Category Archives: Jesus

Sermon On The Mount

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And seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain: and when he was set, his disciples came unto him: And he opened his mouth, and taught them, saying, Matthew 5:1-2

The Sermon on the Mount, the Beatitudes, probably the greatest sermon ever given in history. This is what set the tone for the New Covenant. Jesus was not rewriting the Mosaic Law, he was bringing further explanation and fulfillment to it

Notice when Moses received the Law from God, he was on a Mountain, Jesus is on the Mountain, but he is given the revelation of The Law!

Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 5:3

Who are the poor in spirit? When we think of poor, we often relate it to material wealth, this is not what Jesus is talking about. Hes talking about a spiritual poorness, the original Greek word here is (ptochoi) which also means humble. As the Bible says, Pride leads to destruction, blessed are those who humble themselves before God and repent!

Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted. Matthew 5:4

The original Greek word here for mourn is (penthountes) this means to feel guilt. Again I think Jesus is referring to true repentance. Blessed are those who mourn for their sin, they shall be forgiven! Also we can look at our mourning for justice! All the evil in this world will one day be dealt with!

Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth. Matthew 5:5

The original Greek word for Meek is (praeis) this word can mean gentle but also humble. Again those who humble themselves before God (repent) will inherit the Earth. Notice Jesus reference to the New Heavens and Earth (Revelation 21) Jesus isn’t talking about floating on clouds , hes talking about Gods Kingdom coming to Earth

Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled. Matthew 5:6

Jesus isn’t talking about a physical hunger, hes talking about a spiritual hunger. A desire for righteousness, a desire for Gods justice and redemption. Again I believe Jesus is referencing repentance again and justice that will be served!

Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy. Matthew 5:7

The original Greek word for merciful is (eleemones) meaning compassion and pity. Remember Jesus said unless we forgive others, we cant be forgiven. Show the mercy and love Christ showed us to others including your enemies

Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God. Matthew 5:8

How can we become pure in heart? Jesus said unless we become Born Again, we wont see the Kingdom of Heaven (John 3:3) I believe Jesus is referencing becoming Born Again. Only through Christ can we become Pure in Heart!

Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God. Matthew 5:9

Jesus taught us we should “Love our Enemies” (Luke 6:35) This is a difficult task at times, however we must remember before we became saved, we were enemies of God also. The Bible also tells us to “Strive to Live in Peace with everyone” (Romans 12:18)

Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 5:10

Our first reaction is how can we be blessed when we are being persecuted? Notice it says persecuted for righteousness, so that’s not saying any martyr is justified. God knows everything that happens in this world, every drop of blood, every tear shed will be paid for! God knows your persecution for his sake and you will be rewarded!

Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Matthew 5:11

Jesus said we will be hated for his name sake (Matthew 10:22) Don’t worry whether everyone rejects you due to Christ, because you are blessed by your Heavenly Father. Great will be your reward in the Kingdom!

These are the powerful statements and revelations given by our Lord Jesus Christ! This is the foundation of our faith! Meditate on these words and let them grow in your heart Amen!

The Prophecy of Israel

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And Joseph fell upon his father’s face, and wept upon him, and kissed him. Genesis 50:1

The final chapter begins with the burial of Jacob. As Jacob had requested he wanted to be buried in his homeland of Canaan and not in Egypt. So Joseph honoring his fathers wishes, made all the arrangements to have his fathers body embalmed and then transported to Canaan for burial

It was a very large funeral for 7 days, the mourning and and attendance was so visible , that even the neighboring communities such as the Canaanites took notice to the large funeral.

And when Joseph’s brethren saw that their father was dead, they said, Joseph will peradventure hate us, and will certainly requite us all the evil which we did unto him. Genesis 50:15

After the funeral , Josephs brothers became afraid of him again, believing now that their father was gone, Joseph would seek revenge on them. His brothers even sent a message to Joseph reminding him of the promise he made to their father to forgive them of their wrongdoings.

And Joseph said unto them, Fear not: for am I in the place of God? But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive. Genesis 50:19-20

When Josephs brother came to see him, they all bowed down to worship him. Joseph corrected them as saying “I am not God, why are you worshiping me” Joseph showed great wisdom and understanding when he told them he understood God used their evil against him to bring good for many people.

Again we can see many foreshadows or parallels to Christ, as the evil done to Christ by killing him actually saved us!

And Joseph said unto his brethren, I die: and God will surely visit you, and bring you out of this land unto the land which he sware to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob Genesis 50:24

Joseph was now at the end of his life, however he reminded them about the promise or covenant God made with their fathers. They would be taken out of Egypt and given the Promise Land. Obviously we know this prophecy is fulfilled with the Exodus

The book of Genesis ends with Joseph passing away and being buried in Egypt

Lion of Judah

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And Jacob called unto his sons, and said, Gather yourselves together, that I may tell you that which shall befall you in the last days. Gather yourselves together, and hear, ye sons of Jacob; and hearken unto Israel your father. Genesis 49:1-2

As the time is nearing the end of Jacobs life, he wanted to gather his sons around them and give them a final blessing. Not only would these be blessings upon his children, but Jacob was going to reveal some Messianic prophecy here.

As we have been seeing in the previous chapters, there were many foreshadows of Christ through Joseph and the other brothers. Many as Christians will ask what is the purpose of Israel? What was the purpose of The Law? These are not only foreshadows of Christ , but also revelations of his nature and how we can understand him more deeply.

 

Judah is a lion’s whelp: from the prey, my son, thou art gone up: he stooped down, he couched as a lion, and as an old lion; who shall rouse him up?The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be. Genesis 49:9-10

Often we hear Jesus referred to as the “Lion of Judah”, well this is one of the prophecies where this title is derived from. Previously I’ve written several posts on so I’m not going to go into full detail about this however the Sceptre, which is symbolic for royalty will not depart from the line of Judah. Meaning the Messiah will come from the tribe of Judah, which raised David as their King, which came the line of the Christ Jesus

The interesting word here is Shiloh, this is a Messianic title. Basically its saying until the Christ has come! This is the importance of studying the Old Testament as well as the New Testament, to get a better understanding of who Jesus is and the whole redemption story of The Bible

And when Jacob had made an end of commanding his sons, he gathered up his feet into the bed, and yielded up the ghost, and was gathered unto his people. Genesis 49:33

After Jacob gave the blessings to all his sons, he passed away. Now the sons would scatter and establish their regions to begin the nation of Israel