Title: Fill Me with Faith (Matthew 12:43)
fill me with faith
Matthew 12:43-45
In today's text, there is a lesson from the Lord to us. The background of the text is as follows. When Jesus healed the sick, performed miracles, and proved that He was the Messiah, the religious leaders of the time, who expressed outright antipathy, that is, the Pharisees and the scribes, are looking for an opportunity to condemn Jesus. Starting from the question of whether or not to observe the Sabbath, the healing of the sick is not enough, such as using the power of a demon, that is, Beelzebul, to heal. So, in today's text, we ask you to show us a sign that you are really the Messiah. But already in their hearts, they have no intention of accepting Jesus. Still, seeking a sign is not trying to acknowledge and believe in Jesus as the Messiah, but to find something to criticize and condemn. Jesus, who is aware of their perverse beliefs, is telling them the parable of the empty house, telling them to live with the right things in their hearts and souls rather than looking at everything from such a negative and unbelieving perspective, and he is pointing out the spiritual condition of the Jews at that time.
If you look closely, oddly enough, even if a house is shabby and on the verge of collapse, there is no problem as long as there are people living in it. But no matter how well built and great a house is, there is a problem with an uninhabited house. However, the house in today's text is a house with a fundamental problem. A well-maintained and well-cleaned house, but uninhabited. So, at first, the devil took a break by himself, but later, seven devils came in and built his own house. An empty house is so dangerous. How much more is our personality, heart, and thoughts? If you leave it empty even for a moment, the owner will change. Vacuum, this is a dangerous moment.
Guys, what is the sin in our dealings with people? If I don't hate that person, isn't it a sin? It's not like that. It's not that it's not a sin if you don't hate it, it's that you don't love it. Let's say I have already forgiven and have endured a long time. Then isn't that a sin? It's not like that. Not loving is still a sin. Then think about it. If I empty my mind about everything, am I living without sin? Is it okay to just go back and forth with an empty heart to not get involved in church affairs at all? If you look at today's words, an empty heart is rather a stage for Satan. Satan enters into a heart that does not serve. Satan enters the heart that is empty without prayer.
Among the parables of Jesus, the parable of the talents is famous. There were those who received one, two, and five talents respectively. Those who received two and five talents worked a lot and left a boat, but the one who received the one talent brought it back and was rebuked by the master. Do you remember what the rebuke was? "You wicked and lazy servant!" Notice the words. It makes sense to be lazy, but don't you think the word evil is a bit overkill? But in the end, seeing that we are rebuked for being evil, we should feel something. Why is it evil? What is evil? Doing nothing is evil. Doing nothing, emptying your mind and heart, you must think that this is a sin.
Dear saints!
Let's say that like a person who is clean, has a good character, and is always clean, his actions are morally and ethically commendable and worthy of imitation. But you don't have to be so clean. You shouldn't have something shiny and shiny, like it's always been cleaned. It must be filled with something in it. What is? You must be a person filled with God. You must be full of Jesus. You must be a believer full of the Holy Spirit. I hope that you will become people of God who are filled with faith in you today.