Satan has thrown every stumbling block in between me and this computer that he can think of. I have been miserable because I'd make a writing date with God and then wouldn't show up. That is so wrong. Thank you, Jesus, for your great capacity to forgive. We're on the same page tonight and He is writing again.
Part of the problem was that I couldn't wrap my brain around the Sermon on the Mount. It is three chapters long and I couldn't figure out how Jesus could teach so many people from the top of a mountain. He didn't! Jesus went to the top of the mountain and sat in a grassy spot and His disciples sat around Him. That's where and when He gave them the Beatitudes.
He called them the salt of the earth and charged them to be the light of the world. If salt (our testimony) loses its savour, it can't be restored. It's worthless and all you can do with it is throw it away. This is what I see as a wake-up call to all of mankind who are believers. I need to testify that I am a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ as often as I can. I need to keep my testimony fresh and alive. My love for Jesus Christ must be what my mother used to tell us, "First impressions (testimonies) are lasting impressions."
I was at a store the other day and my check out person was tired, her feet hurt and she was anxious to go home and soak in a hot tub. I asked her if I could pray for her and she smiled from ear to ear. Her answer was,"Oh, please do." I told her I was going to ask God to give her a special blessing the next day. About a dozen people were standing around, so by the grace of God, I got to talk about Jesus to a dozen or more people just thru our conversation. I don't know if she got her blessing, but something tells me she did.
A building that sits on the top of a mountain cannot be seen without light, lots of light. It doesn't need a wick in a petri dish in the window. It'll just flicker and die out and the building will be lost in the darkness. However, if I fill a candelabra with candles and set one in each window, my house has a beacon to lead others to me. My light is my love for my Lord and one I want everyone to see,
I remember God calling me to be an educator on my first day of kindergarten. There was no question in my mind that I was to become a teacher. I have spent my life teaching children from preschool to adults studying for their GED test. There was VBS, Sunday School, day care and teens at church. I have written programs used across the nation to help adults learn job skills as well as educating them. To God is the glory. In one incident when I was not in fellowship with Him, I lost my ability to speak clearly. I lost my teaching career. I was humbled at the feet of the Holy Spirit. To God still goes the glory.
Wednesday, October 8, 2014
Saturday, July 26, 2014
Matthew 5:12-
It has been awhile since I've been able to continue with my study of the gospel of Matthew. I hurt my back and slept the last few months away on pain pills. Thank you, Jesus, for helping me heal and for giving me with the patience to heal.
Looking forward in Matthew 5:15, I remember when I first lit my candle and where I put it. I was 14 and we had just moved to Indiana from Michigan. I lit my candle in my new church in my new town. It gives off a soft glow, powered by my love for my Lord. My prayer is that my glow shows Jesus to everyone I encounter, in everything I say, do or think. If I have caused anyone to turn away from God, I'm so sorry. He has forgiven me and I pray you will, too. Let your own light shine.
Emily Dickinson wrote a short poem that I dearly love and would like to share here.
"My candle burns at both ends.
It will not last the night,
But ah, my foes, and oh, my friends
It gives a lovely light."
Onward, chapter 5, 6, and 7 are written in great detail and are called "The Sermon on the Mount". Chapter 5 is the first discourse out of 6 that Matthew records. It is also instructions sent by God to tell us how to live a Godly life. Since Matthew was a disciple of Jesus, he was also a student of Christ. With the invention of the printing press, we can now read what he wrote in his student notebook. It became the first Gospel out of four in the Bible, and this discourse covers everything Jesus had to say to us.
Jesus states that He came to fulfill the prophecies and the laws and to save the prophets. Here is where we are told to not change one jot or tittle in the Word. Well, why not? some of us may ask. You need to research this because you need to know what a jot or tittle is. They are both diacritical marks found above certain vowels in the Hebrew language. If they are moved, deleted or changed in any way, the meaning of the word or the word itself could be changed. The word could have a different meaning or even become a different word.
The same thing can happen in the English language. For example, the contraction it's means it is. Supposedly it takes less space to print it but only one space is saved. In the long run, I suppose it could save a whole page in a book. If you use the contraction instead of its, you are saying it is instead of the possessive pronoun. That one little diacritical mark determines the meaning of the word.
I think the Beatitudes are strategically placed at the beginning of the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus lays down the ground rules for life, both then and now. Matthew wrote long dissertations about these sermons; however, Luke and Mark offer a shortened version of each discourse. It has been suggested in some of the study books that Mark and Luke wrote shorter versions because they weren't there. They used their notes from Matthews gospel to write their own version.
The gist of the Beatitudes as the beginning of the Sermon on the Mount gives us the way to live Godly lives, ways to become the teacher of His Word and how to teach it to others. Jesus wanted the Jews to accept Him as the Messiah and He used the discourses to offer eternal life thru salvation.
When Jesus gave His life on the cross, He offered salvation to everyone by becoming a living sacrifice, forgiving our sins and eliminating the need for the animal sacrificial ritual. His blood covered all our sins and we are forgiven if we believe that Jesus is the Son of God who leads us to His Son and forgiveness.
Monday, June 23, 2014
Beatitudes-check your attitude
Matthew 5:3-12
v. 3 "Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." I had to humble myself on bended knee in order to have my sins forgiven and to be filled with the Holy Spirit. Isaiah 57:15 says, "...I dwell in the high and holy place, with Him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble and to revive the heart of the contrite ones." A humble spirit is one that is not consumed with pride, but is one that is meek and mild when dealing with other people. God requires me to have a humble spirit in order to accept Him as my Savior.
v. 4 "Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted." When Christ ascended into heaven, He sent the Comforter to us. The Holy Spirit is the third part of the Trinity and He lives in us. (John 14:17) He teaches us. (John 14:16) In I Corinthians 5:11, Paul describes His personality. He is God, equal to the Father and to the Son. He is defined in Hebrew as well as in Greek as a "wind, a breath". Jesus taught that the job of the Holy Spirit is to dwell in me as my Comforter and as my Counselor. At Pentecost, God revealed Himself in a new way-as a mighty rushing wind that filled the room and each of the disciples. The Pictorial Bible Dictionary tells us that the Holy Spirit is sadly the neglected One in the Trinity, yet the New Testament is full of references to the Holy Spirit. Another study for another day.
v. 5 "Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth." To be meek, I must be humble but not weak. I so want to be meek, to have self control, personal integrity and to consider the needs of others before my own. David tells us that God takes care of the meek in Psalm 22, 25, 27 and in chapter 37:11, David writes, " The meek shall inherit the earth; and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace."
v. 6 "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled." This tells me that I will always hunger for the words in the Bible so I call myself Christian. i want to study my Bible, memorize it and apply it to my life. I want to understand the words God has given to me in His Holy Word. I understand now why my dad used so many of his old reference books when he studied his Bible to prepare himself to teach an adult Sunday School class. He was hungry for the Word and wanted to embrace it with understanding.
v. 7 "Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy." To be merciful is to be kind and forgiving. James calls mercy the most powerful virtue a Christian can have. God showed mercy when He sent His Son to give His life on the cross so my sins could be forgiven. Jesus showed mercy to the thief who hung on the cross next to Him. All we have to do to gain His mercy is to accept Him into our hearts.
v. 8 "Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God." Purity of heart in the New Testament is considered an inward requirement for entering the kingdom of God. God cannot look on sin so in order for me to enter His kingdom, I must have a pure heart. Anyone who has not been cleansed of sin cannot enter His kingdom.
v. 9 "Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God." Jesus tells me to make peace with those against whom I hold a grudge. I must forgive them if I am to obey the Lord. When a wrong is committed against me, I need to consider that perhaps something disturbing is going on in their lives. I have found that praying for a particular person's salvation helps me to take the focus off the wrong and on the person's soul. That's right where it should be, offering words of peace and tranquility instead of harsh words.
v. 10 "Blessed are they who are persecuted for righteousness sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." My pastor has described the church as a hospital for sinners. God heals them there or wherever they are willing to humble themselves before Him. Remember though, God will not allow sin into heaven. As soon as I was saved at age 14, Satan attacked. I was old enough to understand what it meant and how to prepare for it. I was blessed to have 2 parents who loved the Lord, had a strong support group at church and a best friend who was also saved. Satan still throws roadblocks in my path during my walk with Jesus. Most of them, I can kick out of the way. Some I have to lay at the foot of the cross and let Jesus handle them.
v. 11 "Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for My sake." Haters are just haters, and Christians should love them. We want to introduce them to Jesus and not be afraid to do so. If we are persecuted, we can praise God because it sets us apart from the world and gives us the name Christian. Great rewards await us in heaven and when we are persecuted, God draws us closer to Him and Jesus is glorified.
If I am being favored by God in a special way, I feel His blessing deep in my heart. His presence fills the room with joy. Jesus encourages me to inspect how each individual beatitude impacts my life. If the beatitudes are a part of my life, then Jesus Christ get the glory because I am His.
v. 3 "Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." I had to humble myself on bended knee in order to have my sins forgiven and to be filled with the Holy Spirit. Isaiah 57:15 says, "...I dwell in the high and holy place, with Him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble and to revive the heart of the contrite ones." A humble spirit is one that is not consumed with pride, but is one that is meek and mild when dealing with other people. God requires me to have a humble spirit in order to accept Him as my Savior.
v. 4 "Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted." When Christ ascended into heaven, He sent the Comforter to us. The Holy Spirit is the third part of the Trinity and He lives in us. (John 14:17) He teaches us. (John 14:16) In I Corinthians 5:11, Paul describes His personality. He is God, equal to the Father and to the Son. He is defined in Hebrew as well as in Greek as a "wind, a breath". Jesus taught that the job of the Holy Spirit is to dwell in me as my Comforter and as my Counselor. At Pentecost, God revealed Himself in a new way-as a mighty rushing wind that filled the room and each of the disciples. The Pictorial Bible Dictionary tells us that the Holy Spirit is sadly the neglected One in the Trinity, yet the New Testament is full of references to the Holy Spirit. Another study for another day.
v. 5 "Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth." To be meek, I must be humble but not weak. I so want to be meek, to have self control, personal integrity and to consider the needs of others before my own. David tells us that God takes care of the meek in Psalm 22, 25, 27 and in chapter 37:11, David writes, " The meek shall inherit the earth; and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace."
v. 6 "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled." This tells me that I will always hunger for the words in the Bible so I call myself Christian. i want to study my Bible, memorize it and apply it to my life. I want to understand the words God has given to me in His Holy Word. I understand now why my dad used so many of his old reference books when he studied his Bible to prepare himself to teach an adult Sunday School class. He was hungry for the Word and wanted to embrace it with understanding.
v. 7 "Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy." To be merciful is to be kind and forgiving. James calls mercy the most powerful virtue a Christian can have. God showed mercy when He sent His Son to give His life on the cross so my sins could be forgiven. Jesus showed mercy to the thief who hung on the cross next to Him. All we have to do to gain His mercy is to accept Him into our hearts.
v. 8 "Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God." Purity of heart in the New Testament is considered an inward requirement for entering the kingdom of God. God cannot look on sin so in order for me to enter His kingdom, I must have a pure heart. Anyone who has not been cleansed of sin cannot enter His kingdom.
v. 9 "Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God." Jesus tells me to make peace with those against whom I hold a grudge. I must forgive them if I am to obey the Lord. When a wrong is committed against me, I need to consider that perhaps something disturbing is going on in their lives. I have found that praying for a particular person's salvation helps me to take the focus off the wrong and on the person's soul. That's right where it should be, offering words of peace and tranquility instead of harsh words.
v. 10 "Blessed are they who are persecuted for righteousness sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." My pastor has described the church as a hospital for sinners. God heals them there or wherever they are willing to humble themselves before Him. Remember though, God will not allow sin into heaven. As soon as I was saved at age 14, Satan attacked. I was old enough to understand what it meant and how to prepare for it. I was blessed to have 2 parents who loved the Lord, had a strong support group at church and a best friend who was also saved. Satan still throws roadblocks in my path during my walk with Jesus. Most of them, I can kick out of the way. Some I have to lay at the foot of the cross and let Jesus handle them.
v. 11 "Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for My sake." Haters are just haters, and Christians should love them. We want to introduce them to Jesus and not be afraid to do so. If we are persecuted, we can praise God because it sets us apart from the world and gives us the name Christian. Great rewards await us in heaven and when we are persecuted, God draws us closer to Him and Jesus is glorified.
If I am being favored by God in a special way, I feel His blessing deep in my heart. His presence fills the room with joy. Jesus encourages me to inspect how each individual beatitude impacts my life. If the beatitudes are a part of my life, then Jesus Christ get the glory because I am His.
Saturday, June 7, 2014
Matthew 5:1-16
The Kingdom of God broke into history in this chapter. Here we read the "Sermon on the Mount", the best of all the teachings of Jesus. It is understood the least and disobeyed the most, yet it tells us what He wants us to be and how He wants us to behave. Praise God for a new age had come upon the land.
The message of the Sermon on the Mount was quite simple. REPENT! The Greek definition of repent is a complete change of mind. If we read the Sermon on the Mount in this context, it tells us what the world would be like if we obeyed God and studied His Word. It is a world I would like to live in.
Jesus observed a great horde of people coming toward Him, believing by faith that He could heal even the worst of their physical afflictions. He went to the top of the mountain and taught them from there. That area either had to have had fantastic acoustics, or the mountain magnified His voice, so all could hear. I just can't picture Jesus with a booming voice that make the babies cry and the men and women shrink away in fear. I'm going with the heavenly sound system and a crowd of people with hearts yearning to hear the words of the Lord.
Verses 3-11 are what we call the Beatitudes. I have written in the margin of my Bible "Beatitudes-check your attitude". When you read these 8 verses, you can maybe understand that this is what Jesus meant. Check your attitudes! How do you treat people? Read each one and check your attitude toward the people described here.
Jesus says in verse 12 that if your attitude is right toward those in need, your reward in heaven will be awesome. Not only that, you can feel the love here on earth because you obeyed the Lord and you can rejoice in that.
You are called the salt of the earth as long as you don't lose your ability to do good things for people, your ability to love them. Jesus also calls you "the light of the world" for if you are on top of that mountain and your are rejoicing in His greatness, giving Him glory, your light cannot be hidden.
Remember the childrens' Sunday School song, "This little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine. This little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine, let it shine, let it shine, let it shine." (author could not be found) Jesus wants us to let our light, our inner joy, shine for Him and glorifying our Father in heaven.
The message of the Sermon on the Mount was quite simple. REPENT! The Greek definition of repent is a complete change of mind. If we read the Sermon on the Mount in this context, it tells us what the world would be like if we obeyed God and studied His Word. It is a world I would like to live in.
Jesus observed a great horde of people coming toward Him, believing by faith that He could heal even the worst of their physical afflictions. He went to the top of the mountain and taught them from there. That area either had to have had fantastic acoustics, or the mountain magnified His voice, so all could hear. I just can't picture Jesus with a booming voice that make the babies cry and the men and women shrink away in fear. I'm going with the heavenly sound system and a crowd of people with hearts yearning to hear the words of the Lord.
Verses 3-11 are what we call the Beatitudes. I have written in the margin of my Bible "Beatitudes-check your attitude". When you read these 8 verses, you can maybe understand that this is what Jesus meant. Check your attitudes! How do you treat people? Read each one and check your attitude toward the people described here.
Jesus says in verse 12 that if your attitude is right toward those in need, your reward in heaven will be awesome. Not only that, you can feel the love here on earth because you obeyed the Lord and you can rejoice in that.
You are called the salt of the earth as long as you don't lose your ability to do good things for people, your ability to love them. Jesus also calls you "the light of the world" for if you are on top of that mountain and your are rejoicing in His greatness, giving Him glory, your light cannot be hidden.
Remember the childrens' Sunday School song, "This little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine. This little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine, let it shine, let it shine, let it shine." (author could not be found) Jesus wants us to let our light, our inner joy, shine for Him and glorifying our Father in heaven.
Friday, May 30, 2014
Matthew 4:17-25
Jesus made Capernum His home and began His ministry from there. Read v.17 a couple of times. What a message He had to begin His ministry! Those words came from His heart and He still feels that message deep in His spirit. He wants us all to be genuinely sorry for the sins we have committed against God (repent).
How close is the kingdom of heaven for those who have repented? It could be 2 seconds; it could be 80 years. We don't know when the kingdom of heaven will be our home. We must be repentant of our sins and live a new life for "the kingdom of heaven is at hand." Read the verse again. Jesus put His whole ministry into that one sentence. "Repent: the kingdom of heaven is at hand,"
After speaking those words of warning, and being filled with compassion, Jesus began to gather His disciples so He could begin His ministry. This group of men walked with Him throughout the last 3-4 years of His life. They learned while sitting at His feet or while walking by His side. They witnessed His death and His resurrection. They saw Him ascend into heaven and sit on the throne of David at the right hand of God. What a gathering of men it was !
While walking by the Sea of Galilee, He spied His first two disciples hard at work, fishing. They were named Simon and Andrew. This was the Simon who was later called Peter or Simon Peter. All He had to say was, "Follow Me and I will make you fishers of men." These two men immediately stopped what they were doing, left their fish and their boat and followed Jesus. Did they know who he was? Had they heard of the Messiah? What kind of power did this man called Jesus have over these two fishermen?
Then it happens again! Jesus finds His next two disciples, James and John. They were mending their fishing nets with their father, Zebedee. James and John dropped the torn nets, left their boat and their father to immediately follow Jesus. This man, whom they had never met, never heard of, called to them and they followed Him without so much as a, "By Dad."
This group of men walked all over Galilee with Jesus, learning about the kingdom of heaven, and the role Jesus and His followers had in it. Jesus taught about heaven and repentance and the Father. He healed all who came to Him, knowing that He could heal them. His fame spread to Syria and they brought their sick, their demon filled and mentally ill friends to be healed. People believed in Him by merely hearing the stories about Him. Great multitudes followed Him. People from Galilee, from Decapolis, from Jerusalem and even from as far away as Jordan. Why? Jesus, the Messiah, gave them hope.
How close is the kingdom of heaven for those who have repented? It could be 2 seconds; it could be 80 years. We don't know when the kingdom of heaven will be our home. We must be repentant of our sins and live a new life for "the kingdom of heaven is at hand." Read the verse again. Jesus put His whole ministry into that one sentence. "Repent: the kingdom of heaven is at hand,"
After speaking those words of warning, and being filled with compassion, Jesus began to gather His disciples so He could begin His ministry. This group of men walked with Him throughout the last 3-4 years of His life. They learned while sitting at His feet or while walking by His side. They witnessed His death and His resurrection. They saw Him ascend into heaven and sit on the throne of David at the right hand of God. What a gathering of men it was !
While walking by the Sea of Galilee, He spied His first two disciples hard at work, fishing. They were named Simon and Andrew. This was the Simon who was later called Peter or Simon Peter. All He had to say was, "Follow Me and I will make you fishers of men." These two men immediately stopped what they were doing, left their fish and their boat and followed Jesus. Did they know who he was? Had they heard of the Messiah? What kind of power did this man called Jesus have over these two fishermen?
Then it happens again! Jesus finds His next two disciples, James and John. They were mending their fishing nets with their father, Zebedee. James and John dropped the torn nets, left their boat and their father to immediately follow Jesus. This man, whom they had never met, never heard of, called to them and they followed Him without so much as a, "By Dad."
This group of men walked all over Galilee with Jesus, learning about the kingdom of heaven, and the role Jesus and His followers had in it. Jesus taught about heaven and repentance and the Father. He healed all who came to Him, knowing that He could heal them. His fame spread to Syria and they brought their sick, their demon filled and mentally ill friends to be healed. People believed in Him by merely hearing the stories about Him. Great multitudes followed Him. People from Galilee, from Decapolis, from Jerusalem and even from as far away as Jordan. Why? Jesus, the Messiah, gave them hope.
Monday, May 19, 2014
Matthew 4:12-16
ON EVANGELISM: PREACH THE GOSPEL AT ALL TIMES: IF NECESSARY, USE WORDS.
(credit to Saint Francis) In other words, let people see Christ in you. Live a life that is Christ-like and then introduce them to Jesus with your words. Your own personal relationship with Him is the best place to start.
Ephesians 1:13 says, " In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye are sealed with that holy Spirit of promise."
I Thessalonians 1:5-6 says, "For our gospel came not to you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Ghost, and in much assurance; as you know what manner of men we were among you for your sake. (6) and ye became followers of us, and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Ghost."
Old Testament kings would send decrees, invitations or announcements on scrolls to the largest cities and they would seal those scrolls with a drop of wax and an impression of their signet ring. That signet impression proved that the message was from the king. This practice was followed in England thru the 1800's. The king sealed the news with his signet just as Jesus sealed us with His blood and by our faith.
Thus began the start of the ministry of Jesus Christ. John the Baptist had completed his mission as the forerunner of the Messiah and was in jail for continuing to preach the gospel. John had to decrease in status so Jesus could increase before the children of Israel.
After His baptism, Jesus went from the Jordan River to Sycar which was about 40 miles from Jerusalem, then to Samaria and to Nazareth and then to Capernaum. This was near a lake near Zebulon and Nephthalim. This fulfilled a prophecy by the prophet Esaiah in Isaiah 9:1-2 stating that "the land of Zebulon and the land of Nephthalim, by way of the sea, beyond Jordan, to Galilee of the Gentiles. (2) The people which sat in darkness saw great light; and to them that sat in the region and shadow of death, light is sprung up."
Such a beautiful verse for God to introduce His Son to the Gentiles. Take the time right now to read Isaiah 9:2 several times, then close your eyes and feel the Holy Spirit fill you up. What a way to get closer to God.
"Earth's crammed with heaven.
And every common bush alive with God,
But only he who sees, takes off his shoes.
The rest sit round it, and pluck blackberries."
from "Aurora Leigh" by Elizabeth Barrett Browning (1806-1861)
(credit to Saint Francis) In other words, let people see Christ in you. Live a life that is Christ-like and then introduce them to Jesus with your words. Your own personal relationship with Him is the best place to start.
Ephesians 1:13 says, " In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye are sealed with that holy Spirit of promise."
I Thessalonians 1:5-6 says, "For our gospel came not to you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Ghost, and in much assurance; as you know what manner of men we were among you for your sake. (6) and ye became followers of us, and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Ghost."
Old Testament kings would send decrees, invitations or announcements on scrolls to the largest cities and they would seal those scrolls with a drop of wax and an impression of their signet ring. That signet impression proved that the message was from the king. This practice was followed in England thru the 1800's. The king sealed the news with his signet just as Jesus sealed us with His blood and by our faith.
Thus began the start of the ministry of Jesus Christ. John the Baptist had completed his mission as the forerunner of the Messiah and was in jail for continuing to preach the gospel. John had to decrease in status so Jesus could increase before the children of Israel.
After His baptism, Jesus went from the Jordan River to Sycar which was about 40 miles from Jerusalem, then to Samaria and to Nazareth and then to Capernaum. This was near a lake near Zebulon and Nephthalim. This fulfilled a prophecy by the prophet Esaiah in Isaiah 9:1-2 stating that "the land of Zebulon and the land of Nephthalim, by way of the sea, beyond Jordan, to Galilee of the Gentiles. (2) The people which sat in darkness saw great light; and to them that sat in the region and shadow of death, light is sprung up."
Such a beautiful verse for God to introduce His Son to the Gentiles. Take the time right now to read Isaiah 9:2 several times, then close your eyes and feel the Holy Spirit fill you up. What a way to get closer to God.
"Earth's crammed with heaven.
And every common bush alive with God,
But only he who sees, takes off his shoes.
The rest sit round it, and pluck blackberries."
from "Aurora Leigh" by Elizabeth Barrett Browning (1806-1861)
Thursday, May 8, 2014
Matthew 4:1-11
Upon being baptized by His cousin, John, Jesus began His ministry. The Holy Spirit led Him into the wilderness, where after fasting for forty days and forty nights, Satan appeared to Him. My mother always called me her "why child" so I wonder why the Holy Spirit led Jesus, the man, into the wilderness, knowing Satan would appear to tempt Him at the end of His fast.
I think the key here is that Jesus is now a man, and He had to defeat the temptations that Satan offered to Him in order to give us a plan, to prepare us to successfully resist Satan. The plan is really quite simple. Know the scriptures.
Picture Jesus in the wilderness for forty days and nights. I imagine He spent His time communing with the Father, getting hungrier every day. Satan caught Him in this physically weakened state and very slyly said to Him, "If You truly the Son of God, just turn those stones into bread."
Jesus was ready for him. "It is written, man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God." Notice that Jesus quoted Old Testament Scripture. In Deuteronomy 8:3, Moses wrote to the Israelites to remind them of all God had done for them in the wilderness. He wrote " . . . that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceeded out of the mouth of the Lord doth man live."
Satan then took Jesus to the holy city. Remember, Jesus is still in a weakened state from not eating. From the pinnacle of the temple, Satan again tempted Jesus. It reads to me more like Satan was taunting Jesus. He even quoted Scripture for this one. Psalm 91:11-12 "For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways. They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone."
Again, Jesus replied, "It is written. Thou shall not temp the Lord thy God." What if Jesus, the man, threw Himself down from the pinnacle of the temple and no angels appeared to catch him? The plan Jesus gives us is that we are to be true to the Scriptures, the holy Word of God.
Satan tried to tempt Jesus one more time. He took Him to the top of high mountain, showing Him all the beauty and grandeur of the world below Him. Satan offered to give all the beauty and glory before Him to Jesus if He would only bow down and worship him. Ah, the ultimate motive is revealed. Satan went through all this to get Jesus to deny God and to worship him by offering to Him a world that was already His.
Jesus responded with, "Get thee hence, Satan: For it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and Him only shall thy serve."
Realizing he was beaten, Satan left Jesus alone, and then the angels came and took care of His physical needs. 3 temptations, 3 wins for Christ. Jesus had to know that Satan's ultimate goal was to get Him to worship the great deceiver as he wants us to bow down before him.
Jesus showed us that when we are tempted by Satan, to search the Scriptures, to not tempt or challenge God and to not worship anyone or anything except the one true God.
Thursday, May 1, 2014
John the Baptist-Matthew 3
There is only one story told about Jesus in His youth, and it is not in the book of Matthew. Even though there is nothing written, I like to think of this young child growing up, playing in the sawdust and learning the carpentry trade in His father's workshop. Matthew jumps from their return from Egypt to the appearance of John the Baptist and Jesus's encounter with him. I'm basically writing a biography of John the Baptist because he was born to be a forerunner for the appearance of Christ, a voice crying in the wilderness, getting the people spiritually prepared to recognize and accept the Messiah.
Long ago, in the hill country of Judaea, lived an elderly and childless couple, Zacharias and Elizabeth. They yearned for a child, but it seemed to them that God was not listening. Elizabeth was way beyond her childbearing years when the angel, Gabriel, appeared to Zacharias in the Temple to let him know that God had heard their prayer. Elizabeth was going to have a son and would name him John.
Why Zacharias and Elizabeth? Zacharias was working in the Temple when the angel appeared to him. He was a descendant of Aaron thru King David and a priest from the tribe of Abijah. Zacharias was astonished at the news that Gabriel gave him and questioned him with a "Why me? I am old and my wife is beyond her childbearing years?" I can imagine his saying that, but because he voiced his astonishment, he was mute until John was born. Can you feel what Zacharias felt when he learned of having a son at his age and not be able to tell anyone about it?
Elizabeth was also a descendant of Aaron and thus, of David. Luke 1:6 says, "And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless." (KJV) This fulfills the prophecy that the Messiah would come from the house of David.
Why is John so important? He was sent to spiritually prepare the people for the coming of the Messiah so they would accept Him when He came to them. He was filled with the Holy Spirit while he was still in his mother's womb. John's venue as a Nazirite was in the wilderness of Judaea. His clothing was made from itchy, coarse camel hair, and his food was locusts and wild honey. He and Jesus were cousins with John being about 6 months older than Jesus.
John started preaching about the coming of the Messiah about 26 or 27 A.D. Historically, this date puts his ministry near the Messianic period. The people weren't prepared for this age so John had to get them to prepare spiritually for the coming of Christ. Sadly, the people weren't looking for a spiritual leader but a political and military King who would end the oppression of the Jews by other nations who worshipped idols.
Instead of introducing to them a political leader, he preached about a Messiah who would bring salvation to any who would repent of their sins, invite Him into their hearts and exemplify a Godly life. Most of the Jews of that time believed they would go to heaven when they died because they were of the lineage of Abraham. John preached vehemently against this belief and angered the Jews who believed it. He told them that they had to accept Jesus into their hearts and turn from their sin. His was not a popular message.
After accepting Christ, John preached that they must be completely immersed in water to signify a public confession of faith by being cleansed of their sins. Baptism by water was not a new concept to the Jews; however, John's idea of baptism was different from the Jewish connotation of baptism. Levitical Law (Lev. 11-15) required cleansing after eating unclean food (11), purification after childbirth (12), priestly procedures for diagnosing leprosy (13), priestly methods for cleansing the leper as well as the house and everything he/she touched (14), and cleansing after touching any running sores on men or a woman's issue of blood (15).
An Old Testament in Ezekiel 36:25-26 says, "Then I will sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean; from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you. (25) A new heart will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you a heart of flesh" (26) [KJV]
The Levitical cleansing restored the person to their previous state while John preached that baptism would prepare them for a new type of life, one grounded in the Messiah. Huge crowds of believers flocked to the Jordan River to be baptized by John. Jesus came in one of the crowds. John insisted that he was unworthy to baptize Jesus, that Jesus should baptize him. "And Jesus answering said unto him, "Suffer it to be so now for thus it becometh us to fulfill all righteousness." Then he suffereth Him." (Matt. 3:15) When Jesus came up out of the water, the Holy Spirit descended upon Him like a dove "And lo a voice from heaven, saying This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased."
John the Baptist understood that his ministry would be short for the Messiah was here and would take over the delivery of the message of salvation. Only a few of John's disciples stayed with him while the rest followed Jesus. We don't know what John continued to teach his disciples except that he taught them how to fast and pray. I think he would continue to teach about the Messiah until his death so his followers would accept the true Messiah.
The disciples of John the Baptist were loyal to him, taking care of his needs while he was in prison, lovingly caring for his body after his brutal murder and even twenty years later, Apollos from Ephesus, was still a follower of John.
We don't know for sure when John was in prison, but it was before Jesus began His ministry. After a short time in prison, John sent two of his followers to Jesus to ask Him if He was, in fact, the Messiah. What an odd question as that had been the entire purpose of John's ministry. He may have done it to reassure his own disciples, or he may have had some doubts of his own. Jews everywhere expected a great, cataclysmic arrival of a King which did not happen. John may have felt forgotten as he sat in prison and needed reassurance that he was in prison for the right reason and that Jesus remembered him. Jesus sent the two men back to John with reassurances of love.
All of this is not in Matthew 3 but comes from other study books, but I think is necessary to give credence to the ministry of John the Baptist, the forerunner for the arrival of Jesus Christ.
Long ago, in the hill country of Judaea, lived an elderly and childless couple, Zacharias and Elizabeth. They yearned for a child, but it seemed to them that God was not listening. Elizabeth was way beyond her childbearing years when the angel, Gabriel, appeared to Zacharias in the Temple to let him know that God had heard their prayer. Elizabeth was going to have a son and would name him John.
Why Zacharias and Elizabeth? Zacharias was working in the Temple when the angel appeared to him. He was a descendant of Aaron thru King David and a priest from the tribe of Abijah. Zacharias was astonished at the news that Gabriel gave him and questioned him with a "Why me? I am old and my wife is beyond her childbearing years?" I can imagine his saying that, but because he voiced his astonishment, he was mute until John was born. Can you feel what Zacharias felt when he learned of having a son at his age and not be able to tell anyone about it?
Elizabeth was also a descendant of Aaron and thus, of David. Luke 1:6 says, "And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless." (KJV) This fulfills the prophecy that the Messiah would come from the house of David.
Why is John so important? He was sent to spiritually prepare the people for the coming of the Messiah so they would accept Him when He came to them. He was filled with the Holy Spirit while he was still in his mother's womb. John's venue as a Nazirite was in the wilderness of Judaea. His clothing was made from itchy, coarse camel hair, and his food was locusts and wild honey. He and Jesus were cousins with John being about 6 months older than Jesus.
John started preaching about the coming of the Messiah about 26 or 27 A.D. Historically, this date puts his ministry near the Messianic period. The people weren't prepared for this age so John had to get them to prepare spiritually for the coming of Christ. Sadly, the people weren't looking for a spiritual leader but a political and military King who would end the oppression of the Jews by other nations who worshipped idols.
Instead of introducing to them a political leader, he preached about a Messiah who would bring salvation to any who would repent of their sins, invite Him into their hearts and exemplify a Godly life. Most of the Jews of that time believed they would go to heaven when they died because they were of the lineage of Abraham. John preached vehemently against this belief and angered the Jews who believed it. He told them that they had to accept Jesus into their hearts and turn from their sin. His was not a popular message.
After accepting Christ, John preached that they must be completely immersed in water to signify a public confession of faith by being cleansed of their sins. Baptism by water was not a new concept to the Jews; however, John's idea of baptism was different from the Jewish connotation of baptism. Levitical Law (Lev. 11-15) required cleansing after eating unclean food (11), purification after childbirth (12), priestly procedures for diagnosing leprosy (13), priestly methods for cleansing the leper as well as the house and everything he/she touched (14), and cleansing after touching any running sores on men or a woman's issue of blood (15).
An Old Testament in Ezekiel 36:25-26 says, "Then I will sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean; from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you. (25) A new heart will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you a heart of flesh" (26) [KJV]
The Levitical cleansing restored the person to their previous state while John preached that baptism would prepare them for a new type of life, one grounded in the Messiah. Huge crowds of believers flocked to the Jordan River to be baptized by John. Jesus came in one of the crowds. John insisted that he was unworthy to baptize Jesus, that Jesus should baptize him. "And Jesus answering said unto him, "Suffer it to be so now for thus it becometh us to fulfill all righteousness." Then he suffereth Him." (Matt. 3:15) When Jesus came up out of the water, the Holy Spirit descended upon Him like a dove "And lo a voice from heaven, saying This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased."
John the Baptist understood that his ministry would be short for the Messiah was here and would take over the delivery of the message of salvation. Only a few of John's disciples stayed with him while the rest followed Jesus. We don't know what John continued to teach his disciples except that he taught them how to fast and pray. I think he would continue to teach about the Messiah until his death so his followers would accept the true Messiah.
The disciples of John the Baptist were loyal to him, taking care of his needs while he was in prison, lovingly caring for his body after his brutal murder and even twenty years later, Apollos from Ephesus, was still a follower of John.
We don't know for sure when John was in prison, but it was before Jesus began His ministry. After a short time in prison, John sent two of his followers to Jesus to ask Him if He was, in fact, the Messiah. What an odd question as that had been the entire purpose of John's ministry. He may have done it to reassure his own disciples, or he may have had some doubts of his own. Jews everywhere expected a great, cataclysmic arrival of a King which did not happen. John may have felt forgotten as he sat in prison and needed reassurance that he was in prison for the right reason and that Jesus remembered him. Jesus sent the two men back to John with reassurances of love.
All of this is not in Matthew 3 but comes from other study books, but I think is necessary to give credence to the ministry of John the Baptist, the forerunner for the arrival of Jesus Christ.
Saturday, April 19, 2014
Matthew 2: part two
In Chapter 1, Matthew wrote about appearances by 2 angels. One angel appeared to Mary in person to tell her that she was pregnant with the child of the Holy Spirit. The second angel appeared to Joseph in a dream to tell him about Mary and the Baby she was carrying. The angel told him it was ok to go ahead and marry her and that the birth would fulfill the prophecy that He would be born of a virgin. Joseph did not "know" his wife until after this Baby was born. The angel also told Joseph to name the Baby Emmanuel because He would be the One to save the world from their sins. Joseph had to understand why it was so important to keep this Baby safe.
In chapter 2, after they had worshipped the Lord, a third angel appeared to the magi to warn them to go home by a different route in order to protect Jesus from Herod. A fourth angel appeared to Joseph, also in a dream, and told him to gather his family and flee to Egypt as Herod planned to have Him killed. Joseph wasted no time in packing up his family and leaving Bethlehem for Egypt Later, the fifth angel appeared to Joseph in a dream, telling him it was safe to take his family back to Israel. However, Joseph heard that Herod's son was ruling Judaea, so he also took a different route home and settled his family in Nazareth.
In chapter 1, the first prophecy from Isaiah 7:14 was that the Messiah would be born of a virgin. This prophecy was fulfilled thru Mary. That the Messiah was to come out of Bethlehem of Judaea is the second prophecy. The scribes quote the scriptures from Micah 5:2 in v.6, confirming Bethlehem as His birthplace. Chapter 2:11 is the third prophecy: the King would be presented with precious gifts. This prophecy comes from Isaiah 60:6. The fourth prophecy was when God said He would call His Son out of Egypt, This prophecy comes from Hosea 11:1. The fifth prophecy is quoted from Jeremiah 31:15 when Rachel weeps for her children because they are not. Matthew sees this as Herod, in a jealous rage, had all the children age 2 and under massacred because he thought Jesus was still in Israel and about that age. However, Jeremy sees Rachel rising up out of her grave and weeping over the children of Israel who were enslaved in Babylon, never to return to their homes. The sixth and last prophecy in Chapter 2 is when God came to Joseph in a dream, telling him to go to Galilee instead of returning to Judaea. He settled his family in Nazareth, thus fulfilling the prophesy that "He shall be called a Nazarene. This prophecy Bible scholars think comes from Isaiah 11:1.
We have angels delivering messages from God in dreams in Chapter 2. The angels were certainly kept busy keeping Jesus safe while He was just a Baby. He was still the Son of God. We also have 5 prophecies from the Old Testament fulfilled. All this in the first two or three years of the life of Jesus. At that young age, the Christchild had many Jews protecting Him, just as God commanded.
In chapter 2, after they had worshipped the Lord, a third angel appeared to the magi to warn them to go home by a different route in order to protect Jesus from Herod. A fourth angel appeared to Joseph, also in a dream, and told him to gather his family and flee to Egypt as Herod planned to have Him killed. Joseph wasted no time in packing up his family and leaving Bethlehem for Egypt Later, the fifth angel appeared to Joseph in a dream, telling him it was safe to take his family back to Israel. However, Joseph heard that Herod's son was ruling Judaea, so he also took a different route home and settled his family in Nazareth.
In chapter 1, the first prophecy from Isaiah 7:14 was that the Messiah would be born of a virgin. This prophecy was fulfilled thru Mary. That the Messiah was to come out of Bethlehem of Judaea is the second prophecy. The scribes quote the scriptures from Micah 5:2 in v.6, confirming Bethlehem as His birthplace. Chapter 2:11 is the third prophecy: the King would be presented with precious gifts. This prophecy comes from Isaiah 60:6. The fourth prophecy was when God said He would call His Son out of Egypt, This prophecy comes from Hosea 11:1. The fifth prophecy is quoted from Jeremiah 31:15 when Rachel weeps for her children because they are not. Matthew sees this as Herod, in a jealous rage, had all the children age 2 and under massacred because he thought Jesus was still in Israel and about that age. However, Jeremy sees Rachel rising up out of her grave and weeping over the children of Israel who were enslaved in Babylon, never to return to their homes. The sixth and last prophecy in Chapter 2 is when God came to Joseph in a dream, telling him to go to Galilee instead of returning to Judaea. He settled his family in Nazareth, thus fulfilling the prophesy that "He shall be called a Nazarene. This prophecy Bible scholars think comes from Isaiah 11:1.
We have angels delivering messages from God in dreams in Chapter 2. The angels were certainly kept busy keeping Jesus safe while He was just a Baby. He was still the Son of God. We also have 5 prophecies from the Old Testament fulfilled. All this in the first two or three years of the life of Jesus. At that young age, the Christchild had many Jews protecting Him, just as God commanded.
Saturday, April 12, 2014
Matthew 2
Matthew 2
Matthew begins Chapter 2 with the birth of Christ in Bethlehem of Judaea (the 10 northern tribes) during King Herod's reign. Suddenly, out of the east, some wise men or magi appeared in Jerusalem asking for the new King of the Jews, so they could bow down and worship him. (The Bible does not say there were 3 wise men, only that there were wise men from the East. There could have been 2 or 20.) They had been following a star for about 2 years which had led them to Jerusalem. King Herod was livid. He was the king!
In fearful and probably angry haste, he called all his chief advisors and scribes together in a meeting to demand they tell him all about this King and where He was to be found. Being astrologers, they knew all about this event because they had studied the ancient scrolls. They told Herod that the new King would be born in Bethlehem in Judaea, quoting the prophet in verse 6, "and thou Bethlehem, in the land of Juda, art not the least of the princes of Juda: for out of thee should come a Governor, that shall rule My people Israel."
Herod decided he needed more information, so he called the magi back to the throne room and inquired as to how long they had been following the star. The Scripture doesn't say exactly how long the magi had been following the star, but Herod sends them on their way with instructions to return to him after they had found the young child so he, too, could worship the new king. This also gave Herod a time line in which to carry out his next act, the massacre of all the children under the age of two years.
The star was patiently waiting for the wise men to continue on with their quest and led them to where the Child was living. They entered the house and when they saw the Child with His mother, Mary, they fell down and worshipped Him. They also presented Him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh; expensive gifts for a child but not for a King!
God sent an angel to the wise men in a dream, warning them to return home by a different route as Herod did not intend to worship the Child but to kill Him. After their guests had gone on their way, another angel appeared to Joseph in a dream, telling him to gather up his small family and to flee to Egypt until God told him it was safe to return home. I imagine the gold enabled them financially to travel to and live in Egypt for an extended period of time. Verse 15 speaks of another prophecy about the Messiah. "Out of Egypt have I called My Son." (Hosea 11:1)
When Herod realized that the magi were not returning to him, he ordered all the male children under the age of two to be killed. By learning when the wise men first saw the star, he was able to calculate the age of the new King to be close to 2 years of age. This fulfilled, according to verse eighteen, the 5th prophecy made by Jeremy, the prophet. "In Rama (land for the tribe of Benjamin) was there a voice heard, lamentation, and weeping, and great mourning, Rachel (beloved wife of Jacob, later mother of Joseph and Benjamin) weeping for her children (the Israelites enslaved in Babylon), and would not be comforted, because they are not."
After Herod's death, an angel came to Joseph in a dream and told him it was safe to return home. When they got to Israel, they heard that Herod's son was on the throne, " ...he turned aside to the parts of Galilee.". They entered a city called Nazareth and settled in there. This fulfills another prophecy in verse 23. "He shall be called a Nazarene."
(Isaiah 11:1)
In all the nativity scenes we see today, there are 3 wise men with camels bearing gifts for the newborn King who is still in the stable as a baby. No verse in Matthew claims that there were 3 wise men, just that there were 3 gifts. Logic states the 3 gifts were brought by individuals, thus the 3 wise men, who were alleged to be religious astronomers from the Mesopotamian area. They probably associated the star with the Messiah because the prophet, Balaam, from Mesopotamia had stated in Numbers 24:17 "I shall see him, but not now: I shall behold him, but not nigh: there shall come a Star out of Jacob, and a Sceptre (symbol of authority) shall rise out of Israel, and shall smite the corners of Moab, and destroy all the children of Sheth. (an unknown race from the prophecies of Balaam)" They followed the star, possibly looking for peace and meaning for their being alive. They called it a star, but it might have been a bright light created to lead them to their Messiah.
There were 3 gifts. Gold, the most precious metal ever, was needed to escape Satan's wrath thru Herod. Who knew? God. It also represented His Deity as it was a gift fit for a king. The second gift, frankincense, represented His humanity. It is an aromatic gum resin extracted from both African and Asian trees. It was burned as incense. The third gift, myrrh, was not mentioned in Isaiah 60:6 as it represents the suffering that Jesus would face. In that prophecy, the aromatic gum resin, myrrh, was used for burials and was no longer needed. His suffering in that prophecy had already happened and was over. Christ had come into His kingdom.
There were 3 gifts. Gold, the most precious metal ever, was needed to escape Satan's wrath thru Herod. Who knew? God. It also represented His Deity as it was a gift fit for a king. The second gift, frankincense, represented His humanity. It is an aromatic gum resin extracted from both African and Asian trees. It was burned as incense. The third gift, myrrh, was not mentioned in Isaiah 60:6 as it represents the suffering that Jesus would face. In that prophecy, the aromatic gum resin, myrrh, was used for burials and was no longer needed. His suffering in that prophecy had already happened and was over. Christ had come into His kingdom.
Monday, March 31, 2014
Things I learned about Mattherw
Just a tad more on Matthew, Chapter 1: I read the comment from my pastor and looked into this myself.
Matthew saw Jesus as our King. Christ alone has the legal right to sit upon the throne of David due to His paternal lineage. Matthew's writing style is that of a teacher. He tells us what Jesus said rather than what He did. His job as a tax collector enabled him to keep excellent records of Jesus's discourses. He showed us a King, one who was strong enough. to support the building of a church thru His own authoritative teachings and one who was capable of guiding His disciples in teaching new Christians to build their relationships with Him.
Mark presented Jesus as a servant of the people. His writing style is that of a preacher and could be summations of sermons given by Peter. The gospel moves quickly thru to the teachings of Christ, telling us what He did rather than what He said, is the shortest gospel of the four and describes Jesus's teachings in colorful detail. These are also all characteristics of Peter's ministry.
Luke wrote about Jesus and His humanity, seeing the Man who came to seek and to save. His writing style is that of a historian but is written in the vernacular making it easy for the common man to read and understand. He writes of probably every aspect of Jesus's life: His sermons, His lectures, his conversations. Luke respected women and got up close and personal with Mary at the birth of her Son. He is the only one who writes of Anna or tells the story of Mary and Martha with such compassion. Luke speaks of Jesus's attitude toward the poor, racial discrimination, the importance of prayer. Because he was not one of the chosen 12, Luke wrote about them with respect.
John saw Jesus as the Eternal God, more than just a man but as a part of God. His writing style is that of a theologian. He begins his gospel with, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." He wrote that Jesus was God from the very beginning in Chapter 1:1. He never called himself by name, just as the disciple that Jesus loved. John writes this gospel to give the church true faith in the Messiah. This gospel is written so that we, as Christians can believe that Jesus Christ is the true Son of God. He gives us the promise of the coming of the Holy Spirit. It is an evangelical gospel.
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Matthew began his genealogy with Abraham and is the only one who mentions 4 women who are extremely important to keeping the lineage going.
1. Thamar (Tamar) was the daughter-in-law of Judah who played a harlot because she was not given in marriage to his youngest son as promised. In her role as a harlot, she became pregnant with twins by Judah. She is mentioned in Matthew 1:3, and her story is told in Genesis 38:13-30. She was a very distant grandmother of King David.
2. Rahab was also an ex-harlot and was the great-great-grandmother of King David. She is the one who hid 2 of Joshua's spies in order to save her family when the wall of the city were stormed. She is mentioned both in Matthew 1:5 and Joshua 2:1.
3. Ruth was an ex-pagan and was the great-grandmother of King David. She is written about in Matthew 1:5 and Ruth 1:4. She also has a whole book written about her, probably by Samuel. Ruth was a pagan Moabite who became the daughter-in-law of Naomi. The main message of the book of Ruth is that of active Christian love and how it affects other people. She and Boaz had a son, Obed, who had Jesse, David's father.
4. Bath-Sheba was King David's beloved wife and mother of Solomon. Her story is found in 2 Samuel 11. She heard of a plot of King David's oldest son to overthrow the throne and with the help of the prophet Nathan, warned David. King David immediately appointed Solomon as king as he was the one God had chosen to succeed David on the throne. She was resourceful, energetic and continued to influence David until his death.
Matthew saw Jesus as our King. Christ alone has the legal right to sit upon the throne of David due to His paternal lineage. Matthew's writing style is that of a teacher. He tells us what Jesus said rather than what He did. His job as a tax collector enabled him to keep excellent records of Jesus's discourses. He showed us a King, one who was strong enough. to support the building of a church thru His own authoritative teachings and one who was capable of guiding His disciples in teaching new Christians to build their relationships with Him.
Mark presented Jesus as a servant of the people. His writing style is that of a preacher and could be summations of sermons given by Peter. The gospel moves quickly thru to the teachings of Christ, telling us what He did rather than what He said, is the shortest gospel of the four and describes Jesus's teachings in colorful detail. These are also all characteristics of Peter's ministry.
Luke wrote about Jesus and His humanity, seeing the Man who came to seek and to save. His writing style is that of a historian but is written in the vernacular making it easy for the common man to read and understand. He writes of probably every aspect of Jesus's life: His sermons, His lectures, his conversations. Luke respected women and got up close and personal with Mary at the birth of her Son. He is the only one who writes of Anna or tells the story of Mary and Martha with such compassion. Luke speaks of Jesus's attitude toward the poor, racial discrimination, the importance of prayer. Because he was not one of the chosen 12, Luke wrote about them with respect.
John saw Jesus as the Eternal God, more than just a man but as a part of God. His writing style is that of a theologian. He begins his gospel with, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." He wrote that Jesus was God from the very beginning in Chapter 1:1. He never called himself by name, just as the disciple that Jesus loved. John writes this gospel to give the church true faith in the Messiah. This gospel is written so that we, as Christians can believe that Jesus Christ is the true Son of God. He gives us the promise of the coming of the Holy Spirit. It is an evangelical gospel.
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Matthew began his genealogy with Abraham and is the only one who mentions 4 women who are extremely important to keeping the lineage going.
1. Thamar (Tamar) was the daughter-in-law of Judah who played a harlot because she was not given in marriage to his youngest son as promised. In her role as a harlot, she became pregnant with twins by Judah. She is mentioned in Matthew 1:3, and her story is told in Genesis 38:13-30. She was a very distant grandmother of King David.
2. Rahab was also an ex-harlot and was the great-great-grandmother of King David. She is the one who hid 2 of Joshua's spies in order to save her family when the wall of the city were stormed. She is mentioned both in Matthew 1:5 and Joshua 2:1.
3. Ruth was an ex-pagan and was the great-grandmother of King David. She is written about in Matthew 1:5 and Ruth 1:4. She also has a whole book written about her, probably by Samuel. Ruth was a pagan Moabite who became the daughter-in-law of Naomi. The main message of the book of Ruth is that of active Christian love and how it affects other people. She and Boaz had a son, Obed, who had Jesse, David's father.
4. Bath-Sheba was King David's beloved wife and mother of Solomon. Her story is found in 2 Samuel 11. She heard of a plot of King David's oldest son to overthrow the throne and with the help of the prophet Nathan, warned David. King David immediately appointed Solomon as king as he was the one God had chosen to succeed David on the throne. She was resourceful, energetic and continued to influence David until his death.
Sunday, March 16, 2014
30 minutes for 30 days-day 2
I was totally wiped out with the last study. 90 minutes is a long time and entertained a massive amount of information to digest. How exciting it was to delve into God's Word. I love to read and study and what better book for this perpetual student to study, with contemporary Christian music playing in the background. It's a beautiful day to write about what I've learned.
I'd like to add that I've been thinking about the writing styles of the gospels. 3 were educated men, but John's writing seems to be more refined than the others. Maybe Mary saw to it that, as his appointed mother, he got an education or had the opportunity to study under Mark who was a Levite.
The first chapter of Matthew is the genealogy of Jesus, traced thru His earthly father, Joseph. Matthew is the only one who traces the lineage of Jesus thru Joseph. Luke gives us Christ's genealogy thru Mary's side of the family. Mark and John don't mention His lineage but concentrated on His teaching during His time on earth.
Jesus's lineage was traced all the way back to Abraham in the Old Testament. Then came Isaac, Jacob, many generations of names I've never heard of, Jesse, David, Solomon (the son of David and Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah, whom David had killed because he desired his wife), more generations of names I've never heard mentioned, Jacob and finally Joseph.
Matthew numbers the time from Abraham to David as 14 generations, from David to the enslavement of the Israelites by Babylonia as 14 generations, then 14 generations of enslavement until the birth of Jesus.
The lineage of Jesus begins with the father of the nation of Israel, Father Abraham, and the major stepping stones in the lineage of Jesus are all 14 generations apart. A generation today is usually considered to be 20 years. In Old Testament times, women married and had children at a much younger as well as a much older age than they do in modern times. That makes it hard to give a number of years to a generation. For the purpose of my non-mathematical brain, I have to give a generation 20 years. I think over the years mentioned, it will even out.
To summarize the lineage of Jesus, it began with Abraham, the father of the nation of Israel. Approximately 280 years later, we have David, the greatest King of Israel, then his son, Solomon. Approximately 280 years after Solomon's reign, the Israelites were enslaved by Babylonia and remained slaves for another approximation of 280 years. That marked the birth of Jesus. This is an approximate total of 840 years from the creation of the nation of Israel to the birth of the Savior. That doesn't seem to be very long, but it's all I have at this moment. I have to remember that it's also been over 2000 years since the birth of Christ. That gives us over 2,280 years from the creation of a great nation to the birth of the Messiah to present times.
The remaining verses in chapter one, beginning with verse 18, deal with the conception of Jesus. Keep in mind, scholars of the Bible think Mary was only about 14 years old when she became pregnant by the Holy Ghost. She certainly wasn't, at that young age, praying for a child yet. Not much detail is given on her becoming pregnant, only that she was a virgin who became pregnant by the Holy Ghost.
Her pregnancy was discovered while she was engaged to Joseph but not yet married to him. Joseph was a just and kind man, an older man, who did not want to humiliate her publicly. He wanted to send her away privately to have her Baby so no one would know. One can only wonder what he planned to do with the Baby, but he had to make a choice as to whether he wanted to go through with the wedding. I think he was contemplating preserving Mary's reputation as much as he could but really was having second thoughts about marrying an unwed mother. God intervened just in time and sent an angel to him in a dream, telling him to marry this young girl as she was still a virgin and was carrying the Messiah.
This angel gave Joseph some very important information about this Baby, letting him know how important it was to protect Him as He grew into a man. He was also told to name his son Jesus, as He would grow into a man who would save people from their sins.
Jesus being our Savior was a fulfillment of the prophecy in Isaiah 7:14 which says, "Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel." Matthew 1:23 says, "Behold a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us."
Joseph woke up and, on the basis of the dream which he took as a message straight from God, obeyed Him and took Mary to be his bride. Because Jesus was prophesied to be born of a virgin, Joseph did not consummate his marriage until after Jesus was born. I had never thought of this prophecy of a "virgin birth" as being so important and as affecting other important people in the life of Christ. Joseph obeyed God in order to make sure the prophecy of Isaiah was fulfilled, that Jesus was born of a virgin.
I'd like to add that I've been thinking about the writing styles of the gospels. 3 were educated men, but John's writing seems to be more refined than the others. Maybe Mary saw to it that, as his appointed mother, he got an education or had the opportunity to study under Mark who was a Levite.
The first chapter of Matthew is the genealogy of Jesus, traced thru His earthly father, Joseph. Matthew is the only one who traces the lineage of Jesus thru Joseph. Luke gives us Christ's genealogy thru Mary's side of the family. Mark and John don't mention His lineage but concentrated on His teaching during His time on earth.
Jesus's lineage was traced all the way back to Abraham in the Old Testament. Then came Isaac, Jacob, many generations of names I've never heard of, Jesse, David, Solomon (the son of David and Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah, whom David had killed because he desired his wife), more generations of names I've never heard mentioned, Jacob and finally Joseph.
Matthew numbers the time from Abraham to David as 14 generations, from David to the enslavement of the Israelites by Babylonia as 14 generations, then 14 generations of enslavement until the birth of Jesus.
The lineage of Jesus begins with the father of the nation of Israel, Father Abraham, and the major stepping stones in the lineage of Jesus are all 14 generations apart. A generation today is usually considered to be 20 years. In Old Testament times, women married and had children at a much younger as well as a much older age than they do in modern times. That makes it hard to give a number of years to a generation. For the purpose of my non-mathematical brain, I have to give a generation 20 years. I think over the years mentioned, it will even out.
To summarize the lineage of Jesus, it began with Abraham, the father of the nation of Israel. Approximately 280 years later, we have David, the greatest King of Israel, then his son, Solomon. Approximately 280 years after Solomon's reign, the Israelites were enslaved by Babylonia and remained slaves for another approximation of 280 years. That marked the birth of Jesus. This is an approximate total of 840 years from the creation of the nation of Israel to the birth of the Savior. That doesn't seem to be very long, but it's all I have at this moment. I have to remember that it's also been over 2000 years since the birth of Christ. That gives us over 2,280 years from the creation of a great nation to the birth of the Messiah to present times.
The remaining verses in chapter one, beginning with verse 18, deal with the conception of Jesus. Keep in mind, scholars of the Bible think Mary was only about 14 years old when she became pregnant by the Holy Ghost. She certainly wasn't, at that young age, praying for a child yet. Not much detail is given on her becoming pregnant, only that she was a virgin who became pregnant by the Holy Ghost.
Her pregnancy was discovered while she was engaged to Joseph but not yet married to him. Joseph was a just and kind man, an older man, who did not want to humiliate her publicly. He wanted to send her away privately to have her Baby so no one would know. One can only wonder what he planned to do with the Baby, but he had to make a choice as to whether he wanted to go through with the wedding. I think he was contemplating preserving Mary's reputation as much as he could but really was having second thoughts about marrying an unwed mother. God intervened just in time and sent an angel to him in a dream, telling him to marry this young girl as she was still a virgin and was carrying the Messiah.
This angel gave Joseph some very important information about this Baby, letting him know how important it was to protect Him as He grew into a man. He was also told to name his son Jesus, as He would grow into a man who would save people from their sins.
Jesus being our Savior was a fulfillment of the prophecy in Isaiah 7:14 which says, "Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel." Matthew 1:23 says, "Behold a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us."
Joseph woke up and, on the basis of the dream which he took as a message straight from God, obeyed Him and took Mary to be his bride. Because Jesus was prophesied to be born of a virgin, Joseph did not consummate his marriage until after Jesus was born. I had never thought of this prophecy of a "virgin birth" as being so important and as affecting other important people in the life of Christ. Joseph obeyed God in order to make sure the prophecy of Isaiah was fulfilled, that Jesus was born of a virgin.
Wednesday, March 12, 2014
30 minutes in Bible study for 30 days-day one
Today I watched Joyce Meyers on TV. She extended a challenge to all her viewers to study, not read, but actually study the Bible for 30 minutes every day for the next 30 days. I am accepting that challenge and have chosen to attempt to compare and contrast the four gospels. My 30 minutes turned into 90 minutes before I knew it. I spent that time getting to know the men who penned the gospels for God so we would have them to read.
I found out a couple of interesting things. Matthew, Mark and Luke all wrote in the 60's AD. John wrote in 85 AD, 25 years later. To me, that implies that John, the beloved disciple, might have been a lot younger than the rest, perhaps an older teenager. Jesus may have chosen him for his youth. It's easy to love a teenager. The tone of his writing seems much more educated than the others. Again, if he started his discipleship as a youth, he would have had more time to garner wisdom from his contemporaries.
All four disciples included in some form, or another, what we call "The Great Commission".
Matthew and Mark worded it almost identically, but Luke and John were more subtle in stating it. All were in red letters in my Bible, indicating that these were the words of the Master.
Matthew and Luke expound on the birth and early years of Jesus's life where Mark and John begin with John the Baptist, Jesus's cousin, who was 6 months older than Jesus. John and Mark focused their content on the teaching of Jesus and the last 3 years of his life. This includes the crucifixion, resurrection and ascension into heaven. However, when discussing the ascension, all four put it in only one verse. None of them expounds on it in great detail.
Matthew traces Jesus's genealogy thru His earthly father, Joseph. Luke traces it thru His mother, Mary. Mark and John don't mention it.
They all focus most of their writing on the last three years of Jesus's life, full of the teaching of the Master. They all have a different background; therefore, they all had different, but educated, writing styles. Matthew was a tax collector which took some education or talent with numbers. Mark was the nephew of Barnabas, who was a Levite. Being a descendant of Levi and the tribe of priests, Mark probably had some religious education. Luke was a physician. There's no question about the amount of education he had to have. John was present at most of the miracles performed by Jesus. He was with Jesus in the Garden and prepared the Passover Feast. Being at the trial of Jesus before the high priest, he naturally attended the crucifixion of Christ. Jesus, himself, entrusted to him the care of His mother, Mary. He witnessed the sepulcher being empty and after the resurrection, John was at the Sea of Galilee for one last time with his Lord. John is the only one who writes about this time after the resurrection. The rest stop with the supper the Lord blessed and then disappeared. John was present in more of the life of Christ than any other. He was, indeed, the beloved disciple, the disciple Jesus loved.
I found out a couple of interesting things. Matthew, Mark and Luke all wrote in the 60's AD. John wrote in 85 AD, 25 years later. To me, that implies that John, the beloved disciple, might have been a lot younger than the rest, perhaps an older teenager. Jesus may have chosen him for his youth. It's easy to love a teenager. The tone of his writing seems much more educated than the others. Again, if he started his discipleship as a youth, he would have had more time to garner wisdom from his contemporaries.
All four disciples included in some form, or another, what we call "The Great Commission".
Matthew and Mark worded it almost identically, but Luke and John were more subtle in stating it. All were in red letters in my Bible, indicating that these were the words of the Master.
Matthew and Luke expound on the birth and early years of Jesus's life where Mark and John begin with John the Baptist, Jesus's cousin, who was 6 months older than Jesus. John and Mark focused their content on the teaching of Jesus and the last 3 years of his life. This includes the crucifixion, resurrection and ascension into heaven. However, when discussing the ascension, all four put it in only one verse. None of them expounds on it in great detail.
Matthew traces Jesus's genealogy thru His earthly father, Joseph. Luke traces it thru His mother, Mary. Mark and John don't mention it.
They all focus most of their writing on the last three years of Jesus's life, full of the teaching of the Master. They all have a different background; therefore, they all had different, but educated, writing styles. Matthew was a tax collector which took some education or talent with numbers. Mark was the nephew of Barnabas, who was a Levite. Being a descendant of Levi and the tribe of priests, Mark probably had some religious education. Luke was a physician. There's no question about the amount of education he had to have. John was present at most of the miracles performed by Jesus. He was with Jesus in the Garden and prepared the Passover Feast. Being at the trial of Jesus before the high priest, he naturally attended the crucifixion of Christ. Jesus, himself, entrusted to him the care of His mother, Mary. He witnessed the sepulcher being empty and after the resurrection, John was at the Sea of Galilee for one last time with his Lord. John is the only one who writes about this time after the resurrection. The rest stop with the supper the Lord blessed and then disappeared. John was present in more of the life of Christ than any other. He was, indeed, the beloved disciple, the disciple Jesus loved.
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