30 Sermon Starters from Matthew 13

Matthew 13 is the beginning of Jesus' parables. The majority of these parables help us understand the nature of God's Kingdom as well as the exclusivity of God's Kingdom. At the end of these parables, we should be left with a sense of gratitude that we have been included as well as a sense of responsibility to see as many others included as possible.

1. A parable is an earthly story with a heavenly meaning.
2. A parable is a true-to-life story that teaches truth about eternal life.
3. A parable usually teaches one main point. The details are important to the degree they pertain to the main idea.
4. Jesus used parables to obscure the truth from those who had rejected Him.
5. Just as God “gave them up” in Romans 1, Jesus has allowed those who rejected truth to experience the consequences of that decision.
6. Many of Jesus’ parables were warnings about the religious leaders, thus the people could be warned without the religious leaders understanding.
7. The see is the word of the Kingdom. God spreads the Gospel everywhere to everyone, but not always with the same effect.
8. Equal opportunity does not always lead to equal outcomes.
9. The footpath represents those who intellectually cannot accept the Gospel. With the help of the evil one, they “reason” their way away from Jesus.
10. Satan’s greatest deception is to cast intellectual doubt into the minds of those who would believe. “Has God really said…?”
11. The rocky soil prevents deep roots.  Without roots, one cannot stand in the midst of suffering.
12. Those who say, “I cannot worship a God who allows this…”, have never truly understood who God truly is. They have not put down roots.
13. The thorns represent the distractions in our world which choke out the spiritual life of people.
14. The cares of the world could also be worded, “Caring too much about the world.”
15. The deceitfulness of riches takes many astray. Following Jesus is fun until it is costly.
16. The parable of the weeds reveals there are people who look like Christians, talk like Christians, hang out with Christians, and may even think they are Christians; but who will be revealed to be lost at the final judgment.
17. Warning for pastors: In your fervor to defend the Gospel (by destroying weeds), be careful that you do not destroy the good plants who are among them!
18. Jesus will sort everything at the end. For now, just be faithful.
19. The Kingdom of Heaven will expand and will impact all of life.
20. The parable of the mustard seed and the parable of the leaven make it clear that God’s Kingdom is NOT to be segregated from the rest of life. It shoul
    
    
    d impact all of life.
21. Jesus’ explanation of the Kingdom’s scope was new. It had been hidden until then.
22. The mystery Jesus revealed in these parables is the mystery Paul revealed in His letters (Colossians 1; Ephesians 3).
23. The Kingdom of Heaven is more valuable than anything we could ever find or own.
24. The Kingdom of Heaven is worth losing everything.
25. The Kingdom of Heaven is the most important pursuit in life.
26. The great sorting of humanity will not happen until the end.
27. Humanity WILL be sorted at the end.
28. In these parables, Jesus refers to the final judgment as fire/burning three separate times.
29. The judgement awaiting those who are sorted includes separation, pain, and regret.
30. Those who truly understand the Kingdom are able to synthesize the truth they have always known with the truth they are continuing to learn.

30 Sermon Ideas from Matthew 12

A great amount of material is present in this chapter. It would be easy to focus on the minor issues and miss the major issues. At the end of the day, the main thing is (as it almost always is), "WHO IS JESUS?!" 

1. The Pharisees weren’t upset about theft, they were upset about Sabbath. This shines a light on some of the “property” mindset of the time.
2. This activity by the disciples was specifically permitted in the law - Deuteronomy 23:25.
3. Imagine it being considered “work” to walk through a field and have a snack.
4. When you want to find something wrong with someone, you will. The Pharisees wanted to find fault with Jesus and His disciples. They did.
5. Only you can choose whether or not to be a fault finder or a gift giver.
6. Everything in the law points to something greater. Everything in the temple points to something greater. That something is a someone. It’s Jesus.
7. Your vertical relationship will be impeded by dysfunctional horizontal relationships.
8. The minor prophets repeatedly condemn God’s people for participating in ceremonial worship gatherings while oppressing their fellow man (Hosea 6:6, Micah 6:6-8, Amos 5:18-24)
9. Interestingly, in healing the man with a withered hand, Jesus didn’t do any work. He told the man to do the work.
10. In order to be healed, the man had to actively and visibly oppose the Pharisees and obey Jesus.
11. Sometimes, obedience precedes healing.
12. The law, properly understood, always reflects God’s care for people and will never instruct us to not love and care for our fellow man. 
13. Imagine desiring to kill someone because they healed a person!
14. Be careful where your rage and anger take you. Beware of personal feuds that blind you to wisdom.
15. In the middle of the chapter, Matthew references Isaiah’s prophecy which spoke to the Messiah’s work on behalf of Gentiles. In this chapter, we are seeing the Jewish leader’s rejection of Jesus.
16. The people’s trajectory of understanding Jesus is radically different than the Pharisees. At one moment, they ask if He is the Messiah and the Pharisees are convinced He is from Satan.
17. An interesting observation is (that when speaking about others) it is always wiser to ask a question than make a proclamation, especially when the proclamation is accusatory.
18. Satan is the master of chaos and disunity, but his forces are unified in their hatred for God.
19. Beware of those who would seek unity in their ambition against a shared enemy.
20. In His response to the Pharisees, Jesus answers the question of the people… The Kingdom has come.
21. When a demon is cast out, the first question is, “who is being bound?” Therefore, who is the strong man and who is being plundered.
22. A corollary is to realize that Satan seeks to plunder our lives by binding us with the cares of this world!
23. The Pharisees had so hardened their hearts at this time, they were beyond repentance. They had become Pharaoh of the New Testament.
24. Jesus viewed Jonah as a historical character. If Jesus did, we should.
25. Ninevah and the Queen of the South are further hints at Jesus’ coming salvation of Gentiles. What binds them together is their repentance when confronted by the truth. They had a lesser testimony than Jesus and still they repented.
26. In their rejection of Jesus, the Pharisees had become seven times more guilty.
27. In all of these conversations, what emerges is a litmus test for our relationship with Jesus. Do we accept Him as God and Lord or do we try to explain away what He has done? Naturalism is the enemy of faith.
28. Often the people we think should truly understand Jesus are the ones who can’t actually grasp who He is.
29. All the knowledge in the world (the Law, the Family) cannot save you.
30. Don’t be distracted by all the excitement of this chapter. Demon-posession, unforgiveable sins, debate about the law are all issues, but what is really at stake is: Will you do the will of God?

25 Sermon Ideas from Matthew 8

 Matthew 8 is the "healing chapter". Here Jesus demonstrates His power.

1. Only Jesus can make us clean. Not even the teachings from the sermon on the mount can make us clean, but Jesus can.
2. Jesus is willing to make you clean.
3. Jesus will not make you clean until you are willing to bow your knee to Him.
4. In Matthew 8, several people approach Jesus for help. In each case, they submit to His will.
5. Submission is necessary for sanctification.
6. True faith requires recognizing and submitting to Jesus’ authority.
7. When you truly understand Jesus’ power, your life will be changed forever.
8. Jesus came to heal and save everyone, not just the people who looked like Him.
9. Jesus relieved suffering and rescued sinners.
10. Jesus’ followers should seek to relieve suffering and rescue sinners.
11. God’s plan was always that Jesus would heal and save.
12. Following Jesus means letting go of everything else.
13. You cannot rely on Jesus while you are still relying on yourself.
14. There is no responsibility in life so important that it should keep you from following Jesus.
15. Jesus slept in the storm because He knew who was in control of the storm.
16. The ability to sleep is often connected to the degree of our trust.
17. There is no storm so great that Jesus cannot control it.
18. My lack of control in life’s storms should never lead to fear, it should be conquered by faith.
19. Jesus took His disciples through the storm so that He could show them His power.
20. In Matthew 8 Jesus demonstrates power over disease, injury, nature, and evil.
21. The response of the men who were saved by Jesus was to tell others about Him.
22. If Jesus has really saved you, you won’t be able to keep your mouth closed.
23. The response of those who hadn’t been saved was to chase Jesus’ off.
24. The people begged Jesus to leave because He had created an inconvenience for them.
25. Everyone who meets Jesus must either accept Him or reject Him.

25 Sermon Ideas from Matthew 7

Matthew 7 is the final chapter of the Sermon on the Mount. Here are twenty-five sentences that can be starter ideas or just help to fill in a sermon or Bible Study on Matthew 7.

1. Be known as a person full of mercy and grace, not as a person full of judgment.
2. Choose to look at yourself more critically than you look at others.
3. Don’t sit in judgment on those whom Christ has forgiven.
4. Beware of the cycle of judgment. You don’t have to return judgment for judgment. You can choose to give mercy.
5. Asking, seeking, and knocking are all pursuit words. God loves it when we pursue Him.
6. God only has good gifts for His children, and everything God gives to His children is good.
7. Our heavenly Father is better than even the best earthly Father.
8. Our heavenly Father is the embodiment of our ideal father, and more.
9. Pay attention to your expectations of others. Don’t expect more of them than you do of yourself.
10. Love your neighbor as yourself.
11. The more resistance you face in life, the more likely it is that you are heading in the right direction.
12. An easy life almost always leads to the wrong destination.
13. The end result of your life will either be destruction or life.
14. The majority chooses the wrong path a majority of the time.
15. Not all “teachers” are as they seem. Before you pay attention to their words, pay attention to the fruit of their life.
16. All the “good doctrine” in the world is meaningless if it doesn’t lead to love and mercy.
17. Galatians 5:22-23 outlines the fruit of the Spirit. These fruits should be the outcomes of our life.
18. Those who truly know and trust Jesus will bear Jesus’ fruits in their life.
19. Fruitlessness leads to the fire.
20. If Jesus doesn’t know you, you can’t spend eternity with Him.
21. At the final judgment, Jesus will “know” everyone in the Lamb’s book of life.
22. The sermon on the mount teaches how to be successful while living on earth.
23. Ignoring the words of Jesus leads to collapse when life’s storms hit.
24. Jesus isn’t afraid of life’s storms because He controls them and He can use them for our good.
25. If you want to know what the foundation of your life is, take a look at your calendar and your bank account.

25 Sermon Starters from Matthew 6

 Each of these sentences can serve as an idea seed from which to build an entire sermon, or they might be one key point in a sermon. Ideally, they will help you process what God wants to say through you to the people to whom you preach.

1. Motives matter.
2. If you are living for the approval of people, you’ll likely not receive the approval of God.
3. If you have to tell people about your acts of generosity, it wasn’t really generosity.
4. Maintain secrecy about our “good deeds” is a helpful way to check our motivation.
5. Never pray for the approval of someone else.
6. Never be embarrassed about the way you pray. God’s opinion of your prayer is more important than anyone else’s.
7. Even if no one ever knows the “good things” you have done, God knows.
8. Fancy words do not a good prayer make.
9. Jesus’ prayer contained ten lines. Only one of them is a request. Our prayers need to be more than request lists.
10. If you pray that God’s name will be honored, make sure you don’t dishonor His name with your actions.
11. Praying that God’s kingdom will come is an empty thought if we don’t submit our lives to His rule.
12. If we truly want God to be obeyed on earth as He is in heaven, we must obey Him on earth.
13. Those who have been forgiven, must forgive.
14. Step number one in resisting temptation is to pray every day for God’s strength in resisting temptation.
15. “Your Father who sees in secret will reward you.”
16. Invest in things that last.
17. Your actions, words, responses, and attitudes are all investments. With those investments, you are either building God’s kingdom or your own.
18. Whatever you look at is what you will see. Choose to focus your attention on the right objects.
19. Instead of serving your money, make your money serve God.
20. If you are serving money, you will eventually be mastered by anxiety.
21. The more you worry about what you cannot control, the more you will be controlled by what you worry about.
22. Worry only makes us suffer twice.
23. You will find what you seek, so choose wisely what you will seek.
24. The best way to receive everything you need, is to stop seeking it and start seeking the Kingdom.
25. Work at what you can control. Pray about what you cannot control.

3 Sermon Ideas from Matthew 5

SERMON ONE 

The Blessed Life

Jesus’ teachings at the beginning of the Sermon on the Mount are a call to introspection. We must be willing to take an honest look at ourselves, and then to respond appropriately to what we see.

1. The Internal Life
    1. Poor in Spirit - Recognizing my own spiritual poverty, I choose to not think too highly of myself.
    2. Mourn - Recognizing its effects on myself and others, I mourn my sinfulness.
    3. Meek - Recognizing that God’s strength is shown in my weakness, I choose to keep my own strength under control.
    4. Hunger and Thirst - Recognizing my own emptiness, I choose to fill myself with God’s provision

2. The External Life
    1. Mercy - Recognizing that I have received mercy, I freely give mercy (Matthew 18:21-35)
    2. Pure in Heart - Recognizing that God sees the heart, I choose to act from pure motivations such as love and generosity rather than selfish motivations
    3. Peacemakers - Recognizing that relational dysfunction only destroys God’s creation, I choose to escalate peace rather than conflict
    4. Persecution - Recognizing that many people are opposed to God, I choose to rejoice in persecution and to pray for my persecutors (John 15:18)

Conclusion: Once we are willing to acknowledge the difficult truths about ourselves, we can recognizing the glorious truths about Jesus. Once you recognize what He has done for you, it is easy to live for Him!

SERMON TWO

Being Salty Isn’t Always Bad

1. Four uses of salt
    1. To preserve
    2. To bring flavor
    3. To wake up (smelling salts)
    4. To make thirsty 

2. Four ways to be salty
    1. Be active in your community as a means of preserving God’s creation and God’s image
    2. Be generous with God’s gifts so that you can make others’ lives betters (more flavorful)
    3. Be gracious in the way you speak the truth, but speak the truth so others may wake up to God’s grace and mercy
    4. Live in such a way that others will crave (be thirsty for) what you have

Conclusion: God saved us so that we can bring others to salvation. How we live either points people to God or to ourselves. Choose to live in a way that points people to Jesus.

SERMON THREE

God Looks At The Heart

In Matthew 5:21-37, Jesus doesn’t eliminate the law, He illuminates it. He shows that the law can only govern men’s external actions, but not their hearts. God’s words to Samuel in 1 Samuel 16 are still true today. We look on the outside, but God looks on the heart.

1. Murder and Anger
    1. The command - Thou shalt not kill
    2. The illumination - Don’t be angry or insulting to your brother
        1. (Anger is not always wrong. Righteous indignation is sometimes appropriate, but one must never be ruled by anger)
        2. In your anger do not sin.
        3. Do not let the sun go down on your wrath.
    3. The principle - All people are made in the image of God and are therefore loved by God. To take a life or diminish a life is to insult God’s creation.

2. Adultery and Lust (and divorce)
    1. The command - Thou shalt not commit adultery
    2. The illumination - Don’t look (or think) lustfully at others
    3. The principle - Marriage is a covenant in which God’s unity is represented by a man and woman. To violate that covenant in any way (including an “emotional affair”) is to violate our connection with God.

3. Lying and Oath Swearing
    1. The command - Thou shalt not bear false witness
    2. The illumination - Don’t even take oaths
    3. The principle - God is truth. God’s children should be so full of truth that everyone knows they are telling the truth no matter what they say. You should never have to say, “I promise” or “I swear”, because people should simply know you are a truthful person.

Conclusion: Protect your heart from influences that drive you away from God. Fill your heart with influences that drive you closer to Him.

3 Sermon Ideas from Matthew 4

SERMON ONE

 Three Lies Satan Tells

1. You can HAVE whatever you want

    1. “Turn those stones to bread”

    2. This is an appeal to our desire to feel good. We fill our stomachs with food, we fill our lust with sex, we fill our emotions with drugs, etc…

    3. Jesus’ response reminds us that we cannot fill our emptiness with earthly things. We need something more.

2. You can DO whatever you want

    1. “Throw yourself down”

    2. This is an appeal to our desire for autonomy. We don’t think anyone should be able to tell us what is right and wrong or what we can and cannot do.

    3. Jesus’ response reminds us that God’s laws are designed for our safety and protection and real consequences exist for those who ignore His law.

        1. Specifically, we should not expect God to bail us out of situations when we have made bad decisions.

3. You can BE whatever you want

    1. “…all the kingdoms of the world… These will I give you”

    2. This is an appeal to our desire for affirmation. We want people to like us and respect us even if we are not being the person we were made to be.

    3. Jesus did not come to earth the first time to take rulership of all kingdoms. That was not God’s mission for Him, that was not the identity He was supposed to assume.

    4. His response reminds us that we find our true identity in God. When our starting point is true worship, our finishing point will be contentment with who we are.

CONCLUSION: God’s way is best. The more time we spend in His Word, the more prepared we will be to deal with the temptation to abandon His way in favour of what we think is better. Doing it our way always seems appealing in the moment, but it never ends well. Do it God’s way.

SERMON TWO

The Wilderness and the Garden

Notice how similar Satan’s temptations in Matthew 4 are to his temptations in Genesis 3. The devil’s strategies haven’t changed that much. He plays to our lack of contentment, suggests that we don’t have what we want because God is not good, and then deceitfully suggests we can be something much better if we’ll go His way.

1. The devil suggested they eat what has not been provided

    1. “Command these stones to become loaves of bread”

    2. “You will not surely die.”

2. The devil suggested they didn’t understand God as well as he did

    1. “He will command his angels concerning you”

    2. “God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be open”

3. The devil suggested God was holding them back

    1. “All these (kingdoms of the world) I will give you”

    2. “You will be like God.”

Conclusion:  Even though, in the garden they had everything, Adam and Eve fell for these lies and as a result sin entered the world and death by sin. However, even though, in the wilderness he had nothing, Jesus resisted the temptation. Because He succeeded where Adam and Eve failed, Jesus became the perfect sacrifice to bear our sins and make it possible for us to have eternal life, free from the penalty, presence and power of sin.

SERMON THREE 

The Disciples’ Invitation is Our Invitation

1. Follow me

    1. For the disciples, following Jesus meant walking where he walked, talking like He talked, acting like He acted, treating others as He treated them, choosing the attitudes He chose, and much more.

    2. Everyone is following someone or something. To “follow” is to pay close attention and to sometimes imitate.

        1. The news channel of choice.

        2. A favorite politician

        3. Celebrities or athletes

        4. A preacher or other influencer

    3. Truly following Jesus means we allow Him to be the primary TEACHER, EXAMPLE, INFLUENCER, and BOSS of our life.

2. I will make you

    1. Jesus transformed the disciples from fearful and cowardly to bold and driven.

    2. Jesus wants to make you into the person God created you to be. However, until you can acknowledge that you need help and that, on your own, you cannot make yourself, He cannot make you.

    3. If you choose to closely follow Jesus, the result will be that He re-makes you.

3. Fishers of men

    1. Peter and Andrew were fishermen. Jesus took what they were good at, redeemed it, and used it to accomplish His mission through them.

    2. Jesus can take the gifts you already have, redeem them, and use them to accomplish His mission through you.

        1. Your Power (what you are good at)

        2. Your Passion

        3. Your Personality

        4. Your Possessions

        5. Your Past

Conclusion: The disciple’s three year adventure with Jesus changed everything about them and altered the direction of the rest of their lives. The challenge for us is to choose to follow Jesus and let Him change us as well. He wants to change who we are so that He can use who we are to accomplish His mission for those around us.

2 Sermon Ideas from Matthew 3

 

SERMON ONE

The Process of Salvation

John’s message was enough to get people moving toward salvation, but not enough to save them. They needed something more than he could offer.

1. I Repent

    1. Repentance is the process of stopping, turning, and moving away. It inherently leads to something new.

        1. It is more than “I’m sorry” or “I was wrong”.

    2. John’s message was that something new was coming, and to receive it a new direction was necessary.

2. I Confess

    1. Those who were baptised by John, first confessed their sin.

    2. Confession is taking responsibility for what one has done, in this case it is taking responsibility for one’s sins.

    3. Confession of sin should include:

        1. Acknowledgement that I alone am responsible for my sins. No excuses.

        2. Acknowledgement that my sin has driven a wedge between myself and the perfectly righteous God.

3. I am given the Holy Spirit THROUGH Jesus

    1. I need the Holy Spirit to be my advocate and to empower my new relationship with God.

    2. I need the Holy Spirit to be my guide and to enable my new life on earth.

    3. I cannot receive the Holy Spirit while I am still a sinful creature.

    4. I need Jesus to wash away my sin, cure my sin nature, and give me the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Conclusion:

Much more can be said and discovered about life in the Spirit. This is simply the starting point. The key for today is to understand our own steps in receiving the salvation offered by Jesus.

Other supporting Scriptures are: 1 John 1:9, Acts 2:38, Acts 3:19, 2 Peter 3:9, Luke 5:32, Acts 26:20.

SERMON TWO

A Glimpse of the Trinity

This passage carries significant parallels to other passages in Scripture which helps us to understand how the Father, Son and Spirit work together.

1. In Creation

    1. The Father spoke (Genesis 1) “And God said…”

    2. The Spirit hovered (Genesis 1:2) “and the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters”

        1. Think of “hovering” as “overseeing” like a manager.

        2. A good manager EMPOWERS. The Spirit EMPOWERS the Son as He acts.

    3. The Son acted (Colossians 1:16) “for by Him all things were created…”

2. At Jesus’ Baptism (Matthew 3:16-17)

    1. The Father spoke  — “This is my beloved Son, which whom I am well pleased.”

    2. The Spirit hovered — “the Spirit of God depending like a dove…”

    3. The Son acted — “Jesus was baptised…he went up from the water….”

3. Throughout Jesus’ life and ministry

    1. The Father spoke — (John 17:4) “…having accomplished the work that you gave me to do.”

    2. The Spirit hovered — (John 3:34) “for He gives the Spirit without measure.”

    3. The Son acted — (John 3:17) “For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through Him.”

4. In Salvation (1 Peter 1:1-2)

    1. The Father spoke — “according to the foreknowledge of God the Father”

    2. The Spirit hovered — “in the sanctification of the Spirit”

    3. The Son acted — “…sprinkling with his blood”

5. In our life

    1. The Father speaks — (Philippians 1:6) “He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion…”

    2. The Spirit empowers — (John 14:15) “He will give you another Helper, to be with you forever…”

    3. The Son acts — (Hebrews 12:2) “looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecto of our faith”

Conclusion:

We need to pay attention to what God has said and open ourselves to what His Spirit is doing in us so that our lives will more closely resemble the life of Jesus.

2 Sermon Ideas from Matthew 2

SERMON ONE

 God’s plan never gets derailed.

1. The events of Jesus’ birth were foretold by the prophet Micah (700 years before Jesus)

    1. Matthew 2:6

    2. Micah 5:2

2. The events of Jesus’ birth were foretold by the prophet Hosea (750 years before Jesus)

    1. Matthew 2:15

    2. Hosea 11:1

3. The events of Jesus’ birth were foretold by the prophet Jeremiah (600 years before Jesus)

    1. Matthew 2:17

    2. Jeremiah 31:15

4. The events of Jesus’ birth were foretold by the prophet Isaiah (700 years before Jesus)

    1. Matthew 2:23

    2. Isaiah 9:1

Consider how long 600-700 years is. 

    * Europeans had just discovered the Western Hemisphere. The existence of America was still hundreds of years away.

    * Henry VIII was king of England.

    * The printing press had just been invented.

    * The Protestant Reformation was just underway.

    * The shape of the earth and motion of the solar system were just being discovered. 

    * Da Vinci and Michelangelo were revolutionizing art. 

Imagine if during this time, someone predicted with great detail the birth of a child this year and included where he would be born, a political response to His birth, where his parents would take Him after birth, and where he would grow up. We would consider this miraculous, and virtually impossible.

Only God is capable of making a plan and executing a plan over the course of 700 years. And if His plan for Jesus didn’t get derailed, His plan for you will not get derailed!

SERMON TWO

How to avoid going crazy.

Herod’s activity in Matthew 2 can only be described as that of a madman. Commanding the slaughter of infants is something no sane person would do. Throughout the course of the chapter, we can see several decisions and character traits of Herod that help us understand why He was mentally unstable.

1. Herod tried to ACQUIRE instead of ADMIRE.

    1. Rather than join the Wise Men in worshipping the new King, he sought to get His hands on the King so that He could hold on to power.

    2. When other people own or receive something you wish you had, you must choose whether to share their joy or be jealous of their blessing.

    3. The 10th commandment is the only one that deals with the heart. God understands that when we covet in our heart, we eventually will lie, steal, kill, etc. with our actions.

2. Herod chose to COMPARE instead of COMPLIMENT

    1. He esteemed Bethlehem as lesser than Jerusalem (He never would have killed the children in Jerusalem).

    2. He esteemed his own thrown as greater than Jesus’.

    3. Comparison is an action that always leads us in the wrong direction.

        1. Comparison sometimes causes pride as we compare ourselves to others in order to feel better about ourselves.

        2. Comparison sometimes leads to shame and despair as we compare ourselves to others we deem to be our superiors.

        3. Comparison sometimes leads to jealousy and discontent as we compare ourselves to others who have “more” of what we want.

3. Herod chose to GET instead of being GRATEFUL

    1. He knew that the coming of the Messiah was foretold by Scripture and was therefore a gift from God.

    2. Rather than be grateful for God’s provision, he chose to violently seize what God had not given him.

    3. When we don’t spend time saying “thank you” to God, we will eventually spend time taking for ourselves.

God has given us everything we need. Anger, hatred, rage, and even imbalance are often the result of being obsessed with what God has not given us instead of being grateful for what He has provided. The more you look at what you don’t have, the lower your spirits will sink.

Take an inventory of everything God has given you. Begin and end every day with gratitude.

3 Sermon Ideas from Matthew 1

SERMON ONE

Text: Matthew 1:1-17

Big Idea: Every Life Matters to God

Summary: Jesus’ genealogy contains some unexpected names. If we pay attention to the names we wouldn’t expect to see, we can discover an important truth about the love of God.

Main Points:

1. Women matter to God

    * Tamar (vs 3)

    * Rahab (vs. 5)

    * Ruth (vs. 5)

    * Bathsheba (6)

2. Foreigners matter to God

    * Tamar was from Timnah (a Philistine city)

        * Genesis 38

    * Rahab was from Jericho (a Canaanite city)

        * Joshua 2

    * Ruth was from Moab (Israel’s sworn enemy)

        * Ruth 1

    * Bathsheba was married to a Hittite (she may or may not have been a foreigner)

        * 2 Samuel 11

3. Sinners matter to God

    1. Tamar dressed like a prostitute to seduce her father-in-law

    2. Rahab was known to be a prostitute in Jericho

    3. Ruth is not explicit listed as a sinner

    4. Bathsheba had an affair with King David

Conclusion:

In Mark 2:17, Jesus said, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.” These surprising inclusions in the genealogy of the greatest man who ever lived remind us that God love everyone and desires all to be saved. It doesn’t matter who you are, where you’re from, or what you’ve done… You matter to Jesus.

SERMON TWO

Text: Matthew 1:6-12

Big Idea: Right or Wrong?

Summary: In these verses, fourteen kings of Judah and Israel are listed. If you look up the record of each king in the books of Kings and Chronicles, you’ll discover that half of those listed in Matthew 1 did good in the eyes of God and half of them did evil. Use this unique truth to teach some important principles about God’s nature and work in this world.

1. Increased power and prestige are not always a result of righteous living.

    * Matthew 5:45 - He makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust

    * Don’t assume that earthy success is a sign of God’s blessing

2. Difficulties and suffering are not always a result of evil living.

    1. Luke 13:1-5

    2. Don’t assume that earthly difficulty is a sign of God’s anger

3. God’s plan is never derailed by wicked leaders

    1. Even the most evil kings in Judah did not change God’s promise to David or His plan for redemption

    2. Don’t despair when you deal with difficult leadership. God is still on the throne.

Conclusion:

Nobody is perfect. Like this list, all of us are a combination of good and bad. We should never deceive ourselves to think that our goodness is enough to please God. Just as the flawed line of Jewish Kings required God’s intervention to repair a broken line of succession, we need God’s intervention to fix our broken lives. Just as Jesus was the perfect King for Judah, He is also the perfect King for us. Choose to accept Jesus’ goodness as your own!

SERMON THREE

Text: Matthew 1:18-25

Big Idea: Character Matters

Summary: Within this story about Joseph’s interaction with an angel, we can observe much about Joseph’s character. Although he doesn’t get a lot of “screen time” in the New Testament, and although he almost never speaks, his life is one to be emulated. Within this story, we can discover five character traits of Joseph which are worth imitating.

Main Points: 

1. Joseph valued purity.

    * vs. 18 “before they came together”

    * vs. 25 “but knew her not”

    * Patience is a virtue.

2. Joseph valued justice.

    * vs. 19 “being a just man”

    * Doing the “right” thing is always the best thing.

3. Joseph valued mercy.

    * vs. 19 “unwilling to put her to shame”

    * Be merciful as your Heavenly Father is merciful.

4. Joseph valued wisdom.

    * vs. 20 “as he considered these things”

    * Wisdom rarely comes easily or quickly. It requires taking time to listen to and consider multiple viewpoints/options.

5. Joseph valued obedience.

    * vs. 25 “And he called his name Jesus.”

    * The most important thing anyone can do is figure out what God has said to do and to do it.

Conclusion:

In Philippians 3:17 and 4:9, Paul encourages believers to follow the example of those who can point them to Jesus. In this passage, Joseph serves as an example of someone who can help us look more like Jesus.  Everyone can identify with Joseph. We all have room for improvement in at least one of these areas. 

Embrace The Extra In Your Life

We collect change in our house. It all goes into one container and we save it for special occasions. I'm always surprised by how much "extra" we have when we finally count it up.

After Jesus fed the 5000, everyone was surprised by how much extra they had when they finally counted it all up.

This story reminds us that Jesus always provides us with everything we need AND He always provides us with MORE than we need. We are surrounded by an ABUNDANCE of blessings and if we will only take the time to "gather up the leftover fragments."

Take some time today, look around and notice the extra God has provided for you. You'll probably have more food than you will need. Most of us have not just one car, but multiple cars (one car is more than most of the world). Open your closet and be reminded of how God has provided far more clothing than you need (don't forget the shoes!). The fact that you are reading this email on a computer, phone or tablet means you have an ABUNDANCE of blessing.

It is easy to live with a scarcity mindset. We think we barely have enough and we need to cling tightly to what we have so that we don't lose any. God has blessed us abundantly so that we will allow those blessings to flow over into the lives of everyone around us. Don't lose sight of this truth.

Look around. Make note of all the leftovers Jesus has provided. Choose to focus today on GRATITUDE and GENEROSITY!

30 Days To Create A New Habit of Gratitude