Luke 3

Posted on December 8, 2013 by zachridd Standard Reply

Luke 3: Baptism of Jesus

In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, the word of the Lord came unto John in the wilderness. John departed from the wilderness and went to Jordan, where he preached “…baptism of repentance for the remission of sins;” (Luke 3:3) John cried out to the people and said; “…Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight…” (Luke 3:4) There came one man who wished to be baptized, yet John must have found him not worthy or lacking in repentance, because he tells the man; “…O generations of vipers…. Bring forth therefore fruits worthy of repentance…” (Luke 3:8) John explains that everyone who does not bring forth the fruit of repentance will be like a bad tree, which will be cut down and tossed aside.

What are fruits worthy of Repentance?

In order to be baptized, one must first find Faith in Jesus Christ, Second Repent of those things not in alignment with the Gospel of Jesus Christ, meaning that you must follow ALL of God’s commandments. It is not just enough to believe in Jesus Christ, for if one truly believes in Him, and accepts Jesus as their personal Savior, then that same person will want to make their life like His, and follow in His footsteps. Third, that person can receive a baptism, for the remission of those sins. But that baptism needs to be done with the proper authority. Why do you think people came to John? It is because John had the Authority given to him. Finally after baptism you can receive the Holy Ghost, by the laying on of hands, again by someone who has the Authority to do so.

Many people who have gathered to be baptized of John ask him, how they can be baptized for a remission of their own sins. John explains that they need to give freely of themselves and their time, talents and wealth.

“…He that hath two coats, let him impart to him that hath none….” (Luke 3:11)

“…Do violence to no man, neither accuse any falsely; and be content with your wages.” (Luke 3:14)

The people were astonished by John’s words, but he reassured them that he was only a man; “…I indeed baptize you with water; but one mightier than I cometh, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to unloose: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire.” (Luke 3:16)

John then rebukes Herod for marrying Herodias, who was Phillips wife and for all the evils which Herod had done, including putting John into jail.

Jesus then comes to be baptized of John; “…the heaven was opened, And the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon him, and a voice came from heaven, which said, Thou art my beloved Son, in thee I am well pleased.” (Luke 3:21-22) Jesus was about 30 years old when He was baptized. Jesus was baptized at a later age to help us understand that baptism should be done at an age of accountability. In the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, that age of accountability has been decided through revelation of being eight years old. Baptizing before that age is a mockery before God.

The Genealogy of Jesus Christ is given, however it differs from the genealogy given by Matthew, giving his actual lineage through Mary, instead of his legal lineage through Joseph.

Lineage of Jesus Christ:

Joseph was the son of Heli
- Heli was the son of Matthat
  - Matthat was the son of Levi
    - Levi was the son of Melchi
      - Melchi was the son of Janna
        
        Janna was the son of Joseph
Joseph was the son of Mattathias
- Mattathias was the son of Amos
  - Amos was the son of Naum
    - Naum was the son of Esli
      - Esli was the son of Nagge
        
        Nagge was the son of Maath
Maath was the son of Mattathias
- Mattathias was the son of Semei
  - Semei was the son of Joseph
    - Joseph was the son of Juda
      - Juda was the son of Joanna
        
        Joanna was the son of Rhesa
Rhesa was the son of Zorobabel
- Zorobabel was the son of Salathiel
  - Salathiel was the son of Neri

Neri was the son of Melchi
- Melchi was the son of Addi
  - Addi was the son of Cosam
  - Cosam was the son of Elmodam
    - Elmodam was the son of Er
      - Er was the son of Jose
        
        Jose was the son of Eliezer
        
        Eliezer was the son of Jorim
        
        Jorim was the son of Matthat
        
        Matthat was the son of Levi
        
        Levi was the son of Simeon
        
        Simeon was the son of Juda
        
        Judas was the son of Joseph
        
        Joseph was the son of Jonan
        
        Jonan was the son of Eliamkim

Eliamkin was the son of Melea
- Melea was the son of Menan
  - Menan was the son of Mattatha
    - Mattatha was the son of Nathan
      - Nathan was the son of David
        
        David was the son of Jesse
Jesse was the son of Obed
- Obed was the son of Booz
  - Booz was the son of Salmon
    - Salmon was the son of Naasson
      - Naasson was the son of Aminadab
        
        Aminadab was the son of Aram

Aram was the son of Esrom
- Esrom was the son of Phares
  - Phares was the son of Juda
    - Juda was the son of Jacob
      - Jacob was the son of Isaac
        
        Isaac was the son of Abraham
Abraham was the son of Thara
- Thara was the son of Nachor
  - Nachor was the son of Saruch
    - Saruch was the son of Ragau
      - Ragau was the son of Phalec
        
        Phalec was the son of Heber
Heber was the son of Sala
- Sala was the son of Cainan
  - Cainan was the son of Arphaxad
    - Arphaxad was the son of Sem
      - Sem was the son of Noe
        
        Noe was the son of Lamech
Lamech was the son of Mathusala
- Mathusala was the son of Enoch
  - Enoch was the son of Jared
    - Jared was the son of Maleleel
      - Maleleel was the son of Cainan
        
        Cainan was the son of Enos

Enos was the sons of Seth
- Seth was the son of Adam
  - Adam was the son of God.

Matthew 1

Posted on October 21, 2013 by zachridd Standard Reply

Matthew 1:

Generations of Jesus Christ

The Genealogy of Jesus Christ is given: “begat” means to father.

Abraham begat Isaac
- Isaac begat Jacob
  - Jacob begat Judas and his brethren;
    - Judas begat Phares and Zara of Thamar;
      - Phares begat Esrom;
        
        Esrom begat Aram;
        
        Aram begat Aminadab;
        
        Aminadab begat Naasson;
        
        Naasson begat Salmon;
        
        Salmon begat Booz of Rachab;
        
        Booz begat Obed of Ruth;
        
        Obed begat Jesse;
        
        Jesse begat David the king;
        
        David the king begat Solomon of her that had been the wife of Urias;
        
        Solomon begat Roboam;
        
        Roboam begat Abia;
        
        Abia begat Asa;
        
        Asa begat Josaphat;
        
        Josaphat begat Joram;
        
        Joram begat Ozias;
        
        Ozias begat Joatham;
        
        Joatham begat Achaz;
        
        Achaz begat Ezekias;

Ezekias begat Manasses;
- Manasses begat Amon;
  - Amon begat Josias;
    - Josias begat Jechonias and his brethren, about the time they were carried away to Babylon:
      - After they were brought to Babylon, Jechonias begat Salathiel;
      - After they were brought to Babylon, Jechonias begat Salathiel;
        
        Salathiel begat Zorobabel;
        
        Zorobabel begat Abiud;
        
        Abiud begat Eliakim;

Eliakim begat Azor;
- Azor begat Sadoc;
  - Sadoc begat Achim;
    - Achim begat Eliud;
      - Eliud begat Eleazar;
        
        Eleazar begat Matthan;
        
        Matthan begat Jacob;
        
        Jacob begat Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ.

Before Joseph and Mary were together, “…she was found with child of the Holy Ghost.” (Matthew 1:18)

Joseph met Mary and decided to not make her situation public and instead put her away in secret. However as Joseph thought on the situation an angel of the Lord appeared unto him, saying; “…Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for e shall save his people from their sins.” (Matthew 1:20-21)

Joseph did as the angel had told him and married Mary, this fulfilled a prophesy by Isaiah; “…Behold a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.” (Isaiah 7:14)

Jeremiah 33-34

Posted on August 4, 2013 by zachridd Standard Reply

Jeremiah 33-34

Chapter 33: The Seed of David

Word comes to Jeremiah in prison. Israel and Judah will be restored to the favour of God, so all the world shall be astonished. A Lord of righteousness shall gown from the branch of David, ensuring happiness and stability under his government. The Lord assures us; “Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.” (Jeremiah 33:3)

Chapter 34: The Jews will be scattered

Word comes to Jeremiah while Zedekiah is fighting against Babylon. Judah will be given to the Babylonians, yet Zedekiah shall die in peace. A further prophecy reproving the Jews for their conduct towards their Hebrew slaves. With whom they released in times of danger, but compelled to return to bondage when they thought the danger over. God threatens them with the sword, pestilence, and famine, and with the return of the Chaldeans.

Isaiah 15-16

Posted on August 2, 2013 by zachridd Standard Reply

Isaiah 15-16

Chapter 15: Moab shall be Laid Waste

The burden against Moab. The cities and soldiers of Moab fall under a night attack. Refugees will flee from Moab. Refugees and the remnant of Moab will be attacked by lions.

Chapter 16: Messiah Shall Sit on David’s Throne

Moab shall send the lamb as tribute to Jerusalem. Judah is to be a place of refuge and protection for the Moabites. Moab is then counseled to be a refuge for Israel. Moab shall wail at the judgment of God against it. Judgment will come in three years.

Psalms 142-143

Posted on August 1, 2013 by zachridd Standard Reply

Psalms 142-143

Chapter 142: David Prays for Help

Maschil of David; A Prayer when he was in the cave

David prays for preservation from his enemies. “Attend unto my cry; for I am brought very low: deliver me from my persecutors; for they are stronger than I.” (Psalms 142:6) Sometimes we are caught in situations where we are unable to help ourselves and our enemies may appear or ARE stronger than us, and in those situations we need to pray for help.

Chapter 143: David prays for Fair Judgment

A Psalm of David

David prays for favor in the Lord’s judgment. David meditates on the Lord’s marvelous works and he puts his trust in the Lord.

David asks the Lord; “…cause me to know the way wherein I should walk… Teach me to do thy will…” (Psalms 143:8,10)

We should never trust man; ask God what you should do, not man.

Psalms 140-141

Posted on August 1, 2013 by zachridd Standard Reply

Psalms 140-141

Chapter 140: Pray for Deliverance from Enemies

To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David

David’s prays for the deliverance from his enemies; “Deliver me, O Lord, from the evil man: preserve me from the violent man; Which imagine mischiefs in their heart; continually are they gathered together for war.” (Psalms 140:1-2)

This is something that we can all, honestly pray to the Lord. Deliver us from our enemies; this could go beyond people to include our addictions or sins.

David continues “Grant not, O Lord, the desires of the wicked man…” (Psalms 140:8) In a world of ever changing values and constant violence… we can pray for peace and we can pray for the protection of the Lord.

Chapter 141: David Pleads with the Lord

A Psalm of David

David pleads with the Lord for Him to hear his prayers. He tells the Lord; “Let the wicked fall into their own nets…” (Psalms 141:10). We almost don’t need to do anything, and simply let the wicked destroy themselves.

Psalms 138-139

Posted on August 1, 2013 by zachridd Standard Reply

Psalms 138-139

Chapter 138: David Praises the Lord

David praises the Lord for His lovingkindness and truth. David tells the Lord, that in “In the day when I cried thou answeredst me, and strengthenedst me with strength in my soul” (Psalms 138:3) Often times we might also feel like we are in trouble, but the Lord will answer our prayers and strengthen us.

Chapter 139: God knows our thoughts and desires

To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David

David’s starts this Psalm by addressing an important fact, the Lord knows our thoughts.

“…thou hast searched me, and known me. Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou strandest my thought afar off.” (Psalms 139:1-2) The Lord knows our thoughts and desires; we cannot hide good or evil from Him.

David goes on to mention that having the Lord’s knowledge “…is too wonderful for me, it is high, I cannot attain unto it.” (Psalms 139:6) We cannot understand the Lord’s knowledge in this life, plain and simple.

David mentions that the Lord is so full of love that even when we are in the darkest of situations, the Lord will be there for us. David writes; “…if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there” (Psalms 139:8) We can rest assured that the Lord is with us always, even if we are in times of trouble, or despair… trust in the Lord.

The Psalm ends with something that I really love, and something that I think everyone should have in their heart… “Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” (Psalms 139:23-24) We should all ask the Lord to search our hearts and see our true desire, even when we do bad and it looks like we have no heart, the Lord can see our true intentions.

Psalms 132-133

Posted on August 1, 2013 by zachridd Standard Reply

Psalms 132-133

Scripture Thought (What I Learned):

Chapter 132: The Fruit of David’s Loins

A Song of degrees

“If thy children will keep my covenant and my testimony that I shall teach them, their children shall also sit upon thy throne for evermore.” (Psalms 132:12)

Keep the covenant that you made with God, and teach your children about the Gospel and the covenant. If you teach your children about the blessings of the Gospel, they too can enjoy the blessings of the Gospel.

Chapter 133: Unity

A Song of degrees of David

“…how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!” (Psalms 133:1) Isn’t this self explanatory? If we dwelled together in unity, how great would this world be!

Psalms 107-108

Posted on August 1, 2013 by zachridd Standard Reply

Psalms 107-108

Chapter 107: Oh that man would praise the Lord!

“Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!” (Psalms 107: 8, 15, 21, and 31)

This EXACT verse is repeated 4 times through this Psalm, putting emphasis on praising the Lord and how simple it would be that if everyone did that!

This Psalm continues to talk about how the fool who sins will be lifted up; “Fools because of their transgression… are afflicted… they cry unto the Lord in their trouble, and he saveth them…” (Psalms 107:17-19)

We need to remember that even in our darkest hour… the Lord is there to save us from our troubles, if we LET HIM! “Whoso is wise… shall understand the lovingkindness of the Lord.” (Psalms 107:43) Just remember that the Lord loves us all and we are unwise to think that He doesn’t love us.

Chapter 108: David Praises God

A Song or Psalm of David

David praises the Lord and tells us that Judah (through Christ) is the Lord’s lawgiver. With God we can tread down our enemies!

Psalms 69-70

Posted on July 30, 2013 by zachridd Standard Reply

Psalms 69-70

Chapter 69: David is persecuted

To the chief Musician upon Shoshannim, A Psalm of David.

“They that hate me without a cause are more than the hairs of mine head…” (Psalms 69:4) exclaims David. At this point David was being persecuted and was not without hate. He explains how he feels by saying that “They that sit in the gate speak against me; and I was the song of the drunkards” (Psalms 69:12). I find this particular verse very funny, because while I was a missionary in Honduras I came across men on the street who were drunk, that did the very same thing. These “drunkards” would harass us and keep us from doing the work on a daily basis.

David felt very much alone in his time of difficulty “Reproach hath broken my ear; and I am full of heaviness: and I looked from some to take pity, but there was none; and for comforters, but I found none.” (Psalms 69:20) Have you ever felt alone in your trials? I know I have, I have sought pity and comfort before in my times of struggle, difficulty, sadness, depression etc. We all go through this, but we need to remember that we are not the only ones going through this. We all have trials in this life, and we need to remember that when we are dealing with people on a daily basis.

God comforts David and tells him that those who persecute him and cause wickedness will be “…blotted out of the book of the living…” (Psalms 69:28) which we know is most likely a metaphor for those who will receive a full and everlasting life in the presence of the Lord.

Chapter 70: Let God be Magnified

To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David, to bring remembrance.

I know that this may seem like a short summary of this chapter, but in all honesty it sums it up well, as it is short.

“…Let God be magnified.” (Psalms 70:4)