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Matthew 1-4: The Introduction 

Mt. 4 – Jesus Rejects the Kingdom of This World 

1-11: The King replays all the trials, temptations and judgments of humanity but responds in righteousness 

· Adam’s temptation to eat (v3) 

· Moses, Elijah, Noah – 40 days in the wilderness (v2) 

· Israel’s hunger in the wilderness (bread), defiling the temple (1-2 Sam., 1-2 Kings, 1-2 Chronicles), defiling the kingdom 

· Jesus follows none of the temptations Note on v4 – “This is my son.” Chapter 4’s challenge from Satan, “IF you are his son…” 

12-17: Having rejected the old Kingdom, He lays the foundation for the new. He gives an invitation to “Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near.” 

18-22: Jesus gathers 12 new leaders of Israel as He begins His ministry. 

23-25: Two phrases which go together: 

· Proclaiming the Gospel of the Kingdom 

· Healing every disease and every affliction among the people Before we know anything about the cross, the good announcement (gospel) of His coming is a wholesale rejection of Herod, Pharaoh and Satan – and the promise of the forgiveness of sins with the purpose of healing their wounds.

This week we discussed the Church's calendar and how the practice of praying, reading and celebrating the seasons of the year, will help us create a rhythm that more deeply draws us into the life of Jesus and His body. 

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This week we did a deep focus on Relationships 3 through 5. Community is the movement of our relationships toward Goodwill. Spiritual Formation is the movement of our spirits toward Maturity. Kingdom Work is the movement of our bodies toward dignity.

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This week we did a deep focus on Relationship One - Worship and Relationship Two - Education. Worship is the movement of the heart toward peace. Education is the movement of the mind toward enlightenment.

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This week, we introduced the Five Relationships; Worship, Education, Community, Spiritual Formation and Kingdom Work. We each have wills, minds, relationships, spirits and bodies, all touched by sin and all capable of being made fully alive through participation with in the life of Jesus. By the gifts given to the church we can engage each component of our being and be elevated by Christ's grace to peace, enlightenment, goodwill, maturity and dignity.

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Find more info by signing up for our Substack or following us on Instagram @buried_and_born

Matthew 5-7: The Sermon on the Mount

Mt. 6 – The Message of the Messiah’s Kingdom Part 2

1-18: Jesus introduces the Three Spiritual Disciplines which counteract the sins of the prior chapter:

1. Prayer

2. Fasting

3. Almsgiving

Israel was using the idolatry of self rather than humble adherence to a Pathwhich would lead to the Destination promised in the Beatitudes.

19-24: Idolatry was based in the desire to have earthly wealth over true beauty. Each sin was a symptom of a false value system.

25-33: False values come from fear and anxiety. “Do not be afraid.”

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Matthew 5-7: The Sermon on the Mount

Mt. 5 – The Message of the Messiah’s Kingdom Part 1

1-12: The Blessed, Blissful, Happy Life – Jesus gives the New Commandments from a New Mountain as the New Moses (v1). Jesus is actually the Blessed Man of Psalm 1. He is calling us into His life. Jesus outlines the Kingdom that was supposed to be Israel’s. Possessing the Kingdom – Right now they were servants of Rome. Comforted – Now they were oppressed. Seeing God – Now they were walking in darkness. This is the new Mt. Sinai, and He’s reminding them of their unique purpose.

Destination --> Path

Possessing the Kingdom --> Humility

Comforted, Aided --> Mourning

Inheriting the Earth --> Gentleness

Feasting --> Hunger for Righteousness

Receiving Mercy --> Mercy

Seeing God --> Purity

Becoming Sons of God --> Peacemaking

Rewarded -- >Persecution

13-16: Jesus reminds Israel that they are the salt and light meant to reveal the beauty and wisdom of God’s law (old and new) to the world.

17-20: The law remains until it all comes to pass in Jesus. This is Matthew’s story; how the salvation of God is fulfilled through Jesus’ words and actions.

21-47: Instead of displaying the glory of God through His wisdom:

· You are murderers (v21)

· Adulterers (v27)

· Liars (v33)

· Unjust (v38)

This week we continue discovering the process of being Buried and Born. Motivated by the resurrection of Jesus to an end of union with Him, we turn our attention to the Great Commission. It's Jesus' directive to the Apostles, but it also outlines the meaning of discipleship. Jesus sends his messengers out to baptize the nations and teach them to observe all things that he commanded. We've condensed his plan for believers: A Family of Students Who Practice.

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Program note: This week's lesson begins at around 11 minutes. At the beginning of our class, I gave an overview of the Morning and Evening Prayer Guide available for download by signing up at buriedandborn.substack.com 

This week we discuss our class description, Buried and Born. The glory of God is man and woman fully alive, and the chief end of man is to know God and enjoy him fully. To be fully alive is to have our entire existence redeemed and reordered by the grace of Jesus Christ and illuminated by the Holy Spirit, until we have put off the old self and put on the new man, grown up into Jesus Christ and conformed to his image in perfect communion with him.

Christ became man and died in our place so that we could die with him and receive his resurrection. The resurrection is our motivation, and union with Christ is the purpose of our discipleship.

Find more info by signing up for our Substack or following us on Instagram @buried_and_born

Find more info by signing up for our Substack or following us on Instagram @buried_and_born

Matthew 1-4: The Introduction

Mt. 3 – Jesus Retells Humanity’s Story

1-12:  1. John the Baptist (Elijah) announces that the King has arrived. He is the last of the prophets of the Old Covenant. The new prophet has come. Change your hearts, be forgiven – prepare the way

2. The King will bring (baptize) God’s Spirit to cleanse and purify the Earth

13-17: Jesus’ baptism, as Israel and as all men, restarts the human condition. Heaven is opened, the Father approves (Genesis – it is good) and the Spirit descends (Gen. – hovered over the face of the waters) on Him (us). It’s a new creation. He is the new Temple. The Spirit of God is not above Him, but resting on Him. He is the Holy of Holies.

Jesus has become the rock on which the dove can rest. Noah was preserved as humanity endured the overwhelming despair of a society doomed to judgment and chaos, but the dove is released, resting on a rock that had emerged from underneath the waters. Jesus, having risen, solid and firm, is the place for humanity to rest and rebuild.