Lesson 8 - Parables About the Kingdom

Matthew 13. As a prism reveals the true nature of the light shining through it, Matthew 13 describes the true nature of the Kingdom. It is like seeds on a path, wheat in a field laced with weeds, a mustard seed and a small measure of yeast, buried treasure, a priceless pearl and a fisherman’s net pulled through the water. It is open to all and ever-expanding — but the enemy’s opposition grows alongside it. Those who would follow Christ must truly hear what He has to say and remain faithful until He returns.

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Lesson 7 - The Response to the King

Matthew 11 and 12 contain some of the most comforting and most confrontational words Christ spoke to those who heard Him. While some, like the imprisoned John the Baptist, thought He wasn’t moving fast enough, and needed reassurance — others, like the Pharisees, wanted to shut Him down, openly challenging His authority and ultimately deciding to get rid of Him. But there would be no escaping the truths He clearly and plainly spoke — or the inevitable results of rejecting His offer of salvation.

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Lesson 6 - A Kingdom of Power

Matthew 9:18—10:42. Jesus continued to demonstrate that His Kingdom was unlike any other — a Kingdom of power and grace open to all who believe and trust in His mercy. He chose twelve disciples and sent them out in that same power to do the same works He had done, opening their eyes to the great harvest awaiting them. And He warned that the same persecution He was already facing awaited them as well. Theirs was a call to be like Him in all things — even to the cross.

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Lesson 5 - A Kingdom of Grace, Mercy and Peace

Matthew 8:1—9:17. After describing His Kingdom in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus began to demonstrate its power. He healed many — among them a leper, the servant of a despised Roman centurion, a paralytic, and two Gentile men tormented by demons. He calmed a violent storm for His disciples and spoke strong words to would-be-followers and offended Pharisees. This, He said, is the Kingdom He came to bring — a new covenant of grace, mercy and peace for all who would receive it.

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Lesson 4 - The King’s Teaching Continues: A Revolutionary New Way to Worship

Matthew 6:1—7:29. Jesus continued to reveal what His Kingdom is like. He unmasked the hypocrites and their showy obedience. He spoke of a loving Father who cares about all our needs and then taught us how to pray to Him. He warned against false teachers and how they could be identified. He identified two roads open to His listeners and told of two houses that revealed the choices of their builders. Yes, His Kingdom had come — but who would choose to enter it?

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Lesson 3 - The King’s Teaching Begins: A Revolutionary New Way to Live

Matthew 5:1-48. As Moses revealed God’s Law on the mountain of Sinai, Jesus introduced the Kingdom of God and all its blessings on a Galilean hillside. His words brought joy and comfort to the humble and revealed what God really required of those who would truly follow Him. They also exposed the pride and hypocrisy of the religious leaders, a revelation that would only grow in the days ahead and bear its own sorrowful fruit.

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Lesson 2 - The King Identified

Matthew 3:1 — 4:25. From the somewhat quiet and hidden birth of the Promised King, Matthew moved immediately into Jesus’ public ministry. He recounted John the Baptist’s call to repentance and baptism. He recorded Christ’s obedience to that call and the thunderous affirmation from Heaven that He was indeed the Son of God. He followed Christ as He was tempted in the wilderness, called His first disciples and preached His message throughout Galilee. Christ was joyfully received by many and fiercely rejected by others from the very beginning. And that division would only grow.

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Lesson 1 - Birth of the King

Matthew 1:1—2:23. Everything that Matthew recorded in these first two chapters was designed to make his Jewish readers think. Each prophecy that Christ fulfilled should have been another indication to them that Jesus truly was the promised seed of Abraham, the Messiah, the son of David and hence the Son of God. But it was obvious from the very beginning that Jesus was not the kind of King they thought the Promised One would be — nor would His kingdom. And Matthew was just beginning to show them.

To learn more about Michele or to support this international ministry please visit https://intheword.com