Lesson 3186

 (Lesson 3186)(09-22-20) Matthew 16:13-17

    “When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am? And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets. He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.”

    In today’s quote, Peter, with the divine guidance of God Father, recognized Jesus to be “the Christ, the Son of the living God”.~

Lesson 3185

 (Lesson 3185)(09-21-20) Matthew 16:5-12

    “ And when his disciples were come to the other side, they had forgotten to take bread. Then Jesus said unto them, Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees. And they reasoned among themselves, saying, It is because we have taken no bread. Which when Jesus perceived, he said unto them, O ye of little faith, why reason ye among yourselves, because ye have brought no bread? Do ye not yet understand, neither remember the five loaves of the five thousand, and how many baskets ye took up? Neither the seven loaves of the four thousand, and how many baskets ye took up? How is it that ye do not understand that I spake it not to you concerning bread, that ye should beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees? Then understood they how that he bade them not beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees.”

    In today’s quote, Jesus advised His apostles that they should beware of the teachings of the Jews. It was obvious to Jesus that the Jews were out to destroy the purity of His divine doctrine. 

    Under the obvious guidance of Satan, the leadership of the major Jewish sects, Pharisees and Saducees, set out to pollute the doctrine of Jesus Christ with elements of the old Law so as to destroy it’s intent. With the help of what became Roman Catholicism, they suceeded, in that Jewish rituals such as water baptism, and others of today’s unscriptural church traditions, stem directly from the laws and traditions of the Jews. Such rituals should have NO place in the today’s Christian message and worship.~

Lesson 3184

 (Lesson 3184)(09-20-20) Matthew 16:1-4

    “The Pharisees also with the Sadducees came, and tempting desired him that he would shew them a sign from heaven. He answered and said unto them, When it is evening, ye say, It will be fair weather: for the sky is red. And in the morning, It will be foul weather to day: for the sky is red and lowering. O ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky; but can ye not discern the signs of the times? A wicked and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given unto it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas. And he left them, and departed.”

    In today’s quote, Jesus again rebuked the leadership of the Jews for their hypocrisy.~

Lsson 3138

 (Lesson 3183)(09-19-20) Matthew 15:29-39

    And Jesus departed from thence, and came nigh unto the sea of Galilee; and went up into a mountain, and sat down there. And great multitudes came unto him, having with them those that were lame, blind, dumb, maimed, and many others, and cast them down at Jesus' feet; and he healed them: Insomuch that the multitude wondered, when they saw the dumb to speak, the maimed to be whole, the lame to walk, and the blind to see: and they glorified the God of Israel. Then Jesus called his disciples unto him, and said, I have compassion on the multitude, because they continue with me now three days, and have nothing to eat: and I will not send them away fasting, lest they faint in the way. And his disciples say unto him, Whence should we have so much bread in the wilderness, as to fill so great a multitude? And Jesus saith unto them, How many loaves have ye? And they said, Seven, and a few little fishes. And he commanded the multitude to sit down on the ground. And he took the seven loaves and the fishes, and gave thanks, and brake them, and gave to his disciples, and the disciples to the multitude. And they did all eat, and were filled: and they took up of the broken meat that was left seven baskets full. And they that did eat were four thousand men, beside women and children. And he sent away the multitude, and took ship, and came into the coasts of Magdala.”

    Today’s quote relates that Jesus continued to work many miracles of healing. The latter portion of the quote relates how Jesus miraculously fed over four thousand people with a seven loaves of bread and a few fish. 

    Jesus said, in essence, that we, with sufficient faith, could oversee the same miracles.~

Lesson 3182

 (Lesson 3182)(09-18-20) Matthew 15:21-28

    “Then Jesus went thence, and departed into the coasts of Tyre and Sidon. And, behold, a woman of Canaan came out of the same coasts, and cried unto him, saying, Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou son of David; my daughter is grievously vexed with a devil. But he answered her not a word. And his disciples came and besought him, saying, Send her away; for she crieth after us. But he answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel. Then came she and worshipped him, saying, Lord, help me. But he answered and said, It is not meet to take the children's bread, and to cast it to dogs. And she said, Truth, Lord: yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters' table. Then Jesus answered and said unto her, O woman, great is thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt. And her daughter was made whole from that very hour.”

   There is a very, very important lesson in today’s quote. Therein, Jesus made it vividly clear that He had come to preach explicitly to the Jews. He said virtually those same words when He said, “I am not sent BUT unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” That means that Jesus was sent to teach the new law of grace through faith to the Jews ONLY, just as were the twelve apostles and the 72 disciples that Jesus had sent out. “These twelve Jesus sent forth, and commanded them, saying, Go NOT into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not: 6But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”

    After Jesus had satisfied the prophesy that the Jews would indeed reject the Messiah, the Gentiles received the message of God’s grace through faith in Jesus Christ through the teaching of Paul, Jesus’ divinely chosen apostle to the Gentiles. Paul was aided by many others who would take up the cause of Jesus Christ as Paul preached throughout the region.  

    All of this is important because there are, what appear to be, discrepancies between the message that was meant explicitly for the Jews as opposed to the message that would be given to the Gentiles. The Jews were instructed in a manner befitting the old Law, whereas, the Gentiles were NEVER bound by ancient Hebrew law. 

    Many of the laws that governed ONLY the Jews still erroneously appear in much of today’s “Christianity”, such as water baptisms etc.~

Lesson 3181

 (Lesson 3181)(09-17-20) Matthew 15-10-20

    “And he called the multitude, and said unto them, Hear, and understand: Not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man; but that which cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man. Then came his disciples, and said unto him, Knowest thou that the Pharisees were offended, after they heard this saying? But he answered and said, Every plant, which my heavenly Father hath not planted, shall be rooted up. Let them alone: they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch. Then answered Peter and said unto him, Declare unto us this parable. And Jesus said, Are ye also yet without understanding? Do not ye yet understand, that whatsoever entereth in at the mouth goeth into the belly, and is cast out into the draught? But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man. For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies: These are the things which defile a man: but to eat with unwashen hands defileth not a man.”

    In today’s lesson, Jesus made it clear that it’s not what a person eats or drinks the defiles him/her; Rather, it is the evil words that are said and the evil actions that rots the heart of mankind.~ 

Lesson 3179

 (Lesson 3179)(09-15-20) Matthew 14:34-36

    “And when they were gone over, they came into the land of Gennesaret. And when the men of that place had knowledge of him, they sent out into all that country round about, and brought unto him all that were diseased; And besought him that they might only touch the hem of his garment: and as many as touched were made perfectly whole.”

    Today’s quote relates how Jesus continued to work great miracles of healing.~