DIRECTIONS #2: ANOTHER WAY (Supplemental)

POINTING BACK

One of the intriguing features of Matthew’s gospel is his use of Old Testament references and hints to point us to the validity of Jesus. Jesus, points out Matthew, is not a new thing. He is a culmination of God’s purpose throughout history – at least up to that point.

For example Matthew 2:6 But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will be the shepherd of my people Israel.

Matthew does this at least 5 times in the first two chapters (not counting the geneology). When he does this Matthew says or implies it is a fulfillment of an Old Testament expectation. You might notice that some of them are a stretch and one of them might simply be a word play (2:23 - I have a number of resources that chase this rabbit if you are interested.) This is how Jewish writers did it. We need not be concerned that prophecy and fulfillment are exact matches as a writer incorporates them.

Take a step back and see what Matthew is saying with the “pile on” of OT references. He seems to be saying: This story is valid because it is THE story – God’s Story - and Jesus is the main character we have been waiting for.

REORIENTING QUESTION:

Which King will win out in your life?

Hint: King Jesus will be the last king standing.

What does that mean for you?

DIRECTIONS

Welcome to the first blog entry on DIRECTIONS our new sermon series for disciples and disciple wannabes.

Here you will find:

• supplemental material
• chapters or topics not covered
• links to downloadable versions of each message

Next Sunday, we will look at Matthew chapter 2 together. The topic: REDIRECTION.

That means we are skipping chapter 1. For that I refer you to the sermon given by Chris Morton during Advent 2007. I hope you enjoy it and it will prepare you for our look at chapter 2.

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Directions, Part 0

Do you ever read a passage in the Bible and ask yourself, "why is this in here?"
One of the most seemingly irrelevant chapters of the Bible is Matthew chapter 1. On the outset, it looks like just a list of names. But with a deeper look, we find that it actually reveals to us who Jesus is, and what he has come to do.
To find out more, click on the link for "Journey Fellowship Podcast" on the left-hand side.

Welcome to the Journey Fellowship blog. This is simply another tool in our backback for the journey ahead. During the new JF teaching series DIRECTIONS. This will be a place for discussion and analysis of passages we skip over in Matthew as well as a place to discuss things that come up along the way.

Please stay tunded. Consider making this your homepage or at least adding it to favorites. We'll try to keep it brief, but we also want you to comment.

journey on!
steve