Jean's Bible Study Topics of the New Testament

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Mat 7,1-5

· (17m) Sin Ø Unrighteous judgment Ø Discerning by the flesh Ø Judging the sins of others that you yourself practice -- This is ghoulish behavior. That itself would not be such a problem except for its prevalence in society. It is unfortunately a very common trait that is highly suggestive of demonic activity in a person's life. It is a form of witchcraft that exudes from a person who would like to implement God's judgment, but the only thing that his/her spiritual walk with God can afford is the mirror image of the divine gift of discernment, which is to hate people for practicing the same sins that they too are held under bondage. This is extremely destructive behavior, especially when the people walking in it think they are serving God. 

· (178i) Works of the devil Ø The religion of witchcraft Ø Hypocrisy Ø Hypocrisy of the church is rebuked Ø The church is rebuked for making false judgments

· (11g) Servant Ø God’s standard is in proportion to our output

· *(37a) Judgment Of God (Key verse for the entire chapter)

· (48d) Levels Of Judgment (Key verse)

· (48g) Levels of judgment Ø Judged according to your standard of measure – If we insist on being judgmental, God will in turn judge us according to our own standard of measure by which we judge others. This means we have some control of how much God judges us, if at all. This judgment does not always wait for eternity; Jesus was referring mostly to getting our just reward here and now. It is an act of mercy on God's part that we get it now, then to wait and get it after we die, after it is too late to show we can do better.

Mat 7-5

· (169d) Works of the devil Ø Manifestations of the devil Ø The world is blind to God Ø Blinded by Satan’s thoughts Ø Blinded by false judgments -- Paying more attention to other people's sin than to your own has a blinding effect on you, so that you cannot see the things you want to see, such as God in your life. 

· (222a) Do Not Give What Is Holy To Dogs (Righteous conceit) (Key verse)

· (222b) 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 God retrieves his treasures when sheep revert to dogs

Mat 7,7-11

· (35e) Gift of God Ø God is willing to Give Ø Ask to receive -- The process of receiving from God is simple, just ask. Putting ourselves in a right state of mind and body so we can receive from Him is the hard part. 

· (227a) Kingdom of God Ø Illustrating the kingdom Ø Rewards of heaven Ø God rewards us for obeying Him Ø God rewards what we do for Him in secret -- A large part of obeying Christ is seeking Him as the sole source of our daily needs (being that He is the true source of everything). There is a firm foundation already laid in the hearts of those who trust God in this way; it is not simply a matter of asking God for something. There are many people who ask God for a lot of things, but who don't expect to receive anything from Him, because the foundation of faith has not yet been laid in their hearts. Remember, Jesus' analogy was about a father and his son. The implication was that the son had a relationship with his father. That is why the son felt confident he would receive what he asked. His relationship with his father also helped him pick things that he thought his father would like him to have (instead of asking for stupid stuff), increasing his confidence that he would receive his request. 

Mat 7,9-12

· (208g) Salvation Ø The salvation of God Ø Personal relationship Ø Being the friend of God Ø Father & son relationship

Mat 7-11

· (16b) Sin Ø The sin nature Ø Man’s nature is instinctively evil Ø Man’s evil nature Ø Man is an enemy of God – Jesus made an assumption that everyone present at His hearing was evil. Being Jesus, He knew every man and would know whether they were evil or not, but what would be the odds that every man, woman and child present was evil, unless there was a spiritual law stating that all of mankind is held in bondage to sin? To say that there are some evil people and some good people in the world, and that only the evil kind were there listening to Jesus would be really stretching it, especially when you wonder where all the good people were who would have wanted to be with Christ? The only way to beat those odds and make sense of everything is to declare all mankind evil. In other words, everyone present was evil because there is no such thing as "good people," only faithful ones.

· (16d) Sin Ø Man’s evil nature Ø Disobedient to the will of God

· (83b) Thy kingdom come Ø Receiving from God through prayer Ø Ask and it shall be given

Mat 7-12

· (124e) Thy kingdom come Ø Manifestations of faith Ø Love Ø Acts of love Ø Do to others as you would have them do to you

· (47d) God Judges the world Ø Hell is a place of destruction

· (91l) The Narrow Way (Key verse)

· (92g) Thy kingdom come Ø The narrow way Ø What kind of trail is this? Ø Gate is small and few are those who find it -- It is easy to weave yourself into the ways of the world, but it is much harder to find your way in the will of God. All of His commandments require us to put our flesh under subjection before we can hope to accomplish them, except the very first commandment in Genesis, where God told Adam and Eve to be fruitful and multiply. That commandment has been hardwired into our bodies, so we don't have to think about anything; it just comes naturally. The rest of His commandments unfortunately oppose our evil, human nature. For example, the greatest commandment is love, which is intrinsically selfless; but this requirement flies in the face of our natural predisposition for selfishness. Most people simply follow their tendencies of the flesh, which inherently lead them away from the will of God. Therefore, if you want a relationship with Christ, you will have to swim upstream against the current of your own fleshly inclinations. Since the vast majority of the world makes the decision to swim downstream (according to what Jesus said in these verses), you will also have to swim upstream against the current of the world, the composite evil influences of those around you and around the globe, who live according to the inclinations of their flesh. Without faith, the ability to see the reward of our labors, it is impossible to live for God because of all the hardships that are stacked against us. 

· (208d) Salvation Ø The salvation of God Ø Salvation verses Ø The expectations of God Ø God expects us to follow Him -- It is easy to find your way to the world, but it is much harder to find your way to God.

Mat 7,15-23

· (180d) Works of the devil Ø Practicing witchcraft Ø Wolves Ø Be shrewd as wolves and more innocent than they appear Ø Wolves in sheep’s clothing -- Beware of the works of the devil, which manifests through practicing the religion of witchcraft, performed by wolves and reprobates, who live as tares among the wheat, being zealous without knowledge through the wisdom of the world, which they use to excuse their sinful nature. Therefore, be shrewd as wolves and more innocent than they appear in front of the hypocrites among the just, who try to operate the Spirit without the word, because they are unwilling to obey the revelation from heaven or walk in God's ability. They are wolves in sheep's clothing, talkers among the walkers, who have resolution without relationship. They have a religion not to serve God, but in a vain attempt to avoid hell.

Mat 7,15-20

· (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 -- People can argue your theology (and they will), but it is hard to argue with fruit. They might argue about where it comes from (God or your own human motives), but good fruit is proof that something good is in you. Your words will attest to the source of your fruit, whether you give glory to God or not. If your fruit originates from God, do not let anyone keep you from the benefits it offers, for then their motives to suppress your gift are evil, and they should not be allowed to oppress the people of God as pretenders of the faith. 

· (157g) Witness Ø Validity of the believer Ø Evidence of being hell-bound Ø Deceiving and being deceived Ø Deceiving

Mat 7,15-17

· (76h) Thy kingdom come Ø Motives Ø Living by a double standard

· (179c) Wolves (Key verse)

Mat 7,16-20

· (156a) Witness Ø Validity of the believer Ø Evidence of salvation Ø You will know them by their fruits Ø You will know them by their productivity -- See verses 15-20 for commentary. 

Mat 7,19-23

· (209c) Salvation Ø The salvation of God Ø Personal relationship Ø Counterfeit relationship through religion Ø I never knew you

Mat 7-19

· (47b) Judgment Ø Hell is a place of sorrow Ø burning site where people are thrown away

Mat 7,21-23

· (40a) Judgment Ø Jesus is the judge Ø Jesus judges the world’s unbelief

· (172f) Works of the devil Ø Manifestations of the devil Ø Tares among the wheat Ø Hypocrites among the just Ø Talkers among the walkers

· (176h) Works of the devil Ø The religion of witchcraft Ø Zeal without knowledge (Spirit w/o the word) Ø Resolution without relationship

· (186a) 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 ability -- Let's take verses 13-23 into context and look for a progressive pattern from making decisions that would exclude a person from the kingdom of God, to bearing inferior fruit, to finally knocking on the door of heaven and being rejected.

· (195j) Denying Christ Ø Man exercises his will against God Ø Idolatry Ø Lord, Lord Ø Lip service

· (201c) Denying Christ Ø Whoever is not with Jesus is against him Ø You are against Christ when your unbelief materializes Ø If your heart is not with Him your deeds are against Him

· (217h) Sovereignty Ø God overrides the will of man Ø God’s will over man Ø I never knew you Ø Because you never did His will -- People can hide in the church and go unnoticed for years and no one would suspect they didn't have faith in God. They might go to every meeting and "talk the talk," but God knows they have no faith. They may believe certain things about God, but they do not believe in God. The difference is -- I might believe something you said, but I do not believe everything you say. Everything God says is true. They may even believe this about God, but they do not live like it, or act on His word. Faith is an elusive thing. Some people don't have faith, but are genuinely nice people and no one doubts they believe, while other people can have all kinds of faith, along with all kinds of bondage and hang-ups in their flesh, which make them look like they have no faith, but God knows who does and who doesn't. 

· (223i) Kingdom of God Ø The elusive kingdom of heaven Ø Miss God Ø Missing the mark Ø Miss heaven

· (67f) Jesus delegates authority Ø Name of Jesus Ø Performing miracles in Jesus’ name

· (154a) Witness Ø Validity of the Father Ø God bears witness against the world Ø No excuse Ø There is no excuse for rejecting Christ

· (217g) I Never Knew You (Key verse)

Mat 7-22

· (166d) Works of the devil Ø Manifestations of the devil Ø Wisdom of the world Ø Man’s wisdom excuses his sinful nature Ø Have a religion to avoid hell

Mat 7-23

· (64a) Paradox Ø Anomalies Ø Limits of God Ø God cannot tolerate sin Ø He cannot allow unbelief in His presence

Mat 7,24-27

· (106h) Thy kingdom come Ø Hearing from God Ø Means of hearing from God Ø Through His Son

· (137b) Temple Ø Building the temple (with hands) Ø Jesus is the foundation Ø Jesus is the rock of the church’s foundation 

· (207g) Salvation Ø The salvation of God Ø Salvation verses Ø The kingdom of God Ø Investing in the kingdom of God -- When Jesus referred to building your house on the rock, He was talking about making a life decision to follow Him, committing ourselves wholeheartedly, sparing nothing but investing it all. We can weather any storm if we do this, but if we don't, He promised the next storm will wipe out whatever structures we try to build on a half-hearted faith. 

Mat 7-24,25

· (79h) Thy kingdom come Ø Know the word Ø Practice listening to God’s word so you can hear it

Mat 7-25

· (165i) Works of the devil Ø Manifestations of the devil Ø Hardship Ø Circumstances caused by the devil

· (167k) Works of the devil Ø Manifestations of the devil Ø Do not conform to the world’s unbelief

· (186c) The fool (Key verse)

· (186d) Works of the devil Ø The result of lawlessness Ø Man’s role in becoming a reprobate Ø The fool throws Jesus away for something better -- There are a number of ways to develop a reprobate mind (someone who cannot be saved). In this case the people to whom this analogy applies is more convinced by their own thoughts than they are about the words of Christ. These are often industrious people, but who never stop and do any serious thinking about the things that really matter. They see life as one dimensional, physical, what you see is what there is. To them there is no spirit realm. They have tunnel vision, and are locked into the mind set of how they think things ought to be as passed down by their forefathers. Everyone else who thinks unlike them is wrong, but that is a minor issue. What matters is accomplishing the goal -- living and dying the way they think it should be. Talk to someone like this about Jesus and you will be stonewalled, yet who knows what is happening in their heart of hearts? 

· (201b) Denying Christ Ø Whoever is not with Jesus is against him Ø You are against Christ when your unbelief materializes Ø Our disobedience is against Christ

Mat 8,1-3

· (121f) Thy kingdom come Ø Manifestations of faith Ø Hope Ø Expectation Ø Expecting good things based on God’s character Ø Expectation based on God’s generosity -- The hope of expectation is a prerequisite to receiving anything directly from the hand of God. Hope is a part of faith that believes in God based on two things: 1. What we believe about His character, that He is willing to give; and 2. What we believe about ourselves, that He is willing to give to us. We will never be worthy in ourselves to receive anything from God, except that God has made us worthy. It is this realization that we need to grasp and maintain, so we can have a mind that is capable of accepting things from Him. 

Mat 8-1

· (93l) Thy kingdom come Ø Following Jesus Ø The multitude follow Jesus

· (143l) Witness Ø Validity of Jesus Christ Ø Witnesses of Jesus Ø It is popular to follow Jesus

· (144i) Healing (Key verse)

· (144j) Witness Ø Validity of Jesus Christ Ø Jesus’ works bear witness of Himself Ø Healing Ø Methods of healing Ø Healed by Jesus’ touch -- These verses go with verses 14&15

Mat 8-3

· (123e) Thy kingdom come Ø Manifestations of faith Ø Love Ø Spiritual affection Ø Compassion Ø Being willing because you are able

· (248a) Priorities Ø God’s priorities Ø The will of God Ø We play our part in the will of God Ø Knowing the will of God -- See verses 1-3 for commentary. 

Mat 8-4 -- No Entries

Mat 8,5-13

· (114a) Thy kingdom come Ø Working the grace of God Ø Obeying the Holy Spirit Ø Believing the Father by obeying the Son Ø Obeying Jesus’ word -- This is one of the greatest verses about faith in the Bible. Although Heb 11-1 supplies the actual definition, this verse illustrates the essence of faith in a story as Jesus praised the centurion for demonstrating his knowledge of Jesus' relationship with His father, accentuating the fact that Jesus' submission to Him was the source of His power. What does that mean for us? If Jesus had to submit to His Father to see His hand move in His life, how much more do we need to submit to Christ before we will see His hand move in our lives? Submission is the secret to faith and to the power of God, and there is no other act of submission greater than prayer, and there is no other way to pray than according to the word of God, and there is no other way to know the word of God than to study it for your self. Therefore, if you want to see God's hand move in your life and in the lives of others through yours, fix your mind on the word of God and prayer. 

· (145a) Witness Ø Validity of Jesus Christ Ø Jesus’ works bear witness of Himself Ø Healing Ø Methods of healing Ø Healed by speaking the word

Mat 8,5-10

· (13b) Jesus serves His Father Ø Jesus is under His authority – This is perhaps the single most revealing portion of Scripture in the Bible, illustrating the power behind servanthood. There is perhaps no greater truth than when you are subjected to someone in authority you become a vehicle of that authority. Jesus was in perfect submission to His Father’s will and for that reason Christ was the vehicle of His authority, also because He was the Son of God—both reasons are one and the same. These verses are referring to the power of delegation. People can do more when they organize a pyramid to whom they delegate tasks, who in turn delegate tasks to others who eventually get the job done, as opposed to doing everything themselves. Everything that gets done though a hierarchy of authority is ultimately attributed to the person at the top of the pyramid. We know that God can wave His hand and accomplish more than the whole world can in a thousand years, but God does not work that way; he wants to get us involved in His creative ability, that we may also share in the reward. The way He gets us involved is though submission and servanthood.

Mat 8-11,12

· (47g) God Judges the world Ø Hell is a place of darkness

· (211b) Salvation Ø Jews and gentiles are being saved Ø Gentiles included Ø God gives the Gentiles Israel’s place

· (221c) Kingdom of God Ø The elusive kingdom of heaven Ø Kingdom hidden behind the veil from the world Ø God hides from man’s ignorance Ø God denies His kingdom to those who cannot find Him -- Those who cannot find Him are not looking very hard, if at all; and so why should God avail Himself to them. 

· (224e) Kingdom of God Ø Illustrating the kingdom Ø Description of heaven Ø The joyful kingdom Ø The marriage supper of the lamb

Mat 8-13

· (226k) Kingdom of God Ø Illustrating the kingdom Ø Rewards of heaven Ø God rewards us for obeying Him Ø Rewarded for believing in God

Mat 8-14,15

· (144j) Witness Ø Validity of Jesus Christ Ø Jesus’ works bear witness of Himself Ø Healing Ø Methods of healing Ø Healed by Jesus’ touch -- These verses go with verses 2&3

Mat 8-16,17

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

Mat 8-16

· (66j) Jesus’ authority Ø His words are the authority of God -- This verse goes with verse 27

· (146e) Witness Ø Validity of Jesus Christ Ø Jesus’ works bear witness of Himself Ø Deliverance from demon possession Ø Casting out spirits with a word

Mat 8-17

· (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

Mat 8-18 -- No Entries

Mat 8,19-23

· (5h) Responsibility Ø Discipleship tested Ø God tests your loyalty Ø Your commitment to follow Jesus

Mat 8-19,20

· (232e) Kingdom of God Ø Pursuing the kingdom Ø Seeking the kingdom Ø Count the cost Ø Assess your property before you sell it

Mat 8-21,22

· (53c) Paradox Ø Opposites Ø Of life and death Ø Die trying to live

Mat 8-22

· (25l) Consequences of sin Ø You’re walking in death if you’re not walking in Jesus

· (93f) Thy kingdom come Ø Following Jesus Ø Leaving everything behind to follow Him

Mat 8,23-27

· (5f) Responsibility Ø Discipleship tested Ø God tests your faith through hardship – Difficult times often accompany the person who follows Jesus, like steel to a magnet. It comes with associating with the epitome of righteousness in an evil world. There are certain things that God wants us to do, the very things the world desperately wants us not to do, and will go to any extreme to attend our failure. The world has an evil tyrant of a devil over it, who hates God and anyone who loves Him. Our only safety is a closer reliance on Jesus who made us enemies of the devil in the first place. Those who love God wouldn't have it any other way. 

· (126g) Thy kingdom come Ø Manifestations of faith Ø Peace in the midst of the storm -- Jesus had a peace that the world will never know, a peace that He died to share with His beloved disciples who believe in Him. Who else could be asleep on a boat in the midst of a storm? Jesus not only knew He was safe because His Father would never let anything happen to Him (except what He came to do), the fact was so deeply embedded in His heart that He could lie down without any concern for His physical limits. This is the level of peace that He wants to convey to His beloved children. 

· (147c) Witness Ø Validity of Jesus Christ Ø Jesus’ works bear witness of Himself Ø God exercises authority over His creation -- It would seem strange for God to finish with His creation, then come down here and be battered by it, but that is exactly what He did, only not by the wind and the waves of the sea. He wasn't going to let just anything beat up on Him, but limited His suffering only to the people He came down to save, and anything else that tried to take advantage of Him He used to reveal His identity by overcoming it through the power of God. I don't think God would ask any more from you than He does from Himself, meaning that He may expect you to suffer a little from persecution while spreading around His glorious name in a dark world, but He is more than willing to deliver you from trials that do not glorify Him nor benefit others or yourself. 

· (164f) Works of the devil Ø Manifestations of the devil Ø The world system Ø Satan’s system of authority Ø He is the prince of the power of the air -- We are going to dissect this story and treat it as an analogy by assigning certain entities to each element. The sea itself is the world, the wind is the prince of the power of the air (the devil), the waves are certain people or groups that pose a direct threat to you, the boat represents you, the people in it represent doubt and unbelief, Jesus lying down asleep represents the Holy Spirit in your heart, and finally tapping Him on the shoulder and rousing Him from His slumber represents prayer. Therefore, when the world becomes volatile and threatens to remove your place from the earth, don't just fret about it, but awaken the living one within you who can do something about it. 

Mat 8,24-27

· (245l) Kingdom of God Ø Spirit realm imposed on the natural realm Ø Literal manifestations of the devil Ø Manifestation of the prince of the power of the air

Mat 8-25,26

· (90b) Thy kingdom come Ø God convicts us Ø Conviction leads us in the way of faith -- Conviction is one of the the ways God uses to awaken the Holy Spirit in our lives, and sometimes He uses adversity as a catalyst to speed up the process. Sometimes we won't pray until we run into trouble; that is why Jesus is asleep in the first place. 

Mat 8-26

· (20g) Sin Ø Doubt is the consequence of the fear of death

Mat 8-27

· (66j) Jesus’ authority Ø His words are the authority of God -- This verse goes with verse 16

Mat 8,28-34

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

Mat 8,24-34

· (146f) Witness Ø Validity of Jesus Christ Ø Jesus’ works bear witness of Himself Ø Deliverance from demon possession Ø Casting out violent demons -- If you ever wondered why these two stories are written back to back (Jesus calmed the sea and delivered the men from demon possession), look at them again and determine what they have in common. Casting out violent demon must be much like being on a lake during a bad storm; imagine what it must be like for the person who has the demons. 

Mat 8-29

· (146d) Witness Ø Validity of Jesus Christ Ø Jesus’ works bear witness of Himself Ø Demon possession Ø Human state Ø They know the Holy Spirit

Mat 8-31,32

· (65a) Paradox Ø Anomalies Ø God helps Satan Ø Jesus answers the devil’s prayer -- It is puzzling why Jesus would listen to the devil's request, let alone grant it. There is a great lesson here about prayer: If God is that willing to answer the devil's prayer, how much more willing is He to answer our prayers? This proves how moved He gets through entreaty and prayer; it is very effective because we are praying to a God who listens!

Mat 8-32

· (25f) Sin Ø Poverty (Forms of fear) Ø Satan and his children are murderers

Mat 8-34

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