Ephesians 4:25-32

Walk in Love…God’s love!

How easy that is to write those words. hating is easy.  loving is hard. it takes work. We need to speak the truth of the love of the Father for His creation…man. He loved all of us so much that He gave His only begotten Son that ALL who believe in Him would live! If we hold Him up and show that caring, that agape love, to everyone they will be drawn to Him.

Paul seems to acknowledge that anger can be unavoidable, but he also recognizes that it can quickly develop into an occasion for sin. He seems to be indicating that poor treatment of others can constrain the work of the Spirit—essentially denying or resisting God’s indwelling presence.

The Greek word for forgiving used here, charizomai, implies not only forgiving, but doing so with a gracious attitude. Paul uses this same word elsewhere to describe God’s forgiveness. Faithlife Bible.

Paul calls for believers to speak the truth to each other, because all believers are united in Christ. The Proverbs identify a lying tongue as one of the six things God abhors.

Christians may respond in controlled anger to injustice and sin, but they should never be consumed by this anger. Instead they should seek opportunities to express Christ’s love to everyone.

The Holy Spirit of God should never be pushed away, ignored, or rejected. If we would remember that the One who lives in us is God’s own Spirit, we would be much more selective about what we think, read, watch, say, and do. Note that Paul acknowledges that evil thoughts and actions are temptations even for those who are sealed by the Holy Spirit. NKJ Bible.

Ephesians 4:25–32 (NKJV)

²⁵ Therefore, putting away lying, “Let each one of you speak truth with his neighbor,” for we are members of one another. ²⁶ “Be angry, and do not sin”: do not let the sun go down on your wrath, ²⁷ nor give place to the devil. ²⁸ Let him who stole steal no longer, but rather let him labor, working with his hands what is good, that he may have something to give him who has need. ²⁹ Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers. ³⁰ And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. ³¹ Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. ³² And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.

Colossians 3:12 (NKJV)

¹² Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering;

Luke 3:11 (NKJV)

¹¹ He answered and said to them, “He who has two tunics, let him give to him who has none; and he who has food, let him do likewise.”

Colossians 3:8 (NKJV)

⁸ But now you yourselves are to put off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth.

Matthew 25:31-46

What we do for the least of God’s creation we do for Jesus. When we fail to do for the least we fail Him.

Help me to be Your hands and feet in a fallen world.

Christians should be doers not just hearers of the Word of God made flesh, Jesus the Christ.

The final section of this discourse involves judgment. This is to be expected, since Matthew emphasizes the coming of the kingdom and thus the judgment that accompanies it. In the previous two parables, Jesus had been speaking of the judgment on those Israelites who were unprepared for the coming of the Messiah. In the last parable of this discourse, Jesus focuses His attention on all the nations of the earth. NKJ BIble.

Matthew 25:31–46 (NKJV)

³¹ “When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. ³² All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. ³³ And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left. ³⁴ Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: ³⁵ for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; ³⁶ I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.’

³⁷ “Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? ³⁸ When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? ³⁹ Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ ⁴⁰ And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’

⁴¹ “Then He will also say to those on the left hand, ‘Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels: ⁴² for I was hungry and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink; ⁴³ I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.’

⁴⁴ “Then they also will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?’ ⁴⁵ Then He will answer them, saying, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.’ ⁴⁶ And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

Isaiah 58:7 (NKJV)

⁷ Is it not to share your bread with the hungry,

And that you bring to your house the poor who are cast out;

When you see the naked, that you cover him,

And not hide yourself from your own flesh?

Acts 12:21-24

No matter who is on the throne…there is only one King and He is in control!

Perhaps to regain Herod’s favor, the people flatter him. The nature of this disease is uncertain, but its effect is to judge Herod (Agrippa I) for his pride and to prove that he was certainly no god.

In contrast to the speech of Herod that brought on his destruction, the word of the true God—that is, the proclamation of Jesus’ death and resurrection for the forgiveness of sins and new life in the Spirit—continues to grow and spread. Faithlife Bible.

The Jewish historian Josephus also provides an account of this display, informing us that in an attempted appeasement of the king the people confessed that he was “more than a mortal.” Herod, instead of rebuking the address of deity, enjoyed the adulation—until he discovered the consequence of such blasphemy. NKJ Bible.

Acts 12:21–24 (NKJV)

²¹ So on a set day Herod, arrayed in royal apparel, sat on his throne and gave an oration to them. ²² And the people kept shouting, “The voice of a god and not of a man!” ²³ Then immediately an angel of the Lord struck him, because he did not give glory to God. And he was eaten by worms and died.

²⁴ But the word of God grew and multiplied.

1 Samuel 25:38 (NKJV)

³⁸ Then it happened, after about ten days, that the Lord struck Nabal, and he died.

Micah 2:2-4

Our culture is in an evil time. Our Church, the Body of Christ, is in an evil time. Satan wants nothing more than to kill, steal and destroy us. God cares less about our culture but He cares deeply about the Body of Christ and those who place their trust in him.

The mistreatment of others has given these evildoers the impression that they are better than those upon whom they prey. Faithlife Bible.

While the wicked devised iniquity, God made some plans of His own. NKJ Bible.

Micah 2:3–4 (NKJV)

³ Therefore thus says the Lord:

“Behold, against this family I am devising disaster,

From which you cannot remove your necks;

Nor shall you walk haughtily,

For this is an evil time.

⁴ In that day one shall take up a proverb against you,

And lament with a bitter lamentation, saying:

‘We are utterly destroyed!

He has changed the heritage of my people;

How He has removed it from me!

To a turncoat He has divided our fields.’ ”

Amos 5:13 (NKJV)

¹³ Therefore the prudent keep silent at that time,

For it is an evil time.

Matthew 1:1-12

Foreign dignitaries knew of the birth of the Christ child. The Jewish hierarchy did not. From Scripture they had head knowledge of the Messiah but they did not discern His coming.

Power corrupts. Complete power totally corrupts the hear and soul of a person. The jewish elites are afraid of losing control of the masses. Because of that the truth was hidden from them.

The Magi (wise men) probably came from the Parthia Empire (a kingdom spanning modern Iraq and Iran). They were likely astrologers and royal courtiers. In Matthew’s narrative, they are depicted as foreign dignitaries.

Herod’s actions do not demonstrate a hopeful anticipation concerning the coming of the Messiah; rather, he knows that anyone claiming to be the Messiah will be a threat to his rule. Most likely, he fears that someone will use the child as a figurehead in a military uprising. Faithlife Bible.

Herod the king is Herod the Great, who reigned over Palestine from 37 b.c. until his death in 4 b.c. A crafty ruler and lavish builder, Herod had a reign marked by cruelty and bloodshed. The word translated wise men can refer either to fraudulent sorcerers or, as here, to a more honorable class of astrologers. 

Matthew clearly records how the Jewish religious authorities, who became Christ’s enemies later, unintentionally affirmed that Jesus had fulfilled a messianic prophecy in His birth. God sometimes uses the words of His opponents to speak the truth.

Matthew 2:1–12 (NKJV)

2 Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, ² saying, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him.”

³ When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. ⁴ And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born.

⁵ So they said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it is written by the prophet:

⁶ ‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,

Are not the least among the rulers of Judah;

For out of you shall come a Ruler

Who will shepherd My people Israel.’ ”

⁷ Then Herod, when he had secretly called the wise men, determined from them what time the star appeared. ⁸ And he sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the young Child, and when you have found Him, bring back word to me, that I may come and worship Him also.”

⁹ When they heard the king, they departed; and behold, the star which they had seen in the East went before them, till it came and stood over where the young Child was. ¹⁰ When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy. ¹¹ And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

¹² Then, being divinely warned in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed for their own country another way.

Genesis 25:6 (NKJV)

⁶ But Abraham gave gifts to the sons of the concubines which Abraham had; and while he was still living he sent them eastward, away from Isaac his son, to the country of the east.

Isaiah 60:6 (NKJV)

⁶ The multitude of camels shall cover your land,

The dromedaries of Midian and Ephah;

All those from Sheba shall come;

They shall bring gold and incense,

And they shall proclaim the praises of the Lord.

Micah 5:2 (NKJV)

² “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,

Though you are little among the thousands of Judah,

Yet out of you shall come forth to Me

The One to be Ruler in Israel,

Whose goings forth are from of old,

From everlasting.”

Matthew 2:18

Satan seeks to kill, steal and destroy those who place their trust in Jesus Christ for salvation. If he fails at his attacks on us he goes after our children.

Matthew quotes Jeremiah 31:15; the context of children being slaughtered and Jesus’ family being uprooted parallels the context of Jeremiah’s prophecy. Faithlife Bible.

This prophecy comes from Jeremiah, in which Rachel, who had been entombed near Bethlehem some 13 centuries before the Babylonian captivity, is seen weeping for her children as they were led away to Babylon in 586 b.c. In the slaughter of the male infants at the time of Christ’s birth, Rachel once again is pictured as mourning the violent loss of her sons. NKJ Bible.

Matthew 2:18 (NKJV)

¹⁸ “A voice was heard in Ramah,

Lamentation, weeping, and great mourning,

Rachel weeping for her children,

Refusing to be comforted,

Because they are no more.”

Jeremiah 31:15 (NKJV) Mercy on Ephraim

¹⁵ Thus says the Lord:

“A voice was heard in Ramah,

Lamentation and bitter weeping,

Rachel weeping for her children,

Refusing to be comforted for her children,

Because they are no more.”

The Book of Luke

All of the books of the Bible have their own stamp on them. This especially applies to the Gospel of Luke. The Holy Spirit inspired different writers with diverse messages all with the purpose of deepening our walk with Christ. Since the whole is the sum of its parts this makes the study of all Scriptures so instrumental in our walk with the triune Godhead.

The Gospel of Luke, along with the book of Acts, was attributed in early church history to Luke the physician, who traveled with Paul the apostle. Luke’s Gospel was likely composed between ad 60 and 85, shortly before he finished Acts. Faithlife Bible.

The Gospel of Luke…

 is unique in several ways. It is the only Gospel that has a sequel, Acts. Both Luke and Acts include an account of the Ascension, an event that only Luke describes in detail. Second, Luke is the longest of the four Gospels. Third, Luke records a wide variety of miracles, teaching, and parables, making it the fullest portrait of Jesus’ ministry. Much of the material in chapters 9–19 appears only in Luke; in all, about one-third of the Gospel of Luke is unique. Fourth, Luke is the only Gospel addressed to an individual. Luke writes for Theophilus, who was probably a Gentile believer.

For Luke, Jesus is the promised Messiah, the Son of God, the Servant through whom God works, and the Lord who is called to sit at God’s right hand exerting His authority and giving the Spirit to those who believe. Though aspects of God’s plan are fulfilled in Jesus’ First Coming, other parts of the plan remain to be fulfilled when Jesus returns.

Luke wrote his Gospel to reassure Theophilus, a Gentile and a new believer, that God was still at work in the Christian community founded by Jesus. Luke presents God’s grace as revealed in Jesus’ ministry on earth. He emphasizes that this grace is available to Gentiles, even though the promises relating to Jesus’ ministry stretch back into Israel’s history. For this reason Luke also concentrates on Jesus’ relationship to the nation and leaders of Israel. The rejection of Israel does not mean the failure of God’s plan. On the contrary, although they did not know it, their rejection was part of God’s plan from the beginning. In fact, persecution of the Christian community would be the means by which the church would spread the Good News throughout the world. Jesus Himself had predicted that this would happen.

Luke 11:27-28

God did not promise us a life without trials but He did promise us that He would never leave us alone without a comforter, the dear Holy Spirit. He wants us to have an abundant life and live out that life without hypocrisy. He wants us to show the world that life in Him is full and rewarding now and for eternity. 

Rejoice and be glad in the days that He gives you here on earth always with an eye toward eternity!

Love God above anyone or anything and love your neighbor as much as you do yourself. In keeping these commands of Christ you will fulfill all the commandments.

True blessedness, according to Jesus, is found in obedience to God’s revelation. Faithlife Bible.

It is easy to allow traditional practices to take the place of the authority of the Scriptures. Jesus offers His blessing to those who respond concretely to God’s will as expressed in the Bible. NKJ Bible.

Luke 11:27–28 (NKJV)

²⁷ And it happened, as He spoke these things, that a certain woman from the crowd raised her voice and said to Him, “Blessed is the womb that bore You, and the breasts which nursed You!”

²⁸ But He said, “More than that, blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it!”

James 1:25 (NKJV)

²⁵ But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.

Psalm 1:2 (NKJV)

² But his delight is in the law of the Lord,

And in His law he meditates day and night.

Psalm 112:1 (NKJV)

¹ Praise the Lord!

Blessed is the man who fears the Lord,

Who delights greatly in His commandments.

Romans 10:12-13

What a wonderful, marvelous God we serve!

To those who had no hope..hope was given in Him and in the unity of the Holy Spirit!

The Greek word kyrios, translated “Lord,” refers to Jesus Christ. Thus, Paul identifies Jesus Christ with Yahweh of the old testament. Both Jews and Gentiles are under God’s judgment because of sin, yet both are eligible for righteousness through faith in Christ. Faithlife Bible.

Paul emphasizes the universal offer of salvation. NKJ Bible.

Romans 10:12–13 (NKJV)

¹² For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him. ¹³ For “whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

Joel 2:32 (NKJV)

³² And it shall come to pass

That whoever calls on the name of the Lord

Shall be saved.

For in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be deliverance,

As the Lord has said,

Among the remnant whom the Lord calls.

Acts 2:21 (NKJV)

²¹ And it shall come to pass

That whoever calls on the name of the Lord

Shall be saved.’

Acts 10:36 (NKJV)

³⁶ The word which God sent to the children of Israel, preaching peace through Jesus Christ—He is Lord of all—

Acts 15:9 (NKJV)

⁹ and made no distinction between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith.

John 14:5-7

With Jesus, in Him and in the unity of the Holy Spirit we know the Father!

Salvation does not come through the law, sacrifices, religious practices, or the overthrow of foreign oppressors—all of which were beliefs held by Jews in the first century. Instead, Jesus Himself is the channel through which people can have relationship with God the Father and spend eternity with Him. Faithlife Bible.

Jesus came to reveal the Father. To know Jesus is to know the Father.

Through His death and resurrection, Jesus is the way to the Father. He is also the truth and the life. As truth, He is the revelation of God. As life, He is the communication of God to us. NKJ Bible.

John 14:5–7 (NKJV)

⁵ Thomas said to Him, “Lord, we do not know where You are going, and how can we know the way?”

⁶ Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.

⁷ “If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; and from now on you know Him and have seen Him.”

John 10:9 (NKJV)

⁹ I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture.

John 1:14 (NKJV)

¹⁴ And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.

John 1:17 (NKJV)

¹⁷ For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.

John 8:19 (NKJV)

¹⁹ Then they said to Him, “Where is Your Father?”Jesus answered, “You know neither Me nor My Father. If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also.”