MATTHEW LESSON 1

      The New Testament, or you might even say the last will and
 testament of Jesus Christ, is actually a continuation of the Old
 Testament.  Jesus can be clearly seen from Genesis all the way
 through Revelation. In fact, both Old and New are revealing the plan
 of salvation for mankind through Jesus.

     God gave the law to Moses and to His chosen people (The Hebrews).
They were not able to keep the law, and God gave them a more perfect
plan.  The plan of salvation, not by works but by grace.

     After Malachi, there were 400 silent years.  There was a falling
away from God during this period, and the Apocrypha written during
this period was not accepted as inspired writings.

     Throughout the Old Testament, there were promises of blessings
from God, but there was a big "if".  "If" they lived up to the laws.
From Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, all the people of the earth would be
blessed.  Truly a promise of Messiah, because these promises were made
to the faithful of whom Abraham was the father.  We read in Galatians
3:6 "Even as Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for
righteousness." Galatians 3:7 "Know ye therefore that they which are
of faith, the same are the children of Abraham." Galatians 3:8 "And
the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through
faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, [saying], In thee
shall all nations be blessed."

     You see, faith has always been the one thing that gets God's
attention.  Christianity came not unawares, but was actually the plan
of God all along for mankind.

     God's plan for mankind's salvation could not, and even cannot
today, be worked out by the efforts of man.

     The words "New Testament" are associated with the covenant God
made with mankind through His Son, Jesus Christ the Lord.  It is the
last will and testament of Jesus Christ to the believers.  He sealed
this covenant with His shed blood.

     At the end of the fourth century, years after the death of Jesus
Christ, the books of the New Testament were first compiled.

     The New Testament is not actually one book, but a library of 27
books collected and arranged in order.  The writers had some direct
contact with Jesus Christ.  In the case of Paul who wrote most of the
New Testament, the encounter was brief but very permanent.  Some
believe there were eight writers and some believe nine, but it really
doesn't matter, since God is the author.

     The New Testament begins with the four gospels.  "Four" means
universal and tells us this message is for the entire world.  "Gospel"
means good news.  So you see by this, that the good news of Jesus
Christ is for all the world.

     Over 30 times in the Old Testament, there were prophecies of Jesus
Christ that would be fulfilled in the New Testament.  You see, the Old
and New Testament are intertwined.

      You might say that the New Testament is the last will and
testament of Jesus Christ our Lord, making great and wonderful
provisions for His followers.  Just as when any will is read, the
inheritors must prove their heirship.  We have to lay hold to our
claim.  Just as any will is not activated until the testator dies, so
is it with Jesus Christ our Lord.  We could not lay claim to His gift
of salvation, until He died on the cross.  As in any inheritance, we do
not pay for it.  The beneficiaries just receive the blessings by
claiming inheritance through sonship.

     Just as we would thoroughly read the will so that we would not
miss any of our inheritance in the world, so must we thoroughly read
and understand the inheritance Jesus has provided for us in the New
Testament.

     This was God's plan from the beginning, when He promised a Savior
in Genesis 3:15 "And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and
between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou
shalt bruise his heel."

     The four gospels were written by four men who were well acquainted
with Jesus.  Matthew, the tax collector (also known as Levi), was one
of the disciples of Christ.  He was very knowledgeable of the Old
Testament.  There are about 60 references to the prophecies in the Old
Testament in Matthew.  Tax collectors were hated people, and Jesus was
criticized for choosing him.  Matthew, in his writings, tried to
emphasize that Jesus fulfilled the promises of the coming of the
Messiah.  Matthew shows the Kingship of Jesus, or if you will, the
Lion of the tribe of Judah.  The genealogy that is shown is just for
another proof to the world of His right of Kingship.  Jeremiah
prophesied in chapter 23 verse 5 of his book about this and I quote,
"Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will raise unto David a
righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall
execute judgment and justice in the earth."

     St. Mark, the second of the four gospels, was written by John
Mark, who was believed to be the son of Mary of Jerusalem.  He was
related to Barnabas, probably, his nephew.  Mark was a companion of
Peter.  Many of the early writers believe that Peter wrote the book.
It is generally accepted that much of this book's information was
furnished by Peter.  Mark shows Jesus as a servant to mankind.
Nineteen miracles are mentioned in Mark.  Eight having to do with
disease, five show His power in nature, four show Jesus' authority
over demons, and two show His power and authority over death.

      In Revelation the fourth chapter the seventh verse, we read
 about the beasts, which are symbolic, that are before the throne.
 Verse 7 "And the first beast was like a lion, and the second beast
 like a calf, and the third beast had a face as a man, and the fourth
 beast was like a flying eagle."

     Matthew shows the Lion, Mark shows servitude or the calf, Luke
shows the man, and John shows the eagle, symbolic of God.

     The gospel of Luke was written by Luke the physician.  Luke was a
personal friend of Paul, probably, his doctor.

     In the book of Luke, as we said, Jesus was presented as the Son
of man.  This book emphasizes the grace of God toward man through
Jesus Christ (if you will, this is the face of a man book).  Luke
emphasizes prayer in his book.  Women appear prominently in Luke's
narrative.  Probably, half of the material in Luke is not found in any
of the other gospels.  Luke relates the birth, life, and ascension of
Jesus.  His book relates to mankind.

     The gospel of St. John shows Jesus as God.  The book of John
begins, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and
the Word was God".  The eagle is symbolic of God.  This gospel
completes the four faces mentioned in Revelation.

     The writer of the book was John himself.  The purpose of the book
is to instill faith in the believer of the deity of Jesus Christ, to
show Him as God manifest in the flesh.

      My own opinion of John is that he was closer to the Lord Jesus
 Christ than any of the other men who walked with Him.  His love for
 Jesus was very evident in the fact that he was the only disciple
 present at the crucifixion.  Jesus showed His special love for John,
 when He asked John to take His mother as his own.  John was known as
 John the beloved.

     In St. John, Jesus reveals Himself more clearly as what He really
is than in any other book of the Bible.  It is a deeply spiritual
book.  We will spend a great deal of time in St. John in this study.

     The book of St. John shows the Fatherhood of God.  Fatherhood is
mentioned l00 times.  John recorded 8 miracles of God to prove the
divinity of Jesus The Christ.

     St. John builds faith and points to eternal life in Jesus Christ.
You may have already recognized that this is my favorite book in all
the Bible.  In the l4th chapter of John, we are told of the power to
heal, that we have when we ask in Jesus' name.  I won't get into that
now.  I am just explaining that St. John is a very powerful book.

     The Acts of the Apostles are just what the name says.  It is the
history of the early church.

     Then most of the rest of the New Testament was written by Paul.
Beginning with Romans, we see letters to groups of people to instruct
them in right living.  Then in Revelation (written by John), we see
the prophecy of the end times and the second coming of Christ.



                        Matthew 1 Questions


1.  What could the New Testament be called?
2.  Is Jesus confined to just the New Testament?  Explain.
3.  What are both the Old and New Testament revealing?
4.  Who did God give the law to?
5.  Describe the plan of salvation.
6.  After Malachi, how many silent years were there?
7.  The promises of mankind were descended from what three people?
8.  Who was the father of the faithful?
9.  What has always been the thing that gets God's attention?
l0. What are the words "New Testament" associated with?  Name 2.
ll. When was the New Testament compiled?
l2. Why does it really not matter whether there were eight or nine
    writers of the New Testament?
l3. What does "Gospel" mean?
l4. How many times in the Old Testament were there prophecies of
    Jesus?
l5. What is spoken of as the last will and testament of Jesus?
l6. What must an inheritor prove?
l7. Why should we thoroughly read the Bible?
l8. What other name was Matthew known by?
l9. What did Matthew emphasize in his book?
20. What animal is symbolic of Kingship?
2l. What proof does the genealogy show?
22. In Mark's writings, what did he show Jesus as?
23. How many miracles are mentioned in Mark?
24. List the faces mentioned in Revelation and tell which of the four
    gospels each reveal.
25. What is Jesus presented as in the book of Luke?
26. The gospel of St.  John shows Jesus as what?
27. The eagle is symbolic of what?
28. What is the purpose of the book of St. John?
29. Who was the only disciple present at the crucifixion?
30. Who wrote most of the letters in the New Testament?
31. Which book shows the Fatherhood of God?
32. What is the Acts of the Apostles all about?
33. What is Revelation all about?