SF, Stagecoach, NV
Dear Brothers & Sisters,
The Lord has
me re-reading The Book of Matthew and I think I've been more surprised about
how many of Jesus' words I use daily to fight or claim His will in my life.
It’s amazing, yet the Word tells us to stir-up our spirits and meditate in His Word daily. This truly does remind us of who's in control of our life.
Some things
that are in Matthew are not in any of the other Gospel - so I thought I'd outline
them for you to review first. Hope you enjoy this study as much as I
am. I'll continue this study on Sunday,
Nov 15th.
John The Baptist
John was
prophesied in Isaiah 40:30, to prepare the way for Jesus, their Messiah.
John wanted the
people coming for baptism to see the religious men, they were following. Although times were different, many today are
doing the same today, but we call them governments
and denominations, not
“religious” leaders. Differences split denominations,
as they do today. For instance:
Pharisees: were men who were more
religiously minded, yet they behaved as though their own religious rules were
just as important as God’s rules for living.
Keep in mind, their rules were “man-made” in other words, what they believed
should be added to God’s ways, to make you work for your salvation, by being
perfect. Their piety was often
hypocritical and their efforts often forced others to try to live up to
standards they themselves could/would not live under, so they turned away from
“religion”. Many have left the church for the same reasons.
Needless to say,
we have the same problem with many denominational (man-made) rules who disagreed on how to
interpret the Bible. So they made
changes; some harder to live with and others easier to follow.
Sadducees: Believed strongly in the
Mosaic Law and in Levitical purity. They
were more practically minded than the Pharisees. But, they relied on (worldly) logic while
placing little importance on faith. They
didn’t believe all the Old Testament (OT) was God’s Word. Nor did they believe in the resurrection,
eternal life, angels or demons. They
were often willing to go with the flow of the rulers of that day (Romans).
Although the
groups disliked and distrusted each other, they became allies in their common
hatred for Jesus.
Tip: Are you following a religious leader
who teaches anything other than Jesus’ virgin birth, death, resurrection and His
Love walk? Jesus never went with the
religious leaders, because He had a personal relationship with His Father, and wants the same for us, a personal relationship with Him. For He is the light of the world we should follow (Matthew 5:14 , John 8:12 ,
John 9:5) and promises no darkness in Him.
Passages and
subjects in Matthew:
1:20-24
about Joseph’s dream. How through
hardships he learned to mature in the Love of God and forgiveness of his fellow
brothers. How he learned to interpret
dreams, be wise enough to handle the economical tribulation coming to Egypt that would
take him to a place, saving all of his family and today’s nation of Israel.
Tip:
Notice how God doesn’t do a blessing for just one person, but affects many others and generations to come who receive them.
2:1-12, The visit of the magi because
Jesus was born. And all they did was
follow a bright star to Bethlehem, years in advance.
2:13-15,
Bringing Mary and Joseph 3 gifts that would finance their escape to
Egypt for a year or two, preserving the life of Jesus until king Herod was
dead.
Tip: Unsaved Mankind and satan are always afraid of what God can and
has done for those who have
believed on God and Jesus. The enemy may
have some power, BUT we have God’s armor and ALL
Authority over him – IF we use it. We'll discuss the "how to" as we go further into Matthew.
Blessings to you and your families
The Lord's Servant - Sandy
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