In Nazareth, where Jesus was brought up, He continued keeping God’s 4^th Commandment, to “remember to keep the Sabbath day holy”.

Every 7^th day Sabbath, Jesus would stand up to read from the Old Testament scriptures, which was the only Bible they had in those days. The writings of the New Testament were not put together in a book until the end of the Apostle John’s life in after 90AD.  (Luke 4:16, Luke 4:31-32)

Jesus loved keeping all of God’s annual Holy Days as well.

On Pentecost, in Nazareth, He stood up and read the wonderful 700 year old prophecy of Isaiah the prophet.  Isaiah prophesied about how Jesus would come to the Earth full of God’s Holy Spirit and would preach to the poor, the good news about God’s future coming Government on this Earth.

(Note: “on the Sabbath day” in Luke 4:16 in Greek means “on the day of the weeks” indicating Pentecost)

When Jesus read the rest of Isaiah’s prophecy about how He would heal the broken hearted, and give forgiveness and sight to people who were blind, they listened intently with their eyes fixed upon Him.

Then Jesus taught how this day of Pentecost pictured the “acceptable year of the Lord”, and they were amazed at what He had to say, with such authority and firm speaking.  (Isaiah 61:1-2)

However, when Jesus showed them from the scriptures how humble people listen but proud people do not listen, many of them were very angry with pride and jealousy. So they grabbed Him and took Jesus out of Nazareth city to throw Him off a cliff. But, Jesus had God the Father’s help and He was able to get away from them all. (Luke 4:17-30)

So, Jesus came and lived in Peter’s home at Capernaum beside the Sea of Galilee, and He continued teaching people every Sabbath day, about God and God’s coming Government on this Earth, and how we need to repent and prepare now to be in God’s Family. (Luke 4:31-32, Matthew 4:17)

One time when Jesus was preaching on the Sabbath day a demon possessed man cried out: “Ahh! What have we to do with You, Jesus the Nazarene? Have you come to destroy us? I know who You are. You are the Holy One of God!”

So, Jesus turned to the man and told the demon in the man: “Be silent and come out of him.”

The demon was very angry and threw the man around and cried out with a loud voice as he came out of the man.

Naturally, all of the people were shocked and amazed at what they saw, as they realized that Jesus had great authority to command demons to obey Him. Jesus became famous everywhere throughout the land. (Mark 1:21-28)

Many sick people were brought to Him and Jesus laid His hands on them and prayed for them and they were healed.  (Luke 4:40-41, Matthew 4:23-25)

“Today, ordained ministers of Jesus Christ, like Grandad, follow Jesus example and the instructions of Jesus family brother James, when people who are sick, faithfully ask God to heal them”, says Grandad.

“As James wrote: if any are sick let them call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over them, anointing them with oil in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise them up; and if they have committed sins, they shall be forgiven.”  (James 5:15)

On a mountain beside the Sea of Galilee, Jesus Christ gave His very famous Sermon on the Mount. It is the greatest sermon ever given. (Matthew 5-7)

This great sermon from Jesus, summarized and magnified many important laws and principles that God had already given in the Old Testament of how we should live. 

“Jesus knew these Old Testament writings very well, because when you think about it, our child, Jesus was the “Logos” God, with God the Father, who spoke and wrote these laws of God in the Old Testament”, says Nanna.

Jesus told the people about God and how God wants everyone to live. 

He said that people who are humble, meek, merciful, peacemakers, who are purely clean in their thinking and conduct, will be chosen by God to be in His Family in God’s coming Kingdom on this Earth.  He said they may have people do bad things to them and persecute them, but God would bring them through those trials into His Kingdom.

Jesus said we need to hunger and thirst for wanting to learn God’s word in the Bible and live by God’s right way of life, just like we love food and drink when we are very hungry and thirsty.

He said we should be sad when we see the awful things that people do in this world ruled by Satan. Jesus said we would be comforted if we desire to be like a bright light, living God’s way of life, even in this bad darkened world of sins against God.  (Matthew 5:1-12, Luke 6:20-26)

Isaiah, over 700 years before, had prophesied that Jesus would come and “exalt the law and make it honourable”. (Isaiah 42:21)

Christ emphasised how He had not come into this world to do away or destroy God’s laws like the 10 Commandments. He came to magnify them and to explain them so that we could keep them even better, with the help of God’s Holy Spirit.  (Matthew 5:17-19)

Jesus showed examples of how we shouldn’t even think evil thoughts of anger and hatred to others, much less commit murder, which is the 6^th Commandment. Also, we shouldn’t even sexually lust after someone in our thoughts much less commit fornication and adultery, which is the 7^th Commandment.  (Matthew 5:21-22, Matthew 5:27-28)

He told the thousands of people gathered around him, that they should not use bad language and swear oaths. (Matthew 5:33-37)

Christ said we should love everyone and live God’s “give” way of life and not be selfish. It is better to give than receive. (Matthew 5:41-42)

We should even love our enemies, said Jesus.  We should love them, bless them, do good for them and pray for them. (Matthew 5:44-45)

HOW TO PRAY to God was taught by Jesus in this wonderful Sermon on the Mount. (Matthew 6:5-15)  

Jesus said we should pray to God our Father in heaven and say how much we love God and are thankful to God for all the kindness and blessings God gives to us.

He said we should prayerfully ask God to bring the Kingdom of God soon to this Earth to end all of the bad things happening.  

We need to pray that God will give His Spirit to faithful men and women in the Church of God, to preach, teach, and publish the good news message about God’s coming government on this Earth, and what we can do now to prepare.  Here is a time in our prayers we can mention people’s names who are doing a good job, and who need more of God’s loving help, strength and inspiration.

We should ask God to help us to do God’s will in our lives. It is God’s will to follow His knowledge in the Bible, God’s understanding of that knowledge, and God’s wisdom to apply it in our lives.

Here we can pray for God to help us to love God and keep God’s commandments and way of life faithfully.  We can also pray for people we know, who are sick, and ask God to bless them with healing.

Then we can ask God to help us to live each day, to study, to learn, to overcome, to work, and to play in a way that is pleasing to God.  Great blessings come from seeking to do our daily things God’s way. God gives us great favour when we do. He blesses us with a richly rewarding adventurous, exciting life.

Of course all good things come to those who love other people. So, we need to pray that God forgive us for our mistakes, foolish silly things we do, and our sins, as we should forgive other people who do bad things to us.

Very importantly, we need to ask God to make us strong to turn away from doing bad things. We pray that God will help us to have wisdom to mix with other people who are clever and good, and not silly and bad. 

“Our child, we become like the company we keep”, says Grandad. “So, be very careful who you mix with and who you want to be friendly with. There are many foolish people in this world, but very few young wise people.” (1 Corinthians 15:53)

Then Jesus taught us to finish off our prayers by praising and thanking our God, remembering God as the true God, who has planned for us to be in His family in God’s Kingdom. God is glorious and all powerful, and all loving and merciful forever and ever.

We finish off our prayers always, by praying to God our loving all powerful Father in Jesus Christ’s name, and by Jesus authority as God the Son. (Matthew 6:5-15)

To be continued in Chapter 17...