Military

Sinners Follow the King

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Sinners Follow The King

Matthew 9:9-13

When an individual joins a branch of military service in the United States, they are practically owned by the government, and are at the beckoned call of the military brass where they serve. If a troop is ordered to jump; they jump. If they are ordered to sleep; they sleep. They are also supplied with all their necessities for life and living. They are provided a uniform, a weapon, their meals, their shelter and their health care.

When Jesus comes and calls us to follow Him we forsake all and follow Him. That is exactly what Matthew did, realizing Here was a man who was interested in him, cared for him and could meet his every need.

THE KING EXTENDS AN INVITATION TO A DESPISED TAX COLLECTOR TO FOLLOW HIM (v. 9).

* Tax collectors were a despised group of people in Jesus’s day, and they were considered as traitors to the Jewish people.
* Jesus seeks those who are forsaken, broken, despised, and rejected by the self-righteous, elite and “powerful”.

THE INVITATION IS ACCEPTED AND INVITES JESUS AND SOME FRIENDS TO HIS HOME (vv. 9b-10).

* Matthew is interested in seeing many of his friends follow Jesus as well, and has them come to his home to meet the one who shows him acceptance.
* When we have come to Jesus it is the desire of the heart to tell others about this great, wonderful, powerful Lord, Savior, and King who calls the despised to Himself.

THE JUDGMENTAL PHARISEES CONDEMN SINNERS AND JESUS FOR HAVING ANY PART WITH THEM (v. 11).

* The self-righteous find no joy in Jesus, or His mercy and grace, their greatest joy is in themselves and their supposed righteous life they live.
* The one’s who will come to Jesus must come denying all their own righteousness, and receiving only the righteousness that Jesus gives.

ONLY THOSE WHO SEE THEMSELVES AS SINNERS ARE ABLE TO RECEIVE THE DIAGNOSIS AND THE HEALING FROM THE GREAT PHYSICIAN (vv. 12-13).

* As long as a person sees themselves with no need for healing they will not seek the aid of a physician, and such was and is the case of the self-righteous.
* Jesus alone can give healing, renewing and salvation for the sickness of sin, which is in every one of us.
* Hear the Great Physician as He calls you by name, and follow Him.

-Tim A. Blankenship

Stripped Defenses

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A nation, an individual, a family that has been greatly blessed by God is truly blessed, strong, safe, protected and having the hand of God upon them.  When these have grown to a place where they begin to trust their own strength, and wander from the trust and worship of the One who has given them these things, then, there is need for warning.

A man or woman who has lived by faith, because of the faith given them by God, who begins believing they are great because of their own efforts, pride, and strength will draw away from the Lord.  They see only that God’s blessing is on them, and that will always be the same.  What happens, however, when the blessing stops?  What happens when this individual begins trusting the blessing rather than the Blesser?

The nation of Judah, to whom Jeremiah addresses had been  in such a state.  Greatly blessed over the years, but they would never hear of the decease of God’s blessing.  Any prophet who warned them that God was going to send a sinful nation to avenge Him was considered a false prophet.  That was Jeremiah’s case.

The nation of Israel was likened unto a vineyard by Isaiah the prophet (Isaiah 5), and  that picture is given to Jeremiah as well;

“Go ye up upon her walls, and destroy; but make not a full end: take away her battlements; for they are not the LORD’S. For the house of Israel and the house of Judah have dealt very treacherously against me, saith the LORD. They have belied the LORD, and said, It is not he; neither shall evil come upon us; neither shall we see sword nor famine: And the prophets shall become wind, and the word is not in them: thus shall it be done unto them.” Jeremiah 5:10-13 (KJV)

Though vineyard is not mentioned in the KJV that is the idea of the “walls”.  Vineyards did have walls around them, and these “battlements” are speaking of the “branches”  of the vineyard that are to be taken away. 

The NKJV reads,

“Go up on her walls and destroy, but do not make a complete end.  Take away her branches for they are not the LORD’s.”

The walls was the means of protection for the vineyard.  It kept the livestock from getting into it, the wildlife from doing too much damage.  To destroy the wall was to make the vineyard open to ruin. 

Notice in these words that God gives hope to His people, “…but make not a full end” .  The defense of God’s people is the LORD, not a our nation, not our president, not the military, etc.  It is the LORD alone.  When we turn our backs on God in favor of wicked leaders, and military defenses, politics or business; including Wall Street, then we will have our defenses stripped.

People no longer listen to the truth.  We want to feel good and the truth doesn’t leave us feeling too well.  The nation of Judah turned its back on God infavor of the lies of the false prophets.  They rejected the word of God, and trusted lies.  Judah and Israel said that “If there is a coming judgment, it is not of God”.  They would not believe that God could do such a thing.  After all, they thought, “We have the temple of God”.  They may have had the temple of God, but God was not in His temple.

There may be destruction from God, but it is to call His people back to Himself.  Christian of 2009 wake up and see and hear the truth of God’s word.  Trust only in Him, and be at peace.  God has our best in His heart.  Repent, return and believe.  Do this through faith in God’s Son Jesus Christ.  He died on the cross for your sins, was buried carrying your guilt, shame and condemnation away, and He bodily arose from the grave, and gives us eternal life.  One day soon He is coming again.

-Tim A. Blankenship