Tax Collector!

For Tuesday, February 28, 2023:

Matthew 9:9 NLT: “As Jesus was walking along, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at his tax collector’s booth. ‘Follow me and be my disciple,’ Jesus said to him. So Matthew got up and followed him.”

Matthew, also known as Levi son of Alphaeus, was working an evil job. He had forsaken his own people to work as a tax collector for the other side, the bad guys, the Roman government. Tax collectors charged what Rome required, and then over-charged for themselves. Greed was rampant and corruption was expected. Roman soldiers were their enforcers, so no one got away with not paying!

To the Jews, a tax collector was considered an outcast from society. He was disqualified as a judge or a witness in a court session, was thrown out of the synagogue, and his disgrace extended to his family. The Bible often refers to ‘sinners and tax collectors.’ Sinners were bad, but tax collectors were even worse!

And yet Jesus called Matthew, proving that no matter who you are, no matter where you’ve been, no matter what you’ve done, Jesus has a place for those who repent and return!

Obviously Matthew had been searching for the truth. In Jesus, he found what he had been seeking!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus in the City Fellowship

Your Sins are Forgiven!

February 27, 2023 Monday Message:

Matthew 9:2 ESV: “Some people brought to Jesus a paralytic, lying on a bed. And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, ‘Take heart, my son; your sins are forgiven.’”

Jesus never put on a show. He ministered to the humble needs of humble people. Other Gospels report that this man and his mat were lowered through the roof, landing right in front of Jesus! Those who carried the man had abundant faith in the healing power of Jesus, but they had not yet identified him as the Son of God.

We know that only God can forgive sins, so Jesus saying, “Your sins are forgiven,” allows us only two choices. 1–Jesus is pretending to be God and should be prosecuted for blasphemy. Or 2–Jesus actually IS God, the Son of God. Jesus’ ability to heal and forgive sins was heaven-sent!

As he ministered, Jesus would address a person’s greatest need. As bad as it would be to be paralyzed, it is infinitely worse to be lost in sin. The most important thing Jesus came to do was to deal with mankind’s sin.

What started out as a lesson in faith and healing became one of identifying the Son of God. Jesus eventually told the man, “Rise, pick up your mat and go home,” and he did just that! This convinced the gathered crowd that Jesus at least spoke for God, and they praised the Lord for the healing. But now they were afraid. Had they actually been in the presence of the Lord?

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus in the City Fellowship

Son of God!

For Sunday, February 26, 2023:

Matthew 8:29 NLT: “The demon-possessed men began screaming at Jesus, ‘Why are you interfering with us, Son of God? Have you come here to torture us before God’s appointed time?’”

It seems that Satan, his demons and these demon-possessed men all knew who Jesus is: The Son of God! Those demons are fearing punishment, and fearing for their very existence. The men they possessed would violently appear in the cemetery, and no one could pass through the area. But Jesus did!

Jesus allowed the demons to leave the men and occupy a herd of pigs, who plunged down the steep hillside into the lake and drowned in the water.

The herdsmen fled to the nearby town, telling everyone what happened to the demon-possessed men and the pigs. The entire town came out to meet Jesus, but surprisingly begged him to go away and leave them alone. They feared his power. They feared his sense of justice. They feared judgement. Who was this ‘Jesus’ that even the demons would obey him?

Imagine the Son of God coming to visit, and being asked to leave. The townspeople didn’t know what the demons did, that Jesus was God’s own Son. Who do you say he is?

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus in the City Fellowship

Heaven-sent!

For Saturday, February 25, 2023:

Matthew 8:28 NLT: “Jesus responded, ‘Why are you afraid? You have so little faith!’ Then he got up and rebuked the wind and waves, and suddenly there was a great calm.”

Jesus had put in a full day’s work. Tomorrow he wanted to continue his ministry on the other side of the lake. So as the boat got going, Jesus fell asleep. Suddenly a fierce storm struck the lake with big waves, threatening to wrack the ship. The disciples feared for their lives and awakened their leader.

With a few simple words Jesus calmed the storm, but this was a teaching moment about faith. I can almost hear him saying, “Do you really think the Lord would let his Son drown in a little storm on a lake? Really?”

I believe the disciples’ faith increased because of this incident. They asked, “Who is this man? Even the winds and waves obey him!” The evidence keeps pointing to the fact that Jesus was heaven-sent.

We all need to answer the question, “Who is this man?” As we read about his life, Jesus exposes more and more evidence, and we are to know who he is through faith. All evidence points to the fact that he’s God’s Son, the promised Messiah.

We are saved by grace through faith – faith in who Jesus is and believing that he can do what he said he would do – forgive our sins, thereby making us acceptable to spend eternity in God’s presence!

Who do you say he is?

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus in the City Fellowship

Itinerant Ministry!

For Friday, February 24, 2023:

Matthew 8:20 NLT: “Jesus replied, ‘Foxes have dens to live in, and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place even to lay his head.’”

Jesus didn’t get much ‘alone’ time. A large group had assembled, and Jesus taught and preached the Good News to them. Now it was time to reach a new group of people, so Jesus ordered the boat to the other side of the lake. The nature of his ministry required him to keep moving, to carry his message to as many as possible.

Some believed and wanted to follow Jesus. He explained that it wouldn’t be easy. Think about it – If Jesus had no permanent home, his followers would also have no home. By definition, his was an itinerant ministry. Always obedient to the Father, this situation wasn’t going to change.

Doing the Lord’s work is seldom easy. It may require hard work and sacrifice. Following the miracles seemed glamorous on the surface, but Jesus didn’t live a fancy life.

God provides dens for foxes and nests for birds, so he most certainly will provide for those doing his work. He won’t assign you a mission without the provision to accomplish his goal!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus in the City Fellowship

Healing!

For Thursday, February 23, 2023:

Matthew 8:16 NLT: “That evening many demon-possessed people were brought to Jesus. He cast out the evil spirits with a simple command, and he healed all the sick.”

When reading your Bible, notice that when Jesus first healed people much was written about it. “He said these exact words… He did these specific things...” But word about Jesus soon spread, and his healing of the sick became somewhat commonplace. Everyone knew. So now the Bible simply says, “He healed all the sick,” or “He healed all who needed healing.”

In this scenario, Jesus and his ministry team arrived at Peter’s house and found his mother-in-law sick with a fever. Jesus healed her, they all had dinner, and then when the sun set ending the Sabbath, people lined up awaiting their turn with the Son of God. As you might expect, Jesus cast out demons and healed the sick well into the night.

Sickness and tragedy are in the world because Satan is in the world. With the fall of mankind, sin and evil were introduced to our world. Don’t underestimate how much illness occurs because the Evil One is at work. While I don’t always know which is simply sickness and which is the work of the Devil, the solution is always the same: “Closer to God.” God and evil cannot co-exist, and there is no sickness or suffering in heaven. So instead of fighting off evil on your own, I advise getting closer to God. Crawl right up onto your Father’s lap. It’s safe there!

The prophet Isaiah wrote, “He took our sicknesses and removed our diseases.”

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus in the City Fellowship

Eternal Destiny!

For Wednesday, February 22, 2023:

Matthew 8:11-12 NLT, Jesus speaking: “And I tell you this, that many Gentiles will come from all over the world—from east and west—and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob at the feast in the Kingdom of Heaven. But many Israelites—those for whom the Kingdom was prepared—will be thrown into outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

While living in my college dorm, I attended a Bible study. I explained that my family belonged to a church for years, and that we were pledging members. But they kept asking, “When are YOU going to become a Christian?” I didn’t get it at first, but they were challenging me to make my own personal commitment to Jesus. They wanted me to have Jesus in my heart! They were right!

Without Jesus, many who just put on a Godly show won’t see heaven from the inside. In Jesus’ day, the Pharisees were the problem, beating others over the head with God’s law while they failed to love the Lord and love their neighbor. They had become judges and enforcers, but those traits won’t endear you to your Savior.

Converts who truly believe will be ‘in!’ Hypocrites who only pretend to be a part of the fellowship will be out. In heaven, believers will sit down to dinner with the Saints. But those on the outside will face suffering and despair. God gave us freedom to say ‘yes’ or ‘no’ to our eternal destiny – choose wisely!

Only you know if you love Jesus enough to meet him in heaven!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus in the City Fellowship

Faith!

For Tuesday, February 21, 2023:

Matthew 8:8 NLT: “But the Roman officer said, ‘Lord, I am not worthy to have you come into my home. Just say the word from where you are, and my servant will be healed.’”

We are saved by grace through faith, and this story is about faith. As Jesus traveled about teaching and healing, word spread quickly. Many people already believed in God, and having seen and heard Jesus, believed he was heaven-sent. The unlikely believer in today’s story was a Roman centurion, an officer working for the bad guys. But through faith, he appeals to Jesus: “Lord, my servant is at home in such terrible pain that he can't even move.” He considers himself unworthy, but is asking Jesus to show compassion.

Jesus did just that: “Go back home. Because you believed, it has happened.” For Jesus, the healing was easy. But a Roman soldier having that kind of faith – that was amazing! That was hard to believe! Jesus later commented that even though the Son of man came to earth through the Jews, he is for ALL people including Gentiles. In the Kingdom of Heaven, there will be many Gentiles, while some Israelites will be condemned to outer darkness. It comes down to who is a believer, who has faith in the Son.

So Jesus’ message is that no matter where you’re from or no matter how you were raised, you can cultivate and grow your faith in Jesus – the more, the better! Let Jesus say about you, “I tell you the truth, I haven’t seen faith like this in all Israel!”

The Kingdom is prepared for all who believe!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus in the City Fellowship