Matthew 12

The Fruit of Words

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People, we have gotten careless with our words. We disagree with a friend or foe, and we suddenly find ourselves in the middle of a personal war, not understanding what has been said, by another. Accusing another of saying something they did not say.

Cursing and swearing and using the name of the Lord God in vain. I am not so sure that cursing a neighbor might be taking the Lord’s name in vain as well.

We all need to learn to listen, more than speak. Well what is the fruit of our words? Let us see what Jesus says,

Either make the tree good, and his fruit good; or else make the tree corrupt, and his fruit corrupt: for the tree is known by his fruit.  O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.  A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things.  But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment.  For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.
Matthew 12:33-37

What we speak comes from the heart. The abundance of the heart comes from what we put into our lives. If you spend your life after things, objects to possess, or finding a way to be more attractive, wealthy, or powerful, then the abundance of your heart will have you speaking words of death, and not life.

As Christians we need to be feeding our thinking and thoughts with the word of God, so that when we speak we speak words of the abundance of wealth that we have through Jesus Christ. Wealth is not necessarily material. It also can be a life that is at peace with God, one’s self, and with others; speaking words of life.

Jesus says, “For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks” so if that be the case fill your heart with the holy and good things. Words that glorify God, will be a step in the right direction. Songs with words that lift up the name of Jesus will be a way of filling your heart.

Note that Jesus also says, “For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”

We had at best be watching what and how we use our words. When we use name calling someone something that is a way of ruining their person or character that is the kind of words that lead to destruction. When we speak words of truth with the love of God upon them, then that leads to justification.

When we have Jesus as our Lord and Savior, then we ought always speak the words that lead to life and godliness.

If you have not heard; Jesus is the Incarnation of God who came to earth to die for the sins of Adam’s race that we might receive forgiveness for our sin, and be justified by God. He died, He was buried, and He rose again. Call on Him today and you will receive eternal life, freedom from the bondage of sin and death.

The Flight of Jonah

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There seems to be a few people, maybe many more than a few who do not believe the account of the book of Jonah. They say no one could be swallowed by a great fish and survive. I say since God can do whatever He desires, and if it says that God prepared  great fish to swallow Jonah, then that was a special fish made for Jonah.

Jesus said that Jonah was swallowed by  a great fish, “But He answered and said unto them, “An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas: for as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale’s belly; so shall the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.  The men of Nineveh shall rise in judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: because they repented at the preaching of Jonas; and, behold, a greater than Jonas is here.” Matthew 12:39-41

Jonah is mentioned as a prophet in Second Kings 14:25. If you cannot believe the simplest account of Scripture then, you are going to have a problem accepting any of Scriptures.

Now the word of the LORD came unto Jonah the son of Amittai, saying,  “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry against it; for their wickedness is come up before me.”  But Jonah rose up to flee unto Tarshish from the presence of the LORD, and went down to Joppa; and he found a ship going to Tarshish: so he paid the fare thereof, and went down into it, to go with them unto Tarshish from the presence of the LORD.
Jonah 1:1-3

Now about “The Flight of Jonah” it crashed 🙂 . God called the prophet to go to a distant city, a Gentile city, because of the evil within that place. When Jonah heard the word of the LORD, he apparently says nothing, just packs a travel bag and goes out from the presence of the LORD. Every step he took was downward from that time until he prayed for deliverance.

He went down to Joppa. He went down into the ship going to Tarshish. When the LORD loved that generation of Gentiles in Nineveh so much that He was not finished with Jonah He sent a storm. Where was Jonah? Down in the lowest part of the ship. He was eventually thrown overboard, and went down into the belly of the fish.

Jonah spent three days and three nights in the belly of that prepared by God fish, which seems to have been specially prepared for Jonah.

God loves Jonah. He prays from the belly of the fish and despite his rebellion, and his hatred for these Gentiles whom God loves, God  delivers Jonah, by having the great fish vomit him out on the shore (2:10). Then the LORD calls Jonah again (3:1), and evidently with much angst he obeys the LORD reluctantly. When he arrives in Nineveh he warns them of approaching judgment from God, and the whole city repents, and the city is delivered for a few more years. About one generation was delivered from the judgment of the LORD, by His mercy and grace.

The flight of Jonah may have been his national hatred for the enemy nation. Jonah needed to learn love and compassion for others. I pray that he did, and that I do as well.

The love, mercy, and grace of God is clearly seen through the cross of Jesus Christ, God’s only begotten Son. There He took, willingly, our sins upon Himself to die for our sins; He was buried and He rose from the grave. As Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the whale, so was the Son of Man three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.

Do not take flight away from God, but flee from sin, to Jesus Christ, and live.

Spoken by Isaiah the Prophet

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Then the Pharisees went out, and held a council against Him, how they might destroy Him.  But when Jesus knew, He withdrew Himself from thence: and great multitudes followed Him, and He healed them all; and charged them that they should not make Him known: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying,
“Behold My Servant, whom I have chosen; My beloved, in whom My soul is well pleased: I will put My Spirit upon Him, and He shall shew judgment to the Gentiles.  He shall not strive, nor cry; neither shall any man hear His voice in the streets.  A bruised reed shall He not break, and smoking flax shall He not quench, till He send forth judgment unto victory.  And in His name shall the Gentiles trust.”               Matthew 12:14-21

The life and ministry of Jesus was the fulfillment of Scripture. It has been said that you can see Jesus on every page of Scripture.

The above quotation is from Isaiah 42 verses 1 through 5.

The Sabbath and Holy Days

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And when He was departed thence, He went into their synagogue: and, behold, there was a man which had his hand withered. And they asked him, saying, “Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath days?” that they might accuse Him. And He said unto them,
“What man shall there be among you, that shall have one sheep, and if it fall into a pit on the sabbath day, will he not lay hold on it, and lift it out? How much then is a man better than a sheep? Wherefore it is lawful to do well on the sabbath days.”
Then saith He to the man,
“Stretch forth thine hand.”
And he stretched it forth; and it was restored whole, like as the other. Then the Pharisees went out, and held a council against Him, how they might destroy Him.                Matthew 12:9-14

It is astonishing the days we see as holy, and establish others not to be so holy. For most Christians, we worship the risen Christ on Sunday, not the Sabbath, because our Lord was raised from death on the first day of the week.

There are some rare sects of Christianity who still practice worship on Saturday or the Sabbath. Which day should we worship the Lord on?

Every Christian should worship on Sunday – now do not stop reading yet carry on…

Every Christian should worship God and His Son Jesus on Monday.

Every Christian should worship the Father and the Son on Tuesday.

We ought to worship the Father, and the Son in the power of the Holy Spirit on Wednesday.

When we are right with God we should worship Him on Thursday.

Every born again child of God should worship Him on Friday.

Christian you should worship Him on Saturday as well.

For those who love and follow Jesus Christ every day should be holy and a day of resting in His arms of grace and mercy. If we followed the dictates of those who hated Jesus and tried to trap Him, then, we would only be obligated to God for one day a week.

Everyday is God’s. Everyday is Holy. Everyday is sacred. All of this to say we are to do what is good, holy and righteous every day we live. We get together on Sunday, the day I call “The Lord’s Day” to lift up His name together, and get refueled for the week ahead. Let us live every day for Him.

Of Trees and Men

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Either make the tree good, and his fruit good; or else make the tree corrupt, and his fruit corrupt: for the tree is known by his fruit.
O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.
A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things. But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.                  Matthew 12:33-37

Good trees produce good fruit. Bad trees or evil trees produce bad fruit. Men evil, and good produce fruit as well.

If a person’s heart is evil, out of that heart comes evil fruit. If a person’s heart is good they will produce good fruit.

The words we speak are coming as produce from the heart. What kind of words do we use? If we are always tearing down someone else, trying to make ourselves appear better to others then that is a fruit of evil. When we build others up over ourselves that is good fruit.

That good fruit comes from a heart that has been changed by the grace of God. That grace was put on display as Jesus Christ was nailed to the cross suffering for the sins of the world and He died there, was buried and He rose again justifying those who come to Him and changing our hearts to produce good fruit in life and words spoken.

If any be in Christ Jesus they are a new creation, old things have passed away, behold, all things have been made new.  2 Corinthians 5:17

The Family Of Jesus Christ

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While He yet talked to the people, behold, His mother and His brethren stood without, desiring to speak with Him. Then one said unto Him, “Behold, Thy mother and Thy brethren stand without, desiring to speak with Thee.” But He answered and said unto him that told Him,
“Who is My mother and who are My brethren?”
And He stretched forth His hand toward His disciples, and said,
“Behold My mother and My brethren! For whosoever shall do the will of My Father which is in heaven, the same is My brother, and sister, and mother.”  Matthew 12:46-50

Till He Send Forth Judgment Into Victory

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“That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying,
‘Behold My Servant, whom I have chosen; My Beloved, in whom My soul is well pleased: I will put My spirit upon Him, and He shall shew judgment to the Gentiles.
He shall not strive, nor cry; neither shall any man hear His voice in the streets. A bruised reed shall He not break, and smoking flax shall He not quench, till He send forth judgment unto victory. And in His name shall the Gentiles trust.’ ” Matthew 12:18-21

Prayer for January 6, 2021

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For the commandment is a lamp; and the law is light; and reproofs of instruction are the way of life: to keep thee from the evil woman, from the flattery of the tongue of a strange woman. Proverbs 6:23-24
…That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying,… Matthew 12:17

Father in heaven all praise belongs to You. You are worthy of worship, praise, honor and glory; and Jesus Christ is the Son of God and God the Son who is the Incarnation of the God head and the fullness thereof. Blessed be the name of the Lord.

Forgive the sins of those who call themselves Christians yet deny the power and the authority of Your word; the Old and the New Testaments. Who refuse to hide Your word in their hearts that we might not sin against God. Who will not take heed to the instruction of Your word that we might be cleansed from our sins. Who give more authority to men than to Your word.

I ask, O Lord, for a new zeal for the truth of Your word and its power to save and deliver us from sin, death and Hell; and to empower us to live for You. I pray that I grow in my love for You and Your word and for all Christians worldwide the same love and zeal – and even greater than my own. The only hope for Adam’s race is Jesus Christ and Your word You have given us.

Your commandment is the lamp, and Your law is out light; and Jesus Christ is the Light of the world; the only deliverance available for us and eternal life with You. Jesus is the fulfillment of all the Old Testament prophecies of Messiah; the Christ.

Lord God Almighty I need You. The world needs You. The United States of America needs You. Give Your people a renewed zeal, vigor, and love for You, Your word, Your way and Your will. Amen.

Words Of Jesus; Son Of God, God The Son – 072220

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“At that time Jesus went on the Sabbath day through the corn; and His disciples were an hungred, and began to pluck the ears of corn, and to eat. But when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto Him, ‘Behold, Thy disciples do that which is not lawful to do upon the Sabbath day.’ But He said unto them,
‘Have ye not read what David did, when he was an hungred, and they that were with him; how he entered into the house of God, and did eat the shewbread, which was not lawful for him to eat, neither for them which were with him, but only for the priests?
Or have ye not read in the law, how that on the Sabbath days the priests in the temple profane the Sabbath, and are blameless? But I say unto you, That in this place is One greater than the temple. But if ye had known what this meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice, ye would not have condemned the guiltless.
For the Son of Man is Lord even of the sabbath day.’”  Matthew 12:1-8  (KJB)