Read the Bible in a Year (02OCT19)

DAILY REMINDER – Today, October 2’s Bible reading is Matthew 1-4.

NEXT DAY REMINDER – Tomorrow, October 3’s Bible reading is Matthew 5-6. May God bless you with the reading of His WORD.

MATTHEW’s Introduction

The book of Matthew is so named after the Apostle Matthew also known as Levi, a tax collector, and disciple of Jesus. Its authorship has been debated by scholars over the centuries as to if Matthew himself wrote this first of four gospels or an unknown author. Biblical scholars believe Matthew’s book was written between 70 A.D. after the destruction of the temple and 110 A.D., but many have narrowed it down to being between 80 A.D. and 90 A.D.  Matthew’s main theme involves showing the reader that Jesus is the long-awaited Messiah spoken of in Scripture. He makes references to the Old Testament prophets such as Isaiah to support his assertion of this fact. His book begins with the genealogy of Christ going back forty-two generations. Matthew’s gospel gives details into Christ’s birth, ministry, death, and resurrection. Matthew’s book ends with the command from Jesus to fulfill the Great Commission. The books of Matthew, Mark, and Luke are called the Synoptic Gospels because they include some of the same stories, but at times, from a different view or perspective. The Gospel of John stands alone in that it has a distinct look into the life of Jesus that differs from the other three gospels. Nevertheless, all four gospels give us insight into the Son of God and the Father’s love for all mankind.

*Because the Synoptic Gospels repeat some of the same stories but give different aspects into them, I may, for example, do a commentary on something in Matthew, but may not repeat it in Mark, or I may elaborate more on a subject in Luke than I do in John. I will try to deal with every story and/or subject throughout the gospels at least once so that they are all covered.

MATTHEW MOMENT – (02OCT19) “This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 1:18). The Lord had long ago given Abraham the promise that he would be the father of many nations. There were 42 generations stemming from Abraham to Jesus. The prophets of old foretold of His birth and now, the time had finally come where Jesus was on the scene. Mary conceiving through the Holy Spirit was more than her fiancé Joseph could handle. Being the gentleman that he was, he did not wish to disgrace her, so he planned to put her way secretly. The Law would have required that she be stoned, but Joseph could not see doing that to his betroth. Nevertheless, he could not see himself going through with the marriage. While Joseph slept, however, he had a dream where an angel told him not to be leery of taking Mary for his wife. Her conception was of the Holy Spirit and the child was to be named Jesus, for He would save man from his sins. This news must have eased Joseph’s mind in that Mary had not been unfaithful to him, but everything was as she had claimed. A miraculous event indeed. 

Sometimes it is easy to dismiss what we do not understand. Who would ever believe that someone conceived through Divine means? Yet, this is what happened. Now, the Bible does not tell us that Mary was without sin as the Catholics believe through their doctrine of Immaculate Conception. This doctrine erroneously teaches that Mary had committed no original sin (sin and guilt as brought on by Adam and Eve’s disobedience in the Garden of Eden). The Bible says: “We have ALL sinned and fallen short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). Due to Mary having been born in sin, she too was in need of a Savior. To lift Mary up as a saint is to take credit away from the One who came to die for our sins. The Catholic religion praises the “blessed virgin mother” but Mary only remained a virgin until AFTER Jesus was born. The Bible says: “When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. But he did not consummate their marriage until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus” (Matthew 1:24-25). This is why we are not to hold to the doctrines of men when they do not line themselves with the Word of God. Mary was indeed a pure vessel, but she was not a sinless one.

The Lord uses imperfect vessels to do His perfect will. He uses us to do His work all throughout the earth. None of us is righteous within our own selves. God takes us and molds us into the tools that will execute His will on the face of the earth. He does the impossible in our lives just as He did with bringing Jesus into Mary’s vessel. Mary could have said that she did not want the job, but she was humble and obedient to God as well as Joseph. Here is an important thing for married couples to take note of. Whenever the Lord has a plan for the lives of that couple, He will tell it to one and then confirm it with the other when needed. Joseph had to be on one accord with Mary so that the Lord’s will could be done. They had to be unified in their upbringing of Jesus. Therefore, if God has given something for a spouse to do and the other isn’t on board just yet, pray to the Lord and He will make Himself known to the other spouse so that you both can walk in agreement. The Bible says: “How can two walk together unless they have agreed to do so” (Amos 3:3). Something to ponder….

*Special note – Joseph’s father was named Jacob in the genealogy just like the Joseph in the Old Testament’s father was named Jacob.

*Special note – Joseph was a dreamer just like the Joseph in the Old Testament.

*Special note – Joseph had to go to Egypt for the safety of his family from King Herod just like the Joseph of the Old Testament unknowingly had to go to Egypt to later provide safety for his family and the surrounding countries during a seven-year famine.

*Special note – Joseph had a question of infidelity regarding his betroth Mary, and the Joseph of the Old Testament was falsely accused of infidelity with Potiphar’s wife. 

QUESTION OF THE DAY - (02OCT19)  ^“When Herod realized that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was furious, and he gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had learned from the Magi. Then what was said through the prophet Jeremiah was fulfilled: ‘A voice is heard in Ramah, weeping and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children and refusing to be comforted, because they are no more’” (Matthew 2:18). Jesus had been born in Bethlehem as prophecy foretold. The Magi (wise men) had seen His star to let them know that the Messiah had arrived. They went to Jerusalem to make inquiries, but King Herod heard and wanted them to report back to him concerning Jesus’ whereabouts. The Lord, however, told them in a dream not to return the same route after they had given Jesus the gifts they had and worshipped Him. Upon finding out that the Magi were not going to return to him, King Herod ordered that all male babies age two and younger were to be killed. He thought of Jesus as a threat and felt it was best to eliminate His perceived competition. What Herod failed to realize was that Jesus was not setting up His earthly kingdom at that time, but His mission was to take away the sins of the world as a humble servant unto the Father. The Bible says: “The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit” (1 Corinthians 2:14). Therefore, spiritual things are spiritually discerned and because King Herod did not have the Spirit of God on the inside of him, he could not grasp the spiritual meaning of the prophecy. This is why he was able to take any means to secure his throne even if that meant killing innocent children.

We are living in a society full of King Herods unfortunately. They will do anything to keep their flow of money coming in even if that means sacrificing innocent lives. When we look at the likes of Planned Parenthood and how they make a business off of killing innocent children, we can say that we too have the spirit of Herod in operation. Satan had Herod fooled into thinking that he could make prophecy go away, but every Word that the Lord proclaims will take place. God was watching over Jesus and was not going to allow anything to happen to Him before His time. Therefore, the devil’s aim to take Jesus out ahead of schedule was a waste of energy and time. Today, the Lord needs His people to speak up for the ones who cannot speak for themselves. Innocent children’s blood is being shed on the altars of Baal every single day. What if Mary had decided that she wanted to have an abortion? Wouldn’t we be in a world of trouble? The Bible says: “Defend the weak and the fatherless; uphold the cause of the poor and the oppressed. Rescue the weak and the needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked” (Psalm 82:3-4). The Lord wants us to speak up for those who cannot do so themselves. He came so that we all may live and that includes those in the womb. When we speak for a child’s right to life, we are defending the cause of the innocent. Will you stand up for the innocent even if that is in prayer? The Bible says: “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me’” (Matthew 25:40). Something to ponder….

MATTHEW MOMENT – (02OCT19) “In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea and saying, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.’ This is he who was spoken of through the prophet Isaiah: ‘A voice of one calling in the wilderness,
Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him’” (Matthew 3:1-3). John the Baptist had been sent by God to prepare the way for Jesus’ arrival. He was Jesus’ cousin and God had a work for Him to do. He told people of their sins and their need for repentance. He baptized them with water but let them know that there was One who would baptize them with fire. John called the Pharisees and Sadducees a brood of vipers because they did not see any need for them to repent. They had hearts of pride in the fact that they were the descendants of Abraham. Nevertheless, when John pointed out that God could turn a stone into a child of Abraham, this was to knock them off their high horses and let them know that there was nothing special about them. They needed to repent and ask God for hearts of humility so He could bless their lives in accordance to His will.

We as Christians should be careful to not appear pious to those who are lost. There was a time when we all were lost, and if it were not for the grace and mercy of the Lord, we would still be lost. Yet, Jesus came from Heaven to show us the way to the Father in an act of humility. His humanitarian act allowed for us to escape the eternal death that was guaranteed to be our destiny apart from the Lord. The Bible says: “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9). The religious leaders of John’s day needed a dose of humble pie. Let us be sure that when we witness to others, we do not come across as self-righteous, but allow them to see our humility and not our pride. Something to ponder….