Jesus is the culmination and fulfillment of God’s promises and history with the world. Jesus brings God’s heavenly kingdom to earth and invites his disciples into a new way of life through his death and resurrection. Now, we must ask, what does it mean to live in his kingdom?

Key Texts:

Matthew 1:22; Matthew 5:1-2; Matthew 7:24, 28–29; Matthew 4:17; Matthew 4:23-35; Matthew 12:14; Matthew 28:18; Isaiah 10:33-11:10; Matthew 1:23; Matthew 28:20; Genesis 3:8; Exodus 25:8; 29:45-46; Leviticus 26:11-12; Revelation 21:1-4

The empty tomb and the risen Jesus is the basis of our faith.

Matthew 28:1–15; Matthew 16:21, 17:22-23, 20:17-19; 1 Corinthians 15:14-19; Matthew 27:62-66; Matthew 12:38-40; John 2:19-22; Genesis 3:14-15; Mark 1:24; Hebrews 2:14; 1 John 3:8; 1 Corinthians 15:24; Colossian 2:15; Romans 1:1-4; Romans 4:24-25; 1 Corinthians 15:15-17

Our hard hearts and brokenness brought Jesus to humanity and sent Jesus to the cross. It is from that sacrifice that we find our new life, our new identity and our new purpose.

Matthew 27:11-66; Matthew 1:21; 1 Corinthians 2:2; Matthew 20:28; Galatians 2:20; Jeremiah 31:31-34

Jesus took our place so we can do what the religious leaders of his time failed to do: see Jesus for who he is and arrange our lives accordingly.

Jesus, who knew no sin, was betrayed, arrested, sentenced and sent to the cross for our sake, that we might become the righteousness of God.

Matthew 26:47-27:10; Matthew 20:13, 22:12; 2 Corinthians 5:21

The garden of Gethsemane is a key moment for us to see Jesus as “sent” for a purpose and simultaneously that he is a man who struggles with the weight of obedience. When we struggle with the weight of obedience we should look at the garden and see the importance of Jesus’ battle with obedience.

Jesus institutes the idea of remembrance into the church, what does it mean for us to remember his finished work as we continue on as the “body of Christ”

It’s not about how much we can give to Jesus. This is about recognizing all that Jesus has done, and either (1) worshipping an living in response (the woman) or (2) rejecting him (the religious leaders and Judas).

Key Texts:

Matthew 26:1-16; Luke 10:38-42; Genesis 50:20; Romans 8:28; Colossians 1:15-22

Big Idea:

Jesus is preparing his disciples for his absence and ultimately posing the question: Did we hear the words of Jesus and obey them? There is a day of judgment when our faith and works will be presented before the King and Jesus will examine our lives and their fruit and set us in eternity or in Hell. Your life matters. Jesus wants you to live today as one who extends the Kingdom of God into this world.

Key Texts:

Matthew 25:31-46; Daniel 7:13-14; Revelation 19:11-16; Ezekiel 34:11-17; Philippians 2:12-13; Ephesians 2:1-10; Matthew 5:3-16

Big Idea:

Being a faithful servant in all that God has entrusted us with as we eagerly await the return of Christ. We can be faithful servants, eagerly and excitedly awaiting our king, confident of the goodness and grace of our master, because of the price Jesus paid.

Key Texts:

Matthew 25:1-30; James 4:13–16; Matthew 24:37-39; Matthew 24:42, 44; 1 John 2:15-17; 1 Peter 3:13

Please watch the video from Anthem Thousand Oaks to stay up to date with our journey through Matthew.

Jesus gave us specific instructions about how we should be living in this season. He wants us to be awake, alert, ready, faithful, obedient, and diligent. It is a good and acceptable challenge for us to be all the more diligent when we hear passages like this that teach us to press into faithfulness while we wait for Jesus.