Episode #16
Why did the crowds follow Jesus?
What did Jesus do to prepare people to prepare their hearts to hear his message of salvation?
How does Christ prepare our hearts today to hear what he has to say?
In this episode I explore
- What Jesus did to get people to listen to him
- How he prepared them for the good news that the kingdom of heaven is at hand
- How Christ works in our hearts today
- What we can do to support nurture that process
Watch out! I quote a lot of Bible verses in this episode. You’ll find them below.
Every day, Christ is pouring into your heart all the glory of God. And he is making sure you are ready for it.
Please share this with a friend
Blessings,
James
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Here are the Scriptures I quoted in this episode:
John 1:29, 32-37, 40, 41, 43, 45 ESV
29 The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!
32 And John bore witness: “I saw the Spirit descend from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him.
33 I myself did not know him, but he who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain, this is he who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’
34 And I have seen and have borne witness that this is the Son of God.”
35 The next day again John was standing with two of his disciples,
36 and he looked at Jesus as he walked by and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God!”
37 The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus.
40 One of the two who heard John speak and followed Jesus was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother.
41 He first found his own brother Simon and said to him, “We have found the Messiah” (which means Christ).
43 The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, “Follow me.”
45 Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found him of whom Moses in the Law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”
Matthew 4:17-25 ESV
17 From that time Jesus began to preach saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
18 While walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon (who is called Peter) and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen.
19 And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.”
20 Immediately they left their nets and followed him.
21 And going on from there he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets, and he called them.
22 Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.
23 And he went throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction among the people.
24 So his fame spread throughout all Syria, and they brought him all the sick, those afflicted with various diseases and pains, those oppressed by demons, those having seizures, and paralytics, and he healed them.
25 And great crowds followed him from Galilee and the Decapolis, and from Jerusalem and Judea, and from beyond the Jordan.
Luke 14:16-22 ESV
16 And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up. And as was his custom, he went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and he stood up to read.
17 And the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written,
18 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because he has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives
and recovering of sight to the blind,
to set at liberty those who are oppressed,
19 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
20 And he rolled up the scroll and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him.
21 And he began to say to them, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”
22 And all spoke well of him and marveled at the gracious words that were coming from his mouth.
Matthew 7:28, 29 ESV
28 And when Jesus finished these sayings, the crowds were astonished at his teaching,
29 for he was teaching them as one who had authority, and not as their scribes.
John 10:10 ESV
10 I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.
Matthew 28:20 ESV
20 And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.
Matthew 5:6 KJV
6 Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.
Proverbs 6:1 KJV
1 The preparations of the heart in man, and the answer of the tongue, is from the LORD.
Prayer Project – Week 5: Know your parent/child relationship with God
John 10:30 ESV
30 I and the Father are one.
John 17:20, 21 ESV
20 I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word,
21 that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me
Isaiah 66:13
13 As one whom his mother comforts,
so I will comfort you;
you shall be comforted in Jerusalem.
