Scripture

“Where two or three are gathered as my followers, i am there among them.”

Observation

Jesus compares a lost brother or sister to a sheep that has gone astray. The shepherd leaves the ninety- nine sheep to rescue the one, and when he finds it, he rejoices over the one sheep than the ninety- nine who did not stray.

If another believer sins against us, we should first raise it with them privately. If they repent, we have won back a friend . If this is unsuccessful, we should return with some other christians to talk it through. If that fails, then we raise it with the whole church.

Whenever two or three people gather in the name of Jesus, He is there with them and will answer their prayers.

Application

There is great power in the prayer of agreement. The Father blesses those prayers that we pray together.

It doesn’t take a big group, just two or three. The condition is that they meet in the name of Jesus, that is, as His followers.

It is not about a group act of “name it and claim it.” This promise is for serious christians who live to see God’s purposes unfold.

The key to having prayer answered is to pray the Father’s will. Often we are too preoccupied with what we want rather than what God wants.

There are some areas where we know that we can pray with confidence that we are in the will of the Father. One of those is for people to be saved, another is for healing.

When christians pray together for these things, and other things that we discern are the will of the Father, we can be certain that He will act. Of course a person may not want to be saved, no matter how fervently we pray for them. But God will do all that can be done for that person to see the Kingdom of God.

Prayer

Thank you, Lord Jesus, for the assurance that whenever christians gather in your name you are with us. Thank you that you hear and fulfil our prayers. Amen.

Scripture

“What sorrow awaits the world because it tempts people to sin. Temptations are inevitable, but what sorrow awaits the person who does the tempting.”

Observation

The disciples ask Jesus, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom?” Jesus responds by calling a little child. He tells them that to even get into the kingdom they have to be like little children- humble and teachable.

If we cause one who trusts Jesus to sin, it would be better to be cast into the sea with a millstone around the neck. The world tempts the “little ones” of Jesus to sin and so great judgement awaits those who do the tempting.

If we have problems with sin, we should remove the offending part of the body. It is better to enter the kingdom maimed than to be thrown into the eternal fire.

Application

As christians we can become overwhelmed by the temptations that surround us. We focus on our failures and we war against our personal sins. We repent, but the temptations come back.

We live in a society that constantly promotes sin such as lust, adultery, greed, selfishness and so on.

We are the “little ones” who can be crushed under the weight of the battles we face. Jesus’ words can encourage us. If we keep our eyes on Jesus and live a life of humility and repentance we will be raised to eternal life.

Those who live by peddling temptation with no thought for God, they will be judged harshly for leading others into sin.

God is not ignorant of our struggles. He does not condemn us for our sins, but He does condemn those who lure others into depravity.

Even for the purveyors of temptation there is forgiveness if they repent. Nobody is too far from God’s kingdom.

Prayer

Thank you Lord for the knowledge that you see my battles with sin. Help me to turn from sin and live as your “little one.” Amen.

Scripture

“We don’t want to offend them, so go down to the lake and throw in a line. Open the mouth of the first fish you catch, and you will find a large silver coin. Take it and pay the tax for both of us.”

Observation

Jesus again tells the disciples that He will be handed over to His enemies. He will die, but on the third day He will be raised to life.

They arrive in Capernaum where collectors of the Temple Tax come. Peter asks Jesus what to do. Jesus tells him to go fishing and he will find a silver coin in the mouth of the first fish he catches. This will be enough for the tax for both of them.

Application

As the Son of God, Jesus did not need to pay taxes, especially the tax for the upkeep of the Temple where people worshipped him.

Yet He does pay the tax, and on this occasion He does it with a miracle.

What is Jesus doing with this miracle? I think that He was having some fun, sending Peter off to wet a line and providing what was needed in a way that Peter would enjoy. If only all of our taxes and bills could be paid through our leisure activities!

Jesus is demonstrating here that whatever our needs are, He will supply them. We don’t have to be stressed because He sees the need before we do, and He knows how He will meet that need- even if it is through fishing.

Prayer

Thank you Lord for the reminder that you have all my needs covered. All I have to do is rest in you. Please help me to remember that. Amen.

Scripture

“You don’t have enough faith,” Jesus told them. If you had faith even as small as a mustard seed, you could say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there’, and it would move. Nothing would be impossible.”

Observation

Jesus’ disciples ask Him why the teachers of the Law say Elijah must return before the Messiah comes. Jesus tells them that Elijah had already come, but they killed him, and they will do the same to Jesus.

At the bottom of the mountain, they meet up with a man with a demonised son. The other disciples had failed to do anything for the son. Jesus commands the demon to leave, and the boy is healed. When the disciples ask Him why they were unable to remove the demon, Jesus says “You don’t have enough faith.”

Application

it only takes a tiny amount of faith to work miracles in God’s kingdom. A mustard seed is a tiny thing, but that amount of faith is enough to move mountains and to remove demons.

Atomic faith, nano-scale faith, microscopic faith – -how ever we picture it, the smallest quantity achieves miracles.

Paul says that we all have a measure of faith – whether it is a mustard seed or a whole forest of faith doesn’t matter.

Where had these disciples gone wrong? Perhaps the problem was that they copied Jesus’ words or actions but did not appropriate the power of God.

Real faith has its focus on God, not on the problem being dealt with. It is reliant on the Holy Spirit, not on a method or on getting the words right.

Faith in God changes lives.

Prayer

Lord, please help me to grow in faith in you, so that I can trust you to remove the greatest of mountains. Amen.

Scripture

As the men watched, Jesus’ appearance was transformed so that his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white a slight.

Observation

Jesus takes Peter, James and John up a high mountain in order to be alone. As the men look on, Jesus’ appearance is transformed so that His face and clothes shine like a white light. Then Moses and Elijah appear.

Peter says they should build some memorial shelters. A bright cloud overshadows them, and a voice comes from the cloud saying, “This is my dear Son.”

Suddenly it is all over, and they return back down the mountain.

Application

The three disciples who are closest to Jesus get to see Jesus as He really is. The curtains are pulled back and the glory of Jesus shines through.

One of the problems many of us have, including the first disciples, is that we do not see Jesus as He really is. Despite the miracles and the healings, even the resurrection, we easily forget that Jesus is the divine Son of God.

We too often see Him in earthly terms alone.

Yes, we know that He is God in human form, but we forget so easily. This is not just a man, this is GOD!

When we see Jesus as He really is, our old ways of thinking, of praying, of relating to God and to other people, all of this changes.

Prayer

Father, please give me a fresh revelation of Jesus. May I see Him high and lifted up, not just as a “best friend” but as The Lord. Amen.

Scripture

“What do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your soul? Is anything more valuable than your soul?”

Observation

Jesus begins to speak openly about His coming death in the cross. He will be killed, but on the third day He will rise from the dead.

Peter rebukes Him for saying these things. Jesus says to him, “Get away from me satan!”

Jesus warns His disciples that anyone who wants to follow Him must first take up their cross. To save our lives we must die. There is no benefit in gaining the whole world if we lose our soul.

Application

If we were to gain the whole world, but lose our soul in the process, it would be a loss not a win.

Many people pursue success as defined by the culture rather than God’s kind of success. They pursue career, wealth, relationships, prestige. They satisfy a worldly, fleshly life, but neglect their souls.

Many christians do this, paying lip service to seeking God’s kingdom while being really motivated by the things of the world.

Jesus is warning us that we must not forget to invest in spiritual growth in order to gain worldly satisfaction.

The most important thing we can do is to seek God. In John 15, Jesus uses the analogy of a vine and its branches. To bear fruit, even to just stay alive, we must stay connected to Him.

Is anything worth more than our soul? No! We must be as diligent about this as we are about our physical being.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, you promise eternal life for everyone who puts their trust in you. Please help me to grow in my relationship with you, investing time and energy in seeking your Kingdom. Amen.

Scripture

“Then he asked them, “But who do you say I am?”

Observation

Jesus asks His disciples what people are saying about His identity. They report that some are saying He is John the Baptist, others Elijah or one of the prophets.

Jesus then asks them, “Who do you say I am?” Peter says that He is the Messiah, the Son of the Living God.

Jesus tells Peter that his confession about Jesus was a revelation from the Father, and not the result of human reason. Jesus then says that Peter will now be known, not as Simon, but as Peter- the Rock. Jesus will build the church, and the power of hell will not prevail against it.

Application

Here is the question that we must all answer for ourselves, and it is the question that determines our eternal destiny: “Who do you say i am?”

It is not enough to parrot other people’s opinions- He is Elijah. or a prophet, or a good man or a teacher. It is your confession, your belief, your understanding of Jesus’ identity that determines your salvation.

This is not a question that allows for an intellectual opinion. The answer must come from the heart.

Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the Living God.” This is an all or nothing answer to an all or nothing question. If Jesus is who He says He is, then I have to give Him everything- my life my ambition, my desires.

Alternatively, I give Him noting and continue living for myself.

This was the understanding that I came to when I first had a vision of Jesus in 1976. that revelation from the Father changed everything for me. I had to choose between a salvation that would cost everything or reject the whole christian story as a myth. There was no grey area. There can be no following of God as a part-time hobby.

“Who do you say I am?”

Prayer

Lord Jesus, for you my salvation cost everything. Help me to give back everything in joyful gratitude. Amen.

Scripture

“Watch out!” Jesus warned. “Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.”

Observation

Some Pharisees and Sadducees come to Jesus, demanding that He perform a miraculous sign to prove His authority.

Jesus says, “Only an evil and adulterous generation demands a sign.” Later He warns His disciples to beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.

The disciples begin to argue among themselves because they had brought no bread with them. Jesus rebukes them because they have so quickly forgotten about how He had provided food for the crowds. Then they understand that the warning about the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees was not about food but about deceptive teaching.

Application

The deceptive teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees is all around us still, but we often fail to see it.

The Pharisees were the legalists who took the Law of Moses and made it more extreme. If the Law said, “Do nor work on the Sabbath,” they took that law and defined carefully what actions were allowable and what were not.

They believed that if they were good enough, God would bless them and raise them to eternal life.

There are people in every church who think that they have to prove themselves to God. Just say the prayer the right way, be a good person, and so on. This is the yeast of the Pharisees.

The Sadducees did not believe in the resurrection. They were the people of unbelief, the “liberal” wing of the Jewish leaders. They believed in maintaining the traditions and co-operating with the pagan Romans.

If you believe that God does not heal people or perform miracles any more, you have the yeast of the Sadducees.

Prayer

Lord please deliver me from all forms of legalism and unbelief. I thank you that you love me, and that by your grace you have saved me. Amen.

Scripture

A vast crowd brought to him people who were lame, blind, crippled, those who could not speak, and many others. They laid them before Jesus, and he healed them all. The crowd was amazed!

Observation

A vast crowd gathers around Jesus, bringing people suffering all kinds of ailments. Jesus heals them all, and everyone is amazed. Those who have been healed praise the God of Israel.

Jesus calls the disciples together and tells them they need to feed the people. They find seven loaves and a few fish which Jesus multiplies to feed 4000 men plus women and children.

Application

A large crowd gather together to meet with Jesus. They are hungry for an encounter with the Lord. They bring everyone they know who is ill or maimed in any way. He heals them all. Nothing is too hard for the Lord.

When do we come together in church with an expectation that we will meet Jesus?

When is the last time Jesus healed everyone in church?

We have to regain that sense of anticipation, of wonder, of amazement at what God will do amongst His people.

We can make theories and excuses, but the fact is that often our experience of church is nothing like this gathering of people.

The Holy Spirit is here.

Let faith rest on this fact.

Can I expect that God might do something amazing his Sunday? Or even right now?

Prayer

Come Holy Spirit. Let my faith find your grace today. Come and heal the sick, feed the hungry, raise the dead. May the people in my community praise the God of Israel. Amen.

Scripture

“Dear woman,” Jesus said to her, “your faith is great. Your request is granted.” And her daughter was instantly healed.

Observation

Jesus explains His statement that people are not defiled by what they eat, but by the attitudes of the heart that are expressed by what comes out of their mouths. Eating with unwashed hands will never defile a person.

Jesus and the disciples head north to the region of Tyre and Sidon. A Gentile woman pleads with Him to heal her daughter who is tormented by an evil spirit.

Jesus at first seems to refuse to help her, but as she persists, He sees her faith and tells her the child is healed.

Application

Faith in Jesus is what releases the power of God. In this passage, Jesus interacts with the woman in such a way as to provoke her faith. Then the daughter is healed.

What is the gradation between faith as small as a mustard seed that moves mountains and “great faith” that releases healing and deliverance?

In the case of this woman, it was the determination to persist despite Jesus’ apparent refusal to help her.

How many people pray one prayer for something only to give up when it didn’t happen straight away?

Many people give up praying for healing when the condition shows no immediate improvement or even gets worse.

Real faith persists and digs deeper when God seems to say “No.” Real faith holds on to God even when He seems far away.

Prayer

Lord, please help me to grow stronger in faith and to trust you even when my prayers go unanswered. Help me to cling to you until I get the breakthrough. Amen.