The Gospels: Volume 2

The Gospels

The Complete Portrait of the Messiah

Volume 2

Other volumes in e Complete Portrait of the Messiah series

Volume 1: e Pentateuch

Volume 2: e Gospels

Volume 3: e Historical Books

Volume 4: Acts

Volume 5: e Wisdom Books

Volume 6: Paul’s Letters

Volume 7: e Major Prophets

Volume 8: General Letters

Volume 9: e Minor Prophets

Volume 10: Revelation

Also available from Time to Revive and Laura Kim Martin

reviveDAILY: A Devotional Journey from Genesis to Revelation, Year 1

reviveDAILY: A Devotional Journey from Genesis to Revelation, Year 2

The Gospels

The Complete Portrait of the Messiah

Volume 2

Kyle Lance Martin

Time to Revive and reviveSCHOOL Richardson, Texas

e Gospels

Published in conjunction with Iron Stream Media 100 Missionary Ridge Birmingham, AL 35242 IronStreamMedia.com

Copyright © 2022 by Time to Revive

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise—without the prior written permission of the publisher.

Iron Stream Media serves its authors as they express their views, which may not express the views of the publisher.

Library of Congress Control Number: 2022947980

Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holman Christian Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Holman Christian Standard Bible®, Holman CSB®, and HCSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers.

Scripture quotations marked ESV are from the ESV® Bible ( e Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked NASB are taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by e Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. www.lockman.org

Excerpts taken from Nelson’s New Illustrated Bible Commentary edited by Earl D. Radmacher, Ronald B. Allen, and H. Wayne House. Copyright © 1999 by Earl D. Radmacher, Ronald B. Allen, and H. Wayne House. Used by permission of HarperCollins Christian Publishing. www.harpercollinschristian.com.

978-1-63204-098-5 (hardback)

(e-book)

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Dedication

Greetings friends and colaborers of the Lord Jesus Christ!

I am writing to you with an excitement that is beyond words. For I would like to dedicate this book to individuals like yourselves whose desire to grow closer to Jesus and go deeper in the Word of God brings such JOY to my heart. And my prayer for each one of you is that the Holy Spirit will reveal more of Him self to you in this in-depth time of studying the Word of God daily. Jesus said, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be sat isﬁed” (Matthew 5:6 ). So as you embark on this journey of studying each book of the Bible, may you experience a freshness and a fulﬁllment that can only come from the Spirit of God. You will have days that you won’t want to wake up early and read. ere will be moments when life throws you a situation that delays your personal devotional time with Him. But please press in and allow the Holy Spirit to strengthen your every step. is will allow you to exercise your faith muscles and walk out what you are learning in this. From my experience, obedience will bring education to life!

It will be quite a strenuous commitment, yet it’s a part of an intentional strategy to equip the saints for His return. And your participation with reviveSCHOOL is a unique part of this preparation.

May the Lord receive all the glory, honor, and fame in this pursuit of righteousness.

Praying, Dr. Kyle Lance Martin

Lesson 73: John 5: Witnesses for the Son of God ....................................... 321 Lesson 74: John 6: Jesus Fed the 5,000 ....................................................... 325 Lesson 75: John 7: e Coming of the Holy Spirit to Dwell in Us 330 Lesson 76: John 8: I Am the Light of the World 334

Lesson 77: John 9: Born Blind and en Healed 339

Lesson 78: John 10: e Door of the Sheep—the Good Shepherd ............. 344 Lesson 79: John 11: I Am the Resurrection and the Life ............................. 349

WEEK 28

Lesson 80: John 12: Belief and Unbelief ..................................................... 354

Lesson 81: John 13: Jesus Washed the Disciples’ Feet ................................. 359

Lesson 82: John 14: Let Not Your Hearts Be Troubled ............................... 363

Lesson 83: John 15: e True Vine ............................................................. 367

Lesson 84: John 16: e Spirit of Truth ...................................................... 371

Lesson 85: John 17: Jesus’ Prayer for Our Unity ......................................... 375

Lesson 86: John 18: Peter’s Denials; Jesus’ Trials ......................................... 379

KYLE LANCE MARTIN ix

WEEK 29

Lesson 87: John 19: e Day of Jesus’ Passion

Lesson 88: John 20: “I Have Seen e Lord”

............................................ 384

.............................................. 388

Lesson 89: John 21: “Do You Love Me?” 393

Contributing Authors

................................................................................. 397

x The Gospels

reviveSCHOOL History and Introduction

In January of 2015, our ministry, Time to Revive, was invited from our home base in Richardson, Texas, to Goshen, Indiana, to help equip the local church to learn how to go out and share the gospel in their community. We called it reviveINDIANA. During this frigid ﬁrst trip in January, our intention was to help facilitate a week of prayer and outreach as a form of training, which we hoped would lead to an intentional week of outreach later that year. Little did we know that God had other plans.

e week of prayer and outreach started with about 450 people from various churches in the community and, to our surprise, quickly swelled to over 3,000. And by the end of that ﬁrst week, the Holy Spirit conﬁrmed to a group of us, including local pastors, that the Time to Revive team should stay for 52 straight days! Imagine the phone calls we had to make to our spouses telling them we were going to stay a “little” longer.

Over the course of these seven weeks, the local church witnessed God move in mighty ways, and each person involved could tell you miraculous testimonies of how they witnessed, ﬁrsthand, how God was moving. e 52 days culminated on March 4 of that year where an estimated 10,000 people showed up to brave the cold temperatures and go out and share the love of Jesus Christ.

All the while, word of this was spreading throughout the state, and it led to the Time to Revive team being invited to seven diﬀerent cities in Indiana over the course of the next seven months. We continued to witness the local body of believers in these various communities encouraged and equipped to continue to take out their faith and share with others. e gospel wasn’t intended to stay only in the church building. Jesus commissioned each one of us to go and make disciples in our own Jerusalem, Judea, and Samaria and to the ends of the earth. Back in Goshen, the local body continued to go out regularly after those initial 52 days while keeping track of the days since that ﬁrst amazing week. A couple of years later in 2017, the local believers invited our team to celebrate their 1,000th day of outreach in their community. It was during that time when a local man shared with us a dream he had, which led us to start a two-year Bible study in the community. Similar to the Apostle Paul as he taught 12 disciples in Ephesus to study the Word of God on a daily basis, Time to Revive’s desire was to also pro vide in-depth teaching that would focus on where the Messiah is found in every book of the Bible from Genesis to Revelation. We knew this would deepen their commitment to sharing the gospel as well as deepen their relationship with the Lord and with those whom they were discipling.

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But when some became hardened and would not believe, slandering the Way in front of the crowd, he withdrew from them and met separately with the disciples, conducting discussions every day in the lecture hall of Tyrannus. —Acts 19:9

is local Bible study started with 12 men who signed up and committed to study the Word of God in a barn on a county road in Goshen, Indiana. And on January 1, 2018, we launched reviveSCHOOL with 54 men in this initial group. ey studied the Scriptures daily, using the online resources, then gath ered in the barn to discuss them in person. Each student studied the Bible daily using these resources:

• a Scripture reading plan to stay on track,

• a 29-minute teaching video (by Kyle Lance Martin, Indiana pastors, and TTR teachers),

• a devotion (written by Laura Kim Martin),

• reading guide questions to help facilitate discussion and critical thinking,

• lesson plans to summarize the daily teaching, and

• a painting of each book of the Bible by Mindi Oaten.

Upon the completion of the two-year study in the Word, Time to Revive celebrated over 200 students who had joined reviveSCHOOL with a gradua tion ceremony in January 2020. Plans were made for these individuals to take the Word and launch reviveSCHOOL groups not only in the United States but also throughout various nations. However, with worldwide travel restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this travel didn’t happen. ankfully, God had another plan, His plan was “above and beyond” all that Time to Revive could ask or think of (Ephesians 3:20–21).

With all the reviveSCHOOL materials already available online, the Holy Spirit spread the word to pastors and leaders of nations all throughout the world. Believers were hungry for biblically sound teaching and resources to grow closer to the Lord. As exempliﬁed in Acts 19 with Paul and the disciples, and all the people of Asia, the Word of God through reviveSCHOOL truly spread—from a barn in Indiana to the nations.

And this went on for two years, so that all the inhabitants of Asia, both Jews and Greeks, heard the message about the Lord. —Acts 19:10

By God’s grace, reviveSCHOOL has become an outlet for individuals to gain fresh insight into the Messiah all throughout the Scriptures, as well as to develop an understanding of the role of Israel from a biblical perspective.

xii The Gospels

I am humbled and honored that you would select reviveSCHOOL for your learning. When we started with 12 guys in a Bible study, we had no idea that reviveSCHOOL would be as far reaching as it has become. Our team would delight in knowing that you are studying the Word of God and using the resources with reviveSCHOOL. We pray that through these resources you will grow closer to the Lord and that you are inspired to walk out the plans that God has for your life by exposing others to the love of Christ.

For further information about how to sign up for this two-year study in the Word of God or if you would like to launch a reviveSCHOOL group in your commu nity, state/province, or country, please go online to www.reviveSCHOOL.org.

KYLE LANCE MARTIN xiii

To God be the glory!

Dr. Kyle Lance Martin

How to Use this Bible Study Series

e Complete Portrait of the Messiah Bible study series contains multiple com ponents for each lesson. ese components work together to provide an in-depth study of how Jesus is revealed throughout the whole of Scripture. Below is a description of each component and how you can use each one to maximize your study experience.

Teaching Notes & Video Lessons

e teaching notes summarize the main points of each video lesson and include a QR code to access the video teaching. If you have access to the internet via your phone or tablet, you can scan the QR code to watch the video lesson.*

e Daily Word Devotional Dig deeper into personal application for each lesson through “ e Daily Word” devotion. is day-by-day devotion encourages you with thoughts for applica tion and further Scripture readings.

Reading Guide Questions

ese questions will guide you into a more detailed exploration of each lesson’s content. Examine the concepts of the daily Scripture readings in more detail.

e Bible Art Collection is Bible study series is augmented by a one-of-a-kind, especially inspired series of original artwork created by artist Mindi Oaten. ese 66 acrylic paintings creatively depict the revelation of Christ in each book of the Bible. Viewing each of these original art pieces will inspire and further enrich your understanding of Jesus throughout all of the Scriptures. ese can be found at https://www.mindioaten.com/pages/mindi-oaten-art-bible-art-collection or https://www.reviveschool.org/

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About the Cover Matthew

“Messiah the King: Promise Fulﬁlled”

Artist Notes: Mindi Oaten

As the book of Matthew begins the New Testament, I felt it was important to connect the garden in Genesis, the very beginning, to the arrival of Jesus on earth. e promised Seed is now represented as a full-grown tree. e manger on top of this tree represents the birth of the promised Messiah. He was born under the humblest of circumstances, in a stable, but would grow up to reign as King. Many Old Testament prophecies pointed to this moment, the arrival of the longawaited Messiah, the Deliverer, who came as the Atonement for our sins and to set up the kingdom of God on earth.

The Tree

e historical record of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham. —Matthew 1:1

e tree represents the generational line of Jesus recorded in chapter 1. Jesus, the promised Seed, was born of the virgin Mary, who was a descendant in the line of David, and traces back to Abraham. Jesus came to save the world and bring God’s kingdom to earth where He will reign as eternal King. is painting is like part two of Genesis. e seed is now the tree fully grown. Jesus has come!

The Manger

rough the manger, I wanted to symbolize the birth of Jesus, His entrance as Savior on earth, as well as the promised Seed fulﬁlled. I realize the manger detail is not mentioned in Matthew like it is in Luke 2:7, but it seemed the best way to portray His birth in this painting.

The Crown

is took place so that what was spoken through the prophet might be fulﬁlled: Tell Daughter Zion, “Look, your King is coming to you,

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gentle, and mounted on a donkey, even on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden.”

—Matthew 21:4–5

ey twisted together a crown of thorns, put it on His head, and placed a reed in His right hand. And they knelt down before Him and mocked Him: “Hail, King of the Jews!” —Matthew 27:29

Jesus is Messiah the King. erefore, I painted half the crown as twisted thorns (born to die) and half as a king’s crown (eternal kingship). e dual crown shows his purpose as an eternal King who was to suﬀer and die—being the ultimate sac riﬁce to redeem us back to the Father and eventually reigning over the kingdom of heaven set up on earth.

The Starry Sky and the Star

After hearing the king, they went on their way. And there it was—the star they had seen in the east! It led them until it came and stopped above the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were overjoyed beyond measure. —Matthew 2:9–10

e background, emphasized by the star of Bethlehem guiding the wise men to the stable and declaring His arrival, represents the sky on the night Jesus was born. While painting the sky, I had an incredible experience of feeling the pres ence of God and seeing His hand in creation. It was overwhelming.

Flowers—Garden Flowers from Genesis

On the ground, under the tree, are garden flowers that reference back to Genesis. I painted twelve species of flowers to represent the twelve tribes, including Judah, the lineage of Jesus Christ. is speaks to the chosen generational line until the arrival of the Messiah who was Jewish. God chose Jesus to come through His elect people, the Israelites, and He is the fulfilment of Old Testament prophecy that the Messiah would be a descendant of David. In this composition, I included the yellow Star of Bethlehem flowers as they seemed an appropriate witness to the star that guided the wise men.

*In reviveSCHOOL, the theme name for Jesus in Matthew is King.

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Lesson 1: Matthew 1

King: Jesus’ Family Tree

Teaching Notes

Intro

We’ve just ﬁnished our study of the Pentateuch (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy) which was written by Moses, and we’re now begin ning our study of the Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John). We’re going to keep doing that—moving from the Old Testament to the New Testament—over a two-year period. e word “gospel” literally means “good news.” roughout the Gospels, we’re going to be talking about the good news. All of us have the bad news of sin and death, but praise the Lord, we have the good news of Jesus Christ our Lord. Remember that in the Old Testament, we gave one word for each of the books we studied, such as Seed for the Book of Genesis. rough the seed of Abraham, we can see how it ultimately points to the Seed, Jesus Christ. e one word for Matthew that talks about Jesus is King. In the Book of Mark, Jesus is the Servant. In the Book of Luke, the emphasis is on the Son of Man, and in John, the emphasis is on the Son of God. In Matthew, we’ll focus on Jesus as King. e word “King” is used 22 times in the Book of Matthew and “kingdom” is used 32 times. e author, Matthew, was one of the 12 disciples. He was also known as Levi and was a former tax collector who left everything behind to follow Yeshua. His audience was mostly Jewish Christians.

In Matthew 1, we’ll walk through Jesus’ family tree. Several things are unique to the Book of Matthew: the genealogy of Jesus, Joseph’s dreams, the visitation of the wise men, the ﬂight to Egypt, Herod’s threat to kill all the male children under two years of age, Judas’ repentance, Pilate’s wife’s dream about John the Baptist, the bribery of the soldiers, and the Great Commission. Studying Matthew 1 is like studying the Pentateuch again because it provides historical records from the Old Testament.

Teaching

Matthew 1:1–6a: Verse 1 gives the historical record of Jesus’ lineage. e gene alogy itself is divided into three sections of 14 generations each for a total of 42 generations. e name of Jesus was common in the ﬁrst century, and His last

1 WEEK 16

name was not “Christ.” It is also a common name today in the Hispanic and Latino cultures with a different pronunciation. Matthew first identified Jesus as the Son of David. Second Samuel 7:12 provides the importance of this identification: “When your time comes and you rest with your fathers, I will raise up after you your descendant, who will come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom.” When Matthew’s readers read Jesus’ genealogy, it immediately con nected them to the Davidic covenant, passing through David’s son Solomon and down to Jesus.

Nelson’s Commentary gave three reasons why Jesus’ genealogy was so important for Matthew: (1) it verified that Jesus was an Israelite and a Jew, (2) it identified that Jesus was connected to the tribe of Judah, and (3) it showed that He was qualified for certain religious duties.1 is means that proving someone’s geneal ogy allowed him to walk in his calling. Genesis 12 talks about the Seed that will rule forever.

In verse 2, His lineage begins with Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Judah. e first 14 generations go from Abraham to David. Within Jesus’ lineage, five women are listed, including Tamar (who had sexual relations with her father-inlaw), Rahab (a prostitute that protected the Israelite spies), and Ruth (a foreigner and a worshipper of idols). Tom Constable gives several reasons why the women were included: (1) to show that Jesus came for sinners, (2) to show that Jesus came for everyone, regardless of gender or race, (3) to prepare his readers for the role of Mary as a part of Jesus’ lineage, (4) to show that there were “irregular marital unions” in Jesus’ lineage, and (5) to show how God used Gentiles to show “extraordinary faith in contrast to Jews.”2 is section of genealogy ends with the first mention of a king–King David (v. 6). ese show that God can use anybody at any given time, regardless of the mistakes in their lives.

Matthew 1:6b–11: In verse 6b, Matthew recorded that “David fathered Solo mon by Uriah’s wife.” Matthew does not name Bathsheba because he is tying her to a Hittite, he is showing us that God can also use foreigners. e second set of 14 generations go from David to the Babylonian exile when the Israelites were taken away as slaves. is section is full of people whose names are not well-known, which shows again that God can use anyone, redeem them, and use them to point to the Messiah. John 1:14 gives the signiﬁcance of His coming: “ e Word became ﬂesh and took up residence among us.” Notice that

1 Earl D. Radmacher, Ronald B. Allen, and H. Wayne House, eds., Nelson’s New Illustrated Bible Commentary (Nashville: omas Nelson, 1999), 1137.

2 omas L. Constable, Expository Notes of Dr. omas Constable: Matthew, 34, https:// planobiblechapel.org/tcon/notes/pdf/matthew.pdf.

The Gospels 2

Matthew didn’t include everyone in the genealogy, but that doesn’t impact the background of Jesus or His lineage.

Matthew 1:12–16: e third set of 14 generations go from the end of the Babylo nian exile to the Messiah. Matthew began the genealogy in verse 1 with Jesus, and he ended it with Jesus. In verse 16, Matthew tied Jesus’ lineage to Joseph. John MacArthur describes how this is important, even though Joseph was not Jesus’ biological father: “ e genealogy, nonetheless, establishes His claim to the throne of David as Joseph’s legal heir.”3

Matthew 1:17: Verse 17 summarizes the breakdown of the 42 generations of Jesus. After establishing Jesus’ family lineage, Matthew moved on to give the details of Jesus’ birth. e rest of the Book of Matthew is about the life of Jesus.

Matthew 1:18–25: In the ﬁrst century, engagement was seen as binding as a legal marriage. In verse 18, Joseph “discovered before they came together that [Mary] was pregnant by the Holy Spirit.” Joseph was described as a righteous man who didn’t want to disgrace Mary and was going to divorce her secretly (v. 19). However, before Joseph could do these things, an angel appeared to him (v. 20). e angel acknowledged Joseph’s lineage (son of David) and explained that God had orchestrated Mary’s pregnancy through the Holy Spirit. In verse 21, Joseph was given the name of the child, “Jesus, because He will save His people from their sins.”

Closing

We are the beneﬁciaries of the stubbornness of the Jews, of what they went through in rebellion against God, and it’s our job to minister and give back to them in any way we can.

Daily Word

As part of God’s plan for the world, Joseph and Mary had a virgin-born son. When you hear the news that someone has had a baby, many times the ﬁrst question you ask is, “What did the parents name the baby?” After an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, he obediently named their son, Jesus, the Greek form of the Hebrew name Joshua, which means “Yahweh saves.” Joseph and Mary may not have realized the magnitude of Jesus’ name at the time of His birth, that their newborn son was born to be the Savior of the world. He was, as the prophets foretold, Immanuel—God with us.

3 John MacArthur, e MacArthur Bible Commentary (Nashville: omas Nelson, 2005), 1120.

Week 16 – Lesson 1: Matthew 1 3

ink about the meaning of your own name, and pray through what it means. Ask the Lord to reveal to you how He wants to use you to impact the kingdom of God. Give thanks for Jesus, Yeshua, the great I A, who was born to save and deliver you from your sins.

She will give birth to a son, and you are to name Him Jesus, because He will save His people from their sins. —Matthew 1:21

Further Scripture: Genesis 32:28; Luke 2:11; 1 John 4:10

Questions

1. How do you see God’s promise to Abraham fulﬁlled in Matthew 1 (Genesis 12:3; Matthew 1:1, 16)?

2. Women were rarely mentioned in ancient genealogies. Who are the four Old Testament women mentioned in Matthew’s genealogy (Matthew 1:2–6)? Why do you think these particular women were mentioned? What does this tell you about God’s grace and who He chooses to use for His glory (Genesis 38; Joshua 2:4–6; Ruth 1; 2 Samuel 11)?

3. What was Matthew trying to get his readers to understand about Joseph (Matthew 1:16)?

4. What did an angel of the Lord tell Joseph about Jesus (Matthew 1:21; Acts 4:12; 13:23; Hebrews 7:25)? How did Joseph respond to this news?

5. What should have happened to Mary according to the Old Testament law of adultery (Deuteronomy 22:23–24)? Since this did not happen, what does this say about Joseph?

6. What did the Holy Spirit highlight to you in Matthew 1 through the reading or the teaching?

The Gospels 4

Lesson 2: Matthew 2 King: e Search for Jesus

Teaching Notes

Intro

is is lesson 2 on the Book of Matthew. Studying Scripture shows us how it all ﬁts together. In Matthew 1, we looked at the lineage of Jesus, the family tree of which Jesus is the head. Jesus is connected to the son of Abraham and the son of David, and came after 42 generations in the Old Testament. Looking at the lineage, there are ﬁve women included in the list of men. Some of these people messed up, and yet God still used them—Jesus can use anyone to point others to Himself.

reviveSCHOOL was started based on Acts 19 when Paul studied with 12 others who talked about the Word every day. So as we talk about Jesus being the Messiah, share what you’re learning, talk with other people about Jesus. e Word must leave the building and go into the lives of others outside of the church.

Teaching

Matthew 2:1–3: Bethlehem means “house of bread.” People left their homes, their families, their villages to go experience Jesus at Bethlehem of Judea. e wise men came to Jerusalem, asking people where to find “the King of the Jews” (v. 2a). ey had seen “His star in the east and [had] come to worship Him” (v. 2b). e wise men were not kings. ey might have been magicians or astrologers, or men who studied the stars. Something prompted them to recognize one star as that of the King’s star. is is the best verse you’re going to find about Jesus as the King. ink about this . . . when Jesus was crucified on the cross, the sign that was hung over His head proclaimed that He was “ e King of the Jews.” at title is found at both the beginning and the end of His life, although at the end it was said in mockery. Even at this point, I believe that was a declaration from God. e American Christmas tradition always portrays three wise men, but we don’t know how many there were. King Herod became disturbed at the threat of another king and “all Jerusalem with him” (v. 3). Most commentators say the star was not a super nova but was a supernatural reality, like the shekinah

5 WEEK 16

glory of God in the Old Testament. God’s presence moved the star to show the wise men where to go.

Matthew 2:4–6: In verse 4, Herod brought all the religious leaders together to ask them where the Messiah would be born. is is a time when God used the extraordinary faith of Gentiles (the wise men) to point the way to His Son when the Jews didn’t do that. e Jews knew the answer based on Micah 5:2 in the Old Testament—Bethlehem of Judea: “And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the leaders of Judah: because out of you will come a leader who will shepherd My people Israel” (Matthew 2:6). Imagine these groups (scribes and Pharisees, Jerusalem leaders) coming to Herod to tell him where the King would be born.

Micah 5:2 points to two roles the Messiah would fulﬁll—He would be a leader and a shepherd. MacArthur states that “the Greek word for ‘ruler’ evokes the image of strong, even stern leadership. ‘Shepherd’ emphasizes tender care. Christ’s rule involves both.”1 Micah 5:2 points to Revelation 12:5: “But she gave birth to a Son—a male who is going to shepherd all nations with an iron scepter—and her child was caught up to God and to His throne.” is King is a leader and a shepherd. Psalm 78:70–72 describes the dual role of the leader/shepherd: “He chose David His servant and took him from the sheepfolds; He brought him from tending ewes to be shepherd over His people Jacob—over Israel, His inheritance. He shepherded them with a pure heart and guided them with his skillful hands.”

Matthew 2:7–9: As a result of his conversation with the religious leaders, Herod met with the wise men and asked the exact time they had seen the star appear (v. 7). In verse 8, Herod sent them to Bethlehem to ﬁnd the child and asked them to report back so he could go and worship Him as well. Herod used the wise men. After meeting with Herod, the wise men left, saw the star again, and followed it to the exact location where the child was (v. 9). Notice the word “child” there and not “baby.” What we’ve done in the American Christmas culture is portray three wise men showing up at the manger to see the newborn baby. e reality is that the wise men arrived one or two years after the birth of the child.

Matthew 2:10–11: Verse 10 says, “When they saw the star, they were overjoyed beyond measure.” Don’t miss this. When we can experience something of the Lord, we should stop and enjoy that moment. ey were ﬁlled with joy because

1 John MacArthur, e MacArthur Bible Commentary (Nashville: omas Nelson, 2005), 1131–1132.

The Gospels 6

of the Lord’s presence. When you start walking out your calling, you’ll be ﬁlled with joy because it comes from the Lord. 1 Peter 1:6–8 says,

You rejoice in this, though now for a short time you have had to struggle in various trials so that the genuineness of your faith—more valuable than gold, which perishes though reﬁned by ﬁre—may result in praise, glory, and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

You love Him, though you have not seen Him. And though not seeing Him now, you believe in Him and rejoice with inexpressible and glorious joy.

ere’s joy even in the struggles. At that moment, the wise men might not have even seen the child yet, but they saw the star, knew they were in the child’s pres ence, and rejoiced with inexpressible and glorious joy.

Verse 11 says they entered the house (not the stable), saw the child, and fell to their knees in worship. e second the wise men saw Jesus, they worshipped Him. en they presented their gifts. ese wise men came prepared to be in the presence of the Lord. ey brought three gifts—gold, frankincense (gum from a tree), and myrrh (a sap-like substance). In Isaiah 60:6 is a prophetic picture of these gifts: “Caravans of camels will cover your land—young camels of Midian and Ephah—all of them will come from Sheba. ey will carry gold and frankincense and proclaim the praises of the L.”

e gifts of the Gentile wise men call attention to the gifts we bring to God.

Romans 15:25–27 addresses the obligation Christians have to minister to Jews: “Right now I am traveling to Jerusalem to serve the saints, for Macedonia and Achaia were pleased to make a contribution for the poor among the saints in Jerusalem. Yes, they were pleased, and indeed are indebted to them. For if the Gentiles have shared in their spiritual beneﬁts, then they are obligated to minister to Jews in material needs.”

Matthew 2:12–15: In a dream, the wise men were warned not to return to Herod (v. 12). After the wise men were gone, an angel appeared to Joseph in a dream and told him to take his family to Egypt (v. 13). e angel told Joseph to stay there until he returned to tell Joseph that it was safe to go back Israel. Joseph did not process this, or consider pros and cons, but he left immediately (v. 14). Joseph, out of obedience, spared the King of the Jews by taking Him to Egypt. ey stayed until Herod’s death, so that the prophecy in Hosea 11:1 would be fulﬁlled: “Out of Egypt I called My Son” (v. 15). I believe Joseph could obey what the angel said because he knew the Word of God and understood the prophetic message that the Messiah would come out of Egypt. Many of us hear from the Lord, but we’re not in the Word so we don’t know if what we hear aligns with the

Week 16 – Lesson 2: Matthew 2 7

Word. We’re hesitant about being led by the Spirit. It makes life a lot easier when you know the Word of the Lord.

Matthew 2:16–23: In verse 16, Herod realized he had been outwitted by the wise men and “He gave orders to massacre all the male children in and around Bethle hem who were two years old and under.” Because Joseph obeyed the instructions from God, the King of the Jews was saved and the prophecy from Hosea was fulﬁlled. Verse 18 records the fulﬁllment of these words from Jeremiah 31:15: “A voice was heard in Ramah, weeping, and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children; and she refused to be consoled, because they were no more.” In verses 19–20, the angel suddenly appeared to Joseph and told him to take his family back to Israel. Joseph waited on the Lord, and God spoke. In verse 21, Joseph obeyed. He did what he heard from the Lord. In verses 22–23, Joseph again obeyed, and because he knew the Word of God, he knew where to take his family.

Closing

e wise men saw a star. Joseph heard from the Lord in dreams. How we hear from the Lord and see things from the Lord can be diﬀerent all the time. It could be through a pastor preaching a sermon or a friend from reviveSCHOOL speaking into your life. Out of obedience, we need to keep walking it out, waiting, and listening to hear from the Lord, because He is the King of the Jews.

Daily Word

Joseph, Mary, and Jesus moved from Jesus’ birthplace in Bethlehem to Egypt before settling in Nazareth, where Jesus eventually grew up. Each time they moved or altered their travel plans, it was because Joseph had a dream. After each dream, Joseph immediately obeyed and moved his family to where he was told to go—even if it meant leaving in the middle of the night.

As a believer in relationship with Jesus, He will speak to you, and He may even do so in a dream. Dreams may come and go in your life, and sometimes you may think nothing about them. However, next time you have a dream, pause, write it down, and ask the Lord what He’s telling you through that dream. If He reveals something to you, then act on it in faith and obedience. Joseph moved in faith. He acted immediately, and, in doing so, he saved his son. e wise men were warned in a dream not to go back to Herod; they immediately took a dif ferent route and were saved. Praise the Lord for guiding and directing your steps, even speaking to you through dreams.

The Gospels 8

After they were gone, an angel of the Lord suddenly appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, “Get up! Take the child and His mother, ﬂee to Egypt, and stay there until I tell you. For Herod is about to search for the child to destroy Him.” So he got up, took the child and His mother during the night, and escaped to Egypt. —Matthew 2:13–14

Further Scripture: Psalm 119:60; Joel 2:28; Matthew 2:12

Questions

1. e wise men were serious about finding Jesus. ey had one thing in mind and that was to find Jesus and worship Him. How serious are you about your worship? Does a hunger for worship or the world influence your life?

2. ere are at least four prophecies from the Old Testament concerning Jesus in Matthew 2. Find each one in the chapter and look them up (Matthew 2:6, 15, 18, 23). Note: e last prophecy in this chapter is not found anywhere in the Old Testament but was believed to have been spoken by the prophets.

3. What were the three dreams that Joseph had in Matthew 2 (Matthew 2:13, 19, 22)? Why do you believe that Joseph was quick to obey these dreams? Has the Lord ever spoken to you in a dream? Was it something to obey? If so, did you?

4. What do you notice about the comparison of the wise men and the shep herds as both were searching for Jesus (Matthew 2:1, 9–11; Luke 2:15–20)? Which of the two saw Jesus ﬁrst?

5. It’s hard to read a verse like Matthew 2:16. Why do you think God would allow this to happen (Psalm 19:9; Isaiah 55:11; Jeremiah 1:12; Matthew 2:17–18)?

6. What did the Holy Spirit highlight to you in Matthew 2 through the reading or the teaching?

Week 16 – Lesson 2: Matthew 2 9

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The Gospels: Volume 2

The Gospels

The Complete Portrait of the Messiah

Volume 2

The Gospels

The Complete Portrait of the Messiah

Volume 2

Kyle Lance Martin

e Gospels

Copyright © 2022 by Time to Revive

Dedication

Contents

WEEK 20

WEEK 21

WEEK 22

WEEK 23

WEEK 24

reviveSCHOOL History and Introduction

How to Use this Bible Study Series

Teaching Notes & Video Lessons

About the Cover Matthew

“Messiah the King: Promise Fulﬁlled”

The Tree

The Manger

The Crown

The Starry Sky and the Star

Flowers—Garden Flowers from Genesis

Lesson 1: Matthew 1

King: Jesus’ Family Tree

Teaching Notes

Intro

Teaching

Closing

Daily Word

Questions

Lesson 2: Matthew 2 King: e Search for Jesus

Teaching Notes

Intro

Teaching

Closing

Daily Word

Questions

Articles inside

Lesson 6: Matthew 6: Earthly Possessions or Heavenly Treasurers

Lesson 3: Matthew 3: Baptism by the Holy Spirit and Fire

Lesson 4: Matthew 4: Satan’s Temptations

Lesson 5: Matthew 5: Fulfillment of the Law