Stephoni’s Top 12 from Matthew, Chapters 1 – 7

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#12 – Ask, Seek, Knock (7:7-8)

Asking, Seeking, Knocking = prayer.  Ask for things, for wisdom and for God’s presence. Pray for your dreams to come true. 

Asking is verbal – speak your prayers

Seeking is visual – watch for answers and watch for guidance

Knocking is physical – make some noise, be persistent, be intentional. Maybe your physical life can be a prayer

#11 – Judging Others (7:1-2) Christ’s instruction to  not judge others is a command that is really a gift of instruction because it allows us to focus our thoughts on what is beautiful instead of worrying about judging others.

#10 – Temptation vs. Test (4:1-11)

#9 – Discipleship is reciprocal. Maybe we have thought of ourselves as wanting to be disciples of Christ – he will disciple us.  Yes, that is true, but in the Great Commission (end of Matthew) and when John the Baptist baptized Christ and others, we were commanded to ‘Go and make disciples.’  That puts us in the middle – being discipled and discipling others.

#8 – Also on baptism – Christ’s baptism was unnecessary according to Jewish leaders because Jesus was already a Jew and did not need to be baptized – a sign of conversion.  By getting baptized, Jesus was demonstrating that he was converting to something different that the way that Jews understood their religion and their commitment to God.

#7 – Joseph was a dreamer.  God spoke to Joseph in dreams (Old Testament Joseph and New Testament Joseph.) Joseph was advised to stay with Mary, he was warned to leave Israel, and he was advised to return to Nazareth – all in dreams.

#6 -  The culture of Israel and Greece and Rome etc… during that time was a culture that saw wandering philosophers who spoke and taught those who would attach themselves to the leader and follow him.  Philosophers were a bit snooty/confident and wouldn’t ask people to follow them; philosophers wanted disciples to ASK to follow them.  Christ, however, asked people to follow Him.  Christ called disciples.

#5 - Unless otherwise noted in scripture, all of Christ’s events occurred on or near the Sea of Galilee.  Jesus was such a lake guy.

#4 – King Herod was insanely jealous, and he even killed his own children if he thought they would be competition to him and his reign.  He put popular people in prison before he died with the orders that upon his death they should be killed.  He knew this would grieve the people and that there would then be tears shed at the time of his death.  He wanted to make sure that people cried when he died.

#3 – The Holy Spirit was in action LONG before Pentecost. (1:20)  The Holy Spirit descended like a dove at Jesus’ baptism, and He moved the baby in Elizabeth’s womb when she met with Mary… and many other ‘appearances’ in the Old Testament.

#2 – The Annunciation occurred in a grotto – a cave.  Jesus was born in a grotto as well.

#1 – Jesus came as a baby– a ‘real’ person.  This old world can be so dark and discouraging; we see evil and violence and degradation. Babies can catch the attention of even the coldest hearts.  They offer peace and a sense of hope in our immediate surrounding and in our larger world.  God’s unique way of sending his son, Jesus into the world and into our lives makes it possible for us to quickly embrace and love Him.