Happy 2009 Folks! Charlie Spurgeon's selection on Matthew 1:23 in one of his devotionals inspired me this morning to do some numerical investigation in Scripture akin to my 3:16s and 2:15s queries of 28 years ago. He pointed out that Matthew 1:23 indicates that, "Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and shall bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel," which translated means, "God with us." OK, there we've got The Incarnation/Christ's Divinity covered.What about other 1:23's? Check this out; which is why I say it's as Easy As 1:23...
Mark 1:23-4: (ok, had to stretch to conclude it): "And just then there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit; and he cried out, saying, 'What do we have to do with You, Jesus of Nazareth? Have You come to destroy us? I know who You are-- the Holy One of God!'" Here we have Demons Existence/Divinity/Messiahship/Omnipotence covered.
John 1:23: "He said, 'I am a voice of one crying in the wilderness, 'Make straight the way of the Lord,' as Isaiah the prophet said.'" Messianic Herald prophecy fulfilled/Lordship of Christ proclaimed.
Acts 1:23-4 (gotta finish the thought): "And they put forward two men, Joseph called Barsabbas (who was also called Justus), and Matthias. And they prayed, and said, 'Thou, Lord, who knowest the hearts of all men, show which one of these two Thou hast chosen.'" Here we have Election in a nutshell!!
Romans 1:23: "[they]... exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures." Here's Willful Idolatry as a result of The Fall.
I Corinthians 1:23: "...we preach Christ crucified, to Jews a stumbling block, and to Gentiles foolishness..." Evangelism 101!!
II Corinthians 1:23: "But I call God as witness to my soul, that to spare you I came no more to Corinth." Pastoral Care For Recalcitrant Sheep!!
Galatians 1:23: " they kept hearing, 'He who once persecuted us is now preaching the faith which he once tried to destroy.'" Conversion Makes a New Creature In Christ...aint that cool!
Ephesians 1:23: "[the Church]...is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all." Doctrine of the Church 101 in short!
Philippians 1:23: "But I am hard-pressed from both directions, having the desire to depart and be with Christ, for that is very much better..." Christian Death addressed.
Colossians 1:23: "...continue in the faith firmly established and steadfast, and not moved away from the hope of the gospel that you have heard, which was proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, was made a minister." The Christian's Eternal Hope/Strength sure is a great thing to realize!!
James 1:23: "For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror..." True Religion vs. False
I Peter 1:23: "For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God." Regeneration In A Nutshell (the imperishable seed) ;p
Jude 1:23 (OK, there's only one chapter here...so sue me!): "...save others, snatching them out of the fire; and on some have mercy with fear, hating even the garment polluted by the flesh." The Great Commission With The Heat Turned Up!! (By the way, Bible Works' display of Jude is in the picture!)
So watcha waitin' fer? You came, you saw...go conquer in His Name!! ;)
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