Bible Study - Class meets on Thursday from 12:00 PM to 1:00 PM CST.

[LadyLionness]

PRINCIPLE: People in the Old Testament, as well as people of the New Testament, were justified by faith.

APPLICATION: Salvation is always by faith, whether in the Old Testament or the New Testament. If we add works, we negate grace. It is either one or the other, not both. Grace and works are mutually exclusive. We receive grace by belief or trust.

What then shall we say that Abraham our father has found according to the flesh? For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. For what does the Scripture say? Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness. Now to him who works, the wages are not counted as grace but as debt. But to him who does not work but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness, just as David also describes the blessedness of the man to whom God imputes righteousness apart from works: Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, And whose sins are covered.  Ro 4:1-7

[LadyLionness]

Matthew 1:2
 
Abraham begot Isaac, Isaac begot Jacob, and Jacob begot Judah and his brothers.

Verses two through six show the lineage from Abraham to David.

Matthew names only the fourth son of Jacob because the Messiah came from Judah (Ge 49:10). The ruling tribe should have been Reuben, but he stepped out of line so God gave the line to Judah (1 Chron 5). Reuben lost the privileges of the firstborn.

[Renaissance]

the theme of of the gospel of matthew is "the kingdom of God."  i believe matthew truely understood jesus because he was a witness to all the events during jesus' time.  not only did he record the events that happened, i believe he injected what he felt the reason/purpose for jesus being here on this earth.  "the kingddom of God" is used more frequent in matthew than any books of the bible.

[LadyLionness]

the theme of of the gospel of matthew is "the kingdom of God."  i believe matthew truely understood jesus because he was a witness to all the events during jesus' time.  not only did he record the events that happened, i believe he injected what he felt the reason/purpose for jesus being here on this earth.  "the kingddom of God" is used more frequent in matthew than any books of the bible.

Good point, Ren.

The kingdom of heaven refers to the rule of God on the earth.  This phrase occurs 32 times and nowhere else in Scripture.

[WindComeWindBlow]

That is interesting.  Can you explain more, Wind?  I often find Matthew to be the drier of the four gospel.  I really enjoyed Luke... almost read it straight through the first time.  Many people like the book of John.

I grew up in a traditional, shaman home.  When I came to know God, it was difficult for me to understand.  In the long run, I knew that if I wanted to understand God, I must learn about Him and Jesus.  So I think someone advised me to start with the New Testament.  The first chapter was Matthew.  It was the only chapter I finished.  The other chapters were similar so I didn't get to.  Matthew was a very easy read but it had a lot of significant parables.  
I read John in college in fellowship and like it a lot.  

[LadyLionness]

Matthew 1:3
 
Judah begot Perez and Zerah by Tamar, Perez begot Hezron, and Hezron begot Ram.

Verses three and four start the line of Judah.
 
The inclusion of five women, Tamar - was a Cannanite woman who posed as a prostitute to seduce Judah, Rahab - was a Gentile and a prostitute (v. 5; Jos 2:1), Ruth - a Moabite woman and a worshpper of idols (v.5; Ruth 2:11-12), Solomon's mother Bathsheba - Uriah's wife who committed adultry with David (v.6; 2 Sa 11-12), and Mary - who bore the stigma of pregnancy outside of wedlock is unusual but not without precedent in genealogies. All of these women had questionable backgrounds. Normally women did not appear in genealogies of the Old Testament. Four of these women were Gentiles, which was also unusual (two Canaanites, one Moabite, one Hittite Bathsheba).  This shows and demonstrates the devine grace of God.  Each of these women is an object lesson about the workings of divine grace.
 
We find Tamar's story in Genesis 38. Tamar is in the Bible because she sinned. Tamar, the Gentile, married the oldest son of Judah, who was named Er. He died suddenly because of sin. Judah asked his next son, Onan, to marry her. God killed him because he committed coitus interruptus. When Judah tried to save his last son, Shelah, by delaying giving Tamar to him, she took matters into her own hands by disguising herself as a prostitute and having sexual relations with Judah. When Judah discovered her pregnancy, he declared her more righteous than himself since he withheld Shelah from her. Out of that union the twins Perez and Zerah were born. Through this she became an ancestress of David.

[LadyLionness]

I grew up in a traditional, shaman home.  When I came to know God, it was difficult for me to understand.  In the long run, I knew that if I wanted to understand God, I must learn about Him and Jesus.  So I think someone advised me to start with the New Testament.  The first chapter was Matthew.  It was the only chapter I finished.  The other chapters were similar so I didn't get to.  Matthew was a very easy read but it had a lot of significant parables. 
I read John in college in fellowship and like it a lot. 

Well, that's good.  We will we going through all of them together. 

[LadyLionness]

Matthew 1:4
 
Ram begot Amminadab, Amminadab begot Nahshon, and Nahshon begot Salmon.

Salmon was one of two men sent out on patrol to reconnoiter the fortifications of Jericho. These men got into a jam and ran for protection into a second-class hotel. A prostitute by the name of Rahab not only gave them a room but she hid them in a room for manufacturing rope. Out of this contact, Salmon ultimately married Rahab the whore. She then took her place officially in the line of the Messiah. Rahab had no illusions about herself, but God bestowed His grace on her.

[LadyLionness]

Matthew 1:5
 
Salmon begot Boaz by Rahab,

This is not an exhaustive genealogy but an over-all trend in genealogy.
 
Rahab was a prostitute who became a follower of the Lord (He 11:31). She found herself in the genealogy of Jesus because she became a believer.

Boaz begot Obed by Ruth, Obed begot Jesse,

Ruth was a Gentile Moabite. The Moabites were under a special curse of the Mosaic Law (Deut 23:3-8). God turned Ruth's cursing into blessing. 
 
Jesse was David's father. Jesse had eight sons and David was the eighth. The eldest son had great ability but not a whole lot of courage. David, the shepherd, became the king of Israel. This is also grace.

[LadyLionness]

Matthew 1:6
 
and Jesse begot David the king.

This verse begins the Davidic dynasty. The addition of the words "the king" strengthens the link between David and Jesus the Messiah.
 
David the king begot Solomon by her who had been the wife of Uriah.
 
The "wife of Uriah" was Bathsheba. Bathsheba committed adultery with David, violating her marriage covenant with Uriah.  It is the grace of God that He included Bathsheba in Jesus' lineage.

[LadyLionness]

PRINCIPLE: God's faithful providence guarantees the Messiahship of Jesus.
 
APPLICATION:  Who and what we are does not depend on us but on who and what God is and does for us. This is strictly the grace of God in action.

[Renaissance]

Matthew 1:5
 
Salmon begot Boaz by Rahab,

This is not an exhaustive genealogy but an over-all trend in genealogy.
 
Rahab was a prostitute who became a follower of the Lord (He 11:31). She found herself in the genealogy of Jesus because she became a believer.

Boaz begot Obed by Ruth, Obed begot Jesse,

Ruth was a Gentile Moabite. The Moabites were under a special curse of the Mosaic Law (Deut 23:3-8). God turned Ruth’s cursing into blessing.  
 
Jesse was David’s father. Jesse had eight sons and David was the eighth. The eldest son had great ability but not a whole lot of courage. David, the shepherd, became the king of Israel. This is also grace.

good points here.  theme is: God can and will choose anyone who is faithful regardless of their status or their past.

[LadyLionness]

PRINCIPLE: God’s faithful providence guarantees the Messiahship of Jesus.
 
APPLICATION:  Who and what we are does not depend on us but on who and what God is and does for us. This is strictly the grace of God in action.

When I first read the genealogy of Jesus, I pretty much just skim through them.  Then after making my way through the New Testament and the Old Testament... when I read the genealogy on the second round through the New Testament, I started to pick out who was who and I was relieved and surprised to see the women of questionable pasts in Jesus' ancestry.  This really goes to show the deep of love God has for us and his ability to forgive us for all the horrible things that we have done.  But like these woman... we MUST repent and DO them no more.  I don't remember where, but there is a passage in the scriptures that if we do something knowing that it is wrong, our punishment would be greater... meaning that we cannot repeat the same sin over and over again.

Looking at my life, I find that when I have sin  in my life, I am not as close to God.  It's either because of the sin or my shame in walking into his presence.  To overcome this, I just start reading the Bible again and ignore the shame until I am back in the groove.... and then I ask God for forgiveness.

Some sins hit us out of the blue... before we realize that it is a sin, we are chest deep in it already and more often than not, it takes a long time for us to find our way out of it... but if we trust in him and continually give it up to him... God will see to it that we overcome them.

[LadyLionness]

Dear Heavenly Father,

As we come to a close, I pray that you will be with each of us and that your words will continue to do it's work in us and in our life.  Thank you so much for your healing power... I am whole again... in heart, mind, and soul.  Thank you for all that you do and for bringing all of us together.  We love you and praise your name.

All this I pray in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

[LadyLionness]

good points here.  theme is: God can and will choose anyone who is faithful regardless of their status or their past.

Ren,

One of the most amazing insight I got from the very first annual conference I attended with my husband was the power and strength in each of God's servants.  They were in stark contrast to the strong and powerful ones in the secular world... in stature and looks.  It still amaze me that God takes the least likely and through his grace and power alone, he makes them great!!!