11/12               Matthew 4:1-11

1 Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted there by the devil.  2For forty days and forty nights he fasted and became very hungry.  3 During that time the devil came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become loaves of bread.”  4 But Jesus told him, “No! The Scriptures say, ‘People do not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’ ” 5 Then the devil took him to the holy city, Jerusalem, to the highest point of the Temple,  6 and said, “If you are the Son of God, jump off! For the Scriptures say, ‘He will order his angels to protect you. And they will hold you up with their hands so you won’t even hurt your foot on a stone.’ ”  7 Jesus responded, “The Scriptures also say, ‘You must not test the Lord your God.’ ” 8 Next the devil took him to the peak of a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory.  9 “I will give it all to you,” he said, “if you will kneel down and worship me.” 10 “Get out of here, Satan,” Jesus told him. “For the Scriptures say, ‘You must worship the Lord your God and serve only him.’ ”  11 Then the devil went away, and angels came and took care of Jesus.

WILL

Jesus did the will of the Father in everything.  We need to think today about what is God’s will for my life?  His will is that we become more like Jesus every day.  What is God calling you to do?  To glorify Him and love one another.  Love covers a multitude of sins.   

11/11               Matthew 3:11-17 

“I baptize with water those who repent of their sins and turn to God. But someone is coming soon who is greater than I am—so much greater that I’m not worthy even to be his slave and carry his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. 12 He is ready to separate the chaff from the wheat with his winnowing fork. Then he will clean up the threshing area, gathering the wheat into his barn but burning the chaff with never-ending fire.”  13 Then Jesus went from Galilee to the Jordan River to be baptized by John.  14 But John tried to talk him out of it. “I am the one who needs to be baptized by you,” he said, “so why are you coming to me?” 15 But Jesus said, “It should be done, for we must carry out all that God requires. ” So John agreed to baptize him. 16 After his baptism, as Jesus came up out of the water, the heavens were opened and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and settling on him. 17 And a voice from heaven said, “This is my dearly loved Son, who brings me great joy.”

TRUTH

We know so little of what is going on in the world and almost nothing of what is happening in the heavenlies.  The Lord calls us to obey and not reason about what is going on or sometimes not even know what is going on-Jesus calls us to service.  Serve the Lord with gladness and let Him use you.  Surrender to Him.  Do what Jesus says.  Those statements presuppose that we are reading the Bible and spending time with Jesus.  Make sure you are. 

11/10               Matthew 3:1-10

1 In those days John the Baptist came to the Judean wilderness and began preaching. His message was, 2 “Repent of your sins and turn to God, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near. ”  3The prophet Isaiah was speaking about John when he said, “He is a voice shouting in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the LORD ’s coming! Clear the road for him!’” 4 John’s clothes were woven from coarse camel hair, and he wore a leather belt around his waist. For food he ate locusts and wild honey. 5 People from Jerusalem and from all of Judea and all over the Jordan Valley went out to see and hear John. 6 And when they confessed their sins, he baptized them in the Jordan River.  7 But when he saw many Pharisees and Sadducees coming to watch him baptize, he denounced them. “You brood of snakes!” he exclaimed. “Who warned you to flee God’s coming wrath? 8 Prove by the way you live that you have repented of your sins and turned to God.  9 Don’t just say to each other, ‘We’re safe, for we are descendants of Abraham.’ That means nothing, for I tell you, God can create children of Abraham from these very stones. 10 Even now the ax of God’s judgment is poised, ready to sever the roots of the trees. Yes, every tree that does not produce good fruit will be chopped down and thrown into the fire. 

SERVICE

You and I are called to service.  We are called to glorify God with all of our heart.  Notice, John the Baptist was willing to be a vessel used by the Lord to glorify Him.  Each one of us is called to be a part of the family of God and are important in the working out of that relationship with the Father by developing and maintaining a good relationship with all of the people around us.  Love your neighbor as yourself and obey the Lord. 

11/09               Matthew 2:19-23 

When Herod died, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt.  20 “Get up!” the angel said. “Take the child and his mother back to the land of Israel, because those who were trying to kill the child are dead.”  21 So Joseph got up and returned to the land of Israel with Jesus and his mother. 22 But when he learned that the new ruler of Judea was Herod’s son Archelaus, he was afraid to go there. Then, after being warned in a dream, he left for the region of Galilee.  23 So the family went and lived in a town called Nazareth. This fulfilled what the prophets had said: “He will be called a Nazarene.”

GUIDANCE

Ask the Lord and He will guide you in the way you should go.  Spend time with Jesus and with the Bible and you will discover the joy and peace of walking with Jesus.  He is Lord.  He will never leave you nor will He ever disown you.  You belong to Him.  Live like it. 

11/08               Matthew 2:16-18 

Herod was furious when he realized that the wise men had outwitted him. He sent soldiers to kill all the boys in and around Bethlehem who were two years old and under, based on the wise men’s report of the star’s first appearance. 17 Herod’s brutal action fulfilled what God had spoken through the prophet Jeremiah: 18 “A cry was heard in Ramah— weeping and great mourning. Rachel weeps for her children, refusing to be comforted, for they are dead.” 

EVIL

Evil comes from many places but it is a product of the chaos and submission to the Evil One in this world.  In this world we will have strife and heartache but one day we will stand in Paradise with Jesus and everything changes.  No more crying, sin, heartache or evil where God lives and we will have life like His. 

11/07               Matthew 2:9-15 

After this interview the wise men went their way. And the star they had seen in the east guided them to Bethlehem. It went ahead of them and stopped over the place where the child was.  10 When they saw the star, they were filled with joy!  11 They entered the house and saw the child with his mother, Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasure chests and gave him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. 12 When it was time to leave, they returned to their own country by another route, for God had warned them in a dream not to return to Herod.  13 After the wise men were gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. “Get up! Flee to Egypt with the child and his mother,” the angel said. “Stay there until I tell you to return, because Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.”  14 That night Joseph left for Egypt with the child and Mary, his mother, 15 and they stayed there until Herod’s death. This fulfilled what the Lord had spoken through the prophet: “I called my Son out of Egypt.” 

BIRTH

Just as prophesied the Messiah was born and witnessed by these wise men.  Joseph continued his obedience to the Lord by fleeing to Egypt.  Today, you can testify to the Living Lord in your life if you have made a faith commitment to Jesus:  I believe Lord, thank you for saving me.  Obey the Lord and get to know Him.  He is always with you. 

11/06               Matthew 2:1-8

1 Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the reign of King Herod. About that time some wise men from eastern lands arrived in Jerusalem, asking,  2 “Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star as it rose, and we have come to worship him.”  3 King Herod was deeply disturbed when he heard this, as was everyone in Jerusalem.  4 He called a meeting of the leading priests and teachers of religious law and asked, “Where is the Messiah supposed to be born?”  5 “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they said, “for this is what the prophet wrote:  6 ‘And you, O Bethlehem in the land of Judah, are not least among the ruling cities of Judah, for a ruler will come from you who will be the shepherd for my people Israel.’ ” 7 Then Herod called for a private meeting with the wise men, and he learned from them the time when the star first appeared. 8Then he told them, “Go to Bethlehem and search carefully for the child. And when you find him, come back and tell me so that I can go and worship him, too!” 

JESUS

Jesus the Lord came just as it was predicted by more than sixty prophecies in the Old Testament.  He came for us so that we might have real life like His life.  Claim life from Jesus.  Ask Him to forgive your sin and give you new life.  He says this life is a free gift that no one can boast.  Jesus is light and life and He came to save us from this world of chaos and destruction. 

11/05               Matthew 1:24-25

When Joseph woke up, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded and took Mary as his wife. 25 But he did not have sexual relations with her until her son was born. And Joseph named him Jesus.

OBEY

The road to perdition is paved with good intentions.  Obey the Lord.  Do what He says.  Keep yourself on track by doing the next right thing. 

11/04               Matthew 1:18-23 

This is how Jesus the Messiah was born. His mother, Mary, was engaged to be married to Joseph. But before the marriage took place, while she was still a virgin, she became pregnant through the power of the Holy Spirit. 19 Joseph, her fiancé, was a good man and did not want to disgrace her publicly, so he decided to break the engagement quietly.  20 As he considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream. “Joseph, son of David,” the angel said, “do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. For the child within her was conceived by the Holy Spirit.  21 And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”  22 All of this occurred to fulfill the Lord’s message through his prophet: 23 “Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel, which means ‘God is with us.’” 

AFRAID

The Word from Matthew is “Do Not Be Afraid.”  The Lord loves you.  He knows what is going on and His promise to you is do not be afraid because God is with us.  Even in a time when evil is again on the march, we do not have to fear what we are facing for the Lord God Almighty is with us.  DO NOT BE AFRAID.  You are beloved of God!  Jesus is Lord. 

11/03               Matthew 1:17 

All those listed above include fourteen generations from Abraham to David, fourteen from David to the Babylonian exile, and fourteen from the Babylonian exile to the Messiah. 

WERE

These were real people who lived real lives.  Many of them believed the Lord and believed He was coming.  By faith they knew Him and by faith they believed Him.  Our faith is the same kind of faith:  We believe that Jesus is Lord, that He died for the forgiveness of our sin and was raised from the dead by the Father, was seen by more than 500 and is seated at the right hand of the Father preparing for His return at this very moment.  Come Lord Jesus.