Read the word.
Teach the word.
Preach the word.
- 1 Timothy 4:13
In Matthew 5, we read the message Jesus spoke to His disciples on a mountain in Galilee. This sermon begins with the beatitudes—the attitudes of the citizens of His kingdom. Jesus is not just another earthly ruler. He is the king of the kingdom of heaven. And so, these attitudes run counter to the culture and kingdoms of men. Like the first beatitude—recognizing your spiritual poverty. What does this look like in the life of a disciple of Jesus? We considered being poor in spirit in our time together on Sunday as we worked our way through just one verse—Matthew 5:3.
In the Gospels, we read of all sorts of reasons people would follow Jesus. But one interesting aspect of the life & ministry of Jesus was that He often avoided large gatherings. He seemed to have no interest in attracting a large following just for the sake of having a large following.
Jesus was more concerned with making disciples. He was focused on individuals who would desire to learn from Him and choose to follow Him for the right reasons. Jesus often retreated from the multitudes when He could, and to those who would seek Him out, He would teach and instruct. To these individuals, He was constantly teaching about how His kingdom would look like and what it would mean to serve alongside Him. In these moments, He would draw His disciples in, explaining the cost of true discipleship. As is the case in Matthew 5, the beginning of what is commonly referred to as the Sermon on the Mount.
As we continue our study of the life of Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew, we will see Him preaching, teaching, and warning—all according to the working of the Holy Spirit. And Jesus starts His earthly ministry in the unlikeliest of places—Nazareth and Galilee.
In the eyes of the religious elite of the day, these were not destinations to travel to or places to be proud of. And yet, these places were just right for Jesus to begin His public ministry and recruit His followers—for God uses the foolish, the forsaken, and the forgotten things to shame the strong and bring glory to Himself (1 Corinthians 1:27). Watch our study of Matthew 4:12-25 as we consider the beginnings of Jesus’ earthly ministry.
In the book of Hebrews, we read that “…we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.” (Hebrews 4:15). Jesus was tempted in every way that we are tempted. In many ways, His temptations were much, much worse—and yet, He did not sin.
In Matthew 4, we read of three temptations Jesus faced and see Him emerge victorious and unstained by sin. But that does not mean He was unaffected by the human experience. His trial of temptation has a profound effect on His life and ministry. Watch our study of Matthew 4:1-11 as we consider how Jesus resisted temptation by fighting by faith and how His experience of being tempted affected His life and ministry.
In Matthew 3, two of the most influential men and most influential ministers in human history came to a crossroads. John’s was the greatest man to be born up to that point—and his ministry was coming to an end. Jesus was the greatest Man to ever be born—and His earthly ministry was just starting.
In order to understand all that was happening, we have to go back to a time before Jesus and John were born—to the ancient prophecies that foretold their arrival. This past Sunday, we considered the backstory of John the Baptist—the real history of this real person—so that we might appreciate the scripture that we will be studying in weeks to come.
In Matthew 3, we read about one man in the wilderness with one singular purpose—to prepare the way of The Lord.
His name was John, and at first glance, he might seem like an odd man. After all, he wore camel’s hair and ate honey and locust. But he had an important message to fulfill his purpose. What was his message to prepare us for The King of The Kingdom that was at hand? What was the message that would prepare us to receive Jesus? “Repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!” This past Sunday, we considered John the Baptist—the man God called to prepare the way for The Messiah in our study of Matthew 3:1-12.
We’re told that when Herod heard that there was a baby who was born King of the Jews, “…he was troubled and all Jerusalem with him.“ (Matthew 2:3) All of Jerusalem would have been troubled because they were aware of what Herod was capable of when he felt that his authority was threatened.
But it didn’t have to be this way. Herod didn’t have to be threatened by the King of kings and Lord of lords. As wicked as Herod was, he could be fully forgiven and completely cleansed of sin if he would have turned from his sin and believed on Jesus. But if Herod rejected Jesus or simply stalled on making his decision, then his decision was made—he will have to stand before God and answer for his sin and pay the penalty for eternity. Watch our study of Matthew 2:12-18 as we consider the tragic consequences of rejecting Jesus and the hope we have when we turn to Him.
After Jesus was born in Bethlehem, a caravan of wise men followed a star to worship Him who had been born King of the Jews. But first, they met the tyrant-made-king of the Jews—Herod, a wicked and insecure despot who did not welcome any challenge to his Roman-appointed rule.
Despite the testimony of many, the miraculous prophecy, and a solid Bible study, Herod did not receive Jesus as King, but rejected Him and ultimately hunted Jesus down. As this drama unfolded, the wise men brought gifts of adoration and worship to Jesus, revealing His status as King of kings. Watch our study of Matthew 2:1-11 as we consider Herod’s response to Christ’s rightful claim to the throne and reflect on our reception or rejection of Christ as King. |
From Pastor Dom...When I first gave my life to Jesus, there were friends in my life who helped me to grow in my understanding of God, through His word, and for those friends Archives
March 2024
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Strengthened by grace is the Bible Teaching ministry of Pastor Dominic Dinger.©2022 - All rights reserved.
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