LESSON ONE
Matthew
The Gospel of Matthew is the link between the Old and New Testaments. Matthew wrote to the Jews to prove that Christ is their promised Messiah and the eternal King of kings and Lord of lords. Therefore, Matthew is careful not to alienate his Jewish readers. Matthew also shows how Jesus fulfilled prophecy and how he is the Person who will bring in God’s kingdom. Because the “Kingdom of heaven” is found thirty-three times in this Gospel, it has been called the Gospel of the Kingdom. The book also shows that followers of Christ are the true people of God and the heirs of the coming kingdom. Matthew records Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, the Beatitudes, the Parables of the Kingdom, and Peter’s confession of the deity of Christ. It is Matthew’s version of the Beatitudes that are memorized in childhood, and it is his form of the Lord’s Prayer that we use the most in church today.
Lesson Objective: To see the relationship of Christ to the Old Testament, and to understand his role as King of kings
Handbook for Christian Maturity written by Bill Bright © 2003, 2009, 2016 Bright Media Foundation. All rights reserved. Previously©1965- 2003 Campus Crusade for Christ, Inc. Bright Media Foundation® is a registered trademark of Bright Media Foundation, Inc. Campus Crusade for Christ International® and Cru® are registered trademarks of Campus Crusade for Christ, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, except in the case of brief quotations printed in articles or reviews, without prior permission in writing from the publisher.