River Valley Church New Testament Soap Sprint Sample

Mathew was a Jewish man who understood the heart of God through the lens of Jewish cultural traditions and customs, including the religious law given to Israel through Moses. Matthew encountered the love of God in a new way when Jesus invited him, a tax collector who was viewed as a traitor and ostracized by other Jews, to be one of His 12 disciples. Matthew recognized that he was not just following a good teacher, but the Messiah who would fulfill God's promised redemption of Israel, His wayward people. Largely intended for a Jewish audience,  Matthew's gospel account explains the difference between living under the law of Moses contrasted with living as a representative of the Kingdom of Heaven, as Jesus presented it in His "Sermon on the Mount."