Daily Devotions

Posts tagged “Matthew 12

The Sound of Hope

MARTY–The sound of hope is never insignificant. Hope is the sound of heaven moved into the earth through songs, preaching of the Word of God, prophecy, conversation, teaching and testimonies. No hope is too small. “…the mere sound of his name will signal hope, even among far-off unbelievers.” (Matt.12:21, Msg)


The Glory of the Father Visible

Jesus came as Emmanuel, God with us, and brought forth fruit (Jn.12:28;17:1). He was not just a religious icon. Jesus was the Kingdom exposed to mankind. In Jesus, the Kingdom was observed — in His lifestyle, His character, His actions (Matt.12:28). The fact that He brought forth fruit is the fact that He was the glory of His Father in the earth. “And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.” (Jn.1:14, NASB) In his new book, The Orphan Heart, our dear friend Larry Burden gives an interesting definition of “glory” from the Greek word “doxa”:  “the appearance, form or aspect of a person which catches our attention and commands our recognition”. The Message Translation puts it like this:  “The Word became flesh and blood, and moved into the neighborhood. We saw the glory with our own eyes, the one-of-a-kind glory, like Father, like Son, Generous inside and out, true from start to finish.” (Jn.1:14, Msg) Though the Father was sitting upon a throne in heaven, He could be seen in the earth in Jesus as He  grew and interacted with His environment. 


The Mystery of the Kingdom

(The following is from Marty’s article “From Heaven to Earth”)
“There is a mystery… The Kingdom of God is here; but instead of destroying human sovereignty, it has attacked the sovereignty of Satan. The Kingdom of God is here but instead of making changes in the external, political order of things, it is making changes in the spiritual order and in the lives of men and women…

“The Kingdom of God which is yet to come in power and great glory is actually present among men in advance in an unexpected form to bring to men in the present evil Age the blessings of the Age to Come… Matt.12:28 clearly says that the Kingdom of God has entered into the present evil age.

“The mystery of the Kingdom is this: The Kingdom of God is here but not with irresistible power. The Kingdom of God has come, but it is not like a stone grinding an image to powder… it is like a man sowing seed. It does not force itself upon men… They must receive it; the response must come from a willing heart and a submissive will.” (George Eldon Ladd)