Outlines, history and importance of Matthew's Gospel

Matthew 21:5 “Say to the daughter of Zion, ‘Behold your King is coming to you, Gentle, and mounted on a donkey,
Even on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden.’”

Introduction:
There is no better way to acquaint oneself with Jesus than through reading and studying the four gospel accounts. 
Today's post will attempt to expound a brief history and the importance of Matthew's Gospel with respect to knowing Jesus better. We will also offer an outline for the reader's use in the event the reader chooses to read the Gospel of Matthew.

How we see Jesus as God and man in Matthew
We find Him exercising perfect, human compassion and mercy on the children in Matthew 18 and teaching with Divine authority in all of His sermons. In equal measure, Jesus' Deity is also asserted in places such as by the title "Son of God" (4:3,10; 8:29; 16:16; 27:43,54) and by His proclamations (i.e in His depiction as being the "Son of Man" in Matthew 24-25 and His claim of "having all authority" in Matthew 28:18. 

An outline of Matthew's Gospel

Certainly the following outline is not intended to be detailed. We mainly want to get the overall flow of Matthew's Gospel. 

I. Preparation and arrival. Mt 1:1-3:12

II. Public Ministry.    3:13-26:46

III. Passion/crucifixion. 26:47-27:66

A. Trials. 26:47-27:32

B. Crucifixion. 27:33-27:36

C. Burial. 27:57-66

IV. Resurrection & appearances. Mt 28

Concerning an outline of Matthew that captures the key theme of "king", we can offer the following:

King's birth. Matthew 1-2
King is announced. Mt 3:1-12
King's public ministry. Mt 3:13-26:19
King's table. Mt 26:20-35
King's agony. Mt 26:36-46
King's cross. Mt 26:47-27:66
King's victory. Mt 28:1-20

Why Matthew was written and how the early church regarded it
According to New Testament scholar David Alan Black, Matthew was a manifesto that asserted the right of the Christian church to exist alongside the Jews in Jerusalem. For the first 30 or more years (taking Jesus' crucifixion and resurrection to had occurred in 33 A.D) of the Christian movement, Matthew (taking a date of 50-70 A.D) for its composition, Matthew's Gospel functioned well for the early church in and around Jerusalem.  Early church leaders, called "the church fathers", wrote commentaries and Christian writings that people can study in understanding the first few centuries of the Christian church. One of those early Christian leaders, Irenaeus of Lyons, wrote the following in his work "Again Heresies", 3.1.1-4, near the end of the second century:

"Now Matthew published among the Hebrews a written gospel also in their own tongue, while Peter and Paul were preaching in Rome and founding the church. But after their death, Mark also, the interpreter and disciple of Peter, himself handed down to us in writing the things which were preached by Peter and Luke also, who was a follower of Paul, put down in a book the gospel which was preached by him. Then John, the disciple of the Lord who had even rested on his breast, himself also gave forth the gospel, while he was living in Ephesus in Asia."

Closing thoughts: what Matthew's Gospel means for us today

Matthew's Gospel is vital in our understanding of Jesus. He as King would figure prominently throughout the remainder of the New Testament. Paul speaks of Jesus being "highly exalted" in His ascension which took place 40 days after His resurrection. The unity of the Old Testament's anticipations of Jesus' arrival is woven into what would be His earthly life, ministry, death and resurrection. The powerful sermons and touching scenes of Jesus healing people shows us a King who was (and is) authoritative but also compassionate. The superscription above the cross reminds us that Jesus was ever as much King on the cross as He is now in Heaven as the exalted God/man. Finally, His Kingly Great commission urges His church to fulfill the calling to which He gave her to preach the Gospel until He returns.

Happy Reformation Day 2016

Romans 4:1-3 What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh, has found? 2 For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. 3 For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.”

Note to Readers: You are invited to listen to a podcast on Reformation Day at the Growing Christian Resources Podcast site: http://gcrpodcast.wordpress.com/2014/10/31/podcast-reformation-day-a-cause-for-celebration/. For those wanting to know more about the Reformation, read a review of an excellent book by Erwin Lutzer on the subject at http://www.growingchristianresources.com/2016/09/book-review-of-erwin-r-lutzers-book.html

Introduction:
October 31 is a landmark day for Christians throughout the world. This particular year marks the 499th anniversary of Martin Luther's posting of the 95 theses on the church door in Wittenberg, Germany, wherein he was airing his grievances against the Roman Catholic Church's system of indulgences. With the then newly invented printing press, Luther's document spread like wildfire throughout Germany, sparking a sociological, theological and spiritual revival. All Bible believing groups, including Southern Baptists, are deeply indebted to what God did through the Protestant Reformation that began on October 31st, 1517. 

In a 2007 sermon, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary President Dr. Paige Patterson noted the following about Reformation Day for Southern Baptists link: http://www.swbts.edu/campus-news/news-releases/patterson-celebrates-baptist-heritage-during-reformation-day-chapel/

“If you want to be faithful to the Book, and if you want to be faithful to that part of the Reformation that died on every hand (for teaching believer’s baptism) … then stop being ashamed of being a New Testament Christian and a Baptist,” Patterson said. “You are not judging anybody else’s eternity. Many other folks who are not a part of our movement are born-again believers. Praise God for that. All we are saying is that the best way to be faithful to the Lord Jesus is to keep the whole of the Great Commission.”


Today's post is aimed at issuing forth two direct challenges to Southern Baptists and all other Bible believing groups about Reformation Day, October 31st: A rejoicing challenge and a take back challenge. 

The Rejoicing Challenge: 3 reasons to rejoice on Reformation Day, October 31st 
So why rejoice over Reformation day, October 31st? 

1. First of all, the root or formal cause of Luther's call for Reform had to do with ultimate authority in the Christian life and church.  The big question Luther needed to answer was: is the Pope and his statements concerning who went to heaven and who did not the ultimate authority for the church, or is it sacred scripture that God alone revealed to communicate matters pertaining to this life and the one to come? As Martin Luther wrestled over such questions, his conclusion was - Scripture alone! 

2. The second reason to rejoice over October 31st and Reformation Day is due to the fact that the Gospel of Justification by Faith Alone was recovered. In contrast to the man-made traditions of the Roman Catholic Church of the Middle Ages, Luther and those after him re-asserted the Biblical truth that faith alone is both the necessary and sufficient means of receiving the gift of salvation.  Thus Justification by Faith Alone became the central doctrine or material cause driving the vehicle of the Protestant Reformation.  The doctrine of scripture alone (sola scriptura) was Luther's fuel in the engine that drove His call for reform - Justification by faith alone (sola fide).  Luther himself noted that Justification by Faith is the one article upon which the church rises or falls.

3. Then the third reason to celebrate Reformation Day, October 31st, is because the Biblical concept of the church was recovered. As Martin Luther denounced the Catholic Church's system of indulgences, a second question emerged: how is a man or woman made right with God? A church that does not derive its authority from the scriptures nor teaches the Biblical concept of the Gospel - justification by faith alone, cannot be deemed a true church. 

Roman Catholicism of 16th century Europe, as well as today, communicates faith to be necessary for salvation - however it teaches that faith by itself is not sufficient.  According to Rome, one must participate in the Roman Catholic church system of baptism, confession, penance and Mass to be deemed right by God and to stay right.  

The Gospel in the Reformation's recovery of the church shined forth not as a candle but as a brilliant sun, outshining all other would be contenders. If God had not raised up men like Martin Luther to spark the Reformation movement, then perhaps you nor I would be here celebrating the revival of Biblical authority, justification by faith in the Gospel and the necessary truth of the local church committed to both those truths. The church today still needs to heed the cry of reform uttered back in 1517. Moreover, the Word of God is the standard by which all churches need to yield, thus requiring each church to check its practice and theology against that standard. 

So we need to answer the challenge to celebrate Reformation day due to what God did in calling us back to the Bible, the Gospel and the Church. But now let me issue a second challenge, a take back challenge if you will...


The Take Back Challenge: Let's take back October 31st and celebrate God's Word, the Gospel and Jesus' mission for His church
It is time to take back October 31, and use this day to proclaim the truth of scripture and the reformation, sparked on October 31, 1517. Truly the message of the Reformation is a message about "after darkness, light" (post tenebras lux).  Gospel Light, not darkness, should characterize our lives as Christians.  October 31st has been for years by Wiccans and people of the Pagan/Witchcraft worldview to observe one of the so-called "spirit nights" on their yearly calendar. Christians need to take a God-centered event like the Reformation and remind themselves of how God led His church back to the Bible and salvation through faith alone in Christ alone. 

Closing thoughts:The Reformation was about calling forth people from spiritual darkness into the light of Jesus Christ.  Someone once said: "It is more effective to light a candle than merely curse the darkness".  Let's light the Gospel light and shine the glory of the Gospel.  As Jesus said in Matthew 5:16 - “Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven."

An overview of Matthew's Gospel

Matthew 21:5 “Say to the daughter of Zion, ‘Behold your King is coming to you, Gentle, and mounted on a donkey,
Even on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden.’”  

Introduction:

Recently I have been eating lots and lots of apples. In the area and region where we live, apple picking season means trips to apple orchards or events associated with apple picking. A few weeks ago my family and I went to two orchards and picked enough apples to equal out to roughly ten bags that one might purchase at a supermarket. My wife told me we would never eat all of the apples before they were spoiled. I took that as a challenge and as of this writing, I'm working on the final big bag. I've eaten a lot of apples in the last three weeks. Do you know though, I still like apples and look forward to eating another one? Yep. I know. Its weird. What can I say, I can't seem to get enough of fresh-picked apples!

When it comes to Jesus Christ, can we ever get enough of Him? At least it ought to be the case for the Christian. Whenever we consider the opening portions of the New Testament, four biographical, eyewitness narratives are dedicated to Him. Today I want us to consider Jesus Christ as He appears in Matthew's Gospel. 

Jesus Christ is the King in Matthew

Per the testimony of church history, Matthew was the first Gospel composed by the Apostle Matthew under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. According to scholar Robert L. Thomas in his book: "Charts of the Gospels and Life of Christ", Matthew 21:5 is key to understanding Matthew, since in it we find the phrase: "behold your King". 

Further inspection of Matthew 21:5 will reveal that Jesus' Triumphal entry into Jerusalem on a Donkey was a fulfillment of the prophecy of Zechariah 9:9, which reads: "Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout in triumph, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; He is just and endowed with salvation, Humble, and mounted on a donkey, Even on a colt, the foal of a donkey." Matthew's pattern throughout his Gospel is to quote Old Testament passages as proof of Jesus Christ as the Messiah King. One source has counted 50 Old Testament verses quoted in Matthew and 75 allusions, making it the Gospel which refers most often to the Old Testament. 

As we consider how Matthew unfolds the theme of "Jesus is King", we can note the following observations:

1. The birth narratives of Matthew 1-2 include a genealogy featuring Christ's bloodline back through King David and Abraham, as well as a visit from the Magi to worship the "King of the Jews" in Matthew 2:2. The birth accounts in Matthew and Luke pertain to Jesus' human nature, since He is God as pertaining to His Divine nature. 

2. Jesus opening sermon, the "Sermon on the Mount" in Matthew 5-7, is His Kingly address outlining the life of the disciple and what discipleship ought to look like with respect to conversion, growth and maturity and how the Christ-follower treats others and follows after Him. There are a total of five sermons or "discourses" of Jesus recorded in Matthew. Dr. Walt Kaiser of Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary has pointed out that at the end of each major teaching block in Matthew, we read the following refrain: "and it came to pass when Jesus had ended these things" (Matthew 7:28; 11:1; 13:53; 19:1; 26:1). 

3. We see Jesus entering into Jerusalem in Matthew 21 as the "King of the Jews" presenting Himself to Israel. He is also the "King of Kings" in what would be His final closing public sermon, the "Olivet Discourse", which features Him as the Judge of the nations, or "King of Kings". 

4. The superscription on the cross in Matthew 27:37 reads: "This is Jesus, King of the Jews."

5. Following His resurrection from the dead, we find Jesus stating to his disciples in Matthew 28:18 that "all power in Heaven and on earth" had been granted to Him. 

These are some of the key texts in Matthew which unfold for us the Kingly identity of Jesus Christ. As the King of Israel, Jesus Christ fulfilled the Old Testament prophecies that predicted a Divine and human King that would issue forth from David's bloodline and set Himself up over Israel and what will be ultimately, the whole earth (2 Samuel 7:13-16; Psalm 2; Psalm 110). The humanity of Jesus is highlighted in several spots in Matthew, such as the birth narratives (Matthew 1-2); His baptism and temptation (Matthew 3-4) and of course His crucifixion and resurrection (Matthew 27-28). 

More next time...

How the Old Testament anticipated Christ's ascension

Philippians 2:8-11 "Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 9 For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."

Introduction:
The last couple of posts have featured passages of scripture that speak of the event of Christ's ascension. Much like His cross and resurrection, the ascension can be discussed in terms of the event itself and then the meaning of the event. 

Generally speaking, passages in the Gospels and the opening chapter of Acts record for the reader the event of His ascension. The ascension of Jesus Christ literally refers to His "lifting up" or "ascent" into the clouds - but it is far more than just stating that Jesus "went up" into heaven. In today's post, we want to consider how the Old Testament anticipated this event, and how the rich meaning of Christ's ascension is drawn from key Old Testament texts in the mouths and writings of the New Testament Apostles.

The Apostle Peter quotes David as referring to the ascension of Jesus
The Apostle Peter gives us the earliest recorded statement of the meaning of Christ's ascension that follows from that event in Acts 2:32-36 

"This Jesus God raised up again, to which we are all witnesses. 33 Therefore having been exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He has poured forth this which you both see and hear. 34 For it was not David who ascended into heaven, but he himself says: ‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at My right hand, 35 Until I make Your enemies a footstool for Your feet.”’ 36 Therefore let all the house of Israel know for certain that God has made Him both Lord and Christ—this Jesus whom you crucified.”

Peter's words are said in a context of explaining the events of the first day of Pentecost and evangelizing his Jewish audience. He is urging them to look up in faith to this exalted Jesus. Remarkably, Peter's quotation of Psalm 16:18 tells us that Christ's ascension was already anticipated and predicted in the Old Testament. 

The Apostle Paul quotes Isaiah 45 with reference to Christ's coronation as the truly Divine King Who is also man
Paul's reference to Christ being exalted to the Father's right hand in Philippians 2:10 is a quotation of Isaiah 45:23, which remarkably speaks of the Uniqueness of the One true and living God as the One and only Savior, as quoted in the context of Isaiah 45:21-24:

“Declare and set forth your case;
Indeed, let them consult together.
Who has announced this from of old?
Who has long since declared it?
Is it not I, the Lord?
And there is no other God besides Me,
A righteous God and a Savior;
There is none except Me.
22 “Turn to Me and be saved, all the ends of the earth;
For I am God, and there is no other.
23 “I have sworn by Myself,
The word has gone forth from My mouth in righteousness
And will not turn back,
That to Me every knee will bow, every tongue will swear allegiance.
24 “They will say of Me, ‘Only in the Lord are righteousness and strength.’
Men will come to Him, And all who were angry at Him will be put to shame."

The Philippians 2:10 reference squarely places Jesus Christ, in His ascension, as being in the same category as Yahweh spoken of in Isaiah's recorded prophecy. Amazingly, Paul's emphasis is on the Deity of Jesus and His humanity which He had taken unto His Person in the course of His incarnation in Philippians 2:5-8. Philippians 2:9-11 functions as a mirror contrast to Philippians 2:5-8. telling the complete account of the Son's humiliation and "descent" from eternity into His incarnation through the virgin birth-conception. As the incarnated God in the humanity of Jesus of Nazareth, He would live, die and then (per Philippians 3:10) rise from the dead. 

Jesus of Nazareth's rising from the dead would have Him make nine post-mortem appearances, all in preparation for His ascension and thus, heavenly coronation. The exaltation of the Son of God as God in human flesh signaled the "return of the Son" into heaven as exalted Deity and glorified, physical, resurrected humanity. 

The Apostle John alludes to the Old Testament anticipation of Jesus' exaltation as to being the Mediator between God and man
Normally when we speak of the Apostolic witness of the New Testament, we typically look to what I call "the Big Three": Peter, Paul and John. We've seen Peter and Paul's references to the ascension of Jesus and how they connected Old Testament anticipation of that event. Now we find John making reference to Jesus' ascension by way of how the Old Testament understood His activity as the heavenly mediator. The Apostle John records Jesus stating His mediatorship as "the way, the truth and the life" in John 14:6. Then, in 1 John 2:1, we find John speaking of the ascended Jesus as our exalted Advocate: "My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous." Jesus Christ as eternal God, prior to the days of His flesh, was the Divine mediator for His people. As the Old Testament revelation progressed, there became a faint-outline of at least two-Divine personages sharing the One-Divine nature (see Psalm 110; Proverbs 30:4). A remarkable passage in Zechariah 3:1-5 records what appears to be a pre-incarnate vision of the Son in heaven:

"Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the Lord, and Satan standing at his right hand to accuse him. 2 The Lord said to Satan, “The Lord rebuke you, Satan! Indeed, the Lord who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you! Is this not a brand plucked from the fire?” 3 Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments and standing before the angel. 4 He spoke and said to those who were standing before him, saying, “Remove the filthy garments from him.” Again he said to him, “See, I have taken your iniquity away from you and will clothe you with festal robes.” 5 Then I said, “Let them put a clean turban on his head.” So they put a clean turban on his head and clothed him with garments, while the angel of the Lord was standing by."

As a result of the incarnation, death, resurrection and exaltation of the Son of God, per John's writings, we now have this same heavenly, truly Divine Mediator who operates as the exalted human representative on behalf of believers (see Revelation 5). 

Closing thoughts
Today we considered how the ascension of Jesus Christ was anticipated and foreshadowed in the Old Testament. The above referenced texts by the Apostles comprise only a sampling of the mountain of scriptures that both anticipated and explained the meaning and significance of Christ's ascension. 

A closer look at the key texts of the event of Christ's ascension

Acts 1:11 "They also said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into the sky? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in just the same way as you have watched Him go into heaven.”

Introduction:
In our last post we began considering an introduction to the event in scripture that is known as "Christ's ascension". We commented on a few Bible verses and how this event relates to His resurrection and to our lives. In today's post we want to take a closer look at more key passages that refer to the ascension of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Taking a closer look at the key texts which record Jesus Christ's ascension 
Jesus Himself had predicted during His trials and journey to the cross that He would ascend to be seated at the right hand of God the Father in Luke 22:69 "But from now on the Son of Man will be seated at the right hand of the power of God.” Such a statement is important and reminds us that Jesus' ascension into heaven was only possible because of His willing "descension" from heaven to earth. As the eternal Son came from eternity into time, He did so by means of in the virgin birth/conception - resulting in His incarnation or assuming unto His Person true and total humanity. Then of course, the point of His incarnation was to live and enter into His passion or sufferings on the cross, followed of course by His resurrection from the dead. 

The ascension as an event is recorded in the Gospels and in Acts. For now I just want to list the scriptures that record this event. Why? To remind the reader that this was no myth or fictional hallucination in the minds of the New Testament authors. This event really happened, in time and space, in history and among eyewitnesses.


Mark 16:19 "So then, when the Lord Jesus had spoken to them, He was received up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God. "

Luke 9:51 "When the days were approaching for His ascension, He was determined to go to Jerusalem."

Luke 24:50-51 "And He led them out as far as Bethany, and He lifted up His hands and blessed them. 51 While He was blessing them, He parted from them and was carried up into heaven."

John 6:62 "What then if you see the Son of Man ascending to where He was before?"

John 20:17 "Jesus said to her, “Stop clinging to Me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to My brethren and say to them, ‘I ascend to My Father and your Father, and My God and your God.’”

Acts 1:9 "And after He had said these things, He was lifted up while they were looking on, and a cloud received Him out of their sight."

Acts 1:22 "beginning with the baptism of John until the day that He was taken up from us—one of these must become a witness with us of His resurrection.”



Thus we see that according to Jesus Himself, the New Testament scriptures and the testimonies of the early Christians, the ascension functioned as a watershed event that would fix the identity of Christ's exaltation forever in the full testimony about Him.  

Closing thoughts:
I thought I would close out this post with a statement from the SBC "2000 Baptist Faith and Message". With other Bible-believing Christian bodies throughout the world, Southern Baptists strongly affirm the reality and significance of Christ's ascension.  Consider the following statement: "He ascended into heaven and is now exalted at the right hand of God where He is the One Mediator, fully God, fully man, in whose Person is effected the reconciliation between God and man." May we all think on the event of the ascension and why this event is so crucial to our understanding and worship of our Great God and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Introducing Jesus Christ's Ascension

Luke 24:50-53 "And He led them out as far as Bethany, and He lifted up His hands and blessed them. 51 While He was blessing them, He parted from them and was carried up into heaven. 52 And they, after worshiping Him, returned to Jerusalem with great joy, 53 and were continually in the temple praising God."

Philippians 2:9 "For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name."

Introduction:
In the retelling of the facts surrounding the Person and work of Jesus Christ, Christians will usually speak of His remarkable life, His atoning death and His glorious resurrection. Sometimes too, Christians will add that they look forward to the time, yet future, when Christ returns. The Old and New Testaments both abound with numerous scripture references pertaining to these events. However, there is one particular event that few Christians ever mention and yet is vital to our understanding of Jesus Christ: namely His ascension. 

What is meant by "ascension"?
When we speak of Christ's ascension, we refer to two things: first, the event of Jesus being caught up into the clouds or "ascending" before His disciples on the 40th day following His resurrection from the dead; then second, when we say "ascension", we refer to Jesus' inauguration to cosmic kingship, priesthood and prophet-hood over His church. 

Both the event and meaning are entailed in conversations about Christ's ascension. The above two opening verses (Luke 24:50-53 and Philippians 2:9) respectively refer to the historical event of Christ's ascension and one of the key descriptions about the meaning of the event. The ascension, in the words of Bible teacher R.C Sproul, puts an exclamation point on entirety of Christ's first coming. In today's post we will consider some key Biblical texts that refer to the event of Christ's ascension, followed by some suggested points of application.

Getting a handle on the relationship of Christ's ascension to that of His resurrection from the dead
Two scriptures give us the beginning and ending points of the forty day period of time between Jesus' resurrection from the dead and His ascension into Heaven. Matthew 28:1 states: "Now after the Sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to look at the grave." According to Acts 1:1-3 "The first account I composed, Theophilus, about all that Jesus began to do and teach, 2 until the day when He was taken up to heaven, after He had by the Holy Spirit given orders to the apostles whom He had chosen. 3 To these He also presented Himself alive after His suffering, by many convincing proofs, appearing to them over a period of forty days and speaking of the things concerning the kingdom of God." 

Much of course occurred in that nearly six week period of time. In harmonizing all four Gospel accounts together in regards to their reports of Jesus' subsequent appearances, The NIV Harmony of the Gospels gives the following scriptural references for Christ's appearances leading up to His ascension:

1. Mark 16:9-11; John 20:11-18
2. Mt 28:9-10
3. Mk 16:12-13; Lk 24:13-32
4. Lk 24:33-35
5. Mk 16:14; Lk 24:36-43; Jn 20:19-25
6. Jn 20:26-31
7. Jn 21:1-25
8. Mt 28:16-20; Mk 16:15-18
9. Lk 24:44-49

Christ's ascension caps off and concludes the flurry of events issuing forth for 40 days following His resurrection:

10. Mk 16:19-20; Lk 24:50-53; Acts 1:9-12

Closing thoughts for today
Thus we can observe the relationship between Christ's resurrection, His post-mortem appearances and His ascension.  
By beginning to focus upon the scriptures that speak of the event of Christ's ascension, we can begin to see why this event is so crucial to our understanding and worship of our Great God and Savior, Jesus Christ. Unless Jesus had ascended, there would be no grounds for neither our worship of Him nor for His present ministry of mediator between God and man. Moreover, Christ's ascension bridges the conclusion of Christ's first coming to the anticipation of what will be His second coming. Finally, Christ's ascension marks what would be the culmination of His earthly ministry and the beginnings of His heavenly ministry as the One Who is truly God and truly man for us. 

The Prequel to Exodus and its significance for today

Exodus 1:1-7  "Now these are the names of the sons of Israel who came to Egypt with Jacob; they came each one with his household: 2 Reuben, Simeon, Levi and Judah; 3 Issachar, Zebulun and Benjamin; 4 Dan and Naphtali, Gad and Asher. 5 All the persons who came from the loins of Jacob were seventy in number, but Joseph was already in Egypt. 6 Joseph died, and all his brothers and all that generation. 7 But the sons of Israel were fruitful and increased greatly, and multiplied, and became exceedingly mighty, so that the land was filled with them."

Introduction:
I'll never forget watching the Star Wars original triology as a child. I was thrilled when the series was re-released in "enhanced digital" in nineties. Numerous times throughout my college experience, I can recall staying up through the night with my friends as we engaged in a "Star Wars marathon". What came as a surprise and shock was to hear that there was going to be a new "trilogy" released to tell how the original "trilogy" all began. Where did Darth Vader come from? was he always Darth Vader? what about the rebellion? the empire? and other sundry details? As I would come to find out, this new "trilogy" would come to be known as a series of "prequels". A prequel's purpose is to tell the story of the origins and historical narrative that leads up to a current state of affairs. The new "trilogy" did achieve its purpose in filling in the gaps that would make viewing the old "triology" a more complete experience. 

When it comes to the first five books of the Bible, the book of Genesis functions as the "prequel" of prequels, functioning as the prequel to not only Exodus through Deuteronomy, but ultimately the whole Bible. 

How Genesis functions as the prequel to Exodus
To just focus attention on the book of Exodus, we find that the first seven verses of Exodus 1 assume familiarity with the Book of Genesis. Moses, the author, is filling in the gaps for his readers who were the generation of Hebrews rescued out of bondage in Egypt. We see mention of Jacob and his sons in the opening verses. Jacob's historical journey down to Egypt is contained within the so-called "Joseph cycle" of Genesis 37-50 (particularly Genesis 46). Jacob's story of course begins in Genesis 27 and winds its way into the Joseph cycle of Genesis 37-50. 

Going from Jacob, back to Isaac
As one goes backward through Genesis, we find Jacob's father Isaac was promised by God to Jacob's grandfather, Abraham. Jacob and his twin brother Esau scraped and fought their way through the so-called Jacob-cycle of Genesis 27-36. Jacob would steal his older twin-brother's blessing. Undoubtedly Jacob's conniving was truly his doing, and yet it fit within the permissive, Sovereign plan of Almighty God (see Malachi 1:1-2; Romans 9:13). 

Isaac, Jacob and Esau's father, was the original child of promise who would function as a continuation of Abraham's bloodline and the promise of God. Although Isaac would be born in Genesis 21, the focal-point of his adult life would be found in the so-called "Isaac cycle" of Genesis 24-26.

So then, what about Abraham? Abraham's story stretches from Genesis 12-25. For nearly the first century of Abraham's life (known originally as "Abram"), we find this "patriarch of patriarchs") living as a gentile in Ur of Chaldees (Genesis 11:27-32). God called him out of darkness to travel some 800 miles to the land of Canaan. His story and God's promises and covenant would provide a template for the fulfillment of such through his descendants (Isaac, Jacob, Jacob's sons and the Hebrew nation in Exodus) and ultimately Christ Himself (see Galatians 3-4).  

Abraham's story of course represents the focal point of all the prior history leading up to him in Genesis 1-11. Millennia of history passed from Adam to Noah and then from Noah down to Abraham. God's purposes and plans would funnel down from all of humanity (Genesis 1-9) through one branch of humanity (from Noah's son Shem in Genesis 9) to Abram in Genesis 11. 
The audience in Moses' day needed to be told the prequel of their story so that they would realize that God, not Egypt, and not Pharaoh, had called them and created them. 

Application and final thoughts
As we find ourselves living here in the 21st century, how familiar are our children, grandchildren and up and coming generations with the Bible? I'm certain that more kids are familiar with the prequels of Star Wars than with the book of Genesis. Just as Moses wrote Genesis under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit to inform his audience of how God had redeemed them and where they fit in His grander plan, we today need to bring our children and grand-children "up-to-speed" on where they fit in today's world. Books like Genesis and Exodus remind us of what can happen when one generation (or several in the case of the time-frame that transpired between Genesis 50 and Exodus 1) goes without familiarity with God's revealed purposes in His Word. May we be faithful to our task to pass down the truths of God's word to the next generation (see Deuteronomy 6 and Jude 1:3).