Matthew – God’s Purpose and Law
When we are going through a tough time we seldom think first of how we are blessed, right? We think and see only what is in front of us. We don’t think beyond the present circumstance or how God will use our current situation to actually bless us. What if we change our thinking for a moment or two and assume that we are blessed? No matter what, God has blessed us.These random thoughts come to me as we read and see Jesus, in our minds, take the multitude of people following him to a high mountainside so he can tell THEM just how blessed THEY are. From this lesson to them, maybe we can catch a glimpse of God’s blessings on us. Maybe we can begin this day, knowing we are blessed, live in gracious praise, always looking up (as the listeners on the mountainside) to the Master Teacher and learn what being blessed means to all of us.
Matthew 5:1-12, NKJV
The BeatitudesAnd seeing the multitudes, He went up on a mountain, and when He was seated His disciples came to Him. Then He opened His mouth and taught them, saying:
“Blessed are the poor in spirit,
For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn,
For they shall be comforted.
Blessed are the meek,
For they shall inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
For they shall be filled.
Blessed are the merciful,
For they shall obtain mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart,
For they shall see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers,
For they shall be called sons of God.
Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake,
For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake.
Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
FROM THE HEART…
Can you find yourself in one or more of these ways God has blessed? Camp on this all day long and meditate on God’s provisions, protection and blessings on top. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad…right now! We know the reward of heaven will come, but we can rejoice and be grateful right now. There is also a bonus…our attitude of blessing just might draw someone seeking to know Jesus to you. Be ready to tell them why you are blessed!
My dad’s heart condition warranted a pacemaker installed. In fact, in his lifespan, three more were installed when one failed. His favorite joke to the heart surgeon was, “Blessed are the pacemakers, for they shall see tomorrow!”
I will close with that for now. Pray for Randy and I and many others on the field here in Santa Cruz, Bolivia as we battle the remains of the flu virus. The work will go on. Pray for our full physical strength to return. We are blessed! God is with us. God is providing. Blessed are we who believe, follow, trust and obey! (For there’s no other way, to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.)
Thank you, Heavenly Father. Just thank you!
In Jesus Name, Amen
Imagine the scene. Someone in your family was born with a debilitating illness. You hear that there is Someone who can merely touch them and make them completely well. Wouldn’t you do anything and everything to get your loved one to this Person? You want to find out more. 
Better yet, Matthew tells the story in such a way that not only is everything previous to us completed in Jesus; WE are completed in Jesus! Every day we wake up in the middle of something that is already going on, that has been going on for a long time: genealogy and geology, history and culture, the cosmos–GOD. We are neither accidental nor incidental to the story. We get orientation, briefing, background, reassurance.
15 “The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali,
Four Fishermen Called as Disciples
TAG is a child’s game that requires no parts or electronics…only your body. T-A-G are initials for “touch and go”. When we play the game of TAG, the goal for the leader is to touch another person who will now become “it” so they can “touch” someone else. Jesus was now “it”. He began to preach, like John, with the same message, telling people what they must do to come back to God. Jesus began to touch people with the news, “The Kingdom of God is at hand!”, who was standing right in front of them! He also, like John, told them that if they repent of their sins, they will see and hear from God again. 
Jesus then shows us a great example of leadership 101 by tagging others to tell God’s story of repent and be saved. Because Jesus touched a lot of lives, becoming very popular as He moved about the region, those who were “tagged” with “Follow Me” quickly left normal life for a life with Jesus. They knew him and watched him at work. They left their work to follow him in His work.
Dear Heavenly Father,
Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2 And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterward He was hungry. 3 Now when the tempter came to Him, he said, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.”
1. JESUS WAS LED BY THE SPIRIT OF GOD within Him. 
3. JESUS KNEW THE WORD OF GOD AND KNEW WHEN TO USE IT. Do we know what God says so we can repeat with conviction and clarity as we combat this same enemy? God will help us to know His Word and know when to use it to our advantage against evil. His Holy Spirit will tell us exactly what to say when. God’s Holy Spirit helps us to know and understand God’s Word. David says, “Thy Word have I hid in my heart so that I might not sin against you.” Paul told new Christians, saved by grace though the blood of Jesus, to “Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” Don’t leave home without His Word in your heart, mind and soul.
“Then the devil left Him, and behold, angels came and ministered to Him.”
7 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, “Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? 8 Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance, 9 and do not think to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones. 10 And even now the ax is laid to the root of the trees. Therefore every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 11 I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit [a]and fire. 12 His winnowing fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clean out His threshing floor, and gather His wheat into the barn; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”
John Baptizes Jesus
Dear Heavenly Father,
Matthew – God’s Purpose
The Jewish people forgot Who they were looking for after many years of not hearing from God. God told them a Savior would come. He told them what He would do for them and through them. Not only were they distracted, many missed Him completely. When Jesus arrived on earth, those in power were afraid of losing everything their own hands had built. But there were also many who found him. They found what and Who they were looking for in Jesus. Wise men still seek Him today.
3 When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. 4 And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born.
Dear Heavenly Father,
Matthew, as a good Jewish man would, begins with the biological genealogy of the coming of God’s Son, Jesus in the form of a tiny human born to a virgin engaged to be married to a devout Jewish man who stands in as God’s Son’s earthly father. Jesus would also be known as their Savior. Jesus is our Savior. Jesus, God’s Son, tears down the walls between God’s created and Himself by being the perfect sacrifice for our sin. Jesus, is their/our only hope. 
The Genealogy of Jesus Christ
Christ Born of Mary
22 So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying: 23 “Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which is translated, “God with us.”
Dear Heavenly Father,
I praise God for all He has done, is doing and will do. In my mind I am recalling specifically all that He brought us through, how He prepared us for where we are now, and all that details that brought us to Santa Cruz, Bolivia. I’m thanking God for all of you who are praying for us and donating your hard earned funds to help us live and work here with others. I’m grateful for the lovely people of this country who are loving, kind and helpful to us. I am excited for worship with all of God’s people this morning! How fitting to close the psalms with corporate worship on this Lord’s Day. We give God glory, honor and praise.
Psalm 150, The Message
Praise with a blast on the trumpet,
When God’s plan comes together in spite of our hands trying to take control, we celebrate! When a goal of growth is reached and surpassed in ourselves and in the lives of others we love, we celebrate. When evil is thwarted in it’s efforts to overcome us, we celebrate! When justice is served well, we celebrate. 
WHO do we celebrate first? That is the question for today. WHO gets ALL the credit for all that is accomplished in and through us in this life’s journey? WHO created all and is in all and knows all before we get up in the morning to begin thinking about anything? Who is our strength, wisdom, power and tenacity to keep going when we are weak?
5-9 Let true lovers break out in praise,
WE are (or should be) God’s monuments of praise! How are we doing as monuments of His glory, grace, mercy and unending love? Do others in our family and those we work alongside KNOW we are monuments of praise to the God we say we love, follow, honor and obey? Do they look at us and say, “God built that in her”. God is still chiseling out His monuments of praise for Him each day we live here in preparation for life with Him forever. Let Him be the artist of His masterpiece…you and I! We are His people. 
7-12 Praise God from earth,
His radiance exceeds anything in earth and sky;
