Wednesday, March 30, 2011

MATTHEW

Today, is Wednesday.  I started reading in Matthew.  I am so looking forward to going through the New Testament only ten chapters a day to get more to share.  Each Chapter in the Bible could be a book.  It is that filled with great stuff!  Today, finishing up the Old Testament, I have a few things to share from the first several chapters of Matthew.  Here they are:
1) THE FIVE WOMEN GOD USED- In the genealogy of Jesus Christ, God mentions five women in Matthew one.  This is unusual that women are mentioned at all, not to mention, which women are mentioned.  We have these five mentioned:  Thamar (who was made pregnant by her father-in-law, Judah); Rachab (called Rahab the harlot in Scripture, who hid the two spies); Ruth (the Moabite woman, daughter-in-law to Naomi); the wife of Urias (this is Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah who David saw, lusted after, and took); and Mary (the mother of Jesus Christ).  God shows us His grace right from the start in using these women to bring about His son into the world.  If God can use these women, and He did, then He can use us too!!
2) FULFILLED PROPHECY- In Matthew, we see right from the start that Jesus came to fulfill all prophecy.  So immediately, we start reading phrases like:  "that it might be fulfilled" 1:22; "for thus it is written by the prophet" 2:5; "that it might be fulfilled" 2:15; "that it might be fulfilled" 2:23; "this is he that was spoken of by the prophet" 3:3; "thus it becometh us to fulfill all righteousness" 3:15; "It is written" 4:4; "It is written" 4:7; "for it is written" 4:10 .  These let us know right from the start that Jesus is the fulfillment of the Old Testament prophecies concerning the Messiah, the Son of the Living God! 
3) I SAY UNTO YOU- When we come to chapter five of Matthew, we see that Jesus "is come not to destroy, but to fulfil." 5:17  Nine times throughout chapter five we see the phrase "But I say unto you".  Jesus will mention an Old Testament truth, and then He will strengthen that truth by saying:  "but I say unto you".  Here is an example:  (vs. 43) "Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy."  (vs. 44) "But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you."  So we see this strengthening of the law.  Not the law of LAW, but the law of GRACE!!  Thank you Jesus!!

Well, so much for today.  Hope you have a blessed day!  Dr. Mike Mutchler, Pastor
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