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Word from Scotland
by Sandy Shaw
We move on to Matthew Chapter 14. Jesus has been teaching about the Kingdom of Heaven and the Kingdom of God.
One man was not in His Kingdom and did not want to be in His Kingdom, but the ministry of Jesus Christ, and these disciples, made this one man tremble.
Herod heard of all that was being done by Jesus, and now Jesus Christ has a group of men out preaching and healing.
This is an extraordinary story which is so full of tension and drama.
There are great advantages in preaching through the Bible and just making one’s way through passage after passage in a systematic manner. There are perhaps some passages you would not choose to preach on, and this one might not be an immediate first choice – the severing of the head of John the Baptist.
There are immense lessons from this narrative which undoubtedly leaves an unforgettable imprint upon your mind.
Herod is the ruler of a kingdom, but he is haunted and half crazed with a troubled conscience. We read of a bizarre birthday party.
When the Word of God is preached things happen and there can be those who tremble.
Herod had heard of Jesus Christ and the fame of this preacher and healer, Jesus Christ, and he became terrified.
Matthew gives us a historical flashback. It is amazing writing.
Some get saved – rescued – healed – blessed – and others become upset and perplexed and start to make bad decisions.
It was being said that John the Baptist was risen from the dead, and Herod had cut of John’s head, because John had the courage and the boldness to preach against Herod’s sins. Now, Herod is worried and trembling as his conscience convicted him.
There can be no escape from God, and touching a man of God can result in something very serious happening.
Herod is terrified. It can’t be John! I sorted out John! I dealt with John, but who is this going around preaching and healing? Herod has this strange and peculiar desire to see Jesus.
Kill a prophetic John and you have a living Jesus to reckon with. Kill a prophet and you have to face the living God.
It is possible to kill a messenger of God, but the Holy Spirit enables the message to live on.
Alexander 'Sandy' Shaw is pastor of Nairn Christian Fellowship in Nairn, Scotland. Nairn is 17 miles east of Inverness - on the Moray Firth Coast - not far from the Loch Ness Monster!
Gifted as a Biblical teacher, Sandy is firmly committed to making sure that his teachings are firmly grounded in the Word.
Sandy has a weekly radio talk which can be heard via the Internet on Saturday at 11:40am, New Orleans time, at wsho.com.
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