Matthew 1:1-4:16

[Jim Watt]

“*TWO ARE BETTER THAN ONE” MINISTRIES*

*Jim & Marie Watt*

*Tel: 253-517-9195 - Email: jmbetter at gmail.com*

*Web: www.2rbetter.org*

April 29, 2011


 *JAN 24 - MATTHEW 1:1-4:16 - PREPARATION FOR JESUS*


 *1. 1:1 (1:1-17) FAMILY TREE OF JESUS. “A genealogy of Jesus Christ,
David's Son, Abraham's Son” (NNT). *Here the Holy Spirit gives the genealogy
of Jesus through Joseph, His legal father. In Luke His lineage is traced
through His mother Mary after the flesh. Here Father, You prove Your Son to
be the true King of the Jews! *Hallowed be Your Name!*


 *2. 1:18 (1:18-25) BIRTH OF JESUS. “Now the birth of :Jesus Christ was
thus: His :mother Mary, engaged to :Joseph, before they came together, was
found with child of **the** Holy Spirit.” *Luke gives us the details of
immaculate conception. What a miracle: human mother, but conceived by the
Holy Spirit. *Come, Your Kingdom!*


 *3. 2:13 (2:1-23) SUPERNATURAL PROTECTION OF JESUS. “Now when they withdrew
lo, **the** Lord's angel appeared to :Joseph in a dream, saying , Arise **
and** take the little child and his :mother, and flee into Egypt, and be
there till I tell you: for Herod is about to seek the little child to
destroy him.” *What provision for the safety of Your Son Jesus,
Father! *Your :will be done, As in heaven, so on earth!
*


 *4. 3:11 (3:1-12) PREPARATION FOR JESUS. “I indeed baptize you in water
unto repentance: but who comes after me is mightier than I: whose :shoes I
am not fit to bear: HE shall baptize you in **the** Holy Spirit and
fire.” *John's
baptism in water prefigured Jesus, the Baptizer in the Holy Spirit. The
contrast was so great in the eyes of John, that *humility* was his answer.
We too need to tremble before Jesus and His Word! *Our :daily bread give us
this day!*


 *5. 3:15 (3:13-17) DOUBLE BAPTISM FOR JESUS. “But :Jesus answered **and **said
to him, Permit **me** now: for so it becomes us to fulfill all
righteousness.” *Father, how Your Son identified Himself with us in all
things, apart from sin. We in turn would identify ourselves with Him in *His
* death and resurrection! *And forgive us our :debts, as we also have
forgiven our :debtors.*


 *6. 4:1 (4:1-11) TEMPTATION OF JESUS. “Then was :Jesus led up of the Spirit
into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil.” *We are encouraged, Father,
by the example of Your Son. Yet it is only by His Spirit and life bing lived
out through us that we can triumph. But - just as You lived through Your Son
by the Spirit - so He can live through us! *And bring us not into
temptation!*


 *7. 4:15-16a (4:12-16) PROPHETIC FULFILMENT IN JESUS. “Zebulun land and
Naphtali land, By way of **the** sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the
nations **16** The people that sit in darkness Saw **a** great light.” *How
wisely by the Spirit the early apostles interpreted Old Testament
scriptures! We tremble at Your Word, Father! *But deliver us from the evil
one!*


 *NOTE**: 1:21 (1:18-25). “And she shall bear a son, and you shall call his
:name :JESUS; for HE shall save his :people from their :sins.” *Joseph was
appointed by You, Father, as a step-father, to give covering and protection
to both Mary and Your only begotten Son!


 Each of the four Gospels give a unique “window” into the Life of Jesus. His
life is like a 4-faceted diamond in this respect. We need all *four* to see
Him somewhat in His fullness. Matthew sets Him forth as the Lion of the
Tribe of Judah! Mark reveals Him as the ox of Ephraim. From Luke we see
Jesus as the “man” of Reuben and Israel; and He constantly referred to
Himself as the Son of :man! But John reveals Him as the Eagle of the tribe
of Dan.


 The 12 tribes of Israel were grouped around the Tabernacle in the
Wilderness in this same order under these same four leading tribes: Judah on
the east; Ephraim on the west; Reuben on the south; and Dan on the north.
The 4 faces of Ezekiel on the cherubim reflect these same 4 tribes. And
Jesus in both His humanity and His Deity as the only begotten Son of God,
reflected these four pictures. And He so pleased His heavenly Father, that
three times His voice was heard from Heaven: *This* is My beloved Son - in
whom I am *well-pleased*! Hear Him!


 Matthew expertly appeals to Jews with its many quotations from the OT. Mark
- with its dispatch - to the Romans; Luke with its humanity to the Greek
mind; and John to those with spiritual appreciation.


 So we need all four Gospels to receive a full picture of our Lord Jesus in
His 33 year earthly ministry as the Son of man. Jesus emptied Himself of the
prerogatives of Deity when He came to earth, and functioned as 100% man of
faith - so that He should be a perfect example for us, and not mock us. He
did not function in His pre-incarnate deity. Peter walked on the water like
Him, though briefly. But with Jesus he *did* walk back to the boat!


 So it is *good* to see Jesus through different eyes. Matthew portrays the
preparatory ministry of John the Baptist on behalf of His cousin after the
flesh. But John from the beginning knew Jesus as the eternal Son of God!
Even in his mother's womb at six months, he leaped for joy at the greeting
of Jesus' mother who had but just received conception by the Holy Spirit of
God's Son after the flesh.


 It was Jesus in Hebrews who said to the Father in His pre-incarnate state -
Prepare for me a body - and I will go to earth and become man to make
reconciliation of the human race back to us through My blood-redemption!
Blood comes genetically through the father, not the mother. It was not
through Mary that Jesus' blood-atonement became efficacious - but the pure
and sinless blood of God.


 And Jesus as son of man was tempted in *all* points just as we - yet -
never yielding - was sinless! But being tempted as son of man - He can
understand what we go through, even though *all* of us *have* yielded and
sinned. What a Savior! What a Redeemer!


 And see how He was tempted by the devil 3 times immediately following His
double baptism. But He successfully defeated Satan each time by relying on
the Word of God and quoting it!


 It will be almost certainly necessary for us to go to Heaven before we can
truly begin to understand and appreciate all that Christ has done for us in
His tremendous death on Calvary - there becoming a curse for us - taking *
our* place - that we might be redeemed and reconciled back to God! J.A.Watt
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