Matthew Chapter Two - The coming of Messiah happened at our darkest hour. Jesus came to overthrow our kingdoms. Matthew's announcement of Jesus as Messiah is meant to wake us up and make us take notice.

Matthew One - The genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham

God is with us! What does this mean? What does it look like? Genesis 2:8-10; Isaiah 58:11; John 7:37-39; Revelation 21:1-4; Revelation 22:1-5; 1 Corinthians 3:16; Acts 1:8; Romans 5:5; Ephesians 1:13; Galatians 5:25; Ephesians 4:30

Matthew 1:20-25 | What it means when we talk about the Incarnation of God as man. | What it means when we talk about Immanuel, God with us. | Listen to "Come Thou Long Expected Jesus" by Chas. Wesley

Jesus Christ is the hope of ALL nations. Matthew 1:20-25

Psalms 39:7 - We wait expectantly because our hope is in God. | 1 Peter 1:13 - "set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ" | Romans 6:22 - You have been set free from sin to serve God. | There is nothing phony or falsely optimistic about the hope that is in Jesus Christ. We aspire to live authentic Christian lives marked by the hope that is within us.

Hebrews 6:18-19 and Hebrews 8:1-13

Nehemiah chapters 12 and 13 | Remain faithful and reliant on God when things ARE NOT going well. | Remain faithful and reliant on God when things ARE going well.

Nehemiah Ch. 9 and 10. God is with us even in our failure. Failure is not optional, but God has made a way for us in His son, our Lord, Jesus Christ. Neh. 9:31-33 and James 5:13-16. ROW: Repent, Obey, and Worship

The Word Of God is (1) Received in Community (Neh.8:1-6,13), (2) Received as Authority (Neh.8:7-9), (3) Received Rightly (Neh.8:9-12). The idea that we live in a "Gospel-Shaped Community".