Matthew 5:13

 Matthew 5:13 says, Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.  Jesus said that the Jewish people were to be the salt of the earth, but that if they had lost their savor that they were good for nothing.  We as Christians today are to be the salt of the earth as well, to bring the purpose and saving power of God to the world.  Verse fourteen states, Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.  Then verse fifteen adds, Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.  Again, the Jewish people then and Christians today were and are to be the bring the light of God into the world, but too often they did and we do hide that light from the world.  When our actions are based on selfish desires instead of the will of God, we hide the light of Christ from the world.  Jesus said that no one would light a candle and hide it under a bushel, where it would do no good, and neither should we attempt to hide the light of the gospel under anything.  Verse sixteen declares, Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.  We, as followers of Christ, should let the light of His word shine into the world by both our words and the things that we say and do.  It is not enough to just claim to believe in Jesus as our Lord and Savior if our words and actions do not shine the gospel into the world.  Verse seventeen declares, Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.  I hear people say sometimes that they don't really study the Old Testament because after Jesus came it no longer applied, but Jesus said this was not true.  He said He did not come to destroy the law or the prophets, but to fulfill the law.  This tells us that we still need to know what the law and the prophets say.  Verse eighteen adds, For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.  Jesus said that not even the smallest character of the law would pass away until it was all fulfilled.  I believe that part of God's law is the return of Christ in victory, and until that occurs, the law will still be in effect.  Obeying God's law does not bring us salvation, but it does show our obedience to God.  Verse nineteen continues, Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.  Jesus said that breaking the least of the laws and teaching others to do so would cause a person to be called the least in the kingdom of God and obeying them and teaching others to do so would cause a person to be called great in the kingdom of God.  We must know God's law in order to live by it and teach it to others.  Verse twenty declares, For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.  The scribes and Pharisees were noted for their obedience to the law, but they did it for self glorification, which is not the reason that we should obey the law of God.  We should exceed their righteousness by following God's law for the benefit of others and the glory of God.  Verse twenty-one adds, Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of judgment.  Jesus said that the people of Israel had heard the commandment that they should not kill.  Verse twenty-two continues, But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.  Jesus said that the command to not kill went farther than the actual action and went to even the thoughts of unjustified anger toward ones brother.  Verse twenty-three states, Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee;  Then verse twenty-four concludes, Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift.  Jesus said if a person brought an offering to God and then remembered that his brother had anything against him or her, that he or she was to leave the offering and go and be reconciled with his or her brother before presenting the offering.  Jesus did not say to take your offering with you or to withhold it.  When we bring an offering to God today, we should not do so if we are angry at one of our fellow believers.  We should first go and try to make things right with the person that we are having a problem with.  God expects His people to be united in love through their faith in Christ and the guidance of the Holy Spirit. 

Matthew 5:1

Matthew 5:1 says, And seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain: and when he was set, his disciples came unto him:  Jesus went up on a mountain to get away from the multitudes.  I don't believe that this was because He wasn't concerned about them, but because they were coming to him for the wrong reasons.  If someone comes to Jesus today only for physical purposes, that person is coming for the wrong reason.  Jesus' disciples came to Him while He was on the mountain.  Verse two states, And he opened his mouth, and taught them, saying,  While on the mountain with His disciples, Jesus began to teach them.  As followers of Christ, we need time alone with Him and even time with fellow believers for Him to teach us what we need to do in everyday life.  Verse three adds, Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.  Jesus said that those who are poor in spirit, who do not view themselves as too important, were the ones who would inherit the kingdom of heaven.  Verse four says, Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.  Today, there are a lot of people who mourn, but if they have put their faith in Jesus they should be comforted by that faith.  Verse five declares, Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.  It seems to be harder to find a truly meek person, and the world often looks down on those who are, but Jesus said the meek would inherit the earth.  I don't believe that this means that the meek will somehow gain control of the earth, but that God will bless them with everything that they need in this world.  Verse six states, Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.  We, as Christians, should be the ones who hunger and thirst after righteousness, and if we do, Jesus promises us that we will be filled spiritually.  I don't believe that we should ever reach the point where we don't hunger and thirst after righteousness, and this can only be filled by Jesus Christ, the living bread and water.  Verse seven declares, Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.  As God's people today, we should be merciful to those around us, but I am not sure that I see a lot of that.  Christians are not to behave as the rest of the world does, but are to be merciful even to those that we may not agree with.  Verse eight says, Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.  Since our actions are determined by our heart, or thoughts, if we want to see God then we must be pure in heart.  This requires first accepting Jesus Christ as our personal Savior and Lord and then living under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.  Verse nine declares, Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.  We need more peacemakers in the world today, but it seems that we are too often ready to shoot to kill instead.  I don't believe that this is what Jesus expects from His followers.  Verse ten proclaims, Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.  I don't believe that anyone will ever be more unjustly persecuted for the sake of righteousness than Jesus was, but His was indeed the kingdom of heaven, and if we remain true to Him not matter what it will be ours also.  Verse eleven states, Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.  Jesus didn't say if the people of the world did these things but when they did.  If we are not being persecuted and reviled as followers of Christ today, it may be that we are dong something wrong.  If we are living by the leadership of the Holy Spirit, then we are always going to be at war with the world.  Verse twelve declares, Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.  Jesus said that we were to rejoice and be exceedingly glad when we are persecuted and reviled.  How do we react to being persecuted and reviled by the people of the world today because of our standing for God?  

Matthew 4:12

 Matthew 4:12 says, Now when Jesus had heard that John was cast into prison, he departed into Galilee;  When Jesus heard of the arrest of John the Baptist, He went to Galilee.  Verse thirteen adds, And leaving Nazareth, he came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is upon the sea coast, in the borders of Zabulon and Nephthalim:  Jesus went to live in Capernaum.  Verse thirteen continues, That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying,  Verse fifteen continues on, The land of Zabulon, and the land of Nephthalim, by the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles;  Then verse sixteen concludes, 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.  Jesus going to live in Capermaum fulfilled a prophesy by Isaiah, but once again I don't believe that Jesus went there simply to fulfill a prophesy.  Likewise, I dont believe that we can sit with a checklist today and check off the events leading up to the second coming of Christ and determine the precise time that it will happen.  God did not cause Jesus to go to Capernaum simply to ensure that the prophesy would come true.  Verse seventeen declares, From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.  Jesus began to preach calling for people to repent for the kingdom of God was at hand.  We today need to call for people to repent and accept Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord, because the kingdom of God is at hand.  Verse eighteen says, 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.  Jesus was walking by the sea of Galilee when He called His first disciples, Peter and his brother Andrew, who were fishermen.  Jesus did not go to the religious leaders or even the temple to find disciples, but He called two ordinary fishermen.  God calls people where they are today to follow Christ, and He calls ordinary people to be preachers and teachers.  Verse nineteen adds, And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.  Jesus told them that He would make them fishers of men.  He did not promise them great wealth or even security, but He simply asked them to follow Him.  Today, God does not promise us great wealth and security if we follow Jesus, but He simply asks us to follow, or put our faith in Him.  Verse twenty declares, And they straightway left their nets, and followed him.  Peter and Andrew did not wait but immediately left what they were doing and followed Jesus.  Fishing was their way to make a living, but they left it to follow Jesus.  What are we willing to give up to become a follower of Jesus today ?  Verse twenty-one says, 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.  Jesus then saw two more brothers, James and John, mending nets with their father and he called them to follow Him.  Verse twenty-two adds, And they immediately left the ship and their father, and followed him.  James and John not only immediately left their work, but they left their father as well.  We cannot allow other people to come between Jesus and us, no matter how close they may be to us.  Verse twenty-three states, 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.  Jesus began to preach, teach and heal in Galilee.  Verse twenty-four adds, 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.  As Jesus' fame grew, people brought the sick to Him.  Though Jesus may have healed them, this was not His main reason for coming.  Jesus came to bring spiritual healing to people, and physical healing will never be the main reason for putting our faith in Him.  Verse twenty-five concludes,  And there followed him great multitudes of people from Galilee, and from Decapolis, and from Jerusalem, and from Judaea, and from beyond Jordan.  People came from all around to see Jesus.  We need to reach out to all those around us today with the gospel, since as a general rule not too many people are coming to Jesus on their own.

Matthew 4:1

 Matthew 4:1 says, Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil.  After Jesus was baptized and God had declared Him to be His beloved Son, Jesus was led into the wilderness to be tempted by the Devil.  After we accept Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord, we can be certain that we will be tempted, and when we are, we also need to be certain that we are being led by the Holy Spirit when we respond to that temptation.  Verse two adds, And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred.  While in the wilderness, Jesus fasted for forty days and nights and afterward He was hungry.  If we fast, I believe that we should not publicize it to the world, but it should be a personal act of worship, but everyone may not agree.  Verse three declares, And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread.  Satan, the tempter came to Jesus and first attempted to raise the question of whether or not Jesus was the Son of God, and the appealed to Jesus' physical need.  Satan will always attempt to get us to question our relationship with God, and he will appeal to us where we are weakest.  Though Jesus could have turned the stones to bread, this was not what the heavenly Father had called Him to do.  Verse four proclaims, 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.  Jesus answered Satan by quoting scripture, and this is always our best defense.  This means that we must first know the scripture, God's word, and not just the words them self, but the meaning as well.  Jesus said that people were not to live by bread alone, the meeting physical needs, but by the word of God, which meets spiritual needs, which must come first.  Verse five declares, Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple,  Then verse six adds, 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.  The Devil took Jesus to the pinnacle of the temple and then quoted scripture to Jesus.  Again, it is not enough to know scripture, but we must know its meaning and never use it to justify what we desire to do.  It was not a question of whether Jesus could do this, but whether or not it was the heavenly Father's will that He do so.  Verse seven proclaims, Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.  Jesus again answered by quoting scripture, saying that we are not to tempt God.  I don't believe that God will ever lead us to take an action simply to prove that He can protect us.  Verse eight declares, 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;  Verse nine adds, And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me.  Satan next appealed to Jesus' greed, and this is where many people are led astray today.  God never promised us all the material blessings that we might desire, and sometimes they may even lead us away from Him.  Verse ten proclaims, 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.  Jesus told Satan to go away, and again He quoted scripture.  We are to serve God alone.  Verse eleven adds, Then the devil leaveth him, and, behold, angels came and ministered unto him.  Satan had no choice but to depart when Jesus told him to do so.  When we stand firm in our belief in God, Satan has no power over us.  The angels came to minister to the needs of Jesus.  Whether by angels or otherwise, God will always minister to our needs if we remain faithful to Him.

Matthew 3:13

Matthew 3:13 says, Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John, to be baptized of him.  Jesus came to John one day to be baptized by him.  This, among other things, would show the legitimacy of John's ministry. and would also show the validity of baptism.  John was not just acting on his own, but was following the leadership of God.  We need to make sure that God endorses our actions today when we say we are doing anything in His name.  Verse fourteen declares, But John forbad him, saying, I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me?  John was not going to baptize Jesus, saying he needed to be baptized by Jesus instead.  John questioned why Jesus came to him instead.  I don't believe that it is wrong to question whether or not what we believe God is calling on us to do is the right thing or not, but only for clarification and not claim that we know more than God does.  Verse fifteen states, 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.  Jesus told John that it was the right thing to do for the sake of righteousness.  Then, John baptized Jesus.  Jesus set the example for us to follow.  Baptism did not save a person then and it doesn't now.  Baptism then and now identified a person as a follower of Christ.  Though Jesus could not follow Himself, he could identify Himself as the Messiah Whose actions were to be followed.  We need to follow the example of Jesus, but we also must listen to Him to know what we need to do in life.  Verse sixteen declares, 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:  When Jesus came up out of the water, the heavens opened and He saw the Spirit of God descending on Him.  Jesus' baptism was a little more dramatic than any other before or since.  God showed His approval of what Jesus had done.  Though we will not have that dramatic sign of approval when we are baptized, we still have God's approval when we are baptized after we accept Jesus as our Savior and Lord because it identifies us as followers of Christ.  Verse seventeen adds, And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.  God gave His endorsement of Jesus as the long awaited Messiah and His own Son.  Jesus alone is the only begotten Son of God, but we can become the adopted sons and daughters of God by putting our faith in Him.

Matthew 3:1

Matthew 3:1 says, In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea,  In those days would be when Jesus was grown.  John the Baptist was Jesus' first cousin by earthly standards, and he was preaching in the wilderness.  Verse two adds, And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.  John's message was simple.  He called for the people to repent because the kingdom of God was at hand.  John was referring to the kingdom of God that would come when the Messiah came.  Today, we have the same message, but we should call for people to repent because the kingdom of God is at hand because Jesus Christ, the Messiah Who came in John's day will one day return.  Since in this lifetime alone can we repent and accept Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord, His kingdom is always at hand for every individual.  Verse three states, 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.  The coming of John the Baptist had been foretold by Isaiah.  Again, John was not just acting out a role, but by his actions God's people could see the fulfillment of the prophesy.  Verse four declares, 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.  John did not dress and act like everyone else.  Today, with his actions and his words we might just write him off as an oddball instead of listening to him, and many people write off anyone who does proclaim Jesus Christ as the only way to salvation as an oddball or a mentally ill person.  Verse five says, Then went out to him Jerusalem, and all Judaea, and all the region round about Jordan,  People came from all around the area to hear John preach.  I believe they may have come more out of curiosity than out of believing what he preached, but they came and they heard.  It does not matter today why people come to hear the gospel preached as much as it matters that they come.  Verse six adds, And were baptized of him in Jordan, confessing their sins.  Some believed and were baptized in confession of their sins.  They were putting their faith in the coming Messiah just we who are Christians today put our faith in the Messiah Who has come.  Verse seven declares, 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?  When John saw the Pharisees and Sadducees coming, he called them a generation of vipers and asked who had warned them to flee.  These were the religious leaders, and some religious leaders today might be asked the same question.  Verse eight adds, Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance:  John called on the religious leaders to truly repent.  Verse nine declares, 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.  John warned the Pharisees and Sadducees to not rely on their earthly status as descendants of Abraham, since God could create descendants of Abraham out of stones.  Once more, the people of Israel were not special because of who they were  but because of Who their God was.  We today as Christians are not special because of who are in the world, but because of Who our God is.  Verse ten adds, 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 said that the people would be judged by their actions and not just by who they were in the eyes of the world.  A tree was a tree, but not all bore fruit and and those that didn't were therefore useless.  A Jew was a Jew, but not all bore fruit for the kingdom of God and were about to be cut down by the coming Messiah.  We as followers of Christ today are called on to bear fruit for the kingdom of God, and we need to ask ourselves if we are being productive.  Verse eleven adds, 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 knew that he was not the promised Messiah, Who would baptize with the Holy Ghost and fire instead of just with water.  We today, as followers of Christ. once we accept Jesus as our Savior and Lord are immediately filled with the Holy Spirit to lead us through the fires that will come.  Verse twelve concludes, 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.  John said that Jesus would separate the true believers, the wheat, from those who didn't believe, the chaff.  The believers He would gather unto Himself. but the nonbelievers would be cast aside into the unquenchable fire.  These are the only two choices that there are.   

Matthew 2:13

Matthew 2:13 says, 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.  An angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph once again, telling him to take the young Child and His mother and flee to Egypt.  Joseph was told to stay there until he received word that it was safe to return, because Herod would seek the young Child, Jesus, to kill Him.  Herod was not as powerful as he thought he was, just as many people today who attempt to destroy God and His people are not as powerful as they think they are.  Verse fourteen declares, When he arose, he took the young child and his mother by night, and departed into Egypt:  Joseph arose and left for Egypt that night.  When we know what God wants us to do, we don't need to  hesitate, but need to simply do what He tells us to do as soon as possible.  Verse fifteen adds, 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.  Joseph and his family remained in Egypt until Herod was dead, and this also fulfilled a prophesy about Jesus, the Messiah.  Verse sixteen declares, 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.  At the time of the visit of the wise men, when they didn't return to tell Herod where Jesus was, he had all the children in Bethlehem and the coastal area around it, two year old and younger, killed.  This was probably based on the length of time that the wise men had been following the star, and also on Herod's determination to make sure that the One that the wise men called the King of the Jews did not survive.  Verse seventeen adds, Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremy the prophet, saying,  Then verse eighteen continues, 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.  Herod's action also fulfilled a prophesy of Jeremiah that there would be weeping in Rama and that Rachael would not be comforted because her children were dead.  The women of Bethlehem and the area would not have been comforted, because their children were dead at the hand of Herod.  Verse nineteen declares, But when Herod was dead, behold, an angel of the Lord appeareth in a dream to Joseph in Egypt,  After Herod died, the angel once again appeared to Joseph, in a dream again this time.  Verse twenty adds, 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.  Joseph was told by the angel that it was safe and he was to take Mary and Jesus and return to Israel.  Verse twenty-one states, And he arose, and took the young child and his mother, and came into the land of Israel.  Joseph once again obeyed the angel, God's messenger, just as we must obey the leadership of the Holy Spirit as followers of Christ today.   When we know what God wants us to do, we should do it as quickly as possible.  Verse twenty-two declares, 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:  When Joseph heard that Herod's son was in power, he was afraid and went into Galilee.  He was also warned by God in a dream to go into Galilee.  This time, we are not told that an angel warned Joseph, but that God Himself warned Joseph in a dream.  Verse twenty-three adds, 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.  This also resulted in the fulfillment of a prophesy.  Once more, I do not believe that God was forcing events to happen to fulfill prophesies, but that events were unfolding that fulfilled the prophesies of God.  God's prophesies will always be fulfilled, but they will be fulfilled in His time frame.