Matthew 9:35-38 ESV
“And Jesus went throughout all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, ‘The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.’”
Proclaiming the Gospel
What was the gospel that Jesus proclaimed when he lived on
this earth? I can tell you that it doesn’t look much like what most people are
teaching and believing today. For, Jesus didn’t teach a belief in him which
required no repentance, no obedience, or no submission to him as Lord (master).
For, he said that if anyone would come after him, he must
deny self, take up his cross daily (daily die to sin and self) and follow (walk
in obedience to) him. For, he said if we hold on to our old lives (of living
for sin and self) that we will lose them for eternity, but if we lose our lives
for his sake (if we die with him to sin) then we have life in him (Lu 9:23-26;
cf. Rom 8:1-17).
John 6:52-54: “The Jews then disputed among themselves, saying, ‘How can this man give us his flesh to eat?’ So Jesus said to them, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.’”
So, what did Jesus mean by that? It is basically the same
message he preached in what is recorded for us in Luke 9:23-26, that we, by
faith in Jesus Christ, must be crucified with him in death to sin, and that we
must be raised with him to newness of life in him, and we must live to him and
to his righteousness. We must participate with him in his death and
resurrection.
And this is not just accepting what he did for us, but it is
actually involving ourselves in his death and resurrection, in us putting away
the flesh, in us putting off our old self, which belongs to our former manner
of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, in us being renewed in the
spirit of our minds, and in us putting on the new self, created after the
likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness (See: Eph 4:17-24; cf. Rom
6:1-23).
Matt 10:37-39: “Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.”
Jesus demanded death to our old lives and that we walk in
newness of life in him according to his will and purpose for our lives. He didn’t
take second place. He demanded full surrender of our lives to him, and that he
be the Lord (Master-owner) of our lives, the one now in charge of our lives.
For, Jesus died on that cross that we might die with him to
sin and live to him and to his righteousness. He died that we might no longer
live for ourselves, but for him who gave his life up for us. And he shed his
blood on that cross to redeem us (to buy us back for God) so that we would honor
God with our lives (1 Pet 2:24; 2 Co 5:15, 21; 1 Co 6:19-20).
Shepherdless Sheep
Jesus had compassion on the people to whom he was speaking,
and for whom he was healing their diseases and afflictions. He had compassion
on them for he saw them as harassed and helpless, like sheep without a
shepherd. For, they had no one to lead them in the way of righteousness and
holiness, and they were probably being taken advantage of.
And truly that is the condition of much of the world today,
including much of today’s flesh-driven “churches.” For, my nation and the church
in my nation are severely lacking in men of integrity and morality and
godliness to lead us in the ways of God and of his righteousness, for so many
of them are self-serving and are building their own kingdoms on this earth.
Many are teaching a cheap grace gospel which does not demand
death to sin or obedience or submission to Jesus Christ, but which leaves the
sinner still bound in his sin while promising him heaven as his eternal
destiny. And so, they are still living in immorality doing the things the
ungodly do.
So, many of them are like sheep without a shepherd because
of the depravity of man, and the lack of honor and respect for God, and because
of the altering of the gospel to make it more palatable and acceptable to human
flesh, and the lack of godly and holy men to lead them.
Thus, many professers of faith in Jesus Christ are being led
by charlatans and wolves in sheep’s clothing, mere entertainers playing their
parts for greed, for power, for prestige, and in order to deceive the masses.
Send Out Laborers
So, there is a call here for laborers to go out into God’s
harvest fields, for there are many people out there needing to hear the truth
of the gospel. And right now, at least here in America, the internet is mostly
wide open for us to teach the truth of the gospel, though not everywhere.
So, if you are on the internet, which you must be if you are
reading this, get connected somewhere where you can share with others the truth
of the gospel as Jesus taught it, but not in the way many people are teaching
it today. So, don’t soft peddle it but give out the whole counsel of God.
For, we are all going to be judged by God by what we did on
this earth, not by what we profess with our lips. If we sow to please the
flesh, from the flesh we will reap destruction. But if we sow to please the
Spirit, from the Spirit we will reap eternal life. So, please take this seriously.
[Lu 9:23-26; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-17; 1 Jn 1:5-9; 1 Jn 2:3-6;
1 Jn 3:7; Gal 5:16-21; Eph 5:3-6; Gal 6:7-8; Rom 2:6-8; 1 Co 6:9-10; 2 Co 5:10]
Who
Believes?
An
Original Work / October 3, 2013
Based
off Isaiah 53
Gospel message, who believes?
Jesus Christ died on a tree,
Saving us from all our sin,
So we might be cleansed within.
Had no beauty found in Him,
That we should desire Him.
Man of sorrows, suffering;
Crushed for our iniquities.
Surely He has borne our griefs;
From our sadness, brings relief.
Bore the stripes; forsaken, He,
So forgiven we might be.
We, like sheep, have gone astray,
Each of us turned his own way.
Jesus calls, “Repent today;
My commandments, now obey.”
Jesus said, to come to him,
We must die to all our sin.
Crucified with Him, we live,
Walking in His righteousness.
Suff’ring servants, we will be,
Taking His identity on us
When confessing Him
As our Savior, Lord and King.
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