Matthew 27:51-56

The world would never be the same! The physical signs of the Son of God’s death and resurrection reverberated through, not only the Jewish world, but also the Gentiles. He came into the world to give hope to the marginalized of society…..women, children, elderly and the alien. The veil that had separated the common man from God was gone. 

In Jesus, through Him and in the unity of the Holy Spirit everyone is invited to enter into God’s rest.

The temple had two veils or curtains—one in front of the Holy Place and the other separating the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place. It was the second of these that was torn, demonstrating that God had opened up access to Himself through His Son. Only God could have torn the veil from the top. 

The fact that the people who were raised appeared to many in the holy city implies that they had been contemporaries of the people who saw them. The supernatural signs convinced the Centurion and those with him that Jesus was indeed the Son of God. Significantly, this confession of faith came from a Gentile.

Matthew 27:51-56

⁵¹ Then, behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth quaked, and the rocks were split, ⁵² and the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised; ⁵³ and coming out of the graves after His resurrection, they went into the holy city and appeared to many.

⁵⁴ So when the centurion and those with him, who were guarding Jesus, saw the earthquake and the things that had happened, they feared greatly, saying, “Truly this was the Son of God!”

⁵⁵ And many women who followed Jesus from Galilee, ministering to Him, were there looking on from afar, ⁵⁶ among whom were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joses, and the mother of Zebedee’s sons.

³¹ “You shall make a veil woven of blue, purple, and scarlet thread, and fine woven linen. It shall be woven with an artistic design of cherubim. 

Exodus 26:31

³⁸ Then the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. 

Mark 15:38

³ and behind the second veil, the part of the tabernacle which is called the Holiest of All, 

Hebrews 9:3

² and certain women who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities—Mary called Magdalene, out of whom had come seven demons, 

Luke 8:2

³ and Joanna the wife of Chuza, Herod’s steward, and Susanna, ²⁵ Now there stood by the cross of Jesus His mother, and His mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. 

John 19:25

³⁹ So when the centurion, who stood opposite Him, saw that He cried out like this and breathed His last, he said, “Truly this Man was the Son of God!” 

Mark 15:39

Ezekiel 21:25-27

There is only One worthy, the only begotten Son of God, all God and all Man slain by the very people that He came to save. But evil did not prevail. By the power of the Holy Spirit Jesus was raised from the dead and sits at the right hand of the Father. It is His right alone, who gave His life in exchange for mans, to judge.

To God be all glory! Our only righteousness is in His.

The turban and the crown stand for the priesthood and the kingship. Both would be removed from Judah. The priestly and kingly offices would not return until the coming of Him whose right it is—the Messiah.

Ezekiel 21:25-27

²⁵ ‘Now to you, O profane, wicked prince of Israel, whose day has come, whose iniquity shall end, ²⁶ thus says the Lord God:

“Remove the turban, and take off the crown;

Nothing shall remain the same.

Exalt the humble, and humble the exalted.

²⁷ Overthrown, overthrown,

I will make it overthrown!

It shall be no longer,

Until He comes whose right it is,

And I will give it to Him.” ’

⁵² He has put down the mighty from their thrones, And exalted the lowly. 

Luke 1:52

³² He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. 

Luke 1:32

³³ And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.” 

Luke 1:33

⁷ In His days the righteous shall flourish, And abundanc-27peace, Until the moon is no more. 

Psalm 72:7

⁵ “Behold, the days are coming,” says the Lord, “That I will raise to David a Branch of righteousness; A King shall reign and ¹prosper, And execute judgment and righteousness in the earth. 

Jeremiah 23:5

⁶ In His days Judah will be saved, And Israel will dwell safely; Now this is His name by which He will be called: ⁴THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS 

Jeremiah 23:6

Ezekiel 22:6-12

Read the Bible…nowhere does it say that money is to be our god and the needs of others secondary. A nation that declares it is a Christian nation should take care of the elderly, the immigrant, the fatherless and the poor. We cannot sit in the pews on Sunday and believe that our everyday lives are ours to do as we deem right. 

It is God’s way, not ours, that should rule our lives and our great nation.

Jerusalem’s princes had shed the blood of innocent people. These evil leaders had been: (1) taking advantage of parents and the weak (2) rejecting God and His covenant, leading to ungodliness and inhumanity (3) murdering the innocent by slandering them (4) preferring idolatrous religion and its immoral rituals (5) engaging in sexual immorality with neighbors, family, and relatives and (6) loving money and using it to get ahead of fellow citizens.

Ezekiel 22:6-12

Look, the princes of Israel: each one has used his power to shed blood in you. ⁷ In you they have made light of father and mother; in your midst they have oppressed the stranger; in you they have mistreated the fatherless and the widow. ⁸ You have despised My holy things and profaned My Sabbaths. ⁹ In you are men who slander to cause bloodshed; in you are those who eat on the mountains; in your midst they commit lewdness. ¹⁰ In you men uncover their fathers’ nakedness; in you they violate women who are set apart during their impurity. ¹¹ One commits abomination with his neighbor’s wife; another lewdly defiles his daughter-in-law; and another in you violates his sister, his father’s daughter. ¹² In you they take bribes to shed blood; you take usury and increase; you have made profit from your neighbors by extortion, and have forgotten Me,” says the Lord God.

²³ Your princes are rebellious, And companions of thieves; Everyone loves bribes, And follows after rewards. They do not defend the fatherless, Nor does the cause of the widow come before them. 

Isaiah 1:23

²⁷ Her princes in her midst are like wolves tearing the prey, to shed blood, to destroy people, and to get dishonest gain. 

Ezekiel 22:27

²⁸ They have grown fat, they are sleek; Yes, they surpass the deeds of the wicked; They do not plead the cause, The cause of the fatherless; Yet they prosper, And the right of the needy they do not defend. 

Jeremiah 5:28

⁵ And I will come near you for judgment; I will be a swift witness Against sorcerers, Against adulterers, Against perjurers, Against those who exploit wage earners and widows and orphans, And against those who turn away an alien— Because they do not fear Me,” Says the Lord of hosts. 

Malachi 3:5

Luke 15:8-10

We are A.L.L. precious children in God’s eyes. Who are we to judge?

I think that to many times we get caught up in the doctrines of religion instead of looking at the heart of the Father who exchanged the life of His Son so that all of mankind is given the choice of spending eternal life with Him. 

Now that is L.O.V.E.

3 Gr. drachma, a valuable coin often worn in a ten-piece garland by married women.

Luke 15:8-10

“Or what woman, having ten silver coins, if she loses one coin, does not light a lamp, sweep the house, and search carefully until she finds it? ⁹ And when she has found it, she calls her friends and neighbors together, saying, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found the piece which I lost!’ ¹⁰ Likewise, I say to you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”

Luke 6:32-28

Show others the compassion, forgiveness and mercy that you were shown letting the love of God through Jesus Christ cover the multitude of sins….in all of our lives! 

The love you show for others is a direct reflection of His and you will be mentally, physically and spiritually healthier… He promises.

Believe and leave the rest to God.

Luke 6:32-38

³² “But if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. ³³ And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. ³⁴ And if you lend to those from whom you hope to receive back, what credit is that to you? For even sinners lend to sinners to receive as much back. ³⁵ But love your enemies, do good, and lend, hoping for nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High. For He is kind to the unthankful and evil. ³⁶ Therefore be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful.

³⁷ “Judge not, and you shall not be judged. Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. ³⁸ Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.”

⁴² Give to him who asks you, and from him who wants to borrow from you do not turn away. 

Matthew 5:42

¹⁰ Love does no harm to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law. 

Romans 13:10

³² And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you. 

Ephesians 4:32

³⁵ ‘If one of your brethren becomes poor, and falls into poverty among you, then you shall help him, like a stranger or a sojourner, that he may live with you. ^36 iTake no usury or interest from him; but  fear your God, that your brother may live with you. ³⁷ You shall not lend him your money for usury, nor lend him your food at a profit. 

Leviticus 25:35–37

¹⁷ He who has pity on the poor lends to the Lord, And He will pay back what he has given. 

Proverbs 19:17

Romans 8:31-39

If God is for you nothing else matters! 

I am doing a reading, in lieu of my 87 year old Father, for my nephew’s wedding in Newtown, CT how fitting it is. Evil may try to destroy your faith but it cannot succeed. Cling to that faith which is your gift from the Father in the salvation of the Cross and everything will work out. In Christ all things are possible and the same Holy Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead is is able to get you safely home.

justification

noun

there's no justification: grounds, reason, basis, rationale, premise, rationalization, vindication, explanation; defense, argument, apologia, apology, case.

The apostle struggles for words to describe the absolute certainty of God’s love for believers. Nothing hard or dangerous, neither death nor life, can separate us.

If God, the uncreated One, is for us, and no created thing can separate us, then our security in Him is absolute.

Romans 8:31-39

³¹ What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? ³² He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? ³³ Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. ³⁴ Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us. ³⁵ Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? ³⁶ As it is written:

“For Your sake we are killed all day long;

We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.”

³⁷ Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. ³⁸ For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, ³⁹ nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

⁹ Only do not rebel against the Lord, nor fear the people of the land, for they are our bread; their protection has departed from them, and the Lord is with us. Do not fear them.” 

Numbers 14:9

⁶ For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. 

Romans 5:6

¹⁸ “He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. 

John 3:18

²⁵ Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them. 

Hebrews 7:25

⁹ Yes, we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves but in God who raises the dead, 

2 Corinthians 1:9

Romans 14:14-18

As followers of Jesus Christ we walk in love. 

God loves all of His creation, no one person more than another. In His eyes sin is sin, from the little white lies we use to our advantage to adultery, they are all equal sins. 

God is the judge…..not us!

 We are to be an example of His love, so great, so deep,  that He gave His only Son to die in place of our sins. 

Romans 15… We then who are strong ought to bear with the scruples of the weak, and not to please ourselves. ² Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, leading to edification.

Face it we are all sinners in need of a Savior. It is all about Jesus and His sacrifice, His righteousness, nor ours. 

Our commission is to let others know of God’s love and He will take care of the rest.

The kingdom of God does not consist of external things, but in spiritual realities like righteousness in action and thought, peace that seeks harmony, and joy that comes from the Holy Spirit. Those who understand the spiritual realities of the kingdom will not choose the brief joy of satisfying selfish desires over the spiritual joy of putting aside those desires for the sake of others.

Romans 14:14-18

¹⁴ I know and am convinced by the Lord Jesus that there is nothing unclean of itself; but to him who considers anything to be unclean, to him it is unclean. ¹⁵ Yet if your brother is grieved because of your food, you are no longer walking in love. Do not destroy with your food the one for whom Christ died. ¹⁶ Therefore do not let your good be spoken of as evil; ¹⁷ for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. ¹⁸ For he who serves Christ in these things is acceptable to God and approved by men.

¹¹ And because of your knowledge shall the weak brother perish, for whom Christ died? 

1 Corinthians 8:11

¹⁷ Repay no one evil for evil. Have regard for good things in the sight of all men. 

Romans 12:17

⁶ For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. 

Romans 8:6

¹² having your conduct honorable among the Gentiles, that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may, by your good works which they observe, glorify God in the day of visitation. 

1 Peter 2:12

The Book of Matthew

When the whole worlds seem to be chaotic and unpredictable look up our Redeemer, the King of kings, is drawing near, ”God with us”. 

Spread the Good News!

unpredictable

adjective

1 unpredictable results: unforeseeable, uncertain, unsure, doubtful, dubious, iffy, dicey, in the balance, up in the air.

2 unpredictable behavior: erratic, moody, volatile, unstable, capricious, temperamental, mercurial, changeable, variable; 'on-again, off-again’.

The Book of Matthew

Succession to a throne is often a time of conflict and uncertainty. David’s son Absalom tried to usurp the throne. Solomon’s choice of successor lost more than half the kingdom to a traitor. Menahem assassinated his predecessor in Israel. Royalty is a dangerous business.

This is no less true when the heir is the King of kings. If ever there was a high-stakes succession, this was it. A Man claims to be Israel’s own Messiah; of course all Israel sits up and takes notice. Of course He must prove His credentials: Who wants an impostor? The Book of Matthew presents Jesus’ credentials. It presents Jesus as the King, but King of a totally different kingdom—the kingdom of heaven.

²² So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying:  ²³ “Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which is translated, “God with us.” 

Matthew 1:22-23

⁶ For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 

Isaiah 9:6

¹⁴ And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come. 

Matthew 24:14

Daniel 8:23-25

In a complex world the weapon is simple, Jesus the Christ.

There will be an end to the world as we know it. Good will overcome evil. God always has the final word. Trust in Him to accomplish what man cannot.

The first king of Greece was Alexander the Great. None of Alexander’s four generals ruled with the strength of Alexander. King Antiochus IV Epiphanes, the king of Syria made his capital at Antioch. Antiochus would be energized by Satan, as will the Antichrist. Antiochus died without human intervention. According to the apocryphal Book of 2 Maccabees, Antiochus died of a painful disease.

Daniel 8:23-25

²³ “And in the latter time of their kingdom,

When the transgressors have reached their fullness,

A king shall arise,

Having fierce features,

Who understands sinister schemes.

²⁴ His power shall be mighty, but not by his own power;

He shall destroy fearfully,

And shall prosper and thrive;

He shall destroy the mighty, and also the holy people.

²⁵ “Through his cunning

He shall cause deceit to prosper under his rule;

And he shall exalt himself in his heart.

He shall destroy many in their prosperity.

He shall even rise against the Prince of princes;

But he shall be broken without human means.

⁵⁰ a nation of fierce countenance, which does not respect the elderly nor show favor to the young. 

Deuteronomy 28:50

¹³ These are of one mind, and they will give their power and authority to the beast. 

Revelation 17:13

²⁰ Then the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who worked signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image. These two were cast alive into the lake of fire burning with brimstone. 

Revelation 19:20

Mark 3:1-5

The letter of the Law, without Gods’ compassion, grace and mercy, kills the spirit and turns people away from the true meaning of salvation….Jesus. His Love covered a multitude of sins... so should ours.

The greatest of the gifts given to us is Love!

Christ put the meaning of the Sabbath to the test. Certainly it was more consistent with the intention of the law to restore this man’s afflicted hand, even on the Sabbath, than to destroy his hopes for the sake of keeping human tradition. The Pharisees did not respond, for they knew that they would condemn themselves.

Mark 3:1-5

 And He entered the synagogue again, and a man was there who had a withered hand. ² So they watched Him closely, whether He would heal him on the Sabbath, so that they might accuse Him. ³ And He said to the man who had the withered hand,  “Step forward.” ⁴ Then He said to them, “Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?” But they kept silent. ⁵ And when He had looked around at them with anger, being grieved by the hardness of their hearts, He said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” And he stretched it out, and his hand was restored as whole as the other.

³²The wicked watches the righteous, And seeks to slay him. 

Psalm 37:32

²⁰ So they watched Him, and sent spies who pretended to be righteous, that they might seize on His words, in order to deliver Him to the power and the authority of the governor. 

Luke 20:20

Jonah 4: 9-11

God cares about ALL His creation.  A.L.L.  If we have a problem with loving sinners (those with different sins than our own) or those who  we see as being different than ourselves then it is our problem….not His. 

9-11 Jesus to the rescue!

Gods’  love is so great, so powerful, so extreme that if we can get someone to grasp His agape kind of love  for them we will bring a smile to the very faces of the angels in His Kingdom. Wow!!!!

It was never Gods’ desire for anyone to perish but through Jesus to have an equal opportunity to enter in. He loves the good, the bad and the downright ugly and gave His only begotten Son to die for all of us.

If Jonah could take pity on a plant, which is even less important than an animal, it only made sense that God would take pity on human beings, who are made in God’s image. The Book of Jonah ends on this note of contrast between Jonah’s ungracious heart and the kind heart of the Lord.

The Book of Jonah challenges God’s people not to exalt themselves over others. The Lord, the great King, is free to bless, to be gracious, and to be patient with all the nations of the earth. More than that, He may show compassion even on the wicked. Indeed, His mercy extends even to animals.

Jonah 4: 9-11

 Then God said to Jonah, “Is it right for you to be angry about the plant?”

And he said, “It is right for me to be angry, even to death!”

¹⁰ But the Lord said, “You have had pity on the plant for which you have not labored, nor made it grow, which came up in a night and perished in a night. ¹¹ And should I not pity Nineveh, that great city, in which are more than one hundred and twenty thousand persons who cannot discern between their right hand and their left—and much livestock?

Mark 6:5-6

What is the biggest obstacle to our spirituality? 

Lack of faith, without it we are unable to see the work of the Holy Spirit in our life or to hear the plans that He has for us. Without faith we can not please God who rewards those who believe He exists.

In salvation we are given the Holy Spirit to teach us the spiritual things of Jesus so our life glorifies God…. Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

Nothing is impossible to those who believe.

believe

verb

1 I don't believe you: be convinced by, trust, have confidence in, consider honest, consider truthful.

2 do you believe that story? regard as true, accept, be convinced by, give credence to, credit, trust, put confidence in; informal swallow, buy, go for.

3 I believe he worked for you: think, be of the opinion that, have an idea that, imagine, suspect, suppose, assume, presume, take it, conjecture, surmise, conclude, deduce, understand, be given to understand, gather, fancy, guess, dare say; informal reckon, figure; archaic ween. ANTONYMS doubt.

believe in be convinced of the existence of, be sure of the existence of…trust in, have every confidence in, cling to, set (great) store by, value, be convinced by, be persuaded by; subscribe to, approve of; informal swear by.

Mark 6:5-6

⁵ Now He could do no mighty work there, except that He laid His hands on a few sick people and healed them. ⁶ And He marveled because of their unbelief. Then He went about the villages in a circuit, teaching.

⁵⁸ Now He did not do many mighty works there because of their unbelief. 

Matthew 13:58

²³ Jesus said to him, “If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.” 

Mark 9:23

¹⁹ So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief. 

Hebrews 3:19

³⁸ how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him. 

Acts 10:38

¹⁷ And He came and preached peace to you who were afar off and to those who were near. 

Ephesians 2:17

Matthew 1:18-25

Can you imagine being a very young girl, 13 or 14 years of age, and finding yourself unmarried and pregnant……with the very Son Of God? 

Side by side with the unspeakable joy you are experiencing you are also placed in the very vulnerable position of being pregnant out of wedlock. Who would believe you that this Holy One growing inside of you was conceived of the Holy Spirit? At the same time the man you are engaged to has very serious questions of his own about the conception of this child. Talk about being elated and fearful at the same time.

God handpicked Joseph knowing that he was a godly and compassionate man who listened and obeyed. 

Joseph  must have felt betrayed initially but lived his life close enough to God to be able to hear from Him.  Miracle upon miracle would be witnessed by these two Jewish people. 

Never in their wildest dreams could they have imagined the road that they would be placed upon in fulfilling Scripture.

In Jewish culture, this covenant was made about a year before the consummation of the marriage. It was during the one-year period of betrothal that Mary was found to be pregnant. It would take a divorce ,according to their laws, to end this engagement.

Matthew 1:18-25

¹⁸ Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: After His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Spirit. ¹⁹ Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not wanting to make her a public example, was minded to put her away secretly. ²⁰ But while he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. ²¹ And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.”

²² So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying: ²³ “Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which is translated, “God with us.”

²⁴ Then Joseph, being aroused from sleep, did as the angel of the Lord commanded him and took to him his wife, ²⁵ and did not know her till she had brought forth her firstborn Son. And he called His name Jesus.

Luke 1:35 

³⁵ And the angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God. 

Acts 13:23 

²³ From this man’s seed, according to the promise, God raised up for Israel a Savior—Jesus—

Galatians 4:4 

⁴ But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law,