From the first prophecy of Christ in the garden of Eden (Gen. 3:15) to the end of the Old Testament, God's plan unfolds, revealing the lineage of Christ through the seed of the woman, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, the tribe of Judah and the family of David. The New Testament begins with the birth, ministry, death, burial and resurrection of the Son of God - the fulfillment of the spiritual promise to Abraham, "...in you all the generations of the earth will be blessed" (Gen. 12 :3). . About 400 years passed from the prophecy of Malachi at the end of the Old Testament to the birth of John at the beginning of the New Testament.
In the days of the fourth world kingdom, the God of heaven would "set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed...". Through this act, Jesus bore the sign of the covenant people (Israel) and submitted to the Law of Moses (Gal. 4:4). In great faith, Mary believed the angel's announcement and prayed for its fulfillment (Luke 1:38).
In obedience to the decree of the Roman emperor, Mary and Joseph traveled to Bethlehem to be registered in the census. These words spoken by Hosea (Hos. 11:1) referred primarily to the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt, but Matthew also applies the prophecy to this event. Many prophets spoke of the Jews' hatred and contempt for Jesus and their rejection of him.
L ESSON 4
THE JOURNEY TO JERUSALEM
THE GROWTH OF JESUS
L ESSON 5
THE BAPTISM OF JESUS
THE TESTIMONY OF JOHN
At Jesus' baptism, John witnessed the double testimony from heaven of Jesus' deity or divine nature—the voice of the Father acknowledging Jesus as His Son, and the Holy Spirit descending in the form of a dove. For this reason, John came baptizing in water to make Jesus known to Israel as the Messiah (John 1:29-34).
THE ANOINTING OF JESUS
L ESSON 6
- THE FIRST TEMPTATION
- THE SECOND TEMPTATION
- THE THIRD TEMPTATION
- TEMPTATION
How was Jesus going to prove to the world that he was the Son of God - by jumping off a tall building and letting angels protect him, or by someone else. If Jesus had yielded to this temptation from Satan to become king over an earthly kingdom, then God's plan for man's salvation would not have been accomplished. The prophecies of the Old Testament would not have been fulfilled in Jesus Christ, and there could be no salvation for sinners.
Each of Jesus' three temptations can be placed in one of these categories. Match the temptations of Jesus in the right column with the sins in the left column. In the Garden of Eden, Eve was tempted with the same sins that John named.
L ESSON 7
THE MESSAGE OF JESUS
JESUS' FIRST DISCIPLES (John 1:35-51)
It was a compliment to announce that Nathanael was an Israelite in whom there was no guile or guile. Jesus here demonstrated his supernatural knowledge that enabled him to know the thoughts and character of Nathanael. Jesus was not physically present when Nathanael sat under the fig tree, yet Jesus “saw” him there.
As Jesus walked by the Sea of Galilee, who did He see and what was their occupation. After choosing the twelve disciples, Jesus sent them out to preach to the lost sheep by choosing the twelve disciples, Jesus sent them out to preach to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. We call it the limited commission, because they were only to preach to the Jews.
L ESSON 8
- THE FIRST, SECOND AND THIRD BEATITUDES deal with a person's atti- tude toward himself
- THE FOURTH BEATITUDE deals with a person's attitude toward God
- THE FIFTH, SIXTH, AND SEVENTH BEATITUDES deal with a person's atti- tude toward others
- THE EIGHTH BEATITUDE deals with the attitude of others toward me
Blessed are those who mourn (Matt. 5:4) – those who mourn over the sin they and others have committed. When Josiah was sixteen, he began to seek the Lord; when he was twenty, he began destroying the idols and places of idolatrous worship. Later at eighteen, when he was twenty-six, he ordered the temple to be repaired, and in the process the high priest Hilkiah found the book of the law.
Blessed are the meek (Mt 5:5) - those who have a humble heart and accept God's dealings with them as good, without fighting or resisting; they are gentle and patient with others when they have endured injustice or harm. One day, when Satan appeared before God, he said that Job was righteous because the Lord had protected and blessed him. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for justice (Mt 5:6) - those who have a strong desire to do right and receive God's forgiveness.
When the evangelist Philip was in the city of Samaria, the angel of the Lord told him to go to a lonely place. Blessed are the merciful (Mt 5:7) – those who show mercy or compassion to others and try to help them. Blessed are the pure in heart (Mt 5:8) - those who have an honest and good heart and are free from evil desires.
At the end of the three years, when Daniel was brought before the king, what did the king observe. Blessed are the peacemakers (Matt. 5:9) – those who have peace with God, with others and with themselves; they seek to reconcile man to God by preaching the gospel of peace. Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake (Matt. 5:10)—those who suffer because of their loyalty to God.
If they remain faithful to God, all the gifts and blessings of the kingdom belong to them. Stephen preached in his defense before the high court, relating the history of the Jews from Abraham to the days of Solomon and the building of the temple.
L ESSON 9
In these verses, Jesus gives three degrees of wrath (without cause) and three degrees of judgment. Jesus quotes the sixth commandment, "Thou shalt not kill" (Exodus 20:13), and then says that anger leads to murder, which is worthy of God's judgment. Duck - a term of complete contempt, despising the human mind and meaning stupidity or an empty head; scolding with this word is worse than having a feeling of anger that is not expressed.
Fool – another term of contempt, meaning an ungodly rebel against the Lord; this word despises a person's heart and character, and is thus a more serious reproach than Raca, which mocks the mind. Council - The Sanhedrin, the Great Council of Jerusalem, consisting of seventy-one members of the families of the high priests, elders, and scribes. Therefore, all anger without cause puts one in danger of the same judgment as murder (1 John 3:15).
Jesus quotes the seventh commandment: “You shall not commit adultery” (Ex. 20 14), and then condemns sin in the heart. This is not a prohibition on judicial oaths, for Jesus took an oath during his trial (Matt. 26:63-64). The Old Testament law regarding injury to another specified “…an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth…” (Lev. 24:19-20).
The laws of the land punish criminals, and God will punish the wicked in the end. Judicial injustice – the coat was an inner garment, and the cloak was an outer garment that was not to be worn overnight by a creditor, because it was. Borrowing and lending - the Old Testament law prohibited a Jew from paying interest when lending money to another Jew (Ex. 22:25).
When Paul was unjustly and illegally beaten and imprisoned in Philippi and the authorities intended to release him privately, he insisted that the authorities do just that. Love for our enemies is not the tender affection we have for our family members or close friends, but the love we have for our family members or close friends, but a love that seeks the welfare of others and wishes no harm to anyone.
L ESSON 10
A LMS, P RAYER, F ASTING
Our fasting is not to be seen by men, but should be seen by the Father who sees in secret and will reward us how. What did Jesus do one evening and morning early in his ministry? He prayed when he was exalted during his transfiguration (Luke 9:29), and He prayed when he was in agony in the Garden of Gethsemane (Luke 22:44).
He prayed for His disciples before He chose them (Luke 6:12), and He prayed for His murderers who rejected Him (Luke 23:34). He prayed before Peter confessed him as Christ (Luke 9:18), and He prayed before Peter denied him (Luke 22:32). But when you pray, go into your closet and shut your door.
L ESSON 11
D EPENDENCE U PON G OD
L ESSON 12
L ESSON 13
HEROD IMPRISONS JOHN (Mark 6:14-20)
HEROD'S BIRTHDAY FEAST (Mark 6:21-29)
Herod Philip, son of Herod the Great and Mariamne (the daughter of Simon the high priest), was the first husband of Herodias according to Josephus. Herod Agrippa I (37–44 AD), grandson of Herod the Great, inherited the territory from his uncle Philip the Quadruped. Later he got the domain from Herod Antipas and finally received from Claudius Caesar the region of Judea, Samaria and Idumea.
They were both grandsons of Herod the Great and children of Aristobulus, who was murdered by his father Herod the Great in 7 BCE. According to Josephus, she was first married to Herod Philip, son of Herod the Great and Mariamne, daughter of Simon. When his father died, he was only 17 and was considered too young to rule over his father.
He became king of Chalcis (in Lebanon) after the death of his uncle Herod of Chalcis. Eventually his rule was extended, first by Claudius Caesar and then by Nero, to the north and northwest of Palestine. She was extremely immoral and her association with her brother Agrippa II caused much scandal.
Drusilla was also the daughter of Agrippa I, sister of Agrippa II, and a younger sister of Bernice. She was married to Felix, the Roman procurator, before whom Paul reasoned as a prisoner about "righteousness, temperance and coming judgment". (Acts 24:24-27).
THE H ERODIAN F AMILY T REE
Herod the Great