Grace Baptist Church - Truth with Grace

Last week we met John the Baptist - the forerunner of the Messiah - and an ambassador for the Kingdom of God.--We'll pick up that message where we left off and learn a bit about the Pharisees and Sadducees - two groups that show up quite a bit in the New Testament. Their history and practices are informative for us - after all, we are prone to follow their bad patterns if we aren't careful.--But Pastor will go on to tell us about the Excellent Savior - Jesus Christ and what his ministry and might mean for us. And here's a hint- it means everything.

We're so pleased you've joined us today as we continue our exploration of the truth found in God's word and the grace of salvation.--Pastor Pierre Rosa is teaching through the first book of the New Testament - the Gospel of Matthew.

Last week, we learned about a Mean Antagonist - Herod the Great. Thanks to a warning from God, Mary and Joseph avoided Herod's vicious plot by taking the toddler Jesus to Egypt - because it was outside the jurisdiction of Herod.--But there are two other locations that are pivotal in this story- Bethlehem and Nazareth.--Bethlehem was Jesus' birthplace, of course, but also the scene of a terrible slaughter perpetrated by Herod. And that's where we'll pick up this week as we complete this message.

Last week, we learned more about the Magi visiting the Messiah as a toddler. They also visited King Herod - a terrible man of unbridled fury and a ruthless killer. Today, we'll learn more about this pretender king, and even more about the beautiful way in which God crafted the Old Testament to point to Jesus Christ as the true and coming King.--The Old Testament can easily seem like a long string of violent stories about ancient peoples, but in fact, it's a lengthy proof-text for why we need a Savior and who that Savior will be. It all becomes clear as we study the New Testament and the completion of God's plan for redemption.

Part of the Christmas story is the visitation of the wise men or Magi from the east. The Bible gives few details about them, but that hasn't stopped people from filling in the gaps. For example, we might be able to logic their number by assuming there was one wise man per gift - so three, but that's just a guess. There could have been more - maybe even many more than 3.--If we stick to the facts and focus just on what God chose to reveal in his Word, we are soon to see a wonderful story of God working through Gentiles to confirm the birth and kingship of his Son. And we also find the common reactions to how people respond to Jesus.

Last week we learned of the lineage or ancestry of Christ - as far as his human father's family was concerned. Today we'll learn more about the divinity of Christ given that he was not the biological offspring of Joseph but rather the product of the Virgin Birth.--This doctrine is fundamental to the Christian faith, because without the virgin birth of Jesus, he could not be our savior, nor could he pay the price for our sins because he would have inherited the same sin nature we all have inherited from our fathers. But, as we'll learn today, God made a way for us to be saved by a sinless Messiah, Jesus Christ.

The first four books of the new testament are often referred to as the Gospels. They tell the Good News of Jesus and the salvation he brings to a desperate humanity. Each of the Gospels provides a unique perspective and, for Matthew, the perspective was one of a Jewish man, meeting and following his long-awaited Jewish messiah, savior and king.--Today we start another long adventure through one of the divinely inspired books of the bible. God has much to say and we look forward to the journey-

After studying the book of Revelation and learning of the coming judgement of God, it's been so refreshing to see the goodness of God - the kindness of God - so boldly on display in the life of Ruth and Naomi. And the foreshadowing of Christ we see in Boaz is such an encouragement, since it's through Christ's sacrifice on the cross that we can avoid the final judgement of God.

The Bible is not a self-help text, nor a book of moral principles. It's a book about God's plan for the salvation of humanity. That means we often find object lessons and archetypes that pre-figure Christ and His work on the cross. Men of the bible like Joseph and Noah, and animals like the Passover lamb and the ram that took the place of Isaac on the altar, all offer us a glimpse of Christ and the unique work he did on the cross. Today we see one more foreshadowing character as we witness Boaz become the kinsman redeemer.

This week, we'll back track just a bit and start with the second lesson from the story and Pastor will describe a Godly plea for Redemption. Then he'll finish the Biblical principles of courtship, we're we left off last time. And finish we'll finish with a godly pledge of restoration.