January 1

Keeping It Centered on Jesus

We begin our journey this year with Matthew 1:1-2:12

When a new year rolls around, folks start talking about doing better and trying harder. God does not start there. He starts by pointing us straight to His Son. Matthew opens with it plain as day, “The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham” ~Matthew 1:1. God is laying the foundation first. This is the Christ He promised. This is not up for argument or adjustment.

Before Jesus ever walks a dusty road or opens His mouth to teach, God makes sure we know who He is. Not a good man. Not a religious figure. The Christ. If that part gets muddled, everything else falls apart.

The angel tells Joseph exactly why this child is coming, and it is not sugar-coated. “Thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins” ~Matthew 1:21. That cuts straight to the heart of it. Sin is the trouble. Salvation is the mission. Jesus did not come to make life easier. He came to make sinners right with God.

Matthew goes on to say this child is “God with us” ~Matthew 1:23. Not God far off. Not God watching from a distance. God stepping right down into flesh and blood, knowing the cost, knowing the danger, and coming anyway.

By the time you get to chapter two, you see how people respond when the truth shows up. The wise men hear there is a King, and they get moving. They ask one question, “Where is he that is born King of the Jews?” ~Matthew 2:2. They travel hard miles, face risk, and when they finally see the child, Scripture says they fell down and worshipped Him ~Matthew 2:11. They did not argue. They did not stall. They recognized who He was and bowed.

Then there is Herod. He knew the Scriptures. He knew where the Christ was supposed to be born. But instead of worship, his heart hardened. Same truth. Same Bible. Different response. Scripture shows us early on that knowing the facts does not mean a man has surrendered.

That is where this passage presses us as we step into a new year. Matthew does not leave room for halfway living. Jesus is revealed as King, Savior, and God with us. Once that is clear, a person either bows or resists. There is no neutral ground.

This year is not about self-improvement plans or good intentions. It is about keeping your eyes on Jesus. Who He is. Why He came. What He demands. If our time in Scripture turns into talking about ourselves more than Him, we have missed the trail.

Matthew starts us off right. Keep it centered on Christ. Stay close to the truth. Walk straight. Bow where you ought to bow. Let everything else sort itself out.

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Happy New Year 2026

Thank you for joining us in reading through the Bible this year in 2026

Genesis 1:1-2:25
Matthew 1:1-2:12
Psalm 1:1-6
Proverbs 1:1-6

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Old Testament: Genesis 1:1-2:25

Our reading in the Old Testament today is right there at the very beginning of it all Genesis 1 – 2:25.

Now, in Genesis 1, we are conscious every day of the visible world around us. We need to remember that this world speaks to us of God. In his existence, his wisdom, and his power God creates here in Genesis 1, everything begins with God and fulfills his purposes for His glory. He works by the power of his word, the same word that can work in our lives.

God divides, He separated the light from the darkness, the dry land from the waters, and the waters above from the waters beneath. The principle of separation is basic in all the Bible. He separated Abraham from Ur, the nation of Israel from the Gentiles, His church from the world. He wants His people today to be separated from all that defiles.

The first man and woman were the only part of creation especially blessed by God. Because we are created in the image of God, we’re different from the other creatures God has made, and we must be careful how we treat one another. Sin has marred that divine image. One day, all true believers will bear the image of Christ. The more we are like Christ, the more we will enjoy His blessing.

Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers. The wicked are not so, but are like chaff that the wind drives away. Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous; for the LORD knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish. ~ Psalms 1:1-6

New Testament: Matthew 1:1-2:12

INTRODUCTION TO MATTHEW The subject of this book, and indeed of all the writings of the New Testament, is the Gospel. The Greek word ευαγγελιον signifies a joyful message, good news, glad tidings of good things; such as Christ was anointed to preach, the Angels brought to the shepherds, and the Evangelists, Apostles, and Ministers of Christ published to the world. Isa_61:1. And such is the account given by this inspired writer, of the incarnation, life, actions, ministry, miracles, sufferings, and death of Jesus Christ; whereby peace and reconciliation, pardon and righteousness, atonement and redemption, life and salvation, are obtained for lost, perishing sinners. ~ John Gill’s Exposition of the Bible

John Gill’s Exposition of the Bible

Summary:
The Genealogy of Jesus Christ
The Birth of Jesus Christ
The Visit of the Wise Men

She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” ~ Matthew 1:21