Jean's Bible Study Topics of the New Testament

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Mat 11-1 -- No Entries

Mat 11,2-6

· (20g) Sin Ø Doubt is the consequence of the fear of death -- John the Baptist became worried that Jesus was not the expected one and that He had forfeited his life for some con-artist. (He probably was listening to some of the stories that were coming from the jailor and his fellow prisoners.) John didn't have a life outside the jail cell if he was wrong about Jesus. He spent his whole life up to that point preparing for the coming of the Messiah, that if his captors knew, the worst thing they could have done to him would have been to let John go, forcing him to live a normal life, if Jesus was not the expected one. John was not afraid to die; he was afraid He was about to give up his life for nothing. That is our greatest fear too, worse than death. Nothing is worse than futility; we want our lives to count for something, so if we live for God our lives will count, just as John's life counted, which made Jesus say, "No one is greater than John the Baptist, yet he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he."

Mat 11,3-5

· (142f) Witness Ø Validity of Jesus Christ Ø Witnesses of Jesus Ø Having a good reputation Ø Jesus’ reputation

Mat 11,4-6

· (141e) Witness Ø Validity of Jesus Christ Ø Old Testament bears witness to the new Ø It bears witness to Jesus Ø Prophesy about Jesus’ ministry Ø Jesus as the healer -- When Jesus sited His works and sent them to John the Baptist, He was not only using them as proof of His identity, but more so, he was implying a greater proof from the Old Testament that wrote about Him as the healer. John knowing about these verses in Scripture as a disciple of the word, he must have been greatly comforted and reassured by the report.

Mat 11-6

· (2l) Responsible to avoid offending God Ø get out of His way Ø do not stumble over Him – God is big, like a brick wall; but you don’t stumble over a brick wall; you run into it. You stumble over something that is smaller than you, usually a lot smaller, like a crack in the sidewalk. We are like giants in our own minds to Christ, but the only thing that is big about us is our pride. Jesus made Himself smaller than any man so we would need to humble ourselves to work with Him. We stumble over something because we don’t see it. We don’t see it because we are looking at something else – the world. We need to humble ourselves and come down to His level, where the truth about our true stature is waiting for us.

· (13a) Jesus is a servant of mankind Ø He is smaller than any man

· (22n) Sin Ø Pride comes before a fall

· (64i) Paradox Ø Anomalies Ø Weaknesses of God Ø God subjects himself to human frailty Ø His weakness makes Him small compared to men -- Jesus, who originated from heaven chose to become a man, fully accepted and understood the humble condition of His humanity and lived accordingly, whereas we, who tend to deny our true human condition, do what we can to live as though we have already arrived in heaven. The only way we will ever see eye-to-eye with God is to humble ourselves to the level of Christ. Then we will understand our own humanity and God's divinity, and everything will become clear to us. Until then, we are only fooling ourselves.

· (169k) Works of the devil Ø Manifestations of the devil Ø Seeking the glory of man Ø Stepping on people to get to the bottom Ø Ignoring Jesus to satisfy your flesh

· (199k) Denying Christ Ø Man chooses his own destiny apart from God Ø Rejecting Christ Ø Unwilling to receive Christ Ø Ignoring Christ

Mat 11,7-9

         · (63e) Paradox Ø Anomalies Ø Sarcasm Ø Exaggerate the truth to make a point

Mat 11-10

· (8k) Responsible to defend God’s cause Ø Preparing for the ministry

· (80d) Thy kingdom come Ø Know the word to learn the ways of God Ø Leading to the truth

· (141d) Witness Ø Validity of Jesus Christ Ø Old Testament bears witness to the new Ø It bears witness to Jesus Ø Prophesy about Jesus’ ministry as the savior

Mat 11-11,12

· (224j) Kingdom of God Ø Illustrating the kingdom Ø Description of heaven Ø The people of heaven Ø Those in heaven who are blessed indeed

Mat 11-11

· (56k) Paradox Ø Opposites Ø Least are greatest -- This verse goes with verse 25

Mat 11-12

· (46a) Judgment Ø Spiritual warfare Ø Subjecting your flesh Ø Violent take it by force -- There are lots of people who interpret this verse in one of a hundred different ways, such as beating up devils in prayer, or perhaps even people (either literally or spiritually). If you want to get violent, then why not start on the corruption of your flesh. Everyone has those hard-to-get-rid-of sins that don't go away by themselves unless you make them go away. You must subject your flesh harshly to the will of God in some areas more than in others. If you have done this, then fine, but if you haven't, then to interpret this verse any way other than the above is sidestepping the Scriptures because you don't want to repent of those sticky sins, either because you want to hold on to them, or because it is too much work. The fact is, this verse is about spiritual warfare; now you know the price tag for entering the ring with demons. If you can beat your own pet sins, you can also beat the devil in whatever form he comes to you, but if you don't beat your flesh, your opponent will use it against you, which will guarantee your defeat. 

(233g) -- This is highly unadvisable.

· (59a) Paradox Ø Two implied meanings Ø Jesus is the kingdom and violent men hung Him on a tree / Church protects the kingdom from their own flesh

· (233g) Kingdom of God Ø Pursuing the kingdom Ø Seeking the kingdom Ø Seek the kingdom by the flesh -- This is highly unadvisable.

Mat 11,13-15 -- No Entries

Mat 11,16-19

· (17d) Sin Ø Judging in the flesh Ø Accusing God and others of sin 

· (75l) Thy kingdom come Ø Motives Ø Being manipulative Ø Creating a no-win situation -- It is a frustrating thing to be stonewalled. No matter what you do, it is neither not right nor enough. If you plan to excel in the faith, you will get opposition from every direction (even from your siblings in Christ), doors will close on you on every side, except the one that God opens for you. It is not a miracle when someone who seeks Christ with all his heart finds his way to a powerful ministry  (he can't get lost, because he has no options); the miracle is when the door finally opens. The solution is to do what Jesus did. He did not ask anyone for a ministry, He got His ministry directly from His Father. Could you see anyone giving Jesus a ministry? That would never happen, because they would monitor it and find fault with it and shut Him down! Jesus depended on no one for His ministry, since the more you have from God the less you can depend on others (or need to). 

· (163a) Works of the devil Ø Being a slave to the devil (Addictions) Ø Bondage Ø Being slaves of men Ø In bondage to peoples’ expectations of you -- When people try to put you in bondage, the best solution is to reject their expectations of you, get on your knees and find out exactly what God expects from you. Then you will be armed with the knowledge of what to reject about them and why. 

· (166h) Works of the devil Ø Manifestations of the devil Ø Wisdom of the world Ø Nature Of Man’s Wisdom Ø Man’s wisdom will not allow the righteous to succeed

· (200k) Denying Christ Ø Man chooses his own destiny apart from God Ø Excuses for rejecting Christ Ø Putting God in a no win situation

Mat 11-19

· (128m) Thy kingdom come Ø Manifestations of faith Ø Bearing fruit Ø Evidence of your fruit Ø Good fruit is proof that God is working in you

Mat 11,20-24

· (26k) Consequences of sin Ø Curse Ø Deeds that return to the doer Ø God’s blessings are a curse if you don’t walk in them -- God's expectations of us are based on a ratio between How much He has invested in us and how much we have used of what He has given us. Jesus' expectations for repentance were heightened in Chorazin and Bethsaida because of the extent of miracles that He performed in their cities. He said in another passage, "To him who has been given much, much is required," Luke 12-48. Perhaps the chief motive among those who don't believe in miracles is they don't want to be more accountable to God than they already are. We should embrace the evidence of God's power in our presence with the attitude that we intend to do something with everything He gives us.  

· (48i) Levels of judgment Ø Judged according to your lack of knowledge -- This judgment is based on another ratio between what we should know, according to what we have experienced from God, and what we do know. The difference between them is the result of willful ignorance, which is a great evil. 

· (154h) Witness Ø Validity of the Father Ø God bears witness against the world Ø Witness that the world is rebellious against God Ø Witness against unbelief -- God knows from the beginning how each individual will respond to Him, and He knew that Chorazin and Bethsaida would not repent though Christ would pour His miracles into them. He spent His time and effort on these cities to prove that the world is evil, so that no one had an excuse for believing in this life, and would turn to invest their inherent freedoms and abilities in eternal life. 

· (185k) Works of the devil Ø The result of lawlessness Ø Blasphemy Ø Responding with contempt to the Holy Spirit Ø Indifferent to the Holy Spirit

· (193j) Die to self (Process of substitution) Ø Turn from sin to God Ø Repent Ø Consequences for not repenting

· (201i) Denying Christ Ø Man chooses his own destiny apart from God Ø Running from God Ø Man’s will over God Ø Man is unwilling to repent

· (202i) Denying Christ Ø Man chooses his own destiny apart from God Ø Running from God Ø Running from walking in faith Ø Running from God through disobedience

· (222c) Kingdom of God Ø The elusive kingdom of heaven Ø Do not give what is holy to dogs Ø God does not entrust his treasures to dogs Ø Do not invest yourself in dogs -- I am sure that the people of Chorazin and Bethsaida saw Jesus as a contemptible magician with a good show. They could not explain anything about Him, so after the novelty of His miracles wore off, they simply disregarded Him, instead of contemplating what had just happened in their cities and repenting. 

Mat 11,21-24

· (218a) Sovereignty Ø God overrides the will of man Ø God’s will over man Ø You cannot control the judgment of God Ø You cannot control how God responds to rejection -- Once you have exercised your tiny will and have rejected God, it is then His turn to respond. He is stronger than you and knows how to turn the tables either in or out of your favor, however He sees fit. How do you think He will respond to your rejection? In a world where sin abounds, consequences are not always immediate; you might think you are getting away with something, but it only means that the end of all things may be closer than you think. 

Mat 11,25-27

· (221d) Kingdom of God Ø The elusive kingdom of heaven Ø Kingdom hidden behind the veil from the world Ø God hides from the mind of man Ø He hides behind man’s intellect -- After rebuking the cities that stonewalled Him, Jesus changed His tone when He began speaking about the children of God. He made a special effort to rub His favor of God's elect in the faces of unbelievers, who thought that obeying Jesus was below them. He classified people into two distinct groups: those who believed in Him and those did not, and then showed that it is not wisdom or intelligence that understands God, but humility and faithfulness. 

· (56k) Paradox Ø Opposites Ø Least are greatest -- This verse goes with verse 11. God's children are the world's little people, yet according to God's perspective, we are greater than those who consider us small. Tall people can be small inside, and people in humble circumstances can be no less big and prideful. Smallness is a state of heart that is accurate to our true stature before God. Even God is small in His own eyes. Jesus, when He spoke these words in the flesh was no bigger than we are in His own mind. If He is as great as His creation and more so, yet be more humble than anyone, then we can stand to decrease in our self image if we appear bigger than our master. 

· (57i) Paradox Ø Opposites Ø More you profess wisdom, the less you have of it

· (221a) Kingdom Hidden From The World (Key verse)

· (224i) Kingdom of God Ø Illustrating the kingdom Ø Description of heaven Ø The people of heaven Ø Traits of those who make it to heaven

· (254a) Trinity Ø Relationship between Father and Son Ø Jesus is subject to the Father Ø Jesus worships the Father

Mat 11-27

· (66g) Jesus’ authority Ø He owns everything from the father

· (144g) Witness Ø Validity of Jesus Christ Ø Witnesses of Jesus Ø Trinity bears witness of Jesus Ø Father bears witness of His Son

· (153a) Witness Ø Validity of the Father Ø Witnesses of the father Ø Church bears witness of the Father through Christ -- If you will notice, the Father bears witness of His Son, who bears witness of the Father to the church. Once the church is formed, it bears witness of the Father through Christ to the world. 

Mat 11,28-30

· (6e) Responsible to advocate God’s cause Ø Rest in Jesus’ yoke – A lack of contentment is a heavy burden, and Jesus wants to take it from us and give us His yoke; for His will makes us content. His struggles and hardships are not wearisome, because we have them from obeying Him, something for which God will reword us, and that generates hope. We can be content if w have hope. One description of Jesus’ yoke is being compelled by His Spirit. God does not force us to do anything by our flesh, except perhaps to wait for His Spirit. The compulsion of the Spirit is paradoxical in that He (in a very real sense) forces us to do His will without violating our free will in the process.

· (117b) Thy kingdom come Ø Rest in Jesus Ø Rest in His yoke through obedience

· (5l) Jesus’ Yoke (Key verse)

Mat 11-29

· (128h) Thy kingdom come Ø Manifestations of faith Ø Gentleness Ø Jesus is gentle

Mat 12,1-7

· (141i) Witness Ø Validity of Jesus Christ Ø Old Testament bears witness to the new Ø Old Testament is for our instruction Ø Teaching from the Old Testament -- The fact that Jesus frequently used the Old Testament, particularly in this passage, more than suggested that He supported it as a reliable source of information, both as a predictor of the coming messiah and as a historical record of Israel's past. When looking into the Old Testament, it is easy to wonder if it all happened the way it was written, until Jesus showed us that He believed every word of it, and if He does, then who are we not to believe it? The Old and the New Testaments have the same symbiotic relationship as the Father and the Son in that as Jesus validated the Old Testament, it in turn bore witness of Jesus as the messiah, in the same way that Jesus worships the Father as the Father glorifies the Son. They are in perfect agreement with each other, for just as the Father bore witness of His Son by performing all His miracles through Christ, so Jesus was directing His audience to the Father. They are truly and magnificently one.  

Mat 12,3-7

· (79l) Thy kingdom come Ø Know the word as a sword in spiritual warfare Ø To defend yourself from religion -- Jesus more than anyone taught us to use the word of God to defend yourself from those who would attack our faith, whether through ignorance or through malice, whether from spiritual devils or from human devils. It is all the same; we are tearing down strongholds that are raised up against the knowledge of God. 

Mat 12-7

· (123f) Thy kingdom come Ø Manifestations of faith Ø Love Ø Spiritual affection Ø Compassion is greater than sacrifice

· (169h) Works of the devil Ø Manifestations of the devil Ø Seeking the glory of man Ø Loving the approval of men rather than the approval of God Ø Love to be noticed by men -- The Pharisees who confronted Jesus about breaking the Sabbath in the grain fields didn't do it out of zeal for the law or out of good conscience, but out of jealousy. They were looking to pin something on Jesus to get rid of Him, because He was infringing on their lucrative, religious popularity three-ring circus.

· (249a) Priorities Ø God’ s preeminence Ø The Highest Values Ø Spirit over the law -- Generally speaking, sacrifice is taught in the Old Testament, while compassion is taught in the New. Being that walking by the Spirit is infinitely more fruitful than walking according to the law, it is no surprise that compassion is greater than sacrifice.  

Mat 12-8

· (12n) Servant Ø Jesus is the son of man -- Jesus often used the term "Son of man" to describe Himself; the question is, what did He mean by it? To say that He is the son of man is implying that He is the youngest of all, lowest on the totem poll, and servant of all. 

Mat 12,9-15

· (16j) Sin Ø Continuing in sin to avoid the light Ø Having hidden motives

· (145c) Witness Ø Validity of Jesus Christ Ø Jesus’ works bear witness of Himself Ø Healing Ø Jesus healed them all

· (175b) Works of the devil Ø The religion of witchcraft Ø Form of godliness Ø Using religion as a front

Mat 12-12

· (128c) Thy kingdom come Ø Manifestations of faith Ø Goodness Ø Doing good transcends the law -- Doing good will never break God's law, but if someone says you are, just tell them that righteousness transcends the law. If some makes a law that prohibits you from doing good, you know that law is not good.  

Mat 12-16 -- No Entries

Mat 12,17-21

· (141a) Witness Ø Validity of Jesus Christ Ø Old Testament bears witness to the new Ø It bears witness to Jesus Ø Prophesy about Jesus’ ministry Ø Jesus as the great shepherd

Mat 12-20

· (128h) Thy kingdom come Ø Manifestations of faith Ø Gentleness Ø Jesus is gentle -- Have you ever felt like a smoldering wick? Isn't it good to know that God is for the underdog? When He sees you smoldering, He will come alongside to help you burst back into flame instead of put you out. 

Mat 12-22

· (146g) Witness Ø Validity of Jesus Christ Ø Jesus’ works bear witness of Himself Ø Deliverance from demon possession Ø Deaf, dumb and blind spirits

Mat 12-23

· (128m) Thy kingdom come Ø Manifestations of faith Ø Bearing fruit Ø Evidence of your fruit Ø Good fruit is proof that God is working in you

Mat 12-24

· (164e) Works of the devil Ø Manifestations of the devil Ø The world system Ø Satan’s system of authority Ø Satan’s hierarchy of evil -- The Pharisees accused Jesus of casting out demons as a high ranking demon Himself, when in fact they were telling a true story about themselves and their world. The Pharisees were religious rulers of Israel, which at the time was being ruled by Rome, which itself had many rulers. The Pharisees were right about one thing, the world has a hierarchy of evil, but Jesus was not part of it. They falsely accused Him of being part of something evil of which they centrally controlled, fulfilling a fundamental principle of Scripture that unrighteous judgment accuses people of the very evil that it practices. 

Mat 12,25-29

          · (45k) Judgment Ø Spiritual warfare Ø Subjecting your flesh Ø Satan VS the saints

Mat 12-25

· (69a) Authority Ø Discernment Ø Judging truth and error Ø Correcting false reasoning

Mat 12-27

· (153i) Witness Ø Validity of the Father Ø God bears witness against the world Ø Shame Ø Walking in condemnation Ø Walking in hypocrisy

Mat 12-28,29

· (46l) Judgment Ø Spiritual warfare Ø Jesus casts out demons

· (200k) Whoever Is Not With Jesus Is Against Him (Key verse)

· (200l) Denying Christ Ø Whoever is not with Jesus is against him Ø He is against Christ who does not receive Him Ø Whoever does not receive the church is against Christ

Mat 12-31,32

· (186b) Works of the devil Ø The result of lawlessness Ø Blasphemy Ø Cursing the Holy Spirit Ø Consider the work of the Holy Spirit to be sin -- Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is one of the least understood and most feared teachings of the Bible. The rule of thumb is, if you are afraid of blaspheming the Holy Spirit you will never do it. There is a forgivable unbelief that is based on ignorance and an unforgivable unbelief that can ultimately send you to hell; herein lies the difference.... If the Holy Spirit is responsible for certain acts like healing people or revealing the truth of the Scriptures, and you don't believe it is from God (you thought the healing was a setup, or the revelation goes against one or more of your doctrines), that is forgivable. However, if you have indisputable knowledge about something (for example, if you have known the person who got healed your whole life and that person has always been crippled, or if the Holy Spirit revealed the truth of the Scriptures to you personally) and you still will not believe, even though you know the truth in your heart, that kind of unbelief is unforgivable, and leads to a hardened heart from which you cannot believe, and therefore cannot be saved. The Pharisees knew that Jesus was the Messiah, yet they were unwilling to believe it because they refused to give up their worldly pursuits and their status as Israel's religious leaders and be persecuted for the cause of Christ.

Mat 12,33-37

· (85b) Thy kingdom come Ø Your words can lead to your own demise Ø How can you, being evil, speak what is good?

Mat 12-33,34

· (175a) Works of the devil Ø The religion of witchcraft Ø Form of godliness Ø Trying to bend kingdom principles -- Jesus laid down a simple and fundamental principle when He said, "The mouth speaks that which fills the heart," but the Pharisees were trying to skirt around it by tailoring their speech to make themselves look good. They had a form of godliness that they used to protect their religious racket, but Jesus exposed them for what the really were.

Mat 12-34,35

· (74g) Thy kingdom come Ø Heart is central value system Ø Man’s treasure chest -- Man's treasure is locked in his chest, where his heart is located, and the contents therein is all he has to offer. Therefore, if anyone proposes anything beyond the contents of his heart, he is being deceitful. 

Mat 12-35

· (4k) Being responsible for the choices you make Ø Accountable for your thoughts -- It is important to continuously renew your mind so you don't inadvertently deposit evil thoughts in your heart, because then it will become part of your treasure. Jesus said He would prefer that your treasure were either good or bad, but He least prefers a mixed bag. Paul said in 1Cor 5-7, "Clean out the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, just as you are in fact unleavened."

Mat 12-37

· (45j) Judgment Ø Of believer’s sin Ø God will judge us for the words we speak

Mat 12,38-45

· (20f) Sin Ø Nature of sin Ø Seeking a sign 

Mat 12-39,40

· (135l) Temple Ø Your body is the temple of God Ø Sins of the body Ø Abortion Ø God’s opinion of abortion Ø Father did not abort His son -- Just as a baby remains three trimesters each of three months in the belly of her mother, so Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the sea monster, and as Jesus was also thee days and three nights in the heart of the earth. When the whale spit him out, Jonah was reborn right there on beach with a new relationship with God and a new attitude about serving Him. Likewise, God did not leave His Son there, but released Him from His rocky prison with a fuller ministry on earth than ever and to live and share His life with His family in heaven, unlike people who discard their own fetuses. If you want to know God's opinion about abortion, keep in mind that He did not abort His own Son. He will give life to whatever we allow to give birth. 

Mat 12-41,42

· (47k) God judges the world Ø Eternal judgment against unbelief Ø Rejecting Christ -- When you ask people how to get to heaven they almost invariably say something like, 'I'm a good person.' Then I retort, 'You probably are a better person than me, but Jesus is your judge, and you are not as good as Him.' The question is not whether we are good people; the question is do we trust in our own goodness or do we trust in the goodness of Christ? When we meet Him for the first time, the question for us all will be, 'who do we trust to stand before Him without shame.' If it is Jesus then there will be room for humility and room for us in heaven, but if we trust in ourselves for God's mercy, it will not go well for us. 

· (193j) Die to self (Process of substitution) Ø Turn from sin to God Ø Repent Ø Consequences for not repenting

Mat 12,43-45

· (26k) Consequences of sin Ø Curse Ø Deeds that return to the doer Ø God’s blessings are a curse if you don’t walk in them -- When God delivers us from bondage (not necessarily from demon possession), it is imperative that we walk in that new found freedom, lest we lose it and a greater form of bondage is assigned to us. There are principles at work in the world, however inexplicable, they are real, and we must not cross them. The laws that govern the spirit world are as concrete as the laws that govern the physical world around us.

· (49a) Judgment Ø Nations are destroyed Ø Israel judged as an example for us --  As we know, Israel rejected their Messiah. Jesus was sent to them and He cast out their devils and brought the light, and their response was that they killed Him. The result was that Israel was destroyed as a nation not long after and have only recently regained their right to become a nation. Jesus dislodged Israel's devils, swept it and put it in order, and they paid a horrific price for not taking advantage of their freedom. Jesus in this passage was prophesying about Israel's demise, but attributing the application to an individual. My point is, as it goes for an individual, so it can go for an entire nation. There are scores of implications to this. 

· (185l) Works of the devil Ø The result of lawlessness Ø Blasphemy Ø Unwilling to obey the revelation from heaven Ø Unwilling to walk in God’s freedom

· (202e) Denying Christ Ø Man chooses his own destiny apart from God Ø Running from God Ø Running to your sinful nature Ø Laziness has plenty of ambition to run from God

Mat 12-44,45

· (145k) Witness Ø Validity of Jesus Christ Ø Jesus’ works bear witness of Himself Ø Demon possession Ø Human state Ø Their behavior Ø Being possessed by demons

Mat 12,46-50

        · (224c) Kingdom of God Ø Illustrating the kingdom Ø Description of heaven Ø Describing

the kingdom after he makes all things new Ø Description of the new creation -- Jesus had a vision for mankind; He lived and breathed it. There are many things that God wants us to do, like: don't swear, don't be immoral, be kind to strangers, love your family, etc., but there is one thing that God would really like us to do, and that is to adopt Jesus' vision for mankind. When He was here in the flesh, He didn't pay much attention to His body like we do ours. Rather, He viewed Himself as already in heaven and those around Him were with Him, because when we get there, we will all be brothers and sisters of Christ.