A WHOLE MAN

"The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham."  Matthew 1:1 (ESV) As we approach the New Year, we begin our Bible reading plan in Genesis, Matthew, and Ecclesiastes. Matthew's Gospel, similar to Mark and John's Gospel, opens by introducing us to who Jesus is. The emphasis that is placed in their opening verses reveal to us that Jesus is not just a man. He is not just a historical person, nor is he simply a wise sage or prophet, nor a man who lived a decent life and said some really nice things. He is "the son of God" (Mk 1:1), the Word who was with God from the beginning and is God (John 1:1). Or as we read in Matthew's Gospel, Jesus is the Christ, the Son of David and of Abraham. Why is this good and important?  Jesus in the Greek is Ἰησοῦς which translates strictly as Joshua in the Hebrew and means "God saves". Christ in Greek is Χριστός which means Messiah. And so from the very first words...

As we approach the New Year, we begin our Bible reading plan in Genesis, Matthew, and Ecclesiastes. In Genesis, you will find many topics discussed such as: who we are, how everything came into existence, why are we here, where sin came from, and why we need a Savior. But you will also find the doctrine known as the Covenant of Works. This was the original covenant which God had made with mankind. In the beginning, man had a moral relationship with God and were created in perfection. They knew no sin, had not yet sinned, and were not affected by the consequences of sin. God would freely walk with them in the garden and conversed with them with no veil needed. They were, at the time, perfect beings in the sense that they had no blemish; yet, they were not perfect in the sense of being Gods. The requirement was perfect obedience to the command of God and they would continue to reap the blessing of this perfect fellowship with God, which in and of itself was a grace from God. They...

As we approach the New Year, we begin our Bible reading plan in Genesis, Matthew, and Ecclesiastes. In Ecclesiastes, Solomon reminds us that all things are vanity. In a Jewish context, it referred to that which was fleeting or frustrating. The major theme of Ecclesiastes is not that nothing matters or even that the things of this world is like the chasing of the wind. The author is conveying a theological truth; that we must face and endure through the frustrating things in life to find joy and satisfaction in life as we fear God throughout all our life. May this be in our hearts and minds as we approach 2019. If you would like to join the Bible Reading Plan, you can do so by clicking the Connect button under the Group Reading section @ https://faithlife.com/overflowtx/activity **************************************************** Check out the new Church Website! www.overflowcup.com You may also follow Overflow Church by joining the church group @ https://faithlife.com/overflo...