Thru the Bible

Guest (Male): How we pray should shape how we live. That's one of the powerful truths that we're going to discover this time on Through the Bible with Dr. J. Vernon McGee.

Guest (Male): I'm Steve Schwetz welcoming you aboard the Bible bus as you find your place in Matthew chapter 9. Let's welcome Through the Bible's President Greg Harris and also my friend to the program. Greg.

Greg Harris: Yes, Steve. What's happening? Yes, what's happening? Well, a lot and we're going to we're going to zoom in on one little dot on the global map at a place called Foya, Liberia. And you actually are part of the origin story of how Through the Bible got involved in this ministry.

Guest (Male): Yeah, we were thanks to one of our board members, Rob Bruyea, we became a part of and started working with a ministry in Liberia that was both a school and an outreach and a pregnancy center, all of this stuff and they were they had a radio station that they wanted to do.

Guest (Male): And we actually had a pastor's conference. We had one day of women and one day of men that came in because Through the Bible was translated and done in Liberia, and they were doing small groups. And the response was phenomenal. We've talked about that in the past. But out of that came a lunch meeting that I was in with a bunch of the leaders and they were all talking about wanting to do this radio station.

Guest (Male): And I'm like, as I've said before, this is Africa and this is Liberia, which is like Africa within Africa. You guys aren't going to be able to pull this off. Don't even try it. It's too far, it's too remote. Yeah, there's great opportunity. It's three countries that you can reach in that area, which was

Greg Harris: Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia.

Guest (Male): And low and behold, I left from there and said, don't try it. They went ahead and did not take my my sound wisdom advice.

Greg Harris: You have a perfect record right now, Steve.

Guest (Male): I know. I'm like Owen four for doubting God. And so, or what the other way around. Anyway, they ended up in in pretty short order having an opening ceremony at this at this radio station and the impact in those three countries has been so significant because of this this radio station.

Guest (Male): And if you want to learn more about the story, Dave Dunmore, one of our guys, traveled there for the opening ceremony and wrote an article with pictures that explained a little bit more about the impact of that radio station in that remote area. And we would just encourage you to to be a part of the ministry. You can read about it and then pray that God would continue to bless the program as it goes out in multiple languages on that station.

Greg Harris: Yeah, it's and and and really we really want you to get the newsletter, not because we're trying to sell you anything. We're never going to ask you for money. We just want you to have the information. And I I in preparation for today, I I picked up the latest newsletter and was looking at it thinking, what what would I share with people about it?

Greg Harris: What you always say is it's it's very beautiful. It's packed with information. It fits inside of most Bibles very comfortably. The cover alone is usually a beautiful picture and a and a relevant quote from Dr. McGee. You could literally cut these things out and frame them. They're beautiful. And we just would encourage you. You go to TTB.org, go to our subscribe tile, just put in your your name and address, click a box and you're done.

Greg Harris: And as we said, we don't send out appeal letters, fundraising letters. You will never get anything like that. In fact, we won't send you anything that you never ask for. So, we do have more information in the newsletter, so we encourage you to get it. You want to share one or two of these testimonies we've got?

Guest (Male): Yeah, yeah, this is a man who shared this testimony about how his life has changed forever. He writes, with the exception of charging my solar-powered radio, I have not switched it off since the launch of KYU Radio, which is the radio station we were talking about. I know the station is called KYU Radio, but I now call it Lifesaving Radio.

Guest (Male): Through the preaching and biblical teachings, God is rescuing many people from destructive lifestyles and leading them toward righteousness, faith, and hope in Christ. The programs are helping individuals examine their lives and turn away from the harmful practices such as witchcraft, dishonesty, and immoral behavior.

Greg Harris: And that letter, which is just powerful in and of itself, highlights that in so many parts of Africa, these issues of witchcraft, dishonesty, corruption, immoral behavior. When the light of God's Word is just taught plainly and clearly, it has this incredible cleansing power and I think this man is one example.

Greg Harris: Now, here's a local pastor who told our our man on the ground there, Joseph Kebbi, he said, this radio station has become a lifeline for evangelism among our people in the three countries. It is overwhelmingly accepted by our communities. We cannot thank the partners enough for ensuring that KYU Radio remains on air 24/7.

Guest (Male): Yeah, and that's one of the things I really love about the ministry of Through the Bible is we don't just helicopter in and give them the gospel and and and then leave. There's there's almost always a connection with local churches and and Bible-believing pastors that end up connecting with these new believers and the church grows there on the ground.

Guest (Male): Yeah, we can give you Bible teaching over the air, but ultimately it's in relationship and discipleship that real growth happens and we're completing that that virtuous cycle. I think that's great. Greg, why don't you pray for us as we begin?

Greg Harris: Father, we are always humbled when we see you at work in these far-flung locations around the world. Thank you for this brand new station. Thank you for Through the Bible being broadcast in three or four languages every single day and and touching people's lives so significantly. Lord, we know all that power comes from you and not from us and we praise you for it.

Greg Harris: And now we ask that the power of your word would enter our lives as we listen to Dr. McGee in Jesus name. Amen.

Guest (Male): Well, we're off to Matthew 9 as we make our way through the Bible with Dr. J. Vernon McGee.

Dr. J. Vernon McGee: Now we return today to this ninth chapter of the Gospel of Matthew. And we want to put in here at verse 14. You will recall it was at this time that the disciples of John, John the Baptist. Let me read verse 14.

Dr. J. Vernon McGee: Then came to him the disciples of John saying, "Why do we and the Pharisees fast off, but thy disciples fast not?" Now John, as we've indicated before, was an Old Testament prophet. He's the last of the Old Testament prophets. He walks out on the page of Scripture, actually out of the Old Testament into the New Testament to make the announcement, as Malachi had predicted, that the messenger would come to prepare the way.

Dr. J. Vernon McGee: And John says, "All I'm doing is just getting the highway ready. He'll be along in a few minutes." And he did come along in a few minutes. Now the disciples of John, they are a little disturbed. Why is it that the one John announced isn't quite doing it the way John did it? Now listen to the Lord Jesus as he answers this.

Dr. J. Vernon McGee: And Jesus said unto them, "Can the children of the bride chamber mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? But the days will come when the bridegroom shall be taken from them and then shall they fast." Now, I think for the church today that fasting has a real value, as we've said. But we have no commandment about it at all because we have the presence of Christ and we should rejoice in that.

Dr. J. Vernon McGee: And fasting is actually done as almost an act of mourning and should be done with a thought and idea that we are prostrating ourselves before God that we're down before him and that we are in need of mercy and of help. That is the thought back of that.

Dr. J. Vernon McGee: Now, listen to the Lord as he explains the change of dispensations from the Old Testament of law to the New Testament of grace. Listen to this. "No man putteth a piece of new cloth into an old garment. For that which is put in to fill it up taketh from the garment and the rent is made worse. Neither do men put new wine into old bottles, else the bottles break, and the wine runneth out, and the bottles perish. But they put new wine into new bottles and both are preserved."

Dr. J. Vernon McGee: Now, frankly, what he's saying is simply this: the old covenant, the old dispensation of law was ending. And he has not come to project it or to continue under that dispensation. Actually, he's come to provide a new garment, and that new garment happens to be the robe of righteousness that he gives to those that don't do anymore than to trust him.

Dr. J. Vernon McGee: The wine skin was the bottle of that day. And you see that when new wine was put in a new wine skin, it would expand. But an old one had reached the place of expansion and wouldn't expand anymore, and it would naturally burst open. The wine would be lost. Now he said, "I haven't come to sew patches on an old garment. I've come to present a new garment. I come now with something altogether new."

Dr. J. Vernon McGee McGee: This is very, very radical. John put it, you will recall, "The law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ." Now we come to the eighth and ninth miracles in this chapter that are actually more or less go along together. This is a tremendous scene. Both of them are miracles of healing, and one of them eventuated in raising the dead.

Dr. J. Vernon McGee McGee: Verse 18. "While he spake these things unto them, behold, there came a certain ruler and worshipped him saying, 'My daughter is even now dead, but come and lay thy hand upon her and she shall live.'" Now she was sick unto death. That is the thing that he's saying. And while he waits there, the servant comes to tell him that the little girl had died.

Dr. J. Vernon McGee McGee: Again, we'll come to this miracle in another gospel, but we'll look at certain things here. And Jesus arose and followed him, so did his disciples. Now there was a big crowd around him. And behold, a woman which was diseased with an issue of blood 12 years came behind him and touched the hem of his garment.

Dr. J. Vernon McGee McGee: Now you can't help but notice this. The little girl was 12 years old. And this woman had had this issue of blood 12 years. Actually, here was 12 years of life going out now. The light was going out of her life. And here is 12 years of darkness coming to an end and the light's breaking in. That's what you have right here in contrast. You have night and day right here.

Dr. J. Vernon McGee McGee: Now will you notice verse 21. "But she said within herself, 'If I may but touch his garment, I shall be whole.'" "But Jesus turned him about, when he saw her, he said, 'Daughter, be of good comfort, thy faith hath made thee whole,' and the woman was made whole from that hour." Now, Dr. Luke is going to give us this in a great deal of detail, and I'd like to reserve most of my comment when we get there.

Dr. J. Vernon McGee McGee: But you'll recall that actually she touched him. And up to now, the miracles he's performed of healing when he did come in contact with them, he did the touching. But here now this woman touched him, and she was healed. And when Jesus came into the ruler's house and saw the minstrels and the people making a noise, he said unto them, "Give place, for the maid is not dead, but sleepeth." And they laughed him to scorn.

Dr. J. Vernon McGee McGee: They actually at the morning. Here they were mourning. But when the Lord came and said, "She's not dead, she's asleep," they laughed. And now will you notice, "But when the people were put forth, he went in and took her by the hand, and the maid arose." Now this is the first instance of raising the dead that we've had in the Gospels. We have three notable incidents, and this is one of them.

Dr. J. Vernon McGee McGee: And it's a very important one, of course. And we'll find that in the Synoptic Gospels that it's given to us three times, that is, Matthew, Mark, and Luke. And as we say, we'll save it till we get to Luke to go into detail. But this is such a lovely thing, this 12-year-old girl. What he really said to her if you want our translation of it, the one we have here, and in Luke is a little stilted. What he said to her was, "Little lamb, wake up."

Dr. J. Vernon McGee McGee: It's a lovely thing. And now we read in verse 26, "And the fame hereof went abroad into all that land." "And when Jesus departed thence, two blind men following him crying and saying, 'Thou son of David, have mercy on us.'" Now this brings us to the tenth miracle. The eighth one was that little daughter. She was sick at first. Then word was brought, she was dead.

Dr. J. Vernon McGee McGee: Now, the Lord Jesus raises her from the dead. But on the way, this woman with an issue of blood touched him. So you have here, eight, nine, and now the tenth miracle. And it's the two blind men following him crying and saying, "Thou son of David, have mercy on us." When he was coming to the house, the blind men came to him, and Jesus saith unto them, "Believe ye that I am able to do this?"

Dr. J. Vernon McGee McGee: They said unto him, "Yea, Lord." Then touched he their eyes saying, "According to your faith, be it unto you." And their eyes were opened. And Jesus straightly charged them saying, "See that no man know it." Now, this is another one of these remarkable cases where he said, "Don't tell anyone." He'd said it to the leper. Now he says it here. And there are several reasons, but one of them now is made clear here.

Dr. J. Vernon McGee McGee: It caused the crowds to come in on him and actually hindered him in his work. Now verse 31. "But they, when they were departed, spread abroad his fame in all that country." These two blind men just couldn't contain themselves. They told others. Verse 32 brings us now to the 11th miracle. "And as they went out, behold, they brought to him a dumb man possessed with a demon."

Dr. J. Vernon McGee McGee: Now here you have another demon-possessed man. This is the third incident we've had in these two chapters. "And when the demon was cast out, the dumb spake, and the multitudes marveled, saying, 'It was never so seen in Israel.' But the Pharisees said, Now notice this. This is important to see. They did not deny that he had caused the blind to see and the crippled to leap and walk. What they said was, 'He casteth out demons through the prince of the demons.'"

Dr. J. Vernon McGee McGee: Now notice what our Lord said. "And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom." Now that gospel of the kingdom was what he had been saying and what in the next chapter in verse seven, he told his disciples to go out, saying, "The kingdom of heaven is at hand and to repent."

Dr. J. Vernon McGee McGee: And the gospel of the kingdom is that after all, he's a king on the way to the cross. And now notice, it says, "And healing every sickness and every disease among the people." You see again and again now, Matthew lets this drop far as it was. He just inserts it that there were multitudes that were healed in that day.

Dr. J. Vernon McGee McGee: There were thousands, you see. And that's the reason the enemy never questioned whether he performed miracles or not. It was too obvious. Now I don't want to be ugly, but again, I must call attention to this. A great many people get excited today about the fact that certain ones have a gift of healing. Now I personally don't think anyone has that gift.

Dr. J. Vernon McGee McGee: I've offered here in Southern California $100 to anyone that would come forward and be able to prove that they were healed by a faith healer. No one yet has called for it. Now you'd think out of the literally hundreds that are reported in the time of a sensational meeting that there'd be one that would be genuine. And I'll be honest with you. I did expect somebody that had really had a psychological cure to come along.

Dr. J. Vernon McGee McGee: And I asked the leader of a certain denomination, he offered $1,000. This man told me that they'd had several lawsuits of those that had tried to get it, but no one had ever been able to go into court and prove that they were healed that way. Now in our Lord's day, there were thousands of people. You'd think there'd be one today, wouldn't you? By the way, I think we ought to be very fair and honest about this.

Dr. J. Vernon McGee McGee: And not become sentimental or sensational or shut our eyes to facts. How many do you really know that were really healed by a man or a woman? May I say, the Lord Jesus is the great physician. And I believe he can heal. I have great confidence in him, not in man. Even my own medical doctor, and he recognizes it.

Dr. J. Vernon McGee McGee: I recognize he's very limited, very limited. Believe me, the Lord Jesus is not. He's the great physician. Take your case to him, and he'll never send you a bill, and he'll get all the credit for it. We want him to have the credit. Now will you notice, verse 36. "But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them because they fainted and were scattered abroad as sheep having no shepherd."

Dr. J. Vernon McGee McGee: And this is such a lovely thing. The note of compassion which concludes this chapter and section is startling, isn't it? You see God's ideal kings and rulers have all been shepherds. Moses had that training. David had been a shepherd. And the Lord Jesus is the good shepherd. And when we pray the Lord to thrust forth laborers into his harvest, pray that he give them the heart of a shepherd.

Dr. J. Vernon McGee McGee: Pray that the Lord will give you a heart of compassion for the lost. Now let me read these last two verses. Then saith he unto his disciples, "The harvest truly is plenteous, but the laborers are few. Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest that he will send forth laborers into his harvest." Now, having said that to them, he sends them forth. And it's always well when you pray for something that you are willing to do it yourself.

Dr. J. Vernon McGee McGee: Because when he asked them to pray the Lord to send forth laborers into the harvest, guess who he sent forth. He sent these very men that were to pray about it. That is very interesting indeed. In fact, very important, I think for us to see here that he sent them forth into the harvest. Now, will you notice as we come to chapter 10 that the movement continues. The Lord Jesus now having given the ethics, come down from the mountain, demonstrated he had the power in these 12 miracles that are enumerated here.

Dr. J. Vernon McGee McGee: He now commissions the 12 apostles to go to the nation Israel and preach the gospel of the kingdom. Now, this is a definite movement here that we have in the Gospel of Matthew. And we see here now that these men are to be sent out, not as forerunners, but they're after-runners. They are to go out and they're given credentials by which they can perform miracles.

Dr. J. Vernon McGee McGee: But if you ever noticed John the Baptist never performed a miracle. It's well to note that their title is changed now from disciple to apostle. And it's also interesting to note when we enter this chapter that the number of cults that turn to this chapter to get their authority for some peculiar ministry or conduct. You see the instructions for the Christian are not found in this chapter.

Dr. J. Vernon McGee McGee: The Christian needs to consider the instruction here in light of the circumstances and conditions under which they were given and we should be able to interpret it accurately. But let's be very clear about our interpretation. Now, let's get into the chapter a little ways. "And when he had called unto him his 12 disciples, he gave them power against unclean spirits, to cast them out and to heal all manner of sickness, all manner of disease."

Dr. J. Vernon McGee McGee: Now this was to be their credentials as they went to the nation Israel. And the prophets in the Old Testament said this would be far. The nation Israel, this would be the credentials. Now notice that having given them this power, they are no longer disciples. Listen to this. Verse two. "Now the names of the 12 apostles are these."

Dr. J. Vernon McGee McGee: Not 12 disciples now, but they are apostles. The first Simon, who's called Peter, Andrew his brother, James the son of Zebedee, John his brother, Philip and Bartholomew, Thomas and Matthew, the Publican, James the son of Alpheus, and Lebbaeus, whose surname was Thaddaeus, Simon the Canaanite, and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed him.

Dr. J. Vernon McGee McGee: Now will you notice verse five. "These 12 Jesus sent forth and commanded them saying, Now, let's note here this commission. This is not given to you and me. To begin with, he says, 'Go not into the way of the Gentiles and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not. But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.'" Now, if you're going to find your instructions for what you're doing, my friend, in this chapter, then you'll have to limit your ministry to Israel.

Dr. J. Vernon McGee McGee: And you better leave wherever you are right now and get over to Israel as quickly as possible. Because this is to be given to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. Now we're in Acts 1:8, our commission is, "Beginning at Jerusalem, you are to go to Judea and Samaria." Here they were to keep out of Samaria. "And even to the ends of the earth." That's not here, you see. "But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. And as you go, preach, saying, 'The kingdom of heaven is at hand.'"

Dr. J. Vernon McGee McGee: How was it at hand? In the person of the king. He was in their mids. That is the important thing. And that kingdom today must begin on the inside of you, my friend. You can talk about building a kingdom down here. You don't build a kingdom. It has to come from within. The kingdom of heaven is within you. And that is where it must begin. Now it's not much in evidence in this world today.

Dr. J. Vernon McGee McGee: Now he says to them, "Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons, freely you've received, freely give." Now I insist that if you're going to do one of these things, you ought to do all four of them. You ought to be able to cast out demons and raise the dead. And I've said that when any of these who claim to have these gifts will just raise the dead, I'll be around to see them.

Dr. J. Vernon McGee McGee: But until then, I'm very skeptical, I must confess. The great physician is the one. Here's a doctor I recommend to you today, my beloved, the Lord Jesus Christ. All right, we'll have to leave off right there. May the Lord richly bless you, my beloved.

Guest (Male): To share this message with a friend, direct them over to our app or TTB.org. And you can always call 1-800-65 Bible 2 if we can help you find a local radio station that carries Through the Bible. I'm Steve Schwetz and I'm grateful to spend this time with you and looking forward to welcoming you back aboard the Bible bus next time. Wherever and whenever you listen.

Singing: Jesus made it home. To him I own. Sin had left the crimson stains. He watched it white as snow.

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