIM GLORY AND TO CONTINUE IN THE WORD!

Verse 21-22 "So Jesus answered and said to them, “Assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, but also if you say to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ it will be done. ²² And whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive.”

Matthew 21:1-11 (The Triumphal Entry)

What a great week!  I have learned SO much.  Reading the Gospel of Matthew never gets old.  Each time I learn something new, and Jesus becomes that much more alive in my me.  It is once again such an honor to have one of our younger authors, Jane Chance, leading us today.  I hope you have a great weekend!

READ MATTHEW 21:1-11!!!! 

 

When Jesus entered Jerusalem the people there gave him a royal welcome. They waved a palm branch which is a sign of victory, laid their clothes out on the ground and shouted:

“Hosanna to the son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest heaven!” (verse 9)

People only did that for a king. These people were probably expecting a king like David: a victorious warrior who was loved by the people and was an earthly king. Jesus didn’t come to the earth to fight battles like David. The people were expecting Jesus to free them from the Roman government.

Jesus went into Jerusalem to head to the cross. He DID come to set them free, but free from sin and death.

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.”

John 3:16-17

Sometimes things don’t work out how we plan it because we can’t see the big picture. Only God can.

Now all we can see of God is like a cloudy picture in a mirror. Later we will see him face to face. We don’t know everything, but then we will, just as God completely understands us.

1 Corinthians 13:12

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: JANE CHANCE is the 11 year old daughter of Dale and Naomi Chance.  Jane is a homeschooler who plays the piano, bakes, has a sweet, gentle, and giving nature!  She attends Freedom Fellowship in Silsbee, TX with her family and is very active in the children's programs and the Freedom Fellowship Homeschool Co-op!   

Matthew 20:29-34 & Food With Friends

READ MATTHEW 20:29-34!

The story of the two blind beggars, found in Matthew 20:29-34, seems pretty cut and dry; it’s one of many miracles of Christ Jesus recorded in scripture. Two men in need asked the Messiah for help and He rendered it. “…Jesus went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil...” (Acts 10:38). End of story. According to Matthew Henry (in his enduring Bible study guide, Matthew Henry's Commentary on the Whole Bible) though, there is a lot of spiritual meat offered up in this account. This story of healing reinforces a few solid things about prayer and how to approach our Lord in the holy of holies in such a way as to gain His ear.

*Henry points out something that I have felt in my spirit for a long time; not only is joint-prayer pleasing to God (Matthew 18:19-20), but when we pray with someone concerning something we ourselves are experiencing or a trial that we have already walked through, there is so much power in our prayers! We encourage one another’s fervency (James 5:16) when we bear the same or similar burdens and we can build up each other’s faith (Jude 1:20) when we testify that the Lord can and will deliver from that specific storm.

*We must be passionate in our prayers. We must refuse to be put-off or offended by a seeming lack of response. God never fails to respond to a sincere and faith-filled prayer. Sometimes we must wait, sometimes we must be still and listen, sometimes we must accept that the response is different than we expected; but there is always a response. Pour your heart out to the Lord, He is waiting to hear from you. (Philippians 4:6)

*We must be humble.  (James 4:6) Ask the Lord for His mercy in your situation, do not prescribe to Him how it should be with your blueprints and plans in hand, ready to set Him straight. He is the Creator and Orchestrator of the universe and all its design. I believe He can handle your circumstance “exceedingly and abundantly [better than] you could ask or hope for” (Ephesians 3:20).

*We must pray with faith. These two beggars cried out, “O Lord, Son of David”. They recognized His authority and His power to bring their healing then and there; they exhibited faith through their proclamations that He was who He claimed to be and therefore able to grant their request. Several places in the books of Matthew, Mark, and Luke, Jesus is quoted as saying, “your faith has made you well” or “your faith has saved you”. According to Hebrews 11:6 (But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.), faith is the essential element.

*We must pray with perseverance. Luke 18:1-8 is the account of a parable Jesus told about a persistent widow. She came to an earthly judge day after day seeking justice until finally her persistence won out and he did for her what she had been asking.  Luke 18:7-8a says, “And shall God not avenge His own elect who cry out day and night to Him, though He bears long with them? I tell you that He will avenge them speedily.”

The two blind men were humble, persistent, passionate, and full of faith. They asked Jesus for a healing and He stopped what He was doing to give them what they asked for. Jesus is full of compassion towards us and He has the power to tend to any need we have. Trust Him and seek Him and you will not be disappointed.

“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.” Matthew 7:7

 

Mango Salsa

1 mango 

½ medium red onion 

3 T fresh cilantro leaves                

1 small cucumber              

1 tomato                                     

1 jalapeno with seeds and ribs removed

juice from 4 limessalt and pepper to taste 

 

Dice all ingredients. Mix together and store in refrigerator until ready to serve. The longer you allow the salsa to sit in the fridge before serving, the better it will be. Serve with crackers or tortilla chips.*Tostitos Hint of Lime chips are really good with this salsa.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: TIFFANY KILPATRICK is the wife of 11 years to Shannon Keith, and Mother to 5 boys ranging from 16 to 23 years old.  She is a Middle School Reading Teacher, and was the school Librarian before that.  Tiffany and her family attend Freedom Fellowship in Silsbee, Texas, where she sings on the Praise Team.