King James Bible Study – [Mark 8:34 And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.]
Date: Sunday, October 02, 2022
Chapters: MATTHEW 1, LUKE 2
Study: A Descendant of Jesus
Hello My Friend,
We found more damage that was done to our house through the hurricane, and the fact that our house remained standing and did not catch fire where I discovered that water had been leaking down an electrical outlet is all God. It brings tears to my eyes knowing that God protected the house with these little reminders that proved it. And as I was reading the chapters for today God reminded me of something else, because of my faith in His Son, I am one of His daughters. My name is written on the long list of saved souls that are a part of the generation of Jesus Christ, [Romans 8:15-17 For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. 16 The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: 17 And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.]
Suffer with Jesus, that is an understatement, it seems like that is all that I have been doing the past few years, and while I believe I deserved all of it, I do have hope that one day I will be glorified as Jesus was, which means that I will live beyond the grave, [Romans 6:4-5 Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. 5 For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection:]
Now, as we continue reading through the Gospels, we come to Matthew. Remember, I said that each of the Gospels is directed toward a certain group of people, Matthew is directed to the Jews, to whom Jesus is presented as the Messiah who would come through the lineage of David, hence Judah. The Book of Matthew is the first book of the New Testament, the fortieth book of the Bible and contains twenty-eight chapters. The author is Matthew and while it was directed to the Jews, it was written to all believers. The purpose of the book was to present the ministry of Jesus, stressing His role as King of the Jews. What we are to learn from the book is the Gospel of Christ and to follow the final command of Jesus to His followers and that is to teach all nations the Gospel, [Matthew 24:14 And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.]
Matthew, was a Levite, who was also a publican (tax collector), so, you can imagine that he was not the most trusted individual by the people. Nevertheless, Jesus, chose him to be one of His disciples, and is an example of how God can convert the worst sinner who lives by faith. Matthew, begins with the lineage of Judah in regards to the royal line, since Jesus will return as KING one day.
[Matthew 1:1-2,5-8,11,16-17 The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham. 2 Abraham begat Isaac; and Isaac begat Jacob; and Jacob begat Judas and his brethren; 5 And Salmon begat Booz of Rachab; and Booz begat Obed of Ruth; and Obed begat Jesse; 6 And Jesse begat David the king; and David the king begat Solomon of her that had been the wife of Urias; 7 And Solomon begat Roboam; and Roboam begat Abia; and Abia begat Asa; 8 And Asa begat Josaphat; and Josaphat begat Joram; and Joram begat Ozias; 11 And Josias begat Jechonias and his brethren, about the time they were carried away to Babylon: 16-17 And Jacob begat Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ. 17 So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations; and from David until the carrying away into Babylon are fourteen generations; and from the carrying away into Babylon unto Christ are fourteen generations.]
[The book of the generation of Jesus Christ,] Every time I read this I think back to God creating Adam and Eve, and how DNA can prove that we are all descendants of Eve. God, told Abraham that He was going to bless him with so many children that it would be like trying to count every grain of sand on the sea, [Genesis 22:16-18 And said, By myself have I sworn, saith the LORD, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son: 17 That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies; 18 And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice.] When we receive Christ’s blood inside of us we too can be traced back to Abraham, [Galatians 3:6-9 Even as Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness. 7 Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham. 8 And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed. 9 So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham.]
[And Jacob begat Joseph the husband of Mary,] Joseph, the husband of Mary, so many people make the mistake of saying the Joseph is the father of Jesus, of course, that is incorrect as we should all know that God is His Father. However, this is proof that Jesus is not a descendant of Joseph, but Mary is since she carried Him. We also learned that when Mary had gotten the visit from Gabriel who told her that the Holy Spirit would touch her, and then she would have God’s Son, and name Him Jesus. Well, Joseph also received the same message.
[Matthew 1:18-21,24-25 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. 19 Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a publick example, was minded to put her away privily. 20 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. 21 And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins. 24 Then Joseph being raised from sleep did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him, and took unto him his wife: 25 And knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn son: and he called his name JESUS.]
[did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him,] You see, when God chose Mary to carry His only begotten Son, He took everything into consideration, including the man who would help raise Him. Joseph, was a devout man of God, He knew that His Son would be in good hands by both Mary and Joseph. [And knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn son:] Joseph, had his doubts at first, like everyone else, how could his fiance be pregnant without her being unfaithful, but he came around and married Mary as he had planned to. Joseph was reminded of God’s promise, and right away his doubts turned into faith in God. Mary and Joseph were both devout Jews, which meant they followed the Law of Mose, and even government laws. Every year the males had to go to Jerusalem to pay taxes, since Mary was very close to having the baby she went with him.
[Luke 2:1,4-7 And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed. 4 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:) 5 To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child. 6 And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered. 7 And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.]
[the days were accomplished that she should be delivered.] This proved two things, one; the prophecy concerning Jesus being born in Bethlehem, [Micah 5:2-4 But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting. 3 Therefore will he give them up, until the time that she which travaileth hath brought forth: then the remnant of his brethren shall return unto the children of Israel. 4 And he shall stand and feed in the strength of the LORD, in the majesty of the name of the LORD his God; and they shall abide: for now shall he be great unto the ends of the earth.] And two; there would no speculation as to who His Father is, [Isaiah 7:14 Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.]
Mary, was truly blessed to carry God’s Son, I often wonder what she thought of the whole time she carried Him, perhaps if she were doing or even thinking the right things and what was going to happen after He was born. The reason I believe that believers looked to the cross that was to come is what happened after He was born. Immediately after she had Jesus Gabriel appeared at a nearby field of sheep where shepherds were tending to them. They about fell over when this huge light appeared and the angel stood there.
[Luke 2:9-14 And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. 10 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. 11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. 12 And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. 13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, 14 Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.]
[and on earth peace, good will toward men.] Every time I read this I think about the Charlie Brown Christmas cartoon and Linus telling Charlie Brown what Christmas is all about. Everyone talks about wanting peace, but the truth is, peace only comes through Christ, and as for good will, that too only comes through Christ. Jesus, said this, [John 14:27-29 Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. 28 Ye have heard how I said unto you, I go away, and come again unto you. If ye loved me, ye would rejoice, because I said, I go unto the Father: for my Father is greater than I. 29 And now I have told you before it come to pass, that, when it is come to pass, ye might believe.]
Shepherds were not respected and often spent hours and days in the field keeping watch over their sheep from wolves and other predators. Well, as soon as the angels left, the shepherds wasted no time, they rushed to see this incredible miracle that was made known to them, [Luke 2:15-19 And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us. 16 And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger. 17 And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child. 18 And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds. 19 But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart.]
[which the Lord hath made known unto us.] So, here are these men, wondering why they were all just standing there, and also why God had chosen to reveal these things to them. So, why did God reveal His Son to these lowly shepherds first? Well, they would be the first to believe in Him by faith, and start spreading the Good News. There is something else that we should consider, since we are as sheep and Jesus is the Good Shepherd, it would make sense that the first people to see Him would be shepherds, [John 10:11-12,15-16 I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep. 12 But he that is an hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth: and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep. 15 As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep. 16 And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd.]
[and pondered them in her heart.] I imagine Mary was a little overwhelmed, there she is holding the very Son of God. I imagine Joseph was a little overwhelmed also, after all, his wife was nursing the Son of God. Both Mary and Joseph again, being devout Jews, followed the Law of Moses, which included having males circumcised, eight days after they were born. There was also a law that required a woman who gave birth to bring an offering to the temple for the cleansing of her sin, which was forty days after she had a male child.
[Leviticus 12:2-4,8 Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, If a woman have conceived seed, and born a man child: then she shall be unclean seven days; according to the days of the separation for her infirmity shall she be unclean. 3 And in the eighth day the flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcised. 4 And she shall then continue in the blood of her purifying three and thirty days; she shall touch no hallowed thing, nor come into the sanctuary, until the days of her purifying be fulfilled. 8 And if she be not able to bring a lamb, then she shall bring two turtles, or two young pigeons; the one for the burnt offering, and the other for a sin offering: and the priest shall make an atonement for her, and she shall be clean.]
So, it had been forty days, and now it was time to bring the required sacrifices, which Mary was allowed them to bring two turtledoves or pigeons to the temple. This is what is known as dedicating a child to God. Independent Baptists, still do this today (only without the animal sacrifice), they bring their baby to the altar, vowing to raise their child as God fearing parents. While none of this was necessary as Jesus was not the son of man, they did everything according to the Law, and it pleased God because they did not take for granted that they were, in fact, taking care of His Son. There was a man named Simeon, he must have prayed to God about the Saviour for quite some time, and he actually got to see Jesus, and he knew exactly who He was. He ran up to Mary and Joseph, and took the baby in his arms.
[Luke 2:21-22,25-28 And when eight days were accomplished for the circumcising of the child, his name was called JESUS, which was so named of the angel before he was conceived in the womb. 22 And when the days of her purification according to the law of Moses were accomplished, they brought him to Jerusalem, to present him to the Lord; 25 And, behold, there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon; and the same man was just and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel: and the Holy Ghost was upon him. 26 And it was revealed unto him by the Holy Ghost, that he should not see death, before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. 27 And he came by the Spirit into the temple: and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him after the custom of the law,]
[that he should not see death, before he had seen the Lord’s Christ.] Do you see why I say that those who were here before Christ died on the cross look to the cross that was to come while we look to the cross after He came? It was all counted for their salvation, just like Abraham, [Romans 4:2-5 For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory; but not before God. 3 For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness. 4 Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt. 5 But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.]
When Simeon spoke to Mary and Joseph, were astonished by what he was saying, after all, no one knew they were raising the Son of God. Listen to what he was saying, [Luke 2:29-35 Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word: 30 For mine eyes have seen thy salvation, 31 Which thou hast prepared before the face of all people; 32 A light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel. 33 And Joseph and his mother marvelled at those things which were spoken of him. 34 And Simeon blessed them, and said unto Mary his mother, Behold, this child is set for the fall and rising again of many in Israel; and for a sign which shall be spoken against; 35 (Yea, a sword shall pierce through thy own soul also,) that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.]
[a sword shall pierce through thy own soul also,] It is that piercing in our soul that reveals that we are sinners and need Jesus. Jesus, the anointed one, sent from God to be the Saviour of all who believe in Him, the Light that will bring all believers to the cross. I do not care who you are, everyone fears death, but once we see the Saviour for who He truly is we no longer fear death or hell because we are saved from that, [Romans 6:22-23 But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life. 23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.]
Today’s Prayer: God, Thank You, for giving us a way to permanent salvation, and for sending Your Son to die for us. We not only are saved from death and hell through our faith in Your Son, we become joint heirs with Him. As much as we would like to change the fate of all, it is up to each person to make that decision on their own. As for we who do believe, we must make an appoint to keep spreading the Gospel, just like the shepherds did. Lord, lead me and guide me, give me Your power, guidance, mercy, and grace to be Your witness of Your saving grace. Open my heart, let me understand that everything I go through is used to increase my faith and my testimony, and let me use it all for Your glory. Let me also be reminded that You are with me all the times, and I can take You up in my arms and hug You anytime I am feeling overwhelmed with the burdens of life, just like Simeon did. I pray these things in Your name, Jesus. Amen.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
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