The Gospels of
Matthew, Mark,
Luke & John
January 2020:
Dr. Craig Bowers
January 1-3
Matthew 1-3
Dr. Kevin Calhoun
January 6-10
Matthew 4-8
Jonathan Norton
January 13-17
Matthew 9-13
Rev. JT Overby
January 20-24
Matthew 14-18
Dr. Craig Bowers
January 27-31
Matthew 19-23
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January 6, 2020
by Kevin Calhoun
Read Matthew 4
“Now as Jesus was walking by the Sea of Galilee, He saw two brothers, Simon who was called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. And He said to them, ‘Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.’ Immediately they left their nets and followed Him. Going on from there He saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets; and He called them. Immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed Him,” (vss. 18-22).
Jesus began calling His disciples with a simple statement, “Follow Me.” Peter and Andrew left their nets and followed Him (vs. 20). Likewise, James and John immediately left the boat and their father, and followed Him (Vs. 22). The question I pose for us today is this, “what does it mean to follow Jesus?”
Following Jesus involves a commitment to feast on His Word and walk in His Will. Our prayer as a church staff is that these daily devotional readings will lead us all to a deeper desire to read and learn God’s Word. The psalmist wrote, “Thy word have I hid in my heart that I might not sin against Thee,” (Psalm 119:11). Reading and studying God’s written Word draws us into close fellowship with Jesus, the Living Word. Doing so allows God’s Word to change us as we walk with Him each day.
Application:
Will you commit to reading God’s Word with us this year? ________________________________________________________________
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What steps will you take to insure you spend time in Scripture each day?
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Prayer:
Lord Jesus, lead me through Your Word as I seek to follow You each day! Amen!
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January 7, 2020
by Kevin Calhoun
Read Matthew 5
As I read this chapter in Matthew’s Gospel, I am struck by Jesus’ words in verses 23-24 concerning forgiveness and our relationships with others.
“Therefore if you are presenting your offering at the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your offering there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and present your offering.”
Notice 3 things with me today:
1. “If your brother has something against you.” Jesus does not say if we are upset with someone else. Maybe the other person has been offended by something we said or did (or something we did not say or do). We are to be the one who seeks reconciliation.
2. “. . . first be reconciled to your brother.” Again, the responsibility to seek reconciliation is on us. We should be the one who takes the first step. Do not wait for them to come to us. Reach out to them for reconciliation.
3. “. . . then come and present your offering.” Our worship and our gifts to the Lord are impacted by the relationships we have with others. When relationships with others are broken, our walk with the Lord can be hindered. Certainly, we cannot force others to accept our attempts to reconcile, but we can do all within our ability to seek such reconciliation.
Application:
List the name of someone who may be upset with you. ________________________________________________________________
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What steps can you take to be reconciled with them? ________________________________________________________________
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Prayer:
Lord Jesus, lead me today to seek out those who may be upset with me. Give me the grace to seek reconciliation with them. May my words and my actions bring glory unto You. Amen!
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January 8, 2020
by Kevin Calhoun
Read Matthew 6
The story is told of a man who slipped and fell over the edge of a cliff. Fortunately he was able to grab hold of a bush growing from the side of the mountain. As he held on for his life, the man began calling for help. The man heard a voice reply, “Let go! I will catch you,” so he called out again for help. The voice came a second time, “Let go! I will catch you.” After the third cry for help with the same reply, the man called out loudly, “Is there anyone else up there.”
In verse 25 of our reading today Jesus says, “For this reason I say to you, do not be anxious for your life . . .” Then in verse 34, Jesus states, “Therefore, do not be anxious for tomorrow, for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” This sounds simple enough. Yet we tend to worry about so many things. I know I am guilty. What about you?
Jesus tells us in these verses that God will take care of us. If God takes care of the birds of the air, He will take care of us. We are created in the image of God, and in Christ we are dearly loved. In Isaiah 43:1 we read, “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are Mine.” In Isaiah 43:4 we see we are precious in His sight, we are honored, and we are loved. We can trust in God’s Sovereign care.
Application:
List one or two things you are anxious about today. ________________________________________________________________
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Write a prayer below asking God for His provision.
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Give thanks to God for His presence!
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January 10, 2020
by Kevin Calhoun
Read Matthew 8
Matthew 8 presents a wonderful picture of what Jesus has done for us. Each of the narratives in this chapter reveals His power and His sovereignty. He heals a leper (vss. 1-4), He heals a centurion’s servant (vss. 5-13), He heals Peter’s mother-in-law (vss. 14-17), He calms a storm at sea (vss. 23-27), and He casts demons out of two men (vss. 28-33). I believe Matthew has a clear message for us as we read this passage: Jesus has authority over sickness (vss. 1-17), Jesus has authority over nature (vss. 23-27), Jesus has authority over supernatural evil (vss. 28-33).
The redemptive work of Jesus includes the natural order and the supernatural. Our salvation from sin also involves being rescued from powers of darkness.
“Surely our griefs He Himself bore,
And our sorrows He carried;
Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken,
Smitten of God, and afflicted.
But He was pierced through for our transgressions,
He was crushed for our iniquities;
The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him,
And by His scourging we are healed.
All of us like sheep have gone astray,
Each of us has turned to his own way;
But the Lord has caused the iniquity of us all
To fall on Him.
He was oppressed and He was afflicted,
Yet He did not open His mouth;
Like a lamb that is led to slaughter,
And like a sheep that is silent before its shearers,
So He did not open His mouth.” (Isaiah 53:4-7)
Therein is our hope. Let us keep our eyes focused on Jesus – our Redeemer and our Lord.
Application:
List any struggles you are facing today. ________________________________________________________________
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Write a short prayer offering these struggles to the Lord for help.
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January 16, 2020
by Jonathan Norton
Read Matthew 12
Yesterday we read where the people of Israel resisted Jesus by resisting His prophet John the Baptist. Today in chapter 12, we read where they Resisted Jesus’ Principles (vs. 1-21), They Resisted His Power (vs. 22-37), and They Resisted Him as a Person (vs. 38-50).
We see Jesus purposely violate the Sabbath traditions on multiple occasions because He wanted to teach that the external laws could never save them or make them holy. He was teaching the principle that true righteousness had to come from the heart. In regards to the Sabbath, Jesus was teaching that He offered rest to all who will come to Him; there is no rest in mere religious observances. However, the people resisted this principle.
When Jesus delivered the man who was blind, unable to speak and possessed with a demon, the Pharisees were jealous of His power. So they accused Jesus of having the power of Satan, not God. Jesus warned them that their words gave evidence of their evil hearts. We all must understand that the power of healing and overcoming a demon only comes from the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords.
In verse 38, the teachers and Pharisees asked Jesus for a sign to prove He was the Messiah. This was actually a sign of their unbelief and resistance of who Jesus really is. We must understand today, as believers, that if Jesus would have given them a sign, it would have catered to their unbelief and allowed them to set the standards for faith. That is not how God works. He is the standard. His Word provide us the standards for living a Christian life as we seek to Glorify Him in all we say and do.
Prayer:
Heavenly Father, may we never resist You in any way. We pray that we fully understand that You do not come in and out of our lives to simply pick us up morally. May we know our hearts need to be completely surrendered to You. We declare our full allegiance to You, Lord! Thank you for being fully devoted to saving us Jesus! Amen.
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January 22, 2020
by JT Overby
Read Matthew 16
In one breath Simon Peter is confessing Jesus to be the Christ. In the next breath, he is rebuking Jesus, leading to being rebuked by Jesus. Why is this? Peter had false expectations based off of teachings from the Scriptures on who the Christ was to be, and what He was to do. He expected the Christ to come in and wipe out opposing nations and to establish the kingdom of Israel, not be killed by the priests, scribes, and elders of Israel.
We must guard what teaching we take in and accept as well. We do well to stand against obvious false teaching, like certain forms of the prosperity gospel, for example. The problem is that a lot of false teaching can sound quite Biblical and we must watch out for the leaven of these false teachers. The Pharisees knew the Scriptures and were right about a lot of things, so their teaching was quite convincing.
We must be people of the Word and the Church. The Word abiding in us is what makes us true disciples of Jesus (John 8:31). The Church, in history and in its current state, helps protect us where we are vulnerable. We need each other.
False teaching often has the scent of Christianity, but lest we be deceived from following the true Christ, we must abide in the Word and with each other.
Application:
What are areas in the Word that you need to grow in? ________________________________________________________________
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How can Wynnbrook help you, and how can you help others where you are strong? ________________________________________________________________
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Think and pray through those things.
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January 31, 2020
by Craig Bowers
Read Matthew 23
Once again, the first part of this chapter emphasizes humility. Humility is a rare quality, especially in religious circles. That is why we must be careful of practicing a “religion” and focus on our “relationship” with Christ!
Jesus identifies five differences between RELIGION and an authentic RELATIONSHIP with God. Religion prioritizes the position of your seat at the table. Religion appeals to the “alpha male” pecking order because in religion, you can decide for yourself what you want to be. You are the captain of your ship. However, in an authentic relationship with God, He decides your position. Your role is not determined by your desires or ambition, but by His Holy Spirit, who gifts and calls people as His sovereign will dictates.
Religion exalts the talk while relationship exalts the walk. The Bible explicitly warns us about smooth talkers who will deceive others. False religious teachers appeal to inherent fear, an immoral bent, or intellectual pragmatism. A personal relationship with Jesus Christ is based on security, purity, and His ultimate authority.
Religion prizes the accolades of men while a relationship with Jesus prioritizes the applause of Christ. Amazingly, many in religion will be deeply offended if they are not “appropriately recognized” for their contribution. Christ followers know the only one worthy of being recognized for any good within us is Jesus.
Religion is concerned with the position of power, while a relationship with Jesus is grounded in only one position of power – that of King Jesus! He rules over all.
Finally, religion seeks to be served. This is a fatalistic and almost unnoticed quality in many religious circles. Everything becomes about “me.” Religion demands that you serve me. Jesus teaches us the opposite. Our relationship with Him allows us the freedom to serve others. Actually, we die to ourselves. Our preferences take a back seat to His priorities.
Application:
Think about our Lord’s comparison of religion and relationship. How does this apply to your life? ________________________________________________________________
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Prayer:
Christ, my heart is open for You to reveal to me if I emphasize my “religion” over my “relationship” with You.