“Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son” (Math:1:23).

The purpose of our life is to have Christ manifested through us. And the purpose of our ministry is to help others manifest Christ. These are the important purposes of our calling. We are like the sower who went out to sow seed. That seed, in one sense, is Christ. We are sowing Christ in the hearts of others. If you help one person to become like Christ, that person will help another, and that person another. Like that we must multiply Christ.

Are you showing Christ through your character? “A virgin shall be with child.” Only in a virgin mind can Christ be born. If the character of Christ is to be formed in us, we need a pure mind. We need a great longing and thirst for absolute purity.

Sarah was very old. She thought it was impossible for her to have a child. Sometimes we may be like Sarah. There may be many hindrances for Christ to be manifested through us. We may be saying, “I have made so many mistakes in my life. I am still making mistakes. I don’t think my character can be changed into the character of Christ.” No, we should not give up our hope and faith. It is never impossible to have the character of Christ formed in you. If you long for deep purity even in your thoughts the Holy Spirit will come upon you and do the work of forming Christ in you.

• TPM Morning Manna

Stay Blessed 😊
Ravi

MATHEW. 3:7.
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It is pleasant to pass over a place after a storm has spent itself; to smell the freshness of the herbs after the rain has passed away.
This is our position.
We are going through a land where the storm has spent itself upon our Saviour ‘s head ,and if there be a few drops of sorrow falling, they distil from clouds of mercy and Jesus cheers us by
the assurance that they are not for our destruction.
God’s tempest is gathering its dread artillery.
The water floods are dammed up by mercy.
The flood gates shall soon be opened.
The thunder bolts of God are yet in His storehouses.
The tempest hastens, the moment when God robed in vengeance,is awful.
He will March in fury.
We cannot hide our head and flee.
The Hand of Mercy is now leading us towards Christ.
He freely set before us the gospel.
We know that we need Him, believe in Him, cast ourselves upon Him.
Then the fury shall over past forever.
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Maby Sundar India group no.7070

270 Days Bible Study Insights Matthew 1-3
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Mathew (Levi) was one of Jesus 12 disciples. Once he was a despised tax collector, but his life was changed by this man from Galilee. Mathew wrote this Gospel to his fellow Jews to prove that Jesus is the Messiah and to explain God’s kingdom.

Mathew begins his account by giving Jesus genealogy. He then tells us Jesus birth and early years, including the family’s escape to Egypt from the murderous Herod and their Return to Nazareth. Following Jesus’ baptism by John (3:17) and his defeat of Satan in the desert, Jesus begins his public ministry by calling his first disciples and giving the Sermon on the Mount(ch.5-7). Mathew shows Christ’s authority by reporting his miracles of healing the sick and the demon possessed, and even raising the dead.

The people of Israel were waiting for the Messiah, their king. Mathew begins his book by showing how Jesus Christ was a descendant of David. But, Mathew goes on to show that God did not send Jesus to be an earthly king, but a heavenly king. His kingdom would be much greater than David’s because it would never end. Even at Jesus’ birth many recognised him as a king. Herod, then ruler, as well as, Satan was afraid of Jesus’ kingship and tried to stop him, but others worshiped him and brought Royal gifts. We must be willing to recognise Jesus for who he really is and worship him as king of our lives.

Jesus earthly story begin in the town of Bethlehem in the Roman provinces of Judea( 2:1). A threat to kill the infant led Joseph to take his family to Egypt(2:14). When they returned God led them to settle in Nazareth in
Galilee (2:22,23). At about age 30, Jedus was baptised in the Jordan River and wAs tempted by Satan in the Judean desert(3:13,4:1).

1:18. Why is the virgin birth important to the Christian faith? Jesus Christ, God’s Son has to be free from the sinful nature passed onto all other human beings by Adam. Because Jesus wAs born of a woman, he was a human being, but as the Son Of God. Jesus was born without any trace of human sin. Jesus is both fully human And fully divine.

Because Jesus lived as a man , we know that he fully understands our experiences and struggles. Because he is God,he has the power and authority to deliver us from sin. We can tell Jesus all our thoughts, feelings and needs. He has been where we are now and he has the ability to help.

3:1,2 – Almost 30 years had passed since the events of chapter 2. Here John the Baptist burst on to the scene. His theme was “Repent”! Repentance means doing an about-face—a 180 degree turn —from the kind of self-centeredness that leads to wrong actions such as lying, cheating, stealing, gossiping, taking revenge, abusing, and indulging in sexual immorality. A person who repents stops rebelling and begins following God’s way of living prescribed in his Word. The first step in turning to God is to admit your sin, as John urged. Then God will receive you and help you live the way he wants. Remember that only God can get rid of sin. He doesn’t expect us to clean up our lives before we come to him.

3:3. John the Baptist prepared the way for Jesus. People who do not know Jesus need to be prepared to meet him. We can prepare them
By explaining their need for forgiveness, demonstrating Christ’s teachings by our conduct, and telling them how Christ can give their lives meaning. We can “make straight paths for him” by correcting misconceptions that might be hindering people from approaching Christ. Someone you know may be open to a relationship with Christ, what can you do to prepare the way for this person?

3:13-15. John had been explaining that Jesus baptism would be much greater than his, when suddenly Jesus came to him and asked to be baptised! John felt unqualified. He wanted Jesus to baptise him. Why did Jesus asked to be baptised? It was not for repentance for sin because Jesus never sinned. “To fulfill all righteousness “ means to accomplish God’s mission. Jesus saw his baptism as advancing God’s work. Jesus was baptised because (1) he was confessing sin on behalf of the nation, as Nehemiah, Ezra, Moses, and Daniel had done;(2) he was showing support for what John was doing;(3) he was inaugurating his public ministry; (4) he was identifying with the penitent people of God; not with the critical Pharisees who were only watching. Jesus, the perfect man, didn’t need baptism for sin, but he accepted baptism in obedient service to the Father, and God showed his approval.

3:16,17 – The doctrine of the Trinity means that God is three persons and yet one in essence. In this passage, all three persons of the Trinity are present and active. God the Father speaks , God the Son is baptised, God the Holy Spirit descends on Jesus. God is one, yet in three persons at the same time. This is one of God’s incomprehensible mysteries. Other Bible references that speak of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit are Mathew 28:19, John 15:26…..
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Clara Radhakrishna