Lesson 8: The King’s Presence

The Gospel
of Matthew

Lesson 8

The King’s Presence

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after
righteousness... Matthew 5:5

It is so easy to get caught up with the hustle bustle of life, trying to make ends meet and keeping things under control. Have you ever woken up one morning and felt so heavily weighed down with life’s responsibilities? You just don’t feel like getting out of bed! The kids or bills are screaming for attention, the alarm is blaring, your body says I am tired and you know this is not going to be an easy day.

The challenging balance of life activity and the peaceful Shalom of God within your soul is the target of every earnest follower of Christ. How do I behave myself as a Christian in the midst of so much darkness, misbehaviour and the rat-race? Do I watch CSI or pray? Should I go out and have a nice time with friends and family or go to church?

A good part of the answer to these and other complex questions lies in the Presence of God. The Lord shows us the way to take when we come to Him.

You will show me the path of Life; in your Presence is fullness of Joy…Psalm 16:11

Many people are doing jobs they hate and living lives they despise but can’t do anything about it because they feel stuck. Others keep themselves busy so that they wouldn’t need to face the reality of their situation. Yet if they spent time with God He will show them what to do or how to cope.

Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part…Luke 10:41-42

What did Mary choose? She decided to sit at the feet of Jesus and listen to His words while Martha busied herself in the kitchen with cooking. Mary chose the Lord’s presence to duty and activity. Both are good and necessary but one comes before the other. Fill yourself with the Presence of God everyday and you will be better equipped to face the pressure of work, duty, family and life.

He makes me lie down... He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul Psalm 23:2-3

As the deer pants for the water brooks, so pants my soul for you, o God Psalm 42:1

Once the revelation of the necessity for God’s presence hits us, most of life’s problems are completely solved. The house, car, job, success or achievements do not fill the void in our souls. Only the presence and words of God can truly satisfy. My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness, and my mouth shall praise you with joyful lips. Psalm 63:5. May your deepest parts be filled with real joy and satisfaction. May your whole life giggle!!

Lesson 7: The King’s Emphasis

The Gospel
of Matthew

Lesson 7

The King’s Emphasis

Blessed are the Meek, for they shall inherit the Earth.
Matthew 5:5

This is the third beatitude which underscores and highlights the Lord’s heart and emphasis. Happiness belongs to those who allow meekness to rule their souls. Are you happy, smiling and cheerful? As a slight digression, did you know your face has about fifty muscles? It uses 20 of these to produce a smile and around 40 to frown deeply! God actually created us in such a way that we use less energy in smiling than frowning. It is easier anatomically to smile than to frown…wow!!

Blessed are the meek…the Oxford Advanced Learners Dictionary of Current English defines meekness as; quiet, gentle and always ready to do what other people want without expressing own opinion.

The Strong’s Greek Dictionary aligns meekness with lowly (PRAUS); a humility that is considerate, unassuming, gentle, mild and meek. Humble wisdom and penetrating love. Therefore, Meekness is not weakness but great authority and power under perfect control.

Jesus was quoting Psalm 37:11, but the meek shall inherit the earth and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.

The Hebrew word for meekness denotes… Smallness before God.

This attitude of becoming little before God is a thing of the heart. When the Lord steps into a matter you bow. Once the Word appears in any situation you kneel in submission in your heart. When you see yourself as a little child before God, no matter how achieved, successful or brilliant you are, then you are on the road to real GREATNESS.

At that time the disciples came to Jesus saying “who then is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” (They had been disputing who was the most successful, achieved or greatest amongst
themselves). Then Jesus called a little child to Him, set him in the midst of them, and said, assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 18: 1-5

CASE STUDY – King Saul

• In 1 Samuel 9: 15-21 we see the Lord calling and appointing Saul as King through Samuel
  
• Saul reaction in verse 21 shows his humility…am I not a Benjamite of the smallest of the tribes of Israel, and my family the least of all the families of the tribe of Benjamin?
  
• During his coronation, Saul ran away and hid himself! 1 Samuel 10: 21
  
• Five chapters later the story of his heart had changed 1 Samuel 15:11
  
• The core issue was the state of his heart in following God 1 Sam 15: 17, 23

Practical Signs that you need help in meekness

• When things don’t go your way, you flare up and let out a tirade of verbal outbursts
  
• When your friend or spouse offend, you sulk until they have to literally beg you to talk
  
• The people in your department who report to you at work or church are afraid of you and wouldn’t dare talk back even when you are wrong.
  
• You sense a nudge of your conscience telling you to apologise or make up but you ignore it because the other person was so wrong!
  
• You are watching TV or are online and you feel a Holy Spirit urge to pray or call someone and you procrastinate and then forget.
  
• You are in conversation and you are about to cross the line in saying something your heart says don’t go there but you go anyway…all the way!!

Practical ways of helping yourself

• Memorise and meditate the Word of God concerning Humility and Meekness Psalm 119:11
  
• Humble yourself with Fasting on at least a weekly basis Psalm 35:13
  
• Practice humbling your flesh e.g. kneel down before your friend or spouse and ask forgiveness. Kneel your will. Kneel in church to God during worship or prayer and don’t care who sees or looks at you! One of the greatest cures for the pride of the flesh is casting off the care of what other people think or feel. 2 Samuel 6: 14, 20-22
  
• Pray and ask the Holy Spirit to help you with your weakness. Keep a short account and ask for God’s forgiveness on a daily basis as the Holy Spirit and your heart remind you about what you did wrong that day. Matthew 6:11-12

When you bite the fruit of pride you lose the juice of humility

Lesson 6: The King’s Manifesto. (continued)

The Gospel
of Matthew

Lesson 6

The King’s Manifesto

Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
Matthew 5:4

It is really amazing that the key focus of Jesus’ teachings begins with the poor and downtrodden. Last session we looked at the first Beatitude which highlighted the poor. The next group are the broken-hearted and the mourners.

He has sent Me to heal the broken-hearted; When Jesus launched His ministry quoting from Isaiah 61:1 the first two groups of people appear as mirror images of each other. Jesus states that the Kingdom is near those who are broken and down. Stories abound of people coming to Jesus as a result of some personal tragedy or crisis. Loads of hardened souls find Jesus in prison camps. It wouldn’t be far-fetched to say Jesus loiters around hospitals, lonely homes, prisons and the street corners.

Broken-hearted people come in all shapes, shades and sizes! Unhappiness knocks on any door and does not discriminate whether rich or poor, old or young, black or white. Some of the saddest people on the planet live in big happy houses (1Kings 21:4). Some of the most beautiful people have ugly problems (Genesis 29:17, 31). Lots of high profiled people have the deep secrets (2Kings 5:1). The Kingdom is close to all such people because their hearts are crying out to God daily.

Blessed are those who mourn... Theologians have various views on the interpretation of who the mourners are. Jesus seemed to deliberately leaves things open to apparent personal understanding. The same verse is quoted slightly differently by Luke (Lk 6:21) Blessed are you who weep now for you shall laugh. What makes people weep? Loss of a loved one, personal tragedy, overwhelming circumstances, rejection, failure, betrayal, pain, conviction etc… There is no categorisation of righteous or unrighteous. Jesus simply says if you weep now you shall laugh.

These are pointers for Disciples to seize upon and sensitively nudge people in the direction of Jesus whenever they encounter broken people. Any place on the planet where tears are flowing, the Kingdom is close by…very close! In church, you need to have the right connections, deep faith and unquestionable righteousness to be close to the Lord. In the Kingdom all you need are genuine tears!

For they shall be comforted. This is a divine promise and a ray of HOPE for all who are going through some deep challenges right now. There are no timelines given but a destination is confirmed. And God will wipe away tear from their eyes, there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain…Revelations 21:4. (Compare with Isaiah 53:3 and John 16:33)

Lesson 5: The King’s Manifesto

The Gospel
of Matthew

Lesson 5

The King’s Manifesto

Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the Kingdom
of Heaven. Matthew 5:3

Before we begin this chapter, let us address a question which arose out of the last outline on chapter four and the Temptation of Christ.

Q: I
had a great time last Friday when you touched on Temptation. How do we differentiate between temptation by Satan and situations where the Spirit of God is leading us into tests? Can you please bring some clarity to this crucial area of the believer’s spiritual journey?

A:
Thanks a lot Mrs D for corresponding by email. It is great to know that our sessions in the Book of Matthew are prompting this kind of positive reaction and enquiry. We will hopefully deal with this in-depth as we continue with the series, however let me quickly outline a few things to distinguish between the two:

Satan’s temptation:

·Is usually secretive, don’t tell anyone else, this is for you alone. Acts 5:1-3

·
Do it NOW! Pushy, in a hurry. Take this chance or it will never come back! Genesis 39:10-12

·
There is only one point of reference, other opinions are not sought. Esther 3:8-10

·
Demonic nudges come through natural urges (sexual, hunger etc). 2 Samuel 11:2

·
The enemy uses access via our five senses (touch, smell, eyes, ears, taste). 1 John 2:16

·
Usually your prayer life and walk with God suffers and becomes inconsistent. Judges 2:11-13

·
You might feel oppressed, depressed, weighed down or have bad dreams. Psalm 43:1-2

The Lord’s Test

·
Usually comes in waves or seasons. Judges 6: 1, Numbers 14:32-34

·
There is a sense of peace along with words of encouragement during the trial. Acts 10:10-11

·
The Lord usually sends witnesses to confirm His Will. Acts 9:6 & 10-17

·
You see change in your heart, faith-walk and life due to tests. Hebrews 5:8, James 1:2-4

·
We know deep within that our stubbornness to God’s Will is creating havoc. Jonah 1:3-4

·
Our relationship with God is restored or deepened as a result of trials. Judges 3:9 & 16:28

·
Even in the trials/storms you have a sense of Joy and Victory! 2 Corinthians 4:8, James 1:12

The cardinal rule with temptations, trials and tests is that the Lord is incredibly faithful and will not allow you to face anything that you cannot bear; “No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man, but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it”. 1 Corinthians 10: 13

Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the Kingdom
of Heaven. Matthew 5:3

The Sermon on the Mount is the core of Jesus’ teachings and the very essence of what the Kingdom of God is all about. The Kingdom of Heaven is an interchangeable term with the Kingdom of God in Matthew’s Gospel. It represents the domain of the King of the universe which is anywhere and everywhere. It exists in us Luke 17:21 and manifests wherever the Lord shows up. Matthew 12:28

Matthew chapters 5-7 are essential study material for the Disciple of Christ and every serious believer. The teachings of Jesus are not for the faint-hearted or the casual church attendee. They are geared to radically change your perspective and world view, religion and your
lifestyle. Read on at your own peril. Burn after reading applies here. Yes burn everything in your life that does not measure up to the Jesus standard.

He went up on a mountain; this statement is prophetic as well as symbolic. Come let us go up to the mountain of the Lord…He will teach us His ways Isaiah 2:3. Our God loves mountains. Zion is a mountain. The prophets usually went up mountains to find God. Classic Pentecostals have a phrase on the mountain which meant praying and fasting to seek God. Moses went up Mount Sinai to get the Law, while Jesus was transfigured on a mountain. Elijah went up Mount Carmel to pray down rain; Noah’s Ark came to rest on Mount Ararat while Abraham went up Mount Moriah to sacrifice Isaac. Here Jesus proclaims a new law from the Mount of Beatitudes

Blessed are… Blessed! Happy!! Joyful!!! These are uplifting words. This choice of word by Jesus actually means fortunate or Happy and denotes someone who has received divine favour. The word is an adjective meaning supremely blessed a condition in which CONGRATULATIONS! Is in order! It is a lovely word of Grace that expresses a sense of wellbeing, joyfulness and extreme satisfaction. This is the divine endowment from the Father Himself on those who receive His salvation through Jesus Christ.

…the poor in spirit for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven. These are the first words from the lips of Jesus denoting their priority. In a parallel incidence at the launch of His ministry (Luke 4:18) the Lord identified Himself by stating; the spirit of the Lord is upon me because He has anointed me to preach good tidings to the
poor! It is not the high and mighty or rich and powerful that get first place but the poor. It is neither the famous and well-known nor the gifted and intelligent. The world gives high honour to the great and beautiful. ABβA had a worldwide hit with Money, Money, Money! It’s a rich man’s world!!

The priority on our Lord’s heart is to reach and touch the down trodden, the fatherless, the weak, the voiceless, the marginalised and forgotten. Once you make the decision to really follow Christ, you and your heart will morph into a sponge of love for people regardless of status, race or poverty.

Will you be a Christian or Disciple?

Lesson 3 & 4 – Get behind me Satan…it is written!

The Gospel
of Matthew

Chapters Three & Four

Lesson 3 – Get behind me Satan…it is written!

Main Text:
Then Jesus said to him, “away with you, Satan! For it is written, You shall
worship the LORD your God and Him only you shall serve” Matthew 4:10

John the Baptist came preaching; there is a gap of about thirty years between chapter two and three.
John is fearless, radical and effective in his ministry of preparing the nation for Jesus: Verse 5 states; Then Jerusalem, all Judea, and the entire region around the Jordan went out to him and were baptised by him in the Jordan, confessing their sins.

Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand! The root meaning of the word REPENT is to have a change of mind and lifestyle as a result of looking back retrospectively. This should not be confused with REGRET which has a fixation with the past and many times leads to
a crisis. Being creative with the word REPENT, you can allude that it means to
re-PENT. Go back to the top, to the penthouse!

He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire; everyone who accepts Jesus as Lord and saviour is said to be born-again (John 1:13, John 3:3). On the Day of Pentecost, the disciples were baptised into the Holy Spirit and tongues of fire were lighted upon their heads.

..And are you coming to me? John’s amazement at the humility of Jesus who submits Himself to human authority despite the fact that HE is LORD of lords and King of Kings. Ancient of days, without beginning or end, Alpha and Omega. The Creator of all things. Colossians puts it this way; He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and
for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist… Humility is the bedrock of true greatness.

Jesus came up immediately from the water; the heavens were then opened and John saw the Holy Spirit descending like a dove upon the Lord. A voice came from heaven saying, this is My beloved Son in whom I am well pleased”. This passage shows the triune nature of God, the Trinity together. The doctrine that God is ONE in three persons is a revelation the heart can grasp but the head struggles to understand!

Chapter 4 begins with
a strange statement; led by the Holy Spirit into temptation! This opens a big question of how God deals with us. Does He allow the enemy to test us so that we can be fit for purpose?
Or is it our sins that make us susceptible to demonic attack? Job’s friends insinuate that he must have sinned and therefore God was punishing him (Job 4:8). We can see from this case and that of Job’s, the test can come as an initiative from God. Therefore some trials in our lives are straight from the throne (James 1:12).

Into the wilderness…;
one of the deep principles of anointed ministry and life is that; private victories equate to public success. What you did in private where no one saw your diligence and discipline has a waygetting public endorsement after awhile. Some seasons of our lives demand obscurity. Jesus ‘disappeared’ for 18years before re-emerging at this public occasion.

It is written! Our Lord shows us the best way to resist temptation is by responding with the Word of God. it is important to note that the Scriptures were already written in Jesus’ heart so that He could draw from His memory bank. David said; your word have I hidden in my heart, that I may not sin against you Psalm 119:11. It is a very wise thing to have regular reading time for the bible. Parents who desire to raise godly kids should discipline themselves and their family to give priority to the Word of God. This should not be confused with attending services or other Christian activities. The average Christian should have a wealth of memory scriptures in their hearts. When life and the enemy come to test our faith, our source of resistance and victory will find its roots in our Word storeroom deep within our hearts.

And Angels came and ministered to Him: in our Christian journey, we need to be aware of and receive the ministry of Angels. This has been a long overlooked or ignored resource for believers. The bible states very clearly that Angels are ‘civil-servants’ for Christians – Hebrews 1:14. The Psalms inform us that; He gives His angels charge over us (Ps 91:11). We are not instructed to pray to angels but on special occasions they show themselves to man in aid of God’s Kingdom – Luke 1:30.

And Jesus walking by the sea of Galilee SAW two brothers: it is very important as a believer to go about with your spiritual eyes open. The spirit of discernment is one of the outworkings of the Holy Spirit in our lives. As a business-entrepreneur, a homemaker or professional, it is important that we catch things quickly in the spirit. Paul prayed the eye of your understanding being enlightened that you may know what the hope of His calling is Ephesians 1:18. Seize God-given opportunities.

The Gospel of the Kingdom: is the good news of the arrival and manifestation of God’s rule on Earth!! This message which began with John the Baptist (3:2) was now picked up and proclaimed by the Messiah Himself (4:23).
The Sermon on the Mount is basically the manifesto of this Kingdom which radically changes our lives.

The terms Kingdom of Heaven and Kingdom of God are generally the same thing. Our Lord taught us to pray Your Kingdom come on Earth as it is in Heaven. This is the invasive powerful realm that the Church and Christians take with them wherever they go in the world. Jesus said
believers are the Light and Salt of the Earth bringing illumination, salvation, deliverance and preservation.

By believing on the Lord Jesus and being baptised by the Spirit of God a person steps into the Kingdom of God (John 3:3). We are thus snatched from the controlling realm of darkness and
transported into a new realm of love and light (Colossians 1:13)

Once a person catches this by revelation they would have faith to confront life with an inner joy and victory that nothing in life can overcome (1 John 5:4). The good news of the arrival of the Kingdom of God, in a person or situation ,is the best news available to mankind. Many times the enemy comes to becloud this with distractions, trials, worry and heartaches (Matthew 13: 18-22).

Lesson 2 – The King is Born…Long Live the King!

The Gospel of Matthew

Lesson
2 – The King is Born…Long Live the King!

Matthew 2:2: Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him.

Matthew keys into the common Judaism theme of 5 by dividing the book into essentially five sections with a prologue and epilogue. Each part ends with the phrase, “and when Jesus had ended these sayings” 7:28, 11:1, 13:53, 19:1, 26: 1. Therefore the book as an outline looks like this;

· Introduction and Birth of the King Matthew 1:1 – 2:23

· Preparation and declaration of the King’s manifesto Matthew 3:1 – 7:29

· The manifestation of the King Matthew 8:1 – 11:1

· Opposition to the King Matthew 11:2 – 13:53

· The King’s response to opposition Matthew 13:53 – 18:35

· National presentation and rejection of the King Matthew 19:1 – 25:46

· Final conflict, crucifixion and Resurrection of the King Matthew 26:1 – 28:20

The Introduction and Birth of the King (Chapter 1: 1 – 2:23 Genealogy:
this means origin or root. The Jewish worldview took ones ancestors very seriously and helped to prove a person as an Israelite, the tribal identity and also qualifications for religious leadership. Matthew traces Jesus back to two key historical figures, Abraham (Jewish identity) and David (Royal identity).

Fourteen:
which is 7 x 2. For Jews, this was seven the number for perfection and two the number for proof or witness. From Abraham to David was fourteen generations and from David to Babylon, fourteen and then another fourteen from Babylon to Christ. The numerical value of David in the Jewish alphabet is fourteen. Hence Jesus is called the son of David (Matt 9:27, 15: 21).

Joseph:
is the ideal husband. He is a just man and open to the things of God. He is able to receive revelation from the Lord even in a great crisis (…behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream saying...). He gets rid of his fear and shame of taking Mary as his wife and obeyed the Lord not his pride or ego. He then controls his flesh and refrains from touching his new virgin until many months later! Then Joseph, being aroused from sleep, did as the angel of the Lord commanded him and took to him his wife, and did not know her till she had brought forth her first born son Matthew 1:24-25.

Out of Egypt I called my Son:
this one of the four Old Testament quotes (1:22, 2:6, 2:15, 2:18,).The Gospel of Matthew underscores the Messiah’s roots to scriptural prophecies and writings 53 times with over 70 allusions to the Hebrew Scriptures. He shall be called a Nazarene…there are many things said and done by God’s prophets that were not recorded in scripture e.g. John 21:25 or 1Kings 19: 14, 18. There are people who have done great things for God not mentioned or recorded but noted by Heaven!