Matthew 5:4 Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
What does mourn mean? Mourn is mourn for one’s sins, seeing one’s own sins, mourn for the sins, confess and repent before God, receive God’s forgiveness, receive God’s comfort.
For this is what the high and exalted One says—he who lives forever, whose name is holy: “I live in a high and holy place, but also with the one who is contrite and lowly in spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly and to revive the heart of the contrite. (Isaiah 57:15)
Here it is said that God dwells with those who are humble and contrite in heart, just as water rushes down from mountain tops and accumulate in the lowliest places, so does God give grace to the humble. God is with those who mourn for their sins and humble in heart, and revive their souls.
Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death. (2 Corinthians 7:10)
Here we see that there are two kinds of sorrows, one kind is sorrow according to God’s will, mourn for one’s own sins, confess and repent and receive God’s forgiveness, lead to salvation. The other kind is worldly sorrow, sorrow about worldly things, is not profitable spirituality, it brings dead.
He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away. (Revelation 21:4)
In the future, God will live with people in the new heaven and new earth. There will be no more tears, no more sorrow, no more pain, no more death, and everything will be new. Praise the Lord.
May God bless you and your family.
Gospel Matthew study
The sermon on the mount
Matthew 5:1-12 Now when Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, 2 and he began to teach them. He said: 3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 4 Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. 5 Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. 6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. 7 Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. 8 Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. 9 Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. 10 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11 “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. 12 Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
Here the Lord Jesus preached the Gospel of the Kingdom of Heaven on the mountain, here is the Beatitudes of the Gospel of the Kingdom, namely eight blessings. We study one blessing every time. The first blessing is blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. What does it mean to be poor in spirit? It means that you know that you are spiritually poor and that you need God, so you will seek after God.
Looking at his disciples, he said: “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. (Luke 6:20)
Here the Lord Jesus said that you are blessed if you are poor. Poor people know that they are poor and needy, and they are more open to the gospel, rich people feel that they have everything and cannot see their spiritual poverty. They feel that they do not need God. If we don’t have God and Lord Jesus in our life, we are all spiritually poor whether you are rich or poor. If we know that we are spiritually poor and we need God, we will seek God. If we seek God and seek His presence with all our heart, we will find Him. With God’s presence, the kingdom of God, the kingdom of heaven is within us, is in our hearts, the kingdom of heaven belongs to us, we will become spiritually rich.
May God bless you and your family.
Jesus heals the sick
Matthew 4:23-25 23 Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people. 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. 25 Large crowds from Galilee, the Decapolis,[a] Jerusalem, Judea and the region across the Jordan followed him.
Here we see that the Lord Jesus taught and preached the gospel of the kingdom in the synagogues of Galilee, the synagogue was the place where the Jewish people gathered. Besides teaching people, the Lord Jesus also performed miracles, healed people of various diseases, and cast out demons. Because the Lord Jesus performed miracles, healed the sick and cast out demons, many people followed Him.
The Lord Jesus not only healed the sick and cast out demons in the times of the Bible, but also perform miracles in the present age.
17 And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; 18 they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well.”” (Mark 16:17-18)
This is the promise of the Bible, those who believe will have signs following them, they lay hands on the sick, and the sick will be healed. This is also my experience, I have prayed for the healing of different people, the Lord healed them, thank the Lord.
May God bless you and your family. 🙏😀
Jesus called four disciples
Matthew 4:17-22 17 From that time on Jesus began to preach, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” 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 send you out to fish for people.” 20 At once they left their nets and followed him. 21 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.
The message that the Lord Jesus preached at the beginning was: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” The kingdom of heaven is the kingdom of God, and the Lord Jesus also said that the kingdom of God is within you. When a person repents, is baptized, he receives the Holy Spirit, the Holy Spirit indwells, the Holy Spirit dwells in the heart, and with the presence of the Lord, the kingdom of God is within you.
The Lord Jesus called four disciples, Peter and his brother Andrew, James and his brother John. They were fisherman and were not educated. After they followed the Lord Jesus, they were greatly used by the Lord. The Lord Jesus called them, and they immediately followed, they were fishers of men, turned many people to the Lord.
May God bless you and your family. 🙏😀
Jesus was tempted
Matthew 4:1-11 1 Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2 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.” 4 Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” 5 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.’” 7 Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’” 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.” 10 Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’” 11 Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him.
Here it says that the Lord Jesus was led by the Holy Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. After fasting for forty days and nights, he became hungry, and the devil asked him to turn stones into bread. The devil asked the Lord Jesus to use his spiritual power to satisfy his physical needs. The Lord Jesus quoted the Bible and said, “Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.” The Lord Jesus was more concerned about spiritual food than the physical food. Then the devil took him to the top of the temple, told him to jump off, and misused the Bible.
11 For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; 12 they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone. (Psalm 91:11-12)
Here the Psalm talks about God’s protection for those who trust in Him, protecting them in all their ways, not for people to tempt God and jump off the top of the temple.
We know that we are children of God, and that the whole world is under the control of the evil one. (1 John 5:19)
The Bible says that the devil is the prince of the world, and the whole world is under his control. He told the Lord Jesus that if he worshiped him, and he would give him everything in the world. The Lord Jesus replied again with the Bible: “Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only“. The Lord Jesus overcome the temptation of the devil, drove away Satan, and angels came to serve him.
May God bless you and your family. 🙏😀
The baptism of Jesus
Matthew 3:13-17 13 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?” 15 Jesus replied, “Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.” Then John consented. 16 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 alighting on him. 17 And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”
John the Baptist baptized people with water in the Jordan River, people went to him, confessed their sins and be baptized. The Lord Jesus also went from Galilee to the Jordan River to be baptized by John, but John stopped him because the Lord Jesus was more powerful than John, and he will baptize people with the Holy Spirit and fire. The Lord Jesus said to John, “Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.” What does this mean? Jesus is both God and man. He is the Son, one of the Trinity God, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. As a man, he must fulfill God the Father’s rules for all people. Jesus’ baptism was not for his own sins, Jesus is sinless, He bore the sins of the world. When Jesus was baptized, he identified with the sinners, thus fulfilled the justice required by the law. Here we also see that when the Lord Jesus was baptized, the Holy Spirit landed on him like a dove, and the voice of the heavenly Father said: “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.” Both the Father and the Holy Spirit witnessed the baptism of the Lord Jesus, and here again we see the presence of the Trinity God, namely the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. (Acts 2:38)
Here Peter said that if a person repents of his sins and is baptized in the name of Jesus Christ, his sins will be forgiven and he will receive the Holy Spirit. This is born again and being saved according to the Bible.
May God bless you and your family. 🙏😀
John the Baptist preached
Matthew 3:1-12 1 In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea 2 and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” 3 This is he who was spoken of through the prophet Isaiah: “A voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.’” 4 John’s clothes were made of camel’s hair, and he had a leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey. 5 People went out to him from Jerusalem and all Judea and the whole region of the Jordan. 6 Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River. 7 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to where he was baptizing, he said to them: “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? 8 Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. 9 And do not think you can say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham. 10 The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire. 11 “I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me comes one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. 12 His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor, gathering his wheat into the barn and burning up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”
Here we see that the message of John the Baptist preached was “Repent, the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” The message that the Lord Jesus preached at the beginning was the same as that of John the Baptist, that is, “Repent, the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
The kingdom of heaven is the kingdom of God, and the kingdom of God is the kingship of God, that is, God is king. What does it mean to repent? Repentance means change of mind, a fundamental change of mind, change from self-centered to God-centered.
A voice of one calling: In the wilderness prepare the way for the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God. (Isaiah 40:3)
The book of Isaiah in the Old Testament prophesied the coming of John the Baptist. He was the forerunner of the Lord Jesus, opened the way and prepared the way for the Lord Jesus. John the Baptist gave people water baptism, asked people to repent, confessed their sins and repent, but the Lord Jesus came to baptize people with the Holy Spirit and fire, that is, to receive the Holy Spirit during baptism, and the Holy Spirit indwells and dwells in people’s hearts.
20 Once, on being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, Jesus replied, “The coming of the kingdom of God is not something that can be observed, 21 nor will people say, ‘Here it is,’ or ‘There it is,’ because the kingdom of God is in your midst.” (Luke 17:20-21)
Here the Lord Jesus said that the kingdom of God is not something you can see, but the kingdom of God is in your heart.
When I was baptized, I confessed my sins and repented, entrusted my life to the Lord, and let God be the Lord of my life, the King of my life. I experienced the Holy Spirit entering my heart from the top. I was very touched. On the night of baptism, as soon as I closed my eyes I felt joy in my heart, and this joy came from the Holy Spirit. Thank the Lord.
May God bless you and your family. 🙏😀
The return to Nazareth
Matthew 2:19-23 19 19 After Herod died, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt 20 and said, “Get up, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who were trying to take the child’s life are dead.” 21 So he got up, took the child and his mother and went to the land of Israel. 22 But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning in Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. Having been warned in a dream, he withdrew to the district of Galilee, 23 and he went and lived in a town called Nazareth. So was fulfilled what was said through the prophets, that he would be called a Nazarene.
Last time we saw that when King Herod knew that Christ was born in Bethlehem, he wanted to kill him, so an angel appeared to Joseph in a dream and told him to take the child and his mother and flee to Egypt. After Herod died, an angel appeared to Joseph again and told him to take the child and mother back to Israel. Because Herod’s son succeeded his father as king, Joseph did not return to Bethlehem, but was instructed by the Lord in a dream to go to the town of Nazareth in Galilee, so the Lord Jesus was called a Nazarene. Here we see the Lord was leading Joseph step by step.
45 Philip found Nathanael and told him, “We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” 46 “Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?” Nathanael asked. “Come and see,” said Philip. (John 1:45-46)
When we were studying the Gospel of John, we mentioned that when Philip found Nathanael and told him that he had seen the Savior, the Messiah, Jesus of Nazareth, Nathanael said that can anything good come out of Nazareth? , but when he saw the Lord Jesus, the Lord knew that he had talked with Philip before the Lord Jesus saw him, that is, the Lord knew everything and he believed.
Nathanael said this because the Old Testament prophesied that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem, not in Nazareth. They did not know that the Lord Jesus was born in Bethlehem, but he later came to Nazareth.
A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.(Isaiah 11:1)
The Hebrew word for Nazareth is Natzeret, the Hebrew word for the branch mentioned in above verse is Netzer, the two words have the same root in Hebrew, and Jesse is the father of David, and the Lord Jesus is called the son of David, so the above passage is considered to be the Old Testament prophecy prophesying that the Lord Jesus is a Nazarene.
May God bless you and your family. 🙏😀
The escape to Egypt
Matthew 2:13-18 13 When they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. “Get up,” he said, “take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.” 14 So he got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt, 15 where he stayed until the death of Herod. And so was fulfilled what the Lord had said through the prophet: “Out of Egypt I called my son.” 16 When Herod realized that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was furious, and he gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had learned from the Magi. 17 Then what was said through the prophet Jeremiah was fulfilled: 18 “A voice is heard in Ramah, weeping and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children and refusing to be comforted, because they are no more.”
The Magi visit the Messiah
Matthew 2:1-12 1 After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem 2 and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” 3 When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. 4 When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Messiah was to be born. 5 “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written: 6 “‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.’” 7 Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. 8 He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.” 9 After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. 11 On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. 12 And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.
Jesus was born in Bethlehem, Judea. At that time, Herod was the king of Israel. Several magi saw the star of the Lord Jesus in the east, here it didn’t mention how many magi exactly, but it mentioned that there are three magi in the Christmas story. Magi were the wise men, God revealed to them through the stars that the Lord Jesus was born, and they would come to worship him and bring gifts to him. They went to Jerusalem and met King Herod. King Herod was disturbed when he learned of the birth of Christ. He learned from the chief priests and teachers of the law that Christ was born in Bethlehem.
“But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.” (Micah 5:2)
In the Old Testament, the book of Micah prophesied that Christ would be born in Bethlehem.
King Herod sent these wise men to Bethlehem and told them to report back when they found the child so that he could worship him. We will learn next time that King Herod was not going to worship him, but to kill him. When the wise men were on their way to Bethlehem, the star they saw in the east suddenly appeared and went ahead of them, leading them to the house of Jesus and Mary. We saw God’s miraculous guidance. God also instructed the magi in a dream not to go back to Herod, because God knows everything and knows that Herod wanted to kill the child Jesus instead of worshiping him.
May God bless you and your family. 🙏😀
Mary became pregnant by the Holy Spirit
Matthew 1:18-25 18 This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit. 19 Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.20 But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” 22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: 23 “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”). 24 When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. 25 But he did not consummate their marriage until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.
Chapter 1 of the Gospel of Luke tells us that the angel Gabriel was sent by God to appear to Mary and told her that she would be conceived by the Holy Spirit. Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, and Joseph wanted to divorce her secretly. An angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and told him that Mary was pregnant from the Holy Spirit, a son will be born, and he will be named Jesus. The name of Jesus means God saves, that is, to save his people from their sin.
Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.(Isaiah 7:14)
The prophet Isaiah had already prophesied that a virgin would conceive and give birth to a son named Immanuel, which means God with us.
46 And Mary said: “My soul glorifies the Lord 47 and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, 48 for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant. From now on all generations will call me blessed, (Luke 1:46-48)
Here Mary says, “All generations will call me blessed” because she is the mother of Jesus, but many people don’t do that.
The first miracle performed by the Lord Jesus was turning water into wine. He didn’t intend to do it, but because of Mary’s request and intercession, he did it anyway. Here we see the importance of Mary’s intercession. We can ask pastors or brothers and sisters to pray for us, we can also ask Mary to pray for us. We ask Mary to pray for us, not pray to Mary. I have read a sister’s testimony that her life has changed greatly after asking Mary to pray. I also ask Mary to pray, when praying for the healing of sickness of others, it really works, thank the Lord.
May God bless you and your family. 🙏
The Genealogy of Jesus Christ
Matthew 1:1-17 1 This is the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah the son of David, the son of Abraham: 2 Abraham was the father of Isaac, Isaac the father of Jacob, Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers, 3 Judah the father of Perez and Zerah, whose mother was Tamar, Perez the father of Hezron, Hezron the father of Ram, 4 Ram the father of Amminadab, Amminadab the father of Nahshon, Nahshon the father of Salmon, 5 Salmon the father of Boaz, whose mother was Rahab, Boaz the father of Obed, whose mother was Ruth, Obed the father of Jesse, 6 and Jesse the father of King David. David was the father of Solomon, whose mother had been Uriah’s wife, 7 Solomon the father of Rehoboam, Rehoboam the father of Abijah, Abijah the father of Asa, 8 Asa the father of Jehoshaphat, Jehoshaphat the father of Jehoram, Jehoram the father of Uzziah, 9 Uzziah the father of Jotham, Jotham the father of Ahaz, Ahaz the father of Hezekiah, 10 Hezekiah the father of Manasseh, Manasseh the father of Amon, Amon the father of Josiah, 11 and Josiah the father of Jeconiah and his brothers at the time of the exile to Babylon. 12 After the exile to Babylon: Jeconiah was the father of Shealtiel, Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel, 13 Zerubbabel the father of Abihud, Abihud the father of Eliakim, Eliakim the father of Azor, 14 Azor the father of Zadok, Zadok the father of Akim, Akim the father of Elihud, 15 Elihud the father of Eleazar, Eleazar the father of Matthan, Matthan the father of Jacob, 16 and Jacob the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary, and Mary was the mother of Jesus who is called the Messiah. 17 Thus there were fourteen generations in all from Abraham to David, fourteen from David to the exile to Babylon, and fourteen from the exile to the Messiah.
We have finished studying the Gospel of John and we are now going to study the Gospel of Matthew.
Here it says that Jesus the Messiah the son of David, the son of Abraham. Abraham is known as the father of faith, a friend of God, he used to speak to God face to face. Abraham was the father of Isaac, and Isaac the father of Jacob. Jacob is the ancestor of the Israelites, and he had twelve sons. These twelve sons became the twelve tribes of the Israel. David was a king of Israel, and God said that he is a man after God’s own heart; he will do everything God wants him to do (Acts 13:22) Joseph, the husband of Mary, was a son of David, and Mary was the mother of Jesus who is called the Messiah. Humanly speaking, Jesus is the son of Abraham, the son of David. At the beginning of our study of the Gospel of John, John wrote: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. Jesus is the embodiment of the Word, He was with God at the beginning, he was God, he is one of the Trinity God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. He is the Son of God, God the Son, He became flesh and came into the world as a man to save the world. Humanly speaking, he was the son of Abraham, but he said: “before Abraham was born, I am!” (John 8:58), that is to say he existed before Abraham. Humanly speaking he was the son of David, but David called him Lord. (Psalm 110:1)
May God bless you and your family. 🙏😀