God's Grace

 Book of 2 Samuel Chapter 9

David's Compassion

What is compassion? 

A suffering with another; painful sympathy; a sensation of sorrow excited by the distress or misfortunes of another; pity; commiseration.

One of the great pictures of compassion in the New Testament is the work of the Lord Jesus with the wild man of Gadara.

Mar 5:19  Howbeit Jesus suffered him not, but saith unto him, Go home to thy friends, and tell them how great things the Lord hath done for thee, and hath had compassion on thee. 

Why did Jesus die for us all?

Mat 9:36  But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd. 

Mat 9:37  Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few; 

Mat 9:38  Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest. 

Compassion is the key to being a servant of the Lord Jesus Christ!

Compassion and kindness must be the traits of all God's people!

What is one of the two greatest commandments from our Lord and Savior?

Joh_13:34  A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.

Joh_13:35  By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.

Joh_15:12  This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.

Joh_15:17  These things I command you, that ye love one another.

The world we live in today has left out love and swapped it for hatred, especially in America!

The Lord provides our needs as He sees them and if we are to be like the Lord Jesus Christ, then we need to show compassion to those that we see who have a need, especially when we have no need of items that could help them.

One of the greatest lessons on compassion in the Old Testament can be seen in our lesson today.

*****2Sa 9:1  And David said, Is there yet any that is left of the house of Saul, that I may shew him kindness for Jonathan's sake? 

We should understand that King David did not know that there were children of Jonathan that remained. He therefore thought he could show his kindness to the next of his kindred.

We should understand that any kindred of King Saul would probably be hidden for fear that David would search them out to kill them. 

This is what a new king would do in most cases during the Age of kings, but David was a man after God's own heart and he would not have done this, especially for the promise he had made to Jonathan.

David was doing his best to fulfill the promise he had made to Jonathan.

1Sa 20:14  And thou shalt not only while yet I live shew me the kindness of the LORD, that I die not: 

1Sa 20:15  But also thou shalt not cut off thy kindness from my house for ever: no, not when the LORD hath cut off the enemies of David every one from the face of the earth. 

1Sa 20:16  So Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David, saying, Let the LORD even require it at the hand of David's enemies. 

Jonathan knew in his heart that David would be the next true king of Israel.

It was the custom of that day for the new king to murder all his predecessor's family and Jonathan wanted David to promise that he would not do this.

This was done to stop any claim the throne by the family of the previous ruler.

We would think that things like this no longer happen in our modern world, but we need only look at what is happening to Donald Trump to know that these things still happen today!

The Democratic party has gone after all the family of Donald Trump in order to keep him from becoming president and are trying to ruin the reputation of Donald and all his family to keep them out of politics in the future.

This cannot be denied!

We can see that not much has changed in politics and world leaders throughout the Ages.

Ecc 1:9  The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun. 

Ecc 1:10  Is there any thing whereof it may be said, See, this is new? it hath been already of old time, which was before us.

We see just about every day the results of new leaders disposing of the old leader in many cruel ways including assassination and use of prison and other ways.

King David did not do these things after becoming King of Israel.

David found one man Ziba who had been one of Saul's servants.

*****2Sa 9:2  And there was of the house of Saul a servant whose name was Ziba. And when they had called him unto David, the king said unto him, Art thou Ziba? And he said, Thy servant is he. 

2Sa 9:3  And the king said, Is there not yet any of the house of Saul, that I may shew the kindness of God unto him? And Ziba said unto the king, Jonathan hath yet a son, which is lame on his feet. 

2Sa 9:4  And the king said unto him, Where is he? And Ziba said unto the king, Behold, he is in the house of Machir, the son of Ammiel, in Lodebar. 

2Sa 9:5  Then king David sent, and fetched him out of the house of Machir, the son of Ammiel, from Lodebar. 

I am not going to try to describe this event as Preacher Sam does.

The story of Mephibosheth and King David is a splendid example of the Grace of God.

David treated Mephibosheth and his son Micha with the greatest kindness, which was Grace.

He remained in Jerusalem and ate at the King's table.

Every child of God will one day go home and eat at the table of the Lord Jesus Christ because of Grace.

We know GRACE as "God's Riches At Christ's Expense".

Ziba had taken over the lands of Saul and was considered to be a rich man himself at this time.

There will be different versions of stories between Mephibosheth and Ziba as time passes.

Mephibosheth was five years old when the Philistines came to the home of King Saul to kill any remaining in the family of Saul, when one of the servants escaped with him and he fell, hitting his head, and that fall caused him to lose the control of his feet making him a cripple for life.

2Sa 4:4  And Jonathan, Saul's son, had a son that was lame of his feet. He was five years old when the tidings came of Saul and Jonathan out of Jezreel, and his nurse took him up, and fled: and it came to pass, as she made haste to flee, that he fell, and became lame and his name was Mephibosheth.

Ziba had been a servant in the house of Saul, but was now a free man and he was determined to remain a free man.

King David did not allow this to happen.

Later, what David asked him to do was to become a servant to Mephibosheth.

2Sa 16:1  And when David was a little past the top of the hill, behold, Ziba "the servant of Mephibosheth" met him, with a couple of asses saddled, and upon them two hundred loaves of bread, and an hundred bunches of raisins, and an hundred of summer fruits, and a bottle of wine. 

It was this same Ziba who brought nourishment to King David as he left Jerusalem to keep from killing Absolom.

During this time that David left his home because of Absolom, Mephibosheth backslide into his old

ways and remained at the house of David.

Mephibosheth is also called Merib-Baal and he had a son.

1Ch 8:34  And the son of Jonathan was Meribbaal; and Meribbaal begat Micah.

These things came a little latter when turmoil entered into David's life because of his sin with Bathsheba and Uriah.

So, King David sent for Mephibosheth.

*****2Sa 9:6  Now when Mephibosheth, the son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, was come unto David, he fell on his face, and did reverence. And David said, Mephibosheth. And he answered, Behold thy servant! 

2Sa 9:7  And David said unto him, Fear not: for I will surely shew thee kindness for Jonathan thy father's sake, and will restore thee all the land of Saul thy father; and thou shalt eat bread at my table continually. 

This is a picture of the Grace that will be shown to every believer by our Heavenly Father for His Son Jesus's sake.

When Mephibosheth came into the royal court he fell upon his face before King David thinking he was about to lose his life.

David gave Mephibosheth assurance that he had no evil intentions toward him, because David wanted to show him kindness for Jonathan's sake.

This is exactly what Jehovah our Heavenly Father wants to do for us as He gives us assurance that He will show us a great kindness for Jesus’s sake.

David then issued a royal decree in the name of Mephibosheth.

David gave him back all of his father's lands, the same land that Ziba had cared for and improved on all those years since the death of Saul.

David could have easily claimed all the possessions of King Saul for himself but he had not.

Saul's private estate did pass into David's possession when David came to the throne but David had ignored that piece of land.

This is the Lord speaking to David.

2Sa 12:8  And I gave thee thy master's house, and thy master's wives into thy bosom, and gave thee the house of Israel and of Judah; and if that had been too little, I would moreover have given unto thee such and such things. 

David had always shown respect for King Saul and all his family.

It was a great privilege to eat at the table of the king and Mephibosheth had this promise all his remaining days.

So, Mephibosheth bowed before King David.

*****2Sa 9:8  And he bowed himself, and said, What is thy servant, that thou shouldest look upon such a dead dog as I am? 

In the Israel of that day, a dead dog was considered to be the vilest and most contemptable object possible.

2Sa 3:8  Then was Abner very wroth for the words of Ishbosheth, and said, Am I a dog's head, which against Judah do shew kindness this day unto the house of Saul thy father, to his brethren, and to his friends, and have not delivered thee into the hand of David, that thou chargest me to day with a fault concerning this woman? 

2Sa 16:9  Then said Abishai the son of Zeruiah unto the king, Why should this dead dog curse my lord the king? let me go over, I pray thee, and take off his head.

1Sa 24:14  After whom is the king of Israel come out? after whom dost thou pursue? after a dead dog, after a flea. 

We need to watch what we call people, as it could have a different meaning to them, than our intent.

When Mephibosheth said these things to express great gratitude saying that by rank King David was exalted much more than he was.

King David knew what Mephibosheth was saying.

We need to do the same without calling names, recognizing that the Lord Jesus Christ is exalted much above us at all times.

*****2Sa 9:9  Then the king called to Ziba, Saul's servant, and said unto him, I have given unto thy master's son all that pertained to Saul and to all his house. 

Mephibosheth was actually Saul's grandson, but words of relationships are used in a very different way in the Hebrew.

Ziba was already managing the lands of King Saul, but more for his own rather that for Mephibosheth.

The King now ordered him to manage those same things that belonged to Saul for Mephibosheth and though he was obedient in these things it did not sit well with him.

Ziba had been a slave in the house of King Saul, so he was still better off, but he certainly did not want to become a slave to Mephibosheth.

Under Jewish Law, Ziba was now a fee man and later King David made these things right.

Ziba was also ordered by King David to bring all his own family to serve as slaves and to till the land for Mephibosheth.

*****2Sa 9:10  Thou therefore, and thy sons, and thy servants, shall till the land for him, and thou shalt bring in the fruits, that thy master's son may have food to eat: but Mephibosheth thy master's son shall eat bread alway at my table. Now Ziba had fifteen sons and twenty servants. 

2Sa 9:11  Then said Ziba unto the king, According to all that my lord the king hath commanded his servant, so shall thy servant do. As for Mephibosheth, said the king, he shall eat at my table, as one of the king's sons. 

Ziba knew there was not much he could do about what was happening to him and his family.

It was a great honor that David was showing to Mephibosheth and a great picture of Grace for him, but not much honor given to the slave who had been freed at the death of King Saul and his family.

God included this story in the Bible also for us to study.

We might also note that Ziba had employed ten slaves himself.

Many of the slaves of that day were actually fellow Hebrews who had met with hard times and had to indenture themselves in order to pay off some debt but Jehovah had specific laws concerning these things.

There is much more to these stories we will see later.

At least Mephibosheth would not be around much because he was the guest of the King, but he had a son name Micha in one place and Micah in another place. They are one and the same person.

And this son had sons.

*****2Sa 9:12  And Mephibosheth had a young son, whose name was Micha. And all that dwelt in the house of Ziba were servants unto Mephibosheth.

2Sa 9:13  So Mephibosheth dwelt in Jerusalem: for he did eat continually at the king's table; and was lame on both his feet.  

King David showed the "Grace" of God to Mephibosheth all the days of his life, but does appear that Mephibosheth did turn on King David at the time of Absolom's rebellion.

We will substitute the name Micah for Micha in other places.

1Ch 8:34  And the son of Jonathan was Meribbaal; and Meribbaal begat Micah. 

1Ch 8:35  And the sons of Micah were, Pithon, and Melech, and Tarea, and Ahaz. 

We should be able to see that Ziba who had been a free man after the day of Saul’s death, had no real responsibility to be a slave to Mephibosheth nor his family.

The Scriptures have not told us whether Ziba was a Jew but it does appear that he was a true Israelite.

Lev 25:44  Both thy bondmen, and thy bondmaids, which thou shalt have, shall be of the heathen that are round about you; of them shall ye buy bondmen and bondmaids. 

Lev 25:45  Moreover of the children of the strangers that do sojourn among you, of them shall ye buy, and of their families that are with you, which they begat in your land: and they shall be your possession. 

Lev 25:46  And ye shall take them as an inheritance for your children after you, to inherit them for a possession; they shall be your bondmen for ever: but over your brethren the children of Israel, ye shall not rule one over another with rigour. 

So far all I have able to search says Ziba was an Israelite and subject to the Laws of Moses.

Exo 21:2  If thou buy an Hebrew servant, six years he shall serve: and in the seventh he shall go out free for nothing.

It appears that the true reading of the Scriptures that Ziba became a free man and any other slaves of King Saul.

It also appears that Ziba had stayed on to take care of Saul's possessions after his death which in fact he felt obligated to do until the new king, David decided what he was going to do with that property.

To the above modes of of a slave to obtain liberty, the rabbinical priesthood added, as a fourth, the death of the master without leaving a son, there being no power of claiming the slave, on the part of any heir except a son, that slave would be free.

All the sons of King Saul were dead.

When a slave was set free the Master had an obligation to that slave.

Deu 15:13  And when thou sendest him out free from thee, thou shalt not let him go away empty: 

Deu 15:14  Thou shalt furnish him liberally out of thy flock, and out of thy floor, and out of thy winepress: of that wherewith the LORD thy God hath blessed thee thou shalt give unto him. 

We should understand that Zida would have nothing if he just ran off so, he stayed to protect these things.

We could call this God's Grace toward Ziba.

Later, we will see King David separate half the lands of King Saul to Ziba, we can believe that David had become more familiar with the Laws of Moses and made this thing right with Ziba.

2Sa 19:29  And the king said unto him, Why speakest thou any more of thy matters? I have said, Thou and Ziba divide the land. 

2Sa 19:30  And Mephibosheth said unto the king, Yea, let him take all, forasmuch as my lord the king is come again in peace unto his own house. 

All these details will come out because of the coup that Absolom, King David's own son and some rebellious elders, and politicians, and even some in religion had caused.

King David had only left Jerusalem because he did not want to war with his son Absolom and because he knew he was being chastised of God for his own sins, but God did not want him to leave Jerusalem.

God was not through with David at this time and God would not allow Absolom to become king.

We also see that God does not allow His Grace to go unrewarded to all parties.

God is still no respecter of persons!

These things show us that we can really get down after we recognize that we have sinned against God even when he has forgiven us!

Amen

The Power of God

 Jesus Used the Power of a King

Book of Matthew Chapter 8

The definition of power is "the ability to perform under one’s own authority any task".

In the case of the Lord Jesus Christ we would say Supernatural Power!

The ability to perform supernatural tasks under His own authority!

Mat 28:18  And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.

Jesus not only has "power", but His power includes authority and ability!

We would never wish an ignorant, impatient, unmerciful man to possess such power and no man on this earth does possess such power, though some would have you to believe that they do.

All man-made power comes from God, good or bad. God provides the good and God may allow some bad if it fulfills His purpose!

Rom 13:1  Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God.

We could say that Jesus shows us only a small portion of the power He possesses!

We can just open our eyes such as this season of Spring and see death come back to life and realize we have a God of life.

We sometimes forget His power of creation.

In fact we sometimes allow His power to save a soul, but forget His power to keep a soul saved when the same Scriptures say Jesus has "all" power on Earth and in Heaven!

Let us see what Jesus has to say:

*****Mat 8:1  When he was come down from the mountain, great multitudes followed him. 

Mat 8:2  And, behold, there came a leper and worshipped him, saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean. 

We should ask ourselves, just what is a miracle?

A miracle is a wondrous work of God that can be seen with our own eyes that takes place in this world.

There are no miracles that do not involve the work of our Omnipotent, all Powerful, God!

I repeat myself, there are "no miracles" that happen in this world that do not involve the hand of God.

Jas 1:17  Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.

No human can be the cause of a true miracle!

Man does not have the ability to change this world, only God has that power, and that God is Jehovah, the Lord Jesus Christ!

Not Allah, not Buddha, not any false deity!

We must not forget we live in a cursed world!

Only Jesus has the power to change this world or make changes to this world!

It is His world!

Col 1:16  For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:

It would be better to ask ourselves, who can limit the power of God?

On the day of the Sermon on the Mount, a light came on in the mind of this leper.

This leper knew that to be healed of his leprosy all Jesus had to do was to just do it.

Do not let the doctor fool you, he or she cannot heal you, they can be used of God as an instrument of healing, but all healing comes by the will of God, just as this leper found to be true.

Medicines do not heal they are just tools of our Savior when they are prepared according to His will. We should realize that all medicines that work are made from some part of God's creation.

On this day, all Jesus did was touch this leper and this is all any of us need, a touch from on High.

*****Mat 8:3  And Jesus put forth his hand, and touched him, saying, I will; be thou clean. And immediately his leprosy was cleansed. 

Again we see the compassion of the Lord Jesus, but we also see amazing faith of a believer.

We begin to see where "faith is the key" to the workings of our Savior and our God!

Heb 11:6  But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. 

If we believe in "typology teaching" and we should, we can also see that leprosy in the Bible is a type of moral corruption.

Immorality will lead to the destruction of the body even more than leprosy!

The Lord Jesus Christ can take away our sin just as easy as He healed this leper of His leprosy!

In the time of these lepers, they lived a life where no one would touch them for fear of catching that disease.

Many have found out, that we as humans need a touch from those we care about and who care for us.

The leper who ventured out in public in the days of Jesus, had to walk pronouncing that they were unclean.

They would say, "unclean, unclean", and crowds would move to allow them to pass through.

Lev 13:45  And the leper in whom the plague is, his clothes shall be rent, and his head bare, and he shall put a covering upon his upper lip, and shall cry, Unclean, unclean. 

Lev 13:46  All the days wherein the plague shall be in him he shall be defiled; he is unclean: he shall dwell alone; without the camp shall his habitation be.

 The leper was treated as dead while he lived.

It is the exact same for each sinner who has not ask the Lord to come into his heart.

We are all the walking dead until, we accept Jesus Christ!

Rom 6:23  For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. 

Jesus immediately reached out to touch this leper to show him His great love, and immediately his leprosy was healed.

Jesus is the only one who can heal leprosy just as through Jesus is the only way sin can be forgiven!

Jesus did not like to broadcast to the world the truth of His miracles.

The message of Jesus is "Grace by Faith"!

Eph 2:8  For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 

Eph 2:9  Not of works, lest any man should boast. 

*****Mat 8:4  And Jesus saith unto him, See thou tell no man; but go thy way, shew thyself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, for a testimony unto them. 

We should clearly understand that the Lord Jesus Christ did not want a multitude of people coming to Him just to see some miracle.

The Lord Jesus Christ came to this earth with a plan of salvation. The same for the Jews and the Gentiles.

Mat 12:18  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. 

Mat 12:19  He shall not strive, nor cry; neither shall any man hear his voice in the streets. 

Mat 12:20  A bruised reed shall he not break, and smoking flax shall he not quench, till he send forth judgment unto victory. 

Mat 12:21  And in his name shall the Gentiles trust. 

The laws of Moses were still in effect for the Jewish people and this leper needed to go to the priests.

Without the official verdict of the priests, this leper could still not return to communal privileges. 

They still had to offer up the designated sacrifice to Jehovah.

Lev 14:4  Then shall the priest command to take for him that is to be cleansed two birds alive and clean, and cedar wood, and scarlet, and hyssop: 

Lev 14:10  And on the eighth day he shall take two he lambs without blemish, and one ewe lamb of the first year without blemish, and three tenth deals of fine flour for a meat offering, mingled with oil, and one log of oil. 

Lev 14:11  And the priest that maketh him clean shall present the man that is to be made clean, and those things, before the LORD, at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation: 

These laws still existed in the time of Jesus and they still do to practicing Jews today the exception being, they have no Temple nor Tabernacle to practice their religion that still cannot save.

Again Jesus shows His compassion and a healing based upon faith.

*****Mat 8:5  And when Jesus was entered into Capernaum, there came unto him a centurion, beseeching him, 

Mat 8:6  And saying, Lord, my servant lieth at home sick of the palsy, grievously tormented. 

Mat 8:7  And Jesus saith unto him, I will come and heal him. 

Capernaum was at this time, was the base of operations for the Lord and His disciples.

As Jesus was returning, He is met by a Roman officer. A Centurion would be in charge of 100 Roman soldiers.

Beseeching is not begging, but we could say he was pleading with Jesus and he got the attention of Jesus with the words that he spoke.

He was pleading for a servant. We do not know if this servant was a Jew or Gentile, and it did not matter.

Now palsy is known as paralysis, and no doubt the life of this servant was in jeopardy or could have been.

The pain comes from the uncontrolled contraction of muscles.

Leprosy and paralysis could not be cured by the medical professions of that day and not even today.

We see where this Roman officer had compassion for someone, who most Romans would consider a nobody.

Capernaum was in fact a military town and just like today cities near military bases are full of sinful attractions.

Notice what Jesus said. He did not say He would come and take a look at this man.

Jesus said: "I will come and heal him".

You know, it did not matter how close to death this servant was, Jesus was intending to heal him!

When this Roman showed the same compassion, then the Lord Jesus also showed compassion which is a trait of believers and Jesus told the man He would come and heal his servant but then something astounding happened.

A sign of faith that even the Jews did not show.

*****Mat 8:8  The centurion answered and said, Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldest come under my roof: but speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed. 

Mat 8:9  For I am a man under authority, having soldiers under me: and I say to this man, Go, and he goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it. 

Mat 8:10  When Jesus heard it, he marvelled, and said to them that followed, Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel. 

Many will teach you that the Gospels are all about the Jews, yet here we see Jesus with a Roman officer and Jesus treats him as He treats all people.

Act 10:35  But in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him. 

Act 10:36  The word which God sent unto the children of Israel, preaching peace by Jesus Christ: (he is Lord of all:)

The world has never gotten this one right. The world picks and chooses who they will deal with and all the others are left out.

The Roman officer humble himself before the Lord Jesus who he had never met, but knew only by reputation.

Mic 6:8  He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?

Here is a Gentile who had come to believe in the Jewish Messiah something these Jews had not done themselves.

We have already said it is faith that gets the attention of our Savior. Without faith we cannot please Him at all.

This Roman soldier recognized the power of God in this man called Jesus.

The truth is, no matter where we come from in this life, we are all unworthy to come before the Lord!

As a military man myself I understood the chain of command.

With the Lord Jesus Christ there is no chain of command! 

When that veil in the Temple rent into two pieces the doorway to the throne of God was opened to whosoever would come to the Lord, who humbled themselves and were full of faith.

We next understand that this Roman soldier did all these things in the presence of the Lord and he did not do it for himself but for a lowly servant. 

We can see the typology in this if we pay attention.

Jesus spoke to those who were present who were Jews.

*****Mat 8:11  And I say unto you, That many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven.

We now see Jesus the Messiah as the Prophet.

He prophesies of the revival of the Gentile nations. The Church Age that we are now in.

We know that the Jews at this time felt that Jehovah was God of the Jews only, but the Messiah, God in the flesh, had a different message.

We are in the midst of the Church Age today, well in fact near the end of the Church Age.

The last Church Age is described this way:

Rev 3:14  And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God; 

Rev 3:15  I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. 

Rev 3:16  So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth. 

Rev 3:17  Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked: 

It is evident that these things are true today of the modern church who have booted Jesus out of the Church.

Say what we will but the modern Church does not follow the teachings of Jesus Christ which are commandments!

Rev 3:20  Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me. 

Rev 3:21  To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne. 

It is about time for the Church Age to end and it will end with a Banquet in Heaven when the Lord Jesus brings His Church home.

All those who will miss out on the marriage supper of the Lamb, will be left in this outer darkness. "Outside the banquet hall"

*****Mat 8:12  But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 

This is what is called the "Judgment of God".

The Lord Jesus is upfront claiming He will reject all those to lack the faith that this Roman soldier had!

The "Judgment" on unbelievers will be terrible!

Here Hell is described as an "outer darkness". A home of pitch blackness. A place without any light at all but still a place of torment.

Terrible weeping with the striking of teeth together in rage but also in anguish.

Who would want to go to this place, but this is where all those who reject the Lord Jesus and His Power to forgive sin but it is He who can also takes away that sin by forgiveness?

The greatest enemy of the Church today is all those who claim the Lord Jesus Christ, but who also want to hold onto their sin saying it is God who made them the way they are in sinful lifestyles.

You will not be able to find this line of thought in the Bible or at least in a true Bible.

Today there is a Bible for every belief when in fact there is only One Word of God.

Rom 1:17  For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith. 

Rom 1:18  For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness; 

Rom 1:19  Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them.

If your faith tells you that God made you the way you are, then your faith is meaningless because God said we must be Born Again into a new life according to the works of Jesus Christ who had "no sin".

To be a Christian still means to be "Like Christ".

Jesus told this Roman to go on home and he would find his servant to be healed.

*****Mat 8:13  And Jesus said unto the centurion, Go thy way; and as thou hast believed, so be it done unto thee. And his servant was healed in the selfsame hour.

Notice the "as thou hast believed".

Did you notice that Jesus did not need to be in the presence of this man with the palsy to heal him?

No matter where the Lord is, He can heal us! 

In reality we can say the Lord is everywhere all the time.

When Jesus has "all" power then this is what it means.

All these miracles the Lord did, do prove that He was the Messiah, but He did not do these things for that reason.

Jesus did these things because He is full of compassion for us!

Did Jesus heal everyone that He knew were in need? No

Did Jesus heal to prove He was the Messiah? No

It is not the action of miracles that prove that Jesus is the Christ.

It is the truth of the Scriptures that prove that Jesus is the Messiah!

We should also notice that Jesus approves greatly when we have interceded on the behalf of others, because this is what He has done for all of us.

We should be able to see what true "faith" can accomplish!

The more faith we have, the more we can receive of the Lord!

*****Mat 8:14  And when Jesus was come into Peter's house, he saw his wife's mother laid, and sick of a fever. 

Mat 8:15  And he touched her hand, and the fever left her: and she arose, and ministered unto them. 

We now know that it was Peter who lived in Capernaum.

We now know that Peter was a married man. A married man could not be a Pope!

We now see that Jesus does heal without a request.

It is the traits of compassion, mercy, and love that bring forth the "Grace" of God!

Jesus came into this home of Peter to rest because the flesh side of the Lord was tired, but the God side of Jesus does not ever rest.

We see that this mother did not ask for anything, Jesus just saw her suffering.

At this time Jesus had chosen His 12 disciples, yet Peter being a disciple did not earn him special privileges for his family. His family still suffered the same afflictions that are in the world.

According to the Book of Mark, Jesus had just preached a sermon in a Jewish synagogue.

Synagogues could be called a satellite of the Temple because not everyone could make it to the Temple on the Sabbath.

We should remember the Sabbath's Day journey which is less than a mile.

This mother n law was in a home. There was no crowd, no publicity, no recognition. 

Just a mother who had been overcome with a fever and just a touch from the Master set her free and she arose to help feed her family.

This is what God loves to do, to minister to His children. 

God's power is unlimited but so is His mercy!

*****Mat 8:16  When the even was come, they brought unto him many that were possessed with devils: and he cast out the spirits with his word, and healed all that were sick: 

Mat 8:17  That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, Himself took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses.

After a meal and a little bit of rest, the whole city turned out to see the miracle man Jesus Christ.

The ultimate cause of all sickness is sin.

The ultimate cause of all the wickedness in this world is those who are possess with evil spirits.

Do not be fooled. If you do not have the Holy Spirit living within you, then you are possessed by an evil spirit!

The Lord Jesus Christ can meet the needs of a multitude just as easily as He does for one individual such as Peter's mother n law.

One reason that Jesus did not want to broadcast his healing was so that people would want to see His miracles rather than listen to His message.

There is not one miracle that will save us from going to Hell even though saving a rebelleous sinner as I was from Hell could be seen as a miracle by those who knew me.

Not one miracle can save us from the wrath to come.

Not one miracle can deliver us from evil.

Faith in the works of the Lord Jesus Christ for our salvation, is the only thing that can save us from the wrath to come and eternal damnation!

Joh 14:6  Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. 

Joh 14:7  If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him. 

The world needs Jesus. 

This city of Capernaum needed Jesus, but they chose the wrong reason.

It is great to be healed from sickness.

It is great to no longer possess an evil spirit.

These things will not get you through Heaven's gates.

Why did God pour Himself into this body of flesh called Jesus?

Luk 19:10  For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost. 

Mat 20:28  Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.

The Lord Jesus Christ had the power to heal everyone in this entire world. but this world has a greater need, and it is not miracles.

Whether we like it or not the Lord Jesus is returning to "JUDGE" this world and no amount, of miracles can keep us from this "JUDGMENT"!

By casting out devils, Jesus proved that Satan, the head Devil, had no power to stand against the Lord.

He is just a liar and a deceiver!

The one main reason the Lord Jesus healed so many during His days on earth was to fulfill prophecy.

Jesus had to make the written Word of God to be real or we would not be able to trust the Word of God.

People try to deny it, but the Lord Jesus made the Word of God come alive!

Joh 1:1  In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 

Joh 1:2  The same was in the beginning with God. 

Joh 1:3  All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. 

Joh 1:4  In him was life; and the life was the light of men. 

Joh 1:5  And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not. 

We do not have to understand all these things, we just have to accept it as the truth that it is!

The power of God is not to be mocked!

Act 10:36  The word which God sent unto the children of Israel, preaching peace by Jesus Christ: (he is Lord of all:) 

Act 10:37  That word, I say, ye know, which was published throughout all Judaea, and began from Galilee, after the baptism which John preached; 

Act 10:38  How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him. 

The one thing that the world rejects is that all these things put together proved that this Jesus was truly the Messiah.

The world may call Him just a good man.

The world may call Him just a prophet.

Jesus is truly the Messiah.

I call Him Lord!

This world we live in cannot ever be fixed.

The Lord Jesus Christ will make all things new!

2Pe 3:10  But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up. 

2Pe 3:11  Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness, 

2Pe 3:12  Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat? 

2Pe 3:13  Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.

We can be a part of this new world only by faith in the works of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Amen!