Series: Epic Journey:
The Bible in 99 Days

Message Outline

The Gospel of Matthew: Finally, Fulfillment!
Text:  Mathew
 
Introduction

After many weeks of seeing the outlines of God's story in the Old Testament, we come to the New Testament, full of expectancy and a deeper sense of the longing that the Jewish people must have felt for their Messiah. Since Malachi, 400 years have passed. There have been many kingdoms come and go! The Persians ruled until 332 BC when Alexander the Great conquered the world. The Greeks ruled until 175 BC. The Maccabees & Hasmoneans (Jewish dynasties) ruled from 175 to 63 BC. The Romans ruled from 63 BC, destroyed the Jewish Temple in 70 AD, and eventually hosted the Church!

In the time between the Old and New Testaments, there were many developments that would give us insight into Jewish spiritual life and expectations in Jesus' time. The Old Testament was translated into Greek in the second century BC - there were many Jews throughout the Greek empire who spoke Greek, but not Hebrew. This translation is known as the Septuagint and gives us many insights into translation of the New Testament, written in Greek later on.

Some inter-testament books came to be known as the Apocrypha. This term means "hidden" or "esoteric". These books were not considered part of the "canon" of Scripture by the Jews or by the Church, although they added perspective on Jewish history and the development of Jewish sects present in Jesus' day: Pharisees, Sadducees, Essenes, and Zealots. The Apocryphal books were added to the Catholic canon at the Council of Trent in 1548 AD.

The New Testament is comprised of 27 "books", organized into four main parts: Gospels (4), History (Acts), Letters (21), and Prophecy (Revelation). These books were written between 45-95 AD by eyewitnesses of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus. We have excellent preservation of these NT documents - some 25,000 manuscript copies exist - compare that with the next-best preserved work of antiquity - Homer's Iliad - with 650 copies! The NT is the only reliable record of Jesus' life, death and resurrection, and so it is the only way to know the revelation of the Gospel. In the New Testament, God is introducing a new world order, and a new way of living, for all who will worship Him and make Him their King.

Introduction to the Gospels:
The Gospels are much more than biographies! They are a unique breed of literature: a blend of history, sermons, biography, and news reporting. The word "gospel" comes from an old Anglo-Saxon term meaning "the story concerning God".
      The Greek word we translate as "gospel" actually means "good news". The Gospels therefore proclaim both God's story and His promised redemption for mankind.

The four Gospel accounts are four portraits of Jesus, each describing Him to different audiences and with different themes. He is the complete fullness of Israel and satisfies the prophecies of a coming King (Zechariah 9:9), a Servant (Isaiah 52:13), a Man (Daniel 7:13-14) and God (Psalm 110). The Gospels are not organized precisely chronologically, and they each emphasize different aspects of His life and work. The posters in the Auditorium allow us to see visually how His life unfolded through approximately 3-4 years of public ministry. The chart below compares the four Gospel accounts:

Cliff Notes -- Matthew's Gospel:
This Gospel is written to a Jewish audience, presenting Jesus as their long-awaited King. Matthew brings out several themes, beginning with the King and the launching of the Kingdom of Heaven. This means the Kingdom of God, but recall the Jews would not say Yahweh's name. The advent of the Kingdom is made clear in over 50 statements by Jesus, and Jesus also says "the Kingdom is near" three times. This is the ushering in of Jesus' new world order. Jesus amazes people with His authority (what do we expect from a King?). He trumps Moses and every other teacher and astounds everyone!

Jesus fulfills hundreds of Biblical prophecies in Matthew: 55+ direct quotes from the Old Testament. He was born of a virgin (Isaiah 7:14 & 9:6) in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2) in the line of David (Matthew 1:1-16). He escaped the death of the firstborn boys like Israel did at Passover. In fact Jesus and His family traveled to Egypt like Israel. Like Israel's 40 years wandering in the desert, Jesus spent 40 days fasting in the desert. Unlike Israel, who failed the temptations of the desert, Jesus was tempted but did not fail. Moses sinned in leading the people, but Jesus never sinned. He is Israel made perfect. Unlike Moses who stammered, Jesus "taught as one with authority". He was amazing as He fulfilled it all!

Structure:
Matthew is a narrative with five "talks" or "discourses" by Jesus interspersed. These five discourses fulfill and expand the Law and can be thought about as the "Torah of Messiah". They can be titled as follows: Sermon on the Mount (5:1-7:27), Mission Discourse (9:35-10:42), Kingdom Parables (13:3-52), Humility Discourse (18:1-35), and the Olivet Prophetic Discourse (23:1-25:46).

On the surface, starting with a genealogy way seem like a boring choice. However, these names would "pop" for a Jewish audience. Imagine the long line of Kings including David, and Matthew's careful attention to detail in proving Jesus' Royal Line. In the midst of these respectable types, we see four Gentile women, with very questionable "reputations" each being used by God to carry the line of the Messiah: Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, and Bathsheba! This is the blood line not only of a royal aristocrat (see Philippians 2 and Colossians 1) but of a Messiah for every nation and people, every age, every gender, and every one of us!

Key Passages:
Matthew 22: 37-40 Jesus replied: "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.'   This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."  NIV  Matthew 28: 18-20 Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." NIV

These passages have a summary quality to them, embracing both what Jesus thought was most important in the Old Testament, and what He thought was the most important parting comment before His ascension. They are the things that we have committed ourselves to as a church and encompass the five core purposes for our Body - individually and collectively. In fact, today after church, at our semi-annual church-wide gathering, we will discuss the enclosed draft of our "Christ-Follower Commitment" which we developed earlier this year. It will allow each of us to align with the things that seem most important in the Bible, and which will form the basis of our work together. We invite each person to come and journey with us!

Application Questions:

1. Did you read Matthew in a different way this time around? How was it different? What will you do differently as a result of this reading?

2. Do the Great Commandments and the Great Commission help you simplify the Bible's message? In what ways does it do that? Do you believe these passages leave out anything more important? If so, what seems to be missing?

3. As you review the Christ-Follower Commitment enclosed with these notes, what areas seem to be the greatest challenge for you? What areas seem to be easiest to follow?

4. What obstacles do you believe need to be addressed individually (for you) and corporately (for us as a group) before our church Body could gain true momentum in living this way?

5. How will you begin to move ahead in this journey? Perhaps you might consider some of these ways others have experienced success in following Jesus:

- regular bible reading, prayer, and practicing God's presence

- taking part in a supportive small group regularly

- finding a place to serve others using my gifts

- generous living - using less myself and giving more

- having one strong "soul-mate" I can be accountable to

- taking time for worship throughout the day

- learning about the practice of the Spirit-Filled life

If you want help with any of these next steps, just call or e-mail one of the pastors or elders!