Author: John
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The Parable of the Two Debtors
(Matthew 18:23-35) The parable of the two debtors gives us an insight into the need for forgiveness. It explains why we must forgive our brother from the heart. The underlying principle shown here is to forgive as we have been forgiven. In the parable of the two debtors we see a king settling accounts with…
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Forgiving Your Brother
(Matthew 18:21-22) The power of forgiveness is an incredible thing. Jesus teaches us here that forgiving your brother in Christ is an important part of the Christian teaching. Forgiving your brother should be unlimited, which is the point Jesus is making in this section. However when we look at the Luke version of this scripture…
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Dealing with Sin in the Church
(Matthew 18:15-20) There is a process for dealing with sin in the church. Church discipline is extremely important for training and maturity. Discipline in the church should not be considered as punishment. It should be done in a loving manner rather than accusing another of a fault or a sin. In this section we see…
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Seeking the Lost Sheep
(Matthew 18:10-14) The previous section spoke about the fact that temptation was necessary, but what happens when a Christian succumbs to temptation? Here we see that God protects his people and goes seeking the lost sheep when one of his people falls. This scripture tells us of the love of God for his people and…
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Temptations to Sin are Sure to Come
(Matthew 18:7-9) As we live in this world we must understand that there are many temptations to sin in the world. Jesus was well aware of this for he knew that temptations to sin are sure to come and in this section even said it was necessary that temptations come. Everyone in this world suffers…
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Who is the Greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven?
(Matthew 18:1-6) The disciples came to Jesus to ask who is the greatest in the kingdom of Heaven. This is a common thought of man. When we look at things like the Guinness book of records we see a collection of the most outstanding achievements of mankind in all disciplines. When we think about the…
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Jesus Announces His Death
(Matthew 17:22-23) Jesus and the disciples left the place they were in and were gathering in Galilee. They were preparing to go up into Jerusalem. At this time in keeping with his practice of telling the disciples what was to come, Jesus announces his death and how it would take place. He tells the disciples…
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The Power of a Prayer of Faith
(Matthew 17:14-21) In this section a man came to Jesus seeking for his son to be healed. The boy was demon possessed and suffered often from the influence of the demon. The man had already made this request of the disciples, but they were unable to cast the demon out. Jesus says the demon could…
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First Elijah Must Come
(Matthew 17:9-13) Jesus warned the disciples not to tell anyone of his transfiguration until after his death and resurrection. The disciples then asked him an unusual question. They said, “Then why do the scribes say that first Elijah must come?” (Verse 10) There are several dimensions to this question worth considering. If the scripture was…
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Transfiguration of Jesus
(Matthew 17:1-8) There is an important symbolism in this section of scripture about the transfiguration of Jesus. Jesus’ transfiguration on the mountain, witnessed by the three disciples, Peter, James and John, is an important revelation of the New Covenant. There is an explanation of the New Covenant versus the Old Covenant contained in this event.…