It is fitting that the first verse of the first book of the New Testament, Matthew 1:1, identifies Jesus as the Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham. These few words sum up the culmination of the entire Old Testament, and in them are the seeds from which the New Testament plan will grow. The long-awaited, promised Messiah, the restorer of God’s kingdom and the redeemer of his people, is Jesus himself. This is Matthew’s central message, his purpose for writing his book.
In his first verse, Matthew made an amazing claim. At the time he was writing, many Jewish readers would have been skeptical about the idea that the man Jesus was indeed also the promised king or Christ. After all, he was merely a carpenter from a backwoods province, and they wanted a king just like other worldly kings—politically connected, militarily powerful, and personally charismatic, with all the accompanying pomp, circumstance, and credentials.
So Matthew writes the genealogy of King Jesus all the way from Abraham, to Joseph His earthly Father. The theme of Matthew’s Gospel is “The King and his kingdom.” Matthew foes to great length to show King Jesus and how He relates to people of His Kingdom.
Isn’t it great to know that our King wants to relate to His subjects? But not only as subjects but as His children and brothers and sisters He so dearly loves.
So Matthew starts out with the pedigree. Just like an earthly king, The King of Kings had an earthly pedigree. There’s proof of who our King is. However, Jesus was not interested in the pomp of being a king. It was deserved and even demonstrated.
Let me show you what I mean
**Matt. 2:1-2**
The Earthly rulers knew that the King of the Jews was being born. Kind of fitting that those very words were hung over The King on the cross huh?
The best outline I could use is one from another man. Dr. Warren Weirsbe outlined Matthews Gospel, scholarly and perfectly. Let me use his outline and put what God has showed me in this Wonderful outline of Dr. Weirsbe.
I. The Revelation of the King (ch.1-10)
In these first 10 chapters of Matthew’s Gospel we hear the phrase over and over again, “The kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
Really you can break down these first 10 chapters like this:
His person—1-4
His principles—5-7
His power—8-10
A. His person—(ch.1-4) In these first 4 chapters we see Jesus from birth to the temptation after His baptism. A small snapshot of His person in just a few chapters.
Sort of like when you have your first child and you film every step, every detail, scrapbook everything. Child 2 well...not so much and by four they’re fortunate if you know their name.
Just kidding. We are not offered much detail about His person but we have some of the highlights of His life. How are highlights revealed? Second step
B. His principles (ch.5-7)
This is the Sermon on the Mount. Here Jesus outlines how are character ought to be. This is the greatest sermon ever preached on record, because it’s the only recorded sermon of Christ Jesus.
One highlight here
**6:31-34**
This leads us to:
C. His power (ch. 8-10)
These three chapters show His miracle working power. We sing the old hymn but do we believe there is power, power
wonder working power?
I believe with all my heart Jesus will take care of you. I believe with all my heart that no matter that Jesus works on my behalf. I’ve seen it more and more that I can trust God to be faithful to me even when I am faithless.
What power He has for us!
II. The Rebellion Against the King (ch.11-13)
The rebellion starts with the rejection of His messenger JTB in ch.11. It’s amazing at the correlation in Scripture of the rejection of god first started with the rejection of the prophets of God. The same is true here in Jesus’ life. They rejected His prophet JTB.
Over and over again we see this truth amplified even in Acts. The people were reminded of the fact of how they rejected God’s
messenger. I wonder if that is still true today? Could it be we spend more time worrying what a church member thinks or feels than we do what God’s Messenger says in a sermon?
So they Attacked the King. They attacked His works. He really is working for the devil that’s how He did that. He’s providing some sort of hocus pocus stuff.
Then they refused to obey what He said. Boy, what a testimony for us. Blatant disobedience to His Word is sin. And BTW so is gossip, and slander, and attacks on other people.
So then they attacked Him personally. This is always the progression. Satan wants a person to reject God’s man, God’s work, God’s Word and then God himself. Total rebellion of the authority of God.
**14:34-36:8
III. The Retirement of the King (ch. 14-20)
King Jesus had become more and more in demand. The demands on the King of Kings became so great He had to constantly retire from the crowds to get alone with the Father.
He left the multitudes to spend time with the disciples and then left the disciples to spend time with God.
I can’t stress this enough in life and in ministry. There are times when you need a break. It is usually when it is time to get to the next level or breakthrough in your Christian life.
It doesn’t mean we quit, it simply means we have to take a step back, get a deep breath and spend time alone with God. The daily pressures are overwhelming sometimes. It’s the commercial of a dad pushing his little boy on a tire swing. The little boy goes out of the camera and comes back as a teenager and knocks his dad over….the saying is “Life comes at you fast.”
The demands of it can be overwhelming sometimes. So we need that time alone with God.
IV. The Rejection of the King (ch.21-27)
As Matthew’s gospel unfolds it builds into a final showdown.
**21:23-27**
The leaders question His authority given to Him by God. It’s already been proven He’s the King, He’s the one, Messiah anointed and chosen by God.
Rather than respecting and supporting that they are rejecting and doing everything they can to spoil His relationship to His subjects as well as His credibility as the King.
Isn’t that interesting that when someone attacks you as a Christian they are really attacking the Lord Jesus. Sort of like witnessing. They aren’t rejecting us as we witness they are rejecting Jesus Himself.
As you look at these chapters and see the constant attacks you can’t help but notice God and Satan at work at the same time. It was God’s plan for Jesus to die on the Cross. We are told in his word, “The lamb was slain before the foundation of the world.”
I’ve always said Jesus death on the cross was not plan b it was always the plan. Jesus death wasn’t the will of man, it was the will of God. Jesus turned every man’s fate into a right relationship with God on the cross.
I like the way Oswald Chambers wrote it in my devotional Tuesday, in My Utmost For His Highest, “The center of salvation is the Cross of Jesus, and the reason it is easy to obtain salvation is because it cost God so much. The Cross is the point where God and sinful man merge with a crash and the way to life is opened—but the crash is on the very heart of God.”
Pastor Oswald Chambers knew what rejection really meant. As a young minister he was building a church in a tiny English village. People were traveling from miles around tohear him preach. As God was blessing his ministry Satan attacked him. A young lady came forward and claimed the Oswald chambers had tried to force himself on her. The word spread as it always does and even though it was all a lie the people believed the woman.
He thought his ministry was over, the people had rejected him maybe God had to. But he refused to allow bitterness to control his life and with God’s help he recovered became a pastor again and wrote the wonderful devotional that millions still read today.
Leads us to the last point in Matthew
V. The Resurrection of the King (ch.28)
How could the story end at the Cross? It just wouldn’t be right! The bible is full of examples of do overs and pictures of Jesus resurrecting lives. How many times do we need to see Jesus show up, show out and show off?
This is my hope for here...a resurrection...There’s a great book…
Called Comeback Churches. It is a survey and detailed analysis of over 300 churches in America. It takes a tought look at church life.
Look at these words from this book, “One church member said, ‘We don’t want our church to die.’ The congregant’s concern matches reliable data that shows the North American church is, in fact, shrinking. The general population of the United states may have grown by a predictable 15 percent in recent years, but the number of unchurched adults has also, meanwhile, increased by a shocking 92 percent.
Perhaps you’ve noticed: Large church buildings that were filled in the 1950’s and 60’s now hold a fraction of their capacity. And recent research suggests that the perceived church growth of the 1970’s, 80’s and 90’s had more to do with a redistribution of believers than reaching the unchurched.
Overall, our churches are stagnant, in need of a return to healthy evangelistic growth.”
Conclusion:
Matthew started with a revelation of what God wanted to do throughout time. The climax was the cross to redeem sinners from hell. From death to life.
Church family churches go through these stages in Matthew
Revelation
Rebellion
Retirement
Rejection
Resurrection
Where are we? That’s answered by where are you and I? We are the church. For better or worse we are FBC. I pray for
Resurrection….REVIVE US AGAIN
PRAY
