I’m so
pumped about this Matthew Study! I had every intention of posting on February 1
and 2 but life happened haha I’ll share that at the end of this post :)
Matthew 1:
The Birth of Jesus
Matthew 1:18-25 which talks about the Immaculate Conception and the
birth of Jesus. When Joseph found out that Mary was pregnant, an angel spoke to
him in a dream (verse 20-23).
Joseph
had great intentions by trying to take care of things quietly, but it wasn’t
God’s plan for him. Has God ever given you a task or something to do and you
felt as though you couldn’t complete it?
I absolutely
love this part, “Then Joseph woke up. He did exactly what God’s angel commanded
in the dream…” Matthew 1:24 (MSG)
When
God speaks to you, do you listen? And when you hear him, do you gripe,
complain, and take your sweet time?
Matthew 2: Herod’s
plot
“Herod then
arranged a secret meeting with the scholars from the East. Pretending to be as
devout as they were, he got them to tell him exactly when the birth
announcement start had appeared…” Matthew 2:7-8
Herod, is a
perfect example of James 1:26 (If
anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his
heart, this person's religion is worthless…). He put on a front, quoted
scriptures, sang all the right songs in praise and worship, prayed super long
prayers… or whatever else to convince the scholars that he was a believer. As Christians,
The Lord gives us a discerning spirit. Spend time with Him, so you can be aware
of the “Herods” of the world.
Matthew 2:16-17 says that Herod was angry when the scholars
did not report back to tell him the location of baby Jesus. He then commanded
that all the baby boys should be slaughtered so that nobody would be able to
follow a messiah.
We shouldn't share our dreams and visions with everybody. Some people
(like Herod) will hear about your calling and become jealous. They’ll lead you
to believe that they are supporting you, but all the while, they are plotting
against you. Who are you sharing your dreams and aspirations with? Are your
relationships God –lead? Or are you hanging on to relationships that God told
you to cut off, because they drain you, pull you AWAY from Christ, and steal
your joy?
Matthew 3: Jesus gets baptized
“But
when he saw many Pharisees
and Sadducees coming to be baptized, he denounced them. ‘You
sons of snakes!’ he warned. ‘Who said that you could escape the coming wrath of
God? Before being baptized, prove that you have turned from
sin by doing worthy deeds. Don’t try to get by as you
are, thinking, ‘We are safe for we are Jews—descendants of Abraham.’ That
proves nothing. God can change these stones here into Jews!’” Matthew
3:7-10 (The Living Bible)
John the Baptist had become widely known, much like the
celebrities of today. Everyone wanted a piece of John, so baptism was the cool
thing to do. But I love how John called out the hypocrisy. Similarly, we should
not merely accept that everyone who professes Christianity does in fact have a
growing relationship in Christ. Our walk with Christ is not determined by how
many things we do well at church, but it’s about our heart. If the heart is
right with God, we should be bearing the fruits of the spirit. It’s not
determined by how often we attend church, or that our grandparents thrice
removed pray for us daily. It’s a PERSONAL decision to take up our cross and
follow Him.
“Then Jesus went from Galilee to the Jordan River to
be baptized there by John. John
didn’t want to do it. ‘This isn’t proper,’ he said. ‘I am
the one who needs to be baptized by you.’ But Jesus
said, ‘Please
do it, for I must do all that is right.’ So then John
baptized him.” Matthew 3:15
Fun fact: Jesus was baptized for all that follow him!
Baptism is not necessary to be saved, but it is a outward act for an inward
change. Really, Jesus made being a Christian so much easier. We don’t have to
slaughter things, wait for prophets to speak words from God, or any of that.
Thank you, Jesus :)
I celebrated my birthday this weekend! So much fun. It's crazy to think that a few months ago, I knew a total of ZERO people.
*I also served as a chaperone at my church lock in, but I don't have those pictures yet :(
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