Bible Reading Planner

Week 3

MATTHEW

The New Testament begins with the "family tree" of Jesus to show his connection with Abraham (Genesis 12) and King David (2 Samuel 7) in the Old Testament.

Matthew (the tax collector who became a disciple) was chosen by God to write and show that Jesus was the promised Messiah foretold in the Old Testament. Notice the frequent references to the Old Testament preceded by phrases like "as it is written ..."

                    ABRAHAM
                       |
                     DAVID
           ____________|_____________
          |                          |
       SOLOMON                     NATHAN
          |                          |
       JOSEPH                       MARY
(Later married to Mary)      (the mother of Jesus)
     (Matthew 1:16)                (Luke 3)

DAILY NOTES

SUNDAY Matthew 1	Jesus is the Son of God (verses 18-20). Through his mother, he was also a descendant of David (1,000 BC) and of Abraham (2,000 BC) as promised in the Old Testament.
MONDAY Matthew 2	The son of David was destined to be a King and, like David, would be born in Bethlehem as foretold by the prophet Micah (700 BC) (Micah 5:2 and Luke 1 :32).
TUESDAY Matthew 3	God's promise to send a Saviour, with a forerunner (John the Baptist) was made through Isaiah in about 700 BC (Isaiah 40:1-5). Jesus had no sin to repent of, but was baptized by John as an act of humble obedience (verses 15-17).
WEDNESDAY Matthew 4	Jesus used the Old Testament for guidance in dealing with problems and temptation (verses 4, 7, 10).
THURSDAY Matthew 5	The Sermon on the Mount (chapters 5-7) is often thought impractical today, but these are Jesus' rules for the Christian life and every follower of Christ must try to live by them.
FRIDAY Matthew 6	The prayer of Jesus is a pattern on which we may base our prayers. We should pray for God's kingdom to come on earth and for Jesus to come and put the world right (verse 10).
SATURDAY Matthew 7	We need to build on the sure foundation of Christ and God's word, to be safe (verses 24-27). Salvation is not for everyone but for those few who really desire it (verses 13, 19, 21).