Southside Forums

[Pastor Charles]

Life Group Lesson
October 7, 2007
Mike & Lisa Tarry

Matthew 1-4

Chapter 1 - Proof that Jesus is the Messiah
I think Matthew's point in listing the ancestry of Jesus first is to prove that Jesus came from the right family line as was presented in the Old Testament prophecies. In verse 23, he quotes a passage that the prophet Isaiah said in Isaiah 7:14,

All right then, the Lord Himself will choose the sign. Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a Son and will call Him Immanuel – 'God is with us.'

Now I know for a lot of us reading through the Old Testament was hard, but now isn’t it neat how we are seeing the Old Testament come alive in the New Testament.

Chapter 2 - Birth of Jesus

1 Jesus was born in the town of 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 have seen His star as it arose, and we have come to worship Him."

Look at the last part of verse 2.

“We have seen His star as it arose, and we have come to worship Him."

Let us look at these wise men mentioned in this verse. We know that they were royal astrologers (magi). They study the stars and they see that a new star has appeared in the sky. They knew that they had to go where the star was leading to worship the Christ child. They left their homes and job, the things that were comfortable for them, and journeyed a great distance to worship the newborn savior. What might they have encountered along the way? What hardships were endured while traveling? Consider the distance of their travel on foot or camel, maybe some bandits tried to inflict harm on them, an angry king (King Herod) sought them in order to kill them. All of this to accomplish one goal, to worship the newborn king, their Messiah, the one born to deliver them, the one who would die to be our savior .

How seriously do you take your worship? What extremes do you go to worship your Messiah, your deliverer? The wise men are a great example to learn from here in the second verse. We need to get out of our comfort zone, what we are used to, and seek to worship our God. Whatever the cost or distance we have to travel to encounter the Messiah, we too must make the effort. Our lives will never be the same. Worship is not just singing or raising your hands to the Lord. It is the way we live our lives moment by moment. Do we spend time in His Word, investing in others, esteeming others higher than ourselves, or giving freely? The list goes on and on in ways we can worship. Ask the Lord how to come out of your comfort zone to worship Him today.

Chapter 4:1-11 - Jesus being tempted as a common man

1“Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil. 2 After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. 3 The tempter came to him and said, "If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.” 4 Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.'“ 5 Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. 6 "If you are the Son of God," he said, "throw yourself down. For it is written: "'He will command his angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.'" 7 Jesus answered him, "It is also written: 'Do not put the Lord your God to the test.'" 8 Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. 9 "All this I will give you," he said, "if you will bow down and worship me." 10 Jesus said to him, "Away from me, Satan! For it is written: 'Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.'" 11 Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him.

What I would like for us to consider in these verses is that Jesus was in human form. His body functioned just as ours does. If you went forty days without eating, how would your body react? If you could do or say anything and know that harm, would not come to you, would you do it? I know that the way I perceive Jesus is not in human form, but He was. When He walked great distances, His feet hurt and He had to rest. He needed to eat and sleep properly, just as we need to in order to function properly throughout the day. He felt every lash upon His back just as you or I would have felt it. He felt the thorns as they pierced his brow. His blood was real when it ran down His face and formed puddles the dirt. He was very much human.

His temptations were great and so He can relate to our struggles today. We are in a war! We have many men who just returned from Iraq, do you think that they went out into the battlefield without protection or weapons? NO!!!! So why do we? What is our weapon to fight in this war between evil and us? The Scripture. Jesus quoted it and applied it. Unless we are well acquainted with this weapon, the Bible, we will come into battle and be defeated. I don’t know about you but I hate feeling defeated in my daily life. I want to live in victory and in genuine happiness. Read Ephesians 6:12-20. Read the Bible and you will discover God has equipped you to fight with prayer and His Word.

[John and Melissa Simmons]

I dont know that I have much to add or that I wish to comment on in this lesson. This is pretty well where the rubber meets the road.
I will say that in many of my post I have advised folks to seek counsel from Pastors and Spiritual Leaders in the church. I wish to clarify in lamens terms . Simply because I know it to be of importance.
First off when seeking counsel from Godly people there is the obvious. Does the counselor have a bible in hand. Is he or she talking about his or her experiences? Or are they talking about their experiences as they relate to Gods word, and the example Christ sets for our lives.
Second, if they dont have their bible, do you have yours? Many know the scriptures well, and will have no problem allowing you time to make note of what parts of Gods word they may quote or use as example in their counsel. Next did they open the study with a prayer, asking for Gods guidance and a better understanding through his word of the issues at hand?
Prayer and the word of God are the two most vital things needed for successful counsel. If someone approaches you without either of these things. Then one must consider the source. Even if the intentions are genuine and non-malice. Gods word is clear on this matter. "His word will accomplish that which it is sent out to accomplish". The word also states that where any 2 come together in agreement in prayer, according to Gods will, the needs of that prayer will be answered.
Scripture is also clear on two more points. It states that its foolish to put our faith in man. But that we should put our faith in the Lord. When someone is truly counseling with the heart of God, their desire will be the well being of your heart and soul and your ongoing relationship with God. They will consider themselves as humble servants, and act as such according to scripture.
There nothing more awesome than seeing the power of the Spirit at work through another effecting change in a brother or sister Christians life. Our witness will serve as testimony to many. Or maybe helping lead someone down the path to where they decide to heed the Spirits call and accept Christ as their Lord and Saviour.
Finally , the single most important thing to remember that covers things in general is that , scripture states, we will know them by their works.
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God Bless ! John and Melissa Simmons