This Week's Sunday School Lesson, "An Attitude Of Giving And Praying", Matthew 6:1-13, 1/27/2019

AN ATTITUDE OF GIVING AND PRAYING

Matthew 6:1-13

DON'T GIVE TO BE SEEN

V:1-2. "Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven.

2 Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward."

A. The foundation of Christian living is giving,

     1. God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son-----

     2. Our giving includes our time and our money.

     3. Some times a person needs more than a donation.

     4. Some time a person may need our time.

B. Jesus healed all who came to Him.

     1. His healing was a drawing card to preach the Gospel.

     2. People have physical needs and spiritual need,

     3. Money provides food for a day, but the Gospel is food for life.

C. If you do something to be seen, your reward will come from those

     you are trying to impress, which may amount to nothing.

    1. It was the custom of the Pharisees to make a great show of their

        giving to the poor to seem righteous before others.

    2. It is God's command to be humble in all situations.

    3. To desire someone to acknowledge what you do for the poor is an act

         of pride.  

REWARD FOR GIVING IN SECRET

V.3-4. " But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth:

4 That thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly."

A. God know what you going to do before you do it.

    1. God's know the  heart that gives.

    2. A pure heart give without a need to be repaid.

    3. A pure heart give out of love and compassion,

B. A pure heart sees a need as his/her responsibility to respond.

   1. What goes around comes around

   2. A pure heart knows but by the grace of God he or she could be

      in a position of need.

   3. Those who have been blessed dishonor God when they seek recognition

       for what God has done for them.

   4. Those who claim a right to be seen while they are giving, dishonor

        God with their pride.

   5. The ability to give is a blessing from God to bless others and is best

        done in secret.

SECERT PRAYER

V:5 -6. "And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.

6 But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly."

A. Prayer is another part of Christian living.

    1. It is our duty to pray.

    2. Prayer is our basic way of communicating with God.

    3. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

        Rejoice always; 17 pray without ceasing; 18 in everything give thanks; for this is    

        God's will for you in Christ Jesus.

        a. To be heard by God is a privilege.

        b. To have the will to go to God in prayer is a blessing.

        c. To rejoice and give thanks is the attitude of prayer.

        d, The assurance of prayers being answered is the WILL of God In

             Christ Jesus.

        e. The answer to our prayer is bound up in our relationship with

             Jesus.

B. There is power in individual proper prayer.

    1. Psalms 34:17

        The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them;

         he delivers them from all their troubles.

    2. The power of prayer is in the hearing.

        James 5:16

         Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed.    

         The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.

   3. A sinner only has the prayer of repentance and confession.

       Proverbs 15:29

       The Lord is far from the wicked: but he heareth the prayer of the righteous.

C. You don't pray to be seen, you pray to be heard by God.

    1. There is nothing gained by having someone  witness your private prayer.

    2. Those who hear, can't grant your prayer request.

    3. You dishonor God by seeking a witness to your private prayer.

D. There is a difference between private prayer and corporate prayer.

    1. James 5:15 speaks also to corporate prayer.

    3. This verse is focused on private prayer. 

                                                                       

SIMPLE PRAYER

V:7-8. " But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.

8 Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him."

A. Notice that there are two types of people who pray.

     1. Those who pray with a relationship with God through Jesus Christ.

     2. There are those who pray with no relationship with the Father.

B. You don't have to use a lot of words to pray to God.

     1. He knows your need before you ask.

     2. You don't have to repeat you prayer request more than one time

         in a single prayer.

     3. God is not hard of hearing, nor does He ever forget your prayer

         request.

THE MODEL PRAYER

Verses 9-13 is the model prayer. Notice there are not a lot of words

  in this prayer. There are  only 65 words in 5 verses.

RECOGNIZING THE FATHER

V:9. " After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name." 

A. The word "Our" suggest a corporate prayer.

     1. It can also serve as the model for our personal prayer.

     2. In church. we come together as a community in prayer to God.

B. The verse express the love and respect we have for the holy Father.

     1. Our prayer is to Father and to the Father alone.

     2. We express our confidence in the Father to answer our prayer,

     3. We come before the throne of  God which is in heaven.

          a. By this, our place of prayer becomes holy.

          b. By this, the time of prayer becomes holy.

     4. We recognize that the Father's is holy and above all names,

     5. We recognize that Father is pure and without sin.

     6. We recognize that the Father has the power, the resources and

          authority to grant our request.

     7. By "our" we claim God as our personal God.

         a. Since we claim possession of God, we also

             claim He has possession of us.

         b. We claim also that The Father has authority over us.

C. Since this a universal prayer from believers around the world:

    1. We claim that God the Father is omnipresence.

    2. Since every believer around the world has difference needs, we

        claim that He is Omniscience.

    3. Since there are so many prayers going up all the time from

        around the world, we claim that He is Omnipotent.

D. Since we are praying to a holy God:

    1. We make sure our thought and request are without evil content.

    2. Our prayer request ought to be according to the will of God.

    3. Since claim God as "our", we must dedicate our families

        in reverence, respect and disciple to the Lord.

   4. The end of our request should be to the give the Father glory.

 

THE PLACE OF PRAYER

V:10. " Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.    14

A. Jesus said that "Kingdom of heaven  is at hand".

    1. The verse can be both present tense and future tense at the same time.

    2. Since Jesus lives in us, His kingdom is in us.

    3. Jesus said, where I am you will be also.

    4, We are joyfully waiting the second coming of Jesus when we will

        live eternally with Him.

    5. Everything in heaven is good, therefore we are to expect God's good

        for our lives.

B.  What is God's will for our lives?

    1. It is peace, joy, harmony, humility and righteousness.

    2.  God's will for us is that we have the desires of our heart according to

         Hid righteousness.

   3. Since heaven is infinite good, wise and holy, that is what God expects form

       us.

   4. We are heaven's representatives on earth.

   5. We are the role models kingdom of God on earth.

   6. We maybe the only representative of heaven that some see..

REQUEST FOR PROVISIONS

V:11. " Give us this day our daily bread."  

A. Our concern should be for today and not tomorrow.

     Matthew 6:34

     Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each

     day has enough trouble of its own.

    1. In this life we will have problems.

    2. The key is make it through the current day,

    3. We cannot live but one day at a time.

    4. God has enough favor for each day.

B. To look past today is to not give God complete

     thanks for what He is doing in the present.

    1. We have no idea of all that we will need to get through tomorrow.

    2. When we are thankful for what  God  does today we express

        confidence in what He can do tomorrow.

    3. This day we depend on God for help, strength, protection

        and provision.

    4. The God we serve is the same everyday.

    5. Today's activities gives us confidence that God will

         continue to be faithful to us.

FORGIVENESS, KEY TO FELLOWSHIP

V. 12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.     10

 A. None of us is without sin.

     1. Therefore each day we should ask for forgiveness.

     2. Satan is forever seeking to influence us to do evil.

     3. There may be some sins against God that we are not aware

          that we are committing.

       4. Just in case we have overlooked some sins we committed we

            should daily ask for forgiveness.

          1 John 1:9-10

          If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse  

          us from all unrighteousness.

       5. Because God is generous in His forgiveness of us, we ought to readily forgive

            others.

B. Our Forgiving others works to this end; it frees us from the past so we

    move forward.

     1. Jesus died on the cross that we might be forgiven by the Father.

     2. The blood of Jesus on the cross was payment for our sin debt.

     3. If  we cannot forgive others, the Father will not forgive us.

         Matthew 18:28-32

         Then his master, after he had called him, said to him, 'You wicked servant! I  

          forgave you all that debt because you begged me.  33 Should you not also have had  

          compassion on your fellow servant, just as I had pity on you?'  34 And his master

          was angry, and delivered him to the torturers until he should pay all that was due 

          to him.

C. Our sins break fellowship with God.

     1. Relationship remains in tact  doing our sins.

     2.  The Holy Spirit seals us to the day of redemption

     3. In sin, we set ourselves up for God's chastisement.

     4. Sin blocks the blessing of God.

     5. Repent and ask for forgiveness restores fellowship.

PROTECTION AGAINST THE DEVIL

V:13" And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom,   

        and the power, and the glory, for ever." Amen.       25

 A. We submit ourselves to the power and authority of the Father.

       1. The Lord has the power to control the fiery darts that Satan cast toward us.

       2.  He has the power to strengthen us to resist the devil's temptation .

       3. The devil came to steal, kill and destroy.

       4. We request the Lord through the power of the Holy Spirit,  bring to

            our remembrance the Words of the Lord Jesus ,  to see clearly the

            devils deceptions and to resist them.

B. We request the protection of the Lord Jesus to shield us from the evil of

     the devil.

     1. The devil knows all our weaknesses.

     2. Like a spider, He draws a net to trap us in some area of weakness.

     3. We request divine insight to see and avoid the devils net.

POWER AND AUTHORITY OF THE FATHER

C. Heaven and earth and all that's in it belongs to the Lord and

     He has the power to order thing to grant our petition.

    1. We request that God use every evil test of us to bring about Glory

         to Himself.

    2. We request the Lord to use us in partnership with Him to be a light

         in this darken world.

THANK GOD FOR LISTENING

Rev. M. Mitchell

Asst Pastor Of Greater Macedonia Baptist Church

5510 West Sam Houston Park Way North

Houston, Texas 77041

For more lessons, follow me on facebook and vist

my blogs:  revmmitchell.com and goodnewsrevmitc.blogspot.com

This Week's Sunday School Lesson, "Pay It Forward" 2/3/2019 Matthew 8:5-13

PAY IT FORWARD

Matthew 8:5-14

TAKE YOUR PROBLRMS TO JESUS

V:5-7. " When he came into Capernaum, a centurion came to him, asking him,

 and saying, "Lord, my servant lies in the house paralyzed, grievously tormented."  Jesus  

 said to him, "I will come and heal him."

(First lets learn about this centurion )

Luke 7:3-6

The centurion heard of Jesus and sent some elders of the Jews to him, asking him to come and heal his servant. 4 When they came to Jesus, they pleaded earnestly with him, "This man deserves to have you do this, 5 because he loves our nation and has built our synagogue." 6 So Jesus went with them.")

A. To be a friend, you first must show yourself friendly.

    1. Even though he was not a Jew, he adopted their religion.

    2. He was a generous man. He built a synagogue for them to worship.

B. Even though, he had authority over the Jews, he treated them as equals.

   1.He was a good steward of the position God entrusted him.

   2. He paid forward which set the stage for future blessing.  

C. He had the testimony from the people he served.

   1. When you do good for God, He recommends you.

D. The text says, when he heard "the name of Jesus".

     1. He was drawn to Jesus for help.

     2. Faith come by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.

     3. The word was out that Jesus could heal.

     4. He believed the word he heard.

     5. He trusted the word he heard.

     6. He acted on the Word He trusted.

E. He received favor from the ones he helped.

    1. Every now and then, you need a favor from the Lord.

    2. He was a Gentile and not a Jew.

    3. He sent the Jewish elders to intercede on his behalf.

    4. The Bible says, If any man is sick, let call the elders,

         pray for him and he will recover.    James 5:14

    5. The prayers of the righteous accomplishes  much.   James 5:16

    6. That is what Jesus does for us.

    7. Jesus intercede for us before the Father.

    8. This man was not praying for himself, he was praying for someone else.

        a. His servant was not only  paralyzed but had violent cramps which

            endangered his life .

        b. The servant's situation was critical.

    9. The centurion "pay forward attitude," got him an audience  before the Lord.

HUMBLE YOURSELF BEFORE THE LORD

V.8 The centurion answered, "Lord, I'm not worthy for you to come under my roof.               

       Just say  the word, and my servant will be healed.

  A. Watch his confession of faith.

       1. Lord I am not worthy of your blessing

       2. Can any body say they are worthy of God's blessing?

       3. He was confessing his sinfulness.

       4. He was lifting up the name of Jesus.

       5. Jesus said, If I be lifted up, I will draw all men to Myself.

       5. At the same time, he was putting himself at the feet of Jesus.

 B.  He confessed the power and authority of Jesus over the devil.

      1. Lord, just say the Word and my servant will be healed.

      2. Lord, you don't have to go nowhere, your power is

          already in room of the sick.

      3. We serve a God who is omnipresent; everywhere all the time.

MEDITATE ON THE WORD

V:9. " For I am also a man under authority, having under myself soldiers. I tell this one, '

  Go,'  and he goes; and tell another, 'Come,' and he comes; and tell my servant, 'Do this,'

    and he does it."

A. Sometimes, to make the Word plain to yourself, you got to explain it to yourself.

   1. You can't know the power of the Word unless you meditate on the Word.

   2. You got to mediate on the Word day and night.

B. The centurion said I am under authority and I got people under my authority.

    1. The people under my authority are also under same authority as I am.

    2. All  sickness is under Jesus authority. And Jesus can tell this sickness

        to get up  and move.

    3. At the sound of Jesus the waves in the sea calm down.

    4. At the sound of Jesus, the rain fall from the sky.

    5. At the sound of Jesus, the lightening strikes.

    6. At the sound of Jesus, the thunder rumbles  through the atmosphere.

    7. At the sound of Jesus, you can get your break through.

    8. You got to convince yourself of Jesus power and authority over

         you and your circumstances.

LET YOUR PRAYERS BE BY  FAITH

V:10. " When Jesus heard it, he marveled, and said to those who followed, "Most

    assuredly I  tell you, I haven't found so great a faith, not even in Israel."

A. Whatever God puts you through, He uses to strengthen someones faith.

    1. People sitting on the sidelines, want get up off the sideline until

       they hear your testimony about the power of Jesus.

    2. There are people who talk about Jesus and there are people who know

         who He is.

B. Every once in awhile, you got to put your faith to test.

    1. You got to believe Jesus, will do what you ask, before He does it.

    2. You got to claim the victory while you are still in the battle.

    3. You got to claim recovery before the recovery starts.

    4. You got to claim Joy while you still sad,

    5. You got to claim peace while you still frustrated.

    6. Why?, Because Jesus said so.

         John 16:23-24

         I tell you the truth, my Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. 24 Until  

         now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and

         your joy will be complete.

RELATIONSHIP WITH THE FATHER HAS NO COLOR             

V:11-12. " I tell you that many will come from the east and the west, and will sit down

    with  Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the Kingdom of Heaven,

     but the children of the Kingdom will be thrown out into the outer darkness. There will   

     be weeping and the gnashing of teeth."

A. The text points out two types of people.

     1. Those who claim a relationship with the Father through Jesus Christ, the Gentiles

     2. Those who claim a relationship with the Father through their heritage, the Jews.

B. Those who claim a relationship through Jesus Christ, know God the Father.

     God the Son and God the Holy Spirit; one God in three persons.

    1. Those who know the Father through Jesus Christ know the spirit of the

        Word.

    2. These will have eternal life with the Father

C. Those who know the Father through their heritage, only know 1/3 of the God head.

     1. They do not know salvation through the Son.

     2. They cannot experience the power of the  WORD through the Holy Spirit.

     3. These will spend eternity in hell.

     4. The Jews thought they had a lock on God because  their father was Abraham.

     5. They thought they had a lock on God to the exclusion of everyone else.

     6. Prayers don't have a nationality

         a. Prayers don't have a color.

         b. Prayers are not particular to any race.

         c. Effective prayers just have faith in Jesus.

A MESSAGE TO  THOSE WHO BELIEVE

V:13. " Jesus said to the centurion, "Go your way. Let it be done for you as you have

     believed." His servant was healed in that hour.

 A. What goes around comes around.

    1. Luke 6:38

         Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together 

         and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will

         be measured to you."

     2. The centurion prayed believing Jesus had the power to heal.

     3. He prayed that Jesus would heal his servant.

   B  When you serve the Lord, you are just paying forward a future blessing.

        1. Your prayers ought to be lifted up to the Lord in faith.

             a. As if Jesus heard you

             b. As if your prayer will be answered.

        2. You ought to pray like you already have the blessing.

   C. We serve an on time God.

       1. The servant was about to die.

       2.  But the Lord changed the prognoses.

       3. The Lord stepped in at the right time so that there was

           no doubt that healing came from him.

       4. The Lord waited to heal so that the bystanders could see

           his work and glorify Him.

D. Look at who was affected by the work of Jesus.

       1. The Centurion had his faith in Jesus confirmed.

       2. The elders of the Jews who interceded for the

            centurion saw the glory of God.

       3. The servant who was healed got the benefit of

            intercessory prayer.

       4. Let me suggest that God may let your suffering

           be the reason someone is drawn to Jesus.

THANK GOD FOR THOSES WHO PRAY IN FAITH

Rev. M. Mitchell

Asst Pastor Of Greater Macedonia Baptist Church

5510 West Sam Houston Park Way North

Houston, Texas 77041

For more lessons, follow me on facebook

and my blogs; goodnewsrevmitc.blogspot.com and revmmitchell.com

This Week's Sunday School Lesson, "The Ministry Of Jesus Christ", Matthew 4:12-25, 1/12/2019

THE MINISTRY OF JESUS CHRIST

Matthew 4:12-25

Lord Use Me Until You Use Me UP

V:12. " When Jesus heard that John had been put in prison, he returned to Galilee. "

A. The Lord plans and decides our ministries according to His

      divine plan.

    1. The ministry of John the Baptist was foretold 700 years before his birth

        Isa 40:3.

    2. His mission was restated again 400 years before his birth.  Mal 3:1

B. God decides the length of our ministry.

    1. John the Baptist knew the end of his ministry, He declared himself to

       forerunner of Jesus;

       John 3:30: "He must increase, but I must decrease."

    2. Jesus heard that John the Baptist, his cousin was in prison.

    3. There is no mention of Jesus visiting with John in prison. 

    4. Except for the His baptism, there is no mention of Jesus

        having any direct contact with  John.

    5. Just  because the pastor does not mention your name, does not mean

        your work for Jesus is not noticed or appreciated.  

        Matthew 11:11 " I tell you the truth: Among those born of women there has not

        risen anyone greater than John the Baptist; yet he who is least in the kingdom of   

        heaven is greater than he."

    6. We have no right to believe that anything we do for Christ deserve any applause

         from man.

   

SEPERATED FROM HIS PAST

V:13-14. " Leaving Nazareth, he went and lived in Capernaum, which was by the lake in the area of Zebulun and Naphtali— to fulfill what was said through the prophet Isaiah:

A. A minister must have his own space to do God's Work.

    1. Jesus left Nazareth  to began His ministry.

    2. He did not need the micro management of his family members.

    3. There is no indications that Jesus brothers and sisters supported

         him in the ministry while He was alive.

    4. In fact there is indications that His brothers and sisters thought He

        was crazy.

        Mark 3:21

        "When His family heard about this, they went to take charge of him, for they said,  

         "He is out of his mind."

B. Jesus did not need the distraction of His Family.

    1. We do not hear about Joseph during Jesus ministry, so I assume

         he was dead.

    2. You would have thought Mary would have shared the message from

        the Lord about Jesus with her other children.

    3. It is  apparent that she did not tell her other children that Jesus was the

        conceived in her by the Holy Spirit.

    4. It would seem fitting to me for Mary to tell  them that Jesus was God in the flesh.

C. There is history and prophecy in the names, Zebulun and Naphtali.

     1. Zebulun was the tenth son of Jacob by Leah.

     2. Naphtali was six son of Jacob by Bilhah  the maid of Rachel

     3. 1000 years earlier, during the building of the

         temple in Jerusalem , the king of Tyre gave King Solomon

         Ceder trees and gold. Solomon gave the king of Tyre 20 cities

        in Zebulun and Naphtali in return, The land became populated

        with a mixed group of Persians, Phoenicians and Greeks. It became

        known as the Land of Cabul (good for nothing).

JESUS, THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD

V-15-16.  "Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali,

the way to the sea, along the Jordan,

Galilee of the Gentiles, the people living in darkness

have seen a great light;

on those living in the land of the shadow of death

a light has dawned."

A. This land had once been abandon by the Israelites.

    1. In the Land of Good For Nothing, Jesus began His

        Ministry with four disciples.

    2. Jesus, first brought the Gospel to the Synagogue in  Nazareth, His home

        town, but when they heard His message they tried to kill Him by casting

        Him down a hill headlong.  Luke 4:29-20.

    3. He moved His home base to Capernaum, in  the Good For Nothing

        Place.

B. Jesus could have started His ministry among the rich and educated.

     1. But He chose the poor, uneducated and sinful to began the preaching

          Good News.

     2. Capernaum was located on the coast of the Sea Of Galilee.

     3. This was a people in the shadow of death.

     4. Jesus became the light that was receive by poor ignorant Gentiles.

THE BEGINNING OF THE CHURCH

V:17-20.  From that time on Jesus began to preach, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near."

18 As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen.

19 "Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men." 

20 At once they left their nets and followed him.

A. At the time of Jesus the sea of Galilee had became a place of commercial fishing

     1. The livelihood of village people became dependant in part on the sea of

          Galilee.

         a. The land around the sea became fertile ground for farming and raising

             animals.

     2. What was once considered "Good For Nothing" became fertile ground

          for the preaching of the Gospel.

    3. The people living in the area uneducated and struggling to survive

         maintained their reputation as "Good For Nothing".   John 1:46

B. It seem odd to me that fishermen  would drop their nets and follow

     someone at His command.

   1. The fist two disciples of Jesus were first disciples of John the Baptist

       (John 1:35-39).

   2. John the Baptist planted the seed of repentance and Jesus came watering.

   3. John's commission while still in womb of his mother was to be

       forerunner for Jesus.

 

AN URGENT CALL TO FOLLOW JESUS

V:21-22. " Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John. They were in a boat with their father Zebedee, preparing their nets. Jesus called them,

22 and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.

A. There will always be evidence that your are doing your job.

     1. John the Baptist got the attention of leaders of Israel, the community far

         and wide and the Roman Government.

     2. People heard the message of repentance and came in crowds to be baptized.

B. John understood the scope of his preaching which was to get the

     people prepared to be baptized with the Holy Spirit by Jesus the Messiah.

   1. John the Baptist also understood that those who followed him would

       leave him and follow Jesus. 

   2. It was by divine  design that the first disciples of Jesus were fishermen,

       because Jesus was the greatest fisher of men.

   3. The work of a fisherman is never done. He is either fishing or

        or getting his equipment ready for fishing.

   4. As disciples of Jesus our job to be ready to proclaim the Gospel to

       those we come in contact with.

JESUS, OUR PERSONAL DOCTOR

V:23. " Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people. "

A. Jesus started His ministry in the Church, the Jewish synagogues.

    1. Those who knew God the Father were introduced to God the Son through

        the teaching of the Word with power and authority.

    2. There is no mention of the Jewish Church hierarchy, which included the Chief

        Priest having the ability to heal diseases or cast out demons.

        a. This shows a disconnect of Jewish synagogues with God Himself.

        b. Instead of being intercessors of the people to God, they became intercessors

            for themselves to the Roman government.

        c. They had ceased to be Priest of God for the people.

        d. Their priesthood became political positions for power and prestige.  

B. As a result,  there had not been a prophet of God for 400 years.

     1. Malachi, God last prophet before John the Baptist

         included the message of honoring God with  tithes and offering.

     2. Through the Priests, tithes and offering had become corrupt

          with them  enriching themselves with temple offering.

     3. We cease to be ministers of Jesus, when our mission become

          selfish.

EVERYONE IS WELCOME IN GOD'S HOUSE

V:24. " News about him spread all over Syria, and people brought to him all who were ill with various diseases, those suffering severe pain, the demon-possessed, those having seizures, and the paralyzed, and he healed them. "

A. Many people were drawn to Jesus because of the love He showed through healing.

     1. God is no respecter of persons.

     2. He took the Gospel to the synagogue in  His own town and was rejected.

     3. He turn to the Gentiles who received him gladly.

     4. The educated and the well trained in scripture blinded by their knowledge

         of scripture and could not see the Messiah in front of them.

     5. The poor and the uneducated got the benefit of Jesus miracles.

B. Many came and received the Gospel  but others came for miracles only.

    1. All who came received the convicting power of the Word.

    2.  When the word is buried in our mind. it will in time take root in

         our hearts.

THE GLOBAL CHURCH, COME AS YOU ARE

V:25 Large crowds from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea and the region across   

  the Jordan followed him.

A. The Church is made of all nations and nationalities.

    1. No race of people is excluded.

    2. The poor and the rich alike are invited into Church of Jesus Christ.

    3. There is no charge for physical or spiritual healing.

    4. The Greatest gift, salvation is free  to all who believe in Jesus Christ.

B. Jesus stands at the door of our heart, waiting for us to let Him in.

     1. The benefit of a relationship with Jesus is being under His care.

     2. He came that we might have peace, joy and love.

THANK GOD FOR HIS CHURCH

Rev. M. Mitchell

Asst Pastor Of Greater Macedonia Baptist Church

5510 West Sam Houston Park Way North

Houston, Texas 77041

For more lesson follow me on facebook and visit my blogs:

revmmitchell.com and goodnewsmevmitc.blogspot.com

This Week's Sunday School Lesson, "The Church Of Jesus Christ Is Born", Matthew 3:13-4:11, 1/6/2019

THE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST IS BORN

Matthew 3:13-4:11

THE BEGINNING OF THE CHURCH

V:13-14. " Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John. 14 But John tried to deter him, saying, "I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?"

A. According to Luke 3:23, Jesus began His ministry when He was thirty years old.

    1. God does not give us much information about Jesus life until He began teaching

         and preaching the Gospel.

    2. Here is what we know about His childhood according to scripture.

        a. We know of His birth in a manger.

        b. We know Jesus was circumcised at 8 days old . Luke 2:21

        c. We know Jesus was dedicated in the temple 40 days of age. Like 2:22.

        d. We know the wise men came to visit Him in a house in Jerusalem at the

             age of 2 years old.

        e. We know God instructed Mary and Joseph to take the child Jesus to Egypt

             to escape the death decree all babies two and under by King Herod.

        f. We know God allowed Mary and Joseph to return to Galilee after the death

             of Herod.

        g. We know Jesus was taken to Jerusalem for the Passover festival at the

            age of 12 by Mary and Joseph.

        h. Jesus increased in wisdom and stature and favor of God.  Luke 2:15

        i. Jesus grew up with four brothers and at least two sisters. Matthew 13:55

B. Jesus set doctrine of Baptism and Faith in motion for the Church.

    1. Jesus being the Church, was the first to baptized in the Church.

    2. With John, he set faith as the operation of the Church.

    3. John wanted to be baptized by Jesus, but Jesus used him as an officer of

        Church to perform His baptism.

    4. John did not push his point, but followed Jesus command.

    5. The Just live by faith and not by sight.

    6. After His resurrection Jesus gave His disciples the great commission

        Matthew 28:19-20

       "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the  

         Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey

         everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very  

         end of the age."

THE EQUIPPING OF THE CHURCH

V:15-`16. " Jesus replied, "Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness." Then John consented.

As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting on him. 17 And a voice from heaven said, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased."

A. Your job as a messenger of Christ is important in the lives of others.

     1.Like John, you may be the forerunner to the next great evangelist.

     2. God prepares us to present the Gospel to people we meet and

         may never get to know well.

     3. God uses us as drawing cards to introduce people to Him.

B. Jesus is our high priest.

     1. He was anointed for this office by baptism for purification.

     2. He was given the power of the office by the giving of the Holy Spirit.

     3. By baptism of John, Jesus became our substitute for sin.

     4. Like Abraham, Jesus believed God, therefore became the righteous substitute

          for our sake.

C. Jesus set the standard for a relationship with him, baptism and faith in the

     Word.

    1. Jesus did not need baptism for He was sinless.

    2. He is the Word by which we are made clean.  

    3. John's message was one of repentance.

    4. Jesus message was one of redemption.

    5. They that come to Christ must confess their sins and have

         faith in Him.

    6. Jesus permitted Himself to be baptized to identify with sinners,

D. The Holy Trinity is represented in this verse.

     a. The person of God the Father speaking from heaven.

     b. The person of God the Son presenting Himself to be baptized.

     c. The person of the Holy Spirit resting on Jesus, symbolic of His

         abiding with us,

     d. Jesus had love of Father and the power of the Holy Spirit. 

THE MISSION OF THE CHURCH

V.4:1. " Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil."

A. The faith of All believers will be tested by God.

     1. It is through our test that our faith grows.

     2. Jesus willingly submitted Himself to be tempted by the devil according

         to the will of the Father.

     3. He was loved  by the Father, yet He was tested.

     4. He had done nothing wrong, yet He was tested.

     5. The Father was completely pleased with Jesus, yet He tested Him.

B. What was the purpose of testing Jesus?

    1. The Father, the Son And the Holy Spirit are one.

    2. Before now, they were spiritual beings.

    3. In the flesh, Jesus would be under the Law which He was the author.

    4. In the flesh Jesus would operate under the guidance of the Father

        and the power of the Holy Spirit.

    5. Perhaps the test were designed to see how Jesus would operate in the

        flesh or to prepare Him for His ministry.

 The only way to defeat the devil is with the Word of God.

 You have to study the Word to know the Word,

  Satan knows your weakness in the Word.

1 John 2:16

"For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world."

During the test in the wilderness, Jesus meets the world for the first time as an

ambassador for the Father.

THE TESTING OF THE CHURCH

V:2-3. " 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."

A. This first temptation was a setup. After fasting for 40 days, any person would be

      hungry.

     1. The devil will attack you in your area of weakness.

     2. Most people in certain conditions have a weakness  for food.

B. Notice the challenge to Jesus.

     1. The devil challenged the divinity of Jesus.

     2. The devil picked a fleshly subject to challenge the authority of God over

         His creation.

     3. The key is to recognize a devilish situation and respond appropriately.

                              

THE OPERATION OF THE CHURCH

V:4. " Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God."

A. Jesus did not say you don't need bread, what He said was that satisfying the

     flesh is not the entire answer.

    1. In order to make an educated decision, you need the Word of God.

    2. We should never make a decision based on the desires of the flesh.

         Matthew 26:41

         "Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the    

         flesh is weak."

    3. A key to making a decision is prayer.

    4. A second key is waiting on an answer from the Lord.

THE FAITH OF THE CHURCH

V:5-6. " 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.'"

A. Notice the challenge escalates.

     1. Not only does the devil challenge the divinity of Jesus

         but also His knowledge of the Word.

     2. The devil is so bold that he take Jesus to His own house which He designed

          and challenged Him to die   to prove who He Is.

     3. Jesus came to die for the sins of the world but not for the foolishness of man.

 B. The devil tried to use the Word to discredit the Word.

     1. Believers should never try to defend the Word with an argument, but with

         continuous Bible study.

     2. Believers have to study to know the Word when challenged.

STUDY THE WORD TO SHOW YOURSELF APPROVED

V:7. " Jesus answered him, "It is also written: 'Do not put the Lord your God to the test."

 A. A common mistake of believers and none believers is to take scripture out

      its context to make it fit their limited understanding.

    1. Sometimes we chose a scripture to justify our actions.

    2. If a person interpretation of scripture differ from yours, do some personal

        Bible study.

    3. If your interpretation of scripture justifies your fleshly desires, do some

        personal Bible study.

B. Scripture will never promote sin, hatred, intolerance, disrespectable behavior

THE WORSHIP OF THE CHURCH

V: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."

A. Satan's ultimate goal is to steal the worship from the Lord and claim it for himself.

      1. Isaiah 14:12-13

         How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut 

         down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!

         For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne 

         above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the   

         sides of the north:

      2. For some 1400 years before the birth of Christ, Satan had been successful in

          getting man to break God's command for worship.

          Exodus 20:3-5

          Thou shalt have no other gods before me.

          Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that

           is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the

           earth:

          Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God  

           am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the  

           third and fourth generation of them that hate me;

       3. What a great victory for Satan if he could get the Church to worship him.

          a. We must be careful that the message of God is not diluted to  fit the

               desires of the world.

          b. Satan is busy in the Church painting a picture of Jesus as a Burger King

              messiah.

          c. You cannot get all the benefits of heaven without change and repentance. 

THE VICTORY OF THE CHURCH

V:10. " Jesus said to him, "Away from me, Satan! For it is written: 'Worship the Lord  

 your God, and serve him only."

A. When it comes to worship, there are no options.

     1. The beginning of wisdom is the fear of the Lord.

     2. We should reverence the Lord with all our heart.

     3. Worship involves service and sacrifice.

B. Jesus became flesh to die for our sins. so we can have eternal life

     with Him.

   1. Satan offers death and destruction.

   2. You cannot buy salvation, it is a free gift.

   3. Salvation is more valuable than anything man can offer.

THE COMFORT OF THE CHURCH

11 Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him.

A. Those who serve the Lord will be comforted by Him.

    1. There are times in mission of the Lord when family and

        friends are not available for comfort.

    2. But Lord is always there when we need support.

    3. King David express his comfort in the Lord in the

        23 Psalms.

        "The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want"

B. There are times when we are weaken by the events of the

     service.

    1. It is in our alone time with the Lord that He strengthens

        our spirit.

    2. Since the Lord is ever present with us, He knows when we need

        to be entertained by angels. 

THANK GOD FOR THE OPERATION OF THE CHURCH

Rev. M. Mitchell

Asst Pastor Of Greater Macedonia Baptist Church

5510 West Sam Houston Park Way North

Houston, Texas 77041

For more lessons follow me on face book

and visit my blogs: goodnewsrevmitc.blogspot.com and revmmitchell.com