Gospel of Matthew

Matthew 24:44 says:

For this reason you also must be ready; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour when you do not think He will.

The Lord comes and moves when we do not expect Him. This is not designed to trick us or to catch us out. It is a warning and an encouragement to us.

It is a warning to those whose hearts are far from Him. Jesus is warning us, don’t expect to just “come back” and “get things right” some time in the future, whenever you feel like it.

That day may never come. All you have is today to get things right. Use today whilst you have it. Because tomorrow mightn’t work out how you “think it will”.

It is a warning to us.

It is also an encouragement. People of God, ready yourselves! Ready yourselves, because even when it looks totally unlikely, God will still be there and is able to move mightily.

This command is for us to be READY. Don’t walk according to what your natural senses tell you about a situation. Don’t be discouraged by what you see, or hear. Walk by faith, because the Spirit of God can turn up when you least expect!

Be ready and prepare your hearts before God. Continue to be about your father’s business and show yourself ready for the coming of the Lord, lest you miss the boat.

Let this be a warning and an encouragement to you.

PRAYER: Father, I thank you for your word to me. Examine my heart and enable me to discern whether I am ready for you. Forgive me of my sin, wash me clean, and strengthen me to walk with you and keep watch. I pray you increase my faith, In Jesus Name, Amen.

Matthew 23:27-39 says:

37 “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were unwilling. 38 Behold, your house is being left to you desolate! 39 For I say to you, from now on you will not see Me until you say, ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’”

What a passionate expression of love and love spurned!

Jesus had just given a scathing rebuke to the Pharisees (The eight woes), but now He gives us an insight into the reason for His passion. It is His longing desire to have His creation be with Him.

Jesus’ passion comes from His Father’s love for His children. It is the deepest of passions. And here is has been spurned. Rejected by a stiff and stubborn proud heart.

Even pointing out the desolate nature of their predicament – the dead nature of life without God – seemingly does nothing to move their hearts.

This is an amazing insight into the emotions of God. He is driven by love and with that love comes the danger it won’t be returned.

We often withhold love, even when we want to show it, for fear of it being rejected and trampled on. That is the risk that comes with loving deeply, that you can be also hurt deeply as well.

Jesus shows us He knows what that feels like. And yet, He still loves us.

The takeaway from this is not just an insight into the longing passionate heart of God. It is the unshakeable fact that Jesus loves you. Even when you reject Him, He loves you. Even when you let Him down, He loves you. He won’t turn His back. He won’t ditch you and run. He won’t find it too painful to keep loving you.

Why don’t you open your heart – as hurt, as raw and as rough as it may be – to the love of God today?

PRAYER: Father, I am sorry to see your pain. I am sorry for spurning your love like these people. I am sorry for causing your heartache. Please forgive me. Please heal my heart to love you again with all my heart. I ask you to fill me now with your love. Thank you Jesus, Amen.

Matthew 22:36-39 says:

36 “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” 37 And He said to him, “ ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the great and foremost commandment. 39 The second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’

There is much debate in the body of Christ about how we fulfil the great commission. There are conferences, sermons, books, endless blog posts about the relative effectiveness or ineffectiveness of the church in taking the good news to the world.Methods, means, strategies, various different means are all hotly debated.

What is far less popular a topic to debate, preach, write on is found in verse 37 above. How we love God.

If we take the words of Jesus seriously, the first priority we have as believers is to love God above all else, with all we have. This is the greatest command.

Could it be that our failure to fulfil the great commission stems from our failure to first fulfil the greatest command?

Jesus actually goes on a put these two great callings together in verse 39. He says the second command is actually like the first, to love your neighbour as your self.

What does he mean the second is LIKE the first? He is linking the two together. He is saying if you get the first one down – love your God above all – then you are ready to go do the second – love your neighbour. The first is the pre-requisite for the second!

Loving your neighbour is the outworking of the first and is the first step to fulfilling the great commission of making disciples of all nations.

Perhaps the reason the great commission has been poorly fulfilled at times, is because we have become to concerned with the commission of Jesus and not concerned enough with these two great commands of Jesus.

When we first put God in first place, it is amazing how often other things begin to fall into line.

PRAYER: Father, I thank you that you love me and that you showed that love by giving Jesus for my life. I ask you to fill me with your love. I ask for a love firstly for you and secondly for those people you’ve put around me. Use me to show your love Lord. In Jesus name, Amen.

Matthew 21:28-32 says:

“But what do you think? A man had two sons, and he came to the first and said, ‘Son, go work today in the vineyard.’ 29 And he answered, ‘I will not’; but afterward he regretted it and went. 30 The man came to the second and said the same thing; and he answered, ‘I will, sir’; but he did not go. 31 Which of the two did the will of his father?” They said, “The first.” Jesus said to them, “Truly I say to you that the tax collectors and prostitutes will get into the kingdom of God before you. 32 For John came to you in the way of righteousness and you did not believe him; but the tax collectors and prostitutes did believe him; and you, seeing this, did not even feel remorse afterward so as to believe him.

The first son said “No, I won’t go” but went. The second said he would go but didn’t.

The first son did what the Father wanted. Why? Because, in spite of his words he went.

What does this tell us? Words are not what impresses the Father, but actions do. Actions speak louder than words because actions are what reveal the heart in a way that words alone can not.

In fact, words are often used to mask the true condition of our heart:

“I’m fine”
“I’d love to”
“Sure, no problem”
“I will do that as soon as I can”
“Yeah, I’m happy”
“I love you Lord”…

We can use our words to say these things, but do we mean them? Or do they mask the truth? How can we know for sure?

The answer is that our heart is best revealed in our doing. It is when we follow through and our words are matched by our actions that we know there is no duplicity or hypocrisy being hidden in our hearts.

What does this mean for the kingdom of God? Jesus is telling us, being outwardly pious and superficially religious does not cut it if you want to be His follower and please our Father God.

PRAYER: Lord, I repent for letting my words become light and meaningless before others but mostly before you. I ask you to search and change my heart, that I may be a person of true faith, being a doer of the Word and not only a hearer and so miss the opportunity I have to live pleasing to you. I ask for your grace today, in the name of Jesus, Amen.

Matthew 20:13-16 says:

But he replied to one of them, ‘Friend, I am doing you no wrong. Did you not agree with me for a denarius? 14 Take what belongs to you and go. I choose to give to this last worker as I give to you. 15 Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or do you begrudge my generosity?’ 16 So the last will be first, and the first last.”

The promise of God’s grace and eternal life is true for all men. The gift of salvation, by grace through faith, is available whether we accept it on our deathbed after years of rebellion or if we accept it as a child and serve Him faithfully for many, many years.

But is that fair?, you ask. No, it’s not. It’s more than fair.

God’s gift of salvation is an amazing, incomparable, unsurpassed, and most valuable gift. Whatever we were before we accepted it by faith, it matters not. Nothing we could do before our Christ could merit it, anyhow. How we come to that place is not the issue, but that we could to that place is!

The danger here, faithful believer, is that self-righteousness enters the equation and we add to God’s grace our goodness and impose our own moral hierarchy into the kingdom of God. The fact is, no matter how much we try, seniority is not recognised in the kingdom of God. There are no extra perks for length of service.

God’s grace is grace to all people. There is one door. It is the door of grace and it is opened by faith. No one is in a position to boast. But those who have sinned much, are forgiven much, and understand much just how great and marvellous a reward and blessing they have been given.

PRAYER: Lord, help me not to elevate my heart in self-righteousness but I ask you to allow me to receive a fresh revelation of just how much you love me today through a vision of the cross. In Jesus name, Amen.

Matthew 19:29-30 says:

And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands, for my name’s sake, will receive a hundredfold and will inherit eternal life. 30 But many who are first will be last, and the last first.

The economy of God operates in the reverse manner to the things of the world. In the kingdom of God “everyone who has left…” something of value to follow Jesus, does not end up with less but actually ends up with more.

In following Jesus there is cost involved and that cost is paid in terms of things valued in this world. But there is also a reward that is also given and that is paid in terms of things of eternal value. The cost is immediate, but the reward is delayed. Because of this lag, it can appear it is a one way transaction.

But Jesus reminds us, if you have left something or lost something of value in this life to follow me – a relationship, family, your career, finances, opportunities, social standing, whatever it might be – you can be assured you will be richly rewarded for your courage and your faith. In fact, He quantifies it! You will be 100 times better off by following Jesus through His promise of eternal life.

Consider that for a moment. Consider those who seem to have what you’ve given up. Be it a career, a relationship, an income level, a lifestyle etc. Those people may appear to be ahead of you in life, but Jesus says the opposite is true.

Jesus says for those that seem to live the richest lives, and appear to be at the top of the social and economic trees, unless there is a willingness to sacrifice it for His sake, then they will be last. Whilst those that gave up things of earthly value for Him, they will be first.

Where do you want to come in life? First in the world’s eyes, or first in God’s eyes?

PRAYER: Lord, I thank you for showing me how to live through the life of your Son. I give you my life and all that’s in it today. I humble myself under your Lordship and ask you to lead me and speak to me and make my life count for things of eternal value. I love you Father, Amen