The Pharisees and Sadducees came, and testing him, asked him to show them a sign from heaven. But he answered them, “When it is evening, you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red.’ In the morning, ‘It will be foul weather today, for the sky is red and threatening.’ Hypocrites! You … More J. C. Ryle: Jesus knows the weakness of our memories in spiritual things
And Jesus went away from there and withdrew to the district of Tyre and Sidon. And behold, a Canaanite woman from that region came out and was crying, “Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David; my daughter is severely oppressed by a demon.” But he did not answer her a word. And his … More Ryle: Let us believe that Jesus is not changed
Jesus quoted Isaiah in Matthew 15:9-10 “‘This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me; in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’” John Piper preached a sermon, “Worship is an End in Itself” based on this passage, and here is the concluding paragraph. He … More John Piper: Only worship is an end in itself. Only worship should not be done as a means to achieving something other than itself.
J. C. Ryle with encouragement gleaned from Matthew 14:22-33 at “Grace Gems!”– There is encouragement here for all true Christians. Let them know that there is nothing created, which is not under Christ’s control. “All things serve Him.” He may allow His people to be tried for a season, and tossed to and fro by storms … More J. C. Ryle: winds, and waves, and storms are all Christ’s servants
J. C. Ryle comments on Jesus feeding the five thousand in Matthew 14:13-21 this miracle is an unanswerable proof of our Lord’s divine POWER. To satisfy the hunger of more than five thousand people with so small a portion of food as five loaves and two fish, would be manifestly impossible without a supernatural multiplication … More J. C. Ryle: To create is the peculiar prerogative of God.
John Piper, in a sermon, “The Kingdom of Heaven Is a Treasure”, helps us see the main point in Matthew 13:44 The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. … More John Piper: we can lose everything with joy if we gain Christ.
J. C. Ryle shares some wisdom from the parable of the weeds and the wheat in Matthew 13: Are we inclined to look for the conversion of the whole world by the labors of missionaries and ministers? Let us place this parable before us, and beware of such an idea. We shall never see all … More J. C. Ryle: Wisdom from the weeds
J. C. Ryle reminds us of a key truth in Matthew 13:1-223, our passage for today. Jesus tells the parable of the sower. Like the sower, the preacher CANNOT GIVE LIFE. He can scatter the seed committed to his charge, but cannot command it to grow. He may offer the word of truth to a … More J. C. Ryle: To give life is God’s sovereign prerogative.
J.C. Ryle with a warning about going overboard in two opposite directions in regard to observing the 4th commandment, “Remember the Sabbath day, and keep it holy.” He refers to Jesus’ interactions with the Pharisees in Matthew 12, our reading for today. The mistakes of the Pharisee about the Sabbath were in one direction. The … More J.C. Ryle: The mistakes of the Pharisee about the Sabbath were in one direction. The mistakes of the Christian are in another.
Why did John the Baptist send message to Jesus asking, “Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?” J. C. Ryle comments at Grace Gems: This question did not arise from doubt or unbelief on the part of John. We do that holy man injustice, if we interpret it … More J.C. Ryle: John sent his followers to “hear and see” for themselves
