The online
Bible teaching ministry of Stephen
& Brooksyne Weber
A daily, Bible-based perspective of hope, encouragement and exhortation. Home About Us Archives Free email subscription ![]() Follow Daily Encouragement on ![]() ![]() ![]() <Previous Message Next Message> Wednesday, November 2, 2016
![]() The fleeting beauty of Autumn! I passed this stretch of highway yesterday on a drive through southern Lebanon County. "Mercy, Not Sacrifice" Message Summary: "Jesus said, 'It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick." At first glance it may appear that Jesus is saying it is not the healthy Pharisees who need a doctor but the sick (the tax collectors and sinners). But that's not His message! ![]() "Jesus said, 'It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. But go and learn what this means: 'I desire mercy, not sacrifice.' For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners'" (Matthew 9:12-13). ![]() We don't know a lot about doctors or medical practices in the Bible times. Luke is described as a physician and in another place Jesus healed a woman who had been ill for twelve years who had been treated by many doctors. We normally think of going to a doctor when we are sick, which was also the reasoning at the time of Christ. In our daily text Jesus said as much when he told his listeners, 'It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick." In our day we also go for a preventive type examination when we are healthy. My first experience with this type of doctoring was during high school when I was required to have a physical for sports. ![]() "Jesus said, 'It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick." At first glance it may appear that Jesus is saying it is not the healthy Pharisees who need a doctor but the sick (the tax collectors and sinners). But Jesus doesn't stop here. He challenges their thinking, "But go and learn what this means." He didn't elaborate but wanted them to learn as they considered what he was about to say. ![]() Jesus ended the exchange by stating, "For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners". Indeed the pursuit of His righteousness begins when we acknowledge (confess) we are sinners and repent. Each of us is born into sin and must make a willful choice to be saved by God's grace. Jesus was calling attention to the fact that the Pharisees, who relied upon religious rituals to make themselves righteous before God, ("sacrifices and burnt offerings") are actually missing the mercy and knowledge of God Himself. They did not realize that, in fact, they were the ones sick in spirit and desperately in need of the Master Healer's touch. And so, let us join with that same Old Testament prophet Hosea in affirming: "Let us know the Lord, let us press on to know Him. As surely as the sun rises, He will appear, He will come to us..." (Hosea 6:3). Be encouraged today, Stephen & Brooksyne Weber ![]() Today's
Suggested
Music and Supplemental Resources
"Sinner Saved By Grace" Video Gaither Vocal Band "The Touch Of The Master's Hand" Video Wayne Watson A great illustration using the sale of an old tattered and torn violin! "I Can Trust Jesus" Video The Collingsworth Family To receive the "Daily Encouragement" each Monday-Friday through email see this page to subscribe to our email list. You can also subscribe to the Wordpress rss feed or through a Wordpress email subscription. (See the email subscription on the right side after opening this page.) ![]() ![]() Permissions: Please feel free to pass on, reproduce and distribute any material on Daily Encouragement Net, in part or in whole, in any format, provided that you do not alter the wording in any way or charge a fee beyond the cost of reproduction. It is our desire to spread this material, not protect or restrict it. I do request that you keep the contact, copyright and subscription information intact. Scripture references are from The Holy Bible: New International Version. © 1984 by International Bible Society; NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, Copyright © 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, New King James Version (NKJV) Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. and the King James Version. Personal Mission Statement: "I am created by God to bring Him glory. Through God's Son Jesus Christ I have been redeemed and make it my life's goal to please the Lord. My mission in life is to honor God through my faith and obedience and prepare myself and all whom I may influence for eternity." © Copyright 2016 Stephen C. Weber - All Rights Reserved Daily Encouragement Net - 495 Kraybill Church Road - Mount Joy, PA 17552 USA |