Topic: faith

Childlike faith, Warnings against sin, The lost sheep, Church discipline, and Forgiveness

Tonight’s topics include Jesus’ casting out of a demon, predicting His death once again, and a fish with a coin in its mouth.

Living the Christian life often requires us to obey the calling of the LORD, even under difficult circumstances. Although we might believe we are not qualified or able to serve God’s Kingdom in the ways He has led us, we rest assured that God knows what He is doing, and it is He who empowers us by His Spirit to accomplish the works He has ordained for us since before the beginning of creation. Often when we obey God in faith, He will bless us. Sometimes though He does not. But His leading for us is always for our own eternal wellbeing and the benefit of those whom God has called us to serve.

Only Jesus can do the signs and wonders that He has done and still continues to do. But He also uses His children to do our part in accomplishing His works through those things we can do by faith and obedience to His will.

Matthew records a number of miracles in his gospel account. Matthew’s purpose in sharing these stories was to show his Jewish audience that Jesus is their מָשִׁיחַ mâshîyach – the promised anointed one whom the Jews have been awaiting since the time of Abraham. Jesus Himself speaking to Phillip said that if Phillip didn’t believe Jesus was in the Father and the Father in Jesus, then at least Phillip should believe on account of the works that Jesus performed. Jesus never performed His miracles to put on a show or to convince anyone He is God. Most often, Jesus healed people in response to their faith that He could rather than the other way around.

WARNING – Unscrupulous prosperity gospel preachers in our world today have twisted this concept to say that if we only have sufficient faith, God will be obliged to bless us in any way we might choose. Of course, this is blasphemous heresy put forth by men and women with no fear of God.

Matthew records a number of miracles in his gospel account. Matthew’s purpose in sharing these stories was to show his Jewish audience that Jesus is their מָשִׁיחַ mâshîyach – the promised anointed one whom the Jews have been awaiting since the time of Abraham. Jesus Himself speaking to Phillip said that if Phillip didn’t believe Jesus was in the Father and the Father in Jesus, then at least Phillip should believe on account of the works that Jesus performed. Jesus never performed His miracles to put on a show or to convince anyone He is God. Most often, Jesus healed people in response to their faith rather than the other way around.

Here in Matthew 15, we see that Jesus went out of His way to cast a demon out of the daughter of a Gentile woman of Tyre in response to her faith. Matthew points out that this woman recognized Him as the Jewish מָשִׁיחַ mâshîyach – calling Him Lord, Son of David. He then healed many in a crowd probably made up of Jews and Gentiles together in the region of Decapolis, before feeding 4000 men, plus women and children. As part of our study, we look at the various times in which bread played a key role in the ministry and teachings of Jesus.

Mt. Freedom celebrated its 25th anniversary homecoming with musical guests Tugalo Holler and guest preacher James Pettit who gave a message entitled Never Give Up.