What's the Focus of the Gospel of Matthew?

     Have you ever heard that each of the gospels shows a different angle of Christ's life?  I never did until I was in college and went to the Matthew Life-Study training that was conducted by Witness Lee in Anaheim, California. 

     These Life-Studies are now in printed volumes, which you can read online at Living Stream Ministry's website. In one of the opening messages, he explains that Matthew shows that Christ is the heavenly King, Mark shows that He is the Servant of God, Luke that He is a genuine man, and John that He is the very incarnated God. That's why God inspired four different men to write about the Lord's life! 

     As I'm starting to read through the New Testament messages again, I am praying that I would hear the Lord speak to me in a fresh way.  Here is what spoke to me on pages 101-102 in Chapter 8 of the Life-Study of Matthew:  

   As we consider the Gospel of Matthew, we must be thoroughly and deeply impressed that we are now in the kingdom.  Everything written in this book is related to the kingdom.  Therefore, we must look into this book from its angle of the kingdom, viewing every chapter and even every verse from the perspective of the kingdom. The repentance called for in Chapter 3 is for the kingdom.  You must repent because you are not in the kingdom, you are not under God's authority...This is the basic thought of the Gospel of Matthew...We all must repent to the Lord and say, 'Lord, forgive me.  Even today I am still in rebellion.  I am not under Your Lordship, Your authority, and Your heavenly ruling.  Lord, I confess that I have been ruled only by myself.  Lord, grant me a true repentance for my rebellion, for my not being under Your authority'"(Lee, Witness. Life-Study of Matthew. Anaheim: Living Stream Ministry, 1977, Print).

     I realized that I don't always go along with the Lord's inner ruling.  A friend of mine once said it this way, He's the boss and He gets to call the shots. I like the prayers in this Life-Study because they help me apply what I'm reading and often I just make them  my own prayer.      

Other blogs on the Life Study of Matthew:

You can listen to excerpts from the Life Study of Matthew along with excellent commentary by tuning into the Life Study of the Bible with Witness Lee.    

Do You Skip the Genealogy in Matthew?
What is the Focus of the Gospel of Matthew?
What is the Sermon on the Mount Really About? (Part 1)
What is the Sermon on the Mount Really About?  (Part 2)
Why is the Crucial Significance of Lord's Prayer in Matthew 6:9-13?
How Does Jesus Calm the Stormy Sea in Matthew 8:23-27?
How Does the Great Physician Heal our Hearts in Matthew 9:12?
Have You Seen the Battle Between the Two Kingdoms in Matthew 12:26-28?
What is the Connection Between the Kingdom & the Parable of the Sower in Matthew 13:3-23?
What is the Significance of the Parables on the Treasure & the Pearl of Great Value in Matthew 13:44-46?
What is Walking By Faith All About in Matthew 14:22-33?
What Lesson Did Peter Learn on the Mount of Transfiguration in Matthew 17:1-13?
How Does Matthew 18 and 19 Relate to the Kingdom?
What Does Peter's Denial of the Lord Teach us in Matthew 26:69-75?