Dear Church 1
As we start our tour through the New Testament, we begin with the Gospel of Matthew. The Holy Spirit inspired Matthew to write his book to his fellow Jews in 45 AD so they would know that Jesus’ Kingdom has come.
As we saw on Sunday, the Kingdom of Heaven and the Church are the same.
Matthew 16:16 Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” 17 Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven. 18 And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. 19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”
The rock on which the Church is built and our lives are built is the rock of Jesus, the claim that Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah, the Son of God.
Have you made that profession with your lips?
Are you living that profession the way you live?
Jesus taught us to build our life on the rock, not the sand.
Matthew 7:24 “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. 26 But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. 27 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”
Are you a wise man?
Are you building your house on the truth of God’s word?
There will be storms and trouble in life, but your life will not fall apart.
Charles Spurgeon said, "A Bible that is falling apart usually belongs to someone who isn't."
When you are in God’s word and base your life and decisions upon His word, you will stand strong on the Rock of Jesus. Hardships and storms will come, but in the strength of Jesus, you will stand and even have peace.
John 16:33 “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
Jesus said to Matthew to come and “Follow Me.” Jesus calls us to come to Him.
Matthew 11:28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
The soft side of Jesus is to come and find rest.
The hard side of Jesus is to come and take up your cross.
You can’t have one without the other, Jesus is both Savior and Lord.
Matthew 16:24 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 25 For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it. 26 What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul? 27 For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father’s glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what he has done.
Following Jesus meant Matthew had to quit stealing money as a tax collector and become a fisher of men.
As a follower of Jesus, what do you need to give up?
What are you denying yourself to follow Jesus?
To be great you need to humble yourself and be a servant.
Die to self
Galatians 5:24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. 26 Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.
Die to sins
1 Peter 2:24 He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed. 25 For you were like sheep going astray, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.
Crucified with Jesus
Galatians 2:20 I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. 21 I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!”
Follow Jesus!
Build your life on the Rock!
As we start our tour through the New Testament, we begin with the Gospel of Matthew. The Holy Spirit inspired Matthew to write his book to his fellow Jews in 45 AD so they would know that Jesus’ Kingdom has come.
As we saw on Sunday, the Kingdom of Heaven and the Church are the same.
Matthew 16:16 Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” 17 Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven. 18 And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. 19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”
The rock on which the Church is built and our lives are built is the rock of Jesus, the claim that Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah, the Son of God.
Have you made that profession with your lips?
Are you living that profession the way you live?
Jesus taught us to build our life on the rock, not the sand.
Matthew 7:24 “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. 26 But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. 27 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”
Are you a wise man?
Are you building your house on the truth of God’s word?
There will be storms and trouble in life, but your life will not fall apart.
Charles Spurgeon said, "A Bible that is falling apart usually belongs to someone who isn't."
When you are in God’s word and base your life and decisions upon His word, you will stand strong on the Rock of Jesus. Hardships and storms will come, but in the strength of Jesus, you will stand and even have peace.
John 16:33 “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
Jesus said to Matthew to come and “Follow Me.” Jesus calls us to come to Him.
Matthew 11:28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
The soft side of Jesus is to come and find rest.
The hard side of Jesus is to come and take up your cross.
You can’t have one without the other, Jesus is both Savior and Lord.
Matthew 16:24 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 25 For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it. 26 What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul? 27 For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father’s glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what he has done.
Following Jesus meant Matthew had to quit stealing money as a tax collector and become a fisher of men.
As a follower of Jesus, what do you need to give up?
What are you denying yourself to follow Jesus?
To be great you need to humble yourself and be a servant.
Die to self
Galatians 5:24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. 26 Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.
Die to sins
1 Peter 2:24 He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed. 25 For you were like sheep going astray, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.
Crucified with Jesus
Galatians 2:20 I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. 21 I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!”
Follow Jesus!
Build your life on the Rock!
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