RE:JESUS - Homework: October  29-30:  Matthew 8

RE: You
How do you define fear? What are you most afraid of today? Have you shared this fear with the Lord?

RE: God’s Word
Although we don’t know what Jesus looked like physically, the Gospels give us a detailed picture of how His life looked. If you take Matthew, Mark, Luke and John together, you’ll see a complete portrait of the life of Christ. It’s a stark reminder of the truth that God doesn’t look at the outward appearance of a person… He looks at the heart (cf. 1 Samuel 16:7).

RE: Context
Matthew 8 catapults us from listening to Jesus’ words about life in the Kingdom, to living out those words in action. There’s movement in this chapter. People are healed. A leper is given a new beginning. A Roman soldier’s faith leads to his servant being made well. Peter’s mother-in-law is raised out of a feverish sickness. Two demon-possessed men are freed from the chains of their possession.

The disciples celebrate these healings… but what about their need for healing? They aren’t paralyzed or in bed with a fever… but they need to be healed internally of their fear. Read Matthew 8:18–27.

RE: Response
Fear dominates the disciples in the storm…and fear is the paralyzing disease of today. And yet the most dominant theme in Jesus’ ministry is this: “Do not be afraid.”

RE: Prayer
What would life without fear look like for you? Why are faith and fear antonyms? What is the Lord asking you to do with your fear?