Simply teaching the Bible, simply

This study, taught by Pastor Barry Forder, is the 32nd session of our ‘Through-the-Bible-in-a-Year’ series recorded during 2014 as part of our Sunday morning family services. In this session we move into the New Testament and look at the Gospel of Matthew. With the Gospels we have a four-fold presentation of Jesus, each from a different perspective. Matthew, a Jew who had become disillusioned by the religious facade he saw when looking at the leadership of his nation, had become a tax collector for Rome. Yet Matthew still had hope that the Messiah would come, and so presents Jesus as the King, the Lion of the Tribe of Judah, the one who was promised of old and destined to sit on the Throne of David. But this Gospel is not merely the work of a passionate man, it is divinely inspired by the Holy Spirit, as is evidenced by the intricate design built into just the 1st chapter alone! Matthew is the only Gospel writer to talk about the Kingdom of Heaven, not to be confused with the Kingdom of God! Matthew also gives us a clear presentation of the Church Age as seen through the parables in chapter 13. Yet the real focus of this Gospel is on the Nation of Israel, and particularly what will befall the nation in these last days. Matthew draws from the Old Testament, showing how these ancient prophecies will be fulfilled. One other thing to note: Matthew, as a Roman official gives us the inside story on the events that occurred on the morning of the resurrection, in all likelihood, he would have know the guards at the tomb personally, and he reveals details that are found nowhere else in scripture! May this overview prompt you to undertake your own study of this divinely inspired book. The PDF slides are from the PowerPoint presentation used during the teaching session. You can listen to the audio on this web page, or save it for later listening.