Hi, I'm Glenn Russell.
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Welcome to our special
series on the Book of Matthew.
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This is one of
the exciting series
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here at 3ABN
entitled Books of the Book.
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I'm sure you'll
enjoy a fascinating journey
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through the Gospel of Matthew.
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We'll be exploring the book
from beginning to end looking
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at key ideas and passages
with our guest and teacher,
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Dr Ranko Stefanovic.
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Before we begin
let's enter into prayer.
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Lord, before we open your word,
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we ask that
you'll open our hearts.
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We need you to come
and teach us and guide us
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into the deeper
things of Your word,
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for Your glory,
in Jesus' name, amen.
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Now, let's meet our teacher.
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I'm so glad to
welcome Dr Ranko Stefanovic.
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Ranko is a beloved teacher,
author, pastor and speaker.
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You teach at the Andrews
University Theological Seminary,
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Professor of New Testament.
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Ranko, welcome dear
friend and colleague,
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and tell us a little
bit about this process
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that we are getting
into about exploring
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the Book of
Matthew, What's it all about?
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As we know
everybody who reads the Bible
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is aware that there are four
gospels in the Bible. All right.
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But when you read
those four gospels,
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there are some
many similarities,
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and there are many
differences between them.
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The first three
gospels Matthew, Mark and Luke
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are very much alike.
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We call them synoptics.
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While the Gospel of
John is little bit different,
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the early Christians they
called it spiritual gospel,
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because it contained
some spiritual insight into
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the life of
Jesus that's not found
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in the first
three synoptic gospel.
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Let me just explain to the
-- viewers the word 'synoptic',
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it's actually Greek.
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The Greek word 'syn'
or 'sone' means together
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or with, an optic
which is related optic,
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it simply means seen together.
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So it's a reference to
the first three gospels
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that they
describe the life of Jesus
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through the same
glasses something we look at.
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Now, Ranko, the word 'gospel'
where do we get that from?
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Yeah. The word 'gospel'
simply in the original language
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Greek means the good news.
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And it is good
news. It's a good news
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about Jesus Christ.
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So at the very
beginning the word referred
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to the preaching of the gospel,
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you know, in the early
Christians after the ascension
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of Jesus to the heavenly places,
they went around to proclaim
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the good news about Jesus Christ
who came down to the earth,
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He ascended there
to the heavenly places.
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That was the good
news about the salvation
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that all the human beings
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they could have
through Jesus Christ.
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But it was after,
mostly likely Mark
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if you open the
Gospel of Mark Chapter 1,
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Mark refers to his book as
the gospel of Jesus Christ,
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so after that from singular
gospel, it came the plural
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usage of the
gospels with reference
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to the four accounts
of the life of Jesus.
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So the proclamation
became the writings.
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It's been the writings.
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It's for the- it's
for the same purposes.
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It's for the preaching of the
good news about Jesus Christ.
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Now, as we think about this
gospel according to Matthew,
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we're reminded who's
really the author he wrote,
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but God is the author.
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And what is he helping us
to see what picture of Jesus?
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What does he wanting us to know?
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See in order to
answer that question,
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first we've to ask
another question is --
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why do we have four gospels?
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Everybody who teaches four
gospels, we know that sometimes
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it's not easy to do - do it.
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Why? Because there are some,
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sometimes slight
differences, etcetera.
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So, why do we have four gospels?
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We've to understand
that the four gospels
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were written by
four individuals,
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and they had each one
of them had a particular
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kind of people in
mind to whom they wrote.
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So, the four gospels
are four portraits of Jesus
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addressing different
needs and circumstances
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of those original
readers who read them.
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So, one Savior, four
gospels. Four gospels.
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And we would expect
that they'd be a little bit
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different because if
not, why have four of them.
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If they're just gonna
be a copy of each other.
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Actually, in the
book, very good book
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titled The Selected Messages.
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There is something
very interesting, it says
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"In our Bible, we might
ask, why we need Matthew,
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Mark, Luke, and
John in the gospels.
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Why need the
Acts of the Apostles,
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and variety of
writers in the Epistles,
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go over the same thing?
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There are sometimes "petition."
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He says, the Lord gave
His Word in just the way
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He wanted it to come.
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He gave it
through different writers,
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and now it's significant, each
having his own individuality,
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going through the same history.
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Their testimonies are
brought together in one book.
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They do not represent
things in just the same style.
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Each has an experience of
his own, and this diversity
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broadens and deepens the --
knowledge that is brought out
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to meet the
necessities of varied minds.
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So, we'll put
four gospels together,
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we'd really have the --
complete picture of Jesus
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that appeals to different people
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in their needs of circumstances.
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So, the very diversity
gives us the richness. Yes.
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Christ is so - so
wonderful, it can't be explained
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in just one reference. Okay.
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So, you've said a little bit
about why, who and - and when,
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and the Bible wasn't
just written for us today,
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it had an original
audience. Help us with that.
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So, the Gospel of
Matthew, like, the other gospels
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and the entire New Testaments
written about 2,000 years ago.
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Not today. And,
when we study the Bible,
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they are so
called five Ws questions
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that we have to ask ourselves.
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So, if that question
begins with W, who wrote?
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To Whom it was written?
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Sometimes, it's
important when and where.
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Sometimes, it's not.
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But the last question
is the most significant.
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Why was the book written?
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So, let's deal with
the first one, who wrote.
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All right, tell
us about Matthew?
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See, the early Christian,
they named this gospel
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this book to be
the Gospel of Matthew.
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It means it was
written by a person,
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inspired by the Holy
Spirit, moved by the Holy Spirit
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by name of Matthew.
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We don't know
too much about him.
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But, when we read the gospel
and we'll come to that text,
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Matthew actually was a --
tax collector, and he joined,
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he was invited by Jesus.
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That appeal of Jesus,
forgiving voice of Jesus
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made - made such a
great impact on him,
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so he decided to follow Jesus,
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and he became the
follower of Jesus.
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Something very
interesting is, when we open
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Gospel of Matthew he introduces
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himself as
Matthew, tax collector.
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But if we go to
Mark Chapter 2, 14 to 17,
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we would not read
these texts now and Luke
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Chapter 5, 27 to
32, these gospels
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they know him as Levi or Levia.
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So, Levi clearly
points to an origin. Yes.
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Why? Because, you
see we've the list
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of the twelve disciples.
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In that list, you have
Matthew, but in Mark and Luke,
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you don't have
Matthew you have Levi,
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and it's always tax collector.
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So, this is the reason we know
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that he had actually two names.
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So, we get a little idea
that he has a Jewish background.
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Yes. And this will
come into importance
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as we think about his audience.
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By the way we will come
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in the conclusion
of today's series.
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And we will see how much
he refers to the Old Testament
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just to show that --
Jesus was the fulfillment
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of the Old
Testament's prophecies.
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Now, the question
is, to whom did he write?
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This is what people
are doing their best
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in order to understand,
but the suggestion was made
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since he was a Jew, he
lived there in Palestine,
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and we know that after
the persecution of Christians
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in Jerusalem, many
Christians they fled.
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They scattered all around.
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But most of Christians
they lived in antichrist area.
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That's why today
most Bible students
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they think that the
Gospe of Matthew was written
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in anti agency area and
for the needs of the church.
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Now, it's very
natural for us in ministry
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to wanna reach
our own people. Yeah.
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What would be, I'm
sure we're gonna explore
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some of the thing, what
would be some of the ideas
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that he would need to deal
with, he would need to address
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certain objections and
concerns in the process.
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So, as we study
through this book of Matthew,
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we're going to
see that he addresses
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those specific
things that helped him.
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You know, one of
the obligate things
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when we read the
Gospel of Matthew,
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we have always those long
debates with the Pharisees.
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And what was always the issue
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about how to observe the law.
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The issue was not should
the law be observed or not.
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Unfortunately,
many Christians they try
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to read it that way, no.
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I wanna make sure
we'd talked that Ranko,
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you said the issue
is not to keep the law
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and not the issue
is how to keep the law.
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How to keep the law.
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Critical point.
So, can you imagine
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when you address your
church and most church members
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were Jewish, significant
number of them were Pharisees.
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So, when you write
that gospel, one more
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time I would like to underline,
guided by the Holy Spirit.
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Yes. You want to address
the needs of those people
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who are legalist who
had become Christians
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but they still
live with that mindset
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of their pre-conversion
experience and journey,
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and Matthew really puts
a strong emphasis on that,
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and when we come to
those texts we will see how
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Matthew deal with
those issues in his gospel.
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Is there some dimension
of structure and so forth,
00:11:04.04\00:11:09.51
was this just dictation
from God that he wrote down
00:11:09.52\00:11:12.17
every word or does it -
do we see that as a holy man
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of God as scripture says
"moved by the Holy Spirit",
00:11:15.57\00:11:17.41
he wrote, God's the
author he's the human-writer.
00:11:17.42\00:11:21.36
You know, there's one
thing that I learnt about my God
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that He always meets
people where they are.
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When we come to Chapter
5 of the Gospel of Matthew
00:11:35.52\00:11:38.75
it will be so obviously,
God always meet people,
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and God speaks to the people
within their own experience.
00:11:43.22\00:11:50.70
When we study the
four gospels, and I'm sorry
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we do not have a
time of that but please
00:11:54.27\00:11:55.84
allow me just few
moments to reflect on that.
00:11:55.85\00:11:59.19
We have four gospels.
00:11:59.20\00:12:01.55
Matthew evidently wrote
to the people who are coming
00:12:01.56\00:12:05.44
from Jewish background.
00:12:05.45\00:12:07.98
So, how would you
try to portray Jesus
00:12:07.99\00:12:12.57
to communicate the
gospel of Jesus Christ,
00:12:12.58\00:12:15.51
the good news
about Jesus Christ,
00:12:15.52\00:12:16.80
I would like to
communicate to them
00:12:16.81\00:12:18.59
in the language
that they can understand.
00:12:18.60\00:12:20.37
Sure. But the
sources and the ideas
00:12:20.38\00:12:22.68
that are
important things. Exactly.
00:12:22.69\00:12:24.31
Then, we have the second
gospel, is written by Mark.
00:12:24.32\00:12:29.06
Mark lived there in Rome,
by the way I would really like
00:12:29.07\00:12:32.35
to stimulate the viewers when
they study the Gospel of Mark,
00:12:32.36\00:12:35.20
just to take Chapter 1
and to see how many times
00:12:35.21\00:12:38.95
in the Gospel of Mark
the word immediately is used.
00:12:38.96\00:12:42.36
It's used about
forty times, 4-0.
00:12:42.37\00:12:46.79
In other three
gospels, Matthew, Luke and John,
00:12:46.80\00:12:50.38
that we, I mean, just
Matthew has 78 long chapters,
00:12:50.39\00:12:53.66
so Luke 24 long
chapters, John 21 long chapters,
00:12:53.67\00:12:58.60
Matthew has 16
short chapters 40 times.
00:12:58.61\00:13:01.89
In other three
gospels, the word 'immediately'
00:13:01.90\00:13:04.51
is used 14 times together.
00:13:04.52\00:13:07.28
So, what is
dynamic of the gospel is,
00:13:07.29\00:13:09.09
when you write to
the Christians in Rome
00:13:09.10\00:13:11.39
who were
persecuted, you don't know
00:13:11.40\00:13:13.50
if they will be able
to wait the following day.
00:13:13.51\00:13:17.97
I'd never think is immediately
in the life of Jewish.
00:13:17.98\00:13:20.24
Luke, you know, the Luke
is the only gospel writer
00:13:20.25\00:13:24.03
who was not a
Jew, he is a Gentile,
00:13:24.04\00:13:27.79
he writes to the Gentiles
and his gospel addresses
00:13:27.80\00:13:32.52
a situation of Gentiles
those who are among Jews.
00:13:32.53\00:13:36.64
Four people outcast
from the society, women.
00:13:36.65\00:13:43.08
When we read the Gospel of
Luke, it's very interesting.
00:13:43.09\00:13:46.62
Only in the Gospel of
Luke, we've the parable
00:13:46.63\00:13:49.04
of the Good
Samaritan, Richman and Lazarus,
00:13:49.05\00:13:54.41
the conversion of Zaccheus.
00:13:54.42\00:13:57.44
All those things.
00:13:57.45\00:13:58.57
The Prodigal Son, the
Lost Sheep and the Lost Coin
00:13:58.58\00:14:03.51
are found in the
Gospel of Luke Chapter 15.
00:14:03.52\00:14:07.12
Just one moment is, when
we - they are on the cross,
00:14:07.13\00:14:09.85
when you read
Matthew, Mark and John,
00:14:09.86\00:14:13.50
two criminals were crucified
with Jesus on the cross,
00:14:13.51\00:14:16.69
but suddenly one of
those two criminals repents
00:14:16.70\00:14:19.61
and Jesus
promised to him one day
00:14:19.62\00:14:21.89
to be with Jesus in paradise.
00:14:21.90\00:14:22.91
So its only in
Luke, but John wrote
00:14:22.92\00:14:24.82
to the second
generation of Christians.
00:14:24.83\00:14:26.73
So, you see the
flavor of that, it's -
00:14:26.74\00:14:28.41
It's a beautiful
prospective, Ranko.
00:14:28.42\00:14:31.48
We're gonna take a
break in just a moment,
00:14:31.49\00:14:33.30
but I want our
listeners to think about
00:14:33.31\00:14:35.19
what you just said
that God cared so much
00:14:35.20\00:14:38.42
that He wants us
each to know Christ
00:14:38.43\00:14:40.60
in a way that you
can understand Him.
00:14:40.63\00:14:42.41
It shows the great
magnanimity of God.
00:14:42.42\00:14:44.50
He speaks to us in the
way that we can understand it.
00:14:44.51\00:14:48.41
Look tremendous.
We're gonna take a break,
00:14:48.42\00:14:49.88
I will be right back.
Thanks for joining us.
00:14:49.89\00:14:52.04