OUTREACH SITE: The Mathew Part 1: The Real Jesus has now been completed at the Outreach Site.
Matthew 3-4
Mat 1-2 concerns the genealogy and the events around the birth of Christ as proofs of his Messiah-ship. The genealogy shows that Christ fulfilled the prophets by having a son of David as his physical family parent. For those who want to skip ahead; Luke restates this genealogy right back to Adam in Luk 3:23; Luke also confirms in verses 31-32 that the Christ family was of the line of David.
The biblical term “conceived” does not mean what it does in modern English, as a meeting of egg and sperm; it simply means being with child.
Is 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.
A more meaningful translation is: Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.
It was the God personality who became the Father, who by a miracle, reduced the actual creator who became the Son, to the size of an embryo and placed him in the womb of Mary. there was NO sexual activity between god as placing his sperm inside Mary: which would have been adultery on the part of God.
While Jesus was born of a virgin of David and supposedly into the line of David; he himself said that he was not a son of David at all but only appeared to be so.
Luk 3:23 And Jesus himself began to be about thirty years of age, being (as was supposed) the son of Joseph, which was the son of Heli,
Jesus denied being a literal son of David. He was only a son of David by being born into a family of David; and was a son of David, in the same way as the faithful are son’s of Abraham; Jesus loved the commandments of God as David presented in Psalm 119; Jesus was a man after the Father’s own heart even more so than David was!
Mat 2241 While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them,
42 Saying, What think ye of Christ? whose son is he? They say unto him, The son of David.
43 He saith unto them, How then doth David in spirit call him Lord, saying,
44 The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy footstool?
45 If David then call him Lord, how is he his son?
Jesus [Yeshua[ was the very Creator changed into a human embryo; fully giving up his God-hood to becaome fully human; and is now translated back into God-hood and eternal life as the High Priest of the Father.
Was Jesus Christ man or God?
Quite simply: He was the Creator God, FULLY GOD; who gave up his God-hood to become fully man; and then overcame the world to be exalted back to being fully God!
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Now Mathew goes into the baptism and temptation of Christ. This is a graphic example of how all of the called out are tempted to turn back after they commit themselves to God's ways.
John proclaimed the message of Warning and Repentance; which is the true Gospel that all God's people are to proclaim!
3:1 In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea, 3:2 And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
John prepared the way for Christ by calling all people BACK to godliness through SINCERE REPENTANCE.
3:3 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.
John was not interested in the pleasures of the physical life; and was dedicated wholly to the spiritual. His garment was of the gathered shed hair of the camel [camels coats thicken in winter and shed in spring like many other animals] , like a hairy sackcloth of humility and mourning against his skin.
3:4 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.
He began his ministry on the Jordan where there was much water to baptize in; this coming from the commandment for the unclean to wash themselves.
The law that the unclean must bathe was the basis for the bathing [washing away of the uncleanness of sin] of baptism.
The way to salvation is to REPENT of breaking God’s teachings and commandments and then to be baptized [washed] in water as a commitment to go and sin NO MORE!
Many DID repent and confessed their sins before God and were baptized by John.
3:5 Then went out to him Jerusalem, and all Judaea, and all the region round about Jordan, 3:6 And were baptized of him in Jordan, confessing their sins.
When John saw many unrepentant wicked wanting to be baptized for a show of righteousness before the people; John refused to baptize the unrepentant until they had turned from their evil deeds in true repentance.
To take the Passover worthily; we must examine ourselves and sincerely repent of all our unlawful deeds. We MUST NOT justify ourselves by claiming to be the physical [OR THE SPIRITUAL] children of Abraham! We MUST NOT think ourselves righteous because: “We are a part of some corporate church organization”, claiming to be the children of faith, the spiritual children of Abraham.
We Must NOT delude ourselves that we are right with God because we follow some man! We MUST BE righteous in our DEEDS, by repenting of all commandment breaking and dedicating ourselves to diligently KEEP all of God’s commandments and ways.
Jer 7 The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying, 2 Stand in the gate of the Lord’s house [the church of God], and proclaim there this word, and say, Hear the word of the Lord, all ye of [spiritual] Judah, that enter in at these gates to worship the Lord.
3 Thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, Amend your ways [REPENT] and your doings, and I will cause you to dwell in this place.
Do not deceive yourselves with words; thinking that you are righteous because of a name, organization or building. IT IS BY OUR CTIONS THAT WE ARE BEING JUDGED; NOT BY OUR NAME!
4 Trust ye not in lying words, saying, The temple of the Lord, The temple of the Lord, The temple of the Lord, are these.
3:7 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? 3:8 Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance: 3:9 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.
Those who do not turn away from sin and who do not bear godly fruit shall be destroyed. The unrepentant shall be destroyed and thrown into the fire.
Therefore repent and bring forth the good fruit of godly obedience to our Father in heaven.
Do you not know that one of the Ten is to honour our father and mother? and that if we break one command or teaching of our Father in heaven: We also break the Ten Commandments?
3:10 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.
John taught of Christ and the gift of the Holy Spirit which comes through sincere repentance and baptism in water; and the application of the atoning sacrifice of Christ to reconcile us to the FATHER; and only then is the GIFT of the Holy Spirit given.
3:11 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:
John then speaks of the winnowing of wheat, where the grain is thrown into the air and fanned to blow away the chaff; separating out the chaff from the wheat. Christ shall thoroughly purge his harvest of grain, of all chaff [the unrepentant and lukewarm].
The unrepentant who have no respect for the commandments and teachings of Christ; who lie and try to justify their sins by saying, “Christ will understand if we compromise with his law”: Shall be destroyed in the fire of final judgment.
3:12Whose 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.
John recognized Christ immediately.
3:13 Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John, to be baptized of him. 3:14 But John forbad him, saying, I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me?
Jesus who had no sin, then said that he needed to set an example of the right way for all the people.
3:15 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.
At this point the Father gives a graphic demonstration of support for Yeshua as the Messiah. This does not mean that Yeshua did not have God’s spirit from the womb; this is merely a public revealing of the Father for the first time, for all to see that Christ did have God’s spirit and was the son of God the Father.
3:16 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: 3:17 And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.
Mat 4
Then Jesus was strengthened by the spirit of God in the wilderness for forty days and nights.
1 Then was Jesus led up of the spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. 4:2 And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred.
The first lesson of Christ for all the spiritually called out.
This is a profound lesson for Passover and ULB; that we are to live by the bread of life, Jesus Christ; which is what the ULB taken daily represents; the daily taking into ourselves of the very nature and perfection of Christ, through diligent study of and obedience to all of the teachings and commandments of Christ and the Father! All of John 6.
4:3 And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread. 4:4 But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.
The second great lesson; do not try the patience of God.
4:5 Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple, 4:6 And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone, Psalm 91. 4:7 Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.
The third lesson is to love God and do his will, and not to seek the pleasures of this world. We are not to compromise with any of God’s commandments for anything that Satan and this world has to offer. We are to be absolutely loyal to our baptismal vows and to obey our espoused Husband and the father in ALL things!
4:8 Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them;4:9 And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me.
We are the servants of those whom we obey!
Romans 6:16 Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?
4:10 Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.
When we learn and DO these lessons fully and sincerely; and we repent of past sins, dedicating ourselves to abhor all transgressions in future: W shall be very close to true godliness and the resurrection to the marriage of the Lamb.
4:11 Then the devil leaveth him, and, behold, angels came and ministered unto him.
Shortly after Jesus came out of the wilderness, John was arrested, and Jesus went north into Galilee.
4:12 Now when Jesus had heard that John was cast into prison, he departed into Galilee; 4:13 And leaving Nazareth, he came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is upon the sea [of Galilee] coast, in the borders of Zabulon and Nephthalim:
Again the prophets are fulfilled
4:14 That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, 4:15 The land of Zabulon, and the land of Nephthalim, by the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles; 4:16 The people which sat in darkness saw great light; and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up.
We know that Christ began to preach at the age of thirty in the autumn. Some of these gaps will be filled in by the other Gospel writers. What did Christ preach?
He preached the way into the Kingdom of God crying: R E P E N T
4:17 From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
As he began his ministry Christ called out twelve disciple to help him and to be witness of all he did and taught.
I have no doubt that Jesus had known these men, and that they had know him; probably from early childhood, and had grown up with them, among the other young men in the city and in the synagogue school.
These men were probably impressed with Yeshua in the synagogue religious studies already, and perhaps they had worked and played together while growing up.
The general education process was that after finishing basic education a trade or career was chosen; These men chose various carriers and Jesus, always about his Father’s business would have associated with the greatest religious teachers in the land; at that time probably Gamaliel. And at the age of thirty were ready to become Rabbi’s themselves.
4:18 And Jesus, walking by the sea of Galilee, saw two brethren, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers. 4:19 And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men. 4:20 And they straightway left their nets, and followed him.
Christ then calls two other fishermen also brothers, so that there are two pairs of brothers all fishermen and therefore probably knowing each other well.
4:21 And going on from thence, he saw other two brethren, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in a ship with Zebedee their father, mending their nets; and he called them. 4:22 And they immediately left the ship and their father, and followed him.
Eight other disciples were also called which is recorded in another place.
Jesus then taught in the synagogues and proclaimed the true Gospel message of Warning and Repentance and the Way Into The Kingdom of God; the Way of Salvation!
The idea that proclaiming a coming Kingdom is the Gospel is FALSE! It is ONLY HALF the Gospel! The true full Gospel is the WAY INTO that Kingdom!
Many heard the message and came to him to be healed. The physical healing was a demonstration of the spiritual healing that would come with the application of the sacrifice of Christ to the repentant.
Christ’s power over spirits and over diseases should be a remarkable source of faith for his people; instead we have become almost powerless over spirits and diseases because we are apostate from Christ and into justifying our own ways against the commandments of God.
We need to repent and turn back to the teaching’s of Jesus Christ; who taught diligent UNCOMPROMISING obedience to all the commandments of God; quick forgiveness of the repentant and destruction for those who will not repent.
4:23 And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people.4:24 And his fame went throughout all Syria: and they brought unto him all sick people that were taken with divers diseases and torments, and those which were possessed with devils, and those which were lunatick, and those that had the palsy; and he healed them.
4:25 And there followed him great multitudes of people from Galilee, and from Decapolis, and from Jerusalem, and from Judaea, and from beyond Jordan.
As very many people followed Christ at his first coming; the whole nation and the whole world will repent and follow him at his return!
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January 24th, 2013 at 10:52