Tag Archives: Faith

Matthew 3- Baptism of Christ

2 Replies

I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire: Whose fan is in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire. Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John, to be baptized of him. But John forbad him, saying, I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me? Matthew 3:11-14

John was known as the “Baptizer” for a reason, as we talked about previously, John the Baptist came to “Prepare The Way of The Lord” the fulfillment of the prophecy of Isaiah. However as John baptized people with water, He spoke about another baptism that could only happen by The Lord, that is the baptism of the Holy Spirit. John said “He (Christ) shall baptize you with the Holy Spirit” 

Jesus then appeared and John declared “Behold The Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world “ (John 1:29) John the Baptist was affirming Jesus is The Christ, as Isaiah prophesied John is the Messenger of the Messiah. However what happens next is unexpected, Jesus asks John to baptize him also! At first John refused to baptize Jesus saying “ I need you to baptize me” , John understood that Jesus was the sinless Son of God, how can a sinner baptize The Lord?

So the question was Why did Jesus have John baptize him? Well there are several reason probably why this happened. First, we must remember Jesus was fully God and fully Human (Philippians 2), Jesus came to fulfill the law (Matthew 5:7) Jesus was performing all the requirements of fulfilling the law and righteousness. Secondly , John the Baptist was from the Levitical line of Aaron, by blood line John fulfilled the requirements of the High Priest. Part of the duties of the High Priest , were to offer the sacrifices to God, as we know Jesus was the last and perfect sacrifice to God for the sin of the world.

And Jesus answering said unto him, Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness. Then he suffered him. And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him: And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Matthew 3:15-17

As Jesus said “Let it be done to fulfill all righteousness” Christ came to Earth to save humanity because humanity was incapable of saving themselves. Now another reason probably why this event happened was to affirm the Triune nature of God.

When Jesus was lifted out of the water the Heavens opened up and the Holy Spirit descended upon Jesus in the form of a dove, then God the Father affirmed “Jesus is my beloved Son” We see the Father, Son , and Holy Spirit all together working in unity. Also during this baptism John the Baptist affirmed the Jesus is the Christ, the Lamb of God

The Baptism of Christ one of the mysterious events of the Bible but also one of the most beautiful moments when we see the  blessed Trinity coming together for the salvation of the world, Amen!

Matthew 3- Prepare The Way

1 Reply

In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea, And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. For this is he that was spoken of by the prophet Esaias, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. And the same John had his raiment of camel’s hair, and a leathern girdle about his loins; and his meat was locusts and wild honey. Then went out to him Jerusalem, and all Judaea, and all the region round about Jordan, And were baptized of him in Jordan, confessing their sins. Matthew 3:1-6

Again we are seeing more fulfillment of prophecy, John the Baptist was the fulfillment of the Messenger of The Messiah. “A voice of the one calling in the Wilderness, to prepare the way for The Lord” (Isaiah 40) John is the messenger for Jesus, to prepare Israel for the coming of the Christ. 

So how did John the Baptist prepare everyone for Jesus? By a strong message of repentance and baptism “Repent for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand” John is telling Israel, get ready the Christ has come, turn away from your sins, confess your sins to God, and be cleansed. Of course preaching a strong message of repentance goes either way, either people are pricked to the heart to turn to God or people harden their hearts and reject God

But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism, he said unto them, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance: And think not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham. And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: therefore every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. Matthew 3:7-10

 The New Covenant is coming through Christ, John begins by calling out the false religious system and its leaders. “O generation of Vipers” , John addressed the religious leaders, “Who has warned you for the wrath to come”? Many believed they were saved just because they were descendants of Abraham, but salvation comes only through Jesus Christ alone!

The ax is laid at the root, meaning judgment is coming, those who don’t produce good fruit, those who are not Born Again, will be chopped down and thrown in the eternal Hell fire. Obviously John the Baptist never sugar coated his message, He was here for one reason , to announce the Messiah and lead people to Christ. 

Even today, the message must remain the same “Repent for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand” , Jesus is coming back again soon, those who remain dead in their sin will not inherit eternal life, Amen!

Matthew 2- Jesus The Nazarene

12 Replies

But when Herod was dead, behold, an angel of the Lord appeareth in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, Saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and go into the land of Israel: for they are dead which sought the young child’s life. And he arose, and took the young child and his mother, and came into the land of Israel. But when he heard that Archelaus did reign in Judaea in the room of his father Herod, he was afraid to go thither: notwithstanding, being warned of God in a dream, he turned aside into the parts of Galilee: And he came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets, He shall be called a Nazarene. Matthew 2:19-23

God works in mysterious ways, we heard this phrase a million times, but when you read the Bible you see how God works in ways we can’t even comprehend. Just when you think the fight is lost, God shows you He is in complete control. While Jesus time in Egypt was temporary and a fulfillment of prophecy, the time has come for Christ to come back home

Notice how accurate the Messianic prophecies are, the Christ would be born in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2), The Messiah would then go to Egypt (Hosea 11:1) , however when we reflect about the Christ being a Nazarene, its more of a cumulative case. This is why many were probably confused about the Messiah

And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots: Isaiah 11:1

The word “Nazarene” in Hebrew means “Branch” , as we know Isaiah 11:1 is a prophecy of the Messiah, as the stem of Jesse is the line of David. The Messiah will come from the Line of David, as we see the genealogy of Christ  at the beginning of Matthew 1:6 “And Jesse begat David the king; and David the king begat Solomon of her that had been the wife of Urias;”

Jesus the Nazarene is the Branch of Jesse. Again you can use the words Nazarene and Branch interchangeably. 

I verily thought with myself, that I ought to do many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth. Acts 26:9

It’s clear that the Apostles and early Chistians, identified the Messiah as Jesus of Nazareth. As we learned earlier Nazarene is actually a Messianic title. As we also remember Jesus was rejected in his hometown of Nazareth (Luke 4:16-24) Just as the name Bethlehem had significant meaning , also the name Nazareth has significant meaning also

So as the disciple asked “Can anything good come out of Nazareth”? The answer is Yes, the Christ, Son of God came out of Nazareth to save us from our sins Amen!

Matthew 2- Rachels Weeping

8 Replies

Then Herod, when he saw that he was mocked of the wise men, was exceeding wroth, and sent forth, and slew all the children that were in Bethlehem, and in all the coasts thereof, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had diligently inquired of the wise men. Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremy the prophet, saying,In Rama was there a voice heard, lamentation, and weeping, and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children, and would not be comforted, because they are not. Matthew 2:16-18

As we just went over Jesus’ flight to Egypt, this was the event that God was protecting him from. One of the most horrific events in the entire Bible, King Herod ordered the killing of all Jewish males 2 years old and under. This can only begin to show you how insane and dangerous King Herod was. This also shows you that Satan was not only defeated but was totally confused on how to stop the Messiah. Often we give Satan too much credit, when Satan knew all the prophecies yet still couldn’t figure out how to defeat God

Speaking of prophecies, this event is yet again another fulfillment of prophecy. Again Matthew continually demonstrates how Jesus fulfills all the Messianic prophecies of the Old Testament. Over 300 hundred prophecies fulfilled by Christ, the mathematical probabilities are astronomical, yet Jesus fulfilled them all. How can anyone doubt that Jesus is The Messiah?

Thus saith the LORD; A voice was heard in Ramah, lamentation, and bitter weeping; Rahel weeping for her children refused to be comforted for her children, because they were not. Jeremiah 31:15

When you analyze this prophecy by Jeremiah, at first glance it appears to make any sense, however when you break it down it’s very precise. The slaughter of the children is known as “Rachel’s Weeping” . Rachel is obviously the wife of Jacob, mother of Joseph. Rachel was buried near Bethlehem, hence the reference of location by the prophet Jeremiah. If that wasn’t enough for you , the Hebrew meaning of the name Rachel means “ewe” which is a baby lamb. Bethlehem is the city of the Passover Lamb and the slaughter was of children, it’s amazing the precise accuracy of this prophecy

And the king of Egypt spake to the Hebrew midwives, of which the name of the one was Shiphrah, and the name of the other Puah: And he said, When ye do the office of a midwife to the Hebrew women, and see them upon the stools; if it be a son, then ye shall kill him: but if it be a daughter, then she shall live. Exodus 1:15-16

It’s also interesting to reference the foreshadow of this event with Moses. The King of Egypt, ordered all the male Hebrew children to be murdered. Again Satan failed again to kill the Messiah. Satan knew Christ would come from Israel, but he didn’t know who or how. Many events in Moses’ life were a foreshadow of Jesus to come. This is an event that draws alot of similarities to Rachels Weeping

God is in complete control, even with all the evil in this world, Satan couldn’t kill the Messiah. Trust in the Lord and not in our own understanding Amen!

Matthew 2- Out of Egypt

Leave a reply

And when they were departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeareth to Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I bring thee word: for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him. When he arose, he took the young child and his mother by night, and departed into Egypt: And was there until the death of Herod: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Out of Egypt have I called my son. Matthew 2:13-15

When you study the entire Bible, its amazing all the shadows of Christ that are in the Old Testament. When we think about Egypt, of course we think about the Israelites being delivered from over 400 years of slavery in the Exodus. And then Jesus symbolically uses Egypt to demonstrate how Christ delivered us from the slavery of sin and death. (John 8) 

It’s interesting that Egypt became an intrical part of Jesus’ life here on Earth. As King Herod began looking to kill the newborn King, God warned Mary and Joseph to take Jesus to Egypt and hide out. The Apostle Matthew declares that his act fulfills the prophecy foretold by Hosea in the Old Testament

When Israel was a child, then I loved him, and called my son out of Egypt.  Hosea 11:1

It’s amazing when you read this prophecy and realize that Jesus was being foretold about hundred of years before the Incarnation of Christ. Did Israel understand this prophecy was given to them? Probably not, much like when Isaiah foretold the Sign would be a Virgin would have a Son (Isaiah 7:14) How could anyone during that time period even comprehend these prophecies? Even today with all the knowledge, manuscripts, and commentaries we have today, many still ponder the exact meaning of these phrases.

The Apostle Matthew does an excellent job of tying together the Messianic Prophecies of the Old Testament with the fulfillment in the New Testament. Matthew clearly states that this event of Jesus going to Egypt was the fulfillment of Hosea 11:1. Same as he states the Incarnation of Christ is the fulfillment of Isaiah 7:14, you either believe the Bible or you don’t

But think of Jesus Christ as the greater Joseph, the greater Moses. Joseph went to Egypt as a slave and became King, Moses beacame the mediator between God and Israel and led them out of slavery of Egypt. But Christ is the greater Joseph or Moses, these men were just shadows of Jesus to come. 

For God so loved the world that He gave his Only Begotten Son! (John 3:16) Salvation is now possible through Christ Amen!

Matthew 2- The Magi

1 Reply

Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him. When Herod the king had heard these things, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he demanded of them where Christ should be born. And they said unto him, In Bethlehem of Judaea: for thus it is written by the prophet, And thou Bethlehem, in the land of Juda, art not the least among the princes of Juda: for out of thee shall come a Governor, that shall rule my people Israel. Matthew 2:1-6

Some of the most mysterious characters in the Bible are the Magi or Wise Men. Who are these guys? Where did they come from? The Magi were from Persia , which is modern day Iran. So the Magi traveled about 900 miles on camelback to find the Christ child. Now it’s obvious the Magi were familiar with many of the Messianic Prophecies of the Old Testament, including Micah 5:2 which says the Messiah will be born in Bethlehem. They were also familiar with the prophecy of Numbers 24:17 about the star as a sign of the Messiah

During their journey to Bethlehem , the Magi traveled through Jerusalem and met with King Herod, who heard about the coming of The Messiah, a King above all Kings. Herod instantly became threatened by Christ, and pretended to want to worship Jesus , however truly he just wanted to kill him. Which we will see later caused the horrific event known as “Rachel’s weeping”

The Magi were very intelligent , hence the name “Wise Man” they were known as your experts of the time, such as we look upon doctors or scholars today. The Magi were also a fulfillment of prophecy themselves as foretold by Isaiah “And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising. “ (Isaiah 60:3) “

Then Herod, when he had privily called the wise men, inquired of them diligently what time the star appeared. And he sent them to Bethlehem, and said, Go and search diligently for the young child; and when ye have found him, bring me word again, that I may come and worship him also. When they had heard the king, they departed; and, lo, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them, till it came and stood over where the young child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy. And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh. And being warned of God in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed into their own country another way Matthew 2:7-12

So how did the Magi find  Jesus? They followed the star , which was prophesied in Numbers 24:17, to the town of Bethlehem prophesied by Micah 5:2. It’s often tradition in our Nativity scenes, to have 3 wise men. Well first thing is we don’t know exactly how many Magi made the trip, we assume 3 because of the gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Secondly , by the time the Magi found Jesus, it says he was a “young child”, it was most likely the Magi visited Jesus at his house and not in the manger. It could have potentially been months, maybe years until the Magi reached Bethlehem and found Jesus.

The most significant point to get from this, is that the Magi were Gentiles coming to worship the Messiah, the New Covenant has now arrived through Jesus. Salvation is now possibly, not only to the Jews but also the Gentiles who put their faith in Christ! Amen!

Matthew 1- Incarnation of Christ

3 Replies

Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost. Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a publick example, was minded to put her away privily. But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. Matthew 1:18-20

Every year around Christmas time, the great debate begins among Christians, “Should we celebrate the birth of Christ”? While many Christians opt to celebrate Hanukkah instead, which wasn’t commanded by God either and has no relevance to the New Covenant. The  Incarnation of Christ is a central and essential doctrine of Christianity. If Christ didn’t become human there would be no atonement for your sins!

Mary was a virgin and she conceived the Son of God by the Holy Spirit. The Incarnation, much like the Triunity of God, is difficult for us to wrap our human minds around. Often people who can’t comprehend it, just reject it like the Triunity of God. Just because you can’t understand something doesn’t mean it’s not true. If God is truly the Creator of everything, don’t you think He will be a little complex? The reality is The Incarnation of Christ had to happen to save humanity, the Son of God had to become a man to pay for the sins of the world

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, 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. Then Joseph being raised from sleep did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him, and took unto him his wife: And knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn son: and he called his name JESUS. Matthew 1:21-25

The Apostle Matthew felt the Incarnation of Christ was so important, that he began his gospel writing with it. Why? Well because 700 years earlier the prophet Isaiah foretold The Messiah would come from a virgin (Isaiah 7:14) What will be the sign of the Messiah? God said “A virgin will give birth to a Son and he will be called Immanuel” Matthew goes on to give us further commentary that Immanuel means “God Is With Us”, think about that God became flesh and lived among Us (John 1:14)

And if there is any doubt God said His name will be Jesus (Yeshua) and He will save us from our sins. Christians have gotten so distracted around Christmas with arguments about paganism, that they forget or miss what happened in that manger in Bethlehem!

The sign was delivered by God, the Son of God becoming human to reconcile us back to The Father. The New Covenant is now upon us, Thank you Jesus! Amen!

Luke 24- The Ascension of Christ

4 Replies

And he led them out as far as to Bethany, and he lifted up his hands, and blessed them. And it came to pass, while he blessed them, he was parted from them, and carried up into heaven. And they worshipped him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy: And were continually in the temple, praising and blessing God. Amen. Luke 24:50-53

The hour has come for Jesus to ascend back to Heaven and sit at the right hand of The Father. It was exactly 40 days after the resurrection that Jesus ascended to Heaven. The number 40 in the Bible is often symbolic of a time of judgment or testing. We can reference the Israelites spent 40 years in the Wilderness (Joshua 5:6) and Jesus was tested in the wilderness for 40 days and 40 nights (Matthew 4) 

Notice it says “They worshiped Him” the disciples worshiped The Lord Jesus Christ. Those who deny the deity of Christ or claim Jesus isn’t God, how do you explain this? Was the first century Church a group of Idolaters? Of course not, because Jesus is God in the Flesh (John 1:14) The Son of God who came to reconcile us from our sins. The early Church understood and recognized the deity of Christ. And they rejoiced as Jesus took his position as sitting at the right hand of God The Father. 

And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight. And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel; Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven. Acts 1:9-11

Luke records the same account in the book of Acts, notice the Angels told the disciples Jesus would return in the same way he was ascended. Yes Jesus Christ is going to return again (Matthew 25) and when He returns its not going to be a mystery or secret, every eye will see him (Revelation 1, Matthew 24) just as the same way He ascended back to Heaven.

The Ascension of Christ is the completion of Jesus’ Earthly ministry. We are now in the time of the Fullness of Gentiles, and Christ will not return until the Great Commision (Matthew 28:19) is completed. Many Christians claim to want Christ to return, if you truly do, then we must do our job and share the good news of Jesus Christ to everyone!

Lift your heads brother and sisters because redemption is drawing near in Jesus name Amen!

Luke 24- The Coming of The Holy Spirit

3 Replies

And said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day: And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. And ye are witnesses of these things. And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high. Luke 24:46-49

The time was coming for Christ to Ascend back to Heaven and sit at the right of the Father. However before he left, he visited his disciples and he reminded them about the coming of The Holy Spirit. Now if the disciples remembered, Christ taught them about the Holy Spirit several times in John 14 and John 16, however he’s reminding them about the Promise of God The Father”

Now notice Jesus gave them specific directions, stay in Jerusalem. At first the disciples were confused about this command, however even though they didn’t understand , they were still obedient to Christ and carried out his orders. Maybe we as Christians today, should stop trying to overanalyze the Word of God and just listen. We try to make human understanding of everything Gods says, but His thoughts are higher than our thoughts, His ways are higher than our ways. (Isaiah 55:8-9)

Before Jesus went to the cross, he repeatedly told the disciples that the Christ would have to die for our sins and be raised on the third day. Even though it was prophesied in the Old Testament, and even though Jesus continually reminded them of this, they still didn’t get it, even after it already happened. Jesus is reminding them again, He had to die for the sins of the world, and He is now Risen. However now salvation is now possible for the entire world by the New Covenant, beginning at Jerusalem.

We know today , Jesus was referring to the day of Pentecost (Acts 2) when the Holy Spirit was poured down upon believers in Christ, and the gospel was spread to many nations spoken in many different languages. Many believe this is the official beginning of “The Church” , Pentecost was obviously an instrumental day for the establishment of the Church and the fulfillment of the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19)

However Christ foretold about Pentecost, just as He foretold about his death and resurrection. Are we listening? The Bible still has other prophecies not yet fulfilled including the Return of Christ, are we ready? It’s time to do more listening to God and less disobedience. Did the Israelites understand when Moses told them to walk through the Red Sea? Did the disciples originally understand why Christ was crucified? Did the disciples understand why Christ told them to stay in Jerusalem? No but God knew and He is always sovereign and able, Amen!