JANUARY 18 THE JESUS QUESTIONS Introduction-18: Lessons, Lifestyle, and Parables of Jesus: JQ#1-JQ#33 (Matthew 1:1 thru 3:17)

LIVING FOR JESUS --- Daily Devotional

JANUARY  18  THE JESUS QUESTIONS   Introduction-18: Lessons, Lifestyle, and Parables of Jesus: JQ#1-JQ#33  (Matthew 1:1 thru 3:17) 

Daily Prayer to JESUS    

Jesus, today my first thoughts towards You are thoughts of “Thankfulness” that You have done those things the Father asked You to do that sinners such as I would have a way to Eternally Fellowship with the TRINITY through the Miracle of Grace — a Miracle that was bought with a Heavenly Price and yet given with a Love that can never be reproduced! It is Your Divine Love that is freely poured out on everyone that calls on the Precious Name of Jesus. Lord, there is no way for us with our limited intellect to understand the Heavenly Dynamics that provides Grace to wretched souls because of the Holy Blood You Shed on the Cross on our behalf, nor why a Sacrificial Lamb could be slain before the foundation of the world — nor how the Shed Blood of the Lamb of God once applied to our Repentant hearts brings about the Miracle of Salvation — or why God Almighty The Great I AM would even consider the possibility of Forgiveness of the guilty and Offer His Only Begotten Son — O the Mystery of God to make such a Great Sacrifice of the Divine Innocent for the sake of sinful man!?!?!?!? Lord Jesus, Heavenly Father, Holy Spirit our hearts overflow with three words: “THANK YOU LORD” for being the Great God You ARE!!!      AMEN

THE JESUS QUESTIONS

JANUARY  18  THE JESUS QUESTIONS   Introduction-18: Lessons, Lifestyle, and Parables of Jesus: JQ#1-JQ#33  (Matthew 1:1 thru 3:17) Jesus comes on the scene in the 3rd Chapter of His Gospel according to St. Matthew after Jesus is announced as the “Lamb of God” by the Star Witness sent by God for One specific purpose: “There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. This man came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all through him might believe…that [JESUS] was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world.” (John 1:6-9) Matthew documents the fact that before Jesus came to be baptized by John that John the Baptist was already “preaching in the wilderness of Judea and saying, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!’” (Matthew 3:2) Matthew was Jewish and was a well educated Jewish scholar and very familiar with the Jewish Holy Scriptures (known today as the “Tanakh”— the Hebrew Bible consisting of three sets of books: Torah, Nevi’im <prophets and histories> and Ketuvim <writings>) and knew the significance of John’s message to the nation Israel for there had been 400 years of silence since Malachi the last prophet had written God’s declaration of the coming of the forerunner of the Messiah, “BEHOLD, I send My messenger, and he will prepare the way before Me.” (Malachi 3:1a) Matthew sensed through that same Holy Spirit that the LORD was once again speaking to Israel through His messenger, John the Baptist is the “messenger” who was foretold by the prophet Isaiah whom Matthew quoted when he wrote about John the Baptist, “For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah, saying, ‘The voice of one crying in the wilderness: Prepare the way of the LORD…’” (Matthew 3:3 and Isaiah 40:3)  The impact of John on the nation Israel can be seen by the simple statement of Matthew: “Then Jerusalem, all Judea, and all the region around the Jordan went out to [John the Baptist]” (Matthew 3:5) and the reason they were going out into the wilderness was to hear John preaching “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” and Matthew finishes his report on John the Baptist by stating that those going out into the wilderness to hear John preach about the kingdom of heaven “were baptized by him in the Jordan, confessing their sins.” (Matthew 3:6) Matthew with these simple statements makes it clear that John the Baptist is not trying to build a church or establish a congregation for his personal benefit because of the remote location in the desert wilderness where John the Baptist was preaching therefore one must concentrate on the message that John the Baptist was preaching and that message was clearly “Repent”. The results of the Spirit filled message was that people who listened to God’s Spirit filled Message to “Repent” were “confessing their sins”! The success of John’s message from God to Israel was also noted by Matthew for John became so well known in the wilderness that he caught the attention of even the Pharisees and Sadducees who themselves were “coming to” John to be baptized in the Jordan. (Matthew 3:7a) John’s reaction to the Pharisees and Sadducees must be viewed from the context that the Holy Spirit was leading John and speaking through John so when John calls the Pharisees and Sadducees a “brood of vipers” (Matthew 3:7b) we can anticipate that when the Messiah comes upon the scene that the Messiah, being led also by the Holy Spirit, will address the problem of having a “brood of vipers” ruling the temple and leading temple worship in Jerusalem! This “brood of vipers” were also responsible to God for teaching God’s religious doctrines to the nation of Israel, doctrines from God intended by God to promote Israel’s worship of The Great “I AM”, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob that had delivered them out of their bondage in Egypt and into the Promised Land. So Matthew has now established that Jesus has fulfilled prophecy by His Birth, and now John who has fulfilled the prophecy that there would be a “forerunner” to the Messiah is about to see Jesus face-to-face for the first time! Have you ever stopped in your Spiritual Journey and considered that even though you believe and know who Jesus is, that there will come that first moment when you will stand in His Presence — face to Face — for the first time!?!?!?!?!?! “Now” is a good time to stop and think about that “moment” for it is a “moment” in your “future” that was prophesied about you by the same Holy Spirit that prophesied about the Coming of the Anointed One and your reaction will uncover what you believe about Jesus in the secret parts of your heart and soul — and “Now” is the only time available for you to get that “moment” settled between you and your future with Jesus Christ Himself!!! The TRUTH of GOD is that one day your “moment” in His Presence will arrive and what you truly believe will be revealed as you stand face-to-Face with God at that very “moment” —— BUT once the “moment” arrives it is already to late —— you must be prepared BEFORE the “Moment” arrives —— and the time to think about that “Moment” and who Jesus really IS, is “Now”!!!