Union Church

Matthew: Kingdom Humility

Text: Matthew 18:1-14
Title: Kingdom Humility

Reading: Matthew 18:1-14

1. They suppose that all who have a place in that kingdom are great.
2. They suppose that there are degrees in this greatness.
3. They suppose it must be some of them. (Matthew Henry)

“Jesus solemnly declares the disciples must turn (“change”; from Greek strephō) from their preoccupation with status and must humble themselves like children. This humility cannot be a subjective attitude (children rarely act humbly) but an objective state (children do depend almost entirely on the adult world for their protection and provision).”                     (Craig Blomberg)

Romans 8:31-39, “So, what do you think? With God on our side like this, how can we lose? If God didn’t hesitate to put everything on the line for us, embracing our condition and exposing himself to the worst by sending his own Son, is there anything else he wouldn’t gladly and freely do for us? And who would dare tangle with God by messing with one of God’s chosen? Who would dare even to point a finger? The One who died for us—who was raised to life for us!—is in the presence of God at this very moment sticking up for us. Do you think anyone is going to be able to drive a wedge between us and Christ’s love for us? There is no way! Not trouble, not hard times, not hatred, not hunger, not homelessness, not bullying threats, not backstabbing, not even the worst sins listed in Scripture: They kill us in cold blood because they hate you. We’re sitting ducks; they pick us off one by one. None of this fazes us because Jesus loves us. I’m absolutely convinced that nothing—nothing living or dead, angelic or demonic, today or tomorrow, high or low, thinkable or unthinkable—absolutely nothing can get between us and God’s love because of the way that Jesus our Master has embraced us." (The Message Bible)

Matthew 18:8&9, “If your hand or your foot gets in the way of God, chop it off and throw it away. You’re better off maimed or lame and alive than the proud owners of two hands and two feet, godless in a furnace of eternal fire. And if your eye distracts you from God, pull it out and throw it away. You’re better off one-eyed and alive than exercising your twenty-twenty vision from inside the fire of hell." (The Message)

 

Matthew: When Glory Meets Grit

Listen along as we look at Matthew's gospel and how Jesus reveals the heart of faith.

Notes/Quotes:

Matthew 17:14-27

Numbers 14:11

Faith is not believing in my own unshakable belief. Faith is believing an unshakable God when everything in me trembles and quakes. - Beth Moore

“Prayer is not monologue, but dialogue; God’s voice is its most essential part. Listening to God’s voice is the secret of the assurance that He will listen to mine.” – Andrew Murray

James 4:2-3

Galatians 5:13-15

Matthew: A Different Kind of Power

Listen along as we continue our series through Matthew and see how Jesus' power is different. He is the source, sustainer, and sender of all power in ways that are different from the world.

Notes/Quotes:

Matthew 17:1-13

“Power is the capacity to effect reality.” - Jamin Goggin and Kyle Strobel

“On the mountaintop we learn who has supreme power in the church; on the walk down we learn that suffering is the form this power takes; and at the foot of the mountain we learn how disciples put Jesus’ power to work in the world. The whole chapter, then, is about power in the church: where it is lodged, its form, and its use. We have just learned in chap. 16 what makes a church—pointing faithfully to the crucified Christ and following him faithfully in our lives. We are now ready to learn how the church experiences the power of this crucified and risen Christ in her life for the world.” Dale Bruner

"God does not waste words or talk for mere effect. In the Synoptic Gospels, God the Father talks directly to earth only twice (3:17; 17:5), and both times God says exactly the same thing: “This is my priceless Son; I am deeply pleased with him.” What does this twice-repeated Voice mean? It means that the single most important fact that God wants the church and the world to know, barring none, is all that we have in Jesus of Nazareth.” Dale Bruner

Malachi 4:5-6

“We must not passively rely on leaders or teachers to tell us about our Head. We must seek Him, listen to Him, follow Him. We will fail to do as He asks and we will not be able to discern a corrupt leader unless we know Christ well." - Diane Langberg

2 Cor 3:17-18             

“This is a power known through death and resurrection – moving through our weakness to a new kind of strength – strength in abiding, submitting, and resting in God alone.” - Jamin Goggin

2 Peter 1:16-19

Matthew: Peter's Proclamation

Text: Matthew 16:13-20 
Title: Peter’s Proclamation

Reading: Matthew 16:13-20

“Jesus’ declaration, “You are Peter,” parallels Peter’s confession, “You are the Christ,” as if to say, “Since you can tell me who I am, I will tell you who you are.” (Craig Blomberg)

“The play on words in the Greek between Peter’s name (Petros) and the word “rock” (petra) makes sense only if Peter is the rock and if Jesus is about to explain the significance of this identification.”(Craig Blomberg)

“It is often alleged that the “rock” must be Christ or Peter’s confession of Christ, especially since the days of Luther and the Protestant Reformation. These alternatives understandably react against traditional Roman Catholic equation of Peter with the first pope and against an elaborate ecclesiology built on this verse. But a legitimate interpretation of vv. 18b–19, as below, predicates nothing of this, so there should be no theological objections to taking Peter as “this rock.” A distinction between “Peter” and “this rock” is also often affirmed on the basis of the two different Greek words, but grammar requires this variation because the ending of petra (“rock”) is feminine and could not be used for a man’s name. The underlying Aramaic would have used kepha in both instances, in which case the problem disappears altogether.” (Craig Blomberg)

“If Peter was prepared to say that Jesus was the Messiah, Jesus was prepared to say that, with this allegiance, Peter would himself be the foundation for his new building. Just as God gave Abram the name Abraham, indicating that he would be the father of many nations (Gen. 17:5), so now Jesus gives Simon the new name Peter, the Rock. Furthermore, just as in the Sermon on the Mount Jesus told a story about a wise man building a house on the rock (7:24), so now Jesus himself declares that he's going to do just that. Here, as there, we are meant to imagine in the background the great city, Jerusalem, built on the rocky heights of Mount Zion. In some Jewish traditions, the Temple in Jerusalem was the place were heaven and earth met, and where the gates of the underworld as well were to be found. Jesus is declaring that he is reconstructing this centerpiece of God's world. Jesus isn't going to build an actual city, or an actual temple. He is going to build a community, consisting of all those who give allegiance to him as God's anointed king. And this movement, this community, starts then and there, at Caesarea Philippi, with Peters declaration.” (N.T. Wright)

“The metaphor of binding and loosing was variously employed in ancient Judaism but often was used for the interpretation of Torah and for decision making more generally. Many therefore support the GNB’s “prohibit” and “permit,” which would fit Jesus’ use of these terms in (18:18) in the context of church discipline. But this translation reflects a fairly late, rabbinic usage; more immediate parallels suggest that one should pursue the imagery of keys that close and open, lock and unlock (based on Isa. 22:22) and take the binding and loosing as referring to Christians’ making entrance to God’s kingdom available or unavailable to people through their witness, preaching, and ministry.”        (Craig Blomberg)

“He, on whom the church is to be built, follows his ancestors Adam and Eve in presuming to know better than God what God desires.” (Stanley Hauerwas)

“Jesus, therefore, tells his disciples that if they are to follow him they must take up their cross. If they seek to save their lives using the means the world offers to ensure their existence, then their lives will be lost. Rather, they must be willing to lose their lives “for my sake” if they are to find life. Jesus is not telling his disciples that if they learn to live unselfishly they will live more satisfied lives. Rather, he says that any sacrifices they make must be done for his sake. The cross we bear must be one determined by his cross. What Jesus asks of his disciples makes no sense if Jesus is not who he says he is. You do not ask those who follow you to follow you to a cross unless you are the son of God. You do not ask your brothers and sisters to contemplate the death of those they love if you are not the messiah. You do not make Peter the rock on whom the church is built if you are not the one who is inaugurated the new age. But Jesus is all this and more, required his disciples to live life not determined by death.” (Stanley Hauerwas)

 

Matthew: Testing, Teaching, Understanding

Text: Matthew 16:1-20
Title: Testing, Teaching, & Understanding

Reading: Matthew 16:1-20

“for many the demand to follow Jesus to be a disciple is too burdensome. Instead they want to know more about Jesus.” (Stanley Hauerwas)

“For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.” (1 Corinthians 2:22&23)

“like a parent teaching a child not to be led astray by the flashing signs of city advertisements, he warned them of the ‘leaven’ of the Pharisees and Sadducees. This was puzzling to the disciples, who thought Jesus was referring cryptically to the fact that they'd forgotten to bring any bread with them. It is even more puzzling to us, because unless we have grown up knowing something about Judaism we probably don't know what leaven could stand for. The point is this. At Passover, one of the greatest Jewish festivals, all leaven had to be cleared out of the house commemorating the time when the children of Israel left Egypt in such a hurry that they didn't have time to bake leavened bread, and so ate it unleavened. Gradually, ‘leaven’ became a symbol not for something that makes bread more palatable, but for something that makes it less pure. Warning against the ‘leaven’ of someone's teaching meant warning against ways in which the true message of God's kingdom could be corrupted, diluted, or (as we say, referring to drink rather than bread), ‘watered-down’.” (N.T. Wright)

 

Matthew: Cries of Faith, Grumbles of Grace

Listen along as we look at Matthew 15:21-39 and see both faith and grace lived and experienced.

Notes/Quotes:

Matthew 15:21-39

“Jesus has come to my country; Jesus did not say no when I asked for help; and when he did speak he did not send me away as his disciples asked him to do.” These facts together—Jesus’ presence, his silence, and his enigmatic speech—slim as they may seem to us, were broad enough for a woman with desperate faith to find footing. Faith believes Jesus is good even when reason is not so sure.” - Dale Bruner

Psalm 62:1-8

Isaiah 35:5-7

“I've got no answers
For heartbreaks or cancers
But a Savior who suffers them with me” - John Mark McMillan

Matthew: The Road in (and out of) Pride

Listen in as we look at Matthew 15 as see how Jesus addresses our hearts.

Notes/Quotes:

Matthew 15:1-20

“In short, the Pharisees wanted to sanctify the entirety of life, to make common life as holy as the temple, filled with the presence of God. To this end they agreed to handle, sell, and eat food in virtually the same state of purity as that which the Bible prescribes for the priests who serve in the temple. The washing was simply one of many ways by which serious believers could say by their actions, “We love Scripture,” and “We don’t even want accidentally to break the holy commands of God.” Apparently the Serious, to be completely safe, even took full-immersion baptismal baths every morning and on every return from public life. These people longed to be clean before God.” - Dale Bruner

“actor”—hypocrite—is simply a person who pretends to be someone else. When perfectly honorable “acting” is transferred from stage to life we have “hypocrisy” or “phoniness.” - Dale Bruner

“We must begin by admitting that people and situations do not cause us to speak as we do. Our hearts control our words. People and situations simply provide the occasion for the heart to express itself.”  Paul Tripp

Instead of trusting God’s word as a sign and a mirror, 
we see it as a microscope, a mask, or mothballs.

Unfortunately, many of us fail to grasp how dangerous pride is. We know that we shouldn’t look down on others, but we tend to see it as a small sin. It’s not the kind of thing you go to prison for; it falls somewhere between failing to floss and driving too fast. It’s something to work on. But no big deal. Even if we admit to periodic bouts with pride, what most of us mean is, “It’s tough staying humble when I’m so much better than everyone else.” There’s something strange about this sin that God hates most. It’s usually found among people who think they love God most.”- Larry Osborne

“Part of the reason that self-righteousness, pride, and sins like envy and a lack of gratitude are so deadly is because they are prevalent within us but often not readily evident to us or to others. They lurk and strike when we are unaware and cause real-world harm and destruction to our own souls, to others, and in the world. Satan, the beautiful angel, was hurled out of heaven because of such sins. No wonder C.S. Lewis is right in saying that “a cold self-righteous prig who goes regularly to church may be far nearer to hell than a prostitute.” Marlena Graves 

1 Timothy 1:12-16

There is no such thing as a noncommunal sin, and there is no such thing as a noncommunal obedience. Personal sin always results in collateral damage. Personal obedience always results in collateral benefit. - Jen Wilkin

Where have you added?
Where have you ignored?
Where is there superiority?
What is flowing from your heart to your life?
How does Christ lead you out of pride?

Brave question:
Where do you see pride in me?

Matthew: Murder and Miracles

Listen along as we look at Matthew 14 and see the deception of sin and satisfaction of the Savior.

Notes/Quotes:

Text: Matthew 14
Title: Murder & Miracles

Reading: Matthew 14

“The miracles Jesus performs…do not compel faith; but those with faith will perceive their significance.” (D.A. Carson)

“He translates his sorrow over John, and perhaps his sorrow over himself, into sorrow for them. Before the outward and visible works of power, healing the sick, comes the inward and invisible work of power, in which Jesus transforms his own feelings into love for those in need.” (N.T. Wright)

“Think through how it happened. Being close to Jesus has turned into the thought of service; Jesus takes the thought, turns it inside out (making it more costly, of course), and gives it back to you as a challenge. In puzzled response to the challenge, you offer what you've got, knowing it's quite inadequate (but again costly), and the same thing happens. He takes it, blesses it, and breaks it (there is the cost, yet again), and he gives it to you and your job now is to give it to everybody else. This is how it works whenever someone is close enough to Jesus to catch a glimpse of what he's doing and how they could help. We blunder in with our ideas. We offer, uncomprehending, what little we have. Jesus takes ideas, loaves and fishes, money, a sense of humor, time, energy, talents, love, artistic gifts, skill with words, quickness of eye or fingers, whatever we have to offer. He holds them before his father with prayer and blessing. Then, breaking them so they are ready for use he gives them back to us to give to those who need them. And now they are both ours and not ours. They are both what we had in mind and not what we had in mind. Something greater and different, more powerful and mysterious, yet also our own. It is part of genuine Christian service, at whatever level, that we look on in amazement to see what God has done with the bits and pieces we dug out of our meager resources to offer to him.” (N.T. Wright)

“and there, shimmering on the water, is a strange figure, walking toward us. Much of our world knows at least a little about Jesus; but he seems a ghostly image, a mirage or fantasy, unrelated to us and our problems. Some find him frightening. Others wish he'd go away and leave us alone. Even those who believe in him, as the disciples already did, don't know what to expect of him. But he seems to be doing the impossible, and sometimes people get the idea that it would be good to copy him, if only we could. Some people set off with the aim of doing just that: to bring the love and power, his peace and hope, to the needy world.” (N.T. Wright)

Question: Do we have the faith to perceive the significance of these miracles this morning?

Matthew: Clarity, Call, and Cost of the Kingdom

Listen in as we look at the gospel according to Matthew, chapter 13, verses 44-58.

Sermon Notes/Quotes:

Matthew 13:44-58

“The parables in this chapter are a challenge to us at two levels: understanding and action. Understanding without action is sterile; action without understanding is exhausting and useless.” N.T. Wright

Our present culture, specializes in inflaming endless lust for possessions with advertisements that constantly convince us that we need more, particularly to create the ease we have never found. The marketers don't tell us much about their products, but they spend a great deal of energy and enormous amounts of money appealing to our fears and dreams. Thus, the idolatry of possessions plays to the deeper idolatry of our selves-and in an endlessly consuming society, persons are always remaking themselves with new belongings. - Marva Dawn

Galatians 3:3

Proverbs 3:5-6

“Your Word come” (the Sower, with understanding faith), “your Way come” (the Wheat in the Weeds, with nonviolent love), “your Work come” (the Seeds, with confident hope that Jesus’ “little” work will one day prove immense), “your Wonder come” (the Gems, with the joy of grace and the abandon of obedience), and “your Warning come” (the Net, with the seriousness of true repentance). To pray “Thy kingdom come,” then, is to pray that the gospel may be under-stood, lived out, hoped for, “bought up,” and taken seriously” - Dale Bruner

Matthew: Where is God in the Waiting?

Listen along as we continue our journey through Matthew's gospel account.

Notes/Quotes:

Matt 13:24-43

 "A parable is a story or saying that illustrates a truth using comparison, hyperbole, or simile. Additionally a parable can be a model, analogy, or example.” - Lexham Bible Dictionary

“We have lost the ability to create metaphors for life. We have lost the ability to give shape to things, to recognize the events around us, and in us, let alone to interpret them.” - Friedensreich Hundertwasser

“Everyday moments of epiphany are bestowed on everyone. Our role is to simply learn to pay attention. It is remarkable how often the parables handed down to us from Jesus end with the words: “Consider carefully how you listen,” and “Whoever has ears to hear, let him hear.” - Martin Schleske 

(bread pic)

“There is a kind of madness commensurate with being a disciple of Jesus. To see the world, to understand that the kingdom of heaven is like a mustard see requires a people who refuse to be hurried. The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed or yeast because to be drawn into the kingdom of heaven is to participate in God’s patience toward his creation. Jesus is teaching us to see the significance of the insignificant. Jesus, after all, at this point in his ministry is not even commanding the attention of the Roman authorities. From the perspective of those in power, Jesus is no more than a confusing prophet to a defeated people in a backwater of the Roman Empire.” - Stanley Hauerwas

2 Peter 3:8-9

2 Corinthians 4:7-11

“Part of the practice of modest faith, in times of suffering, is relinquishing our right to answers. God has never promised to explain himself, but he has promised to stay near. I will never leave, he says; I will never forsake. I am the friend that sticks closer than your brother. Do not think me unmoved by your grief. These are the faithful assurances of God as we have them in Scripture, and here is even more hope available to those willing to search it out. But let’s not be fooled to think that God has promised things like: it will get better, you’ll soon see the purpose behind this pain, there’s never more than you can handle. Often it does get better; often we do see purpose; always there is sufficient grace. But lament must practice the modest faith of finding sufficient that which God provides, even if, in seasons of great sorrow, it may not seem like enough.” Jen Pollack Michel