Sermon I: Disciple's Prayers
"He who has ears to hear, let him hear." ~ Matthew 11:15
A Sermon by Disciple Zaith
Greetings to his new Disciples
Great is He who saved me from my generation’s sins. And thus, I say, great is He who saves all future generations from their sins. From young children to young adults who yearn for understanding. Thank You, Lord, for bringing me before those who You have chosen, to be new disciples of our Lord, Your Son, Jesus Christ.
We come before You, eager for Your spirit to share its truth.
“Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth.”
John 17:17
Thanks to each of you for being so welcoming and delightful. Blessings come before you by He whom I serve. However, after meeting each of you, I have yet to introduce myself fully.
As I’ve said, I am Zaith, a follower of Christ Jesus, or you may know us as believers of The Way or Christians.
I hail from Capernaum but have traveled to many a place in pursuit of learning from the great apostles. In particular, the Apostle Paul.
Discerning Truth from Falsehood
When I first heard Jesus, I was a child, probably even younger than you are Vesper. Yet, even I felt His authority over the words He spoke.
The truth is, the first time I heard Him speak, He denounced my city and several others. And even with that, He thanked our Heavenly Father for showing the truths He spoke to us, His children.
“And you, Capernaum, will not be exalted to heaven, will you? You will descend to Hades; for if the miracles had occurred in Sodom which occurred in you, it would have remained to this day. Nevertheless I say to you that it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment, than for you.”
Matthew 11:23-24
At that time Jesus said, “I praise You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and intelligent and have revealed them to infants.”
Matthew 11:25
After this, my family moved away from Capernaum and I was never truly the same. I would run away from home to find out where Jesus would be next. I argued against my father about what the Torah and Prophets say regarding the Messiah.
But how is it that we, as believers, know that Jesus is the Messiah? How can we discern what is true, and what is false?
In my early days of traveling to follow the apostles He appointed, I came across a preacher who claimed to be a follower of The Way. His name was Harthane and he had this magnifying presence like that of the apostles. He even had followers of his own and ran from the teachers of the law who were persecuting us.
However, when coming across followers of our Lord, the advocate gives us the insight to glean from what is true and false preaching.
Through His advocate, the Holy Spirit, we are given gifts to prove His kingdom is here, and the gospel I shall teach you all to preach is available to all who believe in Christ’s victory over death. To all who believe in His resurrection!
Not to those who use His word to prop themselves up for praise and fortune. That is not what we pursue!
What is the Gospel?
What we pursue is His way, His life, and His love. As King Solomon once wrote…
“He who pursues righteousness and loyalty finds life, righteousness, and honor.”
Proverbs 21:21
We as disciples of Jesus Christ pursue His Kingdom of Heaven! As He said…
“Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
Matthew 5:10
“But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”
Matthew 6:33
What does this mean? It is the good news that He came down to grant. Even in the face of persecution and death, He has defeated it and awaits us in His kingdom!
How do you get into His kingdom, though? As I said before, the gospel is for all who believe in His resurrection! This means if you proclaim, with authenticity in your heart, that Jesus was and is the Messiah, who was crucified on the cross for your sins and the sins of humanity, and defeated death three days later, you are welcome into His kingdom for eternity!
Finishing up, each of them raises their hand to ask a question. Looking at them, I pick Vesper first.
“How do we start believing?” She asks, softly and curiously.
With a smile, I look at each of them, “Through surrendering yourself to His will for your life, my dear Vesper.”
Their hands raise again…
Heavenly Father
Great is Your Spirit that guides us. Your endless blessings shower us through Your faithfulness. Your gracious love gave us new life, through Your Son’s loving sacrifice on the cross for our many sins. Your forgiveness wraps us comfortably as we come to You, and Your Spirit burns when we turn from You. Allow us to grow in comfort with You and burn more fiercely when turning away from You. Lord, thank You for all the work You do for us and continue to do until the end of time!
In Jesus name
Amen