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<p style="margin-top: 0.01in; margin-bottom: 0in;" align="CENTER">“<font size="3"><b>TWO
ARE BETTER THAN ONE” MINISTRIES</b></font></p>
<p style="margin-top: 0.01in; margin-bottom: 0in;" align="CENTER"><font size="3"><b>Jim
& Marie Watt</b></font></p>
<p style="margin-top: 0.01in; margin-bottom: 0in;" align="CENTER"><font size="3"><b>Tel:
253-517-9195 - Email: <a href="mailto:jmbetter@gmail.com" target="_blank">jmbetter@gmail.com</a></b></font></p>
<p style="margin-top: 0.01in; margin-bottom: 0in;" align="CENTER"><font size="3"><b>Web:
<a href="http://www.2rbetter.org/">www.2rbetter.org</a></b></font></p><p style="margin-top: 0.01in; margin-bottom: 0in;" align="CENTER">April 29, 2011</p><p style="margin-top: 0.01in; margin-bottom: 0in;" align="CENTER">
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<p style="margin-top: 0.01in; margin-bottom: 0in;" align="CENTER"><b>JAN
24 - MATTHEW 1:1-4:16 - PREPARATION FOR JESUS</b></p>
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<b>1. 1:1 (1:1-17) FAMILY TREE OF JESUS. “A genealogy of Jesus
Christ, David's Son, Abraham's Son” (NNT). </b>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! <i><b>Hallowed be Your Name!</b></i></p>
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<b>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 </b><i><b>the</b></i><b> Holy
Spirit.” </b>Luke gives us the details of immaculate conception.
What a miracle: human mother, but conceived by the Holy Spirit.
<i><b>Come, Your Kingdom!</b></i></p>
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<b>3. 2:13 (2:1-23) SUPERNATURAL PROTECTION OF JESUS. “Now when
they withdrew lo, </b><i><b>the</b></i><b> Lord's angel appeared to
:Joseph in a dream, saying , Arise </b><i><span style="text-decoration: none;"><b>and</b></span></i><span style="text-decoration: none;"><b>
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.” </b></span><span style="text-decoration: none;">What
provision for the safety of Your Son Jesus, Father! </span><i><span style="text-decoration: none;"><b>
Your :will be done, As in heaven, so on earth!</b></span></i></p>
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<span style="text-decoration: none;"><b>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 </b></span><i><span style="text-decoration: none;"><b>the</b></span></i><span style="text-decoration: none;"><b>
Holy Spirit and fire.” </b></span><span style="text-decoration: none;">John's
baptism in water prefigured Jesus, the Baptizer in the Holy Spirit.
The contrast was so great in the eyes of John, that </span><u>humility</u><span style="text-decoration: none;">
was his answer. We too need to tremble before Jesus and His Word! </span><i><span style="text-decoration: none;"><b>Our
:daily bread give us this day!</b></span></i></p>
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<span style="text-decoration: none;"><b>5. 3:15 (3:13-17) DOUBLE
BAPTISM FOR JESUS. “But :Jesus answered </b></span><i><span style="text-decoration: none;"><b>and
</b></span></i><span style="text-decoration: none;"><b>said to him,
Permit </b></span><i><span style="text-decoration: none;"><b>me</b></span></i><span style="text-decoration: none;"><b>
now: for so it becomes us to fulfill all righteousness.” </b></span><span style="text-decoration: none;">Father,
how Your Son identified Himself with us in all things, apart from
sin. We in turn would identify ourselves with Him in </span><u>His</u><span style="text-decoration: none;">
death and resurrection! </span><i><span style="text-decoration: none;"><b>And
forgive us our :debts, as we also have forgiven our :debtors.</b></span></i></p>
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<span style="text-decoration: none;"><b>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.” </b></span><span style="text-decoration: none;">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! </span><i><span style="text-decoration: none;"><b>And
bring us not into temptation!</b></span></i></p>
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<span style="text-decoration: none;"><b>7. 4:15-16a (4:12-16)
PROPHETIC FULFILMENT IN JESUS. “Zebulun land and Naphtali land, By
way of </b></span><i><span style="text-decoration: none;"><b>the</b></span></i><span style="text-decoration: none;"><b>
sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations </b></span><font style="font-size: 8pt;" size="1"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><b>16</b></span></font><font style="font-size: 11pt;" size="2"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><b>
The people that sit in darkness Saw </b></span></font><font style="font-size: 11pt;" size="2"><i><span style="text-decoration: none;"><b>a</b></span></i></font><font style="font-size: 11pt;" size="2"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><b>
great light.” </b></span></font><font style="font-size: 11pt;" size="2"><span style="text-decoration: none;">How
wisely by the Spirit the early apostles interpreted Old Testament
scriptures! We tremble at Your Word, Father! </span></font><font style="font-size: 11pt;" size="2"><i><span style="text-decoration: none;"><b>But
deliver us from the evil one!</b></span></i></font></p>
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<u><b><font style="font-size: 11pt;" size="2">NOTE</font></b></u><font style="font-size: 11pt;" size="2"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><b>:
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.”
</b></span></font><font style="font-size: 11pt;" size="2"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="">Joseph
was appointed by You, Father, as a step-father, to give covering and
protection to both Mary and Your only begotten Son!</span></span></font></p>
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<font style="font-size: 11pt;" size="2"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="">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 </span></span></font><u><font style="font-size: 11pt;" size="2"><span style="">four</span></font></u><font style="font-size: 11pt;" size="2"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="">
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.</span></span></font></p>
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<font style="font-size: 11pt;" size="2"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="">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: </span></span></font><u><font style="font-size: 11pt;" size="2"><span style="">This</span></font></u><font style="font-size: 11pt;" size="2"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="">
is My beloved Son - in whom I am </span></span></font><u><font style="font-size: 11pt;" size="2"><span style="">well-pleased</span></font></u><font style="font-size: 11pt;" size="2"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="">!
Hear Him!</span></span></font></p>
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<font style="font-size: 11pt;" size="2">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.</font></p>
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<font style="font-size: 11pt;" size="2"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="">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 </span></span></font><u><font style="font-size: 11pt;" size="2"><span style="">did</span></font></u><font style="font-size: 11pt;" size="2"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="">
walk back to the boat!</span></span></font></p>
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<font style="font-size: 11pt;" size="2"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="">So
it is </span></span></font><u><font style="font-size: 11pt;" size="2"><span style="">good</span></font></u><font style="font-size: 11pt;" size="2"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="">
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.</span></span></font></p>
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<font style="font-size: 11pt;" size="2">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.</font></p>
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<font style="font-size: 11pt;" size="2"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="">And
Jesus as son of man was tempted in </span></span></font><u><font style="font-size: 11pt;" size="2"><span style="">all</span></font></u><font style="font-size: 11pt;" size="2"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="">
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 </span></span></font><u><font style="font-size: 11pt;" size="2"><span style="">all</span></font></u><font style="font-size: 11pt;" size="2"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="">
of us </span></span></font><u><font style="font-size: 11pt;" size="2"><span style="">have</span></font></u><font style="font-size: 11pt;" size="2"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="">
yielded and sinned. What a Savior! What a Redeemer!</span></span></font></p>
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<font style="font-size: 11pt;" size="2">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!</font></p>
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<font style="font-size: 11pt;" size="2"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="">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 </span></span></font><u><font style="font-size: 11pt;" size="2"><span style="">our</span></font></u><font style="font-size: 11pt;" size="2"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="">
place - that we might be redeemed and reconciled back to God!
J.A.Watt</span></span></font></p>
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