Matthew 11:2-18:35

[Jim Watt]

“*TWO ARE BETTER THAN ONE” MINISTRIES*

*Jim & Marie Watt*

*Tel: 253-517-9195 - Email: jmbetter at gmail.com*

*Web: www.2rbetter.org*

May 2, 2011


 *JAN 27 - MATTHEW 11:2-18:35 - CONTROVERSY OVER JESUS*


 *1. 11:12; 12:28 (11:2-12:50) EVIL GENERATION CONDEMNED. “And from the days
of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of the heavens suffers violence,
and men of violence take it by force. 12:28 But if I by God's Spirit cast
out the demons, then is the kingdom of :God come upon you.” *Your Kingdom, O
Father, is Good News! It is Jesus, the Pearl of great price! It is a Kingdom
of Power! *Hallowed be Your Name!*


 *2. 13:52 (13) KINGDOM PARABLES. “Therefore every scribe discipled to the
kingdom of the heavens is like a man a householder, who brings forth out of
his :treasure things new and old.” *We would master the Kingdom principles
of this chapter: it is a chapter to memorize. Father, help us to see the
value of parables, and to use this principle. *Your :kingdom come!*


 *3. 14:26-27 (14) THE CHURCH: ITS POWER BUILDER. “And the disciples seeing
him walking on the sea were troubled, saying [that] It is a ghost; and cried
out for :fear. 27 But straightway :Jesus spoke to them, saying, Be of good
cheer; it is I; be not afraid.” *We see Your Son Jesus here Father, as the
One indwelt by all the fullness of the Godhead bodily. You by the Spirit
worked through Him, as the Son of :man! *Your :will be done, As in heaven,
so on earth!*


 *4. 15:3, 9 (15) TRADITION VERSUS FAITH AND COMPASSION. “But he answered
and said to them, Why do YOU also transgress the commandment of :God because
of your :tradition? 9 But in vain worship they me, Teaching for doctrines
precepts of men.” *We are old wineskins, full of tradition; we need a
renewal, a scrubbing out with lye of the bacteria of man's thinking. We sell
short Your Kingdom by failing to repent and seek renewal. *Our :daily bread
give us this day.*


 *5. 16:18-19a (16:1-20) TRUE CHURCH AND ITS BUILDER. “And I also say unto
you, that you are Peter, and upon this :rock I will build my :church
and thegates of Hades shall not prevail against it.
19a I will give you the keys of the kingdom of the heavens.” *What a
powerful word and revelation! By Your Spirit Father, help us to plumb the
depths of its meaning. *And forgive us our :debts, as we also have forgiven
our :debtors!*


 *6. 16:24-25 (16:21-17:21) PATHWAY TO SPIRITUAL POWER. “Then said :Jesus to
his disciples, If any would come after me, let him deny himself, and take up
his :cross, and follow me. 25 For whoever would save his :life shall lose
it: and whoever shall lose his :life for my sake shall find it.” *It is in
following this word Father, that we will not fall into temptation like
Peter. *And bring us not into temptation!*


 *7. 18:15, 17a (17:22-18:35) DISCIPLINE AND FORGIVENESS. “And if your
:brother sin, go, reprove him between you and him alone: if he hear you, you
have gained your :brother. 17a And if he refuse to hear them, tell the
church.” *Here is the cure of evil speaking. Here is the secret of power of
the Methodist Class Meeting! This is what Lenin borrowed and adapted. But it
is Your word of the Kingdom, Father. *But deliver us from the evil one!*


 *NOTE**: 11:28-30 (11:2-18:35) “Come unto me, all you that labor and are
heavy laden, and I will give you rest. **29 Take my :yoke upon you, and
learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in :heart: and you shall find rest to
your :souls. 30 For my :yoke is easy and my :burden light.” *To accept the
yoke of Your Kingdom in Jesus, Father, is to enter into true rest!


 Jesus said that we are *blessed* if we are treated like Him! And He said
that following our conversion, problems and persecution would start in our
own family! - for He did *not* come to bring peace on the earth at His
first-coming - but a sword! I found this so! My brother and parents were *
not* happy at my conversion! My brother was afraid to walk down town with me
in Port Alberni in case I started a street-meeting! That was in 1944. But in
February of 1946 in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan with temperature of 38 degrees
below zero outside, God woke me at 3 am and said - “Ask me for your family -
and I'll give them to you.” I did - and *He* did! “*Believe on the Lord
Jesus Christ, and you shall be saved - and your house!” - *Acts 16:31. Truer
words were never spoken! And one can add to them - “Clan Salvation”
according to Pastor Jack Hayford.


 Matthew 16:1-20 is one of the very important statements of Jesus in the NT
- *“I will build my church - and the gates or counsels of hell shall
notprevail against it!”
* That is, Satan *can't stop* a revived church from knocking down hell's
gates and setting the captives free! H.A. Baker in his “Visions Beyond the
Veil” sets his seal most effectively to this word of Jesus!


 Then note 16:24-25, and the word *“If!” *We can become a believer easily,
for *Jesus paid it all*! But to become a disciple, *we* then must pay it all
by *identifying* ourselves with Jesus in His death, burial and resurrection.
Romans 6 sets forth this truth of identification with Jesus in death through
baptism - most effectively. Rees Howells illustrates this high cost of full
discipleship in his biography by Norman P. Grubb. Discipleship is *
conditional* following initial salvation. It is Jesus' desire that every
believer be fully discipled - but the “If” stops most of us from taking this
extra and final step. Oswald Chambers biography by David McCasland
effectively confirms this.


 Matthew 18:15-17 - “The Cure of Evil Speaking” was one of the most
important requirements for membership in John Wesley's Class Meetings.
70,000 heard, counted the cost, and met this condition. One secular
sociologist of that day in the 1700's - said that apart from this potent
group of disciples in the British Isles, The French Revolution in 1889 with
its guillotine - would have swept across the English Channel and devastated
Great Britain as it did France.


 Every church that has practically walked in Matthew 18:15-17 - has seen
extraordinary revival and evangelism!


 King David had the type of spirit of a 100% disciple. See Psalm 27:1
- *“Jehovah
is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear? Jehovah is the strength of
my life; Of whom shall I be afraid?” *David had a confidence in You, Father,
that displaced the fear of man and circumstances. Jesus as the Son of man
had that same relationship with You. We can have it too! J.A.Watt



 *TO SUBSCRIBE -- Please Email: mailing-subscribe at 2rbetter.org*


 *TO UNSUBSCRIBE -- Please Email: mailing-unsubscribe at 2rbetter.org*


 *FOR ARCHIVE ARTICLES -- Web:http://2rbetter.org/pipermail/mailing/*
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://2rbetter.org/pipermail/mailing/attachments/20110502/aa27ed61/attachment.htm>