Joseph

Matthew 1:18–25; 2:13–23, and Mark 6:1–6.

Find a quiet place, alone and apart from distractions. Be comfortably alert, still, and at peace. Recite the Lord’s Prayer. Sing or cant the Jesus Prayer. Pray for family, friends, neighbors, and yourself. Slowly and carefully read the passages of Scripture. Memorize the memory verse.

  1. Joseph, of the line of David, as is Mary, a carpenter by trade and a thoughtful and respectful man, meets young Mary while on a contract deal in Nazareth of Galilee. They become legally betrothed to be married.
  2. Joseph discovers that his wife to be is pregnant, so likely at least 5 months along. He is badly shaken and decides to divorce her quietly, thus protecting both Mary and himself.
  3. God intervenes and fills Joseph in as to the actual events, which focus on the fact that the son to be born to Mary is the One who will bring salvation to “his” people.
  4. After the birth of Jesus, Joseph is warned to take Mary and the child and flee to Egypt because Herod is seeking to destroy the child, having been alerted by the three “Wise Men.” Egypt is 90 miles or more to the south of Bethlehem, where the family remained until Herod’s death, which was in 4 BCE. Yes, Jesus was likely born in 6 BCE not 0 CE.
  5. Herod, fearful that a powerful rival is in his domain, has children 2 years old and younger killed in the Bethlehem area. Estimates are that perhaps as many as 50 children were murdered on Herod’s orders.
  6. Joseph and family return to Israel, but upon arrival find that Herod’s ruthless son Archelaus is ruling Judea. Once again Joseph is warned in a dream of this danger, and flees north to Galilee, to a no-account city called Nazareth.
  7. Jesus will later be known as a “Nazarene”, which was a derogatory title. Note: John the Baptist took a “Nazarite” vow, meaning a person who lived an austere and spiritual lifestyle, which is different from being a “Nazarene.”

The Birth of Jesus Foretold

Luke 1:26–38

Find a quiet place, alone and apart from distractions. Be comfortably alert, still, and at peace. Recite the Lord’s Prayer. Sing or cant the Jesus Prayer. Pray for family, friends, neighbors, and yourself. Slowly and carefully read the passage of Scripture. Memorize the memory verse.

  1. Six months before the announcement to Mary that she would have a child, an angel of God named Gabriel revealed to Elizabeth, a relative of Mary, that she would have a child. This child would be named John (later added the title “the Baptist”) who would prepare people for what would be revealed.
  2. Sixth months later the angel Gabriel was sent to the virgin, Mary, already engaged to be married to Joseph, who then proceeded to tell Mary who this child is and would be.
  3. How it is that Mary was “favored” above all women to bear the Messiah, the Christ, of whose kingdom would never end, is not revealed.
  4. Mary protests, and this word may not be the best word to be used, but she asks, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?”
  5. Now the angel responds with an explanation that is far beyond our ability to grasp, except that it is the result of something miraculous. The miracle is a son who is “holy” and only God is holy so this one will be the “son of God.”
  6. Briefly the angel says that the “Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you” in an attempt to explain to Mary the unexplainable.
  7. Then the angel says her relative Elizabeth has already conceived a son, this six months earlier, someone Mary knew was too old to be able to give birth.
  8. Mary makes an incredible statement of faith and commits to what the angel has announced to her.

The Baptism of the Holy Spirit

Find a quiet place, alone and apart from distractions. Be comfortably alert, still, and at peace. Recite the Lord’s Prayer. Sing or cant the Jesus Prayer. Pray for family, friends, neighbors, and yourself. Slowly and carefully read the passage of Scripture.

  1. To grasp the historical background to the Day of Pentecost read Exodus 34:21–23, Leviticus 23:15–16, and Joel 2:42–47. Then go to Acts and read chapters 1 and 2.
  2. Pentecost is the fourth of the seven feasts of Israel, each of which is explained in Leviticus 23. Fifty days after the Feast of First Fruits, the day that Jesus was resurrected from the dead, came the celebration of the wheat harvest. Pentecost, the word, comes from the Greek language, ‘pente’ and the Hebrew word for it is Shauvot.
  3. In addition to celebrating the Fall harvest on Pentecost, the giving of the Law of Moses was also celebrated on that day. It was a “pilgrimage feast” when vast numbers would come into Jerusalem.
  4. The chosen Apostles had already received the indwelling Holy Spirit prior to Pentecost. This is evident from John 20:      19–23 where we read: “Jesus said to them again, ‘Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.’ And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit.’”
  5. Now indwelt by the Holy Spirit, and we can look back at the prophecy of Joel 2:28–32 as being fulfilled here, but there was more to come. There would also be the Holy Spirit baptism of fire (see John 3:11),, which Jesus, just prior to His ascension, told His followers would take place. And it did on the Day of Pentecost.
  6. The term, baptism of the Holy Spirit, is variously understood, but most see it that it is separate, and comes later, or at the same time, as the initial indwelling of the Spirit at conversion. And we now desire to be filled with the empowering Holy Spirit in order that we may be effective evangelists.

Biblical Baptism

Baptism in Water: The Dunking

Find a quiet place, alone and apart from distractions. Be comfortably alert, still, and at peace. Recite the Lord’s Prayer. Sing or cant the Jesus Prayer. Pray for family, friends, neighbors, and yourself. Slowly and carefully read the passage of Scripture.

  1. Two words in our English New Testament have not been translated, rather they have been transliterated since those responsible for the King James version of the Bible insisted they could not be. These words are “baptizo“ and “ekklesia.” The first word means “dunk” or “immerse” and the second means “called out ones.”
  2. Problem was the church in control then did not immerse new believers in water but rather “baptized” infants by means of sprinkling “holy water” on the candidate’s head. And instead of “called out ones” the identity was “church.”
  3. Following the Reformation in the 16th century, Christians who wished to follow the Scripture, immersed or dunked in water those who were born again of the Spirit of God. These became known as “Anabaptists” and the “ana,” which means “re,” dropped off the word so that we have the designation “Baptist” like in Miller Avenue Baptist Church.
  4. By examining the passages here: Matthew 3:13–17; 28:18–20; Acts 2:37–41; 8:34–38; 10:44–48; 16:11–15; 16:25–34; Romans 6:3–4; 1 Corinthians 12:12–12-13, (and there are dozens of others passages that could be cited) it becomes clear that Jesus intended that new believers were to be dunked or immersed in water following their conversion.
  5. And why? When a person is immersed in water it pictures the dying to sin, and that sin being forgiven. This forgiveness has already happened. Then laid in the water, like in a grave, symbolizes that the sin is removed, gone forever. The coming out of the water symbolizes the resurrection that we have in Christ. Baptism then is a testimony, a sermon presented.
  6. Jesus died on the cross, was buried, and then is raised from the dead. This is the story of biblical baptism.

Psalm 95—Let Us Sing Songs of Praise

Find a quiet place, alone and apart from distractions. Be comfortably alert, still, and at peace. Recite the Lord’s Prayer. Sing or cant the Jesus Prayer. Pray for family, friends, neighbors, and yourself. Slowly and carefully read the passage of Scripture.

  1. No author is noted for this Psalm. It is called “A Thanksgiving Psalm.” It is also referred to as “A Liturgy of God’s Kingship.” It is said to be written by a priest who warns the “congregation” against disobeying God’s laws.”
  2. It is quoted in Hebrews chapters 3 and 4. Commentators also point to chapter 14 of Revelation, verses 6 to 13, as speaking to the same theme—rest.
  3. Reference is made in Psalm 95 of an event that occurred following the exodus from Egypt under the leadership of Moses. In the desert of Sinai, the people had no water and began rebelling against Moses, and of course, God.
  4. The response was then that the people would not enter God’s rest, that is, the Promised Land, the land of Canaan. That generation would die in the wilderness and would not enter across the Jordan River into the land what would be known as Israel.
  5. The Psalm begins with an invitation to “make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation.” The psalmist goes on to lift up the LORD, the great God. But then, at the ending of verse 7 comes a warning, “do not harden your hearts, as a Meribah.” This is where the people rebelled against God.
  6. Do we hear the Holy Spirit here looking forward to a time of “rest” that was to come, of which the Exodus from bondage in Egypt is a foretaste or prophecy of that “rest” that was to come?
  7. We remember to words of Jesus in Matthew 11:28: “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” Jesus is our Sabbath rest, and the word “Sabbath” means rest.