Matthew 5 - 7

Teacher: Won Huh

The Jews had been waiting for hundreds of years for the Son of David to come and restore their kingdom to the former glory. It had been about 1000 years since the rule of King David.

John the Baptist starts preaching that the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.

Then Jesus shows up, clears the temple (a sign of a righteous king), heals the sick (a sign of a prophet or the presence of God's power), speaks with authority, and says He has good news that the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.

When a huge excited crowd shows up from all over the region, Jesus announces His Kingdom and gives His State of the Kingdom address.

The crowd was astonished with Jesus' speech and applauded. Was Jesus' kingdom anything like what they expected? There were others who were turned away by the speech and decided to do everything they could to disrupt and even kill Him.

Read that speech in Matthew Chapters 5, 6 and 7 and note where you would have stood up and applauded (like they do at the State of the Union addresses). You can share your favorite parts in class next week.

Listen to the book of Matthew from BibleGateway: ESV, KJV, MSG, NIV, NKJV

Short Outline of the Book of Matthew from the Today's English Version:

• Genealogy and birth of Jesus Christ (1:1 – 2:23)
• The ministry of John the Baptist (3:1-12)
• The baptism and temptation of Jesus (3:13 – 4:11)
• Jesus’ public ministry in Galilee (4:12 – 18:35)
• From Galilee to Jerusalem (19:1 – 20:34)
• The last week in and near Jerusalem (21:1 – 27:66)
• The resurrection and appearances of the Lord (28:1-20)