Matthew

Fulfilling the Law

/ David R Maas / Leave a comment

Jesus came to fulfill what was promised and foreshadowed in the Hebrew Scriptures, the Law, and the Prophets.

Fulfillment is a key theme in the Gospel of Matthew. With the arrival of Israel’s Messiah, the time of fulfillment commenced. But what does this imply regarding the Law of Moses? In his ‘Sermon on the Mount’, Jesus provides clear answers. He did not come to settle the interpretive disputes between competing Jewish sects over the details of the Law, but instead, to fulfill the “Law and the Prophets.”

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Kingdom Power

/ David R Maas / Leave a comment

True greatness in Christ’s Kingdom is found in self-sacrificial service for others, not in exercising political power over them.

Too many Christians have exchanged the proclamation of the Gospel for the pursuit of one political agenda or another, especially in North America. Rather than calling men and women to repent and believe the same Gospel preached by Jesus and his Apostles, they prefer imposing their views and visions via the corrupt political systems of this fallen age. However, this is not the way of discipleship exemplified in the words and deeds of Jesus.

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Devenir Grand dans son Royaume

/ David R Maas / Leave a comment

La vraie grandeur dans le Royaume du Christ se trouve dans le service sacrificiel pour les autres, et non dans l’exercice du pouvoir politique sur eux.

Trop de chrétiens ont échangé la proclamation de l’Évangile contre la poursuite d’un agenda politique ou d’un autre. Plutôt que d’appeler les hommes et les femmes à se repentir et à croire au même évangile prêché par Jésus et ses apôtres, ils préfèrent imposer leurs points de vue et leurs visions via les systèmes politiques corrompus de cet âge déchu. Cependant, ce n’est pas le chemin du disciple illustré dans les paroles et les actes de Jésus.

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Full of the Spirit

/ David R Maas / Leave a comment

After his baptism, the Spirit “drove Jesus into the wilderness… for forty days and nights.” Like Moses, the Messiah of Israel was alone in the Judean desert confronted by the Devil. His only guide was the Word of God. Like Israel, he was “tested.” Unlike that nation, he overcame every temptation and emerged victorious, for he was “full of the Holy Spirit.”

Moses did not eat during his time on Sinai. Jesus also “fasted” the entire time he was in the Wilderness – “Then was Jesus led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tested by the Devil. And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights” – (Matthew 4:1-2).

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“I Never Knew You!”

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“I never knew you! Depart from me!” These are the most frightening words anyone could ever hear on the lips of Jesus, yet they are central to the conclusion of his ‘Sermon on the Mount.’ His discourse was never a program for reforming or governing civil society. Instead, it instructs his disciples on how they must live in the present evil age as faithful citizens and representatives of his Kingdom and message. There is no bypassing the Cross if you wish to enter his domain.

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