Forever Home in the Eternal Family of God

Daily Encouragement for the Family of God

18 October 2024

Reading From Matthew 15, Mark 7

“You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you:

“‘These people honor me with their lips,
    but their hearts are far from me.
They worship me in vain;
    their teachings are merely human rules.’”

Jesus called the crowd to him and said, “Listen and understand.  What goes into someone’s mouth does not defile them, but what comes out of their mouth, that is what defiles them.” —Matthew 15:7-11

In the Old Testament, under the Old Covenant, God instituted the Mosaic Law, which was made up of 613 rules which shaped and guided the lifestyles of Ancient Israel, Messianic Jews and followers of Judaism to this day. Jesus Christ fulfilled the sacrificial system by becoming the ultimate sacrifice once and for all. Jesus is both our Great High Priest and the Lamb of God.

Here in Matthew 15, Jesus foreshadows the vision that Peter was given in Acts 10. This leader in the early Church was chosen by Yahweh to reveal that the dietary restrictions of the Law of Moses were no longer needed. God was bringing both Jews and Gentle alike together to form His Bride, the Universal Church. Jesus taught that what we say to others is far more important than what we eat or drink.

Today, the moral laws and the spirit of the Law are still in effect. The people of God follow the 10 Commandments. We obey the Lord not in order to earn salvation. Rather, we follow Him and His decrees because we have been redeemed and it is how we express our love and gratitude.

“Lord Jesus, thank You for Your salvation which is by grace through faith from first to last. You have changed our lives and You are healing us from the inside out and we are so grateful. We worship and praise Your holy Name. Amen.”

Think not that I am come to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill. —Matthew 5:17

Jesus answered him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind’. This is the first and great commandment. And there is a second like it: ‘You shall love your neighbour as yourself’. The whole of the Law and the Prophets depends on these two commandments.” —Matthew 22:40

We know that we have come to know him if we keep his commands. Whoever says, “I know him,” but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in that person. But if anyone obeys his word,love for God is truly made complete in them. This is how we know we are in him: Whoever claims to live in him must live as Jesus did. —I John 2:3-6