Life Recovery Bible - Flipbook - Page 9
MATTHEW
THE BIG PICTURE
A. JESUS’ INTRODUCTION AS THE
PROMISED KING (1:1– 4:11)
1. His Family History (1:1-17)
2. His Birth and Development
(1:18–2:23)
3. His Baptism and Temptation
(3:1– 4:11)
B. JESUS’ KINGLY MINISTRY
AND MESSAGE (4:12–20:34)
1. Jesus’ Early Ministry
(4:12-25)
2. Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount
(5:1–7:29)
3. Jesus Performs Many
Miracles (8:1–10:42)
4. Jesus Teaches about His
Kingdom (11:1–20:34)
C. JESUS, THE REJECTED
REDEEMER (21:1–27:66)
1. Jesus the King Enters
Jerusalem (21:1-17)
2. Jesus Teaches His Disciples
(21:18–25:46)
3. Jesus Is Rejected and
Crucified (26:1–27:66)
D. JESUS, THE RESURRECTED
SAVIOR (28:1-20)
Many Jews of Jesus’ day harbored some form of “messianic
hope.” They were suffering at the hands of their Roman
oppressors and clung to the belief that a Savior would emerge
to deliver them. Based on the Old Testament promises of a
delivering king, they eagerly awaited the Messiah’s coming.
God wanted the world to accept Jesus as the Messiah and
Savior. Through Jesus’ ancestry, virgin birth, fulfillment of Old
Testament prophecies, teachings, and miracles, God demonstrated who Jesus was. But during Jesus’ earthly m
inistry,
most people were unwilling to face the reality of who he
was. Instead of looking to him as their long-awaited Messiah,
they crucified him. And instead of finding deliverance, they
remained in a state of oppression.
To deal with our problems, we may have focused our hopes
on various “deliverers.” Some of us are still looking to our
addictions for deliverance from inner pain, a choice that only
leads to greater suffering. Some of us hope for “freedom”
through recovery programs that emphasize “self-actualization,”
but these programs only lead us away from our true Deliverer.
The Gospel of Matthew makes it clear that our only hope for
recovery lies in Jesus the Messiah.
Jesus deserves our trust and commitment as we seek recovery
from our dependencies and sins. When we receive forgiveness
for our sins that was gained through his death and the hope for
new life found in his resurrection, we have true hope for genuine recovery. But it is up to us to place our hope in God. We
must let go of our selfish denial and make Jesus the king of our
lives. He alone is worthy of that honor and responsibility.
THE BOTTOM LINE
To prove that Jesus was the promised Messiah and to show that God offers recovery to
anyone through him. AUTHOR: Matthew, the apostle and former tax collector. AUDIENCE: Matthew
wrote primarily for Jewish readers. DATE WRITTEN: Probably between A.D. 60 and 65. SETTING: Matthew
emphasized the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy in the person of Jesus Christ, making this
Gospel the connecting link between Old and New Testaments. KEY VERSE: “Don’t misunderstand why
I have come. I did not come to abolish the law of Moses or the writings of the prophets. No, I came
to accomplish their purpose” (5:17). KEY PEOPLE AND RELATIONSHIPS: Jesus in relationship with his
ancestors, Mary and Joseph, John the Baptist, Jesus’ disciples, and the Jewish and Roman leaders.
PURPOSE:
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