296. Matthew's Gospel - Chapter #3 May 22, 2023

Welcome to Wisdom Today with Bill Kelley. Today we will be looking at Proverb 22. I will then key in on verse 6 - Train up a child in the way he should go, And when he is old he will not depart from it. Friends, it is important that we teach our children (and our grandchildren) the truth - meaning the Word of God. The more they hear the truth, the more it will begin to get into their heart. We need to get them meditating on the word of God - and away from the things this world would tell them to focus on. Today, we will continue our study on Matthew's gospel. I will review what we covered in last Wednesday's and Thursday's podcasts and dig into Chapter #3. I will begin by reading verses 1-3. These verses introduce us to John the Baptist. Verse 3 fulfills the prophesy by the prophet Isaiah about 750 years prior to this. John the Baptist came asking the people to resend of their sins, for the kingdom of heaven is near. He implied that if we ask for repentance and change our ways, then we would begin to bear fruit in our lives. I will then go over verses 10 & 11. These verses tell us that those who do not repent will basically be burned in the fire. Their lives will not bear fruit if they continue to walk and live in their sins. I will close with the account of Jesus being baptized in the River Jordan by John the Baptist. John wanted Jesus to baptize him, but Jesus said that it must be the other way around. Immediately upon coming our of the water, the heavens opened and God declared that Jesus was His son. This also underscored the Holy Spirit indwelling Jesus. From this point forward, Jesus would now have the power of the Holy Spirit inside Him and He would now be ready to begin His public ministry.