Reading: Matthew 3 Text: Matthew 3.13-17 The baptism of Jesus has been looked at as problematic by some. If baptism is for the forgiveness of sins, why was Christ baptized? This is often asked by those who do not believe in the necessity of baptism in salvation. Consider a very simple argument for the baptism of Christ. If Christ had not been baptized there would surely have been people who would say, "Jesus wasn't baptized, so why should I?" Christ was baptized to "fulfill all righteousness" (3:15). Note that in Psalms 119:72 the Bible says, "all thy commandments are righteousness." This means Jesus was baptized to fulfill the commandment of God. We can draw the conclusion that Jesus was baptized because it was a commandment of God. Not for Jesus specifically, but for all people. Baptism is a command and Jesus felt He should be baptized to keep all the comma...
Bible Reading: Matthew 18. 21-35 While Jesus was praying in the Garden of Gethsemane, you know He could hear them coming. In Matthew’s account he says that when they came they brought with them a legion of soldiers, which could have amounted to sex thousand men (Matthew 26.52-53). When they seize Jesus and I think we can use that word loosely, they “bound him” according to John 18.12, and they bound Him” as they sent Him to Caiaphas. Funny isn’t it? They are trying to tie us the hands of the Son of God with mere threads or at the most, weak chains. It is almost laughable for us to try to imagine someone thinking they can limit the ability or suppress the power of the King of Kings with something so small. The strange thing is we can “bind up” the hands of Jesus and limit Him in this world. When Jesus sent to his home town, the Bible says “He did not do many mighty works there, because of their u unbelief” (Matthew 13.58). Was it that He was just weak? No, their unbelief was prevent...
Woodlawn Family Bible Study TUESDAY BIBLE READING: Genesis 32:22-32 Do you want to be blessed? That sounds like a rhetorical question, doesn’t it? Who doesn’t want to be blessed? I guess it really depends on your definition of “blessed.” Many people desire blessings that will make them wealthy or, perhaps, material goods. However, being blessed is not limited to those physical things. In fact, sometimes we can be blessed in the most unusual ways. For instance, in Genesis 32:26, we find Jacob wrestling with what we often call an angel. Within the story, Jacob is overtaking the angel and holding him down; refusing to let go until the angel gives him a blessing. The angel obliges Jacob, but not in the way he might have imagined. The angel changed his name from “Jacob” to “Israel,” but he also did something else. He put Jacob’s hip joint out of socket, causing him much pain and difficulty walking. In part, his blessing had to do with him walking with a limp. How is tha...
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