Meeting With Christ

In our previous lesson, we studied Matthew 7.21-23 where Jesus warns us about the danger of confessing Him as Lord only with our lips. A confession that is merely verbal is inadequate. Jesus expects that we submit to Him as Lord. He wants us to give Him the loyalty and the obedience that His lordship requires. ‘Don’t expect to enter into the kingdom of heaven just because you say that I am your Lo...

The Lord Jesus can receive any man who truly trusts Him, no matter how far away the man may be or how many barriers may seem to stand in the way. When a centurion approached Him and asked for help, Jesus received him and commended him for his great faith. This passage in Matthew 8.5-13 is very important for our understanding of faith as well as for our understanding of the person of Christ. We wil...

It is not easy being a disciple of Christ because association with God’s kingdom means sharing in Jesus’ suffering and rejection. Anyone who wants to follow Jesus has to understand that discipleship requires total commitment. In Matthew 8.19-22, Jesus’ teaching is about the demands of committed discipleship. Matthew 8.19. Then a certain scribe came and said to Him, "Teacher, I will follow You wher...

The Lord Jesus had a threefold ministry that should serve as the primary guide for believers: He preached, He taught, and He healed. This is well described in Matthew 9.35 where we read that Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people . He proclaimed the glorious messa...

There is an expression that is reiterated over and over again in the Bible, both in the OT and in the NT. It is the expression ‘Fear not,’ or ‘Do not be afraid.’ In the gospels, ‘Fear not’ appears mostly in Matthew and in Luke. It is used by Jesus 3x in Matthew and 5x in Luke. In the gospel of Matthew, they all appear in the same passage. Let’s read this passage, Matthew 10.24-33. Matthew 10.24. A...

The Lord Jesus has said many times that much persecution is to be encountered by those who choose to follow Him. This is how He describes the object of His mission on earth. Matthew 10.34. "Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword. 35 "For I have come to 'set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against he...

For Christians, the cross is the instrument of Christ’s atoning death. It is only through the cross of Christ and through the blood of His cross that we have our salvation. Jesus’ death on the cross was for all people. However, not everyone is saved. How does His saving work become effective in our lives? A quick answer would be to say that it becomes effective by faith. In this lesson, we will se...

In today’s lesson, we are going to look at John the Baptist. John is a very important prophet and there are many things we can learn from his ministry and his character. Let us read Matthew 11.1-11. Matthew 11.1. Now it came to pass, when Jesus finished commanding His twelve disciples, that He departed from there to teach and to preach in their cities. 2 And when John had heard in prison about the...

The Lord Jesus had a very high view of John the Baptist. He is ‘more than just a prophet,’ Jesus said in Matthew 11.9. He was more than just a prophet because he was prophesied. He is someone that the word of God had predicted. Jesus also said that when we compare John to the people of the OT, we do not find anyone greater than him. Then in Matthew 11.11, Jesus makes another comparison concerning...

When John the Baptist began to proclaim the kingdom of heaven, a new situation happened which is described in terms of ‘violence’ in Matthew 11.12. Let’s read that intriguing verse. I will use the New King James translation. Matthew 11.12. And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force. Text format available. Read and downlo...

Unresponsiveness to the voice of God is the characteristic of this generation. This indifference will lead the majority to their downfall. That is the declaration of Jesus in Matthew 11.13-24. Let’s read this passage. Matthew 11.13. "For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John. 14 "And if you are willing to receive it, he is Elijah who is to come. 15 "He who has ears to hear, let him he...

I would like to invite you to turn with me to the gospel of Matthew, chapter 11, v. 28. Matthew 11:28. Here, Jesus says this. Matthew 11.28. Come to Me, all you who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Text format available. Read and download this episode in text format on our website at the following address: https://meetingwithchrist.com/project/matthew-1125-30-i-will-give-you-re...

Let’s open our Bible and look at the passage found in Matthew 11.25-30. This is what we read. Matthew 11.25. At that time Jesus answered and said, "I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and have revealed them to babes. 26 "Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in Your sight. 27 "All things have been delivered to Me by My Father,...

Today, I would like us to fix our eyes on the glory of the Lord Jesus. We want to fix our eyes on Him and pray that God will help us to see some measure of that glory. We want to learn to enter into a deep fellowship with the Lord Jesus so that we can see more of that divine glory. The glory of Christ And for this, let’s turn to Matthew 12.1-8. As I read this passage, just fix your eyes on the Lor...

The opposition to Jesus reached its height in Matthew 12.14 when the religious leaders decided to kill Him. So they began to look for any opportunity to accuse Him. In Matthew 12.22-29, Jesus is accused of collusion with the devil. Let’s read this passage. Matthew 12.22. Then there was brought to Him a demon-possessed man who was blind and dumb, and He healed him, so that the dumb man spoke and sa...

When it comes to deciding about Christ, there is no place for ambivalence. Jesus’ expectation is very clear: He demands complete allegiance from His followers. This is how it is worded in Matthew 12.30. Matthew 12.30. He who is not with Me is against Me; and he who does not gather with Me scatters. Text format available. Read and download this episode in text format on our website at the following...

In spiritual warfare, neutrality is impossible. Jesus says in Matthew 12.30, He who is not with Me is against Me; and he who does not gather with Me scatters . We studied this verse in our last lesson and we mentioned that the action of gathering is closely related to the building up of God’s temple that Paul talks about in 1Corinthians 3. Today, we will continue to expound Matthew 12.30b from Pau...

One of the glories of the Christian faith is the emphasis that the Bible puts on the wideness of God’s forgiveness. It is open for every man to receive. But the mercy of God has a limit. There is a kind of sin that cannot be forgiven. It is called by Jesus, ‘The blasphemy against the Holy Spirit.’ For this, there is no forgiveness. Let’s read the Lord’s teaching on this subject. Matthew 12.31. The...

The Pharisees showed their hypocrisy when they asked Jesus for a sign proving that He was the Messiah. They were obviously not seeking to know Jesus. They had already seen so many proofs that He was the Messiah. Another miraculous work will not change their minds because they had decided already not to believe Him. Jesus, knowing their hearts, refused to give them a sign. The only sign they would...

In spiritual warfare, there is no room for neutrality. The Lord Jesus makes it plain in Matthew 12.30 where He says, He who is not with Me is against Me . This point is illustrated in a passage that is often called, ‘The return of the evil spirit.’ Let’s read this passage. Matthew 12.43. "When an unclean spirit goes out of a man, he goes through dry places, seeking rest, and finds none. 44 "Then h...

The parables are central in Jesus’ teaching. Depending on what we count as a parable, there are approximately fifty that appear in the synoptic gospels. We will study the major parables of Jesus, starting today with the parable of the sower. Text format available. Read and download this episode in text format on our website at the following address: https://meetingwithchrist.com/project/luke-84-8-...

We will continue today our study of the parable of the sower. We mentioned in our previous lesson that the first soil represents people whose hearts are not open to the word of God. They are unbelievers who pay no attention to the message of the gospel. We come now to the second type of soil. Text format available. Read and download this episode in text format on our website at the following addre...

Placed between the parable of the sower and its explanation, there is a section of great importance in which we see the disciples asking Jesus why He taught in parables. This is an excellent question indeed. Why did the Lord Jesus teach in parables rather than using plain statements? We will explore Jesus’ answer to that question in this lesson. First, let’s take a look at this passage. Matthew 13...

We will return today to the parable of the sower in Luke 8. This time, we will approach it from a different angle. The parable of the sower, as you know, is a foundation parable. It sums up most effectively the Lord’s whole teaching on salvation. This lesson will be divided into two parts. In the first section, we will insist on the fact that salvation is God’s gift. In the second part, we will se...

The parable of the sower is immediately followed both in Mark and Luke by another parable, a parable concerning a lamp and a measure. It is found in Luke 8:16-18, and also in Mark 4.21-25 with a slightly different wording. Let’s read the passage in Luke. Luke 8.16. "No one after lighting a lamp covers it with a vessel, or puts it under a bed, but puts it on a stand, that those who enter may see th...