Mike Kines

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit mikekines.substack.com

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit mikekines.substack.com

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit mikekines.substack.com

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit mikekines.substack.com

Matthew Chapter 4

Previously when I read this chapter I viewed the temptation of Jesus as his preparation for ministry. This time as I read this I view it more as Jesus completely identifying with man in temptation.

When Jesus was baptized by John he fulfilled all righteousness. I believe Jesus is continuing the same goal of completely identifying with man in mankind's sin and in mankind's temptation. This is so men can completely identify with Jesus in his death, burial, and resurrection. I also think this temptation revealed who Jesus was to the enemy.

It is interesting how these scriptures are worded. The Holy Spirit brought Jesus into the wilderness "to be tempted of the devil". God does not tempt any man with evil. We know this from James 1:13. There is, at the same time, a peculiar way God brings a man into situations where the devil is waiting. Why is this? It is not to hurt us, I can assure you.

On our part it is a purifying process for our faith. For Jesus I believe it was so he would be completely identified with mankind.

Jesus was tempted in every way we are and yet he was without sin. (Hebrews 4:15). Also, another purpose in his enduring this temptation is so he could show us the way to overcome the temptations of the devil. He shows us by his example how to overcome.

Hebrews 2:18, "For in that he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to succour them that are tempted."

Jesus did not overcome the temptation by anything which the common Christian man is not able to also employ. Jesus laid aside supernatural powers when he fought the devil and simply spoke God's word. Jesus quoted scripture. He spoke the truth of God's word, and it was a hammer which broke the rock of temptation into pieces. In the hands of Jesus the word became a sword which slashed and seared the enemy.

There is a parallel here in the temptations of Jesus with the temptation Eve went through in the garden of Eden. The parallels are laid out for us by the apostle John in 1 John 2:16, "For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world." It is these three areas Satan enticed Eve. It is in these three areas also he based his temptations against the Lord Jesus. Whereas Eve and Adam fell into darkness, Jesus did not fail. He resisted the devil, and the devil had to flee.

James 4:7, "Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you."

God has promised he will not allow the enemy to tempt us beyond what we can bear.

1 Corinthians 10:13, "There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it."

After the enemy left, angels came and attended to the Lord Jesus. No doubt they brought him food and encouragement as well.

The imprisonment of John the Baptist was a turning point for Jesus. He moved to the area of Galilee and set up in Capernaum. Matthew sees this as fulfillment of prophecy which speaks of light coming to the Gentiles living in this area. This prophecy was from Isaiah the prophet.

The message which Jesus preached was: "repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand". This is the same message John the Baptist preached.

The Lord Jesus called his disciples to follow him. Listed are Simon and Andrew, along with James and John. These seem to be the first called and these men made an inner circle with Jesus among the twelve disciples. It was Peter, James, and John which Jesus later chose to accompany him up on the mountain where he was transfigured. He also chose Peter, James, and John alone to go in with him when he raised a young girl from the dead.

When Jesus called these men to follow him the scripture says they "immediately" or "straight away" left what they were doing and followed him. This is how we should be. We should not hold on so tightly to circumstances, people, possessions, or our employment when Jesus calls us to follow him. We should be ready to drop everything to follow where ever he will call us to.

As Jesus began his ministry he preached and taught in the synagogues. As he did this he also healed people. People were healed from all kind of sickness and disease, including people possessed by demons, lunatics, and people with epilepsy. These are some of the illnesses mentioned specifically here.

I do not believe Jesus or the Holy Spirit or the apostle Matthew writing this were confused about epilepsy being demon possession or called epilepsy "demon possession". It is very straight forward here in the text that these problems were separate issues. We should not attempt to malign scripture with lies that people in those days were so stupid they didn't know the difference between epilepsy and demon possession. There may be some overlapping symptoms, but I guarantee you Jesus knew the difference.

There is indeed a serious problem with demon possessed people, not only in ancient times, but even more so here at the end of the age.

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Matthew Chapter 3

John's message was repentance and a change in behavior. The people who heard John were religious people, but the Holy Spirit still convicted them of sin, righteousness, and judgment.

As a sign of repentance and humility they allowed John to baptize them in the water of the Jordan River.

John fulfilled the prophecy foretold in Isaiah describing a voice crying in the wilderness to prepare the way of the Lord. This was John's mission: to get people ready to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. This message of repentance is important in preparing hearts to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. Until we forsake our opinions it is doubtful we can truly put our entire faith and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ.

This message of repentance was preached by John the Baptist, the Lord Jesus, and also the disciples and apostles in the early church. Why do modern preachers think they can improve on this by focusing on prosperity and self-help messages? It is time to return to preaching the message John preached, Jesus preached, and the apostles preached. Repent! The kingdom of heaven is at hand.

Jesus never sinned in his life. His purpose in baptism by John was to identify himself with sinners he came to save. Jesus was baptized to fulfill all righteousness. His goal was to take the place of sinful man and be the lamb of sacrifice who stood in our place as our substitute. The Lord Jesus is and was completely sinless. He is innocent, pure, and holy. Yet he was baptized by John to fulfill the righteousness of his purpose and mission.

God the Father set his seal of approval on the Lord Jesus and proclaimed Jesus Christ to be his beloved Son. The Holy Spirit descended upon Jesus like a dove. All three persons of the one God in one section of scripture. I don't see how anyone can read this and deny God is three in one.

Also, to further underline the truth that God is three in one we have Matthew 28:19, "Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost."

Notice John the Baptist is described in detail in regards to his clothes and also what he ate. Why did the Holy Spirit include these details about John the Baptist? I think one reason is to reveal something about the gift and the calling of a prophet. A man whom God makes a prophet is outside the world system. He is peculiar, and will never fit into the world system anywhere. He may go along with people for awhile but eventually whatever he does fails. Why? Because the prophet works for God. He preaches the gospel. We have the work of someone who prophesies given to us by the apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 14:3, "But he that prophesieth speaketh unto men to edification, and exhortation, and comfort."

This is what John the Baptist did in his ministry. We have his specific words recorded for us so we can also hear his exhortation. His words were to edify the believers, exhort those who were backslidden or unbelievers, and to comfort those who went into the water. Each Christian can be used by God at times in this capacity, but there is still a specific gift in the church called 'prophet'. There are men and women who are prophets within the church today. These men and women are almost always unknown. They wash the feet of the saints through their ministry of intercessory prayer and words of edification, exhortation, and comfort.

The gifts in the church we never hear about today are apostles and prophets. There is a reason for this, which I won't expound on now, except to say these men and women do exist and are almost always completely unknown except by their close friends. Those who teach the bible in front of churches and are titled pastors generally make very little of prophets or apostles. I'm not sure why they do this, but even in pastors I greatly admire I notice how they are dismissive toward the gift of apostle and prophet.

John the Baptist did not preach in a church building. He preached out by the Jordan River and God sent people out to where he was. He told men they were sinners and should flee from the wrath of God. He called the religious leaders of his day "snakes" which in my mind, at least, associates them with the serpent we know as the devil. How many religious leaders are there today who are really vipers? It would probably frighten us to know. I'm sure those Pharisees and Sadducees were not at all happy with the prophet dressed in fur and ate locusts.

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Matthew Chapter 2

The shepherds went directly to see the baby Jesus in a manger, but these wise men who followed a star took a side road towards Jerusalem. Perhaps they reckoned in their thoughts a king would surely be born in Jerusalem since he was the king of the Jews. Here we see a contrast in the thinking of men and the thoughts of God. God's thoughts are higher and much different than man's thoughts.

1 Corinthians 1:25, "Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men."

We see here God is wiser than wise men and he is stronger than the strength of King Herod the "Great".

These wise men inquire of the pagan, cruel king the whereabouts of the King of the Jews. Herod interpreted this inquiry as a threat against himself. This is not the response of insanity but the response of someone soaked with the values of the world system.

The world system promotes power, position, prestige. These qualities defined the life of this King Herod and he responded to any competition with vicious brutality. Beware when you meet people who aspire to position in life and who are competitive.

When I look at Herod I see the result of this world system attitude and mindset. This mindset and attitude seeks to murder the Lord Jesus because he is a threat to his power and position.

They cannot kill the Lord Jesus now so they apply this hatred towards those who belong to him and are born of the Spirit.

The man seeking a name for himself through position and prestige naturally stomps on the head of the man who is filled with the Holy Spirit. This is how it has always been since Cain and Abel.

When Herod heard news of this King of the Jews he summoned the Jewish religious leaders to share their insight. They were correct in pointing to Bethlehem of Judea as the place where the Messiah would be born.

It does not seem they had any interest or did not believe the prophecy was actually fulfilled at that moment. They gave Herod bible information but that is all it was to them. Just some bible knowledge.

How many times do we today treat bible prophecy of the second coming of Christ in the same manner? Is it possible the second coming of Christ could take place in our life time? Should we not earnestly look for the return of the Lord Jesus Christ and the rapture of the church? This is our blessed hope and we should search the scriptures daily to discern the time in which we live.

The religious leaders had knowledge but were comfortable in their position and prestige. They were indifferent, or unbelieving, because this news did not excite them like it did the wise men from the east or King Herod. They were lukewarm and indeed Christ Jesus did spew them out of his mouth when he upbraided their hypocrisy and covetousness.

After the wise men found Jesus, gave him gifts, and worshiped him, they departed back to their own lands using another route to avoid Herod. These men were warned by God in a dream not to return to Herod.

We often see this method employed by angels and God to communicate with men throughout scripture from the time of Abraham and Joseph in Genesis and throughout the New Testament gospels and church history in the book Acts.

Not only did God communicate with these wise men but he continuously gave direction to Joseph through dreams and angel visits.

The Lord sent Joseph to Egypt to escape the wrath of Herod. The angel of the Lord warned Joseph in the dream that Herod would attempt to destroy the young child Jesus.

The apostle Matthew in writing this gospel sees the return of Jesus out of Egypt as fulfillment of prophecy.

Throughout the life of Jesus described in the gospels we see the writer moved by the Holy Spirit to point out how the life, ministry, death, and resurrection of the Lord Jesus fulfilled prophecy in scripture.

We should note this and study scripture for prophecy concerning his second return in the future. Jesus himself said he is returning again to receive us unto himself that where he is we may be also. (John 14:3)

Another fulfillment of scripture was when Herod killed all the male children under two years of age in Bethlehem. He was enraged the wise men outwitted him, and decided if he could not find the child he would instead kill all the children about the same age.

The Lord knew about this and sent Joseph to Egypt. God knows what the enemy will do before the enemy knows what he will do. God prepares his children and makes a way of escape, as he has promised. (Psalm 91)

Once again Joseph receives instructions from an angel through a dream to return to Israel, but to stay away from the area around Jerusalem and instead live in Nazareth.

It is significant Jesus was raised in the town of Nazareth. Nazareth was a place where poor people lived, and was humble circumstances for the Savior to grow up in. There were more Gentiles in that area than around Jerusalem, and no doubt Jesus came in contact with many people growing up who were not Jews.

Also, later during the ministry of Jesus and even to this day the enemies of Jesus make a big deal about Jesus being a Nazarene. This is for the purpose of casting an insult at the Lord but the Lord himself takes this as a badge of honor. When he spoke to Saul on the road to Damascus he identified himself as Jesus of Nazareth. Acts 22:8, "And I answered, Who art thou, Lord? And he said unto me, I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom thou persecutest."

In world news the murderers of Christians in the middle east make a mark on the house of Christians which means "Nazarene". Even to this day those who persecute the Lord Jesus refer to him as Jesus of Nazareth.

This is meant as an insult but the Lord takes this insult and turns it into a blessing. We are blessed to be identified with this lowly savior who was raised in Nazareth.

He is King of kings and Lord of lords, and he will return again. He will reign as King from his capital in Jerusalem and every knee will bow in heaven and on earth and under the earth and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father. (Philippians 2:10-11)

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Matthew Chapter 1

Why is this list of ancestry included in the gospel of Matthew? One reason for this genealogy of the Lord Jesus was to demonstrate that the Lord Jesus was the son of David. This list aids in providing evidence that the Lord Jesus fulfilled the prophecies that the Messiah is the Son of David.

People knew that when the Messiah came he would be the Son of David. The Lord Jesus asked a question of the religious leaders to point this fact out to them. In Mark 12:35-37 the "Son of David" is a title of the Messiah and the fulfillment of the promise which God gave to David. God promised David that he would have a son who would sit on his throne forever.

2 Samuel 7:14-16, "I will be his father, and he shall be my son. If he commit iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men, and with the stripes of the children of men: But my mercy shall not depart away from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away before thee. And thine house and thy kingdom shall be established for ever before thee: thy throne shall be established for ever."

Psalm chapter 2 further established this promise and prophecy of God's Son who made the rulers of the nations a footstool for his feet. We still wait for the Lord Jesus to return in this manner and set up his kingdom on earth. This will be fulfilled during the millennial reign of Christ after his second return.

His first appearance on earth was when he came as the lowly servant who died on the cross. His next return will be as a conquering king who puts down all of his enemies and establishes his kingdom on the earth.

Isaiah 9:6-7, "For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this."

He will rule all the nations of the earth from his capital in Jerusalem. This is a clue as to why Israel and Jerusalem is constantly argued and fought over in the Middle East.

Another point of interest in this genealogy is the mention of notorious women who did not come from a Jewish background but were instead Gentiles grafted into the ancestry of the Lord Jesus.

Among these are Ruth the Moabitess, Tamar, and Rahab. I believe that these are mentioned, not only because they are literal ancestors of Jesus, but also because we see the Lord identifying himself fully with sinful humanity, even in his ancestry.

The Lord Jesus did not have an earthly father. He was born of the virgin Mary. Joseph, his adopted, legal father, did not have sexual relations with his wife Mary until after the Lord Jesus was born. This is clearly outlined in scripture so there is no point in debating whether or not Mary really was a virgin.

Joseph was a godly man and when he found out Mary was pregnant he was ready to divorce her quietly.

This might sound harsh from the perspective of today's corrupt cultural worldview but in those days he was actually doing her a favor by keeping this quiet.

It was a crushing blow to him to find out his bride was pregnant before they were married. However, the Lord explained this to Joseph by sending an angel who communicated with him in a dream.

The angel tells him that the baby conceived in Mary is from the Holy Spirit and is not a baby conceived in adultery or fornication. This baby was given to Mary by God in a miraculous way.

This miracle birth is foreshadowed in scripture in the account of Sarah and Abraham. She conceived Isaac when she was way too old to have children. Abraham and Sarah were past the age where they could physically have children but God gave them Isaac. God fulfilled his promise to Abraham and Sarah.

In a similar way God gave Mary the baby Jesus with no intervention from a human male. It is interesting that the prophecy about the virgin birth mentions the Messiah would come from the "seed of the woman". Women do not have seed, obviously, but the Messiah was born from a virgin woman. He was conceived by the Holy Spirit.

Notice the angel messenger told Joseph the name to give the baby and also told him the baby would fulfill prophecy in scripture.

The prophecy quoted in verse 23 mentions "Emmanuel", which means "God with us". In this way, we understand the Lord Jesus was not just a baby in a manger but he was and is God.

God is three in one. God is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. It is very important to understand this because this is the true God. Any religion which denies the Three In One are promoting a false god.

God is one. There is only one God. This one God is also three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. God is three in one.

I understand, also, the roles of prophet, priest, king, and also Israel, church, and the nations reflect the three in one nature of God.

Joseph obeyed the instructions the angel gave him in the dream. He took Mary to be his wife in obedience to the Lord, and when the child was born he gave him the name Jesus.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit mikekines.substack.com

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit mikekines.substack.com

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit mikekines.substack.com