DO YOU BELONG IN GOD'S KINGDOM?

First up, let’s check who is giving this ‘Sermon on the Mount’ and to whom. (Matt 5)

The Messiah, the ultimate King of the Jews, has emerged from obscurity and broken tradition by choosing Jewish disciples that follow Him up a mountain to be taught.     
It is instructive to us BUT... is it Church teaching as many pastors claim?  
What Church??...there will be no such thing for at least another 3 years!

So let’s see if you or I qualify to be in this Kingdom...    

Do we ‘tick the boxes’?

• Meek...even behind the steering wheel?
• Pure in heart?... always?
• Is my witness like salt of the earth?...  or the light of the world?

Unlike us today, they’re still under the Law here – every last one of the laws!        
(How about #10 about not being covetous?)                                                                    
Now the bar gets raised even higher!...

• What about being reconciled with my brother?  (Oh, let’s not go there!)
• Okay, that messy adultery business...     Oh, you’ve never cheated??                      What about that lustful look just once?...or that inappropriate friendship?
• A man of my word – always!
• Turn the other cheek...but more than that...
• Love those enemies!

..and the ultimate test:

• Be perfect!...just like your Father in heaven

How did you score?  Pass with flying colours??


The Sermon on the Mount continues...
http://guvsdesk.blogspot.com.au/2017/06/audience-of-one.html

ANOTHER STARVING JEW

The Holy Spirit leads Jesus into the wilderness to be tempted...but why??                

Why waste time tempting the Son of God?  He cannot fail!   (Matt 4)                                    

Have you ever fasted just for a few days?                                                                            

Or for a week or two?                                                                                                            

How about longer than a month?...40 days/nights                                                     

Moses did at least twice - without water too!

Jesus has already identified with the Jewish people in baptism, so watch what happens when the devil shows up, just like the serpent in Eden...                                  

Temptation #1:  use your power for your own physical needs – nice food.  Will Jesus fail like disobedient Adam or like the hungry children of Israel in the wilderness of Sin?

Ans: “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God”

Temptation #2: use heaven’s messengers for your own emotional needs – fear of death. Notice the devil knows the Scriptures too - word for word!                               

Will Jesus fail like Adam & Eve or the thirsty children of Israel at Massah, afraid of dying?

Ans: “Thou shall not tempt the Lord thy God”

Temptation #3: take the easy way of winning the world – just bow the knee to Satan (instead of defeating him at the cross) - the spiritual challenge.                                

Adam & Eve were tempted to ‘be as gods’; the Israelites turned to idolatry.

Ans: “Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and Him only shalt thou serve.”

The Holy Spirit has soundly demonstrated that Jesus cannot fail like Adam or Eve, or like the Jewish fathers.  He denies Himself like Moses and is qualified like no other to go ahead and teach, preach and heal ‘all manner of sickness and disease among the people’.                                                                                                                               

No wonder Shim’on, Andrew, Ya’akov and Yochanan follow Yeshua - IMMEDIATELY!


NEXT... the Sermon on the Mount
 http://guvsdesk.blogspot.com.au/2017/05/do-you-belong-in-gods-kingdom.html

GOD GOES PUBLIC

After 28 years – it’s time for God to go public...(Matt 3)

This momentous event deserves an introduction.... but what a strange one!  

Matthew introduces us to John... out in the boondocks... dressed in camel hair and eating bush food. (just like Elijah)
No worldly trappings for this guy!

Who is he? Again, never mind. It’s his message thru Isaiah that counts:

“Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make His paths straight!”

...where Lord comes from the Hebrew: YHWH: Jehovah!

Make no mistake – ‘God with us’ is none other than Jehovah and here He is: Jesus the King of the Jews, come to identify with His people in baptism!                         

Notice how they were ALL baptised by this rough character, just like their fathers were ALL baptised to Moses in the sea.                                               

Why??...because the Jewish Messiah is expected very soon and it’s high time to repent!

The response??  Public honour from heaven of course! 

                                   

Accept this Man and you will be baptised with the Holy Spirit. Reject this Man now and you will experience the fire of wrath to come! (orge: violent passion)

Matthew is the only writer to give us ‘the kingdom of heaven’ ...32 times.          

Where did he get this from? Daniel’s prophecy - which even Nebuchadnezzar understood.

Notice how Jewish this is!...                                                                                            

A young Yochanan (John) identifies as ‘the Voice’ in the prophecy of Yesha’yahu (Isaiah) as he introduces Yeshua (Jesus) the King of the Jews - none other than Yehovah and His ‘kingdom of heaven’ in the prophecy of Dani’el.


Is this Man really qualified for ministry?...NEXT
http://guvsdesk.blogspot.com.au/2017/05/another-starving-jew.html

ONE SPECIAL FAMILY

Who is this Mary?                                                                                                              
Matthew doesn’t tell us.... so let’s step into her shoes for a minute...(ch 2)                

“The whole village knows that I fell pregnant before our wedding  - which is punishable by stoning! My loyal beau has taken me to his family home in Bethlehem, a long 150 km trip... but whatever will they think of me there?...unworthy of their son?  (No wonder we found ourselves in the stable with only a manger for a baby crib.  Who turned up to celebrate with us? Scruffy shepherds!)

So who are these strangers suddenly on the doorstep?... ‘rejoicing with exceeding great joy’       
They are falling down and worshipping my paidion! (infant)                                        

Now they’re producing gifts...

gold and frankincense and myrrh!

Myrrh??   O’oh!  Isn’t that used for embalming? 

Joe has had another one of his dreams.  He tells me that an angel has ordered us to Egypt. Right now.  Tonight.
Bye, gotta go!                                                                      

Soon the whole district will be wailing over the slaughter of their precious infants just because of my Son who survives.”                      

Yosef always obeys the divine messenger instantly – 5 times!... and not a squeak of protest out of Miryam.                                                                                                            

Joe & Mary:  special parents for a very special Child – the ultimate King of the Jews, honoured by Gentiles!

Notice the 4 very specific Jewish prophecies fulfilled here: birth in Beit-Lechem, refuge in Egypt, the slaughter of children & settle in despised Natzeret.

By the way, looking from Jerusalem the planet Jupiter appeared to stop directly over Bethlehem early on 25^th December – 6 months after the brightest planetary conjunction in history!                                                                                                                                                                       So how merry would your town be if every boy under 2 was murdered at Christmas?



Looking from Jerusalem to SW, early morn 25th Dec - Jupiter in Virgo is stationary over Bethlehem

 http://guvsdesk.blogspot.com.au/2017/05/god-goes-public.html