Friends Church Sermons

John’s Gospel was the last to be written; Matthews was likely the first written within a few years of the resurrection of Christ (around 40AD). If John’s Gospel were the heart of the New Testament pouring out a passionate heart stirring message; Matthew’s Gospel might be considered it’s mind coaxing the doubting, struggling, seeking mind to consider the evidence and see Jesus as Messiah. Matthew draws extensively on the Old Testament to present his case for the Messiah – using nearly 150 direct or indirect quotes from the OT. Matthew is speaking to primarily a Jewish audience in 1st century Palestine but his words echo down through the ages to resonate with a questioning audience in the 21st century. I invite you to open your minds as well as your hearts as we dig deeply into this Gospel to discover more about Jesus the Messiah. As we begin our journey it’s important to know that Matthew does not construct his gospel to be a chronological narrative of the life and times of the Messiah. In fact Matthew divides