the Gospels

[lonnienord]

Who was JESUS?
What would JESUS do?
how can i be like JESUS?
How can i make JESUS my best friend?
How can i get my relationship with JESUS to grow?

What is the Gospel (good news)?

Lets study/talk about/ share the gospels with each other.
Post the Gospel portion your church is reading/studying
Post insights you have found in the Gospels

I will start with Matthew 1 and post sections of the Gospel in order. I will also post the Catholic gospel readings

I want to read your Gospel readings.

all for JESUS!!
lonnie

 

[lonnienord]

1 1 2 The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ,
the son of David, the son of Abraham.
2 Abraham became the father of Isaac, Isaac the father of Jacob, Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers.
3 Judah became the father of Perez and Zerah, whose mother was Tamar. Perez became the father of Hezron, Hezron the father of Ram,
4 Ram the father of Amminadab. Amminadab became the father of Nahshon, Nahshon the father of Salmon,
5 Salmon the father of Boaz, whose mother was Rahab. Boaz became the father of Obed, whose mother was Ruth. Obed became the father of Jesse,
6 Jesse the father of David the king. David became the father of Solomon, whose mother had been the wife of Uriah.
7 3 Solomon became the father of Rehoboam, Rehoboam the father of Abijah, Abijah the father of Asaph.
8 Asaph became the father of Jehoshaphat, Jehoshaphat the father of Joram, Joram the father of Uzziah.
9 Uzziah became the father of Jotham, Jotham the father of Ahaz, Ahaz the father of Hezekiah.
10 Hezekiah became the father of Manasseh, Manasseh the father of Amos, 4 Amos the father of Josiah.
11 Josiah became the father of Jechoniah and his brothers at the time of the Babylonian exile.
12 After the Babylonian exile, Jechoniah became the father of Shealtiel, Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel,
13 Zerubbabel the father of Abiud. Abiud became the father of Eliakim, Eliakim the father of Azor,
14 Azor the father of Zadok. Zadok became the father of Achim, Achim the father of Eliud,
15 Eliud the father of Eleazar. Eleazar became the father of Matthan, Matthan the father of Jacob,
16 Jacob the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary. Of her was born Jesus who is called the Messiah.
17 Thus the total number of generations from Abraham to David is fourteen generations; from David to the Babylonian exile, fourteen generations; from the Babylonian exile to the Messiah, fourteen generations. 5

Pray for your family

It doesn't matter where you come from you can still do GOD's work. GOD can and will use anyone who is open to be used by HIM.

How many of the above names do you recognize?
How many of the above people do you know at least a little about?

 

[Colabomb]

Christ Jesus is our Life!

6Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

 

[lonnienord]

18 6 Now this is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about.
When his mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, 7 but before they lived together, she was found with child through the holy Spirit.
19 Joseph her husband, since he was a righteous man, 8 yet unwilling to expose her to shame, decided to divorce her quietly.
20 Such was his intention when, behold, the angel of the Lord 9 appeared to him in a dream and said, "Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home. For it is through the holy Spirit that this child has been conceived in her.
21 She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus, 10 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 11 "Behold, the virgin shall be with child and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel," which means "God is with us."
24 When Joseph awoke, he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took his wife into his home.
25 He had no relations with her until she bore a son, 12 and he named him
Jesus.

Do you believe that is exactly how it happened? ie do you believe in the Virgin Birth of JESUS?

 

[lonnienord]

1 When Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, in the days of King Herod, 2 behold, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem,
2 saying, "Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star 3 at its rising and have come to do him homage."
3 When King Herod heard this, he was greatly troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.
4 Assembling all the chief priests and the scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. 4
5 They said to him, "In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it has been written through the prophet:
6 'And you, Bethlehem, land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; since from you shall come a ruler, who is to shepherd my people Israel.'"
7 Then Herod called the magi secretly and ascertained from them the time of the star's appearance.
8 He sent them to Bethlehem and said, "Go and search diligently for the child. When you have found him, bring me word, that I too may go and do him homage."
9 After their audience with the king they set out. And behold, the star that they had seen at its rising preceded them, until it came and stopped over the place where the child was.
10 They were overjoyed at seeing the star,
11 5 and on entering the house they saw the child with Mary his mother. They prostrated themselves and did him homage. Then they opened their treasures and offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
12 And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed for their country by another way.
13 6 When they had departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, "Rise, take the child and his mother, flee to Egypt, 7 and stay there until I tell you. Herod is going to search for the child to destroy him."
14 Joseph rose and took the child and his mother by night and departed for Egypt.
15 8 He stayed there until the death of Herod, that what the Lord had said through the prophet might be fulfilled, "Out of Egypt I called my son."
16 When Herod realized that he had been deceived by the magi, he became furious. He ordered the massacre of all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had ascertained from the magi.
17 Then was fulfilled what had been said through Jeremiah the prophet:
18 9 "A voice was heard in Ramah, sobbing and loud lamentation; Rachel weeping for her children, and she would not be consoled, since they were no more."
19 When Herod had died, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt
20 and said, "Rise, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who sought the child's life are dead." 10
21 He rose, took the child and his mother, and went to the land of Israel.
22 But when he heard that Archelaus was ruling over Judea in place of his father Herod, 11 he was afraid to go back there. And because he had been warned in a dream, he departed for the region of Galilee.
23 12 He went and dwelt in a town called Nazareth, so that what had been spoken through the prophets might be fulfilled, "He shall be called a Nazorean."

 

[lonnienord]

When they had departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, "Rise, take the child and his mother, flee to Egypt, 7 and stay there until I tell you. Herod is going to search for the child to destroy him."
14 Joseph rose and took the child and his mother by night and departed for Egypt.

Would you get up and go to a foreign country because of a dream? Joseph must have been really connected to GOD to know that the dream came from HIM.

 

[lonnienord]

1 1 2 In those days John the Baptist appeared, preaching in the desert of Judea
2 (and) saying, "Repent, 3 for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!"
3 4 It was of him that the prophet Isaiah had spoken when he said: "A voice of one crying out in the desert, 'Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths.'"
4 5 John wore clothing made of camel's hair and had a leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey.
5 At that time Jerusalem, all Judea, and the whole region around the Jordan were going out to him
6 and were being baptized by him in the Jordan River as they acknowledged their sins. 6
7 When he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees 7 coming to his baptism, he said to them, "You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath?
8 Produce good fruit as evidence of your repentance.
9 And do not presume to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our father.' For I tell you, God can raise up children to Abraham from these stones.
10 Even now the ax lies at the root of the trees. Therefore every tree that does not bear good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.
11 I am baptizing you with water, for repentance, but the one who is coming after me is mightier than I. I am not worthy to carry his sandals. He will baptize you with the holy Spirit and fire. 8
12 9 His winnowing fan is in his hand. He will clear his threshing floor and gather his wheat into his barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire."
13 10 Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan to be baptized by him.
14 11 John tried to prevent him, saying, "I need to be baptized by you, and yet you are coming to me?"
15 Jesus said to him in reply, "Allow it now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness." Then he allowed him.
16 12 After Jesus was baptized, he came up from the water and behold, the heavens were opened (for him), and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove (and) coming upon him.
17 And a voice came from the heavens, saying, "This is my beloved Son, 13 with whom I am well pleased."

 

[lonnienord]

Produce good fruit as evidence of your repentance.

Reminds me of Matthew 25:31-40:

14 "When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit upon his glorious throne,
32 and all the nations 15 will be assembled before him. And he will separate them one from another, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.
33 He will place the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.
34 Then the king will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father. Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.
35 For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me,
36 naked and you clothed me, ill and you cared for me, in prison and you visited me.'
37 Then the righteous 16 will answer him and say, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink?
38 When did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you?
39 When did we see you ill or in prison, and visit you?'
40 And the king will say to them in reply, 'Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.'

 

[jbarcher]

Some comments on Mt 1:

Genealogies could be written for a variety of purposes, such as validating a claim to position, power, or status. They could also be mere lists of relatives, or segmented genealogies that listed fathers as well as their offspring. A simple, but clear example of this is how the priests assume their priesthood based soley on lineage. Lk 1:5 introductes Zachy as of the division of Abijah, and Liz as of Aaron's lineage.

Mt's genealogy has a few purposes to note, but a basic observation is that it shows Jesus to be of pure Israelite heritage. Mt gives two 'big names', David and Abraham, both highly revered, and thus honorable, ancestors. This will serve as an important defense of Jesus' honor--His character would be thought of as coming from a very honorable lineage

(One may need to understand some essentials about kinship to understand the significance of the above, however.)

---

Lonnie, maybe we'll get to discussing it sometime, but I don't think "Jesus is my friend" has any grounds at all. My argument will stem from ancient patronage. I want to avoid mauling any of your sacred cows without first establishing a good relationship though.

 

[lonnienord]

1 Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil.
2 He fasted for forty days and forty nights, 2 and afterwards he was hungry.
3 The tempter approached and said to him, "If you are the Son of God, command that these stones become loaves of bread."
4 3 He said in reply, "It is written: 'One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes forth from the mouth of God.'"
5 4 Then the devil took him to the holy city, and made him stand on the parapet of the temple,
6 and said to him, "If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down. For it is written: 'He will command his angels concerning you and 'with their hands they will support you, lest you dash your foot against a stone.'"
7 Jesus answered him, "Again it is written, 'You shall not put the Lord, your God, to the test.'"
8 Then the devil took him up to a very high mountain, and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in their magnificence,
9 and he said to him, "All these I shall give to you, if you will prostrate yourself and worship me." 5
10 At this, Jesus said to him, "Get away, Satan! It is written: 'The Lord, your God, shall you worship and him alone shall you serve.'"
11 Then the devil left him and, behold, angels came and ministered to him.

 

[lonnienord]

Post 10 has Matthew 4:1-11 The temptation of JESUS.
Two things we should notice:
1. It is extremely important to know the scriptures!!
2. We need to know the scriptures so well that we will recognize when some one is using them incorrectly to tempt us to sin.

 

[lonnienord]

6 When he heard that John had been arrested, he withdrew to Galilee.
13 He left Nazareth and went to live in Capernaum by the sea, in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali,
14 that what had been said through Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled:
15 "Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali, the way to the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles,
16 the people who sit in darkness have seen a great light, on those dwelling in a land overshadowed by death light has arisen."
17 7 From that time on, Jesus began to preach and say, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand."
18 8 As he was walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon who is called Peter, and his brother Andrew, casting a net into the sea; they were fishermen.
19 He said to them, "Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men."
20 9 At once they left their nets and followed him.
21 He walked along from there and saw two other brothers, James, the son of Zebedee, and his brother John. They were in a boat, with their father Zebedee, mending their nets. He called them,
22 and immediately they left their boat and their father and followed him.
23 10 He went around all of Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, 11 proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom, and curing every disease and illness among the people.
24 12 His fame spread to all of Syria, and they brought to him all who were sick with various diseases and racked with pain, those who were possessed, lunatics, and paralytics, and he cured them.
25 And great crowds from Galilee, the Decapolis, 13 Jerusalem, and Judea, and from beyond the Jordan followed him.

 

[Colabomb]

I know this is not from the Gospels, but Paul calls it the Gospel.

For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures: And that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve: After that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep. After that, he was seen of James; then of all the apostles. And last of all he was seen of me also, as of one born out of due time.

(1Co 15:3-8)

Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures. The Scriptures foretold the sinless Life and Atoning Death for our Saviour. The Old Testament truly speaks of Christ our Salvation. Not only our Saviour, but our Salvation.

He Was buried and Rose from the Grave. Paul says in another Letter that if Christ was not Raised, that our Faith is in Vain. Our Faith is not in Vain.

He was seen by the Twelve, and then 500. Paul was writing about people that were livng. Eyewittnesses. He was almost saying "Look, go talk to all these guys who saw Him if you don't believe us.".

Christ died for our sins, was buried, and Rose from the Grave defeating Death.

 

[lonnienord]

I know this is not from the Gospels, but Paul calls it the Gospel.



Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures. The Scriptures foretold the sinless Life and Atoning Death for our Saviour. The Old Testament truly speaks of Christ our Salvation. Not only our Saviour, but our Salvation.

He Was buried and Rose from the Grave. Paul says in another Letter that if Christ was not Raised, that our Faith is in Vain. Our Faith is not in Vain.

He was seen by the Twelve, and then 500. Paul was writing about people that were livng. Eyewittnesses. He was almost saying "Look, go talk to all these guys who saw Him if you don't believe us.".

Christ died for our sins, was buried, and Rose from the Grave defeating Death.

and that is the basis of the Gospel

 

[lonnienord]

and this is more of the Gospel:

Jesus began to preach and say, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand."

 

[Colabomb]

I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.

(Luk 13:3)

 

[lonnienord]

1 1 When he saw the crowds, 2 he went up the mountain, and after he had sat down, his disciples came to him.
2 He began to teach them, saying:

3 3 "Blessed are the poor in spirit, 4 for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

4 5 Blessed are they who mourn, for they will be comforted.

5 6 Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the land.

6 Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness, 7 for they will be satisfied.

7 Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.

8 8 Blessed are the clean of heart, for they will see God.

9 Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.

10 Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, 9 for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

11 Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you and utter every kind of evil against you (falsely) because of me.
12 10 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven. Thus they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

 

[lonnienord]

1Now when he saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, 2and he began to teach them saying:
3"Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4Blessed are those who mourn,
for they will be comforted.
5Blessed are the meek,
for they will inherit the earth.
6Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be filled.
7Blessed are the merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.
8Blessed are the pure in heart,
for they will see God.
9Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called sons of God.
10Blessed 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.

 

[lonnienord]

You're Blessed

1When Jesus saw his ministry drawing huge crowds, he climbed a hillside. Those who were apprenticed to him, the committed, climbed with him. Arriving at a quiet place, he sat down 2and taught his climbing companions. This is what he said:



3"You're blessed when you're at the end of your rope. With less of you there is more of God and his rule.

4"You're blessed when you feel you've lost what is most dear to you. Only then can you be embraced by the One most dear to you.

5"You're blessed when you're content with just who you are--no more, no less. That's the moment you find yourselves proud owners of everything that can't be bought.

6"You're blessed when you've worked up a good appetite for God. He's food and drink in the best meal you'll ever eat.

7"You're blessed when you care. At the moment of being "carefull,' you find yourselves cared for.

8"You're blessed when you get your inside world--your mind and heart--put right. Then you can see God in the outside world.

9"You're blessed when you can show people how to cooperate instead of compete or fight. That's when you discover who you really are, and your place in God's family.

10"You're blessed when your commitment to God provokes persecution. The persecution drives you even deeper into God's kingdom. 11"Not only that--count yourselves blessed every time people put you down or throw you out or speak lies about you to discredit me. What it means is that the truth is too close for comfort and they are uncomfortable.

 

[lonnienord]

The Beatitudes

2This is what he taught them:

3
"God blesses those who realize their need for him,[a]
for the Kingdom of Heaven is given to them.

4
God blesses those who mourn,
for they will be comforted.

5
God blesses those who are gentle and lowly,
for the whole earth will belong to them.

6
God blesses those who are hungry and thirsty for justice,
for they will receive it in full.

7
God blesses those who are merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.

8
God blesses those whose hearts are pure,
for they will see God.

9
God blesses those who work for peace,
for they will be called the children of God. 10
God blesses those who are persecuted because they live for God,
for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.
11"God blesses you when you are mocked and persecuted and lied about because you are my followers.



Footnotes:

1. Matthew 5:3 Greek the poor in spirit.