33 “Listen to another parable: There was a landowner who planted a vineyard. He put a wall around it, dug a winepress in it and built a watchtower. Then he rented the vineyard to some farmers and moved to another place. 34 When the harvest time approached, he sent his servants to the tenants to collect his fruit. 35 “The tenants seized his servants; they beat one, killed another, and stoned a third. 36 Then he sent other servants to them, more than the first time, and the tenants treated them the same way. 37 Last of all, he sent his son to them. ‘They will respect my son,’ he said. 38 “But when the tenants saw the son, they said to each other, ‘This is the heir. Come, let’s kill him and take his inheritance.’ 39 So they took him and threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. 40 “Therefore, when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?” 41 “He will bring those wretches to a wretched end,” they replied, “and he will rent the vineyard to other tenants, who will give him his share of the crop at harvest time.” 42 Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures: “‘The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; the Lord has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes’ 43 “Therefore I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit. 44 Anyone who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; anyone on whom it falls will be crushed.” 45 When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard Jesus’ parables, they knew he was talking about them. 46 They looked for a way to arrest him, but they were afraid of the crowd because the people held that he was a prophet.
Here the landowner represents God, the vineyard represents Israel, and the tenants represents the chief priests, Pharisees, scribes, and elders. The servant represents the servant of God, the prophet. The son of the landowner represents the Lord Jesus. The landowner sent his servants to the vineyard represents God sent his prophets to preach the word of God to Israel, and some of them were beaten, some were killed, and some were stoned to death. God sent His Son, the Lord Jesus to them and was crucified by them. Here the Lord Jesus prophesied that He would be put to death by them. The Lord Jesus quoted Old Testament prophecy:
The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; (Psalm 118:22)
Here the stone rejected by the builders is the Lord Jesus, who became the cornerstone, on which the church was built, and the church began with the resurrection of the Lord Jesus after his death. Here it is said that the kingdom of God will be taken away from them and given to fruitful people. God chose the Israelites first, and the Lord Jesus preached the gospel of the kingdom of God to them first, but they did not believe and rejected the Lord Jesus, and the gospel was preached to the Gentiles, that is, to us, the non-Israelites.
In this parable, we see God’s faithful love and patience, and he gives people opportunities to turn back to Him one time after another.
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16)
I hope that more people will believe in the Lord Jesus, the Son of God, to be born again and be saved, and to have the hope of eternal life.
May God bless you and your family!
Gospel Matthew study
Parable of the Two Sons
28 “What do you think? There was a man who had two sons. He went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work today in the vineyard.’ 29 “‘I will not,’ he answered, but later he changed his mind and went. 30 “Then the father went to the other son and said the same thing. He answered, ‘I will, sir,’ but he did not go. 31 “Which of the two did what his father wanted?” “The first,” they answered. Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you. 32 For John came to you to show you the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes did. And even after you saw this, you did not repent and believe him. (Matthew 21:28-32)
In this parable, the Lord Jesus mentioned two sons. The first son did not agree to his father’s request at first, but later he repented and obeyed his father’s command; the second son agreed to his father’s request, but did not act. Jesus continued to say that the first son was the tax collectors and prostitutes. They did not obey God’s will at first and violated God’s commandments. However, because they listened to Jesus’ teachings, they repented and stopped sinning, became new creations in Christ, and entered the kingdom of God first; the second son was the chief priests, scribes, and Pharisees. They knew God’s law, but they did not obey God’s commandments. They did not believe when John the Baptist and the Lord Jesus preached to them.
Jesus asked them who was the one who obeyed the Father’s commandments, There is no doubt that those tax collectors and prostitutes who believed in Jesus, although they were sinners, they repented because of their belief in Jesus and became people who obeyed the Father’s command.
Jesus used this parable to tell us that repentance and baptism are the key to be born again and be saved. Jesus said that unless a person is born again, he cannot see the Kingdom of God, unless a person is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the Kingdom of God. The first son repented and obeyed his father’s command. In fact, the second son could also become a person who obeyed his father’s command. As long as he repented, God would accept them, but they were unwilling. So Jesus said that tax collectors and prostitutes would enter the kingdom of God before them.
May God bless you and your family.
The Authority of Jesus Questioned
23 Jesus entered the temple courts, and, while he was teaching, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to him. “By what authority are you doing these things?” they asked. “And who gave you this authority?” 24 Jesus replied, “I will also ask you one question. If you answer me, I will tell you by what authority I am doing these things. 25 John’s baptism—where did it come from? Was it from heaven, or of human origin?” They discussed it among themselves and said, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will ask, ‘Then why didn’t you believe him?’ 26 But if we say, ‘Of human origin’—we are afraid of the people, for they all hold that John was a prophet.” 27 So they answered Jesus, “We don’t know.” Then he said, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things. (Matthew 21:23-27)
Here we see that the Lord Jesus was teaching in the temple, and the chief priests and elders of the people came to him and asked him, “By what authority are you doing these things?” What does “these things” here refer to? We have talked about the Lord Jesus cleansing the temple earlier, and it is obvious that this is what they were talking about. The Lord Jesus did not directly answer their questions, but asked them, “John’s baptism—where did it come from? Was it from heaven, or of human origin?” The Lord Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist. If they answered that John’s baptism came from heaven, then the Lord Jesus’ authority came from heaven. They did not dare to say that John’s baptism was of human origin, because they were afraid of the people. The people believed that John was a prophet.
Earlier we saw that the Lord Jesus performed many miracles, but the Pharisees did not believe. Right after the Lord Jesus performed a miracle, they asked the Lord Jesus to show them a sign from heaven. The chief priests and the elders of the people mentioned here must know that the Lord Jesus performed many miracles, but they still did not believe. Even if the Lord Jesus answered them directly, they would not believe. They did not believe that he was the Messiah, the Savior who came to save the world. I hope more people will believe in the Lord Jesus, be baptized and born again, be saved, accept Jesus as the Lord and Savior, do God’s will, and walk on the path to the kingdom of heaven.
May God bless you and your family!
The fig tree withered
18 Early in the morning, as Jesus was on his way back to the city, he was hungry. 19 Seeing a fig tree by the road, he went up to it but found nothing on it except leaves. Then he said to it, “May you never bear fruit again!” Immediately the tree withered. 20 When the disciples saw this, they were amazed. “How did the fig tree wither so quickly?” they asked. 21 Jesus replied, “Truly I tell you, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and it will be done. 22 If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.” (Matthew 21:18-22)
Here we see that the Lord Jesus said a word, the fig tree with leaves got withered. The disciples were amazed, and the Lord Jesus said: If you have faith and do not doubt, you can not only do what was done to the fig tree, but also say to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and it will be done. Here we see the importance of prayer, importance of prayer with faith. Moving the mountain to the sea is God’s work, not man’s work. What man does is prayer, prayer with faith. Here we see that the prayer is very important.
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. (John 1:1-3)
The Word here is the Lord Jesus, the Lord Jesus is the Word of God, the embodiment of God’s Word, He is the Son of God, He was with God in the beginning, and all things were made through him. So he said a word, and the fig tree withered, and he says a word and the mountain will be moved into the sea. The Lord Jesus said that if we have faith, we can do the same thing through prayer. I have seen many testimonies people praying to the Lord, the Lord heal the sick and the Lord answers other prayers. I have also personal experience the Lord answering my prayers. Thank the Lord!
May God bless you and your family!
Cleansing of the Temple
12 Jesus entered the temple courts and drove out all who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves. 13 “It is written,” he said to them, “‘My house will be called a house of prayer,’ but you are making it ‘a den of robbers.’” 14 The blind and the lame came to him at the temple, and he healed them. 15 But when the chief priests and the teachers of the law saw the wonderful things he did and the children shouting in the temple courts, “Hosanna to the Son of David,” they were indignant. 16 “Do you hear what these children are saying?” they asked him. “Yes,” replied Jesus, “have you never read, “‘From the lips of children and infants you, Lord, have called forth your praise’?” 17 And he left them and went out of the city to Bethany, where he spent the night. (Matthew 21:12-17)
The Lord Jesus cleansing the temple appears in all four Gospels. In the Gospel of John it was placed at beginning of the Gospel, and in the other three Gospels it was placed at the end of the Gospel. The Lord Jesus entered the temple and drove out all the people who were doing business in the temple. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of the people who were selling doves. At that time, animals were used for sacrifice, and the money was exchanged to pay the temple tax. The temple was a place for prayer and worship of God. The Lord Jesus is the Lord of the temple. He did not allow people to use the temple as a market place and do business there.
The Lord Jesus quoted the following verses from the Old Testament:
these I will bring to my holy mountain and give them joy in my house of prayer. Their burnt offerings and sacrifices will be accepted on my altar; for my house will be called a house of prayer for all nations.” (Isaiah 56:7)
Here it says that the temple of God is a house of prayer for all people, not a place for people to do business. In the temple, there were blind and lame people who came to the Lord Jesus, and he healed them. There were little children in the temple shouting “Hosanna to the Son of David”. Hosanna is a Hebrew word which means praise, and the Son of David refers to Lord Jesus. Jesus quoted the following prophecy from the Old Testament:
Through the praise of children and infants you have established a stronghold against your enemies, to silence the foe and the avenger. (Psalm 8:2)
This verse prophesies that the infants will utter the voice of praise to the Lord, and it was fulfilled in the temple.
May God bless you and your family!
The Lord Jesus rode a donkey into Jerusalem
1 As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, 2 saying to them, “Go to the village ahead of you, and at once you will find a donkey tied there, with her colt by her. Untie them and bring them to me. 3 If anyone says anything to you, say that the Lord needs them, and he will send them right away.” 4 This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet: 5 “Say to Daughter Zion, ‘See, your king comes to you, gentle and riding on a donkey, and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.’” 6 The disciples went and did as Jesus had instructed them. 7 They brought the donkey and the colt and placed their cloaks on them for Jesus to sit on. 8 A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. 9 The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” “Hosanna in the highest heaven!” 10 When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred and asked, “Who is this?” 11 The crowds answered, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.” (Matthew 21:1-11)
This passage talks about the Lord Jesus went to Jerusalem on a donkey. This fulfilled the following prophecy of the Old Testament by prophet Zechariah.
Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion! Shout, Daughter Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and victorious, lowly and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.(Zechariah 9:9)
This prophecy predicted that the Lord Jesus would enter Jerusalem humbly, riding on a donkey, that is, on a colt, the foal of a donkey. The colt here is a young male donkey up to four years old, and the foal of a donkey is a young male or female donkey up to one year old. The Lord Jesus, the King of kings and Lord of lords, did not ride on a fine horse into Jerusalem, but rode on a donkey. What does this show? It shows his meekness and humility.
28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. (Matthew 11:28-29)
The Lord Jesus wants us to follow him, walk with him, and learn his meekness and humility.
The Lord Jesus was not born in a palace, but in a manger, a humble environment with animal feed and a floor of dung. John the Baptist should have been baptized by the Lord Jesus, but the Lord Jesus went to John the Baptist to be baptized.
6 Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; 7 rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death—even death on a cross! (Philippians 2:6-8)
The Lord Jesus is the Son of God, being in very nature God. In order to redeem mankind, He humbled Himself and obeyed to the point of death, even death on the cross.
Let us learn from the example of the Lord Jesus and learn from His gentle and humble heart.
May God bless you and your family!
Jesus healed two blind men
29 As Jesus and his disciples were leaving Jericho, a large crowd followed him. 30 Two blind men were sitting by the roadside, and when they heard that Jesus was going by, they shouted, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!” 31 The crowd rebuked them and told them to be quiet, but they shouted all the louder, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!” 32 Jesus stopped and called them. “What do you want me to do for you?” he asked. 33 “Lord,” they answered, “we want our sight.” 34 Jesus had compassion on them and touched their eyes. Immediately they received their sight and followed him. (Matthew 20:29-34)
Here we see that when the Lord Jesus left Jericho, two blind men by the roadside shouted loudly for the Lord Jesus to have mercy on them and heal them. The Lord Jesus was moved with compassion and healed them.
The Lord Jesus not only healed the sick and cast out demons, but also gave his disciples the authority to heal and cast out demons. When the Lord Jesus sent out the twelve disciples and later sent out the seventy-two disciples to preach the gospel, he gave them the authority to heal the sick and cast out demons. The Lord Jesus not only healed the sick in the Biblical time, but he is still healing the sick now. I have heard many testimonies of the Lord Jesus healing the sick now.
17 And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; 18 they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well.” (Mark 16:17-18)
Here the Lord Jesus said that signs will follow those who believe, they will lay hands on the sick and they will get well. The Lord also led me to pray for the sick, and some of the sick were healed by the Lord.
The seventy-two returned with joy and said, “Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name. (Luke 10:17) However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.” (Luke 10:20)
The Lord Jesus sent seventy-two people out to preach the gospel, heal the sick and cast out demons, and the demons submitted to them, but the Lord Jesus said: Do not rejoice because the demons submit to you, but rejoice because your names are written in heaven. I hope more people will believe in the Lord, be baptized, be born again and be saved, and have their names written in heaven.
May God bless you and your family!
The great among you must be your servant
20 Then the mother of Zebedee’s sons came to Jesus with her two sons and worshiped him, asking him for something. 21 Jesus asked her, “What do you want?” She said, “I want my two sons to sit, one at your right and one at your left, in your kingdom.” 22 Jesus answered them, “You don’t know what you are asking. Can you drink the cup that I am about to drink?” They said, “We can.” 23 Jesus said to them, “You will drink the cup that I drink, but to sit at my left or right is not mine to give, but my Father gives it to those for whom it is prepared.” 24 When the ten heard this, they were angry with the two brothers. 25 Jesus called them to him and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great men exercise authority over them. 26 It shall not be so among you, but whoever wishes to be great among you must be your servant, 27 and whoever wishes to be first must be your slave. 28 Just as the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Matthew 20:20-28)
Here we see that two disciples of the Lord Jesus, John, James, and their mother asked the Lord Jesus to let two of them sit on his left and right in the Kingdom of God. The Lord Jesus said that could they drink the cup that he was about to drink. What did the Lord Jesus mean cup he was about to drink? He meant that he would be crucified on the cross, which was the cup of suffering. The Lord Jesus continued to talk about the Gentiles, that is, in the world the rulers lord it over them, and their great men exercise authority over them, but in his kingdom, whoever wants to be first must be your servant, that is, the greatest must serve the people and help those in need. The Lord Jesus is the King of kings and the Lord of lords, in order to redeem mankind, he gave up his life and died on the cross. He became the sin offering for the redemption of mankind.
14 Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. 15 I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. (John 13:14-15)
This passage talks about the Lord Jesus washing the feet of his disciples. He is the Lord, and he sets an example for his disciples, washing their feet, and asking them to wash each other’s feet and serve each other.
May God bless you and your family!
The Parable of the Vineyard
1 “For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard. 2 He agreed to pay them a denarius for the day and sent them into his vineyard. 3 “About nine in the morning he went out and saw others standing in the marketplace doing nothing. 4 He told them, ‘You also go and work in my vineyard, and I will pay you whatever is right.’ 5 So they went. “He went out again about noon and about three in the afternoon and did the same thing. 6 About five in the afternoon he went out and found still others standing around. He asked them, ‘Why have you been standing here all day long doing nothing?’ 7 “‘Because no one has hired us,’ they answered. “He said to them, ‘You also go and work in my vineyard.’ 8 “When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, ‘Call the workers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last ones hired and going on to the first.’ 9 “The workers who were hired about five in the afternoon came and each received a denarius. 10 So when those came who were hired first, they expected to receive more. But each one of them also received a denarius. 11 When they received it, they began to grumble against the landowner. 12 ‘These who were hired last worked only one hour,’ they said, ‘and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the work and the heat of the day.’ 13 “But he answered one of them, ‘I am not being unfair to you, friend. Didn’t you agree to work for a denarius? 14 Take your pay and go. I want to give the one who was hired last the same as I gave you. 15 Don’t I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous?’ 16 “So the last will be first, and the first will be last.” (Matthew 20:1-16)
Here, the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner going out to hire workers to work in his vineyard. The landowner went out to hire workers to work in his vineyard at different times: early morning, 9 o’clock, noon, 3 o’clock, and 5 o’clock, one hour before the end of the work. In the end, each of them received a denarius. The meaning of this parable is that the Lord Jesus, the landowner called people to serve him at different time, but their remuneration was the same. The first hired thought they would get more and complained that the landowner was unfair. The landowner was not unfair because they had agreed that the wages were one denarius, but the landowner was generous and also gave one denarius to those who only worked for one hour. These people who only worked for one hour were weak people, and no one was willing to hire them. They needed this money more.
In the past few years, I have been sharing the gospel on WeChat and on my gospel website, and I have more time to share the Lord’s words. At the end of 2020, the Lord gave me the gift of writing songs through a dream. In the dream, I was told that I would write many songs, and I ended up writing many songs. He also taught me to pray for the healing of people, for example: I prayed for an old sister’s unbearable headache, the Lord healed her. I prayed for another sister with shingles, and she was also healed by the Lord, shingles is also very painful. Thank the Lord, and glory to the Lord. A person is never too old to believe in the Lord and serve the Lord. Even if you are old and can’t do anything, you can still pray for others and receive the Lord’s rewards. May God bless you and your family!
Lay up treasures in heaven
16 A man came to Jesus and said, “Teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life?” 17 Jesus said to him, “Why do you ask me about what is good? Only one is good. If you want to enter life, keep the commandments.” 18 He said, “What commandments?” Jesus answered them, “Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not bear false witness, 19 Honor your father and mother, and love your neighbor as yourself.” 20 The young man said, “I have kept all these. What do I lack?” 21 Jesus said to him, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell all you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” 22 When the young man heard this, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions. 23 Jesus said to his disciples, “Truly I tell you, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. 24 Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” 25 When his disciples heard this, they were amazed and asked, “Then who can be saved?” 26 Jesus looked at them and said, “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” (Matthew 19:16-26)
Here we see a man who came to see Jesus. From the parallel passage we know that he was a ruler. The young man asked Jesus: what good deed must he do to have eternal life? The Lord Jesus said that he must obey the commandments, that is, the commandments of the Old Testament. The young man said that he had obeyed them all, but what was still lacking? The Lord Jesus told him that if he wanted to be perfect, he should sell all he had and give to the poor, and then he would have treasure in heaven. The young man went away sorrowful after hearing this, because he had a lot of possessions. Then the Lord Jesus said that it is harder for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God than for a camel to go through the eye of a needle. Here the Lord Jesus did not ask all his followers to sell all they had and give to the poor, but to be willing to share.
17 Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. 18 Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. (1 Timothy 6:17-18)
Here Paul asks the rich to be generous and ready to share, so that they can lay up treasure in heaven.
Whoever is kind to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will reward them for what they have done. (Proverbs 19:17)
Here we see that giving to the poor lends to the Lord, and the Lord will repay.
The Lord Jesus said that it is difficult for the rich to enter the kingdom of heaven, but it is not impossible. With God, all things are possible, and He can change the rich. After this passage, Peter asked the Lord Jesus: We have left everything and followed you, what will we have in the future?
28 Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, at the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. 29 And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life. 30 But many who are first will be last, and many who are last will be first. (Matthew 19:28-30)
Here we can see that forsaking for the Lord will be rewarded, not just in the
What God has joined together, let no man separate
3 Some Pharisees came to him to test him. They asked, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any and every reason?” 4 “Haven’t you read,” he replied, “that at the beginning the Creator ‘made them male and female,’ 5 and said, ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh’? 6 So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.” 7 “Why then,” they asked, “did Moses command that a man give his wife a certificate of divorce and send her away?” 8 Jesus replied, “Moses permitted you to divorce your wives because your hearts were hard. But it was not this way from the beginning. 9 I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another woman commits adultery.” 10 The disciples said to him, “If this is the situation between a husband and wife, it is better not to marry.” 11 Jesus replied, “Not everyone can accept this word, but only those to whom it has been given. 12 For there are eunuchs who were born that way, and there are eunuchs who have been made eunuchs by others—and there are those who choose to live like eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. The one who can accept this should accept it.” (Matthew 19:3-12)
Here we see that the Pharisees came to test the Lord Jesus and asked him whether divorce is allowed. The Lord Jesus said that God created man and woman in the beginning, and man shall leave his father and mother and be united with his wife, and the two shall become one. Therefore what God has joined together, let no man separate. The Pharisees said that Moses allowed a man to divorce his wife by giving her a certificate of divorce. Jesus said that it was because of the hardness of people’s hearts that Moses allowed this. Jesus went on to say that if a man divorces his wife except for adultery, commits adultery; and if a man marries a divorced woman, also commits adultery.
For I hate divorce, says the Lord, the God of Israel, And the one who covers his garment with violence, says the Lord of hosts. You should be on guard, then, for your life, and you must not break faith. (Malachi 2:16)
Here we see that God hates divorce. God is faithful. He wants people to be faithful to one another, and He also wants us to be faithful to Him.
10 To the married, however, I give this instruction (not I, but the Lord): A wife should not separate from her husband 11 —and if she does separate she must either remain single or become reconciled to her husband—and a husband should not divorce his wife. (1 Corinthians 7:10-11)
Here the Apostle Paul also said that people should not divorce, the husband should not leave his wife, and the wife should not leave her husband.
and if she divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery.” (Mark 10:12)
Here it says that if a wife divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery, just as if the husband divorced his wife.
32 I should like you to be free of anxieties. An unmarried man is anxious about the things of the Lord, how he may please the Lord. 33 But a married man is anxious about the things of the world, how he may please his wife, (1 Corinthians 7:32-33)
The Lord Jesus also said that some people do not marry for the sake of the kingdom of heaven, in order to be more devoted to the Lord. The Apostle Paul also says that single people are more devoted to the Lord, while those with wives worry about worldly matters. Paul said this so that people can be more devoted to the Lord.
May God bless you and your family! 🙏😊
Forgive one another
21 Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?” 22 Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times. 23 “Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. 24 As he began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand bags of gold was brought to him. 25 Since he was not able to pay, the master ordered that he and his wife and his children and all that he had be sold to repay the debt. 26 “At this the servant fell on his knees before him. ‘Be patient with me,’ he begged, ‘and I will pay back everything.’ 27 The servant’s master took pity on him, canceled the debt and let him go. 28 “But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred silver coins. He grabbed him and began to choke him. ‘Pay back what you owe me!’ he demanded. 29 “His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay it back.’ 30 “But he refused. Instead, he went off and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt. 31 When the other servants saw what had happened, they were outraged and went and told their master everything that had happened. 32 “Then the master called the servant in. ‘You wicked servant,’ he said, ‘I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. 33 Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?’ 34 In anger his master handed him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed. 35 “This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother or sister from your heart.”
When Peter asked the Lord Jesus how many times he should forgive his brother for sinning against him, the Lord Jesus said not seven times, but seventy times seven, which means unlimited forgiveness. Then the Lord Jesus told this parable, a servant owed his master a lot of money, he begged his master, and the master forgave his debt, another servant owed him a small debt, the servant begged him, but he had no mercy. The meaning here is that this servant sinned against God a lot, God forgave all his sins, and his brother sinned against him a little, but he did not forgive his brother from the heart.
Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.
Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.
(Ephesians 4:32)
Ephesians says that God forgives us in Christ, and we should also be tenderhearted and forgive one another.
he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. (Psalm 103:10)
he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. (Psalm 103:10)
Here we see God’s mercy. He does not treat us according to our sins, nor does He punish us according to our iniquities. If we confess our sins and repent, He will forgive our sins.
May God bless you and your family! 🙏😊
