Matthew

“‘You shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.’ All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: ‘Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel’ (which means, God with us).” Matthew 1:21–23 From the very first chapter of Matthew’s Gospel, we see his purpose. This first-century Jewish outcast of a tax collector had come to know and love Jesus as his Savior, and now he desired to show his brothers and sisters—and indeed the whole world—that Jesus is the promised One, the longed-for Messiah, and God with us. Jesus is the fulfillment of all those covenant promises, and he wanted everyone to see the connections to the Old Testament Scriptures.

In the four Old Testament studies of G2R God’s Promises, students traced the unfolding of God’s amazing promises from Genesis through Malachi. They learned that when Adam and Eve hid in shame that God promised a Savior who would defeat Satan and sin, restoring his people to himself. They saw how God made covenants with Noah, Abraham, Moses, and David, revealing more of his redemptive plan. They learned how terribly God’s people failed to keep the covenant. And they grasped how merciful and patient God was with his people.

Now we come to the first book of the New Covenant. God kept his promises to send the Savior! Even if your students are familiar with the book of Matthew, studying it in light of the fulfillment of covenant promises will be new to them.

Here’s a glance at the 13 lessons in this study:

• Sessions 1–4: Jesus’ birth, John the Baptist, and Jesus’ temptation (Matthew 1–4) The prophecies of the Old Testament were fulfilled in Jesus' birth and early ministry.
• Sessions 5–7: The Beatitudes (Matthew 5–7) In Jesus’ first sermon, we see the blessings of the covenant poured out on his people and practical instruction for living as his kingdom people.
• Sessions 8–9: Miracles and parables (Matthew 8–13) Jesus’ miracles and teachings are signs that he is the promised Messiah.
• Sessions 10–13: The Lord’s Supper, Crucifixion, and Resurrection (Matthew 14–28) Jesus the suffering Servant and our Passover lamb bore the penalty of death for covenant breakers.

Remember the purpose of this course: G2R God’s Promises traces the covenant story from Genesis to Revelation. This is a different focus than G2R Bible Survey, the foundational course for preteens and younger teens, an exciting journey through every book of the Bible:

• G2R Bible Survey focuses on the who, what, where, and when of God’s plan.
• G2R God’s Promises zeroes in on the why and how.