Matthew

Calling Sheep to Love and Goats to Turn

Matthew 25:31-46
In the parables previous to this, Jesus has said much about how His followers are to wait for His return, always ready, prepared to wait, and making use of His resources for His purposes. Now, in the concluding section of the Olivet Discourse, Jesus describes what His followers look like as they wait: Jesus’s disciples love those Jesus loves, not out of seeking reward (though there will be reward for his people) or out of fear of punishment (though there will be punishment for those who are not), but in accordance with their new nature.

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What are We Burying?

Matthew 25:14-30
The Parable of the Talents is in many ways a culmination of Jesus describing how his disciples are to wait for his return. Having told us to be ready at any time, and to be ready to wait longer than we expect, he goes on to describe his expectations of specifically how we are to wait. These expectations are exacting, but encouraging, as they hold out hope of great reward for faithful servants.

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Difficulties in Fulfillment

Matthew 2
The second chapter of Matthew’s account presents some challenges in understanding the concept of fulfillment of Scripture. The apparent difficulties of the four fulfillments Matthew records force us to take a look at how to read our Bibles, and moreover bring us face to face with a very difficult question indeed about how and why God acts in history – a question that brings us ultimately to one of the most basic and astounding truths in the whole of God’s revealed word for His people.

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“How Will This Be…?”

Matthew 1:18-25; Luke 1:31-35
If Jesus is the legal son of Joseph, then he is the birth son of the virgin Mary. We all echo Mary’s response to this news, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?”. Drawing upon a few texts, we’ll seek to answer two large questions about the birth of Christ: how can a virgin give birth? and can God become a man?

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The Birth of Jesus Christ

Matthew 1:18-25
Throughout his ministry, Jesus was recognized as the son of Joseph. Many times in the Gospels we read of statements like the one made in the synagogue of Nazareth, “Is this not Joseph’s son?” (Lk.4:22). In Matthew’s account of Christ’s birth, he strategically avoids calling Jesus the son of Joseph. Instead, he is “Immanuel, which means ‘God with us.'”

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Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham

Matthew 1:1-17
A survey of the Gospels reveal a Messianic expectation among the Jewish people. For example, Luke tells us that “the people were in expectation, and all were questioning in their hearts concerning John, whether he might be the Christ…” (Lk.3:15). The most important question among the Jewish people was, When would the Messiah come? Using this strategic genealogy, Matthew answers two questions about the Messiah: who was he? and what did he come to do?

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Go Therefore

Matthew 28:16-20
Christ’s command to go and proclaim his gospel is clear enough. There are, however, several barriers that stand in the way of his church fulfilling their mission. In this text, we’ll look at several barriers the first disciples faced–and the present day church faces as well. Christ answers those barriers and fears with two powerful statements about himself.

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Well Done, Good and Faithful Servant

Matthew 25:14-30
In this last sermon in the series on Radical Stewardship, Jesus explains what he considers faithful stewardship. It isn’t what you’d expect, however, for the one who plays it safe is rebuked while the ones who take risks are commended. This parable challenges those who follow Christ to ask whether we will be commended or rebuked as stewards.

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