RightDivision

The lesson on September 15, 2024 was part 7 of “The Book of Matthew” study. Wayne dived right into Matthew 5 to teach on the context of the Sermon on the Mount. The disciple Matthew is showing us the select things out of Jesus’s life that doesn’t focus on the chronology of the events. Right away in Matthew 5:1 we are seeing the multitudes. This connects us to Matthew 4 where Jesus began his ministry of light. No matter where you are in God’s plan and the inheritance you have, there is light from Jesus Christ as opposed to the darkness you have with the devil. In Matthew 4:17 we see the ministry of the Kingdom of Heaven started. We don’t have the twelve disciples called yet, but there is Simon Peter and Andrew his brother who responded to follow Jesus immediately as they would become fishers of men. Jesus went about Galilee healing all manner of sickness and disease and at the end of chapter 4, there was a great multitude of people that were the target of this message of the Kingdom of Heaven proclaimed on this mountain. We don’t know which mountain it was but it is similar to what Moses had received on that mountain. We took time to learn how this message is a result of the promise to Israel of inheriting the promised land as told to Abraham in Genesis 15:8 KJV. We looked at the word “blessed” which means happy and was given a concourse of where this is used (Matt. 5:3-11; 11:6; 13:16; 16:17; 24:46; Lk. 1:45; 6:20-22; 7:23; 10:23; 11:27-28; 12:37-38, 43; 14:14-15; 23:29; Jn. 13:17; 20:29; Acts 20:35; 26:2; Rom. 4:7-8; 14:22; 1 Cor. 7:40; 1 Tim. 1:11; 6:15; Tit. 2:13; Jas. 1:12, 25; 1 Pet. 3:14; 4:14; Rev. 1:3; 14:13; 16:15; 19:9; 20:6; 22:7, 14). We learned the the word “meek” doesn’t mean “weak” but rather a condition of humility. Being humble vs. being arrogant. We looked at Psalms 37:11 KJV “11 But the meek shall inherit the earth; and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.”. Jesus Christ was the perfect example of being meek and finished with references showing this from Matthew 5:5; 11:29; 21:5, and 1 Peter 3:4 KJV. We finished with a comparison of our calling in Ephesians 3:1-6 KJV. This is a different inheritance than what was promised to Israel. This is the gospel of the unsearchable riches of Christ. The scripture reading was from Matthew 5:1-7 KJV “1 And seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain: and when he was set, his disciples came unto him: 2 And he opened his mouth, and taught them, saying, 3 Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 4 Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted. 5 Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth. 6 Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled. 7 Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.”

The lesson on September 8, 2024 was part 6 of “The Book of Matthew” study. Wayne reviewed what we learned in the previous lesson, particularly the calling of Jesus Christ into his ministry by the baptism from John at the end of chapter three. In transitioning to Matthew 4:1 KJV we immediately see the temptations from the Devil who is desiring to deter Jesus from being obedient to God’s will. Jesus is impeccable. There is no temptation of the Son of God that tarnishes the sinless ministry he maintained. We, on the other hand are peccable. When we are called to do God’s will, no doubt the minute you engage, Satan or his demons will be at your doorstep to tempt you away and be taken off course. We have our sinful nature that provides a way for the tempter to cause us to sin. Jesus was sinless and that is why he was impeccable. The three temptations the devil made was to take Jesus off the path of obedience that he stayed on from birth until the crucifixion. The Devil knew who Jesus was. Just like the demon in Matthew 8:29 KJV. The scripture reading was from Matthew 4:21-25 KJV “21 And going on from thence, he saw other two brethren, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in a ship with Zebedee their father, mending their nets; and he called them. 22 And they immediately left the ship and their father, and followed him. 23 And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people. 24 And his fame went throughout all Syria: and they brought unto him all sick people that were taken with divers diseases and torments, and those which were possessed with devils, and those which were lunatick, and those that had the palsy; and he healed them. 25 And there followed him great multitudes of people from Galilee, and from Decapolis, and from Jerusalem, and from Judaea, and from beyond Jordan.”

The lesson on August 25, 2024 was part 5 of “The Book of Matthew” study. Wayne reviewed what we had learned in the previous lesson and proceeded to present Matthew chapter three to us. We are introduced to John the Baptist in verse 1. We looked at the Greek word for baptist “ὁ βαπτιστής, ” and was provided a list of verses where this is used (Matt. 3:1; 11:11-12; 14:2, 8; 16:14; 17:13; Mk. 6:24-25; 8:28; Lk. 7:20, 28, 33; 9:19). As those who follow right division of scripture, we know the prophecy that John was fulfilling from Isaiah 40:1-11 which was the Voice from the Wilderness. There was a 400 year span between the end of Malachi and John the “gift of Jehovah”. In Matthew 3:2 KJV we see John is saying “Repent ye:” This work in the Greek is “Μετανοεῖτε” and it means to turn around. A good example of how it should be interpreted is from Zechariah 1:3 KJV “Therefore say thou unto them, Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Turn ye unto me, saith the LORD of hosts, and I will turn unto you, saith the LORD of hosts.” There are many examples in scripture water is used to identify a cleansing and turning a new direction (+Gen. 18:4; 24:32; Exod. 29:4; 30:18, 20; 40:12, 30; Lev. 1:9, 13; 14:8-9; 15:5-8, 10-11, 13, 16, 21-22, 27; 16:4, 24, 26, 28; 17:15; 22:6; Num. 8:7; 19:7-8, 19, 21; Deut. 23:11; Job 9:30; Jn. 13:5). The prophets show it to from Isaiah 1:16 , Zechariah 13:1 and Ezekiel 36:25 KJV. John was testifying that the Kingdom of Heaven was near. The scripture reading was from Matthew 3:1-6 KJV “1 In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea, 2 And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. 3 For this is he that was spoken of by the prophet Esaias, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. 4 And the same John had his raiment of camel’s hair, and a leathern girdle about his loins; and his meat was locusts and wild honey. 5 Then went out to him Jerusalem, and all Judaea, and all the region round about Jordan, 6 And were baptized of him in Jordan, confessing their sins.”