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– This is an excerpt from The Book of Matthew: Life of Jesus Christ

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PS. Thank you for coming to DeborahHBateman.com to study the Bible with us. Please come back again tomorrow and invite your friends and family to join us for Bible Study.

Featured Book:

The Book of Matthew: Life of Jesus Christ
by Deborah H. Bateman

About the book:

The Book of Matthew: Life of Jesus Christ is a Daily Bible Reading Study by Deborah H. Bateman, which takes you through the life of Jesus Christ. The book of Matthew is the first book in the New Testament of the Bible. It begins with the genealogy of Jesus Christ and His birth.

The Book of Matthew also goes into Jesus’ ministry on earth, including the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus’ parables, and Jesus’ final days, including His death, burial, and resurrection. The book concludes with the great commission.

The Book of Matthew: Life of Jesus Christ includes fifty-seven daily devotionals which contain a brief commentary, the Daily Bible Reading Scripture, a few questions to think about, and a prayer of the day. It is a great book for individual daily devotions or a group Bible study.

Go to: Amazon

Get your copy now!

Click Here to Subscribe to Deborah H. Bateman author site to receive

Daily Bible Reading Lessons in your inbox.

Have a blessed day,

Deborah

Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. – Matthew 4:1

Daily Bible Reading “Jesus Tempted by the Devil” (Matthew 4:1-11)

Posted on December 26, 2023 by Deborah H. Bateman

Jesus Tempted by the Devil

Today’s Daily Bible Reading is from Matthew 4:1-11. In this Scripture, Jesus was led by the Spirit to the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. He fasted for forty days and nights, and then He was hungry. Wouldn’t you be hungry if you fasted forty days and nights? Of course you would.

The devil knew Jesus was hungry and tried to tempt Him to turn the rocks into bread, saying, “If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread.” Jesus answers him by quoting from Deuteronomy 8:3, saying, “It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.” This was a physical temptation. This is the same temptation Satan used against Eve in the garden.

Then in Matthew 4:5 the devil takes Jesus to the holy city, and sets him on a pinnacle of the temple and tells him to cast himself down. Jesus quotes Psalm 91:11-12, “For he shall give his angels charge over thee to keep thee in all thy ways. They shall bear thee up in (their) hands, lest thy dash thy foot against a stone.” This is a spiritual temptation for the pride of life.

In Matthew 4:8 the devil takes Jesus to a high mountain and shows Him all the kingdoms of the world. Then he tells Jesus he’ll give Him all this if He worships him. Again, Jesus answers him with Scripture. This is a psychological temptation. This time Jesus quotes from Deuteronomy 6:13 and Deuteronomy 10:20. Jesus tells Satan, “Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.” Here we see Jesus basically tells him to get away and leave Him alone. Sometimes we need to do that as well.

Notice every time the devil tempts Jesus, He quotes Scripture. This is why we need to read and study the Bible, so when temptation comes our way we can say this is what the Word of God says. We see also the same ways the enemy tempted Jesus are the ways he tries to tempt us. So, we need to be ready with our armor of Scripture to defend ourselves.

After the devil leaves Jesus, the angels came and ministered to Him. We can also use the Scripture to minister to ourselves and to give us comfort when we have a bout with the enemy.

Daily Bible Reading:

Matthew 4:1-11

1 Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil.
2 And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred.
3 And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread.
4 But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.
5 Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple,
6 And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.
7 Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.
8 Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them;
9 And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me.
10 Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.
11 Then the devil leaveth him, and, behold, angels came and ministered unto him.

Things to think about:

Have you ever fasted? If so, for how long?
Can you imagine how hungry Jesus must have been after fasting for forty days and nights?
Have you ever tried quoting Scripture when the enemy tempted you?
I challenge you to use the Scripture when temptation comes.

Prayer of the Day:

Dear Heavenly Father,

Thank You for this example in Your Word of how we are to handle temptation. When we are tempted help us to recall the Scripture to respond to our tempter. Help us to not let anything come before You. We love you, LORD. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.

Daily Bible Verse:

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– This is an excerpt from The Book of Matthew: Life of Jesus Christ

Christian Music Video: “Lord I Need You” – Matt Maher

PS. Thank you for coming to DeborahHBateman.com to study the Bible with us. Please come back again tomorrow and invite your friends and family to join us for Bible Study.

Featured Book:

The Book of Matthew: Life of Jesus Christ
by Deborah H. Bateman

About the book:

Go to: Amazon
Get your copy now!

receive Daily Bible Reading Lessons in your inbox.

Have a blessed day,

Deborah

Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John, to be baptized of him. – Matthew 3:13

Daily Bible Reading “John the Baptist Baptizes Jesus” (Matthew 3:1-17)

Posted on December 25, 2023 by Deborah H. Bateman

John the Baptist Baptizes Jesus

Today’s Daily bible Reading is from Matthew 3:1-17. In this Scripture, we’ll see what happens when John the Baptist baptizes Jesus. First, Matthew talks about John the Baptist, preaching in Judea and telling the people to repent, because the kingdom of heaven is at hand. He traveled to Jerusalem, Judea and Jordan preaching and baptizing people.

John the Baptist was a humble man. He wore garments made of camel’s-hair and leather. He was not a wealthy man. He was a meager man who ate locusts and wild honey. It was said, by the prophet, Isaiah, in Isaiah 40:3, John was the voice of one crying in the wilderness. What does he mean by that statement?

Many people came out to see John, heard the message, repented of their sins, and were baptized. John told them about the coming Messiah. His mission was to spread the good news of Jesus, try to get people to turn from their sins and accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.

Jesus asked John to baptize Him. John felt unworthy to baptize Jesus. Have you ever felt unworthy to do something God asked you to do? When John baptized Jesus the heavens opened and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon Him. Then He heard a voice from heaven, saying, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” Can you imagine the people who were standing around watching John baptize Jesus? What do you think their response was? Do you think they got the message?

Have you accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior? If not, would you consider praying and asking Him to forgive you of your sins and come into your heart today?

Daily Bible Reading:

Matthew 3:1-17

1 In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea,
2 And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
3 For this is he that was spoken of by the prophet Esaias, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.
4 And the same John had his raiment of camel’s hair, and a leathern girdle about his loins; and his meat was locusts and wild honey.
5 Then went out to him Jerusalem, and all Judaea, and all the region round about Jordan,
6 And were baptized of him in Jordan, confessing their sins.
7 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism, he said unto them, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come?
8 Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance:
9 And think not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham.
10 And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: therefore every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.
11 I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire:
12 Whose fan is in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.
13 Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John, to be baptized of him.
14 But John forbad him, saying, I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me?
15 And Jesus answering said unto him, Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness. Then he suffered him.
16 And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him:
17 And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.

Things to think about:

Jesus asked John to baptize Him, what has He asked you to do?
If you are a Christian, how do you share your faith with others?
John was a follower of Jesus Christ, but he also was a servant of Christ. How do you make yourself available for His service?

Prayer of the Day:

Dear Heavenly Father,

Thank You for this Scripture telling us about John the Baptist baptizing Jesus. Help us to give our hearts to You. Jesus gave an example of being baptized for us. Help us not to take these things lightly, but to truly repent. We love You, LORD. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.

Daily Bible Verse:

This is an excerpt from The Book of Matthew: Life of Jesus Christ

Christian Music Video: “Born Again” – Third Day

PS. Thank you for coming to DeborahHBateman.com to study the Bible with us. Please come back again tomorrow and invite your friends and family to join us for Bible Study.

Featured Book:

The Book of Matthew: Life of Jesus Christ
by Deborah H. Bateman

About the book:

Go to: Amazon

Get your copy now!

Click Here to Subscribe to Deborah H. Bateman author site to receive

Daily Bible Reading Lessons in your inbox.

Have a blessed day,

Deborah

Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, …

Daily Bible Reading “Jesus was Born in Bethlehem” (Matthew 2:1-23)

Posted on December 24, 2023 by Deborah H. Bateman

Jesus was Born in Bethlehem

Matthew 2 tells about the birth of Jesus. He was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king. Bethlehem means “house of bread.” In John 6:35 Jesus said, “I am the bread of life.” Bethlehem was a village about six miles south of Jerusalem.

There were wise men who came to Jerusalem saying they saw a star in the east, and asking, “Where is He that is born King of the Jews?” When Herod heard this, he was upset and so was the whole city of Jerusalem. Herod wasn’t a religious man, neither was he Jewish. He was a Palestinian politician who preferred everything Greek. Herod had never heard of the prophecy from Micah 5:2, which clearly points to the Messiah coming from Bethlehem.

Herod sent the wise men to Bethlehem to search for the child and when they found Him they worshiped Him. Then the wise men were warned in a dream not to return to Herod, so they went another way. Herod sent men to kill all the children in Bethlehem who were from birth to two years old.

Joseph was warned in a dream that he should take Jesus and Mary to Egypt to keep Herod from finding Jesus and killing Him. This looks like they were running away, but it had been prophesied when the LORD said in Hosea 11:1 which Matthew quoted, “Out of Egypt have I called my Son.” They stayed in Egypt until Herod died only a year or two later.

Then Joseph had a dream telling him to take them to Israel. But when he heard Herod’s son, Archelaus was reigning in Judea he was afraid, so he went to Nazareth. This fulfilled another prophesy which said Jesus would be called a Nazarene. If you will notice that all these things look like they are not meant to be, but were previously prophesied.

This reminds me of one of my favorite Scriptures, Romans 8:28, which says, “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” We see that every move which was made had been previously orchestrated by God.

Daily Bible Reading:

Matthew 2:1-23

1 Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem,
2 Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.
3 When Herod the king had heard these things, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.
4 And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he demanded of them where Christ should be born.
5 And they said unto him, In Bethlehem of Judaea: for thus it is written by the prophet,
6 And thou Bethlehem, in the land of Juda, art not the least among the princes of Juda: for out of thee shall come a Governor, that shall rule my people Israel.
7 Then Herod, when he had privily called the wise men, enquired of them diligently what time the star appeared.
8 And he sent them to Bethlehem, and said, Go and search diligently for the young child; and when ye have found him, bring me word again, that I may come and worship him also.
9 When they had heard the king, they departed; and, lo, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them, till it came and stood over where the young child was.
10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy.
11 And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh.
12 And being warned of God in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed into their own country another way.
13 And when they were departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeareth to Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I bring thee word: for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him.
14 When he arose, he took the young child and his mother by night, and departed into Egypt:
15 And was there until the death of Herod: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Out of Egypt have I called my son.
16 Then Herod, when he saw that he was mocked of the wise men, was exceeding wroth, and sent forth, and slew all the children that were in Bethlehem, and in all the coasts thereof, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had diligently enquired of the wise men.
17 Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremy the prophet, saying,
18 In Rama was there a voice heard, lamentation, and weeping, and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children, and would not be comforted, because they are not.
19 But when Herod was dead, behold, an angel of the Lord appeareth in a dream to Joseph in Egypt,
20 Saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and go into the land of Israel: for they are dead which sought the young child’s life.
21 And he arose, and took the young child and his mother, and came into the land of Israel.
22 But when he heard that Archelaus did reign in Judaea in the room of his father Herod, he was afraid to go thither: notwithstanding, being warned of God in a dream, he turned aside into the parts of Galilee:
23 And he came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets, He shall be called a Nazarene.

Things to think about:

How did Joseph feel knowing Jesus was being sought by Herod to be killed?
Have you ever noticed in your own life things that seem to be problems end up being for your good?
Think about what it must have been like to be the parents of the children who were killed by Herod.
What prophesies were fulfilled in this Scripture?

Prayer of the Day:

Dear Heavenly Father,

Thank You for Your Son, Jesus, who was born in Bethlehem. Thank You that You protected Him from Herod. Help us to remember what the Scriptures have to say about the birth of Jesus. Thank you for this Scripture which helps us to see that there are no accidents and that all things work together for Your will. We love You, LORD. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.

Daily Bible Verse:

behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, – Matthew 2:1

This is an excerpt from The Book of Matthew: Life of Jesus Christ in honor of the celebration of Jesus’ birth for Christmas.

Christian Music Video: “Sweet Little Jesus Boy” – Casting Crowns
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PS. Thank you for coming to DeborahHBateman.com to study the Bible with us. Please come back again tomorrow and invite your friends and family to join us for Bible Study.

Featured Book:

The Book of Matthew: Life of Jesus Christ
by Deborah H. Bateman

About the book:

The Book of Matthew: Life of Jesus Christ is a Daily Bible Reading Study by Deborah H. Bateman, which takes you through the life of Jesus Christ. The book of Matthew is the first book in the New Testament of the Bible. It begins with the genealogy of Jesus Christ and His birth.

The Book of Matthew: Life of Jesus Christ includes fifty-seven daily devotionals which contain a brief commentary, the Daily Bible Reading Scripture, a few questions to think about, and a prayer of the day. It is a great book for individual daily devotions or a group Bible study.

Go to: http://amazon.com/dp/B00C1JGJMQ
Get your copy now!

Subscribe to Deborah H. Bateman author site to receive

Daily Bible Reading Lessons in your inbox.

Have a blessed day,

Deborah

Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and

Daily Bible Reading “Mary Did You Know” (Matthew 1:18-25)

Posted on December 21, 2023 by Deborah H. Bateman

Mary Did You Know

Today’s Daily Bible Reading is from Matthew 1:18-25. Have you ever considered the real meaning of Christmas? It is a celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ. While we do all kinds of things during the holiday season to celebrate, such as buying gifts, decorating our houses, decorating trees, going to parties, and having family celebrations, our focus should be on the real reason for the season.

In the previous study we looked at the genealogy of Jesus Christ. In this lesson, we go back to the beginning, when it was first discovered that Jesus Christ was going to be born into this world through a miracle of God.

Matthew starts telling about the birth of Jesus in Matthew 1:18. Mary was a virgin, chosen by God, to be the mother of Jesus. It was a miraculous birth, because Mary was found with child of the Holy Ghost. Think about how Mary must have felt when she found out she was expecting a child, but had never had a physical relationship with a man. Mary was engaged to Joseph, who was a just man. At first, he thought he should put her away privately and not make a public example of her.

But the angel of the Lord came to Joseph in a dream and confirmed that Mary had conceived of the Holy Ghost. He told Joseph that Mary was going to have a son and they should call him JESUS. Can you imagine how Joseph must have felt when he woke from that dream?

The angel also told Joseph that Jesus would save His people from their sins. This was the purpose of Jesus’ birth; from the beginning God brought Jesus into the human race to be the Savior of the world. He used Mary as an instrument to allow Jesus to be born as a human, so He could live in this world and ultimately so He could be the sacrifice for our sins.

Daily Bible Reading:

Matthew 1:18-25

18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost.
19 Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a publick example, was minded to put her away privily.
20 But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, 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.
21 And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.
22 Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying,
23 Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.
24 Then Joseph being raised from sleep did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him, and took unto him his wife:
25 And knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn son: and he called his name JESUS.

Things to think about:

Can you imagine how Mary felt when she found out she was expecting a baby?

Can you imagine how Joseph felt when he found out his fiancée Mary was going to have a baby even though they didn’t have a physical relationship?

Think about the miracle God performed when He caused Mary to be expectant of the Holy Ghost.

Do you celebrate Christmas as the birth of Jesus Christ?

Prayer of the Day:

Dear Heavenly Father,

Thank You for this account from Matthew about the virgin birth of Your Son, Jesus. Thank You for sending Him to the earth to be our Savior. When we celebrate the Christmas season, help us to keep our focus on the true reason for the season. We love You, LORD. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.

Daily Bible Verse: