I have been looking forward to starting a series through the Book of Matthew for a while now. We have been working our way toward this for over a year at RLC. It began with walking through the book of Ephesians in a series we called "Practicing Resurrection." Before taking the journey of walking through one of the longest books in the New Testament, I wanted us to experience walking through a shorter book. The type of preaching it takes to do this is called Expository Preaching. "Expository" simply means explaining. That is what we are going to be doing over teh course of the series through Matthew. We will be explaining the text and walking through the life of Jesus. I can think of nothing more important than to study the life of God Himself in human form.
Here are the following reasons why you should be excited about this series:
1- New things to DISCOVER.
There are so many aspects to the Gospel of Matthew that will change the way you read the Bible forever once learned. I cannot wait to talk about who Joseph really was, why the first 12 verses are so important, why Jesus had to go Egypt as a baby, and so much more. The more we dig the more we'll find.
2- Topics that we CANNOT AVOID.
Can I be honest? There are many parts of the Bible I would like to avoid. Our modern culture and the Bible have some pretty significant disagreements. If I had my way, we would skip them all and focus on peace, love, and joy every Sunday. However, just like the human body cannot live on candy, the soul cannot grow on those topics alone. We need to know and grow in God's Word... all of God's Word. Going through the text verse-by-verse gives us the opportunity to cover all the wisdom found in God's Word.
3- An antidote for SELFISHNESS.
As stated in the last point, going through God's Word the way it has been given let's God choose the menu and not us. I think we will be surprised how God's Word will line up to exactly what we need and when we need it.
4- When I know my King, I KNOW ME.
The more we get to know God, the more we get to know who He says we are. The more we know who He says we are, the more we will know what to do. I heard someone say recently, "When you live God's way you will always be in God's will."
Let's get down some basics-
Who: Matthew
When: Debated but generally between 55-65AD
To Whom: The Jewish Nation
Why: The Jewish nation has been waiting heir of David and the fulfilled promise of Abraham for a really long time. Matthew is opening their eyes to see that Jesus fulfills these to mandates and so much more.
What Study Helps Will I Mainly Be Using-
This will likely grow and change as we go. It also doesn't not inlcude my weekly habit of scouring YouTube for other pastors/teachers who have taught on the subject matter to gain insight and ideas. Some of my favorite preachers/teachers to listen to are HB Charles Jr, John MacAruthur, David Jeremiah, Haddon Robinson, John Lennox, Allistar Begg, Voddie Baucham, Neil Anderson, Tony Evans, and many more. I am not usually looking for content or theology. I am looking for illustrations and approaches.
Books:
Study Bible Commentaries-
The Swindoll Study Bible
The NIV Study Bible
The Nelson Study Bible
The Apologetics Study Bible
The HCSB Study Bible
The New Spirit-Filled Life Study Bible
The Zondervan Study Bible
The ESV Study Bible
The NET (Full Notes Edition) Bible
The Life Application Study Bible
The Thompson Chain Reference Study Bible
The Archaeological Study BIble
The Cultural Background Study Bible
Overall Study-
Hayford’s Bible Handbook
Zondervan Handbook to the Bible
What the Bible Is All About Bible Handbook
With the Word “The Chapter-by-Chapter Bible Handbook”
MacArthur’s Quick Reference Guide to the Bible
The Wiersbe Bible Commentary: Old Testament
Wiersbe’s Expository Outline on the New Testament
The Wiersbe Bible Commentary: New Testament
Specific Commentary-
Christ-Centered Exposition: Matthew
Swindoll’ s Living Insights NT Commentary: Matthew
Preaching the Gospel of Matthew
Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament: Matthew
Here are some other places to gain insight into this amazing Gospel Narrative:
