Matthew 6 - Forgiveness & the Lord's Prayer

And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. Matthew 6:5

Jesus instructed His disciples to look to the spiritual truths behind the Mosaic, Levitical laws, particularly the ones regarding oaths, prayers, and fasting. During their day, many of the religious Jews made great spectacles of their alms givings, prayers, and fasting. They sounded the trumpet, so to speak, announcing to all their good works, thinking that their conduct made them righteous before God.

But we know that all of man's righteousness is filth before a holy God. There has to be a righteousness that comes from a place other than man's deeds. This is where Jesus Christ, the Savior, comes in.

Regarding prayer, the pattern most of us in denominational circles were taught was the Lord's Prayer, as found in this chapter of Matthew. Here, Jesus specially lays out a format for praying to the Heavenly Father, but did you realize that this is an Old Testament pattern that was necessary and important BEFORE the cross?

Now, after the cross, there is a New Covenant; those of us who are IN HIM, are born again, new creations with God's spirit living inside of us. If the gospel of Grace which Paul preached is true, and it is, then it cannot also be true that we must first forgive before being forgiven by the Father. No, we are already forgiven IN CHRIST, for every sin committed, whether it be past, present, or future.

Under the Old Covenant, it is was important for Israel to be in a state of forgiveness toward their brethren - having a soft, pliable heart - so that when the New Covenant was instituted, they would receive Jesus as Messiah and enter into the Kingdom of God.

Selah! Think about it!

Matthew 5 - Murder & Adultery

Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. 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. Matthew 5:17-18

Jesus teaches His disciples that He came to fulfill all the law and the prophets, and that they were to look to those laws with spiritual eyes; there are spiritual truths behind the natural requirements of the law that cause all men to be sinners.  

For example, He tells them that hatred of the heart is the same as murder AND that to lust with the eyes is the same as adultery. This was not understood by the religious rulers of Jesus' day and it isn't understood by many sitting in the pews of our modern churches.

Just as Paul explained in the book of Romans, the law is a shadow of Jesus the Savior, and it fulfills its purpose by revealing the sin nature in all of us. When confronted by the righteous, inflexible law, all of us come to see that we are sinners in need of a savior.

But once we receive the savior, Jesus Christ, we become born again, children of God, partakers of the divine nature. That is very good news, indeed!

Matthew 5 - the Beatitudes

And seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain: and when he was set, his disciples came unto him: And he opened his mouth, and taught them, saying, Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 5:1-3.

After Jesus selects His first disciples, He lays out a blueprint for the individual who will receive the Kingdom of Heaven. Referred to as the Beatitudes, we find this teaching in Matthew 5. 

As the multitudes followed Him and as His fame became great in all of Israel, Jesus left a wake of healed and delivered people behind Him. At this point, He went up to a high mountain and taught his disciples about the Kingdom.

Who will receive this wonderful Kingdom? It won't be those who believe they are righteous because of their law-keeping and their good deeds. No, it will be those who receive righteousness God's way - by and from Jesus Christ, His son - by His grace through our faith.

Those who are poor in spirit, who mourn and long within their hearts for something more than what religion offers, who hunger and thirsts for God, who desire mercy and peace from Him are the ones who seek after this Kingdom and receive it. Persecution from the religious sect will come, but great blessings will be the reward.

All of us who are IN Christ Jesus can attest that we have been that man at some point! And when we come to Him and get born again, we become rich in spirit, our mourning ceases, our thirst and hunger are quenched and satisfied! We are children of God, filled with His Spirit, becoming partakers of His divine nature. What could be better than that?!

Matthew 4 - Fishers of Men

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. And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men. And they straightway left their nets, and followed him. Matthew 4:18-20.

After Jesus was tested in the wilderness, He began His ministry. When John the Baptist was placed in prison, Jesus left His home town and went to Capernaum where He began warning people to repent for the Kingdom of heaven was at hand, i.e. that it was very close.

His first disciples chosen were four fishermen, Peter and Andrew, who were brothers, and James and John, the sons of Zebedee. We see from the prophecy in Ezekiel 47 that God prophesied that, in His kingdom, a large number of fish would swim in the river of life and that fishermen would line the banks, ready to bring in a haul. We know this a picture of the great harvest of souls upon the earth as the Gospel has gone forth for the past two thousand years!

Another signpost that Messiah has come!

Matthew 4 - Jesus' Baptism & Temptation

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: And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Matthew 3:16-17

Jesus was baptized by John the Baptism as a public proclamation that He was the perfect, sinless, sacrifice for man's sins. After His sacrifice on the cross, there would be no more need to offer up bulls, sheep, and goats, and therefore the Mosaic, Levitical sacrificial system would be satisfied and become obsolete. His perfect, flawless, sinless God-blood would be the final blood offering the Father required.

Upon His baptism, an anointing came from heaven, where He was baptized with the Holy Spirit and declared by God to be His son, with whom He is well pleased. Essentially, the Father was declaring and proclaiming Jesus as the promised Messiah.

Jesus was then led into the wilderness where He was tempted by Satan. The purpose of His temptation was to prove His authenticity as Messiah. He satisfied the temptation of His flesh, soul, and spirit and emerged victorious, even after fasting 40 days and nights. He quoted the Word of God, believed it, and stood firm on it, thereby showing us, His body, how to likewise stand firm against the wiles of the devil!

Matthew 3 - John the Baptist, the return of Elijah

In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea, And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. 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. Matthew 3:1-3.

The prophet Malachi warned Israel that before Messiah came, Elijah would return and prepare a way for His coming. We see in Matthew that John the Baptist came dressed like Elijah, acting and speaking like Elijah, baptizing people for the repentance of sins, basically fulfilling Isaiah's prophecy of the "Voice crying out in the wilderness."

But Jesus later told his disciples that John fulfilled much more than this - he in fact was the promised Elijah who was prophesied to come and warn Israel to repent, get back to the law, and prepare for the Messiah and the new kingdom.

This was the predominant understanding of the church up until the mid 1800s when the futurist or "left behind" view came into vogue. There does not appear to be any biblical evidence that Elijah the Tishbite will return to earth and prepare the way for Messiah. Jesus claimed that Elijah has already come in the person of John the Baptist, and of course, we already know that Messiah came, was crucified, buried but was raised up to glory!

Take a fresh look at Scripture and decide for yourself whether Elijah has indeed come, just as the Lord promised!

Matthew Chapter 2 - A Visit from the Wise Men

Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem,Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him. Matthew 2:1-2.

The visit from the wise men from the east (probably Babylon) was a picture of the Gentile world looking, waiting, and expecting a light to come from God that would show them the way to salvation. This was prophesied by Isaiah in chapters 42, 49 & 60 -- God marked Jesus' birth in the stars, and the wise men followed what they saw all the way to Jerusalem. I believe they were looking for the Messiah, God's anointed King of the Jews, who fulfilled Daniel's prophecies.

Sadly, Jerusalem was ignorant, complacent, and less than enthusiastic at the notion of an anointed king being born in their midst. From the very beginning of Jesus' life, we see the religious Jews desiring to kill him, and believing Israel, those with circumcised hearts, receiving Him with great joy. The same is true today.

We also see that King Herod was Satan's instrument to kill and destroy countless innocent babies. Much heartache has come to natural Israel for rejecting their Messiah. But the good news is that they can turn and receive Him at any time. As the Apostle Paul explains in Romans 11, they can be easily grafted back into God's olive tree, which represents Jesus Christ!

This wonderful gift is available to anyone who will receive it by faith!