Matthew-3

THE LIFE OF CHRIST
Based on the NT Book of Matthew

Lesson 3
Chapter 8 (cont.): Jesus' First Healings

DAY ONE:

VS 18-19�� Jesus tried to escape a crowd by crossing to the other side of the _________________.� Some people, including a teacher, told him he would _____________________ him to the other side.

�� This teacher bragged that he'd _________________ Jesus _________________ he went.

VERSE 20�� But Jesus said, even though animals have homes, he did not have a _____________________ to lay his _______________________, probably meaning he did not own a place of his own.

�� NOTE:� Son of Man is used here to mean Son of Mankind, reminding people he was human.� Sometimes he is called the Son of God, reminding people he was also God come to us in flesh.

VS 21-22�� Jesus took advantage of every situation to teach a lesson.� When someone said they'd follow Jesus as soon as they buried their _____________________, Jesus said let the ____________________ bury their own _____________.�

�� In what sense to you think he meant they were dead (see Colossians 2:13)? _______________________

�� ________________________________________________________________________________

VS 23-24�� What was Jesus doing in the boat during the storm while it was being swamped with water? ________

VERSE 25�� His disciples shouted they were about to do what?� ___________________________

VS 26-27�� Jesus said they had little _____________________.� He had just promised them in chapter 4, verse 19 they were going to be ________________________ __________________________________________They'd forgotten his promise.

�� Then Jesus rebuked the _______________________ and the _______________________________, and the water became ___________________________.� Little by little he was revealing to his followers just who and what he was.

VERSE 28�� Once Jesus and his friends arrived on the other side of the Sea of Galilee, who came to meet him?

�� ___________________________________________________________________________________

VERSE 29�� The demons knew right away that Jesus was the _______________ of ________________.

�� They knew Jesus had the power to send them to torture, which was also called the Abyss (see Luke 8:31).� Who is the "god" of the Abyss?� Look at Revelation 9:1, 2, 11 and Luke 10:18. ______________________ ____________________________________ Who else is there Jude 6?� ____________________� __________________________________________

VS 30-32�� Apparently, as long as demons can possess some living being on earth, they do not have to go to the Abyss.� But, in the same way that humans resist having demons in them, the pigs did too, even if it meant destroying themselves.

NOTE:� SEE END OF LESSON FOR EXPLANATION OF DEMON POSSESSIONS

Chapter 9: Jesus Recruits Matthew

DAY TWO:

VERSE 2�� Not always, but Jesus recognized the fact that sometimes our own sins cause our illnesses.� What are some sins that cause illnesses today? ________ __________________________________________

VERSE 5-6�� Jesus said that he performed miracles in order to prove he had power to _______________________.

VS 2 & 6�� Notice, Jesus first took care of the man's spiritual/emotional needs by doing what?� __________________________� Secondly, he took care of the man's _______________________ needs.

VERSE 7�� Thus far in our study, did Jesus ever fail to heal someone and then blame it on their lack of faith?� ____________

�� Do you recall one healing where the sick person had no faith at all because he did not know anything about his boss asking Jesus to heal him?� Who was his boss?� _________________________________

�� Thus far in our study, did Jesus ever partially heal someone and claim it was a healing?� __________

VERSE 9�� What was Matthew's occupation?� ______________� ________________________________.� Do you think he was very popular? _____________� Did Jesus seem to care whether or not he was popular?� ________________

�� Who is the author of the book we are reading?� ____________________________

VERSE 10�� In Jesus' day, the religious people lumped what two groups of people together?� ___________________

�� and _______________________________________.

VERSE 12�� Jesus was not beyond using sarcasm to get his point across to hard hearted people.� What did he tell the self-righteous Pharisee religious leaders?________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________

�� ___________________________________________________________________________________

VERSE 15�� Jesus said that fasting was a sign of ____________

�� He said those associating with him need not fast until he, their _____________________________, was taken from them.� If he is the bridegroom, who is the bride (see Ephesians 5:25-33)? ___________

VS 16-17�� Jesus was bringing a new way of life.� Instead of the Old Testament Law of Moses which was impossible to keep, he was introducing a New Testament centered around the law of love.� Do you think Jesus wants us to try to keep both the Old Testament and New Testament?� _______________

DAY THREE:

VERSE 18�� When Mark told this same story, he said the ruler who came to Jesus ruled the local ______________ (see Mark 5:22).

�� His daughter had just ________________________.� Although Jesus had never done this before, he believed Jesus would bring her back to __________.

VERSE 20�� A woman interrupted Jesus because she had had a period for __________ years.

VERSE 21�� She believed Jesus would __________________ her without even knowing it.

VERSE 25�� To bring the girl back to life, did Jesus go into a long ceremony?� _________

VS 27-31�� Sometimes Jesus healed people without them having faith (the dead girl had none) and sometimes he said _____________________ to their faith they would be healed.

VS 32-34�� By what powers did the religious leaders from Jerusalem, the Jewish headquarters, claim Jesus cast out demons?� ________________________� Were they right?� _________� Why do you think they told people this?� ___________________________________________________________________________

�� _______________________________________________________________________________

Chapter 10: Jesus Selects & Assigns 12 Apostles

VERSE 1-2�� Jesus had twelve special disciples (meaning followers) which he now began to call his twelve ________________.� He personally gave them power to perform ____________________________.

VERSE 2-4�� List the twelve apostles:� _______________________________________________________________

�� ___________________________________________________________________________________

VERSE 5-7�� Rather than have them go to all nationalities to start with, Jesus told them to go to the ____________ sheep of _________________________ (the Jews).

DAY FOUR:

VERSE 8-11�� Jesus told to allow people who had received healings and heard their sermons provide them a place to stay and food to eat because the _________________________ is worthy of his keep.

VERSE 15�� Why were Sodom and Gomorrah so bad (2 Peter 2:6-7 and Jude 7)?� _________________________

�� __________________________________________________________________________

�� What happened to Sodom and Gomorrah? ______ __________________________________________

�� But on the Day of Judgment, who will be dealt with more harshly?� ______________________________

VERSE 16�� Jesus told his apostles to be as _________________ as snakes and __________________ as doves.

VS 17-18�� Jesus also warned them that all would not go well.� Religious leaders would have them beaten right there in their _______________________________ and political leaders would take them before __________________________________________

�� __________________________________________

VERSE 21�� What will happen to families where some believe in Jesus and others do not? ______________________

VS 24-25�� Jesus was called ______________________, a name referring to the devil, by people who claimed he was casting out devils through the Devil (remember 9:34?).

VERSE 28�� Who are we to be the most afraid of? ___________ ____________________________________________________________________________________

�� What kind of people do you think can kill our souls?� ____________________________________

VS 32-33�� If we acknowledge Jesus before men, Jesus will ________________________ us before __________.

DAY FIVE:

VERSE 37�� Do you think ultimately that a marriage is worse off if they love God more than each other?� (Consider 1 John 4:16)?� Why? ________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________

VS 38-39�� If we die because of our belief in Jesus, what kind of life will we gain? _________________________

VERSE 42�� If we give a ___________ of __________________ to anyone because we are Christians, Jesus will reward us.

Chapter 11: John the Baptist

VERSE 2�� John the Baptist was now where? ______________

VERSE 3-4�� Even though he was a religious leader, he had honest problems with his faith.� Did Jesus condemn him for it?� _____________

VERSE 5�� Jesus helped John by reassuring him that he was fulfilling a prophecy about him from seven centuries earlier.�

VERSE 7-8�� Apparently those who had known John before thought he was awkward like a reed ____________ in the _________________________.� He also apparently had been a man who dressed in ________________________________________________________.� But John had changed.

VERSE 10�� Even John had fulfilled a prophecy about him made about 600 years earlier.

DAY SIX:

VERSE 11�� Remembering that the kingdom of heaven is the church (above, chapter 3), the church began after Jesus returned to heaven, and John was beheaded shortly after this conversation with Jesus, why would someone in the kingdom/church be greater than John the Baptist? ________________________ __________________________________________

VS 18-19�� John was condemned for abstaining from ________ and Jesus was condemned for _________________. Does that sound like the way we judge people today?� ______________

VERSE 20�� Even though Jesus performed numerous miracles in a certain few cities, he turned right around and condemned them because _____________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________

�� Do we today find it hard to identify our own sins? ________� Why? ____________________________

VS 22-23�� Tyre and Sidon were Gentile cities in today's Lebanon.� Yet, they will be judged more leniently than the very town Jesus was now living in, which was __________________________________.

VERSE 27�� Why is it that we can only know the Father through the Son (see John 1:1-2 & 14)?� _______________ ___________________________________________________________________________________

VERSE 28�� Jesus said, "____________________ unto _______ all you who are _____________________________ and________________________________________ and _______ will ____________ you ___________."

VERSE 29�� "Take ______ yoke upon you and _______________ from me, for I am ____________________ and _______________________ in ________________, and ____________ will find ________________ for your _________________."

VERSE 30�� What is Jesus' yoke (see Philippians 1:1-2; 4:3)?� __________________________________________ What burden do we, in turn, put on Jesus (see Philippians 4:4-7)?� _________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________

DEMON POSSESSION

Demon possessions did not exist before Jesus came to earth.� There is no example of it in the Old Testament that goes back approximately 4000 years before Jesus.� Colossians 2:15 in the New Testament says Jesus triumphed over them all at the cross.� Romans 8:38, also in the New Testament, says that demons or any other kind of powers can separate us from the love of God through Jesus.

Satan is the god of the short cut:� Steal things instead of taking the time to earn the money, etc.� So, it may be that when Jesus came to earth and entered the body of the baby and took the time to grow up, Satan decided to imitate it in order to conquer Jesus.� In that case, he sent his demons (?sons?) to enter the bodies of grown people.� Of course these grown people fought the demons.� It seems, too, that the demons were sent to possess strong religious people.

There are three instances of casting out demons that had rendered the host irrational at times.� The first is here in Matthew, and after being healed, wanted to go preaching with Jesus (Luke 8:38).� The second was a man who was worshipping in the synagogue at the time (?at church?) (Mark 1:21-28).� The third was a woman, Mary Magdalene (Luke 8:2), a religious friend of Jesus? mother; he appeared to her shortly after his resurrection.�

It is interesting that it took several demons to control these religious people, and they could not do it all the time.� The man in the above passage had a legion of demons in him with one being the spokesman (see Mark 5:8-9); the second it does not say; the third ~ Mary Magdalene ~ had seven in her.

The other instances of demon possession in Jesus? day were those who caused diseases, apparently for other reasons than physical, and no amount of physical treatment could help them.� There were five cases of these:� A man who could not speak (Matthew 9:32-34); a man who could not see, hear, or speak (Matthew 12:22-37); a girl with unnamed symptoms (Matthew 15:21-28); and a boy who had convulsions (Matthew 17:14-20).

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