Matthew 5

Matthew 5 (NKJV)

The Beatitudes

5 And seeing the multitudes, He went up on a mountain, and when He was seated His disciples came to Him. 2 Then He opened His mouth and taught them, saying:

3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit,

    For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

4 Blessed are those who mourn,

    For they shall be comforted.

5 Blessed are the meek,

    For they shall inherit the earth.

6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,

    For they shall be filled.

7 Blessed are the merciful,

    For they shall obtain mercy.

8 Blessed are the pure in heart,

    For they shall see God.

9 Blessed are the peacemakers,

    For they shall be called sons of God.

10 Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake,

    For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

11 “Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. 12 Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Note: The word blessed here means “Supremely Blessed.” Such a powerful affirmation of those whos attitudes line up with what Jesus is saying here. Colossians tells us we are His favorites and now as we walk in the Way of Jesus, we are supremely blessed. Verse 8 blessing is incredible. A pure heart will see God. Purify our hearts Lord!

Believers Are Salt and Light

13 “You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men.

14 “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. 16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.

Note: We are supremely blessed and Jesus declares that we are the light of the world. WE are called to let our light shine. Reveal Christ to those around you. Let your light shine. Maybe you have not been shining that bright lately, ask God to fill you today and begin to run with Jesus like never before.

Christ Fulfills the Law

17 “Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. 18 For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled. 19 Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20 For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.

Note: The law won’t save us so Jesus came to fulfill the law that can’t save us so that we can believe in Him and be saved. Jesus made a way where we couldn't. His love for us in incredible.

Murder Begins in the Heart

21 “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder, and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment.’ 22 But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment. And whoever says to his brother, ‘Raca!’ shall be in danger of the council. But whoever says, ‘You fool!’ shall be in danger of hell fire. 23 Therefore if you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, 24 leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift. 25 Agree with your adversary quickly, while you are on the way with him, lest your adversary deliver you to the judge, the judge hand you over to the officer, and you be thrown into prison. 26 Assuredly, I say to you, you will by no means get out of there till you have paid the last penny.

Note: Jesus steps it up here for us. Murder? Wow. We need watch our step with anger. Anger will destroy what God’s plan is. Jesus tells us to be reconciled and not to hold on to our anger. This is especially true for husbands and wives. Put off your anger and Put on Love.

Adultery in the Heart

27 “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ 28 But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 29 If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell. 30 And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell.

Note: This is a powerful passage. When you read that some many people are caught up in pornography, men and women, we would be better of destroying the computer so that we can get to heaven than not getting there.

Marriage Is Sacred and Binding

31 “Furthermore it has been said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.’ 32 But I say to you that whoever divorces his wife for any reason except sexual immorality causes her to commit adultery; and whoever marries a woman who is divorced commits adultery.

Note: Take the vow seriously. In most marriage ceremonies we commit “till death do we part.” Do you really mean it? It is a strong commitment. Don’t enter into this covenant with an escape plan. Annanias and Saphira had an escape plan. They kept some money back just in case things didn’t work out well. You have to go “All In” if you’re getting married.

Jesus Forbids Oaths

33 “Again you have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform your oaths to the Lord.’ 34 But I say to you, do not swear at all: neither by heaven, for it is God’s throne; 35 nor by the earth, for it is His footstool; nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. 36 Nor shall you swear by your head, because you cannot make one hair white or black. 37 But let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No.’ For whatever is more than these is from the evil one.

Note: Do you remember when a handshake and your word was enough? Times have changed but that does not mean that we have to be like the world. You don’t have to promise or swear, just do what you say, yes or no.

Go the Second Mile

38 “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ 39 But I tell you not to resist an evil person. But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also. 40 If anyone wants to sue you and take away your tunic, let him have your cloak also. 41 And whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two. 42 Give to him who asks you, and from him who wants to borrow from you do not turn away.

Note: It is said that the Roman soldiers loved to run into Christians on the road. By law if called upon a citizen had to carry the gear of a soldier for a mile. But when they came across a Christian they would go the extra mile for them.

Love Your Enemies

43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, 45 that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. 46 For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? 47 And if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the tax collectors do so? 48 Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.

Note: God is calling us to a higher standard. He doesn’t want us to love the way the world loves but to soar past the worlds way of doing things. This kind of love is not based on how people treat us but it is based on the kind of love God shows us. Romans tells us “while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”

Let this kind of love be in us and propel us through 2015. Be different. “Be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.”

Matthew 4

Matthew 4 NKJV

Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterward He was hungry.

Note: Being filled with the Spirit does not prevent the enemy of our soul from trying to tempt us. Many time the enemy will try and steal a seed planted before it has time to take root. Jesus was weak from forty days of fasting. Many times the enemy looks for your weaknesses or weak moment to come and try to tempt us. Jesus was tempted just like us and overcame so we can call on Him in times of trouble.



Now when the tempter came to Him, he said, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.” But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’ ” Then the devil took Him up into the holy city, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down. For it is written: ‘He shall give His angels charge over you,’ and, ‘In their hands they shall bear you up, Lest you dash your foot against a stone.’ ” Jesus said to him, “It is written again, ‘You shall not tempt the LORD your God.’ ” Again, the devil took Him up on an exceedingly high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. And he said to Him, “All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me.” 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.’ ” Then the devil left Him, and behold, angels came and ministered to Him.

Note: it is important to see that Jesus stood against the temptation of the enemy with the Word of God. He quoted scripture. It was because He knew scripture. If it worked for Jesus, it will work for you. Jesus believed the scriptures in his heart and he stood on them.


Now when Jesus heard that John had been put in prison, He departed to Galilee. And leaving Nazareth, He came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is by the sea, in the regions of Zebulun and Naphtali, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying: “The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, By the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles: The people who sat in darkness have seen a great light, And upon those who sat in the region and  of death Light has dawned.” From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

Note: another prophecy concerning Christ is being fulfilled. The message goes forth, "repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." Jesus is also a great light. You and I are called to be a light to the world.


And Jesus, walking by the Sea of Galilee, saw two brothers, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. Then He said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.” They immediately left their nets and followed Him. Going on from there, He saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets. He called them, and immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed Him.

Note: At a word these men left everything to follow Jesus. Not knowing where they would lay their head. Not knowing who would take care of their families, they responded to Him. How has your response been to The Lord? Are you obedient to his call?

And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease among the people. Then His fame went throughout all Syria; and they brought to Him all sick people who were afflicted with various diseases and torments, and those who were demon-possessed, epileptics, and paralytics; and He healed them. Great multitudes followed Him—from Galilee, and from Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and beyond the Jordan. (‭Matthew‬ ‭4‬:‭1-25‬ NKJV)

Matthew 3

In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!” For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah, saying: “The voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the LORD; Make His paths straight.’ ”

Note: here is another prophecy being fulfilled. John was to prepare the people for Jesus. Repent! That was the message of John. When John decreased, Jesus preached it also. Without repentance, how can there be transformation?
We now are the ones who are to carry the message forth. The challenge is to turn away from wickedness and as He told the adulterous woman, "go and sin no more."

Now John himself was clothed in camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist; and his food was locusts and wild honey. Then Jerusalem, all Judea, and all the region around the Jordan went out to him and were baptized by him in the Jordan, confessing their sins.

Note: When we humble ourselves to The Lord and admit our faults is when we break the power of sin on our lives. Confession brings healing not shame.

But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, “Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance, and do not think to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones. And even now the ax is laid to the root of the trees. Therefore every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.

Note: When we repent, there should be evidence of our repentance. When we rent of a sin we need to keep our attention on God and not fall back into the way of life that got us caught up into sin. When I came to The Lord, I repented and then told my friends what happened and gave them a chance to repent. I wasn't going back. I lost a lot of friends along the way. They were given the same opportunity I had. Everyone chooses. What kind of choices are you making?


I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clean out His threshing floor, and gather His wheat into the barn; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”

Note: Jesus was Coming to baptize us with the Holy Spirit and fire. The Holy Spirit empowers us to be a witness, gives us the gifts of the Spirit, and fills us with the fruit of the Spirit. Everything we need to be a good witness of Jesus. the Holy Spirit is for them that believe. Ask Him to fill you right now. Ask for your heavenly prayer language. Ask Him to fill you so that it overflows in you the way it did in Jesus.

Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan to be baptized by him. And John tried to prevent Him, saying, “I need to be baptized by You, and are You coming to me?” But Jesus answered and said to him, “Permit it to be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.”

Note: Jesus declared that being baptized fulfilled all righteousness. Have you been baptized as John said, "unto repentance"? If not, just call the church office and let us know you need to follow in Jesus steps and get baptized.

Then he allowed Him. When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him. And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” (‭Matthew‬ ‭3‬:‭1-17‬ NKJV)

Note: The trinity was present at Christ baptism. Believe that God will speak to you and the Holy Spirit will fill you at your baptism.

Matthew 2

Matthew 2  (NKJV)

Wise Men from the East

2 Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, 2 saying, “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.”

Note: Men came from far away to meet with Jesus. We can meet with him right where we are at. He is always there.

3 When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. 4 And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born.

Note: So many people knew where the Christ would be born but no one was looking for His coming. How many of us are looking today. The signs are coming together, prophecy is being fulfilled, could Jesus be coming soon.

5 So they said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it is written by the prophet:

6 ‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,

Are not the least among the rulers of Judah;

For out of you shall come a Ruler

Who will shepherd My people Israel.’”

Note: Another prophecy being fulfilled concerning the coming of Jesus. It comes from Micah 5:2

7 Then Herod, when he had secretly called the wise men, determined from them what time the star appeared. 8 And he sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the young Child, and when you have found Him, bring back word to me, that I may come and worship Him also.”

9 When they heard the king, they departed; and behold, the star which they had seen in the East went before them, till it came and stood over where the young Child was. 10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy. 11 And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

Note: They brought gifts to Jesus which gave them the finances they were going to need for their next move. They didn’t know what God had planned yet. When God blesses us we need to inquire of the Lord what he blessing is for. Don’t just spend, but maybe God is providing for you in advance of something that is coming down the line. Also, don’t be afraid to give to the Lord your tithes and offerings.

12 Then, being divinely warned in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed for their own country another way.

Note: As we talked about in Chapter 1, God gives dreams but it is up to us as to whether or not we fulfill them. God will show us the way but it is up to us to walk in it.

The Flight into Egypt

13 Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, “Arise, take the young Child and His mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I bring you word; for Herod will seek the young Child to destroy Him.”

14 When he arose, he took the young Child and His mother by night and departed for Egypt, 15 and was there until the death of Herod, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying, “Out of Egypt I called My Son.”

Note: We have to majors here. One, prophecy being fulfilled. That’s the second one in this chapter. This word was given in Hosea 11:1 and fulfilled here. The second thing is again, the obedience to a dream. Begin writing down your dreams to see what God is saying to you through your dreams.

Massacre of the Innocents

16 Then Herod, when he saw that he was deceived by the wise men, was exceedingly angry; and he sent forth and put to death all the male children who were in Bethlehem and in all its districts, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had determined from the wise men. 17 Then was fulfilled what was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet, saying:

18 “A voice was heard in Ramah,

Lamentation, weeping, and great mourning,

Rachel weeping for her children,

Refusing to be comforted,

Because they are no more.”

Note: The third fulfillment of prophecy of Christ in this chapter. The odds of one fulfillment is incredible. They concluded that the chance of one man being born in Bethlehem was one in 300,000. After examining only eight different prophecies (Idem, 106), they conservatively estimated that the chance of one man fulfilling all eight prophecies was one in 10^17.To illustrate how large the number 10^17 IS (a figure with 17 zeros), 1 in 100000000000000000. We already have three in this chapter.

19 Now when Herod was dead, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, 20 saying, “Arise, take the young Child and His mother, and go to the land of Israel, for those who sought the young Child’s life are dead.” 21 Then he arose, took the young Child and His mother, and came into the land of Israel.

Note: Joseph was good at understanding dreams or at least being obedient to them. It should encourage us to learn more on what God is saying to us through our dreams.

22 But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning over Judea instead of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. And being warned by God in a dream, he turned aside into the region of Galilee. 23 And he came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets, “He shall be called a Nazarene.”

Note: Here is number 4 prophecy being fulfilled just in Chapter 2. The promise we have is that Gods word does not return void to Him. It accomplishes that which it was sent for. It’s okay to ask God what He is saying to us. Don’t be afraid to ask. It’s important to ask. 

Matthew 1

Matthew 1

This chapter has fulfilled prophecy.

The first is that God made promises to Abraham about an everlasting covenant that would come through Him. The lineage is important to us to show that that word is being fulfilled and we are a part of it as a believer.

The second one is that Jesus would be born of a virgin as spoken in Isaiah 7:14. Joseph didn’t know her till after the baby was born.

We also see that angels were at work. Gods ministering spirits at work to bring to pass His plan. God still uses angels today to make this happen. The thing that I saw was that He didn’t make Joseph take her as his wife, but Joseph chose to follow the dream that God gave him. God has dreams and vision for all of us but are we willing to follow what God is saying? It’s our obedience to the Lord that brings about the fulfillment of what God is saying.

So with reading this the question that comes to my mind is are we being obedient to the Lord to see His plans come to life in us and through us? The decision is ours as God has had a plan since the beginning to make a way for us to be with Him.

Pastor Ron

Happy New Year

Hello New Hope Family,

2015 is upon us and the past is behind us. If you want this year to be different than last year there has to be change. If you do things the same this year as you did last year, things won’t change. Change is something we can do very simply.

1.     .    We can invest in ourselves. Read the New Testament through with us. Read one chapter a day morning, noon, and night.
2.          Join our book of the month club and enrich your life.
3.          Make an effort to activate the promises of God by becoming a tither
4.          Make time to connect with other Christians to encourage one another
5.          Don’t forsake the gathering of the saints in church for Worship, Prayer, and the Word.

If you step into growing in God and His word your life will be different. Sometimes the enemy of our soul will try and disrupt us from growing in God by throwing trials our way. The promise of God is that the devil will have to flee if we stay submitted to God. Hold on to the promises and not the trials and God will bring you through.

God Bless you and Happy New Year.

With Much Love,

Pastor Ron and Dalanda

Goodness

James 1:17   17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.

Everything that comes to us that is good comes from God. God's goodness is not wrapped up in money or social status. He even declares that if we discriminate between the rich and the poor we are in sin. God's goodness rains down  from Heaven above. John 10:10 tells us that the enemy of our soul comes to steal, kill, and destroy, but that Jesus came to give us life and life more abundantly. 
Believe and receive that. The scripture tells us not to get deceived about this. Don't attribute evil to God. When bad things happen to you, don't blame God. Allow God's goodness to fill you and let the love He has for you flow through you to bless others. 
God bless you.