The first words of Jesus' teaching recorded in the New Testament are in the Sermon on the Mount, Matthew 5. This sermon is introduced by Eight Beatitudes or "Blessed" sayings. Jesus is both the Author and the Subject of these Beatitudes. To be united by faith to Him is to share in these blessings.
This short work seeks to answer two questions:
Why are the Beatitudes positioned in the New Testament as the first teachings of our Lord Jesus Christ?
Are the Beatitudes indeed both the introduction to the person and work of Christ and the connecting link between the Old and New Testaments?
Although the book is only 55 pages, it is packed with 172 footnotes pointing to Bible passages in both the Old and New Testaments. The purpose of the footnotes is to encourage readers to study the passages in their context in order to corroborate the teaching of the text.
In addition, the text is printed on sturdy paper and each page is faced with a blank page on which to make notes. Further, the book is wire-bound so that it may lie flat to facilitate such note taking.
In the first four Beatitudes Jesus teaches that He is the merciful King who gives His disciples His righteousness and, by the power of His Spirit, new birth as beloved children of the Heavenly Father. In the next three He teaches His disciples to relate in mercy and love to their fellow men. In the eighth, Jesus calls His disciples’ attention to the reality of persecution and opposition, even as He, their Master, was persecuted. The eighth is the closing parenthesis of all eight, complementing the first, which also promises the kingdom of the heavens and the ever-present power of the King to guide and protect.
The book serves as a guide for both personal and group study of the person and work of Jesus Christ and of the life of His faithful disciples. It points disciples to the Biblical teaching that Jesus is the fulfiller of the prophecies contained in the Old Testament about the promised King and His kingdom. He is the one who came to fulfill those promises, who is present in His Word and who is coming again in glory.
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The First Words of Jesus will be soon followed by a 50- lessons workbook to help students pursue these teachings in even greater depth.
Excerpt
The First Words of Jesus is available through CrossTies. Check at www.crosstiesministries.org
Professional Reviews
The First Words of Jesus
The First Words of Jesus is very insightful. I find it to be an outstanding commentary as to what Jesus was really saying in His Beatitudes. So many try to turn Jesus' Sermon on the Mount into a series of laws which to them become the entire focal point of Christianity. When this kind of theology is preached the proclaimer misses the Gospel completely and is in danger of leading his people on that wide path that leads to destruction. This book will be with my favorite commentaries; but when I preach on the Beatitudes, it will have priority."
I'm thankful that God is continuing to use you in His ministry.
Dr. James Shaw, Chaplain, U.S. Army, retired.
Georgetown, TX. 78628
The First Words of Jesus
I have been enjoying your book. First of all I can hear you talking as I read. You have the gift of weaving thoughts together and giving interesting background and indepth insight. You do it in a way that is
very understandable. You also begin with Jesus and end with Jesus. Everything is centered and has its source in Jesus. I find that this is so lacking in the theology of today.
Finally! Understand and learn from the New Testament Book of John.
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Now there is a Bible translation that is easy to read, understand, and study.
This translation is unique in that it is arranged
All the prophetic pieces are assembling before our eyes. It is time to prepare for Earth's final hour. There is hope for the future as you see that Day approaching.
