Jesus in Matthew…
And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.
Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, (Isaiah 7:14)) saying, 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. (Matthew 1:21-23)
IN THE PAST, we have given much attention to Jesus in the Old Testament. All the gospel preaching an evangelizing the first 30 years of the church was done with Old Testament scriptures. There were no New Testament writings for almost 30 years. It is also important for us to look at how Jesus was presented in each of the New Testament gospels, beginning with Matthew.
RECENTLY, AN EMAIL WAS SENT TO ME REGARDING A WEBSITE whose spokesman seemed to be puzzled that there were four gospels. I read the whole thing and the problem was the man’s shallowness. He meant well, I’m sure, but he was making a big mistake because he had not done his homework. Homework is sometimes…work.
IN SOME MATTERS THE BIBLE IS SIMPLE so that simple people can grasp it. But like the laws of math and physics, some things in the Bible require that we roll up our sleeves and spend some hours in study. It’s like when our cows used to come to the barn at the end of the day to be fed and milked, I never had a cow to milk herself. I always had to do a “hands on” thing to fill the bucket with milk. God designed it that way. God also designed it so that we must study the Bible to get the milk and meat from it. (2Tim.2:15)
WHEN PHILIP WAS DIRECTED OF THE HOLY SPIRIT to leave a revival and go by foot into a sparsely populated area, it might have seemed to be shortsighted. But God does not waste words and does not waste His servants. And the angel of the Lord spake unto Philip, saying, Arise, and go toward the south unto the way that goeth down from Jerusalem unto Gaza, which is desert.
And he arose and went: and, behold, a man of Ethiopia, an eunuch of great authority under Candace queen of the Ethiopians, who had the charge of all her treasure, and had come to Jerusalem for to worship, Was returning, and sitting in his chariot read Esaias the prophet.
Then the Spirit said unto Philip, Go near, and join thyself to this chariot. And Philip ran thither to him, and heard him read the prophet Esaias, and said, Understandest thou what thou readest? And he said, How can I, except some man should guide me? And he desired Philip that he would come up and sit with him. (Acts 8:26-31)
THE FOUR GOSPELS ARE NOT WRITTEN TO TAKE UP SPACE; were not written because the writers could not “quite get it together.” The four Gospels were written as four distinct portraits of how Christ related to four different groups or types of people.
“THE FOUR GOSPELS PRESENT A FOURFOLD VIEW of the life of Christ. With the exception of scant references by Tacitus and Josephus, our entire knowledge of the life of Jesus is from these gospel accounts. The early accounts probably were passed on verbally in the Aramaic language and then recorded in Greek manuscripts between A.D. 60 and 90. All four Gospels build upon genuine historical tradition and preserve different aspects of it.
“THE BASIC PURPOSE OF THE GOSPELS is to present the gospel message, the Good News of the Redeemer-Savior. They present Jesus as the Messiah of Israel, the Son of God, and the Savior of the world. The Gospels were written so that their readers would come to believe in Christ and receive eternal life (cf. John 20:31). They view Jesus as the Lord of Glory who is presently alive and active in heaven.”
“THE ORDER OF THE GOSPELS has been generally recognized by the church throughout its history. The Gospel of Matthew occupies first place in all extant witnesses to the text of the four Gospels. Matthew’s emphasis on the Old Testament preparation for the Gospel makes it an ideal “bridge” from the Old to the New Testament.
“MATTHEW, THE HEBREW TAX COLLECTOR, writes for the Hebrew mind. Mark, the travel companion of Paul and Peter, writes for the Roman mind. Luke, Paul’s physician-missionary, writes with the Greek mentality in view. John’s gospel is different by nature from the other three. It is an interpretation of the facts of Jesus’ life rather than a presentation of its facts in historical sequence.” (From: The King James Study Bible.)
WITH THE ABOVE AS AN INTRODUCTION, we will explore some of the features of the Gospel According to Matthew. It will be a survey and not an exhaustive study. Morning Minute is partly a quick-stop morning devotional, but sometimes it leans into heavier Bible study which is desperately needed today. This is one of those heavier studies. Please stay with us. Ω
Read Through the Bible in a Year
MARCH 14, 2019 – THURSDAY
A.M. Deuteronomy 23-25 P.M. Mark 14:51-72
(Bible Gateway will read this to you if you like. Look for the speaker icon.)
A Good Verse to Memorize:
Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee. (Psalm 119:11)
Song for Today:
God Bless America (:53) (Calv. Ch. Sch. 1st,2nd Grade )
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nJKqYHMQUEU
(You may have to turn up the volume or delete an ad.)
Health Tip:
Fruits and Vegetables at the front. After water and fiber, we need to think about fruits, vegetables. Then come beans/peas, grain and a small amount of safe animal protein (if that’s on your list). If it’s salmon, stick to wild, cold-water salmon (our favorite). Sardines packed in water are a staple for me, with Texas Pete hot sauce and “Hint of salt” Triscuits (whole wheat crackers). Chicken should be free-range without growth hormones and anti-biotics. Beef should be grass-fed. If you’re rich, eat animal products like you’re poor: “now and then.” That’s the way they did it in the Bible. https://hcscchurch.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/food.pdf Ω
RSS Feed
