Christ’s love for you knows no bounds. He eternally altered His nature to become a human man. He also willingly exposed Himself to the very things that torment us and He deliberately experienced the same trials and temptations we do. God created men in His own image then God the Son become one of His own image bearers. Not just to take away our sins but to transform us into His blessed image. Jesus defeated Satan's schemes and not just resisted three temptations. From Him we too can learn how to recognize and resist the subtle plots and lies of Satan.

Most of us only think of Christ’s suffering for us in terms of the crucifixion? But we are about to see how Jesus put Himself in Satan’s crosshairs so that He might experience the full gamut of human temptation. We are about to see how He did that. Hebrews 2:17-18 17 Therefore, He had to be made like His brethren in all things, so that He might become a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. 18 For since He Himself was tempted in that which He has suffered, He is able to come to the aid of those who are tempted. In these temptations Jesus willingly experienced the fury of satanic deceit and cunning. In them we see the seed of human failure in every area of life. We also discover the key to godliness and holiness.

John has just finished his scathing denunciation and condemnation of Israel's religious leader and while they are still standing there in stunned silence. As he looks up he sees Jesus coming down the bank toward him to be baptized. John was just as shocked to see Jesus coming for baptism as he was to see the Pharisees but for totally different reasons. John knew the Pharisees did not believe they had any sin to repent of and John also knew that Jesus just had no sin at all. Why then is Jesus coming to John for Baptism? Jesus said it was to "fulfill all righteousness" but what does that actually mean?

Out in the wilderness, camped by the Jordan river, John has been preaching repentance and confession of sins followed by a concrete action called baptism. Baptism was not the means to Salvation but was the evidence that a person had repented and confessed their sin. So when John looked up and saw a crowd of Pharisees and Sadducees coming near to be baptized he was shocked. Both sects were insufferably proud, arrogant and godless. Both looked on everyone else with disgust. Both were expecting to be rewarded by God. The Sadducees worked to get theirs in this life while the Pharisees expected the royal treatment in the life to come. Their hearts, minds, and actions were insidious. Jesus warned His hearers and us to … Matt. 16:6 ….. "Watch out and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees."

"For this is the one referred to by Isaiah the prophet when he said, "THE VOICE OF ONE CRYING IN THE WILDERNESS, 'MAKE READY THE WAY OF THE LORD, MAKE HIS PATHS STRAIGHT!'" [Matt. 3:3]: We often take notice of the prophecies about Christ in the Old Testament! Here is one that adds a twist. People, even in our day, are always looking for a sign that Christ is about to return. Isaiah offered a true one regarding Christ’s first coming. That sign was John the Baptizer. He had a miraculous birth and was filled with the Holy Spirit from the womb.

Under inspiration, Matthew traces the genealogy of Jesus right back to Abraham through King David insists that Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit in Mary and not by Joseph. Jesus’ human ancestry was exactly what God had said The Messiah's would be. Chapter two records 4 prophetic fulfillments surrounding the birth of Christ Jesus. Born in Bethlehem! An Escape into Egypt! The slaughter of children in Ramah and Christ’s ultimate return to Nazareth rather than Bethlehem as one might expect. In His quest to prove that Jesus is Messiah, Matthew is off to an amazing start!

God made Christ a fully human, yet sinless man by stepping around Adam’s dead, fallen nature. God conceived Christ in Mary with no human father. Sin entered the world through Adam and it passed to all other humans through their fathers. All men have human fathers and are therefore sinners. Jesus did not have a human father and was therefore sinless. Not only was this a notable miracle, but it was an absolute necessity for Salvation. Adam was without sin when he was created, but then chose to sin. Jesus, being The Eternal Son, never sinned. Jesus reversed what Adam did. God would become one of His own creatures. He would be a man without sin and because He was also God the Eternal Son He would not sin. He will never sin!